cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The fine structure of spermatid-associated, extracellular tubules in the schizopod Mysis oculata relicta.

Developing spermatids of Mysis oculata relicta , found embedded within spermatic duct epithelial cells, are surrounded by extracellular tubules. During late spermiogenesis, tubules disintegrate into 60–90 A, constituent filaments and amorphous electron-opaque masses in the spermatic duct and seminal vesicle. The significance of these tubules is discussed in terms of the suggested functions and composition of similar tubules found in testes of a wide variety of animal and plant species. It is concluded that the tubules in all species may have a common function and composition.
Muscle activity differs with load compliance during fatiguing contractions with the knee extensor muscles

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of load compliance on the time to failure and rate of change in electromyographic (EMG) activity when the knee extensor muscles performed fatiguing contractions against submaximal loads. The low-compliance condition required the subject to exert a force against a rigid restraint (force control), whereas the high-compliance condition involved maintaining the knee joint angle while supporting an equivalent inertial load (position control). Both contractions were sustained for as long as possible. Each subject exerted a similar net torque about the knee joint during the force and position tasks; the target force corresponded to a force at the ankle equal to 20% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force. Thirteen healthy adults (25 ± 7 year) participated in the study. MVC forces before the force and position tasks were similar (189 ± 40 N vs. 179 ± 43 N, P = 0.4), and the target force was 36 ± 8 N. The time to task failure was longer for the force task (224 ± 114 s) than for the position task (110 ± 36 s, P < 0.05), but MVC force declined to a similar level immediately after task failure for the two tasks (−31 ± 16%). The briefer time to failure for the position task was accompanied by greater rates of increase in agonist EMG amplitude and the pressor response. Coactivation ratios, in contrast, were similar for the two tasks and did not contribute to task differences in time to failure. These findings indicate that it was more difficult to sustain a submaximal contraction with the knee extensor muscles when the task required position control, despite comparable net muscle torques for the low- and high-compliance tasks.
Forced Labor in Colonial West Africa

During the colonial period in West Africa, European officials and businessmen faced a perennial shortage of labor; their response was to rely on coercion. Despite their rhetoric of “free wage labor,” colonial officials thought Africans needed encouragement to understand time and work discipline. Africans continually resisted, making forced labor inefficient and costly. West Africans incorporated the European rhetoric of the abolition of slavery, free wage labor and workers’ benefits into their protests against colonial labor practices. By the late 1940s, most forms of forced labor had been abolished.
A preliminary study of an alternative controlled drainage strategy in surface drainage ditches: Low-grade weirs

This study examined hydrological characteristics of low-grade weirs, an alternative controlled drainage strategy in surface drainage ditches. Chemographs of vegetated and clear scraped (control) replicates of weir vs. non-weir treatments were compared to determine differences in time to peak (Tp) and time to base (Tb). Drainage ditches Tp and Tb were affected by both vegetation and weir presence. The order of treatment efficiency for Tp was observed to be: non-vegetated non-weir non-vegetated weir > vegetated non-weir > non-vegetated nonweir. Low-grade weirs increase chemical retention time (vegetated and clear scraped), the average time a molecule of contaminant remains in the system. Future research in water quality improvement and weir management will yield useful information for non-point source pollutant reduction.
Confirmation of the mapping of a 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate promotion susceptibility locus, Psl1, to distal mouse chromosome 9.

Susceptibility to two-stage skin carcinogenesis in the mouse is affected by several genes. In addition, studies suggest that genes that modify the response of mice to skin tumor promotion by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) also may influence histologic changes in the skin as the result of TPA treatment. One TPA susceptibility locus, Psl1, previously was mapped to distal chromosome 9. The mapping of this locus was confirmed by marker-based genotypic selection. Furthermore, Psl1 or a gene closely linked to Psl1 influenced epidermal hyperplasia and epidermal labeling index of mice treated with TPA.
The mode of action and neurotoxicity of mirex, chlordecone, and four hydrogenated mirex analogs

Abstract The toxicity and neurological effects of mirex, chlordecone, and four hydrogenated mirex analogs were evaluated on the American cockroach. The severity of poisoning symptoms correlated with the ability of each compound to increase spontaneous activity and prolong synaptic afterdischarge in ganglia of the ventral nerve cord. Afterdischarge across the metathoracic ganglion was consistent with a characteristic wing splaying symptom in mirex-poisoned cockroaches. The actions of hemicholinium-3 and nicotine on nerve cords from mirex-poisoned cockroaches are described and are consistent with a hypothesis that the increased spontaneous activity and afterdischarge are the result of enhanced transmitter release in ganglia of poisoned animals.
Molecular genetics of age-related macular degeneration

The numerous conditions that clinicians group under the term 'age-related macular degeneration' (AMD) are collectively the most common cause of severe visual loss in the developed world. Moreover, the number of people affected by these diseases is expected to nearly double in the next 25 years. A growing body of data suggests that a large fraction of AMD is caused by genetic factors. As a result, numerous investigators have sought genes that contribute to this disorder. At least six genes have now been identified that cause heritable macular disease, but none of these seem to cause even a moderate fraction of AMD. Affected pedigree member studies suggest that some regions of the genome do harbor AMD predisposing genes, but none have yet been identified by this approach. Studies of human donor tissue have yielded important new insights into pathways associated with AMD. These studies, when combined with the power of genetic approaches, are likely to ultimately reveal a set of genes responsible for a sizeable fraction of AMD.
The Staphylococcus aureus extracellular adherence protein (Eap) adopts an elongated but structured conformation in solution.

The extracellular adherence protein (Eap) of Staphylococcus aureus participates in a wide range of protein–protein interactions that facilitate the initiation and dissemination of Staphylococcal disease. In this report, we describe the use of a multidisciplinary approach to characterize the solution structure of full-length Eap. In contrast to previous reports suggesting that a six-domain isoform of Eap undergoes multimerization, sedimentation equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation data revealed that a four-domain isoform of Eap is a monomer in solution. In vitro proteolysis and solution small angle X-ray scattering studies both indicate that Eap adopts an extended conformation in solution, where the linkers connecting sequential EAP modules are solvent exposed. Construction of a low-resolution model of full-length Eap using a combination of ab initio deconvolution of the SAXS data and rigid body modeling of the EAP domain crystal structure suggests that full-length Eap may present several unique concave surfaces capable of participating in ligand binding. These results also raise the possibility that such surfaces may be held together by additional interactions between adjacent EAP modules. This hypothesis is supported by a comparative Raman spectroscopic analysis of full-length Eap and a stoichiometric solution of the individual EAP modules, which indicates the presence of additional secondary structure and a greater extent of hydrogen/deuterium exchange protection in full-length Eap. Our results provide the first insight into the solution structure of full-length Eap and an experimental basis for interpreting the EAP domain crystal structures within the context of the full-length molecule. They also lay a foundation for future studies into the structural and molecular bases of Eap-mediated protein–protein interactions with its many ligands.
Escherichia coli sequence type 131 is a dominant, antimicrobial-resistant clonal group associated with healthcare and elderly hosts.

(See the commentary by Rogers and Doi, on pages 370–372.)Objective. To determine prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of infection due to Escherichia coli sequence type ST131.Design. Retrospective cohort.Setting. All healthcare settings in Olmsted County, Minnesota (eg, community hospital, tertiary care center, long-term care facilities, and ambulatory clinics).Patients. Ambulatory and hospitalized children and adults with extraintestinal E. coli isolates.Methods. We analyzed 299 consecutive, nonduplicate extraintestinal E. coli isolates submitted to Olmsted County laboratories in February and March 2011. ST131 was identified using single-nucleotide polymorphism polymerase chain reaction and further evaluated through pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Associated clinical data were abstracted through medical record review.Results. Most isolates were from urine specimens (90%), outpatients (68%), and community-associated infections (61%). ST131 accounted for 27% of isolates overall and for a larger proportio...
Ethics and the Quest for Wisdom: Introduction: pluralism and uncertainty

ANCIENT WISDOM, MODERN CHALLENGES For most ancient and medieval thinkers of the Western tradition, theoretical and practical inquiry, fact and value, scientific explanation and purpose, merged in an overall quest for wisdom. Knowledge of facts about the natural world and human beings would tell us what was good and valuable. Theoretical inquiry into the nature of things ( theoria ) would answer practical questions about how to live ( praxis ); and explanations of why things behaved as they do, including humans, would tell us what ends or purposes they should pursue. We know how this worked for the great ancient thinkers. Aristotle held that among the archai or explaining causes of all things were final causes or ends that tell us what was worth striving for, for each thing. And for Plato, the intelligible world included not only mathematical forms that inform us about the structure of the natural world, but also ideal forms, such as Justice and Beauty, that tell us what to strive for. As a consequence, for these ancient thinkers, theory and practice, fact and value, explanation and purpose, were inextricably linked. The modern age, by contrast, is characterized by what Hegel called “sunderings” ( Entzweiungen ) of these and many other contrasts. There has been a tendency in the modern era to pry apart considerations of (1) fact from value, (2) theoretical inquiry from practical inquiry (about the good) and (3) scientific explanation from purpose, with the consequence that the unified quest for wisdom of the ancient philosophers was threatened as well.
Radiotherapy for head and neck cancers

Radiotherapy for head and neck cancers , Radiotherapy for head and neck cancers , کتابخانه دیجیتال جندی شاپور اهواز
Evaporation study at Silver Lake in the Mojave Desert, California

Silver Lake is located in the Mojave Desert north of Baker, California. It was formed within a period of three days as a result of a flood in the Mojave River in March 1938. Previously the lake had been dry for several years. Its maximum size was seven miles long and three miles wide. After this flood, daily observations were made of temperature, humidity, wind movement, precipitation, and pan evaporation at a Class A Weather Bureau evaporation station established adjacent to the lake, and of changes in water level and temperatures of the lake from May 1938 to April 1939. This paper presents a summary of these measurements. No inflow or outflow occurred during the study and the lake was entirely dry at the end of the following year. Borings in the tight clay lake bottom indicated there were no losses by seepage. The purpose of the study was to determine coefficients for converting pan evaporation to lake evaporation and to develop an empirical relation between evaporation and meteorological factors, under desert conditions. The results show that annual evaporation from Silver Lake was about 79 inches for the period of observation, and that a coefficient of 0.60 could be used in reducing Weather Bureau pan evaporation to lake evaporation in desert areas with similar climate.
Regulated Expression of a Sindbis Virus Replicon by Herpesvirus Promoters

We describe the use of herpesvirus promoters to regulate the expression of a Sindbis virus replicon (SINrep/LacZ). We isolated cell lines that contain the cDNA of SINrep/LacZ under the control of a promoter from a herpesvirus early gene which requires regulatory proteins encoded by immediate-early genes for expression. Wild-type Sindbis virus and replicons derived from this virus cause death of most vertebrate cells, but the cells discussed here grew normally and expressed the replicon and β-galactosidase only after infection with a herpesvirus. Vero cell lines in which the expression of SINrep/LacZ was regulated by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infected-cell protein 8 promoter were generated. One Vero cell line (V3-45N) contained, in addition to the SINrep/LacZ cDNA, a Sindbis virus-defective helper cDNA which provides the structural proteins for packaging the replicon. Infection of V3-45N cells with HSV-1 resulted in the production of packaged SINrep/LacZ replicons. HSV-1 induction of the Sindbis virus replicon and packaging and spread of the replicon led to enhanced expression of the reporter gene, suggesting that this type of cell could be used to develop sensitive assays to detect herpesviruses. We also isolated a mink lung cell line that was transformed with SINrep/LacZ cDNA under the control of the promoter from the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) early gene UL45. HCMV carries out an abortive infection in mink lung cells, but it was able to induce the SINrep/LacZ replicon. These results, and those obtained with an HSV-1 mutant, demonstrate that this type of signal amplification system could be valuable for detecting herpesviruses for which a permissive cell culture system is not available.
Testing supersymmetry at the Next Linear Collider.

Up to now, almost all discussion of supersymmetry at future colliders has been concerned with particle searches. However, if candidates for supersymmetric particles are found, there is much more that we will want to know about them. Supersymmetry predicts quantitative relations among the couplings and masses of supersymmetric particles. We discuss the prospects for testing such relations at a future ${\mathit{e}}^{+}$${\mathit{e}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ linear collider, using measurements that exploit the availability of polarized beams. Precision tests from chargino production are investigated in two representative cases, and sfermion and neutralino processes are also discussed.
A new reliability model for post-cycling charge retention of flash memories

A well-known effect in flash memories is stress-induced leakage in a small fraction of memory cells after program/erase cycling. This paper presents a comprehensive statistical reliability model with an excellent fit to data collected on several technology generations in multi-year bakes. The leakage current is exponential in voltage and has a low but nonzero activation energy. The statistical variation is Weibull. The fraction of cells affected scales as a power law in cycle count, with significant dependence on the vertical and horizontal electric fields in cycling but little on the cycling temperature. A single model equation comprehends all of these effects. The mechanism anneals or recovers at moderate temperatures in a manner sensitive to processing details, which are discussed. A new technique is introduced to deduce the number of traps involved in the trap-assisted-tunneling (percolation) paths by correlating the effect to oxide trap density using cycling-induced erase-time push-out. The results suggest that the percolation paths consist of only a small number of traps, most likely two. Contrary to predictions that this mechanism is a hard barrier to scaling of flash memory, we show that it has been possible to reduce the effect by several orders of magnitude over the course of several generations of technology scaling.
Diet of juvenile Alabama shad ( Alosa alabamae ) in two northern Gulf of Mexico drainages

Understanding food-web ecology is valuable to conservation by linking interactions of multiple species together and illustrating the functionality of trophic exchange. Alosa alabamae (Alabama Shad), an anadromous species, reproduces in northern Gulf of Mexico drainages from February through May, and for this study, the Pascagoula and Apalachicola rivers were chosen to sample juvenile Alabama Shad. The age-0 fish mature within these rivers and have the potential to impact the food web of the systems in which maturation occurs. The focus was to determine if diet changes as Alabama Shad mature, and to identify diet differences between drainages. Diets of Alabama Shad 50 mm SL, fed almost exclusively on insects. Many groups of aquatic and terrestrial insects were found in the stomachs of this species. Alabama Shad diets also differed among drainages, with the Apalachicola River being dominated by terrestrial insects, and the Pascagoula River having both terrestrial and aquatic insects. Diet and trophic placement of Alabama Shad may allow managers to understand the importance of this fish within its natal rivers.
Experience with Collaborating Managers: Node Group Manager and Provisioning Manager

This paper presents an autonomic system in which two managers with different responsibilities collaborate to achieve an overall objective. The first, a node group manager, uses modeling and optimization algorithms to allocate server processes and individual requests among a set of server machines grouped into node groups, and also estimates its ability to fulfill its service-level objectives as a function of the number of server machines available in each node group. The second, a provisioning manager, consumes these estimates from one or more node group managers, and uses them to allocate machines to node groups over a longer timescale. We describe the operation of both managers and the information that flows between them, and present the results of a simple experiment demonstrating the effectiveness of our technique. Furthermore, we relate our architecture to a general autonomic computing architecture based on self-managing resources and patterns of inter-resource collaboration. We also discuss some of the issues involved in incorporating our implementation into existing products in the short term, and describe a number of further directions for this research
Detecting continuity violations in infancy: a new account and new evidence from covering and tube events

Recent research on infants' responses to occlusion and containment events indicates that, although some violations of the continuity principle are detected at an early age e.g. Aguiar, A., & Baillargeon, R. (1999). 2.5-month-old infants' reasoning about when objects should and should not be occluded. Cognitive Psychology 39, 116-157; Hespos, S. J., & Baillargeon, R. (2001). Knowledge about containment events in very young infants. Cognition 78, 207-245; Luo, Y., & Baillargeon, R. (in press). When the ordinary seems unexpected: Evidence for rule-based reasoning in young infants. Cognition; Wilcox, T., Nadel, L., & Rosser, R. (1996). Location memory in healthy preterm and full-term infants. Infant Behavior & Development 19, 309-323, others are not detected until much later e.g. Baillargeon, R., & DeVos, J. (1991). Object permanence in young infants: Further evidence. Child Development 62, 1227-1246; Hespos, S. J., & Baillargeon, R. (2001). Infants' knowledge about occlusion and containment events: A surprising discrepancy. Psychological Science 12, 140-147; Luo, Y., & Baillargeon, R. (2004). Infants' reasoning about events involving transparent occluders and containers. Manuscript in preparation; Wilcox, T. (1999). Object individuation: Infants' use of shape, size, pattern, and color. Cognition 72, 125-166. The present research focused on events involving covers or tubes, and brought to light additional examples of early and late successes in infants' ability to detect continuity violations. In Experiment 1, 2.5- to 3-month-old infants were surprised (1) when a cover was lowered over an object, slid to the right, and lifted to reveal no object; and (2) when a cover was lowered over an object, slid behind the left half of a screen, lifted above the screen, moved to the right, lowered behind the right half of the screen, slid past the screen, and finally lifted to reveal the object. In Experiments 2 and 3, 9- and 11-month-old infants were not surprised when a short cover was lowered over a tall object until it became fully hidden; only 12-month-old infants detected this violation. Finally, in Experiment 4, 9-, 12-, and 13-month-old infants were not surprised when a tall object was lowered inside a short tube until it became fully hidden; only 14-month-old infants detected this violation. A new account of infants' physical reasoning attempts to make sense of all of these results. New research directions suggested by the account are also discussed.
The impact of mycophenolate mofetil versus azathioprine as adjunctive therapy to cyclosporine on the rates of renal allograft loss due to glomerular disease recurrence

Background. Given the reported efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in the treatment of glomerular diseases, we question whether MMF can reduce the rate of renal allograft loss due to glomerular disease recurrence compared to azathioprine (AZA) as adjunctive therapy to cyclosporine (CSA)-based immunosuppression. Methods. This is a retrospective study based on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network for Organ Sharing (OPTN/UNOS) database designed to compare the Kaplan–Meier rates of graft loss due to disease recurrence stratified by primary renal diagnoses between recipients receiving CSA 1 AZA versus CSA 1 MMF. Recipients of primary kidney transplants (both deceased donor and living, related and unrelated) renal transplants performed between 1 January 1988 and 31 December 2007 with the primary renal diagnosis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN), membranous glomerulonephropathy (MGN), membranoproliferative glomerulonephropathy (MPGN), lupus nephritis (LN) or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) with a functioning allograft at discharge were included. Results. Seven thousand eight hundred and twenty-six recipients of primary deceased donor kidney transplants (DDKT) [CSA 1 AZA: IgAN (890), MGN (380), MPGN (193), LN (1324), FSGS (1314) and CSA 1 MMF: IgAN (855), MGN (614), MPGN (116), LN (715), FSGS (1425)] and 5498 recipients of living donor kidney transplants (LDKT) [CSA 1 AZA: IgAN (694), MGN (229), MPGN (100), LN (592), FSGS (654) and CSA 1 MMF: IgAN (1066), MGN (435), MPGN (89), LN (530), FSGS (1109)] were included in the analysis. At 10-year follow-up (mean duration was 5.6 to 6.7 6 1.8 years in DDKT and 6.2 to 7.4 6 1.7 years in LDKT), mean times of transplantation (era of transplantation) were: 1992 6 1.6 years and 2002 6 1.9 years for the CSA 1 AZA and CSA 1 MMF groups, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the Kaplan–Meier rates of graft loss due to disease recurrence of any glomerular disease studied between the CSA 1 AZA and CSA 1 MMF groups in either DDKT or LDKT recipients. Chi-square analysis revealed no statistically significant difference between the two immunosuppressive regimen groups in terms of age, gender and ethnic background. Conclusion. The OPTN/UNOS database revealed no difference in the rates of renal allograft loss due to disease recurrence of IgAN, MGN, MPGN, LN and FSGS among recipients receiving either CSA 1 AZA or CSA 1 MMF maintenance immunosuppressive therapy at 10-year follow-up.
Mechanical Axis Following Staple Epiphysiodesis for Limb-Length Inequality

Background: Staple epiphysiodesis is an option for the treatment of limb-length discrepancies, but it is not without complications. The purpose of this study was to review the outcomes of staple epiphysiodesis, including changes in the mechanical axis. Methods: The study included patients who underwent, between 1990 and 2005, staple epiphysiodesis of the femur or tibia, or both, to address limb-length discrepancy. We reviewed preoperative, postoperative, and final long standing anteroposterior radiographs of fifty-four patients to assess limb-length discrepancy, shifts in the mechanical axis, changes in the mechanical axis zone, and changes in the anatomic lateral distal femoral angle and the medial proximal tibial angle. Postoperative radiographs were also reviewed to assess the adequacy of staple placement. Results: Three staple epiphysiodesis groups were identified: fifteen patients who underwent a distal femoral staple epiphysiodesis, eighteen who underwent a proximal tibial procedure, and twenty-one who underwent combined distal femoral and proximal tibial procedures. Fifty percent (twenty-seven) of the fifty-four patients showed a shift in the mechanical axis of ≥1 cm as compared with the preoperative measurement. Eighty-nine percent of these large shifts were varus in nature. The proximal tibial and combined epiphysiodeses resulted in significantly larger shifts in the mechanical axis (p = 0.002 and p = 0.006, respectively) and zone changes (p = 0.009 and p = 0.006, respectively) than did the distal femoral procedures. Six patients ultimately underwent a high tibial osteotomy to correct a post-stapling varus deformity. The proximal-lateral aspect of the tibia was by far the most common location for inadequate staple placement. Conclusions: Mechanical axis deviation is common following staple epiphysiodesis for the treatment of limb-length discrepancy. Proximal tibial and combined distal femoral and proximal tibial staple epiphysiodeses, even if done well technically, lead to clinically relevant shifts in the mechanical axis of the lower extremity more than half of the time. Distal femoral staple epiphysiodesis may still be a safe option for the treatment of limb-length discrepancy, but we advise caution when utilizing proximal tibial staple epiphysiodesis to treat limb-length inequality. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Comparison of Techniques for Folding and Unfolding Mössbauer Spectra for Data Analysis

A Mossbauer spectrum of intensity I vs Doppler energy shift δ can be represented by $$I\left( \delta \right) = C\int_\infty ^\infty {S\left( {\delta - E} \right)\exp } \left[ { - t \cdot \sigma \left( E \right)} \right]dE + B$$ (1) where S is the source line shape, a is the cross section for nuclear absorption of recoilless gamma rays, and t represents the absorber thickness including the effects of the Mossbauer fraction for the absorber. The constant C includes the magnitude of the flux incident on the absorber and the Mossbauer fraction of the source. The constant B is that part of the radiation transmitted by the absorber which could not have been resonantly absorbed.
Facilitators of HIV Medical Care Engagement Among Former Prisoners

Linkage to and retention in medical care is a concern for HIV-positive individuals leaving custody settings in the United States. The minimal existing research points to low rates of entry into care in the months following release and lapsed viral control among releasees who are subsequently reincarcerated. We conducted seven small focus group discussions with 27 HIVpositive individuals who were recently incarcerated in a California State prison to understand those factors that facilitated linkage to and retention in HIV care following their release. We used a consensual approach to code and analyze the focus group transcripts. Four main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) interpersonal relationships, (2) professional relationships, (3) coping strategies and resources, and (4) individual attitudes. Improving HIV-related outcomes among individuals after their release from prison requires strengthening supportive relationships, fostering the appropriate attitudes and skills, and ensuring access to resources that stabilize daily living and facilitate the process of accessing care.
Correspondence re: S. A. Khan et al., The normal breast epithelium of women with breast cancer displays an aberrant response to estradiol. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomark. Prev., 8: 867-872, 1999.

S. A. Khan et al. [(1)][1] in their case-control study on serum estradiol and progesterone levels and expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors and epithelial proliferation observed an inverse correlation of serum estradiol with estrogen receptor only in control women and a direct
Using Segmentation Approaches for Better Prediction and Understanding from Consumer Mode Choice Models

The diagnostic and predictive efficacy of market segmentation and the relative power of two segmentation schemes (benefit and situational) are investigated by using a market share probabilistic cho...
Development of High Temperature and Pressure Eh And Ph Sensing Instruments

The design, testing, and calibration of metallic Eh and zirconia pH sensors for use at elevated temperatures and pressures are discussed.
Rapamycin transiently induces mitochondrial remodeling to reprogram energy metabolism in old hearts

Rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTOR signaling, has been shown to reverse diastolic dysfunction in old mice in 10 weeks, highlighting its therapeutic potential for a poorly treatable condition. However, the mechanisms and temporal regulation of its cardiac benefits remain unclear. We show that improved diastolic function in old mice begins at 2-4 weeks, progressing over the course of 10-week treatment. While TORC1-mediated S6 phosphorylation and TORC2 mediated AKT and PKCα phosphorylation are inhibited throughout the course of treatment, rapamycin inhibits ULK phosphorylation and induces autophagy during just the first week of treatment, returning to baseline at two weeks and after. Concordantly, markers of mitochondrial biogenesis increase over the first two weeks of treatment and return to control levels thereafter. This transient induction of autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis suggests that damaged mitochondria are replaced by newly synthesized ones to rejuvenate mitochondrial homeostasis. This remodeling is shown to rapidly reverse the age-related reduction in fatty acid oxidation to restore a more youthful substrate utilization and energetic profile in old isolated perfused hearts, and modulates the myocardial metabolomein vivo. This study demonstrates the differential and dynamic mechanisms following rapamycin treatment and highlights the importance of understanding the temporal regulation of rapamycin effects.
Study on Feed-forward Control of the Grid-side Converter in Direct-drive Wind Power

Direct-drive wind power is the trend of the future wind power development. The main topologies of directdrive wind farm were analyzed in detail. In this case,diode rectifier,DC chopper and controlled inverter topology structure were adopted,and the feed-forward decoupling control and feed-forward compensation control of the grid side inverter were verified using Matlab/Simulink. The grid voltage feed-forward compensation control,the output power feedforward compensation control,and the generator output power as feed-forward compensation factors were put forward; and the effect of a variety of three feed-forward compensation control active at the same time for direct-drive wind power was analyzed. The results of simulation show that these types of control can help improving the stable output of active power and the stability of the DC voltage of inverter,of which the effect of using three feed- forward compensation control active at the same time is the best.
Case control study of influence factors for HCV infection in Yanbian

Objective To investigate the influence factors for HCV infection in Yanbian.Methods A 1:2 matched case-control study was conducted.222 Hepatitis C patients and 444 controls were recruited from hospitals.Results Multivariate analysis identified 3 influence factors for Hepatitis C patients: history of migrant work(OR=3.00),living with Hepatitis C patients or people with positive anti-HCV antibody tests(OR=2.84) and history of surgery(OR=1.84).Conclusion History of migrant work,living with Hepatitis C patients or people with positive anti-HCV antibody tests and history of surgery may be risk factors for Hepatitis C in Yanbian.
Physics of the EBIS and Its Ions

Low-energy/high-charge-state ions are extraordinary objects. Chemically, they are the most reactive species in the universe; they will locally destroy any piece of matter they come close to. Interaction of one such ion with any molecule will result in the nearly instant explosion of the molecule. They present almost a “black electrostatic hole” to electrons regardless of where they are found. A single bare Xe ion, Xe54+, could in principle extract more than 10,000 electrons from a solid surface, more than 200 times the charge of the ion.
Stability analysis of a DC-DC converter for battery energy storage system feeding CPL

In this paper, stability analysis of a typical DC/DC Boost converter feeding a Constant Power Load (CPL) with and without a Battery Energy Storage (BES) is discussed and explained. CPLs, usually, cause instability issues for DC/DC converters due to their negative impedance characteristic. The state-space averaged model analysis of the converter is performed and stability regions of the converter while feeding CPL and constant voltage load (CVL) are investigated. A dual-loop control method is utilized to stabilize the power electronic converter while providing constant power and regulating the output voltage to satisfy both CPL and CVL. Simulation in Matlab/Simulink environment is performed to verify the proposed control method.
Feeding Behavior: Hypocretin/Orexin Neurons Act between Food Seeking and Eating

A report on the rapid change of activity of hypocretin/orexin cells in response to contact rather than digestion of food delivers new insights into the behavioral control of food intake and systemic energy expenditure.
Long-term residual effects of feedlot manure application on crop yield and soil surface chemistry.

ABSTRACTCrop response to manure application may extend beyond the year of application due to residual nutrient availability. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate feedlot manure application (at 0 22.5, 45, 90 and 180 Mg ha−1) and subsequent residual effects (24-yr) on wheat and sorghum grain yields. Sorghum grain yields increased significantly with manure and nitrogen (N) fertilizer application. However, winter wheat grain yield showed no consistent response to manure and fertilizer application in the 9-yr when manure was applied. Averaged across the subsequent 24 years, residual feedlot manure and annual N fertilizer application significantly increased sorghum and winter wheat grain production. Application of cattle manure did increase soil organic matter content, pH and plant available soil nutrients. Our finding showed that growers could take advantage of the long-term benefits of nutrients supplied from manure application to bolster crop production, improve soil quality and reduce fertilizer in...
Gas Nitriding of High-Vanadium Alloy Steel

A composite surface layer was fabricated on a high-vanadium alloy steel (HVAS) plate by means of a surface gas nitriding at 550°C for 70h. The microstructural charaterization and phase analysis of resultant nitride layers were performed using optical, scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalyzer, X-ray diffraction methods and hardness measurements. The results of the investigation showed that a composite layer consisting of e-Fe2–3N and γ'-Fe4N phases is feasible on the surface of HVAS. Vickers hardness test indicate that the hardness value of the nitrided sample is about 1100 HV at the top surface, and decreases gradually to about 700 HV in the matrix. The depth of hardened layer after surface gas nitriding was about 200 μm.
Recurrent Coevolutionary Feature Embedding Processes for Recommendation

Recommender systems often use latent features to explain the behaviors of users and capture the properties of items. As users interact with different items over time, user and item features can influence each other, evolve and co-evolve over time. To accurately capture the fine grained nonlinear coevolution of these features, we propose a recurrent coevolutionary feature embedding process model, which combines recurrent neural network (RNN) with a multi-dimensional point process model. The RNN learns a nonlinear representation of user and item embeddings which take into account mutual influence between user and item features, and the feature evolution over time. We also develop an efficient stochastic gradient algorithm for learning parameters. Experiments on diverse real-world datasets demonstrate significant improvements in user behavior prediction compared to state-of-the-arts.
Plant-Produced Asialo-Erythropoietin Restores Pancreatic Beta-Cell Function by Suppressing Mammalian Sterile-20-like Kinase (MST1) and Caspase-3 Activation.

Pancreatic beta-cell death adversely contributes to the progression of both type I and II diabetes by undermining beta-cell mass and subsequently diminishing endogenous insulin production. Therapeutics to impede or even reverse the apoptosis and dysfunction of beta-cells are urgently needed. Asialo-rhuEPO, an enzymatically desialylated form of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhuEPO), has been shown to have cardioprotective and neuroprotective functions but with no adverse effects like that of sialylated rhuEPO. Heretofore, the anti-apoptotic effect of asialo-rhuEPO on pancreatic beta-cells has not been reported. In the current study, we investigated the cytoprotective properties of plant-produced asialo-rhuEPO (asialo-rhuEPOP) against staurosporine (STS)-induced cell death in the pancreatic beta-cell line RIN-M5F. Our results showed that 60 IU/ml asialo-rhuEPOP provided 41% cytoprotection while 60 IU/ml rhuEPO yielded no effect. Western blotting results showed that asialo-rhuEPOP treatment inhibited both MST1 and caspase-3 activation with the retention of PDX1 and insulin levels close to untreated control cells. Our study provides the first evidence indicating that asialo-rhuEPOP-mediated protection involves the reduction of MST1 activation, which is considered a key mediator of apoptotic signaling in beta-cells. Considering the many advantages its plant-based expression, asialo-rhuEPOP could be developed as a novel and inexpensive agent to treat or prevent diabetes.
Robust Servomechanism Output Feedback Controllers for a Class of Feedback Linearizable Systems

Abstract We solve a tracking problem for a class of feedback linearizable systems in the presence of disturbances and parameter uncertainties. An internal model of the exogenous signals is augmented with the system, and a robust, observer-based, output feedback controller is designed to achieve asymptotic tracking.
Rough Seas Ahead: Quality Concerns for China-bound Wine Shipments

Chinese consumers’ increasing thirst for wine and penchant for foreign luxury goods entices wine producers worldwide. However, potential exporters face substantive market barriers, one of which is concern over how wine deteriorates when insufficiently protected during its voyage to the Chinese market. This chapter investigates the current state of temperature monitoring and protection of wine as it is transported and warehoused. No single set of total quality management standards, such those defined by the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency, have yet achieved universal acceptance within the wine industry. Interviews with wine supply chain professionals and an exploratory survey of American wine producers shows that while industry personnel recognize the problem, little is currently being done to monitor temperatures. The chapter concludes with predictions for the future and recommendations for exporters seeking to secure a price premium or expand their market share.
Event Detection in Continuous Video: An Inference in Point Process Approach

We propose a novel approach toward event detection in real-world continuous video sequences. The method: 1) is able to model arbitrary-order non-Markovian dependences in videos to mitigate local visual ambiguities; 2) conducts simultaneous event segmentation and labeling; and 3) is time-window free. The idea is to represent a video as an event stream of both high-level semantic events and low-level video observations. In training, we learn a point process model called a piecewise-constant conditional intensity model (PCIM) that is able to capture complex non-Markovian dependences in the event streams. In testing, event detection can be modeled as the inference of high-level semantic events, given low-level image observations. We develop the first inference algorithm for PCIM and show it samples exactly from the posterior distribution. We then evaluate the video event detection task on real-world video sequences. Our model not only provides competitive results on the video event segmentation and labeling task, but also provides benefits, including being interpretable and efficient.
Navigating the Health Care System: An Adolescent Health Literacy Unit for High Schools.

BACKGROUND Currently, no intervention concerning transition of health care responsibilities from parents to teens exists for adolescents in the general population. The purpose of this intervention was to evaluate teacher satisfaction and student knowledge gain of a health unit developed for adolescents on becoming their own health care advocates. METHODS Throughout the 2014-2015 school year, 13 health and career technical education teachers in 11 Delaware high schools taught the unit to 948 students in 2 90-minute classes in 35 classrooms. Assessments included teacher reflections and student pre- and posttests to measure knowledge transfer and gain and gather feedback. RESULTS Teacher and student feedback indicated the materials were appropriate and useful in teaching students to navigate the health care system. Student knowledge increased from pretest (64%) to posttest (82%), (p < .001). The educational background of the teacher did not influence this outcome. Students reported they will know what to do better at their next doctor's appointment because of this unit and indicated support for peers to learn this information. CONCLUSIONS The unit resulted in content knowledge increase for students. It was consistently effective throughout all schools regardless of social and demographic characteristics, teacher type, or experience teaching the unit.
Applying event-related potentials to measure consumer preferences for apparel products

By analyzing ERP waveforms generated by sensory and cognitive processing of external stimuli, the researchers attempted to observe how consumers respond emotionally to apparel products and to explain why they responded as they did. In this research, ERPs were applied to explore consumers' subconscious, real-time emotional responses to apparel products. Overall, the favored shirts produced more enhanced ERP amplitude at the FZ, CA, and PZ site than the less favored shirts supporting the hypothesis. As this shows, the P3 and LPP components can be evoked by emotional visual stimuli. More positive-going ERP waves are associated with favorable and pleasant responses to the visual stimuli. Apparel companies would be able to utilize this ERP technique especially the P3 and LPP component to verify consumer preferences.
Das Antiwissenschafts-Phänomen

Der Widerstand gegen die Wissenschaft der konventionellen Definition kann viele verschiedene Formen annehmen, vom Interesse an der Astrologie bis zu Angriffen gegen die Relativitatstheorie, von falschen Uberzeugungen, die auf wissenschaftlichem Anal-phabetentum beruhen, bis zur Unterstutzung von Stromungen wie Lyssenkoismus oder Kreationismus. Welche dieser Angriffe konnen wir vernachlassigen und welche sind gefahrlich? Was bedeuten diese Zeichen der Entfremdung von der auf der Aufklarung beruhenden Tradition fur Wissenschaft und Kultur in unserer Zeit? So-bald wir ein Grundgerust haben, das uns ermoglicht, den Glauben an die Anti-Wissenschaft (oder auch „Alternativwissenschaft“, „Parawissenschaft“) zu behandeln, werden wir erkennen, das eine derartige Uberzeugung auf dem funktionellen Weltbild eines Menschen beruht; sie ist ein Symptom fur einen langjahrigen Kampf um die Legitimierung der Autoritat konventioneller Wissenschaft und des Modernitatsbegriffs, in den sich die Wissenschaft eingebettet sieht. Eine Analyse der antiwissenschaftlichen Uberzeugungen konnte schlieslich eine ganze Reihe von Strategien aufzeigen, um mit den Gegenvisionen, die in regelmasigen Abstanden versuchen, sich selbst von der Ebene der offensichtlichen Harmlosigkeit abzuheben und zu politisch ambitiosem Erfolg zu gelangen, fertig zu werden.
Production Functions for Medical Services

This article discusses the ‘production function’ for medical care services provided at hospitals or through specialty care providers. Topics include the distinction between the production of medical services and health; different types of functional forms, such as Cobb–Douglas, translog, and generalized Leontief; interpretation using production functions, such as marginal and average products, and q-complementarity/q-substitutability; other related approaches such as stochastic frontier analysis and data envelopment analysis; and several applications.
EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations display sensitivity to HSP90 inhibition in preclinical models and lung adenocarcinomas

Purpose: EGFR exon 20 insertions account for up to 10% of all EGFR mutations in lung adenocarcinomas, representing the third most common cluster of mutations. The management of advanced cancers with these mutations remains elusive, without an approved inhibitor. Experimental Design: Preclinical models of a representative set of EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations to evaluate the efficacy of different inhibitors and description of the clinical outcome of an advanced lung cancer. Results: We show that select first-, second-, and third-generation EGFR inhibitors are unable to deter common EGFR exon 20 insertion mutants in concentrations that spare the wild-type kinase. Nonetheless, EGFR exon 20 insertion mutants associate with the Hsp90 chaperone system. We exploit this vulnerability to show that the nongeldanamycin Hsp90 inhibitor luminespib (formerly AUY922) degrades EGFR exon 20 mutations, downstream targets, and induces apoptosis. In addition, a patient whose EGFR inhibitor–insensitive lung adenocarcinoma harbored an EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation had a confirmed radiographic response to luminespib. Conclusions: The report confirms that EGFR exon 20 mutations are dependent on Hsp90 and are readily inhibited by the Hsp90 inhibitor luminespib; a treatment strategy that has been pursued in a confirmatory clinical trial (NCT01854034) for this group of lung adenocarcinomas that currently represent an unmet clinical need in precision oncology.