cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Maximum Likelihood Classification method for image segmentation considering subject variability

In this paper, we present a new statistical model for Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) algorithm to improve the image segmentation/classification performance. MLC has been widely used in many classification applications. For supervised MLC, the parameters of the statistical model are obtained from the training dataset at the learning step. However, in the previous studies, the feature values of different classes are assumed to have similar distributions for different subjects. This is not true in many real world situations. The considerable differences across subjects have not obtained much attention before. To conquer this difficulty, we model the mean of feature values of each subject and the feature values as two groups of dependent random variables. This is made possible by using a bivariate Gaussian mixture model to fit the image data of different subjects. In this way, class membership depends on both the feature values and another random variable that captures subject-specific information. We apply our method to simulated image data and our experimental results show that the proposed model could improve the classical supervised MLC segmentation results when there are considerable differences across subjects.
Proof procedure and answer extraction in Petri net model of logic programs

A proof procedure and answer extraction in a high-level Petri net model of logic programs is discussed. The logic programs are restricted to the Horn clause subset of first-order predicate logic and finite problems. The logic program is modeled by a high-level Petri net and the execution of the logic program or the answer extraction process in predicate calculus corresponds to a firing sequence which fires the goal transition in the net. For the class of the programs described above, the goal transition is potentially firable if an only if there exists a nonnegative T-invariant which includes the goal transition in its support. This is the main result proved. Three examples are given to illustrate in detail the above results. >
Sacred Relics: Pieces of the Past in Nineteenth-Century America Teresa Barnett. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013.

Sacred Relics; Pieces of the Past in Nineteenth-Century America Teresa Barnett. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013.Objects have long allowed individuals to commune with the past, whether distant or recent, personal or public, celebratory or somber. For nineteenth-century Americans, the objects most often collected were what Teresa Barnett terms "sacred relics." These relics possessed value due to their associational qualities, howIn ever tangentially, with particular places, persons, or events. Later, such items were rejected as sentimental claptrap by the curators of newly emerging "scientific" museums around the turn of the twentieth century; a dismissal Barnett maintains has subsequently colored historical scholarship and its view of these relics. Drawing on studies of curiosity cabinets, museums and collecting, sentimental literature, and "the new materialism," Barnett convincingly argues that in order to understand negotiations with the past between individuals and historical artifacts, the central importance of sacred relics must be taken seriously in their ability to convey meaning.The volume is divided into three parts, the first defines the origins and nature of the sacred relic, the second uses the Civil War as a case study in relic collecting, and the third sketches the demise of the relic from its nearly omnipresent status. Part One first defines the sacred relic by what it is not: the medieval religious relic of saints and martyrs. Although the sacred relics of nineteenth-century America employed a similar language as their medieval predecessors, the religious connotation of sacred had been replaced with a sense of sacred as inviolable, private, and sentimental, the very tenets of Victorian selfhood. These relics could then be used like personal mementos not only to draw on individual memories but also to establish a "collective bond with those who had gone before" (75).In Part Two, Barnett examines the collecting of Civil War relics, a cultural phenomenon to which seemingly all Americans were devoted in the late nineteenth century. The war had divided North and South, and the collecting of Civil War relics followed the same lines in efforts to perpetuate the memory of the war. But even though the term "relic" remained the common descriptor, the Civil War had altered the function of relics. Whereas the relics of the Pilgrims or George Washington were heroic in nature, elevating the viewer through the celebration of these great individuals, the relics of the Civil War were pathetic, bringing forth "immense affective investment" (92) in the figurative or literal bloodstaining of these artiPathetic facts. …
Hecke groups and continued fractions

The Hecke groupsare Fuchsian groups of the first kind. In an interesting analogy to the use of ordinary continued fractions to study the geodesics of the modular surface, the λ-continued fractions (λF) introduced by the first author can be used to study those on the surfaces determined by the Gq. In this paper we focus on periodic continued fractions, corresponding to closed geodesics, and prove that the period of the λF for periodic has nearly the form of the classical case. From this, we give: (1) a necessary and sufficient condition for to be periodic; (2) examples of elements of ℚ(λq) which also have such periodic expansions; (3) a discussion of solutions to Pell's equation in quadratic extensions of the ℚ(λq); and (4) Legendre's constant of diophantine approximation for the Gq, that is, γq such that < γq/Q2 implies that P/Q of “reduced finite λF form” is a convergent of real α ∉ Gq(∞).
A history of major depressive disorder and the response to stress.

Abstract Background The occurrence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has been linked to an increased vulnerability to stress. However, the specific behavioral and affective aspects that may underlie this vulnerability to stress have not been well studied. Methods This study examined sensitivity to a stress manipulation in 62 participants, 30 with and 32 without a previous episode of MDD. Comparisons were made between those with a history of depression and those without, randomized to either the high or low stress conditions on self-report measures of affect and behavior measures of performance. Results A significant interaction was found between depression history and level of stress on measures of self-report tension and behavioral performance on the experimental task. Specifically, those with a history of MDD in the high stress condition reported significantly more tension than other participants. Additionally, participants in the high stress condition without a history of MDD responded to uncontrollable stress by responding at a significantly higher rate on the task while those individuals with a history of MDD responded to uncontrollable stress by maintaining a relatively low level of responding. No differences in self-report depressed affect were found. Limitations The study utilized a laboratory stressor in a sample composed primarily of college students. Conclusions A history of MDD appears to be associated with an increased sensitivity to uncontrollable stress. This vulnerability may manifest itself in the subjective state of individuals (i.e., tension) or in their behavioral responses to stress.
The Na+/H+ exchanger Nhx1p regulates the initiation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae vacuole fusion.

Nhx1p is a Na + (K + )/H + antiporter localized at the vacuolar membrane of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Nhx1p regulates the acidification of cytosol and vacuole lumen, and is involved in membrane traffic from late endosomes to the vacuole. Deletion of the gene leads to aberrant vacuolar morphology and defective vacuolar protein sorting. These phenotypes are hallmarks of malfunctioning vacuole homeostasis and indicate that membrane fusion is probably altered. Here, we investigated the role of Nhx1p in the regulation of homotypic vacuole fusion. Vacuoles isolated from nhx1 Δ yeast showed attenuated fusion. Assays configured to differentiate between the first round of fusion and ongoing rounds showed that nhx1 Δ vacuoles were only defective in the first round of fusion, suggesting that Nhx1p regulates an early step in the pathway. Although fusion was impaired on nhx1 Δ vacuoles, SNARE complex formation was indistinguishable from wild-type vacuoles. Fusion could be rescued by adding the soluble SNARE Vam7p. However, Vam7p only activated the first round of nhx1 Δ vacuole fusion. Once fusion was initiated, nhx1 Δ vacuoles appeared behave in a wild-type manner. Complementation studies showed that ion transport function was required for Nhx1p-mediated support of fusion. In addition, the weak base chloroquine restored nhx1 Δ fusion to wild-type levels. Together, these data indicate that Nhx1p regulates the initiation of fusion by controlling vacuole lumen pH.
Improving the R*-tree with outlier handling techniques

The R*-tree, as a state-of-the-art spatial index, has already found its way into commercial systems like Oracle. In this paper, we aim at improving query performance of the R*-tree. We focus on five widely used spatial queries: range query, aggregation query, nearest neighbor query, skyline query, and join query. The idea is to store outlier objects in internal tree nodes. The new structure is named the ROtree. Here an outlier is an object which is located far from other objects or has large extent (we consider both point objects and objects with extent). If such objects are stored at higher levels of the tree, the lower-level nodes have smaller minimum bounding rectangles and thus the index performs better. To support the dynamic nature of the index, several structural and algorithmic changes are needed. The paper discusses these changes. In particular, we show how to identify and handle the outlier objects during page overflow/underflow, using gain/loss metrics. Extensive experiments reveal that the ROtree significantly outperforms the R*-tree for all the five queries.
Euhemerus and the Historians

Euhemerus is one of the most elusive and disconcerting writers in the Hellenistic period. He survives chiefly in the pages of Diodorus Siculus, who almost certainly had not taken the measure of his author. Our other chief source of information comes from the translation made by the poet Ennius, which in turn is known only through the works of later writers, who cited him for purposes of their own. Other authors have paid Euhemerus the compliment of imitating him, and something of their work has survived, also in fragments. Philo of Byblus wrote in the same spirit, and recent excavations at Ras Shamra have shown that his Phoenician History must be taken much more seriously than has been the fashion. Under these circumstances it may be worth while to re-examine the Euhemeristic tradition in an attempt to define its characteristics and its influence on the writing of history.
Surface-normal fano filters based on transferred silicon nanomembranes on glass substrates

We report here the design and experimental results on surface-normal optical filters based on Fano resonance in patterned single crystalline silicon nanomembranes (SiNM), which were fabricated and transferred onto transparent glass substrates using a disruptive SiNM wet transfer process. The measured filter transmission results agree well with the design. Further design and process optimizations can lead to high Q filters, suitable for ultra-compact surface normal filters, switches and modulators.
Mechanical Behavior of Particle Filled Elastomers

The strong influence of relatively small amounts of filler particles, such as carbon black, on the mechanical properties of elastomers has been well known for decades and has significantly contributed to increased use of elastomeric materials in many commercial applications. Even though the use of fillers is ubiquitous, satisfactory understanding and modeling of the micromechanisms by which fillers alter the mechanical behavior of elastomers has still not been realized. In this work the influence of filler particles on the equilibrium stress-strain response has been investigated. First, an experimental investigation probing the behavior of a Chloroprene rubber with varied filler content has been performed. The experimental data allowed for a direct evaluation of both a newly developed constitutive model based on the amplification of the first strain invariant, and a number of other models proposed in the literature. A direct comparison with experimental data suggest that the new model generates superior predictions, particularly for large strain deformations. Then, in an eort to examine some of the assumptions that are common in the constitutive modeling and also to try to determine which of the input parameters are most important, a detailed series of micromechanical models were constructed using two- and three-dimensional finite element simulations. The results indicate that the eect of filler particles on the equilibrium behavior of elastomers can be accurately predicted using stochastic three-dimensional simulations suggesting that successful modeling mainly requires a rigorous treatment of the composite nature of the microstructure and not molecular level concepts such as alteration of mobility or eective crosslinking density in the elastomeric phase of the material.
Humeral head osteonecrosis after anterior shoulder stabilization in an adolescent. A case report.

After the femoral head, the humeral head is the second most common site for osteonecrosis and its occurrence has been associated with trauma (especially three and four-part fractures), corticosteroid use, sickle-cell disease, alcoholism, dysbarism (or caisson disease), Gaucher disease, or other systemic conditions1. Osteonecrosis of the humeral head is extremely uncommon in children and generally is not associated with conditions that affect the femoral head, such as Perthes disease. To our knowledge, osteonecrosis of the humeral head in an adolescent as a surgical complication has not been reported in the literature. We report a case of humeral head osteonecrosis in a child occurring after shoulder stabilization for the treatment of recurrent shoulder dislocation. The complication was treated nonsurgically, and the osteonecrosis resolved within nine months, as documented by magnetic resonance imaging. Our patient and his family were informed that data concerning the case would be submitted for publication. Athirteen-year-old male was referred to our clinic for evaluation of recurrent dislocation of the right shoulder. The first injury occurred at the age of eleven when he sustained a hyperabduction injury to the right arm while wrestling. He had immediate pain in the right shoulder but did not seek medical attention. He sustained the first dislocation of the right shoulder while diving into a pool approximately six months after the initial injury. Three months later, he sustained a hyperabduction injury and dislocated the same shoulder while playing football. Each time, the dislocated shoulder was reduced in an emergency room and was treated with immobilization in a sling for a brief period of time. Three weeks before presentation to our clinic, he dislocated the right shoulder while throwing a Frisbee. The patient was otherwise healthy and did not have a history of steroid use, sickle-cell anemia, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, instability of other …
THE SOLUTION OF THE REACTOR KINETICS EQUATIONS FOR LARGE AND SMALL EXCURSIONS

The study of reactor control systems for large excursions has presented considerable difficulty on both analog and digtial computers. Two simple transformations are derived which permit an accurate solution of such systems over many decades on analog computer. (auth)
Sub-to-Supercritical Jet Mixing and Core Length Analysis

Subcritical and supercritical fluids were injected in an inert gaseous atmosphere. Density distribution was measured and density gradient profiles were inferred from the experimental data. A novel method was applied for the detection of detailed structures throughout the entire jet center plane. The core lengths were measured for each of the cases and correlated with previous visualization results. An eigenvalue approach was taken to determine the location of maximum gradients. The results show a significant influence of chamber-to-injectant density ratio on the core length in the supercritical domain, unlike the subcritical conditions.
Latex beads as vehicles for the study of free radical processes in phagocytic cells.

The phagocytosing human polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) generates large quantities of oxidants: superoxide (HO2 and ·O 2 - , H2O2, and a chlorine-containing oxidant reputed to be hypochlorite. These oxidants are believed to aid in the killing of microorganisms since patients whose PMNs cannot undergo this “respiratory burst” suffer severe, recurrent infections. There appears to be good,1 but not unequivocable evidence for the participation of superoxide in bacterial killing by the human PMN. Extensive2 research has shown that ·O 2 - is neither a strong oxidant nor a strong reductant and, therefore, it is probably not a potent bactericide. The conjugate acid, HO$, should be sufficiently reactive3 to attack many components of the bacterial cell. Since the human PMN phagosome generally is assumed to be acidic, the acid-base equilibrium will be shifted toward HO2. However, the disproportionation reaction rate increases rapidly as the pH approaches the pKa of HO2, 4.8.3 It is not clear that attack on the susceptible bacterial cell components would be competitive with disproportionation.
Chapter B2 Fibrocartilage

The human menisci and intervertebral discs perform several important mechanical functions in the human body. The ability to perform these functions and consequently their intrinsic biomechanical properties are dependent on the interaction of the constituents of these structures. Both the menisci and intervertebral discs have a fibrocartilaginous structure that consists of two distinct phases: a fluid phase consisting of mainly water and dissolved electrolytes, and a solid phase composed of highly oriented collagen fibers, cells, proteoglycans and other proteins. As with all other biological materials, both menisci and discs exhibit non-linear viscoelastic and anisotropic properties. The non-linear stiffness or elasticity of the structure is imparted by the collagen fibers and to a lesser extent by osmotic pressures within the tissue which are generated by the degree of hydration [1, 2]. The viscoelastic or energy dissipation properties are a result of fluid flow within and through the structures and also of molecular relaxation effects from the motion of long chains of collagen and proteoglycans [3]. Anisotropy is a consequence of the orientation and concentration of collagen fibers within the proteoglycan gel.
Dynamic triggering of deep earthquakes within a fossil slab

The 9 November 2009 Mw 7.3 Fiji deep earthquake is the largest event in a region west of the Tonga slab defined by scattered seismicity and velocity anomalies. The mainshock rupture was compact, but the aftershocks were distributed along a linear feature at distances of up to 126 km. The aftershocks and some background seismicity define a sharp northern boundary to the zone of outboard earthquakes, extending westward towards the Vitiaz deep earthquake cluster. The northern earthquake lineament is geometrically similar to tectonic reconstructions of the relict Vitiaz subduction zone at 8-10 Ma, suggesting the earthquakes are occurring in the final portion of the slab subducted at the now inactive Vitiaz trench. A Coulomb stress change calculation suggests many of the aftershocks were dynamically triggered. We propose that fossil slabs contain material that is too warm for earthquake nucleation, but may be near the critical stress susceptible to dynamic triggering.
Robust DPG Methods for Transient Convection-Diffusion

We introduce two robust DPG methods for transient convection-diffusion problems. Once a variational formulation is selected, the choice of test norm critically influences the quality of a particular DPG method. It is desirable that a test norm produce convergence of the solution in a norm equivalent to L2 while producing optimal test functions that can be accurately computed and maintaining good conditioning of the optimal test function solve on highly adaptive meshes. Two such robust norms are introduced and proven to guarantee close to L2 convergence of the primary solution variable. Numerical experiments demonstrate robust convergence of the two methods.
100 SEQUENTIAL VERSUS SINGLE-STEP MEDIUM FOR RHESUS MACAQUE EMBRYO CULTURE

The nonhuman primate (NHP) is a valuable translational model for human health studies and is widely used to investigate pre-implantation embryo development. Central to these investigations is the dependency on in vitro embryo culture (IVC). Since 2001, the single-step hamster embryo culture medium (HECM) has been the accepted standard for NHP IVC. With recent advances in formula optimization for IVC in human clinics, a re-examination of optimal NHP IVC media is warranted. Thus, two types of commercially available IVC media routinely used in human applications were compared with HECM-9: Global (single-step; LifeGlobal Group, Guilford, CT, USA), and Quinns Advantage (sequential; SAGE, Trumbull, CT, USA). Normally cycling, adult rhesus monkeys (n = 3) underwent controlled ovarian stimulations, and follicles were aspirated via laparoscope. Recovered ova were fertilized in vitro and the resultant zygotes (n = 138) were cultured for 9 days in HECM-9, Global, or Quinns with 10% protein supplement at 37.5°C in humidified tri-gas (6% CO2, 5% O2, and 89% N). Single-step media (HECM-9 and Global) were refreshed every two days while embryos were cultured for Days 1–3 in Quinns Advantage Cleavage medium without being replaced and in Quinns Advantage Blastocyst medium for Days 4–9 with medium changes every 2 days. Embryos were observed for cleavage, compaction, and blastocyst development. Proportional data with equal variance and normal distribution were analysed by one-way ANOVA, and significance was determined post-hoc by the Holm-Sidak method with P < 0.05. Developmental stage data ± s.e.M are presented in Table 1; a change in superscript indicates a significant difference within the column. There was no difference in embryonic cleavage or morula compaction between the three culture media evaluated, indicating no obvious differences in their effects on embryonic development 1 to 3 days after fertilization. However, a greater proportion of blastocysts developed in Global medium compared with HECM-9, and though it was not statistically different, embryos cultured in Global tended to reach the blastocyst stage more frequently than those in Quinns. Although not significant due to large variances in each group, blastocyst expansion also tended to occur more frequently in Global medium than in HECM-9 or Quinns. Taken together, these data indicate that single-step Global is as supportive of early embryonic development as HECM-9 but is better formulated to facilitate later stage differentiation and would be better suited for use in updated standard NHP IVC protocols. Table 1.Cleavage, compaction, blastocysts, and expansion of embryos in HECM-9, Global, and Quinns media
Clairvoyant Fusion Solutions to Composite Spectral Detection Problems

Ignorance of the values of some model parameters makes optimal likelihood ratio tests (LRTs) inapplicable to nontrivial spectral detection problems. We describe a methodology for fusing LRTs to create robust solutions to such problems. Article not available.
International Alchemy within the Post-Copenhagen World: Transforming Critical Infrastructure Across Two Hundred Divergent Economies

For climate control, there is a new emphasis on control of global warming gas (GHG) emissions, for which sustainable technology transfer is key to sculpting emerging world infrastructure. The world stands at a crossroads because in the next decade, there will be an unprecedented, massive investment in electrification in developing nations. Once installed, those power production facilities will remain in place, contributing to global warming – or not – for at least forty years and in many cases much longer.Choices in energy technology infrastructure made now certainly will be the signature of the world carbon footprint for the remainder of this century, during which we may pass the point of no return in terms of the impacts of global warming. There is no Kyoto Protocol requirement that developed economies make any shift to zero-carbon or low-carbon renewable power, and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), under the Protocol, relating to developing countries, has likewise navigated in another direction.Increasingly, the politics of global warming have come to eclipse the importance of the science and technology of global warming. The science reveals, at the least, significant long-term trends and global risks in warming; the technology exists to reduce GHG emissions substantially. By contrast, recently, there has been a failure of political consensus within the United States, and serious dissention within blocks of the European Union and among developed and developing countries of the world regarding the political scope and range of carbon policy and initiatives.This article analyzes the science and international legal protocol of global warming and charts the proven and successful way forward in the energy sector, even in the most politically diverse developing nations. Specifically, this article focuses on what has worked in key developing countries of fast-growing Asia and examines how those techniques are being adapted to one of the last four communist political systems in the world. This article also explores creative ways to monetize the value of sustainable energy initiatives illustrated.As we sculpt legal institutions internationally to accompany one of the most abrupt and profound infrastructure changes in history, world climate change hangs in the balance. We will set the context and role of power technology in climate change and the future of the planet.
Detection of charge density wave phase transitions at 1T-TaS2/GaAs interfaces

The transition metal dichalcogenide 1T-TaS2 is well known to harbor a rich variety of charge density wave (CDW) distortions which are correlated with underlying lattice atom modulations. The long range CDW phases extend throughout the whole crystal and terminate with charge displacements at the crystal boundaries. Here, we report on the transport properties and capacitance characteristics of the interface between freshly exfoliated flakes of 1T-TaS2 in intimate van der Waals contact with n-type GaAs substrates. The extracted barrier parameters (ideality, barrier height, and built-in potential) experience pronounced changes across the Mott-CDW transition in the 1T-TaS2. The CDW-induced changes in barrier properties are well described by a bond polarization model which upon decreasing temperature gives rise to an increased potential drop across the interfacial region due to the localization of carriers and a decreased dielectric constant.
Surgical time out: Our counts are still short on racial diversity in academic surgery.

Abstract Background This study provides an updated description of diversity along the academic surgical pipeline to determine what progress has been made. Methods Data was extracted from a variety of publically available data sources to determine proportions of minorities in medical school, general surgery training, and academic surgery leadership. Results In 2014–2015, Blacks represented 12.4% of the U.S. population, but only 5.7% graduating medical students, 6.2% general surgery trainees, 3.8% assistant professors, 2.5% associate professors and 2.0% full professors. From 2005-2015, representation among Black associate professors has gotten worse (−0.07%/year, p Conclusion Despite efforts to promote diversity in surgery, Blacks and Hispanics remain underrepresented. A multi-level national focus is imperative to elucidate effective mechanisms to make academic surgery more reflective of the US population.
An empirically based approach to defining wildland firefighter safety and survival zone separation distances

Wildland firefighters in the US are mandated to identify areas that provide adequate separation between themselves and the flames (i.e. safety zones) to reduce the risk of burn injury. This study presents empirical models that estimate the distance from flames that would result in a low probability (1 or 5%) of either fatal or non-fatal injuries. The significant variables for the fatal injury model were fire shelter use, slope steepness and flame height. The separation distances needed to ensure no more than a 1 or 5% probability of fatal injury, without the use of a fire shelter, for slopes less than 25% were 20 to 50 m for flame heights less than 10 m, and 1 to 4 times the flame height for flames taller than 10 m. The non-fatal injury model significant variables were fire shelter use, vehicle use and fuel type. At the 1 and 5% probability thresholds for a non-fatal injury, without the use of a fire shelter, the separation distances were 1 to 2, 6 to 7, and 12 to 16 times greater than the current safety zone guideline (i.e. 4 times the flame height) for timber, brush and grass fuel types respectively.
Atypical Alzheimer’s Disease, Mixed Dementia, and Amyloid Angiopathy

Alzheimer’s disease typically presents with episodic, short-term memory impairment. There are three principle variants or atypical forms of Alzheimer’s disease: (1) posterior cortical atrophy, (2) logopenic aphasia, and (3) frontal Alzheimer’s disease. Each of these syndromes has a characteristic phenotype that can be identified clinically. Each of the phenotypes can be caused by other neurological disorders besides Alzheimer’s disease and differential diagnosis is an important part of the approach to neurological care. Mixed dementias are common, particularly the association of Alzheimer’s disease with cerebrovascular disease. Mixed dementia may also occur with Alzheimer’s disease in combination with Lewy body pathology and TDP-43 protein inclusions. Amyloid angiopathy is a vascular disorder with amyloid accumulation in the blood vessels and usually presenting with lobar hemorrhage. When there is prominent inflammation, patients may improve with treatment with steroids or anti-metabolites.
K-Ras4B Remains Monomeric on Membranes over a Wide Range of Surface Densities and Lipid Compositions

Ras is a membrane-anchored signaling protein that serves as a hub for many signaling pathways and also plays a prominent role in cancer. The intrinsic behavior of Ras on the membrane has captivated the biophysics community in recent years, especially the possibility that it may form dimers. In this article, we describe results from a comprehensive series of experiments using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and single-molecule tracking to probe the possible dimerization of natively expressed and fully processed K-Ras4B in supported lipid bilayer membranes. Key to these studies is the fact that K-Ras4B has its native membrane anchor, including both the farnesylation and methylation of the terminal cysteine, enabling detailed exploration of possible effects of cholesterol and lipid composition on K-Ras4B membrane organization. The results from all conditions studied indicate that full-length K-Ras4B lacks intrinsic dimerization capability. This suggests that any lateral organization of Ras in living cell membranes likely stems from interactions with other factors.
Bayesian inference and model selection for physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

The growing use of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) in early cancer detection technologies has created a demand for physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models that accurately model and predict the biodistribution of SPIONs in the mouse and human model. The objective of this work is to use a Bayesian approach built upon nested-sampling to select a model based on qualitative criteria of the fit of the model and the likelihood function landscape, as well as quantitative criteria of the evidence and maximum likelihood values. Four first-order PBPK compartmental models of ranging complexity are considered. Compartments included in the models comprise of a combination of the plasma, liver, spleen, tumor, and “other” (the remaining body tissue), with parameters including the volume, blood flow rate, and plasma:tissue distribution ratios. The model parameters for each model are evaluated using Bayesian inference, in addition to the respective evidence integrals, maximum log-likelihoods, and Bayes factors. The model containing all compartments and the model containing the plasma, liver, tumor and “other” had the highest log-likelihood and evidence values, indicating both a high goodness-of-fit and a high likelihood of the model given the data. This is similarly reflected in a faithful quality-of-fit and non-flat log-likelihood landscapes. Overall, these findings illustrate the strength of the Bayesian model selection framework in ranking different models to determine the best model that accurately represents the experimental data.
Closed-loop small bowel obstruction from lateral trocar site hernia following robotic sigmoid resection

A 67-year-old man with medical history significant for hypertension and hyperlipidaemia was found on screening colonoscopy to have a large, polypoid adenomatous polyp of the distal descending colon not amenable to colonoscopic resection. He underwent a robotic sigmoid colon resection with primary anastomosis. Postoperatively the patient developed persistent abdominal distention, nausea and had no passage of flatus or bowel movements after 7 days which was initially attributed to ileus. Cross-sectional CT revealed a closed-loop small bowel obstruction secondary to an incarcerated hernia at the right lateral 8 mm robotic trocar site with surrounding subcutaneous emphysema (figure 1). On physical examination, there was no palpable bulge or overlying erythema along the previous incision. The patient was brought …
Design and Analysis of an Array of Square Microstrip Patches for Nondestructive Measurement of Inner Material Properties of Various Structures Using Swept Microwave Frequencies

There are several microwave techniques and probes available for characterizing inner properties of materials [1]. Microstrip patches operating in cavity modes are well suited for determining the dielectric properties of materials. A microstrip patch can be characterized by its resonant frequency and quality factor (Q-factor) when operating in free-space. When the patch is covered by another material whose dielectric properties (real and imaginary parts) are different than that of free-space, resonant frequency and Q-factor of the patch will change. The changes in these two parameters are then related to the real and imaginary parts of the material permittivity. Subsequently, the permittivity of the material is related to its moisture content, density, temperature, grain size, etc. via available dielectric mixing models [2]. Such a device can be placed inside a material temporarily (snow pack for avalanche prediction) or permanently (concrete structures for water content and crack detection).
Permissible Preventive Cyberwar: Restricting Cyber Conflict to Justified Military Targets

Evaluations of cyber war and weapons range from denunciations of their widespread and indiscriminate destructiveness and deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, all the way to appraisals of cyber warfare as a morally preferable, less destructive alternative to conventional warfare. This chapter will bring some order to this chaos by distinguishing permissible from impermissible forms of cyber conflict, as well as distinguishing genuine “warfare” from large-scale criminal or terrorist enterprises. The chapter will criticize the lack of discrimination often encountered in the formulation of cyber strategy and development of cyber weapons, and argue in favor of international governance and guidance that (with reference to proportionality, discrimination, and the principle of last resort) restricts the use of cyber weapons to justified military targets, using Stuxnet as a recent case in point. In ethics, we can infer or derive operable constraints on, and guidelines for acceptable practice by examining instances of what all agree is either good or bad practice, just as in international law, we recognize the evolution of customary law through the accepted conduct of otherwise law-abiding states. Hence, I will argue that an act of cyberwarfare is permissible if it aims primarily at harming military (rather than civilian) infrastructure, degrades an adversary’s ability to undertake highly destructive offensive operations, harms no civilians and/or destroys little or no civilian infrastructure in the process, and is undertaken as a “last resort” in the sense that all reasonable alternatives short of attack have been attempted to no avail, and further delay would only make the situation worse.
Ovine vital neutrophil extracellular traps bind and impair Haemonchus contortus L3 in a breed-dependent manner.

This study aimed to characterize neutrophil response to Haemonchus contortus (Hc) in vitro using cells from parasite-resistant St. Croix (STC) and parasite-susceptible Suffolk (SUF) sheep. Neutrophils from Hc-primed and naive STC and SUF sheep were incubated with Hc larval antigen (HcLA), Hc worm antigen (HcWA) or complete media (CM). After HcLA exposure, neutrophils from STC and SUF formed extracellular traps composed of DNA. Stimulation with HcLA induced a 35-fold increase in extracellular DNA compared to CM controls. However, extracellular DNA was not found when neutrophils were cultured with HcWA. The formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) in response to HcLA yields a low percentage of necrotic cells indicating a form of vital NETosis. Neutrophils from primed and naive STC bound Hc L3 greater (93% and 68%) than SUF (78% and 45%; P < 0.001). Furthermore, STC neutrophils significantly reduced larval ATP levels compared to SUF neutrophils (0.05 μmol/L vs 0.1 μmol/L ATP, P < 0.001). These data indicate that ovine neutrophils bind, form vital NET and reduce ATP to Hc L3 in a breed and infection status-dependent manner.
Future Directions: The Known and Unknown Roles of Hair-Follicle Stem Cell Types

Our laboratory has discovered that the hair follicle has both pluripotent and monopotent stem cells. We observed that nestin, a protein marker for neural stem cells, is also expressed in a population of hair-follicle stem cells and their immediate, differentiated progeny. The green fluorescent protein (GFP), whose expression is driven by the nestin regulatory element in transgenic mice (ND-GFP mice), served to mark hair-follicle stem cells and could be used to trace their fate. The ND-GFP hair-follicle stem cells are positive for the stem cell marker CD34 but negative for keratinocyte marker keratin 15, suggesting their relatively undifferentiated state. We have shown that the nestin-expressing hair-follicle stem cells can differentiate into neurons, glia, keratinocytes, smooth muscle cells, and melanocytes in vitro. In vivo studies show that the nestin-­expressing hair-follicle stem cells can differentiate into blood vessels and neural tissue after transplantation to the subcutis of nude mice. Nestin-expressing hair-follicle stem cells implanted into the gap region of severed sciatic or tibial nerves greatly enhance the rate of nerve regeneration and the restoration of nerve function. When transplanted to the severed peripheral nerves or spinal cord of the mice, the nestin-expressing follicle cells transdifferentiate largely into Schwann cells, which are known to support neuron regrowth. The transplanted mice regain the ability to walk normally. The nestin-expressing hair-follicle stem cells are pluripotent and provide an effective, accessible, autologous source of stem cells for the treatment of peripheral nerve injury and appear to be a paradigm for adult stem cells. We have observed that both the mouse and human hair follicles also contain nestin-negative, keratin-15-positive stem cells that form only keratinocytes as well as the pluripotent nestin-positive keratin-15-negative stem cells. A major question in stem cell and hair-follicle biology is: “What are the main roles of these two types of stem cells in the hair follicle?” Our future understanding of the role of the stem cell types in the hair follicle is a promising approach to study hair growth and aging.
Peripheral neuropathic mimics of visceral abdominal pain: Can physical examination limit diagnostic testing?

Abstract Background The emergency department evaluation of patients with abdominal pain is most appropriately directed at identifying acute inflammation, infection, obstruction, or surgical disease. Doing so commonly involves “routine” (and often extensive) diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing. Benign mimics of serious visceral abdominal pain that can be diagnosed by physical exam and confirmed with local anesthetic injections have been identified over the last century. These syndromes derive from painful irritation of the intercostal nerves by a mobile rib below, or from impingement of the cutaneous branches of those same intercostal nerves as they penetrate the abdominal wall. These peripheral neuropathic mimics of visceral abdominal pain continue to go unrecognized and underdiagnosed. Methods Our purpose is to review the affirmative diagnosis of non-visceral abdominal pain by physical examination. Results The consequences of failure to identify these conditions are considerable. In the search for a diagnosis that is literally at the provider's fingertips, patients frequently undergo months to years of fruitless and often invasive diagnostic tests, not uncommonly including unsuccessful surgeries. Conclusions With proper consideration of and appropriate testing for visceral etiologies, a carefully directed physical examination may yield an affirmative diagnosis in a percentage of these common emergency department patients.
Activation of diverse carbon–heteroatom and carbon–carbon bonds via palladium( ii )-catalysed β-X elimination

Chemists’ ability to synthesize structurally complex, high-value organic molecules from simple starting materials is limited by methods to selectively activate and functionalize strong alkyl C(sp3) covalent bonds. Recent activity has focused on the activation of abundant C–O, C–N and C–C bonds via a mechanistic paradigm of oxidative addition of a low-valent, electron-rich transition metal. This approach typically employs nickel(0), rhodium(i), ruthenium(0) and iron catalysts under conditions finely tuned for specific, electronically activated substrates, sometimes assisted by chelating functional groups or ring strain. By adopting a redox-neutral strategy involving palladium(ii)-catalysed C–H activation followed by β-heteroatom/carbon elimination, we describe here a catalytic method to activate alkyl C(sp3)–oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, fluorine and sulfur bonds with high regioselectivity. Directed hydrofunctionalization of the resultant palladium(ii)-bound alkene leads to formal functional group metathesis. The method is applied to amino acid upgrading with complete regioselectivity and moderate to high retention of enantiomeric excess. Low-strain heterocycles undergo strong-bond activation and substitution, giving ring-opened products. Traditionally, strong-bond activation by transition metals has been achieved through an oxidative addition pathway. Now, a redox-neutral palladium(ii)-catalysed β-elimination strategy has been shown to activate alkyl C–O, N, C, F and S bonds to give an alkene that can be trapped with various nucleophiles. This functional group metathesis allows upgrading of amino acid derivatives and ring-opening of saturated heterocycles.
An Enzyme-Mediated Amplification Strategy Enables Detection of β-Lactamase Activity Directly in Unprocessed Clinical Samples for Phenotypic Detection of β-Lactam Resistance.

Biochemical assays that can identify β-lactamase activity directly from patient samples have the potential to significantly improve the treatment of bacterial infections. However, current β-lactamase probes do not have the sensitivity needed to measure β-lactam resistance directly from patient samples. Here, we report the development of an instrument-free signal amplification technology, DETECT, that connects the activity of two enzymes in series to effectively amplify the activity of β-lactamase 40 000-fold, compared to the standard β-lactamase probe nitrocefin.
Biological approaches to cancer therapy.

Progress had been made over the past 5 years toward the development of specific biological approaches to the treatment of cancer. The techniques of genetic engineering and mass cell culture, and improved techniques in protein and nucleic acid sequencing have made available biologics as highly purified molecules. The most definitive investigations have been carried out with natural and cloned interferon-α preparations, and it is clear that the latter are capable of inducing responses primarily in patients with certain types of lymphomas and leukemias. Preliminary trials with murine monoclonal antibodies have demonstrated excellent in vivo tumor localization and transient clinical responses, but durable responses are rare events. Antibodies conjugated to drugs, toxins, and isotopes have greater antitumor activity in vitro and in animal models; clinical trials are currently under way.
Controlled nucleation of monolayer MoSe2 islands on Si (111) by MBE

Van der Waals bonding relaxes the constraints of lattice matching, making two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides attractive in the field of epitaxy. Recently, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) of MoSe2 was demonstrated on a variety of substrates. Here, the authors use MBE to investigate the early stages of 2D nucleation of MoSe2 grown on Si in pursuit of controlled monolayer island size. The 2D nucleation rate varies by a factor of >2 over a narrow substrate temperature range of 550–560 °C. Above 560 °C, the desorption rate of Se from the surface exceeds the nucleation rate leading to fully suppressed 2D monolayer nucleation. X-ray diffraction confirms (001) oriented MoSe2 on Si (111). Raman spectra are consistent with 1–3 monolayer-thick MoSe2, in agreement with atomic force microscopy measurements of the monolayer height of 2D islands.Van der Waals bonding relaxes the constraints of lattice matching, making two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides attractive in the field of epitaxy. Recently, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) of MoSe2 was demonstrated on a variety of substrates. Here, the authors use MBE to investigate the early stages of 2D nucleation of MoSe2 grown on Si in pursuit of controlled monolayer island size. The 2D nucleation rate varies by a factor of >2 over a narrow substrate temperature range of 550–560 °C. Above 560 °C, the desorption rate of Se from the surface exceeds the nucleation rate leading to fully suppressed 2D monolayer nucleation. X-ray diffraction confirms (001) oriented MoSe2 on Si (111). Raman spectra are consistent with 1–3 monolayer-thick MoSe2, in agreement with atomic force microscopy measurements of the monolayer height of 2D islands.
A strongly correlated material for tunable metasurfaces

We demonstrate intensity dependent optical response in the visible for a strongly correlated material, 1T-TaS 2 . Using this tunable material, we show the intensity-dependent diffraction of a meta-grating device useful for imaging, display and sensing technologies. © 2019 The Author(s)