cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patient-centered, comparative effectiveness of esophageal cancer screening: protocol for a comparative effectiveness research study to inform guidelines for evidence-based approach to screening and surveillance endoscopy.

Background The comparative effectiveness (CE) of endoscopic screening (versus no screening) for Barrett’s esophagus (BE) in patients with GERD symptoms, or among different endoscopic surveillance strategies in patients with BE, for the early detection of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) is unknown. Furthermore, it is unclear if patients or providers have or will adopt any of these strategies (screening only, screening and surveillance, vs. none), irrespective of their effectiveness. Endoscopic screening and surveillance is expensive and can be risky. Therefore, it is imperative to establish the CE and acceptability about the risks and outcomes related to these practices to better inform expert recommendations and provider-patient decisions.
Partially mixed household epidemiological model with clustered resistant individuals

We study the dynamics of the spread of an infectious disease within a population partitioned into households, and stratified into resistant and nonresistant individuals. Variability in the level of resistance between households increases the initial rate of spread of the infection, as well as the infection level at the endemic equilibrium. This phenomenon is seen even when all individuals in the population are equally likely to be resistant, and can also be predicted by including spatial clustering of resistant individuals within an improved mean-field approximation.
The change in serum protein concentration in response to the stress of total joint surgery : A comparison of older versus younger patients

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the physiological response to surgery-induced stress, as measured by changes in serum secretory proteins, is more profound in older than in younger total joint arthroplasty patients. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: A 267-bed teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 220 ambulatory patients with normal admission serum albumin levels, of whom 106 were 65 years of age or older (mean age 73.3 ± 6.2 years) and 114 less than age 65 (mean age 48.8 ± 12.2 years). METHODS: Serum albumin and transferrin levels obtained at admission and on the fifth and tenth postoperative days were compared in the two age groups. RESULTS: In both age groups, admission serum albumins were significantly higher than on the corresponding postoperative Day 5 levels (40.4 ± 3.7 g/L vs 25.0 ± 3.3 g/L, P < .001 and 39.5 ± 2.5 g/L vs 23.9 ± 3.1 g/L, P < .001 in older and younger patients, respectively). The drop in the serum concentration of albumin by postoperative Day 5 in the older patients was not significantly different from that of the younger patients (a drop of 15.6 ± 3.3 g/L in the older vs 15.4 ± 4.4 g/L for the younger, P = .740). Among the 64 patients who remained in the hospital 10 days subsequent to surgery, the average postoperative Day 10 serum albumin concentration was significantly lower in the older patients when compared with the younger (26.2 vs 29.1 g/L P = .016). Similar results were obtained for serum transferrin. CONCLUSIONS: Subsequent to elective arthroplasty, the magnitude of change in serum albumin and transferrin concentrations is similar in older compared with younger, patients, suggesting that this stress response to surgery is not age dependent. In contrast, the rate of recovery of the serum protein concentrations to preoperative levels may be slower in the older patients. However, this issue needs to be investigated further.
First-principles study of band-gap change in deformed nanotubes

The effects of cross-sectional deformation and bending on the electronic structures of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are examined. Upon increasing the deformation, semiconducting SWNTs undergo semiconductor-metal transition, and the conduction band and valence band show asymmetric response to the deformation. The metallic tubes’ electronic structures are relatively insensitive to similar mechanical deformation. Using the properties of deformed nanotubes, we propose a conceptual design of SWNT-based single-electron quantum-well devices.
Above- and below-ground production of trees and other vegetation on contrasting aspects in western Montana: a case study

Abstract Above-ground net primary production (ANPP=change in biomass+litterfall) and below-ground gross primary production (BGPP) of all vegetation were measured in young ( n =8) on a north and south aspect in western Montana. Stands of high and low overstory leaf area index were compared. ANPP ranged from 1550 to 4400 kg C ha −1 per year and BGPP ranged from 1360 to 3500 kg C ha −1 per year. ANPP was related to leaf area index and aspect ( p =0.0336 and p =0.0031, respectively), as was BGPP ( p =0.0185 and p =0.0016, respectively). ANPP and BGPP were both greater on the north aspect at any given leaf area index (LAI). Above-ground production of the understory was also higher on the north aspect. Litterfall from all vegetation combined represented the largest share of ANPP; increases in overstory biomass represented the next largest share. Soil CO 2 flux was also higher on the north aspect. Despite higher overstory LAI on the north aspect, understory NPP was higher. These results confirm that all measures of productivity, both above- and below-ground, were higher on the north aspect than on the south aspect. Neither site index nor habitat types reflected the large differences in ANPP and BGPP between aspects.
Carbohydrate content of the membrane protein of Sindbis virus

The membrane protein of Sindbis virus is a glycoprotein, containing about 14% by weight carbohydrate. The compounds present include glucosamine, mannose, galactose, fucose and sialic acid. Estimates of the amounts of these various sugars have been obtained. In the case of sialic acid, which was examined more thoroughly, a difference in content was found depending upon whether the virus was grown in chick cells or in hamster cells.
The SC phocomelia syndrome: Report of two cases with cytogenetic abnormality

We report two sibs with the SC phocomelia syndrome with typical facial appearance and bilateral absence or extreme hypoplasia of the fibula, radius, and thumb. One sib had bilateral humero-ulnar and femoro-tibial synostosis (absence of the elbow and knee joints). Application of the nosologic criteria of Herrmann and Opitz showed that there was no significant intrafamilial variation in phenotype. Chromosome analyses in both patients showed heterochromatic puffing and centromere separation involving many chromosomes, an observation that has previously been reported in patients with SC phocomelia and Roberts syndromes. More important, this finding will have significance in prenatal detection of a certain proportion of cases with these syndromes without resorting to the use of radiographic examinations.
Nonlinear evolution of magnetopause tearing modes

Since the magnetosheath plasma is highly turbulent, reconnection at the dayside magnetopause is likely to be temporally unsteady. The tearing mode can be viewed as a model for the unsteady development of a reconnecting magnetic topology. Magnetopause tearing occurs in the guide-field limit and has a wave packet spatial structure in the east-west direction. This paper solves for the nonlinear evolution of a single wavelength guide-field tearing mode including the effects of finite transit time on the Landau resonant electrons. Short wavelength modes evolve algebraically in time with perturbation amplitudes proportional to t-squared. Long wavelength modes are fully nonlinear, and the amplitude grows linearly in time.
Mediated generalization and interference across five grade levels

The present study employed a mixed-list mediation paradigm in which all Ss were administered mediation, interference and control pairs. Ten Ss from each of 5 grade levels (2, 4, 6, 8, and college) followed a paired-associate anticipation method in learning a list of 9 high frequency word pairs. Analysis of errors failed to demonstrate any presence of an interaction between grade level and conditions. The third stage learning results showed that all grade levels performed best on the mediation pairs, intermediate on the control pairs, and poorest on the interference pairs, with the exception of of a slight reversal between control and mediation pairs for eighth graders.
Florida Scrub-Jays Compensate for the Sentinel Behavior of Flockmates

Sentinel coordination requires that individuals react to the sentinel behavior of others. Previous work showed that Florida scrub-jays are sentinels more often when given supplemental food. Here we measured how birds in pairs reacted when their mates were fed. Scrub-jays were sentinels less when their mates were fed, demonstrating compensation. Indirect evidence suggests that this compensatory decrease in sentinel behavior was smaller than the increase in sentinel behavior by their mates. In addition, males in newly established groups were sentinels less often.
Use of height and a novel echocardiographic measurement to improve size-matching for pediatric heart transplantation

Background A major limitation of pediatric heart transplantation is scarcity of pediatric donor organs, leading to longer waiting times and higher waiting list mortality. Current practice is to match potential pediatric recipients with donors by weight; however, we hypothesize height to be a better predictor of heart size as estimated by left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDd), as well as a novel measurement from the superior vena cava–right atrium junction to inferior vena cava–right atrium junction (SVC-IVC distance). Our ultimate objective is to present a more effective means of size-matching for pediatric heart transplantation. Methods Measurements of LVEDd and SVC-IVC distance were taken from 254 normal echocardiograms performed on individuals aged 7 days to 22 years, and correlated with demographic variables, including height, weight, and body surface area. Simulations were conducted using echocardiographic measurements and size parameters of past recipients with hypothetic donors to demonstrate practicality. Results There was a linear relationship between height and SVC-IVC distance ( R 2 = 0.904) and LVEDd ( R 2 = 0.889), whereas the relationships with weight were logarithmic (SVC-IVC distance, R 2 = 0.855; LVEDd, R 2 = 0.880), and the relationships with body surface area were polynomial (SVC-IVC distance, R 2 = 0.880; LVEDd, R 2 = 0.884). Three simulations demonstrate improvements in efficiency of the size-matching process. Conclusions The use of height and a novel SVC-IVC distance measurement to evaluate heart size in potential pediatric heart transplant recipients and donors may allow for broadening of the donor pool and creation of a more efficient and accurate size-matching process. The prospective evaluation of these novel methods with respect to clinical outcomes is necessary.
Real time spectroscopic ellipsometry for characterization of nucleation, growth, and optical functions of thin films

We have exploited the unique capabilities of a rotating-polarizer multichannel spectroscopic ellipsometer in real time studies of the evolution of microstructure and optical functions for various thin film materials. With a 16 ms acquisition time for ∼50 point spectra from 1.3 to 4.3 eV, the precision of the ellipsometer is (0.04°, 0.12°) in (Ψ, Δ) for a Si surface at 2.5 eV. Real time investigations of aluminum prepared by physical vapor deposition and hydrogenated amorphous semiconductors prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition are highlighted here. We focus on capabilities that elude a real time discrete-wavelength approach. For aluminum, this includes determining (i) the optical functions of small Al particles (<50 A diameter) in the nucleation regime for comparison with those of bulk Al, and (ii) an electron mean free path that characterizes the effect of defects on the optical functions of the particles. For the amorphous semiconductors, this includes determining (i) the optical gap from real time measurements, and (ii) the monolayer-scale coalescence behavior that correlates well with the device suitability of the material.
Cross-Correlated 19F Relaxation Measurements for the Study of Fluorinated Ligand–Receptor Interactions

Abstract Fluorine is often used in drug-design efforts to enhance the pharmacokinetic properties of biologically active compounds. Additionally fluorine nuclei ( 19 F) have properties that are well suited to current pharmaceutical NMR screening programs. Together, these considerations have motivated our interest in the utility of fluorine relaxation parameters to study ligand–receptor interactions. Here, we investigate the potential for cross-correlated relaxation effects between the 19 F anisotropic chemical-shift and 19 F– 1 H dipole–dipole relaxation mechanisms to help pinpoint and quantify exchange processes. Methods are proposed and demonstrated in which the magnitude ratio of the transverse cross-correlation rate constant η xy and the fluorine transverse relaxation rate constant, R 2 , help estimate the exchange rate constant for ligand-binding equilibria. These exchange rate constants provide estimates of the ligand dissociation rate constants k off and can thus provide a means for rank-ordering the binding affinities of ligands identified in pharmaceutical screens.
Explaining the Link Between Race and Violence With General Strain Theory

General strain theory predicts that race-related discrimination will raise the risk of serious violent offending. Data from a sample of African American students from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health are analyzed to test the hypothesis. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that, net of controls, perceiving that students at school are prejudiced was positively associated with seriously injuring at least one person in the past year. Several of the control measures were also found to predict violent behavior, providing partial support for general strain theory.
Rearrangement Reactions in Dinuclear Triple Helicates1

A series of dinuclear M(III) (M = Fe or Ga) catecholate complexes has been prepared using bisbidentate catecholate ligands (L). The products contain discrete, dinuclear M2(L)36- anions featuring pseudo-octahedral coordination centers. The helical nature of the dinuclear complexes has been established by CD spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The salt (N(CH3)4)6Ga2(L3)3 (L3 = N,N‘-bis(2,3-dihydroxy-4-carbamoylbenzoyl)-1,4-phenylenediamine) has been characterized by X-ray diffraction; crystals are hexagonal, space group P31c with unit cell dimensions a = 14.283(2) A, c = 42.966(2) A, V = 7591 A3, and Z = 2. Variable-temperature 1H NMR experiments demonstrate that the configuration inversion of the enantiomers of K6Ga2(L4)3 (L4 = N,N‘-bis(2,3-dihydroxy-4-(isopropylcarbamoyl)benzoyl)-1,4-phenylenediamine) and K6Ga2(L5)3 (L5 = N-(2,3-dihydroxy-4-(isopropylcarbamoyl)benzoyl)-N‘-(2,3-dimethoxy-4-(methylcarbamoyl)benzoyl)-1,4-phenylenediamine) is facile in D2O or DMSO-d6. The mechanism of inversion has been ...
Error Probability Estimation Using Bivariate Extreme-Value Theory

Information is ultimately conveyed by the use of some form of decision or threshold device in binary communication systems. Threshold receivers are all basically ?signal present? receivers, and are used in both telemetry and command systems for deep space probes and orbital spacecraft. One attack on the problem of experimentally determining bit error rates in such systems is the standard concept of bit error testing, i.e., comparing transmitted and received digital information bit by bit. When either error rates or bit rates are low, considerable test time is required to establish error rates by this method. This paper presents an application of the statistics of extreme values to the problem of estimation of low error probabilities in binary communication systems, with special reference to systems which have ?loss-of-lock? indicators. The idea of the extreme-value theory method is to record the maxima within a large group of successive independent samples of the detector analog signal just prior to quantization, and then in turn record a large number of these maxima themselves. Next, the two parameters of the double exponential extreme-value probability distribution are estimated. The probability of exceeding the error threshold is then calculated from knowledge of these two parameters. The presence of a loss-of-lock indicator reduces the error probability at the expense of introducing an ?erasure? probability. Techniques are given for estimating both these probabilities using ?bivariate? extreme-value theory.
Energy-delay analysis of wireless networks over Rayleigh fading channel

In this work, we propose a state diagram to represent the operation of wireless networks protocol. The analysis on the corresponding state diagram provides the joint distribution of the energy and delay of a successful data packet transmission in a wireless network system. Our analysis takes into account the effect of the channel noise on the transmission of the RTS, CTS, Data, and ACK packets. Furthermore, channel coding is incorporated in the analysis by estimating the packet error probability using error-exponent-based bounds under memoryless fading channel. Using these analysis tools, the code rate and the signal-to-noise ratio per dimension are optimized to achieve the minimum average delay.
The effect of temperature on the lactic acid fermentation of rye flour

A brew (1 rye flour: 2 water) was fermented by its indigenous microflora at temperatures (T) of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40°C. A direct relationship was observed between the fermentation temperature and the absolute values of the ‘b' (the t coefficient) and ‘c' (an indicator of the width of the parabola) parameters of the fitted quadratic equations: pH=a+bt+ct2. Setting the first derivative of the quadratic fitted function to zero, dpH/dt=b+2ct=0, and solving for t gives the duration of the lag-phase period. When the temperature was increased from 10 to 35°C, the lag phase period (no net change in pH) of the fermentation was reduced by >sixfold from 17.8–2.9 h and the fermentation time to attain a pH of 5.0 was reduced by >13 times from 132–9.9 h. The fermentation rate (F) of rye flour within each of the three periods increased as the fermentation temperature increased up to 35°C. To predict the fermentation time to pH 5.0 at temperatures other than these examined in this study but within the range of these temperatures an exponential function, t5.0={exp[a+(b×T0.5)+c×exp(−T)}, was fitted. The Arrhenius plot of the acid production rate ([H+] h−1) vs the reciprocal of the absolute temperature showed a ‘breakpoint' at 15°C; indicating that 15°C may be the minimum metabolically efficient temperature for the lactic acid fermentation of rye flour. The activation energy (Ea) was 1.4 and 16.0 cal mol−1above and below the 15°C breakpoint; an additional indication that at temperatures <15°C the fermentation is less metabolically efficient.
Family, twin, adoption, and molecular genetic studies of juvenile bipolar disorder

Juvenile bipolar disorder (JBD) has been a subject of significant research and debate. Phenotypic differences between JBD and adult-onset bipolar disorder have led researchers to question whether or not similar neuropathologic mechanisms will be found. While much is known about the genetic and environmental contributions to the adult-onset phenotype, less is known about their contributions to JBD. Here, we review family, twin, adoption, and molecular genetic studies of JBD. Behavioral genetic data suggest both genetic and environmental contributions to JBD, while molecular genetic studies find linkage to age of onset of bipolar disorder to chromosomes 12p, 14q, and 15q. Additionally, changes associated with symptom age of onset have been recently reported in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta (GSK3-beta) genes. We contend that further progress in discovering the precise genetic and environmental contributions to JBD may depend on advances in phenotypic refinement, an increased appreciation of comorbid conditions, and more investigation of the longitudinal course of the disorder.
Split tolerance induced by orthotopic liver transplantation in MICE

Spontaneous orthotopic liver allograft acceptance associated with microchimerism in mice induces tolerance to subsequent skin or heart transplants from the donor but not third-party animals. Despite in vivo hyporesponsiveness, in vitro MLC and CTL assays showed continuing antidonor reactivity. Cells isolated from recipients’ spleens and grafted livers, when tested in MLC and CTL assays, were antidonor reactive out to 3 months to the same degree as splenocytes obtained from either naive or presensitized (with skin or heart) mice. Nevertheless, passive transfer of splenocytes or liver lymphocytes from liver tolerant mice, but not naive or sensitized donor strain mice, were able to prolong skin graft survival significantly in naive irradiated recipients. By using a strain combination in which the donor but not the recipient expressed the stimulatory endogenous super-Ag (Mlsf), it was possible to determine whether super-Ag-reactive T cells bearing Vs5 and Vβll were deleted or anergic. Phenotypic analysis of cells isolated from recipients’ spleens and grafted livers (up to 90 days after transplant), when compared with naive animals, showed no significant difference in Vs5 and Vβll TCR expression. Additionally, when these isolated spleen cells were tested for antibody-mediated stimulation, both anti-Vs5 and Vβll TCR mAb led to marked proliferation of cells obtained from naive and liver-trans-planted recipients, but as expected, proliferation was very low in cells from naive donors. These results suggest that liver transplantation induces donor-specific tolerance in vivo, which may not be reflected in in vitro proliferative and cytotoxicity assays (split tolerance). Furthermore, this tolerance does not seem to be induced by clonal deletion or anergy of minor-lymphocyte-stimulating-antigen-reactive T cells in the recipients. © 1994 by Williams and Wilkins.
Dietary Supplementation of Fructooligosaccharides Reduces Hepatic Steatosis Associated with Insulin Resistance in Obese Zucker Rats

Background: One in five adults in the United States is obese as defined by a body mass index of 30 kg/m 2 . Obesity is associated with metabolic syndrome, a combination of medical conditions including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. These conditions present challenges to the medical care system and require a multifaceted approach through a variety of interventions. This study investigated the effects of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) at the level of 5 % (w/w) in alleviating the complications associated with metabolic syndrome. Methods: The study was carried out using thirty-six, three-month old female lean and obese Zucker rats housed in an environmentally controlled laboratory. The Zucker rats were divided into three groups (N=12): Lean (L-CTRL) and obese controls (O-CTRL) and obese-FOS (OFOS). The controls received AIN-93M purified rodent diet and the animals in the O-FOS group were fed AIN-93M diet modified to contain 5.0% FOS (w/w). After 100 days of treatment, the rats were fasted for 12 hours and sacrificed. Tissue and organs of interest, and blood were collected for analysis. Serum concentrations of the following were determined: glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), and insulin. Gravimetric quantification of liver lipids was performed and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor- (PPAR-) gene expression was determined in white adipose tissue by qRT-PCR.
Nanostructures on graphene using supramolecule and supramolecular nanocomposites.

Nanopatterning and functionalizing of graphene is often required to tune or enhance its unique physical properties. However, complex processes are needed to overcome the chemical incompatibilities between the patterning template, the functional small molecules or nanoparticles, and the underlying graphene. We present a block copolymer (BCP)-based supramolecular thin film as a versatile platform for the generation of periodic patterns of small molecules and ordered assemblies of nanoparticles on top of a graphene substrate without chemical modification of any components. The present approach opens opportunities to readily pattern and functionalize graphene, and to investigate the structure–property correlations of graphene/nanoparticle and graphene/small molecule composite materials.
A Housing to Eliminate Heat of A Mercury-Vapor Lamp Used for Fluorescence Microscopy

The housing was designed to utilize the high intrinsic output of the General Electric A-H6 high pressure mercury-vapor lamp while completely eliminating the considerable heat radiated by the lamp. ...
AlGaAs/GaAs HBT for linear and saturated power application

The excellent performance of heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) in both linear and saturated power applications is demonstrated theoretically. Excellent uniformity in transistor parameters and breakdown voltage is also found. Optical lithography on 2- mu m minimum feature size makes the throughput and the yield high. A high-efficiency 0.7-W common base power HBT for X-Ku band application is reported. >
Evaluation of long-term trends in tropical cyclone intensity forecasts

Summary The National Hurricane Center and Joint Typhoon Warning Center operational tropical cyclone intensity forecasts for the three major northern hemisphere tropical cyclone basins (Atlantic, eastern North Pacific, and western North Pacific) for the past two decades are examined for long-term trends. Results show that there has been some marginal improvement in the mean absolute error at 24 and 48 h for the Atlantic and at 72 h for the east and west Pacific. A new metric that measures the percent variance of the observed intensity changes that is reduced by the forecast (variance reduction, VR ) is defined to help account for inter-annual variability in forecast difficulty. Results show that there have been significant improvements in the VR of the official forecasts in the Atlantic, and some marginal improvement in the other two basins. The VR of the intensity guidance models was also examined. The improvement in the VR is due to the implementation of advanced statistical intensity prediction models and the operational version of the GFDL hurricane model in the mid-1990s. The skill of the operational intensity forecasts for the 5-year period ending in 2005 was determined by comparing the errors to those from simple statistical models with input from climatology and persistence. The intensity forecasts had significant skill out to 96 h in the Atlantic and out to 72 h in the east and west Pacific. The intensity forecasts are also compared to the operational track forecasts. The skill was comparable at 12 h, but the track forecasts were 2 to 5 times more skillful by 72 h. The track and intensity forecast error trends for the two-decade period were also compared. Results showed that the percentage track forecast improvement was almost an order of magnitude larger than that for intensity, indicating that intensity forecasting still has much room for improvement.
Robust Clock Synchronization in Wireless Sensor Networks Through Noise Density Estimation

Assuming that the network delays are normally distributed and the network nodes are subject to clock phase offset errors, the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) and the Kalman filter (KF) have been recently proposed with the goal of maximizing the clock synchronization accuracy in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). However, because the network delays may assume any distribution and the performance of MLE and KF is quite sensitive to the distribution of network delays, designing clock synchronization algorithms that are robust to arbitrary network delay distributions appears as an important problem. Adopting a Bayesian framework, this paper proposes a novel clock synchronization algorithm, called the Iterative Gaussian mixture Kalman particle filter (IGMKPF), which combines the Gaussian mixture Kalman particle filter (GMKPF) with an iterative noise density estimation procedure to achieve robust performance in the presence of unknown network delay distributions. The Kullback-Leibler divergence is used as a measure to assess the departure of estimated observation noise density from its true expression. The posterior Cramer-Rao bound (PCRB) and the mean-square error (MSE) of IGMKPF are evaluated via computer simulations. It is shown that IGMKPF exhibits improved performance and robustness relative to MLE. The prior information plays an important role in IGMKPF. A MLE-based method for obtaining reliable prior information for clock phase offsets is presented and shown to ensure the convergence of IGMKPF.
Insulin-like growth factor 1 stimulates protein synthesis and inhibits protein breakdown in muscle from burned rats.

Background: Bum injury is associated with substantial whole-body protein loss, reflecting mainly a catabolic response in skeletal muscle. Recent studies suggest that treatment with insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) may reverse the catabolic response to burn injury, but the effects of IGF-1 on muscle protein synthesis and breakdown rates after bum injury are not known. We tested the hypothesis that IGF-1 blunts the catabolic response in skeletal muscle after burn injury by stimulating protein synthesis and inhibiting protein breakdown and that this effect of IGF-1 is caused by a direct effect on muscle tissue. Methods: Intact extensor digitorum longus muscles from burned, sham-burned, and untreated rats were incubated in the absence or presence of different concentrations of IGF-1. Total and myofibrillar protein breakdown rates were measured as net release of tyrosine and 3-methylhistidine, respectively. Protein synthesis rates were determined by measuring the incorporation of (U-14C)-phenylalanine into...
Understanding the Mind by Measuring the Brain: Lessons From Measuring Behavior (Commentary on Vul et al., 2009):

Throughout the history of psychology, the path of transforming the physical (muscle movements, verbal behavior, or physiological changes) into the mental has been fraught with difficulty. Over the decades, psychologists have risen to the challenge and learned a few things about how to infer the mental from measuringthe physical. The Vul, Harris, Winkielman, and Pashler article (2009), (this issue) points out that some ofthese lessons could be helpful to those of us who measure blood flow in the brain in a quest to understand the mind. Three lessons from psychometrics are discussed.
Investigation of the effect of Ni substitution on the physical properties of Ce(Cu1−xNix)ySb2

Single crystals of Ce(Cu1−xNix)ySb2 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.37, 0.46; y~0.7) were synthesized using a flux growth method and crystallize in the tetragonal P4/nmm space group with lattice parameters of a~4.4 A and c~9.8 A. The effects of Ni substitution on the magnetic and electrical transport properties are investigated. Three of the analogues (with x = 0, 0.37, and 0.46) show antiferromagnetic behavior while the x = 0.25 sample is paramagnetic down to 2 K. Field-dependent magnetization data as well as resistivities are presented. Positive magnetoresistance behaviors above 70% are observed for the analogues with x = 0, 0.37, and 0.46 at 3 K and up to 9 T. The La analogue La(Cu0.2Ni0.8)ySb2, has been synthesized and large, positive magnetoresistance of ~300% is observed at 3 K and 9 T.
Thinking With Glands – Jouissance of Women’s Writing

This article seeks to explore the area of women's writing as to provide additional material for a discussion on the psychoanalytic perspective of gender development and the importance it has in the formation of female identity. With the attempt to review old debates on the existence of phallic and ovarian art, this article will contribute to it by providing a comparative study of Freudian and Lacanian theories of gender development. Oedipus myth and Freud's theories based on the phallus will be confronted with Lacan's theories. The main innovation of this article compared to the previous achievements in this field is the introduction of Lacan's term jouissance and its connection to female identity and the understandings of the childbirth metaphor. Jouissance represents surplus of enjoyment that can be explained through the resistance to prohibition, while the childbirth metaphor illustrates how gender creates and forms inscriptions of rules in female discourse. What can be concluded is that the significant number of female authors follow three phases: she tries to imitate her masculine colleagues, then she experiences the great feeling of resistance, and at the end she creates her own discourse, born through the processes of obedience and rebellion. While male writers can only create, women are able to both create and procreate. The childbirth metaphor has also served for centuries as a linguistic reunion of what culture and patriarchal literary tradition have sundered. By linking missing parts together, this article serves as a metaphor for one psychoanalitic movement towards jouissance of women's writing.
Broadband Prices in Latin America and the Caribbean

This study discusses the current situation and evolution of broadband service offerings in Latin America and the Caribbean. The primary source of data is the annual survey of broadband plans conducted by the Center for Technology and Society at Universidad de San Andres since 2010. The survey encompasses all broadband plans (fixed and mobile) offered by service providers with over 10% of market share in the region’s most relevant markets (20 countries in total). The findings reveal a mature fixed broadband market in Latin America. While the cost per Mbps of advertised speed has dropped significantly between 2010 and 2013 (-58%), market entry prices have only dropped 11% over the same period. This indicates that fixed broadband operator prefer to compete on service quality rather than price in the middle and high-income segments of the residential market. Further, despite improvements in some price indicators, the gaps with OECD countries continue to be large. As an example, a 2.5Mbps connection in Latin America is, on average, three times more expensive than in the OECD. The findings also corroborate the opportunity to expand the market frontier with mobile broadband services. A price comparison with similar fixed access services reveals that mobile broadband is, on average, 23% cheaper. Yet the data is not conclusive as to whether mobile broadband prices exert pressure on fixed broadband prices. Also, an affordability analysis shows that, on average, Latin American users must spend six times as much as their OECD counterparts to purchase the same mobile broadband service package. The key potential offered by mobile broadband stems from the greater segmentation of broadband plans, which enables a better fit between user preferences and willingness to pay, particularly in the low-income market segment. Nonetheless, some of the observed segmentation strategies by mobile broadband operators warrant regulatory attention, as they may challenge basic principles about Internet network openness and lead to anti-competitive effects in the so-called OTT (over-the-top) market.
Stem Cells in the Limbal Stroma

The corneal stroma contains a population of mesenchymal cells subjacent to the limbal basement membrane with characteristics of adult stem cells. These 'niche cells' support limbal epithelial stem cell viability. In culture by themselves, the niche cells display a phenotype typical of mesenchymal stem cells. These stromal stem cells exhibit a potential to differentiate to multiple cell types, including keratocytes, thus providing an abundant source of these rare cells for experimental and bioengineering applications. Stromal stem cells have also shown the ability to remodel pathological stromal tissue, suppressing inflammation and restoring transparency. Because stromal stem cells can be obtained by biopsy, they offer a potential for autologous stem cell treatment for stromal opacities. This review provides an overview of the status of work on this interesting cell population.
Effects of 3D Time-Harmonic Gust and Turbulence on Unsteady Aerodynamic Responses of Loaded Low-Speed Airfoils

The objective of the current work is to compare variable-fidelity approaches for predictions of unsteady airfoil lift induced by an impinging turbulence based on the superposition of timeharmonic vortical gusts. First, analytical models are reviewed describing 2D, inviscid, timeharmonic gust-airfoil modal interactions. A low-fidelity model is then developed to predict the upstream turbulence response synthesized using a superposition of gust responses and based on the random flow generation (RFG) procedure. Finally, the results obtained using the proposed analytical inviscid model are compared against high-fidelity viscous simulations performed for NACA0012 and SD7003 airfoils.
Problems and Countermeasures for Large Power Grids in Connection with Photovoltaic Power

It is one of the key for photovoltaic power generation systems large-scale application in industrytoproperlydeal large grid connection with photocoltaic power to make the two parts safe and efficient operation.This paper presents special characteristics of PV and its interconnection with the large power system,and reviews the status of the grid-connected PV.This paper concludes that the large-scaled photovoltaic power generation and its interconnection with power grids might give rise to many problems in terms of the research and testing means for the large grid,understanding of the impact mechanism of the PV generation on large power grids,planning of the new distribution system,operation and control,monitoring and protection system and control equipment of the grid,technical standards and codes and etc.Corresponding countermeasures for these problems are proposed in the paper.
Partial discharge pattern recognition based on S transform and two-directional 2DPCA

A new feature extraction method is proposed to recognize different types of partial discharge(PD) signals.Firstly,four typical categories of PD artificial defect models are made and S transform(ST) is employed to obtain a time-frequency representation of the recorded UHF signals.Then,two-directional two-dimensional principal component analysis((2D)2PCA) is applied to compress the ST amplitude(STA) matrix to extract features.Finally,support vector machine(SVM) combined with particle swarm optimization(PSO) algorithm is introduced to accomplish the recognition of experimental samples.Classification results demonstrate that the average recognition rate of(10,5) combination is the highest while the one of(5,5) combination is the lowest among four kinds of feature dimension combinations.Moreover,PSO can obviously improve the classification performance of SVM.Specifically,all the average recognition rates of PSO-SVM are higher than 94.43%and the maximum value comes to 97.67%.Therefore,the feature sets extracted by ST and(2D)2PCA can not only achieve dramatic dimension reduction,but also retain the major information of original data.It is proved that the proposed algorithm can obtain ideal results in PD pattern recognition.
Conductivity degradation of polyvinylidene fluoride composite binder during cycling: Measurements and simulations for lithium-ion batteries

The polymer-composite binder used in lithium-ion battery electrodes must both hold the electrodes together and augment their electrical conductivity while subjected to mechanical stresses caused by active material volume changes due to lithiation and delithiation. We have discovered that cyclic mechanical stresses cause significant degradation in the binder electrical conductivity. After just 160 mechanical cycles, the conductivity of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF):carbon black binder dropped between 45–75%. This degradation in binder conductivity has been shown to be quite general, occurring over a range of carbon black concentrations, with and without absorbed electrolyte solvent and for different polymer manufacturers. Mechanical cycling of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) cathodes caused a similar degradation, reducing the effective electrical conductivity by 30–40%. Mesoscale simulations on a reconstructed experimental cathode geometry predicted the binder conductivity degradation will have a proportional impact on cathode electrical conductivity, in qualitative agreement with the experimental measurements. Lastly, ohmic resistance measurements were made on complete batteries. Direct comparisons between electrochemical cycling and mechanical cycling show consistent trends in the conductivity decline. This evidence supports a new mechanism for performance decline of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries during operation – electrochemically-induced mechanical stresses that degrade binder conductivity, increasing the internal resistance of the battery withmore » cycling.« less
Plasma Chemical Kinetics in a Steady Flow

We will present results from a steady-state inductively coupled plasma-based flow reactor designed to investigate chemical kinetics for combustion, fusion energy, and nuclear forensics applications with high signal to noise. Article not available.
Co-Delivery of Sleeping Beauty Transposons Encoding FVIII and Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Attenuate Inhibitor Formation Resulting in Long-Term FVIII Expression.

Gene therapy in adult hemophilia A mice is known to generate a robust immune response against the newly produced FVIII protein. This phenomenon has been extensively reported for both viral and non-viral vectors. T cell activation promotes the proliferation of B cells that produce antibodies against FVIII (inhibitors) leading to a loss of circulating FVIII protein and activity. Approaches to attenuate this immune response have included the use of cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents (such as cyclophosphamide) or the use of antibodies or soluble fusion proteins that prevent T cell activation (such as the fusion protein between the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 and the immunoglobulin heavy chain, CTLA-4-Ig). Recently, the mechanism by which CTLA-4-Ig exerts its effect has been elucidated and is thought to involve tryptophan catabolism by upregulation of the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). Catabolites of tryptophan degradation, such as kynurenine, have been shown to block T cell proliferation and promote T cell apoptosis. Here we report that hydrodynamic co-administration of Sleeping Beauty transposons encoding both FVIII and IDO are able to attenuate, but not fully block, inhibitor formation. With this approach, long term expression of FVIII at therapeutic levels (∼10% of normal) can be achieved in adult animals without the need for additional immune suppression. Only in animals receiving FVIII and IDO together can we detect FVIII protein by western blot at 24 weeks. Serum kynurenine levels are slightly elevated after gene delivery in animals receiving the IDO gene, but fall to within normal levels by 24 weeks. These results suggest that modulation of the levels of tryptophan catabolites in vivo can influence the formation of FVIII inhibitors.
Myoglobin Is a Nitrite Reductase That Generates NO and Regulates Mitochondrial Respiration.

Previous studies have demonstrated that nitrite is an endocrine store of NO that may play an important role in hypoxic vasodilation. Nitrite can be converted to NO enzymatically by deoxyhemoglobin, in a reaction that is under allosteric control with a maximum reaction rate near the hemoglobin P50. In this study, we characterize the nitrite reductase activity of deoxymyoglobin, which reduces nitrite approximately 50-times faster than deoxyhemoglobin due to its lower redox potential. Spectrophotometric measurements show the deoxymyoglobin-nitrite reaction to be second order and linearly dependent on deoxymyoglobin, nitrite and proton concentration with a bimolecular rate constant of 11.7 M−1s−1 at pH 7.4 at 37 degrees Celsius. Using this bimolecular rate constant, we calculate that at physiological concentrations of nitrite (20uM) and myoglobin (25uM), NO will be generated at a rate of 2.85 nM/sec. Since the IC50 of inhibition of mitochondrial respiration is approximately 100nM at physiological oxygen tensions (5–10 μM), we hypothesized that the myoglobin-dependent reduction of nitrite could regulate mitochondrial respiration. Indeed, the addition of deoxymyoglobin in conjunction with nitrite to isolated rat liver mitochondria resulted in the inhibition of respiration, while myoglobin or nitrite alone had no effect. The addition of nitrite to rat heart homogenate, which contains both myoglobin and mitochondria, resulted in a measurable production of NO (with 1mM nitrite addition) and the inhibition of mitochondrial respiration (with 25μM nitrite addition) that was not significantly changed by the addition of the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol. These data corroborate previous studies demonstrating that NO generated from nitrite reduction can escape heme autocapture to mediate biological responses and confirm that the regulation of mitochondrial respiration by the nitrite-myoglobin reaction is relevant even in a physiological milieu. These data have implications for the modulation of hypoxic respiration, nitrite-dependent hypoxic signaling in tissue, and the regulation of oxygen gradients in the microcirculation.
Motor Control: Winging It with a Few Good Muscles

A recent study reveals how flies achieve their remarkable aerodynamic agility with only a small number of wing muscles.
Lipoprotein particle concentration measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is associated with gestational age at delivery: a prospective cohort study.

Objective To estimate the association between lipoprotein particle concentrations in pregnancy and gestational age at delivery. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting The study was conducted in the USA at the University of North Carolina. Population We assessed 715 women enrolled in the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition study from 2001 to 2005. Methods Fasting blood was collected at two time points (<20 and 24–29 weeks of gestation). Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quantified lipoprotein particle concentrations [low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL)] and 10 subclasses of lipoproteins. Concentrations were assessed as continuous measures, with the exception of medium HDL which was classified as any or no detectable level, given its distribution. Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HR) for gestational age at delivery adjusting for covariates. Main outcome measures Gestational age at delivery, preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation), and spontaneous preterm birth. Results At <20 weeks of gestation, three lipoproteins were associated with later gestational ages at delivery [large LDLNMR (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.64–0.96), total VLDLNMR (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61–0.98), and small VLDLNMR (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.62–0.98], whereas large VLDLNMR (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.01–1.41) was associated with a greater hazard of earlier delivery. At 24–28 weeks of gestation, average VLDLNMR (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03–1.51) and a detectable level of medium HDLNMR (HR 1.90, 95% CI 1.19–3.02) were associated with earlier gestational ages at delivery. Conclusion In this sample of pregnant women, particle concentrations of VLDLNMR, LDLNMR, IDLNMR, and HDLNMR were each independently associated with gestational age at delivery for all deliveries or spontaneous deliveries <37 weeks of gestation. These findings may help formulate hypotheses for future studies of the complex relationship between maternal lipoproteins and preterm birth. Tweetable abstract Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy may identify lipoprotein particles associated with preterm delivery.