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Advancing our understanding of osteoblast biology and differentiation is critical to elucidate the pathological mechanisms responsible for skeletal diseases such as osteoporosis. Histology and histomorphometry, the classical methods to study osteoblast biology, identify osteoblasts based on their location and morphology and ability to mineralize matrix, but do not clearly define their stage of differentiation. Introduction of visual transgenes into the cells of osteoblast lineage has revolutionized the field and resulted in a paradigm shift that allowed for specific identification and isolation of subpopulations within the osteoblast lineage. Knowledge acquired from the studies based on GFP transgenes has allowed for more precise interpretation of studies analyzing targeted overexpression or deletion of genes in the osteoblast lineage. Here, we provide a condensed overview of the currently available promoter-fluorescent reporter transgenic mice that have been generated and evaluated to varying extents. We cover different stages of the lineage as transgenes have been utilized to identify osteoprogenitors, pre-osteoblasts, osteoblasts, or osteocytes. We show that each of these promoters present with advantages and disadvantages. The studies based on the use of these reporter mice have improved our understanding of bone biology. They constitute attractive models to target osteoblasts and help to understand their cell biology. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated sXe or signified by XXX or X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco and other recreational drugs, in reaction to the excesses of punk subculture.

A trans-agency workshop on the blood-brain interface (BBI), sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the National Cancer Institute and the Combat Casualty Care Research Program at the Department of Defense, was conducted in Bethesda MD on June 7-8, 2016. The workshop was structured into four sessions: (1) blood sciences; (2) exosome therapeutics; (3) next generation in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) models; and (4) BBB delivery and targeting. The first day of the workshop focused on the physiology of the blood and neuro-vascular unit, blood or biofluid-based molecular markers, extracellular vesicles associated with brain injury, and how these entities can be employed to better evaluate injury states and/or deliver therapeutics. The second day of the workshop focused on technical advances in in vitro models, BBB manipulations and nanoparticle-based drug carrier designs, with the goal of improving drug delivery to the central nervous system. The presentations and discussions underscored the role of the BBI in brain injury, as well as the role of the BBB as both a limiting factor and a potential conduit for drug delivery to the brain. At the conclusion of the meeting, the participants discussed challenges and opportunities confronting BBI translational researchers. In particular, the participants recommended using BBI translational research to stimulate advances in diagnostics, as well as targeted delivery approaches for detection and therapy of both brain injury and disease.

In the predator-prey example, one factor limits the growth of the other factor. As the prey population decreases, the predator population begins to decrease as well. The prey population is a limiting factor. A limiting factor limits the growth or development of an organism, population, or process.

The photocatalytic water splitting for generation of clean hydrogen energy has received increasingly attention in the field of photocatalysis. In this study, the Ta2O5/g-C3N4 heterojunctions were successfully fabricated via a simple one-step heating strategy. The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared photocatalysts were evaluated by water splitting for hydrogen evolution under visible-light irradiation (lambda >420 nm). Compared to the pristine g-C3N4, the obtained heterojunctions exhibited remarkably improved hydrogen production performance. It was found that the 7.5%TO/CN heterojunction presented the best photo catalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency, which was about 4.2 times higher than that of pure g-C3N4. Moreover, the 7.5%TO/CN sample also displayed excellent photochemical stability even after 20 h photocatalytic test. By further experimental study, the enhanced photo catalytic activity is mainly attributed to the significantly improve the interfacial charge separation in the heterojunction between g-C3N4 and Ta2O5. This work provides a facile approach to design g-C3N4-based photocatalyst and develops an efficient visible-light driven heterojunction for application in solar energy conversion. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC.

Background: Systemic inflammation has emerged as a promising marker and potential mechanism underlying post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The relationship between posttraumatic stress pathology and systemic inflammation has not, however, been consistently replicated and is potentially confounded by comorbid illness or injury, common complications of trauma exposure. Methods: We analyzed a large naturalistic cohort sharing a discrete physical and mental health trauma from the destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers on September 11, 2001 (n = 641). We evaluated the relationship between multiple physical and mental health related indices collected through routine evaluations at the WTC Environmental Health Center (WTC EHC), a treatment program for community members exposed to the disaster. C-Reactive Protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, was examined in relation to scores for PTSD, PTSD symptom clusters (re-experiencing, avoidance, negative cognitions/mood, arousal), depression and anxiety, while controlling for WTC exposures, lower respiratory symptoms, age, sex, BMI and smoking as potential risks or confounders. Results: CRP was positively associated with PTSD severity (p < 0.001), trending toward association with depression (p = 0.06), but not with anxiety (p = 0.27). CRP was positively associated with re-experiencing (p < 0.001) and avoidance (p < 0.05) symptom clusters, and trended toward associations with negative cognitions/mood (p = 0.06) and arousal (p = 0.08). Conclusions: In this large study of the relationship between CRP and posttraumatic stress pathology, we demonstrated an association between systemic inflammation and stress pathology (PTSD; trending with depression), which remained after adjusting for potentially confounding variables. These results contribute to research findings suggesting a salient relationship between inflammation and post traumatic stress pathology. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The mechanisms of chlorination of PbO, CdO, ZnO, and CuO by poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and sodium chloride (NaCI), including their reaction temperatures, pathways, and products, were studied and compared. It was found that PVC can chloridize the four oxides via different mechanisms, producing corresponding chlorides. The heavy metal oxides in PVC-PbO and PVC-CdO were chloridized by gas-solid reaction with HCl, while direct chlorination by PVC occurred at 190 degrees C in PVC-ZnO and PVC-CuO, as their initial temperatures for weight loss were 35-44 degrees C lower than that of PVC decomposition. The relatively facile chlorination of PbO as compared with the other oxides might be a reason why Pb was more volatile than the other metals. NaCI had no chlorination effect on CdO, ZnO, or CuO in the absence of other media. It was found for the first time that NaCI alone could convert PbO to PbCl2 via a liquid-solid reaction when the temperature was higher than the melting point of NaCI (801 degrees C), and oxygen was not involved. The chlorination effect of NaCI was markedly weaker than that of PVC. Since both PVC and NaCI are the most important chlorine sources in solid waste, their chlorination effects on heavy metals cannot be ignored. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In computer science, a syntax error is an error in the syntax of a sequence of characters or tokens that is intended to be written in compile-time.

Nowadays, the Open Archive Information System (OAIS) model is widely adopted in hospitals to manage data related to both doctors and patients. However, the Archival Storage systems of hospitals are typically based on old Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) that makes hard the management of patients' data especially in the Health Level 7 (HL7) format. In fact, data have to be continuously parsed in order to be stored in relational databases and sent to other hospital systems. Considering also interoperable scenarios where HL7 data continuously grow, the management of patients' information can become very hard. In this paper, we discuss an OAIS system able to manage HL7 Big Data. In particular, considering a case of study of HL7 glucose observations in JSON format, we demonstrate that in a scalable scenario an archival storage for big data processing is more convenient for hospitals than traditional archival storage systems.

The aim of the present study was to provide descriptive dietary patterns of home-living older adults, and to examine their association with sociodemographic and 'diet-related' variables, and health and psychological factors. Dietary patterns were analyzed using separately cluster analysis for men (N = 151, M-age = 72.72, SD = 8.80, range = 56-97) and women (N = 251, M-age = 76.74, SD = 9.95, range = 55-97) in 402 older adults aged 55 years and over. Cluster analyses showed four distinct dietary profiles for each gender. In older men, the four distinct dietary clusters were associated with any differences in sociodemographic and diet-related variables, cognitive function, and health and psychological factors. Likewise, in older women, the four distinct dietary clusters were associated with any differences in sociodemographic and 'diet-related' variables'. However in older women, results showed that the cluster 1 "high fish-fruit-vegetable" was associated with a better cognitive function, a better self-rated health and no depressive symptoms, whereas cluster 3 "moderate ready meals" was associated with cognitive decline, slight depression, and poor perceived health. Results emphasize the interest to take into consideration health and psychological factors associated with dietary patterns to better target the vulnerability of individuals and enable an effective prevention. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radio over fiber (RoF) or RF over fiber (RFoF) refers to a technology whereby light is modulated by a radio frequency signal and transmitted over an optical fiber link.

In linguistics, function words (also called functors) are words that have little lexical meaning or have ambiguous meaning and express grammatical relationships among other words within a sentence, or specify the attitude or mood of the speaker.

9.3 Response to the Signal The initiation of a signaling pathway is a response to external stimuli. This response can take many different forms, including protein synthesis, a change in the cell’s metabolism, cell growth, or even cell death. Many pathways influence the cell by initiating gene expression, and the methods utilized are quite numerous. Some pathways activate enzymes that interact with DNA transcription factors. Others modify proteins and induce them to change their location in the cell. Depending on the status of the organism, cells can respond by storing energy as glycogen or fat, or making it available in the form of glucose. A signal transduction pathway allows muscle cells to respond to immediate requirements for energy in the form of glucose. Cell growth is almost always stimulated by external signals called growth factors. Uncontrolled cell growth leads to cancer, and mutations in the genes encoding protein components of signaling pathways are often found in tumor cells. Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is important for removing damaged or unnecessary cells. The use of cellular signaling to organize the dismantling of a cell ensures that harmful molecules from the cytoplasm are not released into the spaces between cells, as they are in uncontrolled death, necrosis. Apoptosis also ensures the efficient recycling of the components of the dead cell. Termination of the cellular signaling cascade is very important so that the response to a signal is appropriate in both timing and intensity. Degradation of signaling molecules and dephosphorylation of phosphorylated intermediates of the pathway by phosphatases are two ways to terminate signals within the cell.

2.3 | Biological Molecules By the end of this section, you will be able to: • Describe the ways in which carbon is critical to life • Explain the impact of slight changes in amino acids on organisms • Describe the four major types of biological molecules • Understand the functions of the four major types of molecules The large molecules necessary for life that are built from smaller organic molecules are called biological macromolecules. There are four major classes of biological macromolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids), and each is an important component of the cell and performs a wide array of functions. Combined, these molecules make up the majority of a cell’s mass. Biological macromolecules are organic, meaning that they contain carbon. In addition, they may contain hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and additional minor elements.

Remote sensing applications in water resources management are becoming an essential asset in all different levels of integrated water rational use. Due to remote sensing data availability and different acquisition sensors of satellite images, a wide variability of benchmarks could be conducted under the same theme. Rainwater harvesting is the branch of science where the rainwater is the main target to improve groundwater recharge, stratocumulus clouds are the main source of rain in arid regions. Cloud detection using remote sensing techniques proved to be efficient recently but the general uses of different cloud detection techniques are to precisely omit clouds from satellite images. The use of cloud detection scheme described herein is designed for the MERIS Level1B data; therefore, total set of 60 MERIS images was collected on monthly basis for 5 years started from January 2008. The use of the cloud detection algorithm is to find proper land cover suitable for rainwater harvesting mostly covered with cloud all over the year. Evaluation of land use for rainwater harvesting in terms of groundwater recharge is considered, several factors were taken into consideration and NDWI is one of the most important factors involved. Results pointed out that some regions in southern Saudi Arabia are qualified enough to be considered as potential sites for better rainwater harvesting.

The VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) is a hardware description language (HDL) that can model the behavior and structure of digital systems at multiple levels of abstraction, ranging from the system level down to that of logic gates, for design entry, documentation, and verification purposes.

An ideal solid surface is flat, rigid, perfectly smooth, and chemically homogeneous, and has zero contact angle hysteresis.

A pyramid (from Greek: πυραμίς pyramís) is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense.

Two promoter probe plasmid vectors, designated pIPP1 and pIPP2, were constructed from the existing plasmids pXE4 and pSET152. pIPP1 and 2 use the xylE gene of Pseudomonas putida as a reporter and can be transferred to streptomycetes by conjugation from Escherichia coli. The function of these plasmids as promoter probes was demonstrated in Streptomyces antibioticus and Streptomyces coelicolor using the phenoxazinone synthase and polynucleotide phosphorylase promoters from S. antibioticus. xylE activity could be detected in colonies on agar plates or via the in vitro assay for catechol dioxygenase. The integration into the S. antibioticus chromosome of the constructs containing the phsA promoter was verified by Southern blotting. The presence of the bla locus in pIPP1 allows the recovery of putative promoters by marker rescue. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic neurological disease typically diagnosed in young adulthood, presents with a wide variety of symptoms, impairments and functional limitations. Given the chronic, unpredictable and long-term nature of this disease, preserving function is essential. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify psychosocial and behavioral factors that might influence the trajectory of functional limitation through eleven years of longitudinal follow-up of a sample of persons with MS. Methods: Participants (N = 606) completed measures of health behaviors, related constructs and functional limitations annually over eleven years. Longitudinal measures of functional limitations were analyzed using random-effects regression that allows for study of individual differences in the trajectories of a measure. Using the best fitting quadratic growth model, we tested the within and between-person effects of Nutrition, Interpersonal Relationships, Exercise, Stress Management, Health Responsibilities, Spiritual Growth, Self-rated Health and Barriers, controlling for Age, Year since Diagnosis and Year of Dropout, on Functional Limitations in the 11th year. Results: After adjusting for covariates, higher mean scores for Exercise and Self-rated Health were related to lower levels of Functional Limitations in Year 11. Higher mean scores for Stress Management, Health Responsibilities and Barriers were related to higher levels of Functional Limitations in Year 11. Higher mean Exercise scores and lower mean Health Responsibilities scores were related to slower rates of progression of functional limitations in Year 11. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the highly variable trajectory of functional limitations in MS may be extended and shaped through health behavior strategies. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficient control of irrigation systems depends on attaining representative water status data for an irrigated field. The spatial variability of soil hydraulic properties and root growth patterns, hamper the use of single-value representations. This work proposes a two-pronged approach designed for determining optimal sensor location for irrigation water management. It combines experimental results, which offer a method of pre-determining root growth patterns, with modeling analysis in which the effect of tensiometer location on coefficient of variation (CV) of matric head measurements and irrigation system operation was investigated. In the experimental part, the effect of a geotextile material, wrapped around the drippers along the drip line to create a Geotextile Drip Interface (GDI), on root growth patterns in the field was evaluated. The results showed higher root density around the GDI vs. regular buried drippers, with well-defined peak root density in the former vs. no one location with peak root density in the latter. Genetic root architecture had smaller effect on root distribution under the GDI treatment. The modeling part consisted of HYDRUS 2D/3D simulations of high-frequency subsurface drip irrigation in heterogeneous soils with GDI root distribution as observed in the experiment. The simulations explored different locations for tensiometer placement which will result in low variability of system operation. HYDRUS 2D/3D simulations showed that the optimal location for tensiometer placement is near the subsurface dripper, resulting in low CV of matric head measurements and applied irrigation water, high sensitivity to irrigation, and lower drainage below the root zone. Overall, the results show that measuring soil water status with tensiometers located close to drippers in GDI volume, improve control of high frequency irrigation systems and allow greater water application efficiency in drip irrigated fields. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In this paper, the circuit design of a fractional order proportional-integrated derivation (FO-PID) controller for synchronization between different FO chaotic systems has been described. Chaotic synchronization and control are used in different applications in nonlinear physical systems such as performance tests for controllers and chaotic communication systems. FO chaotic systems have been created, and the synchronization control of these two systems has been carried out using an FO-PID controller. The total square error should be minimized in order to determine the parameters and orders of the designed FO controller circuit. The results obtained using the FO controller are better than those obtained using classical control systems. Using an FO-PID controller, the time to reach synchronization decreased significantly.

At present, our knowledge about seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is based mainly up on clinical symptoms, epidemiology, behavioral characteristics and light therapy. Recently developed measures of resting-state functional brain activity might provide neurobiological markers of brain disorders. Studying functional brain activity in SAD could enhance our understanding of its nature and possible treatment strategies. Functional network connectivity (measured using ICA-dual regression), and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) were measured in 45 antidepressant-free patients (39.78 +/- 10.64, 30 f, 15 o) diagnosed with SAD and compared with age-, gender- and ethnicity-matched healthy controls (HCs) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. After correcting for Type 1 error at high model orders (inter-RSN correction), SAD patients showed significantly increased functional connectivity in 11 of the 47 identified RSNs. Increased functional connectivity involved RSNs such as visual, sensorimotor, and attentional networks. Moreover, our results revealed that SAD patients compared with HCs showed significant higher ALFF in the visual and right sensorimotor cortex. Abnormally altered functional activity detected in SAD supports previously reported attentional and psychomotor symptoms in patients suffering from SAD. Further studies, particularly under task conditions, are needed in order to specifically investigate cognitive deficits in SAD. Hum Brain Mapp 35:161-172, 2014. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Salt is sodium chloride.

Mammalian lungs have millions of tiny air sacs called alveoli . They provide a very large surface area for gas exchange.

Reaction mechanism among indoline-2,3-dione, pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid and (Z)-2-(1-(2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)ethylidene)hydroxy-carboxamide to form 1'-((((aminooxy) carbonyl)amino)methyl)-2'-(1-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)-2'-methyl-1',2',5',6',7',7a'-hexahydrospiro[indoline-3,3'-pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazole-2-one was investigated using density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP level of theory. The three-step reaction occurred via five stationary points, including two van der Waals complexes (1 and 2), two intermediates and one transition state. The entropy change across the various steps indicated an appreciable interaction or overlap within the reacting molecules. This was also evident in variations in the geometries of the optimized species as the reaction progressed from the intermediates through the transition state to the final product. The steps leading to the formation of van der Waals complexes (1 and 2) were thermodynamically feasible in contrast to the bimolecular transition step. From the equilibrium constant value, the transition step was found to be the rate-determining step. The study is able to provide information on the energetics of the individual step of the reaction and the overall process in addition to change in geometries as the initial reacting molecules transformed through the saddle points to the final product.

In electronics, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC, D/A, D2A, or D-to-A) is a system that converts a digital signal into an analog signal.

Another amazing feature on the Sun is solar prominences. Plasma flows along the loop that connects sunspots. This plasma forms a glowing arch. The arch is a solar prominence. Solar prominences can reach thousands of kilometers into the Sun’s atmosphere. Prominences can last for a day to several months. Prominences can be seen during a total solar eclipse.

Background: Several new rehabilitation modalities have been proposed after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Among these, trigger point dry needling (TrP-DN) might be useful in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome associated with ACL reconstruction to reduce pain intensity, increase knee flexion range and modify the mechanical properties of the quadriceps muscle during late-stage rehabilitation. To date, this is the first randomized clinical trial to support the use of TrP-DN in the early rehabilitation process after ACL reconstruction. The aim of this study was to determine the pain intensity, range of motion (ROM), stability, and functionality improvements by adding quadriceps vastus medialis TrP-DN to the rehabilitation protocol (Rh) provided to subacute ACL reconstructed patients. Methods: This randomized, single-blinded, clinical trial (NCT02699411) included 44 subacute patients with surgical reconstruction of complete ACL rupture. The patients were randomized into 2 intervention groups: Rh (n=22) or Rh+ TrP-DN (n=22). Pain intensity, ROM, stability, and functionality were measured at baseline (A(0)) and immediately (A(1)), 24 hours (A(2)), 1 week (A(3)), and 5 weeks (A(4)) after the first treatment. Results: Comparing statistically significant differences (P.05). Conclusion: Quadriceps vastus medialis TrP-DN in conjunction with a rehabilitation protocol in subacute patients with surgical reconstruction of complete ACL rupture increases ROM (short-term) and functionality (short-to mid-term). Although there was an increase in pain intensity with the addition of TrP-DN, this was not detected beyond immediately after the first treatment. Furthermore, stability does not seem to be modified after TrP-DN.

In mathematics, the relative interior of a set is a refinement of the concept of the interior, which is often more useful when dealing with low-dimensional sets placed in higher-dimensional spaces.

Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature.

This prospective single-center observational study compared impedance cardiography [electrical velocimetry (EV)] with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE, based on trans-aortic flow) and analyzed the influence of physiological shunts, such as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) or patent foramen ovale (PFO), on measurement accuracy. Two hundred and ninety-one triplicate simultaneous paired left ventricular stroke volume (LVSV) measurements by EV (LVSVEV) and TTE (LVSVTTE) in 99 spontaneously breathing neonates (mean weight 3270 g; range 1227-4600 g) were included. For the whole cohort, the mean absolute LVSVEV was 5.5 mL, mean LVSVTTE was 4.9 mL, resulting in an absolute Bland-Altman bias of -0.7 mL (limits of agreement LOA -3.0 to 1.7 mL), relative bias -12.8 %; mean percentage error MPE 44.9 %; true precision TPEV 33.4 % (n = 99 aggregated data points). In neonates without shunts (n = 32): mean LVSVEV 5.0 mL, mean LVSVTTE 4.6 mL, Bland-Altman bias -0.4 mL (LOA -2.8 to 2.0 mL), relative bias -8.2 %; MPE 50.7 %; TPEV 40.9 %. In neonates with shunts (PDA and/or PFO; n = 67): mean LVSVEV 5.8 mL, mean LVSVTTE 5.0 mL, bias -0.8 mL (LOA -3.1 to 1.5 mL), relative bias -14.8 %, MPE 41.9 %, TPEV 29.3 %. Accuracy was affected by PDA and/or PFO, with a significant increase in the relative difference in LVSVEV versus LVSVTTE: Subjects without shunts -2.9 % (n = 91), PFO alone -9.6 % (n = 125), PDA alone -14.0 % (n = 12), and PDA and PFO -18.5 % (n = 63). Physiological shunts (PDA and/or PFO) in neonates affect measurement accuracy and cause overestimation of LVSVEV compared with LVSVTTE.

Human Embryonic Lung fibroblasts (HEL cells) are widely used as a normal cell in studies of cell biology and can be easily maintained in the resting phase. Here we aimed to discover compounds that exhibit cytotoxicity against HEL cells in the dividing phase, but not in the resting phase. The cytotoxicity of each compound against HEL cells either in the resting phase or in the dividing phase was determined by MTT assay. Ratios of the IC50 of cells in the resting phase and that of cells in the dividing phase (RRD) for these compounds were compared. We selected 44 compounds that exhibited toxic effects on HEL cells in the dividing phase from a chemical library containing 325 anticancer drugs and enzyme inhibitors. The RRD values of those compounds were widely distributed. Paclitaxel and docetaxel, which are clinically used as anticancer drugs, had RRD values larger than 2000. On the other hand, the RRD value of dimethyl sulfoxide, an organic solvent, was 1. The cytotoxic effect of paclitaxel on HEL cells in the dividing phase was attenuated by aphidicolin, hydroxyurea, and nocodazole, confirming that the cytotoxic effects of paclitaxel are dependent on cells being in the dividing phase. Thapsigargin, whose RRD value was 800, the third highest RRD value in the library, exhibited therapeutic effects in a mouse model of FM3A ascites carcinoma. We suggest that compounds with high RRD values for HEL cells are candidate anticancer chemotherapy seeds.

A Bell test, also known as Bell inequality test or Bell experiment, is a real-world physics experiment designed to test the theory of quantum mechanics in relation to Albert Einstein 's concept of local realism.

Background: Impaired function of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is involved in the pathologic processes of erectile dysfunction (ED), and three functional polymorphisms (G894T, T-786C, and a tandem repeat of 27 bp in intron 4) in the NOS3 gene, which encodes eNOS, are associated with the clinical characteristics of ED in several populations. Aim: To investigate the effect of these variations of NOS3 on ED phenotypes and the response to sildenafil in a Han Chinese population. Methods: This case-control study enrolled 112 patients with ED and 156 age-matched healthy men. Their medical history and laboratory data were collected. ED severity and response to sildenafil were assessed using the five-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) score. Routine polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing were used to genotype the three polymorphisms of NOS3. Outcomes: The frequencies of alleles, genotypes, and haplotypes of the loci in patients and controls; the IIEF-5 scores of patients carrying the risk and non-risk genotype; and the frequencies of risk and non-risk genotypes in patients with different ages at onset and responses to sildenafil were assessed. Results: The frequencies of drinkers and diabetic and hyperlipidemic patients in the ED group were higher than those in the age-matched control group (P<.05). The distributions of alleles (G894T, P<.005; T-786C, P<.015), genotypes (G894T, P<0.015; T-786C, P<.010), and haplotypes (G894T/T-786C, P<.015) of the NOS3 polymorphisms were significantly different between patients with ED and controls. An increased risk for earlier onset of ED was observed in the G894T risk genotype carriers (odds ratio = 3.572; P<.020). Patients with the risk genotype of T-786C exhibited lower IIEF-5 scores than patients with the non-risk genotype (8.2 +/- 4.5 vs 12.2 +/- 5.0; P<.015). The influence of the T-786C or G894T genotype on the response to sildenafil was not observed. Clinical Translation: The detectable effect of NOS3 functional polymorphisms on ED suggests their application potential as a molecular biomarker in predicting ED susceptibility and severity in the Han Chinese population. Strengths & Limitations: This study provides strong evidence that NOS3 functional variation is an independent risk factor for ED in the Han Chinese population, which should be confirmed in larger cohorts considering the limited number of subjects in this study. Conclusion: These results are the first to identify a clear association between NOS3 functional variation and ED susceptibility, age at onset, and severity in the Han Chinese population.

Exponential Growth Charles Darwin, in his theory of natural selection, was greatly influenced by the English clergyman Thomas Malthus. Malthus published a book in 1798 stating that populations with unlimited natural resources grow very rapidly, and then population growth decreases as resources become depleted. This accelerating pattern of increasing population size is called exponential growth. The best example of exponential growth is seen in bacteria. Bacteria are prokaryotes that reproduce by prokaryotic fission. This division takes about an hour for many bacterial species. If 1000 bacteria are placed in a large flask with an unlimited supply of nutrients (so the nutrients will not become depleted), after an hour, there is one round of division and each organism divides, resulting in 2000 organisms—an increase of 1000. In another hour, each of the 2000 organisms will double, producing 4000, an increase of 2000 organisms. After the third hour, there should be 8000 bacteria in the flask, an increase of 4000 organisms. The important concept of exponential growth is that the population growth rate—the number of organisms added in each reproductive generation—is accelerating; that is, it is increasing at a greater and greater rate. After 1 day and 24 of these cycles, the population would have increased from 1000 to more than 16 billion. When the population size, N, is plotted over time, a J-shaped growth curve is produced (Figure 45.9). The bacteria example is not representative of the real world where resources are limited. Furthermore, some bacteria will die during the experiment and thus not reproduce, lowering the growth rate. Therefore, when calculating the growth rate of a population, the death rate (D) (number organisms that die during a particular time interval) is subtracted from the birth rate (B) (number organisms that are born during that interval). This is shown in the following formula:.

Volume is a measure of the amount of space that a substance or an object takes up. The basic SI unit for volume is the cubic meter (m 3 ), but smaller volumes may be measured in cm 3 , and liquids may be measured in liters (L) or milliliters (mL). How the volume of matter is measured depends on its state.

Water hydraulic variable ballast system (WHVBS) is a competitive mechanism to realize the hovering system which is one of the most popular ways to expand the maneuvering capability of AUVs. However, the WHVBSs equipped in AUVs almost were on-off type without controlling the flow rate of the in/out ballast water, which limits the hovering performance of the AUVs operated in complex underwater environment. In this paper, three novel types of WHVBS, which supports one or two low cost means to control the flow rate of ballast water, have been proposed to improve the performance of an AUV hovering system. A torpedo-like AUV equipped with WHVBS was used as a simulation platform to verify the effectiveness of the proposed WHVBSs. Numerical simulation results support the idea that compared with the commonly used on-off type WHVBS, the WHVBSs introduced flow rate control can significantly improve the hovering performance of the AUV, especially in the situations with unfavorable sea wave disturbances. Additionally, the statistics on water usage of different WHVBSs in numerical simulation indicated that the novel WHVBSs have the potential to extend the mission duration of AUV. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The mouth and nose are not lined with skin. Instead, they are lined with mucous membranes . Other organs that are exposed to the outside world, including the lungs and stomach, are also lined with mucous membranes. Mucous membranes are not tough like skin, but they have other defenses.

In terms of policy, the Ministry of Construction has prepared and issued a Guidelines for Green Ecological Residential Area Construction Elements and Technical, China Ecological Residential Technology Evaluation Manual, Environmental Impact Evaluation Law of the People's Republic of China and other documents; in practice, economically developed areas combined with their own characteristics have carried out green building applications, such as the construction of green ecological district Vanke Langrunyuan, etc. What is worth mentioning is the 2008 "Beijing Green Olympics" and the 2010 "Shanghai Eco Expo" made green building concept deeply rooted in people's hearts. Although green building has aroused widespread attention among all walks of life, after all green building is still in its initial stage, we need to standardize the evaluation criteria, do further research in order to make green building enter a substantive application stage. Therefore, this study uses multi-level gray evaluation method, qualitative and quantitative combining method to evaluate green building. On the basis of research on the evaluation methods for ecological residence in foreign countries, such as British BREEAM, U.S. LEED, multinational GBTOOL and Chinese ecological residence, we absorb the essence and abandon the defects for the establishment of a green building evaluation under ecological view. In this study, gray comprehensive evaluation indicator is used to evaluate the green performance of building, which can better identify and compare the effectiveness of green buildings, and allow easier promotion and application across the country.

Accuracy, Precision, Uncertainty, and Discrepancy The precision of a measuring system is related to the uncertainty in the measurements whereas the accuracy is related to the discrepancy from the accepted reference value. Uncertainty is a quantitative measure of how much your measured values deviate from one another. There are many different methods of calculating uncertainty, each of which is appropriate to different situations. Some examples include taking the range (that is, the biggest less the smallest) or finding the standard deviation of the measurements. Discrepancy (or “measurement error”) is the difference between the measured value and a given standard or expected value. If the measurements are not very precise, then the uncertainty of the values is high. If the measurements are not very accurate, then the discrepancy of the values is high.

Electrocorticography (ECoG) implants have recently demonstrated promising results towards potential use in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Spectral changes in ECoG signals can provide insight on functional mapping of sensorimotor cortex. We present a 6.4 mu W electrocorticography (ECoG)/electroencephalography (EEG) processing integrated circuit (EPIC) with 0.46 mu V-rms noise floor intended for emerging brain-computer interface (BCI) applications. This chip conditions the signal and simultaneously extracts energy in four fully programmable frequency bands. Functionality is demonstrated by tuning the four bands to important frequency bands used by ECoG/EEG applications: alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (18-26 Hz), low-gamma (30-50 Hz), and gamma (70-100 Hz). Measured results from in vivo ECoG recording from the primary motor cortex of an awake monkey are presented.

Water is and was the key to life and survival in Palestine.

Consumers include insects and animals.

A 6-year-old boy presented with a 3-month history of high-grade fever and night-sweats but without chills/rigors. On examination, he had moderate hepatosplenomegaly with multiple enlarged cervical and axillary lymph nodes. His hemogram revealed anemia and marked eosinophilia. Initial investigations were negative, except anti-HCV IgG antibodies, that were positive. Bone marrow aspirate showed a single histiocyte containing suspicious intracellular yeast-like forms. Cervical lymph node aspiration revealed a heavy load of intra-and extracellular Histoplasma spp. Disseminated histoplasmosis remains an unusual cause of peripheral eosinophilia and diagnosis can often be rendered fairly easily by cytomorphological evaluation. The case illustrates how Indian pathologists must maintain a high index of suspicion for unexpected infectious disorders in cases with eosinophilia.

Among potential environmental harmful factors, fungi deserve special consideration. Their intrinsic ability to actively germinate or infect host tissues might determine a prominent trigger in host defense mechanisms. With the appearance of fungi in evolutionary history, other organisms had to evolve strategies to recognize and cope with them. Existing controversies around dampness and mold hypersensitivity syndrome (DMHS) can be due to the great variability of clinical symptoms but also of possible eliciting factors associated with mold and dampness. An hypothesis is presented, where an evolutionary analysis of the different response patterns seen in DMHS is able to explain the existing variability of disease patterns. Classical interpretation of immune responses and symptoms are addressed within the field of pathophysiology. The presented evolutionary analysis seeks for the ultimate causes of the vast array of symptoms in DMHS. Symptoms can be interpreted as induced by direct (toxic) actions of spores, mycotoxins, or other fungal metabolites, or on the other side by the host-initiated response, which aims to counterbalance and fight off potentially deleterious effects or fungal infection. Further, individual susceptibility of immune reactions can confer an exaggerated response, and magnified symptoms are then explained in terms of immunopathology. IgE-mediated allergy fits well in this scenario, where individuals with an atopic predisposition suffer from an exaggerated response to mold exposure, but studies addressing why such responses have evolved and if they could be advantageous are scarce. Human history is plenty of plagues and diseases connected with mold exposure, which could explain vulnerability to mold allergy. Likewise, multiorgan symptoms in DMHS are analyzed for its possible adaptive role not only in the defense of an active infection, but also as evolved mechanisms for avoidance of potentially harmful environments in an evolutionary past or present setting.

A single market is a type of trade bloc in which most trade barriers have been removed (for goods) with some common policies on product regulation, and freedom of movement of the factors of production (capital and labour) and of enterprise and services.

The second equation is equivalent to the first. Voltage is not the same as energy. Voltage is the energy per unit charge. Thus a motorcycle battery and a car battery can both have the same voltage (more precisely, the same potential difference between battery terminals), yet one stores much more energy than the other since ΔPE = qΔV . The car battery can move more charge than the motorcycle battery, although both are 12 V batteries.

In statistics, a nuisance parameter is any parameter which is not of immediate interest but which must be accounted for in the analysis of those parameters which are of interest.

The geometry of the BF 3 molecule is called trigonal planar . The fluorine atoms are positioned at the vertices of an equilateral triangle. The F-B-F angle is 120°, and all four atoms lie in the same plane.

Computer programs, constructed to facilitate the development of the technological world, are created with different objectives for different target platforms. As a result, different languages may exhibit significantly different run times when performing specific tasks. In a world where computer programming is instrumental in STEM education, computer languages are often utilized to perform mathematical calculations in classrooms. In this experiment, I compared different run time speeds for Python, C, and Java on Cygwin, Linux, and MacAir to compare the languages' run times. The purpose of this research paper and poster is to demonstrate, test, analyze, and utilize knowledge of the varying speeds of languages to promote the educational use of computer languages. This data can be applied by utilizing certain languages when paired with different platforms to enhance and accelerate student learning in the classroom.

Tumblr (stylized as tumblr and pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic.

Social learning requires inferring social information about another person, as well as evaluating outcomes. Previous research shows that prior social information biases decision making and reduces reliance on striatal activity during learning (Delgado, Frank, & Phelps, Nature Neuroscience 8 (11): 1611-1618, 2005). A rich literature in social psychology on person perception demonstrates that people spontaneously infer social information when viewing another person (Fiske & Taylor, 2013) and engage a network of brain regions, including the medial prefrontal cortex, temporal parietal junction, superior temporal sulcus, and precuneus (Amodio & Frith, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 7(4), 268-277, 2006; Haxby, Gobbini, & Montgomery, 2004; van Overwalle Human Brain Mapping, 30, 829-858, 2009). We investigate the role of these brain regions during social learning about well-established dimensions of person perception-trait warmth and trait competence. We test the hypothesis that activity in person perception brain regions interacts with learning structures during social learning. Participants play an investment game where they must choose an agent to invest on their behalf. This choice is guided by cues signaling trait warmth or trait competence based on framing of monetary returns. Trait warmth information impairs learning about human but not computer agents, while trait competence information produces similar learning rates for human and computer agents. We see increased activation to warmth information about human agents in person perception brain regions. Interestingly, activity in person perception brain regions during the decision phase negatively predicts activity in the striatum during feedback for trait competence inferences about humans. These results suggest that social learning may engage additional processing within person perception brain regions that hampers learning in economic contexts.

Higher plasma cholesterol levels are associated with lower Parkinson's disease (PD) risk. Apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoA-1) is a surface marker of brain HDL-like particles associated with the time of PD onset. Clinical correlates of serum Apolipoprotein A1 levels with structural brain connectivity in PD-related disorders remains unclear. Here, we applied a novel diffusion-weighted imaging approach [Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Connectometry] to explore the association between ApoA-1 and structural brain connectivity in PD. Participants involved in this research were recruited from Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). Diffusion MRI connectometry was conducted using a multiple regression against apoA-1 for 36 patients with DTI measurements available in the baseline visit. Fiber results of the connectometry were then reconstructed for each patient, and diffusion parameters were extracted and regressed against apoA-1 levels. Connectometry results revealed the subgenual cingulum to be associated with ApoA-1, with different FDR yields. This result was further supported by significant negative correlation of Quantitative Anisotropic (QA) of left subgenual cingulum (Pearson's coefficient = -0.398, p = 0.020) and Generalized Fractional Anisotropic (GFA) of right subgenual cingulum (Pearson's coefficient -0.457, p = 0.007) with plasma apoA-1 levels, in a multiple regression model with age and sex. The subgenual cingulum encompasses fibers from the anterior cingulate cortex and anterior thalamus. These structures are involved in PD-associated psychosis and executive cognitive decline. We demonstrated for the first time that apoA-1, as a blood marker, can predict microstructural changes in white matter regions in PD patients with undisturbed cognition and mild motor disability.

A triangle mesh is a type of polygon mesh in computer graphics.

We determined whether the approved myelofibrosis drug ruxolitinib (Jakafi(R)), an inhibitor of Janus kinases 1/2 (JAK1 and JAK2), could be repurposed as an anti-cancer agent for solid tumors. Ruxolitinib synergistically interacted with dual ERBB1/2/4 inhibitors to kill breast as well as lung, ovarian and brain cancer cells. Knock down of JAK1/2 or of ERBB1/2/3/4 recapitulated on-target drug effects. The combination of (ruxolitinib + ERBB1/2/4 inhibitor) rapidly inactivated AKT, mTORC1, mTORC2, STAT3, and STAT5, and activated elF2 alpha. In parallel, the drug combination reduced expression of MCL-1, BCL-XL, HSP90, HSP70, and GRP78, and increased expression of Beclin1. Activated forms of STAT3, AKT, or mTOR prevented the drug-induced decline in BCL-XL, MCL-1, HSP90, and HSP70 levels. Over-expression of chaperones maintained AKT/mTOR activity in the presence of drugs and protected tumor cells from the drug combination. Expression of dominant negative elF2 alpha S51A prevented the increase in Beclin1 expression and protected tumor cells from the drug combination. Loss of mTOR activity was associated with increased ATG13 S318 phosphorylation and with autophagosome formation. Autophagosomes initially co-localized with mitochondria and subsequently with lysosomes. Knock down of Beclin1 suppressed: drug-induced mitophagy; the activation of the toxic BH3 domain proteins BAX and BAK; and tumor cell killing. Knock down of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) protected tumor cells from the drug combination, whereas blockade of caspase 9 signaling did not. The drug combination released AIF into the cytosol and increased nuclear AIF: eIF3A co-localization. A 4-day transient exposure of orthotopic tumors to (ruxolitinib + afatinib) profoundly reduced mammary tumor growth over the following 35 days. Re-grown tumors exhibited high levels of BAD S112 phosphorylation and activation of ERK1/2 and NF kappa B. Our data demonstrate that mitophagy is an essential component of (ruxolitinib + ERBB inhibitor) lethality and that this drug combination should be explored in a phase I trial in solid tumor patients.

Integer function may refer to : Integer-valued function, an integer function Floor function, sometimes referred as the integer function, INT Arithmetic function, a term for some functions of an integer variable

In quantum field theory wave function renormalization is a rescaling (or renormalization) of quantum fields to take into account the effects of interactions.

Figure 8.39 Molecular orbitals in solids are so closely spaced that they are described as bands. The valence band is lower in energy and the conduction band is higher in energy. The type of solid is determined by the size of the “band gap” between the valence and conduction bands. Only a very small amount of energy is required to move electrons from the valance band to the conduction band in a conductor, and so they conduct electricity well. In an insulator, the band gap is large, so that very few electrons move, and they are poor conductors of electricity. Semiconductors are in between: they conduct electricity better than insulators, but not as well as conductors. In order to conduct electricity, electrons must move from the filled valence band to the empty conduction band where they can move throughout the solid. The size of the band gap, or the energy difference between the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band, determines how easy it is to move electrons between the bands. Only a small amount of energy is required in a conductor because the band gap is very small. This small energy difference is “easy” to overcome, so they are good conductors of electricity. In an insulator, the band gap is so “large” that very few electrons move into the conduction band; as a result, insulators are poor conductors of electricity. Semiconductors conduct electricity when “moderate” amounts of energy are provided to move electrons out of the valence band and into the conduction band. Semiconductors, such as silicon, are found in many electronics. Semiconductors are used in devices such as computers, smartphones, and solar cells. Solar cells produce electricity when light provides the energy to move electrons out of the valence band. The electricity that is generated may then be used to power a light or tool, or it can be stored for later use by charging a battery. As of December 2014, up to 46% of the energy in sunlight could be converted into electricity using solar cells.

Invention technical field is the areas of: Photovoltaic solar panel for electricity production, desertation ground effect through the forthcoming extensive use o solar panels, Rainwater harvesting, Irrigation and ground fertilization. The main idea of the invention is to collect rainwater on the lower edge of a photovoltaic panel and store it in a tank. With this water we subsequently can: irrigate the land for agriculture use, collect local or away the water for any other use, refrigerate the photovoltaic back or front panel, clean the glass of the panel surface. Results are soil cultivation for plant or animal production, greenhouse effect improvement, photovoltaic panel lower temperature with 30% efficiency, photovoltaic front panel glass cleaning with better efficiency. All process are handled by PLC, a programmable Logic Computer. According to the desired use there are 7 system configurations: lake reservoir fill, animal farm irrigation, back cooling, front glass cooling, dual cooling, front glass cleaning, Full feature system.

Hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) is a biologically constrained machine intelligence technology developed by Numenta.

Common fossils include plant fossils like ferns.

Alarm management is a fast-growing and important aspect in the petroleum operation domain. Alarm devices have become very cheap leading petroleum equipment manufacturers to overuse them transferring safety responsibility to operators. Not rarely, accident reports cite poor operators understanding of the actual plant status due to too many active alarms. Typical alarms for a process plant could average over fourteen thousand per day so, there is mandatory to have a filtering process to distinguish expected from non-expected behavior during emergency scenarios. Ambient Intelligence contributes by enriching the petroleum plant environment with technology (mainly sensors and devices interconnected through a network) and built a system to help plant operators to make decisions based on real-time information gathered and historical data accumulated. Ambient Intelligence puts together all these resources to provide flexible and intelligent services to users acting in their environment. Inspired by the distributed and encapsulated aspect of the process plant artifact physical model, we proposed a multi-agent-based alarm management system to synthesize the process plant situation during emergency situations and assisting operators to make sense of alarm avalanche scenarios.

The moving process of a leveling and erecting mechanism is complicated, which involves six hydraulic cylinders. The research established mathematical model and optimized the moving process of the leveling and erecting mechanism. Kinematic analysis of the mechanism was accomplished. Mathematical model of the hydraulic system was established. Working scheme was designed consisting of workflow, trajectory planning, leveling strategy and control method. The mechanical, hydraulic and control models were respectively established in Pro/E, ADAMS, AMESim and Simulink software. Co-simulation was carried out to validate the designed scheme. Experiment was completed on a platform. The results of simulation and experiment indicate that the designed scheme is feasible. Fuzzy adaptive PID controller has an excellent effect in controlling the leveling and erecting mechanism.

Estimation of an optimal controller is a fundamental problem in control engineering and is widely known as Optimization. Numerous computation and numerical techniques have been evolved during the past years for the estimation of the optimal solution. Optimal control of a discrete-time system is concerned with optimizing a given objective function using "Homogenous Polynomial Lyapunov Function (HPLF)". This research focuses upon the design of optimal Guaranteed Cost Controller (GCC) for discrete-time uncertain system using HPLF. The uncertainties are assumed to be norm-bounded uncertainties. The effect of actuator saturation is also incorporated in the system. Sufficient conditions for the existence of HPLF are derived in terms of Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMI). The LMI approach has the advantage that it can be solved efficiently using Convex Optimization. LMI's combined with HPLF helps to design the guaranteed cost controller which minimizes the cost by minimizing cost function. Furthermore, the state trajectories and the invariant set are also shown for the observation of the overall performance. (C) 2016 Sharif University of Technology. All rights reserved.

Vacuum impregnation was used to improve the quality attributes of fresh-cut papayas. Vacuum pressure of 5 kPa was applied for 5 min, then calcium lactate (1%, w/w) and pectin methylesterase (PME) (15 U/ml), alone and in combinations (calcium lactate plus PME), were vacuum impregnated into fresh-cut papaya cubes. Papaya cubes were stored at 4 A degrees C, and the quality of fresh-cut papaya was studied at intervals for 8 days. The hardness and chewiness levels of fresh-cut papayas that were treated with calcium lactate and PME were 8.02 and 7.83 times of untreated fresh-cut papayas at day 8, respectively. After vacuum impregnation, colour of fresh-cut papayas changed significantly (P < 0.05) and an overall weight loss was observed as well. Chelate-soluble pectin (CSP) was extracted and its content correlated well with texture properties of fresh-cut papayas. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of CSP were conducted using atomic force microscopy. The proportion of chain widths greater than 45 nm had increased 35.0% in fresh-cut papayas vacuum impregnated with calcium lactate and PME at the end of storage. The results indicate that a combination of calcium ions and PME was able to maximally preserve the quality attributes of fresh-cut papayas and extend the shelf life.

This article first critically reviews the major philosophical positions in the literature on conscientious objection and finds that they possess significant flaws. A substantial number of these problems stem from the fact that these views fail to assess the reasons offered by medical professionals in support of their objections. This observation is used to motivate the reasonability view, one part of which states: A practitioner who lodges a conscientious refusal must publicly state his or her objection as well as the reasoned basis for the objection and have these subjected to critical evaluation before a conscientious exemption can be granted (the reason-giving requirement). It is then argued that when defenders of the other philosophical views attempt to avoid granting an accommodation to spurious objections based on discrimination, empirically mistaken beliefs, or other unjustified biases, they are implicitly committed to the reason-giving requirement. This article concludes that based on these considerations, a reason-giving position such as the reasonability view possesses a decisive advantage in this debate.

Introduction: Hereditary angioedema with C1 inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) is a rare disease, characterized by recurrent, unpredictable episodes of cutaneous and/or mucosal edema. Bradykinin, released by the activation of the contact system, binds to bradykinin B2 receptors on the endothelial cell surface to enhance vascular permeaility, which leads to angioedema.Areas covered: C1-INH-HAE therapy is aimed at the inhibition of bradykinin release, as well as at the blockage of its effects mediated by its receptor. Three controlled trials, three open-label extensions, and two open-label studies, and a prospective, observational study have confirmed the safety and efficacy of the bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist, icatibant administered as acute treatment for HAE attacks in adult patients with C1-INH-HAE.Expert commentary: The ready-to-use, pre-filled syringes of icatibant can be self-administered easily, effectively, safely and, importantly, conviently. - This has resulted in patients being able to quickly treat an attack and realize a dramatic change for the better in their lives.

To study the calmodulin (CaM) signal transduction pathway of Gracilaria lemaneiformis under heat stress, peptidase (denoted as metalloprotease of G. lemaneiformis (GlMP)), a calmodulin-binding protein of G. lemaneiformis was screened using the yeast two-hybrid system. The full complementary DNA (cDNA) and genomic DNA encoding GlMP was obtained by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and genome walking techniques, respectively. The DNA sequence of GlMP consisted of 1,130 nucleotides, containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 462 nucleotides, with an intron of 71 nucleotides. The ORF of the isolated GlMP was predicted to encode 153 amino acids, including the zinc metalloprotease HEXXH consensus motif characteristic of GlMP. Southern blotting indicated that there were two copies of GlMP in G. lemaneiformis. The yeast two-hybrid results showed that the expressed GlMP could interact with CaM, proving that GlMP was a type of calmodulin-binding protein. Next, the transcription of cam and GlMP of G. lemaneiformis was analyzed by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) under heat shock of 28 and 32 A degrees C. The expression level displayed a cyclical upward trend. These results indicate that GlMP and CaM may play important roles in high-temperature tolerance of G. lemaneiformis.

We investigate which control technique is the most suitable for the dynamic positioning of an overactuated platform. To this end, we develop a backstepping and a model predictive controller (MPC). The presence of redundant control inputs makes the stabilization of the position and the orientation of the platform challenging. Settling delays in the actuator thrust and angle, thrust saturation bounds, and jet rotational velocity bounds contribute to the challenge of the problem. To reduce energy consumption, we propose a technique for restricting the parasitic thrust effect. The significant energy reduction due to parasitic thrust restriction is illustrated in tables. The performance of the controllers is demonstrated by simulations, under realistic environmental disturbances, and is compared with that of a model-based PID controller previously developed, while the platform accomplishes two typical tasks. The evaluation criteria include energy consumption, robustness, and accuracy of the dynamic positioning. Results show the superiority of the MPC.

This was an intervention study to compare the effects of health education alone and health education plus advance provision of emergency contraception (EC) pills on the knowledge and attitudes to EC by female students of University of Nigeria in South-East Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A structured questionnaire was used to collect data in February, 2009 from 290 female students of a tertiary educational institution (140 in the study group and 150 from the control group) who were selected by multistage sampling. Subsequently, health education was conducted among all the students. In addition, a pack containing 2 tablets of EC pills (Postinor) was given only to the students in the study group. Three months after this intervention, its effects were assessed through a survey using the same structured questionnaire employed in the baseline survey. Results: knowledge of EC was significantly higher among the study group than the controls at post-intervention, P < 0.05. Attitudes to EC were also more favorable at post-intervention survey among the study group, P < 0.05 in most of the variables. Conclusion/Recommendation: Health education plus advance provision of EC pills effectively improved knowledge and attitudes to EC among female students of tertiary institutions more than health education alone and this should be promoted.

In mathematical systems theory, a multidimensional system or m-D system is a system in which not only one independent variable exists (like time), but there are several independent variables.

In theoretical computer science, a nondeterministic Turing machine (NTM) is a theoretical model of computation which governing rules specify more than one possible action when in some given situations.

The nonlinear sliding-mode (SLM) controller based on the maximum jerk and time-optimal step response has been developed for the control of servo-solenoid valves, which exhibits its performance advantages when compared to traditional PID controller. However, the experiments shows the responses of the SLM control under only jerk constraint will largely vary with different damping and loads, leading to the large overshoot and breakdown under some working conditions (e.g., large viscous damping coefficient). Thus, an improved SLM controller is developed in this paper to deal with the existing drawbacks, where a novel nonlinear SLM surface is proposed by taking into account both spool's acceleration and jerk limitation. Firstly, the nominal model of servo-solenoid valve is built by linearizing the dynamics on the null position, and the system identification is carried out to achieve the model parameters and their variation ranges. Subsequently, the valve constraints under the power limitation are analyzed through the frequency response of the identified model, which comes out the maximum available velocity, acceleration and jerk. Finally, the improved SLM control algorithm is proposed, where the novel SLM surface considers the maximum plus jerk, the maximum minus jerk and the maximum acceleration. Experimental studies are conducted and the results show that the improved SLM controller under both acceleration and jerk constraints can achieve the continuous and stable sliding mode state, realize the time-optimal step response of the valve, and exhibit strong disturbance rejection abilities. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Markov perfect equilibrium is an equilibrium concept in game theory.

In linguistics, grammatical gender is a specific form of noun class system in which the division of noun classes forms an agreement system with another aspect of the language, such as adjectives, articles, pronouns, or verbs.

This paper presents a theoretical framework intended to accommodate circuit devices described by characteristics involving more than two fundamental variables. This framework is motivated by the recent appearance of a variety of so-called mem-devices in circuit theory, and makes it possible to model the coexistence of memory effects of different nature in a single device. With a compact formalism, this setting accounts for classical devices and also for circuit elements which do not admit a two-variable description. Fully nonlinear characteristics are allowed for all devices, driving the analysis beyond the framework of Chua and Di Ventra et al. We classify these fully nonlinear circuit elements in terms of the variables involved in their constitutive relations and the notions of the differential- and the state-order of a device. We extend the notion of a topologically degenerate configuration to this broader context, and characterize the differential-algebraic index of nodal models of such circuits. Additionally, we explore certain dynamical features ofmem-circuits involving manifolds of non-isolated equilibria. Related bifurcation phenomena are explored for a family of nonlinear oscillators based on mem-devices.

The aim of this paper is to summarise the knowledge about the anatomy, embryology and anthropology of the mandible and the mandibular foramen and also to highlight the most important clinical implications of the current studies regarding anaesthesia performed in the region of the mandible. An electronic journal search was undertaken to identify all the relevant studies published in English. The search included MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and years from 1950 to 2012. The subject search used a combination of controlled vocabulary and free text based on the search strategy for MEDLINE using key words: 'mandible', 'mandibular', 'foramen', 'anatomy', 'embryology', 'anthropology', and 'mental'. The reference lists of all the relevant studies and existing reviews were screened for additional relevant publications. Basing on relevant manuscripts, this short review about the anatomy, embryology and anthropology of the mandible and the mandibular foramen was written.

In mathematics, the polygamma function of order m is a meromorphic function on the complex numbers C { \displaystyle \mathbb { C } } defined as the (m + 1) th derivative of the logarithm of the gamma function : ψ (m) (z) : = d m d z m ψ (z) = d m + 1 d z m + 1 ln ⁡ Γ (z).

Users of heterogeneous computing systems face two problems: first, in understanding the trade-off relationships between the observable characteristics of their applications, such as latency and quality of the result, and second, how to exploit knowledge of these characteristics to allocate work to distributed computing platforms efficiently. A domain specific approach addresses both of these problems. By considering a subset of operations or functions, models of the observable characteristics or domain metrics may be formulated in advance, and populated at run-time for task instances. These metric models can then be used to express the allocation of work as a constrained integer program. These claims are illustrated using the domain of derivatives pricing in computational finance, with the domain metrics of workload latency and pricing accuracy. For a large, varied workload of 128 Black-Scholes and Heston model-based option pricing tasks, running upon a diverse array of 16 Multicore CPUs, GPUs and FPGAs platforms, predictions made by models of both the makespan and accuracy are generally within 10 percent of the run-time performance. When these models are used as inputs to machine learning and MILP-based workload allocation approaches, a latency improvement of up to 24 and 270 times over the heuristic approach is seen.

Objective Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of musculoskeletal pain and disability worldwide. The investigation of disease-modifying treatment options for OA has become an important aspect of orthopedic care. To assess the effect of intra-articular and oral glucosamine sulfate (GS) versus placebo on osteoarthritis in a canine model. Materials In this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study, OA was induced by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) according to the Pond-Nuki model in 32 canines. All canines were allocated into 4 treatment subgroups with treatment administered for 8 weeks: GS (400 mg) intra-articular, placebo intra-articular, GS (200 mg/kg body weight) oral, and placebo oral. The contralateral nonoperated stifle (knee) served as control. After 8 weeks, the medial and lateral femoral condyles, the medial and lateral tibial plateau and patella were histologically examined and anatomic changes quantified by light microscopy using the modified Mankin score. Results After 8 weeks, mean Mankin score values significantly (P < 0.002) decreased in the intra-articular GS group (8.1; range 7.9-8.8) compared with the intra-articular placebo group (13.9; range 11.6-15.9) and again significantly (P < 0.002) in the oral GS group (12.1; range 9.9-12.7) compared with the oral placebo group (15.1; range 12.5-17.0). Mean Mankin score values were significantly (P < 0.002) lower in the intra-articular GS group compared with the oral GS group. Conclusion Both, intra-articular and oral administered GS significantly reduced histological signs of OA in the Pond-Nuki model, with the intra-articular application being more effective compared to oral administration.

Tooth decay can be very painful, and can make teeth unsightly.

Technology is sometimes referred to as applied science, but it has a different goal than science. The goal of science is to increase knowledge. The goal of technology is to use knowledge for practical purposes.

Scott Schram. The somatic nervous system controls the movements of hands and arms . CC BY 2.0.

A satellite galaxy is a smaller companion galaxy that travels on bound orbits within the gravitational potential of a more massive and luminous host galaxy (also known as the primary galaxy).

Based on the significant differences in the resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum between two Brassica napus cultivars, ZhongR888 and Zhongyou821, near isogenic lines (NILs) were established. The resistance differences between Zhongyou821 and BC5 progeny (the fifth generation from a cross between Zhongyou821 and ZhongR888 with Zhongyou821 as successive backcross parent) was displayed by cDNA-AFLP and differential transcripts-derived fragments (TDFs). The full-length cDNA of 1,707 bp with 1,323 bp open reading frame (ORF, open box), named Rsk was identified by RT-RACE from the resistance related fragment 40-2 in Zhongyou821. It encoded a protein of 440 amino acid residues, which contained a putative extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular domain. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of Rsk revealed that it had high homology to Arabidopsis thaliana kinase involved in protein binding, and had a conserved region of LRR-RI, indicating it might be a member of leucine-rich repeats, ribonuclease inhibitor-like subfamily. DNA sequences of 1,685 bp and 1,703 bp without an intron were also identified from Zhongyou821 and BC5, respectively. Expression analysis showed that Rsk might play a role in disease resistance pathways.

Purpose This paper reviews and adapts the methodology Guide on the methodology for carrying out cost-benefit analysis prepared by the European Commission (EC). It is specifically tailored to the assessment of an innovative rail freight service, and its application in the context of a number of potential service areas (principally pan European) in Europe. The SPECTRUM service is an innovative rail freight concept for the transport of low density high value (LDHV) goods. Methods The methodology is primarily based on the Guide to cost-benefit analysis of investment projects of the European Commission. The cost definition takes input from a Life Cycle Cost analysis and applies a series of conversion factors. The benefits have been estimated considering the user's surplus, i.e. the difference between Generalised Logistic Costs (GLC) borne by transport/logistics operators (and more in general freight transport service users) when using the SPECTRUM service and GLC connected to preshift mode, i.e. road or traditional rail; and the difference in external costs generated by freight transport activities connected to externalities such as air pollution and climate change, noise, accidents, and other externalities (up-and down-stream processes, nature and landscape, biodiversity losses, soil and water pollution, congestion). Results The adapted methodology has proven capable of representing the multiple effects resulting from the theoretical introduction of an innovative rail service in the freight transport sector - accounting for the differential impacts compared to the baseline scenario solutions. The logical articulation of the analysis is flexible; two specific estimation schemes (the estimation of ad hoc unit parameters for the external costs and ad hoc approach for using GLC as proxies of users' surplus in a scenario where the introduction of the innovative service modifies the modal split of freight transport between different solutions) can be applied to other territorial contexts. It may also be used to evaluate other types of freight transport services, provided that some unit data can be retrieved, which pertain to site-specific cost of infrastructures, average speeds and rates of different transport solutions, costs of personnel and other operating costs.

Dural venous sinus thrombosis (DVST) is a rare cause of stroke, which typically affects young women. The importance of identifying pre-disposing factors that lead to venous stasis lies in the foundation of understanding the etiology, pathophysiology and clinical presentation. The precise therapeutic role of interventional therapies is not fully understood though the current data do suggest potential applications. The aim of the study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the utility of and short-term 30-day survival after endovascular therapy for patients with DVST. Standard PRISMA guidelines were followed. Data sources included PubMed keywords and phrases, which were also incorporated into a MeSH search to yield articles indexed in Medline over a 5-year period. All RCTs, observational cohort studies, and administrative registries comparing or reporting DVST were included. Sixty-six studies met inclusion criteria. 35 articles investigating treatment in a summation of 10,285 patients were eligible for data extraction and included in the review of treatment modalities. A total of 312 patients were included for statistical analysis. All patients included received endovascular intervention with direct thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy or both. 133 (42.6%) patients were documented to have a neurologic decline, which prompted endovascular intervention. All patients who had endovascular interventions were those who were started on and failed systemic anticoagulation. 44 patients were reported to have intracranial hemorrhages after intervention. Regardless of systemic anticoagulation, patients were still reported to have complications of VTE and PE. Primary outcome at 3-6 month follow up revealed mRS< 1 in 224 patients. DVST presents with many diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The utility of invasive interventions such as local thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy is not fully understood. It is exceedingly difficult to conduct large randomized trials for this low incidence disease process with large pathophysiological heterogeneity.

water is often brackish in an estuary

Legumes are typical of that type of plant.

In telecommunications, packet switching is a method of grouping data that is transmitted over a digital network into packets.

In biology, abiogenesis or the origin of life is the natural process by which life has arisen from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds.

This study examined patterns of cerebellar volumetric gray matter (GM) loss across the adult lifespan in a large cross-sectional sample. Four hundred and seventy-nine healthy participants (age range: 7-86 years) were drawn from the Brain Resource International Database who provided T1-weighted MRI scans. The spatially unbiased infratentorial template (SUIT) toolbox in SPM8 was used for normalisation of the cerebellum structures. Global volumetric and voxel-based morphometry analyses were performed to evaluate age-associated trends and gender-specific age-patterns. Global cerebellar GM shows a cross-sectional reduction with advancing age of 2.5 % per decade-approximately half the rate seen in the whole brain. The male cerebellum is larger with a lower percentage of GM, however, after controlling for total brain volume, no gender difference was detected. Analysis of age-related changes in GM volume revealed large bilateral clusters involving the vermis and cerebellar crus where regional loss occurred at nearly twice the average cerebellar rate. No gender-specific patterns were detected. These data confirm that regionally specific GM loss occurs in the cerebellum with age, and form a solid base for further investigation to find functional correlates for this global and focal loss.

Background: Yarrowia lipolytica is an ascomycete yeast used in biotechnological research for its abilities to secrete high concentrations of proteins and accumulate lipids. Genetic tools have been made in a variety of backgrounds with varying similarity to a comprehensively sequenced strain. Results: We have developed a set of genetic and molecular tools in order to expand capabilities of Y. lipolytica for both biological research and industrial bioengineering applications. In this work, we generated a set of isogenic auxotrophic strains with decreased non-homologous end joining for targeted DNA incorporation. Genome sequencing, assembly, and annotation of this genetic background uncovers previously unidentified genes in Y. lipolytica. To complement these strains, we constructed plasmids with Y. lipolytica-optimized superfolder GFP for targeted overexpression and fluorescent tagging. We used these tools to build the "Yarrowia lipolytica Cell Atlas," a collection of strains with endogenous fluorescently tagged organelles in the same genetic background, in order to define organelle morphology in live cells. Conclusions: These molecular and isogenetic tools are useful for live assessment of organelle-specific protein expression, and for localization of lipid biosynthetic enzymes or other proteins in Y. lipolytica. This work provides the Yarrowia community with tools for cell biology and metabolism research in Y. lipolytica for further development of biofuels and natural products.

Background and Aim: The tumor-suppressing role of Ras-association domain family 1A (RASSF1A) has been described in several systems. In this study, we tested its tumor-suppressing ability and the potential molecular mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from Qidong County. Methods: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Northern blotting were employed to detect the expression of RASSF1A in HCC. After establishing stable RASSF1A (wild type or mutant) expressing 'qi dong gan ai yan jiu suo' ([Qidong Institute of Liver Cancer] QGY)-7703 cell lines, we tested the effects of RASSF1A expression on cell growth by cell proliferation rate, cell colony formation, and cell cycle progression. We also tested the effects of RASSF1A expression on tumorigenesis in nude mice and on cellular sensitivity to mitomycin treatment. Results: The RASSF1A transcript was not found in 75% (three of four) of HCC cell lines and 67% (32/48) of HCC primary biopsies. The stepwise regression analyses indicated that the loss of RASSF1A expression was more frequent in patients who were hepatitis B virus surface antigen positive (HBsAg+) compared to those who were HBsAg(-), both in tumor and corresponding non-cancerous tissues. The wild-type (wt)-RASSF1A expression in the QGY-7703 cell line resulted in fewer and smaller clones, decreased xenograft tumor volume and weight, and G(1)/S arrest in vitro and in vivo. The wt-RASSF1A expression also decreased the cyclin D1 protein expression, which appeared to be at the level of post-transcriptional control. In addition, the wt-RASSF1A expression increased cell growth inhibition and the percentage of cells with sub-G(1) DNA content when the cells were treated with mitomycin. Conclusion: RASSF1A is a tumor suppressor in HCC. The loss of RASSF1A expression may be related to HBsAg+ in hepatocarcinogenesis. Its inactivation may play an important role in the development of HCC.

Saturated hydrocarbons contain only single bonds between carbon atoms. They are also called alkanes. They may form straight-chain, branched-chain, or cyclic molecules. Compounds with the same number of atoms but different shapes are called isomers.

In this article, we investigate the lump solutions for the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation in (3 + 1) dimensions that describe the dynamics of plasmas or fluids. Via the symbolic computation, lump solutions for the (3 + 1)-dimensional Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation are derived based on the bilinear forms. The conditions to guarantee analyticity and rational localisation of the lump solutions are presented. The lump solutions contain eight parameters, two of which are totally free, and the other six of which need to satisfy the presented conditions. Plots with particular choices of the involved parameters are made to show the lump solutions and their energy distributions.

In the mathematical theory of knots, a satellite knot is a knot that contains an incompressible, non boundary-parallel torus in its complement.

When examining a system computationally one may be interested in knowing how the free energy changes as a function of some inter- or intramolecular coordinate (such as the distance between two atoms or a torsional angle).

In this paper, one displacement monitoring technique using a smartphone based on the laser projection sensing method is proposed and developed. By means of a common laser device and a projection plate, structural displacement can be monitored using a smartphone. First, a laser spot centroid recognition method was utilized for displacement recognition. Next, one displacement monitoring APP (D-Viewer) based on the android platform was developed. To verify the feasibility of the proposed method, static and dynamic comparison experiments using two android smartphones were conducted. Finally, the mid span displacement of one suspension bridge model was tested using the proposed technique. The results show that this technique is a convenient, fast, low-cost structural displacement monitoring method with reasonable precision. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.