cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Responses of dispersal agents to tree and fruit traits in Virola calophylla (Myristicaceae): implications for selection.

Variation in traits affecting seed dispersal in plants has been attributed to selection exerted by dispersal agents. The potential for such selection was investigated in Virola calophylla (Myristicaceae) in Manu National Park, Peru, through identification of seed dispersal agents and of tree and fruit traits significantly affecting the quantity of seeds dispersed. Seventeen bird and one primate species (the spider monkey, Ateles paniscus) dispersed its seeds. Spider monkeys dispersed the majority of seeds (a minimum of 83% of all dispersed seeds). Visitation by dispersal agents depended only on the quantity of ripe fruit available during a tree observation. In contrast, seed removal increased with both greater quantity of ripe fruit and aril: seed ratio. When analyzed separately, seed removal by birds increased only with greater aril: seed ratio, whereas seed removal by spider monkeys was affected by the quantity of ripe fruit and phenological stage. The finding that dispersal agents responded differently to some tree and fruit traits indicates not only that dispersal agents can exert selection on traits affecting seed dispersal, but also that the resulting selection pressures are likely to be inconsistent. This conclusion is supported by the result that the proportion of the seed crop that was dispersed from individual trees, which accounted for cumulative dispersal by all agents, was not influenced by any tree or fruit trait evaluated. Comparing these results with those from studies of V. sebifera and V. nobilis in Panama revealed that the disperser assemblages of these three Virola species were congruent in their similar taxonomic representation. In Panama the proportion of V. nobilis seed crop dispersed was related positively to aril: seed ratio and negatively to seed mass, a result not found for V. calophylla in Peru. The greater importance of dispersal by primates versus birds in V. calophylla, relative to V. nobilis, may explain this difference. Thus, variation in disperser assemblages at regional scales can be another factor contributing to inconsistency in disperser-mediated selection on plant traits.
Wnt and calcium signaling: β-Catenin-independent pathways

Wnt signaling is a complex pathway in which β-catenin is typically viewed as a central mediator. However, within the past 15 years, at least three Wnt-mediated pathways have been proposed that function independent of β-catenin. One pathway involves activation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CamKII) and protein kinase C (PKC). Another includes recruitment of heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins to activate phospholipase C (PLC) and phosphodiesterase (PDE). Lastly, a pathway similar to the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway in Drosophila has been identified that activates the Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) and, perhaps, small GTP-binding proteins. Calcium has been implicated as an important second messenger in all of these pathways. This review will focus on the role of calcium in Wnt signaling and, as a consequence, provide a limited overview of β-catenin-independent Wnt signaling.
Symbiotic jobscheduling for a simultaneous multithreaded processor

Simultaneous Multithreading machines fetch and execute instructions from multiple instruction streams to increase system utilization and speedup the execution of jobs. When there are more jobs in the system than there is hardware to support simultaneous execution, the operating system scheduler must choose the set of jobs to coscheduleThis paper demonstrates that performance on a hardware multithreaded processor is sensitive to the set of jobs that are coscheduled by the operating system jobscheduler. Thus, the full benefits of SMT hardware can only be achieved if the scheduler is aware of thread interactions. Here, a mechanism is presented that allows the scheduler to significantly raise the performance of SMT architectures. This is done without any advance knowledge of a workload's characteristics, using sampling to identify jobs which run well together.We demonstrate an SMT jobscheduler called SOS. SOS combines an overhead-free sample phase which collects information about various possible schedules, and a symbiosis phase which uses that information to predict which schedule will provide the best performance. We show that a small sample of the possible schedules is sufficient to identify a good schedule quickly. On a system with random job arrivals and departures, response time is improved as much as 17% over a schedule which does not incorporate symbiosis.
Troponin as a Biomarker of Cardiac Toxicity Past, Present, and Future

Cardiac troponin (cTn) is a sensitive and specific biomarker for assessing cardiac damage and should be utilized in drug safety assessment. Lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase isoenzyme analyses have historically been used in pre-clinical toxicity testing to assess cardiac injury, but since these assays are less sensitive and specific than cTn, isoenzyme analyses, as determined by the manual electrophoretic technique, are no longer warranted. Commercial cTn assays developed for humans do not have the same immunoreactivity and functional sensitivity in the common pre-clinical testing species, so it is important to show that the assay that is chosen is appropriate for the pre-clinical species being assessed. The kinetics of the cTn response depends on the dose and frequency of test article administration as well as the mechanism of the cardiac injury induced by the test article. Cardiac troponin should be used in the assessment of classes of compound that have previously been shown to induce cardiac necrosis or if cardiac necrosis is identified histologically with a novel compound. Next generation high sensitivity cTn assays are being developed and the low levels of cTn detected with these assays may be an early sign of possibly reversible damage to the heart.
miR-21 Targets 15-PGDH and Promotes Cholangiocarcinoma Growth

miRNAs are a group of small, noncoding RNAs that modulate the translation of genes by binding to specific target sites in the target mRNA. This study investigated the biologic function and molecular mechanism of miR-21 in human cholangiocarcinoma. In situ hybridization analysis of human cholangiocarcinoma specimens showed increased miR-21 in cholangiocarcinoma tissue compared with the noncancerous biliary epithelium. Lentiviral transduction of miR-21 enhanced human cholangiocarcinoma cell growth and clonogenic efficiency in vitro , whereas inhibition of miR-21 decreased these parameters. Overexpression of miR-21 also promoted cholangiocarcinoma growth using an in vivo xenograft model system. The NAD+-linked 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH/HPGD), a key enzyme that converts the protumorigenic prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) to its biologically inactive metabolite, was identified as a direct target of miR-21 in cholangiocarcinoma cells. In parallel, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) overexpression and PGE2 treatment increased miR-21 levels and enhanced miR-21 promoter activity in human cholangiocarcinoma cells. Implications: Cholangiocarcinogenesis and tumor progression are regulated by a novel interplay between COX-2/PGE2 and miR-21 signaling, which converges at 15-PGDH. Mol Cancer Res; 12(6); 890–900. ©2014 AACR .
First turn beam correction for the Advanced Photon Source storage ring

A procedure was developed for precise realignment of the quadrupoles in a synchrotron radiation storage ring which can substantially ease the required precision of the initial survey. The procedure consists of first using the injected beam to obtain a closed orbit which is centered on the beam position monitors by the correction dipoles. The strengths of the correction dipoles then give the required fine-adjustment of the quadrupole positions. The authors discuss only the algorithm for obtaining the closed orbit. >
Large-scale electronic-structure calculations with multigrid acceleration

We have developed a set of techniques for performing large-scale ab initio calculations using multigrid accelerations and a real-space grid as a basis. The multigrid methods permit efficient calculations on ill-conditioned systems with long length scales or high-energy cutoffs. The technique has been applied to systems containing up to 100 atoms, including a highly elongated diamond cell, an isolated ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ molecule, and a 32-atom cell of GaN with the Ga d states in valence. The method is well suited for implementation on both vector and massively parallel architectures.
Arachidonic acid products in airway nociceptor activation during acute lung injury

We have reported that airway nociceptors [C fibre receptors (CFRs) and high-threshold Aδ fibre receptors (HTARs)] are activated during oleic acid (OA)-induced acute lung injury. In the present studies, we tested the hypothesis that this nociceptor activation is mediated by arachidonic acid products. In anaesthetized, open-chest, mechanically ventilated rabbits, we examined the response of the nociceptors to intravenous injection of OA before and after blocking the cyclo-oxygenase pathways with indomethacin. Pretreatment with indomethacin (20 mg kg−1) decreased the background activities of both CFRs (from 0.48 ± 0.12 to 0.25 ± 0.08 impulses/s, n= 7, P < 0.05) and HTARs (from 0.54 ± 0.14 to 0.23 ± 0.08 impulses/s, n= 10, P < 0.01). It also blocked the response of the nociceptors to OA. Likewise, pretreatment with thromboxane synthase inhibitor (ketoconazole) also blocked the nociceptor response to OA. In addition, local microinjection or intravenous injection of a thromboxane mimetic stimulated CFRs and HTARs. The present results clearly indicate that arachidonic acid metabolites mediate airway nociceptor activation during OA-induced acute lung injury and suggest that thromboxane may be a key mediator.
Multiplier ideal sheaves and existence of Kähler-Einstein metrics of positive scalar curvature.

Abstract To study C0a priori estimates for solutions to certain complex Monge—Ampere equations, I introduce a coherent sheaf of ideals and show that it satisfies various global algebrogeometric conditions, including a cohomology vanishing theorem. This technique is used to establish the existence of Kahler-Einstein metrics of positive scalar curvature on a very large class of compact complex manifolds.
Factors Affecting the Rate of Killing of Escherichia coli by Repeated Freezing and Thawing

Packer, Elliot L. (University of California, Davis), John L. Ingraham, and Stanley Scher. Factors affecting the rate of killing of Escherichia coli by repeated freezing and thawing. J. Bacteriol. 89:718-724. 1965.-Repeated freezing and thawing of cultures of Escherichia coli grown in a minimal medium and frozen in the same medium without carbon source resulted in a linear decrease in the log of the number of surviving cells as a function of the number of freeze-thaw cycles. The slope of this curve, which can be determined accurately, is an index of susceptibility of a culture to death by freezing and thawing. The effect of the physiological state of the culture on the killing rate was determined. Contrary to previous reports, the phase of growth, the state of aerobiosis, and the density of the culture had no effect on the degree of susceptibility to death by freezing and thawing. However, presence of spent growth medium (a filtrate of a stationary culture) in the freezing medium protected cells against death by freezing and thawing. Protection by spent growth medium is effective at high dilutions (1:10(5)), and is lost if spent growth medium is heated in the presence of alkali. It is suggested that the protection afforded by spent growth medium accounts for differences between our results and those reported in the literature.
Effects of growth hormone and pioglitazone in viscerally obese adults with impaired glucose tolerance: a factorial clinical trial.

Objective: Recombinant human growth hormone (GH) and pioglitazone (PIO) in abdominally obese adults with impaired glucose tolerance were evaluated under the hypothesis that the combination attenuates GH-induced increases in glucose concentrations, reduces visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and improves insulin sensitivity over time.
Hydrodynamic properties of urea‐denatured fibrinogen

The hydrodynamic properties of native and urea-denatured fibrinogen have been investigated, primarily to examine further the suggestion, based on a consideration of data for horse serum albumin, that urea denaturation may involve swelling instead of increased asymmetry. A sedimentation-diffusion and also a light scattering molecular weight determination at the isoelectric point indicate that 6 M urea causes neither splitting nor aggregation of the native protein in the denaturation process. The observed increase in the intrinsic viscosity and frictional coefficient upon denaturation can be interpreted in terms of an equivalent hydrodynamic ellipsoid of approximately the same shape but of a volume which is approximately 1.7 times that for the native protein. The effective volume appears to be slightly dependent on pH with a minimum at the isoelectric point. It thus appears that the urea denaturation of bovine fibrinogen, like that of horse serum albumin, may involve swelling. There is no indication in the case of either protein that increased asymmetry is involved in accounting for the frictional behavior of the denatured substances.
Political Competition and Democratic Stability in New Democracies

This article examines the way in which the initial level of political competition in a new democracy affects the stability of that regime. The author argues that new democracies with low levels of initial political competition are more likely to fail because those initially excluded from the democratic game seek to subvert the regime in the future. Using data from ninety-two new democracies born since 1946, he finds that a higher level of initial political competition in a new democracy makes for a more durable democracy. New democracies at war and born during the Cold War are less likely to survive. Finally, he finds evidence that new democracies with low levels of initial political competition are also more likely to meet with civil conflict.
Urinoma presenting as an abscess in an immunocompromised host: a case report

This case report illustrates the relatively rare occurrence of a urinoma masquerading as an abscess in a patient with refractory recurrent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Although urinomas have been reported after urinary instrumentation, our case was confounded by a concurrent pleural effusion, an immunocompromised host, and clinical appearance and subsequent incision and drainage that was consistent with an abscess. Although not the first case reported in the literature, the constellation of findings in our patient demonstrates the importance of including urinoma in the differential diagnosis of patients with flank mass. Here we report a case of a retroperitoneal fluid collection found in an immunocompromised 65-year-old Caucasian woman. She had recurrent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was neutropenic when the collection was found. Drainage of the fluid demonstrated infection, but the case was complicated by increasing fluid production and the development of an ipsilateral pleural effusion. Despite pleural drainage, the abscess output continued to be high. A computed tomography scan demonstrated fluid collection around the renal calices suggestive of rupture; analysis of the fluid was suggestive of a urinoma. The etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of urinomas in such patients are discussed. Urinomas can present in patients who have had urinary tract instrumentation or trauma, but can occur in other hosts. Patients with hematologic malignancy can develop malignant or sympathetic pleural effusions and are at risk for skin and soft tissue infections. Clinicians caring for immunocompromised patients, particularly hematologists, oncologists, and transplant clinicians, should be aware of this potential complication because rapid identification and attempt at correction are important to optimize outcome.
Uncoupling of complex regulatory patterning during evolution of larval development in echinoderms

Background Conservation of orthologous regulatory gene expression domains, especially along the neuroectodermal anterior-posterior axis, in animals as disparate as flies and vertebrates suggests that common patterning mechanisms have been conserved since the base of Bilateria. The homology of axial patterning is far less clear for the many marine animals that undergo a radical transformation in body plan during metamorphosis. The embryos of these animals are microscopic, feeding within the plankton until they metamorphose into their adult forms.
A Multiscale Ensemble Filtering System for Hydrologic Data Assimilation. Part I: Implementation and Synthetic Experiment

Abstract The multiscale autoregressive (MAR) framework was introduced in the last decade to process signals that exhibit multiscale features. It provides the method for identifying the multiscale structure in signals and a filtering procedure, and thus is an efficient way to solve the optimal estimation problem for many high-dimensional dynamic systems. Later, an ensemble version of this multiscale filtering procedure, the ensemble multiscale filter (EnMSF), was developed for estimation systems that rely on Monte Carlo samples, making this technique suitable for a range of applications in geosciences. Following the prototype study that introduced EnMSF, a strategy is devised here to implement the multiscale method in a hydrologic data assimilation system, which runs a land surface model. Assimilation experiments are carried out over the Arkansas–Red River basin, located in the central United States (∼645 000 km2), using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model with a computing grid of 1062 pixels. A...
A decadal record of underflows from a coastal river into the deep sea

Four periods of extreme turbidity were measured in Monterey Submarine Canyon over the past 12 yr. These turbid events occurred simultaneously with the four largest flood events of the nearby Salinas River. They filled the canyon with fresher, warmer, and, apparently, buoyant water that extended to depths below 1 km. The low-salinity signature must reflect underflow of the Salinas River plume that was driven to depth by negative buoyancy contributed from the suspended sediment. A flux estimate for the 1995 event suggests that one-half, or more, of the river's suspended sediment load was carried down the canyon in the underflow. Underflows may contribute significantly to the carbon budget of the continental slope.
Stability of estimated IQ across mood state in patients with bipolar disorder

Objectives: The goal of this study was to assess the impact of mania symptoms on the stability of the American version of the National Adult Reading Test (ANART), a measure that provides a putative estimate of premorbid intellectual functioning. Methods: The ANART was administered to a sample of 10 inpatients with bipolar disorder who were experiencing an acute episode of mania. During a subsequent follow-up visit during which these individuals exhibited at most minimal mood symptoms, the ANART was re-administered. Results: ANART estimated intelligence quotient (IQ) scores during mania and affective stability were assessed in the 10 patients using a paired sample t-test. Within-subject performance across the two mood states did not significantly differ [t(9) = −1.24, p = 0.25]. Additionally, the greatest individual difference across mood states was only 3.68 points, and the average estimated IQ difference across mood states was 1.66. Conclusions: While the results are preliminary and based on a small sample, the highly consistent scores achieved across mood states in this study suggest that the ANART is a reliable indicator of premorbid IQ.
Pathology detection rate of spectral domain optical coherence tomography devices

Background Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) allows for higher resolution scans and higher scanning speeds compared to time domain OCT (TDOCT). The purpose of this study is to compare the pathology detection rates of various SDOCT devices to the Stratus TDOCT. Methods Patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration were imaged on the Stratus and one of four SDOCT devices. The images were then analysed in a masked manner evaluating for the presence of epiretinal membrane (ERM), pigment epithelial detachment (PED) and subretinal fluid (SRF). After determining that low scan density with one of the devices was likely the cause of missed PED and SRF compared to the other SDOCT devices the study was repeated with a higher scan density. Results 60 eyes from 60 patients with neovascular macular degeneration were imaged on each SDOCT device, for a total of 240 eyes from 240 patients imaged on Stratus. There were no instances where pathology was visible on Stratus but was missed on SDOCT. The highest incidence of missed pathology was with SRF, followed by ERM and PED. Conclusions The increased resolution and image quality of SDOCT devices over TDOCT allows for finer discrimination of retinal structures. The increased speed of SDOCT allows for dense coverage of the macula resulting in the ability to see smaller areas of PED and SRF. There was a critical threshold for the distance between B-scans in the three-dimensional cube scan for detection of pathology.
Effect of maternal chronic hypoxic exposure during gestation on apoptosis in fetal rat heart

Chronic hypoxia during pregnancy is one of the most common insults to fetal development. We tested the hypothesis that maternal hypoxia induced apoptosis in the hearts of near-term fetal rats. Preg...
Nonlinear gain in vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifiers

We report on the wavelength-dependent nonlinear-gain properties of a vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier. A step-like output versus input transfer curve and bistability are found on the long wavelength side of the resonant peak. The characteristics are caused by a dispersive nonlinearity arising from gain saturation in the device. The nonlinear transfer of the amplifier could be used for logic regeneration and all-optical logic operations, while the optical injection power required to switch the device is an order of magnitude lower than previously reported with edge-emitting devices.
SeNDORComm: An Energy-Efficient Priority-Driven Communication Layer for Reliable Wireless Sensor Networks

In many reliable Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) applications, messages have different priorities depending on urgency or importance. For example, a message reporting the failure of all nodes in a region is more important than that for a single node. Moreover, traffic can be bursty in nature, such as when a correlated error is reported by multiple nodes running identical code. Current communication layers in WSNs lack efficient support for these two requirements. We present a priority-driven communication layer, called SeNDORComm, which schedules transmission of packets driven by application-specified priority, buffers and packs multiple messages in a packet, and honors the latency guarantee for a message. We show that SeNDORComm improves energy efficiency, message reliability, and network utilization and delays congestion in a network. We extensively evaluate SeNDORComm using analysis, simulation, and testbed experiments. We demonstrate the improvement in goodput of SeNDORComm over the default communication layer, GenericComm in TinyOS (134.78% for a network of 20 nodes).
How Does the Market Value Toxic Assets

How does the market value “toxic” structured-credit securities? We study the valuation of what is possibly the most toxic of all toxic assets: the equity tranche of a collateralized debt obligation (CDO). In theory, CDO equity should be similar in nature to bank stock since both represent residual claims on a portfolio of loans. We find CDO equity returns are much more related to stock returns than to fixed-income returns. CDO equity returns track the returns of financial stocks much more closely than any other industry. Nearly two-thirds of the variation in CDO returns can be explained by fundamentals.
Posterior Humeral Avulsion of the Glenohumeral Ligament and Associated Injuries: Assessment Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Background:Lesions associated with posterior humeral avulsion of the glenohumeral ligament (HAGL) can lead to persistent symptoms related to posterior shoulder instability and can be commonly missed or delayed in diagnosis.Purpose:To identify and characterize the MRI findings in patients with a posterior HAGL lesion.Study Design:Case series; Level of evidence, 4.Methods:This retrospective case series included 27 patients (28 shoulders) identified by search through the senior authors’ databases, with cross-reference to their institutional radiologic communication system for MRI review. Baseline patient demographic data were collected, including age and sex. All posterior HAGL lesions were identified on MRI and characterized as partial, complete, or floating lesions. All acute glenohumeral pathologic changes concurrent with the posterior HAGL were documented. Chondrolabral retroversion of the injured shoulder was measured on axial MRI.Results:The average age of the identified cohort was 33.6 years (range, 1...
Meeting multiple water quality objectives through treatment using locally generated char: improving organoleptic properties and removing synthetic organic contaminants and disinfection by-products

A variety of natural and anthropogenic contaminants can compromise the safety and esthetics of surface water collected for drinking and disinfected using chlorine by households in developing communities. While household chlorination is effective against most microbial pathogens, many users find the taste and odor of chlorine unacceptable and revert to drinking untreated water. Moreover, reactions between chlorine and the dissolved organic matter form harmful disinfection by-products (DBPs) such as trihalomethanes (THMs). Char adsorbers have been used to treat drinking water for thousands of years and are still widely used today. Results obtained here demonstrate that locally produced biomass chars (biochars) exhibit removal capacities comparable to those of activated carbon for removal of THMs, synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs) such as warfarin (WFN) (anticoagulant pharmaceutical, rodenticide), and naturally occurring trace organics such as the taste-and-odor compound 2-methylisoborneol (cyanobacterial metabolite). Results show chars can be used effectively to remove objectionable tastes and odors related to chlorine and cyanobacteria, DBPs, and SOCs. The use of char may lead to microbial risk reduction through greater acceptance of chlorine-based disinfection due to improved water esthetics, as well as chemical risk reduction associated with DBP and SOC exposure.
Ethnic Investors vs. Foreign Investors: The Impact of Diasporas on Economic Liberalization in China and India

The paper examines diaspora investments in China and India, compared to investments made by Western MNCs, to demonstrate the unique policy role of ethnic investors. In China, ethnic capital (EDI) holds a significant share of incoming FDI, a phenomenon having been noted insufficiently. When EDI is noted, it has been treated as a product of Beijing's pro-FDI policy, rather than the cause of the liberalization. I argue in this paper that EDI has in fact driven the process of pro-FDI policy making in the PRC by demonstrating the superiority of openness and incorporating domestic interest groups in support of FDI. In India, the amount of EDI has been smaller than FDI; total FDI has been much smaller than China also. Conventional wisdom has treated diapora Indians as unimportant in India's economic liberalization since the 1990s. Again, I contend in this article that EDI has also been important for India's FDI liberalization, more quietly than diaspora Chinese in the PRC, to be sure. India's FDI liberalization has generally been more limited than China, with the exception of software, and in this industry, EDI's role was salient
The Relationship of Energetics of Falconiform Birds to Body Mass and Climate

I measured body temperature and resting metabolic rate as a function of ambient temperature in eleven species of falconiforms. Body temperatures range from 37.1?C to 41.3?C and are independent of body size and climate. Resting metabolic rates correlate with variations in body size and climate. Falconiforms from hot habitats have lower resting metabolic rates than those from temperate habitats. The relationship between the mass-specific metabolic rate (mW g-') and mass (g) for birds in this order may be expressed as IHm = 34.62W-o'36. The relationship between the minimal thermal conductance (mW (g*C)-') and mass (g) for falconiforms may be expressed as C = 2.96W-0.45
The African Union and Collective Security Threat Perception

Since the end of the Cold War, a small but growing number of scholars have been giving increasing attention to a subfield of academic international relations known as "Global South security studies.” Although they have reached consensus on certain topics therein, one outstanding issue on which there is little agreement is the nature of collective security threat perceptions in Global South international organizations (IOs). By conducting a content analysis on the concluding documents from the African Union's bi-annual summits from 2000 to 2011, this piece makes suggestions as to what forces - including failed member states, a threatening international community, piracy and terrorism, human security threats, and many others - are perceived by the African Union to be of greatest threat to collective African security. In conclusion, it compares these findings to the collective security threat perceptions of two other Global South IOs - the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - to gauge the extent to which scholars in the school of Global South security studies might rightly speak of a "Global South" conception of collective security threat perception.
Epidemic Characteristics of Acute Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis in Futian District in 2008

Objective To study the epidemic characteristics of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis in Futian District,and to provide the scientific basis for the future control and prevention of acute hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted to analyze the data about epidemics of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis in 2008 in the whole district. Results The number of cumulative cases was 105 and no record of death. The annual incidence rate was 8.75 / 100,000. The perk period was April to June. There were cases in each street. The major acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis cases were other (21.91%),Business Services (17.14%),Cadres of staff (12.38%). The peak prevalence (68.57%) was between the ages of 20-45. The incidence rate for the male was higher than the female (1.56:1,P0.05) and the difference was not significant. Conclusion Strengthening of the early warning system ,carrying out the community-based monitoring and health missionary management ,improving the disease prevention and health awareness of individuals are the preferred strategy. Strengthening of the management of sanitation and disinfection in Collective units and public places are the key of success. Timely and accurate patient isolation and treatment are the important measures to control the epidemic.
Homogeneity of Fruits and Vegetables Comminuted in a Vertical Cutter Mixer

The homogeneity of comminuted composites of 20 lb samples of apples, cabbage, and green beans containing field-incurred residues of p, p'-methoxychlor was studied to determine whether a 5 min comminution in a 40 qt vertical cutter mixer produces a homogeneous composite and whether the size of test portions used accurately represents the composite. Duplicate test portions of 100, 50, 25, 10, 5, and 2 g taken from each of 6 separate sections of the mixer were analyzed by standard pesticide residue methodology for p, p'-methoxychlor. Results of this study confirmed that comminution of fresh produce in a 40 qt vertical cutter mixer, according to instructions described in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Pesticide Analytical Manual, Volume I, Section 203B, produces a homogeneous composite. No significant differences were found in the data for the 3 crops taken from the 6 sections of the mixer. Test portion weights of 100, 50, and 25 g produced equivalent results for all 3 crops. Statistically significant differences were observed for cabbage at 2, 5, and 10 g and for green beans at 2 g.
Simulation of three compartment model of beacon delivery

The goal of our study is to develop a time-dependent three-compartment model of beacon delivery. To simulate our model using JSIM, we employed the Step function as input flow function.
Induction of NO synthase in rat cardiac microvascular endothelial cells by IL-1β and IFN-γ

There are important phenotypic differences between endothelial cells of large vessels and the microvasculature and among microvascular endothelial cells isolated from different tissues and organs. In contrast to most macrovascular endothelial cells, we demonstrate that cultured cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMEC) have no detectable constitutive NO synthase (NOS) activity but have a robust increase in NOS activity in response to specific inflammatory cytokines. To determine the identity of the inducible NOS (iNOS) isoform(s) induced by cytokines, we used reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction techniques to clone and sequence a 2 17-bp cDNA fragment from CMEC cultures pretreated with interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) that was identical to the corresponding portion of the murine macrophage iNOS cDNA. By use of this CMEC iNOS cDNA as a probe in Northern analyses, IL-1β, but not IFN-γ, increased iNOS mRNA content in CMEC, although IFN-γ markedly potentiated iNOS induction in these cells. In IL-1β- and IFN-γ- pretreated CMEC, dexamethasone only minimally suppressed the rise in iNOS mRNA, protein abundance, or minimal iNOS enzyme activity in whole cell lysates but suppressed nitrite production by 60% in intact CMEC. Dual labeling of cytokinepretreated CMEC in primary culture with an anti-iNOS antiserum and a fluorescein-labeled lectin specific for the microvascular endothelium of rat heart (GS-1) confirmed the presence of iNOS expression in these cells. iNOS was also detected in microvascular endothelium in situ in ventricular muscle from lipopolysaccharide-, but not sham-injected, rat hearts. The induction of iNOS in the endothelium of the cardiac microvasculature may have important implications for understanding the pathophysiology of some forms of inflammatory cardiomyopathies
Resource allocation in cloud-based design and manufacturing: A mechanism design approach

Abstract The focus of this paper is on matching service seekers and service providers, such as designers and machine owners, in cloud-based design and manufacturing (CBDM). In such decentralized scenarios the objectives and preferences of service seekers are different from those of service providers. Current resource configuration methods are unsuitable because they optimize the objectives of only one type of participants – either service seekers or service providers. Existing marketplaces based on first-come-first-serve (FCFS) approach are inefficient because they may not result in optimal matches. To address these limitations there is a need for mechanisms that result in optimal matching considering the private preferences of all the agents. In this paper, we formulate the resource allocation problem as a bipartite matching problem. Four bipartite matching mechanisms, namely, Deferred Acceptance (DA), Top Trading Cycle (TTC), Munkres, and FCFS are analyzed with respect to desired properties of the mechanisms such as individual rationality, stability, strategy proofness, consistency, monotonicity and Pareto efficiency. Further, the performance of these mechanisms is evaluated under different levels of resource availability through simulation studies. The appropriateness of matching mechanisms for different scenarios in CBDM such as fully decentralized, partially decentralized and totally monopolistic are assessed. Based on the analysis, we conclude that DA is the best mechanism for totally decentralized scenario, TTC is most appropriate when cloud-based resources are used in an organizational scenario, and Munkres is the best mechanism when all resources are owned by a single agent.
Dendritic cell sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase regulates thymic egress

T cell egress from the thymus is essential for adaptive immunity and involves chemotaxis along a sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) gradient. Pericytes at the corticomedullary junction produce the S1P egress signal, whereas thymic parenchymal S1P levels are kept low through S1P lyase (SPL)-mediated metabolism. Although SPL is robustly expressed in thymic epithelial cells (TECs), in this study, we show that deleting SPL in CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs), rather than TECs or other stromal cells, disrupts the S1P gradient, preventing egress. Adoptive transfer of peripheral wild-type DCs rescued the egress phenotype of DC-specific SPL knockout mice. These studies identify DCs as metabolic gatekeepers of thymic egress. Combined with their role as mediators of central tolerance, DCs are thus poised to provide homeostatic regulation of thymic export.
Chronic Nephropathy from Dietary Hyperoxaluria: Sustained Improvement of Renal Function after Dietary Intervention

A 56-year-old man with stable chronic kidney disease (CKD) for two years following a single episode of calcium oxalate urolithiasis developed progressive elevation of his serum creatinine concentration. Urinalysis revealed pyuria and white cell casts, a few red blood cells, minimal proteinuria, and no crystals. Urine culture was sterile. Gallium scintigraphy was consistent with interstitial nephritis. Proton pump inhibitor intake was discontinued, and a short course of oral corticosteroids was initiated. Percutaneous kidney biopsy, performed because of the continued deterioration of renal function to a minimum estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) value of 15 mL/min per 1.73 m2 and persistent pyuria, revealed deposition of oxalate crystals in the tubules and interstitium, pronounced tubular changes, and interstitial nephritis and fibrosis. Urinary oxalate excretion was very high, in the range usually associated with primary hyperoxaluria. However, investigations for primary or enteric hyperoxaluria were negative. He reported a diet based on various nuts high in oxalate content. Estimated oxalate content in the diet was, for years, approximately four times higher than that in the average American diet. The institution of a diet low in oxalates resulted in the rapid normalization of urinary oxalate excretion and urinary sediment and in the slow, continuous improvement of renal function to near normal levels (eGFR 59 mL/min/1.73 m2) before his death from a brain malignancy 3.5 years later. The manifestations of nephropathy secondary to dietary hyperoxaluria, including the urine findings, can be indistinguishable from other types of interstitial nephritis. The diagnosis of dietary hyperoxaluria requires careful dietary history and a kidney biopsy. Identifying dietary hyperoxaluria as the cause of CKD is important because the decrease in dietary oxalate intake without any other measures can lead to sustained improvement in renal function.
Delays, Detours, and Diversions: Paths to Fully Executed Safe Routes to School Projects

State governments periodically solicit, review, and award Safe Routes to Schools grants to local governments and school districts that are seeking to make improvements that will improve student travel to and from school. Having endured the process of identifying a worthy project and completing the grant application, these local entities must then execute the specified work. Many communities are successful, but some are not. The research presented in this paper identified promising practices used by those entities that had completed their projects (and had successfully achieved their goals) despite difficulties along the way. The research identified ways in which the grant fulfillment process broke down and how these difficulties may be overcome.
A Tale of Two Innocence Clinics

Actual Innocence, published in 2000, tells the story of innocent men and women who are convicted and imprisoned, and the contributing causes of their wrongful conviction. The book includes an agenda of criminal justice reforms to protect the innocent. Clinical law faculty responded to Actual Innocence’s call to establish clinics “to represent clients in DNA and non-DNA cases.” The number of law school clinics providing pro bono legal and investigative services to individuals seeking to prove innocence of crimes for which they were convicted grew exponentially in the following years. Since 1992, when the Innocence Project in New York City launched the first innocence clinic at Cardozo Law, thousands of students have either represented or provided legal assistance to prisoners exonerated through DNA testing or other newly discovered evidence. The partnership between the innocence movement and clinical legal education is fitting given the shared benefit to each of involving students in the exoneration of wrongly convicted. clients. Doing so furthers the innocence movement’s primary goal of freeing innocent prisoners. And, client representation innocence clinics address clinical legal education’s mission to teach students essential lawyering skills while achieving social justice. Yet very few innocence organizations, including those based at law schools, employ faculty or staff who focus on policy reform. Only one organization, Innocence Project Northwest (IPNW), offers a clinical law experience devoted to policy advocacy. Since the IPNW Legislative Advocacy Clinic was first offered in 2011, law students have successfully advocated for bills to compensate the wrongly convicted and preserve biological evidence. This chapter summarizes the innocence movement’s successes, and describes the challenges it faces moving forward client and policy advocacy. It discusses why the innocence movement’s early focus on client representation was a natural fit for clinical legal education programs. The article explores having the innocence movement join forces with a new wave in clinical legal education, which recognizes the advantages of engaging students in policy advocacy and community education to achieve social change. Some law school offerings are ‘integrated’ or ‘combined’ clinics, where students represent clients and participate in broader-scale projects. Others, like the IPNW Legislative Advocacy Clinic, immerse students in an exclusive policy experience. The integrated/combined and project-based clinics expand a student’s toolkit of transferable legal skills by engaging students in a wide range of non-litigation strategies. Most importantly, as the IPNW experience demonstrates, the clinics are effective in achieving social change. This may be the time for the innocence movement to issue a new call to law schools: ‘to establish clinics to redress the causes of wrongful conviction.’
The QCD Equation of state and critical end-point estimates at O(μB6)

Abstract We present results for the QCD Equation of State at non-zero chemical potentials corresponding to the conserved charges in QCD using Taylor expansion upto sixth order in the baryon number, electric charge and strangeness chemical potentials. The latter two are constrained by the strangeness neutrality and a fixed electric charge to baryon number ratio. In our calculations, we use the Highly Improved Staggered Quarks (HISQ) discretization scheme at physical quark masses and at different values of the lattice spacings to control lattice cut-off effects. Furthermore we calculate the pressure along lines of constant energy density, which serve as proxies for the freeze-out conditions and discuss their dependence on μ B , which is necessary for hydrodynamic modelling near freezeout. We also provide an estimate of the radius of convergence of the Taylor series from the 6th order coefficients which provides a new constraint on the location of the critical end-point in the T - μ B plane of the QCD phase diagram.
Gender, Sport and Media Between the Mid-1980s and Early 2000s: Developments, Trajectories and Transformations

This chapter addresses several thematic developments in the sociology of sport on gender, sport and media, focusing on scholarship in the United States from the 1980s through the early 2000s to chart the development and contributions of US feminist scholars to the knowledge on gender, media and sport. The first development focuses on research conducted on the “symbolic annihilation” of women’s sports and female athletes. The second development focuses on key theoretical frameworks grounded in feminist cultural studies of sport. This chapter offers insight into the ongoing legacy of some of the key studies from this era and concludes with future directions, including an evaluation of the relevance of this work to contemporary understandings of gender, sport and the media.
Recent Advances in the Stereochemical Outcome of Multicomponent Reactions Involving Convertible Isocyanides

Multi-component reactions (MCRs) have become an integral part of organic synthesis as short and very efficient routes to molecular diversity with included varying stereochemistry. MCRs have evolved rapidly in terms of the components used in the reactions and their role on the stereo chemical outcomes. This chapter focuses on covering recent contributions towards MCRs including targeted asymmetric control. Furthermore, advances in MCRs, as reported by many researchers, covering the utility of the convertible isocyanides, stereochemical advances of the Passerini and Ugi reactions and finally, the use of carbohydrates as chiral auxiliaries are examined and discussed.
The Regulation of Antibody Formation

The immune response is regulated by the complex interaction of many processes, most of which are not antigen-specific. In this presentation, however, I want to discuss antigen-specific mechanisms only, because these influence the immune response in an exquisitely selective manner and because their manipulation offers the best opportunities of modifying the immune response in a directed manner to achieve therapeutic goals.
A Framework for Integrating Culture, Diversity, and Social Justice in Addictions

Issues of culture and human diversity that exist between and within cultural groups can be perplexing as research investigators and health service providers alike attempt to understand the “real-world” complexities inherent in the study of culture. In this chapter we will examine cultural variables and dimensions of culture, as applied to the study of addictive behaviors. We outline a multidimensional framework for integrating culture into addiction. No one model fully captures this rich diversity, and thus we will examine select models which serve to organize and understand how “culture” influences human behavior, including addictive behaviors. We will complete our analysis with commentaries on methodological approaches for conducting more integrative analyses that can inform our understanding of these complex cultural effects. The aim is to do so with sensitivity to complex cultural processes, yet also with rigorous research designs for conducting scientific studies that “do justice” to the analysis of cultural influences on human behavior and addiction.
Electrons in Heterojunctions

Properties of electrons — and, in a few cases, of holes — in heterojunctions are described, with emphasis on simple treatments of energy levels and low-temperature transport properties in A1xGa1-xAs/GaAs heterojunctions. A few related aspects of electrons in quantum wells are also described.