cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantification of receptors for estradiol-17 beta and progesterone in the pituitary and hypothalamus of prepubertal gilts induced to ovulate with pregnant mare's serum and human chorionic gonadotropin.

Nuclear and cytoplasmic exchange assays were developed and validated to quantify receptors for estradiol-17f3 (E2 17j3) and progesterone (P4) in hypothalamic and pituitary tissues of gilts before, during, and after treatment with pregnant mare’s serum (PMS) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Prepubertal gilts, 5 months old, were assigned randomly to four treatments. One group of gilts received 500 IU PMS (Day 0) and were sacrificed 2 days later (2 days post-PMS); another group received 500 IU PMS on Days 0 and 2, and were sacrificed 4 days from the initial injection (4 days post-PMS). A third group of gilts received PMS (500 IU) on Days 0 and 2, 1000 IU hCG on Day 4, and were sacrificed 5 days after hCG (5 days post-hCG). Controls were given saline on Days 0, 2 and 4 and sacrificed on Day 6. In pituitary tissues, there were no significant changes in numbers of cytoplasmic E2 1 7� receptors, cytoplasniic P4 receptors, nuclear P4 receptors or nuclear E3 1 7�3 receptors among the control, 2 days post-PMS, 4 days post-PMS or 5 days posthCG treatment groups. In hypothalamic tissues, no differences in cytoplasmic E2 1 7�3 receptors, cytoplasmic P4 receptors or nuclear P4 receptors were found among any of the treatments. Nuclear receptors for E2 17� in hypothalamic tissues were greater, however, in gilts 2 days post-PMS (P<0.05) than in controls or 5 days post-hCG gilts, but they were not different from gilts 4 days post-PMS. Follicular development and serum concentrations of E2 1 7i3 followed the expected patterns after PMS; only ovaries from hCG-treated pigs contained corpora lutea. Because the PMS-hCG regimen simulated the onset oT puberty, it seems that gilts attain puberty without a significant change in the number of receptors for E2 17j3 and P4 in the pituitary or hypothalamus.
A dynamic noise level algorithm for spectral screening of peptide MS/MS spectra.

Background: High-throughput shotgun proteomics data contain a significant number of spectra from non-peptide ions or spectra of too poor quality to obtain highly confident peptide identifications. These spectra cannot be identified with any positive peptide matches in some database search programs or are identified with false positives in others. Removing these spectra can improve the database search results and lower computational expense. Results: A new algorithm has been developed to filter tandem mass spectra of poor quality from shotgun proteomic experiments. The algorithm determines the noise level dynamically and independently for each spectrum in a tandem mass spectrometric data set. Spectra are filtered based on a minimum number of required signal peaks with a signal-to-noise ratio of 2. The algorithm was tested with 23 sample data sets containing 62,117 total spectra. Conclusions: The spectral screening removed 89.0% of the tandem mass spectra that did not yield a peptide match when searched with the MassMatrix database search software. Only 6.0% of tandem mass spectra that yielded peptide matches considered to be true positive matches were lost after spectral screening. The algorithm was found to be very effective at removal of unidentified spectra in other database search programs including Mascot, OMSSA, and X!Tandem (75.93%-91.00%) with a small loss (3.59%-9.40%) of true positive matches.
Systematics, morphology, and ecological history of the Mascarene starlings (Aves: Sturnidae) with the description of a new genus and species from Mauritius.

Two endemic starlings, both extinct, have been described from the Mascarene Islands of Reunion and Rodrigues: the Hoopoe Starling, Huppe or Reunion Crested Starling Fregilupus varius, which is known from 19 skins and a single Holocene proximal end of a fossil femur, and the Rodrigues Starling Necropsar rodericanus, which is known as specimens only from fossils of most skeletal elements. Both were recorded alive in early accounts of Mascarene faunas. A third species of starling Cryptopsar ischyrhynchus gen. nov. sp. nov. is described herein from fossils from Mauritius, but was never reported in the early literature. This paper provides an analysis of the Sturnidae of the Mascarene Islands based on newly discovered fossil remains, and details historical reports and accounts. Their ecology and extinction are interpreted from historical evidence. Necropsar, Cryptopsar and Fregilupus clearly form part of the same clade, but morphological analysis shows that Necropsar and Cryptopsar are more closely related to each other than to Fregilupus and may have been part of a different colonisation event. All three genera appear to have their origins in SE Asia and have morphological similarities with the SE Asian sturnid genera, Sturnia and Gracupica, so they presumably colonised the islands via island-hopping during lower sea level stands.
Self-dual Chern-Simons vortices.

We study vortex solutions in an Abelian Chern-Simons theory with spontaneous symmetry breaking. We show that for a specific choice of the Higgs potential the vortex satisfies a set of Bogomol'nyi-type, or ``self-duality,'' equations.
Optical determination of electron-phonon coupling in carbon nanotubes.

We report on an optical method to directly measure electron-phonon coupling in carbon nanotubes by correlating the first and second harmonic of the resonant Raman excitation profile. The method is applicable to 1D and 0D systems and is not limited to materials that exhibit photoluminescence. Experimental results for electron-phonon coupling with the radial breathing mode in 5 different nanotubes show coupling strengths from 3–11 meV. The results are in good agreement with the chirality and diameter dependence of the e-ph coupling calculated by Goupalov et al.
Brane world perspective on the cosmological constant and the hierarchy problems

We elaborate on the recently proposed static brane world scenario, where the effective 4D cosmological constant is exponentially small when parallel 3-branes are far apart. We extend this result to a compactified model with two positive tension branes. In addition to an exponentially small effective 4D cosmological constant, this model incorporates a Randall-Sundrum-like solution to the hierarchy problem. Furthermore, the exponential factors for the hierarchy problem and the cosmological constant problem obey an inequality that is satisfied in nature. This inequality implies that the cosmological constant problem can be explained if the hierarchy problem is understood. The basic idea generalizes to the multibrane world scenario. We discuss models with piecewise adjustable bulk cosmological constants (to be determined by the 5-dimensional Einstein equation), a key element of the scenario. We also discuss the global structure of this scenario and clarify the physical properties of the particle (Rindler) horizons that are present. Finally, we derive a 4D effective theory in which all observers on all branes not separated by particle horizons measure the same Newton's constant and 4D cosmological constant.
Targeting chemokine receptor CXCR7 inhibits glioma cell proliferation and mobility.

Background: The functional contribution of chemokine receptor CXCR7 to malignant brain tumor biology remains controversial. Materials and Methods: Complementary methods were used to confirm CXCR7 expression in clinical glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) specimens and multiple GBM cell lines. Loss-of-function studies were performed using small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology. Results: Elevated CXCR7 levels correlated with reduced survival in glioma patients. CXCR7 was expressed by GBM cell lines and stem-like progenitor cells. Knockdown of CXCR7 by siRNA attenuated phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) signaling pathway in response to CXCL12 and resulted in significantly reduced cell proliferation, invasion and migration. Similarly, treatment of glioma cells with a small molecule antagonist of CXCR7, CCX771, significantly inhibited cell proliferation and invasion. Conclusion: CXCR7 actively promotes the proliferation and invasive behavior of glioma tumor cells and stem-like progenitor cells and may be a potential target for glioma therapy.
Asserting Performance Expectations

Traditional techniques for performance analysis provide a means for extracting and analyzing raw performance information from applications. Users then compare this raw data to their performance expectations for application constructs. This comparison can be tedious for the scale of today's architectures and software systems. To address this situation, we present a methodology and prototype that allows users to assert performance expectations explicitly in their source code using performance assertions. As the application executes, each performance assertion in the application collects data implicitly to verify the assertion. By allowing the user to specify a performance expectation with individual code segments, the runtime system can jettison raw data for measurements that pass their expectation, while reacting to failures with a variety of responses. We present several compelling uses of performance assertions with our operational prototype, including raising a performance exception, validating a performance model, and adapting an algorithm empirically at runtime.
Survivable key compromise in software update systems

Today's software update systems have little or no defense against key compromise. As a result, key compromises have put millions of software update clients at risk. Here we identify three classes of information whose authenticity and integrity are critical for secure software updates. Analyzing existing software update systems with our framework, we find their ability to communicate this information securely in the event of a key compromise to be weak or nonexistent. We also find that the security problems in current software update systems are compounded by inadequate trust revocation mechanisms. We identify core security principles that allow software update systems to survive key compromise. Using these ideas, we design and implement TUF, a software update framework that increases resilience to key compromise.
Fairness Analysis in Competitive FIFO Buffer Management

Motivated by providing differentiated services on the Internet, we consider efficient algorithms for buffer management in quality-of-service (QoS) routers. We study a FIFO buffering model with fairness constraint, in which packets have values to represent their priorities. The order of packets being sent complies with the order of their arriving time. Fairness is enforced such that the dropping rate of a higher- priority traffic class should not be much higher than that of a lower-priority traffic class by a factor of their values' ratio. Our objective is to maximize the total value of the packets sent. In this paper, we design both offline and online fair FIFO buffering algorithms. We first give a polynomial- time optimal offline algorithm. Then we discuss the fairness of a family of online algorithms and prove that all previously developed FIFO buffering algorithms do not guarantee fairness. For online algorithms, we use competitiveness to measure their performance against the worst-case scenarios. At last, we provide a fair online algorithm with a constant competitive ratio for the two traffic classes model. Our online algorithm is the first attempt to address the fairness concern in a competitive FIFO queue. It safeguards QoS guarantees and makes no stochastic assumptions on the input packet sequences.
Preschool-Adapted Liking Survey (PALS): A Brief and Valid Method To Assess Dietary Quality of Preschoolers.

Abstract Background: Feasible, valid, and reliable tools are needed to assess dietary quality among preschoolers. We aimed to test construct-/criterion-related validity and reliability of a dietary quality index generated from a liking survey and novel dietary patterns for characterizing food hedonism and parental feeding practices. Methods: Participants included 416 economically disadvantaged, diverse preschoolers (41% overweight/obese) from educational centers and their parents. Parents completed liking and frequency surveys; the liking survey took half as long to complete. Preschoolers' skin carotenoid status (measured by Resonance Raman spectroscopy) and BMI percentile (measured weight/height) were assessed. The Healthy Eating Preference Index (HEPI) was constructed from weighted averages of liking scores for food groups and healthy variety score and Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI) from nutrient analysis of the frequency survey. Results: The HEPI was normally distributed and showed construct validity ...
Doubly Multiplexing Dispersive Spectrometer

Description of a spectrometer that incorporates 19 entrances and 19 exit slots. The instrument's dual capability to perform either one-dimensional imaging or alternately to give a spectrum with a high SNR over the entire source is shown. The instrument operates in the Littrow mode at f/8. The slot width and length for each mask are 0.625 and 3.5 mm, respectively, giving a total aperture length of 12.1 mm. The corresponding resolving power at 1.7 microns is 230.
The Economics of Electronic Benefit Transfer Payments

Around one-third of recipients of government Social Security, retirement, unemployment, food stamps, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and other benefit programs do not have a bank account. Electronic benefit transfer (EBT) allows such recipients to obtain benefits electronically through ATM and debit card terminals, rather than by checks or food stamps. In so doing, EBT should lower costs and may double or triple the number of debit card transactions, hastening the replacement of checks by electronic payments.
Understanding prediction-based partial redundant threading for low-overhead, high- coverage fault tolerance

Redundant threading architectures duplicate all instructions to detect and possibly recover from transient faults. Several lighter weight Partial Redundant Threading (PRT) architectures have been proposed recently. (i) Opportunistic Fault Tolerance duplicates instructions only during periods of poor single-thread performance. (ii) ReStore does not explicitly duplicate instructions and instead exploits mispredictions among highly confident branch predictions as symptoms of faults. (iii) Slipstream creates a reduced alternate thread by replacing many instructions with highly confident predictions. We explore PRT as a possible direction for achieving the fault tolerance of full duplication with the performance of single-thread execution. Opportunistic and ReStore yield partial coverage since they are restricted to using only partial duplication or only confident predictions, respectively. Previous analysis of Slipstream fault tolerance was cursory and concluded that only duplicated instructions are covered. In this paper, we attempt to better understand Slipstream's fault tolerance, conjecturing that the mixture of partial duplication and confident predictions actually closely approximates the coverage of full duplication. A thorough dissection of prediction scenarios confirms that faults in nearly 100% of instructions are detectable. Fewer than 0.1% of faulty instructions are not detectable due to coincident faults and mispredictions. Next we show that the current recovery implementation fails to leverage excellent detection capability, since recovery sometimes initiates belatedly, after already retiring a detected faulty instruction. We propose and evaluate a suite of simple microarchitectural alterations to recovery and checking. Using the best alterations, Slipstream can recover from faults in 99% of instructions, compared to only 78% of instructions without alterations. Both results are much higher than predicted by past research, which claims coverage for only duplicated instructions, or 65% of instructions. On an 8-issue SMT processor, Slipstream performs within 1.3% of single-thread execution whereas full duplication slows performance by 14%.A key byproduct of this paper is a novel analysis framework in which every dynamic instruction is considered to be hypothetically faulty, thus not requiring explicit fault injection. Fault coverage is measured in terms of the fraction of candidate faulty instructions that are directly or indirectly detectable before.
Ethnosemantic Analysis of Cognition in the Alcoholic Patient

Ethnosemantic analysis, a research method developed by structural anthropologists and linguists for studying “alien” cognitive domains, would be a useful tool for therapists who treat the alcoholic patient. In this paper a method is developed that would enable a therapist to focus upon aspects of the alcoholic patient's cognitions that are operative in the patient's drinking behavior. Three sorts of objectively derived information are obtained: (1) a list of cognitive factors that threaten the patient's self-concept, (2) a taxonomic sorting of these factors, and (3) a measure of the differential stressfulness of these factors to the patient. All three of these information outputs are semantically produced by the patients themselves.
The Electrophysiology of Electric Organs of Marine Electric Fishes : III. The electroplaques of the stargazer, Astroscopus y-graecum.

The electroplaques of Astroscopus y-graecum were studied in situ with microelectrode recordings. Despite the distant taxonomic relations and the different origins of the organs, their properties in the teleost and torpedine marine electric fishes are remarkably similar. Only the innervated membrane (the dorsal) is electrogenically reactive in Astroscopus, and it, too, does not respond to electrical stimuli. As in the torpedine fishes, the uninnervated membrane of the electroplaques offers a very low resistance to the discharge of the innervated membrane. Additional direct evidence for electrical inexcitability of the reactive surface was obtained by denervating one of the bilateral organs. The denervated one did not respond to strong electrical stimuli which evoked responses in the opposite, innervated organ. The denervated electroplaques had a normal resting potential and were depolarized by acetylcholine and carbamylcholine similarly to normal cells. Other properties related to electrical inexcitability were also demonstrated. A pharmacological finding of considerable theoretical significance is that desensitization occurred on depolarizing cells with acetylcholine but was absent on depolarizing them with carbamylcholine.
Relative Growth Hormone Deficiency and Cortisol Excess Are Associated with Increased Cardiovascular Risk Markers in Obese Adolescent Girls

Context: Obesity in adolescents is increasingly prevalent and its impact on cardiovascular risk important to determine. Hormonal predictors of cardiovascular risk markers in obese adolescents are not known. Objective: Our objective was to examine whether relative GH deficiency and cortisol excess are determinants of increased cardiovascular risk markers in obese teenage girls. Design and Setting: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a clinical research center. Study participants: Thirty girls (15 obese girls and 15 normal-weight controls) 12–18 years old matched for maturity and race. Main Outcome Measures: Inflammatory markers of cardiovascular risk including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), TNF-α receptors 1 and 2, E-selectin, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and IL-6 were analyzed. Leptin, adiponectin, and 24-h urine free cortisol (UFC) were also measured. A GHRH-arginine stimulation test was performed. Results: The hsCRP levels were higher in obese girls than controls (4.63 ±...
Polymorphic Rewriting Conserves Algebraic Strong Normalization and Confluence

We study combinations of many-sorted algebraic term rewriting systems and polymorphic lambda term rewriting. Algebraic and lambda terms are mixed by adding the symbols of the algebraic signature to the polymorphic lambda calculus, as higher-order constants.
Effects of an impedance threshold valve upon hemodynamics in Standard CPR: Studies in a refined computational model

An impedance threshold valve (ITV) is a new airway adjunct for resuscitation that permits generation of a small vacuum in the chest during the recoil phase of chest compression. Objectives: To explore in detail the expected magnitude and the hemodynamic mechanisms of circulatory augmentation by an ITV in Standard CPR. Method: A 14-compartment mathematical model of the human cardiopulmonary system—upgraded to include applied chest compression force, elastic recoil of the chest wall, anatomic details of the heart and lungs, and the biomechanics of mediastinal compression—is exercised to explore the conditions required for circulatory augmentation by an ITV during various modes of CPR. Results: The ITV augments systemic perfusion pressure by about 5 mmHg compared to any particular baseline perfusion pressure without the ITV. When baseline perfusion is low, owing to either diminished chest compression force, the existence of a thoracic pump mechanism of blood flow, or the presence of an effective compression threshold, then the relative improvement produced by an ITV is significant. With an ITV the heart expands into soft pericardiac tissue, which makes the heart easier to compress. Conclusions: An ITV can augment perfusion during CPR. The observed effectiveness of ITVs in the laboratory and in the clinic suggests a thoracic pump mechanism for Standard CPR, and perhaps also an effective compression threshold that must be exceeded to generate blood flow by external chest compression. © 2005 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Native Society and Disease in Colonial Ecuador

Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Along the avenue of volcanoes 2. Disease, illness, and healing before 1534 3. Conquest and epidemic disease 4. Changing patterns of disease and demography 5. Disaster and crisis in the 1690s 6. Disease and demographic stagnation Conclusion Glossary Bibliography Index.
Genetic Deletion of Toll-Like Receptor 4 on Platelets Attenuates Experimental Pulmonary Hypertension

Rationale: Recent studies demonstrate a role for toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH); however, the cell types involved in mediating the effects of TLR4 remain unknown. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of TLR4 expressed on nonparenchymal cells to the pathogenesis of PH. Methods and Results: TLR4 bone marrow chimeric mice revealed an equal contribution of TLR4 on nonparenchymal and parenchymal cells in the pathogenesis of PH as determined by measuring right ventricular (RV) systolic pressure and RV hypertrophy. However, the deletion of TLR4 from myeloid lineage cells had no effect on the development of PH because we found no difference in RV systolic pressure or RV hypertrophy in wild-type versus LysM-TLR4 −/− mice. To explore the potential role of platelet TLR4 in the pathogenesis of PH, platelet-specific TLR4 −/− mice were generated (PF4-TLR4 −/− mice). TLR4 −/− platelets from either global TLR4 −/− or PF4-TLR4 −/− mice were functional but failed to respond to lipopolysaccharide, demonstrating a lack of TLR4. PF4-TLR4 −/− mice demonstrated significant protection from hypoxia-induced PH, including attenuated increases in RV systolic pressure and RV hypertrophy, decreased platelet activation, and less pulmonary vascular remodeling. The deletion of TLR4 from platelets attenuated serotonin release after chronic hypoxia, and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated platelets released serotonin and promoted pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation in a serotonin-dependent manner. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that TLR4 on platelets contributes to the pathogenesis of PH and further highlights the role of platelets in PH.
Mode generating mechanism in inflation with a cutoff

In most inflationary models, space-time inflated to the extent that modes of cosmological size originated as modes of wavelengths at least several orders of magnitude smaller than the Planck length. Recent studies confirmed that, therefore, inflationary predictions for the cosmic microwave background perturbations are generally sensitive to what is assumed about the Planck scale. Here, we propose a framework for field theories on curved backgrounds with a plausible type of ultraviolet cutoff. We find an explicit mechanism by which during cosmic expansion new (comoving) modes are generated continuously.
Alzheimer amyloid-beta peptide forms denaturant-resistant complex with type epsilon 3 but not type epsilon 4 isoform of native apolipoprotein E.

The apolipoprotein E (apoE) type e4 isoform specifies increased cerebral and cerebrovascular accumulation of amyloid-β protein (Aβ) and contributes to the genetic susceptibility underlying a large proportion (~60%) of typical, sporadic Alzheimer disease. Unfortunately, in vitro biochemical studies of direct apoE isoform-specific interactions with Aβ have been inconsistent, perhaps due to the use by different research groups of apoE isoform preparations in different conformational states (purified denatured versus native). In the current study, we have investigated the possibility that synthetic Aβ1–40 preferentially associates with native apoE of either the type e3 or the type e4 isoform. Here, we demonstrate the preferential association of synthetic Aβ1–40 with native apoE e3. The complex between apoE e3 and Aβ1–40 could not be disrupted by sodium dodecyl sulfate. In a parallel assay, no denaturant-resistant association of Aβ1–40 with apoE e4 was detectable. These results support the notion that the apoE e4 isoform may foster β-amyloidogenesis because apoE e4 is inefficient in forming complexes with Aβ.
Oscillatory mode of calcium signaling in rat pancreatic acinar cells

Cytoplasmic free calcium concentration ((Ca2+]i) was evaluated by dual-wavelength microspectrofluorometry of fura-2-loaded individual rat pancreatic acinar cells. Resting [Ca2+]i in unstimulated acini was 94.1 +/- 4.1 nM. Stimulation with high concentrations of cholecystokinin (CCK, 100 pM to 1 nM) led to an immediate rise in [Ca2+]i to 400-1,000 nM followed by a fall within 2-5 min to a plateau only slightly above the prestimulation level. Lower and more physiological concentrations of CCK (1-30 pM), after a latent period of 60-90 s, induced a smaller sustained increase in [Ca2+]i (30-40 nM) with superimposed repetitive transient [Ca2+]i spikes. These oscillations averaged 120-150 nM in amplitude, occurred at a frequency which averaged 1.5 times/min, and were maintained as long as the stimulus was applied. Similar [Ca2+]i oscillations were observed when acini were stimulated with submaximal concentrations of carbamylcholine (0.1-1 microM) and neuromedin C (0.1-1 nM). Intracellular Ca2+ stores were not depleted during [Ca2+] oscillations, since a subsequent increase to 1 nM CCK led to an immediate rise in [Ca2+]i indistinguishable from the response of cells initially stimulated at this concentration. Although extracellular Ca2+ was required for maintenance of frequency of the spikes, the major source of Ca2+ utilized for oscillations was intracellular, since elimination of medium Ca2+ or Ca2+ entry blockade with lanthanum failed to inhibit oscillations. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (10 nM) and high K+ (50 mM) did not affect [Ca2+]i oscillations. Antimycin (10 microM), which depletes cytoplasmic ATP, increased basal [Ca2+]i and inhibited the oscillations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Regulation of phospholipase C-γ1 by the actin-regulatory protein villin

The actin-regulatory protein villin is tyrosine phosphorylated and associates with phospholipase C-γ1(PLC-γ1) in the brush border of intestinal epithelial cells. To study the mechanism of villin-as...
Cholinergic modulation of apical Na+ channels in turtle colon: analysis of CDPC-induced fluctuations.

Current fluctuation analysis was used to investigate the properties of apical Na+ channels during muscarinic inhibition of active Na+ absorption. A reversible Na+ channel blocker, 6-chloro-3,5-diaminopyrazine-2-carboxamide (CDPC), was used to induce fluctuations in the short-circuit current (I(sc)). Power density spectra of the CDPC-induced fluctuations exhibited a clearly discernible Lorentzian component, characterized by a corner frequency that was linearly related to CDPC concentration between 20 and 100 microM. The on (k'on) and off (k(off)) rate coefficients for the CDPC blocking reaction were k'on = 11.1 +/- 0.8 rad.s-1.microM-1 and k(off) = 744 +/- 53 rad/s, and the microscopic inhibition constant was 67 microM (n = 11). CDPC blocking kinetics were not significantly different after inhibition of Isc by 5 microM serosal carbachol. Single-channel Na+ current (iNa) and the density of open and blocked Na+ channels (N(ob)) were estimated from the fluctuations induced by 40 microM CDPC. Under control conditions, iNa was 0.43 +/- 0.05 pA and N(ob) was 251 +/- 42 X 10(6)/cm2 (n = 10). After exposure to serosal carbachol (2-10 microM) for 60 min, Na+ current and N(ob) were reduced by approximately 50%, but iNa was not changed significantly. These results indicate that muscarinic inhibition of electrogenic Na+ absorption was associated with a reduction in the number of open Na+ channels in the apical membrane. They also suggest that this downregulation of transport involved a coordinated decrease in both apical and basolateral membrane conductances.
Improving NASICON Sinterability through Crystallization under High-Frequency Electrical Fields

The effect of high frequency (HF) electric fields on the crystallization and sintering rates of a lithium aluminum germanium phosphate (LAGP) ion conducting ceramic was investigated. LAGP with the nominal composition Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 was crystallized and sintered, both conventionally and under effect of electrical field. Electrical field application, of 300V/cm at 1MHz, produced up to a 40% improvement in sintering rate of LAGP that was crystallized and sintered under the HF field. Heat sink effect of the electrodes appears to arrest thermal runaway and subsequent flash behavior. Sintered pellets were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM and EIS to compare conventionally and field sintered processes. The as-sintered structure appears largely unaffected by the field as the sintering curves tend to converge beyond initial stages of sintering. Differences in densities and microstructure after 1 hour of sintering were minor with measured sintering strains of 31% vs. 26% with and without field, respectively . Ionic conductivity of the sintered pellets was evaluated and no deterioration due to the use of HF field was noted, though capacitance of grain boundaries due to secondary phases was significantly increased.
Insect Population Mortality: a Dynamic Model of Insecticide Effectiveness

The study of insect-pest management systems requires knowledge of the effectiveness of applied insecticides. The study reported here was conducted to develop a method to estimate insecticide induced mortality of an insect population depending on the rate of application, the persistence of the insecticide, a dosage-mortality relationship, and the time of exposure of the insects to a treated area. A logarithmic equation was developed to estimate the cumulative percent mortality with time. The model was validated using mortality data for boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, exposed to 2 rates each of azinphosmethyl and methyl parathion. The method developed in this paper can be used to study insect population dynamics as affected by the timing and rates of insecticide applications, increasing insect resistance to insecticides, and the use of different insecticides.
A New Approach to Migrant Labor Rights Enforcement: The Crisis of Undocumented Worker Abuse and Mexican Consular Advocacy in the United States

This paper examines the genesis and evolution of consular efforts to enforce the workplace rights of immigrant workers in the United States. We draw on a survey of 52 Mexican consulates in the Unit...
Incisional Biopsy: Soft Tissue

The patient was brought to the operating room and placed supine on the operating table. The patient had all pressure points padded and was prepped and draped in a standard surgical fashion. A _ cm long incision was made over the ____ aspect of the mass which was easily palpable. The incision was carried directly down to the lesion which was just beneath the subcutaneous tissue. The soft tissue mass was identified, and it was dissected from the surrounding tissue. The lesion appeared to be _______ (color, consistency, etc.). Specimens of the tissue were sent to Anatomic Pathology. The tissue and bed of the lesion was cultured for aerobes and anaerobes. After the cultures were taken, a single dose of IV antibiotics was given. The wound was then copiously irrigated and hemostasis was obtained with electrocautery.
Bio-based Composites as Thermorheologically Complex Materials

Because of their structure, natural fibers exhibit nonlinear viscoelastic behavior. Thermoset resins also behave in a similar way. With the increase in structural applications of bio-based composites, the long-term creep behavior of these materials becomes a significant issue. Time-Temperature superposition (TTS) provides a useful tool to overcome the challenge of needing a long time to perform creep tests. TTS principle assumes that the effect of temperature and time are equivalent when considering the creep behavior. In this study, frequency scans of flax/VE composites were obtained at different temperatures and storage modulus, loss modulus and tan δ were recorded. Application of horizontal and vertical shift factors to all three viscoelastic functions were studied. In addition, short-term strain creeps at different temperatures were measured and curves were shifted both with only horizontal, and with both horizontal and vertical shift factors. Resulting master curves were compared with a 24-h creep test and two creep models. Findings revealed that use of both horizontal and vertical shift factors will result in a smoother master curve for viscoelastic functions, while use of only horizontal shift factors for creep data provides an acceptable creep strain master curve. Consequently flax/VE composites can be considered as thermorheologically complex materials.
Expansion, mosaicism and interruption: mechanisms of the CAG repeat mutation in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects the cerebellum and brainstem. The genetic mutation is an expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeats within the coding region of the ataxin-1 gene, characterizing SCA1 as a polyglutamine expansion disease like Huntington’s. As with most polyglutamine expansion diseases, SCA1 follows the rules of genetic anticipation: the larger the expansion, the earlier and more rapid the symptoms. Unlike the majority of polyglutamine expansion diseases, the presence of histidine interruptions within the polyglutamine tract of ataxin-1 protein can prevent or mitigate disease. The present review aims to synthesize three decades of research on the ataxin-1 polyglutamine expansion mutation that causes SCA1. Data from genetic population studies and case studies is gathered along with data from manipulation studies in animal models. Specifically, we examine the molecular mechanisms that cause tract expansions and contractions, the molecular pathways that confer instability of tract length in gametic and somatic cells resulting in gametic and somatic mosaicism, the influence of maternal or paternal factors in inheritance of the expanded allele, and the effects of CAT/histidine interruptions to the ataxin-1 allele and protein product. Our review of existing data supports the following conclusions. First, polyCAG expansion of gametic alleles occur due to the failure of gap repair mechanisms for single or double strand breaks during the transition from an immature haploid spermatid to a mature haploid sperm cell. Equivalent failures were not detected in female gametic cells. Second, polyCAG expansion of somatic alleles occur due to hairpins formed on Okazaki fragments and slipped strand structures due to failures in mismatch repair and transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair mechanisms. Third, CAT trinucleotide interruptions, which code for histidines in the translated protein, attenuate the formation of slipped strand structures which may protect the allele from the occurrence of large expansions. Many of the mechanisms of expansion identified in this review differ from those noted in Huntington’s disease indicating that gene -or sequence-specific factors may affect the behavior of the polyCAG/glutamine tract. Therefore, synthesis and review of research from the SCA1 field is valuable for future clinical and diagnostic work in the treatment and prevention of SCA1.
Maternal Hypertension and Mortality in Small for Gestational Age 22- to 29-Week Infants

Infants born before 30 weeks gestational age (GA) to mothers with hypertension (HTN) experience lower rates of mortality and serious morbidities when corrected for maternal and infant characteristics. Growth restriction and maternal HTN are often associated. We sought to determine if small for gestational age (SGA) infants have similarly decreased mortality risk when born to mothers with HTN. We identified 6897 singleton SGA, 22 + 0 to 29 + 6 weeks GA infants born between 2008 and 2011, cared for at 578 North American centers in the Vermont Oxford Network. Chromosomal abnormalities and birth defects were excluded. Mortality rates prior to discharge were compared between 4317 HTN and 2580 comparison infants. Logistic regression was used to adjust for birth weight, infant sex, maternal race, inborn/outborn, antenatal steroid exposure, prenatal care, and GA. Small for gestational age HTN infants were older (mean: 26.9 [1.9] vs 26.6 [2.2] weeks; P < .001) and larger (HTN = 584 [159] g vs 562 [156] g; P < .001) than comparison infants. Death prior to discharge occurred in 29% of HTN and 43% of comparison infants. Univariate analyses revealed lower mortality for HTN infants (odds ratio [OR] = 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.48-0.60). After adjustment, mortality remained lower when compared to non-HTN infants (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.52-0.69). Extremely preterm SGA infants face high rates of mortality. Although maternal HTN is associated with SGA, SGA infants born to mothers with HTN have decreased risk of mortality compared to non-HTN SGA infants, prior to and after adjustment for antenatal and maternal characteristics. This may reflect detrimental physiologic effects associated with alternative mechanisms for fetal growth restriction and is important for parental counseling.
A plant pathogenic bacterium exploits the tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolic pathway of its insect vector.

ABSTRACTHuanglongbing in citrus is caused by a phloem-limited, uncultivable, gram-negative α-proteobacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). CLas is transmitted by the phloem-sucking insect, Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae), in a persistent, circulative, and propagative manner. In this study, we investigated the metabolomic and respiration rates changes in D. citri upon infection with CLas using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas exchange analysis. The level of glycine, L-serine, L-threonine, and gamma-amino butyric acid were higher in CLas-infected D. citri, while L-proline, L-aspartic acid, and L-pyroglutamic acid were lower in CLas-infected D. citri compared with the control. Citric acid was increased in CLas-infected D. citri, whereas malic and succinic acids were reduced. Interestingly, most of the reduced metabolites such as malate, succinate, aspartate, and L-proline are required for the growth of CLas. The increase in citric acid, serine, and glycine indicated th...
Analyte-localization device for point-of-use processing of sub-millimetre areas on surfaces

Abstract We present a portable, simple-to-operate, point-of-use analyte surface localization device. We take advantage of a set of hydrodynamic design features and components that achieve passive analyte localization by means of a single vacuum input. The vacuum source can be supplied by mechanical or battery-operated vacuum sources that are portable and allow point-of-use operation in the absence of electricity. We discuss the governing hydrodynamic principle and design parameters in detail. In a case study, we demonstrate the applicability of our technology through successful localization of a solution of rhodamine on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate and production of sub-millimetre-sized spots via application of a mild vacuum level of less than -10 kPa. In addition, using our devised technology, we demonstrate localized staining of human breast cancer cell blocks and human breast cancer tissue sections.
Extracting bimanual synergies with reinforcement learning

Motor synergies are an important concept in human motor control. Through the co-activation of multiple muscles, complex motion involving many degrees-of-freedom can be generated. However, leveraging this concept in robotics typically entails using human data that may be incompatible for the kinematics of the robot. In this paper, our goal is to enable a robot to identify synergies for low-dimensional control using trial-and-error only. We discuss how synergies can be learned through latent space policy search and introduce an extension of the algorithm for the re-use of previously learned synergies for exploration. The application of the algorithm on a bimanual manipulation task for the Baxter robot shows that performance can be increased by reusing learned synergies intra-task when learning to lift objects. But the reuse of synergies between two tasks with different objects did not lead to a significant improvement.
Health Behavior: Honoring My Little Boy’s Memory

This chapter is an eleven-year longitudinal Case Study of Gillian, a young bereaved mother who studied other bereaved parents for her dissertation research. Her decision was motivated by the need to understand her own experience, but she also wanted to help other professionals understand this particularly devastating form of grief. Now an associate research scientist at an Ivy League university, she no longer studies bereavement. But the opportunity to do so during graduate school played an integral part in moving her forward in her own grief process. For Gillian, graduate school was profoundly therapeutic, but also an experience she was eager to leave behind after graduation. Viktor Frankl’s existential psychology (logotherapy) is used to interpret the motivating and therapeutic impact of Gillian’s unusually personal scholarship.
Bullying Victimization Type and Feeling Unsafe in Middle School.

Given their significance to school violence, this study quantifies the association between bullying victimization and perceptions of safety separately for victimization where the type is not specified versus victimization that is physical in nature. Generalized liner mixed modeling was employed with 5,138 sixth- to eighth-grade students in 24 schools who self-reported on their bullying victimization and perceptions of school safety on an anonymous survey in fall 2015. Results indicate a multiplicative interaction exists with regard to the odds of feeling unsafe at school among those who were bullied at all (odds ratio [OR] = 3.1) compared to those who were bullied physically (OR = 9.12). For school nurses who work with students with a variety of concerns and health issues, this research indicates that the use of bullying victimization as an outcome, proxy and/or predictor, requires inquiry into the type of bullying experienced to aid in the care and support received.
Evaluation of the predatory mite Stratiolaelaps scimitus for the biological control of the honey bee ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor

To date, studies exploring effective biocontrol agents of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor have either yielded mixed results or have been totally unsuccessful. In...
Ligand Design for Enhanced Molecular Organization—Selectivity and Specific Sequencing in Multiple Receptor Ligands, and Orderly Molecular Entanglements

Complementarity and preorganization underlie modern ligand design, and all known intermolecular interactions have been used in the formation of coordination entities. Combining such diverse receptors yields multireceptor ligands, which are applied to the study of superparamagnetic materials, and of biomimics both for simultaneous binding of different kinds of receptees (cytochrome P450 models) and for simultaneous binding and strategic placement of unbound functional groups (carboxypeptidase A models). Chemical templates are leading to the control of molecular turns and threading in order to produce orderly molecular entanglements.
When neutral is not neutral: Neurophysiological evidence for reduced discrimination between aversive and non-aversive information in generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by a range of cognitive and affective disruptions, such as pathological worry. There is debate, however, about whether such disruptions are specifically linked to heightened responses to aversive stimuli, or due to overgeneralized threat monitoring leading to deficits in the ability to discriminate between aversive and non-aversive affective information. The present study capitalized on the temporal and functional specificity of scalp-recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine this question by exploring two targeted neurocognitive responses in a group of adults diagnosed with GAD: 1) visual processing of angry (aversive) versus neutral (non-aversive) faces; and 2) response monitoring of incorrect (aversive) versus correct (non-aversive) responses. Electroencephalography was recorded while 15 adults with GAD and 15 age-matched controls viewed angry and neutral faces prior to individual trials of a flanker task. ERPs to faces were the P1, reflecting attention allocation, the early posterior negativity (EPN), reflecting early affective discrimination, and the N170, reflecting face-sensitive visual discrimination. The error-related negativity (ERN) and positivity (Pe) were generated to incorrect and correct responses. Results showed reduced discrimination between aversive and non-aversive faces and responses in the GAD relative to the control group during visual discrimination (N170) and later-emerging error monitoring (Pe). These effects were driven by exaggerated processing of non-aversive faces and responses, suggesting over-generalized threat monitoring. Implications for cognitive-affective models of GAD are discussed.
Revisiting beam filamentation formation conditions in high power lasers

The Bespalov-Talanov gain (BT-gain) and IL-rule (i.e., the product of input intensity and self-focusing length is constant) expressions are examined and generalized for filamentation under realistic conditions associated with high power lasers: filamentation seeded by both amplitude and phase perturbations on a large, flat-top beam, and the impact of cross-phase modulation from unconverted light in UV frequency-converted lasers. The validity of these models is examined with NLSE numerical calculations, which show that there are parameters beyond the commonly-used IL rule, such as the perturbation amplitude and period content. The BT-gain model presents a fair description of the tendency of spatial periods to filament, but not of the quantitative self-focusing length. Spatial filtering of short periods is shown to suppress filamentation, due to both, the removal of the more prone to filament periods, as well as the reduction of the spatial intensity amplitude root-mean-square. At the edge of a top hat beam we find that the IL product reduces in the roll-off regions, even though the self-focusing length increases. When adding a co-propagating harmonic, we find that the cross-phase modulation (XPM) could enhance or inhibit the filamentation formation, depending on the perturbation period.