cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Angular dependence of the nanoDot OSL dosimeter.

Purpose: Optically stimulated luminescent detectors (OSLDs) are quickly gaining popularity as passive dosimeters, with applications in medicine for linac output calibration verification, brachytherapy source verification, treatment plan quality assurance, and clinical dose measurements. With such wide applications, these dosimeters must be characterized for numerous factors affecting their response. The most abundant commercial OSLD is the InLight/OSL system from Landauer, Inc. The purpose of this study was to examine the angular dependence of the nanoDot dosimeter, which is part of the InLight system.Methods: Relative dosimeter response data were taken at several angles in 6 and 18 MV photon beams, as well as a clinical proton beam. These measurements were done within a phantom at a depth beyond the build-up region. To verify the observed angular dependence, additional measurements were conducted as well as Monte Carlo simulations in MCNPX.Results: When irradiated with the incident photon beams parallel to the plane of the dosimeter, the nanoDot response was 4% lower at 6 MV and 3% lower at 18 MV than the response when irradiated with the incident beam normal to the plane of the dosimeter. Monte Carlo simulations at 6 MV showed similar results to the experimental values. Examination of the results in Monte Carlo suggests the cause as partial volume irradiation. In a clinical proton beam, no angular dependence was found.Conclusions: A nontrivial angular response of this OSLD was observed in photon beams. This factor may need to be accounted for when evaluating doses from photon beams incident from a variety of directions.
VLSI Friendly ECG QRS Complex Detector for Body Sensor Networks

This paper aims to present a very-large-scale integration (VLSI) friendly electrocardiogram (ECG) QRS detector for body sensor networks. Baseline wandering and background noise are removed from original ECG signal by a mathematical morphological method. Then the multipixel modulus accumulation is employed to act as a low-pass filter to enhance the QRS complex and improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated with standard MIT-BIH arrhythmia database and wearable exercise ECG Data. Corresponding power and area efficient VLSI architecture is designed and implemented on a commercial nano-FPGA. High detection rate and high speed demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed detector.
PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF α‐GALACTOSIDASE FROM PEANUTS

Alpha-galactosidase was characterized in two peanuts market types, Runner and Spanish. The enzyme was purified 54 fold using ammonium sulfate precipitation, anion exchange chromatography and Size Exclusion High-performance Liquid Chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the enzyme has a molecular weight of 30,000 Da, and isoelectric focusing showed a pI of 5.2. The optimum temperature and pH were 50C and 6.0, respectively. The enzyme had a K m of 0.221 mM when ρ-nitrophenyl α-D-galactopyranoside (PNPG) was used as a substrate and 80.8 mM when raffinose was a substrate. Raffinose and galactose were found to be competitive inhibitors when PNPG was the substrate; K i values were 25.4 and 189, respectively. The enzyme was very sensitive to Hg ++ , Ag ++ and to a lesser extent to Cu ++ . However, ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid did not have an effect indicating no requirement for cations. The two peanut types tested showed identical enzyme activities.
Simulation and analysis of Magnetically-Applied Pressure-Shear (MAPS) experiments

Magnetically-Applied Pressure-Shear (MAPS) is a new experimental technique to measure material shear strength at high pressures and has been developed for use on MHD driven pulsed power platforms [1]. By applying an external static magnetic field to the sample region, the MHD drive directly induces a shear stress wave in addition to the usual longitudinal stress wave. Strength is probed by passing this shear wave through a sample material where the transmissible shear stress is limited to the sample strength. The magnitude of the transmitted shear wave is measured via a transverse velocity interferometry system (VISAR) from which the sample strength is determined [2]. This paper presents and analyzes the 2D MHD simulations used to design the MAPS experiments.
Laser rangefinders and ArcGIS combined with three-dimensional photorealistic modeling for mapping outcrops in the Slick Hills, Oklahoma

The mapping of geology is conventionally done visually in a hands-on fashion, and the data are recorded in a field book or with photography. An alternative technique that combines reflectorless laser rangefinders or high-speed terrestrial laser scanners, global positioning system, and the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ArcGIS software platform has been developed that is effective for mapping geology at a distance and in three dimensions. Portable handheld reflectorless lasers are used to capture geologic features such as contacts and terrain and can be combined with digital elevation models in ArcGIS software. Fast terrestrial laser scanners capture an entire exposure at the detail and accuracy of (3D) photorealistic (virtual) models with the additional color information from image pixels. This latter method is expensive and complicated and requires significant amounts of field and processing effort. The laser gun approach is simple, portable, and cost effective. When integrated with ESRI ArcGIS software and a module, such as our recently developed ArcGIS extension 3DLT (laser tool), a simple yet sophisticated platform exists for mapping, visualizing, and analyzing outcrops in real time in the field. The potential of laser mapping is demonstrated in the Paleozoic outcrops of a structural geology teaching site in the Slick Hills, Oklahoma. Fast laser scanning and digital photography are used to build a 3D photorealistic model of an area of the anticline. The 3DLT is used for mapping specific detailed features such as contacts and faults. Three-dimensional quantitative information can be extracted from the geology with these methods. A laser rangefinder combined with 3DLT can image and display terrain and outcrop features in the field, in real time. Mapping with fast scanners requires several steps in processing of the point cloud data utilizing a variety of sophisticated and expensive software, but can capture an entire outcrop, such as a mountainside. The resulting model then can be analyzed in the lab. When combined with digital photography, virtual photorealistic models derived from point clouds can be even more effectively analyzed. The most appropriate method for digitally mapping geology depends on a variety of issues, such as cost, time, complexity, portability, and the project goals.
The “Phantom Bertha” Mystery

A newspaper account of a mysterious explosion at sea is reviewed and shown to be not inconsistent with the supposition that the explosion may have been due to the fall of a contraterrene meteorite. Attention of astronomers and meteoriticists is called to this and other types of phenomena which they may have to investigate in the light of the hypothesis of the existence of contraterrene matter.
Regulation of the Edwardsiella ictaluri Type III Secretion System by pH and Phosphate Concentration through EsrA, EsrB, and EsrC

A recently described Edwardsiella ictaluri type III secretion system (T3SS) with functional similarity to the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 T3SS is required for replication in channel catfish head-kidney-derived macrophages (HKDM) and virulence in channel catfish. Quantitative PCR and Western blotting identified low pH and phosphate limitation as conducive to expression of the E. ictaluri T3SS, growth conditions that mimic the phagosomal environment. Mutagenesis studies demonstrated that expression is under the control of the EsrAB two-component regulatory system. EsrB also induces upregulation of the AraC-type regulatory protein EsrC, which enhances expression of the EscB/EseG chaperone/effector operon in concert with EsrB and induces expression of the pEI1-encoded effector, EseH. EsrC also induces expression of a putative type VI secretion system translocon protein, EvpC, which is secreted under the same low-pH conditions as the T3SS translocon proteins. The pEI2-encoded effector, EseI, was upregulated under low-pH and low-phosphate conditions but not in an EsrB- or EsrC-dependent manner. Mutations of EsrA and EsrB both resulted in loss of the ability to replicate in HKDM and full attenuation in the channel catfish host. Mutation of EsrC did not affect intracellular replication but did result in attenuation in catfish. Although EsrB is the primary transcriptional regulator for E. ictaluri genes within the T3SS pathogenicity island, EsrC regulates expression of the plasmid-carried effector eseH and appears to mediate coordinated expression of the T6SS with the T3SS.
Orthotopic non-metastatic and metastatic oral cancer mouse models

Oral cancer is characterized by high morbidity and mortality with a predisposition to metastasize to different tissues, including lung, liver, and bone. Despite progress in the understanding of mutational profiles and deregulated pathways in oral cancer, patient survival has not significantly improved over the past decades. Therefore, there is a need to establish in vivo models that recapitulate human oral cancer metastasis to evaluate therapeutic potential of novel drugs. Here we report orthotopic tongue cancer nude mouse models to study oral cancer growth and metastasis using human metastatic (UMSCC2) and non-metastatic (CAL27) cell lines, respectively. Transduction of these cell lines with lentivirus expressing red fluorescent protein (DsRed) followed by injection into tongues of immunodeficient mice generated orthotopic tongue tumors that could be monitored for growth and metastasis by fluorescence measurement with an in vivo Imaging System (IVIS 200). The growth rates of CAL27-DsRed induced tumors were higher than UMSCC2-DsRed tumors after day 15, while UMSCC2-DsRed tumors revealed metastasis beginning on day 21. Importantly, UMSCC2 tumors metastasized to a number of tissues including the submandibular gland, lung, kidney, liver, and bone. Further, immunohistochemical analyses of tongue tumors induced by CAL27 and UMSCC2 cells revealed elevated expression of components of protumorigenic pathways deregulated in human cancers, including Cyclin D1, PCNA, Ki-67, LSD1, LOXL2, MT-MMP1, DPAGT1, E-cadherin, OCT4A, and H3K4me1/2. These orthotopic mouse models are likely to be useful tools for gaining insights into the activity and mechanisms of novel oral cancer drug candidates.
ADCP Velocity Errors from Pelagic Fish Schooling around Equatorial Moorings

Abstract Beginning in 1990, PROTEUS (profile telemetry of upper ocean currents) moorings have been deployed in the equatorial Pacific with the ability to transmit ocean current measurements to shore in real time via satellite. The surface moorings were equipped with 153.6-kHz RD Instruments acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs), along with mechanical current meters (MCMs) at six or seven depths. At times, large bias errors were found in the ADCP velocities relative to MCM velocities, due to the reflection of acoustic energy from fish in the vicinity of the moorings. An algorithm was subsequently developed and added to the ADCP firmware in an attempt to identify and reject fish-affected data before ensemble averaging of individual pings. The algorithm rejected some fish-biased data, but large velocity errors still occurred in the ADCP averages. A technique utilizing empirical orthogonal functions of ADCP–MCM speed differences was developed to correct the ADCP velocities after mooring recovery. The cor...
RNA‑Seq and microarray analysis of the Xenopus inner ear transcriptome discloses orthologous OMIM ® genes for hereditary disorders of hearing and balance

Background Auditory and vestibular disorders are prevalent sensory disabilities caused by genetic and environmental (noise, trauma, chemicals) factors that often damage mechanosensory hair cells of the inner ear. Development of treatments for inner ear disorders of hearing and balance relies on the use of animal models such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and non-human mammals. Here, we aimed to augment the utility of the genus Xenopus for uncovering genetic mechanisms essential for the maintenance of inner ear structure and function.
Steroids and immunosuppressive agents potentiate the cytotoxicity of the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib (E) in human skin keratinocytes whereas Vit K3 exerts a protective effect: Implications for the management of the skin rash

9124 Background: Skin toxicity secondary to EGFR inhibitors is treated symptomatically with topical and systemic combinations of steroids, antibiotics, antihistamines, and immunosuppressive agents ...
Office-based olfactory mucosa biopsies.

Background Requests from researchers for olfactory mucosal biopsies are increasing as a result of advances in the fields of neuroscience and stem cell biology. Published studies report variable rates of success in obtaining true olfactory tissue, often below 50%. In cases where biopsies are not obtained carefully and confirmed through histological techniques, erroneous conclusions are made. Attention to the epithelium alone without submucosal analysis may add to the confusion. A consistent biopsy technique can help rhinologists obtain higher yields of olfactory mucosa. Confirmatory tissue staining analysis assures olfactory mucosa has been obtained, thereby strengthening clinical correlations and scientific conclusions. Methods Biopsies of the septum within the anterior olfactory cleft were obtained under endoscopic guidance in an office procedure room using topical local anesthetic (lidocaine). After mucosal incision, a small, cupped, biopsy forceps was used to obtain specimens approximately 2 to 3 mm in size. Specimens were sectioned and analyzed with immunohistochemistry for presence of olfactory epithelium and/or olfactory fascicles. Results A total of 14 subjects were biopsied in this analysis. Four subjects had biopsies in the operating room (OR). The remaining 10 underwent biopsies in the clinic. All biopsies obtained in the OR revealed evidence of olfactory mucosa. Of the 10 clinic biopsies, 8 (80%) revealed evidence of olfactory mucosa. No complications were encountered. Conclusion High yields of olfactory mucosa can be obtained safely in an office-based setting. Technique, including attention to the area of biopsy, and confirmatory analysis are important in assuring presence of olfactory tissue.
BET protein inhibitor JQ1 inhibits growth and modulates WNT signaling in mesenchymal stem cells

Efficacy and safety of anticancer drugs are traditionally studied using cancer cell lines and animal models. The thienodiazepine class of BET inhibitors, such as JQ1, has been extensively studied for the potential treatment of hematological malignancies and several small molecules belonging to this class are currently under clinical investigation. While these compounds are well known to inhibit cancer cell growth and cause apoptosis, their effects on stem cells, particularly mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are important for regeneration of damaged cells and tissues, are unknown. In this study we employed umbilical cord derived MSCs as a model system to evaluate the safety of JQ1. Cord derived MSCs were treated with various doses of JQ1 and subjected to cell metabolic activity, apoptosis, and cell cycle analyses using MTT assay, Annexin-V/FITC and PI staining, and flow cytometry, respectively. The effect of JQ1 on gene expression was determined using microarray and quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis. Furthermore, protein expression of apoptotic and neuronal markers was carried out using western blot and immunostaining, respectively. Our results showed that JQ1 inhibited cell growth and caused cell cycle arrest in G1 phase but did not induce apoptosis or senescence. JQ1 also down-regulated genes involved in self-renewal, cell cycle, DNA replication, and mitosis, which may have negative implications on the regenerative potential of MSCs. In addition, JQ1 interfered with signaling pathways by down regulating the expression of WNT, resulting in limiting the self-renewal. These results suggest that anticancer agents belonging to the thienodiazepine class of BET inhibitors should be carefully evaluated before their use in cancer therapy. This study revealed for the first time that JQ1 adversely affected MSCs, which are important for repair and regeneration. JQ1 specifically modulated signal transduction and inhibited growth as well as self-renewal. These findings suggest that perinatal MSCs could be used to supplement animal models for investigating the safety of anticancer agents and other drugs.
Seeking the real

A critical discussion of Barry Stroud's claim, in his book The Quest for Reality, that we could never rationally arrive at the conclusion that, for example, the world is not really colored.
Ingested Boric Acid Effect on the Venom Chemistry of Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

During a field evaluation of a boric acid bait against the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, it was observed that workers of intoxicated colonies produced stings with less toxic effects compared with workers from healthy colonies. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of boric acid on the levels of piperidine alkaloids in ant venom was investigated. Exposure to boric acid for a period of 4 wks resulted in significant changes in both concentrations and ratios of the piperidine alkaloids. The concentration of piperidine alkaloids was significantly lower in colonies treated with the boric acid bait. Thus, boric acid suppresses the production of piperidine alkaloids in red imported fire ants.
Bose-Einstein condensation of 84Sr.

We report Bose-Einstein condensation of $^{84}\mathrm{Sr}$ in an optical dipole trap. Efficient laser cooling on the narrow intercombination line and an ideal $s$-wave scattering length allow the creation of large condensates (${N}_{0}\ensuremath{\sim}3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{5}$) even though the natural abundance of this isotope is only 0.6%. Condensation is heralded by the emergence of a low-velocity component in time-of-flight images.
Evaluation of the Sakaguchi Reaction for Quantitative Determination of Arginine.

SummaryThe Sakaguchi reaction has been studied to obtain a reliable quantitative method for the colorimetric estimation of arginine. The best conditions for this method have been investigated and reported. The method has been found to be entirely satisfactory for determining arginine over the range of 0-30 γ. Duplicability of the method is ± 0.5%, (Standard deviation).
Intrauterine Device Placement During Cesarean Delivery and Continued Use 6 Months Postpartum: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: To compare intrauterine device (IUD) use at 6 months postpartum among women who underwent intracesarean delivery (during cesarean delivery) IUD placement compared with women who planned for interval IUD placement 6 or more weeks postpartum. METHODS: In this nonblinded randomized trial women who were undergoing a cesarean delivery and desired an IUD were randomized to intracesarean delivery or interval IUD placement. The primary outcome was IUD use at 6 months postpartum. A sample size of 112 (56 in each group) was planned to detect a 15% difference in IUD use at 6 months postpartum between groups. RESULTS: From March 2012 to June 2014 172 women were screened and 112 women were randomized into the trial. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Data regarding IUD use at 6 months postpartum were available for 98 women 48 and 50 women in the intracesarean delivery and interval groups respectively. A larger proportion of the women in the intracesarean delivery group were using an IUD at 6 months postpartum (40/48 [83%]) compared with those in the interval group (32/50 [64%] relative risk 1.3 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.66). Among the 56 women randomized to interval IUD insertion 22 (39%) of them never received an IUD; 14 (25%) never returned for IUD placement five (9%) women declined an IUD and three (5%) had a failed IUD placement. CONCLUSION: Intrauterine device placement at the time of cesarean delivery leads to a higher proportion of IUD use at 6 months postpartum when compared with interval IUD placement.
A theory of macromolecular chemotaxis.

A macromolecule in a gradient of a cosolute that is preferentially (relative to the solvent) either attracted to or excluded from the domain of the macromolecule should experience a thermodynamic force and move, respectively, up or down the gradient. A theory of chemotactic forces arising from such preferential interactions, especially short-range ligand binding and excluded volume interactions, is developed via an extension of Kirkwood–Buff theory. The ligand binding result is confirmed for both non-ionic and ionic cosolutes by standard solution thermodynamics. The effect of increasing the electrolyte concentration to diminish the electrostatic free energy of a charged macromolecule is also treated formally via an electrostatic macromolecule–electrolyte preferential interaction coefficient. For short-range interactions, the induced chemotactic velocity is attributed entirely to tangential tractions at the interface between the macromolecule and its surrounding solution. The velocity of a spherical macrom...
Problems and optimization strategies of Chinese rural public health system

The new medical reform has ushered in unprecedented opportunities for rural public health system.But the rural public health system encountered the problems,such as inadequate investment,structural imbalance in resource allocation and utilization,loose three-level network of prevention and care,weakening public health function and acute shortage of human resources.How to optimize the public health system and improve the quality of public health services in rural areas,this paper came out with the following countermeasures: making sense of government’s responsibility in public health,increasing investment,the rational allocation of health resources between urban and rural areas,reshaping rural three-level prevention network construction,and strengthening personal training,etc.
Time-resolved dissociation of the light-harvesting 1 complex of Rhodospirillum rubrum, studied by infrared laser temperature jump.

For the first time, data are presented on the time-resolved disassembly reaction of a highly organized membrane protein complex in vitro. The photosynthetic core light-harvesting complex of the bacterial strain Rhodospirillum rubrum G9 consists of 12-16 dimeric subunits that in vivo are associated with the photosynthetic reaction center in a ringlike manner. Isolated in a detergent solution, its appearance either as a ringlike complex (called B873 and absorbing at 873 nm), subunit dimer (called B820 and absorbing at 820 nm), or monomeric form (called B777 and absorbing at 777 nm) is strongly temperature-dependent. In thermodynamic equilibria between B820 and B873, intermediate-sized complexes have also been observed that have absorption maxima around 850 nm. It is unknown whether these structures appear as intermediates in the kinetic B820-B873 (dis)assembly reaction. In this paper disassembly of the light-harvesting complex into its dimeric subunits was followed spectroscopically on a time scale up to 200 ms, upon applying an infrared laser-induced temperature jump. The full dissociation process appears to take place on a time scale of tens to hundreds of milliseconds, the rates becoming faster at higher starting temperatures. Applying the same technique, the dissociation reaction of dimeric subunits into monomers also could be established. This dissociation process occurred on a much faster time scale and took place within the 500 μs response time of our detection system.
Rehabilitation of Understocked Loblolly-Shortleaf Pine Stands- IV. Natural and Planted Seedling/Sapling Stands

A 3- to Cyr-old naturally regenerated, even-aged loblollypine (Pinus taeda L.) stand and a 5- yr-old loblolly pine plantation on good sites (SIbb = 85 to 90 ft at 50 yr ) were cut to density levels of 50, 90, 180,270, and 360 seedlings and/or saplings/at. Two pine release treatments (none and individual tree release with a herbicide) were applied to the natural stand, but were not imposed in the plantation because site preparation treatments were appliedbeforeplanting. At2,5, and 10 yrafter installation, plots were inventoried to determine: (I) the lowest threshold of seedling/sapl ing density that was feasible to manage, (2) the time required for poorly stocked seedling/sapling stands to reach an acceptable stocking level, and (3) whether release treatments would improve survival and growth of understocked, natural seedling/sapling stands. Results indicated that loblolly pine plantations on good sites having at least 180 trees/at (30% stocking) reached an acceptable stocking level of 60% by age 10 and produced up to 1,500 @/ac (19 cd/at) of merchantable volume by age 15. By thisage, trees inplantations with270and360 trees/acdisplayedgoodform, but at densities of 180, 90, and 50 trees/at the trees still retained large branches nearly to the ground. Natural stands having at least 180 trees/at that were released from overtopping by hardwood at age 5 reached 60% stocking by age 15 but produced only 627fi-?/ac (8 cd/at) of merchantable volume. When pines in the natural stand were not released, only plots with 360 trees/at reached an acceptable 60% stocking level by age 15 but only produced 539ft3/ac (7coYac) of merchantable volume. The observed difSerences in recovery rates in the understocked pine stands principally reflected the levels of competing hardwoods. Results suggest that understocked, natural stands or plantations ofpine seedlings/saplings withfewer than 180 trees/at (less than 30% stocking), at age 5, should probably be liquidated and a new stand established unless the landowner is willing to sacrifice sign$cant reductions in early volume production. South. J. Appl. For. 22(1)53-59.
Significant Immunologic Factors in Male Infertility

AbstractA number of patients who suffer from involuntary infertility showed a sperm antibody in the blood serum as detected by 2 different methods of sperm agglutination. These techniques are the Kibrick method (gelatin agglutination test) and the F-D method (tube-slide agglutination test). With the former technique 9 per cent of men and 18 per cent of women from infertile couples had a positive result, while the latter technique revealed 5 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women with positive results. Such cases are termed immunological infertility. Several cases of necrospermia also showed sperm antibody activity. In vasectomized men it has been shown that 50 to 60 per cent have sperm antibody during the first year postoperatively. To develop new methods for treatment of infertility immunosuppression by means of corticosteroid medication was applied. A 7-day regimen of 96mg. per day methylprednisolone was studied. A drastic decrease of antibody level could be seen in some cases and the wives became pre...
Analysis of BLT data from VKI Longshot Facility

Results for the stability analysis are as follows: maximum N factor trends agree well with previous data; transition N factor difference between Case 2 and Case 3 disagrees with previous data. Requires another look; predicts disturbance frequencies that agree with experiments and VESTA computations; and predicts larger N factors than VESTA
Synthesis, anti-proliferative activity, and toxicity of C4(C5) substituted N,N′-bis(arylmethyl)imidazolium salts

Abstract The syntheses and characterization of C4 and C5 substituted N,N′-bis(arylmethyl)imidazolium salts with hydrophilic or lipophilic substituents on the imidazole ring are reported. A structure-activity relationship study revealed that the lipophilicity of groups at the C4 and C5 positions plays a crucial role in modulating the efficacy against select non-small cell lung cancer cell lines tested. Compounds 11–17 were determined to be the most active against the panel of cell lines studied. Compounds 11 and 12 were examined by the National Cancer Institute's Developmental Therapeutic Program where they were tested against the NCI-60 human cancer cell line panel in a one-dose and five-dose assay. Compound 11 had high activity against the nine lung cancer lines tested while 12 had cytotoxic effects against 59 of the 60 cell lines. Compound 11 was also studied in a murine model to determine its in vivo toxicity.
The Mammalian “Bursa Equivalent”: Does Lymphoid Differentiation Along Plasma Cell Lines Begin in the Gut-Associated Lymphoepithelial Tissues (GALT) of Mammals?

Definition of the induction sites for development of the antibody-producing line of cells in mammals seems to us one of the most important problems in contemporary immunobiology. With the discovery in the early 1960s of the role of the mammalian thymus in the development of immunocompetent cells (Good and Gabrielsen, 1964), it was tempting to assume that the thymus was also central to development of antibody-producing cells. This idea was particularly attractive since deficient antibody responsiveness was frequently found in animals subjected to removal of the thymus early in life. Information gained since refuted this possibility and directed attention away from the thymus in the search for the sites of origin of the plasma cell line.
Healthy Aging in a Global Context: Comparing Six Countries

The present study sought to investigate the perceptions of persons 50 years of age or older in six countries from four continents with regard to World Health Organization defined determinants of healthy, active aging. Data were collected from 238 in-depth interviews with older adults residing in Italy, the United States, Thailand, South Africa, Botswana, and Saudi Arabia. Comparative descriptive analysis was completed for qualitative data provided including socio-demographic and economic conditions of participants. Data was collected about health and social services access and use, social support, daily activities, economic status and sources of financial support. ANOVA findings showed significant differences for activity level, expressions on health and happiness, and overall satisfaction with life between country-level comparison groups. Noticeable variations in the context of what is considered healthy and active aging structure within each country exist.
Dysregulation of BET proteins in levodopa-induced dyskinesia

Levodopa (L-DOPA) remains the most effective pharmacological treatment for Parkinson Disease (PD) but its use is limited by the development of debilitating drug-related side effects, particularly L-DOPA induced dyskinesia (LID). LID is a consequence of long-term L-DOPA use, and in model systems is characterized by a "priming effect", whereby initial administrations of L-DOPA trigger a sensitized biochemical and transcriptional response upon subsequent dopaminergic stimulation. Preliminary studies into the mechanisms underlying this cellular memory have indicated an important role for epigenetic change but many of the downstream mechanisms remain unknown. The family of bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) proteins, which bind acetylated histones, play a critical effector role in the regulation of transcription. BET proteins have been implicated in several forms of neural plasticity, but their potential relevance to LID remains unexplored. Using the 6-OHDA rodent model of LID, we show that dyskinesia development induces alterations in BET protein expression along with enhanced occupation of sites at the promoter and enhancer regions of genes dysregulated during dyskinesia development. When BET function was blocked using the pharmacologic inhibitor JQ1, LID was prevented. In addition, we found that JQ1 treatment blocked the transcriptional upregulation of several immediate-early genes known to participate in the pathogenesis of dyskinesia. Together, these results demonstrate an essential role for BET protein activity as an epigenetic "reader" of the altered histone acetylation required for LID development and suggest that modulation of BET protein function is a potential therapeutic avenue for the prevention or reversal of LID in PD.
Capacity Fade of NaTi2(PO4)3 in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions: Relating pH Increases to Long Term Stability

Abstract The inherent chemical stability of NaTi2(PO4)3 in aqueous solutions with higher pH values, and resulting implications for using this material as an anode are explored. Scanning electron microscopy, x-ray powder diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to investigate morphological, structural, and chemical changes for samples exposed to varying basic pHs at 25° C and 70° C. Significant structural degradation and precipitation of a secondary phase were observed in all samples prepared at 70 °C along with 25° C samples exposed to more extreme pH solutions. Infrared spectroscopy results indicated a loss of phosphate from the precipitated material, while x-ray diffraction shows that the secondary phases were from the layered sodium titanate family. Cyclic voltammetry of the samples indicated some degree of capacity loss for all of the samples, while some showing features related to the observed secondary phase that has some electrochemical functionality. The implications of these results on the stability of NaTi2(PO4)3 in various electrolyte environments is discussed.
Renal Osteodystrophy-Time for Common Nomenclature.

The term renal osteodystrophy has been used to describe a wide variety of bone problems facing patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here, we review the history of the use of this term. Bone disease resulting from CKD was first noticed in 1890. The term “renal osteodystrophy” was used to define the bone disease in 1942. Since then, important discoveries have increased our knowledge of the complexities of bone physiology in these patients. At the same time, secular changes in the disease have occurred. The terms used to describe the bone histological findings have changed as well, reflecting new understanding of the physiological processes. However, since different investigators used the terms in different ways, the need to standardize the nomenclature has become increasingly important. Ongoing international collaboration about nosography will allow more optimal communication among scientists and clinicians as we continue to make new discoveries.
Teaching Tainted Lit: Popular American Fiction in Today's Classroom Janet G. Casey, Editor. University of Iowa Press, 2015.

Teaching Tainted Lit: Popular American Fiction in Today’s Classroom Janet G. Casey, Editor. University of Iowa Press, 2015.The essays in Teaching Tainted Lit: Popular American Fiction in Today's Classroom suggest a shift in terms of the fundamental question in literary studies concerning "popular" literature: rather than ask if popular texts deserve a place in our classrooms, the more prevalent question is how these texts can be incorporated in fruitful, appropriate ways. Janet Casey, in her introduction, states, "Our collective sense of the literary has become much more capacious, and many would say more compelling, as a result of this enlarged version of what literature might be" (3). Rather than permission, then, contemporary teachers of literature are instead looking for methodological examples; Teaching Tainted Lit contains ten. While the collection mentions a wide array of literary and cultural theorists, it is clearly focused on practical rather than on theoretical concerns.Even with this paradigmatic shift away from possibility and toward method, the essays contain ample contextual material about the history of pedagogical difficulties related to popular, or "tainted," literature. Many of the authors refer to issues of canon-formation and aesthetics and collectively assert that this history of debate is in fact one of the more rewarding attributes of popular literature. Incorporating "tainted" texts into the classroom provides opportunities for students to engage with questions of canonicity and aesthetics. As Randi Lynn Tanglen offers, "I hope to organize my classes so that students can be part of the debates about their education and make these judgments for themselves" (33). For Tanglen, the incorporation of popular texts in her early American literature survey course allows students "to become aware of the arbitrary nature of aesthetic values and assumptions" (47). Melissa Gniadek says something similar about her inclusion of a nineteenthcentury serialized novel, 'Bel of Prairie Eden (1848): "'Bel instructs students to at least consider the possible politics of a particular aesthetics" (29). Other authors in the collection echo the sentiments of Tanglen and Gniadek, stressing the idea that rather than revolting against the existence of a canon, the inclusion of popular texts instead affords fresh opportunity for students to critically engage with questions about and implications of a canon.Discussions surrounding canon-formation are important-but expected-results of the inclusionary view toward popular literature espoused in this collection. More intriguing in Teaching Tainted Lit are the rather surprising approaches and outcomes many of the essays propose. For example, in "Sneaking It In at the End: Teaching Popular Romance in the Liberal Arts Classroom," Antonia Losano suggests a unique home for romance literature: the undergraduate literary theory course. …
Role of Predisaster Construction Market Conditions in Influencing Postdisaster Demand Surge

AbstractThe postdisaster survival of cities and communities depends on their capabilities to reconstruct and repair damaged buildings following large-scale natural disasters. The socioeconomic phen...
Long Penetrating Tracts

Patients with bi-lobar “transfixing” injuries, such as caused by gunshot wounds, are best treated by lesser procedures than hepatotomy and hemostasis, especially in deep wounds and in the presence of other major associated injuries. These options include pressure control of bleeding by tight packing with omentum packs and by balloons.
General Systems Framework for Inductive Modelling

A conceptual framework for systems problem solving, referred to as general systems problem solver (GSPS), is described. Postulational and discovery approaches to systems modelling are characterized in terms of this framework. The discovery approach, referred to as inductive modelling, is then described in more details.
Capitalism and Social Change: Some Thoughts on How to Change the World

Alan M. Webber, co-founder of Fast Company and former editorial director and managing editor of “Harvard Business Review,” proffers a chapter investigating the relationship between capitalism and social change. In this chapter, Webber presents some of the great ills afflicting modern mankind: environmental degradation, climate change, poverty, and war and violence. He then argues that the cause and the solution of these ills is the same: capitalism. As both communism and socialism have proved inept in obtaining what they promise, only the living, dynamic nature of capitalism is capable of responding to the aforementioned challenges. The author locates the crux of the solution in the interaction between capitalism and social problems that has resulted in social entrepreneurship and hybrid capitalism as exemplified by Mohammad Yunus, Bill Strickland, and Rosanne Haggerty.
Teaching software engineering from a maintenance-centric view using open-source software

Software engineering (SE) careers are disproportionately devoted towards maintaining and evolving existing large systems, rather than building them from ground up. To address this focus, we have developed a maintenance-centric SE course that provides students experience in the maintenance and evolution of realistic software projects. For this purpose, we use Open-Source Software (OSS) which is freely available, as a source of realistic software projects.
Nuclear Weapon Controls and Non-proliferation

Because uranium and plutonium are also sources for nuclear weapons, a lot of public concern has been expressed about the danger these materials might pose if they were clandestinely diverted from use in civilian nuclear power plants to more sinister applications. These concerns are the true motives behind many who want to abolish nuclear power. They fear that proliferation of nuclear weapons is promoted by the existence of nuclear power reactors. Thus some keep fabricating unsubstantiated charges that there are “problems” with nuclear waste disposal e.g. at Yucca Mountain, while their real intention is to disrupt nuclear power development. To be believable, they should isolate and separate their valid concern for nuclear weapons proliferation from the issue of whether the operation of nuclear power plants and disposal of radio-waste can be done safely. The two issues are totally distinct and different. In this book I hope I have clearly shown that the second issue is a non-issue and that we have no choice but to expand nuclear electricity production if we want to avoid a no-oil calamity after 2030. Regarding the first issue, some thoughts on promoting non-proliferation are presented below. They require a review of non-scientific unpredictable human mass behavior.
Towards a validated model of emotional intelligence

This article summarizes recent progress in developing a validated computational account of the cognitive antecedents and consequences of emotion. We describe the potential of this work to impact a variety of AI problem domains.
GREEN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS

Green wireless sensor networks may be regarded as looking at WSN from the perspective of green computing. They play a major role in today’s green applications, which aim at avoiding the waste at all levels of the society. They serve as a fundamental infrastructure for the Internet of things systems. This paper briefly presents an introduction on green wireless sensor networks.
Leading Above the Fray: Turning Challenges into Opportunities

This chapter presents the journey of Carlos Guevara and how his life experiences and lessons contributed to his becoming the connector he envisioned, which was key to achieving the adoption of academic technology and innovation that Hostos experienced during the last decade. On this journey, Guevara shares his sources of inspiration and the principles he relies on to continuously prepare himself and his team to promote academic technology innovation and organizational change. He shares the importance of learning where we come from and absorbing the best of these experiences to build and connect bridges to achieve higher levels of productivity that lead to student success. Guevara emphasizes the importance of implementing solid frameworks to support and promote change in the culture of an organization, and to understand that a successful change requires continuing education and motivation to establish and maintain an active community of practice.
Longitudinal relationships among depressive symptoms and three types of memory self-report in cognitively intact older adults

Objectives The current study examined whether self-reported memory problems among cognitively intact older adults changed concurrently with, preceded, or followed depressive symptoms over time. Design Data were collected annually via in-person comprehensive medical and neuropsychological examinations as part of the Einstein Aging Study. Setting Community-dwelling older adults in an urban, multi-ethnic area of New York City were interviewed. Participants The current study included a total of 1,162 older adults (Mage = 77.65, SD = 5.03, 63.39% female; 74.12% White). Data were utilized from up to 11 annual waves per participant. Measurements Multilevel modeling tested concurrent and lagged associations between three types of memory self-report (frequency of memory problems, perceived one-year decline, and perceived ten-year decline) and depressive symptoms. Results Results showed that self-reported frequency of memory problems covaried with depressive symptoms only in participants who were older at baseline. Changes in perceived one-year and ten-year memory decline were related to changes in depressive symptoms across all ages. Depressive symptoms increased the likelihood of perceived ten-year memory decline the next year; however, perceived ten-year memory decline did not predict future depressive symptoms. Additionally, no significant temporal relationship was observed between depressive symptoms and self-reported frequency of memory problems or perceived one-year memory decline. Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of testing the unique associations of different types of self-reported memory problems with depressive symptoms.
Fresh Air Archive

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a former journalist in possession of a postgraduate degree must be the offspring of a parent who forced them to listen to National Public Radio. Or at le...
A Panel Data Examination of the Determinants of Health Satisfaction

This paper analyzes the determinants of an individual's health satisfaction. The unbalanced panel data are from the German Socioeconomic Panel Survey, and consists of 7,293 participants and 7 time periods. Results find that older people become less satisfied with their health and people with more money tend to be more satisfied with their health ceteris paribus. In addition, becoming divorced does have a negative and somewhat economically significant effect on a person's health satisfaction. Conversely, being handicapped has little effect on a person's health satisfaction and people generally don't change their health satisfaction when they become handicapped.
Bimetallic Mechanism for Alkyne Cyclotrimerization with a Two-Coordinate Fe Precatalyst

The two-coordinate compound (IPr)Fe[N(SiMe3)DIPP] (IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene; DIPP = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl) catalyzes the cyclotrimerization of alkynes to arenes. Tre...
Calcium Transport in the Streptozotocin Diabetic Rat: Studies with Brush Border Membrane Vesicles

Streptozotocin (Sz) diabetes in the rat is an experimental animal model for examination of pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus. When Sz-diabetes is induced in the young, rapidly growing rat, abnormalities of calcium homeostasis are to be anticipated. Sz-diabetes leads to growth arrest and hyperphagia, i.e. the major pathway of calcium utilization, bone growth, is blocked, in the setting of excessive intake of dietary calcium. Although growth arrest characterizes the organism as a whole, the alimentary tract, particularly the small intestine, grows (Jervis and Levin, 1966; Schedl and Wilson, 1971a, 1971b; Schedi et al, 1982). During the first 2–3 days after Sz injection, food intake is decreased. Subsequently, with restoration of food intake and development of hyperphagia, the alimentary tract grows. Crypt cell proliferation rate of jejunum and ileum in the Sz-diabetic rat is double that of the control (Miller, et al, 1977). This increased rate of cell division is present in Sz-diabetics pair-fed with controls, and is minimally increased by the hyperphagia of the ad lib fed diabetic, although mucosal mass of the entire small intestine is significantly greater in the ad lib as compared with the pair-fed Sz-diabetic (Schedl, et al, 1982).
Financing Loan Growth at Banks

We analyze investment and financing decisions for a broad sample of affiliated and independent banks during the 1994–1998 period. Our results indicate that growth in lending at affiliated banks is supported by net equity financing flows from parent holding companies. We also provide evidence that loan growth at affiliated banks, relative to independent banks, is less constrained by capital availability. Both findings appear relevant to understanding the diminishing role of independent banks in aggregate lending.