cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance Many people meditate to reduce psychological stress and stress-related health problems. To counsel people appropriately, clinicians need to know what the evidence says about the health benefits of meditation. Objective To determine the efficacy of meditation programs in improving stress-related outcomes (anxiety, depression, stress/distress, positive mood, mental health–related quality of life, attention, substance use, eating habits, sleep, pain, and weight) in diverse adult clinical populations. Evidence Review We identified randomized clinical trials with active controls for placebo effects through November 2012 from MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, PsycArticles, Scopus, CINAHL, AMED, the Cochrane Library, and hand searches. Two independent reviewers screened citations and extracted data. We graded the strength of evidence using 4 domains (risk of bias, precision, directness, and consistency) and determined the magnitude and direction of effect by calculating the relative difference between groups in change from baseline. When possible, we conducted meta-analyses using standardized mean differences to obtain aggregate estimates of effect size with 95% confidence intervals. Findings After reviewing 18 753 citations, we included 47 trials with 3515 participants. Mindfulness meditation programs had moderate evidence of improved anxiety (effect size, 0.38 [95% CI, 0.12-0.64] at 8 weeks and 0.22 [0.02-0.43] at 3-6 months), depression (0.30 [0.00-0.59] at 8 weeks and 0.23 [0.05-0.42] at 3-6 months), and pain (0.33 [0.03- 0.62]) and low evidence of improved stress/distress and mental health–related quality of life. We found low evidence of no effect or insufficient evidence of any effect of meditation programs on positive mood, attention, substance use, eating habits, sleep, and weight. We found no evidence that meditation programs were better than any active treatment (ie, drugs, exercise, and other behavioral therapies). Conclusions and Relevance Clinicians should be aware that meditation programs can result in small to moderate reductions of multiple negative dimensions of psychological stress. Thus, clinicians should be prepared to talk with their patients about the role that a meditation program could have in addressing psychological stress. Stronger study designs are needed to determine the effects of meditation programs in improving the positive dimensions of mental health and stress-related behavior.
Role of the p68 subunit of human DNA polymerase α-primase in simian virus 40 DNA replication

DNA polymerase α-primase (pol-prim) is a heterotetramer with DNA polymerase and primase activities. The polymerase (p180) and primase (p48 and p58) subunits synthesize primers and extend them, but the function of the remaining subunit (p68) is poorly understood. Genetic studies in yeast suggested an essential role for the p68 ortholog in early S phase prior to the hydroxyurea-sensitive step, possibly a regulatory role in initiation of DNA replication, but found no evidence for an essential function of p68 later in S phase. To investigate whether the human p68 subunit has an essential role in DNA replication, we examined the ability of a purified trimeric human pol-prim lacking p68 to initiate simian virus 40 DNA replication in vitro and to synthesize and elongate primers on single-stranded DNA in the presence of T antigen and replication protein A (RPA). Both activities of trimeric pol-prim were defective, but activity was recovered upon addition of separately purified p68. Phosphorylation of p68 by cyclin A-dependent protein kinase also inhibited both activities of pol-prim. The data strongly suggest that the p68 subunit is required for priming activity of pol-prim in the presence of RPA and T antigen, both during initiation at the origin and during lagging strand replication.
Lattice-mismatched GaAsP Solar Cells Grown on Silicon by OMVPE

We report on lattice-mismatched GaAs0.7P0.3 solar cells grown on silicon substrates. This composition of GaAs0.7P0.3 has a band gap of about 1.7 eV and is well suited as the top junction of a III-V / Si two-junction tandem solar cell. Using a thin, high-quality GaP nucleation layer, a lattice-matched GaN0.02P0.98 buffer layer, and a compositionally graded GaAsxP1-x buffer layer, the threading dislocation densities was reduced to less than 108 cm?2 in the active region. The efficiencies of these single-junction cells without any antireflection coatings were as high has 9.8% under the AM1.5G spectrum. The quality of these solar cells based on Voc is comparable to the best III-V solar cells ever grown on Si substrates with a III-V buffer.
SSD bufferpool extensions for database systems

High-end solid state disks (SSDs) provide much faster access to data compared to conventional hard disk drives. We present a technique for using solid-state storage as a caching layer between RAM and hard disks in database management systems. By caching data that is accessed frequently, disk I/O is reduced. For random I/O, the potential performance gains are particularly significant. Our system continuously monitors the disk access patterns to identify hot regions of the disk. Temperature statistics are maintained at the granularity of an extent, i.e., 32 pages, and are kept current through an aging mechanism. Unlike prior caching methods, once the SSD is populated with pages from warm regions cold pages are not admitted into the cache, leading to low levels of cache pollution. Simulations based on DB2 I/O traces, and a prototype implementation within DB2 both show substantial performance improvements.
Pain and Defense Versus Grace and Justice: The Relational Conflict and Restoration Model:

The article presents an integrated theoretical perspective on the origin, maintenance and alteration of relational conflict. It suggests that relational conflict and reconciliation can be understood as two behavioral alternatives that couples respond with during the experience of pain or other negative emotion. The presence of pain elicits a defensive reaction that encourages a perpetuation of the conflict process; or it encourages a demonstration of grace and justice that can permit relationships to be a healing agent. The components of the relational conflict cycle and the relational reconciliation cycle are explained.
Evidence for the contribution of point mutations to vlsE variation and for apparent constraints on the net accumulation of sequence changes in vlsE during infection with Lyme disease spirochetes.

In the Lyme disease spirochetes, both the ospE and vlsE gene families have been demonstrated to undergo sequence variation during infection. To further investigate the mechanisms associated with the generation of vls variation, single-nucleotide polymorphism and subsequent DNA sequence analyses were performed on the vlsE gene and its paralog, BBJ51, a related gene with a frameshift mutation. These analyses focused on a series of postinfection clonal populations obtained from mice infected with Borrelia burgdorferi B31MIpc or its clonal derivative, B31MIc53. vlsE, but not BBJ51, was found to undergo sequence changes during infection. Consistent with that reported previously (J.-R. Zhang et al., Cell 89:275–285, 1997) many of the sequence changes appear to have arisen through gene conversion events and to be localized to the variable regions of vlsE. However, analysis of the vlsE nucleotide sequences revealed that some sequence changes were the result of point mutations, as these changes did not have potential contributing sources in the vls cassettes. To determine if sequence changes accumulate in vlsE over long-term infection, the vlsE genes of clonal populations recovered after 7 months of infection in mice were analyzed. While new sequence changes developed, a significant number of these changes resulted in the restoration of the vlsE sequence of the original infecting clone. In addition, we noted that some positions within the variable regions (VR) are stable even though the cassettes possess residues that could contribute to sequence variation through gene conversion. These analyses suggest that the total number of amino acid sequence changes that can be maintained by VlsE levels off during infection. In summary, in this report we demonstrate that the development of point mutations serves as a second mechanism by which vlsE sequence variation can be generated and that the capacity for vlsE variation, while still significant, is less than previously postulated.
The challenge of space nuclear propulsion and power systems reliability

In October of 2002, The Power and Propulsion Office and The Risk Management Office of NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio began developing the reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) engineering approach for the Space Nuclear Propulsion and Power Systems Project. The objective of the Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion Project is to provide safe and reliable propulsion and power systems for planetary missions. The safety of the crew, ground personnel, and the public has to be the highest priority of the RAM engineering approach for nuclear powered space systems. The project will require a top level reliability goal for substantial mission success in the range from 0.95 to 0.98. In addition, the probability of safe operation without loss of crew, vehicle, or danger to the public, cannot be less than 0.9999. The achievement of these operational goals will require the combined application of many RAM engineering techniques. These include: advanced reliability, availability, and maintainability analysis, probabilistic risk assessment that includes hardware, software, and human induced faults, accelerated life testing, parts stress analysis, and selective end to end sub-system testing. Design strategy must involve the selection of parts and materials specifically to withstand the stresses of prolonged operation in the space and planetary environments with a wide design margin. Interplanetary distances and resulting signal time delay drive the need for autonomous control of major system functions including redundancy management.
Follow the Nitrogen

On Mars, the jovian satellites, and other planetary bodies, nitrogen species may provide important clues to the presence of life.
‘I Think it's Just Natural’: The Spatiality of Racial Segregation at a US High School

In this paper I consider the performativity of racial identities and difference at a southern US high school. I utilize Butler's performativity theory along with geographic theories of race, racial difference, and racism to argue that teenage girls reinstate racial difference through their everyday spatial practices. The paper has two substantive sections in addition to the introduction and the conclusion. The first explores the segregated high school lunchroom. Here I examine two girls' narratives and suggest that these girls encounter the spatiality of racial difference in the lunchroom and repeat the practices of segregated sitting. Thus, they reinscribe racialized difference and identity through their spatial practices of sitting with same-race friends. The second substantive section focuses on girls' practices of identifying others' racial identities. In this section I argue that these identifications are spatialized and that racial difference and categorization are achieved through spatial policing ...
Desmosomes: Integrators of mechanical integrity in tissues

The most prominent cell surface attachment site for intermediate filaments (IF) at epithelial cell-cell interfaces is the desmosome (reviewed in Collins and Garrod, 1994; Schmidt et al., 1994; Garrod et al., 1996; Green and Jones, 1996); see Figure 1. By anchoring IF at sites of strong intercellular adhesion, desmosomes create a transcellular network throughout the tissue, and this network is thought to resist forces of mechanical stress. The importance of the IF-cell surface complex has been highlighted by the discovery of mutations in genes encoding IF structural proteins, as well as cell junction proteins that result in blistering diseases of the skin (Steinert and Bale, 1993; Fuchs, 1994; McLean and Lane, 1995). Furthermore, autoimmune antibodies that specifically attack the desmosoma1 cadherin component of desmosomes result in a family of blistering diseases of the skin and oral cavity known as pemphigus (Stanley, 1995). Thus, these cell-cell adhesive structures and their underlying cytoskeletal attachments are clearly important for the integrity of tissues. Desmosomes are related to another class of adhesive junctions called adherens junctions, which mediate attachment of the microfilament cytoskeleton to the cell surface (Kowalczyk and Green, 1996). In adherens junctions, classic calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecules (e.g., E-cadherin) are anchored to the actin cytoskeleton through a complex that includes the armadillo protein family member p-catenin. ,0-catenin binds directly to both E-cadherin and to the actin-associated protein cu-catenin. In desmosomes, two classes of desmosomal cadherins,
Reversing the Logic: An Outcomes-Based Student Typology for Determining “What Works” in Promoting an Array of Engineering-Related Student Learning Outcomes

Colleges and universities are being pressed to seek innovative ways to measure student learning outcomes and identify the conditions that lead to their development. Understanding how students group...
ADSORPTION AND FLUORESCENCE OF FAT-SOLUBLE FLUORESCENT DYES ON CLASS I AND CLASS III SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

Lycette, R. M. (Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago) and L. R. Hedrick. Adsorption and fluorescence of fat-soluble fluorescent dyes on class I and class III Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Bacteriol. 85:1-6. 1963.-Class III cells of the brewery yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae flocculate, but class I cells do not, when cultured in an organic YM medium. Class III cells adsorb the fat-soluble stilbyl-triazole fluorescent dye (STC) more readily and produce more fluorescence than do class I cells. This suggests that cells of the class III yeasts have more lipids or more phospholipids on their surface than do cells of class I yeasts. Fluorescence of STC in the absence of cells is pH-independent, but adsorption of the compound on the surface of cells, with the associated fluorescence, is pH-dependent. As the pH level was decreased within the range of pH 9 to 0, and as the temperature was elevated within the range of 0 to 40 C, there was an increase in adsorption and a corresponding increase in fluorescence. Maximal adsorption was attained in less than 15 min when the cells and dye were shaken at 26 C. Cells of class III adsorbed 2.5 mug of STC per 3.25 mg (dry wt) of cells. The kinetics of adsorption follow the Langmuir monomolecular model.
Involvement of 5-HT1A receptors in homeostatic and stress-induced adaptive regulations of paradoxical sleep: Studies in 5-HT1A knock-out mice

For the last two decades, the involvement of 5-HT1Areceptors in the regulation of vigilance states has been studied extensively thanks to pharmacological tools, but clear-cut conclusion has not been reached yet. By studying mutant mice that do not express this receptor type (5-HT1A−/−) and their wild-type 129/Sv counterparts, we herein demonstrate that 5-HT1A receptors play key roles in the control of spontaneous sleep–wakefulness cycles, as well as in homeostatic regulation and stress-induced adaptive changes of paradoxical sleep. Both strains of mice exhibited a diurnal sleep–wakefulness rhythm, but 5-HT1A−/− animals expressed higher amounts of paradoxical sleep than wild-type mice during both the light and the dark phases. In wild-type mice, pharmacological blockade of 5-HT1A receptors by WAY 100635 (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) promoted paradoxical sleep, whereas the 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT (0.25–1 mg/kg, s.c.) had an opposite effect. In contrast, none of the 5-HT1A receptor ligands affected sleep significantly in 5-HT1A−/− mice. However, 5-HT1B receptor stimulation by CP 94253 (1–3 mg/kg, i.p.) induced a reduction in paradoxical sleep in both strains, this effect being more pronounced in 5-HT1A−/− mutants. Finally, in contrast to wild-type mice, 5-HT1A−/− mutants did not exhibit any rebound of paradoxical sleep after either a 9 hr instrumental paradoxical sleep deprivation or a 90 min immobilization stress. Altogether, these data indicate that, in the mouse, 5-HT1A receptors participate in the spontaneous and homeostatic regulation, as well as in stress-induced adaptive changes of paradoxical sleep.
Long-Term Effects of Pravastatin on Plasma Concentration of C-reactive Protein

Background—Elevated plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. We evaluated whether long-term therapy with pravastatin, an agent that reduces cardiovascular risk, might alter levels of this inflammatory parameter. Methods and Results—CRP levels were measured at baseline and at 5 years in 472 randomly selected participants in the Cholesterol and Recurrent Events (CARE) trial who remained free of recurrent coronary events during follow-up. Overall, CRP levels at baseline and at 5 years were highly correlated (r50.60, P,0.001). However, among those allocated to placebo, median CRP levels and the mean change in CRP tended to increase over time (median change, 14.2%; P50.2 and mean change, 10.07 mg/dL; P50.04). By contrast, median CRP levels and the mean change in CRP decreased over time among those allocated to pravastatin (median change, 217.4%; P50.004 and mean change, 20.07 mg/dL; P50.002). Thus, statistically significant differences were observed at 5 years between the pravastatin and placebo groups in terms of median CRP levels (difference, 221.6%; P50.007), mean CRP levels (difference, 237.8%; P50.002), and absolute mean change in CRP (difference, 20.137 mg/dL; P50.003). These effects persisted in analyses stratified by age, body mass index, smoking status, blood pressure, and baseline lipid levels. Attempts to relate the magnitude of change in CRP to the magnitude of change in lipids in both the pravastatin and placebo groups did not reveal any obvious relationships. Conclusions—Among survivors of myocardial infarction on standard therapy plus placebo, CRP levels tended to increase over 5 years of follow-up. In contrast, randomization to pravastatin resulted in significant reductions in this inflammatory marker that were not related to the magnitude of lipid alterations observed. Thus, these data further support the potential for nonlipid effects of this agent. (Circulation. 1999;100:230-235.)
Feedback performance control in software services

Software systems are becoming more complex and are being used in applications where performance guarantees are required. This article uses a control-theoretic approach to achieve quality-of-service guarantees.
Impact of a six-year integrated thoracic surgery training program at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Background Thoracic residency program enrollment continues to decline. While job market and decreasing reimbursements are often cited as the main reasons, length of and format of training may also be significant. Methods The Medical College of Wisconsin established an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-approved 6-year integrated thoracic training program. The number and characteristics of applicants to the 6-year program were then compared with previous applicants applying to the traditional 2-year program. Results Applicants to the 6-year integrated program scored higher on the United States Medical Licensing Examination part 1 and part 2 than previous applicants to the traditional2-year program. The 6-year applicants also were more published and a greater percentage of them held other advanced degrees. Conclusions Institution of a 6-year integrated thoracic surgery training program at the Medical College of Wisconsin led to a significant increase in number of applications. Additionally, the 6-year applicants appeared to be more academically accomplished than previous applicants to the traditional 2-year program. While early in the experience, it appears that interest in thoracic surgery is high among medical students and institution of a 6-year program has the potential to once again attract the "best and the brightest" to this specialty.
Carboxymethylated cyclodextrins and their complexes with Pr(III) and Yb(III) as water-soluble chiral NMR solvating agents for cationic compounds.

Cyclodextrins that are indiscriminately carboxymethylated at the 2-, 3-, and 6-positions are used as chiral NMR solvating agents for cationic substrates with phenyl, naphthyl, pyridyl, indoline, and indole rings. Enantiodifferentiation with the α-, β-, and γ-cyclodextrin derivatives is compared. The carboxymethylated derivatives are almost always more effective as chiral NMR solvating agents for cationic substrates than native cyclodextrins. The most effective carboxymethylated cyclodextrin varies for different substrates, and at times even different resonances of the substrate. Addition of paramagnetic praseodymium(III) or ytterbium(III) to mixtures of the carboxymethylated cyclodextrin and substrate often causes enhancements in enantiomeric discrimination and facilitates measurements of enantiomeric purity. The lanthanide ion bonds to the carboxymethyl groups and causes perturbations in the chemical shifts in the NMR spectra of substrate molecules in the cyclodextrin cavity. Chirality, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Optical characterization of solid-state coextruded PET

Amorphous poly(ethylene terephthalate) has been solid state coextruded to a series of draw ratios up to 4.4 at 50, 60, 70 and 90°C. These uniaxially drawn samples have been examined by optical microscopy and light scattering and for increases in crystallinity and birefringence as a function of draw ratio and draw temperature. The birefringence for PET may be among the highest yet reported—0.21.
“You Talk Of Terrible Things So Matter-of-Factly in This Language of Science”: Constructing Human Rights in the Academy

How does the everyday politics behind scientific inquiry impact what we come to know about the world? Here I consider this question in the context of my own fieldwork on the human rights response to children born of war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. First, I reflect on how the academy functions to direct researchers' attention and skill sets to certain types of human rights problems in certain ways, inevitably affecting what we can know about our subject matter. Second, I consider the practical politics by which human rights scholars interface with policy-makers, the media, and the public, and the extent to which members of the human rights scholarly community constitute nodes in the wider networks we are studying.
Efectos del fuego controlado en la velocidad de infiltración del agua en los suelos forestales: un caso de estudio en la costa norte de California

Utilizando infiltrometros cilindricos de gran tamano -1 m de diamerto- se midieron velocidades de infiltracion e suelos, tanto quemados como sin quemar, y en ambos casos bajo pinares de Pinus muricata D. Don en la costa Norte de California (Noroeste de la Ciudad de Santa Rosa). Las condiciones de suelo quemado se obtuvieron mediante fuego prescrito. Las velocidades (o tasas) de infiltracion (de 1,17 a 1,34 x 10-4 m/s) no difirieron significativamente entre el control y miniparcelas bajo quemas controladas de pequena intensidad lineal del fuego (menor que 60 kW/m) y pequeno/moderado consumo de combustible (50-120 mm). Resulta alentador poder reducir la cantidad de combustible acumulado (biomasa) mediante el uso de quemas prescritas sin comprometer los ritmos de los procesos hidrologicos del lugar. Ademas los fuegos no muy severos pueden diversificar los mosaicos de agrupaciones vegetales del paisaje: pirodiversidad genera biodiversidad.
Distorted turbulence in axisymmetric flow

A solution to the rapid-distortion theory for small-scale turbulence in flow round an axisymmetric obstacle is derived. General formulae for velocity covariances and Eulerian time scales are obtained and are evaluated for the particular case of flow round a sphere. The large-scale limit for this flow is also discussed.
Private Property in Africa: Creation Stories of Economy, State, and Culture

Pressures to finance and promote economic development throughout Africa are linked to policy efforts to secure land tenure by advaning private property regimes over common property traditions. In this paper, I examine three prominent arguments invoked to eplain, support, or oppose these policies: the story of Scarcity, the story of the Overbearing State, and the story of Traditional Culture. The paper critically examines the claims of each of these stories and argues that while each is useful, none, alone, is adequate. Copeting stories explain or defend competing tenures, much as they do in American proerty debates.
Relationship between Weather, Traffic and Delay Based on Empirical Methods

The steady rise in demand for air transportation over the years has put much emphasis on the need for sophisticated air traffic flow management (TFM) within the National Airspace System (NAS). The NAS refers to hardware, software and people, including runways, radars, networks, FAA, airlines, etc., involved in air traffic management (ATM) in the US. One of the metrics that has been used to assess the performance of NAS is the actual delays provided through FAA's Air Traffic Operations Network (OPSNET). The OPSNET delay data includes those reportable delays, i.e. delays of 15 minutes or more experienced by Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) flights, submitted by the FAA facilities. These OPSNET delays are caused by the application of TFM initiatives in response to, for instance, weather conditions, increased traffic volume, equipment outages, airline operations, and runway conditions. TFM initiatives such as, ground stops, ground delay programs, rerouting, airborne holding, and miles-in-trail restrictions, are actions which are needed to control the air traffic demand to mitigate the demand-capacity imbalance due to the reduction in capacity. Consequently, TFM initiatives result in NAS delays. Of all the causes, weather has been identified as the most important causal factor for NAS delays. Therefore, in order to accurately assess the NAS performance, it has become necessary to create a baseline for NAS performance and establish a model which characterizes the relation between weather and NAS delays.
Status of the glueballs

QCD1 was invented to explain hadronic states and interactions. The most crucial and elegant part of QCD is SU(3)coior with local gauge invariance.
Design of Distributed Compliant Mechanisms

Abstract The optimization problem formulations currently used to synthesize compliant mechanism topologies aim to maximize the flexibility for obtaining the desired output motion while maximizing the overall stiffness for satisfactorily bearing the applied loads. The best solution to this problem, as posed, is a linkage consisting of rigid members connected together with revolute joints. The current elastic mechanics-based formulations do generate compliant topologies that closely imitate a rigid-body linkage by means of lumped compliance as in flexural pivots. Systematically generating such topology solutions could serve as a creative aid in the conceptual design of mechanisms, especially when the force-deflection specifications are nonintuitive to human designers. However, flexural pivot-based compliant designs are not useful in most applications when large displacements and/or high strength are desired. Ideally, compliant designs should distribute flexibility uniformly throughout the structure rather t...
The Ourobouros of Intellectual Property: Ethics, Law, and Policy in Africa

Because law, policy, and ethics are multiply intertwined, developments in any one of these areas can affect what happens in each of the others. Thus those interested in African information ethics will find it valuable to examine trends in law and policy – and those concerned about legal trends should acknowledge effective leadership when it comes from the direction of ethical practices. Though African societies are almost always pictured as receivers of social, informational, and technological innovations that come from other sources, today many Africans are providing global leadership by developing innovative techniques for approaching the problem of information access. This article describes the context within which this is taking place, including a brief introduction to innovations in a number of areas, before looking in particular at innovations involving intellectual property rights that blend law, policy, and ethics.
GaInNAsSb/GaNAs VCSELs at 1.46μm

We present electrically pumped GaInNAsSb VCSELs at 1.46µm, the longest wavelength on GaAs to date. At -20C, pulsed at 0.1% duty cycle, the threshold current density was 4.5kA/cm2, with a peak output power of 0.77mW.
Effects of cooling temperature on heat pipe evaporator performance using an ideal fluid mixture in microgravity

Abstract The effect of cooling temperature on heat pipe performance has generally received little consideration. In this paper, we studied the performance of a Constrained Vapor Bubble (CVB) heat pipe using a liquid mixture of 94 vol%-pentane and 6 vol%-isohexane at different cooling temperatures in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS). Using a one-dimensional (1-D) heat transfer model developed in our laboratory, the heat transfer coefficient of the evaporator section was calculated and shown to decrease with increasing cooler temperature. Interestingly, the decreasing trend was not the same across the cooler settings studied in the paper. This trend corresponded with the change in the temperature profile along the cuvette. When the cooling temperature went from 0 to 20 °C, the temperature of the cuvette decreased monotonically from the heater end to the cooler end and the heat transfer coefficient decreased slowly from 456 to 401 (W m −2 K −1 ) (at a rate of 2.75 W m −2 K −2 ). However, when the cooling temperature increased from 25 to 35 °C, a minimum point formed in the temperature profile, and the heat transfer coefficient dramatically decreased from 355 to 236 (W m −2 K −1 ) (at a rate of 11.9 W m −2 K −2 ). A similar change in decreasing trend was observed in the pressure gradient and liquid velocity profile. The reduced heat pipe performance at high cooling temperatures was consistent with the reduced evaporation which was indicated by the decreasing internal heat transfer and the increasing liquid film thickness along the cuvette as seen in the surveillance images. The result obtained is important for future heat pipe design because we now have a better understanding of the working temperature ranges of these devices.
Nutraceuticals in Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiac dysfunction in animals, under certain conditions, can be alleviated or prevented by the consumption of nutraceuticals. Nutraceuticals, which are naturally occurring non-drug plant components, are able to affect the genetic system and physiological systems of animals following their absorption. This chapter addresses the mode of action of specific phytotherapeutic components in common cardiac diseases of animals.
Scale-model scattering experiments using 3D printed representations of ocean bottom features

This study examines tank measurements of acoustic backscatter from different scale-model representations of ocean bottom features. The emphasis is on comparing backscatter from a periodic, rippled surface made from machinable blue wax vs. identical surface geometries made using a 3D printer. The dominant features of the echoes obtained over 85 deg of monostatic angles are found to be similar for sufficiently thick prints beyond approximately 25 deg incidence angles. Acoustic backscatter is also presented for a 3D printed representation of an underwater rock outcrop surveyed in Larvik, Norway using an interferometric SAS system.
Pathology of Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathies

The role of the muscle biopsy, histochemistry, electronmicroscopy, measurement of respiratory chain enzymes, and genetic studies in the diagnosis of mitochondrial cytopathies (MC) is reviewed by researchers at the University of Calgary and Alberta Children’s Hospital, Canada.
Mechanical Behavior of Spray-Coated Metallic Laminates

Thermal spray (TS) coatings have been extensively utilized for various surface modifications such as enhancing wear/erosion resistance and thermal protection. In the present study, a new function of TS material is explored by studying its load-carrying capability. Due to the inherent microstructures containing voids and interfaces, it has been presumed TS materials were not suitable to bear loads. However, the recent advances in TS technology to manufacture near fully dense TS coatings have expanded their potential applications. In the current experiments, TS nickel coatings are deposited onto metallic substrates, and their mechanical behaviors are closely examined. Based on the measured data, the estimated elastic modulus of TS Ni is about 130 GPa (35% less than bulk value), and the maximum tensile strength is about 500 MPa (comparable to bulk value). It was found that such a high value is attainable because the coating is deposited onto a substrate, enabling a load-transfer mechanism and preventing coating failure at a much lower stress level. Three distinct deformation stages are identified to describe this behavior. Such a clarification is critical for enabling TS process to restore structural parts as well as to additively manufacture load-bearing components.
The Method of Improving Undercarriage Loading System by Feedforward Control

The mechanism of extra force in the undercarriage loading system was analyzed,and the mathematic model of undercarriage loading system was established.The method of eliminating extra force was put forward,according to the structure invariance theory.When applied to the loading experimentation,the method improves the control precision of undercarriage loading system.
TIBIOFEMORAL JOINT MOBILIZATION IN THE SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT OF PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN SYNDROME: A CASE REPORT

Background and Purpose Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common source of anterior knee pain. Controversy exists over the exact clinical findings which define PFPS, thus, diagnosis and management can be challenging for clinicians. There is paucity in the literature concerning joint mobilization as treatment for PFPS, particularly at the tibiofemoral joint, as standard management is currently focused on therapeutic exercise, orthotics, bracing and taping. Therefore, the purpose of this case report is to describe the effects of tibiofemoral joint mobilization in the successful treatment of an individual with chronic PFPS as it relates to pain, function and central processing of pain.
Electron Lenses for Halo Collimation

As discussed in Chap. 1, particle collimation has become one of the most challenging issues for high energy proton superconducting colliders. The SSC, Tevatron, RHIC, LHC and all envisioned future supercolliders put the issue in the core of their design. The demands of high luminosity result in the increasing beam power in a smaller cross section area of higher energy beams. Even a tiny loss of the circulating beam could lead to catastrophic consequences due to the damage to accelerator and detectors if not carefully controlled. The record high beam power density (power per unit beam area) makes it an enormous challenge to collimate such beams. Following pioneering demonstrations of the transverse and longitudinal hadron beam halo collimation by electron beams, electron lenses are now considered as an additional, very flexible and effective element of any future high energy hadron collider.
Rationale of Standards for Use of Reclaimed Water

California has established standards for reclaimed waste water used for crop and landscape irrigation and recreational impoundments. Insofar as possible the standards avoid the use of specific quality parameters in order to minimize monitoring requirements which would be burdensome to small operations. The major exception is that, where a disinfected reclaimed waste water is necessary, daily coliform bacteria analyses are required. This requirement was one of four major controversial points which are presented. Other major points raised in the development of standards are specification of operational controls and practices in the production and use of reclaimed waste water, and quality requirements for the various uses.
Enabling On-demand Query Result Caching in DotSlash for Handling Web Hotspots Effectively

DotSlash is an automated Web hotspot rescue system, which allows different Web sites to form a mutual-aid community, and use spare capacity in the community to relieve Web hotspots experienced by any individual site. DotSlash rescue services enable a Web site to build an adaptive distributed Web server system on the fly and replicate application programs dynamically, which relieve a spectrum of bottlenecks ranging from access network bandwidth to Web servers and application servers. This paper presents DotSlash Qcache services that allow a Web site to use on-demand distributed query result caching to greatly reduce the workload at read-mostly databases. The novelty of this work is that our query result caching is on demand and operated based on load conditions, which offers good data consistency for normal load and good scalability with relaxed data consistency under heavy load. DotSlash Qcache services complement DotSlash rescue services; together they provide a comprehensive solution to address different bottlenecks at multi-tier Web sites. Experiments show that using DotSlash a Web site can increase its maximum request rate supported by a factor of 10 for the RUBBoS read-only mix
Methylation of Lysine 9 of Histone H3: Role of Heterochromatin Modulation and Tumorigenesis††Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the USA.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the methylation of lysine 9 of histone H3 and the role of heterochromatin in cancer development. The histone H3 and H4 hold highly dynamic N-terminal ends rich in basic amino acids that are subjected to epigenetic modifications including reversible methylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, and phosphorylation. These modifications may act individually, sequentially, or in combination to form a “histone code” that regulates the assembly of nucleosome beads into higher order chromatin structures through interaction with other regulatory proteins. The initiation, propagation, and maintenance of heterochromatin is largely controlled by the formation of trimethylation of the lysine 9 on histone H3 (H3K9me3), along with some other synergistic epigenetic modifications. Considering the importance in controlling the packing and usage of genetic information, it has been recently recognized that alteration in chromatin structure due to epigenetic changes may be an event essential for cancer development. Post-translational modifications of the key lysine residues on histone proteins, most importantly histone H3, determine the formation of different chromatin structures. Among the well-documented histone modifications, it is fair to say that methylation of the N-terminal lysine residues of histone H3 is the most critical in this regard. Histone H3 certainly makes a causative contribution to both early and subsequent stages of cancer development. An intriguing question to be asked is whether changes in histone H3 can serve as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancers. Many challenges still remain in understanding its function and regulation in the malignant transformation of cells, carcinogenesis of the tissue, and tumorigenesis. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to assess the potential of targeting histone H3 or its regulatory signaling in cancer therapy.
Leczenie chorych na cukrzycę z przewlekłą niewydolnością nerek

Przewlekla choroba nerek (CKD) wystepuje powszechnie. Przypuszcza sie, ze moze dotyczyc nawet 23% pacjentow z cukrzycą. Zalecane stezenie HbA 1c u tych chorych rowniez wynosi ponizej 7%. Leki stosowane w terapii cukrzycy mogą wymagac dostosowania dawki lub są przeciwwskazane u osob z CKD. Diagnostyka i leczenie wspolistniejących chorob, takich jak: nadciśnienie tetnicze, hiperlipidemia, niedokrwistośc, hiperfosfatemia i nadczynnośc przytarczyc, są waznym elementem opieki nad chorymi na cukrzyce i CKD. W optymalnym leczeniu tych wymagających pacjentow oraz zapewnieniu im wszechstronnej opieki konieczne są systemowe rozwiązania oparte na podejściu interdyscyplinarnym.
Community Assembly and Ecology of Activated Sludge under Photosynthetic Feast–Famine Conditions

Here, we demonstrate that photosynthetic oxygen production under light–dark and feast–famine cycles with no mechanical aeration and negligible oxygen diffusion is able to maintain phosphorus cycling activity associated with the enrichment of polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs). We investigate the ecology of this novel system by conducting a time series analysis of prokaryotic and eukaryotic biodiversity using the V3–V4 and V4 regions of the 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequences, respectively. In the Eukaryotic community, the initial dominant alga observed was Desmodesmus. During operation, the algal community became a more diverse consortium of Desmodesmus, Parachlorella, Characiopodium, and Bacillariophytina. In the Prokaryotic community, there was an initial enrichment of the PAO Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis (Accumulibacter) Acc-SG2, and the dominant ammonia-oxidizing organism was Nitrosomonas oligotropha; however, these populations decreased in relative abundance, becoming dominated by Accumu...
Evaluation of second and third dielectric virial coefficients for non-polarisable molecular models

ABSTRACTThe dielectric constant, e, of a dilute vapour can be estimated from the dielectric virial equation of state (VEOS), but the long-ranged nature of the electrostatic interactions complicates the evaluation of coefficients of this series. We propose a formulation of the second and third dielectric coefficients of a general non-polarisable molecular model that permits their reliable calculation using Mayer sampling Monte Carlo. We demonstrate for three models: dipolar hard spheres, dipolar Lennard–Jones, and TIP4P water. The coefficients are used to compute e for each model as a function of density, which are compared to molecular-simulation data. The form of the VEOS relating e to density depends on the dielectric constant e′ of the embedding medium. Three choices are examined: vacuum (e′ = 1), self-consistent (e′ = e) and tin foil (e′ = ∞). The vacuum-boundary form is found to be unreliable, losing accuracy at low density and yielding divergent results for e at moderate densities. In contrast, the ...
Examining Low-Cost Virtual Reality for Learning in Low-Resource Environments

We describe our experiences co-designing low-cost Virtual Reality-augmented learning experiences with and for an after-school learning center in Mumbai, India that caters to low-income children from neighboring communities. In partnership with 5 staff members and 16 students at the center, we spent 7 weeks co-designing, piloting, and iterating on VR lessons targeting 28 academic topics over a total of 15 classroom sessions. We found that VR was used to demonstrate real-world phenomena, illustrate abstract concepts, compare and contrast places in the curriculum against virtual landmarks, and motivate students. Most importantly, VR's representational fidelity appeared to arouse students' curiosity, leading them to ask more questions that reflected deeper engagement with the topic.
Long-term outcomes by a transanal approach to total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer

The challenge of performing a good total mesorectal excision (TME) dissection, particularly in the distal 1/3 of the rectum, has spurred interest in new techniques. Robotic surgery is advocated by some, and more recently, a “new” approach, the transanal total mesorectal excision, has been popularized to address this problem. While great interest in this technique exists, little long-term outcome data are available. We have been utilizing a transanal abdominal transanal approach to TME in order to facilitate the distal dissection, and here, we provide our long-term outcomes using this approach in the management of rectal cancer. From a prospectively maintained rectal cancer database, we identified 373 consecutive rectal cancers treated with sphincter preservation surgery through a combined transanal and abdominal approach to TME. Perioperative, pathological, and oncologic outcomes were analyzed. Three hundred and seventy-three patients with rectal cancer underwent a transanally initiated TME with mean follow-up of 5.5 years. 91% of cancers were in the distal rectum. 68.9% were men and 53.2% of cancers were tethered or fixed on presentation. 97.7% received neoadjuvant radiotherapy (mean 5405 cGy, 5-fluorouracil based); average time from completion of neoadjuvant therapy to surgery was 11 weeks. 180 and 193 patients underwent completion of their operation through open and laparoscopic abdominal approaches. 96% of TME specimens were complete/near complete, 94% had a negative circumferential resection margin, and 98.6% had a negative distal margin. Perioperative morbidity and mortality rates were 13.4 and 0.3%. Overall local recurrence (LR), DM, and Kaplan–Meier 5-year actuarial survival were 7.4, 19.5, and 90%, respectively. This is the first report of long-term data using a transanal approach to TME supporting this approach for rectal cancer. Our data with 5-year follow-up show that adequate distal and circumferential margins with very good-quality TME specimens, and a low risk for LR with excellent overall survival can be achieved using this technique. Our long-term results support the promising reports of early experiences in the literature.
Phase stability dependence of deformation mode correlated mechanical properties and elastic properties in Ti-Nb gum metal

Abstract The evolution of microstructure and deformation modes in metastable Ti-23Nb-0.7Ta-2Zr-0.8O (at%) alloys with accumulated strain to 0.15 are investigated, where different solution treatments were applied to control both elemental distributions and the bcc β-phase stability. Recent studies suggest that the occurrence of specific deformation mechanism of the β-phase is strongly linked with its chemical stability. In the present study, the Bo-Md phase stability diagram was used to evaluate the β-phase stability and to discuss the deformation modes as function of solution treatment conditions, resulting in different deformed microstructures. Analysis of the deformed microstructure using electron backscatter diffraction and X-ray diffraction revealed that deformation bands formed at the initial stage of strain were composed of not only mechanically induced {332} β and {112} β twinning, but also stress-induced martensite ⍺״ phase. It was observed that the number of deformation bands decreases with increasing homogeneity in the alloy, which is strongly dependent on the phase constitution, and directly impacts its final properties including hardness and elastic modulus. Based on the experimentally observed results, the β-phase stability dependence of deformation features can explain the possibility of manipulating the mechanical properties without the evident elastic properties variation in Ti-Nb Gum Metal.
Exploring and Exploiting Proteome Organization during Viral Infection

Viral replication in eukaryotes is a process inherently organized in both space and time. Viral components target subcellular organelles to access host machineries required for replication and spread. Diverse viruses are known to alter organelle shape, composition, function, and dynamics as part of their replication cycles. Here, we highlight recent advances in microscopy and proteomic methods that have helped and will continue to help define mechanisms used by viruses to exploit host proteome organization.