cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of routine intraoperative endoscopy in elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery: can it further avoid anastomotic failure?

Anastomotic complications such as leakage and bleeding remain among the most serious complications of laparoscopic colorectal surgery. No perfect method exists for accurate and reliable avoidance of these catastrophes. This study aimed to study the usefulness of routine intraoperative endoscopy (RIOE) by comparing the surgical outcomes for RIOE patients with those for selective intraoperative endoscopy (SIOE) patients. A retrospective chart review was performed for consecutive patients who underwent elective laparoscopic colorectal resections with distal anastomosis between January 2004 and May 2007. One surgeon performed RIOE, whereas the other three surgeons performed SIOE as necessary. All the abnormalities of IOE patients were managed with a subsequent salvage procedure, and the postoperative outcomes were compared between the RIOE and SIOE groups. The study included 107 patients in the RIOE group and 137 patients in the SIOE group. Abnormalities were detected in 11 RIOE patients (10.3%) (six with staple line bleeding, three with positive air leak test results, and two with additional pathology identified). All but one abnormality was laparoscopically managed without conversion to laparotomy. Whereas one patient experienced postoperative staple line bleeding that required a second operation, the remaining 10 patients recovered uneventfully. The mean hospital stay was 6 days (range, 4–9) days. The RIOE group had overall rates of 0% for anastomotic leakage and 0.9% for staple line bleeding. Intraoperative endoscopies were performed for 30 (21.9%) of the 137 patients in the SIOE group. The postoperative outcomes comparison between the RIOE and SIOE groups showed a tendency toward more overall anastomotic complications (0.9% vs. 5.1%) in the SIOE group, which due to the small sample size did not translate into significant differences in terms of staple line bleeding and anastomotic leakage. There also were no significant differences in other outcomes such as ileus, abdominal or pelvic sepsis, reoperation, positive distal margin, distance from distal margins, length of hospital stay, or mortality. Routine IOE for patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery with distal anastomosis can detect abnormalities at or around the anastomosis. Although the RIOE group had fewer postoperative anastomotic complications, due to the small sample size, the 5.7-fold increase in anastomotic failure did not translate into significantly better postoperative outcomes than the SIOE group experienced. A larger-scale single or multicenter prospective randomized study or a metaanalysis including similar studies is necessary for further investigation of this issue.
Unexpected severe hypocalcemia during continuous venovenous hemodialysis with regional citrate anticoagulation

Citrate is known to induce acute hypocalcemia in patients undergoing liver transplantation during the anhepatic phase. We describe the case of a 71-year-old woman with fulminant hepatic failure secondary to hepatitis A, who was started on continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD) for acute renal failure. Because anticoagulation with heparin was untenable, regional anticoagulation was accomplished by trisodium citrate (46.7%) infusion. Unfortunately, severe hypocalcemia developed when citrate accumulated because of impaired hepatic metabolism. Because of chelation by citrate, the ionized calcium concentration declined to values as low as 2.72 mg/dL (normal, 4.5 to 5.6 mg/dL), whereas the total calcium concentration remained in the normal range. With an unusually high calcium chloride infusion rate via a central line (up to 140 mL/h of 10 mEq/dL CaCl2) and additional boli of CaCl2 (for a total of 190 mEq), the ionized calcium concentration could be maintained at target levels. Nevertheless, the ionized calcium concentration was maintained in the normal range, and the total calcium concentration increased to a value as high as 15 mg/dL. Thus, the total to ionized calcium ratio was 3.5:1. After 24 hours of treatment, trisodium citrate infusion was gradually reduced from 15 mL/h to 7 mL/h, and the calcium chloride infusion was decreased to 50 mL/h. Nevertheless, persistence of the elevated total to ionized calcium ratio (3:1) indicated citrate accumulation likely secondary to decreased hepatic metabolism. Using this approach, the patient was successfully maintained on CVVHD with regional citrate anticoagulation for a total of 11 days without any additional complications. We conclude that CVVHD with regional citrate anticoagulation can be used in patients with acute hepatic failure if increased CaCl2 requirements are anticipated and if citrate is infused at a lower rate compatible with decreased citrate metabolism. Citrate accumulation should be suspected in patients with an elevated total to ionized Ca++ ratio during CVVHD with citrate anticoagulation.
Generation of joint trajectory requiring lower joint velocities for a redundant manipulator

A numerical scheme is presented to generate the joint trajectory of a seven-degree-of-freedom redundant manipulator such that the resulting manipulator configurations require lower joint velocities to follow a desired end-effector trajectory. A three dimensional plot of the minimum joint velocity norm as a function of the self motion at each point along a given end-effector trajectory is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the trajectory generation scheme. A seven-degree-of-freedom Robotics Research manipulator is used as an example. >
Validation of 3D motion tracking of pulmonary lesions using CT fluoroscopy images for robotically assisted lung biopsy

As recently proposed in our previous work, the two-dimensional CT fluoroscopy image series can be used to track the three-dimensional motion of a pulmonary lesion. The assumption is that the lung tissue is locally rigid, so that the real-time CT fluoroscopy image can be combined with a preoperative CT volume to infer the position of the lesion when the lesion is not in the CT fluoroscopy imaging plane. In this paper, we validate the basic properties of our tracking algorithm using a synthetic four-dimensional lung dataset. The motion tracking result is compared to the ground truth of the four-dimensional dataset. The optimal parameter configurations of the algorithm are discussed. The robustness and accuracy of the tracking algorithm are presented. The error analysis shows that the local rigidity error is the principle component of the tracking error. The error increases as the lesion moves away from the image region being registered. Using the synthetic four-dimensional lung data, the average tracking error over a complete respiratory cycle is 0.8 mm for target lesions inside the lung. As a result, the motion tracking algorithm can potentially alleviate the effect of respiratory motion in CT fluoroscopy-guided lung biopsy.
Kinetics of hemolysis induced by a toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis.

Abstract S. A. Weinstein , A. W. Bernheimer and J. D. Oppenheim . Kinetics of hemolysis induced by a toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. Toxicon 26, 1177–1185, 1988.—The kinetics of hemolysis resulting from the action on rabbit erythrocytes of a highly purified cytolytic toxin (26,000 mol.wt) isolated from a spore-crystal mixture of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis was studied. Course of hemolysis, as determined by release of hemoglobin, yielded sigmoid curves whose maximum slopes were taken as a measure of the rate of lysis. Hemolysis occurred without an induction period, and the rate of lysis was a linear function of toxin concentration. Rate of hemolysis as a function of temperature yielded an Arrhenius constant of 9300 calories per mole. The toxin was active between pH 4.5 and 8.0. Lysis was strongly inhibited by Cu 2+ , Fe 2+ and Zn 2+ in concentrations as low as 0.025 M. Phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin inhibited lysis, whereas phosphatidylethanolamine, cerebroside, cholesterol and major integral erythrocyte membrane proteins caused little or no inhibition. Inhibition of lysis by sucrose indicates that hemolysis is of the colloid-osmotic type.
Precision Quartz Resonator Frequency Standards

High-precision quartz crystal resonators were recently added as a part of the primary standard of frequency at the National Bureau of Standards. Their reliability over short and long periods of time resulted in establishment of a frequency and time reference system constant to 1 part in 1010 per day. Measurement equipment and methods, are described in detail. The equivalent circuit for the crystal unit is discussed and the effects of external influences such as stray capacitance, electric and magnetic fields, connecting cables, ambient temperatures, and amplitude of vibration are considered. An assessment method is discussed. This method is based on the fitting of a natural aging or drift curve for each resonator to an observed curve after sufficient performance data are obtained. The use of resonators with crystal clocks represents one of the simplest and most reliable and economical methods of establishing a precise frequency reference in terms of mean solar time and of noting deviations in the earth's rate of rotation.
Laboratory and field tests to compare the effectiveness of organophosphorous, carbamate, and synthetic pyrethroid acaricides against northern fowl mites.

By using a laboratory technique, carbaryl was found to be the acaricide most toxic to Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini and Fanzago) of those materials currently registered in Virginia for this purpose. Ectiban™ permethrin (3-phenoxybenzyl-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethyleyelopropane carboxylate) and SD-43775 (cyano-(3-phenoxyphenyl)-methyl-4-chloro-alpha-(l-methylethyl)-benzeneacetate) produced effective northern fowl mite control when applied to poultry at rates commensurate with and lower than those currently recommended for most organophosphorous materials. Synthetic pyrethroid acaricides may become important in future poultry pest management programs. Northern fowl mites collected from commercial poultry quarters in Virginia displayed tolerance to malathion when tested via laboratory techniques. It is believed that this represents the initial report of malathion tolerance by this species in the eastern U.S.
Fiberoptic Fluorescence Detection Of Low Level Porphyrin Concentrations In Occult Metastases Of Lymph Nodes

The newest developments in the evaluation of fluorescence detection in photodynamic therapy deal with the ability to distinguish tissue autofluorescence from that of injected photosensitizers. The ability to make this distinction as well as detect fluorescence slightly above background emanating from occult metastases is paramount for the diagnosis of disease. The delivery of light to excite and detect background fluorescence as well as photosensitizer fluorescence in tissues has been accomplished using two HeNe lasers emitting at 632.8 nm and 612 nm delivered through a single quartz fiber optic. Chopping at different frequencies, contributions of fluorescence may be separated. Fluorescence is picked up via a 400 micron quartz fiber optic positioned appropriately near the target tissue. Extraction procedures to quantitate Photofrino II concentration in tissues correlated with fluorescence measurements from instrumentation developed for in vivo fluorimetry were applied for the detection of low drug levels in occult metastases of the lymph nodes. These techniques have been initially applied to detect low levels of drug in DRA mice bearing the SMT-F tumor, which has been extensively studied in our laboratory. The data show the ability of the techniques to detect very low levels of porphyrin in the tumors after low, non-therapeutic doses of injected photosensitizer. The Pollard rat prostatic adenocarcinoma (PA-III) model was chosen for this study because of its characteristic pattern of metastases involving only ipsilateral lymph nodes. Early studies on this lymph node model have shown the ability of the detection device to measure low levels of drug in non-palpable occult metastases in the nodes. The findings show that the detection of small numbers of metastatic cells is possible (<100 cells) with injected DHE doses of 0.25 mg/kg.
Predictability of climate

A mathematical framework is presented for the study of the predictability of small changes in the climatic system. From a statistical definition of climate in terms of ensemble averages, a limit to predictability is found arising from random weather fluctuations. This limit, typically referred to as climate noise, is often able to obscure a possible climate signal produced by external forcing. A separation of timescales of climatic response is also presented as a convenient means to distinguish between the fast internal (for example, the atmosphere) and the slow external (for example, the oceans) systems. In this way, it is possible to estimate the climate signal in the internal system that arises from small changes in the slow external system. Finally, a theoretical approach is presented for the inclusion of possible feedback effects in the estimation of a climate signal. Such feedback effects could result from the external climatic system being influenced by a change in the mean properties of the fast internal climatic system.
Working for Less? Women's Part-Time Wage Penalties across Countries

Abstract This paper investigates wage gaps between part- and full-time women workers in six OECD countries in the mid-1990s. Using comparable micro-data from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS), for Canada, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, and the US, the paper first assesses cross-national variation in the direction, magnitude, and composition of the part-time/full-time wage differential. Then it analyzes variations across these countries in occupational segregation between part- and full-time workers. The paper finds a part-time wage penalty among women workers in all countries, except Sweden. Other than in Sweden, occupational differences between part- and full-time workers dominate the portion of the wage gap that is explained by observed differences between the two groups of workers. Across countries, the degree of occupational segregation between female part- and full-time workers is negatively correlated with the position of part-time workers' wages in the full-time wage distribution.
Work in progress - Capstone experience - visual navigation of an RC vehicle using wireless video feedback to a PC

An innovative Capstone design project was completed at Western New England College by a single student during an 11-week period. The primary pedagogical objective of the project was to provide extensive opportunity for a student to engage in self-directed learning. To this end, a project was chosen that involved image processing, control theory, circuit design, PC interfacing, and software design. A radio controlled vehicle was designed to track predetermined objects using wireless video feedback. The student had no prior knowledge of four of the five engineering principles involved in the system. The system required the control of speed and direction of a radio controlled (RC) vehicle using monocular video images that were wirelessly transmitted to a PC and captured with a video capture card. The camera and video transmitter were mounted on the top of the car. The images were processed on the PC using Visual Basic and vector control was sent to a student-fabricated interface to a handheld RC controller that controlled the speed and direction of the car. A graphical user interface (GUI) was designed to aid in development. It allowed for simplified access to color balance calibration, steering and speed calibration, and image initialization. A summary of the development process, the design, the results, and the pedagogical insights of the Capstone design project are presented in this paper
It's Who You Work With: Effects of Workplace Shares of Nonstandard Employees and Women in Japan

Previous research on workplace composition has not addressed how the share of nonstandard employees affects individual workers’ opportunities and well-being. Moreover, existing studies generally assume that the effect of a group’s numerical representation is mediated through the group’s relative power and status within establishments. This study asks whether workplace composition matters when the size of each social group has little impact on its relative status. Specifically, I examine the economic and psychological consequences of the proportions of nonstandard employees and women in Japanese workplaces, where both groups are typically secondary workers who lack power regardless of their relative size. The results indicate that working in establishments with modest proportions of nonstandard employees enhances individuals’ wages and likelihood of promotion, but working in those with higher proportions is detrimental. Conversely, the greater the share of nonstandard employees in a workplace, the more likely all workers are to suffer psychologically. Workplace gender composition is also linked to Japanese workers’ reported chances of promotion and life satisfaction, but it is relevant to fewer worker outcomes than employment-status composition. This analysis underscores the need to consider workplace demography, even if the power and status gaps between different social groups vary little with each group’s share within establishments. In addition, the findings suggest that the global trend of increasing nonstandard work arrangements has a more extensive impact on disparities among workers than prior research implies.
Bandwidth optimization for combined equalization and coding transceivers with emphasis on the MMSE-DFE

The problem of optimizing the transmission bandwidth of practical coded-modulation transceivers on linear time-invariant (LTI) dispersive channels corrupted by additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and crosstalk, with particular emphasis on digital subscriber loops, is studied. Under the assumption of a flat input power distribution over the transmission bandwidth, four criteria for bandwidth optimization are analyzed and compared. The main focus is on the ideal infinite-length minimum-mean-square error decision feedback equalizer (MMSE-DFE), however, finite-length constraints are also considered. Furthermore, comparisons between the optimal bandwidth and performance of the MMSE-DFE and a multichannel modulation (MCM) transceiver, under a variety of operating conditions, are presented. >
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ regulates the expression and function of very-low-density lipoprotein receptor

Very-low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR) is a member of the low-density receptor family, highly expressed in adipose tissue, heart, and skeletal muscle. It binds apolipoprotein E-triglyceride-...
What counts as original appropriation

I here defend historical entitlement theories of property rights against a popular charge. This is the objection that such theories fail because no convincing account of original appropriation exists. I argue that this argument assumes a certain reading of historical entitlement theory and I spell out an alternative reading against which it misfires. On this reading, the role of acts of original appropriation is not to justify but to individuate people’s holdings. I argue that we can identify which acts count as original appropriation against the background of a general justification for a practice of property rights. On this view, what I will call ‘natural’ acts of original appropriation are acts by which a person begins to satisfy the general conditions for justified ownership. Finally, I offer an interpretation of John Locke's theory of appropriation along these lines and argue that it provides an attractive reading of his view.
Prevalence, clinical features and management of pediatric magnetic foreign body ingestions.

, Abstract—Background: Foreign body (FB) ingestions are frequent in children. Whereas the majority of FBs pass spontaneously through the gastrointestinal tract, ingestion of magnetic FBs pose a particular risk for obstruction due to proximate attraction through the intestinal wall. Study Objectives: We aimed to identify the prevalence, clinical presentation, and management of magnetic FB ingestions at our tertiary care institution. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of medical records of patients presenting to the pediatric Emergency Department (ED) or admitted to the hospital with FB ingestions from June 2003–July 2009. From those cases, patients with magnetic FB ingestions were identified. Results: During the study period, 337,839 patients presented to the ED; 38 cases of magnetic FB ingestion were identified (prevalence 0.01%). Abdominal radiography was obtained in all cases. Ingestion of asinglemagnetoccurredin30of38cases(79%).Ofthose, 4 patients underwent endoscopic removal due to signs of FB impaction in the esophagus or pylorus; no complications were noted. Ingestion of multiple magnets (range 2–6) occurred in 8 of 38 cases. Four of the 8 patients with multiple magnetic FBs (50%) presented with signs of peritonitis and requiredoperativerepairofmultipleintestinalperforations. Nodeathswereidentified.Conclusion:Althoughingestionof a single magnetic FB may, in most cases, be managed as a simple FB ingestion, the ingestion of multiple magnetic FB is associated with a high risk of complication and requires aggressive management. We propose an
Understanding and explaining real self-deception

This response addresses seven main issues: (1) alleged evidence that in some instances of self-deception an individual simultaneously possesses “contradictory beliefs”; (2) whether garden-variety self-deception is intentional; (3) whether conditions that I claimed to be conceptually sufficient for self-deception are so; (4) significant similarities and differences between self-deception and interpersonal deception; (5) how instances of self-deception are to be explained, and the roles of motivation in explaining them; (6) differences among various kinds of self- deception; (7) whether a proper conception of self-deception implies that definitive ascriptions of self-deception to individuals are impossible.
Americans' Views of Muslims and Mormons: A Social Identity Theory Approach

Although American society is religiously pluralistic, not all religious groups enjoy equal levels of public approval and support. Indeed, America has a history of viewing members of nontraditional religious groups with considerable distrust and suspicion. Two religious groups in particular — Muslims and Mormons — have come under fire in recent years, though not necessarily for the same reasons. Muslims and Mormons have frequently been viewed as outside the mainstream of American culture and, perhaps for that reason, have suffered from discrimination, threats, and violence. This article examines Americans' views of these two important and rapidly growing groups, using social identity theory as the primary vehicle of analysis. The theory proves useful in helping us explain variance in Americans' views of these two groups. While a variety of social, political and religious variables help to explain Americans' views of Muslims and Mormons, religious variables have the greatest impact.
Assistive technologies for use in the home to prolong independence

In this paper, we describe applications of computing assisted technology to home environments of elderly persons.
High-frequency oscillations n high-pin-count ECL devices

Examines high-frequency oscillations experimentally observed in high-pin-count ECL ASIC (emitter-coupled-logic application-specific integrated-circuit) devices on high-speed testers. A special test chip was designed to determine experimentally the conditions that create such oscillations. Analytical studies agree closely with the experimental results. Design guidelines are established for the ECL chips and packages to use them, as well as means to eliminate oscillation on the tester. Results confirm that stable operation of the ECL chips can be maintained without speed limitations, as long as certain conditions are met by chip and package designers. >
A Pneumatic Device for Lifting Containers in Plant Water Use Studies

Direct gravimetric determinations of whole-plant water use in container studies can be time consuming due to the tremendous labor required to physically lift containers for placement on weighing scales. Our objective was to design and construct a container-weighing system that could be rapidly deployed and required little physical labor. A custom-made support frame, equipped with a pneumatic lifting cylin­ der connected to a hanging scale, was constructed to lift large plastic containers (45 L) filled with a coarse sandy medium (.70 kg when saturated with water). Custom lifting arms designed to catch the handles of the plastic containers were constructed for attachment to the scale. The support frame weighing apparatus was positioned over the container, and the pneumatic lifting cylinder was activated only after lifting arms had been attached to the plastic container. As many as 25 large plastic containers could be weighed per hour with this system. The weighing system has been successfully used to follow plant water use patterns over time.
Youth civic development: Historical context and emerging issues

The civic domain has taken its place in the scholarship and practice of youth development. From the beginning, the fi eld has focused on youth as assets who contribute to the common good of their communities. Work at the cutting edge of this fi eld integrates research and practice and focuses on the civic incorporation of groups who often have been marginalized from mainstream society. The body of work also extends topics of relevance to human development by considering themes of justice, social responsibility, critical consciousness, and collective action. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reduced order, high-fidelity modeling of energy storage units in vehicular power systems

This paper presents a reduced order, high-fidelity model of super capacitors for vehicular power systems. First, a high-fidelity, high-order circuit representation of super capacitors is considered. Then, the balanced order reduction technique is used to extract the low order model from the original higher-order circuit. The reduced-order model is, then, fit into a 3rd order circuit. The compact circuit results in shorter computational time while maintaining the simulation accuracy. Impedance characterization verifies the final model accuracy in both lower and higher frequency ranges.
Regulation of Cell Diameter, For3p Localization, and Cell Symmetry by Fission Yeast Rho-GAP Rga4p

Control of cellular dimensions and cell symmetry are critical for development and differentiation. Here we provide evidence that the putative Rho-GAP Rga4p of Schizosaccharomyces pombe controls cellular dimensions. rga4Δ cells are wider in diameter and shorter in length, whereas Rga4p overexpression leads to reduced diameter of the growing cell tip. Consistent with a negative role in cell growth control, Rga4p protein localizes to the cell sides in a “corset” pattern, and to the nongrowing cell tips. Additionally, rga4Δ cells show an altered growth pattern similar to that observed in mutants of the formin homology protein For3p. Consistent with these observations, Rga4p is required for normal localization of For3p and for normal distribution of the actin cytoskeleton. We show that different domains of the Rga4p protein mediate diverse morphological functions. The C-terminal GAP domain mediates For3p localization to the cell tips and maintains cell diameter. Conversely, overexpression of the N-terminal LIM homology domain of Rga4p promotes actin cable formation in a For3p-dependent manner. Our studies indicate that Rga4p functionally interacts with For3p and has a novel function in the control of cell diameter and cell growth.
Inhibition of Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis Selectively Attenuates Specific Insulin Receptor Signal Transduction Pathways

To examine the role of clathrin-dependent insulin receptor internalization in insulin-stimulated signal transduction events, we expressed a dominant-interfering mutant of dynamin (K44A/dynamin) by using a recombinant adenovirus in the H4IIE hepatoma and 3T3L1 adipocyte cell lines. Expression of K44A/dynamin inhibited endocytosis of the insulin receptor as determined by both cell surface radioligand binding and trypsin protection analysis. The inhibition of the insulin receptor endocytosis had no effect on either the extent of insulin receptor autophosphorylation or insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) tyrosine phosphorylation. In contrast, expression of K44A/dynamin partially inhibited insulin-stimulated Shc tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK1 and -2. Although there was an approximately 50% decrease in the insulin-stimulated activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase associated with IRS1, insulin-stimulated Akt kinase phosphorylation and activation were unaffected. The expression of K44A/dynamin increased the basal rate of amino acid transport, which was additive with the effect of insulin but had no effect on the basal or insulin-stimulated DNA synthesis. In 3T3L1 adipocytes, expression of K44A/dynamin increased the basal rate of glucose uptake, glycogen synthesis, and lipogenesis without any significant effect on insulin stimulation. Together, these data demonstrate that the acute actions of insulin are largely independent of insulin receptor endocytosis and are initiated by activation of the plasma membrane-localized insulin receptor.
Experimental measurements of short-lived fission products from uranium, neptunium, plutonium and americium

Fission yields are especially well characterized for long-lived fission products. Modeling techniques incorporate numerous assumptions and can be used to deduce information about the distribution of short-lived fission products. This work is an attempt to gather exper- imental (model-independent) data on short-lived fission products. Fissile isotopes of uranium, neptunium, pluto- nium and americium were irradiated under pulse conditions at the Washington State University 1 MW TRIGA reactor to achieve *10 8 fissions. The samples were placed on an HPGe (high purity germanium) detector to initiate counting in less than 3 min post irradiation. The data was analyzed to determine which radionuclides could be quantified and compared to the published fission yield data.
Predicting extreme pKa shifts in staphylococcal nuclease mutants with constant pH molecular dynamics.

Accurate computational methods of determining protein and nucleic acid pKa values are vital to understanding pH-dependent processes in biological systems. In this paper we use the recently developed method constant pH molecular dynamics (CPHMD) to explore the calculation of highly-perturbed pKa values in variants of staphylococcal nuclease (SNase). Simulations were performed using the replica exchange (REX) protocol for improved conformational sampling with eight temperature windows, and yielded converged proton populations in a total sampling time of 4 ns. Our REX-CPHMD simulations resulted in calculated pKa values with an average unsigned error (AUE) of 0.75 pK units for the acidic residues in Δ+PHS, a hyperstable variant of SNase. For highly pKa-perturbed SNase mutants with known crystal structures, our calculations yielded an AUE of 1.5 pK units and for those mutants based on modeled structures an AUE of 1.4 pK units was found. Although a systematic underestimate of pK shifts was observed in most of the cases for the highly perturbed pK mutants, correlations between conformational rearrangement and plasticity associated with the mutation and error in pKa prediction was not evident in the data. This study further extends the scope of electrostatic environments explored using the REX-CPHMD methodology and suggests it is a reliable tool for rapidly characterizing ionizable amino acids within proteins even when modeled structures are employed.
Towards Thermal Aware Workload Scheduling in a Data Center

High density blade servers are a popular technology for data centers, however, the heat dissipation density of data centers increases exponentially. There is strong evidence to support that high temperatures of such data centers will lead to higher hardware failure rates and thus an increase in maintenance costs. Improperly designed or operated data centers may either suffer from overheated servers and potential system failures, or from overcooled systems, causing extraneous utilities cost. Minimizing the cost of operation (utilities, maintenance, device upgrade and replacement) of data centers is one of the key issues involved with both optimizing computing resources and maximizing business outcome. This paper proposes an analytical model, which describes data center resources with heat transfer properties and workloads with thermal features. Then a thermal aware task scheduling algorithm is presented which aims to reduce power consumption and temperatures in a data center. A simulation study is carried out to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. Simulation results show that our algorithm can significantly reduce temperatures in data centers by introducing endurable decline in performance.
ODOR DISCRIMINATION IN THE CALIFORNIA SLENDER SALAMANDER, BATRACHOSEPS ATTENUATUS: EVIDENCE FOR SELF-RECOGNITION

Intraspecific communication is an important component of social behavior in many species. In urodeles, chemical signals found in scent marks or other glandular secretions are often the mechanism by which such communication occurs. I tested the hypothesis that individuals of Batrachoseps attenuatus, the California slender salamander, can discriminate between self-marked substrates and substrates marked by conspecifics. After housing salamanders (n = 30) for five days with moistened sphagnum moss, I presented each individual in 15-min behavioral trials with two pieces of moss, one from the individual's own housing chamber and the other from a conspecific's chamber. Individuals nose-tapped (chemodetection) significantly more often and spent significantly more time in the threat posture when in the vicinity of conspecific-marked substrates relative to self-marked substrates. This suggests that individuals of B. attenuatus discriminate between self-marked substrate and conspecific-marked substrate, implying se...
Distributed Security: Moving Away from Reactive Law Enforcement

Cybercrime essentially consists of using computer technology to engage in illegal activity. The activity can constitute traditional crime (e.g., fraud, theft, extortion) or new types of criminal behavior (e.g., denial of service attacks, malware). Cybercrime creates significant challenges for our current, reactive model of law enforcement: The current model of law enforcement evolved to deal with real-world crime, which is spatially-based and limited in scale due to the constraints of physical reality. Cybercrime ignores territorially borders and, since it can be automated crime, can be committed on a much greater scale than real-world crime. For these and other reasons, the hierarchical, reactive model we use to control real-world crime is not an effective means of dealing with cybercrime. It is therefore necessary to develop a new model to deal with cybercrime. The model cannot be a hierarchically-based system which is designed to concentrate personnel and other resources on controlling a population situated in a spatially defined area. It must be a lateral, flexible approach that shifts much of the responsibility for controlling crime from a cadre of designated professionals to the individuals and entities who use cyberspace. The focus of the model must be on prevention, not reaction. To implement this model is it necessary to impose certain responsibilities upon those who use cyberspace; the article explains how modified principles of criminal liability can be used to create incentives to prevent cybercrime.
The rise and decline of a university 1

We examine the past rise and more recent decline of Saint Louis University (SLU) from the perspective of economic growth theory, which is commonly used to explain the rise and decline of nations. Consistent with neoclassical growth theory, we suggest that the simple accumulation of capital explains much of SLU's past rise. Over time, political power became increasingly concentrated among a relatively small group of elites led by the university President. In line with the New Institutional Economics, we argue that this concentration of power explains SLU's more recent decline. During the 2012-2013 academic year, this decline precipitated a critical juncture -- a confluence of factors that emerge and provide an opportunity to overturn the status quo. Further drawing on growth theory, we discuss the challenges ahead and explore conditions under which SLU might expect this critical juncture to generate a brighter future.
Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1) overexpression enhances the aggressive phenotype of SUM149 inflammatory breast cancer cells in a signal transducer and activator of transcription 2 (STAT2)-dependent manner

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a very aggressive and lethal subtype of breast cancer that accounts for about 4 % of all breast cancers diagnosed in the United States. Despite the efforts of several investigators to identify the molecular factors driving the aggressive phenotype of IBC, a great deal is still unknown about the molecular underpinnings of the disease. In the present study, we investigated the role of interferon-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1), a well-known interferon-stimulated gene (ISG), in promoting the aggressiveness of SUM149 IBC cells. Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses were performed to assess the protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of IFITM1 and other ISGs in three IBC cell lines: SUM149, MDA-IBC-3, and SUM190. IFITM1 expression and cellular localization were assessed by using immunofluorescence, while the tumorigenic potential was assessed by performing cell migration, invasion, and colony formation assays. Small interfering RNA and short hairpin RNA knockdowns, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and luciferase assays were performed to determine the functional significance of IFITM1 and signal transducers and activators of transcription 1 and 2 (STAT1/2) in SUM149 cells. We found that IFITM1 was constitutively overexpressed at the mRNA and protein levels in triple-negative SUM149 IBC cells, but that it was not expressed in SUM190 and MDA-IBC-3 IBC cells, and that suppression of IFITM1 or blockade of the IFNα signaling pathway significantly reduced the aggressive phenotype of SUM149 cells. Additionally, we found that knockdown of STAT2 abolished IFITM1 expression and IFITM1 promoter activity in SUM149 cells and that loss of STAT2 significantly inhibited the ability of SUM149 cells to proliferate, migrate, invade, and form 2-D colonies. Notably, we found that STAT2-mediated activation of IFITM1 was particularly dependent on the chromatin remodeler brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1), which was significantly elevated in SUM149 cells compared with SUM190 and MDA-IBC-3 cells. These findings indicate that overexpression of IFITM1 enhances the aggressive phenotype of triple-negative SUM149 IBC cells and that this effect is dependent on STAT2/BRG1 interaction. Further studies are necessary to explore the potential of IFITM1 as a novel therapeutic target and prognostic marker for some subtypes of IBCs.
Taxation of Corporate Gains on Sales of Depreciable Property

This report examines the taxation of corporate gains on depreciable business property, an important topic that has received little attention in the economic literature. The analysis reveals that current law, under which gains on such sales are taxed at ordinary tax rates and buyers are allowed to depreciate their purchase cost, places a tax penalty on sales and raises the cost of capital, thereby discouraging investment. In a simple model, three policies would eliminate the impact on user cost and investment: zero taxation of capital gains with recapture of excess depreciation allowances at ordinary tax rates, zero taxation of capital gains with the seller's basis carrying over to the buyer, and reduced tax rates on capital gains. The basis carryover and reduced-rate policies appear to be preferable in a more general framework.
Teachers’ perceptions of bullying among youth

abstractA series of 48 vignettes of bullying was constructed by crossing (a) four kinds of social contact (physical aggression, verbal aggression, relational aggression, and non-aggression) with (b) male and female bullies, (c) male and female and victims, and (d) reaction of the victim (aggressive, passive, and no reaction). Teachers rated vignettes for seriousness. Physical aggression was perceived as more serious than any other kind of bullying, and vignettes that depicted female bullies and male victims were perceived as least serious across all kinds of bullying. Results are discussed in terms of applied implications for teachers in school settings and directions for future research.
Development of the Bursa of Fabricius in the Partridge and Pheasant

Abstract Development and regression of the bursa of Fabricius was measured in chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) and ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) from hatch to 40 and 34 weeks of age, respectively. Testes weights were recorded for 8 to 34-week-old pheasants and 12 to 30-week-old chukars. Approximately 12 partridges and 12 pheasants of mixed sex were killed every other week and their bursae measured and weighed. Results indicated that chukar bursal weight peaked at about 10 weeks of age in both sexes and then immediately regressed. Chukar bursal weights were highly correlated with age and body weight from hatch to 11 weeks of age but not after 11 weeks. Male chukar bursal weights decreased more rapidly than those of females (P
Effect of dilantin and mesantoin on the giant axon of the squid.

SummaryAn action of dilantin and mesantoin on the nerve fiber is described. The addition of these compounds to a perfusion of artificial sea water does not affect the electrical activity of isolated giant axons. In the presence of reduced calcium and magnesium spontaneous firing of the fiber occurs. This may be reversed by returning the nerve to sea water with normal concentrations of calcium and magnesium. A decrease in hyperirritability may also be obtained by adding dilantin or mesantoin to water deficient in calcium and magnesium. Continued exposure to the latter solution reversibly abolishes signs of electrical activity. Dilantin labelled with N15 was found to penetrate into the interior of the giant axon of squid. The concentration in the axoplasm of the fiber was close to equilibrium within one hour.
Postural motor learning in people with Parkinson’s disease

Protective postural responses to external perturbations are hypokinetic in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and improving these responses may reduce falls. However, the ability of people with PD to improve postural responses with practice is poorly understood. Our objective was to determine whether people with PD can improve protective postural responses similarly to healthy adults through repeated perturbations, and whether improvements are retained or generalize to untrained perturbations. Twelve healthy adults and 15 people with PD underwent 25 forward and 25 backward translations of the support surface, eliciting backward, and forward protective steps, respectively. We assessed whether: (1) performance improved over one day of practice, (2) changes were retained 24 h later, and (3) improvements generalized to untrained (lateral) postural responses. People with PD and healthy adults improved postural response characteristics, including center of mass displacement after perturbations (p < 0.001), margin of stability at first footfall (p = 0.001), step latency (p = 0.044), and number of steps (p = 0.001). However, unlike controls, improvements in people with PD occurred primarily in the first block of trials. Improvements were more pronounced during backward protective stepping than forward, and with the exception of step latency, were retained 24 h later. Improvements in forward–backward stepping did not generalize to lateral protective stepping. People with PD can improve protective stepping over the course of 1 day of perturbation practice. Improvements were generally similar to healthy adults, and were retained in both groups. Perturbation practice may represent a promising approach to improving protective postural responses in people with PD; however, additional research is needed to understand how to enhance generalization.
MicroRNAs in Control of Stem Cells in Normal and Malignant Hematopoiesis

Studies on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and leukemia stem cells (LSCs) have helped to establish the paradigms of normal and cancer stem cell concepts. For both HSCs and LSCs, specific gene expression programs endowed by their epigenome functionally distinguish them from their differentiated progenies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as a class of small non-coding RNAs, act to control post-transcriptional gene expression. Research in the past decade has yielded exciting findings elucidating the roles of miRNAs in control of multiple facets of HSC and LSC biology. Here, we review recent progresses on the functions of miRNAs in HSC emergence during development, HSC switch from a fetal/neonatal program to an adult program, HSC self-renewal and quiescence, HSC aging, HSC niche, and malignant stem cells. While multiple different miRNAs regulate a diverse array of targets, two common themes emerge in HSC and LSC biology: miRNA-mediated regulation of epigenetic machinery and cell signaling pathways. In addition, we propose that miRNAs themselves behave like epigenetic regulators, as they possess key biochemical and biological properties that can provide both stability and alterability to the epigenetic program. Overall, the studies of miRNAs in stem cells in the hematologic contexts not only provide key understandings to post-transcriptional gene regulation mechanisms in HSCs and LSCs but also will lend key insights for other stem cell fields.
Calibration of ME Design Using a Combination of APT and PMS Data

The ultimate goal of ME design, and much of the pavement engineering behind it, such as APT, is to provide true estimates of how pavements will perform in the field. In the past, most design methods have been calibrated with APT data, and there has been some difficultly in calibrating to field data, including LTPP data. While this is partly due to a lack of understanding of the performance of pavements, much of the difficultly seems to arise because there is a disconnect between how performance is explained in design methods and how it is measured in the field. This paper details a framework for understanding APT data and PMS data, and for jointly modelling both sets while calibrating an ME design method.
Trusting outgroup, but not ingroup members, requires control: neural and behavioral evidence

Trust and cooperation often break down across group boundaries, contributing to pernicious consequences, from polarized political structures to intractable conflict. As such, addressing such conflicts require first understanding why trust is reduced in intergroup settings. Here, we clarify the structure of intergroup trust using neuroscientific and behavioral methods. We found that trusting ingroup members produced activity in brain areas associated with reward, whereas trusting outgroup members produced activity in areas associated with top-down control. Behaviorally, time pressure-which reduces people's ability to exert control-reduced individuals' trust in outgroup, but not ingroup members. These data suggest that the exertion of control can help recover trust in intergroup settings, offering potential avenues for reducing intergroup failures in trust and the consequences of these failures.