cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Premeal Low-Fat Yogurt Consumption Reduces Postprandial Inflammation and Markers of Endotoxin Exposure in Healthy Premenopausal Women in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background Metabolic endotoxemia is associated with obesity and contributes to postprandial inflammation. Objective We aimed to determine if low-fat yogurt consumption prevents postprandial inflammation and dysmetabolism in healthy women by inhibiting biomarkers of metabolic endotoxemia. Methods Premenopausal women defined as obese and nonobese [body mass index (BMI, in kg/m2) 30-40 and 18.5-27, respectively, n = 120] were randomly assigned to consume 339 g of low-fat yogurt (YN, yogurt nonobese; YO, yogurt obese) or 324 g of soy pudding (CN, control nonobese; CO, control obese) for 9 wk (n = 30/group). The intervention foods each supplied 330 kcal with 3 g fat, 66 g carbohydrate, and 4-6 g protein. At weeks 0 and 9, participants ingested 226 g of yogurt or 216 g of soy pudding before a meal providing 56-60 g fat, 82 g carbohydrate, and 28-30 g protein. Plasma soluble CD14 (sCD14), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), LPS activity, interleukin-6 (IL-6), glucose, triglyceride, and insulin were measured hourly for 4 h to assess differences in postprandial responses between groups by 2-factor ANOVA. Results Premeal yogurt consumption prevented the postprandial decrease in sCD14 net incremental area under the curve (net iAUC) by 72% in obese individuals at week 0 (P = 0.0323). YN and YO had ≥40% lower net iAUC of LBP-to-sCD14 ratio and plasma IL-6 concentration than CN and CO, respectively (P < 0.05). CO had postprandial hyperglycemia which was not evident in YO; in contrast YN had 57% less postprandial hypoglycemia than did CN (P-interaction = 0.0013). After 9 wk of yogurt consumption, ΔAUC of LBP-to-sCD14 ratios of YO and YN were less than half of those of the control groups (P = 0.0093). Conclusion Yogurt consumption improved postprandial metabolism and biomarkers of metabolic endotoxemia in healthy premenopausal women. Premeal yogurt consumption is a feasible strategy to inhibit postprandial dysmetabolism and thus may reduce cardiometabolic risk. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01686204.
T-cell Responses to TP53 "Hotspot" Mutations and Unique Neoantigens Expressed by Human Ovarian Cancers.

Purpose: This was a study prospectively evaluating intratumoral T-cell responses to autologous somatic mutated neoepitopes expressed by human metastatic ovarian cancers. Patients and Methods: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) were expanded from resected ovarian cancer metastases, which were analyzed by whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing to identify autologous somatic mutations. All mutated neoepitopes, independent of prediction algorithms, were expressed in autologous antigen-presenting cells and then cocultured with TIL fragment cultures. Secretion of IFNγ or upregulation of 41BB indicated a T-cell response. Results: Seven women with metastatic ovarian cancer were evaluated, and 5 patients had clear, dominant T-cell responses to mutated neoantigens, which were corroborated by comparison with the wild-type sequence, identification of the minimal epitope, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) restriction element(s), and neoantigen-specific T-cell receptor(s). Mutated neoantigens were restricted by HLA-B, -C, -DP, -DQ, and/or -DR alleles and appeared to principally arise from random, somatic mutations unique to each patient. We established that TP53 “hotspot” mutations (c.659A>G; p.Y220C and c.733G>A; p.G245S) expressed by two different patients9 tumors were both immunogenic in the context of HLA-DRB3*02:02. Conclusions: Mutation-reactive T cells infiltrated ovarian cancer metastases at sufficient frequencies to warrant their investigation as adoptive cell therapy. In addition, transfer of TP53 “hotspot” mutation-reactive T-cell receptors into peripheral blood T cells could be evaluated as a gene therapy for a diverse range of tumor histologies. Clin Cancer Res; 24(22); 5562–73. ©2018 AACR. See related commentary by McNeish, p. 5493
Constrained semi-supervised learning using attributes and comparative attributes

We consider the problem of semi-supervised bootstrap learning for scene categorization. Existing semi-supervised approaches are typically unreliable and face semantic drift because the learning task is under-constrained. This is primarily because they ignore the strong interactions that often exist between scene categories, such as the common attributes shared across categories as well as the attributes which make one scene different from another. The goal of this paper is to exploit these relationships and constrain the semi-supervised learning problem. For example, the knowledge that an image is an auditorium can improve labeling of amphitheaters by enforcing constraint that an amphitheater image should have more circular structures than an auditorium image. We propose constraints based on mutual exclusion, binary attributes and comparative attributes and show that they help us to constrain the learning problem and avoid semantic drift. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through extensive experiments, including results on a very large dataset of one million images.
A Review of Observational Helioseismology

There have been several excellent reviews of observational helioseismology in recent years. These include the reviews by Harvey (1988), Libbrecht (1988), and van der Raay (1988) presented at a recent conference in Tenerife. The present effort will concentrate on the progress made on solar rotation recently.
Estimating the benefits of widespread floodplain reconnection for Columbia River Chinook salmon

In the Pacific Northwest, widespread stream channel simplification has led to a loss of habitat area and diversity for rearing salmon. Subsequent efforts throughout the Columbia River basin (CRB) h...
Neuropathologic, genetic, and longitudinal cognitive profiles in primary age-related tauopathy (PART) and Alzheimer's disease

Abstract Introduction Primary age-related tauopathy (PART) is a recently described entity that can cause cognitive impairment in the absence of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we compared neuropathological features, tau haplotypes, apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) genotypes, and cognitive profiles in age-matched subjects with PART and AD pathology. Methods Brain autopsies (n = 183) were conducted on participants 85 years and older from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Participants, normal at enrollment, were followed with periodic cognitive evaluations until death. Results Compared with AD, PART subjects showed significantly slower rates of decline on measures of memory, language, and visuospatial performance. They also showed lower APOE e4 allele frequency (4.1% vs. 17.6%, P = .0046). Discussion Our observations suggest that PART is separate from AD and its distinction will be important for the clinical management of patients with cognitive impairment and for public health care planning.
Functional Interactions Between Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Learning and Learning Disabilities.

The propensity for sleep is timed by the circadian system. Many studies have shown that learning and memory performance is affected by circadian phase. And, of course it is well established that critical processes of memory consolidation occur during and depend on sleep. This chapter presents evidence that sleep and circadian rhythms do not just have separate influences on learning and memory that happen to coincide because of the circadian timing of sleep, but rather sleep and circadian systems have a critical functional interaction in the processes of memory consolidation. The evidence comes primarily from research on two models of learning disability: Down’s syndrome model mice and Siberian hamsters. The Down’s syndrome model mouse (Ts65Dn) has severe learning disability that has been shown to be due to GABAergic over-inhibition. Short-term, chronic therapies with GABAA antagonists restore learning ability in these mice long-term, but only if the antagonist treatments are given during the dark or sleep phase of the daily rhythm. The Siberian hamster is a model circadian animal except for the fact that a light treatment that gives the animal a phase advance on one day and a phase delay on the next day can result in total circadian arrhythmia for life. Once arrhythmic, the hamsters cannot learn. Learning, but not rhythmicity, is restored by short-term chronic treatment with GABA antagonists. Like many other species, if these hamsters are made arrhythmic by SCN lesion, their learning is unaffected. However, if made arrhythmic and learning disabled by the light treatment, subsequent lesions of their SCNs restore learning. SCN lesions also appear to restore learning in the Ts65Dn mice. The collective work on these two animal models of learning disability suggests that the circadian system modulates neuroplasticity. Our hypothesis is that a previously unrecognized function of the circadian system is to dampen neuroplasticity during the sleep phase to stabilize memory transcripts during their transfer to long-term memory. Thus, sleep and circadian systems have integrated roles to play in memory consolidation and do not just have separate but coincident influences on that process.
The application of metabolomics to ascertain the significance of prolonged maturation in the production of lager‐style beers

Author(s): Metrulas, LK; McNeil, C; Slupsky, CM; Bamforth, CW | Abstract: NMR-focused metabolomic analysis has been employed to ascertain the extent to which a diversity of non-volatile substances change in level during maturation and storage on a pilot and commercial scale. No substantive changes were observed, leading to the conclusion that, once materials such as vicinal diketones and acetaldehyde have been dealt with, there is no merit in the prolonged storage of beer. © 2019 The Institute of Brewing a Distilling.
Optimizing Multiple Frequency-Shift Keying During Spacecraft Critical Events for Future Missions

When attempting to land on a planetary body, perform a complex direction change, or even while simply cruising, challenges arise in spacecraft to Earth communications. If a spacecraft must perform a complicated maneuver such as orbit insertion, the spacecraft often cannot use its High Gain Antenna (HGA) for communication to another craft, or back to Earth. Additionally, if the spacecraft enters a fault state, it is possible that the antennas cannot be oriented as precisely. In these scenarios, a Low Gain Antenna (LGA) may be used to communicate limited information to know that the spacecraft is alive in the former situation, and to recover the spacecraft in the latter situation, so it is imperative to use communication methods that have a high probability of correctly obtaining a weak signal. This study will first summarize the mechanism to predict the probability of successfully detecting the carrier frequency and data tones used in Multiple Frequency-Shift Keying (MFSK, or tones) by the spacecraft, and then explore the applicability of MFSK in future missions for events including but not limited to orbit insertion; entry, decent, and landing (EDL); and safe modes. Using the search space, non-coherent integration time, fast Fourier Transform (FFT) bandwidth, and modulation index, one may compute the predicted probability of correctly detecting and tracking a frequency versus the total power to noise ratio. Tones allowed for communication with planetary landers and other spacecraft in the past, namely the Mars Exploration Rover (MER), Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), both primarily for EDL, and Juno for orbit insertion. Following the models outlined in [1], we demonstrate the probability of properly detecting a tone during JOI to be greater than 99% under worst-case expected operating conditions for the Europa Clipper mission. We also examine the optimal use of tones during other spacecraft critical events, such Europa Clipper's safe mode recovery via examination of parameter modifications to MFSK as used in Juno, MER, and MSL, and comparing how these modifications perform compared to the original technique.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Experimental Verification to Determine Mechanism of Cosolvents on Increased 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Yield from Glucose

Commercializing production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from glucose has been hindered by low conversion of glucose and moderate HMF yields and selectivity. While it is commonly known that solv...
An overview of microRNAs

The discovery of the first microRNA (miRNA) over 20 years ago has ushered in a new era in molecular biology. There are now over 2000 miRNAs that have been discovered in humans and it is believed that they collectively regulate one third of the genes in the genome. miRNAs have been linked to many human diseases and are being pursued as clinical diagnostics and as therapeutic targets. This review presents an overview of the miRNA pathway, including biogenesis routes, biological roles, and clinical approaches.
A new method for determining the benchmark dose tolerable region and endpoint probabilities for toxicology experiments

The increase of exposure to toxic materials and hazardous chemicals is a major concern due to the adverse effect on human health. Among the major concerns of toxicologists is to determine acceptabl...
The existential impact of high-conflict divorce on children

While it has become clear that high-conflict divorce/separation can have both short- and long-term negative effects upon children, traditional measures of health and adjustment are limited in their...
Applications of Population Genomics for Understanding and Mitigating Wildlife Disease

Infectious diseases are increasingly threatening wildlife populations, domestic animal populations, and human health. Ongoing advances in genomic technologies are providing a growing set of tools for mitigating the impacts of wildlife diseases, enabling researchers to rapidly identify new pathogen threats, understand the mechanisms by which they affect populations, and predict future impacts and patterns of pathogen spread. In this chapter, we introduce a series of case studies that exemplify the broad utility of current genomic approaches for addressing the diverse challenges associated with managing wildlife diseases. The host-pathogen systems we present range from endemic to epidemic, and from those that are well-characterized to examples for which the causative agent remains unknown, necessitating a variety of genomic approaches specific to each disease system. We show how genomic approaches have been applied in each example, identifying lessons learned from each case study that can be used to guide future genomic investigations of novel disease systems. Finally, drawing upon these examples, we identify common challenges and emerging approaches through which genomics can enhance management of wildlife diseases now and into the future.
Current Concepts on Mechanisms of Force Maintenance in Airways Smooth Muscle

Smooth muscle isolated from the airways often responds to neurotransmitters, autacoids and excitatory drugs by contracting tonically. Maintained tone is an important determinant of airway diameter, the resistance to airflow and untimately ventilation of the alveoli. In asthma, control of airway diameter becomes deranged in part because mediators of bronchoconstriction produce inappropriate contraction of the airways smooth muscle. It is probably the combination of increased smooth muscle tone in the airways and increased secretion of mucous by the epithelium that restricts the airways. Force that constricts the airways is produced by smooth muscle cells, and the study of biochemical mechanisms by which smooth muscle cells produce force is the subject of this chapter. Understanding the mechanisms underlying release of mediators, the source of mediators and the response to mediators has consumed much effort by researchers interested in normal physiology and pathophysiology of the airways. Much is known of the pharmacology, biophysics and biochemistry of airways smooth muscle contraction, and the reader is referred to earlier reviews and other chapters in this volume for further information and other points of view [1–4]. The aim of this chapter is to survey recent developments in the study of contractile proteins and contractile system regulation.
Wnt Activation After Inhibition Restores Trabecular Meshwork Cells Toward a Normal Phenotype

Purpose Wnt is a spatiotemporally regulated signaling pathway whose inhibition is associated with glaucoma, elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), and cell stiffening. Whether such changes are permanent or may be reversed is unclear. Here, we determine if activation of Wnt pathway after inhibition reverses the pathologic phenotype. Methods Primary human trabecular meshwork (hTM) cells from nonglaucomatous donors were cultured for 12 days in the absence or presence of Wnt modulators: (i) LGK974 (Porcn inhibitor, 10 µM); (ii) LY2090314 (pGSK3β inhibitor, 250 nM); or (iii) 9 days of LGK974 followed by 3 days of LY2090314. Wnt modulation were determined by Western blotting and extracellular matrix (ECM) related genes were evaluated by quantitative PCR. Cytoskeletal morphology was determined by immunofluorescence and cell stiffness by atomic force microscopy. Results Wnt activation was confirmed by downregulation of pGSK3β (0.3-fold; P < 0.01), overexpression of AXIN2 (6.7-fold; P < 0.001), and LEF1 (3.8-fold; P < 0.001). Wnt inhibition resulted in dramatic changes in F-actin, which were resolved with subsequent Wnt activation. Concurrently, cell stiffness that was elevated with Wnt inhibition (11.86 kPa; P < 0.01) decreased with subsequent Wnt activation (4.195 kPa; P < 0.01) accompanied by significant overexpression of phosphorylated YAP (1.8-fold; P < 0.001) and TAZ (1.4-fold; P < 0.001). Additionally, Wnt activation after inhibition significantly repressed ECM genes (SPARC and CTGF, P < 0.01), cross-linking genes (LOX and TGM2, P < 0.05), inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMP1 and PAI1, P < 0.001), and overexpressed MMP 1/9/14 (P < 0.01). Conclusions These data strongly demonstrate that, in normal hTM cells, activation of the Wnt pathway reverses the pathological phenotype caused by Wnt inhibition and may thus be a viable therapeutic for lowering IOP.
Localized Electronic States in Bombarded Semiconductors

Bombardment of germanium and silicon with fast a-particles, deuterons, neutrons or electrons produces striking changes in the electrical and optical properties of these materials. Bombardment of n-type germanium produces a decrease in conductivity (linear at the start), which finally passes through a minimum and begins to increase after the material has become p-type; bombarded p-typc germanium shows a monotone increase in conductivity unless this is initially very high. This behavior can be explained by the assumption that the bombardment produces more acceptors than donators in the material. On the other hand, bombarded silicon, whether of n -type or p -type, shows monotonically increasing resistance; this can be attributed to introduction of both electron traps and hole traps by the bombardment.
Simulations of wavelength-multiplexed holography for single-shot spatiotemporal characterization of NIF’s advanced radiographic capability (ARC) laser

We simulate the use of a newly developed single-shot wavelength-multiplexed holography-based diagnostic, STRIPED FISH, to fully characterize the as-delivered laser pulses of the National Ignition Facility’s Advanced Radiographic Capability (NIF-ARC) laser. To that end, we have performed simulations of the NIF-ARC pulse incorporating (a) a time-integrated spatial-profile measurement and a complete temporal-intensity-and-phase measurement using a frequency resolved optical gating, but without any spatiotemporal pulse characterizations, and (b) simulated first-order spatiotemporal distortions, which could be measured on a single shot if a STRIPED FISH device were deployed.
The Double-Edged Sword of Loyalty:

Loyalty has long been associated with being moral and upstanding, but recent research has begun documenting how loyalty can lead people to do unethical things. Here we offer an integrative perspect...
Mathematical modeling of novel porous transport layer architectures for proton exchange membrane electrolysis cells

Abstract Thin foil based porous transport layers (PTLs) that contain highly structured pore arrays have shown promise as anode PTLs in proton exchange membrane electrolysis cells. These novel PTLs, fabricated with advanced manufacturing techniques, produce thin, tunable, multifunctional layers with reduced flow and interfacial resistances and high thermal and electric conductivities. To further optimize their design, it is important to understand their fundamental impact on the transport of protons, electrons, and liquid/vapor mixtures in the electrode. In this work, we develop a two-dimensional multiphysics model to simulate the coupled electrochemistry and multiphase transport in an electrolysis cell operated with the novel PTL architecture. The results show that larger pores improve access of water to the anode catalyst layer, which is beneficial for both the oxygen evolution reaction and membrane hydration. Larger pore sizes also improve oxygen gas transport from the catalyst layer, because generated oxygen gas is forced to travel in-plane through the anode catalyst layer until it reaches a pore opening that is connected to a channel. The discussed results confirm that the proposed thin foil based PTLs are fundamentally different from conventional PTLs, such as felts or layered meshes. The model developed in this work also provides generalizable insight into fundamental PEMEC phenomena, such as the competition between liquid and gas phase transport, membrane hydration and water management, and nonuniform electrochemical reactions, which are processes relevant to all PEMEC designs.
Arc-PET: Cost-Effective Whole-Body Scanner with High Sensitivity and High Spatial Resolution

Current clinical positron emission tomography scanners are distinguished by their large, circular detector rings - necessary to minimize spatial blue from parallax and Compton scattering within the detector. Recent advances in detector capability, specifically depth-of-interaction (DOI) localization and Compton scatter recovery, enable alternative detector designs that are more conformal to the human body. In particular, the Prism- PET detector - a single-ended detector with a segmented light guide - has demonstrated potential in both DOI localization and Compton recovery. With this in mind, we propose a hexagonal detector geometry, Arc-PET, and develop analytical expressions to quantify the geometric efficiency and spatial resolution of the detector.
Family Child Care Providers' Nutrition Practices and Policies: Happy Healthy Homes.

Abstract Objective Determine the impact of family child care home providers’ nutrition knowledge, confidence, and perceived barriers on program nutrition best practices and written nutrition policies. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of self-reported surveys of 49 female providers in Oklahoma City analyzed with Spearman correlation, multivariate linear and logistic regression (α Results Confidence and barriers were significantly correlated (rs(47) = −0.4, P = 0.004). Independent variables explained 36% of practices (r2 = 0.357). Nutrition knowledge (standard β = 0.442, P = 0.001) and confidence (standard β = 0.358, P = 0.008) were significantly associated with practices; barriers were not. No significant association between independent variables and written policies resulted. Conclusions and Implications Provider nutrition knowledge and confidence appear to be suitable targets to improve nutrition practices. Further research can evaluate possible influences on the presence and quality of family child care home written nutrition policies and specific nutrition policy topics associated with healthier nutrition practices.
Measuring the quality of dying in long-term care

OBJECTIVES: To describe two versions of a new measure, The Quality of Dying in Long-Term Care, for postdeath administration to surrogate respondents (staff and family caregivers) of all decedents (QOD-LTC) and of cognitively intact decedents (QOD-LTC-C) who die in nursing homes (NHs) and residential care or assisted living (RC/AL) facilities. DESIGN: Using two levels of exploratory factor analysis, 15 candidate items for the QOD-LTC and 36 candidate items for the QOD-LTC-C were tested using multiple criteria to determine factor structure and interpretability of the quality of dying in long-term care (LTC). SETTING: One hundred seventeen RC/AL facilities and 31 NHs in FL, MD, NC, and NJ. PARTICIPANTS: Family (n=439) and staff (n=332) caregivers of 633 decedents from a stratified random sample from RC/AL facilities and NHs in four states. MEASUREMENTS: Trained interviewers asked respondents to rate statements describing potentially important aspects of the quality of dying using a 5-point Likert scale. The scale items were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis with communalities set to unity using a Promax rotation. RESULTS: The 11-item QOD-LTC (α=0.66), appropriate for surrogate respondents for all decedents, consists of three domains (personhood, closure, preparatory tasks). The 23-item instrument for surrogate respondents of cognitively intact decedents, the QOD-LTC-C (α=0.85), consists of five domains (sense of purpose, closure, control, social connection, preparatory tasks). CONCLUSION: The QOD-LTC and QOD-LTC-C are psychometrically acceptable measures of the quality of the dying experience, developed for and tested in LTC settings. Use of these measures can increase understanding of the dying experience in LTC.
Deal Process, Asymmetric Bidder and Target Premium

Boone and Mulherin (2007) document the private firm sale process and find that the wealth eff ects for target shareholders are comparable in both auctions and negotiations. Since auctions are more costly relative to negotiations, this begs the question of whether firms should use auctions. We hypothesize that sale process is most likely determined by the party that initiates the deal. In this paper, we collect a new variable denoted Initiator which identities the party that approaches the other first to initiate a deal talk. We hypothesize that when an acquirer initiates a deal, the acquirer will prefer a negotiated deal since in an auction other bidders may surface and force the acquirer to pay a higher premium. we find that most negotiation deals are in fact initiated by the acquirers. We also find evidence that the target firms receive higher excess returns in the deals initiated by the acquirers than in the deals initiated by the targets. We also find that most of the target initiated deals use auction, which indicates that the role of auction is to help the seller to find a buyer and increase the bargaining power. This paper serves to further our understanding of how the acquirer and the target interact to determine the deal form and the premium.
Design and evaluation of airborne communication networks

Airborne networks have huge potential in civilian and military applications. This paper is concerned with protocol design and evaluation for communication in airborne networks where UAVs are flying randomly in sky as relays. Faced with this intermittent connection network scenario as well as high loss rate caused by high mobility, a simulator for airborne communication network is desired and custom-designed protocols are needed to systematically address these problems. The contribution of this paper is two folded. First, we propose a Fountain-code based Greedy Position-Assisted routing scheme, called FGPA, to improve the communication reliability and reduce the delay of communication. Second, we develop an airborne network simulator that captures more realistic features than the existing ones. Experiments in our simulator show that our proposed routing scheme can achieve lower delay than existing routing schemes with relatively low overhead.
BEHAVIOR OF EPOXY REPAIRED FULL-SCALE TIMBER TRUSSES

An experimental study has been conducted to determine the effectiveness of the epoxy repair method for full-scale timber trusses. A series of Pratt trusses (constructed of primarily new lumber) and a series of Fink trusses (taken from Old Air Force buildings being demolished) were tested. The testing procedure consisted of an initial load test to failure, followed by a second load test to failure after epoxy repairs. For the new timber trusses, the epoxy repair restored the trusses to approximately their original condition. The repair was marginally successful for the old trusses that were badly rotted. It is thus recommended that if repairs are made to rotted trusses, all joints should be repaired, even when not visibly damaged, since rot can be serious on the interior around split rings. The epoxy repair method was found to be effective for most common truss failures: broken members, end splits, at bolt and split ring connectors, and longitudinal splits in members.
In-Network Caching for Chip Multiprocessors

Effective management of data is critical to the performance of emerging multi-core architectures. Our analysis of applications from SpecOMP reveal that a small fraction of shared addresses correspond to a large portion of accesses. Utilizing this observation, we propose a technique that augments a router in a on-chip network with a small data store to reduce the memory access latency of the shared data. In the proposed technique, shared data from read response packets that pass through the router are cached in its data store to reduce number of hops required to service future read requests. Our limit study reveals that such caching has the potential to reduce memory access latency on an average by 27%. Further, two practical caching strategies are shown to reduce memory access latency by 14% and 17% respectively with a data store of just four entries at 2.5% area overhead.
Evidence-based medicine breaking the borders--a working model for the European Union to facilitate evidence-based health care.

The promotion of evidence-based health care to improve quality of care has become an important political agenda worldwide. In April 2003, the European Commission acknowledged the lack of evidence-based health care in the European Union. Nevertheless, neither the new eHealth 2005 Action Plan nor the Public Health Program 2003 explicitly state the facilitation of evidence-based health care as a goal. This article proposes a working model for a network of institutions and databases within the European Union to facilitate evidence-based health care. The model strives to adapt existing U.S. examples of institutions in the field of evidence-based medicine, like Evidence-based Practice Centers and the National Guideline Clearinghouse to the heterogeneous and legally restrictive environment of the European Union, particularly Article 152 of the European Union Treaty. In addition to increasing efficiency and decreasing redundancy, coordinating national efforts in best practice will also facilitate information sharing and knowledge transfer. The establishment of databases in native languages could also break down one of the main barriers existing between care providers and evidence-based medicine while adhering to the overall concepts of eHealth 2005.
A severe case of rat lungworm disease in Hawa'i.

A 23-year-old man living on the island of Hawai‘i developed a life threatening case of eosinophilic meningitis caused by infection with Angiostrongylus cantonensis (rat lungworm disease: RLWD). He was comatose for 3 months, incurring brain and nerve damage sufficiently extensive that he was not expected to recover. The case was complicated by secondary infections of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium difficile, and pneumonia, which resulted in an empyema requiring a thoracoscopy and decortication. He was treated with prednisone, mebendozal, and pain medication for RLWD, and antibiotics and antifungal medications for the secondary infections. The administration of herbal supplements was requested by the family and approved, and these were administered through a gastric tube. Less than a month after being declared in a persistent vegetative state the man was able to talk, eat, and had regained some muscle functions. After release from the hospital he continued the use of supplements and received treatments of intravenous vitamin therapy. Four years after onset of the illness he is able to ride a bicycle, is a part time student, plays guitar, and is fluent in two foreign languages. RLWD is an emerging tropical disease of growing importance in Hawai‘i.
Preclinical evaluation of SMM-189, a cannabinoid receptor 2-specific inverse agonist

Cannabinoid receptor 2 agonists and inverse agonists are emerging as new therapeutic options for a spectrum of autoimmune-related disease. Of particular interest, is the ability of CB2 ligands to regulate microglia function in neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic brain injury. We have previously reported the receptor affinity of 3′,5′-dichloro-2,6-dihydroxy-biphenyl-4-yl)-phenyl-methanone (SMM-189) and the characterization of the beneficial effects of SMM-189 in the mouse model of mild traumatic brain injury. Herein, we report the further characterization of SMM-189 as a potent and selective CB2 inverse agonist, which acts as a noncompetitive inhibitor of CP 55,940. The ability of SMM-189 to regulate microglial activation, in terms of chemokine expression and cell morphology, has been determined. Finally, we have determined that SMM-189 possesses acceptable biopharmaceutical properties indicating that the triaryl class of CB2 inverse agonists are viable compounds for continued preclinical development for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic brain injury.
The stress-corrosion-cracking model for high-level radioactive-waste packages

A stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) model has been adapted for performance prediction of high-level radioactive-waste packages to be placed in the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. For these waste packages, the outer barrier material is the highly corrosion-resistant alloy UNS-N06022 (alloy 22). The tensile stress is principally from weld-induced residual stress. To account for crack propagation, the slip dissolution/film rupture (SDFR) model is adopted to provide mathematical formulae for prediction of the crack growth rate. Once the crack growth rate at an initiated SCC is determined, it can be used to determine the time to through-wall penetration for the waste package. This paper presents the development of the SDFR crack growth rate model. A seismic-damage-related SCC crack opening area density model is also briefly described.
Effect of processing, formula and measurement variables on alkaline noodle color-toward an optimized laboratory system

ABSTRACT A standardized laboratory method for assessing the color potential of flours for yellow alkaline (Cantonese) noodles is needed, especially for evaluating large numbers of small-scale samples such as found in wheat breeding populations. To develop such a method, a number of processing and formula parameters were varied and judged for optimum level based on 1) discrimination and mean separation of flours, 2) sensitivity to minor variation in the protocol parameter, 3) practicality and simplicity for the technician, and 4) time efficiency. Four flours milled from single-cultivar grain lots representing two with good and two with poor color potential were made into alkaline noodle sheets varying in thickness of 0.75–2.00 mm, water absorption of 33.0–39.0%, mixing time of 2–6 min, and NaCl levels of 0–4% (all flour weight basis). Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) tristimulus color space (L*, a*, b*) values were measured at 0–24 hr using white, yellow, and black background tiles. Noodle sh...
An infraciliary network in statocyst hair cells.

Ultrastructural analysis of the statocyst, a primitive vestibular organ, of the nudibranch molluscHermissenda crassicornis, indicates that in addition to the basal foot, there is an infraciliary rootlet system between basal bodies of adjacent sensory cilia. These rootlets project perpendicularly from the basal bodies and parallel to the cell surface in an astral array. A polarity within the network also appears to exist; the array is longest and most extensive on the side of the basal body directed away from the cell centre, but the overall arrangement of the basal bodies indicates a multidirectional sensitivity for each of the 13 sensory cells. This rootlet system, in conjunction with the attachment system of the basal bodies to the cell membrane (button anchors), may serve an integrative function for the mechanical stimuli experienced by sensory cells and/or be involved with their transductive processes by maximizing the stress to, and membrane distortion of, the transductive site caused by weighting of the cilia. Evidence was also obtained for the intracellular synthesis of statoconia by the nonsensory supporting cells.
Towards a social and economic history of eighteenth‐century Iran

Research in Iranian social and economic history is still relatively unknown.1 This situation is puzzling in view of the social and economic research in Arab and Turkish history, particularly from 1955 onwards.2 In the past ten years, social and economic research in these two areas of Middle East history have produced some excellent results.3 But similar research in Iranian history has not developed. This state of affairs is disappointing when we recall the words of Vladimir Minorsky in his "Foreword" to the Tadhkirat al-muluik in 1943:
An objective definition of shoulder dystocia: Prolonged head-to-body delivery intervals and/or the use of ancillary obstetric maneuvers

Objective: To generate an objective definition of shoulder dystocia by timing the events of the second and third stages of labor, and to define the true incidence of shoulder dystocia. Methods: In 34 arbitrarily selected 24-hour time periods, a nonparticipating observer prospectively timed intervals of the second stage of labor in all vaginal deliveries and recorded the use of obstetric maneuvers (McRoberts, episiotomy after delivery of the fetal head, intentional extension of initial episiotomy after delivery of the fetal head, suprapubic pressure, posterior arm rotation to an oblique angle, rotation of the infant by 180°, delivery of the posterior arm, and general anesthesia) and whether the obstetric attendant identified a delivery with shoulder dystocia. All data are reported as mean ± standard error of the mean. Results: Two hundred fifty deliveries were timed and recorded prospectively. Mean intervals (in seconds) in nonmaneuver patients were as follows: head to anterior shoulder 14.8 ± 1.0, anterior to posterior shoulder 3.9 ± 0.6, posterior shoulder to body 5.4 ± 0.8, and total head-to-body time 24.2 ± 1.3. Three groups of patients were defined after delivery. The maneuver group consisted of 27 patients requiring any of the aforementioned obstetric maneuvers, although the obstetric attendant identified only 16 of these as shoulder dystocia. The prolonged delivery group included 29 patients with the head-to-body delivery interval exceeding the mean plus two standard deviations (60 seconds) of nonmaneuver patients. Sixteen of the 27 maneuver patients were identified as prolonged. The 210 not identified as maneuver or prolonged were considered to be normal. Normal patients had a significantly lower newborn birth weight (3269 ± 38 g), and a lower proportion of 1-minute Apgar scores of 7 or less (11%) than did the maneuver (4247 ± 86 g, 41%) and prolonged groups (3952 ± 118 g, 34%). Defining shoulder dystocia as a prolonged head-to-body delivery time and/or the use of obstetric maneuvers identified 40 patients who had birth weights and 1-minute Apgar scores significantly different from the normal patients. Conclusion: The incidence of shoulder dystocia, as defined by the use of ancillary obstetric maneuvers, is higher than that reported previously, and the reporting of shoulder dystocia appears to be unreliable. The interval from head-to-body delivery is delayed significantly in patients with shoulder dystocia, despite the lack of recognition of shoulder dystocia. We propose defining shoulder dystocia as a prolonged head-to-body delivery time (eg, more than 60 seconds) or the need for ancillary obstetric maneuvers.
Discernment and Denial: Nanotechnology Researchers’ Recognition of Ethical Responsibilities Related to Their Work

To what extent do nanotechnology researchers discern specific work-related ethical responsibilities that are incumbent upon them? A questionnaire was designed and administered to answer this question. Analysis of responses to 11 ethical responsibility statements (ERSs) by 213 researchers at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility revealed widespread agreement about a number of work-related ethical responsibilities and substantial divergence in the views about several others. Explanations of this divergence are proposed. A new variable is defined that gauges the respondent’s overall level of discernment of the ethical responsibilities referenced in the ERSs. The mean discernment level score for respondents who had taken a course that included discussion of ethical issues closely related to science, technology, or engineering was significantly higher than for those who had not. Further, among respondents who had taken such a course, the mean discernment level score for those who had taken an ethics course devoted to exploration of ethical issues closely related to science, technology, or engineering was significantly higher than for those who had taken a technical science or engineering course that typically pays only fleeting attention to such issues. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Studies of the ribosomal ribonucleic acid from mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria.

Abstract Ribosomal RNA has been isolated from three mesophilic and three thermophilic strains of Bacillus. The RNA from the thermophiles had a consistently higher G+C content and a larger G+C A+U ratio than that of the mesophiles. The RNA from the thermophiles was more stable to denaturation by heat or urea than the RNA from the mesophiles. The Tm values (temperature at the midpoint of the transition between 25° and 92.5°) obtained from thermal denaturation profiles were about 70° for the RNA from the thermophiles and about 65° for the RNA from the mesophiles, and they correlated with the maximum growth temperatures of the organisms. In all cases, essentially the same type of nucleotide map was obtained upon digestion of the RNA with ribonuclease. The significance of these results is discussed.
Impact of argon-ambient annealing in hafnium oxide Resistive Random Access Memory

Resistive Random Access Memory (ReRAM) gained significant interest recently, as they offer new means of performing data storage and processing. This is attributed to its simple structure, low power consumption, high endurance, and high density of integration [1], [2]. Even though recent performance results are encouraging, several obstacles hinder market adoption. Among them is the initial high-voltage forming step needed to initiate resistive switching, which presents issues in device integration and reliability. Many approaches have been explored to remove/reduce the forming voltage, such as using a thin switching oxide [3]. Others studies focused on controlling the concentration of oxygen vacancies by doping the oxide [4,5], or by using an oxygen exchange layer [6]. In this work, we study the effect of annealing in Ar on the forming voltage and electrical characteristics of HfO x ReRAM. A study on amorphous HfO x thin films showed that annealing in Ar results in the introduction of copious amount of oxygen vacancies as evidenced by an enhanced photoluminescence emission in the visible range [7].
The existence of pseudocollisions in the plane

Abstract Xia has recently proved that some solutions of the five body problem in three dimensions have singularities without collisions. We extend this result to the n -body problem in the plane.
The Beguine, the Angel, and the Inquisitor: The Trials of Marguerite Porete and Guiard of Cressonessart. By Sean L. Field. (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2012. Pp. x, 407. $40.00.)

The author of this study masterfully narrates the history of the imprisonment, trial, and condemnation of the Beguine, Marguerite Porete, and of her book (which are two separate processes, as he sh...
Optical isolation: A non-magnetic approach

Going beyond the conventional approach based on the Faraday effect, scientists have now used acoustic modes optically excited in the core of a photonic crystal fibre to realize a reconfigurable all-optical isolator.
Plasma membranes: Structural analyses of neutral lipids and phospholipids of rat liver

Abstract Plasma membranes of rat liver were prepared by rate-isopycnic zonal centrifugation for structural studies of the membrane lipids. The distribution of fatty acids esterified at the 1- and 2-positions of phosphatidyl choline (PC), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE), phosphatidyl serine (PS), phosphatidyl inositol (PI), and diphosphatidyl glycerol (DPG), and the fatty acid composition of cholesterol ester, triglyceride, free fatty acid, sphingomyelin, and free ceramide lipid classes were determined. The carbon number distribution of triglycerides and the diglycerides, derived from PC and PE, were also determined. The plasma membranes were composed of approximately 25% lipid. Cholesterol was the major neutral lipid and PC and PE were the major phospholipids. Cholesterol esters contained a very high percentage of 16:1 acid relative to whole rat liver. Triglyceride carbon number distribution and fatty acid composition were similar to whole liver percentages. Ceramide and sphingomyelin fatty acid percentages were similar and resembled values derived from total rat liver. The 1-positions of the phosphoglycerides, except DPG, were esterified with primarily saturated acids, and the 2-positions were esterified with mainly polyunsaturated acids. Positional distribution of PS and DPG fatty acids was similar to that found in whole rat liver, whereas the distribution of fatty acids at the 2-position of PI was dissimilar. The proportion of 18:0 and 16:0 acids at the 1-position of membrane PC and PE was different from the percentage found in whole rat liver, but the sum of the two acids was the same in both. Likewise, the proportion of 18:2 and 20:4 acids at the 2-position of PC and PE was different for two separate membrane preparations, and different from total rat liver PC and PE percentages, but the sum of the two acids was nearly identical in each. The carbon number distribution of PC diglycerides was similar to whole liver PC, whereas the distribution of membrane PE diglycerides differed. Similarities in the structure of lipids derived from liver membranes and whole liver suggest that the molecular species of most lipid classes of the same tissue are randomly distributed among cellular organelles, although the class composition may differ significantly between organelles. The selective incorporation of certain molecular species into some lipid classes may give rise to some of the properties of liver plasma membranes.
Protein-DNA cross-linking demonstrates stepwise ATP-dependent assembly of T4 DNA polymerase and its accessory proteins on the primer-template

Abstract T4 DNA polymerase, the 4462 and 45 polymerase accessory proteins, and 32 single-stranded DNA-binding protein catalyze ATP-dependent DNA synthesis. Using DNA primers with cross-linkable residues at specific positions, we obtained structural data that reveal how these proteins assemble on the primer-template. With the nonhydrolyzable ATP analog ATP γ S, assembly of the 4462 and 45 proteins on the primer requires 32 protein but not polymerase. ATP hydrolysis changes the position and intensity of cross-linking to each of the accessory proteins and allows cross-linking of polymerase. Our data indicate that the initial binding of the three accessory proteins and ATP to a 32 protein-covered primer-template is followed by ATP hydrolysis, binding of polymerase, and movement of the accessory proteins to yield a complex capable of processive DNA synthesis.