cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gold Nanorods as Plasmonic Nanotransducers: Distance-Dependent Refractive Index Sensitivity

Owing to the facile tunability of the localized surface plasmon resonance wavelength (LSPR) and large refractive index sensitivity, gold nanorods (AuNR) are of high interest as plasmonic nanotransducers for label-free biological sensing. We investigate the influence of gold nanorod dimensions on distance-dependent LSPR sensitivity and electromagnetic (EM) decay length using electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of polyelectrolytes. The electromagnetic decay length was found to increase linearly with both nanorod length and diameter, although to variable degrees. The rate of EM decay length increase with nanorod diameter is significantly higher compared to that of the length, indicating that diameter is a convenient handle to tune the EM decay length of gold nanorods. The ability to precisely measure the EM decay length of nanostructures enables the rational selection of plasmonic nanotransducer dimensions for the particular biosensing application.
Particle size effects on the thermal behavior of hematite

Hematite with different particle sizes was obtained through isothermal annealing and mechanochemical ball-milling methods. The hematite phase is very stable under air atmosphere. The thermal stabilities of hematite under argon atmosphere were characterized by thermal analysis studies up to 800 °C using a simultaneous DSC–TG technique. The lattice parameters a and c of hematite with different particle sizes were extracted from the Rietveld structural refinement of powder X-ray diffraction patterns. Decomposition of hematite into a lower oxidation state in inert argon atmosphere was studied by the TG experiments for the first time and the enthalpy associated with the decomposition reaction was determined from the DSC studies. Particle size has a strong effect on the thermal behavior of hematite samples. Ball-milled hematite samples with smaller particle size showed that the phase transformation was extended to higher temperature range with larger enthalpy. Hematite with larger average particle size showed higher stability under argon atmosphere.
Preparation of Polyacrylonitrile-block-poly(n-butyl acrylate) Copolymers Using Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization and Nitroxide Mediated Polymerization Processes

The preparation of block copolymers with acrylonitrile (AN) and n-butyl acrylate (n-BA) was examined using two controlled radical polymerization (CRP) processes: atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP). When crossing from poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PBA) to polymerization of AN, the use of halogen exchange in an ATRP process improved control of polymerization. However, when switching from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to n-BA, the cross-propagation was well controlled without halogen exchange. These differences in blocking efficiency can be explained by differences in the bond dissociation energy of the terminal carbon-halogen bond. In NMP, an efficient transition from a preformed PBA block to AN polymerization required the presence of excess of nitroxide. However, chain-extension from PAN to PBA, even under homogeneous conditions and with an excess nitroxide, was less efficient, and GPC traces showed bimodality.
High-DOF Robots in Dynamic Environments Using Incremental Trajectory Optimization

We present a novel optimization-based motion planning algorithm for high degree-of-freedom (DOF) robots in dynamic environments. Our approach decomposes the high-dimensional motion planning problem into a sequence of low-dimensional sub-problems. We compute collision-free and smooth paths using optimization-based planning and trajectory perturbation for each sub-problem. The overall algorithm does not require a priori knowledge about global motion or trajectories of dynamic obstacles. Rather, we compute a conservative local bound on the position or trajectory of each obstacle over a short time and use the bound to incrementally compute a collision-free trajectory for the robot. The high-DOF robot is treated as a tightly coupled system, and we incrementally use constrained coordination to plan its motion. We highlight the performance of our planner in simulated environments on robots with tens of DOFs.
Two-Level Block Encoding for Digital Transmission

Communication channels with no transmission at dc require data encoding to eliminate dc from the signal. Many coding schemes have been developed for this purpose. The scheme discussed here uses code blocks with equal numbers of plus and minus pulses, according to a previously published algorithm. This code is compared to a three-level "bipolar" coding scheme in terms of spectral characteristics, efficiency, crosstalk noise, power requirements, and hardware requirements. Circuitry is described for coders, decoders, and repeaters. Extensions to other code types are discussed briefly.
Early systolic and diastolic dysfunction during sepsis in rats

In order to evaluate the development of myocardial dysfunction early in the course of sepsis, hemodynamic observations in rats with sepsis were performed in parallel with the assessment of cardiac contractility and compliance in isolated septic rat hearts. In the first study, sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and perforation in five rats, and five animals served as sham-operated controls. Stroke volume and stroke work were significantly decreased in septic animals at 3.5 hours. In the second study, myocardial contractility and stiffness were measured using a Langendorf isolated heart preparation. Sepsis was induced in five rats, and five animals served as sham-operated controls. The animals were killed 3.5 hours after abdominal surgery and the hearts were quickly removed. A cannula was advanced into the aorta to maintain coronary perfusion and a latex balloon was placed in the left ventricle. Left ventricular pressures were recorded at incremental balloon volumes. The peak rate of ventricular pressure development (peak dP/dt) was 1,780 ± 111 mm Hg/sec in the sham animals and 1,219 ± 61 mm Hg in the septic animals (P < .01). Septic heart stiffness was 1.1 ± 0.2 mm Hg/μL compared with 0.5 ± 0.1 mm Hg/μL in the hearts of the sham animals (P < .05). These studies provide evidence of a striking decrease in left ventricular contractility and compliance early in sepsis.
Mode Suppressed TEM Cell Design For High Frequency IC Measurements

TEM cells or GTEM cells can be used to evaluate the radiated emissions of integrated circuits (ICs). The applicable frequency bandwidth of a TEM cell is limited due to the resonances of higher order modes. This paper describes how a TEM cell can be modified to extend the frequency range without changing the test topology. Several methods are proposed and implemented to suppress the higher order modes. The magnetic field coupling and electric field coupling are evaluated for the new design. The frequency bandwidth of the modified TEM cell is extended from original 1 GHz to 2. 5 GHz.
Siblings' Direct and Indirect Contributions to Child Development

Since the early 1980s, a growing body of research has described the contributions of sibling relationships to child and adolescent development. Interactions with older siblings promote young children's language and cognitive development, their understanding of other people's emotions and perspectives, and, conversely, their development of antisocial behavior. Studies address the ways in which parents' experiences with older children contribute to their rearing of younger children, which in turn contributes to the younger children's development. Finally, by virtue of having a sibling, children may receive differential treatment from their parents. Under some conditions, differential treatment is associated with emotional and behavioral problems in children.
Systems science, the discipline of epistemological domains, contributes to the design of the intelligent global web

This article was first presented as the Invited von Bertalanffy Lecture delivered at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the ISGSS/ISSS Edinburgh, Scotland, July, 1989. Systems science is named the “discipline of epistemological domains,” where symbolism plays a preponderant role in the study of systems of high abstraction. Symbolism and abstraction were already important concepts in the work of Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901–1972), to whom this lecture is dedicated. As a tribute to his vision, references and quotations from the founder of modern systems science are made. Other authors such as E. Cassirer, S. Langer, J. R. Royce, J. Piaget, etc., have also contributed to our modern understanding of symbolism/abstraction, a process which is fundamental to the epistemology of systems science, as well as that of all scholarly disciplines. A wide range of examples taken from several different fields are used to illustrate the importance of the process of abstraction in modern system thinking and in the design of the “global web,” and “artifact” of social, political, and economic interrelationships devoted to the solution of world problems. Symbolism and the underlying process of abstraction are studied further to show their role in language, cognition, communication, artificial intelligence, etc. The connection between symbolism/abstraction and the design of artifacts in organizations is made. It is shown that when decision makers neglect the study of inquiring systems of high abstraction where epistemological concerns are discussed, the risk of system failures is enhanced. Overlooking epistemology may also lead to the demise of a scientific discipline, through paradigm displacement and the disappearance of knowledge. On the other hand, resorting to high levels of abstraction in human thinking leads to knowledge creation, innovation, and artistic expression.
The natural history of college smoking: Trajectories of daily smoking during the freshman year

Although the initiation of cigarette use typically occurs prior to age 18, there is evidence for considerable change in smoking behavior after this age. College may be a particularly important period to study smoking because it is a time when adolescents transition into a new social context where substance use is normative. Using a longitudinal design, daily assessments of smoking were collected during the entire first year of college for a large cohort of freshman (N=496). Findings suggested a weekly cycle of smoking such that the probability of smoking was much higher on weekends (Friday and Saturday) than on remaining days of the week. In addition to this weekly cycle, there was an overall trend for smoking to decline over the course of the year. Substantial individual variability in levels of smoking was observed. These findings provide new insights into college smoking, and have implications for assessment, policy, intervention, and future directions for research.
Cytogenetics and molecular genetics of cancer of the prostate.

Prostate cancer remains the most common male malignancy in Western countries and the second-leading cause of death from cancer in males. Progress in the understanding of molecular and genetic mechanisms leading to this disease has only recently begun to offer a glimpse of the genes, chromosomal sites, and proteins implicated in the development and progression of prostate tumors. This brief review addresses some of the key issues in prostate cancer research, including a discussion of both hereditary and sporadic cancers as well as specific genes and chromosomal loci that likely play a part in the etiology of this disease. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Insights into the mechanism of Escherichia coli methionine aminopeptidase from the structural analysis of reaction products and phosphorus-based transition-state analogues.

In an effort to differentiate between alternative mechanistic schemes that have been postulated for Escherichia coli methionine aminopeptidase (eMetAP), the modes of binding of a series of products and phosphorus-based transition-state analogues were determined by X-ray crystallography. Methionine phosphonate, norleucine phosphonate, and methionine phosphinate bind with the N-terminal group interacting with Co2 and with the respective phosphorus oxygens binding between the metals, interacting in a bifurcated manner with Co1 and His178 and hydrogen bonded to His79. In contrast, the reaction product methionine and its analogue trifluoromethionine lose interactions with Co1 and His79. The interactions with the transition-state analogues are, in general, very similar to those seen previously for the complex of the enzyme with a bestatin-based inhibitor. The mode of interaction of His79 is, however, different. In the case of the bestatin-based inhibitor, His79 interacts with atoms in the peptide bond between t...
Achieving Realism With Low‐Tech Simulation

Childbearing Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program The use of simulation to increase team confidence and competence in responding to obstetric emergencies is well documented in the literature. However, limits on financial and human resources make the purchase and operation of high-fidelity simulators challenging in many organizations. Some literature indicates that setting appropriate goals for simulation and conducting effective debriefing sessions, rather than the use of high-fidelity simulators, are the most significant drivers of enhanced team performance associated with simulation. As a relatively new perinatal clinical educator, I recognized our staff's need for simulation. One of my physician partners was convinced that high-fidelity simulation was the only effective way to accomplish this learning modality. However, after attending a 1-day course on the programming and operation of this mannequin, I was daunted by the prospect of learning to use the equipment effectively. Because the male mannequin cannot simulate hemorrhage like an obstetric simulator can, I held doubts that the staff would not be distracted by the fact that our mannequin was male. Proposed Change Wanting to accomplish successful simulation with the means I had available, I worked with our simulation coordinator to develop appropriate goals for a low-fidelity postpartum hemorrhage simulation. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation I concocted nonstaining blood , developed a realistic scenario, used a colleague as a standardized patient, partnered with the blood bank to obtain expired blood for use during simulation, and garnered the support of two obstetricians to participate in the hemorrhage simulation. Simulator intravenous (IV) arms from the clinical skills laboratory were used during the simulation to allow staff to feel the pressure of having to start IVs in an emergency situation, and the postpartum hemorrhage cart was a key part of our simulation. The nursing shift manager, anesthesia, pharmacy, and the operating room staff were all included in the simulation to allow testing of the integrity of systems and processes. Staff completed a brief pretest before a briefing and then took an identical posttest after the debriefing. The average improvement in test scores was approximately 10 points. The staff and physicians who participated in the simulations were extremely satisfied with the event. Evaluations indicated improved knowledge and confidence as well as a genuine feeling that the event was real. Several staff members stated, “I felt scared.” Potential communication and process breakdowns were identified and have since been addressed. Implications for Nursing Practice With proper planning and execution, low-fidelity simulation can be an effective means of team training.
A 14mW 5Gb/s CMOS TIA with gain-reuse regulated cascode compensation for parallel optical interconnects

Short-distance parallel optical links are poised to replace copper interconnects in high throughput links between computing nodes. In the receiver front-end of such systems, one- and two-dimensional monolithically integrated arrays of power- and area-efficient TIAs are required [1]. Differential signaling is preferred for superior supply rejection while power consumption per amplifier unit should be minimized to avoid heat dissipation issues and to maintain the energy efficiency (J/bit) advantage over copper interconnect. On the other hand, lower gain is acceptable due to the intended short-haul application. Multi-Gb/s CMOS TIAs suffer from a fundamental BW limit at the input. As illustrated in Fig. 5.6.1, the TIA input sees significant extrinsic capacitive loading (C IN ), not only from the photodiode (C PD ) which is dominant, but also from the ESD structures (C ESD ) and the offset-cancellation circuit (C OC ), which is needed due to finite extinction ratio of the transmitter laser diodes. The impact is more severe in CMOS as the input impedance of the circuit (1/g m ) is relatively high due to the low g m /I D of CMOS technology. The regulated cascode approach is an effective BW-extension technique that desensitizes the circuit to input capacitance by reducing the TIA input impedance through negative feedback [2]. However, in its conventional implementation, power dissipation is increased due to the additional broadband feedback amplifier while stability can be compromised by phase shifts. In this work, the voltage gain available from the common-gate TIA front-end is reused for the compensation rather than employing a dedicated amplifier; with the aim of demonstrating a more power- and area-efficient approach to CMOS BW extension.
Benzene-Induced Hematotoxicity and Bone Marrow Compensation in B6C3F1 Mice☆

Long-term inhalation exposure of benzene has been shown to cause hematotoxicity and an increased incidence of acute myelogenous leukemia in humans. The progression of benzene-induced hematotoxicity and the features of the toxicity that may play a major role in the leukemogenesis are not known. We report the hematological consequences of benzene inhalation in B6C3F1 mice exposed to 1, 5, 10, 100, and 200 ppm benzene for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 1, 2, 4, or 8 weeks and a recovery group. There were no significant effects on hematopoietic parameters from exposure to 10 ppm benzene or less. Exposure of mice to 100 and 200 ppm benzene reduced the number of total bone marrow cells, progenitor cells, differentiating hematopoietic cells, and most blood parameters. Replication of primitive progenitor cells in the bone marrow was increased during the exposure period as a compensation for the cytotoxicity induced by 100 and 200 ppm benzene. In mice exposed to 200 ppm benzene, the primitive progenitor cells maintained an increased percentage of cells in S-phase through 25 days of recovery compared with controls. The increased replication of primitive progenitor cells in concert with the reported genotoxicity induced by benzene provides the components necessary for producing an increased incidence of lymphoma in mice. Furthermore, we propose this mode of action as a biologically plausible mechanism for benzene-induced leukemia in humans exposed to high concentrations of benzene.
Does Deficiency of Arylsulfatase B Have a Role in Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with mutation and abnormal function of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) that affects cellular chloride transport. Clinically, CF of the lung is associated with excessive accumulation of secretions, including the sulfated glycosaminoglycans, chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate (DS), both of which contain sulfated N-acetylgalactosamine residues. The sulfatase enzymes, which are a highly conserved group of enzymes with high specificity for designated sulfate groups, include arylsulfatase B, a lysosomal enzyme. Arylsulfatase B, also known as N-acetyl galactosamine 4-sulfatase, can degrade DS and chondroitin-4 sulfate. Previously reported data demonstrated diminished activity of arylsulfatase B in lymphoid cell lines of patients with CF compared to normal control subjects. Frequent infections with Pseudomonas, a sulfatase-producing organism, occur in patients with CF, whereas infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which lacks sulfatase activity, are infrequent. Additional investigation to determine if diminished function of arylsulfatase B is a consistent finding in cells of patients with CF may be informative, and may help to correlate the molecular, biochemical, and clinical characteristics of CF.
Processive acceleration of actin barbed-end assembly by N-WASP

Neuronal Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP)-activated actin polymerization drives extension of invadopodia and podosomes into the basement layer. In addition to activating Arp2/3, N-WASP binds actin-filament barbed ends, and both N-WASP and barbed ends are tightly clustered in these invasive structures. We use nanofibers coated with N-WASP WWCA domains as model cell surfaces and single-actin-filament imaging to determine how clustered N-WASP affects Arp2/3-independent barbed-end assembly. Individual barbed ends captured by WWCA domains grow at or below their diffusion-limited assembly rate. At high filament densities, however, overlapping filaments form buckles between their nanofiber tethers and myosin attachment points. These buckles grew ∼3.4-fold faster than the diffusion-limited rate of unattached barbed ends. N-WASP constructs with and without the native polyproline (PP) region show similar rate enhancements in the absence of profilin, but profilin slows barbed-end acceleration from constructs containing the PP region. Increasing Mg(2+) to enhance filament bundling increases the frequency of filament buckle formation, consistent with a requirement of accelerated assembly on barbed-end bundling. We propose that this novel N-WASP assembly activity provides an Arp2/3-independent force that drives nascent filament bundles into the basement layer during cell invasion.
Associations between health care factors and self-reported health status among individuals with diabetes: results from a community assessment.

To identify the influence of select health care variables on self-reported physical and mental health status of individuals with diabetes. Data from the 2006 Brazos Valley Health Status Assessment (BVHSA) were analyzed. Aspects of health care were defined through exploratory factor analysis. Structural equation modeling was used to create relationships between health care aspects, personal characteristics of the participants, and self-reported physical and mental health status of individuals with diabetes. The significant predictors of self-reported physical health status were the number of co-morbid chronic diseases (β = 0.27, P = .002), and medical system access (β = −0.20, P = .035). The significant predictor of self-reported mental health status was the number of co-morbid chronic diseases (β = 0.35, P < .001). Self-reported physical (β = 0.27, P = .028) and mental (β = 0.29, P = .020) health status were both predictive of physician communication of mental health issues. Communication about mental health issues strongly relates to both self-reported physical and mental health status and should be an important part of physicians’ care for individuals with diabetes. Further, the nuances of medical system access for diabetes care should be further examined.
Cardiac Imaging Using a Four-Segment Slant-Hole Collimator

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate four-segment slant-hole (FSSH) SPECT for cardiac imaging. FSSH is a slant-hole collimator that is divided into four segments and arranged such that the photons from the volume of interest (VOI) are projected four times for every location of the detector. These multiple projections help to improve the sensitivity of the photons from the VOI by a factor 4cos3sigma, where sigma is the slant angle of the collimator. Another advantage of FSSH SPECT is a reduction in the total scan time, since a gantry rotation of pi-2sigma is sufficient to satisfy Orlov's condition. That means, for a slant angle of 30deg, a gantry rotation of 120deg is sufficient to satisfy Orlov's condition and obtain a complete dataset. In this paper, we evaluate and compare the reconstructed images obtained using an FSSH collimator, for a gantry rotation of 180deg and 120deg, with those obtained from a parallel-hole (PH) SPECT system using a 180deg acquisition. The reconstructed images from the three imaging geometries were compared in terms of average image noise, contrast, and percentage error, for seven different clinical count levels and for multiple noise realizations in each case. The increase in sensitivity of the FSSH system was found to translate into a proportional decrease in statistical noise for voxels in the VOI of the reconstructed images. Finally, a physical phantom study was performed using a prototype FSSH collimator. Our findings show that FSSH collimators have the potential of being the collimator of choice for cardiac SPECT imaging. Though we explore the potential of FSSH collimators for cardiac imaging in this paper, the concept can be extended for imaging other organs such as the breasts, kidney, and brain
Effects of High Glucose and High Lard Diets on the Activities of Rat Liver Glycosyltransferases

The activities of several enzymes involved in glycoprotein syn thesis were measured in the livers of rats (L) fed diets with 67%of calories as lard and compared with those of rats (G) fed 67% glucose diets for 5-9 days. Glucosa- mine synthetase activity was not influenced by diet, but the activities of UDP-N- acetylglucosaminyl, galactosyl and sialyltransferases were significantly greater in the livers of the rats fed the glucose diet than in L rat livers. The content of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine was also higher in G livers than in the L group. Ac tivities of glycosidases and of sugar nucleotide pyrophosphatases and phospha- tases were the same on both diets. Serum total hexosamine was higher in L than in G rats. These findings are discussed in relation to earlier reports that liver plasma membranes from G rats contained more glycoprotein carbohydrate than L membranes. J. Nutr. Ill: 1734-1741, 1981. INDEXING KEYWORDS glycoprotein synthesis â€¢glycosyltransferases
Geometry of the Total Time on Test Transform.

Abstract : Total time on test (TTT) plots provide a useful graphical method for tentative identification of failure distribution models. Identification is based on properties of the TTT transform. New properties of the TTT transform distribution are obtained. In particular, it is shown that a non-IFRA distribution may have an anti-starshaped transform. Hence, TTT transforms may only be useful for determining local properties of the failure rate function and not the failure rate average function. (Author)
Na/K-ATPase Signaling Regulates Collagen Synthesis Through microRNA-29b-3p in Cardiac Fibroblasts

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is accompanied by cardiac fibrosis, hypertrophy, and dysfunction, which are commonly referred to as uremic cardiomyopathy. Our previous studies found that Na/K-ATPase ligands or 5/6th partial nephrectomy (PNx) induces cardiac fibrosis in rats and mice. The current study used in vitro and in vivo models to explore novel roles for microRNA in this mechanism of cardiac fibrosis formation. To accomplish this, we performed microRNA profiling with RT-qPCR based arrays on cardiac tissue from rats subjected to marinobufagenin (MBG) infusion or PNx. The analysis showed that a series of fibrosis-related microRNAs were dysregulated. Among the dysregulated microRNAs, microRNA (miR)-29b-3p, which directly targets mRNA of collagen, was consistently reduced in both PNx and MBG-infused animals. In vitro experiments demonstrated that treatment of primary cultures of adult rat cardiac fibroblasts with Na/K-ATPase ligands induced significant increases in the fibrosis marker, collagen protein, and mRNA expression compared with controls, whereas miR-29b-3p expression decreased >50%. Transfection of miR-29b-3p mimics into cardiac fibroblasts inhibited cardiotonic steroids-induced collagen synthesis. Moreover, a specific Na/K-ATPase signaling antagonist, pNaKtide, prevented ouabain-induced increases in collagen synthesis and decreases in miR-29b-3p expression in these cells. In conclusion, these data are the first to indicate that signaling through Na/K-ATPase regulates miRNAs and specifically, miR-29b-3p expression both in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, these data indicate that miR-29b-3p expression plays an important role in the formation of cardiac fibrosis in CKD.
Model-Based Variation-Aware Integrated Circuit Design

Modern integrated circuit designers must deal with complex design and simulation problems while coping with large device to device parametric variations and often imperfect information. This chapter presents surrogate model-based methods to generate circuit performance models for design, device models, and high-speed input-output (IO) buffer macromodels. Circuit performance models are built with design parameters and parametric variations, and they can be used for fast and systematic design space exploration and yield analysis. Surrogate models of the main device characteristics are generated in order to assess the effects of variability in analog circuits. The variation-aware IO buffer macromodel integrates surrogate modeling and a physically based model structure. The new IO macromodel provides both good accuracy and scalability for signal integrity analysis.
Harnessing B cells in immunotherapy

B cells and their progeny contribute in manifold ways to adaptive and innate immune responses. Besides producing antibodies that direct activated products of the complement cascade and phagocytes to specific targets, B cells are increasingly understood to orchestrate the development and integrate the functions of innate and adaptive immunity (see [1] for review). Here, we discuss some of the functions of B cells that might determine the direction and impact of innate, cellular and humoral immunity in infection, cancer and transplantation. In the late 1980s, we observed that kidney transplants incompatible for ABO blood groups, and which should have suffered rapid and aggressive rejection owing to the binding of anti-blood group antibodies to the graft instead, often functioned normally if the offending antibodies were temporarily depleted and allowed to return [2]. We called this condition ‘accommodation’ to denote the apparent change in the transplanted organ that rendered it less susceptible to antibody-mediated rejection [3]. Since then, accommodation or a condition quite like it has been observed not only in transplants but also in tumors, infection, injury and inflammation [4]. Clearly, if one wishes to marshal immunity and inflammation toward the destruction of a tumor or cells harboring a latent virus, one should consider how to prevent or reverse accommodation as it may occur. On the other hand, if one wants to selectively target an infectious agent or preserve the integrity of a transplant or injured tissue, one should consider how best to elicit accommodation. If these objectives seem obvious, approaches that safely and reliably suppress or induce accommodation are anything but obvious. Exposure of cells, tissues and organs to subtoxic amounts of complement, cytokines, ischemia, physical injury, irradiation, microbial toxins, etc. induces resistance to lethal amounts of the same and sometimes other noxious agonists [5]. Among the most thoroughly investigated examples of such ‘accommodation’ is ischemic preconditioning [6,7]. Pre-exposure of organs or tissues to subtoxic ischemia or putative agonists of ischemic injury can reduce the severity of or even prevent severe injury when ischemia of greater severity is inflicted in the laboratory. Yet, putting this concept to clinical use has proven challenging, at least in part because one cannot know a priori how much ischemia or agents of ischemic injury such as intracellular Ca are needed to induce protection and how much will instead induce a level of injury to which the subsequent ischemic insult will add. For this reason, we have been keen to see if accommodation can be deliberately induced to avoid injury in transplants Harnessing B cells in immunotherapy
Germinal Center T Follicular Helper Cells Are Highly Permissive to HIV-1 and Alter Their Phenotype during Virus Replication

HIV-1 replication is concentrated within CD4(+) T cells in B cell follicles of secondary lymphoid tissues during asymptomatic disease. Limited data suggest that a subset of T follicular helper cells (TFH) within germinal centers (GC) is highly permissive to HIV-1. Whether GC TFH are the major HIV-1 virus-producing cells in vivo has not been established. In this study, we investigated TFH permissivity to HIV-1 ex vivo by spinoculating and culturing tonsil cells with HIV-1 GFP reporter viruses. Using flow cytometry, higher percentages of GC TFH (CXCR5(high)PD-1(high)) and CXCR5(+)programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)(low) cells were GFP(+) than non-GC TFH (CXCR5(+)PD-1(intermediate)) or extrafollicular (EF) (CXCR5(-)) cells. When sorted prior to spinoculation, however, GC TFH were substantially more permissive than CXCR5(+)PD-1(low) or EF cells, suggesting that many GC TFH transition to a CXCR5(+)PD-1(low) phenotype during productive infection. In situ hybridization on inguinal lymph node sections from untreated HIV-1-infected individuals without AIDS revealed higher frequencies of HIV-1 RNA(+) cells in GC than non-GC regions of follicle or EF regions. Superinfection of HIV-1-infected individuals' lymph node cells with GFP reporter virus confirmed the permissivity of follicular cells ex vivo. Lymph node immunostaining revealed 96% of CXCR5(+)CD4(+) cells were located in follicles. Within sorted lymph node cells from four HIV-infected individuals, CXCR5(+) subsets harbored 11-66-fold more HIV-1 RNA than CXCR5(-) subsets, as determined by RT PCR. Thus, GC TFH are highly permissive to HIV-1, but downregulate PD-1 and, to a lesser extent, CXCR5 during HIV-1 replication. These data further implicate GC TFH as the major HIV-1-producing cells in chronic asymptomatic HIV-1 infection.
Robot FPGA Toolbox

Abstract Robotics FPGA toolbox provides an orthogonal set of functions necessary to design the controls for any robotics system. The functions include motion control, safety I/O and vision. Typically designing the controls for a robotic system involves selecting a non-standard motion controller, a non-standard safety controller and a non-standard vision controller. Moreover, additional circuitry has to be designed to integrate the 3 systems. This results in significant overall cost and complexity. By implementing the required functionality in an integrated FPGA system, the overall costs are significantly reduced and the integration is greatly simplified.
Steady State Simulation of Gaseous Combustor Using Local Extiction Eddy Dissipation Concept

Non-premixed turbulent reacting flow in a methane-fuelled coaxial jet combustor has been studied numerically employing Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models. A Local Extinction approach for treating chemical reaction kinetics within the Eddy Dissipation Concept (EDC) has been examined. It applies a database of pre-calculated chemical time scales, which contains the influence of chemical kinetics that is otherwise timeconsuming to calculate. Simulations were carried out using RNG k-epsilon turbulence models by open-source CFD-toolbox OpenFOAM. The results were compared to available numerical results and experimental data for velocity, and temperature fields. All simulations were conducted with a reasonable number of mesh to demonstrate the accuracy of turbulent RANS models in OpenFOAM solver, which has a wide range of engineering applications in such type of flows.
Genetic Erosion: Context Is Key

Genetic erosion is a useful concept for conservationists, collection curators, natural lands managers, and practitioners of restoration and revegetation. However, there is variation in how the term has been used and how faithfully it follows from the genetic concepts upon which it was based. Genetic erosion is the loss of genetic diversity—often magnified or accelerated by human activities. It can result from habitat loss and fragmentation, but it also can result from a narrow genetic base in the original populations or collections or by practices that reduce genetic diversity. Just as loss of diversity is relative (to some baseline condition), so too is the biological significance of that loss, the management implications, and the human-applied value. Thus we emphasize the context in this chapter’s treatment of genetic erosion. Although few species-specific guidelines are available, practitioners can minimize the risk of genetic erosion by being familiar with the biology of the affected species (including breeding system, mode of reproduction, and pattern of genetic diversity). Narrowly based genetic collections should be avoided, providers of plant materials for revegetation projects should offer information on their collection methods, and nursery managers should endeavor to minimize diversity losses at all stages of nursery culture.
Analysis of iodine content in salt at household level from 2010's surveillance results in Zhoukou

Objective To investigate iodized salt consumption of residents in Zhoukou City,identify problems and take appropriate interventions timely.Methods According to the Henan Scheme for Surveying Iodinated Salt,9 samples of salt were randomly sampled from each batch in each first-degree wholesale enterprise every month.Meanwhile 9 towns were selected in 5 different directions of east,south,west,north and center in every county,among which 4 villages were furthermore selected in each selected town.Finally,8 samples of salt were randomly collected in each village.As a result,a total of 288 samples underwent the detection of iodine concentration.Results For household level,non-iodinated salt rate was 0.72%,iodinated salt covered 99.27% of the household,iodinated salt qualified rate was 98.40%,and edible qualified iodinated salt rate was 97.67%.Conclusions In terms of iodine salt index,Zhoukou City has fulfilled the aim of eliminating iodine deficiency disorders in advance;in some remote areas,there was still unqualified iodized salt consumption and the impact of non-iodized salt,now approaching to urban areas.
Cadmium contamination and dietary exposure assessment in retailed rice in Guangdong Province,2012

Objective To investigate cadmium contamination in retailed rice in Guangdong Province and make preliminary dietary exposure assessment of cadmium intake. Methods According to simple random sampling method,3050 rice samples were randomly collected from supermarkets,stalls and markets in 21 prefecture-level cities and Shunde District in Guangdong Province in 2012. Cadmium concentrations in samples were examined according to GB / T 5009. 152003. Based on the dietary consumption data from survey of the nutrition and health status among residents in Guangdong in 2002,rice dietary exposure levels of cadmium at general consumption( P 50) and high consumption( P 97. 5) were calculated separately for different age and gender groups. Results A total of 1 060 rice samples were collected in various regions of Guangdong Province. Cadmium concentrations ranged from 0. 000 5 to 2. 100 0 mg / kg,the median was 0. 078 0 mg / kg. Cadmium content in 48 samples( 4. 5%) exceeded the national standard( 0. 2 mg/kg). The medians of cadmium in rice and the exceeding stangard rates were staticstically different in the 22 cities or district( all P 0. 05). The highest content of cadmium in rice( median 0. 188 0 mg / kg) and highest exceeding standard rate( 42. 0%,21 /50) were found in Shaoguan City,The medians of cadmium in rice samples collected in cities and villages were 0. 075 0 and 0. 083 0 mg / kg,respectively( P 0. 05). The average monthly intake of cadmium from rice by the total survey population was 12. 59 μg/( kg·bw),0. 50 times of the provisional tolerated monthly intake( PTMI). Cadmium intake in the children group of 27 years old was 26. 07 μg /( kg·bw),exceeding PTMI. For those at the high level( P 97. 5) of rice consumption,cadmium intake was 23. 34 μg/( kg·bw),0. 93 times of PTMI. Conclusion The average concentration of cadmium in retailed rice in Guangdong was not high and the exceeding standard rate was 4. 5%. The rice collected in some cities had higher cadmium content. In general,the cadmium intake from rice by the survey population was safe. More attention should be paid to the dietary cadmium intake for children and those who may consume high level of rice.
Clinical Observation on the Effect of 60 Cases of Cerebral Palsy Treated with Tongue Acupuncture

Objective To observe the effect of children with cerebral palsy treated with tongue acupuncture. Methods 60 cases of cerebral palsy were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, 30 cases in each. The treatment group was treated by tongue acupuncture therapy, the control group was treated by normal acupuncture treatment. Pre and post treatment, GMFM and pediatric-psychological mental test were compared respectively. Results Before treatment, there was no significant difference between the two groups(P0.05), after 3 months of treatment, patients of the two groups had a significant difference(P0.05). Conclusion Tongue acupuncture can effectively improve the motor and cognitive function of children with cerebral palsy.
Specific protection of folate reductase against chemical and proteolytic inactivation.

Folate reductase of amethopterin resistant S-180 cells (AT/3000), grown in vitro, is inactivated by o-phenanthroline, EDTA, p-chloromercuribenzoate, iodoacetamide, trypsin, subtilisin, elastase, and carboxypeptidase B, but not by carboxypeptidase-A or leucineaminopeptidase. The enzymatic activity and the number of amethopterin binding sites were always lost in parallel fashion. When substrates or coenzymes were present, complete protection of the enzymic activity and of the amethopterin binding sites against all these agents was observed. Competitive inhibitors, 2,4-diaminopurine and -pyrimidine, which mimic just a small portion of the substrate molecule, also protected completely against o-phenanthroline and against the proteolytic enzymes but poorly against SH-reagents. It is suggested that folate (probably the pyrimidine portion of it) and TPNH are bound to the enzyme in the proximity of a metal and SH-groups. The protection against the proteolytic digestions is probably provided through conformational changes in the enzyme. No major proteolytic breakdown of the enzyme molecule, as a whole, was observed when folate reductase was complexed with amethopterin. It is suggested that the intracellular presence of substrate, coenzyme or competitive inhibitor of folate reductase may alter the turnover of this enzyme by preventing the proteolytic breakdown. In certain circumstances this could lead to an increase in the folate reductase content of cells and tissues. Also, it is concluded that folate reductase can form binary complexes with both the substrate and the coenzyme. Thus, the prior presence of coenzyme on the enzyme surface is not necessary for the attachment of the substrate and vice versa. Since the concentrations of folate, TPNH, and TPN which afforded 50% protection were of the same order of magnitude as the respective Km values, it seems that the presence of one on the enzyme surface does not affect the affinity to the other.
Reduced Regulatory T Cell to Activated T Cell Ratio in a Mouse Model of Immune-Mediated Bone Marrow Failure and Prevention of Aplastic Anemia by Infusion of T Regulatory Cells.

We have produced a murine model of immune-mediated bone marrow (BM) failure based on minor histocompatability antigen mismatch. Infusion of C57BL/6 (B6) lymph node (LN) cells into congenic C.B10 mice results 2–5 weeks later in severe marrow hypoplasia and fatal pancytopenia. Expansion of pathogenic T cells, especially cytotoxic T cells specific for the dominant minor antigen H60, is critical in disease progression: infusion of LN cells from H60-matched congenic B6 donors failed to induce BM failure in C.B10 recipients. We observed that the proportion of CD4 + CD25 + T cells in the BM increased significantly in LN-cell-infused animals, coordinate with BM invasion by CD4 and CD8 T cells. However, a very large fraction (60–80%) of CD4 + CD25 + T cells from BM failure mice did not express intracellular FoxP3, in contrast to CD4 + CD25 + cells from normal BM which were 80–90% FoxP3 +. In the mouse model, there were significant declines in the ratios between regulatory T cells and total T cells in the BM: CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 + (Treg) to CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 − (activated CD4 cells) ratio decreased from 1 : 0.29 to 1 : 2.10; CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 + to CD4 + ratio decreased from 1 : 7.01 to 1 : 19.87 whereas CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 + to CD8 + ratio decreased from 1 : 7.94 to 1 : 46.71 when unaffected animals and BM failure mice were compared. Infusion of as few as 5000 CD4 + CD25 + T cells obtained from normal B6 mouse spleen (>80% FoxP3 + ) with allogeneic B6 LN cells prevented H60-specific T cell expansion in C.B10 recipients and suppressed marrow destruction. A reduced regulatory T cell to activated T cell ratio accompanies pathogenic T cell expansion in this model of immune-mediated marrow destruction. Added regulatory T cells can suppress T cell expansion and prevent murine aplastic anemia. Our model concurs with recent observations in human aplastic anemia, in which numbers and activity of circulating regulatory T cells are much reduced in comparison to healthy controls (Solomou EE et al. ASH abstract submitted). Regulatory T cells might be useful in cellular therapy of autoimmune diseases.
Degraded services in mixed-line-rate networks using multipath routing

Traffic in optical backbone networks is increasing and becoming heterogeneous with respect to bandwidth and QoS requirements due to the popularity of high-bandwidth services such as cloud computing, e-science, telemedicine, etc. which need to coexist with traditional services (HTTP, etc.). Mixed-line-rate (MLR) networks which support lightpaths of different rates are being studied to support the heterogeneous traffic demands. Here, we study the important topic of degraded services in MLR networks, where a service can accept degradation in bandwidth to a certain extent in case of a failure for lower cost, a concept called partial protection. Network operators may wish to support degraded services to optimize network resources and reduce cost. We develop a multipath routing scheme to support degraded services in MLR networks, and our illustrative examples show that significant cost savings can be achieved vs. full protection.
Methods for Drug Dosage Individualization: Past, Present and Future

There is considerable interest in the measurement and interpretation of concentrations of drugs in plasma (Cp). Much of this interest stems from the hope that such measurements will provide a means, at least in some instances, of controlling drug therapy so as to achieve desired pharmacologic effects (and avoid undesired ones) with more precision than heretofore. The methodologic issues in doing so concern how to use population information and the information in Cp measurements from the individual of concern. It is the purpose of this chapter to discuss and review these issues.