cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of latency and rate on bone formation in a porcine mandibular distraction model.

Abstract Purpose: Long treatment protocols currently limit the application of distraction osteogenesis (DO). The purpose of this study was to develop a porcine model for DO and to define the effects of latency and distraction rate on bone formation. Materials and Methods: Distractors were placed through submandibular incisions. For analysis of latency, mandibular osteotomies were distracted after 0 (n = 3) or 4 (n = 2) days at a rate of 1 mm/d (7 days) with 14 days fixation. For analysis of rate, osteotomies were distracted at 1 mm (n = 4), 2 mm (n = 4), or 4 mm (n = 4) per day to produce a 12-mm gap with 24 days fixation. DO wounds were assessed in vivo with bimanual palpation to detect mobility across the gap. Harvested specimens were evaluated by gross appearance and bimanual palpation. Standardized radiographic techniques were used to estimate bone density. Results: During DO, animals showed normal activity. There were no infections, and no distractors were removed prematurely. Clinical and radiographic evaluation of the groups that underwent distraction after 0- or 4-day latency showed equivalent healing. In the comparison of distraction rates, stability was greatest in the group distracted at 1 mm/d. Conclusions: A porcine model for mandibular DO has been developed in which mandibular lengthening was successfully performed without latency and at a rate of 1 mm/d. The relationships among latency, gap size, rate, and duration of fixation are poorly understood and can be defined with relevant animal models. © 2000 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Novel Chimeric Genotype 1b/2a Hepatitis C Virus Suitable for High-Throughput Screening

A major obstacle in hepatitis C virus (HCV) research has been the lack of a permissive cell culture system that produces infectious viral particles. Significant breakthroughs have been achieved lately in establishing such culture systems. Yet to date, there are no reports of the applications of any of these systems in HCV drug screening. Here, we report the generation of two monocistronic, chimeric genotype 1 full-length HCV genome molecules. These molecules, C33J-Y835C-UBI and C33J-Y835C-FMDV2A, both contain the structural protein region from genotype 1 (subtype 1b, Con1) and the remaining region from the genotype 2a (JFH1) clone. Both contain the humanized Renilla luciferase reporter gene which is separated from the rest of the HCV open reading frame by two different cleavage sites. The viral RNAs replicated efficiently in transfected cells. Viral particles produced were infectious in naive Huh7.5 cells, and the infectivity could be blocked by monoclonal antibody against a putative HCV entry cofactor, CD81. A pilot high-throughput screen of 900 unknown compounds was executed by both the genotype 2a subgenomic replicon system and the infectious system. Thirty-one compounds were identified as hits by both systems, whereas 78 compounds were identified as hits only for the infectious system, suggesting that the infectious system is capable of identifying inhibitors targeting the viral structural proteins and steps involving them in the viral life cycle. The infectious HCV system developed here provides a useful and versatile tool which should greatly facilitate the identification of HCV inhibitors currently not identified by the subgenomic replicon system.
Multiclass mv-granular soft support vector machine: A case study in dynamic classifier selection for multispectral face recognition

This paper presents a novel formulation of multiclass support vector machine by integrating the concepts of soft labels and granular computing. The proposed multiclass mv-granular soft support vector machine uses soft labels to address the issues due to noisy and incorrectly labeled data, and granular computing to make it adaptable to data distributions both globally and locally. The proposed multiclass classifier is used for dynamic selection in a multispectral face recognition application. Specifically, for the given probe face images, mv-GSSVM is used to optimally choose one of the four options: visible spectrum face recognition, short-wave infrared face recognition, multispectral face image fusion, and multispectral match score fusion. Experimental results on a multispectral face database show that the proposed algorithm improves the verification accuracy and also decreases the computational time.
Imaging of alcohol-induced dopamine release in rats: preliminary findings with [11C]raclopride PET

Microdialysis studies report that systemic alcohol increases extracellular dopamine (DA) in the rat striatum. The present study examined whether changes in striatal DA could be detected in rats using small animal positron emission tomography (PET). PET images were acquired in 44 alcohol-naive male Wistar and alcohol-preferring (P) rats. Subjects received up to three [(11) C]raclopride scans (rest, alcohol, and saline). Animals were anesthetized with isoflurane and secured on a stereotactic-like holder during all scans. Blood samples were collected from the tail or lateral saphenous vein of 12 animals 10 min after tracer injection for determination of blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Time activity curves were extracted from the striatum and the cerebellum and binding potential (BP(ND) ) was calculated as a measure of D(2) receptor availability. Wistars given 1.0 g kg(-1) alcohol (20%v/v) i.v. or 3.0 g kg(-1) alcohol (20%v/v) i.p. showed significant alcohol-induced decreases in BP(ND) . In P rats (given 1.5, 2.25, or 3.0 g kg(-1) alcohol), no individual group showed a statistical effect of alcohol on BP(ND) , but taken together, all P rats receiving i.p. alcohol had significantly lower BP(ND) than rest or saline scans. Large decreases in BP(ND) were primarily observed in rats with BAC above 200 mg%. Also, a significant difference was found between baseline BP(ND) of Wistars who had undergone jugular catheterization surgery for i.v. alcohol administration and those who had not. Preliminary results suggest that alcohol-induced DA release in the rat striatum is detectable using small animal PET given sufficiently large cohorts and adequate blood alcohol levels.
Constraining Isocurvature Initial Conditions with WMAP 3-year data

We present constraints on the presence of isocurvature modes from the temperature and polarization cosmic microwave background (CMB) spectrum data from the WMAP satellite alone, and in combination with other data sets including SDSS galaxy survey and SNLS supernovae. We find that the inclusion of polarization data allows the WMAP data alone, as well as in combination with complementary observations, to place improved limits on the contribution of CDM and neutrino density isocurvature components individually. With general correlations, the upper limits on these subdominant isocurvature components are reduced to $\ensuremath{\sim}60%$ of the first year WMAP results, with specific limits depending on the type of fluctuations. If multiple isocurvature components are allowed, however, we find that the data still allow a majority of the initial power to come from isocurvature modes. As well as providing general constraints we also consider their interpretation in light of specific theoretical models like the curvaton and double inflation.
Monolithic integrated wavelength demultiplexer based on a waveguide Rowland circle grating in InGaAsP/lnP

We present detailed modeling and experimental results for an improved design of an InGaAsP-InP wavelength demultiplexer based on a monolithically integrated Rowland circle grating. The design incorporated ten wavelength channels at 1.55 /spl mu/m with a uniform spacing of 2 nm. The total on-chip loss was about 10 dB and the crosstalk between adjacent channels was as low as -25 dB. It was shown that low-loss etched turning mirrors can reduce the total on-chip loss by about 4 dB compared to traditional 90/spl deg/ curved multimode waveguides. By replacing standard flat grating facets with retro-reflecting V-shaped facets in the echelle grating, the loss was further reduced by 4 dB. Polarization independent operation within a passband of 0.5 nm was achieved by using multimode output waveguides. The potential sources producing the crosstalk have been analyzed and fabrication modifications for further improvement are suggested.
Toxicity and Dose-Response Studies of 1,25-(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne Vitamin D3 in Transgenic Mice'

The vitamin D3 analogue 1,25-(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne vitamin D3 (16,23-D3) in doses with low systemic toxicity has been demonstrated to inhibit retinoblastoma growth in transgenic mice. This study examines the dose-dependent response for inhibition of tumor growth in transgenic mice with retinoblastoma and evaluates the in vivo toxicity of 16,23-D3 in nontransgenic mice. Transgenic 8-10-week-old mice with retinoblastoma (n = 119) were randomly assigned to groups receiving 1.0, 0.75, 0.5, 0.35, 0.2, or 0.05 microg of 16,23-D3 and a vehicle alone (control) group i.p. five times a week for 5 weeks. An additional control group received no injection. Eyes were enucleated one week after the end of treatment, and tumor areas were measured. To determine the toxic dose, transgene-negative littermates received 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, or 5.0 microg of 16,23-D3, and control groups received vehicle alone, 5 days a week for 5 weeks. Serum calcium levels were measured, and necropsies were performed on animals from each group. In the dose-response study, tumor growth inhibition was greatest in the group receiving 0.35 microg (55% inhibition; P = 0.0056) and was also significant in the group receiving 0.5 microg (42% inhibition; P = 0.036). The systemic toxic effects due to hypercalcemia occurred at doses of > or =1.0 microg. 16,23-D3 inhibits tumor growth at doses > or =0.35 microg and shows toxic effects at doses > or =1.0 microg related to hypercalcemia in mice fed an unrestricted diet. No toxicity was observed with lower doses.
Development of a low cost 5-bit Ku-band phase shifter using HJ-FET packaged devices for DBS mobile reception

A low profile DBS antenna is a very attractive option for RV and SUV DBS customers. However, for "on the move" services, steerable antennas would be required. Mechanical steering is commonly used, as it is inexpensive, but bulky. Low profile phased array apertures are the desired alternative. However, the required production volume is currently moderate, and still does not justify MMICs' high development expenses. Hence, we have developed a low cost 5-bit Ku-band hybrid digital phase shifter circuitry to fit today's market needs. The developed hybrid circuit design is fully based on surface mount components including the switched packaged HJ-FET devices for cost reduction. The overall loss is 3 dB /spl plusmn/ 1.5 dB, the circuit is 30 mm/sup 2/, and the estimated cost is only a few dollars for moderate quantities.
Experimental/theoretical correlation of analysis for helicopter rotor blade/droop stop impacts

A theoretical and experimental study of the transient response of an articulated rotor blade experiencing a droop stop impact was conducted. The rotor blade is modeled using the finite element method and the droop stop is simulated using a conditional rotational spring. During an rotor blade/droop stop impact, the boundary conditions of the blade change from a hinged to a cantilevered condition. Three different methods of integrating the equations of motion in time, in physical space, in modal space without a change of the mode shapes during an impact, and in modal space with a change of the mode shapes during an impact were studied. A l/8 th scale model articulated rotor blade was constructed. Given a range of initial flap hinge angles, drop tests of the model rotor blade were conducted at zero rotational speed. The transient response of the tip deflection, flap hinge angle, and strain at three locations were measured. Good correlation existed between the experimental data and both the physical space integration and modal space integration without a change of the mode shapes in the tests performed without a discrete damper. Marginal correlation existed between the experimental data and the modal space integration with a change of the mode shapes in the tests performed without a discrete damper. Differences in the solution methods decrease when tests are simulated with a discrete flap damper.
Effects of Aloe vera ingestion in the rat. II. Hormonal and metabolic characteristics

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of long-term (1.5 and 5.5 months) Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) ingestion on a variety of metabolic parameters of Fischer 344 male rats. Rats were fed Aloe vera powders produced by two different methods and mixed with rat chow at various concentrations. Process A Aloe was prepared from skinned Aloe filets by homogenization followed by lyophilization and included in the rat chow at the 1% level. Process B Aloe was prepared similarly except the homogenate was charcoal filtered prior to lyophilization and mixed with chow at both 1% and 10% levels. Plasma concentrations of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin were lower in the older (7 month) Aloe fed than in the control rats of the same age. No statistically significant effects were observed at the younger age (3 month). Aloe feeding did not alter the plasma glucose and insulin levels at any age and had only minor effects on the plasma corticosterone concentrations in the older rats. Serum lipid peroxides were decreased by Aloe feeding, but the malondialdehyde production of cardiac and hepatic mitochondrial and microsomal membranes were unaffected. No alteration in protein turnover was observed in the Aloe fed rats. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modulated Intercellular Communication: Consequence of Extracellular Molecules Triggering Intracellular Communication

The objective of this brief review is to examine how eicosanoids and other bioactive lipids might affect the carcinogenic and other toxic endpoints. Tactically, this can be achieved either by a thorough analysis of all the detailed technical reports related to experiments in which eicosanoids and cancer have been studied or by an analysis of emerging concepts related to the molecular and cellular mechanisms of carcinogenesis. In this review, we have chosen to see how the eicosanoid relate to the multi-stage or initiation/promotion/progression concept of carcinogenesis (1) and the concept of intercellular communication (2). In addition, we will offer an alternative hypothesis to the prevailing concept in carcinogenesis, namely, “carcinogens as mutagens” (3). In brief, it has been generally assumed that if a chemical, such as various eicosanoids, produce oxygen-radical species, and influence cancer, they do so by damaging DNA and by causing mutations which lead to cancer. It will be our view that the critical molecular targets for the eicosanoids and their metabolites are membrane and cytosolic molecules, not the DNA.
Viral Vaccine Production in Cell Culture

Mechanics of Viral Vaccine Production Viral Seeds Cell Banks Cultivation Purification Inactivation Finishing Host Cell Substrate and Cell Growth Primary Cells Human Diploid Cells Continuous Cells Recombinant Cells Cell Growth Considerations Viral Growth Transport Attachment Viral Penetration and Uncoating Replication of Viral Components Assembly of Viral Components Viral Processing Growth Kinetics and Process Configuration Viral Assay Considerations Vaccines and Examples of Processes Poliovirus Vaccines Measles and Mumps Viral Vaccines Rubella Viral Vaccines Rabies Virus Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Vaccines Other Vaccines Future Vaccine Processes New Approaches to Old Vaccines New Vaccines Conclusions Further Reading Acknowledgments Bibliography Keywords: products; ethics; history; disease control; bioreactors; safety; efficacy; consistency; regulatory agencies
Use of wheat cultivar blends to improve grain yield and quality and reduce disease and lodging

Abstract Cultivar blends can provide a measure of disease control due to host diversity. The diversity of cultivar blends also may be useful for improving agronomic performance and end-product quality. This paper reports on the performances of blends (0:1, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, and 1:0) of two fall-sown hard red spring wheat cultivars, Yolo (high grain yield, low susceptibility to septoria tritici blotch and leaf rust, good lodging resistance, poor grain quality) and Serra (high grain yield, high susceptibility to septoria tritici blotch and leaf rust, high susceptibility to lodging, excellent grain quality). The blends were grown in several environments in California for 3 years. The taller Serra was more competitive than Yolo in the various blends. Spike populations of Serra often were larger in blends than expected from the proportion of seed sown. Spikes of Yolo in blends had fewer spikelets than spikes of Yolo in sole crop Yolo, while spikes of Serra in blends had more spikelets than spikes of Serra in sole crop Serra. Blends had advantages over sole crops in several respects. When disease pressure was moderate or high, blends had less leaf rust and septoria tritici blotch than sole crop Serra, but more disease than sole crop Yolo. When lodging occurred, blends had less lodging than sole crop Serra. Overall, there were no significant differences in yield among the blends and sole crops of Serra or Yolo. The blends produced grain protein and baking quality equivalent to sole crop Serra and better than sole crop Yolo. The 2:1 Yolo:Serra blend was the optimum blend and is an attractive alternative to sole crop Yolo or sole crop Serra for wheat growers in the Sacramento Valley of California.
Sintering and robocasting of beta-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds for orthopaedic applications.

{beta}-tricalcium phosphate ({beta}-TCP) scaffolds with designed, three-dimensional (3-D) geometry and mesoscale porosity have been fabricated by direct-write assembly (robocasting) techniques. Concentrated {beta}-TCP inks with suitable viscoelastic properties were developed to enable the fabrication of the complex 3-D structures. A comprehensive study of the sintering behavior of TCP as a function of the calcium content in the starting powder was also carried out, and the optimal heat treatment for fabricating scaffolds with dense {beta}-TCP rods has been determined. Such analysis provides clues to controlling the microstructure of the fabricated structures and, therefore, enabling the fabrication by robocasting of TCP scaffolds with tailored performance for bone tissue engineering applications.
Business Ethics Education: One Management Educators Perspective

Results from the 2005 National Business Ethics Survey (NBES) indicate that over half of employees observed at least one type of misconduct in the workplace during the past 12 months, with nearly 40% observing two or more violations (http://www.ethics.org). The President of the Ethics Resource Center, Dr. Patricia Harned, has stated that this statistic has not changed much over the past 5 years even though there is a rise in the number of companies that have implemented ethics programs (http://www.ethics.org) Business faculty has the opportunity to provide business students with ethical reasoning opportunities to meet these ethical challenges successfully. AACSB has stated in their 2004 Ethics Education in Business Schools that…business education must encourage students to develop an understanding of the challenges surrounding business ethics and provide students with the tools to recognize and respond to ethical issues, both personally and organizationally (9). This paper outlines a proposed undergraduate business ethics education model that is developed in compliance with AACSB standards.
Longitudinal Analysis of Lymphocyte Ratios and HIV-1 Intracellular DNA Levels in Children

The associations between human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) intracellular DNA and immunological markers were analyzed longitudinally for children with sustained, undetectable RNA levels while receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for >2 years. When DNA levels reached a plateau at week 104 of therapy, in contrast to findings for adults, there was no correlation between the CD4(+) : CD8(+) ratio and DNA levels (r=-0.02; P=.95), and naive CD4(+)CD45RA(+) lymphocytes predominated. These data suggest that the increased proportion of naive lymphocytes found in children are less susceptible to HIV-1 infection than are the memory lymphocytes that dominate immune reconstitution in adults.
TAILOR: a record linkage toolbox

Data cleaning is a vital process that ensures the quality of data stored in real-world databases. Data cleaning problems are frequently encountered in many research areas, such as knowledge discovery in databases, data warehousing, system integration and e-services. The process of identifying the record pairs that represent the same entity (duplicate records), commonly known as record linkage, is one of the essential elements of data cleaning. In this paper, we address the record linkage problem by adopting a machine learning approach. Three models are proposed and are analyzed empirically. Since no existing model, including those proposed in this paper, has been proved to be superior, we have developed an interactive record linkage toolbox named TAILOR (backwards acronym for "RecOrd LInkAge Toolbox"). Users of TAILOR can build their own record linkage models by tuning system parameters and by plugging in in-house-developed and public-domain tools. The proposed toolbox serves as a framework for the record linkage process, and is designed in an extensible way to interface with existing and future record linkage models. We have conducted an extensive experimental study to evaluate our proposed models using not only synthetic but also real data. The results show that the proposed machine-learning record linkage models outperform the existing ones both in accuracy and in performance.
A three-dimensionally interconnected carbon nanotube/layered MoS2 nanohybrid network for lithium ion battery anode with superior rate capacity and long-cycle-life

Abstract A three-dimensionally interconnected carbon nanotube/layered MoS2 nanohybrid network is reported with best-so-far rate capability and outstanding long cycle life as lithium ion battery anode. The monolayer and bilayer MoS2 ultrathin nanosheets with large surface to volume ratio facilitate fast Li ion transport further boosting high power capability, while incorporating high conductive CNT enhances the electronic conductivity and retains the structural integrity. The nanohybrid delivers discharge capacity as high as 512 mAh g−1 at 100 A g−1 and 1679 mAh g−1 over 425 cycles at 1 A g−1 with 96% discharge capacity retention of the initial cycle.
To the Colonizer Goes the Spoils: Amerasian Progeny in Vietnam War Films and Owing Up to the Gaze

(1997). To the Colonizer Goes the Spoils: Amerasian Progeny in Vietnam War Films and Owing Up to the Gaze. Amerasia Journal: Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 69-86.
Rethinking Future Directions of the Mindfulness Field

This chapter discusses future directions of the field of mindfulness, such as the from state to trait mindfulness, large-scale brain network dynamics in mindfulness, different stages of mindfulness and different states of practice, individual differences, the effects of combining mindfulness with other training regimens, and how to translate mindfulness into clinical practice.
Roosting Habits of Pipistrellus hesperus

This study strongly supports the widely held view that Pipistrellus hesperus roosts primarily in cracks and crevices of rocks. More than 70 individual roosts were found by watching bats as they returned to large cliffs at daybreak. Some individuals approach and enter without hesitation; others exhibit a searching behavior before entering. Banding studies revealed little loyalty of a bat to a particular crevice, but many of the bats remain in a general roost area. One maternity colony was found. Available evidence suggests that this species often roosts at night on rocky cliff faces.
Abstract 366: Downregulation of THBS1 is a critical step in glioblastoma angiogenesis.

One of the hallmarks of Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is its abundant vasculature. These blood vessels support the tumor in a number of ways, including providing a niche for glioblastoma cancer stem cells. GBM tumors drive the formation of their vasculature and associated germinal niches through reciprocal inductive interactions between GBM cells and endothelial cells. Targeting the primary drivers of angiogenesis, VEGF and bFGF, in anti-angiogenic cancer treatments has value but is not curative. We hypothesize that identification of additional angiogenic molecules and pathways will provide new avenues for treatment. We used microarrays to perform global gene expression profiling to identify genes that are increased or decreased in expression as a consequence of functional interactions between GBM and brain microvascular endothelial cells. We identified several regulators of angiogenesis whose expression is modulated by this cell-cell interaction, but were particularly interested in the downregulation of Thrombospondin-1 (THBS1) and its associated receptors. THBS1 is a powerful anti-angiogenic protein and has previously been implicated in cancer, but its precise mechanism in glioblastoma angiogenesis is not yet known. A number of in-vitro experiments validated the importance of THBS1 in the interaction between GBM and endothelial cells. In-vivo mouse xenograft experiments showed that overexpression of THBS1 strongly inhibited tumor formation. We believe these results reveal the importance of factors other than VEGF in glioblastoma angiogenesis and provide a rationale to evaluate combinatorial targeted anti-angiogenic therapy for GBM. Citation Format: Michael D. Brooks, Erin Jackson, David Piwnica-Worms, Robi D. Mitra, Joshua B. Rubin. Downregulation of THBS1 is a critical step in glioblastoma angiogenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 366. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-366
Massive unilateral renal hematuria associated with hydronephrosis.

The authors describe a massive unilateral hematuria from a hydronephrotic kidney. The pathologic finding of renal vein herniations is reported.
The Political Behavior of “Unhyphenated Americans”: An Individual-Level Analysis of Causes and Consequences†

Objectives This analysis seeks to assess the findings of previous research that “unhyphenated Americans” have distinct voting patterns. This analysis also provides an empirical test for various hypotheses about the determinants of unhyphenated self-identification that have previously been advanced, but not definitely tested, by scholars. Methods Multivariate quantitative analysis of a nationally representative public opinion survey fielded in 2015. Results The results of previous research are not confirmed. Unhyphenated Americans are no more or less likely to vote for either Obama in 2012 or Democratic congressional candidates in 2014 once important demographic and political control variables are accounted for. Also, contrary to most previous research, unhyphenated self-identification is driven to a large extent by race-related factors. Conclusion Unhyphenated Americans appear to have distinct political voting patterns at the aggregate level, but this pattern disappears at the individual level of analysis. Further research is called for to better understand the behavior of unhyphenated Americans.
Minimum of SSR Markers for Analyzing Genetic Variation of Oryza sativa L.

A total of 120 SSR markers were used to determine the minimum of SSR markers for analyzing genetic variation of 69 Oryza sativa L.accessions,which have been clearly classified,based on the genetic diversity and population structure.The results showed that:1)a total of 1,256 alleles were detected with 120 SSR markers.The number of alleles per locus widely ranged from 2to 27 with an average of 10.5.Nei′s genetic diversity index per locus varied from 0.413 to 0.951 with a mean of 0.760;2)the minimum of SSR markers for analyzing genetic diversity of rice was 72;3)the number of SSR markers for analyzing population structure of rice was at least 60.
Protein derivitization-expressed protein ligation.

Expressed protein ligation (EPL) combines two methods to ligate a synthetic peptide to a recombinant protein. Native chemical ligation (NCL) is a process in which two synthesized peptides are ligated by reaction of a C-terminal thioester on one peptide with an N-terminal cysteine residue of another protein. The chemistry of inteins, self-excising protein fragments that ligate the surrounding protein back together, creates isolatable intermediates with the two chemical groups necessary for NCL, a C-terminal thioester and an N-terminal cysteine residue. This technique allows for the incorporation of synthetic amino acids, radiolabeled amino acids, and fluorescent moieties at specific locations in a protein. It has the advantage of allowing attachment of such synthetic peptides to the termini of a recombinant protein, allowing for the synthesis of large proteins with modified amino acids. This technique utilizes the IMPACTTM-System created by New England Biolabs, who provide a variety of vectors in which the multicloning site is directly upstream of an intein sequence fused to a chitin-binding domain (CBD). The CBD binds tightly and specifically to chitin beads, allowing for an efficient one-step purification. This step can be used to obtain highly purified proteins (see Protein Affinity Purification using Intein/Chitin Binding Protein Tags). After purification of the recombinant protein, cleavage from the intein is achieved through the addition of a reactive thiol compound, usually sodium 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate (MESNA) (see also Proteolytic affinity tag cleavage). This reaction creates a protein with a C-terminal thioester that can then react with a peptide containing an N-terminal cysteine residue, ligating the two proteins via a peptide bond.
Multimorbidity, P4 medicine and holism.

Rationale, aims and objectives Multimorbidity is a serious challenge to providing patients with quality health care. Sturmberg et al. propose a P4 or whole-person medical model based on a holistic approach to deliver such care. The aim of this commentary is to examine critically their P4 model and holistic approach. Methods The P4 model and holistic approach of Sturmberg et al. are analysed conceptually in terms of an effective strategy or sequence for framing P4 medicine and with respect to different philosophical notions of holism for grounding it. Results Instead of a P4 medicine strategy or sequence that emphasizes the predictive and preventive aspects of health care from a biomedical perspective, as Sturmberg et al. do, a more effective strategy or sequence for framing P4 medicine to deliver quality health care is to accentuate the personalized and participatory aspects from a humanistic perspective. The basis of this proposed strategy for P4 medicine is not a technoscientific holism that emphasizes mechanisms to define the whole utilizing bottom-up causation, as Sturmberg et al. ground their biomedical P4 model, but rather a phenomenological holism that also incorporates the person's illness experience and top-down causation. Conclusions The proposal of Sturmberg et al. to treat patient multimorbidity through P4 medicine and a holistic approach is certainly a move in the right direction. However, to achieve their goal requires an alternative strategy for P4 medicine and a more robust notion of holism.
Rapid and recent diversification of curassows, guans, and chachalacas (Galliformes: Cracidae) out of Mesoamerica: Phylogeny inferred from mitochondrial, intron, and ultraconserved element sequences

The Cracidae (curassows, guans, and chachalacas) include some of the most spectacular and endangered Neotropical bird species. They lack a comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis, hence their geographic origin and the history of their diversification remain unclear. We present a species-level phylogeny of Cracidae inferred from a matrix of 430 ultraconserved elements (UCEs; at least one species sampled per genus) and eight more variable loci (introns and mtDNA; all available species). We use this phylogeny along with probabilistic biogeographic modeling to test whether Gondwanan vicariance, ancient dispersal to South America, ancient dispersal from South America, or massive global cooling isolated cracids in the Neotropics. Contrary to previous estimates that extant cracids diversified in the Cretaceous, our fossil-calibrated divergence time estimates instead support that crown Cracidae originated in the late Miocene. Species-rich genera Crax, Penelope, and Ortalis began diversifying as recently as 3Mya. Biogeographic reconstructions indicate that modern cracids originated in Mesoamerica and were isolated from a widespread Laurasian ancestor, consistent with the massive global cooling hypothesis. Current South American diversity is the result of multiple colonization events following uplift of the Panamanian Isthmus, coupled with rapid diversification and evolution of secondary sympatry. Of the four major cracid lineages (curassows, chachalacas, typical guans, horned guan), the only lineage that has failed to colonize and diversify South America is the unique horned guan (Oreophasis derbianus), which is sister to curassows and chachalacas rather than typical guans.
Uses of UV-A Involving Exposure of Humans

The uses of UV-A in medicine and industry are expanding. Such applications generally employ UV-A-induced fluorescence as a diagnostic tool, or useful UV-A photochemical or photobiologic reactions. In industry, UV-A-induced fluorescence is used to detect flaws in metal castings. Industrial use of UV-A photochemical reactions includes the curing of coating materials, inks, and adhesives and the reprogramming of programmable integrated circuits in the electronics industry.
Writing on the walls: Supporting 21st century thinking in the material classroom

Abstract A school's walls are taken-for-granted spaces, not seen as central to teaching. This article asks: How do teachers facilitate writing on secondary classroom and hallway walls that helps to build rich text environments through texts that are local, material, and multimodal? Further, how are those texts reflective of literacy practices appropriate for the 21st Century, resistant to standardized curriculum, and built on students' literate lives? Findings suggest that teachers used butcher paper, markers, post-its, magnetic tile words, and walls to engage students in 21st Century literacy practices. And, even within a test-focused curriculum, students produced an array of multimodal compositions.
Savior King: Re-reading the Gospels as Greco-Africana Literature & Re-imaging Christ as Messianic Pharaoh

Every single New Testament papyri that have ever been discovered were located in Egypt. By provenance alone this fact suggests that the New Testament although written in the Greek language is not simply a “Hellenistic” or Judaic text, but more accurately a Greco-Egyptian or Greco-Africana text influenced by the literary milieu of other late Egyptian literature. We must therefore raise the question to what extent were the authors of the gospels in the New Testament and other early Christian literature shaped by the tradition of triumphant kingship as constructed in ancient Egyptian and Nubian texts. A reconsideration of historical and textual sources may point to the rise of a new black Messiah that re-affirms the sovereignty of the downtrodden over and against global imperium.
Association of Low-Mir-199b with NPMc and IDH1 Mutations Correlate to Poor Survival; Deficiency of Mir-199b Leads to Perturbed Myelopoiesis

Abstract Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was diagnosed in approximately 18,860 people in the U.S. in 2014, and caused an estimated 10,460 deaths. AML is a heterogeneous clonal disorder with highly varied molecular abnormalities. To permit better prognosis and the development of novel targeted therapies, there is an urgent need to elucidate new molecular targets in AML. Previously, via The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we had analyzed the molecular and clinical characteristics of 166 AML cases to investigate a prognostic role for miR-199b and demonstrated that low miR-199b levels correlate with worse survival outcomes, especially M5 subtype; however, their correlation with molecular mutations remained unknown. Herein, we attempt to determine the potential cooperative role of NPMc and IDH1 mutations in miR-199b-low AML and investigate the hematological phenotype resulting from miR-199b global knockout mice. Molecular mutations including FLT3-AML, NPMc and IDH1 were analyzed among miR-199b high and low AML cases. Significant correlations in terms of association and survival outcomes were observed for NPMc and IDH1 mutations. Among n=128 AML patients analyzed for miR-199b/NPMc, n=63 were miR-199b-high samples and, of these, n=2 were positive for NPMc mutation. Importantly, of the n=65 miR-199b-low samples, n=41 were positive for NPMc mutation (Fisher p value = 1.941e-08, odds ratio 19.6112). For IDH1 mutation, among the n=139 AML patients analyzed for miR-199b/IDH1, n=59 were miR-199b-high samples (with n=5 positive for IDH1 mutation) whereas n=80 were miR-199b-low samples (with n=25 positive for IDH1 mutation, Fisher p value = 0.01175, odds ratio 3.663005). Combined survival data analysis for miR-199b and NPMc+/IDH1+ (n=169 AML cases) showed worse survival in low miR-199b patients compared to AML patients negative for both mutations with high miR-199b (Chisq = 10.6 on 2 degrees of freedom, p = 0.00491). To define the functional role of miR-199b in myelopoiesis we generated a miR-199b knockout mouse strain via the CRISPR technique. Molecular confirmation of miR-199b silencing, both at the gene and transcript levels,were carried out by PCR-sequencing and RT-qPCR. Peripheral blood analyses at various time points was performed for n=4 mice each; miR-199b knockout mice exhibited a significant increase (p =0.018) in neutrophil levels (1.03 X103/uL) compared to wild type mice (0.72 X103/uL). Eosinophil and lymphocyte levels were also significantly elevated compared to wild type mice (p Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The source of the Napier fragment of Alfred's Boethius

Analytical tools created as part of a comprehensive edition production technology (EPT) for image-based electronic editions can help editors reconstruct folios from lost or damaged manuscripts. A case in point is the Napier fragment of the Alfredian Boethius, the bottom portion of a MS leaf found and lost by A. S. Napier in 1886. Assembling and displaying Napier's detailed descriptions, digital tools can not only recreate a plausible reconstruction of the lost leaf, but also throw legitimate doubt on its authenticity.
Effects of organic carbon enrichment on respiration rates, phosphatase activities, and abundance of heterotrophic bacteria and protists in organic-rich Arctic and mineral-rich temperate soil samples

The release of respiratory CO2 from polar tundra soils depends on the interactions between soil organic carbon and microbial communities, a topic of increasing importance due to global climate change. We experimentally amended samples of organic-rich tundra soil and mineral-rich temperate soil with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and examined the following (at the same temperature): (1) the effects of DOC enrichment on bacterial and eukaryotic microbial biomasses, respiration, and acid phosphatase activities in both soil types, (2) whether relationships between microbial biomass, respiration, and acid phosphatase activities were similar across soil types, and (3) to what extent DOC enrichment altered the microbial food web in both soil types. Both soil types showed immediate, temporary increases in respiration following C enrichment, though the C source (amino acids, citric acid, or glucose) was an important source of variation. Additionally, a consistent relationship between respiration rates and acid phosphatase activities suggested that C and P cycling were linked in similar ways in the two soil types. The relationships of respiration rate and acid phosphatase activity to bacterial biomass were also consistent across soil types, excepting some amended tundra soil samples, perhaps due to greater protist bacterivory in those samples. In the tundra samples only, changes in predator biomass were accompanied by elevation of bacterial biomass-specific respiration rates. Our findings highlight the potential importance of protist bacterivory on microbial processes in tundra soils, but further research is needed to assess whether microbial food webs differ consistently among soils that vary in organic content.
PASSIVE DESIGN RULES

ABSTRACT The field of design guides, and issues in their development into rules are explored. Various parameters are identified that help or hinder effective rules. In general, sets of rules are recommended based on small biocli-matically and bioculturally defined regions where common climate, construction and culture provide an appropriate context. Such a definition of the region covered by a set of design rules is not typical of the ambitions of researchers, or of the larger political responsibility of funding agencies that usually sponsor the development of passive design rules.
Uncertainty Quantification Using the Nearest Neighbor Gaussian Process

Gaussian process has been widely used in areas including geostatistics and uncertainty quantification due to its parsimonious yet flexible representation of a stochastic process. However, analyzing a large data set with Gaussian process can be challenging due to its O(n3) computational complexity, where n denotes the size of the data set. The recently proposed Nearest Neighbor Gaussian Process (NNGP) aims to approximate a Gaussian process with a target covariance function by using a series of conditional distributions and then exploiting the sparse precision matrices. We demonstrate that NNGP has the potential to be used for uncertainty quantification. We discover that when using NNGP to approximate a Gaussian process with strong smoothness, e.g., the squared-exponential covariance function, Bayesian inference needs to be carried out carefully with marginalizing over the random effects in NNGP. Using simulated and real data, we investigate empirically the performance of NNGP to approximate the squared-exponential covariance function as well as its ability to handle change-of-support effect, a common phenomenon in geostatistics and uncertainty quantification when only aggregated data over space are available.
Big Data, Big Concerns: Ethics in the Digital Age

The collection of data on citizens through digital portals is viewed by organizations as an opportunity to create value, leverage competitive advantage, and maximize productivity and efficiencies i...
Laboratory Diagnosis of Botulism Complicated by Pyridostigmine Treatment of the Patient: A Method for Selectively Removing Interfering Substances from Clinical Specimens

In August 1974, a case of botulism occurred; home-canned potatoes and peas containing Clostridium botulinum, type A, were strongly incriminated as the vehicle of transmission. C. botulinum, type A, was isolated from a stool specimen of the patient, but the mouse neutralization test for botulinal toxin could not be completed because the stool extract contained a highly toxic, heat-stable substance that rapidly killed mice. Historical and laboratory evidence indicated that the substance was pyridostigmine bromide, a low-molecular-weight drug with which the patient had been treated after her disease was misdiagnosed as myasthenia gravis. A generally applicable method employing dialysis by which toxic SUBSTANCED of low molecular weigth could be selectively removed from specimens without diminishing the potency of botulinal toxin contained in them was developed. Dialysis rendered a pyridostigmine solution, a stool extract from the patient with botulism, and a stool extract from a person taking pyridostigmine virtually nontoxic to mice. Dialysis did not significantly alter the toxicity to mice of crude botulinal toxin; it selectively eliminated all or almost all pyridostigmine toxicity from a pyridostigmine-botulinal toxin mixture without altering the toxicity of the botulinal toxin.
Utility of a Clinical Support Tool for Outpatient Evaluation of Pediatric Chest Pain

This study evaluates a clinical pathway currently being employed at a large single-center pediatric cardiology practice. The dataset includes 1,997 pediatric patients with the primary complaint of chest pain. A logistic regression model was developed to predict cardiac disease and identify strong indicators of cardiac pathology. The area under the ROC curve was 0.73 and the Matthews correlation coefficient was 0.23. Given the low incidence of pathology disease, this study was unable to identify strong predictors of major cardiac pathology. The analysis did support syncope, palpitations and the onset of chest pain in the past 2–7 days as predictors of minor cardiac disease. However, the model indicated exertional chest pain is negatively associated with cardiac disease. This data should be evaluated with caution as some of the results are contrary to most clinical cardiologists’ views. The majority of the results support the cardiac disease predictors in the clinical pathway.
Comprehensive history of 3-year and accelerated US medical school programs: a century in review

Within the context of major medical education curricular reform ongoing in the United States, a subset of schools has re-initiated accelerated (3-year) medical education. It would be helpful for ed...
SODA: stencil with optimized dataflow architecture

Stencil computation is one of the most important kernels in many application domains such as image processing, solving partial differential equations, and cellular automata. Many of the stencil kernels are complex, usually consist of multiple stages or iterations, and are often computation-bounded. Such kernels are often offloaded to FPGAs to take advantages of the efficiency of dedicated hardware. However, implementing such complex kernels efficiently is not trivial, due to complicated data dependencies, difficulties of programming FPGAs with RTL, as well as large design space. In this paper we present SODA, an automated framework for implementing Stencil algorithms with Optimized Dataflow Architecture on FPGAs. The SODA microarchitecture minimizes the on-chip reuse buffer size required by full data reuse and provides flexible and scalable fine-grained parallelism. The SODA automation framework takes high-level user input and generates efficient, high-frequency dataflow implementation. This significantly reduces the difficulty of programming FPGAs efficiently for stencil algorithms. The SODA design-space exploration framework models the resource constraints and searches for the performance-optimized configuration with accurate models for post-synthesis resource utilization and on-board execution throughput. Experimental results from on-board execution using a wide range of benchmarks show up to 3.28x speed up over 24-thread CPU and our fully automated framework achieves better performance compared with manually designed state-of-the-art FPGA accelerators.