cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Controlling treatment allocation bias in a registry analysis when comparing calcineurin inhibitors.

Abstract Previous analyses of outcomes between immunosuppressive regimens included data from the early years of tacrolimus use and frequently included all Tacrolimus- or cyclosporine-based regimens. We now evaluate clinical outcomes associated with only the two most commonly prescribed regimens—Tacrolimus (Tac)-mycophenylate mofetil (MMF) and cyclosporine (CsA)-MMF—using recent data reported to the UNOS Scientific Renal Transplant Registry. Data from living donor kidney transplants was chosen to minimize selection bias between treatment groups. Outcomes are reported only for recent years (1998 to 1999 with 3-year follow-up) because acute rejection rates were markedly higher in 1995 to 1997 compared to 1998 to 2000 (38% to 68% vs 21% to 32%) and clinical practice has evolved since 1995, which would have biased results in favor of more recent immunosuppressive regimens. Three-year graft survival for patients transplanted from 1998 to 1999 was significantly higher in living donor kidney transplant patients receiving CsA-MMF (91.1%, n = 4686) versus Tac-MMF (88.1%, n = 2393) (P = .0006). After adjustment for potential confounding variables, risk of graft failure at 3 years was significantly higher in patients receiving Tac-MMF versus CsA-MMF for both all-cause graft failure (hazard ratio 1.28, 95%CI 1.09 to 1.49, P = .002) and death-censored graft failure (hazard ratio 1.25, 95%CI 1.05 to 1.49, P = .013). In view of the reduced rejection rate that has been reported using Tac-MMF versus CsA-MMF in clinical trials, it is possible that the nonimmunologic effects of calcineurin inhibitors may now play an increasingly important role in determining graft survival rates. In conclusion, this large-scale registry analysis demonstrates that graft survival in living donor kidney transplant patients is significantly improved using CsA-MMF compared to Tac-MMF.
Dietary administration of berberine or Phellodendron amurense extract inhibits cell cycle progression and lung tumorigenesis.

Phellodendron amurense extract is a Chinese herbal remedy that has recently been studied for its antitumor, antimicrobial and other biological activities. It is previously unknown if these agents are bioavailable and effective against tumors when delivered as a dietary component. It is also unknown if the anti-tumorigenic properties of berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid component of P. amurense, is equally effective when administered alone. There are contrasting reports on the cellular processes involved in anti-tumorigenesis by P. amurense and berberine. Here we find that berberine, when administered orally through the diet, inhibits in vivo tumorigenesis of both p53 expressing and p53 null lung tumor xenografts equally whether administered in its pure form or as a part of P. amurense extract. We also show that berberine induces G1 cell cycle arrest, inhibits proliferative kinase signaling and arrests the growth of lung tumor cells in culture. Berberine administered in the diet was detectable by HPLC in the lungs of mice fed P. amurense or equivalent doses of berberine at concentrations of 455 and 518 ng/ml respectively and inhibited the growth of xenografted A549 cell tumors, which grew to 9.4 and 6.4 mm³ respectively, compared to 58.9 mm³ in control mice (P < 0.001). Phosphorylation of Akt, CREB and MAPK was inhibited in A549 cells by P. amurense. Demonstration of oral bioavailability and anti-tumorigenic efficacy of dietary berberine, as well as further demonstration of signaling pathway modulation and cell-cycle arrest, implicate this relatively safe, natural compound as a potentially important therapeutic and chemopreventive agent for lung cancer.
Biological Perspectives on the Collapse of the Pasión Maya

This paper reviews bioarchaeological research that aimed to test the biological correlates of ecological explanations for the Maya collapse using human skeletal remains from five sites in the Pasion region. Stable isotope ratios of bone collagen and alkaline earth ratios in bone minerals do not support the expectation of increased reliance on maize and declining meat consumption during the final years of Pasion occupation. Moreover, skeletal pathology does not illustrate any increment in anemia, infectious disease, or dental growth disruption that is predicted to have been a consequence of high population density and deteriorating nutrition. Instead, changes in the social distribution of foods during the Terminal Classic supports the mounting evidence that the Pasion collapse was fueled more by sociopolitical transformations than environmental ones.
Conducting systematic reviews in medical education: a stepwise approach.

Medical Education 2012: 46: 943–952 Objectives As medical education research continues to proliferate, evidence syntheses will become increasingly important. The purpose of this article is to provide a concise and practical guide to the conduct and reporting of systematic reviews. Results (i) Define a focused question addressing the population, intervention, comparison (if any) and outcomes. (ii) Evaluate whether a systematic review is appropriate to answer the question. Systematic and non-systematic approaches are complementary; the former summarise research on focused topics and highlight strengths and weaknesses in existing bodies of evidence, whereas the latter integrate research from diverse fields and identify new insights. (iii) Assemble a team and write a study protocol. (iv) Search for eligible studies using multiple databases (MEDLINE alone is insufficient) and other resources (article reference lists, author files, content experts). Expert assistance is helpful. (v) Decide on the inclusion or exclusion of each identified study, ideally in duplicate, using explicitly defined criteria. (vi) Abstract key information (including on study design, participants, intervention and comparison features, and outcomes) for each included article, ideally in duplicate. (vii) Analyse and synthesise the results by narrative or quantitative pooling, investigating heterogeneity, and exploring the validity and assumptions of the review itself. In addition to the seven key steps, the authors provide, information on electronic tools to facilitate the review process, practical tips to facilitate the reporting process and an annotated bibliography.
Zim1, a Maternally Expressed Mouse Kruppel-Type Zinc-Finger Gene Located in Proximal Chromosome 7

In analysis of a conserved region of proximal mouse chromosome 7 and human chromosome 19q, we have isolated a novel mouse gene, Zim1 (imprinted zinc-finger gene 1), encoding a typical Kruppel-type (C2H2) zinc-finger protein, located within 30 kb of a known imprinted gene, Peg3 (paternally expressed gene 3). Our studies demonstrate that Zim1 is also imprinted; the gene is expressed mainly from the maternal allele and at high levels only during embryonic and neonatal stages. In contrast to most tissues, Zim1 is expressed biallelically in neonatal and adult brain with slightly more input from the maternal allele. Zim1 produces multiple transcripts that range in size from 7.5 to 15 kb. The 7.5 kb transcript is expressed at highest levels and appears to be embryo specific. Whole mount in situ hybridization analysis indicates that Zim1 is expressed at significant levels in the apical ectodermal ridge of the limb buds during embryogenesis, suggesting a potential role of Zim1 in limb formation. We have identified the potential human ortholog of Zim1 near PEG3 in a conserved, gene-rich region of human chromosome 19q13.4. The close juxtaposition of reciprocally imprinted genes has also been seen in other imprinted regions, such as human 11p15.5/Mmu7 ( H19 / Igf2 ) and suggests that the two genes may be co-regulated. These and other data suggest the presence of an unexplored, conserved imprinted domain in human chromosome 19q13.4 and proximal Mmu7.
Nature versus nurture in cardiac conduction: toward integrative paradigm of cardiac tissue engineering.

See related article, pages 167–176 “Biology today is at a crossroads. The molecular paradigm, which so successfully guided the discipline throughout most of the 20th century, is no longer a reliable guide. Its vision of biology now realized, the molecular paradigm has run its course. Biology, therefore, has a choice to make, between the comfortable path of continuing to follow molecular biology’s lead or the more invigorating one of seeking a new and inspiring vision of the living world, one that addresses the major problems in biology that 20th century biology, molecular biology, could not handle and, so, avoided.” 1 — —Carl R. Woese Circulation research, as many other branches of biomedical science, has motivated many young investigators by the promise of delivering to society therapies against deadly diseases. As with all branches of the natural sciences, circulation research follows periodic changes in overarching methodological approaches that dominate the field for several decades. The two extremes of this research pendulum are the reductionist and the integrative approaches to the cardiovascular system. Five years ago, Eugene Braunwald reflected on the 50th anniversary of the journal Circulation Research , whose inaugural Editor in Chief was Carl J. Wiggers.2 Braunwald recalled a dominance of the reductionist approach that was personified by the leading physiologist of the beginning of the 20th century, Ernest H. Starling, followed by the integrative approach under the leadership of Carl J. Wiggers. “As cardiovascular research has unfolded in the 50 years of Circulation Research , the pendulum between the reductionist and holistic approaches has swung back and forth.”2 Braunwald also concluded that: “Contemporary cardiovascular scientists increasingly recognize that despite the enhanced appreciation of the myriad individual components that make up the circulation, a better understanding of the system in which these components operate is urgently needed. …
Joint swelling and progressive upper and lower extremity weakness in a 39-year-old African-American woman

1. What are this patient’s most striking clinical and laboratory findings? 2. How do you explain this patient’s most striking clinical and laboratory findings? 3. What is this patient’s most likely diagnosis? 4. What are the criteria for making this diagnosis? 5. What are anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs), how is their presence in a patient’s serum determined, how is the test for ANAs interpreted, what is the clinical significance of a positive ANA test, and how should our patient’s ANA test results be interpreted? 6. Is the magnitude of this patient’s increase in cardiac enzymes typical of individuals with our patient’s diagnosis? Explain your answer. 7. What is the significance of this patient’s abnormal pulmonary findings? 8. What is the most appropriate treatment for this patient? Possible Answers:
Design of tapered buffers with local interconnect capacitance

This paper presents a design methodology and analytic relationships for the optimal tapering of cascaded buffers which consider the effects of local interconnect capacitance. The method, constant capacitance-to-current ratio tapering (C/sup 3/RT), is based on maintaining the capacitive load to current drive ratio constant, and therefore, the propagation delay of each buffer stage also remains constant. Reductions in power dissipation of up to 22% and reductions in active area of up to 46%, coupled with reductions in propagation delay of up to 2%, as compared with tapered buffers which neglect local interconnect capacitance, are exhibited for an example buffer system. >
SNARE: a strong security scheme for network-attached storage

This paper presents a strong security scheme for network-attached storage (NAS) that is based on capability and uses a key distribution scheme to keep network-attached storage from performing key management. Our system uses strong cryptography to protect data from spoofing, tampering, eavesdropping and replay attacks, and it also guarantees that the data stored on the storage is copy-resistant. In spite of this level of security, our system does not impose much performance penalty. Our experimental results shows that, using a relatively inexpensive CPU in the storage device, there are little performance penalty for random disk accesses and about 9-25% performance degradation for large sequential disk accesses (/spl ges/4 KB).
Conidiogenesis in pathogenic hyphomycetes

Conidium formation in 5 species of pathogenic hyphomycetous fungi, Sporothrix schenckii, Exophiala salmonis, E. sp., Geotrichum candidum and Microsporum canis were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy. The fungi, grown in pure culture on potato dextrose agar under defined conditions, demonstrated 4 kinds of conidiogenesis. The taxonomic value of the developmental characters in the classification of the Fungi Imperfecti is discussed.
An evaluation of three endmember extraction algorithms: ATGP, ICA-EEA & VCA

In this paper, we evaluate three endmember extraction algorithms for use in hyperspectral imagery unmixing: automatic target generation procedure (ATGP), independent component analysis endmember extraction algorithm (ICA-EEA), and vertex component analysis (VCA). We evaluate each algorithm's ability to find known pure pixels in a scene of simulated data. Several variations of simulated data are used to thoroughly examine the unmixing limits of each algorithm.
Dreams of the Dying.

This study investigated the dream themes of fourteen terminally ill cancer patients. The dreams were scored according to a standardized questionnaire, and the frequencies of the dream themes were compared to a group of forty-two aged persons. The results indicated that death and aggression occurred significantly more often in the dreams of the dying. Death themes also frequently appeared as a projection upon other dream characters. It is hypothesized that the projection reflects the dreamers' unresolved attitudes and feelings about their death experience.
A REPORT OF THE WORK PARTY: COMPARISON OF TOTAL BODY IRRADIATION TECHNIQUES FOR BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

The report presents a survey of total body irradiation techniques for bone marrow transplantation in nine institutions in North America and England. The survey compares their nominal dose, dose rate, point of dose prescription, type of machine used, patient's position during treatment, and use of compensators. This experience has emphasized the need for a system of uniform dose reporting and for uniform dose prescription in total body irradiation.
An Evaluation of Amalgamated Metallic Surfaces for Reducing Friction, Contact Resistance, and Wear in Electrical Contact Applications

It has been found that the mercury wetting of metallic surface is insufficient to reduce friction, whereas the amalgamation of certain metals to form a mercury rich solid layer at the surface significantly reduces friction, contact resistance, and wear. Also, the amalgamation of metal alloys results in considerably lower friction than the amalgamation of the constituent metals separately. Coefficients of friction for eleven amalgamated metals and four alloys are presented. Laser interference fringe surface topography, contact resistances, coefficients of friction during 1 km of wipe, the associated wear, and the effects of temperature on friction are reported for an amalgamated palladium-silver alloy.
Refractory period to aspirin in a patient with aspirin-induced asthma

Oral aspirin challenge was used to detect unrecognized aspirin intolerance in a select group of 50 asthmatic patients who denied aspirin intolerance. A double-blind protocol was used to further study those patients who reacted to initial graded aspirin challenge. In one patient the use of a double-blind protocol led to the serendipitous discovery of a 72-hr refractory period to the adverse effects of aspirin, after initial ingestion of aspirin resulted in respiratory and systemic symptoms.
Mechanisms of decreased leukocyte localization in the developing host

Delays in leukocyte localization likely contribute to diminished host defense in neonates. Understanding the processes that may be affected has been hampered by the lack of suitable developmental models. Using intravital microscopy, we directly examine leukocyte recruitment in a rabbit pup model. In response to intraperitoneal interleukin (IL)-1beta, there were one-third as many leukocytes that arrested in pup mesenteric vessels and emigrated compared with adult vessels, although leukocyte flux was not different. Leukocyte rolling velocity in pups was one-half that in adults. In response to surgical trauma alone, the number of arrested pup cells was 15% that of adult cells, although again leukocyte flux was not different. An anti-L-selectin antibody inhibited rolling significantly by 60 min for both pups and adults. The effect on arrest and emigration occurred at significantly earlier times, although the effect was less in rabbit pups. A primary defect in leukocyte emigration in the rabbit pup appears to be a failure of the cell to transition efficiently from rolling to arrest. L-selectin-dependent adhesion and emigration are decreased, rolling is not, suggesting that at least part of the defect is due to events downstream of the initial tether.
Designing Full-Connectivity WDM Optical Interconnects with Reduced Switching and Conversion Complexity

Most existing wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical interconnects make use of a large number of switching elements and require wide-range tunable wavelength converters to support full-connectivity among inputs and outputs. This results in complex and expensive designs. In this paper, we propose new full-connectivity single-stage and multi-stage WDM optical interconnects with and reduced hardware complexity. The proposed designs require a smaller number of switching elements and use only fixed-range wavelength conversion. Analysis of hardware complexity shows that, the proposed designs have a smaller number of switching and conversion costs compared to most existing interconnects
Parallelism between width and asymmetry of peaks of rigid, spherical particles in capillary zone electrophoresis using polymer solutions

Peak width and peak asymmetry of rigid spherical particles in the size range of 3-100 nm radius (R) were measured in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), using buffered uncross-linked polyacrylamide of Mr 5.0 X 10(6). Polymer concentration-dependent spreading of peak width and peak asymmetry were found to parallel one another. The parallelism holds whether the particle size is within the "small" (R 20 nm) size ranges previously found to differ in the mechanism of particle size dependent retardation of electrophoretic migration (S. P. Radko and A. Chrambach, Electrophoresis 1996, 17, 1094-1102). In application to the "small" particle size range, the parallelism between band width and band asymmetry can be qualitatively interpreted to be consistent with the Giddings-Weiss mechanism (G. H. Weiss et al., Electrophoresis 1996, 17, 1325-1332) of electrophoresis in polymer-containing media which postulates a dependence of band width and band asymmetry on the equilibrium between "stationary" and "mobile" states of the particle.
Deep stakeholders – reading cultures

This article focuses on the importance of understanding different cultures through their everyday myths and stories. As an example, we examine the mythological fables of the Indian Panchatantra. Although the Panchatantra was written around 300 BCE, it still continues to be read and used as a guide. Since the stories of the Panchatantra are retold and enacted all over India in many languages, venues and interpretations, each man, woman and child – literate and illiterate – understand its lessons. The language of the Panchatantra is the deeper language of the Indian culture. The lessons from its stories permeate our personal and professional lives.
Efficient induction of persistent and prenatal parvovirus infection in rats

Parvoviruses are prevalent and disruptive infectious agents of laboratory rats. Risks to rat-based research from infection are increased by the persistence of virus in immune rats and by prenatal transmission of infection. The mechanisms leading to viral persistence and prenatal infection are poorly understood and have been difficult to study for lack of reliable and humane induction methods. We report here protocols for inducing persistent and prenatal infection without causing clinical disease using the UMass strain of rat virus (RV), a common rat parvovirus. Infant rats inoculated by the oronasal route at 6 days of age had greater than 90% prevalence of persistent infection. RV-UMass also induced intrauterine infection in pregnant rats inoculated by the oronasal route. Inoculation of dams at gestation day 9 frequently caused severe disease in the fetuses whereas inoculation at gestation day 12 caused primarily asymptomatic fetal infection that persisted post partum RV-UMass infection facilitates study of parvoviralhost interactions that are relevant to laboratory rats and which also may improve understanding of persistent and prenatal human parvovirus infection.
It's Not Nice to Fool Humans

This paper is about the computer that pool people into thinking they're interacting with human. Because IT professional will be the people who design, develop, and deploy these computers, it seems sensible to explore the ethical ramifications of such machines in IT professional.
Cotton-Textile-Enabled, Flexible Lithium-Ion Batteries with Enhanced Capacity and Extended Lifespan.

Activated cotton textile (ACT) with porous tubular fibers embedded with NiS2 nanobowls and wrapped with conductive graphene sheets (ACT/NiS2–graphene) was fabricated by a simple two-step heat treatment method. When used as a binder-free electrode, the ACT/NiS2–graphene electrode exhibited an exceptional electrochemical performance including ultrahigh initial discharge capacity (∼1710 mAh g–1 at 0.01 C), magnificent rate performance (the discharge capacitance retained at ∼645 mAh g–1 at 1 C after 100 cycles) and excellent cyclic stability (the discharge capacitance recovered to ∼1016 mAh g–1 at 0.1 C after 400 cycles).
The male frog (Rana pipiens) as a test animal for determining the level of urinary chorionic gonadotrophin during pregnancy

Abstract Urines containing adequate amounts of chorionic gonadotrophin (CU) will bring about the release of sperm when injected into male frogs. Using this as a test for the presence of CU, the following results were obtained with various urines. 1. Positive responses were seen in 87 out of 108 urines collected in all stages of gestation. 2. No negative responses were obtained from urines collected during the first trimester. 3. Concentration of CU was highest during the second month and lowest during the sixth month. From the sixth month on it tended to increase gradually, but never reached the level seen during the second month. 4. Parallel tests run on rabbits (Friedman test) and frogs gave agreement in twenty-eight cases out of thirty-three. 5. No positive responses were obtained with menopausal urines.
The 2-Deoxyglucose Method

The [14C]-2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) method, developed by Sokoloff et al. (1977) for the purpose of studying local cerebral glucose metabolism in vivo, can provide information concerning the functional organization of larger arrays of neurons. For example, it is possible to examine functional connectivity of an entire sensory pathway, such as that of the somesthetic system, within an individual animal (e.g., Hand et al., 1977; Fig. 1). Such mapping is made possible because of the close link between brain metabolism, which in the adult is almost entirely dependent upon glucose, and neural function (Sokoloff et al., 1977; Sokoloff, 1977). For example, recent work of Yarowsky et al. (1979) and Miyaoka et al. (1979) has demonstrated a linear relationship between the amount of peripheral stimulation and the values of increased glucose metabolism in such structures as the superior cervical ganglion following electrical stimulation of its afferents and the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus following photic stimulation of the retina.
A Constrained Viterbi Relaxation for Bidirectional Word Alignment

Bidirectional models of word alignment are an appealing alternative to post-hoc combinations of directional word aligners. Unfortunately, most bidirectional formulations are NP-Hard to solve, and a previous attempt to use a relaxationbased decoder yielded few exact solutions (6%). We present a novel relaxation for decoding the bidirectional model of DeNero and Macherey (2011). The relaxation can be solved with a modified version of the Viterbi algorithm. To find optimal solutions on difficult instances, we alternate between incrementally adding constraints and applying optimality-preserving coarse-to-fine pruning. The algorithm finds provably exact solutions on 86% of sentence pairs and shows improvements over directional models.
‘Sunlight's the Best Disinfectant': A Review of the Right to Information Act, 2005

An effective right to information regime needs to formulate three components: (a) an access to information policy, (b) a disclosure of information policy, and (c) an information regime. This article evaluates the newly minted Indian Right to Information Act, 2005 on these three criteria. The Right to Information Act, 2005 is a first step beginning towards bringing greater accountability and transparency in governance in India. After a detailed analysis of every clause and the history of the information regime in India; this paper suggests the changes required to fulfill Justice Brandeis’s prophecy.
Pedal goniometer to assess ankle proprioception.

The evaluation of the patient who falls requires an assessment of proprioception. Proprioception is traditionally tested in the great toes. Ankle proprioception, which is more relevant to falling, has been poorly, if ever, tested. A pedal apparatus was designed to improve the clinical assessment of ankle proprioception. Language: en
The genetic basis for piebald patterns in cattle

Evidence is given for the existence of a dominant mutant, Bl, found in Simmental and some other breeds of cattle that is responsible for white facial pattern. This mutant is independent of the mutant responsible for the typical white facial and body pattern of the Hereford breed. Also, evidence is presented to support a multiple allelic series composed of SH (Hereford pattern), SCS (color-side pattern), S+ (non-spotted wild type), and s (recessive spotting pattern). Alleles SH and SCS are codominant to each other and incompletely dominant over S+, SH, SCS, and S+; all appear to be completely dominant over s. The Dutch belted pattern is probably controlled by an independent dominant mutant, Bt.
RECOMBINANT HUMAN BONE MORPHOGENETIC PROTEIN (RHBMP) INDUCED HETEROTOPIC BONE DEVELOPMENT IN VIVO AND IN VITRO

AbstractIn vivo, recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP-2) with deactivated bone matrix as a carrier, implanted in muscle in adult rats, induced development of heterotopic bone, includ...
Surprising effects of measurement error on an aggregate data estimator

SUMMARY In a generalised linear model with a single, normally distributed covariate, for the most part the effect of normally distributed additive measurement error is attenuation, i.e. asymptotic bias towards the null. Prentice & Sheppard (1995) suggested a marginalised random effects approach to combining the results of different studies on binary outcomes. We show that, in probit regression, when the number of observations per study is large, under the stated normality assumptions attenuation never occurs. In fact, the asymptotic bias is away from the null. This appears to be the first known case under reasonable distributional assumptions that the effect of measurement error is reverse-attenuation.
Computed electronic structure of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon agglomerates

Abstract A technique for linking the physical composition of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) stacks and clusters to their electronic properties is reported. Kohn–Sham HOMO–LUMO gaps are reported for a series of monomers, stacks, and clusters of six, high-symmetry PAHs (pyrene, coronene, ovalene, circumpyrene, circumcoronene, and circumovalene) generated by DFT calculations with the 6-31G* basis set and a B3LYP exchange correlation functional in NWChem. A previously published, atom-pair minimization algorithm was used to optimize the geometries of the PAH stacks and clusters. HOMO–LUMO gaps decrease with an increase in monomer size; homogeneous stacks and clusters indicate substantial lowering of the HOMO–LUMO gap because of agglomeration effects with the formation of dimers and formation of clusters (two or more stacks) being the most dominant contributions. Heteromolecular particulates had HOMO–LUMO gaps that were strongly influenced by the larger components in the system. The HOMO–LUMO gaps of homogeneous clusters approached a maximum agglomeration effect because of the localization of electronic interactions among adjacent stacks. Previously published, experimentally determined optical band gaps (OBG) from Tauc/Davis–Mott analysis of extinction spectra in various laminar, non-premixed flames had an average OBG of 2.1 eV. Based on the computations presented here, this work suggests that clusters with this OBG are comprised of modest molecular size PAH, about the size of ovalene.
Human factor in vessel traffic management systems

Информационните системи са тясно свързани с ефективното управление както на съвременните фирми, така и на корабоплаването и въздухоплаването. Успехът на всяка организация зависи от оперативните способности и стратегията на прилагане на технологиите. Човекът като част от системата може да поеме определено количество роли, които директно и индиректно влияят на работоспособността. Натоварването на оператора представлява физическите и/или психическите изисквания, на които индивидът трябва да отговори, свързани с решаването на задача или комбинация от задачи. За претоварване на операторите се считат случаите, когато капацитетът им за справяне с поставени задачи рязко спада. Под това се разбира взаимодействието между оператора и задачата.
The Assessment and Management of External Cervical Resorption with Periapical Radiographs and Cone-beam Computed Tomography: A Clinical Study

Abstract Introduction This in vivo study assessed whether there was a difference between periapical radiographs (PRs) and cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging in the detection, assessment, and management of external cervical resorption (ECR). The secondary aim was to determine if parallax radiographs were of any further benefit compared with a single PR. Methods PR and CBCT data were gathered for 115 teeth (98 patients) consecutively diagnosed with ECR. The diagnosis and treatment plan of each tooth were determined with PRs and CBCT imaging. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, negative predictive values, and receiver operator characteristic values were determined. Results The overall sensitivity (0.86) and specificity (0.89) of PRs was significantly lower than CBCT imaging ( P P P Conclusions PRs have significant limitations in the detection, assessment, and treatment planning of ECR when compared with CBCT imaging. A CBCT scan should be considered before the management of a potentially restorable ECR lesion.
SIFT flow based genetic fisher vector feature for kinship verification

Anthropology studies show that genetic features are inherited by children from their parents resulting in visual resemblance between them. This paper presents a novel SIFT flow based genetic Fisher vector feature (SF-GFVF) which enhances the facial genetic features for kinship verification. The proposed SF-GFVF feature is derived by applying a novel similarity enhancement method based on SIFT flow and learning an inheritable transformation on the Fisher vector feature so as to enhance and encode the genetic features of parent and child image in kinship relations. In particular, the similarity enhancement method is first presented by applying the SIFT flow algorithm to the densely sampled SIFT features in order to intensify the genetic features. Further analysis shows the relation of the extracted genetic features to anthropological results and discovers interesting patterns in different kinship relations. Finally, an inheritable transformation is applied to the enhanced Fisher vector feature which is learned with the criterion of minimizing the distance between kinship samples and maximizing the distance between non-kinship samples. Experimental results on the two representative kinship databases, namely the KinFace W-I and the Kinship W-II data sets show that the proposed method is able to outperform other popular methods.
Local martingale solutions to the stochastic one layer shallow water equations

Abstract We consider the single layer shallow water equations on a bounded domain M ⊂ R 2 forced by a multiplicative white noise, and obtain the existence and uniqueness of a maximal pathwise solution for a short period of time. The proof relies on the Skorohod representation theorem, the Gyongy–Krylov theorem, stopping time arguments, and isotropic estimates.
Product Desires and Motivations of Millennial Shoppers

A market segment of particular interest to retailers is the Millennial cohort, those born between 1980 and 1996 (BCG, 2014). There are approximately 80 million Millennials in the U.S. who spend ~$600 million annually, a figure that is predicted to reach $1.4 trillion by 2020 (Donnelly & Scaff, 2013). Millennials demand genuine brand connections and should be marketed to with targeted strategies (BCG, 2014). However, Millennial consumers are not a homogenous group (Debevec et al., 2013). Therefore, the purpose of this research is to segment Millennial consumers by pertinent variables to identify consumer groups for targeted retail strategies.
Computer systems technology forecast

Abstract : A forecast of hardware characteristics of ground based and, in particular, aerospace computer systems the 1980s is presented. It is expected that steady advances in the manufacture of large-scale integrated (LSI) logic circuit and memory arrays will lead to at least one order of magnitude improvement in performance characteristics of processors and memories, and will permit similar improvements in size, weight, reliability, and cost. The present advances in the LSI technology are driven largely by the competitive commercial markets. The market for extremely reliable, ruggedized LSI devices for aerospace and other military applications is much smaller and, correspondingly, their development must be supported by the user agencies.
WDR23 regulates NRF2 independently of KEAP1

Cellular adaptation to stress is essential to ensure organismal survival. NRF2/NFE2L2 is a key determinant of xenobiotic stress responses, and loss of negative regulation by the KEAP1-CUL3 proteasome system is implicated in several chemo- and radiation-resistant cancers. Advantageously using C. elegans alongside human cell culture models, we establish a new WDR23-DDB1-CUL4 regulatory axis for NRF2 activity that operates independently of the canonical KEAP1-CUL3 system. WDR23 binds the DIDLID sequence within the Neh2 domain of NRF2 to regulate its stability; this regulation is not dependent on the KEAP1-binding DLG or ETGE motifs. The C-terminal domain of WDR23 is highly conserved and involved in regulation of NRF2 by the DDB1-CUL4 complex. The addition of WDR23 increases cellular sensitivity to cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs and suppresses NRF2 in KEAP1-negative cancer cell lines. Together, our results identify WDR23 as an alternative regulator of NRF2 proteostasis and uncover a cellular pathway that regulates NRF2 activity and capacity for cytoprotection independently of KEAP1.
Diffraction properties of photorefractive gratings

Volume phase gratings in photorefractive crystals have nonuniform amplitude and phase due to the energy exchanged by the writing beams within the material. Analytic expression is obtained for the diffraction efficiency of a weak reading beam that does not perturb the grating and has a different polarization from the write beams. For a read beam of arbitrary intensity, the diffraction efficiency is a nonlinear function of the read beam intensity and is nonreciprocal with respect to readout from the two input ports. These properties of photorefractive gratings are studied for arbitrary phase shifts of the index grating from the intensity pattern.
Survey of methods used to determine if a patient has a deep vein thrombosis: An exploratory research report

Background: The use of evidence-based practice (EBP) is encouraged in the physical therapy profession, but integrating evidence into practice can be difficult for clinicians because of lack of time...
Behavioral correlates of serotonin depletion.

Depletion of telencephalic serotonin (5-HT) content by medial forebrain bundle lesions, which interrupt the ascending serotonergic pathways or by dl-p-chlorophenylalanine produces an increased sensitivity to pain as measured by the flinch-jump, stabilimetric, or hot-plate methods. Examination of the effects of a number of other lesions and drugs indicated that dopamine, norepinephrine and acetylcholine are not involved in pain sensitivity. Dosages of 75 mg/kg dl-5-hydroxytryptophan(5-HTP), 37.5 mg/kg l-5-HTP or 50 mg/kg Ro 4-4602 (N 1-(dl-seryl)-N 2-(2,3,4-trihydroxybenzyl)hydrazine) plus 37.5 mg/kg l-5-HTP administered to medial forebrain bundle lesioned rats returned both the telencephalic content of 5-HT and the pain threshold to normal values. Injection of 37.5 mg/kg of d-5-HTP or an equimolar dose of l-dopa had no effect on pain threshold. Normal animals display increased sensitivity to pain and decreased 5-HT contents in frontal pole, hippocampus, and amygdala during dark as compared to light hours. All three of these telencephalic areas are innervated by the ascending serotonergic pathways, and cells in these areas show inhibition of firing following the iontophoretic application of 5-HT. Taken together, these data suggest that the serotonergic system normally acts to inhibit the effects of painful stimuli. A review of a variety of behavioral effects of 5-HT depletion including an enhanced response to lysergic acid diethylamide and amphetamine suggests that the ascending serotonergic system may have a general role in the inhibition of arousal, rather than a specific role with respect to various categories of behavior.—Harvey, J. A., A.J. Schlosberg and L. M. Yunger. Behavioral correlates of serotonin depletion. Federation Proc. 34: 1796-1801, 1975.
Optimized Sequence Library Design for Efficient In Vitro Interaction Mapping.

Sequence libraries that cover all k-mers enable universal, unbiased measurements of binding to both oligonucleotides and peptides. While the number of k-mers grows exponentially in k, space on all experimental platforms is limited. Here, we shrink k-mer library sizes by using joker characters, which represent all characters in the alphabet simultaneously. We present the JokerCAKE (joker covering all k-mers) algorithm for generating a short sequence such that each k-mer appears at least p times with at most one joker character per k-mer. By running our algorithm on a range of parameters and alphabets, we show that JokerCAKE produces near-optimal sequences. Moreover, through comparison with data from hundreds of DNA-protein binding experiments and with new experimental results for both standard and JokerCAKE libraries, we establish that accurate binding scores can be inferred for high-affinity k-mers using JokerCAKE libraries. JokerCAKE libraries allow researchers to search a significantly larger sequence space using the same number of experimental measurements and at the same cost.
The Development of Empathic Perspective‐Taking in an Engineering Ethics Course

Background Perspective-taking, a key component of engineering, is particularly salient in engineering ethics. Yet practices for promoting its development in engineering students both within and outside of ethics education remain largely underexplored. Purpose The objective of this investigation was twofold: first, we explored the aspects of an engineering ethics course that contributed to changes in perspective-taking among graduate-level engineering students. Second, we explored the nature of these changes. Design/Method We used Critical Incident Technique to explore these two research objectives. To enhance the rigor of this qualitative investigation, we implemented Walther, Sochacka, and Kellam's Quality Framework. Results The analysis of 24 critical incidents extracted from post-course interviews resulted in five distinct but related themes representing potential causes of changes in perspective-taking. Themes included the sharing of diverse perspectives, the challenge of ethical decision-making, projection exercises, repetitive application of Reflexive Principlism, and experiencing cognitive dissonance. Second, we found four themes representing the nature of perspectivetaking changes, including open-mindedness, holistic perspective-taking, principle-based perspective-taking, and worldview broadening. Conclusions These findings elucidate nuances engineering educators might consider when seeking perspective-taking development among their students, such as the nature of case study prompts and the relationship between perspective-taking and ethical reasoning processes.
Novel experimental determination of differential amplifier noise parameters

This papers reports for the first time on the measurement of the noise parameters of an active noisy 4-port network. The measurement stems from a novel analytical approach that allows the noise parameters of a noisy linear network with any number of ports to be determined. The analytical approach has been described in a previous publication and passive networks were used to confirm its correctness. This paper applies the new technique to an active 4-port device for the first time. The results confirm the feasibility of measuring active mixed-mode circuits without the use of additional networks such as baluns and open up the possibility of determining mixed-mode noise figure values with the correct terminations at all ports.
Optimization of activated carbon detoxification of dilute ammonia pretreated energy cane bagasse enzymatic hydrolysate by response surface methodology

Abstract A challenge in syrup production from lignocellulosic biomass is the presence of non-sugar compounds in the hydrolysate, generated during the hydrolytic process, which negatively impact downstream processes. Energy cane bagasse was pretreated with ammonium hydroxide and then hydrolyzed with enzymes Cellic® CTec2 and HTec2. Non-sugar compounds such as formic acid, acetic acid, levulinic acid, furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), and phenolic compounds were formed during pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. Activated carbon (AC) treatments were carried out to remove these non-sugar compounds while retaining the fermentable sugars, mostly glucose and xylose. Powdered AC and granular AC were compared and parameters including AC dose, hydrolysate pH and contact time were optimized using response surface methodology. Optimum conditions for powdered AC were 9.21% (w/w) dose, at pH 1.96 for 10 min, and for granular AC were 12.64% (w/w) dose, at pH 1.91 for 51.60 min. At these conditions, approximately 40% acetic acid, 75% formic acid and over 90% levulinic acid, HMF, furfurals, and phenolic compounds were removed with minimal fermentable sugar losses. Activated carbon adsorption can significantly reduce the non-sugar compounds present in the hydrolysate with minimal losses of fermentable sugars, which is beneficial in the production of lignocellulosic syrup and value-added products.
High stability thermal accelerometer based on ultrathin platinum ALD nanostructures

This paper presents new results from the first thermal accelerometer fabricated using Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition. PEALD allows for ultrathin high-density platinum films that deliver excellent stability and accuracy [1]. We offer a 100x cross-section reduction relative to previous thermal accelerometers, thereby increasing the heating efficiency and decreasing thermal time constants [2,3,4,5]. The resistance thermometers and heaters capitalize on the properties provided by PEALD and Pt: extreme stability, high resistivity, and linear temperature coefficient of resistance (TcR) [6]. For a heater temperature rise of 150°C, this device has a raw sensitivity of 54 moC/g, excellent cross-axis isolation, and remarkably low drift.
Biomedical acoustics: From diagnostic imaging to treating brain disorders

The Technical Committee on Biomedical Acoustics (BATC) is one of the most diverse groups in the Acoustical Society of America. BATC is comprised of scientists and engineers who study a wide range of biomedical applications using ultrasound from imaging fetuses to ablating fibroids and treating brain disorders. Diagnostic ultrasound has expanded to include exciting new techniques such as shear wave elastography and opto-acoustic imaging. Therapeutic ultrasound applications include physiotherapy, lithotripsy, as well as the treatment of tumors via thermal ablation, i.e., HITU, or mechanical ablation, i.e., histotripsy. The most recent developments in therapeutic ultrasound involve neuromodulation and transcranial magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound for the treatment of various brain disorders, including essential tremor, neuropathic pain, and Parkinson’s disease. The ability to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier using focused ultrasound has been demonstrated in animals and, more recently, in humans. Opening of the blood-brain barrier could allow the transmission of drugs to treat brain diseases. Diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound applications continue to advance the field of medicine and are integral to the advancement of both diagnosis and treatment of debilitating diseases.
Studies on the mechanisms of action of modifiers of skin carcinogenesis

Skin tumors can be induced by the sequential application of a subthreshold dose of a carcinogen (initiaton phase), followed by repetitive treatment with a weak or noncarcinogenic tumor promoter. There is a very good dose-response relationship between the induction of the number of papillomas per mouse at early times (10 to 20 weeks) by either tumor initiators and promoters and the final carcinoma incidence after a longer latency (20 to 50 weeks) in SENCAR mice. This system not only can be used to determine the tumor initiating and promoting activities of a compound but if the agent is given repeatedly by itself one can also determine if it is a complete carcinogen, i.e., if it has both tumor initiating and promoting activity. There is a good correlation between the tumor-initiating activities of PAH and their abilities to bind covalently to DNA. In addition, various inhibitors of PAH tumor initiation show a strong correlation with their abilities to inhibit the binding of the PAH to DNA and their anti-tumor initiating activities. There is also a good correlation between the promoting abilities of phorbil esters to promote tumors and their abilities to induce ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), cell proliferation and dark basal keratinocytes.more » However, when other nonpromoting hyperplastic agents are used only dark cell induction correlates. Certain polyamines and prostaglandins can enhance phorbol ester tumor promotion. Anti-inflammatory steroids, retinoids and protease inhibitors are potent inhibitors of tumor promotion. They inhibit tumor promotion by either inhibiting the 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)induced cell proliferation, ODC and/or dark basal keratinocytes. Certain weak promoters such as mezerein which mimics TPA in many biochemical and morphological effects are potent second step promoters in a two-stage promotion regimen.« less
Ocean Beats Out Space, Four to One!

“Ocean Beats out Space, Four to One!” the headlines should read. At almost the same time that “Ocean Pulse: A Critical Diagnosis” was being developed, a nationwide survey (SeaWeb 1996) concluded that: “An overwhelming number of Americans believe funding for ocean exploration is a more important priority than funding for space exploration”. The numbers were 72% for ocean, 17% for space. No contest!