cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Local stabilizer codes in three dimensions without string logical operators

We suggest concrete models for self-correcting quantum memory by reporting examples of local stabilizer codes in 3D that have no string logical operators. Previously known local stabilizer codes in 3D all have stringlike logical operators, which make the codes non-self-correcting. We introduce a notion of “logical string segments” to avoid difficulties in defining one-dimensional objects in discrete lattices. We prove that every stringlike logical operator of our code can be deformed to a disjoint union of short segments, each of which is in the stabilizer group. The code has surfacelike logical operators whose partial implementation has unsatisfied stabilizers along its boundary.
Effects of Installation on Dynamic Pressure Measurements

*† Combustion dynamics pose serious challenge for modern low NOx emission gas turbine combustors. Accurate detection of pressure oscillation signals associated with combustion dynamics is crucial for control of combustion dynamics and assurance of reliable operation and extended life time of the engines. However, the installation of the pressure transducer is often limited by the temperature the sensor can withstand. This paper addresses the possible signal distortion due to commonly used pressure sensor installation on a stand-off tube. The effects of the tube and extension “tails” lengths on the measured pressure signals using different types of piezoelectric pressure transducers are described. A two-dimensional wave tube is used to generate clean planar wave for this study. The stand-off tube was found to be responsible for pseudo peaks in the spectrum whose frequency depends on the tube length. The extension “tail” also modifies the spectrum of the detected signal by introducing low frequency modulation of the spectrum. For proper signal detection, the length of the tube has to be carefully selected to avoid artificial distortion of signals at the frequency range of interest.
Inducible expression of mutant α-synuclein decreases proteasome activity and increases sensitivity to mitochondria-dependent apoptosis

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Although mutations in alpha-synuclein have been identified in autosomal dominant PD, the mechanism by which dopaminergic neural cell death occurs remains unknown. Proteins encoded by two other genes in which mutations cause familial PD, parkin and UCH-L1, are involved in regulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, suggesting that dysregulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is involved in the mechanism by which these mutations cause PD. We established inducible PC12 cell lines in which wild-type or mutant alpha-synuclein can be de-repressed by removing doxycycline. Differentiated PC12 cell lines expressing mutant alpha-synuclein showed decreased activity of proteasomes without direct toxicity. Cells expressing mutant alpha-synuclein showed increased sensitivity to apoptotic cell death when treated with sub-toxic concentrations of an exogenous proteasome inhibitor. Apoptosis was accompanied by mitochondrial depolarization and elevation of caspase-3 and -9, and was blocked by cyclosporin A. These data suggest that expression of mutant alpha-synuclein results in sensitivity to impairment of proteasome activity, leading to mitochondrial abnormalities and neuronal cell death.
Complete genome sequence of an Argentinean isolate of Solenopsis invicta virus 3

Solenopsis invicta virus 3 (SINV-3) is a recently described positive-strand RNA virus that infects the red imported fire ant, S. invicta. The genome of an Argentinean isolate of Solenopsis invicta virus 3 (SINV- 3 ArgSF ) obtained from the Santa Fe region of Argentina was sequenced in entirety. Assembly of nine overlapping fragments yielded a consensus genome sequence 10,386 nucleotides long, excluding the poly(A) tail present on the 3 0 end (Genbank accession number GU017972). With the exception of the poly(A) tail, the genome length of SINV- 3 ArgSF was identical to the North American isolate (SINV- 3 USDM ). The SINV-3 ArgSF genome possessed three major open reading frames (ORFs) (comprised of C100 codons) in the sense orientation; SINV-3 USDM possessed only two. ORFs 1 and 2 had identical start and stop genome positions for both isolates. Blastp analysis of the translated ORF 1 of SINV-3 ArgSF recognized conserved domains for helicase, protease, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. These domains and their corresponding positions were identical to those reported for SINV-3 USDM . ORF 2a, unique to the SINV-3 ArgSF genome, was also found in frame 2 and had a canonical start codon located at nucleotide position 8,351 and a stop codon ending at position 8,827. Blastp analysis of the translated amino acid sequence of ORF 2a revealed no significant similarity in the Genbank database. The two SINV-3 isolates exhibited 96.2% nucleotide sequence identity across the entire genome. The amino acid sequences of ORFs 1 and 2 exhibited higher identities (99.0 and 98.2%, respectively) than the corresponding nucleotide regions within the genome. These data indicated that the nucleotide differences between the SINV-3 isolates were largely synonymous. This observation was corroborated by codon substitution rate analysis. Thus, the majority of the SINV-3 codon changes were silent in the two polyproteins, indicating purifying selection pressure on the viral genome.
Sensitivity of point- and line-source laser-generated acoustic wave to surface flaws

Laser generation and air-coupled detection were combined as a hybrid ultrasonic technique for the inspection of surface flaws in rails. Narrowband acoustic signals were generated using a formed laser source by focusing the laser light to a point and to a line on the surface of the rail. The pulse energy, and therefore the intensity of the laser source, varied such that the generated signal transitioned from the weak thermoelastic to the strong ablative regime. The detection of flaws using a laser-generated surface acoustic wave, in the presence of surface flaws, was compared between both point and line laser sources operating under different pulse energy levels. The line source was found to be more sensitive to the presence of surface flaws than a point source. The sensitivity of the laser-generated acoustic signal appeared to be independent of the severity of the flaw and, within the ablative regime, independent of the laser-pulse energy. Theoretical analysis is provided to explain the underlying cause that influences the interaction of a formed laser-generated surface acoustic wave to surface flaws and how this sensitivity may vary between the thermoelastic and ablative regimes.
Prognosis of surgical neonates.

The prognosis and outcome of surgical neonates travelled across many phases of development of modern sciences. In past the prognosis of surgical conditions, as whole regardless of the age, was poor. But with the advent of modern anesthesia and intensive care units and involvement of new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities the prognosis is now on the move. Contrarily, surgical neonates are a subclass of patients having wide differences in physiology, anatomy, diseases, immunity and response to the stress, as compared to older patients. Previously, dealt by the general surgeons, the prognosis and outcome of many surgical conditions of neonates were poor as many of them were considered mortal at that time. Even the congenital malformations that have excellent outcome today had poor outcome at that time. The outcome started improving with the development of pediatric surgery specialty that utilized new procedures, modify previous approaches and provided adequate postoperative care to pediatric patients and neonates. The outcome and prognosis varies disease to disease. Generally speaking many neonatal surgical disorders have now good outcome especially anorectal malformations, hirschsprung’s disease etc.
Rule Pattern Language 2001: A Pattern Language for Adaptive Manners and Scalable Business Rule Design and Construction

Abstract: Business Rules, Constraints, Policies and Workflow and in general, the "manners" or rules governing the behavior of objects and components within object-oriented software architectures need to be managed, designed and implemented across the software development life-cycle. With such far-reaching influence and impact on software development, it is expected that the process of Rule Management would be honed into a more disciplined set of practices and methods that could be applied uniformly across multiple projects. The expectation to achieve an engineering discipline through the distillation of the industry's body of knowledge pertaining to the way rules are handled has been the motivation of workshops and harvesting of best-practices across multiple projects in various industries over the past six years. This has led to a continuous refinement and update of the Rule Pattern Language (RPL). In this paper, we provide and overview of the patterns and focus on Rule Object, Type Rule and Configurable Workflow as three representative patterns in greater detail.
Dosimetric considerations in radiation therapy of coin lesions of the lung

Purpose: The dose distribution in small lung lesions (coin lesions) is determined by the combined effects of reduced attenuation and electronic disequilibrium. The magnitude of the dose delivered also depends on the algorithm used to correct for reduced lung density. These effects are investigated experimentally and computationally for 10 MV photons. Methods and Materials: Using a polystyrene miniphantom embedded in cork or cedar, thermoluminescent dosimetry and film dosimetry was performed to investigate interface effects and the central dose per monitor unit (MU). Three frequently applied calculation techniques- no density correction, ratio of tissue maximum ratios (TMRs), and the Batho correction- were also used to calculate the dose per MU. The measurements and calculations were compared with a one-dimensional phenomenological theory with parameters taken from the literature. Results: The measurements at the entrance surface and center of the miniphantom agreed well with the predictions of the phenomenological theory. The interface regions are usually thin enough (2-3 mm) to be clinically unimportant for 10 MV. Depending on the algorithm used to correct for decreased lung density, the lesion dose may be larger or smaller than the prescribed dose by as much as 20% in extreme cases. A clinical example is presented. Conclusions: In comparing clinical results of treatments of small lung lesions, it is important to be aware of the density correction used. Lung cancer, Dosimetry, Inhomogeneity correction.
Social Identification and Interpersonal Communication in Computer-Mediated Communication: What You Do versus Who You Are in Virtual Groups.

This study investigates the influence of interpersonal communication and intergroup identification on members' evaluations of computer-mediated groups. Participants (N = 256) in 64 four-person groups interacted through synchronous computer chat. Subgroup assignments to minimal groups instilled significantly greater in-group versus out-group identification. One member in each group was instructed to exhibit interpersonally likable or dislikable behavior. Analysis revealed that confederates acting likably were more attractive than those acting dislikably regardless of their in-group or out-group status. Further results indicated that interpersonal behavior interacted with subgroup membership on identification shifts following online discussions. Interpersonal dynamics generally provided stronger effects on members in virtual groups than did intergroup dynamics, in contrast to predictions from previous applications of social identification to computer-mediated communication.
LOCAL FISCAL BEHAVIOR UNDER STATE PROVISIONS: Do Local Governments Smooth Revenue from Booms across Busts?

In the study of state-local relations, interactions between the two layers in fiscal policy are an important area. States direct and exercise oversight over local governments, also provide substantial financial assistance. These have played into the state-local interactions in their fiscal policy. Research in this area has been increasing but inadequate, especially in regard to local policy options during a downturn. Localities are assumed or expected to adopt a counter-cyclical fiscal policy (CCFP) and practices. The questions are: Do they, can they? There has been an increasing literature on CCFP at the state level, but a much smaller one on the local level, especially in state-local interactions in this policy area. This paper is an attempt to move closer to consensus on the determinants of local savings and the effects of the savings. This paper uses the longest available, nationwide annual series county level data set for empirical analysis. The most important findings are: Localities save for future liabilities not recessions; they do not smooth from booms across busts; and state level fiscal institutions cast real impact on local finance. These findings shed light on local policy making and add to existing evidence for state level policy design.
An Update on Evidence of Clinical Pharmacy Services' Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life

Objective:To describe and critique recent studies of clinical pharmacy services that have evaluated impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL) and to determine whether studies that lacked a control group were more likely to report a statistically significant impact on HRQL.Data Sources:MEDLINE, EMBASE and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts were searched (March 1999–December 2004) using terms for HRQL and clinical pharmacy services.Study Selection and Data Extraction:All original research articles in English identified from the data sources were examined. Abstracts were screened by 2 reviewers, and studies were included if a clinical pharmacy service was evaluated and pre-/post-HRQL outcomes were reported.Data Synthesis:Of 1152 citations identified by the literature search, 36 articles met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-two studies had a condition-specific focus. Fifteen studies incorporated a generic HRQL measure (primarily the short-form-36 items), 13 studies used a condition-specific measure, a...
Wrist and digital joint motion produce unique flexor tendon force and excursion in the canine forelimb

The force and excursion within the canine digital flexor tendons were measured during passive joint manipulations that simulate those used during rehabilitation after flexor tendon repair and during active muscle contraction, simulating the active rehabilitation protocol. Tendon force was measured using a small buckle placed upon the tendon while excursion was measured using a suture marker and video analysis method. Passive finger motion imposed with the wrist flexed resulted in dramatically lower tendon force (approximately 5 N) compared to passive motion imposed with the wrist extended (approximately 17 N). Lower excursions were seen at the level of the proximal interphalangeal joint with the wrist flexed (approximately 1.5 mm) while high excursion was observed when the wrist was extended or when synergistic finger and wrist motion were imposed (approximately 3.5 mm). Bivariate discriminant analysis of both force and excursion data revealed a natural clustering of the data into three general mechanical paradigms. With the wrist extended and with either one finger or four fingers manipulated, tendons experienced high loads of approximately 1500 g and high excursions of approximately 3.5 mm. In contrast, the same manipulations performed with the wrist flexed resulted in low tendon forces (4-8 N) and low tendon excursions of approximately 1.5 mm. Synergistic wrist and finger manipulation provided the third paradigm where tendon force was relatively low (approximately 4 N) but excursion was as high as those seen in the groups which were manipulated with the wrist extended. Active muscle contraction produced a modest tendon excursion (approximately 1 mm) and high or low tendon force with the wrist extended or flexed, respectively. These data provide the basis for experimentally testable hypotheses with regard to the factors that most significantly affect functional recovery after digital flexor tendon injury and define the normal mechanical operating characteristics of these tendons.
Immunohistochemical evaluation of androgen receptor, HER-2/neu, and p53 in benign pleomorphic adenomas

Abstract Context.—Immunohistochemical stains for androgen receptor (AR), HER-2/neu, and p53 are used as diagnostic markers associated with malignancy in several histologic types of salivary gland tumors. These markers may be useful in differentiating pleomorphic adenoma with cytologic atypia from intracapsular carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (CXPA), as these tumors are often difficult to distinguish on the basis of morphology alone. Objective.—To determine whether AR, HER-2/neu, and p53 expression can be seen in entirely benign pleomorphic adenomas. Design.—Androgen receptor, HER-2/neu, and p53 immunoreactivity was assessed in 41 histologically and clinically benign pleomorphic adenomas. Results.—A total of 3 of 41 pleomorphic adenomas exhibited multifocal areas with moderate staining for HER-2/ neu and AR. The positive staining was mainly confined to the epithelial component, where the ductal epithelium showed no cytologic atypia. Immunoreactivity for p53 was observed in the epithelial component of 5 of...
Yes, the baby should live: a pro-choice response to Giubilini and Minerva

In their paper 'After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?' Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva argue that because there are no significant differences between a fetus and a neonate, in that neither possess sufficiently robust mental traits to qualify as persons, a neonate may be justifiably killed for any reason that also justifies abortion. To further emphasise their view that a newly born infant is more on a par with a fetus rather than a more developed baby, Giubilini and Minerva elect to call this 'after-birth abortion' rather than infanticide. In this paper, I argue that their thesis is incorrect, and that the moral permissibility of abortion does not entail the moral permissibility of 'after-birth' abortion.
Leg Thrust Important in Flight Take-Off in the Pigeon

Measurements of the force generated by the legs of rock doves Columba livia during vertical and near-vertical take-off showed that the birds were able to develop an upward directed force of from 1.3 to 2.3 times their body weight. This force resulted in an instantaneous acceleration of 15.63 ms−2 at maximum thrust. Motion pictures taken during the take-off showed that as the birds' feet left the experimental perch, their wings were in the overhead clap position. We suggest that the vertical take-off in birds is accomplished in three stages; leg thrust, clap-and-fling and steady-state flight.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AGONISTIC BEHAVIOR IN FOUR CRAYFISH SPECIES

Abstract We compared aggressive behavior among four crayfish species by measuring the number and duration of agonistic acts occurring in fighting bouts between intraspecific pairs of animals. Our study included 3 congeneric species from the family Cambaridae (Orconectes rusticus, Orconectes propinquus, and Orconectes immunis) and 1 from the family Astacidae (Pacifastacus leniusculus). Based on our measurements, crayfishes differed in their level of aggressiveness and differed in the extent to which they used particular agonistic behaviors. Contrary to previous reports, O. rusticus did not appear to be especially aggressive. Of the species in our sample, O. rusticus was clearly more aggressive than only 1 species, O. immunis. Orconectes propinquus was likewise significantly more aggressive than O. immunis. Pacifastacus leniusculus (Astacidae) appeared to be the most aggressive, differing from the other 3 species in the amount of time spent fighting and in individual behaviors, especially those associated w...
A Keyless Polyalphabetic Cipher

A polyalphabetic cipher is one in which multiple alphabets (monoalphabets) are used to encode a plaintext message. Each letter of plaintext is encoded by selecting one of the alphabets with which to determine a substitution. A key word or phrase is often used to select different alphabets to encrypt the plaintext. This paper considers three concepts that, when combined, lead to a keyless polyalphabetic cipher.
Suppression of Drug Resistance in Dengue Virus

ABSTRACT Dengue virus is a major human pathogen responsible for 400 million infections yearly. As with other RNA viruses, daunting challenges to antiviral design exist due to the high error rates of RNA-dependent RNA synthesis. Indeed, treatment of dengue virus infection with a nucleoside analog resulted in the expected genetic selection of resistant viruses in tissue culture and in mice. However, when the function of the oligomeric core protein was inhibited, no detectable selection of drug resistance in tissue culture or in mice was detected, despite the presence of drug-resistant variants in the population. Suppressed selection of drug-resistant virus correlated with cooligomerization of the targeted drug-susceptible and drug-resistant core proteins. The concept of “dominant drug targets,” in which inhibition of oligomeric viral assemblages leads to the formation of drug-susceptible chimeras, can therefore be used to prevent the outgrowth of drug resistance during dengue virus infection. IMPORTANCE Drug resistance is a major hurdle in the development of effective antivirals, especially those directed at RNA viruses. We have found that one can use the concept of the genetic dominance of defective subunits to “turn cousins into enemies,” i.e., to thwart the outgrowth of drug-resistant viral genomes as soon as they are generated. This requires deliberate targeting of larger assemblages, which would otherwise rarely be considered by antiviral researchers.
Genome-Resolved Metagenomic Analysis Reveals Roles for Candidate Phyla and Other Microbial Community Members in Biogeochemical Transformations in Oil Reservoirs

ABSTRACT Oil reservoirs are major sites of methane production and carbon turnover, processes with significant impacts on energy resources and global biogeochemical cycles. We applied a cultivation-independent genomic approach to define microbial community membership and predict roles for specific organisms in biogeochemical transformations in Alaska North Slope oil fields. Produced water samples were collected from six locations between 1,128 m (24 to 27°C) and 2,743 m (80 to 83°C) below the surface. Microbial community complexity decreased with increasing temperature, and the potential to degrade hydrocarbon compounds was most prevalent in the lower-temperature reservoirs. Sulfate availability, rather than sulfate reduction potential, seems to be the limiting factor for sulfide production in some of the reservoirs under investigation. Most microorganisms in the intermediate- and higher-temperature samples were related to previously studied methanogenic and nonmethanogenic archaea and thermophilic bacteria, but one candidate phylum bacterium, a member of the Acetothermia (OP1), was present in Kuparuk sample K3. The greatest numbers of candidate phyla were recovered from the mesothermic reservoir samples SB1 and SB2. We reconstructed a nearly complete genome for an organism from the candidate phylum Parcubacteria (OD1) that was abundant in sample SB1. Consistent with prior findings for members of this lineage, the OD1 genome is small, and metabolic predictions support an obligately anaerobic, fermentation-based lifestyle. At moderate abundance in samples SB1 and SB2 were members of bacteria from other candidate phyla, including Microgenomates (OP11), Atribacteria (OP9), candidate phyla TA06 and WS6, and Marinimicrobia (SAR406). The results presented here elucidate potential roles of organisms in oil reservoir biological processes. IMPORTANCE The activities of microorganisms in oil reservoirs impact petroleum resource quality and the global carbon cycle. We show that bacteria belonging to candidate phyla are present in some oil reservoirs and provide the first insights into their potential roles in biogeochemical processes based on several nearly complete genomes.
Genetic Testing: A Role for FDA?

Calls for FDA to regulate genetic testing are possibly premature. The concerns that animate the desire for closer regulation lie generally beyond FDA expertise and experience, and to the extent they involve medical judgments, they invite the agency to enter an arena--the practice of medicine--which it has historically declined to regulate. Further, FDA's current statutory authority does not fit well the activities that trouble the advocates for reform.
Evaluation of His-tag and immunoprecipitation procedures for recombinant protein purification

Histidine (His)-tag is widely used for affinity purification of recombinant proteins, but the yield and purity of expressed proteins are quite different. Little information is available about quant...
The Wet Etching of CdZnTe Substrates for OMVPE Growth

The etching of CdZnTe substrates by bromine-methanol solutions was studied by chemi-mechanical polishing. Over a bromine concentration of 0.5 to 3.5 volume percent, the etch rates varied linearly with bromine concentration, were independent of substrate orientation, and, within experimental uncertainties, were identical to those for the etching of CdTe. The etched samples were used as substrates for the organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE) growth of CdTe in an impinging jet reactor. The bromine concentration used in etching did not affect the growth rate or the morphology of the deposited CdTe films, but a higher defect density was found for the film grown on a substrate with the orange-peel structure.
Density of Polyethylene Crystals Grown From Solution.

The density of Marlex 50 polyethylene crystals grown from a 0.75 percent solution in p-xylene at 70 °C was measured by a pycnometric method. Difficulties in making the measurements to the necessary accuracy are discussed. The values obtained were close to 0.98 g/cm3 at 30 °C and significantly less than the crystallographic density of 1.00 g/cm3. Several possible explanations of this density deficiency are mentioned.
Moving survivorship care plans forward: focus on care coordination

After completing treatment for cancer, the coordination of oncology and primary care presents a challenge for cancer survivors. Many survivors need continued oncology follow-up, and all survivors require primary care. Coordinating the shared care of a cancer survivor, or facilitating an informed handoff from oncology to primary care, is essential for cancer survivors. Survivorship care plans are personalized documents that summarize cancer treatment and outline a plan of recommended ongoing care, with the goal of facilitating the coordination of post-treatment care. Despite their face validity, five trials have failed to demonstrate the effectiveness of survivorship care plans. We posit that these existing trials have critical shortcomings and do not adequately address whether survivorship care plans improve care coordination. Moving forward, we propose four criteria for future trials of survivorship care plans: focusing on high-needs survivor populations, tailoring the survivorship care plan to the care setting, facilitating implementation of the survivorship care plan in clinical practice, and selecting appropriate trial outcomes to assess care coordination. When trials meet these criteria, we can finally assess whether survivorship care plans help cancer survivors receive optimal oncology and primary care.
Benefit of a favorable cardiovascular risk-factor profile in middle age with respect to medicare costs

Background People without major risk factors for cardiovascular disease in middle age live longer than those with unfavorable risk-factor profiles. It is not known whether such low-risk status also results in lower expenditures for medical care at older ages. We used data from the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry to assess the relation of a low risk of cardiovascular disease in middle age to Medicare expenditures later in life. Methods We studied 7039 men and 6757 women who were 40 to 64 years of age when surveyed between 1967 and 1973 and who survived to have at least two years of Medicare coverage in 1984 through 1994. Men and women classified as being at low risk for cardiovascular disease were those who had the following characteristics at the time they were initially surveyed: serum cholesterol level, <200 mg per deciliter (5.2 mmol per liter); blood pressure, ≤120/80 mm Hg; no current smoking; an absence of electrocardiographic abnormalities; no history of diabetes; and no his...
Purification and identification of lipoxygenase of peanut seed

Four isoenzymes of peanut lipoxygenases,B-III,B-III,C-V and C-VI were isolated from peanut seed by using ammonium sulfate precipitation,DEAE-52 ion exchange chromatography and Superdex G-150 gel filtration.These lipoxygenases were comprised of one equal subunit in SDS-PAGE experiment,and relative molecular mass of this subunit was 31kD.The final purification fold of B-II,B-III,C-V and C-VI were 63.2,50.7,22 and 55.45 respectively,and their yield of LOX were 4.8%,5.3%,2% and 10% respectively.
Meat tenderness and the calpain proteolytic system in longissimus muscle of young bulls and steers.

The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of castration on the calpain proteinase system (mu-calpain, m-calpain, and calpastatin) activities and meat tenderness. Six each, MARC III bulls and steers were slaughtered at approximately 12 mo of age. Longissimus muscle samples were obtained for determining myofibril fragmentation index, Warner-Bratzler shear force, and sensory panel evaluation at 1, 7, and 14 d postmortem, and mu- and m-calpain and calpastatin activities at 24 h postmortem. Bulls produced leaner carcasses with lower (P .05) to detect differences in tenderness or other sensory traits between bulls and steers. Activities of mu- and m-calpain were not affected (P > .05) by castration; however, calpastatin was higher (P < .05) in muscles from the bull carcasses. Lower (P < .05) myofibril fragmentation index values indicate that less proteolysis occurred in muscle from bulls than in muscle from steers during the first 7 d postmortem. Greater calpastatin 24-h activity may be associated with the increased shear force of meat from bulls.
Glycosylation is not required for ligand or receptor binding by expressed rat intrinsic factor.

A cDNA clone encoding rat intrinsic factor (IF), pIFQ, has been inserted into the eukaryotic expression vector pSVL and used to transfect COS-1 cells. The IF produced by the transfected cells was secreted nearly exclusively into the medium at concentrations of 0.1-0.2 micrograms/ml. Tunicamycin treatment (1-10 micrograms/ml) completely blocked N-linked glycosylation but had no effect on IF secretion. The secreted glycosylated IF retained all the properties of native IF, i.e., high affinity for cobalamin (Cbl) and for the IF-Cbl receptor and relative resistance to low pH and to proteolysis. The nonglycosylated IF also retained these properties except that it was more protease sensitive. The protease degradation was prevented by the presence of the ligand Cbl. The presence of carbohydrate may play a role in protecting IF from digestion by pancreatic proteases in the intestinal lumen.
Quantitative approaches for studying gene expression

The methods currently available for measuring mRNAs and proteins are reviewed, with a special emphasis on their application to physiological questions. The article focuses on the quantitative determination of cellular contents, but also on assessment of rates of synthesis and degradation, and turnover.
Suspect Race: Causes and Consequences of Racial Profiling

Chapter 1: What is Racial Profiling? Chapter 2: Racial Profiling Is Real Chapter 3: Causes of Racial Profiling Chapter 4: Unintentional Causes of Profiling: What's Under the Tip of the Attitude Iceberg? Chapter 5: The Effects of Racial Profiling: Costs and Benefits Chapter 6: Flying while Arab: Racial Profiling in Counterterrorism Chapter 7: The Policy Landscape Chapter 8: You Are Not a "Racist": Destigmatizing Stereotyping and Profiling
Modern Theories of the Witchcraft in Salem

Modern-day scholars have offered a number of separate epidemiology-based theories of the witchcraft episode in Salem Village during 1692, each based primarily on the symptoms—delirium, hallucinations, mania, melancholia, muscle contractions, psychosis, tingling extremities, vertigo and vomiting—that the Village physician reported were exhibited by the young women who were the main accusers before and during the trials. This chapter covers these theories of events leading up to the witch trials—a list of theories including bread poisoning, encephalitis and Lyme disease—also offering, in most cases, a critique of these theories.
Effectiveness of Repeat 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Computerized Tomography (PET-CT) Scan in Identifying Interval Metastases for Patients with Esophageal Cancer.

An 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computerized tomography (PET-CT) scan is performed after neoadjuvant chemoradiation (nCRT) to restage esophageal cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of PET-CT to accurately identify interval metastatic disease following nCRT. This was a single-institution retrospective review (January 2005–February 2012) of patients with esophageal cancer treated with nCRT who underwent pre- and post-nCRT PET-CT. A total of 283 patients were treated with nCRT, of whom 258 (91.2%) had both a pre- and post-nCRT PET-CT. On the post-nCRT PET-CT, 64 patients (24.8%) had interval findings concerning for metastatic disease. Of these patients, only 10 (15.6%) had true-positive findings of metastatic disease (six biopsy proven). The sites of interval metastases included bone (4), liver (3), peritoneum (1), mediastinal lymph nodes (1), and cervical lymph nodes (1). The positive predictive value of post-nCRT PET-CT for interval metastases was 15.6% (10/64), and the yield for detecting metastases since the pre-nCRT PET-CT was 3.9% (10/258). The work-up of the 54 patients (20.9% of the initial starting group) with false-positive post-nCRT findings included biopsy (24.6%) and immediate additional imaging (45.2%). A total of 208 patients proceeded with surgery: 163 (78.4%) had no new findings on post-nCRT PET-CT, and 45 (21.6%) had new false-positive findings. False-positive sites mainly included the lung (15) and liver (14). The yield of post-nCRT PET-CT for the detection of new metastatic disease was 3.9%. Post-nCRT PET-CT often leads to a high proportion of false positives and subsequent investigational work-up.
with central charge N

We study representations of the central extension of the Lie algebra of differential operators on the circle, the algebra. We obtain complete and specialized character formulas for a large class of representations, which we call primitive; these include all quasi-finite irreducible unitary representations. We show that any primitive representation with central chargeN has a canonical structure of an irreducible representation of the with the same central charge and that all irreducible representations of with central chargeN arise in this way. We also establish a duality between “integral” modules of and finite-dimensional irreducible modules ofgl N , and conjecture their fusion rules.
Complementary and Integrative Interventions for Chronic Neurologic Conditions Encountered in the Primary Care Office

Chronic neurologic conditions are frequently managed in the primary care setting, and patients with these conditions are increasingly seeking nonconventional treatment options. This article provides a review and summary of the evidence for some of the most commonly studied and most frequently used complementary and integrative interventions for 3 conditions managed every day in primary care offices - diabetic neuropathy, migraine, and dementia.
Is sexting good for your relationship? It depends

Our understanding of the prevalence, correlates, predictors, and outcomes of sexting is increasing; however, little is known about potential positive aspects of this emerging behavior, and whether the consequences of sexting vary by gender or relationship type (committed vs. casual). Using a sample of 352 undergraduate students (106 men, 246 women) the present study addresses this gap in the literature. Sixty-two percent of the participants reported that they had sent or received a sexually-explicit picture message. Of these, 56% reported that the sexting occurred with a committed partner, and 44% reported that it was with a casual partner. Men were significantly more likely to report sexting with a casual partner, while women were more likely to report sexting with a committed partner. Approximately half of young adults identified positive or neutral outcomes related to sexting; however, there were differences by relationship type and gender. For the most part, women and those who sexted with a casual partner identified fewer positive and more negative consequences than did men and those who sexted with a committed partner. Overall, findings point to the importance of considering individual and relationship characteristics in identifying and responding to teen and young adult sexting. Men more likely to have sent last sext to casual than committed sex partner.Women more likely to have sent last sext to committed than casual sex partner.About half reported positive sexual or emotional sexting consequences.One tenth reported negative sexual or emotional sexting consequences.Sexts sent in casual relationships have more negative and fewer positive outcomes.
Abstract TMP78: Do Hospital Complications Justify Excluding Elderly Patients from Stroke Clinical Trials?

Background and Objectives: There is a paucity of data from recent trials analyzing outcomes and hospital complications in octogenarians after acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Stroke trials often set an...
Teaching Race (Bioculturally) Matters: A Visual Approach for College Biology Courses

Race and racism are considered standard subject matter in introductory college courses in the social sciences, but remain relatively absent in biological science courses (Donovan, 2015; Morning, 2011). Given a resurgence of biologically deterministic racial science (e.g., Risch et al., 2002; Shiao et al., 2012) and ongoing racial tensions in the United States, it is imperative that biology professors actively engage students in introductory and upper-level courses. This paper presents a tested approach used in an introductory natural science course (for undergraduate, non-science majors) at a mid-sized regional university. A biocultural focus is advocated for teaching about the fallacies (i.e., biological race concept) and realities of race (i.e., racism) (e.g., see Gravlee, 2009; Thompson, 2006). Further, an emphasis is placed on using a visual approach for relaying these complex and sensitive topics.
Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) of the gastrointestinal tract: Experience at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.

e14692 Background: NET are relatively uncommon malignancies with variable natural history and often indolent clinical behavior. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNET) have been reported to have wo...
Hints of Photostasis in Invertebrates

Our interest in photostasis began promptly with the publication of the defining paper (Penn and Williams, 1986). Testing the photostasis hypothesis in adult horseshoe crabs, Limulus polyphemus, might indicate whether it was a widespread phenomenon. We already knew that the lateral eye of the horseshoe crab had several mechanisms for varying photon catch that were controlled and modulated by circadian efferent activity and environmental lighting: rhabdom shedding (Chamberlain and Barlow, 1979, 1984), aperture dimensions (Barlow et al., 1980; Chamberlain and Barlow, 1987), rhabdom position (Barlow et al., 1980; Chamberlain and Barlow, 1987), and screening pigment position (Kier and Chamberlain, 1990). A robust test of the hypothesis with the good possibility of being able to investigate underlying mechanisms became our objective.
Implementation of a New Guideline and Educational Sessions to Reduce Low-Value Continuous Pulse Oximetry Among Hospitalized Patients.

Objectives The use of continuous pulse oximetry (CPOX) is ubiquitous among hospitalized patients, despite limited evidence that it improves clinical outcomes. The objective of this study was to reduce the use of CPOX among hospitalized patients in the nonintensive care unit and nonprogressive care unit settings. Methods This interventional trial included the creation a new local guideline for CPOX use and subsequent staff education. CPOX use, patient acuity, hospital length of stay, and code blue events were measured before and after the intervention. Results Postintervention there was a clinically significant and sustained decrease in CPOX use of 18% over 1 year. There were no significant changes postintervention in hospital length of stay or number of code blue events. Conclusions Development of a guideline for CPOX use and staff education successfully led to a decrease in CPOX use, without an increase in hospital length of stay or code blue events.
Tau Kinetics in Neurons and the Human Central Nervous System

Summary We developed stable isotope labeling and mass spectrometry approaches to measure the kinetics of multiple isoforms and fragments of tau in the human central nervous system (CNS) and in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons. Newly synthesized tau is truncated and released from human neurons in 3 days. Although most tau proteins have similar turnover, 4R tau isoforms and phosphorylated forms of tau exhibit faster turnover rates, suggesting unique processing of these forms that may have independent biological activities. The half-life of tau in control human iPSC-derived neurons is 6.74 ± 0.45 days and in human CNS is 23 ± 6.4 days. In cognitively normal and Alzheimer's disease participants, the production rate of tau positively correlates with the amount of amyloid plaques, indicating a biological link between amyloid plaques and tau physiology.
Using Block Coordinate Descent to Learn Sparse Coding Dictionaries with a Matrix Norm Update

Researchers have recently examined a modified approach to sparse coding that encourages dictionaries to learn anomalous features. This is done by incorporating the matrix I-norm, or $\ell_{1,\infty}$ mixed matrix norm, into the dictionary update portion of a sparse coding algorithm. However, solving a matrix norm minimization problem in each iteration of the algorithm causes it to run more slowly. The purpose of this paper is to introduce block coordinate descent, a subgradient-like approach to minimizing the matrix norm, to the dictionary update. This approach removes the need to solve a convex optimization program in each iteration and dramatically reduces the time required to learn a dictionary. Importantly, the dictionary learned in this manner can still model anomalous features present in a dataset.
Proximate and mineral content of restaurant steak meals

Although the meals were adequate in kilocalories and protein, they could be considered excessive since they provided more than 50% of the RDA for energy and more than 100% of the RDA for protein.
Bibliographic data mining: Automatically building component part records for E-Journal articles on the Internet

This paper is based on a presentation at the Medical Library Association Annual Meeting in May 2000. With the rapid expansion of fulltext on the World Wide Web, Internet navigation has become a serious concern to libraries. To increase access to fulltext digital resources and minimize staff effort, Stanford's Lane Medical Library began a Bibliographic Data Mining project in February 1999. With limited human editing, the PERL scripts captured relevant URLs from selected e-journal Web sites and automatically created basic MARC component part bibliographic records for the articles in those journals. This project demonstrated that bibliographic data mining is a feasible methodology for improving the effectiveness of access to Internet resources within the context of the online catalog. It provided valuable experience in managing digital resources and highlighted the need for more consistent metadata.
Behavioral Intervention, Exercise, and Nutrition Education to Improve Health and Fitness (BENEfit) in Adolescents With Mobility Impairment Due to Spinal Cord Dysfunction

Background/Objective: Determine the effects of a nutrition education and exercise intervention on the health and fitness of adolescents with mobility impairment due to spinal cord dysfunction from ...
Covariance Based Realization Algorithm for Identification of Linear Time Periodic Systems

This paper focuses on the parameter estimation of multi-input multi-output (MIMO), linear time-periodic (LTP) systems in the time domain. Discrete-time state-space models are selected for the description of LTP systems and the Covariance Based Realization Algorithm (CoBRA), one branch of subspace methods, is used for the identification of the generalized time-lifted state-space model for an LTP system. The use of the CoBRA method for estimation is motivated by the robustness against output noise with (high-order) noise dynamics and a focus on the estimation of low rank deterministic model for the LTP system. In addition to the use of CoBRA, a novel method is proposed to compute a topologically equivalent realization for the original LTP system. The method includes two different but theoretically equivalent approaches of calculating the state matrices, which can be also used as a measure for the estimation quality. Finally, a simulation is given to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method.
Health Disparities in Access to Nonpharmacologic Therapies in an Urban Community

Abstract Objective: The overuse of prescription opioids for chronic pain is recognized as a public health crisis. Yet, poor access to nonpharmacologic treatments is the norm in low-income, racially...
Cyclodextrin modified erlotinib loaded PLGA nanoparticles for improved therapeutic efficacy against non-small cell lung cancer.

Abstract This study was aimed at developing a nanoparticle strategy to overcome acquired resistance against erlotinib in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To load erlotinib on biodegradable PLGA nanoparticles, erlotinib-cyclodextrin (Erlo-CD) complex was prepared using β-cyclodextrin sulfobutyl ether, which was in turn loaded in the core of PLGA nanoparticles using multiple emulsion solvent evaporation. Nanoparticles were characterized for size distribution, entrapment and loading efficiency, in-vitro release, and therapeutic efficacy against different lung cancer cells. Effect of formulation on cell cycle, apoptosis, and other markers was evaluated using flow cytometry and western blotting studies. The efficacy of optimized nanoformulation was evaluated using a clinically relevant in-vitro 3D-spheroid model. Results showed that Erlo-CD loaded nanoparticles (210 ± 8 nm in size) demonstrated 3-fold higher entrapment (61.5 ± 3.2% vs 21.9 ± 3.7% of plain erlotinib loaded nanoparticles) with ~5% loading efficiency and sustained release characteristics. Developed nanoparticles demonstrated significantly improved therapeutic efficacy against NSCLC cells in terms of low IC50 values and suppressed colony forming ability of cancer cells, increased apoptosis, and autophagy inhibition. Interestingly, 3D spheroid study demonstrated better anticancer activity of Erlo-CD nanoparticles compared to plain erlotinib. Present study has shown a premise to improve therapeutic efficacy against erlotinib-resistant lung cancer using modified nanoErlo formulations.