cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response of Zircon to Electron and Ne + Irradiation

Zircon (ZrSiO{sub 4}) is an actinide host phase in vitreous ceramic nuclear waste forms and a potential host phase for the disposition of excess weapons plutonium. In the present work, the effects of 800 and 900 keV electron and 1 MeV Ne{sup +} irradiations on the structure of single crystals of ZrSiO{sub 4} have been investigated. The microstructural evolution during the irradiations was studied in situ using a high-voltage electron microscope interfaced to an ion accelerator at Argonne National Laboratory. The results indicate that electron irradiation at 15 K cannot amorphize ZrSiO{sub 4} even at fluences an order of magnitude higher than that required for amorphization by 1.5 MeV Kr{sup +} ions. However, the material is readily amorphized by 1 MeV Ne{sup +} irradiation at 15 K. The temperature dependence of this amorphization is discussed in light of previous studies of radiation damage in ZrSiO{sub 4}.
Ordering in time: A new routing approach for wireless networks

The ordering of nodes with respect to destinations of interest by means of spatial information (e.g., distances, path constituency, complete or partial topology) has been a fundamental aspect of all routing protocols in wireless networks. This spatial ordering has also included the use of geographical or virtual coordinates denoting the location of nodes. We propose the use of ordering of nodes based on time rather than space, and without the need to establish any clock synchronization among nodes. We demonstrate for the first time that using the relative times when each node receives and transmits packets is sufficient to establish multiple loop-free paths to destinations, and that such time-based ordering renders more efficient loop-free routing than the spatial ordering of nodes. With the use of self-adjusted delays, nodes can manipulate their ordering so that the resulting routing choices are more robust to failures than routing choices based solely on times driven by the physical topology. Furthermore, we show that the problem of resetting sequence numbers, which is a network-wide operation with traditional spatial ordering, is trivial with temporal ordering. We introduce the Time Ordered Routing Protocol (TORP) and compare it against routing protocols based on spatial ordering to demonstrate that temporal ordering can lead to superior performance in multi-hop wireless networks.
Aversive gustatory stimulation activates limbic circuits in humans

Animal studies implicate the amygdala and its connections in the recognition of aversive stimuli. A recent PET study demonstrated that the human amygdala and left orbitofrontal cortex show substantial increases in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during exposure to aversive odourants. To examine if aversive gustatory stimuli similarly activate these regions, nine healthy women tasted an aversive saline solution, pure water and chocolate while rCBF was measured with PET. The aversive saline condition, when contrasted with the water condition, increased activity in the right amygdala, left anterior orbitofrontal cortex, medial thalamus, pregenual and dorsal anterior cingulate, and the right hippocampus. The right amygdala, left orbitofrontal cortex and pregenual cingulate remained significantly activated when saline was compared with chocolate. The present results indicate that the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex respond to aversive stimuli in both the olfactory and gustatory modalities, and highlight the role of the pregenual cingulate in negative emotional processing.
A Novel Mechanism for Integrin-Mediated Ras Activation in Breast Carcinoma Cells: The α6β4 Integrin Regulates ErbB2 Translation and Transactivates Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor/ErbB2 Signaling

ErbB2 (HER2, Neu) and Ras play key roles in tumor invasion and metastasis. We identified a novel mechanism by which integrin alpha(6)beta(4) regulates ErbB2 expression, Ras activation, and the invasion of breast carcinoma cells. Here we show that integrin alpha(6)beta(4) regulates Ras activity especially in serum-depleted condition. Down-regulation of beta(4) integrin by beta(4) short hairpin RNA (shRNA) decreased Ras activity and carcinoma invasion whereas reexpression of this integrin restored Ras activity. ErbB2, a binding partner of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and EGFR modulated Ras activity, and integrin alpha(6)beta(4) regulated phospho-EGFR level without affecting EGFR expression. We also found that integrin alpha(6)beta(4) is involved in ErbB2 expression. Depletion of beta(4) by shRNA reduced ErbB2 protein level without affecting ErbB2 mRNA level and reexpression of beta(4) increased ErbB2 protein level. Reduction of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E, a rate-limiting factor for cap-dependent translation, decreased ErbB2 protein level, and beta(4) shRNA cells exhibited a shift in ErbB2 mRNA to light polysomes compared with control cells. These results show that integrin alpha(6)beta(4) regulates ErbB2 through translational control. In summary, we propose a novel mechanism for ErbB2 up-regulation and Ras activation in serum-depleted breast cancer cells; integrin alpha(6)beta(4) regulates the expression of ErbB2 and the subsequent phosphorylation of EGFR and activation of Ras. These findings provide a mechanism that substantiates the reported role of alpha(6)beta(4) in carcinoma invasion.
Long-Acting Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists

Targeting the incretin system has become an important therapeutic approach for treating type 2 diabetes. Two drug classes have been developed: glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. Clinical data have revealed that these therapies improve glycemic control while reducing body weight (GLP-1 receptor agonists, specifically) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, incidence of hypoglycemia is relatively low with these treatments (except when used in combination with a sulfonylurea) because of their glucose-dependent mechanism of action. There are currently two GLP-1 receptor agonists available (exenatide and liraglutide), with several more currently being developed. This review considers the efficacy and safety of both the short- and long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonists. Head-to-head clinical trial data suggest that long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonists produce superior glycemic control when compared with their short-acting counterparts. Furthermore, these long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonists were generally well tolerated, with transient nausea being the most frequently reported adverse effect. Careful consideration should be given to the selection of therapies for managing type 2 diabetes. In particular, antidiabetic agents that offer improved glycemic control without increasing cardiovascular risk factors or rates of hypoglycemia are warranted. At present, many available treatments for type 2 diabetes fail to maintain glycemic control in the longer term because of gradual disease progression as β-cell function declines. Where sulfonylureas or thiazolidinediones (common oral antidiabetic drugs) are used, the risk of hypoglycemia and weight gain can increase (1,2). The development of new therapies for the treatment of type 2 diabetes that, in addition to maintaining glycemic control, could reduce body weight and hypoglycemia risk (3,4), may help with patient management. Indeed, guidelines have been developed that support the consensus that blood pressure, weight reduction, and avoidance of hypoglycemic events should be targeted in …
Drought susceptibility and recovery of transplanted Quercus rubra seedlings in relation to root system morphology

• Transplant shock, implicated by depressed seedling physiological status associated with moisture stress immediately following planting, limits early plantation establishment. Large root volume (Rv) has potential to alleviate transplant shock because of higher root growth potential and greater access to soil water. • We investigated impacts of drought and transplant Rv on photosynthetic assimilation (A), transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (gs), predawn leaf xylem water potential (ΨL), and growth of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedlings to explain mechanisms associated with susceptibility to transplant shock. One year-old barerooot seedlings were graded into four Rv categories and either well watered or subjected to drought consisting of low, medium, or high moisture stress by discontinuing irrigation at 22-day intervals for 3 months. Thereafter, all treatments were re-watered to examine recovery.
On making a thumb: one hundred years of surgical effort.

The history and methods of thumb reconstruction from 1874 to the present are reviewed, with particular attention given to several procedures and the surgeons who initiated and developed them.
Mesoscopic fluorescence molecular imaging of tissue engineered vascular construct

In this work, we will report on the design and validation of a Laminar Optical Tomography systems developed at RPI to image tissue-engineered constructs. The systems characteristics and image reconstruction methods will be presented and discussed. In silico and in vitro validation of the imaging platform based on phantom studies mimicking the optical properties of various bio-tissues will demonstrate the potential of the system for tissue engineering applications, especially for imaging thick vascular constructs.
Enhanced total internal reflection by an active medium

Totally internal reflected beam can be amplified if the lower-index medium has gain. We examine the energy flux and the Goos Manchen shift for various cases.
Exposure to inhaled particulate matter impairs cardiac function in senescent mice

Daily exposure to particulate matter (PM) is known to adversely affect cardiac function and is also known to be exaggerated with senescence. This study tests the hypothesis that cardiac function is...
Paleomagnetism of the Cambro-Ordovician McClure Mountain alkalic complex, Colorado

The Middle to Late Cambrian loop in the North American apparent polar wander path (APWP) has been variously attributed to tectonic rotations, remagnetizations and primary magnetizations. Although no primary thermal remanent magnetizations or primary detrital remanent magnetizations have as yet been demonstrated, the temporally self-consistent nature of the loop has been used as an argument for primary magnetizations. We have studied 535 + 5 Ma nepheline syenites and syenites of the McClure Mountain alkalic complex, as well as 495 ___ 10 Ma red trachyte dikes which intruded the complex, in an effort to find a primary TRM. Because Zijderveld analysis yielded consistent results for only one trachyte dike, remagnetization great-circle analysis was employed, giving a pole for the trachyte dikes at the tip of the loop (43°N, l14°E), while the syenites and nepheline synenites gave a pole at the base of the loop (18°N, 142°E). The magnetic carrier in the trachytes is hematite which apparently formed during a pervasive hydrothermal alteration. K-Ar whole rock dating of the trachytes suggests a Pennsylvanian age for the alteration, and thus a late Paleozoic remagnetization of the trachytes. Thus, the low-latitude Cambrian pole is confirmed, but we find no evidence in this study to support the primary nature of the Cambrian APWP.
Analysis of pharmaceutical compounds from glass, fabric, steel, and wood surfaces at atmospheric pressure using spatially resolved, nonresonant femtosecond laser vaporization electrospray mass spectrometry.

Laser electrospray mass spectrometry (LEMS) is demonstrated for pharmaceutical samples at atmospheric pressure. A nonresonant, femtosecond duration laser pulse vaporizes native samples at atmospheric pressure into an electrospray plume for ionization with subsequent transfer into a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The active ingredients in pharmaceutical tablets were detected in the presence of binders and fillers in intact formulations using LEMS. Mass spectra were also obtained for microgram amounts of the pharmaceutical compounds loratadine, oxycodone, and atenolol deposited on glass, wood, steel, and polyester fabric. The neutral capture efficiency by the electrospray plume for nonresonant laser vaporization of oxycodone and atenolol desorbed from steel is 2.4% ± 1.5% and 0.25% ± 0.18%, respectively. LEMS imaging of the spatial distribution of an oxycodone spot on a metal slide with resolution of 250 μm is also presented.
Binding of STAT5a and STAT5b to a Single Element Resembling a γ-Interferon-Activated Sequence Mediates the Growth Hormone Induction of the Mouse Acid-Labile Subunit Promoter in Liver Cells

After birth, the endocrine actions of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and -II become increasingly important. In postnatal animals, most of circulating IGFs occur in 150-kDa complexes formed by association of an acid-labile subunit (ALS) with complexes of IGF and IGF-binding protein-3. ALS is synthesized almost exclusively in liver. GH stimulates the transcription of the ALS gene, resulting in increased hepatic mRNA and circulating ALS levels. To map the GH response element, a series of 5′-deletion fragments of the mouse ALS promoter (nt −2001 to −49, A+1TG) were inserted in the luciferase reporter plasmid pGL3 and transfected into the H4-II-E rat hepatoma cell line. GH stimulated the activity of promoter fragments with 5′-ends between nucleotide (nt) −2001 and nt −653 by 1.9- to 2.7-fold. This stimulation was abolished by deletion of the region located between nt− 653 and nt −483. This region contains two sites, ALS-GAS1 and ALS-GAS2, that resemble the γ-interferon activated sequence (GAS). Mutation of...
Gender and Globalization Opportunities and Constraints Faced by Women in the Construction Industry in India

This article identifies the opportunities and constraints faced by female construction workers in urban India through empirical research conducted in the city of Ahmedabad. The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) conducted two surveys in 1998 and 2003 to understand the needs and priorities of construction workers in the context of economic globalization. A third survey was conducted in 2007 to assess the impacts of construction training programs conducted by the SEWA Housing Trust. While enthusiastically endorsing the role that training and certification can play in providing skilled women with quality employment opportunities, the author emphasizes the need for wider policy intervention at the state and national level to ensure that such programs have replicable, sustainable, and gender-equitable results.
Metallomics and metalloproteomics

Metallomics and metalloproteomics are emerging fields addressing the role, uptake, transport and storage of trace metals essential for protein functions. The methodologies utilized in metallomics and metalloproteomics to provide information on the identity, quantity and function of metalloproteins are discussed. The most widely used approach is through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to identify the metal bound to a protein, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to elucidate the structure, dynamics and function of a metal-protein complex. Other approaches include X-ray absorption and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopies, and bioinformatics sequence analysis. X-ray absorption spectroscopy utilizing a synchrotron radiation source is a powerful tool to provide a direct analysis of metal bound to proteins and proteomic metal distribution in biological matrices. With the advent of genome sequencing, a large database of protein primary structures has been established, and specific tools to identify metalloproteins in the genome sequences have been developed.
Latin America's Christian Democratic Parties: A Political Economy

Roots of Christian Democratic Theory Roots in Catholic Social Thought European Christian Democracy: Foreshadowing Failure in Latin America The Political Economy of Latin American Christian Democracy Christian Democracy in Latin America: Compromising with the State Christian Democratic Land Reform Control of Natural Resources: Christian Democratic Nationalization Policy Christian Democratic Attitudes toward Commercial Capitalism Latin American Christian Democracy and Neoliberalism Christian Democracy and Neoliberalism: Central America Christian Democracy and Neoliberalism: South America Selected Bibliography
Stargardt-like macular dystrophy protein ELOVL4 exerts a dominant negative effect by recruiting wild-type protein into aggresomes

Purpose: Mutations in the gene Elongation of very long-chain fatty acids-4 (ELOVL4) have been shown to be associated with autosomal dominant Stargardt-like macular dystrophy (STGD3). ELOVL4 is expressed in photoreceptors and encodes a putative transmembrane protein of 314 amino acids with an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal. A 5 bp deletion in exon 6 of ELOVL4 observed in some STGD3 patients results in the truncation of the protein and loss of the ER retention signal. To understand the disease mechanism underlying STGD3 we studied the intracellular trafficking of the wild-type and a 5 bp deletion mutant of ELOVL4. Methods: Wild-type and mutant ELOVL4 proteins with the N-terminal GFP/V5 tags were expressed in COS-7 cells. Expression and the intracellular localization of the wild-type and mutant proteins were characterized by immunocytochemistry and western blot analysis using tag- and organelle-specific antibodies. Interaction between the wild-type and mutant proteins was studied by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis. Results: The mutant ELOVL4 protein exerted a dominant negative effect when the wild-type and 5 bp deletion mutant ELOVL4 proteins were co-expressed in COS-7 cells. Immunocytochemical analysis, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and FRET revealed that the mutant ELOVL4 interacts with the wild-type protein, forming higher molecular mass complexes that accumulate in aggresomes. Conclusions: In the presence of mutant ELOVL4 protein, the wild-type protein was recruited into perinuclear cytoplasmic inclusions that resemble aggresomes. The interaction between the wild-type and mutant forms of ELOVL4 and the resultant alteration in the trafficking of the wild-type ELOVL4 protein suggest a mechanism for the pathogenicity observed in patients with autosomal dominant STGD3.
The introduction of infinite durability to an information good and the decision to buy or rent: evidence from the film industry

ABSTRACTHome entertainment markets have seen dramatic declines in revenues over the last 10 years due to the digital revolution, making new adaptation strategies of crucial importance to maintaining existing profitability. Recently, the film industry has worked with related firms to develop a standardized ecosystem for the sale and access to digital versions of their films. This system, known as UltraViolet, embodies infinite durability; the perpetual access to a purchased film across computing platforms and time. The author makes use of exogenous variation in the implementation of this system to study the effect the introduction of this new feature has had on the decision to buy or rent. His findings show that the inclusion of infinite durability creates enough value to spur increased purchasing behavior. Also, the inclusion of infinite durability creates a high degree of substitutability amongst products that include it in purchase markets. Lastly, the author found evidence that the lack of inclusion of...
A responsiveness-based (composite) indicator with an application to countries' innovative performance

The aim of this paper is twofold: on one hand, from a methodological-statistical perspective, it develops a responsiveness-based index for a series of input factors on a specific target variable (assumed to capture the phenomenon the analyst wishes to look at), by means of an extended version of a random coefficient regression approach; on the other hand, it applies this methodology to the case of countries' innovation performance, where the target variable is the country number of patents (as proxy of "innovativeness"), and where inputs are chosen according to the literature dealing with the measurement of country technological capabilities. The novelty of the approach presented in the paper regards the possibility of extracting from data a country-specific "reactivity effect" or "responsiveness" (that is, mathematically, a derivative) to each single input feeding into the regression. Thus, the paper provides a promising approach for ranking countries according to their responsiveness to specific inputs, an approach that can be complementary to the analysis on "level" performed, for instance, in the canonical composite indicators' literature. As for results on countries' innovation function, besides a (new) ranking of countries, this approach allows also for testing - in an original and straightforward way - the (possible) presence of increasing (decreasing) returns. Two years are considered and compared, 1995 and 2007, on 42 countries. Our tests conclude that in both years innovative increasing returns are at work, although in 2007 their strength drops considerably compared to 1995. According to a huge literature on the subject (both neoclassical and evolutionary), we conclude that a self-reinforcing mechanism in new knowledge production, absorption and diffusion is at the basis of these results. As for the structural change found between 1995 and 2007, we deem it to depend on the growing globalization of production and innovation processes and on the brilliant growth of some developing countries worldwide, with a remarkable role played - according to our results - by post-communist economies.
The need for a Realistic United States International Airlines Policy: Is Deregulation the Answer?

The U.S. international airlines system can continue to promote American growth by functioning as a vital international transportation mode. What is needed is a critical evaluation of the present deregulatory policy. This paper reviews American international regulatory history and suggests a specific approach that might satisfy both corporate and national objectives.
Collaborative Innovation and Knowledge Creation: Theory and Testing with a Natural Experiment in Japan

The growing complexity of industrial research and development has created the need for collaboration between industry researchers and university faculty. Drivers of such collaborative joint research between universities and firms, resulting in co-authored publications, have received relatively little research attention. In this paper, we develop and test a simple theoretical model of university-industry co-authored publications and the impact of an intermediary - the university’s Technology Transfer Office (TTO) - on such joint research. Our analysis shows that TTO can have a negative impact on collaboration by actively pursuing intellectual property (IP) and increasing the transaction costs for the collaborating parties, but the TTO impact is shown to be felt differently by junior researchers in comparison with senior University researchers. These predictions are examined using data collected based on a natural experiment in Japan. Japanese universities were “forced” to introduce a TTO by their national government in the years 1998-2002. We consider this exogenous shock and examine the impact of joint research, using co-authorship of academic articles between researchers at universities and firms as an indicator of joint research. Using panel data, the results of our analysis weigh in on the model findings: the creation of TTO has a mixed and differential effect on joint research between university researchers and firms. Our theoretical model and empirical evidence offers one of the first models of joint research validated with a novel empirical dataset and suggests that intermediaries such as TTO may adversely impact joint publications between universities and firms, if not properly managed. Implications and next steps are discussed.
Regulation of myeloid cell growth by distinct effectors of Ras

To examine the biochemical pathways by which activated Ha-Ras(G12V) (Ha-RasV12) induces factor-independent growth of myeloid cells, Ha-Ras effector loop mutations, including Y40C, T35S, and E37G, were analysed in a mouse factor-dependent myeloid cell line, WT19. Expression of a single effector loop mutant, Ha-Ras(G12V, Y40C) (Ha-RasV12C40), inhibited factor-withdrawal apoptosis, suggesting that activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase (Pl3K) pathway is essential to prevent cell death. Neither Ha-Ras (G12V, T35S) (Ha-RasV12S35), which activates the Raf1 signaling pathway, nor Ha-Ras(G12V, E37G) (Ha-RasV12G37), which stimulates the RalGDS pathway, did not have significant effects on factor-withdrawal apoptosis of myeloid cells. Although Ha-RasV12C40 inhibited apoptosis, it did not stimulate entry into the cell cycle. Cell lines containing the combination of Ha-RasV12G37 and Ha-RasV12C40 were capable of factor-independent cell growth, while expression of the other combinations of the Ha-Ras effector mutants were not. The combined expression of Bcl-2 and Ha-RasV12G37 was not sufficient to stimulate factor independent growth, suggesting that Ha-RasV12C40 activates additional signals, besides blocking apoptosis, which are critical for factor-independent growth of myeloid cells. In factor-starved myeloid cells, inducible expression of Ha-RasV12G37 results in decreased level of p27Kip1 protein, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI). These data suggest that the factor-independent growth of myeloid cells requires the activation of at least two pathways, one inhibiting factor-withdrawal apoptosis, and another causing cell cycle progression.
Observation-Dependent Posterior Inflation for the Ensemble Kalman Filter

AbstractEnsemble-based Kalman filter (EBKF) algorithms are known to produce posterior ensembles whose variance is incorrect for a variety of reasons (e.g., nonlinearity and sampling error). It is shown here that the presence of sampling error implies that the true posterior error variance is a function of the latest observation, as opposed to the standard EBKF, whose posterior variance is independent of observations. In addition, it is shown that the traditional ensemble validation tool known as the “binned spread-skill” diagram does not correctly identify this issue in the ensemble generation step of the EBKF, leading to an overly optimistic impression of the relationship between posterior variance and squared error. An updated ensemble validation tool is described that reveals the incorrect relationship between mean squared error (MSE) and ensemble variance, and gives an unbiased evaluation of the posterior variances from EBKF algorithms. Last, a new inflation method is derived that accounts for samplin...
Production of Hydroxamate Siderophore Iron Chelators by Ectomycorrhizal Fungi

Numerous ectomycorrhizal fungi were surveyed for their ability to produce iron-chelating, hydroxamate siderophores (HS). Production of HS was determined by a bioassay based on the stimulation of th...
Evidence for d-Electron Localization in YBa2(Cu1−xZnx)3O7 for 0<x<0.16

Zn substitution for Cu in YBa2Cu3O7 rapidly reduces the superconducting transition temperature, Tc. Superconductivity is quenched between x=0.08 (T =30 K) and x=0.10. The normal state paramagnetism grows with Zn substu-tition, presumably due to increased localization on the Cu sublattice. Susceptibility studies of oxygen depleted (nonsuperconducting) Zn-substituted samples support this. Strong non-linear isothermal magnetization suggesting an internal magnetic field is found at T=4.2 K in samples with Zn concentration near to the critical value for suppression of superconductivity. The results are discussed in terms of increased localization of d-electrons on the Cu sites with increasing Zn concentration, which is consistent with recent EPR data.
Cellulose-Based Graft Copolymers : Structure and Chemistry

Cellulose-Based Graft Copolymers: Structure and Chemistry discusses the synthesis, characterization, and properties of multifunctional cellulose-based graft copolymers. Presenting the contributions of accomplished experts in the field of natural cellulosic polymers, this authoritative text: Offers an overview of cutting-edge technical accomplishmen
The evaluation of Tornheim double sums, Part 1

We provide an explicit formula for the Tornheim double series in terms of integrals involving the Hurwitz zeta function. We also study the limit when the parameters of the Tornheim sum become natural numbers, and show that in that case it can be expressed in terms of definite integrals of triple products of Bernoulli polynomials and the Bernoulli function Ak(q) := k � (1 − k, q).
Catalyst: Synthetic Organic Chemistry as a Force for Good

K.C. Nicolaou is currently the Harry C. Olga K. Wiess Professor of Chemistry at Rice University. He previously served concurrently as the founding chair of the Chemistry Department at the Scripps Research Institute and a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, San Diego (1989–2013). His research activities focus on the discovery and development of new synthetic strategies and technologies and their applications to the total synthesis of natural and designed molecules of biological and medical importance. He is a co-author of the Classics in Total Synthesis series (I–III) and Molecules That Changed the World.
Evaluation of Frequency Domain Analysis of a Multiwavelength Photoacoustic Signal for Differentiating Malignant From Benign and Normal Prostates Ex Vivo Study With Human Prostates

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of differentiating malignant prostate from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and normal prostate tissue by performing frequency domain analysis of photoacoustic images acquired at 2 different wavelengths. Methods We performed multiwavelength photoacoustic imaging on freshly excised human prostate specimens taken from a total of 30 patients undergoing prostatectomy for biopsy-confirmed prostate cancer. Histologic slides marked by a genitourinary pathologist were used as ground truth to define regions of interest (ROIs) in the photoacoustic images. Primarily, 3 different prostate tissue categories, namely malignant, BPH, and normal, were considered, while a fourth category named nonmalignant was formed by combining the ROIs corresponding to BPH and normal tissue together. We extracted 3 spectral parameters, namely slope, midband fit, and intercept, from power spectra of the radiofrequency photoacoustic signals corresponding to the 3 primary tissue categories. Results We analyzed data from 53 ROIs selected from the photoacoustic images of 30 patients. According to the histopathologic analysis, 19 ROIs were malignant, 8 were BPH, and 26 were normal. All the 3 spectral parameters and C-scan grayscale photoacoustic image pixel values were found to be significantly different (P < .01) between malignant and nonmalignant prostate as well as malignant and normal prostate. Conclusions Preliminary results of our ex vivo human prostate study suggest that spectral parameters obtained by performing frequency domain analysis of photoacoustic signals can be used to differentiate between malignant and nonmalignant prostate.
Increased Stem Cell Mobilization Proficiency in Aged Mice.

Abstract The ability of healthy, older individuals to undergo stem cell mobilization in response to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has not been specifically investigated. Aging is usually associated with an overall decline in tissue and cellular function. Therefore it is anticipated that the ability to mobilize stem cells in response to G-CSF may be reduced in aged individuals, although whether or not a negative correlation exists between age and mobilization is still under debate. We analyzed the influence of aging on the mobilization proficiency in healthy mice. Young 2–3 month old and aged 20–26 month old, which corresponds to a human age of 70, were mobilized according to standard procedures. The frequency of hematopoietic progenitor cells in peripheral blood (PB) of aged mice was 3- fold elevated over the frequency found in PB of young mice. The aged animals possessed the ability to mobilize increased numbers of primitive hematopoietic cells despite a slight, but significant anemia. This 3-fold difference in stem cell frequency in PB was further confirmed by long-term transplantation experiments. To determine if the increased ability to mobilize is intrinsic to aged hematopoietic stem cells or driven by age-associated, extrinsic changes in the BM microenvironment, a competitive mobilization assay based on the Ly5.2/Ly5.1 mismatch system was used. The genetic origin of the CFCs was determined by flow cytometry. In this assay, as previously reported, aged BM HSCs contribute to only 30% chimerism in PB prior to mobilization, resulting in a 1:2 ratio in favor of young cells in PB chimerism 3 months post-transplant. In contrast, when we analyzed the CFC chimerism of the competitively transplanted animals post-mobilization, 85% of all CFC from PB were derived from cells from old mice, strongly arguing that increased mobilization proficiency is a) not a simple consequence of the increased CFC content in aged BM and b) to a large extent intrinsic to the aged primitive hematopoietic cell, and thus relatively independent from the aged BM microenvironment. These data also imply that the stroma stem cell/interaction might change with age.
Flume experiments on baffle-posts for retarding open channel flow

ABSTRACTPresented are the results of flume experiments on the flow-retarding performance of baffle-post structures in openwater flow. Such structures consist of one to two parallel rows of unsubmerged posts that retard an approach flow, reducing flow velocity, increasing flow depth, and altering lateral distribution of flow. The results relate headloss and flow depth increase at the structure to lateral and streamwise variations in post spacing, post diameter, and approach flow conditions, and represent average velocities of flow through the structure. For given approach flows, the flow-retarding performance of baffle-post structures is shown to be much more sensitive to lateral spacing of posts and approach flow Froude number, than to streamwise spacing (for double row structures) and approach-flow depth relative to post diameter. Estimates are given for the percentage increase in water depth that baffle posts will produce. This information informs the design of baffle-post structures and evaluation of t...
Onto the Job Market

Reflections here cover strategies for conquering the job market even before you begin to think about seeking a job. Authors here keep it honest, sharing their experiences with rejection on the market, constantly having to move for jobs, and transitioning from student to professor. A powerful reflection sheds light on what it is like being transgender on the academic job market.
The Brown and Levinson theory revisited: A statistical analysis

Abstract The Brown and Levinson (1987) theory posits that the combination of social distance, power ratio, and task imposition determine politeness weightiness perception regardless of the culture. In order to test the effects of culture, I conducted statistical analyses using subjects with American, East Asian, and Latin American cultural backgrounds. The results reveal that task imposition does not have a statistically significant impact on the speaker's determination of politeness weightiness in East Asia while it does in the US and Latin America.
Price Inequalities and Betti Number Growth on Manifolds without Conjugate Points

We derive Price inequalities for harmonic forms on manifolds without conjugate points and with a negative Ricci upper bound. The techniques employed in the proof work particularly well for manifolds of non-positive sectional curvature, and in this case we prove a strengthened Price inequality. We employ these inequalities to study the asymptotic behavior of the Betti numbers of coverings of Riemannian manifolds without conjugate points. Finally, we give a vanishing result for $L^{2}$-Betti numbers of closed manifolds without conjugate points.
Schizophrenia heterogeneity revisited: Clinical, cognitive, and psychosocial correlates of statistically-derived negative symptoms subgroups.

Abstract Traditional efforts to delineate the clinical heterogeneity of schizophrenia have been unsuccessful because of the absence of a valid, stable, and meaningful subtyping scheme. A clinically-informed nosology supported by multivariate statistical classification methods may provide a better approach for classifying schizophrenia. The goals of the current study were to 1) use multivariate classification methods to validate a clinical subtyping scheme based on the profile of negative symptoms; and 2) following validation to contrast the statistically-derived subgroups to ascertain distinguishing demographic, clinical, cognitive, and functional characteristics. In the current study, 706 people with schizophrenia completed measures of positive and negative symptoms, premorbid adjustment, cognition, and psychosocial functioning. Latent class analysis served to identify the number of negative symptom subgroups in schizophrenia. Next, statistical classification methods—Bayes Theorem and the Base Rate Classification Technique—were used to assign participants into the identified subgroups. Subgroups were compared on external validation variables not used in the classification process via logistic regression and discriminant function analysis. Latent class analysis supported a three-class model of schizophrenia that included deficit, persistent, and transient negative symptom subgroups. Posthoc comparisons showed that demographic characteristics, positive symptoms, premorbid adjustment, and cognitive profiles can distinguish the schizophrenia subgroups with moderate accuracy. The deficit subgroup had the greatest impairments in psychosocial functioning and quality of life variables. Findings suggest that schizophrenia encapsulates qualitatively distinct negative symptom subgroups that differ in their demographic, symptomatic, neuropsychological, and functional profiles. Schizophrenia heterogeneity reflects a combination of non-arbitrary subgroups and severity-based differences in negative symptoms.
Low power depth estimation for time-of-flight imaging

Depth sensing is used in a variety of applications that range from augmented reality to robotics. One way to measure depth is with a time-of-flight (TOF) camera, which obtains depth by emitting light and measuring its round trip time. However, for many battery powered devices, the illumination source of the TOF camera requires a significant amount of power and further limits its battery life. To minimize the power required for depth sensing, we present an algorithm that exploits the apparent motion across images collected alongside the TOF camera to obtain a new depth map without illuminating the scene. Our technique is best suited for estimating the depth of rigid objects and obtains low latency, 640 × 480 depth maps at 30 frames per second on a low power embedded platform by using block matching at a sparse set of points and least squares minimization. We evaluated our technique on an RGB-D dataset where it produced depth maps with a mean relative error of 0.85% while reducing the total power required for depth sensing by 3×.
The Athabasca Granulite Terrane and Evidence for Dynamic Behavior of Lower Continental Crust

Deeply exhumed granulite terranes have long been considered nonrepresentative of lower continental crust largely because their bulk compositions do not match the lower crustal xenolith record. A pa...
Delineating 3D Angiogenic Sprouting in OCT Images via Multiple Active Contours

Recent advances in Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has enabled high resolution imaging of three dimensional artificial vascular networks in vitro. Image segmentation can help quantify the morphological and topological properties of these curvilinear networks to facilitate quantitative study of the angiogenic process. Here we present a novel method to delineate the 3D artificial vascular networks imaged by spectral-domain OCT. Our method employs multiple Stretching Open Active Contours (SOACs) that evolve synergistically to retrieve both the morphology and topology of the underlying vascular networks. Quantification of the network properties can then be conducted based on the segmentation result. We demonstrate the potential of the proposed method by segmenting 3D artificial vasculature in simulated and real OCT images. We provide junction locations and vessel lengths as examples for quantifying angiogenic sprouting of 3D artificial vasculature from OCT images.
Psychiatric Evaluation and Treatment Formats

The SCI patient is susceptible to a host of psychological difficulties and complications, including sexual dysfunction. However, a discussion of the multiple problems that can befall these individuals is beyond the scope of this chapter. (Interested readers may consult refs. 7 and (18). The literature concerning the psychological complications of SCI covers a wide range of disciplines, and is contained in variegated journals and widely disparate books. Any attempt to collate this data systematically would require Herculean efforts. The major focus of this chapter is far more modest and specific; that is, to provide an overview of the reactions to physical trauma and to outline an approach to the investigation of sexual dysfunction in these patients.
Critical Values For Bartlett’s Test

This table contains critical values, bα,k,n, for Bartlett’s test where α is the significance level, k is the number of populations, and n is the sample size from each population.
Rehabilitation Counselor Degree Type as a Predictor of Client Outcomes: A Comparison of Quantity Versus Quality in Closure Rates:

Closure rates (CR) of counselors with a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling (MRC) and master’s degrees in related disciplines (RM) were compared. High-quality closure rates (HQCR) were als...
Implosion performance of subscale beryllium capsules on the NIF

Many inertial fusion designs use capsules made of beryllium, as its high mass ablation rate is advantageous. We present the first systematic experimental study of indirectly driven beryllium capsules with a cryogenic deuterium-tritium fuel layer. “Subscale” capsules, 80% of the nominal National Ignition Facility point design radius, show optimal performance with the remaining mass of ∼6–7%. A buoyancy-drag mix model explains the implosion performance, suggesting that fuel-ablator mix is the dominant degradation mechanism. Increasing the capsule scale is predicted to reduce the impact of fuel-ablator mix and achieve high performance.
Self-Adaptive Spike-Time-Dependent Plasticity of Metal-Oxide Memristors.

Metal-oxide memristors have emerged as promising candidates for hardware implementation of artificial synapses – the key components of high-performance, analog neuromorphic networks - due to their excellent scaling prospects. Since some advanced cognitive tasks require spiking neuromorphic networks, which explicitly model individual neural pulses (“spikes”) in biological neural systems, it is crucial for memristive synapses to support the spike-time-dependent plasticity (STDP). A major challenge for the STDP implementation is that, in contrast to some simplistic models of the plasticity, the elementary change of a synaptic weight in an artificial hardware synapse depends not only on the pre-synaptic and post-synaptic signals, but also on the initial weight (memristor’s conductance) value. Here we experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, an STDP behavior that ensures self-adaptation of the average memristor conductance, making the plasticity stable, i.e. insensitive to the initial state of the devices. The experiments have been carried out with 200-nm Al2O3/TiO2−x memristors integrated into 12 × 12 crossbars. The experimentally observed self-adaptive STDP behavior has been complemented with numerical modeling of weight dynamics in a simple system with a leaky-integrate-and-fire neuron with a random spike-train input, using a compact model of memristor plasticity, fitted for quantitatively correct description of our memristors.
Selective vs Complete Sampling in Hysterectomy Specimens Performed for Atypical Hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVES Atypical hyperplasia of the endometrium is a significant risk factor for uterine endometrioid carcinoma (EC) and an indication for hysterectomy. Standard sampling of these specimens includes evaluation of the entire endometrium to identify possible EC. We evaluated a method of selective sampling in an effort to balance resource utilization with diagnostic accuracy in the detection of EC. METHODS Histologic diagnoses based on selective sampling (exclusion of every other block of endometrium) were compared with the original diagnosis based on complete sampling. RESULTS Double-blinded review of these cases using selective sampling detected EC in 92% of hysterectomies, including all high-grade/high-stage carcinomas. Selective sampling had an 82% agreement with the original diagnoses, with most discordant diagnoses attributable to interobserver variability. Adjusting for interobserver variability increased diagnostic agreement between selective and complete sampling to 96%. CONCLUSIONS Selective sampling is a feasible method to save time and resources while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.
The Accessory Variables: M n , M v , L, C, and I

This chapter completes our discussion of the eight fundamental building blocks of English sentences or eight parts of speech. In Chap. 3, we examined N = nouns, V = verbs, and X = pronouns and the ways that these essential components pair together—either as Ns + V or Xs + V—to form spark-producing cores of sentences. Along with adding more nouns, verbs, and pronouns to sentence cores, we can also expand sentence equations into more complex structures using five “accessory” components—Mn = adjectives, Mv = adverbs, L = prepositions, C = conjunctions, and I = interjections—as shown in Fig. 4.1.
Onboard Renewable Energy Charging Methods to Improve $\mu\mathrm{AUV}$ Deployment Life

Investigating various methods for recharging a micro autonomous underwater vehicle ( $\boldsymbol{\mu}\mathbf{AUV}$ ) onboard using renewable energy sources while deployed at sea is the goal of this project. Specifically, to determine the optimal onboard renewable energy design method to prolong the deployment life of a $\boldsymbol{\mu}\mathbf{AUV}$ . The results and conclusions are based on vehicle specifications and designs modeled from Riptide Autonomous Solutions' $\boldsymbol{\mu}\mathbf{AUV}$ that were based on the following factors: power generation versus time, structural integrity, and design complexity. The three design method categories investigated were: solar, wind, and wave energy.
High Fidelity Spectral-FDF-LES of Turbulent Scalar Mixing

The fidelity of the hybrid spectral-filtered density function (FDF) methods is assessed for large eddy simulation of turbulent scalar mixing. Both continuous and discontinuous spectral-element meth...