cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vivo and in vitro inhibition of JE gene expression by glucocorticoids.

Abstract Glucocorticoids are potent anti-inflammatory agents which affect cell growth and migration in a wide variety of systems and have profound effects on monocytes, decreasing their circulating number as well as inhibiting their accumulation at sites of inflammation and injury. Although the mechanisms by which glucocorticoids regulate gene induction have been established, the mechanisms by which they inhibit inflammation or cell growth and migration have yet to been determined. JE is one of the most abundant genes induced by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in vitro and is also induced in vivo in response to ischemia or injury. JE encodes a low molecular weight glycoprotein that functions in part as a monocyte chemotactic factor and thus may be important in recruiting monocytes to sites of tissue injury and/or inflammation. We report that glucocorticoids block the induction of JE mRNA by serum or PDGF in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells. The effect of glucocorticoids appears largely due to destabilization of JE mRNA and has specificity for JE, in that other "early" PDGF-inducible genes are not inhibited by glucocorticoids. The effect of glucocorticoids also occurs in vivo: methyl prednisolone blocks the constitutive expression and inhibits the ischemia-induced elevation of JE mRNA levels in rat kidneys. The inhibition of JE mRNA accumulation by glucocorticoids may be related to the anti-inflammatory effects of these agents and defines JE as a member of what may be a group of PDGF-inducible genes that are responsive to corticosteroids.
Brazil as an intermediate state and regional power: action, choice and responsibilities

Since the early years of the twentieth century, Brazil's major foreign policy aspiration has been to achieve international recognition based upon the belief that it should assume its ‘natural’ role as a ‘big country’ in world affairs. Although the bases for an autonomous foreign policy have become more restricted in the post-Cold War period, Brazil still seeks to preserve an independent voice within the international community and a certain level of independent capacity to determine its actions. In addition, the country has demonstrated a clear intention of wanting to expand the roles that it plays and the responsibilities that it assumes in regional politics, in Third World agendas and in multilateral institutions. As democracy deepens its roots within the country, Brazil has attempted to link an increasingly activist stance in world affairs with political support at home based upon a more active partisan involvement in foreign policy. In this context, the present government's fight against poverty and unequal income distribution at home and its assertive and activist foreign policy can be viewed as two sides of the same coin. In this article the authors provide an overview of the core features of Brazilian foreign policy, focusing upon four aspects: (i) the instrumental nature of Brazilian foreign policy and its close relationship with the country's economic and development objectives; (ii) the commitment of Brazil to multilateralism; (iii) the growing importance for Brazil of regional politics and security; and (iv) the recent evolution of Brazil's relations with the United States. The conclusion reviews the main challenges facing Brazil and the difficulty of matching increased ambition with concrete results.
Violence Against African Americans in Corporate America

Abstract Increasing numbers of African Americans are entering the corporate workplace and becoming vulnerable targets for insidious, devastating and punishing forms of abusive behavior exhibited at all levels in America's corporate structures. This article explores violence against African Americans who are attempting to climb the “crystal staircase” in these formal organizations. A model is proposed to assist black executives survive hostile environments in corporate America and in other settings.
Synthesis and properties of chemically coupled poly(thiophene)

We describe the synthesis and physical properties of poly(thiophene) with a molecular weight of approximately 4000 consisting of 46 – 47 thiophene rings (184 – 188 carbons along the backbone). The pristine polymer exhibits an ESR line similar to that of cis-(CH)x; the small number of unpaired spins is consistent with relatively high-quality material. The electrical conductivity can be increased by nearly ten orders of magnitude to values in excess of 10 Ω−1cm−1 upon partial oxidation by AsF5. The magnitude and temperature dependence of the thermopower of the doped polymer (24 mol%) are consistent with metallic behavior. The decrease in conductivity as the temperature is lowered and the magnitude of π at room temperature apparently result from the macroscopic transport being limited by interparticle contacts.
Effects of Coaxial Air on Nitrogen-Diluted Hydrogen Jet Diffusion Flame Length and NOx Emission

Abstract Turbulent nitrogen-diluted hydrogen jet diffusion flames with high velocity coaxial air flows are investigated for their NOx emission levels. This study is motivated by the DOE Turbine program’s goal of achieving 2 ppm NOx from gas turbine combustors running on diluted high-hydrogen fuels. In this study, effects of coaxial air velocity and momentum are varied while maintaining low overall equivalence ratios to eliminate the effects of combustion product recirculation on flame lengths, flame temperatures, and resulting NOx emission levels. The nature of flame length and NOx emission scaling relationships are found to vary, depending on whether the combined fuel and coaxial air jet is fuel-rich or fuel-lean. In the absence of differential diffusion effects, flame lengths agree well with predicted trends, and NOx emissions levels decrease with increasing coaxial air velocity, as expected. Normalizing the NOx emission index with a flame residence time reveals that a global flame strain based on the difference between the fuel and coaxial air velocities is not a viable scaling parameter, as has traditionally been used. A new scaling relationship that accounts for enhanced mixing via flame length reduction is found to provide an excellent collapse of the data with the correct Damkohler number scaling.
Realtime speckle sensing and suppression with project 1640 at Palomar

Palomar’s Project 1640 (P1640) is the first stellar coronagraph to regularly use active coronagraphic wavefront control (CWFC). For this it has a hierarchy of offset wavefront sensors (WFS), the most important of which is the higher-order WFS (called CAL), which tracks quasi-static modes between 2-35 cycles-per-aperture. The wavefront is measured in the coronagraph at 0.01 Hz rates, providing slope targets to the upstream Palm 3000 adaptive optics (AO) system. The CWFC handles all non-common path distortions up to the coronagraphic focal plane mask, but does not sense second order modes between the WFSs and the science integral field unit (IFU); these modes determine the system’s current limit. We have two CWFC operating modes: (1) P-mode, where we only control phases, generating double-sided darkholes by correcting to the largest controllable spatial frequencies, and (2) E-mode, where we can control amplitudes and phases, generating single-sided dark-holes in specified regions-of-interest. We describe the performance and limitations of both these modes, and discuss the improvements we are considering going forward.
Psychiatric Comorbidity Among Inpatient Substance Abusing Adolescents.

ABSTRACT We studied the association between type, severity and sequencing of psychopathology and these same dimensions of substance involvement among inpatient substance-abusing adolescents with comorbid psychiatric disorders. Adolescents (N = 140, 54% female; 15.9 years) meeting DSM-III-R criteria for a substance use disorder and at least one other Axis I psychiatric disorder were interviewed while inpatients in an adolescent psychiatric facility. Findings point to associations between externalizing disorders and a history of regular use of cigarettes, alcohol, and stimulants among comorbid adolescents. When sequencing of psychopathology was examined, different substance use patterns were observed. Severity of depressive disorders was associated with more substance withdrawal symptoms, externalizing symptomatology was related to more substance dependence symptoms, and ADHD severity was associated with more alcohol dependence symptoms. Findings may have important clinical implications such as the need to ...
An animal model for cell-mediated immune responses to dermatophytes

Abstract Guinea pigs infected with three species of dermatophytes were tested for cell-mediated immune responses, including delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity, lymphocyte transformation (LT), macrophage migration inhibition (MMI), and passive transfer of hypersensitivity. The patterns of reinfection disease were also analyzed as an index of altered host immunity. The fungi tested represented the three genera of dermatophytes ( Trichophyton , Microsporum , and Epidermophyton ), and included zoophilic and anthropophilic species. Microsporum vanbreuseghemii , the zoophilic species, produced the most virulent infection, and Epidermophyton floccosum , previously considered obligately anthropophilic, produced the mildest infection. The clinical stages of reinfection were condensed for all three species, and all infected animals manifested delayed-type cutaneous hypersensitivity to homologous antigen, which persisted up to 12 months. There was a significant MMI and LT by cells from infected animals exposed to homologous antigen. Cutaneous hypersensitivity was transferred by splenic, lymph node, and peritoneal exudate cells from infected donors. The severity of primary infection correlated with the duration and magnitude of reinfection symptoms, and with the persistence of hypersensitivity. These results indicate that there are systemic CMI responses to these fungi which usually do not invade beyond the keratinized layers of skin, hair, and nails.
Duration of exposure to high fluid shear stress is critical in shear-induced platelet activation-aggregation.

Platelet functions are increasingly measured under flow condi-tions to account for blood hydrodynamic effects.Typically, these studies involve exposing platelets to high shear stress for peri-ods significantly longer than would occur in vivo. In the current study, we demonstrate that the platelet response to high shear depends on the duration of shear exposure. In response to a 100 dyn/cm2 shear stress for periods less than 10-20 sec, platelets in PRP or washed platelets were aggregated, but min-imally activated as demonstrated by P-selectin expression and binding of the activation-dependent αIIbβ3 antibody PAC-1 to sheared platelets. Furthermore, platelet aggregation under such short pulses of high shear was subjected to rapid disaggrega-tion. The disaggregated platelets could be re-aggregated by ADP in a pattern similar to unsheared platelets. In comparison, platelets that are exposed to high shear for longer than 20 sec are activated and aggregated irreversibly. In contrast, platelet activation and aggregation were significantly greater in whole blood with significantly less disaggregation. The enhancement is likely via increased collision frequency of platelet-platelet inter-action and duration of platelet-platelet association due to high cell density. It may also be attributed to the ADP release from other cells such as red blood cells because increased platelet aggregation in whole blood was partially inhibited by ADP blockage. These studies demonstrate that platelets have a high-er threshold for shear stress than previously believed. In a pathologically relevant timeframe, high shear alone is likely to be insufficient in inducing platelet activation and aggregation, but acts synergistically with other stimuli.
Galilean satellite eclipse studies II. Jovian stratospheric and tropospheric aerosol content

Aerosol profiles of the Jovian stratosphere and troposphere are presented using the Galilean satellite eclipse technique. The aerosol content is tenuous and varies with altitude, increasing rapidly with downward passage through the tropopause. The data indicate the presence of some aerosols of undetermined structure above the tropopause. An extended haze distribution is proposed, but the possibility that the stratospheric aerosol resides in a thin layer is not excluded.
Effect of PGD2, PGE2 PGF2 alpha and PGI on blood pressure, heart rate and plasma catecholamine responses to spinal cord stimulation in the rat.

Abstract The following experiments were designed in order to examine the inter-relationships of various prostaglandins (PG's) and the adrenergic nervous system, in conjunction with blood pressure and heart rate responses, in vivo . Stimulation of the entire spinal cord (50v, 0.3–3 Hz, 1.0 msec) of the pithed rat increased blood pressure, heart rate and plasma epinephrine (EPI) and norepinephrine (NE) concentration (radioenzymatic-thin layer chromatographic assay). Infusion of PGE2(10–30 μg/kg. min, i.v.) suppressed blood pressure and heart rate responses to spinal cord stimulation while plasma EPI (but not NE) was augmented over levels found in control animals. PGI2 (0.03–3.0 μg/kg. min, i.v.) suppressed the blood pressure response to spinal cord stimulation without any effect on heart rate or the plasma catecholamine levels. PGE2 and PGF2α(10–30 μg/kg. min, i.v.) did not change the blood pressure, heart rate or plasma EPI and NE responses to the spinal cord stimulation although PGF2α disclosed an overall vasopressor effect during the pre-stimulation period. At the pre-stimulation period it was also observed that PGE2, PGF2α and PGI2, had a positive chronotropic effect on the heart rate, the cardiac accelerating effect of PGE2 was not abolished by propanolol. These in vivo studies suggest that in the rat, PGE2 and PGI2 modulate sympathetic responses, primarily by interaction with the post-synaptic elements — PGE2 on both blood vessels and the heart and PGI2 by acting principally on blood vessels.
Accountability and Entrepreneurial Public Management: The Case of the Orange County Investment Fund

This article presents a conceptual framework that illustrates four distinct types of accountability environments facing public managers. The framework is used as a heuristic tool to examine the broad facts and contexts surrounding the bankruptcy of the Orange County, California investment pool. The framework also suggests management philosophies and strategies that are appropriate for each type of accountability environment.
Coarse spatial scales constrain the range of binocular fusion on fine scales

To examine interactions among spatial scales in disparity processing, we have measured the upper disparity limit for binocular single vision (the diplopia threshold) for high-spatial-frequency test stimuli in the presence of cosine gratings of lower spatial frequency that defined a surface in depth. When the frequency of this grating surface was 2.0 octaves below that of the test, the test fusion range was reduced by a factor of 3–4 relative to the condition in which no grating surface was present. However, gratings 4.0 octaves below the test frequency had no effect, and the test and grating were seen transparently at different depths. Further experiments indicate that the effect is orientation specific and that high-frequency gratings do not affect low-frequency tests. Finally, experiments using grating surfaces tilted in depth indicate that fusion at high spatial frequencies is constrained to a range centered on the local disparity of the surface defined by the lower frequency. These results are important for computational models for stereopsis that are based on coarse-to-fine matching strategies.
Quantitative Synthesis of exo-Olefin-Terminated Polyisobutylene: Ether Quenching and Evaluation of Various Quenching Methods

Addition of excess dialkyl ether, e.g., diisopropyl ether (DIPE) or di-sec-butyl ether (DSBE), to a TiCl4-co-initiated, living carbocationic polymerization of isobutylene (IB) results in capping of the chain ends with oxonium cations, as evidenced by cessation of polymerization. Structure of PIB diisopropyl oxonium cations was determined using 500 MHz 1H NMR, by introducing DIPE to a mixture of TiCl4 and 2-chloro-2,4,4-trimethylpentane (TMPCl), a model for the PIB chain end, at −70 °C in CS2/CD2Cl2 (50/50, v/v). One-pot, two-step quantitative synthesis of mono- and telechelic (difunctional) exo-olefin-terminated polyisobutylene (PIB) was achieved by quenching living PIB with DIPE, followed by termination with methanol at −60 °C. TMPCl and 1,3-bis(1-chloro-1-methylethyl)-5-tert-butylbenzene (bDCC) were used as mono- and difunctional initiators, respectively. 1H NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize end-group composition of PIBs. Percent formation of exo olefin was directly related to the steric bulk of...
A Bayesian approach for analyzing a cluster-randomized trial with adjustment for risk misclassification

Bayesian hierarchical modelling techniques have some advantages over classic methods for the analysis of cluster-randomized trial. Bayesian approach is also becoming more popular to deal with measurement error and misclassification problems. We propose a Bayesian approach to analyze a cluster-randomized trial with adjusting for misclassification in a binary covariate in the random effect logistic model when a gold standard is not available. This Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach uses two imperfect measures of a dichotomous exposure under the assumptions of conditional independence and non-differential misclassification. Both simulated numerical example and real clinical example are given to illustrate the proposed approach. The Bayesian approach has great potential to be used in misclassification problem in generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) since it allow us to fit complex models and identify all the parameters. Our results suggest that Bayesian approach for analyzing cluster-randomized trial and adjusting for misclassification in GLMM is flexible and powerful.
Suggestions for a Standardized “Stress” Test

(1945). Suggestions for a Standardized “Stress” Test. The Journal of General Psychology: Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 3-11.
Excystation of Isospora suis Biester, 1934 of swine.

The in vitro excystation of sporozoites ofIsospora suis Biester 1934 is described. Sporocysts ofI. suis lack a Stieda body. Upon incubation in 0.75% sodium taurocholate or in 0.25% trypsin+0.75% sodium taurocholate excystation solutions, sporozoites were released by separation of the sporocyst wall into four plates. Occasionally, the sporocyst wall did not separate completely but opened partially and released the sporozoite. At the time of excystation, sporozoites were short and broad but became elongated after 5 to 10 min in the excystation fluids. Elongate sporozoites measuring 11.7×3.8 μm, had a pointed anterior end and a nucleus located in the posterior half of the cell. Living sporozoites exhibited gliding movements, side-to-side flexion, and probed with their anterior ends. Incubation in 5.25% sodium hypochlorite removed the oocyst walls from most oocysts. Sporozoites did not excyst from sporocysts that were released during treatment with sodium hypochlorite.
Effects of antibiotic physicochemical properties on their release kinetics from biodegradable polymer microparticles.

Purpose This study investigated the effects of the physicochemical properties of antibiotics on the morphology, loading efficiency, size, release kinetics, and antibiotic efficacy of loaded poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles (MPs) at different loading percentages.
All teach, all learn, all improve?: the role of interorganizational learning in quality improvement collaboratives.

Background Quality improvement collaboratives are an increasingly common strategy for implementing evidence-based practices in health care. However, research shows that many participating organizations do not achieve the level of performance improvement desired. Purpose This study examined the use of interorganizational learning activities (inter-OLAs) as an explanation for mixed performance improvement among collaborative participants. We tested the hypotheses that inter-OLA use is positively associated with participants' performance improvement and that this relationship is moderated by the use of intraorganizational learning activities (intra-OLAs) and quality-focused human resource (Q-HR) practices. Methodology We conducted a survey of organizational teams participating in 4 Institute for Healthcare Improvement Breakthrough Series collaboratives. Survey responses from 52 teams, regarding the use of inter-OLAs, intra-OLAs and Q-HR practices, were linked to performance improvement data obtained from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and demographic data obtained from secondary sources. Findings The more collaborative teams used inter-OLAs, the more their organizations' performance improved. Contrary to our hypothesis, the use of intra-OLAs did not moderate this relationship; teams' use of intra-OLAs added to, but did not multiply, the effect of inter-OLA use. In contrast, an organization's use of Q-HR practices multiplied the performance benefit of inter-OLA use. Practice implications Our findings suggest that organizations that participate in collaboratives are more likely to improve their performance if they use the inter-OLAs offered by the collaborative. Our results also suggest that complementing high use of inter-OLAs with intra-OLA use and Q-HR practices enhances performance improvement. For collaborative sponsors, our findings imply that including activities that facilitate interorganizational and intraorganizational learning are worthwhile.
A New Tantalum Dinitrogen Complex and a Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization Study of Its Reaction with Hydrogen

Reduction of Cp*(2)TaCl(2) with sodium amalgam in THF under a nitrogen atmosphere results in the formation of the novel complex (Cp*(2)TaCl)(2)(micro-N(2)). This dinuclear complex containing a micro-eta(1):eta(1) dinitrogen bridge has been characterized by NMR and X-ray crystallography. The complex possesses a C(2)-symmetric structure with each Ta bound to diastereotopic Cp* rings and chloride in addition to the micro-N(2) bridge. The Ta-N and N-N distances of 1.885(10) and 1.23(1) A, respectively, suggest modest reduction of the dinitrogen moiety. The two Cp* resonances on each Ta center remain inequivalent in solution, even up to 80 degrees C. Addition of hydrogen results in the formation of two isomers of the dihydride complex Cp*(2)TaH(2)Cl. Under parahydrogen, polarized resonances are observed for the unsymmetrical isomer with adjacent hydrides as the product of H(2) oxidative addition. The symmetric isomer of Cp*(2)TaH(2)Cl also forms, most likely by isomerization of the unsymmetrical kinetic isomer. The reactivity of (Cp*(2)TaCl)(2)(micro-N(2)) was compared to that of the related monomer, Cp*(2)TaCl(THF). The THF adduct yields the same hydrogen addition products, but the reaction is much more facile than for the nitrogen dimer, indicative of the structural integrity of the micro-N(2) complex.
Latent and active forms of collagenase in rat uterine explant cultures: regulation of conversion by progestational steroids.

Abstract A latent collagenase, activatable by trypsin, has been identified in the culture media of postpartum rat uterus explants. Progesterone at a concentration of 25 × 10 −6 m reduced the level of active collagenase by approximately 50%, whereas, total enzyme levels (active + latent) remained essentially constant during the first 3 days of culture. In addition, medroxyprogesterone acetate at a concentration of 1 × 10 −6 m reduced active enzyme by approximately 75% while only small decreases in total enzyme were observed. After the third day of culture, total enzyme levels were also significantly decreased. These data suggest that during the first 3 days in culture the progestins prevent the conversion of latent collagenase to its active form. A fraction capable of promoting the activation of explant collagenase was detected in the culture medium and was partially separated from the collagenase. Progesterone (25 × 10 −6 m ) or medroxyprogesterone acetate (1 × 10 −6 m ) caused a 50 or 71% decrease, respectively, in the levels of the activator.
Induction of suppressor macrophages by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in phorbol ester-sensitive (SENCAR) and resistant (B6C3F1) mice.

AbstractFollowing topical application of 8 μg 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) twice in one week, the ability of splenic macrophages (Mos) isolated from phorbol ester-sensitive (SENCAR) and resistant (B6C3F1) mice to suppress the phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis and NK activity mediated by spleen cells from naive animals was determined. In B6C3F1 mice, suppression of lectin-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis was mediated by MoS from TPA-dosed animals. Alternatively, in TPA-dosed SENCAR mice, induction of MoS suppressive to lectin responses was not apparent. In addition, suppressor MoS did not mediate the decreased splenic natural killer (NK) activity that is characteristically observed in TPA-dosed SENCAR mice. Therefore, it is proposed that the decreased PHA responsiveness and NK activity observed in vivo in TPA-dosed SENCAR mice may be the result of a decreased proportion of lectin-responding T cells and NK cells in the spleen as a result of proliferation of inflammatory...
Ocular Whipple's disease: earlier definitive diagnosis.

Abstract Purpose Whipple’s disease is a rare, chronic, and multiorgan bacterial disease that predominantly involves the gut and its lymphatic drainage in middle-aged Caucasian men but may involve the eye. It is often difficult to diagnose and treat. We report results of one more polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis-diagnosed ocular Whipple’s disease (OWD) case and the care of three new patients with ocular inflammation caused by OWD. Design Retrospective noncomparative case series. Participants Three patients. Methods Diagnostic PCR was performed on a vitreous sample, medical records of three patients with OWD were reviewed, and a literature review (1907 to present) located 74 OWD cases. Analysis of published OWD cases to seek out factors that contribute to earlier, definitive diagnosis and treatment of OWD is made. Main outcome measures Response of ocular inflammation and vision to treatment. Results One of 3 new and 4 of 74 published OWD cases reviewed were diagnosed with PCR on vitreous samples and subsequently successfully treated with antibiotics without devastating central nervous system (CNS) sequelae. Conclusion Diagnostic PCR on vitreous samples and recognition of key presenting symptoms in patients with OWD allows earlier definitive diagnosis, when the disease may be more amenable to antibiotic treatment, compared with “late” CNS Whipple’s disease in the cases reviewed.
Measurement of nutrient intake by deuterium dilution in premature infants

To assess whether a simple nonrestrictive method of determining nutrient intake could be applied to premature infants, we compared actual measured formula intake during a 7-day period with intake calculated from deuterium dilution in 13 hospitalized, growing, premature newborn infants. An oral dose of deuterium oxide (D 2 O) was administered, and urine samples were analyzed by deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry for D 2 O concentration. Using an exponential model, we calculated formula intake from the decline in D 2 O concentration during the 7-day study period. Intake as assessed by the deuterium model correlated well with actual intake ( r =0.93; p
Twelve steps in developing a schoolsite health education/promotion program for faculty and staff.

: A comprehensive school health program should not be limited to improving the health of children enrolled in school. Boards of education should consider protecting and improving the health of its employees. This article describes a 12-step approach to setting up a health education/promotion program for school employees.
Effects of operating conditions on the performance of a micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)

Abstract A parametric analysis is carried out to study the effects of the operating conditions on the performance and operation of a micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell. The computational fluid dynamics model incorporates mass, momentum, species and energy balances along with ionic and electronic charge transfers. Effects of temperature, fuel flow rate, fuel composition, anode pressure and cathode pressure on fuel cell performance are investigated. Polarization curves are compared to allow an understanding of the effects of different operating conditions on the performance of the fuel cell. Effects of anode flow rate on fuel cell efficiency and fuel utilization are also investigated. Moreover, influence of operating temperature on the internal electronic current leaks is outlined. Temperature distributions, current density profiles and hydrogen mole fraction profiles are also utilized to have a better understanding of the spatial effects of operating parameters. It is predicted that at 550 °C, for an output current demand of 0.53 A cm −2 , fuel cell needs to generate 0.65 A cm −2 ionic current density where the difference in these values is attributed to internal current leaks. On the other hand for temperatures lower than 500 °C, the effect of electronic leakage currents are not significant.
Modeling molecular communications at NANO-SCALE with applications in medicine and microbiology

Many biological processes that happen at the cellular level can be considered as information transfer, which is the area of telecommunications research. Examples: Gene delivery, targeted drug delivery, viral infections, cell metabolic processes, etc. Developing an accurate but simple simulation model can significantly speedup analysis of those processes and reduce expenses associated with laboratory experiments. It can also help in identifying bottlenecks in signaling pathways and facilitate studying cell responses to changes in underlying conditions (e.g. initial concentrations of proteins, changing reaction speeds, etc.). We propose to use a telecommunications modeling approach based on queuing theory and stochastic modeling to build simulation models tailored to particular biological/medical application. In the presentation, the fundamental aspects of the modelling as well as some of the developed models will be presented and results of simulations compared with the available experimental data.
Evaluation of color mulches and oil sprays for yield and for the control of silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii (Bellows and Perring) on tomatoes☆

Abstract Orange, yellow, and aluminum color mulches were compared to white (fall) or black (spring) for their effect on the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii (Bellows and Perring), and on the yields of staked, fresh market tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum, Mill, cv. Sunny. In addition, plants were sprayed weekly with a mineral oil emulsion or as needed with a soybean oil emulsion in treatments with orange and yellow mulches, respectively. Under high stress by the whitefly transmitted tomato mottle virus (TMOV), plants in September and October 1990 were taller with the aluminum, yellow and yellow + oil, than with the other mulch treatments (P
Prophylaxis for travelers’ diarrhea

Travelers’ diarrhea affects more than 10 million people per year and is usually contracted through the ingestion of microbially contaminated food or water. Although most cases resolve in 3 to 5 days, chronic conditions are associated with acute infections. Prevention encompasses avoidance of ingesting contaminated products and, in certain situations, taking prophylactic medications. The available prophylactic antibiotics are very effective in prevention, but are recommended only for specific at-risk individuals and are contraindicated for most travelers.
Supplier selection in dynamic competitive environments

Supplier selection is one of the most critical decisions in a supply chain. While good suppliers can contribute to the supply chain's overall performance, incorrect selection can drive the whole supply chain into disarray. In this paper, we focus on the problem of supplier selection in a manufacturing firm. We allow each supplier to compete with each other to be selected by the buyer for procurement. The competition is modelled in an auction framework as a bidding process where a supplier cannot observe immediate actions of other suppliers but has complete knowledge of their previous actions. We allow a supplier to use this knowledge in guessing other suppliers' future actions and bid accordingly. Our model enables repeated games, which can be assumed to be more flexible compared to most game theory applications in the supplier selection literature. Reinforcement learning and fictitious play are used in the auction framework to implement repeated games.
Factors affecting high resolution fixed-beam transmission electron microscopy

An experimental and theoretical characterization of a fixed-beam transmission electron microscope with a field emission gun has been made with regard to the factors of electron beam brightness, spatial and temporal coherence of the incident electrons, objective lens current fluctuation, mechanical stability, and specimen contamination. It has been found that mechanical stability and temporal coherence are the primary factors that prevent the contrast transfer function from extending to 2.0 A in our microscope. Different amorphous thin films have also been used in order to compare their suitability for testing the imaging capability of the microscope at atomic resolution.
Profound loss of intestinal Tregs in acutely SIV-infected neonatal macaques

Impairment of the intestinal mucosal immune system is an early feature of HIV-infected children. Most infected children exhibit clinical gastrointestinal symptoms at some stage of infection, and persistent diarrhea is a marker for rapid disease progression. It is known that Tregs are especially important in mediating intestinal immune homeostasis and that loss of this subset may result in intestinal inflammation and associated clinical signs. Large numbers of FoxP3 + T cells were found in all tissues in newborn macaques, which coexpressed high levels of CD25 and CD4, indicating that they were Tregs. Moreover, neonates had much greater percentages of Tregs in intestinal tissues compared with peripheral lymphoid tissues. After SIV infection, a significant loss of Tregs was detected in the intestine compared with agematched normal infants. Finally, SIV-infected FoxP3 + T cells were detected in tissues in neonates as early as 7 SIV dpi. These results demonstrate that Tregs constitute a significant fraction of CD4 + T cells in neonatal intestinal tissues and that an early, profound loss of Tregs occurs in acute SIV infection, which may contribute to the intestinal disorders associated with neonatal HIV infection. J. Leukoc. Biol. 97: 000–000; 2015.
Conservation science outside the comfort zone

Researchers like to work on projects that start small and slowly scale up. They must think bigger and faster, says Sandy J. Andelman, to tackle today's problems in time.
Self-administered cognitive screening for a study of successful aging among community-dwelling seniors: a preliminary study.

Background Cognitive functioning is a central component of successful aging. Yet, there are few published instruments for brief and reliable self-administered cognitive assessment that could be used in large population-based studies of community-dwelling elderly people. Objective We examined the utility of a self-administered cognitive screening instrument in a group of community-dwelling older adults, and we evaluated correlations of the performance on this measure with demographic variables and specific indicators of self-rated successful aging. Method We assessed 182 well-educated adults ages 58 to 99 with a modified version of a previously published cognitive screening instrument (Cognitive Assessment Screening Test—Revised; CAST-R), a measure of cognitive complaints (Cognitive Failures Questionnaire; CFQ), and a self-rating of successful aging. We used the SF-36 Physical and Mental Composite Scores as measures of physical and mental health-related functioning. Results As expected, most individuals performed well on the CAST-R; only 7% of participants fell below a previously established cut score for cognitive impairment. CAST–R scores were positively correlated with level of education, income, SF-36 Mental Composite Scores, and a self-rating of successful aging, and negatively correlated with chronological age. Scores on the CAST-R were not correlated with cognitive complaints (CFQ total score) or SF-36 Physical Composite Scores. Conclusions A self-administered cognitive screening tool may be a useful, albeit limited, way of screening for cognitive disabilities among well-educated, community-dwelling older adults. Although preliminary, significant associations with several successful aging-related variables in expected directions represent the first step in establishing the validity of the CAST-R. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effects of estrogen on various organs: therapeutic approach for sepsis, trauma, and reperfusion injury. Part 2: liver, intestine, spleen, and kidney

Several clinical studies show a gender dimorphism of immune and organ responsiveness in the susceptibility to and morbidity from shock, trauma, and sepsis. However, there are conflicting reports on the role of gender in outcomes. Animal studies of shock, trauma, and sepsis have confirmed that alterations in immune and organ functions are more markedly depressed in adult males and in ovariectomized and aged females. In this review, we discuss the effect of estrogen on liver, intestinal, splenic, and renal functions in an experimental model of sepsis, trauma, and reperfusion injury. To establish the role of gender in the outcome of these patients, more studies in clinical and experimental settings are required to determine whether gender-specific responses are global across the injuries or are observed in specific injury situations. Studies are also needed to delineate underlying mechanisms responsible for differences between males and females. The findings gained from the experimental studies will help in designing innovative therapeutic approaches for the treatment of sepsis, trauma, and reperfusion injury patients.
Determining the coping strategies of individuals with epilepsy.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the coping styles of patients with epilepsy are associated with certain demographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables. Methods A survey of 200 patients using several tests including the Brief-COPE was conducted. Results Nine subscales of the Brief-COPE achieved acceptable internal consistency and were employed in study analysis. Using principal component analysis, six subscales correlated well with one another, representing engagement-type coping strategies. The other three also correlated well, representing disengagement-type strategies. As a group, our patients favored engagement-type strategies. On univariate analysis, increased age, being African-American, receiving disability benefits, and work status were associated with the use of engagement-type strategies, while on multiple linear regression, only age and race were independently associated. Low BMQ-S scores, low income level, and not driving were associated with the use of disengagement-type strategies both on univariate and multivariate analyses. Conclusion Among patients with epilepsy, certain demographic and psychosocial variables are associated with particular coping styles.
A cad-gfpmut3 plasmid construct in Escherichia coli for gene induction-based quantification of lysine in acid hydrolysates of feedstuffs

Aims: To generate an inducible plasmid-borne cad-gfpmut3 transcriptional fusion and develop a method for quantification of total lysine. Methods and Results: The cad-gfpmut3 transcriptional fusion was constructed by cloning the cad promoter (Pcad) upstream of a promotorless gfpmut3 located on a high-copy plasmid. The construct was electroporated into Escherichia coli ZK126 and the transformed strain was subsequently used to quantify lysine in feed ingredients. Lysine standard curves based on gene induction of the bacterial cells were used for estimating acid hydrolysate lysine concentrations in four feed ingredients. Except for sorghum, no substantial differences were observed when the data for lysine in soybean (2·49 ± 0·37%), cottonseed (1·82 ± 0·15%), and meat and bone meal (2·31 ± 0·24%) generated by the newly developed construct were compared with previously published data. Conclusions: Using the cad-gfpmut3 fusion, feed derived lysine induction was measured easily and accurately, and could be a useful tool for the estimation of lysine in acid hydrolysates of feed ingredients. Significance and Impact of the Study: The described approach for lysine quantification in feed ingredients represents a cost- and time-efficient method offering rapid and accurate lysine quantification of multiple samples.
Local information guided autonomous exploration in sensor networks: Algorithms and experiments

This paper presents simple and effective technologies that support autonomous robotic exploration in wireless sensor networks where neither location information nor global network knowledge is known by the robot or sensors. Under our proposed approach, the sensor network is divided into convex partitions. In each partition, a small constant number of sensor nodes are identified as landmarks to establish a virtual coordinates system. Then, the robot employs a progressive refinement algorithm based on inaccurate virtual coordinates to discover the targets. Both the coordinates establishment and the robotic exploration are based on local information obtained in sensor networks. The algorithms are light-weight, with very limited computation and communication overhead introduced to the robot and sensors. The proposed approach is prototyped and experimentally evaluated by using an iRobot Create(R) Programmable robot and 36 Crossbow MICAz motes, providing useful empiric insights under realistic environments. Simulations are further carried out to study its performance in large scale networks.
Moraxella osloensis Gene Expression in the Slug Host Deroceras reticulatum

The bacterium Moraxella osloensis is a mutualistic symbiont of the slug-parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita. In nature, P. hermaphrodita vectors M. osloensis into the shell cavity of the slug host Deroceras reticulatum in which the bacteria multiply and kill the slug. As M. osloensis is the main killing agent, genes expressed by M. osloensis in the slug are likely to play important roles in virulence. Studies on pathogenic interactions between bacteria and lower order hosts are few, but such studies have the potential to shed light on the evolution of bacterial virulence. Therefore, we investigated such an interaction by determining gene expression of M. osloensis in its slug host D. reticulatum by selectively capturing transcribed sequences. Thirteen M. osloensis genes were identified to be up-regulated post infection in D. reticulatum. Compared to the in vitro expressed genes in the stationary phase, we found that genes of ubiquinone synthetase (ubiS) and acyl-coA synthetase (acs) were up-regulated in both D. reticulatum and stationary phase in vitro cultures, but the remaining 11 genes were exclusively expressed in D. reticulatum and are hence infection specific. Mutational analysis on genes of protein-disulfide isomerase (dsbC) and ubiS showed that the virulence of both mutants to slugs was markedly reduced and could be complemented. Further, compared to the growth rate of wild-type M. osloensis, the dsbC and ubiS mutants showed normal and reduced growth rate in vitro, respectively. We conclude that 11 out of the 13 up-regulated M. osloensis genes are infection specific. Distribution of these identified genes in various bacterial pathogens indicates that the virulence genes are conserved among different pathogen-host interactions. Mutagenesis, growth rate and virulence bioassays further confirmed that ubiS and dsbC genes play important roles in M. osloensis survival and virulence, respectively in D. reticulatum.
CASE ANALYSIS I

The Zatega Division case is a very interesting case which presents several very realistic problems that are indeed facing a number of different corporations today. There is a very large need to control effectively the logistics function. When the logistics function is not properly controlled many problems can and do arise and some of these problems are made effectively apparent in the Zatega Division case.
Multi-phase permittivity reconstruction in electrical capacitance tomography by level-set methods

In this article, the numerical methods of reconstructing the permittivity profile of multi-phase material flow from data collected in electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) are presented. Under the assumption that multi-phase permittivity distributions are piecewise-constant functions, we develop iterative reconstruction algorithms by level-set methods that provide estimates for the interfaces and permittivity values simultaneously. Our formulation is based on the minimization of a functional consisting of a least-squares data fitting term and a regularization term. The regularization is by weighted arc lengths of the interfaces with weights determined by the permittivity differences across the interfaces. From the Euler--Lagrange equations, interface evolution equations are set up based on a variational level-set method, and a linear system is derived to update the unknown permittivity values within the iteration process. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the reconstruc...
Development and pilot-testing of a feasible, reliable, and valid operative competency assessment tool for endoscopic sinus surgery.

BackgroundOtolaryngology residency programs are required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to evaluate residents’ operative competency. Many such tools based on the model ...
Coronary artery disease and opioid use

Over the past 20 years, we have observed a paucity of morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease among drug users in a methadone maintenance clinic. The present study investigated whether long-term exposure to opiates or opioids is associated with decreased severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) by comparing 98 decedents with methadone or opiates (M/O) in their blood at autopsy with 97 frequency-matched decedents without M/O. Severe CAD was found significantly less often in M/O-positive decedents (5 of 98) than in M/O-negative decedents (16 of 97). Multiple logistic regression analysis contrasting those with moderate or severe CAD to those with no or mild CAD yielded an odds ratio of 0.43 (95% confidence interval 0.20 to 0.94) for M/O positivity after adjustment for potential confounding. Long-term opiate exposure thus may mitigate CAD severity and its often fatal consequences.
Generation of space-filling uniform designs in unit hypercubes

Abstract In this paper a new discrepancy measure of uniformity for uniform designs (UDs) in a unit cube is presented. Alternative measures of uniformity based on distance criteria which can be applied to higher dimensions are also discussed. The good lattice point (glp) method was used to construct the uniform designs. Two approaches (generator equivalence and projection) of reducing the computational cost of the glp method are proposed and discussed. Two examples are presented in this paper.