cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling and simulation of colonization of water-based metalworking fluid by Mycobacterium immunogenum

Abstract The water-borne human pathogen Mycobacterium immunogenum (MI) originating from industrial wastewater contaminated with metalworking fluid (MWF), may pose serious public health risks. This warrants a front-of-the-pipe approach so as to control its growth in these fluids; this requires an understanding of its initial colonization process in pristine MWF. In this direction, using a synthetic MWF formulation, quadratic modeling of colonization was performed using response surface methodology (RSM) to understand parameter effects and interactions followed by in-silico simulation of optimal and inhibitory growth conditions using Genetic Algorithm (GA), and experimental validation. The experimental parameters that supported optimal growth of MI in culture included an alkaline pH (9.4) coupled with ambient temperature (30 °C), starter nutrient (OADC 2.028% v/v) and tramp oil (0.4% v/v.) Though OADC seemed to play an important role, tramp oil was found to be crucial for the colonization process. However, combinations of higher pH and lower temperature (∼23 °C) and lower pH and high temperature (∼37 °C) completely arrested the growth even in the presence of OADC and tramp oil. Collectively, the results provide critical information needed for achieving simulated laboratory culture of this pathogen for further research; this may facilitate development of novel biocide-independent strategies to effectively control this pathogen and its disposal-related hazards in aqueous streams.
Patterns of Home Computer Usage among College Students: An Exploratory Study

In this paper, we present the results of a study of home computer usage among college students. Using Activity Theory as the theoretical framework and a sample of self-reported usage logs, we analyze purposes and tasks of the subjects’ computer sessions. We find that most participants mix hedonic with utilitarian computer uses during the same session and that they perform a number of unrelated computer-based tasks. We also identify a particular category of users, which we call social users because of their engagement with social networking sites and instant communications with their friends, who tend to perform more tasks than those who do not exhibit social behaviors in their computer sessions. The results of this study are informative and representative of the purposes and tasks for which college students use their computers at home.
The REquirements TRacing On Target (RETRO).NET Dataset

This paper presents the REquirements TRacing On target (RETRO).NET dataset. The dataset includes the requirement specification, the source code files (C# and Visual Basic), the gold standard/answer set for tracing the artifacts to each other, as well as the script used to parse the requirements from the specification (to put in RETRO.NET format). The dataset can be used to support tracing and other tasks.
Biased Assessment of Comovement

I document a systematic bias in the assessment of comovement: individuals assess a moderate relationship between two variables regardless of the actual strength of the relationship between them. In a survey of finance professionals, participant-assessed betas of different financial and macroeconomic variables with the market are approximately 0.5 regardless of the actual historical betas. In an empirical setting, electricity futures exhibit moderate comovement with gas futures despite persistent heterogeneity in their relationship in the spot market. Trading against this bias generates annualized excess returns of 7.3 percent and a Sharpe ratio of 1.14.
Chronic kidney disease and the gut microbiome.

The gut microbiome is composed of a diverse population of bacteria that have beneficial and adverse effects on human health. The microbiome has recently gained attention and is increasingly noted t...
The Trump Divide and Partisan Attitudes Regarding US Foreign Policy: Select Theoretical and Empirical Observations:

This article presents select data, recent trends and empirical analysis concerning American voters’ attitudes on American foreign policy in the Trump era. Accordingly, it addresses several vital qu...
Early Synaptic Alterations and Selective Adhesion Signaling in Hippocampal Dendritic Zones Following Organophosphate Exposure

Organophosphates account for many of the world’s deadliest poisons. They inhibit acetylcholinesterase causing cholinergic crises that lead to seizures and death, while survivors commonly experience long-term neurological problems. Here, we treated brain explants with the organophosphate compound paraoxon and uncovered a unique mechanism of neurotoxicity. Paraoxon-exposed hippocampal slice cultures exhibited progressive declines in synaptophysin, synapsin II, and PSD-95, whereas reduction in GluR1 was slower and NeuN and Nissl staining showed no indications of neuronal damage. The distinctive synaptotoxicity was observed in dendritic zones of CA1 and dentate gyrus. Interestingly, declines in synapsin II dendritic labeling correlated with increased staining for β1 integrin, a component of adhesion receptors that regulate synapse maintenance and plasticity. The paraoxon-induced β1 integrin response was targeted to synapses, and the two-fold increase in β1 integrin was selective as other synaptic adhesion molecules were unchanged. Additionally, β1 integrin–cofilin signaling was triggered by the exposure and correlations were found between the extent of synaptic decline and the level of β1 integrin responses. These findings identified organophosphate-mediated early and lasting synaptotoxicity which can explain delayed neurological dysfunction later in life. They also suggest that the interplay between synaptotoxic events and compensatory adhesion responses influences neuronal fate in exposed individuals.
Using Control Synthesis to Generate Corner Cases: A Case Study on Autonomous Driving

This paper employs correct-by-construction control synthesis, in particular controlled invariant set computations, for falsification. Our hypothesis is that if it is possible to compute a “large enough” controlled invariant set either for the actual system model or some simplification of the system model, interesting corner cases for other control designs can be generated by sampling initial conditions from the boundary of this controlled invariant set. Moreover, if falsifying trajectories for a given control design can be found through such sampling, then the controlled invariant set can be used as a supervisor to ensure safe operation of the control design under consideration. In addition to interesting initial conditions, which are mostly related to safety violations in transients, we use solutions from a dual game, a reachability game for the safety specification, to find falsifying inputs. We also propose optimization-based heuristics for input generation for cases when the state is outside the winning set of the dual game. To demonstrate the proposed ideas, we consider case studies from basic autonomous driving functionality, in particular, adaptive cruise control and lane keeping. We show how the proposed technique can be used to find interesting falsifying trajectories for classical control designs like proportional controllers, proportional integral controllers and model predictive controllers, as well as an open source real-world autonomous driving package.
Clinical experience with percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation in the elderly; do outcomes differ by gender?

Objective: To evaluate the use of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) in an elderly population, as PTNS is a third-line treatment in the management of overactive bladder (OAB) and affects 10-26% of adult males and 8-42% of adult females, increasing in prevalence with age. Patients and methods: We performed a chart review of patients aged ≥ 65 years undergoing PTNS at a single institution over 6 years. We examined clinicopathological variables potentially associated with the outcomes of interest. Results: In total, 52 patients aged ≥ 65 years underwent an induction course of PTNS between 2011 and 2017, comprising 23 men and 29 women. The mean age of the patients was 75.75 years and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 26.33 kg/m2. In all, 36 patients used anticholinergic treatments prior to PTNS, five used a β3-adrenoceptor agonist, and three had Botox injections. After PTNS, 37 patients reported improvement of their symptoms, with 21 using combined therapy during PTNS. Only seven patients used an anticholinergic after PTNS, six used a β3-adrenoceptor agonist, five had Botox injections, and two had sacral neuromodulation. When looking at variables such as age, gender, race, BMI, and comorbidities, we found that an obese BMI was the only statistically significant variable predicting failure of response. A sub-analysis of only women did not demonstrate any predictors of failure. Conclusion: Our subjective response rate of 70% was within the success rates reported in literature. In all, 39% of patients used a concomitant treatment during PTNS and 13.2% required alternative treatment after PTNS. Abbreviations: BMI: body mass index; OAB: overactive bladder; PTNS: percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation; UI: urinary incontinence.
Experimental analyses of different control strategies of an R-410A split-system heat pump by employing a turbomachinery expansion recovery device

Abstract With increasing need for energy efficient vapor-compression cycles (VCCs), researchers have investigated different aspects of such systems to increase performance. The goal of this research is to experimentally investigate the design and control of a turbomachine expander to recover work and control the VCC. An R-410A split-system heat pump experimental setup has been utilized to compare the performance and control capabilities of a variable nozzle and a fixed nozzle with phase separation combined with evaporator bypass flow metering. A theoretical analysis on the benefit of the expander in heat pumps motivated heat pump operation in cooling mode. The variable nozzle experiments yielded a significant decrease in expander isentropic efficiency, and the evaporator bypass control led to an increase in system coefficient of performance (COP) of 2.3% with an expander overall isentropic efficiency of 18.8%. Compressor suction superheat control was achieved with the evaporator bypass over a range of ambient conditions.
A flexible electronic optical imaging system for detection of arthritis in patient with systemic lupus erythematosus

We have developed a wearable flexible optical imaging system (We-FOIS) that employs dynamic diffuse optical tomography (dDOT) for assessing arthritis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Dental adhesive microtensile bond strength following a biofilm-based in vitro aging model

Abstract Laboratory tests are routinely used to test bonding properties of dental adhesives. Various aging methods that simulate the oral environment are used to complement these tests for assessment of adhesive bond durability. However, most of these methods challenge hydrolytic and mechanical stability of the adhesive- enamel/dentin interface, and not the biostability of dental adhesives. Objective To compare resin-dentin microtensile bond strength (μTBS) after a 15-day Streptococcus mutans (SM) or Streptococcus sobrinus (SS) bacterial exposure to the 6-month water storage (WS) ISO 11405 type 3 test. Methodology A total of 31 molars were flattened and their exposed dentin was restored with Optibond-FL adhesive system and Z-100 dental composite. Each restored molar was sectioned and trimmed into four dumbbell-shaped specimens, and randomly distributed based on the following aging conditions: A) 6 months of WS (n=31), B) 5.5 months of WS + 15 days of a SM-biofilm challenge (n=31), C) 15 days of a SM-biofilm challenge (n=31) and D) 15 days of a SS-biofilm challenge (n=31). μTBS were determined and the failure modes were classified using light microscopy. Results Statistical analyses showed that each type of aging condition affected μTBS (p<0.0001). For Group A (49.7±15.5MPa), the mean μTBS was significantly greater than in Groups B (19.3±6.3MPa), C (19.9±5.9MPa) and D (23.6±7.9MPa). For Group D, the mean μTBS was also significantly greater than for Groups B and C, but no difference was observed between Groups B and C. Conclusion A Streptococcus mutans- or Streptococcus sobrinus-based biofilm challenge for 15 days resulted in a significantly lower μTBS than did the ISO 11405 recommended 6 months of water storage. This type of biofilm-based aging model seems to be a practical method for testing biostability of resin-dentin bonding.
In vitro differential expression of human globin genes.

K562 human erythroleukemia cells can be induced by hemin and other stimuli to produce hemoglobin and actively express epsilon- and gamma-globin genes but not the adult-like beta-globin gene. The control of globin gene expression is regulated by both cis-acting DNA sequences, such as the 5′-promoter region and 3′- and 5′-enhancers, and trans-acting factors. The activation of 5′-promoter DNA sequences mediated by trans-acting factors can be examined in a cell-free system by in vitro transcription. We report here the differential transcriptional activation of globin genes by nuclear extracts from K562 cells without the need of supplemental HeLa whole cell extracts. Transcription of the epsilon-globin gene which is more active in K562 cells than the gamma-globin gene was greater at low nuclear extract concentrations (protein concentration less than 1.5 mg/ml) than the gamma-globin gene. However, neither beta-globin nor insulin promoters (which are not active in intact K562 cells) were active in the nuclear extract in vitro transcription system. The accurate initiation and specific transcription of globin genes by K562 nuclear extracts suggest that trans-acting factors interacting with the 5′-promoter gene sequence regulate in part the extent and specificity of gene expression and that the activity of these factors can be preserved during their isolation.
Evaluation of bone and kidney toxicity of BT2-peg2, a potential carrier for the targeted delivery of antibiotics to bone

Previous studies have demonstrated that the bone targeting agent BT2-peg2 (BT2-minipeg2, 9), when conjugated to vancomycin and delivered systemically by intravenous (IV) or intraperitoneal (IP) injection accumulates in bone to a greater degree than vancomycin alone, but that this accumulation is associated with severe nephrotoxicity. To determine whether this nephrotoxicity could be attributed to BT2-peg2 itself, we used a rat model to assess the distribution and toxicity of BT2-peg2 after IP injection of 11 mg/kg twice daily for 21 days. The results demonstrated that BT2-peg2 accumulates in bone but there was no evidence of nephrotoxicity or any histopathological abnormalities in the bone. This suggests the nephrotoxicity observed in previous studies is likely due to the altered pharmacokinetics of vancomycin when conjugated to BT2-peg2 rather than to BT2-peg2 itself. Thus, BT2-peg2 may be a safe carrier for the enhanced delivery of antibiotics other than vancomycin to the bone as a means of combating bone infection. However, the data also emphasizes the need to carefully examine the pharmacokinetic characteristics of any BT2-peg2-antibiotic conjugate utilized for treatment of bone infections.
Opioid Prescriptions by Pain Medicine Physicians in the Medicare Part D Program: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Pain medicine physicians (PMP) are a group of physicians with background training in various primary specialties with interest and expertise in managing chronic pain disorders. Our objective is to analyze prescription drug (PD) claims from the Medicare Part D program associated with PMP to gain insights into patterns, associated costs, and potential cost savings areas. Methods The primary data source for Part D claims data is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse, which contains Medicare Part D prescription drug events (PDE) records received through the claims submission cutoff date. Only providers with taxonomies of pain management (PM) and interventional pain management (IPM) were included in the study. The analysis of PDE was restricted to drugs with >250 claims. The distribution of claims and costs were analyzed based on drug class and provider specialty. Subsequently, we explored claims and expenses for opioid drug prescriptions in detail. Prescribing characteristics of the top 5% of providers by costs and claims were examined to gain additional insights. The costs and claims were explored for the top 10 drugs prescribed by PMP in 2017. Results There were a total of unique 3280 PMP-prescribed drugs with an associated expense of 652 million dollars in the 2017 Medicare Part D program. Prescriptions related to PMP account for a tiny fraction of the program's drug expenditure (0.4%). Opioids, anticonvulsants, and gabapentinoids were associated with the largest number of claims and the largest expenses within this fraction. Among opioid drug prescriptions, brand-named drugs account for a small fraction of claims (8%) compared to generic drugs. However, the expenses associated with brand name drugs were higher than generic drugs. Prescribers in the top 5% by PD costs had a higher number of claims, prescribed a higher proportion of branded medications, and had prescriptions associated with longer day supply compared to an average PMP. There were several opioid medications in the top 10 PD list by cost associated with PMP. Conclusions Opioids were the most common medications among Medicare part D claims prescribed by PMP. Only 12% of the total opioid PD claims were by PMP. The top 5% of PMP prescribers had 10 times more claims than the average PMP.
Time- and cell-dependent atypia and cell death are caused by progressive deficiency in DNA replication

Abstract Pleiotropy caused by single-gene mutations is common and poorly understood. A zebrafish null mutant of DNA polymerase α subunit B, huli hutu (hht), evolves a complex pleiotropy associated with DNA damage and S phase arrest across multiple organ systems over 5-7 days, including nuclear atypia, a common cellular feature in human cancers and pre-cancers, in gastrointestinal organs, and nuclear fragmentation in the eye and brain. The pleiotropic pattern of hht phenotypes is explained by progressive loss of wild-type maternal pola2 function in homozygous mutant embryos whose pola2 mRNA becomes undetectable by 24 hours post-fertilization (hpf). Inhibition of DNA synthesis by aphidicolin or hydroxyurea in wild-type embryos from 24 hpf phenocopied the pleiotropic pattern of hht. These results are consistent with a model in which time-sensitive, reduced capacity for DNA synthesis results in cell death in fast-replicating cells, and nuclear atypia in tissues with fewer and larger cells.
Portfolio-Wide Optimization of Pharmaceutical R&D Activities Using Mathematical Programming

The research and development (R&D) management in any major research pharmaceutical company is constantly faced with the need to make complicated activity scheduling and resource allocation decision...
Phylogenetic Signal, Congruence, and Uncertainty across Bacteria and Archaea.

Reconstruction of the Tree of Life is a central goal in biology. Although numerous novel phyla of bacteria and archaea have recently been discovered, inconsistent phylogenetic relationships are routinely reported, and many inter-phylum and inter-domain evolutionary relationships remain unclear. Here, we benchmark different marker genes often used in constructing multi-domain phylogenetic trees of bacteria and archaea, and present a set of marker genes that performs best for multi-domain trees constructed from concatenated alignments. We use recently-developed Tree Certainty (TC) metrics to assess the confidence of our results and to obviate the complications of traditional bootstrap-based metrics. Given the vastly disparate number of genomes available for different phyla of bacteria and archaea, we also assessed the impact of taxon sampling on multi-domain tree construction. Our results demonstrate that biases between the representation of different taxonomic groups can dramatically impact the topology of resulting trees. Inspection of our highest-quality tree supports the division of most bacteria into Terrabacteria and Gracilicutes, with Thermatogota and Synergistota branching earlier from these superphyla. This tree also supports the inclusion of the Patescibacteria within the Terrabacteria as a sister group to the Chloroflexota instead of as a basal-branching lineage. For the Archaea, our tree supports three monophyletic lineages (DPANN, Euryarchaeota, and TACK/Asgard), although we note the basal placement of the DPANN may still represent an artefact caused by biased sequence composition. Our findings provide a robust and standardized framework for multi-domain phylogenetic reconstruction that can be used to evaluate inter-phylum relationships and assess uncertainty in conflicting topologies of the Tree of Life.
The Real Number System (Part I) from Grade 5 to Grade 6

In this chapter you will deal with content-practice, teaching, and learning issues relevant to the following CCSSM number-related domains: Numbers and Operations in Base Ten (NBT) in Grade 5; Numbers and Operations – Fractions (NF) in Grade 5; and portions of Number System (NS) in Grade 6. In Chapter 4, you will reconceptualize them in terms of their relationships with other structures of numbers (i.e., integers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and real numbers).
Gambling and the Health of the Public: Adopting a Public Health Perspective.

During the last decade there has been an unprecedented expansion of legalized gambling throughout North America. Three primary forces appear to be motivating this growth: (1) the desire of governments to identify new sources of revenue without invoking new or higher taxes; (2) tourism entrepreneurs developing new destinations for entertainment and leisure; and (3) the rise of new technologies and forms of gambling (e.g., video lottery terminals, powerball mega-lotteries, and computer offshore gambling). Associated with this phenomenon, there has been an increase in the prevalence of problem and pathological gambling among the general adult population, as well as a sustained high level of gambling-related problems among youth. To date there has been little dialogue within the public health sector in particular, or among health care practitioners in general, about the potential health impact of gambling or gambling-related problems. This article encourages the adoption of a public health perspective towards gambling. More specifically, this discussion has four primary objectives:
Antigens of Brucella abortus I. Chemical and Immunoelectrophoretic Characterization

Extracts of Brucella abortus 2308S, prepared either by aqueous extraction of sonically ruptured cells or by phenol-water extraction of whole cells, were subjected to various fractionation procedures and then analyzed to determine their immunoelectrophoretic patterns and chemical properties. Fraction A, prepared from sonic extracts, contained at least nine precipitable components when analyzed by immunoelectrophoresis. Of these, five components gave reactions of nonidentity with each other and, hence, represented separate antigens having unrelated determinant groups. Antigenic component IX, found in both the phenol and sonic extracts, did not form a precipitin line in the presence of serum that had been adsorbed with whole cells and was therefore tentatively identified as a "surface" antigen. From several lines of evidence, component IX was thought to be a lipopolysaccharide similar to the AP substance described by Miles and Pirie and shown by them to carry the "abortus" and "melitensis" determinant groups.
Adaptive cruise control: Experimental validation of advanced controllers on scale-model cars

Recent advances in automotive technology, such as, sensing and onboard computation, have resulted in the development of adaptive cruise control (ACC) algorithms that improve both comfort and safety. With a view towards developing advanced controllers for ACC, this paper presents an experimental platform for validation and demonstration of an online optimization based controller. Going beyond traditional PID based controllers for ACC that lack proof of safety, we construct a control framework that gives formal guarantees of correctness. In particular, safety constraints—maintaining a valid following distance from a lead car—are represented by control barrier functions (CBFs), and control objectives— achieving a desired speed—are encoded through control Lyapunov functions (CLFs). These different objectives can be unified through a quadtraic program (QP), with constraints dictated by CBFs and CLFs, that balances safety and the control objectives in an optimal fashion. This methodology is demonstrated on scale-model cars, for which the CBF-CLF based controller is implemented online, with the end result being the experimental validation of an advanced adaptive cruise controller.
Chapter 11 Interaction of pulmonary endothelial cells with blood elements

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the interaction of leukocytes and plasma proteins with endothelial cells in the lung. During pulmonary inflammation, endothelial and blood cells respond to the released mediators, thereby resulting in enhanced interaction between endothelial cells and blood cells, including leukocytes. This chapter discusses the interaction of endothelial cells with blood elements, with an emphasis on the interaction of endothelial cells with neutrophils—the most numerous types of polymorphonuclear leukocytes—during acute pulmonary inflammation. In healthy lungs, the capillary blood contains a higher concentration of neutrophils than the blood in large vessels. This marginated pool in the pulmonary capillaries exists even in the absence of an inflammatory stimulus and is due primarily to the anatomical characteristics of pulmonary capillaries and the biomechanical properties of neutrophils. In addition, neutrophil emigration in response to an acute inflammatory stimulus occurs primarily in the pulmonary capillaries. This process involves the sequestration of neutrophils in the pulmonary capillaries, adhesion of neutrophils to the pulmonary capillaries, transmigration of neutrophils across endothelium, and migration of neutrophils through extracellular matrix and across alveolar epithelial cells into the alveolar space.
Region-adaptive motion tracking of speckle imagery

A new algorithm for speckle tracking is introduced. The algorithm is based on 2D correlation processing of beamformed radio frequency (RF) data from a medical imaging scanner employing a linear array of transducers. However, it is based on two powerful features for mask size design and for optimizing search direction for efficient implementation. An eigenvalue decomposition of a local intraframe spatial correlation matrix is used to determine the mask size. In addition, the search direction is determined from the 2D gradiant of the phase profiles of an interframe spatial correlation matrix. The result is a robust and computationally efficient speckle tracking algorithm suitable for medical imaging applications. A description of the new algorithm is given in this paper along with illustrative examples from image sequences obtained from tissue mimicking phantoms and in vivo liver images from a healthy volunteer.
Urban Fads and Consensual Fictions: Creative, Sustainable, and Competitive City Policies in Buenos Aires

Scholarship in urban sociology has pointed to the reliance of city governments on ever–more market mechanisms for organizing social and economic policy. This form of governance involves prioritizin...
Calculation of metric coefficients for streamline coordinates.

A procedure is given for deriving the equations describing the surface streamline metric in a general form and in a form suitable for incorporation into computer codes to calculate an inviscid flow about three-dimensional bodies. Sample results are included to show the application of the metric in conjunction with an axisymmetric analog to predict heat transfer to a typical space shuttle orbiter.
Radio frequency nanoelectronics based on carbon nanotubes

Many studies have suggested the potential applications of carbon nanotubes (CNT) in conventional analogue radiofrequency (RF) technology. This is due in part to near-ballistic electron transport and expected high frequency performance. In this paper, we will present the latest understanding of the potential applications of nanotubes in this broad application area.
Non-pharmacological Intervention for Chronic Pain in Veterans: A Pilot Study of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback

Objective: Chronic pain is an emotionally and physically debilitating form of pain that activates the body's stress response and over time can result in lowered heart rate variability (HRV) power, which is associated with reduced resiliency and lower self-regulatory capacity. This pilot project was intended to determine the effectiveness of HRV coherence biofeedback (HRVCB) as a pain and stress management intervention for veterans with chronic pain and to estimate the effect sizes. It was hypothesized that HRVCB will increase parasympathetic activity resulting in higher HRV coherence measured as power and decrease self-reported pain symptoms in chronic pain patients. Study design: Fourteen veterans receiving treatment for chronic pain were enrolled in the pre-post intervention study. They were randomly assigned, with 8 subjects enrolled in the treatment group and 6 in the control group. The treatment group received biofeedback intervention plus standard care, and the other group received standard care onl...
Quantization noise reduction using wavelet thresholding for various coding schemes

We propose a nonlinear, wavelet-based method to efficiently improve the performance of various coding schemes for lossy image data compression. Coarse quantization of the transform coefficients often results in some undesirable artifacts, such as ringing effect, contouring effect and blocking effect, especially at very low bit rate. The decoding can be viewed as a typical statistical estimation problem of reconstructing the original image signal from the decomposed image, a noisy observation, using the classical signal processing model of `signal plus additive noise'. We perform the wavelet-domain thresholding on the decompressed image to attenuate the quantization noise effect while maintaining the relatively sharp features (e.g. edges) of the original image. Experimental results show that de-noising using the undecimated discrete wavelet transform achieves better performance than using the orthonormal discrete wavelet transform, with an acceptable computational complexity (O(MNlog2(MN)) for an image of size M X N). Both the objective quality and the subjective quality of the reconstructed image are significantly improved with the reduction of coding artifacts. In addition, dithering technique can be embedded in the encoding scheme to achieve further improvement of the visual quality.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Fatal pneumonitis associated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy for mesothelioma.

Purpose: To describe the initial experience at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women's Hospital with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) as adjuvant therapy after extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) and adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods and Materials: The medical records of patients treated with IMRT after EPP and adjuvant chemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. IMRT was given to a dose of 54 Gy to the clinical target volume in 1.8 Gy daily fractions. Treatment was delivered with a dynamic multileaf collimator using a sliding window technique. Eleven of 13 patients received heated intraoperative cisplatin chemotherapy (225 mg/m 2 ). Two patients received neoadjuvant intravenous cisplatin/pemetrexed, and 10 patients received adjuvant cisplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy after EPP but before radiation therapy. All patients received at least 2 cycles of intravenous chemotherapy. The contralateral lung was limited to a V20 (volume of lung receiving 20 Gy or more) of 20% and a mean lung dose (MLD) of 15 Gy. All patients underwent fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) for staging, and any FDG-avid areas in the hemithorax were given a simultaneous boost of radiotherapy to 60 Gy. Statistical comparisons were done using two-sided t test. Results: Thirteen patients were treated with IMRT from December 2004 to September 2005. Six patients developed fatal pneumonitis after treatment. The median time from completion of IMRT to the onset of radiation pneumonitis was 30 days (range 5–57 days). Thirty percent of patients (4 of 13) developed acute Grade 3 nausea and vomiting. One patient developed acute Grade 3 thrombocytopenia. The median V20, MLD, and V5 (volume of lung receiving 5 Gy or more) for the patients who developed pneumonitis was 17.6% (range, 15.3–22.3%), 15.2 Gy (range, 13.3–17 Gy), and 98.6% (range, 81–100%), respectively, as compared with 10.9% (range, 5.5–24.7%) ( p = 0.08), 12.9 Gy (range, 8.7–16.9 Gy) ( p = 0.07), and 90% (range, 66–98.3%) ( p = 0.20), respectively, for the patients who did not develop pneumonitis. Conclusions: Intensity-modulated RT treatment for mesothelioma after EPP and adjuvant chemotherapy resulted in a high rate of fatal pneumonitis when standard dose parameters were used. We therefore recommend caution in the utilization of this technique. Our data suggest that with IMRT, metrics such as V5 and MLD should be considered in addition to V20 to determine tolerance levels in future patients.
THE DELPHI: EDUCATION AND ASSESSMENT IN INSTITUTIONAL GOAL SETTING

ABSTRACT This paper describes and analysies the use of a delphi research methodology to assess faculty perceptions of institutional needs and goals in an osteopathic medical education program. Use of the delphi to educate faculty in the administrative and political functioning of the institution as well as to involve all faculty in the refinement of specific needs and goals is discussed. Full‐time clinical and basic science faculty of the New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine provided an example of the varied uses of the delphi research methodology in higher education and specifically in profesiional higher education. The three rounds of the delphi procedure produced faculty consensus on the following institutional variable items: (a) the philosophical and functional orientation of the curriculum; (b) location and design of the physical campus facilities and environment; (c) faculty issues of tenure, promotion, salary and merit; (d) teaching, and the evaluation of teaching; (e) student characteristics...
Using winery web sites to launch relationships with Millennials

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes of Millennial wine consumers and determine if positive evaluations of the winery's web site lead to increased trust in the winery and perceptions of product quality, higher levels of brand equity, and increased purchase intentions. The tasting room experience will be evaluated for consistency with the image created by the web site and the meeting of Millennial expectations during the web site visit.Design/methodology/approach – In total, 122 young people (Millennials) with an average age of 23 were asked to visit winery web sites and then evaluate the web sites for quality and perceptions formed relating to the overall image of the winery and its products. The participants were then asked to visit the winery and evaluate their winery experience and its products.Findings – Web site quality was a significant predictor of increased trust in the winery and perceptions of the quality of the wine. Web site evaluations of brand equity carried over t...
Modified WKB approximation for phase shifts of an attractive singular potential

The conventional WKB method for phase-shift calculations is known to fail for singular potentials at low incident energies. The modified WKB method can be applied successfully to singular potentials even at low energies since it is an extreme generalization of the conventional WKB method. As a special case, the modified WKB method can be reduced to the conventional WKB approximation and then agrees with the conventional WKB method in the high-energy region where the conventional WKB approximation is valid. Unlike the conventional WKB method, the modified WKB method can be applied to multi-turning-point problems without any difficulty. It is for these reasons that we present this method for determining the phase shifts of the attractive singular potential using a potential of the form $U(r)=\ensuremath{-}{g}^{2}{r}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ as an example. We restrict ourselves to the low-energy, nonzero-orbital-angular-momentum case where there are three classical turning points in order to demonstrate the ability of this method to handle many turning points. The phase shifts obtained by this method agree with the numerical results.
An inhibitory carboxyl-terminal domain in Ets-1 and Ets-2 mediates differential binding of ETS family factors to promoter sequences of the mb-1 gene

Abstract The mb-1 gene is expressed only during the early stages of B-lymphocyte differentiation. Here we show that the mb-1 proximal promoter region contains a functionally important binding site for members of the ETS family of DNA-binding proteins. We found that both the E26 virus-encoded v-ets and the myeloid/B-cell-specific factor PU.1 bind efficiently to this site in vitro. By contrast, Ets-1, the lymphocyte-specific cellular homologue of v-ets, and the related, more ubiquitously expressed Ets-2 protein interacted weakly with this binding site. DNA binding by both Ets-1 and Ets-2, however, could be increased 20- to 50-fold by deleting as few as 16 carboxyl-terminal amino acids. The inhibitory carboxyl-terminal amino acid sequence is highly conserved between Ets-1 and Ets-2 but is not present in either v-ets or PU.1. Replacement of the carboxyl-terminal amino acids of v-ets with those of Ets-1 decreased DNA binding by v-ets drastically. Cotranslation of Ets-1 transcripts encoding proteins of different lengths suggested that Ets-1 binds DNA as a monomer. Therefore, the carboxyl-terminal inhibitory domain appears to interfere directly with DNA binding and not with homodimerization. Finally, the functional relevance of ETS factor binding to the mb-1 promoter site was evidenced by the stimulation of transcription through this site by a v-myb-v-ets fusion protein. Together, these data suggest that one or more ETS family factors are involved in the regulation of mb-1 gene expression.
Longer Versus Shorter Daily Durations of Electrical Stimulation During Task-Specific Practice in Moderately Impaired Stroke

Abstract Page SJ, Levin L, Hermann V, Dunning K, Levine P. Longer versus shorter daily durations of electrical stimulation during task-specific practice in moderately impaired stroke. Objective To examine and compare efficacy of 30-, 60-, and 120-minute repetitive task-specific practice (RTP) sessions incorporating use of an electrical stimulation neuroprosthesis (ESN) on affected upper-extremity (UE) movement. Design Prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. Setting Outpatient rehabilitation hospital. Participants Chronic stroke subjects (N=32) exhibiting moderate, stable affected UE motor deficits. Interventions Subjects participated in 30-, 60-, or 120-minute therapy sessions involving RTP incorporating the ESN, occurring every weekday for 8 weeks. During sessions, they wore the ESNs to enable performance of valued activities that they had identified. A fourth group participated in a 30-minute per weekday home exercise program. Main Outcome Measures Outcomes were evaluated using the UE section of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Sensorimotor Impairment (FM), the Arm Motor Ability Test (AMAT), the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), and Box and Block (B&B) 1 week before and 1 week after intervention. Results After intervention, subjects in the 120-minute condition were the only ones to exhibit significant score increases on the FM ( P =.0007), AMAT functional ability scale ( P =.002), AMAT quality of movement scale ( P =.0002), and ARAT ( P =.02). They also exhibited the largest changes in time to perform AMAT tasks and in B&B score, but these changes were nonsignificant, ( P =.15 and P =.10, respectively). Conclusions One hundred and twenty minutes a day of RTP augmented by ESN use elicits the largest and most consistent UE motor changes in moderately impaired stroke subjects.
Elemental mass spectrometry using a helium microwave plasma torch as an ion source

Abstract An investigation was performed to evaluate the coupling of a 150 W atmospheric pressure helium microwave plasma torch (MPT) with mass spectrometric detection. The interface of an existing inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer was modified to sample the helium plasma. Optimization studies illustrate the dependence of analytical signals on various instrumental parameters, including sampling depth, gas and sample solution flow rates, and ion optic settings. With the use of a pneumatic nebulization-desolvation sample introduction system, detection limits for seven non-metallic elements range from 12 ng ml to 1.0 μg ml , comparable to those determined with an Ar ICP and the same mass spectrometer. Interference effects of concomitant cations and isotope ratios for Cl and Br are also presented.
Simultaneous knockdown of the expression of two genes using multiple shRNAs and subsequent knock-in of their expression

shRNA is a powerful tool for inhibiting gene expression. One limitation has been that this technique has been used primarily to target a single gene. This protocol expands upon previous methods by describing a knockdown vector that facilitates cloning of multiple shRNAs; this allows targeted knockdown of more than one gene or of a single gene that may be otherwise difficult to knockdown using a single shRNA. The targeted gene(s) can be readily re-expressed by transfecting knockdown cells with a knock-in vector containing an shRNA-refractive cDNA that will express the protein of interest even in the presence of shRNAs. The constructed knockdown and knock-in vectors can be easily used concurrently to assess possible interrelationships between genes, the effects of gene loss on cell function and/or their restoration by replacing targeted genes one at a time. The entire knockdown/knock-in procedure can be completed in approximately 3–4 months.
Variational Principles for Three-Body Breakup Scattering

In the preceding paper we derived a Kohn-type variational principle for the scattering amplitude for the breakup of a bound pair by an incident third particle. In this paper an alternative derivation is presented. The new derivation, based on the Faddeev equations, though rather formal, is rigorous; the preceding derivation was not. This procedure sheds some light on the manipulations in the earlier derivation. We also derive an "adjoint" Kohn-type variational principle in which the operator $H\ensuremath{-}E$ acts on the final-state wave function. The "adjoint" result has some convergence difficulties but these have been overcome by techniques described. Finally, a Schwinger-type variational principle is derived and its connection with the recently proposed variational principle of Pieper, Schlessinger, and Wright is discussed.
Waiting for $m$ mutations

We consider a model of a population of fixed size $N$ in which each individual gets replaced at rate one and each individual experiences a mutation at rate $\mu$. We calculate the asymptotic distribution of the time that it takes before there is an individual in the population with $m$ mutations. Several different behaviors are possible, depending on how μ changes with $N$. These results have applications to the problem of determining the waiting time for regulatory sequences to appear and to models of cancer development.
A general synthesis of 1,7-disubstituted 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecanes

1,4,7,10-Tetraazacyclododecane reacts regioselectively in acid solution with several chloroformates to give 1,7-diprotected derivatives which could be alkylated and deprotected to afford 1,7-disubstituted 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecanes.
Interleukin 11 significantly increases plasma von Willebrand factor and factor VIII in wild type and von Willebrand disease mouse models

Interleukin (IL)-11 is a cytokine with thrombopoietic activity that has been shown to increase plasma von Willebrand factor (vWf) in preliminary clinical studies. This led to further evaluation of the effect of recombinant human (rh)IL-11 on vWf and factor VIII (FVIII) secretion. In vitro, rhIL-11 did not increase vWf production by cultured endothelial cells, which suggests an indirect mechanism. Also, in vivo, plasma vWf was not elevated in mice shortly after a single intravenous (IV) bolus injection of 250 or 1000 μg/kg rhIL-11. The effect of continuous exposure to rhIL-11 was accessed by treating wild type mice for 7 consecutive days with subcutaneous 250 μg/kg/d rhIL-11. Platelet counts increased by 25% and 40% after 4 and 7 days, respectively. Plasma vWf and FVIII levels increased 2-fold after 4 and 7 days. Surprisingly, no effect of rhIL-11 on vWf or FVIII messenger RNA was observed, which suggests that the regulation by rhIL-11 occurs after transcription. No increase in soluble P-selectin was observed after rhIL-11 treatment, indicating that platelet activation is not the source of elevated vWf. Similarly to wild type mice, vWf heterozygous mice responded to rhIL-11 treatment by a significant increase in platelet counts and vWf and FVIII levels. Importantly, in vWf-deficient mice, rhIL-11 also induced a significant increase in FVIII independent of vWf and was able to reduce skin bleeding time. These results suggest that a clinical evaluation of the effects of rhIL-11–induced vWf/FVIII elevation in maintaining hemostasis in mild hemophilia A or von Willebrand disease would be worthwhile.
The Choice of a Molecule for a Beam Frequency Standard

The factors affecting the choice of a molecule for use as an electrical resonance beam frequency standard are discussed in terms of five sources of error. These sources of error are shown to place serious constraints on the physical properties of desirable molecules. The properties of a number of molecules including LiF, BaO, H 2 S, SO 2 and CO are examined and it is shown that it should be possible to build a molecular beam frequency standard with an accuracy of about a part in 1013.
Site-specific Dephosphorylation of Tau Protein at Ser202/Thr205 in Response to Microtubule Depolymerization in Cultured Human Neurons Involves Protein Phosphatase 2A

Tau proteins isolated from paired helical filaments, the major building blocks of Alzheimer's disease neurofibrillary tangle, are abnormally phosphorylated and unable to bind microtubules. To examine the dynamics of tau phosphorylation and to identify specific tau phosphorylation sites involved in the stabilization of microtubules, we treated cultured postmitotic neuron-like cells (NT2N) derived from a human teratocarcinoma cell line (NTera2/D1) with drugs that depolymerize microtubules (i.e. colchicine or nocodazole). This led to the recovery of dephosphorylated tau from the NT2N cells as monitored by a relative increase in the electrophoretic mobility of tau and an increase in the turnover of [32P]PO4-labeled tau. However, not all phosphorylation sites on tau are affected by colchicine or nocodazole. Ser202/Thr205 appears to be completely and specifically dephosphorylated by protein phosphatase 2A since this dephosphorylation was blocked by inhibitors of protein phosphatase 2A but not by inhibitors of protein phosphatase 2B. These findings, together with the recent observation that protein phosphatase 2A is normally bound to microtubules in intact cells, suggest that the polymerization state of microtubules could modulate the phosphorylation state of tau at specific sites in the normal and Alzheimer's disease brain.