cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Study of the Synthesis of Gamma-Pantothenate by Neurospora

Abstract Acetone-dried mycellium of wild-type Neurospora crassa Em5256A was able to synthesize γ-pantothenate from pantoyl lactone and γ-aminobutyric acid. Microbioassay with Lactobacillus arabinosus 17-5 was used to test for γ-pantothenate production. In some experiments δ-pantothenate was also produced from δ -amino- n -valeric acid and pantoyl lactone. Centrifuged enzyme extracts from wild-life-type Neuropora were also active in synthesizing pantothenate and its homolog from their precursors. The Neurospora pantothenicless mutant 5531A (pan 1A) was able to synthesize β-pantothenate, γ-pantothenate and δ-pantothenate in vitro from their precursors. Under the same conditions the Neurospora mutant pan-2A synthesized β-pantothenate, γ-pantothenate and δ-pantothenate in vitro and in vitro . However, the pantothenicless mutant pan-1A could not use γ-pantothenate for growth in the concentrations tested. The pan-2A strain could use γ-pantothenate acid, but it also grew well on pantoyl lactone. The synthesis of β-synthesis of β-pantothenate and γ-pantothenate requires both enzyme and co-enzyme to catalyze the coupling reaction from their precursors.
Lessons from the History of Life on Earth

The discussion of life on other worlds is inevitably qualified by the phrase, “life as we know it.” This customary and appropriate caution among scientists serves to (1) admit that all our speculations and extrapolations are based on a known sample size of only one, and (2) imply that the one form of life we know may be peculiar to the physical conditions under which it exists. While these constraints do place boundaries on the scientific latitude we should allow ourselves in speculating about unknown forms of life, the sample with which we are familiar does constitute a specific and robust example that has persisted through numerous crises in variable, changing, and often extreme environments. Assuming that the laws of physics and chemistry are universally operative, then life elsewhere might be expected to follow the same evolutionary and ecological principles that have characterized its history on Earth. Thus, rather than thinking of “life as we know it” in terms of constraints, this chapter explores the insights to be gained by regarding the one life we know as a harbinger and example of the life we can reasonably expect to exist on other worlds.
European-contact and Southwestern Artifacts in the Lower Walnut Focus Sites at Arkansas City, Kansas

Large-scale data recovery at eight Lower Walnut focus sites yielded a large and rich data base, including glass beads, a piece of lead, obsidian, marine shell. Southwestern ceramics, and cultural turquoise (i.e., chemical turquoise, azurite, chrysocolla, and malachite). The aboriginal artifacts may have entered the sites through the hands of intermediate hunting-foraging societies or through direct contact between Lower Walnut focus-Wichita peoples and the Puebloan societies of the Rio Grande valley. Exotic materials may have functioned as status symbols. The artifacts show that the Lower Walnut focus was part of an exchange system ultimately integrating the southern Plains with the Southwest, Great Basin, and California. A few glass beads and a piece of lead, indicative of historic components at some sites, are evidence of direct or indirect contact with European populations.
Clinical Service extensions for Rural Area Exceptional Children

This is the third of a series of articles on clinical services edited by T. E. Newland, assistant professor of psychology, Northwestern University. Dr. Porter writes from a background of field work in rural Pennsylvania and a combination of teacher training and special education clinical service in teachers college. The views expressed here are, of course, those of Dr. Porter.
Comparative genomics of Pseudomonas syringae pathovar tomato reveals novel chemotaxis pathways associated with motility and plant pathogenicity

The majority of bacterial foliar plant pathogens must invade the apoplast of host plants through points of ingress, such as stomata or wounds, to replicate to high population density and cause disease. How pathogens navigate plant surfaces to locate invasion sites remains poorly understood. Many bacteria use chemical-directed regulation of flagellar rotation, a process known as chemotaxis, to move towards favorable environmental conditions. Chemotactic sensing of the plant surface is a potential mechanism through which foliar plant pathogens home in on wounds or stomata, but chemotactic systems in foliar plant pathogens are not well characterized. Comparative genomics of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pathovar tomato (Pto) implicated annotated chemotaxis genes in the recent adaptations of one Pto lineage. We therefore characterized the chemosensory system of Pto. The Pto genome contains two primary chemotaxis gene clusters, che1 and che2. The che2 cluster is flanked by flagellar biosynthesis genes and similar to the canonical chemotaxis gene clusters of other bacteria based on sequence and synteny. Disruption of the primary phosphorelay kinase gene of the che2 cluster, cheA2, eliminated all swimming and surface motility at 21 °C but not 28 °C for Pto. The che1 cluster is located next to Type IV pili biosynthesis genes but disruption of cheA1 has no observable effect on twitching motility for Pto. Disruption of cheA2 also alters in planta fitness of the pathogen with strains lacking functional cheA2 being less fit in host plants but more fit in a non-host interaction.
Optical Antennae for Optoelectronics: Impacts, Promises, and Limitations

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Source of Weak Coupling of Photons to Electronic Transitions Coupling Enhancement between Photons and Electronic Transitions Practical Applications The Difference between an Optical Antenna and a Radio Antenna ]]>
Syndrome X: A Non-Ischaemic Syndrome? — “False Positive” ST-Segment Shifts, Ischaemia, Myocardial Perfusion Abnormalities And Increased Sensitivity To Pain In Syndrome X

Patients who present to the cardiologist with pain typical of angina often undergo coronary angiography regardless of whether other tests such as an exercise tolerance test or a radionuclide investigation have been undertaken or provide supporting evidence of a cardiac origin for the pain. Between 10% and 20% of coronary angiograms are interpreted as being normal1; the paradox of a normal coronary angiogram and typical angina chest pain was clearly identified in 19672. Many phrases have been used to describe patients with chest pain suggestive of angina. These include Da Costa’s syndrome, effort syndrome3, neurocirculatory asthenia4, anxiety neurosis, chest wall syndrome5, hyperventilation syndrome6, syndrome X7 and microvascular angina8. Many of these phrases hint at a particular cause for the chest pain but the variety of terminology suggests an unresolved clinical problem. The possible causes extend from the mind9,10 to bones, muscle, oesophagus11–13, lung14, metabolism15, the endocrine system16 and the heart17–19. Though the prognosis of these patients is excellent17,20, they usually continue to have clinical problems and consume medical resources21. Only a minority go on to develop any cardiac problem including cardiomyopathy22.
Multi-resonant optical nanocavities with continuous spectral tunability by metal-dielectric multilayer engineering

We demonstrated and studied a new type of multi-resonant optical nanocavities with ultra-small mode volume. By geometric engineering of metal-dielectric multilayers, the total number of resonances and their spectral peaks can be tuned continuously.
The Heterogeneity of Competitive Forces: The Impact of Competition for Resources on United Way Fundraising:

How does competition for resources affect the fundraising performance of local United Way (UW) affiliates? Drawing upon population ecology, we hypothesize a nonlinear relationship between competiti...
Scientia and Self-knowledge in Descartes

In The Search after Truth and related writings Malebranche strongly criticizes Descartes’s thesis that the nature of the mind is better known than the nature of body. In opposition to his mentor Malebranche maintains that whereas we have a clear idea of body, we have no such idea of the mind; we know the mind only by consciousness or internal sensation. In the last twenty years or so Malebranche’s critique of Descartes in this area has attracted a good deal of mostly favorable attention, and especially if we stand back a little from the texts, it is not difficult to see why.
The State of Men’s Health Services in the Veterans Health Administration

For many diseases that place a large burden on our health care system, men often have worse health outcomes than women. As the largest single provider of health care to men in the USA, the Veterans Health Administration (VA) has the potential to serve as leader in the delivery of improved men’s health care to address these disparities. The VA system has made recent strides in improving benefits for aspects of men’s health that are traditionally poorly covered, such as treatment for male factor infertility. Despite this, review of Quality Enhancement Research Initiatives (QUERIs) within the VA system reveals few efforts to integrate disparate areas of care into a holistic men’s health program. Policies to unify currently disparate aspects of men’s health care will ensure that the VA remains a progressive model for other health care systems in the USA.
Tonal and morphophonological effects on the location of perceptual centers (p-centers): Evidence from a Bantu language

Abstract Perceptual centers (or ‘p-centers’) correspond to the perceptual moment of occurrence of a syllable or word, and are crucial in the perception of speech rhythm. A metronome alignment task was used to investigate how tone and prenasalization—two elements which affect speech timing and which also interact acoustically—influenced p-center location in Medʉmba, a Grassfields Bantu language. Plain CV words bearing low tones were found to have p-centers which were later (farther from consonant releases and closer to vowel onsets) than those bearing high tones, but the observed effect was not present in prenasalized words. We attribute this difference to the effects of tone depression and slope leveling in prenasalized forms. While prenasalization generally led to earlier p-centers (mirroring effects found for onset clusters in other languages), forms with morphologically-derived prenasal onsets behaved more like plain CV forms, suggesting that nasal prefixes do not contribute to p-center timing. Our findings for derived prenasal sequences parallel similar articulatory findings for languages with simplex onset coordination, where consonant ‘clusters’ actually behave as separate timing units.
Rapid route to efficient, scalable, and robust perovskite photovoltaics in air

We demonstrate a scalable atmospheric plasma route to rapidly form efficient and mechanically robust photoactive metal halide perovskite films in open air at linear deposition rates exceeding 4 cm s−1. Our plasma process uses clean dry air to produce a combination of reactive energetic species (ions, radicals, metastables, and photons) and convective thermal energy to rapidly convert the perovskite precursor solution after spray-coating. Such high energy species dissociate the precursor and superheat the solvent, quickly and efficiently curing the perovskite film. Synchrotron X-ray radiation enabled in situ wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) measurements with high time resolution. The ultrafast crystallization kinetics are governed by rapid nucleation and growth during the plasma exposure, followed by continued grain growth during cooling. We deposit pinhole-free, robust CH3NH3PbI3 films with a ten-fold increase in fracture toughness, a key metric for reliability. Planar devices exhibited remarkably consistent performance with 15.7% power conversion efficiency (PCE) without hysteresis and an improved open-circuit voltage (VOC). This excellent performance is attributed to lower defect densities, as measured by external quantum efficiency, steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence. Large-area devices were made with a strip of 10 samples, and a 13.4% average PCE was measured on a total of 2.4 cm2 electrode area.
Non-monetary valuation using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis: Using a strength-of-evidence approach to inform choices among alternatives

Abstract This article demonstrates an approach to Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis that compares non-monetary ecosystem service (ES) outcomes for environmental decision making. ES outcomes are often inadequately defined and characterized by imprecision and uncertainty. Outranking methods enrich our understanding of the imperfect knowledge of ES outcomes by allowing decision makers to closely examine and apply preference measures to relationships among the outcomes. We explain the methodological assumptions related to the PROMETHEE methods (Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluation), and apply them to a wetland restoration planning study in Rhode Island, USA. In the study, we partnered with a watershed management organization to evaluate four wetland restoration alternatives for their abilities to supply five ES: flood water regulation, scenic landscapes, learning opportunities, recreation, and birds. Twenty-two benefit indicators were identified for the ES as well as one indicator for social equity and one indicator for reliability of ES provision. We developed preference functions to characterize the strength of evidence across estimated indicator values between pairs of alternatives. We ranked the alternatives based on these preferences and weights on ES relevant to different planning contexts. We discuss successes and challenges of implementing PROMETHEE, including feedback from our partners who utilized the methods.
Genetic and Molecular Approaches to Imaging Breast Cancer

Imaging gene expression non-invasively, with high sensitivity and specificity, would provide a more powerful diagnostic tool than any currently available. Although CT, MRI, and ultrasound have made great strides, none of the current modalities can image oncogene expression directly. No other reliable method is currently available to measure levels of specific receptors or mRNAs in vivo. In contrast to indirect approaches, noninvasive administration of SPECT or PET gene product probes allows us to image transformed cells overexpressing each specific oncogene. We have observed that radionuclide–chelator–VIP and radionuclide–chelator–AEEA–PNA–AEEA–IGF1 analogs are effective for imaging VPAC1 receptors and CCND1 and MYCC mRNAs in breast cancer xenografts, with peptide mismatch and PNA mismatch specificity. Gene product imaging provides a route to the determination of malignancy in a suspicious mass, and molecular classification of a malignant mass.
Chiral Synthesis via Organoboranes. 44. Racemic and Diastereo- and Enantioselective Homoallenylboration Using Dialkyl 2,3-Butadien-1-ylboronate Reagents. Another Novel Application of the Tandem Homologation−Allylboration Strategy

A highly general and efficient racemic and diastereo- and enantioselective homoallenylboration has been achieved with a novel boron reagent, dialkyl 2,3-butadien-1-ylboronate (dialkyl homoallenylboronate). The starting diisopropyl 2,3-butadien-1-ylboronate is prepared from allenylmagnesium bromide and diisopropyl (halomethyl)boronate. This β,γ-unsaturated boronate reagent reacts readily with aldehydes via the usual allylic rearrangement to give the alkyl(1,3-butadien-2-yl)methanols in excellent yield. Among the solvents examined, toluene favored enhanced reaction rates. The reaction is relatively sensitive to steric effects, so that sterically hindered aldehydes react significantly slower. Generally, the reactivities are moderately lower than those of the corresponding simple allylboronates, possibly due to the reduced HOMO electron density of the internal double bond. Also, the reagent exhibits a unique anti diastereoselectivity in reaction with α-chiral aldehydes in contrast to the syn selectivity obser...
Concurrent validity of skin carotenoid status as a concentration biomarker of vegetable and fruit intake compared to multiple 24-h recalls and plasma carotenoid concentrations across one year: a cohort study

Biological markers of vegetable and fruit (VF) intake are needed both for nutrition surveillance and for the evaluation of nutrition interventions. Optically assessed skin carotenoid status (SCS) has been proposed as a marker of intake but there are few published validity studies to date. Therefore, the objective of the study was to examine the concurrent validity of multiple methods of assessing VF intake cross-sectionally and seasonally over one year and to discuss the relative merits and limitations of each method. Fifty-two 40–60 y old women completed a 1-year longitudinal study that included 1) SCS assessment using resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) and using pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy (RS) at 12 timepoints, 2) thirty-six 24-h recalls using the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24; total 1866 recalls), and 3) plasma carotenoid concentrations measured every 3 months. Pearson correlation coefficients and mixed linear models were used to estimate pairwise correlations between RRS, RS, ASA24, and plasma carotenoids. RS and RRS were strongly correlated at baseline and over the year (r = 0.86 and 0.76; respectively, P < 0.001). RS was strongly correlated with plasma carotenoids at baseline (r = 0.70) and moderately across the year (r = 0.65), as was RRS (r = 0.77 and 0.69, respectively, all P < 0.001). At baseline, self-reported VF was weakly correlated with RRS (r = 0.33; P = 0.016), but not with RS or plasma carotenoids. Across the year, self-reported VF intake was weakly correlated with both RS (r = 0.37; P = 0.008), RRS (r = 0.37; P = 0.007), and with plasma carotenoids (r = 0.36; P < 0.008). SCS as measured by RS and RRS is moderately to strongly correlated with plasma carotenoid concentrations both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, indicating that it can be a powerful tool to assess carotenoid-rich VF intake in populations. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT01674296.
Implementing American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on adolescent depression screening in a pediatric primary care clinic

Background From 2005 to 2014, the 12-month prevalence of major depressive episode (MDE) has increased from 8.7% to 11.3% in adolescents of the United States. In Alabama, 10.7% of adolescents from 12 to 17 years old had at least one MDE in the prior year. Due to the severe shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrist, pediatrician's role in identification and management of adolescent depression has been emphasized. Local Problem and intended improvement In our continuity clinic at a pediatric residency program, we sought to use QI to reliably screen for depression to meet …
A Survey for Nine Major Viruses of Grapevines in Tennessee Vineyards

Despite the significance of grape production to the fruit industry in Tennessee (TN), no published information has been available on viruses affecting grapevines in the state. Hence, a survey was c...
Sex-Based Harassment and Symbolic Compliance

With the rise of the #MeToo movement, there has been a groundswell of attention to sex-based harassment. Organizations have pressured high-level personnel accused of harassment to resign, or fired ...
Use of Coarse Recycled Concrete Aggregate in Ternary Blended Portland Cement Concrete

The purposes of this study were to (a) investigate concrete pavement mixtures with recycled concrete aggregates using ternary blended cementitious binders, (b) measure the fresh and hardened proper...
Anti–influenza H7 human antibody targets antigenic site in hemagglutinin head domain interface

Although broadly protective, stem-targeted Abs against the influenza A virus hemagglutinin (HA) have been well studied, very limited information is available on Abs that broadly recognize the head domain. We determined the crystal structure of the HA protein of the avian H7N9 influenza virus in complex with a pan-H7, non-neutralizing, protective human Ab. The structure revealed a B cell epitope in the HA head domain trimer interface (TI). This discovery of a second major protective TI epitope supports a model in which uncleaved HA trimers exist on the surface of infected cells in a highly dynamic state that exposes hidden HA head domain features.
Majoranas in mixed-valence insulators

A physical model for a mixed-valence impurity in metal must satisfy the Friedel screening theorem for both valences. Such a model is shown, following earlier work which showed low-energy singularities in it, to be supersymmetric, leading to a free Majorana and a phase-shifted Majorana excitation. The theory extended approximately to a lattice of mixed-valence ions at appropriate filling gives, without fine-tuning the parameters, a protected gapless Majorana fermion band across the chemical potential, besides the mixed-valence particle and hole bands separated by gaps. In this situation, the system is electrically neutral in linear response but has de Haas-van Alphen oscillations. This is used to explain the recently observed magneto-oscillations in mixed-valence insulators as well as their accompanying low-energy thermodynamic and relaxation rate anomalies. Some predictions to test the validity of the theoretical results are provided, the most striking of which are that there should be extensive ground-state entropy in such compounds and no Zeeman splitting of the magneto-oscillation frequencies.
Blind Source Separation-Based Displacement Tracking Improves Quantitative, On-Axis Shear Elastic Modulus Estimation from DoPIo Ultrasound

While SWEI methods require shear wave propagation to be sampled across a measurement kernel, the recently-introduced double-profile intersection (DoPIo) ultrasound can estimate shear moduli locally and on-axis by exploiting ARF-induced displacement underestimation caused by scatterer shearing under a tracking PSF. We herein perform a systematic comparison of DoPIo to MTL/STL-SWEI to identify the benefits and limitations of using multiple tracking F-numbers. We further compare DoPIo performance achieved using conventional normalized cross-correlation (NCC) to that using a blind source separation (BSS) estimator by assessing its impact of mechanical feature resolution and measurements via automatic segmentation. DoPIo shear modulus estimates in a simulated elastic phantom using BSS resulted in a contrast transfer efficiency comparable to STL-SWEI (0.81 for a 12.0 kPa feature within an 8.0 kPa background using BSS-DoPIo, compared to 0.77 for NCC, 0.76 for MTL-SWEI, and 0.81 for STL-SWEI). We also demonstrate DoPIo measurements in a calibrated phantomm using a clinical ultrasound scanner system. In doing so, we present DoPIo as a method to ultrasonically measure the shear modulus of tissue that may be performed on-axis independently of ARF amplitudes.
The positive and negative appraisals of caregiving (PANAC) scale: A new measure to examine the caregiving experience in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Introduction Dementia caregiving is often examined as a monolithic experience describing the challenges caregivers face, exploring one construct at a time, with little research on the positive experiences of caregiving. To address this, we developed the Positive and Negative Appraisals of Caregiving (PANAC) scale. Methods PANAC was validated in 253 patient-caregiver dyads. Factor analyses revealed a two-factor solution: Positive Appraisals (PAs) and Negative Appraisals (NAs). Psychometric properties were compared with patient and caregiver characteristics and outcomes, disease stage, and etiology. Results Internal consistency was good with Cronbach's alpha: 0.82 NA and 0.80 PA (P < 0.001). NA correlated with patient and caregiver characteristics, whereas PA correlated only with caregiver characteristics. The PA/NA ratio could be used to capture change due to an intervention. Discussion The PANAC scale is a useful measure of the overall caregiver experience accounting for negative and positive experiences and may be used to tailor support to individual caregivers.
Preservice teachers’ motivation profiles, self-regulation, and affective outcomes in online learning

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between motivation profiles and self-regulation in online students and self-regulation as a predictor of affective learning outcomes, depen...
EpCam is required for maintaining the integrity of the biliary epithelium.

Background & aims Tufting enteropathy (TE) is a rare congenital disorder often caused by mutations in the gene encoding epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCam). The disease leads to diarrhea, intestinal failure and dependence on total parenteral nutrition (TPN). These patients often have liver impairments, but the pathology and mechanism of the damage are not well understood. We evaluated liver biopsies from TE patients to understand the pathophysiology. Methods We identified three patients with TE who underwent liver biopsy. Two normal controls and 45 patients on TPN secondary to short gut syndrome were selected for comparison (5 were age- and TPN duration-matched to the TE patients). Results We found that all TE patients showed a complete loss of EpCam expression in enterocytes and biliary epithelial cells, while the normal and TPN groups show basolateral expression. Histologically TE patients showed ductopenia, which was not seen in control groups. E-cadherin and β-catenin are normally located along the lateral membrane of biliary epithelial cells. However, they were relocated to the apical membrane in TE patients, indicating a defect in the apical-basal polarity of cholangiocytes. We examined hepatic reparative cells and found near absence of hepatic progenitor cells and intermediate hepatobiliary cells with mild reactive ductular cells in TE patients. Conclusion Our findings show that TE is associated with disrupted polarity of cholangiocyte and ductopenia. We demonstrate for the first time a role of EpCam in the maintenance of integrity of biliary epithelium. We also provided evidence for a disrupted development of hepatic reparative cells.
Philip Morris International used the e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) outbreak to market IQOS heated tobacco.

25 July 2021 will mark the second anniversary1 of the e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) outbreak.2 The concerns raised and news media attention focused on EVALI created a fertile environment for the tobacco industry to promote their e-cigarette alternatives,1 3 but this has not been studied. One such product is Philip Morris International’s (PMI) heated tobacco product: ‘IQOS’.4 5 To assess how PMI promoted IQOS in the news during EVALI, we used ‘Tobacco Watcher’ (www.tobaccowatcher.org), a fully automated and publicly available tobacco media analysis engine that warehouses news from more than 500 000+ sources. We plotted trends in news stories mentioning ‘IQOS’ finding the largest number of stories mentioning IQOS occurred on 25 September 2019, with 261 articles, more than double the next highest day previously recorded. While investigating this anomaly we discovered an official PMI press release entitled ‘Lung illnesses associated with use of vaping products in the US’ was published the same day.6 In the release (see online supplemental material), PMI recounted the EVALI outbreak beginning: ‘Skepticism and fear around vaping has emerged following the cases of respiratory illness and deaths in the US associated with the use of e-cigarettes.’ PMI then contrasted this against their IQOS heated tobacco product, writing ‘on April 30 2019, the FDA authorized IQOS for sale in the US, finding that marketing of the product would be ‘appropriate for the protection of public health’’ (quotes used in the original release).### Supplementary data [tobaccocontrol-2021-056661supp001.pdf] According to Tobacco Watcher, the original PMI press release was republished (including …
Lift the Veil of Breast Cancers Using Four or Fewer Critical Genes

Tackling breast cancer problems is like mastering a puzzle, and the mystery is not yet solved. Reported key genes in the literature could not be confirmed whether they are vital to breast cancer formations due to lack of convincing accuracy, although they may be biologically directly related to breast cancer based on present biological knowledge. It is hoped vital genes can be identified with the highest possible accuracy, e.g., 100% accuracy and convincing causal patterns beyond what has been known in breast cancer. One hope is that finding gene-gene interaction signatures and functional effects may solve the puzzle. This research uses a recently developed competing linear factor analysis method in differentially expressed gene detection to advance the study of breast cancer formation to its deepest root level as deep as possible. Surprisingly, three genes are detected to be differentially expressed in TNBC, and non-TNBC (Her2, Luminal A, Luminal B) samples with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity in one study of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC, with 54675 genes and 265 samples). These three genes show a clear signature pattern of how TNBC patients can be grouped. For another TNBC study (with 54673 genes and 66 samples), four genes bring the same accuracy of 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Four genes are found to have the same accuracy of 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity in one breast cancer study (with 54675 genes and 121 samples), and the same four genes bring an accuracy of 100% sensitivity and 96.5% specificity in the fourth breast cancer study (with 60483 genes and 1217 samples.) These results show the four-gene-based classifiers are robust and accurate. The detected genes naturally classify patients into subtypes, e.g., seven subtypes. These findings demonstrate the clearest gene-gene interaction patterns and functional effects with the smallest numbers of genes and the highest accuracy compared with findings reported in the literature. The four genes are considered to be essential for breast cancer studies and practice. They can provide focused, targeted researches and precision medicine for each subtype of breast cancer. New breast cancer disease types may be detected using the classified subtypes, and hence new effective therapies can be developed.
Analysis of Innovative Capacity of Russian Players in The Market of Educational Services in The Context of World Economic Intercourse Globalization

Abstract The article covers the problems of assessment and evaluation of university innovative capacity. The analysis of positions of a number of countries in the Academic Rankings of World Universities (ARWU) has been carried out. The authors have proposed an algorithm to evaluate the efficiency of university-based small innovative enterprise performance as well as the authors’ treatment of the concept of a university-based small innovative enterprise. The article presents a set of indices to give activity-specific evaluation of university innovative capacity.
Role of Surgery in Locally Recurrent and Metastatic Renal Cancer

Local tumor recurrence and isolated metastatic disease in renal cancer pose challenges to surgical and medical oncologists alike. In a historic context, local tumor recurrence in the resection bed or adjacent tissues after a prior radical nephrectomy (RN) was a rare clinical event. In a small percentage of carefully selected patients, surgical resection could lead to prolonged survival. In the contemporary practice of renal tumor surgery, the realm of local tumor recurrence has expanded to include new tumor recurrence after partial nephrectomy (PN), port site or abdominal disease after laparoscopic partial nephrectomy or radical nephrectomy (LPN, LRN), and persistent disease after thermal ablation.
Are capital controls countercyclical

A growing theoretical literature advocates the use of countercyclical capital control policy, that is, the tightening of restrictions on net capital inflows during booms and the relaxation thereof during recessions. We examine the behavior of capital controls in 78 countries over the period 1995–2011. We find that capital controls are remarkably acyclical. Booms and busts in aggregate activity are associated with virtually no movements in capital controls. These results are robust to controlling for the level of development, external indebtedness, and the exchange-rate regime. They also obtain around the great contraction of 2007.
Socioeconomic Status and Health Behaviors

High socioeconomic status (SES) groups are typically more likely than their low-SES counterparts to avoid unhealthy behaviors such as cigarette smoking and undertake healthy ones such as nutritious eating, exercise, and weight control. This entry provides an overview of the research on the socioeconomic gradient in health behaviors. Keywords: health; health behavior; health lifestyles; medical sociology; socioeconomic status
On the Complexity of Satisfiability Problems for Algebraic Structures (Preliminary Report)

For several different algebraic structures S, we study the computational complexity of such problems as determining, for a system of equations on S,
The FIGARO Facility at Los Alamos: Capabilities and First Results

A new beam line at the fast neutron spallation source at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center has been constructed for studies of neutron-induced reactions producing gamma rays, internal conversion electrons or neutrons. This facility, called FIGARO (Fast neutron-induced GAmma-Ray Observer), follows on the great successes of GEANIE (described in other contributions to this conference), by detecting de-excitation gamma rays with high-resolution germanium detectors. FIGARO has fewer gamma-ray detectors than GEANIE, but instead offers other features including: extremely good collimation of the neutron beam for background reduction, a flexible experimental area to optimize detection efficiency and to allow evaluation of other detectors such as ICEBALL-II for internal conversion electrons, inclusion of neutron detectors for the study of neutron-gamma coincidences, beam time to relieve the scheduling pressure on GEANIE, and a PC-based data acquisition system. Our initial measurements include level density studies ...
Intravesical Doxorubicin for Prophylaxis in the Management of Recurrent Superficial Bladder Carcinoma

The natural history of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder that is superficial and limited to the mucosa or lamina propria is extremely variable. The 5-year survival rates range between 65 and 85 per cent. However, 5 0 to 70 per cent of the patients will have recurrent lesions of a similar or different stage or grade (1). In a detailed natural history study by the National Bladder Cancer Collaborative Group A, 30 per cent of the patients with stage T1 lesions (cancer limited to the lamina propria) had muscle invasion during a 3-year interval (2). Although the likelihood of muscle invasion was less than with stage Ta lesions (papillary noninvasive carcinoma), patients with poorly differentiated lesions eventually may have muscular invasion. Variables such as histopathologic findings, pathologic grade, anatomic location multiplicity of lesions, cytogenetic abnormalities of the exfoliated urothelial cells, presence of ABO surface antigens and the concomitant presence of cellular atypia or carcinoma in situ in surrounding areas are of prognostic importance when designing therapeutic strategies. The fact that traditional endoscopic resection and fulguration of these superficial lesions still are accompanied by a substantial number of recurrences underscores the need for additional therapy to decrease the number of recurrences, increase the duration between recurrences, decrease the likelihood of subsequent muscle, lymphatic and ultimately disseminated spread, and, hopefully,eradicate the disease.
The estimation of China's economic growth rate

Many scholars of the Chinese economy have concluded that official estimates of China’s GDP growth rate are too high. Journalists have popularized this view, but we disagree. We use a method that examines several strategic indicators that are suggested by basic social accounting principles and conclude that principal components of these indicators reflect the movement of official estimates of the Chinese economy. This conclusion holds whether one uses annual, quarterly or monthly indicators. It cannot be claimed that we have proved that GDP as officially measured is correct. No one knows the correct estimate; that is the whole point of showing how different such estimates can be, depending on how they are calculated, and this is true the world over. Our estimates survive diagnostic tests, within-sample interpolations and outside-sample extrapolations in monthly, quarterly, and annual time frames. It is reasonable to expect that introduction of quality adjustments will justify higher estimates. JEL Classification: C51, C82, O53
Decidability of the class e by Maslov's inverse method

We present a simple formulation of S. Maslov's inverse method of proof (and proof search) for first order predicate logic and illustrate it by proving decidability of validity for formulas with one existential quantifier and arbitrary function symbols.
Parallel feature-preserving mesh smoothing

We present a parallel approach for optimizing surface meshes by redistributing vertices on a feature-aware higher-order reconstruction of a triangulated surface. Our method is based on a novel extension of the fundamental quadric, called the medial quadric. This quadric helps solve some basic geometric problems, including detection of ridges and corners, computation of one-sided normals along ridges, and construction of higher-order approximations of triangulated surfaces. Our new techniques are easy to parallelize and hence are particularly beneficial for large-scale applications.
Investigating pathogen-specific TLR signaling of innate immune cells for biosensor applications

The goal of this project is to develop a real-time cell-based biosensor using Toll-like receptors (TLRs) for pathogen detection. Existing biosensors rely on technologies that recognize only specific target analytes, requiring prior knowledge of the possible contaminating agents. Innate immune cells express TLRs that recognize conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns on bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. Using TLRs as the receptor element in this biosensor will eliminate the need for a priori knowledge of the threat. At least 10 different members of the TLR family are expressed on cells of the innate immune system, each responding to different attributes of pathogenic organisms. Through flow cytometry, TLRs 2, 4 and 9 have been identified on THP-1 cells, and TLRs 2, 3, 4, 5 and 9 have been detected on J774 cells. Western blotting has identified Erk activation upon lipopolysacharide (LPS), E. coli and Poly(I):(C) exposure in J774 cells, and upon LPS and E. coli exposure in THP-1 cells. Cellular model systems are being developed to distinguish between bacteria and virus by selective stimulation of TLR3 and TLR5 (TLR3 specifically recognizes double-stranded viral RNA and TLR5 detects bacterial flagellin). A target application of this technology is point-of-care diagnostics. Realtime detection of viruses in nasal or throat swabs could help decrease the inappropriate use of antibiotics.
Hemodynamic effects of inhaled nitric oxide in women with mitral stenosis and pulmonary hypertension

Mitral stenosis (MS) is associated with elevated left atrial pressure, increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and pulmonary hypertension (PH). The hemodynamic effects of inhaled nitric oxide (NO) in adults with MS are unknown. We sought to determine the acute hemodynamic effects of inhaled NO in adults with MS and PH. Eighteen consecutive women (mean age 58 +/- 15 years) with MS and PH underwent heart catheterization. Hemodynamic measurements were recorded at baseline, after NO inhalation at 80 ppm, and after percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty (n = 10). NO reduced pulmonary artery systolic pressure (62 +/- 14 mm Hg [baseline] vs 54 +/- 15 mm Hg [NO]; p <0.001) and PVR (3.7 +/- 2.5 Wood U [baseline] vs 2.2 +/- 1.4 Wood U [NO]; p <0.001). NO had no effect on mean aortic pressure, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, left atrial pressure, cardiac output, or systemic vascular resistance. Mitral valve area increased after valvuloplasty (0.9 +/- 0.2 cm2 [baseline] vs 1.6 +/- 0.3 cm2 [postvalvuloplasty]; p <0.001). A decrease in left atrial pressure (25 +/- 4 mm Hg [baseline] vs 17 +/- 4 mm Hg [after valvuloplasty]; p <0.001) and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (58 +/- 12 mm Hg [baseline] vs 45 +/- 8 mm Hg [after valvuloplasty]; p <0.001) was observed after valvuloplasty. No change in cardiac output or PVR was observed. Thus inhaled NO, but not balloon valvuloplasty, acutely reduced PVR in women with MS and PH. This suggests that a reversible, endothelium-dependent regulatory abnormality of vascular tone is an important mechanism of elevated PVR in MS.
Fluorescence Decay Study of Anisotropic Rotations of Substituted Pyrenes Physisorbed and Chemically Attached to a Fumed Silica Surface

Optical polarization spectroscopy has been used to investigate molecular dynamics of the fluorescent probes 1-pyrenebutanol and 1-pyrenebutyric acid at the solid/air interface of cab-o-sil (fumed silica nanoparticles). Pyrenebutanol was chemically attached to the surface of cab-o-sil through a silyl ether bond, while pyrenebutyric acid was physisorbed on the surface. Dynamics of fluorescence depolarization for both molecules was studied under steady-state and time-resolved conditions. Low and high loadings of the probe molecules were used in our studies to examine the dynamics of the probes motion and excimer formation. Our data indicate that excimer formation is mostly static in nature for the adsorbed probe, but shows more dynamic character for the chemically attached probe with spacer molecules present. Fluorescence lifetimes were dependent on the concentration of the probe molecule and became shorter at higher surface loadings for both the chemically attached and physisorbed probes. For the chemically...
Practical extensions to NHPP application in repairable system reliability analysis

An overwhelming majority of publications on Nonhomogeneous Poisson Process (NHPP) considers just two monotonic forms of the NHPP's rate of occurrence of failures (ROCOF): the log-linear model the power law model. In this paper, we propose to capitalize on the fact that NHPP's ROCOF formally coincides with the hazard function of the underlying lifetime distribution. Therefore, the variety of parametric forms for the hazard functions of traditional lifetime distributions (lognormal, Gumbel, etc.) could be used as the models for the ROCOF of respective NHPPs. Moreover, the hazard function of a mixture of underlying distributions could be used to model the non-monotonic ROCOF. Parameter estimation of such ROCOF models reduces to the estimation of the cumulative hazard function of the underlying lifetime distribution. We use real-world automotive data to illustrate the point.
Plasma levels of fibronectin bearing the alternatively spliced EIIIB segment are increased after major trauma

Abstract Using Western-blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of N -deglycosylated samples, we have observed that plasma levels of fibronectin (FN) bearing the alternatively spliced EIIIB segment (EIIIB + FN) increase in patients after admission to the intensive-care unit (ICU) for acute major trauma. Although not increased at the first sampling (“0 hour”), taken within 24 hours of ICU admission, levels measured 24, 48, and 72 hours later were significantly increased compared with levels obtained in healthy controls. Furthermore, average concentrations at these latter time points were significantly increased relative to the 0-hour sampling. EIIIB + FN levels then decreased in plasma samples taken 1 month after hospital discharge, such that no significant difference was found between ELISA-measured values at this time and 0 hour or control values. On the basis of comparisons with previous measurements in these samples, it is apparent that after acute major trauma, circulating levels of soluble EIIIB + FN exhibit temporal changes that are qualitatively similar to those encountered for FN isoforms bearing the alternatively spliced EIIIA segment (EIIIA + FN), yet different from those observed for the total pool of circulating FN. This is the first report of measurement of FN in clinical plasma samples with antibodies specific for the highly conserved EIIIB segment. Like EIIIA + forms of FN, EIIIB + FNs are recognized as soluble bloodborne markers for vascular tissue injury.
Some reactions of μ-peroxo-bis[pentaamminecobalt(III)] sulfate tetrahydrate and μ-peroxo-bis[pentaamminecobalt (III)] nitrate

Abstract When a sample of μ-peroxo-bis[pentaamminecobalt(III)] sulfate or nitrate is dissolved in aqueous HCl, HBr, HClO4, H2SO4, or in less than 1 M HNO3, the primary products are Co2+(aq), NH4+(aq), and O2(g). Contrary to previous reports, no Co(III) species are produced under these conditions. When the solid is dissolved in nitric acid more concentrated than 1 M, various cobalt(III) species are formed. The μ-peroxo compounds decompose when heated to 110°C, or when placed in an atmosphere of water vapor, or hydrogen chloride, and they are unaffected by exposure to visible light. It was concluded the samples employed by earlier workers who obtained contradictory results were substantially decomposed prior to dissolution. In the case of the nitric acid dissolution, the cobalt(III) species result from oxidation by nitric acid. Tracer studies using 18O enriched gas showed that the oxygen gas liberated on dissolution of the μ-peroxo complexes in acid was the same oxygen gas used in the preparation of the complex. In the case of the reduction of the μ-superoxo complex by Fe2+(aq) in acidic solution, the oxygen gas liberated comes entirely from the complex.
Robust FSMs for cryptographic devices resilient to strong fault injection attacks

The security of the cryptographic device may be compromised if the FSM of the system is not properly protected [1]. FSM protection architectures based on linear codes cannot provide a guaranteed level of protection under the assumption of a strong attack model. In this paper, we propose secure FSM architectures based on the idea of randomly selecting one code from a set of codes for each encoding and decoding operation. Assuming that the attacker is able to inject specific error patterns, randomly selecting one code from L codes as described in the paper can reduce the chance for the attacker to conduct a successful attack by a factor of L. The proposed techniques can achieve much higher security level than architectures based on linear codes with reasonable hardware overhead for cryptography applications (120% – 130% for the protection of the FSM for the Montgomery ladder algorithm). The security level of the proposed architectures can be increased by increasing L and the number of information bits k of the codes.
The Intrinsic Component Theory of Electrocardiography

A new theory, the intrinsic component theory, is proposed for electrocardiography. This theory is based on the temporal characteristics rather than spatial orientations of the current sources and sinks in the heart. The theory may be stated as follows: the electrical activities of the heart may be decomposed into spatially nonorthogonal, stationary sets of current sources and sinks. The time variations of the magnitudes of all the sources and sinks belonging to the same set follow a single pattern of an intrinsic component which is orthogonal (uncorrelated) in the time domain to all other intrinsic components. The physical interpretation of intrinsic components is new to electrocardiography, although the mathematical tool employed is the well-known eigenvalue process. The intrinsic component theory, applied to a single dipole, provides us with a mathematical foundation for vectorcardiogram rotation, and a better basis for pathological ECG comparison and classification, especially by digital computers.