cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamics and stability in coevolutionary ecological systems. I. Community stability and coevolutionarily stable states.

Abstract An extension of J. Roughgarden's [1979, Theor. Pop. Biol. 9 , 388; 1979, “An Introduction to Evolutionary Ecology and Population Genetic Theory,” Macmillan, New York] formalism for investigating the effects of coevolution on community structure is presented. The extension assumes the result that a coevolved community is asymptotically stable when coevolution takes place at a genetically noninvasible boundary. This is proved for the general case of n interacting species. From this a community persistence function, Φ( P ), is defined that allows measuring the domain of attraction for the community as well as the resilience time, that is, the time taken for a perturbation to decay to 1 − 1/ e (63 %) of its initial value.
“Everything that looks good ain’t good!”: Perspectives on urban redevelopment among persons with a history of injection drug use in Baltimore, Maryland

Background While urban redevelopment is intended to ameliorate urban decay, some studies demonstrate that it can negatively impact some residents. Few studies have considered its impact on persons with a history of drug use.
Construction of 3-resonant benzenoid systems

Abstract A systematic method of constructing all 3-resonant benzenoid systems (in which any i disjoint hexagons (i = 1, 2, 3) are mutually resonant) is presented. Based on this method, an efficient procedure (from the computing point of view) of drawing a Clar formula for a 3-resonant benzenoid system is given. In addition, it is shown that the number of circles in a Clar formula of a 3-resonant benzenoid system with n vertices is greater than or equal to n/8.
Comparison of actual oxygen delivery kinetics to those predicted by mathematical modeling following stage 1 palliation just prior to superior cavopulmonary anastomosis.

Summary Background Optimizing systemic oxygen delivery (DO2) and hemodynamics in children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a clinical challenge. Mathematical modeling of the HLHS circulation has been used to determine the relationship between oxygen kinetic parameters and DO2 and to determine how DO2 might be optimized. The model demonstrates that neither arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) nor mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) alone accurately predicts DO2. Objectives Oxygen delivery kinetics predicted by previously described mathematical modeling were compared with actual patients' hemodynamic data. We sought to determine which patient derived parameters correlated best with DO2. Methods Patients with HLHS who underwent cardiac catheterization prior to surgery to create a superior cavopulmonary anastomosis from 2007 to 2011 were identified. Hemodynamic data obtained were compared with the data derived from the mathematical model. Correlations between SaO2, SvO2, SaO2-SvO2, SaO2/(SaO2-SvO2), pulmonary-to-systemic blood flow ratio (Qp/Qs), and DO2 were evaluated using both linear and nonlinear analyses, and R2 was calculated. Results/Conclusions Patients' data fit most aspects of the mathematical model. DO2 had the best correlation with SaO2/(SaO2-SvO2; R2 = 0.8755) followed by SaO2-SvO2 (R2 = 0.8063), while SaO2 or SvO2 alone did not demonstrate a significant correlation as predicated by the mathematical model (R2 = 0.09564 and 0.4831, respectively). SaO2/(SaO2-SvO2) would be useful clinically to track changes in DO2 that occur with changes in patient condition or with interventions.
An exact formula for the measure dimensions associated with a class of piecewise linear maps

An exact formula for the various measure dimensions of attractors associated with contracting similitudes is given. An example is constructed showing that for more general affine maps the various measure dimensions are not always equal.
Mechanisms of clearance of Treponema pallidum from the CSF in a nonhuman primate model

Objectives: To establish a model of CNS invasion by Treponema pallidum and to use it to investigate the immune mechanisms responsible for clearance. Methods: Four macaques were intrathecally inoculated with 0.6 to 2.1 × 10 8 T. pallidum and underwent clinical examinations and blood and CSF collections every 1 to 2 weeks for 12 to 13 weeks. The following were determined: serum Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) and microhemagglutination- T. pallidum reactivities, CSF-VDRL, CSF white blood cell (WBC) count, and the presence of viable T. pallidum in CSF by the rabbit infectivity test (all animals), as well as the presence of T. pallidum in CSF by reverse-transcriptase (RT)-PCR, WBC phenotype by fluorescence-activated cell sorter, WBC cytokine production by RT-PCR, and brain MRI at 10 weeks (two animals). Results: All animals became systemically infected and developed CSF pleocytosis that resolved after 8 weeks. CSF T. pallidum was detected from 2 to 8 weeks. CSF T lymphocytes were predominantly CD4 + . Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) mRNA was consistently detected in CSF WBCs, but interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 were not. All animals remained clinically well. MRIs were normal. Conclusions: In this model, T. pallidum is cleared from the CNS just as in most humans with early syphilis. Local production of IFN-γ likely participates in this process. This model could be used to clarify the effect of retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency on clearance of T. pallidum from the CNS and on the local CNS immune response.
Elevated amniotic fluid nucleosome levels in women with intra-amniotic infection.

Abstract Objective: To compare amniotic fluid (AF) soluble nucleosome levels in pregnant women with and without intra-amniotic infection. Methods: Amniocentesis was performed in 74 pregnant women with preterm contractions, labor, or premature rupture of membranes. Intra-amniotic infection was defined as a positive AF culture. Amniotic fluid tests for Gram stain, glucose, neutrophils, creatinine, pH, and specific gravity were performed. Amniotic fluid soluble nucleosome levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were normalized by AF creatinine levels. Results: Twenty-eight patients had intra-amniotic infection and 46 did not. Amniotic fluid soluble nucleosome levels were significantly higher in pregnant women with intra-amniotic infection than in those without infection (48.1 ± 21.3 compared with 0.0 ± 0.0 U/mg creatinine; P = .005). The AF nucleosome levels were positively correlated with AF neutrophil counts and negatively correlated with AF glucose concentrations. Conclusion: Our data indicate that elevated AF nucleosome levels are associated with intra-amniotic infection and may have potential as a clinical marker to detect intra-amniotic infection.
T-cell apoptosis detected in situ during positive and negative selection in the thymus

BECAUSE of positive and negative selection to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)1, only a small propor-tion of the massive numbers of T cells generated in the thymus are selected for export2,3. Immature thymocytes have a rapid turnover2, and it has long been assumed that most thymocytes die i/i siVw4,5, presumably from apoptosis6. This has yet to be proved, however, and conventional staining techniques have shown only minimal evidence of cell death in the normal thymus7,8. Using a method for detecting cells with DNA strand breaks, we now present direct evidence for apoptosis in the normal thymus. In sections of thymus from adult mice, apoptotic cells are scattered throughout the cortex and are engulfed locally by F4/80+ macrophages. Apoptosis in the thymic cortex is not reduced in MHC-deficient mice, which suggests that T-cell death is primarily a reflection of lack of positive selection rather than negative selection. Direct evidence for apoptosis due to negative selection was obtained by crossing a Vβ5 transgenic line9 to I–E+ and I–E- mice: I–E+ mice are known to eliminate Vβ5+ T cells in the thymus whereas I–E- mice do not10. In marked contrast to I–E- mice, the medulla of I–E+ Vβ5 transgenic mice contains dense aggregates of apoptotic cells; these cells are engulfed by a distinct population of F4/80- MAC-3+ macrophages. Negative selection of Vβ5+ cells is thus restricted to the medulla.
The role of growth factors in the activity of pharmacological differentiation agents.

Bryostatin-1 inhibits acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in vitro at doses that stimulate the growth of normal hematopoietic progenitors. Although bryostatin-1 has a number of distinct biological activities, those specifically responsible for its antileukemic activity are unclear. We found that bryostatin-1 (10 8 M) inhibited cell cycling at G 1, induced phenotypic evidence of differentiation, and limited the clonogenic growth of both AML cell lines and patient specimens. This activity was markedly enhanced by granulocyte/ macrophage-colony stimulating factor, whereas growth factor-neutralizing antibodies completely inhibited both the differentiating and antileukemic activities of bryostatin-1. Cell cycle inhibition and growth factors were also required for the differentiating activities of two unrelated agents, hydroxyurea and phenylbutyrate. These data suggest that many pharmacological differentiating agents require both cell cycle arrest and lineage-specific growth factors for full activity and may explain why these agents have demonstrated only limited clinical efficacy.
Super-resolution of imagery: understanding the basis for recovery of spatial frequencies beyond the diffraction limit

Since the formation of an image alters the recorded information content from that of the original object, there has been much interest and effort directed to processing the image so as to more closely match the original object. The paper examines credible methods for the reconstruction of spatial frequencies of the object that are greater than the diffraction limit spatial frequencies in the image. Processes that achieve the recreation of frequencies beyond the image passband are usually referred to as super-resolution algorithms. The ability to achieve super-resolution of an image is controversial, with prominent literature proclaiming it as not possible. However, the existence of algorithms that have demonstrated super-resolution in a number of different contexts has made it inescapable to conclude that super-resolution is possible. Understanding the basis of super-resolution also leads to understanding how the various algorithms for super-resolution function.
Clock skew on DRAM/logic merged technology based systems

This paper describes the clock skew estimations considering all the possible clock skew factors on DRAM/Logic merged systems. The clock skew difference between a standard logic chip and DRAM/Logic merged chips has been estimated as 521 ps for 4/spl times/4 cm/sup 2/ die size. The relationship between clock skew and die size on DRAM/Logic merged systems has been obtained along with the maximum operating clock frequency assuming clock skew can take up to 15% of the total clock cycle on such a large chip.
Optofluidic control using photothermal nanoparticles

Photothermal metallic nanoparticles have attracted significant attention owing to their energy-conversion properties. Here, we introduce an optofluidic application based on a direct optical-to-hydrodynamic energy conversion using suspended photothermal nanoparticles near the liquid-air interface. Using light beams with submilliwatt power, we can drive and guide liquid flow in microfluidic channels to transport biomolecules and living cells at controlled speeds and directions. Previously, a variety of methods for controlling microscale liquid flow have been developed owing to the increasing interest for microfluidics-based biochemical analysis systems. However, our method dispenses with the need for complex pump and valve devices, surface chemistry and electrode patterning, or any other further effort towards substrate fabrication. Instead, our optofluidic control method will allow the fabrication of all-optical large-scale integrated microfluidic circuits for biomolecular and cellular processing without any physical valve or mechanical pumping device.
Recognizing medicalization and demedicalization: Discourses, practices, and identities:

Scholars of the medicalization of social problems have paid inadequate attention to medicalization's multiple dimensions - discourses, practices and identities - and to the multiple levels of analysis at which it occurs - macro, meso and micro. As a result, scholars of a given social problem typically examine only a few aspects of its medicalization, fail to recognize changes in medicalization, and miss occasions where medicalization and demedicalization occur simultaneously. Moreover, by conceptualizing medicalization as a category or state rather than a continuous value, and failing to specify the threshold at which a phenomenon becomes 'medicalized' or 'demedicalized', scholars have discouraged attention to demedicalization. The article provides a new typology of medicalization and illustrates its utility through an analysis of two episodes in American abortion history. Previous analysts of these episodes miss many aspects of medicalization and disagree about whether these episodes involve medicalization or demedicalization. The typology helps resolve these differences.
What is a clinical pearl and what is its role in medical education

Background: Despite the advent of evidence-based medicine, clinical pearls, verbal and published, remain a popular and important part of medical education.Aims: The purpose of this study was to est...
An implementation of F-channels, a preferable alternative to FIFO channels

An F-channel can permit as much concurrency as a nonFIFO channel and yet retain the properties of a FIFO channel that leads to simplicity of reasoning in design and proofs of the correctness of distributed algorithms. This is one of the major reasons that makes it preferable to a FIFO channel and make its implementation important. This and other reasons for its superiority over a FIFO channel are discussed, and it is proposed that systems should provide implementation of F-channels. Reasons are discussed for this proposal which are based on the principle that a system should provide an interface to the users that makes algorithm design easy and that leads to efficient user efforts and system operation. Implementation of an F-channel on top of a nonFIFO channel is presented. >
Geographically distributed project teams: a dimensional analysis

The authors describe a research project involving qualitative data collection from large organizations in the U.S., Japan and Europe. Its main objective is to understand what "distributed" means when discussing the management of distributed projects, an issue largely glossed over by the relevant literature. The discussion presented suggests dimensions to the concept of "distributedness" through a theory-based model. An understanding of the distributedness dimensions simplifies the practical application of how to manage such systems.
Automated parameter estimation process for clustering algorithms used in software maintenance

This project addresses the issues of finding the appropriate values for the constants or parameters used in any clustering algorithm for software maintenance. It is an attempt to reduce the human effort of substituting random values in an algorithm and finding the right value for the constant by trial and error. This application implements a single objective genetic algorithm which solves the above mentioned issue in a pattern very similar to the human approach, but the computer solution is much more efficient and robust. Two clustering algorithms have also been implemented to interface with the proposed solution to study the behavior and verify the validity if the proposed solution. Experimental results show that the presented genetic-based solution is appropriate for this problem, as it tries different combinations and solutions and gives the values which in-turn helps the clustering algorithm to give optimal results.
Role of insulin action and cell size on protein expression patterns in adipocytes.

Mice with a fat-specific insulin receptor knock-out (FIRKO) exhibit a polarization of white adipose tissue into two populations of cells, one small (diameter 100 μm), accompanied by changes in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, triglyceride synthesis, and lipolysis. To characterize these subclasses of adipocytes, we have used a proteomics approach in which isolated adipocytes from FIRKO and control (IR lox/lox) mice were separated by size, fractionated into cytosolic and membrane subfractions, and analyzed by sucrose gradient, SDS-PAGE, and mass spectrometry. A total of 27 alterations in protein expression at key steps in lipid and energy metabolism could be defined, which were coordinately regulated by adipocyte cell size, impaired insulin signaling, or both. Nine proteins, including vimentin, EH-domain-containing protein 2, elongation factor 2, glucose-regulated protein 78, transketolase, and succinyl-CoA transferase were primarily affected by presence or absence of insulin signaling, whereas 21 proteins, including myosin non-muscle form A, annexin 2, annexin A6, and Hsp47 were regulated in relation to adipocyte size. Of these 27 alterations in protein expression, 14 changes correlated with altered levels of mRNA, whereas the remaining 13 were the result of changes in protein translation or turnover. These data suggest an intrinsic heterogeneity in adipocytes with differences in protein expression patterns caused by transcriptional and post-transcriptional alterations related to insulin action and cellular lipid accumulation.
Closed-Loop Behavior of a Class of Nonlinear Systems Under EKF-Based Control

We study the closed-loop behavior of the extended Kalman filter (EKF) for a class of deterministic nonlinear systems that are transformable to the special normal form with linear internal dynamics. We argue that the closed-loop system is asymptotically stable and the estimation error exponentially converges to zero. We compare the performance of the EKF to a high-gain observer through simulation
New methods for power distribution system design and analysis

This paper expounds on the key features of an integrated design flow and relevant tools for exceptional power distribution system design. Careful treatment is given to the practical factors that are inherent in the design and analysis of the power distribution system, including documentation, accuracy, throughput time, automation, flexibility, integration, reuse, and change control. Furthermore, since some of these factors are competing, the new methods allow for real-time tradeoffs (e.g. between accuracy and throughput time). Examples and specific implementation recommendations are presented for those who wish to employ similar methods within their own design groups.
Hash table in massively parallel systems

The authors look at the performance and new collision resolution strategies for hash tables in massively parallel systems. The results show that using a hash table with linear probing yields O(logN) time performance for handling M accesses by N processors when the load factor of the table is 50%, where N is the size of the hash table. This is better than the performance of using sorted arrays. Two phase hashing gives an average time complexity O(logN) for M simultaneous accesses to a hash table of size N even when the table has 100% load. Simulation results also show that hypercube hashing significantly outperforms linear probing and double hashing. >
Urbanization and development in sub-Saharan Africa

Data from the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Report and the World Bank’s World Development Report are employed to test the hypothesis of a positive link between urbanization and development in sub-Saharan Africa. Level of urbanization is defined as the percentage of a country’s population in cities with at least 20,000 inhabitants. Development is operationalized in terms of the human development index (HDI). Results from correlation and t-test analyses confirm the hypothesized relationship. Thus, the study shows that urbanization and development, measured in terms of the HDI are positively linked at least in the case of the sub-Saharan region.  2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
Fecal free: Biology and authority in industrialized Midwestern pork production

Ethnographically, ''fecal free'' is a lexical marker that invokes a form of industrialized swine husbandry used in large-scale confinement hog production. Using participant observation and interview research with Illinois contract hog producers, I explore the basis of this husbandry in the biological fragility of confinement hogs. Rather than biology being a simplistic ''state of nature,'' as it was in early neo-Marxist and populist studies of the 1970s, the frailty of confinement hogs suggests that industrial hog biology is a socially constructed state that justifies the use of contract-based hog production units and their coordination with animal processors. The frailty of confinement hogs results from their genetic characteristics, from the conditions in which they are raised, and from a production rationality that equates animal health with production efficiency. I detail the multiple-site methods, confinement technologies, and contract-based production organization required to raise biologically fragile hogs. And I link hog biology directly to the unequal contract-based relations between actors in industrial pork networks. My study emphasizes the relevance of ethnographic analyses within a political economy of agriculture by describing specific relations of inequalities in local and regional production units and distribution networks that form the building blocks of larger global agro-food systems.
Clinical trial designs for testing biomarker-based personalized therapies

Background Advances in molecular therapeutics in the past decade have opened up new possibilities for treating cancer patients with personalized therapies, using biomarkers to determine which treatments are most likely to benefit them, but there are difficulties and unresolved issues in the development and validation of biomarker-based personalized therapies. We develop a new clinical trial design to address some of these issues. The goal is to capture the strengths of the frequentist and Bayesian approaches to address this problem in the recent literature and to circumvent their limitations.Methods We use generalized likelihood ratio tests of the intersection null and enriched strategy null hypotheses to derive a novel clinical trial design for the problem of advancing promising biomarker-guided strategies toward eventual validation. We also investigate the usefulness of adaptive randomization (AR) and futility stopping proposed in the recent literature.Results Simulation studies demonstrate the advantag...
High performance ultrathin GaAs solar cells

Epitaxially grown III–V compound semiconductors, such as gallium arsenide (GaAs), can provide superior photovoltaic (PV) performance due to many attractive material properties. However, the high cost of growing device-quality epitaxial materials has prevented their widespread adoption in terrestrial applications. In this regard, decreasing thicknesses of constituent epitaxial materials without compromising their photovoltaic performance is one of conceptually viable means to lower the cost. Here we present a type of thin film GaAs PV system with drastically reduced active layer thickness (∼200 nm), where dielectric periodic nanostructures and a metallic reflective element are heterogeneously integrated on the front- and back-surfaces of solar cells for nanophotonic light management to enhance the absorption and photovoltaic performance of ultrathin GaAs solar cells.
Uremia: Strategies in the Search for Toxins

The kidneys may be affected selectively by diseases that cause either gradual or sudden impairment of function. When the injury decreases the glomerular filtration rate below a critical value the subject develops manifestations of a systemic disorder, the uremic syndrome. Uremia, defined literally, means urine in the blood, and in this context the clinical condition has been viewed as a toxic or poisonous condition resulting from the inadequate excretion of metabolic wastes. Early researchers attempted to isolate a single uremic toxin. In the progress of study more than one toxin was postulated so that currently a plethora of diverse agents have been indicted as potentially responsible for the wretched clinical state. Because chronic renal insufficiency alters the function of so many organs in so many different ways, we have chosen to focus our attention only on those features of the uremic condition which can be readily reversed by hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.
Characterization of Wild-Type and Mutant 2-Antiplasmins: Fibrinolysis Enhancement by Reactive Site Mutant

During human blood clotting, 2-antiplasmin (2AP) becomes covalently linked to fibrin when activated blood clotting factor XIII (FXIIIa) catalyzes the formation of an isopeptide bond between glutamine at position two in 2AP and a specific ɛ-lysyl group in each of the -chains of fibrin. This causes fibrin to become resistant to plasmin-mediated lysis. We found that chemically Arg-modified 2AP, which lacked plasmin-inhibitory activity, competed effectively with native 2AP for becoming cross-linked to fibrin and as a consequence, enhanced fibrinolysis. Recombinant 2AP reported to date by other groups either lacked or possessed a low level of FXIIIa substrate activity. As a first step in the development of an engineered protein that might have potential as a localized fibrin-specific fibrinolytic enhancer, we expressed recombinant 2AP in Pichia pastoris yeast. Two forms of nonglycosylated recombinant 2AP were expressed, isolated and characterized: (1) wild-type, which was analogous to native 2AP, and (2) a mutant form, which had Ala substituted for the reactive-site Arg364. Both the wild-type and mutant forms of 2AP functioned as FXIIIa substrates with affinities and kinetic efficiencies comparable to those of native 2AP, despite each having an additional acetylated Met blocking group at their respective amino-termini. Wild-type recombinant 2AP displayed full plasmin inhibitory activity, while mutant 2AP had none. Neither the absence of glycosylation nor blockage of the amino-terminus affected plasmin-inhibitory or FXIIIa substrate activities of wild-type 2AP. When our mutant 2AP, which lacked plasmin-inhibitory function, was added to human plasma or whole blood clots, urokinase (UK)-induced clot lysis was enhanced in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that mutant 2AP augmented lysis by competing with native 2AP for FXIIIa-catalyzed incorporation into fibrin.
Housing Complexity Alters GFAP-Immunoreactive Astrocyte Morphology in the Rat Dentate Gyrus

Rats used in research are typically housed singly in cages with limited sensory stimulation. There is substantial evidence that housing rats in these conditions lead to numerous neuroanatomical and behavioral abnormalities. Alternatively, rats can be housed in an enriched environment in which rats are housed in groups and given room for exercise and exploration. Enriched environments result in considerable neuroplasticity in the rodent brain. In the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, enriched environments evoke especially profound neural changes, including increases in the number of neurons and the number of dendritic spines. However, whether changes in astrocytes, a type of glia increasingly implicated in mediating neuroplasticity, are concurrent with these neural changes remains to be investigated. In order to assess morphological changes among astrocytes of the rat dentate gyrus, piSeeDB was used to optically clear 250 μm sections of tissue labeled using GFAP immunohistochemistry. Confocal imaging and image analysis were then used to measure astrocyte morphology. Astrocytes from animals housed in EE demonstrated a reduced distance between filament branch points. Furthermore, the most complex astrocytes were significantly more complex among animals housed in EE compared to standard environments.
Fast parallel CRC implementation in software

A cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is one of the most commonly used error detecting codes in communication and storage devices. Before a message is transferred, a transmitter calculates the CRC using the agreed upon polynomial called a generator, and attaches the resulting residue to the message. When the message is received, a receiver calculates the CRC using the same polynomial and verifies the message. If the two CRC values are different, it means an error has occurred during the data transfer. A CRC is easy to implement in hardware using linear feedback shift registers or in software using a simple polynomial evaluation, or a table lookup for a faster speed. In this paper, a fast CRC computation is presented using a software based parallelization scheme. In an ARM Cortex-A15 implementation of the proposed methodology, it achieves 2.6 times faster speed compared to a conventional table lookup CRC computation.
Thermal Runaway and its Control in Microwave Heated Ceramics

The heating of a ceramic slab under TEM illumination is modeled and analyzed in the small Biot number regime. The temperature distribution is almost spatially uniform in this limit and its evolution in time is governed by a first order nonlinear amplitude equation. This equation admits a time independent solution which is a multivalued function of the microwave power. The dynamics of the heating process are deduced, from the amplitude equation and the multivalued response, and are dependent upon the microwave power and initial conditions. The results of this analysis give a plausible explanation of certain difficulties arising in sintering experiments, such as thermal runaway. A simple control process is presented and analyzed which mitigates against these deleterious effects. Abbreviated parameter studies are performed showing trends in the controlled heating process. A quasi-three-dimensional problem modeling the heating process of a thin cylindrical sample in a waveguide applicator is also presented. For certain excitations the physical phenomenon deduced from this model and the required control process are the same as those obtained for the slab. For other excitations there is a strong spatial structure along the axis of the sample. For a certain choice of parameters the middle portion of the sample is at an elevated temperature while the remaining portion is at a much lower temperature. This phenomenon may be useful in joining applications.
Should community hospitals perform angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction

A debate about the advantages and disadvantages of community hospitals performing angioplasty for myocardial infarction, even if they have no facilities for heart surgery.
Toxicity of Five Insecticides Used to Control California Red Scale (Homoptera: Diaspididae) Against Susceptible Red Scale Strains

Toxicities of carbaryl, malathion, parathion, methidathion, and chlorpyrifos were tested against I-d-old first instars of three strains of California red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell). On the basis of their history, two of these strains were presumed to be susceptible to insecticides. Probit lines for the third strain were slightly to the right of lines for the susceptible strains for malathion, methidathion, and chlorpyrifos, but the shifts were not large enough to suggest resistance. For all strains, chlorpyrifos was most toxic, closely followed by methidathion. Carbaryl was least toxic, and the toxicities of parathion and malathion were intermediate between those of carbaryl and methidathion. Use of different spreader-stickers with the insecticides affected the concentration-mortality responses of California red scale to some insecticides. Therefore, for comparative work, we suggest that a single spreader-sticker should be used. Diagnostic concentrations for testing populations of California red scale for resistance to each of these insecticides are recommended.
User Study of Hand Gestures for Gesture Based 3D CAD Modeling

Gestures are an important medium of human communication and have been studied throughout the centuries from different viewpoints and in different domains ranging from arts, linguistics, philosophy and engineering. Recent developments in gestures based human-computer interaction (HCI) studies are noteworthy. However, commercial application of hand gestures in computer aided sketching and modeling is rarely found. The present study focuses on identifying various aspects of hand gestures that can be used as an input to a gesture based CAD software for sketching and 3D modeling tasks. First, we experimentally observed and studied hand gestures performed by users to convey CAD sketch and 3D modeling commands. Next, we performed literature study to compile a repository of gestures used by researchers in conveying various commands for gesture based human computer interaction. With the knowledge gleaned from these two steps a simplified yet representative taxonomy was created to classify hand gestures which can be used for drawing tasks in CAD. During the course of these studies we identified various attributes/requirements of a gesture based CAD software, consideration of which will help in enhancing the CAD designer experience.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Permeability of A Liquid Crystalline Epoxy

This paper presents a comparison of moisture permeation in liquid crystalline and conventional epoxy systems. The permeability is obtained using a dynamic method. It is found that both epoxy systems exhibit Fickian behavior. The liquid crystalline epoxy network exhibits higher barrier properties for moisture transport than the conventional epoxy network. The efficient chain packing within the smectic mesophase of the liquid crystalline thermoset (LCT) is suggested as the main factor for this difference. The stoichiometry has a large effect on the moisture permeation. The diffusion coefficient decreases monotonically with increasing amine/epoxide functional ratio. The permeability (P) and solubility coefficient (S) reach a minimum at a functional ratio of one. The mechanism of the permeation is described in terms of the two-phase morphology present and hydrogen bonding between absorbed water and the network.
Study on the Surface Oxidation of Uranium in Different Gaseous Atmospheres

The studing for the surface oxidation of uranium and oxide by X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS) , Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) , secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) , and the surface oxidation of uranium in different gaseous atmospheres such as O2, H2, CO, CO2, H2O (v) and air were reviewed. The surface oxidation of uranium is greatly influenced by a number of parameters including atmospheric temperature, pressure, diffusion of adsorded gas atoms through the oxide layer, surface and interface chemical component, and defect structure and electron nature of the oxide layer. The initial oxidation mechanism and kinetics have been discussed. Suggestions for future work have also been presented.
Abstract MP02: Central Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Induces Sensitization Of Angiotensin II-elicited Hypertension

Proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α play an important role in regulating autonomic and cardiovascular function in hypertension. Angiotensin (Ang) II can upregulate proinflammatory cytokine signaling in the brain. Our previous studies using an Induction-Delay-Expression experimental design demonstrated that pretreatment with a subpressor dose of Ang II modifies the brain to produce a sensitized response to a subsequent treatment with a pressor dose of Ang II. The present study tested the hypothesis that brain TNF-α signaling contributes to Ang II-induced sensitization. Male rats were prepared for telemetry recording of BP and were treated during Induction with 1) a peripheral subpressor dose of Ang II (10 ng/kg/min, SC) or 2) peripheral subpressor Ang II plus the TNF-α synthesis inhibitor pentoxifylline (10 μg/h, ICV) or 3) TNF-α (20 ng/d, ICV) for one week. After one week Delay, rats were treated during Expression with Ang II (120 ng/kg/min, SC) for 2 weeks. Rats that received the subpressor Ang II pretreatment responded with enhanced hypertension to Ang II (Δ44.5±3.4 mmHg vs. Δ25.4±2.8 mmHg). Induction with TNF-α or the TNF-α synthesis inhibitor mimicked or abolished sensitization produced by the subpressor dose of ANG II (Δ42.8±5.3 mmHg and Δ28.2±1.9 mmHg), respectively. RT-PCR analysis of tissue from the lamina terminalis indicated that subpressor Ang II or TNF-α given during Induction up-regulated mRNA expression of several renin-angiotensin system components and proinflammatory cytokines including renin, angiotensin converting enzyme, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6. The results indicate that Ang II-induced sensitization of Ang II hypertension depends on central proinflammatory cytokine-mediated effects.
Suggestions for OWL 3

With OWL 2 about to be completed, it is the right time to start discussions on possible future modifications of OWL. We present here a number of suggestions in order to discuss them with the OWL user community. They encompass expressive extensions on polynomial OWL 2 profiles, a suggestion for an OWL Rules language, and expressive extensions for OWL DL.
Immunofluorescent studies for α-actinin in cultured cardiomyopathic hamster heart cells

Primary cultures of cardiac myocytes from normal and genetically cardiomyopathic (CM) newborn hamsters (strain UM X7.1) were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescent microscopy after 3, 5, 7, and 9 days in culture. The cultures were fixed in cold acetone and immunostained by an indirect method using FITC-labelled anti-alpha-actinin to label the myofibrillar Z bands. Most normal and CM myocytes appeared round in shape after 3 days in culture. Normal cardiac myocytes began to exhibit cytoplasmic projections after 5 days in culture and their myofibrils usually showed parallel arrangements with respect to each other. The cardiac cells from CM hearts showed an obvious myofibril disarray. Moreover, projections formed later than normal. As the size of the cells increased, more and more projections formed in normal hamster myocytes during development. By contrast, most of the cardiomyopathic myocytes showed few projections even as late as 9 days in culture. Hence, the number of projections per cell was much less in cardiomyopathic myocytes than in normal, especially after 7 and 9 days in culture. These results suggest that cardiomyopathic cells have abnormal shapes in culture and, in particular, fail to form projections as in normal cells. Whether this unusual behavior is related to an abnormality of the membranes or cytoskeletal system in cardiomyopathic heart cells or to some other factor requires further study.
The Value of Intergovernmental Collaboration: An Empirical Application to Security Institutions in U.S. States

Interagency collaboration is a prevailing managerial approach to homeland security problem solving; yet, evaluative judgments of the effectiveness of this approach, by those responsible for implementation, have not been given systematic attention. I examine interagency collaboration in the context of multilevel implementation of security policies, specifically related to intelligence and information-sharing. I first develop a comprehensive measure of the value of collaboration, as held by managers, framed by two constructs: the first is based on individual and collective benefits relevant to strategic production; the second is based on benefits relevant to individual agency posturing and institutional embeddedness. I then estimate a full empirical model of security collaboration across state level organizations (intelligence fusion centers) responsible for facilitating the sharing of terrorism and homeland security information with other state, local, and federal partners. Key findings indicate public managers have an inclusive view of the value of collaboration which includes a range of individual and collective benefits that vary in character and may also represent multiple underlying constructs. There are also differing strategies for realizing ‘collaborative advantage’ depending on when collaborating upward (with federal partners), downward (with local partners), and outward (with other state level partners). Another observation is that, despite professional practice, collaboration is not an efficient means of policy and political posturing on issues outside those purposed for strategic production.
Population-Area Relationship for Medieval European Cities.

Medieval European urbanization presents a line of continuity between earlier cities and modern European urban systems. Yet, many of the spatial, political and economic features of medieval European cities were particular to the Middle Ages, and subsequently changed over the Early Modern Period and Industrial Revolution. There is a long tradition of demographic studies estimating the population sizes of medieval European cities, and comparative analyses of these data have shed much light on the long-term evolution of urban systems. However, the next step—to systematically relate the population size of these cities to their spatial and socioeconomic characteristics—has seldom been taken. This raises a series of interesting questions, as both modern and ancient cities have been observed to obey area-population relationships predicted by settlement scaling theory. To address these questions, we analyze a new dataset for the settled area and population of 173 European cities from the early fourteenth century to determine the relationship between population and settled area. To interpret this data, we develop two related models that lead to differing predictions regarding the quantitative form of the population-area relationship, depending on the level of social mixing present in these cities. Our empirical estimates of model parameters show a strong densification of cities with city population size, consistent with patterns in contemporary cities. Although social life in medieval Europe was orchestrated by hierarchical institutions (e.g., guilds, church, municipal organizations), our results show no statistically significant influence of these institutions on agglomeration effects. The similarities between the empirical patterns of settlement relating area to population observed here support the hypothesis that cities throughout history share common principles of organization that self-consistently relate their socioeconomic networks to structured urban spaces.
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with incident peripheral artery disease among white and black adults in the ARIC study cohort

Abstract Background and aims Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations have been associated with peripheral artery disease (PAD). Prevalence of low 25(OH)D and PAD differ between whites and blacks. However, these associations have not been studied prospectively or in a population based cohort. We tested the hypothesis that low 25(OH)D is associated with greater risk of incident PAD in white and black adults. Methods 25(OH)D was measured in serum collected at ARIC visit 2 (1990–1992). We followed 11,789 ARIC participants free of PAD at visit 2 through 2011 for incident PAD events. 25(OH)D (ng/mL) was categorized as deficient ( Results Over a mean follow-up of 17.1 years, 1250 incident PAD events were identified. 22% of whites and 61% of blacks were 25(OH)D deficient. After adjustment for demographic characteristics, the hazard ratio (95% CI) of PAD in participants with deficient versus sufficient 25(OH)D was 1.49 (1.26, 1.76). Inclusion of BMI, physical activity, and smoking status attenuated the association [1.25 (1.06, 1.48)]. The association between 25(OH)D and PAD was qualitatively stronger in blacks (p for interaction = 0.20). Conclusions Deficient 25(OH)D was associated with increased risk of PAD in black and white participants. Whether treatment of low vitamin D through supplementation or modest sunlight exposure prevents PAD is unknown.
Downregulation of pathways implicated in liver inflammation and tumorigenesis of glycogen storage disease type Ia mice receiving gene therapy.

Abstract Glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSD-Ia) is characterized by impaired glucose homeostasis and long-term risks of hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) and carcinoma (HCC). We have shown that the non-tumor-bearing (NT), recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vector-treated GSD-Ia mice (AAV-NT mice) expressing a wide range (0.9-63%) of normal hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase-α activity maintain glucose homeostasis and display physiologic features mimicking animals living under calorie restriction (CR). We now show that in AAV-NT mice, the signaling pathways of the CR mediators, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin-1 are activated. AMPK/sirtuin-1 inhibit the activity of STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) and NFκB (nuclear factor κB), the pro-inflammatory and cancer-promoting transcription factors. Sirtuin-1 also inhibits cancer metastasis via increasing the expression of E-cadherin, a tumor suppressor, and decreasing the expression of mesenchymal markers. Consistently, in AAV-NT mice, hepatic levels of active STAT3 and NFκB-p65 were reduced as were expression of mesenchymal markers, STAT3 targets, NFκB targets, and β-catenin targets, all of which were consistent with the promotion of tumorigenesis. AAV-NT mice also expressed increased levels of E-cadherin and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), targets of sirtuin-1, and β-klotho, which can acts as a tumor suppressor. Importantly, treating AAV-NT mice with a sirtuin-1 inhibitor markedly reversed many of the observed anti-inflammatory/anti-tumorigenic signaling pathways. In summary, activation of hepatic AMPK/sirtuin-1 and FGF21/β-klotho signaling pathways combined with down-regulation of STAT3/NFκB-mediated inflammatory and tumorigenic signaling pathways can explain the absence of hepatic tumors in AAV-NT mice.
Erratum to: Chapters 10 and 21 of Orthopedics in Disasters

Natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, cyclones, floods, etc.) and human-derived crises (e.g., conflict, terrorist attacks, chemical emergencies, etc.) result in an acute debilitation of regional infrastructure, profound decreases in healthcare capacity, and broad population injury and death [1, 2]. The diminished faculty of local resources augments the vulnerability of affected populations and often necessitates a national or global humanitarian response. Analysis of previous disasters highlights the importance of a coordinated preparedness and the preemptive training of medical professionals [3].
THE STORY OF THE SIXTH RULE

This paper traces the development of the “sixth rule,” the last of the six rules which the membership of the American Institute of Accountants approved at the 1934 annual meeting. The sixth rule appeared suddenly in the Report of the Special Committee on Development of Accounting Principles. It was added, almost at the last moment, in response to the issuing of a “Stop Order” by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against the registration statement of Unity Gold Corporation. The profession joined the FTC in criticizing the method of accounting employed by Unity. And, as a result, the sixth rule was added.