cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heterotopic Mucosal Grafting Enables the Delivery of Therapeutic Neuropeptides Across the Blood Brain Barrier

BACKGROUND The blood-brain barrier represents a fundamental limitation in treating neurological disease because it prevents all neuropeptides from reaching the central nervous system (CNS). Currently, there is no efficient method to permanently bypass the blood-brain barrier. OBJECTIVE To test the feasibility of using nasal mucosal graft reconstruction of arachnoid defects to deliver glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) for the treatment of Parkinson disease in a mouse model. METHODS The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approved this study in an established murine 6-hydroxydopamine Parkinson disease model. A parietal craniotomy and arachnoid defect was repaired with a heterotopic donor mucosal graft. The therapeutic efficacy of GDNF (2 μg/mL) delivered through the mucosal graft was compared with direct intrastriatal GDNF injection (2 μg/mL) and saline control through the use of 2 behavioral assays (rotarod and apomorphine rotation). An immunohistological analysis was further used to compare the relative preservation of substantia nigra cell bodies between treatment groups. RESULTS Transmucosal GDNF was equivalent to direct intrastriatal injection at preserving motor function at week 7 in both the rotarod and apomorphine rotation behavioral assays. Similarly, both transmucosal and intrastriatal GDNF demonstrated an equivalent ratio of preserved substantia nigra cell bodies (0.79 ± 0.14 and 0.78 ± 0.09, respectively, P = NS) compared with the contralateral control side, and both were significantly greater than saline control (0.53 ± 0.21; P = .01 and P = .03, respectively). CONCLUSION Transmucosal delivery of GDNF is equivalent to direct intrastriatal injection at ameliorating the behavioral and immunohistological features of Parkinson disease in a murine model. Mucosal grafting of arachnoid defects is a technique commonly used for endoscopic skull base reconstruction and may represent a novel method to permanently bypass the blood-brain barrier.
Gamers Who Protest: Small-Group Play and Social Resources for Civic Action

Commercial games are rarely studied for their links to civic behavior. Yet small-group games online can affect the social networks that spill into civic life (and vice versa). This study examined p...
Variational identification of a fractional Chern insulator in an extended Bose-Hubbard model

We study the extended Bose-Hubbard model on the square lattice at half-filling as a function of next-nearest neighbor hopping amplitude and interaction strength. To variationally map out the phase diagram of this model, we develop a two-parameter family of wave functions based on the parton construction which can describe both topological and broken symmetry phases on equal footing. In addition, our wave functions resolve long standing issues with more conventional short-range Jastrow wave functions. Using this variational ansatz, we show that a spontaneous time-reversal symmetry-breaking fractional Chern insulator is energetically favored over a critical region between two superfluid phases. In verifying the properties of these parton wave functions we exemplify a more robust way to identify topology through the Hall conductance.
Bijective maps from simplicial foliations

This paper presents a method for bijective parametrization of 2D and 3D objects over canonical domains. While a range of solutions for the two-dimensional case are well-known, our method guarantees bijectivity of mappings also for a large, combinatorially-defined class of tetrahedral meshes (shellable meshes). The key concept in our method is the piecewise-linear (PL) foliation, decomposing the mesh into one-dimensional submanifolds and reducing the mapping problem to parametrization of a lower-dimensional manifold (a foliation section). The maps resulting from these foliations are proved to be bijective and continuous, and shown to have provably bijective PL approximations. We describe exact, numerically robust evaluation methods and demonstrate our implementation's capabilities on a large variety of meshes.
ADHERENT SUPPRESSOR CELLS IN NORMAL RAT SPLEENS

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an analysis of adherent suppressor cells in normal rat spleens. In a study described in the chapter, W/Fu (Ag–B 2 )-responding spleen cells were stimulated in a one-way MLC with BN (Ag-B 3 ) spleen cells treated with mitomycin C. 3 H–TdR incorporation was measured on day 3. CML was determined in a 4 hr 51 Cr release assay using a BN lymphoma target cell. Responding cells in MLC were either untreated or depleted of adherent and/or phagocytic cells by rayon column passage or iron and magnet treatment. These treatments did not consistently alter the ratio of surface Ig + to Ig− cells. When x-irradiated normal spleen cells were added to non-adherent or phagocyte-depleted responding cells, the proliferative response was suppressed. Pretreatment of the third-party cells with iron/magnet or by rayon column passage abrogated the suppressor activity, and treatment with specific ATS and C increased suppressor activity. Moreover, addition of very few (3–6% of the responding cells) ATS and C-treated peritoneal exudate cells (85–90% macrophages by latex particle ingestion) also strongly suppressed the MLC.
Endocrine and Metabolic Factors

DR. GILLMAN: We had an interesting experience with rats whose arteries had been injured by feeding toxic doses of calciferol for five days. At this point 95% of animals had advanced arteriosclerosis with marked coronary stenosis. Nevertheless, there was a very remarkable pattern of dying between males and females some 300 days later when fed on a high fat diet. Both males and females were fed the high fat diet, but only the males all died, and they died at night within three weeks. I make the suggestion that the narrow vessel lumen might have become occluded at night when males were more likely to be feeding than the females, a thrombotic episode being precipitated by fat administration as well as by activity. We found that the plasma of males contained a higher concentration of fibrin before feeding the high fat diet than females (FIG. 1). Implantation of testosterone pellets into castrated male rats induced a marked increase in the plasma fibrin. Estradiol failed to completely depress this rise. Although fibrin concentration in gonadectomized males did not differ from that in normal males, after fat feeding there was a rise in fibrin. Fibrin levels of females approached the males when they were gonadectomized both basally and after fat.
Spline Curves in Bézier Form

Bezier curves provide a powerful tool in curve design, but they have some limitations: if the curve to be modeled has a complex shape, then its Bezier representation will have a prohibitively high degree (for practical purposes, degrees exceeding 10 are prohibitive). Such complex curves can, however, be modeled using composite Bezier curves. We shall also use the name spline curves for such piecewise polynomial curves. This chapter describes the main properties of cubic and quadratic spline curves. More general spline curves will be presented in Chapter 10.
Children with asthma and their caregivers help improve written asthma action plans: A pilot mixed-method study.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to (a) qualitatively examine caregiver and child feedback about a gold standard written asthma action plan (WAAP), and (b) determine whether having an a...
Acute Ischemic Stroke

The primary focus for the initial treatment of acute ischemic stroke is determining whether a patient who presents with acute neurological deficits is a candidate for intravenous (IV) thrombolytic therapy. Within the last two decades, the use of IV alteplase (tPA) for acute ischemic stroke together with the establishment of stroke systems of care has changed the treatment “landscape” for both acute and recovery stroke care. Certified stroke centers are organizations recognized for the implementation of protocols that address the triaging and assessment of potential stroke patients quickly and that deliver selected treatments in a timely manner. At the forefront is the acute stroke team. Neurologists and non-neurologists including emergency department physicians, internists, and advanced practice clinicians comprise the modern-day providers (or LIPs – licensed independent practitioners) on the stroke team. All members of the team must understand the variable spectrum of acute stroke presentations, the critical elements of the neurological examination, the basis for imaging, the indications for treatment, and the need for specific order sets that outline subsequent inpatient care including post-lytic assessments. This chapter focuses on a review of the pathophysiology of acute ischemic stroke, the critical thinking algorithms that direct acute stroke care during the “golden hour” after presentation, and the role of the advanced practice clinician during the hyperacute, acute, and posttreatment recovery care process.
Adenovirus E1A TRRAP-targeting domain-mediated enhancement of MYC association with the NuA4 complex activates a panel of MYC target genes enriched for gene expression and ribosome biogenesis

Cellular transformation by adenovirus E1A requires targeting TRRAP, a scaffold protein which helps assemble histone acetyltransferase complexes, including the NuA4 complex. We recently reported that E1A and E1A 1-80 (N-terminal 80 aa) promote association of the proto-oncogene product MYC with the NuA4 complex. The E1A N-terminal TRRAP-targeting (ET) domain is required for E1A 1-80 to interact with the NuA4 complex. We demonstrate that an ET-MYC fusion associates with the NuA4 complex more efficiently than does MYC alone. Because MYC regulates genes for multiple cellular pathways, we performed global RNA-sequence analysis of cells expressing MYC or ET-MYC, and identified a panel of genes (262) preferentially activated by ET-MYC and significantly enriched in genes involved in gene expression and ribosome biogenesis, suggesting that E1A enhances MYC association with the NuA4 complex to activate a set of MYC target genes likely involved in cellular proliferation and cellular transformation by E1A and by MYC.
Judith Gautier, Vers Libre, and the Faux East

Judith Gautier (1845–1917) is best known as muse to Victor Hugo and Richard Wagner. More recently, critics have started crediting her for bringing Asian culture to Parnassian-era Paris in her 1867 ...
Investigating Multiparticle Systems

In classical physics, each element of mass, each particle, is supposed to move as a coherent body along a smooth curve through space and time. It is distinguishable from each of its neighbors, whether or not it interacts with any of them.
Polyclonal antibodies raised against Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, Mycobacterium duvalii, and Mycobacterium paratuberculosis used to detect mycobacteria in tissue with the use of immunohistochemical techniques.

Commercially available polyclonal antibodies raised against strains of mycobacteria were used to detect organisms in tissue sections from 34 cases of tuberculosis, leprosy, and atypical mycobacteria. Thirty-two cases of fungal infections, granulomatous inflammation, and sarcoidosis were used as negative controls. Sections stained with the use of antibodies raised against Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), Mycobacterium duvalii (MD), and Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (MP) were compared with Kinyoun and Fite-stained tissue sections. In caseating granulomata, clumps of mycobacterial debris, cells, and cell fragments stained. In histiocytic granulomata of mycobacterial infections, histiocyte cytoplasm contained both organisms and debris. The three antibodies showed cross-reactivity against the four groups of mycobacteria tested. Mycobacterial staining using imniunoperoxidase was apparent in most cases at low-power (scanning) magnification. Thirty-two of 34 cases of mycobacterial infection, including all 24 Kinyoun-Fite-positive cases, were positive for immunoreactive organisms and debris using anti-MD, anti-BCG, and/or anti-MP. Eight of ten cases of culture-proven mycobacterial infection, in which Kinyoun and Fite stains were negative, had immunoreactive organisms or antigen with anti-BCG, MD, or MP. The antibodies also stained organisms in five cases of sporotrichosis in which the organisms were identified as yeast forms in tissue sections.
Measuring in vivo Effects of Chemotherapy Treatment on Cardiac Capillary Permeability

Background: Cardiotoxicity is a life-threatening side effect of chemotherapy that is multi-factorial in nature. Increased capillary permeability due to endothelial damage after anthracycline administration could be an important contributor to cardiac dysfunction. Methods: We investigated the cardiotoxic effects of the anthracycline doxorubicin (DOX) in rats using intraperitoneal injections of saline (n=10) or DOX (n=10) over 12 days for a cumulative dose of 18 mg/kg. We studied cardiotoxicity by serial echocardiography and with an isolated heart setup. We monitored perfusion and left ventricle pressures and measured permeability using a fluorescent indicator dilution method developed by our group. Results: There were significant differences (p=0.029) in permeability surface area product between control (0.047±0.009 cm3/s) and DOX animals (0.068±0.025 cm3/s). This is consistent with our hypothesis that chemotherapy-induced changes in the coronary capillary endothelium lead to increased permeability. We also observed changes in cardiac function consistent with chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity. Contractility (+dP/dt) and LVDP were significantly reduced (p = 0.030) in the DOX group. Average +dP/dt was 2465±183 mm Hg/s for controls vs. 1817±177 mm Hg/s for DOX-treated rats, and average LVDP was 92.4 mm Hg for controls vs. 78.7 mm Hg for DOX-treated rats. Fractional shortening (FS) echocardiographic measurements decreased significantly over the course of treatment for the DOX group (p = 0.028, end FS = 32.8%, n=5), but not for the control group (p = 0.209, end FS = 50.7%, n=5). Conclusion: Changes in permeability after chemotherapy treatment can be detected using a fluorescent indicator dilution method. These changes are consistent with other measures of cardiac function observed in the chemotherapy group. Efforts toward the development of chemotherapy drugs with reduced cardiotoxicity should consider the effect on the endothelial layer, and our method to measure permeability in an isolated heart setup could be useful during testing of new drug alternatives.
Linking Biogeography and Environmental Management in the Wetland Landscape of Coastal North Carolina

A set of individual wetland permit sites was compared with a set of nationwide wetland permit sites to determine the difference between their respective pattern on the landscape. Five landscape metrics (distance to water, permit site clustering, distance to other sites, amount of wetland found surrounding the permit site, and the variety of land cover found surrounding the permit site) were calculated for each permit site, and the statistical separability of the two permit datasets for each of these metrics was tested. The results indicate that in the study area of coastal North Carolina during the early 1990s, individual wetland permits and nationwide wetland permits were statistically different with respect to both their proximity to water, and to the amount of wetland vegetation found in the area surrounding the permit site. However, the two types of permits were not statistically different with respect to their spatial dispersion across the study area, and with respect to the amount of land cover heterogeneity found in the area surrounding each permit site. These results have management implications in light of recent changes to the wetland permit process in the United States.
Synthetic studies toward amphidinolide B1: synthesis of the C9-C26 fragment.

The synthesis of the C9−C26 portion of amphidinolide B1 is described. A Fleming allylation followed by elimination was employed for the construction of the C13−C15 diene portion. Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation was utilized for regioselective functionalization of a styrene-derived alkene, in the presence of the C13−C15 diene functionality. A highly diastereoselective aldol reaction was developed to establish the C18 stereochemistry.
Benefits of Levonorgestrel Intrauterine Device Use vs. Oral or Transdermal Progesterone for Postmenopausal Women Using Estrogen Containing Hormone Therapy.

Background: Endometrial hyperplasia is a major concern for women that start estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) to control symptoms experienced during perimenopause and postmenopause. Progesterone provides protection against endometrial hyperplasia, and there are multiple dosage forms of progesterone available. Intrauterine progesterone may offer an appealing option with additional benefits beyond endometrial protection for patients. Objective: The overarching objective of this systematic review is to characterize the relationship between levonorgestrel containing intrauterine devices (LNG-IUD) and the prevention of endometrial hyperplasia in peri- and postmenopausal women. Specifically, this systematic review addresses whether LNG-IUD has equivalent efficacy of protecting against endometrial hyperplasia, but an improved safety profile when compared to oral progesterone in women using ERT. Methods: OVID Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane were used to find available studies that have investigated the relationship between endometrial hyperplasia prevention and varying dosage forms of progesterone. Randomized control studies comparing LNG-IUD with no treatment, placebo, or other hormonal therapy in adult females were included. In addition, due to a lack of randomized control studies, four non-comparative studies were included. Results: There were eleven total studies included that investigated LNG-IUD use in women on ERT. According to the studies, the LNG-IUD was equally effective as other routes (oral, vaginal) of progesterone administration in protecting against endometrial hyperplasia. Conclusions: The LNG-IUD prevents endometrial proliferation at least as effective as oral or vaginal forms of progesterone. LNG-IUD is a safe option for women starting estrogen replacement therapy and has added benefits due to decreased adverse effects. Article Type: Student Project
Analysis of Gene Variants for Functional Annotations

The study and analysis of functional annotations of human genes and gene variants are important for understanding functional genomics and gene-disease associations. This paper investigates the process of functional annotation of gene variants using the gene ontology. The paper also presents a method for annotating gene variants with biological process terms from the gene ontology. The presented method relies on identifying the enriched biological processes of the genes associated with the given genetic variants. With significant level of $p , the results found to be biologically significant. Furthermore, we found that certain ontology annotations e.g. {GO:0031325; positive regulation of cellular metabolic process} are more connected with mutations via certain genes compared with normal biological process terms in the gene ontology.
Adipose PTEN regulates adult adipose tissue homeostasis and redistribution via a PTEN-leptin-sympathetic loop

Abstract Objective Despite the large body of work describing the tumor suppressor functions of Phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN), its roles in adipose homeostasis of adult animals are not yet fully understood. Here, we sought to determine the role of PTEN in whole-body adipose homeostasis. Methods We genetically manipulated PTEN in specific fat depots through recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (rAAV)-based gene transfer of Cre recombinase to adult PTENflox mice. Additionally, we used a denervation agent, 6OHDA, to assess the role of sympathetic signaling in PTEN-related adipose remodeling. Furthermore, we chemically manipulated AKT signaling via a pan-AKT inhibitor, MK-2206, to assess the role of AKT in PTEN-related adipose remodeling. Finally, to understand the role of leptin and central signaling on peripheral tissues, we knocked down hypothalamic leptin receptor with a microRNA delivered by a rAAV vector. Results Knockdown PTEN in individual fat depot resulted in massive expansion of the affected fat depot through activation of AKT signaling associated with suppression of lipolysis and induction of leptin. This hypertrophic expansion of the affected fat depot led to upregulation of PTEN level, higher lipolysis, and induction of white fat browning in other fat depots, and the compensatory reduced fat mass to maintain a set point of whole-body adiposity. Administration of AKT inhibitor MK-2206 prevented the adipose PTEN knockdown-associated effects. 6OHDA-mediated denervation demonstrated that sympathetic innervation was required for the PTEN knockdown-induced adipose redistribution. Knockdown hypothalamic leptin receptor attenuated the adipose redistribution induced by PTEN deficiency in individual fat depot. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the essential role of PTEN in adipose homeostasis, including mass and distribution in adulthood, and reveal an “adipose PTEN-leptin-sympathetic nervous system” feedback loop to maintain a set point of adipose PTEN and whole-body adiposity.
Factors influencing the extent of local public spending through contracting-out and intermunicipal contracting in New York: focusing on institutional constraints, histories, and fiscal capacity

This research considered levels of public service spending according to the alternative service arrangements, and examined how the property tax cap as an external constraint, local histories, and l...
A dynamic model of a passively cooled small modular reactor for controller design purposes

Abstract An analytical dynamic model for a passively cooled small modular reactor (SMR) is developed using a state-variable lumped parameter approach. Reactor power is represented by the generation time formulation of the point kinetics equations with a single combined neutron precursor group. The heat transfer process in the core is described via an overall heat transfer coefficient by defining two coolant lumps paired to a single fuel lump. In addition, a thermal–hydraulics model for single-phase natural circulation is incorporated. For the helical-coil steam generator, a moving-boundary model including subcooled, two-phase, and superheated regions is utilized. Finally, the hot leg riser and downcomer regions are expressed by first-order lags. The performance of the overall system described by ordinary differential equations (ODEs) is evaluated by the Simulink dynamic environment and directly using a MATLAB ODE solver recommended for stiff systems. Simulation results based on NuScale SMR design data show that the initial steady-state values for 100% power are within range of the design data and the model can predict the system dynamics due to typical perturbations, e.g., control rod movement and change in feedwater mass flow rate and temperature. The model developed in this work can be utilized as a foundation for designing and testing a suitable control algorithm for reactor thermal power.
Concurrent RVAD Improves Survival for Patients with RV Failure at the Time of LVAD Implantation

Purpose Right ventricular (RV) failure is associated with poor outcomes after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement. This can be treated with a temporary right ventricular assist device (RVAD), which ideally should be placed before the development of multisystem organ failure. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is any outcome difference in patients who underwent early or concurrent RVAD as compared to delayed RVAD implantation. Methods Via retrospective chart review, 32 patients who received temporary RVAD (30 CentriMag and 2 Protek Duo) were identified between 1/2013 and 7/2018. Subjects were divided into two groups as concurrent RVAD placement (defined as RVAD at the time of LVAD implantation) versus delayed RVAD placement (defined as an RVAD placed at any time after leaving the operating room for the LVAD implant). Survival, ICU and total length of stay (LOS), and total number of days on RVAD were compared utilizing Chi-square and two tailed t-test. Results Patients in the concurrent RVAD group had higher preoperative central venous pressure (p = 0.037). Survival rate at three months (χ² = 6.647, p 0.010) and one year (χ² = 3.983, p 0.046) was statistically significantly better among patients who received concurrent LVAD. ICU LOS, total hospital LOS, and number of days on RVAD were not statistically significant between the two groups. Conclusion Concurrent placement of a temporary RVAD for patients with RV failure at the time of LVAD implantation improves short- and long-term survival post LVAD implantation as compared to a delayed RVAD approach.
Pseudo-obstruction–inducing ACTG2R257C alters actin organization and function

Actin γ 2, smooth muscle (ACTG2) R257C mutation is the most common genetic cause of visceral myopathy. Individuals with ACTG2 mutations endure prolonged hospitalizations and surgical interventions, become dependent on intravenous nutrition and bladder catheterization, and often die in childhood. Currently, we understand little about how ACTG2 mutations cause disease, and there are no mechanism-based treatments. Our goal was to characterize the effects of ACTG2R257C on actin organization and function in visceral smooth muscle cells. We overexpressed ACTG2WT or ACTG2R257C in primary human intestinal smooth muscle cells (HISMCs) and performed detailed quantitative analyses to examine effects of ACTG2R257C on (a) actin filament formation and subcellular localization, (b) actin-dependent HISMC functions, and (c) smooth muscle contractile gene expression. ACTG2R257C resulted in 41% fewer, 13% thinner, 33% shorter, and 40% less branched ACTG2 filament bundles compared with ACTG2WT. Curiously, total F-actin probed by phalloidin and a pan-actin antibody was unchanged between ACTG2WT- and ACTG2R257C-expressing HISMCs, as was ultrastructural F-actin organization. ACTG2R257C-expressing HISMCs contracted collagen gels similar to ACTG2WT-expressing HISMCs but spread 21% more and were 11% more migratory. In conclusion, ACTG2R257C profoundly affects ACTG2 filament bundle structure, without altering global actin cytoskeleton in HISMCs.
Response of breast cancer carcinoma spheroids to combination therapy with radiation and DNA-PK inhibitor: growth arrest without a change in α/β ratio.

Agents that increase tumor radiosensitivity are of interest in improving outcomes in radiotherapy (XRT). DNA-PK inhibitors radiosensitize and alter cell adhesion proteins. We investigated combinati...
Can customer loyalty to a salesperson be harmful? Examining customer perceptions of salesperson emotional labor strategies post ethical transgressions

Abstract Past research suggests that customer loyalty is a critical component in successful business-to-business sales relationships. Challenging this view, this study suggests that customer loyalty may actually have an unexpected “dark side” to it. Specifically, grounded in Emotions as Social Information (EASI) theory, this research investigates the role that customer loyalty (to a salesperson) has on customer coping behavior post salesperson ethical transgressions. We take the often-underrepresented customer perspective in selling relationships to test our theoretical model using a field study that consists of 239 professional procurement specialists. Our results indicate that when customers believe that a salesperson is more genuine in displaying emotions, after an ethical transgression, customers are more likely to forgive, and less likely to seek revenge against or avoid the salesperson. On the other hand, when customers believe that a salesperson is “faking” emotions, customers are more likely to cope with ethical transgressions by avoiding and seeking revenge against the salesperson. Our study also finds that when an ethical transgression occurs, a “love becomes hate” effect occurs, where customer loyalty undermines a salesperson's efforts and does not always favor the salesperson.
Changes in sow milk lipidome across lactation occur in fatty acyl residues of triacylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol lipids, but not in plasma membrane phospholipids.

Milk fats are vital to neonate survival and development, but vary highly by diet, maternal metabolic state and stage of lactation. To gain a better understanding of changes in lipid composition of sow milk across lactation, milk was collected from nine multiparous sows on days 0, 3, 7, and 14, relative to birth and lipids were profiled using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) profiling. Percent fat was determined by creamatocrit, and found to be different (P < 0.05) between day 0 (12.36 ± 5.90%) and day 3 (16.22 ± 3.65%) but not between day 7 (13.13 ± 2.19%) and day 14 (12.13 ± 2.45%). Fat was extracted from milk (n = 6/day) using the Bligh-Dyer method and profiled using tandem mass spectrometry MRM to determine the abundance of lipids defined by class and fatty acyl residue composition. Lipid species relative concentration was calculated from internal standards, and data analysis was performed using Metaboanalyst 4.0. Concentration of phosphatidyl-choline, -serine, -ethanolamine, -inositol, cholesteryl ester and sphingomyelin did not vary across lactation days, nor did the distribution of associated fatty acyl residues. The total abundance of triacylglycerides (TGs) and phosphatidylglycerols (PGs) increased (P < 0.05) from colostrum (day 0) to transitional (days 3 and 7) and mature milk (day 14). As lactation days increased from day 0 to day 14, the number of carbons and unsaturation within fatty acyl residues decreased (P < 0.05) in both TGs and PGs. The proportion of TGs and PGs increased (P < 0.05) relative to other lipid classes. Changes in composition of milk triglycerides and phosphatidylglycerols likely reflect the metabolic activity of the mammary gland and developmental needs of neonates.
Context-Specific Representation Abstraction for Deep Option Learning.

Hierarchical reinforcement learning has focused on discovering temporally extended actions, such as options, that can provide benefits in problems requiring extensive exploration. One promising approach that learns these options end-to-end is the option-critic (OC) framework. We examine and show in this paper that OC does not decompose a problem into simpler sub-problems, but instead increases the size of the search over policy space with each option considering the entire state space during learning. This issue can result in practical limitations of this method, including sample inefficient learning. To address this problem, we introduce Context-Specific Representation Abstraction for Deep Option Learning (CRADOL), a new framework that considers both temporal abstraction and context-specific representation abstraction to effectively reduce the size of the search over policy space. Specifically, our method learns a factored belief state representation that enables each option to learn a policy over only a subsection of the state space. We test our method against hierarchical, non-hierarchical, and modular recurrent neural network baselines, demonstrating significant sample efficiency improvements in challenging partially observable environments.
Music Plagiarism Detection using Audio Fingerprinting and Segment Matching

With the recent growth of media platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, etc. These Platforms make content easily accessible but at the same time causes many problems like plagiarized content. Especially with audio content we can observe multiple types of plagiarism like unauthorized use of music for making remix music. To deal with this problem we use audio fingerprinting. It is the process of presenting an audio signal in a closed-packed way by extracting relevant characteristics of the audio signal. This in itself can be used to check the song, but it won't give an accurate result if the plagiarized song is copied from multiple different songs. To solve this particular problem, we use segment matching.
Gender Participation in University Education in Nigeria: Closing the Gap

The National Policy on Education stipulated that there is need for equality of educational opportunities to all Nigerian children, irrespective of any real or imagined disabilities, each according to his or her ability. It further stressed that there will be the provision of equal access to educational opportunities for all citizens of the country at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels both inside and outside the formal school system. In spite of this policy commitment there still exists a wide gender disparity in university education in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper examines the concepts of gender and university education. Also, the paper highlights participation in university education by gender and locates the gender participation disparity barriers in university education in Nigeria. The paper concludes by identifying some intervention that can help close the existing gap between male and female in access to university education in Nigeria.
Animals and Imperialism: Recent Historiographical Trends

In the last decade or so, an increasing number of historians have written about the relationship between animals and imperialism. Their work builds on pioneering scholarship by environmental historian Alfred Crosby and cultural historians Harriet Ritvo and John MacKenzie, among others. Recent writing on animals and imperialism, influenced by wider trends in animal studies and history, has taken this topic in new directions. Namely, history writing on animals and imperialism has become more concerned with actual animals and their relationship with people, the metaphorical deployment of creatures, animal agency, and sources that give voice to animals. Work on animals and imperialism will likely benefit from becoming less Western-centric and more transnational and transimperial.
Measurement of electron temperature and density in the DIII-D neutral beam ion source arc chamber

A swept-bias Langmuir probe diagnostic was employed with the DIII-D neutral beam ion source in an effort to study the effects of filament temperature, arc power, and backstreaming energetic electrons on the electron temperature and density of the arc discharge inside the ion source arc chamber. The arc chamber contains six Langmuir probes biased with at negative DC voltage. These probes provide a feedback signal for regulation of the arc power supply and give a relative indication of plasma uniformity within the arc chamber. For this study, one probe was reconnected to a voltage-sweeping power supply, and probe current versus voltage characteristics were generated. These characteristics provided the information necessary to calculate electron temperature and density. With arc discharge only, the results demonstrated that as filament temperature increases, so does electron density. Electron temperature decreases at a faster rate, however, as required to maintain constant ion saturation current (regulated by the arc power supply). The results also demonstrated that increasing arc power (through control of the arc power supply) results in higher electron temperature and density. Experiments were also performed with probe voltage sweeps during beam extraction, at various accelerator voltage levels and at different delay times after beam turn-on with a fixed acceleration voltage. These results indicated an increase in electron temperature and density its acceleration voltage is increased. However, nearly identical trends result when arc discharges are produced at the same parameter settings as during these beams, but without beam extraction. This indicates minimal influence of backstreaming energetic electrons on electron temperature and density in the arc chamber. Temperature and density also remain fairly constant over time during a long beam pulse. These results help to provide a better understanding of ion source dynamics, and may lead to future improvements in operation.
A 250 mW class D design with direct battery hookup in a 90 nm process [audio band switching amplifier]

A "battery connect" compatible class D (switching) amplifier which is fully integrated in a 90 nm digital CMOS process is presented. The integration of the amplifier requires no additional masks, processing, or cost. This paper includes a brief description of the circuit techniques that enable direct battery connection and allow support for the 4.6 V/sub P2P/ output swing using devices that operate solely with low gate voltages. The achieved SNR over an audio (20 Hz to 20 kHz) bandwidth is 84 dB and the total harmonic distortion (THD) is better than 0.05% at full power. The power supply rejection (PSR), which is a crucial parameter in modules connected directly to the battery, is measured at greater than 58 dB at 217 Hz. The area of the switching amplifier is <0.77 mm/sup 2/, where the power devices occupy approximately half the total.
Thinking and Deciding: DECISIONS AND PLANS

Part II was concerned with thinking about beliefs. Part III is about decision making, the thinking we do when we choose an action, including both the decisions that affect only the decision maker and the decisions that affect others, that is, decisions that raise moral questions. We shall also examine long-term planning, with special emphasis on the choice of personal goals. Part III is concerned mostly with inference rather than search — in particular, with how we infer a course of action from our goals and from evidence concerning the consequences of our options for achieving them. Chapter 10 describes the fundamental normative model of decision making, the idea that utility — or goodness of outcomes — should be maximized. This model serves as a theoretical ideal that we can use to justify prescriptive models, and it is also the basis of decision analysis, a set of formal yet practical methods used by decision makers in business, government, and medicine. Chapters 11 and 12 review some descriptive models of decision making. These models are considerably more elaborate than any descriptive models we have encountered so far, and some of them raise questions about how we should interpret the idea of utility maximization itself. Should we, for example, take into account our feeling of regret that results from our having made a decision that happened to result in a bad outcome (aside from our feelings about the outcome itself)?
Upper and lower bounds of a class of channel assignment problems in cellular networks

A cellular network is often modelled as a graph and the channel assignment problem is formulated as a coloring problem of the graph. We introduce the notion of cellular graphs that models the hexagonal cell structures of a cellular network. Exploiting the regular structure of the cellular graphs we compute the upper and the lower bounds for a class of channel assignment problems. Assuming a k-band buffering system where the interference does not extend beyond k cells away from the call originating cell, we provide two different formulations of the channel assignment problem-distance-k chromatic number problem and k-band chromatic bandwidth problem. We give one algorithm for the first problem and two for the second, with all three algorithms assigning channels to the cells. The complexity of the algorithm for the first problem is O(p), where p is the number of cells. For the second problem, the complexity of the first algorithm is O(p) and the complexity of the second algorithm is O(k/sup 5/log k). All the algorithms are asymptotically optimal, in the sense that the order of the upper bound of the number of channels required is the same as the order of the lower bound.
A fundamentally new approach to therapy for victims of electrical shock

The authors present data indicating that 0.1 mM Poloxamer 188, an 8.4 kDa triblock copolymer, can be effective in restoring ionic transport properties to electroporated rat skeletal muscle fibers under cell culture conditions. In addition, the authors have observed that Poloxamer 188 can be administered intravenously to an anaesthetized rat which has experienced electroporation of the hind limb muscle. In response, Poloxamer 188-treated animals exhibit less tissue damage than animals receiving neutral dextran of comparable molecular size. These data provide encouraging evidence suggesting that it may be possible to treat victims of electrical shock and restore tissue viability, particularly if administered within the time frame of the initial hour after electrical shock. >
Molecular structure, spectral constants, and fermi resonances in chlorine nitrate

Abstract Chlorine nitrate has two low-lying vibrational modes that lead to a series of Fermi resonances in the 9 υ 9 7 υ 7 family of levels that include the 9 2 ⇔7 1 and 9 3 ⇔7 1 9 1 dyads and the 9 4 ⇔9 2 7 1 ⇔7 2 and 9 5 ⇔9 3 7 1 ⇔9 1 7 2 triads. These states, along with the ground and 9 1 vibrational states, have been previously analyzed with millimeter and submillimeter wave spectroscopy and provide a substantial body of data for the investigation of these resonances and their impact on calculated spectroscopic constants and structural parameters. Due to fitting indeterminacies, these previous analyses did not include the main Fermi resonance interaction term. Consequently, the fitted rotational constants are linear combinations of the unmixed rotational constants of the basis vibrational states. In this paper, we have calculated the contributions of the Fermi resonances to the observed rotational constants in a model that determines the vibrational–rotational constants, the Fermi term and the mixing between interacting vibrational states, the cubic potential constant ( φ 997 ) that connects interacting levels through a Fermi resonance, and the inertial defects. These results agree with predictions from ab initio and harmonic force field calculations and provide further experimental information for the determination of the fundamental molecular properties of chlorine nitrate.
Some Results on Optimal Penal Codes in Asymmetric Bertrand Supergames

Abstract Optimal penal codes in asymmetric Bertrand supergames exhibit security level punishments for the largest firm. If no firm has sufficient capacity to service the market, then collusion that is barely sustainable by optimal penal codes entails higher capacity utilization by the largest firm than by the other firms. Collusion supported by optimal penal codes in models with a large firm facing a competitive fringe can result in the large firm having low capacity utilization and thus providing a "price umbrella" for the fringe firms, which have high capacity utilization. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C72, C73, L11, L13.
Sleep and Anesthesia - Common mechanisms of action.

Author(s): Vacas, Susana; Kurien, Philip; Maze, Mervyn | Abstract: Appropriate sleep hygiene is crucial for repair in states of disease and injury and in restoring function especially in the central nervous and immune systems. Anesthetics have different action targets and ultimately different consequences. The effects of anesthetics on circadian rhythm possibly also lead to immune deregulation. α2-adrenergic agonists converge on sleep pathways within the brainstem and are associated with changes in neuronal activity similar to those seen in deeper stages of NREM sleep. Thoughtful attention must be made in selecting an anesthetic agent that best mimics natural sleep. Future studies will further elucidate the benefits of dexmedetomidine as a good anesthetic/sedative candidate. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.
Ab initio DFT: Getting the right answer for the right reason

Abstract Some highlights of the WATOC plenary lecture are presented. We discuss what ab initio dft is, and that unlike standard density functional methods (DFT) methods, it has to converge to the right answer in the limit of basis and correlation like ab initio wavefunction methods. We obtain the correct behavior of the exchange and correlation potentials. In the case of correlation in particular, these are vastly different than those obtained by standard methods like LYP and PBE, and sufficiently different for exchange, that the numerical effect of the correct potentials is quite important. With the correct potentials, the orbital energies in Kohn–Sham DFT are shown to approximately satisfy a kind of Koopmans' theorem, while at the same time, the differences between the occupied orbital energies and the unoccupied orbital energies, offers an excellent zeroth-order approximation to the excitation energy. We demonstrate that we can build a local correlation potential using an optimized effective potential (OEP) strategy, that is equally applicable to non-local Hartree–Fock exchange as it is to local exchange. This makes it possible to create consistent ‘hybrid’ dft methods at the level of the potential. Some numerical consequences are discussed.
Vertical Product Differentiation and the Value of Time

This paper presents a model of international trade in goods that are ranked by quality. The model differs from existing theories of trade under vertical product differentiation in several ways. The main difference is in the way quality is modeled. But this paper also has different positive implications for the pattern of trade and it provides a theoretical explanation for Leontief Paradox-type empirical findings. The model indicates that several of the most important empirical challenges faced by the Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek model can be dealt with by taking into account the quality aspect of traded goods.[F1]
Development of an assay that detects transcriptionally competent human immunodeficiency virus type one particles

Abstract To study the functional properties of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) from intact viral particles without the requirement for tissue culture expansion, a method that couples HIV-1 reverse transcription utilizing its endogenous RT (ERT) with polymerase chain reaction amplification (PCR) was developed. Detection of endogenous reverse transcripts from HIV particles by ERT-PCR was compared to HIV RNA PCR detection using avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) RT from plasma samples from 45 HIV-1 infected patients. The HIV ERT-PCR method was capable of detecting plasma viremia with the same efficiency (29/29 patients) as the AMV RT HIV RNA PCR in patients with CD4 cell counts of less than 500/mm3. The determination of HIV-RT drug sensitivities using four well-characterized HIV-1 lab strains was assessed. The ERT-PCR method detected reduced sensitivity to TIBO R82150 (10 μM) in a TIBO resistant strain but not in the TIBO sensitive HTLV-IIIB viral mixture or an HTLV-IIIB clone. In summary, the HIV ERT-PCR method provides a useful approach for the detection of HIV and the characterization of RT sensitivities among HIV-1 strains.
Apoptosis Signal-Regulating Kinase 1–Thioredoxin Complex Dissociation by Capsaicin Causes Pancreatic Tumor Growth Suppression by Inducing Apoptosis

Abstract Aim: In this study, we evaluated the effect of capsaicin on the interaction of redox-sensitive thioredoxin (Trx)/apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) in pancreatic cancer cells. Results: Capsaicin treatment downregulated Trx and increased the phosphorylation (activation) of ASK1 at Thr845 and kinase activity in AsPC-1 and BxPC-3 cells. Capsaicin treatment also activated downstream effector molecules MKK4/7, caspase-9, and caspase-3. Antioxidants tiron or PEG-catalase blocked the activation of ASK1 cascade by capsaicin and protected the cells from apoptosis, indicating the involvement of reactive oxygen species in the activation of ASK1. Our results further revealed that Trx overexpression suppressed the effects of capsaicin, whereas ASK1 overexpression enhanced the apoptosis-inducing effects of capsaicin. β-mercaptoethanol, a reducing agent, blocked capsaicin-mediated activation of ASK1, indicating that Trx-ASK1 complex exists and requires reducing conditions in the cell. On the other hand...