cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorodibenzofurans in stationary source emissions in GC-MS/MS using hydrogen as the carrier gas.

The European and American methods for the determination of polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorodibenzofurans in stationary source emissions require a high-resolution mass spectrometer detector. At the same time, all of the 17 toxic 2,3,7,8-chlorine-substituted isomers have to be separated by an appropriate chromatographic method. The resulting analysis has long runtimes and sometimes a double-column run is needed, which results in a huge waste of time, money and manual labor. To obtain a fast and cost-effective but still reliable analytical system, a single-column gas chromatography with hydrogen as carrier gas and tandem mass spectrometry detection is proposed. The use of hydrogen as the carrier gas is a good choice to shorten runtimes and improve the chromatographic resolution, while tandem mass spectrometry is a well-known alternative for this analysis. All the chromatographic and mass spectrometric parameters fill the requirements of the reference methods with a 35% reduction of runtimes. The accuracy is tested with three fly ash samples of a proficiency interlaboratory test. A good correlation between the results is obtained (R2 = 0.992, slope = 0.9675), and no coelutions are noted. The system robustness is tested during 5 years of constant use and the maximal relative standard deviation of the relative response factor is 18.8%.
Another Lesson Before Dying: Toward a Pedagogy of Black Self-Love

In academic spaces, Black women’s bodies and beings have historically been framed as inadequate and/or irrelevant. Given these circumstances, Black women faculty must consciously and actively work to disrupt mainstream narratives that limit the possibility of engaging their blackness and femaleness in ways that enrich processes of teaching and learning. One way to disrupt limiting narratives is by engaging in practices of self-love that allow and encourage Black women faculty to teach who they are. In this essay the author discusses how she translates her practice of loving blackness into a pedagogy of Black self-love designed to address the complexity of Black student alienation on campus.
Treatment Utilization by Adults with Autism and Co-Occurring Anxiety or Depression.

Abstract Background While a growing body of research suggests that talk therapies can reduce anxiety and depression in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we know little about what community treatment for these disorders looks like for them. The present study investigated whether treatment utilization differs between adults with and without ASD who have anxiety or depression. Method Using Pennsylvania Medicaid claims data, adults aged 18–65 years diagnosed with ASD and depression or anxiety (n = 268) were matched 1:4 to adults with depression or anxiety disorder without ASD (n = 1072). Chi-square tests and generalized linear models were used to estimate differences in diagnoses and psychiatric treatment between groups. Results While the proportion of people prescribed benzodiazepine and antidepressants did not differ between groups, the ASD group had more days per month prescribed for all medications. Adults with ASD also were more likely to be prescribed multiple medications concurrently and to use case management. Adults without ASD were more likely to receive talk therapy for anxiety/depression. Among those receiving talk therapy, adults with ASD averaged more individual visits per month. Conclusions Findings suggest that therapists may need more session time for adults with ASD, although it is unclear if this time is dedicated to anxiety or depression treatment. The greater use of psychotropic medications among adults with ASD may suggest unresponsiveness to the talk therapy they receive or greater clinical complexity.
Abstract 13731: The Association of High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T and Natriuretic Peptide With Incident End-Stage Renal Disease: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Introduction: Although there are abundant data supporting kidney dysfunction as a predictor of cardiac disease, epidemiological data for cardiac dysfunction predating kidney dysfunction are sparse,...
Scalar field dark matter: helping or hurting small-scale problems in cosmology?

Building upon results of cosmological simulations of ultra-light scalar field dark matter (SFDM), we present a comprehensive model for the density profiles of SFDM haloes as a function of halo virial mass $M_{\rm h}$ and scalar field mass $m$. The central regions of SFDM haloes are dominated by solitons with characteristic densities that increase with increasing halo mass and asymptote to CDM-like profiles at large radii. For scalar field masses $m \sim 10^{-22}$ eV, consistent with large-scale structure observations, $M_{\rm h} \sim 10^{10} \,M_\odot$ haloes have lower core densities than their Cold Dark Matter (CDM) counterparts and this alleviates the Too Big to Fail problem (TBTF) in a regime where feedback is less effective. However, higher-mass SFDM haloes with $M_{\rm h} \sim 10^{11} \,M_\odot$ are denser than their CDM counterparts at small, observationally relevant radii. We use rotation curves of $V \sim 100$ km s$^{-1}$ galaxies from the SPARC database to show that SFDM exacerbates the cusp/core and central density problems seen in CDM at this scale. We conclude that if the conventional cosmological SFDM scaling relations are correct, then baryonic feedback is required to lower densities in SFDM haloes even more so than in CDM. This motivates cosmological and self-consistent hydrodynamic simulations of SFDM to determine whether central soliton structure can be altered by realistic feedback implementations.
Cranial Nerve Palsies, Vascular Damage, and Brainstem Injury

Balancing the therapeutic index for radiation therapy to the brain starts with treatment planning and reducing the dose to adjacent critical structures. History taking, clinical examination, and imaging are critical to the diagnosis of complications. Radiation-induced optic neuropathy, cranial nerve palsies, vascular injury, and brainstem injury can all occur and result in permanent deficits for patients several months after radiation therapy is complete. Treatment is largely focused on using steroids although hyperbaric oxygen and other treatments have also been attempted with limited success. Radiation planning guidelines continue to evolve as does our understanding of the longer-term complications that can result.
Modeling Space Radiation Induced Bone Changes in Rat Femurs through Finite Element Analysis

As the duration of manned missions outside of the Earth's protective shielding increase, astronauts are at risk for exposure to space radiation. Various organ systems may be damaged due to exposure. This study investigates the bone strength changes using finite element modeling of Long Evans rats (n=85) subjected to graded, head-only proton (0, 10, 25, and 100 cGy, 150 MeV/n) and 28silicon (0, 10, 25, and 50 cGy, 300 MeV/n) radiation. The strength of the femoral neck will be examined due its clinical relevance to hip fractures. It has been shown in previous studies that bone mineral density was not reduced at the site of fracture. These findings question whether measurements of bone mineral density may be used to assess risk of hip fracture. The mechanisms leading to the irregular relationship between bone density and strength are still uncertain within literature and investigated to greater extent in clinical applications. Finite element analysis within this study simulated physiological loading of the femoral neck. No significant changes in femoral neck strength were found across doses of proton or 28silicon head-only radiation. Future work includes performing mechanical testing of the bone samples. Moving from mouse to larger animal models may also provide the increased lifespan for assessing the long-term outcomes of radiation exposure.
Targeting PIM Kinases Affects Maintenance of CD133 Tumor Cell Population in Hepatoblastoma.

Abstract Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary liver tumor in children, but treatment has not changed significantly in the past 20 years. We have previously demonstrated that Proviral Integration site for Moloney murine leukemia (PIM) kinases promote tumorigenesis in hepatoblastoma. Stem cell-like cancer cells (SCLCCs) are a subset of cells thought to be responsible for chemoresistance, metastasis, relapse, and recurrence. The aim of this study was to identify SCLCCs in hepatoblastoma and determine the role of PIM kinases in SCLCCs. Hepatoblastoma cells were separated into CD133-enriched and CD133-depleted populations and the frequency of SCLCCs was assessed. CD133 expression was determined in the presence or absence of the PIM inhibitor, AZD1208. The effects of AZD1208 on proliferation, apoptosis, and motility were assessed in vitro and the effect of AZD1208 on tumor growth was examined in vivo. We identified CD133 as a marker for SCLCCs in hepatoblastoma and showed that PIM kinases promote a SCLCC phenotype. PIM kinase inhibition with AZD1208 decreased proliferation, migration, and invasion and increased apoptosis in both SCLCCs and non-SCLCCs in a long-term passaged hepatoblastoma cell line and patient-derived xenograft. Additionally, tumor growth in mice implanted with hepatoblastoma SCLCCs was decreased with PIM inhibition such that 57% of the tumors regressed. These findings identify CD133 as a marker for SCLCCs in hepatoblastoma and provide evidence that inhibition of PIM kinases decreases stemness and tumorigenicity of SCLCCs in hepatoblastoma, making them potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of hepatoblastoma.
A Review of State-Level Policies on Electrical Energy Storage

Since California adopted its energy storage mandate in 2013, 14 other states have developed energy storage policies designed to encourage adoption or reduce barriers. This paper reviews those efforts to identify what types of policies are being developed, the underlying goals and rationale behind different approaches, and the early outcomes of those policies. State activity related to energy storage has accelerated in recent years, and numerous policies have emerged. Generally, those policies take one of two approaches: facilitating operational experience with energy storage by ensuring its presence on the grid, or enabling future deployments by removing or reducing barriers. Through detailed review of state policy actions, this paper explores the drivers, design, and implementation of these five specific types of energy storage policy. A taxonomy of state policies related to energy storage is presented, as well as recent research findings that support the different approaches and specific examples of how, where, and why those policies have been implemented. Finally, early impacts of these policies are considered.
“We Are at War with Islam”: The Case of Sam Harris

Before he was a bestselling author, Sam (or Samuel) Harris was perhaps best known as the son of an extremely successful television producer. His mother Susan Harris created popular television shows such as The Golden Girls , Empty Nest , Soap , and Benson . From 1965 to 1969, she was married to Sam's father, an actor named Berkeley Harris (d. 1984). Sam was born in 1967 in Los Angeles and was raised primarily by Susan. Although her background is Jewish (and Berkeley's family was Quaker), Sam grew up in a secular household. He began his collegiate studies at Stanford University in the mid-1980s, though after his second year, he chose to travel to India to study meditation with Buddhist and Hindu teachers. More than a decade later, he returned to Stanford to complete a degree in philosophy. Between his graduation in 2000 and the completion of his doctorate in cognitive neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2009, Harris produced his landmark book and New York Times bestseller The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (2004) as well as a popular follow-up entitled Letter to a Christian Nation (2006). The End of Faith is widely considered the first book of the New Atheist era. Harris has since become a widely recognized public figure and is known for his active promotion of science and secular values. Harris's other books include The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values (2010), Lying (2011), Free Will (2012), Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion (2014), and, more recently, a relatively short book coauthored with British Muslim activist Maajid Nawaz entitled Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue (2015). In what follows, we shall examine, in sequential order, the two works most relevant to our project, The End of Faith and Islam and the Future of Tolerance . Separated by more than a decade, both books convey Harris's views on, among many other topics, jihad and violent radicalism.
Prehospital and Emergency Department-Focused Mission Protocol Improves Thrombolysis Metrics for Suspected Acute Stroke Patients

Abstract Background: The Mission Protocol was implemented in 2017 to expedite stroke evaluation and reduce door-to-needle (DTN) times at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. The key system changes were team-based evaluation of suspected stroke patients at ambulance entrance by an Emergency Department (ED) physician, ED nurse, and neurologist and immediate emergency medical service (EMS) provider transport of patients to CT. Methods: Patients were eligible for a Mission Protocol prehospital stroke activation if an EMS provider found a positive Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale and a last known normal time within 6 hours. We retrospectively compared treatment metrics between the first year of Mission Protocol patients and patients from the year prior also brought in via ambulance with suspected stroke and a last known normal time within 6 hours. Median Door to CT and DTN times were compared using 2 sample Wilcoxon rank-sum (Mann-Whitney) tests. Results: There were 236 patients in the Mission Protocol group and 112 in the comparison group. The Mission Protocol was associated with a 10 minutes faster median door to CT time (P
The Contemporary Family

The family is a topic of special interest to demography. In most times and places the family is the responsible unit for the production of the next generation. In other words, fertility, i.e., the production of children, usually occurs in the family (Waite 2005).
Precarious gains: Social mobility and volatility in urban slums

Abstract Nearly one sixth of the global population lives in urban “slums” – areas characterized by inadequate infrastructure and tenure security. This figure continues to grow as developing countries rapidly urbanize. Yet, the implications of these trends for urban poverty and social mobility are not well understood. While some argue slums provide temporary housing for rural migrants as they accumulate savings and eventually move to middle class neighborhoods, others argue slum residents are stuck in poverty traps. Deficits in longitudinal data on slums make it difficult to analyze the extent of social mobility. We iterate between satellite analysis and field knowledge to build an original sample of more than 9000 slum households across more than 200 slums from three Indian cities. To address the limitations inherent in cross-sectional data, we employ multiple methods and triangulate findings across household survey data, neighborhood focus group data, longitudinal satellite data, and in-depth qualitative interviews. While no one analysis is definitive on its own, all of these results point to the same conclusion: slum residents are neither stuck in poverty traps nor are they on a steady trajectory to joining the middle class. Movement out of neighborhoods, particularly to non-slum neighborhoods, is rare. Most households experience upward mobility within their neighborhoods, but the extent of improvement is capped at a low level, and, as opportunities increase, volatility increases in parallel. Plateauing and volatility are features present in low-end, and even more, in high-end slums. Engendering better livelihood opportunities requires reducing downward mobility while addressing the causes of plateauing upward mobility.
Assessing and Predicting Efficacy of Dance Intervention for Parkinson's Disease

Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with a loss of internal cueing systems, affecting rhythmic motor tasks such as walking and speech production. Music and dance encourage spontaneous rhythmic coupling between sensory and motor systems; this has inspired the development of dance programs for PD. Here we assessed the therapeutic outcome and some underlying cognitive mechanisms of dance classes for PD, as measured by neuropsychological assessments of disease severity as well as quantitative assessments of rhythmic ability and sensorimotor experience. We assessed prior music and dance experience, beat perception (Beat Alignment Test), sensorimotor coupling (tapping to high- and low-groove songs), and disease severity (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale in PD individuals) before and after four months of weekly dance classes. PD individuals performed better on UPDRS after four months of weekly dance classes, suggesting efficacy of dance intervention. Greater post-intervention improvements in UPDRS were associated with the presence of prior dance experience and with more accurate sensorimotor coupling. Prior dance experience was additionally associated with enhanced sensorimotor coupling during tapping to both high-groove and low-groove songs. These results show that dance classes for PD improve both qualitative and quantitative assessments of disease symptoms. The association between these improvements and dance experience suggests that rhythmic motor training, a mechanism underlying dance training, impacts improvements in parkinsonian symptoms following a dance intervention.
Stochastic Gradient Variance Reduction by Solving a Filtering Problem.

Deep neural networks (DNN) are typically optimized using stochastic gradient descent (SGD). However, the estimation of the gradient using stochastic samples tends to be noisy and unreliable, resulting in large gradient variance and bad convergence. In this paper, we propose \textbf{Filter Gradient Decent}~(FGD), an efficient stochastic optimization algorithm that makes the consistent estimation of the local gradient by solving an adaptive filtering problem with different design of filters. Our method reduces variance in stochastic gradient descent by incorporating the historical states to enhance the current estimation. It is able to correct noisy gradient direction as well as to accelerate the convergence of learning. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed Filter Gradient Descent on numerical optimization and training neural networks, where it achieves superior and robust performance compared with traditional momentum-based methods. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to provide a practical solution that integrates filtering into gradient estimation by making the analogy between gradient estimation and filtering problems in signal processing. (The code is provided in this https URL)
Kidney Imaging Surveillance in Commercially Insured Patients With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

Abstract Background Kidney disease has historically been the primary source of early mortality in adults with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Kidney imaging surveillance promotes early detection of lesions requiring intervention. We describe kidney imaging frequency in relationship to patient-level characteristics for commercially insured patients with TSC in the United States. Methods This retrospective observational study used 2003 to 2016 enrollment and claims data from a de-identified fully insured commercial health insurer. Patients with TSC less than 65 years were included. The patient-level kidney imaging rate was calculated as the number of kidney imaging procedures divided by length of continuous enrollment. A multiple linear regression model was used to determine the relationship between imaging rate and progression of TSC-associated kidney disease, number of specialists seen, and nephrologist care. Results At least half of the 70 patients with TSC included in the study were aged 16 years or younger. Over a follow-up period of up to 14 years, the median kidney imaging rate was 0.13 procedures per year with 43% (N = 30) of patients lacking evidence of kidney imaging during the observation period. Imaging frequency increased with progression of TSC-associated kidney disease, more specialists, and nephrologist care (P Conclusions A substantial percentage of patients with TSC in the United States are at risk for delayed detection of kidney manifestations due to infrequent kidney imaging surveillance. Multispecialty care, including neurologists, may positively affect kidney surveillance rates.
Prediction of Prolonged Intensive Care Unit Length of Stay Following Cardiac Surgery.

Intensive care unit (ICU) costs comprise a significant proportion of the total inpatient charges for cardiac surgery. No reliable method for predicting intensive care unit length of stay following cardiac surgery exists, making appropriate staffing and resource allocation challenging. We sought to develop a predictive model to anticipate prolonged ICU length of stay (LOS). All patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or valve surgery with a Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) predicted risk score were evaluated from an institutional STS database. Models were developed using 2014–2017 data; validation used 2018–2019 data. Prolonged ICU LOS was defined as requiring ICU care for at least three days postoperatively. Predictive models were created using lasso regression and relative utility compared. A total of 3283 patients were included with 1669 (50.8%) undergoing isolated CABG. Overall, 32% of patients had prolonged ICU LOS. Patients with comorbid conditions including severe COPD (53% vs 29%, P
CHANGE OF THERMOELECTRIC POWER OF LIQUID A1 ALLOYS CAUSED BY DC MAGNETIC FIELD

The effect of DC magnetic field on the thermoelectric power of Al alloys at different temperatures was investigated in this work.The results showed that if the magnetic field intensity difference between the two ends of the sample was large,it would lead to a decrease in thermoelectric power of liquid Al-2.89%Fe Al alloys.When the magnetic field was removed,it took a period of time for the thermoelectric power to increase gradually to the initial value.This phenomenon had been observed in other Al alloys melt at different temperature.The higher the square difference of magnetic induction was,the more significant thermoelectric power changed.The approximate homogeneous magnetic field had no effect on the thermoelectric power.According to the theory of weak localization,the magnetic field can change the distribution of extended states electrons which contributes to the change of thermoelectric power.
At the Intersection of Due Process with Equal Protection: Expanding the Range of Protected Interests

This article explores the interconnection of due process and equal protection from the point of view of the ‘person’ understood collectively. From that position both due process and equal protection operate together in service to human self-fulfillment. Fundamental rights and equal protection analyses are now understood as engaging broader ethical concerns for freedom and well-being, themselves in service to overall human self-fulfillment. This article should appeal to those interested in where this area of the law might be developing as well courts in search of criteria for deciding future cases at the intersection of due process and equal protection.
Concentration-dependent oxygen diffusivity in YBa2Cu3O6+x: III. Diffusion mechanisms

Abstract In this paper, aspects of diffusion theory are discussed which could account for the reported concentration-dependent chemical diffusion coefficients previously reported [Physica C 212 (1993) 470, 478 (this issue)]. These factors include correlation effects, the thermodynamic factor, the type of mechanism (i.e., vacancy or interstitial), and the different types of fundamental atomic jumps. It is proposed that defect interactions are primarily responsible for a concentration-dependent D . Examination of jump pathways in orthorhombic YBCO indicate that diffusion along the copper-oxygen chain direction (along the b -axis) is more favorable if, (1) the oxygen starts at the end of a chain and, (2) the adjacent chain is empty of oxygen. Intrachain diffusion (along the a -axis) between two copper-oxygen chains is more slow and depends on the oxygen concentration.
Is a picture worth a thousand words?: an evaluation of information awareness displays

What makes a peripheral or ambient display more effective at presenting awareness information than another? Presently, little is known in this regard and techniques for evaluating these types of displays are just beginning to be developed. In this article, we focus on one aspect of a peripheral display's effectiveness---its ability to communicate information at a glance. We conducted an evaluation of the InfoCanvas, a peripheral display that conveys awareness information graphically as a form of information art, by assessing how well people recall information when it is presented for a brief period of time. We compare performance of the InfoCanvas to two other electronic information displays, a Web portal style and a text-based display, when each display was viewed for a short period of time. We found that participants noted and recalled significantly more information when presented by the InfoCanvas than by either of the other displays despite having to learn the additional graphical representations employed by the InfoCanvas.
Multisystemic therapy versus hospitalization for crisis stabilization of youth: placement outcomes 4 months postreferral.

Hospitalization and out-of-home placement data for 113 youth participating in a randomized trial comparing home-based multisystemic therapy (MST; n = 57) with hospitalization(n = 56) for psychiatric crisis stabilization were analyzed following the completion of MST treatment—approximately 4 months post approval for emergency psychiatric hospitalization. Analyses showed that MST prevented any hospitalization for 57% of the participants in the MST condition and reduced the overall number of days hospitalized by 72%. Importantly, the reduction in use and length of hospitalization was not offset by increased use of other placement options, as MST reduced days in other out-of-home placements by 49%. The cost implications for the viability of MST as an alternative to hospitalization for youth presenting psychiatric emergencies are discussed.
Discovery of IWP-051, a novel orally bioavailable soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator with sustained and dose-dependent hemodynamic effects.

Discovery of IWP-051, a novel orally bioavailable soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator with sustained and dose-dependent hemodynamic effects Takashi Nakai, Nicholas R Perl, Rajesh R Iyengar, Ara Mermerian, G-Yoon J Im, Thomas W-H Lee, Glen R Rennie, James Jia, Paul A Renhowe, Timothy C Barden, James E Sheppeck II, Karthik Iyer, Joon Jung, G Todd Milne, Chrissie Segal, Kimberly Long, Joy Miyashiro, Sylvie Bernier, Sarah Jacobson, Jenny Tobin, Courtney Shea, Peter Germano, Yueh-tyng Chien, Daniel Zimmer
Eighty years ago

Public acts of the State of Tennessee passed by the sixty - fourth general assembly, 1925. Chapter no. 27, House Bill No. 185 (By Mr. Butler)
The attitudes toward forcible date rape (FDR) scale: Development of a measurement model

Using data from 341 female and 237 male college students that were collected previously (Fischer, G. J.,Archives of Sexual Behavior, 15, 457–466, 1986), several true score measurement models were used to describe the variance-covariance structure of a nine-item attitude toward a forcible date rape (FDR) scale. The congeneric true score model fit the data best, but not satisfactorily. By deleting “noncongeneric” items, a six-item, unweighted linear composite variable based on the congeneric true score model was shown to fit the data, and reliabilities and validities based on this model proved satisfactory for females, males, and the total sample. The factor structure of the model for females and for males was not equivalent, but the general patterns were similar. Suggestions for further research included a validation study of the six-item scale on an independent sample and a comparison of 5-and 7-point Likert response scales to see if the lack of model equivalence by gender could be due, in part, to more variability in attitudes toward forcible date rape in men than women.
Parallel evolution of leaf pubescence in Encelia in coastal deserts of North and South America

Members of the shrub genus Encelia occur in the arid coastal regions of western North America and South America along gradients of precipitation extending from less than 50 mm annually to somewhat over 350 mm. At moist ends of the gradient species possess glabrate, green leaves. Proceeding to drier regions, the species possess progressively more pubescent, whiter leaves. Leaf absorptance to solar radiation decreases with precipitation in an identical pattern along gradients in both North and South America.
Crouch gait in persons with positive sagittal spine alignment resolves with surgery

Abstract Objective Degenerative spinal conditions often result in positive sagittal alignment which may be corrected using multi-segment spinal reconstructive surgeries. The purpose of this study was to investigate gait kinematics before and after spinal reconstructive surgery in persons with positive sagittal alignment. Methods Subjects presenting with positive sagittal alignment of greater than or equal to 7 cm who were treated with spinal reconstructive surgery were included in this study. Gait analyses were conducted pre- and 6 months post-operatively. Data were collected while subjects stood quietly for 20 s and walked at their normal self-selected walking speed. Results For 12 subjects, sagittal spine alignment during standing and walking was significantly decreased post-operatively (p Conclusions Positive sagittal alignment resulted in crouch gait, which was resolved after multi-segment reconstructive spinal surgery that improved sagittal spinal alignment. Step and stride lengths also improved after surgical correction of the sagittal alignment.
Prostaglandin E Receptor Type 4-associated Protein Interacts Directly with NF-κB1 and Attenuates Macrophage Activation

Macrophage activation participates pivotally in the pathophysiology of chronic inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis. Through the receptor EP4, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) exerts an anti-inflammatory action in macrophages, suppressing stimulus-induced expression of certain proinflammatory genes, including chemokines. We recently identified a novel EP4 receptor-associated protein (EPRAP), whose function in PGE2-mediated anti-inflammation remains undefined. Here we demonstrate that PGE2 pretreatment selectively inhibits lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nuclear factor κB1 (NF-κB1) p105 phosphorylation and degradation in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages through EP4-dependent mechanisms. Similarly, directed EPRAP expression in RAW264.7 cells suppresses LPS-induced p105 phosphorylation and degradation, and subsequent activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2. Forced expression of EPRAP also inhibits NF-κB activation induced by various proinflammatory stimuli in a concentration-dependent manner. In co-transfected cells, EPRAP, which contains multiple ankyrin repeat motifs, directly interacts with NF-κB1 p105/p50 and forms a complex with EP4. In EP4-overexpressing cells, PGE2 enhances the protective action of EPRAP against stimulus-induced p105 phosphorylation, whereas EPRAP silencing in RAW264.7 cells impairs the inhibitory effect of PGE2-EP4 signaling on LPS-induced p105 phosphorylation. Additionally, EPRAP knockdown as well as deficiency of NF-κB1 in macrophages attenuates the inhibitory effect of PGE2 on LPS-induced MIP-1β production. Thus, PGE2-EP4 signaling augments NF-κB1 p105 protein stability through EPRAP after proinflammatory stimulation, limiting macrophage activation.
High saturated fat and cholesterol intakes and abnormal plasma lipid concentrations observed in a group of 4- to 8-year-old children of Latino immigrants in rural Nebraska

Abstract Latino immigrants in the United States are at high risk for developing obesity and chronic diseases. Anthropometric characteristics (height, weight, body mass index), selected nutrient (protein, fat, saturated fat, sugar, cholesterol, folate, vitamin B 6 , and vitamin B 12 ) intakes, and plasma lipid profiles and homocysteine concentrations in a group of children of Latino immigrants from rural Nebraska were evaluated in this descriptive survey. The convenience sample included 36 apparently healthy children, aged 4 to 8 years, living in Schuyler or Columbus, Neb. Using body mass index-for-age growth charts, we found 19% of the subjects were at risk of being overweight and 11%, overweight. Nutrient intakes were similar by sex. Seventy-two percent of subjects had total fat intakes of more than 35% of total energy expenditure; 94%, saturated fat intakes of more than 10% total energy expenditure; and 33%, cholesterol intakes of more than 300 mg/d. Twenty percent of subjects had plasma total cholesterol of 4.4 mmol/L or more; 20%, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of 2.8 mmol/L or more; and 50%, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol of less than 1.0 mmol/L. Many of the children of Latino immigrants in this study were found to be at risk of being overweight and overweight; consumed diets high in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol; and had high plasma total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. This study suggests that obesity and fat intake issues be addressed when counseling children of Latino immigrants.
A remark on an equation of wave maps type with variable coefficients

We obtain a sharp local well-posedness result for an equation of wave maps type with variable coefficients. The proof relies on a recent construction (\cite{TG2}) of curved versions for $X^{s,\theta}$ spaces.
Biosynthesis of immunoreactive insulin by the duct-tied dog pancreas.

Summary“Acinar free” pancreata have been prepared by ligating the pancreatic ducts of dogs under sterile conditions and allowing the acinar portion of the pancreas to degenerate over the succeeding 8 weeks. Three pancreata were minced together for each incubation, and the pooled mince was divided into three equal aliquots. One aliquot served as the control, one was incubated with STH, and one with DNP. The 14C labeled amino acids were added to the incubation mixture and the tissues were incubated for 4 hours. Insulin activity was extracted from each tissue and medium and concentrated on Sephadex G-50 columns. Assay for 14C, IRI, and ILA indicated that the greatest amount of IRI and ILA was found in the fraction from the column that eluted in the same position as crystalline insulin. This fraction in the control and STH tissues had an appreciable amount of 14C. It is concluded that the duct-tied pancreas preparation is a useful model to study insulin biosynthesis. The presence of STH did not alter the 14C ...
Infrared spectroscopic observations of surface bonding in physical adsorption: The physical adsorption of CO on SiO2 surfaces

Abstract The physical adsorption of CO onto SiO2 surfaces containing isolated OH groups results in the formation of two types of physisorbed CO. The first, CO species A, exhibits vCO = 2158 cm−1 and is bound by hydrogen bonding to the SiOHδ+ groups to form a surface complex SiOHδ+ … CO. The strength of this interaction is about 2.7 kcal mol−. The second form of physisorbed CO, CO species B, exhibits vCO = 2140 cm−1, and has pronounced rotational wings. The degree of rotational freedom is determined by the extent of shielding by CO of the polar groups on the surface. At high coverages of physisorbed CO species B, solvent effects due to CO species B on both the OH and CO stretching modes of the SiOH … CO complex are observed to cause small downward shifts in stretching frequency.
Present and future measures for dental caries control.

Preventive programs outlined in this report aim at providing periodic examination and diagnosis as well as guidance in oral health measures designed to control infection and eliminate other irritants. Such programs would result in greatly improved dental health and enable dentists to serve more patients.
Experiences in database system implementation using a persistent programming language

The EXODUS database toolkit, and in particular the E persistent programming language, have been used in two substantial database system implementation efforts by the authors, the Ariel database rule system and the Triton nested relation DBMS. An important advantage of using a persistent programming language for database system implementation is that it is easy to implement special-purpose persistent objects used by the DBMS such as catalogs, rule indexes, and nested relational structures. Support for transactions built into a persistent programming language greatly reduces the effort required to implement a database system. A disadvantage observed is that it is not possible to map the type system of the DBMS to the type system of the underlying programming language while still retaining good performance for ad hoc queries. Also, software engineering difficulties arise when a persistent language makes a distinction between database types and main-memory types.
Analysis and Design of a Two-Wheeled Robot With Multiple User Interface Inputs and Vision Feedback Control

Environments for robotics research and education are usually based on open source code or use proprietary software tools. Open source usually requires a user to know a low level programming language and proprietary software does not provide the environment needed for research and educational activities. In addition to the software, the hardware must be inexpensively and easily fabricated and assembled for teaching and experimentation purposes. In this manuscript, we will present the design and fabrication of a small size two-wheel mobile robotic platform developed for research and education purposes. Subsequently, the software environment for controlling the robot which is based on LabVIEW will be presented. LabVIEW was chosen because it provides many built-in toolboxes, and it is characterized by expandability and ease of interface with external devices. The software allows experienced as well as novice users to develop control code with ease. The robot communicates with control software in LabVIEW through a Bluetooth device. The developed environment is used to control the robot through multiple interfaces, to implement obstacle avoidance algorithms with ease, to implement open and closed loop control algorithms, to easily incorporate and use an inexpensive web camera for vision calibration, and is currently used to implement image processing and voice processing algorithms for robot localization and control both for research and education in both undergraduate and graduate courses.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Why have no new herbicide modes of action appeared in recent years

Herbicides with new modes of action are badly needed to manage the evolution of resistance of weeds to existing herbicides. Yet no major new mode of action has been introduced to the market place for about 20 years. There are probably several reasons for this. New potential products may have remained dormant owing to concerns that glyphosate-resistant (GR) crops have reduced the market for a new herbicide. The capture of a large fraction of the herbicide market by glyphosate with GR crops led to significantly diminished herbicide discovery efforts. Some of the reduced herbicide discovery research was also due to company consolidations and the availability of more generic herbicides. Another problem might be that the best herbicide molecular target sites may have already been discovered. However, target sites that are not utilized, for which there are inhibitors that are highly effective at killing plants, suggests that this is not true. Results of modern methods of target site discovery (e.g. gene knockout methods) are mostly not public, but there is no evidence of good herbicides with new target sites coming from these approaches. In summary, there are several reasons for a long dry period for new herbicide target sites; however, the relative magnitude of each is unclear. The economic stimulus to the herbicide industry caused by the evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds, especially GR weeds, may result in one or more new modes of action becoming available in the not too distant future. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Grain fissuring and milling yields of rice cultivars as influenced by environmental conditions

Milling quality of rice (Oryza sadva L.) is a primary factor determining Its economic value in the U.S. market. It is largely influenced by genotype and environmental conditions prior to harvest. To determine the effect of environment on milling quality of rice genotypes, seven cultivars were evaluated for grain fissuring and milling yield at decreasing grain moisture during 1991 to 1993. Environmental factors, including air temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall, were monitored during grain maturity and drying period. Harvesting was carried out at 2- to 4-d intervals as grain moisture decreased from 270 to 130 g k -1 . High daily minimum relative humidity of 58% and mild temperatures during 1992 caused no significant fissuring until average harvest moisture decreased to 169 g kg -1 . Warmer and drier weather during 1993 test period, with 43% daily minimum relative humidity, caused fissuring to be initiated earlier at a higher grain moisture of 184 g kg -1 . With decreasing harvest moistures, head rice yield among all cultivars continued to increase until grain moisture was low enough for fissuring to occur. The optimum harvest moisture with respect to maximum head rice yield among long-grain cultivars, except for 'Lemont', ranged between 179 and 151 g kg -1 during 1991-1993. Within this range, the optimum harvest moisture was highly dependent upon cultivars and environmental conditions. Cultivars with susceptibility to fissuring require higher harvest moistures for maximum milling performance. Optimum harvest moisture among years in grams per kilogram ranged between 200 to 176 for Lemont and 238 to 179 for medium-grain 'Bengal'. Despite the strong influence of weather conditions on rice milling yield, certain cultivars, such as 'Cypress' and 'L-202', have shown significant resistance to severe environmental fluctuations. Slow drying and fissuring resistance characteristics of Cypress grains provide flexibility in harvesting, transporting, and processing and preserve milling quality.
The Influence of Regional Storm Tracking and Teleconnections on Winter Precipitation in the Northeastern United States

Abstract Secular changes in regional storm tracking are examined as physical mechanisms for observed teleconnections between the New England hydroclimate and four predictor variables: the Southern Oscillation Index, the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and regional sea-surface temperatures. The main modes of New England winter precipitation, snowfall, and cyclone variability are resolved using varimax rotated principal component analysis. The first rotated principal component of regional cyclone variability defines an out-of-phase relationship between marine versus continental cyclone activity and is statistically linked with the Southern Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and precipitation in northern New England. Also, El Nino winters generally accompany a slight increase in southern New England precipitation. The second cyclone rotated principal component, defining an inverse relationship between cyclone occurrences along the East Coast and cyclone occurrences alo...
Thermal expansion behavior of ruthenium aluminides

Abstract The thermal expansion behavior of three near-stoichiometric variants of ruthenium aluminide (RuAl) has been investigated. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) varied between 5.5 × 10 −6 /K and 11 × 10 −6 /K in the temperature range from 400 to 1773 K. The behavior of RuAl is compared to that of other high temperature B2 intermetallics with emphasis on the use of RuAl as a bond coat material within a thermal barrier coating system.
Active chloride transport in the pigmented rabbit conjunctiva

The present study demonstrates, for the first time, that the excised pigmented rabbit conjunctiva is a tight barrier capable of active Cl- transport. The transepithelial potential difference was 17.7 +/- 0.8 mV (tear-side negative), the short-circuit current was 14.5 +/- 0.7 microA/cm2, and the transconjunctival resistance was 1.3 +/- 0.1 k omega.cm2 for n = 45 tissues. Various inhibitors including ouabain (a Na+/K(+)-ATPase inhibitor), amiloride (a Na+ transport blocker), N-phenylanthranilic acid (a chloride transport inhibitor), bumetanide (an inhibitor of Na(+)-(K+)-Cl- cotransport process), and BaCl2 (a K+ channel blocker) were used on the mucosal and serosal sides of the tissue mounted in Ussing chambers to determine the involvement of the respective ion transport processes in the observed short-circuit current across the conjunctiva. The results suggest that a Cl- conductive pathway is present on the mucosal side of the conjunctiva, whereas Na+/K(+)-ATPase, Na(+)-(K+)-Cl- cotransport process, and K+ conductive pathways are present on its serosal side. Amiloride-sensitive Na(+)-conductive pathways do not appear to be present on either side of the pigmented rabbit conjunctiva.
Discovery of a mRNA mitochondrial localization element in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by nonhomologous random recombination and in vivo selection

In budding yeast, over 100 nuclear-encoded mRNAs are localized to the mitochondria. The determinants of mRNA localization to the mitochondria are not well understood, and protein factors involved in this process have not yet been identified. To reveal the sequence determinants for mitochondrial localization in a comprehensive and unbiased manner, we generated highly diversified libraries of 3′ UTR regions from a known mitochondrially localized mRNA by nonhomologous random recombination (NRR) and subjected the resulting sequences to an in vivo selection that links cell survival to mitochondrial mRNA localization. When applied to the yeast ATP2 mRNA, this approach rapidly identified a 50-nt consensus motif, designated Min2, as well as two Min2-homologous regions naturally present downstream of the ATP2 stop codon, which are sufficient when appended to the 3′ end of various reporter mRNAs to induce mitochondrial localization. Site-directed mutagenesis of Min2 revealed primary and secondary structure elements that contribute to localization activity. In addition, the Min2 motif may facilitate the identification of proteins involved in this mode of establishing cellular asymmetry.
Latent Viral Infection in Transmission of Foot-and-Mouth Disease by Contact between Infected and Susceptible Cattle

An experiment on the transmission of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) from infected to susceptible cattle showed that the disease may occur in a form that has not been previously described. A steer inoculated intranasally with FMD virus remained clinically normal but transmitted the disease to a series of susceptible contact steers for at least eight days. The incubation period in the contact steers varied from 40 to 120 days, even though FMD virus was isolated from the blood of several steers shortly after contact with the donor steer. The prolonged absence of disease or development of antibody, and the frequent isolation of bovine enterovirus from samples of serum and esophageal-pharyngeal fluid led to the postulation of phenotypic encapsidation of FMD virus RNA by the coat protein of bovine enterovirus in the donor and contact steers. The procedures required for isolation in tissue cultures of FMD virus from samples of serum supported this hypothesis.