cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Empirical heat transfer and frost thickness correlations during frost deposition on a cylinder in cross-flow in the transient regime

This paper reports on results of an experimental investigation where the emphasis was placed on obtaining empirical correlations for the frost thickness–time history and the heat transfer coefficient–time history for a cylinder in humid air cross-flow. The facility employed for the investigation consisted of a low-velocity wind tunnel comprised of a rectangular test section, a transition section and a honeycomb placed at the tunnel entrance. An external refrigerator was used to cool an antifreeze solution having a mixture of 90% methanol and 10% ethylene glycol. Measured parameters included, among other things, the heat transfer coefficient as well as the frost thickness. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The sensitivity of optimally designed control systems, with minimum fuel performance index

This paper presents extensions of the differential performance sensitivity of infinitesimal parameter variations when a minimum fuel performance is to be implemented. The system is assumed to be linear with free end time, and with initial and final target manifolds. A result previously obtained by Rootenberg and Courtin (1973) was instrumental in establishing the relations that led to the current extension. The expression, that relates the variations of the performance index for the bang-bang control implementation, is shown to represent the performance sensitivity when a minimum fuel performance is implemented, thus generalizing the expression of differential sensitivity to a wider class of optimal systems.
The Invariance Problem in Factor Analysis

The aim was to determine how accurately the varimax and promax methods of rotation of axes would reproduce known factor matrices. Thirteen factor matrices were contrived, varying widely in percentage of univocal tests. It was found that only when all tests are univocal, or nearly so, could one be reasonably confident that an obtained factor matrix faithfully reproduces a contrived matrix. In some analyses, the pictures of factor structures were distorted and a few factors were entirely lost. Implications for empirical factor analyses are pointed out, with some suggested remedies.
The effects of physical activity, education, and body mass index on the aging brain

Normal human aging is accompanied by progressive brain tissue loss and cognitive decline; however, several factors are thought to influence brain aging. We applied tensor-based morphometry to high-resolution brain MRI scans to determine whether educational level or physical activity was associated with brain tissue volumes in the elderly, particularly in regions susceptible to age-related atrophy. We mapped the 3D profile of brain volume differences in 226 healthy elderly subjects (130F/96M; 77.9 ± 3.6 SD years) from the Cardiovascular Health Study-Cognition Study. Statistical maps revealed the 3D profile of brain regions whose volumes were associated with educational level and physical activity (based on leisure-time energy expenditure). After controlling for age, sex, and physical activity, higher educational levels were associated with ~2-3% greater tissue volumes, on average, in the temporal lobe gray matter. After controlling for age, sex, and education, greater physical activity was associated with ~2-2.5% greater average tissue volumes in the white matter of the corona radiata extending into the parietal-occipital junction. Body mass index (BMI) was highly correlated with both education and physical activity, so we examined BMI as a contributing factor by including physical activity, education, and BMI in the same model; only BMI effects remained significant. This is one of the largest MRI studies of factors influencing structural brain aging, and BMI may be a key factor explaining the observed relationship between education, physical activity, and brain structure. Independent contributions to brain structure could not be teased apart as all these factors were highly correlated with one another.
Part 5: Pregnancy and childbirth in Saraguro: Implications for health care delivery in Southern Ecuador

(1982). Part 5: Pregnancy and childbirth in Saraguro: Implications for health care delivery in Southern Ecuador. Medical Anthropology: Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 269-278.
Failed PTCA: Myocardial Protection and Surgical Management in the Catheterization Laboratory

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) has become, for many patients with symptomatic coronary artery obstructive disease, the first and only interventional treatment required to successfully manage their symptomatic state and functional limitations. Intra-arterial angioplasty techniques, first developed for the management of peripheral arterial disease, were introduced into general clinical use for coronary artery disease in the early 1980’s and, since that time, have surpassed coronary artery bypass grafting in terms of annual numbers of procedures performed.1 The appropriate role of coronary angioplasty versus surgical bypass grafting for symptomatic patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease is currently the subject of several randomized multi-institutional trials and initial information from these trials support the continued, if not expanded, application of PTCA for some patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease. Because of the potential for the iatrogenic induction of cardiac ischemia and hemodynamic instability, so-called surgical back-up has been a feature of virtually all PTCA programs since the initiation of this therapy.2 At least 5 percent of patients who undergo a PTCA procedure require early surgery, often urgently or emergently undertaken because of the occurrence of myocardial ischemia in the catheterization laboratory.3 The subject of this review is to present our view on how to best deal with these PTCA failures and whether there is a role for myocardial protective interventions while the patient is in the catheterization laboratory and prior to surgery.
Identification, Personality Needs, and Managerial Position

An empirical research study was conducted to determine the relationships between the personality needs and identification models of organizational personnel. Also examined were the effects of managerial position upon such relationships. Variables under investigation included n Affiliation, n Achievement, organizational identification, work group identification, occupational identification, and external group identification. To reflect the impacts of differing occupations and organizational philosophies, data was collected and analyzed from a geographically diverse sample of 187 U.S. industrial employees. Significant findings of the study showed that (a) among managers, both n Affiliation and n Achievement were directly associated with each of the identification models, whereas (b) among nonmanagers, n Affiliation was related directly to occupational identification and work group identification, with n Achievement being directly associated only with occupational identification.
Analog Joint Source Channel Coding for Wireless Optical Communications and Image Transmission

An analog joint source channel coding (JSCC) system is developed for wireless optical communications. Source symbols are mapped directly onto channel symbols using space filling curves and then a non-linear stretching function is used to reduce distortion. Different from digital systems, the proposed scheme does not require long block lengths to achieve good performance reducing the complexity of the decoder significantly. This paper focuses on intensity-modulated direct-detection (IM/DD) optical wireless systems. First, a theoretical analysis of the IM/DD wireless optical channel is presented and the prototype communication system designed to transmit data using analog JSCC is introduced. The nonlinearities of the real channel are studied and characterized. A novel technique to mitigate the channel nonlinearities is presented. The performance of the real system follows the simulations and closely approximates the theoretical limits. The proposed system is then used for image transmission by first taking samples of a set of images using compressive sensing and then encoding the measurements using analog JSCC. Both simulation and experimental results are shown.
Investigating EA Based Training of HMM using a Sequential Parameter Optimization Approach

Hidden Markov models (HHMs) have become an increasingly useful tool for the analysis of biological data. HMM based tools are currently used for generating protein sequence profiles, predicting protein secondary structure, finding motifs in DNA sequence data, and many other bioinformatics applications. Such models are often constructed using gradient-decent based training methods such as a Baum-Welch learning algorithm or a Segmental K-means algorithm. HMM training involves estimating the model parameters based on an existing set of data. Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have also been applied to this problem, but have typically been observed to perform best when combined with BW learning forming a hybrid approach In this work we describe a sequential parameter optimization approach for investigating the effectiveness of using EAs for training HMMs. We discuss preliminary results of this approach as obtained using synthetic DNA data sets. This approach not only offers the possibility for improving the effectiveness of the EA but will also provide much needed insight into directions for future improvements in the design of EAs for the construction of HMMs in general.
Using Inflation-Adjusted Dollars in Analyzing Political Developments

• Low inflation is a goal of economic policy and a measure of its success; • Inflation-adjustment for government benefits affects payments to Social Security recipients and some others. The Boskin Commission (discussed below) estimated that by 1983 the Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustments to Social Security, using what they believed to be a flawed CPI, resulted in $8.76 billion benefit overpayment, 5.55% of total benefits (Boskin Commission Report in Baker 1998, 15); • Inflation-adjustment of federal tax brackets and other elements of the national government income tax affects the amount of national government revenue and of tax payments. A CPI measure that showed lower inflation than the current CPI would change tax brackets and other elements much less and thereby sharply increase federal revenues, with very large cumulative effects; • Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) affect the pay of those employees who have automatic price escalators in their contracts, although in recent years evidently fewer than 5% of all private-sector employees have such contracts; • Even relatively low levels of inflation produce, cumulatively, large changes over time. For example, an inflation rate of 2.4% per year, the average during 1998 to 2002, changes price levels about 11% in five years, 21% in 10 years, 38% in 20 years, and 61% in 40 years.
Self-Interest, Automaticity, and the Psychology of Conflict of Interest

This paper argues that self-interest and concern for others influence behavior through different cognitive systems. Self-interest is automatic, viscerally compelling, and often unconscious. Understanding one’s ethical and professional obligations to others, in contrast, often involves a more thoughtful process. The automatic nature of self-interest gives it a primal power to influence judgment and make it difficult for people to understand its influence on their judgment, let alone eradicate its influence. This dual-process view offers new insights into how conflict of interest operate and it suggests some new avenues for addressing them or limiting some of their greatest dangers.
Regulation of breathing by tissue oxygen: evidence from mutant mice with Presbyterian hemoglobinopathy

regulation of breathing by changes in arterial blood gases has been the focus of interest for several decades. Although much is known about how changes in arterial blood oxygen levels influence breathing, little is known about whether tissue oxygen levels also affect breathing. Stimulation of
Role of Nutrition in the Treatment and Prevention of Pressure Ulcers

Undernutrition has been associated with pressure ulcers in epidemiological studies over several decades. Accumulating evidence from recent systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials has shown that nutrition therapy has only modest effects on prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. Since undernutrition should be responsive to the provision of adequate nutrients, the poor response suggests a different nutrition construct is required. Weight loss and changes in acute inflammatory reactants may reflect the syndrome of cachexia rather than simple undernutrition. Nutrition prescriptions should be individually tailored to persons with pressure ulcers with regard to both macro- and micronutrients. This review evaluates effects of malnutrition on pressure ulcers and analyzes effects of nutrition on pressure ulcer prevention and healing.
Delicate Engagement: The Lived Experience of Community College Students Enrolled in High-Risk Online Courses

This article reports the findings of a phenomenological study that examined the lived experience of community college students enrolled in high-risk online courses (HRCs) at a community college in the American Southeast. HRCs were defined as college courses with withdrawal or failure rates of 30% or more. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 students enrolled in four different HRCs. Isolation, academic challenge, ownership, and acquiescence emerged as structural themes that framed the experience of participants. These structural themes intermingled in discrete ways that led to the survival or surrender of these HRC participants and formed the essence of the phenomenon that is referred to as delicate engagement, which speaks to the vulnerable threads of academic and social involvement that permeated the HRC student experience.
Vehicle System Impacts of Fuel Cell System Power Response Capability

The impacts of fuel cell system power response capability on optimal hybrid and neat fuel cell vehicle configurations have been explored. Vehicle system optimization was performed with the goal of maximizing fuel economy over a drive cycle. Optimal hybrid vehicle design scenarios were derived for fuel cell systems with 10 to 90% power transient response times of 0, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 40 seconds. Optimal neat fuel cell vehicles where generated for responses times of 0, 2, 5, and 7 seconds. DIRECT, a derivative-free optimization algorithm, was used in conjunction with ADVISOR, a vehicle systems analysis tool, to systematically change both powertrain component sizes and the vehicle energy management strategy parameters to provide optimal vehicle system configurations for the range of response capabilities.
Structure-Infectivity Analysis of the Human Rhinovirus Genomic RNA 3′ Non-Coding Region

The specific recognition of genomic positive strand RNAS as templates for the synthesis of intermediate negative strands by the picornavirus replication machinery is presumably mediated by cis-acting sequences within the genomic RNA 3' non-coding region (NCR). A structure-infectivity analysis was conducted on the 44 nt human rhinovirus 14 (HRV14) 3' NCR to identify the primary sequence and/or secondary structure determinants required for viral replication. Using biochemical RNA secondary structure probing techniques, we have demonstrated the existence of a single stem-loop structure contained entirely within the 3' NCR, which appears to be phylogenetically conserved within the rhinovirus genus. We also report the in vivo analysis of a number of 3' NCR deletion mutations engineered into infectious cDNA clones which were designed to disrupt the stem-loop secondary structure to varying degrees. Large deletions (up to 37 nt) resulted in defective growth phenotypes, although they were not lethal. We propose that the absolute requirements for initiation of negative strand synthesis are less stringent than previously postulated, even though defined RNA secondary structure determinants may have evolved to facilitate and/or regulate the process of viral RNA replication.
Organizational Decline and Turnaround: A Review and Agenda for Future Research

In the 20 years since the last review on organizational decline and turnaround, the scope of turnaround research has expanded dramatically; however, research on this phenomenon remains empirically and theoretically fragmented. Recent research has incorporated managerial cognition, strategic leadership, and stakeholder management and has identified simultaneous and complex resource-based actions beyond the two-stage model developed in the last review by Pearce and Robbins two decades ago. Thus, herein we build from Pearce and Robbins’ review by cataloguing the past 20 years of empirical evidence related to turnaround, developing a descriptive model of organizational decline and turnaround, and concluding with a theory-based research agenda for organizational decline and turnaround. In doing so, this article summarizes what we know about organizational decline and turnaround, and proposes what we need to study, while providing a theoretical road map to guide this future research.
The structure of the G protein heterotrimer Giα1β1γ2

The crystallographic structure of the G protein heterotrimer Gi alpha 1(GDP)beta 1 gamma 2 (at 2.3 A) reveals two nonoverlapping regions of contact between alpha and beta, an extended interface between beta and nearly all of gamma, and limited interaction of alpha with gamma. The major alpha/beta interface covers switch II of alpha, and GTP-induced rearrangement of switch II causes subunit dissociation during signaling. Alterations in GDP binding in the heterotrimer (compared with alpha-GDP) explain stabilization of the inactive conformation of alpha by beta gamma. Repeated WD motifs in beta form a circularized sevenfold beta propeller. The conserved cores of these motifs are a scaffold for display of their more variable linkers on the exterior face of each propeller blade.
Therapeutic stem-cells for cancer treatment: hopes and hurdles in tactical warfare.

Summary As our understanding of stem-cell behaviour rapidly increases, more and more reports suggest that use of stem-cell therapy will extend well beyond regenerative medicine in the near future. Due to their inherent tumoritropic migratory properties, stem cells can serve as vehicles for the delivery of effective, targeted treatment to isolated tumours and to metastatic disease. In vitro, stem cells can readily be engineered by inserting specifically tailored transgenes with antitumour effects to create tumour-seeking therapeutic vehicles. Transgene effects include direct tumour-cell killing, promotion of local immune responses, oncolytic virus production, and prodrug activation schemes. Many of these strategies have been validated in a wide range of studies assessing treatment feasibility or efficacy and establishing methods for real-time monitoring of stem-cell migration and fate in vivo. New insights into avenues for stem-cell sourcing have shortened the probable time to realisation of such treatments for patients. In this Review, we provide an outline of the rationale and status of stem-cell-based treatments for tumours, and we discuss prospects for clinical implementation and the factors crucial for maintaining momentum towards this goal.
Relativistic Cut-Off for Quantum Electrodynamics

A relativistic cut-off of high frequency quanta, similar to that suggested by Bopp, is shown to produce a finite invariant self-energy for a free electron. The electromagnetic line shift for a bound electron comes out as given by Bethe and Weissk opf's wave packet prescription. The scattering of an electron in a potential, without radiation, is discussed. The cross section remains finite. The problem of polarization of the vacuum is not solved. Otherwise, the results will in general agree essentially with those calculated by the prescription of Schwinger. An alternative cut-off procedure analogous to one proposed by Wataghin, which eliminates high frequency intermediate states, is shown to do the same things but to offer to solve vacuum polarization problems as well.
Phase-and-amplitude regeneration of differential phase-shift keyed signals using a phase-sensitive amplifier

– DPSK phase-and-amplitude regeneration with a NOLM-based phase-sensitive amplifier is demonstrated experimentally. For a highly degraded input signal, maximum differential phase errors were reduced from 82° to 41°, while the SNR was improved by more than 5-dB. Differential phase Q-factor improvement was better than 6-dB. The PSA was operated free of excess noise due to stimulated Brillouin scattering by using a binary phase modulated pulse train as the pump. The impact of pump fluctuations on regeneration performance is clarified. The regenerated signal was characterized by measurement of the constellation diagram by linear optical sampling, giving the first directly measured evidence of DPSK phase regeneration.
Specimen Preparation of Thin Crystalline Fibers for Transmission Electron Microscopy

A technique was developed to prepare crystalline fibers of less than 1 mm diameter for transmission electron microscopy. Cross sections were made by casting a short piece of the fiber in an epoxy resin, sectioning the block, and laminating the slices against thin glass discs for stability before dimpling. Longitudinal sections were reinforced in a similar manner. TEM tungsten rings were sometimes used as an alternative method to add stability to the longitudinal sections. The technique was especially developed for Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O compounds but is also suitable for other materials.
Mitomycin-C in the postsurgical ear canal.

Abstract Objective Our goal was to evaluate the use of topical mitomycin-C (MMC) in the prevention of scar tissue formation in the postsurgical external auditory canal (EAC). Study design and setting We conducted a prospective pilot study at a tertiary care institution. Methods Six patients with recurrent postoperative granulation tissue after canaloplasty, tympanomastoidectomy, or lateral temporal bone resection were included. MMC (0.5 mg/mL) was applied topically for 5 minutes to the EAC/mastoid cavity. Results Outcomes were measured at initial MMC application and 1 and 3 months thereafter using a visual analog scale score based on the degree of EAC occlusion by granulation tissue. Need for debridement of recurrent granulation tissue on follow-up was noted. Three (50%) patients had improved VAS 1 month after treatment. Two (33%) had improved visual analog scale score at 3 months. Five (83%) required at least one debridement procedure. Repeat MMC application was performed in 2 patients. Conclusion Topical MMC was ineffective in preventing scar formation in the postsurgical EAC.
A contemporary carbon balance for the Northeast region of the United States.

Development of regional policies to reduce net emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would benefit from the quantification of the major components of the region’s carbon balance—fossil fuel CO2 emissions and net fluxes between land ecosystems and the atmosphere. Through spatially detailed inventories of fossil fuel CO2 emissions and a terrestrial biogeochemistry model, we produce the first estimate of regional carbon balance for the Northeast United States between 2001 and 2005. Our analysis reveals that the region was a net carbon source of 259 Tg C/yr over this period. Carbon sequestration by land ecosystems across the region, mainly forests, compensated for about 6% of the region’s fossil fuel emissions. Actions that reduce fossil fuel CO2 emissions are key to improving the region’s carbon balance. Careful management of forested lands will be required to protect their role as a net carbon sink and a provider of important ecosystem services such as water purification, erosion control, wildlife habitat and d...
Biophysics of α-synuclein induced membrane remodelling

α-Synuclein is an intrinsically disordered protein whose aggregation is a hallmark of Parkinson's disease. In neurons, α-synuclein is thought to play important roles in mediating both endo- and exocytosis of synaptic vesicles through interactions with either the lipid bilayer or other proteins. Upon membrane binding, the N-terminus of α-synuclein forms a helical structure and inserts into the hydrophobic region of the outer membrane leaflet. However, membrane structural changes induced by α-synuclein are still largely unclear. Here we report a substantial membrane area expansion induced by the binding of α-synuclein monomers. This measurement is accomplished by observing the increase of membrane area during the binding of α-synuclein to pipette-aspirated giant vesicles. The extent of membrane area expansion correlates linearly with the density of α-synuclein on the membrane, revealing a constant area increase induced by the binding per α-synuclein molecule. The area expansion per synuclein is found to exhibit a strong dependence on lipid composition, but is independent of membrane tension and vesicle size. Fragmentation or tubulation of the membrane follows the membrane expansion process. However, contrary to BAR domain proteins, no distinct tubulation-transition density can apparently be identified for α-synuclein, suggesting a more complex membrane curvature generation mechanism. Consideration of α-synuclein's membrane binding free energy and biophysical properties of the lipid bilayer leads us to conclude that membrane expansion by α-synuclein results in thinning of the bilayer. These membrane thinning and tubulation effects may underlie α-synuclein's role in mediating cell trafficking processes such as endo- and exocytosis.
Abstract IA1: microRNAs and lung cancer

microRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression to control important aspects of development and metabolism such as cell differentiation, apoptosis and lifespan. let-7 encodes a microRNA implicated in human cancer. Specifically, human let-7 is poorly expressed or deleted in lung cancer, and over-expression of let-7 in lung cancer cells inhibits their growth, demonstrating a role for let-7 as a tumor suppressor in lung tissue. let-7 is expressed in the developing mammalian lung and regulates the expression of important oncogenes implicated in lung cancer, suggesting a mechanism for let-79s involvement in cancer. We are focused on the role of let-7 and other oncomiRs in regulating proto-oncogene expression during development and cancer, and on using miRNAs to suppress tumorigenesis.
Recovery of horses from anesthesia

Recovery from anesthesia can be one of the most dangerous and unpredictable elements of providing anesthesia to horses. Strategies to quiet, control, and improve the quality of recovery of horses can be implemented in most situations and circumstances. This article provides an overview of the recovery period and areas where interventions may be practical to clinicians to provide improved care for their equine patients.
Message from Poster chairs

The COMSNETS 2014 Poster Session is a forum to showcase new and exciting ideas in the fields of networking and communications. This session is designed for the researchers to showcase their current and cutting edge work. This years session includes posters from computer networks, communications, data centers and software systems. This year there were 43 submissions of which 15 were accepted for posters. These were evaluated by a TPC consisting of 24 members. Each submission received at least two reviews. We would like to thank the TPC members for the timely reviews. We welcome you to COMSNETS 2014 Posters session and hope that you find the posters interesting and engaging.
Viral Specific Factors Contribute to Clinical Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease Severity Differences in Infants

Background: There is a wide range of severity of respiratory syncytial viral (RSV) disease in previously healthy infants. Host factors have been well demonstrated to contribute to disease severity differences. However the possibility of disease severity differences being produced by factors intrinsic to the virus itself has rarely been studied. Methods: Low-passage isolates of RSV collected prospectively from infants with different degrees of RSV disease severity were evaluated in vitro, holding host factors constant, so as to assess whether isolates induced phenotypically different cytokine/chemokine concentrations in a human lung epithelial cell line. Sixty-seven RSV isolates from previously healthy infants (38 hospitalized for acute RSV infection (severe disease) and 29 never requiring hospitalization (mild disease)) were inoculated into A549, lung epithelial cells at precisely controlled, low multiplicity of infection to mimic natural infection. Cultures were evaluated at 48 hours, 60 hours, and 72 hours to evaluate area under the curve (AUC) cytokine/chemokine induction. Results: Cells infected with isolates from severely ill infants produced higher mean concentrations of all cytokine/ chemokines tested (IL-1α, IL-6, IL-8 and RANTES) at all-time points tested. RSV isolates collected from infants with severe disease induced significantly higher AUCIL-8 and AUCRANTES secretion in infected cultures than mild disease isolates (p=0.028 and p=0.019 respectively). IL-8 and RANTES concentrations were 4 times higher at 48 hours for these severely ill infant isolates. Additionally, 38 isolates were evaluated at all-time points for quantity of virus. RSV concentration significantly correlated with both IL-8 and RANTES at all-time points. Neither cytokine/ chemokine concentrations nor RSV concentrations were associated with RSV subgroup. Discussion: Infants' RSV disease severity differences may be due in part to intrinsic viral strain-specific characteristics.
Linear regression with interval-valued data

Interval-valued data refers to collection of observations in the form of intervals, rather than single numbers. It originally arose from situations of imprecision due to factors such as measurement or computation errors, where intervals are used to represent the true data points that are inside the intervals but not exactly known. Other circumstances include grouping and censoring. Recently, with the trend of big data, there is an increasing popularity of interval-valued data resulting from data aggregation. In the past decades, a great deal of effort has been seen in the literature to investigate linear regression with interval-value data. Various models that provide predictive tools and statistical inferences have been proposed and studied. The framework thus established is also well suited for both theoretical and computational advancements in the future. WIREs Comput Stat 2016, 8:54-60. doi: 10.1002/wics.1373
Anti-inflammatory properties of histone deacetylase inhibitors: a mechanistic study.

Background: We have demonstrated that postshock administration of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, can significantly improve early survival in a highly lethal model of hemorrhagic shock. As the primary insult in hemorrhagic shock is cellular hypoxia, and transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) controls proinflammatory gene expression in macrophages, we hypothesized that SAHA would attenuate the HIF-1α associated proinflammatory pathway in a hypoxic macrophage model. Methods: Mouse macrophages were exposed to hypoxic conditions (0.5% O2, 10% CO2, and 89.5% N2) at 37°C in the presence or absence of SAHA (10 μmol/L). The cells and culture medium were harvested at 1 hour, 4 hours, and 8 hours. Sham (no hypoxia, no SAHA) served as a control. Western blots were performed to assess protein levels of prolyl hydroxylase 2 (PHD2), HIF-1α, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the cells. Colorimetric biochemical assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to analyze the release of nitric oxide (NO) and secretion of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), respectively, in the cell culture medium. Results: Hypoxia significantly increased cellular level of HIF-1α (1 hour and 4 hours), gene transcription of iNOS (4 hours and 8 hours), iNOS protein (8 hours), NO production (8 hours), and TNF-α secretion (4 hours and 8 hours). SAHA treatment attenuated all of the above hypoxia-induced alterations in the macrophages. In addition, SAHA treatment significantly increased cellular level of PHD2, one of the upstream negative regulators of HIF-1α, at 1 hour. Conclusions: Treatment with SAHA attenuates hypoxia-HIF-1α-inflammatory pathway in macrophages and suppresses hypoxia-induced release of proinflammatory NO and TNF-α. SAHA also causes an early increase in cellular PHD2, which provides, at least in part, a new explanation for the decrease in the HIF-1α protein levels.
Examination of Atomic (Scanning) Force Microscopy Probe Tips with the Transmission Electron Microscope

Abstract: We have developed a method for the examination of atomic force microscopy (scanning force microscopy) tips using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM). The tips can be imaged in a nondestructive way, enabling one to observe the shape of an atomic force microscope probe in the vicinity of the apex with high resolution. We have obtained images of atomic force microscopy probes with a resolution on the order of 1 nm. The tips can be imaged repeatedly, so one can examine tips before and after use. We have found that the tip can become blunted with use, the rate of wear depending upon the sample and tip materials and the scanning conditions. We have also found that the tips easily accrue contamination. We have studied both commercially produced tips, as well as tips grown by electron beam deposition. Direct imaging in the TEM should prove useful for image deconvolution methods because one does not have to make any assumptions concerning the general shape of the tip profile.
[25] Faber polynomials in the theory of univalent functions

Closely related to the class S is the class Σ of functions $$\displaystyle{g(z) = z + b_{0} + b_{1}{z}^{-1} + b_{ 2}{z}^{-2}+\ldots }$$ analytic and univalent in the domain Δ ={ z : |z| > 1}, except for a simple pole at infinity with residue 1. Such a function g maps Δ conformally onto the complement of a compact simply connected set E. Corresponding to each function g ∈ Σ, the Faber polynomials F n are defined by the generating relation $$\displaystyle{ \frac{zg^{\prime}(z)} {g(z) - w} =\sum _{ n=0}^{\infty }F_{ n}(w){z}^{-n}\,,\qquad z \in \Delta \,,\ w \in E\,. }$$ (1) It can be verified that F n (w) is a monic polynomial of degree n and that its composition with g has the form $$\displaystyle{ F_{n}(g(z)) = {z}^{n} +\sum _{ k=1}^{\infty }c_{ nk}{z}^{-k}\,. }$$ (2) When Issai Schur, Schiffer’s most inspirational teacher in Berlin, died in Tel Aviv in 1941, a group of mathematicians at the Hebrew University undertook the task of editing his posthumous papers for publication. Schiffer edited Schur’s paper (Amer. J. Math., 67, 33–41, 1945), which gave some detailed algebraic properties of Faber polynomials, including a new proof of the symmetry relation k c n k = n c k n for the coefficients in (2), a result due to Grunsky (Math. Z., 45, 29–61, 1939). In the same paper, Grunsky had generalized the area principle to derive the sharp inequalities $$\displaystyle{ \left \vert \sum _{n=1}^{N}\sum _{ k=1}^{N}kc_{ nk}\lambda _{n}\lambda _{k}\right \vert \leq \sum _{n=1}^{N}n{\left \vert \lambda _{ n}\right \vert }^{2}\,,\qquad \lambda _{ n} \in \mathbb{C}\,, }$$ (3) now known as the Grunsky inequalities.
The Effect of Disability Payments on Household Earnings and Income: Evidence from the SSI Children's Program

Abstract I estimate the effect of removing children with disabilities from Supplemental Security Income (SSI) on parental earnings and household disability receipt. Using administrative data from the Social Security Administration (SSA), I implement regression discontinuity and differencein- differences designs based on changes in SSA's budget for child medical reviews. I find that parents fully offset the SSI loss with increased earnings, and the loss of the child's SSI payment reduces disability applications by parents and siblings but does not reduce their actual disability receipt. I examine alternative hypotheses for the large parental earnings response.
Effect of new type of disinfectant on disinfection of endoscope

OBJECTIVE To learn the effect of a new type of disinfectants on the disinfection of the endoscope in a simulated contaminated environment,further verify the disinfection effect.METHODS The effects of the electrolyzed acid water and 2% alkaline glutaraldehyde were compared on the disinfection of the endoscope which were contaminated by cultured Mycobacterium chelonae,O-phthalaldehyde,peracetic acid and 2% alkaline glutaraldehyde were compared on the effects of disinfection of the endoscopes contaminated by Bacillus subtilis.The filter membrane was cultured to verify the disinfection effect after filtration of membrane with 0.45 μm pore size under the negative pressure.RESULTS Both M.chelonae and B.subtilis met the need of creating a simulated contaminated environment in endoscope.Acid oxidation potential water and 2% glutaraldehyde immersion disinfection,sterilization rate of M.chelonae can be more than 99.99%,but by calculating the residual bacterial count results of glutaraldehyde,electrolyzed acid water did a better job on the disinfection of M.chelonae than glutaraldehyde(P=0.019),peracetic acid,2% glutaraldehyde and adjacent benzene two formaldehyde bubble after disinfection,B.subtilis sterilization rate was over than 99.99%,but by calculating the residual bacterial count results,peracetic acid was better than O-phthalaldehyde and glutaraldehyde on the disinfection of B.subtilis(F=15838.512,P=0.000).CONCLUSION The new type of disinfectant can meet the need of efficient disinfection of the endoscope.The sampling method and the culture technology of M.chelonae have been applied appropriately in this study.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON DEAROMATIZATION OF KEROSENE BY COMPLEXATION ADSORPTION

Considering such problems as high energy,environment pollution and low dearomatization efficiency of traditional dearomatization technology,a new complexation adsorption dearomazitation technique is proposed.Dearomazitation of kerosene is studied by using AlCl3-HCl complexant.Experimental results show that arene content in clear kerosene can be lowed to 0.68% with dearomatization efficiency of 91.1% under certain conditions,i.e.,AlCl3 dosage 0.80 mol/L,HCl dosage 1.05 mol/L,complexation adsorption temperature 60 ℃ and adsorption time 25 min.The complex compound may be further decomplexed so as to reclaim the arene of raw kerosene.
Searching for biomedical information on the World Wide Web.

The rapid growth of biomedical information available via the Internet and its most popular retrieval system, the World Wide Web, has fostered active research and development directed toward locating resources that are appropriate for answering specific queries. The goal is to create tools that optimize information retrieval (as measured by two quantities, precision and recall) while minimizing the effort required by the user. Existing Web retrieval tools can be divided into the following groups: manually maintained topical lists; automatically generated word-based indices; software agents and multi-index searching aids; network cataloging methods; and miscellaneous hybrid and newer approaches. Improvements in current methods should arise from further research into: methods of describing objects on the Web; improved ways of searching for (and within) collections of documents as opposed to single documents; the ability to search for fielded documents; and ways to describe resources that span intra- and interdisciplinary as well as cross-cultural linguistic differences. For this last problem, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) will be of great help. As online information retrieval improves, efforts are underway to improve the online information itself; quality control over content is being addressed as the peer-review systems of traditional printed journals migrate into the realm of electronic publication.
Management of immunosuppressant agents following liver transplantation: Less is more

Immunosuppression in organ transplantation was revolutionary for its time, but technological and population changes cast new light on its use. First, metabolic syndrome (MS) is increasing as a public health issue, concomitantly increasing as an issue for post-orthotopic liver transplantation patients; yet the medications regularly used for immunosuppression contribute to dysfunctional metabolism. Current mainstay immunosuppression involves the use of calcineurin inhibitors; these are potent, but nonspecifically disrupt intracellular signaling in such a way as to exacerbate the impact of MS on the liver. Second, the impacts of acute cellular rejection and malignancy are reviewed in terms of their severity and possible interactions with immunosuppressive medications. Finally, immunosuppressive agents must be considered in terms of new developments in hepatitis C virus treatment, which undercut what used to be inevitable viral recurrence. Overall, while traditional immunosuppressive agents remain the most used, the specific side-effect profiles of all immunosuppressants must be weighed in light of the individual patient.
Functional properties of factor VIIa/tissue factor formed with purified tissue factor and with tissue factor expressed on cultured endothelial cells

Factor VIIa (F. VIIa)/tissue factor (TF) function was examined using purified human TF reconstituted into mixed phospholipid vesicles and TF expressed on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) treated with thrombin. In reaction mixtures containing either type of TF, F. VIIa, 10 nM, either 3H-factor X or 3H-factor IX, 88 nM, and Ca2+, 5 mM, F. VIIa/TF activated factor X (F. X) several fold faster than it activated factor IX (F. IX). Adding heparin, 1 U/ml, increased rates of activation of both substrates and F. X remained the preferred substrate. Adding plasma at concentrations of 5% or above inhibited factor VIIa/TF catalytic activity. Inhibition was shown to require F. Xa as a cofactor, was prevented by antibodies to extrinsic pathway inhibitor (EPI), and was reversible by decalcification. Thus, with factor VIIa/TF formed with both types of TF, EPI appeared responsible for inhibition induced by plasma. Our data indicate that functional properties of factor VIIa/TF as delineated in reaction mixtures made with purified TF reconstituted into mixed phospholipid vesicles also hold for factor VIIa/TF activity on the surface of cultured HUVEC.
Especies clínicas comunes del género Scopulariopsis Bainier y taxas relacionados

Los integrantes del genero Microascus y su anamorfo Scopulariopsis, incluyen especies fungicas comunes del suelo, excrementos, ambientes internos y algunas reconocidas como oportunistas en los animales, incluyendo al hombre. La sola morfologia del genero no siempre permite un buen diagnostico a pesar de su utilidad cuando se presentan los anamorfos o teleomorfos o ambos. Sin embargo, la biologia molecular ha permitido el analisis de muchos aislados clinicos, contribuyendo con nuevos aportes y nuevas combinaciones taxonomicas en la literatura actual. Este trabajo, reune lo mas actual sobre estos generos comunes en salud publica, aportando claves morfofisiologicas utiles para su reconocimiento primario en los laboratorios clinicos de baja complejidad.
How Important Are Enjoyment and Mobility for Mobile Applications

ABSTRACTThis article investigates how perceived enjoyment and mobility drive user continuance intentions toward using mobile applications. A second-stage continuance model was developed after a thorough literature review. A survey instrument was deployed to collect data from 584 smartphone users. The model was empirically tested using structural equation modeling procedures. Data analyses show that the salience of disconfirmation and beliefs in enjoyment and mobility serve as the primary driver of the changes in satisfaction and attitude toward continuance intentions. Furthermore, perceived enjoyment, mobility and satisfaction jointly explained over 60% of the variance in post-usage attitude. As an initial effort to revise and test the expanded IS continuance model, this study deepens our understanding of enjoyment and mobility at post-usage stage of mobile experience. It urges mobile application providers to forge continuance by devoting more resources and efforts toward creating a truly enjoyable as wel...
Effects of Adhesive Structure on Impact Resistance and Optical Properties of Acrylic/Polycarbonate Laminates

Acrylic/polyurethane/polycarbonate laminates have demonstrated resistance to impact by high velocity projectiles up to 100 percent greater than monolithic polycarbonate, currently considered the best commercially available transparent impact-resistant material. The energy absorbed during impact was found to be dependent on the chemical composition and microstructure of the adhesive interlayer and varied by a factor of two over the range of variables investigated. Polyurethanes based on MDI-butanediol “hard” and block copolyether “soft” segments, used as the laminate interlayer, affect both impact resistance and optical clarity as chemical composition of the urethane is varied. Microstructure as seen in both the optical and transmission electron microscope changes from no visible structure in transparent materials, through few widely scattered isolated spherulitic structures in translucent materials, to densely packed interpenetrating spherulitic structures in opaque materials. Changes in microstructure accompany increased “hard” segment and are not affected by “soft” segment composition. Urethanes with increasing spherulitic content show decreasing tackiness accompanied by decreasing laminate impact resistance. Dynamic mechanical spectra show sharp low temperature loss peaks (240°K) ascribable to Tg of soft segments and an additional broad loss shoulder around 140°K which sharpens as impact resistance decreases and urethane content increases.
A mindful self-compassion videoconference intervention for nationally recruited posttreatment young adult cancer survivors: feasibility, acceptability, and psychosocial outcomes

Young adult (YA) cancer survivors report substantial distress, social isolation, and body image concerns that can impede successful reintegration into life years after treatment completion. Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) interventions focus on developing mindfulness and self-compassion for managing distress, hardships, and perceived personal inadequacies. An MSC intervention would be beneficial in supporting YA survivors’ management of psychosocial challenges that arise in survivorship; however, a telehealth intervention modality is essential for reaching this geographically dispersed population. We conducted a single-arm feasibility study of an MSC 8-week videoconference intervention for nationally recruited YA survivors (ages 18–29). The MSC intervention was group-based, 90-minute videoconference sessions, held weekly over 8 weeks, with audio-supplemented home practice. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed via attendance rate and an intervention satisfaction scale. Baseline to post-intervention changes in psychosocial outcomes (body image, anxiety, depression, social isolation, posttraumatic growth, resilience, self-compassion, mindfulness) were assessed using paired t tests and Cohen’s d effect sizes. Thirty-four participants were consented and 25 attended a videoconference group. Feasibility was established with 84% attending at least six of the eight sessions, and intervention acceptability was high (M = 4.36, SD = 0.40, score range = 1–5). All psychosocial outcomes, except for resilience, demonstrated significant changes (p 0.5). YA survivors are interested in receiving an MSC videoconference intervention. Feasibility, acceptance, and potential psychosocial benefits of the intervention were demonstrated. Findings can be applied toward the design of an efficacy randomized controlled trial to improve quality of life for YA survivors in transition after cancer treatment.