cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bursting tension of medium and large canine arteries sealed with ultrasonic energy or suture ligation.

Objective— To compare bursting tension of arteries ≥3 mm in diameter sealed with ultrasonic energy (UE) with arteries ligated with suture. Study Design— Experimental, nested factorial design. Sample Population— Vascular segments from canine cadavers. Methods— Arterial segments (12) were collected from each of 16 canine cadavers and equally divided into 2 groups based on vessel diameter (medium, 3.0–<4.5 mm; large, 4.5 –≤6.0 mm). Arterial specimens (3) from each group were sealed with either UE (Harmonic Scalpel®, HS, power level 3) or suture ligation. The mean bursting pressure and tension were determined and compared. Results— Bursting tension was significantly higher (P<.0001) for sutured arteries than UE-occluded arteries, irrespective of size. Bursting tension was significantly higher (P=.0013) for medium than large UE-occluded arteries, whereas there was no difference associated with size for ligated arteries. UE energy failed to seal 1 medium artery and 7 large arteries. Compared with normal blood pressure, bursting pressures were 3.5 times greater for sutured arteries irrespective of size, 1.8 times greater for medium UE-occluded arteries, and approached normal blood pressure for large UE-occluded arteries. Conclusion— At the power level tested, UE should not be used to seal arteries >4.5 mm in diameter. Suture provided an optimal seal for arteries ≤6.0 mm in diameter. Clinical Relevance— Use of UE to occlude arteries during laparoscopic surgery is advantageous because only 1 instrument is required to simultaneously cut and coagulate tissue, but care should be exercised where large arteries might be encountered.
Heterogeneity of Nucleotide Frequencies Among Evolutionary Lineages and Phylogenetic Inference

A major assumption of many molecular phylogenetic methods is the homogeneity of nucleotide frequencies among taxa, which refers to the equality of the nucleotide frequency bias among species. Changes in nucleotide frequency among different lineages in a data set are thought to lead to erroneous phylogenetic inference because unrelated clades may appear similar because of evolutionarily unrelated similarities in nucleotide frequencies. We tested the effects of the heterogeneity of nucleotide frequency bias on phylogenetic inference, along with the interaction between this heterogeneity and stratified taxon sampling, by means of computer simulations using evolutionary parameters derived from genomic databases. We found that the phylogenetic trees inferred from data sets simulated under realistic, observed levels of heterogeneity for mammalian genes were reconstructed with accuracy comparable to those simulated with homogeneous nucleotide frequencies; the results hold for Neighbor-Joining, minimum evolution, maximum parsimony, and maximum-likelihood methods. The LogDet distance method, specifically designed to deal with heterogeneous nucleotide frequencies, does not perform better than distance methods that assume substitution pattern homogeneity among sequences. In these specific simulation conditions, we did not find a significant interaction between phylogenetic accuracy and substitution pattern heterogeneity among lineages, even when the taxon sampling is increased.
Flexible Persistence Support for State Machine-Based Workflow Engines

This paper introduces a flexible persistence model for state machine workflows. In contrast to the persistence support in contemporary process definition languages and corresponding workflow engines we propose a model where, firstly, an arbitrary number of persistence providers can be attached to the process engine and, secondly, the workflows can dynamically decide when they should be stored persistently and by which persistence provider. Furthermore, we exemplify the implementation of this model within ePVM, an embeddable process virtual machine based on the theoretical foundation of communicating extended finite state machines. Finally, we present results gained from an initial experiment demonstrating that the model can help increasing software efficiency.
Design rule for optimization of microelectrodes used in electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS).

This paper presents an experimentally derived design rule for optimization of microelectrodes used in electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) up to 10 MHz. The effect of change in electrode design (through electrode sensor area, lead trace widths, and passivation coating thickness) on electrode characteristics was experimentally evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements and analyzed using equivalent circuit models. A parasitic passivation coating impedance was successfully minimized by designing electrodes with either a thicker passivation layer or a smaller lead trace area. It was observed that the passivated lead trace area to passivation coating thickness ratio has a critical value of 5.5, under which the impedance contribution of the coating is minimized. The optimized design of ECIS-based microelectrode devices reported in this work will make it possible to probe the entire beta dispersion region of adherent biological cell layers by reducing measurement artifacts and improving the quality of data across the beta-dispersion region. The new design will enable the use of the commonly used ECIS technique to measure real-time cellular properties in high frequency ranges (beta dispersion) that was not possible thus far.
Applications of nuclear magnetic cross-relaxation spectroscopy to tissues.

Magnetic cross-relaxation in aqueous heterogeneous systems is a long established phenomenon that makes the observable decay constants for the system mixtures of more fundamental relaxation times which characterize the relaxation of the coupled components. By exploiting the magnetic relaxation coupling between the water spins and the immobilized spins in a tissue, the water-proton-signal intensity may be used to map indirectly a frequency response that is directly related to the 1H NMR spectrum of the immobilized components of the tissue. This method is applied to a number of rat tissues to determine whether there are significant differences among tissues that might be exploited in applications of this experiment to diagnostic magnetic imaging. Significant differences are found among nine rat tissues studied, which suggests that the experimental approach may be used to superimpose fundamentally new information, the dynamic character of the usually unobservable immobilized macromolecular components of the tissue, on a magnetic image. © 1991 Academic Press, Inc.
Producing concentrated solutions of monosaccharides using biphasic CO2–H2O mixtures

Sustainably producing concentrated solutions of monosaccharides from biomass is a key challenge facing the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels or bioproducts. Most pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis processes are run at low-solid concentration (<10 wt%) and use chemical catalysts, while most high-solids enzymatic hydrolysis experiments are performed with air-dried pretreated materials. Using optimally two-temperature stage CO2–H2O pretreated biomass substrates (210 °C 16 min, 160 °C, 60 min for mixed hardwood and 210 °C, 1 min, 160 °C, 60 min), high-solids enzymatic hydrolysis reactions were performed in a novel high-solids reaction system. With this system, twelve “rotating drum” reactors were run simultaneously in a controlled environment. Without additional chemical catalysts or any drying, two-temperature stage CO2–H2O pretreatment coupled with high-solids enzymatic hydrolysis produced monosaccharide solutions of 185 g L−1 for mixed hardwood and 149 g L−1 for switchgrass. Apart from results obtained with dilute acid pretreated corn stover, these are the most concentrated solutions obtained from biomass pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis without substrate drying. The corresponding glucan to glucose yields were above 80% for both types of biomass. Notably, these high yields were obtained because, similar to dilute acid pretreatment but unlike un-catalyzed pretreatment, our approach produced biomass that did not show decreasing yields with increasing enzymatic hydrolysis solid contents. These results suggest that CO2–H2O pretreatment is an attractive alternative to chemically catalyzed processes such as dilute acid pretreatment.
Assessment of Nicotine Dependence Among Substance Abusing Adolescent Smokers: A Comparison of the DSM-IV Criteria and the Modified Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire

Nicotine dependence has been found to be a significant factor in adolescent smoking persistence. However, measures of this construct are primarily adult-derived, limiting their utility as bases for characterizing nicotine dependence and formulating youth intervention strategies. This issue is of particular importance among substance abusing youth who have substantially higher rates of cigarette smoking than do adolescents in the general population. The objectives of this preliminary study were to examine the construct validity of the DSM-IV nicotine dependence criteria and the modified
Older adult daily living centers: A new alternative for care

This article was written to give the health care professional a general overview of an adult day care center. The reader should find answers to questions concerning referrals, typical client diagnoses, and concerns of the caregivers. Another section describes a typical day at our center and some characteristic examples of activities provided. The section on staff requirements and selection deals with hiring appropriate personnel. Various duties required of the director/manager of a cen ter are discussed, as well as the working relationship with the client case manager. A section deals with client management at the center and termination. The advantages of a hospital-based adult center are discussed, as is the Pennsylvania Adult Day Care Association. The article closes with personal perspectives of this field of nursing. Key words: nursing, elderly, aging, adult day care
Statistical and bioanalytical considerations for establishing a depletion criterion for specificity testing during immunogenicity assessment of a biotherapeutic.

Immunogenicity assessment of fully human monoclonal antibody-based biotherapeutics requires sensitive and specific ligand binding assays. One of the components of specificity is the depletion of signal by a relevant biotherapeutic that is commonly based on an arbitrary depletion criterion of inhibition of the original response or reduction of the signal below the screening assay cut point (ACP). Hence, there is a need to develop a statistically derived physiologically relevant specificity criterion. We illustrate an optimization approach to determine the concentration of biotherapeutic required for the specificity evaluation. Naive donor sample sets with and without circulating drug and antitherapeutic/drug antibody (ADA) were prepared. Next, a depletion cut point (DCP) using naive and ADA-containing donor sets with the optimized biotherapeutic concentration was evaluated. A statistically derived design of experiment was used to establish a validated DCP. A reliable DCP requires naive (no ADA) donors treated only with an optimized concentration of biotherapeutic. The additional DCPs generated using two distinct concentrations of ADA-spiked sample sets led to a physiologically irrelevant criterion that was not necessarily representative of real-time samples. This increased the risk of false positives or negatives. In this study, well-defined bioanalytical and statistical methods were employed to validate a DCP to confirm the presence of biotherapeutic specific ADA in human serum samples. A physiologically relevant and effective strategy to confirm specificity in immune reactive samples, especially those that are close to the ACP, is proposed through this study.
In Utero and Lactational Exposure to a Complex Mixture of Polychlorinated Biphenyls: Toxicity in Pups Dependent on the Cyp1a2 and Ahr Genotypes

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent toxic pollutants occurring as complex mixtures in the environment. Humans are known genetically to have > 60-fold differences in hepatic cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) levels and > 12-fold differences in aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) affinity, both of which could affect PCB pharmacokinetics. Thus, we compared Ahr(b1)_Cyp1a2(+/+) high-affinity AHR wild-type, Ahr(d)_Cyp1a2(+/+) poor affinity AHR wild-type, Ahr(b1)_Cyp1a2(-/-) knockout, and Ahr(d)_Cyp1a2(-/-) knockout mouse lines. We chose a mixture of three coplanar and five noncoplanar PCBs to reproduce that seen in human tissues, breast milk, and the food supply. The mixture was given by gavage to the mother on gestational day 10.5 (GD10.5) and postnatal day 5 (PND5); tissues were collected from pups and mothers at GD11.5, GD18.5, PND6, PND13, and PND28. Ahr(b1)_Cyp1a2(-/-) pups showed lower weight at birth and slower rate of growth postnatally. Absence of CYP1A2 resulted in significant splenic atrophy at PND13 and PND28. Presence of high-affinity AHR enhanced thymic atrophy and liver hypertrophy in the pups. Concentrations of each congener were analyzed at all time points: maximal noncoplanar congener levels in maternal tissues were observed from GD18 until PND6, whereas the highest levels in pups were found between PND6 and PND28. Coplanar PCB concentrations were generally higher in Ahr(d)-containing pup tissues; these findings are consistent with earlier studies demonstrating the crucial importance of AHR-mediated inducible CYP1 in the gastrointestinal tract as a means of detoxication of oral planar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Hospice volunteer as patient advocate: a trait approach.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to examine traits of hospice volunteers that facilitate their success in this informal caregiving role, with the larger goal of alleviating the family caregiver burden and providing additional support to the hospice patient. To achieve this goal, a new scale was developed to tap into how hospice volunteers view their patient advocacy role. METHOD Participants were 136 trained hospice volunteers from the Midwest who had direct contact with hospice patients. Volunteers mailed anonymous surveys that included measures of argumentativeness, locus of control, attitudes toward patient advocacy, and key demographic items. A new scale was developed to measure patient advocacy by hospice volunteers called the Hospice Volunteer as Patient Advocate. RESULTS Submitting this scale to exploratory factor analysis, two factors emerged: duty as patient advocate and support of patient rights. After performing a multiple regression analysis, results showed that female volunteers who were high in internal locus of control were more likely to perceive that volunteers have a duty as patient advocates. Younger volunteers with more years of volunteer experience, higher levels of internal locus of control, and lower external locus of control were more likely to support patient rights. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS The findings of this study could be used to formalize hospice volunteers' role as patient advocates, thus better utilizing them as committed, caring communicators and improving patient-centered care at end-of-life.
A provable near-optimal algorithm for the channel pin assignment problem

A near-optimal algorithm for the channel pin assignment problem is presented. This algorithm, called the alternative packing algorithm, can always produce an assignment solution whose density is at most one more than the density of an optimal solution, i.e., d(S) >
Funnel-Like Organization in Sequence Space Determines the Distributions of Protein Stability and Folding Rate Preferred by Evolution

To understand the physical and evolutionary determinants of protein folding, we map out the complete organization of thermodynamic and kinetic properties for protein sequences that share the same fold. The exhaustive nature of our study necessitates using simplified models of protein folding. We obtain a stability map and a folding rate map in sequence space. Comparison of the two maps reveals a common organizational principle: optimality decreases more or less uniformly with distance from the optimal sequence in the sequence space. This gives a funnel-shaped optimality surface. Evolutionary dynamics of a sequence population on these two maps reveal how the simple organization of sequence space affects the distributions of stability and folding rate preferred by evolution.
Framing The Issues

A major thesis of this volume is that the definition of a social problem is time, place, and context bound.1 It is not difficult to cite examples from the disciplines of law, psychiatry, sociology, and psychology. In the not very distant past the question of children’s rights was a rather simple matter; children’s rights were entrusted to the hands of their parents or parental substitutes (e.g., school officials) and required little legal scrutiny. Yet today it is not unusual to hear calls for a children’s liberation movement. There is now more than enough debate to justify entire legal casebooks devoted to problems on children and the law that refer to much psychological knowledge (eg., Mnookin, 1978). In the 19th century, certain problems of the rights of blacks could be defined away by the United State Supreme Court’s assumption that blacks were property rather than citizens (Dred Scott v. Sanford). Similarly, when homosexuality was no longer thought of as a disease by the American Psychiatric Association, it both reflected and changed the nature of the relationship between the larger society and a subset of its members. When intelligence is seen as genetically determined and stable, we are posed with different questions and social problems than when we see it as environmentally determined and malleable (Gould, 1981; Hunt, 1961). If women are assumed to belong more in the home than in the work place, then child-rearing practices may present a different set of problems than when day care is seen as an essential service contributing to family life. Our social values with regard to “crimes without victims” influence our solutions to social problems as diverse as delinquency, prostitution, gambling, and mental illness (Shur, 1973; Szasz, 1970). The list could go on; and it is the time, place, and context-bound nature of such social problem definitions that this book is about. The volume suggests new ways to think about social problems and different ways to see people, do things, and ask research questions.
Nesprin-2G, a Component of the Nuclear LINC Complex, Is Subject to Myosin-Dependent Tension

The nucleus of a cell has long been considered to be subject to mechanical force. Despite the observation that mechanical forces affect nuclear geometry and movement, how forces are applied onto the nucleus is not well understood. The nuclear LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complex has been hypothesized to be the critical structure that mediates the transfer of mechanical forces from the cytoskeleton onto the nucleus. Previously used techniques for studying nuclear forces have been unable to resolve forces across individual proteins, making it difficult to clearly establish if the LINC complex experiences mechanical load. To directly measure forces across the LINC complex, we generated a fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based tension biosensor for nesprin-2G, a key structural protein in the LINC complex, which physically links this complex to the actin cytoskeleton. Using this sensor we show that nesprin-2G is subject to mechanical tension in adherent fibroblasts, with highest levels of force on the apical and equatorial planes of the nucleus. We also show that the forces across nesprin-2G are dependent on actomyosin contractility and cell elongation. Additionally, nesprin-2G tension is reduced in fibroblasts from Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome patients. This report provides the first, to our knowledge, direct evidence that nesprin-2G, and by extension the LINC complex, is subject to mechanical force. We also present evidence that nesprin-2G localization to the nuclear membrane is altered under high-force conditions. Because forces across the LINC complex are altered by a variety of different conditions, mechanical forces across the LINC complex, as well as the nucleus in general, may represent an important mechanism for mediating mechanotransduction.
Reduced adipsin mRNA and circulating adipsin protein are modulated by adrenal steroids in obese Zucker rats

We investigated expression of the adipose-specific serine protease adipsin in genetically obese Zucker rats and whether adrenalectomy modifies expression. Adipsin mRNA levels were determined by slot blot and Northern blot analysis of total RNA samples extracted from epididymal adipose tissue and isolated retroperitoneal adipocytes of obese (fa/fa) and homozygous lean (Fa/Fa) Zucker rats. Both 30-day-old and 4-mo-old animals were analyzed in experiment 1. In experiment 2, 10-wk-old obese and lean rats were either bilaterally adrenalectomized or sham operated, and adipsin mRNA levels were determined on tissue and cell samples 2 wk postsurgery. In both experiments, serum adipsin protein was determined by Western blot analysis and plasma insulin by radioimmunoassay. The data show that both adipsin mRNA and adipsin protein are reduced in obese compared with lean rats and that adrenalectomy restores these values toward normal in obese rats. The data thus suggest that adrenal steroids are involved in modulating adipsin expression in obese Zucker rats and that insulin may be an intermediary factor in such modulation.
Effects of lek count protocols on greater sage‐grouse population trend estimates

Annual counts of males displaying at lek sites are an important tool for monitoring greater sage-grouse populations (Centrocercus urophasianus), but seasonal and diurnal variation in lek attendance may increase variance and bias of trend analyses. Recommendations for protocols to reduce observation error have called for restricting lek counts to within 30 minutes of sunrise, but this may limit the number of lek counts available for analysis, particularly from years before monitoring was widely standardized. Reducing the temporal window for conducting lek counts also may constrain the ability of agencies to monitor leks efficiently. We used lek count data collected across Wyoming during 1995−2014 to investigate the effect of lek counts conducted between 30 minutes before and 30, 60, or 90 minutes after sunrise on population trend estimates. We also evaluated trends across scales relevant to management, including statewide, within Working Group Areas and Core Areas, and for individual leks. To further evaluate accuracy and precision of trend estimates from lek count protocols, we used simulations based on a lek attendance model and compared simulated and estimated values of annual rate of change in population size (λ) from scenarios of varying numbers of leks, lek count timing, and count frequency (counts/lek/year). We found that restricting analyses to counts conducted within 30 minutes of sunrise generally did not improve precision of population trend estimates, although differences among timings increased as the number of leks and count frequency decreased. Lek attendance declined >30 minutes after sunrise, but simulations indicated that including lek counts conducted up to 90 minutes after sunrise can increase the number of leks monitored compared to trend estimates based on counts conducted within 30 minutes of sunrise. This increase in leks monitored resulted in greater precision of estimates without reducing accuracy. Increasing count frequency also improved precision. These results suggest that the current distribution of count timings available in lek count databases such as that of Wyoming (conducted up to 90 minutes after sunrise) can be used to estimate sage-grouse population trends without reducing precision or accuracy relative to trends from counts conducted within 30 minutes of sunrise. However, only 10% of all Wyoming counts in our sample (1995−2014) were conducted 61−90 minutes after sunrise, and further increasing this percentage may still bias trend estimates because of declining lek attendance. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
An effect of tolbutamide on nucleotides of incubated whole human blood.

SummaryFresh human blood collected in heparin and glucose was incubated without and with tolbutamide for up to 48 hours. ATP levels in the tolbutamide samples were less than in the control samples although glucose utilization appeared to be the same. It was concluded that the changes in the blood nucleotide pattern were more subtle indicators of effects of tolbutamide on energy metabolism than more conventional measures such as glucose utilization, but the implications of the findings are not entirely clear.
Viscoelasticity of Reversible Gelation for Ionomers

Linear viscoelasticity (LVE) of low-ion-content and low-molecular-weight (nonentangled) randomly sulfonated polystyrene shows a sol–gel transition when the average number of ionic groups per chain approaches unity. This transition can be well understood by regarding the number of ionizable sites over a chain as the relevant functionality for cross-linking. For ionomers below but very close to the gel point, the LVE shows power law relaxation similar to gelation of chemical cross-linking. Nevertheless, ionomers near and beyond the gel point also show terminal relaxation not seen in chemically cross-linking systems, which is controlled by ionic dissociation. Careful analysis of the power law region of the frequency dependence of complex modulus close to the gel point shows a change in exponent from ∼1 at high frequency to ∼0.67 at low frequency, which strongly suggests a transition from mean-field to critical percolation known as the Ginzburg point. A mean-field percolation theory by Rubinstein and Semenov ...
System Identification and Damage Assessment of Deteriorating Hysteretic Structures

Assessment of impact damage in deteriorating structures is important as it can have potential benefits in improving their safety and performance. Most of the available damage assessment techniques are capable of detecting damage, location and/or severity; however, none of the available techniques provide an approach that can take into account structural deterioration in the parameter estimation, and results classificatio. Structures exhibit certain level of hysteretic behavior due to for example hydraulic systems of control surfaces, freeplay of structural joints, and/or accumulated structural damage. In order to capture the uncertainty in estimating system parameters due to structural deterioration, our paper presents a modified exponential forgetting and resetting algorithm (MEFRA) for adaptive system identification to assess impact damage of time-varying hysteretic structures using vibration measurements. In our research, modal and time series parameters are to be identified using measured structural response from an undamaged system and then from a damaged system. Once the model structure is known, the problem of system identification is reduced to an adaptive parameter estimation and tracking. Individual and combined binary classification techniques are utilized to search for the most probable class of event by comparing the relative probabilities for impact damages. The effectiveness and robustness of our damage assessment approach is evaluated via computational simulations and next an overall comparison of the classifiers is given.
Effect of Parallel Compliance on Stability of Robotic Hands With Series Elastic Actuators

Compliance is a key requirement for safe interactions with the environment for any robot. It has been well established that the human body exploits various arrangements of compliance such as series compliance (musculo-tendon units) and parallel compliance (joint capsules and ligament complex) to achieve robust and graceful interaction with the environment. Mechanical compliance can be similarly arranged in robotic joints in series or parallel to actuators. The effects of such arrangements on the closed loop properties of robotic joints such as stability, disturbance rejection and tracking performance have been analyzed separately, but their combined effects have not been studied. We present a detailed analysis on the combined effects of series and parallel arrangements of compliance on low inertia robotic joints. Our analysis shows the stability limitations of achievable joint stiffness due to series compliance and the subsequent increase in the stable upper limit of achievable joint stiffness by addition of parallel compliance. We provide guidelines towards designing compliance to improve the stability and performance of low-inertia robotic joints, which can be applied to the improvement of robotic hands performing grasping and manipulation tasks. We validate our analysis by means of an experimental platform and discuss the various characteristics and the effects of both arrangements of compliance on robotic hands.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Understanding Environmental Cognition

Many research questions in environmental policy lead us to questions of environmental cognition—how do individuals structure their thinking about environmental issues, how are these cognitions learned, and how do they influence behaviors? Although these processes tend to be understudied and undertheorized, at least two theoretical perspectives are useful for illuminating different aspects of environmental cognition. The Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) was developed in the political science literature to explain major policy change in technically complex issue areas, and the Values-Beliefs-Norms (VBN) theory was developed in the social psychology literature to explain environmental activism among the lay public. Unfortunately, these literatures rarely communicate with one another. This article shows how integrating key aspects of the ACF and VBN can moves us toward a more robust theory to guide future empirical work on cognition, learning, and behavior in the context of environmental issues.
Healthcare Policy and Innovation

The array of structural forces that define the content and determine the trajectory of health policy-making are both external and internal in nature: external in the sense of the economic, political, social, and cultural factors that shape policy options which national decision-makers then choose from; and internal in the sense of better health system strategies and mechanisms that make funders and providers more efficient and effective. This external/internal perspective can also be applied comparatively across countries, making it possible to identify underlying patterns of policy change and improvement as well as to underscore areas where past policy efforts have been less successful and further innovation is necessary. Much of what is now termed ‘governance’ in health systems involves steering a more effective path through this structural maze.
A wirelessly programmable actuation and sensing system for structural health monitoring

Wireless sensor networks promise to deliver low cost, low power and massively distributed systems for structural health monitoring. A key component of these systems, particularly when sampling rates are high, is the capability to process data within the network. Although progress has been made towards this vision, it remains a difficult task to develop and program ’smart’ wireless sensing applications. In this paper we present a system which allows data acquisition and computational tasks to be specified in Python, a high level programming language, and executed within the sensor network. Key features of this system include the ability to execute custom application code without firmware updates, to run multiple users’ requests concurrently and to conserve power through adjustable sleep settings. Specific examples of sensor node tasks are given to demonstrate the features of this system in the context of structural health monitoring. The system comprises of individual firmware for nodes in the wireless sensor network, and a gateway server and web application through which users can remotely submit their requests.
The regulation of follicle growth: some clinical implications in reproductive endocrinology

Objective To review the literature concerning the regulation of follicle growth, to describe a model for unifollicular ovulation based upon the information gleaned, and to discuss some clinical implications in reproductive endocrinology underscored by this expanding knowledge. Design Studies relating to follicular growth in lower animals and primates were reviewed. From the most pertinent articles the individual agents playing a significant role in the regulation of follicle growth were identified along with their mechanisms of action. A model for unifollicular development was proposed based upon the results of the review of these studies. Refinements in the management of some clinical problems in reproductive endocrinology were discussed based upon this model. Results From a review of these studies it appears that in the human and primate menstrual cycle one follicle is selected because it has adequate FSH receptors when plasma FSH levels are high. This follicle becomes dominant despite falling FSH levels because of increased sensitivity of the follicle to FSH brought about by intraovarian growth regulators. Conclusions Improved care of patients requiring ovulation induction for differing indications should be possible with this more comprehensive knowledge of natural follicle growth.
Genetic Diversity among Pentaploid Buffelgrass Accessions

ABSTRACT Buffelgrass [ Pennisetum ciliare (L.) Link (syn. Cenchrus ciliaris L.)], an important pasture and range grass in the arid semi-tropics and tropics, has excellent drought-tolerance but lacks winter hardiness. It is a polymorphic, apomictic spe-cies and its most common chromosome num-ber is 2 n = 4 x = 36. Eighty-six pentaploid (2 n = 5 x = 45) accessions from South Africa were deposited into the USDA National Germplasm System (NpGS) in 1976 and these were more winter-hardy than all tetraploid accessions. prior to 1976, only 31 pentaploids were in the NpGS but they lacked cold tolerance. Since 1976, ten pentaploid accessions with unknown cold tolerance have been added to the NpGS and they were included. The genetic diversity among all these pentaploid accessions was investigated to determine if the winter-hardy and non-winter-hardy genotypes were distinct. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms were used to determine the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among the acces-sions. Ten primer combinations generated 862 polymorphic bands; the number of bands identified by each primer ranged from 74 to 117 (mean 93.4). Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UpGMA) cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis revealed two groups with one separating into two sub-groups and one sub-group separating into two subdi-visions. Genetic similarity coefficients ranged from 0.39 to 0.98 (mean 0.74). These findings show considerable genetic diversity among the pentaploid accessions. Most cold-tolerant and non-cold-tolerant genotypes separated by sub -groups but not by group. Nine tetraploid acces-sions, included for reference, clustered into several subgroups. The pentaploid genotypes appear to have polyphyletic origins.B.L. Burson and L.L. Hinze, USDA-ARS, Crop Germplasm Research Unit, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, 2881 FB K. Renganayaki, C.D. Dowling, and R.W. Jessup, Dep. Soil & Crop Sciences, Texas A&M Univ., College Sta-tion, TX 77843-2474. Received 26 Sept. 2014. Accepted 15 Jan. 2015. *Corresponding author (byron.burson@ars.usda.gov).
Cherish Life Care Safety

The current safety situation of China is steady and better than past, but it is still severe. Based on the analysis of safety consciousness , safety input, safety legal system and on-the-spot government,the main causes of current safety situation of China were analyzed and some suggestion was put forward in this paper.
Epidemiological analysis of hepatitis C in Xishan district of Kunming city,2008 ~ 2013

Objective To analyze the epidemiological features of Hepatitis C in Xishan district from 2008 to 2013,to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control of Hepatitis C. Methods Using China Information System of Disease Prevention and Control to make a descriptive epidemiological analysis of Hepatitis C epidemiological features and the quality of reported cases in Xishan district from 2008 to 2013. Results A total of 1288 cases of Hepatitis C were reported in Xishan district from 2008 to 2013. The incidence of annual report was 31. 05 /100,000. There was significant difference in prevalence rate between different years. The incidence in the main city area and urban and rural copula was higher than that in the rural areas,and higher among men than among women. The incidence peak was focus on 30 to 49 years old population. The house workers,job- waiting people and retirees were the high- risk groups. Conclusion The Hepatitis C infection was on the rise in Xishan district during 2008 to 2013. There were obvious population and regional differences. The key population and areas should be targeted to strengthen the monitoring and prevention and control.
Comprehensive breast cancer screening: Programs now include individual risk assessment

A comprehensive breast cancer screening program needs to include risk assessment in addition to clinical breast examination and mammography. Women identified as being at increased risk should have an individualized schedule of screening mammography and a proven prevention program tailored to their level of risk. In this article, Drs Cardenas and Frisch review risk factors, screening methods, and individual risk assessment, then explain how to use them in conjunction to identify tumors at an earlier, more curable stage.
ASIA, EAST | Early Holocene Foragers

Since the end of the Pleistocene, East Asia has been a world with China at its center. Two major developments in China had profound affects on the prehistoric hunter-gatherers of East Asia and surrounding regions. These developments were the emergence of farming societies at the beginning of the Holocene and then the rise of states and Chinese dynastic civilization after 2000 BC.
A robust extended Kalman filter for power system dynamic state estimation using PMU measurements

This paper develops a robust extended Kalman filter to estimate the rotor angles and the rotor speeds of synchronous generators of a multimachine power system. Using a batch-mode regression form, the filter processes together predicted state vector and PMU measurements to track the system dynamics faster than the standard extended Kalman filter. Our proposed filter is based on a robust GM-estimator that bounds the influence of vertical outliers and bad leverage points, which are identified by means of the projection statistics. Good statistical efficiency under the Gaussian distribution assumption of the process and the observation noise is achieved thanks to the use of the Huber cost function, which is minimized via the iteratively reweighted least squares algorithm. The asymptotic covariance matrix of the state estimation error vector is derived via the covariance matrix of the total influence function of the GM-estimator. Simulations carried out on the IEEE 39-bus test system reveal that our robust extended Kalman filter exhibits good tracking capabilities under Gaussian process and observation noise while suppressing observation outliers, even in position of leverage. These good performances are obtained only under the validity of the linear approximation of the power system model.
Clonal Abnormalities in MSC Derived from AML Bone Marrows

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) have the capacity to differentiate into various cell types in specific conditions, to support normal and malignant hematopoiesis and protect leukemic cells from chemotherapy. However, little is known about the molecular genetics and cytogenetics of these cells. In this study, we established and expanded BM-MSC from bone marrow of patients with acute myeloid leukemias (AML). A total of 10 cases including from patients with normal (n=7) and abnormal karyotypes (n=3) were analyzed by conventional cytogenetic methods, array-CGH and FISH. Ten metaphases were analyzed in each case. Genomic DNA from the MSC was extracted and array comparative genomic hybridization (a CGH) was performed using the PerkinElmer Constitutional Chip 4.0 that contains 5,200 BAC clones printed in triplicate that detects and maps changes in copy number of DNA sequences. In a CGH, DNA from MSC and a reference genome (genomic DNA from a normal individual) are differentially labeled with fluorescent dyes and hybridized to a representation of the human genome, in this assay a DNA microarray containing BAC clones with human DNA inserts. Hybridization of repetitive sequences is blocked by the addition of Cot-1 DNA. The fluorescence ratio of the test and reference hybridization signals is determined at different positions along the genome and provides information on the relative copy number of sequences in the test genome compared with a normal diploid genome. The final plots were generated by SpectralWare software using appropriate normalization. For confirmation, individual BAC DNAs were labeled using the Invitrogen DNA labeling kit for FISH. Results demonstrate that G-banding analysis did not show chromosome rearrangement in 9 cases. There was 47,XX, +5 in one case that had 46, XX, der(16)t(1;16)(q21;q12.1) in the primary AML sample. This finding was confirmed by FISH and aCGH. At variance to BM-MSC derived from normal donors, all 10 cases of AML-derived MSC showed abnormalities (gain or loss) in different regions of chromosomes. The most frequently involved chromosomes were No. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 15, 16, 19, and 22. The abnormalities were confirmed by FISH. These results indicate that BM-MSC derived from AML have genomic abnormalities which may be important for their support of leukemia cell growth and resistance to chemotherapeutic agents.
Genetic risk for obesity predicts nucleus accumbens size and responsivity to real-world food cues

Obesity is a major public health concern that involves an interaction between genetic susceptibility and exposure to environmental cues (e.g., food marketing); however, the mechanisms that link these factors and contribute to unhealthy eating are unclear. Using a well-known obesity risk polymorphism (FTO rs9939609) in a sample of 78 children (ages 9-12 y), we observed that children at risk for obesity exhibited stronger responses to food commercials in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) than children not at risk. Similarly, children at a higher genetic risk for obesity demonstrated larger NAcc volumes. Although a recessive model of this polymorphism best predicted body mass and adiposity, a dominant model was most predictive of NAcc size and responsivity to food cues. These findings suggest that children genetically at risk for obesity are predisposed to represent reward signals more strongly, which, in turn, may contribute to unhealthy eating behaviors later in life.
Evolutionary restoration potential evaluated through the use of a trait-linked genetic marker.

Human-driven evolution can impact the ecological role and conservation value of impacted populations. Most evolutionary restoration approaches focus on manipulating gene flow, but an alternative approach is to manipulate the selection regime to restore historic or desired trait values. Here we examined the potential utility of this approach to restore anadromous migratory behavior in coastal California steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) populations. We evaluated the effects of natural and anthropogenic environmental variables on the observed frequency of alleles at a genomic marker tightly associated with migratory behavior across 39 steelhead populations from across California, USA. We then modeled the potential for evolutionary restoration at sites that have been impacted by anthropogenic barriers. We found that complete barriers such as dams are associated with major reductions in the frequency of anadromy-associated alleles. The removal of dams is therefore expected to restore anadromy significantly. Interestingly, accumulations of large numbers of partial barriers (passable under at least some flow conditions) were also associated with significant reductions in migratory allele frequencies. Restoration involving the removal of partial barriers could be evaluated alongside dam removal and fishway construction as a cost-effective tool to restore anadromous fish migrations. Results encourage broader consideration of in situ evolution during the development of habitat restoration projects. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Hydrogel Environment Supports Cell Culture Expansion of a Grade IV Astrocytoma

Malignant astrocytomas are aggressive cancers of glial origin that can develop into invasive brain tumors. The disease has poor prognosis and high recurrence rate. Astrocytoma cell lines of human origin are an important tool in the experimental pathway from bench to bedside because they afford a convenient intermediate system for in vitro analysis of brain cancer pathogenesis and treatment options. We undertook the current study to determine whether hydrogel culture methods could be adapted to support the growth of astrocytoma cell lines, thereby facilitating a system that may be biologically more similar to in vivo tumor tissue. Our experimental protocols enabled maintenance of Grade IV astrocytoma cell lines in conventional monolayer culture and in the extracellular matrix hydrogel, Geltrex™. Light and fluorescence microscopy showed that hydrogel environments promoted cellular reorganization from dispersed cells into multilayered aggregates. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the prevalence of autophagy and nuclear membrane distortions in both culture systems. Analysis of microarray Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) DataSets highlighted expression of genes implicated in pathways for cancer progression and autophagy. A pilot quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis of the autophagic biomarkers, Beclin 1 (BECN1) and microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (MAP1LC3B), with two reference genes (beta actin, ACTB; glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, GAPDH), uncovered a relative increase of BECN1 and LC3B in hydrogel cultures of astrocytoma as compared to the monolayer. Taken together, results establish that ultrastructural and molecular characteristics of autophagy are features of this astrocytoma cell line, and that hydrogel culture systems can afford novel opportunities for in vitro studies of glioma.
C–H Alkenylation of Heteroarenes: Mechanism, Rate, and Selectivity Changes Enabled by Thioether Ligands

Thioether ancillary ligands have been identified that can greatly accelerate the C–H alkenylation of O-, S-, and N-heteroarenes. Kinetic data suggest thioether–Pd-catalyzed reactions can be as much as 800× faster than classic ligandless systems. Furthermore, mechanistic studies revealed C–H bond cleavage as the turnover-limiting step, and that rate acceleration upon thioether coordination is correlated to a change from a neutral to a cationic pathway for this key step. The formation of a cationic, low-coordinate catalytic intermediate in these reactions may also account for unusual catalyst-controlled site selectivity wherein C–H alkenylation of five-atom heteroarenes can occur under electronic control with thioether ligands even when this necessarily involves reaction at a more hindered C–H bond. The thioether effect also enables short reaction times under mild conditions for many O-, S-, and N-heteroarenes (55 examples), including examples of late-stage drug derivatization.