cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A dynamic role of liver glycogen in alloxan diabetic rats.

The effect of alloxan diabetes on mobilization of the liver glycogen was followed in male rats given one injection of alloxan (200mg/kg). The serum glucose showed a typical triphasic curve, reaching sustained hyperglycemia 24hr after injection. The insulin levels of serum and pancreatic tissue extract remained within normal limits for the first 24hr. The marked decrease in insulin levels from both sources was recorded on the third day. The concentration of liver glycogen, however, was already markedly decreased at the end of one hr after injection, continued at the low contents up to the 12th hr, then it temporaly rose to reach a normal value after 24hr. The outer chain length of the glycogen from one to 12hr after injection was shorter than normal and was close to the phosphorylase limit dextrin. Probably the glucose liberated by the breakdown of the outer chain of the glycogen has led to an early phase hyperglycemia. After 7 days of alloxan-induced diabates, the total hepatic glycogen as well as biochemical structure became reestablished to normal. A further discussion on interaction of alloxan and glucose is given.
The energy transition in international economic systems: an empirical analysis of change during development

SUMMARY This study investigates the way energy is used in economic systems in countries and the US states to generate desirable outputs. An observed energy transition is characterized by low energy efficiency as a country first develops, followed by increasing efficiency as the transition is passed. Energy intensity, the energy required to generate a unit of output, is an inverse measure of efficiency and reaches a peak at the transition. Below the transition, countries increase energy use faster than GNP so energy intensity rises rapidly along with material use and pollution while socioeconomic indicators improve. Beyond the transition, however, environmental and economic indicators improve only as energy intensity declines. Economic systems become more diverse, in the same sense that ecosystems become more diverse, as they develop and a means of calculating economic diversity is presented. The increased diversity results from changes which enhance efficiency and decrease entropy in energy use and facili...
Mapping Potential Metro Rail Ridership In Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County, as in many metropolitan areas, is coping with increasing street and highway traffic. Transit, and particularly rail, often is regarded as a strategy to help reduce urban traffic congestion especially in these economic downturn times, the rising price of gasoline and the acute awareness of global warming. The objectives of this paper are to identify the total potential riders who have access by walking to the Metro Rail, and the level of utilization, using the process of Trip Generation for data research. The potential ridership produced and attracted to each station is estimated using certain assumptions about the number of trips possibly generated by each person from residential and employment regions, based on the Origin-Destination (OD) flow patterns. Estimating the number of potential riders accessing the Metro Rail System involves a spatial analysis regarding the location of current Metro Rail stations serving populations in a reasonable access time by walking. Service Area Zones (SAZ) were mapped, representing the areas that the potential riders could be served by existing stations within a ten minute interval. The potential ridership was measured to be approximately one million, which represents a figure ten times larger than the present one. The results of the analysis were used to build an Atlas of Los Angeles County Ridership as the cartographic contribution in transportation and visual communication for transit forecasting and service planning of the system.
Toward the Construct Definition of Positive Deviance

In this article, the authors develop a definition of positive deviance, a foundational construct in positive organizational scholarship. They offer a normative definition of positive deviance: intentional behaviors that depart from the norms of a referent group in honorable ways. The authors contrast this normative perspective on deviance with statistical, supra conformity, and reactive perspectives on deviance. They also develop research propositions that differentiate positive deviance from related prosocial types of behaviors, including organizational citizenship, whistle-blowing, corporate social responsibility, and creativity/innovation. Finally, the authors offer some initial ideas on how to operationalize positive deviance.
GeneMerge—post-genomic analysis, data mining, and hypothesis testing

Summary: GeneMerge is a web-based and standalone program written in PERL that returns a range of functional and genomic data for a given set of study genes and provides statistical rank scores for over-representation of particular functions or categories in the data set. Functional or categorical data of all kinds can be analyzed with GeneMerge, facilitating regulatory and metabolic pathway analysis, tests of population genetic hypotheses, cross-experiment comparisons, and tests of chromosomal clustering, among others. GeneMerge can perform analyses on a wide variety of genomic data quickly and easily and facilitates both data mining and hypothesis testing. Availability: GeneMerge is available free of charge for academic use over the web and for download from: http://www.oeb.harvard.edu/hartl/lab/publications/ GeneMerge.html.
Simplification of the DREAM collaboration's “Q/S method” in dual readout calorimetry analysis

Abstract The DREAM collaboration has introduced the “ Q / S Method” for obtaining the energy estimator from simultaneous Cherenkov and scintillator readouts of individual hadronic events. I show that the algorithm is equivalent to an elementary method.
Theoretical and Practical Implications of Assessing Cognitive and Language Development in Bilingual Children with Qualitative Methods

Abstract This study has the objective of using qualitative data to support theoretical and practical implications of important methodological problems affecting the assessment of bilingual children’s cognitive and language development. Three instruments were used for accurately identifying gifted students among seventeen Hispanic bilingual kindergartners (first, second, and third generation Mexican-Americans) from low socioeconomic backgrounds: (1) a Home Language Survey, (2) a locally-designed Teachers’ and Parents’ Rating Scale of Creativity, and (3) the Qualitative Use in English and Spanish of Tasks (QUEST) measuring cognitive and language development in bilinguals (Gonzalez, 1991, 1994, 1995). Using chi-square tests and case studies, six interacting patterns were found indicating the influence of first and second language, verbal and non-verbal assessment procedures, multiple measurements and informants, individualizing assessment, and evaluators’ personalities on the assessment of bilingual children...
Site Specific Optimization of Rotor/Generator Sizing of Wind Turbines

Economics, including all incentives, is the primary factor that drives the development of wind farms. Optimizing the wind turbine generator size-to-rotor size design based on an economic figure of merit shows that maximum wind turbine capacity factor does not yield the best economics for a given wind resource. A large rotor on a small generator will have a high capacity factor but a low annual output of electrical energy. For the same capital investment a different configuration would produce more electricity making the project more economically sound. This study varied rotor-to-generator size at a fixed capital cost and used a modified blade element momentum model to predict annual electrical energy production for each design at a given wind resource. Optimal design was the design that resulted in the highest annual electrical energy production. This was done at a series of fixed costs and a series of wind resources defined by the Weibull distribution parameters. The results indicated the following: At larger turbine sizes, (higher capital cost per turbine), the economics shifted toward a larger generator and smaller rotor (relatively). This exact relationship is dependent on the wind resource. At large turbine sizes, greater flexibility is shown in optimum generator sizing vs. rotor sizing. Having multiple generator size options for the same rotor size allows developers to more closely match and capitalize on the characteristics of their wind resource. The end result of the research is a set of diagrams developers can use to select the best turbine based on economics for their wind resource. This provides an additional tool they can use to make their projects more cost effective.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Electrical potential difference across blood vessels.

A technique for measuring the potential difference across blood vessel wall in vitro is described. It was found that the potential difference across canine blood vessel wall in vitro is roughly 0 ± 50 µv. under the conditions of this experiment.
A histochemical study of Corallina officinalis (Rhodophyta, Corallinaceae)

Abstract A branch of Corallina officinalis L. consists of (1) an apical meristem of intensely active cells, (2) intergenicula of small, calcite encased, vegetative cells, and (3) uncalcified genicula made up of long cells. Histochemical analyses were carried out to examine developmental and structural changes in apical, intergenicular and genicular tissues with regard to the occurrence of pectins, starch, cellulose, protein, CaCO3 and nucleic acids. Vegetative cell walls consist of an inner cellulosic layer and a thicker middle layer composed of a pectin-like substance and CaCO3. The end walls of intergenicular cells are unusually rich in cellulose. A stratified cuticle covering all calcified surfaces is secreted by underlying cells. It is pectin-like and protein-free and made up of highly compressed layers over epithallial cells and more loosely compacted layers over branch apices. Starch deposition progresses centripetally in the intergenicular medulla. The uncalcified parts of genicular cells produce c...
A parallel tracking method for acoustic radiation force impulse imaging

Radiation force-based techniques have been developed by several groups for imaging the mechanical properties of tissue. Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging is one such method that uses commercially available scanners to generate localized radiation forces in tissue. The response of the tissue to the radiation force is determined using conventional B-mode imaging pulses to track micron-scale displacements in tissue. Current research in ARFI imaging is focused on producing real-time images of tissue displacements arid related mechanical properties. Obstacles to producing a real-time ARFl imaging modality include data acquisition, processing power, data transfer rates, heating of the transducer, and patient safety concerns. We propose a parallel receive beamforming technique to reduce transducer heating and patient acoustic exposure, and to facilitate data acquisition for real-time ARFI imaging. Custom beam sequencing was used with a commercially available scanner to track tissue displacements with parallel-receive beamforming in tissue-mimicking phantoms. Using simulations, the effects of material properties on parallel tracking are observed. Transducer and tissue heating for parallel tracking are compared to standard ARFI beam sequencing. The effects of tracking beam position and size of the tracked region are also discussed in relation to the size and temporal response of the region of applied force, and the impact on ARFI image contrast arid signal-to-noise ratio are quantified
The processing of repetitive extragenic palindromes: the structure of a repetitive extragenic palindrome bound to its associated nuclease

Extragenic sequences in genomes, such as microRNA and CRISPR, are vital players in the cell. Repetitive extragenic palindromic sequences (REPs) are a class of extragenic sequences, which form nucleotide stem-loop structures. REPs are found in many bacterial species at a high copy number and are important in regulation of certain bacterial functions, such as Integration Host Factor recruitment and mRNA turnover. Although a new clade of putative transposases (RAYTs or TnpAREP) is often associated with an increase in these repeats, it is not clear how these proteins might have directed amplification of REPs. We report here the structure to 2.6 A of TnpAREP from Escherichia coli MG1655 bound to a REP. Sequence analysis showed that TnpAREP is highly related to the IS200/IS605 family, but in contrast to IS200/IS605 transposases, TnpAREP is a monomer, is auto-inhibited and is active only in manganese. These features suggest that, relative to IS200/IS605 transposases, it has evolved a different mechanism for the movement of discrete segments of DNA and has been severely down-regulated, perhaps to prevent REPs from sweeping through genomes.
The neuroendocrine nature of the glomus cells: An experimental, ultrastructural, and histochemical tissue culture study

Although the carotid body is an established chemoreceptor, there is considerable evidence also for its possessing a secretory function. While adrenergic neuroendocrine cells of neuroectodermal derivation exist in the central and autonomic nervous systems, the exact histogenesis of the mammalian carotid body is unsettled. The normal human carotid body and glomus jugulare tumor have been grown in tissue culture and their constituent cells have been observed to transform from epithelial to neuronoid appearing cells with extensive dendritic processes. This conversion has been further enhanced by the addition of nerve growth factor, a polypeptide specific for neural tissue. Electron microscopy confirmed that these cultured neoplastic cells had a subcellular architecture identical to the in situ glomus cell. Histofluorescence revealed that these in vitro cells continued to synthesize and store biogenic monoamines in culture. Comparison of the morphologic, ultrastructural and histochemical features of the glomus cell with established neuroendocrine cells (central nervous system neurons, sympathetic ganglia cells, chromaffin cells) shows striking similarities. On the basis of these findings it is concluded that the glomus cell is a modified neuron of neural crest origin. The embryology, electron microscopy and histochemistry of the carotid body and related glomera and their tumors are reviewed.
Significance of Divergent Expression of Prostaglandin EP4 and EP3 Receptors in Human Prostate Cancer

PGE2 has been implicated in prostate cancer tumorigenesis. We hypothesized that abnormal prostaglandin receptor (EPR) expression may contribute to prostate cancer growth. Twenty-six archived radical prostatectomy specimens were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blotting for the expression of EP1, EP2, EP3, and EP4. As a corollary, EPR expression in one normal (PZ-HPV7) and four prostate cancer cell lines (CA-HPV10, LNCaP, PC3, and Du145) were assessed by Western blotting. Prostate cancer and normal cell growth were compared in vitro after EPR blockade, siRNA EPR knockdown, or overexpression. EP1, EP2, EP3, and EP4 receptors were detected by IHC in all areas of benign tissue within the clinical prostate cancer specimens. In areas of prostate cancer, EP4 and EP2 were overexpressed in 85% (22 of 26) and 75% (18 of 24) and EP3 expression was reduced in all (26 of 26, 100%) specimens (P < 0.05 vs. benign tissue). EP1 showed no specific differential expression pattern. Increased EP4 and reduced EP3 was confirmed by Western blotting in fresh clinical specimens and in prostate cancer cell lines (CA-HPV10, LNCaP, PC3, and Du145) compared with the normal prostate cell line (PZ-HPV7). EP2 and EP4 siRNA knockdown resulted in reduced in vitro growth and metastasis-related gene expression (MMP9 and Runx2) of prostate cancer lines, and in vitro migration was inhibited by EP4 antagonists. As a corollary, EP3-overexpressing PC3 cells displayed impaired growth in vitro. Human prostate cancer is associated with EP4 and EP2 overexpression and reduced EP3 expression. These data suggest that targeting specific EPR may represent a novel therapeutic approach for prostate cancer.
Aging preserves the ability to perceive 3D object shape from static but not deforming boundary contours

A single experiment investigated how younger (aged 18-32 years) and older (aged 62-82 years) observers perceive 3D object shape from deforming and static boundary contours. On any given trial, observers were shown two smoothly-curved objects, similar to water-smoothed granite rocks, and were required to judge whether they possessed the "same" or "different" shape. The objects presented during the "different" trials produced differently-shaped boundary contours. The objects presented during the "same" trials also produced different boundary contours, because one of the objects was always rotated in depth relative to the other by 5, 25, or 45 degrees. Each observer participated in 12 experimental conditions formed by the combination of 2 motion types (deforming vs. static boundary contours), 2 surface types (objects depicted as silhouettes or with texture and Lambertian shading), and 3 angular offsets (5, 25, and 45 degrees). When there was no motion (static silhouettes or stationary objects presented with shading and texture), the older observers performed as well as the younger observers. In the moving object conditions with shading and texture, the older observers' performance was facilitated by the motion, but the amount of this facilitation was reduced relative to that exhibited by the younger observers. In contrast, the older observers obtained no benefit in performance at all from the deforming (i.e., moving) silhouettes. The reduced ability of older observers to perceive 3D shape from motion is probably due to a low-level deterioration in the ability to detect and discriminate motion itself.
Contextual effects in school-based violence prevention programs: a conceptual framework and empirical review.

This paper reviews the theoretical and practical importance of studying contextual factors in school-based violence prevention programs and provides a framework for evaluating factors at the classroom, school, and community/district level. Sixty-two published papers describing 38 different programs were reviewed; of these 16 were identified that reported data on contextual effects or discussed possible contextual effects on the intervention. The small number of studies precludes definitive conclusions regarding contextual effects in school-based violence prevention programs, but suggests (a) some evidence for contextual effects on program outcomes, and (b) interdependence of context and implementation factors in influencing outcomes. Editors’ Strategic Implications: This review suggests that contextual effects are important to school violence prevention, as context can influence outcomes directly and through interactions with implementation factors. Consequently, characteristics of the classroom, school, and community contexts should be considered by practitioners when implementing prevention programs and measured by researchers studying the processes and outcomes of these programs.
Scale and the detection of climatic influences on the productivity of salmon populations

Ecological studies relating population parameters to climate conditions are limited by a lack of experimental control systems and rely instead on correlative evidence to draw inferences about how populations respond to environmental forcing. Consequently, some correlations turn out to be spurious and not ecologically meaningful. To strengthen inferences, multiple populations may be examined simultaneously to confirm whether relationships can be generalized across multiple systems; however, this assumes that populations respond similarly to climate drivers, ignoring the potential for ecological complexity. Using data on eight sockeye salmon populations from southwestern Alaska, we constructed a series of models based on ecological hypotheses, relating salmon population productivity to climate factors experienced at different life stages. We modeled populations at a range of organizational scales, from distinct populations, to populations grouped by common nursery lake, to all populations within a watershed, and determined the relative statistical support for climate drivers at each scale. In general, warmer lake and sea surface temperatures in the summer coincided with increased productivity of these populations, but the most sensitive life-stage for climate effects varied among populations, particularly among nursery lakes. The best model when considering all populations together, despite strong statistical support, failed to represent the complexity which became evident when populations were modeled by common nursery lake, or independently. These results emphasize that the most appropriate organizational scale to model salmon stocks will depend on specific management, scientific, or conservation goals.
Design for testability using behavioral models

The authors present a systematic approach to analog design-for-testability which uses behavioral models for fault simulation so that objective comparisons can be made between alternative test configurations. This technique of design-for-testability is shown to be especially well suited to an ASIC's (application-specific integrated circuits') environment because the models can be reused and combined to form a library. The fault models should improve with time as more data are collected for a given block. For this reason, a design/experimentation environment has been developed to provide feedback to the system designers. The normal models can also be used to decide what specifications a block will need to function properly in a given system. This is very useful in the design phase for determining how well blocks will fit together, or how much linearity or signal swing a given block will need to achieve a certain high-level system specification. >
Design Optimization of Solenoid Actuated Butterfly Valves Dynamically Coupled in Series

In this effort, we present novel nonlinear modeling of two solenoid actuated butterfly valves operating in series and then develop an optimal configuration in the presence of highly coupled nonlinear dynamics. The valves are used in the so-called “Smart Systems” to be employed in a wide range of applications including bioengineering, medicine, and engineering fields. Typically, tens of the actuated valves are instantaneously operating to regulate the amount of flow and also to avoid probable catastrophic disasters which have been observed in the practice. We focus on minimizing the amount of energy used in the system as one of the most critical design criteria to yield an efficient operation. We optimize the actuation subsystems interacting with the highly nonlinear flow loads in order to minimize a lumped amount of energy consumed. The contribution of this work is to include coupled nonlinearities of electromechanical valve systems to optimize the actuation units. Stochastic, heuristic, and gradient based algorithms are utilized in seeking the optimal design of two sets. The results indicate that substantial amount of energy can be saved by an intelligent design that helps select parameters carefully but also uses flow torques to augment the closing efforts.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Evaluation of an Artificial Dissipation and AUSM based Flux Formulation: AD-AUSM

The HCUSP schemes being in an artificial dissipation form are more amenable to implementation in central difference codes than AUSM family of schemes. However, AUSM family of schemes has several attractive properties over H-CUSP, e.g. capturing contact waves with minimal dissipation. The proposed formulation, AD-AUSM to signify a hybrid of artificial dissipation and AUSM family of schemes, resembles an artificial dissipation form for convection terms and a variant of AUSM schemes for pressure dissipation. Besides being in an AD form similar to Rusanov scheme, the convection term also employs pressure diffusion term for improved performance, similar to AUSMPW+ and AUSM + -up schemes. The pressure dissipation term is constructed using the simple low-dissipation formulations of LSHUS and SLAU schemes. Several canonical 1-D tests have been performed to evaluate the formulation and compare the performance against H-CUSP, AUSM + -up and AUSMPW+. The tests show that AD-AUSM can capture contact waves with the accuracy of AUSM schemes. It is more robust and performs better across shocks than the H-CUSP variant. It is more dissipative across shocks than AUSM + -up and AUSMPW+ schemes but has a smoother behavior across sonic transition points. Similar to LSHUS and SLAU schemes, AD-AUSM does not require a reference Mach number and scales dissipation terms appropriately for low speed flows. The fluxes are written as a sum of a central and dissipation terms, making it easier to implement in an existing central-difference based code than the AUSM schemes.
Moving Beyond the Punitive Legacy: Taking Stock of Persistent Problems in Juvenile Justice

As the US reins in the punitive excesses in juvenile justice with encouraging changes, it may be tempting to herald a new era of progressive reform. This article contends that such optimism may be ...
Cognitive Effects and Mechanisms of Lead Toxicity

The effects of lead on the cognitive development of children, behavioral effects, reasons for the child’s exquisite sensitivity, and the long-term prognosis of lead toxicity are reviewed at the Center for Trace Element Studies and Environmental Neurotoxicology, Staten Island, NY.
The Goal of Smart Pipe Development

The goal of a smart pipe is not to control service but to improve user experience.Operators must fully use wireless frequency,fiber deployment,and user information.A pipe can be made "smart" by using and scheduling of wireless frequency,fiber deployment,and user information.Moreover,network convergence,cloudiness of pipe and unification of user ID are three important ways to achieve smart pipe.
VASODILATION AND THE METABOLIC RESPONSE TO HEMORRHAGE.

I t has been hypothesized that vasoconstriction associated with acute blood loss accentuates tissue hypoxia and that the metabolic derangements consequent to such hypoxia accelerate the development of cardiovascular collapse. 6-8, 15, 22-24, 27 On the basis of this theory it has been advocated that vasodilation be induced as a therapeutic measure in the clinical treatment of hemorrhagic hypotension.3, *, I9 The majority of experimental data supporting the efficacy of induced vasodilation rely upon comparisons of differences between survival rates in control and treated groups of animals. Data employing survival rates as the basis for comparisons provide a certain amount of information, but reliance upon such an all-ornone end point has not only inherent statistical limitations but also limitations on the clinical applicability of observed results. From a physiologic as well as a clinical point of view, data on the metabolic response to hemorrhagic shock in the presence and absence of vasodilation are equally important. Because such data have not been reported, the present study was instituted and excess lactateI has been used as an index of tissue oxygenation because it is a sensitive indicator
The difficult airway in head and neck tumor surgery

SUMMARY Patients with head and neck tumors present airway management problems as difficult as any anesthesiologists confront. Our knowledge, skills, and judgment are routinely and rigorously tested in our care of these patients. The history and physical examinations are crucial in determining the presence of the difficult airway and need for an awake tracheal intubation. Specifically, obstructive symptoms, a constellation of findings on physical examination, and the use of the CT scan enable us to evaluate head and neck tumors and alert us to the potential for airway management difficulties. Current knowledge of available airway management alternatives allows us to explore fully various options and deliver more safe and expeditious airway care.
Interbacterial signaling via Burkholderia contact-dependent growth inhibition system proteins.

Abstract In prokaryotes and eukaryotes, cell–cell communication and recognition of self are critical to coordinate multicellular functions. Although kin and kind discrimination are increasingly appreciated to shape naturally occurring microbe populations, the underlying mechanisms that govern these interbacterial interactions are insufficiently understood. Here, we identify a mechanism of interbacterial signal transduction that is mediated by contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) system proteins. CDI systems have been characterized by their ability to deliver a polymorphic protein toxin into the cytoplasm of a neighboring bacterium, resulting in growth inhibition or death unless the recipient bacterium produces a corresponding immunity protein. Using the model organism Burkholderia thailandensis, we show that delivery of a catalytically active CDI system toxin to immune (self) bacteria results in gene expression and phenotypic changes within the recipient cells. Termed contact-dependent signaling (CDS), this response promotes biofilm formation and other community-associated behaviors. Engineered strains that are isogenic with B. thailandensis, except the DNA region encoding the toxin and immunity proteins, did not display CDS, whereas a strain of Burkholderia dolosa producing a nearly identical toxin-immunity pair induced signaling in B. thailandensis. Our data indicate that bcpAIOB loci confer dual benefits; they direct antagonism toward non-self bacteria and promote cooperation between self bacteria, with self being defined by the bcpAIOB allele and not by genealogic relatedness.
Circumvention of P-gp and MRP2 mediated efflux of lopinavir by a histidine based dipeptide prodrug.

Abstract Purpose This study was aimed to develop a novel Histidine-Leucine-Lopinavir (His-Leu-LPV) dipeptide prodrug and evaluate its potential for circumvention of P-gp and MRP2-mediated efflux of lopinavir (LPV) indicated for HIV-1 infection. Methods His-Leu-LPV was synthesized following esterification of hydroxyl group of LPV and was identified by 1 H NMR and LCMS/MS techniques. Aqueous solubility, stability and cell cytotoxicity of prodrug was determined. Uptake and permeability studies were carried out using P-gp (MDCK-MDR1) and MRP2 (MDCK-MRP2) transfected cell lines. To further delineate prodrug uptake, prodrug interaction with influx transporters (PepT1 and PHT1) was determined. Enzymatic hydrolysis and reconversion of His-Leu-LPV to LPV was examined using Caco-2 cell homogenates. Results Aqueous solubility generated by the prodrug was markedly higher relative to unmodified LPV. Importantly, His-Leu-LPV displayed significantly lower affinity towards P-gp and MRP2 as evident from higher uptake and transport rates. [3H]-GlySar and [3H]- l -His uptake receded to approximately 30% in the presence of His-Leu-LPV supporting the PepT1/PHT1 mediated uptake process. A steady regeneration of LPV and Leu-LPV in Caco-2 cell homogenates indicated His-Leu-LPV undergoes both esterase and peptidase-mediated hydrolysis. Conclusion Histidine based dipeptide prodrug approach can be an alternative strategy to improve LPV absorption across poorly permeable intestinal barrier.
Nonlinear Imaging of Microbubble Contrast Agent Using the Volterra Filter: In Vivo Results

A nonlinear filtering approach to imaging the dynamics of microbubble ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) in microvessels is presented. The approach is based on the adaptive third-order Volterra filter (TVF), which separates the linear, quadratic, and cubic components from beamformed pulse-echo ultrasound data. The TVF captures polynomial nonlinearities utilizing the full spectral components of the echo data and not from prespecified bands, e.g., second or third harmonics. This allows for imaging using broadband pulse transmission to preserve the axial resolution and the SNR. In this paper, we present the results from imaging the UCA activity in a 200- $\mu \text{m}$ cellulose tube embedded in a tissue-mimicking phantom using a linear array diagnostic probe. The contrast enhancement was quantified by computing the contrast-to-tissue ratio (CTR) for the different imaging components, i.e., B-mode, pulse inversion (PI), and the TVF components. The temporal mean and standard deviation of the CTR values were computed for all frames in a given data set. Quadratic and cubic images, referred to as QB-mode and CB-mode, produced higher mean CTR values than B-mode, which showed improved sensitivity. Compared with PI, they produced similar or higher mean CTR values with greater spatial specificity. We also report in vivo results from imaging UCA activity in an implanted LNCaP tumor with heterogeneous perfusion. The temporal means and standard deviations of the echogenicity were evaluated in small regions with different perfusion levels in the presence and absence of UCA. The in vivo measurements behaved consistently with the corresponding calculations obtained under microflow conditions in vitro . Specifically, the nonlinear VF components produced larger increases in the temporal mean and standard deviation values compared with B-mode in regions with low to relatively high perfusion. These results showed that polynomial filters such as the TVF can provide an important tool for imaging UCA activity in regions with heterogeneous perfusion as is the case in some tumors and ischemic tissues.
A MICROBIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF MUSCLE TISSUE OF BEEF, PORK, AND LAMB CARCASSES

A microbial examination was made of muscle tissue of beef, pork, and lamb carcasses. Samples were taken shortly after death and after 3 days of storage at 1 C. A majority of the samples did not yield isolates on blood agar plates. The following microbial types were isolated: Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Sarcina, Streptococcus, coryneforms, Bacillus, Clostridium, Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, Moraxella, Alcaligenes, Acinetobacter anitratum (Herellea), and yeasts and molds. Staphylococci were predominant among the isolates obtained from the three species. A large percentage of the staphylococci were coagulase-positive. Coryneforms also predominated in the lamb and beef samples. Warm muscle samples yielded a greater number of bacterial isolates than chilled Samples. No psychrophilic bacteria were recovered from the samples.
Lumenal proteins involved in respiratory electron transport in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803

Cyanobacterial thylakoids catalyze both photosynthetic and respiratory activities. In a photosystem I-less Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 strain, electrons generated by photosystem II appear to be utilized by cytochrome oxidase. To identify the lumenal electron carriers (plastocyanin and/or cytochromes c 553, c 550, and possibly c M) that are involved in transfer of photosystem II-generated electrons to the terminal oxidase, deletion constructs for genes coding for these components were introduced into a photosystem I-less Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 strain, and electron flow out of photosystem II was monitored in resulting strains through chlorophyll fluorescence yields. Loss of cytochrome c 553 or plastocyanin, but not of cytochrome c 550, decreased the rate of electron flow out of photosystem II. Surprisingly, cytochrome c M could not be deleted in a photosystem I-less background strain, and also a double-deletion mutant lacking both plastocyanin and cytochromec 553 could not be obtained. Cytochrome c M has some homology with the cytochrome c-binding regions of the cytochromecaa3 -type cytochrome oxidase from Bacillus spp. and Thermus thermophilus. We suggest that cytochrome c M is a component of cytochrome oxidase in cyanobacteria that serves as redox intermediate between soluble electron carriers and the cytochromeaa3 complex, and that either plastocyanin or cytochrome c 553 can shuttle electrons from the cytochrome b6f complex to cytochrome c M.
Inhibition of adipose tissue PPARγ prevents increased adipocyte expansion after lipectomy and exacerbates a glucose‐intolerant phenotype

Objectives Adipose tissue plays a fundamental role in glucose homeostasis. For example, fat removal (lipectomy, LipX) in lean mice, resulting in a compensatory 50% increase in total fat mass, is associated with significant improvement in glucose tolerance. This study was designed to further examine the link between fat removal, adipose tissue compensation and glucose homeostasis using a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR γ; activator of adipogenesis) knockout mouse. Material and methods The study involved PPARγ knockout (FKOγ) or control mice (CON), subdivided into groups that received LipX or Sham surgery. We reasoned that as the ability of adipose tissue to expand in response to LipX would be compromised in FKOγ mice, so would improvements in glucose homeostasis. Results In CON mice, LipX increased total adipose depot mass (~60%), adipocyte number (~45%) and changed adipocyte distribution to smaller cells. Glucose tolerance was improved (~30%) in LipX CON mice compared to Shams. In FKOγ mice, LipX did not result in any significant changes in adipose depot mass, adipocyte number or distribution. LipX FKOγ mice were also characterized by reduction of glucose tolerance (~30%) compared to shams. Conclusions Inhibition of adipose tissue PPARγ prevented LipX-induced increases in adipocyte expansion and produced a glucose-intolerant phenotype. These data support the notion that adipose tissue expansion is critical to maintain and/or improvement in glucose homeostasis.
Mitochondrial Dynamics and Huntington’s Disease: A Dance of Fate

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder whose age of onset can vary quite widely, with the most severe forms striking as early as the first decade of life. The disease is caused by an abnormal expansion of a polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin (htt) protein. The mechanism by which polyglutamine expansions in htt cause disease is still not understood, although many different mechanisms have been proposed. One theory is that HD is caused by an impairment of mitochondria function. Mitochondria are vital for cell survival. They are the main powerhouse for ATP generation and are the repository of many important molecules that govern whether a cell lives or dies. Studies have shown that mitochondria are not static structures, but are highly dynamic, undergoing constant cycles of fusion and fission. Accumulating evidence suggests that HD is associated with a disturbance of mitochondrial dynamics. Here we review the published data linking mitochondrial dysfunction in HD, concentrating on the role that defects in mitochondrial dynamics might play in the disease.
Embryo cryopreservation and preeclampsia risk

Objective To determine whether assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles involving cryopreserved-warmed embryos are associated with the development of preeclampsia. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting IVF clinics and hospitals. Patient(s) A total of 15,937 births from ART: 9,417 singleton and 6,520 twin. Intervention(s) We used linked ART surveillance, birth certificate, and maternal hospitalization discharge data, considering resident singleton and twin births from autologous or donor eggs from 2005–2010. Main Outcome Measure(s) We compared the frequency of preeclampsia diagnosis for cryopreserved-warmed versus fresh ET and used multivariable logistic regression to adjust for confounders. Result(s) Among pregnancies conceived with autologous eggs resulting in singletons, preeclampsia was greater after cryopreserved-warmed versus fresh ET (7.51% vs. 4.29%, adjusted odds ratio=2.17 [95% CI 1.67–2.82]). Preeclampsia without and with severe features, preeclampsia with preterm delivery, and chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia were more frequent after cryopreserved-warmed versus fresh ET (3.99% vs. 2.55%; 2.95% vs. 1.41%; 2.76 vs. 1.48%; and 0.95% vs. 0.43%, respectively). Among pregnancies from autologous eggs resulting in twins, the frequency of preeclampsia with severe features (9.26% vs. 5.70%) and preeclampsia with preterm delivery (14.81% vs. 11.74%) was higher after cryopreserved versus fresh transfers. Among donor egg pregnancies, rates of preeclampsia did not differ significantly between cryopreserved-warmed and fresh ET (10.78% vs. 12.13% for singletons and 28.0% vs. 25.15% for twins). Conclusion(s) Among ART pregnancies conceived using autologous eggs resulting in live births, those involving transfer of cryopreserved-warmed embryos, as compared with fresh ETs, had increased risk for preeclampsia with severe features and preeclampsia with preterm delivery.
“You Can’t Stop the Tweet”: Social Media and Networks of Participation in the Live Television Musical

This chapter explains how recent live television musicals such as NBC’s The Sound of Music Live! (2013), Peter Pan Live! (2014), The Wiz Live! (2015), and Hairspray Live! (2016), and Fox’s Grease Live! (2016) encourage audience participation through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. In these participatory events, fans, critics, producers, performers, and other actors negotiate the meanings of musical theatre and its desirable forms of liveness. Perceptions of the live are complex in a mediatized environment where the conventions of traditional theatre, television, and online social media converge. Viewers in intersecting communities and contexts, including musical theatre fandom and the Black Lives Matter movement, make meanings of these live musicals through participatory practices such as hate-watching and critical humor.
Decentralized Search for Shortest Path Approximation in Large-Scale Complex Networks

Finding approximated shortest paths for extremely large-scale complex networks is a challenging problem, where existing works require large overhead to achieve high accuracy and diversity for estimated paths, especially for large graphs with millions of vertices. In this paper, we propose an online search approach based on preprocessed indexes, to approximate point-to-point shortest paths. The approach is able to find more accurate and diverse paths with limited index overhead and requires low search overhead. Furthermore, a new path degree based index construction algorithm is introduced that can greatly increase the approximation accuracy and involve no additional index overhead. To handle extreme size graphs, we build a query processing system with our algorithm on distributed graph processing platforms. The system also supports parallel processing of online searches to achieve high throughput for a large number of queries. We evaluate our algorithm on various real-world graphs from different disciplines with up to billions of edges, and we demonstrate that our system can process hundreds of thousand queries per second on these graphs with reducedoverhead.
Experiences of Racism and Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration Among First-Time Mothers of the Black Women’s Health Study

Background Breastfeeding rates are lower for black women in the USA compared with other groups. Breastfeeding and lactation are sensitive time points in the life course, centering breastfeeding as a health equity issue. In the USA, experiences of racism have been linked to poor health outcomes but racism relative to breastfeeding has not been extensively investigated.
Finite Element Modeling and Analysis: Practical Application

You need to understand how to apply FEM principles of truss to an arbitrarily shaped object in the real world.
Student Engagement and Enjoyment of Narratives: An Empirical Study of an Authentic Music Video and a Short Teaching Case

This paper examines the process of student engagement into two narrative-based pedagogical tools (a music video and a short teaching case) often used in university classes to illustrate internation...
Insights and Future Research Needs

The geography and environmental history of the Olympic Mountains arguably place the region as globally unique, and thus paleoecological insights from this region should also provide some new findings. The very steep precipitation gradient, the general lack of human influence on Holocene vegetation (as occurs in Europe), and the important role of an episodic fire regime allow for researchers to infer complex interactions within the scope of changing climate and disturbance regimes. The few ambiguities in species-level determination from the pollen flora and the low importance of Pinus (which swamps out other pollen taxa in drier climates of the Pacific Northwest), and the occurrence of leaf or needle macrofossils greatly aids the interpretation of the paleoecological record on the Olympic Peninsula. This chapter presents, in list form, the major conclusions emerging from the synthesis of paleoecological records. It then lists research questions that emerge from the current data, including both specific unresolved issues and how more dimensions of paleoenvironmental change may be addressed.
The Ecological Basis for Biological Control

Biological control is a natural phenomenon that, when applied successfully to a pest problem, can provide a relatively permanent, harmonious, and economical solution. But because biological control is a manifestation of the natural association of different kinds of living organisms, i.e., parasites and pathogens with their hosts and predators with their prey, the phenomenon is a dynamic one, subject to disturbances by other factors, to changes in the environment, and to the adaptations, properties, and limitations of the organisms involved in each case (Huffaker and Messenger, 1964).
On the relation between chemical structure and function in certain tumor promoters and antitumor agents

In recent months a great deal of interest has developed on the mechanism of action of tumor promoters and of certain antitumor drugs. In 1975, the hypothesis was published, based on stereochemical data [1], that the known (at that time) tumor promoters tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA) (and related active phorbol esters) and anthralin act via certain prostaglandin (PG) receptors as PG agonists. The prediction was further made that certain PGs themselves would be tumor promoters. This prediction has since been experimentally verified for PGE2 and PGFa [2]. We further hypothesized that certain antitumor compounds also acted via these specific PG receptors but as PG antagonists.