cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Some morphological principles of the vestibular maculae in birds.

In both mammals and birds there is a striola with a majority of type I cells, while the type It cells are gathered in the periphery. In birds, the striola of macula utriculi and lagenae shows a division into three regions. The morphological polarization has the same pattern in mammals and birds. It is directed centripetally towards the striola in macula utriculi and centrifugally from the striola in macula sacculi. The macula lagenae, which is lacking in mammals, has a centrifugal morphological polarization similar to the macula sacculi. In mammals, the statoconium membrane completely covers the macula. In birds, on the other hand, the crystal containing part of the statoconium membrane only covers part of the macula, leaving a peripheral zone free with only a gelatinous covering. The border between these two parts of the statoconium membrane coincides roughly with the line on the sensory epithelium below where the morphological polarization shifts.
Temporal aggregation and estimation of inventory functions

Abstract In this paper we extend the analysis of the effects of aggregation on the estimated speed of adjustment in inventory models into two directions. First, we try to find out if Lovell's (1993) conclusions regarding the effects of aggregation on the speed of adjustment hold (a) when real firm data rather than experimental data are used, (b) when the model is modified or when models other than the flexible accelerator are used. Secondly, we examine whether temporal aggregation also leads to underestimation when disaggregated nonseasonally adjusted data are used. The evidence we provide gives strong support to Mundlak's and Zellner's conjectures (cited in Christiano and Eichenbaum (1987)) that temporal aggregation leads to downward bias in the estimated speed of adjustment.
Crosstalk noise suppression in slow light for time-bandwidth product

A critical limitation of slow light schemes is the limited time-bandwidth product. Recently we showed that this limitation can be overcome by making use of inhomogeneities. Here we analyze the effects of crosstalk noise that can be induced by these inhomogeneities in certain situations, and how to minimize such noise. The proof of principle experiment was done using three-wave mixing in a photorefractive crystal Ce:BaTiO3 where Bragg selection is used to provide the inhomogeneity.© (2005) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Age and Motivation in Mice: Performance and Learning in a Spatial Water Maze

Performance and learning of a spatial water maze was investigated in 120 male C57BL/6J mice of three ages, 30, 150, and 365 days old. Motivation was manipulated by varying the water temperature (12.5, 23–5, 34.5, or 45.5°C). The results indicated that swimming performance was affected significantly by both age and motivation, with older animals requiring longer swimming time to escape at ail temperature levels. Swimming time decreased at extreme water temperatures for all age groups, with the greatest effect evident in the oldest age group. No age differences in learning as measured by errors or days to criterion were found. Extreme water temperatures (12.5 and 45.5°C) improved learning for all age groups.
Integrated Structural Damage Assessment, Motion Planning, and Decision-Making for Distressed Aircraft Under Uncertainty

Aircraft navigation can be safely accomplished by properly addressing the following: decision-making, obstacle perception, aircraft state estimation, and aircraft control. To develop a monolithic navigational system is probably an impossible task; instead a hierarchical decomposition is presented, which breaks down the safe recovery and landing of distressed aircraft into sub-problems that maximize the probability that the overall objective is achieved. Navigational performance is often hinder by in-flight damage or failures, which often results in mission failure and an inability to guide the aircraft to a safe landing. Uncertainty is a very important concern in recovery of damaged aircraft since it can cause infeasibilities, false diagnosis and prognosis causing further performance degradation and mission failure. The damaged aircraft is simulated via a simplified kinematic model. The different sources and perspectives of uncertainties in the damage assessment process and post-failure trajectory planning are presented and classified. The decision-making process for an emergency motion planning and landing is developed via the Dempster-Shafer evidence theory. The objective of the trajectory planning is to arrive at a target position while maximizing the safety of the aircraft given uncertain conditions. Simulations are presented for an emergency motion planning and landing that takes into account aircraft dynamics, path complexity, distance to landing site, runway characteristics, and subjective human decision.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The integration of new therapies and radiation in the management of ovarian cancer

New biologic information has led to a therapeutic program in Stage III ovarian cancer that considers the whole peritoneal cavity the tumor-bearing region and that uses intraperitoneal administration of ovarian cancer antiserum, intraperitoneal P-32, delayed split abdominal irradiation, and chemotherapy. The survival for those patients completing irradiation was 85%. Forty-nine patients with advanced (Stage III, IV, or recurrent) ovarian cancer have been treated with combinations of the present agents. Twenty-two patients have received intraperitoneal ovarian cancer antiserum without significant toxicity. Extensive staging has been a requirement for initial evaluation and includes maximal surgical resection, omentectomy, TAH and BSO, nodal biopsies, and peritoneal cytology. Nineteen patients had 5-mm nodules or less residual disease and were treated with colloidal P-32, abdominal irradiation, and chemotherapy; five of these patients received intraperitoneal antiserum before cytotoxic therapy. The four-year cumulative survival is 84%, and the disease-free survival 43%. A randomized prospective study is now examining the value of antiserum therapy. New experimental data from our laboratory indicate 1) the value of 2/3 biomarkers (alpha globulin and free secretory protein) in following patients for remission of disease and 2) the probability of the development of more effective antiserum with high specific titer. Studies of the radiosensitivitymore » of ovarian cancer indicate the tumor was not different from other solid tumors. Our studies indicate the role of radiation therapy as a cytoreductive agent should be integrated in multimodality therapy and that the immune system offers new possibilities in amplifying therapeutic results.« less
The Feeding Habits of Crepidula

WITH reference to the note on Crepidula in NATURE of December 7 (No. 2197, p. 187) it may be of interest to your readers to know that during some recent researches on this animal I have been able to confirm the necessity for investigating how far the presence of the slipper-limpet (Crepidula fornicata) is a menace to successful oysterculture on the Kent and Essex coasts. It has been believed by various naturalists that Crepidula takes the same kind of food as the oyster, but on this point there exists no definite information. During an investigation of this matter I discovered the manner in which the animal feeds, from which there can be no doubt whatever as to the nature of its food. The mode of feeding in Crepidula is ithe same in principle as that of the oyster, that is, there is an ingoing and an outgoing current of water kept up in the mantle-cavity, while between the two currents the gill acts as a strainer, retaining even very fine particles of suspended matter, which eventually—by one of two ways—reach the mouth.1
A new robust algorithm for isolated word endpoint detection

Teager Energy and Energy-Entropy Features are two approaches, which have recently been used for locating the endpoints of an utterance. However, each of them has some drawbacks for speech in noisy environments. This paper proposes a novel method to combine these two approaches to locate endpoint intervals and yet make a final decision based on energy, which requires far less time than the feature based methods. After the algorithm description, an experimental evaluation is presented, comparing the automatically determined endpoints with those determined by skilled personnel. It is shown that the accuracy of this algorithm is quite satisfactory and acceptable.
THE EFFECTS OF DIETARY PROTEIN LEVELS ON MILK PROTEIN LEVELS AND POSTNATAL GROWTH IN LABORATORY MICE (MUS MUSCULUS)

Changes in diet quality may be as important as changes in energy availability in the reproductive success of small mammals. The effect of dietary protein on fitness of females is most likely mediated by changes in yield or composition of milk. Mus musculus was used as a model to test whether dietary protein restriction leads to changes in milk composition. Primiparous mice were fed a 10% or 20% casein-based diet through 2 consecutive reproductive attempts. There was no effect of diet on food consumption or litter size. However, a reduction in dietary protein led to the production of milk with a 12% decrease in protein content and decreased both prenatal and postnatal growth of young. The impact of low levels of dietary protein on milk protein was greater with the increased reproductive demands of concurrent pregnancy and lactation. Significant variation in the protein content of milk was seen among females on the 20% casein-based diet, but not among females on the 10% casein-based diet. Further work is needed to determine the physiological mechanisms that lactating mice might possess to compensate for changes in dietary protein levels, and to determine if the effect of decreased diet quality on the reproductive success of small mammals is similar to the effect of energy availability.
Bond Hybrids and the Structures of the Lanthanide Metals

The ideas developed by Altmann, Coulson, and Hume-Rothery to relate bond hybrids to metal structures are extended to include treatment of the f orbitals. A discussion of the possible hybrids along with their application to the lanthanide metals will be considered. Les idees developees par Altmann, Coulson et par Hume-Rothery jour montrer les relations entre les hybride bounds aux structures des metaux out ete approfondis pour comprendre le treatement des f orbitaux. Une discussion, sur les hybride possible, avec leurs applications aux lanthanide metaux sera consideree.
A preference-opportunity-choice framework with applications to intergroup friendship.

A long‐standing objective of friendship research is to identify the effects of personal preference and structural opportunity on intergroup friendship choice. Although past studies have used various methods to separate preference from opportunity, researchers have not yet systematically compared the properties and implications of these methods. This study puts forward a general framework for discrete choice, where choice probability is specified as proportional to the product of preference and opportunity. To implement this framework, the authors propose a modification to the conditional logit model for estimating preference parameters free from the influence of opportunity structure and then compare this approach to several alternative methods for separating preference and opportunity used in the friendship choice literature. As an empirical example, the authors test hypotheses of homophily and status asymmetry in friendship choice using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The...
Achieving integration on capital projects with enterprise resource planning systems

Owner manufacturers have implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in large numbers and expect facility planners and operators to further exploit the work process integration tool as well. This development has significant implications on the engineering and construction industry and its work processes. This paper provides a detailed assessment of technical areas of concern to those attempting to execute capital projects with ERP systems.
A Peptide Found in Schizophrenia and Autism Causes Behavioral Changes in Rats

In a previous study we showed that β-casomorphin-7 (β-CM7) is taken up by brain regions relevant to schizophrenia and autism. The present experiment was designed to find whether β-CM7 has any behavioral or analgesic effects in rats. About 65 seconds after treatment with different doses of β-CM7, rats became restless and ran violently, with teeth chattering and with rapid respiration. Seven minutes later, the rats became inactive with less walking, distancing themselves from the other rat in the same cage, and sitting in, or putting their head against, the corner of the cage. The sound response was reduced and social interaction was absent. One hour later, the rats showed hyperdefensiveness. The above behavioral effects of β-CM7 did not occur when rats were pretreated with naloxone (2 mg/kg, IP). The rats receiving saline did not show any behavioral changes throughout the 2 hour period of observation. β-CM7 also demonstrated analgesic effects, which could be blocked by naloxone. The results suggest that β-...
IgG3 deficiency extends lifespan and attenuates progression of glomerulonephritis in MRL/lpr mice

Antibodies of the IgG3 subclass have been implicated in the pathogenesis of the spontaneous glomerulonephritis observed in mice of the MRL/MpJ-Tnfrsf6lpr (MRL/lpr) inbred strain which have been widely studied as a model of systemic lupus erythematosus We have produced IgG3-deficient (-/-) mice with the MRL/lpr genetic background to determine whether IgG3 antibodies are necessary for or at least contributory to MRL/lpr-associated nephritis. The gamma3 genotype (+/+ vs. +/- vs. -/-) did not appear to significantly affect serum titers of IgG auto-antibodies specific for double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) or α-actinin. However, while substantial serum titers of IgG3 auto-antibodies specific for double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) or α-actinin were seen in gamma3 +/+ mice, somewhat lower serum titers of these IgG3 auto-antibodies were found in gamma3 +/- mice, and gamma3 -/- mice exhibited baseline concentrations of these auto-antibodies. Analysis of immunoglobulins eluted from snap-frozen kidneys obtained from mice of all three gamma3 genotypes at ~18 weeks of age revealed much higher quantities of IgG in the kidneys from gamma3 +/+ than gamma3 -/- mice, and most IgG eluted from +/+ mice was IgG3. The serum creatinine levels in gamma3 +/+ mice substantially exceeded those of age-matched gamma3 -/- mice after ~21 weeks of age. Histopathological examination of kidneys from mice sacrificed at pre-determined ages also revealed more extensive glomerulosclerosis in gamma3 +/+ or +/- mice than in -/- mice beginning at 21 weeks of age. Survival analysis for IgG3-deficient and IgG3-producing MRL/lpr mice revealed that gamma3 -/- mice lived significantly longer (p = 0.0006) than either gamma3 +/- or +/+ mice. Spontaneous death appeared to be due to irreversible renal failure, because > 85% of glomeruli in kidneys from mice that died spontaneously were obliterated by glomerulosclerosis. The available evidence suggests that IgG3 deficiency partially protects MRL/lpr mice against glomerulonephritis-associated morbidity and mortality by slowing or arresting the progression to glomerulosclerosis. This article was reviewed by Pushpa Pandiyan, Irun Cohen, and Etienne Joly.
Diagnostic ultrasound induces membrane damage in phagocytic cells loaded with contrast agent in vitro

Ultrasound contrast-agent gas bodies can be taken up from the circulation by phagocytic cells, which make these cells likely targets for bioeffects of diagnostic ultrasound. A mouse macrophage cell line was cultured in monolayer on the inside of one window of a disc-shaped exposure chamber. After incubation with contrast agent for 15 min, the monolayer was rinsed to remove un-attached gas bodies. The chamber was filled with saline plus fluorescent Dextran and closed with a second window. A clinical scanner provided ultrasound exposure of the chamber in a water bath. Exposures were made in B scan mode, color Doppler imaging mode and power Doppler mode for 1 min. After exposure the chamber was opened, rinsed and stained with trypan blue. A field of view of a fluorescence microscope was scored for sonoporation (fluorescent cells) and cell lysis (blue stained cells). No significant effect was seen for exposure without contrast agent. With contrast agent, statistically significant sonoporation was induced by all the modes either for transmission through a water path or through a tissue-mimicking phantom. Cell lysis was significant for all modes for the water path, but not for the phantom. These results suggest that a risk of cell membrane bioeffects in phagocytic cells may exist for contrast-aided diagnostic ultrasound.
What is the value of human resource certification? A multi-level framework for research

Abstract We make a contribution to narrowing the science–practice gap by adopting a multi-level theory-based approach to investigating an important issue for practitioners in human resource management: human resource (HR) certification. Despite the facts that more than 150,000 individuals in more than 70 countries have become certified and that HR certification has turned into a million-dollar industry, there is no scholarly evidence regarding the impact of certification on any important individual- and organizational-level outcomes (e.g., individual's career progression and HR department-level effectiveness). First, we distinguish among certification and licensing. Second, we describe the purported benefits of HR certification. Third, we review the existing literature on perceptions of HR certification; including a survey we conducted with 189 HR professionals. Finally, we present a research agenda, including 14 testable propositions, to guide future scholarly research on HR certification with the goal to gather evidence, which to date is not yet available, regarding the value of HR certification for individual practitioners, organizations, and the HR profession.
Fluoride-stimulated [3H]thymidine uptake in a human osteoblastic osteosarcoma cell line is dependent on transforming growth factor β

Controversy exists regarding the effect of fluoride on human osteoblast proliferation. To learn more of the cellular action of fluoride, we chose the clonal osteoblast cell line HOS TE85 as a model system. In these phenotypically osteoblast-like cells, sodium fluoride stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation in a dose-dependent manner over the concentration range 1 x 10(-5)-2 x 10(-4) M. The fluoride-induced stimulation of [3H]thymidine uptake was dependent on cell density, being optimal at subconfluent cell numbers. Stimulation of [3H]thymidine uptake was inhibited by anti-transforming growth factor beta but not by antibody to insulin-like growth factor I or beta 2-microglobulin. Transforming growth factor beta was shown to be a biphasic stimulator of [3H]thymidine uptake in HOS TE85, with maximal stimulation occurring at 0.5 nM transforming growth factor beta. In the presence of fluoride the cells were more sensitive to stimulation by this growth factor, with maximum effect occurring at 0.1 nM. Fluoride did not increase mRNA for transforming growth factor beta following either 8 or 24 h of exposure. We conclude that fluoride activates osteoblast proliferation by modulating the cellular sensitivity to transforming growth factor beta, a known stimulator of bone growth.
Splittings of 0' into the Recursively Enumerable Degrees

Lachlan [9] proved that there exists a non-recursive recursively enumerable (r. e.) degree such that every non-recursive r. e. degree below it bounds a minimal pair. In this paper we first prove the dual of this fact. Second, we answer a question of Jockusch by showing that there exists a pair of incomplete r. e. degrees a0, a1 such that for every non-recursive r. e. degree w, there is a pair of incomparable r. e. degrees b0, b2 such that w = b0 V b1 and bi for i = 0, 1. Mathematics Subject Classification: 03D25, 03D30.
Determination of Picloram in Soil and Water by Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography

A reversed-phase liquid Chromatographic method is presented for the determination of picloram in the parts per billion 2 (ppb) range in soil, soil solution, and stream samples. Quantification is effected by UV absorption at 254 nm. Derivatization is not necessary. The method permits 92% ±7.1 recovery from water samples and 61.8% ± 11.1 recovery from soil samples.
Cremmer-Gervais r-matrices and the Cherednik algebras of type GL(2)

We give an interpretation of the Cremmer-Gervais r-matrices for sln in terms of actions of elements in the rational and trigonometric Cherednik algebras of type GL 2 on certain subspaces of their polynomial representations. This is used to compute the nilpo- tency index of the Jordanian r-matrices, thus answering a question of Gerstenhaber and Giaquinto. We also give an interpretation of the Cremmer-Gervais quantization in terms of the corresponding double affine Hecke algebra. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000). 16T25, 20C08.
The American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics: advancing the ecosystem

The American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics) is focused on developing an end-to-end integrated photonics ecosystem in the U.S., including domestic foundry access, integrated design tools, automated packaging, assembly and test, and workforce development. This paper describes how the institute has been structured to achieve these goals, with an emphasis on advancing the integrated photonics ecosystem. Additionally, it briefly highlights several of the technological development targets that have been identified to provide enabling advances in the manufacture and application of integrated photonics.
Cost Analysis of Hospital Infections

Infections acquired during a patient’s stay in hospital are not only a serious medical problem but also cause substantial economic damage. Still, cost analyses are an often somewhat neglected aspect in evaluating the benefit of measures against hospital infections. Of course, on one hand, the costs of the proposed neasures themselves, and of other measures triggered by them must be analyzed. For example, it is a frequent mistake to consider just the cost of an information system for tracing infections and germs but to neglect the cost of additional preventive measures based on information from the system.
The Role of Research in the Family Service Agency: Reflections Some 30 Years Later

“The role of research in the Family Service Agency” is a topic that encompasses a variety of seemingly paradoxical, if not contraindicative, issues: social science research versus social work resea...
The Challenge of Summer Bridge Programs

Given the number of students who enter postsecondary education not ready for college, many universities have instituted summer bridge programs to better transition students to their freshman year. These programs occur during the summer before a student’s freshman year and are considered a bridge from high school to college. Yet despite the prevalence of these interventions across postsecondary institutions—community colleges and 4 years, public and private—few empirical studies exist evaluating these programs. The objectives of this article are to (a) provide a characterization of the breadth of summer bridge programs, (b) review the extant literature on summer bridge programs, and (c) discuss implications of these reviews for the future of summer bridge programs.
Comparison of Hypotensive and Emetic Dosages of Cryptenamine and Other Veratrum Extracts in Humans.

Discussion and ConclusionsClinical experience with purified alkaloids of veratrum prior to the synthesis of Cryptenamine showed that there was a relatively low incidence of vomiting following intramuscular administration. When a veratrum preparation was given intravenously, however, though a smaller total dose was required to lower blood pressure than when it wras given intramuscularly, the incidence of vomiting was greatly increased. It was observed further that vomiting occurred most frequently following the initial intravenous injection.When given intramuscularly, Cryptenamine resembled the other veratrum alkaloids both in hypotensive effect and incidence of vomiting. When given intravenously, however, it differed from the other alkaloids since moderately rapid administration caused significantly less vomiting particularly following the initial injection. Our data showed that none of the veratrum alkaloids were particularly emetic when their absorption was slowed, but that the receptors initiating emes...
Serotonin modulates glutamatergic transmission to neurons in the lateral habenula.

The lateral habenula (LHb) is bilaterally connected with serotoninergic raphe nuclei, and expresses high density of serotonin receptors. However, actions of serotonin on the excitatory synaptic transmission to LHb neurons have not been thoroughly investigated. The LHb contains two anatomically and functionally distinct regions: lateral (LHbl) and medial (LHbm) divisions. We compared serotonin’s effects on glutamatergic transmission across the LHb in rat brains. Serotonin bi-directionally and differentially modulated glutamatergic transmission. Serotonin inhibited glutamatergic transmission in higher percentage of LHbl neurons but potentiated in higher percentage of LHbm neurons. Magnitude of potentiation was greater in LHbm than in LHbl. Type 2 and 3 serotonin receptor antagonists attenuated serotonin’s potentiation. The serotonin reuptake blocker, and the type 2 and 3 receptor agonists facilitated glutamatergic transmission in both LHbl and LHbm neurons. Thus, serotonin via activating its type 2, 3 receptors, increased glutamate release at nerve terminals in some LHb neurons. Our data demonstrated that serotonin affects both LHbm and LHbl. Serotonin might play an important role in processing information between the LHb and its downstream-targeted structures during decision-making. It may also contribute to a homeostatic balance underlying the neural circuitry between the LHb and raphe nuclei.
Discordance between C4d Staining by Immunohistochemistry and Immunofluorescence and Clinical Outcomes

s S41 II. Of the Class II antibodies, 53%, 42.6%, and 4.4% were DR, DQ, and DP respectively. The Class I was predominately against B (54.3%) followed by Cw (28.6%) and A (17.1%). The 1, 2 and 3 year survival after the development of Class I DSA was 91%, 81% and 79% and after Class II DSA was 93%, 80%, and 80%, respectively. Conclusion: At five years, more than a third of CTX patients developed DSA, primarily to Class II. Patients who developed DSA were more than twice as likely to have a PRA > = 20. Once a patient developed DSA their mortality in the subsequent 3 years was approximately 20%. Additional studies are warranted to evaluate long-term survival and graft function.
Determination of the elements from leach liquor of ceramic under microwave conditions by ICP-MS

Objective:To determine the leached elements from ceramic tableware under microwave conditions and understand the safety of the ceramic which is used for heating foods in microwave conditions.Methods:Elements from leach liquor of ceramic in different microwave conditions were directly analyzed by ICP-MS.Results:Contents of Se,Ag,Sn and Hg were found below the detection limit in leach liquor,contents of As,Mn,Fe,Cu,Cd and Ni were found low in leach liquor,and Al,Zn and Pb had a relatively high content in leach liquor;The content of elements from leach liquor were proportional to the length of microwave time and soak time,but they were inversely proportional to the times of soak.Conclusion:In microwave-acidic condition,some of the elements had a relatively high content in leach liquor,the content of these elements were proportional to the length of microwave time and soak time,but they were inversely proportional to the times of soak.
High voltage transmission line inspection robot walking motor temperature detection system

This paper analyzes the necessity of transmission line robot walking motor temperature real-time detection from both motor and encoder performances.A brushed DC motor heating model and a heat transfer model are proposed to calculate the temperature difference of the motor winding and the external environment successfully.It describes the measurement and control system of inspection robot motor temperature and mounting structure of the temperature sensor.Using the temperature sensor for temperature detection and the human-computer interaction platform with a ground station is used to real-time display walking motor temperature in the live running process.Temperature preset value are set in the robot control program.Compared with preset temperature limit,robot will stop the ongoing movement when the measured temperature value is higher than the upper limit value,or else the robot will continue to run.Thus,the robot can achieve intelligent control.Meanwhile,a linear regression model of temperature sensor is built based on Gaussian-Markov assumption,and based on the assumption to dopt the method of least squares method to effective correct the temperature of measurement.
73 A ROLE FOR STEROL REGULATORY ELEMENT-BINDING PROTEIN ACTIVATION IN THE REGULATION OF INTERLEUKIN-8 EXPRESSION BY OXIDIZED PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS

Oxidized-1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-2-phosphorylcholine (OxPAPC), a component of minimally modified low-density lipoprotein (mm-LDL), found in atherosclerotic lesions and other sites of chronic inflammation, induces endothelial cells (EC) to synthesize chemotactic factors, such as interleukin-8 (IL-8). In this study, we provide evidence that OxPAPC paradoxically depletes endothelial caveolae cholesterol, causing caveolin-1 internalization from the plasma membrane to the ER/Golgi, and activates SREBP (Sterol Response Element Binding Protein). Cholesterol loading reverses these effects. OxPAPC-induced SREBP activation occurs as early as 1 hour after treatment and is sustained for at least 8 hours. This activation results in increased transcription of SREBP target genes, LDL receptor and HMG-CoA synthase. Furthermore, cholesterol depletion and SREBP activation play a role in the induction of IL-8 transcription by OxPAPC. Cholesterol depletion by methyl-β-cyclodextran (MBCD) dose-dependently induces IL-8 synthesis. Additionally, cholesterol loading of EC by cholesterol-cyclodextran complex inhibits OxPAPC induction of IL-8. These observations suggest that changes in caveolae cholesterol level can modulate IL-8 synthesis in EC. Interestingly, though IL-8 has been not previously identified as a classic SREBP target gene, we demonstrate using electrophoretic mobility shift assay that SREBP binds to the IL-8 promoter. The in vivo importance of endothelial SREBP activation in atherosclerosis is further suggested by our observation that endothelial cell nuclei stain strongly for SREBP in inflammatory areas of human atherosclerotic lesions. The current studies propose a novel role for endothelial SREBP activation in IL-8 synthesis by oxidized phospholipids and suggest a potential role for SREBP activation in other inflammatory processes where phospholipid oxidation products accumulate.
PredicT-ML: a tool for automating machine learning model building with big clinical data

Predictive modeling is fundamental to transforming large clinical data sets, or “big clinical data,” into actionable knowledge for various healthcare applications. Machine learning is a major predictive modeling approach, but two barriers make its use in healthcare challenging. First, a machine learning tool user must choose an algorithm and assign one or more model parameters called hyper-parameters before model training. The algorithm and hyper-parameter values used typically impact model accuracy by over 40 %, but their selection requires many labor-intensive manual iterations that can be difficult even for computer scientists. Second, many clinical attributes are repeatedly recorded over time, requiring temporal aggregation before predictive modeling can be performed. Many labor-intensive manual iterations are required to identify a good pair of aggregation period and operator for each clinical attribute. Both barriers result in time and human resource bottlenecks, and preclude healthcare administrators and researchers from asking a series of what-if questions when probing opportunities to use predictive models to improve outcomes and reduce costs. This paper describes our design of and vision for PredicT-ML (prediction tool using machine learning), a software system that aims to overcome these barriers and automate machine learning model building with big clinical data. The paper presents the detailed design of PredicT-ML. PredicT-ML will open the use of big clinical data to thousands of healthcare administrators and researchers and increase the ability to advance clinical research and improve healthcare.
Algebraic aspects of the normalized Laplacian

Spectral graph theory looks at the interplay between the structure of a graph and the eigenvalues of a matrix associated with the graph. Many interesting graphs have rich structure which can help in determining the eigenvalues associated with a particular graph matrix. This survey looks at some common techniques in working with and determining the eigenvalues associated with the normalized Laplacian matrix, in addition to some algebraic applications of these eigenvalues.
Uric Acid Is Associated With Inflammation, Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction, and Adverse Outcomes in Postmenopausal Women

Uric acid is a risk factor for coronary artery disease in postmenopausal women, but the association with inflammation and coronary endothelial dysfunction (CED) is not well defined. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of serum uric acid (SUA), inflammatory markers, and CED. In this prospective cohort study, SUA, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels, and neutrophil count were measured in 229 postmenopausal women who underwent diagnostic catheterization, were found to have no obstructive coronary artery disease, and underwent coronary microvascular function testing, to measure coronary blood flow response to intracoronary acetylcholine. The average age was 58 years (interquartile range, 52-66 years). Hypertension was present in 48%, type 2 diabetes mellitus in 5.6%, and hyperlipidemia in 61.8%. CED was diagnosed in 59% of postmenopausal women. Mean uric acid level was 4.7±1.3 mg/dL. Postmenopausal women with CED had significantly higher SUA compared with patients without CED (4.9±1.3 versus 4.4±1.3 mg/dL; P=0.02). There was a significant correlation between SUA and percent change in coronary blood flow to acetylcholine (P=0.009), and this correlation persisted in multivariable analysis. SUA levels were significantly associated with increased neutrophil count (P=0.02) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (P=0.006) among patients with CED, but not among those without CED. SUA is associated with CED in postmenopausal women and may be related to inflammation. These findings link SUA levels to early coronary atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women.
An Epistemic Generalization of Rationalizability

Rationalizability, originally proposed by Bernheim and Pearce, generalizes the notion of Nash equilibrium. Nash equilibrium requires common knowledge of strategies. Rationalizability only requires common knowledge of rationality. However, their original notion assumes that the payoffs are common knowledge.
Reference switching pre-emphasis-based successive approximation register ADC with enhanced DAC settling

A reference switching pre-emphasis (RSP) technique is proposed for successive approximation register (SAR) ADC in order to improve the SAR DAC settling time, which limits the conversion speed of conventional SAR ADCs. While SAR ADCs that employ redundancy techniques relax DAC settling requirements by overlapping search spaces, this requires more conversion steps which offsets the benefit from the DAC settling relaxation, especially for low–medium resolution SAR ADCs. The proposed RSP technique improves DAC settling by breaking its dependence on ADC resolution and achieves up to 71% speedup of DAC settling relative to a conventional DAC switching scheme without introducing additional conversion steps or significant hardware overhead.
The Virtues of Community Development and Stewardship: How Communities Respond to Disasters and Build Resilience

This chapter will explore the efficacy of specific forms or types of community service intervention programs and volunteer activities in the development of community resilience and recovery from natural (i.e., hurricanes and floods) and human-related (ethnic genocide, terrorism) disasters. The therapeutic role of community gardens and urban forestry programs will be examined in four different post-disaster scenarios: the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, 2005 Hurricane Katrina, post-9/11 recuperation efforts, and the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting. Environmentally sustainable and “green” activities that utilize the efforts and skills of community residents are addressed as effective methods in helping communities recover from various types of violence and extremist activities. The psychological and physical benefits of “Victory Gardens” and memorial gardens, green spaces, urban forestry programs, and community gardens are examined as effective programs in helping communities cope with various forms of disaster.
Chemical Treatment Method for Obtaining Clean and Intact Pollen Shells of Different Species

Pollen grains and plant spores have emerged as a novel biomaterial for a broad range of applications including oral drug and vaccine delivery, catalyst support, and removal of heavy metals. However, before pollens can be used, their intrinsic biomolecules, which occupy a large part of the pollen inner cavity must be removed not only to create empty space but because they have potential to cause allergies when used in vivo. These intrinsic materials in the pollen core can be extracted through a chemical treatment to generate clean pollen shells. The commonly used method involves a series of sequential treatments with organic solvents, alkalis, and acids to remove the native pollen biomolecules. This method, though successful for treating lycopodium (Lycopodium clavatum) spores, fails for other species of pollens such as common ragweed (Ambrosia elatior) and thus prevents widespread investigation of different pollens. Herein, we report a new chemical treatment for obtaining clean pollen shells from multiple...
ECT Remedial Action Program

The Environmental Control Technology Division (ECT) is a component of the Office of Environmental Compliance and Overview under the Assistant Secretary for Environment of the Department of Energy (DOE). The Division has, since its formation in July 1975, been responsible within the DOE for programs to decontaminate and decommission (D&D) surplus facilities. More recently, the Division was made responsible for determining the need for remedial actions to eliminate potential radiological exposure to people and potential harm to the environment due to residual contaminatin at formerly utilized laboratories and manufacturing or processing sites and at inactive uranium mill tailings storage sites. The purpose of this paper is to describe the scope of various programs conducted by ECT to define the need for remedial action and assist in the implementation of cleanup projects.
A CRM system for social media: challenges and experiences

The social Customer Relationship Management (CRM) landscape is attracting significant attention from customers and enterprises alike as a sustainable channel for tracking, managing and improving customer relations. Enterprises are taking a hard look at this open, unmediated platform because the community effect generated on this channel can have a telling effect on their brand image, potential market opportunity and customer loyalty. In this work we present our experiences in building a system that mines conversations on social platforms to identify and prioritize those posts and messages that are relevant to enterprises. The system presented in this work aims to empower an agent or a representative in an enterprise to monitor, track and respond to customer communication while also encouraging community participation.
Commitment in the Early Years of Marriage

In this chapter, I discuss a set of analyses, drawn from a longitudinal study of the early years of marriage, that explored a variety of reasonable hypotheses about why certain couples in the early years of their marriages remain committed to each other and optimistic about the stability of their relationship, and others do not. In Marital Instability (Veroff, Douvan, & Hatchett, 1995), my colleagues and I examined factors that were related to divorce/separation or thoughts about divorce/separation by the fourth year of marriage. In this chapter, I review some of the major results highlighted in this monograph and also extend such analyses to the seventh year of marriage. In these new analyses, I focus more particularly on a psychological assessment of commitment in the seventh year. By commitment, I mean the psychological intention to stay in the relationship.
Using lay health advisors to promote breast and cervical cancer screening among Latinas: a review.

abStra Ct Context: Breast and cervical cancer (BCC) represent leading causes of morbidity and mortality among Latinas. The use of lay health advisors (LHAs) represents a promising approach for health promotion among underserved and minority populations. Objective: This study reviews the evidence regarding the effectiveness of LHA-based interventions to promote BCC screening among Latinas. Methods: A search was conducted using the PubMed online electronic database. The search included studies published through August 2008. Study abstracts were reviewed to select intervention studies that met our inclusion criteria. References in selected articles were also reviewed for inclusion in the review. Of 134 articles identified, 14 met the selection criteria. The main characteristics and results of each study were extracted using a pre-established template. Results: Most studies were conducted in the west or southwest regions of the United States. Few studies were guided by health behavior theory. Most studies used weak methodological designs, lacked a comparison group, and/or failed to collect both pretest and post-test data. Only 2 studies found evidence of effectiveness. Conclusions: More intervention research guided by health behavior theory and using rigorous methods is needed to elucidate the potential effectiveness of LHA interventions to promote BCC screening among Latinas. Ana P. Martinez-Donate, PhD
Learning constitutive equations of physical components with constraints discovery

We address the problem of learning constitutive equations of acausal physical components in partially known physical systems. The parameters of the constitutive equations satisfy a set of unknown constraints. We propose an iterative procedure for joint parameters and constraints learning and discuss practical aspects of its implementation. The procedure favors exploration during the first iterations. This enables learning a model for the constraints. As the constraints learning advances more weight is given to finding the constitutive equations. We test our method on a demonstrative example in which the model of a nonlinear resistor is learned.
Data Collection on Support for Police Militarization Among a Sample of Police Officers, Police Executives, and Members of the U.S. Congress

This chapter provides an overview of the study on support for PM by key stakeholders of the practice, the results of which are presented in the remaining chapters of this book. Specifically, this chapter provides a detailed description of the data collection procedures, sampling technique, measures used in the study, and the research questions addressed. A discussion of Black’s theory of law is provided in order to develop theoretical predictions and a better understanding of the findings in this research. Additionally, this chapter addresses the first research question regarding the variation in support for PM in general, and in specific aspects of the practice across police officers, police executives, and members of the U.S. Congress. Results indicate that although there is general support for various aspects of PM across all stakeholders, the level of support can vary greatly for Congress versus law enforcement for specific aspects of PM.
The marrow stem cell niche in normal and malignant hematopoiesis

The hematopoietic niche is composed of endothelial cells, mesenchymal stromal cells of several types, and megakaryocytes, and functions to support the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). An abundance of evidence from a range of hematological malignancies supports the concept that the niche also participates in the pathogenesis of malignant hematopoiesis, differentially supporting malignant stem or progenitor cells over that of normal blood cell development. In 2005, patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms were reported to harbor an acquired, activating, missense V617F mutation of the cytokine-signaling Janus kinase (JAK)-2, JAK2V617F , present in virtually all patients with polycythemia vera and half of patients with essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis. Using both in vitro and in vivo methods, several investigators have shown that in addition to driving cytokine-independent proliferation in HSCs, JAK2V617F contributes to these neoplasms by altering the hematopoietic niche. The role of both endothelial cells and megakaryocytes bearing JAK2V617F will be presented, which involves altering cytokine production within the niche, resulting in their differential support of mutant kinase-bearing stem cells over their normal counterparts, and imparting relative radiation resistance to stem cells. The clinical correlates of these findings will be discussed, as will their therapeutic implications.
The Unsettling Effect of Unsettled Affect in Infants

It is impossible to begin this commentary without expressing appreciation that Cook et al1 explore how infant temperament assessment may help identify infants at risk for childhood behavioral problems. The authors report that infants with a severely unsettled profile of regulatory behavior have “staggeringly” high odds to have mental health difficulties at age 10 years. Developmental researchers and epidemiologists rarely report large effect sizes these days. Most common exposures such as parenting, diet, environmental toxins, and genetic variants have small or very small effects. The authors thus raise fascinating questions about infant temperament and the study’s methodology. Why might the predictive value of difficult temperament, 40 years after the seminal work of Thomas and Chess,2 be so much higher than ever observed before? Cook et al1 followed 1002 mother-child pairs from age 12 months to 5 years and 871 of these pairs to 11 years. The study has distinct strengths: a population base, a good baseline response rate (82% of approached), and a reasonable 10-year follow-up (50%). At baseline, mothers completed 6 items on infant regulation (excessive crying, … Address correspondence to Henning Tiemeier, MD, PhD, Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: tiemeier{at}hsph.harvard.edu