cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interferon-gamma induces a cell surface phenotype switch on T84 intestinal epithelial cells

Intestinal epithelia are in intimate contact with submucosal and intraepithelial lymphocytes. The concentration of intraepithelial lymphocytes increases during inflammatory processes, and, when stimulated, these cells generate cytokines such as interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). In this study, we examined the effect of recombinant human IFN-gamma on ion transport events in T84 cells, a crypt epithelial cell line widely used to study electrogenic Cl- secretion, the transport event responsible for mucosal hydration. Epithelial exposure to IFN-gamma brought about a marked attenuation in stimulated Cl- secretion, as measured by generation of short-circuit current (ISC). This IFN-gamma-elicited decrease in the Cl- secretory response was present for a variety of specific agonists, appeared largely due to IFN-gamma interactions with the basolateral surface, and did not result from a defect in second messenger generation. Efflux and uptake studies were utilized to functionally define the individual cell surface transport proteins that participate in Cl- secretion and revealed that, in response to epithelial exposure to IFN-gamma, apical Cl- channels and basolateral Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl- cotransporters, K+ channels, and Na-K-adenosinetriphosphatase were all functionally downregulated. [3H]bumetanide binding assays suggested that surface expression of the cotransporter was diminished by > 70% after IFN-gamma preexposure. Concurrently, surface immunofluorescence studies revealed that epithelial exposure to IFN-gamma brought about the induction of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecule expression on T84 epithelial monolayers and markedly increased MHC class I surface expression. Finally, neutrophil-epithelial adhesion studies revealed that preexposure of epithelial monolayers to IFN-gamma elicited a beta 2-integrin-dependent induction of neutrophil adhesion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Framing Discourse in Budgetary Processes: Warrants for Normalization and Conformity

AbstractUsing a modified form of Burkeian cluster analysis, a study of discourse in local government budgetary processes uncovered three warrants that were used for normalization and coriformity (persuasion, conservatism, and expenise). These warrants encourage panicipants in budgetary processes to appear to be consistent with institutional goals and values in order to receive desired financial outcomes. Therefore, administrators have incentives to employ these warrants. Failure to use these warrants can lead to adverse budgetary decisions, in effect punishments. The analysis suggests a significant discrepancy between actual warrants identified in this study and ideal ones such as proposed by Fox and Miller. This discrepancy raises the question of which warrants best serve the public interest.
Differential Diagnosis in Pediatrics: A Probabilistic Approach

How physicians arrive at a diagnosis has been the subject of much debate. Pattern recognition is used extensively by experts and is the most common method used by pediatricians. Many of the diagnostic questions posed in certification and self-study examinations developed by the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatrics require the test taker to recognize a pattern of symptoms and laboratory tests and draw a conclusion about the most likely diagnosis. This method of diagnosis involves paralleling familiar situations independent of explicit hypothesis testing.1 Sackett et al describe this process as “the instantaneous realization that the patient’s presentation conforms to a previously learned picture or pattern of disease.”2 Pattern recognition has several shortcomings. First, the method is highly dependent on the clinician’s experience; novices are at a distinct disadvantage. Second, lists may vary from specialty to specialty. A pediatric infectious disease specialist may have a different list for acute childhood arthritis from that of a pediatric rheumatologist. Finally, the method fails when confronted with a defined clinical problem lacking distinguishing features, such as neonatal …
Aβ Fibrils Act as Aqueous Pores: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is an increasingly prevalent neurodegenerative disease. Aggregation of Aβ peptides is important in etiology of AD. We ran all-atom, explicit water molecular dynamics simulations starting from three experimentally available NMR structures of Aβ fibrils, containing either 6 or an infinite number of layers. Infinite fibrils were constructed using periodic images. The NMR structures have either 2-fold (2LMN) or 3-fold rotational symmetry (2LMP, and 2M4J), i.e., 2 or 3 peptides per layer, respectively. 2M4J are AD brain-seeded fibrils while 2LMP are all-synthetic. In our long simulations of finite fibrils, all three fibril types showed fraying (unraveling) at the ends of the 6 layer fibrils; but essentially no unraveling of the infinite fibrils. In addition, the 2-fold symmetric fibril deviated less from its starting structure among the finite fibrils. All three finite structures twisted about their central axes cooperatively. In long simulations of infinite fibrils, both brain-seeded (2M4J) and the two-fold symmetrical fibrils had D23-K28 side chain salt-bridges, and these were intramolecular, intermolecular, or both (2LMP had virtually no such salt bridges). We also studied the flux of water through the fibrils. 2LMN and 2LMP structures were mostly water-tight, with the initial water molecules remaining inside internal cavities. However, pores began to form in the 2M4J infinite fibril, at the sides between peptide molecules, allowing solvent including ions to move in and out of the longitudinal core of the fibril. The pore was comprised of many of the same residues observed experimentally to have the highest rates of H/D exchange in the fibrils. This observation suggests that Aβ fibrils could act as an aqueous pore that could disrupt ion fluxes if inserted into a cell membrane.
Evaluation of Chondrocalcinosis and Associated Knee Joint Degeneration Using MR Imaging: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

To evaluate the ability of different MRI sequences to detect chondrocalcinosis within knee cartilage and menisci, and to analyze the association with joint degeneration. Subjects with radiographic knee chondrocalcinosis (n = 90, age 67.7 ± 7.3 years, 50 women) were selected from the Osteoarthritis Initiative and matched to controls without radiographic chondrocalcinosis (n = 90). Visualization of calcium-containing crystals (CaC) was compared between 3D T1-weighted gradient-echo (T1GE), 3D dual echo steady-state (DESS), 2D intermediate-weighted (IW), and proton density (PD)-weighted fast spin-echo (FSE) sequences obtained with 3T MRI and correlated with a semiquantitative CaC score obtained from radiographs. Structural abnormalities were assessed using Whole-Organ MRI Score (WORMS) and logistic regression models were used to compare cartilage compartments with and without CaC. Correlations between CaC counts of MRI sequences and degree of radiographic calcifications were highest for GE (rT1GE = 0.73, P 0.05). Meniscus WORMS was significantly higher in subjects with chondrocalcinosis compared to controls (P = 0.005). Cartilage defects were significantly more frequent in compartments with CaC than without (patella: P = 0.006; lateral tibia: P < 0.001; lateral femur condyle: P = 0.017). Gradient-echo sequences were most useful for the detection of chondrocalcinosis and presence of CaC was associated with higher prevalence of cartilage and meniscal damage. • Magnetic resonance imaging is useful for assessing burden of calcium-containing crystals (CaC). • Gradient-echo sequences are superior to fast spin echo sequences for CaC imaging. • Presence of CaC is associated with meniscus and cartilage degradation.
Wideband Probing of the Trans-Auroral HF Channel

HF probe measurements of the channel pulse response were made over a 2300 km trans-auroral path between a transmitter site at Frobisher Bay, Canadian Northwest Territories, and a receiver site near Rome, New York. Data are presented in the form of ionograms, pulse response time histories, and channel scattering functions. The distinguishing characteristics between a well behaved mid-latitude channel and a trans-auroral channel, as seen with a coherent channel probe, are discussed. Inferences regarding signalling strategies for coping with multipath fading and bandwidth for maximizing spread spectrum processing gain are discussed. Examples showing the variety of the trans-auroral channel are presented.
The Dynamical Roles Played by Mass and Proper Time in Physics

If EPR (Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen) had been correct in 1935, and “elements of reality” actually existed, the subsequent history of quantum theory would have been completely different, and much more conservative.
Is This Drug Screen Really Negative? Special Investigation of Drug Screening in Pediatrics.

We report a case of a child with a negative qualitative opioid result on a urine drug screen using our routine cutoff but a positive confirmation for heroin. A 3-month-old male presented to the emergency department after an unexplained episode of hypoxia. The patient was formula-fed with a history of multidrug neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)3 after fetal exposure to opioids and no medical care following discharge from the hospital after his birth. The patient was revived at home and transported to the emergency department by ambulance and was stable upon admission to the hospital. All results were within normal limits except alanine aminotransferase, which was 74 U/L (reference <45 U/L), and aspartate aminotransferase, which was 191 U/L (reference 20–60 U/L). Because of the unexplained life-threatening hypoxic event, and possibly because of the prior history of NAS, a urine immunoassay screen for drugs of abuse was ordered. The drug classes screened were amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazapines, cocaine (as benzoylecgonine), opiates, and tetrahydrocannabinol, and all were below the cutoff for a positive result. However, the laboratory noted that, although below the cutoff for a positive screen of 300 ng/mL, opiates were detected at 161 ng/mL. Given the age of the patient, the laboratory notified the physician of this result. The laboratory and physician worked …
A Vulnerable Age for the Introduction of Solid Foods in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

ABSTRACTBackground: There is little research concerning infant formula or the age at introduction to solid foods and pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The purpose of this case-control study was to estimate the association of age at introduction of solids and pediatric ALL. Methods: 171 ALL cases aged 0–14 years were recruited at Texas Children's Cancer Center and matched on sex, age, and ethnicity to 342 population-based controls. Data were collected on infant feeding and known risk factors for ALL. Multivariable logistic regression was used to model the odds ratio of ALL by quartile of age at introduction of solids with the first/earliest quartile (0–4 months) as the reference group. Results: In adjusted models, the odds ratio of ALL among children in quartile 3 (7–9 months) was 4.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.42–11.71; for children in quartile 4 (≥10 months) the odds ratio (OR) was 6.03, 95% CI 2.06–17.72. For each additional month of milk formula feeding, the OR of ALL was 1.16, 95% CI...
A Characterization of Certain Types of Hankel Symbols on the Drury–Arveson Space

For a class of symbols \(\varphi \in H^2_{d + 1}\), a characterization of those particular \(\varphi \) which induce a bounded Hankel operator on the Drury–Arveson Space is given in terms of a Carleson measure condition on the function \(\varphi \).
The Association of Parental/Caregiver Chronic Stress with Youth Obesity: Findings from the Study of Latino Youth and the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study.

Abstract Background: Prior studies indicate that chronic stress is associated with obesity in adults. However, whether parental/caregiver stress is associated with obesity in their offspring has not been widely examined in Hispanic/Latino populations. In this study, we evaluated the role of caregiver chronic stress on child obesity and whether home food environment or child lifestyle behaviors explained the association. Methods: The study included a sample of Hispanic/Latino youth and their caregivers (n = 473) from the Study of Latinos (SOL) Youth study and the Hispanic Community Health Study/SOL Sociocultural Study, which enrolled children aged 8–16 years from four cities (Bronx, Chicago, Miami, and San Diego), and provided assessments of adult chronic stress. Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between parental/caregiver stress and child obesity, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Twenty-two percent of caregivers did not report any chronic stressors, 48% reported 1–...
Do Endophytes Promote Growth of Host Plants Under Stress? A Meta-Analysis on Plant Stress Mitigation by Endophytes

Endophytes are microbial symbionts living inside plants and have been extensively researched in recent decades for their functions associated with plant responses to environmental stress. We conducted a meta-analysis of endophyte effects on host plants' growth and fitness in response to three abiotic stress factors: drought, nitrogen deficiency, and excessive salinity. Ninety-four endophyte strains and 42 host plant species from the literature were evaluated in the analysis. Endophytes increased biomass accumulation of host plants under all three stress conditions. The stress mitigation effects by endophytes were similar among different plant taxa or functional groups with few exceptions; eudicots and C4 species gained more biomass than monocots and C3 species with endophytes, respectively, under drought conditions. Our analysis supports the effectiveness of endophytes in mitigating drought, nitrogen deficiency, and salinity stress in a wide range of host species with little evidence of plant-endophyte specificity.
Hepatic Splenosis Masquerading as Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Chronic Hepatitis C Patient.

Hepatic Splenosis Masquerading as Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Chronic Hepatitis C Patient
Whale Graves and Monuments in the Chūbu and Hokuriku Regions

This chapter examines whaling culture in the Chūbu Region (central Honshū) on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and the Hokuriku Region, the northern part of the Chūbu Region on the coast of the Sea of Japan. Facing the two different oceans, respectively, the two regions developed different whaling cultures. While no whale graves have been found in the Chūbu Region, several monuments for dolphins were erected there. In turn, although there were no major whaling bases in the Hokuriku Region, local residents created graves and monuments for whales that had been stranded ashore.
VEHICULAR MOBILE COMMERCE: APPLICATIONS, CHALLENGES, AND RESEARCH PROBLEMS

With an increasing number of vehicles with significant computing and communication, many applications such as vehicular Internet hot-spots, digital and entertainment content’s broadcast, Intelligent Transportation Systems applications, and highway management will become possible. This “vehicular mobile commerce” will actively involve vehicles and users in both extending the existing mobile commerce applications to the vehicular environment and creating many more new and suitable applications. Before vehicular mobile commerce becomes a practical reality, many technical, structural and user issues must be addressed. In this paper, we identify and discuss several vehicular mobile commerce applications as well as wireless and networking challenges. We present possible solutions for vehicular mobile commerce and define several research problems that should be undertaken.
Quantitative Modeling of Flagellar Motor-Mediated Adaptation

The bacterial flagellar motor is capable of adapting to changes in the concentrations of extracellular chemical stimuli by changing the composition of the switch complex of the flagellar motor. Such remodeling-based adaptation complements the receptor-mediated adaptation in the chemotaxis network to help maintain high sensitivity in the response of the motor to phospho-CheY concentrations, despite cell-to-cell variability in the abundances of chemotaxis proteins. In this chapter, a modeling approach is described that explains the mechanisms of switch-remodeling and motor-mediated adaptation. The approach is based on observations of structural differences, associated with the direction of motor rotation, that modulate the strength of FliM/FliN binding within the switch. By modulating the number of CheY-P-binding sites within the motor, remodeling maximizes sensitivity over a range of signal levels.
Development of Two-Dimensional Classroom Discourse Analysis Tool (CDAT): scientific reasoning and dialog patterns in the secondary science classes

In a science classroom, students do not simply learn scientific ways of doing, knowing, and reasoning unless they find ways of appropriating scientific discourse. In the Next Generation Science Standards, major forms of scientific discourse are emphasized as a main part of the Science and Engineering Practices. To enhance student engagement in scientific discourse, teachers need to help students differentiate scientific ways of talking from everyday ways of talking. Thus, science teachers should be able to be aware of the differences to provide opportunities for students to engage in scientific discourse. In this study, the classroom discourse analysis tool (CDAT) was developed to help science teachers and educators identify the patterns of their classroom discourse with the lens of scientific reasoning. The CDAT suggests a new way of discourse pattern finding with the two-dimensional graphic organizer and the quantitative data produced by the coding. To pilot the CDAT analysis, 13 videos and transcripts of two middle and one high school teachers’ physical science classes were viewed and analyzed. The results from CDAT coding show illustrative information that characterizes the classroom discourse patterns in relation to scientific reasoning and teachers’ questioning and feedback. A coded CDAT table shows what reasoning components used in the classroom dialogs between the teacher and students. It also shows how students engaged in the dialogs with the variations of their answers by the teacher’s question and feedback. The results show the patterns of students’ responses strongly depend on teacher’s question or feedback. In addition, this analysis also generates various quantitative data that represent certain characteristics of the classroom discourse, i.e., length of dialog and the number of reasoning components used. The possible implications of CDAT analysis are to explore the relationships between teachers’ discourse patterns and students’ achievement along with changes in their reasoning skills. Student attitudinal outcomes such as motivations, interests, or self-efficacy could also be compared by the classroom discourse patterns revealed by CDAT. CDAT analysis itself can also be used in a teacher professional development as an intervention to help teachers see their classroom discourse patterns.
Power grid safety control via fine-grained multi-persona programmable logic controllers

Trustworthy and safe operation of the power grid critical infrastructures relies on secure execution of low-level substation controller devices such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Currently, there are very few security protection solutions deployed on these devices to ensure provenance control: to execute controller code on the device that is developed by trusted parties and complies with safety/security policies that are defined by the code developer as well as the power grid operators. Resource-limited PLC controllers have been becoming increasingly popular among not only legitimate system operators, but also malicious adversaries such as the most recent Stuxnet and BlackEnergy malware that caused various damages such as unauthorized infrastructural safety and integrity violations. We present PLCtrust, a domain-specific solution that deploys virtual micro security-perimeters, so-called capsules, and the corresponding device-level runtime power system-safety policy enforcement dynamically. PLCtrust makes use of data taint analysis to monitor and control data flow among the capsules based on data owner-defined policies. PLCtrust provides the operators with a transparent and lightweight solution to address various safety-critical data protection requirements. PLCtrust also provides the legitimate third-party controller code developers with a taint-aware programming interface to develop applications in compliance with the dynamic power system safety/security policies. Our experimental results on real-world settings show that PLCtrust is transparent to the end-users while ensuring the power grid safety maintenance with minimal performance overhead.
Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase-1 in the Regulation of Toll-Like Receptor Signaling and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Signaling

Stearoyl-CoA desaturases are a family of enzymes that play a crucial role in the endogenous synthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids, also known as de novo lipogenesis. Of the four known SCD isoforms, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) is the most predominant and most ubiquitously expressed, with the highest induction in lipogenic tissues such as liver and adipose tissue. In this chapter, we will discuss the effects of SCD1 and its substrates, saturated fatty acids, on three levels as shown in Fig. 7.4. First, we will introduce SCD1 and its role in lipid biosynthesis. Next, we will cover intermediate responses to SCD1 modulation, such as inflammation and ER stress. Finally, we will expand our discussion of SCD1 into the context of vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and vascular calcification. The studies discussed in this chapter are significant because cardiovascular diseases are some of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. In these diseases, lipids such as fatty acids and their metabolites can accumulate and lead to cellular dysfunction and death, known as lipotoxicity. Since SCD1 plays such an important role in fatty acid formation, a deeper understanding of this pivotal enzyme may significantly contribute to further advances in the treatment of lipid-related diseases.
Causes of Morbidity and Mortality among Neonates and Children in Post-Conflict Burundi: A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Study

The risk of a child dying before age five in Burundi is almost 1.6 times higher than that in the World Health Organization (WHO) African region. However, variations in the all-cause mortality rates across Burundi have not yet been measured directly at subnational levels, age group and by gender. The objective of this study was to describe the main causes of hospitalization and mortality in children during the neonatal period and at ages 1 to 59 months, for boys and girls, and to assess the total annual (2010) burden of under-five morbidity and mortality in hospitals using hospitalization records from 21 district hospitals. We found variation in the gender and regional distribution of the five leading causes of hospitalization and death of children under five. Although the five causes accounted for 89% (468/523) of all neonatal hospitalizations, three causes accounted for 93% (10,851/11,632) of all-cause hospitalizations for children ages 1 to 59 months (malaria, lung disease, and acute diarrhea), malaria accounted for 69% (1086/1566) of all deaths at ages 1 to 59 months. In Burundi, human malarial infections continue to be the main cause of hospitalization and mortality among under-five children.
An Embedded Domain Decomposition Method for Electromagnetic Modeling and Design

An embedded domain decomposition method (DDM) is presented herein for solving electromagnetic problems with complex geometries. In the method, the original computational domain is decomposed into a background subdomain and multiple embedded subdomains. The subdomain problems are easier to solve than the original problem. Furthermore, the shape of the subdomains can be geometrically nonconformal, and the discretizations in the subdomains are allowed to be completely independent. Information exchange between the background and embedded subdomains are addressed in their shared regions, including four ingredients: field continuity, material difference, perfect electrical conductor (PEC), and port. Field continuity on the boundaries of the embedded subdomains is weakly enforced by employing Robin transmission condition. Modified volume sources are introduced to account for the material difference between the subdomains. For PEC and port, surface currents on them in embedded subdomains are impressed into the background subdomain in a proper way. The accuracy and flexibility of the proposed method are demonstrated through several numerical examples.
Assessment of Disability Services Information Variability Among Websites of One University System

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to examine Internet-based disability services information within the City University of New York (CUNY). The evaluation included exploring the CUNY university s...
Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors 2012

The recovery from the recent recession has been very sluggish, and the nation’s governors have struggled with the resulting budget deficits, unemployment, and other economic problems in their states. Many reform-minded governors elected in 2010 have championed tax reforms and spending restraint to get their states back on track. Other governors have expanded government with old-fashioned tax-and-spend policies.That is the backdrop to this year’s 11th biennial fiscal report card on the governors, which examines state budget actions since 2010. It uses statistical data to grade the governors on their taxing and spending records — governors who have cut taxes and spending the most receive the highest grades, while those who have increased taxes and spending the most receive the lowest grades. Four governors were awarded an “A” in this report card — Sam Brownback of Kansas, Rick Scott of Florida, Paul LePage of Maine, and Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania. Five governors were awarded an “F” — Pat Quinn of Illinois, Dan Malloy of Connecticut, Mark Dayton of Minnesota, Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, and Chris Gregoire of Washington.Many states are facing major fiscal problems in coming years. Rising debt and growing health and pension costs threaten tax increases down the road. At the same time, intense global economic competition makes it imperative that states improve their investment climates. To that end, some governors are pursuing broad-based tax reforms, such as cutting income tax rates and reducing property taxes on businesses. The bad news is that many governors are expanding narrow “tax incentives,” which clutter the tax code in an attempt to micromanage the economy. This report discusses these trends and examines the fiscal policy actions of each governor. Hopefully, policymakers in more states will be encouraged to follow the fiscal reform approaches of the top-scoring governors.
Detecting animal tissues in feed and feed ingredients

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the detection of animal tissues in feed and feed ingredients. Enforcement of existing feed bans, regardless of the country or geographical region, depends upon several factors; education of the feed manufacturers, end users, and others on how to comply with these bans, institution of quality control measures to ensure compliance, and transparency of compliance upon inspection, including analytical measures by feed ingredient and finished feed manufactures, inspectional evidence of compliance with the bans collected by regulatory authorities and, finally, analysis of feed or feed ingredients collected by these same inspectors. Thus, analysis for prohibited proteins is but one aspect in the overall system for compliance, though a critical aspect for any enforcement action regulatory authorities might initiate. The chapter describes many of the analytical systems currently used or contemplated for use to detect animal proteins in animal feed and feed components. It also discusses some new methods and approaches for detecting animal tissues in feed. The issue of controlling animal proteins in animal feed is mainly one of compliance with existing national and international feed bans. Compliance with existing feed bans requires a multi-pronged approach, relying on factors such as education, inspections, and enforcement, along with analytical evaluation of animal feed and feed ingredients. Education is perhaps one of the most critical aspects in any compliance program. Without education, it is impossible to be assured that the various manufacturers and users of animal feed are fully aware of the rules and regulations concerning what are allowed and banned and what types of records and record-keeping systems are needed to ensure compliance and facilitate inspection of the records by the appropriate government agencies.
Psychometric Functions of Vowel Detection and Identification in Long-Term Speech-Shaped Noise.

Purpose The goal of this study was to investigate vowel detection and identification in noise and provide baseline data regarding how vowel perception changed with signal-to-noise ratios. Psychomet...
Initial Investigation of Low-Dose SPECT-MPI via Deep Learning

Reduction of radiation exposure in SPECT-myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is critically important. However, lowering radiation dose significantly degrades image quality. Many deep learning structures have been implemented for denoising of low-dose CT data. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies implementing deep learning structures for denoising of low-dose SPECT-MPI images. This paper reports a deep learning method to denoise SPECT-MPI images inspired by the recent work on low-dose CT. The proposed method is a 3D convolutional neural network based on stacked convolutional autoencoders, which is trained to map low-dose images to standard-dose images. Low-dose data was simulated for 1/8 and 1/16 of standard clinical dose. The performance of the proposed method was quantified by the average correlation (across patients in a test set) between predicted images and standard-dose images and was compared to that obtained from conventional denoising methods (i.e., spatial post-filtering). Preliminary results show that image quality improves significantly in the low-dose studies over conventional noise reduction methods. In particular, at 1/16 of clinical dose, the proposed method achieves similar image quality to that from 1/8 dose with conventional denoising. This suggests that further dose reduction could be achieved if the proposed method is used for post-processing of reconstructed images.
Effect of Evanescent Waves on the Dark Current of Thermophotovoltaic Cells

The output power of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells may be greatly increased when the gap between the emitter and cell is reduced to submicron distances (near-field regime), at which photon tunnelin...
Anisotropic localized surface plasmons in borophene

We present a theoretical study on the plasmonic response of borophene, a monolayer 2D material that is predicted to exhibit metallic response and anisotropic plasmonic behavior in visible wavelengths. We investigate plasmonic properties of borophene thin films as well as borophene nanoribbons and nanopatches where polarization-sensitive absorption values in the order of 50% is obtained with monolayer borophene. It is demonstrated that by adding a metal layer, this absorption can be enhanced to 100%. We also examine giant dichroism in monolayer borophene which can be tuned passively (patterning) and actively (electrostatic gating) and our simulations yield 20% reflected light with significant polarization rotation. These findings reveal the potential of borophene in the manipulation of phase, amplitude and polarization of light at the extreme subwavelength scales.
Theoretical considerations for the development of urban black adolescent females

We explore the theoretical frameworks of ecological systems theory, intersectionality, and multi-dimensionality to examine the dynamics of the environment as it relates to the development of Black ...
Degradation Rate Prediction of Bridges Using Historical Vibration Data

Prediction of the future health state of civil structures allows maintenance agencies to undertake timely repair and replacement activities. Appropriate conduct of maintenance actions ensures accident-free operation of the transport network. Precise estimation of remaining useful life of civil structures is achievable through the availability of the degradation history, selection of appropriate degradation models, and efficient prognostic algorithms. In the reported research work, the variation in modal energy due to progressive degradation of the structure is used as a degradation quantification feature. Then, a sequential Monte Carlo–based particle filter (PF)–based scheme is reformulated to undertake bridge health prognosis of an aging in-service concrete bridge situated in a harbor area, using historical nondestructive testing data. A microelectromechanical systems–based accelerometer sensors are installed at different bridge segments to record vibration data. The historical database of the degradation feature is segmented into training and validation regions. The particle filter algorithm ultimately predicts the posterior probability density function of the degradation quantification feature for the next time instant(s). The promising prognostic results highlight the efficacy of the proposed scheme.
Positive Impact of AVL on Safety & Security

The AVL system consists of hardware that is installed in the vehicle, Machine to Machine (M2M) SIM card, communication server, database, and front-end application. The equipment can be GSM, satellite or combined for both GSM and satellite. The GSM device is used where there is a GPRS coverage only; the satellite device is used where no GSM coverage and the connection method is used all the time. When there is no GSM coverage, the AVL will switch directly to the satellite. There are many types of AVL, which vary depending on the size and the need of the organization. The AVL can be hidden inside the vehicle connected to the dashboard to read all engine information. The AVL system uses the M2M SIM cards, designed to live longer in the elevated temperature environment. The communication server is used to receive the encrypted data coming from the AVL devices via the M2M cards and the communication tower, or satellite via listener application. The data will be sent to the database via a parser application running on the communication server. The front-end application is the window where the end user monitors and tracks his vehicles, and produces the desired reports. The primary AVL application includes per minimum map to locate the car, the reports module, and the configuration module to set up the alerts and manage the fleet.
Fluorescence Sensors And Biosensors

Introduction T. Vo-Dinh Prospects for the De Novo Design of Nucleic Acid Biosensors L. Yang and A.D. Ellington Biosensors Based on Periplasmic Binding Proteins B.V. Sharma, S.S. Shrestha, S.K. Deo, and S. Daunert Molecular Beacon DNA Probes Based on Fluorescence Biosensing G. Yao, M.S. John, and W. Tan Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer-Based Sensors for Bioanalysis G. Blagoi, N. Rosenzweig, and Z. Rosenzweig Carbonic Anhydrase-Based Biosensing of Metal Ions: Issues and Future Prospects R.B. Thompson, R.A. Bozym, M.L. Cramer, A.V. Stoddard, N.K. Westerberg, and C.A. Fierke Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence Sensing C.D. Geddes, K. Aslan, I. Gryczynski, J. Malicka, and J.R. Lakowicz Subpicomolar Assays of Antibodies and DNA Using Phosphorescence Labels A.P. Savitsky Development of Fluorescent Dipyrrolylquinoxaline-Based Anion Sensors P. Anzenbacher, Jr. and K. Jursikova Lab-on-a-Chip and Fluorescence Sensing on the Microscale H.N. Chang, A.V. Hatch, K.R. Hawkins, and P. Yager The Array Biosensors F.S. Ligler and C.R. Taitt Planar Waveguide Biosensors for Point-of-Care Clinical and Molecular Diagnostics J.N. Herron, H.-K. Wang, L. Tan, S.Z. Brown, A.H. Terry, J.D. Durtschi, E.M. Simon, M.E. Astill, R.S. Smith, and D.A. Christensen Fluorescence-Based Sensors for Bioprocess Monitoring L. Tolosa, Y. Kostov, and G. Rao Practical Aspects of Fluorescence Analysis of Free Zinc Ion in Biological Systems: pZn for the Biologist R.B. Thompson, C.J. Frederickson, C.A. Fierke, N.M. Westerberg, R.A. Bozym, M.L. Cramer, and M. Hershfinkel Index
An operator-theoretic approach to truncated moment problems

We survey recent developments in operator theory and moment problems, beginning with the study of quadratic hyponormality for unilateral weighted shifts, its connections with truncated Hamburger, Stieltjes, Hausdorff and Toeplitz moment problems, and the subsequent proof that polynomially hyponormal operators need not be subnormal. We present a general elementary approach to truncated moment problems in one or several real or complex variables, based on matrix positivity and extension. Together with the construction of a “functional calculus” for the columns of the associated moment matrix, our operator-theoretic approach allows us to obtain existence theorems for the truncated complex moment problem, ∗This survey is based on four lectures given at the Stefan Banach International Mathematical Center during April 5 8, 1994, as part of the Semester on Linear Operators. The author is deeply indebted to the organizers, Professors J. Janas, F.H. Szafraniec and J. Zemanek, for their invitation and for the warm hospitality during his stay in Warsaw. †Research partially supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation
Expression of specific voltage dependent anion channel (VDAC) isoforms confers differential sensitivity to cisplatin

5734 CDDP (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II) has been in widespread clinical use for more than 30 years. Despite the importance of this agent in the treatment of head and neck cancer (HNSCC) and other malignancies, there are many uncertainties about its molecular pharmacology and ultimate mechanism of action. Cisplatin adducts to nuclear DNA are felt to be the molecular lesion that triggers apoptosis, but the mechanism linking nuclear DNA adduct formation and cell death is unclear. We recently demonstrated that cisplatin binds preferentially to mitochondrial DNA compared to nuclear DNA and isolated mitochondria from head and neck squamous cell cancers rapidly release cytochrome-c after exposure to pharmacologic concentrations of cisplatin. Cisplatin also binds preferentially to mitochondrial membrane proteins including VDAC. Following exposure of intact tumor cells to cisplatin, the concentration of CDDP binding to VDAC was more than 200 fold higher than binding to total cell proteins. (Clin Cancer Res 12:5817, 2006). This raised the possibility that VDAC could be a molecular target of cisplatin action. In the present study, we evaluated a series of VDAC knockout mouse embryo fibroblasts. Homozygous knockouts for VDAC isoforms 1, 2 and 3 were evaluated for sensitivity to cisplatin in standard XTT assays. IC50 for the wild type mouse embryo fibroblasts was 7μM. IC50 for VDAC 1, 2 and 3 homozygous knockouts were 22μM, 6μM and 0.6μM respectively. In other words, the VDAC 1 homozygous knockout cells were 3 times more resistant to cisplatin than the parental cells while the VDAC 3 knockout cells were 12 times more sensitive to cisplatin than the parental cell line. VDAC 3 knockout cells were nearly 40 times more sensitive to cisplatin than the VDAC I knockout cells. This effect was specific for cisplatin as a control drug, the topoisomerase inhibitor irinotecan, showed no difference in sensitivity for VDAC 2 or VDAC 3 knockouts while VDAC I knockouts were minimally more resistant to irinotecan than the parental cell line.These data suggest that expression of specific VDAC isoforms may be important in determining cell sensitivity to the chemotherapy agent cisplatin. Specifically, loss of expression of VDAC 1 is associated with resistance to cisplatin while loss of expression of VDAC 3 is associated with significant increased sensitivity to the drug. These data support the concept that the cytotoxic effects of cisplatin may be mediated in significant part through direct action on mitochondria and that sensitivity to apoptosis may reflect expression of specific VDAC isoforms.
Synthesis of diterpenoid acids—XI: Cyclizations with malonic ester

Abstract The dimesylate of one of the epimeric 1-methyl-1-(3′-hydroxypropyl)-2-cyclohexanols reacts with malonic ester to give cis -1,1-dicarboalkoxy-4-methyldecalin. Similarly, the dimesylate of one of the epimeric 1-methyl-1-(3′-hydroxypropyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-naphthols condenses with malonic ester to give cis -1,1-dicarbomethoxy-4a-methyl-1,2,3,4,4a,9,10,10a-octahydrophenanthrene. This product on heating with palladized charcoal gave the trans isomer. A number of derivatives of the cis -fused products have been prepared. A study of the NMR spectra of the cyclization products and some of their derivatives and other data shows that the trisubstituted bicyclic compounds exist mainly in a conformation in which the angular methyl group is in a 1,3-diaxial relation to an ester group, while with the trisubstituted tricyclic compounds the major conformation is one in which there is no 1,3-diaxial relation between the angular methyl and an ester.
Molecular control of vascular smooth muscle cell differentiation and phenotypic plasticity.

Abstract Although the primary role of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) is contraction, they exhibit extensive phenotypic diversity and plasticity during normal development, during repair of vascular injury, and in disease states including arteriosclerosis and tumour angiogenesis. Results of recent studies indicate that there are unique as well as common transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that control expression of various SMC marker genes within vascular SMC subtypes, and that these mechanisms are complex and dynamic even at the single cell level. This chapter will review recent progress in our understanding of the complex processes, environmental cues, and genes that control development of vascular SMCs from embryonic stem cells, as well as mechanisms that contribute to phenotypic switching of SMCs following vascular injury or in disease states. A major focus will be to summarize recent studies in our laboratory and others showing the importance of CArG-SRF-myocardin-dependent mechanisms and epigenetic controls in regulation of vascular SMC lineage. Of major interest, we have shown that SMC precursor cells acquire a unique pattern of epigenetic changes (i.e. chromatype) during early development that distinguish them from other cell lineages, and makes them permissive for activation of cell selective genes required for their specialized function. In addition, we show that phenotypic switching of SMCs in response to PDGF BB in vitro, or vascular injury in vivo is associated with loss of a subset of activating histone modifications at gene loci encoding SMC marker genes, but retention of additional markers such as H3K4 methylation. We postulate that the latter epigenetic changes may provide a mechanism for 'cell lineage memory' during reversible phenotypic switching of vascular SMCs.
Samantha Solimeo: With Shaking Hands: Aging with Parkinson’s Disease in America’s Heartland

Samantha Solimeo has written a book that enables us to understand the experience of aging with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in rural America. It is an important addition to the literature on aging with a chronic condition both because of its focus and unique methods. As a medical anthropologist, her approach included extensive participant observation with older adults living with PD and their caregivers, and their stories are an integral component of this description of the experience. She focuses on the difficulty of disentangling aging from the condition of PD in the words of people who are living it. PD is presented as a case study of a condition whose early symptoms mirror symptoms of ‘‘normal aging’’—which provides the unique opportunity of studying the experience of both aging and living with a chronic ailment within the cultural model of aging as a series of losses and decline. The study is framed in terms of the combined approaches of Explanatory Models, illness narratives, and participant observation. She utilizes illness narratives to provide a diachronic, lifecourse perspective of the experience of living and aging with PD based on extensive qualitative research with PD sufferers and their caregivers in rural Iowa. She uses these various levels of analysis to provide an understanding of the embodiment of the body aging with PD within this cultural context. The rural environment is discussed briefly in this complex, multi-faceted study. This is, in fact, a multi-method study based not only on qualitative techniques but also quantitative analysis of questionnaire data. Solimeo provides a rich description of the research process and evolving methodology, including a detailed description of her data management and analysis process. She describes her development of an integrated data base of the findings from the approximately 300 people enrolled in the study. Her extensive research included participant-observation with 13 support
Minding the Gaps in Black and White

David Macaulay's Black and White is composed of four different stories, each of which requires data from the other three in order to be understood; it actively encourages gap-filling. However, as I will demonstrate, Black and White is Macaulay's practical joke on the reader.
Integratable, wide free spectral range Fabry-Perot filters fabricated from freestanding LiNbO/sub 3/ thin-films

Fabry-Perot filters possessing free spectral ranges in excess of 50 nanometers (6.78 THz) have been demonstrated in 10-micron thin freestanding lithium niobate. The ultra compact form of the filters enables integration into optical waveguide systems.
Structure and Dynamics of Nationalist Mobilization in the Global South, 1870-2005

In this research, I attempt to examine the world-historical pattern of radical movements in the global South over the twentieth century. Much of works about radical mobilizations of the global South have little been attempted to conduct a comprehensive and structural analysis that examines long-term historical trends and processes that have shaped contentious collective actions over times. Moreover, studies of political mobilization have tended to focus on domestic factors rather than global ones. While the internal factors certainly play important roles, these studies do no fully explain why countries with various levels of development and different types of social structure experiences much the same increase in radical mobilization. In this paper, I offer an alternative approach to radical mobilization that considers the global forces placed within a long-term and large-scale context. From this perspective we can find the process and pattern that each protest located in different countries/regions is linked to each other by the world-scale layer of dominance structure and the global political process.For overall mapping world-historical pattern of radical mobilizations, I use three sources to compile my data. First, I used the New York Times Index from 1894 to 2007 and the Times Index from 1894 to 1985 to generate systemic and long-term records of “radical mobilization” in worldwide. I also use full texts from the New York Times and the Times to clarify event frequencies. To support the primary data, I thus select the World News Digest, an archive of significant political and social events from around the world to search for radical mobilization. I analyze its coverage of radical mobilizations from 1941 to 2010. The results show to concentrate on charting mobilization waves in several key epochs, particularly in 1930s, 1960s, and the late 1980s in the global South over the twentieth century, and temporal and spatial diffusion of antisystemic movements across a large set of countries.