cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Noninvasive optical imaging of stem cell differentiation in biomaterials using photonic crystal surfaces

In this chapter, we describe recent advances in the noninvasive optical imaging of stem cells using photonic crystal label-free biosensor surfaces. Technological progress in bioengineering approaches now enables the sophisticated control of live cells in vitro. In such applications, stem cells are often selected as the cell source, as they have the capacity to expand to provide a large pool of cells with varying levels of self-renewal and differentiation potential (stem cells, progenitor cells, terminally differentiated cells) necessary to meet desired therapeutic goals. Precisely engineering stem cell fate decisions, however, has remained a challenge due to the lack of analytical tools that allow dynamic monitoring of heterogeneous stem cell populations in situ in real time at the single-cell level. Currently available technologies such as fluorescence labeling or clonal expansion assays are almost always end-point analyses of ensemble populations of cells that are expensive, labor intensive, and time delayed. New optical imaging tools may increasingly permit label-free imaging of live cells for subcellular-resolution quantification of cellular activities in real time. Noninvasive optical imaging using a nanostructured photonic crystal surface in place of an ordinary glass or plastic substrate for cell growth can be easily integrated into existing bioengineering platforms such as microfluidics or microarrays and can provide a novel, alternative approach to monitor single stem cell activities in vitro. Here, we first detail the principles of photonic crystal enhanced microscopy (PCEM) then offer a detailed rationale for developing new tools that enable monitoring and screening of increasingly small populations of stem cells in vitro. Finally, we close by describing efforts to apply PCEM to characterize stem cell differentiation events via adhesion-based metrics of stem cell differentiation.
Infants Actively Construct and Update Their Representations of Physical Events: Evidence from Change Detection by 12-Month-Olds

The present research investigates the effects of top-down information on 12-month-olds’ representations of physical events, focusing on their ability to detect an object change across different events. Infants this age typically fail to detect height changes in events with tubes even though they successfully do so in events with covers. In Experiment 1, infants who saw a tube event in which objects did not interact successfully detected a change in an object’s height, suggesting that object interaction affects infants’ categorization of physical events. Experiments 2 and 3 examined the fine-grained process of event representation. In Experiment 2, infants detected the change in the tube event if they were led by pretest exposure to believe that the event was conducted with a cover. In Experiment 3, infants who initially believed so updated their representation if shown a tube before object interaction occurred (but not after). Together, these findings provide new evidence that infants, like older children and adults, actively construct physical events. Whether they notice a change depends on their existing knowledge and the current representation of the event.
A Hypothalamic Leptin-Glutamate Interaction in the Regulation of Sympathetic Nerve Activity.

Accumulated evidence indicates that obesity-induced type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with enhanced sympathetic activation. The present study was conducted to investigate the role for leptin-glutamate signaling within the hypothalamus in regulating sympathetic nerve activity. In anesthetized rats, microinjections of leptin (5 ng ~ 100 ng) into the arcuate nucleus (ARCN) and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) induced increases in renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR). Prior microinjections of NMDA receptor antagonist AP5 (16 pmol) into the ARCN or PVN reduced leptin-induced increases in RSNA, BP, and HR in both ARCN and PVN. Knockdown of a leptin receptor with siRNA inhibited NMDA-induced increases in RSNA, BP, and HR in the ARCN but not in the PVN. Confocal calcium imaging in the neuronal NG108 and astrocytic C6 cells demonstrated that preincubation with leptin induced an increase in intracellular calcium green fluorescence when the cells were challenged with glutamate. In high-fat diet and low-dose streptozotocin-induced T2D rats, we found that leptin receptor and NMDA NR1 receptor expressions in the ARCN and PVN were significantly increased. In conclusion, these studies provide evidence that within the hypothalamic nuclei, leptin-glutamate signaling regulates the sympathetic activation. This may contribute to the sympathoexcitation commonly observed in obesity-related T2D.
Powertrain Energy Management for Autonomous Hybrid Electric Vehicles With Flexible Driveline Power Demand

The need for less fuel consumption and the trend of more autonomous vehicles together urge the power optimization in autonomous hybrid vehicles (HVs). However, in most existing research, the vehicle level control and the hybrid powertrain level energy management are treated as separate subjects, and the powertrain management control always follows the required power demand from the vehicle level controller. This fact significantly restricts achieving full fuel saving potential enabled by powertrain hybridization and vehicle autonomy. In this brief, we introduce a flexible power demand architecture, where we give flexibility to the driveline power demand so the powertrain control does not need to exactly track the power demand from the vehicle level. This can give an extra degree of freedom in the powertrain energy management so that better fuel economy can potentially be achieved. The focus of this brief is on a new powertrain management method that can effectively leverage this flexibility. First, the trajectory and power demand are obtained from the vehicle level control and are used as a baseline for hybrid powertrain energy management. Next, the powertrain management with flexible power demand problem is formulated by incorporating the baseline optimal trajectory. Finally, the optimization problem is solved using the Pontryagin’s minimum principle. By approximating the optimal instantaneous fuel consumption rate as a polynomial of the engine speed, the optimal conditions can be converted into a set of algebraic equations. To verify the efficacy of the proposed methodology, a motivating numerical example of multiple connected HVs in pursuit of a leader vehicle is considered.
Transgressive-phase barriers as indicators of basin-wide lake-level changes in late Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, Utah, USA

Abstract Lake Bonneville was the largest of the late Pleistocene pluvial lakes that once filled part of the Great Basin of the interior western United States. As the lake reached its highest level at the Bonneville shoreline and overflowed, it eroded through landslide deposits and alluvium near Red Rock Pass, Idaho, and quickly dropped over 100 m to the Provo shoreline. This unique flooding history and resulting rapid lake-level fall allows us to assume that all shorelines with elevations between the Bonneville and Provo levels (the intermediate shorelines) formed during the lake's transgressive phase. Various types of depositional features characterize the transgressive-phase shorelines, including barrier spits and bayhead barriers. This study uses 5 m auto-correlated digital elevation models (DEMs), airborne light detection and ranging (lidar), and ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys to measure the internal and external structure of intermediate barriers. Analysis of 102 barriers at 26 different locations further documents the lake's constructional shorelines while employing a statistical approach to show patterns in basin-wide lake levels. These methods identify only one confidently correlatable intermediate shoreline at an adjusted elevation of 1530 m (±4 m), providing evidence of a still-water level during the late-transgressive phase of Lake Bonneville. The variability of elevations along barrier crests indicates that the formation of depositional features is highly dependent on local wave climate, in addition to basin-scale climatic controls.
The CDCN Algorithm

Although the SDCN technique performs acceptably, it has the disadvantage that new microphones must be “calibrated” by collecting longterm statistics from a new stereo database. Since this stereo database will not be available in general, SDCN cannot adapt to a new environment. A new algorithm, Codeword-Dependent Cepstral Normalization (CDCN), was proposed to circumvent these problems, and will be the topic of this chapter.
The Search for Antiparasitic Agents from Marine Animals

Infectious diseases caused by parasites occur in people (and animals) throughout the world. It is well known that improperly prepared pork can cause trichinosis, an intestinal infection by the helminth Trichinella spiralis. Hookworm disease is widespread throughout nearly all tropical and subtropical countries and is an infection of the small intestine by the helminth Necator americanus Campers often see warning signs that water in a nearby stream could be contaminated with the protozoan Giardia lamblia. Travelers to the deep tropics (as well as the natives) are advised to use prophylaxis to protect against malarial infections from Plasmodium parasites. These examples vividly illustrate the ubiquity of parasite diseases, which, in most cases, can be controlled by chemotherapy (Gutteridge, 1989b). There are well-known examples of clinically active antiparasitic agents derived from plant and fermentation sources (Hart et al., 1989; James and Gilles, 1985). Just beginning to emerge are marine natural products with activity against helminth and protozoal organisms. These will be the subject of our review.
The Short-Run Effects of the Great Recession on Crime

The Great Recession had the most severe impacts on the unemployment rates of the racial and ethnic minorities as well as less-educated young men. There were cross-sectional variations of these disproportionate adverse impacts. This study exploits the changes in regional variations of the unemployment rates of unskilled men before and after the Great Recession to explain the sharp fall in aggregate crime rates in the post-recession recovery period. Our 2SLS approach uses plausible exogenous sources of changes in the state employment growth of minimum wage workers induced by the national employment growth of minimum wage workers. We find that changes in regional variations of the unemployment rates of unskilled young men can explain approximately 25% of the fall in the aggregate crime rate in the post-recession expansionary period. Estimating the heterogeneous impacts of unskilled young men by race, we find that the fall in aggregate crime rate was mainly driven by the changes in the unemployment rates of young black men.
Combined functions of two RRMs in Dead-end1 mimic helicase activity to promote nanos1 translation in the germline

Dead-end1 (Dnd1) expression is restricted to the vertebrate germline where it is believed to activate translation of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) required to protect and promote that unique lineage. Nanos1 is one such germline mRNA whose translation is blocked by a secondary mRNA structure within the open reading frame (ORF). Dnd1 contains a canonical RNA recognition motif (RRM1) in its N-terminus but also contains a less conserved RRM2. Here we provide a mechanistic picture of the nanos1 mRNA-Dnd1 interaction in the Xenopus germline. We show that RRM1, but not RRM2, is required for binding nanos1. Similar to the zebrafish homolog, Xenopus Dnd1 possesses ATPase activity. Surprisingly, this activity appears to be within the RRM2, different from the C-terminal region where it is found in zebrafish. More importantly, we show that RRM2 is required for nanos1 translation and germline survival. Further, Dnd1 functions as a homodimer and binds nanos1 mRNA just downstream of the secondary structure required for nanos1 repression. We propose a model in which the RRM1 is required to bind nanos1 mRNA while the RRM2 is required to promote translation through the action of ATPase. Dnd1 appears to use RRMs to mimic the function of helicases.
Roles of polyamines in translation

Polyamines are organic polycations that bind to a variety of cellular molecules, including nucleic acids. Within cells, polyamines contribute to both the efficiency and fidelity of protein synthesis. In addition to directly acting on the translation apparatus to stimulate protein synthesis, the polyamine spermidine serves as a precursor for the essential post-translational modification of the eukaryotic translation factor 5A (eIF5A), which is required for synthesis of proteins containing problematic amino acid sequence motifs, including polyproline tracts, and for termination of translation. The impact of polyamines on translation is highlighted by autoregulation of the translation of mRNAs encoding key metabolic and regulatory proteins in the polyamine biosynthesis pathway, including S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC), antizyme (OAZ), and antizyme inhibitor 1 (AZIN1). Here, we highlight the roles of polyamines in general translation and also in the translational regulation of polyamine biosynthesis.
Protein adsorption on novel acrylamido-based polymeric ion-exchangers: I. Morphology and equilibrium adsorption

Abstract The protein uptake equilibrium and particle morphology are determined for novel polymeric ion-exchange media based on acrylamido monomers with a high density of functional groups and a variety of morphological characteristics. The study considers two anion-exchangers and a cation-exchanger. Physical properties determined experimentally include particle density, ion-exchange capacity, particle size distribution, and equilibrium isotherms for model proteins. The pore structure was evaluated using size exclusion chromatography with neutral probe molecules and transmission electron microscopy. For the anion-exchangers, two types of structures were inferred. The first is comprised of particles that contain a low-density gel supported by denser polymer aggregates. This material had a very low size-exclusion limit for neutral probes, but exhibited an extremely high and reversible protein adsorption capacity (280–290 mg BSA/ml). The second structure is comprised of particles with large, open macropores. While the size-exclusion limit was very high, the protein adsorption capacity was low (60 mg BSA/ml). Moreover, the adsorption was nearly irreversible. The physical structure of the cation-exchanger appeared to be intermediate between those of the anion-exchangers, containing both large pores and smaller pores yielding an intermediate, but reversible, protein uptake capacity (120–130 mg αCHY/ml). The different behavior of these materials with regards to protein adsorption correlates well with their physical structure. For these ion-exchangers, high protein adsorption capacities are attained when a low-density polymer gel with a high concentration of functional groups is present.
Positive solutions to singular second-order boundary value problems for dynamic equations

We study singular second-order boundary value problems with mixed boundary conditions on an infinitely discrete time scale. We prove the existence of a positive solution by means of a lower and upper solutions method and the Brouwer fixed-point theorem, in conjunction with perturbation methods used to approximate regular problems.
Fabrication And Testing Of A Uas-Based Visible To Extended-Swir Hyperspectral Sensor

A compact and lightweight visible-to-extended SWIR spectrograph package for class-1 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) is currently in fabrication and will be flight tested in Autumn of 2019. It features a single, monolithic spectrograph, machined from CaF2, that covers the full spectral range from 0.4-2.45 microns, coupled with an extended-range, HgCdTe camera. The spectrograph comes with a complete flight package including a shutter, navigation system, computer, and on-board processing. In this paper we outline the design, fabrication, and initial flight-testing of the sensor and flight package.
Carotid Endarterectomy Followed by Retrieval of Plaque Embolus from M-1 Segment of the Middle Cerebral Artery

Intraoperative stroke during carotid endarterectomy resulted from a plaque embolization in the M-1 segment of the middle cerebral artery. Retrieval of plaque emboli by use of solitaire device resulted in reestablishment of flow in the middle cerebral artery and its branches with resolution of the neurological deficit.
The Semilinear Parabolic Problem

In the present chapter, we rely on the crucial results of Chap. 2 to develop well-posedness results in the same spirit of Rothe where second order elliptic operators in divergence form have been considered for the classical parabolic problem (α = 1).
Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and revision total knee arthroplasty have a lower risk of venous thromboembolism disease at 30 days than primary total knee arthroplasty.

While multiple studies have demonstrated a lower venous thromboembolism disease (VTED) risk for unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) compared to primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), recent reports have shown that revision TKA also had a lower VTED risk compared to primary TKA, an unexpected finding because of its theoretical increased risk. Given the paucity of up-to-date comparative studies, our goal was to perform a high-powered VTED risk comparison study of UKA and revision TKA to primary TKA using recent data. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was queried between 2011 and 2018, and we identified 213,234 patients for inclusion: 191,810 primary TKA, 9294 UKA, and 12,130 revision TKA. Demographics, medical comorbidities, and possible VTE risk factors were collected. Thirty-day outcomes, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and all-cause VTED were compared between knee arthroplasty types. On multivariate analysis, UKA was significantly associated with lower rates of DVT [OR 0.44 (0.31–0.61); P < 0.001], PE [OR 0.42 (0.28–0.65); P < 0.001], and all-cause VTED [OR 0.42 (0.32–0.55); P < 0.001] when compared to primary TKA. Revision TKA was significantly associated with lower rates of PE [OR 0.62 (0.47–0.83); P = 0.002], and all-cause VTED [OR 0.82 (0.70–0.98); P = 0.029] when compared to primary TKA. Utilizing recent data from a nationwide patient cohort and controlling for confounding variables, our results showed that both revision TKA and UKA had a lower risk of VTED compared to primary TKA, corroborating the results of recent investigations. Additional prospective investigations are needed to explain this unexpected result.
Leveraging Basic Science for the Clinic-From Bench to Bedside.

Importance The tools and insights of behavioral neuroscience grow apace, yet their clinical application is lagging. Observations This article suggests that associative learning theory may be the algorithmic bridge to connect a burgeoning understanding of the brain with the challenges to the mind with which all clinicians and researchers are concerned. Conclusions and relevance Instead of giving up, talking past one another, or resting on the laurels of face validity, a consilient and collaborative approach is suggested: visiting laboratory meetings and clinical rounds and attempting to converse in the language of behavior and cognition to better understand and ultimately treat patients.
Anti-vinculin autoantibodies in systemic sclerosis: a step toward a novel biomarker?

Gastrointestinal (GI) disease is common in systemic sclerosis, and novel biomarkers are needed to identify and monitor these patients. Dr. Suliman and colleagues identify anti-vinculin autoantibodies in a subset of systemic sclerosis patients which associate with GI symptom severity, although more work is needed to determine their clinical utility.
Relationship between caregiver burden and basic and instrumental activities of daily living among compound and noncompound caregivers

Parental caregivers can expect to support their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across the lifespan. Providing ongoing support for adult children with ASD who have difficulty performin...
Adult height after treatment of neurosecretory dysfunction and comparison to idiopathic GHD

OBJECTIVE Neurosecretory dysfunction (NSD) causes growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Data on adult height after recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment are lacking. DESIGN AND PATIENTS We collected treatment data of all patients with NSD seen between 1990 and 2017 at our outpatient department (tertiary centre) and measured adult height. For comparison, patients with idiopathic GHD were used. Diagnoses were based on short stature ( 1 SD) and low serum IGF-1 concentration (<-2 SDS). NSD was defined by normal GH challenge results, but subnormal spontaneous GH secretion. Exclusion criteria were no information on adult height, underweight and other short stature disorders. RESULTS Out of 67 patients diagnosed with NSD, six were still growing, 31 had test results exceeding validated GH cut-offs and three had other disorders causing short stature. Out of the 25 eligible patients with NSD, 21 could be recruited. These patients reached an adult height of -0.85 SDS (mean); 0.34 SDS below midparental height. Height gain during treatment was 2.01 SDS. This outcome was not different to 32 patients with idiopathic GHD. CONCLUSIONS Long-term results suggest the viability of the diagnosis of NSD and the efficacy of rhGH treatment.
Developing Teachers And Learners Through The Learning Assistant Program

Location: Dewberry Hall Getting evidence-based pedagogy in the classroom, particularly for large lecture classes, can be a challenge. The learning assistant project provides a method for getting those techniques into the classroom. The overall learning assistant experience provides students with a chance to develop themselves as learners while helping other students in the classroom.
Matroid Partition Property and the Secretary Problem

A matroid $\mathcal{M}$ on a set $E$ of elements has the $\alpha$-partition property, for some $\alpha>0$, if it is possible to (randomly) construct a partition matroid $\mathcal{P}$ on (a subset of) elements of $\mathcal{M}$ such that every independent set of $\mathcal{P}$ is independent in $\mathcal{M}$ and for any weight function $w:E\to\mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$, the expected value of the optimum of the matroid secretary problem on $\mathcal{P}$ is at least an $\alpha$-fraction of the optimum on $\mathcal{M}$. We show that the complete binary matroid, ${\cal B}_d$ on $\mathbb{F}_2^d$ does not satisfy the $\alpha$-partition property for any constant $\alpha>0$ (independent of $d$). Furthermore, we refute a recent conjecture of B\'erczi, Schwarcz, and Yamaguchi by showing the same matroid is $2^d/d$-colorable but cannot be reduced to an $\alpha 2^d/d$-colorable partition matroid for any $\alpha$ that is sublinear in $d$.
Deposition, characterization, and performance of tribological coatings on spherical rolling elements

Abstract Increasing demands on the performance of intricate parts like bearings in biomedical and aerospace systems have created the necessity for tribological coatings that can enable systems to achieve enhanced performance in challenging environments. In this work, we have developed a process to deposit wear-resistant (Cr x N, WC/a-C:H, TiC/a-C) and solid lubricant (Ti–MoS 2 ) coatings onto spherical rolling elements. The tribological performance of coated specimens has been evaluated under boundary layer lubrication in rolling and sliding contact tribometers. Although all of the coatings are wear-resistant under sliding contact, only Ti–MoS 2 coated balls provide a significant improvement over uncoated balls in rolling contact fatigue experiments. Specifically, in rolling contact fatigue experiments performed using M50 steel rods, Ti–MoS 2 coated balls improved L 50 life by more than two times over uncoated balls. Ti–MoS 2 appears to be a promising candidate for rolling bearing applications in both lubricated and unlubricated conditions.
Direct current brain polarization: a simple, noninvasive technique for human neuromodulation.

Objectives: It has been known for decades that neurons in vitro and in vivo respond in a polarity-specific manner to changes in their electrical environment. Likewise, investigators have passed direct current (DC) across the human head for decades in attempts to alter brain function and behavior. Recent human data, however, have put this technique on a more solid empirical footing and it has re-emerged from obscurity as a “new,” noninvasive means of neuromodulation, called transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS). Materials and Methods: Here, we offer a selective literature review together with our own research on the basic mechanisms and human applications of TDCS in neurophysiologic, cognitive, and behavioral research. We discuss a possible role for TDCS in enhancing normal brain function and treating neurologic and behavioral disorders. Results: While there are uncertainties about how TDCS produces behavioral effects and how the current is distributed in the human brain, TDCS has safely produced a variety effects on human brain function in small studies. Conclusions: The field is very young and many findings will require replication. Nevertheless, TDCS appears to have the potential to be a simple and safe means of neuromodulation.
Density dependent interactions

Density dependent interactions have been treated on two different levels. The most fundamental level deals with G(W) and involves a systematic expansion of the density matrix about the center of mass of the two interacting particles. It has been shown that only the local behavior of the density matrix is essential. Thus a systematic expansion for G(W) is obtained such that the first term depends only on the local density and the next term involves the local kinetic energy density. These ideas generalize straightforwardly to approximating the three- body Faddeev equations in finite nuclei, and offer the most computationally practical scheme for use in heavy nuclei. The second level of approximation is to obtain an approximate Hamiltonian density which offers the computational simplicity of Skyrme-like forces. Although such a reduction offers tremendous technical simplification in calculations, it suffers from a serious lack of generality. Thus, it is not in fact valid for many of the applications for which the Skyrme force is presently being used and serious effort should be devoted to generalizing it for each of these applications. 7 figures. (auth)
Freedom and Slavery in Hegel

G.W.F. Hegel maintains that ancient slavery plays a central role in the historical development of the concept of freedom. In particular, the experience of slavery teaches something essential to the attainment of true freedom: the capacity to abstract from one’s particular interests. Slaves, whom the master forces to put aside their own natural and private desires, are in a position to reach and to lead the rest of society to freedom. Of course, the realization of freedom demands an essential next step: a move from serving the interests of another (such as the master) to embracing the interests of a rational community of free individuals.The claim that it is preferable to abolish slavery gradually rather than suddenly would clash with Hegel’s general account of slavery, as well as with his philosophy of history. Any such claim would amount to providing a kind of justification for slavery that Hegel explicitly repudiates and to taking an evaluative standpoint that he considers inappropriate for a philosopher contemplating past civilizations. Hegel’s project requires rejecting altogether the question whether Greco-Roman societies would be morally or ethically better without slavery. Hegel seeks to show that, despite its role in the advancement of freedom, slavery is utterly at odds with the demands of freedom, as fully realized throughout world history.
Inequality After NAFTA

Abstract:This note presents a summary of the academic evidence on the evolution of economic inequalities at the national level in Canada, Mexico, and the Uunited Sstates, especially during the twenty years since the coming into force of NAFTA. The paper compares estimates for market, gross household, and disposable incomes from a wide range of studies and sources, including the Eestimated Household Income Inequality (EHII) series of the Uuniversity of Texas Inequality Project (UTIP).
CCR6: a biomarker for Alzheimer's-like disease in a triple transgenic mouse model

The inflammatory status of the brain in patients as well as animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been extensively studied. Accumulation of activated microglia producing tumor necrosis factor-α and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 contribute to the pathology of the disease. However, little is known about the changes in the spleen and associated peripheral immunity that might contribute to AD pathology. The goal of this study was to characterize phenotypic and functional changes in spleen, blood and brain cell populations that contribute to development of an AD-like disease in a triple transgenic (3xTg-AD) mouse model. The 3xTg-AD mice had increased percentages of brain Gr-1+ granulocytes, dendritic cells and macrophages, spleen and blood derived CD8+Ly6C+ memory T cells and CCR6+ B cells, as well as increased levels of secreted interleukin-6. Brain tissue from older 12 month old symptomatic 3xTg-AD female mice exhibited highly elevated mRNA expression of CCR6 compared to wild-type mice. Importantly, this pronounced increase in expression of CCR6 was also detected in brain and spleen tissue from pre-symptomatic 5--6 month old 3xTg-AD females and males. Our data demonstrate increased expression of CCR6 in the brain and peripheral immune organs of both pre-symptomatic and symptomatic 3xTg-AD mice, strongly suggesting an ongoing inflammatory process that precedes onset of clinical AD-like disease.
Structure preserving parallel algorithms for solving the Bethe-Salpeter eigenvalue problem

Abstract The Bethe–Salpeter eigenvalue problem is a dense structured eigenvalue problem arising from discretized Bethe–Salpeter equation in the context of computing exciton energies and states. A computational challenge is that at least half of the eigenvalues and the associated eigenvectors are desired in practice. We establish the equivalence between Bethe–Salpeter eigenvalue problems and real Hamiltonian eigenvalue problems. Based on theoretical analysis, structure preserving algorithms for a class of Bethe–Salpeter eigenvalue problems are proposed. We also show that for this class of problems all eigenvalues obtained from the Tamm–Dancoff approximation are overestimated. In order to solve large scale problems of practical interest, we discuss parallel implementations of our algorithms targeting distributed memory systems. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of our algorithms.
The Effects of Aging, Antiinflammatory Drugs, and Ultrasound on the In Vitro Response of Tendon Tissue:

We investigated the effects of aging and various treatments on rat patellar tendon using an in vitro model. In the first part of the study, the 3H-thymidine and 3H-proline incorporation rates at 12 and 24 hours were determined in transected patellar tendon explants from young (21 days), intermediate age (8 to 10 weeks), and older (4 to 6 months) rats. In the second part, the same incorporation rates were measured in the older tendon explants in response to treatment with control medium, medium with a high and low concentration of indomethacin, and medium with a high and low concentration of dexamethasone. Finally, the effects of ultrasound treatment were measured and compared with a sham ultrasound treatment. The results indicated an age-dependent response of the tendon. The youngest specimens consistently showed the highest incorporation rates. The addition of a high concentration of dexamethasone resulted in a small negative effect on the 3H-thymidine incorporation. Ultrasound and indomethacin had no significant effects. This study indicates that aging is associated with a lower metabolic activity of tendon. In this model, currently used treatment methods failed to result in direct positive effects on tendon tissue, and a high concentration of dexamethasone appeared to have a small negative effect.
Rethinking Fiscal Impacts

Conventional fiscal impact analysis, as applied by many planners, uses inputs as a proxy measure for outputs. We argue that it is the impacts of urban development on outputs, not on inputs, that are of fundamental concern. Moreover, we provide evidence that inputs are often a poor proxy for outputs, and so we call upon the planning profession to rethink its approach to fiscal impact analysis. To this end we outline a conceptual framework for fiscal impacts and articulate a strategy by which it can be applied across a range of diverse services provided by local governments.
Part II. Overexpression of bcl-2 family members enhances survival of mammalian cells in response to various culture insults.

A number of bioreactor configurations have been developed for the manufacture of products from mammalian cell hosts. Even in the most efficient of these, however, problems such as nutrient exhaustion, growth factor deprivation, and toxin accumulations may arise. Consequently, the current effort focused on the feasibility of overexpressing anti-apoptosis genes in baby hamster kidney (BHK) and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells as a means of limiting cell death upon exposure to three such insults. Extended periods of glucose deprivation, serum withdrawal, and treatment with ammonium chloride each caused significant damage, often apoptotic in nature, to BHK and CHO cells, typically rendering cultures completely nonviable. The overexpression of bcl-2 and bcl-x(L), however, was able to abrogate the cell death in BHK cultures, though to varying degrees. For instance, the presence of Bcl-2, which did little to suppress apoptosis upon glucose deprivation, significantly improved the viabilities of these cells during serum withdrawal. In contrast, bcl-x(L) overexpression provided BHK cells with enhanced protection in the absence of glucose, allowing cultures to remain viable throughout the entire three week study. CHO cultures, on the other hand, displayed similar trends in survival in response to both glucose and serum deprivation. During these studies, Bcl-x(L) was consistently able to afford cells the highest degree of protection, though Bcl-2 also enhanced culture viabilities and viable numbers. Death suppression following exposure to 50 mM ammonium chloride was observed to a limited extent in both BHK and CHO cells overexpressing bcl-2 and bcl-x(L). However, even during such harsh treatment, Bcl-x(L) was able to enhance the survival of both cultures, providing CHO cells with viable numbers that were nearly 20-fold that of the controls after five days of exposure. Furthermore, the extensions in cell survival provided by the anti-apoptosis gene products enabled the recovery of many of the cultures during rescue attempts in which the death-inducing stimulus was removed. Clearly, engineering cells to better withstand and recover from the insults common during the large scale cultivation of mammalian cells has a number of potential applications in the biopharmaceutical industries where cell death can limit culture productivities.
Primary Production in Flowing Waters1

Respiration, photosynthetic production, and diffusion interact to produce the daily curve of oxygen change in a segment of flowing water. Conversely, the observed curves of oxygen in streams can be used to calculate the component rates of production, respiration, and diffusion. New production values obtained with these analyses of oxygen curves from various sources, as well as a few previously existing estimates of primary production, indicate a generally higher rate of production in flowing waters than in other types of aquatic environments. The ratio of total primary production to total community respiration is used to classify communities quantitatively according to their predominantly heterotrophic or autotrophic characteristics. Longitudinal succession within a stream tends to modify the ratio towards unity from higher values for autotrophic and from lower values for heterotrophic communities. The behavior of this ratio is described for the annual cycle in a stream, for the sequence of pollution recovery, and for diverse types of communities.
CNS Drug Delivery: Opioid Peptides and the Blood-Brain Barrier

Peptides are key regulators in cellular and intercellular physiological responses and possess enormous promise for the treatment of pathological conditions. Opioid peptide activity within the central nervous system (CNS) is of particular interest for the treatment of pain owing to the elevated potency of peptides and the centrally mediated actions of pain processes. Despite this potential, peptides have seen limited use as clinically viable drugs for the treatment of pain. Reasons for the limited use are primarily based in the physiochemical and biochemical nature of peptides. Numerous approaches have been devised in an attempt to improve peptide drug delivery to the brain, with variable results. This review describes different approaches to peptide design/modification and provides examples of the value of these strategies to CNS delivery of peptide drugs. The various modes of modification of therapeutic peptides may be amalgamated, creating more efficacious “hybrid” peptides, with synergistic delivery to the CNS. The ongoing development of these strategies provides promise that peptide drugs may be useful for the treatment of pain and other neurologically-based disease states in the future
A Fundamental Approach to Resin Cure Kinetics

Thermoset polymer resins are an important class of materials, particularly when used as the matrix for advanced fiber composites. Because material performance is directly related to processing, it is useful to study the cure kinetics of these resins for use in process modeling, design and control. Several workers have attacked this problem using empirical rate laws. However, a fundamental approach can offer more flexibility without being cumbersome or impractical. In this work, amine-catalyzed epoxy reactions are studied. A kinetic model is developed and applied to experimental data from the literature, as well as from our laboratory. We show that this model is able to describe the cure reac tions of "real-world" systems, and unlike the empirical rate laws, can account for variations in the resin formulations.
Sintering effects on structure, morphology, and electrical properties of sol-gel synthesized, nano-crystalline erbium oxide

The nano-crystalline erbium oxide powder was synthesized through the sol-gel technique. The effect of sintering temperature from 250°C to 1400°C on structure, morphology, and electrical properties was studied. The results were compared with the microcrystalline erbium oxide purchased from the market. The synthesized erbium oxide showed fiber like nanostructures. Dielectric properties at different sintering temperatures were measured in the frequency range 100 Hz to 5MHz. The synthesized erbium oxide had the highest dielectric constant at 650°C. The behavior of the dissipation factor tan δ for sol-gel synthesized material was distinct from that of the purchased material; it was higher at low frequencies and then decreased with the increase in frequency. The synthesized material sintered at different temperatures exhibited a similar sort of frequency-dependent response for permittivity (e) and resistivity (ρ). This was in accordance with Koop’s theory of dielectrics. For the microcrystalline material, frequency dependence of permittivity and resistivity was not uniform. The results showed that sol-gel synthesized erbium oxide could be a good candidate for high-k applications.
Solar spectral irradiance and atmospheric transmission at Mauna Loa Observatory.

A radiometer was operated at the Mauna Loa Observatory during calendar year 1980 to estimate the spectral irradiance of the sun and its possible fluctuation in time near the peak of solar activity. Data were also acquired on seasonal trends of atmospheric transmissivity above the marine mixing layer in the central Pacific. Spectral irradiance remained constant to at least ½% at all wavelengths monitored. Furthermore its absolute magnitude was in agreement with the Labs and Neckel values to ±2% except at blue wavelengths where the Mauna Loa values are from 4 to 12% higher and at λ = 850 nm where the Mauna Loa value is 9% lower. The residual aerosol optical depth above Mauna Loa Observatory during 1980 averaged τ0 = 0.020. An intrusion of dust into the central Pacific from the Gobi Desert (as deduced by the composition of collected particles) invaded the Central Pacific from Mar. to May 1980 and caused a perturbation in optical depth (at λ = 500 nm) of Δτ0 ∼ 0.01–0.02. The optical depth increment caused by the Mt. St. Helens volcano was <0.005 in the 2-month period following the eruption.
Use of the Persuasive Health Message framework in the development of a community-based mammography promotion campaign.

Purpose We describe how the Persuasive Health Message (PHM) framework was used to guide the formative evaluation informing development of messages and materials used in a community-based multi-media campaign intended to motivate low-income African American women to obtain low- or no-cost mammograms through the CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.
Characteristics associated with the diversion of controlled medications among adolescents.

Background The objective of this study was to estimate the lifetime prevalence of diversion (i.e., trading, selling, giving away or loaning) of four classes of controlled medications (pain, stimulant, anti-anxiety, and sleeping) among adolescents, and to identify demographic and behavioral characteristics of adolescents who divert their own controlled medications.
Flocculation of paramagnetic particles in a magnetic field

Flocculation of paramagnetic particles under the influence of a strong magnetic field is reported in this article. Experimental information is obtained from fluctuation and intensity measurements of light passing through a particle suspension introduced in a uniform magnetic field. The magnetic field of strengths up to 6 T is generated by a cryogenic magnet operating at liquid helium temperatures. The phenomenon is analyzed by a Brownian flocculation model in which hydrodynamic, van der Waals, double-layer, and magnetic forces are incorporated for the estimation of the particle-flocculation rate. A population balance is employed in conjunction with the flocculation model to predict the evolution of the particle state with time. The effects of such important parameters as strength of the magnetic field, magnetic susceptibility of the particles, particle size, and zeta potential are investigated. Results show that particle size and magnetic susceptibility each play an important role in the selective flocculation of particles of different properties.
Improved methods of assembly sequence determination for automatic assembly systems

Abstract The assembly sequence is determined using product unit cost as the performance measure. The global optimum for a given problem is found by partially enumerating assembly station configurations with branch and bound methods. The study shows that the proposed methods perform faster than simulated annealing for the example problems used. It is shown that the unit cost function is not necessarily convex which is assumed in previous research.
Cytopathic effects observed upon expression of a repressed collagenase gene present in Salmonella and related pathogens: mimicry of a cytotoxin from multiple antibiotic-resistant Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium phagetype DT104

Recently, we reported that certain strains of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium phagetype DT104 (DT104) secrete a putative cytotoxin. While searching for the gene that encodes this toxin, we noted a previously reported but uncharacterized DNA fragment (clg) in Salmonella that could be potentially relevant to cytotoxin-like activity. Therefore, we cloned and expressed clg in cytotoxin-negative Escherichia coli and Salmonella and subsequently assessed the bioactivity of Clg in vitro and in vivo. Lysates containing Clg from both expression hosts exerted cytopathic effects on murine enterocytes while semi-purified Clg was determined to be cytopathic to HEp-2 cells. Sequence and RT-PCR analyses of the clg gene indicated that a homologue of clg exists in different Gram-negative bacteria although the gene is not expressed in vitro. Although Clg-mediated lesions are similar to those mediated by the DT104 cytotoxin, further investigations are necessary to examine the relationship between these two proteins in DT104. Nonetheless, we report here a defined Salmonella protein that is capable of inflicting damage on tissue culture cells and murine enterocytes.
Cavitation in rubber: an elastic instability or a fracture phenomenon?

The viewpoint that cavitation in rubber—that is, the sudden growth of inherent defects in rubber into large enclosed cavities in response to external stimuli—is a purely elastic phenomenon has long been known to be fundamentally incomplete. Essentially, this is because the local stretches around the defects at which cavitation initiates far exceed the elastic limit of the rubber, which therefore ought to inelastically deform by fracturing to accommodate their growth. Yet, rather remarkably, the classical heuristic elastic criterion stating that cavitation occurs at material points wherein the hydrostatic component of the stress reaches the critical value $$P=5/2\mu $$ , with $$\mu $$ denoting the initial shear modulus of the rubber, has been shown to agree reasonably well with a number of experimental observations. This agreement suggests that the elastic properties of rubber may play a significant—possibly even dominant—role on the occurrence of cavitation. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the relevance of the elastic properties of rubber on the phenomenon of cavitation. To this end, the comprehensive elastic cavitation theory recently put forward by Lopez-Pamies et al. (J Mech Phys Solids 59:1464–1487, 2011a) is directly confronted to two classical sets of experiments that to date have been understood only in part: (i) the poker-chip experiments of Gent and Lindley (Proc R Soc Lond A 249:195–205, 1959) and (ii) the experiments of Gent and Park (J Mater Sci 19:1947–1956, 1959) dealing with cavitation near reinforcing filler particles. Specifically, both sets of experiments are theoretically reproduced under the assumptions that the underlying rubber is Gaussian (for any arbitrarily large deformation) and that its inherent defects are vacuous and isotropically distributed. Results are presented for when and where cavitation occurs in the specimens as well as for the ensuing growth and interaction of the cavities once they have been “nucleated”. It is found that the elastic theoretical results are in good agreement with many of the qualitative but few of the quantitative features of the experiments. The reasons behind this remarkable partial agreement and its practical implications are discussed.
The public electronic library: integrating GIS resources and tools

Outlines the problems and challenges faced by the University of Wisconsin with the integration of GIS tools within the electronic library resources. Briefly details the introduction of the system before outlining its abilities and benefits. Considers the training required by library staff. Discusses the ways of testing and evaluating such a project and presents a model testing such a project within a future proposed environment. Considers new potential technology enhancements.