cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lysosome Biogenesis and Dynamics

Lysosomes are membrane-bound organelles that serve as the site for delivery of molecules destined for degradation. These molecules, along with lysosomal hydrolases, are delivered to lysosomes by a series of heterotypic vesicle fusion events. Lysosomes are also capable of homotypic fusion and yet cells are able to maintain a relatively constant size and number of lysosomes. To maintain lysosome size and number, highly regulated sorting and vesicle fission events must occur. The specificity of these processes is determined largely by targeting molecules that traffic vesicles to and away from lysosomes. Misregulated trafficking can result in alterations in the “normal” number and size of lysosomes within a cell. Such critical changes in lysosomes are often associated with human disease. The identification and characterization of the molecules involved in lysosome biogenesis and maintenance continues to advance our understanding of intracellular trafficking and endocytosis, as well as other basic cell biological processes.
Current and historical hybridization with differential introgression among three species of cyprinid fishes (genus Cyprinella )

Hybridization is common among freshwater fishes, particular among the Cyprinidae. We used two mitochondrial genes and one nuclear gene to characterize hybridization among two species pairs of Cyprinella in southwestern North America. Genalogical patterns revealed that C. lutrensis and C. venusta are currently hybridizing in several localities producing apparent F1, F2 and backcross generations, yet there was no evidence for introgression outside of local hybrid zones. Alternatively, mitochondrial haplotypes from C. lutrensis appear to have introgressed into a C. lepida population in the Nueces River completely replacing the native C. lepida haplotype. There was no evidence of introgression of nuclear DNA and there does not appear to be ongoing hybridization. The population of C. lepida from the nearby Frio River exhibits no evidence of hybridization with C. lutrensis. Thus, contact between C. lutrensis and C. venusta results in the formation of localized hybrid swarms, while contact between C. lutrensis and C. lepida has resulted in complete mitochondrial introgression in the Nueces River or no apparent hybridization in the Frio River. The three different outcomes of contact between these species illustrate the variable nature of interspecific reproductive interactions and provide an excellent system in which to better understand the factors influencing hybridization among freshwater fishes.
Detecting Trihalomethanes Using Nanoporous-Carbon Coated Surface-Acoustic-Wave Sensors

We study nanoporous-carbon (NPC) grown via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) as a sorbent coating on 96.5-MHz surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) devices to detect trihalomethanes (THMs), regulated byproducts from the chemical treatment of drinking water. Using both insertion-loss and isothermal-response measurements from known quantities of chloroform, the highest vapor pressure THM, we optimize the NPC mass-density at 1.05 ± 0.08 g/cm3 by controlling the background argon pressure during PLD. Precise THM quantities in a chlorobenzene solvent are directly injected into a separation column and detected as the phase-angle shift of the SAW device output compared to the drive signal. Using optimized NPC-coated SAWs, we study the chloroform response as a function of operating temperatures ranging from 10–50°C. Finally, we demonstrate individual responses from complex mixtures of all four THMs, with masses ranging from 10–2000 ng, after gas chromatography separation. As a result, estimates for each THM detection limit using a simple peak-height response evaluation are 4.4 ng for chloroform and 1 ng for bromoform; using an integrated-peak area response analysis improves the detection limits to 0.73 ng for chloroform and 0.003 ng bromoform.
Outlier sums for differential gene expression analysis

We propose a method for detecting genes that, in a disease group, exhibit unusually high gene expression in some but not all samples. This can be particularly useful in cancer studies, where mutations that can amplify or turn off gene expression often occur in only a minority of samples. In real and simulated examples, the new method often exhibits lower false discovery rates than simple t-statistic thresholding. We also compare our approach to the recent cancer profile outlier analysis proposal of Tomlins and others (2005).
The Effect of Moisture on the Performance of Asphalt Mixtures

This paper presents the results of a laboratory study to investigate the effects of mixing moisture on mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures. The potential benefits of lime and Pavebond Special were also evaluated. The repeated load diametral test device was used to measure the mixture performance in terms of the resilient modulus, fatigue, and permanent deformation characteristics of laboratory specimens prepared with and without moisture (0, 1, and 3%) and with and without lime (1%) and Pavebond (0.5%). Mixtures were prepared that were representative of two projects for which considerable field data were available. One project utilized low quality and high absorptive aggregate and the other good quality aggregate. To evaluate the long-term durability of mixtures, they were tested before and after conditioning using the Lottman approach. The test results showed that inferior performance occurred for mixtures with 3% moisture but was most pronounced in mixtures with higher air-void contents. However, the mixtures with low quality and high absorptive aggregate showed improved performance at 1% moisture content, associated with their lower air-void contents, which may be due to absorbed moisture preventing asphalt absorption and the higher asphalt content of these mixtures. The addition of lime resulted in distinct improvement of performance for moist specimens from the project, which had good quality aggregate, but high air-void contents. However, neither additive showed substantial benefit for moist samples from the project with low quality aggregate and low air-void content.
Systems Modeling At Los Alamos

Because of the needs of nuclear weapons development, Los Alamos has been a leader in physics-based computer modeling throughout its fifty-year history. Over the last decade we have developed detailed large-scale systems level finite-event simulations, including people, for military engagements and campaigns. We have independently pioneered many object-oriented techniques. Our current research emphasizes simulations composed of intelligent actors. One current prototype activity is building a simulation of health care at the individual person level for the State of New Mexico. We are eager to share our extensive experience, methods and capabilities with the health care community.
PUMA is critical for neonatal cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress

Objective: Puma (p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis), a proapoptotic BH3-only member of the Bcl-2 protein family, has been implicated in the pathomechanism of several diseases, including cancer, AIDS, and ischemic brain disease. We have recently shown that Puma is required for cardiac cell death upon ischemia/reperfusion of mouse hearts. Since ischemia/reperfusion is also associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, in the present study we investigated whether Puma contributes to the ER stress-dependent component of cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Methods: Primary cultures of rat and mouse neonatal cardiomyocytes were treated with 3 μM thapsigargin or 100 ng mL �1 tunicamycin. Puma levels were suppressed by adenoviral delivery of shRNA or targeted deletion of the puma gene. Puma expression was detected by RTPCR and Western blotting. Apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL assay, caspase-3 cleavage, and cytochrome c release. Results: We have shown that in rat neonatal cardiac myocytes, thapsigargin or tunicamycin treatment led to ER-stress, transcriptional upregulation of Puma, and apoptosis. Most importantly, cardiac myocytes acquired resistance to ER stress-induced apoptosis if Puma expression was downregulated by adenoviral delivery of shRNA or eliminated by targeted deletion in knockout mice. Conclusion: Taken together, our data indicate that Puma is a critical component of ER stress-induced apoptosis in cardiac myocytes, and inhibition of Puma activity may be used to treat cardiac infarcts or prevent heart failure by blocking ER stress-induced apoptosis.
The insulin resistance of acromegaly: evidence for two alterations in the insulin receptor on circulating monocytes.

[125I]Insulin binding to insulin receptors on circulating monocytes was studied in 11 patients with acromegaly (human GH, 7–240 ng/ml) and 22 normal volunteers. The acromegalic patients had normal or nearly normal glucose tolerance but represented a full range of insulin resistance. Insulin binding to its receptors showed two characteristic abnormalities. Total receptor concentration per cell was decreased in proportion to the hyperinsulinemia, such that the receptor concentration was inversely related to the basal level of the plasma insulin, similar to our findings in patients with obesity, diabetes, and insulinsecreting tumors. In addition, the affinity of the empty receptor (limiting high affinity state) was increased. Since the affinity of the filled receptor (limiting low affinity state) was unaltered, the negative cooperativity was increased. In most cases, the reciprocal changes in receptor concentration and limiting high affinity state resulted in normal amounts of insulin bound at basal insulin ...
Efficiency/friendliness tradeoffs in TCP Westwood

We propose a refinement of TCP Westwood which allows management of the efficiency/friendliness-to-NewReno tradeoff. We show that the refined TCP Westwood is able to achieve higher efficiency yet at the same time maintain friendliness. TCP Westwood (TCPW) implements a novel window congestion control algorithm based on available bandwidth estimation. The performance of TCPW has been promising, exceeding that of TCP NewReno in high speed and/or wired/wireless networks. However, under certain circumstances, TCP NewReno may experience some performance degradation because TCPW possesses more information and thus can take better advantage of available bandwidth. We propose combining the original TCPW sampling strategy that produces available bandwidth estimates (BE), with a new strategy that produces rate estimates (RE). Our studies show that RE works best when packet losses are mostly due to congestion. If on the other hand, the packet losses are mostly due to link errors, BE gives better performance. To achieve the "best of all worlds", we introduce a method we call combined rate and bandwidth estimation (CRB). A connection first infers the predominant cause of packet losses, and then uses the most appropriate estimation method. We also introduce the efficiency/friendliness tradeoff graph that provides better tradeoff visualization. In our experiments, we found that CRB provides a better compromise between efficiency and friendliness, and the means to manage such a tradeoff.
Brain ion and amino acid contents during edema development in hepatic encephalopathy.

: Brain edema in hepatic encephalopathy has been associated with circulating ammonia that is metabolized to glutamine. We measured alterations in blood chemistry and brain regional specific gravity and ion and amino acid contents in models of simple hyperammonemia and liver failure induced by daily administrations of ammonium acetate (AAc) or thioacetamide (TAA), respectively. Serum and brain ammonia increased to similar levels (200 and 170% of control, respectively) in both experimental groups. Serum transaminase activities increased 10-fold in animals injected with TAA but were unchanged in animals given AAc injections. In both experimental groups glutamine was elevated in cerebral white matter, cerebral gray matter, and basal ganglia, whereas brain tissue specific gravity decreased in all brain regions, indicating edema formation. In the AAc group, we observed a decrease in glutamate and taurine contents concomitant with the development of brain edema. In these animals, cerebral gray matter specific gravity and taurine contents returned to control levels 24 h after the third AAc injection. TAA-injected animals demonstrated similar decreases in brain tissue specific gravity, whereas glutamine, glutamate, and taurine contents were all elevated. During hepatic encephalopathy, ammonia-induced changes in brain amino acid content may contribute to brain edema development.
Alternatives to capitalism and working-class struggle: a comment on Alice Bryer’s “the politics of the social economy”

I write this commentary at a time when the U.S. Congress has taken the country to the brink of default, the Euro Zone is facing its own debt crises, and world financial markets are falling precipitously. This state of affairs is taking place while globally the divide between the rich and the poor is growing ever more dramatic, and fewer and fewer people can make a living at all. It seems as if capitalism is failing roundly. Thus, it is an especially appropriate moment to turn our attention to alternatives to capitalism and capitalist subjectivity. Anthropologists have a long history of thinking about individuals and social relationships in ways that critique notions of economic rationality and profit maximization. We can trace this impulse back to Malinowski’s classic study of the kula. Trobianders, he told us, put extraordinary amounts of labor into largely ceremonial acts of gift giving. This seemingly irrational behavior, on the one hand, extends alliances and enables barter, and on the other, shows that microeconomic principals are not universally applicable, and economic behavior is not everywhere governed by the maximizing choices of individuals. Malinowski’s study of Trobianders’ gardens affirmed this message; the islanders tended and cared for their gardens not only for food but also as works of art. This argument was further developed by the ‘‘substantivist’’ school within economic anthropology in the 1960s. Taking their lead from Karl Polanyi, and facing off against their ‘‘formalist’’ adversaries, substantivists maintained that homo economicus is not a universal figure, that economies are embedded in social relations, that cross-culturally there are many ways to produce, consume, and circulate goods, and that people will sometimes struggle in defense of their ‘‘moral economies.’’ This debate is familiar to students of anthropology and remains one of anthropology’s notable intellectual duals with the hegemonic ideas of the day. Alice Bryers’ empirical investigation of Argentina’s ERs shows us that in the current moment, despite the dominance of capitalism across the globe, people still
Pharyngeal pH monitoring in patients with posterior laryngitis.

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of 3-site 24-hour ambulatory pH monitoring in patients with posterior laryngitis (PL) and the prevalence of esophageal abnormalities in this patient group. Methods: Twenty patients with PL and 17 healthy volunteers were studied as controls. Control subjects had transnasal esophagogastroduodenoscopy (T-EGD) and ambulatory pH monitoring. Patients underwent T-EGD, ambulatory pH monitoring, and barium esophagram. Results: T-EGD documented no abnormality in controls. Esophagitis was present in 2 PL patients, and hiatal hernia in 3. Ambulatory pH monitoring showed that 15 PL patients and 2 controls exhibited pharyngeal acid reflux. Barium esophagram documented gastroesophageal reflux in 5 PL patients. However, none of these barium reflux events reached the pharynx. All PL patients with barium esophagram evidence of gastroesophageal reflux also showed pharyngeal acid reflux by pH monitoring. Conclusion: Pharyngeal acid reflux is more prevalent in patients with PL than in healthy controls. Patients with PL infrequently have esophageal sequelae of reflux disease. Ambulatory 24-hour simultaneous 3-site pharyngoesophageal pH monitoring detects gastroesophagopharyngeal acid reflux events in most patients with PL. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1999;120:672-7.)
Baseline Serum C-Reactive Protein Is Associated with Lipid Responses to Low-Fat and High-Polyunsaturated Fat Diets

Baseline serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations play a role in the lipid response to diet. This study was a randomized, cross-over, controlled feeding study with 3 phases of 25 d each aimed at determining whether baseline CRP concentrations modulate the serum lipid response to diets differing in fat type and quantity. Participants were adult men and women, age 19–65 y, with LDL-cholesterol concentrations of 3.37–4.66 mmol/L. All participants consumed 3 diets differing in the type of snack, either low or high in fat: low-fat (30.8% of energy), moderate in fat and saturated fat (37.9 and 11.4% of energy, respectively), or moderate in fat and polyunsaturated fat (36.3 and 9.7% of energy, respectively). Using baseline CRP as a continuous variable, CRP × diet interactions on change in serum lipoprotein_a (P = 0.045) and HDL-cholesterol (P = 0.06) were observed. When we used previously established categories to define CRP concentrations (low, 3 mg/L), we found a CRP × diet interaction on change in triglyceride concentrations (P = 0.03) and trends for CRP × diet interaction on change in LDL (P = 0.06) and total cholesterol (P = 0.07). If replicated, these results suggest that considering baseline CRP concentrations when prescribing dietary interventions to lower lipid concentrations may be useful. Individuals with high baseline CRP concentrations may benefit from moderate-fat, high polyunsaturated fat diets, whereas those with low baseline CRP concentrations may obtain greater lipid-lowering benefits from low-fat diets.
Importance of mitral valve second-order chordae for left ventricular geometry, wall thickening mechanics, and global systolic function.

Background— Mitral valvular–ventricular continuity is important for left ventricular (LV) systolic function, but the specific contributions of the anterior leaflet second-order “strut” chordae are unknown. Methods and Results— Eight sheep had radiopaque markers implanted to silhouette the LV, annulus, and papillary muscles (PMs); 3 transmural bead columns were inserted into the mid-lateral wall between the PMs. The strut chordae were encircled with exteriorized wire snares. Three-dimensional marker images and hemodynamic data were acquired before and after chordal cutting. Preload recruitable stroke work (PRSW) and end-systolic elastance (Ees) were calculated to assess global LV systolic function (n=7). Transmural strains were measured from bead displacements (n=4). Chordal cutting caused global LV dysfunction: Ees (1.48±1.12 versus 0.98±1.30 mm Hg/mL, P=0.04) and PRSW (69±16 versus 60±15 mm Hg, P=0.03) decreased. Although heart rate and time from ED to ES were unchanged, time of mid-ejection was delayed ...
The Nucleolus Organizer Region of Maize (ZEA MAYS L.): Tests for Ribosomal Gene Compensation or Magnification

Ribosomal gene compensation and magnification that might be detected on a whole-plant basis was not found in maize. Plants monosomic for chromosome 6 (the NOR chromosome) were compared with monosomic-8 and monosomic-10 plants, disomic sibs, and parental lines. Assuming no rDNA compensation, monosomic-6 plants showed approximately the decrease expected in rRNA cistron number. Monosomic-8 had a normal ribosomal gene number, while monosomic-10 showed a decrease; but further documentation is needed. Besides demonstrating the absence of gene compensation, the results document our previous conclusion that maize chromosome 6 carries DNA complementary to ribosomal RNA. Further documentation was provided from studies with trisomic chromosome 6 plants showing proportional increases in ribosomal gene number. Progeny of the monosomic plants crossed as males to a standard singlecross hybrid possessed expected ribosomal gene numbers suggesting the lack of ribosomal gene magnification.—The ragged (rgd) mutant of maize, suspected of being deficient in rRNA cistrons, had a normal number.
A facile method for the recovery of ionic liquid and lignin from biomass pretreatment

In the biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels, the process of pretreatment is currently one of the most difficult and expensive operations. The use of ionic liquids (ILs) in biomass pretreatment has received considerable attention recently because of their effectiveness at decreasing biomass recalcitrance to subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. In addition, ILs have the potential for decreasing the need for corrosive or toxic chemicals and associated waste streams that can be generated by other pretreatment methods that utilize acids and/or bases. In this article, we address two significant challenges to the realization of a practical IL pretreatment process. First, we describe a mixture containing specific proportions of a ketone and an alcohol that precipitates cellulose and lignocellulosic biomass from solutions of the IL 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate without the formation of intermediate gel phases. Second, an IL recovery process is described that removes lignin and most residual IL solutes and that minimizes energy and solvent use. These two techniques are demonstrated by the pretreatment of 100 g of corn stover with the recovery of 89% of the initial IL and separate corn stover fractions rich in glucans, xylans, lignin, and non-polar substances. These results highlight one potential approach towards the realization of a scalable ionic liquid pretreatment process technology that enables ionic liquid recovery and reuse.
Learning to control: a heterogeneous approach

A heterogeneous approach to the design of an intelligent control system is presented. The purpose of such a system is to recreate the human intelligence within a controller. Application areas include autonomous control vehicles, robotics, and power plant controllers. First, the authors analyze the characteristics of the knowledge acquisition process and show that it is an evolutionary process. They further analyze the components of this process, which are then used as a guide to develop an intelligent control system. This analysis shows that the process may consist of a heterogeneous paradigm consisting of symbolic, fuzzy, and connectionist computation models. The knowledge structure and the learning/evolving mechanism are presented in detail. Finally, a program which learns to perform parallel parking is used as an example to show the effectiveness of this approach. >
17β-Estradiol Stimulation of Uterine Blood Flow in Oophorectomized Rabbits with Complete Inhibition of Uterine Ribonucleic Acid Synthesis

The 17 beta-estradiol-induced increase of uterine blood flow (UBF) was studied in 7- to 8-month-old oophorectomized rabbits 6-39 days after operation. Baseline blood flows were determined with 141Ce-labeled microspheres and 2-h flows with 85Sr-labeled microspheres. Mean UBF in control groups ranged from 0.11-0.26 mi/min . g. Mean UBF 2 h after 17 beta-estradiol (10 microgram/kg BW) was 1.51 ml/min . g. Utilizing [3H]uridine (100 microCi/kg 15 min before the 2-h flow study), 3H incorporation into uterine RNA was 2-fold higher than background. Estradiol treatment produced a 4-fold increase in 3H incorporation into uterine RNA. Estradiol-treated animals, pretreated with actinomycin D (4 mg/kg), increased UBF to 1.09 ml/min . g 2 h after estradiol but failed to increase uterine RNA synthesis. 3H incorporation into uterine RNA in this group was suppressed to undetectable (background) levels. These findings indicate that a mechanism other than accelerated transcription, whether induced directly or by translocation of a cytosolic receptor, underlies the increased UBF after estradiol administration to oophorectomized rabbits.
Artificial transmission of erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV) from Pacific herring in Alaska to chum, sockeye, and pink salmon.

Summary Pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), chum (O. keta), and sockeye (O. nerka) salmon were injected with ENV virus derived from tissue homogenates of Pacific herring (Clupea harengus pallasi) experiencing an epizootic of ENV in Auke Bay, AK. Chum salmon were the most susceptible to the virus as intracyto-plasmic erythrocytic inclusions could be found in 20% of the fish examined 14 to 35 d post-injection with ENV. The inclusions were confirmed to contain ENV by electron microscopy. Pink and sockeye salmon were much less susceptible to infection as only 6.7 % of each species were found with ENV-type inclusions at 28 to 42 d post-injection with ENV from herring. Due to low levels of infection, electron microscopic confirmation of ENV in pink and sockeye salmon could not be accomplished. Zusammenfassung Kunstluhe ubertragung des Erythrocyten-Nekrose-Virus (ENV) vom pazifschen Hering in Alaska auf die Pazifichen Lachsarten (O. keta, O. nerka, O. gorbuscha) Lachse wurden mit ENV-Viren injiziert, die aus dem homogenisierten Gewebe des pazifischen Herings (Clupea harengus pallasi) gewonnen wurden. Diese Heringe gingen durch eine ENV-Epidemie in der Auke Bucht, Alaska. O. keta Lachse waren gegenuber dem Virus am empfindlichsten; 14 bis 35 Tage nach der ENV-Infektion konnten in 20% der untersuchten Fische intra-cytoplasmatische und erythrocytische Einschlusse nachgewiesen werden. Die Einschlusse enthielten nachweislich ENV (elektronenmikroskoisch). O. gorbuscha und O. nerka Lachse waren viel weniger empfindlich gegenuber diesem virus und lediglich 6,7% derTiere dieser beiden Arten enthielten ENV-typische Einschlusse 28 und 42 Tage nach der Injektion der ENV-Heringsextrakte. Aufgrund des geringen Infektionsniveaus konnte der elektronenmikroskopische Nachweis von ENV in O. gorbuscha und O. nerka Lachsen nicht gefuhrt werden. Resume Transmission artificielle du virus de necrose d'erythrocytes (ENV) du hareng du Pacifique au saumon rose, au saumon keta au saumon rouge en Alaska Le virus ENV derive d' homogenats de tissu de harengs du Pacifique (Clupea harengus pallasi) qui ont subi une epizootie de ENV sa Auke Bay, AK, a ete injecte aux saumons roses (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), aux saumons ketas (O. keta) et aux saumons rouges (O. nerka). Le saumon keta etait le plus susceptible de virus car des inclusions intracytoplasmiques d'erythrocytes ont ete trouvees dans 20 % des poissons examines entre 14 et 35 jours apres l'injection de ENV. Les inclusions ont ete confirmees par la microscopie electronique comme contenant le virus ENV. Le saumon rose et le saumon rouge etaient moins susceptibles de l'infection car seulement 6,7% de chaque espece ont ete trouvts avec des inclusions de type ENV entre 28 et 42 jours apres l'injection de virus provenant d' hareng. Du sa des niveaux bas d'infection la confirmation de EVN sa l'aide de la microscopie electronique dans le saumon rose et le saumon rouge ne pouvent pas etre faite.
Distributed Optimization and Statistical Learning Via the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers

Many problems of recent interest in statistics and machine learning can be posed in the framework of convex optimization. Due to the explosion in size and complexity of modern datasets, it is increasingly important to be able to solve problems with a very large number of features or training examples. As a result, both the decentralized collection or storage of these datasets as well as accompanying distributed solution methods are either necessary or at least highly desirable. In this review, we argue that the alternating direction method of multipliers is well suited to distributed convex optimization, and in particular to large-scale problems arising in statistics, machine learning, and related areas. The method was developed in the 1970s, with roots in the 1950s, and is equivalent or closely related to many other algorithms, such as dual decomposition, the method of multipliers, Douglas–Rachford splitting, Spingarn's method of partial inverses, Dykstra's alternating projections, Bregman iterative algorithms for l1 problems, proximal methods, and others. After briefly surveying the theory and history of the algorithm, we discuss applications to a wide variety of statistical and machine learning problems of recent interest, including the lasso, sparse logistic regression, basis pursuit, covariance selection, support vector machines, and many others. We also discuss general distributed optimization, extensions to the nonconvex setting, and efficient implementation, including some details on distributed MPI and Hadoop MapReduce implementations.
Two different fatigue protocols and lower extremity motion patterns during a stop-jump task.

Context: Altered neuromuscular control strategies during fatigue probably contribute to the increased incidence of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in female athletes. Objective: To ...
An application-enhanced approach to introductory electromagnetics

This paper describes an application-enhanced approach to teaching fundamental concepts in electromagnetics at the introductory undergraduate level. A numerical tool with interactive visualization is used to aid in the presentation of engineering applications that are used to motivate basic electromagnetic concepts. The goals are to exploit design automation tools as a supplementary instructional aid, and to illustrate to students the use of theory in practice.
Isochronets: a high-speed network switching architecture

An overview is given of a switching architecture for high-speed networks called Isochronets, which time-divide network bandwidth among routing trees. Traffic moves down a routing tree to the root during its time band. Network functions such as routing and flow control are entirely governed by band timers and require no processing of frame header bits. Frame motions need not be delayed for switch processing, allowing Isochronets to scale over a large spectrum of transmission speeds and support all-optical implementations. The network functions as a media-access layer that can support multiple framing protocols simultaneously, handled by higher layers at the periphery. Internetworking is reduced to a simple media-layer bridging. Isochronets provide flexible quality of service control and multicasting though allocation of bands to routing trees. They can be tuned to span a spectrum of performance behaviors outperforming both circuit and packet switching. >
Surgery, angioplasty, or medical therapy for symptomatic multivessel coronary artery disease: is there an indisputable "winning strategy" from evidence-based clinical trials?

We all like to embrace winning strategies for patient management in cardiovascular therapeutics. These strategies are important because we are so often besieged with a spectrum of treatment options, and both patients and their families, as well as referring physicians, implicitly put their trust in
Binding sites for interaction of peroxiredoxin 6 with surfactant protein A

Peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6) is a bifunctional enzyme with peroxidase and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activities. This protein participates in the degradation and remodeling of internalized dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), the major phospholipid component of lung surfactant. We have shown previously that the PLA2 activity of Prdx6 is inhibited by the lung surfactant-associated protein called surfactant protein A (SP-A) through direct protein-protein interaction. Docking of SPA and Prdx6 was modeled using the ZDOCK (zlab.bu.edu) program in order to predict molecular sites for binding of the two proteins. The predicted peptide sequences were evaluated for binding to the opposite protein using isothermal titration calorimetry and circular dichroism measurement followed by determination of the effect of the SP-A peptide on the PLA2 activity of Prdx6. The sequences 195EEEAKKLFPK204.in the Prdx6 helix and 83DEELQTELYEIKHQIL99 in SP-A were identified as the sites for hydrophobic interaction and H(+)-bonding between the 2 proteins. Treatment of mouse endothelial cells with the SP-A peptide inhibited their recovery from lipid peroxidation associated with oxidative stress indicating inhibition of Prdx6 activity by the peptide in the intact cell.
Language, literacy, and the needs of the multilingual child

In this article, I first take on the issue of standards and the degree to which they do or do not contribute to the improvement of language and literacy outcomes for children in multilingual societies. Then I consider the relation of standards to language and, finally, raise the vexed issue of content knowledge and its relation to standards, on the one hand, and to language, on the other.
Impact of coronary artery calcification in percutaneous coronary intervention with paclitaxel-eluting stents: Two-year clinical outcomes of paclitaxel-eluting stents in patients from the ARRIVE program

Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with coronary artery calcification (CAC). Background Smaller studies have reported worse clinical outcomes in patients with CAC who undergo PCI. The impact of CAC in the drug-eluting stent era is unclear. Methods Data from 7,492 patients treated by PCI with ≥1 TAXUS Express stent in the ARRIVE registry with no inclusion/exclusion criteria were stratified by the severity of CAC, as determined by the operator. Endpoints were independently adjudicated. All major adverse cardiac events were assessed at 2 years. Results Moderate/severe CAC was present in 19.6%. The nil/mild CAC group had higher rate of current smokers. The moderate/severe CAC group was older and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, kidney disease, prior coronary artery bypass grafting, congestive heart failure, and left main disease. After adjustment for imbalanced baseline variables, patients with moderate/severe CAC had higher 2 year rates of major adverse cardiac events (18.3% vs 13.5%, p = 0.01) and death (10.3% vs 5.6%, p = 0.02). Conclusions Moderate/severe CAC was associated with increased clinical events in patients who underwent PCI with TAXUS stents. This may be explained in part due to differences important baseline characteristics including more patients with more comorbidities and more complex lesions. After adjustment for imbalanced baseline variables, the moderate/severe CAC group had a higher risk of major adverse cardiac events and death. Improvements in treatment strategies are needed for this high-risk group of patients who undergo PCI. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Genome Sequence of Cronobacter sakazakii Serogroup O:4, Sequence Type 4 Strain CDC 2009-03746, Isolated from a Fatal Case of Infantile Meningitis.

ABSTRACT We report the draft genome sequence of a Cronobacter sakazakii serogroup O:4, sequence type 4 strain, CDC 2009-03746 (=NM1240=2009-06-01), isolated from a fatal case of infantile meningitis. The draft genome has a size of 4,492,904 bp and a G+C% content of 56.7.
Exploiting recent SIMD architectural advances for irregular applications

A broad class of applications involve indirect or datadependent memory accesses and are referred to as irregular applications. Recent developments in SIMD architectures – specifically, the emergence of wider SIMD lanes, combination of SIMD parallelism with many-core MIMD parallelism, and more flexible programming APIs – are providing new opportunities as well as challenges for this class of applications. In this paper, we propose a general opti- mization methodology, to effectively optimize different subclasses of irregular applications. Based on the observation that all applications with indirect memory accesses can be viewed as sparse matrix computations, we design an optimization methodology, which includes three sub-steps: 1) locality enhancement through tiling, 2) data access pattern identification, and 3) write conflict removal at both SIMD and MIMD levels. This method has been applied to unstructured grids, molecular dynamics, and graph applications, in addition to sparse matrix computations. The speedups achieved by our single threaded vectorized code over serial code is up to 9.05, whereas the overall speedup while utilizing both SIMD and MIMD (61 cores in Intel Xeon Phi) with our approach is up to 467.1. Further optimization using matrix reordering on irregular reductions and graph algorithms is able to achieve an incremental speedup of up to 1.69, though at a relatively high preprocessing cost. Moreover, SpMM using our approach outperforms routines from a highly optimized commercial library by up to 2.81x.
Measurements of the 11B(d,nγ15.1)12C differential cross-section on thick and thin targets

Abstract The differential cross-section for the 15.1 MeV gamma ray produced by the 11 B ( d , n γ ) 12 C reaction in a thick natural boron target has been measured for incident deuteron energies ranging from reaction threshold to 5 MeV. Measurements for a thin natural boron target have been carried out over a similar incident deuteron energy range. These results are compared to previous measurements made by Kavanagh (1958) and Kuan (1964). Measurements of the combined thick target yield for the 6.129, 6.917, and 7.116 MeV gamma rays from the 19 F ( p , α γ ) 16 O reaction have been carried out on a stopping thickness sulfur hexafluoride gas cell for effective incident proton energies ranging from 1 to 4 MeV as a consistency check on the procedure used for normalization of the detector response function. The results for the 11 B ( d , n γ 15.1 ) 12 C yield a significantly lower cross-section than that previously reported, while the measurements of the 19 F ( p , α γ ) reaction are consistent with previous measurements made by Fessler (2000) and Micklich (2003).
Social ecological influences on work-related active commuting among adults.

OBJECTIVE To examine influences on active commuting (AC) behavior using a social ecological framework. METHODS Participants (N = 1234) responded to an online survey about AC patterns and social ecological influences on AC. Multiple regression analysis determined the relative influence of individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and environmental levels on AC. RESULTS Significant relationships were found between AC and individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and environmental influences; 70% of the variance in AC was explained with the full model. CONCLUSIONS The social ecological model provides a framework for understanding a range of influences on AC and should inform strategies to improve AC behavior.
Functional Response of Nabis americoferus to Two of its Prey, Spodoptera exigua and Lygus hesperus

The maximum rate of prey consumption and the functional responses of 4th- and 5th-instar nymphs, prereproductive, unmated adults, and reproductively mature females of Nabis americoferus Carayon (Hemiptera: Nabidae) were determined. Consumption increased with nymphal instar and was greatest for reproductive females. Attack rates were highest and handling times lowest for reproductively mature females, whereas prereproductive adults had the lowest attack rates and highest handling times of the stages tested. Attack rates were shown to vary with prey type and structural complexity of the universe.
High Quality in.Ga1−xas Heterostructures Grown on GaAs With Movpe

In x Ga 1−x As structures with compositionally graded buffers were grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) on GaAs substrates and characterized with plan-view and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (PV-TEM and X-TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that surface roughness experiences a maximum at growth temperatures where phase separation occurs in In x Ga 1−x As. The strain energy due misfit dislocations in the graded buffer indirectly influences phase separation. At growth temperatures above and below this temperature, the surface roughness is decreased significantly; however, only growth temperatures above this regime ensure nearly complete relaxed graded buffers with the most uniform composition caps. With the optimum growth temperature for grading In x Ga 1−x As determined to be 700°C, it was possible to produce In 0.33 Ga 0.67 As diode structures on GaAs with threading dislocation densities 6 /cm 2
Accident Analysis of Acute Occupational Poisoning Events in Qingdao City during 2000—2007

[Objective]To understand the features of emergent acute poisoning events that occurred in Qingdao city,and analyze the reasons so as to explore the preventive strategies. [Methods] The data of the acute occupational poisoning events during 2000—2007 were analyzed statistically. [Results] A total of 32 events happened in the past 8 years,including 120 poisoning and 15 death cases. Most of the events occurred in joint venture corporations (14 cases) and leather manufacture industry (14 cases) in 2002. The agent of the emergent events was mostly attributed to organic solvent,and asphyxiating gases lead to the most death toll. [Conclusion] Knowing little about acute occupational poisoning of the employers and the weakness of occupational health management measures are the reasons that induced the events. The relevant departments should attach great attention to this case.
Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope optical alignment plan

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is a 4-meter solar telescope under construction at Haleakala, Hawaii. The challenge of the DKIST optical alignment is the off-axis Gregorian configuration based on an Altitude-Azimuth mount, the independently-rotating Coude platform and the large number of relay mirrors. This paper describes the optical alignment plan of the complete telescope, including the primary 4.24-m diameter off-axis secondary mirror, the secondary 620 mm diameter off-axis mirror, the transfer optics and the Coude optics feeding the wavefront correction system and the science instruments. A number of accurate metrology instruments will be used to align the telescope and to reach the performances, including a laser tracker for initial positioning, a theodolite for accurate tilt alignment, a Coordinate Measurement Machine (CMM) arm for local alignment in the Coude laboratory, and a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor to characterize the aberrations by measuring selected target stars. The wavefront will be characterized at the primary focus, the Gregorian focus, the intermediate focus and at the telescope focal plane. The laser tracker will serve also to measure the mirrors positions as function of Altitude angle due to the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA) structure deflection. This paper describes also the method that will be used to compute the compensating mirrors shift and tilt needed to correct the residual aberrations and position of the focal plane.
Comparison of Efficacy of Tacrolimus Versus Cyclosporine in Childhood Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome.

Objective To compare the efficacy of tacrolimus versus cyclosporine (Calcineurin Inhibitors) in the management of childhood steroid-resistant nephritic syndrome (SRNS). Study design Quasi-experimental study. Place and duration of study Department of Paediatric Nephrology at The Children's Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Lahore, from August 2014 to September 2015. Methodology Patients of either gender aged 1 - 12 years, with the diagnosis of mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis (MesangioPGN), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) or minimal-change disease (MCD) were included. Patients were assigned into two groups, one given tacrolimus in dose of 0.1 - 0.2 mg/kg/day in two divided doses, and other given cyclosporine in dose of 150 - 200 mg/m2/day in two divided doses along with oral steroids 30 mg/m2/day in divided doses, followed by alternate day with tapering dosage. Trough drug levels were done with dose adjustment accordingly. Patients were monitored and followed for the response to treatment and adverse effects of these two calcineurin inhibitors. Results Atotal of 84 patients, 58% males and 42% females, were included in the study. The age ranged from 1.25 to 12 years. The most common histopathological diagnosis was MesangioPGN (69.04%), FSGS (21.4%), and MCD (9.52%). Complete response was seen in 80.95% and 97.6% patients treated with cyclosporine and tacrolimus, respectively. Partial response was in 19.05% patients treated with cyclosporine and 2.4% in patients with tacrolimus. The most common adverse effect with cyclosporine and tacrolimus was hypertrichosis in 80.95% and 2.38%, hypertension 16.66% and 11.9% respectively while gum hypertrophy with cyclosporine was seen in 26.19% patients. Conclusion Tacrolimus was more efficacious than cyclosporine in achieving remission in childhood SRNS with insignificant adverse effects.
Effects of Range Contraction and Habitat Fragmentation on Genetic Variation in the Woodland Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis)

Abstract Recently, the range of the woodland deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis) in Michigan's Lower Peninsula (LP) has contracted simultaneously with the increasing abundance of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus). The known LP range of P. m. gracilis has shrunk to two areas, one in Cheboygan/Otsego Counties and another in Alpena County. We used a Geographic Information System habitat analysis to predict where P. m. gracilis could be found between those areas and trapped at selected locations. P. leucopus was present at every location, but the known range of P. m. gracilis had expanded only slightly, and remains as two separate fragments. We analyzed 11 microsatellite loci for all P. m. gracilis to investigate the genetic structure of their remaining LP populations. Genetic diversity was high, FST values were low, and there was no evidence of recent bottlenecks, indicating that LP populations of P. m. gracilis once had extensive gene flow across the entire region. However, trapping data...
Chromatin State Shaping the Gene Expression Profiling in the Inducible Differentiation of Promyelocytic Leukemia Cells

Background Epigenetic changes in DNA and chromatin are regarded as emerging major players for hematopoietic stem cells development and lineage differentiation. Epigenetic deregulation of gene expression leads to leukemia and reversibility of epigenetic modifications makes DNA and chromatin changes attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. The promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cell can differentiate into microphage, granulocyte and monocyte with stimulation of phorbol myristic acid (PMA), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and Vitamin D3, respectively, by affecting the gene expression on cell cycle and cell differentiation. However, how epigenetic regulation on gene expression in the inducible differentiation is still undetermined. Methods and Results We did the microarray analysis to identify the genome-wide gene expression profile of HL-60 cells in various time points(0h, 6h, 1d,2d,4d and 6d) under the treatment of PMA, DMSO and D3 and found that around 3000 genes are significantly altered commonly in the cells upon the 3 treatments. The percentage of down-regulated genes in the all commonly altered genes is significantly higher than that of up-regulated genes, and the significantly altered genes showed significantly physical clustering on chromosome loci, indicating the epigenetic regulation involved in the regulation of the gene expression. We did observed the expression changes of epigenetic enzymes in the process and further did the ChIP-on-ChIP analysis by using the customer array tiling the selected changed genes and 5 genomic loci hybridizing with ChIP’d DNA of histone markers (H3K4me3, H3K9me3 and H3K27me3). We found that the obvious decrease of H3K4me3 binding and increase of H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 are observed in the promoter of the commonly down-regulated genes. These data indicated histone H3K4, H3K9 and H3K27 marker play important roles in shaping the chromatin state and regulating gene expression. Conclusion We identified the signature genes controlling the inducible differentiation of promyelocytic leukemiacells and found the epigenetic mechanism regulating the gene expression in the process. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Why Didn't You Text Me? Poststudy Trends From the DepoText Trial.

Objective. To evaluate the longitudinal impact of a 9-month text message intervention on participant adherence beyond the intervention to highly effective contraceptive methods among urban adolesce...