cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Removing Dynamic Objects for Static Scene Reconstruction using Light Fields

There is a general expectation that robots should operate in environments that consist of static and dynamic entities including people, furniture and automobiles. These dynamic environments pose challenges to visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms by introducing errors into the front-end. Light fields provide one possible method for addressing such problems by capturing a more complete visual information of a scene. In contrast to a single ray from a perspective camera, Light Fields capture a bundle of light rays emerging from a single point in space, allowing us to see through dynamic objects by refocusing past them. In this paper we present a method to synthesize a refocused image of the static background in the presence of dynamic objects that uses a light-field acquired with a linear camera array. We simultaneously estimate both the depth and the refocused image of the static scene using semantic segmentation for detecting dynamic objects in a single time step. This eliminates the need for initializing a static map . The algorithm is parallelizable and is implemented on GPU allowing us execute it at close to real time speeds. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method on real-world data acquired using a small robot with a five camera array.
Serial in-solution digestion protocol for mass spectrometry-based glycomics and proteomics analysis

Advancement in mass spectrometry has revolutionized the field of proteomics. However, there remains a gap in the analysis of protein post-translational modifications (PTMs), particularly for glycosylation. Glycosylation, the most common form of PTM, is involved in most biological processes; thus, analysis of glycans along with proteins is crucial to answering important biologically relevant questions. Of particular interest is the brain extracellular matrix (ECM), which has been called the "final Frontier" in neuroscience, which consists of highly glycosylated proteins. Among these, proteoglycans (PGs) contain large glycan structures called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) that form crucial ECM components, including perineuronal nets (PNNs), shown to be altered in neuropsychiatric diseases. Thus, there is a growing need for high-throughput methods that combine GAG (glycomics) and PGs (proteomics) analysis to unravel the complete biological picture. The protocol presented here integrates glycomics and proteomics to analyze multiple classes of biomolecules. We use a filter-aided sample preparation (FASP) type serial in-solution digestion of GAG classes, including hyaluronan (HA), chondroitin sulfate (CS), and heparan sulfate (HS), followed by peptides. The GAGs and peptides are then cleaned and analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This protocol is an efficient and economical way of processing tissue or cell lysates to isolate various GAG classes and peptides from the same sample. The method is more efficient (single-pot) than available parallel (multi-pot) release methods, and removal of GAGs facilitates the identification of the proteins with higher peptide-coverage than using conventional-proteomics. Overall, we demonstrate a high-throughput & efficient protocol for mass spectrometry-based glycomic and proteomic analysis (data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD017513).
Digital Manipulation and the Future of Electoral Democracy in the U.S.

This article examines the problem of unreliable information on the Web and its implications for the integrity of elections, and representative democracy, in the U.S. Effects of digital disinformation campaigns on voters are hard to quantify because understanding voter behavior is notoriously difficult for scholars and politicians alike. But false digital information does seem to influence voter behavior by amplifying negative attitudes and heightening fears. One rational response is to advocate for standards of veracity for digital information, but the challenges to imposing new standards are at least twofold. First, “useful fictions” have been found to sometimes engender beneficial effects; so flatly banning digital falsehoods would seem undesirable. Second, emerging “deepfake” technologies may worsen the problem of digital dissembling. One consolation is the persistent uncertainty about whether video and other forms of digital manipulation influence voters in predictable ways, reducing the perceived value of the practice. The surest remedy may be a “technological fix,” inserted into public digital platforms, which can identify instances of maliciously false information, and either quickly destroy or isolate them. Yet no single actor—neither governments, nor “Big Tech” corporations, nor individual citizens or their voluntary associations—can introduce and maintain such a “fix.” Partnerships are needed in order to sustain robust remedies. Until then, the influence on voter behavior of unreliable digital information must be better monitored and documented, analyzed, and understood.
Communication experiences of family caregivers of hospitalized adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities-A qualitative study.

Aim To explore communication experiences between family caregivers of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and healthcare personnel during hospitalization. Design A qualitative descriptive study approach with interviews of family caregivers was used. Method Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted from June-September 2015 with ten family caregivers of adults with I/DD. Participants were recruited through an advocacy organization in the north-eastern United States. Data were analysed by content analysis. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research was the chosen checklist. Results The four overarching themes: "Need for Advocacy"; "Need for Better Communication"; "Sense of Abandonment"; and "Lack of Confidence" along with 12 subthemes were identified. Overall, participants reported miscommunications leading to instances of mistrust in hospital staff's competence to deliver quality patient care.
Passion and qing: Intellectual histories of emotion, West and East

This chapter explores emotions as lived in everyday life. It also explores ideas about emotions, that is, explicit theories and teachings. In the West, philosophy and, more recently, science have been major sources of ideas about the emotions; this is not as true in China. It is reasonable to assume, however, that over time a dialectical relation exists between ideas and realities of emotion, such that each helps shape the other. The emotions are “located” in the sensitive faculty, common to humans and infrahuman animals. Aristotle’s most general definition of emotion was simply “feelings accompanied by pleasure or pain”. Histories of ideas are important, if for no other reason than to satisfy one of the most fundamental of human emotions: curiosity.
Stance and Being

This essay builds upon Rebecca Kukla's constructive treatment of Dennettian stances as embodied coping strategies, to extend a conversation previously initiated by John Haugeland about Daniel Dennett on stances and real patterns and Martin Heidegger on the ontological difference. This comparison is mutually illuminating. It advances three underdeveloped issues in Heidegger: Dasein's ‘bodily nature’, the import of Heidegger's ontological pluralism for object identity, and how clarification of the sense of being in general bears on the manifold senses of being. It more sharply differentiates Kukla's and Dennett's understandings of stances and the real. Finally, it allows for further development of Kukla's account of Dennettian stances as embodied. These developments show greater complexity than what Kukla calls ‘the wide and counterfactually flexible repertoire of bodily positions’ that make up an embodied stance. They also show how different stances are compared and assessed even though Kukla rightly denies the possibility of a normative or explanatory philosophical ‘meta-stance’.
Impact of isometric and concentric resistance exercise on pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia

The aim of this study was to determine the local and systemic effects of isometric and concentric muscle contractions on experimental pain and performance fatigability in people with and without fibromyalgia. Forty-seven fibromyalgia (FM: 51.3 ± 12.3 year) and 47 control (CON: 52.5 ± 14.7 year) participants performed submaximal isometric and concentric exercise for 10 min with the right elbow flexors. Assessments before and after exercise included pressure pain thresholds (PPT) of the biceps and quadriceps, central pain summation, self-reported exercising arm and whole-body pain, and maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the right elbow flexors and left handgrip. People with FM experienced greater reductions in local fatigue (right elbow flexor MVIC: CON: − 4.0 ± 6.7%, FM: − 9.8 ± 13.8%; p = 0.013) and similar reductions in systemic fatigue (left handgrip MVIC: − 6.5 ± 10.2%; p < 0.001) as CON participants, which were not different by contraction type nor related to baseline clinical pain, perceived fatigue, or reported pain with exercise. Following exercise both groups reported an increase in PPTs at the biceps (pre: 205.5 ± 100.3 kPa, post: 219.0 ± 109.3 kPa, p = 0.004) only and a decrease in central pain summation (pre: 6.8 ± 2.9, post: 6.5 ± 2.9; p = 0.013). FM reported greater exercising arm pain following exercise (CON: 0.7 ± 1.3, FM: 2.9 ± 2.3; p < 0.001), and both groups reported greater arm pain following concentric (isometric: 1.4 ± 2.0, concentric: 2.2 ± 2.9; p = 0.001) than isometric exercise. Neither group reported an increase in whole-body pain following exercise. People with FM experienced greater performance fatigability in the exercising muscle compared to CON that was not related to central mechanisms of fatigue or pain. These results suggest changes in performance fatigability in FM may be due to differences occurring at the muscular level. NCT #: NCT03778385, December 19, 2018, retrospectively registered. IRB#: HR-3035.
Targeting Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells by Dual Inhibition of HOTAIR and DNA Methylation.

Ovarian cancer is a chemoresponsive tumor with very high initial response rates to standard therapy consisting of platinum/paclitaxel. However, most women eventually develop recurrence, which rapidly evolves into chemo-resistant disease. Persistence of ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSC) at the end of therapy has been shown to contribute to resistant tumors. In this study, we demonstrate that the long non-coding RNA HOTAIR is overexpressed in HGSOC cell lines. Furthermore, HOTAIR expression was upregulated in OCSC compared to non-CSC, ectopic overexpression of HOTAIR enriched the ALDH+ cell population and HOTAIR overexpression increased spheroid formation and colony forming ability. Targeting HOTAIR using peptide nucleic acid-PNA3, which acts by disrupting the interaction between HOTAIR and EZH2, in combination with a DNMT inhibitor inhibited OCSC spheroid formation and decreased the percentage of ALDH+ cells. Disrupting HOTAIR-EZH2 with PNA3 in combination with the DNMTi on the ability of OCSC to initiate tumors in vivo as xenografts were examined. HGSOC OVCAR3 cells were treated with PNA3 in vitro and then implanted in nude mice. Tumor growth, initiation, and stem cell frequency were inhibited. Collectively, these results demonstrate that blocking HOTAIR-EZH2 interaction combined with inhibiting DNA methylation is a potential approach to eradicate OCSCs and block disease recurrence.
β-Diketiminate-supported iridium photosensitizers with increased excited-state reducing power

A series of bis-cyclometalated iridium complexes were prepared which combine triazole or NHC-based cyclometalating ligands with substituted β-diketiminate (NacNac) ancillary ligands. The HOMO is localized on the NacNac ligand and its energy and associated redox potential are determined by the NacNac substitution pattern. The effect of the cyclometalating ligand, relative to the more common 2-phenylpyridine derivatives, is to destabilize the LUMO and increase the triplet excited-state energy (ET1). These results are supported by DFT calculations, which show HOMOs and LUMOs that are respectively localized on the NacNac and cyclometalating ligands. With this new design, we observe more negative excited-state reduction potentials, E(IrIV/*IrIII), with two members of the series standing out as the most potent visible-light iridium photoreductants ever reported. Stern–Volmer quenching experiments with ketone acceptors (benzophenone and acetophenone) show that the increased thermodynamic driving force for photoinduced electron-transfer correlates with faster rates relative to fac-Ir(ppy)3 and previous generations of NacNac-supported iridium complexes. A small selection of photoredox transformations is shown, demonstrating that these new photoreductants are capable of activating challenging organohalide substrates, albeit with modest conversion.
Backlog for Skilled Immigrants Tops 1 Million: Over 200,000 Indians Could Die of Old Age While Awaiting Green Cards

To receive lawful permanent residence in the United States, an employment‐​based immigrant must first become the beneficiary of a petition usually submitted by an employer that requests that the government allow the immigrant to apply for a green card. Even with an approved petition, an immigrant cannot apply for a green card unless the green card cap is unfilled. Because demand has increased since Congress last updated the cap 30 years ago, the number of approved immigrants whom the cap is preventing from applying for green cards is skyrocketing. As a result of the outdated green card limits, these immigrants are waiting in a backlog that has reached an unprecedented length. New data on beneficiaries of approved employment‐​based petitions for green cards from a Cato Institute Freedom of Information Act request show how much the system needs reform: For the first time, the U.S. government has approved more than 1 million petitions for workers, investors, and their families who cannot receive legal permanent residence solely as a result of the low green card caps. The government is approving nearly two petitions for employment‐​based immigrants for every green card it is issuing to them. At the current rate of increase, the backlog will exceed 2.4 million by 2030. Skilled Indian workers make up 75 percent of the employment‐​based backlog, and recently backlogged Indian workers face an impossible wait of nine decades if they all could remain in the line. More than 200,000 petitions filed for Indians could expire as a result of the workers dying of old age before they receive green cards. Indian and Chinese immigrants had average wage offers two and a half times U.S. median wages—$30,000 higher than the average offer for other immigrants—yet they face waits that are decades longer. Indians endure much longer waits because the law imposes limits on the number of green cards for immigrants from any single birthplace and because U.S. employers file far more petitions for Indians than the limits allow. With recent skilled Indian workers facing a de facto ban on legal permanent residence based solely on their place of birth, Congress should prioritize the removal of these limits. However, this reform alone would still leave unsustainable waits of more than a decade for every employer‐​sponsored immigrant and allow the backlog to escalate past 2.4 million by 2030. To avoid driving billions of dollars in investment and hundreds of thousands of skilled workers abroad, Congress must quickly increase the number of employment‐​based green cards before this problem worsens.
Etiology and Outcomes of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in an Ethnically Diverse Population: The Multiethnic Cohort.

Backgrounds: HCC incidence varies by race/ethnicity. We characterized racial differences in underlying etiology, presentation, and survival in the linkage of Multiethnic Cohort Study with SEER and Medicare claims. Methods: HCC characteristics, treatment, and underlying etiology in participants were obtained. Deaths were ascertained using state death certificates and the National Death Index. Risk factors were collected via questionnaires. Cox models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for death. Results: Among 359 cases, the average age at diagnosis was 75.1. The most common etiology was hepatitis C (HCV) (33%), followed by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (31%), and different by ethnicity (p < 0.0001). African Americans (AA) (59.5%) and Latinos (40.6%) were more likely to be diagnosed with HCV-related HCC. In Japanese Americans (33.1%), Native Hawaiians (39.1%), and whites (34.8%), NAFLD was the most common etiology. Receipt of treatment varied across ethnic groups (p = 0.0005); AA had the highest proportion of no treatment (50.0%), followed by Latinos (45.3%), vs. whites (15.2%). HCC (72.2%) was the most common cause of death. In a multivariate analysis, AA (HR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.06–3.28) had significantly higher mortality compared to whites. Conclusions: We found significant ethnic differences in HCC underlying etiology, receipt of treatment, and outcome. The findings are important for reducing disparities.
Reliability of a computational platform as a surrogate for manually interpreted immunohistochemical markers in breast tumor tissue microarrays.

Abstract Background Pathologist and computational assessments have been used to evaluate immunohistochemistry (IHC) in epidemiologic studies. We compared Definiens Tissue Studio® to pathologist scores for 17 markers measured in breast tumor tissue microarrays (TMAs) [AR, CD20, CD4, CD8, CD163, EPRS, ER, FASN, H3K27, IGF1R, IR, Ki67, phospho-mTOR, PR, PTEN, RXR, and VDR]. Methods 5 914 Nurses’ Health Study participants, diagnosed 1976–2006 (NHS) and 1989–2006 (NHS-II), were included. IHC was conducted by the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Specialized Histopathology Laboratory. The percent of cells staining positive was assessed by breast pathologists. Definiens output was used to calculate a weighted average of percent of cells staining positive across TMA cores for each marker. Correlations between pathologist and computational scores were evaluated with Spearman correlation coefficients. Receiver-operator characteristic curves were constructed, using pathologist scores as comparison. Results Spearman correlations between pathologist and Definiens assessments ranged from weak (RXR, rho=-0.05; CD163, rho = 0.10) to strong (Ki67, rho = 0.79; pmTOR, rho = 0.77). The area under the curve was >0.70 for all markers except RXR. Conclusion Our data indicate that computational assessments exhibit variable correlations with interpretations made by an expert pathologist, depending on the marker evaluated. This study provides evidence supporting the use of computational platforms for IHC evaluation in large-scale epidemiologic studies, with the caveat that pilot studies are necessary to investigate agreement with expert assessments. In sum, computational platforms may provide greater efficiency and facilitate high-throughput epidemiologic analyses.
Health and Disease among Hispanics

The racial and ethnic composition of the United States is markedly influenced by a rapidly growing Hispanic population. From 1900 to 1996, the Hispanic population increased from less than 1% of the total U.S. population to almost 9% (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1993). Estimated at 22.8 million, Hispanics are projected to be the largest ethnic group by the year 2000 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1993).
IBCD: Development and Testing of a Checklist to Improve Quality of Care for Hospitalized General Medical Patients

Article-at-a-Glance Background Several studies have demonstrated the usefulness of medical checklists to improve quality of care in surgery and the ICU. The feasibility, effectiveness, and sustainability of a checklist was explored. Methods Literature on checklists and adherence to quality indicators in general medicine was reviewed to develop evidence-based measures for the IBCD checklist: (I) pneumococcal immunization, (B) pressure ulcers (bedsores), (C) catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), and (D) deep venous thrombosis (DVT) were considered conditions highly relevant to the quality of care in general medicine inpatients. The checklist was used by attending physicians during rounds to remind residents to perform four actions related to these measures. Charts were audited to document actions prompted by the checklist. Results The IBCD checklist was associated with significantly increased documentation of and adherence to care processes associated with these four quality indicators. Seventy percent (46/66) of general medicine teams during the intervention period of July 2010–March 2011 voluntarily used the IBCD checklist for 1,168 (54%) of 2,161 patients. During the intervention period, average adherence for all four checklist items increased from 68% on admission to 82% after checklist use (p Conclusion A checklist is a useful and sustainable tool to improve adherence to, and documentation of, care processes specific to quality indicators in general medicine.
Forecasting Future Sea Ice Conditions in the MIZ: A Lagrangian Approach

Abstract : LONG-TERM GOALS: 1- Determine the source regions for sea ice in coastal zones using back trajectories calculated from satellite-derived sea ice drift, based on work by Maslanak et al. 1995, Emery et al. 1997a, Meier et al. 2000, Tschudi et al. 2010. 2- Assess whether the source region of sea ice melting in peripheral seas in the GCMs participating in the IPCC AR5 and regional sea ice models agree with observed source region patterns from the satellite-derived dataset. 3- Compare Lagrangian ice trajectories in model and satellite datasets. 4- Repeat this analysis for 4 critical climate horizons: a base period (1979-2000), the most recent decade when transition to a new sea ice regime occurred (2001-2010), and two projection periods in the 21st Century (mid and late 21st century).
Tremor on Smiling. (P5.277)

Background: Isolated facial tremor on smiling is a rare phenomenon. There are only two case reports in the English literature. Method: Case report Result: A 32 year old caucasian male presented with a 15-year history of a progressively worsening bilateral facial tremor that occured only when he changed facial expressions, in particular, when smiling. The tremor was non-responsive to propranolol and primidone. Patient also reported generalized muscle pain and stiffness. There is a family history of tremor in his grandmother but no details available. Physical exam showed tremor involving both cheeks upon smiling. No tremor or dystonia was seen in other parts of the body. He had mild parkinsonism including hypomimia, slight rigidity, bradykinesia and decreased arms swing. MRI brain w/wo contrast, DaT scan, serum ceruloplasmin, 24-hour urine copper, heavy metal screen, TSH, anti-GAD and CPK were normal. Discussion: Two cases of isolated tremor on smiling were previously reported. One was a 27 year-old woman with family history of similar symptom in her father. Her tremor responded to propranolol. Another case was a 61 year-old woman whose symptom developed after steroid treatment. Both patients refused botulinum toxin injection as a treatment. Schwingenschuh et al. reported one case in association with Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD’s symptoms responded to PD drugs but not the smiling tremor. Our patient also has mild parkinsonism, however, normal DaT scan argue against neurodegenerative parkinsonism as an etiology. Differential diagnosis include facial myoclonus, myokymia, dystonic tremor, hemifacial spasms, Meige’s syndrome, jaw tremor, tics, focal motor seizure and psychogenic tremor. Our patient is undergoing electrophysiology tests and awaiting botulinum toxin injection. Given the tremor that presents only upon activation of muscle that involving in smiling we would like to propose the term “risus tremulous”. It may represent another form of action tremor or task specific tremor. Disclosure: Dr. KALRA has nothing to disclose. Dr. Oravivattanakul has nothing to disclose.
We Have No Microbes Here: Healing Practices in a Turkish Black Sea Village

and corruption. De Regt concludes with a number of cogent observations about the various and at times confl icting notions of development and modernity and how such projects reproduce social inequalities as much as they reduce them. Her engaging book off ers not only an in-depth analysis of what “development” engenders, but also advances the critical but as yet understudied topics of healthcare, return migration, and ethnicity/race in Yemen. De Regt’s work will appeal to scholars of gender, labor, migration, development, medicine, and race in the Arab and Islamic world and beyond.
Preliminary characterization of a laminated iron-core 6.3 T/m FFL magnet

Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a noninvasive imaging method that detects superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles within the body by their nonlinear behavior in the presence of external magnetic selection field [1]. A “selection field” is used to scan the body for the nonlinear signature of particles; essentially the particles outside of the instantaneous location of the field free region are saturated and hence induce no signal in our receiver coil.
Studies on oxidative phosphorylation. XII. Uncoupling of energy-linked reactions by 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone.

Abstract 2-Thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TFA) is shown to uncouple oxidative phosphorylation and to inhibit ATP-supported reactions. Respiration in tightly coupled rat liver mitochondria is inhibited partially by TFA. TFA releases oligomycin inhibition of phosphorylative oxidation (State 3 respiration) and inhibits dinitrophenol-stimulated ATPase; these characteristics suggest a site of action closer to the electron transport chain than the oligomycin site. ATPase activity assayed in the presence of Mg 2+ is stimulated by TFA. It is suggested that the mechanism of action of TFA on oxidative phosphorylation may relate to its aromatic and lipophilic properties.
Are Th17 cells in the gut pathogenic or protective

Th17 cells are abundant in multiple chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Clinical trials with antibodies to interleukin (IL)-17A, one of the Th17-cell signature cytokines, have recently reported therapeutic benefit in multiple patient populations; however, in Crohn's disease the role of Th17 cells and IL-17A appears to be more complicated. The development of different subsets of Th17 cells and their relative pathogenic activities with a focus on the gut environment will be discussed.
Application of the Wharton rearrangement for the de novo synthesis of pyranosides with ido, manno, and colito stereochemistry

A de novo asymmetric synthesis of α-ido-pyranosides, as well as several deoxy and amino variants, has been achieved. The procedure involves a palladium(0)-catalyzed glycosylation in combination with a Wharton rearrangement/epoxide-opening reaction sequence to access sugars with ido, manno, and colito stereochemistry as well as several azido analogues.
“Reverse” Discrimination in Sports

This recent case provides an interesting example of “reverse” discrimination in sport, where heterosexual plaintiffs accused the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance of violating state antidiscrimination law by disqualifying a softball team that had six non-gay players.
Plantar Keratosis, Treatment by Metatarsal Shortening

The lesion usually found on the plantar aspect of the foot under a metatarsal head or metatarsophalangeal joint is almost invariably a plantar keratosis and not a plantar wart. Careful clinical examination and evaluation to distinguish between the true verruca plantaris and the plantar keratosis is of primary importance since the true verruca plantaris will respond to tissue-destroying methods of treatment, whereas the plantar keratosis is a pressure phenomenon and usually will not respond to such therapy. When all conservative measures have failed to eradicate a disabling plantar keratosis then, and only then, should metatarsal shortening be considered. The contra-indications to this procedure have been enumerated. The longest folloup after this procedure has been twelve years and the shortest, twelve months. Fifty-one patients have been followed for six years or more. In 87.4 per cent of this series the results were excellent. Of the remaining 12.6 per cent, 4.5 per cent were absolute failures in that the lesion recurred under the same metatarsal head. In the other 8.1 per cent, many of the patients were pleased with the end results despite the development of a plantar keratosis or a callus under an adjacent metatarsal head since this recurrence was not as disabling as the original lesion had been. .In some instances when a symptomatic disabling keratosis did develop under an adjacent metatarsal head, the patients, of their own volition, requested that the same procedure be performed to eradicate this subsequent lesion rather than undergo the various forms of local palliative therapy. There is no question that conservative treatment is very definitely indicated and will relieve a large number of patients who are disabled by this lesion. On the other hand, for those few patients in whom non-operative and local surgical procedures have failed, shortening of the metatarsal shaft should be considered.
Effect of (—)-Emetine on Liver Microsomal Protein Synthesis in Partially Hepatectomized Rats

1. In the early sequential response to partial hepatectomy there is an initial inhibition of liver microsomal protein-synthesizing activity in vitro comparable in duration and degree to that occurring after administration of (—)-emetine (18 μmol/kg) to intact female rats. This initial inhibition is followed by a prolonged phase of stimulated amino acid incorporating activity by liver microsomal fractions prepared from donor animals at later times.2. There is a delayed appearance of the stimulatory phase of microsomal amino acid incorporating activity in vitro when donor animals are treated with (—)-emetine immediately after partial hepatectomy. This may be related to the finding that in these animals hepatic enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of DNA, such as deoxycytidylate deaminase and thymidine kinase, are not stimulated in the expected way.3. By separating the two challenges and superimposing 24 h treatment with (—)-emetine on 48 h regeneration, or 24 h regeneration on 48 h (—)-emetine treatment, th...
In vivo timing of onset of transgene expression following adenoviral-mediated gene transfer

Recombinant adenoviruses are efficient gene transfer vehicles that could be used for treatment of acute diseases. However, the time required for adenoviruses to produce physiologically relevant levels of transgene in vivo is unknown. To address this question rat lungs were infected with an E1a(-)/E3a(-) adenovirus that contains an hCMV-driven human beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (beta(2)AR) cDNA. Human beta(2)AR message and protein expression were noted 2-4 h postinfection without evidence of pseudotransduction. beta(2)AR function (cAMP production) was increased at 6 h postinfection. To determine when beta(2)AR gene transfer affects downstream catecholamine-sensitive pathways, we measured lung Na,K-ATPase expression and alveolar fluid clearance (AFC). beta(2)AR gene transfer increased Na,K-ATPase number by 80% at 6 h, and AFC by 20% at 8 h postinfection. These data indicate that recombinant adenoviruses can produce physiologically significant levels of transgene within hours of infection and that they may be suitable for gene therapies for acute, rapidly progressive diseases.
Beating-heart mitral valve surgery: Preliminary model and methodology ☆

Abstract Objective: It is our hypothesis that image-guided mitral valve repair can be performed on the beating heart without cardiopulmonary bypass. As a first phase, we tested the feasibility of suturing the anterior and posterior mitral valve leaflets under image guidance. Methods: In a water bath model, imaging approaches and suturing techniques were developed. Then, in 6 pigs, the left atrium was cannulated with a custom-made 15-mm valved port through a left thoracotomy. Atrial pressure was elevated by shunting of arterial blood to minimize air induction. A multiplane transesophageal echocardiographic probe was evaluated in the intraesophageal and epicardial positions. With a commercial endoscopic suturing device, sutures were placed through the anterior and posterior mitral leaflets under echocardiographic guidance. The animals were killed, and suture accuracy was evaluated by measuring the distance from the intended target areas on the anterior and posterior mitral leaflets. Air induction was monitored by echocardiography and graded as minimal to severe. Results: There were no cases of hemodynamic instability or significant arrhythmia. The most effective imaging plane was a short-axis view that used the transesophageal echocardiographic probe epicardially at the heart base. Air induction was minimal in 2 animals, mild in 3, and moderate in 1. Sutures were successfully placed 9 of 12 times (mean error 0.8 ± 0.5 cm). Conclusions: With these methods, off-pump, image-guided suturing of the beating-heart mitral valve was possible. This model may be a useful starting point for developing off-pump mitral valve repair procedures. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2002;123:1141-6
Liquid Argon Neutrino Detector Development at Fermilab

Abstract Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LAr TPCs) are ideally suited for the study of neutrino interactions thanks to their combination of scalability and precision detection capability. In this talk I will highlight work in the development of this technology at Fermilab, focusing on the details of the ArgoNeuT project and the MicroBooNE experiment. ArgoNeuT is a 175 liter LArTPC that was recently operated in the NuMI beamline, and MicroBooNE is a 90 ton LArTPC that will begin operations in the Booster neutrino beam beginning in 2013. I will conclude with preliminary ideas for the ultimate LArTPC experiment that could be conducted at the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) in South Dakota.
Elevated platelet MAO is related to impulsivity in disruptive behavior disorders.

Abstract. Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was measured in 32 drug-free prepubertal boys with externalizing symptoms of disruptive behavior disorders and 47 boys with no DSM-III-R diagnoses, and correlated to questionnaire and laboratory performance measures of impulsivity. A subgroup of boys with high MAO activity exhibited significantly poorer performance (i.e., more impulsivity) than a subgroup of low MAO activity on laboratory tasks requiring response inhibition. High MAO patients were more impulsive than high MAO controls on some performance tasks and elevated platelet MAO was unrelated to personality questionnaire measures of impulsivity or to patient status. These data suggest that biological markers such as MAO activity may correlate better with performance than clinical questionnaire measures. Abnormally high platelet MAO activity may not be sufficient to produce externalizing symptoms in children, perhaps interacting with an underlying behavioral dimension of impulsivity.
On the massive Dirac neutrino radiative decay

The presence of right-handed currents and left-right mixing contributes to the neutrino radiative decay amplitude a term that is directly proportional to the charged lepton mass. This has led to the suggestion that observable decays of relic neutrinos might occur in the left-right model or the mirror model. Explicit calculations in these models are carried out including a careful analysis of the origin of neutrino mass, here assumed to be a Dirac mass. It is found that the amplitude is proportional to the neutrino mass and thus too small to be of interest. A brief comment on the neutrino magnetic moment in anSU(2)L×U(1)Y model, which contains an iso-singlet charged scalar η+, is also presented.
Publishing a university computing service newsletter

The university computing services newsletter is the most effective, efficient and consistent way to reach the largest number of computer users. It can also be more than a way to disseminate technical information and news to computer users. The newsletter is tangible evidence of the activities of computing services staff both for end-users and university administrators. It serves as a record of the progress of the computing services, provides incentive for staff to complete projects in a timely manner and signifies a commitment by the computing services to a stable end-user environment.In 1986, Tulane Computing Services (TCS) went from intermittent production of a newsletter which received little attention from users to a six-times yearly, professional quality publication which has attracted the attention of the University computing community, University administrators and computing services and libraries at other universities. There were eight key factors involved in this transition: (1) management commitment (financial, technical and personnel) to a professional quality newsletter; (2) access to state-of-the-art desktop publishing technology; (3) increased staff commitment to the publication; (4) cooperation with the administrative department responsible for all University publications; (5) development of a consistent newsletter format compatible with that used for all TCS publications; (6) dedication to providing a stable end-user environment; (7) increased access to information from computing services administrators, systems programmers and operations staff; and (8) the hiring of an individual with graphics design and computer expertise who was primarily responsible for all desktop publishing done within the computing services.
Vector coupled-mode equations for modulated periodic media

A simple method is described for deriving the vector coupled-mode equations for a dielectric medium which is characterized by a longitudinally varying permittivity composed of a number of closely spaced, discrete, wave numbers. The reflection coefficient for an amplitude modulated periodic slab is displayed.
Early transfer for angiography after fibrinolysis reduced ischemic events in patients with STEMI

Source Citation Cantor WJ, Fitchett D, Borgundvaag B, et al. Routine early angioplasty after fibrinolysis for acute myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. 2009;360:2705-18. 19553646
Contributors to neuropsychological impairment in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected opiate-dependent patients

Neuropsychological (NP) impairment is multiply determined among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected individuals who are also dually diagnosed with depression and who use illicit substances. The purpose of the present study was to assess the impact of HIV status, depression, and problematic substance use on NP performance. A total of 160 opiate-dependent outpatients undergoing methadone maintenance (80 HIV-infected, 80 HIV-uninfected) completed diagnostic and NP evaluations. Raw scores from individual NP tests were converted to Z scores relative to standard norms and were averaged to form a composite score. HIV-infected participants had significantly lower overall NP performance—as well as lower performance on tests of attention, motor speed, and verbal memory—than HIV-uninfected participants. In multiple regression analyses considering the role of depression and substance use, only HIV status emerged as a significant predictor of NP impairment. These findings confirm NP impairment in HIV-infected substance abusing patients independent of comorbid depression and severity of substance use.
Interaction between phosphoribosyltransferase and purified histidine tRNA from wild type Salmonella typhimurium and a derepressed hisT mutant strain

Abstract We have examined the interaction between phosphoribosyltransferase and purified tRNA-His from the wild type strain of Salmonella typhimurium, LT-2, and the histidine regulatory mutant hisTl504. Histidyl-tRNA from the mutant strain functions normally in protein synthesis but is defective in its role in the repression mechanism of the histidine operon. Phosphoribosyltransferase has been suggested as a possible aporegulator for this operon and as such might be expected to interact abnormally with tRNA-His from hisT1504. In these studies we have been unable to detect any difference between the affinities of phosphoribosyltransferase for tRNA-His from LT-2 or hisT1504, and thus we conclude that if the complex between phosphoribosyltransferase and histidyl-tRNA does function in regulation, the defect in the hisT1504 mutant must influence the interaction of the complex with some other regulatory element.
An “Almost Exhaustive” Search-Based Sequential Permutation Method for Detecting Epistasis in Disease Association Studies

Due to the complex nature of common diseases, their etiology is likely to involve "uncommon but strong" (UBS) interactive effects--i.e. allelic combinations that are each present in only a small fraction of the patients but associated with high disease risk. However, the identification of such effects using standard methods for testing association can be difficult. In this work, we introduce a method for testing interactions that is particularly powerful in detecting UBS effects. The method consists of two modules--one is a pattern counting algorithm designed for efficiently evaluating the risk significance of each marker combination, and the other is a sequential permutation scheme for multiple testing correction. We demonstrate the work of our method using a candidate gene data set for cardiovascular and coronary diseases with an injected UBS three-locus interaction. In addition, we investigate the power and false rejection properties of our method using data sets simulated from a joint dominance three-locus model that gives rise to UBS interactive effects. The results show that our method can be much more powerful than standard approaches such as trend test and multifactor dimensionality reduction for detecting UBS interactions.
Cerebellar Cysts in Children: a Pattern Recognition Approach

Cerebellar cysts may be seen in selected genetic disorders and acquired anomalies. Here, we review our experience, excluding cystic tumors and parasitic cysts. The pathogenesis is heterogeneous: Cysts may involve/represent normal structures (e.g., Virchow-Robin spaces), be "destructive" (such as in some types of pontocerebellar hypoplasias), "malformative" (such as in some forms of congenital muscular dystrophies and GPR56-related migration disorders), or "disruptive" (such as in some cerebellar dysplasias). The provided checklist may be useful in deciding targeted diagnostic workup.
Lipid composition and acid hydrolase content of lamellar granules of fetal rat epidermis

Lipids and acid hydrolases have been characterized in a subcellular fraction, enriched with lamellar granules (LG), derived from fetal rat epidermis. This fraction contains 23% glycosyl ceramides and ceramides, 15% free sterols, and 34% phospholipids. The lipid/protein ratio is 2.0. The sterols and sphingolipids were present in proportions similar to those previously reported in stratum corneum. These findings provide direct biochemical evidence for the widely accepted hypothesis that stratum corneum lipids are derived from exocytosis of lamellar granules into the intercellular space. The LG fraction was enriched in certain acid hydrolases including glucosidase, acid phosphatase, phospholipases A, and sphingomyelinase; other acid hydrolases, i.e., amino-glycosidases, glactosidase and aryl sulfatase (pH 5.5), and steroid sulfatase were not preferentially localized in this fraction. By modulation of phospholipids, glyco-lipids, and proteins in the membrane regions of stratum corneum, the acid hydrolases of LG may play a role relevant to the function and desquamation of stratum corneum.
Team cognition and expert teams: Developing insights from cross –disciplinary analysis of exceptional teams

Abstract The sports sciences have long been involved in investigations of team process and performance; nonetheless, there is a surprising paucity of cross‐disciplinary interaction between researchers in team cognition and sports psychology. The overarching purpose of this invited special issue is to redress this problem by providing an outlet for leading researchers in the field of team cognition to discuss their own and related work in the context of sports psychology. The cognitive processes arising during the complex and dynamic interaction of teams are the focus of this special issue. In order to ground these discussions, in this lead article to our special issue we discuss some of the key concepts emerging from the literature on team cognition. First, we briefly describe the study of cognition in teamwork and then we discuss the etymology of a subset of key concepts emerging from this study. Our goal is to highlight the utility of such discussions and provide some initial insights for how to strengt...
α-Amination of Nitrogen Heterocycles: Ring-Fused Aminals

Aromatic aminoaldehydes react with cyclic amines to produce ring-fused aminals under thermal conditions. This process is applied to two-step syntheses of the quinazolinone alkaloids deoxyvasicinone and rutaecarpine.
On an instability to Langmuir circulations and the role of Prandtl and Richardson numbers

The instability of a weakly sheared density-stratified two-dimensional wavy flow to longitudinal vortices is considered. The instability mechanism is Craik–Leibovich type 2, or CL2, and the problem is posited in the context of Langmuir circulations beneath irrotational wind-driven surface waves. Of interest is the influence to the instability of Prandtl Pr and Richardson Ri numbers according to linear theory. The basis for the study is an initial value problem posed by Leibovich & Paolucci (1981) in which the liquid substrate is of semi-infinite extent and the wind-driven current is permitted to grow in the presence of neutral waves. In the present work Pr is varied from zero to infinity, and both stabilizing and destabilizing Ri are considered; so too are monochromatic and measured wave fields, and laminar and turbulent velocity profiles. Only the Ri = 0 results recover those of Leibovich & Paolucci. For stabilizing Ri, it is found in general that diminishing Pr are destabilizing to Langmuir circulations (LCs), and thus that LCs can be present or absent at the same Langmuir number La provided Ri ≠ 0. It is further found that two branches of neutral curves occur for some combinations of Pr and Ri, and that minor changes in either parameter permit the preferred spacing to switch from one branch to the other. In consequence the preferred spanwise spacing may change from smaller than the wavelength of the dominant waves to larger than it. Furthermore, although LCs will not form at inverse La below a global lower bound given by an energy stability analysis, the actual value of La at onset is found to depend greatly upon local details of the wave and shear fields. Interestingly although this global lower bound is independent of Ri and Pr for Ri [ges ] 0, that is not the case for Ri < 0, where it approaches zero as Ri → −∞, indicating that the CL2 instability is viable even at low Reynolds numbers.
The Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System Data Usage in Availability Engineering

Applications of technology of the reliability, availability and maintainability engineering disciplines are taking place between the aerospace and electrical utility industry. Included in these activities is the use of available data in generating solutions to various problems. In this paper deterministic methodology is applied to data collected for the Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System to illustrate the use of such data in problem solving. The results of this exercise demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining point estimates with large confidence levels.