cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative and evolutionary biology of alternative splicing: how changing the mix of alternative transcripts affects phenotypic plasticity and reaction norms

Alternative splicing (AS) of pre-messenger RNA is a common phenomenon that creates different transcripts from a single gene, and these alternative transcripts affect phenotypes. The majority of AS research has examined tissue and developmental specificity of expression of particular AS transcripts, how this specificity affects cell function, and how aberrant AS is related to disease. Few studies have examined quantitative between-individual variation in AS within a cell or tissue type, or in relation to phenotypes, but the results are compelling: quantitative variation in AS affects plastic traits such as stress, anxiety, fear, egg production, muscle performance, energetics and plant growth. Genomic analyses of AS are also at a nascent stage, but have revealed a number of significant evolutionary patterns. Growing knowledge of upstream genes and kinases that regulate AS provides the as-yet little explored potential to examine how these genes and pathways respond to environmental and genotype variables. Research in this area can provide glimpses of a labyrinth of genetic architectures that have rarely been considered in evolutionary and organismal biology, or in quantitative genetics. The scarcity of contribution to knowledge about AS from these fields is illustrated by the fact that heritability of quantitative variation in AS has not yet been determined for any gene in any organism. New research tactics that incorporate quantitative analyses of AS will allow organismal and evolutionary biologists to attain a fuller mechanistic understanding of many of the traits they study, and may lead to more rapid discovery of functionally important polymorphisms.
Characterization of supported alumina membranes formed by an in situ sol-gel method

The formation of alumina coatings on porous ceramic tubes by an in situ sol-gel process was reported earlier. Using this process, coating layers were prepared and heat-treated to temperatures between 60 and 950 C. The bayerite phase of alumina was identified by X-ray diffraction analysis in the dried layers. Gas flow rates of He, N{sub 2}, Ar, and CO{sub 2} were measured. The gas flow rates decreased for a given pressure drop in the order He > N{sub 2} > Ar. CO{sub 2} showed anomalous behavior because of its interaction with the alumina membrane.
Identification of major quantitative trait loci underlying floral pollination syndrome divergence in Penstemon.

Distinct floral pollination syndromes have emerged multiple times during the diversification of flowering plants. For example, in western North America, a hummingbird pollination syndrome has evolv...
The importance of reporting both composite and maze yield for process split yield learning

Electrical composite yield for a given macro is calculated from many smaller macros that are called mazes. Maze yield can also be calculated. For defects that have a random distribution the composite and the maze yield always provide the same trend for process splits. Specifically the composite yield can be expressed by p k where p is the maze yield and k is the number of mazes. This is no longer true when systematic and random defects co-exist in the dataset. The reading of the composite yield alone can not provide sufficient information of the process impact. Here we provide five real-world case-studies where a complete picture of the electrical fail mechanism is obtained only by analyzing both the maze and the composite yield.
Exploring underproduction in Wikipedia

Researchers have used Wikipedia data to identify a wide range of antecedents to success in collective production. But we have not yet inquired whether collective production creates those public goods which bring most value-add from a social perspective. In this poster I explore two key circumstances in which collective production can fail to respond to social need: when goods fail to attain high quality despite (1) high demand or (2) explicit designation by producers as highly important. In the context of Wikipedia. I propose first to examine articles that remain low quality, or underproduced, despite the fact they are viewed often; and second, to examine articles that remain low quality despite the fact that they were identified as important by Wikipedia contributors. This research highlights the fact that collective production needs to be examined not only by itself but also in the context of a market for goods in order to ascertain the benefits of this production form. The final version of this study will integrate data on underproduced articles with data on knowledge categories to uncover systematic patterns of underproduction at the category level and predict which categories are most in need of quality improvement. Additionally I will use in-depth qualitative methods to examine the mechanisms through which underproduction occurs in select knowledge categories to distill practical recommendations for collective production improvement.
A Force Limiting Adaptive Controller for a Robotic System Undergoing a Noncontact-to-Contact Transition

The problem of prescribing, reducing, or controlling the interaction forces between a robot and the environment during a noncontact-to-contact transition is intriguing because large interaction forces can damage both the robot and/or the environment or lead to degraded performance or instabilities. In this paper, we consider a two-link planar robotic arm that transitions from free motion to contact with an unactuated mass-spring system. The objective is to control a robot from a noncontact initial condition to a desired (in-contact) position so that the mass-spring system is regulated to a desired compressed state. The feedback elements for the controller in this paper are contained inside hyperbolic tangent functions as a means to limit the impact forces resulting from large initial conditions as the robot transitions from a noncontact to contact state. The main challenge of this work is that the use of saturated feedback does not allow some coupling terms to be canceled in the stability analysis, resulting in the need to develop state-dependent upper bounds that reduce the stability to a semiglobal result. New control development, closed-loop error systems, and Lyapunov-based stability analysis arguments are used to conclude the result. It is interesting to note that only the position and velocity terms are required for the proposed controller (i.e., the controller does not depend on measuring the impact force and the acceleration terms). Experimental results that successfully demonstrate the control objective are provided.
Hanging by a coastal strand: breeding system of a federally endangered morning-glory of the south-eastern Florida coast, Jacquemontia reclinata

†Background and Aims Coastal development has led to extensive habitat destruction and the near extinction of the beach clustervine, Jacquemontia reclinata (Convolvulaceae), an endangered, perennial vine endemic to dune and coastal strand communities in south-eastern Florida. We examined the breeding system of this rare species, and observed visitors to its flowers, as part of a larger effort to document its status and facilitate its recovery. †Methods Reproductively mature experimental plants were grown from seed collected from wild plants in two of the largest remaining populations. Controlled hand pollinations on potted plants were conducted to determine the level of compatibility of the species and to investigate compatibility within and between populations. Seeds from the hand pollinations were planted in soil, and they were monitored individually, recording time to seed germination (cotyledon emergence). Wild plants were observed in several of the remaining populations to determine which species visited the flowers. †Key Results Hand pollination and seed planting experiments indicate that J. reclinata has a mixed mating system: flowers are able to set fruit with viable seeds with self-pollen, but outcross pollen produces significantly greater fruit and seed set than self-pollen (� 50 % for crosses vs. ,25 % for self-pollinations). Visitors included a wide array of insect species, primarily of the orders Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera. All visitors captured and examined carried J. reclinata pollen, and usually several other types of pollen. †Conclusions Remnant populations of beach clustervine will have greater reproductive success not only if floral visitor populations are maintained, but also if movement of either pollen or seed takes place between populations. Restoration efforts should include provisions for the establishment and maintenance of pollinator populations.
The Skeletal L-type Ca2+ Current Is a Major Contributor to Excitation-coupled Ca2+ entry

The term excitation-coupled Ca2+ entry (ECCE) designates the entry of extracellular Ca2+ into skeletal muscle cells, which occurs in response to prolonged depolarization or pulse trains and depends on the presence of both the 1,4-dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) in the plasma membrane and the type 1 ryanodine receptor in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membrane. The ECCE pathway is blocked by pharmacological agents that also block store-operated Ca2+ entry, is inhibited by dantrolene, is relatively insensitive to the DHP antagonist nifedipine (1 μM), and is permeable to Mn2+. Here, we have examined the effects of these agents on the L-type Ca2+ current conducted via the DHPR. We found that the nonspecific cation channel antagonists (2-APB, SKF 96356, La3+, and Gd3+) and dantrolene all inhibited the L-type Ca2+ current. In addition, complete (>97%) block of the L-type current required concentrations of nifedipine >10 μM. Like ECCE, the L-type Ca2+ channel displays permeability to Mn2+ in the absence of external Ca2+ and produces a Ca2+ current that persists during prolonged (∼10-second) depolarization. This current appears to contribute to the Ca2+ transient observed during prolonged KCl depolarization of intact myotubes because (1) the transients in normal myotubes decayed more rapidly in the absence of external Ca2+; (2) the transients in dysgenic myotubes expressing SkEIIIK (a DHPR α1S pore mutant thought to conduct only monovalent cations) had a time course like that of normal myotubes in Ca2+-free solution and were unaffected by Ca2+ removal; and (3) after block of SR Ca2+ release by 200 μM ryanodine, normal myotubes still displayed a large Ca2+ transient, whereas no transient was detectable in SkEIIIK-expressing dysgenic myotubes. Collectively, these results indicate that the skeletal muscle L-type channel is a major contributor to the Ca2+ entry attributed to ECCE.
The safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical and herbal caffeine and ephedrine use as a weight loss agent

Since passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, the sale of herbal dietary supplements containing caffeine and ephedrine for weight loss has become widespread in the United States. Reports of adverse events associated with the use of these non-prescription supplements have raised concerns in the United States regulatory community. Restricting the use of these products is now being considered. Such restriction should be based upon controlled clinical trials. This review of the literature in Medline relative to the use of caffeine and ephedrine in the treatment of obesity concludes that caffeine and ephedrine are effective in causing weight loss. Caffeine and ephedrine give equivalent weight loss to Diethylpropion and superior weight loss compared to dexfenfluramine. Caffeine and ephedrine have a long history of safe, non-prescription use. The adverse events accompanying acute dosing are mild and transient. Adverse events with caffeine and ephedrine reach and remain at placebo levels after 4-12 weeks of continuous treatment, but data from randomized trials up to 6 months only are available. Obesity is chronic, requires chronic treatment, its incidence is increasing and it has few effective treatments. The benefits of caffeine and ephedrine in treating obesity appear to outweigh the small associated risks. Restriction of dietary herbal supplements containing caffeine and ephedrine, often with other ingredients, should be based on controlled clinical trials of these products.
Mechanism of rapid elimination of lysophosphatidic acid and related lipids from the circulation of mice

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid mediator. Concentrations of the major LPA species in mouse plasma decreased uniformly following administration of a potent selective inhibitor of the LPA-generating lysophospholipase D autotaxin, identifying an active mechanism for removal of LPA from the circulation. LPA, akylglycerol phosphate (AGP), sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), and a variety of structural mimetics of these lipids, including phosphatase-resistant phosphonate analogs of LPA, were rapidly eliminated (t1/2
Unpredictability of Deception in Compliance With Physician-Prescribed Bronchodilator Inhaler Use in a Clinical Trial

Objective To identify subject characteristics that may be predictive of intentional dumping of metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) during a clinical trial. Design Nebulizer Chronologs (NCs; Medtrac Technologies; Lakewood, CO), which record the date and time of each MDI actuation, were attached to the MDIs of participants who were given a prescribed medication schedule to follow in a clinical trial. Participants were not informed of the function of the NC or that their medication use was being monitored. Setting The Lung Health Study, a 5-year clinical trial to evaluate the effect of intensive smoking cessation counseling and regular use of an inhaled bronchodilator on the progression of COPD. Participants One hundred one smokers, 35 to 60 years of age, with mild to moderate airways obstruction enrolled in The Lung Health Study. Measurements and results Thirty of these 101 participants (30%) actuated their inhalers > 100 times within a 3-h interval on at least one occasion during the first year of this 5-year trial. Only 1 of an additional 135 participants who had full foreknowledge of the MDI monitoring capability of the NC did so. Most of these dumping episodes occurred shortly before a clinic follow-up visit, suggesting an active attempt to hide noncompliance from the clinic staff. Whereas self-reported inhaler usage and canister weights were similar for the “dumpers” and “nondumpers,” NC data indicated significantly lower compliance rates for dumpers (χ 2 ; p Conclusions Deception among noncompliers occurs frequently in clinical trials, is often not revealed by the usual methods of monitoring, and cannot be predicted by data readily available in clinical trials.
Depression of Contractile Force of Skeletal Muscle by Intra-arterial Vasodilator Drugs

The intra-arterial administration of vasodilator drugs (acetylcholine, histamine, isoproterenol, adenosine triphosphate, bradykinin, and isoxsuprine hydrochloride) induced reversible depression in the maximal contractile force of the intermittently stimulated gastrocnemius-soleus muscles in the cat. In general, blood flow to the muscles was held constant and perfusion pressure was observed. The agents were effective in depressing the muscle at doses the same as those required to produce dilatation in the resting muscle. Increase in blood flow during infusion could reverse the depression. Atropine, in amounts sufficient to block the hypotensive action of intravenously administered acetylcholine, prevented the muscle depressant action of the latter, while leaving unaffected the action of histamine. Further experiments, utilizing mainly acetylcholine as the prototype, were performed to test the hypothesis that the depressant effect on the gastrocnemius was closely related to a vascular action of the drugs. E...
Islet transplant model in nonhuman primates: use of streptozotocin

Abstract Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is an autoimmune disease resulting from progressive destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic β cells. Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is a common disease, the second most prevalent chronic illness in children. The clinical results reported by the Edmonton group in recipients of allogeneic islet grafts, who all achieved at least temporary insulin independence, have rekindled interest in islet transplantation as a therapy for IDDM. However, for islet transplantation to become the therapy of choice, it is essential to (1) overcome the shortage of donor tissue; (2) develop islet-friendly immunosuppressive protocols; (3) develop donor-specific tolerance; and (4) improve the rate of long-term engraftment as to rival outcomes with whole pancreas organ transplantation. As improvements are needed, a reliable diabetic animal model to develop strategies to improve clinical outcomes is important. The nonhuman primates are well suited for this purpose, although spontaneous diabetes in large animals is rare ( J Clin Invest 1996;98:1417–22). Thus, induction of diabetes is necessary in this model. A nonhuman primate diabetic model using streptozotocin with stable insulin dependence has been achieved in several laboratories and will be discussed here.
11 Organic photochemistry

This review covers the literature during publication year 2002 concerning organic photochemistry. The general areas of photochemical applications in organic synthesis and mechanistic studies are both covered. This review is selective rather than comprehensive, due to the large volume of publications in this field. Biological photochemistry is not covered. Of particular note in 2002 is the development of a smart photochromic system which links bis-naphthopyrans through a bis-thiophene moiety. The thiophene tether undergoes a time-dependent change during irradiation, with its electron-donating ability varying due to hybridization changes at the spirocyclic carbon. The development of orthogonal photocleavable protecting groups, with intramolecular or intermolecular discrimination, was described. Chiral discrimination in excited-state proton transfer was demonstrated through an enhanced proton transfer rate from 5,8-dicyano-2-naphthol to enantiopure 2-butanol, compared to the racemic solvent. Progress in photoinduced asymmetric induction for photocyclization and geometric isomerizations was reported. The highest levels of asymmetric induction were achieved in zeolites in combination with ionic or neutral chiral auxiliaries.
Antipyretic Role of Endogenous Melanocortins Mediated by Central Melanocortin Receptors during Endotoxin-Induced Fever

Bacterial infection causes fever, an adaptive but potentially self-destructive response, in the host. Also activated are counterregulatory systems such as the pituitary-adrenal axis. Antipyretic roles have also been postulated for certain endogenous central neuropeptides, including the melanocortins (alpha-MSH-related peptides). To test the hypothesis that endogenous central melanocortins have antipyretic effects mediated by central melanocortin receptors (MCRs), we determined the effect of intracerebroventricular injection of a synthetic MCR antagonist, Ac-Nle4,c-[Asp5,DNal(2')7,Lys10]alpha-MSH(4-10)-NH2 (SHU-9119) in endotoxin-challenged rats. The efficacy and specificity of SHU-9119 as an MCR antagonist in the rat was first validated in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, in heterologous cells expressing either rat MC3-R or MC4-R, the major MCR subtypes expressed in brain, SHU-9119 showed no intrinsic agonism, but it inhibited alpha-MSH-induced cAMP accumulation (IC50 = 0.48 +/- 0.19 and 0.41 +/- 0.28 nM, respectively) and [125I]-[Nle4,DPhe7]-alpha-MSH binding (IC50 = 1.0 +/- 0.1 and 0.9 +/- 0.3 nM, respectively). In vivo, exogenous alpha-MSH (180 pmol) inhibited fever in rats when administered intracerebroventricularly 30 min after Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (25 microg/kg, i.p.). When co-injected with alpha-MSH, SHU-9119 (168 pmol, i.c.v.) prevented the antipyretic action of exogenous alpha-MSH. In contrast, neither alpha-MSH nor SHU-9119, alone or in combination, affected body temperatures in afebrile rats. In LPS-treated rats, intracerebroventricular injection of SHU-9119 significantly increased fever, whereas intravenous injection of the same dose of SHU-9119 had no effect. Neither intracerebroventricular nor intravenous SHU-9119 significantly affected LPS-stimulated plasma ACTH or corticosterone levels. The results indicate that endogenous central melanocortins exert an antipyretic influence during fever by acting on MCRs located within the brain, independent of any modulation of the activity of the pituitary-adrenal axis.
South of the American Renaissance

Why Simms? The recovery of forgotten or neglected writers from the past has been one of the most visible trends in post-1960s literary studies. But from Kate Chopin to William Wells Brown, these reclaimed writers have typically represented historically marginalized groups. Their republication has been central to the establishment of various progressive movements in the academy, such as women's studies and African-American studies. Scholars in these
Eating Away at Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and outcomes remain poor despite improvements in therapy [(1)][1]. In this regard, it has been shown that not all patients respond favorably to some of the more effective therapies, such as β-adrenergic
Aerosol plume detection algorithm based on image segmentation of scanning atmospheric lidar data

AbstractAn image-processing algorithm has been developed to identify aerosol plumes in scanning lidar backscatter data. The images in this case consist of lidar data in a polar coordinate system. Each full lidar scan is taken as a fixed image in time, and sequences of such scans are considered functions of time. The data are analyzed in both the original backscatter polar coordinate system and a lagged coordinate system. The lagged coordinate system is a scatterplot of two datasets, such as subregions taken from the same lidar scan (spatial delay), or two sequential scans in time (time delay). The lagged coordinate system processing allows for finding and classifying clusters of data. The classification step is important in determining which clusters are valid aerosol plumes and which are from artifacts such as noise, hard targets, or background fields. These cluster classification techniques have skill since both local and global properties are used. Furthermore, more information is available since both ...
Philosophie, Politik und Wissenschaftliche Weltauffassung: Zur Frage der Philosophie in Österreich und Deutschland

1. Einfuhrung Eine der merkwurdigsten philosophischen Erscheinungen der letzten zwanzig Jahren ist die sogenannte 'Continental Philosophy' (C.P.), eine Schopfung vor allem der nordamerikanischen Universitatsszene unserer Zeit. Vorlesungen unter dem Titel 'Continental Philosophy' werden im angelsachsischen Raum alljahrlich vielen Tausenden von Philosophiestudenten angeboten, eine Praxis, die zumindest insofern fragwurdig erscheint, als diese Vorlesungen nicht von der Philosophie in Kontinentaleuropa in ihrer Gesamtheit handeln, sondern nur von einem engen Ausschnitt franzosisch-deutscher Philosophie, wobei Heidegger oft als der einzige feste Punkt erscheint. Um ihn herum wird eine Serie Pariser Denker versammelt, von denen jede Generation den Anspruch erhebt, das 'Ende' der Philosophie (oder der 'Moderne', des 'Autors', des 'Menschen', der 'Identitat' u. dgl.) herbeigefuhrt zu haben. 1 Bei all dem wird der spate Husserl manchmal als C.P.-Vorlaufer berucksichtigt, sein Lehrer Franz Brentano aber ebensowenig wie andere prominente deutsche Philosophen des 20. Jahrhunderts wie etwa Ernst Cassirer oder Nicolai Hartmann. Franzosische Philosophen in der Tradition von Poincare, Bergson oder Gilson werden gleichfalls, nicht anders als polnische, skandinavische oder tschechische Philosophen, ignoriert. Was fungiert als Einheitsmoment dieser 'Continental Philosophy'? Was haben Heidegger, Derrida und Luce Irigaray gemeinsam, das sie von Phanomenologen wie etwa Reinach oder Ingarden oder dem sagenhaften Johannes Daubert 2 unterscheidet? Die naheliegende Antwort ist: Antipathie gegenuber der Wissenschaft oder besser: Antipathie gegenuber den gewohnlichen Normen der Evidenz und des Argumentierens sowie gegenuber den ublichen burgerlichen Zwecken der Universitat, dazu die Ersetzung - wenigstens im Fall vieler franzosischen Philosophen, die als 'Kontinentalphilosophen' anerkannt werden - von Wissenschaft in diesem breiteren Sinn durch Politik.
Human chorionic gonadotropin binding to rat ovarian tissue in vitro.

SummaryIn vitro studies have demonstrated the existence in homogenates of luteinized rat ovary of one or more sedimentable components with a marked binding affinity for 131I-labeled human chorionic...
Dynamic Group Signatures Scheme with CCA-anonymity in Standard Model

Group signatures are a central cryptographic primitive,simultaneously supporting anonymity and traceability. Though numbers of group signatures schemes have been presented,some drawbacks still exist in these schemes at the aspects of security,performance and functionality. In order to overcome these issues,this paper proposes a new dynamic group signatures scheme with CCA-anonymity,allowing the members enroll the group dynamically. By making use of the Groth-Sahai proof system,this paper constructs the scheme in detailed,and in standard model formally proves the security including CCA-anonymity,traceability and non-frameability. Finally,compared with other existing group signatures schemes,the proposed scheme is more security and efficient on both the computational cost and communication cost.
Comparisons Between CDMA And GSM

Due to the development of science and technology and the increasing demands of people,mobile communication technology has progressed rapidly.It has developed from the first generation-analogy networks to digital net works through many years'development.Today,it is marching into the third generation.This thesis mainly introduces the main types of mobile communication products,its principles and comparisons of quality between them at different development phases.
Water Mediated Interactions and the Protein Folding Phase Diagram in the Temperature-Pressure Plane.

The temperature–pressure behavior of two proteins, ubiquitin and λ-repressor, is explored using a realistically coarse-grained physicochemical model, the associative memory, water mediated, structure and energy model (AWSEM). The phase diagram across the temperature–pressure plane is obtained by perturbing the water mediated interactions in the Hamiltonian systematically. The phase diagrams calculated with direct simulations along with an extended bridge sampling estimator show the main features found experimentally, including both cold- and pressure-denaturation. The denatured ensembles in different parts of the phase diagram are characterized and found to be structurally distinct. The protein energy landscape is found to be funneled throughout the phase diagram, but modest changes in the entropy and free energy of the water are found to drive both cold and pressure induced denaturation.
Application of a simplified definition of diastolic function in severe sepsis and septic shock.

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is common in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock, but the best approach to categorization is unknown. We assessed the association of common measures of diastolic function with clinical outcomes and tested the utility of a simplified definition of diastolic dysfunction against the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) 2009 definition. In this prospective observational study, patients with severe sepsis or septic shock underwent transthoracic echocardiography within 24 h of onset of sepsis (median 4.3 h). We measured echocardiographic parameters of diastolic function and used random forest analysis to assess their association with clinical outcomes (28-day mortality and ICU-free days to day 28) and thereby suggest a simplified definition. We then compared patients categorized by the ASE 2009 definition and our simplified definition. We studied 167 patients. The ASE 2009 definition categorized only 35 % of patients. Random forest analysis demonstrated that the left atrial volume index and deceleration time, central to the ASE 2009 definition, were not associated with clinical outcomes. Our simplified definition used only e′ and E/e′, omitting the other measurements. The simplified definition categorized 87 % of patients. Patients categorized by either ASE 2009 or our novel definition had similar clinical outcomes. In both definitions, worsened diastolic function was associated with increased prevalence of ischemic heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. A novel, simplified definition of diastolic dysfunction categorized more patients with sepsis than ASE 2009 definition. Patients categorized according to the simplified definition did not differ from patients categorized according to the ASE 2009 definition in respect to clinical outcome or comorbidities.
Potential therapeutic targets in Nrf2-dependent protection against neonatal respiratory distress disease predicted by cDNA microarray analysis and bioinformatics tools.

Abstract Hyperoxia exposure of newborn rodents has served as a model for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) phenotypes found in a sub-population of human premature infants. We previously demonstrated that Nrf2 modulates molecular events during saccular-to-alveolar lung maturation and also has a protective role in the pathogenesis of hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury, mortality, and arrest of saccular-to-alveolar transition using Nrf2 -deficient and wild-type neonate mice. In this review, we describe how whole-genome transcriptome analyses can identify the means through which Nrf2 transcriptionally modulates organ injury and morphology, cellular growth/proliferation, vasculature development, and immune response during BPD-like pathogenesis. We illustrate how recently developed bioinformatics tools can be used to identify sets of Nrf2-dependently modulated genes in the BPD model, and elucidate direct Nrf2 downstream targets and chemicals/drugs that may act on them. These approaches will provide significant insights into promising therapeutic agents for Nrf2-dependent treatments of complications of preterm birth like BPD.
Sex Differences in μ-Opioid Receptor Regulation of the Rat Locus Coeruleus and Their Cognitive Consequences.

Stress-related neuropsychiatric pathologies are more prevalent in females compared with males. An important component of the stress response is activation of the locus coeruleus (LC)–norepinephrine system. Because LC activation is tempered by endogenous opioid release during stress, the magnitude of opioid regulation of the LC could determine stress vulnerability. Here we report convergent evidence for decreased μ-opioid receptor (MOR) function in the female rat LC. The selective MOR agonist, DAMGO (10 pg), completely inhibited LC discharge of male but not female rats and DAMGO (30 pg) produced no further inhibition of female LC neurons. Consistent with a decreased maximum DAMGO response, MOR protein and mRNA expression were decreased in female compared with male LC. These molecular and cellular sex differences were associated with sexually distinct effects of LC-MOR activation on cognitive processing in an operant strategy-shifting task. Although DAMGO (10 pg intra-LC) increased the number of trials to reach criterion for both sexes, it increased the duration to complete the task and the total number of errors selectively in males. Specifically, DAMGO increased premature responses, regressive errors, and random errors in males and perseverative errors in females. The sexually distinct cognitive consequences of activating LC-MOR may contribute to sex differences in opioid abuse patterns and may guide sex-specific therapies. Finally, given evidence that endogenous opioids restrain stress-induced LC activation and promote recovery of activity to pre-stress levels, decreased MOR function in the female LC could contribute to LC-NE overactivity that underlies the hyperarousal symptoms of stress-related psychiatric diseases.
Development of a multi-year database to assess off-road mobility algorithms in fine-grained soils

A gap in off-road mobility is the availability of the test data necessary for the development and validation of tyre, track and soil models. This paper presents the results from a multi-year program to create the database records for off-road vehicle environments (DROVE), a consolidated database of laboratory and field test results. A fine-grained soil component was added to DROVE by compiling 2657 test results. Performance parameters including drawbar pull, motion resistance, torque, sinkage, and slip were included in the database. The database was used to evaluate the accuracy of existing algorithms used in the vehicle-terrain interface (VTI) model. The results indicated that the VTI algorithms can provide reasonable predictions for a few parameters but for others, such as motion resistance, further improvements are warranted. The DROVE dataset can be used for several applications including evaluation of existing mobility models, development of improved algorithms, and validation of numerical simulations.
An ecosystem lens: Putting China’s digital music industry into focus:

The digital disruption of the global music industry hits the value chain for recorded music hard. In China, new digital service providers began to amass large user bases, offering a variety of serv...
Comparison of cost and operative outcomes of robotic hysterectomy compared to laparoscopic hysterectomy across different uterine weights

Operative cost and outcomes between robotic and laparoscopic hysterectomy across different uterine weights. Retrospective cohort study including patients undergoing robotic and laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign disease at an Academic university hospital. One hundred and ninety six hysterectomies were identified (101 robotic versus 95 laparoscopic). Demographic and surgical characteristics were statistically equivalent. Robotic group had a higher body mass index (±SD) (32.9 ± 6.5 versus 30.4 ± 7.1, p 0.012) and more frequent history of adnexal surgery (12.9 versus 4.2%, p 0.031). Laparoscopic group had a higher number of concurrent salpingectomy (81 versus 66.3%, p 0.02). Estimated blood loss did not differ between procedures. Compared to robotic hysterectomies, laparoscopic procedures added 47 min (CI: 31–63 min; p 1000 g was 81.3 min (CI: 51.3–111.3, p 1000 g was 1859$ (CI: 629–3090, p < 0.006) and 4509$ (CI: 377–8641, p < 0.004), respectively, also in favor of the robotic group. In expert hands, robotic hysterectomy for uteri weighing more than 750 g may be associated with shorter operative time and improved cost profile.
Nurses' perceptions of reasons for persistent low rates in hand hygiene compliance.

Abstract Aim The purpose of this study was to explore nurses’ perceptions of reasons for persistent low rates in hand hygiene compliance in the Critical Care Unit and their recommendations for improvement. Design and methods This study used an exploratory, descriptive survey design to identify critical care nurses’ perceptions of barriers to hand hygiene compliance in the unit and their recommendations for improvement. Results Nurses selected high workload, understaffing and suggested lack of time as the main problems with hand hygiene compliance in the critical care unit. Second to that, they identified difficulty accessing sinks and lack of appropriately located hand sanitisers at the point of care complemented by suggestions of not enough sinks and inconveniently located hand sanitiser as major barriers to hand hygiene compliance. Conclusion Results of this study indicate that high workload and understaffing added to difficulty accessing hand hygiene resources contribute to low rates of hand hygiene compliance in the critical care unit. Addressing nursing understaffing and workload and making some environmental modifications to allow easy access to sinks and hand sanitisers may facilitate nurses hand hygiene compliance in this setting. Further studies on the relationship between nurses’ workload, unit staffing, and hand hygiene compliance rates are needed.
Amnestic Somnambulism and Nocturnal Eating Disorder Associated with Zolpidem Use as a Contributing Factor in Accidental Death

Zolpidem is a selective gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor modulator used commonly in the treatment of insomnia. It is effective at initiating sleep and has primary effects similar to benzodia...
Negative Link Prediction and Its Applications in Online Political Networks

Disagreements, oppositions and negative opinions are indispensable parts of online political debates. In social media, people express their beliefs and attitudes not only on issues but also about each other through both their conversations and platform-specifc interactions such as like, share in Facebook and retweet in Twitter. While there are explicit "like" features in these platforms, there is no explicit "dislike" feature. Many network analysis tasks, such as detecting communities and monitoring their dynamics (i.e. polarization patterns) require information about both positive and negative linkages. Hence, predicting negative links between users is an important task and a challenging problem. In this study, we propose an unsupervised framework to predict the negative links between users by utilizing explicit positive interactions and sentiment cues in conversations. We show the effectiveness of the proposed framework on a political Twitter dataset annotated through Amazon MTurk crowdsourcing platform. Our experimental results show that the proposed framework outperforms other well-known methods and proposed baselines. To illustrate the contribution of the predicted negative links, we compare the community detection accuracies using signed and unsigned user networks. Experimental results using predicted negative links show superiority on three political datasets where the camps are known a priori. We also present qualitative evaluations related to the polarization patterns (i.e. rivalries and coalitions) between the detected communities which is only possible in the presence of negative links.
Counter UAS using a formation controlled dragnet

Rapidly developing UAS technology necessitates reliable counter UAS systems. This paper proposes a formation controlled dragnet as a possible solution and compares potential intercept algorithms that can be used in this scenario. Proportional navigation and target-predictive path planning, both existing algorithms, are explored and an original approach, Adaptive Radius Optimal Defense (AROD), is introduced. Simulation results are given and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach are discussed. Based on the simulation results, some advantages that AROD offers over other existing algorithms are listed. Possible improvements and future research directions are also suggested.
Drosophila as a Model System for Neurotransmitter Measurements

Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, is an important, simple model organism for studying the effects of genetic mutations on neuronal activity and behavior. Biologists use Drosophila for neuroscience studies because of its genetic tractability, complex behaviors, well-known and simple neuroanatomy, and many orthologues to human genes. Neurochemical measurements in Drosophila are challenging due to the small size of the central nervous system. Recently, methods have been developed to measure real-time neurotransmitter release and clearance in both larvae and adults using electrochemistry. These studies have characterized dopamine, serotonin, and octopamine release in both wild type and genetic mutant flies. Tissue content measurements are also important, and separations are predominantly used. Capillary electrophoresis, with either electrochemical, laser-induced fluorescence, or mass spectrometry detection, facilitates tissue content measurements from single, isolated Drosophila brains or small samples ...
18 F-FDG PET/CT and MRI features of myxoid liposarcomas and intramuscular myxomas

To examine the imaging characteristics of intramuscular myxomas (IM) and myxoid liposarcomas (MLS) on 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI. With IRB approval, our institutional imaging database was searched for pathologically proven IM and MLS evaluated by 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI. PET/CT and MRI imaging characteristics were recorded and correlated with pathologic diagnosis. We found eight patients (2 M, 6 F) with IM (mean age 65.6 ± 10.4 years) and 16 patients (7 F, 9 M) with MLS (mean age 42.8 ± 16.3 years). MRI was available in 7/8 IM and 15/16 MLS patients. There was no significant difference between the two groups in SUVmax (IM 2.7 ± 0.8, MLS 3.0 ± 1.0; p = 0.35), SUVmean (1.7 ± 0.4, 1.5 ± 0.5; p = 0.40), total lesion glycolysis (101.8 ± 127.3, 2420.2 ± 4003.3 cm3*g/ml; p = 0.12), metabolic tumor volume (62.3 ± 71.1, 1742.9 ± 3308.0 cm3; p = 0.17) or CT attenuation (p = 0.70). MLS occurred in younger patients (p = 0.0015), were larger (16.4 ± 8.2 vs. 5.6 ± 2.5 cm; p = 0.0015), more often T1 hyperintense (p = 0.03), with nodular enhancement (p = 0.006), and macroscopic fat on CT (p = 0.0013) and MRI (p = < 0.001) compared to myxomas. IM and MLS most commonly demonstrate low-grade FDG activity and overlapping metabolic measures on PET/CT. MRI is useful in differentiation, but MLS can present without macroscopic fat on MRI, underscoring the importance of radiologic-pathologic correlation for accurate diagnosis.
The New World or Old

Upon his return to Holland, Van der Waerden attempts—unsuccessfully—to get a job in the USA and Switzerland. And so, now is ready to explore the job market of Holland. Upon his return to Holland, Van der Waerden attempts—unsuccessfully—to get a job in the USA and Switzerland. And so, now is ready to explore the job market of Holland.
Examining the Impact of a Year-Long University–School Partnership

ABSTRACTField experiences play a significant role in teacher preparation. Having a variety of authentic interactions in real classrooms gives teacher candidates experiences that can connect course ...
Interventions to Prevent Perinatal Depression: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance Perinatal depression, which is the occurrence of a depressive disorder during pregnancy or following childbirth, affects as many as 1 in 7 women and is one of the most common complications of pregnancy and the postpartum period. It is well established that perinatal depression can result in adverse short- and long-term effects on both the woman and child. Objective To issue a new US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on interventions to prevent perinatal depression. Evidence Review The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the benefits and harms of preventive interventions for perinatal depression in pregnant or postpartum women or their children. The USPSTF reviewed contextual information on the accuracy of tools used to identify women at increased risk of perinatal depression and the most effective timing for preventive interventions. Interventions reviewed included counseling, health system interventions, physical activity, education, supportive interventions, and other behavioral interventions, such as infant sleep training and expressive writing. Pharmacological approaches included the use of nortriptyline, sertraline, and omega-3 fatty acids. Findings The USPSTF found convincing evidence that counseling interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy, are effective in preventing perinatal depression. Women with a history of depression, current depressive symptoms, or certain socioeconomic risk factors (eg, low income or young or single parenthood) would benefit from counseling interventions and could be considered at increased risk. The USPSTF found adequate evidence to bound the potential harms of counseling interventions as no greater than small, based on the nature of the intervention and the low likelihood of serious harms. The USPSTF found inadequate evidence to assess the benefits and harms of other noncounseling interventions. The USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that providing or referring pregnant or postpartum women at increased risk to counseling interventions has a moderate net benefit in preventing perinatal depression. Conclusions and Recommendation The USPSTF recommends that clinicians provide or refer pregnant and postpartum persons who are at increased risk of perinatal depression to counseling interventions. (B recommendation)
Loss of GCN5L1 in cardiac cells limits mitochondrial respiratory capacity under hyperglycemic conditions.

The mitochondrial acetyltransferase-related protein GCN5L1 controls the activity of fuel substrate metabolism enzymes in several tissues. While previous studies have demonstrated that GCN5L1 regulates fatty acid oxidation in the prediabetic heart, our understanding of its role in overt diabetes is not fully developed. In this study, we examined how hyperglycemic conditions regulate GCN5L1 expression in cardiac tissues, and modeled the subsequent effect in cardiac cells in vitro. We show that GCN5L1 abundance is significantly reduced under diabetic conditions in vivo, which correlated with reduced acetylation of known GCN5L1 fuel metabolism substrate enzymes. Treatment of cardiac cells with high glucose reduced Gcn5l1 expression in vitro, while expression of the counteracting deacetylase enzyme, Sirt3, was unchanged. Finally, we show that genetic depletion of GCN5L1 in H9c2 cells leads to reduced mitochondrial oxidative capacity under high glucose conditions. These data suggest that GCN5L1 expression is highly responsive to changes in cellular glucose levels, and that loss of GCN5L1 activity under hyperglycemic conditions impairs cardiac energy metabolism.
Interaction between frailty and sex on mortality after elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Abstract Background Controversy exists surrounding gender outcome disparity and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Previous reports have demonstrated worse outcomes for women undergoing open aneurysm repair (OAR); however, these differences are less evident with endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Epidemiologic studies have documented that women score higher on most frailty assessment scales but paradoxically have longer life expectancy compared to men. The interaction of gender/frailty and the influence on outcomes and practice patterns surrounding EVAR and OAR is poorly described. This analysis characterizes the association of frailty/sex interactions on mortality as well as patient selection surrounding elective AAA repair in the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative. Methods All elective infrarenal AAA (EVAR + OAR; 2003-2017) cases were queried from the Vascular Quality Initiative database. Each patient was assigned a previously published modified frailty index (mFI) score derived from comorbidity and preoperative functional status data. Cox proportional hazard models, adjusted for statistically significant covariates, including procedural complexity, determined associations within full models and sex-stratified models. Results A total of 20,750 elective AAA cases were analyzed (EVAR 15,893 [77%]; OAR 4857 [23%]). Thirty-day mortality for EVAR and OAR was 0.7% (n = 115) and 3.5% (n = 169), respectively. Patients who died were significantly more likely to be older (EVAR, 78 vs 73 years; OAR, 74 vs 69 years; P Conclusions Given the strong association between frailty and postoperative mortality, mFI can be used as a predictive tool to aid in surgical planning of patients undergoing elective AAA repair. While mFI can predict postoperative mortality for both men and women, it does not account for the survival disparity between sexes, and further research is warranted to explain this difference. There appear to be significant gender differences in patient selection based on current Society for Vascular Surgery–endorsed treatment thresholds that may have important implications on the appropriateness of AAA care delivery nationally.