cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Local facial asymmetry for expression classification

We explore a novel application of facial asymmetry: expression classification. Using 2D facial expression images, we show the effectiveness of automatically selected local facial asymmetry for expression recognition. Quantitative evaluations of expression classification using local asymmetry demonstrate statistically significant improvements over expression classification results on the same data set without explicit representation of facial asymmetry. A comparison of discriminative local facial asymmetry features for expression classification versus human identification is given.
Sexual potency preservation and quality of life after prostate brachytherapy and low-dose tadalafil

Abstract Purpose To prospectively determine sexual function, bother, and potency preservation in men treated with prostate brachytherapy and twice-weekly tadalafil. Methods and Materials From 2005 to 2011, men treated with low-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy were treated on a prospective registration study. All patients were prescribed tadalafil 10 mg twice weekly. The expanded prostate cancer index composite questionnaire was administered before treatment and at each followup. A subgroup analysis of men with sexual potency at baseline was performed. Results A total of 237 men were analyzed. Median age was 64 years (range, 44–86). Median followup was 24.8 months (range, 1–60). At baseline, 175 men (74%) reported erections firm enough for sexual activity and 148 (62%) were potent (erections firm enough for intercourse). Statistically significant changes in sexual function/bother were appreciated from baseline throughout the analysis period, although absolute changes were relatively small and did not meet criteria for clinical significance. At 24-months followup, 72% reported erections firm enough for sexual activity and 56% were potent. Of men with potency at baseline, 89% had erections firm enough for sexual activity and 76% remained potent 24 months after treatment. Conclusions Peri-procedural tadalafil and prostate brachytherapy resulted in high rates of sexual potency preservation and no clinically significant effect on sexual quality of life.
The Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, as a ring species: Patterns of geographic variation, a revision of subspecies, and implications for speciation

Identification and analysis of ring species are important to our understand- ing of evolution and speciation. We review geographic variation in the Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) in the context of a ring species, one of few known from the highly vagile class Aves. Although 52 subspecies have been named, our reassess- ment of morphological variation across the entire species reveals that 25 subspecies are diagnosable throughout the species' range, which includes much of the North American continent. We include an analysis of plumage variation in M. m. heermanni of coastal California and M. m. fallax of the Sonoran Desert and a description of the contact zone between these subspecies, which forms the contact points of a ring centred around the Sierra Nevada and Mojave Desert. These two subspecies come into contact in a narrow hybrid zone, where interbreeding is limited. In addition to substantial differences in plumage, songs of these subspecies vary concomitantly with differences in the structure of occupied habitat. Females tend to exhibit assort- ative preferences for plumage and song and males exhibit assortative recognition (and associated agonistic behaviour) of song. Plumage variation across the Song Sparrow varies according to climate and habitat, suggesting both geographical and ecological components to the species' diversification.
Conceptual Design of Current Technology and Advanced Concepts for an Efficient Multi-Mach Aircraft

A design process is formulated and implemented for the taxonomy selection and system-level optimization of an Efficient Multi-Mach Aircraft Current Technology Concept and an Advanced Concept. Concept space exploration of taxonomy alternatives is performed with multi-objective genetic algorithms and a Powell’s method scheme for vehicle optimization in a multidisciplinary modeling and simulation environment. A dynamic sensitivity visualization analysis tool is generated for the Advanced Concept with response surface equations.
The multiple origins of Type 1 diabetes.

It is widely accepted that Type 1 diabetes is a complex disease. Genetic predisposition and environmental factors favour the triggering of autoimmune responses against pancreatic β-cells, eventually leading to β-cell destruction. Over 40 susceptibility loci have been identified, many now mapped to known genes, largely supporting a dominant role for an immune-mediated pathogenesis. This role is also supported by the identification of several islet autoantigens and antigen-specific responses in patients with recent onset diabetes and subjects with pre-diabetes. Increasing evidence suggests certain viruses as a common environmental factor, together with diet and the gut microbiome. Inflammation and insulin resistance are emerging as additional cofactors, which might be interrelated with environmental factors. The heterogeneity of disease progression and clinical manifestations is likely a reflection of this multifactorial pathogenesis. So far, clinical trials have been mostly ineffective in delaying progression to overt diabetes in relatives at increased risk, or in reducing further loss of insulin secretion in patients with new-onset diabetes. This limited success may reflect, in part, our incomplete understanding of key pathogenic mechanisms, the lack of truly robust biomarkers of both disease activity and β-cell destruction, and the inability to assess the relative contributions of various pathogenic mechanisms at various time points during the course of the natural history of Type 1 diabetes. Emerging data and a re-evaluation of histopathological, immunological and metabolic findings suggest the hypothesis that unknown mechanisms of β-cell dysfunction may be present at diagnosis, and may contribute to the development of hyperglycaemia and clinical symptoms.
Health Care Reform Through the Eyes of Patients: A Qualitative Look at Medicaid Redesign

This research examines consumer choice in Medicaid insurance plans. As part of the 2005 Federal Deficit Reduction Act, a number of states have implemented new Medicaid programs targeted to a subset of the Medicaid population. These programs offer consumers a choice of plans and this research examines consumer choice in one state's program. As part of a broader survey, participants were given the opportunity to explain, in their own words, why they selected their plan. We systematically interpret this qualitative data and then develop a series of propositions relating to Medicaid health care plan choice and marketing/public policy issues surrounding this choice.
The electronic structure of ilvaite and the pressure and temperature dependence of its 57Fe Mössbauer spectrum

57Fe Mossbauer measurements have been performed on four, chemically analyzed samples of the mixed-valence mineral ilvaite, Fe3+Fe22+(Si2O7)O(OH), as polycrystals and oriented-single-crystals between 300 and 475 K and between 1 and 60,000 bar. At 1 bar and T < 400 K, four absorption features are necessary to account for the spectral envelopes: Three are quadrupole doublets which are assigned to the three crystal/chemical species of iron but not without some ambiguities regarding the appropriate electronic structure. Only the doublet assigned to Fe2+ on 4c (space group Pnma) corresponds to that of an orthodox, high-spin Fe2+ ion. The remaining two doublets are assigned to nominal Fe2+ and Fe3+ on the 8d site but have hyperfine parameters that exhibit anomalous values and temperature dependences, which lead to a coalescence at ∼400K into a single “Fe3+-like” doublet. These phenomena are interpreted as arising from a delocalization primarily of the d-electron from the 8d Fe2+ ion into a band-like, itinerant state. For (001) oriented crystals, the influence of pressure is remarkable and features associated with extensive electron delocalization in the high temperature spectra are highly developed even at 30kb and 298 K, indicating enhanced electron delocalization as a result of decreased internuclear separations parallel to the infinite ribbons of 8d sites. The spectra of polycrystalline and oriented-(100) and -(010) absorbers change more slowly with pressure and 60 kb pressure is required to achieve the effects of 30 kb on a (001) absorber. The fourth feature in the spectrum consists of a broad absorption at ∼1.5mms−1 and is tentatively assigned to an electronic state of minor importance due to electron transfer between localized Fe2+ and Fe3+ centers. The low intensity of this absorption feature, ∼10% of the total, probably accounts for its neglect by other investigators.
Biofiltration: An Air Pollution Control Technology for Hydrogen Sulfide Emissions

Traditional air polllution control technologies for pollutant gases, such as adsorption, absorption and combustion, were developed to treat high concentration waste gas streams associated with process emissions from stationary point sources. Although these technologies rely on established physico-chemical principles to achieve effective control of gaseous pollutants, in many cases the control technique yields products which require further treatment before disposal or recycling of treatment materials. In the case of treatment of dilute waste gas streams, however, these traditional methods are relatively less effective, more expensive and wasteful in terms of energy consumption; and identification of alternative control measures is warranted. A suitable alternate air pollution control technology is biofiltration, which utilizes naturally occurring microorganisms supported on a stationary bed (filter) to continuously treat contaminants in a flowing waste gas stream. This application of aerobic biodegradation has received considerable attention and use in Europe, particularly in Germany and Holland during the last 15 years.1–21 In the United States, however, relatively little attention22–29 has been paid to this emerging, innovative and versatile ‘low’ technology approach to solving current environmental problems in air quality.
Infrequent identity mismatches are frequently undetected.

The ability to quickly and accurately match faces to photographs bears critically on many domains, from controlling purchase of age-restricted goods to law enforcement and airport security. Despite its pervasiveness and importance, research has shown that face matching is surprisingly error prone. The majority of face-matching research is conducted under idealized conditions (e.g., using photographs of individuals taken on the same day) and with equal proportions of match and mismatch trials, a rate that is likely not observed in everyday face matching. In four experiments, we presented observers with photographs of faces taken an average of 1.5 years apart and tested whether face-matching performance is affected by the prevalence of identity mismatches, comparing conditions of low (10 %) and high (50 %) mismatch prevalence. Like the low-prevalence effect in visual search, we observed inflated miss rates under low-prevalence conditions. This effect persisted when participants were allowed to correct their initial responses (Experiment 2), when they had to verify every decision with a certainty judgment (Experiment 3) and when they were permitted “second looks” at face pairs (Experiment 4). These results suggest that, under realistic viewing conditions, the low-prevalence effect in face matching is a large, persistent source of errors.
Genetic algorithm based task reordering to improve the performance of batch scheduled massively parallel scientific applications

The growth in size of networked high performance computers along with novel accelerator-based node architectures has further emphasized the importance of communication efficiency in high performance computing. The world's largest high performance computers are usually operated as shared user facilities due to the costs of acquisition and operation. Applications are scheduled for execution in a shared environment and are placed on nodes that are not necessarily contiguous on the interconnect. Furthermore, the placement of tasks on the nodes allocated by the scheduler is sub-optimal, leading to performance loss and variability. Here, we investigate the impact of task placement on the performance of two massively parallel application codes on the Titan supercomputer, a turbulent combustion flow solver S3D and a molecular dynamics code LAMMPS. Benchmark studies show a significant deviation from ideal weak scaling and variability in performance. The inter-task communication distance was determined to be one of the significant contributors to the performance degradation and variability. A genetic algorithm-based parallel optimization technique was used to optimize the task ordering. This technique provides an improved placement of the tasks on the nodes, taking into account the application's communication topology and the system interconnect topology. Application benchmarks after task reordering through genetic algorithm show a significant improvement in performance and reduction in variability, thereby enabling the applications to achieve better time to solution and scalability on Titan during production. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of a behavioral intervention to reduce serodiscordant unsafe sex among HIV positive Men who have Sex with Men: The Positive Connections randomized controlled trial study

Few behavioral interventions have been conducted to reduce high-risk sexual behavior among HIV-positive Men who have Sex with Men (HIV+ MSM). Hence, we lack well-proven interventions for this population. Positive Connections is a randomized controlled trial (n = 675 HIV+ MSM) comparing the effects of two sexual health seminars—for HIV+ MSM and all MSM—with a contrast prevention video arm. Baseline, 6-, 12- and 18-month follow-up surveys assessed psychosexual variables and frequency of serodiscordant unprotected anal intercourse (SDUAI). At post-test, intentions to avoid transmission were significantly higher in the sexual health arms. However, SDUAI frequency decreased equally across arms. HIV+ MSM engaging in SDUAI at baseline were more likely to leave the study. Tailoring interventions to HIV+ MSM did not increase their effectiveness in this study. A sexual health approach appeared as effective as an untailored video-based HIV prevention intervention in reducing SDUAI among HIV+ MSM.
Septic Pulmonary Embolism Due to Periodontal Disease

Three weeks following a toothache, a 56-year-old man developed cough, sputum, fever, and pleuritic chest pain. He had mild periodontal disease and his chest radiographs and chest computed tomographic (CT) scans showed multiple pulmonary nodules. The CT scan strongly suggested septic pulmonary embolism. Aspirated pus from one of the nodules yielded pure growth of Streptococcus intermedins. Lesions resolved with antimicrobial therapy. The usual predisposing factors for septic pulmonary embolism were absent, and, the isolation of S intermedius from the pus, the antecedent toothache, and periodontal disease all suggested the gingiva as the source. We hypothesize that periodontal infection led to bacteremia, seeding of the lungs, and multiple anaerobic pulmonary abscesses, akin to reported instances of infective endocarditis from dental foci without any prior dental procedures. To our knowledge, this presentation of septic pulmonary embolism is unprecedented.
Systems biology and control — A tutorial

In this tutorial the author introduce some of the concepts that frequently appear at the intersection of control theory and systems biology. Mustafa Khammash and Brian Munsky outline some of the key approaches for the modeling and analysis on cellular noise and the resulting fluctuations in the copy numbers of cellular constituents. Eduardo Sontagintroduces some tools for analyzing deterministic biochemical reaction networks. Pablo Iglesias looks at models of spatially varying chemical reactions, and in particular, how gradients and patterns are formed in cells. Finally, Domitilla Del Vecchio considers important control-theoretic problems in synthetic biology - that is, the synthesis of basic circuits inside cells using genetic regulatory components.
Attempts at weight loss in U.S. women with and without a history of gestational diabetes mellitus.

Background and Objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Relatively modest weight loss can delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine, using a nationally representative survey, whether among women without diabetes, those with a history of GDM (hGDM) were more likely than those without hGDM to be currently attempting weight loss. Methods: This study used data from the 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a national, population-based, random-sample telephone survey. Women aged 18 to 44 years without diabetes who answered questions related to current weight loss activity were included in the analysis. The primary outcome was currently attempting weight loss. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between hGDM and currently attempting weight loss. Results: We included 53,608 women without diabetes: 1,260 (2%) with hGDM, and 52,348 (98%) without hGDM. Among women with hGDM, 53% were currently attempting weight loss compared with 47% of women without hGDM. Overall, after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, and medical insurance, compared with women without hGDM, those with hGDM had 20% higher odds of currently attempting weight loss (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97– 1.49); however, among obese women (body mass index � 30 kg/m 2 ), compared with women without hGDM, those with hGDM had 46% lower odds of currently attempting weight loss (95% CI, 0.35–0.82). Conclusions: Obese women with hGDM are less likely to be currently attempting weight loss compared with those without hGDM. Effective interventions for obese women with hGDM are needed.
CHRISTIAN DIVORCE COUNSELING IN WEST AFRICA: SEEKING WHOLENESS THROUGH REFORMED THEOLOGY AND JUNGIAN DREAMWORK

In traditional West African contexts, divorce entails the separation of both two people and two extended families, including ancestors who guard the families spiritually. Hidden psychodynamic factors can also frustrate the work of pastoral counseling at the time of divorce. Pastoral approaches that interweave conservative theology, cultural norms and African worldviews can be detrimental to couples and women. These dynamics are illustrated through the stories of two West African women as viewed through the lenses of Reformed theology and Jungian psychology.
Adolescents' descriptions of the physical characteristics of microbicide surrogates and experiences of use.

Our purpose was to describe adolescent girls perceptions of microbicide surrogates and experiences of use including impact on sexual pleasure. Sexually experienced girls 14--21 years were recruited for a study examining microbicide acceptability. The girls were given vaginal moisturizers (gel or suppository) to use as if they were microbicides. Girls (n = 175) discussed their perceptions and experiences of use of these products in response to semistructured interviews. Girls were asked at weekly phone interviews about the impact of product use on their and their partners sexual pleasure. These answers were averaged and girls were categorized into those for whom the product predominantely made sex feel worse better less than half the time or better half the time or more. The relationship of demographics and sexual history to the impact on pleasure was evaluated. Overall participants were positive about their experience with the products. More girls preferred the gel. Specific concerns about the suppository included the wait period texture and messiness of self-insertion. Many liked the lubricating quality of both of the surrogates. Girls discussed messiness leakage clumping and the difficulties in communicating with partners. Over half reported an increase in pleasure most of the time for themselves and their partners. None of the demographic and sexual history predictors were significantly related to impact on pleasure. Anticipatory guidance should help girls initiate and sustain use. Future research should examine the best way to accomplish counseling about microbicide use with adolescent girls. (authors)
The Russian Satellite Navigation System

Since 1972, systematic analysis of Cosmos satellites, having near-circular orbits and periods close to 105 min, has revealed that several groups have had the necessary orbital plane spacing to give the global coverage suitable for satellite navigation systems. Replacements have been launched at regular intervals. The current systems comprise three satellites with 60 degrees spacing, six with 30 degrees spacing and three with 45 degrees spacing. These satellites have been shown to transmit on frequencies close to 150 and 400 MHz. The modulation of the 150 MHz carrier frequencies is explained together with the techniques employed to decode Standard Moscow Time, the satellite's position in geocentric Cartesian coordinates with corresponding rates of change at 3 min intervals, plus the orbital parameters of all satellites forming the system.
Epigenetic Regulation of Genes that Modulate Chronic Stress-induced Visceral Pain in the Peripheral Nervous System

Background & Aims Chronic stress alters the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, increases gut motility, and increases the perception of visceral pain. We investigated whether epigenetic mechanisms regulate chronic stress-induced visceral pain in the peripheral nervous systems of rats. Methods Male rats were subjected to 1 hour of water avoidance stress each day, or given daily subcutaneous injections of corticosterone, for 10 consecutive days. L4–L5 and L6–S2 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were collected and compared between stressed and control rats (placed for 1 hour each day in a tank without water). Levels of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1), DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), and EP300 were knocked down in DRG neurons in situ with small interfering RNAs. We measured DNA methylation and histone acetylation at genes encoding the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), CNR1, and TRPV1. Visceral pain was measured in response to colorectal distention. Results Chronic stress was associated with increased methylation of the Nr3c1 promoter and reduced expression of this gene in L6–S2, but not L4–L5, DRGs. Stress also was associated with up-regulation in DNMT1-associated methylation of the Cnr1 promoter and down-regulation of glucocorticoid-receptor–mediated expression of CNR1 in L6–S2, but not L4–L5, DRGs. Concurrently, chronic stress increased expression of the histone acetyltransferase EP300 and increased histone acetylation at the Trpv1 promoter and expression of the TRPV1 receptor in L6–S2 DRG neurons. Knockdown of DNMT1 and EP300 in L6–S2 DRG neurons of rats reduced DNA methylation and histone acetylation, respectively, and prevented chronic stress-induced increases in visceral pain. Conclusions Chronic stress increases DNA methylation and histone acetylation of genes that regulate visceral pain sensation in the peripheral nervous system of rats. Blocking epigenetic regulatory pathways in specific regions of the spinal cord might be developed to treat patients with chronic abdominal pain.
Object recognition with color cooccurrence histograms

We use the color cooccurrence histogram (CH) for recognizing objects in images. The color CH keeps track of the number of pairs of certain colored pixels that occur at certain separation distances in image space. The color CH adds geometric information to the normal color histogram, which abstracts away all geometry. We compute model CHs based on images of known objects taken from different points of view. These model CHs are then matched to subregions in test images to find the object. By adjusting the number of colors and the number of distances used in the CH, we can adjust the tolerance of the algorithm to changes in lighting, viewpoint, and the flexibility of the object We develop a mathematical model of the algorithm's false alarm probability and use this as a principled way of picking most of the algorithm's adjustable parameters. We demonstrate our algorithm on different objects, showing that it recognizes objects in spite of confusing background clutter partial occlusions, and flexing of the object.
Compressed-liquid energy storage with an adsorption-based vapor accumulator for solar-driven vapor compression systems in residential cooling

Abstract A cycle-integrated energy storage strategy for vapor-compression refrigeration is proposed wherein thermo-mechanical energy is stored as compressed liquid. A compressed-liquid tank is integrated into the liquid line of the system by means of an adsorption-based vapor accumulator in the vapor line. Energy is retrieved through expansion of the compressed liquid, which allows for a tunable evaporator temperature. A thermodynamic model is developed to assess the system performance, with storage incorporated, for solar residential cooling in two locations with contrasting ambient temperature profiles. Ammonia, R134a, and propane, all paired with activated carbon as adsorbent, are evaluated. A high cold thermal energy storage density is achieved when operated with ammonia. However, the accumulator suppresses the coefficient of performance of the system because work is required to extract refrigerant from the adsorbent. Practical feasibility of the proposed storage strategy calls for the development of nontoxic refrigerant–adsorbent pairs with more favorable adsorption behavior.
Chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T cells in CLL: the next chapter unfolds

The long-standing promise for the application of engineered T lymphocytes to target and eradicate malignancy has begun to be realized recently, with remarkable clinical success reported by a number of groups using Chimeric Antigen Receptor –engineered T cells to target CD19-positive hematologic malignancies. In the September 2 issue of Science Translational Medicine, Porter et al. present the clinical data and correlative analyses for 14 CLL patients treated at the University of Pennsylvania under the pilot clinical trial recently completed at that institution. The initial reports from this trial, published in 2011 documented robust clinical activity in a small cohort of treated patients accompanied by logarithmic expansion, contraction, and long-term functional persistence of engineered T cells, along with cytokine release syndrome as a side-effect of the treatment. In this latest report, updated data are presented from the initial cohort of patients, as well as clinical and correlative data from the remainder of the treated cohort. The robust clinical activity observed in the initial cohort continued to be observed in a subset of the subsequently-treated patients, with molecular remissions documented in that subset; however, in the expanded cohort a subset of partial and non-responding patients was also identified. Collectively, the results from this exciting trial provide evidence to suggest that cellular immunotherapy using engineered T cells is a viable option for treating CLL, reveal a likely requirement for robust in-vivo activation and persistence of engineered cells to effect complete responses, and also highlight the need for a more complete mechanistic understanding of the immune- and tumor- specific processes that define and dictate the success of this powerful treatment modality.
Decrease in fertility, fecundity, and egg size after feeding alanosine to Phormia regina.

Alanosine (L-2-amino-3-hydroxynitrosamine propionic acid) fed to males and females of the black blow fly for a single 3-day period or for the life of the experiment significantly reduced egg production, length, and hatchability. The onset of oviposition was delayed for 3 days by both modes of treatment, an effect not seen in Bracon hebetor Say. The difference is in the time of development of the ovarioles, before eclosion in the wasp and after eclosion in the black blow fly.
Development of Operating Standards for Wholesalers

HE pressure of spiraling expenses during recent years has undoubtedly intensified the wholesaler's interest in improving his operating efficiency. To guide his efforts, standards of performance or manhour budgets should be developed for the various internal activities. Such standards should represent simply the quantities of work that could be expected for each manhour expended. In short, they would be objective measurements of production-tools which management could use to detect the weak spots in its operation. Operating standards are nothing new or mysterious. Every wholesaler uses some sort of standard or yardstick to judge the progress of his business. He constantly watches his sales, compares sales this year with sales last year, sales this month this year with sales the same month last year, etc. In evaluating his internal operations he may relate labor costs to dollar sales, sales to persons employed, orders, items filled or tons handled to manhours, etc. Or, frequently he may consider as standard the performance of some outstanding employee or group of employees. Helpful though these measures may be, they seldom tell the whole story and sometimes may actually be misleading. A comparison of labor costs to dollar sales over a period of time, for example, would be meaningless unless adjustments were made for changes in wage rates and prices. If two or more companies were compared on this basis, differences in wage rates would have to be
On the Relationship between Student Ratings and Teaching Effect Evaluation

As one of the basic functions,the quality of personnel training in which teaching is a basic way determines a school's reputation as well as its sustainable development,and even the future of national education.Thus,the control of teaching quality is very important.The evaluation of teaching effect in which student ratings plays an important role is one of effective ways to control teaching quality.This article theoretically analyzes the relationship between student ratings and teaching effect evaluation,and puts up with some detailed countermeasures for achieving effectiveness of student ratings from the aspects of improving system,intensifying consciousness and adopting evaluation result.
Clinic value of low-dose of long-acting GnRH agonist in control ovary hyperstimulating protocol

Objective:To compare the clinical effect of short-acting GnRH agonist(GnRH-a)with low-dose of long-acting GnRH-a in the control ovary hyperstimulating(COH)protocols,and explore the clinical value of low-dose of long-acting GnRH-a in IVF-ET.Methods:The data of 284 cycles in long down-deregulation protocol were retrospectively analyzed.Among 284 cycles,the low-dose of long-acting GnRH-a was used in 134 cycles,and short-acting GnRH-a was used in 150 cycles.The effects of pituitary down regulation,the doses and days of gonadotropin(Gn)used,the serum hormone levels during COH,and the outcomes of IVF-ET were compared between the two groups respectively.Results:The LH levels[(0.95±1.58)vs.(1.58±2.21)U/L]on the 15 th day after using GnRH-a and E2levels[(11 649.78±2 137.92)vs.(14 698.23±2 380.35)pmol/L]on the day of injection of HCG in the low-dose of long-acting GnRH-agroup were significantly lower than those in short-acting GnRH-agroup(P0.05).The doses of Gn used [(34.06±8.12]vs.(27.91±7.54]amps](P0.05)and the days ofusing Gn [(10.43±1.25)vs.(9.43±1.01]days]in the low-dose of long-acting GnRH-agroup were significantly more than those in short-acting GnRH-agroup(P0.05).There were no statistic differences in the numbers of oocytes retrieved[(10.96±2.01)vs.(11.28±2.08)],MII[(9.97±1.25)vs.(10.56±1.78)],good quality embryos [(4.31±1.02)vs.(4.81±1.54)],available embryos rate(64.81% vs.59.81%),embryo implantation rate(38.46% vs.35.34%),clinical pregnancy(55.05% vs.49.22%)and persistent pregnancy(53.21% vs.47.66%),cycle cancellation rate(2.24% vs.2.00%),and occurrence of moderate or severe OHSS(0% vs.1.33%)between the two groups(all P0.05).Conclusions:Low dose long-acting GnRH-a can get satisfactory pituitary down regulation status as short-acting GnRH-a in control ovary hyperstimulation and good clinical outcome for the patients with normal ovary reserve.
Nucleotide and serotonin metabolism in platelets with defective secondary aggregation.

Ten patients with qualitative platelet defects have been investigated. All of the patients had impairment of secondary platelet aggregation induced by ADP, epinephrine, and collagen, and a defective release reaction. In seven patients from four families, the abnormality was consistent with the lack of a metabolically inert adenine nucleotide pool. Four of these patients, from two families, were albinos. Platelets from all of these patients had lower than normal amounts of adenine nucleotides and 5HT; the ability of these platelets to incorporate the amine was reduced and 5HT was metabolized at an abnormally rapid rate in platelet-rich plasma. It was not possible to distinguish the defect present in the albinos from that in the normally pigmented patients. Three other patients had normal amounts of platelet adenine nucleotides and 5HT; platelet aggregation and the release of adenine nucleotides induced by collagen were impaired. Metabolic ATP breakdown, during collagen aggregation, was also decreased. This defect is similar to that induced in normal platelets by aspirin. Studies on intracellular synthesis of cyclic 3’5’ AMP in both groups of patients showed that the platelets were normally responsive to PGE, and the antagonism of PGE, by ADP and by epinephrine was also normal.
Cryocrystallography and microspectrophotometry of a mutant (alpha D60N) tryptophan synthase alpha 2 beta 2 complex reveals allosteric roles of alpha Asp60.

We have investigated the role of Asp60 of the α-subunit in allosteric communication between the tryptophan synthase α- and β-subunits. Crystallographic and microspectrophotometric studies have been carried out on a mutant (αD60N) tryptophan synthase α2β2 complex which has no observable α-activity, but has substantial β-activity. Single-crystal polarized absorption spectra indicate that the external aldimine is the predominant l-serine intermediate and that the amount of the intermediate formed is independent of pH, monovalent cations, and allosteric effectors. The three-dimensional structure is reported for this mutant enzyme complexed with indole 3-propanol phosphate bound to the α-site and l-serine bound to the β-site (αD60N−IPP−Ser), and this structure is compared with that of the unliganded mutant enzyme (αD60N). In the complex, l-serine forms a stable external aldimine with the pyridoxal phosphate coenzyme at the active site of the β-subunit. The conformation of the unliganded mutant is almost identi...
Cardiovascular effects of anti-diabetes drugs

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Cardiovascular disease remains the major contributor to morbidity and mortality in diabetes. From the need to reduce cardiovascular risk in diabetes and to ensure that such risk is not exacerbated by drug treatments, governmental regulators and drug manufacturers have focused on clinical trials evaluating cardiovascular outcomes.Areas covered: Findings from mechanistic and clinical trials of biguanides, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, and sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors will be reviewed. These drug classes will be compared within the context of available cardiovascular outcomes data. Clinical implications of new study regulations will be examined.Expert opinion: Recent cardiovascular studies provide a more comprehensive evaluation of specific anti-diabetes therapy in individuals with high cardiovascular risk. Long-term effects of anti-hyperglycemic agents in patients w...
Urinalysis and Urinary Sediment in Patients with Renal Disease

Examination of the urine plays a vital role in the diagnosis of kidney diseases. Proteinuria is an important indicator of renal disease and the types of proteins found in the urine help distinguish glomerular and tubular disorders. The findings of casts and blood cells in the urine provide valuable clues about the causes of the underlying renal pathology. Crystals may be found in the urine of healthy individuals and in patients with urolithiasis, toxic damage, and chronic renal failure.
Scales of Variability Relevant to Fisheries in the Southern California Current System

The concepts that have received considerable attention by researchers and that have guided trends in the interpretation of research results relevant to CalCOFI can be organized according to the temporal scales that they encompass, notably the decadal (10–100+ years), inter-annual (1–5 years), seasonal (1 month to 1 year) and weather (less than 1 month) scales. At the decadal scale are regime shifts, the basin hypothesis of range contraction and expansion, cycles in fish and plankton assemblages, the alternation of dominance in small pelagic fish populations, and geographical shifts of assemblages with secular trends in climate. Inter-annual scales are dominated by the effects of El Nino-Southern Oscillation events and by mesoscale variability and associated advection. At seasonal scales, I discuss upwelling and production, the spring transition and phenology (in Chap. 2), fish migration, and variability in small pelagic fish spawning habitat. At the shortest daily to weekly time frames, or weather scale, the key concepts include mixing, stability and recruitment, mortality and patchiness.
Application of hybrid ATI/DPCA method for moving human target detection in forest environments

Moving human target sensing for airborne foliage-penetration (FOPEN) radar applications is considered. Target detection, parameter estimation, and image re-focusing — along with clutter suppression — are obtained with a hybrid along-track interferometry (ATI)/displaced phase center antenna (DPCA) technique that exploits the responses from a multi-channel sensing configuration. The processing algorithm is evaluated using the scattering returns from large-scale, full-wave electromagnetic simulations of a scene consisting of a walking human embedded in a forest stand. Within the prescribed simulation framework, analysis is also performed to examine the effects of the trees and the human gait movement on target localization and image quality.
Small-Area Population Forecasting: A Geographically Weighted Regression Approach

The regression approach for small-area population forecasting is increasingly used in urban planning and emerging research in climate change and infrastructure systems in response to disasters because the regression approach can not only provide population projections but also estimate the relationships between population change and possible driving factors. In this research, we use the geographically weighted regression (GWR) method to estimate relationships between population change and a variety of driving factors and consider possible spatial variations of the relationships for small-area population forecasting using 1990–2010 data at the minor civil division level in Wisconsin, USA. The results indicate that the GWR method provides an elegant estimation of the relationships between population change and its driving factors, but it underperforms traditional extrapolation projections. The findings have important implications about the need for more accurate population projections versus more accurate estimation of the relationships between population and its driving factors.
Multi-site interactions: Understanding the offsite impacts of land use change on the use and supply of ecosystem services

Managing the impacts of land use change on ecosystem services is essential to secure human wellbeing; but is a task often complicated by landscape-scale spatial dynamics. In this study, we focus on one type of spatial dynamic: multi-site interactions (MSI), which we define to occur when a change in the supply or use of an ecosystem service at one site affects that service at a second site. In search of empirical evidence of MSI, we reviewed 150 papers on one ecosystem service—nature-based recreation. We found many studies assessed impacts of land use change on this ecosystem service, but only 2% of studies quantified changes in its supply or use across multiple sites. Given this limited evidence in the literature, we propose a novel framework to describe the pathways through which MSI emerge and their likely consequences for ecosystem services across multiple sites. We illustrate the utility of this framework for understanding impacts on three other services: crop pollination, fuel wood production and flood mitigation. Obtaining empirical evidence of MSI is an important next step in ecosystem service science, which will help identify when interactions among sites emerge and how they can be best managed.
Virtual Metrology Concept for Predicting Defect Levels in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Abstract Semiconductor manufacturing processes are reliant on physical measurements of metrology equipment to enable decision making related to, and control of, the process. These metrology tools are expensive and the measurement process is time consuming, motivating the need for alternative methods to acquire the same information. Virtual Metrology (VM) methods attempt to provide such alternatives by predicting the required characteristics based on data collected from the tool and work piece, prior to and during the manufacturing process. VM applications have been enabled by advancements in the sensing technology employed in this industry. In this paper, the high sampling rates that have recently become available are exploited to extract a set of features that capture dynamic effects in the tool behavior. The task of predicting defect levels, and hence product quality, is considered in this work by framing it as a classification problem. A Support Vector Machine (SVM) informed by the aforementioned features, in combination with traditional statistical features, is exploited, in this paper, to predict whether or not the defect levels will exceed a heuristically defined threshold. The proposed methodology is also evaluated using data obtained from a major 300 mm semiconductor manufacturing fab, yielding prediction accuracy of over 90%.
A Comparative Analysis of Chromosome 13 Gene Expression and Copy Number Changes in Multiple Myeloma Using Array-Based Methods.

Abstract Chromosome 13 (Δ13) abnormalities are found in greater than 50% of patients with Multiple Myeloma (MM). MM is most commonly defined by chromosome 13 monosomy or 13q loss (85%). Interstitial deletions comprise the remaining 15%. Many studies have revealed that Δ13 in MM are associated with poor survival and reduced response to therapy. Genes mapping to chromosome 13 may be involved in pathogenesis and/or progression of the disease due to loss of function from gene mutation or from epigenetic effects such as haploinsufficiency. In this study, array-based comparative genomic hybridization coupled with microarray technology (aCGH) is used to detect gene copy number loss on chromosome 13 from nine MM patient samples. Whole genome long-oligo microarrays constructed by Agilent Technologies were used which contain 40,000 genes that span the human genome with an average spatial resolution of ~75 kb. Using genomic DNA isolated from MM patients with interstitial deletions on chromosome 13, DNA was amplified, labeled and hybridized with a differentially labeled normal DNA reference to determine gene/genomic copy number changes. Arrays were analyzed to search for the minimum region of loss based upon single copy loss for a series of nearby mapping transcripts. A common region of loss of 2.2 Mb, at 13q14.2 was detected. Additionally, we investigated the correlation between genomic copy number change and the expression level for MM patients in the13q region. From an independent gene expression data set whose expression measurements were conducted with Affymetrix HG-U133A v2 microarrays, data was selected that corresponded to the samples used for current aCGH. Expression values from MM samples were divided by the mean expression values from 12 normal bone marrow samples for each gene and the resulting values were treated as surrogate ratios between MM and normal samples. Probes from both microarrays were then aligned according to their chromosomal positions and merged if their chromosomal positions overlapped. Composite chromosomal maps were generated that displayed the expression levels and copy number changes. The maps were used to differentiate chromosomal regions in 13q where copy number changes and expression levels show high correlation and regions where such correlation was not observed. Although the number of probes sampled in the expression microarray was much smaller than those in aCGH microarray, a chromosomal region of great interest, that encompasses 13q14.2, arose naturally from this analysis. Although the mechanism by which loss of 13q effects tumorigenesis in MM could be a haploinsufficiency model, we are not ruling out the presence of a tumor suppressor gene in this region. We are evaluating candidate tumor suppressor genes in the region for loss of function by mutational analysis and hypermethylation studies.
Polarimetric Doppler radar analysis of squall line systems crossing Salento Peninsula

A detailed observational study of squall line thunderstorms, a particular form of mesoscale convective systems arranged in a line that repeatedly affected Salento Peninsula (southern Apulia, Italy) throughout 2015, is presented and discussed. Specifically, three relevant events that occurred in January, at the end of September and in October are described, combining thermodynamic and synoptic analysis with radar imagery delivered by the cutting-edge polarimetric Doppler radar recently installed in Torchiarolo, in the central part of Salento Peninsula. Reported observational information reveals that, regardless of the season of the year, convergence along an approaching cold front represents the common initiating mechanism leading to the formation of linear convective systems. Furthermore, high resolution Doppler data provided by Torchiarolo radar allows better detection and prompt recognition of severe weather signatures, such as bow echoes and cyclonic mesovortices, commonly associated with squall line thunderstorms. Therefore, the present study clearly confirms the key role of the new advanced weather radar installed in Torchiarolo which thus represents a powerful tool giving researchers and forecasters valuable information about kinematic and microphysical properties of severe weather systems crossing Apulia region, especially Salento Peninsula.
Convergent evolution of germ granule nucleators: A hypothesis

Germ cells have been considered "the ultimate stem cell" because they alone, during normal development of sexually reproducing organisms, are able to give rise to all organismal cell types. Morphological descriptions of a specialized cytoplasm termed 'germ plasm' and associated electron dense ribonucleoprotein (RNP) structures called 'germ granules' within germ cells date back as early as the 1800s. Both germ plasm and germ granules are implicated in germ line specification across metazoans. However, at a molecular level, little is currently understood about the molecular mechanisms that assemble these entities in germ cells. The discovery that in some animals, the gene products of a small number of lineage-specific genes initiate the assembly (also termed nucleation) of germ granules and/or germ plasm is the first step towards facilitating a better understanding of these complex biological processes. Here, we draw on research spanning over 100years that supports the hypothesis that these nucleator genes may have evolved convergently, allowing them to perform analogous roles across animal lineages.