cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The third nerve transection and regeneration in rats with preliminary results on the sixth nerve transection and regeneration in guinea pigs

The relationship between the phenomenon of the nonselective reinnervation and the functional recovery after section and repair of the highly organized third cranial nerve motor system in rats was studied. The same relationship after section and repair of the more simply organized sixth cranial nerve motor system in guinea pigs is presented as preliminary results. Anatomical demonstration of nonselective reinnervation was obtained by injecting horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the extraocular muscles. A bilateral reinnervation of previously ipsilateral innervated muscles both in the third and the sixth nerve was interpreted as a plastic response of the brain stem neurons to the nerve injury. Functional recovery, evaluated by measuring with an infrared light technique the horizontal and vertical vestibulo-ocular reflexes, was excellent for the rectus lateralis muscle while it was relatively poor i.e. partial for the muscles depending on the third nerve. These data suggest that one of the most important fact...
Spatial Analysis of Fear of Crime and Police Calls for Service: An Example and Implications for Community Policing

Individuals’ fear of crime exhibits a complex spatial relationship with not just actual crime incidents , but a mix of actual crime, perceptions of crime, neighborhood disorder , and collective efficacy . If people have a high fear of crime, they may be more likely to report suspicious or criminal activities to the police . The fear of crime individuals maintain is most often directly linked to the fear of violent crime ; however, a spatially explicit examination of the impact of violent crime calls for service to police officers, neighborhood disorder and collective efficacy on the fear of crime is still needed. In the current study, we examine the relationship among all of these factors using measures of spatial correlation and spatial regression . While the reactive policing strategy of responding to calls for service is more cost-effective than community policing , targeted proactive strategies might be more useful for long-term crime prevention . Our findings illustrate the potential of spatial analysis in informing policing strategies, by highlighting variation in the spatial relationships between fear of crime, violent crime incidents, collective efficacy, and neighborhood disorder. Using the results of this type of analysis can lead to a better use of police resources to avert crime.
Resolving Ambiguous Protonation and Oxidation States in the Oxygen Evolving Complex of Photosystem II.

Photosystem II (PSII) of photosynthetic organisms converts light energy into chemical energy by oxidizing water to dioxygen at the Mn4CaO5 oxygen-evolving complex (OEC). Extensive structural data have been collected on the resting dark state (nominally S1 in the standard Kok nomenclature) from crystal diffraction and EXAFS studies but the protonation and Mn oxidation states are still uncertain. A “high-oxidation” model assigns the S1 state to have the formal Mn oxidation level of (III, IV, IV, III), whereas the “low-oxidation” model posits two additional electrons. Generally, additional protons are expected to be associated with the low-oxidation model and were not fully investigated until now. Here we consider structural features of the S0 and S1 states using a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) method. We systematically alter the hydrogen-bonding network and the protonation states of bridging and terminal oxygens and His337 to investigate how they influence Mn–Mn and Mn–O distances, relative ...
Modeling Parkinson’s Disease Using Patient-specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. It is characterized by the degeneration of nigral dopaminergic (DA) neurons. While over 90% of cases are idiopathic, without a clear etiology, mutations in many genes have been linked to rare, familial forms of PD. It has been quite challenging to develop effective animal models of PD that capture salient features of PD. The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) makes it possible to generate patient-specific DA neurons to study PD. Here, we review the methods for the generation of iPSCs and discuss previous studies using iPSC-derived neurons from monogenic forms of PD. These investigations have revealed several converging pathways that intersect with the unique vulnerabilities of human nigral DA neurons. With the rapid development in stem cell biology, it is possible to generate patient-specific neurons that will be increasingly similar to those in the brain of the patient. Combined with the ability to edit the genome to generate isogenic iPSCs, the generation and analysis of patient-specific midbrain DA neurons will transform PD research by providing a valuable tool for mechanistic study and drug discovery.
A 33-Year-Old Woman With Altered Mental Status and Elevated Ammonia Level.

Case Presentation A 33-year-old woman was brought to the ED with altered mental status. She was combative on presentation but spontaneously progressed into a comatose state and was intubated for airway protection. Naloxone failed to improve her mental status. When family was reached, they reported a history of seizures that were controlled on treatment.
Monitoring Urban Growth and Land Changes in Beijing, China’s Capital City by Remote Sensing: Progress and Challenges

Over the past two and a half decades, urban growth has been a subject in numerous studies mostly through the use of remote sensing technology. Although many cities, large or small, have been targeted, Beijing as China’s capital city has probably been more frequently researched than any other metropolises in the world. This chapter aims to examine some major advances in remote sensing-based urban growth studies with Beijing as the focus. For this purpose, we surveyed peer-reviewed English literature paying attention on some journal articles reporting the subject. Specifically, we examined the progress on several issues related to the research design and implementation, namely, spatial extent or temporal scale, data sources, and quantified dimensions. Based on the literature review, we further identified several major challenges and discussed some future research directions. We believe our longitudinal study focusing on major English literature examining the urbanization pattern in Beijing through remote sensing can not only help better research design but also assist formulating effective strategies and polices to deal with major challenges towards ecological sustainability in large metropolises.
Nuclear Genome Size is Positively Correlated with Mean LTR Insertion Date in Fern and Lycophyte Genomes

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWNuclear genome size is highly variable in vascular plants. The composition of long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTRs) is a chief mechanism of long term change in the amount of nuclear DNA. Compared to flowering plants, little is known about LTR dynamics in ferns and lycophytes. Drawing upon the availability of recently sequenced fern and lycophyte genomes we investigated these dynamics and placed them in the context of vascular plants. We found that similar to seed plants, mean LTR insertion dates were strongly correlated with haploid nuclear genome size. Fern and lycophyte species with small genomes such as those of the heterosporous Selaginella and members of the Salviniaceae had recent mean LTR insertion dates, whereas species with large genomes such as homosporous ferns had old mean LTR insertion dates intermediate between angiosperms and gymnosperms. This pattern holds despite methylation and life history differences in ferns and lycophytes compared to seed plants, and our results are consistent with other patterns of structural variation in fern and lycophyte genomes.
A Diagnostic Test for the ‘Dutch Disease’ in the U.S.A using the ARDL Bounds Testing Technique

This study examines the impact of the most recent oil boom on North Dakota’s agricultural sector. I employ the autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) model to examine short and long run relationships among four labor competing sectors. The model produces an optimal lag order of ARDL (6,6,6,5). Results reveal an 80% speed of adjustment coefficient. This implies that about 80% of any disequilibrium caused by a shock to the economy can be corrected within a quarter of a year. The oil sector has a negative and positive impact on the agricultural and construction sectors respectively but no significant impact on the manufacturing sector. The impulse response function (IRF) from an orthogonalized structural vector autoregression (SVAR) matrix system revealed no deviation from the boom period equilibrium agricultural GDP. Structural spending policies are recommended to curb the negative effects of another oil boom on labor competing sectors. The introduction of an agricultural wage transfer tax will also be helpful in the event of another oil boom.
Total synthesis of corallistin A

Abstract Corallisin A, a free porphyrin isolated from a demopsonge of the Coral Sea has been synthesized as its dimethyl ester by application of Johnson's a,c-biladiene route, thus providing a definite proof of the structure that has been proposed for the natural pigment.
Event boundaries do not cause the immediate extinction deficit after Pavlovian fear conditioning in rats

Recent work reveals that the extinction of conditioned fear depends upon the interval between conditioning and extinction. Extinction training that takes place within minutes to hours after fear conditioning fails to produce a long-term extinction memory, a phenomenon known as the immediate extinction deficit (IED). Neurobiological evidence suggests that the IED results from stress-induced dysregulation of prefrontal cortical circuits involved in extinction learning. However, a recent study in humans suggests that an “event boundary” between fear conditioning and extinction protects the conditioning memory from interference by the extinction memory, resulting in high levels of fear during a retrieval test. Here, we contrast these hypotheses in rats by arranging extinction trials to follow conditioning trials with or without an event boundary; in both cases, extinction trials are delivered in proximity to shock-elicited stress. After fear conditioning, rats either received extinction trials 60-sec after the last conditioning trial (continuous, no event boundary) or 15-minutes after conditioning (segmented, a standard “immediate” extinction procedure associated with an event boundary). Both groups of animals showed decreases in conditional freezing to the auditory conditioned stimulus (CS) during extinction and exhibited an equivalent IED relative to non-extinguished controls when tested 48 hours later. Thus, eliminating the event boundary between conditioning and extinction with the continuous extinction procedure did not prevent the IED. These data suggest that the IED is the result of shock-induced stress, rather than boundary-induced reductions in memory interference.
Abstract 650: Gut microbiota population may be used to predict chemotherapeutic responsiveness in triple negative breast cancer

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15-20% of all breast cancers and predominately affects young and minority women. TNBC is characterized by a high recurrence rate, with about 34% of TNBC patients relapsing around 2.6 years. This type of breast cancer lacks targeted therapy options and is limited to chemotherapy treatment options. The purpose of our study was to determine whether gut microbiota populations correlate with chemotherapeutic responsiveness and may be a predictive biomarker of outcome. Moreover, we want to determine the impact of targeting the microbiome on chemotherapy efficacy. In this study, 8-week old female BALB/c mice were injected with TNBC 4T1-luciferase cells into their L4/5 mammary fat pad. Once tumors developed, mice were either untreated (control group), treated with 1 x weekly 2.5 mg/kg IV doxorubicin (DOX), or treated with doxorubicin + antibiotics (mixture of streptomycin, ampicillin, and colistin in the drinking water to ablate host bacterial populations). Tumors were collected at the end of the study. Fecal samples were collected at time point 0 weeks (T0; before therapy when tumors were approximately 100 mm3) and time point 4 weeks (T4; after treatment). We subdivided the doxorubicin treated group into DOX-responders (tumors stopped growing or shrank) or DOX-nonresponders (tumors continued to grow on treatment). Tumors from the DOX-responders and DOX + antibiotics groups were significantly smaller and mice from these groups displayed reduced lung weight, suggesting decreased lung metastatic burden. 16S-bacterial sequencing analysis was performed on breast tumor tissue and feces. We demonstrate that at T0, elevated fecal Ruminococcus correlates with DOX-nonresponsiveness. Furthermore, at T4, we show increased fecal abundance of Oscillospira and Bacteroidales are associated with better therapeutic outcome. Protein analysis of primary 4T1 breast tumor tissue indicate a significant elevation of apoptosis (cleaved caspase-3 protein levels) in DOX-responders and DOX + antibiotic treated mice. We also stained breast tumor tissue and lung tissue for bacteria to confirm presence of microbiota by immunohistochemistry. Taken together our data demonstrates that chemotherapy efficacy is modulated by the microbiome. Moreover, fecal microbiota populations could be used as a predictive biomarker of chemotherapeutic responsiveness and suggests that modulation of the gut microbiome through dietary or probiotic interventions may affect therapeutic outcomes. Citation Format: Alaa Bawaneh, Adam S. Wilson, Kenysha YJ Clear, Akiko Chiba, Katherine L. Cook. Gut microbiota population may be used to predict chemotherapeutic responsiveness in triple negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 650.
Visualization of DNS Tunneling Attacks Using Parallel Coordinates Technique.

The Domain Name System (DNS) is considered one of the most critical protocols on the Internet. The DNS translates readable domain names into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and vice-versa. The DNS tunneling attack uses DNS to create a covert channel for bypassing the firewall and performing command and control functions from within a compromised network or to transfer data to and from the network. There is work for detecting attacks that use DNS but little work focusing on the DNS tunneling attack. In this work, we introduce a fast and scalable approach, using the parallel coordinates technique, visualizing a malicious DNS tunneling attack within the large amount of network traffic. The DNS tunneling attack was performed in order to study the differences between the normal and the malicious traffic. Based on different scenarios, four different DNS tunneling graphical patterns were defined for distinguishing between normal DNS traffic and malicious traffic containing DNS tunneling attacks. Finally, the proposed system was able to visualize the DNS tunneling attack efficiently for the future work of creating an efficient detection system.
Drivers’ Attentional Instability on a Winding Roadway

The spatiotemporal distribution of drivers’ attention to preview was inferred from their steering movements while tracking a winding roadway in a laboratory setting. For most subjects, the average driving attentional distribution over six daily sessions was relatively stable and generalized across different control devices. However, there was considerable day-to-day variability in the attentional distributions. This variability was modeled as a strong interaction between two dynamic processes, the attentional emphasis of selected regions and inhibition of surrounding regions. The model combines a novel application of a reaction-diffusion model of biological pattern formation with an optimal control model of attention to preview. The combined model treats attentional dynamics as an example of the biological spacing of a limited cognitive resource, which is also shaped by the demands of action.
Pharmacologic doses of recombinant human erythropoietin in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes [see comments]

Twenty patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) entered a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of high doses of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO). Patients completing the trial were eligible to receive rhEPO as part of an open-label study. Eighteen patients were transfusion dependent; 10 had refractory anemia (RA), and 10 had refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS). A response to rhEPO was defined as an increase in hematocrit of 4 percentage points or more over baseline, or the elimination of all transfusions with the hematocrit stable at the baseline level. In the double-blind trial, 1 patient (12.5%) receiving rhEPO responded, as compared with no responses in the placebo group. Overall, responses occurred in 4 of 17 patients (24%) receiving rhEPO at a dose of 1,200 to 1,600 U/kg intravenously (IV) twice weekly. Changes in granulocyte or platelet counts were not observed. Despite the administration of high doses of rhEPO, toxicity attributable to rhEPO was not observed in either the double-blind or open-label study. Response to rhEPO was not significantly related to age, gender, type of MDS, time since diagnosis, time since initiation of transfusion therapy, or baseline serum EPO. These studies indicate that rhEPO can be administered safely in very high doses to patients with MDS and that 24% of these patients will respond with increased erythropoiesis.
Perception of Breast Density Information Among Women in Miami, FL: a Qualitative Study

The US Food and Drug Administration has proposed requiring that all women undergoing mammography receive written information about their breast density. Past research suggests many women may misperceive the meaning of breast density. Additionally, women with dense breasts may not understand the risks and benefits of pursuing additional imaging studies. The goal of this study was to explore women’s beliefs about breast density and their preferences for how this information is conveyed. Women with increased breast density detected on mammography at a university-based breast imaging center in South Florida were recruited for a series of focus groups. Twenty-five women participated, ranging in age from 42 to 65 years. Nine women (36%) self-identified as Hispanic/Latina, eight (32%) as Black, four (16%) as White, three (12%) as Asian, and one as “other.” Four focus groups were conducted in English and one in Spanish by professional moderators using a semi-structured format. A constant comparative method was used to identify common themes using a general inductive approach. Areas explored included understanding of the term breast density; personal reaction to being informed of dense breasts; questions about breast density; understanding of supplemental screening; and preferences for how to convey breast density information. Subthemes identified included a misperception that breast density is palpable; a feeling of fear on learning of increased breast density results; a concern about what causes increased breast density and whether it can be reversed; a desire to proceed with supplemental ultrasound imaging; and a preference for simple messages explaining the concept of breast density in multiple formats including video. Participants voiced the incorrect belief that caffeine intake could increase breast density and stated that they wanted to know specific details about their personal results. There is a need for better tools to communicate breast density in a way that allays anxiety while enabling women to make fully informed decisions about their breast health. Clinicians and cancer educators should be aware of misperceptions women may have about breast density. Policymakers should keep in mind potential public confusion about this complex topic when crafting density notification rules.
Impact of biological wastewater treatment on the reactivity of N-Nitrosodimethylamine precursors

N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is a probable human carcinogen which forms during chloramination of wastewater-impacted drinking waters. Municipal wastewater effluents are considered as major sources of NDMA precursors affecting downstream water quality. To evaluate the deactivation mechanisms and efficiencies of NDMA precursors during secondary treatment with the activated sludge (AS) process, NDMA formation potentials (FPs) of selected model precursor compounds and sewage components (i.e., blackwaters and greywaters) were monitored in batch AS treatment tests. After 24-h incubation with four different types of AS (i.e., domestic rural, domestic urban, textile and lab-grown AS), NDMA FP of trimethylamine (TMA) and minocycline (MNCL) decreased by 77-100%, while there was only 29-46% reduction in NDMA FP of sumatriptan (SMTR). The reduction in NDMA FP associated with ranitidine (RNTD) varied between 34% and 87%. The decrease in NDMA FP of RNTD depended on the AS type, hydraulic retention time (HRT) and solids retention time (SRT). The domestic AS (rural and urban) achieved higher decreases in NDMA FPs of the tested model precursors than the textile AS or lab-grown AS. Increasing the HRT or SRT enhanced NDMA FP decrease for RNTD. Among different processes tested (i.e., biodegradation, biosorption and volatilization), biosorption was the major mechanism responsible for the NDMA FP decrease of RNTD, MNCL and SMTR, while biodegradation was the major NDMA FP reduction mechanism for TMA. The reduction in NDMA FP of RNTD via biodegradation depended on the AS activity which may vary with sampling seasons and SRT. NDMA FPs in all tested sewage components (i.e., blackwaters and greywaters) decreased after 24-h AS treatment. Urine in blackwater was the predominant (i.e., >90%) contributor to NDMA FP in domestic sewage and AS-treated effluents.
The ancient cardioprotective mechanisms of ACE2 bestow SARS-CoV-2 with a wide host range

Abstract SARS-CoV-2 infects a broader range of mammalian species than previously anticipated, suggesting there may be additional unknown hosts wherein the virus can evolve and potentially circumvent effective vaccines. We find that SARS-CoV-2 gains a wide host range by binding ACE2 sites essential for ACE2 carboxypeptidase activity. Six mutations found only in rodent species immune to SARS-CoV-2 are sufficient to abolish viral binding to human and dog ACE2. This is achieved through context-dependent mutational effects (intramolecular epistasis) conserved despite ACE2 sequence divergence between species. Across mammals, this epistasis generates sequence-function diversity, but through structures all bound by SARS-CoV-2. Mutational trajectories to the mouse conformation not bound by SARS-CoV-2 are blocked, by single mutations functionally deleterious in isolation, but compensatory in combination, explaining why human polymorphisms at these sites are virtually non-existent. Closed to humans, this path was opened to rodents via permissive cardiovascular phenotypes and ancient increases to ACE2 activity, serendipitously granting SARS-CoV-2 immunity. This reveals how ancient evolutionary trajectories are linked with unprecedented phenotypes such as COVID-19 and suggests extreme caution should be taken to monitor and prevent emerging animal reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2. One sentence summary A conserved mechanism essential for ACE2 catalytic activity is exploited by SARS-CoV-2 binding, allowing the virus to infect a wide range of species.
The effects of multiple-period promotions differing in frequency and depth on internal reference price

Many marketers use sales promotions but excessive discounting can lower consumers’ internal reference prices. Scant research examines the implications of discounts and premiums varying in frequency...
1026-P: Rates and Disparities of Hypoglycemic and Hyperglycemic Emergencies and Mortality among U.S. Adults with Diabetes, 2009-2018

Severe hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia in diabetes management are dangerous yet potentially preventable. Data on contemporary trends of these events, mortality following their occurrence, and potential racial/ethnic disparities are limited. We used claims data from OptumLabs Data Warehouse to 1) examine rates of hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic emergencies among U.S. adults with diabetes between 2009 and 2018; 2) quantify 30-day and 1-year all-cause mortality after these events adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and U.S. region; and 3) assess for disparities by race/ethnicity. Among 3,709,936 adults with diabetes (age 60.2 [SD, 13.7] years, 49.2% female, 58.5% White), the adjusted rate of hypoglycemic emergencies per 1000 person-years decreased by 41% from 2009 to 2018, from 16.2 (95% CI, 15.8-16.6) to 9.6 (9.4-9.8). The adjusted rate of hyperglycemic emergencies increased by 24%, from 4.6 (4.5-4.8) to 5.7 (5.6-5.9). Black patients had the highest risk of both events compared to Whites, with RR 1.7 (1.7-1.8) for hypoglycemic and 1.5 (1.4-1.5) for hyperglycemic emergencies. All-cause 30-day and 1-year mortality did not change over time. In 2018, 30-day adjusted mortality was 1.6% (1.4-1.8) and 1.3% (1.1-1.5) after hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic emergencies, respectively, while 1-year mortality was 10.3% (9.8-10.9) and 4.7% (4.2-5.2). The risks of 30-day and 1-year mortality after hypoglycemic emergencies were lower among Black (OR 0.85 [0.76-0.96] and OR 0.91 [0.87-0.96], respectively) and Hispanic (OR 0.81 [0.68-0.97] and OR 0.70 [0.64-0.76]) patients compared to Whites. There was no association between race/ethnicity and 30-day mortality after hyperglycemic emergencies, while the risk of 1-year mortality was lower among Hispanic patients (OR 0.73 [0.63, 0.85]) compared to Whites. New strategies are needed to prevent hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic emergencies among people with diabetes, particularly among racial/ethnic minorities. Disclosure R. G. Mccoy: None. K. Swarna: None. R. J. Galindo: Consultant; Self; Abbott Diabetes, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi US, Valeritas, Inc., Research Support; Self; Dexcom, Inc., Novo Nordisk. H. Van houten: None. P. J. O’connor: None. N. Shah: None. Funding National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (K23DK114497)
Simple Method to Extract Lake Ice Condition From Landsat Images

Ice plays key roles in regulating hydrological, ecological, biogeochemical, and socioeconomic functions of lakes. Long-term in situ lake ice phenological records indicate that lake ice is trending toward later freeze-up, earlier breakup, and a shorter ice duration. Parallel to study of lake ice using in situ records and process-based models, satellite remote sensing can expand our understanding of lake ice change over large spatial scales. However, most remote sensing studies have focused on large lakes or short periods of time, which may not robustly represent changes over multidecadal time periods or in the much more numerous small lakes. Here, we present a random forest model, Sensitive Lake Ice Detection (SLIDE), to accurately extract ice conditions from Landsat TM, ETM+, and OLI images. We trained the model using a manually labeled lake ice dataset (1089 labeled areas over 995 lakes globally). Our results show that our model achieves accurate classification between ice/snow and water (accuracy: 97.8%, kappa coefficient: 95.5%). Comparing Landsat-derived ice cover with in situ ice conditions, we show that our model produces less bias, lower RMSE, and higher kappa than does the Landsat snow/ice flag from the quality assessment band. This is especially true during the transitional period surrounding the ice on and off dates reported from in situ (mean bias -7.3% from our model, -17.3% from the Landsat quality band). Our results demonstrate the feasibility of mining the rich Landsat archive to study lake ice dynamics and of better flagging ice-affected lake observations.
Crossed doubled patellar tendon: A rare anatomical variant with potential clinical significance

Abstract The patellar tendon is an integral part of the knee extensor mechanism and has been historically described as a single tendon. A doubled patellar tendon is an exceedingly rare finding. We present a case of a crossed doubled patellar tendon in a 70-year-old male with a history of right knee pain, which to our knowledge has only been reported once before in the literature. The presence of a doubled patellar tendon has a potential influence on surgical planning and in the etiology of anterior knee pain.
Ventricular arrhythmias in mouse models of diabetic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 20 million people in the US, and it is associated with a significantly increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Despite the significance, the mechanistic relationship between SCD and CKD is not clear and there are few effective therapies. Using optical mapping techniques, we tested the hypothesis that mouse models of progressive diabetic kidney disease (DKD) exhibit enhanced ventricular arrhythmia incidence and underlying arrhythmia substrates. Compared to wild-type mice, both Leprdb/db eNOS−/− (2KO) and high fat diet plus low dose streptozotocin (HFD + STZ) mouse models of DKD experienced sudden death and greater arrhythmia inducibility, which was more common with isoproterenol than programmed electrical stimulation. 2KO mice demonstrated slowed conduction velocity, prolonged action potential duration (APD), and myocardial fibrosis; both 2KO and HFD + STZ mice exhibited arrhythmias and calcium dysregulation with isoproterenol challenge. Finally, circulating concentrations of the uremic toxin asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) were elevated in 2KO mice. Incubation of human cardiac myocytes with ADMA prolonged APD, as also observed in 2KO mice hearts ex vivo. The present study elucidates an arrhythmia-associated mechanism of sudden death associated with DKD, which may lead to more effective treatments in the vulnerable DKD patient population.
Kinematic, Cardiopulmonary, and Metabolic Responses of Overweight Runners While Running at Self-Selected and Standardized Speeds

Abstract Objective To determine the differences in kinematic, cardiopulmonary, and metabolic responses between overweight and healthy weight runners at a self-selected and standard running speed. Design Comparative descriptive study. Setting Tertiary care institution, university-affiliated research laboratory. Participants Overweight runners (n = 21) were matched with runners of healthy weight (n = 42). Methods Participants ran at self-selected and standardized speeds (13.6 km/h). Sagittal plane joint kinematics were captured simultaneously with cardiopulmonary and metabolic measures using a motion capture system and portable gas analyzer, respectively. Main Outcome Measurements Spatiotemporal parameters (cadence, step width and length, center of gravity displacement, stance time) joint kinematics, oxygen cost, heart rate, ventilation and energy expenditure. Results At the self-selected speed, overweight individuals ran slower (8.5 ± 1.3 versus 10.0 ± 1.6 km/h) and had slower cadence (163 versus 169 steps/min; P P P P P Conclusion At self-selected running speeds, the overweight runners demonstrated gait strategies (less joint ROM, less vertical displacement, and shorter step lengths) that resulted in cardiopulmonary and energetic responses similar to those of healthy weight individuals.
Manual Lifting—A Problem for Ergonomics*

The application of safety concepts in the industrial environment has gained momentum especially in the area of manual materials handling. Manual materials handling is a priority concern due to the high percentage of industrial injuries that result from such tasks. Industry needs an approach to establish human lifting capability in order to properly design jobs within these capacities. With the assumption that there is a relationship between an individual's lifting capacity and his/her injury potential, methods for determining maximum permissable weight of lift are reviewed. With these accomplishments in mind, the future work to be accomplished by the ergonomics community is forecast.
Thermodynamic and transport properties of an aluminum-nitrogen plasma

The thermodynamic and transport properties of an aluminum-nitrogen plasma arc have been calculated at atmospheric pressure at temperatures up to 25000 K and at different mole fractions of aluminum. At higher temperatures 11 species are produced in the plasma, namely, Al, Al/sup +/, Al/sup 2+/, Al/sup 3+/, N/sub 2/, N/sub 2//sup +/, N, N/sup +/, N/sup 2+/, AlN, and e. The thermodynamic properties include the number densities, enthalpy, and total heat capacity of the mixture. The number density of AlN reaches a maximum at temperatures around 5000 K and a mole fraction of 67% of aluminum. The transport properties have also been calculated as a function of temperature and mole fraction of Al. The momentum transfer cross sections between the ions and neutrals have been estimated using a polarization potential. The collision cross sections between the electrons and neutrals have been determined using a semiphenomenological effective potential that is based on the self-consistent Dirac-Hartree-Fock-Slater field and accounts for exchange and polarization effects in a simple way. For neutral-neutral and charge-charge interactions, the cross sections have been calculated by the Leonard-Jones and shielded Coulomb potentials, respectively. At temperatures below 8000 K, the electrical conductivity is increased by the presence of a small mole fraction of Al in the nitrogen plasma. However, the viscosity is less sensitive to the presence of Al. >
Adjusting mixture weights of gaussian mixture model via regularized probabilistic latent semantic analysis

Mixture models, such as Gaussian Mixture Model, have been widely used in many applications for modeling data. Gaussian mixture model (GMM) assumes that data points are generated from a set of Gaussian models with the same set of mixture weights. A natural extension of GMM is the probabilistic latent semantic analysis (PLSA) model, which assigns different mixture weights for each data point. Thus, PLSA is more flexible than the GMM method. However, as a tradeoff, PLSA usually suffers from the overfitting problem. In this paper, we propose a regularized probabilistic latent semantic analysis model (RPLSA), which can properly adjust the amount of model flexibility so that not only the training data can be fit well but also the model is robust to avoid the overfitting problem. We conduct empirical study for the application of speaker identification to show the effectiveness of the new model. The experiment results on the NIST speaker recognition dataset indicate that the RPLSA model outperforms both the GMM and PLSA models substantially. The principle of RPLSA of appropriately adjusting model flexibility can be naturally extended to other applications and other types of mixture models.
ADEPT: a general purpose numerical device simulator for modeling solar cells in one-, two-, and three-dimensions

ADEPT (a device emulation program and toolbox), a numerical simulation code for modeling solar cells composed of a variety of semiconductor materials in one, two, and three spatial dimensions, is described. Material models for silicon, GaAs, AlGaAs, CuInSe/sub 2/, CdTe, CdS, and thin film Si:H have been implemented. One-dimensional simulations can be run easily in a personal computer environment, and recent advances in sparse matrix solvers make it possible to run 2D simulations on small workstations. >
Contact-mediated mechanisms of motor axon segmentation

In the chick embryo, the segmental pattern of motor outgrowth depends on guidance cues provided by sclerotome cells. Motor axons preferentially invade the anterior sclerotome but avoid the posterior sclerotome. To determine how motor growth cone motility is influenced by these cells, we used videomicroscopy to analyze the behavior of motor growth cones as they confronted identified sclerotome cells in vitro. After contact, motor growth cones invariably avoided posterior sclerotome cells by either branching or turning. Both types of avoidance behavior were initiated by a local inhibition of veil protrusion: veils failed to progress along the contacting filopodia. This inhibition was specific to veils since contact failed to alter the number of filopodia protruded. Moreover, motor growth cones turned away from posterior cells despite more persistent filopodial contacts with these cells than with the laminin substratum. In no case did contact with posterior cells cause a complete loss of growth cone motility or a complete collapse of growth cone structure. In contrast, motor growth cones exhibited a selective affinity for anterior cells, preferring the surfaces of these cells to the laminin substratum. Contact with anterior cells stimulated a generalized increase in protrusive activity: contact caused a net increase in the extension of veils and filopodia both locally and at sites distant from the site of contact. Contact also elicited a localized thickening of contacting processes, suggesting that contact with anterior cells promotes neurite consolidation. This behavior of motor growth cones in vitro suggests that both an inhibition of veil formation by posterior cells and an enhancement of motility and axon consolidation by anterior cells contribute to the preferential advance of motor axons into anterior sclerotome in vivo. We suggest that patterned outgrowth results from the juxtaposition of two contrasting environments that differentially influence growth cone motility.
A Review of “Motoring: The Highway Experience in America”

A review of the book “Motoring: The Highway Experience in America” by John A. Jakle and Keith A. Sculle.
Numerical evaluation of an equicorrelated multivariate non-central t distribution

An expression for the distribution function of an equicorrelated multivariate non-central t distribution is obtained which involves only a double integration and the standard normal distribution function extended to the complex plane.
Adorno: Disenchantment and Ethics

Introduction 1. Wrong life cannot be lived rightly 2. Disenchantment: the skepticism of enlightened reason 3. The instrumentality of moral reason 4. Mastered by nature: abstraction, independence, and the simple concept 5. Interlude: three versions of modernity 6. Disenchanting identity: the complex concept 7. Toward an ethic of nonidentity 8. After Auschwitz 9. Ethical modernism.
Time in culture alters the biophysical responses of rat carotid body cells (709.1)

The carotid body (CB) senses blood O2, CO2, and pH. Fresh CB glomus cells depolarize and increase intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in response to K+, and hypoxia but not to ATP, while non-glomus cells ...
On-demand multicast in mobile wireless networks

We propose an "on-demand" multicast routing protocol for a wireless, mobile, multihop network. The proposed scheme has two key features: (a) it is based on the forwarding group concept (i.e., a subset of nodes is in charge of forwarding the multicast packets via scoped flooding) rather than on the conventional multicast tree scheme (b) it dynamically refreshes the forward group members using a procedure akin to on-demand routing (hence the name). "On-demand" multicast is well suited to operate in an on-demand routing environment where routes are selectively computed as needed between communicating node pairs instead of being maintained and updated globally by a routing "infrastructure" (like in distance vector or link state, for example). On-demand multicast is particularly attractive in mobile, rapidly changing networks, where the traffic overhead caused by routing updates and tree reconfigurations may become prohibitive beyond a critical speed; and in large network with sparse traffic requirements, where the traffic, processing and storage overhead of the routing infrastructure solution compromises scalability. Via simulation, we compare on-demand multicast with a traditional tree multicast scheme, DVMRP, and with a version of forwarding group multicast which uses conventional distance vector routing instead of on-demand routing. This allows us to assess the penalty of the tree and of the global routing infrastructure as a function of mobility and sparseness.
The growth aspects of nanocrystalline diamond films and their effects on electron emissions

In this paper, aspects of the growth of nanocrystalline diamond films using CH/sub 4//H/sub 2//N/sub 2/ microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition and their behavior as electron field emission cathode were reported. Nanocrystalline diamond films with "cauliflower-like" morphology were investigated for field emission in vacuum. The presence of more sp/sup 2/-bonded non-diamond carbon content and a higher electrical conductivity of the film enhanced the field emission characteristics were observed, while a reduction in the grain size of the diamond had no similar effect. For field emission characterization, nanodiamond films were grown using methane flow rate varying between 2 seem and 15 seem, with electrical resistance from 10 /spl Omega/ to hundreds of M/spl Omega/, and grain size in the range of 5 nm to 200 nm were employed.
Cultural Models of Transition: Latina Mothers of Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities

This study used several focus groups to examine culturally based variation in attitudes, beliefs, and meanings of transition. Sixteen Latina mothers of young adults with disabilities participated in the study, recruited from an agency serving low-income, predominantly Spanish-speaking communities. Data analysis identified five primary themes: (a) basic life skills and social adaptation, (b) the importance of the family and home rather than individualism and independence, (c) the importance of the mother's role and expertise in decision making, (d) access to information; and (e) dangers of the outside world. The overarching theme was a view of transition as home-centered, sheltered adaptation as opposed to a model emphasizing independent productivity. The findings and the implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Lymph is not a plasma ultrafiltrate: a proteomic analysis of injured patients.

Studies on animal models have documented a role for the water soluble protein fraction of mesenteric lymph as a conduit from hemorrhagic shock to acute lung injury and post-injury multiple organ failure. We hypothesize that mesenteric lymph is not an ultrafiltrate of plasma and contains specific protein mediators that may predispose patients to ALI/MOF. Mesenteric lymph and plasma were collected from critically ill or injured patients and from nine patients with lymphatic injuries, during semi-elective spine reconstruction, or immediately before organ donation. Proteomic analyses were performed through immuno-affinity depletion of the 14 most abundant plasma proteins, and GeLC-MS analyses. Overall, 548 proteins were identified in the patients undergoing semi-elective surgery, of which 155 were uniquely present in the lymph. In addition, the post-shock plasma proteome was characterized by peculiar features, suggesting that only a partial overlap exists between the plasma and mesenteric lymph from trauma patients. Differential proteins between the matched plasma and mesenteric lymph from trauma patients could be related to, coagulopathy and hypercoagulability, cell lysis, pro-inflammatory responses and immune system activation, extracellular matrix remodeling, lymph-specific immunomodulation and vascular hypoactivity/neoangiogenesis, and energy/redox metabolic adaptation to trauma. In conclusion, the proteome of mesenteric lymph is biologically different (in qualitative and quantitative terms) than that of a mere plasma ultrafiltrate.
Dynamic crack propagation with cohesive elements: a methodology to address mesh dependency

In this paper, two brittle fracture problems are numerically simulated: the failure of a ceramic ring under centrifugal loading and crack branching in a PMMA strip. A three-dimensional finite element package in which cohesive elements are dynamically inserted has been developed. The cohesive elements' strength is chosen to follow a modified weakest link Weibull distribution. The probability of introducing a weak cohesive element is set to increase with the cohesive element size. This reflects the physically based effect according to which larger elements are more likely to contain defects. The calculations illustrate how the area dependence of the Weibull model can be used to effectively address mesh dependency. On the other hand, regular Weibull distributions have failed to reduce mesh dependency for the examples shown in this paper. The ceramic ring calculations revealed that two distinct phenomena appear depending on the magnitude of the Weibull modulus. For low Weibull modulus, the fragmentation of the ring is dominated by heterogeneities. Whereas many cracks were generated, few of them could propagate to the outer surface. Monte Carlo simulations revealed that for highly heterogeneous rings, the number of small fragments was large and that few large fragments were generated. For high Weibull modulus, signifying that the ring is close to being homogeneous, the fragmentation process was very different. Monte Carlo simulations highlighted that a larger number of large fragments are generated due to crack branching. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.
Optimizing natural enemy release rates, and associated pest population decline rates, for Encarsia inaron walker (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) and Siphoninus phillyreae (Haliday) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae)

Abstract Field experiments were conducted to evaluate establishment rates and pest and natural enemy population dynamics for four release protocols of the parasitoid Encarsia inaron (Walker). This parasitoid was introduced to California for biological control of the whitefly Siphoninus phillyreae (Gennadius). Two release rates: 1000 or 100 female parasitoids per site; and two release schedules: all females released at once or females released in three equal numbers in 3 consecutive weeks were used. The parasitoid established at all release locations. Rates of establishment, maximum pest densities, year-end pest densities, and rates of pest population decline were not different among the different release protocols. Pest population growth rate was significantly lower at the release sites compared to the control sites, which received no parasitoid releases. Population growth rates for the parasitoid did differ significantly among the treatment sites, with sites receiving greater numbers of initial colonists showing greater growth rates.
Analytics for change management

During recent years, analytics has gained wide recognition for its capability and potential in integrating the use of information, technologies and models methods to enhance the overall organisation and business effectiveness. Analytics offers great potential for facilitating change management. Most tasks involved in change management rely on analytics. This paper presents a conceptual framework of analytics and explores how analytics can contribute to better change management. We also identify various caveats associated with such applications.
Design of data warehouses using metadata

Abstract Data warehouses have become an instant phenomenon in many large organizations that deal with massive amounts of information. Drawing on the experiences from the systems development field, we surmise that an effective design tool will enhance the success of warehouse implementations. Thus, we present a CASE tool designed to generate the SQL queries necessary to build a warehouse from a set of operational relational databases. The warehouse designer simply specifies a list of attribute names that will appear in the warehouse, conditions if any are desired, and a description of the operational databases. The tool returns the queries needed to populate the warehouse table.