cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patient Consent and the Commercialization of Lab Data

Every year, commercial testing labs earn millions of dollars from selling the anonymized results of blood, urine, tissue, and other tests with almost no public scrutiny or debate.2 Few outside the industry know anything about this trade, and lab workers are often in the dark as well. When I tell people about the growing commercial trade in anonymized patient data from sources including electronic health records, insurance claims data, and prescriptions, the sale of lab data from companies such as Quest and LabCorp sparks the greatest surprise and concern. Discussing the secondary use of data unrelated to the direct treatment of the tested patient also makes labs and their data mining clients uneasy. Many prefer to avoid any substantive discussion of the tradeoffs between advancing scientific knowledge by sharing data and protecting patient privacy. LabCorp provides a good example of such reticence. I unsuccessfully tried to contact LabCorp's CEO three times in 2015 while researching my latest book (1) and another two times in 2016 for this article.3 When asked whether LabCorp shares anonymized data with outside companies, and, if so, under what circumstances, privacy officer Don Luu responded: “LabCorp would disclose de-identifiable information to business associates for various purposes related to its business and operations.”4 After I asked for more clarity Luu acknowledged such trade: “LabCorp would share de-identified information outside of its organization as it is permitted by the HIPAA Rules.”5 I wrote LabCorp again regarding this article in Clinical Chemistry , and it took a few weeks to receive written responses from the company's chief information officer Lance Berberian. “The use of de-identified and aggregated patient data is a long-standing, widely acknowledged practice that leads to better patient outcomes,” he wrote. “That data includes information derived from diagnostic results (including laboratory tests), prescribing …
Tunable, all-fiber, continuous wave oscillator in the E-band operating on the 4 F 3/2 to 4 I 13/2 transition in neodymium

We demonstrate 80 nm of tuning in the 1400 nm range with 116 mW maximum output power in an Nd3+ doped fiber oscillator with distributed spectral filtering.
Performance Evaluation of an Automatic GPS Ionospheric Phase Scintillation Detector Using a Machine-Learning Algorithm

Ionospheric phase scintillation can cause errors or outage in GNSS navigation solutions. Timely detection of phase scintillation will enable adaptive processing to mitigate its effects on navigation solutions. This paper presents a machine-learning algorithm to autonomously detect phase scintillation based on frequency domain features. Validation using data from Gakona shows phase scintillation detection accuracy around 92 percent. Test results using data from Poker Flat, Jicamarca, Singapore, and Hong Kong demonstrate the capability of the trained detector to be applied more generally. Performance evaluation reveals that the values of phase scintillation index s? may be poor indications of scintillation activities. Concurrent phase and amplitude scintillation detection using similar machine-learning algorithms is further investigated with low-latitude data. Results suggest that at low latitudes an amplitude detector alone is sufficient to capture scintillation in general, while at high latitudes, a phase scintillation detector is necessary to capture the dominating phase scintillation events.
Meaningful and Complex Work: An Exercise to Help Students Understand Intrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are simple concepts that our students seem to quickly understand, yet few of our students grasp the complexity of sustaining intrinsic motivation. This exercise ...
Methodological Aspects of Studying Human Aging, Health, and Mortality

Age trajectories of mortality rates in human populations characterize individuals’ inequality in the duration of life. Various models of mortality rates are used in the analyses of survival data in demographic and epidemiological applications aiming to identify sources of individual differences in life span. Despite existing practice to use estimated model parameters in explanations of differences in mortality rates among different populations, in most cases differences in such estimates are difficult to interpret. The reason for this difficulty is that parameters of many demographic mortality models do not characterize either biological processes developing in aging human organisms or expose to environmental and living conditions. At the same time many processes affecting survival chances are measured in human longitudinal studies of aging, health and longevity, which suggest an opportunity for developing mortality models with parameters that can be interpreted in terms of processes and measured in such studies. The purpose of this paper is to develop an approach to mortality modeling that allows for describing the mortality rate in terms of parameters of physiological processes and declining health status that develops in aging human organisms. In contrast to traditional demographic models, which are difficult to use in the analyses of longitudinal data, our model allows for taking all these data into account. We use diffusion-type continuous time stochastic process for describing evolution of physiological state over the life course and finite-state continuous process for describing changes in health status during this period. We derive equations for respective mortality models, and approximate changes in physiological state by conditional Gaussian process, given health state. We applied this model to the analyses of longitudinal data collected in the Framingham Heart Study. The results of these analyses show that model parameters can be evaluated from longitudinal data and properly interpreted. The analyses indicate important differences in physiological dynamics among healthy and sick individuals.
CDS in General Graph

Since Min-CDS is NP-hard, approximation algorithm design becomes an important issue in study of CDS. What is the complexity of approximation for Min-CDS? Guha and Khuller [62] showed that Min-CDS has no polynomial-time (ρ lnn)-approximation for 0 < ρ < 1 unless \(NP \subseteq DTIME({n}^{O(\log \log n)})\) where n is the number of vertices in input graph. Moreover, they designed a 2-stage greedy algorithm with performance ratio 3 + lnδ where δ is the maximum vertex degree of input graph. The effort on improvement of this 2-stage greedy algorithm encounted an essential difficulty on analysis of greed approximation.
Pathogenic mutations in genes encoding nuclear envelope proteins and defective nucleocytoplasmic connections

Mutations in genes encoding nuclear lamins and associated nuclear envelope proteins have been linked to a broad range of inherited diseases affecting different tissues and organs. These diseases ar...
Jewishness and jurisgenesis: On Seyla Benhabib’s Exile, Statelessness and Migration:

The postwar era saw a remarkable transformation of international law, from a loose arrangement of agreements designed to reduce collective action problems to a normative commitment to the inherent ...
Experimental investigation of turbulent wake flows in a helically wrapped rod bundle in presence of localized blockages

In nuclear sodium fast reactors, bundles of rods are tightly packed into a triangular lattice, enclosed in a hexagonal duct, and each pin is spirally wrapped with a thin wire. Flow blockages can potentially impact the local flow characteristics and heat transfer mechanisms in the bundle due to its small subchannel size. The effects of the blockage on the flow structures and heat transfer mechanisms are important aspects that require an accurate investigation. In this study, the flow-field characteristics in the vicinity of a blockage located in the exterior subchannel of rod bundles with helically wrapped wires were experimentally investigated. The velocity fields in the exterior subchannel were acquired by applying matched-index-of-refraction and time-resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) techniques for Reynolds numbers of Re1 = 4000 and Re2 = 17 000, i.e., equivalent to Rew1 = 19 600 and Rew2 = 83 200, respectively, based on the blockage width. The results from the TR-PIV measurements revealed an arch-shaped vortex with a large flow recirculation and a pair of counter-rotating vortices in the wake region downstream of the blockage, which is commonly observed in the wake flow of bluff bodies. The relative lateral distance and angle between the two vortices decreased when the Reynolds numbers increased. Profiles of maximum turbulence intensity along the shear layers illustrated the transition process including the growth, peak, and decay along the flow direction. From the spectral analysis of the turbulent velocities extracted at points along the shear layer, the Strouhal numbers (St) representing the vortex shedding frequency were found to be St = 0.25 and St = 0.56 for the left and right shear layers, respectively. Characteristics of shear layers generated by the blockage in the exterior subchannel were investigated via the two-point cross correlation of fluctuating velocities. The spatiotemporal cross correlations of turbulent velocities, computed at points in the region where the left shear layer exhibited rolling effects and vortex breakdowns, were considerably wider and longer. The convection velocity Uc was estimated to be ∼0.82Um to 0.93Um. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis was applied to the instantaneous velocity fields to extract the statistically dominant flow structures. It was found that POD modes 2–3 and 4–5 formed the pair modes when the corresponding POD temporal coefficients depicted sinusoidal shapes and exhibited nearly circular orbits in the phase space. Spectral analysis of the POD temporal coefficients confirmed the vortex shedding frequencies detected in the analysis of turbulent velocities.
Sexual Compliance in Understudied Relationships

The largely interdisciplinary literature on sexual compliance, or consensual but unwanted sexual activity, primarily focuses on its function and consequence as a gendered relational maintenance act...
Differential Gene Expression Between Polymorphic Zooids of the Marine Bryozoan Bugulina stolonifera

Bryozoans are a diverse phylum of marine and freshwater colonial invertebrates containing approximately 6,300 described living species. Bryozoans grow by budding new physiologically connected colony members (zooids) from a founding individual that forms from a metamorphosed larva. In some species these zooids come in different shapes and sizes and are specialized to serve different tasks within the colony. A complex interaction of genotype, environment, and developmental pathway shapes zooid fate, however, the specific mechanisms underlying the establishment of this division of labor remain unknown. Here, the first characterization of differential gene expression between polymorphic zooids of a bryozoan colony is presented. The development of different zooid types of lab-cultured Bugulina stolonifera colonies including feeding autozooids, avicularia (derived non-feeding zooids that are homologous to feeding autozooids but shaped like a bird’s beak), and rhizoids (a branching network of non-feeding anchoring zooids) was explored using RNA sequencing, de novo transcriptome assembly, and differential gene expression analyses. High throughput sequencing of cDNA libraries yielded an average of 14.9 ± 1.3 (SE) million high-quality paired-end reads per sample. Data for the first de novo transcriptome assemblies of B. stolonifera and the first characterization of genes involved in the formation and maintenance of zooid types within a bryozoan colony are presented. In a comparison between autozooid and avicularium tissues, 1,097 significant differentially expressed genes were uncovered. This work provides a much-needed foundation for understanding the mechanisms involved in the development of polymorphic zooids and the establishment of division of labor in bryozoans.
Use of medical chaperones by colon and rectal surgeons in outpatient practice.

The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency and motivations for medical chaperone use during anorectal exams by colon and rectal surgeons in the outpatient setting. This cross-sectional study examined factors impacting chaperone use via an anonymous online survey distributed via the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons email list. Routine chaperone use was defined as ≥ 90%. Of 1,380 emailed board-certified colon and rectal surgeons, 402 (29.1%) completed the survey in November 2019. Median years in practice was 14, and 72.3% were male. Overall, 65.2% reported routine use of chaperones during anorectal exams. Over half (56.3%) felt chaperones should be mandatory and were more likely to report routine use than those who did not (85.7 vs. 39.1%; p < 0.001). Only 23.7% reported that their institutions had formal chaperone policies. The most common reason for use was medicolegal (91.8%), and the most common barrier was chaperone availability (56.7%). When chaperones were used, 42% did not document use in the medical record. On multivariable analysis, increased odds of routine chaperone use were independently associated with: being ≤ 10 years in practice, routine chaperone use during fellowship, and chaperones being routinely available. Half of surgeons felt that chaperones should be mandatory, suggesting lack of consensus among the cohort. Despite expressing legal concerns, one-third did not use chaperones and nearly half who used chaperones did not document their use. Efforts to improve chaperone availability, documentation of chaperone use, and knowledge of policies are necessary.
Vision-based monitoring and measurement of bottlenose dolphins' daily habitat use and kinematics

This research presents a framework to enable computer-automated observation and monitoring of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in a professionally managed environment. Results from this work provide insight into the dolphins movement patterns, kinematic diversity, and how changes in the environment affect their dynamics. Fixed overhead cameras were used to collect [~]100 hours of observations, recorded over multiple days including time both during and outside of formal training sessions. Animal locations were estimated using convolutional neural network (CNN) object detectors and Kalman filter post-processing. The resulting animal tracks were used to quantify habitat use and animal dynamics. Additionally, Kolmogorov-Smirnov analyses of the swimming kinematics were used for high-level behavioral mode classification. The detectors achieved a minimum Average Precision of 0.76. Performing detections and post-processing yielded 1.24x107 estimated dolphin locations. Animal kinematic diversity was found to be lowest in the morning and peaked immediately before noon. Regions of the habitat displaying the highest activity levels correlated to locations associated with animal care specialists, conspecifics, or enrichment. The work presented here demonstrates that CNN object detection is not only viable for large-scale marine mammal tracking, it also enables automated analyses of dynamics that provide new insight into animal movement and behavior.
“Ethical Viewing Practices”: First-Graders Experiencing Racism in Let the Children March:

Drawing upon the methodological approach of thinking with theory and the theory of the wake, this article details the process of teaching and learning about race and racism with first graders and t...
Effect of High-Dose Posaconazole on Serum Levels in Adult Patients with Hematologic Malignancy.

Posaconazole (POS) appears to have dose-proportional pharmacokinetics; however, there is a paucity of real-life data. We retrospectively evaluated 67 patients with hematologic cancer who had POS dose increases from 300 mg/day to either 400 mg/day (n = 52) or 300 mg twice daily (BID) (n = 15) and for whom POS serum levels were measured. Median POS levels were 840 ng/ml, 1,625 ng/ml, and 2,710 ng/ml for the dosages of 300 mg/day, 400 mg/day, and 300 mg BID, respectively. Significant interpatient variability in serum levels was noted.
Querkräfte und Biegungsmomente des Balkens, Einflußlinien

Wir haben eine Methode von allgemeiner Gultigkeit kennengelernt, die es gestattet, bei gegebenen auseren Kraften die inneren Krafte in einem Korper zu bestimmen. Es ist dies die Schnittmethode, die die gesuchten inneren Krafte in ausere verwandelt. Sie mussen mit den auf den betrachteten Tragerstumpf wirkenden auseren Kraften im Gleichgewicht stehen und sind so mittels der Gleichgewichtsbedingungen zu ermitteln. Ihre Verteilung uber den Querschnitt ist nach den Satzen von Kapitel IX zu bestimmen. Hierbei kommt man auf die Begriffe der Scherkraft und des Biegungsmoments, die wir bereits behandelt haben, und auf die wir noch naher eingehen wollen. Es soll hier besonders auf die Wichtigkeit dieser Dinge hingewiesen werden.
Stream dynamics and chemical transformations control the environmental fate of silver and zinc oxide nanoparticles in a watershed-scale model.

Mathematical models are needed to estimate environmental concentrations of engineered nanoparticles (NPs), which enter the environment upon the use and disposal of consumer goods and other products. We present a spatially resolved environmental fate model for the James River Basin, Virginia, that explores the influence of daily variation in streamflow, sediment transport, and stream loads from point and nonpoint sources on water column and sediment concentrations of zinc oxide (ZnO) and silver (Ag) NPs and their reaction byproducts over 20 simulation years. Spatial and temporal variability in sediment transport rates led to high NP transport such that less than 6% of NP-derived metals were retained in the river and sediments. Chemical transformations entirely eliminated ZnO NPs and doubled Zn mobility in the stream relative to Ag. Agricultural runoff accounted for 23% of total metal stream loads from NPs. Average NP-derived metal concentrations in the sediment varied spatially up to 9 orders of magnitude,...
One-dimensional topologically protected modes in topological insulators with lattice dislocations

Topological defects, such as domain walls and vortices, have long fascinated physicists. A novel twist is added in quantum systems such as the B-phase of superfluid helium He3, where vortices are associated with low-energy excitations in the cores. Similarly, cosmic strings may be tied to propagating fermion modes. Can analogous phenomena occur in crystalline solids that host a plethora of topological defects? Here, we show that indeed dislocation lines are associated with one-dimensional fermionic excitations in a ‘topological insulator’, a novel phase of matter believed to be realized in the material Bi0.9Sb0.1. In contrast to fermionic excitations in a regular quantum wire, these modes are topologically protected and not scattered by disorder. As dislocations are ubiquitous in real materials, these excitations could dominate spin and charge transport in topological insulators. Our results provide a novel route to creating a potentially ideal quantum wire in a bulk solid. Topological insulators are band insulators in which spin–orbit coupling takes the role of the applied magnetic field in the integer quantum Hall effect. Theory now predicts that dislocations in such systems can give rise to one-dimensional topologically protected states, resembling helical modes at the edge of a two-dimensional quantum spin Hall insulator.
Towards Inference and Computation Mobility: The Jinni Experiment

We overview the design and implementation of Jinni (Java INference engine and Networked Interactor), a lightweight, multi-threaded, pure logic programming language, intended to be used as a flexible scripting tool for gluing together knowledge processing components and Java objects in networked client/server applications, as well as through applets over the Web. Mobile threads, implemented by capturing first order continuations in a compact data structure sent over the network, allow Jinni components to interoperate with remote high performance BinProlog servers for CPU-intensive knowledge processing and with other Jinni components over the Internet. These features make Jinni a perfect development platform for intelligent mobile agent systems.
Spouse-busting: Intimacy, adultery, and surveillance technology

This paper explores emerging practices of intimacy, publicity and privacy evident in online and mobile media applications. It focuses on platforms that facilitate, obscure or reveal adulterous behavior, to understand the surveillance logic underpinning these products. Spouse-busting websites and their accompanying devices are part of a booming industry that renders marital disloyalty open to both amateur and professional surveillance. Promotional testimonies highlight the ease with which monitoring equipment can be deployed, drawing on authenticating 'user-generated' aesthetics to reinforce product credentials. The very need for adultery technologies is symptomatic of a period in which some individuals see few options for intimate support - few visions or practices of community - other than the fulfillment to be gained from a dependent partner. As Laura Kipnis argues, the modern relationship is one in which lovers 'must know everything there is to know about one another' (2003: 162). This accords with broader transformations in intimacy encouraging openness and communication between self-directed individuals. The paper offers an alternative reading to these dominant ideals. It suggests that adultery apps evidence a modest ethics of erasure that might work to decouple the pact between surveillance, transparency and security.
Terbium modulation of single gamma-aminobutyric acid-activated chloride channels in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons.

We have previously reported that lanthanides markedly potentiate the GABA-induced chloride current by acting at a distinct site on the GABAA receptor-channel complex (Ma and Narahashi, 1993a,b). These studies have now been extended to the single-channel level and changes in gating kinetics of GABAA receptor currents caused by 100 microM terbium (Tb3+) are reported. The GABA-induced currents were recorded from outside-out membrane patches isolated from rat dorsal root ganglion neurons in primary culture at a holding potential of -60 mV. At least two conductance levels were recorded, a main conductance of about 26 pS (70–80% of events) and a subconductance of about 19 pS (20–30% of events). These two conductances and the ratio of main- and subconductance state currents with respect to the number of events were not changed by Tb3+. The frequency of channel openings was also unchanged in the presence of Tb3+. The frequency histograms of open, close, and burst durations of the main-conductance state were best fitted by a sum of three exponential functions. All of the time constants remained unchanged by application of Tb3+ while the relative proportions of the longest open and burst duration time constants were increased and the relative proportion of longest closed time constant was decreased. We suggest that Tb3+ binds to an allosteric site on the GABAA receptor-channel complex to increase the apparent mean open time of the channel by increasing the affinity of GABA for the GABA binding site, and/or by shifting the distribution toward the open states so that the frequency of occurrence of longer open states is stabilized.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Optimal set partitioning, matchings and lagrangian duality

We formulate the set partitioning problem as a matching problem with simple side constraints. As a result we obtain a Lagrangian relaxation of the set partitioning problem in which the primal problem is a matching problem. To solve the Lagrangian dual we must solve a sequence of matching problems each with different edge-weights. We use the cyclic coordinate method to iterate the multipliers, which implies that successive matching problems differ in only two edge-weights. This enables us to use sensitivity analysis to modify one optimal matching to obtain the next one. We give theoretical and empirical comparisons of these dual bounds with the conventional linear programming ones.
Correlations between measurements and calculations of high-explosive-induced fracture in a coal outcrop☆

A high-explosive fracturing experiment, part of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory's in situ coal gasification project, was carried out in a coal outcrop near Kemmerer, WY. The primary purpose was to obtain fracture data to which a computer-code-calculated damage-indicating parameter, epsilon/sub f/, called failure shear strain, could be correlated. The radius at which epsilon/sub f/ approximately equal to 0.1 corresponds to 2.8 times the cylindrical cavity radius R/sub cc/, which correlates with observations of extent of pervasive fracture around spherical nuclear cavities at 2.0 R/sub cs/ in various rocks reported by Borg. The radius at which epsilon/sub f/ is approximately equal to 0.01, which corresponds to 8.5 R/sub cc/ relates to the limit of observable enhancement in permeability at 6.7 R/sub cc/ and other fracture-indicating measurements, such as dye penetration at 8.5 R/sub cc/. This value also correlates well with observed maximum extent of horizontal fracture around nuclear cavities at 3.7 R/sub cs/, and Kutter and Fairhurst's prediction of extent of radial fracture in rock.
Voltage-gated ion channelopathies of the nervous system

Abstract Mutations in genes coding for voltage-gated ion channels cause a diverse group of disorders affecting heart, skeletal muscle, and brain. Mutant channels alter the electrical excitability of cells, which increases the susceptibility to paroxysmal symptoms including cardiac arrhythmia, periodic paralysis, myotonia, seizures, migraine headache, and episodic ataxia. This review provides an update on the genetics and physiology of diseases of skeletal muscle and brain caused by mutations in voltage-gated in ion channel genes. The discovery of specific ion channel defects provides a rational basis for designing pharmacological intervention, as ion channels are the molecular targets of many drugs in clinical use. Moreover, the advent of a molecular genetic-based diagnosis provides an important tool for clarifying the natural history and effectiveness of intervention in these disorders.
THE ANTIDIURETIC EFFECT OF PITUITARY OXYTOCIC AND PRESSOR PRINCIPLES ON WATER DIURESIS IN MAN

Since Kamm (1) and his co-workers succeeded in separating the extract of the posterior pituitary body into two almost pure fractions, the oxytocic and pressor, renewed interest in the physiology of this organ has been stimulated. These authors observed in rabbits that the diuretic action of pituitary gland extractswas limited to the pressor principle. Gargle et al. (2) studied the effect of the oxytocic and pressor principles on water diuresis in four normal subjects and on thirst and polyuria in two cases of diabetes insipidus. They also found that the antidiuretic effect was possessed by the pressor principle alone. Recently, I had occasion to observe the effect of the oxytocic and pressor principles of the pituitary gland on water diuresis in a group of healthy adult male medical students. The materials employed were supplied by the manufacturers, Parke, Davis & Company, under their trade names, Oxytocin and Vasopressin.
Two-Dimensional Rigid-Body Collisions With Friction

This paper derives solutions for frictional planar rigid body collisions, using Routh's impact process diagrams, for both Newtonian and Poisson restitution.
Wave Excitation in Waveguides below Cut-Off

A 400 kV, 2kA, electron beam has been used to grow space charge waves in a 5.0 cm diameter drift tube. The waves are excited by propagating the pencil beam through a series of annular metallic rings with alternate rings grounded and the others capacitively coupled to the beam. Measurements have been made and will be presented of the wave characteristics downstream of the exciting structure. The wave excitation may result from a parametric excitation of eigenmodes of the beam in the guide.
Advance directives and personality-changing illness

An advance decision (AD) to refuse treatment allows an individual to express his/her wishes regarding future treatment in the event of losing capacity to make decisions. Relevant and applicable ADs are legally binding, even when refusal of the specfied treatment will lead to the patient's death; but health professionals are required under the Mental Capacity Act to consider a number of factors in deciding whether a patient's AD should be followed. The decision for the health professional is not always clear-cut. For example, what happens when Alzheimer's changes an indivdual's personality so much that they seem to be a different person: does their previous decision still stand? This article examines the criteria to be considered in such a case, and highlights the wider principles to be followed in making any decision on whether to follow an individual's instruction to refuse treatment.
Survival of an AIDS cohort in Thailand (2000-2005).

Abstract This study investigates the survival from the time of diagnosis to death of 98,876 men and 57,316 women between the ages of 15 and 96 years who received medical care at public and private hospitals in Thailand after being diagnosed with symptomatic HIV-positive or AIDS between 2000 and 2005 from all regions of Thailand. Using a retrospective cohort study, risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are estimated by the Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for age, gender, marital status, occupation, region of residence, and year of diagnosis. Significant increased risk of mortality is observed for patients diagnosed with AIDS as compared to those with symptomatic HIV-positive, the risk being approximately twofold for men (RR=2.37, 95% CI=2.27, 2.47), almost threefold for women (RR=2.85, 95% CI=2.69, 3.02), and more than threefold for women in the 15–24-year age group (RR=3.36, 95% CI=2.83, 3.98). The risk also varied from being twofold in the northern region of Thailand (RR=2.23, 95% C...
Human beta-defensin 3 induces maturation of human langerhans cell-like dendritic cells: an antimicrobial peptide that functions as an endogenous adjuvant.

Human beta-defensins (hBDs) are antimicrobial peptides that have an important role in innate immune responses at epithelial barriers such as the skin. However, the role that hBDs have in initiating cellular immune responses that contribute to antigen-specific adaptive immunity is not well understood. Here we show that one member of the hBD family, hBD3, can induce maturation and T-helper type 1 skewing function in human Langerhans cell–like dendritic cells (LC-DCs). Specifically, hBD3 potently induces phenotypic maturation of LC-DCs, including increased expression of CCR7, which mediates functional chemotactic responses to CCL19 and CCL21. hBD3-stimulated LC-DCs induce strong proliferation of and IFN-γ secretion by naive human T cells. hBD3 also induces phenotypic maturation of primary human skin–migratory DCs derived from human skin explants. These results suggest an important role for hBD3 in inducing DC activation, migration, and polarization. Thus, hBD3 contributes to the integration of innate and adaptive immune responses in the skin, and may be a useful adjuvant for skin immunization and an important factor in the pathophysiology of inflammatory skin diseases.
Predation by Oithona spp. on protozooplankton in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

Abstract We investigated predation rates of small copepods, primarily species of Oithona, on microprotozooplankton and net growth rates of these prey at several locations in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, during an austral summer (January 1997; U.S. JGOFS Process Study II). Ciliates, particularly non-loricate ciliates, contributed substantially to the carbon ration of Oithona spp., averaging 90% body C d−1, while dinoflagellates were much less important (1% body C d−1) despite the latter's higher abundances. We found no significant difference in net growth rates among non-loricate ciliates, tintinnid ciliates and dinoflagellates when zooplankton predators >64 μm were removed. The overall average growth rate for each protozoan taxon across the main transect line (76°30′S) was 0.1 d−1 (rates ranged from −0.5 to 1.0 d−1). Our findings also suggest that copepod predation has a minimal impact on the regulation of protozoan abundances. We estimated that predation by Oithona spp. could account for the removal of only 0.3–4.8% d−1 of ciliate standing stocks, and even less (
Parameter estimation: known vector signals in unknown Gaussian noise

This paper develops recursive, convergent estimators for the parameters of finite Gaussian mixtures with a common covariance matrix. The mean vectors (signals) of the component densities are assumed to be known. The motivation for the study stems from digital communication. The basic approach is first illustrated for the case of an independent identically distributed sequence of samples from a univariate mixture of M classes (symbols). This is accomplished through the development of a convergent stochastic approximation form of estimator for the common variance value. The asymptotic variance of the estimated variance is derived. A batch processing alternative that possesses a sufficient statistic is developed for the case of a fixed size sample set. Three generalizations are studied. The first extends from the case of the univariate data to multivariate data. The second generalization allows for the statistical dependence of successive vector signals. Finally, the case of dependent successive vector signals along with dependent successive additive noise vectors is treated. In each case, convergent estimators for all unknown parameters are developed. Many cases are illustrated with simulation experiments. Results presented are applicable to communication engineering, pattern recognition, and some special image processing problems.
Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer nanocomposites: morphology, thermophysical, and flammability properties

Novel materials based on nanotechnology creating nontraditional ablators are rapidly changing the technology base for thermal protection systems. Formulations with the addition of nanoclays and carbon nanofibers in a neat thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) were melt-compounded using twin-screw extrusion. The TPU nanocomposites (TPUNs) are proposed to replace Kevlar-filled ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber, the current state-of-the-art solid rocket motor internal insulation. Scanning electron microscopy analysis was conducted to study the char characteristics of the TPUNs at elevated temperatures. Specimens were examined to analyze the morphological microstructure during the pyrolysis reaction and in fully charred states. Thermophysical properties of density, specific heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity of the different TPUN compositions were determined. To identify dual usage of these novel materials, cone calorimetry was employed to study the flammability properties of these TPUNs.
Selenium dioxide entry into 3-acylindoles

Alcohols 1 and 2 can be formally viewed as the reduction products of the corresponding 3-acylindoles, hence our approach toward land? has centered on the preparation of such 3-acyl compounds. Further interest in this area has been stimulated by the recent isolation of natural products such as crenatine 32, dehydrocrenatine 3 , crenatidine, 1-methoxy canthine-b-one 44; and the 3-acylindole, borrecapine 5. 5
Measurement of the Mueller scattering matrix by use of optical beats from a Zeeman laser.

A two-frequency beam from a Zeeman laser scatters elastically from an isotropic medium, such as randomly oriented viruses or other particles suspended in water. The Zeeman effect splits the laser line by 250 kHz, and beats can be seen electronically in the signal from a phototube that views the scattered light. There are independently rotatable half-wave and quarter-wave retardation plates in the incident beam and a similar pair in the observed scattered beam, plus a fixed linear polarizer directly in front of the detector. Each of the four retarders has two angular positions, providing a total of 16 possible polarization cases. For each of the 16 cases, there are three data to be collected: (1) the average total intensity of the scattered light, (2) the amplitude of the beats in the scattered light, and (3) the phase shift between the beats of the scattered light and those of a reference signal from the laser. When a singular value decomposition technique is used, these threefold redundant data are rapidly transformed into a best-fit 4 × 4 Mueller scattering matrix. We discuss several different measurement strategies and their systematic and statistical errors. We present experimental results for two kinds of particle of wavelength size: polystyrene spheres and tobacco mosaic virus. In both cases the achiral retardation element M34 of the Mueller matrix is easily measurable.
Tupaias (tree shrews)—A new animal model for gallstone research

In tupaias, rat-sized mammals with phylogenetic affinities to insectivores and primates, gallstones can be induced by diet.
Reconstruction of the hypopharynx and cervical esophagus with bilateral pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps.

A patient is presented in whom bilateral pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps, one of which was lined by a split-thickness graft, were used in the total reconstruction of the hypopharynx.
Affordable processing of thick section and integral multi-functional composites

Abstract The use of multi-functional integral armor is of current interest in armored vehicles and military carriers. In the present study, thick-section laminated composites and multi-layered integrated composites have been processed/manufactured with the aim of providing multi-functionality including easy reparability, quick deployment, enhanced ballistic damage and fire protection, as well as lightweight advantages. The design of an integral armor utilizes a combination of thick-section structural composite, ceramic tiles, resilient rubber, fire retardant laminate liner and a composite durability cover. Processing techniques such as automated fiber placement and/or autoclave molding are traditionally used to process dissimilar multi-layered structure, but prove to be expensive. This work focuses on emerging cost-effective liquid molding processes such as vacuum assisted resin transfer/infusion molding (VARTM) for the production of thick-section and integral armor parts (up to 50 mm thick). While thick-section composites have applications in a variety of structures including armored vehicles, marine bodies, civil infrastructure, etc. in the present work they refer to the structural laminate within the integral armor. The processing steps of thick-section composite panels and integral armor have been presented. The integrity of the interfaces has been evaluated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Representative results on static and dynamic response (high strain rate, HSR and ballistic impact) of the VARTM processed thick-section composite panels are presented. Wherever applicable, comparisons are made to conventional closed-mold resin transfer molding (CMRTM). Process sensing by way of flow and cure monitoring of the resin in the fiber perform has been conducted using embedded direct current (DC)-based sensors in the thick-section preform and integral armor interfaces. The feasibility of cost-effective VARTM for producing thick-section composites and integral armor has been demonstrated.
An examination of the applicability of the DNP metric on first level reliability assessments in underfilled electronic packages

Abstract The notion of using the distance from neutral point (DNP) 1 as a metric to assess the criticality of first level package thermomechanical stresses is examined in this paper. This metric has been applied by assuming that testing of electronic package assemblies with largest applicable DNP is required to infer the quality of similar packages with smaller die dimensions. Through a review of complex thermomechanical analyses available in the literature together with finite element studies performed herein for representative package geometries, this simple yet commonly applied approach is shown to be an overly conservative methodology for packages with first level underfill. For the representative cases considered, the local edge stresses and strains presumed to cause first level failure are shown to increase with DNP to a point where they no longer increase. A new methodology is presented based on this information for estimating test vehicle configurations needed to confidently qualify similar packages with larger die sizes.
Market structure and campaign contributions: Does concentration matter? A reply

Economic rents may be obtained through the process of market competition or be obtained by resorting to governmental protection. Rational firms choose the least costly alternative. Collusion to obtain governmental protection will be less costly, the higher the concentration, ceteris paribus. However, high concentration in itself is neither necessary nor sufficient to induce governmental protection. The result that rent-seeking activity is triggered when firms are affected by government regulation has a clear implication: to reduce rent-seeking waste, governmental interference in the market place needs to be attenuated. Pittman's suggested approach, however, is ‘to maintain a vigorous antitrust policy’ (p. 181). In fact, a more strict antitrust policy may exacerbate rent-seeking. For example, the firms which will be affected by a vigorous application of antitrust laws would have incentive to seek moderation (or rents) from Congress or from the enforcement officials.
Merging paradigms of survivability and security: stochastic faults and designed faults

Faults are examined by both the security and fault tolerance communities. These communities have strikingly different views of the types of faults that exist, the way they are modeled, and how they are addressed. One community can pronounce a system survivable but the other community would not find this to be so. This leaves us with two approaches that both fail to be comprehensive, depending on which community is looking at the system. While intrusion-tolerance and security researchers look at faults in terms of statistically dependent events caused by the hard intruder, the fault tolerance literature assumes that faults are statistically independent and can be described as random variables with probability distributions. When considering the survivability of a system, we cannot assume that the system is susceptible to only one type of fault or the other, but this is common practice in both communities. A new paradigm is needed.
Azathioprine-Induced Lymphoma Manifesting as Fulminant Hepatic Failure

Azathioprine and rheumatoid arthritis are known to be associated with an increased risk of the development of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; however, the manifestation of fulminant hepatic failure is extremely uncommon in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In this article, we describe a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who was taking azathioprine, in whom fulminant hepatic failure occurred because of massive lymphomatous infiltration of the liver.
Bioaccessibility of Phenols in Common Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Iron (Fe) Availability to Caco-2 Cells

Samples of common and biofortified beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris ), both raw and cooked (autoclaved at 120 degrees C for 20 min) were analyzed for their polyphenol composition. Polyphenols were identified via HPLC-UV/diode array detection. Cooking favored the extraction of polyphenols without the need of a hydrolysis step, a fact that is of interest because this is the usual form in which beans are consumed. The main differences between white and colored beans were the presence of free kaempferol (13.5-29.9 microg g(-1)) and derivatives (kaempferol-3-O-glucoside) (12.5-167.5 microg g(-1)), only in red and black beans. An in vitro digestion (pepsin, pH2; pancreatin-bile extract, pH 7) was applied to beans to estimate bioaccessibility of individual polyphenols. Kaempferol from seed coats exhibited high bioaccessibility (45.4-62.1%) and a potent inhibitor effect on Fe uptake at concentrations ranging from 0.37 to 1.30 microM. Caco-2 cell ferritin formation was used to evaluate Fe uptake. Cell Fe uptake was significant only from white beans.
Theoretical Limits on Errors and Acquisition Rates in Localizing Switchable Fluorophores

A variety of recent imaging techniques are able to beat the diffraction limit in fluorescence microcopy by activating and localizing subsets of the fluorescent molecules in the specimen, and repeating this process until all of the molecules have been imaged. In these techniques there is a tradeoff between speed (activating more molecules per imaging cycle) and error rates (activating more molecules risks producing overlapping images that hide information on molecular positions), and so intelligent image processing approaches are needed to identify and reject overlapping images. We introduce here a formalism for defining error rates, derive a general relationship between error rates, image acquisition rates, and the performance characteristics of the image processing algorithms, and show that there is a minimum acquisition time irrespective of algorithm performance. We also consider algorithms that can infer molecular positions from images of overlapping blurs, and derive the dependence of the minimum acquisition time on algorithm performance.
Taxonomic chauvinism revisited: insight from parental care research.

Parental care (any non-genetic contribution by a parent that appears likely to increase the fitness of its offspring) is a widespread trait exhibited by a broad range of animal taxa. In addition to influencing the fitness of parent(s) and offspring, parental care may be inextricably involved in other evolutionary processes, such as sexual selection and the evolution of endothermy. Yet, recent work has demonstrated that bias related to taxonomy is prevalent across many biological disciplines, and research in parental care may be similarly burdened. Thus, I used parental care articles published in six leading journals of fundamental behavioral sciences (Animal Behaviour, Behavioral Ecology, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Ethology, Hormones and Behavior, and Physiology & Behavior) from 2001–2010 (n = 712) to examine the year-to-year dynamics of two types of bias related to taxonomy across animals: (1) taxonomic bias, which exists when research output is not proportional to the frequency of organisms in nature, and (2) taxonomic citation bias, which is a proxy for the breadth of a given article—specifically, the proportion of articles cited that refer solely to the studied taxon. I demonstrate that research on birds likely represents a disproportionate amount of parental care research and, thus, exhibits taxonomic bias. Parental care research on birds and mammals also refers to a relatively narrow range of taxonomic groups when discussing its context and, thus, exhibits taxonomic citation bias. Further, the levels of taxonomic bias and taxonomic citation bias have not declined over the past decade despite cautionary messages about similar bias in related disciplines— in fact, taxonomic bias may have increased. As in Bonnet et al. (2002), my results should not be interpreted as evidence of an ‘ornithological Mafia’ conspiring to suppress other taxonomic groups. Rather, I generate several rational hypotheses to determine why bias persists and to guide future work.