cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimal Spectrum Sharing for Contention-Based Cognitive Radio Wireless Networks

Fixed spectrum assignment policy lead to the need for a more dynamic approach to spectrum access. This paper analyzes the optimal dynamic spectrum sharing possibilities among primary and secondary users in cognitive radio networks, where the channel access for both primary and secondary users in the same channel is contention-based. We assume slotted time. Fixed and random allocations of primary users in the channels are considered for contention-based study. This means that in a fixed allocation, the number of primary users is fixed in a specific channel; their number may vary in different channels. Random allocation on the other hand considers primary users randomly allocated in different channels in each time slot. Given the number of channels and primary users, we find the optimal number of secondary users that obtains maximum throughput in spectrum sharing with primary users. The results obtained provide low complexity solutions for implementation in practical systems.
Melatonin: Its intracellular and genomic actions

Besides its actions via membrane receptors on cells in specific areas of the brain and peripheral tissues, melatonin also has direct intracellular actions. The neurohormone melatonin is a potent free radical scavenger in vitro and a powerful antioxidant in vivo. Studies to date indicate that it is a better scavenger of the highly toxic hydroxyl and peroxyl radicals than some other known compounds. Melatonin also prevents the toxicity of singlet oxygen and stimulates the antioxidative enzyme, glutathione peroxidase. Considering its varied and potent antioxidant capability, it is possible that melatonin is an essential element of the antioxidant defense system of organisms. Besides these direct intracellular actions of melatonin, it was recently discovered that the indole also has binding sites in the nucleus of many cells. Melatonin's genomic actions are believed to follow its binding to these nuclear loci.
Biomarkers for Femoroacetabular Impingement and Hip Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background:The early recognition and management of patients with hip lesions, such as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and early hip osteoarthritis (OA), may preempt significant hip morbidity. Th...
Electrophysiological and Behavioral Responses of the Kudzu Bug, Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae), to Volatile Compounds from Kudzu and Soybean Plants

The kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria, is a key pest of soybean in the United States. Electrophysiological and behavioral responses of adult M. cribraria to kudzu and soybean volatile compounds were e...
95 The performance of a renal activity index in lupus nephritis in induction therapy

Background Renal involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Current standard tools to monitor lupus nephritis (LN) are suboptimal compared to the invasive renal biopsy. The renal activity index in lupus (RAIL) was developed using 6 urinary biomarkers to reflect disease activity. In children this tool was 92% accurate in identifying active LN. We aim to study the changes in this score in relation to induction treatment in LN. Methods Urine samples were collected from active LN patients prior to induction treatment for LN and serially afterwards, coinciding with clinical visits. Luminex Bead Multiplex Assay was used for the analyses of urine biomarkers included in the RAIL score (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, ceruloplasmin, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, adiponectin, hemopexin, kidney injury molecule-1). RAIL scores were calculated per the defined algorithm for each urine sample. Data collected include LN histologic classification (International Society of Nephrology (ISN)/Renal Pathology Society (RPS) classification), renal SLE disease activity index (rSLEDAI) score and type of therapy. Results At the time of the analysis, data from 6 active LN patients were collected longitudinally. Patients were all females and all had class IV LN per the ISN/RPS. Renal SLEDAI scores were on the higher end (M=11.3, SD=3.9). All patients were started on intravenous methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide (CYC) therapy. All but one patient completed 6 doses of monthly CYC before switching to oral mycophenolate mofetil therapy. The RAIL scores for the 6 patients ranged between −1.8 and 3.29. All patients had reductions in their RAIL score at 2–3 months period at an average of 322% decline from baseline (Figure 1). At the end of induction treatment or at the 5–6 months interval, 5/6 samples were available for analysis and showed that 4/5 patients maintained a decline of RAIL scores below the baseline. Of note the patient with higher RAIL score at the end of treatment had only 3 monthly doses of CYC. All rSLEDAI scores decreased between baseline and the 6 months interval. However, one patient with known medication non-adherence had a flare of LN at the 6 months point leading to increased rSLEDAI. Conclusions RAIL scores show overall improvement from baseline with LN induction therapy. Lack of improvement was associated with flare of disease. Additional data points and a larger study sample are required to study the ability of the RAIL score to reflect clinical improvement of LN. Funding Source(s): Academic Research Committee of the Cincinnati Childrens Research Foundation.
Scalable Synthesis of Switchable Assemblies of Gold Nanorod Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Nanocomposites

A new class of solvent free, lyotropic liquid crystal nanocomposites based on gold nanorods (AuNRs) with high nanorod content is reported. Application of shear results in switchable, highly ordered alignment of the nanorods over several centimeters with excellent storage stability for months. For the synthesis, AuNRs are surface functionalized with a charged, covalently tethered corona, which induces fluid-like properties. This honey-like material can be deposited on a substrate and a high orientational order parameter of 0.72 is achieved using a simple shearing protocol. Switching shearing direction results in realignment of the AuNRs. For a film containing 75 wt% of AuNRs the alignment persists for several months. In addition to the lyotropic liquid crystal characteristics, the AuNRs films also exhibit anisotropic electrical conductivity with an order of magnitude difference between the conductivities in direction parallel and perpendicular to the alignment of the AuNRs.
Destined for deadlock? Russia, Ukraine, and the unfulfilled Minsk agreements

ABSTRACTBringing peace, security, and stability to the war-torn region of Donbas has proven to be a challenging – some would say near-impossible – task. The “Minsk II” agreement, signed in February...
Accelerating Electromagnetic Transient Simulation for Power System Stability Studies Using Frequency Shifted Companion Signal and Frequency Response Optimized Integrators

A scheme to accelerate electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation for stability studies on general unbalanced power systems is put forward in this paper based on a novel signal representation and frequency response optimized integrators. The novel signal representation called frequency shifted companion signal is defined. Properties of the signal representation are given. Frequency response optimized integrators are introduced with a new type of such integrators proposed in the paper. Numerical case study on a 9-bus power system verifies the validity and efficiency of the proposed simulation scheme.
Performance of silicon heterojunction solar cells using high resistivity substrates

We investigate the potential advantages of using very high resistivity n- and p-type, to manufacture high performance solar cells. Analytical modeling indicates that high resistivity substrates (10 Ωcm - >1k Ωcm) are required to have bulk Shockley-Read-Hall lifetimes in the millisecond range to outperform wafers with standard resistivities ( 10k Ωcm).
The online computer-assisted translation classroom

In the modern translation industry, all actors involved in the translation process communicate and collaborate increasingly – and oftentimes entirely – online using modern computer-assisted translation and project management software solutions. New translation technology needs new approaches to translator education and the Online Computer-Assisted Translation Classroom was designed to address this gap. Students are taught how to use the latest translation technology through hands-on remote software use and collaborative translation exercises. This article looks at the pedagogy of online translation teaching. It specifically discusses the teaching of translation technology and terminology management, drawing on process-oriented approaches to translator training and the method of cooperative translation.
Management Consideration in Drug-Induced Lactic Acidosis

Although a litany of pharmacotherapeutic agents has been implicated in drug-induced lactic acidosis, the expanding use of nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcription inhibitors (NRTIs) makes this class of drugs increasingly important for nephrology awareness. Once used primarily in HIV treatment,
Effect of Temperature on the Mechanical Properties of Carbon Composites

The purpose of this research is to investigate and analyze the effect of temperature on the mechanical properties of carbon composites, aluminum foam, and carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum foam. For this analysis, fatigue behavior of aluminum foam has been discussed, and interlaminar shear stress between single-walled carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum foam and multiwalled carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum foam has been compared. The comparison has shown that the interlaminar shear stress within the interface of single-walled carbon nanotube and aluminum foam is higher than that within the interface of multiwalled carbon nanotube and aluminum foam. Hence, the probability of stress concentration and crack initiation within the interface of single-walled carbon nanotube and aluminum foam is higher than that within the interface of multiwalled carbon nanotube and aluminum foam. Furthermore, thermal fatigue lives of different single-walled carbon nanotube reinforced matrix nanocomposites have been evaluated. Additionally, interaction between carbon and molten aluminum has been analyzed. Finally, a new relation for the thermal interlaminar shear stress intensity factor to predict the crack initiation sites on fiber/matrix interface has been introduced.
Should carbon removal be treated as waste management? Lessons from the cultural history of waste.

Carbon dioxide is a waste product of combusting fossil fuels, and its accumulation in the atmosphere presents a planetary hazard. Carbon dioxide is also managed and used as a resource. Emerging tec...
The relationship between brain structure and proficiency in reading and mathematics in children, adolescents, and emerging adults

Behavioral and brain imaging studies speak to commonalities between reading and math. Here, we investigated relationships between individual differences in reading and math ability (single word reading and calculation) with brain anatomy (cortical thickness and surface area) in 342 participants between 6-22 years of age from the NIH Pediatric MRI Database. We found no brain-behavioral correlations in the full sample. When dividing the dataset into three age-specific subgroups, cortical thickness of the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and fusiform gyrus (FG) correlated with reading ability in the oldest subgroup (15-22 years) only. Next, we tested unique contributions of these educational measures to neuroanatomy. Single word reading ability, age, and their interaction all contributed unique variance to cortical thickness in the left SMG and intraparietal sulcus (IPS). Age, and the interaction between age and reading, predicted cortical thickness in the left FG. However, regression analyses for math ability showed no relationships with cortical thickness; nor for math or reading ability with surface area. Overall, our results demonstrate relationships between cortical thickness and reading ability in emerging adults, but not in younger age groups. Surprisingly, there were no such relationships with math, and hence no convergence between the reading and math results.
Promotion of CTL epitope presentation by a nanoparticle with environment-responsive stability and phagolysosomal escape capacity.

Abstract Vaccines that induce cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated immune responses constitute an important class of medical tools to fend off diseases like infections and malignancy. Epitope peptides, as a format of CTL vaccines, are being tested preclinically and clinically. To elicit CTL responses, epitope vaccines go through an epitope presentation pathway in dendritic cells (DCs) that has multiple bottleneck steps and hence is inefficient. Here, we report the development of a strategy to overcome one of these barriers, phagolysosomal escape in DCs. First, we furnished a previously established carrier—an immune-tolerant elastin-like polypeptide nanoparticle (iTEP NP)—with the peptides that are derived from the DNA polymerase of herpes simplex virus 1 (Pol peptides). Pol peptides were reported to facilitate phagolysosomal escape. In this study, while we found that Pol peptides promoted the CTL epitope presentation; we also discovered Pol peptides disrupted the formation of the iTEP NP. Thus, we engineered a series of new iTEPs and identified several iTEPs that could accommodate Pol peptides and maintain their NP structure at the same time. We next optimized one of these NPs so that its stability is responsive to its redox environment. This environment-responsive NP further strengthened the CTL epitope presentation and CTL responses. Lastly, we revealed how this NP and Pol peptides utilized biological cues of phagolysosomes to realize phagolysosomal escape and epitope release. In summary, we developed iTEP NP carriers with a new phagolysosomal escape function. These carriers, with their priorly incorporated functions, resolve three bottleneck issues in the CTL epitope presentation pathway: vaccine uptake, phagolysosomal escape, and epitope release.
History of Prison

The chapter begins by providing an overview of the history of prisons, the penal system as well as prison conditions during three periods in Iran: the Qajar, Pahlavi, and the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The main technique used to exercise power in Qajar society was torture, focusing on the bodies on the public scaffold. In 1925, Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, made several efforts to overhaul the traditional legal system by reforming the penal code and separating it from the Islamic roots by relying on the European legal tradition; however, the roots of Islamic principles were still tracible. Finally, after the Islamic Revolution, as a result of placing emphasis on punishment rather than correction, the same story repeated as in the previous decades. Prisons turned into “criminal universities.”
Why Do Big Data and Machine Learning Entail the Fractional Dynamics

Fractional-order calculus is about the differentiation and integration of non-integer orders. Fractional calculus (FC) is based on fractional-order thinking (FOT) and has been shown to help us to understand complex systems better, improve the processing of complex signals, enhance the control of complex systems, increase the performance of optimization, and even extend the enabling of the potential for creativity. In this article, the authors discuss the fractional dynamics, FOT and rich fractional stochastic models. First, the use of fractional dynamics in big data analytics for quantifying big data variability stemming from the generation of complex systems is justified. Second, we show why fractional dynamics is needed in machine learning and optimal randomness when asking: "is there a more optimal way to optimize?". Third, an optimal randomness case study for a stochastic configuration network (SCN) machine-learning method with heavy-tailed distributions is discussed. Finally, views on big data and (physics-informed) machine learning with fractional dynamics for future research are presented with concluding remarks.
Lysyl oxidase inhibition in primary myelofibrosis: A renewed strategy

Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a type of myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) that portends a poor prognosis and has limited options for treatment. PMF is often driven by clonal mutations in one of three genes that regulate the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, leading to hyperactivation of this signaling pathway and over-proliferation of megakaryocytes (MKs) and their precursors. PMF presents with debilitating symptoms such as splenomegaly and weight loss. The few available treatments for PMF include a JAK2 inhibitor, ruxolitinib, which causes side effects and is not always effective. The extracellular matrix (ECM) and bone marrow (BM) microenvironment may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PMF. Lysyl oxidase (LOX), an enzyme that plays a key role in the ECM by facilitating the cross-linking of collagen and elastin fibers, has been shown to be upregulated in MKs of PMF mice and in PMF patients, suggesting its role in the progression of BM fibrosis. Recently, LOX has been identified as a potential novel therapeutic target for PMF and the development of new small molecule LOX inhibitors, PXS-LOX_1 and PXS-LOX_2, has shown some promise in slowing the progression of PMF in pre-clinical studies. Given that these inhibitors displayed an ability to target the dysregulation of the ECM via LOX inhibition, they show promise as therapeutic agents for an underappreciated aspect of PMF.
The Chains of the Constitution and Legal Process in the Library: A Post-Patriot Reauthorization Act Assessment

Since the Patriot Act was passed in 2001, controversy has raged over nearly every provision. The controversy has been particularly intense over provisions that affect the patrons of libraries. This article follows those Patriot Act provisions that affect libraries, and reviews how they have been interpreted, how the Patriot Reauthorization Acts have changed them, and what government audits and court affidavits reveal about the use and misuse of the Patriot Act. The efforts of librarians and others opposed to the Patriot Act have had an effect, both legislatively and judicially, in changing and challenging the Patriot Act. Because libraries are such a potent symbol of democratic openness, the effect of the Patriot Act on libraries has acted in the public mind as a microcosm of the broader problems with the implementation of the Patriot Act. The public's discomfort with the civil liberties implications of the Patriot Act has turned out to be justified, as every agency that has reviewed the implementation of the Patriot Act has concluded that the government has not been able to maintain an appropriate balance between the need to protect civil liberties and the need to prevent terrorist acts. The government's list of domestic terrorist acts that have been prevented or punished is not inspiring: the entire panoply of tools authorized by the Patriot Act has not done much more than stop some home-grown right wing fringe groups and ecoterrorists. In light of the evidence of abuse of civil liberties and the questionable constitutionality of many of the Patriot Act's provisions, this paper suggests that the time for vigorous advocacy has not passed and that further legislative changes need to be made.
Associations of midchildhood to early adolescence central adiposity gain with cardiometabolic health in early adolescence.

Objective This study examined the associations of central adiposity gain from midchildhood to early adolescence with cardiometabolic health markers in early adolescence. Methods A total of 620 participants were studied in Project Viva. In midchildhood (mean age = 7.8 years) and early adolescence (12.9 years), waist circumference and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry-measured visceral adipose tissue, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue, and trunk fat were obtained. Central adiposity gain was calculated as change per year between visits. Cardiometabolic health markers, including blood pressure, lipids, markers of insulin resistance, inflammation, and adipokines, were collected in early adolescence. Results Greater waist circumference gain was associated with higher log triglycerides (β 0.07 mg/dL; 95% CI: 0.02-0.13), log alanine aminotransferase (0.07 U/L; 95% CI: 0.03-0.12), log high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (0.43 mg/L; 95% CI: 0.28-0.58), and other cardiometabolic markers in early adolescence. Directly measured central adiposity gains were associated with higher systolic blood pressure z score in early adolescence (visceral adipose tissue [0.13 SD units; 95% CI: 0.04-0.23], subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue [0.18 SD units; 95% CI: 0.04-0.31], and trunk fat [0.21 SD units; 95% CI: 0.06-0.36]). These associations were independent of baseline and change in total adiposity from midchildhood to early adolescence. Conclusions Monitoring central adiposity gain may enable identification and intervention in children vulnerable to developing cardiometabolic health risks.
Rostral ventrolateral medulla, retropontine region and autonomic regulations.

The rostral half of the ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) and adjacent ventrolateral retropontine region (henceforth RVLMRP) have been divided into various sectors by neuroscientists interested in breathing or autonomic regulations. The RVLMRP regulates respiration, glycemia, vigilance and inflammation, in addition to blood pressure. It contains interoceptors that respond to acidification, hypoxia and intracranial pressure and its rostral end contains the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) which is the main central respiratory chemoreceptor. Acid detection by the RTN is an intrinsic property of the principal neurons that is enhanced by paracrine influences from surrounding astrocytes and CO2-dependent vascular constriction. RTN mediates the hypercapnic ventilatory response via complex projections to the respiratory pattern generator (CPG). The RVLM contributes to autonomic response patterns via differential recruitment of several subtypes of adrenergic (C1) and non-adrenergic neurons that directly innervate sympathetic and parasympathetic preganglionic neurons. The RVLM also innervates many brainstem and hypothalamic nuclei that contribute, albeit less directly, to autonomic responses. All lower brainstem noradrenergic clusters including the locus coeruleus are among these targets. Sympathetic tone to the circulatory system is regulated by subsets of presympathetic RVLM neurons whose activity is continuously restrained by the baroreceptors and modulated by the respiratory CPG. The inhibitory input from baroreceptors and the excitatory input from the respiratory CPG originate from neurons located in or close to the rhythm generating region of the respiratory CPG (preBotzinger complex).
It Still Takes A Candidate: Why Women Don’t Run for Office

1. Electoral politics: still a man's world? 2. Explaining women's emergence in the political arena 3. The gender gap in political ambition 4. Barefoot, pregnant, and holding a law degree: family dynamics and running for office 5. Gender, party, and political recruitment 6. 'I'm just not qualified': gendered self-perceptions of candidate viability 7. Taking the plunge: deciding to run for office 8. Gender and the future of electoral politics Appendix A. The Citizen Political Ambition Panel Study sample design and data collection Appendix B. The first wave survey (2001) Appendix C. The second wave survey (2008) Appendix D. The interview questionnaire Appendix E. Variable coding.
Dynamic evidence models in a DBN phone recognizer.

This paper describes an implementation of a discriminative acoustical model – a Conditional Random Field (CRF) – within a Dynamic Bayes Net (DBN) formulation of a Hierarchic Hidden Markov Model (HHMM) phone recognizer. This CRF-DBN topology accounts for phone transition dynamics in conditional probability distributions over random variables associated with observed evidence, and therefore has less need for hidden variable states corresponding to transitions between phones, leaving more hypothesis space available for modeling higher-level linguistic phenomena such syntax and semantics. The model also has the interesting property that it explicitly represents likely formant trajectories and formant targets of modeled phones in its random variable distributions, making it more linguistically transparent than models based on traditional HMMs with conditionally independent evidence variables. Results on the standard TIMIT phone recognition task show this CRF evidence model, even with a relatively simple first-order feature set, is competitive with standard HMMs and DBN variants using static Gaussian mixture models on MFCC features.
Activity of Mitomycin C, other Antibiotics and Serum against Lysogenic Bacteria.

Muschel, Louis H. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis), and Karen Schmoker. Activity of mitomycin C, other antibiotics, and serum against lysogenic bacteria. J. Bacteriol. 92:967-971. 1966.-Lysogenic bacteria were found to be more sensitive to the bactericidal action of mitomycin C or streptonigrin than the corresponding sensitive or indicator strains. This result may be attributed to the induction of phage production in lysogenic cells by these antibiotics. Lysogenic and sensitive bacteria were, however, equally sensitive to chloramphenicol, streptomycin, and polymyxin B. In contrast to their greater sensitivity to certain phage-inducing antibiotics, the lysogenic state resulted in greater resistance to the bactericidal reaction of serum mediated by the complement system. In general, therefore, the lysogenic state may result in either decreased or increased sensitivity to various antimicrobial agents.
Prophylactic amifostine prevents a pathologic vascular response in a murine model of expander-based breast reconstruction

Summary Background Although expander-based breast reconstruction is the most commonly used method of reconstruction worldwide, it continues to be plagued with complication rates as high as 60% when radiotherapy is implemented. We hypothesized that quantitative measures of radiotherapy-induced vascular injury can be mitigated by utilizing amifostine in a murine model of expander-based breast reconstruction. Methods 30 rats were divided into three groups: expander placement (Control), expander placement followed by radiotherapy (XRT), and expander placement followed by radiotherapy with amifostine (AMF/XRT). All groups underwent placement of a sub-latissimus tissue expander. After a 45 day recovery period, all groups underwent vascular perfusion and micro-CT analysis. Results Micro-CT analysis was used to calculate vessel volume fraction (VVF), vessel number (VN), and vessel separation (VSp). A significant increase in VN was seen in the XRT group as compared to the Control (p = 0.021) and the AMF/XRT (p = 0.027). There was no difference between Control and AMF/XRT (p = 0.862). VVF was significantly higher in XRT than either Control (p = 0.043) and AMF/XRT (p = 0.040), however no difference was seen between Control and AMF/XRT (p = 0.980). VSp of XRT was smaller when compared to both Control and AMF/XRT specimens (p = 0.05 and p = 0.048, respectively), and no difference was seen between Control and AMF/XRT (p = 0.339). Conclusions Amifostine administered prior to radiotherapy preserved vascular metrics similar to those of non-radiated specimens. Elevated vascularity demonstrated within the XRT group was not seen in either the Control or AMF/XRT groups. These results indicate that amifostine protects soft tissue in our model from a radiotherapy-induced pathologic vascular response.
The erythroid Krüppel-like factor transactivation domain is a critical component for cell-specific inducibility of a beta-globin promoter.

Erythroid Kruppel-like factor (EKLF) is an erythroid cell-specific DNA-binding protein that activates transcription from the beta-globin CACCC element, a functionally important and evolutionarily conserved component of globin as well as other erythroid cell-specific promoters and enhancers. We have attempted to elucidate the molecular role of EKLF in erythrocyte-specific transcriptional activation. First, in vivo and in vitro analyses have been used to demonstrate that the level of activation by EKLF is dependent on the orientation and number of CACCC elements, that EKLF contains separable activation and DNA-binding domains, and that the EKLF proline-rich region is a potent activator in CV-1 cells when fused to a nonrelated DNA-binding module. Second, we have established a transient assay in murine erythroleukemia cells in which reproducible levels of a reporter can be induced when linked to a locus control region enhancer-beta-globin promoter and in which induction is abolished when the promoter CAC site is mutated to a GAL site. Third, we demonstrate that the EKLF transactivation region, when fused to the GAL DNA-binding domain, can restore inducibility to this mutated construct and that this inducibility exhibits activator-, promoter-, and cell-type specificity. These results demonstrate that EKLF provides a crucial transactivation function for globin expression and further reinforce the idea that EKLF is an important regulator of CACCC element-directed transcription in erythroid cells.
Quadriceps mechano- and electromyographic time-frequency responses during muscular contractions to volitional exhaustion.

INTRODUCTION Surface electromyography (SEMG) and mechanomyography (SMMG) responses of the quadriceps during muscular contractions to exhaustion were computed and analyzed by analysis of variance and polynomial regression analyses. METHODS Participants performed maximum flexion-extension movements at 180°/s until volitional exhaustion, rested for 2 minutes, and then completed a second bout of movements until exhaustion. Torque and SEMG/SMMG median frequencies and amplitudes were examined at 9 points across repetitions completed. RESULTS (1) Torque decreased precipitously; (2) SEMG amplitude displayed an initial increase, then a steady decrease, and SMMG amplitude showed a continuous decrease; and (3) SEMG and SMMG median frequencies displayed a continual decrease over repetitions completed. Fractional polynomial and quadratic models explained the fatigue process with the highest precision. CONCLUSIONS Changes in electrical and mechanical properties of the quadriceps during fatigue reflect alterations in neuromuscular activation strategies and/or muscle wisdom. SEMG frequency modeled muscle fatigue more effectively than amplitude, whereas SMMG frequency and amplitude were equally effective.
The existence of preferential surface deformation in copper single crystals

Abstract The dislocation density of deformed copper single crystals was determined at various depths from the original crystal surface. No variation was found to depths greater than 500 μ. On the basis of these experiments and a consideration of the literature, the existence of a near surface debris layer in copper was considered unlikely.
Nonylphenol in Marine Organisms in North American Estuaries: Trophic Chain Accumulation and Proteomic Responses

characterize gonadal tumors and liver pathologies. Proteomic studies were conducted using gel electrophoresis and mass spectro­ metry. NP concentrations increased from seawater (<1 ppb) to estuarine sediment (38 ppb, dw), and continued to increase with trophic position for molluscs, fish, sea otters and marine mammals. Gobies and/or molluscs from the five estuaries had similarly high NP levels for all species regardless of nearby urbanization. A common 19.
Regulation of epithelial shunt conductance by the peptide leucokinin.

Isolated Malpighian tubules of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti spontaneously secrete NaCl, KCl and water across an epithelium of modest transepithelial resistance (40–80 Ωcm2) and high transepithelial voltage (30–70 mV, lumen positive). Transepithelial electrochemical potentials indicate that Na and K are secreted by active and Cl by passive transport mechanisms. The addition of synthetic leucokinin-VIII (LK-VIII, insect myotropic peptide) to the peritubular bath significantly increases the rates of transepithelial NaCl, KCl and water secretion. In parallel, LK-VIII depolarizes the transepithelial voltage from 59.3 to 5.7 mV, decreases the transepithelial resistance from 57.7 to 9.9 Ωcm2, and renders the basolateral and apical membrane voltages nearly equipotential (∼ −90 mV). Unilateral step changes of the [Cl] in the peritubular bath or tubule lumen elicit small transepithelial Cl diffusion potentials in the absence of LK-VIII but large transepithelial Cl diffusion potentials, up to 85% of Nernst equilibrium potentials, in the presence of LK-VIII. In Malpighian tubules treated with dinitrophenol for estimates of the shunt resistance R sh, LK-VIII reduces R sh from 52.5 to 5.8 ωcm2. Bilateral reductions of the Cl concentration in tubule lumen and peritubular bath fully restore R sh to 55.8 Ωcm2in the presence of LK-VIII. LK-VIII has no effects when presented from the luminal side. These results suggest that LK-VIII increases the Cl conductance of the epithelial shunt via a receptor located at the basolateral side of the epithelium.
Conatumumab: a novel monoclonal antibody against death receptor 5 for the treatment of advanced malignancies in adults.

Introduction: Advanced malignancies that are refractory to standard chemotherapy have few treatment options. Conatumumab is an investigational, fully human monoclonal agonist antibody directed at human death receptor DR5, which is expressed in multiple advanced cancers. Areas covered: The rationale for the use of conatumumab based on in vitro, in vivo, Phase I, and Phase II data will be discussed. Expert opinion: Conatumumab, at a dose of 20 mg/kg every 2 weeks, has demonstrated acceptable safety and tolerability in patients with advanced tumors based on available and published data. Further clinical trials are underway evaluating the use of conatumumab in combination with chemotherapeutic and targeted agents.
RISK‐RETURN SEASONALITY AND MACROECONOMIC VARIABLES

In this paper I examine seasonality in the pricing of the Chen, Roll, and Ross (1986) macroeconomic variables. January seasonality is observed in the risk premia from 1932 to 1990. Examination of the 1932–57 period indicates nonstationary seasonals in the risk premia. The results cannot be attributed to the previously documented firm size effect. Residual risk is priced, and a strong January seasonality is observed in the residual risk premia. The market portfolio is not priced in the presence of the other variables. Trading volume is not priced in the individual months, but appears significant when all months are considered together.
Reordering virtual reality: recording and recreating real-time experiences

The proliferation of technological devices and artistic strategies has brought about an urgent and justifiable need to capture site-specific time-based virtual reality experiences. Interactive art experiences are specifically dependent on the orchestration of multiple sources including hardware, software, site-specific location, visitor inputs and 3D stereo and sensory interactions. Although a photograph or video may illustrate a particular component of the work, such as an illustration of the artwork or a sample of the sound, these only represent a fraction of the overall experience. This paper seeks to discuss documentation strategies that combine multiple approaches and capture the interactions between art projection, acting, stage design, sight movement, dialogue and audio design.
Oxidation-reduction potentials of inflammatory lesions of the skin

Discussion and SummaryWhile a certain fluctuation was found in the oxidation-reduction potential of the extracellular fluid of the skin of normal guinea pigs, the changes recorded following the injection of diluted diphtheria toxin or the application of sufficient heat to induce a mild inflammatory reaction may be significant.The changes in the oxidation-reduction potential of the extracellular fluid of the inflammatory reactions of the skin of the guinea pigs tested did not appear to be associated with the loss of ascorbic acid, as reported in previous work.1 Comparable losses were found in the ascorbic-acid concentration of the skin lesions induced by diphtheria toxin and by heat, but the change in the Eh of the extracellular fluid of the skin in the reaction induced by heat was in the direction of a more positive potential while that of the toxin reaction was toward a more negative potential than was observed in the normal animals.
Perfect addition sets

A subset S of Zn is called a perfect addition set if the form x+y, for x? y in S, does not represent 0 and represents all non-zero elements the same number of times. The known perfect addition sets with 1?2 elements are (up to equivalence) one for each prime n=4a+3>3 and one each for n=2,4. It is shown that there are no others with 21>n?9, or with l divisible by 5; and there are some other restrictions.
The Franck-Condon principle and the structures of excited electronic states of molecules

Abstract An approximate method is described for quantitatively applying the Franck-Condon principle to the problem of determining the structure of an excited electronic state of a simple polyatomic molecule. The method is applicable to an electronic transition for which both electronic states have structures of the same symmetry. Necessary information includes the geometrical structure and the totally symmetrical frequencies of the ground state, as well as the vibrational analysis of a vibronic band system and the resulting information about the totally symmetrical frequencies of the excited state. The relative intensities of a few selected vibronic bands must be measured. One dimensional Condon overlap integrals for these bands are expressed in terms of parameters which depend on the change of the geometrical structure with the electronic transition. A comparison of the squares of the overlap integrals with the band intensities permits the evaluation of the geometrical parameters. In an initial calculation the normal coordinates of the excited state are assumed to be parallel to those known for the ground state. The approximate excited state structure calculated on this basis is used to determine more exact normal coordinates of the excited state. A final calculation based on these coordinates yields an improved excited state structure. Actually there are always several excited state structures consistent with band intensities. It is therefore necessary to have some additional information from the band envelopes. As examples, the structures of one excited state of ClO2 and of two excited states of SO2 are determined.
Socio—Ecological Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Anemia Status In Freetown, Sierra Leone

Abstract Background: Sierra Leone has high maternal mortality. Socio-ecological factors are considered contributing factors to this high mortality. Anemia is considered to be a direct cause of 4% of maternal deaths and an indirect cause of 20-40% of maternal deaths. Purpose: The current study explores socio-ecological contributing factors to the anemia status of 171 pregnant Sierra Leone women. Methods: A structured questionnaire framed around the Modified Ecological Model for Health Behavior and Health Promotion was distributed to women visiting five health care facilities in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Results: Participants were more likely to have anemia in the second and third trimester than the first trimester (x2 =6.12; x2 =6.33). Participants indicating economic difficulties were likely to have anemia. Seventy-seven percent of participants had anemia (hemoglobin <11.0g/dL). Discussion: Findings indicate that poverty, time of intervention, and socio-cultural factors have an impact on anemia. In addition...
An integrated framework for knowledge-based modeling and simulation of natural systems

This paper proposes a new approach to simula tion modeling of natural systems in the context of water quality modeling in streams affected by point source pollution. The approach has a potential for application to other domains of natural resource modeling. Its conceptual basis is knowledge-based simulation and systems analysis. In the approach presented in this paper, a stream or its section is viewed as a collection of components, i.e. stream segments. The structure of a stream is its segments and their couplings. For each stream segment, a single constituent model describing processes affecting the segment's water quality is defined. Models are coupled in a hierarchical manner. The hierarchi cal, modular model specification results in a stream model comprised of a finite number of sub-segment models. Fundamental theoretical concepts supporting such a specification are described. A prototype simulation modeling environment to support prediction of water quality in streams has been implemented and tested...
Cooperative Education: An Alternative Level I Fieldwork

The cooperative education program offered at the University of North Dakota is based on programs offered at other universities across the nation. Rewards of cooperative education programs are many, and they benefit students, universities, and sponsors alike. In addition to easing the costs of a university education, planning cooperative education experiences as part of the curriculum allows students to develop, practice, and receive feedback on the necessary professional skills vital to their success as occupational therapists. Universities and sponsors benefit from enhanced relationships and lay the foundation for joint ventures as educators and researchers. Further research is needed to evaluate specific outcomes related to the use of cooperative education in the training of occupational therapists. This research should address issues that include evaluation tools, students' perspectives, and employers' satisfaction with the program.
Restriction of calcium uptake in normal and sickle red cells by procaine hydrochloride and P-aminobenzoic acid

Abstract A reduced capacity for calcium uptake by human red cells after procaine hydrochloride and p-aminobenzoic acid treatment has been measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and X-ray microprobe techniques. Cell-associated calcium was lower by 45% and 38% in deoxygenated sickle cells pre-exposed to 10 mM procaine HCl and PABA and incubated 2 hr. at 37°C in plasma, as compared with untreated cells. Prior exposure of washed red cells to 10 mM PABA reduced the intracellular calcium level by 39% after incubation for 45 min. at 37°C with 40 μM calcium ionophore A23187. Procaine HCl was more efficient than PABA in inhibiting calcium uptake at equimolar concentrations.
Structural changes in the fetal gonads and gonaducts during maturation of an enzyme, steroid 3-beta-ol-dehydrogenase, in the gonads, adrenal cortex and placenta of fetal rats.

Correlative studies were made on the structural differentiation of the genital system on fetuses from timed, pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats and the maturation of steroid 3β-oldehydrogenase, an enzyme system essential for the synthesis of most biologically active steroids except for estrogens. The enzyme was measurably present in the testis, adrenal cortex and placenta from 15–20 days of gestation, and was not found in the ovary until 9 days following birth. The appearance of the enzyme in testicular Leydig cells antedates regression of the gonadal cortex in the testis and sexual differentiation of the gonaducts. (Endocrinology 81: 565, 1967)
Raman Spectroscopy Measurements of Interface Effects in C 60 /Copper-Oxide/Copper

We have investigated interface effects in C60/Cu-oxide/Cu structures. C60 thin films were grown under high vacuum by thermal evaporation and the well-known “pentagonal pinch mode” of C60, Ag(2) band was examined by Raman spectroscopy. We observe Raman-active bands centered at 1420, 1448, 1455, and 1465 cm−1 in C60/Cu-oxide/Cu samples with a thin (∼40 nm) C60 overlayer. The 1420, 1448, and 1455 cm−1 Raman bands are not observed in the spectra of pristine C60 powder, copper-oxide substrate, and C60/Cu-oxide/Cu samples with thick (∼1.3 μm) C60 overlayer. We associate these new Raman-active bands with C60/copper-oxide interface.
Process-based quality management for clinical implementation of adaptive radiotherapy

Purpose: Intensity-modulated adaptive radiotherapy (ART) has been the focus of considerable research and developmental work due to its potential therapeutic benefits. However, in light of its unique quality assurance (QA) challenges, no one has described a robust framework for its clinical implementation. In fact, recent position papers by ASTRO and AAPM have firmly endorsed pretreatment patient-specific IMRT QA, which limits the feasibility of online ART. The authors aim to address these obstacles by applying failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to identify high-priority errors and appropriate risk-mitigation strategies for clinical implementation of intensity-modulated ART. Methods: An experienced team of two clinical medical physicists, one clinical engineer, and one radiation oncologist was assembled to perform a standard FMEA for intensity-modulated ART. A set of 216 potential radiotherapy failures composed by the forthcoming AAPM task group 100 (TG-100) was used as the basis. Of the 216 failures, 127 were identified as most relevant to an ART scheme. Using the associated TG-100 FMEA values as a baseline, the team considered how the likeliness of occurrence (O), outcome severity (S), and likeliness of failure being undetected (D) would change for ART. New risk priority numbers (RPN) were calculated. Failures characterized by RPN ≥ 200 were identified as potentially critical. Results: FMEA revealed that ART RPN increased for 38% (n = 48/127) of potential failures, with 75% (n = 36/48) attributed to failures in the segmentation and treatment planning processes. Forty-three of 127 failures were identified as potentially critical. Risk-mitigation strategies include implementing a suite of quality control and decision support software, specialty QA software/hardware tools, and an increase in specially trained personnel. Conclusions: Results of the FMEA-based risk assessment demonstrate that intensity-modulated ART introduces different (but not necessarily more) risks than standard IMRT and may be safely implemented with the proper mitigations.
Pseudokiller, qu'est-ce que c'est?

Necroptosis is mediated by engagement of RIP kinases and a downstream pseudokinase, MLKL. In this issue of Immunity, Murphy et al. (2013) show that it operates at or close to the final execution mechanism of the death process.
Use of alfalfa residual juice as a substrate for propagation of the red yeast Phaffia rhodozyma

Alfalfa residual juice (ARJ) supported good growth of the yeast Phaffia rhodozyma but formation of astaxanthin was inhibited. Supplementary nutrients did not reverse the inhibition, indicating that the the juice probably contained some inhibitor of astaxanthin biosynthesis. Six strains of P. rhodozyma were tested and found to be susceptible to the inhibitory effects of the juice. Concentrations of ARJ above 1.25% (v/v) were inhibitory to pigmentation of the yeast. Above approximately 3.7%, total inhibition of astaxanthin formation was observed but some chromogenic components of the juice were adsorbed on Phaffia cells and appeared as artefacts in astaxanthin analyses. Phaffia biomass produced in ARJ showed greater susceptibility to autolysis than that produced in a peptone-glucose-salts medium. Supplementation of ARJ with glucose enhanced yield of cell mass and minimised the autolytic phenomenon, and is potentially useful for producing Phaffia biomass for use as a source of single cell protein.