cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adiponectin and Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaques

High-risk plaques that are vulnerable to rupture demonstrate distinct morphological characteristics. They are differentiated from the lesions responsible for stable coronary artery disease by their large necrotic cores, thin-inflamed fibrous caps, and positive remodeling. Adiponectin is an adipocytokine that is reduced in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Hypoadiponectinemia has been associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndrome in several though not all studies. The involvement of adiponectin provides clues to the inflammatory and atherogenic mechanisms associated with pathological coronary disease progression.
Plant Mitochondrial Mutations and Male Sterility

A characteristic of CMS mutations in plants, in contrast to the single base changes in human mitochondrial mutants (49, 140), is the presence of chimeric genes or chimeric loci; different open reading frames are joined together, or placed in proximal locations and cotranscribed with standard mitochondrial genes. Despite much progress, and the identification of several mitochondrial loci that specify CMS, the molecular basis of this defect is not understood in any plant species. Observations of altered electron transport in Petunia and toxin-mediated membrane disruption in maize plants, bacteria, and yeast expressing the maize urf13 gene product, provide clues to possible mechanisms for disruption of pollen development. Whether disruption in a particular mitochondrial function is at the root of CMS in all species, or whether defects in numerous mitochondrial activities can produce sterility, will only be revealed by further probing of physiological and biochemical defects present in CMS genotypes.
Large rapidity gap events in deep inelastic scattering

Large rapidity gap events in deep inelastic scattering are discussed in terms of light cone wave functions for quarks and gluons inside the photon. It is shown that this approach is consistent with earlier, conventional Feynman diagram calculations. An updated parametrization for the cross section is given and a numerical analysis presented. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Reproducibility of electromyographic recordings of submaximal concentric and eccentric muscle contractions in humans

Abstract Objectives: to determine the intratester and intertester reliability of measures of electromyographic activity (EMG) of submaximal concentric and eccentric contractions and to compare the reliability of normalized and non-normalized measures of EMG. There were 10 subjects, of 22–33 years old. Methods: Subjects performed submaximal concentric and eccentric contractions at 60°/s, and maximal isometric contractions (MIC) of their knee extensors. The target power of the submaximal contractions was 90%±10% of the subject's maximal concentric power. EMG was recorded via bipolar surface electrodes from 3 of the quadriceps femoris muscles. The rmsEMG for submaximal contractions that were within the target power range were determined. The rmsEMG for the submaximal contractions were normalized to the rmsEMG of the maximal isometric contractions. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC version 1.1) were calculated to determine intratester and intertester reliability. Results: For non-normalized rmsEMG, ICC values for intratester reliability ranged from 0.62 to 0.91 for concentric and from 0.84 to 0.97 for eccentric contractions. ICC values for intertester reliability ranged from 0.66 to 0.96 for concentric and 0.78 to 0.90 for eccentric contractions. Conclusions: Non-normalized rmsEMG of submaximal concentric and eccentric isokinetic contractions were found to be reliable. Normalization did not lead to consistently improved reliability.
Metabolism and disposition of 2-methoxy-4-nitroaniline in male and female Harlan Sprague Dawley rats and B6C3F1/N mice.

The disposition of 2-Methoxy-4-nitroaniline (MNA) was investigated in male and female Harlan Sprague Dawley rats and B6C3F1/N mice following oral, intravenous, and dermal exposure to [14C]MNA at 2, 15, or 150 mg/kg. Clearance of MNA was investigated in male and female rat, mouse, and human hepatocytes.MNA was cleared slowly in hepatocytes from rat (t1/2 = 152–424 min) and human (t1/2 = 118–403 min) but faster in mouse (t1/2= 70–106 min).MNA was well-absorbed in rats and mice following oral administration and eliminated chiefly in urine (rats, 75–79%; mice, 55–68%) 72 h post dosing. Less than 1% of the radioactivity remained in tissues at 72 h. MNA was poorly absorbed following dermal application in rats (5.5%) and mice (10%) over 24 h.The major pathway of metabolism of MNA was via hydroxylation of the phenyl ring to form 6-hydroxy MNA; major metabolites detected were sulfate and glucuronide conjugates of 6-hydroxy MNA.Following oral administration, the percent of total radioactivity bound in tissues bound...
The continents 500 million years ago

What has Earth's geography been like during past geological eras? Movements of the continents since the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea about 180 million years ago are very well known from studies of the world's ocean basins. However, Pangea existed for a relatively short interval of geologic time, having assembled from precursor continents late in the Paleozoic era about 250 million years ago. Paleozoic ocean crust has been destroyed by its descent into the Earth's mantle as the Paleozoic continents converged to form Pangea. Thus, there is no ocean floor record to constrain Paleozoic continental movements. The configuration of the continents during the Paleozoic must be inferred from land-based observations. This work is fraught with difficulties and our knowledge has, therefore, increased slowly.
Subpicogram laser-induced fluorescence detection of aromatic hydrocarbons in vapor-deposited aromatic crystals

Aromatic hydrocarbons can be detected at subpicogram levels under conditions of high spectral resolution when the sample is placed in an aromatic crystal with molecular dimensions matched to the analyte. The advantages of using a low-temperature parent-molecule matrix have been assessed by comparing the laser-induced fluorescence and two-photon excitation of fluorescence spectra of methylnaphthalene, chloronaphthalene, and hydroxy-naphthalene derivatives in durene and naphthalene crystals. It has been demonstrated that the parent-molecule matrix is well suited for use with its derivatives and that sharp spectral features result for a wide variety of substituents and substitution positions. The vapor-deposition procedure that has been developed is characterized by high spectral resolution and good quantitative precision and is often essential for detecting subpicogram levels. The potential of two-photon excitation of fluorescence for trace analysis has also been explored.
A comparison of hierarchical models for relative catch efficiency based on paired-gear data for US Northwest Atlantic fish stocks

Selectivity and catch comparison studies are important for surveys that use two or more gears to collect relative abundance information. Prevailing model-based analytical methods for studies using ...
Structural evolution and membrane interactions of Alzheimer's amyloid‐beta peptide oligomers: New knowledge from single‐molecule fluorescence studies

Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) oligomers may represent the proximal neurotoxin in Alzheimer's disease. Single-molecule microscopy (SMM) techniques have recently emerged as a method for overcoming the innate difficulties of working with amyloid-β, including the peptide's low endogenous concentrations, the dynamic nature of its oligomeric states, and its heterogeneous and complex membrane interactions. SMM techniques have revealed that small oligomers of the peptide bind to model membranes and cells at low nanomolar-to-picomolar concentrations and diffuse at rates dependent on the membrane characteristics. These methods have also shown that oligomers grow or dissociate based on the presence of specific inhibitors or promoters and on the ratio of Aβ40 to Aβ42. Here, we discuss several types of single-molecule imaging that have been applied to the study of Aβ oligomers and their membrane interactions. We also summarize some of the recent insights SMM has provided into oligomer behavior in solution, on planar lipid membranes, and on living cell membranes. A brief overview of the current limitations of the technique, including the lack of sensitive assays for Aβ-induced toxicity, is included in hopes of inspiring future development in this area of research.
Lawyers, State Officials and Significant Others: Symbiotic Exchange in the Chinese Legal Services Market

In China's legal services market, lawyers face strong competition from a variety of alternative legal service providers. Based upon 256 interviews with law practitioners and public officials, three years of ethnographic work on a professional internet forum, and extensive archival research, this article develops a theory of symbiotic exchange to analyse the competition between lawyers, basic-level legal workers and other practitioners in ordinary legal work, as well as how the state regulates these competing occupational groups. It argues that the dynamics of professional competition in the Chinese legal services market can be explained by the symbiotic exchange between law practitioners in the market and their regulatory agencies and officials in the state. Chinese lawyers have a weak market position because their exchange with the state is often not as strong and stable as their competitors. The prevalence of symbiotic exchange leads to the structural isomorphism between market and state institutions in China's transitional economy.
Kinetic Modeling of the Serotonin 5-HT1B Receptor Radioligand [11C]P943 in Humans

[ 11 C]P943 is a new radioligand recently developed to image and quantify serotonin 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT1B) receptors with positron emission tomography (PET). The purpose of this study was to evaluate [ 11 C]P943 for this application in humans, and to determine the most suitable quantification method. Positron emission tomography data and arterial input function measurements were acquired in a cohort of 32 human subjects. Using arterial input functions, compartmental modeling, the Logan graphical analysis, and the multilinear method MA1 were tested. Both the two tissue-compartment model and MA1 provided good fits of the PET data and reliable distribution volume estimates. Using the cerebellum as a reference region, BPND binding potential estimates were computed. [ 11 C]P943 BPND estimates were significantly correlated with in vitro measurements of the density of 5-HT1B receptors, with highest values in the occipital cortex and pallidum. To evaluate noninvasive methods, two- and three-parameter graphical analyses, Simplified Reference Tissue Models (SRTM and SRTM2), and Multilinear Reference Tissue Models (MRTM and MRTM2) were tested. The MRTM2 model provided the best correlation with MA1 bindingpotential estimates. Parametric images of the volume of distribution or binding potential of [ 11 C]P943 could be computed using both MA1 and MRTM2. The results show that [ 11 C]P943 provides
The Clinical Effects of a Synthetic Gluco-Corticoid used for Brain Edema in the Practice of Neurosurgery

The clinical effect of dexamethasone, a potent, synthetic gluco-corticoid, was studied in a large series of neurosurgical patients with brain edema seen over a 12 year period. A protocol was established at the beginning of the study to evaluate the severity of the edema and its clinical response to steroid therapy. The results showed that the treatment of brain edema with dexamethasone was highly effective in patients with focal lesions where edema production persists or progresses with time, as is the case particularly with brain tumors and abscesses. Patients with metastatic tumors, glioblastomas and abscesses responded better to steroid therapy than patients with low grade infiltrating astrocytomas and meningiomas. This correlated well with the relative severity of the edema associated with these respective tumors. Steroid administration proved least effective in patients with generalized brain lesions of acute onset as seen in severe closed head injuries. The prevention of severe operative and post-operative edema in patients started on dexamethasone prior to brain surgery was apparent. This was particularly emphasized in the group of patients who had craniotomies for the excision of large meningiomas and the pathophysiology of this response was discussed. Steroid therapy proved to be safe when administered for the brief period of time usually necessary in neurosurgical problems. Gastrointestinal bleeding was not a serious problem except in very ill patients who were either comatose and on the respirator, or moribund following severe head injuries with brain stem involvement.
Factored Inverses, Real Symmetric Block Lanczos

The FORTRAN codes in this chapter address the question of using an iterative block Lanczos procedure to compute a ‘few’ eigenvalues and a basis for the corresponding eigenspace of a real symmetric matrix A by computing a few extreme eigenvalues and a corresponding basis for the inverse of a real symmetric matrix B obtained from A by scaling, shifting and permuting A. For a given real symmetric matrix A, the codes consider the inverse of a matrix B where (9.1.1) the scale SO and the shift SHIFT are specified by the user, and the permutation matrix P is chosen so that for a sparse matrix A (or C), the resulting factorization of the associated B matrix is also sparse. An eigenvalue is extreme if it is one of the algebraically-smallest or the algebraically-largest eigenvalues in the eigenvalue spectrum.
Closed-Loop Control of an Engine’s Carbon Monoxide Emissions Using an Infrared Diode Laser

Controle en boucle fermee des emissions de monoxyde de carbone d'un moteur par utilisation d'une diode laser infrarouge
Fast algorithms for maximizing submodular functions

There has been much progress recently on improved approximations for problems involving submodular objective functions, and many interesting techniques have been developed. However, the resulting algorithms are often slow and impractical. In this paper we develop algorithms that match the best known approximation guarantees, but with significantly improved running times, for maximizing a monotone submodular function f: 2[n] → R+ subject to various constraints. As in previous work, we measure the number of oracle calls to the objective function which is the dominating term in the running time.Our first result is a simple algorithm that gives a (1--1/e -- e)-approximation for a cardinality constraint using O(n/e log n/e) queries, and a 1/(p + 2e + 1 + e)-approximation for the intersection of a p-system and e knapsack (linear) constraints using O (n/e2 log2n/e) queries. This is the first approximation for a p-system combined with linear constraints. (We also show that the factor of p cannot be improved for maximizing over a p-system.) The main idea behind these algorithms serves as a building block in our more sophisticated algorithms.Our main result is a new variant of the continuous greedy algorithm, which interpolates between the classical greedy algorithm and a truly continuous algorithm. We show how this algorithm can be implemented for matroid and knapsack constraints using O(n2) oracle calls to the objective function. (Previous variants and alternative techniques were known to use at least O(n4) oracle calls.) This leads to an O(n2/e4 log2n/e)-time (1--1/e -- e)-approximation for a matroid constraint. For a knapsack constraint, we develop a more involved (1--1/e -- e)-approximation algorithm that runs in time O(n2(1/e log n)poly(1/e)).
Half-life of /sup 230/Th

The half-life of $^{230}\mathrm{Th}$ was measured by the specific activity method. Alpha counting was done in a low geometry counter whose geometry factor was calculated from its dimensions. Sample weights were determined by isotopic dilution. Measurements were made on four isotopic mixtures ranging from 0.383 to 99.52% $^{230}\mathrm{Th}$. The half-life is 75381\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}295 years.RADIOACTIVITY $^{230}\mathrm{Th}$ half-life, specific activity; measured: $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ activity by low geometry counter, thorium mass by mass spectrometric isotopic dilution.
Handling Inconsistent Closed Predicates: A Paraconsistent Approach

Inconsistencies in real world knowledge bases are very common because the knowledge bases are usually authored at multiple places on the Web. These inconsistencies are even carried over to local closed world reasoning (LCWR) where the knowledge base consists of open world assumption (OWA) predicates (concepts or roles) and closed world assumption (CWA) predicates. When data from a relational database are migrated to a knowledge base (KB), the KB may become inconsistent. Consequently, querying becomes problematic in the KB as opposed to the database, where the database is consistent. In this paper, we present a paraconsistent reasoning (four-valued logic) method for LCWR over a knowledge base where CWA predicates are inconsistent. We consider ALC to prove our notion.
Abstract B20: Acetaminophen enhances the cytotoxicity of cisplatinin vitroand in a subcutaneous tumor xenograft model of human ovarian carcinoma

Background: High dose acetaminophen causes hepatotoxicity by depleting glutathione and increasing production of toxic metabolites. The objective of this study was to examine if these mechanisms of acetaminophen can enhance the cytotoxicity of cisplatin in human ovarian cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo . Methods: In vitro studies (glutathione concentration, cell viability and immunoblotting assays) were performed using SKOV3 human ovarian cancer cells cultured in combinations of acetaminophen and cisplatin. For the tumor model, female nude rats were pre‐treated with cyclophosphamide (i.p. 100 mg/kg) one day prior to subcutaneous inoculation of SKOV3 cells with matrigel on the left flank. At 7 days after implantation, rats were randomly assigned into vehicle, cisplatin, and acetaminophen plus cisplatin treatment groups (n=3–5 per group). Subcutaneous tumor volume was measured by dial caliper. Acetaminophen pharmacology and the toxicity of treatments were monitored. Results: In vitro , acetaminophen decreased SKOV3 cellular glutathione level by approximately 30% over 2 hr time frame. Acetaminophen combined with cisplatin decreased cell growth and viability and enhanced apoptosis compared to cisplatin alone in vitro. In vivo , high dose acetaminophen showed uniform tissue distribution, but only decreased glutathione in the liver but not in the serum, brain, or subcutaneous tumor of nude rats. Acetaminophen pretreatment 2–4 hr prior to cisplatin enhanced cisplatin chemotherapeutic effect as determined by a reduction in subcutaneous tumor volume by 15–25% (55–85% vs 40–60%). Serum BUN and creatinine levels were elevated by the combination of acetaminophen with cisplatin treatment when compared to cisplatin alone (48.2±10.9 vs 24.4±4.1 mg/dL; 0.65±0.06 vs 0.30±0.04 mg/dL; p Conclusions: Our results suggested that a chemotherapeutic regimen containing both high dose acetaminophen and cisplatin could be applied not only in hepatic tumors but also in ovarian or other tumor malignancies as a potentially promising approach for pre‐clinical trial. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(23 Suppl):B20.
Differential lysis of bovine and canine erythrocytes in saline versus saponin: relation to cell age.

SummaryVery young erythrocytes in cattle (normal or porphyric) appear to be relatively unique in showing markedly increased fragility in hypotonic saline. Most young erythrocytes in a normal dog, in contrast to earlier reports of acutely bled animals, were the most resistant to osmotic lysis. Saponin preferentially lysed young erythrocytes in a normal dog, as well as in a normal calf, and may thus have special value for preparation of hemolysates enriched in constituents of young red cells. Cell age in all studies was established by a single intravenous injection of glycine-2-14C or of 59Fe-citrate; and age-dependent fragility determined by suitable isotope analyses of successive hemolysate fractions was carried out on bloods sampled periodically for up to 120 days.
Biomedical Image Analysis: Statistical and Variational Methods

1. Overview of biomedical image analysis Part I. Signals and Systems, Image Formation, and Image Modality: 2. Overview of two-dimensional signals and systems 3. Biomedical imaging modalities Part II. Stochastic Models: 4. Random variables 5. Random processes 6. Basics of random fields 7. Probability density estimation by linear models Part III. Computational Geometry: 8. Basics of topology and computational geometry 9. Geometric features extraction Part IV. Variational Calculus and Level Set Methods: 10. Variational approaches and level sets Part V. Image Analysis Tools: 11. Segmentation - statistical approach 12. Segmentation - variational approach 13. Basics of registration 14. Variational methods for shape registrations 15. Statistical models of shape and appearance.
Effects of isoflurane anesthesia on resting‐state fMRI signals and functional connectivity within primary somatosensory cortex of monkeys

Introduction Correlated low-frequency fluctuations of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) signals have been widely used for inferring intrinsic brain functional connectivity (FC). In animal studies, accurate estimate of anesthetic effects on rsfMRI signals is demanded for reliable interpretations of FC changes. We have previously shown that inter-regional FC can reliably delineate local millimeter-scale circuits within digit representations of primary somatosensory cortex (S1) subregions (areas 3a, 3b, and 1) in monkeys under isoflurane anesthesia. The goals of this study are to determine (1) the general effects of isoflurane on rsfMRI signals in the S1 circuit and (2) whether the effects are functional- and regional- dependent, by quantifying the relationships between isoflurane levels, power and inter-regional correlation coefficients in digit and face regions of distinct S1 subregions. Methods Functional MRI data were collected from male adult squirrel monkeys at three different isoflurane levels (1.25%, 0.875%, and 0.5%). All scans were acquired on a 9.4T magnet with a 3-cm-diameter surface transmit-receive coil centered over the S1 cortex. Power and seed-based inter-regional functional connectivity analyses were subsequently performed. Results As anesthesia level increased, we observed (1) diminishing amplitudes of signal fluctuations, (2) reduced power of fluctuations in the low-frequency band used for connectivity measurements, (3) decreased inter-voxel connectivity around seed regions, and (4) weakened inter-regional FC across all pairs of regions of interest (digit-to-digit). The low-frequency power measures derived from rsfMRI signals from control muscle regions, however, did not exhibit any isoflurane level-related changes. Within the isoflurane dosage range we tested, the inter-regional functional connectivity differences were still detectable, and the effects of isoflurane did not differ across region-of-interest (ROI) pairs. Conclusion Our data demonstrate that isoflurane induced similar dose-dependent suppressive effects on the power of rsfMRI signals and local fine-scale FC across functionally related but distinct S1 subregions.
Anytime exploration planning algorithm for UAVs

D gathering in the physical world is tedious and often risky. Robots are ideally suited for such applications. The objective of a data gathering robot is to travel between two points maximizing the information it gains while not exceeding energy or cost constraints. This problem can be formalized as that of finding budgeted routes in a graph such that the reward collected by the route is maximized, where the reward at nodes can be related. This problem is known as correlated orienteering. Unfortunately, state of the art solutions are too slow to even present an approximate solution while running online. We describe, RRO, a sampling based anytime orienteering algorithm that provides approximate solutions to the orienteering problem with computational costs that enable it to run online. This enables the UAV’s to reason about intelligently planning non-myopic paths to explore an environment at large scale. We prove the algorithm is asymptotically optimal, and converges in polynomial time, whilst analyzing the effects of various heuristics on run times. We demonstrate that the state of the art methods take 10-12 minutes to solve a 400 node problem, whereas the method presented here takes 7-8 seconds.
A temperature-responsive poly(vinyl alcohol) gel for controlling fluidity of an inorganic phase change material

An environmentally responsive polymeric network has been demonstrated for incorporating an inorganic salt hydrate phase change material (PCM). The unique feature of this material is the capability of a polymer gel to simultaneously provide shape stabilization of a liquid salt hydrate phase at a lower temperature, and to reversibly adjust its assembly strength in response to a temperature increase. This approach enables convenient control over the viscosity of the PCM gel system, allowing for filling and removal of the mixture in a liquid state but operation in the solid/gel regime. The system consists of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) dissolved in lithium nitrate trihydrate (LNH), a high-latent-heat salt hydrate PCM. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and viscometry studies indicate that in dilute solution, PVA chains are more expanded in LNH than in water. At a concentration of 15 wt% PVA, the PVA/LNH system – unlike PVA aqueous solutions – gels and exhibits a temperature-triggered gel-to-sol transition. Gelation is achieved only with PVA with the highest degree of hydrolysis (98%), with the gelation temperature of 20 ± 1 °C as measured by DLS and rheology. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy shows that the PVA gelation is enhanced due to dehydration of PVA chains in LNH, as compared to PVA aqueous solutions. Physically crosslinked PVA/LNH gels demonstrate highly repeatable and reproducible performance during ten cycles of LNH melting/freezing, as shown by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Taken together, these results confirm that PVA-based gels are promising matrices for hosting inorganic PCMs that withstand repeated melting/freezing cycling, but can be easily filled or drained as needed by raising the temperature well above the gelation temperature.
"Docs vs. Glocks" and the Regulation of Physicians' Speech.

Physicians increasingly have recognized the importance of asking patients whether they own firearms and suggesting safe means of storage. Florida’s legislature perceived these questions as threats to patients’ rights to keep guns and passed a law restricting physicians from making such inquiries. When a number of physicians and their organizations challenged the law in 2011, a six-year odyssey through the courts ensued. In the end, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the statute, recognizing that physicians’ free speech rights extend to communications with patients, a decision that may influence other attempts to restrict clinicians’ speech.
Effect of periodic reverse flow on the heat transfer performance of microchannel evaporators.

Periodic flow reversal are commonly present in microchannel heat exchangers, but have been studied in air conditioning systems only recently. This paper presents the effect of periodic reverse flow on the heat transfer performance of a heat exchanger. Two heat exchangers with identical geometries in the heat transfer areas are employed and an artificial upstream flow resistance is added for one of them. The heat exchanger without artificial flow resistance is subject to more severe boiling instabilities and consequently generates four times more reverse vapor flow than the other one. The comparison of capacities under identical operating conditions reveals that higher intensity of reverse flow helps to improve cooling capacity by up to 13.3%. Meanwhile, numerical simulations of bubble dynamics coupled with heat transfer are carried out for both heat exchangers. Results show that in the heat exchanger with more reverse flow, the refrigerant side heat transfer coefficients are enhanced, especially in the upstream part of a channel where the flow velocity is relatively low.
Publication Ethics in Medical Publishing

Addressing potential ethics issues in medical research manuscripts is a core responsibility for authors yet its importance is not always appreciated until a concern is raised and must be addressed. This chapter highlights the common publication ethics issues in medical journals, describes how journals address the concerns, and recommends ways for authors to make it through the publication process without an ethics inquiry.
The best option illusion in self and social assessment

AbstractI discuss the best option illusion, the tendency for people to select what they believe is the most reasonable option when solving problems or deciding on a course of action. Such a strategy is straightforward, sensible and difficult to quibble with, but occasionally the seemingly best option turns out to be anything but—leading to systematic errors and problems that must be identified, addressed, and managed. Specifically, people are more likely to be surprised in a negative direction than a positive one, give themselves positive credit for wrong answers, and stick to their answers far more than they should after exposure to contrary evidence. In self-judgment, the illusion leads to the Dunning-Kruger effect, in which people fail to recognize their own incompetence. In social judgment, it leads to the Cassandra quandary, in which people fail to identify when another person’s competence exceeds their own.
Daniel Lokshtanov: Knapsack Problem

Sometimes the inventor of a “method” deserves more credit than the one who applies it to obtain results, but it is often harder to trace the origin of a method than a theorem. The “Coefficient Extraction Method” used by Lokshtanov and his co-authors is traced to earlier methods involving polynomial equations.
Strengthening mental health and research training in Sub-Saharan Africa (SMART Africa): Uganda study protocol

Children in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) comprise half of the total regional population, yet existing mental health services are severely under-equipped to meet their needs. Although effective interventions for the treatment of disruptive behavioral disorders (DBDs) in youth have been tested in high-poverty and high-stress communities in developed countries, and are relevant for widespread dissemination in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), most of these evidence-based practices (EBPs) have not been utilized in SSA, a region heavily impacted by poverty, diseases including HIV/AIDS, and violence. Thus, this paper presents a protocol for a scale-up longitudinal experimental study that uses a mixed-methods, hybrid type II, effectiveness implementation design to test the effectiveness of an EBP, called Multiple Family Group (MFG) aimed at improving child behavioral challenges in Uganda while concurrently examining the multi-level factors that influence uptake, implementation, sustainment, and youth outcomes. The MFG intervention will be implemented and tested via a longitudinal experimental study conducted across 30 public primary schools located in both semi-urban and rural communities. The schools will be randomly assigned to three study conditions (n = 10 per study condition): (1) MFG delivered by trained family peers; (2) MFG delivered by community health workers; or; (3) comparison: usual care comprising mental health care support materials, bolstered with school support materials. A total of 3000 children (ages 8 to 13 years; grades 2 to 7) and their caregivers (N = 3000 dyads); 60 parent peers, and 60 community health workers will be recruited. Each study condition will comprise of 1000 child-caregiver dyads. Data will be collected at baseline, 8 and 16 weeks, and 6-month follow-up. This project is the first to test the effectiveness of the MFG intervention while concurrently examining multi-level factors that influence overall implementation of a family-based intervention provided in schools and aimed at reaching the large child population with mental health service needs in Uganda. Moreover, the study draws upon an EBP that has already been tested for delivery by parent peers and community facilitators, and hence will take advantage of the advancing science behind task-shifting. If successful, the project has great potential to address global child mental health needs. ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03081195 . Registered on 16 March 2017.
Boko Haram’s Factional Feuds: Internal Extremism and External Interventions

This article examines the factions, leadership, and internal organization of Boko Haram, the terrorist group which has operated to devastating effect in parts of northern Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and ...
Near-infrared fluorescent probes with BODIPY donors and rhodamine and merocyanine acceptors for ratiometric determination of lysosomal pH variance.

Abstract Three fluorescent probes have been developed by conjugating three different BODIPY donors to rhodamine and merocyanine acceptors for ratiometric determination of lysosomal pH variations. Probe A consists of a 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-BODIPY donor and a near-infrared rhodamine acceptor bearing a lysosome-targeting morpholine residue. Probe B is composed of a 3,5-dimethyl-BODIPY donor and a near-infrared rhodamine acceptor modified with an o-phenylenediamine residue. Probe C contains a 3-styrene-functionalized BODIPY donor with longer wavelength emission and a near-infrared merocyanine acceptor containing a morpholine residue. Under neutral or basic pH conditions, the probes only show fluorescence from the BODIPY donors under BODIPY excitation because the rhodamine and merocyanine acceptors maintain closed spirolactam configurations. However, excitation at BODIPY absorption wavelengths concomitant with gradual pH decrease results in fluorescence decreases with the BODIPY donors and fluorescence increases from the rhodamine and merocyanine acceptors due to through-bond energy transfer from the donors to the acceptors. This is because the spirolactam ring opens under more acidic conditions and fluorescence of the acceptors results from significantly improved π-conjugation. These experimental results are substantiated with theoretical calculations on models of the different probes. The probes have all been used to determine lysosome pH variations in HeLa cells. Probe B was further utilized to successfully detect pH fluctuations in HeLa cells under oxidative stress induced with NH4Cl and chloroquine.
29 – Gastrointestinal Function

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses various functions of the gastrointestinal tract that is essential for the orderly digestion, absorption, and transportation of food and residue. The motor activity of the gut is one of the integrated functions that are essential for the normal assimilation of food. Gut motility facilitates the transportation of nutrients, brings together digestive enzymes and their substrates, temporarily stores content, particularly in the distal small bowel and right colon, for optimal absorption, and finally, excretes nondigestible residue by defecation in a well-coordinated function under voluntary control. The extrinsic autonomic nervous system (ANS) is critically important for almost all secretory and motor functions in the digestive tract. The function of the gastrointestinal smooth muscle is intimately controlled by the release of peptides and transmitters by the intrinsic (or enteric) nervous system; the modulation of the latter input arises in the extrinsic autonomic nerves, the craniospinal parasympathetic excitatory input, and the thoracolumbar sympathetic outflow, which is predominantly inhibitory to the gut but excitatory to the sphincter. Gastrointestinal smooth muscle forms an electrical syncytium whereby the impulse that induces the contraction of the first muscle cell results in efficient transmission to a sheet of sequentially linked cells in the transverse and longitudinal axes of the intestine. The pacemaker of the intestinal muscle syncytium is the network of interstitial cells of Cajal that serve to coordinate contraction circumferentially and longitudinally along the gut.
The Effects of Environment-Based Education on Students’ Achievement Motivation:

This mixed-methodology study examined the relationship between environment-based education and high school students’ achievement motivation. Four hundred 9th- and 12th-grade students from 11 Florid...
Conic programming models for production planning with clearing functions: Formulations and duality

Abstract Concave clearing functions that model the expected throughput of a production resource as a function of its planned workload have yielded promising results when used in production planning models. The most common of these models take the form of linear programs (LPs) obtained by piecewise linearization of the clearing function constraints, leading to large formulations and inaccurate estimates of dual prices for resources. We show that several clearing function forms considered in the literature to date can be reformulated as conic programs (CPs), for which efficient solution methods and an elegant duality theory analogous to that for linear programming exist. We derive expressions for the optimal values of the dual variables and present computational experiments showing that the dual prices obtained from the CP formulation are more accurate than those obtained from the piecewise linearized LP models. In addition, the CP solution outperforms the LP solutions with respect to nervousness.
Intersections of Racial Discrimination and LGB Victimization for Mental Health: A Prospective Study of Sexual Minority Youth of Color

Sexual minority youth (i.e., lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth; LGB) of color have multiple minoritized identities, and few studies examine the implications of intersectional minority stressors for their prospective mental health. The current study tested three intersectional hypotheses: the additive hypothesis—racial discrimination and LGB victimization are independently associated with mental health; the multiplicative hypothesis—racial discrimination and LGB victimization interact in to exacerbate their negative association with mental health, and the inuring hypothesis—only racial discrimination or LGB victimization is associated with mental health. Data come from a sample of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth of color (36% Black, 30% Latino, 26% Multi-racial, 4% Native American, and 3% Asian, Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) from two U.S. cities, one in the Northeast (77%) and one in the Southwest, who were between ages 15–24 (M = 19) and surveyed four times over three years spaced nine months apart (N = 476; 38% bisexual; 67% free and reduced lunch; and 49% assigned female at birth). The multiplicative hypothesis was supported for depression symptoms, and the additive hypothesis was supported for suicidal ideation. Intersectional minority stressors undermine the mental health of sexual minority youth of color and warrant further investigation.
Organizational context and the learning and change readiness climate for implementing an evidence-based shared decision-making aid in US rheumatology clinics.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the organizational context that may support learning and change readiness climates that previous research has found to be conducive to implementing evidence-based interventions. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory, mixed method evaluation that included 15 rheumatology clinics throughout the United States was performed. Quantitative data were collected using a web-based survey completed by 135 clinic members. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 88 clinic members. Findings In general, clinics reported strong, positive learning and change readiness climates. More complex organizations (e.g. multispecialty, academic medical centers) with rational/hierarchical cultures and members with longer tenure were associated with less supportive learning and change readiness climates. The authors' findings highlight opportunities for organizational leaders and evidence-based intervention sponsors to focus their attention and allocate resources to settings that may be most susceptible to implementation challenges. Originality/value First, the authors address a deficit in previous research by describing both the level and strength of the learning and change readiness climates for implementing an evidence-based shared decision-making aid (SDMA) and examine how these vary as a function of the organizational context. Second, the study examines a broader set of factors to assess the organizational context (e.g. organizational culture, organizational structure, ownership) than previous research, which may be especially salient for shaping the climate in smaller specialty clinics like those we study. Third, the authors utilize a mixed methods analysis to provide greater insights into questions of how and why organizational factors such as size and structure may influence the learning and change readiness climate.
Disentangling the collective motivations for user innovation in a 3D printing community

Abstract Online innovation communities encourage innovators to build upon others' prior work (i.e., remixing). This generative user innovation necessitates new theorization to better understand the interplay between characteristics of the source innovation and the community's collective motivation. Motivation is a heightened concern in online communities where contributors often select which problems warrant their effort. Two studies improve our understanding of how the community's motivations compel remixing and impact two aspects of the depth of these remixes (improvement and differentness). First, hypotheses regarding the community's collective remix response are developed and tested. After this, an exploratory (fsQCA) study seeks out configurations of these motivations that consistently result in improved and different remixes. Using data from thingiverse.com , we show that established motivations for user innovation (enjoyment, learning, use-value) motivate remixing, but learning and use-value's effects are moderated by source innovation quality. Learning and use-value are only impactful for high quality source objects. We also demonstrate that originality of the source object has an inverted-U relationship with remixing; innovations need to be novel, but not drastically different from expectations to generate a remix response from the community.
Laparoscopic Appendectomy: Surgical Techniques for the Benign Gynecologist

Study Objective To demonstrate two methods of performing a laparoscopic appendectomy in the setting of endometriosis. Design Stepwise demonstration of advanced laparoscopic techniques with narrated video footage. Setting Laparoscopic appendectomies may be performed incidentally at the time of a gynecologic procedure or for treatment purposes. In our practice, we typically perform appendectomies in the setting of endometriosis, where appendiceal endometriosis rates may range from 10-40%, especially in the presence of deep infiltrating endometriosis or ovarian endometriomas. In these cases, an appendectomy may be warranted to perform a complete resection of endometriosis and may be diagnostic or therapeutic in patients with chronic pelvic pain. Patients or Participants Patients undergoing laparoscopic excision of endometriosis requiring a concurrent appendectomy. Interventions Although uncommonly performed by gynecologists, appendectomies may be performed for complete disease management of endometriosis or prevention of future appendicitis. Sound surgical technique and knowledge of the anatomy will allow most laparoscopists to safely perform this procedure. Several key strategies include: 1. Identification of the appendix and its surrounding landmarks. 2. Division of the mesoappendix in order to ligate the appendiceal artery and to skeletonize the appendix. 3. Transection of the appendix with either Endoloops or the endoscopic gastrointestinal stapler. 4. Containment of the appendix within a specimen retrieval bag to avoid contamination. Measurements and Main Results This video provides a narrated stepwise demonstration displaying two methods of how to perform a laparoscopic appendectomy featuring the Endoloop and the endoscopic gastrointestinal stapler. Conclusion Laparoscopic appendectomies can be performed successfully by benign gynecologists and are particularly useful in the complete management of endometriosis. Here we demonstrate two common methods for performing a laparoscopic appendectomy, highlight relevant surgical anatomy, and provide key surgical strategies for the safe completion of this procedure.
Privacy-sensitive Bayesian network parameter learning

This paper considers the problem of learning the parameters of a Bayesian network, assuming the structure of the network is given, from a privacy-sensitive dataset that is distributed between multiple parties. For a binary-valued dataset, we show that the count information required to estimate the conditional probabilities in a Bayesian network can be obtained as a solution to a set of linear equations involving some inner product between the relevant different feature vectors. We consider a random projection-based method that was proposed elsewhere to securely compute the inner product (with a modified implementation of that method).
The Deoxyribonucleases of Escherichia coli VII. A DEOXYRIBONUCLEASE INDUCED BY INFECTION WITH PHAGE T5

Abstract The increase in deoxyribonuclease activity after infection of Escherichia coli with bacteriophage T5 has been shown to be due to the synthesis of a DNase different from those known to be present in the host cell. During the course of T5 infection the enzyme appears at about the same time as the phage-induced deoxycytidylate kinase and DNA polymerase and only after most of the cellular DNA has been rendered acid-soluble. Purification of the T5-induced DNase resulted in a preparation that is at least 80% pure, as judged by gel electrophoresis. The following properties of the purified enzyme have been established. 1. It has a pH optimum of 9.3 and requires Mg++ or Mn++ for maximal activity. 2. It can degrade either native or heat-denatured DNA. 3. Its mode of attack appears to be both endonucleolytic and exonucleolytic, yielding a mixture of small oligonucleotides with an average chain length of 4 to 5 and mono-nucleotides terminated with a 5'-phosphoryl group. 4. The proportion of mononucleotides produced from native E. coli DNA is about 4 times greater than that produced from heat-denatured DNA.