cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interactive Effects of Dietary Copper and Water Copper Level on Growth, Water Intake, and Plasma and Liver Copper Concentrations of Poults

Abstract The interactive effects of dietary Cu and water Cu on poult growth, water intake, whole-blood hemoglobin (Hb), and plasma and liver Cu concentrations were investigated using 232 9-d-old toms. Poults were randomly assigned to two levels of dietary Cu [Basal (B) and B + 204 mg Cu/kg diet] and to four levels of water Cu (0, 51.5, 103, and 206 mg Cu/kg water) in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments. Each treatment was replicated six times. All poults received tap water during Days 1 to 5 followed by the water Cu treatments during Days 6 to 10. Water intake was measured daily and gain and feed intake were determined on Days 5 and 10. Day 1 to 5 gain was reduced (P .10) by dietary Cu. Liver Cu concentration was increased (P .10) by dietary Cu level. Day 6 to 10 gain, feed intake, gain:feed, and daily water intake were decreased (quadratic effect, P .10) by water Cu. Liver Cu concentration was increased more in poults receiving both supplemental dietary Cu and water Cu than in poults receiving either Cu source alone (dietary Cu by water Cu quadratic, P
Tensile Viscoelastic Properties of Spunbonded Nonwoven Polypropylene Backing

The tensile elastic and viscoelastic properties of a nonwoven polypropylene backing, used as the main structural component during the processing of unfinished tufted carpets, are characterized in t...
Solitude and Intimacy: Linking Territoriality and Privacy Experiences

The further advancement of privacy models depends upon clarifying two issues: the relationship between privacy and territoriality and the degree to which different types of privacy have distinct behavioral and cognitive correlates. Two types of privacy experiences—solitude and intimacy—were investigated. Given the divergent function of these two forms of privacy, we expected each would be sought in different types of territories. We also expected that where people seek a form of privacy depends in part upon the quality of the immediate social environment: a territory will be used less for privacy experiences as the understandings that regulate usage of the space erode. Students were asked where they went for solitude, where they went for intimacy, and to describe their experiences in these two places. Results supported the hypotheses. In addition, a substantial and coequal linkage between privacy and territoriality appeared. A two-step process describing this linkage was suggested. Implications of the findings for a more precise conceptualization of privacy behaviors were explored.
Estimation of system reliability using a semiparametric model

An important problem in reliability engineering is to predict the failure rate, that is, the frequency with which an engineered system or component fails. This paper presents a new method of estimating failure rate using a semiparametric model with Gaussian process smoothing. The method is able to provide accurate estimation based on historical data and it does not make strong a priori assumptions of failure rate pattern (e.g., constant or monotonic). Our experiments of applying this method in power system failure data compared with other models show its efficacy and accuracy. This method can be used in estimating reliability for many other systems, such as software systems or components.
The Dynamic Alterations of H2AX Complex during DNA Repair Detected by a Proteomic Approach Reveal the Critical Roles of Ca2+/Calmodulin in the Ionizing Radiation-induced Cell Cycle Arrest

By using DNA nuclease digestion and a quantitative "dual tagging" proteomic approach that integrated mass spectrometry, stable isotope labeling, and affinity purification, we studied the histone H2AX-associating protein complex in chromatin in mammalian cells in response to ionizing radiation (IR). In the non-irradiated control cells, calmodulin (CaM) and the transcription elongation factor facilitates chromatin transcription (FACT) were associated with H2AX. Thirty minutes after exposing cells to IR the CaM and FACT complexes dissociated, whereas two DNA repair proteins, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 and DEAH box polypeptide 30 isoform 1, interacted with H2AX. Two hours and 30 min after exposure, none of the above proteins were in the complex. H2B, nucleophosmin/B23, and calreticulin were associated with H2AX in both non-irradiated and irradiated cells. The results suggest that the H2AX complex undergoes dynamic changes upon induction of DNA damage and during DNA repair. The genuine interactions between H2AX and H2B, nucleophosmin/B23, calreticulin, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1, and CaM under each condition were validated by immunoprecipitation/Western blotting and mammalian two-hybrid assays. Because multiple Ca(2+)-binding proteins were found in the H2AX complex, the roles of Ca(2+) were examined. The results indicate that Ca(2+)/CaM plays important roles in regulating IR-induced cell cycle arrest, possibly through mediating chromatin structure. The dataset presented here demonstrates that sensitive profiling of the dynamics of functional cellular protein-protein interactions can successfully lead to the dissection of important metabolic or signaling pathways.
Role of the Nuclease of Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae in Dispersal of Organisms from Biofilms

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) forms biofilms in the middle ear during human infection. The biofilm matrix of NTHI contains extracellular DNA. We show that NTHI possesses a potent nuclease, which is a homolog of the thermonuclease of Staphylococcus aureus. Using a biofilm dispersal assay, studies showed a biofilm dispersal pattern in the parent strain, no evidence of dispersal in the nuclease mutant, and a partial return of dispersion in the complemented mutant. Quantitative PCR of mRNA from biofilms from a 24-h continuous flow system demonstrated a significantly increased expression of the nuclease from planktonic organisms compared to those in the biofilm phase of growth (P < 0.042). Microscopic analysis of biofilms grown in vitro showed that in the nuclease mutant the nucleic acid matrix was increased compared to the wild-type and complemented strains. Organisms were typically found in large aggregates, unlike the wild-type and complement biofilms in which the organisms were evenly dispersed throughout the biofilm. At 48 h, the majority of the organisms in the mutant biofilm were dead. The nuclease mutant formed a biofilm in the chinchilla model of otitis media and demonstrated a propensity to also form similar large aggregates of organisms. These studies indicate that NTHI nuclease is involved in biofilm remodeling and organism dispersal.
Privacy Against Many Arbitrary Low-sensitivity Queries

We consider privacy-preserving data analysis, in which a trusted curator, holding an n-row database filled with personal information, is presented with a large setQ of queries about the database. Each query is a function, mapping the database to a real number. The curator’s task is to return relatively accurate responses to all queries, while simultaneously protecting the privacy of the individual database rows. An active area of research on this topic seeks algorithms ensuring differential privacy, a powerful notion of privacy that protects against all possible linkage attacks and composes automtically and obliviously, in a manner whose worst-case behavior is easily understood. Highly accurate differentially private algorithms exist for many types of datamining tasks and analyses, beginning with counting queries of the form “How many rows in the database satsify Property P?” Accuracy must decrease as the number of queries grows. For the special case of counting queries known techniques permit distortion whose dependence on n and|Q| is �(n 2/3 log|Q|) [1] or �( p nlog 2 |Q|) [8]. This paper describes the first solution for large setsQ of arbitrary queries for which the presence or absence of a single datum has small effect on the outcome.
Inference for pth-order random coefficient integer-valued autoregressive processes

. A pth-order random coefficient integer-valued autoregressive [RCINAR(p)] model is proposed for count data. Stationarity and ergodicity properties are established. Maximum likelihood, conditional least squares, modified quasi-likelihood and generalized method of moments are used to estimate the model parameters. Asymptotic properties of the estimators are derived. Simulation results on the comparison of the estimators are reported. The models are applied to two real data sets.
Repair of Atrial Septal Defect in a Patient with the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

An 18-year-old girl with uncomplicated ostium secundum defect and an Ehlers-Danlos syndrome of moderate severity was subjected to open-heart surgery with closure of the defect. The coagulation mechanism was normal. Recovery was uneventful with fairly normal healing of incisions and suture lines.Only a few instances of cardiac malformations have been reported in connection with this rare connective tissue disorder. To our knowledge, one patient with this syndrome has previously been subjected to open-heart surgery.
A Hypothesis About Late Walkers

Dr. Beargie, in his interesting comments on babies late to walk, concluded that this motor delay occurs because the children were kept in a crib and were unable to practice walking. He noted, however, that these children come from "a home that does not have central heating . . . [and] is heated by a coal stove . . .[and] the crib is placed near the heating stove." When carbon is completely oxidized it will yield carbon dioxide and water.
Sandvik Coromant Recycling Concept

Lars Hallberg is preparing for a meeting with the executive management of Sandvik Tooling, a world leader in metal cutting tools. The purpose of the meeting is to review the Coromant Recycling Concept (CRC), a global recycling program for Coromant, the leading brand of Sandvik Tooling. The case is an opportunity to evaluate a global recycling program, including its value to the company from business and environmental perspective, the match between the reverse and forward supply chain as well as decisions regarding keeping recycling in house or outsourcing it.
Autoregulatory CD8 T cells depend on cognate antigen recognition and CD4/CD8 myelin determinants

Objective: To determine the antigenic determinants and specific molecular requirements for the generation of autoregulatory neuroantigen-specific CD8 + T cells in models of multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: We have previously shown that MOG35-55-specific CD8 + T cells suppress experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in the C57BL/6 model. In this study, we utilized multiple models of EAE to assess the ability to generate autoregulatory CD8 + T cells. Results: We demonstrate that alternative myelin peptides (PLP178-191) and other susceptible mouse strains (SJL) generated myelin-specific CD8 + T cells, which were fully capable of suppressing disease. The disease-ameliorating function of these cells was dependent on the specific cognate myelin antigen. Generation of these autoregulatory CD8 + T cells was not affected by thymic selection, but was dependent on the presence of both CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell epitopes in the immunizing encephalitogenic antigen. Conclusions: These studies show that the generation of autoregulatory CD8 + T cells is a more generalized, antigen-specific phenomenon across multiple neuroantigens and mouse strains, with significant implications in understanding disease regulation.
Transient natural gas liquefaction and its application to CCC-ES (energy storage with cryogenic carbon capture™)

Abstract This paper presents steady-state and transient models and optimization of natural gas liquefaction using Aspen HYSYS. Steady-state exergy and heat exchanger efficiency analyses summarize the performance of several potential systems. Transient analyses of the optimal steady-state model produced most of the results discussed here. These results pertain to LNG (liquefied natural gas) generally and to an energy storage process associated with CCC (cryogenic carbon capture™) in which the LNG process plays a prominent role specifically. The energy storage CCC process influences the time constants and magnitudes of the flow rate characteristics. These flowrate variations affect all units, especially compressors and heat exchangers. The proposed process controls temperatures, pressures and other operating parameters. K-value- and U-value-techniques guide flowrate and heat exchanger stream variations. Transient responses to both ramping and step-changes in flow rates indicate process responses, including summary effects represented in transient efficiency graphs.
Physics of Heat-Release in Rotating Detonation Engines

Rotating detonation engines (RDEs), along with the well-studied Pulsed Detonation Engine (PDEs), represent an alternative for obtaining propulsion and power generation using the high efficiency detonation cycle. In the last half decade, the RDE has been studied aggressively internationally due to its advantages over conventional PDEs. Many previous studies have focused on the main characteristics and performance of RDEs in various configurations and conditions. The performance of any combustor is tied closely to the local heat-release conditions in the combustor. Unlike more conventional combustors or even the closely related Pulsed Detonation Engines, heat-release occurs under a wide range of conditions within RDEs from detonation to deflagration to even non-premixed burning, and so describing it solely as a “detonation cycle engine” is not completely accurate. In this paper we use a deflagration model in simulations with different configurations to try to more accurately pinpoint where heat is being released, and how this affects the performance of the resulting engine. In particular, we examine how changing the pressure, the injector configuration, and the mixedness of the reactants may change the different heat-release regimes and ultimately the performance of the RDE. Results show that for cases using the ideal injection model, low pressure reactions are insignificant and have only a small effect on performance. When computing finite-sized injectors, a separate low pressure reaction model has to be used due to overprediction of deflagration and recovery zone reactions that eventually cause the detonation wave to fail. In these cases, less than half of the reactants are burned within the detonation wave, although the detonation wave is still the dominant feature of the flow-field. Detonation wave speeds varied from 1637 m/s to 1844 m/s, and specific impulses varied from 4650 s to 4980 s for 10 atm feed stagnation pressure.
The Neuropsychology of Risky Sexual Behavior.

OBJECTIVES: Engagement in risky sexual behavior (RSB) is a significant public health concern. A growing body of literature is elucidating the role of brain systems and neuropsychological constructs implicated in RSB, which may pave the way for novel insights and prevention efforts. METHODS: In this article, we review studies incorporating neuropsychology into the study of RSB across the lifespan. The review of the literature on the neuropsychology of RSB is separated into three different sections by age of participants. Background is presented on research associating RSB with neurocognitive processes and the brain systems involved. Given the overlap between RSBs and substance use, studies addressing these problems in tandem are also discussed. RESULTS: Neurocognitive constructs are implicated in RSB, including impulsivity, decision-making, and working memory. DISCUSSION: Thus far, evidence suggest that neuropsychological factors are associated with engagement in RSB. More research on the influence of neuropsychological factors on engagement in RSB is necessary and may help inform future prevention efforts. (JINS, 2016, 22, 1-9). Language: en
Vascular Injury Secondary to Gunshot Wound: Wanna Be, Gonna Be, Never Was

This case report is unusual not because of the history of gunshot wound but because the patient lied about the injury. The patient stated that he was wounded in combat while serving in Vietnam. When records were verified, it was discovered that the patient was not a veteran and, therefore, could not have been injured in combat. The fact that this patient claimed to be a combat veteran but never served in the military brings to mind the words from the well-known Airborne cadence "Wanna Be, Gonna Be." However, in this case the patient never was.
Radiation-stimulated explosive evaporation and burning of hydrogen droplets in hot aerosol mixtures

We present results of analytical and numerical investigation of explosive evaporation and burning scenarios of hydrogen droplets in hydrogen/oxygen aerosols. The following two scenarios have been elucidated. The first scenario, corresponding to sufficiently large droplets, is characterized by three stages: (i) an essentially homogeneous heating of a droplet to a near-critical temperature by IR radiation from the hot gas; (ii) explosive evaporation; and (iii) burning of hydrogen cloud formed by evaporation. The second scenario, corresponding to small droplets, differs in that a droplet is heated mainly by thermal conduction from the hot gas. The heating is accompanied by evaporation which can become explosive at the final stage of evaporation. The crossover droplet size separating the two scenarios is calculated. Conservative finite-difference numerical analysis is used to explore the predicted scenarios and verify analytical estimates.
Generation of 130-fs infrared pulses

During the past few years, the generation of ultrashort pulses has received increasing attention due to the large variety of phenomena occurring in the femtosecond time scale. Most of the research efforts have been so far concentrated in the visible region. However, several areas such as photochemistry or semiconductor physics would benefit from the availability of femtosecond sources in other parts of the frequency spectrum.
Cardiovascular Causes of Systemic Hypertension

This article reviews the clinical presentation, treatment, and mechanism of hypertension associated with the various cardiovascular abnormalities associated with the development of hypertension in childhood. Special emphasis is given to coarctation of the aorta because it is the major cardiovascular cause of secondary hypertension in childhood.
Gender, apolipoprotein E genotype, and mesial temporal atrophy: 2-year follow-up in patients with stable mild cognitive impairment and with progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between gender, apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, and mesial temporal atrophy in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with and without progression to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We evaluated 236 MCI patients with (n = 121) and without (n = 115) AD progression. Longitudinal MRI-based hippocampal volumes (HV) and entorhinal cortex (ERC) thickness were obtained. The Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) score was used to assess disease severity. We found a significant effect of APOE, gender, and clinical course (stable MCI versus MCI-AD progression) on HV. There was a significant effect of clinical course and APOE, but not gender, on ERC. Baseline HV and APOE4 status predicted MCI-AD progression in women. Baseline ERC and APOE4 status predicted MCI-AD progression in men. There were significant differences in CDR-SB scores between patients with and without MCI-AD progression, but not between males and females, or APOE4 carriers and non-carriers. HV, but not ERC, is strongly influenced by gender in MCI. The effects of gender and APOE4 on neuroimaging biomarkers have potentially important implications in the prediction of MCI-AD progression and should be taken into account in clinical trials.
Growth of stoichiometric InP nanowires/nanobelts by a facile vapor transport method

We present a new methodology for growth of highly stoichiometric InP nanowires/ nanobelts. Optical properties and dynamics of growth for hexagonal structures based on the interplay between the VLS and VS growth mechanism are investigated.
"Making the Ordinary More Extraordinary": Exploring Creativity as a Health Promotion Practice Among Older Adults in a Community-Based Professionally Taught Arts Program

Purpose: Document psychosocial and mental well-being outcomes across artistic mediums and classes of a community-based, professionally taught arts program for older adults. Method: One hundred and thirty-eight students completed pre and post class surveys about expectations/experiences when creating art in four mediums (painting, drawing, mixed media, creative writing). In addition, 162 students composed one-paragraph biographical narratives describing their relationships to art and creative engagement. Text was coded for a priori and emergent themes to identify and explain well-being outcomes. Findings: Results of this new study supported and expanded our earlier model of improved psychosocial and mental well-being due to creative engagement: impact of class-cognitive focus and outcome of class-cognitive focus, happiness as component of mental and social well-being due to creative engagement, and robust sense of calmness during the creative process. Conclusion: Results suggest that professionally taught ...
Growth Habit of Weigela florida as Affected by Stock Plant Propagation History

Abstract The effects of stock plant propagation history on the growth habits of Weigela florida (Bunge) A.D.C. ‘Red Prince’ and ‘7755’ were investigated. The growth habits of cuttings from tissue culture (TC)-propagated and conventionally (CV) propagated plants were compared. In the first vegetative generation, TC-propagated plants of both cultivars exhibited reduced apical dominance and increased branching in comparison with CV propagated plants. In the second vegetative generation, some of the effects of TC-propagation persisted in plants of both cultivars, although TC-propagated plants exhibited fewer differences in growth habit as compared with CV propagated plants. The results of this study indicate that TC-derived stock plants and first-vegetative-generation TC-propagated plants may serve as superior sources of propagation material by providing an increase in both the quantity and quality of cuttings that they produce.
Chapter 27 - Neurocutaneous syndromes

Neurocutaneous syndromes (or phakomatoses) are a diverse group of congenital disorders that encompass abnormalities of neuroectodermal and, sometimes, mesodermal development, hence commonly involving the skin, eye, and central nervous system. These are often inherited conditions and typically present in early childhood or adolescence. Some of the abnormalities and clinical symptoms may, however, be progressive, and there is an increased risk of neoplastic formation in many of the syndromes. As a group, neurocutaneous syndromes are characterized by distinctive cutaneous stigmata and neurologic symptomology, the latter often representing the most devastating and debilitating features of these diseases. Many of these syndromes are markedly heterogeneous in nature as they affect many organ systems. Given the incurable nature of these conditions and the broad spectrum of pathologies they comprise, treatments vary on a case-by-case basis and tend to be palliative rather than curative. With the advances in molecular genetics, however, greater understanding of biologic functions of the gene products and the correlative phenotypic expression is being attained, and this knowledge may guide future therapeutic developments. This chapter focuses on the cutaneous and neurologic pathology with emphasis on neuroimaging of selective neurocutaneous syndromes, including tuberous sclerosis, Sturge–Weber syndrome, Klippel–Trenaunay syndrome, ataxia-telangiectasia, and incontinentia pigmenti.
Nasally-Administered Oxytocin Has Limited Effects on Owner-Directed Attachment Behavior in Pet Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris).

The present study explored the effects of intranasal oxytocin, a naturally occurring hormone, on the behavior of pet dogs during an attachment test. Each dog participated in two testing sessions. On one visit saline was administered nasally, and on another, oxytocin was administered nasally. Condition order was counterbalanced and a double-blind methodology was employed. Following a 30-minute wait period after administration of solutions, dog-owner pairs participated in the Secure Base Test, a short attachment test consisting of three two-minute phases: (1) Baseline- the owner was present, dogs were able to freely explore the testing room (2) Alone- dogs were left alone in the testing room (3) Return- owners re-entered the room and were reunited with their dog. In each phase the dog was evaluated for contact seeking, exploration, and avoidance behaviors. Although oxytocin administration was expected to increase owner-directed proximity and contact seeking behavior, this effect was not observed. In fact, in the baseline phase, dogs spent significantly more time seeking the proximity of their owners when they received saline than when they received OT (p < 0.05). Sex differences were also assessed for the behavioral variables of interest in the Secure Base Test, and results indicated that OT did not affect dogs’ behavior in the alone phase, but when saline was administered, females spent significantly more time in contact with the door than males in the alone phase (p < 0.05). Overall, the effects of nasally administered oxytocin on attachment related behavior appeared to be limited or inconsistent for this pet dog population.
Ethnic Diversity, Segregation and Ethnocentric Trust in Africa

Ethnic diversity is generally associated with less social capital and lower levels of trust. However, most empirical evidence for this relationship is focused on generalized trust, rather than more theoretically appropriate measures of group-based trust. This article evaluates the relationship between ethnic diversity – at the national, regional and local levels – and the degree to which coethnics are trusted more than non-coethnics, a value referred to here as the ‘coethnic trust premium’. Using public opinion data from sixteen African countries, this study finds that citizens of ethnically diverse states express, on average, more ethnocentric trust. However, within countries, regional ethnic diversity is associated with less ethnocentric trust. This same negative pattern between diversity and ethnocentric trust appears across districts and enumeration areas within Malawi. The article then shows, consistent with these patterns, that diversity is only detrimental to intergroup trust at the national level when ethnic groups are spatially segregated. These results highlight the importance of the spatial distribution of ethnic groups on intergroup relations, and question the utility of micro-level studies of interethnic interactions for understanding macro-level group dynamics.
Insomnia in the Older Adult

Although insomnia is not a normal part of the aging process, its prevalence increases with age. Factors such as medications and medical and psychiatric disorders can increase the risk for insomnia. To diagnose insomnia, it is important for older adults to complete comprehensive sleep and health histories. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia, which includes stimulus control, sleep restriction, sleep hygiene, and cognitive therapy, is the recommended first-line treatment of insomnia and is more effective than medications for the long-term management of insomnia. Medications, such as benzodiazepines and antidepressants, should be avoided for the treatment of insomnia in older adults.
MIXED LAYER DEPTHS VIA DOPPLER LIDAR DURING LOW-LEVEL JET EVENTS

A low-level jet (LLJ) is a prominent wind speed peak in the lower troposphere. Nocturnal LLJs have been shown to transport and mix atmospheric constituents from the residual layer down to the surface, breaching quiescent nocturnal conditions due to high wind shear. A new fuzzy logic algorithm combining turbulence and aerosol information from Doppler lidar scans can resolve the strength and depth of this mixing below the jet. Conclusions will be drawn about LLJ relations to turbulence and mixing.
Human evolutionary loss of epithelial Neu5Gc expression and species-specific susceptibility to cholera

While infectious agents have typical host preferences, the noninvasive enteric bacterium Vibrio cholerae is remarkable for its ability to survive in many environments, yet cause diarrheal disease (cholera) only in humans. One key V. cholerae virulence factor is its neuraminidase (VcN), which releases host intestinal epithelial sialic acids as a nutrition source and simultaneously remodels intestinal polysialylated gangliosides into monosialoganglioside GM1. GM1 is the optimal binding target for the B subunit of a second virulence factor, the AB5 cholera toxin (Ctx). This coordinated process delivers the CtxA subunit into host epithelia, triggering fluid loss via cAMP-mediated activation of anion secretion and inhibition of electroneutral NaCl absorption. We hypothesized that human-specific and human-universal evolutionary loss of the sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) and the consequent excess of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) contributes to specificity at one or more steps in pathogenesis. Indeed, VcN was less efficient in releasing Neu5Gc than Neu5Ac. We show enhanced binding of Ctx to sections of small intestine and isolated polysialogangliosides from human-like Neu5Gc-deficient Cmah-/- mice compared to wild-type, suggesting that Neu5Gc impeded generation of the GM1 target. Human epithelial cells artificially expressing Neu5Gc were also less susceptible to Ctx binding and CtxA intoxication following VcN treatment. Finally, we found increased fluid secretion into loops of Cmah-/- mouse small intestine injected with Ctx, indicating an additional direct effect on ion transport. Thus, V. cholerae evolved into a human-specific pathogen partly by adapting to the human evolutionary loss of Neu5Gc, optimizing multiple steps in cholera pathogenesis.
The Regulation of Enzyme Synthesis and it’s Role in the Neoplastic Process

The environmental control of cellular metabolism is a topic which has fascinated biochemists throughout this century. However, it is only recently that our knowledge of the chemistry of living matter has grown to sufficient sophistication to allow us to study the mechanisms of cellular regulatory function. Perhaps the epitomy of the phenomena of cellular regulatory mechanisms is seen in the mammalian organism wherein a multicellular multiclonal organism must not only cope with the environment in which it lives but also must have delicately balanced mechanisms regulating an internal intracellular environment in which the cell colonies survive for their mutual benefit. Furthermore, unlike the unicellular organism whose only battle for survival is with the external elements, the mammalian organism consists predominantly of tissues and cells in the resting phase or interphase of their growth. In fact it is this maintenance of cells in specific positions in relation to one another and exhibiting homogeneous control of metabolism and growth which enables the multicellular organism to survive. It is certain aberrations in these homeostatic mechanisms which leads to aberrations in cellular function and growth which we have termed the disease, cancer.
The Dynamics of Reforming Intelligence: The Crisis after the Crisis

The surprise terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001 marked the beginning of the war on terrorism. President Barak Obama’s closing of the Guantanamo Bay interrogation center along with other secret overseas detention centers on his second day in office is widely taken to be a step in the direction of ending the war phase of the struggle against terrorism as the defining threat in U.S. foreign policy. The March 2009 decision to stop using the phrase 'enemy combatant' marked yet another step in this direction. These two dates can also be used to mark the beginning and end of a period of highly visible and often contentious intelligence policy making that included a major reform of the intelligence community with the establishment of the position of Director of National Intelligence. During this period the intelligence community found itself on the political defensive accused of a wide variety of sins ranging from poor analysis to illegal and immoral activities. Intelligence was no longer the shield of the Republic but a villain; no longer a savior but a scapegoat. Its passing raises the question of what comes next. Will the storm over intelligence pass or will intelligence operate in a permanently changed political landscape? The argument presented here is that it would be unwise to assume a return to 'normalcy.' Rather, we have entered into what Arjen Boin and his co-authors identify as a 'crisis after the crisis.' This is the period when the original set of events that created the crisis has passed but it’s political and policy repercussions continue. An examination of the underlying forces that gave rise to the 'blame game' in which intelligence found itself after the 9/11 attacks suggests that this crisis after the crisis will be especially challenging for the intelligence community. It will have great difficulty reestablishing its reputation and influence through the standard tools of engaging in fence mending with politicians, educating the American public, and improving its performance (however that might be defined). Much as the shifting of tectonic plates underneath the earth’s crust fundamentally alters the surface physical landscape so too may the underlying political and social forces that coalesced after 9/11 produced a seismic shift in the political landscape in which U.S. intelligence policy is made.
Use and outcomes of minimally invasive hysterectomy for women with nonendometrioid endometrial cancers.

Background Minimally invasive hysterectomy is now used routinely for women with uterine cancer. Most studies of minimally invasive surgery for endometrial cancer have focused on low-risk endometrioid tumors, with few reports of the safety of the procedure for women with higher risk histologic subtypes. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the use of and survival associated with minimally invasive hysterectomy for women with uterine cancer and high-risk histologic subtypes. Study Design We used the National Cancer Database to identify women with stages I–III uterine cancer who underwent hysterectomy from 2010–2014. Women with serous carcinomas, clear cell carcinomas, and sarcomas were examined. Women who had laparoscopic or robotic-assisted hysterectomy were compared with those who underwent open abdominal hysterectomy. After a propensity score inverse probability of treatment weighted analysis, the effect of minimally invasive hysterectomy on overall, 30-day, and 90-day mortality rates was examined for each histologic subtype of uterine cancer. Results Of 94,507 patients who were identified, 64,417 patients (68.2%) underwent minimally invasive hysterectomy. Among women with endometrioid tumors (n=81,115), 70.8% underwent minimally invasive hysterectomy. The rates of minimally invasive surgery in those women with nonendometrioid tumors (n=13,392) was 57.6% for serous carcinomas, 57.0% for clear cell tumors, 47.3% for sarcomas, 32.2% for leiomyosarcomas, 47.9% for stromal sarcomas, and 48.5% for carcinosarcomas. Performance of minimally invasive surgery increased across all histologic subtypes between 2010 and 2014. For nonendometrioid subtypes, robotic-assisted procedures accounted for 47.9–75.7% of minimally invasive hysterectomies by 2014. In a multivariable model, women with nonendometrioid tumors were less likely to undergo minimally invasive surgery than those with endometrioid tumors (P Conclusion The use of minimally invasive surgery is increasing rapidly for women with stage I–III nonendometrioid uterine tumors. Performance of minimally invasive surgery does not appear to impact survival adversely.
Is there a supervenience problem for robust moral realism

The paper describes the problem for robust moral realism of explaining the supervenience of the moral on the non-moral, and examines five objections to the argument: (1) The moral does not supervene on the descriptive, because we may owe different obligations to duplicates. (2) If the supervenience thesis is repaired to block (1), it becomes trivial and easy to explain. (3) Supervenience is a moral doctrine and should get an explanation from within normative ethics rather than metaethics. (4) Supervenience is a conceptual truth and should be explained by the nature of our concepts rather than by a metaphysical theory. (5) The moral does not supervene on the descriptive, because moral principles are not metaphysically necessary. It concludes that none of these objections is successful, so Robust Realists do have an explanatory debt to worry about.
Predicting Endogenous Bank Health from FDIC Statistics on Depository Institutions Using Deep Learning

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) keeps records of banking data in its Statistics on Depository Institutions (SDI) going back to the fourth quarter of 1992. The data are reported quarterly on approximately 1,050 variables, such as total assets, liabilities, and deposits. We hypothesized that impending failure could be predicted from these data. We restricted the database to 60 quantitative variables that had no missing data for any bank in any quarter during the epoch under consideration: the first quarter of 2000 through the second quarter of 2017. Deep learning approaches based on multilayer perceptrons and convolutional neural networks were evaluated and failed to accurately predict failures better than guessing based on priors. These baseline experiments, particularly the inability to overfit to the training data, show the challenges of finding failure-predicting trends that are strictly intrinsic to a bank. Future deep learning work would have to include exogenous factors to link quarterly observations between banks.
Evaluating Time Varying Connectivities and System Throughput in Opportunistic Networks for Smart Grid Applications

With increasing proliferation of smart phones, there is an opportunity to employ mobile ad hoc networks to connect to distributed energy assets located in remote areas. With embedded intelligence and edge computing capabilities, autonomous ‘edge control nodes’ can enable a decentralized energy nexus, without the need for on-demand communications. Authors have developed an opportunistic networking framework using Bluetooth Low Energy and a specialized mobile phone application that enables delay tolerant networking for the above framework. This paper presents the analysis of time varying graph connectivity for such an opportunistic mobile ad hoc network. Dependence of connectivity on different network parameters such as radio characteristics, the mobility of data mules and parameters governing how connections are established are explored. Simulation results showing the variation of above trends have been presented.
In and out of the nucleus: CNN based segmentation of cell nuclei from images of a translocating sensor

This study demonstrates application of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for the analysis of a unique image analysis problem in fluorescence microscopy. We employed the U-Net CNN architecture and trained a model to segment nuclear regions in images of a translocating biosensor---which alternates between the nucleus and cytoplasm---without the need for a constant nuclear marker. The model provided high-quality segmentation results that allowed us to accurately quantify the extent of cyclin-dependent kinase activity in a population of cells. We envision that the development of this kind of analysis tools will enable biologists to design live-cell fluorescence imaging experiments without the need for providing a constant marker for a subcellular region of interest. As a consequence, they will be free to increase the number of biosensors measured in single cells or reduce the phototoxicity of cellular imaging.
Jaringan Informasi dan Komunikasi Organisasi VOC di Sulawesi (Makasar) 1735-1737: Studi Kasus Arsip Overgekomen Brieven en Papieren (OBP) sebagai Penghubung Vital Komunikasi VOC

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis jaringan informasi dan komunikasi organisasi dagang terbesar di abad 17 dan 18, Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC), khususnya organisasi VOC di Sulawesi (Makasar). Arsip yang diteliti adalah khazanah arsip VOC yang terdapat di Nationaal Archief (NA) Belanda, yaitu arsip Overgekomen Brieven en Papieren (OBP) nomor 2381. Metode yang digunakan adalah deskriptif analisis dengan menggunakan sumber primer arsip OBP dan sumber sekunder literatur yang berkaitan dengan jaringan dan VOC. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa arsip OBP memiliki struktur yang dapat menggambarkan sistem komunikasi VOC, dan topik yang paling banyak didiskusikan dalam korespondensi antara organisasi VOC di Makasar dengan pos-pos terluar adalah mengenai bajak laut dan perang.
Departures from local interfacial equilibrium during metal oxidation

We use irreversible thermodynamics to formulate a model for the formation of a cation-deficient, $p$-type oxide on the surface of a pure metal in which local equilibrium is not necessarily maintained at the oxide interfaces and no a priori assumption regarding a rate limiting step is made. The dissipation rate derived here accounts for most of the conceivable processes that can occur during the oxidation of a metal, including bulk diffusion of cations and surface diffusion along the metal-oxide and gas-oxide interfaces. By including capillary effects in the formulation, shape changes in the oxide, which are usually neglected in most theories, can be described. We examine the steady-state solution of the model in one dimension for planar interfaces, and show that the growth law naturally captures the transition from linear to parabolic kinetics as the film thickens. A characteristic lengthscale for the transition is derived and can be obtained from oxide growth curves as a fitting parameter. Wagner's classical oxidation model is obtained as a limiting case of our more general model. We obtain expressions for the interfacial defect concentrations as a function of the departure from local equilibrium at the interfaces. From these expressions, we show that the exponent for the oxygen pressure dependence of the cation vacancy concentration can deviate from the usual values obtained from equilibrium considerations, and thus measuring nonstandard exponents can indicate a nonequilibrium effect. Our analysis serves to clarify the meaning and validity of the local equilibrium assumption in the context of metal oxidation.
Evidence for $B^{(*)}_s$ Production at the ϒ(5S)

Based on data collected by the CLEO III detector at CESR, we started a series of investigations to open the mysteries of the ϒ(5S) resonance decay properties. Bs mesons are expected to decay predominantly into Ds meson, while the lighter B mesons decay into Ds only about 10% of the time. We exploit this difference to present the first evidence of a substantial production of Bs mesons at the ϒ(5S) resonance. We make here a preliminary model dependent estimate of the ratio of to the total quark pair production at the ϒ(5S) energy to be (21 ± 3 ± 9)%.
Enhancing KCC2 activity decreases hyperreflexia and spasticity after chronic spinal cord injury.

Abstract After spinal cord injury (SCI), the majority of individuals develop spasticity, a debilitating condition involving involuntary movements, co-contraction of antagonistic muscles, and hyperreflexia. By acting on GABAergic and Ca2+-dependent signaling, current anti-spastic medications lead to serious side effects, including a drastic decrease in motoneuronal excitability which impairs motor function and rehabilitation efforts. Exercise, in contrast, decreases spastic symptoms without decreasing motoneuron excitability. These functional improvements coincide with an increase in expression of the chloride co-transporter KCC2 in lumbar motoneurons. Thus, we hypothesized that spastic symptoms can be alleviated directly through restoration of chloride homeostasis and endogenous inhibition by increasing KCC2 activity. Here, we used the recently developed KCC2 enhancer, CLP257, to evaluate the effects of acutely increasing KCC2 extrusion capability on spastic symptoms after chronic SCI. Sprague Dawley rats received a spinal cord transection at T12 and were either bike-trained or remained sedentary for 5 weeks. Increasing KCC2 activity in the lumbar enlargement improved the rate-dependent depression of the H-reflex and reduced both phasic and tonic EMG responses to muscle stretch in sedentary animals after chronic SCI. Furthermore, the improvements due to this pharmacological treatment mirror those of exercise. Together, our results suggest that pharmacologically increasing KCC2 activity is a promising approach to decrease spastic symptoms in individuals with SCI. By acting to directly restore endogenous inhibition, this strategy has potential to avoid severe side effects and improve the quality of life of affected individuals.
Academic and Non-academic Ambulatory Surgery Centers and Hospital Outpatient Departments

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), both academic and non-academic, have steadily increased in numbers since the 1970s when the first ASCs were started. ASCs offer surgeons the opportunity to perform procedures more efficiently and conveniently than hospital-based operating rooms. ASCs operate exclusively to provide surgical services to patients not requiring hospitalization and where the expected duration of services would not exceed 24 hours following admission. ASCs include those that provide service for specific indications such as orthopedics or eye surgery, as well as those that provide ambulatory surgery for a wide variety of procedures. They also vary widely in whether the ASC is physician owned, connected to a hospital, or part of an academic institution. Hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) provide services similar to ASCs but are controlled more by hospital rules and processes than freestanding ASCs. These include hospital rules for physician privileges, restrictions on which patients can be included, and differing reimbursement rates from insurers.
Electron heating and cooling in hypersonic flows

Using recently developed advanced numerical methods for plasma flows and sheaths, the first detailed study of electron cooling and heating taking place within hypersonic non-neutral flows is presented here. The numerical simulations fully couple the Navier–Stokes equations for the neutrals to the drift–diffusion model for the electrons and ions and include a 11-species finite-rate chemical solver along with a transport equation for the electron temperature in non-equilibrium. Results for Mach 18 airflow around a wedge with a sharp leading edge show that at low flight dynamic pressure the electron temperature remains close to the freestream temperature in the stagnation region. Such is attributed to the product of the electric field and the electron current being dominantly negative within the plasma sheaths and acting as an electron energy sink. This cooling effect leads to a significant portion of the flow downstream of the shock exhibiting electron temperatures much lower than expected. This study is the first to show a large impact of the non-neutral plasma sheaths on the post-shock electron temperature. This study also shows that the common approach to set the electron temperature equal to the vibrational temperature can result in the electron temperature being over-predicted by one order of magnitude or more in hypersonic flows.