cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alteration of Cutaneous Staphylococcal Flora as a Consequence of Antimicrobial Prophylaxis

Antimicrobial agents given as prophylaxis have profound effects on the microbial flora of the skin. Coagulase-negative staphylococci cultured from the skin of patients after cardiac surgery have been found to be more resistant to antimicrobial drugs than organisms cultured from the same skin sites preoperatively. Evidence exists both for the selection of resistant organisms from the preoperative flora and for the postoperative acquisition of such organisms from the nosocomial environment. Staphylococci causing postoperative infections have the same antimicrobial resistance phenotypes as do colonizing isolates; this observation suggests that colonized patients and hospital staff make up a nosocomial reservoir for resistant organisms.
Normocortisolemic Cushing's syndrome initially presenting with increased glucocorticoid receptor numbers

A girl who developed Cushingoid features in peripuberty, but was eucortisolemic, was previously reported to have markedly elevated lymphocyte glucocorticoid receptor sites per cell with normal binding affinity as a potential cause of her phenotype. Her circadian rhythm of cortisol and pituitary-adrenal axis were initially intact, but later proved to be dysregulated. The patient presented at age 10.8 yr with centripetal obesity, moon facies, buffalo hump, and purple striae, but no statural stunting, which is a cardinal sign of Cushing's syndrome. At 11.5 yr she suffered a compression fracture of the L1 vertebra. That prompted treatment with the antiprogestin drug mifepristone (RU486), which was administered at high dose to achieve an antiglucocorticoid effect. From ages 13.75 yr through 15.5 yr, RU486 was administered in various intervals to suppress her Cushingoid features. Once RU486 was introduced, however, a consistent correlation over time between the Cushingoid features and glucocorticoid receptor sites per cell was no longer observed. However, the number of glucocorticoid receptor sites per cell tended to decrease in response to administering RU486. Ultimately, her Cushingoid phenotype proved to be transient.
Structure of an Rrp6–RNA exosome complex bound to poly(A) RNA

The eukaryotic RNA exosome processes and degrades RNA by directing substrates to the distributive or processive 3′ to 5′ exoribonuclease activities of Rrp6 or Rrp44, respectively. The non-catalytic nine-subunit exosome core (Exo9) features a prominent central channel. Although RNA can pass through the channel to engage Rrp44, it is not clear how RNA is directed to Rrp6 or whether Rrp6 uses the central channel. Here we report a 3.3 A crystal structure of a ten-subunit RNA exosome complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae composed of the Exo9 core and Rrp6 bound to single-stranded poly(A) RNA. The Rrp6 catalytic domain rests on top of the Exo9 S1/KH ring above the central channel, the RNA 3′ end is anchored in the Rrp6 active site, and the remaining RNA traverses the S1/KH ring in an opposite orientation to that observed in a structure of a Rrp44-containing exosome complex. Solution studies with human and yeast RNA exosome complexes suggest that the RNA path to Rrp6 is conserved and dependent on the integrity of the S1/KH ring. Although path selection to Rrp6 or Rrp44 is stochastic in vitro, the fate of a particular RNA may be determined in vivo by the manner in which cofactors present RNA to the RNA exosome. The exosome complex contains two catalytic subunits which degrade RNA in either a distributive (Rrp6) or a processive (Rrp44) manner—previous structures indicated how RNA could be directed to Rrp44, but the path taken to Rrp6 was unclear; here the location of the Rrp6 catalytic domain and the RNA 3′ end are determined and it is found that the RNA lies in an opposite orientation from that of the Rrp44-containing exosome structure, suggesting that the fate of an RNA may be influenced by the manner in which cofactors present it. The exosome complex contains two catalytic subunits that degrade RNA in either a distributive (Rrp6) or a processive (Rrp44) manner. Previous structures indicated how RNA could be directed to Rrp44, but the path taken to Rrp6 was unclear. Christopher Lima and colleagues have now solved the crystal structure of a yeast ten-subunit exosome complex (lacking Rrp44) bound to single-stranded RNA. The location of the Rrp6 catalytic domain and the RNA 3' end are determined, but more importantly, it is found that the RNA lies in an orientation opposite that from the Rrp44-containing exosome structure. This result suggests that the fate of an RNA may be a stochastic decision based on how the RNA binds to the complex.
Bacterially expressed recombinant p68 RNA helicase is phosphorylated on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues

We previously reported the expression and purification of recombinant p68 RNA helicase in a bacterial expression system. The recombinant p68 is an RNA-dependent ATPase and ATP-dependent RNA helicase. In the process of characterizing the ATPase and RNA unwinding activities of the recombinant p68, we observed that the bacterially expressed p68 RNA helicase is phosphorylated on tyrosine, serine, and threonine residues. Our data demonstrated that phosphorylations on the recombinant p68 RNA helicase affect the enzymatic activities of the protein. This is the first observation that recombinant protein expressed in bacteria Escherichia coli is phosphorylated at multiple residues by bacterial endogenous protein kinases. Our observations suggest an important mechanism in controlling the function of p68 RNA helicase by signal transduction pathways.
Evaluation of Five Extraction Protocols for Quantification of Endotoxin in Metalworking Fluid Aerosol

OBJECTIVES Occupational exposures to endotoxin-contaminated, water-based metalworking fluids (MWFs) are thought to contribute to cases of respiratory illness. Before occupational exposure limits for endotoxin can be proposed, accuracy and reproducibility of laboratory measurements must be established. The method most commonly used to quantify endotoxin is the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay and this is the basis for the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) method E2144-01. This study was conducted to generate multiple samples with similar mass and endotoxin loading in order to compare four alternative extraction methods with the ASTM method. METHODS Using an exposure chamber system that provides a uniform distribution of MWF mist, aerosols with three concentrations of endotoxins (4.5, 350 and 1141 EU/m(3)) were collected simultaneously on multiple filter samples. The filters were examined for endotoxin concentration using five different extraction protocols: extraction with 1 h shaking at 25 degrees C in 30 ml pyrogen-free water (PFW) (protocol 1) or in PFW with 0.05% Tween-20 (protocol 2); or shaking at 68 degrees C in 30 ml PFW (protocol 3) or PFW with Tween-20 (protocol 4); or extraction into 20 ml PFW with sonication at 25 degrees C and pH adjustment to 7.5 (ASTM protocol). RESULTS The uniformity of the aerosol mass yielded coefficients of variation of 12.7, 7.7 and 1.4% for the low, medium and high exposure groups, respectively. The variance in the endotoxin extraction protocols was highest for the ASTM method for the low, medium and high concentration trials. Low, medium and high endotoxin groups were statistically different (P < 0.001), but there were no statistical differences between extraction protocols within these exposure levels. CONCLUSIONS ASTM method E2144-01 yielded comparable estimations of MWF endotoxin aerosol concentrations but with higher variability than the four other extraction methods. This study shows that extraction into PFW at 25 degrees C with or without Tween-20 was an improvement over the ASTM method in that the estimation was more precise and the method is simpler.
A wideband PWM-FSK receiver for wireless implantable neural recording applications

We have custom designed a wideband receiver for wireless implantable neural recording (WINeR) systems that use pulse width modulation and frequency-shift-keying (PWM-FSK) to wirelessly transmit neural signals across a short distance (lm). The receiver consists of a 50 MHz ~ 1 GHz down-converter, FSK & PWM demodulators, and a USB interface. The receiver also digitizes the incoming samples using a 16-bit high speed emitter- coupled logic (ECL) counter running at 800 MHz, and sends a continuous stream of data frames to a PC in real-time. Finally a custom developed Visual C++ software on the PC acquires the samples, time-division demultiplexes them, and shows them in real-time. The receiver is bench-top tested wirelessly with a 4- channel WINeR transmitter. Measurements show that the entire system input referred noise with this receiver is ~11.4 muVrms, which is equivalent to 8 bits of resolution at 500 ksample/s.
Ethical Considerations for Analgesic Use in Sports Medicine

This article provides an overview of commonly used analgesics in athletes and the ethical implications of their use in athletic settings. Given the highly competitive nature of modern-day sports and the economic impact of athletic performance at elite levels, athletes feel more compelled than ever to play with injury, which has led to the widespread use of a variety of analgesic agents. An ethical dilemma often ensues for team physicians who must balance the medical implications of these drugs with pressure from players, coaches, and management. The most commonly used agents and their ethical and rational use are discussed.
Effect of parathyroid hormone on the incorporation of 3H-glucosamine into hyaluronic acid in bone organ culture.

Addition of parathyroid hormone (PTH) to bone organ cultures markedly increased the incorporation of 3H—glucosamine into nondialyzable polysaccharides. DEAE—cellulose chromatography resolved the labeled material into four peaks. A 4–fold increase in radioactivity was demonstrated in one of these peaks. The material in this peak was tentatively identified as hyaluronic acid. The other peaks contained glycoproteins and sulfated acid mucopolysaccharides, in addition to other yet unidentified materials. Collagen synthesis as measured by 14C—proline incorporation into 14Chydroxyproline was markedly decreased with PTH treatment. (Endocrinology 92: 1282, 1973)
Numerical modeling of microscale droplet dispensing in parallel-plate electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) devices with various reservoir designs

Water droplet dispensing in microfluidic parallel-plate electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) devices with various reservoir designs has been numerically studied. The Navier–Stokes equations are solved using a finite-volume formulation with a two-step projection method on a fixed grid. The free surface of the liquid is tracked by a coupled level set and volume-of-fluid method with the surface tension force determined by the continuum surface force model. Contact angle hysteresis which is an indispensible element in EWOD modeling has been implemented. A simplified model is adopted for the viscous stresses exerted by the parallel plates at the solid–liquid interface. Good agreement has been achieved between the numerical results and the corresponding experimental data. The dispensing mechanism has been carefully examined, and droplet volume inconsistency for each design has been investigated. It has been discovered that the pressure distribution on the cutting electrode at the beginning of the cutting stage is of considerable significance for the inconsistency of droplet volumes. Several key elements which directly affect the pressure distribution and volume inconsistency have been identified.
Abstract PL03-02: Using technology for early cancer prevention among youth

Computer and internet technology is becoming widely available and heavily used by youth in the United States. Today9s cancer prevention programs geared towards young individuals ought to consider technology as a cost-effective and attractive channel of information delivery. Our investigative team has implemented several technology-assisted early cancer prevention programs aimed at smoking prevention and cessation. Our first large-scale study that used computer technology (CD-ROM) was Project ASPIRE. This interactive multimedia program tailored to the needs of individual user was tested in 16 Houston-area high schools. At 18-month smoking initiation rates were significantly lower in the ASPIRE condition compared to controls (N=1,160; 1.9% vs. 5.9%, p Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):PL03-02.
The willingness-to-pay for Caplanian irrationality

Bryan Caplan’s The Myth of the Rational Voter popularizes the “near-neoclassical” demand curve for irrationality. This article attempts to show that there is a demand for irrationality at prices hi...
“Jimmy Cap Before You Tap”: Developing Condom Use Messages for African American Women

This study examined which characteristics of persuasive communications are most effective in changing African American women’s condom use attitudes. Focus groups were convened with 40 African Ameri...
Chapter 5 - Coordination at the Point of Need

Abstract For individuals with chronic and prolonged conditions such as cancer, care is complicated, fragmented, and poorly coordinated. Individuals with cancer experience transitions from home to physician office, clinic, outpatient service, emergency department, inpatient hospital, and community-based settings attended by different practitioners and numerous specialists at each. Because health care systems have not addressed community-wide care coordination, the burden of coordinating is often left to the individual and their family to manage. Chronic disease care coordination frameworks help unpack the challenges and provide ways to understand how to intervene to improve care coordination for cancer. These frameworks elucidate the importance of the comprehensive person-centered, community-wide, and life span approach to coordination. Health information technology (HIT) is a critical enabler of solutions to these challenges. HIT-enabled care coordination is in a nascent stage in which most examples are within health care teams with limited interactions with patients. There are a number of examples of HIT solutions involving electronic health records, single-purpose mobile applications, or patient portals in chronic disease and fewer in cancer care coordination. There are few examples of platforms that support the comprehensive approaches needed. This offers great opportunity for collaboration among informatics, clinical, and patient participants to design, develop, implement, and evaluate HIT that effectively addresses the comprehensive nature of care coordination. This chapter offers an overview of care coordination frameworks, HIT functions needed for care coordination, examples of HIT-enabled care coordination, and opportunities to move the field forward.
Inhibition of day-12 spleen colony-forming units by a monoclonal antibody to the murine macrophage/monocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor.

Primitive hematopoietic stem cells differentiate into committed progenitors that are thought to selectively express hematopoietic growth factor receptor(s), thereby acquiring hematopoietic growth factor responsiveness. To assess whether hematopoietic stem cells express hematopoietic growth factor receptors, the progenitor activity of bone marrow (BM) fractions, isolated by expression of receptors for macrophage/monocyte colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), were examined. Recovery of day-12 spleen colony-forming units (CFU-S) is diminished in both M-CSF receptor-positive (M-CSFR+) and M-CSFR-fractions, indicating antibody inhibition of day-12 CFU-S. Incubation of BM cells with antibody without fractionation inhibits 50% to 60% of day-12 CFU-S. This inhibition is specific (control antibodies have no effect) and reversible by removal of bound antibody at low pH. Incubating BM cells with control or antireceptor antibody does not affect day-8 CFU-S, which are predominantly erythroid. Treating sublethally irradiated mice with antibody inhibits endogenous day-12 CFU-S. These results indicate that some early progenitors express M-CSFRs, and blocking M-CSFRs inhibits the ability of these progenitors to form colonies, possibly because of inactivation caused by prolonged receptor blockade.
Sequential double excitations from linear-response time-dependent density functional theory

Traditional UV/vis and X-ray spectroscopies focus mainly on the study of excitations starting exclusively from electronic ground states. However there are many experiments where transitions from excited states, both absorption and emission, are probed. In this work we develop a formalism based on linear-response time-dependent density functional theory to investigate spectroscopic properties of excited states. We apply our model to study the excited-state absorption of a diplatinum(II) complex under X-rays, and transient vis/UV absorption of pyrene and azobenzene.
Kinesin-related Smy1 enhances the Rab-dependent association of myosin-V with secretory cargo

Smy1 is a kinesin-related protein that enhances the association of the Myo2 myosin-V motor with its receptor, the Rab Sec4, on secretory vesicles. This function requires Smy1’s head, coiled-coil, a...
Laser emission in Tm 3+ - and Er 3+ -doped fluorozirconate glass at 2.25, 1.88, and 2.70 µm

Thulium cascade laser operation using resonant pumping was first reported1 in Tm3+:YLF using a ruby laser to pump the 3H4 → 3F3 transition. Recently Tm3+:YLF was pumped with alexandrite and laser diodes, and the 2.3-µm transition was observed.2,3 We report the first observation of Tm3+ laser action in fluorozirconate glass. The Er3+ transition near 3 µm was recently lased in Er3+:YLF using a GaAIAs laser diode pump source.4 The first Er3+ 2.70-μm laser in fluorozirconate glass is reported.
On time: technology and temporality in modern Egypt, by On Barak

On 6 August 2015, Reuters News Agency published a report about the opening of the new Suez Canal. President ‘Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi was quoted as saying: ‘We promised a gift to the world and we acco...
MreB Orientation Correlates with Cell Diameter in Escherichia coli

Bacteria have remarkably robust cell shape control mechanisms. For example, cell diameter only varies by a few percent across a given population. The bacterial actin homolog, MreB, is necessary for establishment and maintenance of rod shape although the detailed properties of MreB that are important for shape control remained unknown. In this study, we perturb MreB in two ways: by treating cells with the polymerization-inhibiting drug A22 and by creating point mutants in mreB. These perturbations modify the steady-state diameter of cells over a wide range, from 790 ± 30 nm to 1700 ± 20 nm. To determine which properties of MreB are important for diameter control, we correlated structural characteristics of fluorescently tagged MreB polymers with cell diameter by simultaneously analyzing three-dimensional images of MreB and cell shape. Our results indicate that the helical pitch angle of MreB inversely correlates with the cell diameter of Escherichia coli. Other correlations between MreB and cell diameter are not found to be significant. These results demonstrate that the physical properties of MreB filaments are important for shape control and support a model in which MreB organizes the cell wall growth machinery to produce a chiral cell wall structure and dictate cell diameter.
Immunity to Parasitic Worms

Helminth parasites are responsible for some of the most common human infections and cause significant health problems and economic difficulties in the developing areas of the world. The type 2 immune response, characteristic of helminth infections, has been associated with the development of protective immunity and reduced worm burdens in infected humans. Further, animal model systems have demonstrated that type 2 cytokine production and signalling are necessary to promote inflammation and parasite clearance. Despite significant advances in our understanding of the mammalian immune response to helminths, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that promote type 2 immunity remain to be fully defined. Emerging studies suggest that a series of highly coordinated events including the production of epithelial cell-derived alarmins, the activation of innate immune cells (innate lymphoid cells, haematopoietic progenitor cells, mast cells, basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils and macrophages) and the subsequent activation of lymphocytes are required to promote antihelminth immunity. This article will review these recent advances and highlight how these studies may inform the development of new therapeutic strategies to treat helminth infections and their associated morbidities. Key Concepts Helminths trigger a specific type of immune response different from that induced by microbial pathogens. This response to helminths includes many of the same immune cell populations activated by microbial pathogens; however, the activation state and effector functions of the individual immune cell populations are quite different. The immune cell effector functions stimulated by helminths include innate and adaptive components that mediate resistance and elimination of the parasite. Effector functions of the helminth-induced type 2 immune response also include tolerance mechanisms that mitigate tissue damage associated with trafficking of these large multicellular parasites. The type 2 immune response is initiated through release of endogenous danger signals triggered by tissue damage and through release of specific parasite products that can modulate the immune response. Keywords: type 2 immune response; alarmins; helminths; endogenous danger signals; cytokines; innate immunity; adaptive immunity
DNA condensed by polycations and lipids for gene transfer

Le developpement considerable des recherches menees en therapie genique a engendre la creation de vecteurs d'ADN de plus en plus sophistiques ressemblant aux virus. Cesnouvelles formulations utilisent des polycations (polymers cationiques) pour condenser l'ADN par neutralisation de charges et protegent plus efficacement l'ADN vis a vis des nucleases que la premiere generation de complexes liposomes cationiques/ADN (lipoplex). Cependant, ces formulations doivent encore etre ameliorees parce qu'elles ne remplissent pas tous les criteres du vecteur ideal destine a une administration systemique (petite taille, compatibilite avec le serum, specificite cellulaire). Recemment, un nouveau type de vecteur combinant des liposomes et des polycations a ete developpe dans notre laboratoire. Ce vecteur est compose de liposomes encapsulant de l'ADN condense par des polycations (liposome entrapped, polycation condensed DNA/LPD). Selon la charge des liposomes employes pour formuler les LPDs, des LPDs anioniques pourront contenir des ligands attaches a leur surface destines a augmenter leur specificite cellulaire. Dans cette revue, nous avons tente de resumer les differents parametres permettant de relier la structure des vecteurs d'ADN et leur efficacite dans la delivrance de l'ADN au niveau cellulaire. Trois types de vecteur d'ADN ont ete consideres: 1) ADN complexe avec des liposomes cationiques, 2) ADN condense par des polycations, 3) liposome encapsulant de l'ADN condense par des polycations (LPD).
Modes of Cholesterol Binding Influence the Interaction of Syrian Hamster PrPC with the Plasma Membrane

Prions are infectious agents responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, a fatal neurodegenerative disease in mammals, including humans. Prions propagate biological information by conversion of the non pathological version of the prion protein PrPc to the infectious isoform, PrPSc. Normally, the cellular prion protein, PrPc, is GPI-anchored to the outer leaflet of the cell membrane. There is evidence that this attachment occurs at membrane domains called lipid rafts, which are rich in cholesterol. Furthermore, PrPSc propagation and associated infectivity have been proven to be reduced by downregulation of cholesterol uptake, export, and complexation, and to interfere with cholesterol metabolism. Therefore, we conducted a structural bioinformatics study to understand the interactions between PrPc and cholesterol molecules at the atomistic level. Our free energy calculations suggest that the modes of binding of cholesterol molecules to the surface of the Syrian hamster PrPc modulate the interaction between PrPc and model plasma membranes. Such modulation depends on local cholesterol-PrPc side chain packing and optimal accommodation of the cholesterol hydroxyl group.
Excimer Laser Atherectomy

This chapter addresses the case presentation of a 55-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with IgG lambda multiple myeloma and was referred to Interventional Nephrology for evaluation of arm swelling on the ipsilateral side of a recently created arteriovenous fistula (AVF). She had been receiving hemodialysis for the past 3 months via right internal jugular vein tunneled catheter. Two prior left upper extremity attempts at AVF placement had failed. A right upper extremity brachial artery to cephalic vein perforator AVF was created several weeks prior to presentation.
Skipping Breakfast to Save the Nation: A Different Kind of Dietary Determinism in Early Twentieth-Century China

Dietary advice that advocates of scientific nutrition offered to Chinese people in the early twentieth century often encouraged them to adopt a Western-style regimen prominently featuring meat, whe...
Non-Destructive Spectroscopic Assessment of High and Low Weight Bearing Articular Cartilage Correlates with Mechanical Properties.

ObjectiveAutologous articular cartilage (AC) harvested for repair procedures of high weight bearing (HWB) regions of the femoral condyles is typically obtained from low weight bearing (LWB) regions...
Gemination, Lenition, and Vowel Lengthening: On the History of Quantity in Germanic

The processes of gemination, lenition, and vowel lengthening are central to the study of phonology, as they reveal much about the treatment of quantity in a given language. Using data from older language stages, modern dialects and standard languages, this study examines the interdependence of vowel and consonant quantity in the history of the Germanic branch of Indo-European. Kurt Goblirsch focusses on the various geminations in Old Germanic languages (West Germanic gemination, glide strengthening, and expressive gemination), open syllable lengthening in German, Dutch, Frisian, English, and Scandinavian languages, and the major lenitions in High German, Low German, and Danish, as well as minor lenitions in Bavarian, Franconian, and Frisian dialects. All of these changes are related to the development of the Germanic languages from distinctive segmental length to complementary length to syllable cut. The discussion challenges traditional theoretical assumptions about quantity change in Germanic languages to argue for a new account whereby, gemination, lenition, and vowel lengthening are interrelated.
From High to Low Stakes Politics: Should Majoritarians Embrace Countermajoritarian Constitutional Provisions?

Robert Dahl asked, How Democratic is the United States Constitution? (2001). To address this question, Dahl embraces majoritarian democracy as his normative standard. Because the framers designed the U.S. Constitution with a wide array of constraints on majorities, Dahl’s answer is, not very. Many other scholars come to similar conclusions. This paper contributes to normative democratic theory by observing that the proponents of majoritarian constitutions ignore the problem of constitutional stability. To see the problem, notice that democracy embodies numerous prescriptions: all parties must reframe from violence to secure political ends; incumbents that lose elections must hand over power. These prescriptions are not self-implementing. Most new democracies fail to follow them, and in short order. I stipulate a constitutional desideratum: regardless of a constitution's normative contents, the constitution does no one any good if it quickly fails. My positive thesis is that all successful constitutions satisfy the limit condition: to survive constitutions must limit the stakes of power. When powerful groups feel threatened by the party holding power, they are likely to support extra-constitutional action to protect themselves. Majoritarians therefore face a fundamental tradeoff. Greater responsiveness to majorities raises the stakes of politics, imply that the more majoritarian, the less stable a constitution. Therefore, majoritarians should embrace countermajoritarian features that limit the stakes, protecting those with the power to disrupt the constitution.
The private lender

Publisher Summary Common ways by which the private real estate investor becomes a lender: originate or purchase a loan for cash and as the seller of investment property, provide a buyer with financing for a portion of the purchase price by taking a note rather than cash in partial payment. Lending requires a host of special skills. Local laws govern many of the conditions under which loans are made. The chapter also discusses hard money loans and the purchase money loans. A loan secured by the real property, made directly to a borrower via a cash advance from the lender is known as “a hard money loan.” Loans granted to buyers by the seller as part of a sale are referred to as “purchase money loans.” The hard money lenders, institutions put borrowers and their property through a rigorous and time-consuming examination prior to granting the loan. Borrowers and properties that do not meet their standards are declined. Borrowers often seek out private parties because the loan can be made faster with fewer formalities.
Theory and Applications of Confocal Microscopy

Light microscopy is undergoing a rapid development as a research tool for the cell biologist. The recent integration of computers and optics has provided cell biologists the tools for measuring physiological processes, for studying structures that are much smaller than the wavelength of light and for reconstructing the three-dimensional architecture of tissues. An instrument type that has greatly benefited from this integration is the confocal microscope. This instrument uses an intense beam of light to raster across the specimen; it then integrates the scans to form an image. Since the effect of light scatter is minimized, the micrograph is of very high contrast. Many of these microscopes use a computer to control the illuminating light and to digitally enhance the data. These attributes enable the microscopist to study and analyze cellular processes and structures that are beyond the capabilities of traditional light and electron microscopy.
Levi-Civita (1873–1941)

We have seen how Gauss’s theory of surface geometry shaped Rie-mann’s conception of general curved manifolds. Riemann’s ideas in turn were taken up by Christoffel (1829–1901), Beltrami (1835–1900), and others. During the closing decades of the 19th century, a powerful school of mathematics developed at the University of Padua. It was here that Levi-Civita came into contact with modern geometry.
Activating the somatosensory system enhances net quadriceps moment during gait.

Abstract Quadriceps muscle rehabilitation following knee injury or disease is often hampered by pain, proprioception deficits or instability associated with inhibition of quadriceps activation during walking. The cross-modal plasticity of the somatosensory system with common sensory pathways including pain, pressure and vibration offers a novel opportunity to enhance quadriceps function during walking. This study explores the effectiveness of an active knee brace that used intermittent cutaneous vibration during walking to enhance the peak knee flexion moment (KFM) during early stance phase as a surrogate for net quadriceps moment (balance between knee extensor and flexor muscle moments). The stimulus was turned on prior to heel strike and turned off at mid-stance of the gait cycle. Twenty-one subjects with knee pathologies known to inhibit quadriceps function were tested walking under three conditions: control (no brace), a passive brace, and an active brace. Findings show that compared to the control, subjects wearing an active brace during gait exhibited a significant (p
An ensemble quadratic echo state network for non-linear spatio-temporal forecasting

Spatio-temporal data and processes are prevalent across a wide variety of scientific disciplines. These processes are often characterized by non-linear time dynamics that include interactions across multiple scales of spatial and temporal variability. The datasets associated with many of these processes are increasing in size because of advances in automated data measurement, management and numerical simulator output. Non-linear spatio-temporal models have only recently seen interest in statistics, but there are many classes of such models in the engineering and geophysical sciences. Traditionally, these models are more heuristic than those that have been presented in the statistics literature but are often intuitive and quite efficient computationally. We show here that with fairly simple, but important, enhancements, the echo state network machine learning approach can be used to generate long-lead forecasts of non-linear spatio-temporal processes, with reasonable uncertainty quantification, and at a fraction of the computational expense of a traditional parametric non-linear spatio-temporal models. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
EUS-Guided Portal Venous Sampling of Circulating Tumor Cells.

Although liquid biopsies hold significant promise in the management of patients with cancer, peripheral blood analyses remain dependent on the degree of tumor burden with prohibitively low yields until the cancer is widely metastatic. Multiple lines of evidence support a dynamic, spatiotemporal localization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) supporting specific targeting of vascular compartments, such as the portal vein. This review discusses the literature evaluating the possibility of portal venous blood as a new, potentially higher yield liquid biopsy and the current devices and techniques for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided portal venous sampling for CTC detection. Two recent studies in pancreatic cancer have demonstrated that portal venous blood can be safely sampled via EUS and consistently yields significantly higher CTC counts compared with matched peripheral blood. EUS-acquired samples can be used for molecular testing, clinical prognostication, and drug sensitivity analyses. Portal venous CTCs are identified in higher quantity relative to peripheral blood and can be safely obtained via EUS. Further studies are required to demonstrate the clinical utility of EUS-guided portal venous tumor material enrichment and analysis; however, obtaining EUS-guided “liquid biopsies” appears to merit significant consideration for procedural adoption.
Ultrasonic Lamb wave inspection of composite defects

Composites have been extensively used in aerospace engineering due to their advantages of light weight, high strength, and engineering design flexibility. Manufacturing defects such as wrinkle and porosity can affect the performance of the composites and may lead to failure in the end, while damage such as delamination, fiber fraction, and matrix cracking can directly cause failure of the composites. In this paper, a Lamb wave based nonintrusive nondestructive evaluation system, which employs piezoelectric transducer for actuation and scanning laser Doppler vibrometer for wavefield sensing, is presented for typical composite defect and damage inspection and evaluation. Two composite panels with different geometry (flat or curved) and with various embedded defects (wrinkle and delamination) are inspected using the nonintrusive Lamb wave system. Both the wrinkles and delamination are detected from the wavefield and approximately quantified through wavefield imaging methods.
Chapter 3 – Idealized Cycle Analysis of Jet Propulsion Engines

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses several air breathing jet engines in detail. The conditions under which the operational efficiencies of these jet-propelled engines are calculated are taken as optimum or ideal. Air is sucked in through the inlet lip, compressed and mixed with pressurized and heated fuel, and accelerated through a nozzle to produce thrust. Here, the principles of thermodynamics describe more fully how such engines perform. The chapter examines nine different situations and includes the following: the turbojet in take-off, high subsonic cruise, and afterburning supersonic cruise, the ramjet in high supersonic cruise, the turbofan engine in take-off, high subsonic cruise, and afterburning supersonic cruise. The thermodynamic cycle of the ideal jet engine is basically that of the Brayton cycle and involves isentropic compression, heat addition at constant pressure, and isentropic expansion. Fuel–air ratio for various compressor pressure ratios and turbine inlet stagnation temperatures at take-off, turbine exit stagnation temperatures (K) for various compressor pressure ratios and turbine inlet stagnation temperatures at take-off are two of many charts detailing various facets of calculations to give the reader a grasp of the preliminaries of jet engines.
Privatized Democracy: The Role of Election Services Vendors in the United States: Part of Special Symposium on Election Sciences

Election equipment in the United States is exclusively purchased from private-sector vendors. When a jurisdiction purchases voting equipment, it is actually purchasing the hardware and software alo...
P118 Campus Food Insecurity and Pantry Awareness at a Public University in South Central Florida

Background Higher education institutions have reported from 21 to 59% of their students experiencing food insecurity, meaning they lack the resources to be able to obtain enough food. Food insecurity can negatively impact students’ academic performance, physical health, and mental health. Thus, many campuses have established on-site food pantries to address this issue. Objective To establish the prevalence of food insecurity among students and their awareness and use of the campus food pantry. Study Design, Setting, Participants An online survey was administered to students at the University of South Florida in Fall 2019. A convenience sample of 497 students with representation from all academic colleges completed the survey via Qualtrics. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Descriptive analysis was conducted using SPSS 26. To determine food security status, only completed responses (n = 434) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 6-item short form Food Security Survey Module were included. Results Of the 434 students, 309 were categorized as food secure (71.2%); 90 were low food secure (20.7%), and 35 were very low food secure (8.1%) in the previous 30 days of taking the survey. Of the food insecure students (n = 125), 5 visited the pantry because they needed assistance (4.0%), 3 visited but not for assistance (2.4%), 76 heard of the pantry but never visited (60.8%), and 41 had never heard of the pantry (32.8%). When asked if students would use the pantry if they needed, 38 said they would not use it for various reasons including: embarrassment, perception of foods provided (eg, canned foods high in sodium), lack of awareness (eg, did not know the physical location of the pantry), and perception of the purpose of the pantry (eg, for undergraduates only). Conclusions Findings from this survey can help higher education institutions identify student food insecurity needs and barriers to campus food pantry access.
4HNE Impairs Myocardial Bioenergetics in Congenital Heart Disease-Induced Right Ventricular Failure.

Background: In patients with complex congenital heart disease, such as those with tetralogy of Fallot, the right ventricle (RV) is subject to pressure overload stress, leading to RV hypertrophy and...
Overestimation of Prescription Pain Reliever Misuse and Heroin Use among Adults.

Estimates from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2019) suggest 3.6% of persons aged 12 and older misused prescription p...
Ribonucleic acid synthesis of vesicular stomatitis virus. 3. Multiple complementary messenger RNA molecules.

Abstract Infection of Chinese hamster ovary cells by vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), in the absence of any detectable interference by defective particles, leads to a replacement of host polyribosomes by a distinct class of smaller polyribosomes. These small polyribosomes synthesize only virus-specific polypeptides and are as active in protein synthesis as polyribosomes from uninfected cells. The 28 S and 13 S single-stranded RNA species made during viral replication are associated with the viral polyribosomes after separation of the polyribosomes by rate zonal and isopycnic centrifugations. Release of the 28 S and 13 S RNA species from polyribosomes by EDTA and hybridization of these RNA species to virion RNA shows that they have nucleotide sequences which are complementary to those of the virion RNA. The finding of multiple pieces of messenger RNA, all smaller than 40 S virion RNA, suggests that VSV polypeptides are synthesized from individual molecules of RNA, rather than from one large messenger RNA. These studies also demonstrate the presence of newly synthesized nucleocapsid-like structures which contain heterogeneous 28–40 S RNA.
Changes of thermospheric composition and ionospheric density caused by quasi 2 day wave dissipation

Using the thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere electrodynamics–general circulation model, we investigate the effect of quasi 2 day wave (QTDW) dissipation on thermospheric composition (O/N2) and ionospheric electron density during solar minimum. The overall thermospheric and ionospheric changes induced by the QTDW are evaluated by running the model with and without QTDW forcing imposed at the model lower boundary. The dissipation of the westward propagating QTDW in the lower thermosphere causes westward mean wind acceleration and drives a poleward meridional circulation. The circulation induced by the QTDW, as determined by the difference between the mean wind patterns of a run with the QTDW and a base run without the QTDW, enhances the mixing of constituents in the lower thermosphere. Through molecular diffusion, the decrease of the O mixing ratio and the increase of the N2 and O2 mixing ratios propagate from the lower thermosphere into the upper thermosphere. As a result, the O/N2 ratio near the ionospheric F2 peak is reduced by about 16–20% at low and midlatitudes. This in turn produces an approximately 16–32% depletion in the F2 peak electron density at low and midlatitudes. The simulated decrease of electron density during a QTDW event is in quantitative agreement with published observations. This work suggests a new major pathway for the traveling planetary wave from the lower atmosphere to affect the thermosphere and ionosphere via dissipation and mean wind acceleration.
Preparation of 2,4‐Disubstituted Imidazoles: 4‐(4‐Methoxyphenyl)‐2‐phenyl‐1H‐imidazole

4-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-2-phenyl-1H-imidazole Benzamidine hydrochloride 4-Methoxyphenacyl bromide Keywords: 2,4-disubstituted imadazoles; waste disposal; chloroform; amidines; α-halo ketones
Feminist Philosophy of Science: Values and Objectivity

Feminist philosophy of science appears to present problems for the ideal of value-free science. These difficulties also challenge a traditional understanding of the objectivity of science. However, feminist philosophers of science have good reasons for desiring to retain some concept of objectivity. The present essay considers several recent and influential feminist approaches to the role of social and political values in science, with particular focus on feminist empiricism and feminist standpoint theory. The similarities and difference, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches are explored. The essay concludes with suggestions for future research in the area of feminist epistemology and philosophy of science.
Temporal properties of He I 1083 nm dark points

The intensity of a sample of large, high-contrast and isolated dark points has been observed with full-disk images in the light of He i 1083 nm from the Chromospheric Helium line Intensity Photometer (CHIP) on Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Temporal variations in the intensity encompassing a broad range of time scales have been recorded. Long-term changes in the intensity, although highly variable, are characterized by e-folding times on the order of 5 h. Superposed on these variations are frequent intensity variations, which occur over time scales ranging from the typical observing cadence of 3 min, to tens of minutes. Microflares-involving intensity changes of at least 50% over periods of minutes are observed frequently. Rapid cadence ( $$\frac{1}{2}$$ min) observations reveal differences between rise and decay times and shorter-term variations in the intensity profiles of these microflares.
Optical and Acoustic Device Applications of Ferroelastic Crystals

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses tunable arrays of ferroelastic domain walls that have been used to create several demonstration devices. The potential applications of these domain arrays are numerous and exciting. They include tunable active gratings for lasers, tunable diffraction gratings, tunable Bragg reflection gratings, tunable acoustic filters, optical modulators, and optical domain wall memories. A ferroelastic material is one in which there exist at least two states of spontaneous strain, which may be switched via an applied stress. Ferroelasticity is the mechanical analogue to ferromagnetism or ferroelectricity. The chapter presents techniques for injecting pairs of ferroelastic domain walls into ferroelastic crystals. The discovery of the analogue to a ferromagnetic bubble, the ferroelastic bubble has been discussed. A method of tuning the period of these ferroelastic arrays has also been described. The chapter discusses the physics of optical and acoustic wave interaction with ferroelastic domain walls. It presents several demonstration devices that use periodic arrays of ferroelastic domain walls. These devices include a tunable diffraction grating, a tunable active optical grating, a tunable acoustic bulk wave filter, and a tunable active grating laser.
Simulation environments for the high-speed digital subscriber line (HDSL)

An overview is presented of the high-speed digital subscriber line (HDSL) simulation facilities and selected results from recent CAD environments for HDSL. The evolving integrated network services to the subscribers opens a variety of fundamental questions regarding their digital capabilities. Two significant aspects are covered: the organization of the HDSL CAD environment and the typical results comparing the performance of the limited carrier serving area loop population and with a corresponding performance of all the loops that are less than 12 kft in the typical American subscriber loop environment. The question of the design of the simulation environment which evolves, changes and matures as the applications and requirements change and grow is addressed. Dominant physical, spectral and time domain simulation results for HDSL at H1 and E1 rates with 2B1Q and carrierless amplitude and phase (CAP) modulation techniques for the CSA loops and all loops >
An Object-Centered Application Development System

Recent advances in object technology have given rise to a set of powerful tools that are referred to as application builders. Application builders attempt to raise the level of abstractions in application development process from programming to composition of predefined components. To achieve this, application builders provide a set of components and facilities to compose these components. However, the composition facilities of the current application builders are primitive and the set of predefined components they provide can only be extended by programmers. Application builders that allow developers to build applications using domain specific components, semantics and primitives are needed. This article presents an Object-Centered Application Development System which provides a set of flexible high-level modeling and composition constructs and supports domain specific application development.