cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterizing the effects of aligned collagen fibers and ascorbic acid derivatives on behavior of rabbit corneal fibroblasts

The cornea is responsible for functional optical activity of the mammalian eye, as it must remain transparent in order to focus light onto the retina. Corneal disease is the second leading cause worldwide of vision loss [1]. Human donor tissue transplantation in the cornea is associated with problems such as immunorejection and recurring graft failures [1]. Tissue engineering offers a promising alternative to using human donor tissues in treating corneal diseases. A viable tissue-engineered cornea must be mechanically resilient to protect the fragile intraocular components of the eye, and optically transparent to refract light onto the retina. In the native cornea, transparency is maintained by both the cells in the stromal layer and the high organization of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This study aims to combine the effects of aligned collagen fibers and ascorbic acid derivatives to control corneal fibroblast behavior to not only express the appropriate proteins, but also to deposit aligned, small diameter collagen fibers that resemble the highly organized structure of the natural ECM. Results from this study suggest that the combined effect of an aligned scaffolding material and ascorbic acid supplements can create a cell-matrix construct that both downregulates expression of the light scattering protein a-smooth muscle actin (α-sma) and supports an increased number of cell layers.
Correlating steric hydration forces with water dynamics through surface force and diffusion NMR measurements in a lipid-DMSO-H2O system.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a common solvent and biological additive possessing well-known utility in cellular cryoprotection and lipid membrane permeabilization, but the governing mechanisms at membrane interfaces remain poorly understood. Many studies have focused on DMSO–lipid interactions and the subsequent effects on membrane-phase behavior, but explanations often rely on qualitative notions of DMSO-induced dehydration of lipid head groups. In this work, surface forces measurements between gel-phase dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine membranes in DMSO–water mixtures quantify the hydration- and solvation-length scales with angstrom resolution as a function of DMSO concentration from 0 mol% to 20 mol%. DMSO causes a drastic decrease in the range of the steric hydration repulsion, leading to an increase in adhesion at a much-reduced intermembrane distance. Pulsed field gradient NMR of the phosphatidylcholine (PC) head group analogs, dimethyl phosphate and tetramethylammonium ions, shows that the ion hydrodynamic radius decreases with increasing DMSO concentration up to 10 mol% DMSO. The complementary measurements indicate that, at concentrations below 10 mol%, the primary effect of DMSO is to decrease the solvated volume of the PC head group and that, from 10 mol% to 20 mol%, DMSO acts to gradually collapse head groups down onto the surface and suppress their thermal motion. This work shows a connection between surface forces, head group conformation and dynamics, and surface water diffusion, with important implications for soft matter and colloidal systems.
Both spontaneous Ins2+/− and streptozotocin‐induced type I diabetes cause bone loss in young mice

The adolescent skeleton undergoes accelerated growth determining overall bone density, length, and quality. Diseases such as type 1 diabetes (T1D), most often diagnosed in adolescents, can alter bone processes and promote bone loss. Studies examining type 1 diabetic (T1D) bone pathologies typically utilize adult mice and rely on pharmacologic models such as streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rodents. To test the effect of T1D on adolescent bone growth/density we used a novel juvenile genetic model (Ins2+/− mice) that spontaneously develop T1D at approximately 5 weeks of age and compared our findings with STZ-induced T1D mice. Compared to controls, both Ins2+/− and STZ-induced T1D mice displayed blood glucose levels greater than 300 mg/dl and reduced body, fat and muscle mass as well as femur trabecular bone density. STZ mice exhibited greater bone loss compared to Ins2+/− mice despite having lower blood glucose levels. Cortical bone was affected in STZ but not Ins2+/− mice. Osteocalcin serum protein and bone RNA levels decreased in both models. Consistent with studies in adult mice, STZ adolescent mice displayed increased marrow adiposity, however this was not observed in the Ins2+/− mice. Reduced femur length, decreased growth plate thickness and decreased collagen II expression in both model simplies impaired cartilage formation. In summary, both pharmacologic and spontaneous adolescent T1D mice demonstrated a bone synthesis and growth defect. STZ appears to cause a more severe phenotype. Thus, the Ins2+/− mouse could serve as a useful model to study adolescent T1D bone loss with fewer complications. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 689–695, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ostium secundum atrial septal defects and congestive heart failure in infancy

Abstract Foramen secundum defects of the interatrial septum with large left to right shunts may cause congestive heart failure during infancy. In three infants with this lesion, varying in age from 5 days to 2 years, intractable congestive heart failure developed. Case 1 presented with signs of congestive heart failure in the newborn nursery. She failed to respond to the usual anticongestive measures. At 6 weeks of age her defect was reduced in size by the external closure technic of Sondergaard. She had an excellent postoperative course. Case 2 presented in severe congestive heart failure at 3 months of age. Clinical improvement followed ligation and division of a large patent ductus arteriosus. Signs of cardiac decompensation reappeared at 6 months. Closure of a secundum atrial septal defect on cardiopulmonary bypass was successful. The oldest child, a 2 year old female, presented with severe congestive heart failure of unknown duration. An attempt was made to close her atrial septal defect with cardiopulmonary bypass. Her death following surgery was apparently due to almost complete pneumonic consolidation of her lungs. Each of these female infants had distinctive physical findings which led to the correct clinical diagnosis of their lesion. In Case 2 the physical findings appeared after ligation and division of the patent ductus arteriosus. These physical signs were: a right ventricular systolic thrust along the lower left sternal margin, a harsh systolic ejection murmur along the left sternal border associated with a palpable systolic thrill, and a wide and fixed split of the second heart sound at the cardiac base. In addition to the physical findings, the electrocardiogram showed right atrial enlargement and right ventricular hypertrophy. Chest roentgenograms demonstrated moderate to marked heart enlargement with increased pulmonary blood floW. Our experience with these infants demonstrates again that foramen secundum interatrial septal defects may be lethal lesions and may be responsible for considerable morb dity during infancy. The gratifying postoperative course following partial closure of the defect of the atrial septum by the Sondergaard technic in the small infant suggests that this technic should be evaluated further as a palliative procedure for small infants in congestive heart failure caused by this lesion.
Cognitive invariants of geographic event conceptualization: what matters and what refines?

Behavioral experiments addressing the conceptualization of geographic events are few and far between. Our research seeks to address this deficiency by developing an experimental framework on the conceptualization of movement patterns. In this paper, we report on a critical experiment that is designed to shed light on the question of cognitively salient invariants in such conceptualization. Invariants have been identified as being critical to human information processing, particularly for the processing of dynamic information. In our experiment, we systematically address cognitive invariants of one class of geographic events: single entity movement patterns. To this end, we designed 72 animated icons that depict the movement patterns of hurricanes around two invariants: size difference and topological equivalence class movement patterns endpoints. While the endpoint hypothesis, put forth by Regier (2007), claims a particular focus of human cognition to ending relations of events, other research suggests that simplicity principles guide categorization and, additionally, that static information is easier to process than dynamic information. Our experiments show a clear picture: Size matters. Nonetheless, we also find categorization behaviors consistent with experiments in both the spatial and temporal domain, namely that topology refines these behaviors and that topological equivalence classes are categorized consistently. These results are critical steppingstones in validating spatial formalism from a cognitive perspective and cognitively grounding work on ontologies.
Modeling of Distributed RLC Interconnect and Transmission Line via Closed Forms and Recursive Algorithms

This paper presents the closed forms of the state-space models and the recursive algorithms of the transfer function models for fast and accurate modeling of the distributed RLC interconnect and transmission lines, which may be evenly or unevenly distributed. Considered models include the distributed RLC interconnect lines with or without external source and load connection. The effective closed forms and recursive algorithms do not involve any matrix inverse, LU matrix factorization, or matrix multiplication, thus reducing the computation complexity dramatically. Especially, the computation complexity of the closed forms for any evenly or unevenly distributed RLC interconnect line circuits is only O(1) or O(m), respectively, in sense of the scalar multiplication times, where m ? N of the system order. The features of new recursive algorithms are two recursive s-polynomials and the low computation complexity. Examples illustrate the new methods in both time and frequency domains. Comparing with the PSpice, the new methods can dramatically reduce the runtime of the time responses and the Bode plots by 25% - 98.5% in the examples. The results can be applied to the RLC interconnect analysis and model reduction as a key to new approach.
The Politics of Trade in Safavid Iran: Silk for Silver 1600–1730 . By Rudolph P. Mathee. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Pp. xxi, 290. $64.95.

Since the revolution of 1979 there has opened a great gap in scholarship on the economic history of premodern Iran. As the author of the present study has appropriately noted, over the past two decades the historiography of premodern Iran has suffered from ideological constraints (on Iranian scholars) as well as lack of access to local sources for western scholars. In light of these limitations, the present study on the political economy of silk trade in Safavid Iran is a refreshing reminder that not all is lost in an otherwise hopeless situation. Using predominantly western (including Russian) archival sources, the author has made a significant contribution to the histories of western European (and particularly Dutch maritime) trade with Iran, of Safavid commerce, and of the politics of the Middle Eastern silk trade.
On the Brink of Paradigm Change? Evidence for Unexpected Predictive Relationships Among Sexual Addiction, Masturbation, Sexual Experimentation, and Revictimization, Child Sexual Abuse, and Adult Sexual Risk

Our study provides evidence that the phenomenon of “sexual revictimization” should be re-conceptualized as: having sex more often—especially risky sex—simply increases the odds of encountering a partner who coerces sex. Retrospective data entered anonymously by 1502 women using computer-assisted self-interview supported the idea that repeatedly engaging in voluntary sexual behaviors despite having experienced coerced sex eventually leads to a re-occurrence before age 18. The score on the Hypersexuality and Risky Sexual Behavior Scale was the best single predictor of a participant becoming the victim of coerced sex after she reached adulthood and also the best predictor for her endorsing being sexually addicted. The most powerful predictors for the score on the Hypersexuality and Risky Sexual Behavior Scale were measures of engaging in masturbation and voluntary sex with partners before reaching age 18.
High Rayleigh Number Mantle Convection on GPU

We implemented two- and three-dimensional Rayleigh–Benard convection on Nvidia GPUs by utilizing a 2nd-order finite difference method. By exploiting the massive parallelism of GPU using both CUDA for C and optimized CUBLAS routines, we have on a single Fermi GPU run simulations of Rayleigh number up to \(6\times 10^{10}\) (on a mesh of \(2000 \times 4000\) uniform grid points) in two dimensions and up to 10\(^{7}\) (on a mesh of \(450\times 450\times 225\) uniform grid points) for three dimensions. On Nvidia Tesla C2070 GPUs, these implementations enjoy single-precision performance of 535 GFLOP/s and 100 GFLOP/s respectively, and double-precision performance of 230 GFLOP/s and 70 GFLOP/s respectively.
Economic Causes of Progressivism

House since the sweeping Democratic losses of 1894. In Lodge's Massa chusetts, a bedrock of Republicanism, only one seat changed partisan hands in 1910. Yet Democrats increased their percentage of the vote in thirteen of fourteen Bay State congressional districts. Republican fortunes slipped further in 1912, when the Democrats cap tured the presidency behind Woodrow Wilson. His party increased its con trol of the House, and gained a majority in the Senate. The Democrats had achieved unified control of the national government (Sixty-Third Congress) for the first time in twenty years. Partisan fortune had changed. But why? And what was its effect?
QUALITY CHANGES OF FRESH-CUT HONEYDEW MELONS DURING CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE STORAGE

Quality, physiology, and microbialpopulation were monitored with honeydew cubes held in air or controlled atmosphere (CA) of 2% 0, + 10% CO, at 5C and 4%0, + 10% CQ at IOC. The CA was beneficial in maintaining quality of honeydew cubes. Quality deteriorated rapidly with concomitant increase in respiration rate during the latter harfof the 6-day at 1 OC or 1 0-day at 5C shelf-life. The shear force of samples was maintained by CA at 1 OC, but the visual quality was poor when that benefit was still noticeable. At SC, an effect of CA was not noted because the low temperature did not allow the shear force to decrease. The bacterial population was less on honeydew cubes held in CA than in air. Modified atmosphere with these gas mixtures would be beneficial in maintaining quality and retarding microbial growth on honeydew cubes, but strict temperature control is essential to avoid anaerobic respiration.
Regulation of Persistent Activity by Background Inhibition in an In Vitro Model of a Cortical Microcircuit

We combined in vitro intracellular recording from prefrontal cortical neurons with simulated synaptic activity of a layer 5 prefrontal microcircuit using a dynamic clamp. During simulated in vivo background conditions, the cell responded to a brief depolarization with a sequence of spikes that outlasted the depolarization, mimicking the activity of a cell recorded during the delay period of a working memory task in the behaving monkey. The onset of sustained activity depended on the number of action potentials elicited by the cue-like depolarization. Too few spikes failed to provide enough NMDA drive to elicit sustained reverberations; too many spikes activated a slow intrinsic hyperpolarization current that prevented spiking; an intermediate number of spikes produced sustained activity. When high dopamine levels were simulated by depolarizing the cell and by increasing the amount of NMDA current, the cell exhibited spontaneous ‘up-states’ that terminated by the activation of a slow intrinsic hyperpolarizing current. The firing rate during the delay period could be effectively modulated by the standard deviation of the inhibitory background synaptic noise without significant changes in the background firing rate before cue onset. These results suggest that the balance between fast feedback inhibition and slower AMPA and NMDA feedback excitation is critical in initiating persistent activity and that the maintenance of persistent activity may be regulated by the amount of correlated background inhibition.
Natural selection in peer-to-peer streaming: from the cathedral to the bazaar

Success of peer-to-peer applications in many cases is attributed to user altruism, where a user contributes some of its own resources to facilitate performance of other users. This observation has been corroborated with some experimental evidence. In this paper we make a first attempt to demonstrate that there are many scenarios where peer-to-peer resource sharing is a natural behavior that selfish users can use to improve their own performance. In particular we examine such natural incentives that exist in a streaming media application which lead such greedy users to cooperate and share resources with each other in forming an efficient overlay multicast tree. We define a freestyle Bazaar environment in which streaming media receivers interact with each other and cooperatively construct an overlay tree for improving their perception of media streams from a single server. Through simulations we demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed environment.
Genetic mapping of a 17q chromosomal region linked to obesity phenotypes in the IRAS family study

Obesity is widely accepted to be influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. Several recent studies have used the positional cloning approach in an attempt to discover genes contributing to obesity. In the IRAS Family Study a genomewide scan was performed on 1425 individuals of Hispanic descent (90 extended pedigree families) to identify regions of the genome linked to obesity phenotypes. Nonparametric QTL linkage analysis was performed using a variance components approach. The genome scan was performed in two phases: an initial genome scan in 45 families and a replication scan in 45 families. Fine mapping and candidate gene analyses were also performed. General estimating equations (GEE1) and quantitative pedigree disequilibrium tests (QPDT) were used for association analysis of single SNP and haplotype data. Evidence for linkage to obesity traits was observed in each scan on the long arm of chromosome 17. When data from both scans was combined, a region on chromosome 17q was identified with evidence of linkage to visceral adipose tissue (VAT; LOD 3.11), waist circumference (WAIST) (LOD 2.5) and body mass index (BMI) (LOD 2.81). Nine additional microsatellite markers were identified and genotyped on all Hispanic individuals, with a mean marker density of approximately 1 marker/3 cM. Evidence of linkage remained significant with LOD 3.05 for VAT, LOD 2.44 for BMI and LOD 1.92 for WAIST. Fine mapping analyses suggest the possibility of two different obesity loci. In addition, the LOD – 1 interval of the major VAT peak decreased from 83–108 to 95–111 cM. Three positional candidate genes under the peak: somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2), galanin receptor 2 (GALR2), and growth hormone bound protein receptor 2 (GRB2) were chosen for detailed evaluation. Multiple polymorphisms within each candidate were genotyped and tested for association with the obesity phenotypes. Little evidence of association was detected between polymorphisms and obesity traits. In conclusion, replication of linkage and fine mapping suggest that a region on chromosome 17q contains a gene (or genes) that contributes to the genetic etiology of obesity with the strongest evidence for linkage to VAT. Candidate genes in the region do not appear to account for the evidence of linkage. Additional studies are necessary to identify the obesity-related polymorphisms.
An interference-aware fair scheduling for multicast in wireless mesh networks

Multicast is a fundamental routing service in wireless mesh networks (WMNs) due to its many potential applications such as video conferencing, online games, and webcast. Recently, researchers proposed using link-quality-based routing metrics for finding high-throughput paths for multicast routing. However, the performance of such link-quality-based multicast routing is still limited by severe unfairness. Two major artifacts that exist in WMNs are fading which leads to low quality links, and interference which leads to unfair channel allocation in the 802.11 MAC protocol. These artifacts cause the multicast application to behave unfairly with respect to the performance achieved by the multicast receivers. In this paper, we design a MAC layer solution to improve the fairness of multicast service in WMNs. Our proposed MAC layer takes into account the interference among multicast forwarding nodes and assigns them transmission time slots while maximizing the spatial reuse for high throughput. Detailed simulations and testbed experiments show that our solution significantly increases fairness as well as throughput compared to the 802.11 protocol.
Performance dependence of CMOS on silicon substrate orientation for ultrathin oxynitride and HfO 2 gate dielectrics

Dependence of CMOS performance on silicon crystal orientation of [100], [111], and [110] has been investigated with the equivalent gate dielectric thickness less than 3 nm. Hole mobility enhancement of /spl ges/160% has been observed for both oxynitride and HfO/sub 2/ gate dielectrics on [110] surfaces compared with [100]. CMOS drive current is nearly symmetric on [110] orientation without any degradation of subthreshold slope. For HfO/sub 2/ gate dielectrics, an approximately 68% enhancement of pMOSFET drive current has been demonstrated on [110] substrates at L/sub poly/=0.12 /spl mu/m, while current reduction in nMOS is around 26%.
VARIATION IN GROWTH OF NESTLING TREE SWALLOWS ACROSS MULTIPLE TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL SCALES

Abstract Differences within a species in rates of growth of nestlings can be used as indicators of the quality of parental care, environmental conditions, and future success of offspring, whereas comparisons among different species may reflect a history of different ecological conditions or life-history strategies. The presesnt study examines the patterns of variation in growth in nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) from across the species' range and compares Tree Swallows to other species. Growth of Tree Swallows was typical of other species in the family Hirundinidae. As a family, the Hirundinidae have slower growth than typical for passerines. Growth rate of species of Hirundinidae was not correlated with adult body mass or average brood size. Contrary to predictions, species that are double-brooded did not have higher growth rates, but swallow species living at higher latitudes did have higher growth rates than tropical species. Substantial variation in growth rates was observed among populat...
A High-Precision Fast-Response Airborne CO2 Analyzer for In Situ Sampling from the Surface to the Middle Stratosphere

Two in situ CO2 analyzers have been developed for deployment on the NASA ER-2 aircraft and on stratospheric balloons. The ER-2 instrument has had more than 150 flights during 21 deployments from 1992 to 2000, resulting in a dataset with nearly pole-to-pole coverage that includes data from all seasons in both hemispheres except austral summer. In-flight calibrations show that the typical long-term (i.e. flight-to-flight) precision of the instruments is better than plus or minus 0.1 ppmv. The flight standards are traceable to standards held by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory. The balloon instrument has had 8 balloon flights since September 1996, providing the first in situ observations of CO2 above approx. 21 km. In addition, the balloon instrument has been flown onboard a Cessna Citation II aircraft for sampling between the surface and 10 km. In this paper, the instrumentation and calibration procedures for both instruments are described in detail. An intercomparison of the two instruments during the Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region In Summer (POLARIS) project showed that, on average, the instruments agreed to within 0.05 ppmv.
A cantilever based optical fiber acoustic sensor fabricated by femtosecond laser micromachining

In this paper, we present a pure silica micro-cantilever based optical fiber sensor for acoustic wave detection. The cantilever is directly fabricated by fs laser micromachining on an optical fiber tip functioning as an inline Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI). The applied acoustic wave pressurizes the micro-cantilever beam and the corresponding dynamic signals can be probed by the FPI. The thickness, length, and width of the micro-cantilever beam can be flexibly designed and fabricated so that the sensitivity, frequency response, and the total measurement range can be varied to fit many practical applications. Experimental results will be presented and analyzed. Due to the assembly free fabrication of the fs-laser, multiple micro-cantilever beams could be potentially fabricated in/on a single optical fiber for quasi-distributed acoustic mapping with high spatial resolution.
Dual Detection Platform with Refractive Index and SERS Sensing Based on Colloidal Gold Functionalized Porous Silicon Substrates

We demonstrate a dual-mode sensing platform based on porous silicon (PSi) substrates coated with colloidal gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs). This Au-PSi composite structure supports both molecular fingerprinting via surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and quantification of molecular binding via reflectance measurements. Reflectance shifts of 7–10 nm in the infrared region were observed in the case of adsorbing benzenethiol or antioxidant glutathione molecules on the surface of Au NPs. Subsequent SERS measurements showed unique identification for both molecules and provided a < 1 μM and < 1 mM detection resolution for benzenethiol and glutathione, respectively.
Conscience and Experience: Choosing the True and the Good:

This essay examines the practical judgment called conscience that binds a person to do or not to do a particular action. Drawing from the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, scripture, tradition, reason/science, and human experience, it focuses on the connection between communal human experience and conscience. It concludes that the teaching that no one is to be forced to act contrary to her or his conscience and that no one is to be restrained from acting according to her or his conscience is a long-standing Catholic moral tradition.
Memetic Algorithm for Crane Scheduling Problem with Spatial and Temporal Constraints

A crane scheduling problem is a multi-machine,multi-task and NP-hard problem. For the problem in the steelmaking-continuous casting production process,a model w as proposed to minimize the w aiting time of molten steel,w ith temporal and spatial constraints considered. An improved Memetic algorithm w as developed to solve the model,in w hich individual decoding based on task allocation rules and conflicts eliminating rules,PPX crossover operator and local search( LS) operator w ere designed,and it w as also compared w ith the genetic algorithm. The solution to the model w ith the improved algorithm for a practical problem show ed that the w aiting time w as reduced by 16. 67% at most w ith high stability,in comparison w ith the genetic algorithm.
Research Progress on Related Factors of Steroid-resistant Nephrotic Syndrome

Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome(SRNS) is defined by primary resistance to standard steroid therapy.To clarify the mechanism of SRNS is very important for guiding the treatment.In recent years,an increasing number of studies have shown that gene mutations,lipid metabolism,immune disorders,inflammatory mediators and other factors may play an important role in the occurrence of drug resistance mechanisms of nephrotic syndrome.Among them,the mutations in the NPHS2 gene represented a frequent cause of SRNS,which were suspected with homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in NPHS2.It can be found on every exon of all eight exons of the NPHS2 gene.The decreased level of GRα and the increased level of GRβ may also lead to SRNS.The pathological types of SRNS are various,and the most common types are FSGS,MSPGN,and IGM nephropathy.
Effect of anti-oxidative drugs on serum IL-18 levels in rats with acute liver failure

Objective To investigate the relationship between interleukin-18(IL-18)and acute hepatic failure(AHF)in rats,and to study the efficacy of different doses of reduced glutathione(GSH)in treatment of AHF.Methods Thirty-six Wister male rats were used and were randomly divided into three groups(12 rats in each group):model control group(MG group,intravenous injection of saline daily for 5 days),high-dose therapy group(GSH1 group,intravenous injection of GSH 600 mg/kg daily for 5 days),low-dose therapy group(GSH2 group,intravenous injection of GSH 200 mg/kg daily for 5 days).Six Wister male rats were studied as blank control(N group,not treated).Serum ALT,AST,and IL-18 values were detected at 24 h,48 h,72 h,7 d after treatment.Results Serum ALT,AST levels were significantly elevated at 24 h,reached peak levels at 48 h,and then gradually decreased in three model groups.The differences in ALT,AST between N group and three model groups were still significant at 7 d(P 0.05).There was no significant difference in AST between GSH1 and N group(P 0.05).The difference in AST among GSH1 group,GSH2 group,and MG group was significant at 24 h and 48 h(P 0.05),but not so significant at 72 h and 7 d(P 0.05).The difference in ALT between GSH1 group and GSH2 group was significant at 24 h and 48 h(P 0.05),the difference in AST was significant at 48 h(P 0.05),with no significant difference at other time points(P 0.05).Serum IL-18 of rats in each treated group were significantly elevated at 24 h and peaked at 48 h.In each group serum IL-18 gradually decreased,remained higher than normal at 7 d(P 0.05).Conclusions Serum IL-18 closely correlate with AHF,it might be used as one of the indicators for monitoring AHF.Early use of large doses of anti-oxidative drug GSH could significantly improve liver function in the AHF rats and promote repair and regeneration of impaired liver cells.
Pharmacotherapy for the management of cancer regimen-related oral mucositis.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Oral mucositis is a frequent and devastating toxicity secondary to cancer treatment, which may affect 20–40% of patients receiving conventional chemotherapy and 60–85% of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The pathobiology of mucositis includes a complex cascade of biologic events in which pro-inflammatory cytokines, ROS, second messengers, and the oral microbiome contribute to tissue damage of the oral mucosa. Management strategies to oral mucositis secondary to chemotherapy include preventative measures and therapeutic approaches.Area covered: A literature search of published animal and clinical studies was perform to review the epidemiology, pathophysiology and treatment options for cancer regimen-induced mucositis. We also discuss new data coming from recent pertinent clinical trials.Expert opinion: Mucositis is one of the most common debilitating toxicities secondary to cancer treatment and can adversely affect patients’ quality of life. Epidemiological...
Testing and Evaluation Strategies for the Powered Prosthesis, a Global Perspective

Testing and evaluation strategies are imperative to establish the efficacy of an experimental powered prosthesis. Biomechanical gait analysis applies the synthesis of equipment; such as force plates and optical motion capture, to acquire kinetic and kinematic parameters. These parameters derive joint characteristics, such as work and power, which can be applied to contrast novel prosthetic platforms. Other gait analysis equipment, such as electromyogram and metabolic analyzers, can determine muscle activation patterns and trends respective of metabolic efficiency while walking. New gait analysis devices function as mobile and wireless platforms. The smartphone and portable media devices are equipped with accelerometer and gyroscope sensors that can remotely monitor gait activity. Traditionally statistical significance is applied to establish a scientifically meaningful disparity between disparate sets of data. However, in the recent decade machine learning has been demonstrated to classify and distinguish between aspects of a feature set implying the eventual capacity to diagnose. Foundational to testing and evaluating transtibial prostheses are the prosthetic alignment procedure and acclimation timeframe.
Relationships between groundwater use, water table, and recovery of willow on Yellowstone's northern range

Excessive levels of herbivory, incision of stream channels, and climate warming are believed to be responsible for the decline of woody deciduous plants in riparian zones in western North America, declines that are likely to be associated with diminished biological diversity. In the northern elk wintering range of Yellowstone National Park, USA, overbrowsing by elk (Cervus elaphus), lowered water tables resulting from stream incision, and loss of activity by beaver (Castor canadensis) have been implicated in the decline of willow (Salix sp.) communities. Reducing elk browsing appears sufficient for willow recovery in some areas, but where water table changes have been dramatic, recovery may be slow or absent. The importance of water table changes is disputed because experimental results demonstrate water table limitations, but water table depth has failed to explain variation in willow height at landscape scales. One explanation for this apparent discrepancy is that willows that have survived intensive browsing by elk have maintained access to groundwater despite declining water tables. Using stable isotopes of water, we examined the relationships between groundwater use, water table depth, and height of heavily browsed Salix geyeriana. Salix geyeriana groundwater use varied from 30% to 80%, and was higher later in the growing season, when soil water was less available and shoot water potentials were lower. Late season groundwater use explained 26% of the variation in total height of willows (P = 0.002), with taller plants using more groundwater. Water table depth explained only 8% of the variability in total height (P = 0.051), with shorter willows having deeper water table depths. Groundwater use and water table depth were uncorrelated. Height recovery following a winter of heavy browsing was related to groundwater use, but not groundwater depth. We suggest that access to deeper water sources alleviates late season water stress, allowing for more rapid height recovery and higher total plant height. Variability in groundwater access may account for variability in height recovery at landscape scales.
INTERNET RESOURCES: Educational technology: A guide to resources on the Web

Cet article dresse une liste des meilleurs sites traitant des technologies de l'education. Chaque adresse est accompagnee d'un bref descriptif detaillant le contenu et les objectifs des sites presentes.
Bayesian Analysis of High Throughput Data

Duplicate or triplicate experimental replicates are commonplace in the high throughput literature. However, it has not been tested whether this is statistically defensible or not. To address this issue, we use probabilistic programming to develop a simple hierarchical model for analyzing high throughput measurement data. With the model and simulated data, we show that a small increase in replicate experiments can quantitatively improve accuracy in measurement. We also provide posterior densities for statistical parameters used in the evaluation of HT data. Finally, we provide an extensible open source implementation that ingests data structured in a simple format and produces posterior densities of estimated measurement and assay evaluation parameters.
Background: Legitimacy and Political Violence in Pre-Colonial Societies

T. Nardin noted that: A good place to begin a discussion of political violence in terms of the context of social interaction within which it occurs is with the concept of authority. For authority in the eyes of many is what the conflict is about–whether it is the evils of authority that are cited as a justification for protest or revolt, or its breakdown which is deplored as containing the source of conflict, disorder, and violence.
Homeostasis of Solute and Water by the Transplanted Kidney

This chapter analyzes the capacity of the transplanted kidney to transport solute and water. The intrinsic capacity of the transplanted kidney to regulate glomerular filtration rate (GFR), to exhibit T-G feedback are described along with alterations that flow from retrieval ischemia and surgical engraftment. Water homeostasis with respect to osmotic diuresis, tubular transport and tubular responses to hormone are described. Pathologic alterations of tubular transport are described including renal tubular acidosis potassium handling mineral metabolite handling, handling of magnesium and urate. Renal transport altered by standard immunosuppressive drug utilization is then described with particular reference to cyclosporin A, tacrolimus, and sirolimus.
Maternity Leave Length and Workplace Policies' Impact on the Sustainment of Breastfeeding: Global Perspectives

Background Breastfeeding is a global initiative of the World Health Organization and the U.S. domestic health agenda, Healthy People 2020; both recommend exclusive breastfeeding, defined as providing breast milk only via breast or bottle, through the first 6 months of an infant's life. Previous literature has shown the correlation between socioeconomic status and breastfeeding, with higher maternal education and income as predictors of sustained breastfeeding. This same population of women is more likely to be employed outside the home. Methods PubMed and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched using inclusion and exclusion criteria to identify the effect of maternity leave length and workplace policies on the sustainment of breastfeeding for employed mothers. Results Common facilitators to sustainment of breastfeeding included longer length of maternity leave as well as adequate time and space for the pumping of breast milk once the mother returned to the workplace. Barriers included inconsistency in policy and the lack of enforcement of policies in different countries. Conclusions There is a lack of consistency globally on maternity leave length and workplace policy as determinants of sustained breastfeeding for employed mothers. A consistent approach is needed to achieve the goal of exclusive breastfeeding for infants.
SOCIOECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT AND DIGITAL HEALTH TOOL USAGE AND OUTCOMES: IS THERE A DIGITAL DIVIDE?

Background: Digital health interventions (DHI) have been associated with improvement of CVD risk factors; however it has been postulated that these tools benefit affluent users more than those from lower socioeconomic environments. Methods: We analyzed usage of DHI and change in intermediate
SELECTIVE TOXICITY CONFERRED BY ACTIVATION

Abstract Biochemical transformations of xenobiotics are catalyzed by a large number of enzymatic reactions which may vary between species. The qualitative and quantitative differences in the enzymes which catalyze these reactions may account for “selective toxicity” of foreign compounds. Species differences in the activation of aflatoxin B 1 , acetylaminofluorene and some insecticides are described. Examples of selective activation are mediated by both Phase I and Phase II reactions.
Reflection: American Imperialism

In July, 2013, Samantha Power appeared before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Committee was considering whether Power should be confirmed as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She was perhaps most famous outside the United States as the author of “A Problem from Hell”: America and the Age of Genocide, an excoriating attack on America’s inaction in the face of atrocity. At the hearing, Representative Ron Johnson of Wisconsin pounced, quoting Power as having once called the U.S. the “most important empire in the history of mankind.” He was incredulous: “Do you believe America is an empire?” he asked, implying that the very idea was unthinkable. Power shook her head no, and said: “I believe that we are a great – a great and strong and powerful country, and the most powerful country in the world. Also the most inspirational.” Empire, she said, “is probably not a word choice that I would use today … ”
Nuclear Excluded Autism-Associated Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog Mutations Dysregulate Neuronal Growth.

Abstract Background Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) negatively regulates downstream protein kinase B signaling, resulting in decreased cellular growth and proliferation. PTEN is mutated in a subset of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, the mechanism by which specific point mutations alter PTEN function is largely unknown. Here, we assessed how ASD-associated single-nucleotide variations in PTEN (ASD-PTEN) affect function. Methods We used viral-mediated molecular substitution of human PTEN into Pten knockout mouse neurons and assessed neuronal morphology to determine the functional impact of ASD-PTEN. We employed molecular cloning to examine how PTEN’s stability, subcellular localization, and catalytic activity affect neuronal growth. Results We identified a set of ASD-PTEN mutations displaying altered lipid phosphatase function and subcellular localization. We demonstrated that wild-type PTEN can rescue the neuronal hypertrophy, while PTEN H93R, F241S, D252G, W274L, N276S, and D326N failed to rescue this hypertrophy. A subset of these mutations lacked nuclear localization, prompting us to examine the role of nuclear PTEN in regulating neuronal growth. We found that nuclear PTEN alone is sufficient to regulate soma size. Furthermore, forced localization of the D252G and W274L mutations into the nucleus partially restores regulation of soma size. Conclusions ASD-PTEN mutations display decreased stability, catalytic activity, and/or altered subcellular localization. Mutations lacking nuclear localization uncover a novel mechanism whereby lipid phosphatase activity in the nucleus can regulate mammalian target of rapamycin signaling and neuronal growth.
Toddler Formulas: Nutritional Value and Marketing Claims

BackgroundA previous report found that toddler formula brands (fortified milks for children 1–3 years old) spent almost $17 million in adverting in 2015, an increase of 74% compared with 2011. Pediatric nutrition experts specifically recommend against serving these products due to lack of scientific evidence of advantage over whole milk and recommend adding a multivitamin if nutrient deficiencies are of concern. Parents may think that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforces strict regulations for toddler formulas when the only regulation is in terms of ingredient safety. Several concerns have been raised concerning the use of structure/function claims (connections of nutrients or ingredients with effects on the human body) due to possible consumer confusion. Given the growing market for toddler formulas and the increase in marketing it is necessary to expose the nutritional content and ingredients in these products. Study objectiveTo characterize the nutritional quality of toddler milk and determi...
Dr. Edward Hacskaylo: a memoir and tribute.

Edward Hacskaylo was a pioneer in many aspects of mycorrhiza research and significantly influenced our understanding of the physiology and ecology of mycorrhizas. This memoir highlights Dr. Hacskaylo’s many contributions and his impact on mycorrhiza research, especially through his encouragement and mentoring of young scientists.
Role of Big Data in Business and Information Technology

This paper aims to evaluate the significance of the impact of big data in various fields and determine its future in those areas. A comprehensive review of literature on influence and trends of big data variables with respect to different fields built hypothetical foundation of the paper. The big data is a tremendous amount of structured and unstructured data that provides major insights into a particular field which further supports the decision-making systems and builds the foundation of company’s competitiveness. Data contributes in the processing, evaluation, understanding and decision-making steps. Big data influences every area that constitutes of pools of data. This proposed paper is beneficial to accumulate the knowledge regarding the hidden patterns and insights of big data variables and assess the value of it in major areas such as business and information technology.
Inexact Inverse Iteration for Generalized Eigenvalue Problems

In this paper, we study an inexact inverse iteration with inner-outer iterations for solving the generalized eigenvalu problem Ax = λBx, and analyze how the accuracy in the inner iterations affects the convergence of the outer iterations. By considering a special stopping criterion depending on a threshold parameter, we show that the outer iteration converges linearly with the inner threshold parameter as the convergence rate. We also discuss the total amount of work and asymptotic equivalence between this stopping criterion and a more standard one. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the theoretical results.
Cloning and Characterization of NF-ATc and NF-ATp: The Cytoplasmic Components of NF-AT

Signalling through the T cell antigen receptor initiates a complex series of events resulting in the activation of a group of genes (early genes) that are involved in the proliferation of T cells, the development of immune function and a variety of cellular interactions that contribute to immune responses1,2. In addition, signalling through the antigen receptor is essential for several transitions in thymic development. These findings raise the question of how such diverse responses are brought about by the actions of a single receptor. Several years ago, we identified nuclear response elements for these signals in the IL-2 promoter/enhancer3–6. In the IL-2 genes, two such sites were identified that bound a protein complex that we called NF-AT after the selective expression of this complex in nuclear extracts of activated T cells5. The sequence to which this protein bound was shown to direct transcription to activated T cells in the context of a transgenic mouse7. Furthermore, transcription directed by the NF-AT binding sites required proper presentation of antigen by MHC matched cells8. These finding indicated that this protein might serve as a general terminus for signals coming from the antigen receptor and thereby aid in the elucidation of the signalling pathway carrying information from the cell membrane to the nucleus. Despite many efforts to characterize this protein, it has been elusive; indeed, it has been inferred to be a Pu protein, ets-1, elk-1, a 28 kDa protein and a 57 kDa protein. None of these proteins appear to be actually involved in the biologic activity attributed to this complex. Direct purification of the protein from bovine thymus has revealed that it is composed of two cytosolic components, NF-ATc and NF-ATp, which bear a vague similarity to a limited region of the rel/Dorsal family, but it is otherwise a pioneer protein9,10.