cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
IRON AND DIOXYGEN CHEMISTRY IS AN IMPORTANT ROUTE TO INITIATION OF BIOLOGICAL FREE RADICAL OXIDATIONS: AN ELECTRON PARAMAGNETIC RESONANCE SPIN TRAPPING STUDY

Iron can be a detrimental catalyst in biological free radical oxidations. Because of the high physiological ratio of [O2]/[H2O2] (> or = 10(3)), we hypothesize that the Fenton reaction with pre-existing H2O2 is only a minor initiator of free radical oxidations and that the major initiators of biological free radical oxidations are the oxidizing species formed by the reaction of Fe2+ with dioxygen. We have employed electron paramagnetic resonance spin trapping to examine this hypothesis. Free radical oxidation of: 1) chemical (ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide); 2) biochemical (glucose, glyceraldehyde); and 3) cellular (L1210 murine leukemia cells) targets were examined when subjected to an aerobic Fenton (Fe2+ + H2O2 + O2) or an aerobic (Fe2+ + O2) system. As anticipated, the Fenton reaction initiates radical formation in all the above targets. Without pre-existing H2O2, however, Fe2+ and O2 also induce substantial target radical formation. Under various experimental ratios of [O2]/[H2O2] (1-100 with [O2] approximately 250 microM), we compared the radical yield from the Fenton reaction vs. the radical yield from Fe2+ + O2 reactions. When [O2]/[H2O2] or = 100. Interestingly, when L1210 cells are the oxidation targets, Fe2+ + O2 is observed to be responsible for formation of nearly all of the cell-derived radicals detected, no matter the ratio of [O2]/[H2O2]. Our data demonstrate that when [O2]/[H2O2] > or = 100, Fe2+ + O2 chemistry is an important route to initiation of detrimental biological free radical oxidations.
Triangulation F|rS

Letting r be a positive integer we know that the natural restriction F|rS of Freudenthal’s triangulation F to rS triangulates rS where S is the standard simplex, see Lemma 6.20 and Figure 8.1. Our purpose here is simply to develop the representation and replacement rules for F|rS.
Enterococcus faecalis Inhibits Hyphal Morphogenesis and Virulence of Candida albicans

The Gram-positive bacterium Enterococcus faecalis and the fungus Candida albicans are both found as commensals in many of the same niches of the human body, such as the oral cavity and gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, both are opportunistic pathogens and have frequently been found to be coconstituents of polymicrobial infections. Despite these features in common, there has been little investigation into whether these microbes affect one another in a biologically significant manner. Using a Caenorhabditis elegans model of polymicrobial infection, we discovered that E. faecalis and C. albicans negatively impact each other's virulence. Much of the negative effect of E. faecalis on C. albicans was due to the inhibition of C. albicans hyphal morphogenesis, a developmental program crucial to C. albicans pathogenicity. We discovered that the inhibition was partially dependent on the Fsr quorum-sensing system, a major regulator of virulence in E. faecalis. Specifically, two proteases regulated by Fsr, GelE and SerE, were partially required. Further characterization of the inhibitory signal revealed that it is secreted into the supernatant, is heat resistant, and is between 3 and 10 kDa. The substance was also shown to inhibit C. albicans filamentation in the context of an in vitro biofilm. Finally, a screen of an E. faecalis transposon mutant library identified other genes required for suppression of C. albicans hyphal formation. Overall, we demonstrate a biologically relevant interaction between two clinically important microbes that could affect treatment strategies as well as impact our understanding of interkingdom signaling and sensing in the human-associated microbiome.
Changing age patterns of U.S. male and female suicide rates, 1934-1983

Changes in the age patterns of U.S. male and female suicide rates from 1934 to 1983 are examined, using official suicide data. Among whites, the age patterns of male and female suicide rates have become less concordant since about 1960. In contrast, the age patterns of nonwhite male and female suicide rates have become more concordant since the mid-1950s. A review of sociological theories of suicide identifies problems in accounting for such changes--problems stemming in part from what has been a theoretical emphasis on cross-sectional relations.
Inflammation and Tissue Loss Caused by Periodontal Pathogens Is Reduced by Interleukin-1 Antagonists

Periodontal disease is a significant cause of tooth loss among adults. It is initiated by pathogenic bacteria, which trigger an inflammatory response that is effective in preventing significant microbial colonization of the gingival tissues. In some individuals, the reaction to bacteria may lead to an excessive host response, resulting in periodontal tissue destruction. Recent developments suggest that interleukin (IL)-1 genetic polymorphisms may identify certain individuals who have a predisposed susceptibility to periodontal breakdown and that elevated levels of IL-1 are found in individuals with periodontal disease. However, there is no direct evidence that IL-1 per se is responsible for the critical events that occur in periodontitis. We investigated the role of IL-1 in periodontal disease in a Macaca fascicularis primate model, using human soluble IL-1 receptor type I as a specific inhibitor. The results indicate that inhibition of IL-1 alone significantly reduces inflammation, connective tissue attachment loss, and bone resorption that are induced by periodontal pathogens.
Co-presentation of force cues for skill transfer via shared-control systems

During training and rehabilitation with haptic devices, it is often necessary to simultaneously present force cues arising from different haptic models (such as guidance cues and environmental forces). Multiple force cues are typically summed to produce a single output force, which conveys only relative information about the original force cues and may not be useful to trainees. Two force co-presentation paradigms are proposed as potential solutions to this problem: temporal separation of force cues, where one type of force is overlaid with the other in staggered pulses, and spatial separation, where the forces are presented via multiple haptic devices. A generalized model for separating task and guidance forces in a virtual environment is also proposed. In a pilot study where sixteen participants were trained in a dynamic target-hitting task using these co-presentation paradigms, simple summation was in fact most effective at eliciting skill transfer in most respects. Spatial separation imposed the lowest overall workload on participants, however, and might thus be more appropriate than summation in tasks with other significant physical or mental demands. Temporal separation was relatively inferior at eliciting skill transfer, but it is hypothesized that this paradigm would have performed considerably better in a non-rhythmic task, and the need for further research is indicated.
PMCA2 regulates HER2 protein kinase localization and signaling and promotes HER2-mediated breast cancer

In the lactating mammary gland, the plasma membrane calcium ATPase2 (PMCA2) transports milk calcium. Its expression is activated in breast cancers, where high tumor levels predict increased mortality. We find that PMCA2 expression correlates with HER2 levels in breast cancers and that PMCA2 interacts with HER2 in specific actin-rich membrane domains. Knocking down PMCA2 increases intracellular calcium, disrupts interactions between HER2 and HSP-90, inhibits HER2 signaling, and results in internalization and degradation of HER2. Manipulating PMCA2 levels regulates the growth of breast cancer cells, and knocking out PMCA2 inhibits the formation of tumors in mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-Neu mice. These data reveal previously unappreciated molecular interactions regulating HER2 localization, membrane retention, and signaling, as well as the ability of HER2 to generate breast tumors, suggesting that interactions between PMCA2 and HER2 may represent therapeutic targets for breast cancer.
Weight and Gender in Service Jobs: The Importance of Warmth in Predicting Customer Satisfaction

The average weight of employees in the United States workforce is increasing. Importantly, relatively heavier employees are often subject to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination based solely ...
Chaotic Behavior in Slowly Varying Systems of Nonlinear Differential Equations

A technique is developed to find parameter regions of chaotic behavior in certain systems of nonlinear differential equations with slowly varying periodic coefficients. The technique combines previous results on how to find branches of periodic solutions which terminate with a homoclinic orbit and results on how to find chaotic trajectories in the neighborhood of homoclinic trajectories of the autonomous system. The technique is applied to the continuous stirred tank reaction A → B, for which it is shown that a slowly varying periodic flow rate can yield aperiodic temperature fluctuations.
Effect of Testosterone Propionate on Behavior of the Female Canary

SummaryTestosterone propionate administered to female canaries caused suppression of the female reproductive functions and initiation of the following male traits: singing, courtship behavior, peck-dominance over untreated females, and appearance of the male type of anal region.
Effects of cooling "association cortex" on visual evoked potentials.

Summary.--Cryogecic probes were implanted in monkeys for cooling cortical "association areas" in unanesthetized state. Cooling was obtained by attaching special D.C. operated thcrmodes to the probes. When the parastriate and the lateral frontal cortex were cooled to 5" C, the amplitude of averaged visual evoked potentials recorded from the striate cortex was depressed. The change is conspicuous in long latency components of evoked response. Experimental hypothermia in a specific sensory pathway constitutes a block for stimuli transmitted along the pathway (3). This study tried to elucidate, by the use of the cooling technique, the influence of association areas of the cortex on responsiveness of the striate cortex to visual stimuli. Three monkeys were used in the experiment. Special thermodes operating on the principle of the Peltier effect, i.e., the heat exchange resulting from the passage of electrical current through a junction of two dissimilar metals (2), were constructed (see Fig. 1A and B) .' A continuous flow of water to the coolers served as a heat sink to the hot side of the junctions while the cold side was applied to one of the brain probes. The gold-plated copper probes (see Fig. lC), shzped to conform to the contour of the cortical surface to be cooled, were surgically implanted under barbiturate anesthesia for subsequent cooling of association cortex. They were placed on the dura and aff~vetl by dental cement to the sur
A NEW POST PROCESSING CAPABILITY FOR TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION AND CONCEPT DESIGN

Topology optimization has evolved into a very efficient concept design tool and has been incorporated into design engineering processes in many industrial sectors. The existing design process starts with topology optimization and cycles through results interpretation, CAD data development, analysis and validation until a prototype can be manufactured. The current process was analyzed carefully to identify redundant steps that tend to increase the expenses involved in arriving at a prototype. A new process was developed and tested on the
Abstract 4315: A novel role for the high affinity IL13 receptor in glioblastoma multiforme

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL IL13 Receptor alpha 2 (IL13Ra2) is one of two receptors for IL13 and is found to be highly expressed in a number of cancers including, ovarian, head and neck, pancreatic and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). IL13Ra2 has been found to be expressed mostly in high grade GBMs but not in low grade gliomas or normal brain tissue. IL13Ra2 has a short intracellular domain that lacks a signaling domain and possesses a high affinity for IL13. It is thought that in GBMs IL13Ra2 acts primarily as a decoy receptor for IL13. However, recent evidence from pancreatic and ovarian cancer lines indicates that IL13Ra2 initiates signaling pathways that influence cell invasion and adhesion properties of cancer cells. We hypothesize the IL13Ra2 might play a role in GBMs distinct for its decoy receptor function. This study is designed to determine if IL13Ra2 possess functional properties and can modulate the behavior of glioma cells through its interaction with IL13. We examined the effect of IL13 interaction with IL13Ra2 in multiple glioma cell lines in vitro. A BrdU based proliferation assay was utilized to determine the effect of IL13 on the proliferation rate of glioma cells. Migration of glioma cells was also examined over a 24 hour period following exposure to IL13. A shRNA mediated knockdown of IL13Ra2 in glioma cells was also produced and the resultant phenotype analyzed by phalloidin staining for cytoskeletal actin and in the migration assay. Treatment of IL13Ra2 expressing glioma cell lines with IL13 did not influence their proliferation rates in vitro. However, cells that had been treated with IL13 demonstrated an increased migration response. Knockdowns were found to have decreased migration rates, both in the presence and absence of IL13. Knockdowns were also found to have dramatic changes in phenotype with increased cellular adhesion and altered actin structure. When the actin structure was examined following IL13 treatment, normal cells appeared to have an increase in peripheral actin and filopodia, while in knockdown cells treated cells did not appear different from untreated controls. Our data indicate that IL13 interaction with IL13Ra2 might contribute to changes in the phenotype of glioma cells that promote their invasive properties. Further research is needed to determine the underlying mechanism. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4315. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4315
C-H activation by multiply bonded complexes with potentially noninnocent ligands: a computational study.

Second- and third-row (typically precious metals) transition metal complexes are known to possess certain electronic features that define their structure and reactivity and are usually not observed in their first-row (base metal) congeners. Can these electronic features be conferred onto first-row transition metals with the aid of noninnocent and/or very high-field ligands? In this research, the impact upon methane C–H bond activation was modeled using the dipyridylazaallyl (smif) supporting ligand for late, first-row transition metal (M) imide, oxo, and carbene complexes (M = Fe, Co, Ni, or Cu; E = O, NMe, or CMe2). Density functional theory calculations suggest that the combination of smif with iron and the oxo activating ligand is the most energetically favorable complex for methane C–H activation. A change in the preferred transition state for methane C–H activation from [2+2] addition to hydrogen atom abstraction was observed upon going from Fe to Cu and for Fe as compared to precious metals. Contrar...
A Multifunctional Theranostic Platform Based on Phthalocyanine-Loaded Dendrimer for Image-Guided Drug Delivery and Photodynamic Therapy

Owing to the outstanding near-infrared (NIR) optical properties, phthalocyanines (Pc) have promising potential as theranostic agents for fluorescence image-guided drug delivery and noninvasive treatment of deep tumors by photodynamic therapy (PDT). Nevertheless, clinical application of phthalocyanines is substantially limited by poor water solubility, aggregation and insufficient selectivity for cancer cells. To address these issues, we have developed a novel dendrimer-based theranostic platform for tumor-targeted delivery of phthalocyanines. The preparation procedure involved the modification of the Pc molecule with a hydrophobic linker, which significantly enhances physical encapsulation of the hydrophobic drug into a generation 4 polypropylenimine (PPI G4) dendrimer. In order to improve biocompatibility and tumor-targeted delivery, the surface of the resulting Pc–PPIG4 complexes was additionally modified with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) peptide, respecti...
Acetylcholine Content of the Myenteric Plexus and Resistance to Anoxia.

SummaryIt is shown that the estimated ACh-content of the myenteric plexus of the rabbit and guinea pig (400-800 γ/g) is higher than that of any other mammalian nervous tissue. Since the cells of this plexus are known to be the most resistant of all nerve cells to anoxia, further evidence is provided indicating a relationship between resistance to oxygen-lack and ACh-content of parts of the nervous system.
Challenges and Opportunities in Implementation of Future California Rail Network

The California High-Speed Rail Authority adopted a blended system at the northern and southern terminuses of the planned first phase of its high-speed rail line. In this blended operation, the high-speed rail line share track and other infrastructure with commuter, intercity, and freight rail. However, the lack of common infrastructure between rail modes and the financial and organizational challenges associated with building that common infrastructure and capacity allocation in California present challenges for the implementation of high-speed rail by a blended system in the state. This paper reviews the blended system and discusses the level of cooperation and coordination necessary between host railroads–agencies and the operator of the high-speed rail tenant. Sharing track comes with challenges for all participating railroad operators and often requires coordination between heterogeneous rail traffic. However, costs can be reduced when compared with those for dedicated track. How blended service is pe...
Order in the Black Box: Consistency and Robustness of Hidden Neuron Activation of Feed Forward Neural Networks and Its Use in Efficient Optimization of Network Structure

Neural networks are widely used for nonlinear pattern recognition and regression. However, they are considered as black boxes due to lack of transparency of internal workings and lack of direct relevance of its structure to the problem being addressed making it difficult to gain insights. Furthermore, structure of a neural network requires optimization which is still a challenge. Many existing structure optimization approaches require either extensive multi-stage pruning or setting subjective thresholds for pruning parameters. The knowledge of any internal consistency in the behavior of neurons could help develop simpler, systematic and more efficient approaches to optimise network structure. This chapter addresses in detail the issue of internal consistency in relation to redundancy and robustness of network structure of feed forward networks (3-layer) that are widely used for nonlinear regression. It first investigates if there is a recognizable consistency in neuron activation patterns under all conditions of network operation such as noise and initial weights. If such consistency exists, it points to a recognizable optimum network structure for given data. The results show that such pattern does exist and it is most clearly evident not at the level of hidden neuron activation but hidden neuron input to the output neuron (i.e., weighted hidden neuron activation). It is shown that when a network has more than the optimum number of hidden neurons, the redundant neurons form clearly distinguishable correlated patterns of their weighted outputs. This correlation structure is exploited to extract the required number of neurons using correlation distance based self organising maps that are clustered using Ward clustering that optimally cluster correlated weighted hidden neuron activity patterns without any user defined criteria or thresholds, thus automatically optimizing network structure in one step. The number of Ward clusters on the SOM is the required optimum number of neurons. The SOM/Ward based optimum network is compared with that obtained using two documented pruning methods: optimal brain damage and variance nullity measure to show the efficacy of the correlation approach in providing equivalent results. Also, the robustness of the network with optimum structure is tested against perturbation of weights and confidence intervals for weights are illustrated. Finally, the approach is tested on two practical problems involving a breast cancer diagnostic system and river flow forecasting.
Graywater Reuse for Irrigation: Benefits and Potential Hazards

Graywater has been defined as all wastewaters generated in the household, except toilet wastes (Ingham 1980). A more recent definition is: “all flows exiting an urban building” (Winward et al. 2008a, b). Thus graywater includes wastewater from bathroom sinks, baths, showers, laundry facilities, dishwaters and sometimes, kitchen sinks. Due to the various household uses of water, graywater gets its name from its less than pristine appearance, and has led to an informal definition of water based on its appearance (Information Box 1).
Pharmacological approaches to restoring lens transparency: Real world applications

ABSTRACTCataract is the most common cause of blindness and a major cause of visual impairment worldwide. As the world’s population ages, cataract-induced visual impairment is of increasing prevalence, and treatment is limited to those with access to surgical care. While cataracts are mainly a disease of the elderly, infantile cataracts lead to lifelong visual impairment if untreated. Even in those with surgical treatment early in life, visual prognosis is often guarded. Consequently, there is an increasing impetus for alternative therapeutic modalities. Makley and Zhao utilize two different experimental approaches to identify novel pharmacological substances able to improve lens transparency by reducing aggregation of crystalline proteins. These data support an alternative to surgical correction that may be applied to adult patients without access to surgical care as well as address the unique challenges of infantile cataracts.
1959: Moscow, Washington, London, Paris

In 1959, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harold Macmillan were confronted with a new crisis, in addition to their concerns about disarmament, the Middle East, and even the situation in the Far East. On 10 November 1958, Nikita S. Khrushchev, the premier of the Soviet Union, told an audience in Moscow that the Western powers had violated their postwar agreements over the future of Germany. He called upon the United States, Great Britain, and France to end their occupation of West Berlin and said that the Soviet Union intended to negotiate a separate treaty with the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), thereby enabling the East Germans to control the access routes to Berlin. The Western powers, therefore, would be forced to negotiate a separate arrangement with East Germany, a country which they did not recognize diplomatically, in order to maintain their rights in Berlin. Khrushchev’s speech was perceived as a tactic designed to force the West out of Berlin. Shortly after his 10 November speech, Khrushchev gave a six-month ultimatum for settling the Berlin issue, holding out the prospect of armed confrontation if a settlement was not reached.1
Solid state and surface effects in thin-film molecular switches

Thin-films of three dihydroindolizine molecular switches were monitored via polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy to quantify solid state and surface-based inhibition of switching as a function of irradiation time. In the solid state, the molecular switches diverged dramatically with flexible alkyl substituents resulting in switching rates up to three times that of switches containing rigid analogs. For thin-films, decreasing film thickness from 30 nm to approximately 4 molecules thick resulted in an increase in inhibition. This was found to be consistent across all molecules regardless of structure. Increased inhibition is isolated as a metal/molecule interaction, and its consistency across structure is suggestive of energy transfer to the surface. These molecular switches highlight the interplay between molecular design, electronic structure, and switching efficiency.
A Controlled Antibiotic Release System for the Development of Single-Application Otitis Externa Therapeutics

Ear infections are a commonly-occurring problem that can affect people of all ages. Treatment of these pathologies usually includes the administration of topical or systemic antibiotics, depending on the location of the infection. In this context, we sought to address the feasibility of a single-application slow-releasing therapeutic formulation of an antibiotic for the treatment of otitis externa. Thixotropic hydrogels, which are gels under static conditions but liquefy when shaken, were tested for their ability to act as drug controlled release systems and inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, the predominant bacterial strains associated with outer ear infections. Our overall proof of concept, including in vitro evaluations reflective of therapeutic ease of administration, formulation stability, cytocompatibility assessment, antibacterial efficacy, and formulation lifespan, indicate that these thixotropic materials have strong potential for development as otic treatment products.
Interactive Computer Modules for Signals, Systems and Control Education

Abstract This paper describes a group of highly interactive and specialized computer modules for simulating circuits, signals, and systems. Both inanimate and real-time simulation is performed. Inanimate modules allow rapid and easy repetitive interaction to examine and explore a situation. Real-time modules can be configured to cover a broad range of problems in communication, control, and signal processing. As an integral part of the courseware, the modules can play an important role in concept development, practice, analysis, and design. They provide effective teaching tools and supplement experiments.
Communicating in Organizations in the Digital Age

Internal communication in organizations has been significantly changing under the influence of the latest advancements in the digital space. Recently published research suggests that the majority of companies use internal communication for a variety of purposes, including helping employees understand the business and providing performance information. This technical note examines the importance of social media used for internal purposes, provides relevant examples from companies taking leading positions in adopting social media technologies, and presents an overview of the existing internal social media tools that are commonly used in organizations. Excerpt UVA-BC-0243 Jul. 9, 2012 Communicating in Organizations in the Digital Age Internal communication in organizations has been significantly changing under the influence of the latest advancements in the digital space. The term “internal communication” is used to reflect a dialogue, a conversation, within an organization between employees and employer and between employees and employees. Recently published research suggests that the majority of companies use internal communication for a variety of purposes, including helping employees understand the business and providing performance information. Companies try to make sure that employees receive information about new products, changes in the organizational structure, and recently launched projects in a timely manner. Social media is gaining more importance in the communication of developments. This note examines the importance of social media used for internal purposes, provides relevant examples from companies taking leading positions in adopting social media technologies, and presents an overview of the existing internal social media tools that are commonly used in organizations. Traditionally, internal communication includes such forms of interaction as in-person contact, specifically town halls, staff meetings, one-on-one meetings, and print materials such as annual reports, memos, and newsletters. The landscape of internal communication has substantially changed since the advent of the digital era. Today, technological or electronic tools often are a desired choice for communicating. Forrester Research estimates that the number of adults who telecommuted in 2009 was 34 million. This number is projected to grow to 63 million by 2016. With the growing demand for reliable, interactive ways to communicate, it is no wonder that intranet, e-mail, and social media, including video broadcasts, wikis, podcasts, and others, have begun to play an important role throughout organizations. “Social media certainly isn't a replacement for face-to-face communication, but in today's organizations one-to-one is often more difficult and expensive, and it's just not as easy as it used to be to get people together quickly and easily for a meeting,” says Kevin Ruck, an internal communications specialist. . . .
A Mechanically Reconfigurable Patch Antenna With Polarization Diversity

A mechanically reconfigurable patch antenna with polarization diversity is presented. The antenna is composed of a fixed L-probe feed on a bottom substrate layer and a patch with truncated corners on an upper substrate layer that can rotate in azimuth. The layers are held together with a thin bolt going through the center of both layers. The handedness of the circular polarization (right-hand circular polarization or left-hand circular polarization) may be changed by simply rotating the upper substrate by 90° with respect to the fixed capacitively coupled feed. Additionally, since the upper layer is not permanently attached, the resonant frequency may be modified by swapping out the patch with one having different dimensions. The L-probe presented in this letter is impedance-matched to patch sizes resonating in the range of 1.0–1.8 GHz. The antenna design is presented along with measurement results, which are shown to be in excellent agreement with simulations. This simple and low-cost reconfigurable design is ideal for applications or systems where the antenna requirements may be variable.
L 1 LMS theoretical tap-weight vector update — derivation and simulation results

In this paper, the L 1 LMS algorithm is considered as an alternative to conventional cross-correlation processing for generating an estimate of a radar range profile. The update equation for the Li LMS filter tap weight vector is derived to enhance the reader's understanding. Results achieved in simulation using MATLAB® are shown, which illustrate robust performance achieved by an LMS-type algorithm employing a regularization term in the cost function to be minimized when processing simulated radar data for which the transmit noise waveform's spectrum contains multiple notches.
Enigmas and Hypotheses

A symposium embracing the basic and clinical sciences is successful insofar as it establishes a dialogue among persons of diverse interests and experience. We have much to give each other but, immersed in our special disciplines and peculiar jargons, we are prone to go our separate ways with progressive lack of intercommunication.
The Sonar Signal Transmission System

We will now begin to examine another major subsystem of the dolphin sonar, the signal transmission system. In this chapter we will first discuss the general characteristics of sonar signals used by odontocetes, both in open waters and in enclosed tanks, in order to gain an appreciation of the wide variety of signals that are used. The topic of biosonar (biological sonar) signals will be briefly covered in this chapter, mainly as a prelude to the subject of sound production mechanisms. Characteristics of dolphin sonar signals will be more thoroughly discussed in Chapter 7. Although we are generally concerned with sonar signals used by dolphins, we need to pay some attention to other types of acoustic signals they produce. Bottlenose and other dolphins emit a wide variety of sounds not used for active sonar searches. Sound emissions can be classified into two broad categories of narrow-band frequency-modulated (FM) continuous tonal sounds referred to as whistles and broadband sonar clicks (Evans 1967). Whistles appear to be used for intraspecific communications (Herman and Tavolga 1980). These sounds are generally low frequency emissions between 5 and 30 kHz and may last for several seconds. They are often referred to as squeaks, squawks, and squeals, as well as whistles.
Effects of Risk-Based Capital Requirements and Asymmetric Information on Banks' Portfolio Decisions

This paper examines if asymmetric information about earnings prospects caused low-capital banks to reduce assets rather than raise capital between 1989 and 1992, the transition period from the leverage ratio to the risk-based capital requirement. The measure of asymmetric information here is the residual of an earnings prediction model based on publicly available information. If managers are significantly better informed than outside investors, a large residual indicates that inside information is more favorable and that the bank's stock is undervalued. The empirical results show an insignificant effect of asymmetric information on banks' portfolio decisions.
Capturing an evader in a polygonal environment with obstacles

We study a pursuit-evasion game in which one or more cops try to capture a robber by moving onto the robber's current location. All players have equal maximum velocities. They can observe each other at all times. We show that three cops can capture the robber in any polygonal environment (which can contain any finite number of holes).
PREDICTING THE USE OF BLOOD TRANSFUSION

ABSTRACT Background and Purpose Blood transfusion is associated with post-transfusion reactions, disease transmission and immunosuppression. Little is known about the incidence of blood transfusion in patients undergoing elective colon or rectal resection. The purpose of the present study is to identify the incidence of blood transfusion and factors that predict risks of blood transfusion in patients undergoing colon and rectal resection. Methods Hospital charts of 206 patients at three hospitals in the Los Angeles area from January 1995 to September 1998 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic and clinical variables such as age, gender, comorbidities, diagnosis, disease location and operative procedure were recorded. Results The overall transfusion rate was 48%. The factors that exhibit a positive association with blood transfusion include a low pre-operative hemoglobin level (p-value = 0.000002), disease location in the rectum (RR = 1.37 – 2.44), diagnosis of cancer (RR = 1.10 – 2.07), diabetes mellitus (RR = 1.07 – 2.12), history of cerebral vascular accident (RR = 1.86 – 2.51), and documented coronary artery disease (RR – 1.01 – 2.09). Conclusion Factors predicting the need for blood transfusion in surgical patients are useful because they may allow implementation of preventative therapy to treat anemia and other conditions. The present study demonstrates a number of pre-operative clinical factors that are predictive of blood transfusion.
Global Regulators of Extracellular Protein Production in the Soft-Rotting Bacterium, Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora

Pathogenic organisms are distinct from their non-pathogenic counterparts in that they produce substances that enable them to survive within and outside the host, to colonize the host and to ultimately cause harm. Such substances, also referred to as pathogenicity/virulence factors, include enzymes, non-enzymatic proteins, peptides, hormones, toxins and polysaccharides. In addition, pathogens possess the capacity to suppress host defense responses or to overcome stresses caused by host defense metabolites. There is growing evidence that many genes required for host interaction are coordinately regulated in response to plant signals, environmental factors and bacterial metabolites. There are available comprehensive reviews that deal with regulatory systems of various plant pathogenic bacterial species (1,2,4,12,13). In this brief communication, we summarize the properties of global regulators of Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora (Ecc) which causes tissue-macerating or soft-rotting disease in plants or plant organs. The elicitation of this disease requires the production of extracellular enzymes, especially pectinases such as pectate lyase, polygalacturonase and pectin lyase, which are responsible for degrading plant cell wall components. We have shown that Ecc also possesses hrp (hypersensitive reaction [HR] and pathogenicity) genes and produces HarpinEcc, the elicitor of the hypersensitive reaction.
Risiko: eine moderne Bewältigungsstrategie des Nichtwissens

Peter Wehling erortert die Nichtwissensthematik vorwiegend im Blick auf die unerwarteten Folgen moderner Technologien. Verbunden mit den okologischen und technischen Konflikten des 20. Jahrhunderts bemerkt der Autor ein gestiegenes Interesse an Fragen der Technikfolgenabschatzung. Diese regen seit den 1970er Jahren die soziologische Diskussion an. Die Konfrontation mit den nicht intendierten Nebenfolgen menschlichen Handelns sensibilisiert einmal mehr fur die Grenzen des Wissens. Die Debatte um Kriterien des Qualitatsmanagements und um erhohte Sicherheitsstandards spiegelt sowohl das Streben nach Erwartungssicherheit im Sinne eines elementar menschlichen Grundbedurfnisses als auch die anthropologische Basiserfahrung, das Leben trotz Unsicherheit und Nichtwissen handelnd gestalten zu mussen. Die Suche nach Bewaltigungsstrategien im Umgang mit Nichtwissen erhalt vor diesem Hintergrund ihre Plausibilitat.
Saccharification versus simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of kraft pulp.

Enzymes are a significant cost in cellulosic ethanol production, minimizing their use would be desirable as long as ethanol yields and productivities are not reduced. The aim was to evaluate the effects of enzyme dosage on conversion of cellulose to ethanol. Kraft pulp, an intermediate in paper production, was used to represent a fractionated cellulose feedstock. Trials were conducted in a 5 L BioFlow bioreactor (2-3 L working volume) with agitation rate varied (80-900 r/m) to provide acceptable mixing. Based on survey of the literature, an average dosage for cellulase (34 FPU/g glucan) and
Making time-lapse seismic work in a complex desert environment for CO2 EOR monitoring — Design and acquisition

Abstract Onshore seismic monitoring for CO2 injection in carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East is a major challenge for many reasons. The 4D signal is generally much smaller than that of clastic ...
Quantitative T2 MRI Mapping and 12-Month Follow-up in a Randomized, Blinded, Placebo Controlled Trial of Bone Marrow Aspiration and Concentration for Osteoarthritis of the Knees:

ObjectiveBone marrow aspiration and concentration (BMAC) is becoming a more common regenerative therapy for musculoskeletal pathology. In our current pilot study, we studied patients with mild-to-m...
Practical Experience towards Robust Underwater Navigation

Abstract Autonomous underwater operations require robust and accurate navigation capabilities, a basic requirement for both precise position and velocity estimation, as well as motion compensation and geo-referencing of exteroceptive sensor data. A great number of theoretical approaches to sensor fusion and filtering can be found in literature, but they have to be matched with practical issues such as multi-rate sampling, measurement glitching, environmental conditions. For these reasons, the preparation, tuning and exploitation of navigation systems require different development steps to achieve reliability and robustness. This paper reports the practical experience of the exploitation of a multi-module extended Kalman filter based navigation system employed on the e-URoPe AUV/ROV. The paper shows the results of motion estimation including linear velocity and position (both horizontal and vertical), as well as angular position and rate. The proposed navigation system relies on the measurement fusion gathered by a variety of sensors: USBL, DVL, FOG, AHRS, depth-meter, GPS (when surfaced). The paper provides experimental proof and ground-truth of the proposed framework.
Robotic single-site endometriosis resection using near-infrared fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green: a prospective case series and review of literature.

We present our preliminary experience comparing robotic near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging using indocyanine green (ICG) to 2D laparoscopic white light (WL) and 3D robotic WL illumination, in their ability to visually detect endometriosis lesions during a robotic endometriosis resection procedure in a single center. A total of twenty women were screened and seven of them with symptomatic endometriosis were included in this prospective case series. The mean patient age was 33 years with the mean body mass index being 28.6 kg/m2. The NIRF-ICG imaging technique enabled visualization of a statistically significant higher number of lesions compared to that of robotic and laparoscopic WL (13.4 vs 7.4 vs 4.7, p = 0.012). In addition, we explored the extent of quality of life (QoL) measures of these women affected by endometriosis using the validated QoL RAND Short Form Health Survey questionnaire and Numeric Pain Rating Scale. The largest reduction of quality of life was measured for the domains of social functioning (3.28 SD, 95% CI 45.7–61.5, p = 0.0001), physical limitations (3.04 SD, 95% CI 15.1–44.3, p = 0.0002), and physical functioning (3.02 SD, 95% CI 48.7–64.1, p = 0.0002), respectively. There was a significant reduction in the postoperative mean pain score as indicated by the pain rating of 0.57 ± 0.78 (p = 0.0005). We also performed a literature search to review other cases that describe the potential benefits of robotic NIRF-ICG imaging in the visual detection of peritoneal and deep endometriosis. Our study results demonstrate that the ICG fluorescence system may potentially be useful for more complete intraoperative endometriosis lesion detection and excision. Large multicenter trials with larger sample sizes and across surgeons of differing experience levels are needed to investigate the clinical utility, reproducibility and long-term outcomes of the use of this technology for patients with debilitating endometriosis.
Encore: Retired Faculty as Mentors.

Mentoring brings us together—across generation, class, and often race—in a manner that forces us to acknowledge our interdependence, to appreciate, in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words, that “we are ...
Why not add some SPARKL to your life (and death)

Quantifying cytostatic and cytotoxic outcomes of cells responding to perturbagens is an essential component of mechanism-based studies and pharmacological screening approaches. We recently describe...
Third-party pressure for peace

ABSTRACTThird-party pressure for peace is any threat issued or any penalty applied toward one or both sides of the warring dyad with an intention to halt hostilities. Some studies find that pressur...
Evaluation of opioid requirements in the management of renal colic after guideline implementation in the emergency department.

Abstract Purpose Evaluate opioid prescribing before and after emergency department (ED) renal colic guideline implementation focused on multi-modal pain management. Methods Retrospective study of ED patients who received analgesia for urolithiasis before and after guideline implementation. The guideline recommends oral acetaminophen, intravenous (IV) ketorolac, and a fluid bolus as first line, IV lidocaine as second line, and opioids as refractory therapy to control pain. Opioid exposure, adverse effects, length of stay (LOS), and ED representation were evaluated. Comparisons were made with univariate analyses. Backwards stepwise binomial multivariate logistic regression to identify factors related to opioid use was performed. Results Overall, 962 patients were included (451 pre- and 511 post-implementation). ED and discharge opioid use decreased; 65% vs. 58% and 71% vs. 63% in pre- and post-implementation groups, respectively. More post-implementation patients received non-opioid analgesia (65% vs. 56%) and non-opioid analgesia prior to opioids (50% vs. 38%). A longer ED LOS and higher initial pain score were associated with ED opioid administration. Guideline implementation, receiving non-opioid therapy first, and first renal colic episode were associated with decreased ED opioid administration. Seventeen adverse events (1.8%) were reported. There was no difference in change in ED pain score between groups, but patients in the post-implementation group were admitted more and had a higher 7-day ED representation (11% vs. 7%). Conclusions A multimodal analgesia protocol for renal colic was associated with decreased opioid prescribing, higher rates of admission to the hospital, and a higher 7-day ED representation rate.
Continuous regimens of cortico-motor integration calibrate levels of arousal during emergence from anesthesia

Abstract Background Recovery to a conscious state when emerging from anesthesia requires full cortical desynchronization, initiation of movement and behavioral reactivity to sensory stimuli. However, the variety of cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns associated with specific anesthetics and the paucity of behavioral descriptions during emergence from anesthesia have prevented EEG and behavior as feasible tracking methods to assess emerging from anesthesia. We propose a detailed combined analysis of motor and cortical activity to determine levels of arousal in rodents. Methods Using decreasing anesthetic concentrations, we simultaneously recorded local field potentials (LFPs) and movement in mice. We delineated cortical dynamics and sub-states during emergence from anesthesia by applying a smoothed-Z score to extract dominant frequencies from spectrogram. Then, we implemented KMeans to obtain cortical sub-states. Finally, we used density estimation and an abrupt change detection algorithm to segment cortical activity into periods. We used cortical sub-states obtained during isoflurane traces to supervise sub-states in sevoflurane and a pharmacologically induced-arousal model. This information together with examining videos were used to categorize behavior. Results We identified five cortical periods with restored motor behavior during emergence from isoflurane anesthetic. Periods of structured sub-states denoted when specific motor behaviors occurred. No significant differences were found when comparing the combined cortical features and motor behavior using isoflurane, sevoflurane and our arousal-rodent model. We describe graded regimens of cortico-motor activity during emergence from anesthesia to assess arousal levels. Conclusion We show cortical patterns denote gradual motor behaviors when emerging from anesthesia. Restoring motor behavior is a dynamic process that begins tens of minutes earlier than the righting reflex. Combining cortical activity and motor behavior unveils novel biomarkers to accurately track emerging from general anesthesia in rodents and likely other species.
Sub-Riemannian Ricci curvature via generalized Gamma $z$ calculus

We derive sub-Riemannian Ricci curvature tensor for sub-Riemannian manifolds. We provide examples including the Heisenberg group, displacement group ($\textbf{SE}(2)$), and Martinet sub-Riemannian structure with arbitrary weighted volumes, in which we establish analytical bounds for sub-Riemannian curvature dimension bounds and log-Sobolev inequalities. {These bounds can be used to establish the entropy dissipation results for sub-Riemannian drift diffusion processes on a compact spatial domain, in term of $L_1$ distance.} Our derivation of Ricci curvature is based on generalized Gamma $z$ calculus and $z$--Bochner's formula, where $z$ stands for extra directions introduced into the sub-Riemannian degenerate structure.
Stepfamily Policies and Laws in the United States: Lessons from the West:

Although stepfamilies exist in some form in nearly every country in the world, they are most common in Western countries. This paper provides a summary of laws, policies, and programs pertaining to...