cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hybrid front end converters for large multi-motor applications integrated with energy storage

To supply the AC drive systems several Active Front Ends (AFE) with DC choppers are used to insure a reliable and acceptable harmonic current spectrum operation. Recently, energy storage system integration with the mining equipment has received industry attention, especially for peak load shaving and smarter energy management of the mine. Currently, the regenerative energy is often burnt into the choppers and is not fed back to the grid. The industry is motivated to capture this regenerative power since it can be as high as 60% of the motoring power and as high as 24 MW. Therefore, there is a possibility of large cost reduction and component downsizing. However, present status of development seems not to be very promising mainly because energy storage systems, (such as ultracapacitors) are still considered as an add-on part to existing products. In this paper, we investigate the operation of the current state-of-the-art front end converter systems for multi-motor applications. In particular, we propose power conversion configurations and methodology to determine the suitable energy storage technology for development of the multi-motor mobile mining equipment that has encouraging incentives for both the manufacturer and the mine operator.
Mechanisms controlling rupture shape during subcritical growth of joints in layered rocks

During joint propagation, the orientation of plume lines on joint faces allows for mapping the path taken by the crack tip line during rupture growth. Rupture shapes in layered, clastic sediments of the Devonian Catskill Delta (Finger Lakes district, New York) indicate joint growth through three stages, where velocity of the tip line, v tl , varies as a function of the crack-tip stress intensity, K I . The initial stage of growth is characterized by a rupture of approximately circular or elliptical shape that expands from an initiation fl aw with a velocity, v tl . In some cases, primary growth involves self-correction, where an elliptical rupture redistributes the crack-tip stress so that the rupture returns to a more stable circular shape. The crack tip line eventually propagates to a bedding interface where properties of either a plastic or a noncohesive bedding interface cause v tl → 0 along a portion of the tip line. The onset of secondary growth occurs when the rupture tip line intersects both bedding interfaces and splits into two discontinuous segments that propagate synchronously as a single, coherent rupture. Nonuniform, nonsystematic v tl eventually interferes with the rupture’s ability to grow coherently and thus leads to the transition to tertiary growth, characterized by the detachment of the coherent rupture into one or more independently propagating, noncoherent tip lines. Throughout all three stages of rupture growth, the K I -dependent v tl points to subcritical propagation. Variation from a smooth to rough plume morphology is consistent with propagation through region I of the subcritical regime with a transition at v tl ≈10 −5 m/sec. Rupture velocity may enter region II of the subcritical regime, but such a broad range of K I must be crossed to reach region III and quasistatic behavior at the critical stress intensity, K Ic , that region II acts as a ‘barrier’ through which few joints pass, thus greatly limiting the number of postcritical joints in the Catskill Delta if not in the crust of the Earth.
Peptic Ulcer Disease in Children and Adolescents A Ten-Year Experience

We report a retrospective review of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) in children seen at Children's Hospital of Michigan, over 10 years (1971-1980). Of the 61 included, 31 had primary ulcers and 30 had stress ulcers. The diagnosis was made by either barium meal or endoscopy, at surgery, or at autopsy. Stress ulcers were commoner in children less than 4 years of age and were precipitated by various conditions leading to shock. The majority of these patients required surgery for perforation or bleeding. Primary ulcers were more common in children older than 4 years. The most common presenting symptoms in this group were abdominal pain and gas trointestinal bleeding. The majority of patients with primary PUD received medical therapy in the form of antacids and/or cimetidine. In one-third of these patients, surgery was necessary for complications such as intractable pain, perforation, or massive recurrent hemorrhage.
The Extensive Sexual Violation and Sexual Abuse Histories of Incarcerated Women

A growing body of research reports on the lifetime prevalence of sexual victimization experiences among incarcerated women. However, none of this research provides a detailed account of the many types and levels of sexual violations and sexual abuses, the age of occurrence, and the victim-offender relationship. This study used the Sexual Abuse Checklist (designed by the first author) and a modified version of the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) to obtain a detailed account of 391 incarcerated women's self-reported sexual violation and abuse histories. Seventy percent of the women reported at least one violation consistent with what qualifies as "rape" in most states in the United States today, and half of the women reported child sexual abuse victimization. The most prevalent victim-offender relationships were male strangers, male lovers or boyfriends, male dates, husbands, uncles, brothers, male cousins, and stepfathers.
Effects of risperidone on aberrant behavior of persons with developmental disabilities: I. A double-blind crossover study using multiple measures.

Abstract The efficacy of the atypical antipsychotic risperidone was evaluated in the treatment of aberrant behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injury) in 20 individuals with developmental disabilities. A double-blind, crossover design was used to compare risperidone with placebo in a 22-week trial with a 6-month follow-up phase. Based on a 50% reduction in mean Aberrant Behavior Checklist—Community total scores, 50% of the participants were identified as responders. Naturalistic observations of a subset of five individuals showed that for 4 out of 5 participants, risperidone was effective in reducing aberrant behavior. Side effects included weight gain (84% of participants) and sedation (40% of participants). The advantages of conducting a comprehensive analysis of the effects of medication on aberrant behavior are discussed.
Reducing quantum computations to elementary unitary operations

Quantum computations are intimately connected with unitary operators. This article shows that standard techniques from numerical linear algebra can be used to represent quantum computations as sequences of simple quantum operations, called quantum Givens operators, on single quantum bits.
Reducing risk factors for eating disorders: Targeting at-risk women with a computerized psychoeducational program

Objective This controlled study evaluated whether an 8-week program offered over the Internet would significantly decrease body image dissatisfaction, disordered eating patterns, and preoccupation with shape/weight among women at high risk for developing an eating disorder. Method Fifty-six college women were recruited on the basis of elevated scores (≥110) on the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ). Psychological functioning, as measured by the Eating Disorder Inventory Drive for Thinness (EDI-DT) subscale, Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q), and the BSQ, was assessed at baseline, posttreatment, and at 10-week follow-up. Results All participants improved over time on most measures, although effect sizes suggest that the program did impact the intervention group. Discussion Findings suggest that technological interventions may be helpful for reducing disordered eating patterns and cognitions among high-risk women. Future research is needed to assess whether such programs are effective over time for prevention of and reduction in eating disorder symptomatology. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 29: 401–408, 2001.
Lidar profiles of fish schools

A lidar system was used in a seawater tank to measure the average diffuse reflectivity of live sardines. Diffuse reflectivity was measured to be 10% for a copolarized laser return and 3% for a cross-polarized return. We used these calibration measurements to infer the density of sardines in areas of the Southern California Bight from vertical profiles obtained with the lidar mounted on a ship. Within schools densities up to ∼0.01 kg m-3 were observed. During hourly survey periods total habitat densities up to ∼2 × 10-3 kg m-2 were observed.
Implant-supported, long-span fixed partial denture for a scleroderma patient: A clinical report

Scleroderma poses many difficulties and challenges for the treating dentist. Until now, dental implant treatment for patients with scleroderma was limited to either complete overdentures or short-span fixed partial dentures. This clinical report describes the use of modified techniques to fabricate a long-span fixed prosthesis delivered after serial extractions and implant placement.
Glove permeation by semiconductor processing mixtures containing glycol-ether derivatives

Results of permeation tests of several glove materials challenged with semiconductor processing formulations containing glycol-ether derivatives are described. Commercial glove samples of nitrile rubber (Edmont), natural rubber (Edmont and Baxter), butyl rubber (North), PVC (Baxter), a natural rubber/neoprene/nitrile blend (Pioneer), and a natural rubber/neoprene blend (Playtex) were tested according to the ASTM F739-85 permeation test method (open-loop configuration). The liquid formulations examined included a positive photoresist thinner containing 2-ethoxyethyl acetate (2-EEA), n-butyl acetate, and xylene; a positive photoresist containing 2-EEA, n-butyl acetate, xylene, polymer resins, and photoactive compounds; a negative photoresist containing 2-methoxyethanol (2-ME), xylene, and cyclized poly(isoprene); and pure 2-methoxyethylacetate (2-MEA), which is the solvent used in a commercial electron-beam resist. With the exception of the negative photoresist, butyl rubber provided the highest level of pr...
New potential uses for cardiac troponins

This review briefly synthesizes the molecular biology of troponin, which is currently the best biochemical marker for the detection of cardiac injury and, thus, acute myocardial infarction as well. Potential new uses for the marker based on these insights, with a specific interest in cardiac troponin fragments that potentially could be linked to distinct clinical conditions, are described. Some of the clinical problems clinicians are faced with including how to use the markers in renal failure and the difficulties associated with the heterogeneity of current troponin assays are also discussed. Finally, we present the possibility of specific cardiac troponin fragments resulting from modification or degradation, associated with distinct pathological processes, as new potential uses for this biomarker.
Distal prosodic context affects word segmentation and lexical processing

Three experiments investigated the role of distal (i.e., nonlocal) prosody in word segmentation and lexical processing. In Experiment 1, prosodic characteristics of the initial five syllables of eight-syllable sequences were manipulated; the final portions of these sequences were lexically ambiguous (e.g., note bookworm, notebook worm). Distal prosodic context affected the rate with which participants heard disyllabic final words, although identical acoustic material was judged. In Experiment 2, removing four syllables of initial context reduced the magnitude of the distal prosodic effect. Experiment 3 used a study-test recognition design; better recognition was demonstrated for visually-presented disyllabic words when these items were comprised of adjacent syllables previously heard in distal prosodic contexts predicted to facilitate perceptual grouping of these two syllables. Overall, this research identifies distal prosody as a new factor in word segmentation and lexical processing and provides support for a perceptual grouping hypothesis derived from principles of auditory perceptual organization.
TTP: a fast and robust parser for natural language

In this paper we describe TTP, a fast and robust natural language parser which can analyze written text and generate regularized parse structures for sentences and phrases at the speed of approximately 0.5 sec/sentence, or 44 word per second. The parser is based on a wide coverage grammar for English, developed by the New York University's Linguistic String Project, and it uses the machine-readable version of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary as a source of its basic vocabulary. The parser operates on stochastically tagged text, and contains a powerful skip-and-fit recovery mechanism that allows it to deal with extra-grammatical input and to operate effectively under a severe time pressure. Empirical experiments, testing parser's speed and accuracy, were performed on several collections: a collection of technical abstracts (CACM-3204), a corpus of news messages (MUC-3), a selection from ACM Computer Library database, and a collection of Wall Street Journal articles, approximately 50 million words in total.
THE MEANING OF DRILLS AND EXERCISES1

“Meaning” as used here refers to the total effect which participation in a drill or an exercise has on a student. The planned linguistic result is only a small part of this effect. Transactional Analysis is a widely-known interpretation of what happens inside and between people. This paper summarizes some of the most conspicuous features of that theory, and applies it to two of the simplest and most widely-used kinds of activity in the language classroom. Although on the overt, social level most of the transactions in organized study of foreign languages are Adult-Adult, on the psychological level they are often Parent-Child or Parent-Adult or Child-Child. This conflict between social and psychological levels gives rise to various “games”. Certain extensions of the most basic drill procedure produce results that are desirable from a Transactional point of view.
Health Disparities and Pulmonary Function Testing

Pulmonary function testing (PFTs) is necessary for the diagnosis and optimal management of many common lung diseases. PFTs are underutilized, particularly in the elderly and underprivileged, who face multiple barriers to receiving good medical care, including lack of access to high-quality pulmonary function testing. Language barriers can adversely affect accuracy of PFTs. Many factors including socioeconomic status, air quality, and education all influence lung function. Differences in lung function have been observed by race. Some, but not all, of these observed differences in lung function are attributable to environmental factors. PFT results are interpreted in comparison with reference values derived from large, healthy, mostly white populations. They are calculated using age, gender, height, and race. The use of “race correction” factors to adjust predicted values from reference equations is an imperfect tool that has generated controversy, but is currently the best available methodology. More precise adjustment based on genetic testing may be feasible in the future but is not yet developed for practical use.
Puberty in beef bulls: acrosome morphology and semen quality in bulls of different breeds.

Semen characteristics were evaluated every 2 wk from 7 through 13 mo of age in 31 beef bulls representing six breed groups (Hereford, Angus, Hereford x Angus crossbreeds, Angus x Hereford crossbreds, Red Poll and Brown Swiss). Breeds differed in age at puberty, defined as the age at which an ejaculate was first obtained that contained a minimum of 50 x 10(6) total spermatozoa with at least 10% progressive motility (Hereford, 326 +/- 9 d; Angus, 295 +/- 4 d; Hereford x Angus, 300 +/- 8 d; Angus x Hereford, 296 +/- 9 d; Red Poll, 283 +/- 9 d and Brown Swiss, 264 +/- 9 d). Significant breed differences also were observed in concentration of spermatozoa, progressive motility, seminal protein concentration, abnormal spermatozoa and acrosomal morphology. Considerable variation was observed for the majority of pubertal traits among the 31 bulls, indicating that differences in stage of pubertal development existed among and within breeds of beef bulls between 7 and 13 mo of age. However, adjustment of data to age at puberty negated breed differences (P greater than .10), indicating that the pubertal patterns of change occurring in each semen characteristic were similar for the breeds evaluated. Concentration of spermatozoa, progressive motility, seminal protein concentration, percentage spermatozoa with normal head and tail morphology and percentage spermatozoa with normal acrosomal morphology increased (P less than .01) from puberty through 16 wk after puberty in all bulls and all breds. During the first 6 wk after puberty, rapid increases (P less than .01) were observed in percentage spermatozoa exhibiting normal head morphology (excluding acrosomes) and progressive motility, and a rapid decrease (P less than .01) was observed in percentage spermatozoa with proximal cytoplasmic droplets, with values at +6 wk approaching those reported for mature bulls. Percentage spermatozoa with normal acrosomal morphology and concentration of spermatozoa improved more slowly and had not reached mature levels by 16 wk after puberty. Because age at puberty varied by 62 d among breeds and 88 d among bulls and important characteristics of semen quality improved slowly after puberty, careful evaluation of the stage of pubertal development in individual bulls is recommended before selecting young bulls for natural breeding or artificial insemination. Additional investigations are needed to define the patterns of pubertal development through sexual maturity in beef bulls and to establish relationships to fertility.
Quantum oscillations in a bilayer with broken mirror symmetry: A minimal model for YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6 + δ

Using an exact numerical solution and semiclassical analysis, we investigate quantum oscillations (QOs) in a model of a bilayer system with an anisotropic (elliptical) electron pocket in each plane. Key features of QO experiments in the high temperature superconducting cuprate YBCO can be reproduced by such a model, in particular the pattern of oscillation frequencies (which reflect ``magnetic breakdown'' between the two pockets) and the polar and azimuthal angular dependence of the oscillation amplitudes. However, the requisite magnetic breakdown is possible only under the assumption that the horizontal mirror plane symmetry is spontaneously broken and that the bilayer tunneling ${t}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ is substantially renormalized from its `bare' value. Under the assumption that ${t}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=\stackrel{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}{Z}{t}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}^{(0)}$, where $\stackrel{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}{Z}$ is a measure of the quasiparticle weight, this suggests that $\stackrel{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}{Z}\ensuremath{\lesssim}1/20$. Detailed comparisons with new ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6.58}$ QO data, taken over a very broad range of magnetic field, confirm specific predictions made by the breakdown scenario.
Electrodeposition of In2Se3 Using Potential Pulse Atomic Layer Deposition

Indium(III) selenide, In2Se3, thin films were electrodeposited at room temperature from an aqueous solution containing ionic precursors for both In and Se, using potential pulse atomic layer deposition (PP-ALD). Cyclic voltammetry was used to determine approximate cycle potentials, and anodic and cathodic potentials were systematically examined to optimize the potential pulse program for In2Se3. Electron probe microanalysis was used to follow the In:Se atomic ratio as a function of the cycle conditions, and annealing studies were performed on stoichiometric deposits. Film thickness was a function of both the anodic and cathodic potentials. The optimum growth rate was consistent with previous PP-ALD studies in which similar concentrations and pulse times were employed, 0.02 nm/cycle. The use of the potential pulse cycle for film growth resulted in surface-limited control over the deposit stoichiometry each cycle and thus a layer-by-layer growth process.
Ultrafast conformational dynamics of electron transfer in ExBox4+⊂perylene.

Multielectron acceptors are essential components for artificial photosynthetic systems that must deliver multiple electrons to catalysts for solar fuels applications. The recently developed boxlike cyclophane incorporating two extended viologen units joined end-to-end by two p-phenylene linkers—namely, ExBox4+—has a potential to be integrated into light-driven systems on account of its ability to complex with π-electron-rich guests such as perylene, which has been utilized to great extent in many light-harvesting applications. Photodriven electron transfer to ExBox4+ has not previously been investigated, however, and so its properties, following photoreduction, are largely unknown. Here, we investigate the structure and energetics of the various accessible oxidation states of ExBox4+ using a combination of spectroscopy and computation. In particular, we examine photoinitiated electron transfer from perylene bound within ExBox4+ (ExBox4+⊂perylene) using visible and near-infrared femtosecond transient absor...
Postclassic expansion of Mesoamerican biocultural characteristics into Sonora, Mexico

Recent excavations at the Postclassic period (circa a.d. 1000–1521) mortuary mound of El Cementerio (SON P:10:8), located along the Rio Yaqui in central Sonora, Mexico, have documented 105 mortuary features (111 individuals) many of which display elongated intentional cranial modification and several cases of tooth filing. These constitute biocultural traits common across much of Mesoamerica throughout its Prehispanic cultural sequence, which expanded along West Mexico and into northwest Mexico beginning in the late Classic period. The examples from El Cementerio represent the northernmost concentrated expression of these traits and could represent the spread of Mesoamerican/West Mexican identity associated with macro-regional trade and the expansion of the Aztatlan archaeological tradition during the Postclassic period in the region.
Early American Orphanages: Ebenezer and Bethesda

England, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, was undergoing an agricultural revolution soon to be followed by the industrial revolution. During this period of transition, widespread unemployment and poverty existed as large segments of the population found no place in the changing economy. Gregory King estimated that "more than one-half the population in the year 1688 was a charge upon the community."' Although this high estimate may be questioned on the basis of other contemporary writings, yet the conditions in London and the towns were appalling. There "children swarmed like locusts in the street "some of them orphans, others bastards or foundlings abandoned by parents too poverty-ridden to take care of them. A parliamentary report of 1716 notices that those in the parishes legally charged with the care of these children were "void of commiseration and religion." The conditions in the homes of the poor were little more conducive to the bringing up of children. The filthy single rooms or cellars in which parents and childreni were "heaped up" afforded opportunity for neither cleanliness nor decency. Josiah Child noted that amidst all this poverty, neglect, and abuse not only was crime rampant, but the children were subject to so many loathsome diseases that the proportion of children who lived to grow up was small.2 To some contemporary Englishmen the existing conditions were "the Will of God"; to others this poverty was regarded as the source of wealth in that it provided an abundant source of cheap labor. To others, more farsighted, the existence of this large class of idle nonproductive poor constituted an alarming drain uponi the national income. Two solutions were presented to the public towards the end of the seventeenth century: 1. The e'stablishmentof workhouses and working schools. John Locke advocated the establishment of working schools in every parish, which all children above three and under fourteen should be obliged to attend. In one such workhouse, opened in London in 1698, the children spun wool, knitted stockings, repaired clothes and shoes; and when they left at the age of twelve or fourteen, they were apprenticed to some craftsman or put out to service. 2. To others, the answer lay in religion rather than in the discipline of labor. This latter group of reformers felt that the Church of their day was utterly failingin its duty of providing instruction to the clhildren of the poor and, through neglect, failing to provide the poor with the means of salvation or moral improvement. This latter group was responsible for the extensive development of charity schools throughout England in wihich children of the poor were given catechetical instruction. Where funds permitted, clothing was also provided.
The role of adenine nucleotides and the effect of caffeine and dibutyryl cyclic AMP on the metabolism of guinea pig epididymal spermatozoa.

SummaryHigh levels of adenine nucleotides are present in sperm taken from the caput segment of the guinea pig epididymis. This level declines progressively in the corpus and cauda segments where there is also a progressive increase in in vitro glycolysis. Nucleotide control of glycolysis is suggested by the observation that the depletion of nucleotide pools by incubation in the absence of substrate leads to increased glycolytic rates. This is particularly pronounced in caput sperm. Sperm motility in different segments, however, is not enhanced by lowering nucleotide levels in this manner.Sperm motility and metabolism are markedly increased in all segments of the epididymis and vas deferens by caffeine and dibutyryl cyclic AMP. High rates of glycolysis in treated cells occur, however, without any significant differences from controls in energy charge and ATP levels, suggesting that the glycolytic apparatus as well as the mechanisms involved in motility are stimulated. Although metabolism in sperm from all ...
Placental Insufficiency: The Impact on Cardiovascular Health in the Mother and Her Offspring Across the Lifespan

Hypertension during pregnancy including preeclampsia or preeclampsia superimposed with chronic hypertension is the most common disease in pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a serious health concern associated with increased risk for morbidity and mortality in the mother and intrauterine growth restriction in the fetus. Low birth weight, defined as 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) or less, serves as a crude marker for intrauterine growth restriction and results from preterm delivery or slow growth during fetal life. Although low birth weight is a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality, the adverse impact of low birth weight on chronic health of the offspring extends beyond the neonatal period to include an increased risk of cardiovascular disease across the lifespan including preeclampsia. Furthermore, preeclampsia increases the risk for cardiovascular disease in the mother in later life. This chapter will focus on the mechanisms that contribute to the etiology of hypertension during pregnancy and the increased risk for cardiovascular disease in later life of the mother following a pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia. In addition, this review will highlight how slow fetal growth as a consequence of placental ischemia programs an increased risk for hypertension in the offspring across the lifespan.
Abstract A47: Expression of oncogenic alleles induces multiple blocks to HCMV infection

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) poses serious threats to newborns and immune-compromised individuals. In contrast to most viruses studied, HCMV is unable to replicate in cancerous cells, but the mechanisms of this restriction are unclear. We explored these mechanisms by determining whether defined oncogenic alleles including the simian virus 40 (SV40) T antigens and oncogenic HRas G12V could inhibit HCMV replication. Our results show that the expression of SV40 T antigens blocks HCMV replication. In contrast, the replication of a related herpes virus, herpes simplex virus I, is not impacted by T antigen expression. The earliest restriction of HCMV infection involves a block of viral entry, as T antigen expression prevents viral tegument protein delivery. Subsequently we find that T antigen expression reduces the accumulation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) alpha, a host protein that facilitates HCMV entry. Viral entry, gene expression and DNA replication could be partially rescued by PDGFR alpha over-expression. However, production of infectious viral progeny is not restored by PDGFR alpha over-expression in T antigen-expressing fibroblasts. Analysis of viral gene expression indicates that the accumulation of immediate early 2 (IE2), the major viral transcriptional activator, is inhibited by T antigen expression. Restoration of IE2 expression markedly increases downstream HCMV gene expression but not virion production, suggesting additional viral restrictions induced by T antigen. Similarly, PDGFR alpha over-expression in Hela cells markedly increases HCMV gene expression and DNA replication but not virion production. Combined, our results indicate that oncogenic alleles induce multiple restrictions to HCMV infection. Citation Format: Shihao Xu, Xenia Schafer, Joshua Munger. Expression of oncogenic alleles induces multiple blocks to HCMV infection. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; 2015 Oct 23-26; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(3 Suppl):Abstract nr A47.
Therapeutic skin care in the mature patient.

The development of new therapeutic products for mature skin has expanded the armamentarium of the physician to offer nonsurgical treatment for actinically damaged skin. This article addresses timely issues regarding skin care in the mature patient, including skin care maintenance and therapeutic nonsurgical treatments for actinically damaged skin.
Cyclooxygenase-dependent mediators of renal hemodynamic function in female rats

Previous studies have revealed a sex-dependent difference in response to cyclooxygenase inhibition in anesthetized male and female rats. Female rats have shown an unexpected vasodilation in response to prostaglandin (PG) inhibition. The present studies were designed to further investigate the sex-dependent role of the PG system in the control of normal renal hemodynamics in female Munich-Wistar rats. Renal hemodynamic studies were performed on anesthetized female rats before and during acute cyclooxygenase inhibition using a variety of protocols. One group underwent subacute unilateral renal denervation. A separate group was chronically catheterized and plasma catecholamines were measured during the awake state and then after anesthesia under the euvolemic protocol. Another group was administered the angiotensin II blocker, saralasin, before and during cyclooxygenase inhibition. In a final group, flow to the distal nephron was interrupted via placement of a wax block into the late proximal tubule to determine the role of distal nephron flow and tubuloglomerular feedback in the glomerular response to cyclooxygenase inhibition. It was determined that neither the wax block nor saralasin administration attenuated the vasodilatory response observed in normal female rats due to cyclooxygenase inhibition; however, subacute unilateral renal denervation completely blocked the vasodilatory response to PG inhibition in these female Munich-Wistar rats. Plasma catecholamines were found to be similar whether awake or under anesthesia. These studies indicate the importance of the adrenergic system in modulating PG production in the acutely anesthetized intact female rat.
The variational Nyström method for large-scale spectral problems

Spectral methods for dimensionality reduction and clustering require solving an eigenproblem defined by a sparse affinity matrix. When this matrix is large, one seeks an approximate solution. The standard way to do this is the Nystrom method, which first solves a small eigenproblem considering only a subset of landmark points, and then applies an out-of-sample formula to extrapolate the solution to the entire dataset. We show that by constraining the original problem to satisfy the Nystrom formula, we obtain an approximation that is computationally simple and efficient, but achieves a lower approximation error using fewer landmarks and less runtime. We also study the role of normalization in the computational cost and quality of the resulting solution.
Glucocorticoid receptor DNA methylation, childhood maltreatment and major depression.

Abstract Introduction Altered DNA methylation (DNAm) levels of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis genes has been associated with exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM) and depression; however, it is unknown whether CM and depression have joint and potentially interacting effects on the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) DNAm. We investigated the impact of CM and lifetime major depressive disorder (MDD) on NR3C1 DNAm and gene expression (GE) in 147 adult participants from the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study. Methods NR3C1 promoter region DNAm was assessed via pyrosequencing using whole blood-derived DNA. Quantitative RT-PCR assays measured GE from leukocyte-derived RNA. Linear regression models were used to examine the relationship among CM, MDD, and DNAm. Results Both CM and MDD were significant predictors of NR3C1 DNAm: CM was associated with an increase in DNAm in an EGR1 transcription factor binding site (TFBS), whereas MDD was associated with a decrease in DNAm downstream of the TFBS. No significant CM-MDD interactions were observed. CM alone was associated with significantly lower NR3C1 GE. Limitations Our report of CM is a retrospective self-report of abuse, which may introduce recall bias. DNAm was measured in whole blood and may not reflect brain-derived DNAm levels. Conclusions CM and MDD are both associated with altered DNAm levels in the NR3C1 promoter region, however the location and direction of effects differ between the two exposures, and the functional effects, as measured by GE, appear to be limited to CM exposure alone. CM exposure may be biologically embedded in this key HPA axis gene.
Response to "Comment on 'An Informatics Approach to Evaluating Combined Chemical Exposures from Consumer Products: A Case Study of Asthma-Associated Chemicals and Potential Endocrine Disruptors'".

Neither informatics (e.g., Goldsmith et al. 2014) nor gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) (e.g., Steinemann et al. 2011, Dodson et al. 2012, Steinemann 2015) can provide a complete picture of the ingredients in consumer products. Our article demonstrates the complementary nature of these approaches. The larger product sample of the informatics approach gives greater coverage of the formulation space of consumer products. Consequently, it detected the target chemicals in product categories that were missed by GC/MS. However, the informatics approach is limited by the incompleteness of product labels, particularly with respect to fragrance and flavor mixtures. GC/MS can detect chemicals that are not disclosed in product labels and chemicals that are not even part of the product formulation (e.g., chemicals leached from product packaging or degradation byproducts). However, the small sample sizes, typically only a handful of products in a given category, do not reflect the diversity of product formulations.
Bone texture characterization for osteoporosis diagnosis using digital radiography

We introduce texture classification techniques to effectively diagnose osteoporosis in bone radiography data. Osteoporosis is an age-related systemic bone skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass and bone structure deterioriation that results in increased bone fragility and higher fracture risk. Therefore, early diagnosis can effectively predict fracture risk and prevent the disease. Automated diagnosis from digital radiographs is very challenging since the scans of healthy and osteoporotic subjects show little or no visual differences, and their density histograms mostly overlap. We designed a system to separate healthy from osteoporotic subjects using high-dimensional textural feature representations computed from radiographs. These features were then reduced using feature selection to obtain the more discriminant subset that was finally classified by our methods. The top performing approach yields 79.3% accuracy and 81% area under the ROC over 116 bone radiographs.
“I find peace there”: how faith, church, and spirituality help mothers of colour cope with postpartum depression

ABSTRACTThis article reports the findings of 30 semi-structured, qualitative interviews with new African American and Latina mothers who have histories of postpartum depression (PPD) to learn how their faith, church participation, and spiritual practices helped them cope with PPD. Six themes emerged: relief from stress, feeling valued and less alone, experiencing gratitude, developing perspective and accepting God’s guidance, changing and developing relationships, and preventing self-harm. Specifically, mothers who adhered to their faith beliefs and engaged in spiritual practices described shifts in their perspectives on various life stressors known to contribute to PPD such as negative thoughts and feelings, and strained family relationships, which in turn led them to make positive changes in their lives.
129. Does Transcription Influence AAV-Mediated Homologous Recombination?

Recombinant adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors constitute one of the most promising tools for gene transfer. While the majority of AAV transduction events are episomal, our laboratory recently exploited the vector's ability to induce homologous recombination (HR) to design promoterless vectors that utilize chromosomal homology arms flanking a ribosomal skipping P2A-therapeutic coding sequence construct to integrate sequences just upstream of the stop codon of an endogenous gene. When targeting the albumin gene in the liver, a chimeric mRNA transcript capable of producing both albumin and a second therapeutic protein is consequently created. Not only do these vectors offer the permanence of gene transfer associated with integration, but a vector lacking a promoter reduces the chance for oncogene activation from off-target vector integration. AAV-mediated HR appears to be more efficient when targeting transcriptionally active loci, yet it is unclear if transcription itself or other factors that secondarily influence transcription, such as chromatin state, are directly linked to AAV-mediated HR. We therefore set out to establish if the transcriptional rate in particular is a major determinant for this type of HR.To do this, we developed a strategy to quantify precision AAV-mediated transgene integration by exploiting an engineered locus whose transcriptional rates could be controlled by drug administration. To this end, we used lentiviral vectors to generate a series of clonal HeLa cell populations each harboring a single-copy, doxycycline-inducible genomic site expressing the human alpha 1-antitrypsin (hAAT) cDNA. Upon induction with doxycycline, transgene expression from this site increases by greater than 1,000-fold. Each clonal cell population was infected with an AAV serotype DJ vector containing homology arms to the integrated hAAT cDNA and a P2A- codon-optimized human coagulation factor IX (hFIX) cDNA or P2A-eGFP construct that would allow for multicistronic genomic expression of both peptides from a single mRNA only if HR occurred. Transgene hFIX or eGFP expression as a measure of HR is established by quantitative RT-PCR and by transgene protein measurements. By modulating the rate of transcription just prior to rAAV vector administration, we can establish if transcription from a given genomic locus influences the frequency of AAV-mediated HR. Our preliminary results suggest that transcription per se might not be the predominant factor influencing the rate of HR. Further studies will provide more insight into the mechanism of gene targeting by AAV, optimal target site selection, and potentially expand the use of AAV-mediated gene targeting for treating various genetic and acquired diseases.
An adaptive algorithm to identify ambiguous prostate capsule boundary lines for three-dimensional reconstruction and quantitation

Currently there are few parameters that are used to compare the efficiency of different methods of cancerous prostate surgical removal. An accurate assessment of the percentage and depth of extra-capsular soft tissue removed with the prostate by the various surgical techniques can help surgeons determine the appropriateness of surgical approaches. Additionally, an objective assessment can allow a particular surgeon to compare individual performance against a standard. In order to facilitate 3D reconstruction and objective analysis and thus provide more accurate quantitation results when analyzing specimens, it is essential to automatically identify the capsule line that separates the prostate gland tissue from its extra-capsular tissue. However the prostate capsule is sometimes unrecognizable due to the naturally occurring intrusion of muscle and connective tissue into the prostate gland. At these regions where the capsule disappears, its contour can be arbitrarily reconstructed by drawing a continuing contour line based on the natural shape of the prostate gland. Presented here is a mathematical model that can be used in deciding the missing part of the capsule. This model approximates the missing parts of the capsule where it disappears to a standard shape by using a Generalized Hough Transform (GHT) approach to detect the prostate capsule. We also present an algorithm based on a least squares curve fitting technique that uses a prostate shape equation to merge previously detected capsule parts with the curve equation to produce an approximated curve that represents the prostate capsule. We have tested our algorithms using three shapes on 13 prostate slices that are cut at different locations from the apex and the results are promising.
Association of Low Vitamin D Levels With Noninfectious Anterior Uveitis

Importance Vitamin D plays an important role in both the innate and adaptive immune systems. It has been shown to contribute to the etiology of T-cell–mediated autoimmune diseases through the upregulation of type 2 anti-inflammatory T helper cells and the suppression of type 1 T helper cells. Noninfectious uveitis is postulated to be caused by immune dysfunction. Objective To determine whether there is an association between vitamin D levels and noninfectious anterior uveitis. Design, Setting, and Participants This was a case-control study. We identified patients with and without noninfectious uveitis using the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Ocular Inflammation Database and electronic medical records from March 1, 2008, to December 12, 2015, at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Uveitis and Comprehensive Ophthalmology Clinics. One hundred patients with noninfectious anterior uveitis and 100 patients without uveitis were recruited. Patients with noninfectious uveitis were diagnosed by fellowship-trained uveitis specialists after exclusion of infectious causes and neoplastic masquerades of uveitis. All patients included had a total 25-hydroxyvitamin D level recorded. Multivariate regression models were constructed to determine the association between vitamin D levels and the presence of uveitis. Main Outcome and Measure Presence of noninfectious anterior uveitis. Results We identified 100 patients (64 white, 8 African American, 25 Asian, and 3 Hispanic) with a mean (SD) age of 51.8 (15.9) years (26 men) and 100 control individuals (58 white, 23 African American, 8 Asian, and 11 Hispanic) with a mean (SD) age of 53.6 (16.2) years (27 men). Hypovitaminosis D was associated with noninfectious uveitis in the univariate analysis (odds ratio, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.42-4.51; P = .002). The association in multivariate regression after adjusting for age, sex, and race/ethnicity was 2.96 (95% CI, 1.60-5.50; P = .001). The odds of developing uveitis were 4% lower for every 1–ng/mL increase in vitamin D level (odds ratio, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93-0.99; P = .01) in the main multivariate analysis. Conclusions and Relevance In this retrospective study, lower vitamin D levels were associated with an increased risk of noninfectious anterior uveitis. However, this does not confirm a causal effect.
Nanofluids and Applications to Energy Systems

Stable colloidal suspension of nanoparticles in various solvents is conventionally termed as “Nanofluids.” In this review the various facets of nanofluids technology are described with an emphasis on applications in energy systems. Various synthesis protocols and materials characterization techniques for nanofluids are explored (including non-Newtonian rheological behavior of nanofluids). The root of the controversies in the literature relating to anomalous enhancement in the materials properties is also discussed. The review is focused on energy applications of nanofluids, such as nuclear energy, geothermal energy, solar energy, batteries, and fuel cells as well as oil and gas (exploration and production). Niche applications of nanofluids for immediate commercial deployment were identified as additives for deep drilling fluids in geothermal and oil production (as heat transfer fluids, lubricant and formation of nanocomposites with drilling mud to obviate bore hole issues) and as thermal energy storage media in molten salt nanofluids (for solar thermal applications). In the longer time horizon, nanofluids show promise for thermal management of fuel cells and as novel electrolytes in improving the energy storage in batteries. Reliability is an important issue in nuclear applications and the stability of conventional nanofluids needs to be improved in order to achieve significant penetration in nuclear applications. Nanofluids are also expected to spawn novel energy applications—such as for thermal management of electrical rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, solar thermoelectric platforms for power generation, and novel strategies for energy storage in solar ponds by exploiting the non-Newtonian rheology of nanofluids at high nanoparticle concentration.
Role of Nutrition in Musculoskeletal Health

‘Nutrition plays an important role throughout life in determining bone health. After the attainment of peak bone mass, the right balance of nutritional factors is important to minimize the bone loss that naturally occurs over time. A summary of the evidence on specific components of the diet such as calcium, dietary protein, minerals, and alcohol and their effect on bone health is presented in this chapter.’
1 2 ( e 2 / h ) Conductance Plateau without 1D Chiral Majorana Fermions

We address the question about the origin of the $\frac{1}{2}({e}^{2}/h)$ conductance plateau observed in a recent experiment on an integer quantum Hall (IQH) film covered by a superconducting (SC) film. Since one-dimensional (1D) chiral Majorana fermions on the edge of the above device can give rise to the half quantized plateau, such a plateau is regarded as conclusive evidence for the chiral Majorana fermions. However, in this Letter we give another mechanism for the $\frac{1}{2}({e}^{2}/h)$ conductance plateau. We find the $\frac{1}{2}({e}^{2}/h)$ conductance plateau to be a general feature of a good electric contact between the IQH film and the SC film, and cannot distinguish the existence or the nonexistence of 1D chiral Majorana fermions. We also find that the contact conductance between a superconductor and an IQH edge channel has a non-Ohmic form ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{SC}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{Hall}}\ensuremath{\propto}{V}^{2}$ in the ${k}_{B}T\ensuremath{\ll}eV$ limit, if the SC and IQH bulks are fully gapped.