cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quercetin attenuates warfarin-induced vascular calcification in vitro independently from Matrix Gla protein

Warfarin can stimulate vascular calcification in vitro via activation of β-catenin signaling and/or inhibition of matrix Gla protein (MGP) carboxylation. Calcification was induced in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) with therapeutic levels of warfarin in normal calcium and clinically acceptable phosphate levels. Although TGF/BMP and PKA pathways are activated in calcifying VSMCs, pharmacologic analysis reveals that their activation is not contributory. However, β-catenin activity is important because inhibition of β-catenin with shRNA or bioflavonoid quercetin prevents calcification in primary human VSMCs, rodent aortic rings, and rat A10 VSMC line. In the presence of quercetin, reactivation of β-catenin using the glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) inhibitor LiCl restores calcium accumulation, confirming that quercetin mechanism of action hinges on inhibition of the β-catenin pathway. Calcification in VSMCs induced by 10 μm warfarin does not associate with reduced levels of carboxylated MGP, and inhibitory effects of quercetin do not involve induction of MGP carboxylation. Further, down-regulation of MGP by shRNA does not alter the effect of quercetin. These results suggest a new β-catenin-targeting strategy to prevent vascular calcification induced by warfarin and identify quercetin as a potential therapeutic in this pathology.
An Experimental Approach for Studies of the Photochemical, Thermal, and Environmental Degradation of Polymer-Coated Metals

An experimental approach to the study of polymer film photodegradation by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, simultaneous with UV irradiation under varying thermal and environmental stresses, is described. Reflection spectra collected from polycarbonate-glazed gold mirrors undergoing irradiation in an environmental test chamber are presented as examples of the system's capability. The early degradative events in polycarbonate can be deduced from differences in these spectra.
Solid-State NMR Line Shapes of Uniaxially Oriented Immobile Systems

The problem of simulating the spectral line shapes of aligned immobile samples arises in solid-state NMR of various biological systems, including integral membrane proteins and peptides, receptor-b...
Transit-induced optical multistability

Abstract One effect of atomic transit on absorptive optical bistability, when the transit time is less than a spontaneous lifetime, is shown to be multistability due to coherent Rabi cycling. This multistability may be degraded by spontaneous emission, transverse variation of the cavity mode, and velocity distribution of the atomic beam. Numerical results are given showing the effects of each of these three factors. It is shown that, even for experimentally realizable conditions, multistability can survive in spite of these effects.
Managing turnover strategically

Allen C. Bluedorn is an assistant professor of management at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He conducts research on the effects of turnover on organizations and turnover's management. The author would like to acknowledge the assistance of Alice E. Warne, Paul S. Greenlaw, and Robert A. Pitts in the preparation of this article. Less is not necessarily better. Companies may actually profit from turnover among some groups of employees and from selecting their turnover reduction targets carefully.
A Parametric Approach to Supercritical Airfoil Design Optimization

Supercritical airfoil design optimization is performed employing Kulfan’s class function shape function transformation (CST) technique to represent the airfoil shape and Design of Experiments (DOE) trials to build response surfaces for approximate optimization. The CST parameterization eectively reduces the number of design variables needed for design optimization of complex geometry. Surrogate models, i.e., response surfaces, approximate the results of a high-delity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis program. Using these surrogate models, a multi-point optimization problem seeks to minimize drag while providing a required amount of lift and pitching moment at three transonic Mach numbers. The advantages and disadvantages of surrogate model-based optimization for this application are discussed.
Preschool Children's Decoding of Facial Emotions

This study examined preschool children's ability to decode facial emotions. Subjects comprised 32 preschoolers (16 3 1/2-year-olds, 16 5-year-olds), with equal numbers of boys and girls, enrolled in a preschool. Children heard a brief story describing a boy's emotion and were shown three photographs of a boy, each displaying a different emotion (one target emotion and two distractor or nontarget emotions). Children were asked to choose the one photograph that corresponded to the boy's emotion in the story. As predicted, the ability to decode facial emotions improved with age for both boys and girls. Girls were significantly better than boys at identifying emotions; in fact, 3 1/2-year-old girls were as accurate as 5-year-old boys. Age and gender effects, as well as topics for future investigation, are discussed.
Bacteriorhodopsin optical switch

A novel bacteriorhodopsin based photonic crossbar system for broadband communications is proposed. This free-space dynamically reconfigurable N X N crossbar switch utilizes an intelligent holographic system for routing and switching by dynamically reconfigurable gratings of bacteriorhodopsin, which has high write/read photocyclicity that is greater than 106. The major advantages of the system include large interconnectivity density, transparent data redistribution, and fiber optic bandwidth capacity. In addition, the switching device resolves optical-to-electronic and electronic-to- optical conversion bottlenecks and reduces signal-to-noise degradation which is due to the conversions. This crossbar design is completely free of internal blocking which is one of the major drawbacks of guided optical crossbars. The system takes advantage of the parallelism and multidimensionality inherent in optics and can be scaled to a large capacity of N X N, while it maintains a low weight and portability which are a projected requirement for future broadband communications.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Distribution and Abundance of Young-of-the-Year Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis, in Relation to River Flow in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Estuary

Abstract Annual distribution and abundance of young-of-the-year striped bass were measured from 1959 to 1970 in the Sacramento-San Joaquin estuary. Annual abundance of young bass in late summer was closely related to the amount of river flow in June-July into the estuary (r = 0.89). Highly significant correlations existed between striped bass abundance and salinity and water diverted from the estuary, both of which were mutually related to the amount of river flow. Six mechanisms which may control these relationships are discussed. Annual striped bass distribution in the estuary was also related to river flow (r = -0.93) and salinity (r = 0.88) with bass being farther upstream in years of low runoff and high salinity.
Gauge Fixing, the Transfer Matrix, and Confinement on a Lattice

We use the transfer-matrix formalism of statistical mechanics to relate Wilson's Lagrangian approach and the Kogut-Susskind Hamiltonian approach to gauge theories on a lattice. As a preliminary we discuss gauge fixing in Wilson's theory. This process leaves invariant Green's functions of gauge singlet operators. Taking the timelike lattice spacing to zero, we extract the Kogut-Susskind Hamiltonian from the transfer matrix in the gauge ${A}_{0} = 0$.
Well-behaved, tunable 3D-affine invariants

We derive and discuss a set of parametric equations which, when given a convex 3D feature domain, K, will generate affine invariants with the property that the invariants' values are uniformly distributed in the region [0,1]/spl times/[0,1]/spl times/[0,1]. Once the shape of the feature domain K is determined and fixed it is straightforward to compute the values of the parameters and thus the proposed scheme can be tuned to a specific feature domain. The features of all recognizable objects (models) are assumed to be three-dimensional points and uniformly distributed over K. The scheme leads to improved discrimination power, improved computational-load and storage-load balancing and can also be used to determine and identify biases in the database of recognizable models (over-represented constructs of object points). Obvious enhancements produce rigid-transformation and similarity-transformation invariants with the same good distribution properties, making this approach generally applicable.
Heat Conduction in Nanofluid Suspensions

The heat conduction mechanism in nanofluid suspensions is derived for transient processes attempting to explain experimental results, which reveal an impressive heat transfer enhancement. In particular, the effect of the surface-area-to-volume ratio (specific area) of the suspended nanoparticles on the heat transfer mechanism is explicitly accounted for, and reveals its contribution to the specific solution and results. The present analysis might provide an explanation that settles an apparent conflict between the recent experimental results in nanofluid suspensions and classical theories for estimating the effective thermal conductivity of suspensions that go back more than one century (Maxwell, J.C., 1891, Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism). Nevertheless, other possible explanations have to be accounted for and investigated in more detail prior to reaching a final conclusion on the former explanation.
The AAAI 2011 Robot Exhibition

In this article we report on the exhibits and challenges shown at the AAAI 2011 Robotics Program in San Francisco. The event included a broad demonstration of innovative research at the intersection of robotics and artificial intelligence. Through these multi-year challenge events, our goal has been to focus the research community’s energy toward common platforms and common problems to work toward the greater goal of embodied AI.
SECOND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY, FOREIGN LANGUAGE APTITUDE, AND INTELLIGENCE: QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ANALYSES. Miyuki Sasaki. New York: Peter Lang, 1996. Pp. xii + 155. $40.95 cloth.

There are few in-depth studies that have attempted to explore the complex relationships among second language proficiency, foreign language aptitude, and intelligence. Information on such studies is usually found only in unpublished dissertations or in greatly reduced form in journal articles. This text is a rare example of a full-length report of such a study. Based on data from 160 EFL students in Japan, the researcher employed an extensive array of analytical procedures relating performance on English language proficiency measures with performance on a three-part aptitude battery and an intelligence measure. The proficiency measures included multiple-choice tests of grammar, cohesion, vocabulary, listening, and reading using short and long texts as well as a cloze and a free composition. The foreign language aptitude battery was a Japanese version of a test modeled after the short version of the Modern Language Aptitude Test. The measures of verbal intelligence and reasoning came from an existing Kyoto University test with 12 subtests.
MIRD Pamphlet No. 25: MIRDcell V2.0 Software Tool for Dosimetric Analysis of Biologic Response of Multicellular Populations

Patients undergoing nuclear medicine procedures for cancer therapy are administered radiopharmaceuticals that emit various types of radiation. Because radiation has differential delivery to and uptake by cells in tissue, radiation exposures are often highly nonuniform. Some cell populations in a tissue may contain widely different amounts of radioactivity, whereas other cell populations in the same tissue may contain no radioactivity, referred to as labeled and unlabeled cells, respectively. Furthermore, the toxicity of the radiations emitted can depend on the location of the radioactive decay within the cell (e.g., nucleus vs. cytoplasm). Therefore, the response of a given cell depends on the absorbed dose received from radiations emitted by decays within the cell (self-dose) and emitted by decays in neighboring cells (cross-dose), among other factors. Taken together, these variables make it difficult to predict the response of cell populations to radiopharmaceuticals. Accordingly, to assist in designing treatment plans for therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, an applet software application called MIRDcell was developed. This applet models the distribution of radiopharmaceuticals in tissues, calculates the distribution of radiation dose, models responses on a cell-by-cell basis, and predicts the surviving fraction of the labeled and unlabeled cell populations. MIRDcell can be accessed at http://mirdcell.njms.rutgers.edu/.
Sudden death in infants.

Summary An analysis has been made as tothe causes of death in 1,267 infants and young children 4 years and under, reported to the office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond over an eighteen-month period from Jan. 1, 1952, to July 1, 1953. In the same period there were about 5,400 deaths in the entire State. This study, then, represents about 23 per cent of the total deaths for the same age group. The greatest number of deaths occurred in the group classified as “unknown natural” (729 cases). Onehundred and four of these cases were autopsied and twenty-seven cases were found to fit into a pattern variously classified as interstitial pneumonitis or overwhelming infection. A closer analysis has been made of these twenty-seven cases plus five additional cases from my own series. A classic symptomatology for these deaths can be given, namely, a child, usually under 6 months, in previous good health, who is found dead in bed. Given that history, it is possible to state what will be the usual autopsy findings. In addition, it was pointed out that many of the unautopsied cases of natural or accidental deaths variously diagnosed as pneumonia, upper respiratory infection, asphyxia, and aspiration of vomitus give the above history and undoubtedly are cases of the same process. The various factors known to date concerning these deaths have been briefly discussed. It is pointed out that in my opinion, and in the opinion of others in the State who have had an opportunity to see or review these cases, that a satistactory explanation as to the cause of death has not been given. Finally it is suggested that it is better to sign these children out as cases of “unknown natural” when other known factors can be eliminated than it is to state that these children die from suffocation, prematurity, asphyxia, aspiration of vomitus, or even interstitial pneumonitis. This is important for two suggested reasons. A diagnosis of suffocation carries a psychological impact which may give a family a guilt feeling of neglect lasting a lifetime. It is felt that it is better to make a diagnosis of “unknown natural” in these children, for it suggests that we do not actually know what has killed them. From this it is hoped will come a further search for the fundamental process which is occurring and which kills these infants with such rapidity that it is both startling and distressing.
Probing gravity at large scales through CMB lensing

We describe a methodology to probe gravity with the cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing convergence $\kappa$, specifically by measuring $E_G$, the ratio of the Laplacian of the gravitational scalar potential difference with the velocity divergence. Using CMB lensing instead of galaxy-galaxy lensing avoids intrinsic alignments while also lacking a hard limit on the lens redshift and significant uncertainties in the source plane. We model $E_G$ for general relativity and modified gravity, finding that $E_G$ for $f(R)$ gravity should be scale-dependent due to the scale-dependence of the growth rate $f$. Next, we construct an estimator for $E_G$ in terms of the galaxy-CMB lensing and galaxy clustering angular power spectra, along with the RSD parameter $\beta$. We also forecast statistical errors for $E_G$ from the current Planck CMB lensing map and the spectroscopic galaxy and quasar samples from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 11, being 9% with galaxies and 8% when quasars are included. We also find that upcoming spectroscopic and photometric surveys, combined with the final Planck lensing map, can measure precisely the redshift- and scale-dependence of $E_G$ out to redshifts $z=2$ and higher, with photometric surveys having an advantage due to their high number densities. Advanced ACTPol's lensing map will increase the $E_G$ sensitivity even further. Finally, we find that Advanced ACTPol cross-correlated with spectroscopic (photometric) surveys can differentiate between general relativity and $f(R)$ gravity at the level of $3\sigma$ ($13\sigma$). Performing a $<1$% measurement of $E_G$ requires a 10% precision in $\beta$ from Euclid or LSST, currently achievable with a spectroscopic survey but difficult with only a photometric survey.
Building Many-Core Processor-to-DRAM Networks with Monolithic CMOS Silicon Photonics

Silicon photonics is a promising technology for addressing memory bandwidth limitations in future many-core processors. This article first introduces a new monolithic silicon-photonic technology, which uses a standard bulk CMOS process to reduce costs and improve energy efficiency, and then explores the logical and physical implications of leveraging this technology in processor-to-memory networks.
Philo Farnsworth: Television's pioneer

(1979). Philo Farnsworth: Television's pioneer. Journal of Broadcasting: Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 153-165.
Vision of Pediatrics 2020: Lessons Learned From A Christmas Carol

How appropriate that the profession of pediatrics, with its focus on anticipatory guidance, should have undertaken a formal look into its own future. The American Academy of Pediatrics' Vision of Pediatrics 2020 (VOP 2020) (www.aap.org/visionofpeds) is articulately and thoughtfully described by Starmer et al1 in this issue of Pediatrics . Perhaps inspired by Charles Dickens' visions of Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas future, the VOP 2020 team described worst-case, best-case, and most-likely case scenarios for 8 broad themes or megatrends. In undertaking this ambitious look into the future, the VOP 2020 Task Force has both described our possible futures and, in so doing, has already begun to alter our trajectory. As such, these efforts stand our profession well, both informing us and increasing the likelihood of reaching a “better-case” or even “best-case” scenario. Four articles by Freed et al in this month's issue of Pediatrics serve as examples of changing our future trajectory of megatrend 6: “dynamics of the pediatric workforce.” The VOP 2020 Task … Address correspondence to Bonita Stanton, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Michigan, 3901 Beaubien Blvd, Suite 1K40, Detroit, MI 48201. E-mail: bstanton{at}dmc.org
The modern economic theory of bureaucracy as a precursor to new public management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the modern economic theory of bureaucracy developed by economists Breton and Wintrobe is a heretofore unrecognized precursor to the new public management (NPM) construct.Design/methodology/approach – After presenting a comparison of the modern economic theory of bureaucracy to the basic principles of NPM, this paper offers a treatment of Breton and Wintrobe's modern economic theory of bureaucracy that uses the compelling episodic example of the 1944 attempt by the Nazi SS to deceive, through the now infamous Theresienstadt “Embellishment,” the International Red Cross and world communities about the existence of the Nazi Holocaust bureaucracy.Findings – The comparison of the conceptual elements of the two models and the integration of the historical episodic example support the view that the modern economic theory of bureaucracy is a precursor to NPM.Originality/value – This is the first study to date to present the modern economic theory of bureaucrac...
Crossing the divide: architectural issues and the emergence of the stored program computer, 1935-1955

The rapid advance of computing technology since the 1940s has created an impression that all that happened in computing before then was somehow mere prologue to the real history. According to this popular notion, the computer age began with the invention of machines that computed at electronic speeds, that were capable of automatic sequence control with conditional branching, and that stored their programs internally. The classification of computing into "generations" with the "first" generation being those with vacuum tubes further reinforces this notion. The paper looks at some examples of machines built in the 1930s and 1940s that straddle both ages: machines that had some sort of sequence control, partially electronic counting circuits, or primitive branching capabilities. In particular, the author examines a few systems that reveal especially well the nature of this transition: the ensembles of punched card equipment used by L.J. Comrie (1932) and W. Eckert (1984) for scientific instead of business use; the "Aberdeen Relay Calculator" that IBM built for the US Army; and the "Card Programmed Calculator" that Northrop Aircraft invented for engineering applications that IBM later marketed.
Insights into the Effects of Long-Term Artificial Selection on Seed Size in Maize

Grain produced from cereal crops is a primary source of human food and animal feed worldwide. To understand the genetic basis of seed-size variation, a grain yield component, we conducted a genome-wide scan to detect evidence of selection in the maize Krug Yellow Dent long-term divergent seed-size selection experiment. Previous studies have documented significant phenotypic divergence between the populations. Allele frequency estimates for ∼3 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the base population and selected populations were estimated from pooled whole-genome resequencing of 48 individuals per population. Using FST values across sliding windows, 94 divergent regions with a median of six genes per region were identified. Additionally, 2729 SNPs that reached fixation in both selected populations with opposing fixed alleles were identified, many of which clustered in two regions of the genome. Copy-number variation was highly prevalent between the selected populations, with 532 total regions identified on the basis of read-depth variation and comparative genome hybridization. Regions important for seed weight in natural variation were identified in the maize nested association mapping population. However, the number of regions that overlapped with the long-term selection experiment did not exceed that expected by chance, possibly indicating unique sources of variation between the two populations. The results of this study provide insights into the genetic elements underlying seed-size variation in maize and could also have applications for other cereal crops.
Cause and treatment of epiphrenic diverticula.

Abstract Background Epiphrenic diverticula of the esophagus are often associated with a concomitant esophageal motor disorder, which is thought to be the cause of the diverticulum and some of the patient’s symptoms. At one time diverticula were best removed via a left thoracotomy, but now the operation can be performed laparoscopically in most cases. We hypothesized that: (1) a motor disorder is the underlying cause of the diverticulum; and (2) optimal treatment consists of laparoscopic resection of the diverticulum, a Heller myotomy, and Dor fundoplication. Methods We performed a retrospective review of a prospectively collected database from a university hospital tertiary care center. Between June 1994 and December 2002, we evaluated 21 patients with epiphrenic diverticula. An associated motility disorder of the esophagus was found in 81% of patients (achalasia, 9%; diffuse esophageal spasm, 24%; nonspecific esophageal motility disorder, 24%; nutcracker esophagus, 24%). Seven (33%) of these patients, all with esophageal dysmotility, were referred for treatment. The laparoscopic operation entailed resection of the diverticulum (using an endoscopic stapler), a Heller myotomy, and a Dor fundoplication. Results All operations were completed laparoscopically. The postoperative course of 6 patients was uneventful and they left the hospital after 72 ± 21 hours. In 1 patient an acute paraesophageal hernia developed, which was repaired on the second postoperative day. Late follow-up (median 57 months) showed that all 7 patients were asymptomatic. Conclusions These data support the conclusions that: (1) a primary esophageal motility disorder is the underlying cause of most epiphrenic diverticula; and (2) laparoscopic treatment is successful and should be the method of choice. The diverticular neck can be exposed satisfactorily from the abdomen; a stapler inserted from this angle is better orientated to transect the neck than one inserted through a thoracoscopic approach. Furthermore, the myotomy and fundoplication are much more easily performed from the abdomen than from alternative approaches.
Enabling high-throughput data management for systems biology

Summary: The Bioinformatics Resource Manager (BRM) is a software environment that provides the user with data management, retrieval and integration capabilities. Designed in collaboration with biologists, BRM simplifies mundane analysis tasks of merging microarray and proteomic data across platforms, facilitates integration of users’ data with functional annotation and interaction data from public sources and provides connectivity to visual analytic tools through reformatting of the data for easy import or dynamic launching capability. BRM is developed using Java™ and other open-source technologies for free distribution. Availability: BRM, sample data sets and a user manual can be downloaded from http://www.sysbio.org/dataresources/brm.stm Contact:[email protected], [email protected]
Designing a video compression system for high definition television

There has been significant interest in the design of a digital television system for terrestrial HDTV broadcasting. The authors discuss various issues related to the design of a HDTV system. They examine the design of a video compression system for the efficient delivery of digital television signals. A number of considerations that arise when designing the video compression system are discussed, and a sample system which meets most of these requirements is presented. It is shown that the video compression principles and system issues can be integrated into a framework for designing a high-performance digital HDTV system. >
MULTIVARIATE OPTIMIZATION STRATEGIES FOR REAL-TIME TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNALS

The application of modern heuristic techniques, neural networks, simulated annealing, tabu search, and genetic algorithms for multivariate optimization is receiving increased attention compared with traditional techniques like hill climbing and gradient search. In the present research the efficiency and effectiveness of genetic algorithms are investigated for their application to the real-time optimization of traffic control signal timings and are compared with the efficiency and effectiveness of the Quasi-Newton gradient search method. The development, testing, comparison, and evaluation of these two multivariate optimization techniques for inclusion in the real-time traffic adaptive control system LOCAL model developed at the University of Pittsburgh as a part of an FHWA contract to a consortium led by the University of Maryland are described. The measures of effectiveness used in the comparisons include optimum total stopped delay, percentage of improvement in total stopped delay, optimal phase timings...
The effect of macrophage development on the release of reactive oxygen intermediates and lipid oxidation products, and their ability to induce oxidative DNA damage in mammalian cells

Inflammation and the release of potentially damaging substances, such as reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) and lipid oxidation products from inflammatory cells, have been linked to the potentiation of carcinogenesis. Murine macrophages when stimulated with phorbol esters induce 5,6 ring saturated thymine residues (T'), a lesion of known oxidative origin, in co-cultivated mammalian cells. Induction of this damage was inhibited by catalase and induced in target cells by reagent H2O2 alone. In the present studies, we used defined populations of macrophages with high, low and intermediate capacities for the release of H2O2 or metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA) to assess the relative contribution of these classes of compounds to the induction of saturated thymines. Macrophages activated with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), which have the highest capacity for the release of H2O2 and the lowest for the release of metabolites of AA, induced the lowest levels of saturated thymines. Resident macrophages from the unmanipulated peritoneum, which have the lowest capacity for the production of H2O2 and the highest capacity for release of AA metabolites, induced more saturated thymines than did the BCG macrophages. Inflammatory macrophages elicited by casein, which have an intermediate capacity for release of H2O2 and AA metabolites, induced the highest level of saturated thymines. Zymosan, which induced more release of AA metabolites than release of H2O2, was a better stimulant for the induction of T' than TPA, which is a better stimulant for secretion of H2O2. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), an inhibitor of the lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase pathways for metabolism of AA, inhibited the induction of T' by resident macrophages. Indomethacin, an inhibitor of the cyclo-oxygenase path, enhanced induction of T'. Taken together, the data suggest that while H2O2 has the capacity to induce T' in 3T3 cells, it may not be the only mediator of DNA damage and that lipoxygenase generated metabolites of AA may (alone or in concert with ROI) play an important role in the induction of oxidative DNA damage by macrophages.
Biostable electrospun microfibrous scaffolds mitigate hypertrophic scar contraction in an immune-competent murine model.

Abstract Burn injuries in the United States account for over one million hospital admissions per year, with treatment estimated at four billion dollars. Of severe burn patients, 30–90% will develop hypertrophic scars (HSc). In this study, we evaluate the impact of an elastomeric, randomly-oriented biostable polyurethane (PU) scaffold on HSc-related outcomes. In vitro, fibroblast-seeded PU scaffolds contracted significantly less and demonstrated fewer αSMA+ myofibroblasts compared to fibroblast-seeded collagen lattices. In a murine HSc model, collagen coated PU (ccPU) scaffolds significantly reduced HSc contraction as compared to untreated control wounds and wounds treated with the clinical standard of care. Our data suggest that electrospun ccPU scaffolds meet the requirements to reduce HSc contraction including reduction of in vitro HSc related outcomes, diminished scar stiffness, and reduced scar contraction. While clinical dogma suggests treating severe burn patients with rapidly biodegrading skin equivalents, our data suggest that a more long-term scaffold may possess merit in reducing HSc. Statement of Significance In severe burns treated with skin grafting, between 30% and 90% of patients develop hypertrophic scars (HSc). There are no therapies to prevent HSc, and treatments are marginally effective. This work is the first example we are aware of which studies the impact of a permanent electrospun elastomer on HSc contraction in a murine model that mimics the human condition. Collagen coated polyurethane scaffolds decrease αSMA+ myofibroblast formation in vitro, prevent stiffening of scar tissue, and mitigate HSc contraction. Unlike current standards of care, electrospun, polyurethane scaffolds do not lose architecture over time. We propose that the future bioengineering strategy of mitigating HSc contraction should consider a long-term elastomeric matrix which persists within the wound bed throughout the remodeling phase of repair.
Drug Discovery Using Human iPSC Based Disease Models and Functional Hepatic Cells

The development of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has generated enthusiasm about the therapeutic potential of these cells for treating a variety of diseases. During the past few years, iPSC generation and hepatic differentiation methods have been significantly improved. These will provide an unlimited source of functional hepatocytes not only for transplantation, but for efficient drug discovery via patient relevant modeling of liver diseases and of drug-induced hepatotoxicity. Here we discuss the near future applications (and challenges) of iPSC-based cellular models, with an emphasis on liver diseases, cancer and hepatocytes.
Evolution of Egg Laying Behavior in Aplysia

Invertebrates provide simple model systems for the study of the cellular and molecular bases of behavior. The gastropod mollusc, Aplysia californica Cooper (Anaspidea: Aplysiidae), displays a number of behavioral repertoires which can be ascribed to the activity of defined circuits composed of identified central neurons (Kandel 1976). These reflex and fixed action patterns are generated in an all-or-none fashion. Such behaviors are precisely inherited by the animal and therefore are encoded by a discrete set of genes (Lorenz 1958, Kandel 1976). Understanding the organization and structure of these genes enables us to discuss their evolution and, consequently, the evolution of the behavior which they direct.
Farmer beliefs about climate change and carbon sequestration incentives

Agricultural land management practices are frequently discussed in the context of domestic and international policies to mitigate and adapt to future climate change. Agriculture has not been one of the economic sectors covered by proposed or enacted greenhouse gas emis- sions limits; thus, agriculture has been the subject of much research on its technical and economic potential to mitigate climate change impacts. We report the results of a survey of Indiana row crop farmers' (n = 724) beliefs about climate change, the effect of climate change on their farm opera- tion, and the best way to create incentives for farmers to store more carbon in agricultural soils. Farmer beliefs and their strength of opinions about these issues are important for developing future policy proposals, decision support tools, and emissions markets that involve agricultural emissions offsets. We found that 79% of surveyed Indiana farmers believe that climate change is an ongoing natural process, compared to 45% who believe that human activities are contributing to climate change. A total of 31% of respondents expressed neither belief nor disbelief that humans are contributing to climate change, suggesting that nearly one-third of respondents either do not know or have not made up their minds about the causes of climate change. We found clear differences in farmers' beliefs about occurrence and causes of climate change compared to the general population. Our results suggest that farmers require a better understanding of the expected effects of climate change on weather and cropping systems management, and that farm- ers' beliefs are capable of being informed through outreach and extension of climate change research.
Discovery and characterization of a novel CCND1/MRCK gene fusion in mantle cell lymphoma.

The t(11;14) translocation resulting in constitutive cyclin D1 expression is an early event in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) transformation. Patients with a highly proliferative phenotype produce cyclin D1 transcripts with truncated 3′UTRs that evade miRNA regulation. Here, we report the recurrence of a novel gene fusion in MCL cell lines and MCL patient isolates that consists of the full protein coding region of cyclin D1 (CCND1) and a 3′UTR consisting of sequences from both the CCND1 3′UTR and myotonic dystrophy kinase-related Cdc42-binding kinase's (MRCK) intron one. The resulting CCND1/MRCK mRNA is resistant to CCND1-targeted miRNA regulation, and targeting the MRCK region of the chimeric 3′UTR with siRNA results in decreased CCND1 levels.
ON THE EVOLUTION OF PARTHENOGENESIS: A GENETIC REPRESENTATION OF THE "COST OF MEIOSIS".

Williams (1971) and Maynard Smith (1971 a) perceived a major evolutionary paradox in the persistence of sexuality in the face of the twofold "cost of meiosis" (Williams and Mitton, 1973) relative to parthenogenesis. While leading to similar conclusions, the arguments of Williams and Maynard Smith differed in emphasis with respect to what Williams (1980) has termed the "ecological" and "evolutionary" problems of sexuality. Maynard Smith(1971a, 1971b, 1976, 1977, 1978a Chap. 1) argued that females who produce only parthenogenetic daughters have twice the reproductive rate of females who allocate half of their resources to the production of sons. This "advantage of not producing males" (Maynard Smith, 1978a p. 3) has evidently been appreciated since the last century (see Lloyd, 1980a) and has been discussed by Stalker (1956), Maslin (1971), White (1970, 1973 p. 697-699), and Clark (1973), among others. Distinct from this resource allocation argument is the genetic argument that holds that parthenogenetic parents are twice as closely related to their offspring as are sexual parents (Williams, 1971, 1975 p.8-9; Williams and Mitton, 1973; Maynard Smith, 1974). Other evolutionary advantages associated with parthenogenesis have been proposed as well, including elimination of segregation or recombination load (White, 1970, 1973 p. 697; Maslin, 1968). While the two main arguments described above have been discussed inter-
The coral corresponding to a Kekuléan benzenoid

An algorithm for searching the root of any Kekulean benzenoid system is given.Based on it,some new sufficient and necessary conditions for a benzenoid system to be normal,for a Kekule structure to be the root,bud or others of a Kekulean benzenoid system are deduced respectively.Moreover,for any two Kekule structures,we give a sufficient and necessary condition to determine whether one can transform into the other one.
Geometric Optics Investigation of HF and VHF Guided Propagation in the Ionospheric Whispering Gallery

An investigation has been carried on, based on a geometric-optics treatment, of HF and VHF propagation in the ionospheric whispering gallery, with emphasis on long-range paths between terminal points both embedded in the lower ionosphere and not involving earth surface reflections. The results of the investigation have proven that guided paths at HF and VHF are supported by the lower ionosphere despite sharp day-to-night transitions, refractive irregularities, and discontinuities, and have provided enough insight into their properties to allow the detailed design of a satellite-to-satellite experiment.
Locating black hole horizons

Black holes are characterized by the horizons surrounding them. Clearly, then, the numerical simulation of black holes requires the ability to locate and analyze black hole horizons in numerically generated spacetimes. In this chapter we first review different concepts of horizons in asymptotically flat spacetimes, and then discuss how these horizons can be probed numerically. Concepts Several different notions of horizons exist in general relativity. The defining property of a black hole is the presence of an event horizon (Section 7.2), but, as we will see, apparent horizons (Section 7.3) also play an extremely important role in the context of numerical relativity. In addition, the concepts of isolated and dynamical horizons (Section 7.4) serve as useful diagnostics in numerical spacetimes containing black holes. A black hole is defined as a region of spacetime from which no null geodesic can escape to infinity. The surface of a black hole, the event horizon , acts as a one-way membrane through which light and matter can enter the black hole, but once inside, can never escape. It is the boundary in spacetime separating those events that can emit light rays that can propagate to infinity and those which cannot. More precisely, the event horizon is defined as the boundary of the causal past of future null infinity. It is a 2 + 1 dimensional hypersurface in spacetime formed by those outward-going, future-directed null geodesics that neither escape to infinity nor fall toward the center of the black hole.
Dielectric breakdown studies with some data concerning D-C properties

Tests with high voltage d-c are generally facilitated as compared to a-c testing by the fact that, with d-c, test terminals may be greatly simplified or omitted entirely. For example, tests have been made at 500 kv with a test end only six feet in length and with no special end preparation whatever.
Abstract B104: Impact of PD-1 blockade on epigenetic and transcriptional reprogramming of exhausted T cells

Blocking PD-1 can reinvigorate exhausted CD8 T cells and improve control of chronic infections and cancer. One potential advantage of this immunotherapy is durable protection if immune memory can be established. It is unclear, however, whether blocking PD-1 can reprogram exhausted CD8 T cells into effector or durable memory CD8 T cells. Here, we found reinvigoration of exhausted T cells by PD-L1 blockade caused re-acquisition of some features of effector T cells, but minimal memory development. Indeed, after checkpoint blockade, reinvigorated T cells became re-exhausted if antigen remained high, and failed to become memory T cells upon antigen clearance. Exhausted T cells acquired an epigenetic profile distinct from effector and memory T cells that was minimally altered by blocking PD-L1. Nevertheless, modest enhancer changes resulted in transcriptional network rewiring that may provide opportunities to enhance checkpoint blockade. These data indicate that epigenetic fate inflexibility may limit current immunotherapies and suggest that improving (re)differentiation to memory following PD-1 pathway blockade could enhance clinical outcomes. Citation Format: Kristen E. Pauken, Morgan A. Sammons, Pamela M. Odorizzi, Sasi K. Manne, Jernej Godec, Omar Khan, Debattama Sen, Makoto Kurachi, R. Anthony Barnitz, Bertram Bengsch, Alexander C. Huang, Jason M. Schenkel, Golnaz Vahedi, W. Nicholas Haining, Shelley L. Berger, E. John Wherry. Impact of PD-1 blockade on epigenetic and transcriptional reprogramming of exhausted T cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; 2016 Sept 25-28; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B104.
A Review of Technologies for Characterization of Heavy Metal Contaminants

Heavy metals from both natural and anthropogenic sources present a significant risk to human and environmental health. A number of methods have been developed for the detection and quantification of heavy metals. These methods include laboratory analysis, onsite testing of samples, and in situ techniques. This paper will review current and emerging technologies for site characterization with a specific focus on in situ detection of heavy metal contamination in geoenvironmental remediation projects. In addition, on-going research performed for the development of an in situ voltammetric sensor system will be presented. A number of devices exist for the efficient sampling of contaminated groundwater including the Hydropunch, BAT system, and Cone Sipper. Samples may either be sent to a laboratory for analysis with techniques such as atomic absorption spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, atomic emission spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence, or analyzed onsite using methods such as colorimetry, voltammetry, or biological based chemical sensors. For in situ analysis of heavy metals in soil, X-ray fluorescence and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technologies have been integrated with the cone penetrometer probe. This paper further explores the feasibility of integrating electrochemical techniques based on voltammetry for the in situ detection of aqueous metal ions. The development of bismuth, gold nanoparticle, and polymer modified electrodes allow for the detection of heavy metal contaminants, including lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic, at low part per billion levels.
Initial chilling rate effects on bacterial growth on hot-boned beef.

We studied the chilling rate of hot-boned beef required to control bacterial growth during storage and display. Hot-boned cuts were chilled to 21 C by 3, 5, 9, and 12 h after their removal from the carcass. Cuts were vacuum-stored at 2.2 C for 14 or 21 d, then displayed at 2.2 C for 3 days under natural fluorescent lighting. Initial bacterial loads of hot-boned cuts were low (Log 0-3 CFU/cm2). Conventionally chilled beef (48 h at 2.2 C) and hot-boned cuts chilled to 21 C by 3, 5, and 9 h had lower bacterial counts and more desirable color and odor than hot-boned cuts chilled slower (12 h to 21 C). In general, indicator organisms and potential pathogens (coliforms, fecal coliforms, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus , Clostridium perfringens , and fecal streptococci) were more numerous for cuts with slower chilling rates (9 and 12 h to 21 C) than for cuts chilled faster (3 and 5 h to 21 C and conventionally chilled beet). No Salmonella were detected. Hot-boned beef cuts are in good bacteriological condition (no potential health hazards) for storage if chilled to 21 C in 3 to 9 h.
Distinct effects on the dendritic arbor occur by microbead versus bath administration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor

Proper communication among neurons depends on an appropriately formed dendritic arbor, and thus, aberrant changes to the arbor are implicated in many pathologies, ranging from cognitive disorders to neurodegenerative diseases. Due to the importance of dendritic shape to neuronal network function, the morphology of dendrites is tightly controlled and is influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. In this work, we examine how brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the most well-studied extrinsic regulators of dendritic branching, affects the arbor when it is applied locally via microbeads to cultures of hippocampal neurons. We found that local application of BDNF increases both proximal and distal branching in a time-dependent manner and that local BDNF application attenuates pruning of dendrites that occurs with neuronal maturation. Additionally, we examined whether cytosolic PSD-95 interactor (cypin), an intrinsic regulator of dendritic branching, plays a role in these changes and found strong evidence for the involvement of cypin in BDNF-promoted increases in dendrites after 24 but not 48 h of application. This current study extends our previous work in which we found that bath application of BDNF for 72 h, but not shorter times, increases proximal dendrite branching and that this increase occurs through transcriptional regulation of cypin. Moreover, this current work illustrates how dendritic branching is regulated differently by the same growth factor depending on its spatial localization, suggesting a novel pathway for modulation of dendritic branching locally.
Dielectric Properties of Biological Materials and Interaction of Microwave Fields at the Cellular and Molecular Level

The propagation of electromagnetic waves in tissues is determined by their electrical properties. In addition, these properties tell us much about the mechanism of interaction of electromagnetic fields with various biological systems, including biopolymers, membranes and cells. Our present day knowledge of the electrical properties is rather advanced, and I shall first summarize the state of our present knowledge of such properties. Then I shall draw some conclusions about possible mechanisms which may or may not give cause to subtle nonthermal effects.