cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship between number of conditioning trials per training session and avoidance learning in horses

Abstract Sixteen horses were used to determine if number of trials given per training session (5, 10, 15 or 20) affected learning performance in an avoidance conditioning task. The horse had to move from one side of a test pen to the other during an auditory cue presentation to avoid aversive stimulation. A pen 8 m×3.6 m, divided into two equal sections by a 13-cm diameter plastic pipe lying on the ground, was used as the test pen. Painted plywood panels were fastened to the fence in half the pen to help horses distinguish visually between the two parts. A 10-s auditory cue was used as a signal for horses to move from one side of the test pen to the other. A 20-s intertrial interval was used. Training sessions were conducted every third day. Each trial was recorded as an avoidance (the horse completed the task during auditory cue presentation and avoided aversive stimulus) or an error (the horse received aversive stimulus). After completing ten consecutive avoidances (criterion), the horse was removed from the study. Numbers of training sessions, trials, avoidances and errors until reaching criterion were recorded for each horse. Horses varied greatly within these variables with ranges of 3–18 sessions, 37–121 trials, 20–68 avoidances and 17–53 errors to criterion. No differences were detected (P>0.05) in the number of conditioning trials per training session (treatment) for the mean number of trials, avoidances or errors to criterion. Number of training sessions to criterion differed (P
Implementation of a vector quantization codebook design technique based on a competitive learning artificial neural network

We describe an implementation of a vector quantization codebook design algorithm based on the frequencysensitive competitive learning artificial neural network. The implementation, designed for use on high-performance computers, employs both multitasking and vectorization techniques. A C version of the algorithm tested on a CRAY Y-MP8/864 is discussed. We show how the implementation can be used to perform vector quantization, and demonstrate its use in compressing digital video image data. Two images are used, with various size codebooks, to test the performance of the implementation. The results show that the supercomputer techniques employed have significantly decreased the total execution time without affecting vector quantization performance.
Learning a single limb multijoint coordination pattern: the impact of a mechanical constraint on the coordination dynamics of learning and transfer

The coordination dynamics of learning and transfer were studied in a single limb multijoint task requiring rhythmic elbow and wrist motions. Participants were required to learn a continuous 90° relative phase pattern between the elbow and wrist such that an angle-angle plot of elbow and wrist motion produced a circle with a diameter of 80°. Joint motion was restricted to elbow and wrist flexion-extension on the sagittal plane and the to-be-learned 90° relative phase pattern was always practiced with the learning arm supine. Cycling frequency was controlled by a pacing metronome set at 0.75 Hz. Issues regarding effector-independent and effector-specific transfer were addressed with three transfer conditions: (1) learning arm prone (LP), (2) non-learning arm supine (NS), and (3) non-learning arm prone (NP). Four subjects learned the required relative phase (90°) and amplitude (80°) pattern with their dominant arm and four with their non-dominant arm. The experiment produced three main findings with regard to elbow-wrist control processes: First, seven of eight participants spontaneously produced a wrist-lagging coordination pattern (wrist motion lagged elbow motion) in learning to produce a continuous relative phase pattern of 90° between the elbow and wrist. The wrist-lagging pattern may emerge as a result of the central nervous system exploiting the transfer of angular momentum from the elbow to the wrist as the elbow rotates up and down. The influence of interactive torque on elbow-wrist coordination represents an important mechanical constraint on the selection of intralimb coordination strategies during learning. The transfer conditions revealed that this mechanical constraint was effector-independent with regard to ipsilateral limb transfer (LP) and contralateral limb transfer (NS and NP). Second, consistent transfer of the learned relative phase pattern across ipsilateral and contralateral conditions demonstrates an effector-independent representation for this control variable. The effector-independent and effector-specific nature of joint amplitude transfer was dependent to some degree on learning arm, dominant or non-dominant, and the amount of practice, 1 day versus 5 days. Third, learning of the required 90° relative phase pattern may be characterized as a phase transition leading to the formation of a stable attractor in the elbow-wrist coordination landscape. The above findings are discussed with respect to motor programming and coordination dynamic viewpoints on effector-independent and effector-specific aspects of motor equivalence.
ETHANOL ACCUMULATIONS IN MUSCLE TISSUE AS A CHEMICAL INDICATOR OF FISH SPOILAGE

Ethanol concentration was shown to accumulate in post mortem muscle tissue of marine fish as storage time increased. Concentration of the alcohol was determined using a rapid, enzymatic procedure. A study was conducted under commercially simulated storage conditions comparing the effectiveness of ethanol in monitoring fish spoilage to three more common quality tests. The ethanol method mas shown to be as effective as established organoleptic, chemical, and biological testing procedures when following fish flesh degradation.
Meta‐analysis: proton pump inhibitor or H2‐receptor antagonist for Helicobacter pylori eradication

Summary Aim : To compare H2-receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors as adjuvants to triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication. Methods : H. pylori-infected patients with peptic ulcer were randomized to receive either 300 mg nizatidine or 30 mg lansoprazole plus 1 g amoxicillin and 500 mg clarithromycin taken b.d. for 7 days. H. pylori eradication was assessed 4 weeks after therapy. Using meta-analytical techniques, we combined the results of this study with other randomized controlled comparisons of H2-receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors as adjuvants to triple therapy. Results : One hundred and one patients were randomized. H. pylori eradication was 94% (47/50) [95% confidence interval (CI), 83–99%] (intention-to-treat) in the H2-receptor antagonist group vs. 86% (44/51) (95% CI, 74–94%) in the proton pump inhibitor group (P = 0.3). There has been a total of 12 similar studies (1415 patients). The overall efficacy was similar in intention-to-treat analysis: 78% (549/701) with H2-receptor antagonists vs. 81% (575/714) with proton pump inhibitors (odds ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.66–1.12). A non-significant trend favouring H2-receptor antagonist (79% vs. 69%; odds ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.76–1.71; P = 0.5) was seen in the comparison of clarithromycin-containing regimens. In contrast, in non-clarithromycin-containing trials, there was a slight, but significant, advantage with proton pump inhibitors (85% vs. 78%; odds ratio, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.45–0.92; P = 0.02). Conclusion : Overall, proton pump inhibitor andH2-receptor antagonist antisecretory agents appear to be similarly effective as adjuvants for H. pylori triple therapy. It is unlikely that the direct anti-H. pylori effect of proton pump inhibitors is responsible for their ability to enhance anti-H. pylori therapy.
Psychiatric Symptoms in Children and Adolescents With Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome and their Parents

Objective.— To conduct a pilot study to evaluate the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in children and adolescents with cyclic vomiting syndrome and to assess family history of psychiatric disorder. Background.— Little is known about psychiatric comorbidity in youth with cyclic vomiting syndrome, a periodic syndrome. Methods.— Eighty-five parents, of children aged 3-18 years with cyclic vomiting syndrome confirmed in a multidisciplinary clinic, completed the age-appropriate Children's Symptom Inventory, a questionnaire that screens for psychiatric symptoms in pediatric patients. Twenty-one adolescents aged 13-18 years completed the Youth's Report, a self-report form of this questionnaire. Sixty-two parents completed a family psychiatric history checklist. Results.— These children and their parents evidenced a high prevalence of anxiety and mood symptoms compared to norms of the Children's Symptom Inventory and population norms for internalizing psychiatric disorders. On the age-appropriate Children's Symptom Inventory, 47% of subjects (40/85) met diagnostic cut-off for an anxiety disorder, and 14% (12/85) for an affective disorder. Discrepancies were found in parent and adolescent reports for symptoms of panic disorder (chi-square = 4.83, df = 1, P = .028), posttraumatic stress disorder (chi-square = 6.87, df = 1, P = .009), and somatization disorder (chi-square = 6.41, df = 1, P = .01), with parents reporting significantly more symptoms than the adolescents. Internalizing disorders were also prevalent in the parents with 59% (36/62) endorsing either an anxiety and/or an affective disorder. Mothers reported a significantly higher prevalence of anxiety disorders (35%) than did fathers (13%) (chi-square = 8.43, df = 1, P < .004). Conclusion.— Children and adolescents with cyclic vomiting syndrome appear to be at increased risk for internalizing psychiatric disorders, especially anxiety disorders. Further research using standardized psychiatric interviews and a control group are indicated to further assess psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents with cyclic vomiting syndrome.
The effect of particle size and surface composition on the reaction rates of some hydrogen storage alloys

Abstract The desorption kinetics of CaNi 5 , LaNi 5 and LaNi 4.7 Al 0.3 hydride were determined and compared under isothermal conditions and at equivalent constant-pressure thermodynamic driving forces. At 40 °C the desorption plateau pressure of LaNi 5 was 3.8 atm whereas the other two materials both had plateau pressures of 0.9 atm. It was initially believed that, since LaNi 5 had a higher plateau pressure and formed a less stable hydride than the other two alloys, it would release its hydrogen the most rapidly and the other two materials would release hydrogen at about the same rate. Under the conditions used, the reaction rates varied in the order LaNi 5 LaNi 4.7 Al 0.3 CaNi 5 . The fact that LaNi 4.7 Al 0.3 reacted more rapidly than CaNi 5 could not be explained solely on the basis of hydride stability. It was believed that other factors, such as the differences in the particle size distributions among the various hydrides, or differences in the nature of their surfaces, may also have an effect on the kinetics. An examination of the particle size distribution in each material by laser light scattering spectroscopy showed that LaNi 4.7 Al 0.3 had a much smaller particle size distribution than did CaNi 5 . Auger electron spectroscopy revealed that the percentage of nickel on the surface of CaNi 5 was lower than those on the other two alloys. These results indicate that a small particle size distribution and the presence of nickel clusters on the surface are factors which enhance the rate of hydrogen desorption.
Quantitative Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Congener and Homologue Profile Comparisons

A case study is presented of two sites considered to be potential polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) sources to a waterway that were sampled with site source and waterway sediment samples analyzed for PCB congeners using Method 1668A. Site 1 historical activities included storage and burning of spent PCB-containing transformer fluids. Site 2 contained paved areas that historically used PCB-containing concrete joint material. Several approaches to congener profile comparisons were used to compare the potential source samples presented in this work with sediment samples collected from three cores in the waterway. In addition to qualitative (visual) comparisons, other methods included principal component analysis, the coefficient of determination R2 metric, the cosine theta metric, and homologue double ratio analysis. Collectively, these methods were able to quantitatively determine the degree of similarity between the potential sources and the samples from the three waterway cores and identify the predominant s...
Librarian's companion: A handbook of thousands of facts and figures on libraries/ librarians, books/newspapers, publishers/booksellers

(1997). Librarian's companion: A handbook of thousands of facts and figures on libraries/ librarians, books/newspapers, publishers/booksellers. Serials Review: Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 102-104.
Explanatory models of major depression and implications for help-seeking among immigrant Chinese-American women

This study explores the explanatory models of major depression in a group of 40 recently immigrated Chinese-American women, and demonstrates the significant relationship between problem conceptualization and help-seeking behavior. Respondents are presented a vignette depicting major depression, from which they are asked to conceptualize the problem described and answer questions regarding its cause, impact and potential sources for help-seeking. Those who provide a psychological conceptualization are likely not to suggest professional services, but to turn to themselves and family and friends for assistance. On the other hand, those who hold a physical conceptualization are likely to seek out medical services. Implications for effective mental health service delivery to this population are discussed.
Presence and management of the invasive plant Gypsophila paniculata (baby’s breath) on sand dunes alters arthropod abundance and community structure

Invasive alien plants represent a global threat to biodiversity at multiple trophic levels, including arthropod communities which represent an important group of organisms in any ecosystem. Because of complex interactions among organisms, it becomes important when managing invasive plant species to consider impacts of both the invasion and management efforts on arthropods. In this study, we examined shifts in arthropod communities relative to invasion and management of Gypsophila paniculata (baby’s breath), an invader of sand dune systems in Michigan, USA. We compared arthropod abundance and diversity for multiple trophic levels and functional guilds in invaded, managed, and reference plots from 2007 to 2010. Invaded plots had almost double the total numbers of arthropods and 20% more families than the reference and managed plots in 2008–2009. This was beyond a simple biomass effect due to the invasive plant. G. paniculata presence was also associated with an increase in sap-feeding herbivore abundance and dominance, increased pollinator and predator abundance, and increased family diversity in Hemiptera and Hymenoptera. There was no strong effect of management on arthropod communities, though a canonical analysis of principal coordinates indicated that reference and invaded plots were characterized by different families of arthropods. The consequences of these changes for the native plant community are unknown, and more mechanistic understandings of changes in biodiversity of higher trophic levels due to invasion and management are needed.
CONTINUITY IN SURGICAL CARE

There are many influences both external and internal that have an impact on the continuity of care of surgical patients. External forces include EU legislation, such as the European Working Time Directive (EWTD); UK government imperatives, such as clinical targets; and Department of Health directives, for instance, Choose and Book. While all are laudable in principle their unintended consequences, however, have created unmanageable and potentially dangerous outcomes for patients.
Does infrapopliteal arterial runoff predict success for popliteal artery aneurysmorrhaphy

background : A 6-year experience with surgical management of popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs) was examined to determine the influence of infrapopliteal outflow vessel patency on the long-term success of popliteal artery aneurysmorrhaphy. methods : Arteriograms were reviewed to characterize the anatomy of the infrapopliteal arterial runoff. Regular clinical evaluation and prospective serial duplex scan surveillance assessed graft patency. results : A total of 28 patients underwent 45 popliteal aneurysmorrhaphies. Elective repair was performed in 32 limbs (71%); emergency treatment was needed for 13 limbs (29%) because of acute limb-threatening ischemia. All patients were managed with PAA exclusion and reversed saphenous vein grafting. Only 20 limbs (44%) had a patent trifurcation with three continuous vessels to the ankle, 13 (29%) had two continuous tibial vessels, 10 (22%) had one patent runoff artery, and 2 (4%) had no vessel continuous to the foot. With a mean follow-up of 19.1 months, the 5-year primary graft patency by life-table analysis was 95 ± 12.3%, with a 5-year assisted primary patency of 97 ± 10.0%. One vein graft underwent elective secondary revision. Another graft thrombosed, requiring a secondary bypass. Outcome did not correlate with the status of the runoff anatomy. Limb salvage was 100%. conclusion : The use of autologous reversed vein grafting and attention to technical details yielded normal graft hemodynamics and excellent long-term patency and limb salvage despite the suboptimal runoff anatomy associated with PAAs.
The Rule-Assessment Approach and Education.

Abstract This paper describes the rule-assessment approach to cognitive development and summarizes work using it that is relevant to education. The basic question that motivated the rule-assessment approach is how people's existing knowledge influences their ability to learn. Addressing this issue requires a means of assessing what people already know, a means for studying how they learn, and a means for examining basic processes that may underlie developmental differences in knowledge and learning. Research using the rule-assessment approach is summarized in terms of eight conclusions about these issues. Each of the conclusions is illustrated with empirical examples.
Implicit memory for novel conceptual associations in amnesia

In two experiments, we evaluated the status of implicit memory for novel associations in amnesia. Experiment 1 assessed priming in a category exemplar generation task in which contextual information associated with a target could increase the likelihood of target generation. Control participants, but not amnesic patients, showed associative priming. Amnesics’ impairment was not due to the use of explicit memory by control subjects but reflected a genuine impairment in implicit memory for novel conceptual associations. Experiment 2 assessed priming in a relatedness judgment task, in which associative priming was manifest as longer latencies for old than for recombined pairs of unrelated words. Amnesic patients showed intact associative priming in this task. We discuss differences in the status of implicit memory for novel conceptual associations in amnesia, with reference to the nature of the representation that supports priming in the two tasks and the type of processing that is required at test.
Design, synthesis and validation of integrin α2β1-targeted probe for microPET imaging of prostate cancer

The ability of PET to aid in the diagnosis and management of recurrent and/or disseminated metastatic prostate cancer may be enhanced by the development of novel prognostic imaging probes. Accumulating experimental evidence indicates that overexpression of integrin α2β1 may correlate with progression in human prostate cancer. In this study, 64Cu-labeled integrin α2β1-targeted PET probes were designed and evaluated for the imaging of prostate cancer. DGEA peptides conjugated with a bifunctional chelator (BFC) were developed to image integrin α2β1 expression with PET in a subcutaneous PC-3 xenograft model. The microPET images were reconstructed by a two-dimensional ordered subsets expectation maximum algorithm. The average radioactivity accumulation within a tumor or an organ was quantified from the multiple region of interest volumes. The PET tracer demonstrated prominent tumor uptake in the PC-3 xenograft (integrin α2β1-positive). The receptor specificity was confirmed in a blocking experiment. Moreover, the low tracer uptake in a CWR-22 tumor model (negative control) further confirmed the receptor specificity. The sarcophagine-conjugated DGEA peptide allows noninvasive imaging of tumor-associated α2β1 expression, which may be a useful PET probe for evaluating the metastatic potential of prostate cancer.
Father Responsivity: Couple Processes and the Coconstruction of Fatherhood

Forty in-depth interviews of heterosexual parents of children 5 five years of age and younger are analyzed using a qualitative grounded theory approach to understand how couples coproduce fatherhood within their day-to-day relationships and in social, cultural, and economic contexts. The analysis identifies the construct "responsivity" as a central process through which, to varying degrees, fathers are aware of the needs of their wives and children and able to take an active part in meeting them. Three groups of fathers are examined according to their level of responsivity: low, moderate, and high. Factors influencing degree of father responsivity include gender constructions, power and the wife's influence, attunement, work schedules, and emotional tradeoffs. Implications for practice are suggested.
Stress-evoked sterile inflammation, danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), microbial associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) and the inflammasome

Since the inception of the field of psychoneuroimmunolology research, there has been an appreciation that the physiological response to stressors includes modulation of immune function. Investigators initially focused on the effect of stress on cellular migration and immunosuppression and the resultant decreases in tumor surveillance, anti-viral T cell immunity and antigen-specific antibody responses. More recently, it has become clear that exposure to stressors also potentiate innate immune processes. Stressor exposure, for example, can change the activation status of myeloid lineage cells such as monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and microglia, leading to a primed state. In addition, stressor exposure increases the synthesis and release of a vast cadre’ of inflammatory proteins both in the blood and within tissues (i.e., spleen, liver, adipose, vasculature and brain). The mechanisms for stress-evoked innate immune ‘arousal’ remain unknown. The goals of this presidential address are the following: (1) offer a personalized, brief overview of stress and immunity with a focus on ‘aroused’ innate immunity; (2) describe sterile inflammatory processes and the role of the inflammasome; and (3) suggest that these same processes likely contribute to primed myeloid cells and inflammatory protein responses (systemic and tissue) produced by stress in the absence of pathogens.
Generative musical tension modeling and its application to dynamic sonification

This article presents a novel implementation of a real-time, generative model of musical tension. We contextualize this design in an application called the Accessible Aquarium Project, which aims to sonify visually dynamic experiences through generative music. As a result, our algorithm utilizes real-time manipulation of musical elements in order to continuously and dynamically represent visual information. To effectively generate music, the model combines low-level elements (such as pitch height, note density, and panning) with high-level features (such as melodic attraction) and aspects of musical tension (such as harmonic expectancy). We begin with the goals and challenges addressed throughout the project, and continue by describing the project’s contribution in, and comparison to, related work. The article then discusses how the project’s generative features direct the manipulation of musical tension. We then describe our technical choices, such as the use of Fred Lerdahl’s formulas for analysis of tension in music (Lerdahl 2001) as a model for generative tension control, and our implementation of these ideas. The article demonstrates the correlation between our generative engine and cognitive theory, and details the incorporation of input variables as facilitators of low- and high-level mappings of visual information. We conclude with a description of a user study, as well as self-evaluation of our work, and discuss prospective future work, including improvements to our current modeling method and developments in additional high-level percepts. Previous Work After originating in the early 1950s, computer-based generative music branched into several different
Paternal Age and Total Motile Sperm Parameters Are Not Correlated with Embryo Aneuploidy Rates

BACKGROUND: For patients undergoing IVF with PGS and hoping for a fresh Day 6 transfer, ploidy information will only be available at the time of transfer for embryos biopsied by Day 5. Some centers limit biopsy to embryos that have developed to a blastocyst stage and expanded to a Gardner grade R 3. This practice limits the number of blastocysts with ploidy information available at the time of a fresh Day 6 transfer and may limit the number of euploid blastocysts available for transfer. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between blastocyst grade at the time of Day 5 biopsy with ploidy, and to assess the practice of Day 5 biopsy of ‘‘early blastocysts’’ when aiming for a fresh Day 6 transfer. METHODS: Autologous IVF-PGS cycles with Day 5 biopsy completed between 2010 and 2013 were analyzed. Only embryos with 24 chromosome analysis were included. Day 5 embryo developmental stage, ploidy, and cycle outcome were reviewed. Embryos were assessed using the Gardner scale. Blastocysts were defined by a score R 1, and ‘‘early blastocysts’’ were defined by a score % 2. RESULTS: One-hundred and twelve IVF-PGS cycles from 83 patients were included, providing 638 embryos that were biopsied on Day 5. Of these embryos, 514 were blastocysts at the time of Day 5 biopsy, and 487 had ploidy results available from the Day 5 biopsy. There was a significantly higher rate of aneuploidy among embryos with Gardner expansion grades 1, 2, and 3, compared to blastocysts with greater degrees of expansion (Table 1). Early blastocysts comprised 16% of all euploid blastocysts biopsied on Day 5. There were fourteen subsequent transfers of former Day 5 early blastocysts, resulting in an implantation rate of 78.6 % and a live birth/ongoing pregnancy rate of 64.3%.
MEASURING INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN CHILDREN'S ADDITION STRATEGY CHOICES

Abstract A test of individual differences in addition strategy choices was devised and its psychometric properties were analyzed. The test was used to examine how individuals' accuracy of retrieval was related to their use of backup strategies (e.g., counting on fingers) and the accuracy of their backup strategies. Strategy use and errors of 105 6-year-olds was recorded on all 100 single-digit addition problems. Children were randomly assigned to the “exploratory” or the “validation” subsample. In the exploratory subsample, discriminant analyses reduced the 100 items to 2 sets of 20 items: each test discriminated good students, not-so-good students, and perfectionists. In the validation subsample, the 2 forms' reliabilities exceeded .90 on all variables, classified 74% of the children similarly, and showed similar relations to other variables. Not-so-good students had lower achievement scores than good students or perfectionists in math computations but not math applications. Children's frequency and accuracy of backup strategy use and backup strategy accuracy functioned independently to reduce their retrieval errors.
Biopsychosocial formulation: recognizing educational shortcomings.

Objective: Since Engel introduced the biopsychosocial model, it has been extensively examined. The authors expect psychiatrists to formulate cases using the biopsychosocial model. However, resident psychiatrists’ ability to generate formulations using this model has received little attention. Methods: The authors evaluated resident biopsychosocial formulations using biopsychosocial scores from trained, blinded raters across four institutions. Second, the authors determined if an intervention could improve biopsychosocial formulation. Design: This study included nonexperimental and pre-post components using resident portfolio scores to measure biopsychosocial. Participants/Setting: Residents from four postgraduate years (PGY) in four different programs participated. In one institution, faculty made a concerted effort to improve biopsychosocial formulation. There were 33 entries in 2000–2001 and 46 entries in 2001–2002. Results: Using the combined data from all institutions, no PGY level averaged a rating of 3.0 (competent) in either year. In the institution implementing an intervention, a significant improvement was noted. Conclusion: This pilot study indicates that we can improve resident competency in this area.
Project schedule recomputation after risk inclusion

In this paper, based on the assumption that the project schedule has already been calculated prior to risk impact, a statistical method is presented to recompute the expected schedule, its standard deviation, and 95% confidence for the true but unknown schedule. The confidence interval can serve to scientifically establish the upper and lower bounds for the schedule (and the cost) for use in, for example, the fee calculation of cost-plus-fixed-fee type projects. Even though the discussion in this paper is limited to project schedule matters, the method can be applied to project cost recomputation as well. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Syst Eng 1: 242–249, 1998
Flavonoids of Chromolaena odorata

Abstract A dichloromethane extract of Chromolaena odorata has yielded 2′-hydroxy-3,4,4′,5′,6′-pentamethoxychalcone, 2′,4-dihydroxy-4′,5′,6′-
Investigating Structural Changes in the Lipid Bilayer upon Insertion of the Transmembrane Domain of the Membrane-Bound Protein Phospholamban Utilizing 31P and 2H Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Phospholamban (PLB) is a 52-amino acid integral membrane protein that regulates the flow of Ca2+ ions in cardiac muscle cells. In the present study, the transmembrane domain of PLB (24–52) was incorporated into phospholipid bilayers prepared from 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-phosphocholine (POPC). Solid-state 31P and 2H NMR experiments were carried out to study the behavior of POPC bilayers in the presence of the hydrophobic peptide PLB at temperatures ranging from 30°C to 60°C. The PLB peptide concentration varied from 0 mol % to 6 mol % with respect to POPC. Solid-state 31P NMR spectroscopy is a valuable technique to study the different phases formed by phospholipid membranes. 31P NMR results suggest that the transmembrane protein phospholamban is incorporated successfully into the bilayer and the effects are observed in the lipid lamellar phase. Simulations of the 31P NMR spectra were carried out to reveal the formation of different vesicle sizes upon PLB insertion. The bilayer vesicles fragmented into smaller sizes by increasing the concentration of PLB with respect to POPC. Finally, molecular order parameters (SCD) were calculated by performing 2H solid-state NMR studies on deuterated POPC (sn-1 chain) phospholipid bilayers when the PLB peptide was inserted into the membrane.
Protective effect of esculentoside A on radiation-induced dermatitis and fibrosis.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of esculentoside A (EsA) on radiation-induced cutaneous and fibrovascular toxicity and its possible molecular mechanisms, both in vivo and in vitro . Methods and Materials: Mice received drug intervention 18 hours before 30 Gy to the right hind leg. Alterations in several cytokines expressed in skin tissue 2 days after irradiation were determined by ELISA. Early skin toxicity was evaluated 3 to 4 weeks after irradiation by skin scoring, and both tissue contraction and expression of TGF-β1 were determined for soft-tissue fibrosis 3 months after irradiation. In vitro , the effect of EsA on radiation-induced nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine production in different cell types was measured by application of 2, 4, and 8 Gy. Results: In vivo , EsA reduced levels of IL-1α, MCP-1, VEGF, and TGF-β1 in cutaneous tissue and reduced soft-tissue toxicity. In vitro , EsA inhibited the IL-1α ordinarily produced after 4 Gy in A431 cells. In Raw264.7 cells, EsA reduced levels of IL-1α, IL-1β, and NO production costimulated by radiation and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In L-929 cells, EsA inhibited VEGF, TNF, and MCP-1 production at 2, 4, and 8 Gy. Conclusions: Esculentoside A protects soft tissues against radiation toxicity through inhibiting the production of several proinflammatory cytokines and inflammatory mediators in epithelial cells, macrophages, fibroblasts, and skin tissue.
Bovine milk proteome: Quantitative changes in normal milk exosomes, milk fat globule membranes and whey proteomes resulting from Staphylococcus aureus mastitis

Abstract Milk protein expression in healthy cows and cows with mastitis will provide information important for the dairy food industry and immune function in the mammary gland. To facilitate protein discovery, milk was fractioned into whey, milk fat globule membranes (MFGM) and exosomes from healthy and Staphylococcus aureus infected cows. Amine-reactive isobaric tags (iTRAQ) were used to quantify protein changes between milk fractions isolated from healthy and S. aureus infected cows. 2971 milk proteins were identified with a false discovery rate of 0.1%. Greater than 300 milk proteins associated with host defense were identified and 94 were significantly differentially regulated in S. aureus infected milk compared to their uninfected controls. These differentially regulated host defense proteins were selectively segregated in the 3 milk compartments examined. An example of this segregation of host defense proteins was the partitioning and high concentration of proteins indicative of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation in the MFGM preparations from S. aureus infected milk as compared to exosomes or whey. Protein composition changes found in milk exosomes, MFGM and whey during an infection provides new and comprehensive information on milk protein composition in general as well as changes occurring during an infection. Biological significance The significance of this study is the identification and quantification of the individual components of the neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) functional proteome in an apparent stable complex with MFGM and/or milk fat globules during an intra-mammary infection. NETs could be functionally relevant in intra-mammary infection, as it is known that during an infection neutrophils ingest large amounts of milk fat that down regulates many of their traditional immune functions. Thus the presence of NETs in milk fat provides new insights to mammary immune function and suggests a role for NETs in clinical mastitis. These in vivo NETs can now be tested to determine if they retain functional antimicrobial activity when primarily associated with milk fat. Then we can estimate their real world functional relevance during an intra-mammary infection, which is one key to understanding clinical mastitis in dairy cows.
Shear-induced fat particle structure variation and the stability of food emulsions: II. Effects of surfactants, protein, and fat substitutes

The shear-induced fat particle structure variation and stability of food emulsions were investigated by the back-light scattering technique. The effects of surfactants (including water-soluble and oil-soluble surfactants), protein, and fat substitutes on the fat particle packing structure and stability of food emulsions were studied. It was found that protein plays a very important role on the food emulsion stability under shear stress by the formation of an adsorption layer on the surface of fat particles and microlayering of protein submicelles around fat particles. The addition of a fat substitute into low-fat food emulsions decreases the fat particle packing structure due to the irregular shape and large size of the fat substitute particles.
Northern hemisphere teleconnection patterns during extreme phases of the zonal-mean circulation

Abstract Regional climate, anomalies associated with year-to-year changes in the tropospheric zonal-mean zonal wind (ū) are examined. This study focuses on the wintertime Northern Hemisphere extratropics and compares seasonal mean anomalies associated with ū to those associated with the El Nino–Southern Oscillation during the 1947–94 period. Dynamical model experiments indicate that a single zonal index, characterized by out-of-phase ū anomalies at 35° and 55°N, is of primary importance for zonal flow/stationary wave interactions in the Northern Hemisphere extratropies. Such fluctuations in the zonal-mean zonal flow are shown to occur independently of tropical SST variability, consistent with earlier studies. Dynamical model experiments and regression analyses of the historical data indicate that such a zonal index explains a significant fraction of the wintertime stationary wave variability in several regions. The principal centers of action reside within wave trains over the North Pacific–North American...
Neodymium:YAG laser lens ablation in a rabbit model+++

Purpose: To assess the safety of neodymium:YAG (Nd:YAG) laser lens ablation in a rabbit model prior to human investigation. Methods: The Nd:YAG laser lens ablation probe was inserted into the anterior chamber of 14 New Zealand white rabbit eyes and Nd:YAG laser lens ablation was simulated, exposing the eyes to energy significantly higher than that used in previous experimental Nd:YAG lens ablation of the human crystalline lens. After the procedure, the rabbits were killed at 1 hour, 1 day, or 1 week and the eyes evaluated by specular microscopy, ultrasonic pachymetry, and light microscopy. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the postoperative endothelial cell counts or ultrasonic pachymetry of study eyes and control (unoperated) eyes. Light microscopy revealed no apparent damage to the cornea, trabecular meshwork, or retina of the study eyes. Conclusions: The Nd:YAG laser lens ablation device appears to be a safe method of cataract removal in this animal model. Further study is needed to determine the safety and efficacy of this device for cataract removal in humans.
Summarizing cellular responses as biological process networks

Microarray experiments can simultaneously identify thousands of genes that show significant perturbation in expression between two experimental conditions. Response networks, computed through the integration of gene interaction networks with expression perturbation data, may themselves contain tens of thousands of interactions. Gene set enrichment has become standard for summarizing the results of these analyses in terms functionally coherent collections of genes such as biological processes. However, even these methods can yield hundreds of enriched functions that may overlap considerably. We describe a new technique called Markov chain Monte Carlo Biological Process Networks (MCMC-BPN) capable of reporting a highly non-redundant set of links between processes that describe the molecular interactions that are perturbed under a specific biological context. Each link in the BPN represents the perturbed interactions that serve as the interfaces between the two processes connected by the link. We apply MCMC-BPN to publicly available liver-related datasets to demonstrate that the networks formed by the most probable inter-process links reported by MCMC-BPN show high relevance to each biological condition. We show that MCMC-BPN’s ability to discern the few key links from in a very large solution space by comparing results from two other methods for detecting inter-process links. MCMC-BPN is successful in using few inter-process links to explain as many of the perturbed gene-gene interactions as possible. Thereby, BPNs summarize the important biological trends within a response network by reporting a digestible number of inter-process links that can be explored in greater detail.
Characterization studies on PEM metallic bipolar plates and membrane electrode assembly

Metallic bipolar plates seem more appropriate than graphite composite bipolar plate, that is currently considered the industry standard for PEM fuel cell operation. Metallic plates have higher mechanical strength, easier manufacturability, and lower interface contact resistance than graphite composite plates. Metallic and graphite composite plates were tested one thousand hours under normal operating conditions and cyclic loading. After operation, bipolar plates, membrane electrode assembly and byproduct "water" samples were collected and tested from both the cathode and anode side of a single cell. Characterization studies were then conducted on aluminum coated bipolar plates with carbide based alloy to examine for any possible chemical changes in the composition of the coating and/or the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) that may affect the stability of the coating, substrate, and/or the ionic conductivity of the cell. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis were performed on the land and valley surfaces of the reactant flow fields at both the anode and the cathode. The measurements were super imposed to identify the locations and zones of anomalies to conduct further analysis focused on these zones. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were also conducted on samples scraped from the anode and cathode electrodes of the MEA that was also performed for 1000 hrs in metallic bipolar plate fuel cell. Moreover, samples of water as a byproduct produced during the single fuel cells operation were also collected and tested for the existence of chromium, nickel, carbon, iron, sulfur and aluminum using mass spectroscopy analysis technique. The analysis of the EDX measurements indicated the possibility of the dissociation and the dissolution of the nickel chrome that is used as the binder for the carbide based corrosion resistant coating with the substrate. The X-ray analysis yielded the tendency for catalyst growth that could result in power degradation.
Diagnostic enhancements for air vehicle HUMS to increase prognostic system effectiveness

A major objective of Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) is to transition from time based part replacement to performing maintenance actions based on evidence of need. While existing HUMS capability has demonstrated progress, the ability to diagnose component faults in their early stages is limited. This is due in part to sensitivity to signal noise, variations in environmental and operating conditions, and underutilization of prognostic techniques. Using the representative example of the fan support bearing in the oil cooler of the UH-60 helicopter, this paper discusses key areas to improve fault detection methods for health monitoring of a damaged helicopter transmission component. These include: (1) sensing and data processing tools, (2) selection and extraction of optimum condition indicators/features, (3) fusion of data at the sensor and feature levels, and (4) incipient fault detection using a Bayesian estimation framework. Results illustrating the effectiveness of these techniques are presented for fielded UH-60 bearing vibration data and laboratory test results.
Single transverse mode operation of electrically pumped vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers with micromirrors

We report an electrically pumped vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) that is designed for wafer-scale fabrication. Single-mode continuous-wave operation is demonstrated at a wavelength of 970 nm. The device structure incorporates a curved micromirror output coupler that is produced using a micromolding process. In addition to outlining the VECSEL fabrication process, we quantify its spatial and spectral modal characteristics.
Lung Cancer Risk in Workers in the Meat and Poultry Industries – A Review

Laboratory and in vivo studies in primates, and serological evidence in humans, indicate that food animal oncogenic viruses show potential for causing cancer in humans. However, until fairly recently, supporting analytic epidemiologic studies have been lacking and have concentrated on lung cancer. We conducted an extensive Medline search and reviewed 60 studies investigating lung cancer risk in highly exposed workers in the meat and poultry industries. The overwhelming majority of studies of different designs (including all the cohort mortality and cancer incidence studies) indicate at least a 30% excess risk of lung cancer in meat and poultry plant workers, even after controlling for smoking. Evidence points to food animal oncogenic microorganisms as one of the main causes. This has important public health implications because the general population is also widely exposed. Studies carried out thus far have not had sufficient statistical power to investigate other potentially carcinogenic exposures within the industries. Thus, large studies that can adequately control for occupational and non-occupational confounding factors are needed, so that the possible role of food animal oncogenic viruses in the occurrence of human lung cancer can be clearly defined.
Representing Images Using Nonorthogonal Haar-Like Bases

The efficient and compact representation of images is a fundamental problem in computer vision. In this paper, we propose methods that use Haar-like binary box functions to represent a single image or a set of images. A desirable property of these box functions is that their inner product operation with an image can be computed very efficiently. We propose two closely related novel subspace methods to model images: the nonorthogonal binary subspace (NBS) method and the binary principal component analysis (B-PCA) algorithm. NBS is spanned directly by binary box functions and can be used for image representation, fast template matching, and many other vision applications. B-PCA is a structure subspace that inherits the merits of both NBS (fast computation) and PCA (modeling data structure information). B-PCA base vectors are obtained by a novel PCA-guided NBS method. We also show that B-PCA base vectors are nearly orthogonal to each other. As a result, in the nonorthogonal vector decomposition process, the computationally intensive pseudoinverse projection operator can be approximated by the direct dot product without causing significant distance distortion. Experiments on real image data sets show a promising performance in image matching, reconstruction, and recognition tasks with significant speed improvement.
Adaptive Predictor Integration for System Performance Prediction

The integration of multiple predictors promises higher prediction accuracy than the accuracy that can be obtained with a single predictor. The challenge is how to select the best predictor at any given moment. Traditionally, multiple predictors are run in parallel and the one that generates the best result is selected for prediction. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for predictor integration based on the learning of historical predictions. It uses classification algorithms such as k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) based supervised learning to forecast the best predictor for the workload under study. Then only the forecasted best predictor is run for prediction. Our experimental results show that it achieved 20.18% higher best predictor forecasting accuracy than the cumulative MSB based predictor selection approach used in the popular network weather service system. In addition, it outperformed the observed most accurate single predictor in the pool for 44.23% of the performance traces.