cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New preventative approach for negative dysphotopsia.

Purpose To evaluate whether positioning the intraocular lens (IOL) to decrease the entry of inferotemporal light would decrease the incidence of negative dysphotopsia. Setting Private practices, Boston and Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA. Design Prospective randomized case study. Methods Patients had cataract surgery with implantation of either a silicone IOL inferotemporally or vertically (randomly assigned) or a 1-piece acrylic IOL with the optic–haptic junction inferotemporally or vertically (randomly assigned). Other patients received acrylic IOLs bilaterally and inferotemporally without randomization. Patients were asked about negative dysphotopsia symptoms postoperatively. Data were analyzed using the z test and a chi-square test for comparing the incidence of negative dysphotopsia between the 3 groups. Results The study comprised 305 patients (418 eyes). A silicone IOL was implanted inferotemporally in 39 eyes and vertically in 60 eyes. An acrylic IOL was implanted with the optic–haptic junction inferotemporally in 163 eyes and with the junction vertical in 114 eyes. Forty-two eyes had bilateral inferotemporal implantation of an acrylic IOL. For the acrylic IOL on the first postoperative day, the incidence of negative dysphotopsia was smaller for the inferotemporal IOL orientation (6%) than in the control group (14%) (P = .026). The rate of persistent negative dysphotopsia decreased in both groups over time, and the difference 1 month after surgery was no longer statistically significant. The negative dysphotopsia rate for the silicone IOL was 0%. Conclusions Positioning the optic–haptic junction of an acrylic IOL inferotemporally resulted in a 2.3-fold decrease in the incidence of negative dysphotopsia after cataract surgery. When implanted in the vertical position, Acrylic IOLs seemed to lead to a higher incidence of negative dysphotopsia than silicone IOLs. Financial Disclosure Dr. Henderson is a consultant to Abbott Medical Optics, Inc., Alcon Laboratories, Inc., and Bausch & Lomb, Inc. None of the other authors has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Educating First and Third World Development Planners: The Role of Qualitative Evaluations

I was introduced to Dominick’s cafe as a student in 1968. The Department of Architecture, at The University of Michigan, where I had just enrolled for graduate work, was at that time housed in the building that stands across from the cafe. My advisor, Steve Paraskevopoulos, had taken me there to begin my orientation to higher education in the United States. I had never been given this much attention by any faculty member during my five years of undergraduate life at the University of Bombay, not even when I received prizes — and I had won all the ones offered in the College of Architecture — nor when I graduated at the top of my class in the university.
Corporate Modeling with DSS and ERP Systems

The sections in this article are 1 Decision Support Systems (DSS) 2 Characteristics of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems 3 Infrastructure of ERP Systems 4 Conclusions
The role of adhesive in the load response of adhesively bonded aluminum hat sections under axial compression

Aluminum hat sections, either adhesively bonded or unbonded, experience buckling, post-buckling and plastic collapse when axially compressed. However, there exist obvious differences in the load–displacement response between the bonded and unbonded hat sections. Finite element eigenvalue buckling analysis is carried out to predict the buckling load and mode. Experiments show that when adhesively bonded hat sections begin to buckle there is a transformation from the 1st buckling mode to the higher ones, while the unbonded hat sections develop the post-buckling based on the lowest buckling mode. The different buckling modes result in not only different buckling loads but different peak loads of the hat sections as well. Finally, ultimate compressive strength formulae are proposed for hat sections. 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Challenges of human resource management in the institutions for care of elderly people

Human resources are the most important resources of any work organization or institution. They are the bearers of the work process and are key in determining the quality of a product or service. The staff employed in an institution contributes with their work to its business success which is why the institution management should pay close attention to human resources management. Functionally, the successful management of social protection institutions implies the attainment of balance in the process of satisfying interests of beneficiaries, interests of the institution management (founder-owner), and interests of the employees (service providers to elderly people). Interests of beneficiaries (elderly people) who are placed in residential care are reflected in the need for high quality and accessible services. Interests of the institution management are recognized as the need to achieve economically sustainable and profitable institution. An interest of direct service providers (employed caregivers, social workers, etc.) is in the safe premises and good working conditions.The term "human resources" in institutions of social protection implies overall knowledge, skills, abilities, creative capabilities, motivation, loyalty and personal characteristics owned by employees in the institution. It is the overall intellectual and emotional energy of employees that the management can count on and that can be engaged to achieving the objectives of the institution.The objectives of human resource management in social protection institutions are related to providing capability with job demands, fulfillment of professional and optimal number of competent workers, improving socio-economic status of employees, ensuring full time engagement of workers, improving the quality of work conditions and work environment, creating and maintaining a flexible and adaptive potential of employees, reducing resistance and increasing the sensitivity of employees to changes in the institution.The activities carried out in pursuit of the objectives of human resource management in institutions for the elderly are analysis and planning of working positions, recruitment and selection of candidates, socialization, training and professional development of workers, performance assessment and evaluation, reward and motivation, the determination of salaries, information, development of interpersonal relations, supervision and support to employees (prevention of "professional burnout"), ensuring the realization of the legal rights (regularity of salaries and contributions, affairs and records related to employment, health and safety at work etc.)The absence of these activities or lack of attention to achieving the objectives of human resources management calls in question the basic sense of existence of institutions for care of the elderly, and this is to provide a decent life to an elderly person.
REGULATION OF β-ADRENERGIC RECEPTORS IN HUMAN ASTROCYTOMA CELLS

The density of β-adrenergic receptors and isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity of astrocytoma cells vary as a function of time in culture and the density of cell seeding. Evidence is presented which suggests that cell contact or release of cells from cell contact may regulate the rate of receptor synthesis. Incubation of cells with dexamethasone results in an increase in β-receptor density irrespective of the existing rate of receptor synthesis.
The tumor microenvironment controls primary effusion lymphoma (PEL)

1146 Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is closely associated with the lymphotropic gamma herpesvirus Kaposi’s Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV-8). The virus is thought to be essential for tumorigenesis, yet systems to investigate PEL in vivo are rare. We developed a new xenograft model to study PEL. Embedded in matrigel, PEL cells formed well organized and highly angiogenic tumors after subcutaneous implantation of C.B.17 SCID mice. The tumors formed more rapidly than if the cells were injected i.p. Without matrigel we did not observe comparable tumors at all, which implies that extra cellular support and/or signaling aids PEL. All tumors maintained the entire KSHV genome and the KSHV latent protein LANA/orf73 was uniformly expressed. By comparison to suspension cultures of PEL, most lytic mRNAs were induced. The lymphoma-specific LANA-2/vIRF3 mRNA was present only after intraperitoneal implantation, suggesting that this viral gene responded directly to the tumor microenvironment. We did not observe a net effect of ganciclovir, an inhibitor of viral replication, on PEL growth in culture or in the xenograft model. These findings underscore the importance of the microenvironment for PEL tumorigenesis, suggest that the virus senses the tumor microenvironment and simplify the pre-clinical evaluation of novel anti-PEL agents.
Matched Pairs and Ranked Data

We consider the Babington Smith and Bradley-Terry Models for ranked data. Both models are based on inversions. In a matched pairs design the pair-specific nuisance parameters are eliminated by a conditioning argument. The conditional likelihood has a form similar to that of a logistic model, so that conditional likelihood computations are straight-forward. An example previously considered by Critchlow and Verducci is analysed using the new method.
Archaeology, History, and Material Culture: Grounding Abstractions and Other Imponderables

United States national programs for historic preservation have a great influence on public memory and commemoration. Decisions about what may be listed in the National Register of Historic Places or designated a National Historic Landmark may commemorate or silence parts of the past. Historians invoke the concept of “integrity” as a gatekeeper to control access to these lists. Archaeologists have the opportunity to contest some of the imposed silences and make these lists more inclusive of underrepresented groups.
Correlation of Microstructure to Creep Response of Hot Isostatically Pressed and Aged Electron Beam Melted Inconel 718

Creep rupture samples were fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM) via electron beam melting (EBM) to study the effects of grain morphology (equiaxed/columnar grains) and loading direction (longitudinal/transverse) with respect to build direction on creep deformation at 923 K (650 °C) with applied stresses of 580 and 600 MPa. The observed minimum creep rates and creep rupture lives of EBM Inconel 718 after post-processing by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) were found to be comparable to wrought material. The material with equiaxed grains exhibited low creep strain (2 pct) and short creep lifetimes (800 hours), whereas longer times (approximately 4500 hours) and high creep strain (up to 23 pct) were observed for material with columnar grains. The high stress exponent (n > 14) reflected the resistance to dislocation motion by γ” particles during creep. A precipitate-free zone (PFZ) was observed around the grain boundary δ phase. Creep damage occurred as voids and cracks in the PFZ. Optimal post-processing of EBM Inconel 718 material should be explored to prevent δ phase embrittlement.
Abstract 149: Tumor suppression by regulator of asymmetric cell division in glioma

We previously discovered that oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) undergo asymmetric cell division and symmetric, self-renewing divisions at an equal rate, whereby they may establish homeostasis. The proteoglycan and OPC marker NG2 plays a critical role in establishing asymmetric cell division (1). Studies in genetically engineered mouse models identified OPC as a putative cellular origin of human glioma (2,3). Studies also showed that premalignant OPC (aka glioma precursor) increase rates of symmetric, self-renewing divisions at the expense of asymmetric division, suggesting that tipping the balance towards symmetric divisions might disrupt homeostasis and lead to cancer. The objective of this project is to gain functional insights into asymmetric division to assess its role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and tumor suppression. Using our novel FACS-based approach we were able to identify that several conserved regulators of asymmetric division, including the WD40 protein Lethal giant larvae1 (Lgl1) protein, are upregulated in asymmetric versus symmetric dividing OPC. We genetically enforced deletion of Lgl1 in OPC conditionally by injecting tamoxifen into triple transgenic mice obtained by breeding Lgl1fl/fl NG2CreERT2 and red fluorescence Cre reporter mice. Cre-conditional deleted Lgl1 OPC were analyzed for changes in cell division mode, proliferation rate and differentiation in vivo and ex vivo. Whole-transcriptome analyses of Lgl1-deleted OPC followed by Ingenuity Pathway Analyses revealed significant changes in several pathways, including in receptor-mediated endocytosis. Functional analyses were conducted to test if Lgl1 regulates endocytosis in OPC. Our results show that Lgl1 deletion cooperates with CDKN2A homozygous deletion to form glioma from OPC, albeit with long latency. Lgl1-deleted OPC show increased rates of symmetric, self-renewing division and proliferative rate at the expense of asymmetric divisions and differentiation. Lgl1 regulates endocytosis of NG2 and by routing NG2 complex to the lysosome for degradation, Lgl1 may establish the asymmetric NG2 distribution, which is critical for asymmetric division. Taken together, our data identified a conserved regulator of asymmetric OPC division and showed that loss of such a regulator not only disrupts asymmetric divisions but also leads to premalignant changes and neoplastic transformation and the accumulation of glioma precursor. Investigations into the mechanistic details of asymmetric division and the potential role for endocytosis in cell fate determination of OPC and gliomagenesis are ongoing. References: 1. Sugiarto et al., Cancer Cell 2011;20:328. 2. Persson et al., Cancer Cell 2010:18:229. 3. Liu et al., Cell 2011:146:209. Citation Format: Mathieu Daynac, Malek Chouchane, Alex Valenzuela, Claudia K. Petritsch. Tumor suppression by regulator of asymmetric cell division in glioma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 149.
Thyroid storm following rapid sequence intubation.

Abstract Thyroid storm is a rare complication with an estimated incidence ranging from 0.61 to 0.76 cases per 100,000 people. Common causes include intrinsic hyperthyroidism, such as in Grave's disease, infection, surgery, severe emotional stress, and acute trauma to the thyroid gland. Without immediate treatment, mortality is seen in up to 30% of cases. Here, we report a case of a 46-year-old male who presented with a possible food impaction for the past 48 h. The patient developed extreme hypertension, tachycardia, and diaphoresis immediately following rapid sequence intubation (RSI), which, after further work-up, was due to thyroid storm.
Correlation of hypomagnesemia from cetuximab with survival in metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN).

6041Background: Cetuximab (C) improves survival and response rate in metastatic SCCHN. It also causes hypomagnesemia by renal electrolyte wasting. We evaluated incidence of hypomagnesemia and corre...
The Worst Was the Silence: The Unfinished Drama of the Katyn Massacre

In this chapter we investigate how the 1940 Soviet mass murder of Polish military officers and civilians—the Katyn Massacre—went from being a secretly remembered historical event to an open symbol of Polish heroism and independence. For nearly half a century, there was a prohibition in Soviet-dominated Poland against speaking openly of these deaths or visiting the places of the executions, and a powerful counter-narrative of the perpetrator was propagated in order to shift responsibility away from Russia. However, through the narrative work of various Polish carrier groups, the Katyn Massacre was eventually brought into the public sphere where it called into question the nature of Polish collective identity, becoming a cultural trauma in the process.
Nitrite reactivity of the binuclear copper site in T2D Rhus laccase: preparation of half met-NO2- T2D laccase and its correlation to half met-NO2- hemocyanin and tyrosinase.

Abstract Through chemistry directly comparable to that of the hemocyanins and tyrosinase, half met-NO 2 − T2D laccase derivatives have been prepared; this NO 2 − reactivity entails both two electron oxidation of the cuprous binuclear site in deoxy T2D laccase and one electron reduction of the coupled cupric site in the met derivative. However, the labile ligand substitution chemistry and lack of dimer formation in half met-NO 2 − T2D are in marked contrast to behavior of the simpler binuclear copper containing proteins under analagous conditions. This chemistry supports and extends our earlier studies on the ferrocyanide-generated half met T2D which first indicated an inability of exogenous ligands to bridge the binuclear copper site in laccase.
Cryopreservation of feline red blood cells in liquid nitrogen using glycerol and hydroxyethyl starch.

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to evaluate the techniques and short-term effects of cryopreservation of feline red blood cells (RBCs) in liquid nitrogen using glycerol or hydroxyethyl st...
Screening for Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Adults.

A 33-year-old woman presents to your clinic for a first prenatal visit at 8 weeks' gestation. She reported morning nausea and breast tenderness. Review of systems and physical examination were consistent with early pregnancy but were otherwise unremarkable.
Herpes associated erythema multiforme: A retrospective study.

Abstract Background Erythema multiforme (EM), an acute dermatologic condition frequently encountered in the Emergency Department, classically presents with a targetoid rash. We reviewed all recent EM cases seen at the LAC-USC County Hospital in order to ascertain the proportion of Herpes associated EM (HAEM) cases and to inform the diagnostic workup of these patients. Methods ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes were used to extract a list of EM cases at our institution from 2013 to 2019. Two non-blinded abstractors screened records to confirm an EM diagnosis and entered patient data utilizing a standardized data abstraction form. Cohen's kappa statistic was used to measure inter-rater reliability on various variables. Kappa (κ) values ranged from 0.803 to 1.0. Results 70 pediatric and 56 adult EM patients were included in the study. A likely etiology was ascribed to 63% of pediatric and adult EM cases. Pediatric EM was most commonly attributed to upper respiratory infection (URI) (n = 23; 33%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection (n = 5; 7%), and medications (n = 4; 6%). Adult EM was most commonly attributed to HSV infection (n = 11; 20%), medications (n = 5; 9%), URIs (n = 4; 7%), and other infections (n = 4; 7%). Conclusion HSV-1/2 serologic testing should be considered in most EM patients to potentially prevent repeated ED visits. In EM cases not clearly attributable to herpes or drug exposure, physicians can consider further workup: Mycoplasma serology, nasal PCR, and a respiratory viral panel in pediatric patients. Identification of an etiologic cause may suggest a different treatment approach and prevent mislabeling of medication allergies in patient charts.
Post-earthquake damage identification of an RC school building in Nepal using ambient vibration and point cloud data

Abstract This paper presents a damage identification and performance assessment study of a four-story masonry-infilled reinforced concrete building in Sankhu, Nepal, using ambient vibration and point cloud data measurements. The building was severely damaged during the 2015 Gorkha earthquake. A set of accelerometers was used to record the ambient response of the building in order to extract its modal parameters, and a series of lidar scans were collected to estimate the surface defects of certain structural components. An initial model of the structure is created using a recently proposed strut model for masonry infills and a novel modeling approach for infilled RC frames. Dimensions are extracted from lidar-derived point cloud data in the absence of as-built drawings. The FE model updating is first performed through a deterministic formulation where optimal model parameters are estimated through a least squares optimization, and then through a Bayesian inference formulation where the joint posterior probability distribution of the updating parameters are estimated based on the prior knowledge of updating parameters and likelihood of measured data. The error functions for both formulations are defined as the difference between identified and model-predicted modal parameters. Two cases of model updating are performed using different parameterizations and different prior information about the damage. In the first case, updating parameters include walls and columns along the four stories of the building and exclude structural components observed to be severely damaged. The prior knowledge about structural component stiffness values is based on the expected material properties. In the second case of model updating, updating parameters include walls and columns of only the first story, and the prior stiffness values are estimated from the point-cloud measurements. The prior values are then updated using the vibration measurements. The damage identification results are in good agreement with visual observations and point cloud damage quantifications. The most probable model parameters in the Bayesian approach are also found to be in good agreement with the optimal results obtained in the deterministic formulation. Finally, it is shown that the probabilistic natural frequency predictions provide more realistic confidence bounds when both modeling errors and parameter uncertainties are accounted for in the prediction process.
How machine-learning recommendations influence clinician treatment selections: the example of the antidepressant selection.

Decision support systems embodying machine learning models offer the promise of an improved standard of care for major depressive disorder, but little is known about how clinicians’ treatment decisions will be influenced by machine learning recommendations and explanations. We used a within-subject factorial experiment to present 220 clinicians with patient vignettes, each with or without a machine-learning (ML) recommendation and one of the multiple forms of explanation. We found that interacting with ML recommendations did not significantly improve clinicians’ treatment selection accuracy, assessed as concordance with expert psychopharmacologist consensus, compared to baseline scenarios in which clinicians made treatment decisions independently. Interacting with incorrect recommendations paired with explanations that included limited but easily interpretable information did lead to a significant reduction in treatment selection accuracy compared to baseline questions. These results suggest that incorrect ML recommendations may adversely impact clinician treatment selections and that explanations are insufficient for addressing overreliance on imperfect ML algorithms. More generally, our findings challenge the common assumption that clinicians interacting with ML tools will perform better than either clinicians or ML algorithms individually.
Finite Element Analysis of Gas Diffusion in Polymer Nanocomposite Systems Containing Rod-like Nanofillers.

Polymer-based films with improved gas barrier properties are of great interest for a large range of applications, including packaging and coatings. The barrier effect is generally obtained via the addition of a sufficient amount of impermeable nanofillers within the polymer matrix. Due to their low environmental footprint, bio-based nanocomposites such as poly(lactic acid)–cellulose nanocrystal (PLA–CNC) nanocomposites seem to be an interesting alternative to synthetic-polymer-based nanocomposites. The morphology of such systems consists of the dispersion of impermeable rod-like fillers of finite length in a more permeable matrix. The aim of this work is to analyze, through finite element modeling (FEM), the diffusion behavior of 3D systems representative of PLA–CNC nanocomposites, allowing the determination of the nanocomposites’ effective diffusivity. Parametric studies are carried out to evaluate the effects of various parameters, such as the filler volume fraction, aspect ratio, polydispersity, and agglomeration, on the improvement of the barrier properties. The role of the filler–matrix interfacial area (or interphase) is also investigated and is shown to be particularly critical to the overall barrier effect for highly diffusive interphases.
Effects of ocean acidification on the performance and interaction of fleshy macroalgae and a grazing sea urchin

Abstract When predicting the response of marine ecosystems to climate change, it is increasingly recognized that understanding the indirect effects of ocean acidification on trophic interactions is as important as studying direct effects on organism physiology. Furthermore, comprehensive studies that examine these effects simultaneously are needed to identify and link the underlying mechanisms driving changes in species interactions. Using an onshore ocean acidification simulator system, we investigated the direct and indirect effects of elevated seawater pCO2 on the physiology and trophic interaction of fleshy macroalgae and the grazing sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus. Macroalgal (Dictyota spp.) biomass increased despite decreased photosynthetic rates after two-week exposure to elevated pCO2. Algal tissue carbon content remained constant, suggesting the use of alternative carbon acquisition pathways beneficial to growth under acidification. Higher C:N ratios driven by a slight reduction in N content in algae exposed to elevated pCO2 suggest a decrease in nutritional content under acidification. Urchin (L. variegatus) respiration, biomass, and righting time did not change significantly after six-week exposure to elevated pCO2, indicating that physiological stress and changes in metabolism are not mechanisms through which the trophic interaction was impacted. Correspondingly, urchin consumption rates of untreated macroalgae (Caulerpa racemosa) were not significantly affected by pCO2. In contrast, exposure of urchins to elevated pCO2 significantly reduced the number of correct foraging choices for ambient macroalgae (Dictyota spp.), indicating impairment of urchin chemical sensing under acidification. However, exposure of algae to elevated pCO2 returned the number of correct foraging choices in similarly exposed urchins to ambient levels, suggesting alongside higher C:N ratios that algal nutritional content was altered in a way detectable by the urchins under acidification. These results highlight the importance of studying the indirect effects of acidification on trophic interactions simultaneously with direct effects on physiology. Together, these results suggest that changes to urchin chemical sensing and algal nutritional quality are the driving mechanisms behind surprisingly unaltered urchin foraging behavior for fleshy macroalgae under joint exposure to ocean acidification. Consistent foraging behavior and consumption rates suggest that the trophic interaction between L. variegatus and fleshy macroalgae may be sustained under future acidification. However, increases in fleshy macroalgal biomass driven by opportunistic carbon acquisition strategies have the potential to cause ecological change, depending on how grazer populations respond. Additional field research is needed to determine the outcome of these results over time and under a wider range of environmental conditions.
Effects of level of arousal and type of task on bilateral skin conductance asymmetry and conjugate lateral eye movements.

Several recent studies have indicated that the degree and direction of bilateral skin conductance (BSC) asymmetry and the direction of conjugate lateral eye movements (CLEMs) both index hemispheric functioning. Evidence also suggests that BSC asymmetry decreases and CLEMs become more unidirectional as level of arousal increases. Thirty-two normal adults received an habituation series of five-second tones followed by 40 questions. All stimuli were tape recorded. The questions (Schwartz, Davidson, and Maer, 1975) were grouped in four series: 10 verbal-emotional, 10 verbalnonemotional, 10 spatial-emotional, and 10 spatial-nonemotional. The order in which the four series were presented was counterbalanced across subjects. Prior to each question, subjects fixated the face of a mannequin. Sixteen subjects (high arousal) had five seconds to contemplate their answer; the remaining 16 (low arousal) had 10 seconds. Instructions for the high arousal group specified that intelligence and problem-solving ability was being tested, and that speed and accuracy were very important. Those for the low arousal group indicated casually that subjects were to ponder a series of questions. BSC levels, SC response amplitudes, and CLEMs were measured during a five-second interval following each tone or question. BSC levels were greater under the High Arousal condition. While approximately two-thirds of the subjects showed BSC asymmetry (roughly evenly divided between those with larger left and right hand responses), neither the degree nor direction of the asymmetries changed as a function of question type. While CLEM direction was more sensitive to question type under low arousal, (i.e., verbal questions resulted in predominantly right-going CLEMs and spatial questions resulted in predominantly left-going CLEMs) they tended to be stereotyped (i.e., unidirectional) under high arousal. Finally, no relationship was observed between CLEM direction and BSC asymmetry under either high or low arousal condition.
Pre-compensation of servo contour errors using a model predictive control framework

Abstract Methods for pre-compensating contour errors in servo systems by adding components of the predicted contour error to the reference position command have recently been proposed in the literature. Such methods are very effective when the curvatures of the desired path are small but their performance degrades at locations of sharp curvature because they lack look-ahead capabilities. This paper presents an improved method for pre-compensating contour errors in servo systems by modifying reference position commands using a model predictive control framework. The pre-compensation value at any given location along the desired path is defined as a weighted average of contour errors within a prediction horizon, and the weights are selected to minimize the sum of squares of the estimated contour errors over the chosen prediction horizon. Constraint enforcement functionalities are also built into the proposed method to ensure that the pre-compensated reference commands stay within specified velocity and acceleration limits. Simulations and experiments are used to compare the performance of the proposed method to a recently proposed pre-compensation approach which lacks look-ahead and constraint enforcement capabilities. Significant improvements in contouring accuracy over the existing method are demonstrated.
Experimental Characterization and Simulation of Vibration Environmental Test

The dynamic characterization of shakers as well their dynamic interaction with adapters and test fixture are fundamental to understand the response of an unit under environmental testing (random vibration, SRS shock, sine sweep). Numerical modeling of these systems provides support for their design and a good insight how the systems may respond during test. Critical inputs to achieve reliable predictive simulations require accurate input environments, coupling behavior, and test article definition. In this paper experimental methods such as modal analysis, operational deflection shape were used to characterize the dynamic behavior for a variety of vibration test setups, to define realistic input and model validation for the numerical simulation.
Arterial baroreflex resetting during exercise: a current perspective

Within the past 20 years numerous animal and human experiments have provided supportive evidence of arterial baroreflex resetting during exercise. In addition, it has been demonstrated that both the feedforward mechanism of central command and the feedback mechanism associated with skeletal muscle afferents (the exercise pressor reflex) play both independent and interactive roles in the resetting of the arterial baroreflex with exercise. A fundamental alteration associated with baroreflex resetting during exercise is the movement of the operating point of the reflex away from the centring point and closer to the threshold, thereby increasing the ability of the reflex to buffer hypertensive stimuli. Recent studies suggest that central command and the cardiopulmonary baroreceptors may play a role in this movement of the operating point on the baroreflex-heart rate and baroreflex-blood pressure curve, respectively. Current research is focusing on the investigation of central neural mechanisms involved in cardiovascular control, including use of electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques in rat and mouse models to investigate baroreflex resetting as well as use of state of the art brain imaging techniques in humans. However, the purpose of this review is to describe the role of the arterial baroreflex in the regulation of arterial blood pressure during physical activity from a historical perspective with a particular emphasis on human investigations.
The Role of ATP in directing chaperonin-mediated polypeptide folding

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in directing chaperonin-mediated polypeptide folding. Despite its relative inefficiency, the action of ATP is essential to the chaperonin reaction. In the absence of ATP, while chaperonin is still able to bind a nonnative substrate protein, polypeptide folding and ejection do not follow, and the chaperonin cycle is halted. In the most general terms, the binding and subsequent hydrolysis of ATP is utilized, as in other nucleotide-directed machines, to drive the distinct conformational movements of the chaperonin. Cooperative ATP binding within the seven subunits of a ring mediates rigid-body movements that drive the ring from an open polypeptide-accepting state to a cochaperonin-encapsulated folding-active state. Then, after this longest-lived state of the reaction cycle, ATP hydrolysis results in the weakening of the association of cochaperonin, “priming” the folding-active ring for the discharge of its ligands, triggered allosterically by the subsequent binding of ATP by the subunits of the opposite ring. The structural features of the polypeptide accepting and folding-active conformational states are best articulated for the bacterial GroEL–GroES chaperonin–cochaperonin system. Each subunit is folded into three domains, an equatorial ATP-binding domain at the waistline of the cylinder, an apical domain at the terminal aspect of the cylinder, responsible for polypeptide and GroES binding, and a hinge-like intermediate domain, providing a covalent connection between the equatorial and apical domains. In the context of the intact assembly, the equatorial domains make tight contacts with each other both side-by-sides within the ring and with equatorial domains from the apposing ring. Within a ring, the equatorial domains bind ATP cooperatively in a pocket at the inside top aspect of each equatorial domain.
A fluidically-tunable, dual-band patch antenna

We present a new technique to design a dual-band patch antenna whose response can be changed dynamically using a fluidic tuning mechanism. Using this technique, a dual-band patch antenna operating at 2.5 GHz is designed. Two oil-filled channels are placed in the substrate of the antenna along the non- radiating edges of the patch antenna and filled with liquid (or solid) metal cylinders. As the cylinders are introduced underneath the patch antenna, it starts to exhibit a dual-band response. The separation between the frequencies of the two bands is a function of the relative position of the metallic cylinders with respect to the patch antenna. As the overlap volume between the metal cylinders and the patch antenna increases, the frequency of the first band, ƒ 1 , starts to decrease and that of the second band, ƒ 2 , increases. The maximum separation between ƒ 1 and ƒ 2 is achieved when half of the length of the metallic cylinder is underneath the patch. The prototype device designed in this work can achieve frequency ratios in the range of ƒ 2 /ƒ 1 = 1.08 – 1.26. The antenna demonstrates similar radiation characteristics at both bands of operation.
LexA-independent expression of a mutant mucAB operon.

pKM101 is a naturally occurring plasmid that carries mucAB, an analog of the umuDC operon, the gene products of which are required for the SOS-dependent processing of damaged DNA necessary for most mutagenesis. Genetic studies have indicated that mucAB expression is controlled by the SOS regulatory circuit, with LexA acting as a direct repressor. pGW16 is a pKM101 derivative obtained by N-methyl-N9-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis that was originally identified on the basis of its ability to cause a modest increase in spontaneous mutation rate. In this report, we show that pGW16 differs from pKM101 in being able to enhance methyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis and to confer substantial resistance to UV killing in a lexA3 host. The mutation carried by pGW16 is dominant and was localized to a 2.4-kb region of pGW16 that includes the mucAB coding region and approximately 0.6 kb of the 59-flanking region. We determined the sequence of a 119-bp fragment containing the region upstream of mucAB and identified a single-base-pair change in that region, a G.C-to-A.T transition that alters a sequence homologous to known LexA-binding sites. DNA gel shift experiments indicate that LexA protein binds poorly to a 125-bp fragment containing this mutation, whereas a fragment containing the wild-type sequence is efficiently bound by LexA. This mutation also alters an overlapping sequence that is homologous to the -10 region of Escherichia coli promoters, moving it closer to the consensus sequence. The observation that the synthesis of pGW16-encoded mucAB proteins in maxicells is increased relative to that of pKM101-encoded mucAB proteins even in the absence of a lexA+ plasmid suggests that this mutation also increases the activity of the mucAB promoter. Images
The membrane-binding segment of dopamine beta-hydroxylase is not an uncleaved signal sequence.

Abstract Dopamine beta-hydroxylase exists in bovine adrenal medulla chromaffin granules in both soluble and membrane-bound forms. The mechanism by which membranous dopamine beta-hydroxylase is bound to granule membranes has been elusive. Recently, evidence that covalently attached phosphatidylinositol does not serve as an anchor for membranous dopamine beta-hydroxylase was reported (Stewart, L. C., and Klinman, J. P. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 12183-12186). It was suggested that an uncleaved signal sequence could serve as a mode of attachment for the membrane-bound hydroxylase. Amino-terminal sequence analysis of purified bovine membranous dopamine beta-hydroxylase demonstrates that this form of the enzyme possesses an amino-terminal sequence similar to the soluble enzyme. Additionally, the 75- and 72-kDa bands of membranous dopamine beta-hydroxylase were electrophoretically eluted from a preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel and sequenced. Both bands had the amino-terminal sequence characteristic of the soluble bovine enzyme. These sequence results eliminate the possibility that an uncleaved signal sequence serves as the membrane anchor.
Determination of the Specificity of Plasma Cells for Bacterial Antigens In Situ

Abstract We developed a method for determining the specificity of plasma cells for bacterial antigens in situ. The method consists of applying rhodamine-labeled whole bacteria to frozen sections of tissue in which inflammation had been induced by injection of the same bacterial strain. After appropriate washings, the tissue sections were briefly treated with a fluorescein-labeled antiserum to endogenous immunoglobulins to detect plasma cells. Plasma cells which could recognize bacterial somatic antigens appeared as clumps of orange-fluorescing bacteria overlying a green-fluorescing cell. The fidelity of the procedure was determined by performing several competition experiments, which showed that pretreatment of the inflamed tissue sections with homologous unlabeled bacteria (i.e., the same bacteria used to induce the tissue inflammation) decreased binding of the labeled bacteria to a significant extent. Pretreatment of the inflamed tissue sections with heterologous unlabeled bacteria, however, did not significantly decrease binding of the labeled bacterium. Additionally, binding of rhodamine-labeled heterologous bacteria to the tissue sections was insignificant. In further experiments, we demonstrated that there was no natural affinity between the bacterial strains employed and lymphocytes taken from the strain of rabbit used and that pretreatment of the sections with anti-immunoglobulin abrogated the binding of the bacteria to which the animal had been specifically sensitized.
Rich club analysis in the Alzheimer's disease connectome reveals a relatively undisturbed structural core network

Diffusion imaging can assess the white matter connections within the brain, revealing how neural pathways break down in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We analyzed 3-Tesla whole-brain diffusion-weighted images from 202 participants scanned by the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-50 healthy controls, 110 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 42 AD patients. From whole-brain tractography, we reconstructed structural brain connectivity networks to map connections between cortical regions. We tested whether AD disrupts the "rich club" - a network property where high-degree network nodes are more interconnected than expected by chance. We calculated the rich club properties at a range of degree thresholds, as well as other network topology measures including global degree, clustering coefficient, path length, and efficiency. Network disruptions predominated in the low-degree regions of the connectome in patients, relative to controls. The other metrics also showed alterations, suggesting a distinctive pattern of disruption in AD, less pronounced in MCI, targeting global brain connectivity, and focusing on more remotely connected nodes rather than the central core of the network. AD involves severely reduced structural connectivity; our step-wise rich club coefficients analyze points to disruptions predominantly in the peripheral network components; other modalities of data are needed to know if this indicates impaired communication among non rich club regions. The highly connected core was relatively preserved, offering new evidence on the neural basis of progressive risk for cognitive decline.
Accelerate micromagnetic simulations with GPU programming in MATLAB

A finite-difference Micromagnetic simulation code written in MATLAB is presented with Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) acceleration. The high performance of Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is demonstrated compared to a typical Central Processing Unit (CPU) based code. The speed-up of GPU to CPU is shown to be greater than 30 for problems with larger sizes on a mid-end GPU in single precision. The code is less than 200 lines and suitable for new algorithm developing.
Leriano y Llull: de amantes y caballeros.

Resumen: En sus ultimas palabras con Tifeo antes de cometer suicidio por amor en la Carcel de Amor , Leriano tiene una oportunidad perfecta para atacar a su desdenosa dame sans merci , Laureola. Pero Leriano esta a la altura de las circunstancias y hace una exposicion de amore ante su amigo, que debe mucho al Libro de la orden de la caballeria de Llull, un libro destinado a tener importancia capital en la epoca tardomedieval y del primer Renacimiento. Palabras clave: Diego de San Pedro, Carcel de Amor, Llull, Libro de la orden de la caballeria, Leriano Abstract: In his last words with Tifeo before committing suicide in Carcel de Amor, Leriano has a perfect opportunity to attack his disdainful dame sans merci , Laureola. But Leriano raises above the circumstances and makes and exposition de amore to his friend which in greatly indebted to Llull's Book of the Order of Chivalry, a book that was destined to acquire paramount importance in late medieval and early modern Europe. Key words: Diego de San Pedro, Carcel de Amor, Llull, Libro de la orden de la caballeria, Leriano
INCREASE IN BACTERIOPHAGE AND GELATINASE CONCENTRATION IN CULTURES OF BACILLUS MEGATHERIUM.

1. The increase in bacteria, phage concentration, and gelatinase concentration in cultures of B. megatherium has been determined. 2. With lysogenic cultures the phage concentration, gelatinase concentration, and bacteria concentration increase logarithmically at first. The phage and gelatinase concentration then decrease while the bacteria concentration increases to a maximum. 3. The results are the same with sensitive cultures if the ratio of phage to bacteria is small. If the ratio of phage to bacteria is large phage, gelatinase, and bacteria concentration all increase at first and then decrease. The maximum rate of increase coincides approximately with the maximum rate of oxygen consumption of the culture. 4. 60–90 per cent of the phage is free from the cells. 5. The amount of phage produced is determined by the combined phage and not by the total phage. 6. Phage is produced during growth of the cells and not during lysis. 7. In a very narrow range of pH near 5.55 no increase in bacteria occurs but large increases in phage may be obtained.
Serum PBDEs and age at menarche in adolescent girls: analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004.

Abstract Background Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), widely used as flame retardants since the 1970s, have exhibited endocrine disruption in experimental studies. Tetra- to hexa-BDE congeners are estrogenic, while hepta-BDE and 6-OH-BDE-47 are antiestrogenic. Most PBDEs also have antiandrogenic activity. It is not clear, however, whether PBDEs affect human reproduction. Objectives The analysis was designed to investigate the potential endocrine disruption of PBDEs on the age at menarche in adolescent girls. Methods We analyzed the data from a sample of 271 adolescent girls (age 12–19 years) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2003–2004. We estimated the associations between individual and total serum BDEs (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, and -154, lipid adjusted) and mean age at menarche. We also calculated the risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for menarche prior to age 12 years in relation to PBDE exposure. Results The median total serum BDE concentration was 44.7 ng/g lipid. Higher serum PBDE concentrations were associated with slightly earlier ages at menarche. Each natural log unit of total BDEs was related to a change of −0.10 (95% CI: −0.33, 0.13) years of age at menarche and a RR of 1.60 (95% CI: 1.12, 2.28) for experiencing menarche before 12 years of age, after adjustment for potential confounders. Conclusion These data suggest high concentrations of serum PBDEs during adolescence are associated with a younger age of menarche.