cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Motor neuron expression of the voltage-gated calcium channel cacophony restores locomotion defects in a Drosophila, TDP-43 loss of function model of ALS.

Abstract Dysfunction of the RNA-binding protein, TDP-43, is strongly implicated as a causative event in many neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). TDP-43 is normally found in the nucleus and pathological hallmarks of ALS include the presence of cytoplasmic protein aggregates containing TDP-43 and an associated loss of TDP-43 from the nucleus. Loss of nuclear TDP-43 likely contributes to neurodegeneration. Using Drosophila melanogaster to model TDP-43 loss of function, we show that reduced levels of the voltage-gated calcium channel, cacophony , mediate some of the physiological effects of TDP-43 loss. Null mutations in the Drosophila orthologue of TDP-43, named TBPH, resulted in defective larval locomotion and reduced levels of cacophony protein in whole animals and at the neuromuscular junction. Restoring the levels of cacophony in all neurons or selectively in motor neurons rescued these locomotion defects. Using TBPH immunoprecipitation, we showed that TBPH associates with cacophony transcript, indicating that it is likely to be a direct target for TBPH. Loss of TBPH leads to reduced levels of cacophony transcript, possibly due to increased degradation. In addition, TBPH also appears to regulate the inclusion of some alternatively spliced exons of cacophony . If similar effects of cacophony or related calcium channels are found in human ALS patients, these could be targets for the development of pharmacological therapies for ALS. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled RNA Metabolism 2013 .
On the microscopic and Boltzmann equation approaches to nonequilibrium superconductors

Abstract It is shown that the microscopic (Green's functions) approach and the Boltzmann equation approach to the description of nonequilibrium phenomena in superconductors yield the same basic equations. The physical origin of terms exhibited by the microscopic theory is discussed. The normal-charge and supercharge densities and currents are proven to obey separate continuity equations for frequencies ωτ Q ∗ ≠ 1 , where τ Q ∗ is the branch imbalance charge relaxation time.
MirrorTrack: tracking with reflection - comparison with top-down approach

Tabletop hand tracking techniques have evolved much during the last few years from single to multiple cameras, offering users an improved interactive experience. MirrorTrack is one of such techniques. This paper demonstrates the comparison of accuracy between MirrorTrack and top-down approach, which is generally used for table top tasks. In this paper, we focus on the comparison of distance errors in finger trajectory, and clicking errors by manual monitoring.
Medical students as standardized patients to assess interviewing skills for pain evaluation

Purpose The use of medical students as standardized patients in a performance assessment of pain evaluation was studied. Methods Fifty-two pairs of second-year medical students participated. One student portrayed a patient presenting with cancer pain and was interviewed by the other medical student. The student-patient then rated the interview using a checklist of pain assessment and general interviewing skills. The interviews were audiotaped and also rated independently. Results Based on student-patient ratings, 36 (69%) students demonstrated 9 or more of the 11 pain-specific checklist items, compared to 34 (65%) students according to the trained rater. Highly specific pain-related items had higher agreement than broader interviewing skill items. There would be differences in the summary assessments of students depending on which rating data were used. Discussion Medical students represent a readily accessible resource as patients for clinical simulations. Students tended to overestimate the performance of fellow students, but acting as a standardized patient had educational value, and can be used to extend simulated patient encounters within the curriculum. Further investigation is needed to improve the reliability of the feedback provided by student-patients.
Effects of Synovial Interposition on Healing in a Canine Tendon Explant Culture Model

Purpose To investigate whether synovium interposition between repaired tendon ends can integrate into the tendon repair and improve tendon healing strength in a canine tendon explant culture model. Methods We used 80 flexor digitorum profundus tendons from 10 mixed-breed dogs for this study. The flexor digitorum profundus tendons were assigned to 2 groups: repaired tendons with synovium implanted between the cut tendon ends and repaired tendons without any implantation between the tendon ends. The repaired tendons were cultured for either 2 or 4 weeks and then assessed mechanically for rupture strength and histology. Results The strength of the repaired tendons with the synovium interposition was significantly higher (p Conclusions Interpositional synovial grafts have the potential to accelerate tendon healing when they are implanted at the repair site. The exact mechanism of this effect remains to be elucidated.
Deformation of the Human Brain Induced by Mild Angular Acceleration

Deformation of the human brain was measured in tagged magnetic resonance images (MRI) obtained dynamically during angular acceleration of the skull. This study was undertaken to provide much needed experimental data for the quantitative study of traumatic brain injury (TBI). A custom device was made to impart mild angular acceleration to the skull of a human volunteer inside an MR scanner. Images with a superimposed grid of “tag” lines were obtained using spatial modulation of magnetization (SPAMM) in a fast gradient-echo imaging sequence. Images of the moving brain were obtained dynamically by synchronizing the imaging process with the motion of the head. The deformation of the brain was characterized quantitatively with Lagrangian strain. Strain fields showed reduced strain along the central fissure and to a lesser degree, the central sulcus, suggesting that divisions between regions of the brain may serve to mechanically isolate these regions. Results emphasize the critical role of the brain’s suspension, including the dura mater, falx cerebri, and tentorium membranes, in modulating its deformation.© 2007 ASME
On Parallelization of a Spatially-Explicit Structured Ecological Model for Integrated Ecosystem Simulation

Spatially explicit landscape population models are widely used to analyze the dynamics of an ecological species over a realistic landscape. These models may be data intensive applications when they include the age and size structure of the species in conjunction with spatial information coming from a geographic information system (GIS). We report on parallelization of a spatially explicit landscape model (PALFISH), in a component-based simulation framework, utilizing different parallel architectures. A multithreaded programming language (Pthread) is used to deliver high scalability on a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP), and a message-passing library is deployed for parallel implementation on both an SMP and a commodity cluster. The PALFISH model delivers essentially identical results as a sequential version but with high scalability: yielding a speedup factor of 12 as the runtime is reduced from 35 hours (sequential ALFISH) to 2.5 hours on a 14processor SMP. Hardware performance data were collected to better characterize the parallel execution of the model on the different architectures. This is the first documentation of a high performance application in natural resource management that uses different parallel computing libraries and platforms. Due to the diverse needs for computationally intensive multimodels in scientific applications, our conclusions arising from a practical application which brings the software component paradigm to highperformance scientific computing, can provide guidance for appropriate parallelization approaches incorporating multiple temporal and spatial scales.
Diffusion Rate Limitations in Actin-Based Propulsion of Hard and Deformable Particles

The mechanism by which actin polymerization propels intracellular vesicles and invasive microorganisms remains an open question. Several recent quantitative studies have examined propulsion of biomimetic particles such as polystyrene microspheres, phospholipid vesicles, and oil droplets. In addition to allowing quantitative measurement of parameters such as the dependence of particle speed on its size, these systems have also revealed characteristic behaviors such a saltatory motion of hard particles and oscillatory deformation of soft particles. Such measurements and observations provide tests for proposed mechanisms of actin-based motility. In the actoclampin filament end-tracking motor model, particle-surface-bound filament end-tracking proteins are involved in load-insensitive processive insertion of actin subunits onto elongating filament plus-ends that are persistently tethered to the surface. In contrast, the tethered-ratchet model assumes working filaments are untethered and the free-ended filaments grow as thermal ratchets in a load-sensitive manner. This article presents a model for the diffusion and consumption of actin monomers during actin-based particle propulsion to predict the monomer concentration field around motile particles. The results suggest that the various behaviors of biomimetic particles, including dynamic saltatory motion of hard particles and oscillatory vesicle deformations, can be quantitatively and self-consistently explained by load-insensitive, diffusion-limited elongation of (+)-end-tethered actin filaments, consistent with predictions of the actoclampin filament-end tracking mechanism.
Misclassification of environmental tobacco smoke exposure: its potential influence on studies of environmental tobacco smoke and lung cancer.

Abstract The effects of selection, confounding, misclassification and bias must be eliminated from case-control studies of ‘passive smoking’ and lung cancer before a meaningful interpretation can be made. Misclassification includes the misclassification of the subject's non-smoking status, of the disease status or of the spouse's smoking habits. This paper shows that inflation of the amount smoked by the husbands of female lung cancer cases may have accounted for the apparent ‘dose-response’ relationships in 3 widely referenced case-control studies.
Numerical computation of an important integral function in two-dimensional radiative transfer

Abstract Analytical properties, series expansions and asymptotic expansions are generated for S n ( x ) which are important integral functions in the analysis of two-dimensional radiative transfer. These functions are shown to be Fourier transform of the generalized exponential integral function. Table of values of S 1 ( x ), S 2 ( x ), and S 3 ( x ) are presented.
Cellular automata and nonlinear dynamical models

Abstract A point of view is pursued in which cellular automata (CA) are viewed as a laboratory to investigate nonlinear dynamics. We introduce an irreversible cellular automaton (ICA) with minimal coupling which exhibit class 4 behavior. Periodic structures (phases) are studied along with their stability properties. We observe topological conserved quantities and introduce a classification of structures via a topological number. Time reversal invariant cellular automata (TRCA) are also investigated; we discuss stability of phases and use a concept of local entropy to measure the growth of chaos in slightly perturbed phases. A classification of approach to chaos into 3 classes is proposed for TRCA.
Personalized vaccines: the emerging field of vaccinomics

The next 'golden age' in vaccinology will be ushered in by the new science of vaccinomics. In turn, this will inform and allow the development of personalized vaccines, based on our increasing understanding of immune response phenotype: genotype information. Rapid advances in developing such data are already occurring for hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, anthrax and smallpox vaccines. In addition, newly available data suggest that some vaccine-related adverse events may also be genetically determined and, therefore, predictable. This paper reviews the basis and logic of personalized vaccines, and describes recent advances in the field.
Motif identification neural design for rapid and sensitive protein family search

A new method, the motif identification neural design (MOTIFIND), has been developed for rapid and sensitive protein family identification. The method is an extension of our previous gene classification artificial neural system and employs new designs to enhance the detection of distant relationships. The new designs include an n-gram term weighting algorithm for extracting local motif patterns, an enhanced n-gram method for extracting residues of long-range correlation, and integrated neural networks for combining global and motif sequence information. The system has been tested and compared with several existing methods using three protein families, the cytochrome c, cytochrome b and flavodoxin. Overall it achieves 100% sensitivity and > 99.6% specificity, an accuracy comparable to BLAST, but at a speed of approximately 20 times faster. The system is much more robust than the PROSITE search which is based on simple signature patterns. MOTIFIND also compares favorably with BLIMPS, the Hidden Markov Model and PROFILESEARCH in detecting fragmentary sequences lacking complete motif regions and in detecting distant relationships, especially for members of under-represented subgroups within a family. MOTIFIND may be generally applicable to other proteins and has the potential to become a full-scale database search and sequence analysis tool.
Critique, Confer, Revise: A Writing Evaluation Process

(1988). Critique, Confer, Revise: A Writing Evaluation Process. Journal of College Reading and Learning: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 80-87.
The Fluctuating Female Vote Politics, Religion, and the Ovulatory Cycle

Each month, many women experience an ovulatory cycle that regulates fertility. Although research has found that this cycle influences women's mating preferences, we proposed that it might also change women's political and religious views. Building on theory suggesting that political and religious orientation are linked to reproductive goals, we tested how fertility influenced women's politics, religiosity, and voting in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. In two studies with large and diverse samples, ovulation had drastically different effects on single women and women in committed relationships. Ovulation led single women to become more liberal, less religious, and more likely to vote for Barack Obama. In contrast, ovulation led women in committed relationships to become more conservative, more religious, and more likely to vote for Mitt Romney. In addition, ovulation-induced changes in political orientation mediated women's voting behavior. Overall, the ovulatory cycle not only influences women's politics but also appears to do so differently for single women than for women in relationships.
Induction of Macrophage Foam Cell Formation by Chlamydia pneumoniae

Foam cell formation is the hallmark of early atherosclerosis. It was found that the intracellular bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae induces foam cell formation by human monocyte-derived macrophages. Exposure of macrophages to C. pneumoniae followed by low-density lipoprotein (LDL) caused a marked increase in the number of foam cells and accumulation of cholesteryl esters. Foam cell formation was not inhibited by the antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene nor fucoidan, suggesting that lipid accumulation did not involve scavenger receptors. In contrast, addition of heparin, which blocks binding of LDL to the LDL receptor, inhibited C. pneumoniae-induced foam cell formation, suggesting that the pathogen induced lipid accumulation by dysregulating native LDL uptake or metabolism (or both). These data demonstrate that an infectious agent can induce macrophage foam cell formation and implicate C. pneumoniae as a causative factor in atherosclerosis.
Deposition dynamics and chemical properties of size-selected Ir clusters on TiO2

We report a study of Irn/TiO2 samples prepared by size and energy-selected deposition of Ir þ (n ¼ 1, 2, 5, 10, 15) on rutile TiO2(1 1 0) at room temperatures. The Ir clusters are found to be formally in the zero oxidation state, and there are no significant shifts in Ir 4f binding energy with cluster size. Over a wide range of impact energies, both Ir XPS intensity and peak position are constant, indicating constant sticking coefficient, and no impact-driven redox chemistry. Low energy ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS) suggests that the deposited Ir clusters remain largely intact, neither fragmenting nor agglomerating, and retaining 3-D structures for the larger sizes. For impact energies above 10 eV/ atom, comparison of ISS and XPS data show that the Ir clusters are penetrating into the TiO2 surface, with the extent of penetration increasing with both per atom energy and cluster size. Temperature programmed desorption (TPD) of CO is used to further characterize the deposited Irn. This system shows pronounced substrate-mediated adsorption (SMA) in low CO exposures, with strong dependence on cluster size. ISS and sputtering experiments indicate that CO adsorbed via SMA is bound differently than CO adsorbed in high dose experiments. In experiments with sequential C 16 O and C 18 O doses, facile C 16 O fi C 18 O exchange is observed for Ir5 and larger clusters, but not for Ir2. The peak CO desorption temperature is found to decrease with cluster size. The cycle of CO adsorption and heating comprising a TPD experiment have a dramatic effect on the sample morphology, leading to encapsulation of Ir by a thin TiOx layer. � 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Foreign professionals and domestic regulation

Changes in demographics and patterns of investment in human capital are creating increased scope for international trade in professional services. The scope for mutually beneficial trade is, however, inhibited not only by quotas and discriminatory taxation, but also by domestic regulation - including a range of qualification and licensing requirements and procedures. To illustrate the nature and implications of these regulatory impediments, this paper presents a detailed description of the regulatory requirements faced in the United States market by four types of Indian professionals: doctors, engineers, architects, and accountants. India is one of the largest exporters of skilled services, and the United States is one of the largest importers of skilled services, so these two countries reflect broader global trends. The paper argues that regulatory discrimination, for example through preferential recognition agreements, has implications both for the pattern of trade and for welfare. It presents some illustrative estimates that suggest the economic cost of regulations may be substantial. The paper concludes by examining how the trade-inhibiting impact of regulatory requirements could be addressed through bilateral and multilateral negotiations.
In vitro reactive oxygen species production by histatins and copper(I,II)

The ability of the histidine-rich peptides, histatin-5 (Hst-5) and histatin-8 (Hst-8), to support the generation of reactive oxygen species during the Cu-catalyzed oxidation of ascorbate and cysteine has been evaluated. High levels of hydrogen peroxide (70-580 mol/mol Cu/h) are produced by aqueous solutions containing Cu(II), Hst-8 or Hst-5, and a reductant, either ascorbate or cysteine, as determined by the postreaction Amplex Red assay. When the reactions are conducted in the presence of superoxide dismutase, the total hydrogen peroxide produced is decreased, more so in the presence of the peptides (up to 50%), suggesting the intermediacy of superoxide in these reactions. On the other hand, the presence of sodium azide or sodium formate, traps for hydroxyl radicals, has no appreciable effect on the total hydrogen peroxide production for the Cu-Hst systems. EPR spin-trapping studies using 5-(2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propoxy cyclophosphoryl)-5-methyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (CYPMPO) in the cysteine-Cu(II) reactions reveal the formation of the CYPMPO-hydroperoxyl and CYPMPO-hydroxyl radical adducts in the presence of Hst-8, whereas only the latter was observed with Cu alone.
Mapping parallel iterative algorithms onto workstation networks

For communication-intensive parallel applications, the maximum degree of concurrency achievable is limited by the communication throughput made available by the network. In previous work (Heddaya et al., 1994) we showed experimentally that the performance of certain parallel applications running on a workstation network can be improved significantly if a congestion control protocol is used to enhance network performance. We characterize and analyze the communication requirements of a large class of supercomputing applications that fall under the category of fixed-point problems, amenable to solution by parallel iterative methods. This results in a set of interface and architectural features sufficient for the efficient implementation of the applications over a large-scale distributed system. In particular, we propose a direct link between the application and network layer, supporting congestion control actions at both ends. This in turn enhances the system's responsiveness to network congestion, improving performance. Measurements are given showing the efficacy of our scheme to support large-scale parallel computations. >
Ozone-induced ultrastructural changes in the plasma membrane of Chlorella sorokiniana

Abstract. Modifications in plasma membrane structure and permeability were observed in Chlorella sorokiniana following exposure to 0.2 gm−3(140 p.p.m.) O3 for 30 min. Sixty-eight per cent of the cells were plasmolysed after 15 min O3 exposure with disruption of organelles similar to that previously described in higher plants. Freeze-fracture exposed large areas of plasma membrane in 90% of the control cells and those exposed to O3for short periods. After 20 min O3 90% of the cells cross-fracture, which indicates a change in molecular interactions in the membrane exposed to O3 The earliest observed ultraslructural alteration is an aggregation of particles on the plasma membrane P face, statistically significant after 10 min O3 Changes in 86Rb influx occur during a similar time. After more extended exposure to O3 the plasma membrane P face shows regions of lipid phase transition to the crystalline state.
A single-fringe etalon silicon pressure transducer

This paper describes the development of an interferometric pressure transducer using a single etalon fringe as an intensity mode signal for a deflectable silicon diagram. The last fringe before the mechanical contact of the two etalon surfaces is employed, thus, providing an integral overpressure limit. The etalon design permits the illumination source to be only approximately monochromatic thereby allowing a conventional LED to be used in place of the laser diode normally required in interferometric designs and greatly simplifies the pressure sensor and instrumentation package.
Controlled release of α-tocopherol, quercetin, and their cyclodextrin inclusion complexes from linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) films into a coconut oil model food system

Polymer additive migration into a food product is dependent upon numerous factors including the original concentration of the additive in the polymer, its solubility in the food, its diffusion coefficient in the polymer, its partition coefficient between the polymer and food, temperature, and time. The limited solubility of quercetin in linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) did not allow release from the film due to phase segregation of the quercetin in the bulk polymer. Increasing the molecular weight of α-tocopherol by β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexation can greatly reduce its diffusion coefficient in LLDPE. Ziegler–Natta and metallocene LLDPE contain different crystalline structure morphologies and diffusion path networking arrangements that allow for differences in additive release rates. Effective controlled-release packaging should combine β-cyclodextrin complexation of additives and polymer morphology control to target delivery of an optimal antioxidant concentration to achieve prolonged activi...
Tax Incentives in an Economy with Public Goods

This study employs a dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of Ohio to evaluate the effect of a state corporate tax cut. The innovative features of this study are (1) the use of the cost of capital concept, (2) dynamic adjustment mechanisms in factor markets, and (3) incorporation of public goods in the household utility function and firms' production functions. The model results indicate that the stimulatory effects of tax cuts for economic development are muted when effects of public expenditures on the productivity of private capital and the migration of households are taken into account. This is because the reduction in public expenditure due to the tax cut implies (1) lower productivity for private industries and (2) lower levels of labor in-migration during the initial several periods after the policy shock as compared to the pre-policy sequence of equilibria. This study shows that evaluation of tax policy without simultaneously considering the effect of public goods can be misleading.
Level set estimation in medical imaging

Rapid and accurate extraction of level sets and isoconcentration surfaces from noisy medical images is a common problem arising in a variety of contexts, such as estimating regions in which uptake of a pharmaceutical has exceeded some critical value or identifying areas of brain activity in neuroimaging. In general, a level set is the set 5 on which a function f exceeds a critical value (e.g. S = {x : f(x) > gamma}). Boundaries of level sets and isoconcentration surfaces typically constitute manifolds embedded in the high-dimensional observation space. The tree structures underlying our method are constructed by minimizing a complexity regularized data-fitting term over a family of dyadic partitions. Our method specifically aims to minimize an error metric sensitive to both deviations in the location of the level set and the rate of change of the surface intensity or activity level statistic in the vicinity of the level set. Explicit extraction of level sets using multiresolution trees can be implemented in near linear time; simulations demonstrate that explicit level set extraction methods can achieve significantly higher accuracy in neuroimaging applications than more indirect approaches
Mixed-Integer Optimization Techniques for the Design and Scheduling of Batch Processes

This paper provides a general overview of mixed-integer optimization techniques that are relevant for the design and scheduling of batch processes. A brief review of the recent application of these techniques in batch processing is first presented. The paper then concentrates on general purpose methods for mixed-integer linear (MILP) and mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problems. Basic solution methods as well as recent developments are presented. A discussion on modelling and reformulation is also given to highlight the importance of this aspect in mixed-integer programming. Finally, several examples are presented in various areas of application to illustrate the performance of various methods.
Evaluation of nutritive value and in vitro rumen fermentation gas accumulation of de-oiled algal residues

Algae are widely recognized for their high oil content and for exponentially accumulating biomass with particular potential to provide single cell protein for human consumption or animal feed. It is believed that along with biodiesel from algae, the high protein de-oiled algal residue may become an alternative feed supplement option in the future. This study was conducted to investigate de-oiled algal residue obtained from the common Chlorella species, Thalassiosira weissflogii, Selenarstrum capricornutum, Scenedesmus sp., and Scenedesmus dimorphus for assessment as potential feed supplements for ruminants by comparing with soybean (Glycine max) meal and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) hay. With the exception of T. weissflogii, algal residue had higher concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Mn and lower concentration of Ca, Mg, and K than soybean meal and alfalfa hay. The algal residue CP (crude protein) concentrations ranged from 140 to 445 g/kg DM and varied among the de-oiled residues. In vitro rumen fermentation gas accumulation curves indicated that algal biomass degradation potential was less than that of soybean meal or alfalfa hay by up to 41.7%. The gas production curve, interpreted with a dual pool logistic model, confirmed that the fraction sizes for fast fermenting and slow fermenting of de-oiled algal residues were smaller than those in soybean meal and alfalfa hay, and the fermenting rate of the fractions was also low. Inferior in vitro rumen gas accumulation from the five de-oiled algal residues suggests that these algal byproducts are less degradable in the rumen.
Single-Touch Catalytically-Activated Electrochemical Micropump

In this paper we present the low cost, batch compatible fabrication of a single-touch catalytically-activated electrochemical micropump, using hydrogen peroxide for the first time. After first mechanically initiation (e.g., a single finger touch), this micropump is capable of achieving high volume rate 67µl/min and high backpressure without the requirement for an electrical power source. These features make the micropump an ideal candidate for low-cost and compact microfluidic products.
Singing from a constructed burrow: why vary the shape of the burrow mouth?

Abstract Male prairie mole crickets, Gryllotalpa major Saussure, studied in Oklahoma, sing sexual advertisement songs from constructed burrows in the soil. Here we report on variation in shape of the acoustic burrow mouth not previously described for this or other mole cricket species. We have identified six distinct shapes, of which only the ‘slit’ form has been previously described. Since the surface opening acts as the system ‘radiator’, we hypothesized that variation in the shape would account for at least some of the measured variation documented since 1993 in the songs produced by the population studied. We looked for patterns in the variation of dominant frequency of advertisement calls and maximum amplitude of calls that were linked to shape of burrow openings, but found none. Future work will focus on the role of previously documented weak higher harmonics in the G. major calling song, which might vary with differences in burrow mouth shape.
Nuclear localization of β-catenin and loss of apical brush border actin in cystic tubules of bcl-2 −/− mice

Tight regulation of the rates of cell proliferation and apoptosis is critical for normal nephrogenesis. Nephrogenesis is profoundly affected by the loss of bcl-2 expression. Bcl-2-deficient (bcl-2 -/-) mice are born with renal hypoplasia and succumb to renal failure secondary to renal multicystic disease. Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions impact tissue architecture by modulating cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, and apoptosis. E-cadherin mediates calcium-dependent homotypic cell-cell interactions that are stabilized by its association with catenins and the actin cytoskeleton. The contribution of altered cell-cell interactions to renal cystic disease has not been delineated. Cystic kidneys from bcl-2 -/- mice displayed nuclear localization of beta-catenin and loss of apical brush border actin staining. The protein levels of alpha-catenin, beta-catenin, actin, and E-cadherin were not altered in cystic kidneys compared with normal kidneys. Therefore, an altered distribution of beta-catenin and actin, in kidneys from bcl-2 -/- mice, may indicate improper cell-cell interactions interfering with renal maturation and contributing to renal cyst formation.
Cardiorespiratory Measures of Workload during Continuous Manual Performance

Twelve subjects (six female) participated in a study designed to experimentally separate the effects of physical and cognitive effort on cardiac and pulmonary measures of workload. Cardiac (heart rate and variability), respiratory, and forearm muscle activity were measured while subjects performed a single-axis continuous manual tracking task. The central processing demands of the task were varied by changing the tracking system order over three levels: pure velocity, a combination of velocity and acceleration, and pure acceleration. The physical demands of the task were varied by requiring subjects to track either high or low amplitude sum-of-sines disturbance. RMS tracking error, subjective ratings, heart rate, and forearm muscle activity were sensitive to, but did not differentiate, the cognitive and physical manipulations; these measures increased as both tracking order and disturbance gain increased. However, the respiration measures dissociated under the physical and cognitive manipulations. Respira...
The design and operation of a 10kW solid-state heat-capacity laser

Solid-state lasers have held great promise for the generation of high-average-power, high-quality output beams for a number of decades. However, the inherent difficulty of scaling the active solid-state gain media while continuing to provide efficient cooling has limited demonstrated powers to <5kW.
Im Strudel von Suprasystem und Supramenschen

In den letzten Kapiteln habe ich das Topimieren in vielen Varianten zur Sprache gebracht. Es war dabei von Menschen die Rede, die ihre lokalen oder kleineren Triumphe im Leben suchen oder die ungeschoren davonkommen. Sie leben alle unter uns, ganz normal und durchschnittlich. Sie fuhren ein im Grunde normales und „zufriedenstellendes“ Leben, auch wenn das nicht stressfrei sein muss. Die durchschnittlichen Menschen leben im „alltaglichen Wahnsinn“, wie sie immer wieder ironisierend sagen. Sie kommen im Grosen und Ganzen durch, spuren aber schon das Leiden der Welt und sehen sich zum Teil selbst im Leid gefangen.
Future Research and Practice

This chapter provides several suggestions for future research and practice. There are various areas that educators and researchers may consider to enhance the practice of critical global literacies. Although my suggestions are specifically to educators who are based in the United States, educators and researchers around the world with interest in critical literacies for children’s education might find these recommendations helpful.
Knockout of Cyclophilin-D Provides Partial Amelioration of Intrinsic and Synaptic Properties Altered by Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Mitochondria are central to cell survival and Ca2+ homeostasis due to their intracellular buffering capabilities. Mitochondrial dysfunction resulting in mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening has been reported after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Cyclosporine A provides protection against the mPTP opening through its interaction with cyclophilin-D (CypD). A recent study has found that the extent of axonal injury after mTBI was diminished in neocortex in cyclophilin-D knockout (CypDKO) mice. Here we tested whether this CypDKO could also provide protection from the increased intrinsic and synaptic neuronal excitability previously described after mTBI in a mild central fluid percussion injury mice model. CypDKO mice were crossed with mice expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) in layer V pyramidal neurons in neocortex to create CypDKO/YFP-H mice. Whole cell patch clamp recordings from axotomized (AX) and intact (IN) YFP+ layer V pyramidal neurons were made 1 and 2 days after sham or mTBI in slices from CypDKO/YFP-H mice. Both excitatory post synaptic currents (EPSCs) recorded in voltage clamp and intrinsic cellular properties, including action potential (AP), afterhyperpolarization (AHP), and depolarizing after potential (DAP) characteristics recorded in current clamp were evaluated. There was no significant difference between sham and mTBI for either spontaneous or miniature EPSC frequency, suggesting that CypDKO ameliorates excitatory synaptic abnormalities. There was a partial amelioration of intrinsic properties altered by mTBI. Alleviated were the increased slope of the AP frequency versus injected current plot, the increased AP, AHP and DAP amplitudes. Other properties that saw a reversal that became significant in the opposite direction include the current rheobase and AP overshoot. The AP threshold remained depolarized and the input resistance remained increased in mTBI compared to sham. Additional altered properties suggest that the CypDKO likely has a direct effect on membrane properties, rather than producing a selective reduction of the effects of mTBI. These results suggest that inhibiting CypD after TBI is an effective strategy to reduce synaptic hyperexcitation, making it a continued target for potential treatment of network abnormalities.
The role of technology in supporting family caregivers

In the United States and in many other countries, family members represent the primary source of support for older adults with a chronic disease or disability. While caregiving is associated with positive outcomes such as personal growth or the sense of helping someone in need, evidence has shown that caring for a relative/friend with an illness or disability causes distress in family caregivers and compromises their health and survival. Thus, there have been many intervention programs designed to aid family caregivers and many of these programs have proven beneficial in terms of alleviating caregiver burden and distress. Unfortunately, due to lack of awareness of the existence of these programs or logistic problems accessing these programs, many caregivers do not take advantage of or receive the benefits of evidenced-based interventions. This paper will discuss and demonstrate with examples from our research, how Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) can support family caregivers.
Wordsworth’s “Ode” and Bellow’s Seize the Day

(1990). Wordsworth’s “Ode” and Bellow’s Seize the Day. ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 121-124.
Explorations in Very Early Prognosis of the Human Immune Response to Influenza

We conduct machine learning experiments on time-dependent gene expression measurements associated with the immune response to influenza in humans. We employ three partitions of the two data sets focusing on H1N1 only, H3N2 only and H1N1 and H3N2 combined. From a total set of 1439 known biological pathways, we identify the most discriminatory, potentially capable of providing a very early prognosis of infection, focusing on the time period t ≤ 29 hours post infection. We apply a suite of different machine learning algorithms to these partitions including linear, nonlinear, and sparse support vector machines. In addition, we use artificial neural networks (ANN), k-nearest neighbors and classification on Grassmann manifolds. The cAMP Signaling pathway and the genes PAPSS1 and PAPSS2 appeared to play central role in the very early prognosis problem.
Coffee consumption and calcified atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries: The NHLBI Family Heart Study

Summary Background & aims While a recent meta-analysis of prospective studies reported that coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, limited and inconsistent data are available on the relation of coffee intake with subclinical disease. Thus, the aim of the present study was to see the association of coffee consumption with the prevalence of atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries in NHLBI Family Heart Study. Methods In a cross-sectional design, we studied 1929 participants of the NHLBI Family Heart Study without known coronary heart disease. Coffee consumption was assessed by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and coronary-artery calcium (CAC) was measured by cardiac computed tomography. We defined prevalent CAC as an Agatston score of ≥100 and used generalized estimating equations to calculate prevalence ratios of CAC as well as a sensitivity analysis at a range of cutpoints for CAC. Results Mean age was 56.7 years and 59% of the study subjects were female. In adjusted analysis for age, sex, BMI, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, field center, and energy intake, prevalence ratio (95% CI) for CAC was 1.0 (reference), 0.92 (0.57–1.49), 1.34 (0.86–2.08), 1.30 (0.84–2.02), and 0.99 (0.60–1.64) for coffee consumption of almost never, Conclusions These data do not provide evidence for an association between coffee consumption and prevalent CAC in adult men and women.
Comparison of epigenetic aging in normal breast tissue from women with and without breast cancer.

1522Background: Age is one of the most important risk factors for developing breast cancer. However, why increasing age is associated with increasing incidence of breast cancer remains poorly under...
High Strain Rate Tensile Response of A572 and 4140 Steel

Abstract Steel grades such as A572 and AISI 4140 are often used for applications where high rate or impact loading may occur. A572 is a hot-rolled carbon steel that is used where a high strength to weight ratio is desired. A grade such as AISI 4140 offers decent corrosion resistance due to higher chromium and molybdenum content and is commonly used in firearm parts, pressurized gas tubes, and structural tubing for roll cages. In these scenarios, the material may undergo high rate loading. Thus, material properties including failure and fracture response at relevant loading rates must be understood so that numerical simulations of impact events accurately capture the deformation and failure/fracture behavior of the involved materials. In this study, the high strain rate tensile response of A572 and 4140 steel are investigated. An increase in yield strength of approximately 28% was observed for 4140 steel when comparing 0.001 s -1 strain rate to 3000 s -1 experiments. A572 showed an increase in yield strength of approximately 52% when the strain rate increased from quasi-static to 2750 s -1 . Effects on true stress and strain at failure for the two materials are also discussed.
Diagrammatic Matrix Elements

The main reason for the “bad reputation” of the VB method among organic chemists whose theoretical interests were first aroused by the success of the Woodward-Hoffmann rules is the fact that the HL version of VB theory does not expose in any simple manner the origin of aromaticity and antiaromaticity.
An Empirical Evaluation of Some Multiple Criteria Methods for Discrete Alternatives

A number of techniques have been developed for evaluating preferences in decision problems involving discrete alternatives and multiple criteria. There have been relatively few studies attempting to compare different approaches. In this paper we present some preliminary results of a study of some algorithms. Six approaches are considered: one equal-weights approach and five linear programming (LP) based techniques. The LP based techniques include the Zionts approach and four techniques of Srinivasan and Shocker available in their LINMAP program package.
Prototype development and testing of the alternate topology HVCM modulator to support the proton power upgrade (PPU) at SNS

The Proton Power Upgrade (PPU) project at SNS is planned to accelerate 38 mA of beam current to 1.3 GeV, effectively doubling the accelerator power capability to support an upgraded First Target Station and a planned Second Target Station [1]. This project requires three additional modulators to power the 28 additional 700 kW klystrons and associated high beta cavities. An alternate topology high voltage converter modulator (AT-HVCM) has been developed by modifying the existing SNS HVCMs by series-stacking the dual-function resonant/filter capacitors and relocating them after the rectifiers. This paper discusses the modulator requirements to power the klystrons, advantages of the topology modification over the existing HVCM systems and the scope of modifications required. Results from the prototype testing campaign and future planned activities will also be discussed.
Predictors of Erectile Function Normalization in Men With Erectile Dysfunction Treated With Placebo.

Abstract Background Clinical study and practice data have shown sildenafil improves sexual function in men with erectile dysfunction (ED). However, some men treated with placebo in double-blind, placebo-controlled sildenafil studies also report improved erectile function as measured by International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)–Erectile Function Domain (EFD) scores. Aim This analysis estimated the relationship between post-baseline IIEF-EFD scores and demographic variables, including co-morbidities, in men with ED receiving placebo in flexible-dose sildenafil studies. Methods Placebo-treated participants in the intent-to-treat population of 42 double-blind, placebo-controlled, flexible-dose, sildenafil studies were included. A participant was classified as a placebo responder if the IIEF-EFD score was ≥26 at the last visit. Outcomes Variables assessed were age ( Results A total of 4,360 men were included; 13.5% were responders. Odds estimates indicated the largest likelihood of placebo response occurred in men who were black (odds = 20.2, P 100, P Clinical Translation These findings contribute to the improved understanding of predictors of placebo response in sildenafil clinical studies. Elucidation of these factors may contribute to the development of further interventions and treatment strategies and best practices for clinical trials. Strengths and conclusions Strengths of this analysis include the large and diverse population and the duration of follow-up. Limitations include those associated with retrospective analyses and the inability to ascertain to what extent other demographic factors might have contributed to the placebo responses or how these placebo responses might be related to the natural course of ED. Conclusions Certain demographics, co-morbidities, and condition characteristics predicted the odds of a placebo response in sildenafil clinical studies of ED. Underlying reasons behind a placebo response warrant further evaluation. Mulhall JP, Carlsson M, Stecher V, et al. Predictors of Erectile Function Normalization in Men With Erectile Dysfunction Treated With Placebo. J Sex Med 2018;15:866–872.
The Cross Spectrum in Multiple Input Multiple Response Vibration Testing

Random vibration tests have been conducted for over 5 decades using vibration machines which excite a test item in uniaxial motion. With the advent of multi shaker test systems, excitation in multiple axes and/or at multiple locations is feasible. For random vibration testing, both the auto spectrum of the individual controls and the cross spectrum, which defines the relationship between the controls, define the test environment. This is a striking contrast to uniaxial testing where only the control auto spectrum is defined.
Husserl, Mann, and the Modernist Crisis of Culture

Both Thomas Mann and Edmund Husserl, in central writings of the early years of their mature voice, addressed the crisis of culture exhibited in Modernism and both saw the crucial issue as no less than the future of European humanity. Both thought that an increasingly prevalent norm-less, ideal-free radical subjectivism was the source of the crisis. This essay will discuss this common ground and show how the Nietzsche’s Apollonian/Dionysian dynamic is exhibited in each and how the two authors variously interpreted the solution to the crisis.