cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oracle Identity Management: Governance, Risk, and Compliance Architecture, Third Edition

In todays competitive marketplace with its focus on profit, maintaining integrity can often be a challenge. Further complicating this challenge is the fact that those assigned to the task of assuring accountability within an organization often have little, if any, visibility into the inner workings of that organization. Oracle Identity Management: Governance, Risk, and Compliance Architecture is the definitive guide for corporate stewards who are struggling with the challenge of meeting regulatory compliance pressures while embarking on the path of process and system remediation. The text is written by Marlin Pohlman, a director with Oracle who is recognized as one of the primary educators worldwide on identity management, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance. In the books first chapters, Dr. Pohlman examines multinational regulations and delves into the nature of governance, risk, and compliance. He also cites common standards, illustrating a number of well-known compliance frameworks. He then focuses on specific software components that will enable secure business operations. To complete the picture, he discusses elements of the Oracle architecture, which permit reporting essential to the regulatory compliance process, and the vaulting solutions and data hubs, which collect, enforce, and store policy information. Examining case studies from the five most regulated business verticals, financial services, retail, pharma-life sciences, higher education, and the US public sector, this work teaches corporation stewards how to: Attain and maintain high levels of integrity Eliminate redundancy and excessive expense in identity management Map solutions directly to region and legislation Hold providers accountable for contracted services Identity management is the first line of defense in the corporate internal ecosystem. Reconcilingtheory and practicality, this volume makes sure that defense is workable, responsive, and effective.
From OWI to USIA: The Jackson Committee's Search for the Real “Voice” of America

Abstract Since the United States emerged as a world power in the last century, a public policy debate has centered on whether government overseas information programs should be limited to factual reporting of world events, serve as advocates for official government policies, or even bend the truth in furthering national strategic goals. When the Truman and Eisenhower administrations struggled with the issue during the post-war period, the debate was framed by philosophical political, and bureaucratic considerations. To some extent, both administrations were held hostage by their own Cold War rhetoric. It was in this environment that the Office of War Information eventually evolved into the United States Information Agency. This article examines the forces that led to the creation of USIA in 1953, with emphasis upon the deliberations of the Jackson Committee. It also examines whether those same forces may have contributed to the dismantling of the agency in 1999.
Freeing the Press from Editorial Discretion and Hegemony in Bona Fide News: Why the Revolution Must Be Televised

Broadcast journalism’s foundational role of informing and engaging the American public in order to further America’s self-governing democracy is in crisis. Corporate broadcast owners’ efforts to maximize profits and increase advertising revenue during traditional network news and related public affairs programming have led to the closing of many investigative and correspondent television news bureaus and have arguably hastened the devolution of broadcast journalism into a depoliticized spectacle filled with political and celebrity, gossipdriven infotainment. 1 Furthermore, as viewers have abdicated their reliance on broadcast journalism as their primary source of political knowledge, they have also disengaged from professional broadcast journalists’ dispassionate, impartial and aspirationally objective method and manner of presentation. 2 This Article contends that these definitional shifts in viewer engagement, which serve as underlying challenges to broadcast journalism’s deliberative role, are the symptoms, rather than the root cause of its deliberative peril. These shifts are instead the net effect of long-standing mainstream societal norms and presumptions that led to the narrowing in scope and definition of civic engagement. Specifically, such mainstream norms presume a disengagement between civic knowledge and participation on the one hand, and the various expressive modes (and whims) of popular culture, entertainment and discourse on the other. This assumption of a necessary disjuncture between reason and emotions, particularly with pleasure, was reflected in traditional news programming formats and personified by professional broadcast journalists during the Golden Age of
Mechanical freezing of alum sludge

This paper presents a new mechanical freezing concept for freezing alum or other hydroxide sludges as a conditioning step for dewatering. The basic concept is to freeze a thin layer of sludge on a continuously moving fabric belt. Sludge is attached to the belt by a vacuum drum belt filter which also removes one-half of the water and thus reduces the amount of sludge to be frozen. Filter leaf tests were conducted to determine the operational parameters and approximate production rates of this concept. These tests show that freezing alum sludge in thin layers will separate out the water as ice crystals and transform the solids into the same type of granular material produced in natural freezing beds. The average production rate of frozen sludge was 6.5 kg/hr.m 2 at −20°C. The belt area needed for a 10,000-m 3 /day plant was estimated to be 48 m 2 . This concept has been patented by the U.S. Patent Office.
Fate of gentisic acid in man as influenced by alkalinization and acidification.

Conclusions1. The recovery of gentisic acid and salicylate were similar, approximating 62 and 68% respectively of the administered drugs, and 84 and 88% respectively, following alkalinization. 2. Alkalinization increased the combined and free forms of gentisic acid eliminated but did not alter their relative proportions. 3. The amount of gentisic acid recovered from salicylate administration was increased with alkalinization without alteration in the proportion of free to combined gentisic acid obtained with salicylate alone. 4. Whereas the free gentisic acid represented approximately 42% of the total gentisic acid recovered when administered alone, the amount of free gentisic acid obtained from salicylate administration represented approximately 10% of the total genetisic acid. 5. Acidification with dilute hydrochloric acid, but not ammonium chloride decreased the total excretion of gentisic acid at the expense of the combined, the free remaining unaltered. 6. Acidification with both dilute hydrochloric ...
Thermodynamic Study on the Reaction of FeCl3 and Fe2Cl6 with KCl

Thermodynamic properties of the vapour complex KFeCl4 have been studied by equilibrated quenching experiments. The results for the KCl-Fe2Cl6 and KCl-FeCl3 systems show that the KFeCl4 complex is the sole predominant vapour complex roughly at the temperature of (638-788) K and under pressure of (0. 001 1-0.0064) MPa. The results show ΔHm (298. 15, KFeCl4, g) = (19. 6 + 2. 0) kJ · mol-1 and ΔSm (298. 15, KFeCl4 , g) = -(8. 5 ± 3. 0) J · mol-1 · K-1 for the reaction (1/2)Fe2Cl6 (g) + KCl(s) = KFeCl4(g); ΔHm (298. 15, KFeCl4, g) =(-56. 9 ±2. 0) kJ · mol-1 and ΔSm (298. 15, KFeCl4, g) = (17. 4 + 3. 0) J · mol-1 · K-1 for the reaction FeCl3 (g) +KCl(s) =KFeCl4 (g).
Superconductors, 1. the Phenomenon of Superconductivity and Fundamental Properties

The article contains sections titled: 1. Introduction 2. Theories of Superconductivity 3. Superconducting Order Parameter, Gap, and Classification 4. Two Types of Superconductors 5. Thermodynamic Phase Diagram of Type II Superconductors 6. Irreversible Properties of Type II Superconductors
Midline lesions of the prostate: role of MRI/TRUS fusion biopsy and implications in Gleason risk stratification

Purpose MRI-TRUS fusion biopsy (FBx) has proven efficacy in targeting suspicious areas that are traditionally missed by systematic 12-core biopsy (SBx). Midline prostate lesions are undersampled during SBx, as traditional approaches aim laterally during TRUS biopsy. The aim of our study was to determine the utility of FBx for targeting midline lesions identified on multiparametric MRI (mpMRI).
Series-wound heteropolar inductor motor for automotive applications

This work considers a method of control for a heteropolar inductor motor for use in automotive applications. Previously, power factor for this type of machine was considered to be too low, and operation in the high-speed / constant-power region was not easily realized. To make the machine amenable to control with an automotive inverter and to eliminate the need for a separate field controller, the field winding is driven by a rectifier bridge attached in series to the phase windings. Motor currents are then prescribed by a novel vector control scheme that realizes high power factor over a wide range of operation.
Representative Sampling of Human Tissue.

In the chemical analyses of tissues for trace elements, quality control of the tissue sample for its anatomic composition is a critically important step that is frequently overlooked. This is because the analyst often assumes a degree of homogeneity that does not exist. The means of attaining a representative sample vary greatly depending on the organ or tissue involved, and also on the level of resolution chosen, i.e., the size of the sample.
The Ability of the Peptide Backbone to Bind Anions as well as Cations — Implications for Peptide Carriers, Channels and Electrodes

The cation-complexing properties of carbonyl and ether oxygen ligands are well known (7, 6, 15, 18) and have led to bulk electrodes for Li+ and Na+ (1, 7) as well as to carrier mediated permeation of theoretically interesting lipid bilayer membranes (2, 10, 11). Less well known is the ability of such groups also to form complexes with anions (4, 11). As a prototype for specific anion-as well as cation-binding to the peptide backbone we present some results of recent studies on Simon’s neutral Li+ and Na+ selective complexones (1, 7) whose only ligands are two tertiary amides and two ether groups.
AN INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEM FOR WAVE MEASUREMENTS, RECORDING AND ANALYSIS

For the instrumentation system to be described, it was required that the system detect the sea surface accurately, be flexible in dynamic range, be able to detect and record at least six wave records simultaneously, be able to record the data at a station remote from the detectors, and be able to convert the data from analogue to digital form for analysis by electronic computers. Two types of wave measurements were required, the wave elevation and the wave slope. Resistance wire detectors were used and the theory of their operation is presented. The data acquisition and reduction system utilize recently developed telemetry techniques. Raw data storage is on magnetic tape using an inexpensive tape recorder and the digital data storage utilizes punched paper tape. The resistance wires have proven most satisfactory for small and large waves. The data acquisition and reduction system is sufficiently general that it should have application to other type investigations.
Kinds of Punishment

Contemporary states execute, imprison, fine, place on probation, conditionally discharge, caution, and do a great deal more to the persons they convict. What general principles govern how retributivists should choose between the foregoing responses to culpable wrongdoing - or select an altogether different type of sanction? If my subsequent reasoning is sound, it is easy to understand why retributivists have tended to neglect this issue. They have neglected it because they have little to contribute to its resolution. In what follows, I will support this conclusion and discuss a few of the somewhat controversial positions on which it rests. I hope to make some headway on this topic by defending what I call the deferential view about kinds of punishment (or deferential view for short).
The Effects of Tacrolimus on T-Cell Proliferation Are Short-Lived: A Pilot Analysis of Immune Function Testing.

BACKGROUND Optimal immunosuppression after organ transplant should balance the risks of rejection, infection, and malignancy while minimizing barriers to adherence including frequent or time-sensitive dosing. There is currently no reliable immune function assay to directly measure the degree of immunosuppression after transplantation. METHODS We developed an immune function assay to mea//sure T-cell proliferation after exposure to immunosuppression in vivo. We tested the assay in mice, and then piloted the approach using single time point samples, 11 pediatric kidney transplant recipients prescribed tacrolimus, mycophenolate, and prednisone 6 months to 5 years posttransplant, with no history of rejection, opportunistic infection, or cancer. Twelve healthy adults were controls. RESULTS We demonstrated that our assay can quantify suppression of murine T-cell proliferation after tacrolimus treatment in vivo. In humans, we found a mean 25% reduction in CD4 and CD8 T-cell proliferation in pediatric renal transplant recipients on triple immunosuppression compared with adult healthy controls, but the pilot results were not statistically significant nor correlated with serum tacrolimus levels. We observed that cell processing and washing reduced the effects of tacrolimus on T-cell proliferation, as did discontinuation of tacrolimus treatment shortly before sampling. CONCLUSIONS T-cell proliferation is currently not suitable to measure immunosuppression because sample processing diminishes observable effects. Future immune function testing should focus on fresh samples with minimal washing steps. Our results also emphasize the importance of adherence to immunosuppressive treatment, because T-cell proliferation recovered substantially after even brief discontinuation of tacrolimus.
Measuring Creative Capacity in Gifted Students: Comparing Teacher Ratings and Student Products.

Creativity and giftedness are frequently associated, and schools may use measures of creativity for identifying gifted and talented students. The researchers examined three aspects of elementary student creativity: (a) the relationship between a teacher’s rating of student creativity and rubric-scored student writing samples, (b) group differences regarding creativity between identified gifted and general education students, and (c) potential gender differences evident in teacher ratings of creativity as well as creative products. Participants in the study were 155 Grade 4 students in an urban district in a southwestern state. Teacher ratings on three different scales were related to student creative products, yielding Pearson correlations ranging from r = .20 to r = .27. Identified gifted students scored higher than general education students in both teacher ratings of creativity (d = 0.83) and written products (d = 0.53). Female students scored higher than male students in both teacher ratings of creati...
Shielding and Activation Analyses for BTF Facility at SNS

The beam test facility (BTF), which simulates front end of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), has been built at the SNS, and is preparing for commissioning. The BTF has been assembled and will operate in one of service buildings at the site. The 2.5 MeV proton beam, produced in the facility, will be stopped in the beam dump. In order to support BTF project from radiation protection site, neutronics simulations and activation analyses were performed to evaluate the necessary shielding around the facility and radionuclide inventory of the beam stop.
Dysfunctional Parenting and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration and Victimization among College Women: the Mediating Role of Schemas

Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS) are negative cognitions about self and relationships that develop early in life, distort our perceptions of life experiences and are sustained via confirmatory information processing (Young et al. 2003). Although empirical evidence supports the relationship between EMS and psychopathology, there is a relative paucity of research regarding the relationship between EMS and intimate partner violence (IPV). The goal of the present study was to elucidate the complex relations between recollections of dysfunctional parenting, EMS, and IPV victimization and perpetration in adulthood. A sample of 305 women college students completed measures of perceptions of parental bonding, EMS, and relationship conflict behaviors. Results revealed that the EMS of subjugation and self-sacrifice accounted for 13.9% of the variance in IPV victimization; however, the EMS of subjugation was the only significant predictor of IPV victimization and mediated the relationship between recollections of dysfunctional parenting and IPV victimization. Additionally, although the EMS of entitlement, insufficient self-control, mistrust/abuse, abandonment, and social isolation accounted for 11.3% of the variance in IPV perpetration, only the EMS of insufficient self-control and mistrust/abuse were significant predictors of IPV perpetration and mediated the relationship between recollections of dysfunctional parenting and IPV perpetration. Results suggest that these cognitive schemas may be the mechanism through which dysfunctional parenting renders one vulnerable to violence in relationships.
Methods for exploring reaction space in molecular systems

The area of reaction mechanism discovery simulation has taken considerable strides in recent years. Novel methods that make hypotheses for elementary steps and complementary means for reaction path and transition state (TS) optimization are lowering the amount of chemical intuition and user effort required to explore reaction networks. The resulting networks lead from reactants to reactive intermediates and products, and are becoming closer representations of physical mechanisms involved in experiments. This review describes several of these approaches, which are categorized based on their overarching TS finding strategies. Future advances are discussed that may revolutionize the ability of simulation to fully predict not just the reaction mechanism but reaction outcomes. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
mTOR inhibition enhances efficacy of dasatinib in ABL -rearranged Ph-like B-ALL

High-risk subtypes of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) include Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) B-ALL driven by the BCR-ABL1 oncogene and a more recently identified subtype known as BCR-ABL-like or Ph-like B-ALL. A hallmark of both Ph+ and Ph-like B-ALL is constitutive activation of tyrosine kinase signaling that is potentially targetable with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). B-ALL cells also receive extracellular signals from the microenvironment that can maintain proliferation and survival following treatment with TKIs. Therefore, there is strong rationale for combining TKIs with other therapies targeting signal transduction pathways. Here we show that combinations of the ABL-directed TKI dasatinib with mTOR kinase inhibitors (TOR-KIs) are more effective than TKI alone against patient-derived Ph-like B-ALL cells harboring rearrangements of ABL1 or ABL2. We also report the establishment of a new human Ph-like B-ALL cell line that is stromal cell-independent in vitro and can be used for xenograft experiments in vivo. These findings provide rationale for clinical testing of TKI plus TOR-KIs in children and adults with Ph-like B-ALL and a new experimental tool to test promising therapeutic strategies in this poor prognosis subtype of B-ALL.
A qualitative analysis of the information science needs of public health researchers in an academic setting

Objectives: The University of Minnesota (UMN) Health Sciences Libraries conducted a needs assessment of public health researchers as part of a multi-institutional study led by Ithaka S+R. The aims of the study were to capture the evolving needs, opportunities, and challenges of public health researchers in the current environment and provide actionable recommendations. This paper reports on the data collected at the UMN site. Methods: Participants (n=24) were recruited through convenience sampling. One-on-one interviews, held November 2016 to January 2017, were audio-recorded. Qualitative analyses were conducted using NVivo 11 Pro and were based on the principles of grounded theory. Results: The data revealed that a broad range of skill levels among participants (e.g., literature searching) and areas of misunderstanding (e.g., current publishing landscape, open access options). Overall, data management was an afterthought. Few participants were fully aware of the breadth of librarian knowledge and skill sets, although many did express a desire for further skill development in information science. Conclusions: Libraries can engage more public health researchers by utilizing targeted and individualized marketing regarding services. We can promote open science by educating researchers on publication realities and enhancing our data visualization skills. Libraries might take an institution-wide leadership role on matters of data management and data policy compliance. Finally, as team science emerges as a research priority, we can offer our networking expertise. These support services may reduce the stresses that public health researchers feel in the current research environment.
Big Data Workloads Drawn from Real-Time Analytics Scenarios Across Three Deployed Solutions

Big Data solution vendors and customers alike face a pressing need for a few credible benchmarking workloads for demonstrating or optimizing performance, elasticity, efficiency, and robustness of solutions they create or deploy. Many new problems require extraction of immediately actionable intelligence from torrents of data, so a good application level benchmark must reflect in its design both real-time (low latency) and high throughput metrics. It should also impose loads that reflect the realities of complex, interdependent mixes of storage and analysis operations. This short paper describes three different application level scenarios. In these scenarios Big Data solutions are used to generate answers in real time for a subset of requests while requests that do not require such real time responses are completed at high rate in the background in presence of massive inflows of new data. The solutions from which we draw these scenarios are already in deployment or in pre-deployment testing, and thus can serve as good models from which to draw design perspectives in assembling a realistic Big Data workload, meaningful to customers tackling real-time needs while balancing high availability and service rate requirements.
Nuclear Localization of Internalized Interferons-β and -γ: A Role for Nuclear Receptors

The mechanism by which IFN treatment alters gene expression remains unknown, although IFN binding to plasma membrane receptors appears to be a crucial step in processing (1), This binding has been thought to be sufficient to trigger intracellular activities by still unidentified transmembrane signals or messengers. Recent reports indicate that newly induced RNA transcripts can appear within several minutes after the cells are treated with IFN (2 – 5). Since different lines of evidence indicate that IFN molecules are transported into the nucleus within a few minutes by facilitated receptor-mediated endocytosis (6,7), IFNs may act as their own messengers, alone or in combination with their receptors.
Temperature shift activates bloodstream VSG expression site promoters in Trypanosoma brucei.

Abstract Trypanosoma brucei relies on two types of variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) expression sites (ESs) for RNA polymerase I (Pol I) transcription of VSG pre-mRNA. Trypanosomes developing into infectious metacyclic cells in the tsetse vector use metacyclic VSG ESs (MESs) and proliferating parasites in the mammalian host deploy bloodstream VSG ESs (BESs). Unlike the monocistronic MESs, BESs are polycistronic and their highly conserved promoters differ considerably from the MES promoters. The significance of the divergent sequences of MES and BES promoters remains to be determined. We used a reporter system to specifically test the effect of temperature on the activity of MES and BES promoters in procyclic trypanosomes and our results demonstrate that transcription from the MES promoter is largely insensitive to changes in temperature. In contrast, the BES promoter drives rapid activation of transcription upon a change of temperature from 28 °C to 37 °C. Additionally, endogenous BESs respond similarly to the elevation of temperature and initiate increased production of BES pre-mRNA and mRNA. Our results indicate that the sequence of the BES promoter is a specificity signal which triggers BES activation in vivo upon entry into the mammalian host.
Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation for the Proposed Slider-Crank Wave Energy Conversion Device

In this work, a novel model of a wave energy converter that utilizes a slider crank power take-off system (PTOS) is simulated in a hardware-in-the-loop framework. The simulated parts in this framework include a buoy, slider crank linkage, and a gearbox. The slider crank linkage acting as the linear to rotary converter is represented by a DC motor coupled with a physical generator. With a regular sinusoidal wave excitation force in simulation, the hydrodynamic forces are converted into a torque, emulated by a physical motor that is directly coupled with another identical physical DC machine as the generator. By utilizing the dSPACE Control Desk software and the associated dSPACE hardware, the control algorithm in the device uses a power electronics board to drive the machines. The results show that the control system applied to the hardware-in-the-loop framework can successfully extract energy for a scaled down version of the proposed WEC device.
Shapley effect application for variance-based sensitivity analysis of the few-group cross-sections

Abstract Analyzing the variance of complex computer models is an essential practice to assess and improve that model by identifying the influential parameters that cause the output variance. Variance-based sensitivity analysis is the process of decomposing the output variance into components associated with each input parameter. In this study, we applied a new concept of variance-based sensitivity analysis inspired by the game theory proposed by Shapley. The technique is called the Shapley effect, and it investigates the contribution of each input parameter as well as its interactions with every other parameter in the system by exploring all possible permutations between them. The Shapley effect is compared to the common Sobol indices technique (first order and total effects) to investigate their performance under correlated and uncorrelated parameters. The Shapley effect demonstrated superior performance when compared to the Sobol indices for correlated input parameters. Shapley effect captured the correlation between the input parameters, expressing the variance contribution in a single index instead of two indices, and normalization of the fractional indices is preserved without over or underestimation. On the other hand, the two algorithms we selected to calculate Sobol indices under correlated inputs experienced different issues including: over/underestimating the output variance, first order effect could be larger than the total effect, possibility of negative indices, unnormalized fractional indices, and difficulty to interpret the results. However, Sobol showed satisfactory performance when the inputs are uncorrelated as the numerical values and input ranking were in good agreement with Shapley effect. The main disadvantage of Shapley effect is its large computational cost especially for high dimensional problems where the number of possible input subsets becomes very large. The results of our tests showed that the thermal fission cross-section carried most of the uncertainty at BOL, and its contribution declines after fuel burnup, which is replaced by the uncertainty contribution of the fast cross-section parameters.
The Role of the Anesthesiologist in a Pain Center (With Emphasis on the Regional Anesthesia Techniques for Pain Relief)

Anesthesiologists have assumed leadership roles in developing multidisciplinary pain centers across the country over the last two decades mainly through their skills in nerve block techniques combined with their experience in managing pain problems and medication management. Experiences of many of the anesthesiologists from major pain centers indicate that although nerve block techniques can be used safely and effectively for management of acute pain, extention of this approach to the management of chronic pain is of limited usefulness and is potentially dangerous. Chronic pain differs from acute pain in fundamental and important aspects that necessitate a very thorough evaluation of all possible contributing factors before nerve block techniques can be considered. The informed, rational, and safe use of nerve block techniques requires a collaborative approach that involves the anesthesiologist beyond his/her role as a block technician. Such involvement with pain management is demanding of time and effort, more than some anesthesiologists may be willing to spend. These realizations may have adverse effects on practicing anesthesiologists who frequently use these techniques as a major form of pain control in the nerve block clinic setting, on anesthesiology residents who express an interest in pain predicated on the misconception that sophisticated nerve blocks are the mainstay of the pain treatment, and finally on further developments of regional anesthesia techniques that are poorly taught and seldom encountered in the operating room of many teaching hospitals. The possible solutions are discussed.
Influences of Antroquinonol and 4-Acetylantroquinonol B on Inflammatory Tumorigenesis in the MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell Line (P06-039-19)

Objectives The inflammatory microenvironment is currently received substantial attentions in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer (BC), the leading cause of cancer death, ∼15%, among women worldwide. The present study investigated the anti-inflammation and anti-cancer properties of 2 bioactive components from Antrodia Camphorata, a rare medicinal mushroom natively grown in Taiwan and commonly used in Chinese traditional medicine.
An analysis of expression of lupus-associated miRNAs in splenic lymphocytes from male and female NZB/WF1 mice (P4074)

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a prototype, female predominant autoimmune disease. The functional importance and pathogenic contribution of microRNAs (miRNAs) to lupus are now highly recognized. We reported recently a common set of lupus-associated miRNAs including miR-182-96-183 cluster, miR-155, miR-31, and miR-127 in three spontaneous murine lupus models including NZB/WF1. To understand whether miRNAs are differentially expressed in males versus females, and thereby contribute to increased susceptibility to lupus in female NZB/WF1, we analyzed the expression of above miRNAs in splenic lymphocytes from male and female NZB/WF1 mice at different disease stages. Our data indicated that there is no significant difference in the expression of above lupus-associated miRNAs between female and male NZB/WF1 at 17-18wk old, an age before the onset of disease. However, by 23 weeks of age (when NZB/WF1 begin to develop mild lupus disease) the expression levels of miR-182, miR-183, miR-127, and miR-31 were significantly up-regulated in female NZB/WF1 mice compared to age-matched male controls. The expression levels of these miRNAs were further increased in 30 wk old females, following the progression of lupus disease. There was also a slight increasing trend of the above miRNAs in 30 wk old male NZB/WF1 mice when compared to 23 wk old male mice, however it was not significant. Taken together, our study further suggested the association of these miRNAs with lupus development.
Role of a noncanonical disulfide bond in the stability, affinity, and flexibility of a VHH specific for the Listeria virulence factor InlB.

A distinguishing feature of camel (Camelus dromedarius) VHH domains are noncanonical disulfide bonds between CDR1 and CDR3. The disulfide bond may provide an evolutionary advantage, as one of the cysteines in the bond is germline encoded. It has been hypothesized that this additional disulfide bond may play a role in binding affinity by reducing the entropic penalty associated with immobilization of a long CDR3 loop upon antigen binding. To examine the role of a noncanonical disulfide bond on antigen binding and the biophysical properties of a VHH domain, we have used the VHH R303, which binds the Listeria virulence factor InlB as a model. Using site directed mutagenesis, we produced a double mutant of R303 (C33A/C102A) to remove the extra disulfide bond of the VHH R303. Antigen binding was not affected by loss of the disulfide bond, however the mutant VHH displayed reduced thermal stability (T m = 12°C lower than wild‐type), and a loss of the ability to fold reversibly due to heat induced aggregation. X‐ray structures of the mutant alone and in complex with InlB showed no major changes in the structure. B‐factor analysis of the structures suggested that the loss of the disulfide bond elicited no major change on the flexibility of the CDR loops, and revealed no evidence of loop immobilization upon antigen binding. These results suggest that the noncanonical disulfide bond found in camel VHH may have evolved to stabilize the biophysical properties of the domain, rather than playing a significant role in antigen binding.
Elevated Levels of Annexin I Protein in vitro and in vivo in Rat and Human Mammary Adenocarcinoma

Annexin I is a phospholipid and actin binding protein which may play a role in signal transduction to the cytoskeleton. Previous work reported the differential expression of annexin I mRNA among rat adenocarcinoma cell lines of various metastatic potential (MTLn3, MTLn2, MTC.4: highest to lowest, respectively) (Pencil et al. 1993, Breast Cancer Res Treat, 25, 165–74). This relationship has been extended to the protein level in in vitro cultures using Western blotting and flow cytometry. Annexin I protein levels in MTLn3 cells are 3- to 5-fold higher than in MTC.4 cells. The weakly metastatic cell line MTLn2 shows levels 1.5- to 2.5-fold higher than MTC.4. In vivo tumors were produced by injecting 1 × 106 cells into mammary fat pads of syngeneic rats and necropsies were performed 40 days later. Semiquantitative immunohistochemical color image analysis was performed using a polyclonal rat annexin I specific antibody. Annexin I protein expression was highest in lung metastases of MTLn3, at 8-fold the levels observed in the MTC.4 primary tumors. MTLn3 cells in the primary tumor had an annexin I specific optical density 3-fold higher than that of cells in the MTC.4 primary tumor. MTLn2 primary tumors had an annexin I specific optical density 1.5- fold higher than MTC.4. A proportion of human mammary adenocarcinomas also have positive annexin I immunoreactivity, often with more uniform annexin I staining in the lymph node metastases. These results suggest that there may be survival advantages for nascent metastatic cells with high annexin I levels
Disagreement in perceptions of stepfamily communication and functioning: Implications for mental health:

This study tested the degree to which disagreement in perceptions of stepfamily communication and functioning is associated with the mental health of family members. Participants included 119 stepf...
Vertigo and Cytotoxic Lesions of the Corpus Callosum: Report with Review of the Literature.

Background The term cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum (CLOCCs) encompasses the entity reversible splenial lesion syndrome (RESLES). RESLES typically presents with altered levels of consciousness, seizures, and delirium and is distinguished radiographically by reversible focal lesions of the splenium of the corpus callosum. This disease pathology is associated with withdrawal of antiepileptic medications, infections, metabolic disturbance, or high-altitude cerebral edema. Methods We presented an otherwise healthy 72-year-old female that was consulted for an episode of isolated vertigo lasting four hours. Initial workup included CT head without contrast, CT angiogram head and neck, and MRI brain with and without contrast. The patient experienced recurrent episodes of vertigo at one and four months after initial presentation. An extensive workup at one month included a wide spectrum of laboratory tests and repeat imaging. Results Noncontrast CT of the head and CT angiogram of the head and neck were reassuring. MRI brain with and without contrast demonstrated hyperintensity in the splenium of the corpus callosum on FLAIR sequencing. A follow-up visit at one month revealed vitamin B12 deficiency and unchanged hyperintensity of the splenium of the corpus callosum. History and workup were negative for typical risk factors associated with RESLES. Conclusion An otherwise healthy patient who presented with an isolated episode of vertigo was discovered to demonstrate radiographic features consistent with RESLES but lacked the common risk factors and typical presentation of RESLES. This case expands the possible clinical presentation of RESLES and highlights the possible relationship between vitamin B12 deficiency and radiographic features of RESLES.
Advancing Data for Street-level Flood Vulnerability: Extraction of Variables from Google Street View in Quito, Ecuador.

Data relevant to flood vulnerability is minimal and infrequently collected, if at all, for much of the world. This makes it difficult to highlight areas for humanitarian aid, monitor changes, and support communities in need. It would be time consuming and resource intensive to do an exhaustive study for multiple flood relevant vulnerability variables using a field survey. We use a mixed methods approach to develop a survey on variables of interest and utilize an open-source crowdsourcing technique to remotely collect data with a human-machine interface using high-resolution satellite images and Google Street View. This paper focuses on Quito, Ecuador as a case study, but the methodology can be quickly replicated to produce labelled training data in other areas. The overall project goal is to build training datasets that in the future will allow us to automate the mapping of flood vulnerability for urban areas in geographic regions.
Rate Distortion Theory and Data Compression

In this introductory lecture we present the rudiments of rate distortion theory, the branch of information theory that treats data compression problems. The rate distortion function is defined and a powerful iterative algorithm for calculating it is described. Shannon’s source coding theorems are stated and heuristically discussed.
Data Sources for Health Demography

The health care industry has always presented something of a paradox. Although historically awash in data, it has been very difficult to convert these data into usable information. Health data have often not been very accessible even to the organizations that generate the data. When data sets have been accessible, they typically have been of limited use to health demographers and other analysts, since they were usually generated for some operational or administrative purpose. Further, even when data have been made accessible, the tools were not available for their efficient management and exploitation.
Studies on the regulation of one-carbon metabolism. The effects of folate concentration in the growth medium on the activity of three folate-dependent enzymes in Lactobacillus casei.

Abstract The specific activities of 10-formyl tetrahydrofolate synthetase, dihydrofolate reductase, and 5,10-methylene tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase in extracts of Lactobacillus casei increase during the period of logarithmic growth of the culture and decrease during the stationary phase. The rise in specific activities may indicate a rapid rate of synthesis since it is prevented by actinomycin D and chloramphenicol. The decrease in activity in the extracts of cells harvested during the stationary phase does not appear to result from the occurrence of proteolytic activity or from incomplete liberation. Variations in the concentration of folate in the growth medium have two effects on the specific activities of the enzymes. Extracts of organisms grown in the presence of 1.4 x 10-9 m folate have higher specific activities of 10-formyl tetrahydrofolate synthetase, dihydrofolate reductase, and 5,10-methylene tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase than extracts from organisms grown in media containing lower levels of folate. This difference may be related to alterations in the growth rate of the bacteria, since other changes in incubation conditions which decreased the growth rate (lower temperature, low thymine levels) also resulted in lower specific activities of these enzymes. When the concentrations of folate present in the growth medium exceed 1.4 x 10-9 m, the specific activity of 10-formyl tetrahydrofolate synthetase and dihydrofolate reductase is decreased, possibly through repression of the enzyme. This effect, which may be of importance in the regulation of 1-carbon intermediates, was not observed for 5,10-methylene tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase or for enzymes not involved in folate metabolism.
Biotin and Hiccups in Chronic Dialysis Patients

From 1972 to 1985, intractable hiccups were observed in 11 black chronic dialysis patients. Frequency as often as one hiccup per second, which interfered with food ingestion and speech, was termed malignant hiccups (MH). Complications of spontaneous or self-induced vomiting, ingestion of large quantities of water resulting in excessive interdialytic weight gains, and loss of dry weight resulted. Blood chemistries reflected malnutrition and alkaloses secondary to vomiting. Malignant hiccups was not relieved by various pharmacological and non pharmacological therapies attempted. Nine patients died secondary to MH-induced malnutrition; one patient was cured after transplantation; one patient's weight loss was arrested through intradialytic parenteral nutrition without hiccup relief. From 1986 to 1987, seven patients (six black, one white) with MH were treated twice daily with a multivitamin preparation containing 5 mg biotin (10 mg total). Five patients stopped hiccuping within 1 week. Hiccups recurred in two patients when biotin was discontinued and stopped with readministration. Biotin failed to relieve hiccups in two patients who had been affected for 2 years before biotin treatment, although the number of and frequency within each episode was reduced. Biotin deficiency has been implicated as a cause of neurological disorders in uremia. Pending a controlled study, the authors' findings suggest that biotin may relieve MH particularly when started as an early intervention.
Organic Solvent-Soluble Lipofuscin Pigments and Glutathione Peroxidase in Mouse Brain and Heart: Effects of Age and Vitamin E

The effect of age and dietary supplementation of vitamin E or N,N'-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD) on organic solvent-soluble lipofuscin pigments (OLP) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in mouse heart and brain was investigated. Four groups of 32 female weanling mice were fed a basal diet containing either 0, 30 or 300 ppm RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate (d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate) or 30 ppm DPPD from 2 to 18 mo of age. Neither GSH-Px activity nor dietary supplementation of vitamin E or DPPD had an effect on OLP concentrations in the brain or heart. OLP levels were two- to fourfold higher at 12 mo of age in the heart and were lower at 18 mo of age in the brain than at 2 or 9 mo of age. GSH-Px activity increased with age in the heart tissue of vitamin E-deficient and DPPD-supplemented mice only. No change in GSH-Px activity was observed in the brain due to diet or increasing age. These results suggested that OLP concentrations were not affected by dietary supplementation of vitamin E or DPPD but were affected by age-related factors in the mouse brain and heart.
The Woman Entrepreneur: Management Skills and Business Problems

Studies female entrepreneurs in order to identify obstacles that women face in business and to explore means of improvement. Though the number of self-employed women has been increasing dramatically - from 1.7 million in 1977 to 2.3 million in 1982 - the vast majority of studies of entrepreneurs are still narrowly focused on non-minority men. In an effort to expand the research on entrepreneurial women, this study questions 468 self-employed women in 18 states, assessing demographics, the nature of their business ventures, and the problems they encounter. According to this research, the "typical" female entrepreneur is married with children, herself the first-born child of middle class parents. Her business is most likely to be service-oriented, and she tends to start it around the age of 40. Obstacles include problems with finance and credit, as well as lack of business and financial planning training. Consequently, most of the businesses are small with low growth rates and revenues. According to the business owners themselves, in order to further develop women's role in business, stereotypes need to be eliminated concerning women as entrepreneurs, and more visible role models and mentors for younger women are needed. The analysis concludes with specific recommendations for improvement: (1) Women should be encouraged to study in fields other than liberal arts. (2) Women should have access to seminars on finance, management, marketing, etc. (3) Women should seek assistance from experts, colleagues, and friends to establish formal and informal networks. (CJC)
Digital pathological image analysis and cell segmentation

Summary form only given. This project proposes the use of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) for real-time capture and analysis of pathological slide images to improve accuracy and efficiency. Analyzing cell density statistics and average cell nuclei diameters of a slide image is useful to determine the abnormality of slide sample. Being tedious as it is in counting/measuring hundreds to thousands of cells in one sample slide under a microscope, the manual result, typically can be achieved by a pathologist, is often limited by human eye precision/efficiency. Millions of biopsy samples obtained daily around the world, from minor skin lesions to major tumors, are anxiously waiting to be screened/examined. As a high-level, interactive environment for data visualization/analysis/computation, MATLAB/spl reg/ is utilized currently to perform automatic image analysis and segmentation of brain cells on a computer. By comparing cell concentration and cell nuclei sizes between cancerous and normal image groups, MATLAB/spl reg/ can be programmed to distinguish normal brain cells from questionable ones. In general, pathological image analysis using a computer-based application could demonstrate great precision and efficiency for screening large quantities of cells on one or numerous sample slides. Currently, MATLAB/spl reg/ image analysis works on captured/digitized slide images and takes a minute per image to automatically pre-screen abnormalities that require further human expert analysis. With future real-time/parallel/machine-intelligent improvements, we hope that DSP can help physicians/pathologists/patients everywhere to get immediate diagnosis for effective/timely treatment, and can show accuracy within acceptable levels that are comparable to human pathologists in dealing with cell-overlapping and non-cell objects existing in slide images.
Possibility of Neutrino Emission from Matter Accreting into a Neutron Star

We analyze the possibility of neutrino emission from matter accreting into a neutron-star member of a binary x-ray source. Estimates of the expected fluxes and neutrino energy are given for selected values of the accretion rate under the assumption that the neutrino production is mainly due to the reaction $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrows}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}+{e}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{e}+{\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{e}$.