cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Non-Doppler Two Dimensional Strain Imaging for Evaluation of Coronary Artery Disease

Over the recent years, strain echocardiography has emerged as a quantitative technique for the evaluation of global and segmental cardiac function. Strain is a measure of deformation, expressed as a percent change in a segment's length compared to its predeformation length. Strain rate (SR) is the local rate of deformation or strain per unit time. Recently non-Doppler two dimensional strain imaging has been developed. This technique is based on tracking ultrasonic speckles from the two dimensional echocardiographic images. These speckles are followed over a number of successive frames, and myocardial velocity is calculated by measuring frame-to-frame changes. This technique is independent of the Doppler angle of incidence and allows measurement of several vectors of strain within myocardial tissue. Non-Doppler strain is a powerful tool, enabling detection of subtle abnormalities in myocardial function. Current evidence shows that non-Doppler strain imaging may allow identification of the early changes that occur with ischemic insult to the myocardium. It may also provide a tool for identification of scarred, non-viable myocardium, with similar accuracy to that of cardiac MRI. Non-Doppler strain imaging is likely to become a standard tool in the evaluation of patients with ischemic heart disease.
Direct central nervous system delivery provides enhanced protection following vector mediated gene replacement in a severe model of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Abstract Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder, is the leading genetic cause of infant mortality. SMA is caused by the homozygous loss of Survival Motor Neuron-1 (SMN1). SMA, however, is not due to complete absence of SMN, rather a low level of functional full-length SMN is produced by a nearly identical copy gene called SMN2. Despite SMN’s ubiquitous expression, motor neurons are preferentially affected by low SMN levels. Recently gene replacement strategies have shown tremendous promise in animal models of SMA. In this study, we used self-complementary Adeno Associated Virus (scAAV) expressing full-length SMN cDNA to compare two different routes of viral delivery in a severe SMA mouse model. This was accomplished by injecting scAAV9-SMN vector intravenously (IV) or intracerebroventricularly (ICV) into SMA mice. Both routes of delivery resulted in a significant increase in lifespan and weight compared to untreated mice with a subpopulation of mice surviving more than 200 days. However, the ICV injected mice gained significantly more weight than their IV treated counterparts. Likewise, survival analysis showed that ICV treated mice displayed fewer early deaths than IV treated animals. Collectively, this report demonstrates that route of delivery is a crucial component of gene therapy treatment for SMA.
A Conserved PapB Family Member, TosR, Regulates Expression of the Uropathogenic Escherichia coli RTX Nonfimbrial Adhesin TosA while Conserved LuxR Family Members TosE and TosF Suppress Motility

A heterogeneous subset of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) strains, referred to as uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), causes most uncomplicated urinary tract infections. However, no core set of virulence factors exists among UPEC strains. Instead, the focus of the analysis of urovirulence has shifted to studying broad classes of virulence factors and the interactions between them. For example, the RTX nonfimbrial adhesin TosA mediates adherence to host cells derived from the upper urinary tract. The associated tos operon is well expressed in vivo but poorly expressed in vitro and encodes TosCBD, a predicted type 1 secretion system. TosR and TosEF are PapB and LuxR family transcription factors, respectively; however, no role has been assigned to these potential regulators. Thus, the focus of this study was to determine how TosR and TosEF regulate tosA and affect the reciprocal expression of adhesins and flagella. Among a collection of sequenced UPEC strains, 32% (101/317) were found to encode TosA, and nearly all strains (91% [92/101]) simultaneously carried the putative regulatory genes. Deletion of tosR alleviates tosA repression. The tos promoter was localized upstream of tosR using transcriptional fusions of putative promoter regions with lacZ. TosR binds to this region, affecting a gel shift. A 100-bp fragment 220 to 319 bp upstream of tosR inhibits binding, suggesting localization of the TosR binding site. TosEF, on the other hand, downmodulate motility when overexpressed by preventing the expression of fliC, encoding flagellin. Deletion of tosEF increased motility. Thus, we present an additional example of the reciprocal control of adherence and motility.
Hormonal and Immunological Characterization of the Cell-Associated Plasminogen Activators Produced by Cultured Rat Granulosa Cells

The hormonal induction and immunological reactivities of the cell-associated plasminogen activators (PAs) produced by granulosa cells obtained from the ovaries of diethylstilbestrol-implanted immature rats were studied. FSH and other cAMP-inducing ligands, including cholera toxin, forskolin, and 8-bromo-cAMP, elevated the PA activity of granulosa cells in a concentration-dependent manner during a 4-h culture, with an approximate 10-fold maximal increase in PA activity compared to control cells. Negligible levels of PA activity were observed in the extracellular medium in the absence or presence of hormones. The PA induced by FSH or cAMP in intact cells was progressively neutralized during the 4-h culture by increasing amounts of antibodies to the tissue-type PA (tPA), but not by an IgG fraction against the urokinase-type PA (UK-PA). However, solubilization of granulosa cells with Triton X-100 revealed the presence of intracellular UK-PA activity in both FSH-treated and control cells that consisted of about 20% of the total cellular PA activity. Electrophoretic analysis of extracts from solubilized granulosa cells indicated the presence of three peaks of PA activity. A PA with a Mr of 70,000 was induced by FSH, was completely inactivated by tPA antibodies, and required fibrin for full activity. A 40,000 Mr fibrin-independent PA was also stimulated by FSH and was partially inhibited by UK-PA antibodies, but not by anti-tPA immunoglobulin G. A third peak of PA activity comigrated with a human UK-PA standard at a Mr of 33,000, was fully neutralized by UK-PA antibodies, and was largely present only in control cells. These results suggest that during the first hours of granulosa cell development, FSH via cAMP induces the production of a cell-surface tPA, while both FSH-treated and control cells synthesize intracellular UK-PAs. Hormonal regulation of the production and activities of these cellular enzymes may allow the expression of specific differentiated functions of developing granulosa cells.
Palliative Surgical Oncology

Palliative surgical oncology is a relatively new concept, but builds on a long tradition in surgery. As the field of palliative medicine grows and becomes its own specialty, surgeons have been receiving some specialized training in palliative care; devising specific palliative surgical procedures; and reevaluating the ethics of their interactions with patients, especially for the selection of palliative surgical procedures. This is leading to a new form of surgical practice in which the emphasis is on relief of present or anticipated symptoms, even if the interventions do not prolong a patient's life span.
Social learning promotes understanding of the physical world: Preschool children's imitation of weight sorting.

We investigated whether social learning, specifically imitation, can advance preschoolers’ understanding of weight. Preschoolers were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group saw an adult intentionally categorize an array of four visually identical objects based on weight. Then, children’s weightbased sorting of the objects was evaluated. To test generalization, children were presented with novel objects (differing in shape, color, and weight from the original ones) and not shown what to do with them. Results indicate that 48-month-olds learned to sort by weight via observing the adult’s demonstration of categorization and that children generalized weight sorting to novel objects. This shows that children imitate at a more abstract level than merely motor actions. They learn and imitate generalizable rules. 36-month-olds did not succeed on this weight sorting task. Children’s cognitive development constrains what children learn through social observation and imitation.
Cardiac extracellular matrix proteomics: Challenges, techniques, and clinical implications

Extracellular matrix (ECM) has emerged as a dynamic tissue component, providing not only structural support, but also functionally participating in a wide range of signaling events during development, injury, and disease remodeling. Investigation of dynamic changes in cardiac ECM proteome is challenging due to the relative insolubility of ECM proteins, which results from their macromolecular nature, extensive post-translational modification (PTM), and tendency to form protein complexes. Finally, the relative abundance of cellular and mitochondrial proteins in cardiac tissue further complicates cardiac ECM proteomic approaches. Recent developments of various techniques to enrich and analyze ECM proteins are playing a major role in overcoming these challenges. Application of cardiac ECM proteomics in disease tissues can further provide spatial and temporal information relevant to disease diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and engineering of therapeutic candidates for cardiac repair and regeneration.
xADL: enabling architecture-centric tool integration with XML

In order to support architecture-centric tool integration within the ArchStudio 2.0 Integrated Development Environment (IDE), we adopted Extensible Markup Language (XML) to represent the shared architecture-in-progress. Since ArchStudio is an architectural style-based development environment that incorporates an extensive number of tools, including commercial off-the-shelf products, we developed a new, vendor-neutral, ADL-neutral interchange format called Extensible Architecture description Language (xADL), as well as a "vocabulary" specific to the C2 style (xC2). This paper outlines our vision for representing architectures as hypertext, the design rationale behind xADL and xC2, and summarizes our engineering experience with this strategy.
Artemisia Gentileschi and her world.

Abstract This article deals with one of the most notable artists of 17th century Italy: Artemisia Gentileschi. Gentileschi holds a unique place in art history, both as a woman artist and as the first female member of the Academy of Design in Florence. Brought up to be an artist by her father—the painter Orazio Gentileschi—she was allowed to work in his studio, use models, receive instruction and collaborate with well-known artists. Artemisia Gentileschi became a follower of the school of Caravaggio—the school's only Caravaggista. She began public life in a notorious way; her father had his colleague Tassi—her painting instructor—charged with raping her. The relationship between historical and art historical events in Gentileschi's life-time and creative processes are explored. Special attention is given to those vicissitudes of Gentileschi's personal life that may be reflected through her work. Popular psychoanalytic conceptualizations about Gentileschi are discussed, as are mythological and biblical them...
Bandwidth of Current Transformers

Bandwidth is one of the important performance parameters of current transformers. Transformers are required to have adequate bandwidth to regenerate the measured current, apart from uncertainties that are caused by the nonsinusoidal waveforms along with harmonics. An expression for the transresistance of the current transformer in terms of parasitic components is derived. Approximate expressions for lower cutoff frequency, upper cutoff frequency, and bandwidth are derived from the equivalent models of the current probe in the corresponding frequency range. The expressions are validated by experimental results for a current transformer using a Ferroxcube ferrite core 528T500-4C4. An overview of the effects of different parasitic components, such as magnetizing inductance, leakage inductance, and stray capacitance, on the bandwidth of a current transformer is presented.
New Three-Dimensional Velocity Motion Model and Composite Odometry–Inertial Motion Model for Local Autonomous Navigation

An autonomous vehicle or a self-guided vehicle (SGV) is a vehicle (robot) that performs the desired tasks in an unstructured environment without continuous human guidance. Almost all applications of an SGV require a vehicle that is capable of moving accurately and repeatedly to a particular location within its environment while executing a specific task. The accuracy and robustness in performing a specific task are therefore very important for the SGV to achieve a high level of performance. This paper introduces a new spherical velocity motion model and a new spherical odometry-inertia motion model for 3-D local landmark-based autonomous navigation. These new models are high accuracy and low-cost models. As modeling the contents of the immediate environment is fundamental, estimation of the position of the vehicle with respect to the external world is fundamental as well. Hence, using the most powerful tools of estimation theory, i.e., the extended Kalman filter (EKF) and the unscented Kalman filter (UKF), which give the best estimations in noisy environments, will prove the accuracy and robustness of these 3-D models.
Soot volume fraction imaging

A technique is described for the determination of soot volume fractions by laser light extinction measurements. This technique differs from previously reported pointwise methods in that a two-dimensional array (i.e., image) of data is acquired simultaneously. In this fashion the net data rate is increased and allows the study of time-dependent phenomena and the investigation of spatial and temporal correlations. A telecentric imaging configuration is employed to provide depth invariant magnification and to permit the specification of the collection angle for scattered light. A method is also employed to suppress undesirable coherent imaging effects. A discussion of the tomographic inversion process is also provided, including the results obtained from numerical simulations.
EBizPort: collecting and analyzing business intelligence information

To make good decisions, businesses try to gather good intelligence information. Yet managing and processing a large amount of unstructured information and data stand in the way of greater business knowledge. An effective business intelligence tool must be able to access quality information from a variety of sources in a variety of forms, and it must support people as they search for and analyze that information. The EBizPort system was designed to address information needs for the business/IT community. EBizPort's collection-building process is designed to acquire credible, timely, and relevant information. The user interface provides access to collected and metasearched resources using innovative tools for summarization, categorization, and visualization. The effectiveness, efficiency, usability, and information quality of the EBizPort system were measured. EBizPort significantly outperformed Brint, a business search portal, in search effectiveness, information quality, user satisfaction, and usability. Users particularly liked EBizPort's clean and user-friendly interface. Results from our evaluation study suggest that the visualization function added value to the search and analysis process, that the generalizable collection-building technique can be useful for domain-specific information searching on the Web, and that the search interface was important for Web search and browse support.
History and Physical Examination

Most patients with lymphedema can be diagnosed by history and physical examination. Individuals with primary (idiopathic) disease typically present during infancy or adolescence. A family history of the condition may be present. Adults who develop lymphedema usually have secondary disease after injury to their axillary and/or inguinal lymph nodes. Patients with lymphedema often have a history of cellulitis of the extremity. Edema almost always involves the distal limb, and the skin of the hand or foot is unable to be pinched. Patients initially have pitting edema, which becomes non-pitting as fibroadipose deposition occurs.
Hunters, ritual, and freedom: dozo sacrifice as a technology of the self in the Benkadi movement of Côte d'Ivoire

This article argues that dozo hunters in Cote d'Ivoire used sacrifice to become unofficial police in the 1990s as part of a security movement they called Benkadi. Scholars have noted similar transformations of West African hunters into soldiers, park guards, and development agents in the context of political, economic, and ecological changes. Although such changes created the conditions in which dozos assumed national security roles, these conditions alone fail to explain why dozos became police. I explore dozo sacrifice as a ‘technology of the self’ in Foucault's terms to argue that dozos freely assumed security roles as ethical responsibilities analogous to those implicit in their hunting and occult pursuits. I draw on Frankl and Laidlaw to explain the emotional and practical aspects of such self-fashioning. The cultural analysis of dozo rituals clarifies the ways dozo agency shaped the impact of political economy and ecology on dozo practice. Resume L'article affirme que dans les annees 1990, les chasseurs dozo de Cote-d'Ivoire ont utilise le sacrifice pour se constituer en police officieuse au sein d'un groupement de securite qu'ils ont appeleBenkadi. Les chercheurs ont note une evolution similaire par laquelle d'autres chasseurs d'Afrique de l'Ouest devenaient soldats, garde-chasse ou agents de developpement, dans le contexte des changements politiques, economiques et ecologiques. Bien que ces changements aient cree les conditions dans lesquelles les dozos se sont charges de fonctions de surete nationale, ces conditions ne suffisent pas a expliquer comment ils en sont venus a constituer une force de l'ordre. L'auteur explore le sacrifice des dozos comme une «technologie de soi», selon les termes de Foucault, pour avancer qu'ils ont librement endosse des roles de surete impliquant des responsabilites ethiques proches de celles implicitement contenues dans leurs chasses et leurs pratiques occultes. Il invoque Frankl et Laidlaw pour expliquer les aspects emotionnels et pratiques de cet auto-faconnage. L'analyse culturelle des rituels des dozoseclaircit la maniere dont ils ont agi pour donner forme aux effets de l'economie et de l'ecologie politiques sur leurs pratiques.
Trinucleotide Repeat Instability: Genetic Features and Molecular Mechanisms

Trinucleotide repeat expansions are an important cause of inherited neurodegenerative disease. The expanded repeats are unstable, changing in size when transmitted from parents to offspring (intergenerational instability, "meiotic instability") and often showing size variation within the tissues of an affected individual (somatic mosaicism, "mitotic instability"). Repeat instability is a clinically important phenomenon, as increasing repeat lengths correlate with an earlier age of onset and a more severe disease phenotype. The tendency of expanded trinucleotide repeats to increase in length during their transmission from parent to offspring in these diseases provides a molecular explanation for anticipation (increasing disease severity in successive affected generations). In this review, I explore the genetic and molecular basis of trinucleotide repeat instability. Studies of patients and families with trinucleotide repeat disorders have revealed a number of factors that determine the rate and magnitude of trinucleotide repeat change. Analysis of trinucleotide repeat instability in bacteria, yeast, and mice has yielded additional insights. Despite these advances, the pathways and mechanisms underlying trinucleotide repeat instability in humans remain largely unknown. There are many reasons to suspect that this uniquely human phenomenon will significantly impact upon our understanding of development, differentiation and neurobiology.
Development of Co-alloys for perpendicular magnetic recording media

Exploring new Co-alloy compositions to achieve both chemical segregation and suitable magnetic properties is a priority task for the development of future perpendicular magnetic recording media. With proper interlayer (IL) design, columnar Co-alloy grains with narrow orientation distribution (/spl Delta//spl theta//sub 50/< 6/spl deg/) have been obtained on thin ILs (4 nm thick). We demonstrate CoCrPtB-alloys with full remanence squareness and large negative reverse field (H/sub r/<-1.5 kOe) at low IL and magnetic layer thickness of 4 and 11 nm, respectively. It is also shown that carbon overcoat thickness reduction results in a signal-to-noise ratio gain of about 0.5 dB/nm.
Resuscitative effect of centhaquin after hemorrhagic shock in rats.

Abstract Background Centhaquin is a cardiovascular active agent that significantly reduced blood lactate levels and enhanced resuscitative effect of hypertonic saline. The present study was carried out to determine the resuscitative effect of centhaquin and compare that with large-volume lactated Ringer (LR) solution in hemorrhaged rats. Materials and methods Male, adult Sprague–Dawley rats were anesthetized with urethane, and a pressure catheter SPR-320 was placed in the left femoral artery; another pressure–volume catheter SPR-869 was placed into the left ventricle through carotid artery. Hemorrhage was induced by withdrawing blood from the right femoral artery, and the mean arterial pressure (MAP) was maintained at 35 mm Hg for 30 minutes after which resuscitation was performed using LR solution (LR-100) (100% shed blood volume), centhaquin (0.017, 0.05, and 0.15 mg/kg) dissolved in LR (100% shed blood volume), or LR-300 (300% shed blood volume). Arterial blood gases and cardiovascular parameters were determined before the induction of hemorrhage and at various times after hemorrhage. Results It was found that survival time after resuscitation with LR-100 was 78 ± 10 min. Centhaquin in doses of 0.017 and 0.05 mg/kg significantly improved survival time to 291 ± 57 and 387 ± 39 min, respectively. Blood lactate levels (millimoles per liter) increased from 7.22 ± 0.67 at hemorrhage to 10.20 ± 0.61 at 60 min after resuscitation with LR-100. On the other hand, blood lactate levels significantly decreased to 3.55 ± 0.07 and 4.08 ± 0.28 at 60 min after resuscitation with 0.017 and 0.05 mg/kg doses of centhaquin, respectively. Centhaquin in these doses produced a 55% and 59% increase in MAP, respectively, compared with a 29% decrease by LR-100. A decrease in systemic vascular resistance of 57% and 41% was observed with 0.017 and 0.05 mg/kg doses of centhaquin, respectively, compared with a 6% decrease by LR-100. LR-100 decreased cardiac output (CO) by 28%, whereas 0.017 and 0.05 mg/kg doses of centhaquin increased it by 260% and 180%, respectively. LR-300 commonly used for resuscitation was found to increase MAP and CO. Compared with LR-300, centhaquin (0.05 mg/kg) significantly improved survival time, increased CO, and was effective in resuscitation of hemorrhaged rats. Conclusions Centhaquin was found to be more effective than LR-300 as an effective resuscitative agent for the treatment of hemorrhagic shock in rat.
Repair Abstractions for More Efficient Data Structure Repair

Despite the substantial advances in techniques for finding and removing bugs, code is often deployed with (unknown or known) bugs, which pose a fundamental problem for software reliability. A promising approach to address this problem is data structure repair—a runtime approach designed to perform repair actions, i.e., mutations of erroneous data structures to repair (certain) errors in program state, to allow the program to recover from those errors and continue to execute. While data structure repair holds much promise, current techniques for repair do not scale to real applications.
Dietary n-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity and Alter Eicosanoid Release by Chicken Immune Cells

Abstract The overall goal of the present study was to determine whether the incorporation of n-3 fatty acids into poultry rations would alter the immune response of broiler chickens. Female broiler chicks were fed a corn and soybean meal-based diet to which one of four dietary fats were added: lard (LA), corn oil (CO), flaxseed oil (SO), or menhaden fish oil (FO). The latter two fat sources are rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Enriching the diet with n-3 PUFA did not alter the primary or secondary antibody response of broiler chickens to sheep red blood cells. Dietary fat source had no effect on antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) by peripheral blood leukocytes, but ADCC by splenocytes was 50% lower in chickens fed SO and FO compared with LA and CO (P
A Review of Current Research on Marital Violence and the Efficacy of Intervention in Korea

Marital violence has been recognized as a serious social problem in South Korea (hereafter referred to as Korea) in recent years, which is reflected in domestic violence legislatures enacted in 1998. As a result, marital violence interventions (e.g., empowerment-based intervention) have been widely used in Korea. However, the efficacy of these interventions has not been systematically evaluated. Additionally, few researchers in Korea have examined evidence-based intervention for perpetrators of marital violence. As applied to Koreans, this paper examines current research on marital violence in Korea; interventions for victims and perpetrators, with particular focus on the applicability of empowerment-based intervention for Korean victims; and directions for research within the Korean context.
The optimal timing of energy-conserving investment-analysis and policy implications

Abstract In this paper, we assume that an energy-conserving technological invention has occurred. Given the cost of equipment replacement and future energy prices, the optimal investment time is calculated. Various assumptions about the nature of replacements, their costs, and the equipment available are made, and several replacement models are used. We next describe policy implications of the analysis and discuss subsidies for energy conservation and research and development policy. An application is presented for home-insulation in the North Central U.S.A.
Spinal cord stimulation versus repeated lumbosacral spine surgery for chronic pain: a randomized, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE Persistent or recurrent radicular pain after lumbosacral spine surgery is often associated with nerve root compression and is treated by repeated operation or, as a last resort, by spinal cord stimulation (SCS). We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled trial to test our hypothesis that SCS is more likely than reoperation to result in a successful outcome by standard measures of pain relief and treatment outcome, including subsequent use of health care resources. METHODS For an average of 3 years postoperatively, disinterested third-party interviewers followed 50 patients selected for reoperation by standard criteria and randomized to SCS or reoperation. If the results of the randomized treatment were unsatisfactory, patients could cross over to the alternative. Success was based on self-reported pain relief and patient satisfaction. Crossover to the alternative procedure was an outcome measure. Use of analgesics, activities of daily living, and work status were self-reported. RESULTS Among 45 patients (90%) available for follow-up, SCS was more successful than reoperation (9 of 19 patients versus 3 of 26 patients, P <0.01). Patients initially randomized to SCS were significantly less likely to cross over than were those randomized to reoperation (5 of 24 patients versus 14 of 26 patients, P=0.02). Patients randomized to reoperation required increased opiate analgesics significantly more often than those randomized to SCS (P <0.025). Other measures of activities of daily living and work status did not differ significantly. CONCLUSION SCS is more effective than reoperation as a treatment for persistent radicular pain after lumbosacral spine surgery, and in the great majority of patients, it obviates the need for reoperation.
Radiological challenges in distinguishing keratocystic odontogenic tumor from ameloblastoma: an extraordinary occurrence in the same patient.

Abstract Objectives The aims of this study are to describe the radiological appearance of two common odontogenic lesions (keratocystic odontogenic tumor and ameloblastoma) arising in the same patient simultaneously with their radiological differences and histological correlates, and to describe challenges in radiological diagnosis. Design Single case report. Setting Tertiary referral center. Participants Forty-one year-old African-American male patient. Main outcome measure Lesion appearance on computed tomography (CT) scan and pathological correlates. Results A 41 year-old African-American male presented with asymptomatic right maxillary swelling. A CT scan of the maxillofacial skeleton showed and expansile and cystic lesion of the right hemimaxilla with trabecular osseous expansion, and a left cystic lesion in the left hemimaxilla expanding into the pterygopalatine fossa. Biopsy confirmed the suspected diagnoses of right ameloblastoma and left keratocystic odontogenic tumor. Conclusion Although they are among the most common odontogenic tumors, the presence of concurrent ameloblastoma and KOT is an exceedingly rare occurrence in the same patient. The appearance on CT scan may help in distinguishing ameloblastoma from KOT by looking at bone expansion and high density areas, although the gold standard diagnostic test remains open biopsy.
Abstract 2726: The Mir-17-92 Microrna Cluster Enhances Axonal Outgrowth In A Rat Cortical Neurons After Oxygen-glucose Deprivation

Background: There is a paucity of studies on the biological function of MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in axons. We investigated the role of the miR-17-92 cluster, one of the first oncogenic miRNAs, on axonal ...
Effects of Oophorectomy and Various Doses of Estradiol-17β on Corticosterone Production by Rat Adrenal Slices.∗:

SummaryCorticosterone production by adrenal tissue in vitro from intact female rats weighing 168–181 g was significantly lower than that obtained from animals of higher or lower body weights. A single dose of a depot preparation of estradiol-17β in rats oophorectomized prior to puberty increased adrenal corticosterone production in vitro for a period beginning 3 days after injection and lasting 3 weeks. The peak effect was noted 2 weeks after injection. The minimal effective dose was 10 μg/100 g body weight. Rats oophorectomized after puberty demonstrated significant reductions in adrenal corticosterone production at 1 and 2 weeks after operation, but not the same degree as that observed 6 weeks after pre-pubertal oophorectomy. The minimal effective replacement dose of estradiol in mature oophorectomized animals was 40 μg/100 g body weight.
FDTD Simulation of Induction Heating of Conducting Ceramic Ware

Induction heating for the treatment of metals has been in commercial use since the mid 1960`s. Traditional advantages of induction heating over the convection or radiation processes include speed of heating, possible energy savings, and the ability to customize the coil design to optimize the heating process. In this paper the authors used the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) technique to simulate and analyze the induction heating process for highly conducting ceramics. In order to analyze frequency effects, simulations were performed at 300 kHz, 2 MHz, and 25 MHz. It is found that at higher frequencies coils with a pitch of 2 in. or greater became capacitive and generate a large, axial, electric-field component. This new axial electric field, in addition to the normally encountered azimuthal field, causes an improvement in the uniformity of the power deposition in the ceramic sample. If the sample occupies a large portion of the coil, uniformity may also be improved by using a variable-pitch coil, or by extending the length of the coil a few turns beyond the length of the sample. In a production-line arrangement, where multiple samples are placed inside the coil, it is shown that maximum uniformity is achieved when the samples aremore » placed coaxially.« less
Infusing Intent and Its Management into Turing Machine: A Path to Cognitive Distributed Computing

The holy grail of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been the reproduction of the cognitive processes in Silicon based computing machines to mimic the human or animal cognitive behavior. Computationalismattempts to explain cognition in terms of different internal representations and symbol-manipulating processes operating over these representations. On the other hand, Connectionism explains cognition in terms of a finite automaton which computes associative function specified by a set of input -output pairs that in turn, introduce interaction into the computing model. However, both theories have critics who believe that they fall short in explaining the cognitive processes observed either in humans or ani mals. Computationalism tied to the Turing computing model which is restricted to single, sequential processes does not support concurrency, mobility and synchronization observed in cognitive processes. The connectionist systems are also dedicated to singletasks and do not support complex environments which require behaviors that are coordinated and integrated. Above all, cognition is associated with intent of a system and its accomplishment efficiently through various processes that monitor and control its elf and its environment. Any computing model incorporating cognition must accommodate dynamic coupling between various elements of the system,
Lethal temperature coefficient – a new parameter for interpretation of cold hardiness

SummaryLethal temperature coefficient (Qlt) is introduced as a new parameter to improve the interpretation of cold hardiness. It is calculated as the slope of the linear portion of the lethal temperature-injury (LT-I) regression line within 20% to 80% injury, the range of importance to plant survival and production. Qlt represents the rate of injury increase for one-degree decrease of lethal temperature (LT). Cold hardiness of primary buds in grapevines was used as an example to illustrate the calculation and the importance of Qlt. It is demonstrated that Qlt and LT to 50% plant tissues (LT50) together reflect overall LT-I responses and better interpret the cultivar differences and effects of various treatments on cold hardiness of primary buds in grapevines. It is suggested both LT50 and Qlt be reported for cold hardiness research.
Exact Diagonalization Study of Real Materials

We report some recent developments in theoretical modeling of real 3d magnetic materials, particularly interface and ultrathin-film structures. We focus on many-body correlation effects and describe the method of modeling realistic strongly correlated electron systems using and going beyond the local-density-approximation single-particle electronic structures. Group-theoretical techniques and high-performance computing facilities are systematically used in this work. Fundamental spectroscopic properties of several prototypical 3d transition-metal systems have been obtained and new features induced by many-body correlation have been discovered. Results will be presented and discussed.
Primary Discussion on Seed Production Characteristics of State Approved Japonica Hybrid Rice Jinyou 2003

This study focused on the parents of Japonica hybrid combinations of Jinyou 2003 from four aspects: growth characteristics,form features,earing and blooming habits.The results showed that Jinyou 2003 was a new combination of high-yielding in hybrid seed production.
Optimal distribution of compression ratio for multistage vapor jet pump

Multistage vapor jet pump is an important equipment to provide vacuum environment needed for various technological processes in chemical,metallurgical,pharmaceutical,food industries,etc.Of which the pumping ability will impact not only the quality of products but the process technologies.Analyzing theoretically the pumping ability of single-stage pump with proper modification,a direct search method is applied to minimizing the working vapor consumption with the number of stages,condenser arrangement and cooling water flowrate taken into account,thus optimizing the distribution of compression ratio for energy saving.The calclating results show that the energy consumption is therefore cut down greatly for multistage vapor ject pumps.
CONGENITAL AURAL ATRESIA

Close cooperation between the plastic surgeon and the otologist, with each understanding and respecting the importance of the other's role, will provide the atresia/microtia patient with the best possible chance of a successful outcome. The purpose of the atresia repair is to improve hearing. Our goal is to attain, through surgery, hearing thresholds that will enable the patient to discard his hearing aid.
A Support Taxonomy for Developing Online Discussions

Since the development of threaded discussion on the World Wide Web, effective use of asynchronous discussion forums has been an issue for public affairs educators. This article is an account of research that examined how traditional mentoring practices might be used successfully in this electronic environment. A taxonomy of strategies for online discussion leaders is described. By using these strategies, instructors can move beyond just asking good questions in online discussions, to putting into practice methods that are designed to challenge students' critical thinking and foster higher levels of student participation. The research results indicate that threaded discussion by the study's target population was improved by use of the taxonomy. Since the introduction of e-mail on Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) in 1971 (Hafher and Lyon, 1996), higher education instructors have been struggling to use computerized electronic communications for instructional purposes.The Mosaic browser's
COMPARISON OF CRUCIATE-RETAINING AND POSTERIOR-STABILISED TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY IN A CADAVERIC MODEL SIMULATING OBESITY

INTRODUCTION Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a very successful procedure with good clinical outcomes. However, the effects of obesity on TKA outcomes remain controversial and inconclusive. The objective of this study was to quantify the biomechanical effects of simulated obesity on Cruciate Retaining (CR) and Posterior Stabilized (PS) TKA in human cadaveric knees. We hypothesized that biomechanical characteristics of CR TKA will be less dependent on simulated obesity compared to PS TKA. METHODS Eight cadaveric knees (4 male, 4 female) average age 68.4 years (range, 40–86 years) underwent TKA and were tested using a custom knee testing system. Specifically, Cruciate Retaining (CR) and Posterior Stabilized (PS) Lospa Knee System (Corentec Inc.) were implanted and tested sequentially using internal control experimental design. The muscle loading was determined based on the physiological cross-sectional area ratio of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles. The ratios were then applied to CDC data representing the average male height and used to simulate a BMI of 25, 30, and 35 at knee flexion angles (KFA) of 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 degrees. Patellofemoral and tibiofemoral joint contact areas and pressures were measured using the K-scan sensor system (Tekscan Inc, South Boston, MA). Contact area, force, pressure and peak contact pressure were obtained and analyzed for each specimen. Knee kinematics were quantified using a Microscribe 3DLX digitizer (Revware Inc, Raleigh, North Carolina). Repeated measure analysis of variance with a Tukey post hoc test was used to compare loading conditions. Comparisons between the CR and PS TKA groups were made with a paired t- test. The significance level was set at 0.05. RESULTS At higher KFAs, the tibia position in the CR knees was more anterior relative to the femur than in the PS design (p At higher KFA, there was a significantly higher patellofemoral force in the PS knee compared to the CR knee. There was a significant increase in patellofemoral contact area for PS knees vs. CR knees. The CR knee showed significantly greater percent change in peak pressures with an increase in BMI from 25 to 35 in mid flexion (Fig 2). CONCLUSION Tibia kinematics with CR TKA were less dependent to increased muscle loading simulating increased BMI compared to PS TKA; however patellofemoral and tibiofemoral contact pressure showed larger changes with increased BMI for the CR TKA compared to the PS TKA.
A weakly supervised activity recognition framework for real-time synthetic biology laboratory assistance

We describe the design of a hybrid system -- a combination of a Dynamic Graphical Model (DGM) with a Deep Neural Network (DNN) -- to identify activities performed during synthetic biology experiments. The purpose is to provide real-time feedback to experimenters, thus helping to reduce human errors and improve experimental reproducibility. The data consists of unlabeled videos of recorded experiments and "weakly supervised" information (i.e., "theoretical" and asynchronous knowledge of sets of high level activity sequences in the experiment) used to train the system. Multiple activity sequences are modeled using a trellis, and deep features are extracted from video images. Model performance is accessed using real-time online statistical inference. The trellis incorporates variations during experiment execution, making our model very general and capable of high performance.
Gender Schema Theory

Gender schema theory describes how individuals process information related to gender. Accordingly, the theory posits that some people develop a lens through which phenomenon is sorted in terms of gender (sex-typed) whereas others do not (non-sex-typed). A gender schema serves essentially as a cognitive filter through which one categorizes personal characteristics into masculine and feminine categories. Moreover, sex-typed individuals are described as having a tendency to decide, on the basis of gender, which personal attributes are going to be associated with their self-concept and which will not. Being schematic with regard to gender means having a readiness to sort information into gender categories even though differences could be grouped on dimensions unrelated to gender. Gender schema theory is not a global theory that claims to predict every part of an individual's gender psychology. Rather, it proposes to describe how people assimilate to cultural templates related to gender or become sex-typed. Contemporary conceptions of gender identity challenge gender schema theory by illuminating critical factors such as identity dimension intersectionality, historical influences, and contextual fluidity. Keywords: femininities; gender; gender difference; gender socialization; masculinities
Unorthodox Acetylcholine Binding Sites Formed by α5 and β3 Accessory Subunits in α4β2* Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

All nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) evolved from homomeric nAChRs in which all five subunits are involved in forming acetylcholine (ACh) binding sites at their interfaces. Heteromeric α4β2* nAChRs typically have two ACh binding sites at α4/β2 interfaces and a fifth accessory subunit surrounding the central cation channel. β2 accessory subunits do not form ACh binding sites, but α4 accessory subunits do at the α4/α4 interface in (α4β2)2α4 nAChRs. α5 and β3 are closely related subunits that had been thought to act only as accessory subunits and not take part in forming ACh binding sites. The effect of agonists at various subunit interfaces was determined by blocking homologous sites at these interfaces using the thioreactive agent 2-((trimethylammonium)ethyl) methanethiosulfonate (MTSET). We found that α5/α4 and β3/α4 interfaces formed ACh binding sites in (α4β2)2α5 and (α4β2)2β3 nAChRs. The α4/α5 interface in (β2α4)2α5 nAChRs also formed an ACh binding site. Blocking of these sites with MTSET reduced the maximal ACh evoked responses of these nAChRs by 30–50%. However, site-selective agonists NS9283 (for the α4/α4 site) and sazetidine-A (for the α4/β2 site) did not act on the ACh sites formed by the α5/α4 or β3/α4 interfaces. This suggests that unorthodox sites formed by α5 and β3 subunits have unique ligand selectivity. Agonists or antagonists for these unorthodox sites might be selective and effective drugs for modulating nAChR function to treat nicotine addiction and other disorders.
Diabetes Prevention in U.S. Hispanic Adults: A Systematic Review of Culturally Tailored Interventions

Context Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome are highly prevalent in Hispanic individuals in the U.S. Cultural adaptations of traditional lifestyle interventions have been recommended to better reach this high-risk population. This systematic review examined the effectiveness of diabetes prevention programs for Hispanics in lowering risk for Type 2 diabetes, as evidenced by a reduction in weight or improvement in glucose regulation. Evidence acquisition PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and PsycINFO were searched from database inception to June 2016 for studies that evaluated diabetes prevention trials targeting U.S. Hispanic populations. Twelve publications met criteria for inclusion. Evidence synthesis Interventions varied substantially in length, rigor, and tailoring strategies. Five of 12 studies were RCTs. Eight studies included entirely or largely (>70%) female samples. All studies were delivered in Spanish and took place in community settings. Nine studies reported significant reductions in weight, and two in glucose regulation, post-intervention or when compared with controls. Effect sizes were small to moderate, study quality was moderate, and attrition was high in most trials. Interventions with the largest effect sizes included one or more of the following adaptations: literacy modification, Hispanic foods/recipes, cultural diabetes beliefs, family/friend participation, structured community input, and innovative experiential learning. Conclusions Culturally tailored lifestyle interventions for diabetes prevention appear to be modestly effective in reducing risk for diabetes in Hispanics in the U.S. More studies are needed that utilize randomized controlled designs, recruit Hispanic men, report intervention content and tailoring strategies systematically, and publish participant evaluation and feedback.
Neotropical Mountains Beyond Water Supply: Environmental Services as a Trifecta of Sustainable Mountain Development

Abstract The anthropogenic system of the northern Andean highlands, including Paramos and high woodlands of the tropical cloud forests, is as important as the tropical glaciers in providing environmental services of capture, sequestration, and delivery of water toward the lowlands. The Paramos have been misconstrued as natural ecosystems, but archaeology and ethnoecology show that they are filled with human structures, representing a coupled nature–society complex cultural landscape in the tropical cloud forests biome. Andean communities have long considered these areas as mythic, prompting ethnographic recognition of deep ecology and including the sacred to inform their construed environment. The spiritual dimension of water and the notion of sacred waters are central to understanding water capture and delivery in the highlands by Kichwa and Aymara indigenous people. This spiritual dimension of water is an important driver of change in tropical Andean landscapes and relevant for winning the trifecta of sustainability. Successful mountain conservation and sustainable management calls for the integration of the sacred and the secular, with the affirmation of indigenous visions of water and pragmatic action for watershed conservation.