cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidemiological analysis of the suspected cases of influenza in Huangcun primary school of Fengjie county.

Objective To understand the epidemiological features of suspected cases of influenza which took place in Huangcun primary school of Fengjie county in 2008, to provide scientific basis for prevention and control of influenza.Methods The suspected influenza cases were carried out the epidemiological survey in Huangcun primary school of Fengjie county, and five throat swab samples (typical symptom) and 5 serum samples were collected for laboratory testing.Results 45 cases of suspected influenza were found on May 2008 in Huangcun primary school of Fengjie county.The patients showed the typical symptoms of fever, headache, and sore throat (19 males, 26 females).The age range of the patients was from 6 to 12 years old.35 cases were 10-12 years old, accounting for 77.78%.5 patients with throat swab samples were collected and analyzed.Influenza A virus could not be isolated.5 collected serum samples were tested for anti-influenza antibodies; all were negative.Conclusion We should be very careful in handling the epidemiological investigation and health emergencies , because primary student are psychological vulnerable.We have to verify the cases and find out the causes in order to avoid adverse effects.
Formation of Reversible Clusters with Controlled Degree of Aggregation

We develop a reversible colloidal system of silica nanoparticles whose state of aggregation is controlled reproducibly from a state of fully dispersed nanoparticles to that of a colloidal gel and back. The surface of silica nanoparticles is coated with various amino silanes to identify a silane capable of forming a monolayer on the surface of the particles without causing irreversible aggregation. Of the three silanes used in this study, N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine was found to be capable of producing monolayers up to full surface coverage without inducing irreversible aggregation of the nanoparticles. At near full surface coverage the electrokinetic behavior of the functionalized silica is completely determined by that of the aminosilane. At acidic pH the ionization of the amino groups provides electrosteric stabilization and the system is fully dispersed. At basic pH, the dispersion state is dominated by the hydrophobic interaction between the uncharged aminosilane chains in the aqueous...
Topology-faithful nonparametric estimation and tracking of bulk interface networks

Abstract The main focus of this paper is a nonparametric filtering technique for the estimation of interface geometry in bulk materials obtainable from modern imaging measurements. The filtering methodology relies on an assumed hierarchy of topological features present in a typical interface network, such as foam interfaces and grain boundary networks in polycrystalline materials. Each type of topological feature is treated in order of rank in the hierarchy, with the lower-level feature being filtered subject to the positional constraints imposed by the higher-level features. Such a scheme is an alternative to existing surface smoothing/estimation techniques in microstructural materials science, in which the explicit treatment of different elements of the network topology is absent, or at best arbitrarily parameterized. We describe the ramifications of this technique in the usual microstructural applications in which the computation of important physical quantities is predicated on the precise estimation of the interface features. As an additional application, we describe a novel front-tracking algorithm for quantifying the transport of such interfaces.
Simplified Treatment of Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection with Azithromycin: a Comparison with Erythromycin and Amoxycillin

In two randomized, multicentre studies azithromycin treatment (1.5 g in five or six doses over 5 days) was compared with erythromycin treatment (14 or 20 g in 28 or 40 doses over 7 or 10 days) and amoxycillin treatment (10.5 g in 21 doses over 7 days) in patients with acute respiratory tract infection. In the two separate studies, azithromycin gave complete clinical cure in 70% and 51%, respectively, of patients compared with in 60% of erythromycin- and 45% of amoxycillin-treated patients. Eradication of the main pathogens isolated at baseline (Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus) was comparable in the azithromycin, erythromycin and amoxycillin treatment groups. Efficacy was not affected by the presence or absence of underlying pulmonary disease. There were no major abnormalities in laboratory safety parameters and adverse events, principally mild/moderate gastro-intestinal symptoms occurred in 5% or 15%, respectively, of azithromycin-treated patients compared with in 18% or 17%, respectively, of those receiving erythromycin or amoxycillin. It is concluded that azithromycin was as effective and better tolerated than erythromycin or amoxycillin.
Oncogenic human papillomaviruses are rarely associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder: evaluation by differential polymerase chain reaction.

AbstractWhile a strong association between oncogenic human papillomaviruses and squamous cell cancers of the genital tract (penis, urethra and cervix) is known to exist, there is substantial controversy regarding the association of human papillomaviruses and cancers of the bladder. Technical issues regarding assay technique and concern about potential contamination have marred interpretation of previous work. Moreover, because human papillomavirus has been associated predominantly with squamous cell cancers at other sites, any involvement of human papillomavirus and bladder epithelial carcinogenesis must address whether any association between human papillomavirus and squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder exists. Differential polymerase chain reaction and a rigorous protocol to avoid crossover contamination were used to analyze archival bladder carcinoma specimens (22 squamous cell carcinomas and 20 transitional cell carcinomas). Type specific primers for human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 were used as...
Competitive Dynamics in MSTd: A Mechanism for Robust Heading Perception Based on Optic Flow

Human heading perception based on optic flow is not only accurate, it is also remarkably robust and stable. These qualities are especially apparent when observers move through environments containing other moving objects, which introduce optic flow that is inconsistent with observer self-motion and therefore uninformative about heading direction. Moving objects may also occupy large portions of the visual field and occlude regions of the background optic flow that are most informative about heading perception. The fact that heading perception is biased by no more than a few degrees under such conditions attests to the robustness of the visual system and warrants further investigation. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether recurrent, competitive dynamics among MSTd neurons that serve to reduce uncertainty about heading over time offer a plausible mechanism for capturing the robustness of human heading perception. Simulations of existing heading models that do not contain competitive dynamics yield heading estimates that are far more erratic and unstable than human judgments. We present a dynamical model of primate visual areas V1, MT, and MSTd based on that of Layton, Mingolla, and Browning that is similar to the other models, except that the model includes recurrent interactions among model MSTd neurons. Competitive dynamics stabilize the model’s heading estimate over time, even when a moving object crosses the future path. Soft winner-take-all dynamics enhance units that code a heading direction consistent with the time history and suppress responses to transient changes to the optic flow field. Our findings support recurrent competitive temporal dynamics as a crucial mechanism underlying the robustness and stability of perception of heading.
Abbauwege des Alkohols

Azetaldehyd gilt als auserst hepatotoxisch [1] und stellt das erste spezifische Oxydationsprodukt beim Alkoholabbau dar. In vitro kann Azetaldehyd aus Alkohol durch verschiedene Enzyme gebildet werden [2–4]
JavaScript and DHTML

This chapter contains sections titled: Overview Positioning Elements Writing Dynamic Menus in DHTML Your Turn!! ]]>
Genetics of Male Infertility.

While 7 % of the men are infertile, currently, a genetic etiology is identified in less than 25 % of those men, and 30 % of the infertile men lack a definitive diagnosis, falling in the “idiopathic infertility” category. Advances in genetics and epigenetics have led to several proposed mechanisms for male infertility. These advances may result in new diagnostic tools, treatment approaches, and better counseling with regard to treatment options and prognosis. In this review, we focus on clinical aspects of male infertility and the role of genetics in elucidating etiologies and the potential of treatments.
Human whole genome genotype and transcriptome data for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS), conducted by our group and others, have identified loci that harbor risk variants for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Human disease variants are enriched for polymorphisms that affect gene expression, including some that are known to associate with expression changes in the brain. Postulating that many variants confer risk to neurodegenerative disease via transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, we have analyzed gene expression levels in the brain tissue of subjects with AD and related diseases. Herein, we describe our collective datasets comprised of GWAS data from 2,099 subjects; microarray gene expression data from 773 brain samples, 186 of which also have RNAseq; and an independent cohort of 556 brain samples with RNAseq. We expect that these datasets, which are available to all qualified researchers, will enable investigators to explore and identify transcriptional mechanisms contributing to neurodegenerative diseases.
Myofibroblasts and lung fibrosis induced by carbon nanotube exposure

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are newly developed materials with unique properties and a range of industrial and commercial applications. A rapid expansion in the production of CNT materials may increase the risk of human exposure to CNTs. Studies in rodents have shown that certain forms of CNTs are potent fibrogenic inducers in the lungs to cause interstitial, bronchial, and pleural fibrosis characterized by the excessive deposition of collagen fibers and the scarring of involved tissues. The cellular and molecular basis underlying the fibrotic response to CNT exposure remains poorly understood. Myofibroblasts are a major type of effector cells in organ fibrosis that secrete copious amounts of extracellular matrix proteins and signaling molecules to drive fibrosis. Myofibroblasts also mediate the mechano-regulation of fibrotic matrix remodeling via contraction of their stress fibers. Recent studies reveal that exposure to CNTs induces the differentiation of myofibroblasts from fibroblasts in vitro and stimulates pulmonary accumulation and activation of myofibroblasts in vivo. Moreover, mechanistic analyses provide insights into the molecular underpinnings of myofibroblast differentiation and function induced by CNTs in the lungs. In view of the apparent fibrogenic activity of CNTs and the emerging role of myofibroblasts in the development of organ fibrosis, we discuss recent findings on CNT-induced lung fibrosis with emphasis on the role of myofibroblasts in the pathologic development of lung fibrosis. Particular attention is given to the formation and activation of myofibroblasts upon CNT exposure and the possible mechanisms by which CNTs regulate the function and dynamics of myofibroblasts in the lungs. It is evident that a fundamental understanding of the myofibroblast and its function and regulation in lung fibrosis will have a major influence on the future research on the pulmonary response to nano exposure, particle and fiber-induced pneumoconiosis, and other human lung fibrosing diseases.
E. coli Surface Properties Differ between Stream Water and Sediment Environments

The importance of E. coli as an indicator organism in fresh water has led to numerous studies focusing on cell properties and transport behavior. However, previous studies have been unable to assess if differences in E. coli cell surface properties and genomic variation are associated with different environmental habitats. In this study, we investigated the variation in characteristics of E. coli obtained from stream water and stream bottom sediments. Cell properties were measured for 77 genomically different E. coli strains (44 strains isolated from sediments and 33 strains isolated from water) under common stream conditions in the Upper Midwestern United States: pH 8.0, ionic strength 10mM and 22˚C. Measured cell properties include hydrophobicity, zeta potential, net charge, total acidity and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) composition. Our results indicate that stream sediment E. coli had significantly greater hydrophobicity, greater EPS protein content and EPS sugar content, less negative net charge, and higher point of zero charge than stream water E. coli. A significant positive correlation was observed between hydrophobicity and EPS protein for stream sediment E. coli but not for stream water E. coli. Additionally, E. coli surviving in the same habitat tended to have significantly larger (GTG)5 genome similarity. After accounting for the intrinsic impact from the genome, environmental habitat was determined to be a factor influencing some cell surface properties, such as hydrophobicity. The diversity of cell properties and its resulting impact on particle interactions should be considered for environmental fate and transport modeling of aquatic indicator organisms such as E. coli.
Physician Competition in the Era of Accountable Care Organizations

Objective To calculate physician concentration levels for all U.S. markets using detailed data on integration and accountable care organization (ACO) participation. Data Source 2015 SK&A office-based physician survey linked to all commercial and public payer ACOs. Study Design We construct three separate Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI) measures and plot their distributions. We then investigate how prevailing levels of concentration change when incorporating more detailed organizational features into the HHI measure. Principal Findings Horizontal and vertical integration strongly influences measures of physician concentration; however, ACOs have limited impact overall. ACOs are often present in competitive markets, and only in a minority of these markets do ACOs substantively increase physician concentration. Conclusions Monitoring ACO effects on physician competition will likely have to proceed on a case-by-case basis.
Keynote address III: Recovery of function in major spinal cord injury using learning-guided spinal stimulation

Approximately 5,000,000 worldwide suffer from a serious spinal cord injury (SCI). Not only do the injured lose the ability to stand and walk (and sometimes move their arms), they suffer from additional injury-induced complications including loss of bladder and bowel control, decreased cardiovascular and pulmonary health, inability to regulate body temperature, and loss of muscle strength and bone density. The totality of the injury and its secondary dysfunctions makes daily activities of living a challenge. Because the median age of SCI in the U.S. is 32 years, SCI individuals amass an additional $1.4–$4.2 million in healthcare costs over their lifetimes. A team of researchers at Caltech, UCLA, and Univ. of Louisville have been developing new technologies and new therapies for motor complete SCI patients — those who have lost motor control below the level of their injury. The centerpiece of this approach is a multi-electrode array that is implanted over the lumbosacral spinal cord either in in the epidural space between the dura and the interior of the vertebral canal, or on the skin over this area. When this technology is coupled with locomotor training and drug therapy (when possible), SCI patients receiving this therapy can stand independently and make some voluntary movements (after being in a wheel chair for over 3 years). More importantly, they can expect to make useful gains in cardiovascular health, muscle tone, as well as improved autonomic function such as bladder, bowel, blood pressure, and temperature regulation. After first reviewing our clinical successes, this talk will focus on current research on new machine algorithms for automated tuning of the stimuli parameters.
4 – Writing a Protocol: Animals, Humans, and Use of Biologic, Chemical, and Radiologic Agents

In this chapter, information has been presented that may prove valuable in assisting investigators in preparing successful research proposals using animals. When utilizing animal or human subjects in research activities, it is necessary to write a specific animal or human use research protocol and submit it for review and approval before beginning the research. In fact, granting agencies will not fund (and may not even review) a proposal until it has received appropriate institutional approval. An integral step in this process is the investigator's ability to navigate efficiently the institutional committees. Well-established, research-oriented institutions are likely to have associated with the various committees' knowledgeable and helpful people who can and will assist in proposal preparation, but it never hurts to know and understand why some committees are so insistent or even dogmatic on certain issues. Perhaps the best advice is to be proactive and to contact all the committees very early in the process. Doing so will enhance the probability that the process will go quite smoothly.
Magnetoresistance of Multifilament Al/Al-Alloy Conductors

Previously we have shown that composite monofilament conductors consisting of very pure aluminum confined in an Al-Fe-Ce alloy sheath show an anomalously high magnetoresistance compared to pure aluminum. Some monofilament conductors showed values of ΔR/R in excess of 50 at 4 K in fields of 10 T, whereas pure aluminum values are usually an order of magnitude smaller. Concerns that similar anomalous behavior might occur in multifilament wires of the same materials prompted this study. Multi-filamentary conductors with pure aluminum filaments contained in an Al-Fe-Ce matrix have been investigated.
Parable of the Talents: Integrity, Credibility, and Accountability

This chapter uses Matthew’s account of the Parable of the Talents to illustrate two employees who honored the master and accomplished their tasks to the best of their abilities as quickly as they could and one employee who did not honor the master by not accomplishing what was assigned. Matthew’s account of the parable indicates that the master knew the capability and capacity of each employee and assigned the task to be within each employee’s skill set. Employees should not accept assignments that they do not fit within the employees’ skill set or are beyond the employees’ capacity. When there is a perception of a person-job fit, employees should communicate the concerns to the master and either clarify the expectations or decline to accept the responsibility. Employees demonstrate integrity when they behave as they have presented themselves and they demonstrate credibility when they accomplish what they imply they will accomplish. Accountability occurs when the employees acknowledge (a) their responsibility, (b) transparency of behaviors, and (c) consequences of their behaviors.
Building Chatbot Thesaurus

We implement a scalable mechanism to build a thesaurus of entities which is intended to improve the relevance of a chatbot. The thesaurus construction process starts from the seed entities and mines available source domains for new entities associated with these seed entities. New entities are formed by applying the machine learning of syntactic parse trees (their generalizations) to the search results for existing entities to form commonalities between them. These commonality expressions then form parameters of existing entities, and are turned into new entities at the next learning iteration. To match natural language expressions between source and target domains, we use syntactic generalization, an operation that finds a set of maximal common sub-trees of the parse trees of these expressions.
Daily Use of Bilateral Custom‐Made Ankle‐Foot Orthoses for Fall Prevention in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective To examine the effects of bilateral custom-made ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) to prevent falls for older adults with concern about or at risk for falling over 12-month daily use. Design Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Setting Community-dwelling older adults. Intervention Half of the participants were randomly allocated to an intervention group (IG) that received fitted walking shoes and bilateral custom-made AFOs, and the other half were randomly allocated to a control group (CG) that only received fitted walking shoes. Measurements Self-reported fall history of 12-month duration was investigated at baseline and 12-month follow-up for both groups. Fall incidence rate and proportion of fallers were used as outcome measures to determine effects of 12-month footwear intervention in either group. Participants Adults aged 65 years and older with concern about or at risk for falling (n = 44). Results No significant between-group differences in participant characteristics were observed at the baseline (P = .144-.882). Within the IG, significant reductions were found in the fall incidence rate (P = .039) and the proportion of fallers (P = .036) at the 12-month follow-up compared to the baseline. Within the CG, no significant change was found at the 12-month follow-up compared to the baseline for the fall incidence rate (P = .217) or the proportion of fallers (P = .757). When comparing the IG with the CG, there was no significant difference in the change from the baseline to the 12-month follow-up for the fall incidence rate (P = .572) or the proportion of fallers (P = .080). Conclusion This study failed to demonstrate a significant benefit of bilateral custom-made AFOs to reduce falls compared to fitted walking shoes. However, the AFO users had significant reductions in falls compared to the preceding year. A future study with a larger sample size is recommended to confirm these observations. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02819011. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:1656-1661, 2019.
Pulmonary Embolism: Epidemiology, Patient Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Abstract Pulmonary embolism is a significant health concern, affecting mainly the adult and elderly population. The focus of this review article will be on the epidemiology, presentation, treatment, and outcomes of PE arising from deep venous thrombosis.
Bayesian Learning-Based Adaptive Control for Safety Critical Systems

Deep learning has enjoyed much recent success, and applying state-of-the-art model learning methods to controls is an exciting prospect. However, there is a strong reluctance to use these methods on safety-critical systems, which have constraints on safety, stability, and real-time performance. We propose a framework which satisfies these constraints while allowing the use of deep neural networks for learning model uncertainties. Central to our method is the use of Bayesian model learning, which provides an avenue for maintaining appropriate degrees of caution in the face of the unknown. In the proposed approach, we develop an adaptive control framework leveraging the theory of stochastic CLFs (Control Lyapunov Functions) and stochastic CBFs (Control Barrier Functions) along with tractable Bayesian model learning via Gaussian Processes or Bayesian neural networks. Under reasonable assumptions, we guarantee stability and safety while adapting to unknown dynamics with probability 1. We demonstrate this architecture for high-speed terrestrial mobility targeting potential applications in safety-critical high-speed Mars rover missions.
A Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerator Fabricated Using Laser-Assisted Patterning Process

A flexible vertical contact-separation mode based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) was fabricated using laserassisted patterning and additive screen printing processes. A micro-pyramid patterned polydimethyl siloxane (MP-PDMS) was prepared by using a laser engraved acrylic mold. A top and bottom electrode for TENG was fabricated by screen printing Ag ink on a flexible polyimide substrate. The MP-PDMS, was bonded to the bottom electrode using a thin layer of adhesive PDMS. The MPPDMS and the printed polyimide electrodes were employed as positive and negative triboelectric layers, respectively to scavenge mechanical energy into electrical energy. The performance of the MP-TENG was demonstrated by investigating the open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current and instantaneous power on the load resistors. It was observed that the open-circuit voltage was stabilized at 4 V for frequencies varying from 5 Hz to 40 Hz with a short-circuit current of 6μA when the MP-TENG was disconnected from the load resistor resulting in an instantaneous power of 2.5μW. The power density calculated at 15 MΩ load was 0.181 μW cm-2.
Attending to the Psychosocial Needs of Older Hispanic, Black and Non-Hispanic White Women and Their Breast Cancer Screening Behaviors.

Abstract Background Cancer risk increases with age. Despite breast cancer screening guidelines, older minorities are less likely to obtain screenings. Many factors influence cancer screening participation, though the literature rarely examines factors influencing cancer screening in older adult minority populations. Methods Using 2008 and 2012 waves of data from the Health and Retirement study, we examined and compared the relationships between psychosocial factors and breast screening participation among older African American, Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women. We utilized logistic regression to determine the influence of psychosocial factors (satisfaction with aging, religiosity, perceived control, emotions, purpose in life) in 2008 predicting breast cancer screening participation in 2012, given the increasing importance of understanding health behaviors as predicted by prior circumstances. While controlling for other variables, the major findings demonstrated that the odds of having a mammogram among Hispanics decreased as feelings that ‘things were getting worse’ with age intensified; and screening was more likely among Hispanic religious women. The odds of obtaining a mammogram increased with increasing purpose in life for Hispanics. Conclusions and Implications These findings suggest the need for comprehensive geriatric assessments to understand the perspectives of older minority women, and provides formative data to inform shared decision-making interventions.
Amygdala connectivity during emotional face perception in psychotic disorders

Emotional face perception (EFP) deficits have been identified as a significant feature of psychotic disorders and are associated with symptoms and real-world functioning in these disorders. The amygdala is frequently implicated in EFP and bears extensive structural connectivity with other brain regions supporting EFP. Amygdala functional connectivity during attentional control of implicitly processed emotional faces in psychotic disorders is well examined. However, it is unclear whether amygdala functional connectivity while explicitly processing emotional faces contributes to EFP deficits in psychotic disorders. Further, it is unclear whether these connectivity differences are associated with symptoms or functioning and if these relationships are transdiagnostic across psychotic disorders. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and seed-based functional connectivity analyses to examine connectivity of amygdala to other regions of the face processing network during an EFP task. The sample consisted of 55 cases with psychotic disorders and 29 participants with no history of psychosis (NP). Results indicated that, compared to NP, cases showed worse accuracy, greater inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) activation, and greater amygdala-insula connectivity while matching emotional and neutral faces. Additionally, worse accuracy, greater IFG activation, greater amygdala-insula and amygdala-IFG connectivity during emotional vs. neutral faces was associated with worse negative symptoms and greater deficits in social and global functioning in cases. Importantly, these relationships transcended diagnostic categories, and applied across psychotic disorders. The present study presents compelling evidence relating alterations in amygdala functional connectivity during explicit EFP with clinical and functioning deficits seen across psychotic disorders.
Hablamos Inglés: Media Portrayals of English-Proficient Latin American MLB Players

Latin American players comprise of a large portion of Major League Baseball (MLB). As of Opening Day 2019, 26.5 percent of MLB was from a Latin American country. Since the Latino influence is large...
Stepwise Presidential Election Reform: The Biased Proportional Plan and Its Implementation

A major problem stemming from the current method of electing the President of the United States is the phenomenon of swing states. Our goal in this paper is to find implementable reform that addresses this issue. We focus on finding a solution that will receive broad, bipartisan support and that will eliminate, or at least drastically reduce, the effect of swing states. Our main tool for achieving this objective is a game-theoretic treatment of the states. We design a system that keeps the Electoral College, requires no constitutional amendment, and can be implemented gradually - only two states change their method of allocating electoral votes at any one time. The states are treated as strategic agents, and the transitions from the current to the new system are compatible with the incentives of both Republican- and Democratic- leaning states.
Long non-coding RNAs mediate cerebral vascular pathologies after CNS injuries

Central nervous system (CNS) injuries are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, accompanied with high medical costs and a decreased quality of life. Brain vascular disorders are involved in the pathological processes of CNS injuries and might play key roles for their recovery and prognosis. Recently, increasing evidence has shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which comprise a very heterogeneous group of non-protein-coding RNAs greater than 200 nucleotides, have emerged as functional mediators in the regulation of vascular homeostasis under pathophysiological conditions. Remarkably, lncRNAs can regulate gene transcription and translation, thus interfering with gene expression and signaling pathways by different mechanisms. Hence, a deeper insight into the function and regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs following CNS injury, especially cerebrovascular-related lncRNAs, could help in establishing potential therapeutic strategies to improve or inhibit neurological disorders. In this review, we highlight recent advancements in understanding of the role of lncRNAs and their application in mediating cerebrovascular pathologies after CNS injury.
Private Equity Real Estate Fund Performance: A Comparison to REITs and Open-End Core Funds

We provide a comprehensive examination of the return performance of closed-end, private equity real estate (PERE) funds relative to the performance of listed real estate stocks (real estate investment trusts [REITs]) and the NCREIF ODCE fund index. We first match each PERE fund in our sample and its realized internal rate of return and equity multiple with the return that would have been earned by an LP investor on an investment in the designated benchmark over each fund’s investment horizon. Overall, we find that closed-end PERE funds have underperformed listed REITs. In contrast, we find similar overall performance between PERE and the NCREIF ODCE fund index. We also examine the determinants of the relative performance spread between the PERE funds and the equity REIT index and find that the spread widens with interest rate environment variables (Treasury yields and default spreads) and narrows with broad macroeconomic performance indicators (growth rate of GDP). TOPICS:Real assets/alternative investments/private equity, real estate, private equity, exchange-traded funds and applications, performance measurement Key Findings ▪ Closed-end PERE funds underperform listed REITs—both on average and by the percentages of individual funds. ▪ The performance spread widens with interest rate environment variables (Treasury yields and default spreads) and narrows with broad macroeconomic performance indicators (growth rate of GDP). ▪ The overall performance between PERE and the NCREIF ODCE fund index is similar.
Auditors? Generation of Financial Reporting Alternatives: Context and Knowledge Effects

This experimental study investigates how cognitive and contextual factors influence the process by which auditors develop alternative methods of accounting for complex transactions in which financial reporting guidance is ambiguous. The process of resolving these transactions is difficult for auditors when the client prefers an aggressive (i.e., income enhancing) alternative. This difficulty arises because the resolution process often involves a "balancing act" between client retention concerns and liability/reputation concerns. The results show that in this type of situation, auditors' individual task knowledge, the nature (positive or negative) of the client-auditor relationship, and the preferences of the engagement team interact to influence the number and range of alternative methods that auditors develop to account for ambiguous transactions.
A fuzzy coordinated energy management strategy for energy storage units in DC multiport energy router

Abstract As the proportion of new energy in power systems continues to increase, the widespread use of solar and wind-based distributed generation (DG) power in DC distribution networks will face problems such as new energy consumption, grid stability, and economical benefits in the future. At present, energy management strategies for photovoltaic (PV) grid-connected power generation systems are mainly researched in the field of AC–DC distribution network. This paper provides an advanced energy management strategy of the DC multiport energy router. Considering the battery state of charge (SOC), real-time electricity price (EP), and user-side electricity charge (EC), an energy management scheme based on the fuzzy coordinated control strategy is designed to improve the utilization of energy storage batteries and the economic benefits. A 20 kVA multi-port DC energy router simulation platform is established and verified in MATLAB/Simulink. The results show that the energy management strategies based on fuzzy coordinated controller can solve the multi-objective problem. Compared with traditional control strategies, the fuzzy collaborative energy management strategy has a more comprehensive optimization effect.
Storlet Engine for Executing Biomedical Processes Within the Storage System

The increase in large biomedical data objects stored in long term archives that continuously need to be processed and analyzed requires new storage paradigms. We propose expanding the storage system from only storing biomedical data to directly producing value from the data by executing computational modules - storlets - close to where the data is stored. This paper describes the Storlet Engine, an engine to support computations in secure sandboxes within the storage system. We describe its architecture and security model as well as the programming model for storlets. We experimented with several data sets and storlets including de-identification storlet to de-identify sensitive medical records, image transformation storlet to transform images to sustainable formats, and various medical imaging analytics storlets to study pathology images. We also provide a performance study of the Storlet Engine prototype for OpenStack Swift object storage.
Optimal Classifier Design Using Fuzzy k-Nearest Neighbor Rules

A recently proposed classifier based on the fuzzy k-nearest neighbor rule (NNR) which is optimized over k with respect to predicted error rate is implemented. Optimal fuzzy partitions of (labelled) training sets produced by (i) Jozwik’s method and (ii) Fuzzy c-Means (FCM) are used as inputs to fuzzy k-NNR’s for classification of new objects. Performance of the resultant classifiers are compared to the conventional (hard) k-NNR, Numerical examples illustrating comparative performance of the three classifiers using samples from synthetic mixtures of normal densities and Anderson’s Iris data are given. Our results indicate that partitioning labelled data with FCM, followed by selection of an optimal k using iteration on k, yield somewhat better fuzzy k-NNR performance on subsequent test sets than the method of Jozwik. Moreover, the fuzzy k-NNR classifier based on either method of fuzzy labelling seems superior to the conventional hard k-NNR.
Applications of Synthetic Aperture Radar to Meteorology and Oceanography Command Operations

Abstract : Our long-term goal is to employ near-surface wind speed derived from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of the sea surface as a marine meteorological research and forecasting tool. That is, we aim to use SAR-derived wind speed (SDWS) images to discover dynamical and morphological characteristics of microscale, mesoscale, and synoptic scale marine meteorological phenomena. We also aim to demonstrate how the fruits of our discovery can be used to aid marine meteorological analysts and forecasters.
Introduction to the Modern Theory of Dynamical Systems: FLOWS ON SURFACES AND RELATED DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS

In this chapter we study a class of continuous-time dynamical systems with very low-dimensional behavior according to the description given in Chapter 10, namely, smooth flows on closed compact surfaces. We will also pay attention to flows on surfaces with boundary such as the closed disc or the cylinder and on open surfaces such as the plane. This, in particular, will allow us to treat semilocal problems. Another natural object associated with such flows are Poincare maps induced on transversals to the flow. If the flow preserves a nonatomic measure positive on open sets (for example, an area) then such Poincare return maps are topologically conjugate to a locally isometric map with finitely many discontinuities. The term “interval exchange transformation” gives a visual description of such a map. In general, the asymptotic behavior of flows on surfaces is characterized by slow orbit growth but they have less uniform types of recurrence and of statistical behavior than invertible one-dimensional maps studied in Chapters 11 and 12. The former aspect is closely related to the fact that both orbits and onedimensional transversals to a flow locally separate the surface; the latter is due primarily to the more complicated topology of surfaces of genus greater than one compared to the circle (and the torus) and to a lesser extent to the effects of time change.
Compact high gain CMOS op amp design using comparators

This paper discusses the design of a high gain, general purpose op amps. The op amp is based on a novel cascaded design using comparators and with structural simplicity approaching that of digital circuits. Ideally, the design tool presented here can be used to optimize gain and CMRR independent of the other op amp performance parameters. The designed op amp has 140 dB open-loop gain and 43 MHz unity gain frequency (GBW) in Berkeley Spice3f Level-2 simulation. The circuit is implemented using a 2.0 /spl mu/m nwell CMOS process through MOSIS. The op amp is self-biased and requires only power supplies of /spl plusmn/2.5 V. It occupies an area of 113 /spl mu/m/spl times/474 /spl mu/m.
Distinct Intracellular Trafficking Patterns of Host IgG by Herpes Virus Fc-Receptors

Members of both alpha and beta herpes viruses affects 50–98% of people around the world. They cause severe symptoms in congenitally infected newborns, a lifelong latent infection that is lethal in immunocompromised individuals, and are associated with several types of cancer. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) viruses express proteins (HCMV gp68 and gp34; HSV-1 gE-gI) that function as Fc receptors (FcRs) by binding to the Fc regions of human IgG. In addition to binding free IgG, these viral FcRs can bind to IgG complexed with an antigen to form an antibody bipolar bridged (ABB) complex. Although HCMV gp68 and HSV-1 gE-gI have an overlapping binding site on Fc, the finding that the gp68/Fc interaction is stable at pH values between 5.6 and 8.1 but that gE-gI binds only at neutral or basic pH suggests distinct pH-based downstream events after IgG is internalized via receptor-mediated endocytosis into intracellular compartments. Here we developed a cell-based in vitro model system to define the fates of ABB complexes formed by the two types of viral FcRs. We found that alpha (HSV-1) and beta (HCMV) herpes virus FcRs displayed distinct intracellular trafficking patterns to target internalized ligands: HSV-1 gE-gI dissociates from its IgG-antigen ligand in acidic endosomal compartments and recycles back to the cell surface, whereas HCMV FcRs (gp68) are transported together with IgG-antigen complexes to lysosomes for degradation. In both cases, anti-viral IgGs and their viral targets are selectively degraded, a potential immune evasion strategy allowing herpes viruses to escape from IgG-mediated immune responses.
Differential restimulation-induced cell death sensitivity between CD8+ memory T cell subsets (LYM4P.754)

CD8+ central memory (CM) and effector memory (EM) T cell subsets exhibit well-established differences in longevity and protective capacity after infectious challenge. However, their respective sensitivity to cell death has been overlooked, despite its importance in maintaining immune homeostasis. Here we show that effector T cells derived from sorted human CD8+ CM and EM subsets demonstrate differential sensitivity to T cell receptor (TCR) restimulation induced cell death (RICD), a critical self-regulatory apoptosis pathway for constraining excessive T cell expansion. By quantitating differences in AnnexinV binding, mitochondrial membrane potential and caspase activation, we found that EM-derived effector T cells are significantly more sensitive to RICD than CM-derived effectors, whereas responses to other extrinsic or intrinsic apoptotic stimuli were equivalent. Our data suggests that EM-derived effectors demonstrate a stronger, more robust TCR signal, via enhanced LCK activity, for potent RICD induction. These data point to “imprinted” TCR signaling differences preserved between CD8+ CM and EM progeny that govern their relative sensitivity to RICD. Our findings offer new insight into why CM-derived T cells display superior effector expansion and persistent memory responses in vivo, beyond simple proliferation capacity. Moreover, our use of primary human T cell subsets is a novel comparative approach for defining molecular mechanisms that control RICD sensitivity.
Identification and characterization of a nerve growth factor-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase activator in PC12 cells

Nerve growth factor treatment of PC12 cells results in the rapid activation of MAP kinases. These enzymes are activated through interaction with a protein "activator." The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activator has been partially purified by ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. The activator has an apparent molecular mass of 50-60 kDa. The MAP kinase activator is rapidly generated in response to nerve growth factor (NGF) and can be detected within 30 s of exposure, reaching maximal levels within 2 min and then declining to near basal levels by 15-20 min. The activation of MAP kinase is dependent upon the time of incubation with the activator and on activator concentration. The MAP kinase activator is itself a protein kinase that phosphorylates MAP kinases and mediates their activation. The NGF-stimulated MAP kinase activator phosphorylates MAP kinase on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues, establishing this enzyme as dual specific kinase. The MAP kinase activator is itself a phosphoprotein whose phosphorylation on tyrosine residues is stimulated upon NGF treatment of the cells. The enzyme activity of MAP kinase activator is abolished by treatment with both the tyrosine-specific phosphatase PTP-1 and the serine/threonine-specific phosphatase PP2A. The activator is produced in response to NGF, epidermal growth factor, and fibroblast growth factor. The protein kinase inhibitor K252a selectively inhibits the ability of NGF to generate MAP kinase activator activity. These data suggest that the upstream events governing MAP kinase activation involve the regulated phosphorylation of dual specificity MAP kinase activator as an immediate consequence of receptor activation.
The Vulnerable Elders Survey‐13 Predicts Hospital Complications and Mortality in Older Adults with Traumatic Injury: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the VulnerableElders Survey (VES)-13, a survey based on functional statusthat has been validated in uninjured older populations, willpredict complications and mortality in injured older adults.DESIGN: Prospective observational pilot study.SETTING: Level 1 trauma center.PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-three older adults ( 65) with atraumatic injury who survived and required inpatient carefor at least 24 hours.MEASUREMENTS: Predictor: preinjury VES-13 score(0–10 points, higher5greater risk) obtained by interview-ing participants or proxies. Outcomes: composite outcomeof one or more medical complications (e.g., aspirationpneumonia, respiratory failure) or death, discharge desti-nation(home, nursing home, death), length ofstay, hospitalcharges. Covariates: Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI),Injury Severity Score (ISS), and sex.RESULTS: Of the 63 participants, 30 (48%) were dis-charged to home and 28 (44%) to a nursing facility, 21(33%) developed one or more complications, and four (6%)died.InamodelthatalsocontrolledforISSandcomorbidity,each additional VES-13 point was associated with greaterrisk of complication or death (odds ratio51.53 per point,95% conﬁdence interval 51.12–2.07).CONCLUSION: The VES-13, in combination with injuryseverity,maybeusefulearlyinthehospitalcoursetopredictcomplications and death in older adults with traumaticinjury, potentially identifying candidates who may beneﬁtfrom additional inpatient geriatric services. J Am GeriatrSoc 59:1471–1476, 2011.Key words: trauma; acute surgical care; functional status
So you know how to treat iron deficiency anemia

In this issue of Blood, Moretti et al provide data that challenge the entrenched oral treatment of iron deficiency anemia. The paper shows how the newer understanding of hepcidin and iron metabolism in general can lead to very practical improvements in the management of iron deficiency anemia, a disorder that may affect as many as 1 billion people.
Assignment of Currently Misplaced Cnemaspis gordongekkoi das, 1993 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) to Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827

Generic placement of the Indonesian Cnemaspis gordongekkoi Das, 1993 is assessed. The current generic status of the species came under doubt when it was observed to possess a vertical pupil hitherto unknown for any Cnemaspis spp. Here it is transferred to the genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827, a highly specious group of nocturnal geckos possessing vertical pupils, lacking dilated subdigital scansors and distributed sympatrically with Asian members of the genus Cnemaspis . Examination of museum specimens reveals other morphological characters that further support this reassignment. The fact that C. gordongekkoi has an atypical coloration when compared to the usually blotched or banded Cyrtodactylus spp. might have contributed to its initial misplacement in the genus Cnemaspis , which are relatively less strikingly patterned.