cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CD44 is a physiological E-selectin ligand on neutrophils

The selectin family of adhesion molecules and their glycoconjugated ligands are essential for blood polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) extravasation into inflammatory and infectious sites. However, E-selectin ligands on PMNs are not well characterized. We show here that CD44 immunopurified from G-CSF–differentiated 32D cells or from peripheral blood PMNs binds specifically to E-selectin. In contrast, CD44 extracted from bone marrow stromal or brain endothelial cell lines does not interact with E-selectin, suggesting cell-specific posttranslational modifications of CD44. PMN-derived CD44 binding activity is mediated by sialylated, α(1,3) fucosylated, N-linked glycans. CD44 enables slow leukocyte rolling on E-selectin expressed on inflamed endothelium in vivo and cooperates with P-selectin glycoprotein ligand–1 to recruit neutrophils into thioglycollate-induced peritonitis and staphylococcal enterotoxin A–injected skin pouch. CD44 extracted from human PMNs also binds to E-selectin. Moreover, we demonstrate that CD44 is hypofucosylated in PMNs from a patient with leukocyte adhesion deficiency type II, suggesting that it contributes to the syndrome. These findings thus suggest broader roles for CD44 in the innate immune response and uncover a potential new target for diseases in which selectins play a prominent role.
Social Work Practice in the Digital Age: Therapeutic E-Mail as a Direct Practice Methodology

The author addresses the risks and benefits of incorporating therapeutic e-mail communication into clinical social work practice. Consumer demand for online clinical services is growing faster than the professional response. E-mail, when used as an adjunct to traditional meetings with clients, offers distinct advantages and risks. Benefits include the potential to reach clients in geographically remote and underserved communities, enhancing and extending the therapeutic relationship and improving treatment outcomes. Risks include threats to client confidentiality and privacy, liability coverage for practitioners, licensing jurisdiction, and the lack of competency standards for delivering e-mail interventions. Currently, the social work profession does not have adequate instructive guidelines and best-practice standards for using e-mail as a direct practice methodology. Practitioners need (formal) academic training in the techniques connected to e-mail exchanges with clients. The author describes the ethical and legal risks for practitioners using therapeutic e-mail with clients and identifies recommendations for establishing best-practice standards.
Protective role of 1α, 25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 against oxidative stress in nonmalignant human prostate epithelial cells

Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), through either endogenous or exogenous sources, could induce DNA damage, and accumulation of DNA damage might lead to multistep carcinogenesis. The antioxidative effects of vitamin D have been suggested by epidemiological and many in vitro and in vivo laboratory studies. While exploring the antioxidative effects of vitamin D in prostate cells, we found that the active form of vitamin D, 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25-VD), can protect nonmalignant human prostate epithelial cell lines, BPH-1 and RWPE-1, but not malignant human prostate epithelial cells, CWR22R and DU 145, from oxidative stress-induced cell death. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), a key antioxidant enzyme, was dose- and time-dependently induced by 1,25-VD. Mechanistic studies using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay revealed that a direct repeat-3 (DR3) vitamin D response element located in the first intron of the G6PD genome can be bound by liganded vitamin D receptor, thereby regulating G6PD gene expression. Increasing G6PD activity and glutathione level by 1,25-VD can scavenge cellular ROS. Moreover, the protective effects of 1,25-VD were abolished by dehydroepiandrosterone, a noncompetitive inhibitor of G6PD activity. Together, our results showed that 1,25-VD can protect nonmalignant prostate cells from oxidative stress-induced cell death by elimination of ROS-induced cellular injuries through transcriptional activation of G6PD activity. The antioxidative effect of vitamin D strengthens its roles in cancer chemoprevention and adds to a growing list of beneficial effects of vitamin D against cancer.
Promotion by Unsaturated Fat of Azaserine-induced Pancreatic Carcinogenesis in the Rat

Diet has been shown to modulate the incidence of a wide variety of chemically induced cancers in animals. Various diets fed either during the initiation stage or the postinitiation (promotion) stage of carcinogenesis were evaluated for their ability to modulate the incidence of pancreatic cancer. Male Wistar/Lewis rats were treated with multiple injections of the pancreatic carcinogen, azaserine, during a 6- to 7-week-long initiation phase and were autopsied after a postinitiation phase of 34 or 44 weeks. The following diets were evaluated for their effects on the incidence of pancreatic neoplasms during each stage of carcinogenesis: high saturated fat; two high unsaturated fats (corn oil and safflower oil); low protein; and caloric restricted. A purified control diet was fed during that stage when the test diets were not fed. The incidence of pancreatic adenomas and adenocarcinomas was evaluated by light microscopy. Feeding of the caloric-restricted diet during the initiation phase suppressed the pancreatic neoplasm incidence. None of the ther diets tested had an effect on the incidence of pancreatic cancer during the initiation phase. During the postinitiation phase, both high-unsaturated-fat diets but not the high-saturated-fat diet significantly elevated the pancreatic neoplasm incidence. The low-protein and caloric-restricted diets had no effect on the neoplasm incidence when fed during the postinitiation phase. Thus, diets high in unsaturated fat appear to promote pancreatic carcinogenesis in the azaserine-treated rat while a diet high in saturated fat failed to show a similar degree of enhancement of pancreatic carcinogenesis.
Bootstrapped Learning of Emotion Hashtags #hashtags4you

We present a bootstrapping algorithm to automatically learn hashtags that convey emotion. Using the bootstrapping framework, we learn lists of emotion hashtags from unlabeled tweets. Our approach starts with a small number of seed hashtags for each emotion, which we use to automatically label tweets as initial training data. We then train emotion classifiers and use them to identify and score candidate emotion hashtags. We select the hashtags with the highest scores, use them to automatically harvest new tweets from Twitter, and repeat the bootstrapping process. We show that the learned hashtag lists help to improve emotion classification performance compared to an N-gram classifier, obtaining 8% microaverage and 9% macro-average improvements in F-measure.
Inhibition of NF-κB Activity by IκBβ in Association with κB-Ras

IκBβ, one of the major IκB proteins, is only partially degraded in response to most extracellular signals. However, the molecular mechanism of this event is unknown. We show here that IκBβ exists in at least two different forms: one that is bound to the NF-κB dimer and the other bound to both NF-κB and κB-Ras, a Ras-like small G protein. Removal of cellular κB-Ras enhances whereas excess κB-Ras blocks induced IκBβ degradation. Remarkably, κB-Ras functions in both GDP- and GTP-bound states, and mutations of the conserved guanine-binding residues of κB-Ras abrogate its ability to block degradation of IκBβ. κB-Ras also directly blocks the in vitro phosphorylation of IκBβ by IKKβ. These observations suggest that IκBβ in the ternary complex is resistant to degradation by most signals. We suggest that specific signals, in addition to those that activate only IKK, are essential for the complete degradation of IκBβ.
A soft-input adaptive equalizer algorithm

Equalization of digital communication signals in a modern setting often has available probability distributions as desired inputs, rather than simply the desired symbols. Such data may be available, for example, in a turbo equalization setting. This paper presents an adaptive equalizer which takes probability distributions as inputs and trains its output to match the desired distributions, where the output distribution is obtained as a posterior error calculation based on the FIR filter output. Two training criteria are examined: Euclidean mean squared error between the output distribution and the desired distribution, and the relative entropy between these distributions are presented. Both LMS and RLS adaptation methods are developed.
Acute necrotizing ulcerative tonsillitis and gingivitis (Vincent's infections)

The cases of two patients with acute necrotizing ulcerative infections are reported. One had involvement of the tonsil and the other, of the gingivae. In both cases a Gram stain revealed abundant fusiform rods and spirochetes. Both patients responded to treatment with oral penicillin, showing improvement and/or healing in three to six days. These two cases demonstrate the usefulness of the Gram stain in supporting a diagnosis which would otherwise rest solely on clinical grounds.
Propagation laws for steady curved detonations with chain-branching kinetics

An extension to the theory of detonation shock dynamics is made and new propagation laws are derived for steady, near-CJ (Chapman-Jouguet), weakly curved detonations for a chain-branching reaction model having two components. The first is a thermally neutral induction stage governed by an Arrhenius reaction with a large activation energy, which terminates at a location called the transition interface, where instantaneous conversion of fuel into an intermediate species (chain radical) occurs. The second is an exothermic main reaction layer (or chain-recombination zone) having a temperature-independent reaction rate. We make an ansatz that the shock curvature is sufficiently large to have a leading-order influence on the induction zone structure, whereupon it is shown that multi-dimensional effects must necessarily be accounted for in the main reaction layer. Only for exactly cylindrical or spherical waves can such multi-dimensional effects be omitted. A requirement that the main reaction layer structure pass smoothly through a sonic plane leads to a propagation law for the detonation front: a relationship between the detonation velocity, the shock curvature and various shock arclength derivatives of the position of the transition interface. For exactly cylindrically or spherically expanding waves, a multi-valued detonation velocity-curvature relationship is found, similar to that found previously for a state-sensitive one-step reaction. The change in this relationship is investigated as the ratio of the length of the main reaction layer to the induction layer is changed. We also discuss the implications of chain-branching reaction kinetics for the prediction of critical detonation initiation energy based on detonation-velocity curvature laws. Finally several calculations that illustrate the important effect that arclength and transverse flow variations may have on the steady propagation of non-planar detonation fronts are presented. Such variations may be important for the propagation of cellular gaseous detonation fronts and for the axial propagation of detonations in a cylindrical stick of condensed-phase explosive. We also show that the arclength variations provide a formal mechanism for the existence of steady non-planar detonation fronts having converging sections, a possibility ruled out for simple irreversible one-step reaction mechanisms where only diverging steady waves are admissible.
AN APPROACH FOR CONTROL OF ROBOT MANIPULATORS

An approach to control system design for robot manipulators based on the passivity theory is presented. The approach allows application of the passivity test to the plant manipulator and the controller individually; thus ensuring global stability of the system when the feedback loop is closed. It is shown that a manipulator can be made into a passive system and, therefore, one needs only to iterate on the low order controller during the design. The method can be extended to control design for flexible robots and for direct sampled-data system design.
Integrated Optoelectronic Devices on Silicon

Silicon (Si) has been the dominating material platform of microelectronics over half century. Continuous technological advances in circuit design and manufacturing enable complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chips with increasingly high integration complexity to be fabricated in an unprecedently scale and economical manner. Conventional Sibased planar lightwave circuits (PLCs) has benefited from advanced CMOS technology but only demonstrate passive functionalities in most circumstances due to poor light emission efficiency and weak major electro-optic effects (e.g., Pockels effect, the Kerr effect and the Franz–Keldysh effect) in Si. Recently, a new hybrid III-V-on-Si integration platform has been developed, aiming to bridge the gap between Si and III-V direct-bandgap materials for active Si photonic integrated circuit applications. Since then high-performance lasers, amplifiers, photodetectors and modulators, etc. have been demonstrated. Here we review the most recent progress on hybrid Si lasers and high-speed hybrid Si modulators. The former include distributed feedback (DFB) lasers showing over 10 mW output power and up to 85 o C continuous-wave (cw) operation, compact hybrid microring lasers with cw threshold less than 4 mA and over 3 mW output power, and 4-channel hybrid Si AWG lasers with channel space of 360 GHz. Recently fabricated traveling-wave electro-absorption modulators (EAMs) and Mach-Zehnder interferometer modulators (MZM) on this platform support 50 Gb/s and 40 Gb/s data transmission with over 10 dB extinction ratio, respectively.
Scaffold nucleoporins Nup188 and Nup192 share structural and functional properties with nuclear transport receptors

The nucleus of a cell is surrounded by a two-layered membrane that controls the flow of molecules from the cytoplasm into the nucleus and vice versa. The molecular traffic between the cytoplasm and nucleus is essentially controlled by nuclear pore complexes—large, multi-protein structures that are embedded in the membrane. Each nuclear pore complex contains about 30 different proteins called nucleoporins or nups, which combine to form a structure with a central pore that allows the molecules to enter and leave the nucleus. The centre of the nuclear pore complex is thought to be filled with protein filaments that contain a large number of so-called FG repeats (where F and G are the amino acids phenylalanine and glycine). Specialized molecules called soluble nuclear transport receptors, which carry various cargoes between the cytoplasm and nucleus, can bind to these FG repeats, and the interaction between the receptors and the FG repeats is crucial for the selective transport of molecules between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. The large size of the nuclear pore complex has hindered efforts to work out its structure, but in recent years researchers have been able to obtain structures for many individual nups and their subcomplexes. Now, Andersen et al. have determined the structure of one of the largest nups, Nup188. This has led to the discovery that it and a related nup, Nup192, share unexpected features with soluble nuclear transport receptors. In general the first step when attempting to determine the structure of a biomolecule is to form a crystal. Since full-length Nup188 did not crystallize, Andersen et al. instead crystallized two large fragments of Nup188, determined the structures of these fragments, and then combined these to produce the likely structure of the full-length protein. They found that Nup188 has a structure that consists of stacked helices and is more flexible than other nups. Moreover, its structure was very similar to those of soluble nuclear transport receptors, and this led Andersen et al. to investigate whether Nup188 also had similar functional features. Surprisingly, they discovered that both Nup188 and Nup192 could bind FG repeats, just like nuclear transport receptors. What is more, this binding allowed both nups to travel through nuclear pore complexes in in vitro transport reactions. These findings have implications for the understanding of the organization and function of FG-repeats and suggest that the stationary elements of the nuclear pore complex and soluble nuclear transport receptors are evolutionarily related.
Evaluation of Web-Based and Counselor-Delivered Feedback Interventions for Mandated College Students

This study evaluated the efficacy of 2 brief personalized feedback interventions aimed at reducing drinking among mandated college students. Results indicated significant reductions in drinking for students in both conditions. Findings provide support for web-based interventions for mandated college students.
Prostate development: a historical perspective

The regional anatomy of the human prostate has been debated periodically over the last century with various levels of controversy and agreement, beginning with the concept of lobes and replaced by the current model of zones. During this period a variety of classifications have been proposed, based upon the studies of glandular morphogenesis, responses to hormones or histopathology. The current paradigm suggests that the regional differences seen in the prostate of both animal models and the human are a consequence of specific epithelial-mesenchymal interactions along the cranial-caudal axis of the urogenital sinus. The distinctive regional patterns seen in the rodent prostate and the histological heterogeneity of the human adult gland all point to the modification of the distal portion of the ducts, while the proximal segments retain their spatial relationship to the urethra that was formed during fetal development. This suggests that the early epithelial budding that occurs in utero represents a common, fairly symmetrical pattern of growth in many species, while the regional differences in branching morphogenesis and cytodifferentiation are controlled by the instructional influences of mesenchyme and temporal expression of growth factors. Perturbation of the normal processes involved during critical periods of fetal development during reproductive organ development may also play a role in the susceptibility of the prostate to disease in adulthood. Past descriptions of detailed anatomical studies, which span over a century, have provided much insight into the architecture and processes that form a complex tubulo-alveolar gland. New insights into the ductal detail and the advent of sophisticated analyses of cell-cell interactions and molecular mechanisms controlling pathways of cellular growth, differentiation, and apoptosis will likely lead to new approaches for prevention and therapy of prostatic diseases.
Peel mechanics of adhesive joints

A review is given of the mechanics of peeling rupture of an adhesive joint, consisting of a flexible adhering strip peled away from a layer of adhesive. Attention is drawn to a number of anomalous results that cannot be accounted for solely, in terms of the thermodynamic work of formation of two new surfaces. The work of detachment is found to be generally much larger than the theoretically-predicted amount. Moreover, the value obtained is greater for thicker layers of adhesive, and for detachment at a peel angle of 180° rather than at 90°. Also, it is found to increase with increasing thickness of the adhering strip, passing through a maximum value in some cases and then decreasing as the strip thickness is increased still further. All of these effects are attributed to dissipative processes, for example, plastic yielding, in one or both of the adhering layers as they are peeled apart. Some quantitative relationships are given for the additional peel forces arising from plastic yielding of the adherend or the adhesive.
Centennial impacts of fragmentation on the canopy structure of tropical montane forest

Fragmentation poses one of the greatest threats to tropical forests with short-term changes to the structure of forest canopies affecting microclimate, tree mortality, and growth. Yet the long-term effects of fragmentation are poorly understood because (1) most effects require many decades to materialize, but long-term studies are very rare, (2) the effects of edges on forest canopy structure as a function of fragment size are unknown, and (3) edge effects are often confounded by fragment shape. We quantified the long-term (centennial) effects of fragmentation on forest canopy structure using airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) of 1060 Hawaiian rain forest fragments ranging in size from 0.02 to 1000 ha, created more than 130 years ago by flowing lava. Along with distance from edge, we developed a metric, minimum span, to gain additional insight into edge effects on three measures of canopy structure: canopy height, height variation, and gap fraction. Fragment size was a strong determinant of the three structural variables. Larger fragments had greater average height, larger variation in height, and smaller gap fraction. Minimum span had a large effect on the depth and magnitude of edge effects for the three structural variables. Locations associated with high span values (those surrounded by more forest habitat) showed little effect of distance to fragment edge. In contrast, locations with low span values (those more exposed to edges) were severely limited in canopy height, showed lower height variation, and were associated with greater gap fraction values. The minimum span attribute allows for a more accurate characterization of edge as well as fragment-level effects, and when combined with high resolution imagery, can improve planning of protected areas for long-term ecological sustainability and biodiversity protection.
Structural Analysis and Load Test of a Nineteenth-Century Iron Bowstring Arch-Truss Bridge

A structural study examines the oldest remaining metal bridge in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a wrought-iron bowstring arch truss, designed and manufactured by the King Iron Bridge Company. Finite-element analysis is used to evaluate the interaction between the arch and truss, and the results are compared with field measurements from a live-load test. The study reveals that diagonal truss elements decrease arch bending by distributing concentrated vertical loads along the arch toward the abutments in a way consistent with that of modern network arch bridges. When the truss diagonals are absent, the vertical bridge-deck deflection is doubled. Underslung portal frames provide lateral stiffness to the arch, an innovation that accommodates a shallow arch profile conducive to transportation and erection.
An Assessment of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Wildlife Research

Aerial surveys are valuable tools for wildlife research and management. However, problems with safety, cost, statistical integrity, and logistics continue to impede aerial surveys from manned aircraft. The use of small, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may offer promise for addressing these problems and become a useful tool for many wildlife applications, such as for collecting low-altitude aerial imagery. During 2002 and 2003, we used a 1.5-m wingspan UAV equipped with autonomous control and sophisticated video equipment to test the potential usefulness of such an aircraft for wildlife research applications in Florida, USA. The UAV we used completed >30 missions (missions averaging 13 km linear distance covered) over 2 years before finally crashing due to engine failure. The UAV captured high-quality, progressive-scan video of a number of landscapes and wildlife species (white ibis [Eudocimus albus], other white wading birds, American alligator [Alligator mississippiensis], and Florida manatee [Trichechus manatus]). The UAV system was unable to collect georeferenced imagery and was difficult to deploy in unimproved areas. The performance of the autonomous control system and the quality of the progressive-scan imagery indicated strong promise for future UAVs as useful field tools. For small UAVs to be useful as management or research tools, they should be durable, modular, electric powered, launchable and recoverable in rugged terrain, autonomously controllable, operable with minimal training, and collect georeferenced imagery.
Temperature Effects on Clay Soil Consolidation

The influence of increasing the temperature in a consolidating soil is examined by consideration of the thermal energy input from the temperature change. This energy provides the potential necessary to cause flow through physical changes in the pore water and at the soil water interface. A consolidometer was adapted to provide temperature changes through a heating element, the temperatures being measured by thermocouples at the soil sample surface. The quantity of deformation induced by increasing boundary temperatures at a given stress level was measured for three series of increases: low-long time, high-long time, and high-rapid time. It was observed that the magnitude of the resulting deformation depended directly on the magnitude of the temperature increase, and that the deformation pattern was similar to the temperature patttern. Deformation ceased when the temperature increase was halted.
Aspartyl Protease-Mediated Cleavage of BAG6 Is Necessary for Autophagy and Fungal Resistance in Plants

The Bcl-2-associated athanogene (BAG) family is an evolutionarily conserved group of cochaperones that modulate numerous cellular processes. Previously we found that Arabidopsis thaliana BAG6 is required for basal immunity against the fungal phytopathogen Botrytis cinerea. However, the mechanisms by which BAG6 controls immunity are obscure. Here, we address this important question by determining the molecular mechanisms responsible for BAG6-mediated basal resistance. We show that Arabidopsis BAG6 is cleaved in vivo in a caspase-1-like-dependent manner and via a combination of pull-downs, mass spectrometry, yeast two-hybrid assays, and chemical genomics, we demonstrate that BAG6 interacts with a C2 GRAM domain protein (BAGP1) and an aspartyl protease (APCB1), both of which are required for BAG6 processing. Furthermore, fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy established that BAG6 cleavage triggers autophagy in the host that coincides with disease resistance. Targeted inactivation of BAGP1 or APCB1 results in the blocking of BAG6 processing and loss of resistance. Mutation of the cleavage site blocks cleavage and inhibits autophagy in plants; disease resistance is also compromised. Taken together, these results identify a mechanism that couples an aspartyl protease with a molecular cochaperone to trigger autophagy and plant defense, providing a key link between fungal recognition and the induction of cell death and resistance.
Emerging trilingual literacies in rural India: linguistic, marketing, and developmental aspects

This paper examines emerging forms of multilingualism and multiliteracy in rural India (where the term ‘literacy’ is used broadly here to include digital media literacy and marketing literacy as well as literacy in the traditional sense of the knowledge of a writing system). Here forces of globalization and digital communication have created unique communication circumstances that have a serious bearing on our understanding of multilingualism and on theoretical and practical issues concerning literacy in developing and rural societies. The newly emerging form of bimodal communication (man-machine and verbal-visual) is a product of a new village institution called an e-Choupal, a meeting place housing a computer with Internet access, where local farmers meet to learn about developments in farming, crop prices, etc., on the basis of contact with the world beyond the village through the use of computers. Traditionally, communication between members of the rural population and members of the mainstream popula...
Distribution and Characterization of Podosphaera macularis Virulent on Hop Cultivars Possessing R6-Based Resistance to Powdery Mildew

Host resistance, both quantitative and qualitative, is the preferred long-term approach for disease management in many pathosystems, including powdery mildew of hop (Podosphaera macularis). In 2012, an epidemic of powdery mildew occurred in Washington and Idaho on previously resistant cultivars whose resistance was putatively based on the gene designated R6. In 2013, isolates capable of causing severe disease on cultivars with R6-based resistance were confirmed in Oregon and became widespread during 2014. Surveys of commercial hop yards during 2012 to 2014 documented that powdery mildew is now widespread on cultivars possessing R6 resistance in Washington and Oregon, and the incidence of disease is progressively increasing. Pathogenic fitness, race, and mating type of R6-virulent isolates were compared with isolates of P. macularis lacking R6 virulence. All isolates were positive for the mating type idiomorph MAT1-1 and were able to overcome resistance genes Rb, R3, and R5 but not R1 or R2. In addition, R6-virulent isolates were shown to infect differential cultivars reported to possess the R6 gene and also the R4 gene, although R4 has not yet been broadly deployed in the United States. R6-virulent isolates were not detected from the eastern United States during 2012 to 2015. In growth chamber studies, R6-virulent isolates of P. macularis had a significantly longer latent period and produced fewer lesions on plants with R6 as compared with plants lacking R6, indicating a fitness cost to the fungus. R6-virulent isolates also produced fewer conidia when compared with isolates lacking R6 virulence, independent of whether the isolates were grown on a plant with or without R6. Thus, it is possible that the fitness cost of R6 virulence occurs regardless of host genotype. In field studies, powdery mildew was suppressed by at least 50% on plants possessing R6 as compared with those without R6 when coinoculated with R6-virulent and avirulent isolates. R6 virulence in P. macularis appears to be race specific and, at this time, imposes a measurable fitness penalty on the fungus. Resistance genes R1 and R2 appear to remain effective against R6-virulent isolates of P. macularis in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
Piezoresistive foam sensor arrays for marine applications

Abstract Spatially-dense pressure measurements are needed on curved surfaces in marine environments to provide marine vehicles with the detailed, real-time measurements of the near-field flow necessary to improve performance through flow control. To address this challenge, a waterproof and conformal pressure sensor array comprising carbon black-doped-silicone closed-cell foam (CBPDMS foam) was developed for use in marine applications. The response of the CBPDMS foam sensor arrays was characterized underwater using periodic hydrodynamic pressure stimuli from vertical plunging and surface water waves, from which a piecewise polynomial calibration was developed to describe the sensor response. Inspired by the distributed pressure and velocity sensing capabilities of the fish lateral line, the CBPDMS foam sensor arrays have significant advantages over existing commercial sensors for distributed flow reconstruction and control. Experimental results have shown the sensor arrays to have sensitivity underwater on the order of 5 Pa, dynamic range of 50⬜500 Pa; are contained in a waterproof and completely flexible package, and have material cost less than $10 per sensor.
Results after elective open repair of pararenal abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Objective This study presents a retrospective analysis of long-term outcomes and factors influencing early and late results of a 20-year experience with open repair of atherosclerotic pararenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (PAAAs). Methods Records of consecutive patients who underwent open repair of PAAA between 1990 and 2010 at a tertiary referral care center were analyzed for demographics, comorbidities, operative variables, complications, and 30-day mortality. Long-term results were also assessed through a local electronic medical database and direct follow-up. Variables influencing early and late results were evaluated by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, stepwise backward elimination, and Cox proportional hazard regression. Results The study included 200 patients (94% men; mean age, 69.5 years) who were monitored for a mean of 107.3 months. The aneurysm was juxtarenal in 78% of patients, suprarenal in 19.5%, and type IV thoracoabdominal in 2.5%. Mortality at 30 days was 2.5%. At least one major complication occurred in 51.5%. Postoperative acute renal failure (pARF) occurred in 11% of the patients, 3% had temporary hemodialysis, but only 0.5% required chronic hemodialysis. pARF was significantly related to preoperative renal function ( P = .009), visceral ischemia >30 minutes ( P = .05), and supraceliac or supramesenteric clamp site ( P = .005). Respiratory complications (13.8%) were associated with an increasing stage of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( P = .020), proximal clamp site ( P = .047), and intraoperatively infused crystalloids ( P = .014). Cardiac complications (12.8%) were related to previous myocardial infarction ( P = .031) and proximal clamp site ( P = .003). Late deaths were observed in 21.5%. Mean survival was 50 months, with Kaplan-Meier survival estimates of 78% at 5 years and 60.5% at 10 years. Variables influencing long-term survival included age (hazard ratio [HR], 2.67; P = .01), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease stage 2 (HR, 5.14; P = .01) and stage 3 (HR, 4.54; P = .03), postoperative cardiac complication (HR, 3.93; P ≤ .00), previous myocardial infarction (HR, 1.47; P = .02), peripheral artery disease (HR, 1.97; P = .03), and smoking (HR, 1.17; P = .02). Survival and late-onset renal insufficiency were unaffected by preoperative renal function. Late renal failure was observed in 6.2% of the patients but did not predict mortality. Conclusions Conventional surgical repair of PAAAs can be performed with acceptable short-term and long-term mortality. Although pARF is frequent, chronic hemodialysis at discharge is rare. Cardiac and respiratory complications are also common and associated with worse survival. Our data represent a potentially useful benchmark for complex endovascular repairs of this type of aneurysm.
Diminished calcium signal generation in subsets of T lymphocytes that predominate in old mice.

We have recently demonstrated an age-dependent increase in the fraction of murine T cells that express high levels of the Pgp-1 surface glycoprotein, thought to be a marker for memory lymphocytes. T cells from old mice also exhibit a defect in the generation of cytoplasmic calcium signals after stimulation with Con A. To see if the increase in Pgp-1+ T cells could account for defective calcium signal generation in old mice, we carried out flow cytometric analyses to examine calcium signal production in T cells expressing high or low levels of the Pgp-1 marker. We report here that Pgp-1+ T cells, from both old and young mice, do indeed generate relatively poor Ca2+ responses when exposed either to receptor-dependent mitogens (e.g., Con A and anti-CD3) or to activators like ionomycin that bypass receptor-mediated signal transduction pathways. Both CD4 (helper) and CD8 (killer) T cells show poor calcium responses. These data suggest that the shift, with age, toward Pgp-1+ T cells, which are relatively refractory to stimuli that raise intracellular calcium concentrations, may contribute to poor cell-mediated immune function in old animals.
Effect of Ethacrynic Acid on Calcium and Magnesium Excretion.

SummaryEthacrynic acid produced an increase in calcium and magnesium excretion. This effect was proportional to the degree of natriuresis. Meralluride and chlorothiazide produced less natriuresis a...
Pancreatic collagenase, a new enzyme.

Conclusions and summaryFrom these data, it is apparent that whole activated pancreas, unlike pancreatic juice, contains a thermo-labile material which can reduce by 50% both viscosity and ability to form fibers of acid soluble collagen solutions. This activity is not affected by various trypsin inhibitors, nor is it duplicated by trypsin, elastase, chymotrypsin or hyaluronidase alone. This activity may be due to a new enzyme in the pancreas, a collagenase. In view of lack of activity of this enzyme upon serum and egg albumin, casein and gelatin, this enzyme would seem to be reasonably specific for acid soluble collagen.
Fire Assessment of Steel Beam Members With Partial Passive Fire Protection Coverage

In offshore structures there are instances where the application of passive fire protection (PFP) is not possible or desired on certain portions of a structural member’s surface area. The most common cases are those where the top surface is left unprotected due to the presence of deck grating or plating. Current code and standard provisions on heat transfer and strength assessment of restrained flexural members are not directly applicable to these cases. Thus, a case study is presented for performing a fire assessment of a restrained plate girder subjected to jet fire impingement with the top flange surface left unprotected. To assess residual strength and perform non-linear analyses under combined thermal and static loading, a heat transfer analysis was first performed to obtain the time histories of the two dimensional heat distributions throughout the studied cross-section. The results showed that the top flange heats up rapidly and the heat conducts very slowly down the web to the rest of the cross-section, with a very large thermal gradient occurring over the height of the section. Approximate screening calculations for the cross-section, based on AISC capacity equations, indicated that the member will quickly exceed its elastic capacity and that local buckling may occur prior to yielding. Advanced non-linear finite element analysis of the mechanical response confirmed large amounts of plasticity and local buckling occur, but showed that global integrity of the member is maintained for the duration of the fire due to redundancy and catenary action. Recommendations and conclusions on analysis methods for partially protected deck members are made based on the results of this study.© 2012 ASME
Sleep Duration and Diet Quality Among Women Within 5 Years of Childbirth in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective Only 9 % of women with young children consume a high quality diet. The association between sleep duration and health may be U-shaped. We examined diet quality in relation to sleep duration among US women within 5 years of childbirth. Methods Data were from non-pregnant women aged 20-44 years within 5 years of childbirth who completed two 24-h dietary recalls (N = 896) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2012. Self-reported weekday/workday sleep duration was categorized as short (≤6 h), adequate (7-8 h), or long (≥9 h). The Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010, range 0-100) estimated overall and components of diet quality. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression models estimated the association between sleep duration and diet quality, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and education. Results Thirty-four percent of women reported short, 57.1 % adequate, and 8.6 % long sleep duration. The average diet quality total score was 47.4 out of 100. Short sleep duration was not associated with diet quality. Long sleep duration was associated with lower quality diet (β = -4.3; 95 % CI -8.1 to -0.4), lower consumption of total fruit (β = -0.7; 95 % CI -1.3 to -0.1), whole fruit (β = -0.9; 95 % CI -1.6 to -0.2), and total protein (β = -0.7; 95 % CI -1.3 to -0.03), and higher consumption of empty calories (β = 2.2; 95 % CI -4.3 to -0.1). Conclusions for practice Future studies should examine the longitudinal association between sleep duration and diet quality among women following childbirth and whether interventions to improve sleep can enhance diet quality.
Diffusion in a Cu-Zr metallic glass studied by microsecond-scale molecular dynamics simulations

Icosahedral short-range order (ISRO) has been widely accepted to be dominant in Cu-Zr metallic glasses (MGs). However, the diffusion mechanism and correlation of ISRO and medium-range order (MRO) to diffusion in MGs remain largely unexplored. Here, we perform a long time annealing up to 1.8 \ensuremath{\mu}s in molecular dynamics simulations to study the diffusion mechanism and the relationship between atomic structures and the diffusion path in a $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{u}}_{64.5}\mathrm{Z}{\mathrm{r}}_{35.5}$ MG. It is found that most of the diffusing events performed by the diffusing atoms are outside ISRO and the Bergman-type MRO. The long-range diffusion in MGs is highly heterogeneous, via collective diffusing events through the liquidlike channels in the glass. Our results clearly demonstrate a strong correlation between the atomic structures and transport in MGs.
The only way is up

Paying the lowest earners less than a living wage, all too common in countries including the UK and US, leaves even full-time workers unable to lift their families out of poverty. The resulting harm goes far beyond unpaid bills. Poverty separates people from resources such as healthcare and safe housing. Those in poverty experience more wear and tear from stress than the rest of them, and are sicker and die earlier. Their children are more likely to be depressed and to have trouble at school. Their newborns are more likely to die in infancy. Here, Smith discusses how a proper living wage could bring major health benefits to societies.
Stanniocalcin-1 attenuates ischemic cardiac injury and response of differentiating monocytes/macrophages to inflammatory stimuli

Stanniocalcin-1 (STC-1) is a multifunctional glycoprotein with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Ischemic myocardial necrosis generates "danger" signals that perpetuate detrimental inflammatory reactions often involving monocyte recruitment and their subsequent differentiation into proinflammatory macrophages. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of recombinant STC-1 (rSTC-1) on monocyte phenotype and in a mouse model of myocardial infarction. Using an established protocol to differentiate human monocytes into macrophages, we demonstrated that rSTC-1 did not alter morphology of the differentiated cells, toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 expression, or expression of the myeloid cell marker CD11b. However, rSTC-1 treatment before differentiation attenuated the rise in the expression of CD14, a TLR4 coreceptor and pathogen sensor that propagates innate immune responses, and suppressed levels of inflammatory cytokines produced by the differentiated cells in response to the CD14-TLR4 ligand lipopolysaccharide. Moreover, rSTC-1 treatment reduced CD14 expression in monocytes stimulated with endogenous danger signals. Interestingly, the effects of rSTC-1 on CD14 expression were not reproduced by a superoxide dismutase mimetic. In mice with induced myocardial infarcts, intravenous administration of rSTC-1 decreased CD14 expression in the heart as well as levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, C-X-C motif ligand 2, interleukin 1 beta, and myeloperoxidase. It also suppressed the formation of scar tissue while enhancing cardiac function. The data suggests that one of the beneficial effects of STC-1 might be attributed to suppression of CD14 on recruited monocytes and macrophages that limits their inflammatory response. STC-1 may be a promising therapy to protect the heart and other tissues from ischemic injury.
Will and the Reconciled Maid: Rereading Confession and Remembering Sin in Shake-speares Sonnets

The 1609 quarto Shake-speares Sonnets, which includes a sequence of 154 sonnets and A Lover’s Complaint, is a collection of confessional poems and a collection of poems about confession. In the sonnet sequence, Shakespeare presents a first-person narrator who repeatedly uses confessional language and tropes in his struggle with the repercussions of transgressive sexual desire. Similarly, in A Lover’s Complaint, Shakespeare recapitulates this confessional dilemma, but from the perspective of an anonymous narrator recounting a “fickle maid[‘s]” confession (5) to a “reverend man” (57).1 The Sonnets-speaker’s and the fickle maid’s confessions, though they differ in form, both reveal that they share and are constituted by a similar object of desire—a young man. When considered as a linear narrative, their confessions of sexual shame and guilt stemming from their respective relationships with a young man create a mutually constitutive poetic space in which Shakespeare explores the emotional, psychological, and spiritual effects of seduction and desire.2
The AAA+ FtsH Protease Degrades an ssrA-Tagged Model Protein in the Inner Membrane of Escherichia coli.

In eubacteria, the tmRNA system frees ribosomes that stall during protein synthesis and adds an ssrA tag to the incompletely translated polypeptide to target it for degradation. The AAA+ ClpXP protease degrades most ssrA-tagged proteins in the Escherichia coli cytoplasm and was recently shown to degrade an ssrA-tagged protein in the inner membrane. However, we find that tmRNA-mediated tagging of E. coli ProW1–182, a different inner-membrane protein, results in degradation by the membrane-tethered AAA+ FtsH protease. ClpXP played no role in the degradation of ProW1–182 in vivo. These studies suggest that a complex distribution of proteolytic labor maintains protein quality control in the inner membrane.
Do's and don'ts in thermal management

This paper presents some observations and recommendations about thermal management based on my experience as a researcher, teacher, and consultant. These comments are focused mainly on air cooling, at the system and board level. It is important to integrate the testing and CFD approaches to problems and have their results interpreted by someone well-schooled in heat transfer. Data doesn't solve a problem, data simply makes the problem visible. It takes a trained person to solve a thermal problem-someone who can look at the data, recognizes the root cause of the problem, and who knows what to change to fix it. Every house needs one. CFD codes are mainly used to identify potential problems. They can do more. It is not difficult to instruct a CFD code to generate diagnostic data that will help reveal the nature of the problem-not just that a problem exists. It is increasingly important to have a working knowledge of heat exchanger theory and to keep that viewpoint in mind when looking at larger-scale problems, like heat sinks. Recent advances in micro-scale manufacture of heat transfer surfaces show promise of new ultra-compact heat exchangers that will fit in to the electronics environment. That field bears watching.
Emission Impacts of Electric Vehicles in the US Transportation Sector Following Optimistic Cost and Efficiency Projections

This study investigates emission impacts of introducing inexpensive and efficient electric vehicles into the US light duty vehicle (LDV) sector. Scenarios are explored using the ANSWER-MARKAL model with a modified version of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 9-region database. Modified cost and performance projections for LDV technologies are adapted from the National Research Council (2013) optimistic case. Under our optimistic scenario (OPT) we find 15% and 47% adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in 2030 and 2050, respectively. In contrast, gasoline vehicles (ICEVs) remain dominant through 2050 in the EPA reference case (BAU). Compared to BAU, OPT gives 16% and 36% reductions in LDV greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for 2030 and 2050, respectively, corresponding to 5% and 9% reductions in economy-wide emissions. Total nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and SO2 emissions are similar in the two scenarios due to intersectoral shifts. Moderate, economy-wide GHG fees have little eff...