cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Varying Shoe Surface Roughness on COF Between Shoe and Floor Material in the Presence of a Liquid Contaminant

Slip and fall accidents represent a serious occupational and public health concern. Yet, the tribological mechanisms that cause shoe and floor surfaces to be slippery are still not well understood. Previous attempts to model shoe-floor-contaminant friction under mixed-lubrication have ignored the effects of boundary lubrication. The purpose of this study was to examine the affect of roughness and viscosity on shoe-floor-contaminant lubrication by examining its effect on boundary and hydrodynamic lubrication. COF-velocity curves generated by a pin-on-disk tribometer were analyzed to determine the effects of roughness and viscosity on boundary and mixed lubrication. COF was collected under varying shoe roughness (7.3μm, 8.2μm, and 9.34μm), contaminant concentrations (water, 0.89cP; 1.5% diluted detergent, 1.28cP; 25% diluted glycerol, 1.9cP; 50% diluted glycerol, 5.54cP; and 75% diluted glycerol, 41cP), and speed (0.05–1.0m·sec−1 ). A single shoe material (polyurethane) and a single floor material (vinyl tile) were tested. Reduction in COF with increasing sliding speeds, consistent with regions of boundary and mixed lubrication were observed for all viscosities except the highest (41cP) and the lowest viscosity (water, 0.89cP). An exponential regression model was fit to the data to determine the effect of roughness and viscosity on the rate of COF decay, τhydro , and COF when velocity is 0, COFBL , indicative of boundary lubrication. τhydro was inferred to be a measure of the hydrodynamic lubricating effect. Fluid contaminant significantly affected both COFBL and τhydro . Post-hoc analyses revealed that COFBL decreased with higher concentrations of glycerol. τhydro was significantly higher under 1.28cP (diluted detergent) viscosity lubrication when compared to 1.9cP and 5.54cP (diluted glycerol) viscosity lubrication, indicating a slower rate of decrease. No significant effect of shoe material roughness on COFBL or τhydro was identified. Fluid contaminant had a significant effect on both boundary and hydrodynamic lubrication. The change in boundary lubrication coefficient of friction for varying lubricants was primarily attributed to a higher proportion of glycerol molecules, which is a much longer molecule than water, coating the shoe and floor surfaces. The hydrodynamic effect was significant between the glycerol-water lubrication compared to the lower viscosity, 1.5% detergent lubrication, which indicates that the higher viscosity fluids caused a greater rate of friction decrease. This effect is likely due to the wedge term effect of the Reynolds equation. Absence of roughness effects on both boundary and hydrodynamic variables could be due to the soft, shoe material deforming and therefore shoe roughness having a decreased affect on asperity interaction.© 2010 ASME
A deeper view of transmitted/founder viruses using 454 whole genome deep sequencing

Background Understanding the composition of transmitted/founder viruses that represent the primary target for vaccineelicited responses is highly relevant to the design of an effective HIV-1 vaccine. The identification of transmitted and early founder viruses in primary infection has remained remarkably opaque, but recent advances in sequencing technologies have enabled a more comprehensive and sensitive assessment of the properties of transmitted/founder viruses.
An unusual case of calcinosis cutis

A case of calcinosis cutis is presented in a patient with hypercalcemia of unknown etiology. The axillae and inguinal areas were involved and the clinical and histologic picture is compared with pseudoxanthoma elasticum. We propose that the similarities between the two diseases stem from a common origin in damaged elastic fibers.
Scenario decomposition of risk-averse multistage stochastic programming problems

For a risk-averse multistage stochastic optimization problem with a finite scenario tree, we introduce a new scenario decomposition method and we prove its convergence. The main idea of the method is to construct a family of risk-neutral approximations of the problem. The method is applied to a risk-averse inventory and assembly problem. In addition, we develop a partially regularized bundle method for nonsmooth optimization.
Some comments on preference order dynamic programming models

Abstract A simple deterministic dynamic programming model is used as a general framework for the analysis of stochastic versions of three classical optimization problems: knapsack, traveling salesperson, and assembly line balancing problems. It is shown that this model can provide an alternative to the preference order models proposed for these problems. Counterexample to the optimality of the preference order models are presented.
On the Fringe: Family-Friendly Benefits and the Rural–Urban Gap Among Working Women

This study drew on longitudinal, nationally representative data to estimate rural–urban inequality in women’s access to family-friendly benefits. Multivariate fixed effects regression models showed that compared to urban women, rural women’s odds of reporting access were 11 % lower for flexible work scheduling, 24 % lower for job-protected maternity leave, 13 % lower for paid sick time, 21 % lower for vacation time, and 20 % lower for health insurance. The rural–urban gap in sick time was explained by differences in unionization, as rural women were less likely to be unionized than urban women. Our findings suggest that rural women’s work–family experiences may be more constrained than urban women’s work–family experiences.
Attention allocation under varied workload and effort perception in rowers

Abstract Objectives Tenenbaum's effort-related model has proposed that as physical workload increases, attention allocation shifts from dissociation to association. Owing to equivocal research results regarding gender and experience differences in attention and perceived exertion reports, this study was designed to examine whether attention allocation varied as a function of perceived effort manipulated by physical workload, and whether gender and experience differences would emerge in regards to attention use. Design A within-subjects study design was employed using measures of attention, perceived exertion, heart rate, and power output. Methods Sixty high school and collegiate rowers were recruited, and were divided into 30 experienced (15 men and 15 women) and 30 novice rowers (15 men and 15 women). After establishing a maximal power output value for each rower using the rowing ergometer, participants were asked to row at 30%, 50%, and 75% relative workload intensities for 10 min in a counterbalanced order. At each minute, measures of heart rate, attention, and perceived exertion were taken. Participants also recorded their thoughts during the session after each task. Results Results demonstrated that attention significantly ( p Conclusions Attention shifted from dissociation to association as workload increased; as environmental demands increase, physiological sensations dominate the individual's attention. Attention is forced to shift internally and narrow (i.e., associative) to adapt to these demands. During low or moderate workload, attention can be more flexible and voluntarily shift between associative and dissociative modes because the task demands are not overwhelming.
Photographic Measurements of Atmospheric Boil

Optical shimmer or “boil” effects are most pronounced over bare ground in bright sunshine. These effects demonstrate that the region of the atmosphere near the ground is an optically heterogeneous medium. Rays of light are variously deviated from moment to moment by every portion of this medium through which they pass. The character and extent of such deviations have been measured in the present experiments with the aid of instantaneous photographs of outdoor targets. In each experiment, 30 or more successive exposures have been made and analyzed in an effort to determine the instantaneous deviation of any point on the target image from its mean position on a reference scale. It has been found that the average deviation, caused by boil, of rays from a point on the target to the camera is in excess of three seconds over level ground in bright sunshine; the maximum deviation may reach nine seconds or more under these conditions. Two separate points on the image are found to suffer the same kind of distortion at the same instant of time if the two points are very close together. The similarity is less marked, however, with points which are farther apart. With points whose separation has an angular subtense at the camera greater than five minutes, the effects of boil upon the two are essentially independent.
Assessment of postpartum body fat change from underwater weight and skinfold thickness measurements

Abstract Postpartum body fat change was monitored in 11 women using hydrostatic (underwater) weight (UWW) and a combination of triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac skinfold measurements. Overall mean percent body fat (PBF) estimates from UWW and the skinfold sum did not differ. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that 82.2% of the variance in the UWW estimate of PBF was explained by a linear combination of the triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac estimates (P
Multiple signalling pathways exist in the stress-triggered regulation of gene expression for catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes and several neuropeptides in the rat adrenal medulla

A critical component of the response to stress is the coincident activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathoadrenal system - comprised of sympathetic ganglia and the adrenal medullae. The sympathoadrenal system produces the catecholamines - noradrenaline and adrenaline, and several neuropeptides, involved in the homeostatic mechanisms that govern the adaptation to stress. This brief survey aims to provide a general overview of the present knowledge about the impact of stress on neurotransmitter gene expression in the adrenal medulla, with particular attention paid to the apparent heterogeneity in stress-evoked signals and regulatory pathways.
Coherent equilibrium in alloys containing spherical precipitates

Abstract Coherent equilibrium is investigated theoretically in alloys containing monodispersed spherical precipitates. The alloy system is subjected to a Dirichlet tessellation by constructing a Voronoi polyhedron around each particle, and for the purpose of calculation each polyhedron is approximated as a sphere. The basic unit of the microstructure is thus a cell consisting of concentric spheres, with the outer sphere occupied by the majority (matrix) phase. The stresses in each cell are derived analytically using as one of the boundary conditions the requirement that the displacements at the outer boundary vanish. Isotropic elasticity is assumed throughout. The equilibrium volume fraction and the coherent solubilities of the two phases are calculated as a function of the overall concentration of solute in the alloy. The relative importance of the lattice mismatch between the two phases, their elastic constants, and the curvatures of their free energies of mixing, is investigated theoretically. It is predicted that the equilibrium concentrations of both phases always increase with increasing volume fraction. The consequences of the theory on the Ni-Al and Cu-Co alloy phase diagrams are explored. Much larger effects are predicted for Ni-Al alloys than for Cu-Co alloys, despite the fact that the lattice mismatch is over three times as large in the latter system. The reason is that the difference between the solute concentrations of the two phases is much bigger in Cu-Co alloys. It is concluded that the influence of coherency effects will always be much greater for solid solutions in equilibrium with intermediate phases than for terminal solid solutions. Data on the solubility of Ni3Al in Ni-Al alloys, which support the theory, are presented and discussed.
CONTEXT-DEPENDENT OPTIMAL SUBSTITUTION MATRICES

Substitution matrices are a key tool in important applications such as identifying sequence homologies, creating sequence alignments and more recently using evolutionary patterns for the prediction of protein structure. We have derived a novel approach to the derivation of these matrices that utilizes not only multiple sequence alignments, but also the associated evolutionary trees. The key to our method is the use of a Bayesian formalism to calculate the probability that a given substitution matrix fits the tree structures and multiple sequence alignment data. Using this procedure, we can determine optimal substitution matrices for various local environments, depending on parameters such as secondary structure and surface accessibility.
Soil chromatographic movement of technetium-99 through selected Minnesota soils.

We monitored the movement of technetium-99 through 41 samples of Minnesota soils, using soil column layer chromatography (CLC), a modification of soil thin layer chromatography. Under the aerobic conditions of soil CLC, /sup 99/Tc occurs as the pertechnetate anion. Pertechnetate movement in the soils was characterized by the traditional R/sub f/ chromatographic parameter. Reduced R/sub f/ values were statistically related to elevated levels of soil organic matter. Complexation of /sup 99/Tc, related to soil organic matter, was weak. Elution patterns of /sup 99/Tc in the soil CLC columns were asymmetric, with pertechnetate retardation associated with both hydrodynamic dispersion and weak retention. Pertechnetate was less mobile than was Cl/sup -/ in selected soils by soil CLC.
Building Part-Based Object Detectors via 3D Geometry

This paper proposes a novel part-based representation for modeling object categories. Our representation combines the effectiveness of deformable part-based models with the richness of geometric representation by defining parts based on consistent underlying 3D geometry. Our key hypothesis is that while the appearance and the arrangement of parts might vary across the instances of object categories, the constituent parts will still have consistent underlying 3D geometry. We propose to learn this geometry-driven deformable part-based model (gDPM) from a set of labeled RGBD images. We also demonstrate how the geometric representation of gDPM can help us leverage depth data during training and constrain the latent model learning problem. But most importantly, a joint geometric and appearance based representation not only allows us to achieve state-of-the-art results on object detection but also allows us to tackle the grand challenge of understanding 3D objects from 2D images.
Optical properties of Hg1−xCdxTe

Abstract Optical properties of Hg 1− x Cd x Te are summarized in this study. Based on Penn-like models, the Moss relation and the Wemple and DiDomenico approach, calculations of energy gap, plasmon energy, Fermi energy, oscillator strength and electronic polarizability have been made. Comparisons are made with the data available in the literature. Details of the dependency of the properties on composition are presented.
Time decay for the nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation

It is shown that solutions of the nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation u tt - ∆ u + mu + P 9( u ) = 0 decay to zero in the local L 2 mean if the initial energy is bounded provided s P 9) s ) - 2 P ( s ) ≥ a P ( s ) ≥ 0 with a > 0. The local energy also decays. The proof is based on manipulating energy identities and re­quires that u have continuouś first derivatives and piecewise continuous second derivatives. The proof is also applicable to certain systems of equations.
Exploring the Simultaneity in Public Assistance and Abortion

This paper studies the effects of time limits on abortion and welfare participation of low-income pregnant single females who may or may not have other children. In doing this, I explore the presence and nature (if it exists) of simultaneity in abortion and welfare participation. The results indicate that time limits, childcare and abortion subsidies, and public assistance payments are linked to abortion. In addition, the results indicate time limits simultaneously reduce welfare enrollments and increase abortion among low-income childless single pregnant females, and trigger abortion and shorter stays on welfare of low-income pregnant mothers. Thus, future empirical work should account for simultaneity of abortion and welfare participation.
Network Topologies and Virtual Place

The use of terms such as “cyberspace,”“electronic frontier,” and “information superhighway” implies a project for geographers: the attempt to incorporate such innovative views of place within an ontological framework sensitive to geographical concerns. Combinatorial theory and structuration theory provide a basis for this incorporation. Just as places are dialectically related to social processes, so too are communication media. Similar factors related to the patterning of communication flows pertain in both cases. In particular, geographers can identify similar patterns of nodes (communicators) and links (communication paths) in places and in communication media. These patterns, or topologies, provide a set of opportunities and constraints for social interaction. When topologies in computer networks replicate the topologies in familiar places, certain elements of social structuration are shared, as well. This sharing, in turn, lends validity to claims about “virtual place” that can be quantitatively desc...
On the Implementation of Wheeler Cap Method in FDTD

In this paper, the Wheeler cap method is implemented numerically in FDTD. The main interest is to characterize the efficiency/loss of a probe-fed low-loss single resonance L-band antenna. We compare the results of the simulations with the gain/directivity method using near-field measurements. Some of the observations and issues of implementing FDTD method for prediction of efficiency using Wheeler cap method are discussed
Pregnancy outcome in mares following insemination deep in the uterine horn with low numbers of sperm selected by glass wool/Sephadex filtration, Percoll separation or absolute number

Mares were inseminated deep in the uterine horn with 25 million sperm selected by glass wool/Sephadex (GWS) filtration, Percoll separation (PS) or absolute number (AN). Deep-horn insemination using a low-volume, smooth tipped, flexible pipette/catheter delivery system allowed more efficient use of stallion sperm and reduced post-breeding uterine reaction in mares. Mares were pregnant in 15/30, 13/30 and 10/30 cycles for GWS, PS and AN selection methods, respectively. Sperm selection method did not effect pregnancy outcome (P=0.422). However, sperm selected for deep-horn insemination by filtration through a glass wool/Sephadex column tended to improve fertility over simply using an absolute number of sperm (P=0.105).
Functional Profiling of Human Fungal Pathogen Genomes

Fungal infections are challenging to diagnose and often difficult to treat, with only a handful of drug classes existing. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which pathogenic fungi cause human disease is imperative. Here, we discuss how the development and use of genome-scale genetic resources, such as whole-genome knockout collections, can address this unmet need. Using work in Saccharomcyes cerevisiae as a guide, studies of Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans have shown how the challenges of large-scale gene deletion can be overcome, and how such collections can be effectively used to obtain insights into mechanisms of pathogenesis. We conclude that, with concerted efforts, full genome-wide functional analysis of human fungal pathogen genomes is within reach.
Implementation of a Whole Spacecraft Isolation System for the OSTM/Jason 2 Mission

The OSTM/Jason 2 mission will be the lightest payload to ever launch on a 2-stage Delta II 7320-10 launch vehicle. The moment-based lateral loads predicted for this launch configuration significantly exceed the qualification history of the inherited spacecraft bus. Additionally, payload sine vibration requirements for this launch configuration exceed the OSTM/Jason 2 spacecraft and equipment sine vibration qualification heritage. It was not possible to appreciably enhance the structural capability of the Jason 2 spacecraft, therefore a feasibility study of various potential approaches for mitigating the launch loads was conducted. A CSA Engineering, Inc., SoftRide whole spacecraft isolation system was chosen for implementation on the OSTM/Jason 2 mission based on probability of meeting the load mitigation criteria and cost and schedule considerations. This paper provides a) an overview of the study that resulted in selection of the SoftRide system, b) the design, analysis, and test process for the SoftRide system, along with some of the design issues and their solutions, and c) a summary of a KSC/JPL independent evaluation of the risks associated with the SoftRide program. The SoftRide solution for OSTM/Jason 2 allowed demonstration of the adequacy of the heritage qualification for the launch configuration.
MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION OF MAIZE CUPULES AND ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY MAIZE IN THE PREHISPANIC MALPASO VALLEY, ZACATECAS, MEXICO

ABSTRACT Quantitative analyses of maize cupule measurements from the Malpaso Valley, Zacatecas, Mexico, suggest that high-status households had preferred access to distinct maize varieties or maize with morphological traits that might be interpreted as high quality. Through a combination of cluster analysis, Principal Components Analysis, and chi-square tests, this study demonstrates the utility of examining the differential distribution of morphological traits, even when the remains occur primarily in the form of detached cupules. This study does not address the role of genetics and environment in the morphological variation of maize cobs, but it does show that an analysis of morphological variability in maize cobs can contribute to our understanding of social or economic differences both within and among archaeological settlements.
Diurnal rhythm of agouti-related protein and its relation to corticosterone and food intake.

In the present study we examined the diurnal patterns of agouti-related protein (AGRP) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA expression in the arcuate nucleus and their relation to circulating glucocorticoids and food intake. Animals were killed at 4-h intervals throughout the 24-h diurnal cycle, and the expression of AGRP and POMC mRNA was evaluated by semiquantitative in situ hybridization analysis. We observed a significant diurnal rhythm in AGRP mRNA expression, with a marked peak at 2200 h (4 h after lights off) and a trough at 1000 h (4 h after lights on), consistent with the overall day-night rhythm of food intake. In contrast, POMC mRNA levels did not show a significant fluctuation across the diurnal cycle, although there was a tendency for levels to decrease after the onset of the dark cycle. Corticosterone secretion temporally coincided with the rising phase of AGRP mRNA expression. Depletion of corticosterone by adrenalectomy abolished the AGRP diurnal rhythm by suppressing the nighttime expression, but did not alter the feeding rhythm. Exposure of adrenalectomized rats to constant corticosterone replacement (10 or 50 mg continuous release corticosterone pellet) resulted in fixed AGRP mRNA expression throughout the 12-h light, 12-h dark cycle. A relatively high level of corticosterone (50 mg) significantly increased AGRP mRNA expression, with a positive correlation between these two measures. These results indicate that 1) the diurnal expression of AGRP mRNA is regulated by corticosterone independently of the light/dark cue; and 2) a normal endogenous corticosterone rhythm is required for generating the diurnal AGRP rhythm. (Endocrinology 143: 3905–3915, 2002)
Barack Obama, Resort to Force, and U.S. Military Hegemony

Just War Theorists have neglected that a lack of "just military preparedness" on the side of a country seriously undermines its capability to resort justly to military force. In this paper, I put forth five principles of "just military preparedness" and show that since the new Obama administration will seek to maintain the United States' dominant military position in the world, it will violate each of the principles. I conclude on this basis that we should anticipate that the Obama administration will add another page to the United States' history of unjust military interventions. 1 .
Viscous effects on the position of cavitation separation from smooth bodies

Flow visualization by the schlieren technique in the neighbourhood of a fully developed cavity on two axisymmetric headforms has shown the existence of laminar boundary-layer separation upstream of cavitation separation, and the distance between the two separations to be strongly dependent on Reynolds number. Based on present results, a semi-empirical method is developed to predict the position of cavitation separation on a smooth body. The method applies only in the Reynolds-number range when the cavitating body possesses laminar boundary-layer separation under non-cavitating conditions. Calculated positions of cavitation separation on a sphere by the method show good agreement with experimentally observed positions
Flux flow resistivity and critical fields in amorphous superconductors

Abstract Flux flow resistivity ϱf, lower critical field Hc1, and upper critical field Hc2 in extreme type II (κ ⋍ 70–80) amorphous bulk superconductors with minimal flux pinning force have been studied. Results on Hc1(T) and Hc2(T) are found to depend on sample conditions. The low-field (Hc1
Effects of emotion and emotional valence on the neural correlates of episodic memory search and elaboration

Successful retrieval of an event includes an initial search phase in which the information is accessed and a subsequent elaboration phase in which an individual expands on event details. Traditionally, functional neuroimaging studies examining episodic memory retrieval either have not made a distinction between these two phases or have focused on the initial search process. The current study used an extended retrieval trial to compare the neural correlates of search and elaboration and to examine the effects of emotion on each phase. Before scanning, participants encoded positive, negative, and neutral images paired with neutral titles. After a 30-min delay, participants engaged in a scanned recognition task in which they viewed the neutral titles and indicated whether the title had been presented with an image during the study phase. Retrieval was divided into an initial memory search and a subsequent 5-sec elaboration phase. The current study identified neural differences between the search and elaboration phases, with search being associated with widespread bilateral activations across the entire cortex and elaboration primarily being associated with increased activity in the medial pFC. The emotionality of the retrieval target was more influential during search relative to elaboration. However, valence influenced when the effect of emotion was greatest, with search engaging many more regions for positive events than negative ones, but elaboration engaging the dorsomedial pFC more for negative events than positive events.
Interference-limited MAC protocol for MANETs with directional antennas

Directional antennas can significantly improve the spatial reuse of a mobile ad hoc network (MANET), leading to higher network throughput. This gain comes with a substantial energy saving that results from beamforming the transmitter and/or receiver antennas in the appropriate directions. However, several medium access problems resurface when directional antennas are integrated into existing MAC protocols. We propose a power-controlled MAC protocol for directional antennas that ameliorates these problems. Our protocol allows for dynamic adjustment of the transmission power for both data and clear-to-send (CTS) packets to optimize energy consumption. It provides a mechanism for permitting interference-limited concurrent transmissions and choosing the appropriate tradeoff between throughput and energy consumption. The protocol enables nodes to implement load control in a distributed manner, whereby the total interference in the neighborhood of a receiver is upper-bounded. Simulation results demonstrate that the combined gain from concurrent transmissions using directional antennas and power control results in up to 89% saving in energy compared to a previously proposed protocol and to the CSMA/CA scheme used in the IEEE 802.11 standard. At the same time, network throughput is improved by 79% and 185%, respectively, over these protocols.
Mid-frequency sound propagation through internal waves at short range with synoptic oceanographic observations.

Preliminary results are presented from an analysis of mid- frequency acoustic transmission data collected at range 550 m during the Shallow Water 2006 Experiment. The acoustic data were collected on a ver- tical array immediately before, during, and after the passage of a nonlinear internal wave on 18 August, 2006. Using oceanographic data collected at a nearby location, a plane-wave model for the nonlinear internal wave's posi- tion as a function of time is developed. Experimental results show a new acoustic path is generated as the internal wave passes above the acoustic source.
Genomic investigation of etiologic heterogeneity: methodologic challenges

Background: The etiologic heterogeneity of cancer has traditionally been investigated by comparing risk factor frequencies within candidate sub-types, defined for example by histology or by distinct tumor markers of interest. Increasingly tumors are being profiled for molecular features much more extensively. This greatly expands the opportunities for defining distinct sub-types. In this article we describe an exploratory analysis of the etiologic heterogeneity of clear cell kidney cancer. Data are available on the primary known risk factors for kidney cancer, while the tumors are characterized on a genome-wide basis using expression, methylation, copy number and mutational profiles. Methods: We use a novel clustering strategy to identify sub-types. This is accomplished independently for the expression, methylation and copy number profiles. The goals are to identify tumor sub-types that are etiologically distinct, to identify the risk factors that define specific sub-types, and to endeavor to characterize the key genes that appear to represent the principal features of the distinct sub-types. Results: The analysis reveals strong evidence that gender represents an important factor that distinguishes disease sub-types. The sub-types defined using expression data and methylation data demonstrate considerable congruence and are also clearly correlated with mutations in important cancer genes. These sub-types are also strongly correlated with survival. The complexity of the data presents many analytical challenges including, prominently, the risk of false discovery. Conclusions: Genomic profiling of tumors offers the opportunity to identify etiologically distinct sub-types, paving the way for a more refined understanding of cancer etiology.
Interaction of insulin and AMPK in the ischemic heart: another chapter in the book of metabolic therapy?

See related article, pages 61–68 There has been a longstanding interest in the development of metabolic modulations to improve the outcome of myocardial ischemia. The glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) regimen presents the classic example of such a quest. For more than four decades since GIK was first described, substantial evidence from animal research and small size clinical studies has supported the efficacy of GIK treatment for acute myocardial ischemia.1–3 However, a recent large clinical trial, CREATE-ECLA, showed no effect of GIK in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.1,4 Although this is extremely disappointing for supporters of metabolic treatment, careful evaluations of why GIK got lost in translation will benefit future development of therapeutic strategies based on metabolic principles. The study by Folmes et al published in this issue of Circulation Research sheds some light on this matter.5 Decreased perfusion during myocardial ischemia limits the delivery of oxygen and nutrients and decreases oxidative metabolism. Under these conditions, increased glycolytic ATP production becomes a critical energy source (Figure). Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for the increases in glucose uptake and glycolysis during myocardial ischemia. These include: α-adrenergic mechanisms, p38 activation, and, more recently, stimulation of AMPK-activated protein kinase (AMPK).6–9 AMPK acts as an intracellular energy sensor. Its activity is highly sensitive to the cellular AMP to ATP ratio. AMPK activity markedly increases in response to energy depletion (increased AMP/ATP) during myocardial ischemia.8,10 Previous studies suggested that the increased AMPK activity promoted glycolytic ATP production and, thereby, protected against ischemic injury.8,11 It was also suggested, …
Pervasive Diagnosis

In model-based production, a planner uses a system description to create plans that achieve production goals. The same description can be used by model-based diagnosis to infer the condition of components from sensor data. When production is realized by a sequence of plans, prior work has demonstrated that diagnosis can be used to adapt the plans to compensate for component degradation. However, the sources of diagnostic information are severely limited. Diagnosis must either make inferences from observations during production over which it has no control (passive diagnosis), or production must be halted to introduce diagnostic-specific plans (explicit diagnosis). We observe that the declarative nature of the model-based approach allows the planner to achieve production goals in multiple ways. This flexibility is exploited by a novel paradigm, i.e., pervasive (active) diagnosis, which constructs informative production plans that simultaneously achieve production goals while uncovering additional diagnostic information about the condition of components. We present an efficient heuristic search for these informative production plans and show through experiments on a model of an industrial digital printing press that the theoretical increase in long-run productivity can be realized on practical real-time systems. We obtain higher long-run productivity than a decoupled combination of planning and diagnosis.
Abstract LB-42: Susan G. Komen for the Cure- Puerto Rico- fighting breast cAncer through awareness, alliances and community grants

Puerto Rico (PR) is a Caribbean island with a population of 3.7 million. Currently, PR has 16% unemployment rate, which affects the health care of approximately 42% of the population and their access to quality health services. Cancer represents the second cause of death among Puerto Ricans. Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women representing 33% of the yearly cancer cases. Susan G. Komen for the Cure (SGK) is the global leader of breast cancer awareness. The SGK Puerto Rico affiliate was established in 2003 and currently has a Board of Directors of 11 members, three full-time employees and a group of passionate volunteers. With awareness ans service initiatives, SKG Puerto Rico has positively impacted 1.8 million people 15 years and older during 2011. The affiliate9s 2011 community profile defined three major objectives: continue educational efforts for breast cancer awareness provide access to early detection programs and create a breast cancer patient profile. Grants are giver to community outreach organizations through a structured process. The affiliate9s signature program is Banders through which alliances with companies, organizations, hospitals, schools and other entities are formed. With Banderas, large amount of individuals are educated, volunteers are recruits, sponsors are engaged and the network of breast cancer advocates increases. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-42. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-LB-42
The Business Firm in Africa

In spite of the impact of business firms on the African continent, rela tively little work has bee done on uncovering the history of th se firms or of the people who founded and ran them. This neglect should come as no surprise to Africanists, economic historians, and business historians. In mainline history departments, even in the United States, there is almost a complete neglect of the organization that has literally changed the face of the world in the twentieth century: the large-scale, limited-liability business firm. Only a few articles in major American and British academic history journals have focused on African business firms. In preparing this over view, I looked at Business History Review, Business History, and En terprise & Society.1 The results were both depressing and definitive. When I endeavored to determine how many articles published in Busi ness History Review had the word "Africa" in the full text, I found only ninety-one. Of these ninety-one, however, only three dealt with a spe cific firm and were based on primary-source materials from or about the business being discussed. The exceptions, in chronological order, were "Copperbelt Merger: The Formation of the Rhokana Corporation, 1930-1932," by W. E. Alford and C. E. Harvey, published in 1980; "Technology, Capital, and Consolidation: The Performance of De Beers Mining Corporation, 1880-1889," by Colin Newbury, published in 1987; and "Sources for Mining Company History in Africa: The History and Records of the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (Ghana) Ltd," by Ray mond Dumett, published in 1988.2
Conduit repair for complex congenital heart disease. Late follow-up.

A 5 year experience with the Rastelli operation including systematic late recatheterization is presented. Twenty-two patients have undergone primary repair and an additional patient has had an obstructed conduit replaced. The mortality rate after primary repair was 27 percent (six of 22). Eighty-eight percent of survivors are asymptomatic 4 months to 7 years after repair. Of 14 patients who are alive more than I year after repair, 13 have undergone recatheterization a mean of 37.7 months following the operation. Fourteen conduits are available for review, and 11 (78 percent) are obstructed to varying degrees ranging from mild to severe. In eight of these conduits (57 percent), there are significant gradients of more than 40 mm. Hg. All five homograft or composite homograft conduits have gradients at the homograft valve of greater than 40 mm. Hg, two of them having severe gradients of more than 80 mm. Hg. Six of nine heterograft conduits recatheterized are obstructed proximally, although only one is severely obstructed. Three of eight patients (37.5 percent) who had had large systemic-pulmonary shunts for more than 5 years subsequently exhibited evidence of moderate-to-severe pulmonary vascular disease. Our experience with the Rastelli operation and late follow-up suggest the following points: (1) Pre-existing shunts or very large collaterals should be considered for repair before they have been in place for 5 years. (2) Acceptable early mortality rates and substantial long-term palliation can be achieved in patients with severely increased pulmonary vascular resistance. (3) Factors of growth or substernal positioning or both seem to be responsible for proximal conduit obstruction. (4) Insofar as severe obstruction may exist in otherwise asymptomatic patients, routine late recatheterization should be performed on all patients who have a conduit.
Implementation of a precision cancer program in an integrated health care system.

e17647 Background: The advent of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), and other diagnostic technologies, has enabled the use of genomic information to guide targeted treatment in cancer patients. Barr...
The “Syndromes1” of Developmental Dyslexia and Hyperlexia

Evidence presented in the previous chapters indicates that developmental dyslexia is caused by a difficulty in efficiently processing the phonological features of written language. Such a phonological deficit is manifested in more than one symptom including slow reading, erratic oral reading, spelling errors, and incorrect use of suffixes and other “grammar” errors of written language.
Design and Analysis of an Electric Hydraulic Hybrid Powertrain in Electric Vehicles

An electric hydraulic hybrid (EH2) powertrain for urban vehicles has been introduced and evaluated in this paper. The high power density hydraulic system in parallel configuration reduces the electricity consumption and the battery discharging stress of the electric powertrain, which extends the vehicle driving range and improves the battery pack lifespan. The proposed EH2 powertrain has been integrated to a city delivery truck model and a city bus model, evaluated over six corresponding driving cycles, respectively. Based on the simulation results, the city delivery truck battery discharging stress could be reduced by 30% on average and the city bus driving range could be extended by 50% in the best scenario. A scaled down prototype has been built and the experimental results validate the benefits of the EH2 powertrain.
Extracellular Alkalinization as a Defense Response in Potato Cells.

A quantitative and robust bioassay to assess plant defense response is important for studies of disease resistance and also for the early identification of disease during pre- or non-symptomatic phases. An increase in extracellular pH is known to be an early defense response in plants. In this study, we propose a fast and reliable alkalinization assay to monitor plant defense response in potatoes. Using potato suspension cell cultures, we observed an alkalinization response against various pathogen- and plant-derived elicitors in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We also assessed the defense response against a variety of potato pathogens, such as protists (Phytophthora infestans and Spongospora subterranea) and fungi (Verticillium dahliae and Colletotrichum coccodes). Our results show that extracellular pH increases within 30 min in proportion to the number of pathogen spores added. Consistently with the alkalinization effect, the higher transcription level of several defense-related genes and production of reactive oxygen species was observed. Our results demonstrate that the alkalinization assay is an effective tool to study early stages of defense response in potatoes.
Sand to Mud to Fording: Modeling and Simulation for Off-Road Ground Vehicle Mobility Analysis

This contribution highlights modeling and numerical solution techniques that enable the simulation of ground vehicles operating in off-road conditions. We briefly outline the equations of motion governing the time evolution of complex systems such as, for instance, large collections of granular material or full vehicles. Herein, we demonstrate how these equations of motion have been used in an open source multi-physics simulation software called Chrono to investigate the dynamics of wheeled and tracked vehicles operating on granular material. Next, we briefly discuss the fluid-solid interaction problem, which comes into play, for instance, when simulating fording operations in which a vehicle negotiates a body of water. The two salient attributes of the approach proposed are reliance on differential algebraic inequalities to model the dynamics of solid and fluid phases; and, leverage of parallel computing to handle systems with millions of degrees of freedom.
Orientation and Mobility for the Blind Multiply Handicapped Young Child

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a programmed instructional program in orientation and mobility for blind multiply handicapped infants and toddlers below the developmental age ...
Part I: Modeling CM behavior in power electronic systems: Modeling, measurement, and management of conducted EMI and common-mode behavior in shipboard power systems

Objectives of modeling conducted EMI — Analytically predict parasitic behavior of power electronic systems — Understand sources of leakage currents Identify dominating parasitics Inform/guide measurements to support modeling and analysis Predict the impact of new technologies (e.g., WBG devices) Evaluate methods to mitigate CM current-Control: switching strategies, prohibited states, interleaving-Component design: converter topologies, filters, packaging-System design: grounding & isolation, chokes, cancellation circuits.
A Targeted Proteomic Approach for Heat Shock Proteins Reveals DNAJB4 as a Suppressor for Melanoma Metastasis

Heat shock proteins are molecular chaperones that are involved in protein folding. In this study, we developed a targeted proteomic method, relying on LC-MS/MS in the parallel-reaction monitoring (PRM) mode, for assessing quantitatively the human heat shock proteome. The method facilitated the coverage of approximately 70% of the human heat shock proteome and displayed much better throughput and sensitivity than the shotgun proteomic approach. We also applied the PRM method for assessing the differential expression of heat shock proteins in three matched primary/metastatic pairs of melanoma cell lines. We were able to quantify ∼45 heat shock proteins in each pair of cell lines, and the quantification results revealed that DNAJB4 is down-regulated in the three lines of metastatic melanoma cells relative to the corresponding primary melanoma cells. Interrogation of The Cancer Genome Atlas data showed that lower levels of DNAJB4 expression conferred poorer prognosis in melanoma patients. Moreover, we found t...
Using Equations, Graphs, and Tables to Investigate the Maximum Volume of a Pup Tent

When analyzing functions in mathematics, it is often helpful to multiple representations of the function. These multiple representations consist of analyzing a function in three different para-digms (symbolical, graphical, and tabular). One application central to calculus involves finding the maximum or minimum value of a real-valued function. In a traditional calculus class, this process is typically done by finding the solution by using the notion of derivatives on the algebraic or sym-bolic form of the function. Spreadsheets allow students to analyze optimization problems in the tabular form. As a consequence, students in an algebra or pre-calculus class can study optimization problems without the formal tools of calculus. This article provides an example of using spread-sheets to analyze the maximum volume of a pup tent used on a camping trip.
Capture and identification of Salmonella Typhimurium from large volumes of water using phage filter

In this paper, a novel device named as phage filter is designed and presented to capture and identify a small number of Salmonella Typhimurium cells from large volumes of water. This phage filter is constructed from a filter chamber, filter frames on a spindle, strip-shape magnetoelastic filter elements, and a spinning speed control unit. The filter elements are made from Metglas 2826MB and coated with a specifically designed phage that only binds with Salmonella Typhimurium. These phage-coated filter elements can be held and arranged on the filter frames by magnetic force produced from couples of permanent magnets in the frame. Layers of filter frames are fixed on the spindle. The spindle with filter frames and filter elements can spin in the filter chamber and the spinning speed can be continuously adjusted. When the filter works, the tested water passes through the filter frame, and Salmonella Typhimurium cells striking on the filter elements can be bound by the phage on the element surfaces and removed from the tested water.