cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bioavailability of orally administered sulfisoxazole acetyl, riboflavin, tetracycline and bretylium in mature and senescent rats

Sulfisoxazole acetyl, riboflavin, tetracycline and bretylium were administered both orally and intravenously to senescent (28–40 months) and mature (12–19 months) male Sprague-Dawley rats. The extent of drug absorption was calculated from the urinary recovery of each drug after oral administration relative to its recovery after intravenous administration. The recovery of the four drugs after intravenous administration was similar in both groups, although urinary excretion of sulfisoxazole acetyl and tetracycline was relatively slow in the senescent animals and there was a tendency for recovery of less riboflavin and more bretylium compared to the mature rats. A comparison of the extents of absorption of the four drugs showed no differences (p < 0.05) between the senescent and mature groups, with n = 6–9 animals per group. The data were quite variable and there was a tendency for decreased absorption of tetracycline (p = 0.28) and increased absorption of bretylium (p = 0.08) in the senescent compared to the mature animals. The rate of absorption of bretylium, tetracycline, and sulfisoxazole acetyl was measured in senescent (age 31 months) and mature (age 16 months) rats, by determining the amount of each drug that remained in the GI tract at 40, 80, and 160 min after its oral administration. During the initial 40 min after dosing, the rate of absorption of the drugs was similar in senescent and mature rats because the gastric emptying rates were similar in both groups. Between 40 and 160 min after dosing, the absorption rates of bretylium and sulfisoxazole acetyl tended to increase in senescent compared to mature animals while the absorption rate of tetracycline tended to decline. The permeability of the in situ intestinal epithelium to sulfisoxazole acetyl and bretylium was determined by recirculating solutions of the drugs through segments of the small intestine, and measuring the rate of decline of the drug concentration. The permeability of the jejunal epithelium to the sulfonamide was similar in both groups, but the jejunal permeability to bretylium was lower in senescent than in mature animals. When the perfused segment included the ileum, the permeability to bretylium was similar in both groups.
PO-0958 10-year Inpatients Disease And Trends

Background To analyse the major health problems and trends among hospitalised children in a medical centre from 2003 to 2012 Methods We retrospectively reviewed all records of patients younger than 18 years who admitted to the Chang Gung Memorial’s Hospital between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2012. The study was composed of categories about the diagnosis, age and gender. We collected and utilised data to examine the leading diagnostic categories and trends by age in the 10 years period. Results Children had age differences among hospitalised diagnoses categories. Prematurity or condition from the perinatal periods and congenital anomaly were the top two hospitalised disease categories in newborn. Acute respiratory tract infection was the major diagnoses category in infant. Acute intestinal infectious disease was the top diagnosis in children aged between 1 to 2 years old. Pneumonia was leading diagnoses of children aged in 2 to 6 years and in 6 to 12 years. Fracture was the leading cause of adolescents aged in 12 to 18 years. Congenital anomaly decrease in infant stage but pneumonia still threatened children aged in 2 to 6 years and 6 to 12 years. Conclusions The characteristics of major health problems were different among age variables in children. All health promotion programs and policies should effectively provide the respective services and measure the outcome efficiently.
Cherenkov threshold-differential spectrometer

Abstract A new type of threshold-differential Cherenkov spectrometer has been developed to measure the flux and momentum distribution of high intensity charged particle beams in an intense charged particle background. The spectrometer is intended primarily for use in monitoring and measuring the properties of wide-band neutrino beams by measuring the associated decay muon spectrum. The spectrometer has been tested in a beam of 300 GeV/ c protons and found to have 8% momentum resolution, 2 mrad angular resolution and 0.1% efficiency.
On the 2-part of the class number of imaginary quadratic number fields☆

Abstract We employ a type number formula from the theory of quaternion algebras to gain information on the 2-part of the class numbers of imaginary quadratic number fields whose discriminants are divisible by three or fewer prime numbers.
IRGM Governs the Core Autophagy Machinery to Conduct Antimicrobial Defense

IRGM, encoded by a uniquely human gene conferring risk for inflammatory diseases, affects autophagy through an unknown mechanism. Here, we show how IRGM controls autophagy. IRGM interacts with ULK1 and Beclin 1 and promotes their co-assembly thus governing the formation of autophagy initiation complexes. We further show that IRGM interacts with pattern recognition receptors including NOD2. IRGM, NOD2, and ATG16L1, all of which are Crohn's disease risk factors, form a molecular complex to modulate autophagic responses to microbial products. NOD2 enhances K63-linked polyubiquitination of IRGM, which is required for interactions of IRGM with the core autophagy factors and for microbial clearance. Thus, IRGM plays a direct role in organizing the core autophagy machinery to endow it with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory functions.
High-pressure xenon gas TPC for neutrino-less double-beta decay in 136Xe: Progress toward the goal of 1% FWHM energy resolution

A high-pressure xenon gas (HPXe) TPC offers attractive possibilities in the search for neutrino-less double-beta decay in 136Xe. In the gas phase, near-intrinsic energy resolution is available from the ionization signal only, in contrast to the liquid phase which displays anomalously large fluctuations in the partition of energy between scintillation and ionization. In addition, events in the gas phase extend over several cm, permitting topological tests to discriminate efficiently against gamma-ray backgrounds. Our TPC exploits the nearly noiseless gain mechanism of electroluminescence to detect the signal. We report on progress with a small HPXe TPC that probes pressures up to 17 bars, also permitting variation of drift fields over an interesting range. The TPC provides excellent performance at the 662 keV gamma ray of 137Cs. This TPC was developed as part of the prototyping stage of the experiment NEXT (Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC), to take place at Canfranc underground laboratory.
Impact of two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography on care of children aged two years and younger

Abstract To determine the impact of 2-dimensional (2-D) and Doppler echocardiography on the care of children aged 2 years and younger with suspected cardiac disease, the clinical management and outcome for the years 1975 (pre-2-D/Doppler era, 161 patients) and 1985 (2-D/Doppler era, 206 patients) were compared. Differences were: (1) decreased catheterization at our institution (48% vs 21%, p
RNA shows its metal.

A new study shows that the AA platform motif in RNA selectively chelates and dehydrates a potassium ion. Consideration of the energetics of ion binding at specific sites suggests that both monovalent and divalent cations can be important stabilizers of RNA tertiary structures.
A modified network approach for the design of cellular manufacturing systems

In considering the operation sequence constraints in manufacturing systems, the cell formation problem is modelled by an undirected graph (network) in this paper. Two efficient algorithms are presented based on this model. Algorithm 1 partitions the network by finding the minimum cut sets in the network so that the resultant interaction between cells is minimal. Algorithm 2 is a simplified version of algorithm 1 by selecting seed nodes in partitioning the network to further reduce the amount of computation. Although algorithm 2 does not guarantee that the intercell movements are minimal, a very good solution can still be obtained by using it. When this method is extended it is also applicable to situations where operation sequence constraints are ignored. The proposed method provides more effective solutions than some other heuristic methods.
Coupled Flexural-Torsional Nonlinear Vibrations of Piezoelectrically Actuated Microcantilevers With Application to Friction Force Microscopy

The problem of vibrations of microcantilevers has recently received considerable attention due to its application in several nanotechnological instruments, such as atomic force microscopy, nanomechanical cantilever sensors, and friction force microscopy. Along this line, this paper undertakes the problem of coupled flexural-torsional nonlinear vibrations of a piezoelectrically actuated microcantilever beam as a typical configuration utilized in these applications. The actuation and sensing are both facilitated through bonding a piezoelectric layer (here, ZnO) on the microcantilever surface. The beam is considered to have simultaneous flexural, torsional, and longitudinal vibrations. The piezoelectric properties combined with nonlinear geometry of the beam introduce both linear and nonlinear couplings between flexural vibration as well as longitudinal and torsional vibrations. Of particular interest is the inextensibility configuration, for which the governing equations reduce to coupled flexural-torsional nonlinear equations with piezoelectric nonlinearity appearing in quadratic form while inertia and stiffness nonlinearities as cubic. An experimental setup consisting of a commercial piezoelectric microcantilever installed on the stand of an ultramodern laser-based microsystem analyzer is designed and utilized to verify the theoretical developments. Both linear and nonlinear simulation results are compared to the experimental results and it is observed that nonlinear modeling response matches the experimental findings very closely. More specifically, the softening phenomenon in fundamental flexural frequency, which is due to nonlinearity of the system, is analytically and experimentally verified. It is also disclosed that the initial twisting in the microcantilever can influence the value ofthe flexural vibration resonance. The experimental results from a macroscale beam are utilized to demonstrate such twist-flexure coupling. This unique coupling effect may lead to the possibility of indirect measurement of small torsional vibration without the need for any angular displacement sensor. This observation could significantly extend the application of friction force microscopy to measure the friction of a surface indirectly.
Intermittent Opens in Electrical Contacts Caused by Mechanically Induced Contact Motion

Shock and vibration have been known to induce contact motion in electrical connectors and thereby cause failures or intermittent disturbances. This paper provides a theoretical analysis of the possibility of obtaining intermittent opens or high resistance caused by mechanically induced contact motion. Intermittent disturbances having time durations of less than one nanosecond are considered. Five possible mechanisms of creating intermit:ent opens are considered. They are: 1. Contact bounce 2. Contact sliding over surface irregularities 3. Contact sliding onto an insulating particle 4. Particle migration through contact area 5. Particle initially in the contact zone. Each possible mechanism is developed fully anc the important parameters are explored. Two actual connectors are evaluated for the possibility of obtaining intermittent opens for each of the five cases. The results of the evaluation are presented in this paper.
Immunophenotypic Alterations in Resident Immune Cells and Myocardial Fibrosis in the Aging Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) Heart

The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is used extensively in translational biomedical research and drug development studies and is an important model of aging. Macaques often develop myocardial fibrosis with age, which can result in the loss of normal cardiac architecture with the expansion of the extracellular matrix and deposition of collagen. The etiology and pathogenesis of this pernicious process is poorly understood. Cardiac fibrosis was assessed using histologic and immunohistochemical techniques in cardiac tissue sections from 34 rhesus macaques. Overall left ventricular and left ventricular mid-myocardial interstitial/perivascular fibrosis were positively correlated with age (r = .6522, p < .0001 and r = .4704, p = .005, respectively). When divided into young (mean = 2.8 years), middle-aged (mean = 17.5 years), and advanced age (mean = 29.2 years) groups, immunophenotypic characterization of antigen presenting cells revealed differential expression of CD163 and DC-SIGN between the young and middle-aged groups compared to the advanced age group (p < .0001). HAM-56 expression decreased significantly in the advanced age cohort (p = .0021). The expression of CD8, CD163, and DC-SIGN correlated positively with age (r = .3999, p = .0191; r = .5676, p = .0005; r = .5245, p = .0014, respectively). These results show the importance of myocardial fibrosis as a common age-related pathology and additionally, alterations in T cell, macrophage, and dendritic cell phenotype in rhesus macaque myocardium are associated with age but unassociated with the fibrosis.
Nanocrystal quantum dots: building blocks for tunable optical amplifiers and lasers

We study optical processes relevant to optical amplification and lasing in CdSe nanocrystal quantum dots (NQD). NQDs are freestanding nanoparticles prepared using solution-based organometallic reactions originally developed for the Cd chalcogenides, CdS, CdSe and CdTe [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 115, 8706 (1993)]. We investigate NQDs with diameters ranging from 2 to 8 nm. Due to strong quantum confinement, they exhibit size-dependent spectral tunability over an energy range as wide as several hundred meV. We observe a strong effect of the matrix/solvent on optical gain properties of CdSe NQDs. In most of the commonly used solvents (such as hexane and toluene), gain is suppressed due to strong photoinduced absorption associated with carriers trapped at solvent-related interface states. In contrast, matrix-free close packed NQD films (NQD solids) exhibit large optical gain with a magnitude that is sufficiently high for the optical gain to successfully compete with multiparticle Auger recombination [Science 287, 10117 (2000)]. These films exhibit narrowband stimulated emission at both cryogenic and room temperature, and the emission color is tunable with dot size [Science 290, 314 (2000)]. Moreover, the NQD films can be incorporated into microcavities of different geometries (micro-spheres, wires, tubes) that produce lasing in whispering gallery modes. The facile preparation, chemical flexibility and wide-range spectral tunability due to strong quantum confinement are the key advantages that should motivate research into NQD applications in optical amplifiers and lasers.
An experimental comparison of hierarchical and subsumption software architectures for control of an autonomous underwater vehicle

A three-level hybrid architecture is used to model both a hierarchical and a subsumption controller for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The hierarchical model uses a backward chaining language (PROLOG) while the subsumption model uses a forward chaining language (CLIPS). The details of the backward chaining hierarchical implementation of the strategic level of mission control are first presented. This is followed by a similar description of the functionally equivalent subsumption controller. Experimental results and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach are discussed. CLIPS and PROLOG ran virtually even in terms of execution time. Also, the total run time of the experiment was dominated by the graphical simulator. A repeat of the experiment in which the controllers were decoupled from the simulator resulted in execution times between three and four seconds. This reinforces the view of PROLOG and CLIPS as viable language alternatives for the mission control of complex systems. However, PROLOG is the more concise of the two languages and is easier to read. >
RESOLUTION OF MOTOR URGE INCONTINENCE AFTER SURGICAL REPAIR OF PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE

Purpose: We determined the resolution rate of urge incontinence in women with uterine and/or vaginal vault prolapse plus coexistent motor urge incontinence after the surgical repair of prolapse as well as predictors of postoperative urge incontinence status.Materials and Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 38 women with grade 2 or greater uterine and/or vaginal vault prolapse plus coexistent motor urge incontinence who were evaluated and treated at our institution between July 1, 1996 and December 31, 1999.Results: Urge incontinence resolved in 24 of the 38 women (63%) and persisted in 14 (37%) after the surgical repair of uterine and/or vaginal vault prolapse. Patient age, vaginal parity, body mass index, menopausal status, bladder compliance and the number who underwent previous pelvic surgery were similar in the 2 groups. Uninhibited detrusor contractions less than 25 cm. water during cystometry (p = 0.01) and bladder trabeculation (p = 0.03) were each an independent predictor ...
Change is hard: adapting dependency graph models for unified diagnosis in wired/wireless networks

Organizations world-wide are adopting wireless networks at an impressive rate, and a new industry has sprung up to provide tools to manage these networks. Unfortunately, these tools do not integrate cleanly with traditional wired network management tools, leading to unsolved problems and frustration among the IT staff. We explore the problem of unifying wireless and wired network management and show that simple merging of tools and strategies, and/or their trivial extension from one domain to another does not work. Building on previous research on network service dependency extraction, fault diagnosis, and wireless network management, we introduce MnM, an end-to-end network management system that unifies wired and wireless network management. MnM treats the physical location of end devices as a core component of its management strategy. It also dynamically adapts to the frequent topology changes brought about by end-node mobility. We have a prototype deployment in a large organization that shows that MnM's rootcause analysis engine out-performs systems that do not take user mobility into account when localizing faults or attributing blame.
Language and Culture: Socialization through Personal Story-Telling Practice

Miller, Cho, and Bracey provide a synthesis of a long-term program of research examining conversational personal story-telling practices in two workingclass communities, South Baltimore (the more economically disadvantaged of the two), and ‘Daly Park.’ The authors proposed to: (1) ‘characterize the working-class slant on its own terms, not simply as a departure from a middle-class standard’; (2) ‘use new developments in genre theory as a platform from which to revisit and synthesize our previous empirical work’; and (3) include comparisons from a middle-class community, ‘using the working-class stories to cast the middle-class stories in relief’, thereby helping ‘to illuminate both more clearly.’ The focus on the two communities was useful. Personal story-telling in these communities is ‘highly valued and avidly practiced,’ and children grow up with conversational narratives told around them by adults and older children all the time. Adult narrators were observed to engage in ‘sustained and artful narrative performances,’ often involving ‘replayed conversational exchange(s).’ ‘Ordinary experiences become a little more vivid-funnier, scarier, more infuriating, more surprising (...) when people seize the stage as narrators and actors in their own multi-modal dramas.’ Negative story content was ‘privileged.’ The themes of the stories were important – they were felt to carry a message for the children that challenging life experiences lay ahead. In addition, many stories could be ‘recast as triumphs’ over adversity, celebrating ‘clever, manly, hell-raising’ behavior, hell-raising by women, standing up to authority, and the general message that life’s challenges had potential to be transformed to ‘energy, hope, and humor.’ Finally, the fact that adults challenged children on their story versions was felt to communicate a cultural message about the necessity of standing up for oneself and that the ‘right to be heard and to have one’s point of view accepted cannot be taken for granted.’ Of particular
Analysis of an electrochemistry model with zero-flux boundary conditions

In this paper we proved the existence and uniquenus of solutions of a timedependent electrochemistry model with multiple species under the zero-flux boundary conditions. The species, or charged ions, migrate under the influence of diffusion and an imposed electric field which is also an unknown function. Uniqueness and global stability of the steady-state solation of this model in the single species case are also established.
Direct determination of ultra-trace levels of metals in fresh water using desolvating micronebulization and HR-ICP-MS: application to Lake Superior waters

We report a method for the rapid ultra-trace ( 2 × 106 cps ppb−1 In) combined with a careful blank control provide unprecedented detection limits (e.g., Fe = 0.81 ppt and Pb = 0.014 ppt) that are approximately 10 fold better than previously published methods. Such low detection limits are required for the investigation of biogeochemical cycling of elements in some natural systems. One example is Lake Superior, where dissolved trace element and phosphorus concentrations in offshore waters are all less than 1 ppb, with some metals (such as Co, Re, Tl and Pb) reaching levels lower than 1 ppt. Depth profiles from Lake Superior exhibit the lowest concentrations of certain metals (Fe, Mn, Co, Zn, Re, Tl and Pb) ever measured in natural fresh waters. The precision of the method is better than ±20% (2σ) for all analytes of interest except Co (30%; 2σ) and accuracy determined from the analysis of certified reference material SLRS-4 indicates excellent (within certified 2σ) agreement for all elements.
The use of exploratory factor analysis in public health: a note on parallel analysis as a factor retention criterion.

Abstract Purpose. Exploratory factor analysis is used to identify latent factors for public health interventions. The most popular factor retention criterion, the eigenvalue greater than one (EVG1) rule, leads to the retention of more factors than warranted. The use of parallel analysis (PA) as a factor retention criterion is recommended. Design. Environmental factors that are likely to affect the propensity of individuals to walk are identified. Results from PA are compared with those obtained by using the EVG1 rule. Setting. Telephone survey data were collected from three communities (spanning 12 counties) in the Appalachian region. Participants. The sample was composed of adults between the ages of 40 and 65 years. There were 1019 completed surveys. Measures. The data on 14 variables, including measures of neighborhood safety, beauty, and access to walking facilities were collected. Analysis. A principal components analysis was performed. The factors retained after using the EVG1 rule were compared wit...
Mutations with dominant effects on the behavior and morphology of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT We have analyzed 31 mutations that have dominant effects on the behavior or morphology of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans . These mutations appear to define 15 genes. We have studied ten of these genes in some detail and have been led to two notable conclusions. First, loss of gene function for four of these ten genes results in a wild-type phenotype; if these genes represent a random sample from the genome, then we would estimate that null mutations in about half of the genes in C. elegans would result in a nonmutant phenotype. Second, the dominant effects of mutations in nine of these ten genes are caused by novel gene functions, and in all nine cases the novel function is antagonized by the wild-type function.
Modeling and Analysis of Frame Aggregation in Unsaturated WLANs with Finite Buffer Stations

Frame aggregation is one of the several enhancements proposed by IEEE 802.11 Task Group n to improve channel utilization. In frame aggregation, more than one data frame is encapsulated to form an aggregate, and once an aggregate is formed, a station contends to access the medium to transmit the entire aggregate. We refer to the number of data frames encapsulated within an aggregated frame as aggregate size. We claim that a static assignment of aggregate size leads to the following performance trade-off: a small value might be insufficient to mitigate the transmission overheads, thereby nullifying the whole purpose of frame aggregation; whereas, a large value might affect the quality of service experienced by higher layers due to the extra wait time to build an aggregate. In this paper, we characterize this trade-off by studying the impact of aggregate size on metrics like frame latency and channel utilization. To estimate these metrics, we model the transmission queue of an 802.11n station as a bulk service queuing system. We study the impact of aggregate size over a wide range of operating conditions covering several traffic arrival rates from higher layers, service distribution and data frame sizes. Apart from validating the existence of above-mentioned performance trade-off, our results indicate that the choice of aggregate size not only depends on the traffic arrival rate, but also (more interestingly) on data frame sizes. This calls for a dynamic assignment of aggregate size.
Preferential enhancement of B cell IgA secretion by intestinal epithelial cell-derived cytokines and interleukin-2.

Intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) are known to secrete a number of important cytokines. Recently, we determined that IEC-derived IL-6 and TGF-β could enhance IgA secretion and suppress IgM secretion by isolated mucosal B cells. However, since the IEC-derived cytokines must function in the context of locally produced T cell cytokines, the effect of IEC-and T cell-derived cytokines on mucosal B cell immunoglobulin secretion was determined. Using 4 day culture supernatants (IEC-SN) from the rat IEC-6 intestinal epithelial cell line and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated Peyer's patch or mesenteric lymph node B cells, the IEC-SN was found to act with IL-2 to greatly enhance IgA secretion but limit or suppress IgM secretion as compared to cultures of LPS stimulated B cells alone. However, neither IL-4, IL-5, nor IFN-γ affected IgA secretion with the IEC-SN. Deletion of the IEC-SN with specific anti-cytokine antibodies suggested that IEC-derived TGF-β and IL-6 were both responsible for the enhancing effect alo...
On social neuroscience methodologies and their applicability to group processes and intergroup relations

Group processes and intergroup relations are one of the most important topics examined by social psychologists. Recent advancements in social neuroscience methodologies provide valuable insight into these processes by allowing researchers to examine different psychological phenomena via neural processes that instantiate them while individuals interact with ingroup and outgroup members. This includes responses that occur outside conscious awareness or are deemed undesirable to overtly express. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the different social neuroscience methodologies that afford these possibilities. Specifically, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and genetic approaches will be discussed. Each section includes a discussion of what the methodology is and how it is used to assess neural function. A secondary goal of the review is to highlight recent stu...
hMaxi-K gene transfer in males with erectile dysfunction: results of the first human trial.

Eleven patients with moderate to severe erectile dysfunction (ED) were given a single-dose corpus cavernosum injection of hMaxi-K, a "naked" DNA plasmid carrying the human cDNA encoding hSlo (for human slowpoke), the gene for the α, or pore-forming, subunit of the human smooth muscle Maxi-K channel. Three patients each were given 500, 1000, and 5000 µg, and two patients were given 7500 µg, of hMaxi-K and monitored for 24 weeks. The primary objectives of this phase I study were safety and tolerability of escalating hMaxi-K doses as assessed by clinical evaluations and laboratory tests. Secondary efficacy objectives were measured primarily by use of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scale. Patient responses were validated by partner responses. There were no serious adverse events and no dose-related adverse events attributed to gene transfer for any patient at any dose or study visit. No clinically significant changes from baseline were seen in physical evaluations (general and genitourina...
Optimization of photovoltaic power generation using a Measurement and Management Technology (MMT) platform

In this article we describe preliminary results for a general data acquisition and management platform applied to system level solar farm energy optimization. The system optimization takes into account weather, solar radiance, sky cloud coverage, and solar panel characteristics. Despite continuous improvement in photovoltaic (PV) systems, the generated power of many installations is underperforming due to factors like: light obstruction, orientation and tilt of the solar panels, variation in manufacturing and installation process and debris or soiling on the solar panels. To overcome the above challenges, we leverage the capabilities of an energy management analytic platform to monitor in real time the power generation from solar panels under real operating conditions. The generated power of the solar panel is correlated with predictive weather models where the influence of sky coverage, temperature and opacity of air are integrated in physical models to predict the solar panel performance. Furthermore, i...
Estrogen- and progesterone-mediated structural neuroplasticity in women: evidence from neuroimaging

There is substantial evidence that the ovarian sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, which vary considerably over the course of the human female lifetime, contribute to changes in brain structure and function. This structured, quantitative literature reviews aims to summarize neuroimaging literature addressing physiological variation in brain macro- and microstructure across an array of hormonal transitions including the menstrual cycle, use of hormonal contraceptives, pregnancy, and menopause. Twenty-five studies reporting structural neuroimaging of women, addressing variation across hormonal states, were identified from a structured search of PUBMED and were systematically reviewed. Although the studies are heterogenous with regard to methodology, overall the results point to overlapping areas of hormone related effects on brain structure particularly affecting the structures of the limbic system. These findings are in keeping with functional data that point to a role for estrogen and progesterone in mediating emotional processing.
Simple Models of Adsorption

As an illustration of canonical and grand canonical ensembles, we discuss a few variants of a simple model of adsorption. Despite their simplicity, these models provide important insights into diverse phenomena ranging from oxygen binding to hemoglobin to vapor–liquid phase coexistence.
A Child With a Bulging Hyperemic Tympanic Membrane

A 5-year-old girl with a history of autism presented to an outside emergency department with a 10-day history of otitis media and recent fevers. She was eventually transferred to our hospital after a computerized tomographic (CT) scan was performed showing potential clinically significant ear abnormalities. On evaluation, the patient had a bulging, hyperemic left tympanic membrane, along with fullness of the postauricular, upper cervical region. Facial nerve function was intact. No focal neurologic deficits or meningeal signs were observed. A CT scan of the temporal bones with contrast was performed at our facility (Figure). Axial CT scan A Axial CT scan B Axial CT scan C
Liberation of Oriental Scolioid Wasps in the United States from 1920 to 1946 (Hymenoptera: Scoliidae, Tiphiidae)

During the period 1920-1933 numerous specimens of a dozen odd species of scolioid wasps were imported from the Orient and liberated in the northeastern United States for control of the introduced Popillia japonica Newm. [Japanese beetle], Anomala orientalis Waterh. [oriental beetle], Autoserica castanea (Arrow) [Asiatic garden beetle] and Serica peregrina Chapin. Subsequent to 1933 liberations were made of Tiphia castaneaevora Parker, T. popilliavora Rohwer, T. stemata Parker and T. vernalis Rohwer only.
Abstract 4532: Induced folding of the glucocorticoid receptor's AF1 domain facilitates its interaction with steroid receptor coactivator-1

The mechanism by which glucocorticoids brings about apoptotic cell death of lymphoid cells is still not well understood. However, it has been established that ligand-activated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) regulates transcription of target genes by binding to site-specific DNA and/or coregulatory proteins. Like other members of the steroid hormone receptors (SHRs), the GR possesses a modular structure characterized by three major functional domains: N-terminal domain (NTD), DNA binding domain (DBD), and ligand binding domain (LBD). The transactivation activity of SHRs is mainly controlled by two activation function domains, AF1 and AF2 located in the NTD and LBD, respectively. The precise mechanism by which SHRs regulate the transcription of the target genes is largely unknown. This is, in part, due to the lack of structural and functional information about AF1 domain. Due to the availability of the LBD structure, the relevant structural and functional properties of AF2 have been well characterized whereas it is nebulous in case of AF1 due to unavailability of its 3-D structure. The GR AF1 exists as an ensemble of largely unstructured conformers or intrinsically disordered (ID). The GR AF1 recruits other coregulatory proteins, including proteins from the basal transcriptional machinery, e.g. TATA box binding protein (TBP) by creating binding surfaces for these proteins. Other studies have also shown that transactivation domains of several transcription factors including SHRs undergo a disorder/order transition upon interaction with proteins from the basal transcriptional machinery. We have earlier shown that conditional folding of the GR AF1 is the key for its interactions with its critical coactivator proteins. It is interesting that the ID GR AF1 directly interacts with the TBP, the critical protein that forms the basis for the multiprotein transcription initiation complex. However, the precise mechanism of this process is unknown. One possibility may be that TBP binding-induced structured conformation in AF1 is involved in creating a platform for the GR AF1-associated coactivators. In this study we tested whether TBP binding induces structure formation in the GR AF1 such that AF19s interaction with SRC-1, a critical coactivator which is important for GR-mediated transcriptional activity, is facilitated. Our data show that TBP binding induced structure formation in the GR AF1facilitates its interaction with SRC-1, and subsequent AF1-mediated transcriptional activity. Our results provide a potential mechanism through which GR and other SHRs may regulate the expression of the GR-target genes, information essential to understand how specific signals are passed from the receptor to target genes. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4532. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4532
Effects of Sampling Blood on Survival of Small Mammals

We assessed mortality due to handling and survival of small mammals that had been anesthetized and then bled through the orbital sinus during a 1-year study in southeastern Arizona. Rates of return and mortality due to handling were not significantly different between treatment and control for any species. Estimates of survival based on Cormack-Jolly-Seber capture-recapture models indicated no significant difference ( P < 0.05) in survival for white-throated woodrats ( Neotoma albigula ) and combined species of mice in the genus Peromyscus . However, for pocket mice ( Chaetodipus ) mean rates of survival were significantly lower for animals that had been bled. Removing samples of blood from wild rodents appears to have little effect on survival for most species. Lower survival in pocket mice may be due to the effects of anesthesia or the combined effects of bleeding and anesthesia on this desert-adapted animal.
Abstract 5255: Methionine restriction limits prostate tumor cell proliferation

Introduction: Methionine restriction has been shown to have growth inhibitory effects in a number of tumor cell lines in vitro. Methionine restriction has previously been demonstrated to slow PC-3 prostate tumor cell growth in vivo, however not at dietary levels tolerable to humans. Up to 90% dietary methionine restriction has been demonstrated to be both tolerable and safe in a preliminary human clinical trial. We hypothesized that 80%-90% methionine restriction could limit prostate tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Methods: We reduced methionine levels by 40%, 80%, 90% and 100% in prostate cancer cell lines in vitro, relative to standard RPMI medium. Cell proliferation and viability were measured using MTS and trypan blue assays, respectively. PC-3 cells were grafted into a xenograft nude mouse model and animals were randomized to standard chow, 80% or 90% methionine restricted diets. Plasma methionine levels were measured before and after the dietary intervention. Tumor volume was measured throughout the study and mice were sacrificed when tumors reached 1000 mm 3 . Results: Methionine restriction exerted a dose and time-dependent effect on PC-3 tumor cell proliferation and viability in vitro. Methionine restriction of 80% and 90% for a period of 6 days reduced PC-3 tumor cell line proliferation by 20% and 40%, respectively, as measured by MTS assay (p Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5255. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5255
Packet-based load balancing in data center networks

In this paper, we evaluate the performance of packet-based load balancing in data center networks (DCNs). Throughput and flow completion time are some of the main the metrics considered to evaluate the performance of the transport of flows over the presence of long flows in a DCN. Load balancing in a DCN may improve those metrics but it may also generate out-of-order packet forwarding. Therefore, we investigate the impact of outof- order packet delivery on the throughput and flow completion time of long and short flows, respectively, in aDCN.We focus on per-packet load balancing. Our simulations show the presence of out-of-order packet delivery in a DCN using this load balancing approach. Simulation results also reveal that packetbased load balancing may yield smaller average flow completion time for short flows and larger average throughput for long flows than the single-path transport model used byTransmission Control Protocol (TCP), which prevents the presence of out-of-order packet delivery. Queueing diversity in the multipath structure of DCNs promotes susceptibility of out-of-order delivery. As the delay difference between alternative paths decreases, the occurrence of out-of-order packet delivery in packet-based load balancing also decreases. Therefore, under the studied scenarios, the benefits of the packet-based load balancing seem to outweigh the out-of-order problem.
Towards a systematic approach to real-time sonification design for surface electromyography

Abstract Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a technique for measuring the electrical activity of muscles and is often used as a biofeedback tool. However, challenges associated with the typically visual display of sEMG data have motivated researchers to find non-visual ways of displaying sEMG data, and parameter-mapping sonification has been explored in order to present sEMG data acoustically. Parameter-mapping sonification is a technique that involves mapping values in a data set to acoustic properties of sound. Sonification of EMG data has shown potential for identifying musculoskeletal disease and improving athletic and exercise performance. However, many sonification designs to date have not been systematically evaluated and there have been few quantitative approaches to objective comparisons of sonification paradigms. In this study, we performed a quantitative comparison of different sonification designs in order to test our hypothesis that different sonification designs may be better suited to different tasks. Thirty-six participants (ages 18–31, 14 male) who volunteered to listen to the sEMG sonifications created for this study were asked to identify two different features of the data: muscle activation time and muscle exertion level. Their responses were analyzed in order to determine the effect of sonification design on listener performance. Results indicated that having the sonifications spatialized resulted in the best performance for both tasks. However, different sonification designs resulted in the best performance for the muscle activation time estimation task (Pitch and Loudness mapped redundantly) and the muscle exertion level estimation task (Pitch, Loudness, and Attack mapped redundantly). Further, for the time estimation task, the use of the Attack mapping appeared to reliably inhibit performance. These findings strongly suggest that sonification designs for sEMG need to be designed differently based on the task the user is performing.
Disorder Effects on Electronic and Transport Properties in Superconductors

In this chapter, we discuss the disorder effects. The disorder comprises of a distribution of nonmagnetic impurities. As such, ensemble averaged effects will be relevant. We focus on the suppression of superconductivity by considering the response of superconducting order parameter, transition temperature, and superfluid density in both s-wave and d-wave superconductors. Finally, we also discuss the localization/delocalization of gapless quasiparticles in a disordered d-wave superconductor within a single-parameter scaling approach.
The operation and use of a 2 terabyte optical archival store

The authors report on the operation and use of the Optical Archival Store (OAS), a very large archival storage system. The system uses a robot which moves optical disk cassettes to and from three read/write units. The software was designed to make the system very easy to use. The users or clients see the system as a large file server, and see the system as a single 2 terabyte (16 TB) volume with a 1 gigabyte file-length limitation. Thus the users concern themselves only with filenames and not with cassette numbers or track numbers. The system is automatic and available 24 h/day, seven days a week to a community of scientists in many university departments. The users pay for their use and can choose between the OAS, centralized magnetic disk systems, their own magnetic disks, and various magnetic tape systems. Use is voluntary, and the users make their choice in terms of the perceived values and perceived costs. >
Sustainability and Innovation

Over a couple of centuries, technological innovations have produced an enormous beneficial change in man’s lifestyle and level of comfort. That outcome required the use of massive use of the earth’s natural resources. Wastes being a consequence of development, much pollution resulted in air, water and land. In the beginning the innovations were mainly about profit maximization, later they were also geared to resource use minimization. Sustainable development teaches an optimization that is supposed to provide economic benefits along with environmental protection and societal uplifting. This is the biggest challenge to innovation. Businesses and entrepreneurs are engaged and many innovations are happening especially in the product and process level. Much larger challenges remain in the bigger areas of concern such as drastic reduction of greenhouse gases, making non-fossil energy financially sound, approximating zero discharge, and solving problems of water quality and quantity.
Cooperatively assembled, nitrogen-doped, ordered mesoporous carbon/iron oxide nanocomposites for low-cost, long cycle life sodium-ion batteries

Abstract Single pot, multi-component assembly of resol (carbon source), Pluronic F127, tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), dicyandiamide (nitrogen source) and iron nitrate (iron oxide source) yields nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon/iron oxide nanocomposites on carbonization. Etching the silica derived from the TEOS generates micropores in the carbon framework. The incorporation of iron oxide and nitrogen doping of the carbon tends to decrease the surface area; at approximately 3.7 wt% nitrogen and 21 wt% iron oxide (OMC-3.7-21), the surface area decreases from 2162 m 2 /g for the undoped ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) to 974 m 2 /g and the pore volume decreases from 1.62 cm 3 /g to 0.6 cm 3 /g due to deformation of the nanostructure by crystallization of γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles and N-doping of the carbon. Despite the decreased surface area, the reversible capacity when used as anodes in a sodium ion battery is increased from 110 mAh/g (undoped OMC) to 275 mAh/g (OMC-3.7-21) due to high capacity from the γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles and the improved capacity associated with nitrogen doping of carbon. These nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon/iron oxide nanocomposites exhibit good cycle stability with almost 99% capacity retention after 350 charge/discharge cycles. The combination of low-cost and excellent electrochemical performance makes these mesoporous nanocomposites promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.