cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Losowość i natura Boga

Observations of apparently random phenomena are commonplace in science. However, randomness and Christian belief are often seen as incompatible, both by naturalists and by theists. This article argues that the scientific concept of randomness and the historic Christian understanding of God’s nature are compatible. It argues that the existence of randomness cannot be settled scientifically; nevertheless, it clarifies randomness as a mathematical concept, argues that it provides a plausible interpretation of scientific data, and argues that its existence is consistent with God’s nature as it is commonly understood by systematic theologians.
Treading Water: Considering Adolescent Characters in Moratorium.

Adolescent literature often seeks to examine the emotional, psychological, and physical growth of adolescents. Psychologists, sociologists, and childhood studies experts have all claimed the importance of adolescence as a time of identity formation. Erik Erikson provides an apt term for this important phase in an individual’s life: moratorium, “a psychosocial stage between childhood and adulthood” that particularly lends itself to a time of exploration and discovery (p. 263). Erikson and one of his successors in adolescent identity development research, James Marcia, use this term to define this stage of exploration because, at this point, the individual suspends her identity formation process in order to explore the options. This pause, although consisting of active experimentation, gives the adolescent time to discover identity options before moving forward in the process. It is often this very process of exploration and discovery that authors depict in adolescent literature. By choosing to analyze the moratorium stage of adolescent characters, scholars, teachers, and caregivers can more easily recognize the ideology embedded within the text and the options authors showcase for adolescent identity.
Feasibility of Radioactive Waste Disposal in Shallow Sedimentary Formations

One of the pressing problems of the potential nuclear-power industry is the necessity for disposing of radioactive wastes incident to operating reactors and recovering fissionable material from exp...
Abstract 298: Vitamin D3 Supplementation in Obesity Corrects the Renal Vascular Response to Angiotensin II Akin to the Action of a Converting Enzyme Inhibitor

Background: Increased activity of the renal-vascular renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a leading mechanism for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in obesity. Low vitamin D levels are associated with incr...
Optimization of activated sludge designs using genetic algorithms.

We describe a framework in which a genetic algorithm (GA) and a static activated sludge (AS) treatment plant design model (WRC AS model) are used to identify low cost activated sludge designs that meet specified effluent limits (e.g. for BOD, N, and P). Once the user has chosen a particular process (Bardenpho, Biodenipho, UCT or SBR), this approach allows the parameterizations for each AS unit process to be optimized systematically and simultaneously. The approach is demonstrated for a wastewater treatment plant design problem and the GA-based performance is compared to that of a classical nonlinear optimization approach. The use of GAs for multiobjective problems such as AS design is demonstrated and their application for reliability-based design and alternative generation is discussed.
Demonstration of Optical Confinement in Solution-Grown Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells

Enhanced absorption due to light trapping (optical confinement) in solution-grown thin-film silicon solar cells is demonstrated. Analysis of spectral response confirms that significant optical confinement is achieved.
Chemoprevention for Inherited Colorectal Cancer

Before the responsible susceptibility loci were discovered in the late 1980s and early 1990s, management of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) and Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) were based on endoscopic surveillance of individuals whose parents had already manifested adenomatosis or cancer. In best case scenarios, early progression of adenomas in FAP or early cancer in HNPCC, “curative” surgery would be performed, though cancer risk remained in any remaining colorectal segment and in the UGI tract. With discovery of the APC gene for FAP and the mismatch repair (MMR) genes for HNPCC, a more targeted approach became possible, with attention being limited to proven carriers. This encouraged earlier surveillance and, along with improved endoscopic management, enabled some patients to be followed conservatively for a period of time before prophylactic surgery was performed.
'Islamska Država' I Međunarodni Krivični Sud: ISIS I Mks (The 'Islamic State' and International Law: ISIS and the ICC)

Bosnian Abstract: Takozvana islamska država Sirija/Levant (ISIS/ISIL) bila je de facto država. De facto države i pobunjenicke grupe podležu ratnom zakonu. ISIS je pocinio razne ratne zlocine i zlocine protiv covecnosti, ukljucujuci i genocid. Bilo da su pod teorijom o univerzalnoj nadležnosti ili Rimskom statutu, kriminalci u tzv. Islamskoj državi mogu biti krivicno gonjeni pred MKS-om, iako Irak nije potpisao ugovor ICC-a. Isto tako, zbog teorije univerzalne nadležnosti, ruska i sirijska lica mogu biti krivicno gonjena pred stranim sudovima zbog njihovih ratnih zlocina u Siriji. Clanak je na bosanskom jeziku i finansirao ga je fondacija Fulbright. Autor zahvaljuje Fulbrightu i nasim bosanskim domacinima za akademsku podrsku. Clanak je na bosanskom jeziku: dostupna je verzija na engleskom jeziku za objavljivanje. English Abstract: The so-called Islamic State of Syria/Levant (ISIS/ISIL) was a de facto state. De facto states and insurgent groups are subject to the law of war. ISIS has committed various war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide. Whether under a theory of universal jurisdiction or the Rome Statute, the criminals in the so-called Islamic State can be prosecuted before the ICC, even though Iraq has not signed the ICC treaty. Likewise, due to a theory of universal jurisdiction, Russian and Syrian persons can be prosecuted before foreign courts for their war crimes in Syria. Article is in Bosnian and was funded by the Fulbright Foundation. The author thanks Fulbright and our Bosnian hosts for the academic support. The article is in Bosnian: an English language version is available for publication.
The Relationship Between Residential Mobility and Behavioral Health Service Use in a National Sample of Adults With Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse Problems.

Objective: Individuals with mental health and/or substance abuse problems experience disparities in health care utilization. While previous studies have focused on individual and social determinant...
The Danger of Flying with Acute Otitis Media, Which May Result in Gradenigo’s Syndrome (P5.129)

Objective: The objective of this case report is to present a rare presentation of multiple cranial neuropathies. Background: Gradenigo’s syndrome is defined as a triad of acute otitis media, ipsilateral abducens palsy, and pain in the trigeminal distribution secondary to otitis media or mastoiditis involving the petrous apex of the temporal bone. The incidence of Gradenigo’s syndrome has declined with the rise of antibiotic treatment for otitis media. Airline travel is not recommended within 2 weeks of an otitis media diagnosis due to cabin pressure changes most prominently experienced during descent. We report a patient with a sudden in onset incomplete Gradenigo’s syndrome that occurred during an airplane ride. Design/Methods: We performed a chart review during the patient’s hospitalization and a literature review. Results: Our patient experienced left facial numbness, left facial pain, and left hearing loss. He presented to Emergency Department directly from the airport. The patient reported that he was recently diagnosed with acute otitis media and undertook airline travel to attend a wedding. Based on the history and clinical exam patient was diagnosed with Gradenigo’s syndrome prior to imaging studies. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed bullous myringitis with associated temporal bone inflammation causing irritation of the trigeminal ganglion without any involvement of the abducens nerve. Intravenous antibiotics were immediately administered, and the patient was discharged in good condition. Conclusions: It is important to consider Gradenigo’s syndrome as part of the differential diagnosis when faced with sudden onset multiple cranial neuropathies. Patients with proven otitis media ought not to fly in the acute phase. Disclosure: Dr. Spiegel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pham has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mandava has nothing to disclose.
Traffic dynamics under speed disturbance in mixed traffic with automated and non-automated vehicles

Abstract This paper elucidates the impacts of vehicle heterogeneity on traffic dynamics and throughput of mixed traffic consisting of connected automated vehicles (CAVs) and regular vehicles (RVs). The main premise is that the heterogeneity in preferred acceleration rate, desired speed, and car-following (CF) behavior (e.g., reaction pattern and sensitivity to a traffic disturbance) will change traffic properties in ways that can undermine traffic flow throughput. This paper first decomposes the mechanism into two elements – one driven by acceleration and one by time-varying CF response to disturbances – and then investigates their compounded effect. This paper also provides unifying frameworks to analyze the behavior of RVs and CAVs to facilitate analytical investigations. The results reveal how heterogeneous acceleration and CF behavior may create persistent voids and diminish traffic throughput. Integrating all the elements, throughput reduction is quantified via numerical simulations.
Immigrant farmers, sustainable practices: growing ecological and racial diversity in alternative agrifood spaces

This paper looks closely at Latino/a immigrant farming practices, arguing that although many immigrant farmers use practices that are deemed sustainable or ecological by alternative food movement s...
Introduction to MIRA, an Open Solution Approach

The Multi-criteria Integrated Resource Assessment (MIRA) open solution approach is a framework and a process. MIRA is a transparent policy framework that embraces diversity, adversity, and discovery, with a process that allows for the policy-specific evaluation of Decision Uncertainty and the emergence of stakeholder agreement. The three major unique aspects of an open solution approach are the inclusion of Decision Uncertainty; stakeholder-directed, but structured, iterations of the Requisite Steps; and trans-disciplinary learning. Trans-disciplinary learning becomes key to ensuring that each iteration is informed by the previous. These components distinguish the open solution approach from conceptual social science approaches that lack methodologies to compare specific policy alternatives and the reductionist decision-analytic approach that is currently the dominant public policy making paradigm. In this chapter, the Requisite Steps as applied in a MIRA approach are described, including terminology and guiding principles specific to MIRA.
Influence of laser processing parameters on the surface characteristics of 316L stainless steel manufactured by selective laser melting

Abstract Surface quality of metallic components has a huge influence on the wear, fatigue, and eventually service life of the part. Scanning of high-energy laser beams on metal powders during the layer-by-layer melting and solidification process by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) method has been determined to affect the mechanical characteristics and surface integrity of the sintered product. Some of the major processing parameters that have potential influences on material properties, and can affect the quality of the final product have been identified as laser power and scanning speed. These parameters also influence the surface characteristics and quality of the engineered components. This study focuses on the effect of the processing parameters on the surface characteristics SLM parts. Surface morphology, material defects such as pores, voids, cracks, melt pool formation, and chemical elements distribution on 316L stainless steel samples produced with a different combination of power-speed inputs were investigated. Increased laser power resulted in wider melt pools and improved surface texture for all samples, whereas higher scanning speed led to detrimental defects, discontinuity, pores and cracks on the surfaces. Detailed analysis showed that laser power has more effects on the melt pool developments. Chemical element distribution throughout the melt pools revealed carbon and oxygen concentration at melt pool boundaries, which ultimately would induce cracks and balling effects in overlapped regions.
Transgenic functional complementation with a transmission -associated protein restores spirochete infectivity by tick bite

Abstract The relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia hermsii and the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto each produces an abundant, orthologous, outer membrane protein, Vtp and OspC, respectively, when transmitted by tick bite. Gene inactivation studies have shown that both proteins are essential for spirochete infectivity when transmitted by their respective tick vectors. Therefore, we transformed a vtp-minus mutant of B. hermsii with ospC from B. burgdorferi and examined the behavior of this transgenic spirochete in its soft tick vector Ornithodoros hermsi. IFA staining indicated up to 97.8 % of the transgenic B. hermsii upregulated OspC in the ticks’ salivary glands compared to no more than 12.8 % in the midgut, similar to our previous findings with wild-type B. hermsii producing Vtp. Transformation with ospC also restored B. hermsii infectivity to mice when fed upon by infected ticks. Previous sequence analysis of Vtp for 79 isolates and DNA samples of B. hermsii in our laboratory showed this protein is highly polymorphic with 9 divergent amino acid types, yet strikingly the signal peptide is identical among all samples and the same for all OspC signal peptides for B. burgdorferi and related species examined to date. Searches in multiple genome sequences for other species of relapsing fever spirochetes failed to find the same signal peptide sequence to help identify potential transmission-associated proteins. However, some candidate signal peptides with highly similar sequences were found and worthy of future efforts with other species. While OspC of B. burgdorferi restored infectivity to a Vtp-minus mutant of B. hermsii, the functions of these proteins are not known. Our results should stimulate investigators to search for orthologous transmission-associated proteins in other tick-borne spirochetes to better understand how this group of pathogens has coevolved with diverse tick vectors.
Midterm outcomes of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in patients aged 75 years and older.

Background Full-thickness rotator cuff tears remain a significant cause of pain and dysfunction in the elderly. Substantial improvement in pain and functional outcomes with arthroscopic cuff repair is possible. Recent data has shown that patients older than 70-75 years still have clinical improvement with operative rotator cuff repair. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective study of patients aged ≥75 years undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair at a minimum of 24 months after surgery. Outcome measurements included range of motion (ROM), visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES) scores, Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) scores, and Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) scores. Reoperation and rates of conversion to reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) were determined. Results Eighty-three patients were included with an average follow-up of 56.9 ± 25.9 months (range 24-127 months). Six (7.2%) patients had additional surgery, including 3 revision rotator cuff repairs for retear, 2 conversion to RSA, and 1 capsular release and loose anchor removal. There were statistically significant improvements in shoulder ROM, ASES, SANE, VAS, and SF-12 scores postoperatively. Conclusion Rotator cuff repair in select patients aged ≥75 years results in reliable improvements in pain and function. There was a low reoperation rate or conversion to RSA (7.2%) at midterm follow-up. This study indicates a role for rotator cuff repair in an elderly population and argues against the routine use of reverse arthroplasty for repairable rotator cuff tears in this population.
Precautions for Operating Room Team Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) can infect healthcare workers. We developed an institutional algorithm to protect operating room team members during the COVID-19 pandemic and rationally conserve personal protective equipment (PPE). Study Design An interventional platform (operating room, interventional suite, and endoscopy) PPE taskforce was convened by the hospital and medical school leadership and tasked with developing a common algorithm for PPE use, to be used throughout the interventional platform. In conjunction with our infectious disease experts, we developed our guidelines based on potential patterns of spread, risk of exposure, and conservation of PPE. Results A decision tree algorithm describing our institutional guidelines for precautions for operating room team members was created. This algorithm is based on urgency of operation, anticipated viral burden at the surgical site, opportunity for a procedure to aerosolize virus, and likelihood a patient could be infected based on symptoms and testing. Conclusions Despite COVID-19 being a new threat, we have shown that by developing an easy-to-follow decision tree algorithm for the interventional platform teams, we can ensure optimal health care worker safety.
Ru/N-Polar GaN Schottky Diode With Less Than 2 μA/cm² Reverse Current

In this letter, we report the Schottky barrier diode investigation of ruthenium (Ru) deposited by atomic layer deposition on N-polar GaN. The Schottky diodes showed near-ideal thermionic current behavior under forward bias and reverse bias at various temperatures. The barrier height values extracted from both regions agreed well at each temperature and the barrier was extracted to be 0.77 eV at room temperature. The combination of the 0.77 eV barrier and thermionic current characteristic resulted in $\mu \text{A}$ /cm2 reverse current at −5 V, which is a record-low value for N-polar GaN Schottky diodes. As a comparison, the Ru on Ga-polar GaN Schottky barrier diode, which has a barrier height of 1.0 eV, exhibited a ~ two-order of magnitude higher leakage than Ru on N-polar GaN at −5 V due to other parasitic leakage mechanisms.
Retromer Combinatorials for Gene-Therapy Across a Spectrum of Neurological Diseases

ABSTRACT Endosomal trafficking is a biological pathway implicated in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and a growing number of other neurological disorders. For this category of diseases, the endosome’s trafficking complex retromer has emerged as a validated therapeutic target. Retromer’s core is a heterotrimeric complex composed of the scaffold protein VPS35 to which VPS26 and VPS29 bind. Unless it is deficient, increasing expression of VPS35 by viral vectors has a limited effect on other trimeric members and on retromer’s overall function. Here we set out to address these constraints and, based on prior insight, hypothesized that co-expressing VPS35 and VPS26 would synergistically interact and elevate retromer’s trimeric expression and function. Neurons, however, are distinct in expressing two VPS26 paralogs, VPS26a and VPS26b, and so to test the hypothesis we generated three novel AAV9 vectors harboring the VPS35, or VPS26a, or VPS26b transgene. First, we optimized their expression in neuroblastoma cell lines, then, in a comprehensive series of neuronal culture experiments, we expressed VPS35, VPS26a, and VPS26b individually and in all possible combinations. Confirming our hypothesis, expressing individual proteins failed to affect the trimer, while VPS35 and VPS26 combinatorials synergized the trimer’s expression. In addition, we illustrate functional synergy by showing that only VPS35 and VPS26 combinatorials significantly increase levels of Sorl1, a key retromer-receptor deficient in Alzheimer’s disease. Collectively, and together with other recent observations, these results suggest a precision-medicine logic when applying retromer gene therapy to a host of neurological disorders, depending on each disorder’s specific retromer-related molecular and anatomical phenotype.
Effective Data Sharing as a Conduit for Advancing Medical Product Development

Patient-level data sharing has the potential to significantly impact the lives of patients by optimizing and improving the medical product development process. In the product development setting, successful data sharing is defined as data sharing that is actionable and facilitates decision making during the development and review of medical products. This often occurs through the creation of new product development tools or methodologies, such as novel clinical trial design and enrichment strategies, predictive pre-clinical and clinical models, clinical trial simulation tools, biomarkers, and clinical outcomes assessments, and more. To be successful, extensive partnerships must be established between all relevant stakeholders, including industry, academia, research institutes and societies, patient-advocacy groups, and governmental agencies, and a neutral third-party convening organization that can provide a pre-competitive space for data sharing to occur. Data sharing focused on identified regulatory deliverables that improve the medical product development process encounters significant challenges that are not seen with data sharing aimed at advancing clinical decision making and requires the commitment of all stakeholders. Regulatory data sharing challenges and solutions, as well as multiple examples of previous successful data sharing initiatives are presented and discussed in the context of medical product development.
“Turn It to a Crutch”: Disability and Swordsmanship in The Little French Lawyer

In Beaumont and Fletcher’s Little French Lawyer, the character Champernell, a military veteran with one arm and one leg, is dropped on the stage and subsequently mocked when he tries and fails to initiate a sword duel. The mean-spirited joke offers insight into early modern representations of disability. A historicized understanding of rapiers demonstrates that when Champernell’s tormentors tell him to “turn it [the rapier] to a crutch,” they are actually recommending that he invert his sword and fall on it in an act of stoical suicide. The play thus offers two important avenues for approaching early modern texts through the lens of disability studies. On one hand, it highlights an early modern notion that impaired individuals should express their honor internally, rather than externally, exercising a kind of stoical agency. This notion manifests masculinist narratives of stoical honor as a means by which the disabled male subject is contained. Later in the play, however, Champernell catches and beats La-Writ, the play’s eponymous lawyer. This event, which parallels Champernell’s earlier shaming, rejects the stoical framework, emphasizing the importance of comportment over embodiment. I show that Champernell’s cathartic victory serves to liberate, rather than constrain, the disabled male subject.
Seismic Hazard Analysis

This section explains the fundamentals of seismic hazard analysis as part of earthquake engineering. According to Elnashai and Di Sarno (Fundamentals of earthquake engineering: from source to fragility. Wiley, London, 2015), Earthquake Engineering is a branch of engineering concerned with the estimation of earthquake consequences and the mitigation of these consequences. It is an interdisciplinary subject involving seismologists, structural and geotechnical engineers, architects, urban planners, information technologists, and social scientists. Open image in new window
High Counts of CD68+ and CD163+ Macrophages in Mantle Cell Lymphoma Are Associated With Inferior Prognosis.

Background Lymphoma-associated macrophages (LAMs) are key components in the lymphoma microenvironment, which may impact disease progression and response to therapy. There are two major subtypes of LAMs, CD68+ M1 and CD163+ M2. M2 LAMs can be transformed from M1 LAMs, particularly in certain diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL). While mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is well-known to contain frequent epithelioid macrophages, LAM characterization within MCL has not been fully described. Herein we evaluate the immunophenotypic subclassification, the expression of immune checkpoint molecule PD-L1, and the prognostic impact of LAMs in MCL. Materials and Methods A total of 82 MCL cases were collected and a tissue microarray block was constructed. Immunohistochemical staining was performed using CD68 and CD163, and the positive cells were recorded manually in four representative 400× fields for each case. Multiplexed quantitative immunofluorescence assays were carried out to determine PD-L1 expression on CD68+ M1 LAMs and CD163+ M2 LAMs. In addition, we assessed Ki67 proliferation rate of MCL by an automated method using the QuPath digital imaging analysis. The cut-off points of optimal separation of overall survival (OS) were analyzed using the X-Tile software, the SPSS version 26 was used to construct survival curves, and the log-rank test was performed to calculate the p-values. Results MCL had a much higher count of M1 LAMs than M2 LAMs with a CD68:CD163 ratio of 3:1. Both M1 and M2 LAMs were increased in MCL cases with high Ki67 proliferation rates (>30%), in contrast to those with low Ki67 (<30%). Increased number of M1 or M2 LAMs in MCL was associated with an inferior OS. Moreover, high expression of PD-L1 on M1 LAMs had a slightly better OS than the cases with low PD-L1 expression, whereas low expression of PD-L1 on M2 LAMs had a slightly improved OS, although both were not statistically significant. Conclusions In contrast to DLBCL, MCL had a significantly lower rate of M1 to M2 polarization, and the high levels of M1 and M2 LAMs were associated with poor OS. Furthermore, differential PD-L1 expressions on LAMs may partially explain the different functions of tumor-suppressing or tumor-promoting of M1 and M2 LAMs, respectively.
Studies of the Integrative Function of the Motor Neurone

Publisher Summary This chapter presents studies of the integrative function of the motor neuron. The key role played by the motor neuron in the overt expression of the functions of the central nervous system is explained in the chapter. The stimulation of the lateral column input and the dorsal root input to the motor neurons gives rise to ipsilateral ventral root responses. In the case of the lateral column stimulation, the discharge occurs after a brief latency, is highly synchronized, and lasts for only a brief period. When the motor neuron responses are examined with microelectrodes recording from within the cell body, the excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) evoked by dorsal root excitation is complex and multiple, whereas that evoked by lateral column stimulation is simple and unitary. The multisynaptic nature of dorsal root excitation may be avoided, and the EPSP can be simplified by the addition of pentobarbital to the bathing fluid. The initial portion of the response to lateral column stimulation decayed significantly more rapidly than the response to dorsal root excitation. All of these findings are consistent with the inference that the monosynaptic excitation of frog motor neurons occurs through axodendritic synapses from dorsal root fibers and over axosomatic synapses from lateral column fibers.
Stabilized isoporphyrin intermediates in the inactivation of horseradish peroxidase by alkylhydrazines.

Abstract The reaction of horseradish peroxidase with alkylhydrazines results in delta-meso-alkylation of the prosthetic heme group and enzyme inactivation (Ator, M. A., David, S. K., and Ortiz de Montellano, P. R. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 14954-14960). As reported here, enzyme inactivation is associated with the accumulation of intermediates that absorb at approximately 835 nm. The properties of these intermediates, including their collapse to give meso-alkylhemes, identify them as isoporphyrins. The t1/2 values for inactivation and formation of the isoporphyrin intermediate at 25 degrees C are, respectively, 11.6 and 12.5 min for methylhydrazine (2.0 mM), 8.7 and 7.2 min for ethylhydrazine (1.0 mM), and 30 and 25 s for phenylethylhydrazine (50 microM). The isoporphyrin intermediates are surprisingly long-lived, with half-lives (35 degrees C, pH 7.0) of 9, 28, 96, and 450 min for, respectively, the phenylethyl, methyl, n-butyl, and ethyl analogues. pH studies show that protonation of a group with pKa = 5.0-6.5 accelerates isoporphyrin decay and decreases steady state isoporphyrin accumulation. Horseradish peroxidase reconstituted with delta-meso-methylheme, unlike horseradish peroxidase with a heme that has a larger meso-substituent, is catalytically active but is more sensitive to H2O2-mediated degradation of the prosthetic group than is the native enzyme. The delta-meso-methylheme prosthetic group is converted in the reaction with H2O2 to a biliverdin-like product. The results implicate highly stabilized isoporphyrin intermediates in the inactivation of horseradish peroxidase by alkylhydrazines and indicate that inactivation by the meso-alkyl groups is due to steric interference with electron delivery to the heme edge rather than to intrinsic electronic consequences of meso-alkylation. The structural features that stabilize the cationic isoporphyrins may also be involved in stabilization of the Compound I porphyrin radical cation.
Multistage Genetic Association Studies

The practice of individualized medicine for therapy or prevention could be informed by studies of genetic modifiers of treatment effects. This special case of gene–environment interaction studies offers several unique opportunities by exploiting random assignment of treatments. Two basic approaches are possible, one based on genetic studies added to a preexisting randomized controlled trial, the other based on targeted intervention studies added to a preexisting genetic cohort study. We focus in particular on multistage sampling designs that exploit the prior information from the parent study to improve the statistical efficiency of the study of genetic modifiers of treatment effects. In particular, we discuss different contexts in which either design might be used—a study of a single candidate gene, an entire pathway, or a genome-wide association scan. Keywords: pharmacogenetics; genetic association; gene-environment interaction; multistage study design
Object Recognition: The Search for Representation

Object recognition in visual scenes by computer has proven to be more difficult than anyone would have thought three decades ago, at the beginning of the research program to achieve this goal. A central issue for further progress is the design and effective implementation of an object representation which captures all of the requirements for description and perceptual organization. In this paper, the major issues surrounding the development of such a representation are established and placed in the setting of relatively recent discoveries in the philosophy of recognition and object classification. From this viewpoint, definitions for representation, recognition, identification and classification are established and related to standard approaches to object recognition in visual scenes.
Two fusion reactor blankets with vanadium as structural material

Calculations of the tritium breeding ratio and heating rates for two proposed blanket designs are obtained by using the Monte Carlo method. The materials used for the blanket are vanadium and lithium. Lithium is used to slow down the neutrons and produce tritium by the /sup 6/Li(n,T)/sup 4/He and /sup 7/ Li(n,n',T)/sup 4/He reactions. Vanadium is used as the structural material. Results obtained indicate that a tritium breeding ratio of 1.3 is easily obtained by either design and that the heating rates for both designs are similar. These results are in general agreement with previous studies of fusion reactor blankets which used niobium as the structural material. (auth)
Energy/Latency/Image Quality Tradeoffs in Enabling Mobile Multimedia Communication

Future wireless applications, such as cellular video telephony, wireless LANs and PANs, home networks, and sensor networks, point towards a growing demand for multimedia content in wireless communication. However, mobile multimedia communication has several bottlenecks including bandwidth requirements, low-power constraints, and channel noise. In this paper, we propose a method to overcome the energy and bandwidth bottlenecks by adapting to the varying conditions and requirements of mobile multimedia communication. We focus on source coding, which can have significant impact on both the computation and communication energy consumption of the multimedia radio, as well as the Quality of Multimedia Data transmitted and the Quality of Service (latency of transmission) achieved. In particular, we study the effect of varying some parameters of the JPEG image compression algorithm (a type of source coding) on energy, latency, and image quality. We present a methodology to enable selection of the appropriate image compression parameters to implement the energy/latency/image quality tradeoff in mobile multimedia radios.
Non-photonic electron-hadron azimuthal correlation for AuAu, CuCu and pp collisions at sNN=200GeV

Abstract We present preliminary STAR results of azimuthal correlations between non-photonic electrons and hadrons in AuAu, CuCu and pp at s N N = 200 GeV . Comparison of the e-h correlations from these colliding systems allows one to study the system-size dependence of heavy quark jet-medium interactions. We also report on the relative charm and bottom contributions to non-photonic electrons extracted from correlations measured in pp collisions. Our results, when combined with R A A measurements of non-photonic electrons, constrain the charm and bottom energy loss in the dense medium.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae DAL80 repressor protein binds to multiple copies of GATAA-containing sequences (URSGATA)

Abstract Induced expression of the allantoin (DAL) catabolic genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been suggested to be mediated by interaction of three different types of promoter elements. First is an inducer-independent upstream activation sequence, UASNTR, whose operation is sensitive to nitrogen catabolite repression. The GLN3 product is required for UASNTR-mediated transcriptional activation. This site consists of two separated elements, each of which has a GATAA sequence at its core. Response of the DAL genes to inducer is mediated by a second type of cis-acting element, DAL UIS. The DAL82 and DAL81 genes are required for response to inducer; DAL82 protein is the UIS-binding protein. When only the UASNTR and UIS elements are present, DAL gene expression occurs at high levels in the absence of inducer. We, therefore, hypothesized that a third element, an upstream repressor sequence (URS) mediates maintenance of DAL gene expression at a low level when inducer is absent. Since the DAL and UGA genes are overexpressed and largely inducer independent in dal80 deletion mutants, we have suggested DAL80 protein negatively regulates a wide spectrum of nitrogen-catabolic gene expression, likely in conjunction with a URS element. Here we show that DAL80 protein binds to DAL3 and UGA4 upstream DNA sequences, designated URSGATA, consisting of two GATAA-containing sites separated by at least 15 bp. The preferred orientation of the sites is tail to tail, but reasonable binding activity is also observed with a head-to-tail configuration. URSGATA elements contain the sequence GATAA at their core and hence share sequence homology with UASNTR elements.
A Spatial Price Equilibrium Model of International Trade

partial equilibrium formulation, allows for interaction among both countries and commodities under the assumptions of free trade and a perfectly competitive market. In the present article, this basic competitive model is extended to incorporate some common trade and domestic policies which alter the free trade assumption. The usefulness of such a model for trade policy analysis is demonstrated by means of hypothetical data. Spatial models of this type, in which commodities are interrelated in both demand and supply, are shown to have considerable potential for empirical research in the field of international trade. I THINK of international trade as the most complicated of all fields in economics. It must deal, not only with problems peculiar to exchange between countries, but with all of the problems encountered in economic analysis on a lesser scale. Even with the abundant computer technology available today, empirical testing of international trade theories on more than a few interrelated commodities and countries has been impossible. This has made meaningful policy recommendations in the area of international trade particularly difficult. There has been a recent development in the sister field of interregional analysis which has significant potential for empirical analysis and policy recommendations in international trade. Judge and Takayama have developed an algorithm capable of solving for partial equilibrium conditions involving several interrelated commodities among many trading regions [7, 10]. They have also used this algorithm to formulate several complex interregional models which are computationally feasible [8, 9, 11]. The purpose of this article is to select one of these spatial models and show how, with some simple modifications, it can be used to analyze problems of international trade as well.'
Linking Broad Consent to Biobank Governance: Support From a Deliberative Public Engagement in California.

In “Broad Consent for Research With Biological Samples: Workshop Conclusions” (Grady et al. 2015), Grady and participants in a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored workshop endorse the pra...
A prospective open‐label clinical trial of adalimumab for the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa

Summary Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of adalimumab for the management of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). Methods In a prospective open-label phase II study, adalimumab was administered subcutaneously in a dose of 160 mg induction regimen at week 0, followed by 80 mg at week 1, and 40 mg at alternate weeks for 12 weeks in 10 patients. The patients were followed up to 13 weeks and their disease activity was assessed using the HS Severity Index (HSSI) as well as with the numbers of daily dressing changes, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Dermatologic Life Quality Index (DLQI), and Physician’s Global Assessment of disease severity (PGA). Results Ten patients were enrolled in this study. Of these, six patients completed the 12-week treatment period. A ≥ 50% decrease of HSSI score was not found in any of the patients at week 2, 4, 8, and 12. None of the 10 patients was classified as a responder at week 12 compared with baseline. Statistically significant difference in HSSI score was found between baseline and week 8 (P < 0.05) only but no significant differences were found between baseline and week 2, 4, and 12. Comparison of baseline with week 12 VAS and DLQI scores failed to show statistically significant improvement. Adalimumab was well tolerated and there were no serious adverse events reported. Conclusions Our study demonstrated statistically clinical improvement is not observed in the treatment of HS with adalimumab. Future studies using higher doses of adalimumab are warranted.
Loving to learn theory: active learning modules for the theory of computing

Can students love to learn the theory of computing? This topic is, after all, probably the most challenging in the computer science curriculum. The academic structure in the United States from grade school on is not particularly good at preparing students to deal with mathematical abstractions in any case, and the kinds of abstractions that permeate the theory of computing are unlike any encountered in other math courses: strings, formal languages, and models of computation. Furthermore, there is often little correlation provided in a standard theory textbook between the theory and the real world of software development; students wonder just what the point of the course is. It is no surprise, then, that most students struggle with learning the theory of computing.It is tempting to forego teaching the theory of computing, since students not only struggle with it, but they often retain so little of it. This would be a mistake. Done properly, the theory course puts the "science" into computer science, giving aspiring practitioners a basis for understanding the fundamental laws that govern their discipline: there are problems that cannot be solved, there are intractable problems, there are limitations on the efficiency of the solutions to problems, and so on. Students not only need to know these fundamental truths about their field, but they also need to be able to apply this knowledge to their everyday work of programming.In this paper we describe recent advances in our long-term efforts in the Webworks Laboratory at Montana State University to make the theory of computing accessible to students through active learning modules designed for use on the web. While we won't be so bold as to say that students will actually love to learn the theory of computing as a result of having access to these modules, we can confidently say from our own experience that they will find learning the theory to be more fun. And that, we would all agree, is a big step towards helping students learn.
A global assembly line for cyanobactins

More than 100 cyclic peptides harboring heterocyclized residues are known from marine ascidians, sponges and different genera of cyanobacteria. Here, we report an assembly line responsible for the biosynthesis of these diverse peptides, now called cyanobactins, both in symbiotic and free-living cyanobacteria. By comparing five new cyanobactin biosynthetic clusters, we produced the prenylated antitumor preclinical candidate trunkamide in Escherichia coli culture using genetic engineering.
Building semantic corpus from wordNet

We propose a novel methodology for extracting semantic similarity knowledge from semi-structured sources, such as WordNet. Unlike existing approaches that only explore the structured information (e.g., the hypernym relationship in WordNet), we present a framework that allows us to utilize all available information, including natural language descriptions. Our approach constructs a semantic corpus. It is represented using a graph that models the relationship between phrases using numbers. The data in the semantic corpus can be used to measure the similarity between phrases, the similarity between documents, or to perform a semantic search in a set of documents that uses the meaning of words and phrases (i.e., search that is not keyword-based).
Regularity of quasi-linear equations in the Heisenberg group

We prove the Cα regularity of the gradient of weak solutions of a class of quasi-linear equations in nilpotent stratified Lie groups of step two. As applications, we prove higher regularity theorems and a Liouville type theorem for 1-quasi-conformal mappings between domains of the Heisenberg group. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Tolerance of normal, of thyroidectomized, and of thiourea or thiouracil treated dogs to oral desiccated thyroid and to intravenous thyroxine.

HUMAN PATIENTS with myxedema can not take oral desiccated thyroid in amounts greater than about 0.2 gram daily without developing a supranormal level of precipitable iodine in serum along with symptoms and signs of hyperthyroidism (Winkler, Criscuolo and Lavietes, 1943; Winkler, Riggs and Man, 1945). Tolerance never develops. Euthyroid subjects, on the other hand, can often tolerate indefinitely much larger amounts of desiccated thyroid, 0.3 to 0.9 gram daily, before metabolic rate and precipitable iodine of serum increase (Riggs, Man and Winkler, 1945; Peters, Danowski and Winkler). The ingested hormone is apparently not stored by euthyroid subjects, since there is no evidence of its eventual release when thyroid medication is discontinued. A difference in response to intravenous thyrosine between myxedematous patients and euthyroid subjects has also been noted (Means, 1937; Winkler, Lavietes, Robbins and Man, 1943). As far as is known the myxedematous subject adequately treated with thyroid medication d...
Comparison of magnetic resonance imaging-compatible optical detectors for in-magnet tissue spectroscopy: photodiodes versus silicon photomultipliers

Tissue spectroscopy inside the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system adds a significant value by measuring fast vascular hemoglobin responses or completing spectroscopic identification of diagnostically relevant molecules. Advances in this type of spectroscopy instrumentation have largely focused on fiber coupling into and out of the MRI; however, nonmagnetic detectors can now be placed inside the scanner with signal amplification performed remotely to the high field environment for optimized light detection. In this study, the two possible detector options, such as silicon photodiodes (PD) and silicon photomultipliers (SiPM), were systematically examined for dynamic range and wavelength performance. Results show that PDs offer 108 (160 dB) dynamic range with sensitivity down to 1 pW, whereas SiPMs have 107 (140 dB) dynamic range and sensitivity down to 10 pW. A second major difference is the spectral sensitivity of the two detectors. Here, wavelengths in the 940 nm range are efficiently captured by PDs (but not SiPMs), likely making them the superior choice for broadband spectroscopy guided by MRI.
Olig genes and the genetic logic of CNS neural cell fate determination

The three fundamental cell types of the vertebrate CNS are neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. The molecular mechanisms that generate this basic triad remain poorly understood. Transcription factors in the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family have been shown to play an important role in the fundamental choice between neuronal and glial fates, while homeodomain transcription factors have been shown to determine different aspects of neuronal subtype identity. However, the transcriptional control of the choice between oligodendrocyte and astrocyte fates has not been elucidated. Here we describe a novel family of bHLH factors, called Olig1 and Olig2, that is specifically expressed in oligodendrocyte precursors throughout the CNS. Genetic studies indicate that Olig1/2 promote motoneuron and suppress interneuron fates during the neurogenic phase of spinal cord development, while at later stages they promote the oligodendrocyte and suppress the astrocyte fates. In this way, these factors couple neuronal subtype specification to glial subtype specification. In conjunction with the proneural subclass of bHLH factors, such as the Neurogenins, Olig genes can define a simple combinatorial code that determines whether CNS progenitors will adopt neuronal, oligodendroglial or astroglial fates. This genetic logic offers a framework for understanding the basic mechanisms that generate the three fundamental cell types of the vertebrate CNS.
Laser Diode Technology For Coherent Communications

The effect of diode laser characteristics on the overall performance capabilities of coherent communication systems is discussed. In particular, attention is given to optical performance issues for diode lasers in coherent systems, measurements of key performance parameters, and optical requirements for coherent single-channel and multichannel communication systems. The discussion also covers limitations imposed by diode laser optical performance on multichannel system capabilities and implications for future developments.