cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does phospholipid methylation play a role in the primary mechanism of action of nerve growth factor

: Nerve growth factor (NGF)-untreated (naive) and neurite-bearing NGF-treated (“primed”) PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells were used as model system to study the role of phospholipid methylation in the NGF mechanism of action. The neurite-bearing cultures were deprived of NGF for 3 h before experimentation. Under both experimental conditions, the cells were labelled with [methyl-3H]methionine and then challenged with NGF for time periods ranging from 5 s to 30 min. Methylated phospholipids were extracted and then resolved and identified by TLC as phosphatidyl mono-, di-, and trimethyl ethanolamine. Quantification of the amount of radioactivity incorporated into each of the phospholipids indicated that NGF does not significantly alter phospholipid methylation either in naive or in neurite-bearing cells. Furthermore, using a methyltransferase inhibitor, it was found that neurite outgrowth still occurs when phospholipid methylation is almost completely blocked. These results indicate that phospholipid methylation does not play a primary role in the mechanism of action of NGF.
BDNF Val66Met polymorphism significantly affects d′ in verbal recognition memory at short and long delays

A functional polymorphism at the val66met locus in the BDNF gene has significant effects on the pro-form of the protein in intracellular trafficking and activity-dependent, but not constitutive, secretion. These differences are thought to underlie several findings in humans related to this polymorphism, including markers of neuronal viability, BOLD activation in medial temporal lobe regions, and some aspects of behavior. However, many important questions remain about the impact of BDNF on various mnemonic subprocesses at the behavioral level. In this study, we examined the impact of the val/met polymorphism in a verbal recognition memory paradigm involving manipulation of depth of encoding and differential delays for recall and analyses of hits for previously presented target words and correct rejections of foils. Twenty-four human val homozygous individuals and 24 met carrier individuals comprised the sample. All were healthy controls. IQ between the groups was equivalent. In the encoding phase of the study, words were presented and encoded either by a decision as to whether they were living or nonliving ("deep") or if they contained the letter "A" (shallow). After this phase, recognition was tested immediately, half an hour, and 24h later. BDNF genotype had significant effects on hits and discriminability (d'), accounting for at least 10% of the variance, but not on correct rejections or beta. BDNF did not interact with level of encoding, nor did it interact with delay. In sum, BDNF genotypes impacted "hits" in a recognition memory paradigm, findings consistent with the general notion that BDNF plays a prominent role in memory subprocesses thought to engage the medial temporal lobe.
Surface auditory evoked potentials in the unrestrained rat: component definition

Abstract Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) to click and pure tone stimuli were recorded in unrestrained, unanesthetized rats. The middle latency rat AEPs (N17, P23, N38) had midline scalp distributions similar to human MAEPs and were recorded to within 15 dB above BAEP threshold. In contrast to human MAEPs, rat MAEPs were decreased in amplitude at high stimulation rates and only the N17 component was unaltered by slow wave sleep. The longer latency N50, N80 and P130 components had several response properties comparable to human N100-P200 vertex potentials. These included restricted midline fronto-central scalp distributions, progressive increases in amplitude at ISIs up to 4–8 sec and marked atte nuation during slow wave sleep. The frequency sensitivity of the rat AEP revealed a decreased response to pure tones below 4 kHz but robust responses for stimuli up to at least 45 kHz. There was a notch in the rat audiogram with decremented component amplitudes to pure tone stimuli centered at 35 kHz. When equated for intensity, click and pure tone stimuli in the range of the rats maximal audiometric sensitivity (8–20 kHz) generated comparable AEP components. These results provide normative data on rat surface recorded AEPs. It is suggested that these surface recorded rat AEPs are generated by subcortical neural systems involved in the detection of auditory transients.
Cross-racial Recognition and Age: When You're Over 60, Do They Still "All Look Alike?":

Research involving college students has identified the existence of an "own-race bias" such that people tend to recognize facial pictures of members of their own race better than pictures of members of another racial group. Some theorists have assumed that this bias is greater among whites than among minority group members, although the research evidence is mixed. In the present study, the responses of elderly blacks and whites (mean age 72) were investigated. A significant race of subject by race of picture interaction was found, similar to that found with college students. The extent of own-race bias was significant for elderly black subjects but not for elderly whites. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Visualising e-business stakeholders on the Web: a methodology and experimental results

Competition among e-businesses has become ever more fierce as electronic commerce is gaining wide acceptance. Meanwhile, effectively collecting and analysing competitive intelligence has challenged researchers and practitioners. This research proposed and validated a new methodology for developing competitive intelligence tools to support e-business stakeholder analysis. We developed a prototype that supports collecting, analysing, and visualising stakeholder Web pages and relationships. Experimental results show that the prototype significantly outperformed a traditional method of stakeholder analysis in terms of user satisfaction and effectiveness on certain task types. This research thus provides a useful methodology and new empirical findings for e-business stakeholder analysis.
Binary optical true-time delay based on the white cell: design and demonstration

An optical true-time delay device that uses a binary counting system in a modified White cell is demonstrated. The switching engine uses four spherical mirrors and a three-state digital micromirror array. The delay part, as designed, provides 6 bits of delay ranging from 78 ps to 5 ns, using a combination of dielectric blocks for short delays and lens trains for longer ones. Long lens trains are folded for compactness. The authors describe the design and demonstrate two of the 6 bits of delays experimentally. Delays were accurate to within the measurement resolution of 1.25 ps. The insertion loss varied from 3.1-5.2 dB, depending on delay. It was found that the micromirrors do not contribute significantly to the loss.
The Problems of Identifications of Phillipsite and Gismondine;Crystal Structures and X-Ray Diffraction Patterns

Species P has similar X-ray powder patterns to those for gismondine and phillipsite. As for polycrystalline zeolitic materials with low crystallinity, such as so called species P, the diffraction peaks from the different planes, whose d-spacing are closely resemble, overlap with each other, and show only a few broad lines. The structural differcnces between phillipsite and gismondine are discussed based on the reported space groups and X-ray powder data, and the sine qua non for the X-ray powder data for phillipsite was deduced.
Neuropeptidomic components generated by proteomic functions in secretory vesicles for cell-cell communication.

Diverse neuropeptides participate in cell–cell communication to coordinate neuronal and endocrine regulation of physiological processes in health and disease. Neuropeptides are short peptides ranging in length from ~3 to 40 amino acid residues that are involved in biological functions of pain, stress, obesity, hypertension, mental disorders, cancer, and numerous health conditions. The unique neuropeptide sequences define their specific biological actions. Significantly, this review article discusses how the neuropeptide field is at the crest of expanding knowledge gained from mass-spectrometry-based neuropeptidomic studies, combined with proteomic analyses for understanding the biosynthesis of neuropeptidomes. The ongoing expansion in neuropeptide diversity lies in the unbiased and global mass-spectrometry-based approaches for identification and quantitation of peptides. Current mass spectrometry technology allows definition of neuropeptide amino acid sequence structures, profiling of multiple neuropeptides in normal and disease conditions, and quantitative peptide measures in biomarker applications to monitor therapeutic drug efficacies. Complementary proteomic studies of neuropeptide secretory vesicles provide valuable insight into the protein processes utilized for neuropeptide production, storage, and secretion. Furthermore, ongoing research in developing new computational tools will facilitate advancements in mass-spectrometry-based identification of small peptides. Knowledge of the entire repertoire of neuropeptides that regulate physiological systems will provide novel insight into regulatory mechanisms in health, disease, and therapeutics.
WAR AND THE THREE FACES OF POWER: WAR MAKING AND STATE MAKING IN EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS

This analysis tests the effects of war as an agent of social change by examining its impact on state building on a cross-sectional sample of 44 interstate and 19 civil wars from 1815-1954, involving 28 European and American states. At its core, what distinguishes this analysis from previous research of the war-state-building relationship is its treatment of both war and state building as multidimensional phenomena that interact in a world of socioeconomic and institutional complexity rather than strict empirical isolation. This analysis is scientifically progressive in the sense that it both confirms many old hypotheses and generates some new propositions in the process. Most important for future research is the finding that the systemic theory of Rasler and Thompson and the collective goods thesis of Olson are necessary, but not sufficient, explanations of the war-state-building relationship. The level of resource mobilization, the extent of socioeconomic destruction, as well as prewar societal character...
New interpretations of shock‐associated noise with and without screech

Anomalous trends in present convergent nozzle (Mach 1) shock‐associated noise analyses and predictions, with particular emphasis on the roles of screech and jet temperature, are discussed. Experimentally measured values of shock‐associated noise are used to reassess data trends, including both frequency and sound pressure level. The data band used includes both model‐scale nozzles, varying in nominal diameter from 5 to 13 cm, and full‐scale engine nozzles up to 48 cm. All data were obtained at static conditions. From this reassessment of the measured data, new empirical methods for the prediction of shock‐associated noise are developed. Separate procedures are presented for screech‐free and screech‐contaminated shock‐associated noise. In the present approach, shock‐associated noise spectra are developed from considerations that include the peak frequency and sound pressure level of the shock noise, the low‐frequency sound pressure level slope, and the high‐frequency sound pressure level roll‐off; the latter is shown to vary with directivity angle.
X-ray absorption spectra for transition metal high-κ dielectrics: Final state differences for intra- and inter-atomic transitions

This article applies x-ray absorption spectroscopy to a study of the electronic structure of the high-k gate dielectrics, TiO2, ZrO2, and HfO2. Qualitative and quantitative differences are identified between intra-atomic transitions such as the Zr 3p-state, M2,3 core state absorptions which terminate in TM 4d*- and 5s*-states, and inter-atomic transitions such as the Zr 1s- and O 1s-state K1 absorptions which terminate in Zr 4d*- and 5s*-states that are mixed with O atom 2p* states through nearest neighbor bonding interactions. Differences between the spectral peak energies of the lowest d*-features in the O K1 spectra are demonstrated to scale with optical band gap differences for TiO2, ZrO2, and HfO2, providing important information relevant to applications of TM oxides as high-κ gate dielectrics in advanced Si devices. This is demonstrated through additional scaling relationships between (i) conduction band offset energies between Si and the respective dielectrics, and the optical band gaps, and (ii) t...
Human Development in Societal Context

Low family socioeconomic position is a net of related conditions— low income, material deprivation, single-parent family structure, low educational level, minority ethnic group membership, and immigrant status. According to ecological theory, proximal contexts experienced by children, including family, material resources, out-of-school experiences, schools, neighborhoods, and peers, are mediators of poverty effects. Developmental timing of exposure to poverty conditions and the processes by which effects occur differ for cognitive and social domains of development. Understanding how contexts combine and interact is as important as understanding their independent influences. Effects may be cumulative, but advantages in one context can also ameliorate disadvantages in others. Although research is typically based on unidirectional causal models, the relations between the developing child and the contexts he or she experiences are reciprocal and transactional. Finally, although income inequality has increased greatly, little is known about the influences of relative poverty and social inequality on human development.
Chlorine-ozone interactions: Formation of chlorate

The chlorate ion is one of the contaminants being considered for regulation in drinking water under the disinfection by-product rule. In addition to its presence in water as a result of chlorine dioxide use, chlorate may be formed during intermediate ozonation if residual chlorine is present. The majority of chlorate forms through a free radical pathway in natural source waters as opposed to by both molecular ozone and free radical pathways in low-DOC waters. The monitoring of OH radicals using p-chlorobenzoic acid indicated that the formation of chlorate is proportional to OH radical generation. The increase in pH favored chlorate formation and the presence of alkalinity enhanced chlorate formation due to secondary reactions between carbonate radicals and chlorine species. The addition of ammonia and peroxide before ozonation reduced chlorate formation whereas the simultaneous addition of peroxide during ozonation enhanced chlorate formation.
The ontological status of autonomous underwater vehicle fleets

Collective behavior differs essentially from aggregate individual behavior. Multiple agents acting collectively are capable of performing certain behaviors that cannot be reduced to the behaviors of multiple agents acting individually. When multiple agents perform behaviors, they can be acting collectively and so be characterized as one entity. Ant colonies are generally thought to behave as a single entity rather than as a mere aggregate of individuals, and human social behavior also exhibits advantages over aggregate individual behavior. Recent research has shown the advantages of single entity, collective behavior, known as "emergent behavior", over aggregate sum behavior. In modeling the behaviors of multiple agents, we argue that emergent behavior must be characterized collectively. Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) fleets are collectives of autonomous vehicles with behaviors emerging at a fleet level. For this reason, the AUV behavior designer ought to distinguish between individual behavior and collective, fleet behaviors and use this in a dynamic and bi-level approach to structuring the pursuit of mission objectives.
Considering the Nature of Wilderness Reflections on Roderick Nash’s Wilderness and the American Mind

Roderick Nash helped to define the field of environmental history with his 1967 book, Wilderness and the American Mind. Nash’s work examines the transition of American attitudes toward wilderness from hostility to recognition of the need to create and protect wilderness as places where humans may go but should not stay. This piece considers both Nash’s work and the continued relevance and impact of his ideas. The objective way Nash describes wilderness as a pristine place through much of his work has become increasingly problematic as scholars consider the ways in which humans construct and reconstruct different and often contradictory conceptualizations of nature. Although Nash’s work does not definitively explore the idea of wilderness and its modern significance, it does provide a foundational consideration of the way Americans have interacted with the concept of a reality not modified by human industry, culture, or technology.
Decellularization method influences early remodeling of an allogenic tissue scaffold.

Extracellular matrix-based biomaterials are currently pursued as an alternative to autologous transplants for the treatment of gingival recession and periodontal disease. These grafts offer improved tissue regeneration without the need for a second operative procedure used in current treatments to remove nonresorbable synthetic biomaterials. However, while decellularization is necessary to minimize the potential immu- nological impact, it can significantly modify the materials architectural and biochemical properties. By understanding cellular responses, it is possible to more specifically target varying clinical situations. These investigations assess a novel allogenic scaffold derived from the human umbilical vein and determine the effects of two decellularization approaches (os- motic lysis and the surfactant Triton X-100) on the biological and mechanical properties during early remodeling events. Results show Triton X-100 to be significantly more effective at extracting lipids, while the extraction of the scaffolds bulk pro- tein, GAG and DNA similar between the two treatments. Once seeded, scaffolds prepared with osmotic lysis displayed increased cellular proliferation and reduced metabolic activity compared to scaffolds treated with surfactant. Biomechanical properties were largely preserved and similar between the two treatments. These results suggest that by optimizing scaffold processing conditions, biological events associated with remodeling can be modulated to tailor scaffold function for specific clinical applications. V C 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 00A: 000-000, 2013.
An empirical study of the performance and productivity of two parallel programming models

The choice of parallel programming models and languages is a major factor in program performance and programmer productivity in HPC. However, evaluation of their relative merits is usually done based on conventional wisdom and subjective beliefs. We present a quantitative approach to evaluate such hypotheses statistically and validate them with empirical data. We apply this approach to compare two languages representing the message passing (MPI) and shared memory programming (UPC) paradigms. We formulate hypothesis tests for comparing the performance and productivity of these two models and evaluate them with data from observational studies of HPC programmers. We present and analyze several results, some of which are statistically significant, that demonstrate the promise of empirical evaluation in HPC development.
Electrical characteristics and thermal stability of W, WSiN, and Nb contacts to p-and n- type GaN

A comprehensive annealing study of W, WSiN, and Nb refractory contacts to both p- and n-GaN was performed. Samples were examined by current-voltage (I-V) measurements. Both W and Nb contacts to n-GaN showed rectifying characteristics with Schottky barrier heights (qoB) of 0.63 eV. For p-GaN, the I-V curves showed very leaky behavior. In contrast, I-V curves of WSiN/n-GaN were very leaky while those of WSiN/p-GaN were rectifying with qoB of 0.8 eV. The degradation temperature of both W and WSiN contacts was 700°C and that of Nb contacts was 300°C.
Harmonic Analysis of Linac Alignment

An analysis is being performed of the requirements on alignment of the focusing elements (quadrupole doublets) in the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) side coupled linac. The analysis is performed in terms of harmonics of the quadrupole spacing. This allows one to determine the effect of intentional deviations from a straight line, such as following the curvature of the Earth, and of unintentional deviations introduced by measurement and alignment errors.
Pragmatic pharmacology: population pharmacokinetic analysis of fentanyl using remnant samples from children after cardiac surgery

Aims One barrier contributing to the lack of pharmacokinetic (PK) data in paediatric populations is the need for serial sampling. Analysis of clinically obtained specimens and data may overcome this barrier. To add evidence for the feasibility of this approach, we sought to determine PK parameters for fentanyl in children after cardiac surgery using specimens and data generated in the course of clinical care, without collecting additional blood samples. Methods We measured fentanyl concentrations in plasma from leftover clinically-obtained specimens in 130 paediatric cardiac surgery patients and successfully generated a PK dataset using drug dosing data extracted from electronic medical records. Using a population PK approach, we estimated PK parameters for this population, assessed model goodness-of-fit and internal model validation, and performed subset data analyses. Through simulation studies, we compared predicted fentanyl concentrations using model-driven weight-adjusted per kg vs. fixed per kg fentanyl dosing. Results Fentanyl clearance for a 6.4 kg child, the median weight in our cohort, is 5.7 l h–1 (2.2–9.2 l h–1), similar to values found in prior formal PK studies. Model assessment and subset analyses indicated the model adequately fit the data. Of the covariates studied, only weight significantly impacted fentanyl kinetics, but substantial inter-individual variability remained. In simulation studies, model-driven weight-adjusted per kg fentanyl dosing led to more consistent therapeutic fentanyl concentrations than fixed per kg dosing. Conclusions We show here that population PK modelling using sparse remnant samples and electronic medical records data provides a powerful tool for assessment of drug kinetics and generation of individualized dosing regimens.
Female reproductive success in a species with an age‐inversed hierarchy

In most group-living mammals, reproductive success declines with increasing age and increases with increasing rank. Such effects have mainly been studied in matrilineal and in "age positive" hierarchies, which are stable and in which high ranking females often outperform low ranking ones. These relationships are less well-understood in age-inversed dominance hierarchies, in which a female's rank changes over time. We analyzed demographic data of 2 wild, unprovisioned groups of gray langurs (Semnopithecus schistaceus) near Ramnagar, Nepal covering periods of 5 years each. Female rank was unstable and age-inversed. We measured reproductive success via birth rates (57 births), infant survival (proportion of infants surviving to 2 years) and number of offspring surviving to 2 years of age (successful births) for 3 age and 3 rank classes. We found that old females performed significantly worse than expected (birth rate P = 0.04; successful births P = 0.03). The same was true for low ranking females (P = 0.04, and P < 0.01, respectively). Infant survival was highest for young and middle-aged as well as for high and middle ranking females. Overall, the results for these unstable hierarchies were rather similar to those for stable hierarchies of other mammals, particularly several nonhuman primates. Compared to a provisioned population of a closely related species, the wild and unprovisioned population examined (i) showed stronger age effects, while (ii) female reproductive success was equally affected by rank. Future comparative studies are needed to examine whether captive or provisioned populations deviate predictably from wild populations.
Characteristics of resonant actuators for flow control

The structural and fluid characteristics of resonant actuators for applications in flow control are investigated. The test case is a membrane device which provides the detailed characteristics that allow general conclusions to be drawn regarding this family of actuators. The Stokes' parameter based on the exit nozzle governs the jet characteristics, leading to a critical value below which viscous effects dominate and an optimum value at which the actuator attains its peak performance. The efficiency of the device is also examined and values above 90% are obtained for a well fabricated device operating at a suitably high Stokes' parameter. A sub-surface actuator with a narrow exit slit was built and placed in a flat plate laminar boundary layer to determine the evolution of its output jet structure. The streamwise vortices created by this device are seen to lift up as they progress downstream at an approximate angle of 10°. Preliminary results in a turbulent boundary layer are also discussed and show the breakup of scales in the buffer region and an increase of 8% in the skewness. Scaling arguments show that the actuator size should scale with the local momentum thickness for a given Reynolds number to maintain its resolution in a turbulent boundary layer.
Reading the French Revolution: A Reply

Madelyn Gutwirth and ColinJones have generously opened the door to this further discussion by providing perceptive and provocative accounts of my efforts to read the significance of the French Revolution in terms of a familial model of politics. I am very grateful to them for paying such close attention to my arguments, especially since they have each written important works addressing some (and in Gutwirth's case, many) of the same issues.' They raise several potential points of dialogue, too many to take up in a sustained fashion in this forum. I will limit myself to five major issues laid out in the course of their commentaries: (1) the ontological status, as it were, of the family romance; (2) the position of fathers; (3) the role of women; (4) my use of Sade; and (5) the place of the social and the longue duree in these issues. These are all part of the same mega-question, which, judging by the responses, has obviously been left at least partially unanswered in my book: just how does the family romance function inside the heads and lives of individual people, and how does it operate to transform preexisting social and linguistic codes or patterns into revolutionary political and social actions? I will consequently concentrate on the first issue-the ontological status of the family romance-referring to the others as I develop my argument. It is not surprising that historians have been most troubled as a disciplinary group with my use of the category "family romance," for the term is largely unfamiliar in historical writing; moreover, any label associated with Freud tends to raise historians' hackles. Literary critics, on the other hand, have deployed the notion of family
Isolated lunocapitate osteoarthritis-an alternative pattern of osteoarthritis.

Introduction Osteoarthritis (OA) in the wrist usually develops in a pattern described as scapholunate advanced collapse (SLAC). We observed an alternative pattern of OA that involves the lunocapitate joint in isolation with minimal involvement of the radioscaphoid articulation. Case Series The series was observed from a series of 100 wrist radiographs that were retrospectively reviewed. In order to characterize the alternative pattern of OA, we compared demographic data, presentation, and physical and radiographic examination characteristics between the patients with lunocapitate OA and SLAC wrists. Fifteen radiographs showed OA, nine had a SLAC pattern, and six had lunocapitate OA. The demographics were similar, but the clinical presentation was different. The patients with lunocapitate OA had less tenderness over the snuffbox (P < 0.03), and a lower percentage of a positive scaphoid shift test (P < 0.005). Isolated lunocapitate OA had a higher association with scaphotrapeziotrapezoidal (STT) arthritis (P < 0.004). The SLAC group had an increased scapholunate gap (P = 0.0003). Discussion The presentation of lunocapitate OA differs from SLAC wrist in a number of ways. Further study is necessary to understand the clinical implications of this pattern. Level IV evidence Case series.
Label-free vascular imaging in a spontaneous hamster cheek pouch carcinogen model for pre-cancer detection(Conference Presentation)

Inducing angiogenesis is one hallmark of cancer. Tumor induced neovasculature is often characterized as leaky, tortuous and chaotic, unlike a highly organized normal vasculature. Additionally, in the course of carcinogenesis, angiogenesis precedes a visible lesion. Tumor cannot grow beyond 1-2 mm in diameter without inducing angiogenesis. Therefore, capturing the event of angiogenesis may aid early detection of pre-cancer –important for better treatment prognoses in regions that lack the resources to manage invasive cancer. In this study, we imaged the neovascularization in vivo in a spontaneous hamster cheek pouch carcinogen model using a, non-invasive, label-free, high resolution, reflected-light spectral darkfield microscope. Hamsters’ cheek pouches were painted with 7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) to induce pre-cancerous to cancerous changes, or mineral oil as control. High resolution spectral darkfield images were obtained over the course of pre-cancer development and in control cheek pouches. The vasculature was segmented with a multi-scale Gabor filter with an 85% accuracy compared with manually traced masks. Highly tortuous vasculature was observed only in the DMBA treated cheek pouches as early as 6 weeks of treatment. In addition, the highly tortuous vessels could be identified before a visible lesion occurred later during the treatment. The vessel patterns as determined by the tortuosity index were significantly different from that of the control cheek pouch. This preliminary study suggests that high-resolution darkfield microscopy is promising tool for pre-cancer and early cancer detection in low resource settings.
Study of Extremely Low Rate Coding Technique for Deep-Space Communication System

For the long communication distance,big signal attenuation and so on in deep-space communication system under extremely low SNR(Signal to Noise Ratio) condition,the demand for low-rate code is expounded,and based on description of the development of low-rate code,GLDPC code is introduced,and the problem of degree-1 nodes in cascade connection of LDPC code and Hadamard code is analyzed.LDPC-Hadamard cascade code is optimized and simulated,and the simulation results show that the low-rate LDPC-Hadamard code performs fairly well and could to some extent,meet the demands of deep-space communication system under extremely low SNR conditions.
Association Between Markers of Inflammation and Total Stroke by Hypertensive Status Among Women

Background Markers of systemic inflammation (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP], soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 [sICAM-1], and fibrinogen) have been associated with a greater risk of total and ischemic stroke, in addition to elevated blood pressure. However, the role of these inflammatory markers on stroke pathophysiology by hypertension status is uncertain. Methods Blood samples were collected and assayed for hsCRP, sICAM-1, and fibrinogen among 27,330 initially healthy women from the Women's Health Study, and women were followed up from 1992 to 2013. Prior to randomization, the baseline questionnaire collected self-reported hypertension status, cardiovascular risk factors, and lifestyle factors. New cases of total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke were updated annually through questionnaires and confirmed by medical records according to the National Survey of Stroke criteria. Multivariable Cox models estimated overall associations between each inflammatory marker and stroke and separately stratified by hypertension status. Results We observed 629 incident total strokes over 477,278 person-years. In adjusted analyses, extreme quartiles of hsCRP and sICAM-1 were each associated with a significantly greater risk of total stroke (hsCRP: hazard ratios [HR] = 1.77, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39-2.26; sICAM-1: HR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.00-1.63). Fibrinogen was not associated with a significantly greater stroke risk. In analyses stratified by hypertension status, elevated hsCRP was associated with a nonstatistically significant greater risk of total stroke among prehypertensive and hypertensive women. Conclusions These data indicate that hsCRP and sICAM-1 are associated with hypertension status and stroke risk among women. Further work should examine the role of inflammatory markers on ischemic stroke subtypes and clarify mechanisms.
DNA sequencing by capillary electrophoresis using short oligonucleotide primer libraries.

Two strategies for DNA sequencing by primer walking using short oligonucleotide primer libraries have been successfully employed along with capillary electrophoresis using replaceable polymer solut...
Abstract 570: Long-term efficacy and downstream mechanism of anti-Annexin A2 monoclonal antibody in a pre-clinical model of aggressive human breast cancer

Abstract: There are considerable direct evidences to support that calcium binding protein ANX A2 is a potential target for aggressive breast cancer. The most compelling evidence is based on the fact that ANX A2 overexpress specifically in aggressive triple negative human breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines as well as in human breast cancer tissues. Previously, we and others have demonstrated a unique role of ANX A2 in cancer invasion including breast cancer. Moreover we demonstrated that anti-ANX A2 monoclonal antibody (anti-ANX A2mAb)-mediated immunoneutralization of ANX A2 inhibited invasive human breast growth in a xenograft model. We further evaluated long-term effect of multiple treatments of anti-ANX A2mAb and its mechanism of inhibition of human breast tumor growth. We now show that three treatments of anti-ANX A2mAb showed significant inhibition of breast tumor growth in immunodeficient mice and anti-tumor response was started from day 94. After treatments, we followed tumor growth for 172 days and our results demonstrated 67% inhibition of tumor growth without detectable adverse effects. Biochemical analysis demonstrated anti-ANX A2mAb treatment caused significant inhibition of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) synthesis in the tumor microenvironment. This led to disruption of plasmin generation that consequently inhibited activation of MMP-9 and MMP-2. These results suggest that ANX A2 plays an important role in aggressive breast tumor growth by regulating proteolytic pathway in the tumor microenvironment. ANX A2 may represent a new target for the development of therapeutics for the treatment of aggressive breast cancer. Citation Format: Mahesh C. Sharma, George P. Tuszynski, Marc R. Blackman, Meena Sharma. Long-term efficacy and downstream mechanism of anti-Annexin A2 monoclonal antibody in a pre-clinical model of aggressive human breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 570.
Enhanced serotonin signaling stimulates ordered intestinal mucosal growth.

Abstract Background Significant quantities of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) are found in the intestine, and studies have demonstrated that 5-HT can stimulate enterocyte cell division, suggesting regulatory roles in mucosal homeostasis and intestinal adaptation. We hypothesized that excess enteric 5-HT signaling enhances mucosal growth without changing intestinal villous cellular makeup. Methods Mice lacking the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT) and wild-type littermates (WTLM) were euthanized and their ileum analyzed. Villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD), and enterocyte height (EH) were measured. Enterocyte cell division was measured using Ki-67 immunofluorescence to calculate crypt proliferation index (CPI). Cellular distribution along villi was investigated by immunofluorescent staining for enterocytes, enteroendocrine cells, and goblet cells. Group measurements were compared using t -test and chi-squared test. Results SERT knock-out (SERTKO) mice had significantly taller villi, deeper crypts, and taller enterocytes compared with WTLM ( P P P > 0.05). Conclusions Enhancing 5-HT signaling in mice increases VH, CD, EH, and crypt cell proliferation in the intestinal mucosa. 5-HT-associated growth did not alter the cellular composition of the villi. Serotonin may represent an important physiologic regulator of intestinal growth and adaptation and holds promise as a target for therapies aimed at enhancing intestinal recovery after injury or mucosal surface area loss.
Reduced-Scale Transition-Edge Sensor Detectors for Solar and X-Ray Astrophysics

We have developed large-format, close-packed X-ray microcalorimeter arrays fabricated on solid substrates, designed to achieve high energy resolution with count rates up to a few hundred counts per second per pixel for X-ray photon energies up to 8 keV. Our most recent arrays feature 31-micron absorbers on a 35-micron pitch, reducing the size of pixels by about a factor of two. This change will enable an instrument with significantly higher angular resolution. In order to wire out large format arrays with an increased density of smaller pixels, we have reduced the lateral size of both the microstrip wiring and the Mo/Au transition-edge sensors (TES). We report on the key physical properties of these small TESs and the fine Nb leads attached, including the critical currents and weak-link properties associated with the longitudinal proximity effect.
lajjA in Indian Psychology: Spiritual, Social, and Literary Perspectives

The concept of lajjA is developed by (i) examining dictionary meanings, synonyms, and antonyms of the word in sanskrit and hindi, and (ii) analyzing its usage in two popular scriptural texts, the bhagavadgItA and drugA saptazatI. Following this, its use in literature is examined in kAmAyanI, a modern hindi mahAkAvya or epic. Further, the use of lajjA in daily communication and proverbs is examined. This multi-method approach resulted in a thick-description of the concept, showing that lajjA has both internal and external aspects and synthesizes guilt and shame, which have been viewed as distinct and non-overlapping constructs in the western literature. Further, lajjA emerges as an important virtue that guides human behavior. The belief that there are guilt-cultures and shame-cultures is challenged, and implications of this concept for global psychology are discussed.
A Pulse-Based Integrated Communication and Control Design for Decentralized Collective Motion Coordination

Decentralized collective motion coordination is fundamental in systems as diverse as mobile sensor networks, swarm robotics, autonomous vehicles, and animal groups. In motion coordination, to conform to the discontinuous message exchange that can only be conducted at discrete-time instants, existing approaches addressing motion coordination usually perform continuous control design followed by discretization-based implementation. This two-stage strategy, however, can be problematic since discretization can harm or even destabilize the controller designed in the continuous-time domain. Inspired by pulse-based interaction in flashing fireflies and firing neurons, we propose an integrated communication and control approach for the motion coordination. The approach circumvents discretization and can guarantee the original control design performance in final implementation. Its communication only employs simple and identical pulses, which significantly reduces processing latency and communication delay compared with conventional packet-based communications. Not only can heading control be achieved in the proposed approach to coordinate the headings (orientations) of motions in a network, but also spacing control for circular motion is achievable to design the spacing between neighboring nodes (e.g., vehicles or robots).
Quantifying the effect of hydrogen on dislocation dynamics: A three-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics framework

Abstract We present a new framework to quantify the effect of hydrogen on dislocations using large scale three-dimensional (3D) discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) simulations. In this model, the first order elastic interaction energy associated with the hydrogen-induced volume change is accounted for. The three-dimensional stress tensor induced by hydrogen concentration, which is in equilibrium with respect to the dislocation stress field, is derived using the Eshelby inclusion model, while the hydrogen bulk diffusion is treated as a continuum process. This newly developed framework is utilized to quantify the effect of different hydrogen concentrations on the dynamics of a glide dislocation in the absence of an applied stress field as well as on the spacing between dislocations in an array of parallel edge dislocations. A shielding effect is observed for materials having a large hydrogen diffusion coefficient, with the shield effect leading to the homogenization of the shrinkage process leading to the glide loop maintaining its circular shape, as well as resulting in a decrease in dislocation separation distances in the array of parallel edge dislocations. On the other hand, for materials having a small hydrogen diffusion coefficient, the high hydrogen concentrations around the edge characters of the dislocations act to pin them. Higher stresses are required to be able to unpin the dislocations from the hydrogen clouds surrounding them. Finally, this new framework can open the door for further large scale studies on the effect of hydrogen on the different aspects of dislocation-mediated plasticity in metals. With minor modifications of the current formulations, the framework can also be extended to account for general inclusion-induced stress field in discrete dislocation dynamics simulations.
The Role of Chinese American Librarians in Library and Information Science Diversity

With a goal to examine the role of Chinese American librarians in Library and Information Science (LIS) diversity in the 21 st century, the authors conducted a study funded by the ALA (American Library Association) Diversity Research Program between 2013 and 2014. This study included a national survey of CALA (Chinese American Librarians Association) members and qualitative semi-structured interviews of ten selected survey participants (both senior and emerging leaders of CALA members). Despite some limitations of the study, the research findings document best practices and lessons learned among Chinese American librarians to inform and improve the diversity initiative, namely by increasing CALA’s leadership training and mentorship opportunities, improving communication and cultural understanding, and developing connections with other people or organizations with diversity agendas. The findings have provided fruitful ideas to CALA in many ways especially its 2020 strategic planning, collaboration with other organizations and Leadership Training initiatives occurring between 2015 and 2017. The findings also suggest strategies for the recruitment and retention of Chinese American librarians to the LIS field. The findings and outcomes also provide much needed evidence to increase the role of Chinese American librarians in the diversity efforts that support 2017 ALA’s Strategic Directions: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
Our Other Prescription Drug Problem

Our Other Prescription Drug Problem The adverse effects of benzodiazepine overuse, misuse, and addiction continue to go largely unnoticed. Efforts to reduce overprescribing of opioids and educate the medical and lay communities about their risks could be expanded to target benzodiazepines as well.
Pulp flow visualization using NMR imaging

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the pulp flow visualization using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging. The problems involved with visualizing pulp flow are those that arise while investigating the flow of most opaque materials, including suspensions. When using the most common flow visualization or measurement techniques, such as laser Doppler anemometry, opacity effectively limits the maximum concentrations at which the experiments can be performed. NMR imaging, on the other hand, is a non-invasive technique that, among other things, allows velocity measurement in systems where classical techniques are not suitable either because of opacity or the presence of a solid phase. This technique is explored to observe the flow of cellulose fiber suspensions undergoing steady pressure-driven flows in tubes. NMR imaging is based on the paramagnetic properties of the nuclei. Atomic nuclei are characterized by states that are inherently quantum mechanical in their behavior. In an NMR imaging experiment, signals are obtained by having radio frequency pulses and magnetic field gradient pulses interact with the spin system positioned in a static magnetic field.
Methods for the Isolation and Structural Characterization of Hepatocyte Gap Junctions

Electron microscopy has revealed several different kinds of morphologically distinguishable plasma membrane modifications which are involved in cell-cell interactions. In general, these specialized sites at the cell surface, collectively called intercellular junctions, may be divided into three broad functional categories: (1) those involved in intercellular adhesion, e.g., the desmosome, (2) those involved in regulating transepithelial permeability, e.g., the zonula occludens, and (3) those involved in intercellular communication, e.g., the chemical synapse and the gap junction.
Anomalous Diffusion in Disordered Clusters

Publisher Summary Transport in disordered clusters is a subject of considerable interest both in condensed matter physics and materials science. Physical realizations include diverse phenomena. Examples include conduction in granular metal-insulator composites; flow of fluids in porous media; information flow in flawed network; and heat flow in sintering. Another example is electrical conduction in so-called partially compensated semiconductors. This chapter discusses one aspect of the problem of diffusion in media with microscopic disorder in the highly disordered limit. This type of problem has general relevance for hopping transport on disordered clusters. The main focus is on the velocity–velocity and acceleration–acceleration autocorrelation functions for random walks taking place on disordered clusters. The standard Langevin treatment of Brownian motion implies a simple exponential decay in time for these autocorrelation functions. However, it turns out that there must be a long-time tail, which decays, in the case of the velocity-velocity autocorrelation function, more slowly than t-2 for so-called anomalous diffusion that occurs on fractal clusters. The velocity-velocity autocorrelation function is an interesting quantity from several perspectives. The chapter discusses the structure of the autocorrelation functions of random walks on disordered clusters on a lattice, that is, the kinematic aspect of the problem, and the modification needed for the usual Langevin approach to describe diffusion in disordered media, that is, a simple dynamic aspect of hopping transport. It outlines the connection between the discrete-time random walk models and continuous-time diffusion problems in order to discuss the frequency dependent aspects.