cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enrichment of hematopoietic stem cells with SLAM and LSK markers for the detection of hematopoietic stem cell function in normal and Trp53 null mice

Objective To test function of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vivo in C57BL/6 (B6) and Trp53-deficient (Trp53 null) mice by using two HSC enrichment schemes. Materials and Methods Bone marrow (BM) Lin − CD41 − CD48 − CD150 + (signaling lymphocyte activation molecules [SLAM]), Lin − CD41 − CD48 − CD150 − (SLAM − ) and Lin − Sca1 + CD117 + (LSK) cells were defined by fluorescence-activated cell staining (FACS). Cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was also analyzed by FACS. Sorted SLAM, SLAM − , and LSK cells were tested in vivo in the competitive repopulation (CR) and serial transplantation assays. Results SLAM cell fraction was 0.0078% ± 0.0010% and 0.0135% ± 0.0010% of total BM cells in B6 and Trp53 null mice, and was highly correlated ( R 2 = 0.7116) with LSK cells. CD150 + BM cells also contained more ROS low cells than did CD150 − cells. B6 SLAM cells repopulated recipients much better than B6 SLAM − cells, showing high HSC enrichment. B6 SLAM cells also engrafted recipients better than Trp53 null SLAM cells in the CR and the follow-up serial transplantation assays. Similarly, LSK cells from B6 donors also had higher repopulating ability than those from Trp53 null donors. However, whole BM cells from the same B6 and Trp53 null donors showed the opposite functional trend in recipient engraftment. Conclusion Both SLAM and LSK marker sets can enrich HSCs from B6 and Trp53 mice. Deficiency of Trp53 upregulates HSC self-renewal but causes no gain of HSC function.
Evaluation of the development, dissemination and effectiveness of mass media health programming

‘t Many mass media health promotion programs seem to fail because of inadequate attention to several levels of evaluation research, possibly during product development. A rational sequence of evaluation research is suggested and described. Pre-production research includes planning research, concept testing, and pretesting of rough forms of the product. Audience testing research is suggested post-production but prior to dissemination - it includes small-scale assessments of message/produ ct acceptability and effkacy. Post-dissemination research includes implementation, effectiveness, and process evaluation. It is argued that greater emphasis he placed on formative (pre-production) research and audience testing (particularly efftcacy testing) than is usually the case.
Performance improvement of TCP-based applications in a multi-access satellite system

This paper describes a TCP splitting solution for multi-access bent-pipe GEO satellite networks. Such networks have a star topology with a large number of user terminals connected to a hub over a satellite link with broadcast downlink and multi-access uplink. In such systems, besides improving the end-to-end performance of TCP, efficient usage of the multi-access uplink is a key design objective. Most of the work done in the area of TCP over satellite so far has focused on TCP splitting in point-to-point satellite links. We first discuss the resource allocation issues involved in TCP splitting over multi-access satellite links. We then propose a TCP splitting scheme that uses the satellite transport protocol and is well integrated with the MAC protocol. We propose an efficient and fair scheduling algorithm at the hub for uplink bandwidth allocation which works together with bandwidth on demand (BoD), wherein the terminals request for time slots to send data over the uplink. We mainly concentrate on improving the performance of HTTP like applications which are characterized by short bursty requests from clients to servers. We have developed the ns simulator to have several new modules that can be used to simulate a whole new range of satellite-terrestrial network topologies, transport level proxies, and TCP and STP flow control behavior.
Neurotrophin modulation of voltage-gated potassium channels in rat through TrkB receptors is time and sensory experience dependent.

The whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique, immunoprecipitation experiments and unilateral naris occlusions were used to investigate whether the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 was a substrate for neurotrophin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation and subsequent functional modulation of current properties in cultured rat olfactory bulb (OB) neurons. Membrane proteins of the OB included all three Trk receptor kinases, but the truncated form of the receptor, lacking an intact kinase domain, was the predominant form of the protein for TrkA and TrkC, while TrkB was predominantly found as the full-length receptor. Acute (15 min) stimulation of OB neurons with bath application of 50 ng ml−1 brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a selective ligand for TrkB, caused suppression of the whole-cell outward current and no changes in the kinetics of inactivation or deactivation. Acute stimulation with either nerve growth factor or neurotrophin-3 failed to evoke any changes in Kv1.3 function in the OB neurons. Chronic exposure to BDNF (days) caused an increase in the magnitude of Kv1.3 current and speeding of the inactivation and deactivation of the channel. Acute BDNF-induced activation of TrkB receptors significantly increased tyrosine phosphorylation of Kv1.3 in the OB, as shown using a combined immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis. With unilateral naris occlusion, the acute BDNF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Kv1.3 was increased in neurons lacking odour sensory experience. In summary, the duration of neurotrophin exposure and the sensory-dependent state of a neuron can influence the degree of phosphorylation of a voltage-gated ion channel and its concomitant functional modulation by neurotrophins.
More Health for the Money—Toward a More Rigorous Implementation Science

Implementation science is in style. Since 2005, the field has gained a journal ( Implementation Science ), a research network (Global Implementation Initiative), and an annual conference (Global Implementation Conference). The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research
Genetic Engineering, Animals

Embryo splitting and cloning by nuclear transfer are methods to mass-produce identical copies of a single embryo or a single adult animal. A transgenic animal may have a stable modification, a stable deletion, or a stable insertion of a foreign gene into its genome. Transgenic animals can be classified as traditional transgenics where a gene is inserted at a random location in the genome or gene-targeted transgenics (knock-outs, knock-ins, and conditional knock-outs) where a specific gene within the genome is modified. Traditional transgenics are created by pronuclear microinjection, retroviral infection, sperm-mediated gene transfer, or nuclear transfer. Gene targeting is done by using embryonic stem cells (mice) or somatic cells (farm animals). A DNA targeting vector is constructed that is designed to insert itself into the embryonic genome and inactivate a specific gene. Transgenic and gene targeted animals have become mainstays for scientific research. Transgenic farm animals are essential for the low-cost production of recombinant proteins. The productivity of farmers may be improved through the use of transgenic farm animals. Pigs with deleted immune recognition genes may soon provide organs for transplantation into humans. Transgenic and gene targeted mice represent some of the most important tools for biomedical research in the twenty-first century. To understand the function of a specific gene, a transgenic mouse is created that overexpresses the gene. Gene targeting is a step beyond simple overexpression of genes because the function of a gene is accessed by evaluating the phenotype of the gene-deleted mouse. Conditional knock-out mice may represent the final step in the evolution of genetic modification of animals. Keywords: transgenic; knock-out; cloning; microinjection; embryonic stem cell; recombinant protein; nuclear transfer
Combustion of Uniformly Sized Glassy Carbon Particles

A method for production of spherical particles of glassy carbon has been developed. The panicles exhibit some differences in surface structure, but are otherwise uniform in size and shape. In drop-tube combustion experiments at wall temperatures ranging from 1200 K to 1600 K, some panicles ignited and burned rapidly, reaching temperatures several hundred degrees higher than the wall temperature, while others burned as much as two orders of magnitude more slowly at temperatures only slightly higher than that of the reactor wall. In spite of these differences in ignition behavior, the particles burned with an intrinsic reaction rate that was in close agreement with the Nagle and Strickland-Constable rate for pyrolytic graphite as well as rates previously measured for carbon black and coal char oxidation. X-ray diffraction measurements show that graphitization occurs rapidly in a hot oxidizing atmosphere. Rapid anneal ing of the carbon structure might account for the similarity of the high temperature oxidation rates of carbons from different sources.
Exclusive localization in peroxisomes of dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase and alkyl-dihydroxyacetone phosphate synthase in rat liver

Dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyl transferase (DHAP-AT), alkyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate synthase (alkyl-DHAP-synthase), and glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) activities were investigated under optimal assay conditions using highly purified organelle preparations. The data presented clearly indicate that GPAT activity was mainly localized in mitochondria and microsomes, whereas DHAP-AT and alkyl-DHAP-synthase activities were exclusively localized in peroxisomes. A small fraction of the total DHAP-AT and alkyl-DHAP-synthase activities observed in purified mitochondrial preparations was due to the presence of intact peroxisomes. DHAP-AT and alkyl-DHAP-synthase activities were very low in purified microsomes (< 1% compared to peroxisomes) and these activities are thought to be due to sedimentation of peroxisomal fragments (generated during homogenization of liver and processing of liver homogenate) with microsomes. The results indicate that the dihydroxyacetone phosphate pathway does not contribute to the synthesis of glycerolipids other than ether lipids in rat liver. The ether bond formation occurs exclusively in peroxisomes, and all the biosynthetic reactions for plasmalogen synthesis may also be operating within peroxisomes in rat liver.
Russian palatalized and unpalatalized coda consonants: An electropalatographic and acoustic analysis of native speaker and L2 learner productions

Abstract One fundamental aspect of the Russian phonological system is a contrast between palatalized and unpalatalized consonants. This distinction poses a challenge for native English speakers learning Russian as a second language because palatalization is not a feature of their first language (L1) phonology. The present study examined word-final palatalized and unpalatalized consonants produced by native Russian speakers and native English speakers learning Russian. Electropalatographic (EPG) and acoustic recordings were made of six native Russian speakers and six native English speakers, who had significant classroom and immersion experience with Russian. Data from the native Russian speakers suggested that the contrast between palatalized and unpalatalized consonants involves the manipulation of both tongue–palate contact and acoustic properties of the preceding vowel and the consonant itself. The second language (L2) Russian learners showed little if any EPG or acoustic evidence of a contrast between their productions of palatalized versus unpalatalized consonant targets, a finding that suggests that extensive immersion experience alone may not be sufficient for the development of at least some novel L2 contrasts.
State Prisoner Elasticities and Integrated State Policies Using Non-Prison Alternatives

Research Summary: This study estimates national and state prisoner elasticities for violent crime, property crime, murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, and auto theft, benchmarking the results against previous studies. The state elasticities vary widely across states, implying that the use of national estimates at the state level will often lead to misallocations of state funds. In modeling crime, experiments are conducted to assess the use of first-differences and lagged dependent variables. The initial results here suggest that it may be possible to closely approximate national and state prisoner elasticities using lagged dependent variables as substitutes for control variables. Policy Implications: The main purpose of the paper is to demonstrate an integrative approach to state policymaking aimed at reducing crime and costs. For each state, the prisoner elasticities are combined with current data on crime and imprisonment, prison maxouts, time served, and high school education in an effort to formulate coordinated policies based on recent research on the criminogenic effects of prison, deterrence, social and other non-prison alternatives, and compulsory education. Broad-brush policies are proposed for 19 states, with special attention to Louisiana and Florida.
Athletic Spending, Uncertainty, and Fan Interest:Evidence from College Football

College athletics, despite being amateur in their nature, have burgeoned into multi-million dollar businesses. However, although there have been many studies of professional athletic leagues, little has been done to examine college athletics as a business. This paper tests popular assumptions about sports using evidence from the college football programs of the Southeastern Conference and the Mid-American Conference. First, I examine whether increases in overall spending, recruiting spending, or on head coaches result in greater outcome uncertainty. I find a meaningful relationship between spending, particularly on recruiting, and uncertainty. Second, I test whether increasing uncertainty will decrease fan interest, as measured by game attendance. I find little relationship between uncertainty and attendance. Finally, I test whether increased spending increases the likelihood of winning a championship. I find little evidence that championships can be "bought" through increased spending.
Manipulation and Fraud with Staged Financing

It has been argued that short-term financing has a drawback: managers must manipulate interim performance signals in order to keep funds flowing. In contrast, this paper finds that total (expected) manipulation across two rounds of short-term financing may be either greater than or lower than manipulation with long-term financing. Manipulation in the two rounds may either act as complements or substitutes, depending on whether one is looking forward or backward in time. Regulatory fraud prevention remedies have more power when directed at the first round behavior. Manipulation is nonmonotonic in both firm quality and leverage.
Assessing the imaging performance of light sheet microscopies in highly scattering tissues

Light sheet microscopy (LSM) has emerged as an optical-imaging method for high spatiotemporal volumetric imaging of relatively transparent samples. While this capability has allowed the technique to be highly impactful in fields such as developmental biology, applications involving highly scattering thick tissues have been largely unexplored. Herein, we employ Monte Carlo simulations to explore the use of LSM for imaging turbid media. In particular, due to its similarity to dual-axis confocal (DAC) microscopy, we compare LSM performance to point-scanned (PS-DAC) and line-scanned (LS-DAC) dual-axis confocal microscopy techniques that have been previously shown to produce high-quality images at round-trip optical lengths of ~9 - 10 and ~3 - 4 respectively. The results of this study indicate that LSM using widefield collection (WF-LSM) provides comparable performance to LS-DAC in thick tissues, due to the fact that they both utilize an illumination beam focused in one dimension (i.e. a line or sheet). On the other hand, LSM using confocal line detection (CL-LSM) is more analogous to PS-DAC microscopy, in which the illumination beam is focused in two dimensions to a point. The imaging depth of LSM is only slightly inferior to DAC (~2 - 3 and ~6 - 7 optical lengths for WF-LSM and CL-LSM respectively) due to the use of a lower numerical aperture (NA) illumination beam for extended imaging along the illumination axis. Therefore, we conclude that the ability to image deeply is dictated most by the confocality of the microscope technique. In addition, we find that imaging resolution is mostly dependent on the collection NA, and is relatively invariant to imaging depth in a homogeneous scattering medium. Our results indicate that superficial imaging of highly scattering tissues using light sheet microscopy is possible.
Optimizing convolutional neural network on DSP

Deep learning techniques like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are getting traction for classification of objects (e.g. traffic signs, pedestrian, vehicles etc.) in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Typical CNN based trained networks poses huge computational complexity in feed forward path during operation due to multiple layers and within layer operations like 2D convolution, spatial pooling and non-linear mapping. The paper proposes optimization techniques to efficiently map such networks on Digital Signal processors (DSP). These techniques consist of fixed point conversion, data re-organization, weight placement and LUT usage resulting in optimal utilization of resources on C66xTM DSP. The proposed kernels are developed and simulated on Texas Instruments (TI)'s Driver Assist TDA3X platform with optimal utilization of compute and data resources inside DSP. These optimization techniques are applicable for multiple network topologies published in the literature.
Superconductivity and Magnetic Properties of High-Pressure Oxygen Synthesized Ru1−xSr2GdCu2+xO8-z Compounds

We report on the new superconducting materials with the formula Ru1−xSr2GdCu2+xO8-z that have been synthesized under high-pressure oxygen conditions. By changing the ratio between Ru and Cu in the compound we were able to increase the temperature of the superconducting transition up to 72 K for x=0.3 and 0.4. Reentrant dependencies of the magnetization found at low temperatures are qualitatively explained assuming a quasi two-dimensional character of the superconducting regions. The magnetic characteristics of these compounds are discussed and compared to the existing data on RuSr2GdCu2O8 magnetic superconductor (Tcon=45K, TN=132 K).
SMALL DENSE LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (LDL) PARTICLE NUMBER PREDICTS VASCULAR INFLAMMATION INDEPENDENT OF TRADITIONAL LIPID CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN PSORIASIS

Small, dense low-density lipoproteins (sLDL-p) by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were recently shown to be a strong predictor of CV events. If this relationship is true in inflammatory states, which modulate lipoprotein structure and function, is unclear. Psoriasis (PSO), a chronic inflammatory
Effects of winter temperatures on two birch (Betula) species

In Massachusetts, low winter temperatures delay the onset of flowering in black birch (Betula lenta L.), but not in gray birch (B. populifolia Marsh.). During the winter of 2006, male inflorescences and twigs of black birch had higher water contents than those of gray birch, and the inflorescences of black birch experienced greater frost kill than those of gray birch. Vessels diameters were greater in black than in gray birch, a difference associated with a higher incidence of winter xylem embolism, as indicated by reduced xylem hydraulic conductance. In both species, recovery of hydraulic conductance in twigs that survived the winter coincided with the development of root pressure. Frost kill to male inflorescences or associated damage to plant tissues may account for the difference between species in the effect of winter temperature on the time of first flowering. In a comparison of 24 birch species, sensitivity of the first flowering date to temperature was also correlated with water content in male inflorescences.
Magnetization, Magnetotransport and Ferromagnetic Resonance in A Permalloy Antidot Array with Square Holes

A Permalloy antidot array with square hole size 800?800 nm 2 has been fabricated by the means of electron-beam lithography and lift-off techniques. An out-of-plane anisotropy was found in both the reference film of Permalloy and the antidot array with the thickness of 100 nm. Inhomogeneous current-density distribution and complex domain structures in the antidot nanostructure result in unique behavior of the magnetoresistance. Quantized standing spin-wave modes originating from the lateral confinement of the antidot nanostructure were clearly observed for the magnetic field applied normal to the array plane. Two uniform precession resonance modes occurred when the field deviated more than 30 degrees from the normal to the plane. These two resonances originate from different regions of the array having distinct dipolar field patterns with different orientation and magnitude of magnetostatic field. The easy axes of the anisotropy in these regions are in-plane and orthogonal to each other.
IMMUNOCHEMICAL STUDIES WITH OVINE PROLACTIN.

SummaryQuantitative measurements of antibody-prolactin precipitins formed in the test tube have demonstrated 3 zones of precipitation, decreasing in intensity with dilution of the antigen. The inhomogeneity of 3 preparations of purified prolactin has been demonstrated immunochemically by the formation of multiple precipitin bands in agar gel. Prolactin fractions were prepared by countercurrent distribution, by chromatography on DEAE-C column and by filtration through Sephadex G-100. These fractions differed in biological activity. The fractions obtained in countercurrent distribution and DEAE-C fractions were found to be unstable, losing 90 to 95% of their activity, while the unfractionated prolactin remained stable. Precipitation by antibody occurred whether prolactin fractions were fully potent or had lost activity. Fractionation by countercurrent distribution and by chromatography on DEAE-C column separated components which diffused at different rates and precipitated with antibody to form 2 distinct b...
Closing the 30 Million Word Gap: Next Steps in Designing Research to Inform Practice

Recent attention to the word gap has renewed public interest in the striking vocabulary disparities between children in poverty and their higher income peers during the 1st years of life. Children's outcomes—and the nation's well-being—could be improved by additional research into the mechanisms of vocabulary learning, as well as translational research that produces effective, feasible early-education practices in homes and schools. In this review, we first explain the nature and extent of the word gap and then briefly describe research on how children learn words during the early years. Next, we summarize limits of available interventions. Finally, we detail pressing questions that demand additional study and suggest research that could provide answers. Ultimately, we call for new research on word-learning experiences at home and in school that will support reading and academic success for children at risk.
Netpixl: Towards a New Paradigm for Networked Application Development.

Netpixl is a new micro-toolkit built to network devices within interactive installations and environments. Using a familiar client-server model, Netpixl centrally wraps an important aspect of ubiquitous computing: real-time messaging. In the context of sound and music computing, the role of Netpixl is to fluidly integrate endpoints like OSC and MIDI within a larger multi-user system. This paper considers useful design principles that may be applied to toolkits like Netpixl while also emphasizing recent approaches to application development via HTML5 and Javascript, highlighting an evolution in networked creative computing.
Generalized Operator Association

Besides the Weyl correspondence there are many other rules that have been proposed and we study them in Chapter 6. In this Chapter we develop a general formalism where all associations can be characterized in a simple way. This allows one to study all of them with a unified approach and to see the relationships between them [13, 48].
8-BrcAMP-induced capacitance and transport of H2O and Na in skin and urinary bladder of urodele amphibians.

The effects of 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-BrcAMP) on capacitance (C), osmotic water flow (Jv), and amiloride-sensitive short-circuit current (INa) were studied in bladder and skin derived from the tiger salamander (aquatic and postmetamorphosed terrestrial phase). 8-BrcAMP-dependent increases in C, measured from the transepithelial voltage response to constant current pulses, occurred in aquatic (delta C = 44%) and terrestrial (delta C = 61%) bladders and terrestrial skin (delta C = 19%). Jv (200-mosM gradient, mucosal side hypotonic) was observed in the bladders and was further enhanced by addition of 8-BrcAMP [10(-3) M; delta Jv = 0.42 microliter.min-1.microF-1 (aquatic) and 0.32 microliter.min-1.microF-1 (terrestrial)]. The aquatic and terrestrial skins were relatively impermeable to water, but the terrestrial skin showed a small response to 8-BrcAMP (delta Jv = 0.04 microliter.min-1.microF-1). 8-BrcAMP-mediated natriferic responses were observed in aquatic bladder (delta INa = 62%) and terrestrial skin (delta INa = 105%). Antidiuretic hormone (ADH)-induced Jv was also observed in the aquatic bladder (delta Jv = 0.33 microliter.min-1.microF-1) and was similar to the 8-BrcAMP-mediated Jv measured in this tissue. The terrestrial bladder displayed a more vigorous response to 8-BrcAMP than to ADH (delta JvADH = 0.09 microliter.min-1.microF-1 and delta Jv8-BrcAMP = 0.32 microliter.min-1.microF-1), suggesting that diminished sensitivity to ADH accompanies the transition from water to land in this species.
Does the XBRL Disclosure Management Solution Influence Earnings Release Efficiency and Earnings Management

Implementation of eXtentible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) into corporate financial reporting processes has the potential to improve reporting efficiency and earnings quality (cf., Gunn 2007; Pinsker et al. 2005; Roohani et al. 2009). However, whether XBRL enables more or less misstatement and efficient reporting might be contingent on the strategy adopted by companies to implement XBRL (Garbellotto 2009). This study investigates whether adopting Disclosure Management Solution (DMS) strategy for XBRL implementation improves public companies earnings release efficiency and mitigates earnings management activities. Using a unique proprietary survey database along with financial data from COMPUSTAT, we hypothesize and find that use of DMS for XBRL implementation is negatively associated with earnings release time lag, especially for companies that release good news, indicating improved earnings release efficiency. We also hypothesize and find that use of DMS for XBRL implementation is inversely related to accruals-based earnings management as measured by positive and absolute values of discretionary accruals, but positively related to real activities-based earnings management as measured by acceleration of the timing of sales, and reduction of discretionary expenses. These results should be of interest to regulators, investors, management, and other stakeholders to better comprehend the consequences of XBRL implementation on corporate financial reporting.
High Throughput Microelectrode Array Platforms for Quantitative Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Drug Development Using Spontaneously Active Neural Tissue

Primary cell cultures, derived from dissociated murine central nervous system tissue, form stable, spontaneously active networks on microelectrode arrays (MEAs) that provide long-term action potential readout from many discriminated units and simultaneous optical information on cell condition and general network morphology. The spontaneous activity is driven by competing ignition sites (burst leaders) that form a primary, monosynaptically connected circuit (1). Such cell group activity represents a window to the internal dynamics of self-organized networks, but also provides reproducibility and fault tolerance through the use of ensemble activity. In addition to supporting theoretical studies, it is now clear that these networks can be used in pharmacology, toxicology, and as tissue-based biosensors. Experimental evidence shows such models to be “histiotypic”, as their responses are highly similar to those of the parent tissue in vivo. The networks, which consist of nonneuronal glia cells as well as brain region-specific different neuronal subtypes, reliably report a range of toxic responses: cytotoxicity (death of all cells), neurotoxicity (death of subtypes of neurons), and functional toxicity (loss of electrical function in the absence of cell death). Reproducible dose response curves for many compounds have been obtained (2) and dissociation constants for bicuculline, gabazine, and trimethylolpropanephosphate have been calculated from network activity changes (3). However, before such systems can be used effectively for rapid toxicity screening or for drug development, it is essential to develop high throughput platforms.
Fibrillar and Non-fibrillar Collagens and Integrins

This chapter describes the isolation and amino acid composition of the common type of collagen fiber polypeptides and how they associate into collagen fibers (Sect. 1). A description of how collagen fibers are stabilized by crosslinking then follows (Sect. 2). The non-fibrillar class of collagen is described, along with its role in modifying fibers and in forming filaments (Sect. 3). The chapter concludes with a detailed discussion of integrin proteins, with special emphasis on how integrins control fibroblast cell attachment to collagen fibers and collagen synthesis (Sect. 4).
Surface plasmon resonance sensors for detection of survival of motor neuron protein

ABSTRACT Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) spectroscopy is a potentially valuable tool for measuring protein-protein inte ractions and protein levels in vitro and in vivo . Fiber-optic based SPR allows for rapid quantitative meas urement of disease markers such as the truncated (exons 1-7) survival of motor ne uron (SMN) protein. Un like micro fluidics-based SPR systems, sample loss is eliminated in fiber-optic SPR and the small size of the fiber optic probes (400 P m or smaller) facilitate s the potential for use in vivo . Recombinant SMN protein overexpressed in E. Coli as well as native SMN from cultured HeLa cells has been successfully measured using fiber-optic SPR. Keywords: SPR, Fiber optics, Spinal Mu scular Atrophy, Survival of Motor Neuron Protein 1. INTRODUCTION The optical phenomenon of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has many applications ranging from the analysis of biomaterials to environmental inspection. The technique of SPR is based on and electromagnetic phenom enon that is capable of monitoring RIs
Flint Kids: Tragic, Resilient, and Exemplary

An editorial is presented which addresses various aspects of a water pollution crisis in Flint, Michigan which caused children and other residents to be exposed to drinking water-related lead poisoning. The environmental, social, and economic aspects of lead poisoning are addressed, along with the author's views about the resilience of the children in Flint, Michigan. American public health, toxic stress, and poverty are also assessed.
Inferring pathobiology from structural MRI in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: Modeling head motion and neuroanatomical specificity.

Despite over 400 peer-reviewed structural MRI publications documenting neuroanatomic abnormalities in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, the confounding effects of head motion and the regional specificity of these defects are unclear. Using a large cohort of individuals scanned on the same research dedicated MRI with broadly similar protocols, we observe reduced cortical thickness indices in both illnesses, though less pronounced in bipolar disorder. While schizophrenia (n = 226) was associated with wide-spread surface area reductions, bipolar disorder (n = 227) and healthy comparison subjects (n = 370) did not differ. We replicate earlier reports that head motion (estimated from time-series data) influences surface area and cortical thickness measurements and demonstrate that motion influences a portion, but not all, of the observed between-group structural differences. Although the effect sizes for these differences were small to medium, when global indices were covaried during vertex-level analyses, between-group effects became nonsignificant. This analysis raises doubts about the regional specificity of structural brain changes, possible in contrast to functional changes, in affective and psychotic illnesses as measured with current imaging technology. Given that both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder showed cortical thickness reductions, but only schizophrenia showed surface area changes, and assuming these measures are influenced by at least partially unique sets of biological factors, then our results could indicate some degree of specificity between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Hum Brain Mapp, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Proceedings of the 14th ACM international conference on Mobile computing and networking

Welcome to ACM MobiCom 2008, the Fourteenth Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking, in San Francisco, California, USA. Continuing the tradition as one of the premier conferences in mobile networking, we have an exciting program that includes technical papers, posters, demos and a panel, representing the best of today's research in mobile networking and computing! This year we placed particular emphasis on having a very diverse program that includes papers ranging from modeling of network capacity to experimental systems. We received 264 paper submissions from 23 countries, out of which 31 papers were accepted. The quality of papers was outstanding, forcing the Technical Program Committee (TPC) to make many hard choices. To select the papers, we employed a three-phase process. First, the TPC selected papers from an access-controlled web site and provided reviews; then, we had an online discussion phase that selected 64 papers for more detailed discussion; finally, we had a TPC meeting in Denver, Colorado to discuss and select the 31 papers for inclusion in the program. The review process was double blind and every paper received at least three reviews, many received four or even five reviews. The technical program includes a wide variety of papers organized into 8 sessions over three days. In addition, we have separate sessions for posters and demonstrations that were selected using an independent process. This year's program also includes two challenge papers that describe new approaches, technologies or visions that can stimulate new research directions. We hope that you will find the MobiCom 2008 technical program helpful in your research.
The Impact of Funding Profiles on Budget Success

Abstract One of the most valuable assets afforded a program manager is a dependable flow of funding at a rate that allows the team to address the various R&D, engineering, procurement, and production tasks necessary to deliver the product of interest. This flow of funding with respect to time is known as the funding profile. This study compares the timewise funding profiles of a variety of DoD acquisition programs to evidence of their success in delivering the product at its designated budget. Additionally, a method is proposed for establishing a program’s funding profile in terms of the program’s known risks.
Young Africans' social representations of sexual abuse of power in their HIV-related creative narratives, 2005-2014: cultural scripts and applied possibilities

The sexual abuse of power is a form of sexual coercion in which individuals - typically male - use their positions of authority to obtain sex. We analysed social representations of sexual abuse of power in a sample of 1,446 narratives about HIV written by young Africans between 2005 and 2014. The narratives were prepared at five different points in time (2005, 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014) by authors aged 10-24 in urban and rural areas of Swaziland, Kenya, South-East Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Senegal. We combined three analytical approaches: descriptive statistics of quantifiable characteristics of the narratives, thematic data analysis and a narrative-based approach. Analysis revealed two underlying cultural scripts describing the sexual abuse of power between (a) teachers and female students, and (b) male employers and domestic workers. Cross-national variation was evident in the emphasis authors placed on socio-contextual inequalities, particularly poverty, and on individual level blame. While a minority of Nigerian and Burkinabe authors depicted female characters creatively exercising agency and avoiding unwanted sex, overall there was little critique of underlying assumptions of male sexual entitlement and female responsibility for controlling male sexuality in the context of unequal control of resources. We outline recommendations for strategies to deconstruct these harmful scripts.
Validity and Reliability of Jump Height Measurements Obtained From Nonathletic Populations With the VERT Device.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Vertical jump (VJ) is commonly used to assess lower extremity power in athletic populations. A portable device called the VERT has been validated for this population, but not in nonathletic populations. We sought in this study to assess the clinimetric properties of VJ height measurements obtained with the VERT from older and younger nonathletes. METHODS Twenty-eight participants (14 older, 14 younger, evenly split between male and female) completed 2 submaximal and 3 maximal VJ trials wearing the VERT during 2 sessions separated by 5 to 9 days. During the first session, their VJ heights were also monitored using motion capture video. RESULTS Analysis revealed concurrent validity of the VERT against motion capture (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC3,1] = 0.826-0.950) and known-groups validity of the VERT based on age and gender (P < .001). Strong parallel reliability against a second VERT device (ICC = 0.992) was demonstrated as was strong test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.968). CONCLUSIONS The VERT device provides valid and reliable measures of VJ height in nonathletic populations, including older adults. However, the VERT may not be suitable for recording the low jump heights of some older adults.
The Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Weight Loss and Maintenance.

Abstract Obesity represents a major health problem in the United States and is associated with increased prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) disease risk factors. Physical activity (PA) and exercise training (ET) are associated with reduced CV risk, improved cardiometabolic risk factors, and facilitated weight loss through creating a negative energy balance. Clinicians need to counsel overweight and obese patients on how much PA/ET is needed to promote weight loss and weight loss maintenance. This will help establish realistic expectations and maximize improvements in CV risk factors. Although the minimum guidelines for aerobic PA (150 min of moderate or 75 min of vigorous physical activity per week) can improve CV health, these levels are generally inadequate for clinically significant weight loss or weight maintenance without caloric restriction. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the role of ET to promote clinically significant weight loss and promote weight maintenance. In particular, we will evaluate the likelihood of weight loss from ET programs composed of aerobic training only, resistance training only and programs that combine diet and ET. We will also explore the role of PA in promoting short-term and long-term weight maintenance.
Growth and Efficiency in Computer Industry

Competition and technological change has been most rapid in the computer industry today and its impact on cost efficiency and productivity growth has been most significant for the US economy over the last two decades. Thus Norsworthy and Jang (1992) have empirically found for the US computer industry a productivity growth rate of 2 percent per year for the period 1958–96, while for the recent period 1992–98 the growth exceeded 2.5 percent per year on the average. Increased R&D investment and expanding ‘knowledge capital’ have contributed significantly to this productivity growth. They helped reduce marginal costs and prices, which led to increases in overall demand. Thus according to the recent estimate by Jorgenson and Stiroh (2000) the price decline for personal computes has accelerated in recent years reaching nearly 28 percent per year from 1995 to 1998. Significant economies of scale and learning curve effects have often been the key to this rapid price decline.
Maternal immune activation, central nervous system development and behavioral phenotypes

Maternal immune activation (MIA) refers to a maternal immune system triggered by infectious or infectious-like stimuli. A cascade of cytokines and immunologic alterations are transmitted to the fetus, resulting in adverse phenotypes most notably in the central nervous system. Epidemiologic studies implicate maternal infections in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, most commonly autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. In animal models, MIA causes neurochemical and anatomic changes in the brain that correspond to those found in humans with the disorders. As our understanding of the interactions between environment, genetics, and immune system grows, the role of alternative, noninfectious risk factors, such as prenatal stress, obesity, and the gut microbiome also becomes clearer. This review considers how infectious and noninfectious etiologies activate the maternal immune system. Their impact on fetal programming and neuropsychiatric disorders in offspring is examined in the context of human and animal studies.
Insurance status and hepatocellular carcinoma: A NCDB analysis.

240Background: Typically occurring in patients with chronic liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common liver cancer. Our goal was to compare survival of patients with differing insu...
Sleep in Young Adults: Comparing Foster Care Alumni to a Low-Income Sample

While low-income young adults are known to be at high risk for sleep problems, sleep in foster care alumni has not been closely examined. These young adults face not only the challenges of poverty, but struggle with past maltreatment and removal from their family of origin, and frequently demonstrate mental health and substance use disorders. The current study compares risk factors and sleep in a sample of foster care alumni and low-income young adults aged 18–24 (N = 185). Multiple regression analyses were calculated with foster care experience, maltreatment, trauma exposure, anxiety, depression, marijuana use, and alcohol use predicting three measures of sleep (total sleep hours, sleep onset latency, and number of nighttime awakenings). Both groups reported similar rates of childhood maltreatment. Foster care alumni reported more trauma exposure, anxiety symptoms, and marijuana use than low-income young adults. They also showed significantly fewer sleep hours, a longer sleep onset latency, and more nighttime awakenings. Regression results revealed that a previous placement in foster care was related to all three sleep elements in the total sample, and a history of child maltreatment predicted fewer sleep hours. Anxiety and depression were associated with fewer sleep hours and anxiety was associated with more nighttime awakenings. Marijuana use was related to a shorter sleep onset latency and more nighttime awakenings. Interventions to reduce sleep problems can improve other outcomes as well and may be viewed as less stigmatizing than efforts that directly target mental health or substance use.
Outcomes of intravascular brachytherapy for recurrent drug‐eluting in‐stent restenosis

Objectives To examine the outcomes of vascular brachytherapy (VBT) for recurrent drug-eluting stents (DES) in-stent restenosis (ISR). Background Recurrent DES-ISR can be challenging to treat. VBT has been used with encouraging results. Methods We report the long-term outcomes of patients with recurrent DES-ISR treated with VBT between January 2014 and September 2018 at a tertiary care institution. The main outcome was target lesion failure (TLF), defined as the composite of clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR), target lesion myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion-related cardiac death. Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to identify variables associated with recurrent TLF. Results During the study period, 116 patients (143 lesions) underwent VBT. Median follow-up was 24.7 (14.5-35.4) months. The incidence of TLR, target-lesion MI, and TLF was 18.9%, 5.6%,and 20.1% at 1 year, and 29.4%, 10.5%, and 32.9% at 2 years.Initial presentation with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) was independently associated with TLF (hazard ratio = 1.975, 95% CI [1.120, 3.485], p = .019). Lesions treated with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance had a lower incidence of TLR (14.3% vs. 39.6%, log-rank p = .038), and a trend toward lower incidence of TLF (19% vs. 42.6%, log-rank p = .086). Conclusions VBT can improve the treatment of recurrent DES-ISR, but TLF occurs in approximately one in three patients at 2 years. Initial presentation with ACS was associated with higher TLF and the use of IVUS with a trend for lower incidence of TLF.
The Lady Vanishes: The Death of Anastasiia and Ivan’s Regression to Ancestral Evil

Though Nikolai Karamzin has been credited with developing the ‘Two Ivans’ paradigm, which emphasizes Anastasiia’s death as the clear, unequivocal dividing line between the good Ivan and the evil Groznyi, he did not invent it. He derived the notion from the only major Russian text about Ivan the Terrible that is still unpublished.
Work-in-Progress—Testing of a Virtual Patient: Linguistic and Display Engagement Findings

This work-in-progress paper reports the development and testing of an innovative virtual patient simulation application for medical education. The goal was to make the conversation-based simulation experience both natural and authentic, with a focus on the language processing and visualization components. Metrics measuring student engagement and session flow were collected from 115 sessions completed by 57 participants. Preliminary analysis found average conversational turn time longer during development compared to testing (p=0.044) and greater number of topic matches for participants viewing the patient on a holographic display compared to participants viewing the patient on a monitor (p=0.004).