cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An inverted U-shaped dose-response curve for aerobic exercise intensity associated with improved cognitive function in an elderly, community-dwelling cohort (P6.187)

Objective: To examine the optimal intensity and type of physical exercise most associated with cognitive health in aging. Background: Exercise is associated with increased cognitive function in the elderly. Few studies have evaluated exercise-intensity in regards to establishing the optimal dose-response for improved cognition in the elderly. Methods: A modified version of the Harvard Nurses Health Study Exercise Questionnaire was administered to participants enrolled in the University of Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease Center cohort (n=310). Weekly Metabolic Equivalency (MET) scores were determined for: low intensity (LI), moderate intensity (MI), and high intensity (HI) aerobic, as well as strength training (ST), and total weekly exercise scores. Associations between MET scores and cognitive outcomes were explored using standard comparative and descriptive statistics. Design/Results: Exercise was associated with improved cognitive function across all diagnostic groups. MET scores were positively correlated only with COWA, Trailmaking A & B, and Digit-Symbol performance in those with normal cognition (p<0.02, 0.001, 0.005, & 0.005, respectively). MI, but not LI or HI was associated with improved performance on both Trailmaking A & B tasks (p<0.01 & 0.05, respectively). ST was associated with improved performance on Trailmaking A (p<0.05) but not trailmaking B or other cognitive tests. Conclusion: The association between exercise and cognition seen in cognitively normal subjects appears to be mediated through improved frontal attentional and processing speed mechanisms. The finding that only MI, but not LI or HI was associated with cognitive performance suggests that there is an inverted U-shape dose-response curve for the cognitive benefits of exercise in the elderly. These findings have implications for both lifestyle recommendations and clinical trials of exercise interventions in the elderly population. Disclosure: Dr. Albrektson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tarrant has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pursell has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kenlan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Welleford has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jicha has received personal compensation for activities with Quintiles.
Myros and Other Concepts and Definitions

The purpose of this chapter is to establish the concepts and definitions that will be used in the sequel. One of the problems with economics is that much of its vocabulary consists of everyday words such as income, capital, and money that have fairly time-honored technical meanings, but meanings that frequently vary from economist to economist and from one generation of economists to another. As was noted in Chap. 1, capital is a notable example, as there are about as many concepts of capital as there are economists who have thought and written about it.
Transaction local aliasing in storage class memory

This paper describes a lightweight software library to solve the challenges [6], [3], [1], [5], [2] of programming storage class memory (SCM). It provides primitives to demarcate failure-atomic code regions. SCM loads and stores within each demarcated code region (called a “wrap”) are routed through the library, which buffers updates and transmits them to SCM locations asynchronously while allowing their speedy propagation from writers to readers through CPU caches.
Toward an Architecture of Administrative Adaptation

Traditional administrative law sees its core, the Administrative Procedure Act, from only one very confining point of view: as an appliance of judicial "checking" of bureaucratic power pursuant to a neotraditionalist adaptation of the separation of powers. The political history of the Act and, indeed, the separation of powers tradition as a whole, suggest this is a radically incomplete understanding of that core. Both of these are, in short, far more eclectic than traditional administrative law admits. Leading out of the nineteenth and into the twentieth century, American Progressivism mounted a sustained attack on the institutional face and rhetoric of the separation of powers, and various reactionary forces coalesced as a result. By the coming of the New Deal, these two forces were clearly allied against one another and were the formative influences that produced the text of the APA. That text reflects an essentially incomplete agreement between those contending factions, and any interpretation that makes sense of the whole Act within the eclectic separation of powers tradition must begin from this incompleteness. I argue that a bifurcation of the Act into "internal" and "external" senses of its provisions would make the most sense of this political history, the APA's text, and the relationships between the judicial, political, and administrative systems within the larger constitutional traditions housing them.
Role of the sulfonylurea receptor in regulating human adipocyte metabolism

A regulatory role for intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in adipocyte lipogenesis, lipolysis and triglyceride accumulation has been demonstrated. Compounds acting on the pancreatic sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) to increase (e.g., glibenclamide) or decrease (e.g., diazoxide) [Ca2+]i cause corresponding increases and decreases in weight gain. However, these weight gain and loss effects have been attributed to insulin release rather than to the primary effects of these compounds on the adipocyte SUR and its associated K(ATP) channel. Accordingly, we have evaluated the direct role of the human adipocyte SUR in regulating adipocyte metabolism. We used RT-PCR with primers for a highly conserved region of SUR1 to demonstrate that human adipocytes express SUR1. The PCR product was confirmed by sequence analysis and used as a probe to demonstrate adipocyte SUR1 expression by Northern blot analysis. Adipocytes exhibited glibenclamide dose-responsive (0-20 microM) increases in [Ca2+]i (P<0.05). Similarly, glibenclamide (10 microM) caused a 67% increase in adipocyte fatty acid synthase activity (P<0.001), a 48% increase in glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity (P<0.01) and a 68% inhibition in lipolysis (P<0.01), whereas diazoxide (10 microM) completely prevented each of these effects. These data demonstrate that human adipocytes express a SUR that regulates [Ca2+]i and, consequently, exerts coordinate control over lipogenesis and lipolysis. Accordingly, the adipocyte SUR1 may represent an important target for the development of therapeutic interventions in obesity.
Ontologies of Place, Creative Meaning Making and Critical Cosmopolitan Education

AbstractDiscourses of globalization and cosmopolitanism, focusing on the rapid flows of people, resources, and knowledge around the globe and subsequent encounters between global citizens, present a binary between “global” and “local.” At the same time educational theories, perhaps especially in the areas of language and literacy studies, promote a view of learning as occurring through mediated interactions in local, situated practices. This article offers a lens to bridge perspectives between ever‐increasing global shifts and movements and situated human interactions through a theorization of the mediational nature of place. Following discussion of global and local as binaries across literatures, I offer a theory of ontologies of place, highlighting it as mediational in meaning making in human interactions. Locating learning within a sociocultural framework, I describe a project linking underresourced English‐learning youth transnationally through multimodal e‐communication, then present an analysis of d...
A carbohydrate quandary.

Carbon (C) is central to the flow and storage of mass and energy in plants and their ecosystems, but our understanding of C dynamics in plants is still developing. Trees and many plants have ∼50% C (45–60% of the dry mass, Thomas and Martin 2012), and a large portion of this C is in the form of carbohydrates, one of the four main macromolecules comprising plants. Carbohydrates are traditionally classified as either recalcitrant, ‘structural’ components of cell walls and other tissues, or as labile, ‘non-structural’ pools, although this dichotomy is often not so clear ( Hoch 2007). Non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) can comprise a large portion of a tree’s C and the dry mass (up to ∼50 and ∼25%, respectively, e.g., Hoch et al. 2003), but they can also be scarce due to tight linkages of NSC to C uptake, NSC utilization and active regulation of pools. Several contemporary concepts in ecophysiology center on NSC as a potentially important balance point that links environmental stressors and physiological responses to whole-plant outcomes. Prominent examples include the growth-limitation hypothesis that low temperatures inhibit C allocation to structural growth more than they limit C uptake, leading to greater NSC ( Korner 1998); and the C-starvation hypothesis that drought kills plants through a loss of C uptake and NSC depletion more so than direct hydraulic failure ( McDowell and Sevanto 2010). As formulated, these and many other theories implicitly assume that NSCs are a discrete pool that does not intergrade with structural carbohydrates, and most importantly can be measured. In this issue, Quentin et al. (2015) present an ‘inconvenient truth’ for research addressing these theories that has important ramifications for tree physiology specifically, and plant and ecosystem sciences more generally. Quentin et al. (2015) sent the same set of five plant tissues to 29 NSC laboratories in 13 countries, and found large disagreement among the laboratories in their estimate of NSC content of the samples. Their findings suggest that we currently do not know which technique or laboratory could be most relied upon to develop plant tissue NSC standards needed for accuracy assessment.
Preliminary evaluation of β3-adrenoceptor agonist-induced 18F-FDG metabolic activity of brown adipose tissue in obese Zucker rat

Background We have investigated β3-adrenoceptor agonist mediated brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation using 18F-FDG PET/CT in Zucker lean (ZL) and obese (ZF) rats.
Self-Assembly of Ordered Microporous Materials from Rod-Coil Block Copolymers

Rod-coil diblock copolymers in a selective solvent for the coil-like polymer self-organize into hollow spherical micelles having diameters of a few micrometers. Long-range, close-packed self-ordering of the micelles produced highly iridescent periodic microporous materials. Solution-cast micellar films consisted of multilayers of hexagonally ordered arrays of spherical holes whose diameter, periodicity, and wall thickness depended on copolymer molecular weight and composition. Addition of fullerenes into the copolymer solutions also regulated the microstructure and optical properties of the microporous films. These results demonstrate the potential of hierarchical self-assembly of macromolecular components for engineering complex two- and three-dimensional periodic and functional mesostructures.
Reduced-order modeling of large-scale systems by chained aggregation

An approach to model reduction using "chained aggregation" is described. Chained aggregation yields a special system representation, the Generalized Hessenberg Representation. This representation suggests candidate reduced order systems. Manipulations of these candidate systems are presented to obtain reduced-order models. Emphasis is placed on the use of the "restricted QL algorithm" to obtain low-order equivalents.
Influence of Molecular Weight Distributions on HEUR Aqueous Solution Rheology1

Two series of hydrophobe-modified, ethoxylated urethane (HEUR) polymers were synthesized. The first series was prepared by the step-growth (S-G) polymerization of poly(oxyethylene) (POE) of Mn = 6000, with a slight excess of different aliphatic diisocyanates in a 4.2 to 3.2 mole ratio to produce a S-G polymer with Mn of ∼20 000. The terminal isocyanate groups were reacted with alkylamines of different hydrocarbon chain lengths. The second series was produced by reacting POE of Mn = 20 000 with a large excess of the diisocyanate to produce POE with terminal isocyanate functionality, followed by reaction with alkylamines. The molecular weight distribution of the second series was narrow compared to the first series, prepared by S-G polymerization. The hydrocarbon chain length of the alkylamine, the coupling diisocyanate, and the molecular weight distributions were systematically varied by the proper choice of synthetic conditions. The changes in structures were correlated with the rheological behavior of aq...
Liquid Helium II: Bose-Einstein Condensation and Two-Fluid Model

The Bose-Einstein condensation mechanism is shown to be capable of accounting for the existence of separate hydrodynamic velocity fields for the normal and the superfluid, provided suitable assumptions are made with regard to the single-particle energy spectrum. We consider the effect on the microcanonical gas distribution of imposing a nonzero value of the total momentum P. For an ordinary gas the effect is trivial, the whole distribution being merely shifted in momentum space. However, in the case of a degenerate Bose gas whose single-particle energy spectrum has a sharp minimum (gap or cusp), only the excited part of the gas (normal fluid) participates in the imposed motion, the condensate (superfluid) remaining "frozen" in momentum space. This rigidity of the condensate in momentum space plays the same role as the rigidity of the superelectrons on imposition of a magnetic field in the London theory of superconductivity. P acts as an additional thermodynamic variable, states with P \ensuremath{\ne} 0 being macroscopically metastable and corresponding to the existence of a relative velocity between normal and superfluid. The basic hydrodynamic assumption of the two-fluid model is thus reduced to an assumption concerning the form of an effective single-particle energy spectrum, and the parallelism between the theories of superconductivity and superfluidity is clearly exhibited. The present theory permits, in particular, the introduction of the mathematical form of Landau's phonon and "roton" spectra within the framework of the Bose-Einstein condensation picture. The statistical-thermodynamic formulas are derived and are shown to lead to characteristic two-fluid equations derived previously from a variational principle.
Oxidized lipoproteins inhibit surfactant phosphatidylcholine synthesis via calpain-mediated cleavage of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase.

We investigated effects of pro-atherogenic oxidized lipoproteins on phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) biosynthesis in murine lung epithelial cells (MLE-12). Cells surface-bound, internalized, and degraded oxidized low density lipoproteins (Ox-LDL). Ox-LDL significantly reduced [3H]choline incorporation into PtdCho in cells by selectively inhibiting the activity of the rate-regulatory enzyme, CTP:phosphocholine cytdylyltransferase (CCT). Ox-LDL coordinately increased the cellular turnover of CCTα protein as determined by [35S]methionine pulse-chase studies by inducing the calcium-activated proteinase, calpain. Forced expression of calpain or exposure of cells to the calcium ionophore, A23187, increased CCTα degradation, whereas overexpression of the endogenous calpain inhibitor, calpastatin, attenuated Ox-LDL-induced CCTα degradation. The effects of Ox-LDL on CCTα breakdown were attenuated in calpain-deficient cells. In vitro calpain digestion of CCTα isolated from cells transfected with truncated or internal deletion mutants indicated multiple cleavage sites within the CCTα primary structure, leading to the generation of a 26-kDa (p26) fragment. Calpain hydrolysis of purified CCTα generated p26, which upon NH2-terminal sequencing localized a calpain attack site within the CCTα amino terminus. Expression of a CCTα mutant where the amino-terminal cleavage site and a putative carboxyl-terminal hydrolysis region were modified resulted in an enzyme that was significantly less sensitive to proteolytic cleavage and restored the ability of cells to synthesize surfactant PtdCho after Ox-LDL treatment. Thus, these results provide a critical link between proatherogenic lipoproteins and their metabolic target, CCTα, resulting in impaired surfactant metabolism.
Improved palatability of channel catfish feeds containing Romet-30.

Abstract Studies were conducted in the laboratory and in ponds to further evaluate the palatability of Romet-30® (5:1, sulfadimethoxine : Ormetoprim) to channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus and to devise methods to improve the palatability of feeds containing this drug. Healthy channel catfish were used in all experiments. Studies conducted in the laboratory indicated that the palatability of diets containing ormetoprim at a rate equivalent to 0.82% Romet-30 to age-0 (10–12g) fish was poor. Additionally, palatability decreased as the level of Romet-30 increased in the feed. In the remaining studies, 1.65% Romet-30 (one-half of the amount originally used in commercial catfish feeds) was used in all experimental feeds. Adjusting the pH of the feed to 7.0 did not improve palatability, nor did the addition of sucrose to the feed. Increasing the level of menhaden fish meal in medicated feeds to 16% appeared to improve palatability. Data from a preference trial conducted in ponds with demand feeders indicated th...
Visualization of human retinal and choroidal vascular networks with phase-variance optical coherence tomography

We present in vivo noninvasive retinal and choroidal perfusion maps with phase-variance optical coherence tomography (pvOCT). We acquired a pvOCT volumetric data set of a normal subject and visualized blood circulation in the retina and the choroid. En face projection views of the retina as well as the choroid were generated from a manually segmented volumetric data set. In addition, the processed pvOCT images were compared to current standard imaging modalities used for retinal and choroidal vasculature visualization in clinical settings, including fluorescein angiography (FA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA).
INTEGER GOAL PROGRAMMING IN ADVERTISING MEDIA SELECTION

The media selection decision allocates advertising dollars among competing media so as to optimize promotional and corporate objectives. Linear programming attempts to model this process have been complicated by multiple and often conflicting management goals, the need for integer solutions, and nonlinearities. This study offers a technique that is sufficiently robust to simultaneously handle these problems. An alternative media selection framework is presented and the results of an illustrative application of integer goal programming are discussed. The proposed model improves on linear programming by success fully providing for optimal, integer solutions in settings that more realistically reflect the complexity of the media decision environment.
The P Blood Group System in Pigeon Breeders and Pigeon Breeder's Disease

A blood group P1-like antigen has been found in gram-negative bacilli isolated from pigeon droppings, in pigeon serum, and on pigeon red blood cells. As a probable resident of the environment of the pigeon loft, the antigen stimulated formation of anti-P1 antibody in eight of 11 pigeon breeders who belonged to the P2 blood group. Only one of 11 random hospitalized patients with the P2 blood phenotype had a detectable titer of anti-P1 antibody (P less than 0.01). The titer of anti-P1 antibody was not significantly different in symptomatic vs asymptomatic breeders. The presence or absence of anti-P1 antibody could not be correlated with any band of immunoprecipitates formed between pigeon breeder's serum and crude extract of pigeon droppings. The P antigen was identified in pigeon-dropping extracts of breeders with the P2 blood phenotype by inhibition of hemagglutination. We conclude that anti-P1 antibodies appear to be a component of the immunologic response to avian antigens of pigeon breeders but are probably unrelated to the pathogenesis of pigeon breeder's disease.
Temperature measurements and high-resolution IR images of mines at an arid site

During May and June of 2003, the US Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) and the Ohio State University (OSU) measured the thermal behavior of mines in an arid site. Thermistors were placed in contact with both surface-laid mines and native stones and monitored from before sunset until well after sundown. Measurements of local vegetation and measurements of the surrounding soil at 2.5 and 5 cm depths were also performed. A tripod-mounted MWIR sensor was used concurrently to collect high-resolution images to identify and understand the underlying phenomena. Data were collected during both clear, sunlit conditions and during an overcast day, but because of space limitations only data acquired under the (more typical) clear conditions are described here. The results contain a number of findings. First, local soil properties appear to have important implications for the apparent mine contrast. The same type of mine at locations only a few meters apart can show significantly different contrast with the native soil. Second, natural phenomena can be a significant clutter source. The temperature of vegetation can be similar to that of mines, and a small plant will occasionally produce a signature with a shape similar to that of a surface mine. Native stones are also a source of false alarms, but they tend to show somewhat less contrast. Third, at certain times, mines are best viewed with a low-elevation angle sensor. The construction of some mines causes the temperature of the side walls to be significantly different from that of the top surface at those times. Finally, disturbing the surface of desert soil through excavation, vehicle traffic or even repeated pedestrian traffic is often sufficient to produce a strong thermal signature. This fact could be used to advantage to detect buried mines in desert environments.
Frameless stereotactic ultrasonography: Method and applications

Abstract In stereotactic neurosurgery, computed tomography (Cr) and magnetic resonance (MR) images are registered in a coordinate system defined with respect to the skull. By intraoperatively tracking the coordinate position of a surgical instrument, various displays can be formed which show the position of the instrument in the MR and/or Cr images. However, the accuracy of this display varies because intracranial structures may shift or warp from their position prior to surgery. Ultrasonic imaging systems provide real-time images of the brain, but structures in these images are difficult to interpret because the images are based on ultrasonic echoes. A method has been developed for the real-time registration of these images. With this registration, software continuously updates a corresponding image constructed from the set of MR and/or Cr images used for guidance. By developing this second view of the structures in the ultrasound image, the surgeon can easily interpret the ultrasound image, and it becomes possible to determine the extent of the intra-operative structure shift between the two images.
Computational analysis of human disease-associated genes and their protein products

The complete genome sequences for human, Drosophila melanogaster and Arabidopsis thaliana have been reported recently. With the availability of complete sequences for many bacteria and archaea, and five eukaryotes, comparative genomics and sequence analysis are enabling us to identify counterparts of many human disease genes in model organisms, which in turn should accelerate the pace of research and drug development to combat human diseases. Continuous improvement of specialized protein databases, together with sensitive computational tools, have enhanced the power and reliability of computational prediction of protein function.
Sexual Competitiveness of Adult Indian Meal Moths Irradiated as Mature Pupae

When 7-day-old pupae of Plodia interpunctella (Huebner) were treated with 50 krad ..gamma.. irradiation, 94.5 percent of the resulting females mated with untreated males, but the few eggs laid were infertile. Also, resulting males were sterile when they were paired with untreated females. A ratio of 1:1:1 irradiated males, untreated males, and untreated females resulted in 28.5 percent infertile eggs. Ratios of irradiated to untreated males of 5:1, 15:1 or 25:1 produced 54.7, 61.6, and 91.8 percent infertile eggs, respectively. Thus, irradiated males were fully competitive only at a ratio of 25:1. When both irradiated males and females were placed with untreated males and females to give ratios of 1:1:1:1, 5:5:1:1, 10:10:1:1 or 15:15:1:1, the percentages of infertile eggs were 54.1, 95.7, 81.0, and 100 percent, respectively, and competitiveness was good at all but the lowest ratio. Irradiation of 7-day-old pupae of the Indian meal moth produced sexually competitive sterile adults when released at high flooding ratios, and results were better when both sexes were released together.
Condensates of strongly interacting atoms and dynamically generated dimers

In a system of atoms with large positive scattering length, weakly bound diatomic molecules (dimers) are generated dynamically by the strong interactions between the atoms. If the atoms are modeled by a quantum field theory with an atom field only, condensates of dimers cannot be described by the mean-field approximation because there is no field associated with the dimers. We develop a method for describing dimer condensates in such a model based on the one-particle-irreducible (1PI) effective action. We construct an equivalent 1PI effective action that depends not only on the classical atom field but also on a classical dimer field. The method is illustrated by applying it to the many-body behavior of bosonic atoms with large scattering length at zero temperature using an approximation in which the two-atom amplitude is treated exactly, but irreducible N-atom amplitudes for N{>=}3 are neglected. The two 1PI effective actions give identical results for the atom superfluid phase, but the one with a classical dimer field is much more convenient for describing the dimer superfluid phase. The results are also compared with previous work on the Bose gas near a Feshbach resonance.
A comparison of ovarian cancer treatments: analysis of utility assessments of ovarian cancer patients, at-risk population, general population, and physicians.

Abstract Objective . Perceptions of the severity of chemotherapy-related toxicity differ among physicians, ovarian cancer patients, at-risk individuals, and persons in the general population. In this study, we elicited assessments of toxicity from women with ovarian cancer, women at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, women in the general population, and gynecologic oncologists. Methods . Thirty-nine ovarian cancer patients, fifteen women at increased risk, thirty-nine women at baseline risk, and eleven gynecologic oncologists completed utility assessment surveys. Results . There was good face validity to the utility exercise as assessments of health states. Health states with toxicity were consistently associated with less favorable assessments than the health states with no toxicity. The ovarian cancer patients as a group and the women at risk for the development of ovarian cancer viewed health states with toxicity similarly and more favorably than women in the general population. However, patient assessments varied, with the most favorable assessment of life with toxicity being reported from individuals who had experienced such toxicity. Physician assessments of the impact of toxicity on overall health status were most similar to those obtained from patients who had experienced moderate to severe toxicity, and were more favorable than those elicited from patients who had not experienced any toxicity. Conclusions . Assessments of the impact of chemotherapy-related toxicity vary depending on the perspective of the individual responding to these questions. In discussing ovarian cancer treatments with at-risk women and the general population, concerns over treatment-related toxicity are likely to be greater than those expressed by persons who are more familiar with the actual occurrence of such events and therapeutic preferences may be affected as a result.
Combustor fluctuating pressure measurements in engine and in a component test facility: A preliminary comparison

As part of a program to investigate combustor noise, simultaneous measurements were made with a YF‐102 engine of combustor internal fluctuating pressure and farfield noise. As the dependence of farfield noise on engine internal measurement becomes understood, an important question becomes the connection between combustor internal measurements obtained in an engine and those obtained in a component test facility. To explore this question, a YF‐102 combustor, instrumented identically with that of the engine tests, was operated in a component test facility over a range of conditions encompassing engine operation, and the fluctuating internal measurements were repeated. A comparison of the directly measured spectra at corresponding locations in the two tests shows significant differences. However, the results of two‐point signal analyses within each combustor such as coherence function, transfer function, and phase relationships are similar for both tests. This indicates that the internal dynamics of the combustor as an acoustic source are preserved in a component test facility.
Relativistic form factors for hadrons with quark-model wave functions

The relationship between relativistic form factors and quark-potential-model wave functions is examined using an improved version of an approach by Licht and Pagnamenta. Lorentz-contraction effects are expressed in terms of an effective hadron mass which varies as the square root of the number of quark constituents. The effective mass is calculated using the rest-frame wave functions from the mean-square momentum along the direction of the momentum transfer. Applications with the parameter-free approach are made to the elastic form factors of the pion, proton, and neutron using a Hamiltonian which simultaneously describes mesons and baryons. A comparison of the calculated radii for pions and kaons suggests that the measured kaon radius should be slightly smaller than the corresponding pion radius. The large negative squared charge radius for the neutron is partially explained via the quark model but a full description requires the inclusion of a small component of a pion ''cloud'' configuration. The problematic connection between the sizes of hadrons deduced from form factors and the ''measured'' values of average transverse momenta is reconciled in the present model.
Library service at the “paperless” information center

Purpose – By reflecting the historical transition of the University of Southern California (USC) social work departmental library, the article aims to share challenges and solutions of the library collection and services in the electronic environment and to facilitate a discussion about the future of library services.Design/methodology/approach – The author conducted a literature review about departmental libraries, and a historical review of the USC social work library collection and services. Direct observation, surveys, reference statistics and the web visiting data were employed in the research analysis. A new vision and service model were created.Findings – The USC social work students rely on both the print and electronic resources for their research and study. The decentralized social work library collection and the students' inadequate information literacy skills are the major challenges for the librarian. Information literacy instruction, web‐based collection management and library outreach are b...
Halogen chemistry of the red alga Bonnemaisonia

Abstract Complete accounts of the natural products chemistry of Bonnemaisonia nootkana, B. asparagoides, B. hamifera and Trailliella intricata are described. In contrast to the chemistry of the closely related alga Asparagopsis, Bonnemaisonia spp. do not produce halomethanes, but instead an array of C7-C9 halogen-containing ketones, alcohols and carboxylic acids. Biomimetic syntheses of these compounds suggest they are precursors and products of in vivo Favorsky rearrangements.
Natural killer T (NKT) cells accelerate Shiga toxin type 2 (Stx2) pathology in mice

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a leading cause of childhood renal disease Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). The involvement of renal cytokines and chemokines is suspected to play a critical role in disease progression. In current article, we tested the hypothesis that NKT cells are involved in Stx2-induced pathology in vivo. To address this hypothesis we compared Stx2 toxicity in WT and CD1 knockout (KO) mice. In CD1KO mice, which lack natural killer T (NKT) cells, Stx2-induced pathologies such as weight loss, renal failure, and death were delayed. In WT mice, Stx2-specific selective increase in urinary albumin occurs in later time points, and this was also delayed in NKT cell deficient mice. NKT cell-associated cytokines such as IL-2, IL-4, IFN-γ, and IL-17 were detected in kidney lysates of Stx2-injected WT mice with the peak around 36 h after Stx2 injection. In CD1KO, there was a delay in the kinetics, and increases in these cytokines were observed 60 h post Stx2 injection. These data suggest that NKT cells accelerate Stx2-induced pathology in mouse kidneys. To determine the mechanism by which NKT cells promote Stx2-associated disease, in vitro studies were performed using murine renal cells. We found that murine glomerular endothelial cells and podocytes express functional CD1d molecules and can present exogenous antigen to NKT cells. Moreover, we observed the direct interaction between Stx2 and the receptor Gb3 on the surface of mouse renal cells by 3D STORM-TIRF which provides single molecule imaging. Collectively, these data suggest that Stx2 binds to Gb3 on renal cells and leads to aberrant CD1d-mediated NKT cell activation. Therefore, strategies targeting NKT cells could have a significant impact on Stx2-associated renal pathology in STEC disease.
Three-point perspective and plane geometry

A proof from plane geometry uses a diagram of a triangle, its altitudes, and three circles to prove the concurrency of the altitudes at the orthocentre. The proof characterizes the orthocentre as t...
Wide-Bandgap Solid-State Circuit Breakers for DC Power Systems: Device and Circuit Considerations

DC circuit protection applications provide a unique market opportunity for wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, which are outside the conventional focus on power electronic converters. This paper presents an overview of emerging dc power systems, the needs for dc solid-state circuit breakers (SSCBs), and the benefits and advantages of various WBG SSCB concepts. Furthermore, a new class of self-powered SSCBs based on SiC or GaN normally-ON switching devices is proposed in this paper. One implementation of the SSCB concept based on a 1200 V SiC JFET experimentally demonstrated turn-off of a fault current of 125 A at a dc voltage of 400 V within $1~\mu $ s without requiring any external power supply. The SSCB detects short-circuit faults by sensing its drain–source voltage rise and draws power from the fault condition to turn off the SiC JFET. Various implementations of the SSCB concept for unipolar and bipolar capability using both SiC and GaN are also discussed from both device and circuit perspectives. It is concluded that very low ON-resistance normally-ON WBG switching devices are excellent candidates for the emerging SSCB applications.
Involution of PTEN-null endometrial glands with progestin therapy.

Abstract Objectives . Loss of PTEN tumor suppressor gene function characterizes most (63%) endometrial precancerous lesions (endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia, EIN) and up to 83% of endometrioid endometrial cancers. Because systemic progestins are known to promote involution of precancerous endometrial lesions, we tested the hypothesis that this therapy preferentially leads to clearance of immunohistochemically detected PTEN-null endometrial glands in a variety of histopathologic settings. Methods . PTEN immunohistochemistry of pre and postprogestin-treated endometria was successfully performed on 17 women presenting with an intake endometrial biopsy diagnosis of "hyperplasia". Intake biopsies were rediagnosed using EIN criteria as 5 normal (proliferative or secretory), 4 anovulatory, 3 polyps, and 5 EIN endometria. The persistence of PTEN-null glands in progestin-treated patients was compared to that seen previously in rebiopsied normal proliferative endometrium of endogenously cycling premenopausal women. Results . Ten of 17 women prehormonal therapy had PTEN-null glands in the initial biopsy, and 90% (9/10) of these disappeared in the postprogestin sample. This contrasts with only 17% (2/12) involution in the endometria of normal cycling women (Fishers exact test P = 0.002, Odds Ratio 45). Conclusions . We conclude that progestin therapy promotes involution, or disappearance, of PTEN-null endometrial glands relative to the persistence rate seen for normal cycling women. This effect occurs among PTEN-null glands having a variety of histopathologic presentations.
Lane-based evacuation network optimization: An integrated Lagrangian relaxation and tabu search approach

This paper formulates and solves a lane-based evacuation network optimization problem that integrates lane reversal and crossing elimination strategies. To tackle the combinatorial complexity arising from this combined treatment of discrete network capacity and connectivity settings, an integrated Lagrangian relaxation and tabu search solution method is developed. The method takes advantage of Lagrangian relaxation for problem decomposition and complexity reduction while its algorithmic logic is designed based on the principles of tabu search. Numerical results from optimizing a regional evacuation network for a nuclear power plant illustrate the validness and usefulness of the modeling and solution methodology in evacuation planning practice.
The physical environment influences neuropsychiatric symptoms and other outcomes in assisted living residents

Objective Although the number of elderly residents living in assisted living (AL) facilities is rising, few studies have examined the AL physical environment and its impact on resident well-being. We sought to quantify the relationship of AL physical environment with resident outcomes including neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), quality of life (QOL), and fall risk, and to compare the effects for demented and non-demented residents. Methods Prospective cohort study of a stratified random sample of 326 AL residents living in 21 AL facilities. Measures included the Therapeutic Environmental Screening Scale for Nursing Homes and Residential Care (TESS-NH/RC) to rate facilities and in-person assessment of residents for diagnosis (and assessment of treatment) of dementia, ratings on standardized clinical, cognitive, and QOL measures. Regression models compared environmental measures with outcomes. TESS-NH/RC is modified into a scale for rating the AL physical environment AL-EQS. Results The AL Environmental Quality Score (AL-EQS) was strongly negatively associated with Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) total score (p < 0.001), positively associated with Alzheimer Disease Related Quality of Life (ADRQL) score (p = 0.010), and negatively correlated with fall risk (p = 0.042). Factor analysis revealed an excellent two-factor solution, Dignity and Sensory. Both were strongly associated with NPI and associated with ADRQL. Conclusion The physical environment of AL facilities likely affects NPS and QOL in AL residents, and the effect may be stronger for residents without dementia than for residents with dementia. Environmental manipulations that increase resident privacy, as well as implementing call buttons and telephones, may improve resident well-being. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Discount rates, natural resources, and the measurement of aggregate economic growth in Africa

Abstract Over the last decade there has been a growing interest in depreciation of natural capital in national income accounts. Within this literature there has been limited discussion of the sensitivity of measurement to the choice of discount rate and the effect of using depreciated measures of growth in empirical analyses. Without attempting to estimate or justify a specific discount rate, this paper presents alternative sets of growth data for 18 African countries based on different assumptions of the appropriate discount rate to apply to natural capital. The data sets are then used in a statistical test of the causes of economic growth. Results of the statistical analysis indicate sensitivity to the choice of discount rate.
A test of Jung's hypothesis of the determination of type of symptom

Abstract Jung hypothesized that symptoms shown by people would reflect the attitude/orientation of the unconscious complexes, opposite to the attitude/orientation of the conscious complexes. A test of this hypothesis for the dimension of thinking/feeling failed to confirm it.
Hydrogen sulfide and oxygen sensing: implications in cardiorespiratory control

Although all cells are variously affected by oxygen, a few have the responsibility of monitoring oxygen tensions and initiating key homeostatic responses when P(O2) falls to critical levels. These ;oxygen-sensing' cells include the chemoreceptors in the gills (neuroepithelial cells), airways (neuroepithelial bodies) and vasculature (carotid bodies) that initiate cardiorespiratory reflexes, oxygen sensitive chromaffin cells associated with systemic veins or adrenal glands that regulate the rate of catecholamine secretion, and vascular smooth muscle cells capable of increasing blood flow to systemic tissues, or decreasing it through the lungs. In spite of intense research, and enormous clinical applicability, there is little, if any, consensus regarding the mechanism of how these cells sense oxygen and transduce this into the appropriate physiological response. We have recently proposed that the metabolism of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) may serve as an 'oxygen sensor' in vertebrate vascular smooth muscle and preliminary evidence suggests it has similar activity in gill chemoreceptors. In this proposed mechanism, the cellular concentration of H2S is determined by the simple balance between constitutive H2S production in the cytoplasm and H2S oxidation in the mitochondria; when tissue oxygen levels fall the rate of H2S oxidation decreases and the concentration of biologically active H2S in the tissue increases. This commentary briefly describes the oxygen-sensitive tissues in fish and mammals, delineates the current hypotheses of oxygen sensing by these tissues, and then critically evaluates the evidence for H2S metabolism in oxygen sensing.
Balanced allocations: the weighted case

We investigate balls-and-bins processes where m weighted balls areplaced into n bins using the "power of two choices" paradigm,whereby a ball is inserted into the less loaded of two randomly chosen bins. The case where each of the m balls has unit weight had been studied extensively. In a seminal paper Azar et.al. showed that when m=n the most loaded bin has Θ(log log n) balls with high probability. Surprisingly, thegap in load between the heaviest bin and the average bin does not increase with m and was shown by Berenbrink etal tobe Θ(log log n) with high probability for arbitrarily large m. We generalize this result to the weighted case where balls have weights drawn from an arbitrary weight distribution. We show that aslong as the weight distribution has finite second moment andsatisfies a mild technical condition, the gap between the weight of the heaviest bin and the weight of the average bin is independent ofthe number balls thrown. This is especially striking whenconsidering heavy tailed distributions such as Power-Law andLog-Normal distributions. In these cases, as more balls are thrown,heavier and heavier weights are encountered. Nevertheless with high probability, the imbalance in the load distribution does notincrease. Furthermore, if the fourth moment of the weight distribution is finite, the expected value of the gap is shown to beindependent of the number of balls.
Relationship of dehydroepiandrosterone and cortisol in disease

Does dehydroepiandrosterone act as an adrenal hormone in humans to maintain cortisol homeostasis by serving as a cortisol antagonist? If so, dehydroepiandrosterone might block the development of the diverse pathological processes potentiated by prolonged cortisol hyperactivity. And the plasma concentrations of total dehydroepiandrosterone and total cortisol, expressed as a C/D ratio, would have an important influence on the development of age-related pathology in diseases exacerbated by cortisol hyperactivity. Several major age-related diseases, designated as cortisol-potentiated diseases, belong in this category. The C/D concept predicts, other factors being equal, that the risk of initiation and progression of these diseases at all ages is directly related to the C/D ratio, individuals with elevated C/D ratios being at high risk.
In situ mechanical properties of the chondrocyte cytoplasm and nucleus

The way in which the nucleus experiences mechanical forces has important implications for understanding mechanotransduction. Knowledge of nuclear material properties and, specifically, their relationship to the properties of the bulk cell can help determine if the nucleus directly experiences mechanical loads, or if it is a signal transduction mechanism secondary to cell membrane deformation that leads to altered gene expression. Prior work measuring nuclear material properties using micropipette aspiration suggests that the nucleus is substantially stiffer than the bulk cell [Guilak, F., Tedrow, J.R., Burgkart, R., 2000. Viscoelastic properties of the cell nucleus. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 269, 781-786], whereas recent work with unconfined compression of single chondrocytes showed a nearly one-to-one correlation between cellular and nuclear strains [Leipzig, N.D., Athanasiou, K.A., 2008. Static compression of single chondrocytes catabolically modifies single-cell gene expression. Biophys. J. 94, 2412-2422]. In this study, a linearly elastic finite element model of the cell with a nuclear inclusion was used to simulate the unconfined compression data. Cytoplasmic and nuclear stiffnesses were varied from 1 to 7 kPa for several combinations of cytoplasmic and nuclear Poisson's ratios. It was found that the experimental data were best fit when the ratio of cytoplasmic to nuclear stiffness was 1.4, and both cytoplasm and nucleus were modeled as incompressible. The cytoplasmic to nuclear stiffness ratio is significantly lower than prior reports for isolated nuclei. These results suggest that the nucleus may behave mechanically different in situ than when isolated.
Disaster in Context: The Effects of 9/11 on Youth Distant from the Attacks

Although an increasing amount of community mental health research has investigated the deleterious effects of disasters and the targeting and efficacy of treatment in their aftermath, little research has sought to identify preexisting characteristics of the social environment that are predictive of post-disaster distress. A national US telephone survey fielded before and after September 11, 2001, was used to investigate the psychological distress among American adolescents related to the attacks, and to identify environmental and other characteristics that predisposed youth to experience higher or lower levels of post-disaster distress. The study found that widespread characteristics of children’s school environments—school disorder and physical threats—were at least as strongly associated with a proxy for psychological distress as exposure to the events of 9/11. Further, children exposed to physical threats at school appeared to be more vulnerable to the psychological effects of disasters than children in safer school environments.