cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ghrelin and growth hormone secretagogue receptor expression in mice during aging.

In well-nourished humans, GH and IGF-I decline during aging, and the responsiveness of the GH axis to exogenous ghrelin is attenuated with age. Intriguingly, the GH/IGF-I axis is rejuvenated by chronic treatment with the ghrelin mimetic MK-0677, resulting in improvements in body composition, suggesting that frail elderly subjects might benefit from treatment with ghrelin and ghrelin mimetics. Mouse models are widely used to study the effects of ghrelin, but the impact of age on the ghrelin pathway is unclear. In this study, total and active ghrelin peptides were measured in plasma, and ghrelin mRNA was quantitated in brain tissue from different aged C57BL/6J mice. Surprisingly, plasma levels of ghrelin peptide slightly increased with age; ghrelin mRNA levels were similar in brains from mice aged 2, 6, 12, and 28 months but higher in mice aged 18 and 24 months. The tissue distribution of Ghsr1a mRNA (ghrelin receptor) was also characterized, and pituitary and brain exhibited the highest levels of expressio...
Immunogenicity and Protective Efficacy of the Alpha C Protein of Group B Streptococci Are Inversely Related to the Number of Repeats

Infection by group B streptococci (GBS) is an important cause of bacterial disease in neonates. Alpha C protein is a protective cell surface-associated protein of GBS. This protein contains a repeat region flanked by N and C termini. Variable expression of tandem repeating units of alpha C proteins had been found among clinical isolates of GBS. We examined the effect of the number of repeats on the immunogenicity of the alpha C protein and its ability to elicit protection from GBS infection in a neonatal mouse model. Mice were immunized with purified alpha C proteins of constructs containing various numbers of repeats (n = 1, 2, 9, and 16) and the N- and C-terminal regions. Both the N-terminal and the repeat regions contain protective and opsonic epitopes. Antibody responses to the alpha C protein constructs with various numbers of repeats were tested with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay plates coated with either native, nine-repeat alpha C protein or "repeatless" N-terminal antigen. An inverse relationship was found between the number of repeats and the immunogenicity of the alpha C protein; this effect was most pronounced on titers of antibody to the N-terminal region. An inverse relationship was also observed between the number of repeats and protective efficacy, i.e., mouse dams immunized with 5 microg of one- or nine-repeat alpha C protein transferred protective immunity to 65 or 11% of their pups, respectively (P < 0.0001). Thus, the presence of multiple repeats appears to lessen the antibody response to the complete alpha C protein, and especially the antibody response to its N-terminal region, and suggests a mechanism whereby repeat elements contribute to the evasion of host immunity.
Obesity and the Endometrium: Adipocyte-Secreted Proinflammatory TNFα Cytokine Enhances the Proliferation of Human Endometrial Glandular Cells

Obesity, a state of chronic inflammation, is associated with poor fertility and low implantation rates and is a well-documented risk factor for endometrial cancer. Adipokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, play an important role in initiation of endometrial cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate in vitro effects of human adipocyte cells (SW872) on growth of endometrial glandular epithelial cells (EGE). Methods. We measured cell proliferation and expression of cell-growth proteins—proliferating cell nuclear antigen, cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase-1, and apoptotic markers (BCL-2 and BAK) in human EGE cells cocultured with SW872 cells. EGE cells were also evaluated in SW872-conditioned media neutralized with anti-TNFα antibody. Results. A significant increase in EGE cell proliferation was observed in both SW872-conditioned media and in coculture (P < 0.05). We observed an upregulation of proliferation markers PCNA, cyclin D1, CDK-1, and BCL-2 and decrease in BAK (P < 0.05). Neutralization of SW872-conditioned media using anti-TNFα antibodies reversed EGE cell proliferation as indicated by BCL-2 expression. Conclusions. Adipocytes have potent proliferative paracrine effect on EGE cells which may be, in part, mediated via TNFα. Further understanding of the role of obesity in endometrial carcinogenesis should lead to better preventative and therapeutic strategies.
A Unified Source Model for the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

Abstract We reconcile two previously discordant source models of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and obtain a model that satisfies both triangulation and seismic data by allowing the rupture velocity to exceed the shear-wave velocity. Employing a projection method to remove the dependence on initial station positions allowed us to make use of a more stable triangulation network, including nonrepeated angle observations along the northern San Andreas fault. This strengthens the case for significant slip over the entire northern segment of the San Andreas fault from San Juan Bautista to Cape Mendocino during the 1906 earthquake. We also found that the teleseismic body-wave data can be reconciled with the geodetically derived slip model by allowing supershear rupture. This resolves a longstanding conflict between the two previous slip models (geodetic and seismic) of this earthquake. Supershear rupture has long been recognized as a theoretical possibility for strike-slip faulting, and it has been observed in several recent large strike-slip earthquakes, which raises the prospect that it might be typical for such events. Supershear rupture leads to substantially different strong ground motion, and as a result, may need to be taken into account when developing ground-motion prediction relations for large strike-slip earthquakes. Our final slip model has a seismic moment of 7.9×10 20 N m, which corresponds to a moment magnitude of M w 7.9.
Component development for X-band above 100 MW

The components discussed are the high-power RF window; couplers, magic tees, and high-power loads; RF crush-seal flanges and waveguide pumpouts; and the high power traveling wave resonant ring utilizing variable tuners and phase shifter. The cold-test measurements on all these devices agree with theory. The 27-mm-diameter-thick window has performed well. >
Genetics and Breast Cancer Risk Prediction—Are We There Yet?

Whether information on genetic variants can be used for better prediction of disease risk is of current clinical interest. Previous studies have shown that mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are associated with high risk of breast cancer (1). Theoretical considerations suggest that further work will lead to the discovery of more genes that are involved in breast carcinogenesis (2). However, it requires more than proof of association to assess improvement in risk prediction by including genetic information. In this issue of the Journal, Mealiffe et al. (3) use data from the Women’s Health Initiative Clinical Trial to provide additional support for including genetic information in risk prediction models for breast cancer. This study finds that adding a small number of single-nucleotide polymorphisms to the well-known and established Gail model can improve the prediction of breast cancer. The authors (3) indicate that previous studies that added single-nucleotide polymorphisms to the Gail model for breast cancer risk prediction suffer from methodological limitations or are merely theoretical in nature. What statistical methods are appropriate to use in comparing risk prediction models has been subject to much recent debate. Standard analyses comparing receiver operating characteristic curves have been criticized as being insensitive to meaningful changes in predicted risk and not well suited to prospective data (4,5). Mealiffe et al. (3) use newer methods based on reclassification, or changes in risk strata, which have become relatively widespread in the clinical literature. A reclassification table sorts the predicted probabilities from each risk prediction model into clinically relevant risk categories and tabulates one against the other. The extent and accuracy of any reclassification, or change in risk category, indicate whether a model can generate improvements in risk stratification, and ultimately, decisions regarding therapies. The authors compute the net reclassification improvement (NRI), which compares the proportion of case patients appropriately moving up vs down a risk category with
Effects of Rain on Palm Springs Ground Squirrel Occupancy in the Sonoran Desert

Abstract Long-term monitoring programs must use informative yet cost-effective methods. Occupancy estimates that incorporate detection probabilities are used with increasing frequency to describe species status and make management recommendations. Estimating changes in the occupancy of points over time in response to management actions or environmental changes may be especially useful for management of the Palm Springs round-tailed ground squirrel (Spermophilus tereticaudus chlorus), a subspecies covered under the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan and Natural Community Conservation Plan. In 2002 and 2003, we estimated occupancy and detection probability of ground squirrels across lands modeled as ground squirrel habitat by the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Habitat Conservation Plan and tested a priori hypotheses about how occupancy varied among vegetation and substrate types. In the 2003 study, we asked whether these associations were affected by winter rains after the 20...
The SUMO Pathway Is Developmentally Regulated and Required for Programmed DNA Elimination in Paramecium tetraurelia

Extensive genome-wide remodeling occurs during the formation of the somatic macronuclei from the germ line micronuclei in ciliated protozoa. This process is limited to sexual reproduction and includes DNA amplification, chromosome fragmentation, and the elimination of internal segments of DNA. Our efforts to define the pathways regulating these events revealed a gene encoding a homologue of ubiquitin activating enzyme 2 (UBA2) that is upregulated at the onset of macronuclear development in Paramecium tetraurelia. Uba2 enzymes are known to activate the protein called small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) that is covalently attached to target proteins. Consistent with this relationship, Northern analysis showed increased abundance of SUMO transcripts during sexual reproduction in Paramecium. RNA interference (RNAi) against UBA2 or SUMO during vegetative growth had little effect on cell survival or fission rates. In contrast, RNAi of mating cells resulted in failure to form a functional macronucleus. Despite normal amplification of the genome, excision of internal eliminated sequences was completely blocked. Additional experiments showed that the homologous UBA2 and SUMO genes in Tetrahymena thermophila are also upregulated during conjugation. These results provide evidence for the developmental regulation of the SUMO pathway in ciliates and suggest a key role for the pathway in controlling genome remodeling.
Growth responses to angiotensin II in bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells

The effects of angiotensin II (ANG II) on growth responses of primary cultures of bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells were studied to explore the mechanism(s) by which ANG II leads to hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the glomerulosa layer in sodium deficiency. ANG II did not increase [3H]thymidine incorporation during the first 5 days of culture, but mitogenic responses to ANG II became evident after longer periods of culture and were most prominent between 8 and 11 days after seeding. At this time, cell cycle analysis showed that ANG II increased the proportion of cells in the S phase and did not cause accumulation of cells in the G2 phase. Consistent with this finding, ANG II also stimulated proliferation of glomerulosa cells during treatment for 3 days in the presence of 1% serum. The mitogenic effect of ANG II was not inhibited by pretreatment with pertussis toxin and was mediated by AT1 receptors as indicated by its sensitivity to the subtype-selective antagonist DuP-753. Also, there was no emergence of AT2 receptors in glomerulosa cells during prolonged culture. These results indicate that intracellular mechanisms that mediate growth responses become more active during prolonged culture of glomerulosa cells. Thus, in addition to regulating the steroidogenic and secretory functions of the zona glomerulosa, ANG II exerts mitogenic actions that depend on the functional state of the glomerulosa cells.
Impact of Comorbidity on a Cognitive-Behavioral Group Treatment for Adolescent Depression

ABSTRACT Objective Examine hypotheses concerning the negative impact of lifetime psychiatric comorbidity on participation in, and benefit from, a cognitive-behavioral group treatment for depression in adolescents (e.g., greater severity at intake, less recovery and more recurrence, less participation in treatment). Method Across two previous studies conducted between 1986 and 1993, 151 depressed adolescents (aged 14–18) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions (two active treatments and a waitlist control) and followed for 24 months posttreatment. Forty percent of participants had one or more lifetime comorbid diagnoses at intake. Results Comorbid anxiety disorders were associated with higher depression measure scores at intake and greater decrease in depression scores by posttreatment. Overall lifetime comorbidity was unrelated to diagnostic recovery, but lifetime substance abuse/dependence was associated with slower time to recovery. Participants with attention-deficit and disruptive behavior disorders were more likely to experience depression recurrence posttreatment. Associations between comorbidity and participation or therapy process measures were nonsignificant. Conclusions Although some outcomes were worse for some comorbid diagnoses, the reassuring overall conclusion is that the presence of psychiatric comorbidity is generally not a contraindication for the use of structured group cognitive-behavioral interventions for depressed adolescents.
The Role of Sexual Health Professionals in Developing a Shared Concept of Risky Sexual Behavior as it Relates to HIV Transmission

"Risky sexual behavior" accounts for the majority of new HIV infections regardless of gender, age, geographic location, or ethnicity. The phrase, however, refers to a relatively nebulous concept that hampers development of effective sexual health communication strategies. The purpose of this paper was to propose development of a shared conceptual understanding of "risky sexual behavior." We reviewed multidisciplinary HIV/AIDS literature to identify definitions of risky sexual behavior. Both the linguistic components and the social mechanisms that contribute to the concept of risky sexual behaviors were noted. Risky sexual behavior was often defined in a subjective manner in the literature, even in the scientific research. We urge a paradigm shift to focus on explicit behaviors and the social context of those behaviors in determining HIV risk. We also propose a new definition that reduces individual biases and promotes a broader discussion of the degree of sexual risk across a diversity of behavioral contexts. Sexual health professionals can strengthen practice and research initiatives by operating from a concise working definition of risky sexual behavior that is broadly transferable and expands beyond a traditional focus on identity-based groups.
Weak State, Strong Policy: Paradoxes of Race Policy in the United States, Great Britain, and France

Race, in particular the peculiarly American embrace of political race-consciousness, is often portrayed as an important source of limitations on American political development. Although the color line has undergirded some of the most notorious instances of state repression in American history—the pre-civil rights South most notably, but also race-based immigration and citizenship restrictions and the FBI's COINTELPRO operations of the cold war era, to name a few—race is most commonly associated with state weakness through its effects on such processes as regional differentiation, class formation, and welfare state building.V. O. Key Jr., Southern Politics in State and Nation (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1949); Richard Franklin Bensel, Yankee Leviathan: The Origins of Central State Authority in America, 1859–1877 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990); Rogers M. Smith, Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997); Desmond King, Making Americans: Immigration, Race, and the Origins of the Diverse Democracy (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000); David J. Garrow, The FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr.: From “Solo” to Memphis (New York: W.W. Norton, 1981); Richard Franklin Bensel, Sectionalism and American Political Development: 1880–1980 (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1984); Ira Katznelson, City Trenches: Urban Politics and the Patterning of Class in the United States (New York: Pantheon, 1981); Robert C. Lieberman, Shifting the Color Line: Race and the American Welfare State (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998). These accounts fit nicely into conventional approaches to American political development, which similarly emphasize the peculiar weakness and fragmentation of the American state.Stephen Skowronek, Building a New American State: The Expansion of National Administrative Capacities, 1877–1920 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982); Peter Evans, Dietrich Rueschemeyer, and Theda Skocpol, eds., Bringing the State Back In (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985); James A. Morone, The Democratic Wish: Popular Participation and the Limits of American Government (New York: Basic Books, 1990).
Measurement of dopamine transporter occupancy for multiple injections of cocaine using a single injection of [F‐18]FECNT

The fraction of transporters occupied following injection of specific inhibitors is an important parameter for defining and comparing the molecular mechanisms of different drugs. This work generalizes the reference tissuemethod to estimate dopamine transporter occupancy for two levels of cocaine administration using only a single injection of [ 1 8 F]FECNT. The results are validated by comparison with literature values. Five rhesus monkeys were studied. On each animal, a baseline scan was collected following [ 1 8 F]FECNT injection (phase a). At 120 min postinjection, 0.1 mg/kg cocaine was injected and the animal was scanned for 50 additional min (phase b). Then 1.0 mg/kg cocaine was injected and another 50-min scan sequence was collected (phase c). Time-activity curves (encompassing all three phases) were generated for each animal from regions drawn over the putamen and cerebellum. The putamen curve was modeled using the cerebellum as the input function. Percent DAT occupancy following the cocaine injections was determined by comparing k 3 /k 4 = B m a x /k D for the three phases. The 0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg cocaine doses occupied 53% ′ 5% and 87% ′ 5% of the transporters, respectively. The measured occupancies are consistent with literature values that maintain self-administration in animals and produce a "high" in human subjects. This work demonstrates that a single injection of [ 1 8 F]FECNT can be used to measure the effects of multiple cocaine challenges. Two advantages of this technique are: reduced variability in dose-response curves because the subject is his/her own control, and the 1 8 F label allows evaluation of longer-acting drugs. Synapse 44:203-210, 2002.
Forward Discount Bias: Is It an Exchange Risk Premium?

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Department o f Economics Berkeley, California Working Paper 8874 FORWARD DISCOUNT BIAS: IS IT AN EXCHANGE RISK PREMIUM? Kenneth A. F r o o t J e f f r e y A. F r a n k e l June 6, 1988 Key words: forward exchange, exchange r a t e , r i s k premium, r a t i o n a l e x p e c t a t i o n s , survey d a t a . Abstract A common f i n d i n g i s t h a t t h e f o r w a r d d i s c o u n t i s a b i a s e d p r e - d i c t o r o f f u t u r e exchange r a t e changes. We use survey d a t a on exchange r a t e e x p e c t a t i o n s t o decompose t h e b i a s i n t o p o r t i o n s a t t r i b u t a b l e t o t h e r i s k premium and e x p e c t a t i o n a l e r r o r s . None o f t h e b i a s i n our sample r e f l e c t s t h e r i s k premium. We a l s o r e j e c t t h e c l a i m t h a t t h e r i s k premium i s more v a r i a b l e t h a n expected d e p r e c i a t i o n . I n v e s t o r s would do b e t t e r i f t h e y reduced f r a c t i o n a l l y t h e magnitude o f expected d e p r e c i a t i o n . This i s the same r e s u l t t h a t many authors have found with forward market data, but now i t cannot be a t t r i b u t e d t o r i s k . JEL C l a s s i f i c a t i o n :
Experimental Investigation of Wing/Fuselage Integration Geometries

Although long recognized as a significant contributor to overall drag, a great deal of work yet remains to be done on understanding and controlling the interference flowfield generated by the wing/fuselage intersection. One possible means of reducing the drag due to this interference is through the careful blending of the wing/ fuselage region near the front of the juncture. To investigate such wing/fuselage integration, an experimental program has been performed in which flow visualization, pressure distributions, and force-balance data were obtained and used to explore promising junction geometries. These experiments indicate that the juncture flow is very sensitive to the wing/fuselage intersection geometry* and that the proper shaping of this region can lead to a reduction in interference drag.
Invasive grass reduces aboveground carbon stocks in shrublands of the Western US

Understanding the terrestrial carbon budget, in particular the strength of the terrestrial carbon sink, is important in the context of global climate change. Considerable attention has been given to woody encroachment in the western US and the role it might play as a carbon sink; however, in many parts of the western US the reverse process is also occurring. The conversion of woody shrublands to annual grasslands involves the invasion of non-native cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) which in turn leads to increased frequency and extent of fires. We compared carbon storage in adjacent plots of invasive grassland and native shrubland. We scaled-up the impact of this ecosystem shift using regional maps of the current invasion and of the risk of future invasion. The expansion of cheatgrass within the Great Basin has released an estimated 8 � 3TgC to the atmosphere, and will likely release another 50 � 20TgC in the coming decades. This ecosystem conversion has changed portions of the western US from a carbon sink to a source, making previous estimates of a western carbon sink almost certainly spurious. The growing importance of invasive species in driving land cover changes may substantially change future estimates of US terrestrial carbon storage.
Geolocation of WiMAX subscriber stations based on the timing adjust ranging parameter

This paper examines the geolocation of standard compliant WiMAX subscriber stations based on timing adjust values captured from the air interface during network entry and initial ranging. Field tests were conducted to verify a linear correlation between timing adjust and distance. Repeated observations at fixed distances established the variance within timing adjusts. Results of this field testing were extended to multiple base station networks modeled in computer simulation, ultimately suggesting the possibility for geolocations based on WiMAX initial ranging with ten times greater accuracy then similar methods applied to GSM.
Service Monitoring and Management on Multicore Platforms

With the trend of platformization and the advent of multicore processors, we need to extend the traditional resource modeling in Service-Oriented Infrastructure to enable a better adoption of platform-level features such as multicores. For service processes that are run on multiple servers, each on a multicore architecture, an end-to-end approach should be used to ensure a consistent QoS from all service components. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end QoS management architecture for coordinating the performances of service components. Our research considers modern performance enhancing technologies, namely, multicore and virtualization, and proposes an angel thread mechanism to manage service QoS. We also study scheduling approaches for the architecture.
Bear's Paw Sign: A Classic Presentation of Xanthogranulomatous Pyelonephritis.

A 41-year-old woman with recurrent urinary tract infections presented with right flank pain, fever, and anorexia. Physical examination revealed right-sided flank pain and a right-sided unilateral renal mass. Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis revealed xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis with perinephric extension. The bear's paw sign was visualized. The classic radiology triad (unilateral large kidney, renal pelvis stone, and a nonfunctioning or poorly functioning kidney) was also found on computed tomographic imaging. She completed a course of antimicrobial therapy and underwent a nephrectomy. Her post-operative course was uneventful and she was discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 4.
Deterioration of Stone and Mineral Materials from the Roman Imperial “Villa of the Antonines” at Ancient Lanuvium

The “Villa of the Antonines”, located at the 18th mile of the ancient Via Appia, is so far the least explored of the ancient Roman imperial residences in the area of the Alban Hills. Excavations at “Villa of the Antonines” permit an investigation of subsurface deterioration of cultural stone, addressing two primary questions: (1) What are the deterioration processes in the soil and sediment environment, and how do these compare to subaerial deterioration processes? (2) How might the deterioration impact other methodologies reliant on the analysis of the material, such as use and wear analysis, dating techniques, and provenience by chemical tracers? The deterioration characteristics of materials recovered thus far can be visually described. Marbles are discolored and exhibit a loss of polish and partial to extensive granular disintegration and powdering. Brick varies in color and composition due to manufacturing and material differences, but may also exhibit within-soil alteration. Glass tesserae exhibit frosting and pitting from chemical solution. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals surface microdeterioration such as pitting, etching, and glazing. Qualitative backscatter electron microscopy (BSEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) indicate the distribution of elements, including byproducts of chemical deterioration, likely within the soil environment.
Surgical Therapy of Disorders of Intrahepatic Cholestasis

Medical management of patients with certain disorders of intrahepatic cholestasis, including progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) and Alagille disease, can often delay the need for liver transplantation for many years. Some of these patients, however, develop severe and intractable pruritus, apparently due to excessive serum levels of bile salts. The pruritus can be debilitating, driving some patients to consider suicide.
Metastable switching in a planar limit cycle system with additive noise

Abstract Additive noise is known to produce counter-intuitive behaviors in nonlinear dynamical systems. Previously, it was shown that systems with a deterministic limit cycle can display switching between metastable states in the presence of asymmetric additive white noise. Here, we systematically analyze the dynamics of this metastable behavior and show how the vector field away from the limit cycle influences the rate and directionality of the metastable switching. Using stochastic phase reduction methods as well as asymptotic approximations, we identify mechanisms underlying different rates of switching and predict when the system will rotate in the opposite direction of the deterministic limit cycle. Thus, this work presents an alternative mechanism for generating a range of metastable switch behaviors that have been observed in a number of physical systems.
How the Legal Complex is Integral to Theories of Judicial Power

This essay is a “provocation” invited by the editors (Diana Kapiszewski, Gordon Silverstein, and Robert A. Kagan) of a volume provisionally entitled, Consequential Courts: New Judicial Roles in Global Perspective. The book brings together original essays on constitutional courts in new or restored democracies and the expansion of judicial roles together with general theoretical essays by the editors and three invited “provocateurs.” References in the book to individual chapters are in the form of the (author’s name, country on which the chapter focuses). I am grateful to the editors for the opportunity to participate in conversations around the power of courts, to Malcolm Feeley for his insights and encouragement on this essay, and to Lucien Karpik and Malcolm Feeley for their continuing expansion and refinement of the ideas that have emerged from our common endeavor on the legal complex and political liberalism.
X-ray Detection on Fe-H Vibrations

X-ray detection on hydrogen related events is difficult due to its extremely small scattering factor. In this report, we have used nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) to examine the nature of the Fe–H vibrational modes in several FeH model complexes, which shines light on the possible measurements on the Fe-H vibrations inside real biological systems in the future.
Effect of System-2 Ethylene on Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Cold Resistance Process of Tomato Fruits

To analyze the effect of system-2 ethylene on the activities of catalase(CAT),ascorbate peroxidase(APX),peroxidase(POD) and superoxide dismutase(SOD) during exposure to cold stress,anti-sense ACS2,wild-type Lichun and ethephon-treated anti-sense ACS2 tomato fruits were used to the models of non-system-2 ethylene synthesis,normal system-2 ethylene synthesis and compensative system-2 ethylene synthesis,respectively.It was indicated that wild-type Lichun and ethephon-treated anti-sense ACS2 tomato fruits decreased chilling injury index,inhibited the increase of electrolyte leakage and increased the average activities of CAT,APX and SOD compared with native anti-sense ACS2 tomato fruits.The increase of POD activity was inhibited in wild-type Lichun but induced in ethephon-treated anti-sense ACS2.From these results,it can be concluded that system-2 ethylene can improve the cold resistance of tomato during exposure to cold stress by increasing CAT,APX and SOD activities and regulating POD activity.
National grid protection and control requirements for quadrature booster with automatic isolation facility

Decarbonisation of the electricity industry using wind generation along with uncertainties in generation and demand profiles are some of the factors that have led to highly variable transfers across National Grid's critical transmission boundaries. Safe, secure and efficient operation of the transmission system relies on increased utilisation of existing transmission capacity and it is managed by deployment of a complex control environment with greater reliance on new technologies - Series Compensation, HVDC links and new Quadrature Booster (QB) installations with auto-isolation facilities. This paper presents National Grid's requirements for protection and control of QBs equipped with autoisolation facilities and how the QB Control System (QBCS) allows safe operation to within the manufacturer's design limits and prevents over fluxing of the core.
Adversity in adolescence predicts personality trait change from childhood to adulthood

Abstract This study examined whether cumulative adversity in adolescence predicted changes in the Big Five traits from childhood to adulthood in the Project Competence Longitudinal Study sample (N = 205) followed from childhood (age 10) through adolescence into adulthood (age 30). Personality traits were measured in childhood through multiple methods and in adulthood by self-report. Cumulative adversity, assessed in adolescence, differentiated independent adversity (likely unrelated to participants’ behavior) from dependent adversity (resulting from participants’ own behavior). Participants’ personality traits were modestly stable over 20 years, although Openness showed greater stability. Independent and dependent adversity predicted increases in Negative Emotionality/Neuroticism, and dependent adversity predicted decreases in Constraint/Conscientiousness and Agreeableness from childhood to adulthood, suggesting that cumulative adversity shapes personality development in young people.
High speed photonic devices for millimeter wave systems

In this paper, we describe and compare the performance of mm-wave optical transmitters based on resonant modulation of monolithic semiconductor lasers, feedforward modulation, and a passively mode-locked laser operating in an optoelectronic phase-locked loop.
Substance use outcomes of patients served by a large US implementation of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)

Aims To estimate changes in the substance use behaviors of patients who received services as part of the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) grant program. Methods We use a pre–post design and performance monitoring data collected by SBIRT organizations. For a sample of 17 575 patients, we compare pre-SBIRT substance use with substance use 6 months after receipt of SBIRT services. SBIRT's correlation with changes in substance use was estimated using generalized linear mixed models to account for the clustering of patients within health-care facility and US state. Results From pre- to post-SBIRT we found large and statistically significant decreases for almost every measure of substance use. Model-adjusted means indicate that the prevalence of alcohol use was lower 6 months later by 35.6%, heavy drinking by 43.4% and illicit drug use by 75.8%. Greater intervention intensity was associated with larger decreases in substance use. The study design does not support causal conclusions and estimated decreases in reported substance use are due, at least in part, to a well-known set of confounders and natural substance use patterns that may be unrelated to any particular SBIRT intervention. Conclusions Compared with previously published findings on the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment grant program, our estimates of substance use reduction were smaller, but still consistently large in absolute magnitude and within ranges of estimates from past trials of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment.
Two-phase entropy based approach to big data anonymization

Data outbreak following the flourishing of technologies like cloud computing, social networks, and many more stimulate emergence of new paradigm called “Big Data”, which not only improved the decision-making, but also provided a means to easy privacy violation of an individual. Existing data anonymization techniques adhering to certain privacy model such as k-anonymity or l-diversity proved their worth, but demands identifying potential quasi-identifier set manually by the domain expert which is very much prone to human error. The paper focus on the problems of choosing appropriate quasi-identifier set and minimizing information loss due to anonymization process. The proposed approach is two phase entropy driven approach to find the quasi-identifier set in a first phase, which is extended to second phase to anonymize the dataset based on selected quasi-identifier set. Our approach ensures that dataset maintains its statistical properties along with minimal information loss and better privacy.
Toward a Profession of Mathematics Education: Guidance from Jeremy Kilpatrick’s Words and Deeds

With reference to a list of attributes of professions suggested by Shulman—the obligation of service to others, the need for understanding of a scholarly or theoretical kind, a domain of skilled performance or practice, the exercise of judgment under conditions of unavoidable uncertainty, the need for learning from experience as theory and practice interact, and a professional community to monitor quality and aggregate knowledge—this chapter considers how those attributes apply to the professional field we call mathematics education. Using specific examples of contributions Jeremy Kilpatrick has made in his writings and professional activities, the paper argues that his leadership by example has mapped a pathway along which mathematics education can advance toward achieving the status of a full-fledged profession.
Pan-neuronal calcium imaging with cellular resolution in freely swimming zebrafish

Calcium imaging with cellular resolution typically requires an animal to be tethered under a microscope, which substantially restricts the range of behaviors that can be studied. To expand the behavioral repertoire amenable to imaging, we have developed a tracking microscope that enables whole-brain calcium imaging with cellular resolution in freely swimming larval zebrafish. This microscope uses infrared imaging to track a target animal in a behavior arena. On the basis of the predicted trajectory of the animal, we applied optimal control theory to a motorized stage system to cancel brain motion in three dimensions. We combined this motion-cancellation system with differential illumination focal filtering, a variant of HiLo microscopy, which enabled us to image the brain of a freely swimming larval zebrafish for more than an hour. This work expands the repertoire of natural behaviors that can be studied with cellular-resolution calcium imaging to potentially include spatial navigation, social behavior, feeding and reward.
Immobilized Cobalt Bis(benzenedithiolate) Complexes: Exceptionally Active Heterogeneous Electrocatalysts for Dihydrogen Production from Mildly Acidic Aqueous Solutions.

A series of cobalt bis(benzenedithiolate) complexes with varying benzenedithiolate (general abbreviation: bdt2–) ring substitutions (S2C6X42–) were prepared and adsorbed on inexpensive electrodes composed of (a) reduced graphene oxide (RGO) electrodeposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and (b) highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The catalyst-adsorbed electrodes are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Catalyst loading across the ligand series improved notably with increasing halide substitution [from 2.7 × 10–11 mol cm–2 for TBA[Co(S2C6H4)2] (1) to 6.22 × 10–10 mol cm–2 for TBA[Co(S2C6Cl4)2] (3)] and increasing ring size of the benzenedithiolate ligand [up to 3.10 × 10–9 mol cm–2 for TBA[Co(S2C10H6)2] (6)]. Electrocatalytic analysis of the complexes immobilized on HOPG elicits a reductive current response indicative of dihydrogen generation in the presence of mildly acidic aqueous solutions (pH 2–4) of trifluoroacetic acid, with overpotentials of around 0.5 V versus SHE (measured ...
Update on investigations pertaining to the pathogenesis of biliary atresia

Biliary atresia is a devastating biliary disease of neonates that results in liver transplantation for the vast majority. The etiology of biliary atresia is unknown and is likely multifactorial, with components of genetic predisposition, environmental trigger and autoimmunity contributing to disease pathogenesis. This review highlights recent work related to investigations of disease pathogenesis in biliary atresia.
Cooperation, not cost savings: explaining duration of shared service agreements

Among local governments, inter-municipal cooperation is the growing reform; but the literature is silent regarding the determinants of longer-term shared service agreements. We conducted a survey o...
Allocation of spectral and spatial modes in multidimensional metro-access optical networks

Abstract Introduction of spatial division multiplexing (SDM) has added a new dimension in an effort to increase optical fiber channel capacity. At the same time, it can also be explored as an advanced optical networking tool. In this paper, we have investigated the resource allocation to end-users in multidimensional networking structure with plurality of spectral and spatial modes actively deployed in different networking segments. This presents a more comprehensive method as compared to the common practice where the segments of optical network are analyzed independently since the interaction between network hierarchies is included into consideration. We explored the possible transparency from the metro/core network to the optical access network, analyzed the potential bottlenecks from the network architecture perspective, and identified an optimized network structure. In our considerations, the viability of optical grooming through the entire hierarchical all-optical network is investigated by evaluating the effective utilization and spectral efficiency of the network architecture.
Brokering Ties and Inequality: How White Real Estate Agents Recreate Advantage and Exclusion in Urban Housing Markets:

The real estate brokerage industry has long perpetuated overt discrimination against minority housing consumers, but we know little about how it may reproduce inequality through less overt means. I...
Clinical trial results using fluorescently labeled antibodies (Conference Presentation)

Over the past two decades, synergistic innovations in imaging technology have resulted in a revolution in which a range of biomedical applications are now benefiting from fluorescence imaging. Fluorescence imaging of lymph nodes after systemic cetuximab-IRDye800CW administration demonstrated high sensitivity and was capable of identifying additional positive nodes on deep sectioning.
GPU accelerated extraction of sparse Granger causality patterns

Resting-state functional MRI, which provides a means to estimate the entire brain functional connectivity, has recently received a considerable amount of interest. This modality is increasingly being used to study functional connectivity dynamics, in particular with the aim of extracting individual biomarkers. However, the large amount of noise in the individual fMRI scans poses major challenges. In this work, we propose to analyze fMRI dynamics by extracting Granger causality patterns shared across subjects. This approach allows to capture individual brain organization while extracting population causality patterns which are more robust with respect to noise. We introduce an efficient method for the extraction of shared causality patterns, and we demonstrate its performance by processing the rs-fMRI scans of the hundred unrelated Human Connectome Project subjects.
Pediatric Glaucoma: Angle Surgery and Glaucoma Drainage Devices

The goniotomy procedure is elegantly simple and requires minimal equipment; however, preparationfor this procedure is essential for its success. In the operating room, gonioscopic examination of the filtration angle prepares the surgeon for the upcoming procedure by redefining the target trabecular meshwork (TM) and by confidently assuring the presence of an adequate view of the angle for surgery. Of note, the view of the angle during surgery rarely equals the examination view qualitatively, something to take into account when planning for surgery.
Public Policy Response to Concentration of Academic Research

This chapter describes federal government response to the uneven distribution of federal academic research funding. It briefly reviews the history of federal EPSCoR programs, and describes evolving policy goals and programmatic features of the programs and capacity-building activities in the eligible states. The chapter also develops an evaluative framework of research capacity and competitiveness as a conceptual guide to the subsequent multi-level assessment of EPSCoR effects on research capacity at the individual level and research competitiveness at the state level.
Meta-analysis of the Cepheid Xpert® CT/NG assay for extragenital detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections

Background Most studies evaluating extragenital testing performance for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) detection by the Xpert® CT/NG show high per cent agreement with comparison assays; however, the precision around positive per cent agreement is low and thus the values that have been reported are not highly informative. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted and data from five studies were combined to better assess positive per cent agreement. Methods: The literature indexed on PubMed.gov was searched. Included studies were those that were an evaluation of the Xpert CT/NG assay with rectal and/or pharyngeal specimen types compared with another nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), the Aptima transcription mediated amplification assay. A full Bayesian method was used for bivariate fixed-effect meta-analysis of positive and negative per cent agreement and pooled estimates (and 95% confidence intervals (CI)) were presented for each. Results: The pooled positive and negative per cent agreement for detection of CT in rectal specimens was 89.72% (95% CI: 84.97%, 93.64%) and 99.23% (95% CI: 98.74%, 99.60%), and in pharyngeal specimens, they were 89.96% (95% CI: 66.38%, 99.72%) and 99.62% (95% CI: 98.95%, 99.95%) respectively. For NG detection in rectal specimens, the pooled positive and negative per cent agreement was 92.75% (95% CI: 87.91%, 96.46%) and 99.75% (95% CI: 99.46%, 99.93%), and in pharyngeal specimens, they were 92.51% (95% CI: 85.84%, 97.18%) and 98.56% (95% CI: 97.69%, 99.23%) respectively. Conclusions: It was found that the Xpert CT/NG assay performed similarly to the Aptima transcription mediated amplification assay for the detection of CT and NG in extragenital specimens. The Xpert assay has the benefit of providing faster results at the point-of-care, thus reducing the turnaround time for results, potentially enabling same-day treatment.
Rabbit antithymocyte globulin for the treatment of chronic lung allograft dysfunction

BACKGROUND Chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) is the leading cause of death beyond the first year after lung transplantation. Several treatments have been used to prevent the progression or reverse the effects of CLAD. Cytolytic therapy with rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG) has previously shown to be a potential option. However, the effect on patients with restrictive allograft syndrome (RAS) versus bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) and the effect of cumulative dosing are unknown. METHODS The charts of lung transplant patients treated with rATG at Barnes-Jewish Hospital from 2009 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. The primary outcome was response to rATG; patients were deemed responders if their FEV1 improved in the 6 months after rATG treatment. Safety endpoints included incidence of serum sickness, cytokine release syndrome, malignancy, and infectious complications. RESULTS 108 patients were included in this study; 43 (40%) patients were responders who experienced an increase in FEV1 after rATG therapy. No predictors of response to rATG therapy were identified. Serum sickness occurred in 22% of patients, 15% experienced cytokine release syndrome, and 19% developed an infection after therapy. CONCLUSION 40% of patients with CLAD have an improvement in lung function after treatment with rATG although the improvement was typically minimal.