cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Energy analysis of load-induced flutter instability in classical models of electric power networks

Consideration is given to the local structure of energy functions for electric power networks near points (parameter values) of incipient flutter instability. Previous work by several investigators clearly indicates the subtle nature of energy functions and energylike Lyapunov functions when the system exhibits such an instability mechanism. In fact, the question of existence of an energy function under these circumstances has been raised. The issue is important because it is now well known that power systems with loads contain such bifurcation points. It is shown that a local energy function does exist in a sense consistent with the inverse problem of analytical mechanics. However, sufficiently near points of flutter instability, the energy function for both stable and unstable systems is not sign definite. Such an energy function cannot be used as a Lyapunov function. Nevertheless, it is possible to obtain natural Lyapunov functions by combining the energy function with one or more additional first integrals. The analysis is based on the association of the linearized undamped power system with loads with a quadratic Hamiltonian system. General (universal) perturbations of the normal forms of the degenerate quadratic Hamiltonians at such bifurcation points are derived and lead to the stated conclusions. An example is included. >
A polarization-maintaining pedestal-free femtosecond pulse compressor incorporating an ultrafast dispersion-imbalanced nonlinear optical loop mirror

We report a polarization-maintaining and dispersion-flattened pulse compressor based on a dispersion decreasing fiber (DDF) for compression and a dispersion-imbalanced nonlinear optical loop mirror (DI-NOLM) for pedestal removal. A dispersion management scheme was used in the DI-NOLM to reduce dispersive spreading, which allows efficient switching for ultrashort pulses. Input pulses of 3 ps duration at 10 GHz were compressed to as short as 140 fs with a spectral width of 56 nm, time-bandwidth product of 0.96, and average power of 8.5 mW. This pulsewidth was limited by the higher order dispersion in the DI-NOLM. Using a post filter and a post amplifier, we obtained transform-limited 170 fs pulses at an average power of 100 mW with peak-to-pedestal ratios exceeding 35 dB. The compressor was adjustment-free, which is critical for practical use.
Involvement of phospholipase C and intracellular calcium signaling in the gonadotropin-releasing hormone regulation of prolactin release from lactotrophs of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus)

Abstract Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a potent stimulator of prolactin (PRL) secretion in various vertebrates including the tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus . The mechanism by which GnRH regulates lactotroph cell function is poorly understood. Using the advantageous characteristics of the teleost pituitary gland from which a nearly pure population of PRL cells can be isolated, we examined whether GnRH might stimulate PRL release through an increase in phospholipase C (PLC), inositol triphosphate (IP 3 ), and intracellular calcium ( Ca i 2 + ) signaling. Using Ca i 2 + imaging and the calcium-sensitive dye fura-2, we found that chicken GnRH-II (cGnRH-II) induced a rapid dose-dependent increase in Ca i 2 + in dispersed tilapia lactotrophs. The Ca i 2 + signal was abolished by U-73122, an inhibitor of PLC-dependent phosphoinositide hydrolysis. Correspondingly, cGnRH-II-induced tPRL 188 secretion was inhibited by U-73122, suggesting that activation of PLC mediates cGnRH-II’s stimulatory effect on PRL secretion. Pretreatment with 8-( N , N -diethylamino)octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate hydrochloride (TMB-8), an inhibitor of Ca 2+ release from intracellular stores, impeded the effect of cGnRH-II on Ca i 2 + . To further address the possible involvement of intracellular Ca 2+ stores, IP 3 concentrations in the tilapia rostral pars distalis (RPD containing 95–99% PRL cells) was determined by a radioreceptor assay. We found that GnRH-II induces a rapid ( 3 concentration in the RPD. Secretion of tPRL 188 in response to cGnRH-II was suppressed by Ca 2+ antagonists (TMB-8 and nifedipine). These data, along with our previous findings that show PRL release increases with a rise in Ca i 2 + , suggest that GnRH may elicit its PRL releasing effect by increasing Ca i 2 + . Furthermore, the rise in Ca i 2 + may be derived from PLC/IP 3 -induced mobilization of Ca 2+ from intracellular stores along with influx through L-type voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels.
Best practices in quality management for innovation performance

In many business sectors today, focus on quality as a competitive tool is being replaced by a focus on innovation. Research exploring connections between quality management, innovation, and company performance suggests that quality is ‘necessary but insufficient’ in business today. In short, managers need to know how to adapt their quality management practices to achieve innovation performance in addition to quality performance.
Agricultural Hazards Reduction Through Stress Management

ABSTRACT This paper describes a community based program to reduce farm hazards through recognition and training about the role of stress in farm health and safety. Through data from focus groups and a questionnaire administered at the 1993 Agricultural Exposition in Spokane, Washington it was hypothesized that occupational stres-sors are perceived by farmers to be significantly related to farm injuries. Farm-related stressors include economic pressures such as debt burden, weather, undependable farm labor, government regulation, and market variability and costs. A workshop to aid farmers was developed and conducted in Eastern Washington state to provide farmers with information about how stressors may be affecting them and to introduce and encourage interventions that alleviate stress as a potential source of farm injury. A summary of the workshop presentations and a brief analysis of the effectiveness of this intervention program follow. Evaluation data from workshop participants and from random samples ...
Toward standard figures-of-merit for spatial and quasi-optical power-combined arrays

A consistent set of figures-of-merit is proposed for the standard characterization of spatial and quasioptical power-combined arrays. A new figure-of-merit, the effective transmitter power, is presented along with slightly modified definitions of standard figures-of-merit. The definitions of these figures-of-merit have been chosen to more directly compare the performance of spatial and quasioptical power-combined arrays with one another and with conventional circuit power-combined transmitters and amplifiers. >
Experimental and theoretical study of vibrational spectra of 3-nitrofluoranthene

Abstract The comparative studies of the infrared and Raman spectra of fluoranthene and 3-nitrofluoranthene (3-NF) were made via both FT-IR and density functional theory calculation with a triple ζ Gaussian basis set (B3LYP/6-311 + G(d,p)). The scaled theoretical vibrational frequencies show good agreement to experiment to within ∼5 cm −1 for frequencies −1 . In addition, predictions of the DFT frequencies below 1800 cm −1 yielded an overall root mean square (RMS) of ±4.3 and ±27.4 cm −1 for fluoranthene and 3-NF, respectively. The vibrational assignments are proposed, with particular emphasis on the nitro group vibrations. This study shows the influence the geometrical distortions of the fluoranthene structure have upon nitro group substitution and provides vibrational spectral data useful for the development of spectroscopy-mutagenicity relationships in nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
XIDEN: crosstalk target identification framework

An efficient crosstalk target identification framework called XIDEN has been developed that is used prior to the computationally expensive processes of crosstalk validation and test generation. XIDEN is mainly composed of a set of extractors and filters that together identify the prime crosstalk targets. These prime targets include all error producing targets, i.e. targets that can potentially create Boolean errors. A methodology has been developed to determine the sequence of extractors and filters to identify a small set of targets with low computational cost. The effects of process variation and extraction accuracy as well as complexity are considered in XIDEN. After performing a training process on sample circuits, XIDEN produces a set of effective extractor filter sequences to be used for production circuits.
Heritability of cranium bifidum and spina bifida in the golden hamster.

The heritability (h2) and frequency of the neural tube closure defects, cranium bifidum (CB) and spina bifida (SB), have been estimated for a population of 9-day-old hamster embryos through half-sibling analysis. The average frequency of the total affected embryos per litter is approximately 17% while the pooled estimate for h2 based on between sires and between dams within sires components was 4%. This value points to the importance of environmental factors in contributing to the variance in defect frequencies observed within this population.
Do Tree Canopies Enhance Perennial Grass Restoration in California Oak Savannas

Scattered trees in grass-dominated ecosystems often act as islands of fertility with important influences on community structure. Despite the potential for these islands to be useful in restoring degraded rangelands, they can also serve as sites for the establishment of fast growing non-native species. In California oak savannas, native perennial grasses are rare beneath isolated oaks and non-native annual grasses dominate. To understand the mechanisms generating this pattern, and the potential for restoration of native grasses under oaks, we asked: what are the effects of the tree understory environment, the abundance of a dominant non-native annual grass (Bromus diandrus), and soils beneath the trees on survival, growth, and reproduction of native perennial grass seedlings? We found oak canopies had a strong positive effect on survival of Stipa pulchra and Poa secunda. Growth and reproduction was enhanced by the canopy for Poa but negatively impacted for Stipa. We also found that Bromus suppressed growth and reproduction in Stipa and Poa, although less so for Stipa. These results suggest the oak understory may enhance survival of restored native perennial grass seedlings. The presence of exotic grasses can also suppress growth of native grasses, although only weakly for Stipa. The current limitation of native grasses to outside the canopy edge is potentially the result of interference from annual grasses under oaks, especially for short-statured grasses like Poa. Therefore, control of non-native annual grasses under tree canopies will enhance the establishment of S. pulchra and P. secunda when planted in California oak savannas.
Three extensions to register integration

Register integration (or just integration) is a register renaming discipline that implements instruction reuse via physical register sharing. Initially developed to perform squash reuse, the integration mechanism can exploit more reuse scenarios. Here, we describe three extensions to the original design that expand its applicability and boost its performance impact. First, we extend squash reuse to general reuse. Whereas squash reuse maintains the concept of an instruction instance "owning" its output register, we allow multiple instructions to simultaneously share a single register. Next, we replace the PC indexing scheme with an opcode-based indexing scheme that exposes more integration opportunities. Finally, we introduce an extension called reverse integration in which we speculatively create integration entries for the inverses of operations---for instance, when renaming an add, we create an entry for the inverse subtract. Reverse integration allows us to reuse operations that the program itself has not executed yet. We use reverse integration to implement speculative memory bypassing for stack-pointer based loads (register fills and restores).Our evaluation shows that these extensions increase the integration rate---the number of retired instructions that integrate older results and bypass the execution engine---to an average of 15% on the SPEC2000 integer benchmarks. On a 4-way superscalar processor with an aggressive memory system, this translates into an average IPC improvement of 7%. The fact that integrating instructions completely bypass the execution engine raises the possibility of using integration as a low-complexity substitute for execution bandwidth and issue buffering. Our experiments show that such a trade-off is possible, enabling a range of IPC/complexity designs.
Conversion of isotope compounds to metals by reduction-distillation methods☆

Abstract Because isotopes in metal form provide physicists with mononuclidic targets essentially void of extraneous or interfering nuclei in two-body experiments, conversions of compounds to metals warrant extensive study. Furthermore, having isotopes in pure metallic form permits (in many cases) physical manipulations to be performed so as to convert bulk material into suitable target configurations: thin foils, wires, castings, spheres, and even colloidal suspensions. Physical properties of metals are extensively influenced by small impurity concentrations, and therefore whatever conversion method is applied, it must preserve and/or create an ultrapure product. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the application of the reduction of a solid compounded isotope, followed by metal distillation into a non-contaminating collector vessel. A variety of isotope metal vapor condensation-collection methods and subsequent treatment of the product to form various physical forms will be discussed. Unfortunately, no single collection technique is applicable to all elements. Limitations of this technique with regard to reducible cations other than those noted earlier will be discussed, together with the consequences of volatilization of some metal suboxides in this process.
Reduced-rank STAP performance analysis

The space-time radar problem is well suited to the application of techniques that take advantage of the low-rank property of the space-time covariance matrix. It is shown that reduced-rank (RR) methods outperform full-rank space-time adaptive processing (STAP) when the space-time covariance matrix is estimated from a data set with limited support. The utility of RR methods is demonstrated by theoretical analysis, simulations and analysis of real data. It is shown that RR processing has two opposite effects on the performance: increased statistical stability which tends to improve performance, and introduction of a bias which lowers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). A method for evaluating the theoretical conditioned SNR for fixed RR transforms is also presented. It Is shown that while best performance is obtained using data-dependent transforms, the loss incurred by the application of fixed transforms (such as the discrete cosine transform) may be relatively small. The main advantage of fixed transforms is the availability of efficient computational procedures for their implementation. These findings suggest that RR methods could facilitate the development of practical, real-time STAP technology.
The Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5 Activators p35 and p39 Interact with the α-Subunit of Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II and α-Actinin-1 in a Calcium-Dependent Manner

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a critical regulator of neuronal migration in the developing CNS, and recent studies have revealed a role for Cdk5 in synaptogenesis and regulation of synaptic transmission. Deregulation of Cdk5 has been linked to the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer9s disease. Activation of Cdk5 requires its association with a regulatory subunit, and two Cdk5 activators, p35 and p39, have been identified. To gain further insight into the functions of Cdk5, we identified proteins that interact with p39 in a yeast two-hybrid screen. In this study we report that α-actinin-1 and the α-subunit of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKIIα), two proteins localized at the postsynaptic density, interact with Cdk5 via their association with p35 and p39. CaMKIIα and α-actinin-1 bind to distinct regions of p35 and p39 and also can interact with each other. The association of CaMKIIα and α-actinin-1 to the Cdk5 activators, as well as to each other, is stimulated by calcium. Further, the activation of glutamate receptors increases the association of p35 and p39 with CaMKIIα, and the inhibition of CaMKII activation diminishes this effect. The glutamate-mediated increase in association of p35 and CaMKIIα is mediated in large part by NMDA receptors, suggesting that cross talk between the Cdk5 and CaMKII signal transduction pathways may be a component of the complex molecular mechanisms contributing to synaptic plasticity, memory, and learning.
Evolving Genomic Approaches to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Moving Beyond Genes

A little more than 10 years ago, the completed sequencing of the human genome boldly promised to usher in an era of enhanced understanding and accelerated development of treatments for most human diseases. Ten years later, many of these therapeutic goals have not been reached, but genomic technologies have dramatically enhanced our understanding of how genes and gene networks contribute to the pathogenesis of disease. In this review, we describe how genomic technologies have shaped our study of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a devastating, progressive scarring of the lung parenchyma, a disease without a known cause, or treatment. We frame the important genomic discoveries in IPF of the previous decade in the clinical context of establishing a diagnosis of IPF and predicting the prognosis. Gene expression profiling of peripheral blood will help identify potential biomarkers for assessing the clinical severity of IPF. We highlight the growth of epigenetic research in IPF, including the contribution of microRNAs to the pathogenesis of disease. We suggest that the full power of genomic discoveries in IPF will be realized when researchers apply these techniques prospectively in large collaborative studies across institutions, support the training of young investigators in genomics, and employ systems biology approaches to the interpretation of genomic data.
A Probabilistic Model of Auditory Space Representation in the Barn Owl

The barn owl is a nocturnal hunter, capable of capturing prey using auditory information alone [1]. The neural basis for this localization behavior is the existence of auditory neurons with spatial receptive fields [2]. We provide a mathematical description of the operations performed on auditory input signals by the barn owl that facilitate the creation of a representation of auditory space. To develop our model, we first formulate the sound localization problem solved by the barn owl as a statistical estimation problem. The implementation of the solution is constrained by the known neurobiology.
Effect of census errors on the measurement of net migration

This paper traces the history of the use of vital statistics, survival rates, and ratios in the estimation of net migration from one decade to another. Net migration studies by Hart (1921); Baker (1933) ; Hamilton (1934); Thornthwaite (1934); Lively and Taeuber (1939) ; Henderson (1943); Hamilton and Henderson (1943); Hamilton (1951); Siegel and Hamilton (1952); Lee and Bowles (1954); Price (1955); Lee, Miller, and others (1957); Hamilton (1959); Zachariah (1962); Tarver (1962); Shryock (1964); Eldridge (1965); Hamilton (1965); and the United States Census Bureau are cited as the principal users of various residual methods of estimating net migration. All these demographers have either implicitly or explicitly recognized that errors in census enumeration and in the registration of births and deaths have been reflected in errors of estimated net migration.
Extraction of the effective propagation and attenuation constants in a cut-wire array

We study the effective propagation and attenuation constants for wave propagation in a cut-wire array of finite metal wires. The effective propagation constant is obtained from the phase of the transmission data collected inside the array. The effective attenuation constant is then calculated by using the Kramers-Kronig relationship. The reconstructed transmission loss from the resulting attenuation constant shows good qualitative agreement with the raw transmission data.
Sedimentary evolution of Badenian (Middle Miocene) gypsum deposits in the northern Carpathian Foredeep

In the northern peripheral part of the Carpathian Foredeep, the Middle Miocene (Badenian) gypsum deposits comprise two major, laterally extensive members: the lower is mostly autochthonous, of selenitic facies and the upper is allochthonous, of clastic facies and cumulate deposits. Towards the south, gypsum is replaced in the subsurface by anhydrite which displays relict textures of the primary gypsum. The facies variation and succession throughout the gypsum section, as well as geochemical indicators, reflect varied sedimentary conditions on the basin margin. Deposition took place on the periphery of a platform made up of a system of widespread shallow-water lagoons (sub-basins) separated by fault-controlled, NW-SE elongated islands or shoals. In these physiographically differentiated palaeoenvironments, facies relationships were largely diachronous. The water depth varied from a few metres to some tens of metres, and subaerial exposure episodically affected the gypsum deposition, as suggested from the sedimentary record and comparison of the facies with modem evaporitic environments. Variations in brine depth, salinity and water dynamics are expressed in the cyclic succession of the progressively changing facies associations. Sedimentary conditions changed drastically at the boundary of the lower (selenitic) and upper (clastic) members, and at the end of sulphate deposition, following major sea-level changes.
Cutaneous IgE-mediated inflammatory lesion size is inhibited by an H1 antagonist (terfenadine) while mediator release is unaffected in vivo and in vitro.

Summary We are interested in understanding the pathogenesis of the cutaneous IgE-mediated late phase reaction. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized cross-over study with 10 subjects of the effect of the non-sedating antihistamine, terfenadine (Selddane), on the cutaneous reaction to antigen (ragweed or mixed grass) administered intradermally and over denuded blister bases was performed. The activity of terfenadine on anti-IgE-induced mediator release from the skin mast cell, lung mast cell and basophil was also examined in vitro. Terfenadine significantly inhibited the size of the cutaneous reaction at every hour between hours 1 and 9 (hr 9, control 2250 ± 500 mm2vs drug 1250 ± 250 mm2, P < 0.01, n=10) and showed some inhibitory effect at hours 10–12. While terfenadine blocks histamine release after nasal antigen challenge the release of mediators at skin blister sites was unaffected. The infiltration of leucocytes into the blister supernatant was unaffected by terfenadine although previous studies have shown significant inhibition with another antihistamine, cetirizine. In vitro, terfenadine. like other antihistamines, was found to have inhibitory activity on anti-IgE-induced mediator release at concentrations of 10−4-10−5 M in lung and skin mast cells and basophils. We conclude that the effects of the newer antihistamines on cellular movement into the skin may be diverse, that terfenadine may show organ specificity in vivo and that terfenadine significantly decreases both the early and late gross inflammatory response of the skin to antigen. We cannot, as yet. explain the mechanism(s) by which this occurs.
The central nervous organization underlying control of antagonistic muscles in the crayfish. II. Coding of position by command fibers

Single central interneurons that produce flexion or extension in the crayfish abdomen act in a coordinated fashion upon several ganglia. Each of several elements evoking a similar type of movement has a unique distribution of output to ganglionic centers: thus one of them may produce primarily rostral extension or flexion, another a primarily caudal movement, still another a more general one. Each motor command therefore appears to code for a specific abdominal geometry. Some units produce complex, cyclic motor outflow to postural muscles of the abdomen, or to the appendages.
Neonatal Uterine and Vaginal Cell Proliferation and Adenogenesis Are Independent of Estrogen Receptor 1 (ESR1) in the Mouse

Neonatal uterus and vagina express estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) and respond mitogenically to exogenous estrogens. However, neonatal ovariectomy does not inhibit preweaning uterine cell proliferation, indicating that this process is estrogen independent. Extensive literature suggests that ESR1 can be activated by growth factors in a ligand-independent manner and drive uterine cell proliferation. Alternatively, neonatal uterine cell proliferation could be ESR1 independent despite its obligatory role in adult luminal epithelial proliferation. To determine ESR1's role in uterine and vaginal development, we analyzed cell proliferation, apoptosis, and uterine gland development (adenogenesis) in wild-type (WT) and Esr1 knockout (Esr1KO) mice from Postnatal Day 2 to Postnatal Day 60. Uterine and vaginal cell proliferation, apoptosis, and uterine adenogenesis were comparable in WT and Esr1KO mice before weaning. By Days 29-60, glands had regressed, and uterine cell proliferation was reduced in Esr1KO mice in contrast to continued adenogenesis and proliferation in WT. Apoptosis in Esr1KO uterine epithelium was not increased compared to WT at any age, indicating that differences in cell proliferation, rather than apoptosis, cause divergence of uterine size in these two groups at puberty. Similarly, vaginal epithelial proliferation was reduced, and the epithelium became atrophic in Esr1KO mice by 29 days of age and later in Esr1KO mice. These results indicate that preweaning uterine and vaginal development is ESR1 independent but becomes dependent on ESR1 by Day 29 on. It is not yet clear what mechanisms drive preweaning vaginal and uterine development, but ligand-independent activation of ESR1 is not involved.
Synthesis of [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrazines as adenosine A2A receptor antagonists.

Abstract Potent and selective antagonists of the adenosine A2A receptor often contain a nitrogen-rich fused-ring heterocyclic core. Replacement of the core with an isomeric ring system has previously been shown to improve target affinity, selectivity, and in vivo activity. This paper describes the preparation, by a novel route, of A2A receptor antagonists containing the [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrazine nucleus, which is isomeric with the [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine core of a series of known A2A antagonists with in vivo activity in animal models of Parkinson’s disease.
Molecular Dosimetry of Chemical Carcinogens: Implications for Epidemiology and Risk Assessment

It is becoming increasingly evident that molecular approaches can contribute a great deal toward clarifying some of the central issues of the risk assessment process for chemical carcinogens (Perera 1987). For example, these approaches can help explain some of the underlying mechanisms responsible for epidemio-logical observations. Secondly, it may be possible to accurately identify populations or individuals at risk to the toxic effects of selected classes of environmental chemicals. Finally, biochemical data should remove some of the uncertainty in the risk assessment process that is inherent when gross biological endpoints in animals, such as tumor incidence, are used to estimate low dose human risks.
TTERRA-LM Sensitivity Tests: Falkenberg 2006

In this work, are shown the results of sensitivity tests carried out on 1D version of TERRA-LM code (for further details about physical parameterization and code of TERRA-LM, see Technical Reports "Descrizione del soil-module TERRA-LM" and "Studio e valutazione dei possibili miglioramenti apportabili a Terra-LM tramite il confronto con altri modelli SVAT").
Hardware identification of cache conflict misses

This paper describes the Miss Classification Table, a simple mechanism that enables the processor or memory controller to identify each cache miss as either a conflict miss or a capacity (non-conflict) miss. The miss classification table works by storing part of the tag of the most recently evicted line of a cache set. If the next miss to that cache set has a matching tag, it is identified as a conflict miss. This technique correctly identifies 87% of misses in the worst case. Several applications of this information are demonstrated, including improvements to victim caching, next-line prefetching, cache exclusion, and a pseudo-associative cache. This paper also presents the Adaptive Miss Buffer (AMB), which combines several of these techniques, targeting each miss with the most appropriate optimization, all within a single small miss buffer. The AMB's combination of techniques achieves 16% better performance than any single technique alone.
Trauma centre patient volume and inpatient mortality risk reconsidered.

Abstract Background Several studies have examined the relationship between injury volumes and trauma centre outcomes, with varying results attributable to differences in the measurement of volume's effect on mortality and differences in how characteristics are addressed as potential confounders. Methods This analysis includes all trauma cases reported to the NTDB 2012. The effect of trauma centre volume on patient mortality risk was measured in three different contexts: as a linear function of trauma centre volume, as a dichotomous function comparing patients in trauma centres with and without 1200 or more cases, and as a non-linear function of trauma centre volume. Multivariable weighted Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models were used to account for the combined effects of facility level and patient level covariates. Patient level mortality risk was assessed using the ACS Trauma Quality Improvement Programme methodology. Results Trauma centre volume was not a statistically significant predictor (at the α = 0.01 level) of patient mortality risk, in any of the three models. Comprehensive adjustments for patient level risk were obtained, with excellent discrimination between survivor and decedent cases. The addition of trauma volume to baseline patient mortality risk yielded no improvement in the accuracy of any model. These results were not sensitive to the inclusion of Level II trauma centres. Equivalent results were obtained by repeating the analysis for the Level I subpopulation only. Conclusions Case volume may be a reasonable standard for determining whether adequate numbers of injured patients are available to support training needs and experience requirements of a Level I trauma centre. However, case volume is not a useful predictor of patient mortality in individual facilities. Trauma centre volume has no independent effect, after accounting for the patient level characteristics that predominantly influence mortality.
Undergraduate Students' Perspectives of Essential Instructor Qualities.

Preferences for who an instructor is and how he or she behaves have a substantial impact on a student’s overall experience in the college classroom. There are many variables that impact a classroom experience including the instructor, the student, and the class itself. Much research has been done in the area of undergraduate student expectations and preferences for instructors, course format, etc. This paper explores how specific student characteristics such as first-generation status, and age together with class level and format impact students’ perception of what makes a good instructor. By understanding what instructor qualities these students appreciate, instructors can tailor their behavior to improve student learning and retention. Results suggest few differences within and between these groups of students. However, students had strong preferences for a high number of positive instructor characteristics, suggesting the possibility of overly optimistic and unrealistic preferences. Implications of this and suggestions for how instructors can better accommodate the preferences of students are discussed.
Respecting Religion: How Court and Congress Impermissibly Treaded on Sacred Ground to the People's Detriment

This is the first article in a three-part series examining a recent decision of the United States Supreme Court: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. Though the Fourteenth Amendment was originally passed to protect the rights of Black Americans, who had just won their freedom, it did not truly begin to protect them until the Civil Rights Era, and even then not enough. By contrast, the Fourteenth Amendment protected corporations almost as soon as it was enacted, and has since fueled the steady expansion of corporate rights. This article shows that Hobby Lobby not only represents an historical anomaly, but a definite departure from the Court's religious accommodation jurisprudence. It also marks a dangerous deviation from the principles embraced by the Framers of the Constitution.
Stimulatory effect of polynucleotides on short term leukocyte cultures.

Conclusions and SummaryPolyadenylic acid when complexed with polyuridylic acid, exerted an adjuvant effect in short-term human leukocyte cultures activated by purified protein derivative of tuberculin or in mixed leukocyte interactions. In contrast, stimulation of DNA synthesis in leukocytes by phytohemagglutinin was depressed by these homoribopolymers.
An Overview of rAAV Vector Product Development for Gene Therapy

The drug product development pathway involves proof-of-concept efficacy studies, toxicology studies, and human clinical trials conducted in preparation for commercialization. For time and financial efficiency, a perspective of clinical use, product licensure, and commercialization is beneficial at the outset. For gene transfer products, an understanding of the unmet need for the disease target, the market and competing products, the vector configuration, patient population profile, organ target, delivery method, and time and resources involved is essential. Addressing these variables leads to interconnected strategies and plans for business and finance, regulatory affairs, product supply, R&D, clinical investigations, and commercial launch. Establishing an organization with experienced personnel who have defined responsibilities, departments that are working together but are independently responsible, a network of consultants and contract organizations, and a high level of communication is essential to ensure the quality of the product and protection of patients and give the highest chance for success.
Cardiothoracic Surgery Applications: Virtual CT Imaging Approaches to Procedural Planning

Cardiovascular computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) has led to a paradigm shift in planning and performance of cardiothoracic surgical procedures, providing information essential to decisions regarding surgical intervention. As the operating room and interventional cardiology laboratory have evolved, merging into a hybrid space, CCTA has assumed an essential role in determination of the optimal therapeutic modality and path of approach for percutaneous, minimally invasive robotic and open surgical approaches in this setting. CCTA has particular significance to planning of reoperation for coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, pericardial disease, congenital heart disease, cardiac masses, and advanced heart failure. Communication of the data beyond the written report can be achieved through images relevant for orientation and interventional approach. Review of these virtual views with the multidisciplinary team is important for maximal application and impact of this technology.
IDENTIFICATION AND SEQUENCING OF YEAST MITOCHONDRIAL tRNA GENES IN MITOCHONDRIAL DNA - pBR322 RECOMBINANTS

ABSTRACT We have cloned yeast mitochondrial DNA in the E. coli plasmid pBR322 by the poly(dA):poly(dT) tailing method and found that 62 of the 347 transformants obtained contain mitochondrial tRNA genes. In order to correlate the cloned mitochondrial tRNA genes with their gene products, we screened the recombinants with nick translated DNA isolated from petites known to carry choramphenicol (C), erythromycin (E), paramomycin (P), or oligomycin (0) markers as well as a limited subset of tRNA genes. A serine tRNA gene mapping in the OT region of the mitochondrial DNA was identified by hybridizing DNA from O 1 positive clones with [ 3 H]seryl tRNA. Other tRNA genes were identified by hybridizing [ 32 P]tRNA to Southern transfers of restriction enzyme digests of recombinant DNA molecules. Fragments selected for sequencing contained tRNA genes for two serine tRNAs, a phenylalanine tRNA, a glycine tRNA, a valine tRNA and an arginine tRNA. None of the tRNA genes appear to have intervening sequences, none have the CCA end encoded and all are surrounded by long stretches of very AT rich DNA.
Neuromuscular Blocking Agents and Neuromuscular Dysfunction Acquired in Critical Illness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective:The relationship between neuromuscular blocking agents and neuromuscular dysfunction acquired in critical illness remains unclear. We examined the association between neuromuscular blocking agents and ICU-acquired weakness, critical illness polyneuropathy, and critical illness myopathy.Dat
Imetelstat for treatment of myelofibrosis

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Myelofibrosis (MF) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm associated with peripheral blood cytopenias, marrow fibrosis, splenomegaly systemic symptoms and evolution to a refractory form of acute myeloid leukemia. Treatment with a JAK1/2 inhibitor significantly improves the symptom burden and reduces the degree of splenomegaly. JAK1/2 therapy, however, results in a modest prolongation of survival, but does not halt disease progression or reduce the risk of leukemic transformation. Novel agents with the potential to alter the progressive disease course of MF are urgently needed.Areas covered: The pre-clinical rationale for the use of the telomerase inhibitor, imetelstat, in patients with advanced MF and essential thrombocythemia (ET) will be reviewed as well the results of the initial clinical trials with this agent.Expert opinion: Results from a single institution pilot study of imetelstat therapy have been reported and indicate a signal of activity. This approach appears to have the potent...
Interior and boundary spikes for the two-dimensional Gierer–Meinhardt system ☆

Abstract We prove the existence of assemblies of interior and boundary spikes as stationary solutions of the two-dimensional Gierer–Meinhardt system. Moreover, we also discover that the locations of the spikes are determined by the curvature of the domain boundary together with the Green's function of the domain. A reflection operator of −Δ is introduced to study the behaviour of the regular part of Green's function around the boundary. This reflection generalizes the well-known notions of mirror image and circle inversion for domains with sufficiently smooth boundary.
The Influence of Host Stress on the Mechanism of Infection: Lost Microbiomes, Emergent Pathobiomes, and the Role of Interkingdom Signaling

Mammals constantly face stressful situations, be it extended periods of starvation, sleep deprivation from fear of predation, changing environmental conditions, or loss of habitat. Today, mammals are increasingly exposed to xenobiotics such as pesticides, pollutants, and antibiotics. Crowding conditions such as those created for the purposes of meat production from animals or those imposed upon humans living in urban environments or during world travel create new levels of physiologic stress. As such, human progress has led to an unprecedented exposure of both animals and humans to accidental pathogens (i.e., those that have not co-evolved with their hosts). Strikingly missing in models of infection pathogenesis are the various elements of these conditions, in particular host physiologic stress. The compensatory factors released in the gut during host stress have profound and direct effects on the metabolism and virulence of the colonizing microbiota and the emerging pathobiota. Here, we address unanswered questions to highlight the relevance and importance of incorporating host stress to the field of microbial pathogenesis.
Evaluation of p-(13C,15N-Cyano)phenylalanine as an Extended Time Scale 2D IR Probe of Proteins

Two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy provides a powerful approach for the direct study of molecular dynamics with high spatial and temporal resolution. Its application for investigating specific locations in proteins requires the incorporation of IR probe groups with spectrally isolated absorptions to avoid the congestion inherent to protein spectra. This has motivated extensive efforts toward the development of new IR probes, but there remains a need for those that can extend the experimental time range, which is limited by their vibrational lifetimes. Toward this goal, isotopically labeled p-(13C15N-cyano)phenylalanine was synthesized, site-selectively incorporated into the protein plastocyanin, and evaluated for its potential as a 2D IR probe. The isotopic labeling increases the vibrational lifetime about 2-fold, which results in larger signals at longer time scales. However, isotopic labeling simultaneously shifts the absorption to a spectral region with greater water absorbance, which result...
A Systems Approach to Modeling and Analyzing Biological Regulation

Abstract Understanding regulation is a critical hurdle in unraveling complex biological systems. As gene-level architectures become known, the open challenge is to assign predictable behavior to a known gene structure, the so-called "genotypeto-phenotype" problem. In response to this challenge, the discipline of systems biology has emerged with an integrative perspective towards determining complex systems behavior. This research area lies at the intersection of classical fields such as microbiology and systems engineering, with strong influences from the more recent fields of informatics and genomics. In this paper, an overview of a number of quantitative tools from systems theory will be presented as enabling methodologies for unraveling biological regulatory systems, with an emphasis on (i) sensitivity analysis, (ii) identification methods, and (iii) optimization approaches.
MOAT: efficient detection of highly mutated regions with the Mutations Overburdening Annotations Tool.

Summary Identifying genomic regions with higher than expected mutation count is useful for cancer driver detection. Previous parametric approaches require numerous cell-type-matched covariates for accurate background mutation rate (BMR) estimation, which is not practical for many situations. Non-parametric, permutation-based approaches avoid this issue but usually suffer from considerable compute-time cost. Hence, we introduce Mutations Overburdening Annotations Tool (MOAT), a non-parametric scheme that makes no assumptions about mutation process except requiring that the BMR changes smoothly with genomic features. MOAT randomly permutes single-nucleotide variants, or target regions, on a relatively large scale to provide robust burden analysis. Furthermore, we show how we can do permutations in an efficient manner using graphics processing unit acceleration, speeding up the calculation by a factor of ∼250. Availability and implementation MOAT is available at moat.gersteinlab.org. Contact mark@gersteinlab.org. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Radial electric field and ion parallel flow in the quasi-symmetric and Mirror configurations of HSX

The radial electric field and the ion mean parallel flow are obtained in the helically symmetric experiment stellarator from toroidal flow measurements of C+6 ion at two locations on a flux surface, using the Pfirsch–Schluter effect. Results from the standard quasi-helically symmetric magnetic configuration are compared with those from the Mirror configuration where the quasi-symmetry is deliberately degraded using auxiliary coils. For similar injected power, the quasi-symmetric configuration is observed to have significantly lower flows while the experimental observations from the Mirror geometry are in better agreement with neoclassical calculations. Indications are that the radial electric field near the core of the quasi-symmetric configuration may be governed by non-neoclassical processes.
Impact of New York City's 2014 Increased Minimum Legal Purchase Age on Youth Tobacco Use.

Objectives. To assess the impact of New York City’s (NYC’s) 2014 increase of the minimum legal purchase age (MLPA) for tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21 years.Methods. We performed a difference-in-differences analysis comparing NYC to the rest of New York State by using repeated cross-sections of the New York Youth Tobacco Survey (2008–2016) and to 4 Florida cities by using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (2007–2015).Results. Adolescent tobacco use declined slightly in NYC after the policy change. However, this rate of change was even larger in control locations. In NYC, e-cigarette use increased and reported purchases of loose cigarettes remained unchanged, suggesting uneven policy implementation, enforcement, or compliance.Conclusions. Increasing the MLPA to 21 years in NYC did not accelerate reductions in youth tobacco use any more rapidly than declines observed in comparison sites.Public Health Implications. Other cities and states currently raising their MLPA for tobacco may need to pay close at...
Joint Euclidean and Angular Distance-Based Embeddings for Multisource Image Analysis

With the emergence of passive and active optical sensors available for geospatial imaging, information fusion across sensors is becoming ever more important. An important aspect of single (or multiple) sensor geospatial image analysis is feature extraction—the process of finding “optimal” lower dimensional subspaces that adequately characterize class-specific information for subsequent analysis tasks, such as classification, change and anomaly detection, and so on. In recent work, we proposed and developed an angle-based discriminant analysis approach that projected data onto the subspaces with maximal “angular” separability in the input (raw) feature space and reproducing kernel Hilbert space. We also developed an angular locality preserving variant of this algorithm. Despite being a promising approach, the resulting subspace does not preserve Euclidean distance information. In this letter, we advance this work to address that limitation and make it suitable for information fusion—we propose and validate a composite kernel-based subspace learning framework that simultaneously preserves Euclidean and angular information, which can operate on an ensemble of feature sources (e.g., from different sources). We validate this method with the multisensor University of Houston hyperspectral and light detection and ranging data set, and demonstrate that a joint discriminant analysis that leverages angular and Euclidean distance information provides superior classification and sensor (information) fusion performance.
Stochastic models of compliant spine arrays for rough surface grasping

This paper presents models of arrays of compliantly supported spines that attach to rough surfaces. The applications include climbing and perching robots. Surfaces are characterized in terms of asp...
Choosing, and Being, a Good Mentor

Mentoring is considered to be an essential duty of academic surgeons. It is a catalyst for success in academic medicine, as mentoring relationships can facilitate career selection, advancement, and productivity among mentees. Unfortunately, there are important barriers to successful mentoring, such as increased clinical, research, administrative, and teaching demands on academic surgeons, along with the perception that mentorship is undervalued (or not recognized or rewarded) by many academic institutions. Is mentorship an art that is in jeopardy of extinction?