cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discriminant analysis of ribosomal protein synthesis findings in carrier detection of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Previous studies have shown that in vitro muscle ribosomal protein synthesis (RPS) by monomeric ribosomes (MR) and total polyribosomes (TPR) and collagen synthesis (CS) are significantly increased (P less than 0.01) in 47 known carriers of Duchenne muscular dystrophy as compared to 60 age-matched controls. However, there was considerable overlap of the distribution of controls and carriers, particularly for monomeric ribosomal protein synthesis and collagen synthesis. To improve detection of carriers we used discriminant analysis utilizing logs of each measurement as superior to a univariate or bivariate scheme. This study considered four groups: proven carriers (30) (group 1), presumptive carriers (female relatives of Duchenne patients with high serum creatine kinase (CK) levels) (32) (group 2), controls greater than or equal to 20 years old (42) (group 3) and controls less than 20 years (36) (group 4). Comparison of groups, Misclassification (%), (see chart). These results suggest that discriminant analysis reduces the misclassification rates as compared with univariate or bivariate analysis and confirm the superiority of RPS measurements as a carrier test for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Antarctica: the last great land rush on earth

Sometime between now and 1991, the international community will have to consider creating a new legal regime for Antarctica. Until recently, the “cold continent” and its legal regime were the concerns of a few scientists, fishermen, and legal specialists. Now, with new information on the extent of Antarctic resources, concern that present supplies of raw materials, fuels, and food are limited, and improvement of cold weather extraction technology, a broader group of policymakers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and environ-mentalists are paying attention to Antarctica. Experts now believe that exploratory drilling for offshore oil and natural gas is only a decade away. Though commercial extraction is farther in the future, and commercial exploitation of land-based minerals is unlikely in the next thirty years, speculation about Antarctica's natural wealth has aroused wide interest. There remain formidible obstacles to all these activities, but recent work in the oceans suggests that these plans might materialize earlier than now expected, and that a legal regime capable of dealing with resource activities should be in place before they begin.
Dental Education: Evolving Student Trends

As the health care professionals of tomorrow, the students of today are the future of our profession and will shape both dentistry and dental education. To provide historical perspective on today’s students, this article summarizes trends in the demographics of allied, predoctoral, and advanced dental students in the United States over the past seventy-five years and reviews efforts made to promote the racial/ethnic diversity of these groups of students. These efforts include legislative initiatives and public and privately funded programs. An outlook for the future considers ways in which new technologies and social networks as well as coordinated interprofessional efforts might further promote the goal of educating students who reflect the diversity of the United States and position the oral health workforce to meet the country’s needs.
Food web implications of delta13C and delta15N variability over 370 km of the regulated Colorado River USA.

Abstract Dual stable isotope analysis in the regulated Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park, USA, revealed a food web that varied spatially through this arid biome. Down-river enrichment of δ13C data was detected across three trophic levels resulting in shifted food webs. Humpack chub δ13C and δ15N values from muscle plugs and fin clips did not differ significantly. Humpback chub and rainbow trout trophic position is positively correlated with standard length indicating an increase in piscivory by larger fishes. Recovery of the aquatic community from impoundment by Glen Canyon Dam and collecting refinements for stable isotope analysis within large rivers are discussed.
Complex adnexal tumours of the skin: a report of three cases and review of literature.

Aims Complex or composite adnexal tumours of the skin (CATS) are unusual neoplasms composed of two or more histopathologically distinct subtypes of appendageal neoplasms coexisting in a single cutaneous lesion. The authors report three examples of CATS, review literature and discuss their probable histogenesis. Methods and results Of the three tumours described, one tumour showed a mixture of a proliferating pilar tumour and syringocystadenoma papilliferum, the second lesion was composed of a proliferating pilar tumour and tubulopapillary hidradenoma and the third tumour exhibited a syringocystadenoma papilliferum and tubulopapillary hidradenoma in combination. Conclusions CATS are rare tumours. The authors reported three unique cases in addition to the 10 other reported cases. These three cases further strengthen the hypothesis of a ‘folliculosebaceous apocrine’ unit as the most likely point of origin of CATS.
Faculty Reflections on Implementing Associate Degrees for Transfer in California.

This chapter describes how California Community College and California State University faculty developed a system for implementing associate degrees for transfer that has the potential to simplify transfer and decrease unit accumulation. This intersegmental, faculty-led system provides a mechanism for maintaining local control of curriculum, while identifying curricular commonalities that can ultimately facilitate student movement within and between higher education segments in California.
A Knowledge Framework Underlying Process Management

Organizations are increasingly implementing process-improvement techniques like Six Sigma, total quality management, lean, and business process re-engineering to improve organizational performance. These techniques are part of a process management system that includes the organizational infrastructure to support the improvement techniques. The knowledge-based view of a firm argues that organizational knowledge is the source of competitive advantage. To the extent that the process management system enables knowledge creation it should be a source of competitive advantage. This study investigates the underlying framework and factors of a process management system that lead to organizational knowledge creation. Prior studies have considered knowledge creation in process improvement, but none have considered the role of the process management system. Specifically, the study uses the case study method to investigate multiple levels (organization level and project level) of two firms using Six Sigma as their chosen process management system. Analysis of the cases reveals that the leadership creates a supportive infrastructure enabling process-improvement techniques to effectively create organizational knowledge. Interestingly, focusing on decision-making tools and methods may not be effective without developing a supportive infrastructure. The proposed framework provides a basis for organizational leaders to think about how to design and implement a process management system to better enable knowledge creation in organizations. Subject Areas: Case study, Knowledge creation, Process Management System, and Six Sigma.
Cultural Factors in the Control, Prevention, and Treatment of Illicit Drug Use

Prior to AD 1500, drug production proceeded along different lines in the so-called Old World (Africa, Asia, and Europe) and the New World (for the most part, North and South America). These two areas did not have regular contact with one another prior to that time. However, the Old World did experience a flow of ideas and technologies, albeit a slow one. Likewise, concepts and technologies flowed consistently, if slowly, across the Americas. Oceania-Australia, although remote from the Old World landmass, shared common aspects of Old World substances, such as use of betel (Westermeyer, 1991).
Chain maps inducing zero homology maps

The purpose of this paper is to prove Theorems 1 and 2 below by exhibiting them as special cases of a more general result, Theorem 3, which admits of a simple proof.
Physical processes determining the chromospheric temperature distribution

Calculations performed with several models of the solar chromosphere support Ulmschneider's conclusion that relatively short period acoustic waves heat the low chromosphere in the region just above the temperature minimum. However, these same short period waves (10⩽ period P⩽80 s) are not able to maintain chromospheric temperatures at heights where τ5000A(normal) < 10-6. The calculations also show that an earlier conjecture stating that the H2 population might influence the non-LTE chromospheric H- population is probably not correct, due to lower values of the ratio ne/nH inferred from more recent observations. Finally, the calculations support Athay's contention that the Cayrel mechanism alone cannot produce the observed temperature rise, because the magnitude of the radiative cooling in the lines is too great.
Computation of Lyapunov measure for almost everywhere stability

In our recent paper (Vaidya, 2006) Lyapunov measure is introduced as a new tool for verifying almost everywhere stability of an invariant set in a nonlinear dynamical system or continuous mapping. It is shown that for almost everywhere stable system explicit formula for the Lyapunov measure can be obtained as a infinite series or as a resolvent of stochastic linear operator. This paper focus on the computation aspects of the Lyapunov measure. Methods for computing these Lyapunov measures are presented based upon set-oriented numerical approaches, which are used for the finite dimensional approximation of the linear operator. Stability results for the finite dimensional approximation of the linear operator are presented. The stability in finite dimensional space results in further weaker notion of stability which in this paper is referred to as coarse stability
Expanding functionality of RNA: synthesis and properties of RNA containing imidazole modified tandem G–U wobble base pairs

Imidazole modification at C-5 of uridine that is part of tandem G–U wobble base pairs causes slight reduction of thermal stability (ΔΔG0310 < 0.4 kcal mol−1) and relatively small change in hydration of short RNA helices.
Edge technique for high-accuracy Doppler velocimetry

The edge technique has been used in simple laboratory experiments to demonstrate velocity measurements with an experimental error, standard deviation, as small as 12 cm/s, which represents a Doppler-shift measurement accuracy of 8 parts in 1010 of the laser frequency. An edge filter with a spectral width 140 times larger than the measurement accuracy achieved is used. The measurements are made in the presence of short-term frequency drifts equivalent to velocities of 5 to 10 m/s, which are eliminated by the differential frequency measurement used in the edge technique. Long-term frequency drifts are compensated for by servo locking the edge to the laser frequency. High accuracy is achieved for a range of locations on the edge from 0.33 to 4.5 fringe half-widths (half-width at half-maximum), a dynamic range greater than 500 times the measurement accuracy.
The Mitochondrial Protein hFis1 Regulates Mitochondrial Fission in Mammalian Cells through an Interaction with the Dynamin-Like Protein DLP1

The yeast protein Fis1p has been shown to participate in mitochondrial fission mediated by the dynamin-related protein Dnm1p. In mammalian cells, the dynamin-like protein DLP1/Drp1 functions as a mitochondrial fission protein, but the mechanisms by which DLP1/Drp1 and the mitochondrial membrane interact during the fission process are undefined. In this study, we have tested the role of a mammalian homologue of Fis1p, hFis1, and provided new and mechanistic information about the control of mitochondrial fission in mammalian cells. Through differential tagging and deletion experiments, we demonstrate that the intact C-terminal structure of hFis1 is essential for mitochondrial localization, whereas the N-terminal region of hFis1 is necessary for mitochondrial fission. Remarkably, an increased level of cellular hFis1 strongly promotes mitochondrial fission, resulting in an accumulation of fragmented mitochondria. Conversely, cell microinjection of hFis1 antibodies or treatment with hFis1 antisense oligonucleotides induces an elongated and collapsed mitochondrial morphology. Further, fluorescence resonance energy transfer and coimmunoprecipitation studies demonstrate that hFis1 interacts with DLP1. These results suggest that hFis1 participates in mitochondrial fission through an interaction that recruits DLP1 from the cytosol. We propose that hFis1 is a limiting factor in mitochondrial fission and that the number of hFis1 molecules on the mitochondrial surface determines fission frequency.
Topological group criterion for C(X) in compact-open-like topologies, II

Abstract We continue from “part I” our address of the following situation. For a Tychonoff space Y, the “second epi-topology” σ is a certain topology on C ( Y ) , which has arisen from the theory of categorical epimorphisms in a category of lattice-ordered groups. The topology σ is always Hausdorff, and σ interacts with the point-wise addition + on C ( Y ) as: inversion is a homeomorphism and + is separately continuous. When is + jointly continuous, i.e. σ is a group topology? This is so if Y is Lindelof and Cech-complete, and the converse generally fails. We show in the present paper: under the Continuum Hypothesis, for Y separable metrizable, if σ is a group topology, then Y is (Lindelof and) Cech-complete, i.e. Polish. The proof consists in showing that if Y is not Cech-complete, then there is a family of compact sets in βY which is maximal in a certain sense.
Graded and dynamic reflex summation of myelinated and unmyelinated rat aortic baroreceptors

Unmyelinated (C) and myelinated (A) baroreceptor (BR) axons are present in rat aortic depressor nerve (ADN). With graded ADN electrical activation and anodal conduction blockade, reflex responses i...
Modeling Wind Speed and Time-varying Turbulence in Geographically Dispersed Wind Energy Markets in China

Abstract This study extends the work of Ewing, Kruse, and Thompson (2008), in the simultaneous modeling of mean wind speed and its volatility in geographically dispersed wind energy markets in the U.S. to the case of China. An ARIMA-GARCH-M model is estimated using average daily wind speed data from January 14, 2003 to September 10, 2006 for nine wind energy markets in China. Similar to Ewing, Kruse, and Thompson (2008), the results indicate that regardless of location, wind speed exhibits time-varying turbulence. However, with the exception of one location, the results do not yield support for the proposition that wind turbulence has a statistically significant impact on mean wind speed.
A Novel Inhibitory Mechanism of Mitochondrion-Dependent Apoptosis by a Herpesviral Protein

Upon viral infection, cells undergo apoptosis as a defense against viral replication. Viruses, in turn, have evolved elaborate mechanisms to subvert apoptotic processes. Here, we report that a novel viral mitochondrial anti-apoptotic protein (vMAP) of murine gamma-herpesvirus 68 (gammaHV-68) interacts with Bcl-2 and voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) in a genetically separable manner. The N-terminal region of vMAP interacted with Bcl-2, and this interaction markedly increased not only Bcl-2 recruitment to mitochondria but also its avidity for BH3-only pro-apoptotic proteins, thereby suppressing Bax mitochondrial translocation and activation. In addition, the central and C-terminal hydrophobic regions of vMAP interacted with VDAC1. Consequently, these interactions resulted in the effective inhibition of cytochrome c release, leading to the comprehensive inhibition of mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis. Finally, vMAP gene was required for efficient gammaHV-68 lytic replication in normal cells, but not in mitochondrial apoptosis-deficient cells. These results demonstrate that gammaHV-68 vMAP independently targets two important regulators of mitochondrial apoptosis-mediated intracellular innate immunity, allowing efficient viral lytic replication.
Morphology of pores and interfaces and mechanical behavior of nanocluster-assembled silicon nitride ceramic

Million atom molecular-dynamics simulations are performed to investigate the structure, dynamics, and mechanical behavior of cluster-assembled Si3N4. These solids contain highly disordered interfacial regions with 50% undercoordinated atoms. Systems sintered at low pressures have percolating pores whose surface morphologies are well characterized by two values of the roughness exponent, 0.46 and 0.86; these are close to the experimental values found by Bouchaud et al. for fracture surfaces. Results for elastic moduli are consistent with a three-phase model for heterogeneous materials. [S0031-9007(96)02209-0]
Autoradiographic Localization of Dexamethasone in the Rabbit Submandibular Gland

Nuclear localization of 3H-dexamethasone to secretory and duct cells in the rabbit submandibular gland was determined by dry-mount autoradiography. This saturable nuclear binding indicates that glucocorticoid effects on this gland may be mediated by cytosol-nuclear receptors.
CAROTENOIDS OF EDIBLE MOLLUSCS; A REVIEW

This review focuses on the studies reported on carotenoids of edible molluscs in the 1980s. Following an introduction to edible molluscs, it covers the literature published in areas such as localization of carotenoids, sources of carotenoids for molluscs, functions of carotenoids in molluscs and prospective biotechnological uses of carotenoids.
Transformative Learning as a Metatheory: Definition, Criteria, and Typology.

This article addresses a significant problem with transformative learning theory; namely, that it is increasingly being used to refer to almost any instance of learning. This article offers several...
Health Education in China (1978–2010)

Since 1978, China has undergone rapid socioeconomic development and several waves of school and curriculum reform at the national level. These developments have included significant efforts to improve health education and management in both primary and secondary schools. However, several reforms have not been implemented as successfully as their creators had hoped, partly because China has large rural–urban and cross-provincial disparities, especially in terms of the economy, which have had a significant impact on the development of health education.
Experimental Investigation of a Packed-Bed Latent Heat Thermal Storage System With Encapsulated Phase Change Material

An experimental study on a laboratory scale prototype packed-bed latent heat thermal energy storage (TES) system is presented. Spherical capsules of sodium nitrate melting point of 306°C were used as the PCM and air was used as the heat transfer fluid (HTF). The storage system was operated between 286°C to 326°C and the volumetric flow rate of the HTF was varied from 110 m3/hr to 151 m3/hr. Temperature distribution along the bed and inside the capsules was monitored continuously during charging and discharging of the system. The effect of mass flow rate of the HTF on the charging and discharging time and on the pressure drop across the bed was also evaluated.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Effects of Group Prenatal Care on Food Insecurity during Late Pregnancy and Early Postpartum.

Objective This study compared the effects of group to individual prenatal care in late pregnancy and early postpartum on (1) women’s food security and (2) psychosocial outcomes among food-insecure women. Methods and Results We recruited 248 racially diverse, low-income, pregnant women receiving CenteringPregnancy™ group prenatal care (N = 124) or individual prenatal care (N = 124) to complete surveys in early pregnancy, late pregnancy, and early postpartum, with 84 % completing three surveys. Twenty-six percent of group and 31 % of individual care participants reported food insecurity in early pregnancy (p = 0.493). In multiple logistic regression models, women choosing group versus individual care were more likely to report food security in late pregnancy (0.85 vs. 0.66 average predicted probability, p < 0.001) and postpartum (0.89 vs. 0.78 average predicted probability, p = 0.049). Among initially food-insecure women, group participants were more likely to become food-secure in late pregnancy (0.67 vs. 0.35 individual care average predicted probability, p < 0.001) and postpartum (0.76 vs. 0.57 individual care average predicted probability, p = 0.052) in intention-to-treat models. Group participants were more likely to change perceptions on affording healthy foods and stretching food resources. Group compared to individual care participants with early pregnancy food insecurity demonstrated higher maternal-infant attachment scale scores (89.8 vs. 86.2 points for individual care, p = 0.032). Conclusions Group prenatal care provides health education and the opportunity for women to share experiences and knowledge, which may improve food security through increasing confidence and skills in managing household food resources. Health sector interventions can complement food assistance programs in addressing food insecurity during pregnancy.
Modeling relapsing disease dynamics in a host-vector community.

Vector-borne diseases represent a threat to human and wildlife populations and mathematical models provide a means to understand and control epidemics involved in complex host-vector systems. The disease model studied here is a host-vector system with a relapsing class of host individuals, used to investigate tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF). Equilibrium analysis is performed for models with increasing numbers of relapses and multiple hosts and the disease reproduction number, R0, is generalized to establish relationships with parameters that would result in the elimination of the disease. We show that host relapses in a single competent host-vector system is needed to maintain an endemic state. We show that the addition of an incompetent second host with no relapses increases the number of relapses needed for maintaining the pathogen in the first competent host system. Further, coupling of the system with hosts of differing competencies will always reduce R0, making it more difficult for the system to reach an endemic state.
Chronic in-vivo testing of a 16-channel implantable wireless neural stimulator

Here, we report on chronic in-vivo testing of a 16-channel wireless floating microelectrode array (WFMA) in a rat sciatic nerve model. Muscle threshold currents, charge injection levels, and charge density were monitored for electrodes of two WFMA devices implanted into animal subjects over a five month period. This type of wireless stimulation device could eliminate problems associated with percutaneous connectors for a variety of neural prostheses and other medical devices.
Impaired Activation of NFκB in T Cells From a Subset of Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients Is Mediated by Inhibition of Phosphorylation and Degradation of the Inhibitor, IκB

Activation of the transcription factor NFkappaB in peripheral blood T cells from patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is compromised. This impaired signaling function results from a failure of RelA and c-Rel to translocate to the nucleus though normal levels of Rel proteins are present in the cytoplasm. We demonstrate here in a subset of RCC patients that the defect in NFkappaB activation is attributable to the absence of phosphorylation and degradation of the inhibitor IkappaBalpha. In patient T cells there was no stimulus dependent decrease in the cytoplasmic level of IkappaBalpha. Coimmunoprecipitation studies showed that RelA was in complex with IkappaBalpha and was not released after stimulation. Moreover, the phosphorylated form of IkappaBalpha detected in normal T cells after activation is absent in patient T cells. Additional experiments showed that soluble products from RCCs (RCC-S) can reproduce the same phenotype in T cells from healthy individuals. Supernatant fluid from cultured explants of RCC, but not normal kidney, inhibited the stimulus dependent nuclear translocation of NFkappaB without altering the cytoplasmic levels of RelA, c-Rel, and NFkappaB1. Phosphorylation and degradation of IkappaBalpha was also blocked by RCC-S. The mechanistic similarities between patient-derived T cells and normal T cells cultured with RCC-S suggest that the tumor-derived products may be the primary mediators of impaired T-cell function in this tumor system.
Comparing American and Russian Internal Colonization: The “Touch of Civilisation” on the Sioux and Kazakhs

This article compares American and Russian colonization of continental interiors and the consequences for the indigenous Sioux and Kazakhs, focusing on imperial perceptions, social and economic dislocation, political sovereignty, and sedentarization. It provides a critical, comparative analysis of internal colonization exercised by the United States and Russia.
Test Excavations at the Spanish Governor's Palace, San Antonio, Texas

Test excavations were carried out in October 1996 by the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio in front of the Spanish Governor's Palace in Military Plaza in downtown San Antonio. Planned for the retrieval of information on the depth and present condition of the foundations of the building, the excavations also recovered important information on previous occupation of the site and construction methods used when the palace was built.
Repellent Additives to Reduce Pesticide Hazards to Honeybees: Laboratory Testing

SummaryOf 143 chemicals tested to determine their potential to repel honeybees from pesticide-treated agricultural crops, many well known insect repellents proved non-repellent to bees. Chemicals were evaluated quantitatively to determine their efficacy in preventing or deterring bees from feeding from food containers either containing a candidate repellent (gustatory test), or surrounded by a disc bearing a candidate repellent (spatial test). Few behavioural observations were made. Structurally, compounds containing nitrogen, short side-chain substituted phenyl acetates and/or tolyl compounds showed the most promise as honeybee repellents. Chemicals with thymol-like odours also appeared promising.
Double robust estimator of average causal treatment effect for censored medical cost data

In observational studies, estimation of average causal treatment effect on a patient's response should adjust for confounders that are associated with both treatment exposure and response. In addition, the response, such as medical cost, may have incomplete follow-up. In this article, a double robust estimator is proposed for average causal treatment effect for right censored medical cost data. The estimator is double robust in the sense that it remains consistent when either the model for the treatment assignment or the regression model for the response is correctly specified. Double robust estimators increase the likelihood the results will represent a valid inference. Asymptotic normality is obtained for the proposed estimator, and an estimator for the asymptotic variance is also derived. Simulation studies show good finite sample performance of the proposed estimator and a real data analysis using the proposed method is provided as illustration. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reply to Schmidt and Tomasello: Chimpanzees as natural team-players

Schmidt and Tomasello (1) argue that our study (2) constitutes a replication of previous research and that we “constrained” the set-up to ensure that competition did not undermine collaboration. But in fact, the whole point of our set-up was to permit competition as well as free partner choice, something no study has done before. The studies Schmidt and Tomasello (1) refer to offered very limited partner choice—at most between two partners (3)—and sometimes only paired tolerant apes together. Other studies physically separated their test subjects. Under such conditions, cooperation does not always arise spontaneously, and apes … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: suchakm{at}canisius.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Rank property of the MIMO Gaussian wiretap channel with an average power constraint

This paper considers a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Gaussian wiretap channel, where there exists a transmitter, a legitimate receiver and an eavesdropper, each equipped with multiple antennas. In particular, we study the rank of the optimal input covariance matrix that achieves the secrecy capacity of the multiple antenna MIMO Gaussian wiretap channel under an average power constraint. The rank and other properties of the optimal solution are derived based on certain relationships between the channel matrices for the legitimate receiver and eavesdropper. Such properties are useful steps towards characterizing the general solution to the MIMO wiretap problem with an average power constraint.
Skin care practices in newborn nurseries and mother–baby units in Maryland

Skin provides several important homeostatic functions to the developing neonate. However, no consensus guidelines exist in the United States for skin care in the healthy term newborn. We performed a study of skin and umbilical cord care (including bathing practices, vernix removal and antiseptic cord application) in newborn nurseries and mother–baby units throughout the state of Maryland to determine practices in a variety of clinical settings and assess if uniformity in skin care exists. These data were then assessed in the context of a review of the current literature. We received responses from over 90% of nurseries across the state. In our cohort, practices varied widely between institutions and specific populations, and often were not evidence-based or were contrary to best practices discussed in the scientific literature. The frequent departures from evidence that occur regarding the aforementioned practices are likely due to a lack of consensus on these issues as well as limited data on such practices, further highlighting the need for data-driven guidelines on newborn skin care.
Coordination of multi-agent leader-follower system with time-varying objective function

This paper aims to introduce a new framework for the distributed control of multi-agent systems with adjustable swarm control objectives. Our goal is twofold: 1) to provide an overview to how time-varying objectives in the control of autonomous systems may be applied to the distributed control of multi-agent systems with variable autonomy level, and 2) to introduce a framework to incorporate the proposed concept to fundamental swarm behaviors such as aggregation and leader tracking. Leader-follower multi-agent systems are considered in this study, and a general form of time-dependent artificial potential function is proposed to describe the varying objectives of the system. Using Lyapunov methods, the stability and boundedness of the agents' trajectories under single order and higher order dynamics are analyzed. Illustrative numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the validity of our results.
Abstract 143: Group X Secretory Phospholipase A2 Regulates Insulin Secretion by Mouse Pancreatic Beta Cells

Background: Group X secretory phospholipase A2 (GX sPLA2) potently releases arachidonic acid (AA) from the plasma membrane of intact cells. AA is a precursor of bioactive prostaglandins that are known to modulate insulin secretion by β-islet cells. C57BL/6 mice deficient in GX sPLA2 (GX KO) are protected from age-related defect in glucose tolerance. GX sPLA2 is expressed in mouse pancreatic islet cells. In this study we tested the hypothesis that GX sPLA2 regulates pancreatic insulin secretion. Methods and results: Glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) was measured in vivo in WT and GX KO mice and ex vivo using pancreatic islet cells isolated from WT and GX KO mice. To complement these studies, GSIS was also assessed in vitro using Min6 pancreatic beta cell lines with or without GX sPLA2 overexpression. GSIS was significantly increased in GX KO mice compared to WT mice, and in islet cells isolated from GX KO mice compared to WT mice. Consistent with this finding, Min6 cells overexpressing GX sPLA2 demonstrated significantly decreased GSIS compared to control cells. Expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 mRNAs were significantly upregulated in islet cells from GX KO mice compared to WT mice, consistent with our previous report that GX sPLA2 negatively regulates LXR activity. However, there was no significant difference in cholesterol content between islets from WT and GX KO mice suggesting that altered LXR activity may not be the mechanism. Min6 cells overexpressing GX sPLA2 secrete significantly increased levels of PGE2- a known negative regulator of GSIS, in the medium compared to control cells. Treatment of these cells with NS398- an inhibitor of COX2 enzyme, abolished the decrease in GSIS shown by these cells. Conclusions: We conclude that GX sPLA2 plays a previously unrecognized role in negatively regulating pancreatic insulin secretion most likely by enhancing PGE2 production.
Synergistic effect of Rapamycin and Casodex in inhibition of cell growth and survival as well as AR transcriptional activity in androgen dependent and independent prostate cancer cells

988 Recurrent prostate cancer is treated with androgen deprivation, which includes suppression of androgen production alone or in combination with androgen receptor (AR) antagonists (including flutamide or bicalutamide (Casodex)). Patients usually respond initially to such treatment but frequently relapse indicative of the development of hormone refractory prostate cancer. The treatment options for such patients are limited, and while Phase I trials reveal 20-24% increased survival with docetaxel, options to prevent the progression of this disease have not been identified. Prostate cancer is characterized by frequent deletion or loss of heterozygosity in the tumor suppressor PTEN leading to activation of downstream components of the P13K pathway, including the Akt and mTOR kinases. The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin has been reported to inhibit metastatic prostate tumor growth and angiogenesis in in vivo mouse models and is currently in Phase I clinical trials. While rapamycin inhibited the growth of both androgen dependent and independent prostate cancer, it also has been shown to increase AR levels and AR transcriptional activity in vitro, resulting increased expression of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a serum biomarker which is commonly used to track changes in prostate cancer patients. In contrast, the antiandrogen Casodex has been shown to inhibit tumor growth as well as PSA expression in androgen dependent tumors, whereas androgen independent tumors were refractory to Casodex treatment. Since the effects of these two drugs on PSA levels are opposing in vitro, we investigated the effects of using the two in combination. The androgen dependent cell line LNCaP and its androgen independent sublines C4-2 and LNCaP-AI were treated with 100 nM rapamycin, 10 μM Casodex or both. Rapamycin substantially inhibited proliferation in all cells examined, whereas Casodex inhibited the growth of LNCaP cells by 50% but did not affect the growth of the androgen in dependent sublines. However, in combination, the two together had a synergistic effect and inhibited the growth of both androgen dependent and independent lines to a greater extent than either alone. While neither drug caused a substantial increase in apoptosis rates, the combination of rapamycin and Casodex caused substantial amount of apoptosis even in androgen independent cells. In addition, rapamycin increased AR and PSA levels in all 3 cell lines, whereas in combination with Casodex, AR and PSA levels were decreased in all cells examined. These results suggest that Casodex and rapamycin in combination may be of better therapeutic value than each drug individually.
On the formulation of a finite element method for the stiffened multi-layered airfoil/hydrofoil structure: Post buckling analysis for the wings of underwater gliders

Abstract A finite element method is developed for the stiffened multi-layered airfoil/hydrofoil structure for the large deformation and finite strain problem. The kinematics of the airfoil/hydrofoil is set up. The Consistent Orthogonal Basis Function Space is applied for the airfoil/hydrofoil structure. Given the airfoil/hydrofoil configuration and boundary conditions, the basis function space can be uniquely determined, such that the diagonal mass matrix is obtained accurately and the basis functions are very identical with the mode shape functions of the structure. In order to satisfy the displacement compatibility condition between adjacent layers of the airfoil/hydrofoil, the traction degree-of-freedom is also induced. The post buckling analysis is presented for the wing (hydrofoil) structure of the underwater glider. The water pressure is applied on the outer surface and the critical buckling pressure is calculated. The post buckling equilibrium path is also given. The results are verified with ANSYS. The present study of the buckling analysis of the airfoil/hydrofoil under water pressure is helpful to the design of underwater glider.
Liberal Learning and Christian Practical Wisdom

Many faculty members who are devoted to liberal education have become increasingly perplexed in today’s academy about how best to integrate the several courses that students must take in order to graduate into a coherent whole. In this essay, Schwehn argues that Christian practical wisdom may hold out the prospect of reintegrating curricula that have splintered into disconnected fragments, at least on a conceptual level, and of reinvigorating teaching across all of the disciplines. In other words, all academics need renewed attention to the wisdom within various religious traditions; Christian academics need renewed attention to the cultivation of Christian practical wisdom as an educational ideal.
Retrospective review of immunocompromised children undergoing skin biopsy for suspected invasive infection: Analysis of factors predictive of invasive mold

OBJECTIVES Cutaneous lesions are often the first marker of invasive mold infection, which can cause substantial morbidity in immunocompromised children. The purpose of this study was to describe the evaluation and outcomes of immunocompromised children who presented with findings requiring skin biopsy because of concern about invasive infection. In children who were biopsied, we sought to determine the factors predictive of invasive mold infection. METHODS A retrospective review was conducted at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Patients included in the study were immunocompromised individuals younger than 26 years old who underwent skin biopsy by the inpatient dermatology consultation team between January 1, 2003, and March 15, 2015, because of development of new cutaneous lesions that were suspected of being invasive infection. RESULTS One hundred five encounters met the inclusion criteria. Fifty (47.6%) biopsied individuals had an infectious pathogen identified on histopathology or culture. Mold was the most common (36%) pathogen, followed by bacteria (32%) and yeast (26%). The presence of a single lesion (P = .001) and prior occlusion at the site of the lesion (P < .001) were associated with mold on biopsy. The combination of a single lesion, history of occlusion, and tissue necrosis on examination was highly predictive for invasive mold infection (86.3% [95% confidence interval 55.1-97.0%]). Of the 18 individuals with confirmed invasive mold infection, 13 (72%) underwent surgical resection, of whom 12 (92%) survived the 30-day follow-up period. CONCLUSION Skin biopsy enabled the detection of a pathogen that informed directed therapeutic interventions in nearly half of participants. Institutions caring for immunocompromised children should ensure adequate staffing of clinical personnel approved to perform skin biopsies.
Life cycle considerations of nano-enabled agrochemicals: are today's tools up to the task?

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) used as fertilizers, pesticides and growth regulators will involve direct application of large quantities of ENMs to the environment and products intended for human consumption. Assessing their life cycle environmental impacts to mitigate unintended consequences poses several challenges. In this perspective, we identify obstacles to the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) for evaluating environmental tradeoffs of nano-enabled agrochemical applications. These include: (1) defining functional units that represent the function provided by nano-enabled agrochemicals and that are proportional to the scale of the study (nano-scale vs. field scale), (2) limitations in availability of comprehensive data necessary to inform life cycle material flow (resource use and emissions) for inventory development specific to nano-enabled agrochemical applications,(3) human and environmental exposure and effects data relevant to the agricultural context for impact assessment models, (4) spatial and temporal dependent components that can affect the results of an LCA of nano-enabled agrochemicals, and (5) high data uncertainties and the possibility of their reduction through collaborative efforts between life cycle practitioners and experimental researchers using anticipatory decision-based models. While several of these challenges are experienced in LCA of emerging technologies generally, they are highlighted herein due to their unique or heightened relevance to the use of ENMs in agriculture applications. Addressing challenges in these areas are intended to inform research prioritization to ensure safe and sustainable design, development, and implementation of nano-enabled agrochemicals.
Nanostructures in Motion: Micro-Instruments for Moving Nanometer-Scale Objects

This chapter describes the integration of micro-actuators and nanometer-scale tips to manipulate and control things on a small scale. The micro-instruments or micro-robots are made using micro-machining technology. The micro-machining field has been given the generic name micro-electromechanical systems or MEMS. This field is quite broad and includes integrated micro-sensors, micro-actuators, micro-instruments, micro-optics and micro-fluidics, and includes applications ranging from accelerometers[2] to deploy an automobile airbag, ink jet printer heads[3,4]; an array of movable mirrors for color projection displays[5]; to atom probes for imaging and transporting atoms [6].
Mixture Experiment Approaches: Examples, Discussion, and Recommendations

A mixture experiment involves varying the proportions of two or more ingredients, called components of the mixture, and studying the changes that occur in the measured properties (responses) of the...
The Role of Methane Hydrate in Ocean Carbon Chemistry and Biogeochemical Cycling

The microbiological role in the production of methane and the formation and stability of methane hydrates is critical to our understanding of ocean carbon cycling and global warming, and has important ramifications for sources of alternative energy, and the global economy. The methane hydrate reservoir vastly exceeds other carbon energy reservoirs (Kvenvolden, 1988). The amount of methane that is present in the ocean floor depends on the distribution of hydrates and the methane content. The estimated range of ocean gas hydrates is 26.4 to 139.1 × 1015 m3 (Gornitz and Fung, 1994). The maximum content in 1 m3 of hydrate is calculated to be 164 m3 methane and 0.8 m3 water (Kvenvolden et al., 1993; Max and Lowrie, 1997). Variability in hydrate methane content is controlled by geothermal gradients, methane and other hydrocarbon gas contents and by the rate of biological formation. Currently only the sketchiest details of the ocean carbon cycle in the sediment and water column are understood. This is a primary emerging research topic in ocean science.
Structure and Expression of Zein Genes in Maize Endosperm

The storage proteins of maize seed are a group of alcohol-soluble proteins called zeins. These proteins can be separated by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into four major groups that have apparent mol wts of 22,000, 19,000, 15,000 and 10,000 (Lee et al., 1976; Gianazza et al., 1977). The Mr 22,000 and Mr 19,000 components are made up of several polypeptides. Their NH2-terminal sequences are heterogeneous (Larkins et al., 1980) and on 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gels they show substantial charge heterogeneity (Hagen and Rubenstein, 1981). The Mr 15,000 and Mr 10,000 polypeptides are less heterogeneous, and appear to consist of only one or two proteins (Hurkman et al., 1981). Charge heterogeneity among different zeins is genotype specific (Righetti et al., 1977) and has been shown in several instances to be inherited in a simple Mendelian fashion (Soave et al., 1978). These studies suggest that the zeins are a highly homologous group of proteins encoded by multiple and closely related genes.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation to Improve Female Sexual Dysfunction Symptoms: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES To perform a pilot study using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on the dorsal genital nerve and the posterior tibial nerve for improving symptoms of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in women without bladder problems. We hypothesize that this therapy will be effective at improving genital arousal deficits. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nine women with general FSD completed the study. Subjects received 12 sessions of transcutaneous dorsal genital nerve stimulation (DGNS; n = 6) or posterior tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS; n = 3). Stimulation was delivered for 30 min at 20 Hz. Sexual functioning was evaluated with the female sexual functioning index (FSFI), and surveys were also given on general health, urological functioning, and the Patients' Global Impression of Change (PGIC) after treatment. Surveys were given before treatment (baseline), after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment, and 6 weeks after the completion of stimulation sessions. RESULTS The average total FSFI score across all subjects significantly increased from 15.3 ± 4.8 at baseline to 20.3 ± 7.8 after six sessions, 21.7 ± 7.5 after 12 sessions, and 21.3 ± 7.1 at study completion (p < 0.05 for all time points). Increases were observed in both DGNS and PTNS subjects. Significant FSFI increases were seen in the subdomains of lubrication, arousal, and orgasm, each of which is related to genital arousal. Bladder and general health surveys did not change across the study. PGIC had a significant increase. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence that transcutaneous stimulation of peripheral nerves has the potential to be a valuable therapeutic tool for women with FSD.