cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stabilization of recombinant human keratinocyte growth factor by osmolytes and salts.

Abstract Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) has limited stability in aqueous media, as it undergoes denaturation followed by aggregation at 37°C. Heparin and anionic polymers have been shown to increase the denaturation temperatures and extend the half-life of the monomeric, native form of KGF during storage. These polymers, however, bind more than one protein molecule with high affinity, and such tight complex formation may cause problems for clinical use. In this study, we have tested low molecular weight additives, such as osmolytes and salts, for their effects on the stability of KGF against thermal denaturation and high-temperature storage. Salts such as NaCl, sodium phosphate, ammonium sulfate, and sodium citrate were highly effective in increasing both the denaturation temperature and storage stability. The fact that the same additives stabilize KGF against both stresses is consistent with the idea that the storage stability is determined by denaturation followed by aggregation. Among the osmolytes tested, N , N ′-dimethylglycine, trehalose, and sucrose were also effective stabilizers. However, quantitative comparison of the osmolytes tested indicated that their effectiveness on the thermal denaturation and the storage stability is not exactly parallel, suggesting that other factors also contribute to the storage stability.
Effect of Pod Removal on Leaf Photosynthesis and Soluble Protein Composition of Field-Grown Soybeans

Well nodulated, field-grown soybeans (Glycine max [L.] Merr. var Williams) were depodded just prior to seed development and near mid pod-fill. Both treatments caused a considerable increase in leaf dry weight, suggesting continued photosynthate production following pod removal. Moreover, depodding had a marked effect on leaf soluble protein without affecting total proteolytic activity. Early depodding caused a 50% increase in leaf protein, and both early and late depodding caused the retention of protein for several weeks following the decline in control leaves. But despite this retention of protein, leaves of depodded plants showed no difference in the onset of the irreversible decline in photosynthesis. Therefore, although depodding delayed the loss of leaf chlorophyll and protein, it did not delay the onset of functional leaf senescence and in fact, actually appeared to enhance the rate of decline in photosynthesis. There was a good correlation between the irreversible decline in ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (activity and amount) and that of photosynthesis. In contrast, the correlation did not seem as good between stomatal closure and the onset of the irreversible decline in photosynthesis. The reason total soluble protein remained high following depodding while carboxylase, which normally comprised 40% of the soluble protein, declined was because several polypeptides increased in amounts sufficient to offset the loss of carboxylase. This change in leaf protein composition indicates a change in leaf function; this is discussed in terms of other recent findings.
The ion trap mass spectrum of sulfur

Abstract The mass spectrum of sulfur (S8) obtained with the ion trap mass spectrometer is compared with that obtained using an E–B spectrometer. Each ion in the spectrum is examined for fragmentation and the vapor shown to consist mostly of the S8 oligomer. The chemical ionization spectra using methane, isobutane, ammonia, and water are also examined and an estimate made of the proton affinity of S8. Using methane, most of the fragment ions are derived from (M + C2H5)+ rather than (M + H)+.
An Explanation for Reflex Blink Hyperexcitability in Parkinson’s Disease. II. Nucleus Raphe Magnus

Hyperexcitable reflex blinks are a cardinal sign of Parkinson’s disease. The first step in the circuit linking the basal ganglia and brainstem reflex blink circuits is the inhibitory nigrostriatal pathway (Basso et al., 1996). The current study reports the circuits linking the superior colliculus (SC) to trigeminal reflex blink circuits. Microstimulation of the deep layers of the SC suppresses subsequent reflex blinks at a latency of 5.4 msec. This microstimulation does not activate periaqueductal gray antinociceptive circuits. The brainstem structure linking SC to reflex blink circuits must suppress reflex blinks at a shorter latency than the SC and produce the same effect on reflex blink circuits as SC stimulation, and removal of the structure must block SC modulation of reflex blinks. Only the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) meets these requirements. NRM microstimulation suppresses reflex blinks with a latency of 4.4 msec. Like SC stimulation, NRM microstimulation reduces the responsiveness of the spinal trigeminal nucleus. Finally, blocking the receptors for the NRM transmitter serotonin eliminates SC modulation of reflex blinks, and muscimol inactivation of the NRM transiently prevents SC modulation of reflex blinks. Thus, the circuit through which the basal ganglia modulates reflex blinking is (1) the substantia nigra pars reticulata inhibits SC neurons, (2) the SC excites tonically active NRM neurons, and (3) NRM neurons inhibit spinal trigeminal neurons involved in reflex blink circuits.
Electrical Stability of Hexagonal a-Si:H TFTs

In this letter, we study the current-temperature-stress-induced electrical instability of single and multiple hexagonal (HEX) hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistors (TFTs) connected in parallel. The influence of the threshold voltage shift of a single HEX TFT on the overall electrical performance of multiple HEX TFTs is discussed. The results indicate that a-Si:H HEX TFTs have an improved electrical stability and a threshold voltage shift linear dependence on a number of connected HEX-TFT units.
Frequency, duration, magnitude, and consequences of myocardial ischemia during intracoronary ultrasonography.

Abstract To determine the frequency, duration, magnitude, and possible adverse effects of ischemia during intracoronary ultrasonography, real-time standard 12-lead electrocardiograms were recorded before, during, and after ultrasonography. Ischemia was defined as new-onset ST segment deviation of ≥1 mm in one or more leads, measured at J + 80 msec. The magnitude of ischemia was expressed as the sum of absolute ST segment deviations across 12 leads. Eighteen (67%) of 27 patients had ischemia during intracoronary ultrasonography. The electrocardiogram resembled the characteristic pattern observed with occlusion of the vessel under study, involving ST segment elevation in contiguous leads in 89% of patients. A higher proportion of women (88%) had ischemia than men (58%), and women had smaller arterial lumenal areas compared with men (6.3 vs 9.1 mm 2 ; p 2 ; p = 0.01). The mean duration of ischemia was 4 minutes and the mean 12-lead ST segment deviation score was 8.5 mm (maximum 20.5 mm). No patient with ischemia during ultrasonography had complications. Ischemia is common during intracoronary ultrasonography, particularly in women and individuals with smaller vessels; however, no adverse outcomes occur as a result. (Am Heart J 1997;134:474-8.)
Content for Educational Programs in School- Based Occupational Therapy From a Practice Perspective

OBJECTIVES After approximately two decades of occupational therapy in the schools, updated information is needed on performance of roles, functions, and tasks for educators to use in updating content in occupational therapy professional education. METHOD A survey was sent to occupational therapists practicing in Michigan schools to gather information upon which curricular content decisions could be based. One hundred thirty-six therapists (59% of the population sampled) responded to the survey. RESULTS The following intervention areas were performed most by respondents in the sample and, therefore, are needed in educational programs: sensorimotor, object manipulation, perception, biomechanics, dressing, feeding, use of adaptive and assistive devices, content related to positioning, seating, and wheelchair use, and play and leisure skills. CONCLUSION Neurophysiological approaches and assessment of students in schools were viewed by respondents as the most needed by current students in educational programs. Current needs of practitioners for continuing education focused on neurophysiological approaches; respondents reported that information about these approaches was also most needed when beginning to practice. More instruction in time management and techniques for dealing with large caseloads were noted to be important areas to address in the preparation of practitioners in schools.
Playground Interactions for Preschool-Age Children with Special Needs

Forty-five typically-developing children and 19 children with special needs, ages 3 to 5 years, were observed interacting on the playground. Observers recorded three types of play engaged in by the children. These included: (1) playing alone, (2) playing with a teacher, or (3) playing cooperatively with a peer(s). Scan-sampling was the observational technique used by observers. This technique required a snap-shot observation of a child at play for 10 seconds. Results indicated that children with special needs engaged in less cooperative play and were observed playing alone or with a teacher more often than their typically-developing peers. Furthermore, children with special needs often arrived on the playground later than their typically-developing classmates; consequently, they had fewer opportunities to be involved in play with peers. Field notes made by observers indicated that in some instances teachers used effective strategies to facilitate the inclusion of children with special needs in cooperative...
Maxillary Sinusitis Resulting From Ostium Plugging by Dislodged Bone Graft: Case Report

Purpose To report an unusual case of severe maxillary sinusitis resulting from ostial plugging by dislodged bone graft material used for sinus elevation procedure. Patients and Methods A 49-year-old female presented to the oral surgery clinic with severe right maxillary sinusitis after a sinus elevation procedure and placement of a dental implant. She had completed an extended course of multiple antibiotics without culture and sensitivity studies or resolution of sinusitis. Results A CT scan was obtained which showed a dental implant protruding into the right maxillary sinus, sinusitis of the right ethmoid and maxillary sinuses, and dislodged bone graft material obstructing the ostium into the middle nasal meatus. The dental implant was removed, the patient was referred for functional endoscopic sinus surgery, and her sinusitis subsequently rapidly resolved. Conclusions Surgeons performing this or similar procedures should be aware of the possible complications that can arise from foreign debris introduced into the maxillary sinuses. Also, the avoidance of empirically changing antibiotic regimens and the early use of CT scans should be considered.
SURFACE MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTHS: NEW TESTS OF MAGNETOCONVECTIVE MODELS OF M DWARFS

Precision modeling of M dwarfs has become worthwhile in recent years due to the increasingly precise values of masses and radii which can be obtained from eclipsing binary studies. In a recent paper, Torres has identified four prime M dwarf pairs with the most precise empirical determinations of masses and radii. The measured radii are consistently larger than standard stellar models predict by several percent. These four systems potentially provide the most challenging tests of precision evolutionary models of cool dwarfs at the present time. We have previously modeled M dwarfs in the context of a criterion due to Gough & Tayler in which magnetic fields inhibit the onset of convection according to a physics-based prescription. In the present paper, we apply our magnetoconvective approach to the four prime systems in the Torres list. Going a step beyond what we have already modeled in CM Dra (one of the four Torres systems), we note that new constraints on magnetoconvective models of M dwarfs are now available from empirical estimates of magnetic field strengths on the surfaces of these stars. In the present paper, we consider how well our magnetoconvective models succeed when confronted with this new test of surface magnetic field strengths. Among the systems listed by Torres, we find that plausible magnetic models work well for CM Dra, YY Gem, and CU Cnc. (The fourth system in Torres's list does not yet have enough information to warrant magnetic modeling.) Our magnetoconvection models of CM Dra, YY Gem, and CU Cnc yield predictions of the magnetic fluxes on the stellar surface which are consistent with the observed correlation between magnetic flux and X-ray luminosity.
High-k Polymer Nanocomposites as Gate Dielectrics for Organic Electronics Applications

Motivated by the recent development in organic electronics such as organic field effect transistors (OFETs), printed electronics,.. etc., these emerging technologies have received increasing attention. In addition to the organic semiconductor, gate dielectrics for organic electronics have been the focus of recent R&D attention as well. For this application, the dielectric materials should ideally be compatible with flexible substrate, solution processible, and exhibit larger capacitance to increase the drain current while operating at low biases. Complementary to conventional high dielectric constant (k) inorganic materials and those readily accessible and solution processible polymer materials, polymer/inorganic hybrid films which could be deposited by spin-coating are well suited to provide a better solution. In this study, a solution processible nanocomposite containing benzocyclobutene (BCB) and barium titanate (BT) nanoparticles was developed. Dielectric and electrical properties of the as-prepared BT nanocomposites were investigated, k values of 50 and capacitance density of 19 nF/cm2 was achieved for a 50 vol.% BT loading. And the dielectric breakdown strength could be maintained 1.65 MV/cm, which is even higher than that of some other polymers themselves. The preliminary result of the electrical output of OFET prototype incorporating high k BT/BCB nanocomposite as gate insulator layer shows that the OFET can be operated at very low voltage. This demonstrates the feasibility of using high k BT/BCB nanocomposite as gate dielectric insulator in the OFET.
Does Grading Encourage Participation? Evidence & Implications

Research on the effects of grading on participation behavior is mixed. This study adds to the literature by analyzing the motivational effects of a policy that incorporates student self-assessment, flexible course weighting of the participation grade, and an expanded definition of participation. The results suggest that in some classes, more than half the students categorize themselves as limited- or non-participants, who respond marginally or not at all to participation grading. The findings indicate grading impacted the participation behavior of only 30% of the students surveyed, despite a large majority reporting that the policy was clear and fair. The study's implications and recommendations for policy and practice are provided.
Allopurinol-induced effects in premature baboons with respiratory distress syndrome

To test the hypothesis that administration of allopurinol could modify the response to prolonged hyperoxia in premature baboons (140 days gestation) with respiratory distress syndrome, we evaluated physiological, pathological, and lung biochemical parameters in groups of premature baboons treated with mechanical ventilation and exposed to various amounts of oxygen for 6 days. Three groups of experimental animals were studied, including animals that received oxygen as needed to maintain arterial oxygen between 60 and 80 Torr [inspiratory O2 concentration- (FIO2) PRN], animals that received 100% oxygen continuously but also received allopurinol intravenously at a dose of 10 mg.kg-1.day-1 (FIO2-1.0 + allopurinol), and animals that received 100% oxygen continuously and the vehicle for allopurinol administration (FIO2-1.0). Pathological examinations of the experimental animals showed evidence of lung injury in both 100% oxygen-exposed groups, but the allopurinol-treated animals had findings more compatible with the FIO2-PRN group, with relatively few macrophages or polymorphonuclear lymphocytes being present in lung tissue. Lungs of animals treated with allopurinol were also more distensible and had a trend toward decreased lung water compared with the FIO2-1.0 group. Allopurinol-treated animals were able to induce lung glutathione concentrations and glutathione-related and antioxidant enzyme activities compared with the normoxic control (FIO2-PRN) group. Ventilator pressure requirements were also decreased in the allopurinol-treated animals compared with the FIO2-1.0 controls after 42 h. These data suggest that treatment of hyperoxia-exposed premature baboons with allopurinol for the first 6 days of life results in significant changes in lung responses and antioxidant defenses compared with vehicle-treated baboons exposed to 100% oxygen for the same time period.
Associations of age with reward delay discounting and response inhibition in adolescents with bipolar disorders.

Abstract Objectives Bipolar disorders' (BD) onset before age 18 is a potential marker for a more severe illness course. Adolescence is also a period of significant normative maturation of inhibitory control and reward-relevant decision-making processes, such as decreased delay discounting (i.e., decreased preference for smaller, immediate versus larger, delayed rewards). Adults with BD exhibit elevated delay discounting rates. Very little is known about developmental changes in delay discounting in adolescents with BD, or about associations between inhibitory control and delay discounting in BD. The present study addresses these questions. Methods The sample included 78 participants, ages 13 to 23, with BD or without history of mental illness. Group differences and group by age interaction effects on delay discounting (32 BD, 32 controls with valid responses), probability discounting (34 BD, 37 controls) and inhibitory control indices (34 BD, 38 controls) were assessed. Results Among healthy controls, less discounting of delayed rewards was associated with older age, whereas adolescents with BD did not show age-related associations. There were no group differences in probability discounting or inhibitory control. Limitations The cross-sectional nature of the study cannot fully rule out the less likely interpretation of group differences in cohort effects. Conclusions The lack of age-related improvement in delay tolerance in BD suggests disrupted development of executive control processes within reward contexts, which in turn may contribute to understanding more severe course of pediatric onset BD. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine delay discounting in relation to maturation of neural reward systems among adolescents with BD.
Social Exclusion in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia Herzegovina (henceforth BiH), as the other countries in the Western Balkans, is currently undergoing a transition towards the social inclusion framework adopted in the European Union. In this framework, a comprehensive profile of social exclusion is based on a multidimensional assessment of risk of poverty, attachment to the labour market and material deprivation measures. This chapter takes advantage of specially collected data on social inclusion using the module developed for the 2011 Extended Household Budget Survey (henceforth EHBS) following the recommendations of the Expert Panel described in Carletto et al. (Measuring poverty in the Western Balkans: Recent trends and new challenges. In: Ruggeri Laderchi C, Savastano S (eds) Economic studies in inequality, social exclusion and well-being. Springer, New York, 2012). The HBS 2011, when it becomes available, will allow for an in-depth profile of social inclusion in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This chapter offers a “preview” of the types of insights that a shift to new diagnostic indicators will lead to in terms of the profile of poverty and social exclusion in the country, as well as a more in-depth look at the material deprivation indicators collected for BiH and at the congruence of the diagnostic obtained with the exclusion indicators vis-a-vis a consumption-based one.
Accessibility and Use of Online Video Captions by Local Television News Websites

In July 2014, the Federal Communications Commission expanded broadcaster requirements for captioning online videos. The new guidelines, which go into effect in January 2016, require broadcasters to caption online clips from shows originally aired with captions. We conducted a content analysis and examined a stratified sample of one fifth of U.S. Designated Market Areas to see how prepared local TV news sites are for the rule changes and how accessible the sites are for users with disabilities. Barely 60% of sites captioned any of the sampled video clips and almost all sites had major accessibility issues.
Mechanical characterization of suspended strips of meshed single-walled carbon nanotubes

A thin film of single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) mesh has good potential to integrate the existing electromechanical functions with flexible devices. In this paper, SWCNT mats are transferred to a patterned polymer SU-8 substrate using a wet contact print method, forming a suspended bridge over a groove in the substrate. The front edge of a tipless AFM cantilever loads the suspension at the centerline, causing it to deform into a V-shape by mixed bending and stretching. The mechanical response of load versus AFM displacement is fitted to a linear elastic model to extract the average elastic modulus. Reversible loading-unloading shows little or no permanent damage due to mechanical loads.
Increased striatal functional connectivity with auditory cortex in tinnitus

Tinnitus is a common auditory perceptual disorder whose neural substrates are under intense debate. One physiologically based model posits the dorsal striatum to play a key role in gating auditory phantoms to perceptual awareness. Here, we directly test this model along with the roles of auditory and auditory-limbic networks in tinnitus non-invasively by comparing resting-state fMRI functional connectivity patterns in chronic tinnitus patients against matched control subjects without hearing loss. We assess resting-state functional connectivity of the caudate dorsal striatum (area LC), caudate head (CH), nucleus accumbens (NA), and primary auditory cortex (A1) to determine patterns of abnormal connectivity. In chronic tinnitus, increases in ipsilateral striatal-auditory cortical connectivity are found consistently only in area LC. Other patterns of increased connectivity are as follows: (1) right striatal area LC, A1, CH, and NA with parietal cortex, (2) left and right CHs with dorsal pre-frontal cortex, (3) NA and A1 with cerebellum, hippocampus, visual and ventral pre-frontal cortex. Those findings provide further support for a striatal gating model of tinnitus, where dysfunctionally permissive area LC enables auditory phantoms to reach perceptual awareness.
Relationship of Microhabitat to Incidence of House Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Immatures and Their Parasitoids at Dairy Farms in Central New York

Weekly observations were made on the presence of house fly, Musca domestica L., and stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), eggs, larvae, and pupae, during 21 wk at nine dairies in Cayuga County, New York. Laboratory-reared fly pupae were exposed at each site to monitor parasitoid activity. Incidence of fly immatures was significantly related to substrate, moisture, and location, but not to indoor or outdoor exposure. Incidence was greatest at wet sites, particularly in manure, bedding, and feed, and lowest at dry sites. Locations with the highest incidence were lean-to, silo, calf pen, outdoor manure pile, outdoor manure ramp, and manure lagoon. Incidence of Muscidifurax raptor Girault and Sanders, Urolepis rufipes (Ashmead), Spalangia cameroni Perkins (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and total parasitism were positively associated with the presence of fly immatures, but Phygadeuon fumator Gravenhorst (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) was independent. With respect to substrate, moisture, and exposure, parasitism was generally distributed in a pattern similar to that of the flies. However, incidence of parasitism was greater, relative to that of fly immatures, in grass and earth substrates, but lower in wet manure and feed. With respect to location, parasitism was high at manure ramps and low in calf pens and in manure sheds, relative to fly immatures. The guild of parasitoids attacking synanthropic muscoid pupae appears to cover all appropriate host microhabitats at dairies in central New York.
Mapping stiffness perception in the brain with an fMRI-compatible particle-jamming haptic interface

We demonstrate reliable neural responses to changes in haptic stiffness perception using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) compatible particle-jamming haptic interface. Our haptic interface consists of a silicone tactile surface whose stiffness we can control by modulating air-pressure in a sub-surface pouch of coarsely ground particles. The particles jam together as the pressure decreases, which stiffens the surface. During fMRI acquisition, subjects performed a constant probing task, which involved continuous contact between the index fingertip and the interface and rhythmic increases and decreases in fingertip force (1.6 Hz) to probe stiffness. Without notifying subjects, we randomly switched the interface's stiffness (switch time, 300-500 ms) from soft (200 N/m) to hard (1400 N/m). Our experiment design's constant motor activity and cutaneous tactile sensation helped disassociate neural activation for both from stiffness perception, which helped localized it to a narrow region in somatosensory cortex near the supra-marginal gyrus. Testing different models of neural activation, we found that assuming indepedent stiffness-change responses at both soft-hard and hard-soft transitions provides the best explanation for observed fMRI measurements (three subjects; nine four-minute scan runs each). Furthermore, we found that neural activation related to stiffness-change and absolute stiffness can be localized to adjacent but disparate anatomical locations. We also show that classical finger-tapping experiments activate a swath of cortex and are not suitable for localizing stiffness perception. Our results demonstrate that decorrelating motor and sensory neural activation is essential for characterizing somatosensory cortex, and establish particle-jamming haptics as an attractive low-cost method for fMRI experiments.
Selection for increased percentage phaseolin in common bean : 2. Changes in frequency of seed protein alleles with S1 family recurrent selection.

Recurrent selection methods are designed to increase the frequency of favorable alleles within a population(s) with each cycle of selection. Yet it is likely that different methods will change allele frequencies at different rates or may act on different alleles. To investigate the ability of S1 family selection to shift the frequencies of favorable alleles within a population of Phaseolus vulgaris (L.), we examined the changes in frequencies of six alleles (PhasS, PhasC, PhasT, phas-, lec-, and Arc1+) that affect the amount of phaseolin accumulated in seeds, over three cycles of selection for increased percentage phaseolin (PPS). The frequency of alleles PhasC and lec-, both of which have positive effects on percentage phaseolin, increased with selection while the frequencies of phas- and Arc1+, which have strong negative effects, decreased. The frequencies of the PhasS and PhasT alleles showed no linear trends with selection, indicating that the frequency changes may be due to random drift and not to the selection procedure. The proportion of the phenotypic variation (R2) for percentage phaseolin that was explained by each of the alleles, and by all the alleles combined, changed with each cycle of selection. In most cases the change resulted in a decrease in the R2 value. In this population, S1 family selection was effective at increasing the frequencies of all favorable alleles except PhasT, and rapidly decreased the frequencies of deleterious alleles.
Setup Adjustment for Asymmetric Cost Functions Under Unknown Process Parameters

AbstractThis paper presents a Bayesian approach for the optimal control of a machine that can experience setup errors assuming an asymmetric off-target cost function. It is assumed that the setup error cannot be observed directly due to presence of measurement and part-to-part errors, and it is further assumed that the variance of this error is not known a priori. The setup error can be compensated by performing sequential adjustments of the process mean based on observations of the parts produced. It is shown how the proposed method converges to the optimal (known variance) trajectory, recovering from a possibly biased initial variance estimate. Simulations results are presented to show the small sample behavior of the proposed method under two types of asymmetric off-target cost functions: a constant asymmetric and a quadratic asymmetric cost function.
A Clustering Method for Multiple Attribute Information with Triangular Fuzzy Numbers

With respect to multiple attribute clustering analysis problems with triangular fuzzy numbers, a new clustering analysis method is proposed. In this paper, firstly, the multiple attribute clustering analysis problem with triangular fuzzy numbers is introduced. Secondly, based on the traditional maximal tree clustering algorithm, calculation steps of the maximal tree clustering algorithm for multiple attribute information with triangular fuzzy numbers are presented. Finally, a numerical example is also used to illustrate the applicability of the clustering algorithm proposed in this paper.
[Current infection status and epidemic risk analysis of Dengue fever and Chikungunya in Guangdong province, from 1990 to 2012].

Objective To understand the status of infection and epidemic trend of Dengue fever and Chikungunya in Guangdong.Methods Retrospective survey and literature review were used to obtain data on the incidence,etiology of Dengue and Chikungunya.Serological survey was conducted to detect the specific-antibodies in healthy individuals for both Dengue virus (DENV) and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV).Results Three epidemics of Dengue fever were observed during 1990-2012,with the annual incidence rates as 9.75/100 000 in 1995,1.76/100 000 in 2002 and 1.25/100 000 in 2006,respectively.The predominant epidemic strains appeared to be DENV-2 and DENV-4 during 1990-1994.Since 1995,DENV-1 had become the predominant transmission strain which lasted for almost 13 years.Co-existence of multiple serotypes of DENV started in 2009.Of the 7 718 sera from healthy population during 2003-2012,180 specimens were detected positive for specific DENV-IgG antibody,ended with a sero-prevalence rate of 2.33％.All 2 132 sera in 2012 were detected negative for CHIKV-IgG antibody.Conclusion The overall exposure level to Dengue was considered to be low in Guangdong province.However,the predominant transmission mode caused by DENV-1 had been gradually changed into the co-existence of multiple serotypes with the endemic signs appeared in some part of the areas.Chikungunya was a newly emerging disease in Guangdong since local people were lack of basic immunity barrier.Surveillance and control programs thus seemed important. Key words: Dengue; Chikungunya; Infection
Towards the Possibility of Objective Interval Uncertainty

Applications of interval computations usually assume that while we only know an interval containing the actual unknown value of a physical quantity, there is the exact value of this quantity, and that in principle, we can get more and more accurate estimates of this value. Physicists know, however, that, due to the uncertainty principle, there are limitations on how accurately we can measure the values of physical quantities. One of the important principles of modern physics is operationalism --- that a physical theory should only use observable properties. This principle is behind most successes of the 20th century physics, starting with relativity theory vs.i¾?un-observable aether and quantum mechanics. From this viewpoint, it is desirable to avoid using un-measurable exact values and to modify the mathematical formalisms behind physical theories so that they explicitly only take objective uncertainty into account. In this paper, we describe how this can be done for objective interval uncertainty.
Collection and Use of Circulating Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells

Although lymphocytes and monocytes are becoming increasingly important in transfusion therapy, peripheral stem cells have been responsible for the recent explosive interest in harvesting mononuclear cells from the peripheral circulation. Despite their low concentration in peripheral blood and the consequent difficulty in cell collection, circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells are collected and used almost routinely. These mononuclear cells, possessing the capacity for hematopoietic reconstitution and the potential for definitive therapy of a variety of disorders, have been the focus of recent intense interest in transfusion medicine.
The Role of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Stroke in Familial Alzheimer Disease.

Importance The contribution of cardiovascular disease (CV) and cerebrovascular disease to the risk for late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) has been long debated. Investigations have shown that antecedent CV risk factors increase the risk for LOAD, although other investigations have failed to validate this association. Objective To study the contribution of CV risk factors (type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease) and the history of stroke to LOAD in a data set of large families multiply affected by LOAD. Design, Setting, and Participants The National Institute on Aging Late-Onset Alzheimer Disease/National Cell Repository for Alzheimer Disease family study (hereinafter referred to as NIA-LOAD study) is a longitudinal study of families with multiple members affected with LOAD. A multiethnic community-based longitudinal study (Washington Heights–Inwood Columbia Aging Project [WHICAP]) was used to replicate findings. The 6553 participants in the NIA-LOAD study were recruited from 23 US Alzheimer disease centers with ongoing data collection since 2003; the 5972 WHICAP participants were recruited at Columbia University with ongoing data collection since 1992. Data analysis was performed from 2003 to 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures Generalized mixed logistic regression models tested the association of CV risk factors (primary association) with LOAD. History of stroke was used for the secondary association. A secondary model adjusted for the presence of an apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) e4 allele. A genetic risk score, based on common variants associated with LOAD, was used to account for LOAD genetic risk beyond the APOE e4 effect. Mediation analyses evaluated stroke as a mediating factor between the primary association and LOAD. Results A total of 6553 NIA-LOAD participants were included in the analyses (4044 women [61.7%]; 2509 men [38.3%]; mean [SD] age, 77.0 [9] years), with 5972 individuals from the WHICAP study included in the replication sample (4072 women [68.2%]; 1900 men [31.8%]; mean [SD] age, 76.5 [7.0] years). Hypertension was associated with decreased LOAD risk (odds ratio [OR], 0.63; 95% CI, 0.55-0.72); type 2 diabetes and heart disease were not. History of stroke conferred greater than 2-fold increased risk for LOAD (OR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.75-2.83). Adjustment for APOE e4 did not alter results. The genetic risk score was associated with LOAD (OR, 2.85; 95% CI, 2.05-3.97) but did not change the independent association of LOAD with hypertension or stroke. In the WHICAP sample, hypertension was not associated with LOAD (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.88-1.11), whereas history of stroke increased the risk for LOAD (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.56-2.46). The effect of hypertension on LOAD risk was also mediated by stroke in the NIA-LOAD and the WHICAP samples. Conclusions and Relevance In familial and sporadic LOAD, a history of stroke was significantly associated with increased disease risk and mediated the association between selected CV risk factors and LOAD, which appears to be independent of the LOAD-related genetic background.
Can Red Blood Cell Indices Act as Surrogate Markers for Discordance between Hemoglobin A1c and Fasting Blood Glucose

In 2009, the American Diabetes Association recommended the use of hemoglobin A1c (Hb A1c)4 as a test for the diagnosis of diabetes and prediabetes (1). Critical evaluation of various approaches preceded that (2). On epidemiologic grounds, it was predicted that the diagnosis of diabetes based on a fixed Hb A1c value (single cutpoint) would be limited by the diagnostic sensitivity of the test when the value was selected to achieve high specificity. This was later shown to be the case. In other words, to have a small chance of incorrectly mislabeling somebody as having diabetes a certain fraction of diagnoses would be missed. In practice, the actual numbers behind this rather bland statement are startling: For a specificity in excess of 95%, the sensitivity has proven to be generally 40%–60% although ranges as wide as approximately 17%–78% across various populations have been reported (2, 3). Put in the context of estimated diabetes prevalence exceeding one-third of a billion people worldwide (4), this relatively low sensitivity predicts diagnostic errors/delays in diagnosis of diabetes in many millions of people, even before we take account of limits of access to care. Given that problem, it makes sense to try to understand the epidemiology and physiology limiting the simultaneous achievement of strong sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis and care of people with or at risk for diabetes. Red blood cell (RBC) lifespan is a physiological variable that influences Hb A1c and is in general independent of blood glucose. Human studies in which a label was attached to reinfused autologous RBCs have shown a continuous, linear increase in Hb A1c as RBCs age in vivo for people without and with diabetes at relatively stable glycemic control (5, 6). Such evidence underlies the concept that Hb A …
Structured Outlier Detection in Neuroimaging Studies with Minimal Convex Polytopes.

Computer assisted imaging aims to characterize disease processes by contrasting healthy and pathological populations. The sensitivity of these analyses is hindered by the variability in the neuroanatomy of the normal population. To alleviate this shortcoming, it is necessary to define a normative range of controls. Moreover, elucidating the structure in outliers may be important in understanding diverging individuals and characterizing prodromal disease states. To address these issues, we propose a novel geometric concept called minimal convex polytope (MCP). The proposed approach is used to simultaneously capture high probability regions in datasets consisting of normal subjects, and delineate outliers, thus characterizing the main directions of deviation from the normative range. We validated our method using simulated datasets before applying it to an imaging study of elderly subjects consisting of 177 controls, 123 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and 285 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. We show that cerebellar degeneration is a major type of deviation among the controls. Furthermore, our findings suggest that a subset of AD patients may be following an accelerated type of deviation that is observed among the normal population.
Discriminating clinical phases of recovery from major depressive disorder using the dynamics of facial expression

We used several metrics of variability to extract unsupervised features from video recordings of patients before and after deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). Our goal was to quantify the treatment effects on facial expressivity. Multiscale entropy (MSE) was used to capture the temporal variability in pixel intensity level at multiple time-scales. A dynamic latent variable model (DLVM) was used to learn a low dimensional (D = 20) set of dynamic factors that explain the observed covariance across the high-dimensional pixels (M = 30 × 30) within each video frame and across time. Our preliminary results indicate that unsupervised features learned from these video recordings can distinguish different phases of depression and recovery. The overarching goal of this research is to develop more refined markers of clinical response to treatment for depression.
Researches on the influence of vibration on the stability of fuel-water in flying apparatus

During the researches on the influence of vibratkavition on the stability of fuel-water in flying apparatus it was defined that vibratkavition fuel system does not exist constantly, but in some working regimes of separate units (aggregates). However, vibration is the constantly acting factor functioning in the fuel system in connection with it, practical and scientific interest puts forward the researches of power of vibration influence of the system of fuel-water. The influence of vibration on the condition of the fuel occurs in complicated interferential mutual influence of waves spreading in the capacity of fuel. They are directed from the lower parts of the tank to the upper parts of phases of fuel-air. In this case initial waves in the process of spreading come into contact with the waves moving away from the upper parts of phases. At the result of it thermodynamically condition of fuel changes to some extent in the tank.
A structural and computational study of citrulline in biochemical reactions

Citrulline, a non-essential amino acid, is used therapeutically in mitochondrial diseases, especially since it is a well-tolerated medicinal compound. Athletes use citrulline to enhance performance during sustained exercise activity. In the body, citrullination is an important biochemical reaction in proteins which involves post-translational hydrolysis of arginine residues to form citrulline residues and ammonia. Proteins modified through extensive citrullination play a key role in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, autoimmune disorders, and potentially cancer. In our studies, we describe the experimental results of a structure determination using highly accurate X-ray data that were collected at low temperature (125 K). Through intensive crystallization studies, we obtained the delta polymorph of citrulline. There are seven strong N-H…O hydrogen bonds, an unusually high number for a small molecule. We utilized computational methods to understand the complex biochemistry of citrulline/arginine. Our DFT investigation offers clues for describing and understanding the complex biochemistry of citrulline/arginine. In addition, it is evident that the hydrolysis of arginine to citrulline is energetically favored and can be considered a driving force for important citrullination reactions.
Changes in E-cadherin rigidity sensing regulate cell adhesion

Mechanical cues are sensed and transduced by cell adhesion complexes to regulate diverse cell behaviors. Extracellular matrix (ECM) rigidity sensing by integrin adhesions has been well studied, but rigidity sensing by cadherins during cell adhesion is largely unexplored. Using mechanically tunable polyacrylamide (PA) gels functionalized with the extracellular domain of E-cadherin (Ecad-Fc), we showed that E-cadherin-dependent epithelial cell adhesion was sensitive to changes in PA gel elastic modulus that produced striking differences in cell morphology, actin organization, and membrane dynamics. Traction force microscopy (TFM) revealed that cells produced the greatest tractions at the cell periphery, where distinct types of actin-based membrane protrusions formed. Cells responded to substrate rigidity by reorganizing the distribution and size of high-traction-stress regions at the cell periphery. Differences in adhesion and protrusion dynamics were mediated by balancing the activities of specific signaling molecules. Cell adhesion to a 30-kPa Ecad-Fc PA gel required Cdc42- and formin-dependent filopodia formation, whereas adhesion to a 60-kPa Ecad-Fc PA gel induced Arp2/3-dependent lamellipodial protrusions. A quantitative 3D cell-cell adhesion assay and live cell imaging of cell-cell contact formation revealed that inhibition of Cdc42, formin, and Arp2/3 activities blocked the initiation, but not the maintenance of established cell-cell adhesions. These results indicate that the same signaling molecules activated by E-cadherin rigidity sensing on PA gels contribute to actin organization and membrane dynamics during cell-cell adhesion. We hypothesize that a transition in the stiffness of E-cadherin homotypic interactions regulates actin and membrane dynamics during initial stages of cell-cell adhesion.
Bionic Egg: Sealed mobile sensor packaging design with adaptive power consumption

The goals of this research are to design a 3D printed environmental data logger while considering sensor packaging space constraints and to implement a smart power consumption system for increased endurance. The product is sealed for harsh environmental conditions per IP65 standard as well as for impacts. In this paper, we share our electronics packaging design approach for a mobile sensor suite so called “Bionic Egg” which is capable of logging ambient conditions as well as external forces on a turkey egg during transportation. While available space is limited due to the shell size, there is an insufficient amount of room to mount a large enough battery to execute all day long operation requirement. We designed an adaptive power consumption methodology which adopts a reactive sensory usage logic by adjusting processor clock between 2–72Mhz. The power consumption of Low Profile Quad Flat Package (LQFP) 32 bit ARM Cortex microcontroller could be reduced as low as to 230 µA in deep sleep mode with a maximum of 62.1 mA drain for continuous logging state. The Mobile sensor suite includes inertial measurement unit (IMU), temperature and humidity sensors, Global Positioning System (GPS) unit with an internal antenna as well as a SD (Secure Digital) card board for data logging. The overall design approach, hardware structure, power consumption data as well as software structure are presented.
Type qualifiers as composable language extensions

This paper reformulates type qualifiers as language extensions that can be automatically and reliably composed. Type qualifiers annotate type expressions to introduce new subtyping relations and are powerful enough to detect many kinds of errors. Type qualifiers, as illustrated in our ableC extensible language framework for C, can introduce rich forms of concrete syntax, can generate dynamic checks on data when static checks are infeasible or not appropriate, and inject code that affects the program's behavior, for example for conversions of data or logging. ableC language extensions to C are implemented as attribute grammar fragments and provide an expressive mechanism for type qualifier implementations to check for additional errors, e.g. dereferences to pointers not qualified by a "nonnull" qualifier, and report custom error messages. Our approach distinguishes language extension users from developers and provides modular analyses to developers to ensure that when users select a set of extensions to use, they will automatically compose to form a working compiler.
Anabolic Steroid Dependence

Anabolic steroids are more accurately called anabolic-androgenic steroids because they produce an anabolic effect, which is protein synthesis for building muscle, and an androgenic effect, which is masculinization. The drugs are used illicitly in an attempt to increase muscle mass and athletic performance.