cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract WMP41: Characterization of MicroRNAs and Their Target Proteins in Distal Axons of Cortical Neurons

Introduction: Axonal growth is essential for the establishment of a functional neuronal network. Molecular information of axon is limited. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate post-transcriptional gene expression. We hypothesized that axonal miRNAs are locally relevant to their target genes. Methods: Proteins and RNAs were extracted from distal axons of cortical neurons cultured in a microfluidic device. A mass spectrometer and miRNA arrays were used to measure proteins and miRNAs, respectively. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) bioinformatic tools were used to make in silico predictions of functionally relevant miRNA target genes. Results: Proteomic showed that distal axons contained 883 proteins. Bioinformatic analysis showed the presence of 94 proteins that regulate axonal growth. To identify relevant miRNAs to these 94 proteins, miRNAs with 8mer sites that exactly match target genes were considered, based on the fact that 8mer sites efficaciously affect miRNA-target interactions. Of the 94 genes, we found that there were 56 candidate genes that can be targeted by 62 miRNAs enriched in axons. Among them, we validated 13 proteins and 11 miRNAs, respectively, by means of Western blot and RT-PCR. To examine target genes, we treated axons with chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) that inhibit axonal growth and examined alterations of these proteins and miRNAs in the distal axons. We found that elevation of miR-203a, -133b, -29abc and -92ab were associated with reduced AKT, MTOR, PI3Kp85, DPYSL2, MAP1B, PPP2CA and DCX proteins, whereas decreased miR-15b, -26b, -34b, -376b, -128, -381 and -195 were accompanied by increased proteins of EZR, KIF5A, RTN4, GSK3B, and ROCK2. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that these miRNAs and proteins are highly related to the axonal growth network. These data suggest that miRNAs altered by CSPGs functionally target these genes for mediating the inhibitory effect of CSPGs on axonal growth. Conclusions: Our bioinformatic analyses of miRNAs and proteins in the distal axon identifies an interconnected group of miRNAs and their target genes that regulate axonal growth, which provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying axonal growth.
Targeted next-generation sequencing supports epidermoid metaplasia of the esophagus as a precursor to esophageal squamous neoplasia

Esophageal epidermoid metaplasia is a rare condition that involves the proximal-to-middle third of the esophagus. It is sharply demarcated and defined histologically by epithelial hyperplasia, a prominent granular cell layer, and superficial hyperorthokeratosis. In addition, preliminary studies have suggested an association between esophageal epidermoid metaplasia and esophageal squamous neoplasia (squamous dysplasia and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma). To further characterize esophageal epidermoid metaplasia and better define its relationship to squamous neoplasia of the esophagus, we performed targeted next-generation sequencing on uninvolved esophageal squamous mucosa and matching esophageal epidermoid metaplasia specimens from 18 patients. Further, we evaluated both synchronous and metachronous high-grade squamous dysplasia/esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by next-generation sequencing from 5 of the 18 (28%) patients, and compared these findings to corresponding esophageal epidermoid metaplasia specimens. Targeted next-generation sequencing revealed 12 of 18 (67%) esophageal epidermoid metaplasia specimens' harbored alterations in genes often associated with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The most frequently mutated genes consisted of TP53 (n=10), PIK3CA (n=2), EGFR (n=2), MYCN (n=1), HRAS (n=1), and the TERT promoter (n=1). Sequencing of synchronous and metachronous high-grade squamous dysplasia/esophageal squamous cell carcinoma identified shared genetic alterations with corresponding esophageal epidermoid metaplasia specimens that suggests a clonal relationship between these entities. In addition, the presence of a TP53 mutation in esophageal epidermoid metaplasia specimens correlated with concurrent or progression to high-grade squamous dysplasia/esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. No genetic alterations were detected in uninvolved esophageal squamous mucosa. On the basis of these findings, we conclude esophageal epidermoid metaplasia is a precursor to in situ and invasive esophageal squamous neoplasia. Further, the detection of TP53 mutations in esophageal epidermoid metaplasia specimens may serve as an early detection biomarker for high-grade squamous dysplasia/esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Fractal Electrodes as a Generic Interface for Stimulating Neurons.

The prospect of replacing damaged body parts with artificial implants is being transformed from science fiction to science fact through the increasing application of electronics to interface with human neurons in the limbs, the brain, and the retina. We propose bio-inspired electronics which adopt the fractal geometry of the neurons they interface with. Our focus is on retinal implants, although performance improvements will be generic to many neuronal types. The key component is a multifunctional electrode; light passes through this electrode into a photodiode which charges the electrode. Its electric field then stimulates the neurons. A fractal electrode might increase both light transmission and neuron proximity compared to conventional Euclidean electrodes. These advantages are negated if the fractal’s field is less effective at stimulating neurons. We present simulations demonstrating how an interplay of fractal properties generates enhanced stimulation; the electrode voltage necessary to stimulate all neighboring neurons is over 50% less for fractal than Euclidean electrodes. This smaller voltage can be achieved by a single diode compared to three diodes required for the Euclidean electrode’s higher voltage. This will allow patients, for the first time, to see with the visual acuity necessary for navigating rooms and streets.
Increasing Self-Efficacy Among Future Health Educators: An Exploratory Study Using Service Learning:

Background. Service learning is a pedagogical tool that involves students delivering a service, linked to course learning outcomes, to the community and measured through acquisition of knowledge, a...
Dielectric measurements on polypropylene nanocomposites filled with natural and synthetic nanoclay

The Effect of the type, size and level of organoclay nanoparticles on the dielectric properties of polypropylene nanocomposites is investigated at different temperatures. Two types of nanoclay, synthetic and natural, are added to polypropylene at different levels. The incorporation of nanoclay into polypropylene is shown to increase the dielectric losses. Unlike the unfilled polypropylene, both real and imaginary part of the permittivity increases at low frequencies with the increase in the clay level. Such a finding can be related to the effect of the interface between the nanoclays and the host PP matrix. The effect of compatibilizer added, i.e maleic anhydride, on the losses at very low frequencies is more recognizable at 80 °C. This could be due the conductive nature of the maleic anhydride at higher temperatures. Lower losses were measured for the polypropylene filled with 2 wt% synthetic nanoclay as compared to polypropylene filled with 2 wt% of natural nano clay. This finding can be attributed to the effect of the size (aspect ratio) of the platelets.
Seed Node Distribution for Influence Maximization in Multiple Online Social Networks

In this paper, we study the Seed Node Distribution (SND) problem for influence maximization in multiple online social networks-given a maximum number of seed-nodes, say h, that can be used to propagate influence, we need to determine the distribution of these seed nodes across multiple networks to maximize the influence in d hops. Most of the previous works focused on influence maximization in single networks, which is surely not enough in the present day scenario when users mostly maintain multiple accounts on different social networking sites. Taking this into account, our work has been defined on multiple online social networks. In this paper, we show that the objective function of SND problem is not sub-modular and that the simple greedy algorithm may fail to generate near-optimal solution to the problem. Hence we propose the Propagation Resistance Quotient (PRQ) which gives us an estimate of how much resistance information encounters to propagate through a network and develop a heuristic based on PRQ. We refine the solution by using a hill-climbing technique HCR. Finally we illustrate the effectiveness of PRQ heuristic and HCR on real data-sets of Foursquare, Twitter and three other co-author networks. Our algorithm provides solutions which are within 2% to 14% of OPT (optimal combination of number of seeds from the different networks) for the Foursquare-Twitter data-sets and 14% to 22% of OPT for the coauthor network data-sets. These solutions can be further improved to as low as 2% to 5% of the OPT with the use of HCR.
Mathematical modeling of climate change and malaria transmission dynamics: a historical review

Malaria, one of the greatest historical killers of mankind, continues to claim around half a million lives annually, with almost all deaths occurring in children under the age of five living in tropical Africa. The range of this disease is limited by climate to the warmer regions of the globe, and so anthropogenic global warming (and climate change more broadly) now threatens to alter the geographic area for potential malaria transmission, as both the Plasmodium malaria parasite and Anopheles mosquito vector have highly temperature-dependent lifecycles, while the aquatic immature Anopheles habitats are also strongly dependent upon rainfall and local hydrodynamics. A wide variety of process-based (or mechanistic) mathematical models have thus been proposed for the complex, highly nonlinear weather-driven Anopheles lifecycle and malaria transmission dynamics, but have reached somewhat disparate conclusions as to optimum temperatures for transmission, and the possible effect of increasing temperatures upon (potential) malaria distribution, with some projecting a large increase in the area at risk for malaria, but others predicting primarily a shift in the disease’s geographic range. More generally, both global and local environmental changes drove the initial emergence of P. falciparum as a major human pathogen in tropical Africa some 10,000 years ago, and the disease has a long and deep history through the present. It is the goal of this paper to review major aspects of malaria biology, methods for formalizing these into mathematical forms, uncertainties and controversies in proper modeling methodology, and to provide a timeline of some major modeling efforts from the classical works of Sir Ronald Ross and George Macdonald through recent climate-focused modeling studies. Finally, we attempt to place such mathematical work within a broader historical context for the “million-murdering Death” of malaria.
Neuronal nitric oxide synthase is expressed in the mouse lacrimal gland and neurons of pterygopalatine ganglion.

The mammalian lacrimal gland is densely innervated by parasympathetic and sympathetic nerves, as well as fibers that contain neuropeptides.1 The parasympathetic nerve fibers in the lacrimal gland arise from neurons in the pterygopalatine ganglion (PPG), a cranial parasympathetic ganglion that receives synaptic input from preganglionic parasympathetic neurons in the brainstem. PPG postganglionic axons innervate a variety of structures including the lacrimal gland, nasal and palatine mucosae, and cranial vasculature.2,3
Learning environments and communication: an introduction

Publisher Summary A simulation/game in which content and process are foremost is ME—THE SLOW LEARNER, by Don Thatcher and June Robinson. This has become a classic exercise and is extraordinarily effective in creating a truly memorable learning experience. The exercise aims to help people come to understand, both intellectually and viscerally, what it is like to have learning difficulties. The critical importance of the affective dimensions in the learning context, in particular the emotional blocks caused by some learning environments, is described in the chapter. Their simulation/game creates an environment in which participants can learn and communicate about learning difficulties and environments.
Social anxiety disorder: relevance and perspectives

Background. Epidemiological studies indicate that social anxiety disorder as one of the most common mental health disorders. However, many patients do not seek or receive help, despite the prevalence of social anxiety disorder, the large amount of information, the possibilities of psychotherapy and medical treatment. Aim. Generalization of actual knowledge and research on the aetiology and pathogenetic mechanisms of social phobias and coverage of the actual issues of low referral of people suffering from social phobia. Methods. For review, the following databases, such as ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, PubMed and Google Scholar, were used. The search was performed using the keywords: social anxiety disorder, sociophobia, social anxiety, cognitive-behavioral model, neurobiology, mental health. Results. The general information about social anxiety disorder, its prevalence and its consequences were covered. The main etiological mechanisms, modern views on the neurobiological and psychological basis of the disorder are considered. In addition, the peculiarities of the clinical picture and its influence on the social functioning of the individual, including the referral of help, were analyzed. The aspects that are useful to consider during the development of recommendations for specialists in general medical practice and centers of public mental health were suggested. Conclusions. A social anxiety disorder should be considered as a complex mental health disorder. Recognition of signs of social anxiety disorder in their component often leads to a false interpretation of clinical signs as manifestations of depression or other neurotic disorders among primary care professionals. Informing general practitioners and specialists of public mental health centers about the traits of the clinical picture and the social functioning of patients with this disorder can help to overcome the stigma and improve the referral of qualified assistance.
Phase diagram topology of the Haldane-Hubbard-Coulomb model

We study the phase diagram of the interacting spin-$1/2$ Haldane model with chiral phase $\ensuremath{\phi}=\ensuremath{\pi}/2$ at half-filling. Both on-site and long-range Coulomb repulsive interactions (Haldane-Hubbard-Coulomb model) are considered. The problem with on-site interaction $U$ alone was addressed in the past by a variety of approximate and finite-size methods that produced results in disagreement with each other both quantitatively and qualitatively. Here we employ the diagrammatic Monte Carlo technique to accurately locate phase transition points to the topologically nontrivial phases in the $(\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}},U)$ plane, where $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$ is the inversion symmetry breaking on-site energy, and establish that momentum dependence of self-energy cannot be neglected in the proper treatment. We also find that even modest long-range interactions, typically discarded in theoretical considerations, result in significant shifts of transition lines.
“What a Wonderful World”: Effective Instructional Strategies to Promote Engaged Learning with Maps in K–12 Classrooms

It is important that preservice educators have an awareness of geography, including city, county, state, and the broader globe. We live in a wonderful world that continues to grow seemingly smaller...
The Performance of Higher Frequency Microwave Ablation in the Presence of Perfusion

Objective: In this paper, we investigate the impact of perfusion on the performance of microwave ablation across a large frequency range. Methods: We designed multiple microwave ablation antennas to operate in liver tissue at discrete frequencies in the range 1.9–18 GHz. We performed electromagnetic simulations to calculate microwave power absorption patterns. Five-minute, 25 W ablation experiments were performed at each frequency in perfused and nonperfused ex vivo porcine livers, and thermal lesion dimensions were measured. Results: The volume of greatest microwave power absorption shrinks by two orders of magnitude as the frequency is increased from 1.9 to 18 GHz. Mean thermal lesion volumes are consistent across the frequency range for a given perfusion state and are about three times smaller under active perfusion. Typical thermal lesion diameters (perpendicular to the antenna axis) were 24 mm and 16 mm for nonperfused and perfused ablations, respectively. No significant differences in axial ratio were observed among different frequency groups in active-perfusion experiments. Conclusion: Higher-frequency microwave ablation produces thermal lesions with volumes comparable to those achieved at lower frequencies, even in strongly perfused environments. Significance: Higher-frequency microwave ablation is appealing because it allows for more flexibility in antenna design. A critical issue concerning the feasibility of higher frequency microwave ablation, considering its strong dependence on heat diffusion to grow thermal lesions, is its performance in strongly perfused environments. This paper shows that higher frequency microwave ablation achieves thermal lesions comparable to those from microwave ablation performed at conventional frequencies in both non- and strongly perfused environments.
“Why do you dine at Korean restaurants?” An ethnic food consumption model approach

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to examine how people choose an ethnic restaurant based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to uncover factors that influence consumer decision-making in ethnic food co...
Training the Mind for the Knowledge and Creative Work

Highlighting the importance of intellectual and mental work in contemporary organizations, this chapter goes over how the Bhagavad Gita analyzes the difficulties of focusing mind and suggests ways to gain control over it to do the knowledge and creative work. The author takes the usual behavior modification theories of stimulus-response-reinforcement (S-R-R) given by the psychologists, during the twentieth century, for controlling worker behavior for mechanical, repetitive, structured work and shows how it fails in controlling the mind of workers for assignments that go beyond the rudimentary. Then, he applies the mind theory of the Bhagavad Gita and modifies the S-R-R model incorporating the Bhagavad Gita’s concept of doing karma without any expectation of reward, describing how a knowledge worker could be motivated even when there was no reinforcement. He goes further in modifying the model by internalizing the motivation such that a knowledge worker will self-pick knowledge and innovation work to do rather than waiting for the supervisor to assign it. The final model emphasizes the Gita’s concept of kartavya (duty) and shows how knowledge workers could perform well on innovation and mental work without any direction, extrinsic control or supervision. This will focus employee’s mind on the innovation and creative work.
Improved outcome and selection bias in primary breast surgery for patients with metastatic breast cancer.

1098 Background: Retrospective studies showing improved survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who undergo surgical treatment of the primary tumor have been criticized for bias in...
Cultura digital versus autoridade pedagógica: tendências e desafios

The essay problematizes the crisis of pedagogical authority in times of digital culture.Digital hyperlinks require reciprocal and interdependent recognition to assertpedagogical authority as a condition of possibility for expression and technologicalreeducation, creating forms of cooperative freedom in the reflexive and pluralauthority of pedagogical sense. In this scenario, teachers need to understand andincorporate the new digital languages into the re-education of information, creatingformative and cooperative links, to assert the authority and interrelations ofknowledge in digital culture. The paths covered indicate the need for reconstructiveactions to access technologies and to recreate knowledge, mobilizing a process ofinterpretation about the disruptive impact of digital culture to recover pedagogicalauthority, since without authority, a critical education is not built.
The influence of nicotine metabolic rate on working memory over 6 hours of abstinence from nicotine

Abstract Background A faster rate of nicotine metabolism has been associated with smoking more cigarettes, greater nicotine withdrawal symptoms, and lower smoking quit rates. However, the association between nicotine metabolic rate (NMR) and cognitive functioning during withdrawal has not been determined. Methods We compared cognitive function in 121 fast or slow nicotine metabolizers after smoking, and at 3 and 6 h of nicotine abstinence. Cognitive functioning was assessed using N-back working memory tests with outcomes of accuracy and processing speed. Participants smoked two cigarettes and then abstained from smoking for 6 h. N-back tests were administered after smoking (0 h) and at 3 and 6 h of nicotine abstinence. Results An effect of processing speed was found over time on the 2-back, in that participants had significantly longer average reaction times when the stimuli presented did not match the target letter. NMR was not significantly associated with the processing speed change over time. Within-race differences in working memory were evident in that Caucasian fast metabolizers had significantly poorer accuracy and processing speed. Conclusions Minimal change in working memory over 6 h of nicotine abstinence was observed. Overall, NMR was not significantly associated with the change in processing speed, however Caucasian fast metabolizers displayed poorer accuracy and processing speed at discrete time points.
A Nonmonopoly Theory of Union Wages and Hours Worked

An extensive literature review considers the union voice effect on firmperformance. A theoretical model of labor demand under uncertainty is developed thathypothesizes a linkage between firm performance and the union voice effect. The modelgenerates a positive union effect on wages and hours worked without union monopolypower. The model provides a more detailed conceptual framework for explaining why theunion voice effect may improve efficiency within the firm than that currently found in theliterature (J30, J50).
Anomalies and Continuities: Positivism and Historicism on Inequality

The idea of a “new gilded age” depends on a model of history in which the tension between inequality and solidarity takes the form of a binary oscillation (often resting on a positivist social scientific form of reasoning), in turn creating the appearance of basic similarity between separate unequal periods. Under this view, however, it is difficult to make sense of the fundamentally different origins of inequality prevailing in 1890 and 2010. Instead, this article argues, historians ought to treat history cumulatively—that is, historically—finding the origins of inequality not in the previous unequal period, but in the previous solidaristic period, and tracing the connections between one period and another rather than viewing them as ideal-typical opposites.
Dynamic Sensor Subset Selection for Centralized Tracking of an IID Process

Motivated by the Internet-of-things and sensor networks for cyber-physical systems, the problem of dynamic sensor activation for the centralized tracking of an i.i.d. time-varying process is examined. The trade-off is between energy efficiency, which decreases with the number of active sensors, and fidelity, which increases with the number of active sensors. The problem of minimizing the time-averaged mean-squared error over infinite horizon is examined under the constraint of the mean number of active sensors. The proposed methods artfully combine Gibbs sampling and stochastic approximation for learning, in order to create a high performance, low-complexity , energy efficient tracking mechanisms with active sensor selection. Centralized tracking of i.i.d. process with known distribution as well as an unknown parametric distribution are considered. For an i.i.d. process with known distribution, convergence to the global optimal solution with high probability is proved. The main challenge of the i.i.d. case is that the process has a distribution parameterized by a known or unknown parameter which must be learned. One key theoretical result proves that the proposed algorithm for tracking an i.i.d. process with unknown parametric distribution converges to local optima, while requiring very limited computational resource. Numerical results show the efficacy of the proposed algorithms and also suggest that global optimality is in fact achieved in some cases.
Getting ready for the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 3rd, there were 90,663 reported cases and 3,124 deaths worldwide and 103 cases and 6 deaths in the United States.1 On May 27th, there are now 5,626,047 cases and 352,235 deaths worldwide and 1,685,955 cases and 99,264 deaths in the United States.2 In New York State which represents the epicenter of the United States outbreak, there are currently 363,836 cases and 23,564 deaths...
The genetic architecture of fitness drives population viability during rapid environmental change

The rapid global loss of biodiversity calls for improved predictions of how populations will evolve and respond demographically to ongoing environmental change. The heritability (h2) of selected traits has long been known to affect evolutionary and demographic responses to environmental change. However, effects of the genetic architecture underlying the h2 of a selected trait on population responses to selection are less well understood. We use deterministic models and stochastic simulations to show that the genetic architecture underlying h2 can dramatically affect population viability during environmental change. Polygenic trait architectures (many loci, each with a small phenotypic effect) conferred higher population viability than genetic architectures with the same initial h2 and large-effect loci under a wide range of scenarios. Population viability also depended strongly on the initial frequency of largeeffect beneficial alleles, with moderately low initial allele frequencies conferring higher viability than rare or already-frequent large-effect alleles. Greater population viability associated with polygenic architectures appears to be due to higher short term evolutionary potential compared to architectures with large-effect loci. These results suggest that integrating information on the trait genetic architecture into quantitiative genetic and population viability analysis will substantially improve our understanding and prediction of evolutionary and demographic responses following environmental change.
The Role of Botulinum Toxins in Wound Management and Scar Revision

Botulinum toxin A (BoTA) has proven a safe and effective treatment across a wide variety of medical and cosmetic applications. Recently, studies have explored the use of BoTA to optimize scar formation by reducing the dynamic tension under which traumatic and surgical wounds heal via chemodenervation of underlying muscles. This article reviews advances focusing on the use of BoTA in wound management and scar revision. Several prospective randomized controlled trials provide evidence that BoTA has a positive effect on wound healing and scar formation. This effect extends beyond its chemodenervative properties to include reducing pro-fibrotic factors and minimizing fibroblast growth and differentiation to better prevent pathological scarring. Botulinum toxin is a safe and efficacious adjunct to other interventions intended to optimize scar appearance in traumatic or surgical wounds. Questions remain regarding the optimal technique, timing, and dosing for BoTA administration for ideal wound healing.
Intraventricular brain mass causing obstructive hydrocephalus: A rare location of prostate cancer metastasis

Abstract Prostate cancer (PCa) metastasis to the brain is rare. When it does metastasize to the brain, it typically presents as a dural-based lesion. Generally, intraparenchymal metastasis indicates diffuse disease, which often carries a poor prognosis, and is typically discovered post-mortally. In the present case, we report a very rare occurrence of metastasis of PCa to the intraventricular space of the brain in a patient with a complex multimodal treatment history. With continued advances in cancer therapy, prolonged survival will result in more complex presentations of metastatic PCa to the brain, requiring unique management strategies.
Convexity in Action

In this chapter, we study the existence of solutions to various convex minimization problems that we have run into in Chapter 5, as well as the strong convexity of the objective functions involved.
Modeling and simulation of the non-equilibrium process for a continuous solid solution system in lithium-ion batteries

Abstract The capacity loss and cycling aging of lithium-ion batteries at high (dis)charging rate (C-rate) hinders the development of emerging technologies. To improve the performance of Li-ion batteries, it is important to understand the coupling effect of the mechanical behaviors and the electrochemical response of electrodes, as the capacity loss and cycling aging are related to the mechanics of electrodes during (dis)charging. Many studies have formulated the distribution of stress, strain and lithium-ion fraction of electrodes during lithiation/delithiation. However, few of them reported a self-consistent formulation that contains mechanical-diffusional-electrochemical coupling effects, solid viscosity, and diffusion-induced creep for an electrode with large deformation under non-equilibrium process. This paper considers the electrode of a Li-ion battery as a solid solution system. Based on continuum mechanics, non-equilibrium thermodynamics and variational theory, we develop a generalized theory to describe the variations of stress distribution, electrode material deformation and lithium-ion fractions of the solid solution system over a non-equilibrium process. The finite deformation, mass transfer, phase transformation, chemical reaction and electrical potential of the system are coupled with each other in a fully self-consistent formulation. We apply the developed theory to numerically simulate a Sn anode particle using the finite difference method. Our results compare the influences of different C-rates on the non-equilibrium process of the anode particle. Higher C-rate corresponds to stronger dissipation effects including faster plastic deformation, larger viscous stress, more polarization in the electrical potential, longer relaxation time and less electrical energy. With the formulation and simulation of the non-equilibrium process, this study refines our understanding of the mechanical-diffusional-electrochemical coupling effect in Li-ion batteries with high C-rate.
Microglia Elimination Increases Neural Circuit Connectivity and Activity in Adult Mouse Cortex

Microglia have crucial roles in sculpting synapses and maintaining neural circuits during development. To test the hypothesis that microglia continue to regulate neural circuit connectivity in adult brain, we have investigated the effects of chronic microglial depletion, via CSF1R inhibition, on synaptic connectivity in the visual cortex in adult mice of both sexes. We find that the absence of microglia dramatically increases both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections to excitatory cortical neurons assessed with functional circuit mapping experiments in acutely prepared adult brain slices. Microglia depletion leads to increased densities and intensities of perineuronal nets. Furthermore, in vivo calcium imaging across large populations of visual cortical neurons reveals enhanced neural activities of both excitatory neurons and parvalbumin-expressing interneurons in the visual cortex following microglia depletion. These changes recover following adult microglia repopulation. In summary, our new results demonstrate a prominent role of microglia in sculpting neuronal circuit connectivity and regulating subsequent functional activity in adult cortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Microglia are the primary immune cell of the brain, but recent evidence supports that microglia play an important role in synaptic sculpting during development. However, it remains unknown whether and how microglia regulate synaptic connectivity in adult brain. Our present work shows chronic microglia depletion in adult visual cortex induces robust increases in perineuronal nets, and enhances local excitatory and inhibitory circuit connectivity to excitatory neurons. Microglia depletion increases in vivo neural activities of both excitatory neurons and parvalbumin inhibitory neurons. Our new results reveal new potential avenues to modulate adult neural plasticity by microglia manipulation to better treat brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease.
Mouse model of experimental pulmonary hypertension: Lung angiogram and right heart catheterization.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a progressive and fatal disease and rodents with experimental pulmonary hypertension (PH) are often used to study pathogenic mechanisms, identify therapeutic targets, and develop novel drugs for treatment. Here we describe a hands-on set of experimental approaches including ex vivo lung angiography and histology and in vivo right heart catheterization (RHC) to phenotypically characterize pulmonary hemodynamics and lung vascular structure in normal mice and mice with experimental PH. We utilized Microfil polymer as contrast in our ex vivo lung angiogram to quantitatively examine pulmonary vascular remodeling in mice with experimental PH, and lung histology to estimate pulmonary artery wall thickness. The peripheral lung vascular images were selected to determine the total length of lung vascular branches, the number of branches and the number of junctions in a given area (mm-2). We found that the three parameters determined by angiogram were not significantly different among the apical, middle, and basal regions of the mouse lung from normal mice, and were not influenced by gender (no significant difference between female and male mice). We conducted RHC in mice to measure right ventricular systolic pressure, a surrogate measure for pulmonary artery systolic pressure and right ventricle (RV) contractility (RV ± dP/dtmax) to estimate RV function. RHC, a short time (4-6 min) procedure, did not alter the lung angiography measurements. In summary, utilizing ex vivo angiogram to determine peripheral vascular structure and density in the mouse lung and utilizing in vivo RHC to measure pulmonary hemodynamics are reliable readouts to phenotype normal mice and mice with experimental PH. Lung angiogram and RHC are also reliable approaches to examine pharmacological effects of new drugs on pulmonary vascular remodeling and hemodynamics.
Statistical Tail-Latency Bounded QoS Provisioning for Parallel and Distributed Data Centers

The large-scale interactive services distribute clients' requests across a large number of physical machine in data center architectures to enhance the quality-of-service (QoS) performance. In parallel and distributed data center architecture, even a temporary spike in latency of any service component can significantly impact the end-to-end delay. Besides the average latency, tail-latency (i.e., worst case latency) of a service has also attracted a lot of research attentions. The tail-latency is a critical performance metric in data centers, where long tail latencies refer to the higher percentiles (such as 98th, 99th) of latency in comparison to the average latency time. While the statistical delay-bounded QoS provisioning theory has been shown to be a powerful technique and useful performance metric for supporting time-sensitive multimedia transmissions over mobile computing networks, how to efficiently extend and implement this technique/performance-metric for statistically bounding the tail-latency for data center networks has neither been well understood nor thoroughly studied. In this paper, we model and characterize the tail-latency distribution in a three-layer parallel and distributed data center architecture, where clients request different types of services and ten download their requested data packets from data center through a first-come-first-serve M/M/1 queueing system. We first define the statistical tail-latency bounded QoS, and investigate the tail-latency problem through generalized extreme value (GEV) theory and generalized Pareto distribution (GPD) theory. Then, we propose a scheme to identify the dominant sources of latency variance in a semantic context, so that we are able to optimize the instructions of those sources to reduce the latency tail. Finally, using numerical analyses we validate and evaluate our developed modeling techniques and schemes for characterizing the tail-latency QoS provisioning theories in supporting data center networks.
A Bayesian Ensemble Classifier for Source Code Authorship Attribution

Authorship attribution of source code is the task of deciding who wrote software, given its source code, when the author of the software is not explicitly known. There are numerous scenarios in which it is necessary to identify the author of a piece of software whose author is unknown, including software forensics investigations, plagiarism detection, and questions of software ownership. A number of methods for authorship attribution of source code have been presented in the past, including two state-of-the-art methods: SCAP and Burrows. Each of these two state-of-the-art methods was individually improved, and – as presented in this paper – an ensemble method was developed from them based on the Bayes optimal classifier. An empirical study was performed using a data set consisting of 7,231 open-source and textbook programs written in C++ and Java by thirty unique authors. The ensemble method successfully attributed 98.2% of all documents in the data set, compared to 88.9% by the Burrows baseline method and 91.0% by the SCAP baseline method.
PROSIM — Prozeß-Simulator für speicherprogrammierbare Steuerungen

Eine effektive Schulung der anwendungsorientierten Programmierung von Speicherprogrammierbaren Steuerungen — SPS — last sich nur an realitatsnahen Prozesmodellen durchfuhren. Im Labor fur Automatisierungstechnik der Fachhochschule Augsburg wurden bisher, genau so wie in anderen Ausbildungsstatten, die ublichen Hardware-Modelle zur Nachbildung von Steuerungsprozessen fur Demonstrationen und praktische Ubungen verwendet. Leider bieten derartige Modelle wenig Flexibilitat, sie sind nicht sonderlich betriebssicher oder wartungsfrei und zudem selbst fur einfache Prozesablaufe recht kostspielig. Daher lag der Gedanke nahe, ein Programm zur Simulation von Prozesablaufen auf Personal Computern zu entwickeln mit der Masgabe, den Prozes auf dem Bildschirm moglichst wirklichkeitsnah danustellen und durch die angeschlossene SPS von “ausen” zu steuern.
Idiopathic Orbital Inflammation

Idiopathic orbital inflammation is an inflammatory process of the orbit and ocular adnexa without local or systemic etiology. It is the second or third most common orbital tumor. Idiopathic orbital inflammation can affect any race, age, and sex, with peak incidence at middle ages. It is usually a unilateral disease with almost equal involvement of the right and left orbits. Patients most commonly complain of pain (58–69 %) and diplopia (31–38 %) and present with periorbital swelling (75–79 %), proptosis (32–63 %), restriction in extraocular motility (54 %), and conjunctival hyperemia (48 %). It is classified as acute, subacute, and chronic based on the onset and duration of symptoms; dacryoadenitis, myositis, scleritis, perineuritis, and Tolosa-Hunt syndrome based on the involved tissue; and lymphocytic, granulomatous, sclerosing, and vasculitic inflammation based on pathologic features. Cytokines important in the induction of Th1 pathway are found to be increased in idiopathic orbital inflammation. This suggests the role of Th1 pathway in the pathogenesis. Toll-like receptors 2 are markedly expressed, supporting the role of innate immune system. The diagnosis is usually based on clinical and radiologic findings; however, biopsy is required to confirm the diagnosis. On computed tomography, it shows diffuse homogenous involvement of the orbital tissue. Histopathologic examination shows infiltrate of inflammatory cells of well-differentiated mature lymphocytes, admixed with plasma cells, neutrophils, and eosinophils. The management includes observation in asymptomatic patients and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents in selected cases. Corticosteroids are the main treatment option with rapid and dramatic response. Immunosuppressive agents are used for patients who are unresponsive to corticosteroid or have a chronic, progressive course and require long-term treatment.
Modulatory Influences on the Hippocampus and Entorhinal Cortex

The functional regulation of cortical circuits depends on neuromodulators such as acetylcholine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine to alter the information processing mediated by fast transmitters such as glutamate and GABA. The primary mechanisms shared by the neuromodulators include altering the dynamics of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, altering synaptic modification properties, and changing the resting membrane potential. Aside from synaptic modulation, the same neuromodulators can also affect spike frequency with prominent examples including pyramidal cell spike frequency adaptation. Though the cellular effects of neuromodulators may be similar, a diversity of upstream systems regulates the influence of competing neuromodulators both in the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of release. The diversity of neuromodulator receptor subtypes also influences the nature of the cellular effects of neuromodulation. The purpose of this chapter is not to differentiate between competing neuromodulatory systems, but to survey evidence for how different neuromodulators affect change in information transmission in the hippocampal system. This chapter also highlights physiological examples of acetylcholine effects in active research areas of entorhinal persistent spiking, subthreshold properties of stellate cells, and theta modulation of hippocampal and entorhinal networks.
Set-Top Boxes

The sections in this article are 1 Basic Functionality 2 Embedded Systems: The Move Toward Software 3 The Network 4 Interactive Television 5 STB Architecture 6 STB Software 7 The Future of STBs
Pain: Mechanisms and Measurement

1 Definition of Pain 2 The Conceptualization of Pain has Evolved 3 Transient Pain 4 Acute Pain 5 Pain as a Recuperative Healing Mechanism 6 Long-Term or Chronic Pain 7 Pathways Contributing to the Transmission and Modulation of Pain 8 Pain Measurement in Humans 9 Pain Measurement in Animals 10 Pharmacological Management of Pain 11 Nonpharmacological Management of Pain 12 Summary Keywords: evolution of pain; dimensions of pain; acute pain; inflammatory pain; neuropathic pain; pain transmission; pain modulation; perception of pain; animal models; clinical pain; nociception; pain management; pain measurement; pharmacotherapy; cancer pain; visceral pain; post-operative pain; Visual Analogue Scale; McGill Pain Questionnaire
Interhospital Transfer Center Model: Components, Themes, and Design Elements

Abstract Objective Timely access to advanced and specialist treatment often requires rapid interhospital transfer of patients from community hospitals to tertiary care centers. Transfer systems are variable in structure and process and are described in the literature as being fragmented, complex, and difficult to navigate. Methods Nonparticipant observation at 10 tertiary care transfer systems. Results Identified core components (ie, primary transfer system answering point, bed management coordination, and transport team dispatch) are essential elements of an interhospital tertiary care transfer center. Conclusion The Interhospital Transfer Center Model provides a useful framework to guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of interhospital transfer systems.
Diverse behavioural defects caused by mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans unc-43 CaM Kinase II

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine kinase type II (CaMKII) is one of the most abundant proteins in the mammalian brain, where it is thought to regulate synaptic plasticity and other processes. Activation of the multisubunit kinase by calcium is effectively cooperative and can persist long after transient calcium rises. Despite extensive biochemical characterization of CaMKII and identification of numerous in vitro kinase targets, little is known about its function in vivo. Here we report that unc-43 encodes the only Caenorhabditis elegans CaMKII. A gain-of-function unc-43 mutation reduces locomotory activity, alters excitation of three muscle types and lengthens the period of the motor output of a behavioural clock. Null unc-43 mutations cause phenotypes generally opposite to those of the gain-of-function mutation. Mutations in the unc-103 potassium channel gene suppress a gain-of-function phenotype of unc-43 in one tissue without affecting other tissues; thus, UNC-103 may be a tissue-specific target of CaMKII in vivo.
A Self-Contained Architecture for Energy Recovery in Hydraulic Elevators

This paper presents a novel energy storage and recovery architecture for speed-controlled hydraulic actuation in hydraulic elevators. The study is motivated by a need to increase efficiency in the fluid power industry, in general, and hydraulic elevators, in particular. In contrast to previously employed systems, the proposed architecture eliminates the need for throttling and inefficient energy conversions in electric motor/generators. The system has 6 main components: 1 actuator, 1 hydraulic transformer composed of 2 pump/motors, 2 accumulators, a reservoir or small auxiliary accumulator, and a small auxiliary electric motor to recharge accumulators. By operating in 3 different modes, the system is always able to recapture energy when decreasing actuation speed, and return energy if needed when increasing actuation speed. Assessment of the proposed architecture is accomplished through high-fidelity simulations and a simplified analytical model. The analytical model is derived with the pump/motor displacements as a single input. A heuristic rule-based control is developed to control the high-fidelity simulation through an operation cycle and a comparison to a counterweighted elevator simulation is done to validate energy advantages of the novel system. Preliminary results demonstrate the ability of the system to follow a velocity profile using a single input. Comparison with a conventional counterweighted hydraulic elevator shows a large increase in energy efficiency. It is believed the architecture may have additional applicability to a wide range of hydraulic machines, such as heavy equipment used in construction, manufacturing, forestry, etc.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Dealing with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Help for Patients and Caregivers

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a unique entity in the spectrum of syndromes of cognitive loss. Many patients referred for evaluation of memory loss come with an assumption that they already have dementia. When patients are diagnosed with MCI, they and their caregivers have to deal with the challenge of uncertainties. Patient and family education must stress the uncertainty of whether the deficits will progress. This article aims to guide the clinician who has reached a diagnosis of MCI and is working with the patient and family on coping with the uncertainties of MCI.