cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU‐C‐217BCD‐03: CT QA Revisited in Context of Tube Current Modulation and Iterative Reconstruction

Purpose: Despite their substantial impact on both patient dose and image quality, automatic‐tube‐current‐modulation (ATCM) and iterative reconstruction (IR) are not typically evaluated or monitored in CTquality assurance (CTQA) programs. A new CT phantom and custom software have been incorporated into the CTQA program at our institution. The purpose of this project was to devise a generic testing platform using these newly designed tools, and introduce this platform as part of regular CTQA testing.Methods: The Mercury Phantom comprises three tapered and four uniform regions of polyethylene (16, 23, 30, and 37cm in diameter), each of which includes four inserts of different materials: air, Polystyrene, Acrylic, and Teflon. Images were acquired using ATCM on three Siemens Flash and three GE 750HD scanners, and iteratively reconstructed (SAFIRE and ASIR). A custom MATLAB software package provided mAs and standard deviation per image, HU, MTF, NPS, and detectability indices for each insert. Results were compared within and across systems, to be used as baseline values for comparison with future system performance testing.Results: For each scanner model, the absolute difference in mAs for corresponding images of the baseline scans had a mean value less than 2 mAs, with a standard deviation of 1.3 mAs. For different phantom diameters, HU measurements for all four inserts varied little between identical systems or reconstruction algorithms. For each reconstruction algorithm used, detectability indices based upon MTF and NPS measurements were very reproducible, averaging less than 5% difference. Different CT models varied substantially in terms of their mAs profile. Conclusions: The Mercury Phantom and data analysis technique can be used to benchmark/monitor CT performance, including ATCM and IR, and identify changes over time and across systems. The methodology can be readily implemented across a fleet of CTscanners at a large academic medical center.
Adipocyte exosomes induce transforming growth factor beta pathway dysregulation in hepatocytes: a novel paradigm for obesity-related liver disease.

Abstract Background The pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been attributed to increased systemic inflammation and insulin resistance mediated by visceral adipose tissue (VAT), although the exact mechanisms are undefined. Exosomes are membrane-derived vesicles containing messenger RNA, microRNA, and proteins, which have been implicated in cancer, neurodegenerative, and autoimmune diseases, which we postulated may be involved in obesity-related diseases. We isolated exosomes from VAT, characterized their content, and identified their potential targets. Targets included the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) pathway, which has been linked to NAFLD. We hypothesized that adipocyte exosomes would integrate into HepG2 and hepatic stellate cell lines and cause dysregulation of the TGF-β pathway. Methods Exosomes from VAT from obese and lean patients were isolated and fluorescently labeled, then applied to cultured hepatic cell lines. After incubation, culture slides were imaged to detect exosome uptake. In separate experiments, exosomes were applied to cultured cells and incubated 48-h. Gene expression of TGF-β pathway mediators was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, and compared with cells, which were not exposed to exosomes. Results Fluorescent-labeled exosomes integrated into both cell types and deposited in a perinuclear distribution. Exosome exposure caused increased tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and integrin ανβ-5 expression and decreased matrix metalloproteinase-7 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 expression in to HepG2 cells and increased expression of TIMP-1, TIMP-4, Smad-3, integrins ανβ-5 and ανβ-8, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in hepatic stellate cells. Conclusions Exosomes from VAT integrate into liver cells and induce dysregulation of TGF-β pathway members in vitro and offers an intriguing possibility for the pathogenesis of NAFLD.
Effects of simulated radioactive fallout buildup and decay on survival and yield of lettuce, maize, radish, squash and tomato

Abstract Experiments were designed to determine the relative effectiveness of similar total exposures of 137 Cs gamma radiation given as either 16-hr or 36-hr treatments at constant exposure rates (CR) compared with 36-hr fallout decay simulation (FDS) or 36-hr buildup and fallout decay simulation (Bu + FDS) treatments with variable exposure rates. Seedlings of maize and squash were given FDS, 16-hr CR and 36-hr CR treatments and seedlings of radish and lettuce were given Bu + FDS, FDS and 16-hr CR treatments. Following irradiation, maize, squash and lettuce were transplanted to the field and radish to the greenhouse. Tomato seedlings were given a 16-hr CR exposure only and fruit production was observed under greenhouse conditions. Comparisons among the various treatments were made with survival and yield as the end points studied. No significant difference was found between the effects of the Bu + FDS and the FDS treatments in the crops tested (radish and lettuce). With one exception, the FDS treatment was more effective in reducing survival and yield than any of the CR treatments. The overall ratios of effectiveness for survival and yield were 1·33 for 16-hr CR/FDS, 1·81 for 36-hr CR/FDS and 1·05 for Bu + FDS/FDS. The LD 50 values (kR) for the FDS treatments were 4·79 for lettuce, 4·95 for maize and 6·65 for squash. Fifty per cent yield exposures (kR) for the FDS were 3·80 for maize, 4·65 for lettuce, 5·30 for squash and 11·80 for radish. Lettuce and squash showed a statistically significant increase in yield relative to unirradiated controls at several exposures, in one case double that of control. With increasing exposures, tomatoes showed increasing reductions in fruit yield and delay in time of fruit ripening of about one week per 2 kR between exposures of 4 and 13 kR. The significance of this delay is discussed in relation to hypothetical fallout conditions.
Mechanism of the apparent parasympathetic inhibition of adenosine induced heart rate slowing in the dog.

The inhibitory action of intravenously administered adenosine on the sinoatrial (SA) node is not expressed in the conscious dog in the presence of normal vagal tone. After pharmacological or surgical parasympathetic blockade, however, adenosine exerts a powerful negative chronotropic effect. In order to determine the reason why this action of adenosine is blocked by the intact parasympathetic nervous system, we measured the chronotropic effects of adenosine while applying a constant cholinergic stimulus to the SA node. In conscious dogs during a systemic infusion of acetylcholine at a rate sufficient by itself to inhibit the SA node, intravenous adenosine injections caused further dose dependent reductions in heart rate. In anaesthetised, vagotomised dogs, intravenous adenosine caused similar negative chronotropic effects with or without concomitant electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve. As an example, 5 mumol.kg-1 adenosine reduced heart rate by 22 (SEM 4)% from a baseline heart rate of 172(10) beats.min-1; when heart rate was lowered to 66(1) beats.min-1 by electrical vagal stimulation, this dose of adenosine reduced heart rate by 36(8)%. Propranolol had no effect on these responses. We conclude that there is no direct cholinergic inhibition of the negative chronotropic action of adenosine on the canine SA node but rather that the inhibitory action of systemically administered adenosine on the SA node is simply masked by the withdrawal of vagal tone in response to the arterial hypotension resulting from this mode of adenosine administration.
Photostimulable phosphors for X-ray imaging: applications and mechanism

Abstract X-ray imaging via photostimulated luminescence (PSL) in barium fluorohalides is becoming important for various applications, in particular medical imaging. We describe the requirements for a PSL phosphor and then review the current understanding of the mechanism underlying the high PSL efficiency of BaFCl:Eu 2+ and BaFBr:Eu 2+ . In particular, recent results indicate the important role played by H - ions in these materials, and suggest that they are an integral part of the photostimulated luminescence complex.
Dichroic mirror embedded in a submicrometer waveguide for enhanced resonant nonlinear optical devices

We report the design, fabrication and characterization of novel dichroic mirrors embedded in a tightly confining AlGaAs/AlxOy waveguide. Reflection at the first-harmonic wavelength as high as 93% is achieved, while high transmission is maintained at the second-harmonic wavelength. The measured cavity spectrum is in excellent agreement with finite-difference time-domain simulations. Such a mirror is essential for achieving resonant enhancement of second-harmonic generation.
Three-dimensional discrete element method for granular materials

This paper describes a three-dimensional discrete element method of analysis for granular materials. Individual particles are modelled as rigid, six-sided solids with six degrees of freedom. Various types of contacts are possible among the three-dimensional discrete elements. Models for these contact types are described. Computational aspects of the method, such as techniques for contact detection and data structure, are addressed. Selective results of three examples that demonstrate the application of the method to granular flow problems are presented and discussed.
Edwardsiellosis Caused by Edwardsiella ictaluri in Laboratory Populations of Zebrafish Danio rerio

Abstract We report the first cases of Edwardsiella ictaluri causing epizootics in laboratory populations of Zebrafish Danio rerio. Edwardsiella ictaluri is primarily recognized as a disease of catfish species and is known to cause an economically important bacterial disease of farm-raised catfish in the USA and abroad; however, it has been isolated on occasion from 10 other genera of nonictalurid fishes. We isolated E. ictaluri from moribund Zebrafish held in quarantine at two different universities in two states and from a research facility in a third state between February 23 and December 6, 2011. Edwardsiellosis in Zebrafish can be described as a severe systemic disease characterized by tissue necrosis and the presence of large numbers of extracellular and intracellular bacteria, often within macrophages. The kidneys (pronephros and mesonephros), spleen, nares, and forebrain were the most commonly and severely affected tissues. In outbreaks, mortality was acute and numerous fish died over a 1–2 week pe...
Mixing of a Sonic Transverse Jet Injected into a Supersonic Flow

The mixing characteristics of an underexpanded sonic jet injected into a Mach 1.6 crosse ow are studied experimentally. Shadowgraph photography and planar laser-induced e uorescence from acetone are used to obtain temporally resolved e owe eld visualizations of a side viewof the barrel shock region, a side view of the downstream plume, and an end view cross section of the plume. Instantaneous images, mean and standard deviation images, and image-intensity probability density functions (PDFs) are used to study the mixing produced by large-scale turbulent structures. PDFs show that time-averaged mixture fraction measurements greatly overestimate the actual level of instantaneous mixing in the e owe eld. Comparisons of the instantaneous images and PDFs show the role of large-scale rolling structures and jetlike plumes in transporting coherent packets of e uid across the threedimensional shear layer formed between the jet and crosse ow. Signie cant instantaneous mixing in this e owe eld occursin the wakeregiondownstream ofthebarrel shock region and below thejetcenterline.Thecounter-rotating streamwisevortex pairin thejetplumeplaysan importantrole in the scalarmixing processes becauseit transports jet e uid down toward the wake and entrains crosse ow e uid from below up into the jet.
Twenty micrograms vs. >20 μg estrogen oral contraceptives for contraception: systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Abstract Concern about estrogen-related adverse effects has led to progressive reductions in the estrogen dose in combination oral contraceptives (COCs). This review of randomized controlled trials tested the hypothesis that COCs containing ≤20 μg ethinyl estradiol (EE) perform similarly to those containing >20 μg in terms of contraceptive effectiveness, bleeding patterns, discontinuation and side effects. Data from the 18 eligible trials conducted to date are inadequate for detecting possible differences in contraceptive effectiveness. Several COCs containing 20 μg EE resulted in higher rates of early trial discontinuation (overall and due to adverse events such as irregular bleeding) as well as increased risk of bleeding disturbances (both amenorrhea/infrequent bleeding and irregular, prolonged, frequent bleeding or breakthrough bleeding or spotting) than their higher-estrogen comparison pills. However, most trials compared COCs containing different progestin types, and changes in bleeding patterns could be related to progestin type as well as estrogen dose. While health care providers and women might select COCs containing 20 μg EE based on theoretical improvements in safety profile from the reduced dose of estrogen, no evidence is available to support this choice.
Moderate Renal Impairment and Risk of Dementia among Older Adults: The Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study

ABSTRACT. Renal impairment is associated with an increased risk of carotid atherosclerosis and stroke, determinants of cognitive dysfunction and dementia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether moderate renal impairment is associated with incident dementia among community-dwelling older adults. Participants in the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study without prevalent dementia ( n = 3349) were included in the analysis. Incident dementia was confirmed through neurologic testing. Renal function at baseline was estimated by the inverse of serum creatinine (1/SCr); moderate renal impairment was defined as SCr ≥ 1.3 mg/dl for women and ≥ 1.5 mg/dl for men. Cox regression models were used to estimate the association of renal impairment with incident dementia. Because SCr is also a function of muscle mass, the authors determined whether the relationship between SCr and dementia was particularly strong among individuals without severe co-morbidity at baseline, as reflected by self-reported general health status. There were 477 incident dementia cases over a median 6 yr follow-up. After adjustment for potential confounders, moderate renal insufficiency was associated with a 37% increased risk of dementia (95% CI = 1.06 to 1.78). Similarly, a 0.5-unit decrement in 1/SCr (equivalent to an increase in SCr from 1.0 to 2.0 mg/dl) was associated with a 26% increased risk (95% CI = 1.02 to 1.60). These associations were present only among the 84% of older adults who reported good–excellent health. Among those in good–excellent health, higher SCr was associated with vascular-type dementia but not Alzheimer-type dementia. Moderate renal impairment, reflected by a higher SCr, is associated with an excess risk of incident dementia among individuals in good–excellent health. Strategies to prevent or delay the onset of dementia in patients with moderate renal impairment are needed.
Partnering With a Family Advisor to Improve Communication in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Inadequate communication between medical teams and families can lead to errors and poor-quality care. The objective was to understand why communication between the clinical team and families was not occurring consistently in the pediatric intensive care unit and improve the system using a multidisciplinary improvement team including a family advisor. This improvement project used Lean Six Sigma. The team observed updates and collected documented communication, survey, interview, and focus group data from families and staff. Root causes of failures included lack of assigned responsibility, lack of defined daily update, and lack of a daily communication standard. Process changes were implemented, resulting in an increased mean documented communication rate from 13% pre intervention to 65% post intervention that was sustained for more than 2 years (P < .001). Including a family advisor as an equal member of an improvement team provides family empowerment and a greater chance of success in complex areas.
Clarifying the Integration of Trust and TAM in E-Commerce Environments: Implications for Systems Design and Management

Two dominant theories-trust and technology acceptance-have been employed in numerous information systems research studies to help understand consumer behavior in e-commerce environments. In this context of voluntary Web site adoption and use, we provide a more precise understanding of the nomological network related to the cognitive variables (both beliefs and attitudes) that precede this use. Designers and engineers need to be concerned not just with building an objectively better Web site but also with building a Web site that conveys desirable characteristics. Although the theory of reasoned action has been acknowledged as the underlying theory for technology acceptance and some trust research, past studies integrating these two theories have omitted important variables from their models and have posited different causal relationships among model variables. This research argues for the reinclusion and/or clarification of belief and attitude constructs relevant to technology acceptance and trust research streams, explains why these constructs are critical for understanding causality in such models, proposes an integration model that is consistent with this argument, and finally tests this model in a context exploring initial reactions to an e-vendor and evaluates the relative importance of trust and technology acceptance variables in predicting user intentions.
Safety and efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin prophylaxis in pediatric head trauma patients: A double-blind controlled trial

Infection is one of the major complications of severe head trauma in children. To assess whether intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) decreases the incidence of secondary infection after head injury in children, a randomized, double-blind trial was performed. Thirty-three children (mean age, 6.67 years; mean injury severity score, 32.8; mean Glasgow coma score, 6.1) with severe head injuries were enrolled; 1 child was excluded, 18 received IVIg, and 14 received the placebo preparation. Four hundred milligrams per kilogram of IVIg or albumin placebo was administered within 48 hours of admission. IgG levels were obtained before the infusion and then 1 week later. Patients were monitored for evidence of infection for the next 21 days. There was a 66% increase in mean IgG levels in the treatment group compared with 45% in the control group (P = .057). One death occurred in the IVIg group and two in the placebo group. No significant differences in the incidence of pneumonia, sepsis, presumed sepsis, or any other type of infection was noted. There was no difference in the number of days on mechanical ventilation or in number of hospital days. There were no side effects. It is concluded that prophylactic administration of commercial IVIg at a dose of 400 mg/kg, although safe, had no effect on the incidence of secondary infections in children with severe head injuries.
A pattern matching and clustering based approach for supporting requirements transformation

One problem in requirements transformation from informal prose requirements to formal specifications is natural language processing. Although natural language understanding is still not practical for general requirements processing, syntactical information is useful for concept extraction. This paper discusses the correspondence between requirements sentence structure patterns and the events/transition concepts. It addresses how this correspondence might be utilized to extract events and transitions from conditional sentences. A pattern matching and clustering based approach is proposed to support event and transition extraction. The approach first selects requirements that are likely to contain event/transition information and then groups similar requirements to extract events. Once events are identified, the original requirements are clustered based on events to identify, related transition information. The approach is simple and does not require a parser. >
Credible Comparisons Using Interpersonally Incomparable Data: Nonparametric Scales with Anchoring Vignettes

Comparisons of individuals based on their selections from an ordinal scale traditionally assume that all respondents interpret subjective scale categories in exactly the same way. Anchoring vignettes have been proposed as a method to replace this homogeneity assumption with individual-specific data about how each respondent uses the ordinal scale. However, improving interpersonal comparisons with anchoring vignettes also requires a new set of assumptions. In this article, I derive the assumptions needed to make credible nonparametric comparisons using anchoring vignettes, and propose a new nonparametric scale that does not assume homogeneity among respondents. I also provide methods for evaluating empirically whether a set of anchoring objects can produce credible nonparametric interpersonal comparisons. Two empirical studies illustrate the importance of accounting for differences in the use of ordinal scales by showing how our inferences about interpersonal comparisons may change as a function of the assumptions we accept.
Human ATAC Is a GCN5/PCAF-containing Acetylase Complex with a Novel NC2-like Histone Fold Module That Interacts with the TATA-binding Protein

Eukaryotic GCN5 acetyltransferases influence diverse biological processes by acetylating histones and non-histone proteins and regulating chromatin and gene-specific transcription as part of multiprotein complexes. In lower eukaryotes and invertebrates, these complexes include the yeast ADA complex that is still incompletely understood; the SAGA (Spt-Ada-Gcn5 acetylase) complexes from yeast to Drosophila that are mostly coactivators; and the ATAC (Ada Two-A containing) complex, only known in Drosophila and still poorly characterized. In contrast, vertebrate organisms, express two paralogous GCN5-like acetyltransferases (GCN5 and PCAF), which have been found so far only in SAGA-type complexes referred to hereafter as the STAGA (SPT3-TAF9-GCN5/PCAF acetylase) complexes. We now report the purification and characterization of vertebrate (human) ATAC-type complexes and identify novel components of STAGA. We show that human ATAC complexes incorporate in addition to GCN5 or PCAF (GCN5/PCAF), other epigenetic coregulators (ADA2-A, ADA3, STAF36, and WDR5), cofactors of chromatin assembly/remodeling and DNA replication machineries (POLE3/CHRAC17 and POLE4), the stress- and TGFβ-activated protein kinase (TAK1/MAP3K7) and MAP3-kinase regulator (MBIP), additional cofactors of unknown function, and a novel YEATS2-NC2β histone fold module that interacts with the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and negatively regulates transcription when recruited to a promoter. We further identify the p38 kinase-interacting protein (p38IP/FAM48A) as a novel component of STAGA with distant similarity to yeast Spt20. These results suggest that vertebrate ATAC-type and STAGA-type complexes link specific extracellular signals to modification of chromatin structure and regulation of the basal transcription machinery.
Neutral atmospheric delay in interferometric synthetic aperture radar applications: Statistical description and mitigation

Variations in the refractive index of the atmosphere cause variations in satellite-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) observations. We can mitigate tropospheric effects by averaging N-independent interferograms. Because the neutral atmosphere is uncorrelated at timescales longer than 1 day, using this technique statistically reduces the variance, σ^2, of the noise by a factor of N. Using zenith neutral atmospheric delays from Global Positioning System (GPS) data from the Southern California Integrated GPS Network, we find that the average variance depends on the distance between observations, L, and height difference, H, as σ = c L^α + kH with estimated values for c, α, and k of about 2.5, 0.5, and 4.8, respectively, where σ is in mm and L and H are in km. We expect that the value of α is largely site-independent but the value of c will depend on the water vapor variability of the area of interest. This model is valid over a range of L between approximately 10 and 800 km. Height differences between 0 and 3 km have been used in this analysis. For distances of 100 and 10 km with negligible height differences, σ is estimated to be approximately 25 and 8 mm, respectively. For a given orbit revisit time and image archive duration, we calculate the number and duration (assumed constant) of interferograms required to achieve a desired sensitivity to deformation rate at a given length scale. Assuming neutral atmosphere is the dominant source of noise, a 30° look angle, and an image revisit time of 7 days, detection of a deformation rate of 1 mm yr^(−1) over distances of 10 km requires about 2.2 years of continuous observations. Given our results, we suggest a data covariance structure to use when using InSAR data to constrain geophysical models.
Population-based study of α- and γ-tocopherol in plasma and adipose tissue as biomarkers of intake in Costa Rican adults

BACKGROUND gamma-Tocopherol is the most abundant form of vitamin E in the US diet, but alpha-tocopherol concentrations are the highest in plasma and tissues. Although plasma and adipose tissue concentrations of alpha-tocopherol have been used as biomarkers of intake, the relation between gamma-tocopherol intake and concentrations in plasma and adipose tissue is unknown. OBJECTIVE Our goal was to investigate in a randomly selected population from Costa Rica whether plasma or adipose tissue concentrations of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol are suitable biomarkers of intake. DESIGN A total of 361 men (x +/- SD age: 55 +/- 11 y) and 121 women (aged 59 +/- 10 y) completed a 135-item food-frequency questionnaire and provided a fasting blood sample and adipose tissue biopsy sample. RESULTS Dietary gamma-tocopherol correlated with adipose tissue (r = 0.37, P < 0.001) and plasma (r = 0.42, P < 0.001) concentrations, regardless of supplement use. Dietary alpha-tocopherol correlated poorly with adipose tissue (r = 0.15, P < 0.01) and plasma (r = 0.16, P < 0.001) concentrations, and these correlations were even lower when users of vitamin supplements (n = 24) were excluded (adipose tissue: r = 0.10, P < 0.05; plasma: r = 0.09, P < 0.05). Compared with subjects who reported palm shortening (36%) as the major type of fat used for cooking, subjects using soybean oil (52%) had higher amounts of both alpha- and gamma-tocopherol in their diets. However, only gamma-tocopherol concentrations were higher in the plasma and adipose tissue of soybean oil users. CONCLUSIONS Plasma and adipose tissue concentrations of gamma-tocopherol are equally good biomarkers of intake. The weak associations between alpha-tocopherol intake and plasma or adipose tissue concentrations suggest that these biomarkers are influenced more by factors other than alpha-tocopherol intake.
Combining multiple evidence from different properties of weighting schemes

It has been known that using different representations of either queries or documents, or different retrieval techniques retrieves different sets of documents. Recent work suggests that significant improvements in retrieval performance can be achieved by combining multiple representations or multiple retrieval techniques. In this paper we propose a simple method for retrieving different documents within a single query representation, a single document representation and a single retrieval technique. We classify the types of documents, and describe the properties of weighting schemes. Then, we explain that different properties of weighting schemes may retrieve different types of documents. Experimental results show that significant improvements can be obtained by combining the retrieval results from different properties of weighting schemes.
Hijacking T cell differentiation: new insights in TLX function in T-ALL

TLX1 and TLX3 are two closely-related homeobox transcriptional repressors frequently misexpressed and translocated in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). In this issue of Cancer Cell, Dadi et al. provide new insights into how these factors are recruited by ETS-1 to the TCRα enhancer and actively repress differentiation.
Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α by substituted urea-derived soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) plays a major role in regulating vascular epoxyeicosatrienoic acid metabolism and function, and substituted urea derivatives that inhibit sEH activity reduce blood pressure in hypertensive rats. We found that substituted urea derivatives containing a dodecanoic acid group, besides effectively inhibiting sEH, increased peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor (PPAR) activity. In PPAR transfected COS-7 cells, treatment with 10 M N-cyclohexyl-N-dodecanoic acid urea (CUDA) or N-adamantanyl-N-dodecanoic acid urea (AUDA) produced 6- and 3-fold increases, respectively, in PPAR activation. Neither CUDA nor AUDA activated PPAR or PPAR directly, indicating selectivity for PPAR. CUDA did not alter PPAR protein expression, and it competitively inhibited the binding of Wy-14643 (pirinixic acid) to the ligand binding domain of PPAR, suggesting that it functions as a PPAR ligand. CUDA and AUDA were metabolized to chain-shortened -oxidation products, a process that reduced their potency as sEH inhibitors and their ability to bind and activate PPAR. N,N-Dicylclohexylurea and N-cyclohexyl-Ndodecylurea, sEH inhibitors that do not contain a carboxylic acid group, did not activate PPAR. In HepG2 cells, CUDA increased the expression of the PPAR-responsive gene carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A. We conclude that CUDA and AUDA, by virtue of their carboxylic acid substitution, activate PPAR in addition to potently inhibiting sEH. Further development of these compounds could lead to a class of agents with hypotensive and lipid-lowering properties that may be valuable for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
PIGMENTS PRODUCED BY Monascus purpureus WITH REGARD TO QUALITY AND QUANTITY

A simple methanolic extraction was used to evaluate intracellular pigments produced by Monascus purpureus NRRL 2897 utilizing different carbon and nitrogen substrates. The colors of the pigment extracts were specified by C.I.E. dominant wavelength and purity as an indicator of the differences in hue and saturation. Media containing maltose as the sole carbon source yielded pigment extracts with the longest dominant wavelength (most red). Glucose and fructose containing media also yielded red pigments. Yeast extract was a superior nitrogen source for production of red pigments. The color specification of water solubilized pigment complexes depended greatly on the ammo acid or protein to which the pigment was associated. Water solubilized pigment complexes were considerably stable to pH changes but did not withstand high temperatures such as would be required for thermal processing.
Automatic quadrilateral/triangular free‐form mesh generation for planar regions

Automation of finite element mesh generation holds great benefits for mechanical product development and analysis. In addition to freeing engineers from mundane tasks, automation of mesh generation reduces product cycle design and eliminates human-related errors. Most of the existing mesh generation methods are either semi-automatic or require specific topological information. A fully automatic free-form mesh generation method is described in this paper to alleviate some of these problems. The method is capable of meshing singly or multiply connected convex/concave planar regions. These regions can be viewed as crosssectional areas of 2 1/2 D objects analysed as plane stress, plane strain or axisymmetric stress problems. In addition to being fully automatic, the method produces quadrilateral or triangular elements with aspect rations near one. Moreover, it does not require any topological constraints on the regions to be meshed; i.e. it provides free-form mesh generation. The input to the method includes the region's boundary curves, the element size and the mesh grading information. The method begins by decomposing the planar region to be meshed into convex subregions. Each subregion is meshed by first generating nodes on its boundaries using the input element size. The boundary nodes are then offset to mesh the subregion. The resulting meshes are merged together to form the final mesh. The paper describes the method in detail, algorithms developed to implement it and sample numerical examples. Results on parametric studies of the method performance are also discussed.
Polymer nanocomposites based on transition metal ion modified organoclays

A unique class of nanocomposites containing organoclays modified with catalytically active transition metal ions (TMI) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers was prepared. The morphology, thermal and rheological properties of these nanocomposites were studied by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, X-ray scattering/diffraction and oscillatory shear rheometry. TMI-modified organoclays were thought to possess pillaring of multivalent TMI in the interlayer silicate gallery, leading to a notable reduction of the interlayer d-spacing. The resulting nanocomposites exhibited significantly improved thermal stability and fire retardation properties, but similar morphology (i.e., an intercalated-exfoliated structure) and rheological properties comparable with EVA nanocomposites containing unmodified organoclays. It appears that the compressed organic component in the TMI-modified organoclay can still facilitate the intercalation/exfoliation processes of polymer molecules, especially under extensive shearing conditions. The improved fire retardation in nanocomposites with TMI-modified organoclays can be attributed to enhanced carbonaceous char formation during combustion, i.e., charring promoted by the presence of catalytically active TMI.
Creel Survey Sampling Designs for Estimating Effort in Short-Duration Chinook Salmon Fisheries

Abstract Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha sport fisheries in the Columbia River basin are commonly monitored using roving creel survey designs and require precise, unbiased catch estimates. The objective of this study was to examine the relative bias and precision of total catch estimates using various sampling designs to estimate angling effort under the assumption that mean catch rate was known. We obtained information on angling populations based on direct visual observations of portions of Chinook Salmon fisheries in three Idaho river systems over a 23-d period. Based on the angling population, Monte Carlo simulations were used to evaluate the properties of effort and catch estimates for each sampling design. All sampling designs evaluated were relatively unbiased. Systematic random sampling (SYS) resulted in the most precise estimates. The SYS and simple random sampling designs had mean square error (MSE) estimates that were generally half of those observed with cluster sampling designs. The S...
Neuroblastoma: Case-Control Analysis of Birth Characteristics

Abstract The peak incidence of neuroblastoma during early infancy indicates that prenatal factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. A population-based case-control study was conducted comparing birth certificate data of 157 children who later died from neuroblastoma in Texas with 314 controls randomly selected from all Texas live births. Analysis of birth certificate data revealed a protective relative risk estimate for preterm births (less than 37-wk gestation), with an overall odds ratio of 0.29 (95% confidence limits of 0.10-0.86). This effect was independent of birth weight and ethnic group. A statistically significant odds ratio of 3.22 was detected for term babies whose birth weight was low. The findings suggest that the fetus is susceptible to an in utero oncogenic initiator or promoter during the last 4 weeks of gestation.
Predictors of Receiving a Prosthesis for Adults With Above-Knee Amputations in a Well-Defined Population.

Abstract Background Prior studies have identified age as a factor in determining an individual's likelihood of receiving a prosthesis following a lower limb amputation. These studies are limited to specific subsets of the general population and are unable to account for preamputation characteristics within their study populations. Our study seeks to determine the effect of preamputation characteristics on the probability of receiving a prosthesis for the general population in the United States. Objective To identify preamputation characteristics that predict of the likelihood of receiving a prosthesis following an above-knee amputation. Design A retrospective, population-based cohort study. Setting Olmsted County, Minnesota (2010 population: 144,248). Participants Individuals (n = 93) over the age of 18 years who underwent an above-knee amputation, that is, knee disarticulation or transfemoral amputation, while residing in Olmsted County, MN, between 1987 and 2013. Methods Characteristics affecting the receipt of a prosthesis were analyzed using a logistic regression and a random forest algorithm for classification trees. Preamputation characteristics included age, gender, amputation etiology, year of amputation, mobility, cognitive ability, comorbidities, and time between surgery and the prosthesis decision. Main Outcome Measures The association of preamputation characteristics with the receipt of a prosthesis following an above-knee amputation. Results Twenty-four of the participants received a prosthesis. The odds of receiving a prosthesis were almost 30 times higher in those able to walk independently prior to an amputation relative to those who could not walk independently. A 10-year increase in age was associated with a 53.8% decrease in the likelihood of being fit for a prosthesis (odds ratio=0.462, P =.030). Time elapsed between surgery and the prosthesis decision was associated with a rise in probability of receiving a prosthesis for the first 3 months in the random forest algorithm. No other observed characteristics were associated with receipt of a prosthesis. Conclusions The association of preamputation mobility and age with the likelihood of being fit for a prosthesis is well understood. The effect of age, after controlling for confounders, still persists and is associated with the likelihood of being fit for a prosthesis.
The Ethics of Tax Cloning

During the past decade, stories have appeared from time to time in the tax press recounting Western (and particularly American) influence on the tax reform process in the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This article considers the propagation of Western tax rules in these countries from an ethical perspective, focusing on the relationship between American tax experts and the transition countries that they advise. Arguing that this relationship is fiduciary in nature, the article begins the process of exploring the relationship's ethical boundaries, employing the norms that govern the analogous attorney-client relationship as a benchmark. Before taking up the task of developing ethical guidelines for tax cloning, however, the article first suggests that the term legal cloning replace the term legal transplants as the conventional means of referring to the propagation of legal rules. This change in terminology would not only more accurately describe the process of effectuating the penetration or importation of legal rules, but, because of the decidedly negative connotation of the word cloning, would also tend to evoke the ethical dimension of this phenomenon and add a needed dose of caution to attempts at propagating Western tax rules in transition countries. Then, given the aptness of the cloning analogy, the article turns to the bioethics debate over human cloning for aid in developing ethical guidelines for tax cloning. After analyzing the arguments made by opponents and proponents of human cloning, it is concluded that the principle of nonmaleficence is at the core of this debate. The article next turns to the attorney-client relationship, in its role as benchmark for developing ethical guidelines for tax cloning, and analyzes the ethical standards governing the professional conduct of lawyers to determine whether the principle of nonmaleficence also serves as part of the general framework for analyzing problems in legal ethics. Determining that it does, the article concludes by suffusing the principle of nonmaleficence - in its specific application to the context of tax cloning - with content and meaning by describing the extant comparative law literature on issues related to legal cloning and synthesizing from it ethical guidelines that American tax experts can employ when considering the propagation of Western tax rules in transition countries.
Do Managers Manipulate the Reported Values of the Pension Liabilities

In this paper I examine the valuation of pension liabilities, based on a structural equations model which permits investigating the subject of earnings management effected by adjusting the reported values of pension liabilities by the companies sponsoring defined benefit pension plans.The results of the analysis are consistent with managers manipulating the Projected Benefit Obligation when doing so helps reporting a smooth earnings trend, when the pension fund is substantially over-, or underfunded, when firms report negative income, when firms are facing financing constrains and when firms are getting close to violating debt covenants. Finally, the evidence is consistent with managers of regulated companies, such as financials and utilities, also manipulating the reported values of pension liabilities when the pension fund is substantially over-, or underfunded, when the company is getting close to violating debt covenants or when the company reports losses.
Arterial chemoreceptor input to respiratory hypoglossal motoneurons.

To better understand the role of the arterial chemoreceptors in the regulation of upper airway patency at the level of the oropharynx, intracellular recordings were obtained from inspiratory hypogl...
Solar cells based on block copolymer semiconductor nanowires: effects of nanowire aspect ratio.

The solution-phase self-assembly of nanowires (NWs) from diblock copolymer semiconductors, poly(3-butylthiophene)-block-poly(3-octylthiophene), of different block compositions gave crystalline NWs of similar width (13−16 nm) but a tunable average aspect ratio (length/width) of 50−260. The power conversion efficiency of bulk heterojunction solar cells comprising the diblock copolythiophene NWs and PC71BM was found to increase with increasing aspect ratio, reaching 3.4% at the highest average aspect ratio of 260. The space charge limited current mobility of holes in neat films of the copolymer NWs and in copolymer NWs/PC71BM films (∼1.0 × 10−4 cm2/(V s)) was invariant with aspect ratio, reflecting the parallel orientation of the NWs to the substrate. The enhancement of photovoltaic efficiency with increasing aspect ratio of NWs was explained in terms of increased exciton and charge photogeneration and collection in the bulk heterojunction solar cells.
Using Online Content to Study Animal Behavior

Abstract Viewing animal behavior in the wild is time consuming, can be costly, and often yields few results compared to the time required. This assignment encourages students to explore animal behavior through online videos while developing research and critical-thinking skills. The approach allows students to get a field-like experience from a lecture-based class and enhances knowledge about behavior of animals beyond the students' geographic area. In addition, this assignment is consistent with the AAAS's vision of change in undergraduate biology teaching. This assignment is appropriate for both college and high school biology classes that cover animal behavior, ecology, or conservation.
Retrieving Cloud Microphysical Properties Using High Spectral Resolution Observations in the 8-13 and 3-5 μm Windows

Improved retrievals of microphysical cloud properties can be obtained from ground-based infrared interferometer data by simultaneously solving the radiative transfer equation in both the 8-13 and 3-5 micrometer windows.
Hot Deformation Behavior and Microstructural Evolution of S38MnSiV Micro-alloyed Forging Steel

By conducting single-pass compression test in MMS-300 thermo-mechanical simulator and optical microstructural observation,the hot deformation behavior of S38MnSiV micro-alloyed forging steel w as investigated at temperature of 1 173 ~ 1 423 K and strain rate of 0.01 ~ 10 s-1.The effect law of strain rate and deformation temperature on dynamic recrystallization(DRX) behavior and microstructural evolution w as gained,and the activation energy and the constitutive equation w ere established for hot deformation according to hyperbolic sine method.The results show that DRX is easier to occur at higher deformation temperature and low er strain rate.With the process of DRX,the average austenite grain size decreases w ith the increasing strain.When steady state stress is achieved,the austenite grain size remains almost the same,independent of the strain.
Effect of Different Nitrogen Amount on Yield of Liaoxing 1 and Liaoyou 5238

Field experiment was conducted to study the effect of N fertilizer on the yield of japonica cultivar Liaoxing 1 and japonica hybrid cultivar Liaoyou 5238.The results showed that compared with the N3 treatment the yield of Liaoxing 1 and Liaoyou 5238 did not changed greatly when N fertilizer reduced by 15% or increased by 15%～45%.The higher economic benefit was obtained when N fertilizer was applied at 15 kgN/667m2,which could be regarded as optimum N fertilizer application rate for both two studied cultivars.Nitrogen agronomic efficiency decreased with the increase of N fertilizer application amount,thus,it should be avoided that excessive N fertilizer was applied to obtain high yield.
CARBODISSECTION OF PERIVASCULAR TISSUE.

M ajor vascular surgical dissections involve the lifting and opening of surrounding serous and areolar perivascular tissues. Noting, on previous occasions, that the presence of edema has facilitated the process of this dissection, the thought was conceived that the same expansion of this plane of cleavage could be induced by the perivascular insufflation of gas. For this purpose, carbon dioxide was chosen because of its rapid solubility and probable margin of safety. The exploration of this idea for clinical use in operative surgery was then carried out, prefaced first by the development of a convenient apparatus to deliver a jet of sterile gas, and then laboratory studies to determine the limits of safety in the event of inadvertent intravascular injection.
Unbounded Linear Operators

This chapter introduces and studies unbounded operators on a non-archimedean Baanach space \( \mathbb{X} \). Various properties of those operators will be discussed including their spectral theory. In this chapter, we mainly follow Diagana [13] and Diagana and Ramaroson [17].