cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An ECG compression algorithm with guaranteed reconstruction quality based on optimum truncation of singular values and ASCII character encoding

Abstract An efficient electrocardiogram (ECG) compression algorithm provides two-fold benefits: first, it enlarges the storage capability and second, it enhances the transmission efficiency of the communication-link in real-time tele-monitoring applications. Maintaining the quality of the reconstructed signal at a pre-determined level is a very important criterion of an ECG compression algorithm, but the area of such quality-guaranteed ECG signal compression is still lagging behind. This paper presents a high performance quality-guaranteed two-dimensional (2D) single-lead ECG compression algorithm using singular value decomposition (SVD) and lossless-ASCII-character-encoding (LLACE)-based techniques. At the preprocessing stage, the ECG signal is de-noised, and then the noise-free signal is down-sampled if the sampling frequency of the signal is found to be higher than that of a certain threshold. Then, the ECG R-peaks are detected using a Hilbert transform (HT)-based approach to extract ECG-beats. Extracted beats are arranged to form a 2D matrix, and then the matrix is decomposed using the SVD technique. An optimum number of singular values are retained in such a way that the quality of the reconstructed ECG signal would not be degraded from a pre-defined diagnostic ECG-feature-distortion measure. The truncated right singular matrix coefficients are quantized and encoded into ASCII characters, and the truncated left singular matrix coefficients are compressed using the LLACE-based technique. The SVD and LLACE methods exploit the strong inter-beat and inter-sample correlations, respectively, of an ECG signal to attain high compression performance. Evaluation results show that the mean-opinion-score of the reconstructed ECG signals signal falls under the category ‘very good’ as per the gold standard subjective measure.
A new measure of firm-group accounting closeness

In this study we develop a new measure of firm-group accounting similarity which captures co-movement in accounting fundamentals over time. We calculate the mean of (1) the average pair-wise correlation between earnings and cash flows for a group of firms and (2) the average pair-wise $$R^2$$ from regressing firm i’s earnings (cash flows) on firm j’s earnings (cash flows) within-group. We analyze how the four most widely used industrial classification schemes perform in relation to our measure. We document that the within-industry information transfer contagion effect is increasing in our measure. We confirm that within-industry similarity for the average industry varies widely and is the reason why announcement contagion effects are not observed in certain industries. Lastly, we show that the number of analysts following an industry increases in our measure of industry closeness. From an investor’s standpoint, the new measure enables them to better discern whether the performance of a group of firms is related over time. From a researcher’s standpoint, the new measure enables them to more accurately control for industry effects by capturing the fact that within-industry similarity varies across industries.
Water Balance in Eggs

The eggs of most arthropods contain a relatively large amount of yolk covered, at the time of laying, by a thin vitelline membrane (produced by the oocyte itself) and a more or less tough chorion, or shell, which is produced largely by the follicular cells of the mother. Unlike the cuticle of later stages, the chorion contains no chitin; it is more akin to “cuticulin”—a stabilized lipo-protein complex (Chap. 3.B.VI.). The chorion takes different forms in different insects (refs in Wigglesworth, 1972), but in all it has to provide mechanical support and protection, permit the exchange of respiratory gases, and prevent dehydration, flooding and loss of valuable solutes.
Robotic Ureteral Reconstruction

Advancements in robotic surgical technology have enabled urologists to better meet the demands of minimally invasive ureteral reconstruction. A wide range of benign and malignant disease can be me managed with robotic surgery. Various applications have been described in the literature, and outcomes are generally excellent with low rates of disease recurrence and rare major complications. Herein, we describe basic techniques for robotic ureteral reconstruction as well as more detailed instruction and published outcomes for specific procedures.
(4aS*,7aR*)‐2,10‐Dioxoper­hydro­benzo­[d]­naphthalene

The title racemic compound, C14H20O2, a tricylic diketone isolated from en­amine reactions of cyclo­hexanone with methyl vinyl ketone, is shown to have an all-chair conformation and a cis stereochemical relationship for its methine H atoms.
Optimal policies for information sharing in information system security

Abstract Information sharing has become a significant part of information system security endeavor, as many firms have come to realize that it is difficult to defend against the increasingly sophisticated information security attacks with the limited resources of one single firm. The sharing of information security related knowledge and experience helps firms better prepare for the upcoming information security challenges. However, the practice of information sharing is far less prevalent when compared with other information security methods. In this paper, we develop a framework for information sharing decisions of a firm in the context of information system security. We find through analytical and numerical analyses that the optimal level information sharing is a function of the cost, budget and expected cost of perfect protection for a given firm. We also examine the value of information sharing in information security, and identify how such value varies over different investment environments.
Investigating the Impact of Racial Diversity in Decision‐making Groups: The Moderating Role of Relationship Conflict

To date, numerous research endeavors have documented both the positive and negative effects of racial diversity on numerous group‐level performance outcomes. Indeed, a reading of the racial diversity literature would lead one to make one of two contradictory predictions regarding the effects of racial diversity in groups. In the interest of solving this theoretical issue, both perspectives were synthesized, such that racially diverse groups were expected to outperform homogeneous groups when performing a decision‐making task, but only when relationship conflict between members was minimized. In addition, the association between racial diversity and decision‐making quality was expected to be negative when relationship conflict between members was high. A study is reported which investigates the validity of and finds general support for this proposition (i.e., racial diversity in groups increased the group’s ability to make accurate decisions, but only under conditions in which relationship conflict between group members was kept to a minimum). A discussion is offered in which the implications of these results are entertained.
Attractor Selection Based Limited Feedback Hybrid Precoding for Uplink V2I Communications

As an essential part of vehicle networks, the Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) needs the support of millimeter wave and massive MIMO technologies to enable high data rate applications, such as automated driving, real-time high-quality multimedia services and so on. As the scale of the antenna array increases, the complexity of the beamforming and channel estimation algorithms under high mobility conditions also increases significantly. In particular, highly robust beamforming methods need to cope with fast changing transmission environments. In this paper, we adopt a biological inspired self-adaptive selection algorithm called attractor selection algorithm (ASA) to support uplink beamforming. The ASA requires only a little feedback information from the Road Side Infrastructure (RSI) to perform fast beam training, hence making the transmission link more stable. The simulation results indicate that the proposed ASA-assisted algorithm can significantly reduce the time required to achieve a timely beam training, which would be essential for V2I high communications under high mobility conditions.
A Semi-Automated Technique for Transcribing Accurate Crowd Motions

We present a novel technique for transcribing crowds in video scenes that allows extracting the positions of moving objects in video frames. The technique can be used as a more precise alternative ...
Multicenter phase 2 trial of nintedanib in advanced nonpancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Background Antiangiogenic-targeting agents have low response rates in patients with nonpancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Nintedanib is an oral antiangiogenic agent that has inhibitory effects on the fibroblast growth factor receptor, which is highly expressed in NETs. The authors hypothesized that nintedanib would be active in patients with nonpancreatic NETs. Methods Patients with advanced, grade 1 or 2, nonpancreatic NETs who were receiving a stable dose of somatostatin analogue were enrolled. Nintedanib was administered at a dose of 200 mg twice daily in 28-day cycles. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) at 16 weeks. Results Thirty-two patients were enrolled, and 30 were evaluable for the primary outcome. Most had radiographic disease progression within 12 months before enrollment. The 16-week PFS rate was 83%, and the median PFS and overall survival were 11.0 months and 32.7 months, respectively. Nintedanib was well tolerated and delayed deterioration in quality of life. The baseline serotonin level had a strong, positive correlation with activated but exhausted T cells. Conclusions Nintedanib is active in nonpancreatic NETs. The immunosuppressive effect of serotonin should be targeted in future clinical trials.
Effects of exercise training on neuromuscular junctions and their active zones in young and aged muscles

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) connects the motor neuron with myofibers allowing muscle contraction. Both aging and increased activity result in NMJ remodeling. Here, the effects of exercise were examined in young and aged soleus muscles. Using immunofluorescent staining procedures, cellular and active zone components of the NMJ were quantified following a treadmill running program. Immunofluorescence was employed to determine myofiber profiles (size and type). Two-way analysis of variance procedures with main effects of age and treatment showed that when analyzing NMJs at the cellular level, significant (p ≤ 0.05) effects were identified for age, but not treatment. However, when examining subcellular active zones, effects for exercise, but not for age, were detected. Myofiber cross-sectional area showed that aging elicited atrophy and that among younger muscles endurance exercise training yielded decrements in myofiber size. Conversely, among aged muscles training elicited whole muscle and myofiber trends (p < 0.10) toward hypertrophy. Thus, different components of the neuromuscular system harbor unique sensitivities to various stimuli enabling proper adaptations to attain optimal function under differing conditions.
Causal Geometry

Information geometry has offered a way to formally study the efficacy of scientific models by quantifying the impact of model parameters on the predicted effects. However, there has been little formal investigation of causation in this framework, despite causal models being a fundamental part of science and explanation. Here we introduce causal geometry, which formalizes not only how outcomes are impacted by parameters, but also how the parameters of a model can be intervened upon. Therefore we introduce a geometric version of "effective information" -- a known measure of the informativeness of a causal relationship. We show that it is given by the matching between the space of effects and the space of interventions, in the form of their geometric congruence. Therefore, given a fixed intervention capability, an effective causal model is one that matches those interventions. This is a consequence of "causal emergence," wherein macroscopic causal relationships may carry more information than "fundamental" microscopic ones. We thus argue that a coarse-grained model may, paradoxically, be more informative than the microscopic one, especially when it better matches the scale of accessible interventions -- as we illustrate on toy examples.
Generic Fragmentation in Modern Campaign Rhetoric: A Study of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Announcements:

This essay suggests that campaign speech genres have transformed in the digital era due to what I call “generic fragmentation.” Speeches that are expected of political candidates have been replaced...
Molecular Markers of Telomere Dysfunction and Senescence are Common Findings in the Usual Interstitial Pneumonia Pattern of Lung Fibrosis

Author(s): Lee, Joyce S; La, Janet; Aziz, Sara; Dobrinskikh, Evgenia; Brownell, Robert; Jones, Kirk D; Achtar-Zadeh, Natalia; Green, Gary; Elicker, Brett M; Golden, Jeffrey A; Matthay, Michael A; Kukreja, Jasleen; Schwartz, David A; Wolters, Paul J | Abstract: AimsIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a genetically mediated, age-associated, progressive form of pulmonary fibrosis characterised pathologically by a usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern of fibrosis. The UIP pattern is also found in pulmonary fibrosis attributable to clinical diagnoses other than IPF (non-IPF UIP), whose clinical course is similarly poor, suggesting common molecular drivers. This study investigates whether IPF and non-IPF UIP lungs similarly express markers of telomere dysfunction and senescence.Methods and resultsTo test whether patients with IPF and non-IPF UIP share molecular drivers, lung tissues from 169 IPF patients and 57 non-IPF UIP patients were histopathologically and molecularly compared. Histopathological changes in both IPF and non-IPF UIP patients included temporal heterogeneity, microscopic honeycombing, fibroblast foci, and dense collagen fibrosis. Non-IPF UIP lungs were more likely to have lymphocytic infiltration, non-caseating granulomas, airway-centred inflammation, or small airways disease. Telomeres were shorter in alveolar type II (AECII) cells of both IPF and non-IPF UIP lungs than in those of age-similar, unused donor, controls. Levels of molecular markers of senescence (p16 and p21) were elevated in lysates of IPF and non-IPF UIP lungs. Immunostaining localised expression of these proteins to AECII cells. The mucin 5B (MUC5B) gene promoter variant minor allele frequency was similar between IPF and non-IPF UIP patients, and MUC5B expression was similar in IPF and non-IPF UIP lungs.ConclusionsMolecular markers of telomere dysfunction and senescence are pathologically expressed in both IPF and non-IPF UIP lungs. These findings suggest that common molecular drivers may contribute to the pathogenesis of UIP-associated pulmonary fibrosis, regardless of the clinical diagnosis.
Apostasy, usurpation, and biblical genealogies: The question of sovereignty in Iberian encounters in the tropics (15th-16th centuries).

Aquest article examina diversos escenaris de trobada entre iberics i locals no abrahamics, concretament a America, les Illes Canaries i l’Africa occidental. Basat en escrits dels segles XV i XVI, aquest treball analitza les diferents visions dels iberics d’epoca moderna sobre la capacitat dels no cristians de mantenir el dominium; sobre la comprensio dels iberics de l’abast geografic del cristianisme primerenc i les implicacions que te per a les reivindicacions politiques en epoca moderna, i sobre les lectures dels iberics relatives a genealogies bibliques i el pes que comportaven els arguments legals sobre sobirania i esclavitud.
Interocular Suppression in Primary Visual Cortex in Strabismus: Impact of Staggering the Presentation of Stimuli to the Eyes

Diplopia (double vision) in strabismus is prevented by suppression of the image emanating from one eye. In a recent study conducted in two macaques raised with exotropia (an outward ocular deviation) but having normal acuity in each eye, simultaneous display of stimuli to each eye did not induce suppression in V1 neurons. Puzzled by this negative result, we have modified our protocol to display stimuli in a staggered sequence, rather than simultaneously. Additional recordings were made in the same two macaques, following two paradigms. In trial type 1, the receptive field in one eye was stimulated with a sine-wave grating while the other eye was occluded. After 5 s, the occluder was removed and the neuron was stimulated for another 5 s. The effect of uncovering the eye, which potentially exposed the animal to diplopia, was quantified by the peripheral retinal interaction index (PRII). In trial type 2, the receptive field in the fixating eye was stimulated with a grating during binocular viewing. After 5 s, a second grating appeared in the receptive field of the nonfixating eye. The impact of the second grating, which had the potential to generate visual confusion, was quantified by the receptive field interaction index (RFII). For 82 units, the mean PRII was 0.48 ± 0.05 (0.50 = no suppression) and the mean RFII was 0.46 ± 0.08 (0.50 = no suppression). These values suggest mild suppression, but the modest decline in spike rate registered during the second epoch of visual stimulation might have been due to neuronal adaptation, rather than interocular suppression. In a few instances neurons showed unequivocal suppression, but overall, these recordings did not support the contention that staggered stimulus presentation is more effective than simultaneous stimulus presentation at evoking interocular suppression in V1 neurons.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In strabismus, double vision is prevented by interocular suppression. It has been reported that inhibition of neuronal firing in the primary visual cortex occurs only when stimuli are presented sequentially, rather than simultaneously. However, these recordings in alert macaques raised with exotropia showed, with rare exceptions, little evidence to support the concept that staggered stimulus presentation is more effective at inducing interocular suppression of V1 neurons.
The Learning Intensive: Examining the Counseling Skills Acquisition between Hybrid Instructional Formats

Traditionally, counselor education instruction has taken place in the face-to-face format. However, with the shift toward online learning, more counselor education programs are incorporating distance education into the curriculum. Counselor educators continue to study the impact of distance education methods on student learning, but studies are inconclusive especially in how trainees acquire skills in distance formats. This study is an examination of skills acquisition and comparison of students enrolled in introductory counseling skills courses. The courses were delivered online with brief face-to-face meetings in two different formats: 4 consecutive days or 2 separate weekends. Results indicated no significant differences in student counseling skill acquisition between the two hybrid formats. Students in both courses demonstrated skills at basic mastery levels at the end of the course.
Punishment v. Restoration: A Comparative Analysis of Juvenile Delinquency Law in the United States and Mexico

U.S. juvenile justice policy has become increasingly punitive over the past twenty-five years. Although there are signs that this trend is beginning to reverse, the United States continues to rely on punitive sanctions as a primary response to juvenile crime. The State of California's juvenile delinquency code epitomizes the punitive nature of juvenile justice in the United States. Mexico recently amended its constitution to require the creation of juvenile justice systems modeled after the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Accordingly, Mexico's developing juvenile delinquency codes model an alternative approach to juvenile justice - one rooted in human rights, victims' rights, and adolescent development research. Within Mexico, the State of Oaxaca has developed a code that incorporates these human rights principles and sets forth procedures for using restorative justice conferences as an alternative to the adversarial court system. While California’s juvenile delinquency laws represent the punitive model popular in the United States, Oaxaca’s approach exemplifies the restorative model contemplated in Mexico’s national constitutional reforms. The distinct approaches of California and Oaxaca highlight some of the major ways in which U.S. juvenile delinquency law fails to comport with international human rights standards and research about adolescent development. This analysis is particularly relevant given the Supreme Court's attention to these issues in its recent decisions relating to juvenile offenders. This Article compares the juvenile delinquency codes of Oaxaca and California in order to explore contrasting approaches to juvenile justice. The use of restorative justice in Oaxaca’s legal code - and the accompanying emphasis on victims’ rights - are contrasted with California’s focus on punishing juvenile offenders. The Article concludes that despite some troubling issues regarding implementation of the law in Oaxaca, its juvenile delinquency code is more just and effective than California’s. The U.S. approach to youth justice violates international human rights standards, fails to adequately provide for the differences between adolescents and adults, and focuses on punishment at the expense of victims, children who break the law, and communities. The Supreme Court’s recent analysis of draconian sentencing policies for minors provides a glimmer of hope that American juvenile justice law will become more similar to the juvenile delinquency law of Oaxaca. This Article discusses some of the primary areas that will need to change in this process of reincorporating a measure of justice into American responses to juvenile crime.
Uniform Functors on Sets

This paper studies uniformity conditions for endofunctors on sets following Aczel [1], Turi [21], and others. The “usual” functors on sets are uniform in our sense, and assuming the Anti-Foundation Axiom AFA, a uniform functor H has the property that its greatest fixed point H * is a final coalgebra whose structure is the identity map. We propose a notion of uniformity whose definition involves notions from recent work in coalgebraic recursion theory: completely iterative monads and completely iterative algebras (cias). Among our new results is one which states that for a uniform H, the entire set-theoretic universe V is a cia: the structure is the inclusion of HV into the universe V itself.
Negotiating Journalistic Professionalism

South Korea's OhmyNews reports unique consequences of citizen reporting and participation. While many citizen news operations have come and gone, OhmyNews has been remarkably successful and has become one of the most powerful news sites in its country. This case study explores the concept of journalistic professionalism among OhmyNews citizen journalists and assesses whether perceptions of their journalistic work align with Singer's dimensions of professionalism (i.e., cognitive, normative and evaluative dimensions). We then compare these perceptions to those of professional journalists within the organization and integrate them into journalistic role conceptions. Findings show that both groups work through collaboration, checks and balances, and a negotiation of autonomy. Both benefit from the partnership and share similarities, rather than differences, in their effort to remain sustainable in contemporary media culture.
Oscillator strengths for $\ion{As}{i-iii}$

Oscillator strengths for excitations of AsI, AsII, and AsIII from their ground states to various excited states are calculated using a semiempirical analytic independent-particle-model. The results are compared to experimental and theoretical data where possible. The results are of astrophysical interest.
Effect of ermC leader region mutations on induced mRNA stability.

Induction of translation of the ermC gene product in Bacillus subtilis occurs upon exposure to erythromycin and is a result of ribosome stalling in the ermC leader peptide coding sequence. Another result of ribosome stalling is stabilization of ermC mRNA. The effect of leader RNA secondary structure, methylase translation, and leader peptide translation on induced ermC mRNA stability was examined by constructing various mutations in the ermC leader region. Analysis of deletion mutations showed that ribosome stalling causes induction of ermC mRNA stability in the absence of methylase translation and ermC leader RNA secondary structure. Furthermore, deletions that removed much of the leader peptide coding sequence had no effect on induced ermC mRNA stability. A leader region mutation was constructed such that ribosome stalling occurred in a position upstream of the natural stall site, resulting in induced mRNA stability without induction of translation. This mutation was used to measure the effect of mRNA stabilization on ermC gene expression. Images
Commentaries on “Multiple Discourse Analyses of a Workplace Interaction”

The web journal occasionally publishes brief commentaries on issues that are of interest to the TESOL/AL community. In this issue, we asked contributors to respond to the article, Multiple Discourse Analyses of a Workplace Interaction by Stubbe, Lane, Hilder, Vine, Vine, Marra, Holmes, and Weatherall (2003). The article presents an exercise rarely seen in scholarly discourse analysis journals. The authors analyze the same piece of data from a number of different approaches: conversation analysis, interactional sociolinguistics, politeness theory, critical discourse analysis, and discursive psychology. The data is a nine-minute audio recording of a naturally occurring workplace interaction between a male manager and a female subordinate. Although there are broad similarities between the analyses, the authors suggest that there are significant differences in the aspects of interaction focused upon, leading to the diplomatic conclusion that the different approaches “are not necessarily in conflict with one another – rather, they are complementary in many ways, with each approach capable of generating its own useful insights” (p. 380).
Effect of land-use conversion on ecosystem C stock and distribution in subtropical grazing lands

Grazing lands worldwide are increasingly subjected to intensification to meet global demand for food; however, management practices intended to increase production can also affect ecosystem carbon (C) stocks. This study evaluated long-term (>22 years) ecosystem C responses to conversion of native grazing lands into more intensively managed silvopasture and sown pastures. Above- and below-ground C pools in each land use type were evaluated. Silvopasture exhibited the greatest total ecosystem C stock (168 Mg ha−1) compared with sown pasture and native rangeland (121 and 94 Mg ha−1, respectively). This response was due to the greater aboveground biomass (59 Mg ha−1 in silvopasture vs. 2.1 and 3.8 Mg ha−1 in sown pasture and native rangeland, respectively), primarily from the tree component. Soil organic C (SOC) accounted for 81 and 90 % of total ecosystem C stocks in native rangeland and sown pasture, respectively, while in silvopasture SOC represented ~ 61 % of total ecosystem C. Soil organic C increased from 76 Mg ha−1 in native rangeland to 110 Mg ha−1 sown pasture. Data indicated that grazing land intensification through the adoption of proper management promoted ecosystem C primarily due to increases in SOC and the associated benefit of a greater above-ground woody biomass.
Economic Validity of the Safety-Valve Doctrine

The frontier interpretation of American history with which Professor Frederick Jackson Turner captivated and intrigued the observers of American development more than forty years ago still retains its fascination. Professor Turner saw the American frontier as an area in which American society was constantly being rebuilt, each time shaped by special problems: “American social development,” he wrote, “has been continually beginning over again on the frontier.” It was on this theme that Professor Turner based his most striking contention that “The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward, explain American development.”
Binding of terbium and cisplatin to C13* human ovarian cancer cells using time-resolved terbium luminescence.

Abstract Terbium (Tb3+) has been shown to increase the cellular accumulation and cytotoxicity of cisplatin in cisplatin-resistant human breast and ovarian cancer cells. Time-resolved Tb3+ luminescence was used to describe the binding of cisplatin to cisplatin-resistant C13* cells. A high-affinity Tb3+ binding site was identified in the plasma membrane of the C13* cells (n=105±2 fmol/cell and Kd=36.3±5.2 μM). The binding of Tb3+ is suggested to occur through a cation–π interaction with tryptophan residues in the plasma membrane, resulting in an enhancement of the intensity and lifetime of Tb3+. Stern–Volmer quenching analysis revealed that the Tb3+ binding site is not readily accessible to the aqueous environment. The quenching of the Tb3+–C13* intensity by cisplatin occurred by static quenching processes, involving both a direct electron-exchange interaction as well as an indirect dipole–dipole resonant energy transfer mechanism. Formation of the Tb3+–C13*–cisplatin complex does not interfere with the high-affinity binding of Tb3+; cisplatin and Tb3+ bind within 5 to 10 A of each other. A specific terbium/cisplatin binding protein is suggested to play a role in the cellular accumulation and cytotoxicity of cisplatin. Therefore, the transport of cisplatin across the plasma membrane must also involve a facilitated diffusion process. Our results indicate that the binding of Tb3+ to the plasma membrane may be potentially useful in the reversal of cisplatin resistance.
A flagellin-derived toll-like receptor 5 agonist stimulates cytotoxic lymphocyte-mediated tumor immunity.

Toll-like receptor (TLR) mediated recognition of pathogen associated molecular patterns allows the immune system to rapidly respond to a pathogenic insult. The “danger context” elicited by TLR agonists allows an initially non-immunogenic antigen to become immunogenic. This ability to alter environment is highly relevant in tumor immunity, since it is inherently difficult for the immune system to recognize host-derived tumors as immunogenic. However, immune cells may have encountered certain TLR ligands associated with tumor development, yet the endogenous stimulation is typically not sufficient to induce spontaneous tumor rejection. Of special interest are TLR5 agonists, because there are no endogenous ligands that bind TLR5. CBLB502 is a pharmacologically optimized TLR5 agonist derived from Salmonella enterica flagellin. We examined the effect of CBLB502 on tumor immunity using two syngeneic lymphoma models, both of which do not express TLR5, and thus do not directly respond to CBLB502. Upon challenge with the T-cell lymphoma RMAS, CBLB502 treatment after tumor inoculation protects C57BL/6 mice from death caused by tumor growth. This protective effect is both natural killer (NK) cell- and perforin-dependent. In addition, CBLB502 stimulates clearance of the B-cell lymphoma A20 in BALB/c mice in a CD8+ T cell-dependent fashion. Analysis on the cellular level via ImageStream flow cytometry reveals that CD11b+ and CD11c+ cells, but neither NK nor T cells, directly respond to CBLB502 as determined by NFκB nuclear translocation. Our findings demonstrate that CBLB502 stimulates a robust antitumor response by directly activating TLR5-expressing accessory immune cells, which in turn activate cytotoxic lymphocytes.
In-plane spatial resolution measurements of a phase-contrast tomosynthesis prototype

The objectives of this project are to intrinsically and quantitatively investigate the advantages of a phase-contrast (PC) tomosynthesis prototype in removing the superimposed structure noise and the effects on image qualities by an off-center shift of the object along the tube-sweep direction. Experimentally, phantoms are assembled with standard resolution patterns. Phase-contrast tomosynthesis images are acquired and reconstructed. In order to study the effects of the limited angular projections on the in-plane resolutions, all the images were reconstructed in the 2×2 binning mode only, as we will study the phase contrast effects elsewhere. The in-plane slices reconstructed from each of the experiments examined and the in-plane limiting resolutions are determined. For comparison, the resolution patterns and phantoms are also imaged by single projections. Under single x-ray projection, with only one resolution pattern, the limiting resolution of the system is 8 lp/mm; with 2 resolution patterns superimposed, the image of the resolution patterns is blurred for distinguishing line pairs. The PC tomosynthesis in-plane images show that the limiting resolution of the system is 7 lp/mm. For objects with a shift along the horizontal axis (the tube-sweep direction) by 0.8 inch, the spatial resolution is degraded to 4 lp/mm and blur occurs. As is expected, the PC tomosynthesis prototype studied in this project reveals superimposed fine structures of the object; the effect induced by the object's off-center shift is determined in a quantified way. The in-plane resolution of this system can be further improved by optimizing the system alignment, and the reconstruction algorithms.
Metabolic studies in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia; effects of cortisone therapy.

ADRENAL hyperplasia may be congenital or acquired and may occur in either male or female. In the female it may manifest itself as female pseudohermaphrodism or as virilism. If the onset of hyperplasia occurs in utero between the third and fifth fetal month, as is the usual case, female pseudohermaphrodism results (1). If the onset is at a later gestational period or postnatally, only virilism results, since the differentiation of the urogenital sinus has occurred before this time. In the male if the onset of adrenal hyperplasia occurs either in utero or before the age of puberty, macrogenitosomia praecox results. All recorded cases of the adrenogenital syndrome with onset after birth but before the age of 10 years have been due to tumor rather than to adrenal hyperplasia (2). In common with other poorly understood medical conditions, congenital adrenal hyperplasia has been approached therapeutically by a number of widely divergent regimens. The results of surgical extirpation of adrenal cortical tissue in...
Linkage and anomeric differentiation in trisaccharides by sequential fragmentation and variable-wavelength infrared photodissociation.

Carbohydrates and their derivatives play important roles in biological systems, but their isomeric heterogeneity also presents a considerable challenge for analytical techniques. Here, a stepwise approach using infrared multiple-photon dissociation (IRMPD) via a tunable CO2 laser (9.2–10.7 μm) was employed to characterize isomeric variants of glucose-based trisaccharides. After the deprotonated trisaccharides were trapped and fragmented to disaccharide C2 fragments in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) cell, a further variable-wavelength infrared irradiation of the C2 ion produced wavelength-dependent dissociation patterns that are represented as heat maps. The photodissociation patterns of these C2 fragments are shown to be strikingly similar to the photodissociation patterns of disaccharides with identical glycosidic bonds. Conversely, the photodissociation patterns of different glycosidic linkages exhibit considerable differences. On the basis of these results, the linkage position and anomericity of glycosidic bonds of disaccharide units in trisaccharides can be systematically differentiated and identified, providing a promising approach to characterize the structures of isomeric oligosaccharides.
Discounting of restraint usage, problem behavior management, and risk of autism severity

Abstract The current study examined whether a history of experience with children with autism affected the rate of discounting of a delayed or probable consequence. Experiment 1 utilized a temporal discounting task to compare the discounting rates of adults who have worked in an autism service setting and have experience with physical restraints to that of adults who have little or no experience with these populations. The results showed that adults with a history of contact with autism made less optimal choices and discounted restraint responsibilities more steeply than adults with no such history, indicating increased avoidance of engaging in restraints. Experiment 2 investigated how the same groups discounted child problem behavior, and showed that those with experience with autism preferred to delay working with children with severe problem behavior and discounted the student's problem behavior more steeply, again demonstrating increased avoidance. Experiment 3 examined risk tendencies in relation to having children with diminished functioning in parents who have children with autism and those who have only worked with them. Results showed that parents made riskier choices than non-parents. Overall, all 3 experiments showed that those with increased experience with children with autism tended toward more impulsive and risky choices.
LARGE DEVIATION ASYMPTOTICS FOR RANDOM-WALK TYPE PERTURBATIONS

Symmetric random walks can be arranged to converge to a Wiener process in the area of normal deviation. However, random walks and Wiener processes have, in general, different asymptotics of the large deviation probabilities. The action functionals for random-walks and Wiener processes are compared in this paper. The correction term is calculated. Exit problem and stochastic resonance for random-walk-type perturbation are also considered and compared with the white-noise-type perturbation.
Phonon-assisted Gamma -X transition rates in type-II superlattices.

The \ensuremath{\Gamma}-X transition rate for electrons in type-II superlattices is calculated for the case of optical-phonon emission. The tight-binding method for electronic band structure and the dielectric continuum model for phonons are used. The relative strength of scattering due to different phonon modes is examined for varying superlattice dimensions. The scattering rate is highest when the energy separation between the \ensuremath{\Gamma} and X levels is smallest, and decreases quickly as the separation increases. It is found that the strongest scattering rate is due to the emission of AlAs confined modes. Changing of parity with layer thickness and its effect on scattering are discussed.
Epiglottitis in Children, 1979 Through 1992: Effects of Haemophilus influenzae Type b Immunization

Objective: To examine secular trends in the epidemiology, bacteriology, and clinical presentation of acute epiglottitis in children in the years surrounding the introduction of vaccine againstHaemophilus influenzaetype b. Design: Retrospective chart review of patient series. Setting: Large, urban, tertiary care pediatric hospital. Subjects: One hundred forty-two children with epiglottitis admitted during a 14-year period (1979 through 1992). Main Results: The average annual incidence of epiglottitis declined from 10.9 per 10 000 admissions before 1990 to 1.8 per 10 000 admissions from 1990 through 1992. The median age increased from 35.5 months in the earlier period to 80.5 months (P=.007). Overall,H influenzaetype b was identified as the causative organism in 76% of patients, but in only 25% of the cases since 1990 (P=.004). Of the eight cases from 1990 through 1992, three had group A β-hemolytic streptococcus isolated from a surface culture of the epiglottis; three other cases of group A β-hemolytic streptococcus were identified earlier. These patients were significantly older than those withH influenzaetype b disease (117.5 vs 35 months,P=.004). No important differences were found in any of a number of clinical characteristics based on causative organism or year of diagnosis. Conclusion: Acute epiglottitis has diminished in frequency since 1990. Patients whose conditions have been diagnosed since then tend to be older and to have disease caused by organisms other thanH influenzaetype b (particularly group A β-hemolytic streptococcus). However, the clinical presentation appears to be similar to that seen previously. (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1994;148:47-50)
A new approach to the development of a reusable piezoelectric crystal biosensor

Abstract A reusable piezoelectric crystal immunosensor for human albumin has been developed. The crystal was coated with protein a and then reacted with anti-human albumin antibody. Human albumin in the range 10−4 mg/ml to 10−1 mg/ml could be detected by the system. Crystals were regenerated by saturation with albumin and subsequent binding of a new anti-albumin antibody layer. The albumin assay could be repeated up to 5 times using the same crystal.
Acute efficacy of cooled tip versus 8-mm catheter in achieving electrical isolation of pulmonic veins for treatment of atrial fibrillation

ACUTE EFFICACY OF COOLED TIP VERSUS 8-MM CATHETER IN ACHIEVING ELECTRICAL ISOLATION OF PULMONIC VEINS FOR TREATMENT OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION Sanjay Dixit, MD, Edward P. Gerstenfeld, MD, David J. Callans, MD, Joshua M. Cooper, MD, David Lin, MD, Andrea M. Russo, MD, Henry H. Hsia, MD, Vickas Patel, MD, PhD, Ralph J. Verdino, MD, Hemal M. Nayak, MD, Stephen Kimmel, MD, Sarah Ratcliffe, PhD, Simone Kutler, Bhargavi Degapudi, MBBS and Francis E. Marchlinski, MD. Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA, and Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, PA.
Resolution and contrast in near-field photocurrent imaging of defects on semiconductors

To understand the factors that determine the resolution and contrast in near-field photocurrent (NPC) imaging of electrically active defects on semiconductor surfaces, a two-dimensional carrier diffusion model with a localized generation term is employed. Numerically simulated images of photo-generated carriers are compared with experimental NPC images acquired using a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM). Good agreement in image lateral resolution, contrast, and feature sharpness is obtained. It is found that the NPC lateral resolution of dislocation defects is limited not by the minority carrier diffusion length in the defect-free region as previously believed, but rather by either the defect size or the NSOM tip aperture size, whichever is larger. The NPC contrast increases with larger defect size, smaller tip aperture size, longer diffusion length in the defect-free region, and shorter diffusion length inside the defect. By comparing the theoretical results to experimental NPC data, an estimate for the carrier recombination lifetime inside a single defect can also be obtained.
Disposition of total and unbound prednisolone in renal transplant patients receiving anticonvulsants.

Abstract Disposition of total and unbound prednisolone in renal transplant patients receiving anticonvulsants. Kidney transplant patients receiving phenytoin or phenobarbital may have decreased graft survival. These drugs have been shown to enhance the metabolism of glucocorticoids. We determined the disposition of total and unbound prednisolone in six stable kidney transplant patients receiving prednisone for immunosuppression and phenytoin or phenobarbital for a seizure disorder. Six similar patients not on anticonvulsants served as controls. A single intravenous dose of prednisolone was administered, and plasma samples were analyzed for prednisolone using a high-performance liquid chromatographic assay. Equilibrium dialysis was used to determine unbound prednisolone concentrations. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed that the half-life of prednisolone was shorter in the anticonvulsant group compared to the controls, based on both total (2.3 ± 0.4 vs. 3.4 ± 0.2hr (SD), P 0.05) and for weight-corrected estimates 0.886 ± 0.224 liters/hr · kg versus 0.644 ± 0.115 liters/hr · kg (P Disparition de la prednisolone totale et libre chez des transplantes renaux recevant des anticonvulsivants. Les transplantes renaux recevant de la phenytoine ou du phenobarbital pourraient avoir une survie du greffon diminuee. Ces medicaments se sont averes capables de stimuler le metabolisme des glucocorticoides. Nous avons determine l'elimination de la prednisolone totale et libre chez six transplantes renaux stables recevant de la prednisone pour leur immunosuppression et de la phenytoine ou du phenobarbital pour une epilepsie. Six malades identiques sans anticonvulsivants ont servi de controle. Une dose unique intraveineuse de prednisolone a ete administree, et des echantillons plasmatiques ont ete analyses pour la prednisolone en utilisant un dosage par chromatographie liquide a haute pression. Une dialyse a l'equilibre a ete utilisee pour determiner les concentrations de prednisolone non liee. L'analyse pharmacocinetique a montre que la demi-vie de la prednisolone etait plus courte dans le groupe aux anticonvulsivants par rapport aux controles, qu'il s'agisse des concentrations totales (2,3 ± 0,4 contre 3,4 ± 0,2hr (SD), P 0,05), et apres correction pour le poids de 0,886 ± 0,224 litres/hr · kg contre 0,644 ± 0,115 litres/hr · kg (P
Millimeter Wave Radar and EMI for Safety Drive Applications

Latest situation of vehicle safety drive application systems and millimeter-wave radar used for those safety systems are explained. Also, EMI concerns for those advanced electronic vehicle components are focused.
One-photon absorption in direct gap semiconductors

Abstract One-photon absorption coefficients of InSb and GaAs are calculated using the first order perturbation theory assuming a two band model in which the interband energy difference is given by E ( k ) = E g ( 1 + h 2 k 2 m * E g ) 1 / 2 The results obtained are in much better agreement with the experimental data than the results of first order perturbation calculations using parabolic bands.
Theory for carrier-mediated zero-current conductance of bilayers extended to allow for nonequilibrium of interfacial reactions, spatially dependent mobilities and barrier shape

A generalized form of the electrodiffusion equation, allowing for any shape of symmetrical energy barrier and any spatial dependence of the diffusion coefficient, is used to deduce theoretically the carrier-mediated conductance for thin (e.g., bilayer) membranes in the limit of low applied current. Both the Nernst-Planck and the Eyring single-barrier treatments are special cases of this more general approach, which allows for the effect of non-uniform properties of the lipid and non-uniform profiles of the forces acting within the membrane interior. Two independent mechanisms for ions to cross the membrane-solution interfaces are considered; namely, (1) the reaction at the interface between ions from solution and carriers from the membrane, and (2) the partition across the interfaces of complexes already formed in the solution. The rates of these reactions are taken into account using the rate equations of chemical kinetics; and the Poisson-Boltzmann equation is integrated in the aqueous solutions to evaluate the effect of charged polar head groups of the lipid. The analysis leads to an expression for the conductance, which, in the approximation of constant field, is an explicit function of such experimentally variable parameters as the concentrations and types of permeant ions and carriers in the aqueous phases, the total ionic strength and the nature of the polar head groups of the lipid. The functional relationship observable in an unknown membrane can, in principle, enable one to deduce such information as the mechanism of ion permeation across the interfaces, the magnitude of the surface charge, and the degree of ion-carrier complexation in the aqueous solutions.