cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mobile vision-based sketch recognition with SPARK

The sketch community has, over the past years, developed a powerful arsenal of recognition capabilities and interaction methods. Unfortunately, many people who could benefit from these systems lack pen capture hardware and are stuck drawing diagrams on traditional surfaces like paper or whiteboards.In this paper we explore bringing the benefits of sketch capture and recognition to traditional surfaces through a common smart-phone with the Sketch Practically Anywhere Recognition Kit (SPARK), a framework for building mobile, image-based sketch recognition applications. Naturally, there are several challenges that come with recognizing hand-drawn diagrams from a single image. Image processing techniques are needed to isolate marks from the background surface due to variations in lighting and surface wear. Further, since static images contain no notion of how the original diagram was drawn, we employ bitmap thinning and stroke tracing to transform the ink into the abstraction of strokes commonly used by modern sketch recognition algorithms. Since the timing data between points in each stroke are not present, recognition must remain robust to variability in both perceived drawing speed and even coarse ordering between points. We have evaluated Rubine's recognizer in an effort to quantify the impact of timing information on recognition, and our results show that accuracy can remain consistent in spite of artificially traced stroke data. As evidence of our techniques, we have implemented a mobile app in SPARK that captures images of Turing machine diagrams drawn on paper, a whiteboard, or even a chalkboard, and through sketch recognition techniques, allows users to simulate the recognized Turing machine on their phones.
Toward Semantics Empowered Biomedical Web Services

caGrid has accumulated a repository of biomedical services, however, how a cancer researcher can find proper services in the caGrid when needed remains a big challenge. This research aims to enhance the cyber infrastructure of caGrid, by developing a mechanism that turns caGrid services into semantic-aware interoperable services. We proposed a service semantics model, and developed a technique that automatically extracts semantic metadata from static WSDL service descriptions. Such semantic information is stored as loosely coupled annotations that can be queried using semantic Web techniques, to enhance services discovery and composition. We also proposed a two-phase discovery technique that helps users quickly identify interested service operations. This paper also reports our examinations over available techniques and recommends a feasible infrastructure for biomedical service reuse. A prototyping system is developed as a proof of concept.
Con: Cerebrospinal Fluid Drainage Does Not Afford Spinal Cord Protection During Resection of Thoracic Aneurysms

Crawford et al6 reported a higher incidence of paraplegia in patients who had aortic dissection than in patients with degenerative aneurysms (no dissection). The higher incidence of paraplegia in the dissection group could be attributed to the lack of developed collateral circulation, resulting in ischemia when the aorta is clamped. This theory may also explain the higher incidence of paraplegia in cases of acute aortic dissection compared with chronic aortic dissection. Extent of the Aneurysm The extent of the aneurysm determines the extent of the aorta replaced. The longer the aneurysm, the longer is the segment of the aorta that is removed. The removed segment may include a number of intercostal or lumbar arteries that need to be reattached, thus extending the aortic clamp time and increasing the likelihood of paraparesis and paraplegia.
Two single-headed myosin V motors bound to a tetrameric adapter protein form a processive complex

Myo4p, one of two class V myosins in budding yeast, continuously transports messenger RNA (mRNA) cargo in the cell but is nonprocessive when characterized in vitro. The adapter protein She3p tightly binds to the Myo4p rod, forming a single-headed motor complex. In this paper, we show that two Myo4p-She3p motors are recruited by the tetrameric mRNA-binding protein She2p to form a processive double-headed complex. The binding site for She3p was mapped to a single α helix that protrudes at right angles from She2p. Processive runs of several micrometers on yeast actin-tropomyosin filaments were observed only in the presence of She2p, and, thus, motor activity is regulated by cargo binding. While moving processively, each head steps ~72 nm in a hand-over-hand motion. Coupling two high-duty cycle monomeric motors via a common cargo-binding adapter protein creates a complex with transport properties comparable with a single dimeric processive motor such as vertebrate myosin Va.
Neonatal respiratory morbidity in the early term delivery

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of respiratory morbidity in neonates delivered at "early term" (37-38 weeks) compared with those delivered at 39 weeks. Study Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of singleton deliveries from 37 0/7 to 39 6/7 weeks' gestation. Our primary outcome was composite respiratory morbidity. Results Of 2273 deliveries at 37-39 weeks, 51% (n = 1169) delivered in the early term period. Infants delivered at 37-38 weeks had a 2-fold increased risk of respiratory distress syndrome, oxygen use, continuous positive airway pressure use, and composite respiratory morbidity (risk ratio [RR], 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0–7.9; oxygen usage RR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.4–2.9; continuous positive airway pressure RR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1–3.2; composite respiratory morbidity RR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.4–2.8). Conclusion The 2-fold increased risk of composite respiratory morbidity of infants in the early term period supports the urgency for limiting nonindicated deliveries to ≥39 weeks' gestation.
Restoration of Seagrass Habitat in New Jersey, United States

Seagrass restoration has often not been successful due to poor site planning, physical disturbance, transplant timing incompatibility, and physical and biological disturbances. As such, these factors are important for successfully restoring seagrasses, and global success has greatly increased. We conducted restorations in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States to reestablish this valuable habitat. Our restoration efforts in New Jersey involved transplants of both Zostera marina (eelgrass) and Ruppia maritima (widgeon grass). We found that Z. marina site success and transplant survival increased over the scope of this 4-year investigation (66%-100% and 34%-43%, respectively). However, R. maritima success was heavily dependant upon the year planted; with limited success in 2002 (12%) and high success during 2003 (80%), most likely related to the brown-tide bloom and nonbloom associated with these planting years. For both species restored, ecosystem function was becoming established by the end of the study, demonstrated by their ability to trap and bind fine particulate matter. We provide evidence from this study that seagrass restoration is a viable option for coastal managers and that once established, seagrasses can recover and expand. www.JCRonline.org
Characterization of human influenza A (H5N1) virus infection in mice: neuro-, pneumo- and adipotropic infection

Mice (ddY strain, 4 weeks old) were infected intranasally with the H5N1 influenza viruses A/Hong Kong/156/97 (HK156) and A/Hong Kong/483/97 (HK483) isolated from humans. HK156 and HK483 required 200 and 5 p.f.u. of virus, respectively, to give a 50% lethal dose to the mice when the volume of inoculum was set at 10 microl. Both viruses caused encephalitis and severe bronchopneumonia in infected mice. The severity of lung lesions caused by the viruses was essentially similar, whereas HK483 caused more extensive lesions in the brain than did HK156. This was supported by the results of virus titration of organ homogenates, which showed that the virus titres in brains of HK483-infected mice were more than 100-fold higher than those of HK156-infected mice, while those in lungs were almost equivalent. Both viruses were detected in homogenates of the heart, liver, spleen and kidney and blood of the infected mice. Virus antigen was detected by immunohistology in the heart and liver, albeit sporadically, but caused no degenerative change in these organs. The antigen was not detected in the thymus, spleen, pancreas, kidney or gastrointestinal tract. In contrast, virus antigen was found frequently in adipose tissues attached to those organs. The adipose tissues showed severe degenerative change and the virus titres in the tissues were high and comparable to those in lungs. Thus, infection of HK156 and HK483 in our mouse model was pneumo-, neuro- and adipotropic, but not pantropic. Furthermore, HK483 showed higher neurotropism than HK156, which may account for its higher lethality.
Antenatal hydronephrosis and the risk of pyelonephritis hospitalization during the first year of life.

Objectives To assess the risk of hospitalization for pyelonephritis within the first year of life among infants with and without antenatal hydronephrosis. Methods A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using linked birth–hospital discharge records from Washington State for 1987 to 2002 to evaluate the risk of hospitalization in the first year of life for pyelonephritis among infants with and without hydronephrosis. Eligible infants had mothers who had prenatal ultrasound screening. A total of 522 singleton infants with antenatal hydronephrosis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code 753.2) at the birth hospitalization were identified. For comparison, 2610 singletons without hydronephrosis were selected. We screened hospital discharge records for 1 year after delivery to identify hospitalizations for pyelonephritis and estimate the relative risk (RR) among infants with and without hydronephrosis. Results Five percent of infants with antenatal hydronephrosis and 1% of those without had pyelonephritis-related hospitalizations in their first year (RR 11.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 6.8 to 20.5). Among girls the RR was 36.3 (95% CI 10.6 to 124.0); among boys it was 5.3 (95% CI 2.2 to 13.1). In infants with hydronephrosis, girls were more likely to be hospitalized with pyelonephritis (odds ratio 2.9, 95% CI 1.2 to 6.9). Conclusions Infants with antenatal hydronephrosis are nearly 12 times more likely to have pyelonephritis-related hospitalizations in the first year of life. This association is stronger in girls. Parents and healthcare providers of infants with this diagnosis should be vigilant for the signs and symptoms of urinary tract infections.
The Economic History of a Young Corporation

Economics, as it is frequently taught nowadays, consists largely of supply and demand curves. Within their graceful lines are contained the wisdom of the ages—the key to the past and the barometer of the future. If superimposed on one another, these curves have all the esthetic quality of dynamistic drawings. So completely have they dominated economic thinking that when a group of economists considered the possibility of founding an Economic History Association, their first impulse was to establish a demand curve. This was done, as Professor Heaton has intimated, by Miss Anne Bezanson, who canvassed the field. She discovered that four hundred people could be counted upon immediately to support a Journal of Economic History .
Easing Transition with Metaphors: A Case of Transsexuality

Using Yūji Usui’s novel A Grass-Carp on a Tree (1993) and its film adaptation (1997) by Atsushi Ishikawa as metaphors, this paper traces the transition of Japanese attitudes towards sexuality. The novel and the film work as vehicles that “map” what is actually taking place in Japan and how the transition is felt by Japanese people.
β-Blocker Therapy in Heart Failure: Scientific Review

ContextCare of patients with heart failure has been revolutionized throughout the past decade. A paradigm shift in the strategy for treating heart failure caused by systolic dysfunction is in progress. Despite the initial perception about β-blockers' safety, they are now the most extensively studied class of agents in the treatment of heart failure and have emerged as an important intervention to improve the clinical outcomes of heart failure patients.ObjectiveTo provide scientific rationale for the use of β-blockers for patients with heart failure.Data SourcesAll English-language articles of large, randomized controlled clinical trials assessing the mortality benefits of β-blockers in patients with heart failure were identified to provide the scientific rationale for the use of β-blockers in heart failure. Basic science studies were reviewed to provide an overview of the potential physiologic role of β-blockers in heart failure. Finally, clinical guidelines for the treatment of patients with heart failure were assessed to determine current recommendations for the use of these agents.Study Selection and Data ExtractionRandomized controlled clinical trials of β-blockers that included more than 300 subjects and assessed mortality as a primary end point.Data SynthesisOf the 4 β-blockers tested in large randomized controlled clinical trials of patients with heart failure, 3 are available in the United States, bisoprolol, carvedilol, and metoprolol; 2 of these, carvedilol and metoprolol, have Food and Drug Administration indications for the treatment of heart failure. Compared with placebo treatment, β-blocker use is associated with a consistent 30% reduction in mortality and a 40% reduction in hospitalizations in patients with class II and III heart failure.ConclusionsTested in more than 10 000 patients, β-blockers reduce morbidity and mortality in class II through IV heart failure. Along with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, digoxin, and diuretics, β-blockers have strengthened the armamentarium to improve clinical outcomes of heart failure patients. The science supporting β-blockers must be translated into practice safely and rationally if the agents are to achieve their full potential.
Free Will as a Matter of Law

Philosophers have long debated questions about free will, but their analyses obviously do not have the force of law. Whatever you think about free will, the law has its own perspective. Since cases and statutes say little directly on point, we turn, as we often must, to the intentions of those with authority to create law. The law’s crafters likely believed that we have souls that make choices unconstrained by the laws of physics. Such “soul-based libertarianism” conflicts with the modern scientific view that billions of particles have interacted since the beginning of time to make us take the precise actions we do in the precise circumstances we find ourselves. Since the law’s crafters aimed to punish evil-doing souls, they may never have intended to punish mechanisms like ourselves. Scholars such as Stephen Morse and Paul Litton, by contrast, have defended compatibilist interpretations of criminal law. They believe both moral and legal responsibility are consistent with mechanistic decision-making. But their interpretations of the law are largely grounded in controversial philosophical claims and should be distinguished from interpretations grounded in legal authority. Unless compatibilists can settle the philosophical debate to widespread satisfaction — an unlikely prospect given its centuries-long history — the law’s admittedly faint libertarian signals hold special weight. I argue that, from a legal perspective, the view that the criminal law was never intended to apply to mechanistic humans like ourselves is more plausible than the view that the law was intended to punish in a compatibilist fashion. Hence, if we focus on traditionally-recognized sources of legal authority, a plausible case can be made that our punishment policies are inconsistent with modern science and require updating.
Foreign object detection in chest X-rays

Automatic analysis of chest X-ray images is one important approach for screening/identifying pulmonary diseases. The existence of foreign objects in the images hinders the performance of such processing. In this paper, we focus on one type of foreign objects that is often shown in the images of a large dataset of chest X-rays we are working on—the buttons on the gown that the patient is wearing. The method we propose involves four major steps: intensity normalization, low contrast image identification and enhancement, segmentation of lung regions, and button object extraction. Based on the characteristics of the button objects, we applied two methods for the step of button object extraction. One was based on the circular Hough transform; the other was based on the Viola-Jones algorithm. We tested and compared both methods using a ground truth dataset containing 505 button objects. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Futility of Exhaustion

A defendant’s Fourteenth Amendment due process rights are violated when a state agency fails to disclose crucial exculpatory or impeachment evidence — so-called Brady violations. When this happens, the defendant should be provided the means not only to locate this evidence, but also to fully develop it in state post-conviction processes. When the state system prohibits both the means and legal mechanism to develop Brady claims, the defendant should be immune to any procedural penalties in either state or federal court. In other words, the defendant should not be required to return to state court to exhaust such a claim. Instead, once the federal court finds a viable claim, the court should be allowed to review the claim on the merits and grant relief. Because these claims arise from the failure of state actors to perform their duties properly, the federal courts should forfeit their right to demand adherence to the federal exhaustion requirement. Requiring a defendant to return to state court for exhaustion penalizes the defendant unjustly for a constitutional violation created solely by the state.
Technologies for Dynamic Gain and Channel Power Equalization

The next generation long haul and/or higher-bit-rate systems will require dynamic compensation of amplifier gain profiles and channel powers. This talk will review and compare the available technologies for implementing these functions.
Dynamic Water-Mediated Hydrogen Bonding in a Collagen Model Peptide.

In the canonical (G-X-Y)n sequence of the fibrillar collagen triple helix, stabilizing direct interchain hydrogen bonding connects neighboring chains. Mutations of G can disrupt these interactions and are linked to connective tissue diseases. Here we integrate computational approaches with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to obtain a dynamic view of hydrogen bonding distributions in the (POG)4-(POA)-(POG)5 peptide, showing that the solution conformation, dynamics, and hydrogen bonding deviate from the reported X-ray crystal structure in many aspects. The simulations and NMR data provide clear evidence of inequivalent environments in the three chains. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicate direct interchain hydrogen bonds in the leading chain, water bridges in the middle chain, and nonbridging waters in the trailing chain at the G → A substitution site. Theoretical calculations of NMR chemical shifts using a quantum fragmentation procedure can account for the unusual downfield NMR chemical shifts at ...
Introducing Adaptive Management for Natural Resources: An Estuary Case Study

Adaptive management (AM) is a systematic process for improving environmental management policies and practices in a way that incorporates uncertainty and learning. In the realm of natural resources, AM is increasingly being used by management agencies in the United States (e.g., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service) and non-governmental organizations (e.g., The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund). As such, it is important that students in natural resources, conservation, and environmental management majors become familiar with the concepts of AM. This case study uses the real-world example of the Herring River estuary restoration project (Cape Cod, MA) to demonstrate the theoretical processes involved in adaptively managing an ecosystem governed by ecological uncertainties and a wide range of stakeholders. Through the incorporation of role-play, students gain experience with the AM framework while actively learning about the role of uncertainty and stakeholder perspectives in decision-making. The case was tested with a group of students from an introductory course on environmental conservation to gauge student interest and verify proof of concept. Following the case study, students felt that they would be able to define adaptive management and explain the concept to their classmates, despite no prior exposure to AM.
Congressional Hearings on Northern Ireland and the “Special Relationship,” 1971–1981

ABSTRACTIn 1971, Senator Edward Kennedy co-sponsored a resolution in Congress calling for the withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland. The House of Representatives Sub-Committee on Europe held hearings on this resolution in February 1972 in the immediate aftermath of the deaths in Londonderry of “Bloody Sunday.” These hearings represented the first time that several high profile American political figures had spoken out on the developing conflict in Northern Ireland and, whilst the hearings did not lead to a significant change in American policy towards the conflict, the threat of further ones persisted from the Richard Nixon to the Ronald Reagan administrations. This analysis examines the impact of the 1972 Congressional hearings and the threat posed by the possibility of future ones in the wider context of United States policy towards the Northern Ireland conflict until 1981.
Analyses of Two Azo Dyes by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Two structurally similar azo dyes, Direct Blue No. 6 and Direct Blue No. 15, are analyzed by separate reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) systems utilizing a dual-wavelength UV/visible detector at 254 and 546 nm. Each dye contains more than 35 impurity peaks. Different lots of each dye are compared by means of their respective chromatographic profiles. The system used to obtain a chromatographic profile for each dye is adapted to make comparisons of the major component in different lots by an internal standard method. These methods are reproducible, giving relative standard deviations ranging from approximately 1 to 5%. These HPLC systems are adaptable for the analysis of other structurally similar dyes.
Diffusion-Limited Recombination in Dye-Sensitized TiO2 Solar Cells

The effect of doping on the electron transport dynamics and recombination kinetics in dye-sensitized solar cells was investigated. A simple electrochemical method was developed to dope TiO2 nanoparticle films with Li. Increasing the doping levels is found to slow electron diffusion. The electron diffusion time exhibits a light intensity dependence at all doping levels consistent with a multiple electron-trapping model involving native and doping-induced traps. Importantly, the diffusion time and recombination lifetime of photocarriers are observed to increase in unison with increased doping. This is the first observation that electron diffusion limits recombination with the redox electrolyte under normal working conditions of the dye cell. A model is presented that accounts for the observation. The implications of this mechanism on cell performance are also discussed.
Hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control among African Americans in the 1990s: Estimates from the Maywood Cardiovascular Survey

During the last decade, the decline in cardiovascular disease mortality slowed among African Americans, compared to the general population. Hypertension control is likely to play an important role in determining these trends. The Maywood Cardiovascular Survey provides estimates of the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension among African Americans. Between 1991 and 1993, we conducted a cardiovascular disease survey among 1,524 African Americans living in the Chicago suburb of Maywood, Illinois. Estimates of the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension (defined as blood pressure [BP] > or = 140/90 mm Hg or self-reported taking of antihypertensive medications) were calculated and compared to U.S. population estimates for African Americans from NHANES II and III. The prevalence of hypertension in our sample was 32.7% (30.3, 35.1). After age-adjustment to the U.S. population, prevalence was 29.9% (27.9, 31.9), which is nonsignificantly lower than that reported for African Americans in NHANES III (32.4% [30.2, 34.6]). Awareness, pharmacologic treatment, and control on pharmacologic treatment were 81%, 56%, and 55%, respectively. These estimates are, respectively, 15%, 27%, and 42% higher than NHANES II and 7%, 9%, and 11% higher than NHANES III. Nonpharmacologic treatment alone may have accounted for up to 34% of hypertension control overall. Among previously diagnosed hypertensive subjects, risk factors for being untreated were male gender (odds ratio [OR] = 5.3 [1.3, 21.3]) and age or = 65 years (OR = 1.9 [1.1, 3.0]). Rates of hypertension awareness, pharmacologic treatment, and control on pharmacologic treatment are higher in this sample of African Americans than among African Americans in NHANES II and are comparable to those in NHANES III. The impact of nonpharmacologic treatments on control needs further consideration. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): hypertension, nonpharmacologic treatment, African-American males.
Re-Considering the Structural Covariates of Gun Crime: An Examination of Direct and Moderated Effects

ABSTRACTThe prevalence of gun violence in the U.S. has resulted in extensive examination of structural covariates of gun crime. The potential influence of institutionally isolated youth and illegal gun availability remains unexplored. Similarly, studies that simultaneously examine the influence of structural disadvantage and Southern culture are scant. We examine the relationships between these measures and gun crime in a sample of U.S. cities (N = 189) through negative binomial regression of data from the NIBRS and ACS. We find illegal gun availability and structural disadvantage maintain direct relationships with city-level gun crime counts. We also report several significant moderated relationships.
Self-Reproducing Automata and the Impossibility of SETI

The fictionalization of space exploration, from H. G. Wells’s War of the Worlds to Star Trek and beyond, has consistently offered us a vision of a future populated by alien civilizations. The scientific underpinnings for that vision were most notably defended by the American astronomer Carl Sagan (1934–1996). That future vision is often supplemented by another: a future in which machines take their place alongside other sentient beings, as famously exemplified in all sorts of novels and films, including Terminator, with Austrian-actor-turned-California-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead. The scientific underpinnings of that vision owe much to extrapolations of work on computers by the Hungarian mathematician John von Neumann (1903–1957). It is not widely realized, however, that von Neumann’s alleged proofs for the possibility of self-reproducing automata (SRAs) create a conflict between these two visions of the future; for the application of von Neumann’s SRAs to space exploration seems to lend support to a famous objection against the existence of alien civilizations by the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi (1901–1954).
Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever Outbreak Among a High School Football Team at an Outdoor Education Camping Trip, Arizona, 2014

Abstract During August 2014, five high school students who had attended an outdoor education camp were hospitalized with a febrile illness, prompting further investigation. Ten total cases of tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) were identified—six cases confirmed by culture or visualization of spirochetes on blood smear and four probable cases with compatible symptoms (attack rate: 23%). All patients had slept in the campsite's only cabin. Before the camp, a professional pest control company had rodent proofed the cabin, but no acaricides had been applied. Cabin inspection after the camp found rodents and Ornithodoros ticks, the vector of TBRF. Blood samples from a chipmunk trapped near the cabin and from patients contained Borrelia hermsii with identical gene sequences (100% over 630 base pairs). Health departments in TBRF endemic areas should consider educating cabin owners and pest control companies to apply acaricides during or following rodent proofing, because ticks that lack rodents for a blood meal might feed on humans.
Modification of Macrosegregation Patterns in Rolling Slab Ingots by Bulk Grain Migration

In recent years the metallurgical community has debated on the influence of floating grains on macrosegregation in Direct-Chill cast rolling-slab ingots. The majority of research to date has been primarily focused on the origin and trajectory of these grains and how to incorporate them into numerical simulations. We propose a novel mixing technique to promote the resuspension of these grains. In order to test this approach, pairs of ingots were cast using the standard DC and mixing techniques. Non-grain refined P1050 ingots were cast in order to illustrate the change in microstructure, while Al4.5Cu ingots were cast to investigate the potential change in macrosegregation. The mixing trials indicate the potential to significantly modify microstructure and macrosegregation in rolling-slab ingots.
Abstract 7: Serpin Treatment Reduces Mortality in γ68 Herpesvirus-Infected Mice by Rebalancing of Coagulation and Thrombolytic Cascades

Vasculitic syndromes cause devastating arterial occlusion with associated end organ ischemia and significant morbidity. Treatment for vasculitic syndromes remains very limited. Gamma 68 herpesvirus (g68HV) infection in interferon gamma receptor deficient (IFNγR -/- ) mice provides a good working model of artery inflammation, inducing early death with associated inflammatory cell invasion. Myxomavirus serpin, Serp-1, inhibits tPA, uPA, plasmin (thrombolytic) and fXa (thrombotic) proteases, reducing inflammation in a wide range of animal models whereas mammalian neuroserpin (NSP) inhibits tPA and uPA and reduced myocardial damage in clinical trial of unstable angina and stent implant. To assess the capacity of serpins to block inflammatory vasculopathy development, γ68HV infected IFNγR -/- mice were treated with either Serp-1 (100ng/g/100μl), NSP (100ng/g/100μl) or saline (100ul) .Serp-1 treatment given by daily intraperitoneal injections (i.p.) for the first 10 days post infection (6 - 12.5 X 106 PFU), significantly prolonged survival in mice (IFNγR -/- ) (P ≤ 0.048). Saline treated γ68HV infected mice survived up to 42 days, whereas Serp-1 treated mice survived up to 55 days (N=60 mice, 6-12 mice per group). NSP treatment (100ng/gm i.p. X 10 days) produced an opposite trend toward increased mortality (P ≤ 0.079; N=16). In a subsequent study, prolonged daily treatment with Serp-1 (100ng/gm i.p.) given for the first 30 days post infection, markedly prolonged survival in γ68HV infected INFγR -/- mice for up to 150 days (P ≤ 0.032, N =10). Treatment with Serp-1, that was started 3 weeks post γ68HV infection, produced a non-significant trend toward improved survival (P=0.685; N = 12 mice), whereas treatment begun at 1 week post infection again significantly improved survival (P ≤ 0.020; N=12 mice). Serp-1 treatment significantly reduced inflammatory cell invasion in the aortic adventitia ( p -/- mice (N=14).Gene expression was significantly increased in Serp-1 treated mice for regulatory serpins in the thrombolytic cascade, specifically PAI-1 (p ≤ 0.020) and unexpectedly NSP (p ≤ 0.032), gene expression was significantly reduced for E selectin (p ≤ 0.048) and increased for IL-10 (p ≤ 0.031), and addressin (p ≤ 0.002) with Serp-1 treatment at 10 days . Compared to the saline treated mice, NSP treatment lead to decreased arterial IL-17 and IL-10 gene expression (p ≤ 0.006 and 0.041, respectively) and increased PAI-2 (p ≤ 0.021) . When comparing differences in gene expression for Serp-1 and NSP; Serp-1 treatment increased gene expression for IL-10 (p ≤ 0.001), bFGF (p
Connoisseur's Choice: Euclase, La Marina Mine, Municipio de Pauna, Boyacá, Colombia

Euclase is a species whose beauty and rarity make it very desirable to collectors of minerals and gems. Colored examples are easily the most glamorous of the beryllium minerals after beryl and chry...
Mapping Memory: Moving Between Trauma and Terror in The Yellow Birds

ABSTRACTKevin Powers’s elegiac novel The Yellow Birds (2012) formally maps the bereavement of a modern American soldier serving in the Iraq War. Powers’s novel charts the psychological cartography of Private John Bartle, illustrating a journey that renders both the mental and physical effects of war trauma. Through Bartle’s nonlinear narratology, Powers critiques the experience of bereavement while also adumbrating the difficulty of representing that experience. This article investigates the ways in which the expressions of bereavement in the novel expose the very terrors and traumas that define post-9/11 America. Bartle’s narrative illustrates a soldier who becomes a victim not only to the violence of a seemingly endless war but also to the social and political deceit that defines the United States’ contemporary war politics. Therefore, The Yellow Birds conveys a dislocated narration that stresses both a soldier’s individual mourning and the national mourning that characterizes the United States’ role in...
STUDIES ON THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HEPATIC NUCLEIC ACID-BOUND FORMS OF AFLATOXIN B1 IN THE RAT

Four aflatoxin ? 1 (AFB 1 ) derivatives (I–IV) separable by high pressure liquid chromatography were formed by mild acid hydrolysis of the DNA– or RNA–AFB 1 adducts formed in rat liver in vivo or in vitro by rodent liver icrosomes supplemented with AFB 1 , NADPH, and DNA or RNA. Product II was 2,3–dihydro–2,3–dihydroxy-AFB 1 (the dihydrodiol), which was previously demonstrated in this laboratory as a hydrolysis product of the adducts. On the basis of chemical and radiochemical data, the hydrolysis of I, III and IV to the dihydrodiol, the conversion of I to III, and the interconversion of I and IV, each of these three products was deduced to result from N–7 substitution of guanyl residues by carbon–2 of AFB 1 –2,3–oxide. The properties of the products were entirely and uniquely consistent with the following structures: I, 2,3–dihydro–2–(N 5 –formyl–2,5,6–triamino–4–oxo–pyrimidin-N 5 –yl)–3–hydroxy–aflatoxin B 1 ; III, 2,3–dihydro–2–(guan–7-yl)–3–hydroxy-aflatoxin B 1 ; IV, 2,3–dihydro–2–(8,9–dihydro–8–hydroxy–guan–7–yl)–3–hydroxy-aflatoxin B 1
Effect of Gross Total Resection in World Health Organization Grade II Astrocytomas: SEER-Based Survival Analysis

Introduction We sought to compare the survival benefit associated with gross total resection (GTR) in World Health Organization grade II astrocytomas (A2) with those of grade III (A3) and grade IV (glioblastoma) astrocytomas. Methods Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program database (1999–2010), we identified 4113 A2 patients. Surgical resection was defined as GTR, subtotal resection (STR), or no resection. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to assess survival with respect to extent of resection. Results were compared with the benefit of GTR over STR in 2755 A3 and 21,962 glioblastoma patients from the same database. Results A multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis indicated that A2 patients who underwent a GTR had a 28.3% reduction in the hazard of death relative to A2 patients who underwent STR. Similar risk reductions were observed in A2 patients age Conclusions In the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program database, GTR-associated survival benefit in A2 patients ≥50 years old resembled that observed in glioblastoma, while GTR in A2 patients
Critical care of subarachnoid haemorrhage

Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a consistent presentation of haemorrhagic stroke of significance to clinicians in neurocritical care, inducing consequent effects on non-neurological systems, while at the same time, rendering the brain vulnerable to secondary physiological insult modifying neurological outcome, despite control of the original point of haemorrhage. Coordinated treatment depends on comprehensive evaluation of both cerebral and systemic physiology, identifying and treating impaired function. The presence of a dedicated neurocritical care team can benefit outcome. Protocols of care have evolved to meet evidence-based challenges, discarding potentially deleterious components of hypervolaemia and haemodilution, while maintaining pressure-guided perfusion. Treatment targets have also evolved with a shift in focus away from SAH-associated vasospasm, towards actual ischaemic outcome - illustrated by lack of effectiveness of pharmaceutical treatments of vasospasm. Clinicians must consequently review pathophysiological mechanisms of injury and devise new treatment opportunities.
Analysis of pharmacy student motivators and deterrents for professional organization involvement

Abstract Introduction The purpose of this study was to determine motivators and deterrents impacting a student pharmacist's decision to join professional organizations. The goal was to create a list of meaningful factors that organizations can use for membership recruitment. Methods This descriptive study utilized a blinded electronic survey sent to eight accredited pharmacy schools in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. The survey assessed motivating and hindering factors, as well as demographic data. Results Eight-hundred fifty-six students completed the survey, a 15.05% participation rate. Professional development and networking were the top two endorsed motivational factors, selected as significant by 88.0% and 87.5% respectively. Upon chi-square analysis, networking (p Discussion and conclusions Multiple factors contribute to a student's decision to join a professional organization. Those active members find greater significance in networking involvement opportunities. Non-member students found scholarships more motivating and recognize bylaws as a consideration for membership more than current members. These results emphasize the multifactorial nature of membership and may direct future membership initiatives.
‘‘Where People Like Me Don’t Belong’’: Faculty Members from Low-socioeconomic-status Backgrounds:

This article examines class as a potential source of stigma faculty members from low-socioeconomic-status (low-SES) backgrounds. Based on 47 interviews with demographically diverse respondents at a...
Protein activation mapping of human sun-protected epidermis after an acute dose of erythemic solar simulated light.

Ultraviolet radiation is an important etiologic factor in skin cancer and a better understanding of how solar stimulated light (SSL) affects signal transduction pathways in human skin which is needed in further understanding activated networks that could be targeted for skin cancer prevention. We utilized Reverse Phase Protein Microarray Analysis (RPPA), a powerful technology that allows for broad-scale and quantitative measurement of the activation/phosphorylation state of hundreds of key signaling proteins and protein pathways in sun-protected skin after an acute dose of two minimal erythema dose (MED) of SSL. RPPA analysis was used to map the altered cell signaling networks resulting from acute doses of solar simulated radiation (SSL). To that end, we exposed sun-protected skin in volunteers to acute doses of two MED of SSL and collected biopsies pre-SSL and post-SSL irradiation. Frozen biopsies were subjected to laser capture microdissection (LCM) and then assessed by RPPA. The activation/phosphorylation or total levels of 128 key signaling proteins and drug targets were selected for statistical analysis. Coordinate network-based analysis was performed on specific signaling pathways that included the PI3k/Akt/mTOR and Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathways. Overall, we found early and sustained activation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR and MAPK pathways. Cell death and apoptosis-related proteins were activated at 5 and 24 h. Ultimately, expression profile patterns of phosphorylated proteins in the epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR), AKT, mTOR, and other relevant pathways may be used to determine pharmacodynamic activity of new and selective topical chemoprevention agents administered in a test area exposed to SSL to determine drug-induced attenuation or reversal of skin carcinogenesis pathways. Skin exposure to ultraviolet radiation leads to the activation of proteins involved in carcinogenic pathways. Janine Einspahr and Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski of the Arizona Cancer Center and colleagues in the US exposed normally ultraviolet protected skin of 12 individuals to two times the dose of solar-simulated light needed to induce redness. Skin biopsies were taken before and after exposure and 128 proteins known to be involved in key cancer signaling pathways were examined using ‘reverse phase protein microarray analysis’. They found early and sustained activation of multiple signaling pathways, in addition to activation of cell death and apoptosis-related proteins. The study may serve as a model for investigating the pathways involved in chronic or ultraviolet-induced carcinogenesis, which may ultimately lead to the development of targeted therapies to attenuate or reverse skin cancer pathways.
A Value for the Faraday Based on a High-Precision Coulometric Titration of 4-Aminopyridine

In the two most recent least-squares adjustments of the fundamental physical constants, B. N. Taylor and his co-workers, 19691 and 19732, call repeatedly for a further experimental determination of this constant. The existing value, 96,486.67 1972 NBS coulombs per mole is based on the silver dissolution work of Craig, Hoffman, Law and Hamer3, and although closely supported by coulometric titrations of benzoic acid4 and of oxalic acid4, it is greater by some 21 ppm than a value calculated from other physical measurements.
Listen to the Patient

(2017). Listen to the Patient! Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings: Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 439-440.
Pathology of Malignant Neoplasms of the Ear and Temporal Bone

The chapter highlights the malignant neoplasms of the temporal bone. Tumors of the ear can be divided into external auditory canal (EAC) and pinna tumors, middle ear tumors, and inner ear tumors. Tumors of the middle and inner ear are grouped together, as their sites of origin cannot always be determined. The classification reflects the state of current understanding for the uncommon entities.
An Optimized Preparation of 1,1-Dimethylallyl Esters and Their Application to Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis.

A one-step preparation of 1,1-dimethylallyl (DMA) esters was optimized for the C-terminal protection of a range of Fmoc-protected amino acids. This preparation is not sensitive to the scale of reaction and affords the corresponding DMA esters in 70–99% yield with high regioselectivity. Additionally, these DMA-protected amino acids were used with the backbone amide linker (BAL) of Albericio and Barany and found to resist diketopiperazine formation during the synthesis of a series of tripeptide esters. C-terminal DMA protection is compatible with the BAL linkage and allows for standard Fmoc-based methods to be used throughout the synthesis.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection facilitates fertilization even in the most severe forms of male infertility: pregnancy outcome correlates with maternal age and number of eggs available *

Objective To evaluate, in a prospective study, the fertilization and pregnancy rates after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in infertile couples with severe male infertility. Design Intracytoplasmic sperm injection was performed in 229 consecutive IVF cycles on 190 couples with rigorously defined severe male infertility or proven failure of fertilization in prior IVF cycles. Neither male nor female partners were chosen from a waiting list or on any other selective basis, including age, prior or anticipated ovarian response, or oocyte number or quality. There were no upper age limits, in no instance was donor sperm used for ICSI, and cycle cancellation rate was minimal. Setting Private genetics and fertility center in Fairfax, Virginia. Main Outcome Measures Fertilization, transfer, and pregnancy rates were measured in ICSI-treated couples, and comparisons were made regarding both female age and strictly defined semen categories. Results Two hundred six cycles (90%) resulted in ETs, with initiation of 52 pregnancies (25% per transfer, 23% per cycle). Thirty-eight of 52 (18% per transfer) were clinical pregnancies with established gestational sacs or were ongoing or delivered. Pregnancies were achieved even in older women but were more readily established in younger women producing larger numbers of metaphase II oocytes. The severity of semen abnormalities had some small effect on fertilization rate, but only actual necrospermia was associated with markedly decreased frequency of embryo formation. Pregnancy per transfer was similar across groups. In some cases, pregnancy was initiated with fewer than 100 viable sperm in the ejaculate. Conclusions Intracytoplasmic sperm injection is a very powerful new treatment for severe male infertility. Paradoxically, egg number and probably egg quality are now the main determinants of success in treating male infertility.
Zahlendarstellung mit Polynomen

Bereits im vierten Kapitel haben wir gesehen, welche wertvollen Einblicke in die Struktur von Algorithmen zur schnellen digitalen Signalverarbeitung durch Polynome gelingen. In diesem Kapitel werden wir sehen, das durch Polynome eine Verallgemeinerung einzelner Zahlen gebildet werden kann, die wir in spateren Kapiteln, wie z.B. bei der komplexen Arithmetik von FFTs (in Kap. 9) oder der Realisierung von digitalen Filterbanken (in Kap. 13), vorteilhaft einsetzen werden.
Cyber Conflict Bibliography

The purpose of this bibliography, originally prepared for the Future of Cyber Warfare symposium held at George Washington University Law School in April 2012, is to provide scholarly and other resources principally focused on cyber conflict, cyber attacks, information warfare and cyber war published between 2008 and the present. Selected resources on cyber crime, cybersecurity and cyber espionage are also included.
Efficient and Alternative Characterization of transition aluminas (η, γ, ϴ, δ-Al2O3) Derived from Aeroxide: Application of FT-IR and SEM

Heat treatment of Aeroxide (Alu C) at 500 oC in high vacuumproduced reactive phase onaluminum oxide surface. While Aeroxide from Degussa shows a mixture of transition aluminas (γ, δ, and ϴ) phases, precise understanding on the development, surface morphology and microstructure of this catalytically active Al2O3 are not readily available. Combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy were used in this study to probe the transition alumina phase induced at the high temperature calcination. Assignment of IR bands on the pretreated sample at 500 oC unambiguously distinguished Θ-Al2O3 phase which is a mixture of tetrahedral and octahedral Al3+ sites on the face centered cubic (fcc) Oxygen sub lattice.