cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Applying environmental criteria to supplier assessment: A study in the application of the Analytical Hierarchy Process

Abstract Increasingly, purchasing managers are being asked not only to transform purchasing into a more strategic function but also to integrate environmental issues in their decisions. Introducing the environmental dimension into purchasing decisions embeds a new set of trade-offs in the decision, complicating the decision-making process with both qualitative and quantitative factors. Yet, few companies use any structured analysis to evaluate suppliers along environmental dimensions. In this study, we illustrate the use of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a decision support model to help managers understand the trade-offs between environmental dimensions. We then demonstrate how AHP can be used to evaluate the relative importance of various environmental traits and to assess the relative performance of several suppliers along these traits. Three case studies were carried out to demonstrate the benefits and weaknesses of using AHP in this manner. Finally, we examine how AHP can be incorporated into a comprehensive information system supporting Environmentally Conscious Purchasing (ECP).
Cell-free Synthesis of Anticoagulant Heparan Sulfate Reveals a Limiting Converting Activity That Modifies an Excess Precursor Pool

Abstract LTA cells synthesize a minor population of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGact) bearing anticoagulant heparan sulfate (HSact) with a specific monosaccharide sequence that accelerates the action of antithrombin (AT). LTA cells also synthesize a major population of heparan sulfate proteoglycans endowed with nonanticoagulant heparan sulfate (HSinact) lacking the AT-binding site. To investigate the pathway-specific features of HSPGact generation, we established a novel detergent-containing cell-free system with unlabeled and labeled microsomes from wild-type and variant LTA cells, respectively. The unlabeled microsomes provide “HSact conversion activity” that requires 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate to convert [35S]HSPGinact into [35S] HSPGact, presumably by sulfation. The reaction kinetics demonstrate that the rate of HSact synthesis is constant over the first 4 h of incubation. During this time, the rate of HSact production is linearly dependent on the amount of unlabeled LTA microsomal protein over a range of 10 to 50 μg as well as on the level of [35S]HS substrate over a range of 0.4 to 4.0 μg, microsomal protein. Compared with labeled microsomes, equivalent or slightly greater levels of HSact were generated from 35S-labeled HSPG, microsomal HS, or cell surface HS, which demonstrates that HSinact is the minimal substrate and that large amounts of HSact precursor exit the Golgi apparatus. Indeed, extensive modification of wild-type LTA cell surface [35S]HS elevated HSact content from 9 to 35%. The hypothesis that microsomal HSact conversion activity predicts the cellular rate of HSact generation was tested with wild-type or variant LTA cells in which production of HSact has been significantly altered by mutagenesis or overexpression of core protein or growth conditions. The data demonstrate that microsomal HSact conversion activity accurately reflects the cellular rate of HSact synthesis over a very wide range of conditions. The possibility that the reduced HSact generation is due to an inhibitor was excluded by mixing experiments. The possibility that reduced HSact generation is caused by decreased levels of HSact precursor was excluded as equivalent levels of HSact were formed from wild-type and variant [35S]HS. Based upon the above data, the LTA cell microsomal HSact conversion activity contains one or more limiting components that kinetically regulate the rate of cellular HSact generation and the levels of HSact precursor in HS greatly exceed HSact production.
The effect of stress and subgrain size on the creep behavior of high purity aluminum

Abstract The effect of stress reductions, made in the steady stale creep region, on the strain rate and subgrain size in high purity aluminum were studied. After a stress reduction the strain rate remains constant or decreases slightly for a finite time interval which depends on the magnitude of the stress reduction. The strain rate then increases, after this incubation period, for samples deformed at the reduced stress. Microscopic observations reveal that this strain rate increase is accompanied by an increase in subgrain size. No change in subgrain size is observed during the incubation period. There is a definite relationship between strain rate and subgrain size, after a stress reduction, in the time interval in which the strain rate is constant or is increasing. A phenomenological equation is developed which describes the strain rate during this transient period which includes stress and subgrain size as important parameters.
Comparison of high-performance liquid chromatographic serum profiles of humans and dogs.

Abstract The sera of 30 healthy male beagles were analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The profiles were compared with those obtained from the sera of 30 healthy human donors. The chromatograms of each group were very reproducible; however, there were characteristic differences between the two groups. The compounds observed in both the human and canine profiles were identified as creatinine, uric acid, tyrosine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, kynurenine, inosine and tryptophan. Compounds present only in the canine profiles were identified as cytindine, riboflavin and 5-methylcytidine. Compounds present only in the human profiles include uridine, guanosine, hippuric acid and the dietary dependent compounds theobromine and caffeine. The compounds present in both human and canine sera were quantitated and compared statistically. The amounts of these compounds were very similar, except for uric acid.
Slavery and the Slave Trade in Southern Ethiopia in the 19th Century

(1988). Slavery and the Slave Trade in Southern Ethiopia in the 19th Century. Slavery & Abolition: Vol. 9, The Economics of the Indian Ocean Slave Trade in the Nineteenth Century, pp. 103-130.
Do human intracranial arteries lack vasa vasorum? A comparative immunohistochemical study of intracranial and systemic arteries

Vasa vasorum are adventitial vessels that play a role in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, aneurysm, vasculitides, and graft vascular disease. The existence of vasa vasorum in human intracranial arteries is not yet well defined. The specific aims of this study are to determine whether the human intracranial arteries have vasa vasorum, whether their existence is related to the thickness of tunica media as is in systemic vessels, and whether they are acquired in reaction to pathological conditions, such as atherosclerosis and arterial occlusion. Human intracranial internal carotid (i-ICA), vertebral (i-VA), basilar (BA) and middle cerebral arteries (MCA) from adults, children and newborns were examined. Systemic vessels of comparable medial thickness were used as controls. Immunohistochemical staining for Factor VIII and CD 31 was used to identify the endothelial cells. Human intracranial arteries in neonates, children and adults do not have vasa vasorum, although their medial thickness is comparable to their systemic counterparts with vasa vasorum. Only in adults did the proximal intracranial segments of i-ICA and i-VA reveal a few vasa vasorum-like vessels with unusually large diameter. They were more frequently seen in atherosclerosis and thrombotic but again limited to the proximal segments of i-ICA and i-VA. Completely obstructed bilateral carotid arteries in a child with sickle cell disorder revealed a rich adventitial neovascularization in the proximal intracranial part of the vessel. It is not yet known whether obstruction of the distal segments may create similar neovascularizations. Adventitial neovascularizations seen in the proximal i-ICA and i-VA may represent a focal intracranial extension of the vascular pathologies involving the extracranial segments of major cerebral arteries.
On the reciprocal of a Fourier series

The inverse or reciprocal of a complex periodic time function (expressed as a complex Fourier series) is another complex Fourier series. An algorithm for finding this inverse Fourier series is presented.
Distribution-Free Mode-Estimators for a Class of Discrete-Time Jump-Linear Systems

This paper is concerned with the development of recursive distribution-free mode-estimators for a class of discrete-time jump-linear systems. The cornerstone of the proposed filters consists of an algebraic manipulation of the dynamics equation of the continuous state. This equation turns out to be linear with respect to the mode vector, and, under the assumption of perfect state information, provides a linear observation equation for the mode. Appending this equation to the known linear dynamics equation of the mode yields a linear non-Gaussian state-space model. A first mode-estimator is then derived using standard Linear Filtering results. A second filter is developed as an application of a general discrete-time filter, which approximates the continuous-time optimal non-linear filter (the conditional mean estimator for continuous time) for small sample times. The second filter is preferred from a performance point of view. Model order reduction is applied in order to avoid singularity issues in the filters implementations. The second filter is envisioned as a useful tool in the analysis and design of dual controllers for this type of hybrid systems.
Performance Metrics for Single-Photon Laser Ranging

Airborne laser swath mapping systems collect thousands of range measurements per second, enabling high-resolution surface mapping. Low-signal-to-noise-ratio (LSNR) detection techniques allow for implementation of light detection and range (LIDAR) instrumentation aboard platforms with stringent power, size, and weight restrictions. The University of Florida has developed the coastal area tactical-mapping system, which is a prototype LSNR LIDAR system that is capable of single-photon laser ranging. Laser pulses of 532 nm, 3.5 ?J, and 480 ps are transmitted at 8 kHz, with the outgoing footprint split into a 10 × 10 array of elements. Backscattered photons are imaged back onto separate anodes of a multistop microchannel plate photomultiplier tube. A 2-GHz event timer processes returns over the array. Ranges for known targets are accumulated for repeated laser shots, and statistical analysis is applied to evaluate performance metrics that are related to minimum separation distance, bathymetric mapping depth, and atmospheric scattering. An LSNR detection paradigm based on Poisson statistics has enabled topographic target detection and shallow-water bathymetry. Quantitative results are used to draw conclusions about feature detection in topographic and bathymetric mapping scenarios.
Blind adaptive multiuser detection for cellular systems using stochastic approximation with averaging

We consider blind adaptive multiuser detection in correlated waveform multiple-access-based cellular radio networks. A common stochastic approximation (SA)-based framework is proposed from which three blind adaptive algorithms for linear minimum mean squared error detection are obtained. Two of them coincide with previously proposed algorithms and the third is shown to be best suited for implementation at a base station. The work here also improves these SA-based adaptation algorithms in the context of cellular radio networks, in terms of the convergence properties by using the results on the SA technique with averaging. Convergence issues of the different adaptations are investigated and numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the performance improvement due to averaging.
Confucian Values and Elite Support for Liberal Democracy in Taiwan: The Perils of Priestly Religion

It is widely recognized that religious institutions and values play a prominent political role in various countries around the world. What is less clear is the degree to which other prominent ideologies perform an analogous role in regions where they predominate. The purpose of this article is to explore the relationship between Confucianism and liberal democracy in Taiwan. As the most important belief system in Taiwan and, indeed, in much of East Asia, Confucianism has provided a model of civic behavior for centuries, performing a largely priestly role. What is less apparent is whether Confucianism inhibited or promoted the development of liberal democracies in the region. While an extensive theoretical debate exists on this question, virtually no work analyzes how Confucianism has been understood by political actors on the ground. The data for this study consist of interviews with 27 politicians, democracy activists, Confucianism scholars, and journalists in Taiwan. The article tests whether or not, in the minds of these key political and cultural leaders, Confucian values are an aid or a hindrance to their efforts to promote liberal democracy. The concluding section discusses the implications of the empirical results for East Asian countries and addresses the parallels between Confucianism as an ideology in East Asia and the religious institutions and values in Western countries.
Modelling, decoupling and suppression of MOSFET distortion components

The author presents an analysis of the dominant distortion components of the drain current of a long-channel MOSFET in nonsaturation, which accounts explicitly for the modulation of the inversion layer mobility by transverse electric fields and for all bias and relevant process (SPICE) parameters. This model predicts that if the gate is driven by a linear and by a parabolic signal (/spl alpha//sub 1/V/sub D/+/spl alpha//sub 2/V/sub D//sup 2/), both derived from the drain signal V/sub D/, odd and even distortion components are decoupled and simultaneously suppressed by separately setting the constants /spl alpha//sub 1/ and /spl alpha//sub 2/ under normal bias conditions. In prior methods, these components are strongly coupled and their suppression requires a delicate body bias or signal (/spl beta/V/sub D/) adjustment to offset the signal-dependent mobility modulation, which is impractical in monolithic applications. These predictions are confirmed by Fourier analysis and by SPICE simulations provided the mobility modulation parameter matches experimental observations.
Revisiting Tiebout: Moving Rationales and Interjurisdictional Relocation

This article evaluates a key component of the model of local public expenditures put forth by Charles Tiebout and embraced by analysts in the public choice tradition. Central to this model is the assumption that citizens who are unhappy with local government policies have an incentive to relocate to a different jurisdiction that offers preferable taxes and services. Using data from a survey of actual movers in over fifty communities (including a large central city) located in the two largest counties of a metropolitan area, we examined factors affecting both the decision to move and the choice of a new residence. Empiricalfindings support the expectations of the Tiebout model, showing that tax and service factors significantly influence the choice of a new residence for those who moved from one jurisdiction to another The implications of the findings for central cities are developed.
Biomedical Nanoscience: Electrospinning Basic Concepts, Applications, and Classroom Demonstration

Electrospinning is an old polymer processing technique that has recently been rediscovered. It allows for the easy creation of nano- to micro-fibers that can be collected to form a non-woven structure, which can then be used to fabricate novel structures for various applications including tissue engineering scaffolds, clothing, drug delivery vehicles, and filtration media. Current research in our laboratories is focused on the processing of synthetic and biological polymers to create materials with tailored properties and functions for tissue engineering scaffolds and various other medical applications. This technology is revolutionizing the biomaterials and nanotechnology fields and has prompted us to incorporate its history, basic concepts, and applications into diverse courses such as Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Polymers in Medicine, and Senior Design in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. This Innovation of the Curriculum is timely and crucial for multiple reasons. There is a need for a systematic approach to course structure that ties historical concepts to new materials and processes and, ultimately, to practical applications. Combining this lecture organization with active learning in the forms of open discussions and hands-on experiments/demonstrations will enhance learning outcomes (including retention and critical thinking) at all levels of education. At the undergraduate and graduate levels in the courses mentioned, discussions of electrospinning can create a classroom atmosphere of creative thinking, and an actual demonstration of nanomaterial fabrication can serve as a visual aid to the students. More importantly, this curriculum innovation can be used at the high school level to demonstrate nanotechnology and its applications to medicine, which will aid in sparking the interest of future generations of tissue engineers, biomaterial scientists, nanotechnologists, and scientists and engineers in general.
On the mechanism of the paramagnetic-to-ferromagnetic transition in Fe-Al

Abstract Single crystals of Fe-40 at.% Al were cold rolled to a variety of strains up to 48%, when cracking occurred. The rolled crystals were heated at 10 K min−1 to 973 K in a differential scanning calorimeter, whereupon three exothermic peaks were observed. The cold rolling also induced a transition from paramagnetism to ferromagnetism. At room temperature, the ferromagnetism disappeared upon annealing above the lowest-temperature exothermic peak, but at temperatures below 225 K the annealed specimen still showed a larger magnetic susceptibility than the virgin single crystal. Analysis of the possible contributions to the ferromagnetic behaviour suggests that antiphase boundaries (APBs), principally in APB tubes, are the source.
An SIS patch model with variable transmission coefficients.

Abstract In this paper, an SIS patch model with non-constant transmission coefficients is formulated to investigate the effect of media coverage and human movement on the spread of infectious diseases among patches. The basic reproduction number R 0 is determined. It is shown that the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if R 0 ⩽ 1 , and the disease is uniformly persistent and there exists at least one endemic equilibrium if R 0 > 1 . In particular, when the disease is non-fatal and the travel rates of susceptible and infectious individuals in each patch are the same, the endemic equilibrium is unique and is globally asymptotically stable as R 0 > 1 . Numerical calculations are performed to illustrate some results for the case with two patches.
β-Blockers for Infantile Hemangiomas: A Single-Institution Experience

Propranolol has become first-line therapy for the treatment of infantile hemangiomas in many centers. Of 302 children with hemangiomas seen at the University of North Carolina from 2008 through 2010, 15.6% were treated with oral propranolol alone, 5.6% with topical timolol (a propranolol derivative) alone, and 2.3% with both. The use of these agents increased over time from 7% of patients seen in 2008 to 54% of patients first seen in 2010. Starting doses of propranolol ranged from 0.25 to 1 mg/kg/d, with target doses of 1 to 4 mg/kg/d. Serious side effects, noted in 6/54 (10.9%) patients, included somnolence, bradycardia, hypotension, hypoglycemia, and mottling of extremities.The authors confirm the variation in use of propranolol for vascular lesions and extend experience with timolol. They suggest daily home monitoring of patients for the first 2 weeks of initiating or increasing doses. Frequent feeding of infants and young children on this drug is recommended.
Cardiac toxicity of trastuzumab-related regimens in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer.

The pivotal trial by Slamon and colleagues of trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer showed a high incidence of congestive heart failure (CHF) among patients who had received trastuzumab and anthracycline-based therapy simultaneously. As a result, the development of nonanthracycline-based treatment options for patients with HER2-overexpressing breast cancer has garnered significant attention. This review discusses the cardiac toxic effects of trastuzumab and trastuzumab-related regimens and how their mechanisms of action and physiologic effects differ from cardiac toxicity typically associated with anthracycline use. An overview of cardiac safety data from selected trials of trastuzumab in combination with a taxane after anthracyclines for HER2-overexpressing early-stage breast cancer shows rates of symptomatic or severe CHF of 10 points in < or = 30% of patients. For metastatic breast cancer, severe CHF has been reported in 2% of patients and ejection fraction declines in 6%-18% of patients. However, interstudy comparisons of chemotherapy-induced cardiac dysfunction are difficult because of the use of different definitions of cardiac dysfunction and different parameters for assessing cardiac safety. Recent data on cardiac safety of taxane/trastuzumab-based combination regimens demonstrate that the docetaxel/carboplatin/trastuzumab triple combination can offer clinical efficacy with a low risk of cardiac dysfunction in patients with HER2-overexpressing early-stage breast cancer as well as in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Technology: Differentiating Instruction by Flipping the Classroom

Flipping the classroom can be an effective instructional strategy for differentiating instruction for gifted and talented students. The author presents a rationale for using the strategy with gifte...
PERCEPTION OF VALUES AMONG MALE AND FEMALE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

tives), each group's perception of the other's point of view (meta-perspectives) , and each group's perception of the other's view of them (meta-metaperspectives). Value agreement or disagreement between males and females was analyzed by comparing the direct perspectives of each group; value understanding or misunderstanding was analyzed by comparing one group's direct perspective with the other's metaperspective; and 'value awareness or unawareness was analyzed by comparing one group's metaperspective with the other's metametaperspective. METHOD
Trace metal methods for nutritional studies.

Methodology for research on the role of trace metals in biological systems has improved markedly in recent years. As a result of these advances, the means to study the role of metals in nutrition have been made easier. With the advent of atomic absorption spectroscopy and the preparation of a wide selection of radionuclides in substantial quantities, extremely sensitive analysis of concentration, distribution, and physiological function of various metals has been achieved. Furthermore, procedures for elimination of adventitious metal contamination of biological systems have improved the accuracy with which pertinent data can be obtamed. Similarly, the significance of such information has been greatly enhanced. To review this subject, in the ensuing discussion we shall focus upon methods of trace metal analysis and systems for the removal of adventitious metal atoms, and for the establishment of nutritional systems sufficiently controlled to allow study of metal function in vivo.
Assistive Environments for Successful Aging

With nearly 80 million baby boomers in the United States just reaching their sixties, the demand for senior-oriented devices and services will explode in the coming years. Managing the increasing health-care costs for such a population requires developing technologies that will allow seniors to maintain active, independent lifestyles. Pervasive computing pervasive computing environments, such as smart homes , bundle assistive technologies assistive technology and specially designed architectural and home furnishing elements provide health-care and well-being services to its residents. However, for such environments to be commercially viable, we require a system that allows technology to be easily utilized and included as it enters the market place. Also we require new technology to be introduced in a plug-and-play fashion, and applications that are developed by programmers, not system integrators. The Gator Tech Smart House, a full-size, free-standing residential home located in the Oak Hammock Retirement Community in Gainesville, Florida, is an example of this kind of assistive environment . It uses the Atlas sensor network platform, an enabling technology that combines a hardware platform and software middleware , making the Gator Tech Smart House a truly programmable pervasive computing space.
Detection of Cell Surface Protein with Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

In this study, HeLa cells were transfected to express a recombinant transmembrane domain of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor. Silver nanoparticle (Ag-NP) functionalized with terminal hydrazide was employed to specifically target the ketone-conjugated cell surface proteins. In addition, a nitrile functional group was incorporated onto the Ag nanoprobe to provide unique vibrational signature (~ 2230 cm-1) in a window which is free from other cellular components. The designed Ag nanoprobe functions as both recognition and transduction elements in the detection of the expressed cell surface protein. Scanning electron microscopy and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) imaging of the nanoparticle (NP) labeled HeLa cells revealed that all the observed intense SERS signals originated from aggregated NPs. Although isolated Ag-NPs is capable of SERS enhancement, its enhancement factor is beyond the detestability of such imaging experiments. The results have implication in the future design of SERS nanosensors for in vivo detection application.
A clinician's guide to statin drug-drug interactions

The statins are widely used worldwide to reduce risk for cardiovascular events in both the primary and secondary prevention settings. Although generally quite safe, the statins can be associated with a variety of serious side adverse effects, including myalgia, myopathy, and changes in plasma enzymes of hepatic origin. Although rare, the most serious of these is rhabdomyolysis. Several drugs can interfere with the metabolism and disposal of the statins, thereby increasing risk for adverse events. It is important that clinicians treating patients with statins be aware of the potential for drug-drug interactions between each statin and specific other drugs and take measures to prevent them. The prediction of potential drug-drug interactions derives from basic pharmacokinetic principles. Certain drug interactions are predicted by measuring the effect of interacting drugs on blood plasma concentrations of the statin. Individual patient variations resulting in part from polymorphisms in the metabolizing enzymes confound some of these predictions. Based on these known effects, a new classification for predicting statin drug interactions is proposed. This report discusses likely prescription and nonprescription interactions as well as potential alternatives for special populations.
Economic and Political Liberation in Egypt and the Demise of State Feminism

In the late 1950s and the 1960s, an Egyptian welfare state was developed to provide the economic basis of a new social contract between the Nasser regime and its key class allies. Its main beneficiaries were the men and women of both the middle class and the labor aristocracy, who were to staff and run its expanding state sector. For Egyptian women, who were scorned by the pre-1952 states, the new welfare state offered explicit commitment to public equality for women. It contributed to the development of state feminism as a legal, economic, and ideological strategy to introduce changes to Egyptian society and its gender relations. In its own turn, state feminism contributed to the political legitimacy of Gamal Abdel Nasser's regime and its progressive credentials.
The Use of Technology in the Treatment of Autism

The proliferation of inexpensive mobile technology has dramatically changed how service providers deliver educational and behavioral services to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). From touch screen phones to tablet devices, mobile computing devices have never been more user-friendly, cheaper, or universally available. Digital computer technology has become a prevalent feature of everyday life and is an increasingly popular means of communication in today’s society. For individuals with ASD, mobile technology can be used effectively for not only entertainment and as an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device, but also to assist in teaching academic areas, social skills, video modeling, reinforcement, ABA, speech/language therapy, fine motor skills, visual supports, functional life skills, organizational skills, and increasing independence.
Abnormal phospholipid molecular species of erythrocytes in sickle cell anemia

As the lipid composition of cell membranes has significant effects upon cellular function, we hypothesized that the membranes of sickle cells might have a distorted lipid composition. Accordingly, we analyzed the molecular species of the choline and ethanolamine glycerophospholipids, the fatty acid composition of the total phospholipids and of the five major individual phospholipids of erythrocytes from 8 patients with sickle cell anemia and from 14 normal subjects. Of the 31 molecular species identified for each subclass of the glycerophospholipids, 12 were found to be distinctly abnormal. Sickle cells contained more molecular species with saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid at the sn-2 position and fewer molecular species with polyunsaturated fatty acids at the sn-2 position. The values ranged from 20 to 60% above or below normal values. In diacyl choline glycerophospholipids (outer membrane leaflet), sickle erythrocytes contained lower amounts of the 16:0-18:2 species and higher 16:0-18:1 and 16:0-16:0 species. In diacyl ethanolamine glycerophospholipid (inner membrane leaflet), sickle erythrocytes had lower amounts of 18:0-22:6; 16:0-22:4; 18:0-18:2; 18:1-18:2; and 18:1-20:3. In phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, sickle erythrocytes contained less linoleic acid, less docosahexaenoic acid (30-40%) and more oleic and palmitic acids (20-30%) compared to normal erythrocytes. These same differences were seen also in the total phospholipids. Our data demonstrated distinct abnormalities of the phospholipid molecular species composition in the membrane lipids of sickle erythrocytes. These defects might have a role in one or more known metabolic abnormalities of sickle cell disease including cation imbalance, dehydration, disturbed membrane phospholipid asymmetry, and hypercoagulability. Furthermore, detailed information of the phospholipid molecular species composition of normal erythrocytes was provided.
Regulators of Iron Homeostasis: New Players in Metabolism, Cell Death, and Disease

Iron is necessary for life, but can also cause cell death. Accordingly, cells evolved a robust, tightly regulated suite of genes for maintaining iron homeostasis. Previous mechanistic studies on iron homeostasis have granted insight into the role of iron in human health and disease. We highlight new regulators of iron metabolism, including iron-trafficking proteins [solute carrier family 39, SLC39, also known as ZRT/IRT-like protein, ZIP; and poly-(rC)-binding protein, PCBP] and a cargo receptor (NCOA4) that is crucial for release of ferritin-bound iron. We also discuss emerging roles of iron in apoptosis and a novel iron-dependent cell death pathway termed 'ferroptosis', the dysregulation of iron metabolism in human pathologies, and the use of iron chelators in cancer therapy.
Abstract 16161: GSK-3β Activates Autophagy and Protects Against Cardiac Aging Through Ulk1

Accumulating lines of evidence suggest that glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) is involved in aging. However, the effects of GSK-3β on cardiac aging and the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Autophagy, a protective mechanism in aging, decreases with age. We hypothesized that GSK-3β attenuates cardiac aging via Ulk1, a regulator of autophagy, and studied constitutively active GSK-3βS9A knock-in mice (βKI), GSK-3βS9A/Ulk1+/- bigenic mice (Bigenic), and GSK-3β+/- mice (βKO) up to 24 months (M) of age. Left ventricular (LV) weight/body weight (LVW/BW, mg/g) was not significantly different among wild-type mice (WT), βKI and βKO at 6M. It was lower in βKI (2.4±0.1, p
Abstract IA15: Measuring evolution in neoplasms

Neoplastic progression is a process of somatic evolution, yet few evolutionary tools have been adapted to measure the dynamics of progression. We have recently shown that traditional analyses of cross-sectional sampling of neoplasms usually infers the wrong order of events in progression. In contrast, phylogenetic methods applied to multiple samples within a neoplasm can accurately infer the order of events. Furthermore, longitudinal sampling can be used to estimate mutation rates, including chromosomal aberration rates, using phylogenetic methods developed to study viral evolution in vivo. We have applied these tools to study the dynamics of progression in Barrett9s esophagus and the effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on that somatic evolution. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; 2011 Sep 14-18; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(18 Suppl):Abstract nr IA15.
Recent Developments in Experimental and Theoretical Studies of the Mechanical Behavior of Polycrystalline Silicon for Microelectromechanical Systems

A review of recent developments in experimental and theoretical studies of the mechanicalbehavior of polycrystalline silicon structures whose dimensions are comparable to those of typicalmicro electromechanical systems devices is presented. It is concluded that although great strides have been made towards understanding this behavior, there is a need to develop robust standardized experimental techniques, and in turn, material data bases that are required to verify and calibrate predictive models for calculating device reliability.
Elevated d-Dimer Is Not Predictive of Symptomatic Deep Venous Thrombosis After Total Joint Arthroplasty

Abstract Background Serum d-dimer is a common screening test for symptomatic deep venous thrombosis (DVT) after total joint arthroplasty. This study characterized the longitudinal resolution of d-dimer measurements after total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA) over a 6-week period. The authors hypothesized that serum d-dimer would not return to baseline or be below the institutional threshold for a positive test at 6 weeks after uncomplicated total joint arthroplasty, suggesting that quantitative d-dimer has limited clinical utility for postoperative DVT screening. Methods An institutional review board–approved retrospective cohort study was conducted with consecutive patients between January 2013 and June 2015. A total of 177 adult patients aged 40-88 years who underwent a primary hip or knee arthroplasty with a Charlson Comorbidity Index Results d-dimer measurements peaked 2 weeks postoperatively for both TKA and THA. At the 6-week time point, the peak serum d-dimer measurement resolved by 54.3% and 76.6% for TKA and THA, respectively. At 6 weeks after operation, 92% of THA patient and 100% of TKA patients had serum d-dimer measurements higher than the institutional threshold (0.40 μg/mL) for a "positive" quantitative test. No symptomatic DVTs were reported for the THA and TKA cohorts during the study period. Conclusion The results suggest that serum d-dimer is an ineffective screening test for the diagnosis of symptomatic DVT in the acute postoperative period. The authors propose that extravascular fibrinolysis, a process essential for wound healing, has a crucial role in the prolonged elevation of serum d-dimer in the postoperative period.
Pyk2 contributes to reepithelialization by promoting MMP expression. Focus on “Delayed skin wound repair in proline-rich protein tyrosine kinase 2 knockout mice”

matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in wound healing (reviewed in Ref. [5][1]). In the skin, the hemidesmosome attachment between keratinocytes and basement membrane is disrupted by MMP activity, so that keratinocytes are released to migrate under the wound matrix and contact the
Mechanisms of Heart Failure

Heart failure is a pathophysiological condition in which the circulation of blood provided by the pumping activity of the heart fails to deliver oxygen at a rate commensurate with tissue metabolic requirements. Heart failure is most often caused by cardiac injury related to myocardial infarction, myocarditis, or cardiac toxins, or chronic pressure or volume overload of the heart related to hypertension or valvular heart disease. A complex array of neurohormonal and inflammatory responses to cardiac injury and/or overload induces a pathological process called ventricular remodeling, characterized by progressive myocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis, with associated abnormalities in myocellular metabolism and contractile function. The remodeling process serves to preserve stroke volume, so is not typically associated with clinical symptoms of heart failure in its early stages. The remodeling process is associated with progressive myocyte loss via apoptosis, and is strongly linked to clinical progression of disease. Symptomatic heart failure, manifest as congestion and reduced exercise capacity, occurs when the ventricular remodeling process has advanced to late stages, and is attributable to a combination of both cardiac and extra-cardiac factors that limit cardiac output reserve, regional blood flow, and peripheral oxygen utilization.
The Carrot and the Stick? Strategies to Improve Compliance with College Campus Tobacco Policies.

ABSTRACTObjective: Tobacco-free policies are being rapidly adopted nationwide, yet compliance with these policies remains a challenge. This study explored college campus key informants' experiences with tobacco policies, and their perceived benefits, drawbacks, and outcomes. Participants: The sample for this study was 68 key informants representing 16 different California universities with varying tobacco policies (no smoking indoors and within 20 feet of entrances, designated smoking areas, 100% smoke-free, and 100% tobacco-free). Methods: Qualitative, descriptive study. Semistructured interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. Results: Strategies to improve compliance ranged from a social approach to a heavy focus on punitive enforcement. Key informants from campuses using a social approach alone reported barriers to improving compliance, including a perceived lack of efficacy of the approach. However, these campuses found it challenging to incorporate enforcement through ...
A 2-Hydroxyisoquinoline-1,3-Dione Active-Site RNase H Inhibitor Binds in Multiple Modes to HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase.

ABSTRACT The RNase H (RNH) function of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) plays an essential part in the viral life cycle. We report the characterization of YLC2-155, a 2-hydroxyisoquinoline-1,3-dione (HID)-based active-site RNH inhibitor. YLC2-155 inhibits both polymerase (50% inhibitory concentration [IC 50 ] = 2.6 μM) and RNH functions (IC 50 = 0.65 μM) of RT but is more effective against RNH. X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, and molecular modeling were used to show that YLC2-155 binds at the RNH-active site in multiple conformations.
Male guppies compensate for lost time when mating in turbid water

Turbidity (a measure of the cloudiness of water) decreases the visual range of organisms, altering interactions within and between species. For species that visually assess mates, turbidity may affect mating interactions and mate choice. A central question, then, is to what degree organisms plastically adjust mating behaviors to cope with visually altered environments. Here, we investigate the effect of turbidity on the mating behavior of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in Trinidad, where some streams are increasingly turbid due to upstream rock quarrying. We collected fish from two highly turbid streams (with upstream rock quarries) and two pristine streams (no upstream quarries) in the same drainages. We then observed male mating behaviors with females from the same populations in both turbid and clear assays, recording displays and sneak copulation attempts. Males from turbid streams showed greater individual consistency in mating behaviors. But regardless of provenance, male guppies spent less time associating with females in turbid water overall. When males and females did interact, however, males greatly increased the rate of all mating behaviors in turbid as compared to clear water. Thus, even when lacking a long-term evolutionary history with high turbidity, guppies compensate for lost time when mating in a visually altered environment. Given the global nature of increases in turbidity, understanding behavioral responses to this aquatic anthropogenic change is critical. Here, we investigate the degree to which Trinidadian guppy males in affected areas are able to plastically compensate in turbid water by adjusting mating behaviors. We also test the degree to which previous chronic exposure to turbidity alters this plasticity. In contrast to predictions, we did not find population differences in plasticity; across all populations, however, we found significant plasticity in the guppy mating system in response to anthropogenically increased turbidity. While males spent less time associating with females in turbid water overall, males increased mating effort during periods of association, compensating for lost time in turbid water. We discuss this plasticity and the implications for guppy sexual selection and secondary sexual characteristics such as coloration.
Detection of heavy metal pollution in estuarine sediments

Anomalies in the concentrations of heavy metals in estuarine sediments may not be reliably detected based on the measured concentration values or the ratios of metal concentrations to those of a reference element because of natural variations in both. However, the departure of a measurement from a regression line between metal and reference element concentrations may serve as a criterion for detecting an anomaly. The procedure has been applied to a suite of 34 sediments from a Florida estuary.
2013 ACC/AHA cholesterol treatment guideline: what was done well and what could be done better.

Five years after convening the expert panel, the 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults was released. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association issued the guideline on the basis of a systematic review of cholesterol treatment trials performed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. This report critically appraises the guideline and provides our view of what was done well and what could be done better. In particular, we propose that the guideline succeeds in prioritizing statin therapy, expanding the focus to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (including stroke), and emphasizing absolute cardiovascular risk to determine eligibility for statin therapy. We contend that the guideline could be enhanced by refining the use of lipid goals rather than removing them, enhancing guidance on evaluation of cholesterol, and broadening the concept of age underpinning risk-based decision making to include vascular and physiological age. We further suggest that the next guideline panel could comprehensively review current best evidence, build on existing guidelines, and cultivate broader national and international consensus. Overall, we aim to continue discussions about the important contributions and shortfalls of the guideline and create momentum for effective implementation and timely updates.
Large Area Marine Productivity-Pollution Experiments (LAMPEX) - A Series of Studies Being Developed to Hasten the Operational Use of Remote Sensing for Living Marine Resources and Environmental Quality

Remote sensing offers real possibilities for beginning to piece together interrelationships between measurable abiotic factors (e.g. temperature, light) and the various trophic levels of the ecosystem over large areas (e.g. U.S. continental shelf, Canada to Mexico) for fishery management and environmental assessment. Sampling of the planktonic component of the marine ecosystem through traditional approaches is labor intensive and currently inadequate because of the lack of simultaneity of measurement when investigating a large area. The problem is exacerbated by the short generation time of many marine organisms, which for some (e.g. phytoplankton) is measured in days. The broad, synoptic, high frequency coverage possible with remote sensing should enable us to elucidate the nature of: 1) the spring bloom of phytoplankton, 2) patchiness, 3) year to year differences in spatial patterns; 4) the flux of materials and contaminants from the estuaries, 5) frontal systems and 6) the circulation and continuity of such systems as Georges Bank with regard to year class survival of larval fish. For such research problems, the use of remote sensing should increase vessel effectiveness an order of magnitude or more by: 1) extending a “lone” ship’s observations outward spatially, and both forward and backward temporally and 2) by focusing ship operations on key areas. Therefore, the Northeast Fisheries Center (NEFC) of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as part of the Ocean Pulse/Northeast Monitoring Program is developing a series of joint, coherent studies to hasten the operational use of remote sensing to: 1) increase our understanding of regional marine ecosystem processes, 2) to provide an extensive, synoptic, integrated, and timely data base for application to problems of ocean resources and environmental management, 3) to provide a basis for comparative studies of ecological and contaminant processes in boreal, temperate and subtropical coastal and oceanic waters, and 4) to advance the development of improved remote sensing systems and techniques for monitoring and assessing the living regional marine resources and environmental quality.
Point Estimation Theory

The problem of point estimation examined in this chapter is concerned with the estimation of the values of unknown parameters, or functions of parameters, that represent characteristics of interest relating to a probability model of some collection of economic, sociological, biological, or physical experiments. The outcomes generated by the collection of experiments are assumed to be outcomes of a random sample with some joint probability density function \( f({{x}_{1}},\ldots, {{x}_n};\vec{\Theta} ) \). The random sample need not be from a population distribution, so that it is not necessary that X 1,…,X n be iid. The estimation concepts we will examine in this chapter can be applied to the case of general random sampling, as well as simple random sampling and random sampling with replacement, i.e., all of the random sampling types discussed in Chapter 6. The objective of point estimation will be to utilize functions of the random sample outcome to generate good (in some sense) estimates of the unknown characteristics of interest.