cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Countryside Biogeography of Moths in a Fragmented Landscape: Biodiversity in Native and Agricultural Habitats

Studies of fragmented landscapes, especially in the tropics, have traditionally focused on the native fragments themselves, ignoring species distributions in surrounding agricultural or other human-dominated areas. We sampled moth species richness within a 227-ha forest fragment and in four surrounding agricul- tural habitats (coffee, shade coffee, pasture, and mixed farms) in southern Costa Rica. We found no signifi- cant difference in moth species richness or abundance among agricultural habitats, but agricultural sites within 1 km of the forest fragment had significantly higher richness and abundance than sites farther than 3.5 km from the fragment. In addition, species composition differed significantly between distance classes (but not among agricultural habitats), with near sites more similar to forest than far sites. These results sug- gest that (1) different agricultural production regimes in this region may offer similar habitat elements and thus may not differ substantially in their capacities to support native moth populations and (2) that the ma- jority of moths may utilize both native and agricultural habitats and move frequently between them, form- ing "halos" of relatively high species richness and abundance around forest fragments. Correlations between species richness and the amount of nearby forest cover, measured over circles of various radii around the sites, suggest that halos extend approximately 1.0-1.4 km from the forest edge. The extent of these halos likely differs among taxa and may influence their ability to survive in fragmented landscapes.
Fate and effects of clothianidin in fields using conservation practices

Despite the extensive use of the neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin, and its known toxicity to beneficial insects such as pollinators, little attention has been given to its fate under agricultural field conditions. The present study investigated the fate and toxicity of clothianidin applied every other year as a corn seed-coating at 2 different rates, 0.25 mg/seed and 0.50 mg/seed, in an agricultural field undergoing a corn–soybean annual rotation, and conservation tillage. Concentrations were measured in soil, surface runoff, infiltration, and groundwater from 2011 to 2013. Clothianidin was detected at low concentrations in soil and water throughout the 2-yr corn and soybean rotation. Low and no-tillage had little or no effect on clothianidin concentrations. Laboratory toxicity bioassays were performed on nontarget species, including Daphnia magna, Hyalella azteca, Chironomus dilutus, Pimephales promelas and Eisenia fetida. Risk quotients were calculated from clothianidin concentrations measured in the field and compared with the laboratory toxicity bioassay results to assess the environmental risk of the insecticide. The risk quotient was found to be lower than the level of concern for C. dilutus, which was the most sensitive species tested; therefore, no short-term environmental risk was expected for the species investigated in the present study. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;9999:1–8. © 2014 SETAC
Visualizing the evolution of Web ecologies

Several visualizations have emerged which attempt to visualize all or part of the World Wide Web. Those visualizations, however, fail to present the dynamically changing ecology of users and documents on the Web. We present new techniques for Web Ecology and Evolution Visualization (WEEV). Disk Trees represent a discrete time slice of the Web ecology. A collection of Disk Trees forms a Time Tube, representing the evolution of the Web over longer periods of time. These visualizations are intended to aid authors and webmasters with the production and organization of content, assist Web surfers making sense of information, and help researchers understand the Web.
Cotton Fever: An Evanescent Process Mimicking Sepsis in an Intravenous Drug Abuser

Abstract Background Although many complications of intravenous drug abuse are well described, “cotton fever” has had little mention in recent medical literature. Cotton fever is street terminology for the post-injection fever experienced by many drug users after “shooting up” with heroin reclaimed from a previously used cotton filter. Case Report We report on a 22-year-old man with a history of intravenous drug abuse with fever 30 min after injecting heroin. He was intensely diaphoretic, tachycardic, and febrile. His workup was negative for any infectious etiology and he later admitted to reusing the same cotton balls for heroin filtration several times over in order to preserve more of the drug. Conclusions Although it is usually a benign situation, cotton fever can have a dramatic clinical and hematologic course. We present a typical case of cotton fever followed by a description of the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of this entity.
Comparing efficiency of health systems across industrialized countries: a panel analysis

Rankings from the World Health Organization (WHO) place the US health care system as one of the least efficient among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Researchers have questioned this, noting simplistic or inappropriate methodologies, poor measurement choice, and poor control variables. Our objective is to re-visit this question by using newer modeling techniques and a large panel of OECD data. We primarily use the OECD Health Data for 25 OECD countries. We compare results from stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and fixed effects models. We estimate total life expectancy as well as life expectancy at age 60. We explore a combination of control variables reflecting health care resources, health behaviors, and economic and environmental factors. The US never ranks higher than fifth out of all 36 models, but is also never the very last ranked country though it was close in several models. The SFA estimation approach produces the most consistent lead country, but the remaining countries did not maintain a steady rank. Our study sheds light on the fragility of health system rankings by using a large panel and applying the latest efficiency modeling techniques. The rankings are not robust to different statistical approaches, nor to variable inclusion decisions. Future international comparisons should employ a range of methodologies to generate a more nuanced portrait of health care system efficiency.
Microexplosion Investigation of Monomethylhydrazine Gelled Droplet with OH Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence

Combustion of a nonmetallized organic gelled droplet was studied using high-speed (5 kHz) hydroxide planar laser induced fluorescence. Monomethylhydrazine was gelled with 3 and 6 wt % hydroxypropyl cellulose and burned in a pressure vessel with 35–414 kPa of ambient air. Fuel jetting is observed during the combustion of the gelled droplets. Three distinct types of jetting events were observed for the first time: 1) jets that distort the flame front, 2) jets that break the flame front, and 3) jets that form a fire ball outside of the flame front. The average jet speed was the highest for type 3 and the lowest for type 1. Speeds and locations of the fuel jets were quantified. It was observed that the radial jet velocity increases with increasing gellant concentration and decreases with increasing ambient pressure. Also, jets were observed to occur at the same location repeatedly. A possible explanation is that the initial jetting event weakens the shell, causing more jets to occur at the weakened location. ...
Heat Shock Proteins 70 and 90 Inhibit Early Stages of Amyloid β-(1–42) Aggregation in Vitro

Alzheimer disease is a neurological disorder that is characterized by the presence of fibrils and oligomers composed of the amyloid beta (Abeta) peptide. In models of Alzheimer disease, overexpression of molecular chaperones, specifically heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), suppresses phenotypes related to Abeta aggregation. These observations led to the hypothesis that chaperones might interact with Abeta and block self-association. However, although biochemical evidence to support this model has been collected in other neurodegenerative systems, the interaction between chaperones and Abeta has not been similarly explored. Here, we examine the effects of Hsp70/40 and Hsp90 on Abeta aggregation in vitro. We found that recombinant Hsp70/40 and Hsp90 block Abeta self-assembly and that these chaperones are effective at substoichiometric concentrations (approximately 1:50). The anti-aggregation activity of Hsp70 can be inhibited by a nonhydrolyzable nucleotide analog and encouraged by pharmacological stimulation of its ATPase activity. Finally, we were interested in discerning what type of amyloid structures can be acted upon by these chaperones. To address this question, we added Hsp70/40 and Hsp90 to pre-formed oligomers and fibrils. Based on thioflavin T reactivity, the combination of Hsp70/40 and Hsp90 caused structural changes in oligomers but had little effect on fibrils. These results suggest that if these chaperones are present in the same cellular compartment in which Abeta is produced, Hsp70/40 and Hsp90 may suppress the early stages of self-assembly. Thus, these results are consistent with a model in which pharmacological activation of chaperones might have a favorable therapeutic effect on Alzheimer disease.
Attacks on Sensor Network Parameter Estimation With Quantization: Performance and Asymptotically Optimum Processing

Byzantine attacks on sensor systems estimating the value of an unknown deterministic parameter based on quantized observations are studied. Initially, asymptotically optimum processing is investigated for the family of attacks that would pass bad data detectors at the sensors. Bad data detectors check that the sensor data fits the models employed by the estimation approach when it assumes no attack is present. It is then shown that it is possible to identify the attacked sensors, under stated assumptions, with perfect accuracy as the number of observations $K$ from each sensor tends to infinity. If the number of sensors tends to infinity while having a finite $K$ , it is shown that the attacked sensors can be identified with a given accuracy that can be set by $K$ , allowing considerable design flexibility. Next, the performance of any estimation approach employed by the sensor system under any general attack is described for cases where any number of observations and sensors are employed. A classification for these general attacks which categorizes them according to the information available to the attacking entity is introduced. Solving optimization problems over these attack classes leads to expressions which describe the performance of any specific estimation algorithm under the most devastating attacks with full information and the generally less effective information free attacks. Constraints are considered to account for some attack detection performed by the sensor system.
Slow and fast manifolds of singularly perturbed systems

The nonlinear analogues of three canonical forms used for linear singularly perturbed systems are defined. The two most significant of these forms are studied in detail and are found to reveal both slow and fast invariant manifolds of the two-time-scale system. The fast manifold is used in the analysis of a second-order process with integral feedback and a first-order process with slow adaptation. >
Induction of Fas Expression and Augmentation of Fas/Fas Ligand-mediated Apoptosis by the Synthetic Retinoid CD437 in Human Lung Cancer Cells

The synthetic retinoid 6-[3-(1-adamantyl)-4-hydroxyphenyl]-2-naphthalene carboxylic acid (CD437) induces apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells. Recently, we demonstrated that CD437 induces apoptosis in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells expressing wild-type p53 by increasing the level of the death domain-containing cell surface receptor Killer/DR5. In the present study, we investigated whether CD437 induced the expression of Fas (CD95/APO-1), a cell surface protein belonging to the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, which induces apoptosis upon interaction with Fas ligand (FasL) or agonistic antibodies. We found that CD437 increased the level of Fas mRNA in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in NSCLC H460 cells. The increased Fas expression was also identified at the protein level. CD437 induced Fas expression in three NSCLC cell lines with wild-type p53 but not in six NSCLC cell lines containing mutant p53. Moreover, enhanced degradation of wild-type p53 protein in NSCLC cells expressing human papillomavirus-16 E6 oncoprotein blocked CD437-induced Fas expression. These results implicate the involvement of wild-type p53 in CD437-induced Fas expression in human NSCLC cells. CD437 did not change Fas mRNA stability, and actinomycin D abolished CD437-induced expression of Fas mRNA, suggesting that CD437 induces Fas expression at the transcriptional level. The combination of CD437 and FasL or CD437 and agonistic anti-Fas antibody caused synergistic induction of apoptosis. Furthermore, CD437 augmented Fas/FasL-induced apoptosis in cell lines with wild-type p53 but not in cell lines having mutant p53, indicating that a p53-dependent mechanism is also involved in this effect. Taken together, these results demonstrate that increased Fas expression may play an important role in CD437-induced, p53-dependent apoptosis in human NSCLC cells.
Video-based document tracking: unifying your physical and electronic desktops

This paper presents an approach for tracking paper documents on the desk over time and automatically linking them to the corresponding electronic documents using an overhead video camera. We demonstrate our system in the context of two scenarios, paper tracking and photo sorting. In the paper tracking scenario, the system tracks changes in the stacks of printed documents and books on the desk and builds a complete representation of the spatial structure of the desktop. When users want to find a printed document buried in the stacks, they can query the system based on appearance, keywords, or access time. The system also provides a remote desktop interface for directly browsing the physical desktop from a remote location. In the photo sorting scenario, users sort printed photographs into physical stacks on the desk. The systemautomatically recognizes the photographs and organizes the corresponding digital photographs into separate folders according to the physical arrangement. Our framework provides a way to unify the physical and electronic desktops without the need for a specialized physical infrastructure except for a video camera.
The pegs on the decorated tubules of the contractile vacuole complex of Paramecium are proton pumps

Our previous study has shown that the decorated tubules (collectively known as the decorated spongiome) of the contractile vacuole complex (CVC) in Paramecium are the site of fluid segregation, as the binding of microinjected monoclonal antibody (mAb) DS-1 to the tubules reduced the CVC9s fluid output. In this study, we showed by immunogold labeling on cryosections that the antigenic sites for mAb DS-1 were located on the 15 nm ‘pegs’ protruding from the cytosolic surface of the decorated tubules. In immunofluorescence studies, both polyclonal antibodies against the subunits of the V-ATPase of Dictyostelium discoideum and against the 57 kDa B-subunit of the V-ATPase of chromaffin granules gave identical labeling patterns to that produced by mAb DS-1. On cryosections, all three antigens were located most consistently near or on the pegs of the decorated tubules. These data support the notion that the pegs on the membrane of the decorated tubules represent the V1 complex of a proton pump. Concanamycin B, a potent inhibitor of V-ATPase activity and of acidification of lysosomes and endosomes, strongly and reversibly inhibited fluid output from the CVC but had minimal effect on the integrity of the decorated spongiome as observed by immunofluorescence. Such inhibition suggests that a V-ATPase is intimately involved in fluid segregation. Exposing Paramecium to 12 degrees C or 1 degrees C for 30 minutes resulted in the dissociation of the decorated tubules from the smooth spongiome that borders the collecting canals; thus the DS-1-reactive A4 antigen, the 75 kDa and 66 kDa antigens were all found dispersed in the cytosol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Religious Coping and Substance Use: The Moderating Role of Sex

The objectives of this study were to ascertain whether positive and negative religious coping are associated with substance use and to determine whether sex moderates this association. This study utilized a cross-sectional design and examined 349 undergraduate students (103 males and 246 females) at a midsize southeastern university. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Brief RCOPE, and the Drinking and Drug Habits Questionnaire. Results revealed a positive association between negative religious coping and substance use only for males. While positive religious coping was significantly negatively associated with substance use, sex did not moderate this association. These results suggest that males may be especially vulnerable to engaging in substance use when utilizing negative religious coping. It may be important for university counseling centers to be cognizant of the types of religious coping used by students, as well as sex differences regarding the association between negative religious coping and substance use.
Immunotoxicity of Perfluoroalkylated Compounds

The following chapter reports on the health impacts of perfluoroalkylated compounds in the context of in vitro and in vivo immunotoxicology studies as well as epidemiology studies. In general, elevated serum PFAA levels reported in adults and children correlate with observed changes in health to include decreases in serum vaccine titers and IgE levels, or increases in antinuclear antibodies, asthma, the common cold, and gastroenteritis. Laboratory studies demonstrate direct, in vitro effects of perfluorinated compounds modulating TNF-α, IL-6 and IFN-γ. These studies may be linked mechanistically to alterations reporting decreases in vaccine antibody titers in human reports and dose-responsive, decreases in IgM antibody production in animal models. To some extent, perfluoroalkylated compounds are thought to modulate gene regulation via peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARα) and to a lesser extent via peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), yet species differences affecting the expression of this receptor complicates this interpretation as an underlying mechanism in humans. Mechanisms of action beyond PPAR-mediated effects represents new directions and are also discussed. As we learn more about the relationship between perfluoroalkylated compounds and emerging health issues, this may challenge current benchmark thresholds in drinking water to ensure adequate protection for human health.
Ersatz von Verkehr durch Telearbeit und Videokonferenzen am Beispiel von IBM

Es ist ein typisches Phanomen unserer Industriegesellschaft, das nur noch 12 Prozent aller Erwerbstatigen an ihrem unmittelbaren Arbeitsort wohnen. Uberdies nimmt die raumliche Mobilitat, insbesondere die Reisetatigkeit und die Arbeit beim Kunden vor Ort, in allen Berufen standig zu. Vor allem in Ballungsgebieten sind aufgrund der derzeitigen Verkehrssituation Masnahmen zur Verkehrsentflechtung und Verkehrsvermeidung dringend geboten. Hierzu konnten in gewissem Umfang flexible Berufsarbeitszeiten oder die Moglichkeit, weniger an einem vom Wohnsitz getrennten Arbeitsplatz tatig sein zu mussen, beitragen. Diese Uberlegungen, verbunden mit neuen technischen Moglichkeiten einerseits, andererseits aber auch der Zwang, alle Chancen fur eine verbesserte Produktivitat und Kosteneinsparungen zu nutzen, fuhrten bei IBM zu eigenen Untersuchungen uber Moglichkeiten zur Verlagerung der Arbeitsplatze weg von der zentralen Betriebsstatte. Diese neuartigen Arbeitsformen wurden unter dem Oberbegriff Telearbeit zusammengefast. Hinsichtlich der Art und Weise, wie sich diese Telearbeit vollzieht, mus nach den Einsatzorten differenziert werden (siehe Abbildung 6).
Time Domain Reflectometry to Measure Volumetric Soil Water Content

This chapter teaches how to measure the water content of soil using time domain reflectometry. This method is the most widely used one, aside from the gravimetric method, to determine soil water content. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) makes use of the dielectric constant, ɛ, of water to determine the volumetric water content of soil. The chapter looks at how the dielectric constant of a soil sample depends on the amount of water in it. It measures it and then uses an empirical relation, which equates the volumetric water content to the dielectric constant. One can obtain information about a dielectric in either the frequency domain or the time domain. In the frequency domain, a number of measurements over a wide frequency range is required for complete characterization of the dielectric, which is time consuming and requires a considerable investment in instrumentation. However, one can obtain the same information over a wide frequency range in only a fraction of a second by making the measurement not in the frequency domain but in the time domain.
A dose‐response evaluation of freeze‐dried strawberries independent of fiber content on metabolic indices in abdominally obese individuals with insulin‐resistance in a randomized, single‐blinded, diet‐controlled crossover trial

Scope: This study evaluated the dose–response relationship of strawberries, an anthocyanin-rich fruit, on postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations in individuals with insulin resistance (IR), including changes in plasma anthocyanins, markers of oxidative stress, and inflammation. Methods and Results: In a randomized controlled, four-arm, dose–response, crossover trial, 21 adults with IR consumed a high-carbohydrate, high-fat meal with one of four beverages containing 0 g freeze-dried whole strawberry powder (0g FDS, control), 10, 20, or 40 g FDS, controlled for fiber. Blood was collected at 0 min and at 30 min intervals postmeal until 2 h, then hourly until 6 h. Postmeal insulin concentrations (6 h) were significantly reduced after the 40-g FDS beverage compared to other beverages (p < 0.05). Postmeal 6 h glucose concentrations were not different, although mean insulin:glucose ratio was significantly different among beverages (p < 0.05). Pelargonidin-glucuronide was inversely associated with mean insulin concentrations after the 20 and 40 g FDS (p < 0.05). Oxidized low-density lipoprotein was reduced after 20 g FDS (p < 0.05) and IL-6 was not different among treatments. Strawberry intake reduced the insulin demand to manage postmeal glucose in obese individuals with IR, which was related to plasma anthocyanin/pelargonidin concentrations. Conclusion: The data support a role of strawberries in improving insulin sensitivity in people with IR.
The Neglected Strata: States in the City-Federal Politics of Malaysia

There have been two principal lines of inquiry by political scientists in the Federation of Malaysia over the last several decades. The first has dwelled upon the administrative character of Malaysian politics. A society relatively free from bureaucratic corruption as compared with its neighbors, imbued with the legacy of British administrative rule and elitist enough to allow civil servants to hold their own against popular intrusions, Malaysia has fascinated a long string of public administration observers. The questions asked have been concerned with the type and degree of change in the civil service that came with independence (in 1957 for the Malayan peninsula; in 1963 for the Borneo states): How did politicization of the system affect the administrative operation? How did ethnic tensions intrude into civil service rivalries? How did the British and American models of developmental administration mix in Malaysia? Virtually all of these investigations were conducted among federal civil servants. 1
Effect of interventions started early in life on the development of spontaneous atherosclerosis.

AbstractA long-term study of the effect of interventions started early in life (3 months of age) on the age-related changes leading to spontaneous atherosclerosis in White Carneau pigeons was carried out. Of the four interventions tried, dietary restriction and cholestanetriol administration significantly decreased the incidence of atherosclerosis. Both of these interventions significantly reduced plasma cholesterol levels, aortic cholesterol content, and percentage distribution of oleic acid in cholesteryl esters. Cholestane-triol, in addition, decreased the content of hydroxyproline in the aorta. Ileal bypass surgery had no significant effect on the severity of atherosclerosis. Estrogen administration, on the other hand, caused an increase in aortic cholesteryl ester content and a trend toward an increase in the severity of atherosclerosis. These studies clearly demonstrate that some interventions started early in life can successfully prevent spontaneous atherosclerosis.
A Juvenile Hormone Analogue Induces Precocious Sexual Behavior in Drosophila grimshawi (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

The juvenile hormone analogue, ZR515, accelerated the ontogeny of age-dependent, stereotyped reproductive displays when applied topically to the abdomens of newly eclosed Drosophila grimshawi females, but did not affect general activity. Hormone-treated flies became inseminated earlier than controls. ZR515 also produced significant mortality in flies treated within 24 h of eclosion, but not in flies treated between 24 and 48 h after eclosion.
Operation Evaluation of Slag and Coal Water Treatment System for 600 MW Unit

The design capacity,water inflow,and overflow of the slag and coal water system for the 600 MW unit were evaluated.The water analysis was carried out based on the water balance diagram of the system.And the reasons and solutions of slag and coal water overflow are explored.Furthermore,some recommendations are put forward for the expansion of slag and coal water treatment system and the reuse of wastewater.
Using Online Model Checking Technique for Survivability, Evaluating Different Scenarios on Runtime

Abstract Survivability or detecting and predicting failures for humans or animals is a matter of instinct. Unlike for robots, machines, or anything that bases its rationality in software, that assumption is not applicable, yet. In this paper we apply model checking techniques to avoid future complete malfunctioning. Scenarios where non existing states are evaluated in order to find solution to possible future problems. A model checker is used for online evaluation of all the states, including possible non-existing transitions and states.
Model-Based Nonuniform Compressive Sampling and Recovery of Natural Images Utilizing a Wavelet-Domain Universal Hidden Markov Model

In this paper, a novel model-based compressive sampling (CS) technique for natural images is proposed. Our algorithm integrates a universal hidden Markov tree (uHMT) model, which captures the relation among the sparse wavelet coefficients of images, into both sampling and recovery steps of CS. At the sampling step, we employ the uHMT model to devise a nonuniformly sparse measurement matrix $\boldsymbol{\Phi }_{\text{uHMT}}$ . In contrast to the conventional CS sampling matrices, such as dense Gaussian, Bernoulli or uniformly sparse matrices that are oblivious to the signal model and the correlation among the signal coefficients, the proposed $\boldsymbol{\Phi }_{\text{uHMT}}$ is designed based on the signal model and samples the coarser wavelet coefficients with higher probabilities and more sparse wavelet coefficients with lower probabilities. At the recovery step, we integrate the uHMT model into two state-of-the-art Bayesian CS recovery schemes. Our simulation results confirm the superiority of our proposed HMT model-based nonuniform compressive sampling and recovery , referred to as uHMT-NCS , over other model-based CS techniques that solely consider the signal model at the recovery step. This paper is distinguished from other model-based CS schemes in that we take a novel approach to simultaneously integrating the signal model into both CS sampling and recovery steps. We show that such integration greatly increases the performance of the CS recovery, which is equivalent to reducing the required number of samples for a given reconstruction quality.
Generating Multivariate Random Variates

This chapter considers some of the more popular multivariate distributions and shows how to generate random variates for each. The probability distributions described are the following: multivariate discrete arbitrary, multinomial, multivariate hyper geometric, bivariate normal, bivariate lognormal, multivariate normal and multivariate lognormal. The Cholesky decomposition method is also presented because of its important role in generating random variates from the multivariate normal and multivariate lognormal distributions.
System Design and the Design Process

This chapter discusses the importance of models and processes associated with decision-making in system design. It begins by introducing the reader to a general process that applies to a variety of domains (for example, system design, drug counseling with teenagers, financial planning, buying products and services). Then it describes abstraction, which is the basis of all design. Our system design process comes next with a simple example that illuminates the key aspects of design. In subsequent sections, we go into progressively greater detail of the system design process. Finally, the designs are documented with diagrams from traditional system design, the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and the Systems Modeling Language (SysML).
619. AAV9 Transduction Is Similar in Adult and Aged Mouse Brains Following Intraparenchymal Injection

We previously reported that systemic injection of AAV9 in aged mice (P550) results in significantly fewer transduced CNS cells compared to adult mice (P49). This was not due to the presence of neutralizing antibodies in the aged mice. To determine whether aging in the brain and/or the periphery is responsible for this reduction, we quantified CNS transduction following stereotaxic brain injection in aged or adult mice. Aged male Balb/c mice (n = 6, P550) and adult mice (n = 7, P50) received direct injections into the striatum and ipsilateral hippocampus with scAAV9-CB expressing green fluorescent protein or scAAV9-CB expressing glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GFP or GDNF). All mice were euthanized three weeks post-injection. Brains of aged and adult mice injected with scAAV9-CB-GFP were sliced and processed for near-infrared imaging to quantify vector spread and GFP intensity. GFP expression was similar in directly injected aged and adult brains. Vector spread along the rostrocaudal axis was approximately 2 mm from either the striatal or hippocampal injection site and did not vary with age. Brains of mice directly injected with scAAV9-CB-GDNF were hemisected and processed for ELISA to quantify GDNF protein levels. GDNF levels in the striatum and hippocampus reached 2x those of uninjected controls and no differences in GDNF expression were detected between aged and adult injected mice. Together, we found that AAV9 CNS transduction is similar in aged and adult mouse brains following direct injection. These results suggest that reduced CNS transduction in aged mice following AAV9 systemic injection is due to alterations in the periphery. Future studies include investigation of altered viral blood brain barrier penetration and viral retention within peripheral tissues of aged mice.
Lactoferrin Modulates Uterine Inflammation Postbreeding in the Mare

Abstract Our objective was to determine the effects of lactoferrin (LF) on the postbreeding inflammatory process of the endometrium. Mares were randomly assigned to receive either the control treatment (semen only: 1.25 × 10 9 dead sperm diluted in skim milk–based extender) or LF (semen + 1 g LF) in a cross-over design. Mares received 2,500 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin at the time of insemination and were then evaluated daily to determine the time of ovulation and the amount of intrauterine fluid accumulation (0 = none; 4 = large). Endometrial samples were collected approximately at 24 hours postinsemination. The amount of bacterial growth was given a score (0 = no growth; 4 = heavy growth), and the percentage of white blood cells (WBCs) in the smear was determined. Endometrial expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-α was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. There were no significant differences between control and LF groups for: intrauterine fluid 24 hours after artificial insemination (2.2 vs. 1.7), bacterial growth (1.2 vs. 0.8), and percentage of WBCs (37.3 vs. 21.0%). Mares inseminated with extender containing LF showed reduction in endometrial expression of IL-6 at 24 hours postinsemination compared to control treatment ( P P = .09), IL-8 ( P = .06), and TNF-α ( P = .08) when compared to controls. Expression of IL-10 was similar between groups. Overall, the postbreeding inflammatory reaction in the uterus of mare's receiving LF was milder than in control mares.
Detection of the NRAS Q61R mutation in Erdheim-Chester disease.

7120 Background: There is a high frequency of activating mutations in proteins of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway in melanoma and other solid tumors. The BRAF V600E mutation has been found recently to ...
The effect of pendant group structure on the thermoresponsive properties of N-substituted polyesters

Synthetic polymers exhibiting reversible lower critical solution temperature (LCST), such as poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), are intriguing materials with various potential applications. We recently developed a new class of biodegradable thermoresponsive polyesters (TR-PEs) based on N-substituted diol monomers. TR-PEs exhibited reversible cloud point temperatures (Tcp) between 0–50 °C and were shown to be non-cytotoxic. The synthesis of N-substituted diols and TR-PEs is highly modular, allowing for a wide variety of possible homo- and copolyesters. In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of 20 homopolyesters in order to better understand the structure–property relationship of TR-PEs. UV-vis spectroscopy showed that the Tcp of TR-PEs was highly dependent on pendant group structure, such as secondary or tertiary amides, cyclic and linear groups, and substitution of oxygen atoms. Structure-Tcp analysis provides a correlation between Tcp and the number of heteroatoms relative to the number of carbon atoms in the pendant group thereby providing a rationale for the design of thermoresponsive polyesters with desired Tcp values. To demonstrate the expanded tunability of the TR-PE system, copolyesters bearing covalently attached ibuprofen were synthesized and shown to exhibit LCST behavior dependent on comonomer hydrophilicity.
Revealing perceptual–cognitive expertise in law enforcement: an iterative approach using verbal-report, temporal-occlusion, and option-generation methods

Despite the attention garnered in the media about police use of force, there have been relatively few investigations of perceptual–cognitive skill in law enforcement using the naturalistic-decision-making approach. In this paper, we provide an overview of a series of four studies in which we investigated experience-based differences in police officer decision making in complex, rapidly unfolding, and uncertain situations. In these naturalistic situations, decision makers must first generate—for themselves—at least one option before intervening or taking action. We sought to test hypotheses about option-generation processes derived from apparently competing theories of skilled decision making and expert sensemaking. These two theories can be considered as representing two phases of decision making: skilled decision making focuses on selecting an appropriate course of action, while expert sensemaking addresses situational assessment and diagnosis. In the studies, we employed a variety of cognitive task analysis techniques, including experiments using option-generation and temporal-occlusion methods and process tracing measures (e.g., retrospective verbal reports, video-stimulated recall). Based on the data, we conclude that the two theoretical approaches—skilled decision making and expert sensemaking—appear to be complementary rather than competing. When the situation is relatively familiar, officers can quickly recognize the situation and identify an appropriate response. However, when situations are less familiar, more complex, and/or more uncertain, officers may need to engage in rapid sensemaking or situational diagnosis so that they can quickly comprehend the situation. We discuss implications for law enforcement officers and for law enforcement training.
Gibberellin synthesis inhibitors affect electron transport in plant mitochondria

NADH oxidation and cytochrome c reduction rates in the electron transport chain were determined for mitochondria isolated from leaves of mature European black alder (Alnus glutinosa L.) and exposed to a range of concentrations of the growth retardants flurprimidol and paclobutrazol. NADH oxidation and cytochrome c reduction were enhanced by low concentrations of both compounds whereas higher concentrations reduced electron transport. This is the first report of gibberellin synthesis inhibitors affecting electron transport in plant mitochondria and provides evidence for another potential mode of action of this type of growth retardant.
Measurement of Broadband Temperature-Dependent Dielectric Properties of Liver Tissue

Characterization of changes in dielectric properties of tissue at elevated temperatures is essential for accurate modeling of microwave thermal therapy devices and systems. Available temperature-dependent dielectric properties are limited to the single frequency of 2.45 GHz, or wideband data temperatures less than −65°C. Here, we comparatively assess two configurations for placing a coaxial dielectric measurement probe relative to a microwave ablation antenna for measuring broadband temperature-dependent dielectric properties of liver tissue. Simulation and experimental measurements show that 10 to 20°C higher temperatures are observed when placing the dielectric measurement probe parallel to the ablation antenna, compared to perpendicular placement. The measured dielectric data of ex vivo bovine liver at 915 MHz and 2.45 GHz are in agreement with prior reports. It is further shown that dielectric measurement during low power and long duration (30 W, 10 min) ablation enables measurement of dielectric properties more uniformly scattered across the temperature range of interest.
Chapter 35 – Adenosine and Glutamate in Neuroglial Interaction: Implications for Sleep Disorders and Alcoholism

Recent studies show that neuroglial interactions play a key role in the regulation of complex behavior. Of particular importance is adenosine-mediated fine-tuning of glutamate neurotransmission, which modulates sleep, circadian rhythms, and alcohol intake. Astrocytic, soluble N-ethyl maleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor-mediated ATP release provides the extracellular adenosine that drives homeostatic sleep. Adenosine gates both photic (light-induced) glutamatergic and nonphotic (behavioral) input to the circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. Acute ethanol increases extracellular adenosine, which mediates the ataxic and hypnotic/sedative effects of alcohol, while chronic ethanol reduces adenosine tonus, leading to insomnia, a major predictor of relapse. Studies using mice lacking equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 have illuminated how adenosine functions through neuroglial interactions involving glutamate uptake transporter GLT-1 (referred to as excitatory amino acid transporter 2, or EAAT2, in humans) and possibly water channel aquaporin 4 to regulate ethanol sensitivity, reward-related motivation, and alcohol intake.
SVAuth – A Single-Sign-On Integration Solution with Runtime Verification (tool paper)

SSO (single-sign-on) services, such as those provided by Facebook, Google and Microsoft Azure, are integrated into tens of millions of websites and cloud services, just like lock manufacturers offering locks for every home. Imagine you are a website developer, typically unfamiliar with SSO protocols. Your manager wants you to integrate a particular SSO service into a website written in a particular language (e.g., PHP, ASP.NET or Python). You are likely overwhelmed by the amount of work for finding a suitable SSO library, understanding its programming guide, and writing your code. Moreover, studies have shown that many SSO integrations on real-world websites are incorrect, and thus vulnerable to security attacks! SVAuth is an open-source project that tries to provide integration solutions for all major SSO services in all major web languages. Its correctness is ensured by a technology called self-verifying execution, which performs program verification at runtime. SVAuth is so easy to adopt that a website developer does not need any knowledge about SSO protocols or implementations. This paper describes the architecture of SVAuth and how to use it on real-world websites.
Branched Bio-Lubricant Base Oil Production through Aldol Condensation

Invited for this month's cover is the group of Dionisios G. Vlachos at the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation, University of Delaware. The cover design shows the application of renewable feedstocks to make a lubricant base oil that can be used in a racecar. The Full Paper itself is available at 10.1002/cssc.201901838.
Quadrupole coupling in alkali metal amides MNH2 (X~1A1): An experimental and computational study

Abstract Rotational spectra of LiNH2 and NaNH2 have been recorded using Fourier transform microwave/millimeter-wave (FTMmmW) techniques in the range 22 – 59 GHz. The species were created from the reaction of metal vapor and ammonia, diluted in argon, using a Discharge-Assisted Laser Ablation Source (DALAS). The JKa,Kc = 101 → 000 transition was measured for both molecules, as well as the JKa,Kc = 202 → 101 transition for NaNH2, all of which exhibited quadrupole coupling splittings. The two data sets were each analyzed with an S-reduced asymmetric top Hamiltonian, establishing the lithium and sodium electric quadrupole coupling parameter, χaa for the first time, and refining previous rotational constants. Quadrupole and nuclear-spin rotation interactions were also computationally investigated at the MP2/6-311G++(3df,2pd) level for LiNH2, NaNH2 and KNH2. These calculations suggest that the major contributor to the quadrupole interactions is the alkali metal nucleus, not that of nitrogen, as confirmed experimentally. Comparison of quadrupole coupling constants suggest that LiNH2 and NaNH2 are principally ionic molecules with a charge distribution similar to LiF and NaF.
P493 Late and atypical presentation of mecp2 mutation

Introduction Rett syndrome (RS) is an X-linked dominant neurodevelopmental disorder affecting girls, most commonly caused by MECP2 loss-of-function mutations. The typical phenotype of RS is characterised by a period of developmental stagnation in late infancy, followed by progressive dementia, developmental regression, stereotyped hand-movements, microcephaly and gait dyspraxia. There are well recognised variants such as Atypical Rett syndrome(Angelman-like), Zappella-variant(preserved speech variant), and Congenital Rett syndrome. Objective We describe two cases of unrelated Irish females who presented towards the end of their first decade with unusual Rett phenotypes. Results Both cases had normal early development. Mild/moderate developmental abnormalities were picked up at 2 years. Prior to onset of epilepsy, both cases were in mainstream school with a special needs assistant and had upright and independent gait. Case 1 developed severe progressive scoliosis from preschool age. Case 1 and Case 2 presented with severe, refractory epilepsy aged 10 and 9 respectively; consisting of a mixture of atonic and complex-partial seizures evolving to include epileptic-spasms with epileptic-encephalopathy in both. In both cases gait deterioration began as an increasingly crouched posture and shuffling gait progressing to wheelchair-dependence. Concurrently, was a profound regression in motor skills, cognitive abilities, very poor appetite and weight loss. Neither had features of hand-wringing or microcephaly. Case 1 was notable for excessive drowsiness and development of progressive neuromuscular muscle weakness leading to frequent pneumonias, life-threatening choking episodes and a progressive deterioration in her respiratory function. She died, aged 13 years, of respiratory failure. Case 2, aged 13, does not have features of progressive bulbar palsy described in Case 1. Extensive workup was unrevealing except for de-novo heterozygous mutations in their MECP2 genes. In Case 1, a novel variant of MECP2 was detected: A duplication of the majority of the protein-coding portion of exon 4. Isolated duplication of large sections exon 4 has never, to our knowledge, been described before. In Case 2 there was a deletion and seven base pair insertion in exon 4:1006_1275delinsBATGCCC(p.Leu336Aspfs*12), predicted to introduce a premature termination codon. Conclusions Case 1 represents a unique case of MECP2 mutation, expanding our knowledge of the deleterious mutations leading to a Rett phenotype. We suggest that young girls with late onset developmental regression, new onset refractory epilepsy and crouching gait be investigated for MECP2 gene mutations. Early onset of scoliosis in an ambulatory child, and severe neuromuscular weakness are not previously known features of this condition.
Implementation of a Centralized Mechanism to Enrich the Quality of Nursing Research within a Children's Hospital.

Abstract High quality clinical inquiry is essential to provide leading care for patients and families. To ensure research teams are well positioned for success when initiating a new research study and applying for IRB review and approval we created a centralized process to register and track this work. A policy for project registration and nursing scientific review was created to support the process. The benefits of a centralized mechanism far outweigh the challenges.