cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of age and dietary restriction on daily sperm production and number and transit time of epididymal spermatozoa in the mouse

Dietary restriction extends the DNA repair capacity and life span of mice. Age-related changes in spermatogenesis and transit time of epididymal spermatozoa were evaluated to determine if dietary restriction altered the age-related changes in these traits as well. At weaning, mice were fed NIH-31 diet ad libitum or restricted to 60% of the ad libitum and sacrificed at 6, 12, 19, 22, or 26 months of age. The number of maturation phase spermatids or epididymal spermatozoa were counted by phase contrast cytometry of testicular or epididymal homogenates. Daily sperm production/testis (DSP/T) was determined by dividing the number of spermatids per testis by the 4.84 day life span of these spermatids. Daily sperm production per g parenchyma (DSP/G) was calculated by dividing DSP/T by the testicular parenchymal weight. Transit time of epididymal spermatozoa was calculated by dividing the number of epididymal spermatozoa by the DSP/T of the attached testis. Over both treatments, testicular and parenchymal weights were significantly decreased with age. While both DSP/G and DSP/T were similar (P>0.05) for 19, 22, and 26 months of age, they were lower (P<0.05) at 6 and 12 months of age, and there was a trend for them to be lower at 26 months of age. Age also reduced the number and the transit time of epididymal spermatozoa. DSP/G was not uniform in adult mice. Over all ages, dietary restriction had no significant effect on testicular weight or DSP/G, but it significantly reduced body and epididymal weight, number of epididymal spermatozoa, and epididymal spermatozoan transit time. Transit time of spermatozoa in the mouse epididymis was very long in younger adult mice, could vary widely, and was reduced by age and dietary restriction. Although not statistically significant, there was a trend for a delay in obtaining maximum DSP/T at 12 months and a delay in obtaining the age-related, reduced DSP/T at 26 months in the dietary restricted group compared to that seen in the ad libitum group.
The effect of Emetine on macromolecular synthesis in synchronizedTetrahymena pyriformis

Emetin hemmt die synchronisierte Teilung vonTetrahymena pyriformis, verhindert die rasche Aufnahme von Aminosauren und verursacht offenbar eine Zellteilungshemmung.
Mechanics of a turbulent contact absorber

The operating conditions of a turbulent contact absorber (TCA) can be divided into four regimes. The characteristic behaviour of a TCA in each of the regimes is discussed. The condition below the flooding point is the usual operating regime. Correlations are developed to relate the pressure drop and the liquid holdup of a TCA by the operating variables. A terminal velocity model is developed to explain the flooding condition of a TCA. With this model, the hydrodynamic behavior of the TCA at the flooding point can be identified. The total pressure drop and the pressure drop across a single stage are distinguished to clarify the controversy whether the gas velocity can affect the pressure drop of a TCA. The total pressure drop of a TCA is composed of the pressure drop due to distributor loss at the entrance and the pressure drop of the bed itself. The pressure drop of a single stage bed of a TCA is independent of gas velocity. On peut diviser en 4 regimes les conditions operatoires d'un absorbeur a contact turbulent (ACT); on discute le comportement caracteristique d'un ACT dans chacun d'eux. La condition qui prevaut au-dessous du point d'engorgement constitue le regime habituel d'operation. On a mis au point des correlations entre la chute de pression et la retention du liquide d'un ACT par les variables operatoires. On a mis au point un modele terminal de vitesse pour expliquer la condition d'engorgement d'un ACT; on peut grâce a celui-ci identifier le comportement hydrodynamique de l'ACT au point d'engorgement. On fait une distinction entre la chute totale de pression et la chute de pression dans un simple etage, pour clarifier la controverse relative a l'influence possible de la vitesse du gaz sur la chute de pression d'un ACT. La chute totale de pression d'un ACT comprend la chute de pression qui resulte de la perte du distributeur a l'entree et la chute de pression du lit meme. La chute de pression d'un lit a etage simple d'un ACT est independante de la vitesse du gaz.
Two-dimensional register design using polarization-encoded optical shadow-casting

Abstract An architecture of two-dimensional optical registers employing optical flip-flops is proposed using the polarization-encoded optical shadow casting technique. Two separate designs of the register containing n 2 flip-flops are identified and discussed. A generalized algorithm for sequential logic design is also presented.
Nitrogen and Dry Matter Distribution by Culm and Leaf Position at Two Stages of Vegetative Growth in Winter Wheat

Knowledge of N and assimilate partitioning in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) improves management efficacy and crop model development. Our purpose was to describe N and dry matter distribution during vegetative growth of blades, sheaths, and internodes on four culms. Winter wheat grown at the Colorado State University Horticultural Farm was sampled at Haun Stage 5 and jointing. Samples were dried, weighed, and analyzed for N. As the canopy developed and older tissue contributed more of total tissue, N concentration decreased although N mass and dry weight increased. Dry matter and N mass decreased from MC to T1 and T2 to T11, while the reverse order was found for N concentration. Dry weight and N mass decreased as culm order increased (culm age decreased), because phytomers were smaller and fewer existed. Nitrogen concentration had the opposite trend because new tissue contained about 40 g N kg -1 but declined as the tissue aged to 30 g N kg -1 . Initial growth of all tissues had concentrations >50 g N kg -1 and at senescence declined to 19 g N kg -1 . Phytomer positions on different culms tended to have similar N concentrations while identical phytomers on primary tillers tended to have greater dry weights than those on the MC and secondary tillers. Phytomers tended to increase in N concentration and mass and dry weight acropetally. Results show that viewing the canopy as the interplay of appearance, growth, interaction, and senescence of culms or phytomers can increase understanding of canopy N and dry weight dynamics.
How shape constancy relates to drawing accuracy.

There is increasing evidence that the major source of drawing errors lies in the initial perception of the to-be-drawn object. In four experiments, the authors explore the relation between an artist’s susceptibility to perceptual transformations, as measured by a simple shape constancy task, and drawing accuracy. The data reveal a robust negative relation between errors on the shape constancy task and drawing accuracy in general, and specifically the accuracy of the rendering of spatial relations. The data further suggest that the perceptual processes that lead to errors on the shape constancy task occur during the initial encoding of the stimuli. The authors conclude that the shape constancy task likely measures one’s ability to overcome constructive perception processes that transform the retinal image into a final percept, and that this ability is necessary for the accurate rendering of objects.
Lifetime Benefits and Costs of Diverting Substance-Abusing Offenders From State Prison:

Prisons hold a disproportionate number of society’s drug abusers. Approximately 50% of state prisoners meet the criteria for a diagnosis of drug abuse or dependence; however, only 10% of prisoners receive drug treatment. Diverting offenders to community-based treatment has been shown to generate positive net social benefits. We build on a lifetime simulation model of a nationally representative state prison cohort to examine diversion from reincarceration to community-based substance abuse treatment. We find that diversion provides positive net societal benefits to the United States and cost savings to the national criminal justice system. Our study demonstrates the societal gains from improving access to the community drug treatment system as an alternative to prison.
Inverse discrete cosine transform architecture exploiting sparseness and symmetry properties

In this paper, a novel architecture for two-dimensional (2-D) inverse discrete cosine transform (IDCT) is implemented using 90-nm CMOS technology. By exploiting the sparseness property of a 2-D discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficient matrix and the even and odd symmetry properties of the basis vectors of the one-dimensional (I-D) DCT, the proposed architecture reduces computational complexity and increases a throughput rate effectively. First, we derive a recursion equation from the definition of the 2-D IDCT algorithm and use it to design an efficient 2-D IDCT architecture. The proposed architecture consisting of processing elements is suitable for very-large-scale-integration implementation due to its highly regular and scalable structure for 2-D N /spl times/ N IDCT computations. Based on the derived recursion equation, we show how data How for the outer products scaled by only nonzero 2-D DCT coefficients performs 2-D IDCT naturally with low complexities of the controller and the interconnection. The proposed architecture based on the recursion equation provides optimum balance in both hardware complexity and throughput rate when compared with other 2-D IDCT architectures.
Sequential and parallel complexity of approximate evaluation of polynomial zeros

Our new sequential and parallel algorithms establish new record upper bounds on both arithmetic and Boolean complexity of approximating to complex polynomial zeros. O(n2 log b log n) arithmetic operations or O(n log n log (bn)) parallel steps and n log b/log (bn) processors suffice in order to approximate with absolute errors ⩽ 2m−b to all the complex zeros of an nth degree polynomial p(x) whose coefficients have mod ⩽ 2m. If we only need such an approximation to a single zero of p(x), then O(n log b log n) arithmetic operations or O(log2 n log (bn)) steps and (n/log n)log b/log (bn) processors suffice (which places the latter problem in NC, that is, in the class of problems that can be solved using polylogarithmic parallel time and a polynomial number of processors). Those estimates are reached in computations with O(bn) binary bits where the polynomial has integer coefficients. We also reach the sequential Boolean time bounds O(bn3 log (bn)log log(bn)) for approximating to all the zeros (very minor improvement of the bound announced in 1982 by Schonhage) and O(bn2log log n log(bn)log log(bn)) for approximating to a single zero. Among further implications are the improvements of the known algorithms and complexity estimates for computing matrix eigenvalues, for polynomial factorization over the field of complex numbers and for solving systems of polynomial equations. The computations rely on recursive application of Turan's proximity test of 1968, on its more recent extensions to root radii computations, on contour integration via Fast Fourier transform (FFT) within geometric constructions for search and exclusion, and (for the final minor improvements of the complexity bounds) on the recursive factorization of p(x) over discs on the complex plane via numerical integration and Newton's iterations.'
Collaborative Approaches to Undergraduate Research Training: Information Literacy and Data Management

The undergraduate research experience (URE) provides an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful work with faculty mentors on research projects. An increasingly important component of scholarly research is the application of research data management best practices, yet this often falls out of the scope of URE programs. This article presents a case study of faculty and librarian collaboration in the integration of a library and research data management curriculum into a social work URE research team. Discussion includes reflections on the content and learning outcomes, benefits of a holistic approach to introducing undergraduate students to research practice, and challenges of scale.
Minimum energy control for in vitro neurons.

Objective. To demonstrate the applicability of optimal control theory for designing minimum energy charge-balanced input waveforms for single periodically-firing in vitro neurons from brain slices of Long-Evans rats. Approach. The method of control uses the phase model of a neuron and does not require prior knowledge of the neuron’s biological details. The phase model of a neuron is a one-dimensional model that is characterized by the neuron’s phase response curve (PRC), a sensitivity measure of the neuron to a stimulus applied at different points in its firing cycle. The PRC for each neuron is experimentally obtained by measuring the shift in phase due to a short-duration pulse injected into the periodically-firing neuron at various phase values. Based on the measured PRC, continuous-time, charge-balanced, minimum energy control waveforms have been designed to regulate the next firing time of the neuron upon application at the onset of an action potential. Main result. The designed waveforms can achieve the inter-spike-interval regulation for in vitro neurons with energy levels that are lower than those of conventional monophasic pulsatile inputs of past studies by at least an order of magnitude. They also provide the advantage of being charge-balanced. The energy efficiency of these waveforms is also shown by performing several supporting simulations that compare the performance of the designed waveforms against that of phase shuffled surrogate inputs, variants of the minimum energy waveforms obtained from suboptimal PRCs, as well as pulsatile stimuli that are applied at the point of maximum PRC. It was found that the minimum energy waveforms perform better than all other stimuli both in terms of control and in the amount of energy used. Specifically, it was seen that these charge-balanced waveforms use at least an order of magnitude less energy than conventional monophasic pulsatile stimuli. Significance. The significance of this work is that it uses concepts from the theory of optimal control and introduces a novel approach in designing minimum energy charge-balanced input waveforms for neurons that are robust to noise and implementable in electrophysiological experiments. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)
Natural Infestation of Onion Seed by Pantoea ananatis, Causal Agent of Center Rot.

ABSTRACT An immunomagnetic separation and polymerase chain reaction (IMS-PCR) assay was used to detect Pantoea ananatis in naturally infested onion seeds. Using species-specific PCR primers and polyclonal antibodies, IMS-PCR consistently demonstrated detection thresholds of 101 to 103 CFU/ml. There was no significant difference between the numbers of CFU recovered from onion seed wash by IMS (after repeated rinses) and by direct plating, indicating that IMS effectively captured P. ananatis cells from heterogeneous bacterial populations. Using IMS-PCR and IMS followed by plating on nutrient agar, P. ananatis was detected in 19.7% of onion seed samples harvested from two onion fields in which center rot developed naturally in 2000. When planted in germination boxes, 53% of the seed samples that tested positive for P. ananatis produced seedlings with symptoms of center rot. There was no significant difference in germination between infested and noninfested seed samples. This is the first report of natural in...
Training in Managerial Economics

Managerial economics, sometimes called decision theory analysis (DTA), is a way of quantitatively analysing and structuring the making of a business decision. The basic mathematical concepts of DTA are presented through a simplified example’ due to Howard Raiffa. Special note is made of two characteristic features: arabic The assignment of numerical ('utility') values to the various possible final outcomes of a decision problem. arabic The assignment of a priori ('Bayesian') probabilities to occurrences other than the decision maker's own choices. Possible advantages and disadvantages of the use of DTA in a business enterprise are then discussed, and several recent examples of such use are given. 1* This paper is based on a talk given to an East Midlands Regional Meeting of P.A. Management Consultants Limited in February 1970.
Requirement of BAX for Efficient Adenovirus-Induced Apoptosis

Infection of human epithelial cells with adenoviruses induces an apoptosis paradigm that is efficiently suppressed by the expression of viral E1B-19K protein, which is a functional homolog of the cellular antiapoptosis protein BCL-2. The mechanisms of adenovirus (Ad)-induced apoptosis appear to involve the cellular BCL-2 family proapoptotic proteins. Recent genetic studies with fibroblasts derived from mutant mouse embryos indicate that a class of the BCL-2 family proapoptotic proteins (designated BH-123 or multidomain proteins) such as BAX and BAK constitutes an essential component of the core apoptosis machinery in animal cells. We have examined the role of BAX in Ad-induced apoptosis in human epithelial cells using two colon cancer cell lines, HCT116Bax (Bax+/−) and HCT116BaxKO (Bax−/−) (L. Zhang, J. Yu, B. H. Park, K. W. Kinzler, and B. Vogelstein, Science 290:989-992, 2000). Infection of Bax+/− cells with an Ad type 2 mutant (dl250) defective in expression of the E1B-19K protein resulted in enhanced cytopathic effect, large plaques on cell monolayers, fragmentation of cellular DNA, and enhanced cell death. These mutant phenotypes were not efficiently expressed in Bax−/− cells, suggesting that BAX is essential for Ad-induced apoptosis. Infection of Bax+/− cells with dl250 induced increased levels of an N-terminally processed form of BAX. Cells infected with the 19K mutant also contained enhanced levels of truncated BAX in membrane-inserted form. Our results suggest that at least a part of the mechanism utilized by E1B-19K to suppress apoptosis during Ad infection may involve modulation of the activities of BAX.
Spectral analysis for statistical response compaction during built-in self-testing

Spectral generation of patterns, to excite the natural frequencies of a digital circuit, is highly effective in testing sequential circuits. We have created a hardware embodiment of the spectral test-pattern generator for built-in self-test (BIST). We present five new spectral response compactors SRC1-5 for BIST. Each analyzes the spectral content of circuit output responses, and accumulates their spectrum in one or more counters. The method has astonishing results. SRC1 never aliased for any faults in the ISC AS '89 benchmarks. SRC2, a low-overhead version of SRC1, aliased slightly more than the multiple-input signature register (MISR), but used less hardware than the MISR. This new spectral BIST system has a 91.26% shorter test sequence than for a conventional LFSR pattern generator and MISR system, with at least 8.42% higher fault coverage. The benefits of this are drastically shorter test sequences, the elimination of scan-shifting sequences, much lower test power dissipation, and higher fault coverage.
Robust control of nonlinear uncertain systems without generalized matching conditions

A novel procedure, called recursive-interlacing procedure, is proposed for designing globally stabilizing robust control. The procedure introduces new interlacing steps and combines them with the existing recursive or backstepping design. It is shown by examining all possible third-order vector systems that the procedure is applicable to systems not satisfying any of the existing structural conditions, that is, to systems in which uncertainties are potentially anywhere and of any bounding function. By its nature, the procedure is not limited to systems of any specific order; it either produces stabilizing control or reveals certain measure of unstabilizability, and it includes recursive design as a special case. >
Review of select transplant subpopulations at high risk of failure from standard immunosuppressive therapy.

Despite improvements in short-term graft and patient survival rates for solid organ transplants, certain subgroups of transplant recipients experience poorer clinical outcome compared to the general population. Groups including pediatrics, African-Americans, diabetics, cystic fibrosis patients, and pregnant women require special considerations when designing immunosuppressive regimens that optimize transplant outcomes. Problems specific to pediatric transplant recipients include altered pharmacokinetics of immunosuppressive drugs, such as cyclosporine (CsA) and tacrolimus (poor absorption, increased metabolism, rapid clearance), the need to restore growth post-transplantation, and a high incidence of drug-related adverse effects. African-Americans have decreased drug absorption and bioavailability, high immunologic responsiveness, and a high incidence of post-transplant diabetes mellitus. Diabetics and cystic fibrosis patients exhibit poor absorption of immunosuppressive agents, which may lead to underimmunosuppression and subsequent graft rejection. Pregnant women undergo physiologic changes that can alter the pharmacokinetics of immunosuppressives, thus requiring careful clinical management to minimize the risks of either under- or overimmunosuppression to mother and child. To achieve an optimal post-transplant outcome in these high-risk patients, the problems specific to each group must be addressed, and immunosuppressive therapy individualized accordingly. Drug formulation greatly impacts upon pharmacokinetics and the resultant level of immunosuppression. Thus, a formulation with improved absorption (e.g., CsA for microemulsion), higher bioavailability, and less pharmacokinetic variability may facilitate patient management and lead to more favorable outcomes, especially in groups demonstrating low and variable bioavailability. Other strategies aimed at improving transplant outcome include the use of higher immunosuppressive doses, different combinations of immunosuppressive agents, more frequent monitoring, and management of concurrent disease states.
Long-Term Efficacy of an Antitachycardia Pacemaker and Implantable Defibrillator Combination

Antitachycardia pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) were implanted in 14 patients to control recurrent hemodynamically stable ventricular tachycardia (VT). All patients underwent extensive preimplant testing in the electrophysiology laboratory documenting that in each patient at least 50 episodes of VT could be reliably terminated by an external model of the antitachycardia pacemaker. The burst scanning mode of antitachycardia pacing was used in all patients. ICDs were implanted solely as a back up should acceleration of VT occur, and all had high nonprogrammable rate cutoffs (mean 191 +/- 12 beats/min). During a mean follow-up of 25 +/- 6 months, 6,029 episodes of VT were treated in the 14 patients. Only 103 ICD discharges were required (approximately one discharge per 60 episodes of VT). Ten of the 14 patients received discharges from their ICDs. No deaths have occurred. All devices remain active and in the automatic mode. Thus, an antitachycardia pacemaker and ICD combination can safely and effectively terminate VT in highly selected patients who are subjected to extensive preimplant testing. In such patients, the vast majority of episodes of VT can be terminated with antitachycardia pacing, and only rarely is a discharge required from the ICD.
Induced maturation and spawning of domestic and wild striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), broodstock with implanted GnRH analogue and injected hCG

Abstract. A domestic striped bass. Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), broodstock was established by rearing fish to sexual maturity in ponds. A method was developed to reproduce the domestic females, and also wild females too immature to be successfully induced to spawn with injected human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The fish were implanted with pellets containing 100–150μg of a synthetic analogue of mammalian gonadotropin reieasing-hormone, [D-Ala6- Pro9-NEt]-LHRH (mGnRHa), in a matrix of cholesterol (CH) and cellulose. They were implanted with one fast hormone-release (80% CH) pellet and one slow hormone-release (95% CH) pellet and allowed to mature for 1–3 days, until they entered the process of final oocyte maturation and were induced to ovulate or spawn with an hCG injection. The secondary hCG injection was found to be necessary to speed the maturation of the wild fish; they otherwise would succumb to the stresses of capture, handling and confinement before they could be spawned. The total mGnRHa dosages used ranged from 33 to 111μg mGnRHa/kg body weight, and the hCG doses were either 165 or 330 IU hCG/kg body weight. Using the combined mGnRHa implant-hCG injection technique, fry production rates were comparable to those obtained using fully mature wild females taken directly from their spawning grounds.
Proteomic approaches in the search for disease biomarkers

Significant technological advances in protein chemistry, physics and computer sciences in the last two decades have greatly improved protein separation methodologies, such as electrophoresis and chromatography, and have established mass spectrometry (MS) as an indispensable tool for protein study. The goal of this review is to provide a brief overview of the recent improvements in these methodologies and present examples from their application in proteome analysis and search for disease biomarkers.
The challenge of getting technical experts to talk: why interviewing skills are crucial to the technical communication curriculum

Those involved in journalism and communication programs recognize the need to teach students interviewing theory and techniques. Technical communicators rely on interviews for a significant percentage of the information they need to do their jobs. Interviewing techniques are ranked in the top ten topics that technical communicators think should be taught in technical writing programs. The author describes a course with a general focus on interviewing skills and a particular emphasis on the challenges technical communicators face in the interview situation. >
Fanconi anemia, complementation group A, cells are defective in ability to produce incisions at sites of psoralen interstrand cross-links

The hypersensitivity of Fanconi anemia, complementation group A, (FA-A) cells to agents which produce DNA interstrand cross-links correlates with a defect in their ability to repair this type of damage. In order to more clearly elucidate this repair defect, chromatin-associated protein extracts from FA-A cells were examined for ability to endonucleolytically produce incisions in DNA at sites of interstrand cross-links. A defined 140 bp DNA substrate was constructed with a single site-specific monoadduct or interstrand cross-link produced by 4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen (TMP) plus long wavelength (UVA) light. Our results show that FA-A cells are defective in ability to produce dual incisions in DNA at sites of interstrand cross-links. Specifically, there is defective incision on the 3'- and 5'-sides of both the furan and pyrone sides of the cross-link. This defect is corrected in FA-A cells transduced with a retroviral vector expressing FANCA cDNA. At the site of a TMP monoadduct, FA-A cells can introduce incisions on both the 3'- and 5'-sides of the furan side monoadduct, but are defective in ability to produce these incisions on the pyrone side monoadduct. These studies also indicate that XPF is involved in production of the 5' incision by the normal extracts on these substrates. These results correlate with our previous work, which showed that FA-A cells are mainly defective in ability to repair psoralen interstrand cross-links with a lesser defect in ability to repair psoralen monoadducts. This defect in endonucleolytic incision at sites of TMP interstrand cross-links could be related to reduced levels of non-erythroid alpha spectrin (alphaSpIISigma*) in the extracts from FA-A cells. alphaSpIISigma* could act as a scaffold to align proteins involved in cross-link repair and enhance their interactions; a deficiency in alphaSpIISigma* could thus lead to reduced efficiency of repair and the decreased levels of incisions we observe at sites of interstrand cross-links in FA-A cells.
Censoring and Fusion in Non-linear Distributed Tracking Systems with Application to 2D Radar

The objective of this research is to study various methods for censoring state estimate updates generated from radar measurements. The generated 2-D radar data are sent to a fusion center using the J-Divergence metric as the means to assess the quality of the data. Three different distributed sensor network architectures are considered which include different levels of feedback. The Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) and the Gaussian Particle Filter (GPF) were used in order to test the censoring methods in scenarios which vary in their degrees of non-linearity. A derivation for the direct calculation of the J-Divergence using a particle filter is provided. Results show that state estimate updates can be censored using the J-Divergence as a metric controlled via feedback, with higher J-Divergence thresholds leading to a larger covariance at the fusion center.
Surfing the Internet for Strong-Motion Data

Introduction Earthquake strong-motion data are useful for a wide array of seismological and engineering research and applications. Unfortunately, strong-motion data are often difficult to acquire. While they are available from a diverse set of organizations and services, knowing where to look in order to retrieve a particular set of records is, to put it nicely, complicated. This brief summary is intended to provide information on obtaining strong-motion records online (or in other digital form), contacting data sources, retrieving ground-motion parameters, and accessing products and information pertaining to strong ground motions. The advent of the Internet has certainly made the acquisition of strong-motion data from recording organizations easier. However, there are many such organizations, and few have easy, direct approaches for providing the data to other users. Although I am not directly associated with any data source, I presently receive at least 5 requests per month for strong-motion data, simply because...
Abstract 1809: Reversal of Taxol resistance in ovarian cancer cell lines by IGF pathway inhibition

Our group recently reported increased insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) expression and AKT activation in ovarian cancer cells following treatment with the microtubule-stabilizing agent Taxol. We hypothesized that IGF2 is a modulator of Taxol resistance. Therefore, we developed cell line models of Taxol-resistance in A2780 and HEY, two ovarian cell lines, by repeated treatment with increasing Taxol concentrations, with or without concurrent verapamil, a p-glycoprotein inhibitor. The involvement of IGF2 in drug resistance was evaluated by real time PCR, immunoblotting, siRNA knockdown of IGF2, and small-molecule inhibition of the IGF1 Receptor (IGF1R; which is the major receptor for IGF2). In both of the resistant cell lines (A2780-Tx8Vp, 3-fold Taxol-resistance; and HEY-T30, 40-fold Taxol-resistance), IGF2 mRNA expression, measured by real time PCR, was significantly elevated compared with the parental cell lines, while IGF1R expression, assessed by immunoblotting, was mildly decreased. IGF1R inhibition by the small molecule NVP-AEW541 dramatically re-sensitized both resistant cell lines to Taxol, and cell cycle analysis demonstrated that concurrent NVP-AEW541 and Taxol significantly enhanced G2/M arrest, compared with Taxol alone. While A2780-Tx8Vp cells did not express detectable mdr1/abcb1 (encoding p-glycoprotein), HEY-T30 cells did over-express mdr1 (and were sensitized to Taxol treatment by verapamil). To exclude a possible interaction with p-glycoprotein, we evaluated IGF2 siRNA as an alternate, more specific approach of targeting the IGF pathway in HEY-T30 cells. It was found that IGF2 depletion by siRNA significantly enhanced the antiproliferative effect of Taxol in these cells. In summary, IGF2 modulates Taxol resistance in these ovarian cancer cell lines. IGF pathway inhibition, by IGF2 depletion or by inhibition of its major receptor IGF1R, reverses Taxol resistance in these cells. Such novel findings suggest that IGF2 could be a therapeutic target for ovarian cancer, particularly in the setting of Taxol resistance. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1809.
Vibration Analysis of Cable-Driven Parallel Manipulators for Hardware-in-the-Loop Contact-Dynamics Simulation

Possible vibration of cable-driven parallel manipulators (called cable manipulators for short) is a concern for some special applications such as hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) contact-dynamics simulation of spacecraft or space robotic systems. A cable manipulator used in HIL simulation is required to be rigid enough to have a high bandwidth to respond its input. This paper provides a vibration analysis of a general 6-DOF cable manipulator. Under an excitation, a cable may deflect in both axial and lateral directions due to its inevitable flexibility. The vibrations of cable manipulators caused by cable flexibility in both axial and lateral directions are analyzed. The study demonstrated that the cable manipulator can provide sufficient rigidity for applications like HIL contact-dynamics simulation of a spacecraft or space robotic system. It is also shown that the vibration of a cable manipulator due to the lateral flexibility of cables can be ignored comparing to that due to the axial flexibility of cables.© 2007 ASME
Photoionization Yields, Appearance Energies, and Densities of States of Copper Clusters

We present the results and analysis of photoionization measurements of neutral Cun=24–98 clusters, thermalized to T = 60 and 215 K. The photoion yield curves were used (1) to determine the cluster ionization appearance energies via a fit to the Fowler law of surface photoemission and (2) to explore the suitability of these curves for accessing information about electron states lying below the ionization threshold. The appearance energies follow a standard shell pattern up to n ≈ 40, but a subsequent structure suggests that the electronic shells become perturbed and split by crystal field effects. Nevertheless, it is apparent that the spectra are determined essentially by the number of delocalized electrons, i.e., by the sequential filling of electronic shell sublevels. The average shift of the appearance energies with cluster temperature was found to be in good agreement with a theoretical prediction for bulk copper. An important finding is that the derivatives of the ion yield curves overlap well with th...
Molecular profiling of breast ductal carcinoma in-situ

Ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) is a precursor of invasive breast carcinoma (IBC) and highly heterogeneous with variable presentation, morphology, and behavior. Although significant advance has been made in understanding the molecular changes in IBC in the past decade, the exact molecular behavior of DCIS, especially how it progresses to IBC is not well understood. Biomarkers that predict development of IBC are needed to improve personalized therapy. We have shown HER2 positivity in DCIS is significantly predictive of co-existent early IBC, raising a hypothesis that there are significant, differentially expressed genes in HER2 positive DCIS that are associated with high risk of developing IBC, as compared to more indolent DCIS. Gene expression profiles were performed in high nuclear grade DCIS, with different receptor status, using Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0 ST array and analyzed with the MATLAB software. Approximately thirty genes were identified to be expressed differently in the HER2 subtype as compared to the two other groups (ER/PR+ and triple negative). Uncovering gene expression signatures of HER2 positive DCIS can enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of breast cancer progression and become the basis for developing new predictive biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets, enhancing the management of patients with DCIS.
Pressure calculation of the restart of waxy crude oil pipelines

The pressure calculation of the restart of waxy crude oil pipeline makes for safety restart and restart design.The coupled model is studied with continuity equation,motion equation and theology equation.The restart model takes into account the compressibility and longitudinal variations.The theology of the gelled oil is modeled based on Bingham model,yield stress varies with time.Both laminar and turbulent flows are considered in the model.Pressure is calculated by numerical procedure.Compared to the previous model based on incompressible CNR,the present model gives a more realistic prediction.
A behavior analytic interpretation of the therapeutic relationship

The paper examines, from a behavior analytic perspective, the mechanisms through which change occurs within the context of the therapeutic relationship in individual psychotherapy. The analysis focuses upon the therapist’s shaping of the client’s behavior through subtle nonverbal cues and explicit verbal analyses. In the relationship, therapists modify behavior that has created difficulties for the client in the natural environment, and clinical change is dependent upon the extent to which those in the natural environment will reinforce functionally similar response classes. Ferster’s distinction between natural and arbitrary reinforcement and Skinner’s distinction between contingency-shaped and rule-governed behavior are also used to describe the manner through which change occurs. The goal of the paper is to stimulate behavior therapists to look more closely at the therapeutic relationship as a mechanism of clinical change and to help those of other perspectives see how their effectiveness within the relationship can be understood using the principles of learning.
Artificial Dendritic Cell Algorithm for Advanced Power System Monitoring

The functionality of dendritic cells, as part of the biological immune system, exhibits significant capabilities for class discrimination, pattern recognition, data processing, and information structuring and storage. These properties provide the basis for developing biomimetic techniques for monitoring and control of complex dynamic systems and processes. In this paper, a novel artificial dendritic cell algorithm in conjunction with the hierarchical multi-self strategy is developed within the artificial immune system paradigm to support advanced power plant health management. The proposed algorithm is addressing the specific characteristics of modern power plants, which include complexity, multidimensionality, and high coupling. The self/non-self representing the power plant is defined as a set of lower dimensional projections corresponding to the constituent sub-systems and capturing their inter-connections. The artificial dendritic cell is defined as a computational unit that collects the outcomes of the self/non-self discrimination process produced by all projections, structures and stores information, and presents it to the system health monitoring logic for abnormal condition detection and identification. The functionality of the proposed algorithm is illustrated using the self for an acid gas removal unit by detecting the occurrence of several abnormal conditions and identifying the affected sub-systems. Excellent detection and identification performance is obtained in terms of detection time, false alarms, detection rate, and identification rate for all cases considered. It is concluded that the proposed approach can potentially represent an effective and efficient tool for complex system health monitoring.
Health Educators as Problem Solvers/Policy Advocates: Taking on Childhood Obesity

In the United States many children are malnourished. We very rarely think of over-nutrition as malnutrition, but it is. Furthermore, our children are suffering because of it. No one would tell their child to go play in the street, because imminent harm and perhaps death would ensue. Yet we fail to recognize the threats posed by overweight and obesity. Not only is one’s quality of life greatly diminished, but morbidity and premature mortality from Type II diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease are the consequences. Obese persons are the subject of ridicule in television programming and the motion picture industry. This negative attention contributes to the stigma and resulting psychological pain endured by adults and children alike. Health educators must actively pursue resolution of the obesity crisis, not only through education, but through policy advocacy for PE standards, recess, school vending machine policies, nutrition education, and improved nutrition within our schools. Individual intervention has not proven effective, and it is time to address the environmental forces at work.
The Ontological Source of Logical Possibility in Catholic Second Scholasticism

There was an amazing amount of attention devoted to modalities in “second” or “post-medieval” scholasticism. Modalities were approached with great sophistication from logical, epistemological, and metaphysical perspectives. I will concentrate here on presenting an overview of Catholic second scholastic discussions of the ontological basis for logical possibility. This problem was the subject of much debate among the Scholastics of the time, so much so that for the first time ever in the history of scholasticism (medieval or modern) it was granted its own distinct quaestio in the philosophical texts of the early seventeenth century.
Reactive Leveling on the Ambler Walking Machine

Abstract Walking robots depend on the terrain that they are stepping on for support. When walking on unstructured natural terrain these supports may fail - endangering the safety of the robot. A reactive control method, reactive leveling, has been developed for such an event. It is shown that reactive leveling works in bringing the machine to level from unstructured support failures. However, the sensors used to measure body inclination should be chosen carefully in order to obtain appropriate mechanism response.
Implementing Domestic Violence Gun Confiscation Policy in Rural and Urban Communities: Assessing the Perceived Risk, Benefits, and Barriers:

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of why communities differing in culture and resources are willing and able to implement gun confiscation as part of a protective order in the absence of a uniform statewide gun law. Specifically, the perceived risk of intimate partner homicide and gun violence, effectiveness of implementing gun confiscation, and the barriers to implementing gun confiscation were assessed. Interviews were conducted with key community professionals (N = 133) who worked in victim services and the justice system in one urban community and four rural, under-resourced communities. Analyses revealed that professionals in the rural communities viewed the risk of intimate partner homicide and gun violence as lower, and the process of implementing gun confiscation as less effective than professionals in the urban community. In addition, urban justice system professionals, in comparison with all other professionals, reported fewer barriers to enforcing the gun confiscation police and were more likely to downplay law enforcement limitations in the community. The results have implications for developing more effective regional strategies in states that lack domestic violence gun laws as a means to increase a community's ability to enforce gun policies and initiatives.
Macroinvertebrate richness is lower in high-elevation lakes vs nearby streams: evidence from Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Mountain ecosystems will be strongly impacted by climate change, yet little is known of extant biodiversity in high-elevation lakes, particularly in North America. In this study, we sampled the lit...
Impact of High-Reliability Education on Adverse Event Reporting by Registered Nurses

Adverse event reporting is one strategy to identify risks and improve patient safety, but, historically, adverse events are underreported by registered nurses (RNs) because of fear of retribution and blame. A program was provided on high reliability to examine whether education would impact RNs' willingness to report adverse events. Although the findings were not statistically significant, they demonstrated a positive impact on adverse event reporting and support the need to create a culture of high reliability.
Impact of subsidies on technical efficiency of meat processing companies.

The paper deals with the technical efficiency analysis of meat processors in the Czech Republic and evaluates an impact of subsidies on companies’ technical efficiency. Albertina database which collects accounting data of the Czech meat processors was used for the empirical analysis for the programming period 2007-2013. Subsidies data was collected from the public register of recipients of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic. In total, 207 meat processors were analysed. The methodological approach taken in this study is based on translogarithmic production function and Stochastic Frontier Analysis. True Random Effects model, and Battese and Coelli model were used to evaluate the impact of subsidies on technical efficiency. The results of both used methods indicate positive impact of subsidies on meat processors technical efficiency. Material input displays the highest elasticity; the lowest elasticity belongs to production factor Capital. Technical change has a positive impact on production.
Metoprolol vs. diltiazem in the acute management of atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to examine the effects of metoprolol versus diltiazem in the acute management of atrial fibrillation (AF) with rapid ventricular response (RVR) in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods This retrospective cohort study of patients with HFrEF in AF with RVR receiving either intravenous push (IVP) doses of metoprolol or diltiazem was conducted between January 2012 and September 2016. The primary outcome was successful rate control within 30 min of medication administration, defined as a heart rate (HR) Results Of the 48 patients included, 14 received metoprolol and 34 received diltiazem. The primary outcome, successful rate control within 30 min, occurred in 62% of the metoprolol group and 50% of the diltiazem group (p = 0.49). There was no difference in HR control at predefined time points or incidence of hypotension, bradycardia, or conversion. Although baseline HR varied between groups, maximum median change in HR did not differ. Signs of worsening heart failure were similar between groups. Conclusions For the acute management of AF with RVR in patients with HFrEF, IVP diltiazem achieved similar rate control with no increase in adverse events when compared to IVP metoprolol.
β-Arrestins and G protein-coupled receptor trafficking.

Nonvisual arrestins (β-arrestin-1 and β-arrestin-2) are adaptor proteins that function to regulate G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling and trafficking. β-arrestins are ubiquitously expressed and function to inhibit GPCR/G protein coupling, a process called desensitization, and promote GPCR trafficking and arrestin-mediated signaling. β-arrestin-mediated endocytosis of GPCRs requires the coordinated interaction of β-arrestins with clathrin, adaptor protein 2 (AP2), and phosphoinositides. These interactions are facilitated by a conformational change in β-arrestin that is thought to occur upon binding to a phosphorylated activated GPCR. In this review, we provide an overview of the key interactions involved in β-arrestin-mediated trafficking of GPCRs.