cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measurement of Transient Temperature Field Within a Falling Droplet

Fluorescence shift thermometry has been combined with droplet slicing imaging to capture images of the transient temperature field within a 500-μm-diam decane droplet falling into 370-420°C nitrogen. The temperature field becomes almost homogeneous within 5-10 ms of entry into the hot ambient gas and rises toward the boiling point of the liquid over 50-100 ms. The constraints faced in the design of such an experiment and the protocols required for successful measurement of such temperature images are addressed
FM filters for modulation domain image processing

For the first time, we demonstrate modulation domain image filters that achieve perceptually motivated image processing goals by directly manipulating the FM functions in a multi-component AM-FM image model. The action of previous modulation domain filters has been limited to modification of the AM functions based on the values of the AM and FM functions. This is because reconstruction of the modified phase from the filtered frequency modulation vectors was an unsolved problem. Here, we present two new algorithms capable of reconstructing the phase from the processed frequencies, one based on a least squares solution of the discrete Poisson equation with Neumann boundary condition and one based on cubic tensor product spline integration. New modulation domain FM filters are designed to modify both the orientations and magnitudes of the visually important emergent image frequency vectors. In our most dramatic example, we demonstrate an FM filter that autonomously changes the stripes on the pants in the well known Barbara image from vertical to horizontal.
Personal endotoxin exposure in a panel study of school children with asthma

Background: Endotoxin exposure has been associated with asthma exacerbations and increased asthma prevalence. However, there is little data regarding personal exposure to endotoxin in children at risk, or the relation of personal endotoxin exposure to residential or ambient airborne endotoxin. The relation between personal endotoxin and personal air pollution exposures is also unknown. Methods: We characterized personal endotoxin exposures in 45 school children with asthma ages 9-18 years using 376 repeated measurements from a PM2.5 active personal exposure monitor. We also assayed endotoxin in PM2.5 samples collected from ambient regional sites (N = 97 days) and from a subset of 12 indoor and outdoor subject home sites (N = 109 and 111 days, respectively) in Riverside and Whittier, California. Endotoxin was measured using the Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate kinetic chromogenic assay. At the same time, we measured personal, home and ambient exposure to PM2.5 mass, elemental carbon (EC), and organic carbon (OC). To assess exposure relations we used both rank correlations and mixed linear regression models, adjusted for personal temperature and relative humidity. Results: We found small positive correlations of personal endotoxin with personal PM2.5 EC and OC, but not personal PM2.5 mass or stationary site air pollutant measurements. Outdoor home, indoor home and ambient endotoxin were moderately to strongly correlated with each other. However, in mixed models, personal endotoxin was not associated with indoor home or outdoor home endotoxin, but was associated with ambient endotoxin. Dog and cat ownership were significantly associated with increased personal but not indoor endotoxin. Conclusions: Daily fixed site measurements of endotoxin in the home environment may not predict daily personal exposure, although a larger sample size may be needed to assess this. This conclusion is relevant to short-term exposures involved in the acute exacerbation of asthma.
The Natural Leadership Qualities of Administrators of a Catholic University

The study aimed at finding out what Natural Leadership Quality Type is prevalent among La Salle University administrators as a whole when grouped according to whether they are academic or non-academic administrators, seasoned or new administrators, and whether they are from Basic Education Unit or College Unit. Fifty-six LSU administrators most of whom are members of the Expanded Operations’ Council served as the respondents of the study. The descriptive method of research was employed. Survey questionnaire on Assessing Your Natural Leadership Style adapted from Glanz (2002) was utilized. The statistical procedure that was used in the study was percentage distribution. Findings revealed that many LSU administrators are eclectic who exhibit combinations of natural leadership qualities. Besides, most of the LSU academic administrators are Adaptive Assertive while the non-academic administrators are eclectic. The administrators from the Basic Education Unit are Adaptive Assertive and Dynamic Supportive while the College administrators are eclectic. Lastly, the seasoned and new administrators are both eclectic who exhibit equally strong tendencies in many areas or natural leadership quality types.
Optimization of a TRIP Steel for Adiabatic Fragment Protection

Current analysis into the property requirements of materials designed for fragment protection has led to the need for high shear localization resistance to prevent failure from plugging. Transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) is known to significantly delay plastic instability in both tension and shear stress states, thus extending the uniform shear deformation which delays the onset of localization. TRIP-180, a novel computationally designed, fully austenitic TRIP steel, is investigated to explore optimized austenite stability, quantified by the Msσ temperature, under adiabatic shear conditions. It is compared to HSLA-100, a low-alloy martensitic steel, where by a significant improvement in performance is seen.
SPOTLIGHT: Distrust in democracy: complex civic networks and the case of Brazil

Trust is only one of the types of ties generated by social networks, and arguably not the most important in generating access to the state. The term “trust networks” usually refers to social formations characterized by homophily, strong ties, and dense network clustering, which generate the identities and commitments underlying mobilization and civic life. Yet the social networks literature also notes the importance of weak or “bridging” ties that span network enclaves and link heterogeneous and contending sets of actors. I argue that it is often distrust, rather than trust, that serves as the vehicle of integration of non-state actors into the democratic polity, via the intersection of partisan and civic engagement. When this is absent we run the risk of state-society relations characterized by clientelism, quiescence, stagnation and balkanization. Using the case of Brazil in the 1980s and 90s, I argue that a healthy democracy depends not just upon the integration of trust-based enclaves into the state – the historical source of corporatist politics – but upon complex civic and partisan networks in which contending institutional logics cross-cut and inform each other. While these may generate conflict and tensions, they are also the source of the institutional innovation, contestation, and engagement with state politics that a strong and resilient democracy requires.
Technical Note: Collection and preparation techniques change nutrient composition of masticate collected from esophageally fistulated cattle.

Two experiments determined effects of collection and preparation techniques on nutrient composition of masticate samples from esophageally fistulated cattle. In Exp. 1, 12 esophageally fistulated cattle were maintained on 2 precollection diets, high CP (24% CP; = 6) or low CP (7.7% CP; = 6), for 8 d. On d 9, the esophageal plug was removed, screen bottom bags were attached, and each cow was offered fresh grass. Immediately after fresh grass sample collection was complete, dry grass (hay) was offered and a sample was collected. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for serum urea nitrogen concentration. Masticate samples of both fresh and dry grass were divided and each was either squeezed by hand until no more saliva could be removed or remained unsqueezed. In Exp. 2, 10 esophageally fistulated cattle were fitted with either screen ( = 5) or solid ( = 5) bottom collection bags after removal of the esophageal plug and presented grass hay, fresh grass, alfalfa hay, or fresh alfalfa. In Exp. 1, the precollection diet did not affect ( = 0.49) CP content of masticate even though serum urea nitrogen tended to be greater ( = 0.08) for high- vs. low-CP precollection diets. Forage harvest type offered (fresh vs. hay) interacted ( = 0.01) with preparation technique (squeezed vs. unsqueezed) for CP, where CP decreased in squeezed fresh samples ( 0.15) for all samples except fresh alfalfa, which was greater after ingestion ( = 0.002). Ingestion status did not affect in vitro OM disappearance (IVOMD; > 0.34) except for grass hay, which was greater after ingestion ( 0.31), except for fresh alfalfa, which were greater ( 0.33). More ( = 0.01) fresh forage than hay was recovered through the esophageal opening. Previous diet did not impact masticate samples but squeezing impacted CP levels of high-quality forage and therefore should not be performed. Nutrient values should be reported on an OM basis.
A natural motif approach to protein folding and design [1]

The design of smaller functional mimics of large proteins has long been an important challenge. In this study we use the natural leucine zipper as a structural template to design a 31-residue peptide analog that mimics the function of the larger platelet factor 4 (PF4) protein. The heparin binding activity of PF4 has been introduced into an unrelated leucine zipper sequence only by virtue of incorporating four lysines of PF4. Circular dichroism and binding experiments have shown that the designed leucine zipper peptide adopts a stable helical conformation and shows significant PF4-like heparin binding activity. These results strongly suggest that the lysine residues play an important role in the binding of PF4 to heparin. The de novo generation of the PF4 function in a designed leucine zipper peptide demonstrates that the leucine zipper motif is a useful scaffold for the design of functional peptides and proteins.
Abstract 53: Krebs cycle substrate-level phosphorylation drives metastatic cancer cells

Many metastatic cancers are derived from compromised respiration in tissue cells of myeloid origin (e.g., macrophages), which use glutamine as a major energy substrate. Although impaired respiration can render tumor cells dependent on glycolysis for energy in the presence of oxygen (Warburg effect), it has not been determined if glutamine alone could provide enough energy (ATP) through substrate level phosphorylation in the TCA (Krebs) cycle to maintain tumor cell viability. Using a bioluminescent-based ATP assay, we determined the viability of metastatic mouse VM-M3 tumor cells grown in serum free medium in the presence of glucose alone (25 mM), glutamine alone (4 mM), or in glucose + glutamine. The VM-M3 cells could not survive on glucose alone, but could survive in glutamine alone indicating an absolute requirement for glutamine in these metastatic tumor cells. Glucose + glutamine acted synergistically in providing growth and viability. Lactic acid production was 10-fold lower in the cells grown in glutamine alone than in glucose alone. Glutamine could also maintain viability in the absence of glucose and in the presence of the F1 ATPase inhibitor oligomycin. Glutamine could not maintain viability in the presence of the TCA cycle enzyme inhibitor, 3-Nitropropionic acid. NMR analysis indicated that glutamine metabolism via the TCA cycle was active resulting in accumulation of both succinate and aspartate. The data indicate that glutamine can provide ATP for viability in the metastatic VM-M3 cells through Krebs cycle phosphorylation in the absence of energy from either glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 53.
Numerical simulations of reacting flow with multi-step kinetics

Detailed numerical simulation of high Reynolds- and Damkohler-number reacting flows show that combustion occurs within relatively thin zones within which the gradients are mostly oriented in the direction normal to the interface between the fuel and oxidizer. This observation is exploited in the development of a combustion zone model in which elemental flame solutions are embedded everywhere in the direction normal to the moving fuel-air interface. The structure of these elemental flames are time-dependent, adjusting to the local value of the strain rate as they are convected by the flow. They also adjust to the boundary conditions imposed by the external flow, especially when folds force neighboring flames to interact across pockets of reactants. The 1-D elemental flame structure is computed using a four-step kinetics mechanism of methane-air reaction. The model is applied in conjunction with the vortex method to compute the field of a reacting mixing layer. Results show that combustion in an unsteady field is more robust than what is predicted by steady-state models. This is because of the intrinsic time delay response of a flame, and the fact that in an unsteady flow the strain rate oscillates around the mean value, thus giving the flame a chance to recover from the impact of extremely high strain rates which may exceed its steady state extinction values. Results also reveal the formation of oxygen-starved zones inside the eddy core, where fuel pockets which were entrained at the early stages pyrolyze due to the high temperature there. The impact of these dynamics on the generation of CO and other minor species is revealed by the computations. (Author)
Quantitative Ultrasound Assessment of Cervical Microstructure

The objective of this preliminary study was to determine whether quantitative ultrasound (QUS) can provide insight into, and characterization of, uterine cervical microstructure. Throughout pregnancy, cervical collagen reorganizes (from aligned and anisotropic to disorganized and isotropic) as the cervix changes in preparation for delivery. Premature changes in collagen are associated with premature birth in mammals. Because QUS is able to detect structural anisotropy/isotropy, we hypothesized that it may provide a means of noninvasively assessing cervical microstructure. Thorough study of cervical microstructure has been limited by lack of technology to detect small changes in collagen organization, which has in turn limited our ability to detect abnormal and/or premature changes in collagen that may lead to preterm birth. In order to determine whether QUS may be useful for detection of cervical microstructure, radiofrequency (rf) echo data were acquired from the cervices of human hysterectomy specimens (n = 10). The angle between the acoustic beam and tissue was used to assess anisotropic acoustic propagation by control of transmit/receive angles from -20 degrees to +20 degrees. The power spectrum of the echo signals from within a region of interest was computed in order to investigate the microstructure of the tissue. An identical analysis was performed on a homogeneous phantom with spherical scatterers for system calibration. Power spectra of backscattered rf from the cervix were 6 dB higher for normal (0 degree) than steered (+/- 20 degrees) beams. The spectral power for steered beams decreased monotonically (0.4 dB at +5 degrees to 3.6 dB at +20 degrees). The excess difference (compared to similar analysis for the phantom) in normally-incident (0 degree) versus steered beams is consistent with scattering from an aligned component of the cervical microstructure. Therefore, QUS appears to reliably identify an aligned component of cervical microstructure; because collagen is ubiquitously and abundantly present in the cervix, this is the most likely candidate. Detection of changes in cervical collagen and microstructure may provide information about normal versus abnormal cervical change and thus guide development of earlier, more specific interventions for preterm birth.
Second harmonic generation imaging microscopy of endogenous structural proteins

We show how SHG can be used to elucidate 3D structural data on protein arrays of collagen, actomyosin, and tubulin. Polarization analysis yields data on molecular organization and symmetry. Extensions to the study of diseased states will be discussed.We describe how this method is superior to other forms of microscopy.
Recommendations for Public Sector R&D Managers

Chapter 5 provides a series of recommendations for public sector R&D managers based both on theoretical analysis and on a practical case study of a portfolio of “real world” R&D projects. In brief, discounted cash flow techniques should be abandoned in favor of real option methods. In addition, individual R&D projects should never be valued in isolation, but only in concert with the other R&D projects comprising a government program. Technical, commercial, and potential “deep” connections among R&D projects must be identified and characterized before meaningful conclusions can be drawn about the risks being taken with taxpayers’ money. Finally, proactive management of government-sponsored R&D, including interim performance reviews, are likely to yield better results than a hands-off style of management.
Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 59 hand foot and mouth disease cases caused by Cox A6 in Shiyan,Hubei

Objective To understand the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of hand foot and mouth disease( HFMD) caused by Cox A6,and provide reference for the diagnosis,treatment,prevention and control of HFMD. Methods A total of 570 specimens were collected from clinical diagnosed HFMD cases in Shiyan from October 2012 to September 2013,the identification and subtyping of the isolates were conducted with real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR. The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of laboratory confirmed HFMD cases caused by Cox A6 were analyzed. Results In 440 laboratory confirmed HFMD cases,59 were caused by Cox A6( 13. 41%). All the cases were children aged 5 years and 86. 44% were children aged 3 years. The cases in children outside child care settings and in child care setting accounted for 83. 05% and 16. 95% respectively. The cases occurred all the year round with the peak during October-November. One cluster of the cases was observed and all cases had rash on hand,foot,mouth or buttock,among these cases,34. 53% had fever,87. 72% had stomatitis,26. 32% had respiratory symptoms,3 had high blood cell count. Conclusion Cox A6 is one of important pathogens to cause typical HFMD. It is necessary to strengthen the surveillance and research of Cox A6.
Research Status and Development of CASTEX Technology

CASTEX technology is a kind of metal forming technology, which is further development of the CONFORM technology. The development history, basic principles, technological characteristics and equipment structure of CASTEX technology were introduced, and the influence of different process parameters on product performance was analyzed. The application of CATEX technology in practical production was mainly introduced, and the future development of CASTEX technology was proposed.
RNA Synthesis in the nucleolus of Chironomus thummi, as studied by high resolution autoradiography

Full grown fourth instar larvae of Chironomus thummi were injected with 3H-uridine, and the salivary glands were fixed at increasing time intervals after injection, ranging from 13 min to 46 hours. Autoradiographs of squashes and 1/2 micron sections were examined in the light microscope and of thin sections in the electron microscope. The results show a transposition of label from the pars fibrosa to the pars granulosa of the nucleolus. After short 3H-uridine incorporation, label also was found over chromosomal material extending into the nucleolus.
Spectral Portfolio Theory

Economic shocks can have diverse effects on financial market dynamics at different time horizons, yet traditional portfolio management tools do not distinguish between short- and long-term components in alpha, beta, and covariance estimators. In this paper, we apply spectral analysis techniques to quantify stock-return dynamics across multiple time horizons. Using the Fourier transform, we decompose asset-return variances, correlations, alphas, and betas into distinct frequency components. These decompositions allow us to identify the relative importance of specific time horizons in determining each of these quantities, as well as to construct mean-variance-frequency optimal portfolios. Our approach can be applied to any portfolio, and is particularly useful for comparing the forecast power of multiple investment strategies. We provide several numerical and empirical examples to illustrate the practical relevance of these techniques.
Regulation of P2X7 gene transcription

The pro-apoptotic P2X7 receptor regulates growth of epithelial cells. The objectives of the study were to understand P2X7 gene transcription; to identify the active promoter and the transcription initiation site (TpIS); and to begin understanding regulation of P2X7 gene transcription. Experiments in vitro utilized normal and cancerous cultured human uterine cervical epithelial cells, and HEK293 cells overexpressing P2X7-luciferase reporters. Experiments in vivo used surgical specimen of normal and cancerous uterine cervix. Assays involved DNA, RNA, and protein techniques. (a) The P2X7 TpIS was localized to adenine (+1) at nt 1683 of the human P2X7 gene [GenBank Y12851]), with a TTAAA sequence at nt −32/−28 and an active promoter region within nt −158/+32. (b) P2X7 transcription was found to be regulated by two enhancers located at nt + 222/+232 and +401/+573 regions downstream of the active P2X7 promoter. (c) The putative enhancer regions formed four DNA–protein complexes. (d) P2X7 transcription was found to be controlled by hypermethylated cytosines at cytosine-phosphodiester-guanosines (CpG) that cluster or co-localize with the enhancers’ sites. (e) We identified nine CpGs as inhibitory cis elements, and three CpG sites that are hypermethylated in cultured cervical epithelial cells and in cervix epithelia in vivo. (f) In cancer cervical cells, the degree of hypermethylation of the CpG sites was greater than in the normal cervical cells. Expression of the P2X7 receptor is controlled by hypermethylated CpGs that flank transcription enhancers located within a 547-nt region downstream of the promoter.
CASE-based rigorous object-oriented modeling

The use of a rigorous development environment is needed when developing a complex system, such as real-time and critical systems. Preventing industry from embracing formal method techniques is the lack of industrial strength tools to support formalization and analysis. We are developing an approach and a tool environment for the development of complex systems that integrates a graphical object-oriented technique (Fusion) and a formal method (Z) with analysis tools. The tool, called FuZE (Fusion/Z Environment), has been used successfully to specify and analyze non-trivial systems. This paper describes the specification transformation rules and the extension of the environment to include transformation of design documents such as Object Interaction Graphs.
Smoothing indoor trajectories

The indoor location market is forecasted by ABI Research to reach approximately $10B by 2020. However, this emerging area, suffers from limited positioning accuracy induced by the many existing indoor sensing platforms. We present novel noise-reduction and data-smoothing algorithms, designed to cleanse Wi-Fi-based indoor positioning data. An empirical evaluation of these algorithms demonstrated up to 75.5% improvement in the data accuracy. This improved accuracy opens new market opportunities in the retail and travel and transportation domains.
S02-1 Associations between force, repetition, posture, duty cycle, threshold limit value for hand activity level (tlv for hal) and risk of carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a costly disease for employers and a source of long-term disability to workers. Force, repetition, and deviated posture are commonly believed risk factors for CTS. The aim of this study was to quantify associations between workplace biomechanical factors and incidence of dominant-hand CTS after adjusting for personal risk factors. 2751 incident eligible workers were followed prospectively for up to 6.4 years and contributed 6243 person-years of data to this longitudinal study. Applied force, frequency and duty cycle of exertions, wrist posture, and ACGIH TLV for HAL were quantified for each worker and periodically remeasured throughout the study. Incident cases of CTS were determined from symptoms and electrodiagnostic studies. Hazard Ratios were estimated using proportional hazards regression. All models were adjusted for age, gender, BMI, and orthogonal physical exposures. In the adjusted models, associations were found between CTS and peak force (HR = 2.17; 95% CI: 1.38 to 3.43), frequency of forceful exertions (HR = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.19 to 2.86),% of time spent in forceful exertions (HR = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.34 to 3.15), and the TLV for HAL as a continuous variable (HR = 1.32 per unit; 95% CI: 1.11–1.57). Conversely, statistical associations with increased risk of CTS were not found between total frequency of, or total% time under exertions, nor for deviated wrist postures. These results suggest that peak force acts as an independent risk factor for CTS. However, frequency of exertion and% time under exertion are only associated with CTS when a non-trivial amount of force is being applied, thus “repetition” does not appear to be an independent risk factor per se. We found no evidence to suggest that hand/wrist posture is an independent risk factor for CTS.
Incremental implicit learning of bundles of statistical patterns.

Abstract Forming an accurate representation of a task environment often takes place incrementally as the information relevant to learning the representation only unfolds over time. This incremental nature of learning poses an important problem: it is usually unclear whether a sequence of stimuli consists of only a single pattern, or multiple patterns that are spliced together. In the former case, the learner can directly use each observed stimulus to continuously revise its representation of the task environment. In the latter case, however, the learner must first parse the sequence of stimuli into different bundles, so as to not conflate the multiple patterns. We created a video-game statistical learning paradigm and investigated (1) whether learners without prior knowledge of the existence of multiple “stimulus bundles” — subsequences of stimuli that define locally coherent statistical patterns — could detect their presence in the input and (2) whether learners are capable of constructing a rich representation that encodes the various statistical patterns associated with bundles. By comparing human learning behavior to the predictions of three computational models, we find evidence that learners can handle both tasks successfully. In addition, we discuss the underlying reasons for why the learning of stimulus bundles occurs even when such behavior may seem irrational.
Reproductive Health Policy Variability Among the States Over Time: Implications of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 for Health Researchers

Context Reproductive health policies in the United States constitute a complicated mix of determinants that vary geographically, politically, economically, and institutionally. The recent Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) included a set of reproductive health policies that increase the complexity of the existing reproductive health policy system. Methods A series of policy briefs have been issued over the past five years that, when taken together as we do here, paint a complicated picture of reproductive health access in the United States. Many scholars have demonstrated the effects of specific policies on diverse reproductive health outcomes , but empirical research on the effects of ACA implementation on reproductive health outcomes is still in its infancy, in large part owing to a lack of suitable data sources. We compile six state-level indicators of reproductive health access that health researchers can employ to model contextual effects on reproductive health outcomes in the ACA era. Results We develop this historical and policy overview to assist health researchers in thinking through the policy and analytic complexity that has been introduced by this health care reform. We present a conceptual framework of state-level policy factors that should be evaluated prior to undertaking research related to ACA implementation at the state level. Conclusions The Affordable Care Act significantly increases the state-level policy complexity related to reproductive health. As data become available for evaluating ACA policy effects, it is important for researchers in reproductive health to account for this complexity.
Endobronchial Carcinoid and Concurrent Carcinoid Syndrome in an Adolescent Female.

Endobronchial carcinoid tumors are the most common intrabronchial tumors in children and adolescents. Common signs and symptoms include persistent cough and wheezing not responsive to bronchodilators, hemoptysis, and recurrent fever. Diagnosis is frequently made by imaging and direct visualization with flexible bronchoscopy; surgery remains the gold standard treatment, and lung-sparing resections should be performed whenever possible. Though carcinoid syndrome—characterized by flushing, palpitations, wheezing, shortness of breath, and diarrhea—has been found in association with adult bronchial carcinoid tumors, to our knowledge only one previous study has reported the presence of carcinoid syndrome in a pediatric patient with an endobronchial carcinoid. Here, we report a case of a 14-year-old girl with chronic cough found to have an endobronchial carcinoid tumor and signs and symptoms consistent with carcinoid syndrome.
Localized Affinity-Based Delivery of Prinomastat for Cancer Treatment

Glioblastoma multiforme patients suffer a median survival of 14 months, facilitated by the highly invasive nature of this cancer that allows for it to evade conventional therapy. Prinomastat targets the essential matrix metalloproteinase degradation of the extracellular matrix needed for cancer invasion; however, its clinical potential is impeded by adverse musculoskeletal side effects. By localizing delivery of prinomastat via cyclodextrin polymers, systemic side effects can be bypassed. In this letter, we demonstrate that prinomastat delivery from β-cyclodextrin polymers results in months-long inhibition of MMPs as measured by gelatin zymography, more appropriately addressing the time frame of cancer cell invasion.
Anatomical and Functional Changes to the Colonic Neuromuscular Compartment after Experimental Spinal Cord Injury.

Abstract A profound reduction in colorectal transit time accompanies spinal cord injury (SCI), yet the colonic alterations after SCI have yet to be understood fully. The loss of descending supraspinal input to lumbosacral neural circuits innervating the colon is recognized as one causal mechanism. Remodeling of the colonic enteric nervous system/smooth muscle junction in response to inflammation, however, is recognized as one factor leading to colonic dysmotility in other pathophysiological models. We investigated the alterations to the neuromuscular junction in rats with experimental high-thoracic (T3) SCI. One day to three weeks post-injury, both injured and age-matched controls underwent in vivo experimentation followed by tissue harvest for histological evaluation. Spontaneous colonic contractions were reduced significantly in the proximal and distal colon of T3-SCI rats. Histological evaluation of proximal and distal colon demonstrated significant reductions of colonic mucosal crypt depth and width. ...
Document Image Page Segmentation and Character Recognition as Semantic Segmentation

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have produced excellent results in natural scene semantic pixel labeling tasks. We examine the application of this idea to document processing, using fully supervised Deep CNN semantic segmentation to separate content layers from historical document images containing diverse content types, including handwriting, machine print, form lines, and stamps. For efficiency, we employ a downsampling-upsampling network to make dense pixel predictions. CNNs achieve high generalization accuracy on document images with interleaved, overlapping strokes, even when trained on a solitary pixel-labeled document image. We also show a proof-of-concept extension of the semantic segmentation task to handwritten cursive character recognition, enabling a new "segmentation-free" approach to handwriting transcription.
Multiple pathways flounder growth in frazzled fish

![Graphic][1] In fish, chronic stress causes the release of the stress hormone cortisol into the bloodstream, which in turn triggers changes in gene transcription that lead to the breakdown of skeletal muscle. Ultimately, such stress-related transcriptional changes restrict growth, disrupt
An Open Source Mechanistic Model For CO2 / H2S Corrosion Of Carbon Steel

A mechanistic model is developed to predict the corrosion rate caused by CO2, H2S, organic acids and/or O2. The aim of this model was to provide the corrosion community with a theoretically sound, simple and effective corrosion model for internal corrosion of mild steel lines. This model is available in the open literature and can be easily accessed on the internet. All the background information, including theories behind, data used for calibration, limitations, etc. is shared with users. In addition, the source code of the model, which has been written in object-oriented fashion, is open to the public to encourage utilization of any individual modules and development of add-on modules by third parties. The main features of this model include: prediction of uniform corrosion rate by CO2, H2S, organic acids and/or O2, simulation of iron carbonate film and iron sulfide film growth, identification of major corrosive species by quantifying respective contributions from various species, capability of distinguishing CO2/ H2S dominant corrosion processes, display and manipulation of polarization curves for CO2 dominant processes, or display of H2S concentration profile as a function of distance from steel surface for H2S dominant processes, capability of modifying the corrosion calculation process by adding user-defined reactions or excluding any undesired reactions.
The Abelian dyon and a massless scalar field in the bi-metric theory of gravitation

The gravitational field in the linearized approximation (far field) is found for the composite system of an Abelian dyon and a massless scalar field in the bi-metric theory of gravitation.
Cold Hardiness Factors that Affect Nursery Production of Woody Plants in Southeastern United States

The landscape plant industry is growing rapidly throughout the United States. Georgia and other southeastern states are no exception. Ornamental plant production in Georgia consists of about 6,500 acres of nursery stock with a farm gate value of $200 million and 21 million square feet of greenhouse floriculture crops with a farm gate value of $125 million (Snipes et al., 1992). Landscape services add another $300 million to Georgia’s economy. Forty-nine percent of the landscape firms and about 33% of the floricultural firms are located in the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area (Hubbard, 1989).
Computing the best grasp in a discrete point set with wrench-oriented grasp quality measures

This paper presents a novel solution to the problem of computing the best grasp in a discrete point set where the performance quality of a grasp is measured by its capability to apply wrenches to the grasped object. First, it is revealed that various wrench-oriented grasp quality measures, considering different physical properties of a grasp, can be written in a unified form as the maximum scale factor of a gauge set in a grasp wrench set. Also, it has been deduced that the maximum scale factor is equal to the minimum value of the support function of the grasp wrench set over all directions and can be computed by evaluating the support function in a sequence of directions. On this basis, we can quickly determine that a new grasp is worse than the current best grasp if the support function of its grasp wrench set in any direction in the sequence or any particular direction is less than the quality value of the current best grasp. In this way, there is no need to calculate the exact quality value of the new grasp. Furthermore, we enumerate candidate grasps in the point set in an adaptive way such that grasps that are more likely to outperform the current best grasp will be checked first, which helps find the best grasp earlier and significantly reduce the number of candidate grasps to be fully examined. With the aid of the quick grasp comparison and the adaptive grasp enumeration, the proposed algorithm takes tens of seconds to several hours on a normal PC to compute the best grasp in tens to hundreds of points on 3-D objects and it is two to several orders of magnitude faster than the brute-force search. Moreover, the wrench-oriented grasp quality measures and the proposed algorithm are extended to the real scenario involving robot hands to predict and compute the best grasps on objects in reachable contact point sets of fingertips by given hand poses.
Patient-Important Adverse Events of β-blockers in Frail Older Adults after Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background We evaluated the burden of adverse events caused by β-blocker use after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in frail, older nursing home (NH) residents. Methods This retrospective cohort study used national Medicare claims linked to Minimum Data Set assessments. The study population was individuals aged ≥65 years who resided in a U.S. NH for ≥30 days, had a hospitalized AMI between May 2007 and March 2010, and returned to the NH. Exposure was new use of β-blockers versus nonuse post-AMI. Orthostasis, general hypotension, falls, dizziness, syncope, and breathlessness outcomes were measured over 90 days of follow-up. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for outcomes were estimated using multinomial logistic regression models after 1:1 propensity score-matching of β-blocker users to nonusers. Results Among the 10,992 NH propensity score-matched residents with an AMI, the mean age was 84 years and 70.9% were female. β-blocker users were more likely than nonusers to be hospitalized for hypotension (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.03-1.39) or experience breathlessness (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.01-1.20) after AMI. With the exception of falls, other outcome estimates, though imprecise, were compatible with a potential elevated risk of orthostasis (OR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.96-1.35), syncope, (OR = 1.24, 95% CI 0.55-2.77), and dizziness (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 0.82-1.99) among β-blocker users. Conclusions Considered alongside prior evidence that β-blockers may worsen functional outcomes in NH residents with poor baseline functional and cognitive status, our results suggest that providers should exercise caution when prescribing for these vulnerable groups, balancing the mortality benefit against the potential for causing adverse events.
Diminished positive affect and traumatic stress: A biobehavioral review and commentary on trauma affective neuroscience.

Abstract Post-traumatic stress manifests in disturbed affect and emotion, including exaggerated severity and frequency of negative valence emotions, e.g., fear, anxiety, anger, shame, and guilt. However, another core feature of common post-trauma psychopathologies, i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression, is diminished positive affect, or reduced frequency and intensity of positive emotions and affective states such as happiness, joy, love, interest, and desire/capacity for interpersonal affiliation. There remains a stark imbalance in the degree to which the neuroscience of each affective domain has been probed and characterized in PTSD, with our knowledge of post-trauma diminished positive affect remaining comparatively underdeveloped. This remains a prominent barrier to realizing the clinical breakthroughs likely to be afforded by the increasing availability of neuroscience assessment and intervention tools. In this review and commentary, the author summarizes the modest extant neuroimaging literature that has probed diminished positive affect in PTSD using reward processing behavioral paradigms, first briefly reviewing and outlining the neurocircuitry implicated in reward and positive emotion and its interrelationship with negative emotion and negative valence circuitry. Specific research guidelines are then offered to best and most efficiently develop the knowledge base in this area in a way that is clinically translatable and will exert a positive impact on routine clinical care. The author concludes with the prediction that the development of an integrated, bivalent theoretical and predictive model of how trauma impacts affective neurocircuitry to promote post-trauma psychopathology will ultimately lead to breakthroughs in how trauma treatments are conceptualized mechanistically and developed pragmatically.
Financial IncEntives for Smoking TreAtment: protocol of the FIESTA trial and FIESTA Oral Microbiome Substudy

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, but evidence-based smoking cessation therapy is underutilized. Financial incentive strategies represent an innovative approach for increasing the use of counseling and pharmacotherapy. If effective, they could supplement or supplant resource-intensive policy options, particularly in populations for whom smoking has substantial societal costs. FIESTA (Financial IncEntives for Smoking TreAtment) will randomize hospitalized smokers to receive usual smoking cessation care alone or usual smoking care augmented with financial incentives. We aim to compare the impact of these two strategies on 1) smoking abstinence, 2) use of counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, and 3) quality of life of participants. We also will evaluate the short-term and long-term return on the investment of incentives. The FIESTA Oral Microbiome Substudy will compare the oral microbiome of smokers and nonsmokers to longitudinally assess whether smoking cessation changes oral microbiome composition. We will enroll 182 inpatient participants from the Manhattan campus of the Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System. All participants receive enhanced usual care, including screening for tobacco use, counseling while hospitalized, access to nicotine replacement therapy, and referral to a state Quitline. Patients in the financial incentive arm receive enhanced usual care and up to $550 for participating in the New York Smoker’s Quitline, using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and achieving biochemically confirmed smoking cessation at 2 months and 6 months. In the microbiome substudy, we enroll nonsmoking control participants matched to each recruited smoker’s hospital ward, sex, age, diabetes status, and antibiotic use. After discharge, participants are asked to complete periodic phone interviews at 2 weeks, 2 months, 6 months, and 12 months and provide expired carbon monoxide and saliva samples at 2 months, 6 months, and 12 months for cotinine testing and oral microbiome analysis. The incentive interventions of FIESTA may benefit hospitalized smokers, an objective made all the more critical because smoking rates among hospitalized patients are higher than those in the general population. Moreover, the focus of FIESTA on evidence-based therapy and bioconfirmed smoking cessation can help guide policy efforts to reduce smoking-related healthcare costs in populations with high rates of tobacco use and costly illnesses. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02506829 . Registered on 1 July 2014.
Programming Environments for Highly Parallel Scientific Computers

Very high speed computing resources are important for a number of scientific applications. In recent years highly parallel computer architectures have been developed which offer an alternative to the conventional pipelined vector approach to supercomputers. An attractive feature of the highly parallel systems is the potential for further speedup by simply adding additional processor resources. One of the main disadvantages of the parallel approach is that the conventional Fortran framework cannot be used and new programming techniques must be mastered.
HA Nanocarriers Mediate HepG2 Vaccine Induction of hGM-CSF Gene Antitumor effect study

This report developed a novel method to observe the anti-tumor effect of HA nanoparticle carrier-mediated HepG2 cell vaccine transfected with hGM-CSF gene in vitro, and provide evidence for the clinical application of hGM-CSF gene-modified HepG2 cell vaccine. HA nanoparticle-mediated hGM-CSF gene transfection of HepG2 cells was used to prepare HepG2 cell vaccine transfected with GMCSF gene. Human PBMC were isolated by density gradient centrifugation and human PBMC were induced in vitro. The proliferative activity of PBMC and the killing effect on HepG2 cells were determined by WST-1 method. The positive expression rates of CD4+ and CD8+ were analyzed by flow cytometry, and the secretion of INF-{gamma} was determined by ELISA. WST-1 results showed that the transgenic HepG2 vaccine induced PBMC proliferation, and its proliferation rate was better than that of wild-type vaccine. The induced PBMC had a higher killing rate against HepG2 than the wild-type vaccine group and each blank. In the control group, FCM results showed that the positive expression rates of CD4+ and CD8+ in the transgenic HepG2 vaccine group were higher than those in the wild-type vaccine group and each blank control group. The ELISA results showed that the IFN-{gamma} content in the transgenic PBMC culture supernatant was 1989.76. +/- 254.21 pg/ml, higher than the wild-type vaccine group and each blank control group.
12 Organic gas-phase ion chemistry

Physical organic chemistry studies utilizing gas-phase ion chemistry in the past year are summarized. The studies reported range from thermochemical studies, illustrated by the isomeric cyclohexane acidity study and the study of alkyl cation reactions with ozone, to mechanistic investigations that find solvation to have very little influence in the transition state of SN2 reactions. Also included are groundbreaking structural studies exemplified in the generation and characterization of the first example of an open-shell doublet triradical, and the integration of previously autonomous techniques in an empirical study of the reaction of previously difficult to generate neutral organic intermediates with ions. Studies of biological and organometallic reagents are also surveyed, as well as advances in photoelectron spectroscopy.
Warren Zevon: Desperado of Los Angeles: by George Plasketes, Lanham, MD, Rowman & Littlefield, 2016, 251 pp., $50.00 (hardcover), ISBN 978-1-4422-3456-7

Part of the Tempo series of introductory texts on major pop/rock artists, George Plasketes’s Warren Zevon: Desperado of Los Angeles makes a strong case for the California-based singer-songwriter’s ...
Insights into the Cathode–Electrolyte Interphases of High-Energy-Density Cathodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries

We present a comprehensive study of cycled high-Ni (LiNi1–xMxO2, M = metals), Li-rich (Li1+xMnyM1–x–yO2), and high-voltage spinel (LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4) electrodes with time-of-flight secondary ion mass ...