cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of soil temperature and nitrogen status on kinetics of 15NO3− uptake by roots of field‐grown Agropyron desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schult

SUMMARY Plant NO8- acquisition is largely determined by root uptake capacity. Although root uptake capacity has been shown to be sensitive to both root temperature and previous nitrogen (N) supply in hydroponic systems, the uptake capacity response to similar environmental factors under field conditions has not been investigated. Using 15NO3−, root uptake capacities were determined in excised roots of Agropyron desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schult grown in the field at two soil temperatures and two N fertilization treatments. Variation in soil and root temperatures was achieved by application of clear plastic film or insulating mulch to the soil immediately around the target plants. Uptake rates were measured at six different assay solution concentrations (from 1 to 1000 μM external 15NO3− concentration range). Two months after the imposition of soil N and temperature treatments, a biphasic transport system (a high-affinity) saturable phase and a low-affinity transport phase) was apparent in low N-treated plants. Nitrate uptake capacity in the low-concentration range (1–500μM) was significantly reduced in N-fertilized plants compared with unfertilized control plants and the effect was more pronounced at high (27 °C) than low (17 °C) soil and assay temperatures. Furthermore, high soil N status inhibited the expression of a low-affinity NO3− transport system which was clearly apparent at external NO3− concentration ranges between 500 and 1000 mM in plants grown at low soil N. Prior soil N and temperature history may ultimately determine root ability to exploit NO3− flushes which can result from changes in soil environmental conditions.
Formal structure and networks of interaction within organizations

Abstract The division of labor through the formal structure within organizations is conceived of as providing formal authority, influence based on hierarchical coordination requirements, and differential status within the organization. Three models are proposed to explain networks of work-related interaction within the organization in terms of each of these facets of formal position, respectively. The effects of this structural differentiation on a network of interaction in terms of the three models are tested in a public bureaucracy, and the implications of the results for the formation of networks of interaction and resulting collective actions such as coalition formation are discussed.
Use of Underpotentially Deposited Metals on Gold To Affect the Surface-Catalyzed Formation of Polymethylene Films

We report the use of underpotentially deposited metals of copper and silver to tailor the surface chemistry of gold and alter the kinetics and properties of polymethylene [-(CH 2 ) n -, PM] films that are grown from the surface-catalyzed decomposition of diazomethane in ether. Kinetic measurements with a quartz crystal microbalance reveal that PM grows nearly linearly with time on gold modified by underpotential deposition (upd) of copper or silver at coverages (o u p d ) of 0.6, but the PM growth rate slows with time on unmodified gold. While submonolayer amounts of copper (o C u = 0.6 and 0.9) greatly enhance the growth of PM over that on unmodified gold, increasing the coverage of silver (o A g ) above 0.6 dramatically inhibits PM film growth.
A flower senescence-related mRNA from carnation encodes a novel protein related to enzymes involved in phosphonate biosynthesis

We have isolated a cDNA clone (pSR132) representing a mRNA which accumulates in senescing carnation flower petals in response to ethylene. In vitro translation of RNA selected by hybridization with pSR132 indicated the mRNA encoded a polypeptide of approximately 36 kDa. This was confirmed by DNA sequence analysis, which predicted a peptide composed of 318 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 34.1 kDa. Comparison of the predicted peptide sequence of pSR132 with other proteins compiled in the NBRF data base revealed significant homology with carboxyphosphonoenolpyruvate mutase and phosphoenolpyruvate mutase from Streptomyces hygroscopicus and Tetrahymena pyriformis, respectively. These enzymes are involved in the formation of C-P bonds in the biosynthesis of phosphonates. C-P bonds are found in a wide range of organisms, but their presence or formation in higher plants has not been investigated.
Effects of endosulfan exposure and Taura Syndrome Virus infection on the survival and molting of the marine penaeid shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.

Abstract Molting in crustaceans is an important endocrine-controlled biological process that plays a critical role in growth and reproduction. Many factors can affect this physiological cycle in crustaceans including environmental stressors and disease agents. For example the pathology of Taura Syndrome Virus (TSV) of shrimp is closely related to molting cycle. Similarly, endosulfan, a commonly used pesticide is a potential endocrine disruptor. This study explores interrelationships between pesticide exposure, virus infection and their interactions with physiology and susceptibility of the shrimp. Litopenaeus vannamei (Pacific white shrimp) were challenged with increasing doses of endosulfan and TSV (TSV-C, a Belize reference strain) to determine the respective median lethal concentrations (LC 50 s). The 96-h endosulfan LC 50 was 5.32 μg L −1 , while the 7-d TSV LC 50 was 54.74 mg L −1 . Subsequently, based on their respective LC 50 values, a 20-d interaction experiment with sublethal concentrations of endosulfan (2 μg L −1 ) and TSV (30 mg L −1 ) confirmed a significant interaction ( p χ 2 = 5.29), and thereby the susceptibility of the shrimp. Concurrently, molt-stage of animals, both at the time of exposure and death, was compared with mortality. For animals challenged with TSV, no strong correlation between molt-stage and mortality was observed ( p > 0.05). For animals exposed to endosulfan, animals in the postmolt stage were shown to be more susceptible to acute toxicity ( p p
Healthy Migrant Effect on Smoking Behavior Among Asian Immigrants in the United States

Healthy migrant effect (HME) of immigrants has been evidenced in various heath aspects. However, few studies have explored the applicability of HME on Asian immigrants' health risk behavior-smoking. This study used three waves of Current Population Survey-Tobacco Use Supplement data, 1998-1999, 2005-2006, and 2010-2011, to compare the rates of being a current smoker among Asian immigrants and United States born citizens. Further, the odds ratios of gender, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, years of migration, and citizenship status on the likelihood of being a current smoker were examined. Across the three waves, Asian immigrants smoked at a much lower rate than their native-born counterparts. The gender gap of being a current smoker was much wider among Asian immigrants. The longer the Asian immigrants stayed in the United States, the more likely they were to become current smokers. These data confirmed the association of HME and Asian immigrants' smoking behavior, and also provided strong evidence of the importance of smoking prevention among Asian immigrants. This study also implied the possibility of a decline in the effectiveness of HME on Asian immigrants as the time they spent in the United States increased.
Field-dependent light scattering in nematic liquid crystals

The thermal fluctuations in the long-range order of the liquid crystal molecules scatter light strongly. Equations that predict the strength of light scattering under an applied electric field age presented. The field can either decrease or increase the scattering over a large range. The effects of polarization and the direction of light incidence are also considered.
Extraction and purification of prostaglandins and thromboxane from biological samples for gas chromatographic analysis

Abstract An efficient extraction procedure for the isolation of prostaglandins (PGs) from biological samples for their subsequent quantification by gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD) is described. PGs were extracted from lung, kidney, spleen and stomach fundus into ethyl acetate at different pHs. The highest recovery and least extraction of contaminating pigments was obtained at pH 4.5. Pigments and other contaminants are removed by thin-layer chromatography using a solvent system chloroform-isopropyl alcohol-ethanol-formic acid (45:5:0.5:0.3). The isolated PGs were determined by GC-ECD after appropriate derivatization. The overall recovery of PGs using this procedure is 60%.
Oscillator array dynamics with broadband N-port coupling networks

This paper considers the analysis of an oscillator array with an arbitrary coupling network, described in terms of N-port circuit parameters. A Kurokawa analysis is used to transform the frequency domain network description into a set of equations for the oscillator amplitude and phase dynamics. The results reduce to previous work with "loosely" coupled Van der Pol oscillators, provided that the coupling network satisfies a broadband condition: the Q-factor of the coupling network must be much smaller than that of the oscillator. The theory is verified using a new coupling structure and a six-element patch oscillator array operating at 4 GHz, which produced a 70/spl deg/ scanning range using a phase-shifterless technique. >
An RWG basis function based near- to far-field transformation for 2-D triangular-grid finite difference time domain method

A near- to far-field transformation (NTFT) based on the Rao-Wilton-Glisson (RWG) basis function is proposed for a 2-D triangular-grid FDTD method. The surface equivalence theorem is applied and the equivalent current density, J/sub z/ in the TM/sub z/ case or M/sub z/ in the TE/sub z/ case, on the radiation contour is interpolated by using RWG basis functions. The interpolation is valid for the NTFT in either the time or frequency domain. Formulations for the interpolation scheme and the NTFT are presented for the TM/sub z/ case. The scattering by an infinite dielectric circular cylinder due to an electric line source is simulated by using the triangular-grid FDTD as well as the proposed NTFT. Numerical results in both the time domain and frequency domain are demonstrated and verified by comparison with analytical solutions.
Coregulation of ethanol discrimination by the nucleus accumbens and amygdala.

Background: Activation of GABAA receptors in the amygdala or nucleus accumbens produces discriminative stimulus effects that substitute fully for those of systemically administered ethanol. This study was conducted to determine if GABAA receptors in the amygdala and nucleus accumbens interactively modulate ethanol discrimination. Methods: Male Long-Evans rats were trained to discriminate between intraperitoneal injections of ethanol (1 g/kg) and saline on a 2-lever drug discrimination task. The rats were then surgically implanted with bilateral injection cannulae aimed at the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala. Results: Infusion of the GABAA agonist muscimol in the nucleus accumbens resulted in full substitution for systemically administered ethanol. Concurrent infusion of the GABAA antagonist bicuculline in the amygdala shifted the muscimol substitution curve in the nucleus accumbens 10-fold to the right. Conclusions: These results indicate that blockade of GABAA receptors in the amygdala significantly reduces the potency of the GABAA agonist in the nucleus accumbens. This suggests that the ethanol-like stimulus effects of GABAA receptor activation in the nucleus accumbens are modulated by GABAA receptor activity in the amygdala. These data support the hypothesis that the addictive stimulus properties of alcohol are mediated by GABAergic transmission in a neural circuit involving the amygdala and nucleus accumbens.
Contrasting Effects of Substrate and Fertilizer Nitrogen on the Early Stages of Litter Decomposition

Commonly observed positive correlations between litter nitrogen (N) concentrations and decomposition rates suggest that N frequently limits decomposition in its early stages. However, numerous studies have found little, if any, effect of N fertilization on decomposition. I directly compared internal substrate N and externally supplied inorganic N effects on decomposition in sites varying in soil N availability. I decomposed eight substrates (with initial %N from 0–2.5) in control and N-fertilized plots at eight grassland and forest sites in central Minnesota. N fertilization increased decomposition at only two of eight sites, even though decomposition was positively related to litter N at all sites and to soil N availability across sites. The effect of externally supplied N on decomposition was independent of litter N concentration, but was greater at sites with low N availability. The inconsistent effects of substrate and externally supplied N may have arisen because decomposers use organic N preferentially as an N source; because inorganic N availability across sites or with fertilization induced changes in microbial community attributes (for example, lower C:N or greater efficiency) that reduced the response of decomposition to increased inorganic N supply; or because the positive correlation between litter N or site N availability with decomposition was spurious, caused by tight correlations between litter or site N and some other factor that truly limited decomposition. These inconsistent effects of substrate N and external N supply on decomposition suggest that the oft-observed relationship between litter N and decomposition may not indicate N limitation of decomposition.
FLUORESCEIN-CONJUGATED BOVINE ALBUMIN : PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

Fluorescein-bovine albumin conjugates have been prepared and found not to differ appreciably in size, shape, and homogeneity from the precursor, bovine serum albumin. Fluorescein has also been conjugated to rat plasma proteins. Their disappearance rates from the circulation of rats correspond with those obtained from the use of isotope labeling. Their sites of localization in rat tissues were shown to be in the cytoplasm but not in the nuclei of Kupffer cells, fixed macrophages, granulocytes, and proximal renal tubules. Adsorption to endothelium was a characteristic finding. Extracellular localizations were predominantly in the lumina of blood vessels and proximal renal tubules (but never in the lumina of collecting tubules), and the interstitial fluid of skeletal and cardiac muscle (but not that of glandular organs such as the adrenals, liver, and spleen). BAC absorption from the skin of rabbits requires days whereas sodium fluorescein absorption is measured in hours, attesting to the persistence of the colloidal state of BAC in vivo. Fluorescein conjugates have been used to visualize the transcapillary passage of circulating proteins in the mesenteric circulation of frogs and rats by direct microscopic observation and found to diffuse slowly in the manner predicted for plasma proteins. The normal cutaneous vessels of the rat are impermeable in the gross to the labeled proteins; second degree burn promptly increases the permeability of these vessels rendering the presence of the label detectable in the gross in the skin. The process of labeling does not render guinea pig albumin antigenic, although slight antigenicity results from labeling whole plasma protein. It is believed that sufficient biological evidence is presented to support the conclusion that fluorescein-conjugated plasma proteins, particularly albumin, behave in vivo like their native precursors.
Flow pumping system for physiological waveforms

A pulsatile flow pumping system is developed to replicate flow waveforms with reasonable accuracy for experiments simulating physiological blood flows at numerous points in the body. The system divides the task of flow waveform generation between two pumps: a gear pump generates the mean component and a piston pump generates the oscillatory component. The system is driven by two programmable servo controllers. The frequency response of the system is used to characterize its operation. The system has been successfully tested in vascular flow experiments where sinusoidal, carotid, and coronary flow waveforms are replicated.
Specifying the use of CIM in an EMS project

The CIM (Common Information Model) is an umbrella term for a collection of related standards produced by working groups of IEC TC57. Briefly, this body of work consists of 1) a canonical data model for power system operations, 2) tools and methodology for deriving interface specifications from the canonical data model, and 3) an open ended set of standard interfaces derived from the model for specific business purposes.
Swimming Performance of Larval Pacific Lamprey (Lampetra tridentata)

Abstract Laboratory experiments were conducted to measure the prolonged-sustained and burst swimming speeds of wild larval (ammocoete) Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentate). Prolonged-sustained speeds were measured using an annular variable speed swimming chamber and burst speeds were determined using a swimming raceway and digital video analysis. During prolonged-sustained swimming experiments, the mean length of time lamprey (72 – 143 mm TL) were able to swim in the chamber ranged from 43.0 min when exposed to a velocity of 10 cm/s, to 0.4 min when exposed to 50 cm/s. The burst swimming speeds of lamprey tended to increase as length increased from 107 to 150 mm TL, and ranged from 33.3 to 75.0 cm/s. Our estimates of the overall swimming performance of this life-stage are the first reported for this species, and can provide important information when developing approach velocities and infrastructure to improve lamprey passage while minimizing entrainment loss.
Thick ascending limb-specific expression of Cre recombinase

Evaluation of thick ascending limb (TAL) function has been hindered by the limited ability to selectively examine the function of this nephron segment in vivo. To address this, a Cre/loxP strategy ...
Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Induces Oocyte Maturational Competence but Not Meiotic Resumption in White Bass (Morone chrysops) Follicles In Vitro: Evidence for Rapid Evolution of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Action

A combination of recombinant human (rh) insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) (25 nM) and the maturation-inducing hormone (MIH), 17,20beta,21-trihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (20beta-S; 72.5 nM), induced germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) in ovarian follicles of white bass incubated in vitro, whereas a four times greater concentration of each hormone was ineffective alone. These results indicate that IGF-I induces oocyte maturational competence (OMC) but not meiotic resumption in white bass. Culture medium concentrations of 20beta-S remained below detection limits for ovarian fragments incubated with rhIGF-I. Actinomycin D blocked GVBD in response to hCG but not to rhIGF-I plus 20beta-S, suggesting that IGF-I requires de novo translation but not transcription to induce OMC. Gap junction uncouplers, 1-octanol and 1-heptanol, and the phosphatidylinositiol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) inhibitors, wortmannin and LY 294002, attenuated hCG-, 20beta-S-, and rhIGF-I plus 20beta-S-induced GVBD. Although these inhibitors reduced hCG-induced progestin release, PI 3-K inhibitors did not alter MIH synthesis in some incubations and addition of 20beta-S to the incubations did not fully overcome the effects of either class of inhibitors, suggesting that decreasing MIH production is not their only inhibitory effect on gonadotropin (GtH) action. Our data suggest that gap junctions and PI 3-K activity are necessary for GtH and IGF-I to induce and maintain OMC in white bass. The induction of OMC but not meiotic resumption by IGF-I in white bass, compared with the induction of meiotic resumption but not OMC by IGF-I discovered in the congeneric striped bass suggests rapid evolution of the reproductive actions of IGF-I among temperate basses (genus Morone).
Dynamic Modeling and Validation of a Lorentz, Self Bearing Motor Test Rig

A new type of self bearing motor that uses Lorentz type forces to generate both bearing force and motoring torque has been developed. The motor stator is of slotless construction with four, three phase windings. The motor rotor is constructed of 16 surface mounted permanent magnets (PM’s). The main advantage of the design is that it eliminates the tradeoff between motoring torque and bearing force with PM thickness as found in previous designs. This paper presents the dynamic model for the self bearing motor and illustrates how the model is integrated into the overall system model of the motor test rig. The dynamic model is validated against experimentally measured transfer functions with good agreement between the two.Copyright © 2001 by ASME
The Interferon Consensus Sequence Binding Protein (Icsbp/Irf8) Is Required for Termination of Emergency Granulopoiesis

Emergency granulopoiesis occurs in response to infectious or inflammatory challenge and is a component of the innate immune response. Some molecular events involved in initiating emergency granulopoiesis are known, but termination of this process is less well defined. In this study, we found that the interferon consensus sequence binding protein (Icsbp/Irf8) was required to terminate emergency granulopoiesis. Icsbp is an interferon regulatory transcription factor with leukemia suppressor activity. Expression of Icsbp is decreased in chronic myeloid leukemia, and Icsbp(-/-) mice exhibit progressive granulocytosis with evolution to blast crisis, similar to the course of human chronic myeloid leukemia. In this study, we found aberrantly sustained granulocyte production in Icsbp(-/-) mice after stimulation of an emergency granulopoiesis response. Icsbp represses transcription of the genes encoding Fas-associated phosphatase 1 (Fap1) and growth arrest-specific 2 (Gas2) and activates genes encoding Fanconi C and F. After stimulation of emergency granulopoiesis, we found increased and sustained expression of Fap1 and Gas2 in bone marrow myeloid progenitor cells from Icsbp(-/-) mice in comparison with the wild type. This was associated with resistance to Fas-induced apoptosis and increased β-catenin activity in these cells. We also found that repeated episodes of emergency granulopoiesis accelerated progression to acute myeloid leukemia in Icsbp(-/-) mice. This was associated with impaired Fanconi C and F expression and increased sensitivity to DNA damage in bone marrow myeloid progenitors. Our results suggest that impaired Icsbp expression enhances leukemogenesis by deregulating processes that normally limit granulocyte expansion during the innate immune response.
Chemoreactive Natural Products that Afford Resistance Against Disparate Antibiotics and Toxins

Microorganisms use chemical inactivation strategies to circumvent toxicity caused by many types of antibiotics. Yet in all reported cases, this approach is limited to enzymatically facilitated mechanisms that each target narrow ranges of chemically related scaffolds. The fungus-derived shikimate analogues, pericoxide and pericosine A, were identified as chemoreactive natural products that attenuate the antagonistic effects of several synthetic and naturally derived antifungal agents. Experimental and computational studies suggest that pericoxide and pericosine A readily react via SN 2' mechanisms against a variety of nucleophilic substances under both in vitro aqueous and in situ co-culture conditions. Many of the substitution products from this reaction were highly stable and exhibited diminished toxicities against environmental fungal isolates, including the Tolypocladium sp. strain that produced pericoxide and pericosine A.
Mere belief in social action improves complex learning

Three studies tested the hypothesis that the mere belief in having a social interaction with someone improves learning, more attention and higher arousal. Participants studied a passage on fever mechanisms. They entered a virtual reality (VR) environment and met an embodied agent. The participant either read aloud or silently, scripted questions on the fever passage. In the avatar-aloud and avatar-silent conditions, participants were told that the virtual representation was controlled by a person. The agent condition was told that the virtual representation was a computer program. All interactions within VR were held constant, but the avatar conditions exhibited better learning, more attention, and higher arousal. Further results suggest that this was not due to social belief per se, but rather in the belief of taking a socially relevant action.
Hyperthyroidism and Brain Oxidations

ConclusionsThese data suggest that the increased Qo2 of hy-perthyroid brain is especially associated with carbohydrate oxidations. The results with inhibitors further indicate that this greater respiration depends on proportional increases of both dehydrases and oxidases in the normal cell but stronger concentrations of narcotics must be used to clinch this point. These results do not exclude Haffner's,3 or allied hypotheses, which regard an increased glycolysis as the essential metabolic effect of hyperthyroidism and the increased Qo2 as a secondary consequence.
Fortuitous Biological Suppression of the Boll Weevil by the Red Imported Fire Ant

The efficacy of the red imported fire ant ( Solenopsis invicta Buren) as a predator of larval stages of the boll weevil ( Anthonomus grandis Boheman) was evaluated in 2 areas of Texas. In the Trinity River area the ants consumed up to 85% of the weevils with a weekly avg of 66%. Ants never consumed more than 37% of the weevils in the Brazos-Navasota River area and averaged 22% in Aug. The fire ant exhibits characteristics that may make it a valuable predator of cotton insect pests. It tends to disperse fairly uniformly across cotton fields at high densities and tends to increase in abundance as the growing season progresses.
Tracking cytotoxic potential in vivo.

Infection of a host results in the activation, proliferation and differentiation of rare naive antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Appropriate initiation of the CD8+ T-cell response occurs when the lymphocyte interacts with its cognate antigen presented by MHC class I on antigen-presenting cells within secondary lymphoid organs. During this process, the antigen-presenting cells actively shape the early CD8+ T-cell response by their expression of costimulatory molecules and secretion of cytokines. This results in the exponential expansion of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Subsequently, the majority of the antigen-specific CD8+ T cells die during contraction, while a small proportion of the antigen-specific CD8+ T cells survive to form the memory CD8+ T-cell population. Numerous studies have shown that the effector CD8+ T-cell population found at the peak of the immune response is extremely heterogeneous with each subpopulation having different memory potential.1 Heterogeneity within the effector CD8+ T-cell population can be resolved by a combination of IL-7Rα/CD127 and KLRG1 expression to distinguish terminal effector CD8+ T cells with a shorter half-live (IL-7Rα/CD127low KLRG1high; SLECs) or effector CD8+ T cells with a longer half-life and greater memory potential (IL-7Rα/CD127high KLRG1low; MPECs).2 Further heterogeneity within the MPEC population can be revealed by CD62L and CD103 expression to identify CD62Lhigh central-memory precursors (Tcm MPECs), CD62Llow effector-memory precursors (Tem MPECs) and CD103high tissue-resident memory cells (Trm) MPECs.3,4 However, it has been thought that each effector CD8+ T-cell subpopulation passes through a requisite cytotoxic effector stage.5 In this issue of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Sarkar and colleagues provide further in vivo evidence that each effector CD8+ T-cell subpopulation, regardless of memory potential, passes through a requisite stage of high cytotoxic (CTL) activity that is tuned by the local immune microenvironment.6
Accuracy and precision of urinary pH determinations using two commercially available dipsticks.

The accuracy and precision of urinary p H determinations using commercially available dipsticks were studied. Two products were evaluated by 17 MT(ASCP) technologists over the p H range 4.5 to 9.0. The study included accuracy, reproducibility, variation among technologists, and variation between products. The results demonstrated considerable variation among technologists, products, and true p H levels in dipstick urinary p H determinations, and that very good or very poor results could be obtained, depending on the true p H level being sampled and on the choice of technologist.
Diurnal Changes of Photosynthesis and Some Correlative Factors between Changkou and Mianzha

In order to lay a theoretical foundation for the researches on relation between variety characteristics and photosynthetic performance,photosynthesis of bearing branch and vegetative branch leaves in Changkou and Mianzha and some influencing factors were determined.The results showed that the curve of diurnal change of net photosynthetic rate(Pn) in hawthorn had two peaks,and there was obvious midday depression.Pn of brearing branch in Changkou was higher than that of vegetative branch,while Pn of two kinds of leaves in Mianzha were similar.Pn of Changkou was higher than that of Mianzha,whereas midday depression time was longer than that of Mianzha,Pn was lower than that of Mianzha and negative appeared during midday depression.Changkou need lower photosynthetically active radition and temperature to reach the maximal photosynthetic rate than Mianzha.
Global Strain Engineering by Mutant Transcription Factors

Cellular hosts are widely used for the production of chemical compounds including pharmaceutics, fuels, and specialty chemicals. Strain engineering focuses on manipulating and improving these hosts for new and enhanced functionalities including increased titers and better bioreactor performance. These tasks have traditionally been accomplished using a combination of random mutation, screening and selection, and metabolic engineering. However, common metabolic engineering techniques are limited in their capacity to elicit multigenic, complex phenotypes. These phenotypes can also include nonpathway-based traits such as tolerance and productivity. Global transcription machinery engineering (gTME) is a generic methodology for engineering strains with these complex cellular phenotypes. In gTME, dominant mutant alleles of a transcription-related protein are screened for their ability to reprogram cellular metabolism and regulation, resulting in a unique and desired phenotype. gTME has been successfully applied to both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, resulting in improved environmental tolerances, metabolite production, and substrate utilization. The underlying principle involves creating mutant libraries of transcription factors, screening for a desired phenotype, and iterating the process in a directed evolution fashion. The successes of this approach and details for its implementation and application are described here.
The anterior approach with a positioning table: First among equals

Abstract Direct anterior or Hueter approach (DA) is the only true muscle-sparing approach for total hip arthroplasty (THA) being purely internervous and intermuscular. Because this approach is executed in the supine position combined with the use of a dedicated positioning table, it allows for effective control of implant position. Although the DA can be done on a standard operating table, the use of a positioning table combines the advantages of facilitating femoral exposure as well as intraoperative imaging. Several studies of the DA have demonstrated more rapid recovery and return to unassisted ambulation without precautions, which is an attractive advantage for patients. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend following fellowship training or mentorship programs to minimize the initial learning curve with the anterior approach.
High-dimensional variable selection in regression and classification with missing data

Variable selection for high-dimensional data problems, including both regression and classification, has been a subject of intense research activities in recent years. Many promising solutions have been proposed. However, less attention has been given to the case when some of the data are missing. This paper proposes a general approach to high-dimensional variable selection with the presence of missing data when the missing fraction can be relatively large (e.g., 50%). Both regression and classification are considered. The proposed approach iterates between two major steps: the first step uses matrix completion to impute the missing data while the second step applies adaptive lasso to the imputed data to select the significant variables. Methods are provided for choosing all the involved tuning parameters. As fast algorithms and software are widely available for matrix completion and adaptive lasso, the proposed approach is fast and straightforward to implement. Results from numerical experiments and applications to two real data sets are presented to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the approach. HighlightsA fast method for high-dimensional regression and classification with missing data is proposed.The proposed method combines matrix completion and adaptive lasso.It provides promising empirical results.
Quality of life and exercise performance in unoperated children with anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery from the opposite sinus of valsalva.

Background Anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery is a congenital cardiac condition that can be associated with increased risk of sudden death. To date, quality of life and exercise performance have not been evaluated in patients with this condition who do not undergo surgical repair. Methods We carried out a cross-sectional analysis of patients with unoperated anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery at our institution from 1 January, 2000 to 31 January, 2016. We prospectively assessed quality of life using standardised questionnaires. Medical records were reviewed for clinical and exercise stress test data. Statistical analyses were performed using Student’s t-tests and Spearman’s correlation coefficients. Results In total, 56 families completed the questionnaires. The average age at enrolment was 14.7±6 years. The majority were male (n=44, 78.6%) and had interarterial anomalous right coronary artery (n=38, 67.9%). Patients had normal quality of life on the PedsQL 4.0 Report, Child Health Questionnaire Child Form 87, and SF-36v2. Their parents had normal quality of life on the PedsQL 4.0 Parent Report, but parents of exercise-restricted patients had decreased Physical Functioning, General Health Perception, Emotional Impact on Parent, and Physical Summary scores (p<0.001–0.048) on the Child Health Questionnaire Parent Form 50. Conclusions Patients with unoperated anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery appear to have normal quality of life, but parents of exercise-restricted patients have decreased general health and emotional and physical quality of life scores. Improved counselling of families may be beneficial in this group. Future studies with more patients should evaluate quality of life and exercise performance over time.
Management of major depressive disorder following failure of first antidepressant treatment

Clinical trial data suggest that at least one-third of depressed patients fail to respond to an adequate antidepressant treatment regimen. Alternative treatments are available to primary care physicians (PCPs) who seek to increase the likelihood of a successful therapeutic outcome for patients who are unresponsive to a first course of antidepressants. Non pharmacologic strategies include cognitive-behavioral therapy, electroconvulsive therapy light therapy and exercise regimens. Vagus nerve stimulation is an option that has recently come available for patients who have had poor response to ≥4 treatment regimens. Additionally transcranial magnetic stimulation may be available in the future. Pharmacologic alternatives include augmenting an antidepressant with a non-antidepressant, combining two antidepressants, or switching from one antidepressant to another. Although each of these options may have a role in the treatment of depression that is unresponsive to an appropriate first antidepressant regimen, evidence suggests that a good initial step would be to switch to an antidepressant in another class that offers a different mechanism of action. This article discusses a variety of alternative antidepressant treatments as well as the mechanics of switching regimens to assist PCPs in formulating the most appropriate and effective treatment strategy for patients with major depressive disorder whose first antidepressant treatment has failed.
Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery in Patients with Multiple Previous Cardiac Operations.

BACKGROUND The study aim was to evaluate the outcomes of minimally invasive valve surgery, performed via a right anterior thoracotomy approach, in patients with a history of multiple (more than two) prior cardiac surgeries. METHODS A retrospective review was conducted of all minimally invasive valve operations performed in patients with a prior history of two or more cardiac surgeries, including coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or valve surgery, at the authors' institution between January 2008 and November 2014. RESULTS A total of 38 consecutive patients (23 males, 15 females; mean age 65.8 ± 14.6 years) were identified. Nine patients (24%) had two prior CABG operations, 18 (47%) had more than two prior valve surgeries, and 11 (29%) had a cardiac operative history that included both CABG and valve surgery. A total of 34 (89.5%) isolated valve procedures was identified; these consisted of 24 (64%) mitral valve operations, nine (23.7%) aortic valve replacements, and one (0.3%) tricuspid valve repair. Four patients (10.5%) underwent combined mitral and tricuspid valve surgery. Postoperatively, two patients (5.3%) had cerebrovascular accidents, three (7.9%) required reoperation for bleeding, and three (7.9%) had acute kidney injury. The median hospital length of stay was 9.5 days (IQR: 7-16 days). The 30-day mortality was 7.9%. The cumulative survival at one year was 82%, and was 72% at five years. CONCLUSIONS Minimally invasive reoperative valve surgery after multiple prior cardiac operations is safe and feasible, with good perioperative outcomes and mid-term survival.
As Precious as Platinum: Iron Nitride for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Liquid Ammonia

The electrolysis of ammonia (NH3), a potential carrier for hydrogen fuel, has only been studied in detail in systems employing expensive, noble metal anodes such as platinum, ruthenium, and iridium. For NH3 to serve as a practical hydrogen storage medium, the electrolysis process must be energy efficient, scalable, and inexpensive. Clearly, alternatives to precious metals would greatly reduce costs if the performance of less expensive, more abundant metals rivaled those of their expensive counterparts. In this regard, no metal is less expensive than iron. Iron exhibits complex anodic behavior in liquid ammonia (NH3(l)), with a high sensitivity to trace amounts of dissolved water, and a tendency to corrosively dissolve with appropriate applied bias. However, with sufficient applied overpotential in distilled NH3(l), an iron nitride film forms in situ that is resistant to dissolution. On this in situ-modified surface, dinitrogen evolution out-performs anodic dissolution with an efficiency of over 95%. Amazi...
Five-Star Reviews: How Do Incentivized Product Reviews Impact Sales (An Abstract)

Shoppers are strongly influenced by Internet-based word of mouth (WOM) during the purchase decision process by engaging in activities such as reading and writing product reviews, forum discussions, blogs, and social media posts (Chevalier and Mayzlin 2006; Dellarocas 2006; Senecal and Nantel 2004). However, the impact of WOM has challenged the level of integrity and ethical conduct from businesses. This chapter studies the consequences of consumer reviews generated through third-party companies as a result of receiving a product for free. Exchange theory is applied as a theoretical framework (Gatignon and Robertson 1986; Ryu and Feick 2007) to analyze in a qualitative and quantitative study the relationship between incentivized reviews and the quality ratings assigned by reviewers to the product. In a qualitative study, we analyzed incentivized consumer reviews and their positive or negative tone, versus reviews posted by consumers who actually bought the product, in order to explore similarities and differences among them and identify any possible trends that might be further helpful in the analysis. In order to test the effect of the intervention and to see if an incentivized review campaign leads to an increase in organic reviews even after the campaign, we also performed an event study, a time-series analysis and a MANOVA analysis. Data included reviews posted on Amazon that also included a period of incentivized reviews through a third-party company. The results show that the intervention of the incentivized reviews campaign has created an effect that lasted within the period post-campaign, when the reviews posted on Amazon regarding the analyzed product came in majority from consumers who actually purchased the product. The campaign also could have influenced an increasing trend in sales, if we consider them correlated with the number of verified reviews posted online, which has led to a steady increase in the number of reviews even after the campaign has ended. The main contributions of the study note that incentivized campaigns, even managed by third-party companies, can contribute to a lasting increase in the number of reviews and have the potential to lead to higher sales. Moreover, this study also underlined the fact that electronic word of mouth, including in the form of consumer reviews, leads to increased consumer interest and desires to find out more about the product.
Pituitary function before, during, and after chronic gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist therapy

Objective To examine possible adverse effects on pituitary function of long-term administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a). Design Prospective analysis of blood sampling before, during, and after GnRH-a therapy. Setting Tertiary institutional outpatient care. Patients Twelve normally ovulatory women with a diagnosis of endometriosis. Interventions Six-month suppression with GnRH-a. Main Outcome Measures Serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, free thyroxin index, cortisol (F), growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Results Basal and stimulated values of gonadotropins, PRL, F, TSH, and GH were normal and unchanged by 6 months of GnRH-a after resumption of menses. Conclusions Utilizing dynamic pituitary function tests, we were unable to demonstrate an adverse effect of long-term GnRH-a therapy on pituitary function.
Constraints and Challenges in Tip-Based Nanofabrication

In the past decade, tip-based nanofabrication (TBN) has become a powerful technology for nanofabrication due to its low cost and unique atomic-level manipulation capabilities. While a wide range of nanoscale components, devices, and systems have been fabricated by TBN, this technology still faces a number of constraints and challenges, which can be categorized into three areas: repeatability (reliability), ability (feasibility), and productivity (throughput). This chapter reviews these constraints and discusses the challenges for potential approaches to circumventing them. First, the major TBN techniques and their recent advances are reviewed in brief. Then, specific approaches for enhancing its repeatability by using automated equipment, for increasing its ability by seeking strategies to create truly three-dimensional nanostructures, and for improving its productivity by parallel processing, speed increasing, and larger tips, are evaluated. Finally, a preliminary roadmap for the next several years and a recommendation of areas for future research and development are provided.
Generating Queer Generations

In this chapter, Greteman draws on Jane Roland Martin’s (2002) cultural wealth perspective to develop an argument about the assets of queer culture. This chapter explores how queer generations reveal the shifting terrain of sexualities, genders, and politics in order to offer up key lessons in the creation of queer culture. Queer cultures have often been seen as a problem to be solved or assimilated. However, as Greteman argues, there are cultural assets to queerness that teach important lessons about surviving and thriving amidst homophobia. Utilizing Plummer’s (2015) delineation of queer generations, for pedagogical use, the author shows how queer generations create diverse cultures that transmit lessons across one another.
Writing informational text using provided information and text structures: an intervention for upper elementary struggling writers

Informational text writing is a complex task requiring multiple literacy skills, such as reading and comprehending source material, identifying important information, and transforming ideas to meet the goals for the new writing task. The Structures Writing intervention was developed to improve the informational text writing skills of 4th and 5th grade struggling writers by reducing the cognitive load associated with reading source text and teaching students to organize information using text structures. In the current study, sixty-one 4th and 5th grade struggling writers were randomly assigned to receive the Structures Writing intervention. Students in the Structures Writing intervention were provided with information in “frames” and taught to write informational passages using three text structures (i.e., simple description, compare/contrast, sequence). To do so, the students were taught a strategy for picking the topic and structure of their writing, organizing facts for the text structure, and writing the facts in paragraph form. They were also taught to include text structure features, including signal words, transition words, grouping similarities and differences, etc. At post-test, students who received the Structures Writing intervention statistically significantly outperformed the control group on researcher-created measures of simple description writing (d = 0.66), compare/contrast writing (d = 0.61), and sequence writing (d = 0.94). Results also indicate students in Structures Writing intervention condition statistically significantly outperformed the math-writing group on a measure of identifying text structures in reading passages (d = 0.94). No other statistically significant differences were found between the groups. The implications and future directions for the development of the Structures Writing intervention are discussed.
Bio-inspired synthesis of 3-D network of NiO-Ni nanowires on carbonized eggshell membrane for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract Composite nanowires incorporating both metal oxide and metal nanoparticles as the basic building units are attracting much attention recently. We report here a facile approach to synthesize 3D networks of 1D nanowires of formed by both NiO and Ni nanoparticle. The composite nanowires were in-situ synthesized on carbonized eggshell membrane. Here, α-Ni(OH) 2 nanowire precursor was synthesized on eggshell membrane under mild conditions in a diaphragm-assisted reactor first. Then the precursor was transformed into composite of NiO-Ni nanowires on carbonized eggshell membrane under heat treatment in argon. The eggshell membrane played multiple roles as the substrate to collect the α-Ni(OH) 2 nanowire precursor and then as the source of reducing agents to partially reduce Ni 2+ to Ni 0 . When tested for lithium-ion batteries, the composite of 3D networks NiO-Ni nanowires attached on carbonized eggshell membrane demonstrated impressively improved rate and cycling performances, as compared to that of bare NiO nanowires. The idea and method outline here based on bio-inspired synthesis using bio-template to prepare composites could be applied to synthesize other functional materials.