cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response of growing-finishing pigs to decreasing floor space allowance and(or) virginiamycin in diet.

Five hundred forty crossbred pigs were utilized in four trials (10 replications) at two stations to determine the separate and interacting effects of decreasing floor space allowance with or without the addition of virginiamycin to the diet on performance of growing-finishing pigs. Pigs were allowed .37, .33 or .28 m2/pig during the growing phase (23 to 55 kg) and .74, .66, .56 m2/pig during the finishing phase (55 to 100 kg) and fed either a corn-soybean meal control diet or the control diet plus 11 mg of virginiamycin/kg of diet. Floor space allowances were achieved by varying pen size, so the number of pigs and feeder space per pig were constant for all pens. During the growing phase, daily gain (P less than .01) daily feed intake (P less than .05) and feed conversion ratio (P less than .05) decreased as floor space allowance decreased. During the finishing phase and for the total test period, daily gain (P less than .01) and feed conversion ratio (P less than .05) were reduced but daily feed intake was not affected (P greater than .05) by restricted floor space allowance. The addition of virginiamycin to the diet had no effect on pig performance. The virginiamycin X floor space allowance interaction was not significant, suggesting that pigs fed a diet with or without virginiamycin responded similarly to restricted floor space allowance. The data suggest that the addition of virginiamycin to the diet was ineffective in overcoming the decrease in performance of growing-finishing pigs caused by crowded conditions.
Radiation and indomethacin effects on morphology, prostaglandins, and motility in dog jejunum

Irradiation can have a profound effect on intestinal motor activity. Previous studies have suggested that prostaglandins may play some role in radiation-induced enteritis. The present study investigated the effects of abdominal X-irradiation with or without indomethacin treatment on jejunal myoelectric activity and prostaglandin synthesis by measuring the prostaglandin content of mesenteric arterial and venous plasma and in the intestinal lumen in dogs. After X-irradiation, venous concentrations and arteriovenous concentration differences of prostaglandin (PG)E2, PGF2 alpha, and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha increased markedly. The increased venous concentrations were in part attributable to increased mucosal and/or submucosal synthesis by inference from increased concentrations of these metabolites assayed from the jejunal lumen. Irradiation produced histological damage to the mucosa and submucosa and abnormalities in the migrating motor complex, jejunal slow waves, and a decrease in spike burst activity. Inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis by treating the animals with indomethacin reduced the severity of illness, the histological injury, and changes in myoelectric activity induced by irradiation. Such treatment should be evaluated further to treat patients exposed to large doses of irradiation.
Human platelet sialic acid content and tritium incorporation after ADP- induced shape change and aggregation

The distribution of surface sialic acid and its possible alteration after ADP-induced shape change and aggregation were studied. Gel-filtered platelets that were aggregated, disaggregated, and centrifuged showed decreased total protein and a significant decrease in sialic acid/mg protein. Platelet surface sialic acid was labeled by periodate oxidation followed by borotritiide reduction. Tritium was apparently incorporated only into sialic acid, since the label was removed by mild acid hydrolysis, had a mobility similar to that of the seven-carbon derivative of sialic acid, and was not taken up when periodate was omitted. When reduced platelet proteins were examined using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, at least three radioactive peaks (1, 2, and 3) were consistently observed, with apparent molecular weights of about 200,000, 150,000, and 100,000 daltons, respectively. Peak 2 had the greatest radioactivity. A shoulder of slightly lower molecular weight than peak 2, or a small peak between peaks 2 and 3, was also seen. Peaks 2 and 3 corresponded to glycoproteins I and III identified with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining, and the material between them to glycoprotein II. Peak 1, and two to four smaller radioactive peaks with apparent molecular weights between 25,000 and 60,000 daltons, were not usually associated with PAS staining. All radioactive peaks were much smaller in platelets labeled after treatment with neuraminidase, indicating that much of the labeled sialic acid was on the platelet surface. The amount of tritium incorporated and its labeling pattern were unaffected when shape change alone was induced with ADP. However, platelets that were aggregated and disaggregated with ADP had reduced tritium uptake with a uniformly decreased labeling pattern, suggesting that the decrease in sialic acid content/mg protein resulted from a generalized loss of surface sialic acid or glycoprotein.
A Study of Neural Network Input Data for Ground Cover Identification in Satellite Images

The performance is compared of several feature extraction methods for the classification of ground covers in satellite images with a neural network. These methods include first and second order statistics features, features derived from the Fourier transform, and Gabor filters. Some simple methods, allowing the neural network to extract its own features, are also investigated. When features of many spectral bands are combined, all methods are seen to perform within the same range. The simple methods generally lead to good results with reduced processing time.
Acoustooptic diffraction in spherical waveguide and applications in rf signal processing

Current research and development in integrated optical signal processing modules such as rf spectrum analyzers using acoustooptic (AO) interaction in planar waveguide1 have been significantly impeded by the poor performance of the waveguide lenses. The waveguide lenses involved suffer from undesirable features that include small light beam aperture, high optical loss, very small tolerance allowable in lens placement and separation, and long focal length. Long focal length will result in a large substrate size and thus high optical throughput loss, severe waveguide scattering, and high cost.
SUBTENON AMIKACIN INJECTION for the TREATMENT of NOCARDIA ASTEROIDES ORBITAL CELLULITIS in A PATIENT with A HISTORY of SCLERAL BUCKLING

Purpose To evaluate the use of subtenon amikacin injection for the treatment of Nocardia asteroides orbital cellulitis in a patient with a history of scleral buckle surgery. Methods Case report. Results A 79-year-old diabetic woman presented with an 8-month history of diplopia, discharge, and swelling around her left eye. She had a scleral buckle surgery in this eye about 15 years ago. Examination of the left eye showed a visual acuity of 20/80, swollen and ptotic upper eyelid, chemotic conjunctiva, and limited extraocular motility. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an abscess under the scleral buckle. The scleral buckle was removed, and the abscess under the scleral buckle was drained. N. asteroides grew on the culture. Despite 4 months of the systemic trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and the topical fortified amikacin therapy, her infection worsened. After 5 monthly subtenon amikacin injections, the infection regressed dramatically, and her vision improved to 20/70. She used the systemic trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for 10 more months. After a 1-year follow-up, her external examination was normal, except for the left upper eyelid ptosis. Conclusion Subtenon amikacin injection can be added to the regimen for N. asteroides orbital cellulitis, of which surgical drainage, systemic and topical antibiotic therapies are not enough to control infection.
How Residual Stresses can Affect Rail Performance

The effects of rail residual stress on rail performance are discussed. Methods for measuring or calculating residual stress are summarized and compared. Based on current knowledge, it appears that better control of straightening stress in the mill and wheel contact stress (via grinding) in service may improve rail performance.
Update review of the safety of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The safety profile of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors has continued to evolve with the availability of data from clinical trial programs, post-marketing pharmacovigilance and dedicated cardiovascular outcome trials.Areas covered: This article reviews the safety issues associated with the SGLT2 inhibitors canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and empagliflozin, particularly the newer/emergent safety data related to US Food and Drug Administration statements regarding these three agents.Expert opinion: The safety profile of SGLT2 inhibitors is well defined, and the adverse event profile is largely consistent with their mechanism of action. These well-recognized events include genital mycotic infections and volume-associated adverse events. Serious safety issues detected more recently with SGLT2 inhibitor therapy, such as bone fractures, pyelonephritis, urosepsis, and ketoacidosis, have been uncommon. A robust improvement in cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diab...
A solving strategy of connect6 based on K-in-a-row types

This paper introduces some theories of computer game-theoretical value and proposes a solving strategy of Connect6 based on K-in-a-row types. It also expounds the algorithms that made up the strategy. The strategy includes a move generator based on K-in-a-row types, a calling algorithms strategy (etc. alpha-beta pruning search and threats space search) based on the number of threats and proof-number search. Taking 7×7 Connect6 openings for example, the experimental result shows that the solving strategy is more powerful.
Documentation of an Imperative To Improve Methods for Predicting Membrane Protein Stability

There is a compelling and growing need to accurately predict the impact of amino acid mutations on protein stability for problems in personalized medicine and other applications. Here the ability of 10 computational tools to accurately predict mutation-induced perturbation of folding stability (ΔΔG) for membrane proteins of known structure was assessed. All methods for predicting ΔΔG values performed significantly worse when applied to membrane proteins than when applied to soluble proteins, yielding estimated concordance, Pearson, and Spearman correlation coefficients of <0.4 for membrane proteins. Rosetta and PROVEAN showed a modest ability to classify mutations as destabilizing (ΔΔG < −0.5 kcal/mol), with a 7 in 10 chance of correctly discriminating a randomly chosen destabilizing variant from a randomly chosen stabilizing variant. However, even this performance is significantly worse than for soluble proteins. This study highlights the need for further development of reliable and reproducible methods ...
CMP oxide slurry recycle system implementation

This paper demonstrates and realizes that the Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) oxide slurry could be recycled to CMP process again. By the slurry recycling process, 90% waste slurry could be reclaimed and also over 90% wastewater could be recycled and reuse in integrated circuits (ICs) process. The demonstrated reclaimed slurry show compatible removal rate (R/R) and the same uniformity (U%) of R/R. Also the compatible R/R profile and defectives level.
Design and Analysis of Standalone PV based Boost Converter With P & O MPPT Technique

This paper deals with the design and analysis of standalone solar PV based boost converter with P& O (Perturb and Observe) MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) Techniques. An intermediate converter can therefore increase efficiency by matching the PV system to the load and by operating the solar cell arrays at their maximum power point. MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) controller is used for extracting the maximum power from the solar PV module. P&O (Perturb and Observe) MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) is used because of simple implementations. The proposed converter system results in low ripple content, which improves the array performance. Solar PV stand–alone system with boost converter is modeled in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment using the sim power system toolboxes. The performance of the proposed system is obtained in both dynamic and steady-states.
Empirical evaluation of the changes in public health nursing interventions after the implementation of an evidence-based family home visiting guideline

Abstract The objective of this quality evaluation was to evaluate the changes in public health nursing (PHN) interventions after the implementation of an evidence-based family home visiting (EB-FHV) guideline encoded using the Omaha System. Design and sample This quality improvement evaluation was conducted using a secondary dataset of 27,910 PHN family home visiting interventions from visits to 129 adult clients enrolled in EB-FHV programs in a Midwestern PHN agency. The interventions were documented 12 months before and 14 months after EB-FHV Guideline implementation. The EB-FHV consisted of 94 PHN interventions for 10 Omaha System problems, with electronic health record (EHR) data generated by PHNs during routine clinical documentation. Standard descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in the analysis. Measures The Omaha System was used to compare PHN practice before and after the guideline implementation. Results Documentation patterns revealed that PHNs tailored interventions while also shifting toward the use of the EB-FHV guideline interventions. Ten EB-FHV problems accounted for 96.3% of interventions documented before and 98.5% of interventions documented after implementation. The proportion of interventions before and after EB-FHV by problem differed significantly for all problems except Substance use. Fewer interventions were provided after EB-FHV for the primary problems of Pregnancy and Postpartum, with a shift to more interventions for Caretaking/parenting. Conclusion The PHN documentation after guideline implementation demonstrated adherence to the EB-FHV guideline, while tailoring the evidence-based interventions differentially by problem. Further research is needed to extend this quality improvement approach to other guidelines and populations.
On the number of principal components in high dimensions

We consider the problem of how many components to retain in the application of principal component analysis when the dimension is much higher than the number of observations. To estimate the number of components, we propose to sequentially test skewness of the squared lengths of residual scores that are obtained by removing leading principal components. The residual lengths are asymptotically left-skewed if all principal components with diverging variances are removed, and right-skewed if not. The proposed estimator is shown to be consistent, performs well in high-dimensional simulation studies, and provides reasonable estimates in a number of real data examples.
Liver Transplant Interventions

Initial efforts at human liver transplantation in the early 1960s were marred by extremely poor postoperative survival, with the earliest organ recipients surviving for 0–23 days postoperatively [1]. Following improvements in surgical technique, the focus shifted from postoperative patient survival to survival of the graft, and efforts were concentrated on optimizing antirejection regimens [2]. In the current era, patients undergoing liver transplantation have survival rates of 82%, 70%, and 65% at 1, 5, and 10 years, respectively [3]. Despite significant improvements in survival following liver transplantation, posttransplant complications are not uncommon, and image-guided interventional strategies have emerged as a reasonable alternative to open or laparoscopic reoperation in the management of many of these complications.
Spiritual Identity: Individual Perspectives

Interest in spirituality, and its relation and relevance to identity as per the theories of Erikson and Marcia, has been on the increase in recent years. While the available studies suggest that spirituality has import for identity development, the literature is somewhat limited due to problems with conceptualization and measurement of spirituality. This chapter attempts to address this problem by introducing readers to the empirically derived five-dimensional model of spirituality developed by MacDonald (2000). After overviewing MacDonald’s measurement model and some of its supporting research, attention is then given to the creation of a new biopsychosocial model of spirituality that integrates all five major components of the construct and explicates how they relate to, and are affected by, spiritual identity development. To foster scientific study, the chapter ends with a proposal for a three-dimensional model of spiritual identity which identifies biosocial factors influencing the emergence of spiritual identity.
Single-pass adapted training with all-pass transforms.

In recent work, the all-pass transform (APT) was proposed as the basis of a speaker adaptation scheme intended for use with a large vocabulary speech recognition system. It was shown that APT-based adaptation reduces to a linear transformation of cepstral means, much like the better known maximum likelihood linear regression (MLLR), but is specified by far fewer free parameters. Due to its linearity, APT-based adaptation can be used in conjunction with speaker-adapted training (SAT), an algorithm for performing maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters of an HMM when speaker adaptation is to be employed during both training and test. In this work, we propose a refinement of SAT called single-pass adapted training (SPAT) which achieves the same improvement in system performance as SAT but requires much less computation for HMM training. In a set of speech recognition experiments conducted on the Switchboard Corpus, we report a word error rate reduction of 5.3% absolute using a single, global APT.
Forcing over Models of Determinacy

A theorem of Woodin states that the existence of a proper class of Woodin cardinals implies that the theory of the inner model L(ℝ) cannot be changed by set forcing. The Axiom of Determinacy is part of this fixed theory for L(ℝ). The partial order ℙmax is a forcing construction in L(ℝ) which lifts the absoluteness properties of L(ℝ) to models of the Axiom of Choice. The structure H(ω 2) in the ℙmax extension of L(ℝ) (assuming AD L(ℝ)) satisfies every Π2 sentence φ for H(ω 2) which is forceable from a proper class of Woodin cardinals. Furthermore, the partial order ℙmax can be easily varied to produce other consistency results and canonical models.
The Child with Renal Failure

Chronic renal failure is an uncommon problem in children. The data available on incidence show considerable variation because of differing definitions and sources of information. The total incidence in Great Britain has been estimated at 3.5 cases per million total population per year (Meadow et al., 1970); in Germany at 3.0 (Scharer, 1971); and in the United States at 4.8 (Zilleruelo et al., 1980). Studies from dialysis and transplantation centers indicate that 1–1.6 children per million population present for treatment annually (Cameron, 1973; Potter et al., 1980). Thus about one of three children with chronic renal failure survive to be considered for treatment by the current selection criteria. The feasibility of dialysis and transplantation as techniques for prolongation of life in children with renal failure has been well demonstrated. The results of several large published series suggest that children fare as well as or better than adults. The availability of partial funding for the enormous costs of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) treatment through federal programs and the wider application of this new technology require increased attention to a growing list of new problems, some of which are considered in this section.
Exposure Assessment for Agricultural Chemicals

Pesticides are toxic chemicals that are deliberately introduced into the environment to achieve control of pests. For agriculture, these pests include insects, mites, and nematodes which damage growing crops, weeds which compete for nutrients and decrease the value of the harvest, and fungi which cause plant diseases. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act specifies that pesticides may be registered for use if that use will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on man or the environment. The potential for adverse effects on man is, of course, determined by both the Inherent toxic properties of the pesticide and the extent of exposure to the pesticide. Thus an assessment of exposure is fully as important as the toxicological evaluation of a pesticide in making judgements about the overall risk of pesticide use.
Drag-Reduction Measurements for Three Polymers at 4°C

Pressure-drop measurements were made for dilute solutions of three high-molecular-weight polymers in a miniature pipe-flow apparatus. The test section was 0.023 inch in diameter and could operate at Reynolds numbers from 1,000 to 7,000, so that both laminar and turbulent flow as well as the transition region were investigated.
Agricultural sciences and education in the 21st century

Rapid, ever-accelerating changes in science and technology will make current educational knowledge and systems obsolete as quickly as we reinvent them. Changes in demographics in our nation and changes in international trade will require us to encourage participation by all Americans, regardless of race or gender. Historically, change in higher education has faced strong resistance, but the establishment of the Land-Grant University system, the G.I. Bill, and other changes have encouraged participation by new groups of Americans. In order to take full advantage of all of the talent necessary to address the needs of a changing world, animal science departments and agricultural colleges must seek new partnerships to enhance recruitment of people from diverse groups, ensure that courses and curricula address the future, and encourage and promote women and minority faculty. Members of the American Society of Animal Science should continue to lead such changes.
Adaptive Space-Time Algorithm Using Frost's and Maximin

Current state-of-the-art in global positioning system (GPS) anti-jam technology has relied on a phase array antenna that consists of $N$ antenna elements and a processing unit that performs a phase-destructive sum of any intentional and unintentional jamming up to $N-1$ signals. If this limitation is exceeded, then the GPS signal will degrade rapidly and become buried in the noise. Hence, alternative anti-jamming technologies have been sought recently. This paper describes an anti-jam method that can suppress more than $N-1$ jamming signals with a significant reduction in size, weight, and power (SWaP) and no degradation under additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN).
Gun Rights, Tyranny & Rebellion: John Locke, the American Constitution and the Right to Bear Arms

The idea that the Second Amendment somehow protects or countenances a kind of reserved right of citizens to rise up against the government and apply violence using guns (the “arms” referenced in the amendment) should the American government somehow become tyrannical is a deeply entrenched belief held by some in the gun rights community. Obviously, it raises a host of questions, aside from whether the Second Amendment was designed to serve this purpose. Among them: how could civilians possess a “right” under our system of laws to use violence against our government? How would the imposition of “tyranny” be determined, and who would be entitled to make that determination? Against whom, exactly, would citizens use lethal force? Local police? State government leaders? Congress? The President? Judges? The Army? What would be the prospect that civilians would have any kind of success against a government with a large standing military force, and fifty state police forces? Would such a rebellion or insurrection have any chance of improving whatever political circumstances existed in the country at such a moment? And even if citizens never actually used force against the government or some part of it, would the mere prospect that people might do such a thing somehow have a beneficial effect on the government’s behavior, as some who support this idea claim?
P55 Behavior-Specific Nutrition Education Intervention Improves Fruit and Vegetable Preference Among Elementary School Children

Objective To assess the effectiveness of a nutrition education intervention (NEI) to enhance fruit and vegetable (FV) preference among elementary school children. Use of Theory or Research A six-week NEI informed by the social cognitive theory. Lessons as well as activities were focused on promoting preference of FV. Target Audience In total, 115 children in 3rd to 5th grade from four elementary schools (where at least 40% of the children were eligible to obtain free lunch) in the South Plains of Texas participated in this study. Program Description The study was designed with pre- and post-intervention measurements. Class-based nutrition education (25 minutes once a week), and cooking demonstration sessions (20 minutes once a week) for children, and weekly nutrition handout to parents were implemented. Evaluation Methods A Likert-scale questionnaire (downward) with 10 fruit and 10 vegetable items were administered during both pre- and post-intervention surveys. The participants were also asked during pre- and post-intervention surveys about three foods they would like to buy/eat more if they had money. Data analysis was carried out with using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 23, Chicago IL), and to assess changes in FV preference, Wilcoxon signed-rank test (paired test) was used. Results Preliminary results show that 51.3% were girls, and 37.4% were African American/Black (Non-Hispanic). Participants had higher preference for fruits than vegetables during both pre- and post-intervention surveys. Preference for fruits (from 17.04 ± 6.00 to 14.43 ± 4.45, lower score indicates higher preference), and vegetables (from 26.73 ± 6.62 to 23.71 ± 7.88, lower score indicates higher preference) improved significantly (P Conclusion A multicomponent based NEI that incorporates behavior-specific nutrition lessons, and hands-on experience, can improve FV preference among children. Funding Texas Tech University.
The Vocabulary of Desolation: Intertextual Allusions in Daniel 9.25-27 and the Meaning of Ḥārûṣ:

The word wĕḥāruṣ in Dan 9.25 may mean something different from the usual rendering “moat.” A study of (1) the use of ḥāruṣ in the Hebrew Bible, (2) the fact that Dan 9.25-27 contains intertextual a...
Do Literary Studies Have a Present? Five Snapshots of an Institutional Void

ABSTRACT The future of literary studies depends on the acknowledgment of its present. After the emergence of post-theoretical times, in the 1990s, the academy faces a discontinuity with the intellectual projects of the twentieth century, which results in an experience of institutional void. The created space allows idiosyncratic practices, without a characterization of a disciplinary profile. In order to think about an institutional continuation of literary studies, it is necessary to recognize this void-like quality that the present times exhibit.
Adaptive control designs for control-based continuation of periodic orbits in a class of uncertain linear systems

This paper proposes two novel adaptive control designs for the feedback signals used in the control-based continuation paradigm to track families of periodic orbits of periodically excited dynamical systems, including black box simulation models and physical experiments. The proposed control designs rely on modifications to the classical model reference adaptive control framework and the more recent $${\mathscr {L}}_1$$ adaptive control architecture, in which an additional low-pass filter is used to ensure guaranteed transient performance and robustness to time delays in the control input even in the limit of arbitrarily large adaptive gains. In contrast to the proportional control formulations that have been used in the literature on control-based continuation, the proposed control designs achieve stable performance with a minimum of parameter tuning. In the context of a class of linear systems with matched uncertainties, the paper demonstrates the successful integration of adaptive control feedback in control-based continuation. Specifically, the control designs are shown to ensure that the control input stabilizes the sought periodic orbits of the uncontrolled system and vanishes along these orbits, provided that an a priori unknown reference input is chosen appropriately. Numerical results obtained using the coco software package demonstrate how the combination of a nonlinear solver (Newton’s method) with the pseudo-arclength parameter continuation scheme can be used to trace the correct choice for the reference input under variations in an excitation parameter.
Interorgan Metabolism of Amino Acids in Human Health and Disease.

Amino acids are integral for human health, influencing an array of physiological processes from gene expression to vasodilation to the immune response. In accordance with this expansive range of unique functions, the tissues of the body engage in a complex interplay of amino acid exchange and metabolism to respond to the organism’s dynamic needs for a range of nitrogenous products. Interorgan amino acid metabolism is required for numerous metabolic pathways, including the synthesis of functional amino acids like arginine, glutamate, glutamine, and glycine. This physiological process requires the cooperative handling of amino acids by organs (e.g., the small intestine, skeletal muscle, kidneys, and liver), as well as the complete catabolism of nutritionally essential amino acids such as the BCAAs, with their α-ketoacids shuttled from muscle to liver. These exchanges are made possible by several mechanisms, including organ location, as well as the functional zonation of enzymes and the cell-specific expression of amino acid transporters. The cooperative handling of amino acids between the various organs does not appear to be under the control of any centralized regulation, but is instead influenced by factors such as fluctuations in nutrient availability, hormones, changes associated with development, and altered environmental factors. While the normal function of these pathways is associated with health and homeostasis, affected by physical activity, diet and body composition, dysregulation is observed in numerous disease states, including cardiovascular disease and cancer cachexia, presenting potential avenues for the manipulation of amino acid consumption as part of the therapeutic approach to these conditions in individuals.
Increased α-tocopherol metabolism in horses with equine neuroaxonal dystrophy

Author(s): Hales, Erin N; Habib, Hadi; Favro, Gianna; Katzman, Scott; Sakai, R Russell; Marquardt, Sabin; Bordbari, Matthew H; Ming-Whitfield, Brittni; Peterson, Janel; Dahlgren, Anna R; Rivas, Victor; Ramirez, Carolina Alanis; Peng, Sichong; Donnelly, Callum G; Dizmang, Bobbi-Sue; Kallenberg, Angelica; Grahn, Robert; Miller, Andrew D; Woolard, Kevin; Moeller, Benjamin; Puschner, Birgit; Finno, Carrie J | Abstract: BackgroundEquine neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder associated with a vitamin E deficiency within the first year of life. Vitamin E consists of 8 isoforms metabolized by the CYP4F2 enzyme. No antemortem diagnostic test currently exists for eNAD/EDM.Hypothesis/objectivesBased on the association of α-tocopherol deficiency with the development of eNAD/EDM, we hypothesized that the rate of α-tocopherol, but not γ-tocopherol or tocotrienol metabolism, would be increased in eNAD/EDM-affected horses.AnimalsVitamin E metabolism: Proof of concept (POC) study; eNAD/EDM-affected (nn=n5) and control (nn=n6) horses. Validation study: eNAD/EDM-affected Quarter Horses (QHs; nn=n6), cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy affected (nn=n6) horses and control (nn=n29) horses. CYP4F2 expression and copy number: eNAD/EDM-affected (nn=n12) and age- and sex-matched control (nn=n11-12) horses.MethodsThe rates of α-tocopherol/tocotrienol and γ-tocopherol/tocotrienol metabolism were assessed in equine serum (POC and validation) and urine (POC only) using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) and droplet digital (dd)-PCR were used to assay expression and genomic copy number of a CYP4F2 equine ortholog.ResultsMetabolic rate of α-tocopherol was increased in eNAD/EDM horses (POC,P l .0001; validation, Pn=n.03), with no difference in the metabolic rate of γ-tocopherol. Horses with eNAD/EDM had increased expression of the CYP4F2 equine orthologue (Pn=n.02) but no differences in copy number.Conclusions and clinical importanceIncreased α-tocopherol metabolism in eNAD/EDM-affected QHs provides novel insight into alterations in vitamin E processing in eNAD/EDM and highlights the need for high-dose supplementation to prevent the clinical phenotype in genetically susceptible horses.
Homeostasis in Biology: General Orientation

For the remainder of the work, concern is shifted back to the physiological properties of biological individuals, and to the anatomical structures which implement these properties. The present chapter is devoted to a qualitative discussion of homeo-static mechanisms, to provide some intuitive background for the more detailed exposition to follow.
Basement Membrane Laminin-Derived Peptide Sikvav Promotes Angiogenesis and Tumor Growth

The basement membrane is a thin extracellular matrix which underlies endothelial cells in vessels and forms a barrier to the passage of macromolecules and cells (Martin et al, 1988). Basement membranes also provide structural support and are very biologically active (Kleinman et al, 1987; Beck et al, 1990). The major and constant components of basement membranes include laminin, collagen IV, entactin, heparan sulfate proteoglycan and various growth factors (Martin et al, 1988; Vukicevic et al, 1992). These components interact with each other to form a highly elastic and organized structure.
Child labor, nutrition, and education in rural India : an economic analysis of parental choice and policy options

The causes and consequences of child labor are examined within a household decision framework with survival uncertainty and endogenous fertility. The data come from a nationally representative survey of Indian rural households. The complex interactions uncovered by the analysis suggest that mere prohibition of child labor, or the imposition of school attendance, would make things worse, and would be difficult to enforce. Beneficially reducing child labor requires changing the economic environment to which the work of children constitutes, in the great majority of cases, the rational response. Suitable policies include capillary provision of schools, and public health improvements. The effects of these policies go far beyond direct impacts. They have favorable indirect repercussions on the school attendance, educational expenditure, labor participation, and nutritional status of children. They also discourage fertility. Women's education, and income re-distribution are also helpful, but land re-distribution may be counterproductive.
Poetry Aloud Here 2: Sharing Poetry with Children

How does a children's librarian or a teacher share poetry with children and, more importantly, develop in children a love of rhyme, meter, and language? Sylvia Vardell, professor at Texas Women's U...
Growth and External Financing in Latin America

This paper discusses the economic performance of Latin America in the last decade, paying special attention to growth and the financial sector. In particular, it shows that external factors, such as like U.S. interest rates and the business cycle, play a key role in capital inflows, investment, and growth.2 As a result, economic growth in the region tends to be fragile and exhibits a high degree of co-movement, i.e., high cross-country output correlation. This last feature exacerbates fragility, because there is little room for mutual insurance within Latin America in case a country suffers a bad shock, and finance during downturns has to come primarily from outside the region. The “Lost Decade” of the 1980s and the recovery of the early 1990s are clear illustrations of these tendencies. During the 1980s the slow resolution of the debt crisis kept Latin American countries outside the international private capital market. In contrast, the 1990s brought a dramatic increase in capital inflows that exceeded expectations. In addition, whenever crises struck, their negative effect on growth was dramatic. This paper will provide some clues regarding the big swings in capital inflows. It will argue that although these swings are oftentimes triggered by external factors, domestic financial vulnerabilities could seriously contribute to magnifying them. Thus, crisis depth is positively correlated with phenomena like a weak banking sector and large debt amortizations. However, it will also be argued that the central capital market has represented an additional source of disturbance for all Emerging Market Economies (EMs) and not just Latin America.
RAPID EVOLUTION CAUSED BY POLLINATOR LOSS IN MIMULUS GUTTATUS

Anthropogenic perturbations including habitat loss and emerging disease are changing pollinator communities and generating novel selection pressures on plant populations. Disruption of plant-pollinator relationships is predicted to cause plant mating system evolution, although this process has not been directly observed. This study demonstrates the immediate evolutionary effects of pollinator loss within experimental populations of a predominately outcrossing wildflower. Initially equivalent populations evolved for five generations within two pollination treatments: abundant bumblebee pollinators versus no pollinators. The populations without pollinators suffered greatly reduced fitness in early generations but rebounded as they evolved an improved ability to self-fertilize. All populations diverged in floral, developmental, and life-history traits, but only a subset of characters showed clear association with pollination treatment. Pronounced treatment effects were noted for anther-stigma separation and autogamous seed set. Dramatic allele frequency changes at two chromosomal polymorphisms occurred in the no pollinator populations, explaining a large fraction of divergence in pollen viability. The pattern of phenotypic and genetic changes in this experiment favors a sequential model for the evolution of the multitrait "selfing syndrome" observed throughout angiosperms.
Fetal polycythemia and hyperviscosity: Effect on umbilical blood flow and fetal oxygen consumption

Abstract To evaluate the effect of fetal polycythemia and hyperviscosity on fetal oxygen transport, we induced those conditions in eight chronically instrumented fetal lambs by isovolemic exchange transfusion with packed red cells obtained from a donor ewe. This procedure resulted in polycythemia and hyperviscosity without altering fetal arterial blood oxygen content. The fetuses were studied at 1 and 48 hours after the induction of polycythemia and hyperviscosity. Umbilical blood flow fell significantly at both 1 and 48 hours after polycythemia and hyperviscosity. In spite of decreased oxygen delivery to the fetus, the fetal oxygen consumption was unchanged because of an increase in oxygen extraction by the fetus.
A Comparison of 1200 V Normally-OFF & Normally-on Vertical Trench SiC Power JFET Devices

Equivalent sized (4.5 mm2 die area), 1200 V, 4H-SiC, vertical trench Junction Field Effect Transistors (JFETs) were characterized in terms of DC and switching performance. The 100 mΩ Enhancement-Mode (EM) JFET was found to have natural advantages in safe operation being normally-off, whereas the Depletion-Mode (DM) JFET was found to have advantages with ~ twice as high saturation current, less on-resistance (85 mΩ) and no gate current required in the on-state. The JFETs were found to both have radically less (five to ten times) switching energies than corresponding 1200 V Si transistors, with the DM JFET and EM JFET having EON and EOFF of only 115 µJ and 173 µJ, respectively when tested at half-rated voltage (600 V) and 12 A.
Invariant manifolds and bifurcation for quasilinear reaction-diffusion systems

IN THIS PAPER we consider parameter-dependent quasilinear reaction-diffusion equations on a bounded domain of R”. It is our purpose to study the dynamical behavior of solutions to these equations. In particular, we are interested in the behavior of the solution set if the parameter is changed. To be more precise, let us assume that Sz C R” is a bounded domain having a smooth boundary. Then we consider the parameter-dependent equation
Minerals from the Miarolitic Pegmatites in the Stove Mountain Area, Colorado Springs, Colorado

The miarolitic pegmatites in the Stove Mountain area of Colorado have provided numerous attractive specimens of quartz, microcline, albite, and fluorite, as well as rarer accessory minerals. Opaque...
Pulse propagation in coherently prepared media

Abstract The results of a numerical experiment are reported, in which the spatio-temporal propagation dynamics of a strong, primary and a weak, secondary pulse, in a coherently prepared atomic medium are investigated. Our "measurements" reveal the possibility of utilizing a coherently prepared medium to control the amplitude and phase of a pulse. The results show how the attenuation of a pulse at one transition of a three-level system is altered by the presence of a much weaker pulse at another transition.
Kleptoparasitism of freshwater crabs by cichlid fishes endemic to lake Barombi Mbo, Cameroon, West Africa

Although kleptoparasitism, or food-stealing, is common in birds and some carnivorous mammals, reported instances are exceedingly rare in fishes. We studied the behaviour and ecology of the 11 endemic tilapiine cichlids of Lake Barombi Mbo, Cameroon, West Africa. Here we report that six of the Barombi cichlids (Stomatepia mariae, S. pindu, Konia eisentrauti, Pungu maclareni, Sarotherodon lohbergeri, andS. linnellii) kleptoparasitize freshwater crabsPotamon africanus.
Long Patch Base Excision Repair Proceeds via Coordinated Stimulation of the Multienzyme DNA Repair Complex

Base excision repair, a major repair pathway in mammalian cells, is responsible for correcting DNA base damage and maintaining genomic integrity. Recent reports show that the Rad9-Rad1-Hus1 complex (9-1-1) stimulates enzymes proposed to perform a long patch-base excision repair sub-pathway (LP-BER), including DNA glycosylases, apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1), DNA polymerase β (pol β), flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1), and DNA ligase I (LigI). However, 9-1-1 was found to produce minimal stimulation of FEN1 and LigI in the context of a complete reconstitution of LP-BER. We show here that pol β is a robust stimulator of FEN1 and a moderate stimulator of LigI. Apparently, there is a maximum possible stimulation of these two proteins such that after responding to pol β or another protein in the repair complex, only a small additional response to 9-1-1 is allowed. The 9-1-1 sliding clamp structure must serve primarily to coordinate enzyme actions rather than enhancing rate. Significantly, stimulation by the polymerase involves interaction of primer terminus-bound pol β with FEN1 and LigI. This observation provides compelling evidence that the proposed LP-BER pathway is actually employed in cells. Moreover, this pathway has been proposed to function by sequential enzyme actions in a “hit and run” mechanism. Our results imply that this mechanism is still carried out, but in the context of a multienzyme complex that remains structurally intact during the repair process.
Backward boundary layers in downward flame spread

The gas-phase combustion of a vertical fuel slab pyrolyzing at a finite rate under downward flame spread conditions is investigated theoretically. The backward boundary layer character of the flow is exploited, and a transformation that shifts the singularity associated with boundary-layer equations to a location, upstream of flame lift-off, where the surface temperature is nearly ambient, is employed. The boundary-layer flow is matched asymptotically for large Grashof number to a potential flow that allows the flow induced by the flame and along the upstream surface of the fuel bed to be calculated. Gas-phase temperature and velocity predictions are compared to experiment, and although analysis of the gas phase is emphasized, an approximate spread rate, based on a solid-phase energy balance, is calculated.
The effects of arginine vasotocin and oxytocin on sodium and water balance in Ambystoma.

Abstract 1. 1. When injected with arginine vasotocin (20–100 mU) both larvae and adults gain weight. The duration of the response is related to dosage. The hormone does not influence the osmotic uptake of water so that the response must result from antidiuresis, a large share of which can be attributed to a reduction in glomerular filtration. 2. 2. Arginine vasotocin stimulates the net uptake of sodium by larvae and adults. In larvae this response lasts approximately 24 hr and is followed by a pronounced net loss of sodium. Adults gain sodium for at least 43 hr. During the initial 24 hr after injection of the hormone into larvae the efflux and the influx are increased above control values. However, the influx is enhanced to a greater extent and the animals gain sodium. After 24 hr the influx returns to normal but the high efflux persists for several hours. This leads to a net loss of sodium. The net uptake of sodium by adults injected with the hormone is the result of a faster influx. 3. 3. Moderate doses (50–100 mU) of oxytocin caused larvae to lose weight and had no effect on the weight of adults on a short-term basis. The hormone had no effect on the osmotic inflow of water in adults or larvae. Presumably the loss of weight in larvae reflects a diuretic condition. Higher doses of oxytocin (500 mU) abolished this response and caused a slight increase in weight. 4. 4. Oxytocin increases the efflux of sodium from larvae and adults, possibly by inducing diuresis. The hormone had no effect on the influx of sodium in adults or larvae. 5. 5. An effort has been made to interpret the results in terms of their significance in the maintenance of an osmotic and ionic steady state by these animals.
Temporal aspects of the dependency of a dimorphic rate of extinction on testosterone.

Abstract Previous work has shown that rate of extinction of a conditioned taste aversion is affected by concurrent levels of testosterone in adult rats. In the present study, castrated male and female adult rates were given either oil or testosterone during acquisition of the conditioned taste aversion and then either oil or testosterone during extinction. The males and females that received testosterone during the extinction of the aversion showed the slower, masculine rate of extinction regardless of the type of injections they received during acquisition. Conversely, the animals that received oil during extinction showed the faster, feminine rate of extinction regardless of the type of injection during acquisition. In light of these findings, a number of alternative behavioral changes that could account for the effect of testosterone on the rate of extinction were evaluated.