cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urinary tract infection after surgery for colorectal malignancy: risk factors and complications.

Abstract Background Over 4% of patients undergoing colorectal surgery develop postoperative urinary tract infection (UTI). Methods Using 2005 to 2012 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data for 47,781 patients, we examined independent risk factors and complications associated with UTI using multivariate logistic regression. Results Independent predictors of UTI included female sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.705, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.508 to 1.928), open procedure (OR 1.419, 95% CI 1.240 to 1.624), rectal procedure (OR 1.267, 95% CI 1.105 to 1.453), age greater than 65 years (OR 1.322, 95% CI 1.151 to 1.519), nonindependent functional status (OR 1.609, 95% CI 1.299 to 1.993), steroid use (OR 1.524, 95% CI 1.116 to 2.080), higher anesthesia class, and longer operative time. Patients with UTI had longer hospital stays (7 vs 12 days), higher reoperation rates (11.9% vs 5.1%), and higher 30-day mortality (3.3% vs 1.7%). Postoperative UTI correlated with other complications, including sepsis, surgical site infections, and pulmonary embolism ( P Conclusions Postoperative UTI in colorectal surgery patients correlates with increased morbidity and mortality. Patients who contract postoperative UTI may be more likely to develop multiple complications.
Directivity patterns for a short line array of barrel-stave flextensional transducers

The directivity patterns of short line array of barrel-stave flextensional transducers, was investigated. The four-element line array of 1.3 m with a 40 cm inter-element spacing was used with amplifiers for driving each transducers. A four-channel Wavetek 650 synthesizer was used to apply phase and time delays. The directivity patterns of transducers were measured using a rotating station at a water depth of 30.5 m using the radiation patterns produced by driving the two center elements 180° out of phase. It was observed that the cardioid patterns were produced using same two center elements by driving 96°out of phase at 800 Hz while solid curve type radiation patterns were obtained on driving all four elements in phase at 1640 Hz. Result shows that an omnidirectional pattern can be created by exciting a single elements while cardioid and dipole-like patterns can be obtained from driving two elements out of phase.
Vascular tissue engineering: from in vitro to in situ.

Blood vessels transport blood to deliver oxygen and nutrients. Vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis may result in obstruction of blood vessels and tissue ischemia. These conditions require blood vessel replacement to restore blood flow at the macrocirculatory level, and angiogenesis is critical for tissue regeneration and remodeling at the microcirculatory level. Vascular tissue engineering has focused on addressing these two major challenges. We provide a systematic review on various approaches for vascular graft tissue engineering. To create blood vessel substitutes, bioengineers and clinicians have explored technologies in cell engineering, materials science, stem cell biology, and medicine. The scaffolds for vascular grafts can be made from native matrix, synthetic polymers, or other biological materials. Besides endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts, expandable cells types such as adult stem cells, pluripotent stem cells, and reprogrammed cells have also been used for vascular tissue engineering. Cell-seeded functional tissue-engineered vascular grafts can be constructed in bioreactors in vitro. Alternatively, an autologous vascular graft can be generated in vivo by harvesting the capsule layer formed around a rod implanted in soft tissues. To overcome the scalability issue and make the grafts available off-the-shelf, nonthrombogenic vascular grafts have been engineered that rely on the host cells to regenerate blood vessels in situ. The rapid progress in the field of vascular tissue engineering has led to exciting preclinical and clinical trials. The advancement of micro-/nanotechnology and stem cell engineering, together with in-depth understanding of vascular regeneration mechanisms, will enable the development of new strategies for innovative therapies. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2014, 6:61–76. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1246 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Conflict of interest: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.
Justification of a Simple Ramsauer Model for Neutron Total Cross Sections

The simple nuclear Ramsauer model has been used successfully to fit neutron total cross sections for more than four decades but has not been widely used because the foundations of the model seem so...
Dynamic capacitor — VAR and harmonic compensation without inverters

Dynamic Capacitor (D-CAP) is able to provide both dynamic VAR injection and active harmonic filtering in one single integrated unit using a direct AC converter topology interfaced with a power factor correction or a VAR capacitor. Previous papers have shown the effectiveness, higher reliability and lower cost of the D-CAP when compared with commercial inverter-based solutions. However, these papers have focused primarily on the buck D-CAP. This paper will extend the discussions to the boost- and buck-boost topologies as well. Analytical and numerical expressions are derived for these three topologies, and comparisons are made in terms of performance and component ratings.
On the calibration of Bayesian model choice criteria

Abstract Model choice is a fundamental problem in data analysis. With interest in hierarchical models which typically arise as Bayesian specifications, we confine ourselves to Bayesian model choice criteria. If Y denotes the observed data and T( Y ) is the criterion, our goal is to calibrate T( Y ) in order to assess how large or small it is under a given model. In particular, if we have the distribution of T( Y ) , then we can compute any probabilities or determine any quantities of interest. Apart from very special cases, analytic development of such distributions is intractable. Standard analytic approximations may be inapplicable if usual random effects are introduced at the various modeling levels. Indeed, calculation of T( Y ) itself is often difficult enough. We suggest a generic simulation-intensive approach for obtaining the distribution of T( Y ) to arbitrary accuracy. We focus on various Bayes factors, e.g., the usual Bayes factor, the posterior Bayes factor and the pseudo-Bayes factor. We illustrate with a binomial regression example.
A role for metallothionein in the pathogenesis of diabetes and its cardiovascular complications.

It has been suspected for a long time that zinc has a role in various aspects of diabetes, but specific molecular targets of zinc remained largely elusive. Recent discoveries of associations between diabetes and polymorphisms in human genes now suggest that proteins that control the cellular availability of zinc ions are involved. One protein is the zinc transporter ZnT-8 that supplies pancreatic β-cells with zinc. The other is metallothionein 1A, a member of a protein family that links zinc and redox metabolism. Changes in the availability of zinc ions modulate insulin signaling and redox processes. Both zinc and metallothionein protect cells against the redox stress that occurs in diabetes and contributes to its progression towards diabetic complications, including heart disease.
Visualization assisted detection of sybil attacks in wireless networks

In wireless networks,the authenticity and uniqueness of node identities are essential to the fundamental operations such as routing, resource allocation, and intrusion detection. In this paper, we investigate Sybil attack, an attack in which a malicious node illegitimately acquires multiple identities and performs as these nodes simultaneously. We propose an effective approach to monitoring and detecting such attacks by integrating network security and visualization methods. The security component explores the time-varying network topology and its statistical and geometry information to detect the existence of Sybil attacks. The visualization component incorporates the detection results and provides an effective mechanism to illustrate abnormal topology patterns and locate fake identities. These two components are integrated into a practical system that takes advantage of both interactive visualization and intelligent security methods. Experimental studies are conducted to investigate the impacts of the network parameters such as node connectivity on the detection capability of the proposed mechanism.
Determination of the deformations in polymeric nanostructures using geometric moiré techniques for biological applications

The nanometer-scale in-plane deformation of a PDMS nanostructure array was demonstrated using a geometric moire technique. The polymer nanostructures with cylindrical profile were fabricated by using the combination of e-beam lithography, reactive ion etching, and replica molding. The moire pattern is generated by the inference between the polymer nanostructures and the scanning lines of a CCD video camera. A uniform thermal expansion was induced in the polymer nanostructures. The moire pattern change was observed at different temperatures from 298 to 398 K. The change of the strain/pitch in the nanostructures as the temperature varied was calculated from the pure extension and the angular moire fringes. The results show the feasibility of using such polymer nanostructures as force sensors to measure the mechanical forces on the order of a few nanonewtons or less. This work has a representative application in mechanics study of the biological objects, e.g. living cells and protein, under their environmental conditions.
Scaffolding protein regulates the polymerization of P22 coat subunits into icosahedral shells in vitro

Coat and scaffolding subunits derived from P22 procapsids have been purified in forms that co-assemble rapidly and efficiently into icosahedral shells in vitro under native conditions. The half-time for this reaction is approximately five minutes at 21 degrees C. The in vitro reaction exhibits the regulated features observed in vivo. Neither coat nor scaffolding subunits alone self-assemble into large structures. Upon mixing the subunits together they polymerize into procapsid-like shells with the in vivo coat and scaffolding protein composition. The subunits in the purified coat protein preparations are monomeric. The scaffolding subunits appear to be monomeric or dimeric. These results confirm that P22 procapsid formation does not proceed through the assembly of a core of scaffolding, which then organizes the coat, but requires copolymerization of coat and scaffolding. To explore the mechanisms of the control of polymerization, shell assembly was examined as a function of the input ratio of scaffolding to coat subunits. The results indicated that scaffolding protein was required for both initiation of shell assembly and continued polymerization. Though procapsids produced in vivo contain about 300 molecules of scaffolding, shells with fewer subunits could be assembled down to a lower limit of about 140 scaffolding subunits per shell. The overall results of these experiments indicate that coat and scaffolding subunits must interact in both the initiation and the growth phases of shell assembly. However, it remains unclear whether during growth the coat and scaffolding subunits form a mixed oligomer prior to adding to the shell or whether this occurs at the growing edge.
Intense Coherent Terahertz Radiation from Two-Color Photocurrent Mixing in Atmospheric Air

A transient photocurrent model is developed to explain terahertz emission from ultrafast ionization of air irradiated by femtosecond two-color laser fields. THz power scalability was also examined resulting in generation of 150 kV/cm field amplitudes.
RESIN UPTAKE OF I131-TRIIODOTHYRONINE AS A TEST OF THYROID FUNCTION*

A simple, reproducible, in vitro test of thyroid function was developed based upon the uptake of I131-triiodothyronine from serum by the anion exchange resin, IRA-400, in the formate cycle. One milliliter of serum which had been equilibrated with I131-triiodothyronine was added to 1 milliliter of resin in a calibrated tube. The mixture was shaken for ninety minutes and assayed in a well counter. After three washings with water the resin was counted again to determine the resin uptake. The findings (mean ± standard deviation) were: 1) hypothyroidism, 27 ± 3.3 per cent; 2) euthyroid subjects, 35 ± 2.2 per cent; 3) thyrotoxicosis, 53 ± 7.8 per cent. The elevated resin uptake values in active thyrotoxicosis fell after therapy. In pregnancy, the values were depressed to the hypothyroid level or lower. Contamination with organic and inorganic iodine did not interfere with the test.
Distribution of vitamin K among rat liver cell fractions

Abstract Purified cell fractions were prepared from livers of vitamin K-deficient rats fed a diet containing [ 3 H]phylloquinone (vitamin K 1 ). On a protein basis [ 3 H]phylloquinone was concentrated in the Golgi apparatus and smooth microsimal fractions with lesser amounts in nuclei, plasma membranes, mitochondria and rough microsomes. The results are compatible with a role of vitamin K in the maturation of coagulation proteins during their secretion via the endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi apparatus-plasma membrane export route.
Effect of Efferent Vagal Stimulation on Coronary Sinus Outflow and Cardiac Work in the Anesthetized Dog

Efferent vagal stimulation in the anesthetized dog with constant ventricular rate caused either no change in coronary sinus outflow and cardiac work, or a decrease in coronary sinus outflow associated with a greater decrease in cardiac work. When the decreases were observed they could best be explained by a negative inotropic effect of vagal stimulation on ventricular muscle, rather than by a direct vasomotor effect of vagal stimulation on the coronary bed. Critical review of apparent divergent results previously reported regarding the effect of vagal stimulation on coronary flow reveals that they are not inconsistent with the above hypothesis.
Returns and the bullwhip effect

Abstract An almost universal assumption in the bullwhip effect modeling literature is that excess goods may be returned without restriction. We seek to determine if returns impact the level of bullwhip effect observed in a multi-stage supply chain. We build a hybrid agent/discrete-event simulation model of a supply chain and execute it under various conditions of demand variance, lead-time variance, information sharing, and return allowance. We find that permitting returns significantly increases the bullwhip effect. As a result, applying models that assume returns are permitted will systematically overestimate the bullwhip effect for supply chains that restrict returns.
Orphans of the AIDS epidemic: an examination of clinical level problems of children.

ABSTRACT Objective The percentage of children with clinical levels of internalizing and externalizing problems before and after maternal death from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome was contrasted with two comparison groups: children whose mothers were human immunodeficiency virus infected but continued to live and children whose mothers were not infected. Method One hundred five 6- to 11-year-old African-American children from New Orleans and their mothers or caregivers participated. Mothers and caregivers completed the Child Behavior Checklist. Results The findings indicated that, relative to those in one of the two control groups, more children in the orphans group had clinical levels of internalizing and externalizing problems before their mother's death and clinical levels of internalizing problems 2 years after her death. No differences emerged at 6 months after the mother's death. Conclusions The differences that emerged and the high percentage of children in the orphans group in the borderline clinical or clinical range (52%-73% across the three assessments) indicate the importance of intervention efforts for these children beginning before the mother's death and continuing after her death.
Glycan Structures Contain Information for the Spatial Arrangement of Glycoproteins in the Plasma Membrane

Glycoconjugates at the cell surface are crucial for cells to communicate with each other and the extracellular microenvironment. While it is generally accepted that glycans are vectorial biopolymers, their information content is unclear. This report provides evidence that distinct N-glycan structures influence the spatial arrangement of two integral membrane glycoproteins, Kv3.1 and E-cadherin, at the adherent membrane which in turn alter cellular properties. Distinct N-glycan structures were generated by heterologous expression of these glycoproteins in parental and glycosylation mutant Chinese hamster ovary cell lines. Unlike the N-linked glycans, the O-linked glycans of the mutant cell lines are similar to those of the parental cell line. Western and lectin blots of total membranes and GFP immunopurified samples, combined with glycosidase digestion reactions, were employed to verify the glycoproteins had predominantly complex, oligomannose, and bisecting type N-glycans from Pro-5, Lec1, and Lec10B cell lines, respectively. Based on total internal reflection fluorescence and differential interference contrast microscopy techniques, and cellular assays of live parental and glycosylation mutant CHO cells, we propose that glycoproteins with complex, oligomannose or bisecting type N-glycans relay information for localization of glycoproteins to various regions of the plasma membrane in both a glycan-specific and protein-specific manner, and furthermore cell-cell interactions are required for deciphering much of this information. These distinct spatial arrangements also impact cell adhesion and migration. Our findings provide direct evidence that N-glycan structures of glycoproteins contribute significantly to the information content of cells.
The emergence of attractors under multi-level institutional designs: agent-based modeling of intergovernmental decision making for funding transportation projects

Multi-level institutional designs with distributed power and authority arrangements among federal, state, regional, and local government agencies could lead to the emergence of differential patterns of socioeconomic and infrastructure development pathways in complex social---ecological systems. Both exogenous drivers and endogenous processes in social---ecological systems can lead to changes in the number of "basins of attraction," changes in the positions of the basins within the state space, and changes in the positions of the thresholds between basins. In an effort to advance the theory and practice of the governance of policy systems, this study addresses a narrower empirical question: how do intergovernmental institutional rules set by federal, state, and regional government agencies generate and sustain basins of attraction in funding infrastructure projects? A pattern-oriented, agent-based model (ABM) of an intergovernmental network has been developed to simulate real-world transportation policy implementation processes across the federal, the state of Vermont, regional, and local governments for prioritizing transportation projects. The ABM simulates baseline and alternative intergovernmental institutional rule structures and assesses their impacts on financial investment flows. The ABM was calibrated with data from multiple focus groups, individual interviews, and analysis of federal, state, and regional scale transportation projects and programs. The results from experimental simulations are presented to test system-wide effects of alternative multi-level institutional designs, in particular different power and authority arrangements between state and regional governments, on the emergence of roadway project prioritization patterns and funding allocations across regions and towns.
Cervical lung protrusions in children

Two main types of cervical lung protrusion are seen in children. The first type, which is very uncommon, is a true herniation of the lung apex through a tear or defect in Sibson's fascia usually caused by a direct external local trauma. The second type, here called for convenience simple lung protrusion, is seen not uncommonly in lateral neck roentgenograms, especially in the first years of life, and is considered to be a normal finding or an anatomical variant. In the vast majority of cases these simple lung protrusions resolve spontaneously in early life; cases that fail to resolve may increase in size and become clinically significant. This paper reports on 54 children in whom the simple form of cervical lung protrusion was observed as an incidental finding in routine lateral neck roentgenograms, with a review of previous instances of cervical lung protrusions in children described in the literature.
Psychosocial assessment by phone for high-scoring patients taking the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale: communication pathways and strategies

The well-documented risks associated with perinatal depression provide a strong argument for universal screening. However, uncertainty about what to do with findings is a significant barrier to implementing screenings where obstetric care is provided. Based on experience with a comprehensive screening program, we describe a protocol for those critical communication pathways that encourage a dynamic phone exchange between a mental health caller and the patient who has scored in the high range on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. In addition, we present guidelines for developing an action plan for addressing intervention needs and closing the feedback loop to the original administrators of the scale.
Fragrance allergens: Classification and ranking by QSAR

Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models which predict both skin penetration and cell mediated immunity for small molecular weight non-electrolytes developed earlier were validated on 74 known allergens and non-allergens chosen among fragrance chemicals in common use to test discriminating and grading power. While the test set used for classification was based on experience in humans exclusively, the rank model was tested for sensitization potency including guinea pig data also. In the classification test, 12 of 74 compounds fell in the indeterminate range and were non-classifiable by the present QSAR model. On the remaining 62 compounds the model performs with 90% sensitivity and 100% specificity at 92% concordance. The rank model correctly grades 65 of 74 compounds (88% concordance), with 60% specificity based on exact prediction of non-allergens (NON), and 95% sensitivity on allergens (ACD) allowing for a variance of ± one level among weak, moderate and severe ratings. In combination, the two models perform with 93% overall concordance on the test set of 74 compounds.
High efficiency electric power generation: The environmental role

Abstract Electric power generation system development is reviewed with special attention to plant efficiency. It is generally understood that efficiency improvement that is consistent with high plant reliability and low cost of electricity is economically beneficial, but its effect upon reduction of all plant emissions without installation of additional environmental equipment, is less well appreciated. As CO2 emission control is gaining increasing acceptance, efficiency improvement, as the only practical tool capable of reducing CO2 emission from fossil fuel plant in the short term, has become a key concept for the choice of technology for new plant and upgrades of existing plant. Efficiency is also important for longer-term solutions of reducing CO2 emission by carbon capture and sequestration (CCS); it is essential for the underlying plants to be highly efficient so as to mitigate the energy penalty of CCS technology application. Power generating options, including coal-fired Rankine cycle steam plants with advanced steam parameters, natural gas-fired gas turbine-steam, and coal gasification combined cycle plants are discussed and compared for their efficiency, cost and operational availability. Special attention is paid to the timeline of the various technologies for their development, demonstration and commercial availability for deployment.
Externally-Modulated Electro-Optically Coupled Detector Architecture for Nuclear Physics Instrumentation

A new laser-based externally-modulated electro-optically coupled detector (EOCD) architecture is being developed to enable high-density readout for radiation detectors with accurate analog radiation pulse shape and timing preservation. Unlike digital conversion before electro-optical modulation, the EOCD implements complete analog optical signal modulation and multiplexing in its detector front-end. The result is a compact, high performance detector readout that can be both radiation tolerant and immune to magnetic fields. In this work, the feasibility of EOCD was explored by constructing a two-wavelength laser-based externally-modulated EOCD, and testing analog pulse shape preservation and wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) crosstalk. Comparisons were first made between the corresponding initial pulses and the electro-optically coupled analog pulses. This confirmed an excellent analog pulse preservation over $ \sim {\hbox {29}}\% $ of the modulator’s switching voltage range. Optical spectrum analysis revealed less than $-{\hbox {14}}~\hbox{dB}$ crosstalk with 1.2 nm WDM wavelength bandgap, and provided insight on experimental conditions that could lead to increased inter-wavelength crosstalk. Further discussions and previous research on the radiation tolerance and magnetic field immunity of the candidate materials were also given, and quantitative device testing is proposed in the future.
Building brand equity and share of heart at Nassau Valley Vineyards

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to describe an innovative promotional and product development approach that has implications for new product developers in consumer industries.Design/methodology/approach – The case describes an approach to new product development and promotion. The organization's original name has been retained as well as individual managers' names.Findings – The paper provides information and action approaches to new product developers that may reduce the risk of product failure. The subject company recognizes that third party competitive awards are public relations tools to build sales and product image. Their results offer direct implications for new product development and promotional teams in the wine industry. By extension, the implications may aid traditional companies outside of the wine industry.Research limitations/implications – As in all case studies, the specific conditions found in one organization may not be found more generally in others. Readers are cautioned that the c...
‘Clickable’ Polymer-Caged Nanobins as a Modular Drug Delivery Platform

Modularly clickable polymer-caged nanobins (PCNs) were prepared from liposome templates using a drop-in cholesterol-modified poly(acrylic acid) reagent followed by cross-linking with alkyne-functionalized diamine linker that allows for the conjugation of azide-modified targeting ligands via click ligation. These PCNs possess pH-responsive characteristics that can be used to trigger the release of encapsulated doxorubicin (DXR) payload inside the liposomal core under mild acidic conditions. After click-conjugation with azide-modified folate as an active targeting ligand, the resulting folate-conjugated, DXR-loaded PCNs (f-PCNDXR) demonstrated enhanced potency to folate receptor (FR)-positive tumor cells such as KB and OvCa432 over FR-negative MCF7 cells. f-PCNDXR can readily discriminate FR-positive tumor cells as a function of the level of cellular FR-expression, showing different degrees of potentiation in each cell. With both targeting functionalities and pH-sensitive drug-releasing triggers, f-PCNDXR w...
Giant Bathysiphon (Foraminiferida) from Cretaceous turbidites, northern California

Straight-sided, tubular fossils occur together with a diverse assemblage of deep-water trace fossils in linegrained Franciscan turbidites at Point Saint George. Pacific Coast of California. Based on comparison with living abyssal organisms and on skeletal microstructure, these tubes are interpreted as recrystallized siliceous tests of the large abyssohenthic foraminiferid, Bathysiphon. Tubes found preserved in-place show that life orientation of the Franciscan species was vertical with the broader, mature end protruding several millimetres above the muddy seafloor. Positioned in this way the organisms probably were suspension feeders or carnivores. Bathysiphon and trace fossils taken together reflect a diverse deep-water benthic community that was disrupted (or locally eliminated) repeatedly by turbidity currents reaching the outer margins of a submarine fan. ▭ Bathysiphon, deep-water benthos, outer fan/basin floor, trace fossils, Franciscan Complex, flysch, Cretaceous.
Born-Mayer-Type Interatomic Potential for Neutral Ground-State Atoms with Z=2 to Z=105

Born-Mayer parameters are given which permit, with good accuracy (to within 6%), a greatly simplified computation of a previously derived interatomic potential, $U(R)$, based on the Thomas-Fermi-Dirac (TFD) approximation. The numerical values of $A$ and $b$ appearing in $U(R)=A \mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}bR)$ are tabulated in two sets of commonly used units for 104 homonuclear pairs of neutral ground-state atoms having $Z=2$ to $Z=105$. Approximate lower and upper limits of applicability, ${R}_{l}$ and ${R}_{u}$, are also listed, as is the magnitude of the maximum percent error ($\ensuremath{\epsilon}$) for each fit. ${R}_{l}$ is generally $\ensuremath{\sim}1.5{a}_{0}({a}_{0}=0.52917 \AA{})$, while ${R}_{u}\ensuremath{\sim}3.5{a}_{0}$. The effective upper limit probably lies at $\ensuremath{\sim}6\ensuremath{-}8{a}_{0}$. Also, with the aid of the given table and the combining rule ${U}_{12}\ensuremath{\simeq}{({U}_{11}{U}_{22})}^{\frac{1}{2}}$, the interaction energies of a total of 5356 heteronuclear diatoms can readily be obtained.
The saccharides of the MUC 1 mucin-type glycoprotein, epitectin, produced by H.Ep.2 cells in the presence of aryl-N-acetyl-α-galactosaminides

The treatment of H.Ep.2 cells with 4 mM aryl-N-acetyl-alpha-galactosaminide, an inhibitor of the elongation of O-linked saccharides of glycoproteins, resulted in a 70-80% decrease in the incorporation of [3H]glucosamine into epitectin (a MUC 1 mucin-type glycoprotein). Gel electrophoresis of the partially glycosylated epitectin immunoprecipitated from the extracts of treated cells showed two bands of apparent mol. wts 420 and 460 kDa on SDS-PAGE, compared to bands of 350 and 390 kDa for the native epitectin. Analysis of the saccharides released by beta-elimination from the partially glycosylated epitectin showed the presence of substantial levels of beta 1-->3 galactosylated and sialylated saccharides. The data indicate that the inhibition of elongation of Ser/Thr-linked N-acetyl-galactosamine in epitectin by aryl-N-acetyl-alpha-galactosaminides is only partial.
Sugar Coat It

A finger prick of blood is all it takes to measure blood glucose levels; the diabetic patient can then respond by injecting insulin, if necessary. Delivering insulin on time, however, is challenging because so many daily events affect glucose levels, including diet, exercise, endogenous insulin production, site of insulin delivery, and metabolic state. To take the patient’s mind off constant glucose surveillance and insulin delivery, Gu et al. now report on sugar-coated nanoparticles that can not only sense glucose but also secrete the appropriate amount of insulin to maintain normal sugar levels in the body. Material-based versions of the “artificial pancreas” already exist that can automatically detect glucose levels and secrete insulin on demand. However, they often lack the mechanical strength, are eliminated from the body too fast, are slow to respond to glucose changes, or allow insulin to leak out. Gu et al. developed an injectable system that addresses these issues while remaining biocompatible and easy to administer. The authors used coated dextran nanoparticles with chitosan and alginate, imparting alternating positive and negative charges, respectively. Electrostatic interactions kept the gel’s integrity and prevented particle migration after application into the subcutaneous dorsum of mice. Insulin and glucose-specific enzymes were encapsulated in the particles by using conventional emulsion techniques, enabled by chemical modification of dextran with acetal groups. The same acetal groups also made the polymer pH-sensitive. Blood glucose that diffused into the gel was converted by these enzymes to gluconic acid, causing a slight local change in acidity that degraded the gel-like structure and released the encapsulated insulin. A single injection of the glucose-sensing, insulin-loaded gel kept mice with type 1 diabetes at normal blood-sugar levels for 10 days. This glucose-responsive particle is an exciting approach for controlling diabetes, but the particle has a long way to go before reaching the clinic. Other than long-term safety, dosing, and efficacy studies, the authors would need to show that the particle responds quickly and effectively to changes in glucose levels in many different scenarios, including after large meals and strenuous exercise. Nevertheless, this nanoformulation from Gu et al. provides rays of hope for diabetic patients, with the potential for self-regulated diabetes management. Z. Gu et al. , Injectable nano-network for glucose-mediated insulin delivery. ACS Nano. , 2 May 2013 (10.1021/nn400630x). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nn400630x
Learning by Doing: A Series of Hands-on Projects for SPC

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.]A series of in-class team projects provides hands-on experience to help students understand and learn the use of statistical process control tools...
Effect of Systemic Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation on Cytokine Levels in the Murine Cochlea A Pilot Study

The objective was to detect changes in cytokine expression within cochleae in a murine model of systemic inflammation, with or without aminoglycoside exposure. Four groups of mice received 1 of the following: saline only, systemic bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) for 6 hours to induce endotoxemia and inflammatory responses, systemic gentamicin for 3 hours, or both treatments. After exsanguination, pooled cochleae (4/group) were processed for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for 16 cytokines. Gentamicin alone did not change cochlear cytokine levels, while LPS (±gentamicin) substantially elevated cochlear expression of several cytokines, particularly interleukin-1α, interleukin-6, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, and RANTES. Since cytokines increase blood-brain barrier permeability, we hypothesize that cytokine-enhanced permeability of the blood-labyrinth barrier (BLB) could potentiate aminoglycoside-induced ototoxicity. This pilot study demonstrated the feasib...
Effect of fuel sulfur species on nitrogen oxide emissions from premixed flames

Abstract The effect of some fuel sulfur compounds on NO x emissions arising from thermal fixation was investigated. Laboratory experiments, using a methane-air flat flame doped with either SO 2 or H 2 S, showed that fuel sulfur can inhibit the formation of nitrogen oxides, and that inhibition is significant at all air/fuel ratios and especially at high air preheats. Since this form of inhibition is due to catalysis of oxygen atom recombination reactions by SO 2 , the experimental results provide some insight into the role of super equilibrium atom concentrations in NO formation. The results are also especially significant from a practical point of view, since they indicate that fuel desulfurization may lead to increased NO x emissions.
Accelerating kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) by utilizing two-dimensional wavelet compression : applications to spectroscopic imaging

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a standard tool for analyzing spectroscopic data. However, PCA can at most discriminate a number of spectroscopic signatures that is either equal to the number of variables or to the number of samples, whichever is smaller. Furthermore, linear algorithms are not well adapted to model nonlinear relationships present in the data. In order to overcome the limitations imposed by linear algorithms when applied to nonlinear data, Kernel Principal Component Analysis (KPCA) has been developed. Unlike PCA, KPCA is able to extract a number of principal components (PCs) that exceeds the number of variables, if the number of samples is greater. Because spectroscopic imagers acquire up to tens of thousands of spectra, KPCA computations often require multiple gigabytes of RAM just for holding data. This prohibits the routine application of KPCA to spectroscopic imaging especially if calculations are run on personal computers. In order to avoid such situations, a wavelet compression algorithm is presented that never has to hold all data in memory. The main goal here is to enable the application of KPCA, including mean centering, to large datasets. For this purpose, a mean-centering technique that is compatible with the compression has also been developed. For assessing this compression method, the figures of merit ‘reduction in memory requirements’, ‘quality of compression-based models’ and ‘gains in computation speed’ are studied. These analyses are performed at different compression levels. For testing purposes, spectroscopic imaging data acquired from bacterial samples and remote sensing are used. The results demonstrate that the proposed compression-based KPCA algorithm is (a) feasible on personal computers and (b) derives good approximations of the models determined by the memory-demanding uncompressed KPCA. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Skill training with alcoholics: A clinical extension

Abstract The present study attempted to replicate and extend a behavioral skill training package developed by Chaney, O'Leary, & Marlatt (1978) to a group of alcoholics of higher socio-economic status than the population originally studied. Subjects receiving the skill training package, which consisted of behavioral rehearsal of coping responses generated for potential relapse-precipitating events, were compared to a control group which received no additional treatment and to a discussion control group which discussed the potential relapse-precipitating events without rehearsing specific responses. All subjects received the assigned treatment as an adjunct to a standard inpatient treatment program. Unlike the results of the Chaney et al. study, which found the skill training package to be superior to both control groups, the present study found that both the skill training and discussion groups were superior to the no- treatment control group, and did not differ from each other.
The effect of oxidative and paper degradation impurities on partial discharge characteristics of hexadecane

Partial discharge (PD) characteristics of hexadecane were studied in a needle-plane electrode geometry under AC field with a tungsten needle of 20 μm tip radius. PD experiments were conducted on samples containing known concentrations of oil/paper degradation compounds. Partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV), streamer repetition rates, and phase resolved PD (PRPD) patterns were acquired. Ionization potentials (IP) and electron affinities (EA) of hexadecane and a selection of additives were calculated with density functional theory (DFT) and correlated to PD characteristics. IP did not have a significant effect on the number of streamers initiated as most additives had higher IP relative to hexadecane. The presence of electronegative oxygen changes substantially the PD characteristics and, for most additives, increases the number of positive and negative streamers initiated. The greatest changes in PD characteristics, a reduced number of negative streamers, was observed for compounds with large electron capture cross section, even those with negative EA.
Magnetic equation for a rotating neutron star

The magnetic configuration in the plasma-sphere surrounding a neutron star is described in terms of a model equation that is constructed to be valid from the surface of the star to distances of the order of the light speed cylinder and beyond. Significant asymptotic solutions of this equation, that are valid in limited regions around the star, are presented.
The effects of ouabain in lambs with depressed myocardial function.

The inotropic effects of digoxin have been difficult to demonstrate in healthy fetal and newborn lambs. We examined the physiologic effects of digoxin in six newborn lambs in whom myocardial function had been depressed by halothane anesthesia (0.5-1.0%). Resting measurements of arterial and venous pressures, cardiac output, left ventricular dp/dt, and the left ventricular pre-ejection period (PEP) to left ventricular ejection time (LVET) ratio were made prior to ouabain administration (50 μgm·kg−1 bolus followed by 0.05 μgm·kg−1 ·min.−1 for 45 minutes). At rest, mean cardiac output (369 ml·kg−1 ·min.−1), dp/dt (3833 mm Hg·sec.−1), PEP/LVET (0.306) and stroke work (1320 mm Hg·ml) were not affected by ouabain. Forty-eight hours later, halothane anesthesia via controlled ventilation reduced cardiac output to 262 ml·kg−1·min.−1, increased PEP/LVET to 0.411, reduced stroke work to 766 mm Hg·ml and reduced left ventricular dp/dt to 2758 mm Hg·sec.−1; heart rate and systemic vascular resistance did not change. Ouabain administration during the halothane anesthesia improved myocardial function indices to levels not different from control values. These studies suggest the apparent resistance of healthy, immature sheep to the inotropic effects of cardiac glycosides may reflect their already high level of resting function rather than end organ resistance to drug action.
Direct Public Engagement in Local Government

Public engagement is an umbrella term that encompasses numerous methods for bringing people together to address issues of public importance. In this article, we focus on direct public engagement in...
The response of a propeller anemometer to turbulent flow with the mean wind vector perpendicular to the axis of rotation

Determination of the properties of the system transfer function of the vertical-velocity propeller anemometer. A treatment of this problem is presented which is based on an analysis of estimates of the system transfer function derived from estimates of spectra calculated from time histories of indicated vertical velocity and on estimates of the associated input Eulerian vertical-velocity frequency spectra based on the hypothesis that instrument degradation of the Fourier components occurs in the inertial subrange.
Esr studies on the role of ammonia in promoting radical species in precipitated titanium dioxide

Abstract A reinvestigation of the esr spectra of ammonia precipitated, oxygen dried, TiO2 powders has revealed that at least two of the triplets observed and previously assigned to some form of adsorbed oxygen (O2+), are caused by species resulting from the photochemical or thermal oxidation of traces of ammonia firmly held by the material. Confirmation for this view is provided in esr studies on relatively pure TiO2 following (1) contamination with 14NH3 and 15NH3 prior to drying in oxygen and (2) adsorption of oxides of nitrogen (14NO, 15NO2, 14NO2, and 15NO2). The nature of the species responsible for the triplets is discussed. TiO2 powders have been examined in the esr following γ-irradiation at liquid N2 temperature. Unlike silica, the powders showed no hyperfine structure due to H atoms produced from surface OH groups.
An LPV approximation for admission control of an internet web server: Identification and control

Abstract There has been increasing research effort in applying control-theoretic approaches to performance management for computer systems such as Internet web servers, databases and storage systems. Since today's Internet servers and applications are often operated under dynamically changing load conditions, linear control designs may not suffice to provide desired performance guarantees. This motivates nonlinear system modeling and control design methodologies. This paper studies the admission control for an Internet web server. It presents a linear-parameter-varying (LPV) approximation for the modeling of the dynamic relationship from the request rejection ratio to the response time for the admitted requests. The time-varying workload parameter, in particular the workload intensity, is specified as the scheduling variable that is used to parameterize the LPV model. An LPV system identification algorithm is applied to derive the empirical model, and then an LPV- H ∞ controller is designed to provide response time guarantees. The performance of the resulting LPV control compares favorably to that of a linear design. The utilization of scheduling parameters can be generalized to accommodate more sophisticated workload characterizations and more complicated server environments. By exploring the nature of dependence of server performance on time-varying load and operating conditions, the proposed general framework is possibly applicable to a diverse spectrum of server-based applications.
A Temperature-based Controller for a Shape Memory Alloy Actuator

This paper presents a robust nonlinear control that uses a state variable estimator for control of a single degree of freedom rotary manipulator actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA) wire. A model for SMA actuated manipulator is presented. The model includes nonlinear dynamics of the manipulator, a constitutive model of the shape memory alloy, and the electrical and heat transfer behavior of SMA wire. The current experimental setup allows for the measurement of only one state variable which is the angular position of the arm. Due to measurement difficulties, the other three state variables, arm angular velocity and SMA wire stress and temperature, cannot be directly measured. A model-based state estimator that works with noisy measurements is presented based on the extended Kalman filter (EKF). This estimator estimates the state vector at each time step and corrects its estimation based on the angular position measurements. The estimator is then used in a nonlinear and robust control algorithm based on variable structure control (VSC). The VSC algorithm is a control gain switching technique based on the arm angular position (and velocity) feedback and EKF estimated SMA wire stress and temperature. Using simulation it is shown that the state vector estimates help reduce or avoid the undesirable and inefficient overshoot problem in SMA one-way actuation control.