cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metal working fluids: sub-chronic effects on pulmonary functions in B6C3F1 mice given vitamin E deficient and sufficient diets

Metal working fluids (MWFs) have been widely known to cause asthma and neoplasia of the larynx, pancreas, rectum, skin and urinary bladder (Textbook of Clinical Occupational and Environmental Medicine (1994) 814; Am. J. Ind. Med. 32 (1997) 240; Am. J. Ind. Med. 33 (1997) 282; Am. J. Ind. Med. 22 (1994) 185). Other non-neoplastic respiratory effects in industrial workers attributed to MWFs include increased rates of cough, phlegm production, wheeze, chronic bronchitis and chest tightness (Eur. J. Resir. Dis. 63(118) (1982), 79; J. Occup. Med. 24 (1982) 473; Am. J. Ind. Med. 32 (1997) 450). The epidemic and endemic nature of immune mediated lung morbidity commonly known as hypersensitivity pneumonitis in workers from several different industries using MWFs has been well documented (J. Allergy clin. Immunol. 91 (1993) 311; Chest 108 (1995) 636; MMWR45 (1996) 606; Am. J. Ind. Med. 32 (1997) 423). We studied morphological/functional and antioxidant outcomes in lungs after inhalation exposure of vitamin E deficient mice to MWF (27 mg m(-3) 17 weeks, 5 days a week, 6 h a day). Mice were given vitamin E deficient (<10 IU kg(-1) vitamin E) or basal diets (50 IU kg(-1) vitamin E) for 35 weeks. Inhalation exposure to MWF started after 18 weeks on diet. Microscopic observation of lungs from mice given vitamin E deficient or sufficient diets revealed no inflammation or morphological alteration after exposure to MWF. Mice given vitamin E deficient diet exhibited a significant decrease (P<0.05) in breathing rate, peak inspiratory/expiratory flow, minute ventilation, and tidal volume compared with sufficient controls. However, no differences were found after exposure to MWF in pulmonary function, with the exception of tidal volume which also significantly decreased (P<0.05). Exposure to MWF reduced vitamin E, protein thiol and ascorbate level in lungs. Exposure to MWF in combination with a vitamin E deficient diet resulted in significantly enhanced accumulation of peroxidative products compared with vitamin E deficient controls. This is the first report that describes the increase of oxidative stress in the lungs after MWF exposure.
Transfer of SDS-proteins from gel electrophoretic zones into mass spectrometry, using electroelution of the band into buffer without sectioning of the gel.

Abstract Five SDS-proteins, ranging in molecular weight from 14 to 66 kDa, were detected without covalent fluorescent labeling by the automated gel electrophoresis apparatus with intermittent fluorescence scanning (HPGE apparatus, LabIntelligence) during electrophoresis in barbiturate buffer in the presence of Cascade Blue. The SDS-proteins were electroeluted from the gel into 220 μl of buffer by a modification of the procedure of Gombocz and Cortez [1] . The electroeluate was freed of SDS, ultrafiltered and subjected to MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The masses of the five native proteins were found to be maintained after electrophoresis and electroelution in the presence of the potential contaminants SDS, barbituric acid and Cascade Blue. The procedure of protein transfer from SDS-PAGE into mass spectrometry, without excision of bands, gel maceration and protein recovery by diffusion, therefore is shown to be suitable for the identification by mass of intact proteins derived from gel electrophoretic bands.
AUTOMATING SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

The need for effective automation in systems engineering has been a subtext of nearly every book on this fascinating subject since the early 1960s, yet systems engineering is still the least automated of the engineering disciplines. We are now at the happy historical position of having met the three necessary conditions for developing such a tool. We can describe the systems engineering process, the level of system complexity continues to rise, and the level of computing power is now sufficient and sufficiently wide spread. This paper, a distillation of the author's masters thesis, will describe these three areas and will describe the general nature of such an automation tool.
Diverse Roles of Strigolactone Signaling in Maize Architecture and the Uncoupling of a Branching-Specific Subnetwork

Strigolactones (SLs) control lateral branching in diverse species by regulating transcription factors orthologous to Teosinte branched1 (Tb1). In maize (Zea mays), however, selection for a strong central stalk during domestication is attributed primarily to the Tb1 locus, leaving the architectural roles of SLs unclear. To determine how this signaling network is altered in maize, we first examined effects of a knockout mutation in an essential SL biosynthetic gene that encodes CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE8 (CCD8), then tested interactions between SL signaling and Tb1. Comparative genome analysis revealed that maize depends on a single CCD8 gene (ZmCCD8), unlike other panicoid grasses that have multiple CCD8 paralogs. Function of ZmCCD8 was confirmed by transgenic complementation of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) max4 (ccd8) and by phenotypic rescue of the maize mutant (zmccd8::Ds) using a synthetic SL (GR24). Analysis of the zmccd8 mutant revealed a modest increase in branching that contrasted with prominent pleiotropic changes that include (1) marked reduction in stem diameter, (2) reduced elongation of internodes (independent of carbon supply), and (3) a pronounced delay in development of the centrally important, nodal system of adventitious roots. Analysis of the tb1 zmccd8 double mutant revealed that Tb1 functions in an SL-independent subnetwork that is not required for the other diverse roles of SL in development. Our findings indicate that in maize, uncoupling of the Tb1 subnetwork from SL signaling has profoundly altered the balance between conserved roles of SLs in branching and diverse aspects of plant architecture.
Comparison of scalp to subdural recordings for localizing epileptogenic foci

Abstract We reviewed a group of 124 patients who were seizure-free after epilepsy surgery to determine the relative accuracy for identifying epileptogenic foci with (a) interictal scalp recordings, (b) ictal scalp recordings, and (c) ictal subdural electrode recordings. If considering only patients undergoing temporal lobe surgery, ictal subdural strip recordings were accurate in 100% of cases. Ictal scalp recordings were accurate in 44% of cases, whereas interictal scalp recordings were accurate in only 31% of cases. The data also indicate that noninvasive recordings have a false lateralization or localization error rate of 10% when used for identifying unilateral epileptogenic foci in preparation for epilepsy surgery.
Aspects of Testing in Modern Television Systems

In the past 50 years, methods of testing television systems have progressed from the use of general purpose oscilloscopes to a well-defined set of measurements using television-specific instruments. Introduction of digital techniques into the traditional analog television system, over the past 15 years, has increased the range of specifications to be evaluated but has not changed the basic testing paradigm for video, indirect measurement using test signals. Although there are many useful compression algorithms, MPEG-2 appears to be the most universal, along with its widely accepted system definition for the transmission of additional data encountered in multimedia applications. Introduction of practical video compression techniques has added a whole new dimension to video measurement methods, the need for instruments to directly measure picture quality. The MPEG-2 transport stream, with its small packets, was developed for transmission systems and can be used to carry all types of data. This paper outlines a layered model for systems and testing analogous to the open systems interconnection (OSI) model for communications systems. Methods of picture quality measurement are discussed followed by a description of the MPEG-2 transport stream and test methods for its analysis and generation.
Ultra-wideband radar measurements over bare and snow-covered saline ice

The authors developed an ultra-wideband radar operating over the frequencies from 2 to 18 GHz. They used this system in conjunction with a plane-wave illuminator to perform radar scattering measurements over bare and snow-covered saline ice. They made these measurements over saline ice grown in an outdoor pond at the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, NH. They collected radar data over incidence angles from 0/spl deg/ to 50/spl deg/ in conjunction with measurements of surface roughness, snow properties and ice structure. The combination of wide bandwidth and plane-wave illumination allowed them uniquely to identify returns from air-snow and snow-ice interfaces. They found that the snow-ice returns were at about 10 dB higher than those from the air-snow interface. The results also show that scattering from bare saline ice is dominated by ice surface at frequencies lower than about 10 GHz and incidence angles less than about 30/spl deg/. They also determined angular and spectral responses for smooth bare, snow-covered and pancake ice. For pancake ice the scattering coefficient at 30/spl deg/ increased from -22 at 2 GHz to about -10 at 15 GHz. Over incidence angles from 0/spl deg/ to 30/spl deg/ at 5.5 GHz, the scattering coefficient decreased by about 30 dB for pancake ice, and by about 45 dB for bare and snow-covered ice. They also compared data from laboratory observations with field measurement made during the International Arctic Ocean Experiment in 1991. For pancake ice the average scattering coefficient from laboratory observations is within 1 dB of field observations. This shows that simulation of pancake ice in the laboratory is successful.
Quantification of the Factors That Influence Discharge Correlation in Model Motor Neurons

The purpose of this study was to quantify the influence of intrinsic properties, active dendritic conductances, and background excitation and inhibition on measures of discharge correlation in the ...
Voiceless stop consonant identification using LPC spectra

Three types of LPC spectrum-based systems for discriminating among the voiceless stop consonants /p,t,k/ were tested on a large multi-speaker corpus. The systems differed in the number of short-time spectra used in recognition and in the decision strategies employed. The first type of system used a single spectrum computed at the point of consonant release. Systems of the second type used a sequence of three spectra computed using nonoverlapping windows spanning a 75 msec interval around the stop release. The third type of system used 12 spectra computed over an 80 msec interval. Classification was performed with k-nearest-neighbor and minimum vector quantization distortion classification rules. Recognition accuracies of 90.92%, 90-92% and 91- 95% were obtained for the three types of systems.
Community-Based Dialogue: Engaging Communities of Color in the United States' Genetics Policy Conversation

Engaging communities of color in the genetics public policy conversation is important for the translation of genetics research into strategies aimed at improving the health of all. Implementing model public participation and consultation processes can be informed by the Communities of Color Genetics Policy Project, which engaged individuals from African American and Latino communities of diverse socioeconomic levels in the process of "rational democratic deliberation" on ethical and policy issues stretching from genome research to privacy and discrimination concerns to public education. The results of the study included the development of a participatory framework based on a combination of the theory of democratic deliberation and the community-based public health model which we describe as "community-based dialogue."
Engineering perspective of ecological sign stability and its application in control design

In this paper, we provide an engineering perspective of ecological sign stability and its use in control design for engineering systems. In particular, using purely ecological principles, we propose novel, tight bounds on the real and imaginary parts of the eigenvalues of a sign stable matrix in terms of the elements of the matrix. The simplicity of these bounds has interesting implications in computational mathematics. Using the special features of predator-prey interaction in sign stable matrices for eigenvalues and condition number properties, it is established that predator-prey interactions improve robustness properties. Motivated by this, a new control design algorithm is proposed for linear systems. ‘Sign assignability conditions’ are derived to guarantee the existence of the controller that yields a sign stable closed loop system. This algorithm takes full advantage of the concepts of ecological sign stability that results in a highly robust engineering system. The proposed control design method is then illustrated with examples in satellite attitude control and aircraft light control.
Ubiquitous and Endoplasmic Reticulum–Located Lysophosphatidyl Acyltransferase, LPAT2, Is Essential for Female but Not Male Gametophyte Development in Arabidopsis

Lysophosphatidyl acyltransferase (LPAT) is a pivotal enzyme controlling the metabolic flow of lysophosphatidic acid into different phosphatidic acids in diverse tissues. We examined putative LPAT genes in Arabidopsis thaliana and characterized two related genes that encode the cytoplasmic LPAT. LPAT2 is the lone gene that encodes the ubiquitous and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–located LPAT. It could functionally complement a bacterial mutant with defective LPAT. LPAT2 and 3 synthesized in recombinant bacteria and yeast possessed in vitro enzyme activity higher on 18:1-CoA than on 16:0-CoA. LPAT2 was expressed ubiquitously in diverse tissues as revealed by RT-PCR, profiling with massively parallel signature sequencing, and promoter-driven β-glucuronidase gene expression. LPAT2 was colocalized with calreticulin in the ER by immunofluorescence microscopy and subcellular fractionation. LPAT3 was expressed predominately but more actively than LPAT2 in pollen. A null allele (lpat2) having a T-DNA inserted into LPAT2 was identified. The heterozygous mutant (LPAT2/lpat2) had minimal altered vegetative phenotype but produced shorter siliques that contained normal seeds and remnants of aborted ovules in a 1:1 ratio. Results from selfing and crossing it with the wild type revealed that lpat2 caused lethality in the female gametophyte but not the male gametophyte, which had the redundant LPAT3. LPAT2-cDNA driven by an LPAT2 promoter functionally complemented lpat2 in transformed heterozygous mutants to produce the lpat2/lpat2 genotype. LPAT3-cDNA driven by the LPAT2 promoter could rescue the lpat2 female gametophytes to allow fertilization to occur but not to full embryo maturation. Two other related genes, putative LPAT4 and 5, were expressed ubiquitously albeit at low levels in diverse organs. When they were expressed in bacteria or yeast, the microbial extract did not contain LPAT activity higher than the endogenous LPAT activity. Whether LPAT4 and 5 encode LPATs remains to be elucidated.
CRH promotes S. pneumoniae growth in vitro and increases lung carriage in mice.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae), a commensal across the nasal passages, is responsible for the majority of infectious pneumonia cases worldwide. Previous studies have shown that hormonal factors may be influential in regulating S. pneumoniae’s transition from a non-pathogen to a pathogenic state. The current study investigated the effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), a peptide hormone involved in stress, on the pathogenicity of S. pneumoniae. Mice were infected with CRH-treated S. pneumoniae via intranasal route, showing an increase in pulmonary bacterial burden. We also quantified S. pneumoniae’s response to CRH through limited serial dilutions and growth curve analysis. We demonstrated that CRH promotes S. pneumoniae titer-dependent proliferation, as well as accelerates log-phase growth. Results also showed an increase in pneumococcal-associated virulence protein A virulence gene expression in response to CRH. These results demonstrate a role for CRH in Streptococcus pneumoniae pathogenicity, thus implicating CRH in mediating the transition of S. pneumoniae into a pathogenic state.
Specific leaf area along a nitrogen fertilization gradient.

Specific leaf area was measured for three dominant perennial grass species in a long term nitrogen fertilization experiment in an abandoned field in Minnesota. The specific leaf area differed among the species and increased with increasing levels of nitrogen fertilization. This increase in specific leaf area was up to 82% for Agropyron repens and shows that the response of specific leaf area to nitrogen fertilization can be highly plastic. Increasing specific leaf area within species, together with a species replacement, resulted in a 202% increase in leaf area index along the nitrogen gradient, whereas the biomass increased by only 57%. One-third of this increase was attributed to species replacement and two-thirds to the change in specific leaf area within species. This plastic response of specific leaf area within plant species substantially increases the aboveground competition for light along nitrogen gradients.
Some Theoretical Aspects of Vapor Void Formation in Heated Vertical Channels

Fundamental flux vectors have been obtained for the diffusion of bubbles in heated channels by considering bubble motion in a turbulent liquid as a Markoff process. The flux vectors lead to a nonlinear partial differential equation representing the void fraction, which has been linearized for the case of small void fractions and coupled to a similar partial differential equation governing heat flow into the liquid phase. The coupled differential equations are transformed into coupled integral equations which are solved to obtain axial void fraction and temperature distributions in a heated channel. The rate of vapor production at the wall and the rate constant for bubble growth have been calculated from experimental data on void fraction distributions at constant uniform flux. The model predicts the correct shape for the void fraction distribution curve as well as providing a plausible explanation of burnout phenomena in terms of the bubble slip velocity. (auth)
Center deflection of minute glass diaphragms under uniform pressure

A new experimental technique has been applied to measure the center deflection of minute glass diaphragms under uniform pressure. The technique employs a microscope with a monochromatic-light source, an interferometer, and a U-tube mercury vacuum system. The diaphragms (0.0005-in. thick) are from 20 to 30 times thinner than the plates tested by Way4 and McPherson5. In addition, the diaphragms are glued at the edges as opposed to clamped, and they are glass as opposed to metal. Pressure-deflection data are compared with accepted deflection solutions for three ideal edge conditions to show that the solutions are applicable for predicting the center deflection provided the proper edge condition is assumed.
Bis-(disubstitutedphosphinyl)-alkanes—III: Crystalline complexes of bis-(di-2-ethylbutylphosphinyl)-methane and bis-(dicyclohexylphosphinyl)-methane with uranium(VI) nitrate and with thorium nitrate

Abstract Bis-(di-2-ethylbutylphosphinyl)-methane, EBDPM, and bis-(dicyclohexylphosphinyl)-methane, CHDPM, form the following crystalline complexes: UO2(NO3)2 EBDPM, 2Th(NO3)4. 3EBDPM, UO2(NO3)2·CHDPM and Th(NO3)4·CHDPM. The nitrates are coordinated and the ligands are probably bidentate. These complexes are of high thermal stability.
Functional consequences of acute anterior vs. posterior wall ischemia in canine left ventricles

We compared the consequences of acute anterior and posterior wall ischemia on regional left ventricular function in seven open-chest dogs. Circumferentially oriented sonomicrometers were implanted ...
Dose-response effects of pegylated human megakaryocyte growth and development factor on platelet production and function in nonhuman primates

Thrombopoietin (TPO) is the physiologic Mpl-ligand regulating platelet production. Pegylated human recombinant megakaryocyte growth and development factor (PEG-rHuMGDF), a truncated polypeptide Mpl-ligand derivitized with poly-(ethylene glycol), induces megakaryocyte endoreduplication and proliferation in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, the dose-response effects of PEG-rHuMGDF on pharmacokinetics, megakaryocytopoiesis, platelet production, and platelet function were characterized for dosing 0.05, 0.10, 0.50, or 2.5 micrograms/kg/d in 22 baboons for 28 days. Daily subcutaneous injections of PEG-rHuMGDF produced linear log-dose responses in (1) steady-state trough plasma levels of PEG-HuMGDF (P .1 in all cases). PEG-rHuMGDF at 0.5 micrograms/kg/d produced similar blood concentrations of Mpl-ligand and platelets as 10 times the dose of rHu-MGDF (5.0 micrograms/kg/d), reflecting the extended plasma half-life achieved through pegylation. Whereas PEG-rHuMGDF did not induce platelet aggregation in vitro, platelet aggregatory responsiveness induced by thrombin receptor agonist peptide (TRAP1-6) and collagen was transiently enhanced ex vivo during the initial few days of PEG-rHuMGDF administration. However, adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation was not enhanced ex vivo by PEG-rHuMGDF therapy. 111In-platelet deposition on segments of homologous endarterectomized aorta (EA) and vascular graft (VG) interposed in arteriovenous femoral shunts increased in direct proportion to the circulating platelet concentration (P < 10(-4) for both EA and VG); 125l-fibrin accumulation was not affected by PEG-rHuMGDF-induced increases in peripheral platelet counts. Changes in platelet production and function produced by PEG-rHuMGDF returned to baseline within 2 weeks after discontinuing treatment. Thus, in nonhuman primates, PEG-rHuMGDF increases platelet production in a linear log-dose-dependent manner by stimulating megakaryocyte endoreduplication and new megakaryocyte formation from marrow hematopoietic progenitors. These findings suggest that appropriate dosing of PEG-rHuMGDF therapy during periods of chemotherapy-induced marrow suppression may maintain hemostatic concentrations of peripheral platelets without increasing the risk of thrombosis.
Supernatants from different cytokines activated natural killer cells enhance CTL cells lysing tumor cells capability

Objective To investigate whether supernatants from activated NK cells endows T cells on melanoma cells function.Methods Natural killer(NK) cells were cultured and activated with IL-12,IL-18,and both with IL-2,3 days later take out supernants,then culture with M05 tumor cells overnight,then check MHC class Ⅰ(H-2Kb) expression,and as targets for phytohemagglutinin and IL-2 activated killer T(CTL) cells for cytotoxic assay.Results These supernatants increase M05 cells MHC class I expression,and CTL cells to M05 cells cytotoxicity.Conclusion Supernatants from NK cells will induce increased MHC expression on target cells and will enhance CTL functionality.
Experimental Research on the Utmost TOV Withstand Ability of the UHV AC Metal-oxide Surge Arrester

Ultra-high voltage(UHV) AC line systems have high voltage and huge-transmission capacity.It is an important issue to limit the over-voltage,lower insulation level and increase operational reliability.The level of protection closely related to the surge arrester(MOA) rated voltage Ur.Generally,MOA rated voltage Ur must be greater than the value of system maximum temporary frequency-overvoltage(TOV).On the other hand,in order to meet the demand requirements of UHV over-voltage and insulation level of substation equipment,the protection level of MOA should be as low as possible.There are two methods to reduce the protection level of MOA: reduce the ratio between residual voltage and the reference voltage,reduce the rated voltage of MOA.Although UHV MOA have adopted four-way parallel structures to reduce the ratio,but restricted by the technical and economic conditions,the ratio can`t be significantly reduced.Select MOA rated voltage is a complex dialectic of science,required to find a balance point in the above two aspects.This paper analyzed the utmost TOV withstand ability of UHV MOA through a large number of test data,predominated the UHV MOA`s own safety margin,proved that the safety and reliability of the UHV surge arrester use for the project,and then demonstrated the possibility to reduce the rated voltage of UHV MOA.
Two-photon imaging of cerebral hemodynamics and neural activity in awake and anesthetized marmosets.

Abstract Background Marmosets are a powerful, emerging model for human behavior and neurological disorders. However, longitudinal imaging modalities that visualize both cellular structure and function within the cortex are not available in this animal model. Hence, we implemented an approach to quantify vascular topology, hemodynamics, and neural activity in awake marmosets using two-photon microscopy (2PM). New method Marmosets were acclimated to a custom stereotaxic system. AAV1-GCaMP5G was injected into somatosensory cortex to optically indicate neural activity, and a cranial chamber was implanted. Results Longitudinal 2PM revealed vasculature and neurons 500 μm below the cortical surface. Vascular response and neural activity during sensory stimulation were preserved over 5 and 3 months, respectively, before optical quality deteriorated. Vascular remodeling including increased tortuosity and branching was quantified. However, capillary connectivity from arterioles to venules remained unchanged. Further, behavioral assessment before and after surgery demonstrated no impact on cognitive and motor function. Immunohistochemistry confirmed minimal astrocyte activation with no focal damage. Over 6 months, total cortical depth visualized decreased. When under anesthesia, the most prominent isoflurane-induced vasodilation occurred in capillaries and smaller arterioles. Comparison with existing method(s) These results demonstrate the capability to repeatedly observe cortical physiology in awake marmosets over months. Conclusions This work provides a novel and insightful technique to investigate critical mechanisms in neurological disorders in awake marmosets without introducing confounds from anesthesia.
Prenatal Events and CNS Migration Disorders

The role of pre-, peri-, and postnatal environmental factors and genetic predisposition in the genesis of neuronal migration disorders (NMD) in 40 patients with epilepsy was determined by standardized questionnaires at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, Canada.
Etiology Of ADHD: Perinatal Hypoxic Encephalopathy

Recent evidence pointing to a disturbance of function of the striatum in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is reviwed from the Department of Pediatric Neurology, The John F Kennedy Institute Glostrup, Denmark.
Intelligent hybrid adaptive broadcast for VANET

Multi-hop broadcast communication is one of the main communication mechanisms to propagate safety and non-safety messages through vehicles in Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs). In our previous work, we proposed two broadcast schemes, fuzzy logic-based broadcast (FLB) and bandwidth-efficient fuzzy logic-assisted broadcast (BEFLAB). FLB offers high level of reachability where BEFLAB is more bandwidth efficient. While high reachability is a challenge in sparse networks, bandwidth efficiency is needed in dense networks. The goal of this paper is to propose an intelligent hybrid adaptive broadcast (IHAB) scheme that combines the strength of FLB and BEFLAB. In order to design a bandwidth efficient VANET broadcast scheme with high level of reachability, a receiver vehicle determines its number of common neighbors with the transmitting neighbors and treat it as the potential transmit density (PDT). If PDT exceeds a threshold (dense network) the receiver vehicle will use BEFLAB method to decide whether to rebroadcast, otherwise (sparse network)FLB will be used. Ns-3 simulations have been developed to investigate the effectiveness of our proposed system in terms of reachability, the average number of rebroadcasts per covered node, and bytes sent per covered node. The proposed protocol performed well compared to FLB, BEFLAB, DTM, DADCQ, SLAB, and CSBD. Overall, IHAB is shown to have higher reachability level than BEFLAB and better bandwidth efficiency than FLB.
Soluble Beta-Amyloid Modifies Presynaptic Membrane Cholesterol and Rigidity

Cholesterol is influential for the physicochemical properties of lipid membranes in mammalian cells. In neurons, synaptic vesicles that mediate neurotransmitter release have the highest membrane cholesterol content (∼40mol%). Cellular and physiological analyses have shown that vesicular cholesterol is essential for vesicle release and retrieval. However, little is known about its distribution, trafficking and regulation during neurotransmission and how that affects presynaptic membrane architecture. Using new fluorescent ratiometric reporters for cholesterol concentration and membrane fluidity, we uncovered the correlation between vesicle turnover and cholesterol trafficking, illustrated resulted changes in presynaptic membrane fluidity, and elucidated the homeostatic adjustment of membrane cholesterol under variable neuronal activities. Structural studies have suggested that beta-amyloid peptides (Abeta) pathologically linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD) can interact with membrane-embedded cholesterol. Furthermore, three major secretases that cleave amyloid precursor protein (APP) to produce beta-amyloid peptides (Abeta) exhibit distinct cholesterol-sensitivity. To test if APP and/or Abeta modify synaptic cholesterol and synaptic vesicle turnover, and to understand the cause of synaptic dysfunction found in early stage of AD, we applied soluble Abeta1-40 (Ab40) and measured neurotransmitter release, vesicle recycling, cholesterol distribution, membrane dynamics during and after electric stimuli. We have found that extracellular Ab40 binds to and sequesters synaptic membrane cholesterol, disrupts its homeostasis and impairs synaptic vesicle release and retrieval. Consequently, a gradual decrease in the sustainability of neurotransmission emerged after the chronic treatment of near pathological concentration of Ab40. In conclusion, synaptic vesicle cholesterol is homeostatically regulated despite activity variance, and APP or Abeta may be the physiological modulator for synaptic cholesterol homeostasis.
Protective and antifungal properties of Nanodisk-Amphotericin B over commercially available Amphotericin B.

Abstract Objective Amphotericin B (AMB), a potent antifungal agent, has been employed as topical and systemic therapy for sinonasal fungal infections. A novel formulation of nanodisc (ND) containing super aggregated AMB (ND-AMB) for the treatment of fungal infections has been recently developed to provide greater protection from AMB toxicity than current, clinically approved lipid-based formulations. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the safety and potency of ND-AMB for sinonasal delivery using an in vitro model. Methods Human sinonasal tissue was harvested during endoscopic sinus surgery and grown at air–liquid interface until well-differentiated. Cultures were exposed to ND-AMB vs AMB and changes in K + permeability and resistance were measured and recorded via Ussing chamber assay. Ciliary beat frequency (CBF) was analyzed in parallel as well as cytotoxic assay. Potency was assessed using real-time PCR measurement of the Aspergillus fumigatus 18S rRNA. Results Ussing chamber studies revealed K + currents that increased rapidly within 30 s of adding AMB (10 μg/mL) to the apical side, indicating apical membranes had become permeable to K + ions. In contrast, negligible induction of K + current was obtained following addition of ND-AMB [AMB = (107.7 ± 15.9) μA/cm 2 AMB vs ND-AMB = (2.3 ± 0.7) μA/cm 2 ND-AMB; P = 0.005]. ND-AMB also protected nasal epithelial cells from cytotoxicity of AMB ( P P = 0.96). The expression of A. fumigatus 18S rRNA with exposure of lower dose of ND-AMB was significantly lower compared to that with AMB ( P Conclusions Data from the present study suggests ND-AMB protects human nasal epithelia membranes from AMB toxicity by protecting against apical cell K + permeability while maintaining uncompromised antifungal property compared to AMB. ND-AMB could provide a novel topical therapy for sinonasal fungal diseases.
Design space analysis of novel interconnect constructs for 22nm FDX technology

In this paper, we describe an integrated design space analysis approach consisting of full factorial layout generation, lithography simulations with added proximity effects, and rigorous statistical analysis through monte-carlo simulations which is used in the evaluating interconnects. This agile Design rule development process provides a quick turnaround time to down-select the potential layout configurations that can offer a competitive, robust and reliable design and manufacturing. Further layout and placement optimization is carried out to evaluate intra-cell, inter-cell and cell boundary situations, which are critical for a place and routed block. These interconnects developed using the integrated approach has been the key contributor to give 20-30% higher performance at the same Iddq leakage for 8T libraries compared to Single Diffusion break or Double Diffusion break based 12T libraries in 22FDX Technology.
The New Teachers’ Roundtable: A Case Study of Collective Resistance

The New Teachers’ Roundtable (NTRT) is a democratically run collective of new teachers who have become critical of neoliberal reform since relocating to New Orleans, with organizations including Teach For America, as a part of the post-Katrina overhaul of public schools. Through interviews and observations, this study examines the ways in which collective members support each other in attempts to navigate experiences they perceive as dehumanizing to themselves, their students, and their students’ communities. By developing relationships amongst themselves and with other stakeholders affected by and resisting privatization, they are able to challenge their own privilege and begin shifting their perspective and pedagogy. This study aims to contribute to our understanding of how teachers who have been affiliated with market-based movements can be galvanized to work in service of movements that are democratic, anti-racist, and accountable to communities.
Biodegradable Viral Nanoparticle/Polymer Implants Prepared via Melt-Processing

Viral nanoparticles have been utilized as a platform for vaccine development and are a versatile system for the display of antigenic epitopes for a variety of disease states. However, the induction of a clinically relevant immune response often requires multiple injections over an extended period of time, limiting patient compliance. Polymeric systems to deliver proteinaceous materials have been extensively researched to provide sustained release, which would limit administration to a single dose. Melt-processing is an emerging manufacturing method that has been utilized to create polymeric materials laden with proteins as an alternative to typical solvent-based production methods. Melt-processing is advantageous because it is continuous, solvent-free, and 100% of the therapeutic protein is encapsulated. In this study, we utilized melt-encapsulation to fabricate viral nanoparticle laden polymeric materials that effectively deliver intact particles and generate carrier specific antibodies in vivo. The effe...
Oh, What a Tangled Web: Russian Hacking, Fake News, and the 2016 US Presidential Election

The real story behind alleged foreign interference in our election isn’t that it occurred—any impact on the outcome from Russian hacking and trolling was minimal—but that we set the standard for such activity and have no one but ourselves to blame.
A case of large right MCA stroke with hyperdense MCA sign in CT imaging.

A 76-year-old woman with no significant medical history was brought to the emergency department with complaints of sudden onset of left-sided weakness and facial drooping 1 hour prior to the arrival. On physical examination, patient had profound left-sided neglect and conjugate deviation of the eyes to the right side. Motor examination showed grade 0 power on left upper and lower extremities, and she had 3+ reflexes on the left and 2+ reflexes on the right. Babinski was positive on the left side. She was sent for a CT scan which showed increased density of M1 segment of middle cerebral artery (MCA) with loss of grey white differentiation of MCA territory (figure 1). Alberta Stroke Programme Early CT Score was 8. Patient’s initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 17 and was immediately given tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) as the family adamantly refused endovascular procedure; however, …
Duration, vowel quality, and the rhythmic pattern of English

Languages with binary stress systems frequently tolerate a stress lapse over the final two syllables, but almost none tolerate a word-initial stress lapse. Lunden (to appear) argues that this lapse asymmetry can be explained by the presence of word-level final lengthening, which can then create the perception of prominence alternation in languages that use duration as stress correlate. The results of a production and a perception study with English speakers are presented which compare /ɑ/s that occur under stress lapse to /ɑ/s in non-stress-lapse positions. While word-final unstressed /ɑ/ is always longer than non-final unstressed /ɑ/, it is significantly longer when immediately following an unstressed syllable. Similarly, unstressed word-final /ɑ/ has a higher F1 and lower F2 than non-final unstressed /ɑ/, but word-finally this less-reduced vowel is closer to a full vowel when the final syllable is part of a stress lapse. The perception study finds that these differences have perceptual consequences that can lead to a perceived continued rhythm in stress lapse. The phonetic differences explain why a word-final unstressed vowel can be perceived as relatively strong when following an unstressed syllable but as relatively weak when following a stressed syllable.
Exponential integrator methods for systems of non-linear space-fractional models with super-diffusion processes in pattern formation

Abstract Nonlocality and spatial heterogeneity of many practical systems have made fractional differential equations very useful tools in Science and Engineering. However, solving these type of models is computationally demanding. In this paper, we propose an exponential integrator method for space fractional models as an attractive and easy-to-code alternative for other existing second-order exponential integrator methods. This scheme is based on using a real distinct poles discretization for the underlying matrix exponentials. One of the major benefits of the proposed scheme is that the algorithm could be easily implemented in parallel to take advantage of multiple processors for increased computational efficiency. The scheme is established to be second-order convergent; and proven to be robust for nonlinear space fractional reaction–diffusion problems involving non-smooth initial data. Our approach is exhibited by solving a system of two-dimensional problems which exhibits pattern formation and has applications in cell-division. Empirically, super-diffusion processes are displayed by investigating the effect of the fractional power of the underlying Laplacian operator on the pattern formation found in these models. Furthermore, the superiority of our method over competing second order ETD schemes, BDF2 scheme, and IMEX schemes is demonstrated.
Qualidade da educação superior e a responsabilidade social

Resumo : As reflexoes ora apresentadas sao decorrentes de uma pesquisa teorica em andamento, cuja tematica focaliza a educacao de qualidade vista sob a perspectiva dos seus fundamentos e modos de efetivacao nos contextos educacionais. Faz um recorte sobre a qualidade da Educacao Superior, avaliada por meio do Sistema Nacional de Avaliacao da Educacao Superior (SINAES), refletindo sobre a Responsabilidade Social enquanto uma das 10 dimensoes analisadas nesse Sistema. Com base na revisao de literatura, os achados do estudo sinalizam para a Responsabilidade Social como um componente essencial no processo formativo dos academicos, para o cumprimento da triplice missao universitaria do ensino, da pesquisa e da extensao e para a efetivacao da propria funcao social das Instituicoes de Ensino Superior. Palavras-chave : Qualidade da educacao. Educacao superior. SINAES. Responsabilidade social. Quality of higher education and social responsibility Abstract : The reflections presented here derive from a theoretical research in progress, whose theme focuses on quality education seen from the perspective of its foundations and modes of effectiveness in educational contexts. It makes a clipping about quality of Higher Education, evaluated through the National System of Evaluation of Higher Education (SINAES), reflecting about Social Responsibility as one of the ten dimensions analyzed in this System. Based on the literature review, the study findings point to Social Responsibility as an essential component in the academic training process; to fulfill the threefold university mission of teaching, research and extension; And for the realization of the social function of Higher Education Institutions. Keywords : Educational Quality. Higher education. SINAES. Social Responsability. Calidad de la educacion superior y la responsabilidad social Resumen : Las reflexiones que ahora son presentadas son derivadas de una investigacion teorica en curso, cuya tematica se enfoca en una educacion de calidad mirada bajo la perspectiva de sus fundamentos y modos de hacerla efectiva en contextos educacionales. Hace un estudio exhaustivo sobre la calidad de la Educacion Superior, evaluada por medio del Sistema Nacional de Evaluacion de la Educacion Superior (SINAES), reflexionando sobre la Responsabilidad Social en cuanto una de las diez dimensiones analizadas en este Sistema. Con base en la revision de la literatura realizada, los descubrimientos del estudio senalan a la Responsabilidad Social como un componente esencial en el proceso formativo de los academicos; para el cumplimiento de la triple mision universitaria de ensenanza, investigacion y extension; y para hacerla efectiva de la propia funcion social de las Instituciones de Ensenanza Superior. Palabras clave : Calidad de la Educacion. Educacion Superior. SINAES. Responsabilidad Social.
Software persistent memory

Persistence of in-memory data is necessary for many classes of application and systems software. We propose Software PersistentMemory (SoftPM), a new memory abstraction which allows malloc style allocations to be selectively made persistent with relative ease. Particularly, SoftPM's persistent containers implement automatic, orthogonal persistence for all in-memory data reachable from a developer-defined root structure. Writing new applications or adapting existing applications to use SoftPM only requires identifying such root structures within the code. We evaluated the correctness, ease of use, and performance of SoftPM using a suite of microbenchmarks and real world applications including a distributedMPI application, SQLite (an in-memory database), and memcachedb (a distributed memory cache). In all cases, SoftPM was incorporated with minimal developer effort, was able to store and recover data successfully, and provide significant performance speedup (e.g., up to 10X for memcachedb and 83% for SQLite).
Machine Learning in Clinical Pathology: Seeing the Forest for the Trees

We are well over a decade into the machine-learning revolution, but medicine, particularly laboratory medicine, has resisted. This is not for want of opportunity. Laboratory testing is the single highest volume medical activity, with 10 billion tests being performed in the US each year (1). Laboratory testing boasts the lowest error rates in medicine, at least in terms of analytical error, with well-defined reference ranges and regular quality control inspiring confidence in the results (2, 3). Results are almost all either numerical or categorical, perfect for machines. Testing not only informs diagnosis across medicine but also is inexpensive—at pennies on the healthcare dollar, vastly cheaper than the downstream care it guides—representing a financial, as well as medical, incentive for building a future based on systematic machine learning-based clinical decision support. In this issue of Clinical Chemistry , Wilkes and colleagues offer a glimpse of this future by using machine learning to predict clinical diagnoses using urine steroid profiles (4). Urine steroid profiles are used to diagnose endocrine conditions such as adrenal cancer and Cushing disease. A profile consists of the urine concentrations of steroid metabolites—aldosterone, cortisol, and many others—measured most often by GC-MS. To make a diagnosis, laboratorians or clinicians must integrate the information in these results and interpret it in the context of patient demographics such as age and sex. They do so by applying heuristics or rules. Sometimes the rules are explicit, something a person can describe. But often with human experts, decision-making becomes so automatic, with rules so complex …
‘Let our emotions tell the story’: An exploration of emotion management in Chinese proactive workgroup socialization:

This exploratory qualitative study augments extant literature in organizational studies on workplace emotion by examining emotion management in the Chinese proactive workgroup socialization process...
Doxorubicin area under the curve is an important predictor of neutropenia in dogs with naturally occurring cancers.

Doxorubicin (DOX) area-under-the-curve (AUC) was calculated for 40 dogs with spontaneously occurring cancers using a previously validated limited-sampling approach. All dogs were administered a dose of 30 mg/m2 by intravenous infusion and serum samples were collected at 5, 45 and 60 minutes post-infusion. DOX and its major metabolite, doxorubicinol (doxol), were quantified in serum samples using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. Wide interpatient variability was observed in the predicted DOX AUC with a coefficient of variation of 34%. A significant relationship was found between DOX AUC and absolute white blood cell count (P = 0.003), absolute neutrophil count (ANC; P = 0.002) and surviving fraction of neutrophils (P = 0.03) approximately 1 week after dosing (nadir). No changes in other hematologic parameters (red blood cells, platelets, lymphocytes, haemoglobin) were found to correlate with DOX AUC. The absolute dose (mg) and the dose per unit body weight (mg/kg) were not significantly correlated with nadir ANC. No relationships were found between maximum serum doxol concentration and myelosuppression. Baseline ANC was also significantly correlated to nadir ANC and a model was constructed using baseline ANC and DOX AUC that significantly described the nadir ANC. These findings demonstrate the important relationship between systemic DOX exposure and degree of neutropenia in dogs, and suggest a potential for individualized, pharmacokinetically-guided DOX dosing in dogs.
Robotic sleeve resections: new territory but not the final frontier.

Robotic-assisted surgery for anatomic pulmonary resection has rapidly progressed over the past decade introducing several technical advantages over video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). These include improved visualization, scaled movements, tremor reduction, and instrumentation with seven degrees of freedom. In some centers, the robotic platform is now the preferred approach to routine lobectomies. However, it may be in the more complex operations that these advantages are truly realized. Dr. Luo and colleagues from the Shanghai Lung Tumor Clinical Medical Center (1) provide an excellent example in their description of a robotic-assisted thoracoscopic right upper lobe sleeve resection.