cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multi-Label and Multilingual News Framing Analysis

News framing refers to the practice in which aspects of specific issues are highlighted in the news to promote a particular interpretation. In NLP, although recent works have studied framing in English news, few have studied how the analysis can be extended to other languages and in a multi-label setting. In this work, we explore multilingual transfer learning to detect multiple frames from just the news headline in a genuinely low-resource context where there are few/no frame annotations in the target language. We propose a novel method that can leverage elementary resources consisting of a dictionary and few annotations to detect frames in the target language. Our method performs comparably or better than translating the entire target language headline to the source language for which we have annotated data. This work opens up an exciting new capability of scaling up frame analysis to many languages, even those without existing translation technologies. Lastly, we apply our method to detect frames on the issue of U.S. gun violence in multiple languages and obtain exciting insights on the relationship between different frames of the same problem across different countries with different languages.
Small-Cell Carcinoma of the Lung

cis-Diamminedichloroplatinum (cisplatin) has a broad range of activity. Since its development in the early 1970s, it has become the crucial drug for the management of testicular and ovarian cancers, and the drug yielding the most impressive responses in bladder, esophagus, and head and neck cancers. It has been combined with other drugs, thereby providing the best available results in the treatment of lung cancer. DDP has been used both as a single agent and in a variety of combinations for lung cancer. Its activity against small-cell carcinoma of the lung is actually quite marginal, but most, if not all, phase II studies were conducted on heavily pretreated patients (Morstyn et al. 1984). The cisplatin analog, carboplatin, has a single-agent response rate of 65%–79% (Smith et al. 1985; Jacobs et al. 1987). Although extrapolation to cisplatin is speculative, it is reasonable to postulate that cisplatin will have an excellent single-agent response rate when used in previously untreated patients.
Marijuana use and health behaviors in a US clinic sample of patients with sickle cell disease.

Introduction As marijuana use becomes more common, it is essential clinicians understand the relationship between marijuana use and health behaviors. Methods Using a retrospective cohort of adolescents and adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) stratified into a young ( = 25 years), we conducted multiple linear regression examining relationship of marijuana use (independent variable) on each dependent variable (SCD self-management score and pain management). Results Among young cohort, 16.9% used marijuana compared to 21.8% of older cohort. The younger cohort reporting marijuana use had lower mean self-care scores (β = -2.74;p = 0.009) and were more likely to have admissions to the hospital for pain (β = 0.87;p = 0.047) compared to non-users. In contrast, the older cohort reporting marijuana use had more days treating pain at home (β = 0.44;p = 0.035). Conclusions Only a minority of patients with SCD reported lifetime marijuana use. Among those reporting marijuana use, there were different associations with self-care and health-related behaviors by age. The older cohort who endorsed marijuana use reported more days of treating pain at home, although this did not translate into increased acute care visits for pain crisis. Among youth, endorsing marijuana use was associated with worse SCD self-care.
Vaccine strategies for the Mtb /HIV copandemic.

One-third of world's population is predicted to be infected with tuberculosis (TB). The resurgence of this deadly disease has been inflamed by comorbidity with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The risk of TB in people living with HIV (PLWH) is 15-22 times higher than people without HIV. Development of a single vaccine to combat both diseases is an ardent but tenable ambition. Studies have focused on the induction of specific humoral and cellular immune responses against HIV-1 following recombinant BCG (rBCG) expressing HIV-1 antigens. Recent advances in the TB vaccines led to the development of promising candidates such as MTBVAC, the BCG revaccination approach, H4:IC31, H56:IC31, M72/AS01 and more recently, intravenous (IV) BCG. Modification of these vaccine candidates against TB/HIV coinfection could reveal key correlates of protection in a representative animal model. This review discusses the (i) potential TB vaccine candidates that can be exploited for use as a dual vaccine against TB/HIV copandemic (ii) progress made in the realm of TB/HIV dual vaccine candidates in small animal model, NHP model, and human clinical trials (iii) the failures and promising targets for a successful vaccine strategy while delineating the correlates of vaccine-induced protection.
HA1 (Hemagglutinin) quantitation for influenza A H1N1 and H3N2 high yield reassortant vaccine candidate seed viruses by RP-UPLC.

Abstract The only effective measure to decrease morbidity and mortality caused by the influenza virus in the human population is worldwide vaccination. Vaccination produces neutralizing antibodies that target the HA1 subunit of the HA (hemagglutinin) protein and are strain specific. The effectiveness of new influenza vaccines are linked to two factors, the correct prediction of the circulating strains in the population in a particular season and the concentration of the HA1 protein in the vaccine formulation. With the advent of the licensing of quadrivalent vaccines, pharmaceutical manufacturers are under considerable pressure due to time constraints and dedicated resources to deliver 194–198 million doses (2020–2021 U.S. market) of vaccine. Considering the valuable resources needed to produce the influenza vaccine in a timely manner, the efficient quantitation of the HA1 protein (the main component in the influenza vaccine) is required. Currently the only method approved by regulatory agencies for quantitation of the HA antigen in vaccines is the single radial immunodiffusion assay (SRID), an antibody dependent assay that is not time efficient. Time efficient methods that are antibody independent e.g. reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) or size exclusion-HPLC (SE-HPLC) are available. An improved method implementing reverse phase-ultra performance liquid chromatography (RP-UPLC) has been developed to quantitate the HA1 protein antigen present in the high yield reassortant vaccine seed viruses from influenza A H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes harvested from inoculated embryonated chicken eggs. This method differentiates between high yield and lower yielding reassortants in order to select the best vaccine candidate seed virus with the highest growth ‘in ovo’. This direct capability to monitor the HA1 concentration of potential reassortant seed viruses and to choose the best yielding HA influenza reassortant when faced with multiple viral seed candidates provides a major advantage on the industrial scale to the influenza vaccine process.
Longitudinal relationships amongst child neglect, social relationships, and school dropout risk for culturally and linguistically diverse adolescents.

Abstract Background Many culturally and linguistically diverse adolescents in South Korea have been exposed to neglect and often decide to drop out of school. Objective This study aimed to investigate the developmental trajectories of child neglect, peer relationships, student-teacher relationships, and dropping out of school and the putative protective role of peer relationships and student-teacher relationships on the influence of perceived neglect on school dropout risk. Participants and Setting: The data were taken from a three-wave longitudinal sample from the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Data, which consisted of 1316 culturally and linguistically diverse adolescents who were in the 7th to 9th grades (Female: 50.8 %). Methods This study utilizes a multivariate latent growth model to address the research questions. Results The results indicated that child neglect, peer relationships, student-teacher relationships, and dropping out of school showed linear changes over time. Child neglect had a direct longitudinal effect on decreasing peer relationships and student-teacher relationships; it also increased school dropout risk. Positive peer relationships and student-teacher relationships had a direct effect on decreasing school dropout risk. Peer relationships and student-teacher relationships had a mediating effect on the relationship between school neglect and dropping out of school, but the mediating effect of those factors was significant only at the cross-sectional level. Conclusions This study suggests that among culturally and linguistically diverse students, building positive relationships with peers and teachers each year may reduce the negative effect that neglect can have in leading a student to drop out of school.
Predicting thermophysical properties of dialkylimidazolium ionic liquids from sigma profiles

Abstract We present a Support Vector Regression (SVR) machine learning framework for predicting the viscosity, ionic conductivity, and density of imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) using a universal set of features extracted from COSMO-RS sigma profiles. To train and test the SVR model, we assembled three property datasets with approximately 40 different ILs, each consisting of over 1000 experimental datapoints measured across a wide range of temperatures and pressures. From calculated sigma profiles we extract IL descriptors or “features” that are readily fit by using the SVR model. After cleaning of the measurement datasets and selecting these IL features, we compare the performance of the radial basis function (RBF) and linear kernels using a standard k-fold cross-validation to separate the respective datasets into training and testing datasets without bias. Using these results, we demonstrate the ability of the RBF-SVR model to predict the viscosity, conductivity, and density of unobserved ILs at atmospheric pressure.
Comparison of Synchronous Condenser and STATCOM for Wind Farms in Weak Grids

When wind farms are integrated in weak grids, stability issues such as low-frequency oscillations arise. The grid industry used synchronous condensers instead of Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) to improve stability. The goal of this paper is to compare performance of the two VAR devices on stability improvement for grid-interconnected wind farms. The topology structure and operation principle of the system with a wind farm, a synchronous condenser or a STATCOM are presented. The simulation is performed in the MATLAB/SimPowerSystems environment. Simulation results show that the synchronous condenser can effectively improve stability of the power system even without reactive power injection, while STATCOM only enhances system strength through reactive power compensation.
Evaluating the impact of a classroom simulator training on graduate teaching assistants’ instructional practices and undergraduate student learning

Simulator training allows graduate teaching assistants to deliberately practice evidence-based teaching skills and to transfer these skills to real teaching situations.
SARS-CoV2 infection damages rpe function and suvival

Purpose : SARS-CoV2 infection affect a wide range of tissues in the human body. Viral presence has been reported in the ocular environment and alterations in the retina by Optical Coherence Tomography have been reported in COVID patients. However, it is unclear if and how retinal cells are directly affected by the virus. Using cell culture models along with pseudotyped virus, we tested the hypothesis that the presence of SARS-CoV2 negatively affects several critical functions of the retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells, and could have long-term effects on retinal health. Methods : Polarized human ARPE-19 cells and wild type iPS-RPE cells were cultured using recently published protocols from our lab. Two main steps of the viral life cycle were modeled: 1) viral entry, using lentivirus pseudotyped with SARS-CoV2 Spike protein;2) viral replication, by testing expression of SARS-CoV2 protein E and 3a, following lentiviral transduction. Cells were maintained on Trans-well filters for up to 6-weeks. Barrier function was evaluated by measuring trans-epithelial resistance (TER) and immunofluorescence labeling of tight-junction proteins. Phagocytic capacity was evaluated by testing ingestion and degradation of photoreceptor outer segments (POSs). General RPE morphology was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy. Changes in gene expression was examined by qPCR and Western Blot analysis. Results : We confirmed a previous finding that RPE cells express the receptor ACE2 and protease TMPRSS2 necessary for viral entry. Using Spike-protein pseudotyped lentivirus, we found that human RPE, but not fibroblasts, can be infected via a Spike-ACE2 mediated mechanism. This specific mechanism of viral-entry alone (as opposed to VSV-mediated entry) caused significant changes in cell physiology, including alterations in cell junction and protein trafficking. Using expression of lentiviral SARS-CoV2 components, we found that the presence of protein E induced expression of several pro-inflammatory cytokines in the RPE cell, while protein 3a activated apoptosis in the RPE cells. These data suggest that SARS-CoV2 can infect and cause serious damage to RPE function and survival. Conclusions : Damage to the RPE cells often precedes photoreceptor degeneration. Given our findings that SARS-CoV2 can cause severe damage to the function and survival of RPE cells, COVID19 patients may be at increased risk of long-term RPE pathogenesis and associated visual impairment.
Phosphorus sources, forms, and abundance as a function of streamflow and field conditions in a Maumee River tributary, 2016-2019.

Total phosphorus (TP), dissolved P (DP), and suspended sediment (SS) were sampled in Black Creek, Indiana, monthly during base flow and for 100 storm events during water years 2016-2019, enabling analysis of how each of these varied as a function of streamflow and field conditions at nested edge-of-field sites. Particulate P was normalized for SS (PSS = [TP - DP]/SS). Streamflow events were differentiated by maximum TP concentrations co-occurring with maximum SS (SED) or DP (SOL). The combination of new precipitation and high antecedent soil-water storage during months when fields were exposed coincided with higher streamflow that drove SED events. These SED events carried more SS, including sediment eroded from streambanks that added sediment P but also may have provided for sorption of DP. During SOL events, DP was higher and contributed approximately half of TP; SS was lower. These SOL events had higher PSS , more similar to that in base flow as well as composited samples of overland flow and tile-drain discharge from fields. Base-flow samples had significantly higher PSS concentrations than most event samples, with ≤25 times enrichment relative to soil P concentrations in fine-grained source material. Combining base-flow and event samples showed that PSS integrates SS, DP, and streamflow. Addition of new suspended sediment during events may provide for sorption of DP during and after events and storage in the system, delaying delivery of this P to Lake Erie relative to what would be expected for the dissolved form but adding to the legacy P stored in the stream system.
Ageing reduces the compensatory vasodilatation during hypoxic exercise: the role of nitric oxide

Non-technical summary In young healthy humans, the combination of exercise and hypoxia produces a compensatory vasodilatation to ensure the maintenance of oxygen to the active muscles. We have previously demonstrated that nitric oxide (NO) is a major factor responsible for the compensatory vasodilatation. In this paper we show that the compensatory vasodilator response to hypoxic exercise is attenuated in older adults due to less NO signalling. These findings provide important information on the impact of ageing and the role of NO in the regulation of skeletal muscle blood flow during conditions of reduced oxygen availability.
Electronic desensitization of resonators to accelerations

A compensation technique to electronically reduce the acceleration sensitivity, gamma, in crystal resonators is presented. Tests performed on both bulk acoustic wave (BAW) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators are described. For devices where the mode shape would not be expected to change very much with frequency adjustment, e.g. SAW delay lines, changes in the sensitivity coefficient are minimal. Some representative examples of the SAW devices tested are shown. A portion of the change in the gamma coefficient is shown to be a structure resonance, but the mode shape change is large. A twenty-fold improvement in gamma with electronic tuning is shown. It is possible to design resonators of each type so that the mode shape is more sensitive to frequency offsets to maximize the effect. >
Sex and the City: The Effect of Representational Gender on Agenda Setting, Policy Process, and Policy Outcomes

Research has demonstrated that, at Congressional and State levels, the gender of a representative has a concrete and significant effect on the policy priorities of the representative. However, at the local level, there is little evidence of a gender effect. Using survey data from municipal leaders in U.S. cities, I find that the gender of a representative seems to have no direct effect on the issue priorities or work of representatives. I then develop and test a measure of gender consciousness, suggesting that it an awareness of what being a woman means – not just being a women – that produces gender differences. I find that possessing a gender consciousness has a significant effect on policy priorities and work, with those with a gender consciousness more likely to value and work on issues relating to education, affordable housing, and welfare, and are less likely to value economic development policies.
Porous Silicon Particles for Imaging and Therapy of Cancer

The sections in this article are Introduction Porous Silicon Microfabrication Characterization Gravimetry Spectroscopic Ellipsometry X-Ray Diffraction Nitrogen Adsorption Sample Preparation for Electron Microscopy: Sectioning Sample Preparation Nanovectors for the Delivery of Therapeutics Biocompatibility and Biodegradation Drug Loading and Quantification of Drug Load Nanovectors for the Delivery of Therapeutics Towards a Multi-Stage Drug Delivery System Cellular Uptake of pSi Particles Tumor Microenvironment Effect of Microparticle Shape on Margination Effect of Microparticle Size on Cellular Uptake Effect of Surface Modification on pSi Particle Uptake Serum Opsonization Inhibits Uptake of Oxidized pSi Microparticles Cancer Imaging Conclusions Keywords: silicon; porous; microparticles; nanoparticles; drug; delivery
Regulation of Pectate Lyase Synthesis in Pseudomonas fluorescens and Erwinia carotovora

Inducible synthesis of extracellular pectate lyase occurs in Erwinia carotovora, a bacterial soft-rot pathogen of plants, and, to a lesser extent, in a nonpathogenic isolate of Pseudomonas fluorescens. A combination of pectin and a heat-labile factor in fresh potato tissue or acetone powders of the tissue provided the best carbon source for induction. Yields of inducible pectate lyase were much greater than those usually reported. The pathogen, but not the saprophyte, produced a small amount of constitutive enzyme when grown on glucose. The relatively low level or absence of constitutive synthesis in these bacteria did not result from catabolite repression. Attempts were made to relieve any existing catabolite repression by restricting growth through slow feeding of glucose or by growing the organisms on glycerol. These conditions did not significantly alter the differential rate of lyase synthesis compared with changes observed in the presence of inducers. Previous growth history did not affect induction in the pathogen. However, P. fluorescens previously cultured on glucose required 10 to 20 generations of growth on inducing medium before appreciable lyase synthesis occurred. Differences between the pathogen and nonpathogen suggest that regulation of pectate lyase synthesis is related to pathogenicity of soft-rot bacteria.
Design Specification Tools

Chapter 2 discussed specification formats that can be used to communicate information to both users and technical development personnel. Chapter 3 focused on the specific tools to create the logical equivalent. A diagram was used to show how an architect created a drawing for the user and a blueprint for the builder. This example was expanded to relate to the analyst:
Singularities in the optical response of cuprates.

We argue that the detailed analysis of the optical response in cuprate superconductors allows one to verify the magnetic scenario of superconductivity in cuprates. As for strong coupling charge carriers to antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, the second derivative of optical conductivity should contain detectable singularities at 2{Delta}+{Delta}{sub spin}, 4{Delta}, and 2{Delta}+2{Delta}{sub spin}, where {Delta} is the amplitude of the superconducting gap, and {Delta}{sub s} is the resonance energy of spin fluctuations measured in neutron scattering. We argue that there is a good chance that these singularities have already been detected in the experiments on optimally doped Y-Ba-Cu-O.
CONTROL ASPECTS OF A THEORETICAL MODEL FOR EPILEPTIC SEIZURES

We discuss the key features of theoretical models of networks of coupled chaotic oscillators that produce seizure-like events and bear striking similarities to dynamics of epileptic seizures. Our long-term objective is to understand the basic functional mechanisms that can produce seizures and may ultimately lead to strategies for seizure suppression and control. We show that, from a dynamical systems point of view, a plausible cause of seizures is a pathological feedback in the brain circuitry. This suggests new seizure control approaches, as well as systematic methods to tune existing ones. While the suggested models and control approaches are far from being considered optimal for epileptic seizures, they have interesting physical interpretation and implications for treatments of epilepsy. They also have close ties with a variety of recent practical observations in the human and animal epileptic brain, and with theories from adaptive systems, optimization and chaos.
A Successive Underestimation Method for Concave Minimization Problems

A new method designed to globally minimize concave functions over linear polyhedra is described. Properties of the method are discussed, an example problem is solved, and computational considerations are discussed.
Synthesis of cell-permeable stapled BH3 peptide-based Mcl-1 inhibitors containing simple aryl and vinylaryl cross-linkers

We report the synthesis of a series of distance-matching aryl and vinylaryl cross-linkers for constructing stapled peptides containing cysteines at i,i+7 positions. Langevin dynamics simulation studies helped to classify these cross-linkers into two categories: the rigid cross-linkers with narrower S-S distance distribution and the flexible cross-linkers with wider S-S distance distribution. The stapled Noxa BH3 peptides with the flexible distance-matching cross-linkers gave the highest degree of helicity as well as the most potent inhibitory activity against Mcl-1. However, the stapled peptides with the highest hydrophobicity showed the most efficient cellular uptake. Together, this work illustrates the divergent nature of binding affinity and cellular uptake, and the vital importance of choosing appropriate cross-linkers in constructing stapled peptides with the drug-like properties.
Method for the simultaneous determination of cadmium and zinc in whole blood by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and measurement in normotensive and hypertensive humans.

Abstract A method is described for the analysis of whole blood cadmium and zinc by extraction and atomic absorption spectrophotometry, in which cadmium is analyzed using a graphite furnace, and zinc using an air-acetylene flame with a single slot burner, after dilution of the extract. Recoveries for cadmium and zinc were 100% and 106%, respectively. For cadmium the day-to-day and within-run coefficients of variation were all less than 13% at low concentrations (∼ 27 nmol/l) and 6% or less at high concentrations (∼ 89 nmol/l). For zinc the coefficients of variation for day-to-day and within-run analyses were less than 6% at low (∼ 76 μmol/l) and high concentrations (∼ 138 μmol/l). The sensitivity of the procedure is 0.5 nmol/l for cadmium and 1.2 μmol/l for zinc. Whole blood from 72 normotensive volunteers, 56 treated hypertensives, and 15 untreated hypertensives were analyzed using this method. Cadmium levels were elevated in smokers but not significantly affected by age or sex. Zinc levels were higher in males than in females, but not significantly affected by smoking. Levels of cadmium and zinc were increased in treated hypertensives and greater still in untreated hypertensives. Significant elevations were found for cadmium in treated hypertensive females who smoked, treated and untreated hypertensive male non-smokers, and for the cadmium to zinc ratio in these latter two groups.
Synthesis of daunosamine-containing disaccharides

Abstract Treatment of 2,3,6-trideoxy-1,4-di- O -( p -nitrobenzoyl)-3-(trifluoroacetamido)- l - lyxo -hexopyranose ( 1 ) with benzyl 2,3-dideoxy- d - glycero -pentopyranoside and p -toluenesulfonic acid gave a mixture of benzyl 2,3,6-trideoxy-4- O - p -nitrobenzoyl-3- (trifluoroacetamido)- l - lyxo -hexopyranoside (49%) and benzyl 2,3-dideoxy-4- O -[2,3,6-trideoxy-4- O -( p -nitrobenzoyl)-3-(trifluoroacetamido)-α- l - lyxo -hexopyranosyl]- d - glycero -pentopyranoside ( 4 , 20 %). The structure of the disaccharide 4 was confirmed by a detailed, mass-spectrometric analysis in three modes, namely, negative- and positive-ion, chemical ionization, and electron impact. Similar treatment of the bis( p -nitrobenzoate) 1 with ethyl 2,3-dideoxy- d - glycero -pentopyranoside gave the ethyl glycoside and the desired disaccharide, showing that the transglycosylation is not restricted to benzyl glycosides. Removal of the p -nitrobenzoyl and the benzyl groups from 4 gave the disaccharide 2,3-dideoxy-4- O -(2,3,6-trideoxy-3-trifluoroacetamido-α- l - lyxo -hexopyranosyl)- d - glycero -pentopyranose.
Effect of Mutual Positions of Individual Contacts on the Overall Resistance and Elastic stiffness of a Cluster of Contacts

The paper provides statistical analysis on the effect of mutual positions of individual contacts on the overall resistance and incremental elastic stiffness of a cluster of contacts. We consider an example of a cluster with 76 contact spots of the same radii. The regular lattice of the contacts is compared with the perturbed ones (random clusters). The constriction resistance is determined as a sum of self resistance of the individual contacts and interactions between them. It is shown that the effect of perturbations is very small and, therefore, the mean distance between the centers of individual contacts can be used to estimate the overall cluster resistance. Using elasticity-conductivity cross-property connections, this result is transferred to the incremental elastic stiffness of the cluster. Thus, we established a correspondence between cluster of regular structure and cluster of randomly located contacts. The geometrical parameters governing elastic compliance and spreading resistance of the clusters are number of contact spots and the average distance between individual contacts.
SU‐EE‐A3‐02: Imaging Guided Frameless Stereotactic RadioSurgery Using CBCT 6D Image Registration and 6D Couch On Novalis Tx™ System

Purpose: To investigate localization accuracy for image‐guided frameless stereotactic‐radiosurgery (IG‐SRS) using CBCT 6D image registration and 6D‐couch on Novalis Tx system. Method and Materials: Novalis Tx system is a powerful radiosurgery system featuring BrainLAB 6D‐couch and Varian CBCT. In this work, we performed phantom and patient studies to investigate IG‐SRS with CBCT 6D guidance. In phantom studies, a head phantom was positioned on couch, scanned with CBCT, and matched with planning CT using 6D image registration. Matching results were used to test accuracy of CBCT 6D/6D match for correcting translational and rotational setup errors. In patient studies, 10 intracranial SRS cases were randomly selected. Patients were initially positioned with BrainLAB mask system with target‐positioning‐overlays (TAPO). Patients were then scanned with CBCT, and positions were adjusted based on CBCT. Discrepancies between CBCT 3D/3D match and 6D/6D match were quantitatively analyzed. Results: Phantom experiments showed that translational discrepancies in root‐mean‐square (RMS) were 0.39, 0.23, and 0.36mm along lateral, longitudinal, and vertical directions. Rotational discrepancies in RMS were 0.38°, 0.19°, and 0.22° in pitch, roll, yaw, respectively. In retrospective patient studies, setup displacements measured in RMS between BrainLAB TAPO and CBCT 6D/6D match were upto 2.5mm translationally and 1.0° rotationally. If positioning was corrected using CBCT 3D/3D match, translational discrepancies in RMS were <0.5mm except 0.71mm in vertical, and rotational displacements in RMS were 0.67°, 0.88° and 0.22° in pitch, roll, yaw, as compared with CBCT 6D/6D match. CBCT guided 6D correction was performed in two cases to achieve necessary positioning accuracy. After 6D adjustments, translational and rotational displacements of upto 4mm and 0.9° were measured in CBCT 6D/6D match were fully corrected using 6D‐couch. Conclusion:CBCT 6D/6D match offers unprecedented view to verify patient positioning in both translations and rotations. Combined with 6D‐couch, translational and rotational setup errors can be effectively minimized.
Insulin, Intact and Split Proinsulin, and Coronary Artery Disease in Young Men

Background Glucose intolerance and hyperinsulinemia are common disturbances in nondiabetic men with premature coronary artery disease (CAD). To investigate the relation between insulin-like molecules and severity of coronary atherosclerosis, 62 consecutive nondiabetic men presenting with a first myocardial infarction before the age of 45 were studied along with 41 healthy, age-matched, male, population-based control subjects. Methods and Results Specific two-site immunoradiometric assays were used to distinguish intact proinsulin, (des 31,32)proinsulin, and “true” insulin in fasting plasma and during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Global coronary atherosclerosis and number and severity of distinct stenoses were determined in the patients in 15 proximal coronary arterial segments by use of separate semiquantitative classification systems. The patients had a two- to threefold increase in insulin and insulin propeptide concentrations in the fasting state as well as during the OGTT. Severity of corona...
Comparative studies in biochemical composition of benthic invertebrates (bivalves, ophiuroids) from the Northeast Water (NEW) Polynya

Two species of ophiuroids (Ophiopleura borealis and Ophiacanthabidentata) and bivalves (Astarte crenata and Arctinulagroenlandica) were collected within and adjacent to the Northeast Water Polynya off the northeast coast of Greenland, and analyzed for total moisture, protein, lipid, and ash content. Body composition varied significantly among stations within species. Lipid and protein contents of Astarte crenata were higher in clams collected from the eastern Westwind Trough stations compared to those collected from the western Westwind Trough stations. However, the mean lipid and protein contents were significantly higher in Ophiopleura borealis sampled from the western Westwind Trough compared to the eastern Westwind Trough. Ophiopleura borealis are mobile deposit feeders and scavengers and may not be as directly dependent on sedimentary biogenic material as Astarte crenata and Ophiacanthabidentata. Samples of both Ophiopleura borealis and Ophiacantha bidentata from the Belgica Trough had lower protein and lipid contents compared to those sampled in the western Westwind Trough. Samples of Arctinula groenlandica from two locations on the Ob Bank had significantly different protein levels from each other. These data support previous work, indicating that biogenic materials resulting from primary production in the ice-free western area of the Northeast Water Polynya are advected eastward down the western Westwind Trough and that the Belgica Trough has lower organic input compared to the Westwind Trough.
β-Crystallins of the adult chicken lens: Relatedness of the polypeptides and their aggregates

Abstract β-Crystallins, the major class of polymeric soluble proteins in the mature lens, were isolated from one-year-old chickens by Sephadex G200 chromatography and identified by immunodiffusion. The β-crystallin polypeptides were resolved into six components with molecular weights near 35 K, 29 K, 26 K, 24 K, 20 K and 19 K by SDS-urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The β-crystallins eluting later from the column contained relatively less of the 35 K polypeptides. Two-dimensional tryptic fingerprints of iodinated peptides indicated that the β-crystallin polypeptides had related primary structures, although some differences in the peptide maps were evident. Isoelectric focusing of undissociated β-crystallins in a sucrose density gradient resolved four major forms with isoelectric points of 4·6, 6·0, 6·4 and 6·6. Preparative isoelectric focusing proved to be an effective method for purification of these proteins. SDS-urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that each of the major isoelectric forms of β-crystallin had a characteristic combination of polypeptides. The 35 K and 29 K polypeptides were present only in the most acidic β-crystallins. Finally, circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that, despite their different polypeptide compositions, the four β-crystallins had similar secondary and tertiary conformations.
A Hierarchical Framework for Secure and Scalable EHR Sharing and Access Control in Multi-cloud

Nowadays Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is a preferred method to store patients' health records. The emergence of cloud computing services provides users with flexible access, large storage capability and low costs, which motivate EHR maintainers to consider migrating EHR data from their own storage to the cloud. However, securing EHRs in cloud is a major challenge. Several security properties need to be satisfied, such as data privacy, fine-grained access control and scalable access between different clouds. In this paper, we propose a secure and scalable framework for EHR data sharing which combines Identity-based Encryption and Attribute-based Encryption together to enforce access control policies. Through this framework a fine-grained access control scheme on EHR can be enforced and scalable access between different clouds is enabled. We also propose a novel design to address the problem of improper data access caused by a user with multiple roles and access rights to an EHR.
Laptops with Wireless Internet Access for Patients and Families

Patients can often feel isolated from friends and family during their stay in the hospital. This article describes a project that provides laptops with wireless Internet access for patients to use e-mail and search the Web. The Bronson Methodist Hospital Health Sciences Library, IT department, and Pediatric unit collaborated on a project to provide wireless laptop computers to patients and families. The project included a survey to determine if the computer and Internet access made a difference to a patient's hospital stay.
Quantitative Assessment of Right Ventricular Volumes and Ejection Fraction in Patients with Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction by Real Time Three-Dimensional Echocardiography versus Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Aims The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy and reproducibility of real time three-dimensional echocardiographic (RT3DE) for the determination of right ventricular (RV) volumes and function in patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. Methods and Results Dedicated RT3DE was prospectively performed to assess RV volumes and EF in patients with LV systolic function identified on routine clinical cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. RV end-diastolic volume (RV EDV), RV end-systolic volume (RV ESV), and RV EF were obtained using an offline analysis software (TomTec) by two observers blinded to CMR results. In this population of 27 patients with LV systolic dysfunction with a mean LV EF of 36 ± 12%, RV RT3DE dataset could be assessed in 27 of 30 patients (90%). High correlation was noted between RT3DE and CMR for RV EDV, ESV, and EF (r = 0.90, 0.89, and 0.77, respectively). RV EDV was lower by RT3DE as compared to CMR (129 ± 52 vs. 142 ± 53 mL, P = 0.005) while there was no significant difference in RV ESV and RV EF (71 ± 37 vs. 77 ± 45 mL, P = 0.146; 45 ± 11 vs. 48 ± 13%, P = 0.134, respectively). The intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.94 to 0.94 between measurements and from 0.84 to 0.96 between observers. Conclusion Overall, RV volumes and EF assessed by RT3DE correlate well with CMR measurements in patients with LV dysfunction. RT3DE may be used as a more widely available and versatile alternative to CMR for the quantitative assessment of RV size and function in patients with LV dysfunction.
Multilayer Optics under CHESS A2 Wiggler Beam

The CHESS A-line 49 pole wiggler produces a total power of 6.6 kW when operating at 5.3 GeV and 200 mA current. Half of this beam is directed into the A2 station operating with both crystal and multilayer optics. The heat load response of the multilayer optics was studied by changing the total power deposited on the first multilayer by varying the slit size. The W/B4C, 300 bi-layers, d=15 A multilayers with the energy resolution of ΔE/E=0.5% were used in our experiment. The results from identical multilayers deposited on Si and SiC substrates, which differ by a factor of two in thermal conductivity, are presented and compared. The thermal distortions of the first multilayer were measured by using recently developed optical in-situ visualization technique and compared with ANSYS simulations. X-ray measurements of the monochromator throughput and effective source size confirm the results of the optical measurements and ANSYS simulations and demonstrate the superior behavior of SiC-substrate based ML optics under high heat load.
Anti-foundation and self-reference

This note argues against Barwise and Etchemendy's claim that their semantics for self-reference requires use of Aczel's anti-foundational set theory, AFA, and that any alternative “would involve us in complexities of considerable magnitude, ones irrelevant to the task at hand” (The Liar, p. 35).
A systems framework for safety and security: The holistic paradigm

New discoveries coupled with the incessant desire to improve performance and reduce cost of products and services tend to encourage the deployment of novel technologies, which are often more complex in nature than their earlier counterparts. However, recent experience bears witness to the need for better vision and foresight in appreciation of the detrimental aspects alongside seemingly beneficial and rewarding facets of modern systems, processes, and products. Among many aspects to the performance of systems, safety is a human-focused and complex socio-technical issue. The classical view of safety is largely biased towards the causality of hazardous states and failure of products, processes, and systems, often taking a narrow technical reliability perspective in place of sensitivity to human dimension. Later philosophies have advocated the extension of failure-based approaches to take into account assessment of likely accidents and consequent harm to people. Against this setting, security, which is a major and more recent concern, is analogous to safety, differing mainly in malicious intent and deliberate causation rather than unplanned random or systematic causes. This paper proposes a new paradigm for holistic systems assurance, of which safety performance and security/vulnerability are key aspects. While principally focused on safety assurance, the proposed paradigm is broadly applicable to any facet of a system's performance and goes beyond the current horizons of systems safety landscape. It develops and proposes a more inclusive approach and extension of current systems safety domain, comprising scope and issues beyond accident causation and consequential loss. It further advocates a more extensive view of loss, encompassing harm to people and damage to the natural habitat as well as detriment to a business enterprise or society at large. References to safety assurance in this paper are synonymous with ensuring health, safety, and welfare of people. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 7: 99–112, 2004
In Situ Stress Measurements During GaN Growth on Ion-Implanted AlN/Si Substrates

In situ wafer curvature measurements were used in combination with postgrowth structural characterization to study the evolution of film stress and microstructure in GaN layers grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on N+ ion-implanted AlN/Si (111) substrates. The results were compared with growth on identical unimplanted substrates. In situ stress measurements revealed that, for the unimplanted sample, the GaN initiated growth under compressive stress of −1.41 GPa which arose due to lattice mismatch with the AlN buffer layer. In contrast, GaN growth on the ion-implanted sample began at lower compressive stress of −0.84 GPa, suggesting a reduction in epitaxial stress. In both cases, the compressive growth stress was fully relaxed after ~0.7 μm and minimal tensile stress was generated during growth. During post-growth cooling, tensile stress was introduced in the GaN layer of both samples due to thermal expansion mismatch. Post-growth optical microscopy characterization, however, demonstrated that the ion-implanted sample had lower density of channeling cracks compared with the unimplanted sample. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy images of the sample grown on ion-implanted Si with no post-implantation nitrogen annealing revealed the formation of horizontal cracks in the implanted region beneath the AlN buffer layer. The weakened layer acts to decouple the GaN film from the Si substrate and thereby reduces the density of channeling cracks in the film after growth.
Application of Floquet Theory to On-Off Valve Controlled Pneumatic Actuators

A periodic linear time varying (LTV) model for on-off valve controlled pneumatic actuation systems, was described in an earlier paper by the authors. Based on this LTV model formulation, Floquet’s Theorem is invoked to characterize dynamic response of the system. A new computational technique called the expanded state space method is developed to calculate the frequency response of the LTV system with staircase coefficient variations. This technique is computationally superior to the straightforward solution scheme. Floquet Theory is also used to assess the nature of transient response. A single acting cylinder system controlled by an on-off valve is considered to illustrate the stability and transient response issues. Computer simulation based on the nonlinear model is used to obtain detailed results. It is shown that application of the Floquet Theory provides valuable insight into the dynamic response of the class of actuators considered.
Characterization of CYP1A enzyme in Adélie penguin liver.

As CYP1A enzymes are induced by certain contaminants, their induction pattern has been used as a biomarker for exposure of certain pollutants. Ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activities are widely used in environmental assessments of polychlorinated biphenyls in many wildlife species. The EROD activity, a typical probe for CYP1A enzyme was studied in liver microsomes prepared from Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) (n=10). Penguin liver microsomes (0.5 mg/mL) were incubated with the substrate ethoxyresorufin and NADPH at 37 degrees C for 10 min, and the reaction was terminated by addition of methanol. The formation of the metabolite resorufin was assayed by an HPLC method. EROD activity was present in all liver samples studied. Penguin liver microsomal fraction exhibits typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics in the O-deethylation of ethoxyresorufin. The data were best described by a biphasic kinetic model, which could be interpreted in terms of two populations of CYP enzyme. Mean (+/-S.D.) K(m) values for high- and low-affinity components of EROD were 51+/-109 (range: 0.16 to 358) and 872+/-703 (range: 303 to 2450) nM, respectively. The corresponding mean V(max) values for the high- and low-affinity enzyme activities were 1.8+/-1.4 (range: 0.21 to 5.1) and 9.6+/-3.7 (range: 6.0 to 18.3) pmol/min/mg. The EROD activity in penguin liver microsomes was inhibited by CYP1A inhibitors (phenacetin, 7-ethoxycoumarin and proportional variant-naphthoflavone), whereas other CYP inhibitors for CYP2C9 (tolbutamide), 2C19 (mephenytoin), 2D6 (debrisoquin) and 2E1 (diethyldithiocarbamate) had no effect. These results suggest that CYP1A-like enzymes are present in penguin livers. The activity of this enzyme may be a useful biomarker for assessing the environmental impact of pollutants on Antarctic wildlife.
Human Endothelial Cell Presentation of Antigen and the Homing of Memory/Effector T Cells to Skin

Dermal microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) form a continuous lining that normally bars blood-borne T lymphocytes from entering the skin, but as part of the response to foreign antigen, dermal ECs undergo alterations in their surface proteins so as to provide signals to circulating T cells that lead to their activation and recruitment. Several observations suggest that human dermal microvascular ECs may help initiate cutaneous immune reactions by presentation of cognate antigens to circulating T memory cells: (1) antigen-specific inflammatory responses in the skin, as in other organs, involve accumulation of memory and effector T cell populations that are enriched in cells specific for the eliciting antigen; (2) recall responses to intradermal protein antigens in the skin start very rapidly within two hours of challenge; (3) dermal microvascular ECs in humans and other large mammals basally display high levels of class I and class II MHC molecules, the only known purpose of which is to present antigenic peptides to lymphocytes; (4) the lumen of dermal capillaries are narrower than the diameter of circulating T cells, ensuring surface contact; and (5) cultured human ECs effectively present antigens to resting memory T cells isolated from the circulation. Upon contact with activated T cells or their secreted products (cytokines), dermal ECs themselves become activated, increasing their capacity to recruit memory and effector T cell populations in an antigen-independent manner. Specifically, activated ECs express inducible leukocyte adhesion molecules such as E-selectin, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1; and several lines of evidence, including neutralizing antibody experiments and gene knockouts, have supported a role of these molecules in T cell recruitment. Dermal ECs have unique expression patterns of adhesion molecules that can determine the subsets of memory T cells that are recruited into the skin. For example, slow internalization of E-selectin allows more persistent expression of this protein on the surface of dermal ECs, favoring interactions with CLA-1+ T cells. VCAM-1 expression, normally confined to venular EC may extend to capillaries within the dermal papillae and contribute to epidermal inflammation, recruiting alpha4beta7 integrin-expressing T cells that also express the cadherin-binding integrin alphaEbeta7. New models involving transplantation of normal and genetically modified human dermal ECs into immunodeficient mice may be used to further explore these properties.