cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Production and purification of a peptide of Fusarium tricinctum that causes conidia of Penicillium to swell

A process is described for production of a cyclodepsipeptide complex (CDPC) from autoclaved white corn grits fermented with Fusarium tricinctum NRRL 3510. Yields of more than 2.5 g CDPC/ kg of medium were obtained. Previously, we described the conspicuous swelling of Pencillium digitatum conidia and hyphal tips incubating in a medium supplemented with the CDPC, a trio of metabolites produced by strains of F. tricinctum and F. roseum. Analysis of the CDPC mass spectra and the amino acid composition indicated one major and two minor cyclodepsipeptides. The two major products differed from the major cyclodepsipeptide only in the substitution of either isoleucine or valine for leucine in the threonyl-alanyl-alanyl-glutaminyl-tyrosyl-leucine peptide portion of the molecule.
Stress Trajectories for Mode I and Mode II Cracks

Maximum shear stress trajectories are obtained for the mode I and for the mode II crack in an isotropic elastic solid in plane strain.
Metal working fluids (MWF) and microbial contaminants induce hypersensitivity pneumonitis in an experimental murine model

Abstract Rationale Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in machinists has been attributed to the inhalation of used MWF containing contaminants. In a murine model we examined the antigenicity and inflammatory responses of MWF and microbial contaminants. Methods 6-8 wk old female Balb/c mice were sensitized intraperitoneally and intranasally with unused MWF with or without Mycobacterium immunogenum and Acinetobacter lwoffi antigen extracts. Upon completion of the study, the total serum IgE, peripheral eosinophils, and specific serum IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies were studied. Splenocytes were stimulated with antigens and supernatants assayed for cytokines by ELISA. Histological changes in the lung were also evaluated. Results Used MWF (1:20) contaminated with A. lwoffi and M immunogenum induced both cellular and antibody responses. Mice exposed to MWF and antigens extracts had lower body weights (16.4 g vs. 19.7 g; p 4 vs. 2.9×10 4 ; p M. immunogenum -sensitized mice demonstrated higher serum specific IgG1 antibodies as compared to normal controls. A. lwoffi -sensitized mice showed increase of both IgG1 and IgG2a specific antibodies. Spleen cell proliferation was detected with A. lwoffi antigens. Lung histology demonstrated inflammatory infiltrates in the submucosa and perivascular areas. Conclusions MWF with added M. immunogenum and A. lwoffi antigens developed immune and inflammatory responses comparable to what is detected in humans.
Temperature Regulation and Habits in Two Species of Jerboa, Genus Jaculus

Moroccan samples of Jaculus orientalis , mean body weight 139.1 grams, and J. deserti , mean weight 74.5 grams, when subjected to ambient temperatures of 0 to 33° C maintained body temperature at levels reported for other placental mammals of similar size. In that ambient range, mean rectal temperatures were 36.2 to 37.4° C in orientalis and 36.9 to 38.0° C in deserti . At ambient temperatures above 33° in orientalis and above 35° in deserti , rectal temperatures increased. At 40° the animals exhibited heat exhaustion and some died after an exposure of one hour. At 0° and 5° C the animals shivered and reduced surface exposure. There was no torpor. Minimum rates of oxygen consumption obtained within ambient temperatures 28 to 33° in J. orientalis and 33 to 35° in J. deserti . Those standard metabolic rates, respectively 1.00 and 1.23 cc O2 (g hr)−1, accord with those predicted on the basis of body weight. Mean conductances for the ambient range 0 to 20° were 0.082 and 0.129 ml O2 (g hr °C)−1, respectively, in orientalis and deserti . Assuming 4.7 cal/ml O2, those amount to 0.385 and 0.606 cal (g hr °C)−1. These conductances were 95 and 109 per cent, respectively, of that predicted on body weight. Surface-specific insulation is greater in orientalis , which can tolerate lower temperatures with less metabolic cost. These species live in climatically rigorous environments in which water typically is scarce and food supply fluctuates. Air temperatures may reach 45° C in summer and in winter near 0° ( deserti ) or below 0° C ( orientalis ). The species avoid the intense heat by spending the day in burrows where temperatures typically are below levels critical to the species. Temperatures in burrows of orientalis in Morocco in winter were 9° or 10° C while air temperature varied from 25° to sub-zero. The species are not known to store food or to become torpid in response to low temperatures. Environments of Jaculus are similar to those inhabited by Dipodomys , and the two groups of species resemble each other in features of anatomy, habits and physiology. In species of Dipodomys surveyed, however, standard metabolic rates and conductances below thermoneutrality were less than predicted by weight.
Stability of silicate coatings on pyrite surfaces in a low pH environment

The suppression of pyrite oxidation due to the formation of stable coatings of Fe3+ –silica and/or Fe3+ –hydroxy–silica complexes over pyrite surfaces in near-neutral and neutral solution pHs is well documented. On the contrary, there is currently no convincing experimental evidence that proves the existence of such a coating under low pH environments. Aqueous continuous flow kinetic experiments were conducted using coating solutions containing Na2 Si O3 ∙5 H2 O and H2 O2 at pH 6, 4, 3, and 2. Results showed that at pH 2, pyrite oxidation in the presence of silica is pseudofirst order and oxidation is not inhibited by silica. At pH 6, silica significantly reduced pyrite oxidation via a pseudofirst-order reaction that takes on several stages related to changes in the relative contributions of H2 O2 and Fe3+ . Iron speciation data suggests a surface adsorption mechanism at pH 6 and an electrochemical mechanism at pH 2 for pyrite oxidation. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscop...
Ground Fault Detection and Location for Ungrounded DC Traction Power Systems

A fault protection and location method for ungrounded dc traction power systems is presented in this paper. Many dc traction power systems have an ungrounded power circuit to increase the leakage path resistance. Although ungrounded systems can continue operating with a single ground contact, unlike solid- or low-resistance grounded systems, because of the very low fault current, a second ground fault in another pole will result in a line-to-line fault that could cause significant system damage. However, it is difficult to detect the first ground contact due to the low ground current and even harder to locate because it can be seen by many detectors in the network. The proposed scheme in this paper uses a probe unit to detect and locate the first single ground fault in ungrounded traction power systems. The probe unit applies probe voltage to detect the fault and, once the fault is detected, analyzes the response to dc or swept-frequency ac probe voltage to locate the fault. The proposed concepts have been verified with computer simulations and hardware experiments and demonstrated a successful performance.
Homeland security preparedness: Balancing protection with resilience in emergent systems

The report of the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection [PCCIP, Executive Order 13010, The White House, Washington, DC, 1997] which was issued in October 1997 set in motion a revolutionary and expensive national homeland security initiative under the rubric of critical infrastructure protection. The PCCIP addressed a plethora of sources of risk to the nation's critical infrastructures, along with numerous risk management options. For simplicity, we partition solution possibilities into two major types: protecting system assets and adding resilience to systems. Much of government research efforts focus on analyzing component systems and their assets. Systems engineers are particularly interested in characteristics that emerge from the system design, which are affected by changes to component systems, but also by changes that reflect the way systems are constructed and integrated. Adding resilience to a system expands the focus beyond component systems to include a study of emergent, system-level attributes for homeland security consideration. Balancing protective and resilience actions through system-level analysis will provide a means to improve the overall efficiency of regional and national preparedness. This paper explores concepts of emergence, resilience, and preparedness as a foundation for establishing a framework to assess the balance between the two areas of infrastructure risk mitigation. We propose several considerations that must be included in a framework to assess protection and resilience tradeoffs, and we present a simple illustrative study that demonstrates several of the framework concepts and provides a means for further discussion about the complex interactions that are faced when evaluating the resilience of a system. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng
Interactions of Carbon Atoms and Dimer Vacancies on the Si(001) Surface

We investigate the interactions between substitutional carbon atoms on the defect free, (2×1) reconstructed Si(001) surface, and bring evidence that the interaction energy differs significantly from the inverse-cube distance dependence that is predicted by the theory of force dipoles on an elastic half-space. Bused on Tersoff potentials, we also calculate the interactions between carbon atoms and dimer vacancies. The calculations indicate that dimer vacancies (DVs) are strongly stabilised by fourth-layer C atoms placed directly underneath them. By use of simple model Monte Carlo simulations, we show that the computed interactions between carbon atoms and DVs lead to self-assembled vacancy lines, in qualitative agreement with recent experimental results.
Three-phase PWM boost-buck rectifiers with power-regenerating capability

Three-phase pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) boost-buck rectifiers with power-regenerating capability are investigated. The converters under consideration are capable of: (1) both voltage step-up and step-down; (2) bidirectional power processing; and (3) almost unity-power-factor operation with nearly sinusoidal AC current. Expected advantages are: (1) applicability to lower voltage applications, e.g., direct retrofit to replace diode or thyristor rectifiers; (2) switching loss reduction in the inverter load; (3) low-order harmonic control in the inverter load output voltage; (4) blanking time effect mitigation in the inverter load; and (5) a modest level of voltage sag/swell compensation. In this paper, firstly, a step-by-step power stage derivation process is described. Then, taking the Cuk-Cuk realization as an example, its operating principle and modulation scheme are described. A steady-state model and dynamic model for controller design are also described. Representative results of circuit simulations and hardware experiments are presented. Through these procedures, the feasibility of the presented three-phase PWM boost-buck rectifier with power-regenerating capability is demonstrated.
A first look at modern enterprise traffic

While wide-area Internet traffic has been heavily studied for many years, the characteristics of traffic inside Internet enterprises remain almost wholly unexplored. Nearly all of the studies of enterprise traffic available in the literature are well over a decade old and focus on individual LANs rather than whole sites. In this paper we present a broad overview of internal enterprise traffic recorded at a medium-sized site. The packet traces span more than 100 hours, over which activity from a total of several thousand internal hosts appears. This wealth of data--which we are publicly releasing in anonymized form--spans a wide range of dimensions. While we cannot form general conclusions using data from a single site, and clearly this sort of data merits additional in-depth study in a number of ways, in this work we endeavor to characterize a number of the most salient aspects of the traffic. Our goal is to provide a first sense of ways in which modern enterprise traffic is similar to wide-area Internet traffic, and ways in which it is quite different.
Polymorphic subtyping in O'Haskell

Abstract O'Haskell is a programming language derived from Haskell by the addition of concurrent reactive objects and subtyping. Because Haskell already encompasses an advanced type system with polymorphism and overloading, the type system of O'Haskell is much richer than what is the norm in almost any widespread object-oriented or functional language. Yet, there is strong evidence that O'Haskell is not a complex language to use, and that both Java and Haskell programmers can easily find their way with its polymorphic subtyping system. This paper describes the type system of O'Haskell both formally and from a programmer's point of view; the latter task is accomplished with the aid of an illustrative, real-world programming example: a strongly typed interface to the graphical toolkit Tk.
Energy Loan: A Physical Basis For Molecular And Neuromalecular Computing

The neuromolecular computer paradigm puts the main computational work of the brain and of artificial molecular computer designs into the specificity (pattern recognition ability) of individual macromolecules. It is shown how reversible motions of enzymes and other macromolecules can allow for high specificity to coexist with high speed in a way that is consistent with macroscopic thermodynamics.
Casein kinase II phosphorylates the synaptic vesicle protein p65

p65 (synaptotagmin), an abundant synaptic vesicle protein, has been implicated in the processes of vesicle docking and fusion. To characterize further the properties of this important neuronal protein, we have investigated its phosphorylation in vitro. Immunoprecipitation of p65 results in coprecipitation of a protein kinase that phosphorylates p65 as well as syntaxin, a plasma membrane protein that interacts with p65. p65 is phosphorylated on a threonine residue (Thr-128) within the cytoplasmic domain near the transmembrane region. The coprecipitating protein kinase was identified as casein kinase II based on its catalytic properties, the sequence surrounding Thr-128, and Western blot analysis of the anti-p65 immunoprecipitates. Affinity chromatography utilizing bacterially expressed fragments of p65 demonstrated that casein kinase II interacts with a domain of p65 distinct from the phosphorylation site. In a synaptic vesicle fraction, the phosphorylation of p65 is stimulated by sphingosine and by detergent solubilization, suggesting that p65 phosphorylation may be subject to regulatory processes.
The ARAMIS (American Rheumatism Association Medical Information System) Post-Marketing Surveillance Program

ARAMIS, the national arthritis data resource, tracks 22,000 patients from 17 centers by prospective protocol. recording all routine clinical data and with regular assessment of patient status including mortality, disability, discom fort, drug side effects, and economic impact. In the ARAMIS post-marketing surveillance program, these data are used to answer questions of (a) comparative toxicity between drugs, (b) long-term drug effects, (c) effects of drug combinations upon toxicity, (d) effects of comorbidity, (e) generalizability of pre-marketing estimates, and u) clinical characteristics of those with side reactions. Differences found in specific toxicity, both clinical and laboratory, between different drugs and with drug combinations are important, and these differences had not been discoverable from pre-marketing studies.
A locking mechanism preventing radical damage in the absence of substrate, as revealed by the x-ray structure of lysine 5,6-aminomutase

Lysine 5,6-aminomutase is an adenosylcobalamin and pyridoxal-5′-phosphate-dependent enzyme that catalyzes a 1,2 rearrangement of the terminal amino group of dl-lysine and of l-β-lysine. We have solved the x-ray structure of a substrate-free form of lysine-5,6-aminomutase from Clostridium sticklandii. In this structure, a Rossmann domain covalently binds pyridoxal-5′-phosphate by means of lysine 144 and positions it into the putative active site of a neighboring triosephosphate isomerase barrel domain, while simultaneously positioning the other cofactor, adenosylcobalamin, ≈25 A from the active site. In this mode of pyridoxal-5′-phosphate binding, the cofactor acts as an anchor, tethering the separate polypeptide chain of the Rossmann domain to the triosephosphate isomerase barrel domain. Upon substrate binding and transaldimination of the lysine-144 linkage, the Rossmann domain would be free to rotate and bring adenosylcobalamin, pyridoxal-5′-phosphate, and substrate into proximity. Thus, the structure embodies a locking mechanism to keep the adenosylcobalamin out of the active site and prevent radical generation in the absence of substrate.
Diversion Remains the Standard of Care for Modern Management of War-Related Rectal Injuries

ABSTRACT Introduction: Management of rectal injuries in war-injured patients has evolved over time. Methods: Retrospective review of records of patients sustaining war-related rectal injuries admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center from Iraq and Afghanistan. Results: From 2003 to 2011, 67 males ages 18 to 40 sustained rectal injuries after secondary blast (64%), gunshot (33%), motor vehicle crash (1%), or helicopter crash (1%). Injuries were extraperitoneal (72%), intraperitoneal (25%), or both (3%). Rectal abbreviated injury score mean was 3 ± 1. Surgical management included end colostomy (66%), loop colostomy (28%), and no diversion (4%). Distal washout (24%) and drain placement (33%) were performed. Colostomy closure occurred in 79% of patients at an average of 237 days after injury. Conclusions: Diversion is the preferred treatment of war-related rectal injuries. Loop colostomy is acceptable unless there is potential for evolving rectal injury. Routine use of presacral irrigation and drainage was ...
The Perceived Determinants and Consequences of Alcohol Consumption among Young Women Heavy Drinkers

Heavy-drinking college-aged women were compared with normal-drinking women on the perceived determinants and consequences of their drinking. Heavy drinkers generally believed they drank for inadequacy and escapist reasons, while normal drinkers drank for reasons of sociability. Similarities in these beliefs were found between the heavy drinkers and a group of adult women in treatment for alcoholism.
Preheating in Supersymmetric Theories

We examine the particle production via preheating at the end of inflation in supersymmetric theories. The inflaton and matter scalars are now necessarily complex fields, and their relevant interactions are restricted by holomorphy. In general this leads to major changes both in the inflaton dynamics and in the efficiency of the preheating process. In addition, supersymmetric models generically contain multiple isolated vacua, raising the possibility of non-thermal production of dangerous topological defects. Because of these effects, the success of leptogenesis or WIMPZILLA production via preheating depends much more sensitively on the detailed parameters in the inflaton sector than previously thought.
Behavioral naltrexone therapy: An integrated treatment for opiate dependence

Treatment of opiate dependence with naltrexone has been limited by poor compliance. Behavioral Naltrexone Therapy (BNT) was developed to promote adherence to naltrexone and lifestyle changes supportive of abstinence, by incorporating components from empirically validated treatments, including Network Therapy with a significant other to monitor medication compliance, the Community Reinforcement Approach, and voucher incentives. An overview is presented of the BNT treatment manual. In an uncontrolled Stage I trial (N = 47), 19% completed the 6-month course of treatment. Retention was especially poor in the subsample of patients who were using methadone at baseline (N = 18; 39% completed 1 month, none completed 6 months), and more encouraging among heroin-dependent patients (N = 29; 65% completed 1 month, 31% completed 6 months). Thus, attrition continues to be a serious problem for naltrexone maintenance, although further efforts to develop interventions such as BNT are warranted.
Using signals of human interest to enhance single-document summarization

As the amount of information on the Web grows, the ability to retrieve relevant information quickly and easily is necessary. The combination of ample news sources on the Web, little time to browse news, and smaller mobile devices motivates the development of automatic highlight extraction from single news articles. Our system, NetSum, is the first system to produce highlights of an article and significantly outperform the baseline. Our approach uses novel information sources to exploit human interest for highlight extraction. In this paper, we briefly describe the novelties of NetSum, originally presented at EMNLP 2007, and embed our work in the AI context.
Trends in optocoupler radiation degradation

Proton-radiation test results for new optocoupler technologies are compared with those of older optocouplers. The new devices are far more resistant to displacement damage effects and have a much higher current-transfer ratio (CTR). The improvements are due to improved optical-coupling efficiency in combination with light-emitting diode (LED) technologies that are inherently more resistant to lifetime degradation. Because of these changes, CTR degradation is no longer dominated by LED damage. LED degradation, gain degradation, and photoresponse degradation all contribute to the overall changes in CTR after irradiation in the newer device types.
Long‐term changes in a Wisconsin Fagus‐Acer forest in relation to glaze storm disturbance

Changes in the composition of a Fagus-Acer (Beech-Sugar maple) forest in southeastern Wisconsin over a 16-yr period from 1971 to 1987 are analyzed in relation to a severe glaze (ice) storm disturbance occurring within the census period. Landscape topography created ‘windward’ and ‘leeward’ forest aspects with respect to storm severity, which resulted in greater canopy opening on the windward aspect. In the tree stratum, most species remained stable in density and most of the common species increased in basal area into larger size classes. However, Fagus grandifolia, Ulmus rubra, and the small tree Ostrya virginiana suffered net losses that suggest synergistic effects between glaze storm disturbance and other factors upon tree mortality. In the sapling stratum, canopy opening strongly promoted release of shade-to levant Acer sac-charum. On the windward forest aspect, sapling densities of less shade-tolerant species also increased, in contrast to the absence of such increases on the leeward forest aspect. In the shrub (regeneration) stratum, species responses were heterogeneous. Regeneration of most species increased over the 16-yr period, and some less shade-tolerant species showed increased regeneration differentially on the windward forest aspect. Overall, disturbance appears to have accelerated forest succession toward increased dominance by A. saccharum and persistence of both Fagus and Tilia americana through their capacities for root sprouting. However, forest succession was retarded somewhat on the windward aspect through increased recruitment of less-shade tolerant species. These results parallel those of other studies of glaze storm disturbance, and they illustrate how spatially heterogeneous disturbance intensity may contribute to maintenance of forest diversity.
Dieldrin Binding in Subcellular Nerve Components of Cockroaches. An Electron Microscopic and Autoradiographic Study

Attempts were made to establish a centrifugal method to separate various sub cellular components of the nervous systems of the American cockroach, Periplanela (L.), and the German cockroach, Blaltella germanica (L.). Various nerve fractions thus obtained were then examined for their capacities to bind 14Cdieldrin. An auto radiographic technique to facilitate electron microscopic studies on the behavior of labeled insecticides in the nerve homogenate was also developed.
The Spiritual Care Meanings of Adults Residing in the Midwest

Only limited nursing knowledge exists as theoretical guidance for nurses in providing spiritual care. Using Leininger’s theory of culture care diversity and universality, the purpose of this ethnonursing research study was to discover the embedded spiritual care meanings, expressions, lived experiences, and practices of adults residing in the Midwest and their perceptions of spiritual nursing care. Data were collected through interviews of 6 key and 12 general informants. Five universal spiritual themes were supported by the findings. Culture care modes were used to explicate spiritual knowledge that can be integrated into nursing practice.
Variance in randomized play-the-winner clinical trials

Abstract We derive the exact variance of the allocation proportions in a clinical trial employing a randomized play-the-winner design. Such a result has application in planning studies.
Rapid Diagnostic Fault Simulation of Stuck-at Faults in Sequential Circuits using Compact Lists

This paper describes a diagnostic fault simulator for stuck-at faults in sequential circuits that is both time and space efficient. The simulator represents indistinguishable classes of faults as memory efficient lists. The use of lists reduces the number of output response comparisons between faults and hence speeds up the simulation process. The lists also make it easy to drop faults when they are fully distinguished from other faults. Experimental results on the ISCAS89 circuits show that the simulator runs significantly faster than an earlier work based on distinguishability matrices and is faster and more memory efficient than a recent method based on lists of indistinguishable faults. The paper provides the first reports on pessimistic and optimistic diagnostic measures for all faults of the large ISCAS circuits.
The Use of Social Media in Teaching Race.

This article explores ways in which race pedagogy interrogates social media as a significant influence on racism and source for race understandings. Social media serves as a context in which to learn about, challenge, and address issues of race. We discuss how social media may be used to promote racial literacy and question and resist racism, using a YouTube post example, comment stream, and video responses. Our focus includes a discussion of intersectionality and highlights ways in which resisting racism may still involve sexism or other oppression.
Intracisternal PYY increases gastric mucosal resistance: role of cholinergic, CGRP, and NO pathways.

The influence of intracisternal injection of peptide YY (PYY) on gastric lesions induced by ethanol was studied in urethan-anesthetized rats. Gastric lesions covered 15–22% of the corpus as monitor...
Can You Repeat That? Using Word Repetition to Improve Spoken Term Detection

We aim to improve spoken term detection performance by incorporating contextual information beyond traditional Ngram language models. Instead of taking a broad view of topic context in spoken documents, variability of word co-occurrence statistics across corpora leads us to focus instead the on phenomenon of word repetition within single documents. We show that given the detection of one instance of a term we are more likely to find additional instances of that term in the same document. We leverage this burstiness of keywords by taking the most confident keyword hypothesis in each document and interpolating with lower scoring hits. We then develop a principled approach to select interpolation weights using only the ASR training data. Using this re-weighting approach we demonstrate consistent improvement in the term detection performance across all five languages in the BABEL program.
Reenvisioning velocity reversal as a diversity of hydraulic patch behaviours

Past research investigated the surpassing of mean velocity at riffle cross sections by that at pool cross sections for flows up to bankfull, termed ‘velocity reversals’, to understand one mechanism by which riffle–pool relief is maintained. This study reenvisioned the classic velocity reversal by documenting stage-dependent changes to the locations of peak velocity without cross sections. Instead, the dynamics of peak velocity patches were considered for flows spanning 0.2 to 22 times bankfull discharge through the use of a high-resolution DEM and two-dimensional hydrodynamic modelling. A remarkable diversity in peak velocity patch behaviour was found across discharges, including gradual expansion and shifting as well as abrupt disappearance and emergence relative to the low-flow patch locations. These behaviours blended together to varying degrees to produce many reversals in peak velocity across morphological units, but it took substantially higher than bankfull discharge for peak velocities to move from riffles and chutes to fast glides and pools. The discharges at which reversals occurred among morphological units were significantly higher for the valley-confined reach than for the anastomosing reach. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Surface-Specific DFT + U Approach Applied to α-Fe2O3(0001)

We report the bulk properties and ab initio thermodynamics surface free energies for α-Fe2O3(0001) using density functional theory (DFT) with calculated Hubbard U values for chemically distinct surface Fe atoms. There are strong electron correlation effects in hematite that are not well-described by standard DFT. A better description can be achieved by using a DFT + U approach in which U represents a Hubbard on-site Coulomb repulsion term. While DFT + U calculations result in improved predictions of the bulk hematite band gap, surface free energies using DFT + U total energies result in surface structure predictions that are at odds with most experimental results. Specifically, DFT + U predictions stabilize a ferryl termination relative to an oxygen termination that is widely reported under a range of experimental conditions. We explore whether treating chemically distinct surface Fe atoms with different U values can lead to improved bulk and surface predictions. We use a linear response technique to deri...
Research Progress on Bioactivity of Walnut Protein

This article reviewed research progress on bioactivity of walnut protein,including antioxidant,antibacterial,inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme and antitumor activity.
Can bone-targeted therapy reduce recurrence and improve survival in early-stage breast cancer?

At present, caution is urged in use of osteoclast-targeted therapy in early-stage breast cancer patients. Not all are at risk for therapy-induced bone loss, and the majority are not at risk for recurrence following adjuvant therapy. Toxicities exist, and there is financial cost to consider.
Pharmacology of anticancer agents in the elderly: the pharmacist's perspective.

In this issue of ONCOLOGY, Balducci[1] reviews principles for treating elderly patients with antineoplastic therapy. This paper begins by defining baseline terminology such as age and frailty, while providing an overview of applied techniques of discerning a patient’s functional impairment or disability.
Ion chromatography for determination of ammonia sampled by silica gel in air of workplace

Objective To establish an ion chromatography (IC) method for determination of ammonia in air of workplace.Methods Ammonia in workplace air was collected in silica gel tube,desorbed with 10 mmol/L methanesulfonic acid by ultrasonic for 10 min,determined by IC.Results The linearity range was 0.02～1.00 μg/ml.The linear equation was (Y)=12 041X-187 (r=0.999 7).The limit of quantification was 0.13 mg/m3 (the air volume was 1.5 L).Collection efficiency was 100％.Extraction efficiency was 99％.The relative standard deviation was 4.2％～6.3％.The penetration capacity was more than 264 μg.Sample could be stored for 14 days at least by ambient storage.Conclusion This method is convenient,applicable and sensitive,suitable to determinate ammonia in air of workplace. Key words: Ammonia; Ion chromatography; Air; workplace
Local Search on Trees and a Framework for Automated Construction Using Multiple Identical Robots: (Extended Abstract)

We present an algorithmic framework for automated construction using multiple identical robots. Our approach is based on the principle of tree-based dynamic programming and a concomitant idea of local search on trees to improve the quality of the generated plans. Inspired by the TERMES project of Harvard University, robots in this domain are required to gather construction blocks from a reservoir and coordinate with each other in building user-specified structures much larger than themselves. While the robots are roughly of the same size as the blocks, they can scale greater heights by using temporarily constructed ramps in the substructures. Our algorithm employs an inner loop in which the planning problem is solved by performing dynamic programming on a tree that spans the footprint of the user-specified structure. The outer loop of the algorithm furnishes a good tree for the inner loop. We show how we can search for a good tree in the outer loop using local search methods that yield significant improvements in plan quality. Synchronization rules are then applied to parallelize the execution of the generated plan for multiple identical robots.
A Feasibility Study of Personalized Prescription Schemes for Glioblastoma Patients Using a Proliferation and Invasion Glioma Model

Purpose: This study investigates the feasibility of personalizing radiotherapy prescription schemes (treatment margins and fractional doses) for glioblastoma (GBM) patients and their potential benefits using a proliferation and invasion (PI) glioma model on phantoms. Methods and Materials: We propose a strategy to personalize radiotherapy prescription schemes by simulating the proliferation and invasion of the tumor in 2D according to the PI glioma model. We demonstrate the strategy and its potential benefits by presenting virtual cases, where the standard and personalized prescriptions were applied to the tumor. Standard prescription was assumed to deliver 46 Gy in 23 fractions to the initial, gross tumor volume (GTV₁) plus a 2 cm margin and an additional 14 Gy in 7 fractions to the boost GTV₂ plus a 2 cm margin. The virtual cases include the tumors with a moving velocity of 0.029 (slow-move), 0.079 (average-move), and 0.13 (fast-move) mm/day for the gross tumor volume (GTV) with a radius of 1 (small) and 2 (large) cm. For each tumor size and velocity, the margin around GTV₁ and GTV₂ was varied between 0-6 cm and 1-3 cm, respectively. Equivalent uniform dose (EUD) to normal brain was constrained to the EUD value obtained by using the standard prescription. Various linear dose policies, where the fractional dose is linearly decreasing, constant, or increasing, were investigated to estimate the temporal effect of the radiation dose on tumor cell-kills. The goal was to find the combination of margins for GTV₁ and GTV₂ and a linear dose policy, which minimize the tumor cell-surviving fraction (SF) under a normal tissue constraint. The efficacy of a personalized prescription was evaluated by tumor EUD and the estimated survival time. Results: The personalized prescription for the slow-move tumors was to use 3.0-3.5 cm margins for GTV₁, and a 1.5 cm margin for GTV₂. For the average- and fast-move tumors, it was optimal to use a 6.0 cm margin for GTV₁ and then 1.5-3.0 cm margins for GTV₂, suggesting a course of whole brain therapy followed by a boost to a smaller volume. It was more effective to deliver the boost sequentially using a linearly decreasing fractional dose for all tumors. Personalized prescriptions led to surviving fractions of 0.001-0.465% compared to the standard prescription, and increased the tumor EUDs by 25.3-49.3% and estimated survival times by 7.6-22.2 months. Conclusions: Personalizing treatment margins based on the measured proliferative capacity of GBM tumor cells can potentially lead to significant improvements in tumor cell kill and related clinical outcomes.
Strategies for reducing noise level of parametric images in emission tomography

Abstract High noise level of pixel-wise kinetic measurements in emission tomography requires spatial constraints to be applied to suppress the noise on parametric images. Since the relationship between the kinetic response and the model parameters of compartmental models commonly used to describe the tracer kinetics in emission tomography is nonlinear, application of spatial constraint at different steps in the parametric image generation is expected to give different results. In this study, we use computer simulation to examine the characteristics of various approaches and constraint choices in order to develop a proper processing strategy to reduce noise level in parametric images.
From Global Justice to Occupy and Podemos: Mapping Three Stages of Contemporary Activism

Surveying the varied contributions to this special issue, this article examines the relationships, points of inspirations and contradictory dynamics that characterize the current epoch of social movement politics and global protest. The authors argue that with the progression of neoliberal capitalism and the explosion of new technologies, a shared logic of social movement politics has emerged. This logic spans from the Zapatistas and the Global Justice Movement to the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East, the Occupy struggles and the most recent wave characterized by Podemos. While each of these waves of contention has a particular character, together they make up a broader epoch of struggle that thrives on multiplicity, emphasized radical participatory democracy, the innovative use of media and the heterogeneity of political struggle.
Multiple Revolution Solutions for the Perturbed Lambert Problem using the Method of Particular Solutions and Picard Iteration

We present a new method for solving the multiple revolution perturbed Lambert problem using the method of particular solutions and modified Chebyshev-Picard iteration. The method of particular solutions differs from the well-known Newton-shooting method in that integration of the state transition matrix (36 additional differential equations) is not required, and instead it makes use of a reference trajectory and a set of n particular solutions. Any numerical integrator can be used for solving two-point boundary problems with the method of particular solutions, however we show that using modified Chebyshev-Picard iteration affords an avenue for increased efficiency that is not available with other step-by-step integrators. We take advantage of the path approximation nature of modified Chebyshev-Picard iteration (nodes iteratively converge to fixed points in space) and utilize a variable fidelity force model for propagating the reference trajectory. Remarkably, we demonstrate that computing the particular solutions with only low fidelity function evaluations greatly increases the efficiency of the algorithm while maintaining machine precision accuracy. Our study reveals that solving the perturbed Lambert’s problem using the method of particular solutions with modified Chebyshev-Picard iteration is about an order of magnitude faster compared with the classical shooting method and a tenth-twelfth order Runge-Kutta integrator. It is well known that the solution to Lambert’s problem over multiple revolutions is not unique and to ensure that all possible solutions are considered we make use of a reliable preexisting Keplerian Lambert solver to warm start our perturbed algorithm.
Development of regionalized SPFs for two-lane rural roads in Pennsylvania.

Abstract The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Highway Safety Manual (HSM) contains safety performance functions (SPFs) to predict annual crash frequencies for several roadway types. When applying these SPFs in a jurisdiction whose data were not used to develop the SPF, a calibration factor can be applied to adjust the expected crash frequency estimate to statewide or local conditions. Alternatively, the HSM suggests that transportation agencies may develop their own SPFs in lieu of applying the calibration factor to the HSM SPFs. However, the HSM does not provide guidance on the appropriate level of regionalization that should be adopted for either method, even though safety performance may vary considerably within a state. In light of this, the present study considers the development of local or regionalized SPFs for two-lane rural highways within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Three regionalization levels were considered: statewide, engineering district and individual counties. The expected crash frequency for each level of regionalization was compared to the reported crash frequency over an eight-year analysis period. The results indicate that district-level SPFs with county-level adjustment factors provide better predictive accuracy than the development of a statewide SPF or application of the HSM-calibrated SPF. The findings suggest that there are significant differences in safety performance across engineering districts within Pennsylvania. As such, other state transportation agencies developing SPFs or using calibration factors may also consider how variations across jurisdictions will affect predicted crash frequencies.
Improved Fuzzy Logic MPPT Controller of Stand alone WECS-based PMSG under Stochastic Wind Environment

This paper discusses the modeling and control of a Standalone WECS-based PMSG, the aim is to achieve an optimal operation of the studied WECS under a typically stochastic wind environment. The Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is guaranteed through the tracking of an optimal generator speed using an Improved Fuzzy Logic Controller based on intelligent algorithms. The effectiveness and the benefits of the proposed approach are demonstrated by numerical simulation using Matlab/SIMULINK. The obtained results indeed confirm a good tracking performance of the proposed controller.
Enhanced protein identification using graphite-modified MALDI plates for offline LC-MALDI-MS/MS bottom-up proteomics

The use of offline liquid chromatography-matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (LC-MALDI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) for bottom-up proteomics offers advantages in terms of cost, ease of use, and the time-decoupled nature of the separation step and the mass analysis. A method was developed to improve the capabilities of LC-MALDI-MS/MS in terms of protein identification in a bottom-up proteomic workflow. Enhanced protein identification is achieved by an increase in the MALDI signal intensity of the precursor peptides brought about by coating the MALDI plate with a thin film of graphite powder. Using the Escherichia coli proteome, it is demonstrated that the graphite-modified MALDI plates used in an offline LC-MALDI-MS/MS bottom-up protocol led to a 50-135% increase in the number of peptide identifications, and a concomitant 21%-105% increase in the number of proteins inferred. We identify factors that lead to improvements in peptide sequence identifications and in the number of unique proteins identified when compared to using an unmodified MALDI plate. These improvements are achieved using a low cost approach that it is easy to implement, requires no hardware/protocol modification, it is compatible with LC and adds no additional analysis time.
Renal Granulomatosis Post Intravesical Bacillus Calmette–Guerin Therapy for Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer

Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) immunotherapy is a proven, effective treatment for intermediate- and high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Minor side effects are common and expected but systemic effects can occur in <5% of treated patients. We present a rare case of a 49-year-old male that presented with fever and chills after 3 weeks of intravesical BCG therapy post transurethral resection of bladder tumor. New renal lesions were present on contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan which was histologically proven to be necrotizing renal granulomatosis.
Customizing national models for a medical center's population to rapidly identify patients at high risk of 30-day all-cause hospital readmission following a heart failure hospitalization.

Abstract Background Nationally-derived models predicting 30-day readmissions following heart failure (HF) hospitalizations yield insufficient discrimination for institutional use. Objective Develop a customized readmission risk model from Medicare-employed and institutionally-customized risk factors and compare the performance against national models in a medical center. Methods Medicare patients age ≥ 65 years hospitalized for HF (n = 1,454) were studied in a derivation cohort and in a separate validation cohort (n = 243). All 30-day hospital readmissions were documented. The primary outcome was risk discrimination (c-statistic) compared to national models. Results A customized model demonstrated improved discrimination (c-statistic 0.72; 95% CI 0.69 – 0.74) compared to national models (c-statistics of 0.60 and 0.61) with a c-statistic of 0.63 in the validation cohort. Compared to national models, a customized model demonstrated superior readmission risk profiling by distinguishing a high-risk (38.3%) from a low-risk (9.4%) quartile. Conclusions A customized model improved readmission risk discrimination from HF hospitalizations compared to national models.
Sex differences and estrous cycle changes in hippocampus-dependent fear conditioning

Male and naturally cycling female rats were tested in a fear conditioning paradigm that encompassed both hippocampus-dependent and -independent components. The females were both conditioned and tested for retention at the same stage of the estrous cycle, during either estrus or proestrus. Male rats followed a regime similar to that for the female rats. Approximately 2 weeks after conditioning, the animals were examined for retention of the spatial context and of an explicitly paired conditioning tone. All animals showed a similar degree of conditioning to the tone. However, female proestrous rats showed less spatial-contextual conditioning than did male or estrous female rats. These results suggest that the changes found during the proestrous part of the cycle are related to hippocampal information processing and not to general changes in learning ability, to shock sensitivity, or to state-dependent learning. The results are discussed and related to previous findings regarding estrous cycle changes in behavior, anatomy, and physiology.
Pulling the Value Streams of a Virtual Enterprise with a Web-based Kanban System

A Kanban system is one of the major enablers of lean manufacturing implementation. With the aid of information technologies, web-based Kanban systems inherit the benefits of using physical Kanban cards and meanwhile eliminate several limitations such as the scope and distance of applied areas, amount and types of information contents, real-time tracking and monitoring, and flexibility for adjustments. With the enhanced functionality, the Kanban system is no longer merely for shop floor control. The web-based Kanban system is ready to bring the “pull” concept into a distributed manufacturing environment to make a virtual enterprise. This chapter presents the functionality requirements and available solutions of web-based Kanban systems. The applications of a web-based Kanban system in various environments, from manufacturing cells to virtual enterprises, are explored. A web-based Kanban system provides great visibility of the production flows in an enterprise system. It can deliver a clearer picture of the up-to-date status of the system as well as the dynamics over time. Using the enhanced information, decision makers will be able to plan and manage production flows of a virtual enterprise more effectively.