cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analyses of Gastric Mucosa and Pancreatic Gland Tissue of Dog for H2O, Na, K, Cl and PO4:

SummaryAnalyses have been made of the water, sodium, potassium and phosphate content of gastric mucosa and pancreas. The results are presented from analyses of tissues from 12 animals.
Investigation and Analysis on Adverse Drug Reactions of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Liguspyragine Hydrochloride and Glucose Injection

To analyze the cause of adverse drug reactions of Salviae miltiorrhizae liguspyragine hydrochloride and glucose injection, some examples are listed in the paper, which were received from May to August this year. It was found that Salviae miltiorrhizae liguspyragine hydrochloride and glucose injection caused adverse drug reactions including heart- throb. While many ADRs are related to irrational drug, rational methods were introduced in the ending to reduce or avoid ADRs.
Weekly Physical Activity Levels of Older Adults Regularly Using a Fitness Facility.

The aim of this paper was to determine if weekly physical activity levels were greater in an independent-living older adult population that was regularly participating in structured fitness activities. Also, lifetime exercise history and sex differences were investigated in an effort to understand how they relate to current weekly step activity. Total weekly step counts, measured with a pedometer, were assessed in two older adult groups; the first consisted of members of a local senior center who regularly used the fitness facility ( yrs; mean ± SD) while the second group consisted of members who did not use the fitness facility ( yrs). Participants also completed the Lifetime Physical Activity Questionnaire (LPAQ). No significant difference was found in the total number of weekly steps between groups () or sexes (). The LPAQ suggested a significant decline in activity with aging () but no difference between groups () or sexes (). A relationship was observed between current step activity and MET expenditure over the past year (, ) and from ages 35 to 50 years (, ). The lack of difference in weekly physical activity level between our groups suggests that independent-living older adults will seek out and perform their desired activity, in either a scheduled exercise program or other leisure-time activities. Also, the best predictor of current physical activity level in independent-living older adults was the activity performed over the past year.
Pseudoscience - in Theory and Practice: A Reply to Shanta and Muni's 'Why Biology is Beyond Physical Sciences?'

The recent intrusion of pseudoscience into mainstream scientific literature is a cause for concern. Not only does it disseminate incorrect science, but also undermines the integrity of the scientific enterprise. B. N. Shanta and B. V. Muni’s recent opinion piece is one such example that claims that the scientific method is too narrow in scope to completely understand subjective aspects of life, and proposes the necessity for a supernatural entity in accordance to ancient scriptures of Hindu Theology. To convince readers of the necessity for such an alternative, the authors reject accepted scientific theories such as Evolution by Natural Selection. In this reply, I demonstrate how their views are pseudoscientific and do not deserve a place in scientific literature.
Effects of solar radiation on the skin.

Solar ultraviolet radiation produces profound changes in human skin. Acute exposure results in inflammatory erythema, injury-response pigmentation, and immunologic alterations. Chronic exposure is responsible for deleterious changes in cutaneous structure and function as well neogenesis of the most common human malignancies. Topics discussed within this article include photobiology, sunburn, skin pigmentation and types, immunologic changes, and the most prevalent solar radiation-related cancers.
Regulatory Capacity in Low - and Middle-Income Countries: Lessons from the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic

This chapter analyzes the regulatory capacity of low- and middle-income countries as it worked during the pandemic H1N1 influenza episode of 2009-2010. Specifically, the chapter examines what barriers to efficacious registration, importation, and distribution pharmaceutical firms, developed governments, and WHO faced in their efforts to distribute pandemic influenza vaccines to populations in low- and middle-income countries.
Sites With Small Impedance Decrease During Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation Are Associated With Recovery of Pulmonary Vein Conduction.

Objective To correlate impedance decrease during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation with lesion durability and PV conduction recovery demonstrated during redo procedures. Background Markers of successful ablation beyond acute conduction block are needed to improve durability of pulmonary vein (PV) isolation. Local impedance decrease resulting from ablation is a real-time marker of tissue heating and is correlated with lesion creation. Methods Impedance changes associated with point-by-point radiofrequency ablation in the PV antra were recorded during 167 consecutive first-time AF ablations. During clinically indicated redo procedures, sites of recovered PV conduction were identified, and were correlated with the impedance change achieved during ablation at these locations during the initial procedure. Results Redo procedures were performed in 28 patients, in whom 19 sites of recovered PV conduction were documented. Most sites of PV reconnection (58%) occurred along the posterior PV antra. Ablation resulting in impedance decrease <10 ohms during the initial procedure was present in 89% (17/19) of sites with conduction recovery. Regions with adjacent ablation resulting in impedance decrease <10 ohms were associated with a higher rate of conduction recovery (37% vs. 1.5%, p<0.001). Likewise, patients with PV conduction recovery demonstrated during redo procedure (Group 1) had larger regions where ablation resulted in <10 ohm impedance decrease than patients without PV conduction recovery (Group 2) (21.9 ± 15.5 mm vs. 11.5 ± 2.1 mm, p<0.01). Conclusion Recovered PV conduction occurs predominantly in regions where adjacent ablation applications result in impedance decreases <10 ohms. Impedance-guided ablation strategies may improve durability of PV isolation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Developing Well-Being and Capabilities as a Goal of Higher Education: A Thought-Piece on Educating the Whole Student

The role of well-being in higher education has received increased attention from both researchers and practitioners in recent years. In this thought piece, we argue that a eudaemonic well-being approach represents an important lens through which to examine well-being in the educational context. Moreover, such an approach is consistent with the progressive school of thought in educational theory and child-centered approaches to teaching and learning. A wide range of traits, skills and abilities that arguably count as eudaemonic youth outcomes are currently designated by education researchers as important “non-academic” outcomes. These have been labeled “character”, “character virtue development”, “social emotional learning”, “pro-social behavior”, “positive youth development”, “learning mindsets and skills”, “capacity for accomplishment”, “thriving”, “non-cognitive skills” and “personal success skills”. We review a number of relevant eudaemonic approaches and research findings relevant to education, and offer suggestions for how an educational system that has as its goal the expansion of eudaemonic well-being—depending on how well-being is defined—can contribute to a more just society and world.
Legal Education Reform – The Challenge of Carnegie’s Recommendation for More Pervasive 'Professional Identity Formation' and Success with Student Journaling

Blog Entry on method of having students use journals (part of class grade) to assist them in the process of forming their professional identity -- one of the three key reforms suggested by the Carnegie Institute for the Advancement of Education's EDUCATING LAWYERS. By providing students with questions in a course on handling a civil lawsuit that raised questions that arise regularly in practice, and asking them to journal about how they would deal with the questions, students developed a reflective approach to such issues. The professor intentionally designed the questions so that they would not clearly violate minimum ethical standards, but rather fell in a gray area in which a person's values could lead them to act in a manner beyond the minimum standards. For instance, litigation offers lawyers the opportunity to seek every advantage on an opponent, even ones that are in the nature of "sharp" practices, such as producing more documents than necessary because the more important document could be missed among thousands of irrelevant documents. Students were encouraged to identify whether any Rule of Professional Conduct applied (usually, not clearly), and then to identify the values they saw implicated in the question. They were then asked to reach a resolution. Students were not graded on whether their values matched those of the professor, but rather on whether they sincerely reflected on how they could make decisions in a more reflective manner. The piece summarizes some of the professors findings in having used the above method for two years as a test for whether it would be an effective way to teach professional identity formation. The blog notes some of the ways in which students' views evolved over the semester and safeguards they suggested could help them in practice.
Integrated transcriptome and methylome analysis in youth at high risk for bipolar disorder: a preliminary analysis

First-degree relatives of patients with bipolar disorder (BD), particularly their offspring, have a higher risk of developing BD and other mental illnesses than the general population. However, the biological mechanisms underlying this increased risk are still unknown, particularly because most of the studies so far have been conducted in chronically ill adults and not in unaffected youth at high risk. In this preliminary study we analyzed genome-wide expression and methylation levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from children and adolescents from three matched groups: BD patients, unaffected offspring of bipolar parents (high risk) and controls (low risk). By integrating gene expression and DNA methylation and comparing the lists of differentially expressed genes and differentially methylated probes between groups, we were able to identify 43 risk genes that discriminate patients and high-risk youth from controls. Pathway analysis showed an enrichment of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) pathway with the genes MED1, HSPA1L, GTF2A1 and TAF15, which might underlie the previously reported role of stress response in the risk for BD in vulnerable populations. Cell-based assays indicate a GR hyporesponsiveness in cells from adult BD patients compared to controls and suggest that these GR-related genes can be modulated by DNA methylation, which poses the theoretical possibility of manipulating their expression as a means to counteract the familial risk presented by those subjects. Although preliminary, our results suggest the utility of peripheral measures in the identification of biomarkers of risk in high-risk populations and further emphasize the potential role of stress and DNA methylation in the risk for BD in youth.
A Robust Sign Language Recognition System with Multiple Wi-Fi Devices

Sign language is important since it provides a way for us to the deaf culture and more opportunities to communicate with those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Since sign language chiefly uses body languages to convey meaning, Human Activity Recognition (HAR) techniques can be used to recognize them for some sign language translation applications. In this paper, we show for the first time that Wi-Fi signals can be used to recognize sign language. The key intuition is that different hand and arm motions introduce different multi-path distortions in Wi-Fi signals and generate different unique patterns in the time-series of Channel State Information (CSI). More specifically, we propose a Wi-Fi signal-based sign language recognition system called WiSign. Different from existing Wi-Fi signal-based human activity recognition systems, WiSign uses 3 Wi-Fi devices to improve the recognition performance. We implemented the WiSign using a TP-Link TL-WR1043ND Wi-Fi router and two Lenovo X100e laptops. The evaluation results show that our system can achieve a mean prediction accuracy of 93.8% and mean false positive of 1.55%.
Bacterial Production of Indole Related Compounds Reveals Their Role in Association Between Duckweeds and Endophytes

Duckweed farming can be a sustainable practice for biofuel production, animal feed supplement, and wastewater treatment, although large scale production remains a challenge. Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) have been shown to improve plant health by producing phytohormones such as auxin. While some of the mechanisms for plant growth promotion have been characterized in soil epiphytes, more work is necessary to understand how plants may select for bacterial endophytes that have the ability to provide an exogenous source of phytohormones such as auxin. We have isolated and characterized forty-seven potentially endophytic bacteria from surface-sterilized duckweed tissues and screened these bacterial strains for production of indole related compounds using the Salkowski colorimetric assay. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-lactic acid (ILA), and indole produced by various bacterial isolates were verified by mass spectrometry. Using the Salkowski reagent, we found that 79% of the isolated bacterial strains from our collection may be capable of producing indole related compounds to various extents during in vitro growth. Of these bacteria that are producing indole related compounds, 19% are additionally producing indole. There is an apparent correlation between the type of indole related compound produced by a particular bacteria and the duckweed genus from which the bacterial strain is derived. These results suggest the possible association between different duckweed genera and endophytes that are producing distinct types of secondary metabolites. Understanding the role of indole related compounds during interaction between endophytes and the plant host may be useful to help design synthetic bacterial communities that could target specific or multiple species of duckweed in the future to sustainably enhance plant growth.
Beyond the Post|Colonial Canon: A Pedagogical Approach to Embodiment in Jamaica Kincaid's The Autobiography of My Mother

Is most writing on some level—large or small—autobiographical, whether it be emotional autobiography or straight out borrowing from our lives?—Edwidge Danticat, Contemporary NovelistsJamaica Kincai...
Electrochemical membranes: transport limitations for absorbed gases

The physics of a gas diffusion electrode–membrane cell is discussed and comparisons are made with experimental data. In particular, a second order expansion has been used to correlate the maximum current density data, valid for both small to large overpotentials and electrode specific surface areas. It is also demonstrated that the limiting or maximum current density for the diffusion limit can be predicted by assuming simple molecular diffusion across the membrane and the ion reference (open circuit) concentration in the cathode. An expression is also developed to account for differences in reactant gas concentrations and flowrates between reference and normal operating conditions. Comparisons are made between the theory and maximum current data for the absorption of H2S, CO2 and SO2. These comparisons suggest that the current density limitations of the cell are affected by electrochemical reaction rates on the cathode surface. Other possible limitations for electrochemical cell performance are discussed.
Acylated Anthocyanins from Carrot Cell Cultures: Biosynthesis and Specificity of the Acylation Reactions

Some of the naturally occurring anthocyanins have a greatly increased color retention at near neutral pH’s compared to others. This increased color retention is an advantage when these compounds are to be used to color food, neutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. The anthocyanins with increased color retention typically have several cinnamic acid residues attached and removal of these markedly decreases the color retention of the pigment (Dangles et al. 1993). There is an anthocyanin with one cinnamic acid residue attached (Alatanin C) which also has increased color retention at neutral pH (Yoshida et al. 1991). Alatanin C has the acyl group attached to one end of a s-1,6-linked disaccharide chain attached to the 3-position of the anthocyanidin ring. Available information suggests that the disaccharide linkage between the chromophore and the cinnamic acid is important in the color retention. A similar arrangement is also found in a number of the anthocyanins produced by carrot cell suspension cultures (Baker et al. 1994; Glasgen et al. 1992) and these also have increased color retention at near neutral pH relative to their non-acylated counterparts (Dougall et al. 1997).
Nanomaterials: Potential Ecological Uses and Effects

Engineered nanomaterials are being used in increasing numbers of applications throughout the world. Multiple studies have shown the potential of nanomaterials to lead to adverse human health effects, although the impact on ecological systems has largely remained unexplored. Nanomaterials enter the environment through air, water, and soil. The benefits of nanotechnology to ecology include the use of nanomaterials such as titanium dioxide in water remediation, zero-valent iron in soil remediation, and selenium in mercury adsorption. However, the potential long-term effects of these and other nanomaterials on the environment are unknown. Research into the impact of these materials on ecological systems from the use and disposal of nanomaterials has been limited. This article describes the available literature on the impact of engineered nanomaterials on a variety of ecological systems, including microbial organisms, plants and soil, and aqueous species.
Analysis and Design of a Parallel Resonant Converter for Constant Current Input to Constant Voltage Output DC-DC Converter Over Wide Load Range

With long distance power distribution systems, constant current distribution is preferred over constant voltage due to robustness against cable voltage drop and cable faults. Multiple power converter modules that are connected in series in such a system either regulate their output current or voltage, as needed. With a constant current input, the input voltage of a converter is dependent on the load and this voltage varies over a wide range with the load. The design of a constant current input to constant voltage output converter is detailed in this paper. The parallel resonant converter (PRC) is proposed for this application to naturally maintain constant output voltage over a wide load range. The control method, zero voltage switching realization and design guidelines are presented. The proposed design is experimentally verified through testing of a designed PRC that regulates a constant output voltage of 120 V when connected to 1 A current source for a load range of 50 W to 450 W.
Electrophoretic nuclear magnetic resonance measurement of electroosmotic flow and dispersion in hydrating cement paste

Abstract This research analyzes the effect of an applied electric current on the dynamic displacement behavior of hydrogen ions in a hydrating cement paste confined in a closed cell. Electroosmotic flow (EOF) and dispersion in hydrating cement pastes is measured via the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) pulsed gradient spin echo technique (PGSE). The dynamic PGSE NMR measurements indicate changes in pore structure after the application of the electric field. Micro CT scan imaging experiments confirmed that gaseous and fluid pore pressure is sufficient to cause particle rearrangement, consolidation, and void formation at relatively low voltages when the electroosmotic pressure approaches its maximum in a medium closed to external flow. Such phenomena may also result where blocked pores present restrictions in a medium otherwise open to flow.
E-147 Factors affecting aspects changes in patients transferred from referral hospitals to a stroke center for possible intervention

Introduction/purpose Proper identification of patients suitable for treatment from a referring hospital (RH) to a comprehensive stroke center (CSC) can be difficult. Protocols should maximize access to interventions while limiting futile transfers of patients with no chance for benefit. This conundrum is often compounded by poor access to advanced imaging at low-volume RHs. Materials and methods Patients with a discharge diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke at a CSC from 2016–2017 were identified, selecting those patients who had been transferred from a RH. According to CSC protocols, only patients meeting criteria for treatment were transferred from RHs. Patients eligible for this study had a non-contrast CT at the RH, repeat non-contrast CT at the CSC, and a CT angiogram of the head and neck at the CSC. All imaging was evaluated by two radiologists, assessing ASPECTS at the RH and CSC, as well as collaterals, which were rated according to techniques described by Maas et al. Ratings were compared with weighted kappa. Two dichotomous primary outcomes were assessed: ASPECTS decline—any negative change in ASPECTS after transfer—and ASPECTS decay—initial ASPECTS≥8 that declined to Results Ninety-five patients met inclusion criteria. Baseline characteristics are shown in Table 1, along with univariate analysis results. Weighted kappa between the raters was 0.72 for RH ASPECTS and 0.85 for CSC ASPECTS. Mean ASPECTS were 9.5 and 8.8 at RHs and CSC, respectively. Mean decrease in ASPECTS was 0.8 with ASPECTS decline identified in 37 (39%) patients and decay in 16 (16.8%). The best multivariate model to predict ASPECTS decline included poor collaterals, large vessel occlusion, non-Caucasian race, current use of >3 alcoholic beverages/day and history of coronary artery disease, yielding AUC of 0.833. The best multivariate model to predict ASPECTS decay included poor collaterals, large vessel occlusion, NIH Stroke scale >5, RH-CSC transport time >240 min, air transport, and female gender, yielding AUC of 0.922. Conclusion These results support a strategy for transfer between RHs and CSCs that favors inclusivity and minimizes transfer times between sites. As rapid CT angiography becomes more widely available at RHs, presence of large vessel occlusion and identification of poor collaterals may limit futile transfers. Further standardized, large-cohort analysis is needed to refine transfer protocols. Disclosures P. Hinckley: None. A. DeHavenon: None. M. Alexander: None.
Rapid detection of different DNA analytes using a single electrochemical sensor

Abstract A unique platform for the detection of two distinct DNA sequences by using one single electrochemical sensor was developed. The sensor consists of a universal stem loop probe attached to a solid surface, and two analyte-specific adaptor strands. These adaptor strands hybridize to a nucleic acid analyte and provide both highly specific recognition and high binding affinity. The universal probe can be regenerated by a simple and quick rinse with urea and water. As a proof of concept, we differentiated long target sequences of Zika (141 nt.) and Dengue (114 nt.) viruses that contain secondary structures. The proposed sensor provides a platform for rapid and cost-efficient detection of potentially any DNA or RNA sequence using a single electrochemical sensor.
CMOS Foundry DRC-Conforming Extended Cladding Modulated Integrated Bragg Grating Filters

We demonstrate a CMOS-compatible extended cladding modulated integrated Bragg Grating filter, while meeting strict DRC requirements of SiPh foundries. A narrow bandwidth of 2.1nm on the phase-shifted portion and 29.2dBm extinction ratio is measured. © 2019 The Author(s)
Schedule network node time distributions and arrow criticalities

This research develops exact methods to calculate project duration distributions and to calculate Van Slyke's (1963) criticallly for arrows, the probability that an arrow is on a critical path, assuming nonnegatlve integer duration distributions. These calculations for project duration distributions correct estimates made by the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), and the Van Slyke critlcality calculations extend the arrow critlcality ansdysls by the Critical Path Method (CPM) Into the probabilistic realm. Exact methods for calculating project duration distributions and Van Slyke's criticallly sire demonstrated on series networks, parallel networks, parallel-series networks, and the Wheatstone network. The Van Slyke criticallly equation for parallel networks is in a form that appears to Improve upon one proposed by Dodln & Elmaghraby (1985). The present form Is generalized to, In principle. Include sill networks. The exact methods are enhanced by developing a procedure to limit the number of calculations needed to analyze large networks. The procedure identifies paths through a large network, calculates the minimum and maximum path durations, and ranks the paths by duration. A smaller skeletal network is constructed from the arrows of the longest paths and is analyzed by exact methods. The procedure emphasizes accuracy for the longer project durations, of greatest concern to project managers and schedulers, while limiting the number of necessary calculations. The procedure for large networks is iUustrated on the 40-arrow Klelndorfer (1971) network. Of the 51 Klelndorfer paths, the procedure selected 6 paths to construct a skeletal network. Analysis of the skeletal network yields a project duration distribution that is correct in Its range and in the duration probabilities for the upper 5% of the distribution. Analysis results are compared with SLAM II and FORTRAN simulations. No arrow critlcality appears to be seriously miscalculated. The project duration distribution is calculated to be bimodal. In keeping with the simulation. Conditions under which the Just mentioned blmodality can occur are determined for parallel, normally-distributed paths. The large-network procedure warns when these oddly shaped distributions are possible.
Vibronic Model of Double Triangular Mixed-Valence Clusters with Spin Frustration Effects

The interplay between exchange interactions and electron transfer processes in polyoxometalates is considered. Specifically, we consider the interplay and influence of the isotropic exchange, antisymmetric exchange, electron transfer and vibronic coupling on the magnetic properties of the system.
Patient-Reported Symptoms in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (PRISM-FSHD).

Objective To determine the frequency and relative importance of the most meaningful symptoms in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and to identify the demographic and clinical features that are associated with the greatest disease burden in this population. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study involving 328 participants with FSHD. Collectively, participants reported the prevalence and relative importance of 274 symptoms and 15 symptomatic themes. We assessed the association between symptomatic theme prevalence and participants9 age, sex, disease duration, pain level, employment status, and education. Results Participants answered >48,000 questions regarding their disease burden. The symptomatic themes with the highest prevalence in our sample were problems with shoulders or arms (96.9%), limitations with activities (94.7%), core weakness (93.8%), fatigue (93.8%), limitations with mobility and walking (93.6%), changed body image due to the disease (91.6%), and pain (87.7%). Problems with shoulders and arms and limitations with mobility and walking had the greatest effect on participants9 lives. Employment status and the report of pain had the most extensive association with the prevalence of symptoms, with employment being associated with 8 of 15 of the symptomatic themes and pain being associated with 7 of 15 of the symptomatic themes. Men and women with FSHD experienced a similar prevalence of all symptomatic themes. Conclusions Adults with FSHD experience a variety of symptoms that play an important role in their disease burden. These symptoms have a variable prevalence and importance in the FSHD population and are associated with disease duration, employment status, and pain level.
Role of sex hormone on morphological and histological changes in benign prostatic hypertrophy rats.

BACKGROUND The prostate, the key secondary male reproductive organ, serves an important function of alkalizing seminal fluid and protecting genetic information in the acidity of the vaginal tract. As males age, the most common urologic condition manifests as an enlargement of the prostate known as benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between hormonal regulation and the morphological changes in BPH. Furthermore, we examine whether the ion-transport pump, H-K-ATPase (HKA), mediates such hormonal regulation. The experiments were designed to test the effects of the primary male androgen, testosterone propionate (TP), as well as the female hormone, estradiol (E2). METHODS The rats were divided into three groups; control group, TP group, and TP+E2 group. Both the TP and the E2 were diluted in vegetable oil and covered to eliminate light exposure. A subcutaneous injection of TP at 3 mg/mL was administered to induce BPH in each rat. After 6 weeks of TP-induced BPH, we divided these rats into two groups. In one group of BPH rats, we injected 60 µg of E2, and in another group of BPH rats, we injected 120 µg of E2 subcutaneously. The rats were sacrificed under anesthesia, and the prostate specimens were dissected. The rat's body weight and the prostate tissue weight were measured as the organ quotient. RESULTS The data indicate significant hypertrophy of the luminal cells in rats with 3 mg TP compared to the control (524.542 ± 4.637 vs. 350.583 ± 1.996, P-value < 0.005). Whereas, the group with 60 µg E2 on TP-induced BPH showed significant inhibitory effects compared to TP-induced BPH (385.571 ± 7.265 vs. 524.542 ± 4.637, P-value < 0.005). The experimental group with 120 µg E2 on TP-induced BPH also showed significant inhibitory effects compared to TP-induced BPH (465.857 ± 8.259 vs. 524.542 ± 4.637, P-value < 0.005). The inhibitory effects of the 60 µg E2 group were more significant than the inhibitory effects of the 120 µg E2 group (385.571 ± 7.265 vs. 465.857 ± 8.259, P-value < 0.005), suggesting the importance of maintaining a proper E2:TP ratio. Western blot analysis shows up-regulation of specific bands for HKA alpha subunit at ~97 kDa for TP-induced BPH and down-regulation of HKA in the TP+E2 treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS The results show that TP induces benign prostate hypertrophy. Whereas, E2 is shown to inhibit BPH; the effect of E2 inhibition on BPH requires the optimal ratio between E2 and TP. If such a ratio is not reached, then BPH inhibition will not occur or will be less effective by E2. Both the induction and inhibition of hypertrophic cells suggest that the prostate is under hormonal regulation. The proper E2:TP ratio plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of BPH. The ratio of E2:TP may lead to new approaches to preventing and treating BPH disease in the future.
Improving Maize Trait through Modifying Combination of Genes

In molecular breeding, trait improvement has been focused on exploring genetic variations of single genes. To explore the potential of modifying multiple genes simultaneously for trait improvement, we developed a systematic computational method aiming at detecting complex traits associated with gene interactions using a combination of gene expression and trait data across a set of maize hybrids. This method represents changes of expression patterns in a gene pair in uniform statistics and employs network topology to describe the inherent genotype-phenotype associations at the systems level. We applied and evaluated our method on several phenotypic traits measured on a set of maize hybrids across 2 years (2013 and 2014) and achieved consistent and biologically meaningful results. Our results provide a subset of candidate gene pairs that have the potential to improve several specific traits by gene expression enhancement or silence. Our work partially addresses the “missing heritability” problem in complex traits and offers an alternative way for improving crop traits via modifying a combination of multiple loci.
Molecular models for creep in oriented polyethylene fibers.

Highly oriented and crystalline polyetheylene (PE) fibers have a large failure stress under rapid tensile loading but exhibit significant creep at much smaller stresses that limits applications. A possible mechanism is slip of chains due to stress-enhanced, thermally activated nucleation of dislocations at chain ends in crystalline regions. Molecular dynamics simulations are used to parameterize a Frenkel–Kontorova model that provides analytic expressions for the limiting stress and activation energy for dislocation nucleation as a function of stress. Results from four commonly used hydrocarbon potentials are compared to show that the qualitative behavior is robust and estimate quantitative uncertainties. In all cases, the results can be described by an Eyring model with values of the zero-stress activation energy Ea0≈1.5 eV and activation volume V* ≈ 45 A3 that are consistent with the experimental results for increasingly crystalline materials. The limiting yield stress is ∼8 GPa. These results suggest that activated dislocation nucleation at chain ends is an important mechanism for creep in highly oriented PE fibers.
Optimal -Control for the Global Cauchy Problem of The Relativistic Vlasov-Poisson System

Recently, M.K.-H. Kiessling and A.S. Tahvildar-Zadeh proved that a unique global classical solution to the relativistic Vlasov-Poisson system exists whenever the positive, integrable initial datum is spherically symmetric, compactly supported in momentum space, vanishes on characteristics with vanishing angular momentum, and for β⩾3/2 has -norm strictly below a positive, critical value . Everything else being equal, data leading to finite time blow-up can be found with -norm surpassing for any β>1, with if and only if β⩾3/2. In their paper, the critical value for β=3/2 is calculated explicitly while the value for all other β is merely characterized as the infimum of a functional over an appropriate function space. In this work, the existence of minimizers is established, and the exact expression of is calculated in terms of the famous Lane-Emden functions. Numerical computations of the are presented along with some elementary asymptotics near the critical exponent 3/2.
Does the Black/White Wage Gap Widen During Recessions?:

Researchers have long documented a significant wage gap between White and Black workers, at least some of which is attributable to discrimination. Drawing on research suggesting that discrimination...
Efficient Deployment of Spiking Neural Networks on SpiNNaker Neuromorphic Platform

Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) have emerged as serious competitors of the traditional Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), as they unlock new potential of implementing less complex and more energy efficient neural networks. Current deep CNNs can be converted to SNNs for fast deployment on neuromorphic devices, however existing methods do not investigate the impact of hardware-related parameters that directly affect the accuracy of an SNN. In this brief, we target the SpiNNaker neuromorphic platform and we demonstrate a fast exploration framework that effectively decides the configuration of the target board, in order to achieve the highest possible accuracy. Experimental results show that our method reaches 98.85% SNN accuracy on MNIST dataset, while reducing the exploration time by a factor of $3\times $ compared to exhaustive search.
Effect of Mushroom against Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) Producing Microorganisms

According to the WHO global report, ESBL (Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase)-producing microorganisms is the most common cause of urinary tract infection; hospital-acquired infection as well as a foodborne infection. These include Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio cholera. The carbapenems which include doripenem, ertapenem, imipenem and meropenem are the known choice of medication for life-threatening infections which is caused by ESBL-producing microorganisms. Recently there is the emergence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas which makes treatment an obstacle for the medical personnel for various infections. Natural products have been reported to be emerged as a potential possibility to be explored as antimicrobial drugs. The plant extracts could serve as an alternate source of resistance modifying agents owing to the wide variety of secondary metabolites (eg. flavonoids, phenols, tannins, alkaloids, etc). Mushroom are have been considered as a source that attracts the researchers to explore its properties as it has been established with various bioactive components that possess many health beneficial effects such as antimicrobial and antifungal compounds. In this paper, we summarizes the information available in the literature on the ESBL, mushroom and current treatment, with a special focus on the three different types of mushrooms (Fistulina hepatica, Leucopaxillus giganteus and Pleurotus Ostreatus) against spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing microorganisms. Electronic databases including SciFinder, Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar were screened using the following keywords: “antibacterial, antimicrobial, mushroom, ESBL, Enterobacter, Fistulina hepatica, Leucopaxillus giganteus and Pleurotus Ostreatus”. We intend to enhance understanding in the field and promote further work on the development of phytocomponent based antimicrobial compounds.
Abstract 14772: Effects of Reallocating Time in Different Physical Activity Intensities and Sleep on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Asian American Women: A Cross Sectional Modeling Study

Introduction: Physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB) and sleep form the finite 24-hour day; changes to one behavior result in changes to the others. Little is known about how shifting the ...
Repair of the Iliac Arterial Injury in Trauma: An Endovascular Operation?

ABSTRACT Background Endovascular therapy is effective for non-traumatic iliac arterial diseases. The role of endovascular surgery in traumatic iliac lesions is unclear. The aim of this study is to compare outcomes for open versus endovascular management of traumatic iliac injuries. Materials and methods The National Trauma Data Bank was searched for patients from 2002to 2016 with iliac arterial injury. Patients were sorted by treatment modality (open versus endo) and mechanism (blunt versus penetrating) and matched using mangled extremity score variables. The proportion of patients undergoing amputation were compared using the chi-square test. Results In the blunt group, 1550 (82%) had endovascular and 342 (18%) had open repair. Endovascular repair was associated with a significantly lower amputation rate than open repair (0.6% versus 3.6%, P = 0.015) despite higher incidence of concomitant injuries. Venous injury was more frequent in the open group (13.7% versus 1.8%, P Within the penetrating group, 209 (22%) had endovascular and 755 (78%) had open repair. Again endovascular repair was associated with a lower amputation rate (0% versus 5.1%, P = 0.004). Patients undergoing endovascular repair had more severe extremity/orthopedic injury, with venous injury again associated with open repair (48.5% versus 37.4%, P = 0.03). Conclusions Endovascular repair of iliac injuries was associated with a significantly lower rate of amputation than open surgery. Endovascular repair was associated with a higher incidence of several injuries, although open repair was associated with concomitant venous injury. Further work is required to delineate the benefit of endovascular intervention and role of venous injury in limb salvage.
The Drosophila RNA binding protein Nab2 patterns dendritic arbors and axons via the planar cell polarity pathway

RNA binding proteins support neurodevelopment by modulating numerous steps in post-transcriptional regulation, including splicing, export, translation, and turnover of mRNAs that can traffic into axons and dendrites. One such RBP is ZC3H14, which is lost in an inherited intellectual disability. The Drosophila melanogaster ZC3H14 ortholog, Nab2, localizes to neuronal nuclei and cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein granules, and is required for olfactory memory and proper axon projection into brain mushroom bodies. Nab2 can act as a translational repressor in conjunction with the Fragile-X mental retardation protein homolog Fmr1 and shares target RNAs with the Fmr1-interacting RBP Ataxin-2. However, neuronal signaling pathways regulated by Nab2 and their potential roles outside of mushroom body axons remain undefined. Here, we demonstrate that Nab2 restricts branching and projection of larval sensory dendrites via the planar cell polarity pathway, and that this link may provide a conserved mechanism through which Nab2/ZC3H14 modulates projection of both axons and dendrites. Planar cell polarity proteins are enriched in a Nab2-regulated brain proteomic dataset. Complementary genetic data indicate that Nab2 guides dendrite and axon growth through the planar-cell-polarity pathway. Analysis of the core planar cell polarity protein Vang, which is depleted in the Nab2 mutant whole-brain proteome, uncovers selective and dramatic loss of Vang within axon/dendrite-enriched brain neuropil relative to brain regions containing cell bodies. Collectively, these data demonstrate that Nab2 regulates dendritic arbors and axon projection by a planar-cell-polarity-linked mechanism and identify Nab2 as required for accumulation of the core planar cell polarity factor Vang in distal neuronal projections.
Causal Mediation and Sensitivity Analysis for Mixed-Scale Data

The goal of causal mediation analysis, often described within the potential outcomes framework, is to decompose the effect of an exposure on an outcome of interest along different causal pathways. Using the assumption of sequential ignorability to attain non-parametric identification, Imai et al. (2010) proposed a flexible approach to measuring mediation effects, focusing on parametric and semiparametric normal/Bernoulli models for the outcome and mediator. Less attention has been paid to the case where the outcome and/or mediator model are mixed-scale, ordinal, or otherwise fall outside the normal/Bernoulli setting. We develop a simple, but flexible, parametric modeling framework to accommodate the common situation where the responses are mixed continuous and binary, and apply it to a zero-one inflated beta model for the outcome and mediator. Applying our proposed methods to a publicly-available JOBS II dataset, we (i) argue for the need for non-normal models, (ii) show how to estimate both average and quantile mediation effects for boundary-censored data, and (iii) show how to conduct a meaningful sensitivity analysis by introducing unidentified, scientifically meaningful, sensitivity parameters.
Unexpected dual task benefits on cycling in Parkinson disease and healthy adults: a neuro-behavioral model.

Background When performing two tasks at once, a dual task, performance on one or both tasks typically suffers. People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) usually experience larger dual task decrements on motor tasks than healthy older adults (HOA). Our objective was to investigate the decrements in cycling caused by performing cognitive tasks with a range of difficulty in people with PD and HOAs.
Vulgar Song Parodies from the “Good Old Days”

Abstract In a somewhat whimsical glance backwards, the author recalls six vulgar American parodies of seven enduring songs. The parodies all appeared by the middle of the twentieth century and affected various well-known patriotic, classical, and popular songs.
Building Financial Bridges to Economic Development and Community Integration

Abstract Research on asset accumulation among the population of people with disabilities is quite limited. Previous work indicates that people with disabilities have significantly fewer assets than people without disabilities. Research on asset development suggests that in general, individuals in lower income tiers are able to save and that holding assets has a positive relationship with general personal well being, economic security, and civic behavior and community involvement. Many individuals with disabilities are living in chronic poverty. For those who are unable to work, the accumulation of assets is difficult. Without significant savings, people with disabilities are unable to afford down payments on homes, capitalize small businesses, pay for advanced education, purchase assistive technology, or make accessibility-related architectural modifications to their homes. This paper recommends four significant areas to be considered in developing a research agenda on asset development for people with di...
TIM-4 Expressed on APCs Induces T Cell Expansion and Survival

TIM (T cell, Ig, mucin) proteins can regulate T cell immune responses. Tim-4 mRNA is not expressed in T cells, but exclusively in APCs. Tim-4 is a ligand for Tim-1 and Tim-4.Ig fusion protein was shown to either inhibit or expand T cells. However, the molecular basis for such opposite effects was not defined. By generating mAbs, we show that expression of Tim-4 protein is restricted to CD11c+ and CD11b+ cells and is up-regulated upon activation. We show that Tim-4 specifically phosphorylates Tim-1 and induces T cell expansion by enhancing cell division and reducing apoptosis. Tim-4 also induces the phosphorylation of signaling molecules LAT, Akt, and ERK1/2 in T cells. Tim-4, expressed on APCs, is a costimulatory molecule that promotes T cell expansion and survival by cross-linking Tim-1 on T cells.
Terror of Change

Die Superbauernwelt untersucht nun statistisch, welche Eigenschaften erfolgreiche Menschen haben. Das Ergebnis der Untersuchungen ist die beruhmte eierlegende Wollmilchsau, als die man sich die besten Produkte wunscht. Genauso wunschen wir uns Menschen als, was weis ich, liebgebarende Ruhmgeldfrau, als Technojagdbauerfreund.
Autocorrelation function for PMD emulators with rotators

Summary form only given. PMD emulators comprise a number of sections of high-birefringence fiber or waveplates connected by either polarization rotators or polarization controllers. With only one free parameter, rotators are more commonly used than polarization controllers. We present here a concise analytical expression for the autocorrelation function of a general n-section emulator with rotators. This expression yields results that are consistent with earlier numerical results. We then use this formula to demonstrate that it is possible to eliminate frequency-domain periodicity in the autocorrelation function by varying the lengths of the sections. This periodicity is not acceptable if emulators are to be used in WDM system studies.