cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Applications of entity-relationship model to picture description

The concepts of entity-relationship diagram have been applied to picture description. Primitive picture entities, picture relationships, and picture grammars are presented with illustrative examples. A high-level description of a two-level picture generation system is proposed using either string description or ER diagram description. Illustrative examples are also given. The advantages of ER diagram description together with its comparison to string description are also presented. The results may have useful applications in robotics, artificial intelligence, expert systems, picture processing, pattern recognition, knowledge engineering and pictorial database design.
Will warfarin ever be replaced

Arterial and venous thromboembolism account for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Warfarin, and other vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), have been the only class of oral anticoagulants currently in clinical use and have been so for over 50 years. Although warfarin is effective in preventing thromboembolism, its use is limited by its narrow therapeutic index that necessitates frequent monitoring and dose adjustments resulting in considerable inconvenience to patients and clinicians. There are now several orally administered anticoagulants in late stages of clinical development that may offer effective, safer, and more convenient anticoagulation. This review summarizes and compares data on novel anticoagulants in the prophylaxis and treatment of venous thromboembolism, acute coronary syndromes, and the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Muscle-sparing extrapleural approach for the repair of aortic coarctation.

Background This paper describes a muscle-sparing, extrapleural approach to repair aortic coarctation, and evaluates the results with established standards. Methods Forty consecutive patients with aortic coarctation (median age, 8 days; weight, 3.3 kg) were approached with a less invasive technique consisting of a short posterior thoracotomy, with only minimal (24 patients) or no (16 patients) division of thoracic wall muscles and a subperiosteal-extrapleural approach. Extended resection of the coarctation with enlargement of the distal aortic arch was performed in all patients. The median cross-clamp and operative times were 22 and 90 minutes, respectively. Results The repair was possible in all patients without needing conversion. There was no intraoperative or postoperative related complication. Two patients died early of low cardiac output as a result of ventricular fibroelastosis and respiratory failure. One patient died late of unrelated cause. The perioperative mean gradients across the neoarch were less than 5 mm Hg in all but 3 patients with proximal (2 patients) or mid arch (1) stenosis. The median ventilation time, intensive care unit stay, and hospital stay in isolated coarctation repairs was 2, 4.5, and 11 days, respectively. One patient had a recurrent stenosis at the site of surgical repair. Two patients underwent successful balloon dilatation, and 2 had surgical enlargement plasty of the proximal aortic arch at the time of intracardiac repair. None of the patients required chronic antihypertensive medication. At 29 months, freedom from reintervention on the isthmus and arch plus isthmus was 97.1% and 89.7%, respectively. Conclusions A muscle-sparing, extrapleural approach for the repair of aortic coarctation is possible and provides results similar to conventional techniques. The approach reduces postoperative morbidity related to division of thoracic wall muscles and handling of the lung, restores a normal intercostal space, and produces superior cosmetic results, while at the same time leading to early and permanent relief of proximal hypertension.
Locke's Case for Religious Toleration: Its Neglected Foundation in the Essay Concerning Human Understanding

Although the Essay Concerning Human Understanding is considered Locke's magnum opus, its relation to his political philosophy has been a perennial puzzle for scholars. Scholars have typically focused on the question of Locke's natural law doctrine in the Essay and the Two Treatises. This article takes a different approach to uncovering the political significance of the Essay by relating the theological importance of its epistemology to Locke's doctrine of religious toleration as found in the Letter Concerning Toleration. Crucial arguments supporting Locke's case for religious toleration are to be found, not in the Letter, but in the Essay, which seeks to elevate a limited but relatively uncontroversial natural theology above the disputed uncertainties inherent to revealed theology. Though not on the surface a political work, the Essay is fundamental to Locke's political theology of toleration.
Ischemic and nephrotoxic acute renal failure are distinguished by their broad transcriptomic responses

Acute renal failure (ARF) has a high morbidity and mortality. In animal ARF models, effective treatments must be administered before or shortly after the insult, limiting their clinical potential. ...
Antifungal activity of amphotericin B, fluconazole, and voriconazole in an in vitro model of Candida catheter-related bloodstream infection

The activity of five simulated antifungal regimens for eradication of catheter-related bloodstream Candida infection was evaluated with an in vitro pharmacodynamic model. Single-lumen central venous catheters were colonized with Candida species by sequentially incubating central venous catheters in plasma and then in growth medium (RPMI plus morpholinepropanesulfonic acid) containing a standardized suspension (105 CFU/ml) of Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, or slime-producing Candida parapsilosis. Colonized central venous catheters were then placed in a one-compartment pharmacodynamic model where five antifungal regimens (plus control) were simulated: amphotericin B, 1.0 mg/kg every 24 h; amphotericin B, 0.5 mg/kg every 24 h; fluconazole, 400 mg every 24 h; fluconazole, 800 mg every 24 h; and voriconazole, 4 mg/kg every 12 h. During exposure to the simulated clinical regimens, samples were serially removed from the model over 48 h for quantitation of viable organisms. All antifungal regimens suppressed fungal counts by both peripheral and catheter sampling versus control (P = 0.001). Overall, antifungal activity ranked amphotericin B (1 mg/kg) > amphotericin B (0.5 mg/kg) ≥ voriconazole > fluconazole (800 mg) ≥ fluconazole (400 mg). No regimen, however, completely eradicated (by culture and electron microscopy) central venous catheter colonization. Regrowth was noted in the model during therapy against C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis but was not associated with an increase in the MICs for the isolates. Lack of in vitro antifungal activity against biofilm-encased organisms appeared to be the primary reason for mycological failure of antifungal regimens in the model.
Fabrication and absorption intensity analyses of Er2O3 nanoparticles suspended in polymethyl methacrylate

Nanoparticles suspended in polymeric host materials are found to have tremendous potential for vari- ous photonic and biological applications due to their unique material properties. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is known to be one of the best vinyl polymers owing to its excellent dimensional quality, weather resist- ance, easiness of synthesis, resistance to laser damage, and high mechanical strength. In this article, we describe a methodology to fabricate thin discs of nanocrystalline er- bium oxide (Er2O3) suspended in PMMA (Er2O3/PMMA). The optical transparency of PMMA was confirmed in the ultraviolet, visible, and the near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, making it possible to observe only the Er2O3 spectra over the wavelength investigated. The room-temperature absorption spectrum of Er2O3/ PMMA has been taken in the 400 to 820 nm wavelength region. Analysis of the spectrum reveals a consistent agree- ment between our experimental data and those reported earlier for Er 3þ in nanocrystalline Er 3þ :Y 2O3. A solid solu- tion exists between Er2O3 and Er 3þ :Y 2O3 in terms of their physical properties. Therefore, our experimental results conclude that the presence of PMMA does not significantly alter the crystal symmetry as well as the co-ordination environment of the Er 3þ ions in Er2O3. Our results also emphasize that the Er2O3/PMMA may have future possi- bilities for numerous technological applications. V C 2011
Social and Developmental Influences on Reproductive Function in Female Wied's Black Tufted-Ear Marmosets (Callithrix kuhli)

Although marmoset social groups may contain multiple adult females, reproduction is typically limited to one breeding female. A variety of endocrine and behavioral mechanisms have been identified that regulate fertility among female marmosets. In the present study, we assessed the mechanism(s) by which fertility is regulated in female black tufted-ear marmosets,Callithrix kuhli.The reproductive status of 10 daughters aged 2-24 months was evaluated by measuring concentrations of urinary pregnane-diol 3α glucuronide (PdG) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Concentrations of the two hormones were typically low in daughters less than 12 months of age, and the profiles suggested anovulation (mean PdG < 2 μg/mg Cr and mean LH < 6 ng/mg Cr). Concentrations of PdG rose dramatically in females older than 12 months. Eight subadult daughters commenced ovulatory function while still living with their family, and the remaining two failed to ovulate. The onset of ovarian function coincided with a change in the social environment in two females, but the remaining six females commenced spontaneous ovarian activity that was not associated with any social or environmental factor (mean age: 15.6 ± 1.6 months). Ovulatory function was monitored in five daughters while housed in their natal family group, while removed from the natal family group and housed singly, and while paired with an unrelated and unfamiliar male. The ovarian cycles of these females housed in the natal group were characterized by significantly shorter luteal phases and reduced PdG concentrations, relative to when the females were housed on their own, and relative to adult breeding females (n= 6). Stimulatory cues from unfamiliar males were not necessary to trigger regular ovarian function in females. In this species, the regulation of fertility in daughters is a complex combination of behavioral and endocrine factors.
The interpretation of the b and the b0 values and its implications on the regional deformation of the crust

Summary After reviewing the model and the interpretation of the negative power laws which represent the statistical distributions of the linear dimension of faults l and of the stress drops p of the earthquakes, it is seen that the γ coefficient of the law log M0=ω+γM increases with M for smaller M. It is verified that the parameters l and p of California earthquakes are independent and also it is suggested that one may consider a fractal dimension of earthquakes associated with p. It is shown how these statistical distributions may allow distribution of slips in the seismic regions to be inferred where all the slips occur approximately in the same horizontal direction. From the density distribution of the length of the faults it is found that in California 50 per cent of the regional displacement is due to the faults with linear lengths larger than 63 per cent of the maximum linear length of the faults. Similar results are obtained using the seismic moment M0 or the magnitude M instead of l; in these cases, however, the density distribution of p is also needed for the exact computation of the displacement. Assuming that in California the regional displacement has been 5 cm yr−1, as measured with ground observations and space techniques, it is tentatively estimated that the displacement due to earthquakes with M0 larger than 1027.1, may be as large as 4.2 cm yr−1 and that a cumulative displacement of at least 170 cm, due to earthquakes with M0 larger than 1027.1, may have not been released since the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It is finally discussed how the variation in the density distribution of stress drops may be a precursor to earthquakes.
A radio-frequency CMOS active inductor and its application in designing high-Q filters

An all-transistor CMOS active inductor with a self-resonance frequency f/sub R/=5.7 GHz is presented. Large f/sub R/ is achieved by forming an all-NMOS signal path. The measured quality factor, Q, is as high as 665, but Q can be infinite theoretically. Both f/sub R/ and Q are tunable via biasing and on-chip varactors. As an example for using the active inductor, a high-Q bandpass filter for radio-frequency applications is designed. The inductor circuit was implemented in TSMC 0.18-/spl mu/m standard digital CMOS technology and occupies an area of 26.6 /spl mu/m/spl times/30 /spl mu/m including double guardrings. For a supply voltage of 1.8 V, the circuit consumes 4.4 mW, and IIP3 is measured at V/sub pp/=270 mV.
Food perception and neurocorrelates of evoked brain activity (1040.3)

Implicit association tests (IAT’s) have been used in a variety of paradigms to assess processing of information, typically by pairing images or words with compatible or incompatible matching words....
Speaking for Another

An eminent philosopher was once asked why he bothers with faculty governance instead of spending his time exclusively on matters of philosophic substance. “I started reflecting on attitude reports and the attendant puzzles over 40 years ago,” he replied, “and I’m still thinking. At the end of a long day working on Academic Senate matters, it’s sometimes the case that we have improved significantly the lives of faculty members.” David Kaplan, the hero of this saga, was also known to have said that, in connection with those same puzzles, “a new idea is needed.”
Tragelaphus angasi (Nyala)

Skin biopsies of one male and one female were kindly provided by Dr. H. Heck, Catskill Game Farm, Catskill, New York, USA. The male had 55 chromosomes and the female, 56. Autoradiographic data (1) revealed that most chromosomes replicate synchronously except one member of the longest acrocentric pair, which possesses a short second arm. The paracentric regions and the short arm of this particular chromosome are late replicating. This chromosome was found in all cells of this male but was absent in the female cells. This chromosome may represent a) the fused X-Y or b) a fusion product between one sex chromosome and one autosome and c) a fusion product between two different autosomes. No other features allow recognition of the sex elements in the male. Autoradiograph with tritiated thymidine may be able to identify the X chromosome in female cells, but this has not been done. Furthermore, it is not known whether the single male specimen was an anomaly or the 2n=55 situation is typical for this species.
Performance of 2-Dimensional Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography in Liver Fibrosis Detection Using Magnetic Resonance Elastography as the Reference Standard: A Pilot Study.

Objectives To investigate the correlation between 2-dimensional (2D) ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) in liver stiffness measurement and the diagnostic performance of 2D SWE for liver fibrosis when imaging from different intercostal spaces and using MRE as the reference standard. Methods Two-dimensional SWE was performed on 47 patients. One patient was excluded from the study. Each of the remaining 46 patients underwent same-day MRE for clinical purposes. The study was compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and approved by the Institutional Review Board. Informed consent was obtained from each patient. Two-dimensional SWE measurements were acquired from the ninth, eighth, and seventh intercostal spaces. The correlation with MRE was calculated at each intercostal space and multiple intercostal spaces combined. The performance of 2D SWE in diagnosing liver fibrosis was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis using MRE as the standard. Results The 47 patients who initially underwent 2D SWE included 22 female and 25 male patients (age range, 19-77 years). The highest correlation between 2D SWE and MRE was from the eighth and seventh intercostal spaces (r = 0.68-0.76). The ranges of the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for separating normal or inflamed livers from fibrotic livers using MRE as the clinical reference were 0.84 to 0.92 when using the eighth and seventh intercostal spaces individually and 0.89 to 0.90 when combined. Conclusions The results suggest that 2D SWE and MRE are well correlated when SWE is performed at the eighth and seventh intercostal spaces. The ninth intercostal space is less reliable for diagnosing fibrosis with 2D SWE. Combining measurements from multiple intercostal spaces does not significantly improve the performance of 2D SWE for detection of fibrosis.
The assay of virulence of Coccidioides in white mice.

The determination of virulence of the fungi causing systemic infections has stimulated considerable interest but no simple method for their measurement has been developed. These organisms produce chronic mycoses with a variety of disease patterns. Indeed, many human infections are asymptomatic. Probably as a corollary of this broad human infection spectrum, the pathogenic sequence in laboratory animals is not as reproducible as it is in most bacterial and viral infections. This and the feeble
Abstract 4040: Transcription factor Snail mediates EMT by altering vesicular trafficking protein Rab25

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Epithelial cells maintain intercellular communication directly by cell-cell, cell-ECM interaction and indirectly by paracrine secretion of extracellular messengers either as free molecules or via exosomes. The vesicular trafficking machinery is an integral part of such communication, paralleling digital cables that transmit the information bytes to the correct hub. During the process of EMT, derailing of the trafficking machinery leads to a systemic breakdown of intra and inter-cellular communication pathways. The purpose of the current study is to elucidate the functional role of Rab25, a key member of the vesicular trafficking machinery in mediating EMT-MET processes during breast cancer progression. Aberrant endocytosis is a new hallmark of cancer. Rab GTPases are the primary regulators of endocytosis. Many members of this large family are implicated in a wide array of cancers including breast cancer. Specifically, Rab25, a GTPase associated with the recycling endosomes, is deregulated in most epithelial cancers. Rab25 appears to function both as a tumor suppressor and an oncogene in a context dependent manner. We found that Rab25 is lost in Claudin Low tumors as well as in representative cell lines such as the MDA MB231. Rab25 is a robust and sufficient marker of breast cancers and cell lines with an increased EMT signature. Additionally, in immortalized human mammary epithelial cell lines (HMLE), induction of EMT by overexpression of Snail1 completely obliterates Rab25 protein. Exogenous re-expression of Rab25 dramatically rescues these cells from Snail driven invasion through MatrigelTM. However this Snail dependent regulation is unique only to TN and Claudin Low tumors and does not hold true for hormone receptor positive tumors. Further, analysis of RNA Seq data from a MMTV mouse model showed that tumors with low CDH1/Claudins expression and enriched in EMT markers also lost Rab25 transcripts. Snail mediated transcriptional repression targets recycling endosomal proteins such as Rab25 to decrease delivery of junction proteins that facilitate cell-cell communication to the appropriate compartment. In parallel, it potentially enhances paracrine regulation by secreted exosomes. Overall, our study shows presence and absence of Rab25 markedly alters cell-cell communication, which is essential for maintenance of epithelial features of cells. Rab25 could be a prognostic marker and a therapeutic target for a subset of patients with increased risk of metastatic disease. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Shreya Mitra, Lorenzo Federico, Tapashree Roysarkar, Sendurai Mani, Gordon B. Mills. Transcription factor Snail mediates EMT by altering vesicular trafficking protein Rab25. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4040. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4040
Constructions of Multicore Technology Course

This paper introduces some schemes on constructions of Multi Core Technology course in our university.These schemes are supplement teaching contents,animation demo,video assisted,a combination of examination and practice. We reform teaching methods to improve the students' enthusiasm and initiative. By practice,we achieve perfect teaching effects on Multicore Technology course teaching.
Growth factors protect neurons against excitotoxic/ischemic damage by stabilizing calcium homeostasis.

An aberrant elevation in intraneuronal calcium levels resulting from energy failure and excitatory amino acid receptor activation is believed to play a major role in the neuronal damage and death that occur in stroke. We have found that several growth factors can protect cultured rat hippocampal and septal neurons and human cortical neurons from excitotoxic damage caused by glucose deprivation or hypoxia. Using the calcium indicator dye fura 2 and whole-cell patch-clamp recording, we found that glucose deprivation initially results in calcium current inhibition and a reduction in intraneuronal free calcium levels without morphological signs of cell damage
Sleep Problems and ADHD

The prevalence of sleep problems and their associations with quality of life (QOL), school attendance, and family impacts in children with ADHD were determined in a study at Royal Children's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Genomic Adequacy from Solid Tumor Core Needle Biopsies of ex Vivo Tissue and in Vivo Lung Masses: Prospective Study.

Our results indicate that, with regard to optimizing nucleic acid yield for personalized medicine–based approaches requiring lung core needle biopsies, there should be a preference for using lower gauge needles over smaller needles with more passes.
Dual-Career Family Stress and Coping

A significant influence on contemporary family living is the increasing rate of female participation in the labor force. Examination of Department of Labor statistics reveals that the married woman is the key source of this growth and helps explain the growing interest in dual-career families reflected in both the professional and popular literature. Although it is difficult to assess the number of married career women in the work force, it seems reasonable to assume that the percentage for this group is positively related to the general increase in labor force participation rates of women.12 As more and more women seek increased education and training, along with an increased demand for skilled labor and a greater awareness of sex-role equality, the dual-career life-style is likely to increase in prevalence and acceptability.21
Pioneering a New Literary Form

In 1954, the critic Malcolm Cowley noted a “new breed” of American fiction that had emerged in the postwar era—writing he labeled personalism, which merged literary naturalism with explorations of subjectivity. This chapter examines how the FWP’s quest for national self-discovery, its focus on folklore, voice, and subjective experience, and its quasi-literary documentary methods anticipated the new school self-conscious literature that came to dominate the postwar period. The FWP’s relevance did not die alongside the political and social currents of the Depression, but rather the Project’s materials and methods long outlived the program itself.
Transiently antigen-primed B cells return to naive-like state in absence of T-cell help

The perspective that naive B-cell recognition of antigen in the absence of T-cell help causes cell death or anergy is supported by in vivo studies of B cells that are continuously exposed to self-antigens. However, intravital imaging suggests that early B-cell recognition of large foreign antigens may be transient. Whether B cells are tolerized or can be recruited into humoural immune responses following such encounters is not clear. Here we show that in the presence of T-cell help, single transient antigen acquisition is sufficient to recruit B cells into the germinal centre and induce memory and plasma cell responses. In the absence of T-cell help, transiently antigen-primed B cells do not undergo apoptosis in vivo; they return to quiescence and are recruited efficiently into humoural responses upon reacquisition of antigen and T-cell help.
Surface Effects in the Slip and Twinning of Metal Monocrystals

Crystal Shape: Triangular and other specially shaped crystals of zinc and tin sometimes twist axially when elongated in simple tension. This is anomalous according to the classical theory of crys-tallographic slip and is associated with the shapes of the crystals.
How Perris v. Hexamer Was Lost in the Shadow of Baker v. Selden

Perris v. Hexamer stands out as case that is equal parts important and forgotten. It is obviously important – it is one of a preciously small number of Supreme Court decisions on the idea/expression dichotomy, but it is mostly forgotten in favor of the Court’s decision the following year in Baker v. Selden. It is equally obscure – Westlaw counts 2,703 citations of Baker v. Selden, and 81 of Perris v. Hexamer. Yet the subject matter of both decisions is surprisingly similar, and these cases tell us far more when considered in tandem than when either one is considered on its own. This piece will seek to tell the story of Perris v. Hexamer – in terms of both the background of the controversy and the procedural background that led to the lawsuit, as well as discussing the decision itself. Following this, two questions will be addressed – firstly why Perris was largely forgotten as a decision about the idea/expression dichotomy, and secondly why the vote among the Justices was different in Perris than in Baker v. Selden.
EWMA Charts for the Weibull Shape Parameter

[This abstract is based on the author’s abstract.] Exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control charts based on the sample range of the logarithms of the data and an unbiased estimator are investigated. The average run length (ARL) of the propos..
Indoleacetic Acid Oxidase Activity of Apoperoxidase

The conventional activity of electrophoretically purified horseradish peroxidase toward guaiacol, pyrogallol, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, and benzidine is abolished by removal of the heme prosthetic group with a mixture of cold acetone and hydrogen chloride. The apoenzyme, though devoid of peroxidase activity, retains its activity as an indoleacetic acid oxidase when it is supplied with 10(-5) mole of manganous ion and 2,4-dachlorophenol per liter. This oxidase activity is cyanide-sensitive; azide also inhibits under specific conditions of both pH and cofactor concentration. Partial restoration of the peroxidase activity by recombination of apoprotein with heme produces no effect on the oxidase activity, except that cofactors are no longer absolutely required. Therefore, it appears that the activity of peroxidase as an indoleacetic acid oxidase need not directly involve the heme prosthetic group, or that manganous ions and dichlorophenol can substitute for the heme group in the reaction between indoleacetic acid and oxidase.
Quadratic Bright Soliton and Cnoidal Wave Frequency Combs in Microresonators by Second Harmonic Generation

We study bright solitons and cnoidal waves in microresonators with quadratic nonlinearity. In the case of both fundamental frequency and second harmonic in the same dispersion regime, we obtain stable bright solitons and cnoidal waves.
Two-Round Adaptively Secure Multiparty Computation from Standard Assumptions

We present the first two-round multiparty computation (MPC) protocols secure against malicious adaptive corruption in the common reference string (CRS) model, based on DDH, LWE, or QR. Prior two-round adaptively secure protocols were known only in the two-party setting against semi-honest adversaries, or in the general multiparty setting assuming the existence of indistinguishability obfuscation (iO).
Annals Consult Guys – The Art of Medicine—or Medicine in Art?

>Annals Consult Guys brings a new perspective to the art and science of medicine with lively discussion and analysis of real-world cases and situations. They address medically relevant topics—wheth...
Signal/Power Integrity Tradeoffs in Automotive SoC Package Design (LPDDR4 Case Study)

The needs of modern life are driving high powered CPU and SoC devices into harsh environments. The physical design changes required to meet these use case conditions negatively impact the signal and power integrity performance, limiting the speeds and capabilities that are achievable. The signal and power integrity desires directly oppose one another, so a holistic platform design approach is required to optimize system performance. This paper investigates the LPDDR4 challenges faced and results obtained by the signal and power integrity design teams as they worked together to provide an optimal, balanced design that would meet the customer requirements.
Introduction to Biomedical Ethics

The power and prestige of modern medicine impose a special obligation on medical professionals to practice their art in a morally responsible way. Ethical theories, ancient and modern, address the basis of morality and offer guidance for decision-making. This chapter focuses on consequentialist and deontological theories of ethics in their application to the practice of medicine. The discussion includes the (relatively recent) rise of the specialized field of “applied bio-medical ethics.” In this context we consider the effort to condense the insights of ethical theories to concisely stated “principles” which can be used as analytical tools for decision making.
A comparison of stage-specific all-cause mortality between testicular sex cord stromal tumors and germ cell tumors: results from the National Cancer Database.

Testicular sex cord stromal tumors (SCSTs) are managed similarly to germ cell tumors (GCTs); however, few studies have directly compared outcomes between these tumor types. Using the National Cancer Database (NCDB), we sought to compare overall and stage-specific all-cause mortality (ACM) between SCSTs versus GCTs. NCDB was queried for patients diagnosed with SCSTs and GCTs between 2004 and 2013. Descriptive statistics were used to compare sociodemographic and clinical characteristics between groups. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to assess associations with ACM. We identified 42,192 patients diagnosed with testicular cancer between 2004 and 2013, with 280 having SCSTs and 41,912 patients having GCTs. Median age for SCSTs and GCTs was 45 (interquartile range [IQR] 34–59) and 34 (IQR 27–43), respectively (p < 0.001). Median follow-up was 39 and 52 months, respectively. Overall, patients with SCSTs had greater risk of ACM compared to those with GCTs (HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.14–2.50). Private insurance, greater education, and fewer comorbidities were associated with reduced risk of ACM (p < 0.05 for all). Among those with stage I disease, tumor type was not associated with ACM on multivariable analysis. Among those with stage II/III disease, patients with SCSTs had increased risk of ACM compared to patients with GCTs (HR 3.29, 95% CI 1.89–5.72). Patients with advanced SCSTs had worse survival outcomes compared to those with advanced GCTs. These data suggest a need for further investigation to ascertain effective management recommendations for SCSTs.
Graph-Partitioning-Based Diffusion Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network for Large-Scale Traffic Forecasting

Traffic forecasting approaches are critical to developing adaptive strategies for mobility. Traffic patterns have complex spatial and temporal dependencies that make accurate forecasting on large highway networks a challenging task. Recently, diffusion convolutional recurrent neural networks (DCRNNs) have achieved state-of-the-art results in traffic forecasting by capturing the spatiotemporal dynamics of the traffic. Despite the promising results, however, applying DCRNNs for large highway networks still remains elusive because of computational and memory bottlenecks. We present an approach for implementing a DCRNN for a large highway network that overcomes these limitations. Our approach uses a graph-partitioning method to decompose a large highway network into smaller networks and trains them independently. We demonstrate the efficacy of the graph-partitioning-based DCRNN approach to model the traffic on a large California highway network with 11,160 sensor locations. We develop an overlapping nodes approach for the graph-partitioning-based DCRNN to include sensor locations from partitions that are geographically close to a given partition. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the DCRNN model can be used to forecast the speed and flow simultaneously and that the forecasted values preserve fundamental traffic flow dynamics. Our approach to developing DCRNN models that represent large highway networks can be a potential core capability in advanced highway traffic monitoring systems, where a trained DCRNN model forecasting traffic at all sensor locations can be used to adjust traffic management strategies proactively based on anticipated future conditions.
Pearls & Oy-sters: A Novel Presentation of Ataxia With Vitamin E Deficiency Caused by TTPA Gene Mutation.

Ataxia with isolated vitamin E deficiency can present with a phenotype similar to a complex hereditary spastic paraplegia with dystonia and bradykinesia, but absent cerebellar ataxia or proprioceptive deficits.
Serine proteases promote human CFU-GM in methylcellulose culture systems.

Amino acid sequences and three dimensional structural analysis of serine proteases show sequence homology in a group of compounds, which include thrombin, Cl’ esterase, urokinase, trypsin, plasminogen, snake venom, kallikrein, and the γ subunit of mouse submandibular gland nerve growth factor. Common to the structure of these enzymes are active sites consisting of aspartic acid, histidine and serine. The similarities between the various serine proteases are striking in a number of details, including cellular location, chemical structure, molecular weight and function.
Push-rate threshold for physical activity intensity in persons who use manual wheelchairs

ABSTRACT There is evidence that manual wheelchair users are among the least physically active in society. However, the current cut points for quantifying physical activity intensity based on steps per minute have been developed for ambulatory adults from the general population and other clinical populations and may not be appropriate or applicable for manual wheelchair users. This study examined the association between push rate (an analog of step rate) and energy expenditure across three speeds of treadmill wheelchair propulsion among manual wheelchair users and further generated a push-rate cut point for quantifying moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Persons who used manual wheelchairs (N = 17) performed three, 6-min bouts of manual wheelchair propulsion on a motor-driven treadmill at speeds of 0.7, 1.3, and 2.0 m/sec. Push rate per trial was measured using SMARTwheels, and the rate of oxygen consumption per trial was measured using a portable metabolic system. The mean (SD) R2 value for the relationship between push rate and energy expenditure was 0.78 (0.14). The mean (SD) push-rate cut point for quantifying moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was 55.05 (26.06) pushes/min. This preliminary study provides the first push-rate cut point for quantifying moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among a heterogeneous sample of manual wheelchair users. This threshold may be important for public health promotion and individual-level monitoring and prescription of free-living physical activity behavior among manual wheelchair users.
Extended storage of SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swabs does not negatively impact results of molecular-based testing across three clinical platforms.

With the global outbreak of COVID-19, the demand for testing rapidly increased and quickly exceeded the testing capacities of many laboratories. Clinical tests which receive CE (Conformite Europeenne) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorisations cannot always be tested thoroughly in a real-world environment. Here we demonstrate the long-term stability of nasopharyngeal swab specimens for SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing across three assays recently approved by the US FDA under Emergency Use Authorization. This study demonstrates that nasopharyngeal swab specimens can be stored under refrigeration or even ambient conditions for 21 days without clinically impacting the results of the real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR testing.
Spontaneous Lung Fibrosis Resolution Reveals Novel Antifibrotic Regulators.

Fibroblast activation is transient in successful wound repair but persistent in fibrotic pathologies. Understanding fibroblast deactivation during successful wound healing may provide new approache...
Use of a monoblock dual-mobility acetabular component in primary total hip arthroplasty in patients at high risk of dislocation.

Introduction:Dislocation is amongst the most common complications following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Dual-mobility bearings have been suggested as one way to reduce the risk of dislocation, pa...
Biological Aging and Periodontal Disease: Analysis of NHANES (2001–2002):

Introduction:Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by multiple potential contributing factors such as bacterial biofilm infection of the tissues surrounding the teeth and environme...
Channeling language

Review of Wendy Sandler & Diane Lillo-Martin. (2006). Sign Language and Linguistic Universals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, xxi + 547 pp. Trevor Johnston & Adam Schembri. (2007). Australian Sign Language: An Introduction to Sign Language Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, xiv + 323 pp.
The Problem of Nuclear Proliferation

As the post-WWII superpowers established fledgling nuclear programs and competed for strategic supremacy, the proliferation of nuclear weapons by other nations became a new concern. Nuclear arms control emerged as a new policy and analytic discipline, along with complementary proposals to provide countries worldwide with nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes to prevent or defer their own indigenous nuclear weapons capabilities. Nonetheless, an array of countries began their own nuclear efforts, with varying degrees of success and acceptance. Britain, China, and France formally tested their own weapons, while other countries’ efforts were less successful, not enduring, or not fully established. The inherently “dual-use” nature of many aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle for both commercial power generation and weapons development complicated nonproliferation efforts, but certain technologies proved to be more prone than others to facilitating nuclear weapons proliferation. Technical portions of the chapter present an overview of the nuclear fuel cycle and the relationship between commercial nuclear power and potential weapons-usable nuclear material. They include an overview of methods for nuclear fuel enrichment, fuel reprocessing, types of nuclear reactors, and concepts of proliferation resistance.
Rates of decomposition and nutrient release of herbivore inputs are driven by habitat microsite characteristics

Ungulates use habitat with differential microclimate characteristics; therefore, fecal inputs to a particular habitat may result in vastly different rates of decomposition and nutrient release. We tested this hypothesis and conducted a 1-year decomposition experiment where we deployed fecal samples from Shiras moose (Alces alces shirasi) and subsequently measured loss of fecal mass, nutrient release captured with resin bags, and associated consequences for nitrogen (N) cycling in soils. The microhabitat type in which fecal samples were deployed influenced rates of decomposition observed; samples experienced faster rates of decomposition in a riparian habitat type than a conifer site. Cumulative nutrient losses as nitrate (NO3 −) measured with anion and cation exchange resin bags were significantly higher in the conifer site (0.08 g N/feces) than the riparian site (0.02 g N/feces), whereas ammonium (NH4 +) losses, though higher than nitrate losses, were not significantly different between the riparian site (0.40 g N/feces) and the conifer site (0.26 g N/feces) after 1-year. Concentrations of soil NH4 + and NO3 − beneath the fecal samples in the riparian site were significantly higher relative to control soils after 1 year, but no differences were detected in the conifer site. Cumulatively, our findings supported our hypothesis that fecal deposition by large herbivores can strongly influence nutrient releases to the ecosystem through the decomposition of fecal matter. Such nutrient additions may have direct effects on N cycling in soil and provide valuable inputs that are available for plant uptake and subsequent growth.
Lentivirus Vectors Using Human and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Elements

Lentivirus vectors based on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) constitute a recent development in the field of gene therapy. A key property of HIV-1-derived vectors is their ability to infect nondividing cells. Although high-titer HIV-1-derived vectors have been produced, concerns regarding safety still exist. Safety concerns arise mainly from the possibility of recombination between transfer and packaging vectors, which may give rise to replication-competent viruses with pathogenic potential. We describe a novel lentivirus vector which is based on HIV, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and which we refer to as HIV/SIVpack/G. In this system, an HIV-1-derived genome is encapsidated by SIVmac core particles. These core particles are pseudotyped with VSV glycoprotein G. Because the nucleotide homology between HIV-1 and SIVmac is low, the likelihood of recombination between vector elements should be reduced. In addition, the packaging construct (SIVpack) for this lentivirus system was derived from SIVmac1A11, a nonvirulent SIV strain. Thus, the potential for pathogenicity with this vector system is minimal. The transduction ability of HIV/SIVpack/G was demonstrated with immortalized human lymphocytes, human primary macrophages, human bone marrow-derived CD34+ cells, and primary mouse neurons. To our knowledge, these experiments constitute the first demonstration that the HIV-1-derived genome can be packaged by an SIVmac capsid. We demonstrate that the lentivirus vector described here recapitulates the biological properties of HIV-1-derived vectors, although with increased potential for safety in humans.
Towards experimental evaluation of intelligent Transportation System safety and traffic efficiency

Traffic efficiency and safety are major hallmarks of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). To accurately validate and investigate the effectiveness of traffic efficiency and safety application of ITSs, realistic studies are highly demanded [1]. In this paper, using real-world traffic and simulation data, we developed a realistic ITS test bed and a mobile application known as the Incident Warning Application (IWA) with the view of answering the following question: what is the traffic efficiency and safety benefits of Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications in a realistic ITS environment? Our real-world dataset consists of six weeks road traffic data of the Maryland (MD)/Washington DC and Virginia (VA) areas from August 8th, 2012 to September 27th, 2012. Our evaluation data shows that vehicles running our IWA application show improvements in almost all of the performance metrics evaluated. Specifically, our data shows that improvements in travel time (139.89%), fuel consumption (11.77%), and environmental emissions - carbon dioxide [CO 2 ] (11.77%), etc. can be achieved through V2I communication.
A 161-Kv 10,000-Megavolt-Ampere Steel-Clad Impulse Circuit Breaker-The First of a Line of High-Capacity High-Voltage Circuit Breakers [includes discussion]

This paper describes the initial step in the development of a line of high-voltage high-capacity steel-clad impulse oil circuit breakers required to fulfill the increased interrupting duty requirements of the industry at 138 kv, 161 kv, 230 kv, and 330 kv. Primarily this paper describes the development of the circuit breaker required for the 161-kv 10,000-megavolt-ampere rating. The circuit-breaker design provides for the first time the impulse principle of interruption in a tank-type circuit breaker and in addition combines several of the proved features of modern high- and low-voltage outdoor circuit breakers. These elements are basically flexible enough to be extended readily to increased interrupting ratings and to higher and lower voltage levels. Complete electrical and mechanical design tests demonstrated that the circuit breaker meets all industry standards with ample margins of safety. Tests at the new switchgear development laboratory on all types of interrupting duty produced consistently short interrupting times over the entire current range. Various charging currents corresponding to the equivalent of up to 400 miles of 161-kv transmission line were switched with no restrikes. These tests have demonstrated that the design equalled the performance of the low-oil-content impulse circuit breaker and was flexible enough to provide the necessary starting point for designing an entirely new line of high-voltage high-capacity circuit breakers.
Inflation Responses to Commodity Price Shocks - How and Why Do Countries Differ?

This paper relates the inflationary impact of commodity price shocks across countries to a broad range of structural characteristics and policy frameworks over the period 2001-2010, using several approaches. The analysis suggests that economies with higher food shares in CPI baskets, fuel intensities, and pre-existing inflation levels were more prone to experience sustained inflationary effects from commodity price shocks. Countries with more independent central banks and higher governance scores seem to have contained the impact of these shocks better. The effect of the presence of inflation targeting regimes, however, appears very modest and not evident during the 2008 food price shock. The evidence suggests that trade openness, financial development, dollarization, and labor market flexibility do not significantly influence the way in which domestic inflation responds to international commodity price shocks.
Parallelization of MATLAB Applications for a Multi-FPGA System

We present a compiler that takes high level signal and image processing algorithms described in MATLAB and generates an optimized hardware for the WildChild™ board having nine FPGAs and external memory. We propose a Single Program Multiple Data (SPMD) style parallelization framework to automatically generate hardware for all the nine FPGAs. We propose a data alignment and data distribution scheme for minimizing communication across the different FPGAs and present a communication framework based on the WildChild interconnection network for sending and receiving data. Our results show that we get a speedup of around 6 to 7 on eight FPGAs. Further, we propose a prediction mechanism to extract parallelism within a single FPGA. We show that this results in much improved speedups of around 28 on eight FPGAs for the Image Thresholding benchmark. We show that such a framework generates hardwares which are three times slower than the most optimized manual designs, but which can be generated in seconds as compared to days taken by a manual designer.