cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ectopic DICER-LIKE1 Expression in P1/HC-Pro Arabidopsis Rescues Phenotypic Anomalies but Not Defects in MicroRNA and Silencing Pathways

Expression of the viral silencing suppressor P1/HC-Pro in plants causes severe developmental anomalies accompanied by defects in both short interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) pathways. P1/HC-Pro transgenic lines fail to accumulate the siRNAs that mediate RNA silencing and are impaired in both miRNA processing and function, accumulating abnormally high levels of miRNA/miRNA* processing intermediates as well as miRNA target messages. Both miRNA and RNA silencing pathways require participation of DICER-LIKE (DCL) ribonuclease III-like enzymes. Here, we investigate the effects of overexpressing DCL1, one of four Dicers in Arabidopsis thaliana, on P1/HC-Pro–induced defects in development and small RNA metabolism. Expression of a DCL1 cDNA transgene (35S:DCL1) produced a mild gain-of-function phenotype and largely rescued dcl1 mutant phenotypes. The 35S:DCL1 plants were competent for virus-induced RNA silencing but were impaired in transgene-induced RNA silencing and in the accumulation of some miRNAs. Ectopic DCL1 largely alleviated developmental anomalies in P1/HC-Pro plants but did not correct the P1/HC-Pro–associated defects in small RNA pathways. The ability of P1/HC-Pro plants to suppress RNA silencing and the levels of miRNAs, miRNA*s, and miRNA target messages in these plants were essentially unaffected by ectopic DCL1. These data suggest that P1/HC-Pro defects in development do not result from general impairments in small RNA pathways and raise the possibility that DCL1 participates in processes in addition to miRNA biogenesis.
RAKSHA: Reliable and Aggressive frameworK for System design using High-integrity Approaches

Advances in the fabrication technology have been a major driving force in the unprecedented increase in computing capabilities over the last several decades. Despite huge reductions in the switching energy of the transistors, two major issues have emerged with decreasing fabrication technology scales. They are: 1) increased impact of process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variation on transistor performance, and 2) increased susceptibility of transistors to soft errors induced by high energy particles. In presence of PVT variation, as transistor sizes continue to decrease, the design margins used to guarantee correct operation in the presence of worst-case scenarios have been increasing. Systems run at a clock frequency, which is determined by accounting the worst-case timing paths, operating conditions, and process variations. Timing speculation based reliable and aggressive clocking advocates going beyond worst-case limits to achieve best performance while not avoiding, but detecting and correcting a modest number of timing errors. Such design methodology exploit the fact that timing critical paths are rarely exercised in a design, and typical execution happens much faster than the timing requirements dictated by worst-case scenarios. Better-than-worst-case design methodology is advocated by several recent research pursuits, which propose to exploit in-built fault tolerance mechanisms to enhance computer system performance. Recent works have also shown that the performance lose due to over provisioning base on worst-case design margins is upward of 20% in terms operating frequency and upward of 50% in terms of power efficiency. The threat of soft error induced system failure in computing systems has become more prominent as we adopt ultra-deep submicron process technologies. With respect to soft error susceptibility, decreasing transistor geometries lower the energy threshold needed by high-energy particles to induce errors. As this trend continues, the need for fault tolerance mechanisms to counteract this effect has moved from a nice to have, to be a requirement in current and future systems. In this dissertation,
Coating of silica sand with aluminosilicate clay.

The objective of this work was to coat aluminosilicate clays on an inert silica support, and to characterize the properties and stability of the clay–silica coating. Two polymers, polyacrylamide (PAM) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), were used to bind kaolinite, illite, and smectite onto silica grains. The clay–polymer composites were studied by X-ray diffraction, FTIR, and electrophoretic mobility. Clay coatings on silica grains were characterized by mass coverage, scanning electron microscopy, specific surface area, and pH stability. Silica sand was successfully coated with clays by using the two polymers, but with PVA, the clay coating had a greater mass coverage and was more stable against pH variations. Less polymer was needed for the clay coating using PVA as compared to using PAM. Clay–polymer complexes and pure clay minerals had similar cation exchange capacities and electrophoretic mobilities, indicating that overall surface charge of the clays was little affected by the polymers. Some decrease in hydrophilicity was observed for illite and smectite when clays where coated with the polymers. The methodology reported here allows the generation of a clay-based porous matrix, with hydraulic properties that can be varied by adjusting the grain size of the inert silica support.
Trajectory optimization techniques in chemical reaction engineering. I - Boundary condition iteration methods

Boundary condition iteration methods in chemical process plant optimal design and control, considering simplicity and ease of programming, computation time and storage requirements
Sleep apnea in acute coronary syndrome: high prevalence but low impact on 6-month outcome.

Abstract Background and purpose We postulate that the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in subjects admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is high, self-report of SDB symptoms is helpful in identifying patients with ACS at risk for SDB, and prospective risk for adverse ACS outcomes is associated with SDB. Patients and methods Consecutive patients admitted to the VA hospital with ACS over ∼1 year were invited to participate. The Cleveland sleep habits questionnaire was administered, and a portable sleep study (Eden-trace, Level 3 monitoring) was performed within 72 h of admission. Results Of 104 patients with complete and adequate sleep studies, 66.4% had an apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) >10/h, and 26.0%, an AHI>30 with the prevalent apnea pattern being obstructive (72.1%). Neither pre-test probability for sleep apnea per questionnaire (P=0.67) nor degree of subjective sleepiness (P=0.83) predicted SDB. Although symptoms of dyspnea and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea were significantly higher in SDB (AHI≥10) compared to non-SDB (AHI Conclusions In the setting of ACS, the prevalence of SDB was very high in this population and was not detected by self-reports of sleepiness or composite risk for SDB. The odds of adverse outcome for ACS up to 6 months were no different in patients with SDB compared to those without SDB, as compared to effects of an older age or presence of diabetes.
Dopaminergic genes modulate response inhibition in alcohol abusing adults

Compulsion in alcohol use disorders (AUD) has been attributed to impairment in response inhibition. Because genes that regulate dopamine (DA) have been implicated not only for risk for AUD but also for impulsivity based on behavioral studies, we set out to examine the underlying neural mechanisms associated with these effects. We collected functional magnetic resonance imaging images on 53 heavy drinking but otherwise healthy adults while performing the Go/NoGo task. We predicted that genetic variants previously reported in the literature to be associated with substance abuse, specifically the DRD2 rs1799732 and DRD4 VNTR, will modulate neural processes underlying response inhibition. Our results showed differential neural response for the DRD4 VNTR during successful inhibition in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) (cluster-corrected P<0.05, z=1.9). Similarly, DRD2 rs1799732 groups were significantly different in the precuneus and cingulate gyrus during successful response inhibition (cluster-corrected P<0.05, z=1.9). These findings provide further evidence for the role of DAergic genes in modulating neural response in areas that underlie response inhibition and self-monitoring processes. Variants within these genes appear to influence processes related to impulsive behavior, which may increase one's risk for alcohol abuse and dependence.
Surgical treatment of nonunion and avascular necrosis of the proximal part of the scaphoid in adolescents.

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the clinical and radiographic results of treatment of proximal scaphoid nonunion and avascular necrosis with vascularized bone graft from the distal part of the radius in adolescent patients. Methods: Between 1993 and 1996, three adolescents with a proximal scaphoid nonunion and avascular necrosis underwent vascularized bone-grafting and internal fixation. The mean age at the time of the fracture was 14.8 years (14.4, 14.6, and 15.3 years), and the mean time interval between the fracture and the surgery was 19.3 months (six, seventeen, and thirty-five months). We retrospectively reviewed all available clinical and radiographic data from the time of fracture to the time of the last follow-up. All patients were examined clinically and radiographically at the time of the review, at a mean of 5.5 years (five, five, and 6.5 years) after surgery. Results: All fractures healed at a mean of 3.4 months (2.75, 3.0, and 4.5 months) postoperatively. Final follow-up radiographs showed union and revascularization of the proximal part of the scaphoid with no evidence of degeneration of the radiocarpal joint. None of the patients had limiting pain or scapholunate instability demonstrated on physical or radiographic examination. Dorsiflexion and radial deviation of the affected wrist were decreased by a mean of 22° (10°, 22°, and 35°) and 15° (5°, 20°, and 20°), respectively, compared with those of the normal wrist. Conclusion: Grafting with vascularized radial bone is an effective treatment, leading to union and good function, for nonunion and avascular necrosis of the proximal part of the scaphoid in adolescents.
On Neanderthal speech and human evolution

Loring Brace's assertion that “Neanderthals were just as capable of articulate speech as we are” reflects ignorance of speech anatomy and physiology. Metrical analyses of hyoid bone morphology cannot predict supralaryngeal vocal tract (SVT) shape. Houghton's (1993) “modern” Neanderthal SVT reconstruction yields an impossible creature who had a larynx positioned in his chest. The reconstructed modem SVTs of early fossil Homo sapiens indicate brains that can regulate speech, consistent with Merlin Donalds timetable for the evolution of language.
Forgetting and Recovering the Unforgettable

Two experiments demonstrated striking, reversible forgetting effects that occurred even for a list of expletives. The experiments used a procedure based on the classic memory mechanisms of interference and retrieval cuing. Interference reduced recall dramatically, although appropriate cues triggered complete recovery. Distinctive, emotionally charged materials were quite susceptible to the forgetting and recovery effects. Thus, powerful forgetting effects can be obtained when participants have no intentions to forget and the materials involved are distinctive, emotional materials with sexual and violent content. This forgetting is reversible with appropriate cues. The false-memory debate can and must be informed by experimental investigations not only of false memories, but also of blocked and recovered memories.
How "clean" is the cleaning profession?

Commentary on the paper by Medina-Ramon et al (see page 598) Based on the assumption that cleanliness equates with healthiness, many people are likely to consider the cleaning profession to be relatively free of health risks. In fact, some cleaning compounds, either alone or mixed, pose a risk for inhalation injuries, and this risk is heightened when cleaners work in a confined space, such as a small lavatory. The harmful agents are usually irritant aerosols or gases, which means that cleaners are at risk for irritant induced asthma, including reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS), and other respiratory diseases. Over the past 15 years, professional cleaners have emerged as one of the high risk groups for work related asthma in industrialised nations. For example, in the multinational European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) that was initiated in 1992, the reference occupational group comprised professional, clerical, and administrative workers. The cleaning occupation had the fourth highest odds ratio (OR = 1.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33 to 2.92) for asthma among 29 occupational groups, and cleaners had an increased odds ratio in 11 of the 12 countries where the survey was conducted.1 Epidemiologists in Finland, France, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, and the United States have also published reports that identified an association between asthma and professional cleaning. Most of these studies implicate employment as a cleaner or the use of cleaning compounds in general as …
SEU Analysis of Complex Circuits Implemented in Actel RTAX-S FPGA Devices

A novel approach to SEE characterization of counters implemented in a RTAX-S FPGA is presented. Net fan-out, capacitive loading, and operational frequency have demonstrated a direct impact to counter SEU cross sections as compared to shift registers.
Simultaneous assessment of short-term gastrointestinal benefits and cardiovascular risks of selective cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors and nonselective nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs: an instrumental variable analysis.

Objective To simultaneously assess the short-term reduction in risk of gastrointestinal (GI) complications and increase in risk of acute myocardial infarction (MI) by celecoxib compared with rofecoxib and several nonselective nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) using instrumental variable analysis. Methods A population of 49,711 Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 years and older who initiated nonselective NSAID or selective cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor therapy between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2002, was identified. The increase in risk of GI complications and MI within 180 days after initiation of NSAID (rofecoxib, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and naproxen compared with celecoxib) therapy was assessed using instrumental variable analysis. Results Compared with nonselective NSAIDs, celecoxib reduced the risk of GI complications by 1.4 per 100 users but increased the risk of MI by 0.3 per 100 users. Rofecoxib decreased GI complications by 1.1 per 100 users and increased the risk of MI by 0.3 per 100 users. Using celecoxib as the reference exposure showed an increase in the MI risk for rofecoxib (risk difference [RD] 1.40, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] −0.20, 3.01) and diclofenac (RD 6.07, 95% CI −0.02, 12.15). The RD for naproxen as well as its upper 95% CI was the lowest of all NSAIDs (RD −0.30, 95% CI −2.74, 2.14) and there was no significant difference in GI complication rates among all NSAIDs. Conclusion In this instrumental variable analysis, diclofenac and rofecoxib had the least favorable benefit–risk balance among NSAIDs in older adults.
Ginzburg-Landau theory of crystalline anisotropy for bcc-liquid interfaces

The weak anisotropy of the interfacial free energy $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ is a crucial parameter influencing dendritic crystal growth morphologies in systems with atomically rough solid-liquid interfaces. The physical origin and quantitative prediction of this anisotropy are investigated for body-centered-cubic (bcc) forming systems using a Ginzburg-Landau theory where the order parameters are the amplitudes of density waves corresponding to principal reciprocal lattice vectors. We find that this theory predicts the correct sign ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{100}g{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{110}$ and magnitude $({\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{100}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{110})∕({\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{100}+{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{110})\ensuremath{\approx}1%$ of this anisotropy in good agreement with the results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for Fe. The results show that the directional dependence of the rate of spatial decay of solid density waves into the liquid, imposed by the crystal structure, is a main determinant of anisotropy. This directional dependence is validated by MD computations of density wave profiles for different reciprocal lattice vectors for {110} crystal faces. Our results are contrasted with the prediction of the reverse ordering ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{100}l{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{110}$ from an earlier formulation of Ginzburg-Landau theory [Shih et al., Phys. Rev. A 35, 2611 (1987)].
Protein Interactions with Materials as Related to Thromboresistance

An effort is made to explain the high tendency of fibrinogen to adsorb at a material-plasma interface and to relate this adsorption to the material's thromboresistance. Heparin in the adsorbed state acts as an inhibitor to fibrinogen adsorption. Most inanimate surfaces, however, do not spontaneously adsorb heparin and are consequently free to adsorb fibrinogen. Fresh cleaved mica surfaces do adsorb heparin, a fact which is attributed to heparin's affinity for the layer of potassium atoms at the cleavage plane of mica.
Do Conflict Management Styles Affect Group Decision Making? Evidence From a Longitudinal Field Study

This study examined the relationship between group conflict management styles and effectiveness of group decision making in 11 ongoing, naturally occurring workgroups from 2 large U.S. organizations. The major postulate of the study was that groups develop norms regarding how they will manage conflicts that carry over to affect other activities, such as decision making, even when these activities do not involve open conflict. To determine the impact of conflict management style on decision effectiveness, a longitudinal design was used that identified conflict management styles in the initial portion of each team's series of meetings and then analyzed a group decision taken in a meeting near the end of that series. Group conflict management styles were determined using observational methods, and decision effectiveness was measured using multiple indices that tapped member, facilitator, and external observer viewpoints. Task complexity also was considered as a possible moderating variable. The findings suggest that groups that developed integrative conflict management styles made more effective decisions than groups that utilized confrontation and avoidance styles. Groups that never developed a stable style were also less effective than groups with integrative styles.
Study of channel length scaling in large-scale graphene FETs

This work presents a detailed study of transport in field effect transistors using transferred graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition. For the first time, we observe a shift of Dirac point in graphene deviecs as a consequence of gate length scaling. This shift has been identified as one of the signatures of short channel effects in graphene. In addition, an electron-hole asymmetry observed in short channel devices suggests a strong impact from graphene/metal contacts.
Ironstone pods in the Archean Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa: Earth's oldest seafloor hydrothermal vents reinterpreted as Quaternary subaerial springs: Comment and Reply REPLY

We respond to de Ronde et al. as per their numbered comments. 1. de Ronde et al. suggest that there are two populations of ironstone pods in the Barberton greenstone belt: those on Farm Mendon that are Archean in age and composed primarily of hematite and all other ironstone pods, which are young
Computer-Aided Diagnosis in Mammography Using Content-based Image Retrieval Approaches: Current Status and Future Perspectives.

As the rapid advance of digital imaging technologies, the content-based image retrieval (CBIR) has became one of the most vivid research areas in computer vision. In the last several years, developing computer-aided detection and/or diagnosis (CAD) schemes that use CBIR to search for the clinically relevant and visually similar medical images (or regions) depicting suspicious lesions has also been attracting research interest. CBIR-based CAD schemes have potential to provide radiologists with “visual aid” and increase their confidence in accepting CAD-cued results in the decision making. The CAD performance and reliability depends on a number of factors including the optimization of lesion segmentation, feature selection, reference database size, computational efficiency, and relationship between the clinical relevance and visual similarity of the CAD results. By presenting and comparing a number of approaches commonly used in previous studies, this article identifies and discusses the optimal approaches in developing CBIR-based CAD schemes and assessing their performance. Although preliminary studies have suggested that using CBIR-based CAD schemes might improve radiologists’ performance and/or increase their confidence in the decision making, this technology is still in the early development stage. Much research work is needed before the CBIR-based CAD schemes can be accepted in the clinical practice.
Ambient seismic, hydroacoustic, and flexural gravity wave noise on a tabular iceberg

Cross correlation of ambient seismic noise between four seismographs on tabular iceberg C16, Ross Sea, Antarctica, reveals both the source and the propagation characteristics of signals associated with icebergs. We find that noise correlation functions computed from station data are asymmetric about zero time lag, and this indicates that noise observed on the iceberg originates primarily from a compact, localized source associated with iceberg collisions between C16 and a neighboring iceberg, B15A. We additionally find two, and possibly more, distinct phases of noise propagation. We believe that flexural gravity wave propagation dominates the low-frequency noise (>10 s period) and that hydroacoustic wave propagation in the water column between the ice and seabed appears to dominate high-frequency noise (>10 Hz). Faster seismic propagation dominates the intermediate band (2–6 Hz); however, we do not have sufficient data to characterize the wave mechanisms more precisely, e.g., by identifying distinct longitudinal and shear body waves and/or surface waves. Secular changes in the amplitude and timing of ambient noise correlations, e.g., a diurnal cycle and an apparent shift in the noise correlation of fast seismic modes between two periods of the deployment, allow us to speculate that ambient noise correlation analysis may be helpful in understanding the sources and environmental controls on iceberg-generated ocean noise as well as geometric properties (such as water column thickness) of subglacial lakes.
Cardiac arrest under age 40: Etiology and prognosis

Between January 1979 and December 1982, 84 patients between the ages of 1 and 39 years presented to the emergency department in a state of cardiac arrest. There were 58 male patients (69%) and 26 female patients (31%) in the group. Presenting rhythms were ventricular fibrillation (37%), asystole (37%), idioventricular rhythm (14%), heart block (4%), bradycardia (4%), ventricular tachycardia (3%), and electromechanical dissociation (3%). Thirty-two percent had bystander CPR. Of 21 patients initially resuscitated (25%), only four (5%) survived to discharge from the hospital. All survivors were neurologically intact. Seventy-five of the 80 patients who died (90%) underwent autopsy. Cause of death in the five remaining patients was inferred from clinical history. Etiologies of the cardiac arrests were the following: toxic exposure or ingestion (26%), atherosclerotic heart disease (23%), undetermined (11%), pulmonary embolism (6%), hemorrhage (6%), epilepsy (2%), cardiomyopathy (7%), myocarditis (2%), pneumonia (4%), and one case each of airway obstruction, asthma, peptic disease, and septic shock. Diverse etiologies should lead to a diagnostic search for reversible conditions in young patients. The prognosis for hospital discharge is poorer in the young population than is reported in our overall cardiac arrest population; however, numbers of neurologically intact survivors are similar in the young and the overall cardiac arrest population.
Scavenging of volcanic aerosol by ash: Atmospheric and volcanologic implications

The initial concentrations of S (1,600 ppm) and Cl (1,100 ppm) in the high-Al2O3 basaltic magma from the 1974 eruptions of Fuego Volcano, Guatemala, were inferred from trapped glass inclusions in phenocrysts. During the explosive eruptions, as much as 33% of the S and 17% of the Cl fell quickly back to Earth as acid aerosol particles absorbed on the ash. An additional 5% of the S and 20% of the Cl was trapped in the silicate ash. The remaining S and Cl was released to the atmosphere. By estimating the volume of ash and applying the above values for S and Cl, 2.2 × 1011 g of S and 1.6 × 1011 g of Cl were calculated to be the atmospheric contribution of the 1974 Fuego eruption. These figures are minimum values because an undetermined amount of intrusive magma may have contributed volatiles to the eruption. Airborne in-the-plume measurements, together with the existing approaches, are the best way to eliminate this uncertainty. The absolute concentrations of scavenged elements on ash are seen to be a function of plume flux and particle trajectory, both of which vary greatly during an eruption. Intense pyroclastic activity produces higher S/Cl ratios in the coating acquired by the ash particles; this implies that there are higher S/Cl ratios in volcanic gas during more explosive phases of an eruption.
Data Aggregation in Organizational Research: The Temporal Dimension

This article focusses on an important but often overlooked dimension of aggregation in organizational research, the temporal dimension. As more researchers begin to appreciate the dynamic quality of their subject matter, longitudinal studies will become more common. Lacking fully developed research paradigms, however, such studies are likely to encounter a number of problems. In this paper, three particular problems, the interval problem, the differential period problem, and the morphogenetic problem, are discussed in the context of two concrete studies. The kinds of issues each problem poses are identified and possible solutions are proposed.
In vitro maturation of oocytes via the pre-fabricated self-assembled artificial human ovary

Purpose Create a 3-Dimensional artificial human ovary to mature human oocytes. Methods Theca and granulosa cells were isolated from antral follicles of reproductive-aged women, seeded into micro-molded gels and self-assembled into complex 3D microtissues. Immunohistochemistry and live-dead staining confirmed theca cell identity and cellular viability at one week respectively. Placement of granulosa cell spheroids or cumulus-oocyte complexes into theca cell honeycomb openings resulted in creation of an artificial human ovary. Oocytes from this construct were assessed for polar body extrusion. Results Theca and granulosa cells self-assembled into complex microtissues, remaining viable for one week. At 72 h after artificial human ovary construction, theca cells completely surrounded the granulosa spheroids or COCs without stromal invasion or disruption. Polar body extrusion occurred in one of three COCs assessed. Conclusions An artifical human ovary can be created with self-assembled human theca and granulosa cell microtissues, and used for IVM and future oocyte toxicology studies.
Average quantizer adaptation rates for stable nonstationary ADPCM

This paper considers finite time error recovery in ADPCM systems under the assumption of perfect prediction, but adaptive quantization with nonstationary prediction. Sufficient conditions are given on the average rate of quantizer step size adaptation and variation in the predictor parameters that causes the ADPCM system to recover from initial errors in a finite time.
A model for integrating an adaptive information filter utilizing biosensor data to assess cognitive load

Information filtering is an effective tool for improving performance but requires real-time information about the user's changing cognitive states to determine the optimal amount of filtering for each individual at any given time. Current research at the Adaptive Multimodal Interactive Laboratory assesses the user's cognitive ability and cognitive load from physiological measures including: eye tracking, heart rate, skin temperature, electrodermal activity, and the pressures applied to a computer mouse during task performance. A model of adaptive information filtering is proposed that would improve learning and task performance by optimizing the human-computer interface based on real-time information of the user's cognitive state obtained from these passive physiological measures.
MRI-based analysis of patellofemoral cartilage contact, thickness, and alignment in extension, and during moderate and deep flexion.

Abstract Background Several factors are believed to contribute to patellofemoral joint function throughout knee flexion including patellofemoral (PF) kinematics, contact, and bone morphology. However, data evaluating the PF joint in this highly flexed state have been limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate patellofemoral contact and alignment in low (0°), moderate (60°), and deep (140°) knee flexion, and then correlate these parameters to each other, as well as to femoral morphology. Methods Sagittal magnetic resonance images were acquired on 14 healthy female adult knees (RSRB approved) using a 1.5 T scanner with the knee in full extension, mid-flexion, and deep flexion. The patellofemoral cartilage contact area, lateral contact displacement (LCD), cartilage thickness, and lateral patellar displacement (LPD) throughout flexion were defined. Intra- and inter-rater repeatability measures were determined. Correlations between patellofemoral contact parameters, alignment, and sulcus morphology were calculated. Results Measurement repeatability ICCs ranged from 0.94 to 0.99. Patellofemoral cartilage contact area and thickness, LCD, and LPD were statistically different throughout all levels of flexion (p Discussion This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the patellofemoral joint throughout its range of motion. Conclusions This study agrees with past studies that investigated patellofemoral measures at a single flexion angle, and provides new insights into the relationship between patellofemoral contact and alignment at multiple flexion angles. Clinical Relevance The study provides a detailed analysis of the patellofemoral joint in vivo, and demonstrates the feasibility of using standard clinical magnetic resonance imaging scanners to image the knee joint in deep flexion.
A forward genetic screen to explore chloroplast protein import in vivo identifies Moco sulfurase, pivotal for ABA and IAA biosynthesis and purine turnover

A genetic screen in Arabidopsis was developed to explore the regulation of chloroplast protein import in vivo using two independent reporters representing housekeeping and photosynthetic pre-proteins. We first used 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase (EPSP synthase*), a key enzyme in the shikimic acid pathway, with a mutation that confers tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate. Because the EPSP synthase* pre-protein must be imported for its function, the loss of glyphosate tolerance provided an initial indication of an import deficiency. Second, the fate of GFP fused to a ferredoxin transit peptide (FD5-GFP) was determined. A class of altered chloroplast import (aci) mutants showed both glyphosate sensitivity and FD5-GFP mislocalized to nuclei. aci2-1 was selected for further study. Yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) fused to the transit peptide of EPSP synthase* or the small subunit of Rubisco was not imported into chloroplasts, but also localized to nuclei during protoplast transient expression. Isolated aci2-1 chloroplasts showed a 50% reduction in pre-protein import efficiency in an in vitro assay. Mutants did not grow photoautotrophically on media without sucrose and were small and dark green in soil. aci2-1 and two alleles code for Moco-sulfurase, which activates the aldehyde oxidases required for the biosynthesis of the plant hormones abscisic acid (ABA) and indole-acetic acid (IAA) and controls purine nucleotide (ATP and GTP) turnover and nitrogen recycling via xanthine dehydrogenase. These enzyme activities were not detected in aci2-1. ABA, IAA and/or purine turnover may play previously unrecognized roles in the regulation of chloroplast protein import in response to developmental, metabolic and environmental cues.
Caged in on the Outside: Moral Subjectivity, Selfhood and Islam in Minangkabau, Indonesia, by Gregory M. Simon

Gregory Simon has written a clear, vivid account set in the second city of West Sumatra: Bukittinggi, Indonesia. Simon draws his title from a common self-characterisation of Minang people as simult...
Centrifugal Compressor Design Challenges for CO2 and Other Acid Gas Injection Services

Centrifugal compressors are the preferred compression equipment for its higher reliability. However, when centrifugal compressors are designed to handle high CO2 and other acid gases such as H2 S, special challenges must be addressed. Some of the key challenges are thermodynamic performance, materials selection, phase changes, hydrate formation, stability, and sealing. This paper presents how centrifugal compressors can be designed to meet these challenges.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Inhibition of forage seed germination by leaf litter extracts of overstory hardwoods used in silvopastoral systems

Silvopastoral management strategies seek to expand spatial and temporal boundaries of forage production and promote ecosystem integrity through a combination of tree thinning and understory pastures. We determined the effects of water extracts of leaf litter from three species of overstory hardwood trees, yellow poplar, red maple, and white oak, on germination of common forage species: alfalfa, red and white clover, crabgrass, orchardgrass, and tall fescue without and with endophytes to increase understanding about potential interactions between silvopastures and overstory deciduous trees. Litter extracts reduced germination in red and white clover in a concentration dependent manner with greatest effects observed for poplar > maple > oak extracts. These reductions were linearly related to increasing osmolality and electrical conductivity of the leaf extracts. Modified Gompertz growth curve models, fit to data, further indicated treatment with litter extracts, especially poplar, delayed and slowed germination. Similarly, cumulative germination of a variety of grasses was inhibited by filtered 6 % (w/v) litter extracts with the effects of poplar > maple > oak. However, germination of all forages resumed after rinsing extract-treated seeds with water indicating inhibition could be due, in part, to osmotic effects of extracts or water-soluble allelopathic compounds. Final germination varied with forage species and extract type, but in most instances, did not reach the level of the control further suggesting specific ion toxicities as well. Management practices that account for the interactions between trees and forages are needed to ensure successful establishment and persistence of mixed species swards in silvopastoral systems.
Scaling dielectrowetting optical shutters to higher resolution: microfluidic and optical implications.

A detailed study is reported on the implications of scaling dielectrowetting optical shutters to higher resolutions. Reducing droplet sizes from millimeters to 100 μm in diameter increases the relevance of microfluidic physics such as pinning, film breakup, and dewetting speed as well as optical physics such as transmission and diffraction. In addition, in this work we present improved material systems, including optimized dielectric stacks which reduce electrochemical degradation, and blended lower-viscosity fluids which increase dewetting speed. A higher-resolution device of ∼250 μm diameter demonstrates switching speeds of 70%. In addition to revealing science not previously discussed, this work has strong applied importance as scaling to higher resolutions is desirable for improving visual appearance in applications ranging from smart windows to electronic signage.
Japanese Beetles: Attractancy of Mixtures of Lures Containing Phenethyl Propionate and Eugenol134

Traps baited with lures containing equal volumes of phenethyl propionate ( PEP ), anethole, geraniol, phenethyl butyrate ( PEB ), and methyl cyclohexanepropionate were mixed with eugenol (30%) and exposed as trinary, quaternary or quinary lures in 2 tests in an area near Wooster, OH, infested with Popillia japonica Newman. Mixtures containing PEP + eugenol + geraniol and PEP + eugenol + geraniol + PEB captured 50% more beetles than the standard lure. Geraniol alone seemed to enhance attractancy since PEB imparted no increase in attractancy when mixed with PEP and eugenol.
Effect of beta-aminopropionitrile (lathyrus factor) on free hydroxyproline, proline and glycine in chick embryo.

SummaryAnalyses of brain and carcass of normal and lathyritic chick embryos for free hydroxyproline, proline, glycine, and total ninhydrin reactive material are reported. At 10 days development, 6 days after BAPN administration, no obvious alterations in these parameters were found although embryos were grossly malformed. At 17 days of development, 13 days after treatment, a reversal in ratios of proline to hydroxyproline was found; proline concentration fell, and that of hydroxyproline rose in both brain and carcass of lathyritic embryos as compared to the normals. A rise in free glycine concentration resulted in unchanged ratio of glycine to hydroxyproline.
Autistic Adolescents: Developmental Milestones and a Model Treatment Program

Autism is a severely disabling behavioral disorder that impacts upon the individual and the family. The current paper (a) discusses the normal developmental milestones of adolescence and constrasts them with developmental milestones of an autistic adolescent and family. In addition, the current paper (b) describes an innovative model program providing specialized services for the treatment of autistic adolescents, Community Services for Autistic Adolescents and Children (CSAAC), and (c) the role of occupational therapy within the CSAAC program is delineated.
Taxonomic Notes on Louisiana Fungi—II. Tremellales

In this paper will be found descriptions of a number of jelly fungi collected in Louisiana during the past year. Since there seem to be few reports on this group of fungi in Louisiana, most of them will represent new records for the area. Twenty-seven species are included, four of which appear to be heretofore undescribed. It is expected that a considerably larger number of these interesting Heterobasidiomycetes will eventually be added to the present list.
Internet Collaboration on Extremely Difficult Problems: Research versus Olympiad Questions on the Polymath Site

Despite the existence of highly successful Internet collaborations on complex projects, including open-source software, little is known about how Internet collaborations work for solving "extremely" difficult problems, such as open-ended research questions. We quantitatively investigate a series of efforts known as the Polymath projects, which tackle mathematical research problems through open online discussion. A key analytical insight is that we can contrast the polymath projects with mini-polymaths -- spinoffs that were conducted in the same manner as the polymaths but aimed at addressing math Olympiad questions, which, while quite difficult, are known to be feasible. Our comparative analysis shifts between three elements of the projects: the roles and relationships of the authors, the temporal dynamics of how the projects evolved, and the linguistic properties of the discussions themselves. We find interesting differences between the two domains through each of these analyses, and present these analyses as a template to facilitate comparison between Polymath and other domains for collaboration and communication. We also develop models that have strong performance in distinguishing research-level comments based on any of our groups of features. Finally, we examine whether comments representing research breakthroughs can be recognized more effectively based on their intrinsic features, or by the (re-)actions of others, and find good predictive power in linguistic features.
An Insider's Guide to Better Nursing Home Care: 75 Tips You Should Know, by Donna M. Reed

An Insider's Guide to Better Nursing Home Care provides direction for individuals struggling with the emotional, complex decision of placing a loved one in a quality long-term care setting. The aut...
Buprenorphine analogue BU08028 is one step closer to the Holy Grail of opioid research

Pain is a major clinical, social, and economic problem, affecting more people than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined (1). Pain medicine represents a large family of compounds that are commonly prescribed or sold over-the-counter for treating various painful conditions. Among these medications, opioids stand out as the most efficacious for the control of moderately severe to severe pain and are widely used. Despite their effectiveness, opioid use has its “dark side”: opioids produce many clinically significant side effects, from pruritus, constipation, dependence, to respiration depression. In addition, opioids are among the most abused drugs and prescription opioid abuse has reached an epidemic level in recent years. Opioids are truly a double-edged sword. For decades, research pursued the “Holy Grail” of opioid analgesic research: the development of opioids that retain the analgesic efficacy with reduced side effects. In PNAS, Ding et al. (2) report a systematic evaluation of a novel opioid, BU08028, which may lead us one step closer to this ultimate goal. Human use of opium poppy for religious rituals and for treating various ailments can be dated back thousands of years. A brief historical review on this topic was published in this journal (3), and no attempt will be made here to reiterate this history. Although morphine was discovered as the primary active component in opium poppy responsible for analgesia more than two centuries ago, scientific understanding of its pharmacology is a relatively recent event. There exists a fine-tuned endogenous opioid system in our body that is involved in various biological processes critical for our survival, which includes several endogenous peptides and four different receptors to which these peptides bind: µ, δ, κ, and nociceptin (NOP) receptors (4). Since the 1950s, dozens of synthetic and semisynthetic opioids have been developed and used clinically for pain management, treatment of … [↵][1]1Email: junxuli{at}buffalo.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Extending occupational science education

ABSTRACTInfluenced by diverse philosophical and cultural contexts, occupational scientists have made varied and rich contributions to occupational science. In addition to studying and disseminating knowledge of occupation through conferences and journals, they are also called on to be educators. This paper traces the initial educational program at the University of Southern California in the US, which produces PhD qualified researchers, to opportunities opening up to teach occupation at bachelors level. If occupational science is to deliver on the original vision, of contributing to eradication of complex social problems, it argues that everyone needs a basic introduction to occupational science. While bachelors’ degrees in occupational science are generally only taken up by those pursuing a post-graduate professional degree, minors in occupational science offer college students understandings that reach into their personal lives, perhaps inspiring them to join occupational scientists in working for healt...
Analysis of PEM fuel cell stacks using an empirical current–voltage equation

An empirical equation was developed to describe the electrode processes (activation, ohmic and mass-transfer) of PEMFC stacks over the entire current range. The potential–current and power–current curves of a strip PEMFC stack were fitted with the empirical equation under a variety of experimental humidity, temperature and stack length conditions. The concept of mass transfer impedance was defined mathematically in the present research. For the strip PEMFC stack, mass transfer impedance was only important at high currents. With decreasing humidity the mass transfer impedance increased considerably. With increasing temperature or stack cell number the mass transfer impedance increased only slightly.
Experimentally Based Calculation of Robust Control Perturbation Models

Abstract This paper addresses the problem of obtaining robust control models from a combination of experimental data and a priori knowledge. A perturbation structure and nominal model may be obtained from a combination of system structural information and standard identification procedures. The problem considered here assumes the perturbation structure and a nominal model to be given. The objective is to calculate a suitable frequency dependent perturbation bound. The approach involves calculating the smallest perturbation that is not falsified by the available input-output data. Both open and closed-loop data can be used.
May Gender or Ethnicity Affect Delta Over Baseline Values Obtained by 13-C Urea Breath Test?

INTRODUCTION 13C-urea breath test (UBT) is a non-invasive test for detecting active H. pylori infection. Previous studies showed a correlation of delta over baseline (DOB) values with bacterial load, mucosal inflammation and successful eradication. Gender has been shown to affect DOB in children. Aim of our study was to verify whether gender or ethnicity affects DOB in adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed data of 2922 patients (1024M/1898F mean age 47±15 years) that underwent UBT in our outpatient unit, from October 2015 to October 2016. Patients were divided based on gender and ethnicity; mean DOB values were then compared. RESULTS 686 pts (23.4%, 258M/428F, mean age 45±17 years) of 2922 pts showed a positive UBT. Prevalence of H. pylori infection was significantly higher in males compared to females (29% vs 22%; p=0,03). Females showed a significant higher mean DOB (34±25 vs 27,6±22; p=0,008). A total of 2922 UBT were performed during the study period (F:1898, 65%; M: 1024 35%). The prevalence of H. pylori infection is 32% in those from Eastern Countries, 28% in those from South America and 40% in both those coming from Africa and Asia. We found significantly lower DOB values in Italians compared to non-Italian (mean DOB 36±27 vs 69±32; p<0.0001). CONCLUSION Our study showed that in our geographic area, prevalence H. pylori infection is higher in males. Moreover, it demonstrates for the first time in our geographic area that adult females show a significantly higher DOB compared to males (p=0,008). Whether this effect may be due to hormonal differences, able to influence gastric emptying, bacterial load, or even the production of urease by H. pylori, merits further investigation.