cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rapid, synaptically driven increases in the intrinsic excitability of cerebellar deep nuclear neurons

The neurons of the cerebellar deep nuclei are implicated in certain forms of motor learning such as associative eyeblink conditioning, partly because increases in their firing rates parallel acquisition of the conditioned response. Here we demonstrate that these neurons can show persistent increases in their intrinsic excitability following a Ca2+ load imposed by synaptic activation of NMDA receptors or direct current injection. This phenomenon, together with use-dependent alterations in synaptic strength, may provide a flexible and informationally rich engram for cerebellar motor learning.
Measuring aspirin resistance, clopidogrel responsiveness, and postprocedural markers of myonecrosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Aspirin and clopidogrel are proven to prevent thromboembolic events during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Enzyme release of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) enzyme during PCI has been associated with an increased risk of future adverse cardiac events. This study examined the correlation between measurements of aspirin resistance and the level of inhibition of the thienopyridine-specific P2Y12 platelet receptor and CK-MB release after PCI. We prospectively studied 330 patients with elective PCI treated with drug-eluting stents. Patients were pretreated with aspirin and clopidogrel. Patients with positive CK-MB or acute coronary syndrome and those on glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were excluded. Serum assays of aspirin resistance (Ultegra Rapid Platelet Function Assay-ASA, Accumetrics) and clopidogrel resistance (Rapid Platelet Function Assay P2Y12, Accumetrics) were performed before PCI. Serum troponinI and CK-MB levels were measured at 8, 16, and 24 hours after PCI. Aspirin resistance unit (ARU) measurement ≥550 was detected in 12 patients (3.7%). Mean platelet reactivity unit (PRU; measurement of inhibition of P2Y12 activity) was 192.2 ± 95.4 (lower PRU, more inhibition of P2Y12 receptor). There was no correlation between level of ARU or PRU and troponin I or CK-MB release after PCI at any time point. Only multivessel coronary disease was found to be a predictor of any increase in CK-MB in a multivariate analysis (odds ratio 2.2, 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 3.3, p = 0.0003). A positive correlation was found between levels of ARU and PRU. Target vessel revascularization/major adverse cardiac event rate at 6 months was 8.2% with no correlation between ARU or PRU and release of cardiac enzymes or occurrence of adverse cardiac events. In conclusion, this study does not support routine measurements of aspirin and clopidogrel resistance in stable patients undergoing PCI.
Synthetic decapeptide reduces bacterial load and accelerates healing in the wounds of restraint-stressed mice

Wound healing is a complex process involving four transitional yet concurrent stages: coagulation, inflammation, cell proliferation/epithelialization and remodeling. These overlapping stages occur uneventfully in normal physiology. However, during psychological stress, the inflammatory response can become dysregulated and result in increased susceptibility to bacterial infection and delayed wound closure. In our restraint stress model, cutaneous wounds of stressed SKH-1 mice demonstrate significantly higher levels of bacterial load, and healing progresses at a rate 30% slower, than in non-stressed mice. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a synthetic antimicrobial decapeptide (KSLW) enhances bacterial clearance during stress-impaired healing in mice. Here, using a Pluronic block copolymer nanocarrier, we endeavored to identify an efficient drug delivery system for KSLW, which would enhance the stability, substantivity and function of the cationic peptide in delayed-healing wounds. In this study, intradermal treatment of excisional wounds of stressed mice with 2mg/ml KSLW loaded in Pluronic F68, resulted in a sustained antimicrobial effect through post-operative day 5, with a 2-log (p<0.01) reduction in bacterial load compared with other stressed mice. The demonstrated bacterial reduction in KSLW-treated stressed mice did not approach the levels observed among control mice. Furthermore, treatment of stressed mice with KSLW improved healing, resulting in significantly faster (p<0.05) wound closure from days 2 to 5 post-wounding, relative to untreated stressed mice and stressed mice treated with Pluronic alone. These findings suggest that Pluronic F68 is an efficient carrier for KSLW, which improves its stability and activity in impaired dermal wounds.
Estimation of Multicrop Production Functions: Comment

In an important theoretical and empirical contribution to the literature on multiple-output production written in 1983, Just, Zilberman, and Hochman (JZH) convincingly argue that a system of technically independent production functions with allocated inputs is generally preferred as a specification of multiple-output agricultural technology than is a single-equation generic-input production function. However, they overstate the conditions required to derive the latter from the former. The objectives of this comment are to (a) document that technical efficiency and standard regularity conditions are sufficient to permit use of the implicit function theorem to derive the single-equation specification from their system of production functions, (b) show that the same conditions are sufficient even if the production functions are not technically independent, and (c) provide an intuitive explanation why complete information about the system of production functions cannot be obtained by estimating the single-equation specification, its dual model, or its dual model with allocation equations appended.
Mortality of Carpenters' Union members employed in the U.S. construction or wood products industries, 1987–1990

This study evaluated the mortality of 27,362 members of the U.S. Carpenters' Union who died in 1987-1990. Age-adjusted proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs) and proportionate cancer mortality ratios (PCMRs) were computed using the U.S. age-, gender-, and race-specific proportional mortality for the years of the study. For white male carpenters who were last employed while in construction industry locals, raised mortality was observed for lung cancer (PCMR = 107, CI = 103, 111), bone cancer (PMR = 181, CI = 107, 286), asbestosis (PMR = 283, CI = 158, 457), emphysema (PMR = 115, CI = 102, 130), transportation injuries (PMR = 121, CI = 109, 135), and falls (PMR = 122, CI = 104, 142). For white male carpenters who were last employed while in industrial wood products locals, significantly raised mortality occurred for stomach cancer (PMR = 187, CI = 136, 250), male breast cancer (PCMR = 469, CI = 128, 720), and transportation injuries (PMR = 136, CI = 110, 173). Excess breast cancer was associated with last employment inn wood machining trades. Nasal cancer mortality was not elevated. A total of 121 mesotheliomas were observed. Contributing cause of death analyses revealed raised mortality for these and additional causes; 4,594 (18%) death certificates mentioned occupational and other lung disease as a contributing factor, resulting in significantly elevated mortality. These data show that construction carpenters have moderately elevated mortality for the diseases caused by asbestos (lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma) and from traumatic injuries. The finding of elevated mortality for stomach, bone, and breast cancer was unexpected and requires further evaluation of possible occupational factors. This study confirms that construction carpentry is an extremely hazardous trade. The data suggest that additional preventive action guarding against asbestos exposure and occupational injury is urgently needed in this occupation.
Generation and analysis of expressed sequence tags from the ciliate protozoan parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.

The ciliate protozoan Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich) is an important parasite of freshwater fish that causes 'white spot disease' leading to significant losses. A genomic resource for large-scale studies of this parasite has been lacking. To study gene expression involved in Ich pathogenesis and virulence, our goal was to generate expressed sequence tags (ESTs) for the development of a powerful microarray platform for the analysis of global gene expression in this species. Here, we initiated a project to sequence and analyze over 10,000 ESTs. We sequenced 10,368 EST clones using a normalized cDNA library made from pooled samples of the trophont, tomont, and theront life-cycle stages, and generated 9,769 sequences (94.2% success rate). Post-sequencing processing led to 8,432 high quality sequences. Clustering analysis of these ESTs allowed identification of 4,706 unique sequences containing 976 contigs and 3,730 singletons. These unique sequences represent over two million base pairs (~10% of Plasmodium falciparum genome, a phylogenetically related protozoan). BLASTX searches produced 2,518 significant (E-value < 10-5) hits and further Gene Ontology (GO) analysis annotated 1,008 of these genes. The ESTs were analyzed comparatively against the genomes of the related protozoa Tetrahymena thermophila and P. falciparum, allowing putative identification of additional genes. All the EST sequences were deposited by dbEST in GenBank (GenBank: EG957858–EG966289). Gene discovery and annotations are presented and discussed. This set of ESTs represents a significant proportion of the Ich transcriptome, and provides a material basis for the development of microarrays useful for gene expression studies concerning Ich development, pathogenesis, and virulence.
Integrated Grating-Nanoslot Probe Tip for Near-Field Subwavelength Light Confinement and Fluorescent Sensing

We demonstrate a near-field sub-wavelength light confinement probe tip comprised of compact embedded metallic focus grating (CEMFG) coupler and photonic crystal (PhC) based λ/4 nano-slot tip, in terms of its far-field radiation directivity and near-field sub-wavelength light enhancement. The embedded metallic grating coupler increases the free space coupling at tilted coupling angle of 25° with over 280 times light intensity enhancement for 10 μm coupler size. Further, 20 nm air slot embedded in single line defect PhC waveguide are designed, using the impedance matching concept of the λ/4 “air rod”, to form the TE mode light wave resonance right at the probe tip aperture opening. This leads to the light beam spot size reduction down to λ/20. The near-field center peak intensity is enhanced by 4.2 times from that of the rectangular waveguide input, with the total enhancement factor of 1185 from free space laser source intensity. The near-field fluorescence excitation and detection also demonstrate its single molecular enhanced fluorescence measurement capability.
Missing feedbacks, asymmetric uncertainties, and the underestimation of future warming

[1] Historical evidence shows that atmospheric greenhouse gas (GhG) concentrations increase during periods of warming, implying a positive feedback to future climate change. We quantified this feedback for CO2 and CH4 by combining the mathematics of feedback with empirical ice-core information and general circulation model (GCM) climate sensitivity, finding that the warming of 1.5–4.5°C associated with anthropogenic doubling of CO2 is amplified to 1.6–6.0°C warming, with the uncertainty range deriving from GCM simulations and paleo temperature records. Thus, anthropogenic emissions result in higher final GhG concentrations, and therefore more warming, than would be predicted in the absence of this feedback. Moreover, a symmetrical uncertainty in any component of feedback, whether positive or negative, produces an asymmetrical distribution of expected temperatures skewed toward higher temperature. For both reasons, the omission of key positive feedbacks and asymmetrical uncertainty from feedbacks, it is likely that the future will be hotter than we think.
Continuously moving table MRI with golden angle radial sampling

Purpose Continuously moving table (CMT) MRI is a high throughput technique that has multiple applications in whole-body imaging. In this work, CMT MRI based on golden angle (GA, 111.246° azimuthal step) radial sampling is developed at 3 Tesla (T), with the goal of increased flexibility in image reconstruction using arbitrary profile groupings. Theory and Methods CMT MRI with GA and linear angle (LA) schemes were developed for whole-body imaging at 3T with a table speed of 20 mm/s. Imaging was performed in phantoms and a human volunteer with extended z fields of view of up to 1.8 meters. Four separate LA and a single GA scan were performed to enable slice reconstructions at four different thicknesses. Results GA CMT MRI produced high image quality in phantoms and humans and allowed complete flexibility in reconstruction of slices with arbitrary slice thickness and position from a single data set. LA CMT MRI was constrained by predetermined parameters, required multiple scans and suffered from stair step artifacts that were not present in GA images. Conclusion GA sampling provides a robust flexible approach to CMT whole-body MRI with the ability to reconstruct slices at arbitrary positions and thicknesses from a single scan. Magn Reson Med, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Hyaluronan fragments induce IFNβ via a novel TLR4-TRIF-TBK1-IRF3-dependent pathway

Background The extracellular matrix plays a critical role in insuring tissue integrity and water homeostasis. However, breakdown products of the extracellular matrix have emerged as endogenous danger signals, designed to rapidly activate the immune system against a potential pathogen breach. Type I interferons play a critical role in the immune response against viral infections. In the lungs, hylauronan (HA) exists as a high molecular weight, biologically inert extracellular matrix component that is critical for maintaining lung function. When lung tissue is injured, HA is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments that alert the immune system to the breach in tissue integrity by activating innate immune responses. HA fragments are known to induce inflammatory gene expression via TLR-MyD88-dependent pathways.
Thermal stability of phosphinated diethyl tartrate

Organohalogen flame retardants, particularly brominated aromatics, are popular, effective, low cost, and widely used in the plastics industry. However, an increasing concern about persistence in the environment and potential negative health effects of these materials has generated intense interest in the development of alternatives. Ideally, these should have all the positive attributes of the materials that will be replaced. In addition, it is desirable that the new materials be as “green” as possible, e.g., based on renewable resources and be degradable to nontoxic products in the environment. A series of new, non-halogenated flame retardants based on tartaric acid is being developed. Tartaric acid is a by-product of the wine industry and is readily available locally on an annual basis (Michigan is the thirteenth largest producer of wine in the U.S.). It can be readily converted to the corresponding diethyl ester. This ester may serve as the base for the development of a series of new, non-halogenated flame-retarding agents. The presence of the reactive hydroxyl groups allows the introduction of a variety of phosphorus-containing moieties. For example, treatment of diethyl tartrate with diphenylphosphinyl chloride generates diethyl 2,3-di(diphenylphosphinato)-1,4-butanedioate. This material may serve as a monomer for the preparation of various phosphorus-containing polymers and oligomers via step-growth transesterification. The thermal stability of this compound has been assessed by thermogravimetry.
Opioids and addiction: Emerging pharmaceutical strategies for reducing reward and opponent processes

Abstract Conventional strategies for treating opioid abuse include cognitive/behavioral therapy, maintenance therapy and managed withdrawal. These strategies deal with the addictive state, but much effort has shifted toward developing preventative measures. One approach is to reduce the rewarding properties of abused drugs, which in the case of prescription pharmaceuticals such as opioid analgesics is clearly a worthwhile endeavor. First, we will review recent studies demonstrating that mice lacking various G-protein coupled receptors and their ligands show diminished opioid reward. These studies point to considerable interdependence among different neuromodulatory systems for establishing drug reward. Thus, we will highlight the potential for combining opioids with other receptor targets to maximize analgesia and minimize reward in order to prevent the establishment of euphoric memories and opponent processes driving addiction. A more complex issue is treating opioid addicts where many physiological shifts have developed to oppose the acute drug effects. These opponent processes occur both at the cellular level (e.g. adenylate cyclase supersensitivity) and behavioral level (e.g. dysphoria and hyperalgesia). Evidence will be presented showing that even weak opioid agonists can effectively induce the intracellular process of adenylate cyclase supersensitivity. Furthermore, opioid-induced hyperalgesia, a behavioral opponent process, may manifest differently depending on the pain stimulus, and may require a priming drug dose in some cases. Environmental stress interacts with these opponent processes and drives relapse and thus, is another variable that needs to be considered in the development of innovative pharmacotherapy options for opioid addicts.
Cell Signals Influencing Hepatic Fibrosis

Liver fibrosis is the result of the entire organism responding to a chronic injury. Every cell type in the liver contributes to the fibrosis. This paper first discusses key intracellular signaling pathways that are induced during liver fibrosis. The paper then examines the effects of these signaling pathways on the major cell types in the liver. This will provide insights into the molecular pathophysiology of liver fibrosis and should identify therapeutic targets.
The Crushing of Air Cavities in a Liquid

Although there is a growing amount of information on the distribution of bubble sizes in the upper layers of the ocean, no satisfactory theory for it has yet been given. In this paper we make a beginning with a theoretical model for the initial size distribution of bubbles generated by the shattering of a single air cavity, as in a breaking wave, when the bubbles are still close to the parent surface and before the distribution has been modified by buoyancy and convection. The expected size distribution depends upon the initial air volume and on the additional available energy. At small energies the probability density p ( a ) of bubble radii a is relatively narrow. At large energies the logarithmic distribution ap ( a ) tends to a certain unimodal form having a non-zero skewness. The width of the distribution at half its maximum is 2.16 octaves. Comparisons are made with both optical and acoustical measurements of the bubble size distributions from breaking waves in streams and in the ocean. A reasonable measure of agreement is found.
Destruction of Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium chrysogenum, Stachybotrys chartarum, and Cladosporium cladosporioides spores using chemical oxidation treatment process

The survival of aqueous suspensions of Penicillium chrysogenum, Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus versicolor, and Cladosporium cladosporioides spores was evaluated using various combinations of hydrogen peroxide and Fe2+ as catalyst. Spore concentrations of 106–107 colony forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL) were suspended in water and treated with initial hydrogen peroxide and iron concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 10 percent and 100 to 200 ppm, respectively. After four hours of reaction time, samples were plated on agar plates, and the viable fraction of spores was determined by the number of colonies formed. Hydrogen peroxide concentrations above 50,000 ppm resulted in greater than 6-log10 reduction of viable spores for both catalyzed and noncatalyzed reactions. Iron had a strong catalytic effect when added to solutions with hydrogen peroxide concentration above 5,000 ppm and resulted in two to three orders of magnitude greater reduction compared to hydrogen peroxide alone. Additional samples taken after 24 hours of reaction time showed that the effect of the addition of 100 and 200 ppm of Fe2+ catalyst was mostly kinetic, and noncatalyzed hydrogen peroxide had sporicidal effects similar to catalyzed hydrogen peroxide. This study identified initial reagent concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and Fe2+ that accomplish a 6-log10 reduction of viable mold spores within reaction times of 4 and 24 hours. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cognitive and Affective Outcomes in a Multi-age Language Arts Program

Abstract The M.A.G.I.C (Multi-Age Groupings Interweaving the Curriculum) program replaced the traditional primary graded classrooms with multi-age groupings of students for language arts instruction. Interrelated with this restructuring of the instructional program was the implementation of an experiential and literature-based language arts curriculum. The program focused on both the cognitive need to increase the language arts ability of students and the affective need to increase student self-esteem and attitudes toward school. A holistic scoring rubric (writing assessment) and a performance-based test (reading assessment) measured the cognitive need. A teacher-developed affective instrument measured the affective need. For each of the three assessment criteria, findings indicated that students in the M.A.G.I.C. program had significantly higher increases in pre-test/post-test scores than did students who were taught in a traditional graded structure that emphasized a basal-reader approach in the languag...
Effects of learner–instructor relationship-building strategies in online video instruction

Although research has demonstrated that an increased rapport between instructors and learners can positively relate with increased learning gains, perhaps mediated by the positive attitudes toward the course and self-efficacy beliefs in the coursework, little has been done to test what instructional strategies might increase this rapport in online video-based instruction. This study compared online video-based instruction that made use of relationship-building strategies with online video-based instruction that did not use those strategies. The two instructions were identical in every other way. The results show that the attitudes of the college students were positively affected by the relationship building strategies in a statistically significant way (p = .025) and that learning gains were also positively affected at a very near-significant level (p = .052). The implications of the findings are discussed.
Narrative fortresses: crisis narratives and conflict in the conservation of Mount Gorongosa, Mozambique.

A single narrative about the Gorongosa Restoration Project (GRP) in Mozambique circulates widely in the popular media. This story characterises the project as an innovative intervention into an ecological crisis situation. The narrative hails the project's aim to use profits from tourism to address the goals of both human development and conservation of biodiversity, and portrays the park project as widely embraced by long-term residents. This representation helps the project attract broad acclaim, donor funding, and socially conscious visitors, yet it obscures the early emergence of unified opposition to the project's interventions among long-term residents of Gorongosa Mountain. This article draws on ethnographic research conducted on Gorongosa Mountain between 2006 and 2008 to examine the project's early activities there. I examine two crisis narratives that led to entrenched conflict between park-based actors and mountain residents. Focusing on the emergence and solidification of divergent narratives-narrative fortresses-about the extension of the park's activities to Gorongosa Mountain offers insight into the powerful role of crisis narratives in producing and maintaining conflict, leading to outcomes counter to the desires of conservationists. Ultimately, the article points to ways in which narratives of environmental crisis work against aspirations of partnership and collaboration with resident populations in conservation and development schemes.
Global Trends in Computing Accreditation

As computing accreditation increases, three trends are emerging: clarified definitions of disciplines, a unified approach to accreditation, and a focus on graduates' long-term competencies.
Energetics of the oxygen vacancy order-disorder transition in Ba2In2O5

The heat capacity and the enthalpy associated with the reported oxygen vacancy order-disorder transition in Ba2In2O5 were measured by high temperature step scanning calorimetry. The transition temperature is 1205 ± 2 K. The transition appears first order or nearly so. The enthalpy and entropy of transition are 1.3 kJ/mol and 1.1 J/mol K, respectively. The latter is only 4.8% of the configurational entropy, arising from mixing one vacancy and five oxygens per formula unit, 22.5 J/mol K. This suggests that the transition involves only a small fraction of the oxygen vacancies and implies extensive short-range order, SRO, in the high temperature phase.
Message ordering in a multicast environment

Three ordering properties are characterized, namely, single-source, multiple-source, and multiple-group ordering, and their solutions are discussed. The multiple-group ordering property, which guarantees that two messages destined to two processes are delivered in the same relative order, even if they originate at different sources and are addressed to different multicast groups, is concentrated on. A protocol that solves the multiple-group ordering problem is presented. The issues of performance and reliability are addressed by providing comparisons with other techniques for ordering multicasts. In many cases this new algorithm solves the problem with greater efficiency than previous solutions without sacrificing reliability. It is pointed out that one disadvantage of the technique is that sometimes sites are required to handle messages which they do not need to deliver locally. These so-called extra nodes, however, do not occur frequently according to the experiments presented. >
Mesothelin as a target for chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells as anticancer therapy

Mesothelin is a promising target for immune-based therapy, specifically for mesothelioma and pancreatic and ovarian cancers that have high levels of mesothelin expression. Many preclinical and clinical studies that target tumors with high mesothelin expression with antibodies, immunotoxins, antibody-drug conjugates and vaccines have shown the potential of mesothelin as a target. Studies of T cells genetically modified with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) report significant efficacy in hematologic malignancies, and antimesothelin CAR T cells are currently being investigated in clinical studies. Here we outline the rationale for using mesothelin as a target for immunotherapy, review the clinical and preclinical studies evaluating mesothelin-directed therapies and explore the promise of CAR T cells directed against mesothelin for immunotherapy in the future.
Sex differences in depression: do women always have higher rates?

Journal of Research in Personality 10:343-57. Sorrentino, R. M., and R. G. Boutilier 1974 "Evaluation of a victim as a function of fate similarity/dissimilarity." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 10:84-93. Sudnow, D. 1967 "Dead-on-arrival." Trans-Action, November, pp. 36-43. Sutherland, S., and D. Scherl 1970 "Patterns of response among victims of rape." American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 40:503-11.
An Overview of GMAW Including Applications, Common Problems and Solutions

Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) is said to be one of the easiest welding processes to learn and use. Because of its high deposition rates and little post-weld cleaning required, GMAW is a popular choice for a variety of applications including almost all commercially important metals. Another factor contributing to the widespread use of GMAW is the various modes of metal transfer including short circuit, spray, surface tension transfer (STT), etc. These different modes of transfer enable GMAW to be tailored to different situations. For instance, some applications may require deep penetration or other applications may be for welding very thin sections. However, these factors along with others may result in inferior welds if not monitored closely. Problems such as weld porosity, lack of fusion, and lack of shielding gas coverage can all lead to inadequate welds which can lead to larger problems if not corrected. Many common drawbacks to the GMAW process can be remedied quite easily with proper time and attention. Taking the time and effort to produce a sound weld may, however, negate the superior deposition rates of GMAW thereby limiting its use to fewer applications. This welding process can be extremely effective when used properly. However, the key is to not sacrifice weld quality for the sake of production. GMAW applications, modes of transfer, along with common problems and solutions associated with the process will all be discussed and detailed.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Neural signature of hierarchically structured expectations predicts clustering and transfer of rule sets in reinforcement learning.

Abstract Often the world is structured such that distinct sensory contexts signify the same abstract rule set. Learning from feedback thus informs us not only about the value of stimulus-action associations but also about which rule set applies. Hierarchical clustering models suggest that learners discover structure in the environment, clustering distinct sensory events into a single latent rule set. Such structure enables a learner to transfer any newly acquired information to other contexts linked to the same rule set, and facilitates re-use of learned knowledge in novel contexts. Here, we show that humans exhibit this transfer, generalization and clustering during learning. Trial-by-trial model-based analysis of EEG signals revealed that subjects’ reward expectations incorporated this hierarchical structure; these structured neural signals were predictive of behavioral transfer and clustering. These results further our understanding of how humans learn and generalize flexibly by building abstract, behaviorally relevant representations of the complex, high-dimensional sensory environment.
A Vision-Based Respiration Monitoring System for Passive Airway Resistance Estimation

Objective: Airway resistance is the mechanical cause of most of the symptoms in obstructive pulmonary disease, and can be considered as the primary measure of disease severity. A low-cost and noninvasive method to measure the airway resistance that does not require patient effort could be of great benefit in evaluating the severity of lung diseases, especially in patient population that are unable to use spirometry, such as young children. Methods: The Vision-Based Passive Airway Resistance Estimation (VB-PARE) technology is a passive method to measure airway resistance noninvasively. The airway resistance is estimated from: 1) airflow extracted from processing depth data captured by a Microsoft Kinect, and 2) Pulsus Paradoxus extracted from a pulse oximeter (SpO $_2$ ). Results: To verify the validity and accuracy of the VB-PARE, two phases of experiment were conducted. In Phase I, spontaneous breathing data was collected from 14 healthy participants with externally induced airway obstruction, and the accuracy of $76.2\pm 13.8\%$ was achieved in predicting three levels of obstruction severity. In Phase II, VB-PARE outputs were compared with the clinical results from 14 patients. VB-PARE estimated the tidal volume with an average error of $0.07\pm 0.06$ liter. Also, patients with airway obstruction were detected with $80\%$ accuracy. Conclusion: Using the information extracted from Kinect and SpO $_2$ , here, we present a quantitative method to measure the severity of airway obstruction without requiring active patient involvement. Significance: The proposed VB-PARE system contributes to the state-of-art respiration monitoring methods by expanding the idea of passive and noninvasive airway resistance measurement.
Inadequate gestational weight gain increases risk of small-for-gestational-age term birth in girls in Japan: A population-based cohort study

Objectives Babies born small for gestational age (SGA) have a higher risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality as well as later life chronic disease. The objectives of this study were to examine the extent to which prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) influenced risk of SGA among Japanese, and to evaluate physician response to, and potential effects on, GWG. Methods We examined SGA risk as a function of maternal BMI and GWG using logistic regression with data from maternal child health handbooks obtained from women in Japan (N = 383). Physicians’ written comments on weight and dietary restriction were analyzed for responses to and influence on GWG. Results SGA babies comprised 8.6% of the sample, with 13% and 6% of the mothers being underweight and overweight, respectively, and 21.7% and 19.8% of mothers gaining less and more than the recommended amounts, respectively. In adjusted models, higher prepregnancy BMI and GWG were associated with lower risk of SGA (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.56, 0.90; 0.75, 95% CI 0.61, 0.92 respectively) in models for girls, but not for boys. Inadequate GWG was associated with higher risk of SGA in girls (OR 6.64, 95% CI 2.18, 20.22). Physician written instructions to restrict dietary intake and weight gain followed an average weight gain of 0.69 kg/week from the previous prenatal exam, and were followed by weight gains that decreased to 0.30 kg/week. Conclusions Prepregnancy BMI and GWG significantly influence SGA risk in female babies. GWG may be influenced by physicians’ recommendations. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Discussion of enhancing accuracy for power grid dynamic security pre-warning system

The technical status of power grid dynamic security and stability pre-warning system is introduced. The problems of pre-warning accuracy is analyzed,including that power flow simulation is not accurate,expected fault set is incomplete,fault in substations is difficult to simulate,the state of protective relay and safety automatic device are difficult to identify,and the accuracy of online calculation parameters is difficult to verify. The factors possibly affecting the pre-warning accuracy are analyzed. The general idea of improving pre-warning accuracy is proposed,and the relevant objectives,implementation methods and applications are described specifically.
Thinking on the Statistical Work of Science and Technology in Colleges and Universities

This paper dissertates the importance of the statistical work of scien ce and technology in colleges and universities. It also discusses some problems about the statistical work of science and technology existing in colleges and un iversities. Then several pieces of advice to strengthen the statistical work of science and technology are put forward. At last, the enlightenment for the stati stical work of science and technology in colleges and universities is brought fo rward.
Cis-Diamminedichloride Platinum II in the Treatment of Abvanced Bladder Cancer

AbstractThere were 21 patients with advanced, measurable bladder cancer who were treated with cis-diamminedichloride platinum II. Of the 21 patients 3 (14 per cent) achieved a complete response that persisted for more than 1 year, while 6 (29 per cent) achieved a partial remission for an average duration of 5.7 months. Responses to cis-diamminedichloride platinum II were noted shortly after administration of the drug. After the initial response no additional benefit of cis-diamminedichloride platinum II was observed after 9 weeks (third dose). Despite the fact that cis-diamminedichloride platinum II was tolerated reasonably well by the majority of patients and that there were 3 cases of long-term remission cis-diamminedichloride platinum II appears limited to induction of a response in patients with advanced bladder cancer rather than for long-term maintenance therapy.
Parallel, independent reversions to an embryonic expressionphenotype in multiple types of cancer

Changes in gene expression provide a valuable frame of reference for explaining the development and progression of cancer. Many tissue types radically alter their gene expression profile after becoming oncogenic. We evaluate this change in gene expression in 8 different cancer lines by comparing their expression profiles to that of their associated differentiated tissues as well as profiles for proliferative human embryonic stem cells. We find that, for non-proliferative tissues, the alterations in expression after oncogenesis result in a profile that is significantly more similar to the embryonic expression profile than to the original tissue profile. We also find that the lists of co-similar genes among embryonic and tumor cells are clustered within gene regulatory, protein interaction and metabolic networks. There is however little overlap in these lists between cancer lines and no pattern shared among all cancers in this analysis. We conclude that the manner in which cancers instantiate a proliferative pattern of expression following oncogenesis is diverse and we find no uniform proliferative program among the cancers in this analysis.
Suppose a Perclose.

The development of coronary interventional strategies and devices has provided an alternative to surgery for coronary artery disease. The femoral artery is the most common access site for therapeutic cardiac interventions. The methods to achieve hemostasis post procedure vary from conventional, where the arterial puncture site is externally compressed, to novel, where the femoral artery is sealed with a device. One such device is a suture mediated percutaneous vascular closure system developed by Perclose, Incorporated. It provides a safe, effective method to achieve immediate hemostasis of the femoral artery. The vascular complication rate is only 0.78%, time to hemostasis is within 1.3 minutes, and time to ambulation in within 5.5 minutes. These advantages provide improved patient comfort and have a positive economic impact.
Direct DNA Sequencing of Complementary DNA Amplified by the Polymerase Chain Reaction

Protocols for the sequence analysis of conventional single-stranded or double-stranded DNA templates are often unsuitable for the direct sequencing of DNA fragments generated by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (1,2). The features that can distinguish PCR products as templates for sequencing include (a) contamination of the reactions by nonspecific PCR amplification products that are complementary to the sequencing primer, (b) the persistence of “leftover” PCR primers from the amplification reactions, and (c) the potential for competition between one strand of the amplified fragment and the oligonucleotide used for the sequencing. The various approaches that have been used to overcome these problems include
The economics of fixed cost recovery by utilities

Abstract Economics provides policymakers guidance when they must depart from efficient pricing (equal to societal marginal cost) to cover an electric utility profit shortfall. Options include raising volumetric retail prices, tiered pricing, fixed charges, minimum bills, and demand charges. There is no ideal policy, but balancing efficiency and equity suggests using a combination of fixed charges and increased volumetric prices. Economics does not support the use of demand charges or minimum bills.
Devices for the Post CMOS Era

This chapter addresses the end of conventional device scaling and discusses post Si device alternatives. A short discussion of requirements for a successful logic device is followed by a discussion of the traditional device evolution path for the conventional FET geometry. Multiple gate devices and high mobility channel materials are included in this section. Next the tunnel FETs is considered as an alternative switch that requires no new materials. The discussion of new device materials includes carbon nano tubes, graphene, ferroelectric dielectrics and magnetic switching as possible candidates for new switches. The chapter ends with a brief outlook on what challenges have to be overcome to make these new materials viable candidates for a logic technology.
The Role of Transnational Corporations: Theory and Evidence:

U.S.-based transnational corporations (TNCs) and single-nation corporations (SNCs) are shown to occupy two distinct competitive regimes in a dual economy. TNCs are located predominantly in the tech...
Mating Propensity and Its Genetic Basis in Drosophila

Sexual behavior must have evolved as an efficient mechanism to propagate the species. As a property contributing to Darwinian fitness it must be one of the most critical in the life cycle, because throughout the preadult stages numbers of individuals succumb to the exigencies of their environment so that at the mature stage when reproduction takes place the minimum for the life cycle is attained. A diversity of genotypes acting on the efficiency of sexual behavior at this focal stage will no doubt exert selective differences which have considerable value in perfecting the efficiency of the sexual process. As a result, at least three major phenomena may evolve: (1) increasing fertility, or higher fitness for the population or the species, (2) increasing sexual dimorphism owing to intrasexual competition (Darwin’s sexual selection) and to preferences for mates, and (3) increasing assortative mating leading to sexual isolation and speciation (Bateman, 1948; Smith, 1958a, b; O’Donald, 1962; Manning, 1965; Caspari, 1967, for example).
Application of local improvements to reduced-order models to sampling methods for nonlinear PDEs with noise

ABSTRACTIn this work, we extend upon the results of Raissi and Seshaiyer [A multi-fidelity stochastic collocation method for parabolic partial differential equations with random input data, Int. J....
Robotic Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty

Minimal access reconstructive surgery has evolved in a large way over past two decades. Laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LP) was first introduced in 1993 by Schuessler et al. [1]. Since then, it has rapidly become part of the urologic armamentarium for the treatment of primary ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) [2].
Separation and identification of fatty acid esters of algal carotenoid metabolites in the freshwater mussel Dreissena bugensis, by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet/visible wavelength and mass spectrometric detectors in series

LC with photodiode array and APCI-ion trap mass spectrometry has made it possible to tentatively identify 76 carotenyl fatty acid esters (cFAEs) in solvent extracts from Dreissena bugensis, collected from Lake Erie: 16 mono- and 33 diFAEs of fucoxanthinol (FOH), and 27 diFAEs of mactraxanthin (MX). FOH and MX, previously identified in cFAE hydrolysates, were confirmed as parent carotenoids of the cFAEs, and as primary metabolites of fucoxanthin and violaxanthin, respectively, derived from diatoms and chlorophytes in the dreissenids' diet. The most abundant fatty acid substituents of cFAEs were 16:0 and 16:1; abundant fatty acid biomarkers were 16:1 and 20:5, from diatoms, and 17:0, from bacteria. Cleanup of solvent extracts by solid phase extraction (Florisil) was necessary to reduce neutral background lipids, which interfered with detection of MX-diFAEs by APCI(+), and detection of FOH-diFAEs by APCI(+/-). The FOH-monoFAEs, MX-diFAEs and FOH-diFAEs were found to elute in a well-defined chromatographic order, by two regression models for retention times increasing as a function of: i) increasing number of carbons but decreasing number of double bonds in the fatty acid and decreasing number of non-esterified OH-groups on the parent carotenoids; ii) increasing dispersive but decreasing polar and hydrogen-bonding interactions, described by solubility parameters calculated for each cFAE. The best separations of the dreissenid cFAEs, with free OH-groups decreasing from four to one, were achieved between 20 and 68min, using a C18-column and moderately polar mobile phase (acetone, water), to obtain a reverse-phase gradient with a 56% decrease in hydrogen-bonding interactions.
Predicting Learning: Comparing an Open Educational Resource and Standard Textbooks

Open educational resources (OERs) enable anyone, anywhere, to access psychological science for free. Are OERs as effective learning tools as standard textbooks (STBs)? I compared students using an OER with students using STBs in 2 large, multisite studies (N = 1,099 and N = 2,229, respectively). Stu
Extraction behavior of selected rare earth metals from acidic chloride media using tetrabutyl diglycolamide

Rare earth elements (REEs) are vital to modern, high-tech devices. Recycling REEs from post-consumer electronics can potentially diminish supply chain risks. Toward that end, liquid–liquid solvent ...
[105] The Work of Robert D. MacPherson

Robert D. MacPherson has received the National Academy of Sciences Award in Mathematics, a prizeof $5000 established by the AMS to commemorate the Society’s centennial in 1988. Professor MacPherson wasrecognized for “his role in the introduction and application of radically new approaches to the topologyof singular spaces including characteristic c lasses, intersection homology, perverse sheaves, and stratified Morse theory. “ The award was one of thirteen presented at the Academy’s I 29th meeting on April 27,1992.
Broken and Disordered: Selected Critical Readings on Broken Windows Policing

Broken windows policing came of age when one of the nation's largest and most high-profile police departments began to systematize the philosophy as part of order maintenance policing. This bibliog...
Integral models for bubble, droplet, and multiphase plume dynamics in stratification and crossflow

We present the development and validation of a numerical modeling suite for bubble and droplet dynamics of multiphase plumes in the environment. This modeling suite includes real-fluid equations of state, Lagrangian particle tracking, and two different integral plume models: an Eulerian model for a double-plume integral model in quiescent stratification and a Lagrangian integral model for multiphase plumes in stratified crossflows. Here, we report a particle tracking algorithm for dispersed-phase particles within the Lagrangian integral plume model and a comprehensive validation of the Lagrangian plume model for single- and multiphase buoyant jets. The model utilizes literature values for all entrainment and spreading coefficients and has one remaining calibration parameter $$ \kappa $$ , which reduces the buoyant force of dispersed phase particles as they approach the edge of a Lagrangian plume element, eventually separating from the plume as it bends over in a crossflow. We report the calibrated form $$ \kappa = [(b - r) / b]^4 $$ , where b is the plume half-width, and r is the distance of a particle from the plume centerline. We apply the validated modeling suite to simulate two test cases of a subsea oil well blowout in a stratification-dominated crossflow. These tests confirm that errors from overlapping plume elements in the Lagrangian integral model during intrusion formation for a weak crossflow are negligible for predicting intrusion depth and the fate of oil droplets in the plume. The Lagrangian integral model has the added advantages of being able to account for entrainment from an arbitrary crossflow, predict the intrusion of small gas bubbles and oil droplets when appropriate, and track the pathways of individual bubbles and droplets after they separate from the main plume or intrusion layer.