cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional Network Endophenotypes Unravel the Effects of Apolipoprotein E Epsilon 4 in Middle-Aged Adults

Apolipoprotein E-e4 (APOE-e4) accentuates memory decline, structural volume loss and cerebral amyloid deposition in cognitively healthy adults. We investigated whether APOE-e4 carriers will show disruptions in the intrinsic cognitive networks, including the default mode (DMN), executive control (ECN) and salience (SN) networks, relative to noncarriers in middle-aged healthy adults; and the extent to which episodic-memory performance is related to the altered functional connectivity (Fc) in these networks. Resting-state functional connectivity MRI (R-fMRI) was used to measure the differences in the DMN, ECN and SN Fc between 20 APOE-e4 carriers and 26 noncarriers. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between episodic-memory performance and Fc differences in the three resting-state networks across all subjects. There were no significant differences in the demographic and neuropsychological characteristics and the gray-matter volumes in the carriers and noncarriers. While mostly diminished DMN and ECN functional connectivities were seen, enhanced connections to the DMN structures were found in the SN in e4 carriers. Altered DMN and ECN were associated with episodic memory performance. Significant Fc differences in the brain networks implicated in cognition were seen in middle-aged individuals with a genetic risk for AD, in the absence of cognitive decline and gray-matter atrophy. Prospective studies are essential to elucidate the potential of R-fMRI technique as a biomarker for predicting conversion from normal to early AD in healthy APOE-e4 carriers.
WE-C-BRB-02: A Support Vector Machine (SVM) Classifier Identifies From Prone CT Simulation the Optimal Set Up for Breast Radiotherapy

Purpose: To determine optimal (prone vs. supine) treatment positions for breast radiotherapy by classifying geometric features extracted from proneCT scans.Method and Materials:CT scans from patients enrolled in NYU 05‐181 Protocol were studied to discern predicting factors for optimizing treatment positions for breast radiotherapy. Each of the 400 patients accrued for this protocol underwent CT simulation and planning in both supine and prone positions. The treatment set up was chosen based on maximum sparing of heart and lung. Since the results demonstrated that most patients were best treated prone, we studied whether a support vector machine (SVM) classifier could successfully predict optimal position based on a single prone CT scan and limit a second supine CT only to the minority of women best treated supine. To build this classifier, prone CT scans of NYU 05‐181 were de‐identified and exported in DICOM RT format. Three‐dimensional shape and distance features were computed from organs at risk and the planning target volume in the CT scans. We used a k‐fold cross validation procedure to test the performance of the SVM classifier. Results:Images of 36 patients (23 prone‐treated and 13 supine‐treated) were used. Preliminary results indicate that breast volume, heart and lung involvement in the treatment field are significant predicting factors. A weighting of 1:5 (prone‐treated: supine‐treated) was used when determining the soft margin hyper plane of the SVM classifier. The purpose is to increase the specificity [true‐supine/ (true‐supine+false‐prone)] of the classifier since patients classified as prone will not receive a validation supine CT scan. A sensitivity [true‐prone/(true‐prone+false‐supine)] of 87% and a specificity of 92% was achieved using 11 geometric features and the SVM classifier. Conclusion: Preliminary data support the use of a feature‐based classification to predict the optimal treatment position from prone CT scans.
Today’s computer industry: facing major challenges

The past five years have seen irreversible changes in the computer and information industries. The last COMDEX trade show (Fall, 2002) reflects the emphasis on next‐generation computer technology, DIY setting‐up systems with consequent lower pay for the professionals, globalization, lower return on investment, stifling of innovation and creativity – all adding up to a depressing future for the industry.
High-speed characteristics of laminated ferrite memory planes

The high packing density, low digit current, and partial switching mode characteristics of laminated (monolithic) ferrite memory planes make high-speed operation of the planes attractive. High-speed test data concerning switching time, back voltage, sense signal, and temperature effects are presented for ferrite laminates containing 64 by 64 conductors, spaced 15 mils between centers. Laminates of two ferrite compositions, Mg-Mn-Zn and Mg-Mn, were evaluated. The Mg-Mn laminates exhibit superior disturbed sense signals and temperature characteristics. The Mg-Mn laminates are operable at a continuous 8-MHz rate without heat sinking. Maximum sense signals are obtained using digit current pulses exceeding write current pulses in duration; nonreturn-to-zero digiting is suggested for fully utilizing this characteristic.
III. The Treasury and Open Contracting, 1778–1782

During the War of American Independence, the Treasury Board contracted for a wide range of army supplies. Opposition, both in parliament and the press, persistendy criticized the methods employed in the allocation of contracts. It was widely believed that contracts were awarded in the interests of ministerial influence, not public economy; contractors were the friends of government and enjoyed excessive profits. The most frequendy proposed alternative was to contract through public advertisement and accept the lowest tender received. This method was normally referred to as open contracting. Isaac Barre was the main opposition spokesman on matters relating to army supplies and it was his view, expressed in the House during April 1778, that ‘contracts ought to be open, and offered to the lowest bidder'. Government spokesmen and contractors sitting in the House regularly countered this argument with the assertion that open contracts’ would be prejudicial to the public service. Men inadequate to the accomplishment of the contracts, would at all times bid lower than men of ability and reputation, and they would do much more injury by serving the public badly, than the difference of expense. 'Although neither Lord North nor John Robinson, the Treasury Secretary mainly responsible for contract business, were fully satisfied with existing contract methods, they sought economies within those methods and even the Shelburne ministry, when it radically altered the contracting system for supplying the army in America in 1782, decided against the open contracts championed by friends of Shelburne when in opposition.
Enhancing speech learning by combining task practice with periods of stimulus exposure without practice

Language acquisition typically involves periods when the learner speaks and listens to the new language, and others when the learner is exposed to the language without consciously speaking or listening to it. Adaptation to variants of a native language occurs under similar conditions. Here, speech learning by adults was assessed following a training regimen that mimicked this common situation of language immersion without continuous active language processing. Experiment 1 focused on the acquisition of a novel phonetic category along the voice-onset-time continuum, while Experiment 2 focused on adaptation to foreign-accented speech. The critical training regimens of each experiment involved alternation between periods of practice with the task of phonetic classification (Experiment 1) or sentence recognition (Experiment 2) and periods of stimulus exposure without practice. These practice and exposure periods yielded little to no improvement separately, but alternation between them generated as much or more improvement as did practicing during every period. Practice appears to serve as a catalyst that enables stimulus exposures encountered both during and outside of the practice periods to contribute to quite distinct cases of speech learning. It follows that practice-plus-exposure combinations may tap a general learning mechanism that facilitates language acquisition and speech processing.
Nbs1 potentiates ATP-driven DNA unwinding and endonuclease cleavage by the Mre11/Rad50 complex

The Nijmegen breakage syndrome gene product (Nbs1) was shown recently to associate in vivo with the Mre11 and Rad50 proteins, which play pivotal roles in eukaryotic DNA double-strand break repair, meiotic recombination, and telomere maintenance. We show in this work that the triple complex of recombinant Nbs1, Mre11, and Rad50 proteins binds cooperatively to DNA and forms a distinct protein–DNA species. The Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 complex displays several enzymatic activities that are not seen without Nbs1, including partial unwinding of a DNA duplex and efficient cleavage of fully paired hairpins. Unwinding and hairpin cleavage are both increased by the presence of ATP. On nonhairpin DNA ends, ATP controls a switch in endonuclease specificity that allows Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 to cleave a 3′-protruding strand at a double-/single-strand transition. Mutational analysis demonstrates that Rad50 is responsible for ATP binding by the complex, but the ATP-dependent activities are expressed only with Nbs1 present.
Aging and the brain renin-angiotensin system: relevance to age-related decline in cardiac function.

This article discusses evidence that impairments in control of autonomic outflow mediated by the brain renin–angiotensin system (RAS) contribute to the decline in baroreceptor reflex function and the development of insulin resistance that accompany hypertension and excess salt intake, especially during aging. Imbalances in the regulation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic limbs of the autonomic nervous system observed in older subjects underlie changes in heart-rate variability and play a role in the regulation of overall cardiac function. Age-related alterations in autonomic nervous system function may also explain the age-associated alterations in metabolism. Reduced heart-rate variability is linked to increased mortality in patients with cardiovascular disorders and, coupled with information that is known about local changes in the cardiac and brain RAS during aging, the evidence reveals potential mechanisms for the protective effects of systemic blockade of the RAS against age-related changes that...
Design of a study to evaluate the effectiveness of a spoken language interface to information systems

Users of digital libraries and other information systems typically carry out searches with very short queries, on the order of two words or so. This makes it very difficult for the systems to disambiguate their queries and identify potentially relevant documents, resulting in sub-optimal retrieval performance. We hypothesize that users will provide better and more useful descriptions of their information problems if they are able to speak to the system and easily indicate through speech and gesture those documents and aspects of documents which they find useful, and not useful. In this paper, a spoken interface is described, and a planned wizard of oz study will be introduced.
Aligned carbon nanotube/copper sheets: a new electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction to hydrocarbons

We controlled the morphologies of copper (Cu) nanostructure on aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) sheets, influencing the efficiency of the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2. Functionalized CNT sheets affected the pulsed electrodeposition of copper in terms of 3D growth, bonding, and electrochemical activity. CNT/Cu sheet electrocatalyst shows high performance in electrochemical reduction of CO2 to hydrocarbons at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Reduction products were carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), and ethylene (C2H4) gases. Carbon monoxide yields (178 μmol cm2 mA−1 h−1) and methane yields (346 μmol cm2 mA−1 h−1) at oxygen-plasma-treated CNT/Cu sheet electrodes were remarkably higher than other CNT/Cu and CNT sheets. Experimental results also show 3D morphology of copper growth on CNT sheets may play a critical role in hydrocarbon products from CO2.
Androgens Inhibit Estradiol-17β Synthesis in Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) Ovaries by a Nongenomic Mechanism Initiated at the Cell Surface

Abstract The presence of androgen receptors in the ovaries of several vertebrate species, including Atlantic croaker, suggests that androgens may have important roles in ovarian function. In the current study the effects of androgens on ovarian steroidogenesis in Atlantic croaker were investigated. Addition of 17β-hydroxy-5α-androstan-3-one (DHT), 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), or Mibolerone to ovarian incubations caused dose-dependent decreases in gonadotropin-stimulated in vitro estradiol production, which was not reversed by cotreatment with the antiandrogens, cyproterone acetate or 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethylene. Androgen treatment also caused significant decreases in estradiol production in the presence of 17-hydroxyprogesterone, which suggests that the site of androgen action is downstream of this steroid in the steroidogenic pathway. The mechanism of androgen action on ovarian steroidogenesis was also investigated. Coincubation with actinomycin D did not reverse the inhibitory effect o...
Gene expression meta-analysis supports existence of molecular apocrine breast cancer with a role for androgen receptor and implies interactions with ErbB family

Pathway discovery from gene expression data can provide important insight into the relationship between signaling networks and cancer biology. Oncogenic signaling pathways are commonly inferred by comparison with signatures derived from cell lines. We use the Molecular Apocrine subtype of breast cancer to demonstrate our ability to infer pathways directly from patients' gene expression data with pattern analysis algorithms. We combine data from two studies that propose the existence of the Molecular Apocrine phenotype. We use quantile normalization and XPN to minimize institutional bias in the data. We use hierarchical clustering, principal components analysis, and comparison of gene signatures derived from Significance Analysis of Microarrays to establish the existence of the Molecular Apocrine subtype and the equivalence of its molecular phenotype across both institutions. Statistical significance was computed using the Fasano & Franceschini test for separation of principal components and the hypergeometric probability formula for significance of overlap in gene signatures. We perform pathway analysis using LeFEminer and Backward Chaining Rule Induction to identify a signaling network that differentiates the subset. We identify a larger cohort of samples in the public domain, and use Gene Shaving and Robust Bayesian Network Analysis to detect pathways that interact with the defining signal. We demonstrate that the two separately introduced ER- breast cancer subsets represent the same tumor type, called Molecular Apocrine breast cancer. LeFEminer and Backward Chaining Rule Induction support a role for AR signaling as a pathway that differentiates this subset from others. Gene Shaving and Robust Bayesian Network Analysis detect interactions between the AR pathway, EGFR trafficking signals, and ErbB2. We propose criteria for meta-analysis that are able to demonstrate statistical significance in establishing molecular equivalence of subsets across institutions. Data mining strategies used here provide an alternative method to comparison with cell lines for discovering seminal pathways and interactions between signaling networks. Analysis of Molecular Apocrine breast cancer implies that therapies targeting AR might be hampered if interactions with ErbB family members are not addressed.
Effects of caffeine on intracellular calcium release and calcium influx in a clonalβ-Cell line RINm5F

We studied the effects of caffeine on intracellular calcium in a clonal insulin-secreting cell line RINm5F. Caffeine (1-30 mM) induced a dose-dependent intracellular Ca2+ release and Ca2+ influx. Pretreatment with combination of ryanodine (10 microM) and caffeine (10 mM), but not ryanodine alone, abolished subsequent caffeine-induced release of intracellular Ca2+. Pretreatment with another ryanodine receptor blocker procaine (0.1, 0.3, and 1mM) antagonized the caffeine-induced release of intracellular Ca2+. Pretreatment with thapsigargin (2 microM), the endoplasmic reticular Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor, abolished both the caffeine- and arginine vasopressin (AVP)-induced Ca2+ release. AVP induces Ca2+ release by increasing the formation of IP3. Pretreatment with AVP greatly reduced caffeine-induced Ca2+ release whereas pretreatment with caffeine also reduced AVP-induced Ca2+ release. The L-type Ca2+ channel blocker nimodipine (1 microM) inhibited caffeine-induced Ca2+ influx. In addition, depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores with thapsigargin did not affect caffeine-induced Ca2+ influx. These results suggested that: 1) the ryanodine- and caffeine-sensitive Ca2+ store exists in RINm5F cells, 2) most of these Ca2+ release channels in RINm5F cells are closed in the resting state, since pretreatment with ryanodine alone failed to block the caffeine-induced Ca2+ release, 3) there is a "cross-talk" between the caffeine- and IP3-sensitive pools in RINm5F cells, 4) caffeine increases Ca2+ entry in RINm5F cells through L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, and 5) the caffeine-induced Ca2+ influx is independent of the Ca2+ release from the intracellular Ca2+ stores.
Organic matter in the Solar System: From colors to spectral bands

The reflected spectral energy distribution of low-albedo, red-colored, airless bodies in the outer Solar System (planetary satellites, Centaur objects, Kuiper Belt objects, bare comet nuclei) can be modeled with spectral models that incorporate the optical properties of refractory complex organic materials synthesized in the laboratory and called tholins. These materials are strongly colored and impart their color properties to the models. The colors of the bodies cannot be matched with plausible minerals, ices, or metals. Iapetus, a satellite of Saturn, is one such red-colored body that is well matched with tholin-rich models. Detection of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons on Iapetus by the Cassini spacecraft, and the presence of these hydrocarbons in the tholins, is taken as evidence for the widespread presence of solid organic complexes aromatic and aliphatic units on many bodies in the outer Solar System. These organic complexes may be compositionally similar to the insoluble organic matter in some classes of the carbonaceous meteorites, and thus may ultimately derive from the organic matter in the interstellar medium.
Developments in Elliptical Core Polarization-Maintaining Fiber

Polarization maintaining (PM) optical fibers are showing promise in a new generation of gyroscope applications and other fiber optic sensing systems. One of the key obstacles to making in-roads in these applications remains the longterm cost of the PM fiber. This paper describes the properties of an elliptical core fiber expected to meet the long term cost requirements for these applications.
Use of Daptomycin in a Pregnant Patient with Staphylococcus aureus Endocarditis

ObjectiveTo report on 6 weeks of daptomycin treatment for tricuspid valve endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus aureus in a pregnant female in her second trimester.Case summaryA 24-year-old, 14-week pregnant patient with no significant medical history, but with a history of intravenous drug abuse presented with tricuspid valve endocarditis caused by methicillin-sensitive S. aureus. After initial treatment with vancomycin, the patient continued to have fever and bacteremia and was initiated on daptomycin 6 mg/kg for 6 weeks of therapy. The treatment resulted in the resolution of the endocarditis, and no adverse sequelae were identified in the mother or baby.DiscussionInfective endocarditis is a common infection encountered in the hospital setting and represents an increased cost burden to institutions due to prolonged lengths of treatment. Antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial failure, inadequate attainment of effective drug concentrations, drug allergies, and adverse reactions may be factors that limit ...
Formation of the Covalent Chymotrypsin·Antichymotrypsin Complex Involves No Large-scale Movement of the Enzyme *

α1-Antichymotrypsin is a member of the serine proteinase inhibitor, or serpin, family that typically forms very long-lived, enzymatically inactive 1:1 complexes (denoted E*I*) with its target proteinases. Serpins share a conserved tertiary structure, in which an exposed region of amino acid residues (called the reactive center loop or RCL) acts as bait for a target proteinase. Within E*I*, the two proteins are linked covalently as a result of nucleophilic attack by Ser195 of the serine proteinase on the P1 residue within the RCL of the serpin. This species is formally similar to the acyl enzyme species normally seen as an intermediate in serpin proteinase catalysis. However, its subsequent hydrolysis is extremely slow as a result of structural changes within the enzyme leading to distortion of the active site. There is at present an ongoing debate concerning the structure of the E*I* complex; in particular, as to whether the enzyme, bound to P1, maintains its original position at the top of the serpin molecule or instead translocates across the entire length of the serpin, with concomitant insertion of RCL residues P1-P14 within β-sheet A and a large separation of the enzyme and RCL residue P1′. We report time-resolved fluorescence energy transfer and rapid mixing/quench studies that support the former model. Our results indicate that the distance between residue P1′ in α1-antichymotrypsin and the amino terminus of chymotrypsin actually decreases on conversion of the encounter complex E·I to E*I*. These results led us to formulate a comprehensive mechanism that accounted both for our results and for those of others supporting the two different E*I* structures. In this mechanism, partial insertion of the RCL, with no large perturbation of the P1′ enzyme distance, is followed by covalent acyl enzyme formation. Full insertion can subsequently take place, in a reversible fashion, with the position of equilibrium between the partially and fully inserted complexes depending on the particular serpin-proteinase pair under consideration.
The Effect of Wildlife Conservation on Local Perceptions of Risk and Behavioral Response

In this study, we examine the effect of Tarangire National Park (TNP) on local perceptions of risk and how these perceptions may influence behavioral responses. Data were collected during 2004-2005 through household surveys and participatory risk mapping (PRM) in eight villages east of TNP. By identifying and rank-ordering respondents' perceived risks, PRM enhances understanding of the nature and variation of risks faced within a population by distinguishing between the incidence and severity of subjective risk perceptions. Results indicate that proximity to the park has a strong effect on the type and severity of perceived risks. Within villages close to the park, however, behavioral response to perceived risks varies considerably. This study contributes to an apprecia- tion of how behavioral response to environmental and socioeconomic factors is mediated by human perception.
Angular momentum effects in neutron evaporation

Abstract The statistical model of nuclear reactions has been used to calculate the effects of angular momentum on the evaporation of neutrons. The systems considered are Po 210 with excitation energy of 24 MeV and angular momenta up to 26 ħ; At 209 with excitation energy of 95 MeV and angular momenta up to 68.5 ħ; Mn 55 with excitation energy of 26 MeV and angular momenta up to 24.5 ħ and Rb 79 with excitation energy of 128 MeV and angular momenta up to 73.5 ħ. Quantities calculated are the average angular momentum change on evaporation of one neutron, the width for neutron emission and the average kinetic energy of the first evaporated neutron, all as a function of the angular momentum of the compound nucleus. Some approximate formulae that aid in understanding the behaviour of these quantities are discussed. A comparison is made with other similar calculations and with the existing experimental data.
Three Exemplars Allow at Least Some Linguistic Generalizations: Implications for Generalization Mechanisms and Constraints

The mechanism that allows learners to generalize over linguistic input and its relation to constraints on possible generalizations was explored in three experiments. Infants were familiarized briefly with words exhibiting stress patterns generated by a set of ordered principles, and then tested on new words that were either consistent or inconsistent with those principles. In Experiment 1, 9-month-olds generalized from three different heavy syllables (those ending in a consonant) heard during familiarization, to a new heavy syllable at test, but did not generalize from multiple tokens of one heavy syllable. Experiment 2 demonstrated that, although 9-month-olds were able to use three syllables to generalize the linguistically natural principle assigning stress to heavy syllables, they failed to use them to generalize a principle that does not occur in natural languages, suggesting that the mechanism requiring three input examples does not apply to all input equally. Experiment 3 demonstrated that although ...
"Damals gingen die Schnulzen eben gut:" Luis Trenker and the Heimatfilm

Of those actors and directors who have come to be associated with the genre of the Heimatfilm , one name remains both curiously present and absent: Luis Trenker. On the one hand, Trenker continues to be present in the public consciousness as a representative of the Heimatfilm . On the other hand, Trenker focused much of his productivity during the main decade of the genre, the 1950s, on writing books rather than making films. The three films that he made that can be considered examples of the Heimatfilm, Flucht in die Dolomiten (1955), Von der Liebe besiegt (1956) and Wetterleuchten um Maria (1957), are only occasionally mentioned in histories and critical works on the Heimatfilm and never in great detail nor, justifiably, as exemplars of the genre. Nevertheless, in this article I will discuss these films in detail and argue that they are all unified by the false assumption of guilt. The young men who are falsely accused are exonerated when the truth about the true perpetrators, older and with more social capital than these young men, is revealed. I read this discourse of guilt in Trenker’s Heimatfilme as representing a particular strain in German thought regarding the legacy of the Nazi past: in these films, only the rich and powerful are truly guilty; the young and less powerful are innocent.
Speed-Sensorless Control of Induction Motors for Electric Vehicles

An electric bus system has been operating in the downtown area of Chattanooga, Tennessee for more than four years. The buses use traditional hard-switched IGBT inverters driving special induction motors with a speed sensor (tachometer) and two embedded fluxsensing windings to provide rotor speed and flux information to the motor controller for implementation of high performance field oriented control (vector control). The induction motor is oil-cooled and equipped with an internal planar gear reduction. The current system has experienced failures in both speed sensors and flux sensors because they are unreliable, susceptible to EMI and must operate in a hostile environment created by oil leaks. A speedand flux-sensorless induction motor drive system with a new 100 kW soft-switching inverter has been implemented to replace the existing system. The new soft-switching inverter is able to provide 300 A (rms) and 230 V (rms) continuous power to the motor with no voltage surges and reduced dv/dt (<300V/us) at switching. The new inverter also draws ripple-less DC current from the battery. As a result, the new inverter is friendly to the motor and battery. Extended lifetime is expected for both the motor and battery. The new inverter with the speedand flux-sensorless control has been road-tested and has achieved satisfactory performance. The project was supported under the Department of Energy (DOE) funding and local industry partnership. INTRODUCTION
Work Disability, Mortgage Default, and Life Satisfaction in the Economic Downturn: Evidence From the Panel Study of Income Dynamics

The study examined the relationship between work disability and mortgage default in the latest economic downturn in the United States and further assessed the associations of work disability and mo...
Suicide Why Are Older Men So Vulnerable

Globally, older adults have higher suicide rates than other age-groups. However, it is predominantly men who die of suicide in late adulthood, with variability by culture. In the United States, Eur...
Toward a unified failure theory with implications for condition based maintenance

A general model formulation for device deterioration is described in terms of its application to electronic devices and to mechanical devices. The two forms are shown to be equivalent and to correspond to the stochastic differential equation used to represent diffusion processes. It is suggested that the commonality of the models implies equivalence in aging for the two classes of devices. It is then pointed out that the deterioration processes are unobservable so condition based maintenance policies must be defined in terms of surrogate measures that are correlated with, but usually not equal to, actual degradation levels. Consequently, it is suggested that the surrogate state measures also be modeled as diffusion processes as this leads to several of the currently popular reliability life models.
Why is Philosophical Research on Resources Engineering Possible

Resources engineering(especially mineral resources engineering)is an objective activity of human to reforming or remaking the conditions of nature.Resources engineering should become an important research object of philosophy of engineering,because it is a direct reflection of the two basic fundamental philosophical propositions of the relationship between man and nature,and man and society.From the view of the fundamental relations between engineering and nature,there are some inherent contents about ontology,epistemology,methodology and theory of value in resources engineering activities,such as the essential understanding on scarcity of resources in contradiction with the rising social demand,the generation,application and dissemination of resources engineering knowledge,the general methodology of resources development and utilization,and the value appeal of resources engineering.From the essential relationship between engineering and society,philosophy of resources engineering should also study such an important area as " Four-M" issues(mining,mine,miners,mining city).It is the essential relationship among nature,engineering(or humans),and society in resources engineering activities that has made the philosophical research of resources engineering possible. There is a great significance for resources engineering philosophy research to promoting the development of engineering philosophy and the construction of new industrial cities in China.
The Implementation of RSA Algorithm in the Anti-counterfeiting Reader

The security of anti-counterfeiting reader are particularly important in the security system.In this paper,the RSA algorithm for hardware IP core is implemented for the digital encryption technology,the key and decryption algorithm are stored in an encrypted IP core,the encryption and decryption operations is runned in the IP core,and then the security reader is completed,and it can be able to prevent memory monitoring,and tracking software encryption.
Effect of Aqueous Extract From Parashorea chinensis Seeds on Seed Germination and Early Seedling Growth of Four Kinds of Plants

In order to explore the characteristics of endogenous substance in Parashorea chinensis,this experiment studied influence of different concentrations of the aqueous extract from Parashorea chinensis seeds on seed Germination and early seedling growth of Brassica campestris,Daucus carota,Zenia insign and Pinus massoniana.The result indicated that different concentrations of the aqueous extract from Parashorea chinensis seeds exhibited the inhibitory effect on the seed germination rate,the simplified vigor index,height and length of different plants at different degree,and showed the extract concentration,the more obvious the inhibitory role.The inhibiting effect of aqueous extract on the seeds of herb was higher than that of woody plants.It was concluded that the Parashorea chinensis seeds contained some germination-restraining components.
Egg Transport in the Rabbit Oviduct Following Ampullary Resection and Microsurgical End-to-End Anastomosis

Surgical alteration of rabbit oviducts was employed to investigate the mechanisms of ovum transport. Resection of a 5- to 10-mm segment of midampulla was followed by microsurgical end-to-end anastomosis. One to two months later, direct observations were made, in situ, of ampullary egg transport. Stained cumulus masses were transported normally to the site of anastomosis: two-thirds of those studied were delayed at that point for an average of 2½ minutes. Normal transport then resumed and continued to the ampullo-isthmic junction. In all but one instance, blockage of muscular activity with isoproterenol prevented transport beyond the anastomosis site, demonstrating the presence of an obstacle to ciliary transport. These studies reveal an important facilitative role for muscle in improving the reliability of ampullary egg transport. Considering species differences in egg transport mechanisms, it is suggested that ampullary-ampullary anastomosis in women might have a poor prognosis for re-establishing fertility.
ECG of the month. Short-cuts. Ventricular preexcitation.

A 28-year-old man presented to the ER with ill-defined, intermittent, left anterior thoracic pain for about 1 week. The patient was taking insulin to control his type I diabetes mellitus. The 12-lead tracing shown below was recorded during his short stay in the ER.
Interleukin-1B: A Clinically Relevant Urinary Marker

AbstractUrinary cytokines as markers for the intravesical inflammatory response have become an active area of research. Interleukin-1b, a well studied and early produced cytokine in the immune recognition cascade, was evaluated. After extensive analysis of 56 control and study group urine samples, a simplified and reliable protocol for the preparation of urine before cytokine analysis was devised. The application of an available serum interleukin-1b enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit for urinary interleukin-1b analysis was then tested. Finally, a reference value for interleukin-1b in normal human urine was established and urinary interleukin-1b was measured in various bladder diseases.The normal and interstitial cystitis groups showed no interleukin-1b elevation. Significant elevation of urinary interleukin-1b was found in patients with bacterial cystitis compared to the interstitial cystitis and control groups (p < 0.001). Of the patients with bladder tumors 58% showed elevation of urinary interleukin...
Power seat function usage and wheelchair discomfort for power wheelchair users

Objectives: To investigate correlations between power seat functions (PSFs) usage and wheelchair discomfort.Design: Quasi-experimental design: Time series design.Setting: In-home trial in participants’ home/community.Participants: Thirteen power wheelchair users who independently used power wheelchairs equipped with PSFs as their primary means of mobility.Main Outcome Measures: PSF usage variables include the frequency of performing repositioning and using PSFs (tilt, recline, legrests and seat elevation), wheelchair occupancy, and driving distance. The Tool for Assessing Wheelchair disComfort (TAWC) were used to evaluate general discomfort and discomfort intensity.Results: Spearman correlation coefficient showed that the frequency of using tilt, recline, and legrest is significantly correlated with discomfort intensity. Multiple regression analysis with backward stepwise indicated that these functions can explain 43.8% of the variance (R2 = .438, F(3,33) = 8.588, P < 0.01) in the discomfort intensity sco...
Towards the non-visual monitoring of canine physiology in real-time by blind handlers

One of the challenges to working with canines is that whereas humans are primarily vocal communicators, canines are primarily postural and behavioral communicators. It can take years to gain some level of proficiency at reading canine body language, even under the best of circumstances. In the case of guide dogs and visually-impaired handlers, this task is even more difficult. Luckily, new technology designed to help monitor canines may prove useful in helping handlers, especially those with visual impairments, to better understand and interpret what their working partners are feeling or saying. In prior work a light-weight, wearable, wireless physiological monitoring system was shown to be accurate for measuring canines' heart and respiratory rates [6]. In this paper, we consider the complementary problem of communicating physiological information to handlers. We introduce two non-visual interfaces for monitoring a canine's heart and respiratory rates, an audio interface and a vibrotactile interface. We also present the results of two initial studies to evaluate the efficacy of the interfaces. In the first study we found that many participants were more confident in detecting changes in heart and respiratory rate using the audio interface, however most of the time they were just as accurate with the vibrotactile interface with only a slight increase in detection latency.
On Pricing and Coordination of Dual Channel Supply Chain with Fairness-Concerned Manufacturer as the Stackelberg Leader

We incorporate the concept of fairness in a conventional dyadic dual-channel supply chain to investigate how fairness may affect channel coordination. Three different situations are considered: the centralized supply chain model, the decentralized supply chain model and the decentralized supply chain model with fairness concerned manufacturer. We show that when manufacturer is concerned about fairness, the manufacturer cannot use a simple wholesale price to coordinate this channel in terms of achieving the maximum channel profit. We also find that manufacturer’s fairness concern have small effects to the retailer’s profits, but may be beneficial to himself. Finally, we present a simulation example to illustrate the magnitude of supply chain and supply chain members’ profits under different scenarios.
Comparing Effects of Age of Onset and Disease Duration in Parkinson Disease (P5.379)

Objective: To compare the effects of age of onset vs. disease duration on symptoms and disability in PD. Background: The severity of late-onset PD is confounded by the influence of aging and comorbidities. Older age at onset has been associated with worse motor function, greater PD severity, and disability, although studies based on validated scales of comorbidity are lacking. Design/Methods: PD patients (n=1117, mean+/-SD age 71.3+/-9.0, range 45-99) from the University of Maryland PD database were assessed cross-sectionally with the Motor and Total UPDRS, OARS disability scale, and CIRS for medical comorbidity. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses examined impact of age of onset, disease duration, and medical comorbidity (CIRS) on UPDRS motor, UPDRS total, and OARS outcomes. Standardized betas provided estimates of relative effect size and non-standardized regression coefficients estimated the per-year effects. Results: Age of onset and disease duration were independently associated with Motor UPDRS, Total UPDRS and OARS disability (all p<0.001), even when correcting for comorbidity. The strongest predictor of PD severity and disability was disease duration followed by age of onset, with medical comorbidity as the weakest predictor (std-β’s~0.5,0.25,0.15). Every year of disease duration predicted a 1.1 point higher Motor UPDRS and 2.3 point higher Total UPDRS. Every year of later age of onset predicted a 0.5 point higher Motor UPDRS and 0.7 point higher Total UPDRS. There was an interaction between age of onset and disease duration on disability (p<0.001) but not for motor symptoms or PD severity. Conclusions: Age of onset and disease duration showed independent effects, increasing PD symptoms and disability, even when adjusting for medical comorbidity. Disease duration was the main predictor, but age of onset also had strong effect, suggesting that factors of the aging process beyond medical comorbidity cause later onset PD to be more severe. Disclosure: Dr. Maki has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gruber-Baldini has nothing to disclose. Dr. Barr has nothing to disclose. Dr. Von Coelln has nothing to disclose. Dr. Reich has received personal compensation for activities with UpToDate. Dr. Reich has royalty payments from Informa. Dr. Reich has received research support with NINDS. Dr. Shulman has received research support from Kyowa Pharmaceuticals.
Evaluating Treatment Outcomes Using the Integrative Model of Brief Couples Counseling

Utilizing a community sample of 58 couples (116 individuals), we tested a brief couples counseling approach, the Integrative Model of Brief Couples Counseling (IMBCC). Participants received 4–6 ses...
Predictors of Patient Satisfaction in Pediatric Oncology.

Objective:To understand key drivers of patient satisfaction in pediatric hematology/oncology. Methods: The “top-box” scores of patient satisfaction surveys from 4 pediatric hematology/oncology prac...
Examining Key Stakeholder and Community Residents' Understanding of Environmental Influences to Inform Place-Based Interventions to Reduce Obesity in Rural Communities, Kentucky 2015.

Purpose Rural residents report high rates of obesity, physical inactivity, and poor eating habits. The objectives of this study were to (1) use the collective impact model to guide efforts to elicit community members’ perceptions of county-specific factors influencing high obesity rates; (2) determine the association between utilization of food retail venues and concern about obesity and healthy eating; and (3) determine community members’ utilization of physical activity infrastructure and concern about physical inactivity. Methods The study was conducted in 6 rural counties in Kentucky with adult obesity prevalence rates >40%. Community stakeholders met to assess counties’ needs and assets in implementing interventions to reduce obesity in their communities. A random-digit dial survey (n = 756) also was conducted to examine awareness and availability of community resources for healthy eating and physical activity. Findings Stakeholders identified lack of access to fruits and vegetables and poor physical activity infrastructure as contributors to obesity. Reporting moderate and serious concern about obesity and healthy eating was associated with higher odds of shopping at a supercenter compared with those expressing little concern. Reported access to information about physical activity opportunities was associated with higher odds of reporting the availability of safe places for physical activity, sidewalks, and trails compared with those who reported that information was difficult to obtain. Conclusions This study elicits community-identified barriers to healthy behaviors and provides foundational data to inform future place-based obesity reduction interventions.
The microRNA miR-34a is a candidate 1p36 tumor suppressor gene in neuroblastoma

4511 MicroRNAs are small non coding RNAs that have critical roles regulating a number of cellular functions through transcriptional silencing. Recently, they have been implicated as oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes (oncomirs) in several human cancers. We took a functional approach to identify potential neuroblastoma oncomirs by transiently transfecting miRNA precursor mimics or inhibitors that map to several regions of neuroblastoma loss of heterozygosity (LOH) (1p36, 3p22 and 11q23-24) or gain (17q23) into cell lines having these genomic aberrations. Using the real-time quantitative ACEA RT-CES microelectronic cell sensor system we were able to monitor the growth effect of the various mimics continuously for 100 hours after transfection. We found that miR-34a (1p36) transfected into 5 out of 6 cell lines with 1p36 hemizygous deletion had profound growth inhibition in a dose dependent fashion compared to the miRNA mimic control. There was no growth inhibition by the miR-34a mimic transfected into 3 out of 4 cell lines without 1p36 deletion, but profound inhibition by the positive control PLK1 siRNA. We performed quantitative realtime stem-loop RT-PCR of miR-34a and an internal control small nucleolar RNA RNU43 to determine the endogenous miRNA levels of the cell lines. The neuroblastoma cell lines with 1p36 LOH had substantially lower amounts of miR-34a than the cell lines without 1p36 LOH (average 0.649 vs. 6.67 relative expression) and those with the greatest growth inhibition by the miR-34a mimics had absent miR-34a expression. We then examined miR-34a expression levels in 55 primary neuroblastoma patient tumors whose genomic copy number aberrations were characterized on the Illumina HumanHap 550 SNP array platform. We found a strong correlation between miR-34a expression level and 1p36 allelic status (p=0.045). Together, these results suggest that the microRNA miR-34a is a candidate 1p36 tumor suppressor oncomir in the pediatric cancer neuroblastoma. Efforts are ongoing to identify the targets of this miRNA using a proteomic approach as well as evaluations of candidate oncomirs mapping to other chromosomal regions somatically altered during the malignant evolution of high-risk neuroblastomas.
(Im)mobile and (Un)successful? A policy mobilities approach to New Orleans’s residential security taxing districts:

Policy mobilities scholars critically analyze the processes of assemblage, mobilization, and mutation that shape policy circuits, but have been critiqued for an over-emphasis on successful and mobi...