cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Connectivity of finite anisotropic random graphs and directed graphs

For graphs on a finite set of vertices with arbitrary probabilities of independently occurring edges, the reliability is defined as the probability that the graph is connected, and the redundancy as the expected number of spanning trees of the graph. Analogous measures of connectivity are defined for random finite directed graphs with arbitrary probabilities of independently occurring directed edges. Recursive formulas for computing the reliability are known. Determinantal formulas, based on matrix-tree theorems, for computing the redundancy are given here. Among random graphs with a given sum of edge probabilities, the more evenly the probabilities are distributed over potential edges, the larger the redundancy. This inequality, proved using the theory of majorization, in combination with examples shows unexpectedly that conficts between reliability and redundancy can arise in the design of communication networks modelled by such random graphs. The significance of these calculations for the command and control of nuclear forces is sketched.
Extended Stimulated Parotid and Submandibular Secretion in a Healthy Young and Old Population

BACKGROUND Previous morphological studies have shown that both the human parotid and submandibular glands display age-related reductions in the proportion of fluid secreting acinar cells. In contrast, short-term functional studies of fluid secretion do not show such a consistent disparity among different-aged persons. This study compared the ability of a population of healthy young and old individuals to secret saliva from the parotid and submandibular glands for an extended period of time under conditions of intense gustatory stimulation. METHODS Saliva was collected over 30 minutes from 30 healthy, unmedicated individuals using 10% citric acid as a gustatory stimulus. Of the 30 subjects, 15 were young (age range 27-40 years) and 15 were old (age range 60-97 years). Parotid salivary flow rates were determined every minute, and submandibular flow rates were determined at 2, 10, 20, and 30 minutes. A comparison was made between the slopes of the two groups. The slopes were derived from the average salivary flow rate at each time point. RESULTS There was no difference in the ability of the parotid glands of young and old individuals to secrete saliva. In contrast, the submandibular glands of the elderly individuals did not show the same pattern of secretion when compared to their younger counterparts, who demonstrated increasing flow rates over the test period. CONCLUSIONS The parotid glands of young and old persons are able to maintain high secretory ability under the stress of intense stimulation for an extended period of time. Conversely, the submandibular gland demonstrates an age-related, statistically significant difference in the pattern of fluid secretion with an intense gustatory stimulus.
Effects of Eicosapentaenoic Acid Versus Docosahexaenoic Acid on Serum Lipids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements containing both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been shown to reduce triglycerides but also increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Whether EPA or DHA given as monotherapy has differential effects on serum lipoproteins has not been systematically evaluated. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials of monotherapy with EPA (n = 10), DHA (n = 17), or EPA versus DHA (n = 6). Compared with placebo, DHA raised LDL 7.23 mg/dL (95% CI, 3.98–10.5) whereas EPA non-significantly reduced LDL. In direct comparison studies, DHA raised LDL 4.63 mg/dL (95% CI, 2.15–7.10) more than EPA. Both EPA and DHA reduced triglycerides, with a greater reduction by DHA in direct comparison studies. DHA also raised high-density lipoprotein (4.49 mg/dL; 95% CI, 3.50–5.48) compared with placebo, whereas EPA did not. Although EPA and DHA both reduce triglycerides, they have divergent effects on LDL and high-density lipoprotein. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms and significance of these differences.
Reply to a Comment on “The Appeals Process as a Means of Error Correction”

In his interesting comment on my recent article, “The Appeals Process as a Means of Error Correction,” Edward Schwartz makes two criticisms of my analysis. The criticisms have essentially to do with my assumption that an appeals court judge will base his or her decisions only on what happened at trial, and not on any inference that can be drawn from the fact that an appeal was brought. Before explaining why I do not find Schwartz's criticisms problematic, it will be helpful for me to restate the main features of the model that I examined in the article.
Large-signal HBT characterization and modeling at millimeter wave frequencies

A detailed large-signal analysis for the heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) is presented. Using a combination of computer models and corrected measurements, the bias and frequency dependence of the gain compression has been analyzed from 8 to 35 GHz for several HBTs. From 8 to 16 GHz, a commercial tuner system was used for making the measurements. However, beyond 26 GHz, an active load pull system was designed and constructed to circumvent problems created by component losses. Several comparisons between measured and modeled data are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the characterization technique. >
A digestion procedure for the simultaneous determination of total nitrogen and total phosphorus in pond water

Abstract— Total phosphorus and total nitrogen often are measured in studies of pond water quality. A laboratory study was conducted to test a digestion procedure for the simultaneous determination of total nitrogen and total phosphorus in pond water. Seventy water samples were collected from channel catfish ponds. Samples were digested in two ways. One digestion followed the standard protocol of persulfate digestion in an acidic environment for total phosphorus analysis, and total phosphorus was then measured with the ascorbic acid procedure. The second digestion was done by the procedure used for determining total nitrogen which involves persulfate digestion in an alkaline environment. The total nitrogen digestion procedure followed by phosphorus determination provided results similar to those obtained in the standard persulfate digestion for phosphorus. The slope of the regression line did not differ from 1.0 (P < 0.05) and the Y intercept did not differ from 0 (P < 0.05). Spike recovery averaged 99.1% (range 85–112%) in the total nitrogen digestion procedure; it averaged 98.4% (range 88–113%) in the standard total phosphorus digestion. The results of this investigation indicated that a single digestion can be used to obtain a digest suitable for measurements of total nitrogen and total phosphorus.
“Communication is the essence of human life”: reflections on communicative competence

Communicative competence allows individuals to attain their communication goals and to realize the very essence of their humanity. Hence, the development of communicative competence has been identified as the central goal of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention. This lecture explores the nature of communicative competence for individuals who use AAC. It considers issues in identifying appropriate goals for intervention and discusses strategies for building communicative competence with individuals who use AAC.
Optimizing Collaboration Between Medical and School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists Managing Pediatric Dysphagia

Abstract Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who work with the pediatric population, regardless of setting—home-based, early intervention center, hospital, or school—are more likely than not to enc...
Comparison of rhinovirus A infection in human primary epithelial and HeLa cells

HeLa cells are used to study the life cycles of many different viruses, including the human rhinoviruses (HRV) in the family Picornaviridae. Although the natural targets of HRV are human bronchial epithelial cells (hBE), it is generally more difficult to obtain and maintain the relevant primary cell cultures, relative to HeLa cells. Given that the HRV are now identified as a major cause of human asthma exacerbations, it becomes important to document how much of the virus biology learned from HeLa cells is common also to natural primary cells. When compared directly in matched infections using A01a virus, the kinetics of RNA replication, the synthesis and processing of viral proteins and the general subcellular localization of key non-structural proteins were resembled in hBE and HeLa cells. Viral-induced shutoff of host cell processes (e.g. nucleo-cytoplasmic trafficking) was also comparable.
Inhibition of protein synthesis in loblolly pine hypocotyls by mannitol-induced water stress.

Summary The relationship between mannitol-induced water stress and protein synthesis was investigated in hypocotyl slices of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). Mannitol-.aduced water stress inhibited the incorporation of L-[%]methionine into protein. As the water potential decreased, incorporation of label into protein decreased in both the soluble- and membrane-protein fractions. There were no significant differences in response to water stress among seed sources from four different geographical regions.
Dietary calcium supplementation restores pressure natriuresis responses in Dahl-S rats.

Calcium supplementation prevents hypertension in Dahl S (DS) rats. Because abnormal pressure natriuresis may contribute to the development of hypertension, we examined the effect of calcium on pressure natriuresis. DS and Dahl R (DR) rats maintained on a 4% sodium diet containing either 0.5% or 2% calcium for 4 weeks were anesthetized; sodium excretion, renal blood flow, and inulin clearance were determined at perfusion pressures of 100, 125, and 156 mm Hg. Inulin clearance and renal blood flow were not different between groups. Sodium excretion increased with increasing renal perfusion pressure in all groups. The slope of the line relating renal perfusion pressure to sodium excretion was greater (P < .05) in DR rats than in DS rats on normal calcium intakes. High calcium intake normalized the slope of the line relating renal perfusion pressure to sodium excretion in DS rats, but had no effect on DR rats. Thus, dietary calcium supplementation normalizes the blunted pressure natriuresis response in the DS rat and may contribute to the prevention of hypertension.
Learning of fast transforms and spectral domain neural computing

The interaction between neural networks and fast transforms is examined. It is shown that the development, discovery, and the study of transforms can be efficiently carried out through the use of learning algorithms used in neural networks. In turn, these transforms can be used for a number of tasks in neural networks, such as network reduction and simplification, fast convergence during learning, fast memory retrieval, reduced cost and increased speed of implementation, feature extraction, invariance to distortions, better generalization, and increased quality of performance in the presence of noise and incomplete knowledge. Learning with the unconstrained part of the neural network of reduced size or minimized number of interconnections is performed in the spectral domain only, thereby considerably easing the problems of convergence and implementation. The techniques described can be especially useful in dynamic neural networks. >
EVALUATION OF CLOSED CAPTURE–RECAPTURE METHODS TO ESTIMATE ABUNDANCE OF HAWAIIAN MONK SEALS

Numerous capture-recapture methods have been developed to estimate abun- dance, yet the performance of these models is only rarely judged by comparison with true abundance. This study presents a rare opportunity to assess capture-recapture estimates in a free-ranging population with known minimum abundance. Hawaiian monk seal abundance historically has been characterized using a trend index or has been estimated using simple enumeration. Here, I evaluate the applicability of various closed-population capture-re- capture models to estimating Hawaiian monk seal abundance and its associated error. I analyzed 12 data sets (two years from each of six subpopulations) representing a wide variety of sampling and logistical scenarios, using models that explored the effects of animal size class (juvenile, subadult, or adult), tag status, and sighting location on initial capture and recapture probabilities. I also explored various models to account for capture hetero- geneity among individuals. Size and sex effects always significantly improved model fits, and tag status and location effects were also frequently influential. In most cases, abundance estimated from capture-recapture models was substantially lower than known minimum abundance, suggesting the influence of individual capture heterogeneity. Attributes of in- dividuals known to be alive, but not captured during systematic surveys, did not reveal patterns that explained sources of capture heterogeneity. In some cases, mixture models produced estimates that were less biased but were associated with very large confidence intervals. Among the model types examined, those available in Program CAPTURE per- formed best; although they are still prone to negative bias, these models nevertheless may prove useful in characterizing population trends in Hawaiian monk seals. This study dem- onstrates that selection of appropriate closed capture-recapture models can be substantially improved by independent validation.
Laboratory-Based Studies of Eating among Children and Adolescents.

The prevalence of pediatric overweight has increased dramatically over the past three decades, likely due to changes in food intake as well as physical activity. Therefore, information examining eating patterns among children and adolescents is needed to illuminate which aspects of eating behavior require modification to prevent and treat pediatric overweight. Because child self-report and parent-report of childrens eating habits are often inconsistent and limited by recall and other biases, laboratory-based studies in which food intake is observed and monitored have increased in number. Such studies offer objective and controlled methods of measuring and describing eating behaviors. However, to our knowledge, no publication exists that consolidates, reviews, and provides critical commentary on the literature to date in pediatric samples. In this paper, we review the literature of studies utilizing laboratory methods to examine eating behavior in samples ranging from birth through adolescence. Our review includes all relevant articles retrieved from the PubMed and PsychInfo search engines. Specifically, we examine meal-feeding studies conducted during the various developmental stages (infancy, preschool, middle childhood, and adolescence), with a focus on methodology. Included in our review are feeding studies related to dietary regulation, exposure and preference, as well as paradigms examining disordered eating patterns and their relationship to body composition. We have structured this review so that both consistent and inconsistent findings are presented by age group, and innovative methods of assessment are discussed in more detail. Following each section, we summarize findings and draw potential conclusions from the available data. We then discuss clinical implications of the research data and suggest directions for the next generation of studies of feeding behavior in children.
Hierarchical Problem Solving

Abstraction has been used to reduce search in a variety of problem solvers. It reduces search by focusing the problem solver on the more difficult aspects of a problem first. Most of these problem solvers employ one of three types of abstractions: abstract problem spaces, abstract operators, or macro problem spaces. These three approaches are briefly described below and then compared in more detail in Chapter 6.
An Annotation Scheme for Quantifier Scope Disambiguation

Annotating natural language sentences with quantifier scoping has proved to be very hard. In order to overcome the challenge, previous work on building scope-annotated corpora has focused on sentences with two explicitly quantified noun phrases (NPs). Furthermore, it does not address the annotation of scopal operators or complex NPs such as plurals and definites. We present the first annotation scheme for quantifier scope disambiguation where there is no restriction on the type or the number of scope-bearing elements in the sentence. We discuss some of the most prominent complex scope phenomena encountered in annotating the corpus, such as plurality and type-token distinction, and present mechanisms to handle those phenomena.
When Lawyers Don't Get All the Profits: Non-Lawyer Ownership, Access, and Professionalism

With multiple countries now allowing for non-lawyer ownership of legal services, and other jurisdictions considering a similar shift, the legal profession is in the midst of a global regulatory moment. Where non-lawyer ownership has been allowed, personal injury firms have listed on stock exchanges, major insurance companies have bought law firms, and brands best known for their grocery stores have started offering legal services. Proponents argue that these developments will spur investment and innovation, promoting access to justice by making legal services more affordable and reliable. However, there has been little empirical research to test this proposition. This article draws on case studies and quantitative data from the United Kingdom and Australia, where non-lawyer ownership has been allowed, as well as the United States – where parallels to such ownership have emerged in online and administrative law legal services. Based on this evidence, it argues that the benefits of non-lawyer ownership have been oversold with respect to access to civil legal services for poor and moderate-income populations and it identifies serious new professionalism challenges such ownership can create. While some form of non-lawyer ownership is likely to continue to spread, these conclusions cast doubt on the ability of non-lawyer ownership to substantially improve access to legal services, suggesting that alternative access strategies should be prioritized. They also point towards the need to carefully regulate non-lawyer ownership in some contexts. Traditionally, academics have been wary that lawyers will capture the regulation of legal services, but non-lawyer ownership, which allows for others to profit from legal services as well, raises the likelihood that new actors may also capture the profession’s regulation. Given this environment, the article recommends that going forward a diverse set of stakeholders, drawing on as much empirical data as possible, develop a tailored approach to the regulation of non-lawyer ownership.
Antibody to Kidney Antigen in the Urine of Patients with Urinary Tract Infections

One hundred six urine specimens from 26 patients with acute and chronic pyelonephritis and cystitis were tested by radioimmunoassay to determine (1) whether antibody to normal human kidney antigen was present and (2) whether the presence or absence of this antibody correlated quantitatively with antibody to the patient's own infecting organism. Of the 106 urine specimens tested, 55 (52%) contained elevated antibody to human kidney antigen. For 80 (75%) of 106 urine specimens there was a correlation between the results of quantitative assays for antibody levels to kidney antigen and to the bacterial antigen. Indirect fluorescent antibody studies of thin sections of normal human kidneys and a patient's urine containing elevated levels of antibody to kidney antigen and to bacterial antigen demonstrated diffuse renal localization. Results indicate the occurrence of antibody to kidney antigen, particularly in urine specimens from patients with chronic pyelonephritis and from urine specimens containing elevated levels of antibody to bacterial antigen.
A New Species of Pythium with Spiny Oogonia and Large Chlamydospores

Pythium dimorphum, a new species, is characterized by oogonia partially to completely covered with blunt irregularly spaced projections averaging 3 / in length and aplerotic to nearly plerotic oospores averaging 30 / diam. Antheridia may be hypogynous or monoclinous but are frequently absent. Prominent ovoid to elongate thin-walled, spherical chlamydospores averaging 64 L in diam with dark contents are a distinguishing feature of this fungus. Ovoid or club-shaped sporangia, averaging 28 X 54 1A, are present.
BP-ANN Method for Power Grid Short-Term Load Forecasting and Its Application

Aimed at the problem of low accuracy of traditional method for power system short-term load forecast,this paper presents a method for short-term load forecasting based on BP-ANN( back-propagation artificial neural network). The multiscale entropy method was used to analyze the short-term load data,whose results showed that the forecast points were related to both the prophase adjacent data and the periodical long-term historical load data. Meanwhile,with using autocorrelation analysis method,the suitable method for short-term load forecasting of Shaanxi power grid was presented based on BP-ANN,and applied in practical power system load. The results have shown that this method is simple,feasible, more practical,and with high precision.
203 SPONTANEOUS REGRESSION OF INFLAMMATORY PSEUDOTUMOR OF THE BLADDER IN A CHILD

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the bladder is a benign proliferative lesion of the submucosal stroma which cannot be distinguished endoscopically or radiographically from malignant tumors of the bladder (e.g. transitional cell carcinoma or rhabdomyosarcoma. The case presented here is the first, to our knowledge, of an inflammatory pseudotumor of the bladder treated with conservative management in a child. A previously healthy 6-year-old male presented to his PCP with a three week history of intermittent lower abdominal pain, constipation, mild dysuria and a physical examination remarkable for a palpable suprapubic mass. UA and KUB were unremarkable. CT scan and cystoscopy revealed a suspicious mass arising from the posterior aspect of the bladder. Transurethral resection (TUR) of the bladder tumor was performed. Frozen-section analysis from several TUR as well as open biopsy specimens showed no evidence of malignancy. No further surgical resection was performed. The final pathology demonstrated inflammatory pseudotumor. The patient was further treated with a two-week course of Augmentin and ibuprofen. Re-evaluation approximately six weeks later (abdominal and pelvic CT scan and cystoscopy) revealed no evidence of residual tumor. There are many reports in the literature of locally aggressive pseudotumors in organ systems other than the GU tract, and a few describe progression to malignant behavior. This has prompted some to recommend open surgery with partial cystectomy for bladder preservation in the case of bladder involvement with children. Others have advocated complete local excision via transurethral resection. With proper diagnostic rigor and close follow-up, pediatric cases may be treated successfully with nonsurgical therapy alone.
Insect aminopeptidase N

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structural chemistry and the biological aspects of insect aminopeptidase N (APN). The APN family of ectopeptidases are abundant proteins on the midgut brush border of insect larvae. Properties of aminopeptidase preparations from midgut tissue are described for at least six orders of insects. APN in the insect midgut cleaves N-terminal amino acids from peptides, a step necessary for amino acid co-transport into epithelial cells. Lepidopteran larvae have at least four classes of APN in their midgut. Presumably, the four APNs differ in specificity for amino acids, allowing digestive adaptability to host plants. However, enzyme activity and inhibitor data supporting this hypothesis are limited. APNs on the midgut brush border surface range in size from about 90 to 200 kDa. The pI of lepidopteran APNs is about 5.5 and their optimal pH ranges from 7.5 to 8.5. Insect APNs are glycoproteins that, at least in Lepidoptera, are attached to the membrane by glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors. MsAPN1 protein consists of a 990-amino acid residue preprotein that has four potential N-linked glycosylation sites.
Semantic ontologies for cyber threat sharing standards

Automated cyber threat intelligence information exchange systems enable cyber attack response teams to share information about cyber-attacks. In order to cooperate and collaborate on collective cyber responses, it is necessary to develop common sharing methods for cyber threat information exchange. Such methods increase our capabilities for Homeland Security by enabling faster and more intelligent automated response to cyber attacks. STIX, IODEF, OpenIOC and others are such XML based exchange formats, developed mostly independently by different parties for their needs. However these formats are not unanimously adopted, and are limited to syntactic representation. In this paper we analyze these exchange formats using ontologies and library science, in order to see to what degree they overlap and/or provide extra features. We also analyze additional features and benefits provided by semantic formats, in comparison to purely syntactic representations, and analyze potential benefits of RDF/OWL-based semantic exchange format, in comparison to purely syntactic representation.
In Patients with Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis Does Current Best Medical Management Reduce the Risk of Stroke Compared to Intervention (Endarterectomy or Stent)

Cervical carotid artery stenosis is amenable to correction by surgical endarterectomy or by endovascular angioplasty and stenting, with low rates of peri-procedural complications. Yet in asymptomatic patients treated medically, rates of stroke associated with medically-treated carotid stenosis are low, limiting the potential benefits of these interventions. Randomized prospective trials including the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study (ACAS), the Veterans Affairs (VA) study, and the Asymptomatic Carotid Surgery Trial 1 (ACST-1), all demonstrated some benefit of endarterectomy over medical therapy for asymptomatic stenosis. However there is uncertainty whether the benefit persists with respect to modern medical therapy, which has advanced since the time of these trials. For carotid angioplasty and stenting for asymptomatic carotid stenosis, benefits can only be indirectly inferred, based on results found to be comparable to those with endarterectomy in prospective trials. Based on current evidence, medical therapy, including control of risk factors, antiplatelet and statin therapy, and blood pressure treatment, are recommended for all patients with atherosclerotic carotid plaque. Endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid stenosis can be recommended conditionally, in patients with severe stenosis. Carotid angioplasty and stenting for asymptomatic patients can only be recommended in selected cases where patient factors preclude safe endarterectomy. Stratification of risk based on plaque characteristics or detection of microemboli from asymptomatic carotid plaque may contribute to decision making in favor of intervention over medical management. Comparison of endarterectomy or angioplasty and stenting to modern medical therapy in a randomized, prospective fashion, such as is proposed in the CREST-2 trial, is needed to provide better guidance in these management decisions.
Facilitating anaplastic thyroid cancer specialized treatment: A model for improving access to multidisciplinary care for patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Background Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a highly aggressive thyroid cancer. Several treatment trials are available, but the number of eligible patients to participate is very low because of the rarity and aggressiveness of the disease. Methods Facilitating Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Specialized Treatment (FAST) is a quality improvement project aimed at decreasing time from referral to disposition (scheduling of first appointment) to our institution. After identifying reasons for delays, we created a new process flow specifically for patients with ATC allowing patients to be scheduled immediately. Results Historical data revealed a mean referral to disposition time for patients with ATC of 8.7 days before our intervention. After the intervention, the mean referral to disposition time was reduced to 0.5 days. Participation in treatment trials for all patients with ATC was 34%. Conclusion Since the implementation of FAST, the access time has decreased and the number of successful referrals for ATC has increased significantly.
IMPROVE PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITY STUDENTS IN STORY THROUGH USE OF MEDIA CARDS AND POSTER TO IV A SD INPRES PERUMNAS I MAKASSAR

This type of research is a classroom action which aims to improve students' skills in solving word problems through the use of media cards and posters for the classroom IV.A SD Inpres Perumnas I Makassar. The research was conducted at SD Inpres Perumnas I Makassar . The study population was IV.A graders semester of academic year 2012/2013 . This data was obtained through observation , and achievement test each end of the cycle . Data analysis is a quantitative and qualitative analysis . The purpose of this study is: ( i) to assess the implementation process of learning with the use of media cards and posters in solving word problems in class SD Inpres Perumnas I Makassar ; ( ii) to improve the ability to solve word problems through the use of media cards and posters in elementary grade students SD Inpres Perumnas I Makassar . The results showed that ( i) the use of media cards and posters in solving word problems can improve student learning outcomes , (ii) Students' motivation in solving word problems has increased . This is evident from the achievement of the indicators of success in solving word problems . The improvement can be seen from the average value of an evaluation test on the first cycle of 61.14 and the second cycle increased to 75
Sorghum Dw2 Encodes a Protein Kinase Regulator of Stem Internode Length

Sorghum is an important C4 grass crop grown for grain, forage, sugar, and bioenergy production. While tall, late flowering landraces are commonly grown in Africa, short early flowering varieties were selected in US grain sorghum breeding programs to reduce lodging and to facilitate machine harvesting. Four loci have been identified that affect stem length (Dw1-Dw4). Subsequent research showed that Dw3 encodes an ABCB1 auxin transporter and Dw1 encodes a highly conserved protein involved in the regulation of cell proliferation. In this study, Dw2 was identified by fine-mapping and further confirmed by sequencing the Dw2 alleles in Dwarf Yellow Milo and Double Dwarf Yellow Milo, the progenitor genotypes where the recessive allele of dw2 originated. The Dw2 locus was determined to correspond to Sobic.006G067700, a gene that encodes a protein kinase that is homologous to KIPK, a member of the AGCVIII subgroup of the AGC protein kinase family in Arabidopsis.
Adenovirus—Simian Virus 40 Interactions

In this chapter, the numerous interactions between human adenovirus and simian virus 40 (SV40) are reviewed. These viruses can interact at several levels. They can recombine at the nucleotide (genome) level to form hybrid viruses. Many of these hybrid viruses induce the synthesis of chimeric messenger RNA (mRNA), while some even encode chimeric proteins that are functional.
Proceedings of the 2006 workshop on Parallel and distributed systems: testing and debugging

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 4th PADTAD Parallel and Distributed Systems: Testing and Debugging -- PADTAD06. When we started PADTAD, only three years ago, it was the only workshop dedicated to the testing of concurrent and distributed software. This field is taking center stage as can be seen by the growing number of workshops that are dedicated to it or give it high visibility. This is mainly due to the fact that the improvements in hardware performance, even on the desktop, are mainly due to multiple cores and multiple CPUs. To benefit from this hardware concurrency, software must be concurrent and therefore the industry has become very interested. The fact that PADTAD topics are of interest to the industry is indicated by our distinguished list of sponsors that includes IBM, Intel, LLNL, and Microsoft.The mission of PADTAD is to share the advances in the field of testing/debugging concurrency between the industry and the academic world. This sharing is achieved both through the almost even mix of papers from industry and universities, as well as the many attendees from both backgrounds. Our field is such that the impact of research can go both ways. The academic works go very quickly from theory to practice, which is reflected in our choice of keynote speaker, Shaz Qadeer from Microsoft Research, and the keynote topic, "Chess: A systematic stress tester for concurrent software". Stress testing concurrent software has been receiving much attention in all previous PADTAD workshops in addition to this one.
SLAKE: Facilitating Slab Manipulation for Exploiting Vulnerabilities in the Linux Kernel

To determine the exploitability for a kernel vulnerability, a secu- rity analyst usually has to manipulate slab and thus demonstrate the capability of obtaining the control over a program counter or performing privilege escalation. However, this is a lengthy process because (1) an analyst typically has no clue about what objects and system calls are useful for kernel exploitation and (2) he lacks the knowledge of manipulating a slab and obtaining the desired layout. In the past, researchers have proposed various techniques to facilitate exploit development. Unfortunately, none of them can be easily applied to address these challenges. On the one hand, this is because of the complexity of the Linux kernel. On the other hand, this is due to the dynamics and non-deterministic of slab variations. In this work, we tackle the challenges above from two perspectives. First, we use static and dynamic analysis techniques to explore the kernel objects, and the corresponding system calls useful for exploitation. Second, we model commonly-adopted exploitation methods and develop a technical approach to facilitate the slab layout adjustment. By extending LLVM as well as Syzkaller, we implement our techniques and name their combination after SLAKE. We evaluate SLAKE by using 27 real-world kernel vulnerabilities, demonstrating that it could not only diversify the ways to perform kernel exploitation but also sometimes escalate the exploitability of kernel vulnerabilities.
Advancing Death? Discourse and Authority in Judaic Bioethics

This chapter investigates two arenas in which normativity is both acknowledged and contested within Jewish bioethics. The first is a discursive arena that for the most part involves Jewish bioethicists. I consider how these scholars, clergy and professionals discuss dying and death, and identify at least three layers of problematic conversational issues. The first layer is terminological: strong disagreements exist regarding the very definitions of who and what is in the throes of dying. The second layer pertains to intervening in someone’s dying. This is complicated by how bioethicists read classic texts. The final layer raises meta-ethical issues of conversing across foundational worldviews. For example, some bioethicists consider moral conundrums predominantly through legal lenses whereas others turn more to narratives and some to theology. It is unclear whether and how such foundations facilitate a coherent Jewish bioethical discourse on, say, death and dying issues. The second arena focuses on the dynamics of authority between rabbis and Jews, especially in regard to thinking about and making decisions regarding dying. This dynamic is most conspicuous in the various advance directives published by the streams of modern Jewry. At one extreme are Orthodox advance directives that mandate signatories to abide by strict interpretations of Jewish law, whereas at the other extreme are Reform advance directives that hardly speak of Jewish law or values, and Conservative forms give options based on positions taken by the movement’s centralized committee on law. Examination of such advance directives reveals explicit and implicit notions of rightful authority in regard to making decisions about dying and, ultimately, death. Speaking about and authorizing dying thus illustrate some of the concerns regarding normativity in contemporary Jewish bioethics.
The Strongest Size in Gradient Nanograined Metals

Conventional polycrystalline metals become stronger with decreasing grain size, yet softening starts to take over at the nanometer regime, giving rise to the strongest size at which the predominate...
A comparative study of Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) challenge methods in Penaeus vannamei

The microsporidium Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) is considered as an emerging pathogen threating the shrimp industry worldwide. It is an intracellular parasite that has been associated with retarded growth syndrome and white feces syndrome in shrimp. Although the impact of EHP to the shrimp industry is well known, many aspects of host-pathogen interactions are not well understood. A major limitation in the study of EHP is the lack of a reliable method to produce large quantities of inoculum rapidly and reproducibly. The present study was designed to compare different challenge methods including intramuscular injection, oral administration, co-habitation, hepatopancreas (HP) injection and reverse gavage. The results showed that the HP injection and the reverse gavage are two promising methods to infect shrimp rapidly and generate inoculum in a reproducible manner starting with a limited amount of inoculum. Therefore, the HP injection and reverse gavage were chosen for a scale-up study. Histopathology results showed that EHP proliferated in the epithelial cells of the HP in shrimp challenged via direct injection of inoculum into HP and reverse gavage treatments. In accordance with the histopathology results, the qPCR data showed that EHP loads in the challenged shrimp increased significantly with the HP injection and reverse gavage methods. Furthermore, the histopathological and quantification results indicate that HP injection and reverse gavage are two novel methods that can be used in EHP-challenge studies and for rapidly generating viable EHP inoculum.
The Accuracy and Value of Voter Validation in National Surveys: Insights from Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Studies:

Ansolabehere and Hersh and others have examined the reported voting behavior of survey respondents using a variety of validation methods, including matching with national voter files provided by ou...
Performance of next-generation sequencing for detection of clinically actionable genetic variants in cancer.

11099 Background: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) allows for simultaneous detection of numerous actionable somatic variants in cancer. We have implemented a clinical NGS panel to detect genetic al...
RhoA/ROCK pathway inhibitor ameliorates erectile dysfunction induced by radiation therapy in rats.

Abstract Objectives Prostate cancer (PCa) treatment with radiation therapy (RT) has an excellent cure rate. However, Radiation-induced Erectile Dysfunction (RiED) is a common and irreversible toxicity impacting quality of life, and there is no FDA approved specific drug for RiED. We previously showed that prostate RT increased RhoA/ROCK signaling in the cavernous nerve (CN) and penile tissues, which may lead to RiED in rats. In this study, we investigated whether RhoA/ROCK pathway inhibition by a specific inhibitor called Hydroxyfasudil (HF) can improve RiED in our well-established rat model. Materials/methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to the following groups: sham-RT, HF-only, RT-only, and RT + HF. Rats were either exposed to a single dose of 25 Gy prostate-confined RT or a sham procedure. 10 mg/kg HF or normal saline was injected intraperitoneally. Erectile function was evaluated by intracavernosal pressure (ICP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) measurements at week 14 post-RT. Cavernous nerve (CN) injury was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and penile tissue fibrosis by Masson trichrome staining (MT). Results We have found that the HF treatment prior to RT showed significant (p Conclusion Our results provide the first preclinical evidence that targeting RhoA/ROCK pathway by HF may provide a novel therapeutic option for the treatment of RiED.
A Science of Human Social Life? Present State, Future Prospects

In contrast with the widely shared conviction that the natural sciences are useful for understanding and dealing with problems of a biophysical nature, there is far less confidence in the social sciences’ ability to help prevent or mitigate human social problems. Exploring why, this chapter examines obstacles to comparable advancements in the social sciences, especially within sociology. The most important step to overcoming these obstacles, it argues, is to situate human social life within its biophysical contexts. As an added benefit, doing so suggests a more adequate structure for the social sciences, one based firmly in reality.
Integrated Motor Drive using Soft-Switching Current-Source Inverters with SiC- and GaN-based Bidirectional Switches

The combination of wide-bandgap (WBG)-enabled current-source inverter (CSI) and integrated motor drive (IMD) has been shown to provide several advantages compared to voltage-source inverter (VSI)-based motor drives either with long output cables or in IMD configurations. However, the higher conduction loss associated with using conventional switches with series diodes in the CSI makes thermal cooling of the CSI-IMD more challenging. To relieve this cooling challenge, new soft-switching CSI topologies using bidirectional (BD) switches have been designed, built, and tested for IMD applications. The operating characteristics of alternative CSI topologies using multiple SiC and GaN candidate devices are analyzed for varying junction temperatures. Hybrid BD switches consisting of two discrete switches connected in anti-series are used for this investigation. It has been experimentally demonstrated that the new CSI topologies achieve higher efficiency compared to conventional hard-switching CSIs using reverse-blocking (RB) switches, making them appealing for IMD applications.
Using Lesson-Specific Teacher Reports of Student Engagement to Investigate Innovations in Curriculum and Instruction:

Teacher reports on school organizational functioning, curricular processes, and student engagement are a reliable means of ascertaining valuable information about classroom climate and learning out...
Self-compassion mediates stigma for parents of transition-age youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Objective: The current study assessed self-reported self-compassion, courtesy stigma, life satisfaction, and depression among parents of transition-age youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). This study tests the hypothesis that self-compassion is a mediator between courtesy stigma and parents' psychosocial adjustment. Method: One hundred parents of transition-age youth with IDDs completed a cross-sectional survey assessing courtesy stigma, self-compassion, life satisfaction, and depression. Study information was disseminated via community organizations, and participants self-selected to participate. "PROCESS" macro with 5,000 bootstrapped samples was used to test self-compassion as a mediator between courtesy stigma and parents' life satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale) and depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale). Results: Self-compassion partially mediated the relationship between courtesy stigma and caregiver depressive symptoms (effect = .28, CI [.16, .45]). Self-compassion did not mediate the relationship between courtesy stigma and satisfaction with life. Implications: Findings suggest self-compassion could be leveraged to help counter the effects of courtesy stigma on parents. Future research should seek to explore potential differences in these relationships according to cultural factors or by diagnostic group. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Learning Transferable 3D-CNN for MRI-Based Brain Disorder Classification from Scratch: An Empirical Study

Reliable and efficient transferability of 3D convolutional neural networks (3D-CNNs) is an important but extremely challenging issue in medical image analysis, due to small-sized samples and the domain shift problem (e.g., caused by the use of different scanners, protocols and/or subject populations in different sites/datasets). Although previous studies proposed to pretrain CNNs on ImageNet, models’ transferability is usually limited due to semantic gap between natural and medical images. In this work, we try to answer a key question: how to learn transferable 3D-CNNs from scratch based on a small (e.g., tens or hundreds) medical image dataset? We focus on the case of structural MRI-based brain disorder classification using four benchmark datasets (i.e., ADNI-1, ADNI-2, ADNI-3 and AIBL) to address this problem. (1) We explore the influence of different network architectures on model transferability, and find that appropriately deepening or widening a network can increase the transferability (e.g., with improved sensitivity). (2) We analyze the contributions of different parts of 3D-CNNs to the transferability, and verify that fine-tuning CNNs can significantly enhance the transferability. This is different from the previous finding that fine-tuning CNNs (pretrained on ImageNet) cannot improve the model transferability in 2D medical image analysis. (3) We also study the between-task transferability when a model is trained on a source task from scratch and applied to a related target task. Experimental results show that, compared to directly training CNN on related target tasks, CNN pretrained on a source task can yield significantly better performance.