cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Pigeon Guillemot, Cepphus columba, Blood Parameters from Oiled and Unoiled Areas of Alaska Eight Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

In 1997, we compared the haematological and plasma biochemical profiles among populations of pigeon guillemots, Cepphus columba, in areas oiled and not oiled by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) that occurred in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. Pigeon guillemot populations in PWS were injured by EVOS and have not returned to pre-spill levels. If oil contamination is limiting recovery of pigeon guillemots in PWS, then we expected that blood parameters of pigeon guillemots would differ between oiled and unoiled areas and that these differences would be consistent with either toxic responses or lower fitness. We collected blood samples from chicks at approximately 20 and 30 days after hatching. Physiological changes associated with chick growth were noted in several blood parameters. We found that only calcium and mean cell volume were significantly different between the chicks in oiled and unoiled areas. Despite these differences, blood biomarkers provided little evidence of continuing oil injury to pigeon guillemot chicks, eight years after the EVOS. Preliminary data from adults indicated elevated aspartate aminotransferase activity in the adults from the oiled area, which is consistent with hepatocellular injury. Because adults have greater opportunities for exposure to residual oil than nestlings, we recommend studies that fully evaluate the health of adults residing in oiled areas.
Developmental Role for Endocannabinoid Signaling in Regulating Glucose Metabolism and Growth

Treatment of ob/ob (obese) mice with a cannabinoid receptor 1 (Cnr1) antagonist reduces food intake, suggesting a role for endocannabinoid signaling in leptin action. We further evaluated the role of endocannabinoid signaling by analyzing the phenotype of Cnr1 knockout ob/ob mice. Double mutant animals show a more severe growth retardation than ob/ob mice with similar levels of adiposity and reduced IGF-I levels without alterations of growth hormone (GH) levels. The double mutant mice are also significantly more glucose intolerant than ob/ob mice. This is in contrast to treatment of ob/ob mice with a Cnr1 antagonist that had no effect on glucose metabolism, suggesting a possible requirement for endocannabinoid signaling during development for normal glucose homeostasis. Double mutant animals also showed similar leptin sensitivity as ob/ob mice, suggesting that there are developmental changes that compensate for the loss of Cnr1 signaling. These data establish a role for Cnr1 during development and suggest that compensatory changes during development may mitigate the requirement for Cnr1 in mediating the effects of leptin. The data also suggest a developmental role for Cnr1 to promote growth, regulate the GH/IGF-I axis, and improve β-cell function and glucose homeostasis in the setting of leptin deficiency.
Limitation of Inverse Probability-of-Censoring Weights in Estimating Survival in the Presence of Strong Selection Bias

In time-to-event analyses, artificial censoring with correction for induced selection bias using inverse probability-of-censoring weights can be used to 1) examine the natural history of a disease after effective interventions are widely available, 2) correct bias due to noncompliance with fixed or dynamic treatment regimens, and 3) estimate survival in the presence of competing risks. Artificial censoring entails censoring participants when they meet a predefined study criterion, such as exposure to an intervention, failure to comply, or the occurrence of a competing outcome. Inverse probability-of-censoring weights use measured common predictors of the artificial censoring mechanism and the outcome of interest to determine what the survival experience of the artificially censored participants would be had they never been exposed to the intervention, complied with their treatment regimen, or not developed the competing outcome. Even if all common predictors are appropriately measured and taken into account, in the context of small sample size and strong selection bias, inverse probability-of-censoring weights could fail because of violations in assumptions necessary to correct selection bias. The authors used an example from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, 1984-2008, regarding estimation of long-term acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-free survival to demonstrate the impact of violations in necessary assumptions. Approaches to improve correction methods are discussed.
Preoperative Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Anatomy in Dextrotransposition of the Great Arteries

Background Preoperative diagnosis of the coronary artery pattern in dextrotransposition of the great arteries is important because deviation from the usual pattern may influence the surgical strategy. Methods For assessment of the value of angiography and echocardiography in this setting, we analyzed the preoperative echocardiographic and angiographic findings in 74 patients with dextrotransposition of the great arteries in whom an arterial switch operation was performed. Results Two-dimensional echocardiography established a diagnosis of the coronary artery pattern in 40 of the 74 patients; that diagnosis was correct in 38–30 of 32 (94%) with the usual coronary artery pattern and 8 (100%) with an atypical pattern. Angiography established a diagnosis of the coronary artery pattern in 52 patients; that diagnosis was correct in 50–41 of 42 (98%) with the usual coronary artery pattern and 9 of 10 (90%) with an atypical pattern. The accuracy of echocardiography in diagnosing the coronary artery pattern in dextrotransposition of the great arteries in this series was 95% and that of angiography was 96%. Conclusion Both echocardiography and angiography can establish the diagnosis of the coronary artery anatomy in most patients. Echocardiography is routinely performed in infants with dextrotransposition of the great arteries and is proving to be increasingly sensitive for diagnosing the coronary artery anatomy; the role of angiography may evolve to be supplementary, especially in cases in which the coronary artery anatomy is not clearly demonstrated by echocardiography.
Remembering and Forgetting: Ideologies of Language Loss in a Northern Italian Town

Speakers' stories about language shift in Bergamo, a Northern Italian town, are reflective of larger sociocultural changes and negotiations over tradition. The article examines how Bergamasco residents conceptualize time to construct a past of poverty in contrast to a prosperous contemporary world, taking up various affective stances toward these socioeconomic and linguistic shifts. Nostalgia plays a central role in speakers' focus on certain socioeconomic shifts. Analyzing temporality in and through linguistic ideology, the article contributes to debates on language shift, cultural change, and socioeconomic transformation.
Bone Tissue Engineering Challenges in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Over the past decades, there has been a substantial amount of innovation and research into tissue engineering and regenerative approaches for the craniofacial region. This highly complex area presents many unique challenges for tissue engineers. Recent research indicates that various forms of implantable biodegradable scaffolds may play a beneficial role in the clinical treatment of craniofacial pathological conditions. Additionally, the direct delivery of bioactive molecules may further increase de novo bone formation. While these strategies offer an exciting glimpse into potential future treatments, there are several challenges that still must be overcome. In this chapter, we will highlight both current surgical approaches for craniofacial reconstruction and recent advances within the field of bone tissue engineering. The clinical challenges and limitations of these strategies will help contextualize and inform future craniofacial tissue engineering strategies.
Evidence-Based Interventions for Survivors of Childhood Cancer and Their Families

Objective To summarize existing empirical reports of psychological interventions for children with cancer and their families and to outline directions for future work. Methods Research accomplishments related to four areas were summarized: understanding and reducing procedural pain; realizing long-term consequences; appreciating distress at diagnosis and over time; and knowing the importance of social relationships. Recommendations for future research in this field were discussed in three domains: balancing competence and psychopathology; integrating research-based interventions into clinical care; future directions). Results and conclusions Interventions related to procedural pain and distress have strong empirical support. Although most survivors of childhood cancer and their families adjust quite well as they complete treatment, evidence-based interventions during and after treatment that address cancer-specific sequelae represent important growing areas of work. In the future, the development of interventions to address emerging survivorship issues will be vital, and theoretically grounded, evidence-based pragmatic interventions will be necessary.
Androgen-Receptor Cycling in Prostate Cells

This is a brief summary of our recent work on androgen-receptors in rat ventral prostate. More comprehensive reviews on earlier work on the androgen-receptors are available elsewhere (1–8).
Revealing and Not Revealing the Status of Romantic Relationships to Social Networks

The researchers conducted retrospective interviews with 101 university-level participants to determine what they did to make their developing romantic relationship known to social network members and what they did to keep their relationship from becoming known. The most frequent topic of both revelation and concealment was information on the relationship's status and progress. Strategic disclosure and manipulation of co-presence signals were the most frequent ways in which information was managed. The most frequent reasons for revelation were felt obligation to reveal based on the relationship with the target, the desire for emotional expression and the desire for psychological support from the target. The most frequent reason to withhold information was the anticipation of a negative reaction from the target. Parents were more likely than others in the respondent's network to be the target of concealment acts, whereas close friends of the respondent were less likely than others to have information with-h...
Contractility and Conformation

Contractility in fibers can arise from changes of macromolecular conformation caused by changes in some thermodynamic variable such as temperature, pH, or solvent composition. Illustrations are given of contractile processes in fibers and of changes in macromolecular conformation in dilute solution. These may involve order-disorder transitions, e.g. of the type exhibited by the helix-coil transition. A statistical mechanical treatment of the helix-coil transition involves the assignment of statistical weights to various states and the proper counting of these statistical weights in the formation and evaluation of the partition function; the thermodynamic properties of the system are derivable from the partition function. The counting procedure involved in the consideration of the α-helix and random coil is described. In addition, the factors affecting the relative stabilities of various helical conformations are discussed. These considerations of macromolecular conformation provide a basis for discussing contractile mechanisms in which changes of conformation are involved.
Novel timing method using IEEE 1588 and Synchronous Ethernet for Compton telescope

ICx Radiation, Inc. has implemented a novel timing method for use in a Compton telescope that is capable of nanosecond timing resolution. A critical task in Compton telescope design is to minimize the timing variance between detectors in a large array in order to reduce the background. The voxelSPEC has been developed to combine precise timing with pulse processing electronics in a single device, where all timing, communication, and power is transmitted over non-proprietary Ethernet hardware. The IEEE 1588 Precision Timing Protocol (PTP) combined with Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) performs both phase and frequency locking of the individual detectors clock to a master clock. PTP phase locks each node to the absolute time recorded by the master clock. Hardware assist PTP uses the Ethernet PHY to time stamp the actual receiving and sending times of each PTP packet with sub-nanosecond accuracy, removing the time variance contribution of the CPU and other hardware, which can be on the order of microseconds to milliseconds. PTP-compatible network switches remove the unequal buffering delays in the switch hardware by performing a hardware assisted time correction to the PTP packet arrival and departure times directly (transparent clock mode) or by synchronizing the node to the network switch with hardware assistance (boundary clock mode). In 100MBps SyncE, the transmitters frequency is provided by the master clocks oscillator and propagated through the network switches to each individual node. Each Ethernet PHY connected to this frequency recovers the clock signal for the internal PTP clock. Using the master clock frequency minimizes the frequency drift. Results using both PTP (version 1 without PTP hardware assisted network switch) and SyncE show a node to master drift of about 8ns and a timing resolution of about 25ns between nodes. The implementation of hardware assisted PTP version 2 network switches will further reduce the timing resolution between nodes.
Pathological Lesions in the Lungs of Ducks Infected with Influenza A Viruses

To determine histopathological damage in the respiratory tract, ducks were inoculated with five different influenza A viruses, including viruses virulent for other avian hosts. Lungs were collected for detection of virus and histopathological examination. Small amounts of infectious virus were recovered from lungs, and viral antigens were demonstrated by immunoperoxidase staining with monoclonal antibodies to the viral nucleoprotein. Although clinical signs were not detected, lungs of ducks infected with both virulent and avirulent viruses had mild pneumonia characterized by infiltrates of lymphocytes and macrophages. These findings show that although clinical signs are not evident, ducks may have damage to the respiratory tract during influenza.
A 3D time-shared NOESY experiment designed to provide optimal resolution for accurate assignment of NMR distance restraints in large proteins.

Structure determination of proteins by solution NMR has become an established method, but challenges increase steeply with the size of proteins. Notably, spectral crowding and signal overlap impair the analysis of cross-peaks in NOESY spectra that provide distance restraints for structural models. An optimal spectral resolution can alleviate overlap but requires prohibitively long experimental time with existing methods. Here we present a time-shared 3D experiment optimized for large proteins that provides 15N and 13C dispersed NOESY spectra in a single measurement. NOESY correlations appear in the detected dimension and hence benefit from the highest resolution achievable of all dimensions without increase in experimental time. By design, this experiment is inherently optimal for non-uniform sampling acquisition when compared to current alternatives. Thus, 15N and 13C dispersed NOESY spectra with ultra-high resolution in all dimensions were acquired in parallel within about 4 days instead of 80 days for a 52 kDa monomeric protein at a concentration of 350 μM.
Diffusion and Phase Formation During Combined Heating and Sputter Etching

Sputter etching normally removes material with an overall composition equal to the target composition. At room temperature, this steady-state removal process is usually quickly established by the formation of an altered surface layer which compensates for preferential sputtering, together with an altered subsurface layer which reflects the existence of bombardment-induced Gibbsian segregation (GS). At elevated temperature, ordinary GS, diffusion and the presence of compound phases may strongly affect the development of the steady-state condition. In this paper, we describe two cases in which diffusion and GS become significant processes during sputter etching of a compound material A x B 1−x on an underlying substrate of B atoms. In the first case, diffusion is dominated by the substrate species. This case is demonstrated by the sputtering of TiSi 2 on (100) Si by 300 eV Ar + . At room temperature, normal sputtering of the TiSi 2 layer occurs. At elevated temperature (500–700°C), however, Si diffuses from the substrate to the surface, where it undergoes GS. This allows the development of a steady-state highly selective sputtering of Si atoms, accompanied by movement of the TiSi 2 layer into the substrate. In the second case, diffusion is dominated by the non-substrate species. This case is demonstrated by CoSi 2 , for which the development of steady-state etching occurs in two distinct stages which are strongly temperature-dependent. In this material, Co is the dominant diffusing species, and it is unclear whether or not Si GS occurs. What is clear, however, is that Ar + bombardment at 500–600°C leads to partial decomposition of the CoSi 2 layer and diffusion of Co towards the substrate Si, where new CoSi 2 is formed. The combination of sputter etching and elevated temperature is shown to be a controllable environment for compound phase formation at a buried interface.
Neuropathy of Metachromatic Leukodystrophy: Improvement With Immunomodulation

A 4-year-old child with metachromatic leukodystrophy was initially diagnosed with chronic immune demyelinating polyneuropathy and treated with immunosuppressive therapy. Physical examination revealed diffuse, distal >proximal weakness and areflexia. Electrodiagnostic studies revealed nerve conduction velocities that were slowed to variable degrees in different nerves. In the 18 months after institution of immunomodulating therapy, she had functionally significant improvement and a quantitative increase in her strength. Treatment was discontinued at age 6 years when the patient developed urinary incontinence, followed by loss of motor and cognitive skills. We conclude that immunomodulation early in the course of metachromatic leukodystrophy presenting as a neuropathy may result in temporary functional improvement. Whether the immunomodulation altered the disease progression or had direct effects on the function of the dysmyelinated axons is not known.
Quantification of Gas Mixtures with Active Recursive Estimation

We present an active‐sensing strategy to estimate the concentrations in a gas mixture using temperature modulation of metal‐oxide (MOX) sensors. The approach is based on recursive Bayesian estimation and uses an information‐theoretic criterion to select operating temperatures on‐the‐fly. Recursive estimation has been widely used in mobile robotics, e.g., for localization purposes. Here, we employ a similar approach to estimate the concentrations of the constituents in a gas mixture. In this formulation, we represent a concentration profile as a discrete state and maintain a ‘belief’ distribution that represents the probability of each state. We employ a Bayes filter to update the belief distribution whenever new sensor measurements arrive, and a mutual‐information criterion to select the next operating temperature. This allows us to optimize the temperature program in real time, as the sensor interacts with its environment. We validate our approach on a simulated dataset generated from temperature modulated responses of a MOX sensor exposed to a mixture of three analytes. The results presented here provide a preliminary proof of concept for an agile approach to quantifying gas mixtures.
Software Assurance: The Need for Definitions

Software Assurance is a subject that has differing definitions depending upon who is providing them. An examination of the literature, including end user materials has produced a series of definitions. The disconnect between these definitions provides for miscommunication and disagreement about paths and options during the software development progress. This research project set out to discover the different definitions and construct a model where the differences can be resolved. Two principle forms of the definition have emerged, one product related and the other process related. The results are useful to educators, practitioners and students alike, each using the appropriate definition at the appropriate moment to achieve greater levels of understanding of options associated with secure software development.
The Effect of Rain and Fog on the Propagation of Very Short Radio Waves

The purpose of this paper is to investigate theoretically the effect of rain, fog, or clouds on the propagation of short raidio waves. The theory of the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a medium in which are suspended spherical particles of an arbitrary material is first reviewed. The available physical data on fog and rain is then referred to. The conclusion is arrived at that for waves greater than 5 cm in length, the effect of ordinary rain or fog on the absorption is negligible.
Do black-furred animals compensate for high solar absorption with smaller hairs? A test with a polymorphic squirrel species

In polymorphic mammalian species that display multiple color forms, those with dark, or melanic pelage would be prone to overheating, especially if they live in warm climates, because their fur absorbs solar energy at a higher rate. However, experimental studies indicate that certain physical properties of fur of dark individuals appear to prevent, or minimize heat stress, although it is not clear what properties do so. Here, we tested the possibility that black-furred individuals simply have shorter or thinner hair fibers, which would create a lighter (in terms of weight) coat or one that allows greater air flow for evaporative coo- ling. We examined museum specimens of eastern fox squirrels Sciurus niger, a species native to the United States and one that displays brown, grey or all-black pelage color, and used image analysis procedures to quantify hairs from the dorsal surface and tail. From examination of 43 specimens (19 brown, 9 black and 15 grey), and 1,720 hairs, we found no significant difference in hair lengths across color morphs, but significant differences in hair fiber widths. Black squirrels had thinner body hairs than other forms (7% thinner), but thicker tail hairs (9% thicker) than the others. Given that the dorsal surface would be directly exposed to solar radiation, we interpret this to be an adaptation to prevent heat stress during the day. The thicker tail hairs may be an adapta- tion for nighttime thermoregulation, since squirrels sleep with their tails wrapped around their bodies. These results add to a growing literature body of the functional significance of mammalian pelage (Current Zoology 57 (6): 731-736, 2011). Keywords Polymorphism, Melanism, Fox squirrels, Sciurus niger, Heat stress, Hair morphology
A Gentle Migration Path to Component-Based Programming

Publisher Summary The chapter presents a simplified component programming model that provides a gentle migration path to component-based application development. Most existing component models (CCA INtegration framework [CCAIN]) require a relatively large leap from current software practices. The simple CCAIN proposed in the chapter allows scientific software developers to take an evolutionary and staged approach for component usage rather than a revolutionary plan that requires extensive software rewriting. The proposed model still requires a movement toward increased software modularization, but this, to a large extent, is a good idea and is happening anyway. Paradoxically, software components are widely recognized to provide real benefits to the scientific computing community, yet are generally ignored in practice. The chapter addresses this discrepancy by proposing a simplified CCAIN that departs only slightly from current programming practices. The CCAIN can be gradually extended in a staged approach to obtain full-blown implementation of component-based applications using standard component models and frameworks.
Coexistence of Peptides in Primary Afferent Neurons

Primary afferent neurons have been shown with immunohistochemistry to contain a variety of peptide-like substances. In fact, some neurons contain more than one peptide (Dalsgaard et al, 1982; Wiesenfeld-Hallin et al, 1984; Leah et al, 1985; Lee et al, 1985; Skofitsch and Jacobowitz, 1985; Tuchscherer and Seybold, 1985; Gibbins et al, 1987). We are interested in the possibility that particular peptides, alone or in combination, may be markers for functional categories of sensory neurons or targets of these neurons. Toward this end, we have studied the expression of peptide-immunoreactivity in dorsal root ganglion cells of cat and rat. Post-translational modification of amino acid sequences contained in the peptide precursor molecules, however, may alter the antigenic determinants expressed in a perikaryon. An antigenic determinant visualized in a neuronal perikaryon by immunohistochemistry may be cleaved or modified to an unrecognizable sequence, or the epitope recognized by an antibody may be created. For this reason we have also investigated the coexistence of peptide-immunoreactivities in axonal varicosities of primary afferent neurons in the spinal cord.
USE OF GEOMETRICALLY ACCURATE FUEL MODELS TO PREDICT CLADDING AND BASKET TEMPERATURES WITHIN A TRUCK CASK DURING NORMAL TRANSPORT

A two-dimensional finite volume mesh of a legal-weight truck cask cross section is constructed, including four pressurized water reactor fuel assemblies inside. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations calculate buoyancy-driven gas motion, natural convection and radiation heat transfer in geometrically accurate gas-filled fuel regions, and conduction within the solid components. Steady-state simulations are performed with the cask in a normal transportation environment for ranges offuel heat generation rate and cladding emissivity, with atmospheric-pressure helium or nitrogen cover gases. The cask thermal dissipation capacity is defined as the fuel heat generation rate that brings the fuel cladding temperature to its allowed limit. That capacity is 23% higher when helium is the cover gas than for nitrogen. Increasing the cladding emissivity by 10% increases the capacity by 4% for nitrogen, but only 2% for helium. Stagnant-gas simulations using the geometrically accurate mesh predict essentially the same cask thermal dissipation capacity as simulations that include gas motion. This indicates that buoyancy-induced gas motion is not strong enough to significantly enhance heat transfer for this configuration. Simulations employing effective thermal conductivities and homogenized (nongeometrically accurate) meshes in the fuel regions predict cask thermal capacities that are 3 to 8% lower than the geometrically accurate CFD simulations. Basket surface temperatures calculated in this work will be used as boundary conditions in future benchmark experiments.
Clearing the Air

Despite negative public perception and misleading portrayals, American air quality has improved dramatically. The United States has made dramatic progress in reducing air pollution over the last few decades, and most American cities now enjoy relatively good air quality. But polls show that most Americans believe air pollution has grown worse or will grow worse in the future, and that most people face serious risks from air pollution.
Warping the Word: The Technology of Weaving in the Poetry of Jorge Eduardo Eielson and Cecilia Vicuña

AbstractThis work evaluates the technology of weaving in Jorge Eduardo Eielson of Peru (1924-2006) and Cecilia Vicuna of Chile (1948). Although from different generations, with Eielson first publishing in the 1940s and Vicuna in the 1970s, both associate with the continuation of the avant-garde and display a common metapoetic theme in their work that incorporates the imagery of Andean textiles within a written, poetic medium. Although general literary criticism acknowledges the presence of the weaving metaphor in Eielson and Vicuna's work, this analysis does not go beyond the immediate observation of the finished woven-verbal product. Using information regarding textile composition by Jose Sanchez Parga, Teresa Gisbert, Veronica Cereceda, and Lynn A. Meisch, this article examines the presence of weaving technologies used in the poetic construction of Tema y variaciones (written in1950, published in 1976) by Eielson and Palabra e hilo (1996) by Vicuna. Because cloth remains a cultural product saturated wit...
Effect of alternating periods of underfeeding and aid libitum feeding on insulin sensitivity of rats.

SummaryThe characteristic fasting insulin hypersensitivity of chronically underfed rats is gradually abolished by subsequent prolonged ad libitumfeeding and slowly returns during repeated undernutrition.
Interpersonal synergies: static prehension tasks performed by two actors

We investigated multidigit synergies stabilizing components of the resultant force vector during joint performance of a static prehension task by two persons as compared to similar tasks performed by a single person using both hands. Subjects transferred the instrumented handle from the right hand to the left hand (one-person condition) or passed that handle to another person (two-person condition) while keeping the handle's position and orientation stationary. Only three digits were involved per hand, the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger; the forces and moments produced by the digits were measured by six-component sensors. We estimated the performance-stabilizing synergies within the uncontrolled manifold framework by quantifying the intertrial variance structure of digit forces and moments. The analysis was performed at three levels: between hands, between virtual finger and virtual thumb (imagined digits producing the same mechanical variables as the corresponding actual digits combined) produced by the two hands (in both interpersonal and intrapersonal conditions), and between the thumb and virtual finger for one hand only. Additionally, we performed correlation and phase synchronization analyses of resultant tangential forces and internal normal forces. Overall, the one-person conditions were characterized by higher amount of intertrial variance that did not affect resultant normal force components, higher internal components of normal forces, and stronger synchronization of the normal forces generated by the hands. Our observations suggest that in two-person tasks, when participants try to achieve a common mechanical outcome, the performance-stabilizing synergies depend on non-visual information exchange, possibly via the haptic and proprioceptive systems. Therefore, synergies quantified in tasks using visual feedback only may not be generalizable to more natural tasks.
Heavy Lies the Crown? Top Executive Anxiety And Strategic Decision Making

How do top executives respond to anxiety? Scholars have long speculated that many executives operate under great pressure in their jobs, but the upper echelons literature has remained largely silen...
Design of a wide band and small step frequency synthesizer using multi-loop technology

To meet the requirements of wide band and small step,the frequency synthesizer based on multi-loop technology is analysed and researched.The frequency synthesizer using DDS+PLL technology is introduced in contrast to conventional single locked loop technique,the output frequency is 10~13 GHz,the frequency step is 10KHz,the phase noise is-92 dBc/Hz @1KHz and the spurious suppression ratio is-68 dBc.It can meet the needs of project practically.
Injury death in residents in Jinhua,Zhejiang,2006-2012

Objective To understand the incidence level of injury death in Jinhua from 2006 to 2012 and provide scientific evidence for the prevention and control of injury death. Methods Statistical analysis was conducted on the death data in three surveillance areas in Jinhua during this period. Results From 2006 to 2012,the injury death rate in residents in Jinhua was 76. 96 / lakh. The injury death rate in males was significantly higher than that in females( 91. 78 / lakh in males and 61. 57 / lakh in females). The death caused by fall ranked first( 22. 65 / lakh),followed by that by traffic accident( 20. 63 /lakh). Drowning was the first injury death cause in children aged 0- 14 years. Traffic accident was the first injury death cause in people aged 15- 64 years. Fall was the first injury death cause in people aged 65 years. Conclusion Injury has become one of the serious public health problem which poses threat to people's health in Jinhua. Close attention should be paid to the prevention of the injuries caused by fall and traffic accident to reduce injury death rate.
Clinical Analysis on Fifty-Eight Cases with Meconium Inhaled Syndrome Complicated with Neonatal Pulmonary Hemorrhage

Objective:To discuss the clinical significance of application of lung surface active substance combined with mechanical ventilation treatment of the meconium inhaled syndrome complicated with neonatal pulmonary hemorrhage. Method:Collecting 58 cases with neonatal meconium inhaled syndrome complicated with lung hemorrhage in Neonatal intensive care unit in our hospital from October 2008 to October 2012,and they were given lung surface active substances with mechanical ventilation therapy. The clinical data was retrospectively analyzed. Result:In 58 cases with pulmonary hemorrhage in newborns,38 patients survived(65.5%),11 cases died(18.9%),9 cases gave up treatment(15.5%). The average time of mechanical ventilation of live births was seventy-one hours(the shortest was twenty-one hours,the longest was one hundred and twenty-eight hours). Conclusion:The application of lung surface active material joint mechanical ventilation is primary treatment of meconium inhaled syndrome complicated with neonatal pulmonary hemorrhage.
Recommendations for open data science

Life science research increasingly relies on large-scale computational analyses. However, the code and data used for these analyses are often lacking in publications. To maximize scientific impact, reproducibility, and reuse, it is crucial that these resources are made publicly available and are fully transparent. We provide recommendations for improving the openness of data-driven studies in life sciences.
Renal Scarring and Vesicoureteral Reflux in Children with Myelodysplasia

AbstractThe records of 180 myelodysplasia patients followed from 3 to 18 years were reviewed. Studies included cystography to evaluate vesicoureteral reflux and dimercapto-succinic acid renal scintigraphy to identify acute inflammation and renal scarring. Scarring was noted in 28 of 180 patients (15.5%), of whom 68% were girls. Of the patients with renal scarring 75% had associated reflux and 40% over-all were identified as having reflux.Management of patients with vesicoureteral reflux included clean intermittent catheterization, antibiotic prophylaxis and anticholinergics when indicated. Only 17 of 72 patients (24%) had ureteral reimplantation. Surgical indications included persistent high grade reflux and/or progressive upper tract damage. Reflux resolved in 62% of those on medical management. Resolution was not dependent on grade of reflux (as compared to primary reflux). Twenty-one patients are stable and being followed with persistent reflux. In 7 patients new renal scars developed during aggressive...
Efficient Library Preparation for Next-Generation Sequencing Analysis of Genome-Wide Epigenetic and Transcriptional Landscapes in Embryonic Stem Cells

Gene expression in embryonic stem (ES) cells is regulated in part by a network of transcription factors, epigenetic regulators, and histone modifications that influence the underlying chromatin in a way that is conducive or repressive for transcription. Advances in next-generation sequencing technology have allowed for the genome-wide analysis of chromatin constituents and protein-DNA interactions at high resolution in ES cells and other stem cells. While many studies have surveyed genome-wide profiles of a few factors and expression changes at a fixed time point in undifferentiated ES cells, few have utilized an integrative approach to simultaneously survey protein-DNA interactions, histone modifications, and expression programs during ES cell self-renewal and differentiation. To identify transcriptional networks that regulate pluripotency and differentiation, it is important to generate high-quality genome-wide maps of transcription factors, chromatin factors, and histone modifications and to survey global gene expression profiles. Here, to interrogate genome-wide profiles of chromatin features and to survey global gene expression programs in ES cells, we describe protocols for efficient library construction for next-generation sequencing of ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq samples.
Considering organic mechanisms and the optimization of current flow in an electrochemical oxidative condensation reaction

Oxidative condensation reactions are potentially valuable tools for the valorization of lignin derived materials. They are used in the two step conversion of raw sawdust into benzothiazole and benzimidazole ring skeletons. The reactions are also excellent candidates for use in paired electrochemical reactions that utilize the cathodic half-reaction to make the hydrogen gas needed for the conversion of lignin derived materials into indanones. However, the optimized oxidative condensation reactions used to date require the use of low currents that inhibit their utility in paired electrochemical reactions. In this manuscript, the optimization of current for the oxidative condensation is examined and this optimization is used to illustrate how the optimization of an electrochemical reaction relies on a traditional look at organic mechanisms.
Abstract 43: MicroRNA-130b mediates a metabolic switch to promote cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma development

Metabolic reprogramming has been emerging as a hallmark of cancer. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common skin cancer, with about 700,000 new cases annually in the U.S. We aim to investigate the role of miR-130b in reprogramming metabolism as a driver of cSCC development. Since skin cancers have the highest mutational loads among any human cancers, we used well-controlled comparisons across tissues and across species to narrow down the number of important candidate drivers. Using the approach of matched isogenic human samples and cross-species analysis using our UV-driven hairless mouse model, we identified aberrantly expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) and their target mRNAs in order to unravel additional mechanisms behind cSCC progression. We focus on miRNAs because they regulate numerous mRNA targets and can be manipulated for cancer therapy. We observed that miR-130b is increased in both human and mouse cSCC by 3.3-fold, and 2.6-fold, respectively. In adipocytes, miR-130b is known to reduce fat deposition and cell differentiation through targeting PPARγ. Our data and the TargetScan algorithm suggested that in keratinocytes, miR-130b suppresses PPARγ, FBP1, PGC-1α and PDK4. These genes are down-regulated in SCC tumors (compared to normal skin). Also, they are regulators of glycolysis, mitochondrial activity and lipid biosynthesis. Specifically, PPARγ promotes lipid biosynthesis; PGC-1α and PDK4 control mitochondrial activity; FBP1 suppresses glycolysis. Thus, we hypothesize that the cSCC metabolic phenotype is driven mostly by glycolysis and that miR-130b is a regulator of this metabolic switch. We found that in cSCC cell lines, proliferation is reduced by up to 30% when miR-130b was inhibited. Also in the same setting, less glucose was consumed and less lactate was produced, suggesting that miR-130b promotes glycolysis. Realtime-PCR shows that miR-130b levels are up-regulated in SCC tumors and in SCC cell lines (compared to normal skin and primary keratinocytes, respectively). On the other hand, PPARγ and PGC-1α gene expression decreases during SCC development. To study the long-term effects of miR-130b depletion, we have also developed an inducible CRISPRi system that suppresses microRNA expression. Finally, rosiglitazone, a PPARγ agonist, suppresses the proliferation of several SCC cell lines and is under several trials for breast cancer and liposarcoma, thus suggesting that this pathway may be targetable in SCC as well. Our current studies are focused on the precise roles of PPARγ transcriptional targets, which may include FBH1, PGC-1α and PDK4 in cSCC. Citation Format: Tran N. Nguyen, Sydney Moyer, Charles H. Adelmann, Vida Chitsazzadeh, Kenneth Y. Tsai. MicroRNA-130b mediates a metabolic switch to promote cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma development. [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 43.
A Robotic Coach Architecture for Elder Care (ROCARE) Based on Multi-User Engagement Models

The aging population with its concomitant medical conditions, physical and cognitive impairments, at a time of strained resources, establishes the urgent need to explore advanced technologies that may enhance function and quality of life. Recently, robotic technology, especially socially assistive robotics has been investigated to address the physical, cognitive, and social needs of older adults. Most system to date have predominantly focused on one-on-one human robot interaction (HRI). In this paper, we present a multi-user engagement-based robotic coach system architecture (ROCARE). ROCARE is capable of administering both one-on-one and multi-user HRI, providing implicit and explicit channels of communication, and individualized activity management for long-term engagement. Two preliminary feasibility studies, a one-on-one interaction and a triadic interaction with two humans and a robot, were conducted and the results indicated potential usefulness and acceptance by older adults, with and without cognitive impairment.
Understanding African Poverty over the Longue Durée: A Review of Africa's Development in Historical Perspective

The sixteen essays edited and synthesized by Emmanuel Akyeampong, Robert H. Bates, Nathan Nunn, and James A. Robinson contribute significantly to our understanding of the following questions: (1) When did Africa become poor? (2) Why did Africa become poor? (3) Why has Africa remained poor? Although these questions are impossible to answer in a definitive way, the partial explanations offered in this book are insightful and thought provoking and are summarized in this article. However, they also rest primarily on economic and political arguments. The importance of geography, which is mostly not explored in these essays, is reviewed in the final section of this article.
Production of inherently separated syngas streams via chemical looping methane cracking

Abstract ‘Chemical Looping Combustion’ (CLC) is an emerging clean combustion technology which offers an efficient route for fossil fuel combustion with inherent CO2 capture. Beyond combustion, chemical looping is also applicable to selective oxidation of fuels to synthesis gas or olefins. In all these applications, the main advantage of chemical looping lies in the inherent air separation, which allows conversion of the fuel without nitrogen dilution. In the present work, we extend this inherent separation principle to separation of the product stream by demonstrating the formation of fully separated syngas streams from methane, i.e. the production of separate, high-purity CO and H2 streams via (non-oxidative) methane cracking. CH4 is first cracked catalytically over Ni, producing gaseous H2 and solid carbon. The carrier is then periodically regenerated by burning off the carbon using CO2 as oxidant, thus enabling the reduction of CO2 to CO. Importantly, the Ni carrier is never oxidized during this cycle and hence acts as a “carbon carrier” rather than as an oxygen carrier as typical in chemical looping processes to-date. Autothermal process configurations are discussed, which allow reconciling the use of abundant natural gas reserves with the demand for clean, carbon-free energy production.
LiamDowneyInequality, Democracy, and the Environment2015New York University PressNew York and London9781479843794331 pp.

Social injustice, environmental degradation, poverty, and resource insecurity plague much of the planet, especially developing nations. According to Liam Downey in Inequality, Democracy, and the En...
Evolution in Investment Treaty Law and Arbitration: A new investment deal in Asia and Africa: Land leases to foreign investors

This paper explores the potential international investment consequences of the recent boom in long-term land leases (25 years or more) offered by national governments in Asia and Africa to private, foreign agribusinesses. The paper explores the implications of umbrella clauses in bilateral investment treaties, stabilization clauses, and the lack of performance standards to regulate for potential environmental and labor impacts caused by the long-term land leases. The paper argues for the need for States offering leases to ensure protection of national public interests in healthy environmental and labor conditions while also honoring their investment law commitments.
Conceptual Framework for Addressing Residual Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in the Era of Precision Medicine

Until recently, therapies to mitigate atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk have been limited to lifestyle interventions, blood pressure-lowering medications, high-intensity statin therapy, antiplatelet agents, and, in select patients, coronary artery revascularization. Despite administration of these evidence-based therapies, substantial residual risk for cardiovascular events persists, particularly among individuals with known ASCVD. Moreover, the current guideline-based approach does not adequately account for patient-specific, causal pathways that lead to ASCVD progression and complications. In the past few years, multiple new pharmacological agents, targeting conceptually distinct pathophysiological targets, have been shown in large and well-conducted clinical trials to lower cardiovascular risk among patients with established ASCVD receiving guideline-directed medical care. These evidenced-based therapies reduce event rates and, in some cases, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality; these benefits confirm important new disease targets and challenge the adequacy of the current standard of care for secondary prevention. After years of treating our patients after an acute coronary syndrome event with the same core group of medications that have been proven to be safe, beneficial, and cost-effective, a diverse array of potentially beneficial options to address residual risk is now available. The near simultaneous development of these new approaches to secondary prevention disrupts existing paradigms regarding assessment and treatment of residual risk. For example, consider a hypothetical patient with obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia who had a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and received an intracoronary drug-eluting stent. This patient would likely be …