cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Auxin metabolism and transport during gravitropism

Auxins are endogenous, growth-regulating compounds in plants: for decades investigators have hypothesized that plants change their growth rates and patterns in response to environmental signals by changing their transport of, metabolism of, or sensitivity to their endogenous auxins. The Cholodny-Went hypothesis, for example, postulates that plants respond to tropic signals by changing the distribution of free indoleacetic acid within their tissues. This hypothesis was based on data from experiments investigating phototropism and gravitropism in oat (Avena sativa L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) coleoptiles. The results of recent experiments support the Cholodny-Went hypothesis for maize coleoptile gravitropism. Recent experiments conducted on the gravitropisms of other developmental stages of grasses, and other species of plants, however, indicate that the Cholodny-Went hypothesis may not adequately describe how all plants respond to gravity.
Tillage and Fertilizer Management Effects on Soil-Atmospheric Exchanges of Methane and Nitrous Oxide in a Corn Production System

Land application of poultry litter (PL) presents an opportunity to improve soil productivity and disposal of poultry waste. We investigated methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural soil receiving PL and ammonium nitrate (AN) fertilizers using surface (SA), soil incorporation (SI), and subsurface band (BA) application methods in conventional (CT) and no-tillage (NT) systems on a Decatur silt loam soil in North Alabama. Plots under CT and NT were sinks of CH4 in spring, summer, and fall. In winter, the plots had net emissions of 3.32 and 4.24 g CH4 ha-1 day-1 in CT and NT systems, respectively. Plots which received AN were net emitters of CH4 and N2O, whereas plots which received PL were net sinks of CH4. Plots which received PL using SA or SI methods were net emitters of N2O, whereas under PL using BA application, the plots were net sinks of N2O. Our study indicates that using subsurface band application of PL was the most promising environmentally sustainable poultry waste application method for reducing CH4 and N2O emissions from agricultural soil in NT and CT corn production systems on the Decatur soil in north Alabama.
Giα2 mediates the inhibitory regulation of adenylylcyclase in vivo: Analysis in transgenic mice with Giα2 suppressed by inducible antisense RNA

The role of the GTP-binding regulatory protein (G-protein) Gi alpha 2 in vivo was explored using transgenic mice in which the alpha-subunit of Gi alpha 2 was suppressed by antisense RNA. Rat hepatoma FTO-2B cells provide an ideal test system for constructs employing the expression vector pPCK-AS, designed to express antisense RNA at birth under the control of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) promoter. Cells transfected with the expression vector containing a sequence antisense to Gi alpha 2 (pPCK-ASGi alpha 2) displayed expression of RNA antisense to Gi alpha 2 that, like transcription of the PEPCK gene, was inducible by cyclic AMP. Expression of RNA antisense to Gi alpha 2 and suppression of the expression of Gi alpha 2, but not Gsa and Gi alpha 3, was observed in the transfected FTO-2B cells. BDF1 mice carrying the transgene displayed suppression of Gi alpha 2 in liver and fat, two targets for tissue-specific expression of the PEPCK gene. The loss of Gi alpha 2 in white adipocytes of transgenic mice resulted in 3.1-fold elevation of basal cyclic AMP accumulation. Cyclic AMP accumulation in response to stimulation by epinephrine (10 microM) was normal in adipocytes of transgenic mice, demonstrating no alteration in the stimulatory adenylylcyclase capacity in the Gi alpha 2-deficient cells. The inhibitory adenylylcyclase pathway, in sharp contrast, was severely blunted in response to challenge by the inhibitory A1-purinergic agonist, (-)R-N6-phenylisopropyladenosine. These studies illuminate a critical role of Gi alpha 2 in the inhibitory adenylylcyclase signaling pathway in vivo.
Global Policy Studies and Peace Research

This introductory article notes several parallels in the mission and historical evolution of the fields of contemporary policy studies and peace research, as well as some of the basic differences in the two fields. The field of policy studies, which analyzes the potential contributions of governmental action to collective well-being, encompasses a variety of approaches, including positivism, social engineering, incrementalism, and rationalism. A case is made for development of an international and global dimension of the field of policy studies in view of the increasing seriousness and complexity of transnational problems and the scope of international problem-solving activities. Much of peace research has, in effect, the basic characteristics of the differing approaches to policy studies. Global policy studies can make several contributions to peace research, including a comprehensive theoretical orientation for guiding initiatives for achieving desired outcomes, insights into the dynamics of international conflict resolution, a greater understanding of the potential role of international law and institutions in world politics, and a recognition of the wide range of global policies that have a bearing on peace. Peace research has much to offer global policy studies, but this is a subject to be elaborated elsewhere.
Pediatric emergencies, part I.

Children represent our greatest and most vital resource. As such, the need for quality emergency care is an ever-expanding aspect of medicine. Over the last 20 years, significant advances and improvements have occurred in the delivery of emergency care to children, including emergency medicine residency training in pediatric emergencies, pediatric trauma care, pain management for children, pediatric drug dosages, pediatric equipment/supplies in emergency departments and on ambulances, and a national poison control system [1]. Even with these great strides, the practice of pediatric emergency medicine continues to evolve. This issue of Pediatric Clinics of North America is the second of two issues this year dedicated to state-of-the-art information regarding the emergency care of children. Current areas of interest, clinical practice, and controversy are addressed. Exposures to drugs and toxins in the pediatric age group constitute most calls to United States regional poison centers. Several common drugs and toxins can result in potentially deadly ingestions with one or two doses in children. This edition of the Clinics discusses several of these deadly ingestions. Procedural sedation and analgesia is a safe, effective, and humane method of managing the pain and anxiety of a child who presents with a painful condition or situation that requires a painful intervention. This issue also discusses an approach to pediatric sedation and analgesia. Fever remains one of the most common chief complaints of children who seek medical attention, and it resulted in more than 5 million
The Red-Eared Slider Turtle: An Animal Model for the Study of Low Doses and Mixtures 1

9-DDE, and chlordane—altered sex ratio outcomes when applied to eggshells during development. Aroclor 1242 produced the most powerful effects, shifting the ratio of females almost twofold, while chlordane had the greatest effect when combined with estradiol. Administration of all eight compounds together also increased the ratio of females to males. However, comparing the single-compound exposures at the same dosages indicate that these compounds behave differently in combination than they do singly, emphasizing the need for further studies using chemical mixtures reflecting proportions found in nature. The effect of chlordane and Aroclor 1242 on aromatase activity levels during embryogenesis in the brain and adrenal-kidney-gonad (AKG) complex was also examined. Chlordane, a suspected anti-androgen in this species, did not affect aromatase activity in either the brain or the AKG. However, Aroclor 1242 significantly altered aromatase activity levels in the red-eared slider turtle brain—but not in the AKG—during a crucial developmental period. After this crucial period, Aroclor 1242 caused an increase in aromatase activity in the AKG of embryos just prior to hatch. Additionally, hatchling males treated during embryogenesis with Aroclor 1242 and chlordane exhibited significantly lower testosterone levels than controls in response to folliclestimulating hormone administration, while chlordane-treated females had significantly lower progesterone, testosterone, and 5 a-dihydrotestosterone levels relative to controls. These results are similar to those found in juvenile alligators from Lake Apopka. Males treated with Aroclor 1242 and trans-Nonachlor displayed an elevated estradiol response to FSH administration vs. control males. Taken together, these results suggest that EDCs exert effects during embryonic development that extend beyond birth. They also suggest that the alterations in sex steroid hormone levels observed in animals from contaminated areas may result from EDC-induced alterations in the neuroendocrine axis controlling gonadal sex steroid hormone production.
Adenosine A/sub 1/R receptor deficiency enhances hippocampal long-term potentiation in freely moving mice

This paper addresses the role of adenosine A/sub 1/R receptors (A/sub 1/R) on synaptic efficacy in the hippocampus. Adenosine A/sub 1/ receptors (A/sub 1/R) have known inhibitory effects in the CNS by both hyperpolarizing neurons and inhibiting Ca/sup 2+/ influx. This inhibitory effect leads to a decrease in glutamate release. Glutamate, in turn, activates NMDA receptors, which is thought to lead to long-term potentiation (LTP). Thus, we hypothesized that elimination of A/sub 1/R's would lead to an increase in both NMDA activation and LTP. To assess the role of adenosine on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, LTP was induced in freely moving wild type (normal) and A/sub 1/R knockout (KO) mice, which lack the gene coding for the A/sub 1/R. Preliminary results show that LTP is enhanced in KO mice compared to controls, which corresponds to the inhibitory effects of adenosine.
Implementation and Validation of Range Imaging on a UHF Radar Wind Profiler

The available range resolution of pulsed radar wind profilers is usually limited by bandwidth restrictions. Range imaging (RIM) has recently been developed as a means of mitigating these limitations by operating the wind profilers over a small set of distinct transmitter frequencies. A constrained optimization method can then be used to generate high-resolution maps of the reflectivity field as a function of range. This paper presents a description of how the RIM technique has been recently implemented on the Platteville 915-MHz tropospheric profiler, the first such implementation at UHF. Examples of data collected during a two-part experiment on 10 April 2001 using the Platteville 915-MHz tropospheric profiler are presented. In the first part, an intercomparison was made involving measurements from RIM and standard radar techniques. It is shown that available frequency bandwidth can be very effectively utilized through the RIM processing. In the second part of the experiment, RIM was applied to radar observations collected with a short (0.5 ms) transmit pulse. The resulting data include observations of a thin, persistent scattering layer attributed to a subsidence inversion and billows from a Kelvin‐ Helmholtz instability. Estimates of the width of the layer were found to be as small as 12 m.
The disruptive influence of cloud computing and its implications for adoption in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry

During the past decade, the focus of the pharmabiotechnology industry has shifted toward developing personalized therapeutics. Consequentially, supporting initiatives around genome sequencing and high throughput analytical technologies have lead to an irreconcilable data deluge. As a result, the sector is challenged by the lack of suitable solutions to optimize business costs through collaborative innovation across the value chain. The concept of Infrastructure as a Service or Cloud Computing demonstrates significant potential to address the twin challenges of the life sciences sector. While cloud computing has been adopted across several industries, its application in the life sciences sector remains nascent. This paper reviews the role of cloud computing in the life sciences industry and explores its potential to create disruptive opportunities for innovation and efficiency across the value chain. Further the article suggests a qualitative cloud deployment framework that could help life sciences compani...
New in-situ calibration of diode detectors used in six-port network analyzers

The authors present a novel method of calibrating the diode detectors used in six-port network analyzers, without disconnecting the diodes. The method uses only a precision variable attenuator or a power meter with no additional directional coupler. The important feature of this method is that no actual measurement of power is required to calibrate the diode detectors for six-port operation. It is very well suited to in-situ calibration of the diode detection circuits for operation of the six-port with pulse signals when the average power detected by the power meter drops to very low levels for low duty cycles. In these cases, the precision variable attenuator method is required. Measurement results are presented. >
Camera calibration with genetic algorithms

We present an approach based on genetic algorithms for performing camera calibration. Contrary to the classical nonlinear photogrammetric approach, the proposed technique can correctly find the near-optimal solution without the need of initial guesses (with only very loose parameter bounds) and with a minimum number of control points (7 points). Results from our extensive study using both synthetic and real image data as well as performance comparison with Tsai's procedure (1987) demonstrate the excellent performance of the proposed technique in terms of convergence, accuracy, and robustness.
On symbolic scheduling and parallel complexity of loops

We first consider the symbolic scheduling and performance prediction of a partitioned single loop on message passing architectures with non zero communication and a sufficient number of processors. The loop body contains a set of coarse grain tasks whose computational weights change during the course of the iterations. Using the macro dataflow task: model and software pipelining techniques, we develop an algorithm for computing a heuristic schedule, and provide analytic and experimental results on the correctness and asymptotic performance of this schedule. Using this result, we can show the impact of partitioning on the performance of parallelization. While this result is effective for a class of loops, there are many other methods proposed for loop parallelization. An interesting fundamental question is whether every instance of a nested loop can be efficiently executed, We present some positive and negative results on this issue.
The Story of Subchapter K: Mark A. Johnson's Quest

In this chapter, Gergen explores the historical origins of Subchapter K from the perspective of a "forgotten protagonist," a young Jewish tax attorney named Mark H. Johnson. Born in 1911, Johnson emerged by the early 1940s as rising star in the field of partnership taxation, having authored several leading articles on the subject and a leading treatise on taxation with the more senior Jacob Rabkin. More significantly, Johnson played a very important role during the period from 1949 to 1954 in the law reform movement that led to the adoption of Subchapter K in 1954. As the founding chair of the ABA Partnership Tax Section and later a special consultant on partnerships to the American Law Institute ("ALI") Income Tax Project, Johnson may fairly be characterized as a "founding father" of Subchapter K. Gergen's chapter illustrates a feature of U.S. business tax history largely absent from Clark's evolutionary model - i.e., the influence of specific individuals driven not by self-interest but rather a commitment to principled law reform. During the reformist period examined in this chapter, an elite tax bar was enlisted to guide Congress through broad-based structural reform of partnership tax. In the end, Johnson's views were not wholly embraced by Congress; yet his influence on the field can still be seen today.
Ω- decay modes

Abstract An attempt is made to relate certain decay modes of the Ω- particle, by using the now well-known algebra of current components and the PCAC hypothesis. For the two pionic modes Ω- → Ξ- + π0 and Ω- → Ξo + π- one obtains the ΔI = 1 2 rule, and we point out the differences between these cases and the theories of frcase|1/2+ hyperon decays studied by others [1,2]. Although the experimental data concerning the Ω- are extremely slender, there is at least one event for each of the above modes, and the observed lifetimes are in fine agreement with the prediction. Using a similar procedure, the mode Ω- → Ξo + π0 + e- + V is also related to Ω- → Ξo + e- + V . These modes, although not observed so far, are allowed energetically with sufficient phase space left for the products.
Patent Law Harmonization Treaty Decision is Not Far Off – What Course ShouldThe U.S. Take?: A Review of the Current Situation and Alternatives Available

Section I of this article includes a brief explanation of the WIPO treaty process. Section II gives an overview of how a patent system would function with the proposed changes. A chart, keyed to the draft treaty articles, is included to show the functional role of each provision. While this article assumes some knowledge of developments in prior meetings and basic international patent law, it is written for general patent specialists and business persons who want to know what is going on at the patent harmonization meetings. Section III is a detailed review of the 7th meeting discussions, based on first-hand observations, organized by the draft treaty articles. The reader will find it convenient to refer to the Section II chart, for a particular topic and article number, and to look up that article in Section III for more information.Section IV analyzes several of the major issues facing the U.S. at the next meeting. Since this meeting is the last one for the experts to clarify the articles and include all desired provisions, it is very important that U.S. organizations prepare thoroughly for this meeting. This article is designed to be useful after the next meeting of experts, when the U.S. government and U.S. organizations are preparing for the diplomatic conference. In addition, this background should be helpful in developing appropriate U.S. legislation to bring U.S. patent law in line with treaty requirements, should the U.S. decide to adhere to the treaty.
Modeling Diffusion of Tin into the Mesoporous Titanium Dioxide Layer of a Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Photoanode

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) utilize a photoanode consisting of a mesoporous semiconducting thin film coated onto a conductive substrate. Typically, the semiconductor is composed of titanium d...
Emphysematous Cholecystitis A Deadly Twist to a Common Disease

Emphysematous cholecystitis (EC) is a rare but deadly variant of acute cholecystitis noted by the presence of gas in the gallbladder lumen or wall. This gas, emitted by bacteria, is thought to resu...
Does large scale DNA sequencing of patient and tumor DNA yet provide clinically actionable information

There have been several publications recently that reported DNA sequence alterations in human tumors. There are gene deletions, amplifications, point mutations, translocations, and other genome changes in these samples compared to normal controls. There is also considerable variation in the number of such changes seen in different cancers. Some of the changes particularly those that are mutations in genes driving cellular proliferation will be useful clinically and could be used to monitor disease. At the present time, however, there are more cost effective ways than whole genome sequencing to derive "clinically actionable information" from the molecular analysis of patients and their tumors when they come into the clinic. The number of clinical options available for patients stratified by molecular diagnostics may actually be limited more by the specific treatments available rather than by the ability to stratify the patients in the first place.
Intracellular pH regulates voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in porcine tracheal smooth muscle cells.

Changes in CO 2 or in pH modify airway smooth muscle contractility. To investigate the mechanisms involved, we compared K + -induced contractions in porcine bronchial rings exposed to different CO 2 concentrations and directly measured the effects of changes in intracellular (pH i ) or extracellular pH (pH 0 ) on Ca 2+ currents (I Ca ) through voltage-dependent Ca 2+ channels (VDC in porcine tracheal smooth muscle cells. Hypocapnia and hypercapnia caused leftward and rightward shifts, respectively, in the dose-response to K + (P < 0.05) but did not change the maximum force obtained. Peak I Ca (10 mM external Ca 2+ ) elicited by depolarizing pulses from −80 mV was maximal [−265 ± 12 pA (mean ± SE), n = 19] at + 10 mV. Intracellular acidification decreased the peak I Ica at + 10 mV from −261 ± 20 pA to −177 ± 12 pA (P < 0.05, n = 4), while intracellular alkalinization increased the peak I Ca at + 10 mV from −302 ± 27 pA to −368 ± 26 pA (P < 0.05, N = 4). CHANGES IN PH 0 had little effect on I Ca . There was no shift in the voltagedependence of induced Ica with any change. We conclude that pH i , but not pH 0 , directly modulates the entry of Ca 2+ into airway smooth muscle cells through VDC. This mechanism may contribute to regulation of airway tone by CO 2
Leptin administration in physiological or pharmacological doses does not alter circulating irisin levels in humans

Leptin administration in physiological or pharmacological doses does not alter circulating irisin levels in humans
Preferential Uptake of Gamma Tocopherol by Mast Cells. Does This Uptake Affect Mast Cell Cytokine Production

Abstract Vitamin E, the main lipid soluble antioxidant, exists in eight different forms, of which α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol are the two major forms. Previous experiments showed vitamin E uptake by macrophages that contribute to inflammation and immunity. On the other hand, vitamin E has structural similarity to the thiazolidinedione, troglitazone, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonist. In previous experiments we found that troglitazone (TGZ), a PPAR gamma agonist, had a negative effect on mast cell cytokine production. We therefore wondered whether vitamin E enters human mast cells, and if so, does this modulate mast cell cytokine production? We choose (interleukin) IL-6 for its pro-inflammatory properties and because it's known to be produced by mast cells in response to stimulants used in the experiment. In this study we try to answer these two questions. Cultured human mast cell line (HMC-1) was first incubated for 24 hrs with pharmacological concentrations of both alpha and gamma forms of vitamin E (10 μM). The mast cells were then activated with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate [PMA (50ng/ml)] and ionomycin (5μm) for 24 hours and cell-free supernatants collected. In additional experiments, IL-1s (10ng/mL) was added to activate mast cells. IL-6 levels in the supernatants were determined in each well utilizing ELISA. Mast cell concentrations of alpha or gamma tocopherol were measured by high pressure liquid chromatography [HPLC] and electrochemical analysis. Mast cells pre-incubated in alpha and gamma forms of vitamin E at 10 μM did not affect mast cell IL-6 production. Mast cells, however, showed uptake of both forms of tocopherols but more pronounced uptake of the gamma form (13181.05 pmole/well of gamma compared to 8742.99 pmole/well of alpha tocopherol). We conclude that mast cells appear to store both alpha and gamma tocopherols but preferentially more gamma tocopherol. Though Vitamin E and PPAR agonists have similar structures, they did not show similar effect on mast cell cytokine production, suggesting they might have different mechanisms of action.
Low Temperature Electrochemical Production of Hydrogen from the Hybrid Copper-Chlorine Thermochemical Cycle

Electrolysis of cuprous chloride is a critical step in the copperchlorine thermochemical cycle for hydrogen production, a novel process with the advantage of mild operating conditions and capability of recovery of low grade heat from nuclear reactors. This step can be achieved in solid polymer electrolyte reactor with either Nafion membrane or anion exchange membrane. In this paper, cell polarization experiments show that the reactor with Nafion 115 has a higher thermal stability than that of the AMX membrane for the bulk electrolysis. In the anode half cell reaction, effects of catalysts and mass transfer were studied on the thin film electrode on the rotating disk electrode (RDE). It was found that the active carbon Vulcan XC 72 has comparable activity towards the cuprous chloride oxidation with conventional electro- catalysts, such as Pt black, Pt/C and RuO2. Also, mass transfer was serious in the rate process in the anode.
Measurements and analysis of SER-tolerant latch in a 90-nm dual-V/sub T/ CMOS process

We designed a soft error rate (SER) tolerant latch utilizing local redundancy. We implemented a test chip containing both the standard and SER-tolerant latches in a 90-nm dual-V/sub T/ CMOS process. Accelerated measurements with a neutron beam at Los Alamos National Laboratory demonstrated 10/spl times/ better reliability of the SER-tolerant latch over the standard latch at no speed degradation. The worst case energy and area penalties were 39% and 44%, respectively. Both the energy and area penalties are negligible for standard-latch transistor sizes at least double the minimum width. We analyzed the effects of the recovery time, threshold voltage assignment, and leakage on the SER robustness. The proposed latch can improve reliability of critical sequential logic elements in microprocessors and other circuits.
Locomotion in Virtual Reality for Room Scale Tracked Areas

Abstract Virtual reality (VR) is becoming a more popular and available technology, with the new generation systems and more content specifically developed for this medium. One of the crucial components of VR applications is locomotion, which is used for moving the viewpoint of user in virtual environments. Locomotion in VR is expected to have a direct effect on user experience in terms of effort, enjoyment, frustration, motion sickness and presence. To date, many locomotion techniques for VR have been studied. However, these techniques were primarily evaluated in large tracked areas (larger than 16 ft by 16 ft). On the contrary, emerging consumer VR systems typically track within smaller room scales. In this study, eight VR locomotion techniques were investigated in a room-scale tracked area (8 ft by 8 ft). These eight locomotion techniques are: redirected walking, walk-in-place, stepper machine, point & teleport, joystick, trackball, hand flapping and flying. A user study was performed with 15 participants. Results indicated that point & teleport, joystick and redirected walking were suitable VR locomotion techniques for room scale tracked areas whereas hand flapping and flying were not suitable.
Decoding spatial attention with EEG and virtual acoustic space

Decoding spatial attention based on brain signals has wide applications in brain-computer interface (BCI). Previous BCI systems mostly relied on visual patterns or auditory stimulation (e.g., loudspeakers) to evoke synchronous brain signals. There would be difficulties to cover a large range of spatial locations with such a stimulation protocol. The present study explored the possibility of using virtual acoustic space and a visual-auditory matching paradigm to overcome this issue. The technique has the flexibility of generating sound stimulation from virtually any spatial location. Brain signals of eight human subjects were obtained with a 32-channel Electroencephalogram (EEG). Two amplitude-modulated noise or speech sentences carrying distinct spatial information were presented concurrently. Each sound source was tagged with a unique modulation phase so that the phase of the recorded EEG signals indicated the sound being attended to. The phase-tagged sound was further filtered with head-related transfer functions to create the sense of virtual space. Subjects were required to pay attention to the sound source that best matched the location of a visual target. For all the subjects, the phase of a single sound could be accurately reflected over the majority of electrodes based on EEG responses of 90 s or less. The electrodes providing significant decoding performance on auditory attention were fewer and may require longer EEG responses. The reliability and efficiency of decoding with a single electrode varied with subjects. Overall, the virtual acoustic space protocol has the potential of being used in practical BCI systems.
Physiological Information Content of MIGET

Metrics derived from the multiple inert gas elimination technique (MIGET) can be chosen, depending on the research question at hand. The overall appearance of the ventilation-perfusion (\( {\dot{V}}_{\mathrm{A}}/\dot{Q} \)) distribution is informative. Normal subjects have narrow, unimodal, symmetrical distributions with \( {\dot{V}}_{\mathrm{A}}/\dot{Q} \) ratios of 0.3–3, exclusive of deadspace. In patients with lung disease, the distributions may be broad or multimodal. Fractional blood flow and ventilation can be partitioned into \( {V}_A/Q \) ratio domains to quantify contributions to each: deadspace (\( {\dot{V}}_{\mathrm{A}}/\dot{Q} \) ratio >100), high \( {\dot{V}}_{\mathrm{A}}/\dot{Q} \) (3.0–100), normal \( {\dot{V}}_{\mathrm{A}}/\dot{Q} \) (0.3–3.0), low \( {\dot{V}}_{\mathrm{A}}/\dot{Q} \) (0.3–0.005), and shunt <0.005. Central moments of the \( {\dot{V}}_{\mathrm{A}} \) and the \( \dot{Q} \) distribution are useful parameters, especially the second moments, \( \mathrm{LogSD},{\dot{V}}_{\mathrm{A}} \) and \( \mathrm{LogSD},Q \) for the ventilation and blood flow distributions, respectively. Dispersion parameters—known as Disp,R; Disp,E; Disp,R-E; and Disp,R-E*––similar to alveolar-arterial differences for O2 and CO2, can be derived directly from the retentions/excretions. Since inert gases are much less vulnerable to diffusion limitation across the blood/gas barrier than oxygen, this can be exploited and the expected arterial \( {P}_{{\mathrm{O}}_2} \) calculated from the observed \( {\dot{V}}_{\mathrm{A}}/\dot{Q} \) distribution. When diffusion limitation occurs, the actual arterial \( {P}_{{\mathrm{O}}_2} \) is less than expected. This difference is also used to compute a whole-lung O2-diffusing capacity. Finally, MIGET data can be used to infer information about incomplete gas-phase diffusive mixing or different lung structures such as in birds.
Computer-Based Oxygen Transport Scenario Analysis: A New Web-Based Medical Education Resource

This report describes a simple interactive HTML/JavaScript-based educational resource aimed at educating physiology students, medical students and physicians on the field of oxygen transport physiology. It can be run on almost all personal computers with a web browser that supports JavaScript.
Characteristic semi-rigid connection relationships for frame analysis and design

Publisher Summary Normalized moment-rotation relationships, representing different families of connections, are needed to facilitate the design of frames with semi-rigid connections. This chapter takes stock of some efforts to define and use normalized moment-rotation curves based on mechanistic models of the connection components. The goal is to illustrate one approach to how analytical equations for design analysis can be developed and applied. To focus attention on the overall framework of the problem, only the simple case of a top and seat angle connection (no web angles) is considered. This chapter utilizes mechanistic equations developed by Kishi and Chen for top and seat angle connections (without web angles) to elucidate some of the issues associated with development and application of such equations for design of semi-rigid frames.
Multi-Tracks Association for Underwater Passive Listening

This paper deals with the track to track association (TTA) problem in a multicontact underwater context: the large number of detected events over the whole surveillance area must be gathered in a synthetic way, whereas actual passive listening systems provide a large amount of redundancy. We focus specially on narrowband tracks and develop a statistical method, which clusters all measurements into subsets such that each track belongs only to one target.
Mucopolysaccharide quantitation in urine by LC-MS/MS

The mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) are a group of disorders caused by a deficiency of enzymes involved in the stepwise degradation of dermatan sulfate (DS), heparan sulfate (HS), keratan sulfate (KS), or chondroitin sulfate (CS). We describe a LC-MS/MS method modification for routine determination of MPS which improves upon the existing method with respect to sample volume, sample preparation, and reduces the potential for false positive and false negative diagnosis when relying on a qualitative method. DS, HS and KS are enzymatically digested to disaccharides by the addition of chondroitinase B, heparinase I, II, III, and keratanase, while CS is enzymatically digested to disaccharides by chondroitinase AC prior to LC-MS/MS analysis. Intra- and inter-assay precision was assessed using urine samples (N=3) of varying concentrations. Intra-assay precision CVs ranged from 4.7 - 8.4% for DS 4.9 - 10.4% for HS 4.1 - 9.1% for KS and 4.9 - 5.3% for CS, respectively (N=20). Inter-assay precision CVs ranged from 10.9 - 14.2% for DS 8.9 - 14.9% for HS 9.2 - 14.8% for KS and 6.9 - 8.8% for CS, respectively in the same specimens (N=20). Three urine specimens spiked with MPS standard solutions at 2 levels exhibited recoveries ranging from 88% - 112%. Pediatric urine (age 1 day -
Goodwill without Guidance: College Student Outreach Practitioner Training

Chemistry-specific informal science education (chemistry outreach) is widely practiced across all levels of the chemistry community. College students associated with American Chemical Society and Alpha Chi Sigma collegiate chapters are one population of chemistry outreach practitioners who reach upward of 1 million people every year. Previous studies of this population have characterized their goals/purposes for conducting outreach, their understanding of the chemistry content underlying common demonstrations/activities, as well as their teaching and learning beliefs that they bring to their outreach teaching. The study reported herein provides another characterization of this population’s chemistry outreach practices by focusing on the training experiences they receive prior to facilitating events. Using a combination of inductive and deductive approaches, training experiences and perceived gaps in training are characterized and compared to stages of the Cognitive Apprenticeship Theory. Results indicate ...
Abstract A57: GPCRs as potential therapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by a dense fibrotic stromal matrix, composed of activated fibroblasts/stellate cells, inflammatory cells and other cell types. This unique tumor microenvironment has been increasingly recognized as a key mediator of PDAC progression and drug resistance. Thus, targeting the tumor stroma may be a novel therapeutic approach for PDAC. We hypothesized that G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) expressed by pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) may be potential therapeutic targets for PDAC. To begin to test this hypothesis, we used an unbiased GPCRomic array approach to identify and quantify the GPCRs expressed by pancreatic CAFs. We found 104 GPCRs, whose expression was shared in CAFs obtained from the primary tumors of five patients. Among those GPCRs, 35 had at least two-fold higher expression in the CAFs compared to normal pancreatic fibroblasts and included GPCRs that link to each of the major classes of G proteins. RT-PCR analysis of the 10 most up-regulated GPCRs correlated well (r2=0.82) with the data from the GPCR array. We conclude that: 1) GPCRomic array analysis can identify and quantify the profile of GPCRs expressed by pancreatic CAFs; 2) the CAF-expressed profile differs from that of normal pancreatic fibroblasts and 3) GPCRs expressed by CAFs may have functional roles and be novel therapeutic targets for PDAC. Citation Format: Shu Zhou, Thalia McCann, Randall French, Andrew Lowy, Paul Insel. GPCRs as potential therapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Innovations in Research and Treatment; May 18-21, 2014; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(13 Suppl):Abstract nr A57.
8.1 A 93.8% Peak Efficiency, 5V-Input, 10A Max I LOAD Flying Capacitor Multilevel Converter in 22nm CMOS Featuring Wide Output Voltage Range and Flying Capacitor Precharging

Power delivery for compute SoCs has become a major challenge due to increasing current demands, shrinking form factors, as well as highly dynamic load patterns. Traditional inductive topologies like buck converters still require large inductances since switching frequencies cannot be increased without degrading efficiency. As a result, converter sizes are difficult to scale and transient responses are slow. On the other hand, switched capacitor converters (SCCs) are promising for small form factors and offer fast transient response since they do not require large inductors. However, SCCs can achieve high efficiency only at fixed conversion ratios, thus limiting their usage since a wide continuous range of input and output voltages are needed in SoC platforms. Hybrid converters offer the combined benefits of conventional buck and SC topologies [1]–[3]. They can provide superior power density and efficiency by reducing both inductance and capacitance requirements significantly. Since they use stacked low voltage transistors like SCCs, higher switching frequencies can be achieved without degrading efficiency. In addition, soft-charging of the flying capacitors through the inductor eliminates charge-sharing losses present in pure SCCs.
Dynamic safety in collaborative robot workspaces through a network of devices fulfilling functional safety requirements

Safety in human-robot cooperation is a non-optional property of any modern robot manufacturing application. All actions and settings, in terms of hardware and software, are intended to prevent hazards. In the domain of workspace sharing, with Speed and Separation Monitoring (SSM) modes, some safety-critical components can rely on safety-rated localization of users and safe computation of kinematical entities. Common to sensing and algorithms, some core functions are likely to be distributed in a network of devices, not necessarily sharing a safety-rated fieldbus. On the computation side, floatingpoint algorithms are never performed in state-of-the-art applica-tions compliant with current regulation. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the use of unsafe devices and protocols for safety functions considering functional safety at system level. On top of that, realistic conditions in networking are directly affecting one of the principal parameters of safety, which is protection distances. Some experimental data are reported in the case of dynamic SSM, based on trajectory-dependent safeguarding volumes computed at runtime.
Changes in Iron Metabolism Induced by Anti-Interleukin-6 Receptor Monoclonal Antibody are Associated with an Increased Risk of Infection

(1) Background: Treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with an anti-IL-6 receptor (anti-IL-6R) monoclonal antibody (tocilizumab) has been found to influence iron metabolism. The objective of the present study was to ascertain whether changes in iron metabolism induced by anti-IL-6R biologic therapy were independently associated with an increased infection risk. (2) Methods: A prospective longitudinal study of patients with RA treated with tocilizumab was conducted. RA patients treated with an antitumor necrosis factor α monoclonal antibody were also included as a control group. The primary outcome was occurrence of infection during the first 24 months of biologic therapy. (3) Results: A total of 15 patients were included, with a mean age of 51.0 ± 4,1 and 73.3% (n = 11) female. A multivariate survival regression model, adjusted for confounding factors, was fitted for each of the iron metabolism variables. Hazard ratios for being above the median of each parameter was considered. Transferrin saturation above the median value (>32.1%) was associated with a higher infection risk (HR 4.3; 95%CI 1.0–19.69; p = 0.05). Similarly, although non-significantly, higher serum iron was strongly associated with infection occurrence. (4) Conclusions: This study identified a probable association between infection risk and higher serum iron and transferrin saturation in patients with RA on anti-IL-6R biologic therapy. We suggest that both these parameters should be considered relevant contributing factors for infection occurrence in patients on anti-IL-6R therapy.
Central Nervous System Drug Delivery After Ischemic or Hemorrhagic Stroke

Abstract Drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) after stroke aims to prevent neuronal damage by mitigating primary and secondary brain injury, and by promoting angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and synaptogenesis. Stroke treatment strategies include early revascularization through delivery of thrombolytics to recanalize intracranial vessels and delivery of therapeutics for neuroprotection. CNS drug delivery is complicated by the blood–brain barrier and by the functional changes that occur after acute stroke, which can prevent CNS localization. These functional changes cause variability in blood–brain barrier permeability and decrease penetrance of therapeutics. Treatment delivery to the CNS can be systemic or it can be directed locally. In this review, we discuss routes of CNS delivery for therapeutic applications after ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, with an emphasis on past and ongoing clinical trials.
Association of HLA locus alleles with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Abstract Background Immune dysregulation has been widely observed in those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An individual’s immune response is shaped, in part, by the highly polymorphic Human Leukocyte Antigen ( HLA ) locus that is associated with major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between common HLA alleles and PTSD. Methods Genome-wide association data was used to predict alleles of 7 classical polymorphic HLA genes ( A, B, C, DRB1, DQA1, DQB1, DPB1 ) in 403 lifetime PTSD cases and 369 trauma exposed controls of African ancestry. Association of HLA allelic variations with lifetime PTSD was analyzed using logistic regression, controlling for ancestry, sex and multiple comparisons. The effect of HLA alleles on gene expression was assessed by weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA), using 353 subjects with available expression data. Enrichment analysis was performed using anRichment to identify associated pathways of each module. Results HLA-B*58:01 (p= 0.035), HLA-C*07:01 (p= 0.035) , HLA-DQA1*01:01 (p= 0.003) , HLA-DQB1*05:01 (p= 0.009) and HLA-DPB1*17: 01 (p= 0.017) were more common in PTSD cases, while HLA-A*02:01 (p= 0.026) , HLA-DQA1*05:05 (p= 0.011) and HLA-DRB1*11:01 (p Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report an association of HLA alleles with PTSD. Altogether, our results support the link between the immune system, brain and PTSD.
Measurements and models of the correlation of redundant spatial coherence measurements for the incoherently scattered field

Sonar systems that exploit correlation for navigation, such as correlation velocity logs and micronavigation for synthetic aperture sonar, often make redundant estimates of the spatial coherence of the scattered field at several spatial lags. Two models for the correlation of these redundant measurements are described. First, an analytical model is derived using the assumption of stationary Gaussian statistics. Next, a numerical model is described that accounts for non-stationary processes present in measurements of seafloor scattering. These models are compared to normal-incidence scattering data collected at Seneca Lake, NY. Both models show good agreement with the measurements when the spatial separation between redundant hydrophone pairs is less than the coherence length. At greater spatial separation, the analytical model diverges from the measurements. This disagreement is explained by a lack of stationarity in the measured data which is captured by the numerical model. Finally, spatial variations in the volume scattering strength of the sediment are identified as a source of the non-stationarity in the measurements.
Black sexual economies: race and sex in a culture of capital: edited by Adrienne D. Davis and the BSE Collective, Urbana, University of Illinois Press, 2019, x + 291 pp., £21.99 (paperback), ISBN 9780252084485

Black Sexual Economics: Race and Sex in a Culture of Capital is a collection of ideas and papers presented at the Black Sexual Economies: Conference on Transforming Black Sexualities Research, held...
In silico analysis of the immunological landscape of pituitary adenomas

Immunotherapy has gained traction in the treatment of solid tumors but the immunological landscape of pituitary adenomas is not well defined. We sought to investigate the immunological composition in pituitary adenomas using RNA deconvolution (CIBERSORTx) on an existing gene expression dataset for pituitary adenomas. We applied an established computational approach (CIBERSORTx) on 134 pituitary adenomas from a previously published gene expression dataset to infer the proportions of 22 subsets of immune cells. We investigated associations between each immune cell type and tumor subtype. We found that the majority of infiltrating immune cells within pituitary adenomas were comprised of M2 macrophages followed by resting CD4+ memory T cells and mast cells. Silent pituitary tumors have higher M2 macrophage fractions when compared to other subtypes. In contrast, Cushing pituitary tumors, both overt and subclinical cases, had higher CD8+ T cells fractions than GH tumors, prolactinomas, hyperthyroid tumors, and silent tumors. RNA deconvolution of the immune infiltrates of pituitary adenomas using CIBERSORTx suggests that most pituitary adenomas comprise of M2 macrophages, but each adenoma subtype has a unique immune landscape. This may have implications in targeting each adenoma subtype with different immunotherapies.
Mild COVID-19 infection despite chronic B cell depletion in a patient with aquaporin-4-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which affects the lung and other organs. After an incubation period of 3-14 days, the infection presents with symptoms of variable severity, from mild flu-like disease to severe pneumonia and cytokine storm with increased mortality. Immunosuppressed patients may have higher risk of adverse outcomes; hence, there is an urgent need to evaluate the immune response and clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in these patients. Here, we report a 59-year-old woman with aquaporin-4-positive (AQPR4+) neuromyelitis Optica treated with rituximab who developed mild respiratory symptoms with COVID-19, despite B cell depletion at the time of infection.
Using C-Doping to Identify Photocatalytic Properties of Graphitic Carbon Nitride That Govern Antibacterial Efficacy

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a promising photocatalyst for bacterial disinfection. Herein, carbon doping (C-doping) was employed to manipulate g-C3N4 physicochemical properties and demonstr...