cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Band structures and optical properties of two transition-metal carbides—TiC and ZrC

The optical reflectivities of face-centered-cubic TiC and ZrC have been measured in the range $1.0\ensuremath{\le}\ensuremath{\hbar}\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\le}8.0$ eV. In addition, the electronic-energy-band structures for these compounds have been calculated using a modified empirical-pseudopotential method, and the structures in the reflectivities derived from these band structures show approximate one-to-one correspondence to the structures in the data, with agreement to the order of 0.2 eV. Prominent structures in the measured reflectivities of both compounds are identified.
Antibiotic resistance in soil and water environments

Seven locations were screened for antibiotic-resistant bacteria using a modified agar dilution technique. Isolates resistant to high levels of antibiotics were screened for r plasmids. Low-level resistance (25 micro g x ml(-1)) was widespread for ampicillin, penicillin, tetracycline, vancomycin and streptomycin but not for kanamycin. Resistant populations dropped sharply at high antibiotic levels, suggesting that intrinsic non-emergent mechanisms were responsible for the multiple drug resistance exhibited at low doses. Dairy farm manure contained significantly (P < 0.01) more (%) resistant bacteria than the other sites. Bacteria isolated from a dairy water canal, a lake by a hospital and a residential garden (fertilized by farm manure) displayed resistance frequencies of 77, 75 and 70%, respectively. Incidence of tetracycline resistance was most prevalent at 47-89% of total bacteria. Out of 200 representative isolates analyzed, Pseudomonas, Enterococcus-like bacteria, Enterobacter and Burkholderia species constituted the dominant reservoirs of resistance at high drug levels (50-170 micro g x ml(-1)). Plasmids were detected in only 29% (58) of these bacteria with tetracycline resistance accounting for 65% of the plasmid pool. Overall, resistance trends correlated to the abundance and type of bacterial species present in the habitat. Environmental reservoirs of resistance include opportunistic pathogens and constitute some public health concern.
Quantum theory of angle and relative-phase measurement

The complementarity between time and energy, as well as between an angle and a component of angular momentum, is described at three different layers of understanding. The phenomena of super-resolution are readily apparent in the quantum phase representation which also reveals that entanglement is not required. We modify Schwinger's harmonic oscillator model of angular momentum to include the case of photons. Therein, the quantum angle measurement is shown to be equivalent to the measurement of the relative phase between the two oscillators. Two reasonable ways of dealing with degeneracy are shown to correspond to a conditional measurement which takes a snapshot in absolute time (corresponding to adding probability amplitudes) and a marginal measurement which takes an average in absolute time (corresponding to adding probabilities). The sense in which distinguishability is a ``matter of how long we look'' is discussed and the meaning of the general theory is illustrated by taking the two oscillators to be circularly polarized photons. It is shown that an odd number of $x$-polarized photons will never have an angle in correspondence with the $y$ axis, but an even number of $x$-polarized photons always can! The behavior of an $x$-polarized coherent state is examined and the snapshot angular distributions are seen to evolve into two counter-rotating peaks resulting in considerable correspondence with the $y$ axis at the time for which a classical linear polarization vector would shrink to zero length. We also demonstrate how the probability distribution of absolute time (herein a measurable quantity, rather than just a parameter) has an influence on how these snapshot angular distributions evolve into a quantum version of the polarization ellipse.
A robotics approach to analysis of non-isotropic random walks

A random walk is a path that is comprised of random steps taken in random directions. Random walks present themselves in a variety of environments, and for this reason they have been a subject of relevance spanning disciplines ranging from economics to biology. A cycle in a random walk consists of the choice of a random direction, followed by a step forward, occurring for some duration. We investigated isotropic and non-isotropic random walks involving the following four cycle variations: 1. constant time, constant step size 2. constant time, varied step size 3. varied time, constant step size 4. varied time, varied step size. In biological terms, these cases of a random walks are of interest in modeling dispersal of organisms. In this study we have attempted to establish a mechanism to better study cases of "non-normal" diffusion in a population using a simplistic model.
Ultrasonographic Evaluation of the Metacarpus, Metatarsus, and Pastern

Ultrasonographic evaluation of the metacarpus (MC), metatarsus (MT), and pastern has been used to diagnose soft tissue injuries of these regions for the past two decades. Advancements in technology continue to improve user friendliness as well as our ability to diagnose tendon and ligament injuries. Relevance of these advances to the equine practitioner will be presented. Techniques to evaluate all major anatomic structures will be discussed, including the superficial and deep digital flexor tendons, inferior check ligament, suspensory ligament, straight and oblique distal sesamoidean ligaments, and collateral and abaxial and axial palmar/plantar ligaments of the pastern joint. Evaluation of associated synovial structures will be presented, including the carpal sheath, tarsal sheath, and digital sheath. An emphasis will be placed on measuring cross-sectional areas as a means to differentiate injured from noninjured structures and how to utilize those measurements to evaluate healing. Common history, physical examination findings, ultrasonographic features, healing, and prognosis for soft tissue injuries of MC, MT, and pastern will be reviewed. Practice tips to improve sonographic technique and image acquisition will also be presented.
Employment Effects of the 2009 Minimum Wage Increase: New Evidence from State-Based Comparisons of Workers by Skill Level

In July, 2009, when the US Federal minimum wage was increased from $6.55 to $7.25, individuals in nearly one-third of all states were unaffected, since the state minimum wage already exceeded $7.25. We use this variation to make comparisons of the employment of low-skill workers with their peers across states and with workers within states who were arguably unaffected by the increase, using DID and DIDID methods. Our data come from the 2009 Current Population Survey, 4 and 5 months before and after the increase. We find little evidence of negative employment effects for teens or less-educated adults. Further control for demographic characteristics and state fixed effects have relatively small effects on the size and significance of estimated effects.
CORE–MANTLE CHEMICAL ISSUES

Is the core’s chemical isolation from the mantle complete? This is an important question for the balancing of the persistently enigmatic budgets of the highly siderophile elements and PGE, to which Fleet’s work has contributed so much. On redox criteria alone, it is clear that the core and the mantle cannot be in bulk equilibrium, and therefore that there are chemical incentives for core–mantle exchange. Recent Os isotope evidence suggests that the core may indeed be leaking chemically (although some W isotope evidence does not encourage this view). Possible mechanisms of chemical transfer between core and mantle include the following. (1) Cooling of the Earth provides a temperature perturbation that affects solubility in the outer core of the oxides, sulfides, carbides, hydrides, and silicates with which inevitably the outer core becomes saturated. Cooling and buoyancy lead to a progressive transfer of liquid (or crystalline) precipitates to the mantle. Solubilities of nonmetals in the core need determination. (2) Electromagnetic effects arising from core dynamo action can also drive core–mantle transfers. Interesting phase-changes, electrowetting, and dramatic trace-element chemical fractionation effects are driven by ~1 V potentials. The electronic character of, and voltages across, the core–mantle boundary (CMB) need determination. (3) Chemical transfers can be forced by emplacement of chemically incompatible assemblages into the CMB region. The redox imbalance between the core and oxidized slab material subducted to the CMB will certainly require chemical re-adjustments, most plausibly leading to core-to-mantle transfer of mass. The current debate about whether the chemical signature seen in some plumes is recycled crust or core need not have an exclusive “either/or” resolution. Recycled material could be key in refluxing core material into the mantle.
Issues in multicultural education

Abstract This article examines issues that are central to the multicultural curriculum in the United States of America. It focuses on contributions to the journal Multicultural Education, and analyses them in terms of: culture, critical theory, transformative multicultural education, white privilege and racism, anti‐bias curricula, voice or cultural and historical perspectives, cultural pluralism and instructional practice.
Nitrogen oxides in the troposphere: Global and regional budgets

The cycle of nitrogen oxides in the troposphere is discussed from both global and regional perspectives. Global sources for NO(x) are estimated to be of magnitude 50 (+ or - 25) x 10 to the 12th gm N/yr. Nitrogen oxides are derived from combustion of fossil fuels (40 percent) and biomass burning (25 percent) with the balance from lightning and microbial activity in soils. Estimates for the rate of removal of NOx based on recent atmospheric and precipitation chemistry data are consistent with global source strengths derived here. Industrial and agricultural activities provide approximately two thirds of the global source for NOx. In North America, sources from combustion of fossil fuels exceed natural sources by a factor of 3-13. Wet deposition removes about one third of the combustion source of NOx over North America, while dry deposition removes a similar amount. The balance is exported from the continent. Deposition of nitrate in precipitation over eastern Canada and the western Atlantic is clearly influenced by sources of NOx in the eastern United States.
Blue Upconversion Characteristics of Thulium-doped Silica Fiber with High Germania Content

Intense blue upconversion luminescences were observed in a high-NA silica fiber doped with Tm3+ and 25mol% GeO2 by pumping with a 630-670nm laser. The intensities of two bands due to the 1D2 → 3F4 at 455nm and 1G4 → 3H6 transition at 480nm were changed with the pumping wavelength, power, and the fiber length. These phenomena were ascribed to the population inversion of the3F4 excited state to the ground state and large population of the 3H4, that are the intermediate excited levels for the 3G4 and 1D4 upconversions, respectively. The nonlinear power dependence of the population could be due to the relatively low-phonon-energy, high Tm3+-concentration and high pump-power density in the core of this high-NA fiber. The peak shift of the 480nm-band with the fiber length and a two-photon process of 1.2 µm luminescence band are also discussed.
Rhabdomyolysis after withdrawal of thyroid hormone in a patient with papillary thyroid cancer.

ABSTRACT Objective To report a case of rhabdomyolysis presenting with severe hyperkalemia after withdrawal of thyroid hormone in a patient with differentiated thyroid cancer. Methods We describe the clinical and laboratory findings of the study patient and review the relevant literature. Results A 54-year-old man with progressive generalized weakness and myalgias presented with acute renal failure and hyperkalemia. He had undergone total thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid cancer 6 weeks earlier and had discontinued thyroid hormone 2 weeks before his current presentation in preparation for thyroid remnant ablation. He had a history of multiple colon and small-bowel resections for familial adenomatous polyposis and desmoid tumor. He was severely dehydrated on examination. Laboratory tests results included the following values: creatine phosphokinase, 5265 U/L (reference range, 52-336 U/L); creatinine, 2.1 mg/dL; potassium, > 8.0 mEq/L; and thyrotropin, 92.2 mIU/L. His condition was diagnosed as rhabdomyolysis, and his fluid deficit and hyperkalemia were treated aggressively. Cardiac status remained stable, and both acute renal failure and hyperkalemia improved. He then received remnant ablation, and thyroid hormone was restarted. His muscle complaints resolved over the following 3 months. Conclusions Hypothyroidism-induced rhabdomyolysis can occur during thyroid hormone withdrawal and can present with life-threatening hyperkalemia. Patients undergoing thyroid hormone withdrawal should be assessed for risk of rhabdomyolysis, and preventive strategies should be implemented, including prevention of dehydration. The use of recombinant thyrotropin, rather than thyroid hormone withdrawal, should be considered in those who are at high risk for such complications. (Endocr Pract. 2008;14:1023-1026)
Marijuana and heroin: a study of initiation of drug use by heroin addicts.

Many studies have explored the question of whether or not marijuana use leads to heroin use. An unstated assumption in most of these studies seems to be the presupposition that marijuana use was the drug user's initiation into use of drugs. In two samples of ex-heroin addicts it was found that a majority of the subjects had not begun their drug use with marijuana.
Bayesian piecewise mixture model for racial disparity in prostate cancer progression

Racial differences in prostate cancer incidence and mortality have been reported. Several authors hypothesize that African Americans have a more rapid growth rate of prostate cancer compared to Caucasians, that manifests in higher recurrence and lower survival rates in the former group. In this paper we propose a Bayesian piecewise mixture model to characterize PSA progression over time in African Americans and Caucasians, using follow-up serial PSA measurements after surgery. Each individual's PSA trajectory is hypothesized to have a latent phase immediately following surgery followed by a rapid increase in PSA indicating regrowth of the tumor. The true time of transition from the latent phase to the rapid growth phase is unknown, and can vary across individuals, suggesting a random change point across individuals. Furthermore, some patients may not experience the latent phase due to the cancer having already spread outside the prostate before undergoing surgery. We propose a two-component mixture model to accommodate patients both with and without a latent phase. Within the framework of this mixture model, patients who do not have a latent phase are allowed to have different rates of PSA rise; patients who have a latent phase are allowed to have different PSA trajectories, represented by subject-specific change points and rates of PSA rise before and after the change point. The proposed Bayesian methodology is implemented using Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques. Model selection is performed using deviance information criteria based on the observed and complete likelihoods. Finally, we illustrate the methods using a prostate cancer dataset.
Expression and localization of growth hormone-releasing hormone messenger ribonucleic acid in rat placenta: in vitro secretion and regulation of its peptide product.

The placenta is the source of many hypothalamic peptides. We now report that GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) mRNA was detectable in rat placenta. On Northern blot hybridization analysis, the size of the placental GHRH transcript was the same with the putative GHRH precursor mRNA. On in situ hybridization, the cells expressing the GHRH mRNA had the morphological characteristics of cytotrophoblasts. In addition, immunoreactive (IR) postranslational products of GHRH were present in rat placental extracts and in the effluent of in vitro perifused placentae. On gel filtration chromatography, the bulk of IR-GHRH present in placental extracts and perifusion effluent had the same size as the authentic hypothalamic GHRH (5.2K). A higher mol wt form of IR-GHRH of about 10K was also present and may represent the pro-GHRH predicted from the sequence of the GHRH cDNA. The mean basal release of IR-GHRH in the perifusion effluent from full thickness rat placental fragments was 337.3 +/- 38.5 (+/- SE; n = 48) pg/10 min fraction.g tissue. Depolarization by 56 mM KCl increased the concentration of the secreted immunoreactive peptide to 632.2 +/- 50.5. A 10-min exposure to 8-bromo-cAMP caused an immediate, monophasic, and dose-dependent increase in IR-GHRH secretion, which lasted between 20-30 min. The ensuing response to a KCl pulse was similar in size and pattern to that in the control channels. In contrast, a 10-min pulse of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (a protein kinase-C-irreversible activator) induced a gradual, prolonged, and dose-dependent increase in basal GHRH secretion which lasted for at least 4 h. Additionally, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate enhanced KCl-induced GHRH secretion. In conclusion, our data suggest that the GHRH gene is expressed in the rat placenta. The placental GHRH transcript and its peptide products appear to have the same size as their hypothalamic counterparts, while the site of its placental GHRH synthesis is the cytotrophoblast. Finally, the secretion of placental GHRH seems to be regulated by both the adenyl cyclase and the protein kinase-C pathways.
Cannabinoid receptor-regulated cyclic AMP accumulation in the rat striatum.

: The present study demonstrates that desacetyllevo-nantradol, a synthetic cannabinoid analog, reduces cyclic AMP levels in rat striatal slices stimulated with vasoactive intestinal peptide or SKF 38393, a D1-dopamine agonist. Desacetyllevonantradol and the D2 agonist LY 171555 both inhibited D1-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation in the striatum. Spipcrone, a specific D2-dopamine antagonist, fully reversed the inhibitory effect of LY 171555 but not that of desacetyllevonantradol, indicating that this cannabinoid response is not occurring through a D2-dopaminergic mechanism. Morphine also inhibited cyclic AMP accumulation in striatal slices stimulated with either SKF 38393 or vasoactive intestinal peptide. Naloxone, an opioid antagonist, fully reversed the effect of morphine but not that of desacetyllev-onantradol, indicating that cannabinoid drugs are not acting via a mechanism involving opioid receptors. The response to maximally effective concentrations of desacetyllevonan-tradol was not additive to that of maximally effective concentrations of either morphine or LY 171555, suggesting that dopaminergic, opioid, and cannabinoid receptors may be present on the same populations of cells.
Purification of Synthetic Lipopeptide Conjugates by Liquid Chromatography

Abstract Conventional normal phase liquid chromatography (LC) was implemented for the purification of a synthetic lipid-peptide conjugate and its electrophilic lipid precursor. N-bromoacetic distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE-COCH2Br) was extracted from the crude reaction mixture and purified in a single chromatographic step with a gradient of chloroform, methanol, and 50% aqueous acetic acid. This compound was covalently linked to Ser-Phe-Leu-Leu-Arg-Asn-(βAla)3-Tyr-NHCH2CH2SH, a hydrophilic decapeptide, and the conjugate was both extracted and purified in a single step by normal phase gradient LC using a hand-packed 3 mL Sep-Pak™ column. The eluent was a mixture of hexane, chloroform, 2-propanol, acetic acid, and water. Runs were monitored by thin layer chromatography and the plates developed with iodine and ninhydrin.
Abstract 2271: Effective therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma using triptolide and TRAIL receptor agonists

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is incurable. IFNα or IL-2 immunotherapy has been used for RCC for more than 20 years, but response rates remain low and these cytokines can generate toxic. More recently, administration of multikinase inhibitors or anti-VEGF receptor mAb has become popular, but these agents are largely palliative and tumor regression is common. The shortcomings in current therapeutic options for patients with metastatic RCC provide the rationale for the development of novel treatment protocols. Triptolide, a diterpene triepoxide from the medicinal herb Tripterygium wilfordii, can suppress cell growth and induce apoptosis in a range of human tumor cells. Further, triptolide also sensitizes tumor cells to TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of combining triptolide with TRAIL receptor agonists against RCC. In vitro, the combination of triptolide and recombinant human TRAIL protein decreased cell viability in the human RCC cell line ACHN cells compared with either treatment alone. This decrease in viability correlated with increased induction of apoptosis (positive Annexin V staining) and caspase activation. The triptolide-induced sensitization was accompanied by decreased HSP70, HSP27, and HSF1 expression, as well as increased surface expression of TRAIL-R2. Similar in vitro treatment of the mouse renal cell adenocarcinoma cell line, Renca, demonstrated that triptolide enhanced the killing of these cells by membrane-bound TRAIL or agonistic anti-DR5 mAb. In vivo treatment of mice bearing orthotopic and metastatic Renca tumors showed that combination therapy consisting of minnelide (a water soluble version of triptolide) and agonistic anti-DR5 mAb resulted in significantly decreased tumor burden and increased animal survival compared to either therapy alone. Collectively, our data suggest that triptolide sensitizes RCC cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis, which is accompanied by decreased heat shock protein expression and altered TRAIL receptor expression. These data also suggest that the combination of TRAIL receptor agonists and triptolide may prove to be an effective treatment for metastatic RCC, especially at doses that show suboptimal tumoricidal activity when used individually. Citation Format: Thomas S. Griffith, Erik L. Brincks, Tamara A. Kucaba, Britnie R. James, Veena Sangwan, Sulagna Banerjee, Ashok Saluja. Effective therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma using triptolide and TRAIL receptor agonists. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2271. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2271
Induction of KLF2 by fluid shear stress requires a novel promoter element activated by a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent chromatin-remodeling pathway.

Fluid shear stress maintains vascular homeostasis by influencing endothelial gene expression. One mechanism by which shear stress achieves this is through the induction of transcription factors including Kruppel-like factor 2(KLF2). We have previously reported that a 62-bp region of the KLF2 promoter is responsible for its shear stress-induced expression via the binding of nuclear factors. In this study, we find that the 62-bp shear stress response region contains a 30-bp tripartite palindrome motif. Electrophoretic mobility supershift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate that PCAF (P-300/cAMP-response element-binding protein-binding protein-associated factor)) and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein D bind this region as components of the shear stress regulatory complex. We have also characterized a PI3K-dependent/Akt-independent pathway responsible for shear stress-induced KLF2 nuclear binding, promoter activation, and mRNA expression. Furthermore, the shear stress response region of the KLF2 promoter was specifically immunoprecipitated by antibodies against acetylated histones H3 and H4 in shear-stressed but not static hemangioendothelioma cells. The acetylation of these histones was blocked by PI3K inhibition. Finally, we have found that KLF2 increases endothelial nitric-oxide synthase expression in murine endothelial cultures, an effect that is also blocked by PI3K inhibition. These results define the DNA regulatory element, signal transduction pathway, and molecular mechanism activating the flow-dependent expression of a vital endothelial transcription factor.
Barotropic, subtidal exchange between Calcasieu Lake and the Gulf of Mexico

Long-term measurements of flow through Calcasieu Pass, Louisiana, are compared to water level variations within Calcasieu Lake, Louisiana. Except during periods of freshets driven by local rainfall, the exchange is shown to be predominantly barotropic. A simple wind-driven model accounts for the observed phase relations between wind, current, and water level.
Song ranging by the dusky antbird, Cercomacra tyrannina : ranging without song learning

In a population of dusky antbirds (Cercomacra tyrannina), less aggressive responses to distance-degraded playbacks than to undegraded playbacks of pair duets show that this tropical suboscine passerine uses sound degradation to range distance from singing conspecifics. This is the first example of song-ranging in a species that does not learn songs, supporting the hypothesis that ranging preceded the song learning that occurs in more recently evolved passerine birds (oscines). Both sexes sing and are able to use song degradation to range distance from singers when their sex-specific song is played back.
The ethics of care and new paradigms for accounting practice

The ethics of rights or the separative model has dominated Western thought since the Enlightenment and the ethics of care was developed as a feminist critique seeking to rebalance our basic thought structure. The ethics of care is used as a framework for analysis and as a visionary ideal to evaluate proposed changes in accounting practice. Reports on changes in conceptualizing accounting practice proposed by the AICPA’s special committees on assurance and financial reporting. The proposals challenge traditional views of accounting practice, based on rights thinking, and adopt concepts from new management theories compatible with the ethics of care. Contends that it is not clear to what extent these proposals, and other current proposals to address the problem of auditor independence, represent a real paradigm shift. The proposed changes are driven by an economic imperative to expand the scope of services of the profession and may result in a significant threat to the accounting profession’s claims to professional status.
Visual navigation and classification of datasets in feature similarity space

Discovering and understanding relationship patterns within a feature-rich archive (e.g. quantifying the degree of neuroanatomical similarity between the scanned subjects of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) repository) is a nontrivial task. Scientists and expert users employ a variety of commodity algorithms for automated statistical analysis of feature patterns within a collection. But such analysis assumes the user is an experienced statistician, and disregards human visual processing capability. In this work we define a visual process for exploring the structure, relationships and patterns within a neuroimaging archive. Through dataset placement, our three-dimensional environment expresses similarity among the data. The application facilitates further analysis via two-stage exploratory clustering and classification.
Software engineering education

A primary charter of TCSE is supporting and promoting software engineering education. The paper looks at the major issues in SEE and their goals.
TITAN: Thunderstorm Identification, Tracking, Analysis, and Nowcasting—A Radar-based Methodology

Abstract A methodology is presented for the real-time automated identification, tracking, and short-term forecasting of thunderstorms based on volume-scan weather radar data. The emphasis is on the concepts upon which the methodology is based. A “storm” is defined as a contiguous region exceeding thresholds for reflectivity and size. Storms defined in this way are identified at discrete time intervals. An optimization scheme is employed to match the storms at one time with those at the following time, with some geometric logic to deal with mergers and splits. The short-term forecast of both position and size is based on a weighted linear fit to the storm track history data. The performance of the detection and forecast were evaluated for the summer 1991 season, and the results are presented.
ERTS-1 data collection systems used to predict wheat disease severities

The author has identified the following significant results. The feasibility of using the data collection system on ERTS-1 to predict wheat leaf rust severity and resulting yield loss was tested. Ground-based data collection platforms (DCP'S), placed in two commercial wheat fields in Riley County, Kansas, transmitted to the satellite such meteorological information as maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity, and hours of free moisture. Meteorological data received from the two DCP'S from April 23 to 29 were used to estimate the disease progress curve. Values from the curve were used to predict the percentage decrease in wheat yields resulting from leaf rust. Actual decrease in yield was obtained by applying a zinc and maneb spray (5.6 kg/ha) to control leaf rust, then comparing yields of the controlled (healthy) and the noncontrolled (rusted) areas. In each field a 9% decrease in yield was predicted by the DCP-derived data; actual decreases were 12% and 9%.
MicroRNA in myogenesis and muscle atrophy

Purpose of review To understand the impact of microRNA on myogenesis and muscle wasting in order to provide valuable information for clinical investigation. Recent findings Muscle wasting increases the risk of morbidity/mortality in primary muscle diseases, secondary muscle disorders and elderly population. Muscle mass is controlled by several different signalling pathways. Insulin-like growth factor/PI3K/Akt is a positive signalling pathway, as it increases muscle mass by increasing protein synthesis and decreasing protein degradation. This pathway is directly and/or indirectly downregulated by miR-1, miR-133, miR-206 or miR-125b, and upregulated by miR-23a or miR-486. Myostatin and the transforming growth factor-β signalling pathway are negative regulators that cause muscle wasting. An increase of miR-27 reduces myostatin and increases muscle cell proliferation. Muscle regeneration capacity also plays a significant role in the regulation of muscle mass. This review comprehensively describes the effect of microRNA on myoblasts proliferation and differentiation, and summarizes the varied influences of microRNA on different muscle atrophy. Summary Growing evidence indicates that microRNAs significantly impact muscle growth, regeneration and metabolism. MicroRNAs have a great potential to become diagnostic and/or prognostic markers, therapeutic agents and therapeutic targets.
Real-time thermal model for an oil-immersed, forced-air cooled transformer

A thermal model for predicting the real-time temperatures of an oil-immersed, forced-air cooled transformer is presented. The model consists of a set of three differential equations that are formulated into a computer program. Equations that can be solved for the average real-time temperatures of the core and coil assembly, oil, and tank are developed. Expressions for the convection heat transfer coefficients at all internal oil-solid interfaces, equations for calculation of the incident solar radiation, and correlations for the convective cooling rate from the external tank and cooling tubes are discussed in detail. The thermal model can predict the real-time transformer temperatures for any variation in electrical loading and for any type of ambient thermal environment. Since this model is more detailed than the ANSI/NEMA equations, the results can be expected to predict the transformer temperatures more accurately. The model yielded conservative estimates of the component temperatures when compared with temperatures measured on a distribution transformer. While this test does not verify the accuracy of the model for all types of transformers under all types of loading conditions, it does give initial credibility to the accuracy of the equations and their applicability to transformer heating. >
Inelastic Stress Relaxation in Single Crystal SiC Substrates

Abstract. Optical methods were used to measure thermal deformations in commercial 4H- and 6H-SiC wafers. In general, during thermal excursions to 500 o C, the radii of curvature of the wafers increased (i.e., the wafers became less bowed). Upon cooling to room temperature, nearly all the wafers retained the high temperature radius of curvature values, a characteristic of thermoplastic deformation. Further cyclic excursions to 500 o C did not yield any significant changes in the radii of curvature, thus signifying the irreversibility of the thermal deformation. The magnitude of the relieved stress following thermal deformation at 500 o C was estimated to be up to 2.14 MPa. Also observed was a significant difference in the thermoplastic deformation between the off- and on-axis wafers of both polytypes, with the former having more deformation (∆R > 3 m) than the latter (∆R < 2 m). An on-axis n-type 6H-SiC that was subjected to thermal cycling to 900 o C in vacuum also exhibited thermoplastic deformation, with an activation energy of 3.14± 0.8 eV and a relieved stress magnitude of 5.67 MPa.
Serious) actualism and (serious) presentism

Definissant l'actualisme comme l'affirmation de l'existence de tout ce qui existe et l'actualisme serieux comme l'affirmation qu'il n'existe aucune propriete dans le monde d'un objet qui n'y existe pas, l'A. defend la these de l'implication selon laquelle l'actualisme implique l'actualisme serieux, d'une part, et soutient la these analogue selon laquelle le presentisme implique le presentisme serieux, d'autre part. Repondant aux critiques de H. Hudson, et modifiant sa propre position, l'A. mesure la possibilite d'un transfert de la sphere modale a la sphere temporelle d'une version de l'actualisme plus proche du presentisme
Becoming Cosmopolitan: Viewing and Reviewing the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris

Ajoutons que Paris est le sejour d’une colonie nombreuse d’etrangers qu’y appellent les affaires, le plaisir, l’etude, etc. que par ses collections, ses musees, ses bibliotheques, il se prete plus ...
Depressive Symptoms Mediate the Effect of HIV-Related Stigmatization on Medication Adherence Among HIV-Infected Men Who Have Sex with Men.

This study tested the hypothesis that depressive symptoms would mediate the association of HIV-related stigma to medication adherence. We recruited HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM; N = 66; 66 % White, 23 % African-American) from an outpatient infectious disease clinic, and asked them to complete self-report measures. Mediational analyses showed that depressive symptoms fully mediated the association between HIV-related stigma and adherence. That is, stigma-related experiences were positively associated with depressive symptoms and negatively associated with adherence, and, in the final model, depressive symptoms remained a significant correlate of adherence while stigma did not. A test of the indirect effect of stigma on adherence through depressive symptoms was also significant (unstandardized b = −0.19; bootstrap 95 % CI −0.45 to −0.01). These results highlight the importance of treating depressive symptoms in interventions aiming to improve medication adherence among HIV-infected MSM.
Value of Medical Diagnostic Screening Tests for Dental Patients

Routine screening laboratory tests were performed on 2,245 new adult patients in the University of Detroit School of Dentistry in 1967. Three hundred thirteen of the patients had abnormal findings. Reports were sent to their physicians, with the result that 12% of these patients with abnormal findings received necessary medical treatment as a direct result of the testing procedures.
Strange quarks in the nucleon

The G0 experiment at Jefferson Lab uses elastic, parity-violating electron–proton scattering to study the strange-quark contribution to the proton form factors. A dedicated, special-purpose spectrometer was built for this project. We present results from the recently completed forward-scattering-angle run and compare them with previous experiments. Results from a combined analysis of all available data are also shown and the current status of the experiment and future plans are discussed.
A mesoscopic network model for permanent set in crosslinked elastomers

A mesoscopic computational model for polymer networks and composites is developed as a very coarse-grained representation of the network microstructure. Unlike more complex molecular dynamics simulations, the model network is static unless undergoing deformation. The elastic modulus, which depends only on the crosslink density and parameters in the bond potential, is consistent with rubber elasticity theory, and the network response satisfies the independent network hypothesis of Tobolsky. The model, when applied to a commercial filled silicone elastomer, quantitatively reproduces the experimental permanent set and stress-strain response due to changes in the crosslinked network from irradiation.
Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage syndromes

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a rare yet serious and frequently life-threatening complication of a variety of conditions. DAH may result from coagulation disorders, inhaled toxins, or infections. Most cases of DAH are caused by capillaritis associated with systemic autoimmune diseases such as antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis, anti-glomerular basement membrane disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Early recognition is crucial, because the prompt institution of supportive measures and immunosuppressive therapy is required for survival. Our understanding of DAH and its management is largely empiric and based on small case series and individual reports, many dating back more than one decade. To provide the practicing specialist with a rational diagnostic and management approach to the patient with DAH, this review summarizes the most recent publications and salient information derived from older publications.
A feedforward model of suppressive and facilitatory habituation effects

Simple exposure to repeatitive stimulation is known to induce short-term learning effects across a wide range of species. These effects can be both suppressive and facilitatory depending on stimulus conditions: repeatitive presentation of a weak stimulus decreases the strength of the response (habituation), whereas presentation of a tonic stimulus following a series of weak stimuli transiently increases the response strength (dishabituation). Although these phenomena have been comprehensively characterized at both behavioral and cellular levels, most existing models of nonassociative learning focus exclusively on the suppressive or facilitatory changes in response, and do not attempt to relate cellular events to behavior. I propose here a feedforward model of habituation effects that explains both suppressive and facilitatory changes in response relying on the interaction between excitatory and inhibitory processes that develop in parallel on two different timescales. The model's properties are used to explain the rate sensitivity property of habituation and recovery and stimulus dishabituation.
“ARVs” as sickness and medicine: Examining children's knowledge and experience in the HIV era in urban Zambia

Since the roll out of no cost antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in health centers in Zambia in 2004, the number of Zambians receiving treatment has substantially increased. While research has addressed adult responses to ARVs in Zambia and elsewhere, there is little known about how children experience and respond to the presence of treatment in their communities and households. The increasing acknowledgment that children provide care and treatment support to people with HIV in their households demands a better understanding of children's knowledge of HIV and ARVs. To examine children's ARV knowledge, this article focuses on three children's workshops carried out with 38 children ages 8–12, who participated in a yearlong ethnographic study in 2007 and 2008. All children lived in a low-income and heavily HIV-affected residential area in Lusaka, and many children lived with parents or guardians who had HIV. Findings suggest that, when the children discussed ARVs, they made two intersecting points: (1) local condit...
Understanding Chinese International College and University Students' Physical Activity Behavior

Abstract Objective To examine factors of the youth physical activity promotion (YPAP) model that are associated with Chinese international students' meeting PA recommendations (MPAR). Methods A total of 649 (females = 320, males = 329) Chinese international college students participated in the study. This study was conducted in the United States (US.) between June and August in 2011. Participants completed an online survey regarding their demographic, PA, predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors. Results Logistic nested-regression analysis suggested that being male, having a higher body mass index, perceived competence, self-efficacy, attitude, and enjoyment all increased ( p p Conclusion Understanding factors that influence PA among Chinese international students is an important step in the process of promoting their long-term health and wellbeing. Designing program that address the identified key factors may help colleges and universities achieve this goal.
In the Face of Diversity: Modifying Nutrition Education Delivery to Meet the Needs of an Increasingly Multicultural Consumer Base

Abstract This paper critiques the appropriateness of current methods of nutrition education delivery in light of the increasing number of multicultural participants in nutrition education programs. Values regarding time, authority and trust, competition and independence, science and religion, and language impact education and generally differ between Caucasians and people from other cultures. This critique discusses these differences in terms of how they impact nutrition education effectiveness. Recommendations to decrease educational ethnocentrism are made.
Get serious about budget deficits.

the article discusses a large budget deficit which exists in the U.S. in 2010. In the article the author offers his opinions on strategies which can be used to decrease the U.S. budget deficit, including trimming the budget of the U.S. Pentagon and increasing taxation of the super rich, who account for the wealthiest one percent of all U.S. households.
Caveosomal Oxidative Stress Causes Src-p21ras Activation and Lysine 63 TRAF6 Protein Polyubiquitination in Iron-induced M1 Hepatic Macrophage Activation

Proinflammatory M1 activation of hepatic macrophages (HM) is critical in pathogenesis of hepatitis, but its mechanisms are still elusive. Our earlier work demonstrates the role of ferrous iron (Fe2+) as a pathogen-associated molecular pattern-independent agonist for activation of IκB kinase (IKK) and NF-κB in HM via activation and interaction of p21ras, transforming growth factor β-activated kinase-1 (TAK1), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) in caveosomes. However, iron-induced signaling upstream of these kinases is not known. Here we show that Fe2+ induces generation of superoxide anion (O2) in endosomes, reduces protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) activity, and activates Src at 2∼10 min of Fe2+ addition to rat primary HM culture. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) blocks O2 generation, PTP inhibition, and Src activation. Fe2+-induced p21ras activity is abrogated with the Src inhibitor PP2 and SOD. Fe2+ stimulates Lys63-linked polyubiquitination (polyUb) of TRAF6 in caveosomes, and a dominant negative K63R mutant of ubiquitin or SOD prevents iron-induced TRAF6 polyUb and TAK1 activation. These results demonstrate that Fe2+-generated O2 mediates p21ras and TAK1 activation via PTP inhibition and Lys63-polyUb of TRAF6 in caveosomes for proinflammatory M1 activation in HM.
Thermal Contact Conductance of Radiation-Aged Thermal Interface Materials for Space Applications

Thermal interface materials (TIMs) serve a critical role in thermal management by enhancing heat transfer across contact interfaces. Specifically, they are most commonly used in electronics to enhance the flow of heat from source to sink by decreasing the overall thermal resistance of the system. In space, these materials are exposed to high doses of Gamma radiation due to the lack of an atmosphere to serve as an absorbing medium. With typical design lifetimes of 5 to 10 years, total radiation exposure can be significant and can adversely affect the thermal contact resistance (TCR) of the TIM. In this manuscript, we report the effect of radiation-aging on the TCC of several commercially available electrically insulating, thermally conductive interface materials that are commonly used in satellite systems. Although radiation dose levels can vary significantly during the course of a space mission, a dosing of 10 Mrad per year for TIMs is a reasonable estimate. The TIMs were aged in a Gamma cell at a rate of 250 rad/s to total doses of 50 and 100 Mrad to simulate mission lengths of 5 and 10 years, respectively. The TCR of each radiation-aged sample, as well as un-aged samples, were measured under vacuum (less than 3 × 10−4 Pa). Radiation-aging of the TIMs led to a significant increase in the TCR of the tested samples. For example, the pressure-dependent TCR was shown to increase 20–150% for Cho-Therm 1671 and 50–250% for ThermaCool R10404 samples subjected to 50 Mrad of gamma-ray irradiation. These results show that radiation-aging of TIMs cannot be ignored in the design and simulation of space systems.Copyright © 2013 by ASME