cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A variable structure gradient adaptive algorithm for a class of dynamical systems

Abstract A standard assumption in adaptive control is that the parameters being estimated are either constant or vary ‘slowly’ as a function of time. This paper investigates the adaptive control of a class of systems in which the parameters vary as a specified function of state. The dynamic structure of the systems may be either linear or nonlinear. For this class of systems, the state space is separated into distinct subsets. The parameters are then required to remain constant, or be slowly time varying, within the subsets. Given a controller for the system, an analysis of the output error dynamics and the parameter error dynamics leads to a parameter adaptation algorithm with a variable structure. The stability and convergence of both the parameter error and the output tracking error are investigated. An analysis of SISO linear systems with full state information is used to motivate and illustrate the treatment of SISO feedback linearizable systems.
Mechanical properties of the ice I–magnesium sulfate eutectic: A comparison with freshwater ice in reference to Europa

Abstract A systematic series of experiments on laboratory grown ice I–magnesium sulfate (MgSO4·11H2O or MS11) eutectic columnar material and freshwater columnar ice at T = 98 K and T = 263 K directly compare some elastic and inelastic properties of these two materials. The results indicate: (i) that the ice I–MS11 eutectic columnar material (below simply as I–MS11) exhibits bulk elastic properties that are comparable to those of freshwater columnar ice (FWI) at T = 263 K; (ii) that I–MS11 is about 1.6 times stronger under bending, about 1.9 times stronger under compression within the brittle regime and about 1.3 times tougher than FWI at T = 263 K; (iii) that I–MS11 possesses a compressive flow strength within the ductile regime that is about one-half that of FWI at T = 263 K; (iv) that I–MS11 exhibits a transition from ductile-to-brittle behavior at a strain rate that is a factor of about 50 higher than that of FWI at T = 263 K; (v) that I–MS11 has a higher coefficient of kinetic friction at lower temperatures (T = 98 K) and a lower coefficient of kinetic friction at higher temperatures (T = 263 K) and higher sliding velocities (> 10−5 m s−1) compared to FWI. In other words, the results indicate that the mechanical properties of I–MS11 eutectic columnar material are generally comparable to those of freshwater columnar ice, under the conditions examined.
Polymorphoneutrophilic Infiltration in Acute Interstitial Nephritis of Sjögren Syndrome

Sjogren syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disease that involves the kidney as well as other organs. Tubulointerstitial nephritis secondary to monocyte, lymphocyte, and plasma cell infiltration is the characteristic lesion. The authors report a case of Sjogren related acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) with prominent neutrophilic infiltration in the interstitium. This is the first case describing predominance of neutrophilic infiltration in AIN associated with Sjogren syndrome.
Population Dynamics and Within-Plant Distribution of the Western Flower Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), an Early-Season Predator of Spider Mites Infesting Cotton

The season-long population dynamics and within-plant distribution of the thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) were examined. Thrips density was highly variable and peaked in midseason. Fluctuations in density in combination with changing age structure of the population suggest that migration plays an important role in the population dynamics of thrips. The seasonal peak in thrips density corresponded with the period of peak bloom. Adult thrips were strongly attracted to cotton flowers, which suggests that the migratory nature of thrips is in part caused by their preference for flower structures. Within-plant distribution of thrips on mainstem node leaves is broad and largely overlaps that of spider mites, Tetranychus spp., a prey of thrips in early-season cotton. The combined mainstem and branch node distribution of thrips shows that during most of the season, thrips are centrally located in the plant canopy.
The Relationship Between Academic Oral Proficiency and Reading Performance: A Comparative Study Between English Learners and English-Only Students

This study investigates the relationship between oral proficiency and reading proficiency in English-learning children (L2 students) and native English-speaking children (NE students). A set of oral activities measuring students’ academic oral skills in science classes was developed and administered to 61 fourth graders. Both the meaning-related aspects and the formal aspects of the students’ academic oral proficiency were compared between strong and struggling readers and between NE and L2 students. The study thus used a 2 × 2 factorial design (Strong/Struggling Readers × NE/L2 Students). After controlling for the students’ nonverbal analytic and reasoning skills, this study found that strong and struggling readers showed different levels of performance with respect to the meaning-related aspects of oral academic language but not with respect to the formal aspects of language. Conversely, differences between NE and L2 students were found in components related to the formal aspects but not in those relate...
Why Global Inequality Matters: Derivative Global Egalitarianism

This article integrates empirical and normative discussions about why global economic inequalities matter in critically examining an approach known as derivative global egalitarianism (DGE). DGE is a burgeoning perspective that opposes excessive global economic inequality not based on the intrinsic value of equality but inequality's negative repercussions on other values. The article aims to advance the research agenda by identifying and critically evaluating four primary varieties of DGE arguments from related but distinct literatures, which span a number of disciplines, including economics, international relations, and political philosophy. Overall, DGE offers a number of persuasive arguments as to why current levels of global inequality are of concern, but aspects of DGE beg further philosophical and empirical examination. By situating DGE within the wider theoretical and empirical contexts, this article provides resources for its critical assessment and theoretical development.
Neuroergonomics: Research and practice.

This article describes the characteristics and scope of neuroergonomics, defined as the study of brain and behaviour at work. Neuroergonomics focuses on investigations of the neural bases of mental functions and physical performance in relation to technology, work, leisure, transportation, health care and other settings in the real world. The two major goals of neuroergonomics are to use knowledge of brain function and human performance to design technologies and work environments for safer and more efficient operation, and to advance understanding of brain function underlying real-world human performance. The conceptual, theoretical and philosophical issues at the core of neuroergonomics--that lie at the confluence of cognitive science, neuroscience, and ergonomics--are discussed. Adaptive human-machine systems are then described as an illustration of neuroergonomic research. Several other examples of neuroergonomic research and practice are also described.
Developmental responses to high‐altitude hypoxia in Bolivian children of European ancestry: A test of the developmental adaptation hypothesis

The developmental adaptation hypothesis (DAH) proposes that highlanders adapt to their hypobaric hypoxic environment during growth and development. This report utilizes data on children (9.0-19.9 yr) of European ancestry residing in Santa Cruz and La Paz, Bolivia, to test selected aspects of the DAH. Previous tests of this hypothesis have been hampered by difficulties in controlling for socioeconomic and genetic influences. However, due to their high socioeconomic status and their relatively short history of residence at high altitudes, these factors can be reasonably well controlled in studies of European children. The data on European children are consistent with some but not all aspects of the DAH. First, examination of the available data on VO2 max (ml/kg/min) in European boys suggests that chronic exposure to hypobaric hypoxia results in an enhancement of the overall functional capacity of the oxygen transport system during adolescence, as predicted by the DAH. Second, chronic exposure to hypobaric hypoxia results in a delay in linear growth and maturation in European children, as well as in an enhancement of their lung volumes, also as predicted by the DAH. However, the effects of chronic hypoxia on linear growth, after controlling for health and nutritional status, are not as large as previously believed and, contrary to the expectations of the DAH, they need not be acquired through a distinctive pattern of growth during late childhood and adolescence. Instead, it appears that these patterns are established in European highlanders prior to 9 years of age and are then maintained, rather than accentuated, during later developmental periods.
Bronchograms and Tracheograms of Seals under Pressure

Radiograms of the upper portion of the respiratory system were obtained at pressures up to 31.6 atmospheres absolute in the Weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddelli, and the northern elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris. The trachea was considerably compressed but not fully collapsed at the highest pressures. No measurable change in the size of the bronchioles and smaller bronchi was observed. Measurements of total lung volume obtained simultaneously showed that the seals consistently dived with a small volume.
A psychoecological model of academic performance among Hispanic adolescents.

Although the number of students who complete high school continues to rise, dramatic differences in school success remain across racial/ethnic groups. The current study addressed Hispanic adolescents’ academic performance by investigating the relationships of parental involvement, culturally responsive teaching, sense of school belonging, and academic self-efficacy and academic performance. Participants were 478 (51.5% female) Hispanic 7th graders in the US-Mexico borderlands. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, a structural model was tested. Results showed that the proposed model was supported by demonstrating significant indirect effects of parental involvement, culturally responsive teaching, and sense of school belonging on academic performance. Furthermore, academic self-efficacy was found to mediate the relationships between parental involvement, culturally responsive teaching, and sense of school belonging and academic performance. The current study provides a useful psychoecological model to inform educators and psychologists who seek to meet the needs of Hispanic students.
Scopolamine, methylscopolamine, and response conditioned inhibition in rats

To test Carlton’s hypothesis that behavioral inhibition is mediated by central cholinergic systems, rats were trained to a 50% response to reinforcement criterion on drl and were injected IP with a.5 mg/kg of saline, methylscopolamine, or the centrally active anticholinergic scopolamine. Scopolamine significnatly reduced the ratio of reinforcements to responses and significantly increased the variability of emitted responses. Whereas the methylscopolamine reduced the number of responses, the ratio of reinforcements to responses was not significantly different from the saline control. The results give support to Carlton’s hypothesis.
Cytokine Gene Expression of Endothelial Cells Infected with Trypanosoma cruzi

Coronary microvascular spasm and platelet hyperreactivity have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Chagas' cardiomyopathy. To clarify further the role of the microvasculature in this disease, alterations in cytokine gene expression due to Trypanosoma cruzi infection of human umbilical vein endothelial cells were examined. Northern blot analysis of total RNA from endothelial cells demonstrated that interleukin (IL)-1-beta, IL-6, and colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) mRNA expression was absent or minimal in uninfected cells but significantly increased in infected cells. c-sis mRNA levels diminished with increased time of infection. In situ hybridization studies also demonstrated high levels of IL-6 mRNA in individual infected cells. Significant levels of IL-6 and IL-1-beta protein were detected in the supernatants of infected endothelial cells. The serum of an acutely infected individual contained high levels of IL-6 protein, suggesting the potential importance of cytokines secreted by the vascular endothelium in the pathogenesis of Chagas' cardiomyopathy.
On irreducible tensors of O5

Abstract An explicit formula is given for the decomposition of the irreducible representations of O5+ into those of its rotation subgroup D (2). The result is applied to a statement by Kumar and Baranger concerning “basic” second-rank tensors.
Iron transport from sepharose-bound transferrin

Abstract To ascertain whether transferrin need enter the reticulocyte to deliver its iron after the association of transferrin with the cell membrane, { 125 I, 59 Fe-}labeled transferrin was covalently bound to Sepharose beads. Iron uptake from Sepharose-bound transferrin into rabbit reticulocytes was about 9% that from free transferrin while heme synthesis was more efficient at nearly 19%. Similar results were obtained with murine transferrin and murine reticulocytes. These results indicate that the entrance of transferrin inside the cell is not an obligatory step in the process of iron uptake in rabbit and murine reticulocytes.
Efficient computation of optimal actions

Optimal choice of actions is a fundamental problem relevant to fields as diverse as neuroscience, psychology, economics, computer science, and control engineering. Despite this broad relevance the abstract setting is similar: we have an agent choosing actions over time, an uncertain dynamical system whose state is affected by those actions, and a performance criterion that the agent seeks to optimize. Solving problems of this kind remains hard, in part, because of overly generic formulations. Here, we propose a more structured formulation that greatly simplifies the construction of optimal control laws in both discrete and continuous domains. An exhaustive search over actions is avoided and the problem becomes linear. This yields algorithms that outperform Dynamic Programming and Reinforcement Learning, and thereby solve traditional problems more efficiently. Our framework also enables computations that were not possible before: composing optimal control laws by mixing primitives, applying deterministic methods to stochastic systems, quantifying the benefits of error tolerance, and inferring goals from behavioral data via convex optimization. Development of a general class of easily solvable problems tends to accelerate progress—as linear systems theory has done, for example. Our framework may have similar impact in fields where optimal choice of actions is relevant.
Trends in Estimated Transmitting Ability from Sire Evaluations Based on Different Lactations

Abstract Most recently calculated sire evaluations through the January 1984 Modified Contemporary Comparison for first, all, and later lactations were available on 770 Ayrshire, 3188 Guernsey, 29,665 Holstein, 3551 Jersey, and 988 Brown Swiss bulls. A subset of 6006 Holsteins entering artificial insemination service before 49 mo of age was also examined. Averages for evaluations from first, all, and later lactations by year of birth of sire were studied. Regression of evaluation on year of birth showed two distinct slopes for each breed, with slopes changing in 1968 for Jerseys, 1969 for Holsteins, 1971 for artificial insemination Holsteins, 1972 for Ayrshires and Guernseys, and 1974 for Brown Swiss. Annual change was greater in more recent years for each group of lactations and ranged from 25 kg/yr for later lactations in Ayrshires to 55 kg/yr for later lactations in all Holsteins. Linear contrasts showed significantly greater annual change in transmitting ability for later than first lactations in both groups of Holsteins, while first lactation showed greater change in Ayrshires. Differences in slopes for first vs. all, first vs. later, or all vs. later lactations were not significant in other breeds.
Client Preference—Treatment Congruence As A Facilitator Of Length Of Stay: Supporting An Old Truism

Client-program congruence is studied for its association with clients' lengths-of-stay in community-based drug abuse treatment programs. Congruence, defined as the fit between clients' preferences for treatment program types and actual program placements, is highly associated with extended client lengths-of-stay in treatment. The results are discussed in terms of person-environment fit and attribution theory regarding perceived control, achievement, and success. Finally, discussion focuses on the use of the results to bring about changes in policy regarding the operation of the local community's system of services.
Herbivore-induced shifts in carbon and nitrogen allocation in red oak seedlings

* A dual-isotope, microcosm experiment was conducted with Quercus rubra (red oak) seedlings to test the hypothesis that foliar herbivory would increase belowground carbon allocation (BCA), carbon (C) rhizodeposition and nitrogen (N) uptake. Plant BCA links soil ecosystems to aboveground processes and can be affected by insect herbivores, though the extent of herbivore influences on BCA is not well understood in woody plants. * Microcosms containing 2-yr-old Q. rubra seedlings and soil collected from the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory (NC, USA) were subjected to herbivory or left as undamaged controls. All microcosms were then injected with 15N-glycine and pulsed with 13CO2. * Contrary to our hypothesis, herbivore damage reduced BCA to fine roots by 63% and correspondingly increased allocation of new C to foliage. However, 13C recoveries in soil pools were similar between treatments, suggesting that exudation of C from roots is an actively regulated component of BCA. Herbivore damage also reduced N allocation to fine roots by 39%, apparently in favor of storage in taproot and stem tissues. * Oak seedlings respond to moderate insect herbivore damage with a complex suite of allocation shifts that may simultaneously increase foliar C, maintain C rhizodeposition and N assimilation, and shift N resources to storage.
Inverse Design of and Experimental Measurements in a Double-Passage Transonic Turbine Cascade Model

A new transonic turbine cascade model that accurately produces infinite cascade flow conditions with minimal compressor requirements is presented. An inverse design procedure using the Favre-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and k- turbulence model based on the method of steepest descent was applied to a geometry consisting of a single turbine blade in a passage. For a fixed blade geometry, the passage walls were designed such that the surface isentropic Mach number (SIMN) distribution on the blade in the passage matched the SIMN distribution on the blade in an infinite cascade, while maintaining attached flow along both passage walls. An experimental rig was built that produces realistic flow conditions, and also provides the extensive optical access needed to obtain detailed particle image velocimetry measurements around the blade. Excellent agreement was achieved between computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of the infinite cascade SIMN, CFD of the designed double passage SIMN, and the measured SIMN. DOI: 10.1115/1.1929810
Polar Traversability Index: A Measure of terrain traversal property for mobile robot navigation in urban environments

This paper presents a terrain mapping system and a terrain traversability analysis method for mobile robot navigation in urban environments. The terrain mapping system employs a 2-D Laser Rangefinder (LRF). In order to generate a reliable elevation map for navigation, a filtering method based on robot motion constraint and the LRF's characteristics is used to remove range data. A so-called "Polar Traversability Index" measure is proposed to evaluate terrain traversal property. A PTI dictates the level of difficulty for a robot to move along the corresponding direction and it can be used to guide the robot in urban environments. For instance, it enables the robot to traverse wheelchair ramps and avoid curbs when negotiating sidewalks. The efficacy of the PTI has been verified by simulation and experiments in a complete navigation system.
Maternal sex effects and inbreeding depression under varied environmental conditions in gynodioecious Fragaria vesca subsp. bracteata.

†Background and Aims Gynodioecy (coexistence of females and hermaphrodites) is a sexual system that occurs in numerous flowering plant lineages. Thus, understanding the features that affect its maintenance has wide importance. Models predict that females must have a seed fitness advantage over hermaphrodites, and this may be achieved via seed quality or quantity. Females in a population ofFragariavesca subsp.bracteata, a long-lived gynodioecious perennial, do not demonstrate a seed quantity advantage, so this study explored whether females produced better quality seed via maternal sex effects or avoidance of inbreeding depression (IBD). †Methods Families of selfed and outcrossed seed were created using hermaphrodite mothers and families of outcrossed seed were created using female mothers. The effects of these pollination treatments were assessed under benign conditions early in life and under varied conditions later in life. To test for an effect of maternal sex, fitness components and traits associated with acclimation to variable environments of progeny of outbred hermaphrodites and females were compared. To test for expression of IBD, fitness parameters between inbred and outbred progeny of hermaphrodites were compared. †KeyResults Offspring of females were more likely to germinate in benign conditions and survive in harsh resource environments than outbred progeny of hermaphrodites. IBD was low across most life stages, and both the effect of maternal sex on progeny quality and the expression of IBD depended on both maternal family and resource condition of the progeny. †Conclusions The effect of maternal sex and IBD on progeny quality depended on resource conditions, maternal lineage and progeny life stage. In conjunction with known lack of differences in seed quantity, the quality advantages and IBD observed here are still unlikely to be sufficient for maintenance of gynodioecy under nuclear inheritance of male sterility.
16S rRNA-based probes and polymerase chain reaction method to detect Listeria monocytogenes cells added to foods.

A rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was developed for detection of Listeria monocytogenes in foods. This method used a pair of primers based on a unique region in the 16S rRNA sequence of L. monocytogenes, which were previously reported by us to yield a specific nucleic acid probe. Our method included use of a shorter denaturing time, a shorter annealing time, a rapid transition, and an increase in the number of cycles, resulting in good sensitivity. Just 3 h for PCR plus 1 h for electrophoresis was required. Additional time for DNA isolation and DNA hybridization was not needed. This method detected as few as 2 to 20 CFU of L. monocytogenes in pure cultures and as few as 4 to 40 CFU of L. monocytogenes in inoculated (10(8) CFU), diluted food samples. Seven of eight foods, including four poultry products, gave positive results. Only one food sample, soft cheese, gave interference. An internal probe hybridization test was used to confirm that the PCR products were from L. monocytogenes. A specificity test indicated that this PCR method was positive for all 13 strains of L. monocytogenes tested but negative for the other 6 species of Listeria, including 6 strains of L. innocua, and negative for 17 other gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria tested. Images
The VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) Program

The emergence of the importance of VLSI design automation and the VLSI custom/semicustom industry has spurred a wide-spread interest in hardware description languages. Starting in 1981, the VHSIC Program has acted as a catalyst to develop a standard hardware description language that could beneficially serve the government, industry, and academic communities. This panel will discuss from different viewpoints the issues associated with VLSI interoperability standards and the potential role of the VHSIC Hardware Description Language.
Data-dependent generalization performance assessment via quasiconvex optimization

As compared to classical distribution-independent bounds based on the VC dimension, recent data-dependent bounds based on Rademacher complexity yield tighter upper bounds that may offer practical utility for model selection, as suggested by several investigations. We present an approach for kernel machine learning and generalization performance assessment that integrates concepts from prior work on Rademacher-type data-dependent generalization bounds and learning based on the optimization of quasiconvex losses. Our main contribution focuses on the direct estimation of the Rademacher penalty in order to obtain a tighter generalization bound. Specifically we define the optimization task for the case of learning with the ramp loss and show that direct estimation of the Rademacher penalty can be accomplished by solving a series of quadratic programming problems.
Synthesis and Microcontact Printing of Dual End-Functionalized Mucin-like Glycopolymers for Microarray Applications

Click to view: Glycopolymers can be used to display glycans on microarrays in native-like architectures. The structurally uniform alkyne-terminated mucin mimetic glycopolymers (see picture; TR = fluorophore) were printed on azide-functionalized chips by microcontact printing in the presence of a copper catalyst. The surface-bound glycopolymers bind lectins in a ligand-specific manner.
Influenza and COPD Mortality Protection as Pleiotropic, Dose-Dependent Effects of Statins

Background Published data on antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of statins suggest they may reduce mortality risks associated with an unchecked immune response to selected infections, including influenza and COPD. We assessed whether statin users had reduced mortality risks from these conditions. Methods We conducted a matched cohort study (n = 76,232) and two separate case-control studies (397 influenza and 207 COPD deaths) to evaluate whether statin therapy is associated with increased or decreased mortality risk and survival time using health-care encounter data for members of health maintenance organizations. For the cohort study, baseline illness risks from all causes prior to initiation of statin therapy were used to statistically adjust for the occurrence of outcomes after initiation of treatment. Results For moderate-dose (≥ 4 mg/d) statin users, this cohort study found statistically significant reduced odds ratios (ORs) of influenza/pneumonia death (OR, 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44 to 0.81) and COPD death (OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.42) and similarly reduced survival hazard ratios. Findings were confirmed with the case-control studies. Confounding factors not considered may explain some of the effects observed. Conclusions This study found a dramatically reduced risk of COPD death and a significantly reduced risks of influenza death among moderate-dose statin users.
Clinical coordination of research

A feeding study conducted at a tertiary care center’s neonatal intensive care unit tested a predictive model of bottle-feeding readiness and feeding outcomes. The study examined how bottle-feeding experience influences both bottle-feeding readiness and outcomes. The clinical coordinator played an integral role in the success of the research by coordinating the education of nurses, data collectors, and families; communicating with various interest groups; managing recruitment, enrollment, and participant tracking; and overseeing data collection.
Stochastic Quantization of Topological Field Theory

A Euclidean topological action is always purely imaginary; its stochastic quantization inevitably involves the complex Langevin equation. We show that the standard results for abelian Chern-Simons theory can be reproduced in the stochastic approach with the Maxwell term as a regularization; but if one ignores the factor of i, the Langevin equation will become pathological. Simplification may occur if one uses the generalized Langevin equation with an appropriate, purely imaginary kernel; we exemplify this by stochastic quantization in Minkowski space-time and again the abelian Chern-Simons theory. The stochastic perturbation theory of non-abelian Chern-Simons theory is also studied and the contributions of usual Faddeev-Popov ghosts are verified to be reproducible without gauge fixing
Multilevel global placement with congestion control

In this paper, we develop a multilevel global placement algorithm (MGP) integrated with fast incremental global routing for directly updating and optimizing congestion cost during physical hierarchy generation. Fast global routing is achieved using a fast two-bend routing and incremental A-tree algorithm. The routing congestion is modeled by the wire usage estimated by the fast global router. A hierarchical area density control is developed for placing objects with significant size variations. Experimental results show that, compared to GORDIAN-L, the wire length-driven MGP is 4-6.7 times faster and generates slightly better wire length for test circuits larger than 100000 cells. Moreover, the congestion-driven MGP improves wiring overflow by 45%-74% with 5% larger bounding box wire length but 3%-7% shorter routing wire length measured by a graph-based A-tree global router.
Ligand activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ (PPARβ/δ) inhibits cell growth in a mouse mammary gland cancer cell line

The effects of ligand activation of PPARbeta/delta were examined in the mouse mammary tumor cell line (C20). Expression of PPARbeta/delta was markedly lower in C20 cells as compared to the human non-tumorigenic mammary gland derived cell line (MCF10A) and mouse keratinocytes. Ligand activation of PPARbeta/delta in C20 cells caused upregulation of the PPARbeta/delta target gene angiopoietin-like 4 (Angptl4). Inhibition of C20 cell proliferation and clonogenicity was observed following treatment with GW0742 or GW501516, two highly specific PPARbeta/delta ligands. In addition, an increase in apoptosis was observed in C20 cells cultured with 10microM GW501516 that preceded the observed inhibition of cell proliferation. Results from this study show that proliferation of the C20 mouse mammary gland cancer cell line is inhibited by ligand activation of PPARbeta/delta due in part to increased apoptosis.
Data Visualization as a Tool for Collection Assessment: Mapping the Latin American Studies Collection at University of California, Riverside

This article outlines the use of a collection mapping model of collection assessment in which data visualization tools were utilized in order to provide a unified portrait of a complicated multi-disciplinary collection located in several different physical locations across the Libraries of the University of California Riverside. Through the use of freely-available data visualization software, the massive amount of data generated by collection-centered inventory of the Libraries' Latin American Studies collection can be assessed in a number of different dimensions, clearly illustrating the collection's strengths to stakeholders both within and outside of the libraries.
Medical and Environmental Fitness

ABSTRACTTotal force fitness is an emerging concept defined as a state in which the individual, family, and organization can sustain optimal well-being and performance under all conditions. Medical and environmental fitness are two of the component domains in the total force fitness framework. These domains have purposely been combined as they are inextricably intertwined: a warfighter must be able to function, free of any anticipated medical condition that could compromise either individual or unit effectiveness, while potentially confronting multiple environmental challenges. Medical fitness, best described as a state of general mental and physical well-being, is determined by medical metrics. Environmental fitness is defined as the ability to perform mission-specific duties in any environment and withstand the multiple stressors of deployment and war. This article defines the domains of medical and environmental fitness, describes the benefits of a medically and environmentally fit force, and identifies...
Self-expanding metal stents for acute refractory esophageal variceal bleeding: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Esophageal variceal bleeding is a severe complication of portal hypertension with significant morbidity and mortality. A substantial portion of cirrhotics fail to respond to conventional medical therapy and band ligation, necessitating alternative treatments including self-expanding metal stent (SEMS) placement for acute refractory esophageal variceal bleeding. In the present study, we carried out a systematic review and structured meta-analysis of all eligible studies to evaluate the technical feasibility, safety, clinical efficacy, and survival advantage of SEMS placement for the treatment of of acute esophageal variceal bleeding. METHODS Searches of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases were carried out through December 2015. Individual study proportions were transformed into a quantity using the Freeman-Tukey variant of the arcsine square root transformed proportion. Combined weighted proportions, and meta-regression were then determined. RESULTS The search yielded 12 studies involving n = 155 patients included in our meta-analysis. Pooled clinical success rate in achieving hemostasis within 24 h was 96% (95% CI, 0.90-1.00). Technical success for SEMS deployment endoscopically was achieved in 97% of patients (95% CI, 0.91-1.00). Total adverse events (including rebleeding after 48 h, ulceration, and stent migration) were shown in 36% of patients after SEMS placement (95% CI, 0.23-0.50). Pooled 30-day and 60-day survival rates were 68% (95% CI, 0.56-0.80) and 64% (95% CI, 0.48-0.78), respectively. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that esophageal SEMS placement is a technically feasible modality and highly efficacious in achieving hemostasis in acute esophageal variceal hemorrhage.
Online-BSEE (Online Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering): An Asynchronous Online Electrical Engineering Degree Program with Laboratory

The Online Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering is a collaborative effort among three University Centers at SUNY (State University of New York), namely Stony Brook, Binghamton, and Buffalo...
Effect of burn injury, mechanical trauma, and operation on immune defenses.

Despite present operative techniques and a variety of antimicrobial agents, local and systemic infection continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality after major burns, traumatic injuries, and surgical procedures. The goal of attempting to define the defects in immune defenses is to predict which patients are more subject to infectious complications so that methods of bolstering immune defenses can be developed.
Quality Survey on the Legal Infectious Disease Reports in Local Medical Institutions in 2008

OBJECTIVE To understand the infectious disease epidemic report management and reports quality situation of all levels of each kind of medical institutions in the whole city and grasps the omitted cases for the infectious disease epidemic. METHODS the legal infectious diseases survey were conducted in 317 Medical institutions in this city by the method of grade sampling. RESULTS The survey results showed that the average missing report ratio of legal infectious disease in these hospitals was 4.78%. the remarkable difference on the missing report ratio existed in different level of Medical institutions. it was listed as 2.30% for municipal, 3.01% for county level, 8.78% for township level, 14.39% for individuals and 20.00% for other. The diseases which number of omission is higher than other were infectious diarrhea and hepatitis; 4.82% infectious diseases were not reported in time. different levels of medical institutions did not report in time for instance, 5.71% for city-level, 2.63 % for county level, 6.45% for township level, 20.25% for individuals。 Incomplete report cards ratio took up 93.15%. card uniformity ratio between the filling card and report card is 92.81% , the repetitive cards took up 0.24% . CONCLUSION Therefore some problems existed in the infectious disease report of medical institutions in the city. All levels of medical institutions must organize to study the law of infectious disease prevention, train on professional knowledge, strengthen the reporting work and management on the infectious disease epidemic.
The effect of methotrexate and dactinomycin on transplantable malignant and benign trophoblastic growths.

Methotrexate and dactinomycin used at various doses, alone and in combination, were found to be effective against Wo human choriocarcinoma and benign trophoblast in the hamster cheek pouch. At dose levels resulting in comparable inhibition of tumor growth, the mortality rate associated with dactinomycin was considerably less than that of methotrexate. The combined effect of dactinomycin and methotrexate was greater than that of either drug alone and there was no increase in the mortality rate over that observed with the same doses of methotrexate alone. Methotrexate given “prophylactically” at the time of tumor implantation at a dose inadequate to eradicate the tumor, postponed the onset of tumor growth only to make the treated tumor then grow faster than the untreated one.
Forensic Science and the Internet - Current Utilization and Future Potential.

The Internet has become a very powerful and inexpensive tool for the free distribution of knowledge and information. It is a learning and research tool, a virtual library without borders and membership requirements, a help desk, and a publication house providing newspapers with current information and journals with instant publication. Very soon, when live audio and video transmission is perfected, the Internet (popularly referred to as the Net) also will be a live classroom and everyday conference site. This article provides a brief overview of the basic structure and essential components of the Internet. A limited number of home pages/Web sites that are already made available on the Net by scientists, laboratories, and colleges in the forensic science community are presented in table forms. Home pages/Web sites containing useful information pertinent to different disciplines of forensic science are also categorized in various tables. The ease and benefits of the Internet use are exemplified by the author's personal experience. Currently, only a few forensic scientists and institutions have made their presence felt. More participation and active contribution and the creation of on-line searchable databases in all specialties of forensic science are urgently needed. Leading forensic journals should take the lead and create on-line searchable indexes with abstracts. Creating Internet repositories of unpublished papers is an idea worth looking into. Leading forensic science institutions should also develop use of the Net to provide training and retraining opportunities for forensic scientists.
Isolation of a Sequence-Specific RNA Binding Protein, Polypyrimidine Tract Binding Protein, Using RNA Affinity Chromatography

Many important cellular processes are mediated by sequence-specific RNA binding proteins, and it is often necessary to purify these proteins. When the RNA binding site is known, it is convenient to use this RNA as a matrix for affinity purification. The intronic splicing silencer (ISS) element present upstream of the N1 exon of the c-src pre-mRNA is a high-affinity binding site for the polypyrimidine tract binding protein (PTB). Using a 5'-biotinylated ISS RNA and PTB as an example, I describe a one-step method for affinity chromatography of RNA binding proteins from nuclear extracts.
Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization Reveals Homologies Among Tarsier, Galago, and Human Karyotypes

The current majority position among morphologists regards Tarsius and Anthropoidea as sister taxa. This grouping, suborder Haplorhini, is supported by shared derived characters of the orbit, retina, placenta (Luckett, 1982) and basicranium (MacPhee and Cartmill, 1986) in addition to the derived nasal morphology from which the clade takes its name. Tarsius’s highly derived body plan complicates the interpretation of tarsier-anthropoid similarities, however, leading other morphologists to reject them as nonhomologous consequences of tarsier specializations. Schwartz and Tattersall (1987) propose a tarsier-lorisiform clade in lieu of a tarsier-anthropoid one; Simons and Rasmussen (1989) regard the most salient tarsier-anthropoid correspondences in cranial anatomy as convergent.
QCD Analysis and Hadronic Matrix Elements

Estimating the correct order of magnitude of scattering cross sections in many simple and motivated models of dark matter requires careful treatment of competing Standard Model contributions in weak-scale matching, and of QCD corrections when passing from a theory renormalized at the electroweak scale to a low-energy theory of quarks and gluons. In the previous chapter, we focused on weak-scale matching conditions necessary for robustly computing WIMP-nucleon interactions, both in specified UV completions involving electroweak-charged DM, and in the model-independent heavy WIMP limit. In this chapter, we tackle the remaining analysis below the weak scale, applicable to a broad class of theories, independent of assuming a particular UV model or the heavy WIMP limit. Although we focus here on the analysis for the effective theory given in Eq. ( 3.69), it is straightforward to consider an extended basis of operators relevant for other scenarios, e.g., χ that is not self-conjugate.
Nuruddin Farah - Tribalism, orality, and postcolonial ultimate reality and meaning in contemporary Somalia

Dans sa trilogie, Farah montre les effets du totalitarisme et l'impact devastateur de la secularisation sur sa propre generation de citoyens. Ses personnages, meme lorsqu'ils accedent au pouvoir, ont peu conscience du bien commun et n'ont pas l'occasion de s'engager en faveur d'une realite et d'un sens ultimes. La generation de Farah assiste a la mort lente mais inexorable des structures tribales et a leur remplacement par d'autres a la derive. Entrer dans le monde moderne des multinationales, de l'intolerance apparait comme une liberte depourvue de sens
Abstract 1870: Inhibition of Galectin-1 sensitizes oncogenic H-Ras to Rapamycin treatment

Specific plasma membrane (PM) localization is essential for H-Ras signaling, and relies on post-translational modifications on the C-terminal targeting domain. H-Ras shuttles from the lipid ordered (Lo) domain to the lipid ordered/lipid disordered (Lo/Ld) border upon activation, which is dependent on Galectin-1. We have previously found that H-Ras, which is sequestered in the Lo domain by swapping the C-terminal targeting domain with the Lo-sequestering targeting domain of R-Ras, is deficient in MAPK signal propagation, while having no effect on PI3K activation, nor on H-Ras-driven tumor progression. We have further found that inhibition of PI3K with LY294002 inhibited tumor progression by H-Ras with or without Lo sequestration. Here we show that Lo sequestration of H-Ras attenuated, but did not completely block, H-Ras-induced mTOR signaling (S6kinase phosphorylation) despite similar activation of PI3K as H-Ras. Interestingly, MEK inhibition with U0126 diminished S6kinase phosphorylation by H-Ras, as well as by Lo-sequestered H-Ras. Here we demonstrate that H-Ras-driven allograft tumor growth in mice was substantially blunted upon treatment with mTOR inhibitor Rapamycin, and this effect of Rapamycin was further enhanced in tumors driven by Lo-sequestered H-Ras. Moreover, Rapamycin treatment ablated ERK phosphorylation in H-Ras tumors as well as in tumors with Lo-sequestered H-Ras (in which ERK phosphorylation was already greatly reduced). Together these findings indicate that Lo sequestration of H-Ras inhibits MAPK pathway activation, and that the MAPK pathway engages in crosstalk with mTOR pathways by regulating S6kinase phosphorylation downstream of H-Ras, whereas mTOR activity is required for H-Ras-induced MAPK signaling. These data further indicate that mTOR activation downstream of H-Ras is sufficient to drive tumorigenesis, but this pathway also requires H-Ras-MAPK activation. To recapitulate H-Ras Lo sequestration by the C-terminal targeting domain swap genetic model, we used a Galectin-1 inhibitor, OTX008, to disrupt H-Ras from transitioning between the Lo and Ld domains. OTX008 treatment alone inhibited H-Ras-driven allograft tumor growth to a similar extent as Rapamycin. However, a combination of OTX008 and Rapamycin resulted in nearly complete ablation of H-Ras-dependent tumor growth. These findings indicate that blockade of H-Ras targeting to the lipid ordered/disordered plasma membrane microdomain border, coupled with blockade of mTOR signaling, could provide a novel therapeutic approach to treat H-Ras-associated cancers. Citation Format: James V. Michael, Jeremy G T Wurtzel, Lawrence E. Goldfinger. Inhibition of Galectin-1 sensitizes oncogenic H-Ras to Rapamycin treatment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1870.
Multi-Line Batch Scheduling by Similarity

We introduce a real-world job shop scheduling problem where the objective is to minimize configuration costs that depend on the sliding pairwise similarity between two assets ordered one after the other in a processing batch. This implies that our fundamental challenge is to learn from the costs what constitutes asset similarity in the context of batching locally and optimizing a multi-line end to end. We present a 3 component scheduling system: simulator, scheduler and hyper-optimizer. The scheduler relies upon a machine learning algorithm -- hierarchical clustering, to select, from an entry yard, assets for a batch based on weighted similarity. It then utilizes a weighted distance matrix to sequence the assets. The weights used by the scheduler are optimized online with an evolutionary algorithm.