cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abnormal spontaneous and harmaline-stimulated Purkinje cell activity in the awake genetically dystonic rat.

The genetically dystonic rat is an autosomal recessive mutant with a movement disorder that closely resembles the generalized dystonias seen in humans. Abnormal activity of neurons within the cerebellar nuclei is critical to the dystonic rat motor syndrome. Increased glutamic acid decarboxylase activity, increased glucose utilization, and decreased muscimol binding within the cerebellar nuclei of the dystonic rat suggests that Purkinje cell firing rates are increased in these animals. However, under urethane anesthesia, Purkinje cell simple spike firing rates in dystonic rats were less than half the rates seen in normal littermates. In this study, both spontaneous and harmaline-stimulated single-unit Purkinje cell recordings were obtained from awake normal and dystonic rats. In striking contrast to previous results obtained under urethane anesthesia, there was no statistically significant difference in average Purkinje cell spontaneous simple spike frequency between dystonic and normal rats. Similar to previous studies obtained under urethane anesthesia, Purkinje cell spontaneous complex spike frequency was much lower in dystonic than in normal rats. Many Purkinje cells from dystonic rats, particularly those from the vermis or older animals, exhibited rhythmic bursting simple spike firing patterns. Crosscorrelations showed that complex spikes produced less suppression of simple spikes in dystonic than in normal rats and harmaline-stimulated complex spike activity was, on average, faster and more rhythmic in normal than in dystonic rats. These findings indicate that olivocerebellar network abnormalities in the dystonic rat are not due to an inability of Purkinje cells to fire at normal rates and suggest that abnormal Purkinje cell bursting firing patterns in the dystonic rat are due to a defect in the pathway from the inferior olive to climbing fiber synapses on Purkinje cells.
Butadiene popcorn polymer

Using a direct weight method, the rate of butadiene polymer growth has been found to be logarithmic with time and proportional to the initial mass of polymer seed present providing active polymer seeds are used. When solutions of potassium sulfide (0.005 and 0.0025 g. per ml.) were added to butadiene, the growth of popcorn polymer in the vapor phase was greatly inhibited. The final weights of 0.100 g. initial polymer seeds were 0.205 and 0.389 g. after 29.6 and 30.5 days at 60°C. respectively, for the two sulfide concentrations. This is to be compared with a normal growth of 2.85 g. after 13.5 days at 60° for a non-sulfided test. Water does not inhibit popcorn polymer growth and may possibly accelerate it. The activity of the popcorn seeds for spontaneous growth in the presence of monomer depends on the seed generation or extent to which the seeds have grown. The growth activity of a definite mass of polymer increases with continued seed growth until a point is reached where there is a structural change from popcorn-like to more glassy-like polymer. The latter has lower growth activity. It is believed that the effect of variation of activity with seed generation is independent of peroxide content and that these tests were performed with peroxide-free seeds.
A WLM protein with SUMO-directed protease activity.

Covalent modification of eukaryotic proteins by ubiquitin and the distantly related ubiquitin-like protein called SUMO contributes to an extraordinary assortment of biological regulatory mechanisms (2). These attachments have different consequences, depending not only on which of the proteins is attached but also on whether they are in the form of a polymer. Polyubiquitin chains connected by amide (isopeptide) bonds involving certain ubiquitin lysine side chains, for instance, are often signals for directing a substrate to the proteasome for degradation. The ubiquitylation and sumoylation pathways intersect in a variety of ways. An intriguing example is the recently unearthed group of ubiquitin-ligating enzymes called SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligases (STUbLs), which recognize (poly)SUMO-modified proteins and attach ubiquitin to the conjugates, leading to their degradation by the proteasome (3, 9). Discovery of the STUbLs has raised many interesting questions, such as whether the ubiquitin is attached to the SUMO moiety or the substrate itself in the SUMO-substrate conjugate and how SUMO and ubiquitin are recycled from these conjugates once they have reached the proteasome. In this issue, the study by Mullen et al. (8) throws fresh light on these questions through the characterization of an unusual SUMO-directed protease that may associate with the proteasome and seems able to cleave both ubiquitin and SUMO from proteins.
Interfaces and fracture surfaces in Saffil/Al-Mg-Cu metal-matrix composites

The interfacial phases were studied in pressure-cast Saffil/Al-4.5Cu-3Mg composite material using a variety of characterization techniques. The magnesium- and copper-rich phases were found to segregate near the fibre-matrix interfaces. The major phases were identified as MgAl2O4, Al2CuMg and CuAl2. Significant diffusion of silicon from the fibres into the matrix took place during the pressure-casting. A conclusion was drawn that solidification started with the less alloyed aluminium in the bulk of the matrix and proceeded towards the fibres. Auger and XPS analyses of composite materials fracturedin situ showed the fracture surface to lie within magnesium-rich (and not copper-rich) phases, most likely within the MgAl2O4 spinel phase. The fibre surface treatments which are being developed to improve interfacial wetting may also reverse the direction of crystallization and prevent formation of brittle phases in the vicinity of fibres, thereby improving the toughness of the composite materials.
Nanostructured and aligned scaffold material for articular cartilage regeneration

Nanostructured and aligned polymeric materials show potential for articular cartilage applications. This study investigated responses of chondrocytes on nanostructured versus conventional poly(lactic/glycolic acid) (PLGA) surface properties. We also observed the chondrocyte growth and morphology changes on aligned PLGA substrates. Nanostructured substrates were obtained by treating the polymer with 10N NaOH. Then, the substrates were aligned by applying mechanical 60% longitudinal strain while the substrates cured. The results indicated that chondrocytes exhibit higher proliferation rate on nanostructured substrates, as well as showing directional growth along the aligned ridges. Therefore, the modifications of surface properties of polymer scaffold material enhance chondrocyte growth and alignment resulting in enhanced directional cartilage regeneration.
KTDCKM-SDC: a distributed conference key management scheme for secure dynamic conferencing

Secure dynamic conferencing (SDC) is a scenario where given a group of participants, any subset of participants can form a privileged subgroup, called a conference, and communicate securely among themselves. The existing SDC schemes belong to two classes: centralized and distributed. The former incurs the single-point of failure, the central point of attack and performance bottleneck. The two existing distributed dynamic conferencing schemes, which are based on public key cryptosystems, are inefficient and imply that anyone, as long as having a pair of public and private keys, can be in the group, thus, lacking the concept of group and the group membership management. In this paper, we first introduce two new concepts based on the well-known key tree scheme: sponsors and co-distributors and then, propose a new distributed dynamic conferencing scheme by designing an efficient algorithm for finding a sponsor or co-distributors. The new scheme enforces group/conference membership management and surpasses all the existing SDC schemes in terms of simplicity, efficiency and scalability.
Shear stress regulates endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) by the protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent mechanisms

Exposure of endothelial cells to shear stress stimulates NO production by phosphorylating eNOS at Ser/sup 1179/ in the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)- and PKA-dependent mechanisms. The eNOS contains additional potential phosphorylation sites including Ser/sup 116/, Thr/sup 497/ and Ser/sup 635/. Here, we studied phosphorylation of these potential sites in response to shear stress, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and 8-Br-cAMP in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). All three stimuli induced phosphorylation of eNOS at Ser/sup 635/ that was consistently slower than that at Ser/sup 1179/. The Thr/sup 497/ was rapidly dephosphorylated by 8-Br-cAMP, but not by shear and VEGF. None of the stimuli phosphorylated the Ser/sup 116/. While shear-dependent phosphorylation of Ser/sup 635/ was not affected by PI3K inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002, it was blocked by either treating cells with a PKA inhibitor H89 or infecting with an adenoviral vector expressing PKA inhibitor (PKI). These results suggest that shear stimulates at least two independent signaling pathways regulating eNOS: one that activates a PI3K-dependent PKA pathway and the other that activates a PI3K-independent PKA pathway. In summary, these studies suggest an essential role of PKA in regulation of eNOS and endothelial cell biology in response to shear stress.
Nonlinear stress relaxation of a styrene–butadiene random copolymer

The isothermal uniaxial stress relaxation response in the vicinity of the glass-to-rubber transition has been measured for a lightly crosslinked poly(styrene–butadiene) random copolymer, 85% styrene by weight. The volume change during stress relaxation was determined by measuring the time-dependent lateral contraction of the specimen with a Hall-effect proximity detector. The specimen exhibited an instantaneous dilation upon application of the strain and a subsequent time-dependent volume decrease. The stress relaxation behavior and the associated volume relaxation were determined for a variety of strains and temperatures in both the linear and nonlinear viscoelastic regime. As the applied strain was increased the isothermal tensile modulus decreased and the shape of the log(modulus) vs. log(time) curve was altered. At equal levels of strain the tensile modulus exhibited increasing deviations from the linear viscoelastic response as the temperature was decreased. The maximum difference between the nonlinear tensile modulus and the linear viscoelastic response was observed at short times. Subsequently, the nonlinear tensile modulus began to approach the linear viscoelastic modulus with increasing time. Both the instantaneous dilation and the magnitude of the time-dependent part of the volume change increased as the level of applied strain was increased and/or as the temperature was decreased. The observed nonlinearity in the tensile stress relaxation response has been quantitively related to the experimentally measured volume relaxation with a free-volume model.
Toward an improved search for neutron-antineutron oscillations

Abstract An observation of neutron–antineutron oscillations would constitute a discovery of fundamental importance for particle physics and cosmology. The required change in baryon number and lepton number ( Δ B = 2 , Δ L = 0 ) relates neutron–antineutron oscillations to neutrinoless double beta decay ( Δ B = 0 , Δ L = 2 ) and the physics of B – L symmetry breaking and neutrino mass generation in several theories beyond the Standard Model which unify quarks and leptons. Recent theoretical models which posit new energy scales for B–L symmetry breaking in the ranges from 10 5 to 10 11 GeV can produce neutron–antineutron oscillations close to the existing limits. We mention recent developments in cold and ultracold neutron technology which can make possible improvements in the sensitivity to the free neutron oscillation probability by factors from ≈ 100 to 1000 . For these sensitivities a null result would place the most stringent limit on this possible mode of matter instability.
The wonder of our complex enterprise: Steps enabled by attachment and the effects of relationships on relationships

John Bowlby's legacy encourages our exploration well beyond the child's attachment to a primary caregiver. A wide variety of family relationships contribute to child development, and the effects of relationships on other relationships are in particular need of investigation. The complexities of relationship influences seem mind-boggling as we array them, but both the researcher and the working clinician are guided by a number of principles in the search for meaning. These are described in terms of polarities that frame our interests and in terms of our human capacities for empathy and pattern recognition.
Remodeling of the Mononuclear Phagocyte Network Underlies Chronic Inflammation and Disease Progression in Heart Failure: Critical Importance of the Cardiosplenic Axis

Rationale: The role of mononuclear phagocytes in chronic heart failure (HF) is unknown. Objective: Our aim was to delineate monocyte, macrophage, and dendritic cell trafficking in HF and define the contribution of the spleen to cardiac remodeling. Methods and Results: We evaluated C57Bl/6 mice with chronic HF 8 weeks after coronary ligation. As compared with sham-operated controls, HF mice exhibited: (1) increased proinflammatory CD11b + F4/80 + CD206 − macrophages and CD11b + F4/80 + Gr-1 hi monocytes in the heart and peripheral blood, respectively, and reduced CD11b + F4/80 + Gr-1 hi monocytes in the spleen; (2) significantly increased CD11c + B220 − classical dendritic cells and CD11c +/low B220 + plasmacytoid dendritic cells in both the heart and spleen, and increased classic dendritic cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in peripheral blood and bone marrow, respectively; (3) increased CD4 + helper and CD8 + cytotoxic T-cells in the spleen; and (4) profound splenic remodeling with abundant white pulp follicles, markedly increased size of the marginal zone and germinal centers, and increased expression of alarmins. Splenectomy in mice with established HF reversed pathological cardiac remodeling and inflammation. Splenocytes adoptively transferred from mice with HF, but not from sham-operated mice, homed to the heart and induced long-term left ventricular dilatation, dysfunction, and fibrosis in naive recipients. Recipient mice also exhibited monocyte activation and splenic remodeling similar to HF mice. Conclusions: Activation of mononuclear phagocytes is central to the progression of cardiac remodeling in HF, and heightened antigen processing in the spleen plays a critical role in this process. Splenocytes (presumably splenic monocytes and dendritic cells) promote immune-mediated injurious responses in the failing heart and retain this memory on adoptive transfer.
Early Failure of Dialysis Access among the Elderly in the Era of Fistula First

Background and objectives Recent evidence indicates that fistula maturation and patency may be compromised in the elderly dialysis population compared with younger patients. The objective of this study was to characterize the short-term outcomes of arteriovenous fistulas and arteriovenous grafts for hemodialysis access in the Medicare population. Design, setting, participants, & measurements This was a retrospective cohort study performed using Medicare Part A and B claims data from 2006 through 2011. The study population included 16,464 dialysis-dependent patients age ≥66 years undergoing arteriovenous fistula and arteriovenous graft creation. The primary outcome measure was incidence of repeat fistula/graft creation and tunneled catheter placements in the 12 months after arteriovenous fistula and graft creation. Results In the 12 months postindex fistula/graft, the mortality in the fistula group was 28.2% versus 29.9% in the graft group ( P =0.03). A repeat fistula/graft creation was required in 26.9% of patients in the fistula group and 16.7% in the graft group ( P P =0.19). In the index fistula group, 44.4% of patients required a repeat fistula/graft creation and/or a tunneled catheter, compared with 33.7% in the graft group ( P P Conclusions Fistulas were associated with a somewhat lower mortality than grafts in the first 12 months after creation. However, the incidence of repeat fistula/graft creation and tunneled catheter placement is substantially higher in the first 12 months after fistula creation compared with grafts. One-year repeat fistula/graft/catheter-free survival is lower after fistula creation than grafts.
Head lice: scientific assessment of the nit sheath with clinical ramifications and therapeutic options.

Head lice, like many insects, produce a protective coating for their newly laid eggs that is essential to the survival of the species. Knowledge of the composition of the sheath, which is the glue by which the egg is attached to human hair, and the nit laying process could lead to production of agents that could be used to attack louse infestations by interfering with the normally protected environment of nymph development within the egg. The physical removal of nits has become an important part of treatment of head louse infestations given the "no-nit" policy in schools. Biochemical analysis has revealed that the nit sheath of the head louse is composed of 4 bands of protein, possibly cross-linked to aliphatic components with a tertiary structure of β sheeting. Nature has protected the louse by making the nit sheath similar in composition to the hair; thereby, agents designed to unravel the nit sheath may also damage human hair. Possible targets to destroy the nit sheath include proteases, denaturants, β sheet breaker proteins, and small protein inhibitors of sheath formation. Better understanding of insect glues may allow us to develop compounds so that the liquid secretions of the collateral glands of the female louse, which becomes the nit sheath, do not solidify by oxidation when placed with the louse egg onto human hair. Knowledge of insect behavior, such as oviposition, may also suggest methods for repelling female lice from laying eggs onto hair. Alternatively, agents that coat the nits and restrict the oxygen transfer to the developing larvae may prove beneficial.
Xenophobia and in-group solidarity in Iraq: A natural experiment on the impact of insecurity

Through a series of tragic events, contemporary Iraq has become an ideal place in which to test the thesis that severe insecurity leads to xenophobia. Building on a long research tradition to which political scientists, psychologists, and historians have contributed, Inglehart (1997) and Inglehart and Welzel (2005) argue that “existential security”—the feeling that survival can be taken for granted—is conducive to interpersonal trust, tolerance of foreigners and other out-groups, openness to social change, and a prodemocratic political culture. Conversely, they argue, existential insecurity is conducive to (1) xenophobia and (2) strong in-group solidarity. The fact that insecurity is linked with intolerance of out-groups has been demonstrated repeatedly in history, when demagogues have manipulated mass fears to build strong in-group feeling and rejection of out-groups.
Comparative Study of the Numeracy Education and Writing Across the Curriculum Movements: Ideas for Future Growth

The percentage of American institutions with a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program grew from 38% to 54% over the 20-year period from 1987 to 2008. Meanwhile the trajectory of the numeracy movement from publication of the popular book Innumeracy in 1988 to the appearance of Numeracy in 2008 was similar to the trajectory of the WAC movement from the publication of “Why Johnny Can’t Read” (1975) to the appearance of the first WAC journal in 1994. Review of the WAC literature shows that the growth of WAC occurred despite numerous challenges: the need for institutional buy-in; assessment; orthodoxy of English departments; the notion that writing is a pre-college skill; recognition of WAC scholarship; the workload of grading; student resistance; and difficulties of getting external funding. Similar challenges face the numeracy movement today. The WAC literature reveals four major contributors to its successful growth: (1) a paradigm shift in thinking about writing pedagogy (exemplified by WTL, “writing to learn” rather than just “learning to write”; WID, writing in the disciplines; a rethinking of first-year writing courses; and writing across the curriculum); (2) campus-level faculty and student support for writing; (3) professional networks and scholarship around WAC; and (4) framing WAC within institutional movements. How can the numeracy movement apply these “lessons learned” from WAC? I conclude with five suggestions: (1) document that numeracy education increases students’ critical thinking and decision-making skills; (2) compile electronic resources for faculty to integrate numeracy education into their disciplines; (3) expand our research methodologies and scholarly output so that numeracy education can be seen as its own field of study; (4) work with math departments and funding agencies to integrate numeracy more explicitly into high-volume, entry-level mathematics courses; and (5) support models of campus-wide programs that include a center for faculty and student support that is led by a numeracy education professional.
Impacts of Bt crops on non-target invertebrates and insecticide use patterns

The ubiquitous nature of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a Gram-positive bacterium capable of producing crystal proteins with insecticidal activity during sporulation, is now being mirrored in major crops plants that have been engineered through recombinant DNA to carry genes responsible for producing these crystal proteins and providing host plant resistance to major lepidopteran and coleopteran pests. In 2007, the 11th year of commercial production, Bt maize and Bt cotton were commercially produced on a total of 42 million hectares in 20 countries. Assessment of environmental safety has been and continues to be a key element of transgenic crop technology. This review focuses on two environmental elements, effects on non-target invertebrates and changes in insecticide use patterns since the adoption of Bt maize and cotton. Meta-analyses of the extant literature on invertebrate non-target effects reveals that the pattern and extent of impact varies in relation to taxonomy, ecological or anthropomorphic guild, route of exposure and the non-Bt control against which effects are gauged. Hazards identified in the laboratory may not always manifest in the field and the minor negative effects of Bt crops demonstrated in the field pale in comparison with alternative pest suppression measures based on insecticides. The efficacy of Bt maize and cotton against major pest species has been associated with an estimated 136.6million kg global reduction in insecticide active ingredient used between 1996 and 2006 (29.9% reduction). Benefits vary by country and region and are heavily weighted towards cotton production, which has historically been one of the largest users of insecticides in the world.
Sexual dimorphism in an animal model of Sjögren's syndrome: a potential role for Th17 cells

Sjogren's syndrome is a complex autoimmune disease with an array of diverse immunological, genetic and environmental etiologies, making identification of the precise autoimmune mechanism difficult to define. One of the most distinctive aspects of Sjogren's syndrome is the high sexual dimorphism with women affected 10-20 times more than men. It is nearly impossible to study the sexual dimorphic development of Sjogren's syndrome in human patients; therefore it is pertinent to develop an appropriate animal model which resembles human disease. The data indicated that female C57BL/6.NOD-Aec1Aec2 mice developed an earlier onset of sialadenitis with a higher composition of CD3(+) T cells and a 10-fold increase in glandular infiltration of Th17 cells at the onset of clinical disease compared to male mice. Inflammatory Th17 cells of female mice exhibited a stronger proliferation in response to disease-specific antigen than their male counterpart. At the clinical disease stage, altered autoantibody patterns can be detected in females whereas they are seldom observed in male C57BL/6.NOD-Aec1Aec2 mice. Interestingly, male C57BL/6.NOD-Aec1Aec2 mice developed an earlier loss of secretory function, despite the fact that female C57BL/6.NOD-Aec1Aec2 mice exhibited a more rapid secretory loss. This data indicates the strong sexual dimorphism in the SjS-susceptible C57BL/6.NOD-Aec1Aec2 animal model, making it an appropriate animal model to examine human disease.
Polyurethane-Acrylic Copolymer Pseudo Interpenetrating Polymer Networks

Previous investigations (1–6) have demonstrated that interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN’s) have exhibited better mechanical properties than those of their component networks. In addition, more complete phase mixing was observed for IPN’s than for blends of the corresponding linear polymers. These results were interpreted in terms of the permanent interlocking of the polymer chains of the composite structure. In this study, three different types of polymer blends, i.e., linear blends, pseudo-IPN’s and IPN’s, were prepared from a polyurethane and an acrylic copolymer. The polymers studied were similar to those used in an earlier study (7,8). However, the polyacrylate used in the present study cross-links by means of a free radical mechanism, while the polymer used previously was crosslinked with a melamine-formaldehyde resin via pendant hydroxyls. Therefore, in this study the possibility of grafting occurring between the component polymers is much less (i.e., reaction of the melamine with the hydroxyl-terminated chain extender for the polyurethane). The pseudo-IPN’s, made from a linear polymer and a crosslinked polymer, would theoretically result in temporary entanglements rather than permanent entanglements, which occur in the IPN’s.
A Separate Peace: Explaining War, Crime, Violence, and Security During and After the Surge in Iraq

In response to the 2006 peak in violence following the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, American politicians debated whether to Surge additional troops or partition the nation into sectarian enclaves. There is little social scientific work that locates the Iraq conflict and the results of these debates in relation to broader theoretical frameworks or nationally representative data that can illuminate how Iraqis experienced the violence that swept through their communities. The Surge and partition strategies drew from an ethnic war theory that postulated deeply entrenched and unchanging sectarian divisions, while we propose that an endogenous conflict theory better explains how the troop Surge that was ultimately implemented helped consolidate and perpetuate an unequal and unstable “separate peace” that preceded a renewal of violence. We analyze multi-level, nationally representative survey data collected in Iraq from the peak in violence in 2007 through the transitory peace of 2009. Sunni communities reported more unnecessary attacks on civilians by U.S./Coalition troops during the Surge, while Shia communities reported lower levels of war violence and higher levels of perceived security. In striking contrast with ethnic war theory expectations, the few Sunni living in predominately Shia communities in 2008-2009 perceived greater security than the far more numerous Sunni living in predominately Sunni communities. Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki gained support through 2009 from the few Sunni as well as growing numbers of Shia living in the increasing number of predominately Shia communities. It was the Shia who gained the most and felt most secure during and after the Surge of U.S. forces, while the Sunni who lived overwhelmingly in predominately Sunni communities benefited less and felt less secure. This unequal and unstable “separate peace” was the context in which violence returned to Iraq in 2013.
Use of a pharmacokinetic method for establishing doses of aminophylline to treat acute bronchospasm.

A pharmacokinetic method of establishing individualized doses of aminophylline in patients with acute bronchospasm was evaluated. Patients admitted to a hospital who required intravenous aminophylline for bronchodilation were studied. Blood samples were drawn before treatment for theophylline-content measurement. Loading doses were administered intravenously and half-lives and volumes of distribution were determined. Individualized constant-rate infusions based on pharmacokinetic data were then begun. Heart rate, nausea, vomiting, seizures, and serum theophylline content were monitored during the study. The mean age of the 55 patients in the study was 54.3 years (range: 7 to 87). Patients with congestive heart failure or liver disease numbered 32; 30 patients were smokers. At approximately 24 hours after the calculated constant-rate infusion was begun, 85% of the patients had therapeutic serum levels of theophylline; 11% of the patients had subtherapeutic levels and 4% had toxic levels. All measured concentrations were between 7.5 and 23.0 microgram/ml. The study method produced significantly more patients in the therapeutic range than would have occurred if previously reported standardized methods had been used (p less than 0.05). Most patients had a decreased heart rate after treatment. No other adverse effects occurred that were attributable to i.v. aminophylline. It is concluded that, for patients in acute bronchospasm, individualizing i.v. aminophylline doses with patient-specific pharmacokinetic data can increase significantly the number of patients who rapidly attain therapeutic serum theophylline levels.
Body composition predictors of skeletal integrity in obesity.

To determine body composition predictors of skeletal integrity in overweight/obese subjects using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We hypothesized that visceral adiposity would be negatively, and lean mass positively, associated with DXA measures of skeletal integrity in obesity. Our study was institutional review board (IRB)-approved and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant and written informed consent was obtained. We studied 82 overweight or obese, but otherwise healthy premenopausal women and men of similar age who were part of a clinical trial (mean age: 37 ± 10 years, mean BMI: 34 ± 7 kg/m2). All subjects underwent DXA of the spine and hip for assessment of bone mineral density (BMD), trabecular bone score (TBS), and hip structural analysis (HSA), and of the whole body for the assessment of body composition, including estimated visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Sixty-three subjects (77 %) had normal BMD and 19 subjects (23 %) had osteopenia. There were strong age-, sex-, and BMD-independent positive associations between lean mass and HSA parameters (r = 0.50 to r = 0.81, p < 0.0001), whereas there was no association with TBS. There were strong age-, sex- and BMD-independent inverse associations between total fat and VAT mass and TBS (r = −0.60 and r = −0.72, p < 0.0001 for both correlations), whereas there were no associations with HSA parameters. Lean mass is a positive predictor of hip geometry, whereas fat and VAT mass are negative predictors of trabecular microarchitecture in overweight/obese subjects.
Multiphoton Histology of Entire Intact Mouse Organs

We present multiphoton fluorescence microscopy and second harmonic imaging of entire intact, fixed and optically cleared mouse organs. We achieved imaging depths of several millimeters in mouse intestine, heart, lung, brain and other organs.
Relationship of coagulase-globulin to prothrombin.

SummaryA further dissociation between coagulase-globulin and prothrombin has been demonstrated by means of adsorption on CaF2 and by repeated filtrations through a Seitz filter. This indicates that coagulase-globulin is not identical with prothrombin.
Reciprocity and the “Real” Author: Willa Cather as S. S. McClure's Ghostwriter

ABSTRACTThis essay examines Willa Cather's role ghostwriting S. S. McClure's My Autobiography (1914). That Cather was the ghostwriter is not in dispute, but critics have questioned the degree to which her authorship conforms to ghostwriting conventions, as well as whether any clear signs of her voice can be detected in the final text. Making connections to autobiography theory and the development of ghostwriting in the history of authorship as a profession, “Reciprocity and the ‘Real’ Author” argues that the collaboration between Cather and McClure is best understood as one link in a chain of embedded exchanges. Since these exchanges involved both economic and symbolic capital, efforts to repay created additional layers of indebtedness. Further, these systems of exchange take form as narrative elements on the pages of McClure's autobiography.
Development and Usability Testing of an Online Tool for Intraoperative Assessment of Surgical Residents

Formal intraoperative assessments of surgical residents are often completed with pencil-and-paper forms, leading to a low rate of compliance with residency program guidelines. An online tool was developed for the evaluation of residents by attending physicians in the OR. Usability testing was conducted using two groups of users, one expert and the other naive, using a newly developed variant of rapid iterative testing methodology called DONE-RITE. The tool was developed and refined over a series of rapid iterations where user interface and domain-specific usability issues were addressed by the naive and expert user groups, respectively. The end result was the quick development of the online tool, which the expert users agreed was convenient to use in the OR and was likely to improve compliance with resident assessment guidelines.
Separation of Peptides on HALO 2-Micron Particles.

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) is of fundamental importance to the isolation and separation of peptides, proteins, and other biomolecules. Hence, there is a continuing high demand for the development of RP-HPLC stationary-phase materials with enhanced separation efficiency. HALO packing materials began the revolution in “core-shell” technology with the advantages of faster separations, higher resolution and peak capacity, high temperature stability, and rugged reliable performance compared to traditional HPLC and UHPLC. These materials are characterized by a solid core surrounded by a thin layer of porous material, and represent a technology for the future with continuing refinements. Such refinements are aided via the use of designed synthetic peptide standards during stationary-phase development. Concomitantly, such standards also enable the researcher to monitor RP-HPLC column performance and develop optimized separation protocols for peptides from a wide array of sources. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: reversed-phase HPLC; separation of peptides; solid core; core-shell; fused-core particles; 2.0 micron particles; trifluoroacetic acid (TFA); anionic ion-pairing reagent
Patient derived adenoid cystic carcinoma xenografts to examine personalized cancer treatment approaches.

e14080Background: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a relatively rare cancer that typically arises in salivary tissues of the head and neck for which there are currently no approved systemic agents...
Shapes of Curves in Higher Dimensions

So far in this text we have considered only planar curves. Although the shapes of planar curves are quite important, especially for recognizing objects in images, the shapes of curves in higher-dimensional spaces also have an important role to play.
Isoniazid Overdose: A Pediatric Simulation Case.

Introduction Unintentional toxic ingestions are a common occurrence in the pediatric population, and it is therefore important for resident physicians to learn to both recognize and effectively man...
Do Overgeneral Memories Make us feel better? An experimental examination

ABSTRACTA critical assumption of the CaR-FA-X model, that overgeneral memory is partly attributable to the “functional avoidance” of specific details about one’s past experiences, has not been experimentally tested. Further, while it is assumed that the reinforcing properties of said avoidance leads to the emergence of an overgeneral recall style over time, this question has not been addressed developmentally. To explore these issues, two studies were conducted. In Study 1, 41 children and adolescents (Mage = 12 years) were randomly assigned to recall overgeneral or specific negative memories on the Autobiographical Memory Test; participants later listened to their memories and provided pre- and post-tests of their emotional states at four time points: before and after memory generation and before and after memory exposure. In Study 2, 52 college-aged participants (Mage = 19 years) completed the same protocol. Results indicated that children and adolescents in the overgeneral condition reported higher lev...
Hacking with NPOs: Collaborative Analytics and Broker Roles in Civic Data Hackathons

Recently Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are adopting more and more data-driven approaches to their work, yet NPOs often lack appropriate tools and expertise in such data related works. To compensate, many NPOs are using a new form of collaboration, civic data hackathons, to leverage on external volunteers' data expertise. In this paper, we sought to understand how civic data hackathons could generate impactful data analytics for NPOs' data-driven work, and how to support collaborative data analytics during hackathons. We collected various types of data (observations, surveys, and interviews) from two civic data hackathons with 9 NPOs and over 300 data volunteers in a Midwestern city in the U.S. Our results describe the collaboration activities and the types of actionable collaborative analytics outputs generated from these activities. We also identify a unique social group (i.e., client teams), who help with preparing and coordinating the event, perform brokering activities to support the collaborative analytics through the civic data hackathons. This broker role is vital for the success of the collaboration between domain experts and data experts. Our findings contribute to the CSCW research on the collaborative work of interdisciplinary hackathons, and to a broader understanding of civic data collaborations.
Anesthetic Management of Pheochromocytoma Resection in Adults with Single Ventricle Physiology

Survival rates for patients with palliated congenital heart disease are increasing, and an increasing number of adults with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) might require surgical resection of pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma (PHEO-PGL). A recent study supports the idea that patients with a history of CCHD and current or historical cyanosis might be at increased risk for developing PHEO-PGL. We review the anesthetic management of two adults with single-ventricle physiology following Fontan palliation presenting for PHEO-PGL resection and review prior published case reports. We found the use of epidural analgesia to be safe and effective in the operative and postoperative management of our patients.
ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING

Abstract Online teaching and learning refers to education that takes place over the Internet. A significant number of colleges in the US and abroad are moving from the traditional face-to-face classes into fully online, web-based courses. Online education, often called distance education or web-based education, is currently the latest, most popular form of distance education. It has recently become an integral part of many university programs. This paper provides a brief introduction to online teaching and learning.
Cubic regularization in symmetric rank-1 quasi-Newton methods

Quasi-Newton methods based on the symmetric rank-one (SR1) update have been known to be fast and provide better approximations of the true Hessian than popular rank-two approaches, but these properties are guaranteed under certain conditions which frequently do not hold. Additionally, SR1 is plagued by the lack of guarantee of positive definiteness for the Hessian estimate. In this paper, we propose cubic regularization as a remedy to relax the conditions on the proofs of convergence for both speed and accuracy and to provide a positive definite approximation at each step. We show that the n-step convergence property for strictly convex quadratic programs is retained by the proposed approach. Extensive numerical results on unconstrained problems from the CUTEr test set are provided to demonstrate the computational efficiency and robustness of the approach.
Sub-Diffraction Imaging Using Fourier Ptychography and Structured Sparsity

We consider the problem of super-resolution for sub-diffraction imaging. We adapt conventional Fourier ptychographic approaches, for the case where the images to be acquired have an underlying structured sparsity. We propose some sub-sampling strategies which can be easily adapted to existing ptychographic setups. We then use a novel technique called CoPRAM with some modifications, to recover sparse (and block sparse) images from sub-sampled pty-chographic measurements. We demonstrate experimentally that this algorithm performs better than existing phase retrieval techniques, in terms of quality of reconstruction, using fewer number of samples.
Quantifying gas generation from slurries used in fabrication of Si-containing electrodes for lithium-ion cells

Abstract The high capacity of silicon motivates its use as anode material for Li-ion batteries. While such Si-based electrodes are typically processed from aqueous slurries, elemental silicon is highly susceptible to hydrolysis, yielding flammable hydrogen gas as a byproduct. This gassing can present numerous safety and quality concerns for scaling up of the production. In this study we describe a method to quantify the volume of gases generated using the Archimedes principle. We show that the gas volumes are affected by various factors, which include the characteristics of the electrode slurry and attributes (particle size, surface coatings) of the silicon powders. A catalytic effect on gas evolution is observed when a lithiated polycarboxylate binder is present in the solution. On the other hand, negligible gas generation is observed in electrode slurries containing the N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solvent, which could be considered as an alternative to the water-based processes presently under consideration. Our study can be used as a guide for the development of slurry mixtures that can mitigate the safety concerns associated with the silicon-electrode fabrication process.
Physical Activity as Treatment for Obesity

The last two decades has seen a dramatic increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among all segments of the US population, including children, adolescents, and adults (Ogden, Carroll, & Flegal, 2008). While these increases have been observed across the population, ethnic minority groups have been impacted differentially (Ogden et al., 2008). Given the increased prevalence of obesity, considerable attention has been focused on models of intervention for this challenging concern. This chapter focuses on the role of physical activity in the treatment of obesity, with an emphasis on interventions with pediatric samples. In particular, we provide an overview of pediatric obesity treatment approaches, discuss the potential mechanisms through which physical activity impacts outcome, present a review of interventions that include manipulation of physical activity, and conclude with recommendations for best practices and future research directions. While our focus is on the importance of physical activity for pediatric weight control, a number of concepts are illustrated through research conducted with adults. The reader is referred to several excellent reviews for consideration of physical activity as a component of weight control interventions for adults (Donnelly et al., 2009; Jakicic, 2006).
DB2 security features: label based access control and trusted contexts

Data security is a major concern for both the private and public sectors. DB2 provides various authentication and access control methods to manage access to sensitive data. The focus of this workshop is to explain how features such as Database Roles, LBAC and Trusted Context are employed.
O-Linked GlcNAc Biosynthesis and Function

O -GlcNAc is the post-translational modification of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins on Ser and Thr residues by N -acetylglucosamine. Much like its signaling counterpart phosphorylation, O -GlcNAc cycles dynamically in response to various stimuli regulating protein function, interactions, cytolocalization, and stability. The enzymes involved in the cycling of O -GlcNAc are O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), which adds the sugar from the donor substrate UDP-GlcNAc, and O -GlcNAcase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis. O -GlcNAc is an abundant post-translational modification, found on proteins from virtually every functional class found in cells. Because of the many processes that O -GlcNAc regulates, it is not surprising that misregulation of this post-translational modification is found in diseases such as type II diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
Intrinsic and Database-free Watermarking in ICs by Exploiting Process and Design Dependent Variability in Metal-Oxide-Metal Capacitances

Authentication of integrated circuits (IC) to verify their integrity has emerged as a critical need to address increasing concerns associated with counterfeit ICs in the supply chain. In this paper, novel SAR-ADC based intrinsic and database-free authentication scheme has been proposed. Proposed technique utilizes mismatch in back end of line (BEOL) capacitors used in charge-redistribution SAR ADC to generate authentication signature. BEOL metal-oxide-metal (MOM) capacitors form a reliable source of process variation information and are less sensitive to aging & temperature induced variations. Line edge roughness is the primary source of mismatch in BEOL capacitors and thus, capacitor mismatch variation has been analyzed in terms of LER and geometric parameters. Resource overhead incurred by the proposed modifications to the ADC architecture to incorporate authentication ability is minimal and existing on-chip calibration circuitry is used to extract signature. Proposed technique does not require sophisticated test setup, thereby, simplifying the authentication procedure.
Conceptualizing ecological restoration: a concise and adaptable framework for researchers and practitioners

Restoration ecology is challenged by taking the knowledge gained from individual projects and generalizing to broader hypotheses and theories. A simple conceptual framework that is easily adapted to many diverse situations has the ability to improve communication among restoration researchers and practitioners, to increase our ability to generalize among our often very diverse projects, and encourage a comprehensive view of the many factors that influence the outcome of an ecological restoration. We propose the restoration triangle as three sets of factors all scientists and practitioners should consider: the attributes and characteristics of the desired focal restoration species, the biotic characteristics of the restoration site, and the environmental conditions of the restoration site. This framework will help scientists and practitioners establish a common language and organizing principles to help move our discipline forward.
Towards understanding of lanthanide–transition metal bonding: investigations of the first Ce–Fe bonded complex

The syntheses, structural, and magnetic characterization of three new organometallic Ce complexes stabilized by PyCp22− (PyCp22− = [2,6-(CH2C5H3)2C5H3N]2−) are reported. Complex 1 provides the first example of a crystallographically characterized unsupported Ce–Fe bond in a molecular compound. Results from IR spectroscopy and computational analyses suggest weaker Fe → Ce electron-donation than in a previously reported Dy–Fe bonded species.