cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genome-wide analysis of AP-3-dependent protein transport in yeast.

The evolutionarily conserved adaptor protein-3 (AP-3) complex mediates cargo-selective transport to lysosomes and lysosome-related organelles. To identify proteins that function in AP-3–mediated transport, we performed a genome-wide screen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for defects in the vacuolar maturation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), a cargo of the AP-3 pathway. Forty-nine gene deletion strains were identified that accumulated precursor ALP, many with established defects in vacuolar protein transport. Maturation of a vacuolar membrane protein delivered via a separate, clathrin-dependent pathway, was affected in all strains except those with deletions of YCK3, encoding a vacuolar type I casein kinase; SVP26, encoding an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) export receptor for ALP; and AP-3 subunit genes. Subcellular fractionation and fluorescence microscopy revealed ALP transport defects in yck3Δ cells. Characterization of svp26Δ cells revealed a role for Svp26p in ER export of only a subset of type II membrane proteins. Finally, ALP maturation kinetics in vac8Δ and vac17Δ cells suggests that vacuole inheritance is important for rapid generation of proteolytically active vacuolar compartments in daughter cells. We propose that the cargo-selective nature of the AP-3 pathway in yeast is achieved by AP-3 and Yck3p functioning in concert with machinery shared by other vacuolar transport pathways.
Temporal-Logic-Based Reactive Mission and Motion Planning

This paper provides a framework to automatically generate a hybrid controller that guarantees that the robot can achieve its task when a robot model, a class of admissible environments, and a high-level task or behavior for the robot are provided. The desired task specifications, which are expressed in a fragment of linear temporal logic (LTL), can capture complex robot behaviors such as search and rescue, coverage, and collision avoidance. In addition, our framework explicitly captures sensor specifications that depend on the environment with which the robot is interacting, which results in a novel paradigm for sensor-based temporal-logic-motion planning. As one robot is part of the environment of another robot, our sensor-based framework very naturally captures multirobot specifications in a decentralized manner. Our computational approach is based on first creating discrete controllers satisfying specific LTL formulas. If feasible, the discrete controller is then used to guide the sensor-based composition of continuous controllers, which results in a hybrid controller satisfying the high-level specification but only if the environment is admissible.
Circadian eating and sleeping patterns in the night eating syndrome.

O’REARDON, JOHN P., BRENDA L. RINGEL, DAVID F. DINGES, KELLY COSTELLO ALLISON, NAOMI L. ROGERS, NICOLE S. MARTINO, ALBERT J. STUNKARD. Circadian eating and sleeping patterns in the night eating syndrome. Obes Res. 2004;12:1789–1796. Objective: To compare the eating and sleep-wake patterns of persons with the night eating syndrome (NES) with those of matched control subjects. Research Methods and Procedures: Forty-six overweight/ obese NES subjects (mean age 43.3 9.8 years; 32 women) and 43 similar controls (mean age 39.0 11.0 years; 28 women) wore wrist actigraphs for 7 days and completed sleep and food diaries at home. Results: There was no difference between the total energy intake of the NES and the control subjects, but the pattern of energy intake differed greatly. Relative to control subjects, the temporal pattern of food intake of night eaters was delayed. Food intake after the evening meal, as a proportion of the 24-hour intake, was more than 3-fold greater in NES subjects than in controls (34.6 10.1% vs. 10.0 6.9%, p 0.001). NES subjects had sleep onset, offset, and total sleep duration times comparable with those of controls. NES subjects reported more nocturnal awakenings than did controls (1.5 1.0 per night vs. 0.5 0.5; p 0.001), and their actigraphically monitored arousals occurred earlier during sleep (at 128 minutes after sleep onset vs. 193 minutes, p 0.01). NES subjects consumed food on 74% of the awakenings vs. 0% for the controls. Discussion: The pattern of cumulative energy intake of the night eaters suggests a phase delay in energy consumption relative to sleep-wake times. NES may involve a dissociation of the circadian control of eating relative to sleep.
Juru at TREC 2004: Experiments with Prediction of Query Difficulty.

Our experiments in the Robust track this year focused on predicting query diculty and using this prediction for improving information retrieval. We developed two prediction algorithms and used the subsequent prediction in several ways in order to improve the performance of the search engine. These included modifying the search engine parameters, using selective query expansion, and switching between dierent topic parts. We also experimented with a new scoring model based on ideas from the field of machine learning. Our results show that query prediction is indeed ecient in improving retrieval, although further work is needed in order to improve the performance of the prediction algorithms and their uses.
Electoral Volatility and Party Decline in Western Democracies: 1970–1995:

In 1970, Richard Rose and Derek Urwin published a seminal piece on the stability of party support in Western democracies, ‘Persistence and Change in Western Party Systems Since 1945’. Everywhere they looked, established parties seemed to reflect stability rather than change, lending credence to the notion that party systems were ‘frozen’. Numerous subsequent studies, however, have produced mixed results. Part of what seems to be fueling this debate lies in the disparate measures researchers use to gauge stability. In this update of Rose and Urwin's study, I address the issue of comparable results by maintaining the same data source and methods they used to gauge the stability of party support, extending the study to the present. The results indicate that party system instability is on the rise throughout much of the West since 1970, with statistically significant increases seen in Scandinavia and across all regions combined. Furthermore, the parties which seem to be experiencing the most change are not on...
Efficacy of sequential use of fluoxetine for smoking cessation in elevated depressive symptom smokers.

INTRODUCTION Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, was examined in the treatment of smokers with elevated depressive symptoms. Specifically, this randomized, open-label clinical trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy of three logical, real-world alternatives for providing smoking cessation treatment to smokers with elevated depressive symptoms. METHODS In a sample of 216 smokers (mean Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale score = 11.41), participants were randomly assigned to (a) transdermal nicotine patch (TNP), beginning on quit date and continuing for 8 weeks thereafter; (b) standard administration of antidepressant pharmacotherapy with fluoxetine (20mg), beginning 2 weeks before quit date and continuing for 8 weeks following quit date + TNP (ST-FLUOX); or (c) sequential administration of fluoxetine (20mg), beginning 8 weeks before quit date and continuing for 8 weeks following quit date + TNP (SEQ-FLUOX). All participants received 5 sessions of brief behavioral smoking cessation treatment. RESULTS Findings indicate that SEQ-FLUOX resulted in significantly higher point prevalence abstinence than ST-FLUOX at 6-month follow-up (OR = 2.35; 95% CI = 1.10-5.02, p < .03), a difference that was reduced at the 12-month assessment. Furthermore, sequential fluoxetine treatment, compared with standard fluoxetine treatment, resulted in significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms throughout smoking cessation treatment (p < .025) and significantly lower nicotine withdrawal-related negative affect (p < .004) immediately after quitting. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that if one is going to prescribe fluoxetine for smoking cessation in smokers with elevated depressive symptoms, it is best to begin prescribing fluoxetine well before the target quit date.
Below the salt: decentralizing value-added taxes

Although VATs applied simultaneously within the same country by different levels of government were long considered to be either undesirable or infeasible, two quite different types of sub-central VATs – regional consumption taxes and local business taxes -- now exist in a number of countries. Brazil, Canada, and India have introduced regional (state and provincial) VATs which, like national VATs, are general taxes on consumption administered through a transaction-based credit-invoice approach. Although these three countries are very different, and each has established such a tax for its own reasons in different ways and with varying degrees of success, as this paper discusses, on the whole such regional VATs appear to work fairly well, especially in Canada. The issues that arise with independent regional VATs are closely related to those arising with national VATs in a common market such as the EU. A number of problems such as ‘carousel’ (or ‘missing trader’) fraud have recently received considerable attention in the EU and a variety of alternative solutions to such problems have been suggested, some involving major structural changes in the VAT. Experience with regional VATs, however, suggests that what is needed to resolve most such problems is primarily a firmer ‘EU-wide’ framework for improving VAT administration. The second type of sub-central VAT that has recently emerged in Italy, Japan, and France (as well as in several U.S. states) takes the form of a revised form of local business tax which is generally imposed on an ‘income’ (origin) basis in contrast to the destination-based consumption VATs discussed earlier. These taxes seem superior in some important respects to other forms of local business taxation and appear to be compatible with both regional and national VATs. Although important economic and administrative aspects require careful consideration in designing and implementing ‘two-level’ (dual) VATs, such dual VATs (or even triple VATs, including an ‘income-type’ VAT at the local level) are evidently both feasible technically and acceptable politically. This conclusion does not mean that regional VATs are either inherently desirable or necessarily the best alternative for any country (or set of countries). But it does suggest that such taxes may work more satisfactorily in at least some countries than other forms of regional sales taxes or local business taxes. Indeed, both varieties of ‘decentralized VATs’ discussed here may become more important over time.
Pentobarbital effects on plasma catecholamines: temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure

The effects of intravenous pentobarbital were studied in dogs. Plasma pentobarbital concentrations were inversely related to epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations. Plasma catecholamines appeared fully suppressed at pentobarbital levels greater than 25-30 micrograms/ml. Furthermore, pentobarbital levels were negatively related to rectal temperature, heart rate, and mean blood pressure. The methods of pentobarbital administration influenced plasma pentobarbital as well as epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. These observations suggest the possibility that pentobarbital inhibits the sympathetic nervous system, which in turn may affect temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Because pentobarbital anesthesia affects plasma catecholamine concentrations, the regimen used in animal models requires consideration when interpreting data potentially influenced by the sympathetic nervous system.
Icelandic low cyclone activity : Climatological features, linkages with the NAO, and relationships with recent changes in the Northern Hemisphere circulation

Abstract Output from a cyclone detection and tracking algorithm, applied to twice-daily sea level pressure (SLP) fields for the period 1966–93, is used to examine the characteristics of cyclone activity associated with the locus of the mean Icelandic low (IL), variability during extremes of the North Atlantic oscillation (NAO), and recent changes in relation to circulation over the Northern Hemisphere. Cyclone events within the climatological IL display a modest seasonal cycle with a winter maximum. However, winter systems are considerably deeper than their summer counterparts with much larger maximum deepening rates. During the cold season (October–March), IL cyclone intensities are typical of oceanic systems but exhibit lower maximum deepening rates. During the warm season (April–September), intensities are typical of Northern Hemisphere values with deepening characteristics similar to those for all extratropical oceans. Depending on the month, 10%–15% (13%–18%) of cyclone events in the IL region repres...
Interstitial 125I implantation in the retreatment of retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma. Report of a case.

Interstitial 125I was succesfully used in the retreatment of a large recurrent malignant schwannoma in the retroperitoneum. After an average tumor dose of 160 Gy the tumor calcified and the patient is well, without disease 2 years later.
Injectivity can fail for higher-dimensional harmonic extensions

By the Poisson integral formula, each self-homeomorphism of the unit circle extends to a complex-valued harmonic function that maps the unit disc onto itself. The Rado–Kneser–Choquet theorem guarantees the injectivity of this harmonic extension. We show that this result fails in R n n≥3, by constructing a self-homeomorphism of the sphere whose harmonic extension fails to be injective. Even worse, this homeomorphism can be chosen arbitrarily close to the identity in the uniform norm. The homeomorphism provides also an example of a non-injective conformally natural extension. The question of injectivity remains open for pluriharmonic extensions in C n.
Interjurisdictional competition and the Married Women’s Property Acts

Married women in the early nineteenth century United States were not permitted to own property, enter into contracts without their husband’s permission, or stand in court as independent persons. This severely limited married women’s ability to engage in formal business ventures, collect rents, administer estates, and manage bequests through wills. By the dawn of the twentieth century, legal reform in nearly every state had removed these restrictions by extending formal legal and economic rights to married women. Legal reform being by nature a public good with dispersed benefits, what forces impelled legislators to undertake the costs of action? In this paper, I argue that interjurisdictional competition between states and territories in the nineteenth century was instrumental in motivating these reforms. Two conditions are necessary for interjurisdictional competition to function: (1) law-makers must hold a vested interest in attracting population to their jurisdictions, and (2) residents must be able to actively choose between the products of different jurisdictions. Using evidence from the passage of the Married Women’s Property Acts, I find that legal reforms were adopted first and in the greatest strength in those regions in which there was active interjurisdictional competition.
Egg and Larval Diapause in Two Populations of Aedes Geniculatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Aedes geniculatus mosquitoes diapause either as eggs (mature embryos) or as 4th- (last-) instar larvae. Photoperiod and temperature effects on induction and termination of egg and larval diapause were studied in populations from near Orgosolo, Sardinia (MTSGIOV strain), and Brighton, England (SUSSEX strain). A percentage of each population undergoes “obligate” egg diapause. In the facultative diapause portion of the population, short-day photoperiods induced diapause, while long-day photoperiods maintained egg hatchability. Warm temperatures and long days were most effective in promoting a return to hatchability among diapause eggs. MTSGIOV had a relatively weaker embryonic diapause than SUSSEX. Larval diapause was induced by short-day, cool conditions and prevented by long days in both populations. Diapause was terminated by long days. Compared to MTSGIOV, SUSSEX larvae had a longer critical photoperiod for diapause induction, stronger diapause intensity (i.e., less easily terminated), and a greater sex-related difference in intensity. Sex-related differences were present in both the induction and the intensity of egg and larval diapause. Males were less likely to enter either diapause state and had a less intense diapause than females.
POLYVASCULAR DISEASE, DIABETES MELLITUS AND LONG-TERM VASCULAR RISK: INSIGHTS FROM THE IMPROVE-IT TIMI 40 TRIAL

Polyvascular disease and diabetes (DM) are each associated with increased early CV risk in patients with ACS. Whether these risks are additive over long-term follow up is unknown. We explored the long-term CV risk associated with polyvascular disease, DM and their combination in patients with ACS.
Rearing the Army Cutworm on an Artificial Diet

Euxoa auxiliaries (Grote) was reared successfully on a semi synthetic diet for 10 generations without any apparent change in morphology, fecundity, or egg viability. Eggs hatched in 5 days when they were incubated at 26.5 and 80% RH. The 7 larval stages obtained with this rearing method were completed in 29-33 days, and 97% of the larvae survived. The pupal stage lasted 19-24 days, and 88% emerged as adults.
Oral manifestations of cretinism

Summary The oral aspects of a 22-year-old untreated cretin, living in an isolated endemic goiter region of the United States, have been presented and compared to similar case reports in the literature. The most impressive oral finding was the advanced periodontal disease with massive gingival hypertrophy. The other outstanding observation was the essentially normal dental eruption and developmental patterns, although general somatic development and maturation were greatly arrested.
Redundancy Technologies for Mobile Communication Networks

With the growing popularization of mobile communication services, a growing demand for better Quality of Service (QoS) arises from the subscribers. An uninterrupted service provided with the network after a node failure is also expected from operators. To achieve this, duplex backup and even multiplex backup have been gradually introduced into the network. Among redundancy techniques, dual-home and IuFlex are more successful. Dual-home is a typical duplex backup system with activation of the backup server after the host server failure. IuFlex is one of the multi-backup techniques with overhead transference to other node in switching pool after single switching node failure.
Development and Application of Electricity Consumer Information System

To suit the development of electricity markets and intelligent power grids,a new generation of power consumer information system is prepared to build in China.In the viewpoint of development of electric energy meters,the development and application of power consumer information system are analyzed and discussed.The actual examples and trend to enhance demand side power consumption management and supply side power marketing and management home and abroad,and the role played in energy conservation and loss reduction as well as power gird operation optimization by power consumer information system are presented.Finally,the suggestions on constructing a new generation of power consumer information system are put forward.
Stage A prostatic carcinoma and repeat transurethral resection: a reappraisal 5 years later.

AbstractThe treatment of patients with stage A prostatic carcinoma demands precise pathological review. In an attempt to evaluate these patients thoroughly earlier reports from our institution recommended repeat transurethral biopsy. Recent studies have reaffirmed the benign nature of stage A1 disease. To examine the efficacy of this procedure a referee pathologist reviewed 8 years of experience with patients with stage A prostatic carcinoma from our institution. Clinical followup was more than 5 years in most cases. Of the 40 patients who underwent repeat transurethral biopsy the tumor in 38 remained stage A1 pathologically. While 1 patient died of the tumor the remainder are without clinical disease. This low incidence of upstaging does not support the routine use of repeat resections.
A research coding method for the basic patient-centered interview.

Abstract Objective To develop a more reliable coding method of medical interviewing focused on data-gathering and emotion-handling. Methods Two trained (30 h) undergraduates rated videotaped interviews from 127 resident-simulated patient (SP) interactions. Trained on 45 videotapes, raters coded 25 of 127 study set tapes for patient-centeredness. Guetzkow’s U, Cohen’s Kappa, and percent of agreement were used to measure raters’ reliability in unitizing and coding residents’ skills for eliciting: agenda (3 yes/no items), physical story (2), personal story (6), emotional story (15), using indirect skills (4), and general patient-centeredness (3). Results 45 items were dichotomized from the earlier, Likert scale-based method and were reduced to 33 during training. Guetzkow’s U ranged from 0.00 to 0.087. Kappa ranged from 0.86 to 1.00 for the 6 variables and 33 individual items. The overall kappa was 0.90, and percent of agreement was 97.5%. Percent of agreement by item ranged from 84 to 100%. Conclusions A simple, highly reliable coding method, weighted (by no. of items) to highlight personal elements of an interview, was developed and is recommended as a criterion standard research coding method. Practice implications An easily conducted, reliable coding procedure can be the basis for everyday questionnaires like patient satisfaction with patient-centeredness.
Piezoelectric vibration-driven locomotion systems – Exploiting resonance and bistable dynamics

Abstract While a piezoelectric-based vibration-driven system is an excellent candidate for actuating small-size crawling-type locomotion robots, it has the major drawback of limited stroke output that would severely constraint the system's locomotion performance. In this paper, to advance the state of the art, we propose two novel designs of piezoelectric vibration-driven locomotion systems. The first utilizes the resonant amplification concept, and the second explores the design of a bistable device. While these two ideas have been explored for piezoelectric actuation amplification in general, they have never been exploited for crawling-type robotic locomotion. Numerical analyses on both systems reveal that resonance and bistability can substantially increase the systems’ average locomotion speed. Moreover, this research shows that with bistability, the system is able to output high average locomotion speed in a wider frequency band, possess multiple locomotion modes, and achieve fast switches among them. Through proof-of-concept prototypes, the predicted locomotion performance improvements brought by resonance and bistability are verified. Finally, the basin stability is evaluated to systematically describe the occurring probability of certain locomotion behavior of the bistable system, which would provide useful guideline to the design and control of bistable vibration-driven locomotion systems.
Parenting practices toward food and children's behavior: Eating away from home versus at home

Parenting style influences a child's overall diet quality and establishes food preferences. Parenting style and “food rules” for children differ by eating at home or away from home. Eating meals away from home is increasing despite associations with consumption of unhealthy foods and higher weight status. The objective of the current study was to compare parenting practices and decision-making at restaurants versus at home. A mixed methods approach was utilized: facilitated, individual interviews to explore decision-making and parenting practices; written questionnaires for socio-demographic information; and body mass index. Summaries and emergent themes were generated based on examination of tapes and transcripts. Descriptive statistics were computed for questionnaire data. Twenty-five mothers of children of five to eight years who ate at restaurants at least two times per week participated. Mothers reported more permissive food rules at restaurants yet maintained higher behavioral expectations. Mothers were also more likely to make decisions about whether they eat out, where to eat, and children's meal selections than their children. The findings suggest that parenting practices toward overall behavior and food choices may differ at restaurants than at home, highlighting the importance of healthy menu options, further research, and educational strategies.
Abstract 450: Dopamine D2 receptors regulate Wnt signaling in the kidney.

We have already reported that dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) are involved in the regulation of blood pressure and renal inflammation. In mice selective renal Drd2 silencing by subcapsular infusion of D2R siRNA for 7 days does not affect blood pressure but results in increased expression of inflammatory factors in the renal cortex, glomerulosclerosis, tubular epithelial degeneration, tubular dilation and cast formation, as well as increased expression of pro-apoptotic caspase-1 (1.34±0.02 fold; qRT-PCR n=5/ group, P<0.05) and decreased expression of the anti-apoptotic factors, Bcl2a (0.71±0.02 fold; P<0.05) and survivin (0.57±0.02 fold; P<0.03) in the D2R siRNA infused kidneys compared to those infused with non-silencing siRNA (NS siRNA). We hypothesized that some of this alterations are mediated by the Wnt pathway that is involved in cell survival and the development of fibrosis in the kidney. The expression of Wnt 3 (4.8±0.1 fold; n=3; P<0.05), and Wnt 5 (1.5±0.03 fold; P<0.05) was increased in the infused kidney, as well as that of the downstream targets Dkk1 (Dickkopf 1 homolog; 1.7±0.05 fold; P<0.05), Wisp1 (WNT1 induced secreted protein 1, 2.3±0.05 fold; P<0.05), Sfrp2 (secreted frizzled-related protein 2;1.9±0.10 fold; P<0.05), Fn1 (fibronectin 1; 1.3±0.03 fold; P<0.05), and TGFβ (1.6±0.04 fold; P<0.05). Silencing of Drd2 (siRNA, 30 nM, 72 h) in mouse renal proximal tubule cells (mPTCs) also increased significantly the expression of Wnt3, Wnt5, Wisp1, Dkk1, and Sfrp2. In contrast D2R stimulationin mPTCs (quinpirole, 1μM,24 h) decreased the expression of Wnt3, Wnt 5 and their targets. Our results indicate that D2R function is important in the regulation of the Wnt pathway and that the alterations in D2R function result in profound modifications in the pathway potentially leading to cell death and fibrosis and hypertension.
Classification of Ciliary Motion with 3D Convolutional Neural Networks

Cilia are hair-like structures found on nearly every cell in the body. Motile cilia in the nasal and bronchial passages work to propel mucus and foreign matter from the respiratory system. Abnormal ciliary motion results in a wide spectrum of disorders. Currently, defective ciliary motion is diagnosed by visual examination of nasal biopsies for signs of dyskinesia. However, these examinations are highly subjective, lacking a "common language" of standardized quantitative metrics to describe the observed motion. Previous work relied on autoregressive representations of optical flow features that were fed into a support vector machine classifier. However, this approach was limited by two critical constraints: the strong parametric assumptions imposed by autoregressive models on the underlying structure of the data, and the requirement for experts to manually select regions of interest to be analyzed in the videos. Deep learning suffers from neither of these limitations. Feature maps are automatically generated from relevant portions of videos. Furthermore, the feed-forward architecture of convolutional neural networks do not impose the strong parametric assumptions of autoregressive models, permitting complex behaviors to be captured. Here, we demonstrate initial results in applying 3D deep convolutional networks to binary classification of ciliary motion. While our preliminary results lag behind those of previous work, there is considerable promise in deep learning for ciliary motion analysis and room for further experimental design.
Communicating Terror: Mediatization and Ritualization:

In this essay, we explicate the internal logic of contemporary terrorist acts and our society’s responses, to denaturalize the label and meanings we give to “terrorism.” We argue that contemporary terrorism communicates intimidation, fear, and anxiety through the ritualization and mediatization of terrorist attacks. Mediatization refers to the strategic coercion of imperative media coverage of the attacks, and ritualization refers to the focus on sacred life structures in both terrorist attacks and remedial responses. In combining ritualization and mediatization, terrorism aims to introduce maximal chaos through unexpected disruption of the sacred and taken-for-granted in everyday life in the community of the attack and wherever media coverage can reach. The fear and anxiety induced by disrupted life rhythms, including normal media flows, and the compelling footage of the disruption lead to ritualized reactions which both restore and transform the social order beyond the moment of the attack.
Protective effects of glutathione on oxidative injury induced by hydrogen peroxide in intestinal epithelial cells

Abstract Background Reactive oxygen species are increased in multiple gastrointestinal diseases and contribute to their pathogenesis. glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant that helps to prevent reactive oxygen species–mediated mucosal damage. This study examines the mechanisms by which GSH attenuates hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)–induced injury in intestinal epithelial cells. Methods IEC-6 cells were cultured and treated with H2O2 ± GSH. Inflammation was measured by nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) P65 expression, NF-κB nuclear translocation, iκBα phosphorylation, and interleukin 1 beta secretion. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated UTP end-labeling staining and cleaved caspase-3 were used to assess apoptosis. The role of P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P38 MAPK) signaling was examined using the P38 MAPK agonist U46619 and inhibitor SB203580 in H2O2 and GSH-treated cells. Phosphorylated and total P38 MAPKs and cleaved caspase-3 were measured by Western blot. Data are means ± standard deviation, statistical significance P Results Pretreatment with GSH attenuates the activation of NF-κB and P38 MAPK signaling pathways by H2O2. GSH also decreased H2O2-mediated increases in interleukin 1 beta secretion, cleaved caspase-3 activation, and apoptosis in IEC-6 cells. SB203580 attenuated the increase in apoptosis and cleaved caspase-3 in H2O2-treated cells. The increase in apoptotic index and cleaved caspase-3 observed in U46619-treated cells was also diminished by GSH. Conclusions GSH appears to ameliorate oxidative injury in intestinal epithelial cells by attenuating H2O2-mediated activation of NF-κB and P38 MAPK signaling pathways that regulate intestinal inflammation and apoptosis.
Real-time multicast in wireless communications

This paper presents methods for the reconfiguration of a multicast tree at the instance of node migration in cellular wireless networks. We consider a novel, and highly practical, formulation of the real-time multicast problem. Unlike the traditional notion of source to leaf node message transmission time being the measure for real-time, we consider the multicast tree re-construction time (in the event of a node migration) as the measure for real-time constraints. The overall goal is to minimize both the delays: i) delay of re-constructing the multicast tree and ii) source to destination transmission delay. In this paper, we introduce and provide solutions for the first objective, while the current research in real-time multicast tree considers the latter objective only. We propose two heuristics to solve the real-time multicast tree re-construction problem, one as a foreground and the other as a background algorithm, and present analysis and simulation results for several factors that contribute differently to the re-construction delay.
Drug treatment of patients with insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness: pharmacokinetic considerations.

Insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) are frequently observed conditions in the general public. A national survey in the USA in 1979 indicated that 35% of American adults experience insomnia in the course of a year. The prevalence of EDS varies depending on the survey (0.3 to 13.3%), but a recent study stated that 2.4% of individuals reported that they continually fell asleep at work. These problems are often long term and negatively affect the individuals' quality of life. People with these sleep problems often have difficulties maintaining high levels of productivity at work or pursuing their daily activities; individuals with insomnia lack the feeling of being rested or refreshed in the morning and EDS is unavoidable in most cases. Behavioural therapy has been shown to be effective for many people affected with insomnia and EDS. However, pharmacological treatments using hypnosedatives and central nervous system (CNS) stimulants are usually necessary, and effective, for those with more severe cases. These compounds have thus been widely prescribed in clinical practice (e.g., 2.6% of all adults surveyed used medically prescribed hypnosedatives and 4.5% used over-the-counter drugs to promote sleep). The onset and duration of action of these hypnosedatives and CNS stimulant drugs are important factors to be considered when prescribing these compounds. These factors primarily depend on physicochemical properties (lipid solubility and protein binding), as well as the pharmacokinetic profile (absorption, distribution, elimination and clearance) of the compounds. Significant differences in profile exist amongst hypnosedatives and CNS stimulants, and these differences may account for the observed variations in clinical action and adverse effects during and after treatment. In this review, we will introduce recently obtained knowledge of the pharmacokinetics of hypnosedatives and CNS stimulants and their applications for patients affected with insomnia and EDS.
Assessment of Oral Presentations in an Accounting Program: Videotapes and Role Plays

Abstract This work was motivated by feedback received from a School Accountancy’s Advisory Board; the members were dissatisfied with new accounting staff hires’ face-to-face communication skills. Although the School was achieving positive assessment results using traditional methodology, the board members questioned if the School was measuring the right approach to presentations. Would it be possible to assess one-on-one communication of technical material rather than forma presentations to a group? The authors present the results from two pilot tests that investigated the use of one-on-one role plays using undergraduate tax and advanced marketing sales students. Undergraduate tax students role-played to the advanced sales students an individual tax return prepared as a class project. The presentations were videotaped. Graduate tax students assessed the videotapes and reported results to the authors. Results were favorable. In addition, results suggest that using students who are naive to the others’ situation give a more realistic feel to the role-play presentations.
The impact of age on the validity of psychosis-risk screening in a sample of help-seeking youth.

Abstract Self-report screening instruments offer promise in furthering early identification of at-risk youth, yet current efforts are limited by false positive rates. Identifying moderators of accuracy is a potential step towards improving identification and prevention efforts. We investigated the moderating effect of age on self-reported attenuated positive symptoms from the Prime Screen and clinician diagnosed clinical high-risk/early psychosis (CHR/EP) status. Participants (N = 134) were racially diverse, lower-income, help-seeking adolescents and young adults from a primarily urban community. The overall model predicting CHR/EP status was significant, with results suggesting the presence of a trending interaction between age and Prime Screen symptoms. Analyses indicated that number of items endorsed to predict CHR/EP decreased with age (youngest group [M = 12.99] cut off = 6 items; middle age group [M = 14.97] cut off = 3; oldest age group [M = 18.40] cut off = 1). Although younger participants endorsed more risk items on average, follow up analyses suggested that the Prime Screen was a more accurate predictor of clinician-diagnosed-risk among older participants relative to their younger peers. The current study builds on the literature identifying moderators of psychosis-risk screening measure accuracy, highlighting potential limitations of CHR/EP screening tools in younger populations.
Local In Vivo Measures of Muscle Lipid and Oxygen Consumption Change in Response to Combined Vitamin D Repletion and Aerobic Training in Older Adults

Intramyocellular (IMCL), extramyocellular lipid (EMCL), and vitamin D deficiency are associated with muscle metabolic dysfunction. This study compared the change in [IMCL]:[EMCL] following the combined treatment of vitamin D and aerobic training (DAT) compared with vitamin D (D), aerobic training (AT), and control (CTL). Male and female subjects aged 60-80 years with a BMI ranging from 18.5-34.9 and vitamin D status of ≤32 ng/mL (25(OH)D) were recruited to randomized, prospective clinical trial double-blinded for supplement with a 2 × 2 factorial design. Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) (10,000 IU × 5 days/week) or placebo was provided for 13 weeks and treadmill aerobic training during week 13. Gastrocnemius IMCL and EMCL were measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and MRI. Hybrid near-infrared diffuse correlation spectroscopy measured hemodynamics. Group differences in IMCL were observed when controlling for baseline IMCL (p = 0.049). DAT was the only group to reduce IMCL from baseline, while a mean increase was observed in all other groups combined (p = 0.008). IMCL reduction and the corresponding increase in rVO2 at study end (p = 0.011) were unique to DAT. Vitamin D, when combined with exercise, may potentiate the metabolic benefits of exercise by reducing IMCL and increasing tissue-level VO2 in healthy, older adults.
Rethinking the Re-Prep: Attitudes Toward Noninvasive Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests After Inadequate Bowel Preparation.

OBJECTIVES To assess patient preferences for colorectal cancer screening with stool-based tests after initial colonoscopy with suboptimal bowel preparation. METHODS An online scenario-based survey of adults aged 45 to 75 years at average risk for colorectal cancer was performed. RESULTS When presented with a hypothetical scenario of screening colonoscopy with suboptimal bowel preparation, 59% of respondents chose stool-based testing as a next step, 29% preferred a repeat colonoscopy within a year, and 12% preferred a repeat colonoscopy in 10 years (N = 1,080). CONCLUSIONS Clinicians should consider offering stool-based screening tests as an alternative to repeat colonoscopy after suboptimal bowel preparation.
Effects of Dried Apple Consumption on Body Composition, Serum Lipid Profile, Glucose Regulation, and Inflammatory Markers in Overweight and Obese Children.

Consumption of fruits reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease; however, very few studies have investigated the effect of fruit consumption in overweight and obese children. We examined whether consuming dried apple as a snack is a practical solution for weight loss and improves body composition and metabolic markers. Thirty-eight overweight or obese children aged 10 to 16 years were randomly assigned to one of two groups consuming twice daily 120 kcal serving per day of either dried apple or a control snack (muffin) for 8 weeks. Body weight, height, waist circumference, and body composition were determined during an initial visit and after 8 weeks of intervention. Blood samples were collected to measure serum concentrations of blood lipids, glucose, insulin, proinsulin, total adiponectin, and C-reactive protein, as well as total antioxidant capacity and activity of glutathione peroxidase. Body weight increased in the muffin group (P = .01). BodPod and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry showed that fat-free mass increased (P < .05) only in the muffin group. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration increased (P = .04) after the 8-week treatment within the apple group. Overall, minor differences were detected in growing children who consumed snacks of either dried apples or muffins with similar macronutrient profiles for 8 weeks. Future research should evaluate the effects of consuming fresh apples that include the peel.
Electrostatic Tractor Analysis Using a Measured Flux Model

Although spacecraft charging is often thought of as a purely harmful phenomenon, if controlled it can be used as a means of touchless actuation. If a tug spacecraft irradiates a nearby debris objec...
Clinical study of congenital central hypoventilation syndrome in four cases

Objective This study aimed to explore the clinical characteristics and treatment of congenital central hypoventilation syndrome(CCHS),to raise awareness on the CCHS for early diagnosis and treatment.Methods The clinical data of 4 babies with CCHS were analyzed,all of the babies were repeated bruising,hypercapnia,and difficult-to-wean.After the relevant checks,we precluded the primary diseases of heart,lung and neuromuscular dysfunction that lead to low ventilation,and detected the major pathogenic genes,Phox2b of CCHS,refer to literature and diagnostic criteria of CCHS.Results Four babies all had typical clinical features of CCHS:enough ventilation when awake.But when they were asleep,their respiratory rate slowed down,hypoventilation,cyanosis and hypercapnia appeared,and they can not be awaked by hypercapnia and hypoxemia caused by hypoventilation.Genetic testing confirmed the presence of Phox2b mutations.Two infants were supported by non-invasive biphasic positive airway pressure(BiPAP),an infant was discharged home at 3 months of age with non-invasive BiPAP,and an infant was discharged home at 1 month of age.Both of them were monitored and treated at home,and showed normal development.Conclusion For babies who were repeated bruising,hypercapnia,and difficult-to-wean,but no primary diseases of heart,lung and neuromuscular dysfunction that lead to low ventilation,CCHS must be considered.Genetic testing of Phox2b can be used as an important diagnostic tool,and non-invasive BiPAP is one of the efficacious methods in the treatment of CCHS. Key words: Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome; Genetic testing; Non-invasive ventilation; Newborn
Generalized Optimal Control for Autonomous Mine Countermeasures Missions

This article presents a computational framework for planning mine countermeasures (MCM) search missions by autonomous vehicles. It employs generalized optimal control (GenOC), a model-based trajectory optimization approach, to maximize the expected search performance of vehicle–sensor pairs in different minehunting scenarios. We describe each element of the proposed framework and adapt it to solve real-world MCM motion planning problems. A key contribution of this article develops sensor models that are more tunable than conventional ones based on lateral range curves. The proposed models incorporate engineering parameters and 3-D geometry to compute mine detection probability as a function of sonar design and search vehicle trajectories. Specific examples for various forward-looking and sidescan sonar systems deployed by unmanned vehicles are included. Objective computations utilize these sonar detection models during optimization to minimize the risk that candidate search trajectories fail to detect mines in an area of interest. Simulation results highlight the flexibility of our proposed GenOC framework and confirm that optimal trajectories outperform conventional search patterns under time or resource constraints. We conclude by identifying some of the practical considerations of this approach, and suggest ways that numerical analysis of GenOC solutions can be used for MCM mission planning and decision aid development.
Clathrate BaNi2P4: An interplay of heat and charge transport due to strong host-guest interactions

Heat and charge transport properties of the metallic unconventional clathrate BaNi2P4, hosting Ba cations in oversized Ni8P16 cages, are investigated. A novel method of single crystal growth was de...
Dynamics of interacting particle systems: Modeling implications of the repulsive interactions and experiments on magnetic prototypes

In this work, we investigate the dynamics of interacting particle systems subjected to repulsive forces, such as lattices of magnetized particles. To this end, we first develop a general model capable of capturing the complete dynamical behavior of interacting particle systems governed by arbitrary potentials. The model elucidates the important role played by the static repulsive forces exchanged between particles in the initial equilibrium configuration, which is distilled and mathematically captured by a dedicated component of the stiffness matrix. The implications of the model are then examined through the simple illustrative example of a magnetic particle oscillator, by which we show that the effect associated with the initial static forces is germane to two- or higher-dimensional particle systems and vanishes for one-dimensional (1D) chains. In the context of wave propagation, we show that this type of effect manifests as modal-selective corrections of the dispersion relation of 2D repulsive lattices. To corroborate these findings, we perform laser vibrometry experiments on a lattice prototype consisting of a triangular grid of magnets supported by an elastic foundation of thin pillars. The tests unequivocally confirm the emergence of distinctive dispersive regimes in quantitative accordance to the model.
IoT4Ag: MEMS-Enabled Distributed Sensing, Communications, And Information Systems for The Internet Of Things For Precision Agriculture

We introduce the US NSF Engineering Research Center for the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture (IoT4Ag). IoT4Ag aims to improve agricultural outcomes using highly distributed sensor technologies that monitor the soil and microclimate where plants are grown. MEMS will be a key technology enabler of this application, which requires sensing diverse measurands over large physical areas. We describe example optical and RF sensors that use large-area, low-cost fabrication technologies, are biocompatible or biodegradable, communicate from above or below the soil surface, require zero or near-zero power, and/or are powered from biodegradable batteries, wireless power, and energy harvesting.
A Negative Effect of a Contractive Pose is not Evidence for the Positive Effect of an Expansive Pose: Comment on Cuddy, Schultz, and Fosse (2018)

Cuddy, Schultz and Fosse (2018) present the results of p-curve analyses that are interpreted as providing "clear evidential value for power posing effects”. This commentary highlights that the vast majority of the studies included in the p-curve analyses were not designed in a way that could speak to the efficacy of power poses relative to a normal or neutral pose. Further, I discuss how the few studies that were designed to shed light on this issue indicate that any overall effect of physical pose on feelings of power, emotions, affect, and self-evaluations is almost entirely due to the negative effect of a contractive pose and not any positive effect of expansive power poses.
Novel technique of stent retrieval after migration to the right heart.

Abstract Central venous obstruction in the symptomatic patient is often treated with endovascular stenting. A rare, but serious, complication of this treatment is migration of the stent from the original site of deployment. Treatment of this complication requires either open or endovascular retrieval of the displaced stent. To treat a rare, but potentially devastating, complication, we have presented an effective endovascular method for migrated stent retrieval using a combination of a large bore sheath, balloon, and snare.