cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic and static sensitivity of the stretch reflex in spastic cerebral palsy.

SUMMARY Properties of the stretch reflex in children with spastic hemiplegia were observed by measuring torque tension and electromyographic activity during passive stretch at various angles of velocities. Tension-length and tension-EMG relationships were determined. In the involved spastic limb with increasing velocities of stretch there was a (1) decreased threshold in the development of tension as a function of length (2) steadily increasing tension (3) rapid decline in tension and electromyographic activity at the end of stretch and (4) marked hysteresis effect in the uninvolved limb. In the uninvolved limb, the tension-EMG response was not altered by increasing velocities of stretch. The ‘H’ and tendon jerk reflexes were prominent in the spastic limb. These alterations in the dynamic component of the stretch reflex may be due to changes in the sensitivity of the primary receptors of the muscle spindle. RESUME La sensibilitye dynamique et statique du reflexe ďetirement dans la palsie cerebrate spastique Les proprietes du reflexe ďetirement chez les enfants atteints d'hemiplegie spastique ont eteetudiees en mesurant la tension de torsion et l'activiteelectromyographique pendant l'etirement passif a des angles et des velocites varies. Les rapports tension-longueur et tension-EMG ont ete determines. Dans le membre spastique interesse a des velocites croissantes ďetirement correspondait (1) un abaissement du seuil dans le developpement de la tension comme fonction de la longueur, (2) un accroisement continu de la tension, (3) une chute rapide de la tension et de l'activiteelectromyographique a la fin de l'etirement, et (4) un effet marque d'hysteresie dans le membre non interesse. Dans le membre non interesse, la reponse tension-EMG n'etait pas alteree par l'accroissement des velocites ďetirement. Les reflexes tendineux et ‘H’etaient proeminents dans le membre spastique. Ces alterations dans le composant dynamique du reflexe ďetirement pourraient etre dues a des changements de la sensibilitye des recepteurs primaires du fuseau musculaire. RESUMEN
Human Neonatal Naive CD4+ T Cells Have Enhanced Activation-Dependent Signaling Regulated by the MicroRNA miR-181a

Compared with older children and adults, human neonates have reduced and delayed CD4(+) T cell immunity to certain pathogens, but the mechanisms for these developmental differences in immune function remain poorly understood. We investigated the hypothesis that impaired human neonatal CD4(+) T cell immunity was due to reduced signaling by naive CD4(+) T cells following engagement of the αβ-TCR/CD3 complex and CD28. Surprisingly, calcium flux following engagement of CD3 was significantly higher in neonatal naive CD4(+) T cells from umbilical cord blood (CB) compared with naive CD4(+) T cells from adult peripheral blood. Enhanced calcium flux was also observed in adult CD4(+) recent thymic emigrants. Neonatal naive CD4(+) T cells also had higher activation-induced Erk phosphorylation. The microRNA miR-181a, which enhances activation-induced calcium flux in murine thymocytes, was expressed at significantly higher levels in CB naive CD4(+) T cells compared with adult cells. Overexpression of miR-181a in adult naive CD4(+) T cells increased activation-induced calcium flux, implying that the increased miR-181a levels of CB naive CD4(+) T cells contributed to their enhanced signaling. In contrast, AP-1-dependent transcription, which is downstream of Erk and required for full T cell activation, was decreased in CB naive CD4(+) T cells compared with adult cells. Thus, CB naive CD4(+) T cells have enhanced activation-dependent calcium flux, indicative of the retention of a thymocyte-like phenotype. Enhanced calcium signaling and Erk phosphorylation are decoupled from downstream AP-1-dependent transcription, which is reduced and likely contributes to limitations of human fetal and neonatal CD4(+) T cell immunity.
Neuromolecular computing: mechanisms and architectures

The contrasting capabilities of biological systems and digital computers suggest radically different modes of information processing. The difference is connected to a fundamental tradeoff among programmability, computational efficiency, and evolutionary adaptability. Biological systems operate on the efficiency-adaptability side of this tradeoff. Biomolecular geometry (computing by shape) replaces electronic logic in this domain. The author describes a brain model that accommodates a hierarchy of processes built on top of shape-based molecular computing, including electrochemical processes in single neurons and collective processes in neural networks. The model serves as a computer architecture capable of recruiting molecular mechanisms for novel forms of computing. >
Exhaustion Of Food Budgets At Month’s End And Hospital Admissions For Hypoglycemia

One in seven US households cannot reliably afford food. Food budgets are more frequently exhausted at the end of a month than at other points in time. We postulated that this monthly pattern influenced health outcomes, such as risk for hypoglycemia among people with diabetes. Using administrative data on inpatient admissions in California for 2000–08, we found that admissions for hypoglycemia were more common in the low-income than the high-income population (270 versus 210 admissions per 1,000,000). Risk for hypoglycemia admission increased 27 percent in the last week of the month compared to the first week in the low-income population, but we observed no similar temporal variation in the high-income population. These findings suggest that exhaustion of food budgets might be an important driver of health inequities. Policy solutions to improve stable access to nutrition in low-income populations and raise awareness of the health risks of food insecurity might be warranted.
Sex Education and Support of LGB Families: a Family Impact Analysis of the Personal Responsibility Education Program

The authorization of the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) represents a significant legislative shift in how social policy in the United States implements school-based sexual health education to address concerns for youth health. In contrast to its abstinence-based predecessors, this federally funded program provides a more comprehensive approach to sex education that includes content on contraception, is evidence-based, and emphasizes diversity and service to vulnerable populations. Yet, despite these improvements to how sex education policy facilitates the healthy development of youth, the design and implementation of PREP do not provide substantial support of lesbian, bisexual, and gay (LGB) populations. This paper applies a family impact analysis framework to further explore this policy limitation and demonstrates how PREP perpetuates the heteronormative legacy of sex education in a way that continues to marginalize and harm LGB families.
Cigarette Smoking and Strokes

Utilizing a defined general population, two investigations were conducted in Washington County, Maryland. In the eight-year mortality study, the relative risk of stroke among cigarette smokers was only 0.85 as compared to nonsmokers. In the two-year morbidity investigation, limited to stroke cases occurring after the age of 50, it appears that the association of cigarette smoking to strokes in the older age groups is at most very small. In atherosclerotic strokes, there may be an association with cigarette smoking, but only in the younger age groups, as suggested by two other studies. In order to investigate this possibility a retrospective case/control study of young cases is recommended. If there is no age dependency of atherosclerotic strokes, this implies that cigarette smoking may not be associated with the atherosclerotic process in cerebral and coronary arteries.
CAF-1 and MSI1-related proteins: linking nucleosome assembly with epigenetics.

A key question in developmental biology is how epigenetic states of gene activity are maintained faithfully through successive rounds of cell division. Recent observations in Arabidopsis thaliana point to an important and conserved role for chromatin assembly factor-1 and the MSI1 class of chromatin-related proteins in perpetuating epigenetic marks on chromatin.
The Origin and Biosynthesis of the Benzenoid Moiety of Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q) in Arabidopsis

It is not known how plants make the benzenoid ring of ubiquinone, a vital respiratory cofactor. Here, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis thaliana uses for that purpose two separate biosynthetic branches stemming from phenylalanine and tyrosine. Gene network modeling and characterization of T-DNA mutants indicated that acyl-activating enzyme encoded by At4g19010 contributes to the biosynthesis of ubiquinone specifically from phenylalanine. CoA ligase assays verified that At4g19010 prefers para-coumarate, ferulate, and caffeate as substrates. Feeding experiments demonstrated that the at4g19010 knockout cannot use para-coumarate for ubiquinone biosynthesis and that the supply of 4-hydroxybenzoate, the side-chain shortened version of para-coumarate, can bypass this blockage. Furthermore, a trans-cinnamate 4-hydroxylase mutant, which is impaired in the conversion of trans-cinnamate into para-coumarate, displayed similar defects in ubiquinone biosynthesis to that of the at4g19010 knockout. Green fluorescent protein fusion experiments demonstrated that At4g19010 occurs in peroxisomes, resulting in an elaborate biosynthetic architecture where phenylpropanoid intermediates have to be transported from the cytosol to peroxisomes and then to mitochondria where ubiquinone is assembled. Collectively, these results demonstrate that At4g19010 activates the propyl side chain of para-coumarate for its subsequent β-oxidative shortening. Evidence is shown that the peroxisomal ABCD transporter (PXA1) plays a critical role in this branch.
Data and Its Acquisition

Once a research question has been established and some hypotheses have been derived, the next stage in the research process is to determine what type of data is needed to answer the question/hypotheses. There are two basic types of data in social science research: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative data is data that represents items of interest numerically, and quantitative research involves examining patterns in such data using statistical methods. Examples of quantitative data include height measured in inches, IQ scores, years of schooling, earnings, counts of depressive symptoms, measures of attitudes, etc. Qualitative data represents small numbers of cases—situations, experiences, events—using data from observations, interviews, or archives that are usually not chosen using probabilistic methods. The phenomena investigated usually cannot be fully understood via quantification. For example, what is the process of death like for a dying person? How do caregivers deal with the death of a loved one who has suffered tremendously before death? What is it like to participate in an illegal activity like dog fighting? What is the life of street vendors in NYC like? Qualitative research involves examining responses to these types of questions interpretatively for common themes in order to understand human experience, often in marginal populations. A key distinction between quantitative and qualitative approaches is that much quantitative research is oriented toward making inferences about causal processes, while qualitative research is not.
Localization of Lipofuscin in the Duodenums of Vitamin E-Deficient Rats

In human malabsorption syndromes, lipofuscin accumulation has been reported to occur exclusively within the muscle layers of the intestine It has been widely speculated that this lipofuscin deposition is related to vitamin E deficiency. To determine whether vitamin E deficiency leads to the same pattern of intestinal lipo fuscin accumulation as that seen in many human malabsorption syndromes, the duo dA©nums of rats that had been fed a vitamin E-deficient diet for 17 or 34 wk were examined for the presence of lipofuscin. Lipofuscin did not appear in the muscle layers of the duodenum until 34 wk, at which time occasional fibers containing large amounts of lipofuscin were present. An earlier and more pronounced deposition of lipofuscin occurred within connective tissue cells of the intestinal villi. After 17 wk, many fibroblastlike cells in the lamina propria of the villi contained large amounts of lipofuscin. By 34 wk, the numbers of these lipofuscin-containing cells in the lamina propria had increased substantially, and scattered cells containing lipofuscin were also seen in the submucosa. The difference in intestinal lipofuscin distribution between vitamin E-deficient rats and humans with malabsorption syndromes suggests that other factors, in addition to vitamin E, probably play important roles in regulating lipofuscin accumulation in the intestine. J. Nutr. 115: 1355-1365, 1985.
Forensic documentation of battered pregnant women

Patients hurt during intimate partner abuse are crime victims who may seek legal relief and protection from one or more court systems. What the health care provider documents or does not document may have tremendous forensic implications; yet, most health care providers have received little formal training in clinical forensics. Being subpoenaed to court as a witness can trigger fear and anxiety. This article reviews the basic principles of clinical forensic documentation, evidence collection and preservation, forensic photography, and accurate wound identification, as well as tips on working with police and on testifying in court.
Forming complex dextrous manipulations from task primitives

This paper discusses the implementation of complex manipulation tasks with a dextrous hand. The approach used is to build a set of primitive manipulation functions and combine them to form complex tasks. Only fingertip, or precision, manipulations are considered. Each function performs a simple two-dimensional translation or rotation that can be generalized to work with objects of different sizes and using different grasping forces. Complex tasks are sequential combinations of the primitive functions. They are formed by analyzing the workspaces of the individual tasks and controlled by finite state machines. We present a number of examples, including a complex manipulation removing the top of a child-proof medicine bottle-that incorporates different hybrid position/force specifications of the primitive functions of which it is composed. The work has been implemented with a robot hand system using a Utah-MIT hand. >
Peaks, Cliffs and Valleys: The Peculiar Incentives in Teacher Retirement Systems and their Consequences for School Staffing.

This article examines the pattern of incentives for work versus retirement in six state teacher pension systems. We do this by examining the annual accrual of pension wealth from an additional year of work over a teacher’s career. Accrual of wealth is highly nonlinear and heavily loaded at arbitrary years that would normally be considered mid-career. One typical pattern exhibits low accrual in early years, accelerating in the mid- to late fifties, followed by dramatic decline or even negative returns in years that are relatively young for retirement. Key factors in the defined benefit formulas that drive such patterns are identified along with likely consequences for employee behavior. The authors examine efficiency and equity consequences of these systems as well as options for reform.
Aberrant pancreas in the gallbladder wall

We present three cases of heterotopic pancreas in the gallbladder wall. The patients (all female) presented with abdominal pain. Ultrasonography revealed polypoid tumor with coexistence of lithiasis in two cases. All patients underwent cholecystectomy. Microscopy revealed chronic cholecystitis and cholesteatosis and heterotopic pancreatic tissue. Heterotopic pancreas in the gallbladder wall is a rare heterotopia, with 23 cases reported in the international literature.
Risk/Benefit Assessment of New Drugs: Perspectives of a Former FDA Advisory Committee Member

Determining the benefit/risk profile of a new drug based on information presented and discussed at Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee hearings can be at times as much subjective as it is objective. The clinical experience and expertise residing in the make-up of the committee varies considerably with respect to interpretation of reproductive and other animal toxicology data, biostatistics, epidemiology, and pharmacokinetics, as well as in specialized areas such as receptor physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology. Since the FDA does not mandate that a precise amount of safety data be included in any new drug application (NDA) submission, it becomes the responsibility of the advisory committee to perform a risk/benefit analysis based on its knowledge of current standards of care and practice, as well as by comparisons with the existing medical and surgical approaches to a disease state. Ultimately, advisory committee members must rely on clinical judgment to reach a decision. The purpo...
A Phase I vaccine trial using dendritic cells pulsed with autologous oxidized lysate for recurrent ovarian cancer

Purpose Ovarian cancer, like most solid tumors, is in dire need of effective therapies. The significance of this trial lies in its promise to spearhead the development of combination immunotherapy and to introduce novel approaches to therapeutic immunomodulation, which could enable otherwise ineffective vaccines to achieve clinical efficacy.
Light-induced flavour deterioration. The effect of exposure to light of pork luncheon meat containing erythrosine

When exposed to fluorescent light (250–1000 1x) at 4°C, luncheon meat containing erythrosine undergoes marked flavour deterioration in a few hours which is perceived mainly as a loss of flavour. The effect increased with light intensity and time of exposure but is absent in luncheon meat without added colours or with Red 2G in place of erythrosine. The results are consistent with the unique ability of erythrosine (amongst artificial food colours) to act as a sensitiser of photo-oxidation.
Energy-based methodology for the fatigue-life prediction of solder materials

An energy-based damage criterion, which has not been used previously in solder fatigue-life assessment, was found to be superior to a plastic strain criterion in predicting the fatigue life of different solders. Solder specimens of different size and geometry were tested under different types of control and with different loading modes and aging conditions. The energy-based damage concept was used to interpret aging effects in 63Sn-37Pb solder. >
Abundance Patterns of Leafhopper Enemies in Pure and Mixed Stands

Population densities of Empoasca leafhoppers and their major natural enemies ( Anagrus parasitoids and Erigone spiders ) were compared on squash in pure and mixed stands. Adult leafhoppers were more abundant in monoculture than on squash in polyculture, but squash in polyculture harbored more nymphs than did plants in monoculture. Therefore total leafhopper densities as prey were similar on squash in monoculture and on squash intercropped with cowpea and corn. These results are consistent with general theory on the response of polyphagous herbivores to vegetational diversity. The specialist parasitoid was not enhanced in mixed stands, but the generalist predator exhibited greater densities on intercropped squash. Thus, host range or range of prey might be important for predicting enemy response to vegetational diversity, as is host plant range for predicting the effects of plant diversity on herbivore densities.
Reliability and validity of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) across samples of Mexican, Mexican American, and European American children: A preliminary investigation.

The Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS: Reynolds & Richmond, 1978) is widely used in the assessment of anxiety in Hispanic American children. To begin examining the applicability of the RCMAS to this population, the present study explored its factorial invariance across samples of Mexican, Mexican American, and European American children using structural equation modeling procedures. Internal consistency coefficients and relations among the RCMAS subscales across groups were also examined. Confirmatory factor analyses yielded support for the factorial invariance of the RCMAS across the three groups. Reliability coefficients and within-group relations among subscales of the RCMAS did not differ across groups. The results provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the RCMAS with Mexican and Mexican American youth, supporting its use with these populations.
Observability Issues in Kinematic Identification of Manipulators

This technical brief presents, through a well-known generic form of linearized kinematic error models, direct answers to the following questions: (a) which kinematic parameter errors become unobservable if calibration measurement include no information on the end-effector orientation? (b) which kinematic parameter error become unobservable if the tool frame is mounted on the last rotation axis? (c) which kinematic parameter error become unobservable if the world frame is parallel to the robot base frame? The results are independent of a particular choice of kinematic modeling convention
A pilot study of deepwater fish movement with respect to marine reserves

The spatial ecology of deepwater demersal teleosts is poorly understood, and this group of fishes has rarely been studied using conventional or electronic means to discern movement and migration. Likewise, the development of management tools for such species has received less attention as compared to shallow water species, and there are few fishery closed area systems developed for the purpose of managing deepwater demersal fishes. The eteline snappers, which occur in depths of 100 to 400 m, are an important fishery resource throughout the tropical Pacific, and are believed to be vulnerable to over-exploitation. Deepwater eteline snappers were tagged with acoustic transmitters and detected on a network of listening stations that encompassed a fishery closed area in the Main Hawaiian Islands. Differences were detected in movement between species, with the bentho-pelagic Etelis coruscans moving more frequently and over slightly longer distances (1.4 movements/day detected, interquartile range (IQR) 0.0 – 2.4; maximum distance 4.7 km, interquartile (IQR) 4.7 – 6.4 km) than the demersal Etelis carbunculus (0.0 movements/day detected, interquartile range 0.0 - 0.3; maximum distance 4.7 km, interquartile range 4.6 - 4.7 km). The maximum single movement distance was 8.9 km for E. coruscans and 4.7 km for E. carbunculus. The median length dimension for bottomfish closed areas in the Main Hawaiian Islands is 9.2 km (IQR) range 7.3 – 13.0 km). Knowledge of the spatial ecology of animals is essential to understanding the effects of spatial management measures such as marine reserves. Differences between species indicate that effective reserve size will differ depending on the species. These results suggest that the reserves set up for bottomfish in the Main Hawaiian Islands are likely to have effects in reducing fishing mortality for E. carbunculus due to its low rate of cross border movement.
Incorporating Fuzzy Membership Functions into the Perceptron Algorithm

The perceptron algorithm, one of the class of gradient descent techniques, has been widely used in pattern recognition to determine linear decision boundaries. While this algorithm is guaranteed to converge to a separating hyperplane if the data are linearly separable, it exhibits erratic behavior if the data are not linearly separable. Fuzzy set theory is introduced into the perceptron algorithm to produce a ``fuzzy algorithm'' which ameliorates the convergence problem in the nonseparable case. It is shown that the fuzzy perceptron, like its crisp counterpart, converges in the separable case. A method of generating membership functions is developed, and experimental results comparing the crisp to the fuzzy perceptron are presented.
PRECISE LABORATORY DETERMINATION OF ROTATIONAL TRANSITION FREQUENCIES IN CYANOACETYLENE.

The results are discussed of a high-precision laboratory determination of the rotational constants and transition frequencies in the ground vibrational state of the linear molecule cyanoacetylene, discovered in the direction of the galactic center by Turner (1971). The values obtained make it possible to determine more precisely the interstellar cyanoacetylene velocities and to simplify the identification of additional interstellar rotational transitions.
Nutrient loading and consumers: agents of change in open-coast macrophyte assemblages.

Human activities are significantly altering nutrient regimes and the abundance of consumers in coastal ecosystems. A field experiment in an open-coast, upwelling ecosystem showed that small increases in nutrients increased the biomass and evenness of tide pool macrophytes where consumer abundance and nutrient loading rates were low. Consumers, when abundant, had negative effects on the diversity and biomass of macrophytes. Nutrient loading increases and consumers are less abundant and efficient as wave exposure increases along open coastlines. Experimentally reversing the natural state of nutrient supply and consumer pressure at a wave-protected site to match wave-exposed sites caused the structure of the macrophyte assemblage to converge on that found naturally in wave-exposed pools. The increases in evenness and abundance were driven by increases in structurally complex functional groups. In contrast, increased nutrient loading in semienclosed marine or estuarine ecosystems is typically associated with declines in macrophyte diversity because of increases in structurally simple and opportunistic functional groups. If nutrient concentration of upwelled waters changes with climatic warming or increasing frequency of El Ninos, as predicted by some climate models, these results suggest that macrophyte abundance and evenness along wave-swept open-coasts will also change. Macrophytes represent a significant fraction of continental shelf production and provide important habitat for many marine species. The combined effects of shifting nutrient regimes and overexploitation of consumers may have unexpected consequences for the structure and functioning of open-coast communities.
“Is It Labor or Is It Working Class?”: The Midwest Labor and Working-Class History Colloquium

On 17-18 April 2004, the Midwest Labor and Working-Class History Colloqui um (MLWCH) met at the University of Illinois at Chicago Formed in 1994, MLWCH is a consortium of graduate students and faculty connected to the Mid west either through research interest or institutional affiliation MLWCH exists to foster scholarly exchange amongst the field's future and current practitioners, provide an informal setting for students to present and receive feedback on their research, and nurture the coll gial relationships that are essential to the study of history This year's colloquium brought together eighteen graduate students and featured three events an open forum on the question "Is it Labor or Working Class History9" two roundtable discussions on participants' research, and a fac ulty-led roundtable on professional development Saturday's forum sparked a passionate discussion on the relative strengths of labor and working-class historians' descriptions of work and class One par ticipant bemoaned the cultural turn in labor history, arguing for a return to struc tural studies of opposition to capitalism at the point of production Similarly, oth ers suggested that labor historians are well positioned to compare the varieties of resistance located m the media, party politics, and expressive culture, as well as at work Participants generally agreed, however, that labor and working-class history is primarily about power relationships One student reminded the group that class is but one of many interdepen dent markers of social difference that often take shape and are reinforced out side the workplace concluding, "Culture is the tie that binds " Many agreed that historians who place the working class in the context of their communities best describe the relationships between identifiers such as class, race, and gender In this sense it was argued that we must investigate the ways in which multiple iden tities and social practices learned in the in the community can reinforce, alter, or reject identities formed in the workplace Historians of working people, it was agreed, can most readily get at these solidarities and divisions that are the sub stance of social power To do this, two participants argued that labor and work mg-class historians must question their definitions of work in order to connect work for remuneration, unpaid work, and the quotidian efforts needed to make life possible so that the object of study becomes the work of living itself In short, it is essential to investigate how labor, both traditionally defined and in uncon
Role of nanostructures in reducing thermal conductivity below alloy limit in crystalline solids

Atomic substitution in alloys can efficiently scatter phonons, thereby significantly reducing the thermal conductivity in crystalline solids to the "alloy limit". It has been difficult to beat the alloy limit without creating defects, dislocations, and voids, which also reduce electrical conductivity, making it ineffective for increasing the material's thermoelectric figure of merit. Using In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As containing epitaxially embedded ErAs nanoislands a few nm in size, we demonstrate thermal conductivity reduction by almost a factor of two below the alloy limit, and corresponding increase in thermoelectric figure of merit by more than a factor of two. A theoretical model suggests that while point defects in alloys efficiently scatter short wavelength phonons, the ErAs nanoislands provides additional scattering mechanism for the mid to long wavelength phonon - the combination reduces the thermal conductivity below the alloy limit.
Borderline Personality Traits Predict Poorer Functioning During Partial Hospitalization: The Mediating Role of Depressive Symptomatology

A number of factors contribute to the difficulty providers experience in treating borderline personality disorder (BPD). One complicating factor for treatment effectiveness is the presence of comorbid affective psychopathology (e.g., depression, anxiety). Participants were 176 adults (60 % female; M age = 32.20) in a partial hospital program. Using a mediation model, the current study examined the relationship among traits of BPD, affective symptomatology, and general functioning post-treatment. Additional analyses explored whether change in the perception of therapeutic skill implementation moderated the relationship among traits of BPD, affective symptomatology, and general functioning. Little improvement/worsening of depression during partial hospitalization, but not changes in anxiety, mediated the relationship between traits of BPD and poor general functioning. Additionally, regardless of changes in perception of cognitive- or dialectical-behavioral skill implementation, little improvement/worsening depressive symptomatology continued to mediate the negative relationship noted above. This study has important implications for treatment of BPD and suggests that targeting depressive symptoms in short-term settings may be crucial in acute stabilization.
On the Preservation of Contractile Proteins During Storage of Human Platelets

held in plasma as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or as platelet concentrates have a clinically useful “shelflife” of less than 72 hr. An increasing demand for transfusable platelets has stimulated efforts directed toward improving the hemostatic effectiveness of stored platelets, as well as extending the storage life of this extremely valuable blood resource. Whether or not these objectives are feasible has recently been called into question, for it has been reported that storage is associated with the proteolysis of the high molecular weight platelet contractile proteins, myosin’ and actin-binding protein (ABP).2’3 A recent report shows close to a 50% proteolysis of the platelet’s ABP by the second day of storage at 22#{176}C, and its complete disappearance by the fifth storage day.3 ABP is a significant platelet component, amounting to nearly 8% of the platelet’s protein mass and upon interaction with another major platelet contractile protein, actin, is presumed to comprise the platelets cytoskeletal structure.4 Although no role for cytoskeletal structures have as yet been related to physiologic function for platelets, some involvement in platelet shape change seems obvious (e.g., disc to sphere, filopodia extension, etc.). Thus, it would be apparent that their degradation during storage should manifest itself as a decrease in platelet function and hence may be the cause of storage-induced platelet dysfunction.3 Here we report a study designed to systematically test this hypothesis. Our study differs from those done previously in that during the storage period we monitored not only the platelets’ protein composition, but in addition we measured the decline of two platelet functions, secretion and aggregation. This permits a determination as to whether a correlation between decreasing platelet function and proteolysis of the platelet’s contractile components should in fact be drawn. In contrast to our earlier findings, we find no trates stored at either temperature exhibited a decreased ability to respond to stimuli as storage time increased. After 8 days of storage at 4’C and up to 9 days at 25’C, no proteolysis of major platelet proteins was observed; however. complete loss of platelet function was observed. This strongly indicates that a decrease in platelet function should not be causally linked to degraded contractilestructural proteins and that extending the functional life of platelets during storage is still an attainable goal since proteolysis is not the inevitable result of short-term storage. evidence to support the hypothesis that storage induces the proteolysis of these components, which then in turn results in platelet dysfunction.
Word-of-mouth Communication by the Innovator:

It is frequently claimed that “your best salesman is a satisfied customer.” Therefore, the innovator or first user of a new product or service can be a valuable asset to a firm. Do innovators in fa...
2D Lagrangian Parcel Volume method for drop flux on a cylinder

Abstract To predict ice accretion on an aircraft, it is important to computationally track the path and concentration of water particles to the aerodynamic surface. The recently developed Lagrangian Parcel Volume (LPV) method allows for both zero-diffusion and comparatively small amounts of particles to track compared to other numerical methods. The LPV method uses Lagrangian particle trajectories to define a parcel's vertices and enclosed volume. As this parcel volume changes along its trajectory, this allows direct computation of changes in particle concentration. Previous unsteady one-dimensional investigations with the LPV method found that it provides accurate and efficient results when compared with other computational techniques. This study investigated key aspects of the two-dimensional (2-D) LPV method with respect to disperse phase particle concentration and impact efficiency predictions. These aspects included parcel shape definition, sensitivity to number of parcels and trajectory timesteps, as well as integration dynamics with a non-linear drag model and with polydisperse particle distributions. In general, the results indicate the 2-D LPV model as constructed herein was able to accurately predict impact efficiency on an aerodynamically relevant cylinder based on experimental data. In addition, a theoretical model was developed to accurately predict the impact Reynolds number on a cylinder.
Application of Origami in the Starshade Spacecraft Blanket Design

A Starshade is a large deployable structure and sole payload of an external occulter. At 34m in diameter or more, starshades are designed to block most of the light from a nearby star so that a small orbiting space telescope can image and characterize the Earth-like exoplanets in orbit around it. The starshade resembles a sunflower with a circular central disk supporting petals that are arrayed around its periphery. The petal edges are precisely shaped to match an optical profile that prevents diffraction. The area circumscribed by the edges must be completely opaque, black, and non-reflective. The petals and ring structure are covered by specially designed deployable blankets that must remain completely opaque even if they become perforated by micrometeorites. The blankets must also not cause any significant on-orbit thermoelastic loads on the lightweight supporting ring and petal structures despite very large differential thermal strains that are developed between these Kapton blankets and the thermally stable composite ring and petal structures. There are two types of blankets: one for the deployable petals and one for the central support disc that is formed by a lightweight deployable ring truss structure.The starshade blankets cover such a large area that they must be unusually lightweight compared to conventional multi-layer insulated (MLI) spacecraft blankets. The blankets must also stow around the central hub of the spacecraft with the deployable ring and petal structures in a highly repeatable fashion. This makes them ideal candidates for origami folding schemes. Based on prior studies of large deployable rigid arrays, we began with variants on the origami flasher to fold the central ring blanket, which is a minimum of 20m in diameter. We looked at the simplest methods for integrating this large blanket with a mechanical ring truss while providing ample optical baffling and little to no thermally induced loads on the structure. Petal blankets were also developed using deployable softgoods with pseudo-mechanical and shingled designs with optically blocking folds for deployment. The design was developed iteratively utilizing a variety of prototypes to explore and demonstrate the interaction between the softgoods and rigid elements.© 2014 ASME
Differential Responses of Endothelial Cells to Positive and Negative Wall Shear Stress Gradients

Cerebral aneurysms tend to develop at bifurcation apices or the outer side of curved vessels where the blood vessel wall experiences complex hemodynamics. In vivo studies have recently revealed that the initiation of cerebral aneurysms is confined to a well-defined hemodynamic microenvironment. Specifically aneurysms form where the vessel wall experiences high fluid shear stress (wall shear stress, WSS) and flow is accelerating, so that the wall is exposed to a positive spatial gradient in the fluid shear stress (wall shear stress gradient, WSSG)[1,2]. Closer examination of such in vivo studies reveals that exposure of the vessel wall to equally high WSS in the presence of decelerating flow, that is, negative WSSG, does not result in aneurysm-like remodeling.© 2010 ASME
Photo-electron Type 10 Channel Counting Apparatus for Measurement of the Ball Diameter Frequency Distribution

In order to study on the process of fracture of the projected shots, steel balls and glass beads, 10 channel counting apparatus was designed. This apparatus consisted of a photo electron type counter, pulse amplitude discriminators and counters for 10 channel counting.Silicon photo diodes were applied as the converter, differential amplifiers as the discriminator, and electronic and electro-magnetic as the counter.The apparatus counts the balls greater than 0.6mm O. D. at the rate of 555per second.If the diameter difference of two balls is greater than 0.048d, both diameter of balls can be measured exactly, where d is the ball diameter.The diameter frequency distribution of shots and glass beads obtained by the apparatus agrees approximately with that obtained by the projecter.
Real Time Assessment of Drinking Water Systems Using a Dynamic Bayesian Network

This paper presents a methodology for real-time estimation of water distribution system state parameters using a dynamic Bayesian network to combine current observations with knowledge of past system behavior. The dynamic Bayesian network presented here allows the flexibility to model both discrete and continuous variables and represent causal relationships that exist within the distribution system. The posterior belief state can be inferred using a compact approximation algorithm that has been shown to contain inference errors. Simulations over stochastic variables are proposed to define the transition and observation models for the dynamic Bayesian network.
A Cross-sectional study on tick-borne Rickettsiae infections among murine-like animals

Objective To investigate the status of tick- borne Rickettsiae infections among murine- like animals in different areas of Zhejiang province. Methods Liver and spleen samples of murine- like animals captured through night trapping method were collected from Anji,Jinhua and Tiantai County according to their geographic locations and historical detection of Rickettsiae. Nest- PCR tests were used to determine the presence of the 16S rRNA genes of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia,and the heat shock protein genes( groEL) of Rickettsiae( including typhus and spotted fever group) and Orientia in these samples. Results A total of 851 murine- like animals belonging to 14 species were captured. The predominant species were Rattus confucianus( 30. 32%),Apodemus agrarius( 18. 80%) and Thallomys paedulcus( 11.75%) and they were significantly different among three areas( P 0.05). 48 Rickettsia positive were found in 562tested samples with the positive rate of 8. 54%,among which the percentage of Anaplasma,typhus group Rickettsia,Orientia,Ehrlichia and spotted fever group Rickettsia were 3. 38%,1. 78%,1. 78%,1. 07% and 0. 53% respectively.The positive rates of Anaplasma in Jindong( 4. 76%) and Anji( 4. 27%) were significantly higher than that in Tiantai( P 0. 05) while the spotted fever group Rickettsia were found only in Tiantai County. Moreover,Rattus confucianus- the predominant species of Zhejiang Province- had the highest infection rate of tick- borne Rickettsiae up to 14. 97%. Co-infections with several Rickettsiae were existed among the same species. Conclusion Rickettsiae infections exist widely among different areas of Zhejiang province and the positive rates are significantly different among species.
Efficient Microscale Basic Reverse Phase Peptide Fractionation for Global and Targeted Proteomics

Analysis of small biological samples would benefit from an efficient microscale fractionation strategy that minimizes sample handling, transfer steps, and accompanying losses. Here we describe a microscale basic reverse phase liquid chromatographic (bRPLC) fractionation method that offers high reproducibility and efficiency for peptide mixtures from small (5-20 μg) samples. We applied our platform to detect differentially expressed proteins from lung tumor cell lines that are sensitive (11-18) and resistant (11-18R) to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib. Label-free analyses of 5-20 μg samples yielded identifications of approximately 3,200 to 4,000 proteins with coefficients of variation of 1.9-8.9% in replicate analyses. iTRAQ analyses produced similar protein inventories. Label-free and iTRAQ analyses displayed high concordance in identifications of proteins differentially expressed in 11-18 and 11-18R cells. Micro-bRPLC fractionation of cell proteomes increased sensitivity by an average of 4.5-fold in targeted quantitation using parallel reaction monitoring for three representative receptor tyrosine kinases (EGFR, PDGFRA, and BMX), which are present at low abundance in 11-18 and 11-18R cells. These data illustrate the broad utility of micro-bRPLC fractionation for global and targeted proteomic analyses. Data are available through Proteome eXchange Accession PXD003604.
Rat McA-RH7777 cells efficiently assemble rat apolipoprotein B-48 or larger fragments into VLDL but not human apolipoprotein B of any size.

Abstract Studies of truncated apoB peptides in human subjects with familial hypobetalipoproteinemia, as well as of puromycin-generated spectra of nascent apoB peptides in rat and hamster liver, suggest that a minimum size is required for N-terminal fragments of apoB to be efficiently assembled into full-sized VLDL. We report here results of experiments undertaken to examine this phenomenon in greater detail by expressing individual carboxyl-truncated human apoB constructs in McArdle cells. Thus, apoB-29, -32, -37, -42, -47, -53, -70 and full length apoB-100 were transiently expressed in rat McA-RH7777 hepatoma cells, or human apoB-31 and apoB-53 were stably expressed in the same cells, and the secreted VLDL particles were characterized by kinetic gradient ultracentrifugal flotation. Calibration with rat plasma VLDL subfractions showed that about 90 and 50%, respectively, of lipoprotein particles containing endogenous rat B-100 and B-48 floated between fractions 2–8 of the 11-fraction gradient. This corresponds to the normal VLDL diameter range of about 47 to 28 nm, with the remaining half of rat B-48 recovered as HDL particles in the 1.1 g/ml range. In contrast, regardless of their size, only 2–5% of any of the truncated human apoB peptides expressed in these cells was recovered in the VLDL region of the gradient. The remaining 95+% of the lipoproteins were found as high density particles; as previously found in other systems the densities of the latter were inversely related to their peptide chain-length. Furthermore, transiently expressed full-length human apoB-100 was inefficiently secreted as VLDL by these cells, with the remainder appearing as LDL-sized particles. Thus, although we showed that McA-RH7777 cells secreted endogenous rat apoB as normal-sized VLDL, we found them unsuitable for our original purpose of using human apoB fragments to further define effects of apoB size on VLDL assembly. These cells appeared unable to efficiently use any size of human apoB for that process. Pulse-labeled untransfected McA-RH7777 cells chased in the presence of puromycin did, however, show a sharp decline in VLDL assembly efficiency for endogenous nascent rat apoB peptides shorter than B-48, similar to that originally found in normal rat liver. —Xiao, Q., J. Elovson, and V. N. Schumaker. Rat McA-RH7777 cells efficiently assemble rat apolipoprotein B-48 or larger fragments into VLDL but not human apolipoprotein B of any size.
Lactate Dehydrogenase C Produces S-2-Hydroxyglutarate in Mouse Testis.

Metabolomics is a valuable tool for studying tissue- and organism-specific metabolism. In normal mouse testis, we found 70 μM S-2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), more than 10-fold greater than in other tissues. S-2HG is a competitive inhibitor of α-ketoglutarate-dependent demethylation enzymes and can alter histone or DNA methylation. To identify the source of testis S-2HG, we fractionated testis extracts and identified the fractions that actively produced S-2HG. Through a combination of ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography, we enriched a single active protein, the lactate dehydrogenase isozyme LDHC, which is primarily expressed in testis. At neutral pH, recombinant mouse LDHC rapidly converted both pyruvate into lactate and α-ketoglutarate into S-2HG, whereas recombinant human LDHC only produced lactate. Rapid S-2HG production by LDHC depends on amino acids 100–102 being Met-Val-Ser, a sequence that occurs only in the rodent protein. Other mammalian LDH can also produce some S-2HG, but at acidic pH. Th...