cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MOS 2.0 - modeling the next revolutionary Mission Operations System

Designed and implemented in the 1980's, the Advanced Multi-Mission Operations System (AMMOS) was a breakthrough for deep-space NASA missions, enabling significant reductions in the cost and risk of implementing ground systems. By designing a framework for use across multiple missions and adaptability to specific mission needs, AMMOS developers created a set of applications that have operated dozens of deep-space robotic missions over the past 30 years. We seek to leverage advances in technology and practice of architecting and systems engineering, using model-based approaches to update the AMMOS. We therefore revisit fundamental aspects of the AMMOS, resulting in a major update to the Mission Operations System (MOS): MOS 2.0. This update will ensure that the MOS can support an increasing range of mission types, (such as orbiters, landers, rovers, penetrators and balloons), and that the operations systems for deep-space robotic missions can reap the benefits of an iterative multi-mission framework.12 This paper reports on the first phase of this major update. Here we describe the methods and formal semantics used to address MOS 2.0 architecture and some early results. Early benefits of this approach include improved stakeholder input and buy-in, the ability to articulate and focus effort on key, system-wide principles, and efficiency gains obtained by use of well-architected design patterns and the use of models to improve the quality of documentation and decrease the effort required to produce and maintain it. We find that such methods facilitate reasoning, simulation, analysis on the system design in terms of design impacts, generation of products (e.g., project-review and software-delivery products), and use of formal process descriptions to enable goal-based operations. This initial phase yields a forward-looking and principled MOS 2.0 architectural vision, which considers both the mission-specific context and long-term system sustainability.
Univalent Binding of the Cry1Ab Toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis to a Conserved Structural Motif in the Cadherin Receptor BT-R1

The Cry1Ab toxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) exerts insecticidal action upon binding to BT-R1, a cadherin receptor localized in the midgut epithelium of the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta [Dorsch, J. A., Candas, M., Griko, N. B., Maaty, W. S., Midboe, E. G., Vadlamudi, R. K., and Bulla, L. A., Jr. (2002) Cry1A toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis bind specifically to a region adjacent to the membrane-proximal extracellular domain of BT-R1 in Manduca sexta: involvement of a cadherin in the entomopathogenicity of Bacillus thuringiensis, Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 32, 1025−1036]. BT-R1 represents a family of invertebrate cadherins whose ectodomains (ECs) are composed of multiple cadherin repeats (EC1 through EC12). In the present work, we determined the Cry1Ab toxin binding site in BT-R1 in the context of cadherin structural determinants. Our studies revealed a conserved structural motif for toxin binding that includes two distinct regions within the N- and C-termini of EC12. These regions are chara...
A Data-Parallel Implementation of Hierarchical N-Body Methods

The ON hierarchical N-body algorithms and mas sively parallel processors allow particle systems of 100 million particles or more to be simulated in acceptable time. We describe a data-parallel implementation of Anderson's method and demonstrate both efficiency and scalability of the implementation on the Connec tion Machine CM-5/5E systems. The communication time for large particle systems amounts to about 10%- 25%, and the overall efficiency is about 35%, corre sponding to a performance of about 60 Mflop/s per CM-5E node, independent of the number of nodes.
Dual-polarized sinuous antennas on silicon dielectric lenses

For millimeter-wave and THz applications, dielectric lenses fed by planar antennas with integrated circuits offer a practical alternative to waveguide-based systems. For planar feeds, dual-slot or slot-ring antennas provide excellent patterns on a lens, but they are limited to a bandwidth of 10–15%. For a broadband solution, log-periodic antennas have been demonstrated, but traditional log-periodic antennas suffer from polarization variation vs. frequency and high cross-polarization levels [1].
Does Imprecision in The Waggle Dance Fit Patterns Predicted by The Tuned-Error Hypothesis?

The waggle dance of the honey bee is used to recruit nest mates to a resource, though direction indicated for a resource may vary greatly within a single dance. Some authors suggest that this variation exits as an adaptation to distribute recruits across a patch of flowers, and that, due to the variation’s inverse relationship with distance, the shape of the recruit distribution will remain constant for resources at different distances. In this study, we test this hypothesis by examining how variation in the indication of direction and distance changes with respect to distance. We find that imprecision in the communication of direction does not diminish rapidly enough to accommodate an adaptive-error hypothesis, and we also find that variation in the indication of distance has a positive relationship with the distance of a resource from the hive.
Saphenous Vein Endothelin System Expression and Activity in African American Patients

Objective — Plasma endothelin (ET)-1 levels are significantly higher in African American hypertensive patients than in white hypertensive patients. However, whether the molecular components of vascular ET-1 biosynthesis and function are altered in this population remains to be established. Accordingly, the overall goal of this study was to investigate the effects of race on vascular mRNA and protein levels of ET-converting enzyme (ECE)-1 subisoforms, ET-1, and ET receptor profiles in hypertension. Methods and Results — Saphenous vein samples were obtained from African American (n=13) and white (n=15) patients undergoing coronary artery grafting surgery. The expression of preproET-1 and of ECE-1a was upregulated ∼2- and 3-fold, respectively, in African Americans. In endothelium-intact vessels, the ET A expression was higher in whites. In endothelium-denuded vessels, the ET B mRNA was 3-fold higher in African Americans, suggesting that vasoconstriction-promoting ET B receptors are upregulated in this population. Vascular tissue ET-1 levels and ECE-1 activity were also augmented in African American patients. Conclusions — This study demonstrated that the biosynthetic pathway of ET-1 is activated to a higher degree and that the ET B receptor subtype expression is altered in the peripheral vasculature of African American hypertensive patients. The augmented synthesis and altered expression of ET B receptors may both contribute to the increased incidence of hypertension and related complications in this patient population.
Adhesion of sickle cells to vascular endothelium is critically dependent on changes in density and shape of the cells

Experiments were performed to explore whether adhesion differences among different density sickle (SS) cells are mainly caused by deformability characteristics attendant to density variations, which could affect their surface contacts with the endothelium, or caused by any changes in their membrane surface (eg, receptors). Also, what is the contribution of morphologic attributes of SS cells in adhesive and obstructive events? To resolve these issues, controlled modifications of cell density were performed using Nystatin and sucrose. This allowed elevation of the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) of light-density SS2 discocytes to that of SS4 native dense cells, as well as its normalization in both native and artificially dehydrated cells. Hemodynamic and adhesive characteristics of these individual SS cell populations and their defined mixtures were investigated in the ex vivo mesocecum vasculature. Dehydrated (high MCHC) SS2 discocytes, alone or with SS2 control cells, caused a higher peripheral resistance but no persistent microvascular blockage. Nevertheless, dehydrated SS2 discocytes resulted in a significantly decreased adhesion in venules (adhesion sites). Rehydration of these high MCHC discocytes completely restored their adhesivity, similar to that of SS2 control cells. In contrast, irreversibly sickled cell (ISC)-rich SS4 dense cell class (dense discocytes and 66% to 72% ISCs) was less adherent than dehydrated SS2 discocytes, but caused a persistent blockage of small diameter postcapillary venules when infused with SS2 control or dehydrated discocytes. In the areas of adhesion, SS4 dense discocytes outnumbered ISCs by 4 to 1, demonstrating that ISCs, because of their shape characteristics, are minimally adherent but play a distinct role in postcapillary obstruction. When MCHC (density) of SS4 cells was decreased by rehydration, it resulted in an almost complete reversal of their hemodynamic and adhesive behavior, confirming a profound influence of cell density. These findings demonstrate for the first time that, under shear flow, adhesion of different density SS cells to the endothelium is dependent on the inverse of cell density rather than any changes in their adhesion potential. Finally, the trapping of ISC- rich native dense cells, but not of dehydrated discocytes, in the areas of adhesion shows a distinct contribution of ISC in adhesion-initiated vasoocclusion.
Bounding data in the X,Y plane

An algorithm is developed which yields the straight lines that bound a set of points from below and from above and which minimizes the sum of the vertical distances from the points to the lines. The algorithm can also be used to construct bounds so that some specified fraction of the points lies between them. The minimization can be expressed as a linear programming problem whose dual contains only two constraints. The two basic variables that result can be obtained and the objective function is easily evaluated. Two examples are given.
A systematic determination of lumped and improved consistent mass matrices for vibration analysis

A systematic procedure for determining the lumped mass matrix and improved consistent mass matrices has been proposed for vibration analyses by the finite element method. The procedure is based on the discrete Fourier analysis which enables one to compare the numerical approximations with the corresponding continuum characteristics. The procedure is applied to vibrations of bar. Euler-Bernoulli beam and plate bending elements. The results obtained by the present procedure clearly indicate that a judicious use of the improved mass matrices offered in the paper can lead to a significant accuracy improvement for intermediate frequencies that can play important roles in modeling of control-structure interaction systems. dynamic localizations and acoustic responses for space structures and underwater vehicles.
Grasping the scientific evidence: The contractualist peace supersedes the democratic peace

This article draws on new data and analyses to investigate whether the contractualist peace supersedes the democratic peace. A series of studies have shown that contractualist economy accounts for the democratic peace, but defenders of the democratic peace claim that these studies contain measurement errors, that democracy correlates with peace at least in interaction with contractualist economy, and that the causation is reversed from democracy to contractualist economy and peace. Results are consistent across all tests: there is no support for democracy as a cause of peace. The democratic peace is a statistical artifact explained by contractualist economy.
Trajectory Planning and Simulation for Palletizing Robot

Aiming at the impact problems at the process of high-speed operation of the palletzing robot,trajectory of palletizing robot is planned in order to optimize operational tempo and improve the efficiency.Arc interpolation methods are used to optimize running track in a Cartesian coordinate system.On this basis,r-joint trajectory is corrected secondary using cubic spline interpolation,the planning conclusion is simulated based on Matlab model.The results show that palletizing robot operation meets the requirements of reducing impact and improves the operation efficiency by this trajectory planning method.
A Study on the Model of Primary Migration of Oil and Gas

A study was conducted on the model of primary migration of oil and gas. It is believed that source rocks still have certain permeability. The higher the permeability, the stronger the ability of primary migration of oil and gas out of source rocks is. And the lower the permeability, the stronger the ability to seal the reservoir pressure of source rocks. The heterogeneity and micro-fissures in source rocks are unfavorable to primary migration of oil and gas, which retained some oil gas within the source rocks forever as micro-reservoirs. Thinner source rocks have a lower a potential capacity of hydrocarbon generation, a higher capacity of hydrocarbon drainage and a lower capacity of hydrocarbon accumulation. However thicker source rocks have a higher potential capacity of hydrocarbon generation, a lower capacity of hydrocarbon drainage and a higher capacity of hydrocarbon accumulation.
Modulation of sensitivity to alcohol by cortical and thalamic brain regions.

The nucleus accumbens core (AcbC) is a key brain region known to regulate the discriminative stimulus/interoceptive effects of alcohol. As such, the goal of the present work was to identify AcbC projection regions that may also modulate sensitivity to alcohol. Accordingly, AcbC afferent projections were identified in behaviorally naive rats using a retrograde tracer which led to the focus on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), insular cortex (IC) and rhomboid thalamic nucleus (Rh). Next, to examine the possible role of these brain regions in modulating sensitivity to alcohol, neuronal response to alcohol in rats trained to discriminate alcohol (1 g/kg, intragastric [IG]) vs. water was examined using a two-lever drug discrimination task. As such, rats were administered water or alcohol (1 g/kg, IG) and brain tissue was processed for c-Fos immunoreactivity (IR), a marker of neuronal activity. Alcohol decreased c-Fos IR in the mPFC, IC, Rh and AcbC. Lastly, site-specific pharmacological inactivation with muscimol + baclofen (GABAA agonist + GABAB agonist) was used to determine the functional role of the mPFC, IC and Rh in modulating the interoceptive effects of alcohol in rats trained to discriminate alcohol (1 g/kg, IG) vs. water. mPFC inactivation resulted in full substitution for the alcohol training dose, and IC and Rh inactivation produced partial alcohol-like effects, demonstrating the importance of these regions, with known projections to the AcbC, in modulating sensitivity to alcohol. Together, these data demonstrate a site of action of alcohol and the recruitment of cortical/thalamic regions in modulating sensitivity to the interoceptive effects of alcohol.
Nondifferentiable optimization via approximation

This paper presents a systematic approach for minimization of a wide class of non-differentiable functions. The technique is based on approximation of the nondifferentiable function by a smooth function and is related to penalty and multiplier methods for constrained minimization. Some convergence results are given and the method is illustrated by means of examples from nonlinear programming.
Abstract 4949: HAS2 is a critical effector for AGL mediated regulation of tumor growth

In bladder cancer, reduced levels of Amylo-alpha-1-6-glucosidase-4-alpha-glucanotransferase (AGL), an enzyme involved in glycogenolysis and mutated in glycogen storage disease type III, enhances proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. To identify how reduced levels of AGL promote bladder cancer growth, we gene expression profiled two bladder cancer cell lines with and without siRNA mediated AGL depletion. This identified that hyaluronic acid synthase 2 (HAS2), an enzyme responsible for hyaluronic acid (HA) synthesis, is upregulated with AGL depletion. We validated this finding in several additional bladder cancer cell lines and also found that HA levels were 2-fold higher bladder cancer cells with low AGL compared to control. Interestingly, siRNA induced knockdown of HAS2 preferentially reduced monolayer, anchorage independent and xenograft growth in bladder cancer cells with low AGL. 4-Methylumbelliferone (4-MU), an inhibitor of HA synthesis, had similar effects. Analysis of human bladder cancer tissues showed that AGL and HAS2 mRNA expression are negatively correlated in 5/8 patient datasets (N = 725). Bladder cancer patients with high HAS2 and low AGL expression had worse survival than patients with the reciprocal relationship between these two genes suggesting that HAS2 is a driver of bladder tumor growth with AGL loss establish the HAS2/HA axis as a major driver and target of therapy in bladder tumors with low AGL. Citation Format: Sunny Guin, Yuanbin Ru, Carolyn R. Lew, Neeraj Agarwal, Charles Owens, Dan Theodorescu. HAS2 is a critical effector for AGL mediated regulation of tumor growth. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4949. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4949
Current concepts and strategies in the diagnosis and management of idiopathic intracranial hypertension in adults

Since obesity has become an epidemic in industrialized nations, idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is now a more common neuro-ophthalmic disorder that causes visual loss and headaches. This review highlights the new diagnostic criteria for IIH and the new insights into the pathophysiologic mechanisms of IIH. Key diagnostic and monitoring techniques for papilledema include not only neuroimaging and the measurement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, but also perimetry, optical coherence tomography, and ocular sonography. The main findings of the Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Treatment Trial (IIHTT) support acetazolamide as the mainstay for medical therapy. CSF diversion procedures, endovascular venous sinus stenting, and optic nerve sheath fenestration are all surgical options when IIH is refractory to medical treatment or when it presents fulminantly. Future clinical trials comparing these procedures will help develop better paradigms in the surgical management of IIH.
Chapter 27 – Indications for Pelvic Lymphadenectomy

This chapter provides a brief review of pelvic lymphadenectomy. The radical prostatectomy remains one of the most frequently chosen treatment options for men with clinically localized prostate cancer who are in good health and who are otherwise good surgical candidates. The complete pelvic lymphadenectomy involves the clearance of all nodal and fibrofatty tissue between the external and internal iliac arteries from the bifurcation of the common iliac artery, proximally, to the circumflex iliac artery and endopelvic fascia, distally. Bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy adds additional operating time, cost, and complication risk to the radical prostatectomy procedure. The role for pelvic lymphadenectomy in the management of prostate cancer has evolved significantly over the past decade. Advances in the understanding of preoperative staging, histopathology, surgical technique, and risk have driven this process. A decision-analysis process that takes into account financial factors, prognostic value, mental health status, and surgical risk will ultimately provide the most informative predictor of the need for performing a pelvic lymphadenectomy in patients being treated for prostate cancer.
Mycotoxin Biosynthetic Pathways: A Window on the Evolutionary Relationships Among Toxigenic Fungi

Mycotoxin biosynthetic pathway involves many genes which are often clustered and co-expressed in particular conditions. These gene clusters also evolve rapidly and can also be transferred horizontally among species. However, the mechanisms of such mycotoxin cluster origin and assembly still remains a matter of speculation. It has also been studied that the growing number of available genome sequences now enables of predicting novel secondary metabolite clusters and taking a phylogenomic approach to the evolutionary origins of these clusters. The studies on regulatory pathways on control of fungal development and biosynthesis of natural products will open up new broad and exciting fields of applications in which the production of beneficial natural products could be enhanced and the production of those with deleterious effects could be reduced or eliminated.
Real-Time Identity-Deception Detection Techniques for Social Media: Optimizations and Challenges

Identity-deception detection methods have been proposed for social-media platforms with high effectiveness, but their efficiency can vary. Previous literature has not examined the potential of these methods to work as real-time monitoring systems. Such implementations further highlight the challenges of applying computationally intensive methods in online environments that involve large datasets and high speeds of data. This paper attempts to classify detection methods based on the approaches and identifies factors that, in real-time systems, will impact the effectiveness and efficiency of these methods. Optimizations are proposed that can limit the computational overhead. Further challenges involving real-time identity-deception detection are discussed.
A multiscale predictor/corrector scheme for efficient elastoplastic voxel finite element analysis, with application to CT-based bone strength prediction

Abstract Voxel finite elements combined with plasticity have been shown to accurately predict the evolution of bone failure, but involve a prohibitive computational cost when applied to high-resolution CT scans of a complete bone. We present a simple multiscale predictor/corrector scheme that uses elasticity and the finite cell method on a coarse-scale mesh, complemented by plasticity and fine-scale voxel finite elements in regions where failure occurs. The core components of our method are top-down displacement and bottom-up stress projectors for the exchange of information between coarse and fine scales. Our choice of projectors eliminates communication of fine-scale voxel elements beyond boundaries of coarse-scale cells, which enables the solution in terms of a series of small uncoupled systems at a fraction of the computing power and memory required by the fully coupled fine-scale system. At the same time, we illustrate that the multiscale approach yields the same accuracy as the full-resolution voxel finite element method , if we appropriately balance the approximation power of coarse-scale and fine-scale meshes. We demonstrate the advantages of our method for the load capacity analysis of a patient-specific vertebra.
A Controller for Guiding Leg Movement During Overground Walking With a Lower Limb Exoskeleton

This paper describes a lower limb exoskeleton control approach that facilitates a desired movement coordination between the hip and knee joints during the swing phase of gait. An important feature of the proposed controller is that it provides movement guidance while allowing a user to control step time and step length. Specifically, control of step time is enabled by the use of time-invariant movement constraints, while control of step length is enabled by a real-time path-planning feature. As such, the controller provides movement coordination, but still enables a user to retain the step-to-step variability required to maintain balance during walking. The controller was implemented on a lower limb exoskeleton and tested on five healthy subjects. The subjects walked overground in the exoskeleton without a stability aid under two conditions: with the proposed coordination controller (i.e., with sagittal plane movement constraints) and with no control implemented (i.e., without sagittal plane movement constraints). Data from these assessments indicate that the controller provided substantial movement coordination while still allowing subjects substantive control of step time and length across a range of walking speeds.
Effects of salinity on the growth and morphology of the invasive, euryhaline hydroid Cordylophora (Phylum Cnidaria, Class Hydrozoa)

The invasive, euryhaline hydroid Cordylophora sp. is a colonial cnidarian present in both freshwater and brackish water habitats. Individuals contend with osmotic stress at the tissue and cellular level. It has been suggested that this hydroid's ability to expand its range of distribution by invading new habitats is due in large part to an ability to acclimate to new salinities. The purpose of this study was to assess colony growth and morphological changes at various salinities in freshwater and brackish genotypes of Cordylophora sp. Single genotypes from a known freshwater clade (0.5 psu; Des Plaines River) and a known brackish clade (16 psu; Napa River) were cultured and gradually transitioned to 12 different salinities ranging 0.5–22 psu, and we characterized the growth rates and hydranth morphological features at each salinity. Colony growth was optimal at 0.5 psu for the freshwater genotype and 10 psu for the brackish genotype. Changes in hydranth morphology in the freshwater genotype were primarily observed at higher salinities, while morphological changes in the brackish genotype primarily occurred at lower salinities. Our results for the brackish genotype generally concur with previous work, but this study is the first to document the response of a freshwater genotype of Cordylophora sp. to various salinities. Differences in growth between these two genotypes strongly support the previously proposed existence of multiple cryptic species. Furthermore, because this hydroid is quite prevalent in freshwater and brackish systems as a fouling organism, understanding the effects of various salinities on the successful establishment of Cordylophora sp. is an important contribution to the understanding of the ecophysiology and management of this invasive hydroid.
Proximal design for a multimodality endoscope with multiphoton microscopy, optical coherence microscopy and visual modalities

A multimodality endoscope system has been designed for early detection of ovarian cancer. Multiple illumination and detection systems must be integrated in a compact, stable, transportable configuration to meet the requirements of a clinical setting. The proximal configuration presented here supports visible light navigation with a large field of view and low resolution, high resolution multiphoton microscopy (MPM), and high resolution optical coherence microscopy (OCM). All modalities are integrated into a single optical system in the endoscope. The system requires two light sources: a green laser for visible light navigation and a compact fiber based femtosecond laser for MPM and OCM. Using an inline wavelength division multiplexer, the two sources are combined into a single mode fiber. To accomplish OCM, a fiber coupler is used to separate the femtosecond laser into a reference arm and signal arm. The reflected reference arm and the signal from the sample are interfered and wavelength separated by a reflection grating and detected using a linear array. The MPM signal is collimated and goes through a series of filters to separate the 2nd and 3rd harmonics as well as twophoton excitation florescence (2PEF) and 3PEF. Each signal is independently detected on a photo multiplier tube and amplified. The visible light is collected by multiple high numerical aperture fibers at the endoscope tip which are bundled into one SMA adapter at the proximal end and connected to a photodetector. This integrated system design is compact, efficient and meets both optical and mechanical requirements for clinical applications.
Reverence and Cheng-Zhu Ecology

The Cheng-Zhu 程朱 school of Confucianism congealed from the larger Learning of the Way school in the 11th and 12th centuries. In contrast to Buddhist conceptions of human nature, Cheng-Zhu advocates claimed an understanding that gave a significant role to the natural world. Addressing the ecology of the human organism in its relationship with the natural environment revealed a complex moral psychology that characterized human beings. Self-cultivation was indispensable for connecting to our inborn nature that revealed no separation between ourselves and nature. Cultivating the mental state of maintaining reverence (chi jing 持敬) was an indispensable form of self-cultivation. This mental state initially expressed itself in courteous and caring behavior that could be taught to the young; but, when more highly developed, reverent attention was disciplined, focused thinking that revealed the mind of the Way. A new single-mindedness might then be maintained as the master of one’s actions. The morally perfected states of being called humaneness and sagehood confirmed that one was in touch with one’s inborn connection to nature.
Distributed Approach for Solving Optimal Power Flow Problems in Three-phase Unbalanced Distribution Networks

The objective of this work is to study distributed approach for solving three-phase optimal power flow (OPF) problem in unbalanced power distribution networks. A full three-phase representation of distribution networks is considered to account for the highly unbalanced conditions. All distribution network’s series/shunt components, and load types/combinations are considered. The OPF problem has been successfully implemented and solved in a centralized and distributed approaches, where the objective is to minimize the active power losses on the feeder. Case studies are carried out using the IEEE-37 Node Test Feeder.
Gender Is a Risk Factor for Annual Decline in Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate in Patients Treated with Biological DMARDs in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis: a Retrospective Observational Study.

Background This study identified the risk factors of changes in renal function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) treated with biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs). Methods We retrospectively enrolled patients with RA (n = 293) and AS (n = 125) treated with bDMARDs. The estimated glomerular filter rate (eGFR) using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation was applied for assessment of annual changes in renal function between initiation and last visit after bDMARD therapy. The annual change in eGFR was used as an indicator for change in renal function. Statistical significance was assessed by Mann-Whitney test, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and multivariate linear regression analysis. Results The positive annual change in eGFR in women was significantly noted, compared to that in men (P = 0.004). The annual change in eGFR was different between men and women (P = 0.038) in RA, but not in AS patients (P = 0.126). In multivariate linear regression analysis, women patients and increased serum creatinine at baseline were closely associated with positive annual change in eGFR in both RA and AS patients. In RA patients, younger age and lower ESR level were considered risk factors of positive annual change in eGFR (P = 0.013 and P = 0.022, respectively). However, disease duration and duration of bDMARD use were not associated with annual change in eGFR. Conclusion This study found that gender, especially men, might be responsible for annual decline in eGFR in RA and AS patients treated with bDMARDs.
7 – Regulation of Signal Transduction and Gene Expression by Reactive Nitrogen Species

Nitric oxide plays crucial roles in human physiology. It is synthesized in most tissues, and is diffusible and can take on several chemical forms, each of which has its own reactive specificity. The major chemical modification produced by these species is nitrosylation of the target, generally a protein iron or thiol. The direct interaction of nitric oxide with the protein target may result in the activation, inactivation, or switching of protein function and subsequent modulation of gene expression. Some physiological events regulated by this type of signaling include vasodilation, cytotoxicity, inflammation, and synaptic plasticity. The mechanistic understanding of nitric oxide-triggered signaling has far-reaching clinical implications, especially in understanding and combating artherosclerosis as well as inflammation. This chapter provides an overview of the interaction of various redox forms of NO with cellular targets, the mechanisms involved, and how this signaling results in the regulation of gene expression.
Emerging Roles of TGF-β Co-receptors in Human Disease

TGF-β signaling is both regulated and mediated by signaling co-receptors. Several TGF-β co-receptors have been identified including endoglin (CD105), the type III TGF-β receptor (TβRIII, betaglycan), neuropilin-1/2, syndecan-2, CD109, and LRP1. These co-receptors serve diverse functions including the regulation of ligand access to other TGF-β receptors and receptor trafficking. The TGF-β co-receptors can also signal directly. The TGF-β co-receptors are broadly expressed, have essential roles in embryonic development, and are frequently altered during disease progression. TGF-β co-receptors regulate cancer initiation and progression through effects on cell growth, migration, invasion, proliferation, and angiogenesis. In addition to their roles in cancer, these co-receptors are dysregulated during development, in vascular disease and fibrotic disorders. Collectively, the TGF-β co-receptors influence disease biology through complex mechanisms involving the regulation of growth factor-dependent and independent signaling events as well as through interactions with diverse scaffolding protein partners.
Angemessene Forschungsrahmen und Methodenansätze

Um die sozialen und kognitiven Strukturen der Nachrichtenproduktion zu untersuchen, nutzt die prozessorientierte medienlinguistische Forschung kombinierte Forschungsrahmen und dazu passende Mehrmethoden-Ansatze (Perrin 2011a).
Radar Detection Theory

Radar detection is a particular kind of binary decision problem. Initially we shall make the simplifying assumption that the signal space also consists of only two elements and require the receiver to determine in the presence of channel disturbances whether s 1 or s 0 has been transmitted (to choose a 1 or a 0, respectively), where s 1 corresponds to a completely known signal and s 0 normally corresponds to signal absent; that is $$ \begin{array}{*{20}c} {s_1 = s\,\,\,\,\text{for}\,signal\,present} \\ {s_0 = 0\,\,\,\,\text{for}\,signal\,absent} \\ \end{array} $$ This simple hypothesized assumption will later be relaxed so that s is a sample function from certain types of stochastic processes. The resulting mathematical model will then be a composite hypothesis (see Chap. 7) and will then have practical significance.
Mechanistic Studies of the Protonation–Deprotonation Reactions for Type 1 and Type 2 Isopentenyl Diphosphate:Dimethylallyl Diphosphate Isomerase

Type 1 and type 2 isopentenyl diphosphate:dimethylallyl diphosphate isomerase (IDI-1 and IDI-2) catalyze the interconversion of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), the fundamental building blocks for biosynthesis of isoprenoid compounds. Previous studies indicate that both isoforms of IDI catalyze isomerization by a protonation–deprotonation mechanism. IDI-1 and IDI-2 are “sluggish” enzymes with turnover times of ∼10 s–1 and ∼1 s–1, respectively. We measured incorporation of deuterium into IPP and DMAPP in D2O buffer for IDI-1 and IDI-2 under conditions where newly synthesized DMAPP is immediately and irreversibly removed by coupling its release to condensation with l-tryptophan catalyzed by dimethylallyltrytophan synthase. During the course of the reactions, we detected formation of d1, d2, and d3 isotopologues of IPP and DMAPP, which were formed during up to five isomerizations between IPP and DMAPP during each turnover. The patterns for deuterium incorporation into IPP ...
A 3D-printed 3-DOF tripedal microrobotic platform for unconstrained and omnidirectional sample positioning

This paper describes the design of a 3D-printed, three-degree-of-freedom (3-DOF) tripedal microrobotic platform that is capable of unlimited travel with sub-micrometer precision over a planar surface. The design combines piezoelectric stack actuators with compliant mechanical amplifiers to create stick-slip-style mechanisms for locomotion. A forward kinematic model of the stage’s motion is derived from its tripedal leg architecture. The model is then inverted for feedforward control of the platform. A prototype of the microrobot is constructed using low-cost 3D-printing technology. Experimental results demonstrate actuator stroke of 29.4 $$\upmu$$ m on average with a dominant resonance of approximately 860 Hz. Using open-loop feedforward control, the stage travels along a 3 mm $$\times$$ 3 mm, rectangular path. Feedback control through visual servoing is then simulated on a model that includes flexure dynamics, observed surface interactions, and camera sampling times, reducing the root-mean-square (RMS) tracking error by 90%. This controller is then implemented experimentally, resulting in 99% RMS position error reduction relative to feedforward-only control structure. The results show feasibility of creating functional 3D-printed, 3-DOF sample positioning stages.
Pull‐Down of Metalloproteins in Their Native States by Using Desthiobiotin‐Based Probes

One-third of all proteins are estimated to require metals for structural stability and/or catalytic activity. Desthiobiotin probes containing metal binding groups can be used to capture metalloproteins with exposed active-site metals under mild conditions so as to prevent changes in metallation state. The proof-of-concept was demonstrated with carbonic anhydrase (CA), an open active site, Zn2+ -containing protein. CA was targeted by using sulfonamide derivatives. Linkers of various lengths and structures were screened to determine the optimal structure for capture of the native protein. The optimized probes could selectively pull down CA from red blood cell lysate and other protein mixtures. Pull-down of differently metallated CAs was also investigated.
Supervised Max Hashing for Similarity Image Retrieval

The storage efficiency of hash codes and their application in the fast approximate nearest neighbor search, along with the explosion in the size of available labeled image datasets caused an intensive interest in developing learning based hash algorithms recently. In this paper, we present a learning based hash algorithm that utilize ordinal information of feature vectors. We have proposed a novel mathematically differentiable approximation of $argmax$ function for this hash algorithm. It has enabled seamless integration of hash function with deep neural network architecture which can exploit the rich feature vectors generated by convolutional neural networks. We have also proposed a loss function for the case that the hash code is not binary and its entries are digits of arbitrary k-ary base. The resultant model comprised of feature vector generation and hashing layer is amenable to end-to-end training using gradient descent methods. In contrast to the majority of current hashing algorithms that are either not learning based or use hand-crafted feature vectors as input, simultaneous training of the components of our system results in better optimization. Extensive evaluations on NUS-WIDE, CIFAR-10 and MIRFlickr benchmarks show that the proposed algorithm outperforms state-of-art and classical data agnostic, unsupervised and supervised hashing methods by 2.6% to 19.8% mean average precision under various settings.
Study design and participation rates of the New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2004.

INTRODUCTION Few state or local health agencies have accurate local-level information on the prevalence of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. The New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NYC HANES) was designed as a new local surveillance initiative to determine the prevalence of health conditions among adult residents of New York City. METHODS Modeled after the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the survey was initiated in June 2004 as a population-based cross-sectional study of New York City adults aged 20 and older. The survey was designed using a three-stage cluster sampling plan; 4026 households were randomly selected. Selected households were visited, and residents were given an initial eligibility screening questionnaire. Eligible participants were asked to schedule an appointment at an NYC-HANES-dedicated health center to complete the NYC HANES. A completed survey was defined as completion of a demographic interview and at least one examination component. Health conditions examined included cholesterol levels, diabetes status, blood pressure, environmental biomarkers, depression, anxiety, and antibodies to infectious diseases. RESULTS Of the 4026 households approached, eligibility screening questionnaires were completed for 3388 (84%) households, and 3047 survey participants were identified. Of the 3047 participants, 76% made an appointment, and 66% completed the survey. The overall response rate was 55% (n = 1999). CONCLUSION NYC HANES is the first successful local-level examination survey modeled on NHANES. With periodic repetition, NYC HANES will provide surveillance information on leading causes of morbidity and mortality.
The plaque-aortic ring assay: a new method to study human atherosclerosis-induced angiogenesis

Progression of atherosclerotic plaques into life-threatening lesions is associated with angiogenesis which contributes to intraplaque hemorrhages and plaque instability. The lack of adequate models for the study of human plaque-induced angiogenesis has limited progress in this field. We describe here a novel ex vivo model which fills this gap. Plaques obtained from 15 patients who underwent endarterectomy procedures were co-cultured in collagen gels with rat aorta rings which served as read-out of human plaque angiogenic activity. The majority of plaque fragments markedly stimulated angiogenic sprouting from the aortic rings while concurrently promoting the outgrowth of resident macrophages from the aortic adventitia. This stimulatory activity correlated with the presence of intraplaque macrophages. Proteomic analysis of plaque secretomes revealed heterogeneity of macrophage-stimulatory cytokine and angiogenic factor production by different plaques. VEGF was identified in some of the plaque secretomes. Antibody-mediated blockade of VEGF had significant but transient inhibitory effect on angiogenesis, which suggested redundancy of plaque-derived angiogenic stimuli. Pharmacologic ablation of adventitial macrophages permanently impaired the angiogenic response of aortic rings to plaque stimuli. Our results show that human plaque-induced angiogenesis can be reproduced ex vivo using rat aortic rings as read-out of plaque angiogenic activity. This model can be used to identify key cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the neovascularization of human plaques.
Narcissus and Mourning: Alain de Lille’s Plaint of Nature

This chapter treats narcissism and selfhood, through the lens of mourning, in Alain de Lille’s Plaint of Nature (c. 1168). Nature, intermediary between God and humanity, laments humanity’s desires, attempting to close through mourning this wound created by sin. Narcissus represents such sin because he desires his image, mistaken for another man, and corrupts language’s univocality. Nature, despite her divine imperative, embodies qualities of the narcissine image, something that jeopardizes her appeals for univocality and exposes her as an ambiguous figure who, as her mourning fails, cannot deny language’s polyvocality. Nature’s ambiguity therefore reveals Narcissus’s, for his desire to fuse to an image exposes his sin while reflecting the human soul’s desire for the divine, in turn reflecting the love God has for himself.
Terahertz Experimental Measurements of Human Breast Tissue

In this paper, the pulsed terahertz (THz) system is proposed for characterizing electrical properties of freshly excised human breast tumors. Single point THz transmission spectroscopy is used to collect data to calculate the refractive index and absorption coefficient of different tissue types across the frequency range from 0.1-3.5 THz. Additionally, a THz reflection imaging method is used to collect data to extract the refractive index and absorption coefficient at each pixel on the tissue. THz images are then constructed based on the extracted coefficients that show good differentiation between different tissue types. The overall goal of this work is to establish THz characterization methodology to be used intraoperatively for the margin assessment of excised breast tumors.
A Bayes Factor for Bounding the Treatment Effect to Address Hidden Bias in Linear Regression

A Bayes factor is introduced for the normal linear regression model, which can be used to estimate bounds of the treatment effect on the dependent variable, from the data. This is done while accounting for hidden omitted-variable bias, due to an unobserved covariate, and adjusting for any other observed covariates. The Bayes factor measures how much the data have changed the odds for some specified hidden bias versus no hidden bias, and is defined by a ratio of residual sums-of-squares raised to a power proportional to half the sample size. Therefore, the estimated bounds for the treatment effect can be determined by values of the hidden bias parameter that attain non-small Bayes factors, while the Bayes factor can be quickly computed in closed-form. The Bayes factor is illustrated through the analysis of real data and simulated data sets. Software code for the Bayes factor method is provided as Supplemental Material (available upon request of the author).
Correlations to Estimate the Key Anatomical Dimensions of Pediatric Nasal Airways using Minimally Invasive Measurements of Intranasal Pressure Gradient.

Background: Understanding the morphology of nasal airways is important in determining the nasal airway deposition of inhaled aerosol. Moreover, objective assessment of the anatomy of human nasal ai...
Construction of a trans-crustal magma system: Building the Bear Valley Intrusive Suite, southern Sierra Nevada, California

Abstract The Bear Valley Intrusive Suite (BVIS) in the Southernmost Sierra Nevada exposes a trans-crustal magmatic system that spans emplacement pressures from 3-10 kbars, and was emplaced at all crustal levels between 100.1-101.5 Ma. As such, it represents an unparalleled snapshot of magmatic processes within continental arc crust. In this study we present new field observations combined with whole rock geochemistry that show a fundamental dichotomy within the BVIS. The lower crust of the BVIS is dominantly composed of mafic cumulates that preserve originally shallow to horizontal magmatic fabrics, while the middle and upper crust is dominantly composed of voluminous homogeneous tonalites with steep fabrics. Using a stochastic model of melt fractionation and extraction, we show that these observations strongly constrain the P-T paths along which BVIS magmas must have been emplaced: to create the observed abrupt transition from mafic lower crust to felsic middle and upper crust, evolving melts must cool nearly isobarically in the lower crust before being rapidly emplaced in the upper crust along near-isothermal paths. Our modeling results show that the BVIS magmas must have cooled below 900 °C near 7 kbars depth. These modeling results additionally require that the BVIS was emplaced into an unusually warm lower crust. The Sierra Nevada Batholith is typically characterized by felsic crust with low seismic velocities between 6.0-6.5 km/s to at least 30-35 km depth, significantly deeper than the observed transition at ∼28 km depth in the BVIS to mafic cumulates with calculated velocities >7.0 km/s. Given this observation, we conclude that the bulk of the Sierra Nevada Arc magmas must have stalled, cooled and differentiated at greater depths than the BVIS magmas.