cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effects of androgen on the transcription of specific genes in guinea pig seminal vesicle epithelium

Steroid hormones have been shown to have highly differential effects on the expression of abundant cell-specific protein genes in a multitude of model tissues. In rat seminal vesicle, for example, DNA clones representing two major secretory protein genes have been used to show that both of the genes are differentially regulated by androgen. In this paper, we have examined the effects of androgen on the transcription of two major secretory protein genes in guinea pig seminal vesicle epithelium. Nuclear run-off experiments were used to show that castration of the adult resulted in a 3-fold decrease in total transcription activity. Surprisingly, the decrease in total transcriptional activity was not reflected in a differential decrease in the transcriptional activity of the two major secretory protein genes. When the effects of castration on the transcriptional activity of the major secretory protein genes were compared to the effects on other genes, it was found that the transcriptional activity of each gene examined was decreased by the same magnitude as the major secretory protein genes. Similarly, the transcriptional activity of every gene examined increased by the same magnitude as the major secretory protein genes during hormone repletion of the castrated adult. Thus, in contrast to the differential effects of steroids on the transcription of abundant cell-specific proteins in many other steroid-dependent tissues, the transcription of major secretory proteins in guinea pig seminal vesicle epithelium appears to be regulated in parallel with many other genes. The generalized effects of androgen on transcriptional activity could account for the generalized effects of androgen on seminal vesicle epithelial cell structure and function.
A Summer Day Without Significant Rainfall in South Florida

Abstract Precipitating cumulus clouds occur regularly in the afternoon over the south Florida peninsula during summer months. A day without significant rainfall or radar echoes is rare. This paper discusses one such day, 23 July 1987, during which a dry, stable airmass covered the Florida peninsula. Nonprecipitating shallow cumulus formed in a few areas, but there were not any deep, precipitating cumulus clouds over land. The thermodynamic characteristics of the airmass are described and the synoptic-scale patterns that produced the airmass are presented.
Empowering African American Women Informal Caregivers: A Literature Synthesis and Practice Strategies

Through a synthesis of literature on caregiving, empowerment, social inequalities, and racial disparities in health and income, the authors built an argument for African American women caregivers' vulnerability to powerlessness and the applicability of an empowerment approach to social work practice with these caregivers. The article discusses two realities of African American women caregivers' experiences (strong coping and vulnerability) and two relevant theoretical frameworks (stress and coping and empowerment frameworks) for framing these experiences. Drawing on empowerment and other relevant literature, the authors recommend three practice strategies with these caregivers.
Fault-Tolerant Computing&#8212;Concepts and Examples

This paper presents a brief history of fault-tolerant computing. This is followed by a survey of architectural approaches to fault-tolerant design, emphasizing the basic concepts employed in the design of these systems, and the tradeoffs and alternatives available to the system designer in attempting to meet applications requirements. Classes of fault-tolerance applications are identified, along with design approaches which are applicable, and several problem areas are identified in which new research results are badly needed.
THE EMERGING LOUISIANA COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM: BACK TO BASICS AND DOWN TO BUSINESS

As the newest community college system in the nation in its sixth year of existence, under the authority of the Louisiana Board of Regents (BOR), the Louisiana Community and Technical College Syste...
Limiting amino acid for protein synthesis with mammary cells in tissue culture.

Abstract To identify the limiting amino acid in the minimal essential medium as published by Eagle (Science 130:432, 1959) for milk protein synthesis in rat mammary cells in tissue culture, two different experimental approaches were used. The first study involved the reduction of amino acids singly from the total amino acid complement of the medium for milk protein synthesis. The second study was to investigate the effect on milk protein synthesis of single amino acid addition to the basic complement of amino acids. Order of limiting amino acids was lysine (first) and possibly methionine, valine, or arginine (second).
Secure data forwarding in wireless ad hoc networks

Network routing in wireless ad hoc networks is liable to attacks that may have a grave impact on network operations. Such attacks can be targeted at the route discovery process or the data packet forwarding process. Although the protection of route discovery is a critical prerequisite to ensure the robustness of the routing process, secured route discovery by no means eliminates attacks on routing. We, accordingly, propose a secure data forwarding protocol that detects faulty links in the packet forwarding process, which enables the corresponding sources to progressively route packets over non-faulty paths.
Regulation of BK channels by auxiliary γ subunits

The large-conductance, calcium- and voltage-activated potassium (BK) channel has the largest single-channel conductance among potassium channels and can be activated by both membrane depolarization and increases in intracellular calcium concentration. BK channels consist of pore-forming, voltage- and calcium-sensing α subunits, either alone or in association with regulatory subunits. BK channels are widely expressed in various tissues and cells including both excitable and non-excitable cells and display diverse biophysical and pharmacological characteristics. This diversity can be explained in part by posttranslational modifications and alternative splicing of the α subunit, which is encoded by a single gene, KCNMA1, as well as by tissue-specific β subunit modulation. Recently, a leucine-rich repeat-containing membrane protein, LRRC26, was found to interact with BK channels and cause an unprecedented large negative shift (~-140 mV) in the voltage dependence of the BK channel activation. LRRC26 allows BK channels to open even at near-physiological calcium concentration and membrane voltage in non-excitable cells. Three LRRC26-related proteins, LRRC52, LRRC55, and LRRC38, were subsequently identified as BK channel modulators. These LRRC proteins are structurally and functionally distinct from the BK channel β subunits and were designated as γ subunits. The discovery of the γ subunits adds a new dimension to BK channel regulation and improves our understanding of the physiological functions of BK channels in various tissues and cell types. Unlike BK channel β subunits, which have been intensively investigated both mechanistically and physiologically, our understanding of the γ subunits is very limited at this stage. This article reviews the structure, modulatory mechanisms, physiological relevance, and potential therapeutic implications of γ subunits as they are currently understood.
Measurement of free corticosteroids in rat plasma: physiological validation of a method.

Levels of free plasma corticosteroids (expressed asµg. Compound B/100 ml. plasma) have been measured routinely in 2 ml. of rat plasma using a method based on fluorescence of Compound B in H2SO4. Resting levels are 9 to 15 µg./100 ml. After stress, levels increase up to 500%. After total adrenalectomy or hypophysectomy readings correspond to 3.5–6.5 µg./100 ml. There is no change upon exposure to stress of the adrenalectomized or hypophysectomized animal. Intra-venous injection of 0.1 to 1.0 milliunit of ACTH U.S.P. Standard, 24 hours after hypophysectomy increases the concentrations of corticoids in a linear log-dose response. After adrenalectomy ACTH is without effect. In the hypophysectomized animals, large doses of highly purified FSH, LH, TSH, STH, α-MSH and arginine vasopressin have no effect on the corticoid levels. Considerable stimulation of corticoidogenesis can be observed in the absence of detectable changes in the adrenal ascorbic acid concentrations when the two variables are measured simulta...
Structure and functions of arrestins

Transmembrane signal transductions in a variety of cell types that mediate signals as diverse as those carried by neurotransmitters, hormones, and sensory signals share basic biochemical mechanisms that include: (1) an extracellular perturbation (neurotransmitter, hormone, odor, light); (2) specific receptors; (3) coupling proteins, such as G proteins; and (4) effector enzymes or ion channels. Parallel to these amplification reactions, receptors are precisely inactivated by mechanisms that involve protein kinases and regulatory proteins called arrestins. The structure and functions of arrestins are the focus of this review.
Search Engines that Learn from Implicit Feedback

Search-engine logs provide a wealth of information that machine-learning techniques can harness to improve search quality. With proper interpretations that avoid inherent biases, a search engine can use training data extracted from the logs to automatically tailor ranking functions to a particular user group or collection.
Infection with Bartonella henselae in a Danish Family

ABSTRACT Bartonella species constitute emerging, vector-borne, intravascular pathogens that produce long-lasting bacteremia in reservoir-adapted (natural host or passive carrier of a microorganism) and opportunistic hosts. With the advent of more sensitive and specific diagnostic tests, there is evolving microbiological evidence supporting concurrent infection with one or more Bartonella spp. in more than one family member; however, the mode(s) of transmission to or among family members remains unclear. In this study, we provide molecular microbiological evidence of Bartonella henselae genotype San Antonio 2 (SA2) infection in four of six Danish family members, including a child who died of unknown causes at 14 months of age.
Cholesterol deficiency in a mouse model of Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome reveals increased mast cell responsiveness

Mutation of the 3beta-hydroxysterol delta7-reductase gene (Dhcr7-/-) results in Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS). Patients, and genetically altered mice, are unable to produce cholesterol and accumulate 7-dehydrocholesterol (DHC) in serum and tissue. This causes multiple growth and developmental abnormalities as well as immune system anomalies including allergy. Because cholesterol is a key component of liquid-ordered membranes (lipid rafts) and these domains have been implicated in regulating mast cell activation, we examined whether mast cell responsiveness is altered in this model. Mast cells derived from Dhcr7-/- mice (DHCR KO) showed constitutive cytokine production and hyper-degranulation after stimulation of the high affinity IgE receptor (Fc epsilonRI). DHCR KO mast cells, but not wild-type mast cells, accumulated DHC in lipid rafts. DHC partially disrupted lipid raft stability and displaced Lyn kinase protein and activity from lipid rafts. This led to down-regulation of some Lyn-dependent signaling events but increased Fyn kinase activity and Akt phosphorylation. The Lyn-dependent phosphorylation of Csk-binding protein, which negatively regulates Fyn activity, was decreased. This phenotype reproduces some of the characteristics of Lyn-null mast cells, which also demonstrate hyper-degranulation. These findings provide the first evidence of lipid raft dysfunction in SLOS and may explain the observed association of allergy with SLOS.
An ecological risk assessment for spinosad use on cotton.

Spinosad is a reduced-risk insecticide with a novel mode of action that provides an alternative to older classes of insecticides such as organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids. A comprehensive ecological risk assessment for spinosad use in US cotton crops is presented within a framework of tiered levels of refinement following the guidelines of the US EPA for ecological risk assessments. Toxicity information for a variety of species is documented and utilized, environmental concentrations estimated, and risk characterizations in the form of risk quotients are quantified. Results indicate that spinosad use in cotton does not exceed the most conservative Tier I levels of concern (LOC) values for groundwater, mammals and birds or acute risk to aquatic organisms. Use of very conservative Tier I screening methods resulted in exceeding LOC values for chronic exposure for some aquatic organisms, thus prompting further refinement. When the exposure prediction was refined using less conservative, Tier II mechanistic environmental fate transport models to predict off-site transport and environmental concentrations, chronic risk was not predicted for these species. Spinosad is acutely toxic to bees under laboratory conditions, but toxicity of residue studies and field studies indicate that under actual use conditions the impact on bees is minimal. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry
Sediment and nutrient losses from field-scale cropland plots treated with animal manure and inorganic fertilizer

A field-scale plot study was conducted at Virginia Tech's Prices Fork Research Farm, to evaluate the transport of nutrients in runoff from manure and fertilizer applied at P-based agronomic rates to cropland planted to corn. Simulated rainfall events representing 2- to 10-year storms in southwest Virginia, occurring 1 and 2 days following manure and fertilizer application were used to generate runoff. Plots were treated with surface applied poultry litter, surface applied and incorporated dairy manure, incorporated inorganic fertilizer, and no fertilizer (control). Application rates were based upon agronomic phosphorus (P) requirements of corn. The concentration of total suspended solids and nutrients decreased from the first to the second simulated rainfall event; however, the edge-of-field mass loss or yield increased due to increased runoff volume. Surface application of dairy manure resulted in 25–50% lower runoff volumes and 35–60% lower total suspended solid yields when compared to surface applied poultry litter. Surface applied poultry litter produced the greatest total P and dissolved reactive P losses. Results of this study suggest that manure applied based on crop P requirements can still yield significant edge-of-field nutrient losses, if rainfall occurs soon after application.
Prevalence and correlates of sleep disturbance in systemic sclerosis—results from the UCLA scleroderma quality of life study

Objective. Rheumatologic disorders are associated with sleep disturbances. This study examines sleep disturbance correlates in patients with SSc. Methods. Participants are 180 SSc patients in an observational study. At baseline, patients completed the Medical Outcomes Study Sleep measure (MOS-Sleep scale). In addition, patients were administered other patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures including the 36-item short form (SF-36), HAQ disability index (HAQ-DI), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD) scale and a University of California at Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract Questionnaire (UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0). Descriptive statistics were assessed for six scales of MOS-Sleep and the 9-item sleep problem index (SLP-9; a composite index). We computed Spearman’s rank-order correlations between the MOS-Sleep scales and the HAQ-DI, FACIT-Fatigue, CESD, SSc-SCTC GIT 2.0 and SF-36 scales. In addition, we developed a regression model to assess predictors of SLP-9 scores. Covariates included demographics, physician variables of disease severity and patient-reported variables of worsening symptoms and the PRO measures. Results. SSc patients reported a mean (S.D.) of 7.1 (1.73) h of sleep a night. Patients reported worse scores on four of six scales (except for snoring and sleep quantity) compared with the US general population (P < 0.001). SLP-9 was correlated with worsening pain and dyspnoea over the past 1 month, reflux scale of the UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0, CESD and FACIT-Fatigue (� 0.260.56). In the stepwise multivariate regression model, the CESD, worsening dyspnoea and reflux scale were significantly associated with SLP-9 index. Conclusion. Sleep disturbances are common in SSc and are associated with worsening dyspnoea, depressed mood and severity of reflux symptoms.
Sequential failure analysis using counters of Petri net models

Assessment of reliability and safety of a complex system with sequential failures is an important issue in industries, since the reliability and safety of a complex system depends, not only upon all failed states of the system components, but also upon the sequence of occurrence of those failures. In this paper, we present an alternative methodology for assessing sequential failures in a complex system. In previous research, the probability of sequential failures is computed based on tracking the markings of Petri net models and it is assumed that the time to failure of basic events follows an exponential distribution. To overcome the limitations of the current methods in applying Petri nets for assessment of sequential failures, the method presented in this paper employs the concept of counters used in Petri net simulation to perform sequential failure analysis and is developed based on evolution equations that describe the dynamics of the system. It is demonstrated with a sequential failure analysis example of an automated machining and assembly system.
Moving Into Action: Application of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change to Financial Education

This study used the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change to assess change in financial behavior over a four-week period among participants enrolled in an IDA financial education program. All six money management behavior means increased (moving to a higher level). The biggest change occurred in Setting Aside Money for Unplanned Spending and the smallest in Reducing Debt. On average, participants were in Action for Reducing Debt prior to beginning the classes, while they were in Preparation for all other behaviors. Participants who advanced at least one stage are expected to double their chances of taking action on their new behavior.
Protein‐bound ADP in Myogenic and Chondrogenic Cells

These experiments suggest that chondroblasts, cells notoriously sessile, contain considerable amounts of protein (or proteins) that binds ADP in a manner which is indistinguishable from actin. These findings are consistent with the in situ decoration experiments1 which reported that chondrocytes form arrow-head complexes when treated with HMM. What is unexpected is the relatively large amounts of ADP-binding protein in chondroblasts compared with well developed skeletal myotubes. It is not clear why relatively immotile cells should possess such sizeable quantities of an actin-like molecule subserves functions other than those usually associated with contraction.
Rare‐Earth‐Oxide‐Metal Eutectic Composites

Unidirectionally solidified composites of a rare-earth sesquioxide + CeO2+ (Mo or W) and of CeO2+ (Mo or W) were grown using the direct-rf-coupling internal-molten-zone technique. The dramatic fiber improvement on addition of CeO2 to the sesquioxide systems suggests that it provides extra loosely bound oxygen to increase the solubility of the metal in the molten oxide. The composites have extensive areas of ordered eutectic growth containing from 8 to 50 × 106 metal fibers/cm2; the fibers are 0.1 to 0.6 μm in diameter. Fiber density increased almost linearly as the growth rate was increased from 0.5 to × 5.0 cm/h. Slow growth favors the platelet metal morphology over the fiber morphology. Platelets are typically observed in areas where high impurity concentrations would be expected, e.g. at the top of the solidified zone and at grain boundaries.
Application of Sewage Sludge for Growing Alfalfa, Its Effects on the Macro-Micronutrient Concentration, Heavy Metal Accumulation, and Translocation

Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) was grown by mixing sewage sludge at 0 (control soil), 20 (SSA2), 40 (SSA4), 60 (SSA6), and 80 (SSA8) t ha-1(w/w) amendment ratios to the soil. The soil pH decreased but, the electrical conductivity, organic matter, total N, available and total P, exchangeable and total K and Na, exchangeable Mg, DTPA-extractable Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and total Zn, Cu, Cr, and Pb increased in the soil. The shoot P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, and root N, P, K, Na, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni, and Cr concentrations increased but the root Mg concentration decreased in the plant. The translocation factor (TF) for Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu (nutrients) increased at SSA2 and SSA4 as compared to SSA6, SSA8, and control soil. The TF was mostly higher than 1 for Zn, Cu, and Mn and for Fe it was lower than 1. The TF for Ni, Cr, and Pb (non-nutrients) was the highest in the control soil. The TF was lower than 1 for Ni and Cr in all treatments. For Pb it was more than 1 at SSA2, SSA4, and the control soil. The shoot bioconcentration factor (BCF) for Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu at SSA2 and SSA4 were mostly higher than SSA6, SSA8, and the control soil. While the root BCF for Fe, Mn, Ni, and Cr were highest at SSA8, for Cu it was highest in the control soil. Both shoot and root BCF for all elements at all treatments were lower than 1. The total fresh and dried biomasses increased at SSA 2 , SSA 4 , and SSA 6 compared to the control soil, however, they were reduced by SSA 8 . The tolerance index (TIN) was greater than 100% for SSA 2 , SSA 4 , and SSA 6 . Although, the TIN was higher than 100% at SSA6, the value was lower than SSA2 and SSA4. It indicates that the plants are stressed at the amendments of sewage sludge at more than 40 ton ha -1 to the soil.
Ubiquitin Signals Protein Trafficking via Interaction with a Novel Ubiquitin Binding Domain in the Membrane Fusion Regulator, Vps9p

The conserved vacuolar protein-sorting (Vps) pathway controls the trafficking of proteins to the vacuole/lysosome. Both the internalization of ubiquitylated cargo from the plasma membrane and its sorting at the late endosome via the Vps pathway depend on ubiquitin (Ub) binding motifs present in trafficking regulators. Here we report that Ub controls yet a third step in the Vps pathway. Vps9p, which promotes endosomal and Golgi-derived vesicle fusion, binds directly to Ub via a Cue1p-homologous (CUE) domain. The CUE domain is structurally related to the Ub-associated (UBA) domain. In an assay for vacuolar delivery of a transmembrane receptor fused to Ub, a Ub mutation impairing interaction with Vps9p led to a cytoplasmic block in receptor trafficking. This block resembled that of a receptor fused to wild-type Ub but expressed in a vps9-null background. Strikingly, this trafficking defect caused by a mutant Ub was rescued by deletion of the Vps9p CUE domain, indicating that lack of the CUE domain renders Vps9p independent of Ub for activation in vivo. We thus provide evidence for biochemical and genetic interactions between Ub and a novel Ub binding domain in Vps9p. Ub plays a positive role, whereas the CUE domain plays both positive and negative roles in Vps9p function in trafficking.
Iloperidone for the Treatment of Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE:To review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety data of iloperidone for the treatment of schizophrenia.DATA SOURCES:Data were selected by searching Pre-MEDLINE, MEDLINE, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1966-January 2010). Abstracts, scientific posters, and unpublished data provided by the manufacturer in the English language were also assessed.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:All published data including pharmacologic, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and clinical studies related to iloperidone were considered for inclusion. Selected studies included randomized controlled trials, abstracts, and posters presented at national scientific meetings providing pertinent data.data synthesis: Iloperidone is a benzisoxazole phenylethanone with a higher affinity for serotonin-2a than dopamine-2 receptors. The recommended therapeutic total daily dose is 12-24 mg divided in 2 doses titrated over 1 week to avoid orthostasis. Acute, 6-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, and...
Database management system requirements for software engineering environments

A software engineering database management system, SEDBMS, provides shared access to the program fragments, documents, tools, managerial Information, process description, and electronic messages that are generated In the course of a large-scale software development. This study addresses the additional requirements for such a database management system. The motivation for this study comes from developing and exercising a software engineering environment, SDE-1, at Honeywell. The rationale for choosing a database system architecture, a data model, and a classification scheme for reusable components are discussed in the paper.
Name-ethnicity classification from open sources

The problem of ethnicity identification from names has a variety of important applications, including biomedical research, demographic studies, and marketing. Here we report on the development of an ethnicity classifier where all training data is extracted from public, non-confidential (and hence somewhat unreliable) sources. Our classifier uses hidden Markov models (HMMs) and decision trees to classify names into 13 cultural/ethnic groups with individual group accuracy comparable accuracy to earlier binary (e.g., Spanish/non-Spanish) classifiers. We have applied this classifier to over 20 million names from a large-scale news corpus, identifying interesting temporal and spatial trends on the representation of particular cultural/ethnic groups.
Is brimonidine better at stabilizing visual field than timolol

Purpose Alpha-2 adrenergic agonists are neuroprotective in animal models of focal cerebral ischemia. Brimonidine protects the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) from secondary degeneration following partial crush injury to the rat optic nerve and in an ocular hypertensive rat model. The mechanism for this effect is up-regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in RGC and the retina. Brimonidine activates the alpha-2 adrenoceptor at 2 nM. Topical administration of brimonidine produces pharmacologic drug concentrations in the vitreous (100-170 nM) in humans that provides a drug delivery route to the RGCs sufficient to bind and activate the alpha-2 adrenoceptor. In this way, brimonidine could function to maintain the health of the optic nerve independent of its ability to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) Methods The Low-pressure Glaucoma Treatment Study (LoGTS) is a triple masked, randomized, multicenter clinical trial of the efficacy of monotherapy with brimonidine versus timolol eye drops to alter the course of low-pressure (normal-tension) glaucoma (untreated IOP 1.0 decibel/year with a significance P£0.05 for the same three or more test locations on three consecutive examinations (i.e., over an 8 month interval). Results Previously published articles contains a detailed description of the study methods and baseline patient characteristics and baseline visual field and IOP asymmetry. The current presentation will discuss LoGTS outcomes. Commercial interest
Rain-Related Impacts on Selected Transportation Activities and Utility Services in the Chicago Area

Abstract An intensive meteorological study of summer precipitation in the Chicago area during 1976–78 furnished detailed data needed to perform a study of the impacts of rain on selected transportation-related activities and on certain utility services. Degree of effect on these activities was studied on a rain day versus non-rain day basis and further on a land use basis to help infer changes in impacts due to urban-influenced increases in rain occurrences, rainfall amounts and storm activity. Added rain resulted in over 100% more vehicle accidents, particularly in the urban area, but the accident severity associated with rain was greater in the rural areas. Rainfall decreased ridership of mass transit systems by 3–5% and apparently this was disproportionately due to midday discretionary riders such as shoppers. Little relationship of rain to pleasure boat emergencies was found but more rain decreased usage of pleasure boats. The number of delays in flight departures from O'Hare Airport was highly relate...
Wearable organic solar cells with high cyclic bending stability: Materials selection criteria

Abstract Despite the intrinsic flexibility of organic electronic materials due to their thinness, a deliberate selection of materials on the basis of their mechanical—not just charge-transport—properties is required for applications with mechanically demanding form factors, such as those that exist in the field of wearable electronics. This paper describes a skin-wearable solar cell enabled by the deliberate selection or intentional plasticization of the components to enable an extreme level of stability under cyclic bending deformations. In particular, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films plasticized with 10% fluorosurfactant are used for both the anode and cathode, with the cathode layer further modified with polyethyleneimine (PEI) to lower the work function. Use of poly(3-heptylthiophene) (P3HpT) instead of the far more common poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as the electron donor permitted extreme deformation because of its increased mechanical compliance (owing to its low glass transition temperature). Cells fabricated on 13-µm polyimide tape and adhered to human skin show stable performance when compressively strained by approximately 75%. These compressive strains produce convex and concave buckles with minimum radii of curvature of ca. 100 µm. Finite-element modeling predicts that the films require the ability to withstand a range of strains of 10%, when both convex and concave bends are considered. These devices, enabled by the stretchable semiconductor P3HpT, withstand up to one thousand cycles of compression with less than 20% degradation in power conversion efficiency, whereas devices based on P3HT show greater degradation after only five cycles, and fail catastrophically by fifty cycles. The usefulness of the wearable solar cells is demonstrated by their abilities to power an LED and a digital watch.
Gender, Race, and College Major: Do They Predict Modern Racism?

Gender and race have consistently been associated with racial prejudice and discrimination. This study investigates these relationships further along with college major. Looking at a college academic major that is overrepresented with a gender and racial group associated with modern racism to discover if this leads this academic major to predict modern racism attitudes and beliefs. The research participants consisted of 225 undergraduate and graduate students at an ethnically diverse regional university in the southeastern United States. As hypothesized, gender, race, and college major are significant predictors of modern racism.
Quality improvement in pediatric heart failure

Abstract Quality improvement science permeates the culture of health care. Infrastructure and systematic changes have been instituted with the ultimate goal of improved care delivery at reduced expenditures. Unfortunately, the scope and status of pediatric heart failure quality improvement cannot be accurately assessed as there is a paucity of publications in the literature. Nonetheless, there are models in health care that exist as is evidenced by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association approved process measures for quality improvement in heart failure in the adult population. Despite these efforts, defining appropriate process measures is challenging as the ultimate goal is to positively affect the outcome. Linking process measures to outcome measures may be fraught with difficulties. However, the paradigm of process improvement has been associated with institutional adherence to guidelines and ultimately improved overall outcome. In pediatrics, our field has limited comprehensive, universal registries and trials. Similarly, heart failure in pediatrics exemplifies a heterogeneous population with many comorbid conditions. These challenges incite the need for strong advocacy for this process which will be constantly evolving. Organization and infrastructure to augment quality improvement across centers will be vital to ultimate success. Finally, via leveraging existing pediatric databases, international collaboration of committees, and the development of a comprehensive registry, guidelines for quality improvement in pediatric heart failure may be developed.
Influence of Impurities On Mechanisms of Growth in MOVPE GaAs

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to investigate the atomic-scale mechanisms of growth of GaAs by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). The influence of impurities such as silicon, oxygen and carbon on the small-scale periodic structure as well as on the large-scale features has been studied. The growth front of GaAs epitaxial films grown on vicinal GaAs (100) substrates exhibits periodic structure except for the Si doped GaAs grown on semi-insulating vicinal GaAs (100) substrates. The periodicity on the surface breaks down when oxygen, silicon or carbon concentration exceeds 1018cm−3. These impurities may preferentially attach at the step edges resulting in reduction of the mobility of the steps. At higher impurity concentrations, the motion of the growth front gets pinned on the surface resulting in a disruption of the step flow mode of growth. The wide terraces on Si doped GaAs grown on semi-insulating substrate is proposed as the kinetic limited step bunching during the step flow mode of growth.
Solution-processable triindoles as hole selective materials in organic solar cells.

We report the use of two solution-processable triindoles, triazatruxene (TAT), and N-trimethyltriindole (TMTI), as hole selective materials in organic solar cells. The unique optical and electronic properties of these molecules make them suitable as a hole extracting/electron blocking layer, i.e. transparency in the visible region due to a wide bandgap, high LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energy level, modest HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital) level, and high hole carrier mobility. TAT is shown to have a LUMO at −1.68 eV, a HOMO at −5.03 eV, and a bandgap of 3.35 eV, whereas TMTI has a LUMO at −2.05 eV, a HOMO at −5.1 eV, and a bandgap of 3.05 eV, obtained from cyclic voltammetry measurements and absorption spectroscopy. Planar heterojunction photovoltaic devices, consisting of a solution processed transparent TAT (or TMTI) layer and a vapor-deposited C60 layer, exhibited efficiencies of up to 0.71 % (or 0.87 %). In these bilayer devices, the excitons are primarily generated in the C60 ...
Relationship between residual feed intake and lymphocyte mitochondrial complex protein concentration and ratio in crossbred steers.

Rate of oxygen uptake by muscle mitochondria and respiratory chain protein concentrations differed between high- and low-residual feed intake (RFI) animals. The hypothesis of this research was that complex I (CI), II (CII), and III (CIII) mitochondria protein concentrations in lymphocyte (blood) mitochondria were related to the RFI phenotype of beef steers. Daily feed intake (ADFI) was individually recorded for 92 Hereford-crossbreed steers over 63 d using GrowSafe individual feed intake system. Predicted ADFI was calculated as the regression of ADFI on ADG and midtest BW. Difference between ADFI and predicted ADFI was RFI. Lymphocytes were isolated from low-RFI (-1.32 ± 0.11 kg/d; = 10) and high-RFI (1.34 ± 0.18 kg/d; = 8) steers. Immunocapture of CI, CII, and CIII proteins from the lymphocyte was done using MitoProfile CI, CII, and CIII immunocapture kits (MitoSciences Inc., Eugene, OR). Protein concentrations of CI, CII, and CIII and total protein were quantified using bicinchoninic acid colorimetric procedures. Low-RFI steers consumed 30% less ( = 0.0004) feed and had a 40% improvement ( 0.65). High- and low-RFI steers did not differ in CI ( = 0.22), CII ( = 0.69), and CIII ( = 0.59) protein concentrations. The protein concentration ratios for CI to CII ( = 0.03) were 20% higher and the ratios of CI to CIII ( = 0.01) were 30% higher, but the ratios of CII to CIII ( = 0.89) did not differ when comparing low-RFI steers with high-RFI steers. The similar magnitude difference in feed intake, feed efficiency measurements, and CI-to-CIII ratio between RFI phenotypes provides a plausible explanation for differences between the phenotypes. We also concluded that mitochondria isolated from lymphocytes could be used to study respiratory chain differences among differing RFI phenotypes. Further research is needed to determine if lymphocyte mitochondrial complex proteins can be used for identification of RFI phenotype.
Population Traits and Physiological Characteristics of Super Early Rice Combination Luliangyou 996 in Different Transplanting Densities

Super early rice combination Luliangyou 996 is used as experimental material,and 4 different transplanting densities are set for cultivating 4 different transplanting quantitative and qualitative population so as to study the population traits and physiological characteristics of Luliangyou 996 in different transplanting densities.The experimental results show 4 different population traits cultivated in 4 different transplanting densities,A4 transplanting density is the most optimized,followed by A1,A2 and A3 are minimum,which is in main relation with the inherent characteristics of the rectangular and square planting pattern.The major quantitative trait and the main qualitative trait under different planting densities have significantly positive correlation,but between quantitative and qualitative traits of population are negatively correlated,especially the SSR and MTN,average panicle weight per plant and MTN;the decreased trend of total CHL content of flag leaf and the corresponding photosynthesis,cond,transpiration rate and the concentration of CO2 are A3A2A1A4.
Effect of Fe oxidation state on the IR spectra of Garfield nontronite

The effects of Fe oxidation state on the infrared (IR) spectra of dioctahedral smectite were studied using a purified and Na + -saturated fraction of the Garfield nontronite reference clay. The nontronite was first reducedwith sodium dithionite for a period of 10 to 240 min to obtain various Fe reduction levels. The reduced samples were then reoxidized by bubbling O 2 through the suspensions for 8 tol2 h. IR spectra were collected on the initially unaltered, the reduced, and the reduced-reoxidized samples. After reduction, changes were observed in the spectral regions of O-H stretching, O-H deformation, and Si-O stretching, indicating that the clay structure was significantly modified beyond merely a change in Fe oxidation state. Furthermore, a new component band in the O-H stretching region of the reduced samples exhibited a pleochroic effect, indicating the possible existence of trioctahedral domains. A large (up to 43 cm - 1 ) downward shift of the main Si-O stretching band of the reduced samples was also observed. Such a large shift indicates that the change in Fe oxidation state in the octahedral sheet strongly affects the structural properties of the tetrahedral sheet, which might further affect physical and chemical properties of the mineral surface. The spectral differences across all three studied regions between unaltered and reoxidized samples after up to 240 min of reduction indicated that the redox process involving sodium dithionite is in some respects irreversible, even though virtually all structural Fe 2 + can be reoxidized.
Spatial Heterogeneity Analysis in Evaluation of Cell Viability and Apoptosis for Colorectal Cancer Cells

In evaluation of cell viability and apoptosis, spatial heterogeneity is quantified for cancerous cells cultured in 3-D in vitro cell-based assays under the impact of anti-cancer agents. In 48-h experiments using human colorectal cancer cell lines of HCT-116, SW-620, and SW-480, incubated cells are divided into control and drug administered groups, to be grown in matrigel and FOLFOX solution, respectively. Our 3-D cell tracking and data acquisition system guiding an inverted microscope with a digital camera is utilized to capture bright field and fluorescent images of colorectal cancer cells at multiple time points. Identifying the locations of live and dead cells in captured images, spatial point process and Voronoi tessellation methods are applied to extract morphological features of in vitro cell-based assays. For the former method, spatial heterogeneity is quantified with the second-order functions of Poisson point process, whereas the deviation in the area of Voronoi polygons is computed for the latter. With both techniques, the results indicate that the spatial heterogeneity of live cell locations increases as the viability of in in vitro cell cultures decreases. On the other hand, a decrease is observed for the heterogeneity of dead cell locations with the decrease in cell viability. This relationship between morphological features of in vitro cell-based assays and cell viability can be used for drug efficacy measurements and utilized as a biomarker for 3-D in vitro microenvironment assays.
Is Philosophy a Way of Life

Philosophical traditions of antiquity were primarily concerned with ways of leading a good life, with understanding proper versus improper conduct of life, not only for the sake of solitary man but also for the sake of the family, the community, the state, and posterity in historical record and in the continuum of culture. Philosophy — as love of wisdom — meant inculcating and practicing virtues, identifying and eschewing vices, thinking thoughts and examining arguments for the sake of their applicability to life, and not only as inapplicable intellectual exercises that sharpen the blades of mind but sever none of life's knotty problems. Is philosophy a way of life is discussed in the chapter. Philosophy is not necessarily a way of life for professors of philosophy, who are beset by the same assortment of human problems as everyone else, but whose inclination toward theoretical thinking and hypothetical reasoning does not dispose them to apply much of their philosophical expertise to the resolution or management of such problems.
Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Alters Functional Connectivity in the Adult Rat Brain.

Background Past studies of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) have focused on specific brain regions, neurotransmitter systems, and behaviors. However, the effects of PAE on brain function and behavior are complex and not limited to discrete brain regions. Thus, there is a critical need to understand the global effects of moderate PAE on neural function. A primary aim of this research was to explore the functional relationships in neural activity of spatially distinct areas by applying a widely used computational algorithm—group-independent component analysis (gICA)—to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from rats exposed to either an alcohol or saccharin control solution via maternal consumption during pregnancy. Methods Long–Evans rat dams consumed either 5% (v/v) alcohol or a saccharin control solution throughout gestation. Adult offspring from each prenatal treatment group were anesthetized for functional, structural, and perfusion magnetic resonance-based image acquisition sequences. gICA was applied to the functional data to extract components. To determine connectivity, component time-course correlations were computed and compared. Additionally, spectral power analyses were utilized as an additional measure of functional connectivity. Finally, blood perfusion—assessed by arterial spin labeling—and whole-brain volumetric analyses were evaluated. Results Analyses revealed 17 components in several brain regions such as the cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus. PAE was associated with reductions in coordinated activity between components, especially in males. PAE was also associated with reductions in low-frequency spectral power, an effect that was more robust in females. Brain volumetric analyses revealed sex-dependent reductions in females while blood flow analyses revealed sex-dependent reductions in males. Conclusions Moderate PAE leads to persistent changes in functional connectivity in the absence of whole-brain volume or blood flow measures. Future studies will investigate the relationships between alterations in functional network connectivity and behavior.
Average degree estimation under ego-centric sampling design

Estimating the structural characteristics of large graphs from a sample is a classical problem. In this study, we propose asymptotically unbiased estimators for the average degree characteristic of a network under ego-centric sampling. In this sampling design, we first sample a number of vertices called ego vertices from the underlying graph and then obtain their ego-centric graph. Ego-centric graph of a sampled vertex is defined as the subgraph induced by the vertices within 1-hop neighborhood of the sampled ego vertex. We compare the proposed estimators with the estimator that do not utilize the neighborhood information using both real-world and synthetic large-scale graphs. The results show that utilization of the neighborhood information does not always increase the estimation accuracy depending on the sampling budget usage and the structure of the underlying graph.
Impact and Lap Shear Properties of Ultrasonically Spot Welded Composite Lap Joints

Ultrasonic spot welding (USSW) is a widely used technique for joining thermoplastics where high frequency, low amplitude vibrations are applied through an ultrasonic horn resting on the polymer surface to create frictional heat, producing a solid state joint between polymer sheets. Advantages such as short weld cycle time, fewer moving components and reproducibility make this technique attractive for automation and industrial use. The goal of this work was to evaluate the feasibility and analyze the lap shear and impact strength of a composite material joint created using ultrasonic spot welding. The base material used for the joints was a composite consisting of a polycarbonate matrix with chopped glass fibers. The strength of the lap joints was determined through experimental lap shear and impact testing. A finite element analysis was conducted for more thorough insight into the stress patterns in the lap joints. Experiments showed that the ultrasonically spot welded joints tested in tensile lap shear loading carried a load 2.3 times higher than adhesive joints and the impact tested joints had an impact strength 3.5 times higher than adhesive joints. The results of this work suggest ultrasonic spot welding as a viable joining method for thermoplastic composite materials.
Depression in the Data

In her study on clergy depression, Wimberley utilizes the Beck Depression Inventory (the standard psychological instrument for measuring the severity of depressive symptoms) among a sample group of African American pastors. Her aim is to examine the presence of depressive features in black clergy. Participants are between 32 and 70 years of age and comprise senior, solo, and interim pastors with one or more years of pastoral experience in African American congregations in the USA. The results of this non-gender-based, socio-behavioral study conclude that African American pastors are experiencing varying depressive symptoms.
Antemortem biomarker support for a diagnosis of clinically probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Antemortem biomarker support for a diagnosis of clinically probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy