cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heparan Sulfate 6-O-endosulfatases (Sulfs) Coordinate the Wnt Signaling Pathways to Regulate Myoblast Fusion during Skeletal Muscle Regeneration

Skeletal muscle regeneration is mediated by satellite cells (SCs). Upon injury, SCs undergo self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation into myoblasts followed by myoblast fusion to form new myofibers. We previously showed that the heparan sulfate (HS) 6-O-endosulfatases (Sulf1 and -2) repress FGF signaling to induce SC differentiation during muscle regeneration. Here, we identify a novel role of Sulfs in myoblast fusion using a skeletal muscle-specific Sulf double null (SulfSK-DN) mouse. Regenerating SulfSK-DN muscles exhibit reduced canonical Wnt signaling and elevated non-canonical Wnt signaling. In addition, we show that Sulfs are required to repress non-canonical Wnt signaling to promote myoblast fusion. Notably, skeletal muscle-relevant non-canonical Wnt ligands lack HS binding capacity, suggesting that Sulfs indirectly repress this pathway. Mechanistically, we show that Sulfs reduce the canonical Wnt-HS binding and regulate colocalization of the co-receptor LRP5 with caveolin3. Therefore, Sulfs may increase the bioavailability of canonical Wnts for Frizzled receptor and LRP5/6 interaction in lipid raft, which may in turn antagonize non-canonical Wnt signaling. Furthermore, changes in subcellular distribution of active focal adhesion kinase (FAK) are associated with the fusion defect of Sulf-deficient myoblasts and upon non-canonical Wnt treatment. Together, our findings uncover a critical role of Sulfs in myoblast fusion by promoting antagonizing canonical Wnt signaling activities against the noncanonical Wnt pathway during skeletal muscle regeneration.
Effects of methadone on behavior maintained by fixed ratio reinforcement schedules

Abstract The effects of subcutaneous injections of methadone hydrochloride (0.75 mg, 1.5 mg, and 2.5 mg/kg) on lever pressing maintained by fixed ratio schedules of reinforcement were examined in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. Response output over a 30 min session decreased as a function of increasing drug dose when reinforcement was delivered for every 5 responses. Increasing the response to reinforcement ratio from 5 to 20 in a second experiment doubled and nearly quadrupled responding by DBA and C57 mice, respectively. Injecting animals maintained on this schedule with methadone reduced responding to the same extent as that observed in the first experiment when response rates were lower. Hence, these experiments provide no support for the effect of methadone being rate-dependent. In both experiments methadone disrupted responding of DBA more than that of C57 mice. This finding is consistent with a previous report that other narcotic analgesics were more potent analgesics for DBA than for C57 mice. From these studies it appears that the opposite changes in locomotor activity upon an exposure to narcotic analgesics does not generalize to behavior under control of reinforcing stimuli; and that both the effects obtained in the present study and the analgesic action are dissociated from the effects of these drugs on locomotor activity.
Precystectomy serum levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9, carbohydrate antigen 125, and carcinoembryonic antigen: prognostic value in invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the prognostic value of precystectomy carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA 125), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). Methods and materials Preoperatively collected serum samples from patients with invasive UCB who underwent radical cystectomy between 2004 and 2009 were used to measure CA 19-9, CA 125, and CEA levels. Laboratory cutoff points were used to define elevated marker levels (CA 19-9>37 U/ml, CA 125>35 U/ml, and CEA>3.8 U/ml). The Cox regression model was used to identify independent predictors of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Results A total of 186 patients with the mean age of 69 years (range: 36–89) and median follow-up of 4 years (range: 0.1–7.2) were included in the study. Overall, 94 (51%) patients had pathologic organ-confined disease (≤T2) and 92 (49%) had pathologic locally advanced UCB (pT3–T4 or positive lymph node or both). The mean CA 19-9, CA 125, and CEA levels were 11.6 U/ml (range: P = 0.05 and HR = 2, P = 0.03, respectively), and an elevated level of CA 19-9 was an independent predictor of worse 3-year RFS (HR = 2.8, P = 0.05). Precystectomy CA 125 level was not associated with oncological outcome. Conclusions Elevated precystectomy serum levels of CA 19-9 and CEA are independent predictors of worse oncological outcome in patients with invasive UCB. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of these markers in the management of UCB.
Joint power-playout control for media streaming over wireless links

Media streaming applications over wireless links face various challenges, due to both the nature of the wireless channel and the stringent delivery requirements of media traffic. In this paper, we seek to improve the performance of media streaming over an interference-limited wireless link, by using appropriate transmission and playout control. In particular, we choose both the power at the transmitter and the playout scheduling at the receiver, so as to minimize the power consumption and maximize the media playout quality. We formulate the problem using a dynamic programming approach, and study the structural properties of the optimal solution. We further develop a justified, low-complexity heuristic that achieves significant performance gain over benchmark systems. In particular, our joint power-playout heuristic outperforms: 1) the optimal power control policy in the regime where power is most important and 2) the optimal playout control policy in the regime where media (playout) quality is most important; furthermore, this heuristic has only a slight performance loss as compared to the optimal joint power-playout control policy over the entire range of the investigation
Quantifying pulmonary regurgitation and right ventricular function in surgically repaired tetralogy of Fallot: a comparative analysis of echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Background— Patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot are monitored for pulmonary regurgitation (PR) and right ventricular (RV) function. We sought to compare measures of PR and RV function on echocardiogram to those on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and to develop a new tool for assessing PR by echocardiogram. Methods and Results— Patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (n=143; 12.5±3.2 years) had an echocardiogram and CMR within 3 months of each other. On echocardiogram, RV function was assessed by (1) Doppler tissue imaging of the RV free wall and (2) myocardial performance index. The ratio of diastolic and systolic time-velocity integrals measured by Doppler of the main pulmonary artery was calculated. CMR variables included RV ejection fraction, RV volumes, and pulmonary regurgitant fraction (RF). Pulmonary regurgitation was graded as mild (RF 40%). On CMR, RF was 34+17% and RV ejection fraction was 61+8%. Echocardiography had good sensitivity identifying cases with RF>20% (sensitivity 97%; 95% CI: 92–99%) but overestimated the amount of PR when RF<20% (false-positive rate 36%; 95% CI: 18–57%). The diastolic and systolic time-velocity integrals on echocardiogram showed moderate correlation with RF on CMR ( R =0.60; P <0.0001). On CMR, RF of 20% and 40% corresponded with a diastolic and systolic time-velocity integral of 0.49 (95% CI: 0.44–0.56) and 0.72 (95% CI: 0.68–0.76), respectively. RV myocardial performance index correlated modestly with RV ejection fraction ( r =−0.33; P <0.001). Conclusions— This study suggests that the diastolic and systolic time-velocity integrals ratio may make a modest contribution to the overall assessment of PR in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot and warrants further investigation. However, echocardiography continues to have a limited ability to quantify PR and RV function as compared with CMR.
NDN, VOLUME TRANSMISSION, AND SELF-ORGANIZATION IN BRAIN DYNAMICS

Fields of neural activity are seen in synchronized oscillations that are detected at mesoscopic scales in syntheses of multicellular recordings of action potentials and electroencephalograms (EEGs) over broad areas of cerebral cortex. The waves often have large-scale, highly textured spatial patterns of cortical activity, formed in the context of associative learning under classical and operant conditioning in rabbits. The patterns show spatial amplitude modulation of shared oscillations of carrier waves in the beta and gamma ranges of the EEG, with recurrence at frame rates in the alpha and theta ranges. The frames also show spatial phase modulation that is inconsistent with driving of the oscillations by focal pacemakers. The hypothesis is developed that the synchronization manifests continuous distributions of activity in cortical neuropil that modulate firings of selected neural networks embedded in the neuropil. Five interactive agencies have been postulated to explain the mechanism for the field synchrony: electric fields; magnetic fields; electromagnetic fields (radio waves); diffusion chemical gradients; and order parameters that control self-organization of large populations of neurons by widespread synaptic interaction constituting negative and positive feedback. Only the last interactive agency fits the data. The points are emphasized that these field patterns in frames require interactive neural dynamics that is modulated in respect to global operations mediating arousal, attention, selective emotional stance, wake, sleep, learn, habituate, dishabituate, etc., and that these operations require differing but complementary fields that form by massive parallel feed-forward architectures of brainstem neuromodulatory nuclei. An example is given using histamine of the neural discharges of brainstem nuclei that do not require fine spatiotemporal texturing of their firing; they operate by nonsynaptic release of neuromodulators that effect changes in background state, such that textured patterns of cortical activity can form and update in flexible adaptations of brains to their environments. These systems instantiate volume transmission by nonsynaptic diffusion transmission, in concert with the self-organization of the textured neural activity that supports cognition.
Transient and Synergistic Effects in Solid‐Particle Erosion of Silicon

Studies of Al2O3 particles impacting (111) silicon single crystal surfaces at normal incidence show that the initial shape or transient in the weight loss vs dose curve depends on the condition of the surface prior to erosion. If the surface is pre-eroded by particles larger than the incident particles, a decelerating transient is observed, while an accelerating transient is observed when the surface is pre-eroded by particles smaller than the incident particles. The transient effects can be used to describe the results of mixing experiments when two sizes of particles are used simultaneously.
New Families of Semi-Regular Relative Difference Sets

We give two constructions for semi-regular relative difference sets (RDSs) in groups whose order is not a prime power, where the order u of the forbidden subgroup is greater than 2. No such RDSs were previously known. We use examples from the first construction to produce semi-regular RDSs in groups whose order can contain more than two distinct prime factors. For u greater than 2 these are the first such RDSs, and for u=2 we obtain new examples.
Sectorial Local Non-Determinism and the Geometry of the Brownian Sheet

We prove the following results about the images and multiple points of an $N$-parameter, $d$-dimensional Brownian sheet $B =\{B(t)\}_{t \in R_+^N}$: (1) If $\text{dim}_H F \leq d/2$, then $B(F)$ is almost surely a Salem set. (2) If $N \leq d/2$, then with probability one $\text{dim}_H B(F) = 2 \text{dim} F$ for all Borel sets of $R_+^N$, where "$\text{dim}_H$" could be everywhere replaced by the ``Hausdorff,'' ``packing,'' ``upper Minkowski,'' or ``lower Minkowski dimension.'' (3) Let $M_k$ be the set of $k$-multiple points of $B$. If $N \leq d/2$ and $ Nk > (k-1)d/2$, then $\text{dim}_H M_k = \text{dim}_p M_k = 2 Nk - (k-1)d$, a.s. The Hausdorff dimension aspect of (2) was proved earlier; see Mountford (1989) and Lin (1999). The latter references use two different methods; ours of (2) are more elementary, and reminiscent of the earlier arguments of Monrad and Pitt (1987) that were designed for studying fractional Brownian motion. If $N>d/2$ then (2) fails to hold. In that case, we establish uniform-dimensional properties for the $(N,1)$-Brownian sheet that extend the results of Kaufman (1989) for 1-dimensional Brownian motion. Our innovation is in our use of the sectorial local nondeterminism of the Brownian sheet (Khoshnevisan and Xiao, 2004).
Crystallization in oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers. II. Consequences in subsequent deformation

When a melt-spun poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fiber is heat treated at a temperature above its glass transition temperature, the relative rates at which the crystallization and major orientational relaxation processes occur have been shown to have a pronounced effect on the structure of the fiber and its deformability. The present study describes the consequences of this aspect, with examples from drawing of melt-spun PET fibers subsequent to their crystallization by thermal annealing. Additional features of the highly ordered PET fibers which can be produced through a combination of oriented crystallization and drawing at high temperatures are also given.
Odd markets in Japanese history : law and economic growth

List of tables Series editor's preface Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Law and economic growth 2. Property: water and land 3. Externalities: smoke and noise 4. Markets: children 5. Autonomy: family law 6. Promissory credibility: sex 7. Cartels: cotton spinning 8. Conclusions References Index.
Improved Radio Frequency Receiver Front-end for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Based on software radio theory, this paper focuses on researching a direct conversion structure for the radio frequency (RF) receiver front-end and tries to apply this flexible receiver front-end in MRI receiving system. In particular, we look at the conventional architecture of RF receiver front-ends of MRI; present architecture of a direct conversion for RF receiver front-end of MRI; outline the key aspects of designing such multi-channel and multi-mode front-end systems. In addition, based on this architecture, a practical RF front-end receiving system of MRI is given. Two parts are included in this system; one is the conventional receiver front-end the other is the direct conversion design for RF receiver front-end of MRI
Efficient Dynamic Analysis of Multilayered System during Falling Weight Deflectometer Experiments

This paper presents efficient solution techniques for the transient wave propagation in a multilayered soil medium due to axisymmetric dynamic loads applied on the surface. Analytical solutions of both displacement and stress fields in the interior of the layered stratum as well as on the surface are derived in the time domain from the elastodynamic equations using a direct method, in which Laplace-Hankel mixed transform and transfer matrix techniques are employed. In addition, an efficient numerical procedure, which utilizes the fast Hankel transform algorithm, is proposed to compute these analytical solutions. The presented solutions can be directly used to determine the transient dynamic responses of the multilayered medium subjected to a suddenly applied falling weight widely used in the nondestructive testing of pavement and layered subgrade systems. Illustrative examples demonstrate that these solutions can be readily computed and provide fairly accurate results.
Endovascular treatment of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas.

ndovascular treatment has become the treatment of choice for the vast majority of dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) E when invasive treatment is indicated. With current technological improvements, development of new embolic materials, and a better understanding of the angioarchitecture and pathophysiology of these lesions, treatment of DAVFs can be individualized based on the specific characteristics of each lesion. Endovascular treatments can be schematically divided into transarterial and transvenous methods, and the type of treatment is selected based on the patient’s symptomatology or clinical presentation, fistula angioarchitecture, location, and operator’s preference (7).
A New Look at Morphological Variation in the Ichnogenus Anomoepus, with Special Reference to Material from the Lower Jurassic Newark Supergroup: Implications for Ichnotaxonomy and Ichnodiversity

ABSTRACT Numerous new trackways of the small, ornithischian dinosaurs ichnogenus Anomoepus were discovered in the Lower Jurassic (Hettangian) East Berlin Formation in Holyoke, Massachusetts. This new material consists of 16 trackways, on two bedding surfaces 1.5 cm apart, all in close proximity to each other. The abundant pedal and manual impressions have well-preserved digital pad impressions, and claw marks are often discernible also. An Osteometric analysis allows reconstruction of the pedal digits and weight-bearing portions of the metatarsals. On the basis of their small size, as well as distinctive features and proportions of both the manus and pes impressions, these prints are assigned to the ichnospecies Anomoepus lacertoideus (comb. nov.). Three ichnospecies of Anomoepus can be recognized in the Lower Jurassic of the Newark Supergroup: A. lacertoideus, A. scambus and A. crassus. The A. lacertoideus footprints described herein provide evidence that this small, ornithischian track maker engaged in ...
A forward analysis on the applicability of tracer breakthrough profiles in revealing the pore structure of tight gas sandstone and carbonate rocks

We explore tracer breakthrough profiles (TBP) as a macroscopic property to infer the pore-space topology of tight gas sandstone and carbonate rocks at the core scale. The following features were modeled via three-dimensional multiscale networks: microporosity within dissolved grains and pore-filling clay, cementation in the absence and presence of microporosity (each classified into uniform, pore-preferred, and throat-preferred modes), layering, vug, and microcrack inclusion. A priori knowledge of the extent and location of each process was assumed to be known. With the exception of an equal importance of macropores and pore-filling micropores, TBPs show little sensitivity to the fraction of micropores present. In general, significant sensitivity of the TBPs was observed for uniform and throat-preferred cementation. Layering parallel to the fluid flow direction had a considerable impact on TBPs whereas layering perpendicular to flow did not. Microcrack orientations seemed of minor importance in affecting TBPs.
Influence of Prothymosin‐α on HIV‐1 Target Cells

The important role of CD8(+) T cells in controlling HIV-1 infection through the innate as well as the adaptive immune system is well established. In addition to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-dependent cytotoxic activity of CD8(+) T cells, they produce soluble factors that suppress HIV-1 replication in an MHC-independent manner. Several of those factors have been identified, including beta-chemokines, Rantes, MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, and MDC. We previously identified that prothymosin alpha (ProTalpha) in the conditioned medium of HVS transformed CD8(+) T cells was a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 replication following proviral integration. In this report we further characterize the anti-HIV-1 activity of ProTalpha by demonstrating its target-cell specificity, distinction from additional inhibitors of HIV-1 transcription in CD8(+) T cell supernatants, as well as the differential regulation of host cell antiviral genes that could impact HIV-1 replication. These genes include a number of transcription factors as well IFN-alpha-inducible genes including PKR, IRF1, and Rantes, in the absence of induction of IFN-alpha. These data suggest that the anti-HIV-1 activity of ProTalpha is mediated through the modulation of a number of genes that have been reported to suppress HIV-1 replication including the dysregulation of transcription factors and the induction of PKR and Rantes mRNA.
Global Profiling Strategies for Mapping Dysregulated Metabolic Pathways in Cancer

Cancer cells possess fundamentally altered metabolism that provides a foundation to support tumorigenicity and malignancy. Our understanding of the biochemical underpinnings of cancer has benefited from the integrated utilization of large-scale profiling platforms (e.g., genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics), which, together, can provide a global assessment of how enzymes and their parent metabolic networks become altered in cancer to fuel tumor growth. This review presents several examples of how these integrated platforms have yielded fundamental insights into dysregulated metabolism in cancer. We will also discuss questions and challenges that must be addressed to more completely describe, and eventually control, the diverse metabolic pathways that support tumorigenesis.
Functional consequences of a novel middle ear adaptation in the central African frog Petropedetes parkeri (Ranidae).

During the breeding season, each tympanic membrane of males of the Old World treefrog Petropedetes parkeri is decorated with a single, prominent, fleshy tympanic papilla. The tympanic papilla, located dorsally on the tympanic membrane, is covered by an epidermal surface and is composed of non-ossified, spongiform tissue containing a number of globular, fluid-filled vesicles found at highest density near the papillar tip. These vesicles appear to have exit pores and are probably simple alveolar exocrine glands. Injecting sound into the pressurized vocal cavity of the male and measuring the vibration velocity response of the tympanic membrane revealed that from 0.3 to 2.0 kHz the tympanic papilla velocity amplitude is on average 20 dB lower than that of a point diametrically opposite on the ventral half of the tympanic membrane. The close agreement between the dominant frequency of the call and the frequency of the maximum spectral peak of the Fast Fourier Transform of the impulse response of the eardrum is consistent with the use of the eardrum in this species both as a call receiver and as a call radiator, similar to the function suggested for the eardrum of the male bullfrog Rana catesbeiana. Unexpectedly, surgically removing the tympanic papilla lowered the frequency of the peak vibrational amplitude, testifying to the importance of membrane tension as a dominant factor in the vibratory behavior of the eardrum. During normal positive-pressure breathing, the tympanic papillae move conspicuously, suggesting a possible role as a visual signal.
"Out of control" behavior in adolescents.

The physician should approach a problem of “out of control” behavior in an adolescent as a family issue rather than an individual issue, for not only the behavior itself but the parental response to the behavior are key factors in understanding and coping with it. Areas of commonly encountered misbehavior are explored.
The Recognition and Development of Social Enterprise Opportunities: An Identity Based Approach

Social enterprise has gained widespread acclaim as a tool for addressing social and environmental problems. Yet, because these organizations integrate the social welfare and commercial logics in their core, they face the challenge of pursuing goals that frequently conflict with each other. Studies have begun to address how established social enterprises can manage these tensions, but we know little about how, why, and with what consequences social entrepreneurs mix competing logics as they work to create new organizations. To address this gap, we develop a theoretical model based in identity theory that helps to explain: (1) how the commercial and social welfare logics become relevant to entrepreneurship; (2) how different types of entrepreneurs perceive the tension between these logics, and; (3) the implications this has for how entrepreneurs go about recognizing and developing plans to address opportunities that integrate social welfare and commercial goals. Our approach thus responds to calls from organizational and entrepreneurship scholars to extend existing frameworks of opportunity recognition and development to better account for social enterprise creation.
Heavy Petroleum Composition. 4. Asphaltene Compositional Space

Asphaltenes and maltenes are defined operationally by solubility (in, e.g., heptane). Asphaltenes self-associate in solution and form putative nanoaggregates composed of approximately 6–10 asphaltene monomers per subunit. Bulk measurements indicate that asphaltenes are more aromatic than maltenes and contain more heteroatoms and metals (nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, nickel, and vanadium). Numerous direct imaging, molecular diffusion, and mass spectral results agree that asphaltenes and maltenes are defined by similar, overlapped carbon number ranges, drastically restricting the acceptable carbon number and aromaticity “compositional space” for asphaltene compounds. Thus, when viewed by a plot of aromaticity versus carbon number for a given heteroatom class, asphaltenes must occupy different compositional space than maltenes because they share the same carbon number range but differ in bulk aromaticity and solution phase behavior. Boduszynski’s work supported overlapping asphaltene/maltene molecular weights, a...
SELF-PERCEIVED MASCULINITY BETWEEN BEARDED AND NONBEARDED MALES

Bern's Sex-role Inventory was administered to 60 male undergraduates divided into three groups: artificially bearded, wearing a bandanna, and control. The beard-wearers chose a significantly greater proportion of masculine adjectives than did the controls.
Elemental composition of clastoderma debaryanum stalks

Clastoderma debaryanum A. Blytt, a myxomycete which commonly develops in moist chamber cultures on bark from living trees, is cosmopolitan in distribution. In many collections of this organism a characteristic amber-like swelling is encountered midway along the stalk. The stalk swelling is a variable character in that collections which key to C. debaryanum sometimes lack this structure (Martin and Alexopoulos, 1969). The original description of C. debaryanum by Blytt in 1880, made no mention of this swelling, but this structure has been found so often by subsequent collectors that it has come to be thought of as being characteristic of the species. We undertook to characterize the elemental composition of sporangial stalks, with and without swellings. Sporangia of C. debaryanum were obtained from the University of Texas Myxomycete Collection (UTMC), The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), and the National Fungus Collections (BPI). A total of 24 collections were examined from widely scattered geographical areas. Elemental composition was determined with a Kevex model 5100 energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer attached to an AMR 1000A scanning electron microscope. A single sporangium from each collection was mounted on an aluminum stub with double sticky tape. Specimens were coated with carbon and gold-palladium in a Denton high vacuum evaporator. X-ray counts were collected with a 200 sec probe at 30 kV, magnification x 1000, with minimum partial field settings. Spot size was maintained at a constant value and the specimen was held at a tilt of 45? with respect to the detector. Three spectra were obtained from each stalk; one spectrum from the swelling or region of the stalk where the swelling is typically located, a second from a region just above the base of the stalk, and a third from the upper portion of the stalk just below the sporangium. Spectra were smoothed and submitted to background subtraction. Elemental peaks for aluminum, gold, and palladium which were introduced during sample preparation were stripped from the spectra. X-ray counts were recorded for each elemental peak and normalized with respect to a total of 171,982 counts, which was the highest figure obtained with a 200 sec probe. The stalks of C. debaryanum sporangia vary morphologically in that some stalks evenly taper from the base toward the sporangium (FIG. 2) while others possess globular or oval swellings midway along the stalk (FIG. 1). Fusiform swellings which are much less prominent than the swellings depicted in FIG. I are also frequently encountered. X-ray spectra of C. debaryanum stalks consistently revealed the presence of calcium and chlorine (FIGS. 5-10). Sulphur, potassium, and iron were also frequently encountered in measurable quantities. Traces of magnesium, phosphorus,
Effects of apple snacking on body weight status and metabolic profiles of overweight and obese children

Childhood obesity prevalence has increased and has been associated with continued obesity into adulthood with adverse health consequences. Consumption of fruits and dietary fibers have been shown t...
The Demonstrated Analysis on the Status and Trend of Urban and Rural Residents' Consumption Composition of Shaanxi Province

Consumption demand is the ultimate demand,and the consumption stimulus is the essential engine of the economy.It makes a significant effect to do research on the Shaanxi consumer demand and strengthening its effect on stimulating economy for keeping sustained economic growth of Shaanxi province.We made a demonstrated study on the status and the trend of urban and rural residents' consumption composition of Shaanxi province using the Extended Linear Expenditure System model(ELES) based on the ten years' data from 1999 to 2008 and put forward suggestions on expanding the residents' consumption demand and optimizing the residents' consumption composition.
Analysis of combining ability of starch content in hybrid sorghum based on AMMI model

[Objective] Analysis of combining ability of starch content variation in hybrid sorghum with the assistant of AMMI model. [Method] Based on the analyses of GCA using incomplete diallel cross(NCII), the SCA of hybrid sorghum was analyzed by AMMI model. [Result] For the starch content change of F1 hybrid sorghum, the effects of GCA and SCA accounted for 81.06% and 17.97%, respectively. In the present study, CMS lines 45A, 29A and restorer lines Hui 1, 44R were proved to be the excellent parent materials for preparing high starch hybrid sorghum cultivars. [Conclusion] The improvement of starch content in parents should be mainly concerned in breeding high starch content hybrid sorghum.
Tōkaidō Texts and Tales: Tōkaidō gojūsan tsui by Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, and Kunisada (Marks, ed.)

This work is a book review considering the title Tōkaidō Texts and Tales: Tōkaidō gojūsan tsui by Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, and Kunisada edited by Andreas Marks
Food intake patterns of gastric bypass patients.

This study evaluated nutritional status of gastric bypass patients and found significant postoperative changes in weight and in intake of kilocalories, protein, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, iron, and vitamin A.
Creating Supports for the Development of High-Leverage Teaching Practices in Secondary Science Classrooms

I have three goals for the present chapter. The first is to provide an overview of the research that has informed our group’s understanding of two important foundations for the development of effective science teaching; one of these foundations consists of a collection of core practices that are essential components of such teaching.
Cannabinoids in the treatment of movement disorders: A systematic review of case series and clinical trials

Abstract We performed a systematic review of the scientific literature assessing the use of exogenous cannabinoids in the treatment of movement disorders including Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome, tics, essential tremor, tremor associated with multiple sclerosis, Wilson’s disease, dystonia, and myoclonus. Databases searched for articles published in English include: Pubmed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Clinicaltrials.gov . A total of 21 case series and clinical trials evaluating the use of cannabinoids in the treatment of movement disorders were identified. All studies either consisted of small sample sizes, or the primary outcome was not the effect of exogenous cannabinoid treatment on a specific movement. None of the studies reviewed were powered to detect a difference with the treatment of a cannabinoid agonist. Therefore, currently no conclusions can be made on the efficacy of cannabinoids in the treatment of movement disorders.
OPEN SOURCE APPROACH TO URBAN GROWTH SIMULATION

Abstract. Spatial patterns of land use change due to urbanization and its impact on the landscape are the subject of ongoing research. Urban growth scenario simulation is a powerful tool for exploring these impacts and empowering planners to make informed decisions. We present FUTURES (FUTure Urban – Regional Environment Simulation) – a patch-based, stochastic, multi-level land change modeling framework as a case showing how what was once a closed and inaccessible model benefited from integration with open source GIS.We will describe our motivation for releasing this project as open source and the advantages of integrating it with GRASS GIS, a free, libre and open source GIS and research platform for the geospatial domain. GRASS GIS provides efficient libraries for FUTURES model development as well as standard GIS tools and graphical user interface for model users. Releasing FUTURES as a GRASS GIS add-on simplifies the distribution of FUTURES across all main operating systems and ensures the maintainability of our project in the future. We will describe FUTURES integration into GRASS GIS and demonstrate its usage on a case study in Asheville, North Carolina. The developed dataset and tutorial for this case study enable researchers to experiment with the model, explore its potential or even modify the model for their applications.
Microencapsulated Enzymes in Food Applications

The utilization of enzymes in food applications is done to enhance quality, improve processing conditions or economics, and to introduce new functionality. Enzymes are subject to many environmental conditions such as temperature, pH, ingredient compatibility and shear during processing, storage, and use that can render them useless or significantly reduced in activity making their use less desirable or even incapable. Through encapsulation or immobilization, it is possible to protect enzymes during storage and use as well as target their activity to specific points in a process to maximize their benefits. This chapter explores encapsulation processes utilized for enzymes and how these products can provide added benefits to a range of food applications.
Coupling Front-End Separations, Ion Mobility Spectrometry, and Mass Spectrometry For Enhanced Multidimensional Biological and Environmental Analyses

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a widely used analytical technique for rapid molecular separations in the gas phase. Though IMS alone is useful, its coupling with mass spectrometry (MS) and front-end separations is extremely beneficial for increasing measurement sensitivity, peak capacity of complex mixtures, and the scope of molecular information available from biological and environmental sample analyses. In fact, multiple disease screening and environmental evaluations have illustrated that the IMS-based multidimensional separations extract information that cannot be acquired with each technique individually. This review highlights three-dimensional separations using IMS-MS in conjunction with a range of front-end techniques, such as gas chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography, liquid chromatography, solid-phase extractions, capillary electrophoresis, field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry, and microfluidic devices. The origination, current state, various applications, and future capabilities of these multidimensional approaches are described in detail to provide insight into their uses and benefits.
Making a homeland, constructing a diaspora: The case of Taglit-Birthright Israel

Abstract The study of diaspora policies in political science, international relations, and political geography has moved away from conceiving diasporas as bounded entities to conceptualizing diasporas as a process to be made. One body of literature maps different strategies employed to bond diasporas to their country of origin, while another body of literature pays specific attention to diasporic identities and the ways such identities are reproduced and constructed abroad. This article seeks to bring these two literatures together by focusing on homeland tourism as a diasporization strategy, i.e. the construction, reproduction, and transmission of diasporic identity. Through the case of Taglit-Birthright – a free educational trip to Israel offered to young Jewish adults – the article identifies the specific mechanisms and micro-practices used in order to transform Israeli territory into a Jewish homeland, reproduce the narrative of dispersion, and demarcate group boundaries. Incorporating insights from theories of territorialization and based on the program's educational platform and existing ethnographies of Taglit-Birthright, this article unpacks the notion of the homeland and demonstrates how the homeland itself – as an embodied, affective, and symbolic site – is strategically used in order to cultivate diasporic attachments.
Optimizing Outpatient Pain Management After Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery: A Two-Institution Experience.

Thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy are the most commonly performed endocrine operations, and are increasingly being completed on a same-day basis; however, few data exist regarding the outpatient postoperative pain requirement of these patients. We aimed to describe the outpatient narcotic medication needs for patients undergoing thyroid and parathyroid surgery, and to identify predictors of higher requirement. We examined patients undergoing thyroid and parathyroid surgery at two large academic institutions from 1 January–30 May 2014. Prospective data were collected on pain scores and the oral morphine equivalents (OMEQs) taken by these patients by their postoperative visit. Overall, 313 adult patients underwent thyroidectomy or parathyroidectomy during the study period; 83% of patients took ten or fewer OMEQs, and 93% took 20 or fewer OMEQs. Patients who took more than ten OMEQs were younger (p < 0.001) and reported significantly higher overall mean pain scores at their postoperative visit (p < 0.001) than patients who took fewer than ten OMEQs. A multivariate model was constructed on pre- and intraoperative factors that may predict use of more than ten OMEQs postoperatively. Age <45 years (p = 0.002), previous narcotic use (p = 0.037), and whether parathyroid or thyroid surgery was performed (p = 0.003) independently predicted the use of more than ten OMEQs after surgery. A subgroup analysis was then performed on thyroidectomy-only patients. Overall, 93% of patients undergoing thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy require 20 or fewer OMEQs by their postoperative visit. We therefore recommend these patients be discharged with 20 OMEQs, both to minimize waste and increase patient safety.
Ultrasound Versus Landmarks for Great Toe Arthrocentesis.

ABSTRACTBackground: Several studies have demonstrated ultrasound (US) is superior to traditional landmark (LM)-based techniques for large and medium joint aspiration; however, no studies of sufficient size have evaluated these interventions in the smaller toe joints. The purpose of this study was to determine if US provides an advantage over LM for successful first-pass aspiration of first metatarsophalangeal joint (1st MTPJ) effusions. Methods: A cross-over, cadaveric trial evaluating the interventions of US and LM. Eighteen emergency medicine residents performed four US and four LM aspirations each of 1st MTPJ effusions simulated in fresh-frozen cadavers. The initial intervention utilized was randomized. The primary outcome measured was aspiration success or failure. A secondary outcome measured was time in seconds taken to complete a successful aspiration. Results: A total of 144 1st MTPJ aspirations were attempted—72 by US and 72 by LM. US was the initial intervention used in 9 of 18 (50%) participant...
A Space-Dependent Reactor-Noise Formulation Utilizing Modal Expansions

A space-dependent noise formulation is developed on the basis of the modal-analysis technique. Application of the method is illustrated by numerical calculations carried out for a one-dimensional m...
The Use of Procalcitonin as a Sepsis Marker in a Community Hospital

Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker that shows good sensitivity and specificity in identifying septic patients. Methods: This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of PCT in a community hospital setting and how it compared to that of lactic acid. It explored the impact on patient care before and after PCT implementation regarding costs and length of stay. Two comparative groups were analyzed using an exploratory descriptive case–control study with data from a 19-month period after PCT implementation and a retrospective quasi-experimental study using a control group of emergency department patients diagnosed with sepsis using data before PCT implementation. Results: Post-procalcitonin implementation samples included 165 cases and pre-procalcitonin implementation sample included 69 cases. From the 165 sepsis cases who had positive blood cultures, PCT had a sensitivity of 89.7%. In comparison, lactic acid9s sensitivity at the current cutoff of 18.02 mg/dL (2.0 mmol/L) was 64.9%. There was a 32% decrease in median cost before and after PCT implementation, even with the length of stay remaining at 5 days in both time periods. Conclusions: There was a significant decrease after the implementation of PCT in cost of hospitalization compared to costs before implementation. This cost is highly correlated with length of stay; neither the hospital nor the intensive care unit length of stay showed a difference with before and after implementation. There was a positive correlation between lactic acid and PCT values. PCT values had a higher predictive usefulness than the lactic acid values.
The Effect of Telling Lies on Belief in the Truth.

The current study looks at the effect of telling lies, in contrast to simply planning lies, on participants’ belief in the truth. Participants planned and told a lie, planned to tell a lie but didn’t tell it, told an unplanned lie, or neither planned nor told a lie (control) about events that did not actually happen to them. Participants attempted to convince researchers that all of the stories told were true. Results show that telling a lie plays a more important role in inflating belief scores than simply preparing the script of a lie. Cognitive dissonance may lead to motivated forgetting of information that does not align with the lie. This research suggests that telling lies may lead to confusion as to the veracity of the lie leading to inflated belief scores.
Pharmacogenetic approaches to the neuropharmacology of ethanol.

The literature cited in this review clearly demonstrates that many of the behavioral and pharmacological responses to either acute or chronic actions of alcohol are indeed heritable. This conclusion is supported by data derived from several different animal models that have been genetically manipulated to display a wide variety of alcohol-related responses. It is doubtful if any one specific animal model will be developed that will serve as a prototype for human alcoholism. When one considers the amount of knowledge resulting from the pharmacogenetic studies reviewed here, it is more likely that major advances in our understanding of alcohol’s complex actions will be derived from several different animal models.
Abstract 13460: Prognostic Value of Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin for Adverse Events in Patients With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Background: urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (U-NGAL) has been reported as an earlier predictor of acute kidney injury (AKI) and a prognostic factor of adverse events in patients with chronic heart failure, but in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) patients the significance is poorly understood. Methods: We have studied consecutive 436 patients with ADHF admitted to our department from 2011 through 2014. Among these patients, 260 patients measured U-NGAL using 24-hour urine samples collected on day 1 were studied. The primary endpoints were all-cause death, cardiovascular (CV) death and HF admission. Results: We divided into two groups on the basis of the median U-NGAL levels (32.5 μg/gCr). The high U-NGAL group had significantly higher the occurrence of AKI during hospitalization than the low U-NGAL group (p=0.0012). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that high U-NAGL group had worse prognosis than low U-NGAL group in all-cause death (Hazard ratio (HR): 2.07; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38-3.12, p=0.0004), CV death (HR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.28-4.24, p=0.0052), and HF admission (HR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.13-2.77, p=0.0119) (Figure 1). Multivariate analysis revealed that high U-NGAL predicted all-cause death and HF admission (HR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.17-2.72, p=0.0073; and HR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.05-2.72, p=0.0293, respectively). In subgroup analyses, high U-NGAL predicted all-cause death in reduced LVEF (HFrEF, Conclusions: In ADHF patients, elevated level of U-NGAL was related to development of clinical AKI and associated with poor prognosis.
Graduate Account Planning Education: Insights from the Classroom:

While account planning as a discipline has existed in advertising agencies for decades, research related to account planning has been somewhat limited – particularly research focused on account planning education. Existing research in this area has focused on broader issues related to account planning education, with less focus on the in-classroom experience. This commentary shares the views and experiences of two relative outsiders – an academic teaching an introductory account planning seminar and a professional account planner entering academia. It seeks to initiate conversation and investigation about the role of in-classroom experience on preparing students for careers in account planning.
Luciferase Real-Time Bioluminescence Imaging for the Study of Viral Pathogenesis

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is a common and significant neurotropic human pathogen that infects 80% of all persons by adulthood. During acute HSV-1 infection, virus replicates peripherally in epithelia, enters axonal terminals, and is transported retrogradely to sensory nerve ganglia, where HSV-1 may establish latency or progress to life-threatening infection of the central nervous system. Studies of viral and host factors that influence pathogenesis have largely used experimental mouse models that rely on sacrifice of infected mice to determine distribution and titer of virus. Although this experimental paradigm has provided important data, it precludes real-time investigations of the same animal over the entire course of disease progression. This limits potentially significant insights from animal-to-animal variations in host-pathogen relationships. Unexpected sites of infection also may be missed because appropriate tissues are not analyzed for virus. To improve investigations of viral and host factors that determine HSV-1 pathogenesis, we have validated bioluminescence imaging (BLI) as a technique to monitor infection with a recombinant strain KOS HSV-1 virus that expresses firefly luciferase (FL). This imaging technique allows repetitive, noninvasive monitoring of HSV-1 in living mice. In this chapter, we describe the protocols that we use for in vivo BLI of HSV-1 infection.