cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
False Belief Development in Children Who Are Hard of Hearing Compared With Peers With Normal Hearing.

Purpose This study investigates false belief (FB) understanding in children who are hard of hearing (CHH) compared with children with normal hearing (CNH) at ages 5 and 6 years and at 2nd grade. Re...
A Comprehensive Analysis Workflow for Genome-Wide Screening Data from ChIP-Sequencing Experiments

ChIP-sequencing is a new technique for generating short DNA sequences useful in analyzing DNA-protein interactions and carrying out genome-wide studies. Although there are some studies to process and analyze ChIP-sequencing data, a complete workflow has not been reported yet. The size of the data and broad range of biological questions are the main challenges to establish a data analysis workflow for ChIP-sequencing data. In this paper, we present the ChIP-sequencing data analysis workflow that we developed at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Bioinformatics Shared Resources. This pipeline utilizes 1) use of different mapping algorithms such as Eland, MapReads, SeqMap, RMAP to align short sequence reads to the reference genome 2) a novel normalization algorithm to detect significant binding densities and to compare binding densities of different experiments 3) gene database mapping and 3D binding density visualization 4) distributed computing and high performance computing (HPC) support.
Assessment of Prescriber and Pharmacy Shopping Among the Family Members of Patients Prescribed Opioids.

Importance Most prescription opioid misuse involves opioids prescribed to others—a form of opioid diversion. However, few indicators of diversion risk exist. Because family members can often access patients’ opioids, one such indicator may be the frequency with which opioid prescriptions are filled by patients when their family members are engaged in opioid prescriber and pharmacy shopping (“doctor and pharmacy shopping”). To date, this frequency has not been estimated. Objective To estimate the proportion of opioid prescription fills for which family members meet prescriber and pharmacy shopping criteria. Design, Setting, and Participants A cross-sectional analysis of 2015-2016 claims from a national commercial insurer was conducted from August to October, 2018. The sample included patients without cancer who were covered by family insurance plans and had 1 or more opioid prescription fill in 2016, as measured by prescription drug claims. Fills were the unit of analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures For each fill in 2016 by the patient and each family member enrolled in the same plan (eg, spouse or child), the number of prescribers and number of pharmacies in the prior 12 months were counted. Prescriber and pharmacy shopping was defined as 4 or more prescribers and 4 or more pharmacies, following a National Quality Forum–endorsed measure. The proportion of fills for which 1 or more family member met criteria and the proportion for which the patient met criteria were calculated. Results Among 554 417 patients in the sample, 301 297 (54.3%) were female and 48 047 (8.7%) were children. Mean (SD) age was 41.4 (16.4) years. Patients were enrolled in 469 913 plans and, after exclusions, filled 1 471 971 opioid prescriptions in 2016. For 8485 fills (0.6%), 1 or more family member met prescriber and pharmacy shopping criteria. For 44 547 fills (3.0%), the patient met criteria. For 6947 of the 8485 fills (81.9%) for which 1 or more family member met criteria, patients did not meet criteria. When criteria were 3 or more prescribers at 3 or more pharmacies, the proportion of fills for which 1 or more family member met criteria increased to 1.9%. Conclusions and Relevance In this national study of US patients with private family insurance plans, 0.6% of opioid prescription fills occurred when at least 1 of the patient’s family members met prescriber and pharmacy shopping criteria. For most of these fills, patients did not meet criteria. Findings suggest the potential for opioid diversion within families.
Consistency Study of 3D Magnetic Vectors in an Office Environment for IMU-based Hand Tracking Input Development.

This paper reports our study of the distortion of the Magnetic North Vector in an office environment, which affects the use of commercial-grade Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) for orientation tracking in a 3D hand motion tracking interface. The study includes data collected for 30 days to analyze the effect that may occur in terms of error and consistency. The Magnetic North Vector is one of the data sets used in orientation correction algorithms to reduce the bias offset error in IMUs. A non-ferromagnetic frame was made to define 125 points inside a cubic space in an office. Data was recorded for 30 days and analyzed to define the variation of errors. Experiment results show that the metal from a desk creates a magnetic distortion. In some areas the deviation of the Magnetic North Vector is severe and the amount of variation error is not uniform.
Teaching NeuroImages: A 48-year-old woman with MELAS

A 48-year-old woman with sensorineural hearing loss and diabetes presented with seizures and headache. She was thin and short-statured. Examination revealed encephalopathy, left homonymous hemianopia, and hemineglect. MRI showed slowed diffusion in right hemisphere, which did not follow a clear vascular distribution and without apparent diffusion coefficient correlate, inconsistent with infarction (figure 1).1 Magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed inversion of lipid lactate peak (figure 2). She had elevated pyruvate but normal lactate. EMG demonstrated myopathy without denervation. Genetic testing showed m.3243A>G pathogenic variant of the MT-TL1 gene. This mutation is found in more than 80% of patients with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes and always coexists with wild-type DNA.2
Angle-Independent Blood Volume Flow

Standard ultrasound Doppler can estimate volume flow. However, the estimate depends on major assumptions, which include flow that has to be perfectly symmetric around the centerline of the vessel, a perfectly round vessel cross-section, and the Doppler measurements must be angle corrected. These restrictions make volume flow estimates problematic especially in environments where these assumptions do not hold, such as transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) and umbilical cords. With the advent of 3D/4D ultrasound imaging, all of the limitations of ultrasound volume flow measurements can be overcome, potentially producing volume flow estimates that are as easy to obtain as standard color flow Doppler images, i.e. in real time. The method depends on the something called Gauss's theorem. This law states that volume flow is equal to the sum of all of the normal velocity vectors passing through any surface. Simply put, this sum, also known as the total flux, is just the sum of the local products of the velocity of the blood going perpendicularly through every individual element of a surface that cuts across a blood vessel This can be any continuous surface (often known as a C-surface or C-plane), it does not have to be a plane, and the method contains none of the assumptions required for standard volume flow measurement. Thus, this method is angle independent, flow profile independent, and vessel geometry independent. Hence, non-laminar flow profiles produced by the irregular TIPS stent walls or highly tortuous umbilical arteries and veins do not affect this method. We have tested this technique in simulations, phantoms, in in-vivo animal models, and human subjects. The method has proven to work well in all of these settings. In humans, linear regression of data from revised TIPS cases showed an inverse correlation between mean-normalized change in pre- and post-revision shunt volume flow and mean-normalized change in pre- and post-revision portosystemic pressure gradient (r2 = 0.71, P-value = 0.0044). Depth-corrected and weight normalized umbilical vein volume flow measurements in normal and pre-eclampsia subjects showed a statistically significant difference between groups (P = 0.035). Further, these measurements were highly reproducible in the mean estimate with an intra-subject relative standard error (RSE) of 12.1 ± 5.9 % and an intra-measurement RSE of 5.6 ± 1.9 %. This method is easy to perform, accurate, and reproducible. Using 2D ultrasound arrays, it can be in real-time. It could have a major impact on future flow analysis.
Expression of MicroRNA (miR) miR-15a/miR-16-1 Downregulates Expression of BCL-2 Protein in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) comprise a family of small RNA, each member of which can potentially regulate post-transcription gene expression in a temporal and tissue-specific manner. Each miRNA encodes a transcript of about 22 nucleotides that can modulate expression of specific target mRNA. We identified that the chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells of a large proportion of patients have aberrant, low-level expression of two clustered miRNAs located at 13q14, designated miR-15a and miR-16–1, providing the first example of dysregulated miRNA expression in a human cancer (PNAS USA 99:15524, 2002). These miRNAs each have sequences that potentially could target mRNA encoding the anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2, which is expressed at high levels in CLL. Transfection of a lymphoma B cell line lacking expression of miR-15a and miR-16–1 with an expression vector encoding miR-15a and miR-16–1, designated pmiR-15/16, attenuated the expression-level of bcl-2 protein and enhanced the susceptibility of such lymphoma B cells to apoptosis in vitro. However, it was not certain whether miR-15a and miR-16–1 could modulate expression of bcl-2 in primary leukemia cells that were not adapted for propagation in vitro. We selected primary CLL cell samples (n = 3) that harbored deletions at 13q14 and that lacked expression of miR-15a and miR-16–1, as assessed via microRNA array and quantitative RT-PCR analyses. We transfected these cells with pmiR-15/16 or a control vector via electroporation and, in parallel studies, also transfected these CLL cells with sense and antisense control oligo-RNAs via transmessenger transfection. Before and after such manipulations we monitored for expression of miR-15a and miR-16–1 by RT-PCR, for relative expression of BCL-2-family member transcripts using a multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) assay, and for expression of bcl-2 protein using immunoblot analysis and flow cytometry. We found that CLL cells transfected with either pmiR15/16 or with miR-15a and miR-16–1 sense oligo-RNAs had increased expression-levels of miR-15a and miR-16–1 within 24 hours after transfection, whereas CLL transfected with the control vector or antisense oligo-RNA did not. Depite high-level expression of miR-15a and miR-16–1, the relative levels of BCL-2 transcript did not change over the 48 hours after transfection that we examined. However, in this time period we observed that CLL cells made to express miR-15a and miR-16–1, experienced significant reductions in the levels of bcl-2 protein, which were not observed in control transfected CLL cells. This is the first demonstration that miRNAs can effect post-transcriptional regulation of protein expression in a primary human tumor and suggest that miRNAs may have potential therapeutic utility in the modulation of pathogenic gene-expression in CLL and other cancers.
Simulation of the CBETA 4-pass FFAG ERL using field maps — exclusively

The Cornell-BNL Electron Test Accelerator (CBETA), a four-pass, 150 MeV energy recovery linac (ERL), is now in construction at Cornell. Commissioning commenced on March 2019. A particularity of CBE...
Improving the prediction of complex nonlinear turbulent dynamical systems using nonlinear filter, smoother and backward sampling techniques

Predicting complex nonlinear turbulent dynamical systems using partial observations is an important topic. Despite the simplicity of the forecast based on the ensemble mean time series, several critical shortcomings in the ensemble mean forecast and using path-wise measurements to quantify the prediction error are illustrated in this article. Then, a new ensemble method is developed for improving the long-range forecast. This new approach utilizes a mixture of the posterior distributions from data assimilation and is more skillful in predicting non-Gaussian statistics and extreme events than the traditional method by simply running the forecast model forward. Next, a systematic framework of improving forecast models is established, aiming at advancing the predictions at all ranges. The starting model in this new framework belongs to a rich class of nonlinear systems with conditional Gaussian structures. These models allow an efficient nonlinear smoother for state estimation using partial observations, which in turn facilitates a rapid parameter estimation based on an expectation–maximization algorithm. Conditioned on the partially observed time series, the nonlinear smoother further advances an efficient backward sampling of the hidden trajectories, the dynamical and statistical characteristics from which allow a systematic quantification of model error through information theory. The sampled trajectories then serve as the recovered observations of the hidden variables that promote the use of general nonlinear data-driven modeling techniques for a further improvement of the forecast model. A low-order model of the layered topographic equations with regime switching and rare events is used as a test example to illustrate this framework.
Spraying Small Water Droplets Acts as a Bacteriocide

Disinfectants are important for arresting the spread of pathogens in the environment. Frequently used disinfectants are often incompatible with certain surfaces, expensive and can produce hazardous by-products. We report that micron-sized water droplets can act as an effective disinfectant, which were formed by spraying pure bulk water with coaxial nebulizing airflow. Spraying for 20 min onto Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium on stainless-steel discs caused inactivation of over 98% of the bacteria. Control experiments resulted in less than 10% inactivation (water stream only and gas only) and 55% inactivation with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Experiments have shown that cell death results from cell wall destruction. We suggest that the combined action of reactive oxygen species present in water droplets (but not in bulk water) along with the droplet surface charge is responsible for the observed bactericidal activity.
Analysis of Generalizability of Deep Neural Networks Based on the Complexity of Decision Boundary

For supervised learning models, the analysis of generalization ability (generalizability) is vital because the generalizability expresses how well a model will perform on new data. Traditional generalization measures, such as the VC dimension, do not apply to deep neural network (DNN) models. Thus, new theories to explain the generalizability of DNNs are required. In this study, we hypothesize that the DNN with a simpler decision boundary has better generalizability by the law of parsimony (Occam's Razor). We create the decision boundary complexity (DBC) score to define and measure the complexity of decision boundary of DNNs. The idea of the DBC score is to generate data points (called adversarial examples) on or near the decision boundary. Our new approach then measures the complexity of the boundary using the entropy of the eigenvalues of those data. The method works equally well for high-dimensional data. We use training data and the trained model to compute the DBC score. And, the ground truth for a model's generalizability is its test accuracy. Experiments based on the DBC score have verified our hypothesis. The DBC is shown to provide an effective method to measure the complexity of a decision boundary and gives a quantitative measure of the generalizability of DNNs.
Emerging challenges in AI and the need for AI ethics education

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the world in profound ways; some of its impacts are certainly beneficial but widespread and lasting harms can result from the technology as well. The integration of AI into various aspects of human life is underway, and the complex ethical concerns emerging from the design, deployment, and use of the technology serves as a reminder that it is time to revisit what future developers and designers, along with professionals, are learning when it comes to AI. It is of paramount importance to train future members of the AI community, and other stakeholders as well, to reflect on the ways in which AI might impact people’s lives and to embrace their responsibilities to enhance its benefits while mitigating its potential harms. This could occur in part through the fuller and more systematic inclusion of AI ethics into the curriculum. In this paper, we briefly describe different approaches to AI ethics and offer a set of recommendations related to AI ethics pedagogy.
Can coronavirus disease-19 lead to temporomandibular joint disease?

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become pandemic spreading globally. The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to psychological problems and compromised the mental health of the people. Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) shows the pain and dysfunction of the masticatory apparatus. History of trauma, stress, psychosocial impairment, drinking alcohol, and catastrophizing are related to the TMD. AIM: We aimed to present some background information, in which COVID-19 may be correlated with TMD. METHODS: The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to psychological problems and compromised the mental health of the people. RESULTS: The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to psychological problems and compromised the mental health of the people, not those only who suffered from coronavirus but also to those in self-isolation, social-distancing, and quarantined. TMD shows the pain and dysfunction of the masticatory apparatus, and one of the major causes of TMD is stress and psychosocial impairment apart from drinking alcohol and history of trauma. Hence, TMD may be correlated with COVID-19. The consequences of anxiety, depression, and stress in people from the outbreak of COVID-19 may lead to TMD. CONCLUSION: Hence, COVID-19 may be correlated with TMD as one of the major causes of TMD is stress and psychosocial impairment.
Seasonal bias in global ocean color observations

In this study, we identify a seasonal bias in the ocean color satellite-derived remote sensing reflectances (Rrs(λ);sr−1) at the ocean color validation site, Marine Optical BuoY. The seasonal bias in Rrs(λ) is present to varying degrees in all ocean color satellites examined, including the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor, and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer. The relative bias in Rrs has spectral dependence. Products derived from Rrs(λ) are affected by the bias to varying degrees, with particulate backscattering varying up to 50% over a year, chlorophyll varying up to 25% over a year, and absorption from phytoplankton or dissolved material varying by up to 15%. The propagation of Rrs(λ) bias into derived products is broadly confirmed on regional and global scales using Argo floats and data from the cloud-aerosol lidar with orthogonal polarization instrument aboard the cloud-aerosol lidar and infrared pathfinder satellite. The artifactual seasonality in ocean color is prominent in areas of low biomass (i.e., subtropical gyres) and is not easily discerned in areas of high biomass. While we have eliminated several candidates that could cause the biases in Rrs(λ), there are still outstanding questions regarding potential contributions from atmospheric corrections. Specifically, we provide evidence that the aquatic bidirectional reflectance distribution function may in part cause the observed seasonal bias, but this does not preclude an additional effect of the aerosol estimation. Our investigation highlights the contributions that atmospheric correction schemes can make in introducing biases in Rrs(λ), and we recommend more simulations to discern these influence Rrs(λ) biases. Community efforts are needed to find the root cause of the seasonal bias because all past, present, and future data are, or will be, affected until a solution is implemented.
The role of suicide ideation in assessing near-term suicide risk: A machine learning approach

Abstract Background The majority of suicide attempters do not disclose suicide ideation (SI) prior to making an attempt. When reported, SI is nevertheless associated with increased risk of suicide. This paper implemented machine learning (ML) approaches to assess the degree to which current and lifetime SI affect the predictive validity of the Suicide Crisis Syndrome (SCS), an acute condition indicative of imminent risk, for near-term suicidal behaviors (SB ). Methods In a sample of 591 high-risk inpatient participants, SCS and SI were respectively assessed using the Suicide Crisis Inventory (SCI) and the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). Two ML predictive algorithms, Random Forest and XGBoost, were implemented and framed using optimism adjusted bootstrapping. Metrics collected included AUPRC, AUROC, classification accuracy, balanced accuracy, precision, recall, and brier score. AUROC metrics were compared by computing a z-score. Results The combination of current SI and SCI showed slightly higher predictive validity for near-term SB as evidenced by AUROC metrics than the SCI alone, but the difference was not significant (p Conclusion The addition of SI to the SCS does not materially improve the model's predictive validity for near-term SB, suggesting that patient self-reported SI should not be a requirement for the diagnosis of SCS.
The Necessity of Pleading Elements in Private Antitrust Conspiracy Claims

The interplay between Rule 8 and the requirements for proving a conspiracy under Sherman One came before the federal courts in the context of a private antitrust suit, brought by end-user consumers, alleging a conspiracy among providers of local telephone and Internet services. The plaintiffs alleged the defendants conspired both (1) to prevent entry by other competitors into their respective service areas and (2) not to enter into each others' service areas in competition with one another. The result, according to plaintiffs, was that the petitioners maintained monopolies in their geographic markets, causing injury to consumers. The allegations made in Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, if they could be proved, would represent hard-core, per se violations of Sherman One, giving rise to treble damages liability in a civil suit and jail time and criminal fines in a criminal proceeding. The essay undertakes a positivist justification of the rule announced in Twombly. It begins in Part II by concentrating on the procedural questions that arise at the motion to dismiss stage of litigation. Federal Rule 8 codifies a standard of pleading under which complaints must both provide proper notice to the defendants - a universally accepted basis for the pleading requirement - and show pleaders' entitlement to relief - a much more controversial proposition. The "notice" requirement is not terribly vigorous. The "demonstration" requirement is what keeps Rule 8 from being an open door. It also comports with the plain language of Rule 8 and the motion to dismiss construct of Rule 12(b)(6). Rule 8(f) is also relevant. It prescribes, simply, that district courts must use their discretion to do "substantial justice." In Part III, the essay examines the implications of the Rule 8 pleading requirements for the private Sherman One claim. Viewing, as one must, the pleading requirement through the lens of the governing substantive law, properly to plead Sherman One a plaintiff's factual allegations must give rise to an inference of a conspiracy. To survive a motion to dismiss, a plaintiff must plead plus factors, which are facts that "tend to exclude the possibility" that each defendant acted in its unilateral best interest. Couching plaintiffs' pleading responsibility in this manner makes clear that the Twombly rule is indeed trans-substantive in nature, and it is the substantively complex nature of the Sherman One claim that gives rise to any particular difficulties for private litigants.
COMMERCE AND TRADE Brokerage Relationships in Real Estate Transactions: Provide Codification of the Relationships Between Real Estate Brokers and Consumers of Brokerage Services

The Act defines the legal relationship between a real estate broker and other parties to a real estate transaction, and establishes the duties and responsibilities in those relationships. The Provisions of the Act may serve as a basis for a defense or a private right of action by real estate brokers, sellers, buyers, landlords, and tenants.
Practical application of the National Electrical Code to photovoltaic system design

Problems in applying the National Electrical Code (NEC) to PV power system design and installation are presented. Generic design requirements are discussed, including switching, DC collection, ground-fault detection, and disconnection. A DC-service panel concept is introduced as a practical approach to meeting both NEC and functional design requirements. A sample design and economic assessment are provided to support this concept. >
Multiple Realizability, Constraints, and Identity

Shapiro has suggested that the empirical plausibility of the multiple realizability of human-like minds is dubious, because a contrary thesis, the Mental Constraint Thesis, enjoys positive empirical evidence. The Mental Constraint Thesis states that, given the actual physical laws, there is only one way to realize a human-like mind. I will suggest, however, that the Mental Constraint Thesis is not a contrary to the empirical multiple realizability thesis relevant to psychological reduction or autonomy and, as a consequence, has no bearing on those classificatory issues.
TH‐EF‐BRA‐09: CT Number and Size Variations of Well‐Known Mobile Targets in Deformable Image Registration Algorithms in CT Images with Motion Artifacts Induced by Controlled Motion Patterns

Purpose: To evaluate quantitatively the performance of different deformable image registration algorithms using a mobile thorax phantom with well-defined targets and controlled motion-patterns imaged with helical, axial and cone-beam CT. Materials and Methods: A thorax phantom was scanned using helical, axial and cone-beam CT imaging while it is moving and stationary. The phantom system was moved using cyclic motion with adjustable motion amplitude (0–40 mm) and frequency (0.125–0.5Hz). Several water equivalent targets (small, medium and large) with known sizes were inserted in the middle of low-density foam. The CT images of the mobile phantom were registered with the images of the stationary phantom with different deformable image registration algorithms using the DIRART software. The performance of different deformable image registration algorithms were evaluated in terms of reducing image artifact and reproducing the shape, size and CT-number level of well-defined targets. Results: The image artifacts induced by phantom motion which included deformation and spread-out of the targets increased with motion amplitude. The deformable image registration improved image-quality from artifacts induced by motion in the deformed CT images. The CT-number profiles showed that the deformable image registration algorithms were able to reproduce the shape and size of the mobile targets where the spread-out artifacts were eliminated. However, the CT-numbers deviated from the corresponding values for the stationary targets. The discrepancy between the CT-number level from the deformed CT images and that from the stationary CT images increased with motion amplitude. Conclusion: The performance of the deformable image registration depends on several parameters that include: motion artifacts, deformable image registration algorithm, and imaging modes. The deformable image registration algorithms reproduced size and shape of mobile targets with different motion-patterns. However, they did not reproduce the CT-number value which deviated strongly from the actual value of the stationary CT images with increasing motion amplitude.
Comparison of Peak Performance Measures in Children Ages 6 to 8, 9 to 10, and 11 to 13 Years.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess differences in peak performance measures between three different age groups: 6 to 8 years, 9 to 10 years, and 11 to 13 years. Each child underwent a progressive maximal bicycle test. Measures such as oxygen consumption ([Vdot]O2), ventilation ([Vdot]E BTPS), heart rate (HR), respiratory exchange ratio (R), and work rate were continuously monitored. Peak cardiac output ([Qdot]), stroke volume (SV), and arteriovenous oxygen difference a-v O2 diff) were indirectly determined during the last 15 sec of exercise using a CO2 rebreathing method. Peak measures for [Vdot]O2 (1/min), [Vdot]E BTPS (1/min), and work rate (kpm/min) increased with age such that each was statistically different (p > .05) among age groups. No statistical differences among age groups were found for [Vdot]O2 (ml/kg body wt/min), R, [Qdot], SV, and a-v O2 diff. It was concluded that peak [Vdot]O2 (1/min) differs among age groups in young children but not when expressed in ml/kg body wt/min. In...
Novel intracellular N-terminal truncated matrix metalloproteinase-2 isoform in skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion injury

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) occurs when blood returns to tissues following a period of ischemia. Reintroduction of blood flow results in the production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species that damage cells. Skeletal muscle IRI is commonly seen in orthopedic trauma patients. Experimental studies in other organ systems have elucidated the importance of extracellular and intracellular matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) isoforms in regulating tissue damage in the setting of oxidant stress resulting from IRI. Although the extracellular full-length isoform of MMP-2 (FL-MMP-2) has been previously studied in the setting of skeletal muscle IRI, studies investigating the role of the N-terminal truncated isoform (NTT-MMP-2) in this setting are lacking. In this study, we first demonstrated significant increases in FL- and NTT-MMP-2 gene expression in C2C12 myoblast cells responding to re-oxygenation following hypoxia in vitro. We then evaluated the expression of FL- and NTT-MMP-2 in modulating skeletal muscle IRI using a previously validated murine model. NTT-MMP-2, but not FL-MMP-2 expression was significantly increased in skeletal muscle following IRI. Moreover, the expression of toll-like receptors (TLRs) -2 and -4, IL-6, OAS-1A, and CXCL1 was also significantly up-regulated following IRI. Treatment with the potent anti-oxidant pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) significantly suppressed NTT-MMP-2, but not FL-MMP-2 expression and improved muscle viability following IRI. This data suggests that NTT-MMP-2, but not FL-MMP-2, is the major isoform of MMP-2 involved in skeletal muscle IRI. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res
Postoperative Spinal Fluid Infections After Neurosurgical Shunting Procedures

Although cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infections are recognized as a complication of central nervous system procedures, there are few data on the postoperative (30 days) risk of developing meningitis after neurosurgery and little epidemiologic information as to probable causes. Information provided by a continual nosocomial infection surveillance system1 identified the problem of CSF infections, and we wish to report a one-year study of the risk of developing meningitis in a postoperative period. A controlled retrospective study was performed to identify risk factors associated with hospital-acquired meningitis.
Mr. Snowden's Legacy

Edward Snowden's ongoing NSA disclosures seem to have the same effect on neoconservative and big-government politicians that a full moon has on werewolves--it just drives them crazy! What did he do to incur all of this acrimony?
Inhibition of the growth of patient-derived pancreatic cancer xenografts with the MEK inhibitor trametinib is augmented by combined treatment with the epidermal growth factor receptor/HER2 inhibitor lapatinib

Mutations of the oncogene KRAS are important drivers of pancreatic cancer progression. Activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human EGFR2 (HER2) is observed frequent in pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Because of co-activation of these two signaling pathways, we assessed the efficacy of inhibition of EGFR/HER2 receptors and the downstream KRAS effector, mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) kinase 1 and 2 (MEK1/2), on pancreatic cancer proliferation in vitro and in a murine orthotopic xenograft model. Treatment of established and patient-derived pancreatic cancer cell lines with the MEK1/2 inhibitor trametinib (GSK1120212) inhibited proliferation, and addition of the EGFR/HER2 inhibitor lapatinib enhanced the inhibition elicited by trametinib in three of eight cell lines. Importantly, in the orthotopic xenograft model, treatment with lapatinib and trametinib resulted in significantly enhanced inhibition of tumor growth relative to trametinib treatment alone in four of five patient-derived tumors tested and was, in all cases, significantly more effective in reducing the size of established tumors than treatment with lapatinib or trametinib alone. Acute treatment of established tumors with trametinib resulted in an increase in AKT2 phosphorylation that was blunted in mice treated with both trametinib and lapatinib. These data indicate that inhibition of the EGFR family receptor signaling may contribute to the effectiveness of MEK1/2 inhibition of tumor growth possibly through the inhibition of feedback activation of receptor tyrosine kinases in response to inhibition of the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK pathway. These studies provide a rationale for assessing the co-inhibition of these pathways in the treatment of pancreatic cancer patients.
Applying the composition principle to verify a hierarchy of security servers

This paper describes how the composition principle of Abadi and Lamport (1991) can be applied to specify and compose systems where access control policies are distributed among a hierarchy of agents. Examples of such systems are layered secure operating systems, where the mandatory access control policy is enforced by the lowest system layer and discretionary and application-specific policies are implemented by outer layers, and microkernel operating systems, where the access control policy may be distributed among a hierarchy of server processes. We specifically consider the case of a microkernel operating system type architecture, in which resource management policies are enforced by server processes outside of the kernel, and where the system access control policy is a composition of the distinct policies implemented by the servers. As an example, we have specified a two-server system, including both safety and progress properties. We formally verified the composition of the two server processes using the HOL theorem proving system.
Effect of surface conditions on the normal spectral emittance of titanium and zirconium between 1000 and 1800 K

The normal spectral emittance of Ti and Zr was obtained in the temperature range 1100 to 1800 K and wavelength 0.645 μ for electrochemically polished, mechanically polished and 60 grit ground surfaces at a pressure below 10-8 mm Hg. The emittance at the melting point of both metals was obtained by extrapolation of an empirical equation fitted to the experimental data obtained for the electrochemically polished surface and was found to be in good agreement with reported values. The considerable grain growth on the surface affected the emittance. The emittance was found to increase with temperature up to 1300 K and then decreased with further increase in temperature.
Automatic semantic feedback during visual word recognition

Four experiments were conducted to determine whether semantic feedback spreads to orthographic and/or phonological representations during visual word recognition and whether such feedback occurs automatically. Three types of prime-target word pairs were used within the mediated-priming paradigm: (1) homophonically mediated (e.g., frog-[toad]-towed), (2) orthographically mediated (e.g., frog-[toad]-told), and (3) associatively related (e.g., frog-toad). Using both brief (53 msec; Experiment 1) and long (413 msec; Experiment 3) prime exposure durations, significant facilitatory-priming effects were found in the response time data with orthographically, but not homophonically, mediated prime-target word pairs. When the prime exposure duration was shortened to 33 msec in Experiment 4, however, facilitatory priming was absent with both orthographically and homophonically mediated word pairs. In addition, with a brief (53-msec) prime exposure duration, direct-priming effects were found with associatively (e.g., frog-toad), orthographically (e.g., toad-told), and homophonically (e.g., toad-towed) related word pairs in Experiment 2. Taken together, these results indicate that following the initial activation of semantic representations, activation automatically feeds back to orthographic, but not phonological, representations during the early stages of word processing. These findings were discussed in the context of current accounts of visual word recognition.
Improving the quality of antimicrobial drug use can result in cost containment

Antibiotic policies are implemented to optimize patient care, to limit antimicrobial resistance and to reduce costs. Before improving the use of antimicrobial drugs by monitoring, it is of primary importance to conduct a general utilization review to document problem areas within the hospital and to evaluate quality and costs. Subsequently, limited targets for an intervention can be defined. For the evaluation of quality, established criteria can be used to classify prescriptions into categories of appropriate use. Several classification systems are described in the literature. We have developed a classification method which allows evaluation of each relevant parameter associated with antimicrobial drug use and global (true) cost calculation. Data are processed in a computer program for Apple or Windows. Surgical prophylaxis is a target of choice to analyse at a hospital pharmacy level. Important cost savings can be obtained by implementing well-accepted standards of good antimicrobial prophylaxis.
Instrumenting the planet

During the last 50 years, population growth, along with increasingly affluent societies, has resulted in a greater demand for our limited physical infrastructures and natural resources than ever before. In addition, the risks of climate change have heightened the need for more sophisticated ways of controlling carbon emissions. Today, numerous streams of data are being collected from sensors that monitor the environment. When used in conjunction with computational models, these streams can be important sources of data for understanding physical phenomena and human behavior. In this paper, we present a vision of a pervasively instrumented world in which these streams of real-world data are combined with mathematical models to improve the ability to manage the consumption of increasingly scarce resources. Such an instrumented world requires a class of information technology systems that combine very large numbers of sensors and actuators with computing platforms for capturing and analyzing such data streams. We provide details on the characteristics, requirements, and possible applications of such platforms and the key roles that they will play in addressing various societal challenges.
Affinity chromatographic procedure for the quantitative recovery of DNA fragments from agarose gels.

Abstract A simple and reliable method for the recovery of specific fragments of DNA from agarose gels is presented. The electroelution of the DNA onto the NENSORB cartridge matrix with the subsequent elution of the bound DNA by a methanol (50% v v ) wash has been shown to result in the quantitative recovery of the restriction fragment. Of importance is the fact that the DNA purified by this procedure is a viable substrate for further digestion by a second restriction endonuclease. The method does not require either phenol extraction or extensive desalting of the sample.
Delayed splenic rupture presenting as unstable angina pectoris: case report and review of the literature

The diagnosis of delayed rupture of the spleen can be challenging if the history of trauma is remote, or initially missed. Delayed rupture of the spleen can occur in approximately 1% of blunt force injuries to the spleen. We present a difficult case of delayed rupture of the spleen from remote, minor trauma and discuss the literature associated with this injury.
Measurement and interpretation of glass transition temperature Tg in a number of metallic systems

Abstract Current models of glass transition provide only limited help in an a priori determination of the glass transition temperature of a metallic glass which, therefore, remains mainly an experimentally measured parameter. However, the ability to observe a glass transition on heating a metallic glass is sensitive to a particular alloy chosen for study (metal plus metalloid, metal plus metal etc.) and the heating rate employed. The present study is aimed at a further examination of this observation. The thermal behaviour of two types of metallic glasses is presented (such as PdSi or PdSiCu) and glasses consisting of only metallic elements (such as CuTi or CuTiZr). Comparisons between thermal and viscosity measurements show interesting similarities between the two techniques and can be related to the free volume theories.
Studies on the type C viral replication defect in MSV-transformed rat nonproducer variant clones

Abstract Two clonal derivatives of an MSV-transformed nonproducer rat cell line, K-NRK C1 32, have been previously found to be both relatively contact inhibited and nonpermissive for type C viral replication, unlike the parental cell. In the present report, the infectivity of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and its Kirsten murine leukemia virus pseudotype [VSV(KiMuLV)] have been compared on the two variants and the parental clone. All three cell lines are equally permissive for VSV, but compared to K-NRK C1 32, both variants are nonpermissive for VSV(KiMuLV). These data strongly suggest that both subclones are defective in the processes of type C virus adsorption, penetration, and/or uncoating.
Criticism: Ephemeral and Enduring.

Rhetorical criticism performs two relatively distinct functions. Social criticism evaluates the means used and the ends advocated in contemporary rhetoric in order to raise issues and encourage public discussion. As such, it is ephemeral—linked to particular issues, times, and circumstances. “Academic” criticism attempts to discover and explicate the processes of human symbolization and, as such, makes enduring contributions to rhetorical theory. Standard definitions of critical objects and objectives obscure these distinctions and are partially responsible for our failure to produce a significant number of practicing critics.'
Synthesis and Structural Characterization of SiO2-Supported PtFe Catalysts Prepared from PtFe2(C8H12)(CO)8

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies were used to characterize the species formed following deposition of a PtFe2(COD)(CO)8 cluster on SiO2 and removal of the organic ligands. The results indicate that the PtFe2(COD)(CO)8 cluster initially adsorbs weakly on the SiO2 surface but loses a fraction of the organic ligands during aging under N2 and thus becomes bonded to the surface. The PtFe2 cluster core remains nearly intact during this process. The organic ligands can be further removed from freshly impregnated species by thermal treatments in either He or H2 at 350 °C. Both treatments lead to the formation of bimetallic surface species with average dimensions on the order of 1 nm. However, these PtFe bimetallic species undergo substantial structural changes under CO oxidation conditions.
VEGF stimulates PKD‐mediated CREB‐dependent orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 expression: Role in VEGF‐induced angiogenesis

New vessel formation is critical for solid tumor growth and it is primarily stimulated by the most potent angiogenic factor vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF or VEGF-A165). VEGF promotes endothelial cell proliferation by initiating signaling cascades to increase gene transcription. Recent works showed that VEGF potently and rapidly induces expression of orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 in endothelial cells. However, the signaling pathway for VEGF-induced Nurr1 expression and its role in VEGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenic response have not been examined. In our study, we first show that VEGF significantly induces expression of Nurr1 mRNA, protein and its promoter activity in cultured endothelial cells. Furthermore, the promoter analysis shows that deletion of the putative cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) site in the proximal region of the promoter markedly reduces VEGF-induced promoter activity whereas deletion of the upstream NF-κB site has moderate effect. Transfection of a dominant negative CREB mutant (K-CREB) or mutation of this putative CREB site in the Nurr1 promoter attenuates VEGF-induced Nurr1 expression. VEGF also stimulates the binding of nuclear CREB protein to its site in the Nurr1 promoter in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, using pharmacological inhibitors and molecular approaches, we show that VEGF-induced CREB activation is largely mediated by protein kinase C-dependent protein kinase D activation. Finally, our data indicate that knockdown of endogenous Nurr1 expression attenuates VEGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation, migration and in vivo matrigel angiogenesis, suggesting its potential importance in mediating VEGF-induced tumor angiogenesis.
Intracranial salivary gland choristoma within optic nerve dural sheath: Case report and review of the literature

Objective Salivary gland choristomas or their neoplastic derivatives may appear throughout the intracranial space, most frequently in the middle ear or sella. Here, we present the case of a salivary gland choristoma embedded within the optic nerve dural sheath and review the literature of intracranial salivary gland masses. Case Presentation A 28-year-old female patient presented with headache and visual complaints. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a prechiasmatic suprasellar cystic lesion. Operatively, the mass appeared as a cyst filled with mucinous fluid associated with abnormal tissue embedded within the optic nerve. Results We deflated and biopsied the cyst, which revealed normal-appearing salivary tissue. The patient remains asymptomatic without radiographic evidence of cyst recurrence 2 years postoperatively. Conclusion Intracranial salivary tissue has been previously described but never before in the suprasellar space. Although rare, knowledge of their natural history and pathologic features may inform surgical management if they are encountered in the operating room.
On Surface Characterization of Materials Targeted for Food Contact

A measurable parameter related to solid surface energy has recently been suggested to provide an index of contact material interactability with components of fluid food. Employing contact angle methods, two series of aqueous solutions were used to evaluate this parameter for a variety of food contact surfaces. Results were independent of which series of diagnostic liquid was used. This supports the identity of the parameter as a true surface property, unique for a given material, and related to the polar character of its surface. Direction is provided toward a means for contact surface characterization which may aid the development and use of models describing food particle behavior at interfaces.