cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The parallel solution of dense saddle-point linear systems arising in stochastic programming

We present a novel approach for solving dense saddle-point linear systems in a distributed-memory environment. This work is motivated by an application in stochastic optimization problems with recourse, but the proposed approach can be used for a large family of dense saddle-point systems, in particular, for those arising in convex programming. Although stochastic optimization problems have many important applications, they can present serious computational difficulties. In particular, sample average approximation SAA problems with a large number of samples are often too big to solve on a single shared-memory system. Recent work has developed interior-point methods and specialized linear algebra to solve these problems in parallel, using a scenario-based decomposition that distributes the data, and work across computational nodes. Even for sparse SAA problems, the decomposition produces a dense and possibly very large saddle-point linear system that must be solved repeatedly. We developed a specialized parallel factorization procedure for these systems, together with a streamlined method for assembling the distributed dense matrix. Strong scaling tests indicate over 90% efficiency on 1024 cores on a stochastic unit commitment problem with 57 million variables. Stochastic unit commitment problems with up to 189 million variables are solved efficiently on up to 2048 cores.
Amphiphilic treelike rods at interfaces: layered stems and circular aggregation.

Amphiphilic dendron−rod molecules with three hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) branches attached to a hydrophobic octa-p-phenylene rod stem were investigated for their ability to form two-dimensional micellar structures on a solid surface. A treelike shape of the molecules was reported to be a major factor in the formation of nonplanar micellar structures in solution and in the bulk state (cylindrical and spherical). We observed that in these treelike amphiphilic molecules the hydrophilic terminated dendron branches assemble themselves in surface monolayers with the formation of two-dimensional layered or circular micellar structures. We suggested the formation of the planar ribbonlike structures with interdigitated layering within the loosely packed monolayers and circular, ringlike structures (2D circular aggregates) in the precollapsed state.
Apoptosis, autoimmunity and lymphopoiesis in the adult

Abstract There is a growing appreciation that apoptosis, or programmed cell death (PCD), plays a role in a wide variety of normal physiological processes. Net cell growth is regulated both positively and negatively and the molecular mechanisms for these modes of regulation are intimately related. Examples range from tissue modeling during embryogenesis to deletion of potentially autoreactive T cells during thymic lymphopoiesis. Accordingly, dysregulation of apoptosis has been proposed as a mechanism for a number of pathological states including autoimmunity and certain forms of cancer. This article reviewed the published data on the potential relationships between apoptosis and autoimmunity and advanced a hypothesis concerning the emergence of autoimmunity in conjunction with conditions which cause an increased rate of lymphocyte turnover.
Application of an airborne pulsed laser for near shore bathymetric measurements

Abstract A feasibility investigation of the deployment of a pulsed blue-green laser as an airborne bathymetric sensor for near-shore beach reconnaissance has been performed. Preliminary transmission measurements were made in a water tank using AVCO Corporation's new high-powered 3-nsec pulsed neon laser. These results were used in the design of the airborne tests. The laser transmitter/receiver system was installed in a Turbo Commander and flown over the shores of Lake Ontario. Water depths up to 26 ft were recorded. The maximum depth capability, which is determined by the turbidity of the water, is limited in the present system to approximately four attenuation lengths at a platform altitude of 500 ft. In fairly clear water (α = 0.1 m−1) this amounts to a depth-measuring capability of 120 ft. The shallow water resolution is ± 1.5 ft. An operational system employing a high-power high-pulse rate laser (100–1000 pps) could operate from either a helicopter or a high-performance aircraft and sweep out a broad area coverage. An aircraft flying at 300 miles/hr could obtain data points every 20 ft over an area of 5–50 sq miles/hr.
Dworkin's interpretivism and the pragmatics of legal disputes

One of Ronald Dworkin's most distinctive claims in legal philosophy is that law is an interpretative concept, a special kind of concept whose correct application depends neither on fixed criteria nor on an instance-identifying decision procedure but rather on the normative or evaluative facts that best justify the total set of practices in which that concept is used. The main argument that Dworkin gives for interpretivism about some concept—law, among many others—is a disagreement-based argument. We argue here that Dworkin's disagreement-based argument relies on a mistaken premise about the nature of disagreement. We propose an alternative analysis of the type of dispute—what we call “seeming variation cases”—that Dworkin uses to motivate the idea of interpretative concepts. We begin by observing that genuine disagreements can be expressed via a range of linguistic mechanisms, many of which do not require that speakers literally assert and deny one and the same proposition. We focus in particular on what we call “metalinguistic negotiations,” disputes in which speakers do not express the same concepts by their words but rather negotiate how words should be used and thereby negotiate which of a range of competing concepts should be used in that context. We claim that this view has quite general theoretical advantages over Dworkin's interpretivism about seeming variation cases and about the relevant class of legal disputes in particular. This paper thus has two interlocking goals: (1) to undermine one of Dworkin's core arguments for interpretivism, and (2) to provide the foundations for a noninterpretivist alternative account of an important class of legal disputes.
Luminance, not brightness, determines temporal brightness enhancement with chromatic stimuli

Brightness-duration relations for chromatic stimuli were studied using three pulse-to-background luminance relations: chromatic equal-luminance pulses (3.2 cd/m2) were presented as increments of 0.3 or 1.0 log units above a lower luminance achromatic background, or were presented in hue substitution, equated in luminance to the achromatic background, so that no spatio-temporal luminance transients occurred during stimulus presentation. Incremental pulses produced temporal brightness enhancement (the Broca-Sulzer phenomenon), but hue substitution pulses did not. Temporal brightness enhancement thus depends upon the occurrence of luminance transients and cannot be produced by pulsed-to-background brightness differences associated solely with chromaticity differences.
Stressor controllability modulates stress-induced dopamine and serotonin efflux and morphine-induced serotonin efflux in the medial prefrontal cortex.

It has previously been shown that inescapable (IS) but not escapable (ES) stress potentiates the rewarding properties of morphine as measured by conditioned place preference and psychomotor activation, and that this potentiation may be mediated by dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) serotonin (5-HT) neurons. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been implicated in both reward and stress, and is a projection region of the DRN. The mPFC also contains dopaminergic afferents from the ventral tegmental area, which has been the focus of many studies exploring both the rewarding properties of drugs and the aversive properties of stress. The role of the mPFC in stress/drug reactivity interactions is largely unknown. The present study usedin vivo microdialysis to examine 5-HT and dopamine (DA) efflux in the mPFC of rats during IS, ES or no stress (NS). IS and ES rats received the stressor in yoked pairs. The stressor consisted of tailshocks that could be terminated for both rats by the ES rats. Large increases in 5-HT and DA levels were observed during IS but not ES or NS. DA and 5-HT efflux were also measured 24 h later in the same rats in response to morphine (3 mg/kg) or saline. Sustained increases in 5-HT levels were observed after morphine in rats that had previously received IS but not in rats that had received ES or NS. No changes in DA efflux were observed after morphine. Thus, 5-HT and DA in the mPFC may be involved in stressor controllability effects, and the sensitization of 5-HT neurons by IS extends to the mPFC and to morphine as a challenge.
Chemical correlates of rhesus monkey food choice: The influence of hydrolyzable tannins

Feeding behavior was quantified of free-ranging adult rhesus monkeys in the Himalayan foothills of northern Pakistan. Twenty-eight food and 63 nonfood plant samples were collected and analyzed for tannins, alkaloids, fiber, lignin, protein, amino acids, total nonstructural carbohydrates, and free glucose. Most major foods of the rhesus were low in tannins and high in nutrients. The rhesus ate mainly parts of herbaceous plants, although woody plants were more abundant, possibly because herbs were lower in condensed tannins than woody plants. Feeding was negatively correlated with the astringency of tannins, ellagitannins, and total phenolics among all samples. Among leaves of both herbs and woody plants, feeding was negatively correlated with measures of hydrolyzable tannins. Total protein, total nonstructural carbohydrates, and water were not related to food choice and may not have been limiting at the site.
The role of root border cells in plant defense

The survival of a plant depends upon the capacity of root tips to sense and move towards water and other nutrients in the soil. Perhaps because of the root tip's vital role in plant health, it is ensheathed by large populations of detached somatic cells - root 'border' cells - which have the ability to engineer the chemical and physical properties of the external environment. Of particular significance, is the production by border cells of specific chemicals that can dramatically alter the behavior of populations of soilborne microflora. Molecular approaches are being used to identify and manipulate the expression of plant genes that control the production and the specialized properties of border cells in transgenic plants. Such plants can be used to test the hypothesis that these unusual cells act as a phalanx of biological 'goalies', which neutralize dangers to newly generated root tissue as the root tip makes its way through soil.
BCS–BEC crossover and stability in a Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model with diquark–diquark repulsion

Abstract We investigate the equation of state (EoS) along the BCS–BEC crossover for a quark system described by a Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model with multi-fermion interactions. Together with attractive channels for particle–antiparticle ( G S ) and particle–particle ( G D ) interactions, a multi-fermion channel with coupling λ that accounts for the diquark–diquark repulsion is also considered. The chiral and diquark condensates are found in the mean-field approximation for different values of the coupling constants. The parameter values where the BCS–BEC crossover can take place are found, and the EoS is used to identify the stability region where the BEC regime has positive pressure. We discuss how the particle density and the repulsive diquark–diquark interaction affect the stability window in the G S – G D plane and find the profile of the pressure versus the density for various values of λ and G D . The effects of λ and G D in the BCS–BEC crossover tend to compensate each other, allowing for a feasible region of densities where the crossover can occur with positive pressure. These results, although mainly qualitative, should serve as a preliminary step in the microscopic analysis required to determine the feasibility of the BCS–BEC crossover and its realization in more realistic models of dense QCD that can be relevant for applications to neutron stars.
Pre‐ and postoperative uses of CEA

CEA plasma levels obtained prior to definitive surgery in patients with colorectal cancer in our hands have predictive ability. An elevated CEA greater than 2.5 ng/ml recorded by our laboratory means an increased risk of subsequent local recurrence or of later metastatic disease. The question as to whether or not this is additive as a prognostic variable when tested against careful histopathological staging remains. As a monitor, CEA will detect recurrence. Again, the problem as to how accurate this is remains. If we use two consecutive elevations of plasma CEA greater than 2.5 ng/ml as a criteria, we encounter about 15% false positives which must be weighed against finding disease significantly earlier in about one-third of the patients followed. Our data for second-look procedures indicate clearly that when used in patients with an elevated CEA laparotomy may be useful and further studies showed the presence of disease in 11 of 14 patients with an elevation following surgery for two consecutive tests were greater than 2.5 ng/ml. Two were operable. The significance of these findings is described.
Analysis and optimization of sleep modes in subthreshold circuit design

Subthreshold operation is a promising method for reducing power consumption in ultra-low power applications, such as active RFIDs and sensor networks. It was shown in previous works that operating at the Vmin supply voltage results in optimal energy operation, where Vmin typically falls below the threshold voltage. However, all previous subthreshold analyses ignore the leakage current in standby mode. Hence, for applications where operation at Vmin results in completion of the task well ahead of the required deadline, the energy consumption can be significantly under-estimated. In this paper, we investigate the effect of the non-zero standby energy on the optimal energy consumption in subthreshold operation. We first analyze energy consumption both with and without a cutoff technique in standby mode. Two parameters are proposed to capture the cutoff structure's effect on the energy consumption. Second, a methodology to minimize the total energy consumption is addressed. The selection of the cutoff structure is examined by comparing three different structures. Then, a co-optimization method to optimize the size of the cutoff structure concurrently with the supply voltage, is proposed. This approach reduces energy by 99.2% compared to standby-energy-unaware optimization.
Performance implications of Pareto-distributed cell residual time in distributed admission control scheme (DACS)

While many studies of admission control schemes assume exponentially distributed cell residual time, field measurements have shown that cell residual time, in reality, follows a heavy-tailed distribution; in particular, a Pareto distribution. These measurements were made in Wireless Andrew, an enterprise-wide broadband microcellular wireless network at Carnegie Mellon University. In this paper, we investigate the impact of Pareto distributed cell residual time on the admission threshold of the distributed admission control scheme (DACS), which is one of the well-known admission control schemes. Our results show that under Pareto-distributed cell residual time, a system that implements DACS can accommodate or "sign on" more simultaneous connections than the exponentially distributed case.
Willow: a scalable shared memory multiprocessor

The authors are currently developing Willow, a shared memory multiprocessor whose design provides system capacity and performance capable of supporting over 1000 commercial microprocessors. Recently, they have focused their attention on the design of a 64-processor prototype that tests most of their ideas about scalability. In this paper, they describe the factors that traditionally limited the scalability of shared memory systems. These include enforcing sequential consistency, inefficient synchronization, memory latency and bandwidth limitations, bus and memory contention, the necessity to enforce inclusion on lower-level caches, and limited I/O (input/output) bandwidth. They then describe how the Willow architecture addresses each of these issues. Finally, they present data in order to evaluate the effect of the major architectural innovations in Willow on the performance of several parallel applications. >
Increase in p202 Expression during Skeletal Muscle Differentiation: Inhibition of MyoD Protein Expression and Activity by p202

p202 is a primarily nuclear, interferon-inducible murine protein that is encoded by the Ifi 202 gene. Overexpression of p202 in transfected cells retards cell proliferation. p202 modulates the pattern of gene expression by inhibiting the activity of various transcription factors including NF-kappaB, c-Fos, c-Jun, E2F-1, and p53. Here we report that p202 was constitutively expressed in mouse skeletal muscle and that the levels of 202 RNA and p202 greatly increased during the differentiation of cultured C2C12 myoblasts to myotubes. When overexpressed in transfected myoblasts, p202 inhibited the expression of one muscle protein (MyoD) without affecting the expression of a second one (myogenin). Thus, the decrease in the level of MyoD (but not of myogenin) during muscle differentiation may be the consequence of the increase in p202 level. Overexpressed p202 also inhibited the transcriptional activity of both MyoD and myogenin. This inhibition was correlated with an interaction of p202 with both proteins, as well as the inhibition by p202 of the sequence-specific binding of both proteins to DNA. This inhibition of the expression of MyoD and of the transcriptional activity of MyoD and myogenin may account for the inhibition of the induction of myoblast differentiation by premature overexpression of p202.
BIOLOGICAL ION EXCHANGER RESINS

ABsrRACT Utilizing Escherichia coli as the prototype of an ion-accumulating cell, the ion exchange isotherm is introduced as a concise method of characterizing biological ion exchange events. The ion exchange isotherm for the alkali cation exchange, K 4-> Na, is described. The total charge proffle of this bacterium is compiled and compared for bacteria in the Na form and in the K form. Macromolecule fixed charge was found to provide 80% of the counter ions that pair with potassium. Therefore, in its physiological state, 80% of the cell potassium in E. coli is associated with an ion exchange site on a macromolecule. The primary cation exchange sites are found to be about equally divided between carboxylate and phosphate sites indicating that E. coli is a bifunctional resin with respect to cation exchange. During substrate-dependent cation accumulation ("active transport"), phosphate esters and organic aeids were shown to accumulate. One may conclude that the role of intermediate metabolism in "active transport" is to increase the ion exchange capacity of the biological resin by the production of charged metabolites that sorb to the framework of the resin.
Recurrence quantification analysis of electrically evoked surface EMG signal

Recurrence plot is a quite useful tool used in time-series analysis, in particular for measuring unstable periodic orbits embedded in a chaotic dynamical system. This paper introduced the structures of the recurrence plot and the ways of the plot coming into being. Then the way of the quantification of the recurrence plot is defined. In this paper, one of the possible applications of recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) strategy to the analysis of electrical stimulation evoked surface EMG. The result shows the percent determination is increased along with stimulation intensity
Mucosal Vaccine Design and Delivery

Mucosal surfaces are a major portal of entry for many human pathogens that are the cause of infectious diseases worldwide. Vaccines capable of eliciting mucosal immune responses can fortify defenses at mucosal front lines and protect against infection. However, most licensed vaccines are administered parenterally and fail to elicit protective mucosal immunity. Immunization by mucosal routes may be more effective at inducing protective immunity against mucosal pathogens at their sites of entry. Recent advances in our understanding of mucosal immunity and identification of correlates of protective immunity against specific mucosal pathogens have renewed interest in the development of mucosal vaccines. Efforts have focused on efficient delivery of vaccine antigens to mucosal sites that facilitate uptake by local antigen-presenting cells to generate protective mucosal immune responses. Discovery of safe and effective mucosal adjuvants are also being sought to enhance the magnitude and quality of the protective immune response.
A systematic approach for selecting practical moduli sets for residue number systems

The residue number system (RNS) is a useful tool for digital signal processing (DSP) since it can support parallel, carry free, high speed arithmetic. An RNS is defined by a set of relatively prime integers called the moduli set. The most important consideration when designing RNS systems is the choice of the moduli set. In order to maintain simple arithmetic, several example cases of moduli sets containing numbers of the forms 2(/sup k/1)+1, 2(/sup k/2)-1 and 2(/sup k/3) have been considered and studied by RNS researchers in the past. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive theory of properties of numbers of the forms 2(/sup k/1)+1 and 2(/sup k/2)-1 and of how these numbers can be used as moduli choices for RNS systems. A detailed and comprehensive theoretical study of properties of numbers of the forms 2(/sup k/1)+1 and 2(/sup k/2)-1 is presented. This study will enable RNS researchers and engineers to make the very best moduli selections for RNS systems. >
Using recursive parameter estimation for sleep disorder discrimination

The human pupillary light reflex has long been studied as a typical biological nonlinear system. We have used a sinusoidal non-harmonic signal as the input light stimulus and pupil diameter as the output of the system. A recursive least square method is then used to estimate the measured pupil diameter in terms of the input light. With a good estimate, the underlying dynamical behavior of the system would be captured by the estimated parameters. Thus we modeled the estimated parameters as ARIMA processes. Then the residual noise associated with the ARIMA models was examined and revealed that people with narcolepsy had considerably lower sum-square-error than people without this sleep disorder (controls). This method turns out to be a relatively simple and fast test procedure for narcolepsy discrimination.
The Fragility of the Moral Self

Exemplary of both the self's loss of sovereignty and a new paradigm in ethical thought, which could be called "ethics after autonomy," is the dialogue about the self-other relation in current post-structuralist thought. This dialogue seems to occupy a marginal position in contemporary mainstream ethical discourse. I shall argue that this is unfortunate, because reflecting on the self enables us to gain important insights into the basis of morality and thus to broaden our reflections about the subject of morality, to which I shall refer as the "moral self." In this essay, I want to consider two aspects of the moral self. First, what does the constitutive fragility of the self, a fragility that is determined by the impossibility of sovereignty, mean for the concept of the moral self? Second, what are the implications for the moral self of what I shall refer to, following Levinas and Derrida, as the "structure of the adieu," which requires that the ontological perspective (i.e., Heidegger's "beingtowards-death"), which is constitutive for the care for oneself, must be transformed into an ethical/moral perspective of caring about the (death of the) other? The dynamic of self-constitution in the face of the other, through and with the other, is based on a linguistic, or in any case on a discursive act. By way of social appellation and subject-formation, self-constitution is a public, heteronomous process that occurs before any self-definition or self-identity emerges. Foucault and critical theory alike emphasize that existence in this sense is thoroughly morally impregnated before any self-reflective assessment takes place, although existence is not only this moral relation. Foucault (and Judith Butler, who follows him in this regard) has analyzed this aspect of self-constitution as the impregnation of the self by many and diverse forms of social norms and moral authority. Both Foucault and Butler insist on the paradoxical structure of self-constitution, insofar as the self both desires and actively takes on the very subjectivation against which it defends
Relative left frontal activation to appetitive stimuli: Considering the role of individual differences

Experiments examining asymmetrical frontal activity in response to affective pictures have produced inconsistent results. These inconsistencies may have occurred because the pictorial stimuli may not have evoked strong emotional or motivational tendencies for all individuals. In the current study, participants were asked to indicate their liking for dessert and the time since they had last eaten to assess individual differences in emotion and motivation. Then, they were shown dessert pictures or neutral pictures while EEG activity was recorded. Results indicated that the individual differences predicted greater left than right frontal activity (inverse of the alpha power) within the first second as well as all 12 s of viewing of the dessert pictures.
Introduction: 'The Economic Role of the State'

We conceive of political economy, historical and contemporary, as reflecting sometimes competing and other times complementary assessments of the appropriate role of the state in economic life grounded in alternative approaches to the paradox of government. We call these differing approaches and the conclusions they generate "political-economic presumptions." Presumptions seems to us an appropriate term of categorization in that the different political-economic approaches they reflect are based in different evaluations of the costs and benefits of extending government’s reach into the economic domain, which in turn give rise to different “default” positions regarding the appropriate role of government. These default positions are presumed to be “correct” in any particular instance by those who hold them until and unless convincing arguments and evidence to the contrary are adduced by opponents, manifesting the clear desirability of deviating from the role ascribed to government by the default position in a given case. Alternative political-economic presumptions thus alternatively define upon whom the intellectual burden of proof should fall in debates regarding the expansion or contraction of government activity.
Effect of indoles, AVT, oxytocin, and AVP on prolactin secretion in rat pituitary clonal (2B8) cells.

AbstractThe effects of several putative pineal hormones on prolactin (PRL) secretion from clonal pituitary cells were studied in vitro. The pituitary cells (2B8) were derived from Rathke's pouch epithelium of normal fetal rats, and they were shown earlier to produce only prolactin when grown in Ham's F-10 medium. The substances tested were: 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), serotonin (5-HT; 5-hydroxytryptamine), NA-5-HT (N-acetyl serotonin), melatonin, and the nonapeptide AVT (arginine—vasotocin). For comparison with the effects of AVT, oxytocin, and AVP (arginine—vasopressin), the neurohypophyseal hormones which are analogs of AVT were also used. After 6 hr of incubation in the presence of these agents, the cells were separated and the media were collected. The media were later assayed for prolactin by radioimmunoassay.5-HTP, 5-HT, and NA-5-HT (each 10-11 to 10-6M) had no direct effect on PRL secretion from the 2B8 clonal cells. In contrast, melatonin clearly enhanced PRL secretion over the range of concentra...
Homoleptic “Star” Ru(II) Polypyridyl Complexes: Shielded Chromophores to Study Charge-Transfer at the Sensitizer-TiO2 Interface

Three homoleptic star-shaped ruthenium polypyridyl complexes, termed Star YZ1, Star YZ2, and Star YZ3, where the Ru(II) center is coordinated to three bipyridine ligands each carrying two oligo(phenylene ethynylene) (OPE) rigid linker units terminating with isophthalic ester (Ipa) groups for binding to metal-oxide surfaces were synthesized. In Star YZ3, each OPE linker was substituted with two n-butoxy (n-BuO) solubilizing groups. Star complex YZ4, which is homoleptic but lacks the octahedral symmetry, was synthesized as a reference compound. The Star complexes were synthesized using two approaches: in the first, Ru(4,4′-(Br)2-2,2′-bpy)3 was reacted in a Sonogashira cross coupling reaction with the ethynyl-OPE-Ipa linkers; in the second, the 2,2′-bpy-OPE-Ipa ligands were reacted with Ru(DMSO)4(PF6)2. The photophysical behavior of the Star complexes were studied in fluid solution and anchored to the surface of mesoporous nanocrystalline TiO2 thin films (Star/TiO2). To a first approximation the excited stat...
Hilar somatostatin interneuron loss reduces dentate gyrus inhibition in a mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Summary Objective In patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, seizures usually start in the hippocampus, and dentate granule cells are hyperexcitable. Somatostatin interneurons are a major subpopulation of inhibitory neurons in the dentate gyrus, and many are lost in patients and animal models. However, surviving somatostatin interneurons sprout axon collaterals and form new synapses, so the net effect on granule cell inhibition remains unclear. Methods The present study uses optogenetics to activate hilar somatostatin interneurons and measure the inhibitory effect on dentate gyrus perforant path–evoked local field potential responses in a mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Results In controls, light activation of hilar somatostatin interneurons inhibited evoked responses up to 40%. Epileptic pilocarpine-treated mice exhibited loss of hilar somatostatin interneurons and less light-induced inhibition of evoked responses. Significance These findings suggest that severe epilepsy-related loss of hilar somatostatin interneurons can overwhelm the surviving interneurons' capacity to compensate by sprouting axon collaterals.
MUC1 Vaccines, Comprised of Glycosylated or Non-Glycosylated Peptides or Tumor-Derived MUC1, Can Circumvent Immunoediting to Control Tumor Growth in MUC1 Transgenic Mice

It remains challenging to produce decisive vaccines against MUC1, a tumor-associated antigen widely expressed by pancreas, breast and other tumors. Employing clinically relevant mouse models, we ruled out such causes as irreversible T-cell tolerance, inadequate avidity, and failure of T-cells to recognize aberrantly glycosylated tumor MUC1. Instead, every tested MUC1 preparation, even non-glycosylated synthetic 9mer peptides, induced interferon gamma-producing CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells that recognized glycosylated variants including tumor-associated MUC1. Vaccination with synthetic peptides conferred protection as long as vaccination was repeated post tumor challenge. Failure to revaccinate post challenge was associated with down-regulated tumor MUC1 and MHC molecules. Surprisingly, direct admixture of MUC1-expressing tumor with MUC1-hyperimmune T-cells could not prevent tumor outgrowth or MUC1 immunoediting, whereas ex vivo activation of the hyperimmune T-cells prior to tumor admixture rendered them curative. Therefore, surrogate T-cell preactivation outside the tumor bed, either in culture or by repetitive vaccination, can overcome tumor escape.
Strain Energy Release Rates for Some Classical Rubber Test Pieces by Finite Element Analysis

SYNOPSIS Strain energy release rate or tearing energy has proven to be a valid failure criterion for a variety of rubber failure phenomena. However, apart from a small number of classical test pieces, it is difficult to calculate the tearing energy. This hampers the wider use of this criterion in failure analysis. As a benchmark exercise, finite element analysis is used here to compute the tearing energy for some classical rubber test pieces consisting of cracked strips and cylinders in tension. Results are used to reconcile some conflicts in the literature. Some guidance is given on choice of element types for such analyses.
Impact of sleep and sleep disturbances on obesity and cancer

Impact of sleep and sleep disturbances on obesity and cancer / , Impact of sleep and sleep disturbances on obesity and cancer / , کتابخانه دیجیتال جندی شاپور اهواز
Understanding the Oil Price Movement: Short versus Long Run Using the Leap Frog Model

This paper studies the oil price movement accounting for time horizon. Historical data demonstrates that the price of oil jumps from one state (condition) to another, remains stable stays for some time, and then jumps again to a new state, a phenomenon that is similar to 'leap frog'. Motivated by this phenomena, we present a model named 'leap frog' to estimate the probability, price, and duration for each price state to predict future oil prices. We find that analyzing the oil price for different time horizons (weekly, monthly, and quarterly) conveys different inferences: the shorter the time horizon, the greater the number of states that the price (frog) may jump (leap) to and the shorter duration in each state. Motivated by these findings, we also study the co-movement between the real economic activity and oil price and find it varies by time horizons, which has implications for measuring economic significance for shocks on oil prices. Finally, we exploit the leap frog model to employ an out of sample approach for trading strategy and yield an 0.035% average monthly excess return over the oil price growth. Collectively, oil price movement should be analyzed based on the time horizon of interest.
Perioperative support, not volume, is necessary to optimize outcomes in surgical management of necrotizing enterocolitis.

Abstract Background This study examines the relationship between hospital volume of surgical cases for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and patient outcomes. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional review was performed using the HCUP SID for California from 2007 to 2011. Patients with NEC who underwent surgery were identified using ICD-9CM codes. Risk-adjusted models were constructed with mixed-effects logistic regression using patient and demographic covariates. Results 23 hospitals with 618 patients undergoing NEC-related surgical intervention were included. Overall mortality rate was 22.5%. There were no significant differences in the number of NICU beds (p = 0.135) or NICU intensivists (p = 0.469) between high and low volume hospitals. Following risk adjustment, no difference in mortality rate was observed between high and low volume hospitals respectively (24.0% vs. 20.3%, p = 0.555). Conclusions Our observation that neonates with NEC treated at low-volume centers have no increased risk of mortality may be explained by similar availability of NICU and intensivists resources across hospitals.
Anisotropic hydrogen diffusion in α-Zr and Zircaloy predicted by accelerated kinetic Monte Carlo simulations.

This report presents an accelerated kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method to compute the diffusivity of hydrogen in hcp metals and alloys, considering both thermally activated hopping and quantum tunneling. The acceleration is achieved by replacing regular KMC jumps in trapping energy basins formed by neighboring tetrahedral interstitial sites, with analytical solutions for basin exiting time and probability. Parameterized by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the accelerated KMC method is shown to be capable of efficiently calculating hydrogen diffusivity in α-Zr and Zircaloy, without altering the kinetics of long-range diffusion. Above room temperature, hydrogen diffusion in α-Zr and Zircaloy is dominated by thermal hopping, with negligible contribution from quantum tunneling. The diffusivity predicted by this DFT + KMC approach agrees well with that from previous independent experiments and theories, without using any data fitting. The diffusivity along is found to be slightly higher than that along , with the anisotropy saturated at about 1.20 at high temperatures, resolving contradictory results in previous experiments. Demonstrated using hydrogen diffusion in α-Zr, the same method can be extended for on-lattice diffusion in hcp metals, or systems with similar trapping basins.
Immunogenicity of Blood Group Antigens in Female and Male Transfusion Recipients: Is It Possible to Avoid Immunization to RBC Antigens?

Abstract Abstract 4377 In men blood group incompatibilities between a donor and blood transfusion recipient may stimulate RBC antibody production, whereas in women both transfusion and pregnancies play a role. Immunogenicities of various RBC antigens correlate with their ability to induce a specific antibody response. These parameters were calculated on data obtained previously in 711 patients found to be immunized in pre-transfusion tests using the method of Giblett (Transfusion 1961), and corrected for the fraction of antibody decline in time by the method of Torney and Stack (Blood 2009). Immunogenicities of RBC antigens expressed as a fraction of that of the K antigen (Potency = 1) are shown in columns IV & VII (method of Giblett) and in V & VIII (method of Torney & Stack) of the following table. I Antigen X II Anti-X, N III Anti-X, Females, N IV Females Potency vs. K V Females, Corrected Potency VI Males, Anti-X, N VII Males, Potency Vs. K VIII Males, Corrected Potency C 71 51 0.227 0.156 20 0.108 0.075 c 37 27 0.164 0.141 10 0.074 0.063 E 220 117 0.554 0.565 103 0.594 0.606 e 9 5 0.244 4 0.238 Fya 44 28 0.122 0.086 16 0.085 0.060 Fyb 3 1 0.007 0.004 2 0.017 0.012 Jka 60 41 0.225 1.083 19 0.127 0.611 Jkb 5 3 0.015 2 0.012 K 153 84 1 1 69 1 1 k 1 1 0.488 0 S 18 13 0.051 0.027 5 0.024 0.013 s 1 0 1 M 21 10 0.056 0.069 11 0.075 0.093 In males the corrected potencies of E and Jka were about 60% of that of K, but in females the corrected potencies of Jka and K were equal. The antigens C, c, Fya,Jka and S had higher corrected potencies in females than in males, probably reflecting the additional role of pregnancies in immunization. Note the big difference in antibody response between allelic non-Rh antigens (e.g. Jka vs. Jkb). Immunogenicity of the Rh D antigen was not calculated since Rh negative patients receive Rh negative blood and Rh negative pregnant women are given Rh immune prophylaxis. However, in this study 29.6 % of the patients were Rh negative. Over 70% of the susceptible patients had been immunized to the Rh D. In conclusion, RBC antibodies interfere with the benefits of RBC transfusions and may also cause severe adverse effects. Introduction of molecular methods into Blood Bank setting could eventually minimize exposure and immunization of transfusion recipients to incompatible RBC antigens. Information about immunogenicity of various blood group antigens may point out those antigens that should not be given to patients who are lacking them. It is also critical to understand why immunization to the D antigen is still prevalent in order to pave the way to future multiple antigen matching. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Utility of Flow Cytometry in Diagnosing Hematologic Malignancy in Tonsillar Tissue.

Objective. Tonsil surgical biopsy or excision is a very common procedure. However, there exist no consensus guidelines for the pathologic handling of tonsil specimens; gross and/or microscopic evaluation may be used. Diagnosis of tonsillar hematologic malignancy requires histology, immunohistochemistry and/or flow cytometry. Data regarding the utility of flow cytometry in tonsillar tissues are limited. We assessed our experience with flow cytometry for tonsil diagnosis with regard to accuracy and use patterns at a tertiary academic medical center. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed all surgically biopsied or excised tonsil specimens that underwent flow cytometry evaluation from August 2011 to March 2014. Patient clinical information, intraoperative frozen section, histology, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry diagnoses were recorded. Results. The study included 154 tonsil specimens from 89 females and 65 males. Patients averaged 27.4 years old (range 2-87 years); 73 were pediatric. Both histology ...
High-speed super-resolution microscopy for biological imaging

We used new super resolution imaging method, localized plasmonic structure illumination microscopy (LPSIM), to observe biological specimens' movement. This approach allows biologically friendly video rate imaging with wide field of view and 50nm resolution.
The Symbolic Assailant Revisited

The well-publicized deaths of several African Americans — Tamir Rice, Philando Castile and Alton Sterling among others — at the hands of police stem from tragic interactions predicated upon well-understood practices that police scholars have been analyzing since the 1950s. The symbolic assailant, a construct created by police scholar Jerome Skolnick in the mid-1960s to identify persons whose behavior and characteristics the police view as threatening is especially relevant to contemporary policing. This Article explores the societal roots of the creation of a Black symbolic assailant in contemporary American policing. The construction of African American men as symbolic assailants is one of the most important factors characterizing police interaction with African American males. This is not a one size fits all approach to blackness. As the Article discusses, police officers’ treatment of African American women is also fraught, but markedly different. I argue that current strategies for ending police violence do not sufficiently address the prominence of the symbolic assailant in proactive policing strategies. This Article suggests an unusual solution to commonly understood mechanisms of addressing police violence. Based on my experience with police who had productive relationships with crime victims of color, I suggest a reorientation of policing practices predicated on a more reactive model of policing.
Role of mGlu5 Receptors and Inhibitory Neurotransmission in M1 Dependent Muscarinic LTD in the Prefrontal Cortex: Implications in Schizophrenia

Selective potentiation of the mGlu5 subtype of metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptor using positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) has robust cognition-enhancing effects in rodent models that are relevant for schizophrenia. Until recently, these effects were thought to be due to potentiation of mGlu5-induced modulation of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) currents and NMDAR-dependent synaptic plasticity. However, “biased” mGlu5 PAMs that do not potentiate mGlu5 effects on NMDAR currents show efficacy that is similar to that of prototypical mGlu5 PAMs, suggesting that NMDAR-independent mechanisms must be involved in these actions. We now report that synaptic activation of mGlu5 is required for a form of long-term depression (mLTD) in mouse prefrontal cortex (PFC) that is induced by activation of M1 muscarinic acetylcholine (mAChR) receptors, which was previously thought to be independent of mGlu5 activation. Interestingly, a biased mGlu5 PAM, VU0409551, that does not potentiate mGlu5 modulation of NMDAR currents, poten...
Decentralized Control of Structural Acoustic Radiation

Although the application of active control to vibrations has been investigated from many years, the extension of this technology to large-scale systems has been thwarted, in part, by an overwhelming need for computational effort, data transmission and electrical power. This need has been overwhelming in the sense that the potential applications are unable to bear the power, weight and complex communications requirement of large-scale centralized control systems. Recent developments in MEMS devices and networked embedded devices have changed the focus of such applications from centralized control architectures to decentralized ones. A decentralized control system is one that consists of many autonomous, or semi-autonomous, localized controllers called nodes, acting on a single plant, in order to achieve a global control objective. Each of these nodes has the following capabilities and assets: 1) a relatively limited computational capability including limited memory, 2) oversight of a suite of sensors and actuators and 3) a communications link (either wired or wireless) with neighboring or regional nodes. The objective of a decentralized controller is the same as for a centralized control system: to maintain some desirable global system behavior in the presences of disturbances. However, decentralized controllers do so with each node possessing only a limited amount of information on the global systems response. Exactly what information each node has access to, and how that information is used, is the topic of this investigation.
Thoraxschmerz nach lautstarkem Singen

Notfallmassige Vorstellung eines 19-jahrigen Patienten per Rettungsdienst wegen atemabhangiger Brustschmerzen. Der Patient war Teilnehmer an einer Musikfestwoche und hatte am Festival lautstark gesungen.
Genomics of autism spectrum disorder: approach to therapy

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental condition with no current treatment available. Although advances in genetics and genomics have identified hundreds of genes associated with ASD, very little is known about the pathophysiology of ASD and the functional contribution of specific genes to ASD phenotypes. Improved understanding of the biological function of ASD-associated genes and how this heterogeneous group of genetic variants leads to the disease is needed in order to develop therapeutic strategies. Here, we review the current state of ASD research related to gene discovery and examples of emerging molecular mechanisms (protein translation and alternative splicing). In addition, we discuss how patient-derived three-dimensional brain organoids might provide an opportunity to model specific genetic variants in order to define molecular and cellular defects that could be amenable for developing and screening personalized therapies related to ASD.
Improving the Quality of 3D Immersive Interactive Cloud Based Services Over Unreliable Network

Applying cloud technology to 3D interactive multimedia applications is a promising way to provide flexible and cost efficient online high bandwidth immersive services to a large population of end users. One main reason cloud systems are popular among users is the fact that it relaxes the hardware requirements for high-end interactive visual applications. As most of the computational tasks are done on cloud servers, users no longer need to upgrade their hardware frequently to keep up with the ever increasing high end computing requirements of the latest applications. Moreover, cloud systems make it easier for a user to enjoy applications on different platforms, including mobile devices that are usually not powerful enough to run high-end, memory intensive services. In short, applying cloud technology to high end immersive applications has advantages in cost efficiency and flexibility both for the end users and the service providers. In previous work, we proposed a flexible framework that addresses the bandwidth utilization and latency issues by using a combination of collaborative rendering, progressive meshes, and 3D image warping techniques. In this paper, we analyze the performance of our framework for unreliable network environments where packets can be lost during network transmission. The experimental results show that compared to pure video streaming approaches, the proposed system is less sensitive to network conditions as part of the content is generated locally on the client.