cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Complex amphiphilic networks derived from diamine-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) and benzylic chloride-functionalized hyperbranched fluoropolymers

Amphiphilic copolymer networks were prepared from hyperbranched fluoropolymer (HBFP*, Mn = 38 kDa, by atom transfer radical-self condensing vinyl copolymerization) and linear diamine-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (DA-PEG, Mn = 1,630 Da). Model studies found that the crosslinking mechanism occurred at ambient temperature as a result of reaction between DA-PEG and the benzylic chlorides of HBFP*. These networks underwent covalent attachment to glass microscope slides derivatized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, whereupon gel percent studies at various weight percentages of DA-PEG to HBFP* found that curing could be achieved at lower temperatures and shortened time periods relative to the previously reported parent HBFP–PEG system. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the crosslinked materials gave no evident mass loss up to 250 °C. Differential scanning calorimetry of the complex amphiphilic networks showed a suppressed glass transition temperature, relative to that observed for neat HBFP*, and multiple melting DA-PEG endotherm(s) near 30 °C. The films possessed a topographically-complex surface with features that increased in tandem with an increase in the ratio of DA-PEG to HBFP*, as detected by atomic force microscopy and quantified by increased rms roughness values. Internal reflection infrared imaging revealed a heterogeneous surface composition and confirmed that the domain sizes increased as the weight percent of DA-PEG increased. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4782–4794, 2006
Measurements for commercial photovoltaics: A status report

Abstract The first part of this report discusses how reliable measurements play an important role along the chain of supplier-user links that make up the photovoltaics industry and its customers. Such measurements provide accurate information on materials, fabrication processes, product characterization and product needs on which sound decisions can be made to optimize the performance of processes and products. They are also indispensable for effective communication in the marketplace. The second part reviews the results of visits to industry to identify measurements-related issues that affect the expeditious development and application of photovoltaics. The results are organized into nine categories: (1) silicon characterization; (2) quality assurance; (3) electrical measurements of solar cells and modules (including accuracy and reproducibility of measurements, spectral response, reference cells and simulators and spectra distribution); (4) solar data; (5) interactions with customers; (6) measurement equipment; (7) module certification; (8) standards; (9) role of government. The third part of the report provides an overview of measurement and standards development activities. The intent of this is to promote an awareness of such work to encourage thereby greater participation and also timely use of the results of this work.
EM-IntraSPECT algorithm with ordered subsets (OSEMIS) for nonuniform attenuation correction in cardiac imaging

Performance of the EM-IntraSPECT (EMIS) algorithm with ordered subsets (OSEMIS) for non-uniform attenuation correction in the chest was assessed. EMIS is a maximum- likelihood expectation maximization(MLEM) algorithm for simultaneously estimating SPECT emission and attenuation parameters from emission data alone. EMIS uses the activity within the patient as transmission tomography sources, with which attenuation coefficients can be estimated. However, the reconstruction time is long. The new algorithm, OSEMIS, is a modified EMIS algorithm based on ordered subsets. Emission Tc-99m SPECT data were acquired over 360 degree(s) in non-circular orbit from a physical chest phantom using clinical protocol. Both a normal and a defect heart were considered. OSEMIS was evaluated in comparison to EMIS and a conventional MLEM with a fixed uniform attenuation map. Wide ranges of image measures were evaluated, including noise, log-likelihood, and region quantification. Uniformity was assessed from bull's eye plots of the reconstructed images. For the appropriate subset size, OSEMIS yielded essentially the same images as EMIS and better than MLEM, but required only one-tenth as many iterations. Consequently, adequate images were available in about fifteen iterations.
Tetrahydroindenoindole inhibits the progression of diabetes in mice

Diabetes is characterized by elevated fasting blood glucose (FBG) resulting from improper insulin regulation and/or insulin resistance. Herein we used female C57BL/6J mouse models for type 1 diabetes (streptozotocin [STZ] treatment) and type 2 diabetes (high fat diet) to examine the ability of 4b,5,9b,10-tetrahydroindeno[1,2-b]indole (THII) to intervene in the progression of diabetes. THII (100 μM in drinking water) significantly diminished and partially reversed the increase in FBG levels produced by STZ. After 10 weeks on a high-fat diet, mice had normal FBG levels, but exhibited fasting hyperinsulemia and loss of glucose tolerance. THII significantly diminished these changes in glucose and insulin. In isolated liver mitochondria, THII inhibited succinate-dependent H2O2 production, while in white adipose tissue, THII inhibited NADPH oxidase-mediated H2O2 production and lipid peroxidation. Without intervention, such oxidative processes might otherwise promote diabetogenesis via inflammatory pathways. THII also increased O2 consumption and lowered respiratory quotient (CO2 produced/O2 consumed) in vivo, indicating a greater utilization of fat for metabolic fuel. Increased metabolic utilization of fat correlated with a decrease in the rate of body weight gain in THII-treated mice fed the high fat diet. We conclude that THII may retard the progression of diabetes via multiple pathways, including the inhibition of oxidative and inflammatory pathways.
Development of Targeted Online Modules for Recurring Reference Questions

When students are given assignments with specific information needs, they may turn to the library for help. The UNC Health Sciences Library developed three short online modules to teach first-year pharmacy students how to find early/animal studies, mechanism of action information, and specific study types in an effort to lessen demand on the reference desk. The modules filled two goals: to free up time that had been spent on three common low-level questions and to provide a pedagogically sound online tool to teach students how to find answers to these three questions. The modules were created using Adobe Captivate. Developing and promoting the modules took three hours of the pharmacy librarian's time compared with nearly 23 hours spent answering individual questions via e-mail, in consultations, and at the reference desk before the modules were introduced. After introducing the modules, only one student asked for help from the library compared to more than 60 who viewed the online modules at least once.
Datapoints: Trends in Mortality Among Homeless VA Patients With Severe Mental Illness

B homelessness and severe mental illness are known to increase the likelihood of early mortality. We determined years of potential life lost (YPLL) over an 11-year period among Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) patients using homeless services, assessing for the impact of severe mental illness. Using the VA National Patient Care Database (NPCD), we analyzed allcause mortality for fiscal years (FYs) 2000–2009 among VA patients by severe mental illness status and use of VA homelessness services for each FY. All patients with a severe mental illness diagnosis from each FY were identified by ICD-9 codes. We also used NPCD data to identify a 5% random sample of individuals without a severemental illness diagnosis for each FY. The primary analyses were hazard ratio calculations on all-cause mortality, comparing differences in YPLL adjusted for age and gender by homelessness and severe mental illness status. Regardless of severe mental illness diagnosis, homeless veterans died younger than nonhomeless veterans in all years, with YPLL ranging from 18.9 to 24.3 (Figure 1). For nonhomeless veterans with and without severe mental illness, YPLL ranged from 9.1 to 14.0 years. Homeless veterans with severe mental illness had the greatest YPLL over time. Nonhomeless veterans with severe mental illness died younger than those without a severe mental illness. Using time-series analyses, we found a statistically significant increase in YPLL only for nonhomeless veterans without severe mental illness. Overall, having a severe mental illness diagnosis increased YPLL regardless of housing status. Homelessness was an additional and more severe contributor to YPLL, above and beyond a severe mental illness diagnosis. Thus, in this study, homelessness had the strongest effects on YPLL. However, VA patients who were not homeless and who did not have a severe mental illness diagnosis were also dying younger over time. The VA has made ending homelessness among veterans a priority, with a particular focus on those with severe mental illness. Recent VA efforts to help homeless veterans and integrate services for those with severe mental illness may have offset this trend for these vulnerable populations. Further research is needed to assess the long-term impact of emerging initiatives, such as medical home models for homeless veterans and those with severe mental illness, on reducing the mortality gap.
Let’s talk about race and ethnicity: Cultural socialization, parenting quality, and ethnic identity development

Parental cultural socialization and general parenting quality are important predictors of ethnic identity (EI) development in adolescents. However, recent research on transracial adoptive families suggests parents and adolescents may have differing perceptions of parental cultural socialization efforts. This study examines differences in mother and adolescent reports of cultural socialization – both racial and ethnic socialization – and the extent to which mother and adolescent reports relate to EI development (clarity, pride, and engagement), after accounting for general parenting quality, in a US sample of 120 internationally adopted Korean American adolescents. This study also examines whether mother reports of cultural socialization moderate the relationship between adolescent reports of cultural socialization and EI development. Results indicate that mothers and adolescents disagree on levels of racial and ethnic socialization, and mother and adolescent reports of ethnic socialization independently r...
Investigation of the effect of vacuum environment on the fatigue and fracture behavior of 7075-T6.

Axial-load fatigue-life, fatigue-crack propagation, and fracture-toughness experiments were conducted on sheet specimens made of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. These experiments were conducted at air pressures ranging from 101 kN/sq m to 7 micronewtons/sq m to determine the effect of air pressure on fatigue behavior. Analysis of the results from the fatigue-life experiments indicated that for a given stress level, the lower the air pressure was the longer the fatigue life. At a pressure of 7 micronewtons/sq m, fatigue lives were 15 to 30 times longer than at 101 kN/sq m. Analysis of the results from the fatigue-crack-growth experiments indicates that at low values of stress-intensity range, the fatigue-crack-growth rates were approximately twice as high at atmospheric pressure as in vacuum. However, at higher values of stress-intensity range, the fatigue-crack-growth rates were nominally the same in vacuum and at atmospheric pressure.
Splanchnic free fatty acid kinetics.

These studies were conducted to assess the relationship between visceral adipose tissue free fatty acid (FFA) release and splanchnic FFA release. Steady-state splanchnic bed palmitate ([9,10-3H]pal...
Multispecific responses by T cells expanded by endogenous self-peptide/MHC complexes

The paradox of autoreactivity to self-peptides in physiological as opposed to pathological immune responses is not well understood. Here, we directly examined the human T cell response to endogenous self-peptides in a series of healthy subjects. CFSE-labeled T cells were stimulated with unmanipulated antigen-presenting cells containing endogenous self-antigen, and the resulting CD4+ populations entering into cell cycle (CFSE(low)) or non-proliferating CD4+ cells (CFSE(high)) were single-cell sorted, cloned and screened against a panel of self-antigens and microbial recall antigens to interrogate their antigen reactivity. The percentage of CD4+ T cells entering cell cycle in response to self-peptide/MHC was calculated to be 0.04%, and entry into cell cycle was dependent upon CD28 costimulation. Clones derived from CFSE(low) T cells exhibited significantly greater cross-reactivity to multiple antigens than CFSE(high) clones or other CD4+ clones generated after microbial antigen stimulation. Sequencing the TCRbeta chains indicated that CFSE(low) clones were indeed clonal. These data demonstrate that T cell clones generated on stimulation by endogenous self-peptides exhibit a high degree of multispecificity, and we speculate that their multispecificity is based upon recognition of shared-backbone MHC determinants.
Using hundreds of workstations to solve first-order logic problems

This paper describes a distributed, adaptive, first-order logic engine with exceptional performance characteristics. The system combines serial search reduction techniques such as bounded-overhead subgoal caching and intelligent backtracking with a novel parallelization strategy particularly well-suited to coarse-grained parallel execution on a network of workstations. We present empirical results that demonstrate our system's performance using 100 workstations on over 1400 first-order logic problems drawn from the "Thousands of Problems for Theorem Provers" collection.
Adaptive boundary control for unstable parabolic PDEs-Part II: Estimation-based designs

The certainty equivalence approach to adaptive control is commonly used with two types of identifiers: passivity-based identifiers and swapping identifiers. The ''passive'' (also known as ''observer-based'') approach is the prevalent identification technique in existing results on adaptive control for PDEs but has so far not been used in boundary control problems. The swapping approach, prevalent in finite-dimensional adaptive control is employed here for the first time in adaptive control of PDEs. For a class of unstable parabolic PDEs we prove a separation principle result for both the passive and swapping identifiers combined with the backstepping boundary controllers. The result is applicable in any dimension. For physical reasons we restrict our attention to dimensions no higher than three. The results of the paper are illustrated by simulations.
State environmental regulators: perspectives about trust with their regulatory counterparts

Although numerous studies explore the regulatory enforcement styles of regulators and the regulated community's compliance motivations, existing research does not provide adequate insight into regulatory interactions themselves. We use data from a nationwide survey of more than 1200 state environmental regulators to empirically assess the role of trust in regulatory interactions. We find statistical support of trust in these regulatory interactions and find that trust appears to be a function of cooperative behavior, information sharing, respect, perceptions of motivations, and proactive assistance seeking. These findings could support the increasing calls for a fundamental restructuring of environmental regulation in favor of a next-generation approach to environmental policy that calls for more collaborative working relationships between regulators and their regulatory counterparts. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Experiments with in-situ thin film telephone cord buckling delamination propagation

There are many different stress relief mechanisms observed in thin films. One of the mechanisms involves film debonding from the substrate. In the case of tensile residual stress a network of through-thickness cracks forms in the film. In the case of compressive residual stress thin film buckling and debonding from the substrate in the form of blisters is observed. The buckling delamination blisters can be either straight, or form periodic buckling patterns commonly known as telephone cord delamination morphology. The mechanics of straight-sided blisters is well understood. Current study relies on the insitu observation of phone cord delamination propagation in different thin film/substrate systems. Both straight and phone cord delaminations are shown to simultaneously propagate in the same film system. Straight-sided blisters propagate several times faster than the phone cords, and may be followed by thin film fracture along the line of maximum film buckling amplitude. Phone cord delaminations originally start as straight-sided blisters, but then deviate to the periodic phone cord geometry due to the fact that the compressive residual stress in the film is biaxial. Digital analysis of motion recordings shows that partial crack “healing” is present at the curved portions of the phone cords due to the “secondary” buckling pushing thin film back to the substrate. These experimental observations allow for the correct interpretation of the telephone cord delamination morphology.
Receding horizon rank minimization based estimation with applications to visual tracking

This paper addresses the problem of predicting future outputs of an unknown Linear Time Invariant System based solely on past input/output data corrupted by noise, and an a-priori bound on the system order. This situation arises in many scenarios of practical interest where an explicit a-priori model of the system is not available. The main result of the paper is a simple, computationally efficient tracking algorithm that does not entail identifying first the unknown dynamics. Rather, the problem of estimating the next value of the output is recast into a rank minimization problem and solved using some recently introduced convex relaxations. The potential of the proposed approach is illustrated using as an example the problem of tracking multiple targets in video sequences in the presence of occlusion.
Practical data acquisition method for human brain tumor amide proton transfer (APT) imaging.

Amide proton transfer (APT) imaging is a type of chemical exchange– dependent saturation transfer (CEST) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in which amide protons of endogenous mobile proteins and peptides in tissue are detected. Initial studies have shown promising results for distinguishing tumor from surrounding brain in patients, but these data were hampered by magnetic field inhomogeneity and a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Here a practical six-offset APT data acquisition scheme is presented that, together with a separately acquired CEST spectrum, can provide B0-inhomogeneity corrected human brain APT images of sufficient SNR within a clinically relevant time frame. Data from nine brain tumor patients at 3T shows that APT intensities were significantly higher in the tumor core, as assigned by gadolinium-enhancement, than in contralateral normal-appearing white matter (CNAWM) in patients with highgrade tumors. Conversely, APT intensities in tumor were indistinguishable from CNAWM in patients with low-grade tumors. In high-grade tumors, regions of increased APT extended outside of the core into peripheral zones, indicating the potential of this technique for more accurate delineation of the heterogeneous areas of brain cancers. Magn Reson Med 60:842– 849, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Improving action selection in MDP's via knowledge transfer

Temporal-difference reinforcement learning (RL) has been successfully applied in several domains with large state sets. Large action sets, however, have received considerably less attention. This paper demonstrates the use of knowledge transfer between related tasks to accelerate learning with large action sets. We introduce action transfer, a technique that extracts the actions from the (near-)optimal solution to the first task and uses them in place of the full action set when learning any subsequent tasks. When optimal actions make up a small fraction of the domain's action set, action transfer can substantially reduce the number of actions and thus the complexity of the problem. However, action transfer between dissimilar tasks can be detrimental. To address this difficulty, we contribute randomized task perturbation (RTP), an enhancement to action transfer that makes it robust to unrepresentative source tasks. We motivate RTP action transfer with a detailed theoretical analysis featuring a formalism of related tasks and a bound on the suboptimality of action transfer. The empirical results in this paper show the potential of RTP action transfer to substantially expand the applicability of RL to problems with large action sets.
Formation Control and Collision Avoidance for Multi-agent Non-holonomic Systems: Theory and Experiments

In this paper we present a theoretical and experimental result on the control of multi-agent non-holonomic systems. We design and implement a novel decentralized control scheme that achieves dynamic formation control and collision avoidance for a group of non-holonomic robots. First, we derive a feedback law using Lyapunov-type analysis that guarantees collision avoidance and tracking of a reference trajectory for a single robot. Then we extend this result to the case of multiple non-holonomic robots, and show how different multi-agent problems, such as formation control and leader-follower control, can be addressed in this framework. Finally, we combine the above results to address the problem of coordinated tracking for a group of agents. We give extensive experimental results that validate the effectiveness of our results in all three cases.
A Dynamic Roughness Equation and Its Application to Wind Stress Determination at the Air-Sea Interface

Abstract A dynamic roughness equation including major wind and wave interaction parameters (wind shear velocity, wave height, and phase velocity) is derived. Because this equation implicitly incorporates the effects of wave steepness, relative water depth, and wind duration and fetch, it may be applied to a wide variety of natural conditions. This equation was used to construct a nomogram which can be utilized to determine the wind stress at the sea surface, given phase velocities, wave heights, and the wind speed at any height in the atmospheric boundary layer. The proposed relationships are verified by the available field and laboratory data under near-neutral atmospheric stability conditions from which the appropriate parameters could be determined.
Sendai Virus as a Backbone for Vaccines against RSV and other Human Paramyxoviruses

Human paramyxoviruses are the etiological agents for life-threatening respiratory virus infections of infants and young children. These viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the human parainfluenza viruses (hPIV1-4) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV), are responsible for millions of serious lower respiratory tract infections each year worldwide. There are currently no standard treatments and no licensed vaccines for any of these pathogens. Here we review research with which Sendai virus, a mouse parainfluenza virus type 1, is being advanced as a Jennerian vaccine for hPIV1 and as a backbone for RSV, hMPV and other hPIV vaccines for children.
Altered renal P-450 metabolism of arachidonic acid in Dahl salt-sensitive rats

The renal metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA) was compared in male and female prehypertensive Dahl salt-sensitive (SS/Jr) and salt-resistant (SR/Jr) rats maintained on a low- (0.3%) sodium chloride diet. Renal cortical microsomes incubated with AA produced 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), 14,15- and 11,12-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, and a new metabolite of AA, 11,12-epoxy-20-hydroxyeicosatrienoic acid. The production of 20-HETE was similar in cortical microsomes of female SS/Jr and SR/Jr rats maintained on a low-salt diet (72 +/- 5 vs. 66 +/- 3 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1); however, the formation of epoxygenase metabolites was significantly less in SS/Jr than in SR/Jr rats (45 +/- 2 vs. 70 +/- 3 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1). Outer medullary microsomes produced primarily 20-HETE, and the formation of this compound was significantly lower in SS/Jr than in SR/Jr female rats fed a low-salt diet (8 +/- 2 vs. 18 +/- 3 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1). Renal papillary microsomes produced prostaglandin E2 and F2 alpha, and the formation of these compounds was similar in female SS/Jr and SR/Jr rats fed a low-salt diet. Similar differences in the metabolism of AA by P-450 were observed in microsomes prepared from the renal cortex and outer medulla of male SS/Jr and SR/Jr rats. These results indicate that the renal metabolism of AA by P-450 is altered in prehypertensive Dahl SS/Jr rats; however, the functional significance of this system in resetting renal function and in the development of hypertension in this model remains to be established.
How to measure severity of mitral regurgitation

The recently revised American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for valvular heart disease emphasise that surgery is now indicated for severe mitral regurgitation (MR), even in asymptomatic patients, provided that the valve anatomy is suitable for repair, and that surgery is performed in an experienced centre with at least a 90% chance of successful repair.1 A corollary to this recommendation is that it is important to determine accurately the severity of MR, since surgery is only indicated for severe MR. In 2003, the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Society of Echocardiography published recommendations for quantification of valvular regurgitation.2 This paper summarises those recommendations, as they pertain to MR. First, a theoretical framework for understanding the determinants of MR severity and how they relate to echocardiography will be presented. Then, the practical application of various echocardiographic techniques for assessing MR severity will be discussed. In accordance with the above guidelines, an emphasis will be made on integrating multiple parameters into the final determination of MR severity.2 The Gorlin hydraulic orifice equation, commonly used to evaluate aortic stenosis, can also be used to derive the haemodynamic determinants of regurgitant volume in MR.3 Thus, regurgitant volume in MR is determined by the regurgitant orifice area (ROA), a constant known as the discharge coefficient (Cd), the mean systolic pressure gradient (MPG) between the left ventricle (LV) and left atrium (LA), and the duration of MR during systole (T). ![Formula][1] When assessing severity of MR, one should give careful consideration to each aspect of this equation. First, the ROA in MR is often dynamic and load dependent.4 In rheumatic MR, the valve is generally fibrotic, calcified and immobile, and therefore the ROA is fixed. However, in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy or myxomatous degeneration, ROA can vary during … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
K ¯ 0 − K − Mass Excess

Using the chsrge exchange of K- in a hydrogen bubble chamber, it was found that K/sup 0/ is 3.7 plus or minus 0.7 Mev heavier than K-. The incident K- ranged in energy from 10 to 150 Mev. A total of 41 charge-exchange events was observed. (W. D. M.)
Management performance of ecological indicators in the Georges Bank finfish fishery

Gavin Fay1*‡, Jason S. Link1, Scott I. Large1, and Robert J. Gamble2 National Marine Fisheries Service, Woods Hole, MA, USA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Woods Hole, MA, USA *Corresponding author: tel: +1-508-910-6363; fax: +1-508-999-8197; e-mail: gfay@umassd.edu Present address: School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 200 Mill Road, Suite 325, Fairhaven, MA 02719, USA
Fingernail-induced corneal abrasions: case series from an ophthalmology emergency department.

Purpose Fingernail-induced corneal abrasions are one of the most common eye injuries that present to the emergency department, and yet there is little literature available to offer guidelines for management. We analyzed the treatment used in cases of fingernail-induced corneal abrasions that presented to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Emergency Department and studied its relationship to the development of complications such as recurrent erosion syndrome and infection. Methods We performed a retrospective review of 99 patients who presented to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Emergency Department with fingernail-induced corneal abrasions between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. We followed the patients for 12 months and documented demographics, nature of the injury, treatment, and complications. Results The average age was 29.4 (range, 2-89) years. Forty-four percent (n = 44) were female and 56% (n = 55) were male. Of the 99 subjects, 39 had a full 12 month follow-up, and 7 developed a complication from the injury. Compared with the 32 subjects without complications, there was no difference in age or gender. However, there was a significant difference in that adults scratched by another adult were more highly represented in the group with complications (43%, n = 3/7 vs. 3%, n = 1/32; P = 0.0017). There was no significant difference in outcome by treatment used. Conclusions This is the largest fingernail-induced corneal abrasion study completed to date. Patients are at risk of developing complications, but there is scant evidenced-based literature available for treating this common injury. Prospective trials should be performed to better optimize and standardize treatments.
Delaying human chorionic gonadotropin administration in human menopausal gonadotropin-induced cycles decreases successful in vitro fertilization of human oocytes.

Correct timing of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration in induced cycles for in vitro fertilization is of crucial importance to oocyte maturation and normal luteal function. The purpose of this work was to compare the effect of hCG timing on follicular development, oocyte maturation, and fertilization in vitro, as well as on the pattern of luteal phase hormone secretion. Ovulation was induced in 32 normally cycling women by human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG)/hCG administration. In the first group (17 women) 10,000IU hCG was administered 24 hours after the last injection of hMG and in the second group (15 women) 48 to 72 hours after the last hMG injection. Serum estradiol levels prior to oocyte aspiration were similar in both groups, as were the numbers of large follicles on the day of hCG administration (4.5±2.3 versus 4.1±1.9 follicles/woman, respectively). The distribution of oocyte-corona-cumulus complexes was similar in both groups and was comprised of 11% immature, 43% intermediate, and 45% mature complexes. The fertilization rate, however, was significantly ( P It is concluded that an interval longer than 24 hours between the last injection of hMG and the administration of an ovulatory dose of hCG does not affect follicular and luteal phase serum steroid patterns but may result in a decreased oocyte fertilization rate, possibly due to atretic changes in the follicles.
4-Aminobutyrate (GABA) transporters from the amine-polyamine-choline superfamily: Substrate specificity and ligand recognition profile of the 4-aminobutyrate permease from Bacillus subtilis

A previous study [Ferson, Wray and Fisher (1996) Mol. Microbiol. 22, 693-701] has shown that transposon-mediated disruption of a protein 47% identical to the Escherichia coli GABA (4-aminobutyrate) transporter abolishes the ability of nitrogen-limited culture conditions to induce expression of a GABA transport activity in Bacillus subtilis. Here it is demonstrated directly that the B. subtilis GABA permease (gabP) gene can complement the transport defect in the gabP-negative E. coli strain. Unexpectedly, the ligand-recognition profile of the B. subtilis GabP was found to differ substantially from that of the highly homologous E. coli GabP. Unlike the E. coli GabP, the B. subtilis GabP: (i) exhibits approx. equal preference for the 3-carbon (beta-alanine, Km=9.6 microM) and the 4-carbon (GABA, Km=37 microM) amino acids, and (ii) resists inhibition by bulky, conformationally constrained compounds (e.g. nipecotic acid, guvacine), which are active against GABA transporters from brain. The present study shows additionally that the B. subtilis GabP can translocate several open-chain GABA analogues (3-aminobutyrate, 3-aminopropanoate, cis-4-aminobutenoate) across the membrane via counterflow against [3H]GABA. Thus, consistent with the idea that the ligand-recognition domain of the B. subtilis GabP is less spacious than that of the close homologue from E. coli, the former exhibits more stringent requirements than the latter for substrate recognition and translocation. These distinct functional characteristics of the E. coli and B. subtilis GABA transporters provide a basis by which to identify ligand-recognition domains within the amine-polyamine-choline transporter superfamily.
CT Textural Analysis of Large Primary Renal Cell Carcinomas: Pretreatment Tumor Heterogeneity Correlates With Histologic Findings and Clinical Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of the present study is to determine whether CT texture features of newly diagnosed primary renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) correlate with pathologic features and oncologic outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS. CT texture analysis was performed on large (> 7 cm; mean size, 9.9 cm) untreated RCCs in 157 patients (52 women and 105 men; mean age, 60.3 years). Measures of tumor heterogeneity, including entropy, kurtosis, skewness, mean, mean of positive pixels, and SD of pixel distribution histogram were derived from multiphasic CT using various filter settings: unfiltered (spatial scaling factor, 0), fine (spatial scaling factor, 2), medium (spatial scaling factor, 3–4), or coarse (spatial scaling factor, 5–6). Texture values were correlated with histologic subtype, nuclear grade, pathologic stage, and clinical outcome. RESULTS. When a coarse filter setting (spatial scaling factor, 6) was used, entropy on portal venous phase CT images was positively associated with clear cell histologic findin...
Water Saving and Benefit Increasing of Tangshan Iron & Steel Co.

Increasing demand for industrial water, especially excessive extraction of the underground water in Tangshan City made a dramatic decrease of the underground water level, and a large descending funnel was formed, which restrained the production. It presented in detail the effects of integrated utilization of water source of Tangshan Iron Steel Co.
Abstract A15: A human mini brain model of pediatric GBM

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most devastating brain cancer with dismal prognosis both in adults and children and accounts for 16% of primary brain tumors. Despite aggressive therapeutic approaches, the majority of patients die within one year after diagnosis. Giving the limitation of current GBM mouse models, which do not reflect the biological properties of human tumors, in particular, tumor heterogeneity and pathogenesis, there is a growing need for new models. Current in vitro 3D models involve the use of hydrogel scaffolds and cell lines, which do not represent a viable developmental context where the tumor mass interacts with and invades the surrounding brain tissues. Starting with pluripotent human embryonic stem cells we reproduced a 3D tissue structure (so-called cerebral organoid) representing a developing human brain in vitro. We engineered these mini-brains to express oncogenic hits responsible for the derivation of tumors in pediatric GBM patients. Pediatric GBM is driven by a combination of epigenetic and genetic hits including the expression of a mutant histone H3 variant H3F3A (mutated at K27M or G34R) or a gain of function mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase IDH1R132H in combination with the loss of the histone remodeling factor ATRX and/or p53 tumor suppressor. We used a combination of these oncogenic hits to create a model of tumor engineering representing the first 3D human tissue model of GBM. This model combines the accurate multi-lineage differentiation and physiology of human brain with the easiness of manipulation of in vitro systems. HE May 27-30, 2015; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(23 Suppl):Abstract nr A15.
3.22 – Afferent Synaptic Mechanisms

This chapter will focus on the first synapses in the auditory system, which in all vertebrate animals are located directly on the cell bodies of the mechanosensory hair cells. The presynaptic cells do not fire action potentials. Instead, deflections of the hair cell’s stereocilia cause changes in the membrane potential of <1 mV for barely perceptible sounds. Voltage-gated presynaptic calcium channels respond to these minute changes, allowing calcium to flow into the cell, where it modulates the release of excitatory neurotransmitter (glutamate) onto the postsynaptic endings of the primary afferent neurons. The resulting excitatory postsynaptic currents trigger action potentials that travel to the brain via the vestibulocochlear (eighth cranial) nerve. Thus, the afferent synapse transforms auditory information in the form of graded changes in the hair cell’s membrane potential into spike trains in afferent neurons.
Evaluation of PAT Methods for Potential Application in Small-Scale, Multipurpose Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Platforms

Small-scale (refrigerator-sized, 1.0 (width) × 0.7 (length) × 1.8 m (height)), multipurpose pharmaceutical manufacturing platforms (PMP) necessitate unique high demands on process analytical technologies (PAT), for instance, in in situ, real-time monitoring of liquid formulations (solution and suspension) to determine the strength prior to the release from PMPs that are not comparable to lab-scale or industrial-scale needs. Commercially available plug-and-play PATs were evaluated for their potential application in PMPs regarding versatility, flexibility, reliability, and physical size (including the control box). The results presented here indicate that single-frequency ultrasounds currently surpass commercially available plug-and-play PATs in ways such as focused beam reflectance measurements, conductivity, and turbidity as well as UV–vis, Fourier transform infrared, near-infrared, and Raman spectroscopy for the purpose of in situ, real-time concentration monitoring of aqueous and alcohol-based solutions...
Empirical Comparison of Automatic Image Annotation Systems

The performance of content-based image retrieval systems has proved to be inherently constrained by the used low-level features, and cannot give satisfactory results when the user's high level concepts cannot be expressed by low level features. In an attempt to bridge this semantic gap, recent approaches started integrating both low level-visual features and high-level textual keywords. Unfortunately, manual image annotation is a tedious process and may not be possible for large image databases. To overcome this limitation, several approaches that can annotate images in a semi-supervised or unsupervised way have emerged. In this paper, we outline and compare four different algorithms. The first one is simple and assumes that image annotation can be viewed as the task of translating from a vocabulary of fixed image regions to a vocabulary of words. The second approach uses a set of annotated images as a training set and learns the joint distribution of regions and words. The third and fourth approaches are based on segmenting the images into homogeneous regions. Both of these approaches rely on a clustering algorithm to learn the association between visual features and keywords. The clustering task is not trivial as it involves clustering a very high-dimensional and sparse feature spaces. To address this, the third approach uses semi-supervised constrained clustering while the fourth approach relies on an algorithm that performs simultaneous clustering and feature discrimination. These four algorithms were implemented and tested on a data set that includes 6000 images using four-fold cross validation.
Immunoglobulin G Fc Receptor Polymorphisms and Clinical Course in Follicular Lymphoma Patients.

Abstract Patients with low-grade B cell lymphoma, such as follicular lymphoma usually have an indolent clinical course. In most of the cases, patients do not require therapy at the time of diagnosis. Instead, patients can be monitored from months to years before the need for therapy. However, the time interval from diagnosis to the first therapy in these patients can vary significantly. In addition, the overall clinical course is heterogeneous in these patients with variable length of survival after diagnosis. The pathobiological basis of this hetergenisity is not known. We have recently found that IgG Fc receptor (FcγR) polymorphisms correlated with clinical outcome after immunotherapies in patients with follicular lymphoma. In one case, FcγRIIIa 158 V/F and FcγRIIa 131 H/R polymorphisms predicted the response to anti-CD20 antibody, rituximab therapy probably due to their role in the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. One question is whether the FcγR polymorphisms are correlated with the general clinical course of follicular lymphoma due toq their role in innate immunity. We therefore tested if FcγRIIIa 158 V/F, FcγRIIa 131 H/R and FcγRIIb 232 I/T polymorphisms predict clinical course of a group of 307 patients with follicular lymphoma. None of the three FcγR polymorphisms tested correlated with the time interval from diagnosis to first therapy, or with overall survival in this group of patients. We then tested whether FcγR polymorphisms have predictive value on clinical response to chemotherapy. Of 307 patients, only 158 patients received chemotherapy alone as first therapy, while the rest of the patients have received additional idiotype vaccination or rituximab. In the analysis of these 158 patients, there was no correlation between the FcγR polymorphisms and response rate to chemotherapy or time to progression after chemotherapy. Our results did not find any association between the three FcγR polymorphisms tested and clinical course of disease or response to chemotherapy in patients with follicular lymphoma, suggesting that the predictive value of FcγR polymorphisms on the clinical responses to rituximab is specific to the monoclonal antibody therapy.
How does the internet affect migration decisions

This article provides new evidence on the impact of the internet on migration decisions. I find that an increase in internet adoption among migrant-sending countries reduces the stock of migrants f...
Contributing Hebrew Name Headings to NACO: A Participant's View

Princeton University Libraries have undergone several phases over the years regarding authority work. This paper focuses on Princeton's treatment of Hebrew name headings within the framework of authority work in general, prior to and following the library's involvement in the NACO (National Coordinated Cataloging Operations) project. The paper deals with the following topics: the methods used at Princeton for authority work before the involvement with NACO in 1980; the stages of Princeton's involvement with NACO after 1980 (including production data); procedures developed at Princeton to facilitate authority work, enhance efficiency, and guarantee quality control in all production levels; personnel involved in authority work; the process undertaken to become an independent contributor of Hebrew name headings; the workflow of Hebrew name headings and the principles applied in establishing Hebrew name headings; and plans for the future.
Developmental Policy Design: An MDP Approach

In this paper, we consider the application of Bayesian structural discovery for developmental economy and use unsupervised learning over historical data to derive a generative Markov model for the country development. We demonstrate the use of this model for search of an optimal intervention in the policy space for stimulating economic progress and use our model’s predictive power to assess the effectiveness of aid policies.
It takes a village to care for the patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The primary care physician can play key roles in diagnosis, referral, and long-term management.
Assessing nicotine dependence in adolescent E-cigarette users: The 4-item Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Nicotine Dependence Item Bank for electronic cigarettes

Abstract Background Adolescent e-cigarette use (i.e., “vaping”) likely confers risk for developing nicotine dependence. However, there have been no studies assessing e-cigarette nicotine dependence in youth. We evaluated the psychometric properties of the 4-item Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Nicotine Dependence Item Bank for E-cigarettes (PROMIS-E) for assessing youth e-cigarette nicotine dependence and examined risk factors for experiencing stronger dependence symptoms. Methods In 2017, 520 adolescent past-month e-cigarette users completed the PROMIS-E during a school-based survey (50.5% female, 84.8% White, 16.22[1.19] years old). Adolescents also reported on sex, grade, race, age at e-cigarette use onset, vaping frequency, nicotine e-liquid use, and past-month cigarette smoking. Analyses included conducting confirmatory factor analysis and examining the internal consistency of the PROMIS-E. Bivariate correlations and independent-samples t-tests were used to examine unadjusted relationships between e-cigarette nicotine dependence and the proposed risk factors. Regression models were run in which all potential risk factors were entered as simultaneous predictors of PROMIS-E scores. Results The single-factor structure of the PROMIS-E was confirmed and evidenced good internal consistency. Across models, larger PROMIS-E scores were associated with being in a higher grade, initiating e-cigarette use at an earlier age, vaping more frequently, using nicotine e-liquid (and higher nicotine concentrations), and smoking cigarettes. Conclusion Adolescent e-cigarette users reported experiencing nicotine dependence, which was assessed using the psychometrically sound PROMIS-E. Experiencing stronger nicotine dependence symptoms was associated with characteristics that previously have been shown to confer risk for frequent vaping and tobacco cigarette dependence.
The influence of a good relationship between the internal audit and information security functions on information security outcomes

Abstract Given the increasing financial impact of cybercrime, it has become critical for companies to manage information security risk. The practitioner literature has long argued that the internal audit function (IAF) can play an important role both in providing assurance with respect to information security and in generating insights about how to improve the organization's information security. Nevertheless, there is scant empirical evidence to support this belief. Using a unique data set, this study examines how the quality of the relationship between the internal audit and the information security functions affects objective measures of the overall effectiveness of an organization's information security efforts. The quality of this relationship has a positive effect on the number of reported internal control weaknesses and incidents of noncompliance, as well as on the numbers of security incidents detected, both before and after they caused material harm to the organization. In addition, we find that higher levels of management support for information security and having the chief information security officer (CISO) report independently of the IT function have a positive effect on the quality of the relationship between the internal audit and information security functions.