cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sea urchin FGFR muscle-specific expression: posttranscriptional regulation in embryos and adults.

We have shown previously by in situ hybridization that a gene encoding a fibroblast growth factor receptor (SpFGFR) is transcribed in many cell types during the initial phases of sea urchin embryogenesis (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) (McCoon et al., J. Biol. Chem. 271, 20119-20195, 1996). Here we demonstrate by immunostaining with affinity-purified antibody that SpFGFR protein is detectable only in muscle cells of the embryo and appears at a time suggesting that its function is not in commitment to a muscle fate, but instead may be required to support the proliferation, migration, and/or differentiation of myoblasts. Surprisingly, we find that SpFGFR transcripts are enriched in embryo nuclei, suggesting that lack of processing and/or cytoplasmic transport in nonmuscle cells is at least part of the posttranscriptional regulatory mechanism. Western blots show that SpFGFR is also specifically expressed in adult lantern muscle, but is not detectable in other smooth muscle-containing tissues, including tube foot and intestine, or in coelomocytes, despite the presence of SpFGFR transcripts at similar concentrations in all these tissues. We conclude that in both embryos and adults, muscle-specific SpFGF receptor synthesis is controlled primarily at a posttranscriptional level. We show by RNase protection assays that transcripts encoding the IgS variant of the ligand binding domain of the receptor, previously shown to be enriched in embryo endomesoderm fractions, are the predominant, if not exclusive, SpFGFR transcripts in lantern muscle. Together, these results suggest that only a minority of SpFGFR transcripts are processed, exported, and translated in both adult and embryonic muscle cells and these contain predominantly, if not exclusively, IgS ligand binding domain sequences.
Pulmonary and Systemic Immune Response to Inhaled Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Inhalation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at particle concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 5 mg/m3 did not result in significant lung inflammation or tissue damage, but caused systemic immune function alterations. C57BL/6 adult (10- to 12-week) male mice were exposed by whole-body inhalation to control air or 0.3, 1, or 5 mg/m3 respirable aggregates of MWCNTs for 7 or 14 days (6 h/day). Histopathology of lungs from exposed animals showed alveolar macrophages containing black particles; however, there was no inflammation or tissue damage observed. Bronchial alveolar lavage fluid also demonstrated particle-laden macrophages; however, white blood cell counts were not increased compared to controls. MWCNT exposures to 0.3 mg/m3 and higher particle concentrations caused nonmonotonic systemic immunosuppression after 14 days but not after 7 days. Immunosuppression was characterized by reduced T-cell-dependent antibody response to sheep erythrocytes as well as T-cell proliferative ability in presence of mitogen, Concanavalin A. Assessment of nonspecific natural killer (NK) cell activity showed that animals exposed to 1 mg/m(3) had decreased NK cell function. Gene expression analysis of selected cytokines and an indicator of oxidative stress were assessed in lung tissue and spleen. No changes in gene expression were observed in lung; however, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and NAD(P)H oxidoreductase 1 mRNA levels were increased in spleen.
Treatment of Depression in Chronic Cocaine and Phencyclidine Abuse With Desipramine

An open field trial was conducted comparing desipramine and an active placebo in separate populations of chronic cocaine and phencyclidine (PCP) abusers, who discontinued their abuse. Subjects who received desipramine showed a decrease in depressive symptoms after a 20-40 day period regardless of whether they abused PCP or cocaine.
Guidelines for Fire Resistance Design of High-strength Concrete Columns

An overview of the research program, aimed at developing fire resistance design guidelines for high-strength concrete (HSC) columns, is outlined. A comparison is made of the fire resistance performance of an HSC column with that of a normal-strength concrete (NSC) column. The various factors that influence the structural behavior of HSC columns under fire conditions are discussed. Design guidelines are presented for mitigating spalling and enhancing fire endurance of HSC columns.
Delineating classes of computational complexity via second order theories with weak set existence principles. I

In this paper we characterize the well-known computational complexity classes of the polynomial time hierarchy as classes of provably recursive functions (with graphs of suitable bounded complexity) of some second order theories with weak comprehension axiom schemas but without any induction schemas (Theorem 6). We also find a natural relationship between our theories and the theories of bounded arithmetic (Lemmas 4 and 5). Our proofs use a technique which enables us to “speed up” induction without increasing the bounded complexity of the induction formulas. This technique is also used to obtain an interpretability result for the theories of bounded arithmetic (Theorem 4).
How to make e-cash with non-repudiation and anonymity

Current e-cash systems enable anonymity services to protect users' privacy, but most of them do not provide the nonrepudiation service such that many problems exist in the systems like denying, losing, misusing, stealing, and double-spending, etc. We propose an e-cash system in which a one-time public key is embedded in the partial blind signature to provide the nonrepudiation service against the above attacks. We also demonstrates that the combination of the partial blind digital signature and anonymous digital signature makes the e-cash systems more robust and fair than before.
Effects of collector epitaxial layer on the switching speed of high-performance bipolar transistors

The importance of the epitaxial layer in designing the scaled-down high-performance bipolar transistors is well accepted, but its effect on the performance of the conventional switching transistors for logic application is not quite observable, because it is usually overwhelmed by the large parasitics of these devices. For self-aligned transistors having very small parasitics, its effect becomes so significant that it is observable in the power-delay characteristics of the switching circuits. We built self-aligned transistors on epitaxial layers of different thicknesses. The measured switching speed of transistors with thicker epitaxial-collector layers is faster at lower currents due to the lower collector capacitance; but it is slower at higher currents due to the base stretching. The present experimental results provide direct confirmation of the design theory [1].
Using remote logging for teaching concurrency

Students often have difficulty visualizing, understanding and debugging concurrent programs. Programming assignments involving concurrency are also difficult to grade. The output alone is not sufficient because the print statements from cooperating threads or processes can interfere with each other and garble the results. The remote logging tool described here allows multiple processes or threads to atomically log messages to a local or remote host. Different views of the messages are available in real time through a graphical user interface (GUI). The tool consists of two parts, a library for adding logging commands to a user program and a GUI for presenting different views of the logged messages. A separate logging library is needed for each programming language (e.g., C, C++, Java), but a single GUI works with all of these. A C logging library and a general GUI are available on the web.
Review: James Stirling: Revisionary Modernist by Amanda Reeser Lawrence

Amanda Reeser Lawrence James Stirling: Revisionary Modernist New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2012, 248 pp., 129 b/w illus. $45 (cloth), ISBN 9780300170054 Amanda Reeser Lawrence’s book about the architecture of James Stirling deftly explicates the work of a master who belongs in the canon but whose place within it has not yet been found. Stirling (1926–92) was associated with the New Brutalism of the 1950s, but his turn to postmodernism in the 1970s made him difficult to categorize. In James Stirling: Revisionary Modernist , Lawrence frames her study of selected works with the question, was Stirling a modernist or a postmodernist? She argues for him being a “revisionary modernist,” maintaining that Stirling continuously revised or corrected previous modernists’ works and, eventually, even his own in what can be understood as an act comparable to rewriting. For her interpretation, Lawrence turns to The Anxiety of Influence (1973) by Harold Bloom, whose landmark literary theory complicated the concept of influence by showing that it was a transformative process in which young, weak, ephebic poets overcame the presence of strong masters of the past by rewriting and, in fact, improving or correcting their works (Wordsworth rewrites Milton). Eventually, having become strong poets themselves, they begin to rewrite their own earlier works. Close reading was the basis of Bloom’s method: the text itself, separate from historical or biographical circumstances, becomes all that matters. Such hermeneuticism was countered by the New Historicism of Stephen Greenblatt, for example, who turned to history to help explain Shakespeare’s plays as cultural formations. Lawrence makes a good case for reading selected projects by Stirling using Bloom’s concepts and method. Her purpose is not to be comprehensive or biographical in interpreting Stirling because monographs and a biography already exist. A major exhibition in 2010 revealed new dimensions of Stirling’s work, but analysis is still lacking. Though nearly every significant critic and historian of the late twentieth century commented upon Stirling’s architecture, there …
Licensing NPIs: Some Negative (and Positive) Results

Leading formal approaches to the “licensor question” for NPIs, invoking properties of downward entailment and nonveridicality, cannot do justice to the full empirical domain. The inadequacy of entailment- and implicature-based theories emerges once we extend the database to cases in which NPIs are awkward or ill-formed despite the availability of a discourse-salient but non-asserted negative proposition, indicating that NPI licensing often depends not on what is entailed or what is implicated but on what is asserted or at issue, and more generally on the speaker’s intended illocutionary point of the utterance. In cases involving sarcasm, polar questions, or pseudo-conditionals, an NPI can only occur after the intended force has been overtly signaled. Thus licensing reflects not only what is at issue but the speaker’s expectations about the hearer’s dynamically constructed discourse model.
Transient Thermoelectric Cooling of thin Film Devices

We report theoretical analysis for the transient thermal response of thermoelectric (TE) element and the integrated thin-film devices. It is predicted that the TE element geometry and applied current pulse shape influences the transient response of the system. Analysis for the integrated systems shows that the transient response is affected by the effusivity of the attached mass. This analysis provides a means to examine the effectiveness of thermal management of the thin-film devices, particularly semiconductor lasers, using the transient mode operation of thermoelectric coolers, and also suggests geometry constraints and optimum pulse shapes for an integrated system.
Bronchial Artery Pseudoaneurysm With Major Hemorrhage After Bronchial Thermoplasty

Bronchial thermoplasty has been found to be a safe and effective therapy for severe asthma. We report the case of a mediastinal hematoma and hemothorax developing in a 66-year-old woman several days after an uneventful bronchial thermoplasty of the right lower lobe. Evaluation revealed a bleeding right bronchial artery pseudoaneurysm. Pseudoaneuryms have been reported in association with other procedures involving the therapeutic application of thermal energy, and a single case of hemoptysis requiring bronchial artery embolization occurred in a clinical trial of bronchial thermoplasty. However, bronchial artery pseudoaneurysm with hemomediastinum and hemothorax has not previously been reported after bronchial thermoplasty.
Feasibility of injectable Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate in a semi urban camp setting

Background: The contraceptive method mix in India has been dominated by female sterilization for a long time. Initiatives have been taken to make Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) available through the public sector of the country. Considering the privacy, safety and efficacy of this long acting method, the study was undertaken to evaluate the acceptance of DMPA in field camps amongst semi urban population. Methods: A cross sectional evaluation study was carried out with married women who accepted DMPA from the basket of contraceptives offered to them. Selection was facilitated by adequate counseling. After counseling, the clients were followed up during subsequent doses for a year for the acceptance and side effects. A checklist was filled comprising detailed history and other variables. The data was expressed in number and percentage and statistical analysis was done on SPSS -19. Results: The mean age of 45 eligible women who accepted DMPA was 26.5 years .Fifty one percent of women were primiparous and forty two percent were lactating during the study period. Majority (80%) were self-motivated to receive subsequent injections. There was no pregnancy in DMPA users. The commonest adverse effect was amenorrhea (49%) followed by irregular spotting (32%) and menorrhagia (14%). Fourteen subjects discontinued DMPA after one or two injections but 58.5% acceptors considered this a good method for birth spacing and wanted to continue it for a longer period. Conclusions: DMPA remains a valid, safe and confidential but neglected contraceptive in India. There is a need to create an awareness program for common people and also to build a supportive environment for users at all levels.
Toward high affinity VEGFR2 binding helix bundles

1593 Objectives The purpose of this study is to use ribosome display to select high affinity three-helical bundle peptides that target vascular endothelial growth factor receptor type2 (VEGFR2). VEGFR2, an important component of tumor angiogenesis, is overexpressed in certain tumor blood vessels. VEGFR2 has been targeted for imaging using VEGF121 which is approximately 30kDa in size. We hypothesize that a smaller particle such as a 6kD sized VEGFR2 binding helical bundle will improve molecular imaging of VEGFR2 expression. Methods The z-domain of protein A is used as the protein scaffold for the potential small protein tracer. Thirteen positions on the first two helices were mutated following the pioneering work by Nygren, Nord and company on Affibody. A 750bp double stranded DNA library encoding the Z-domain and C-terminal protein spacer were constructed for rabbit reticulocyte transcription/translation system (Promega). Maximal diversity of the library is 1.2x1011. VEGFR2/FC (R&D systems) on streptavidin coated M280 beads (Dynal) is used for selection. Results A small sampling of the assembled library sequences demonstrates randomization at the desired sites and approximately 50% of the sequences yield full length peptides. There is population enrichment for binding VEGFR2/FC up to the third round of selection. The RT-PCR product from the third round is cloned into expression vector and fused with maltose binding protein (MBP). Nine out of 75 clones isolated express mutant z-domain-MBP fusion. One of the clones has a Kd of 2x10-7. Conclusions A mutant of the z-domain of protein A with a weak affinity for VEGFR2/Fc fusion protein was found after three rounds of ribosome display. Affinity maturation is underway. Research Support SNM Mallinckrodt Seed Grant 2007
Thin Films of Uniform Thickness by Pulsed Laser Deposition

In order to enhance the utility of Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD), a method to deposit uniform films has been devised. This method employs the deposition profile produced by PLD and the discrete nature of the process. We have simulated this process using experimentally determined deposition profiles and have used the results to design a system that produces films of uniform thickness to within a few percent across a substrate of 1 inch diameter and have obtained excellent agreement between theory and experiment.
Bacterial Flagellar Motors as Microfluidic Actuators

Microfluidic actuators are extremely important components of microfluidic systems used in biological, chemical and biochemical analyses. We are in the process of developing hybrid microsystem devices that utilize flagellar motors in tethered Escherichia coli (E.coli) cells as actuators. In this study we describe the robustness of the flagellar motor actuators. To examine the robustness of the actuators we observe the behavior of the cells when exposed to a hydrodynamic load. With this method we are able to determine the torque generated by the flagellar motor and the adhesion force of the flagellar filament to the substrate. Using hydrodynamic loading we are also able to synchronize the rotation of multiple cells. Finally, we present data which represents the lifetime of the flagellar motor actuators.© 2004 ASME
A Longitudinal Study of the Bidirectional Relationship Between Social Support and Posttraumatic Stress Following a Natural Disaster

There is ample evidence that social support is protective against posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms through social causation processes. It is also likely that PTS is associated with decreased social support through social selection processes. Few studies, however, have examined the longitudinal and bidirectional associations between social support and PTS in a postdisaster context, and whether such associations vary by type of support (e.g., emotional, informational, or tangible). We examined these relationships using Galveston Bay Recovery Study data. Participants (N = 658) were interviewed 2-6 months (W1), 5-9 months (W2), and 14-19 months (W3) after Hurricane Ike in 2008. Longitudinal relationships between each support type and PTS were examined in cross-lagged models. W1 emotional support was negatively associated with W2 PTS (Estimate = -.13, p = .007), consistent with social causation. W1 PTS was negatively associated with W2 emotional support (Estimate = -.14, p = .019), consistent with social selection. In contrast, pathways were nonsignificant at subsequent waves and for informational and tangible support. Results suggested that postdisaster social causation and selection were limited to emotional support and diminish over time. Based on these findings, postdisaster services should emphasize restoring supportive social connections to minimize the psychiatric consequences of disaster, especially among those with prior evidence of distress.
Minimal Residual Disease Is More Common in Patients Who Have Mixed T-cell Chimerism After Bone Marrow Transplantation for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Determining both lymphoid chimerism and the presence of minimal residual disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) could be helpful to the understanding of the biology of leukemic relapse in this disease. We prospectively investigated 32 patients with CML post-BMT by assessing T-cell chimerism and minimal residual disease using sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methodologies. Patients were studied between 1 and 24 months post-BMT. Thirty patients received a T-cell-depleted marrow grafts and 2 received unmanipulated marrow. All but 1 patient were conditioned with total body irradiation (TBI)+thiotepa+cyclophosphamide (Cy). The other patient received TBI+Cy as conditioning. The T cells were exclusively of donor origin in 12 of 16 patients who were tested at 1 month post-BMT, but were mixed chimeric in 11 of these patients by > or = 3 months. Once mixed T-cell chimerism was documented, no patient returned to having all donor T-cells. At a median follow-up of 12 months, minimal residual disease was present in 18 of 22 patients with mixed T-cell chimerism and in 3 of 10 patients with full donor chimerism. The actuarial molecular relapse rate at 24 months for the two groups is 91% and 33%, respectively (P < .02). The finding of BCR-ABL mRNA within the first 6 months of transplant or on two consecutive assays was highly predictive of subsequent cytogenetic or hematologic relapse (P = .032 and P < .02, respectively). Ten patients, 9 with mixed T-cell chimerism, have relapsed (4 clinical, 6 cytogenetic) at a median of 12 months post-BMT. These data suggest that mixed T-cell chimerism may be a marker for abrogation of graft-versus-leukemia activity that is thought to be pivotal in eradicating minimal residual disease after BMT for CML.
A semiotic perspective on aesthetic preferences, visual literacy, and information design

To indicate that the world ‘out’ there’ is what we, as humans, conceive it to be, and not as it is in and for itself, I will consider the image-making process as a process of visual modeling of concepts. As such, visual modeling is equivalent to the meaning-making process, since a graphic model is the conceptual model of structural and conceptual relations. I will discuss functional differences between images and diagrams, as categories fulfilling different expectations, the former being tools of art-making, and the latter being tools of information design. In order to facilitate the goal of advancing the level of visual literacy, I will examine the factors contributing to the shaping of the boundaries of visual literacy and aesthetic preferences. In doing so, I will relate the evolutionary process of form development to the development of its semantic dimension, using examples from the art of children. I argue that the rules of constructing images at the early stages of form development are identical with the rules of designing diagrams.
Binge Drinking Despite Consequences: The Role of Psychological Dysregulation

ABSTRACTThe relationship between binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences has been validated through research in several ways, yet adolescents continue to use alcohol in high quantities despite negative outcomes. Psychological dysregulation has been understood as a predisposing factor for adolescent use, but this research sought to investigate the role of affective, behavioral, and cognitive dysregulation as perpetuating factors. The current study examined psychological dysregulation as a mediator in the relationship between binge drinking and related consequences. One hundred twenty-three participants were referred by school administrators. Participants were given questionnaires to measure quantity of alcohol use, alcohol-related consequences, and psychological dysregulation. Conditional process found that psychological dysregulation mediated the relationship between binge drinking and consequences. An implication of this research is that adolescents continue to drink in high volumes despite negat...
Designing Social Memory Artifacts in a Smart Home

Memory is shaped by the media in which it is communicated (van Dijck, 2007). In a world where people live enmeshed with computing technologies, there are myriad opportunities to enrich and enhance everyday life with new kinds of memory. In my dissertation research, I employ a mixed methods interpretivist approach to investigate how people relate to and revisit memories of their past, how families collectively interact with shared memory, and how pervasive "ubicomp" technologies can be designed to support and enhance the social activities of sharing family memory across generations.
Immunodominance in allergic T-cell reactivity to Japanese cedar in different geographic cohorts

Abstract Background Japanese cedar (JC) pollen is a common trigger for allergic rhinitis in Japan. Pollen proteins targeted by IgE, including Cry j 1 and Cry j 2, and isoflavone reductase (IFR) have been identified. Objective To compare antigen-specific IgE titers and T-cell responses to JC pollen–derived extract and peptides in cohorts with high and low pollen exposure. Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from JC pollen allergic or nonallergic patients who have lived in Japan for at least 1 year and JC pollen allergic patients who have never been to Japan were tested for T-cell responses against JC pollen extract and peptide pools derived from Cry j 1, Cry j 2, or IFR. T-cell reactivity was assessed by interleukin 5 and interferon γ production by ELISPOT. Results JC pollen–specific T-cell reactivity and IgE titers were significantly higher in the allergic compared with the nonallergic Japanese cohort, which was also associated with different patterns of polysensitization. Interestingly, a significant overlap was observed in the hierarchy of the T-cell epitopes in the allergic Japanese cohort compared with the allergic non-Japanese cohort. In all 3 cohorts, T-cell reactivity was dominantly directed against peptides from the major allergens Cry j 1 and 2, with few T-cell responses detected against IFR. Conclusion Our studies identify common denominators of T-cell reactivity in patient populations with different sensitization patterns, suggesting that generally applicable immunotherapeutic approaches might be developed irrespective of exposure modality.
Breast cancer evaluation and targeted investigational therapy (BEAT-IT): A pilot prospective tissue testing to guide clinical trial selection.

532 Background: An increasing number of molecularly targeted drugs are now available in Phase I and II clinical trials. Many of these drugs target specific molecular abnormalities such as mutated, ...
The Aurora Laser Optical System

The Los Alamos National Laboratory KrF Aurora laser optical system is described. Conceptual, first-order, and detailed designs are presented for the major 248-nm ultraviolet optical, subsystems. In Aurora, a 5-ns front-end pulse is replicated and time encoded into a 96-beam, 480-ns pulse train, angle encoded, amplified, and then time and angle decoded so that all the 5-ns pulses arrive at the target plane simultaneously. The encoder and the centered optical system that directs the pulse train through the amplifiers have been installed, on major alignment system has been built and tested, and most decoder optical components have been designed and ordered. The plan is to have the entire optical system installed and initial integration completed by October 1987.
Athero-inflammatory nanotherapeutics: Ferulic acid-based poly(anhydride-ester) nanoparticles attenuate foam cell formation by regulating macrophage lipogenesis and reactive oxygen species generation.

Abstract Enhanced bioactive anti-oxidant formulations are critical for treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis. A hallmark of early atherosclerosis is the uptake of oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) by macrophages, which results in foam cell and plaque formation in the arterial wall. The hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative properties of polyphenol compounds make them attractive targets for treatment of atherosclerosis. However, high concentrations of antioxidants can reverse their anti-atheroprotective properties and cause oxidative stress within the artery. Here, we designed a new class of nanoparticles with anti-oxidant polymer cores and shells comprised of scavenger receptor targeting amphiphilic macromolecules (AMs). Specifically, we designed ferulic acid-based poly(anhydride-ester) nanoparticles to counteract the uptake of high levels of oxLDL and regulate reactive oxygen species generation (ROS) in human monocyte derived macrophages (HMDMs). Compared to all compositions examined, nanoparticles with core ferulic acid-based polymers linked by diglycolic acid (PFAG) showed the greatest inhibition of oxLDL uptake. At high oxLDL concentrations, the ferulic acid diacids and polymer nanoparticles displayed similar oxLDL uptake. Treatment with the PFAG nanoparticles downregulated the expression of macrophage scavenger receptors, CD-36, MSR-1, and LOX-1 by about 20–50%, one of the causal factors for the decrease in oxLDL uptake. The PFAG nanoparticle lowered ROS production by HMDMs, which is important for maintaining macrophage growth and prevention of apoptosis. Based on these results, we propose that ferulic acid-based poly(anhydride ester) nanoparticles may offer an integrative strategy for the localized passivation of the early stages of the atheroinflammatory cascade in cardiovascular disease. Statement of Significance Future development of anti-oxidant formulations for atherosclerosis applications is essential to deliver an efficacious dose while limiting localized concentrations of pro-oxidants. In this study, we illustrate the potential of degradable ferulic acid-based polymer nanoparticles to control macrophage foam cell formation by significantly reducing oxLDL uptake through downregulation of scavenger receptors, CD-36, MSR-1, and LOX-1. Another critical finding is the ability of the degradable ferulate-based polymer nanoparticles to lower macrophage reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, a precursor to apoptosis and plaque escalation. The degradable ferulic acid-based polymer nanoparticles hold significant promise as a means to alter the treatment and progression of atherosclerosis.
Macrophyte community response to nitrogen loading and thermal stressors in rapidly flushed mesocosm systems

Abstract A mesocosm system was developed to simulate estuarine conditions characteristic of short water-residence time ecosystems of the Pacific Coast of North America, and used to evaluate the response of multiple macrophyte metrics to gradients of NO 3 loading and temperature. Replicated experiments found that few responses could be directly attributed to NO 3 loading up to 6 x ambient. Some response metrics exhibited weak relationships with nutrient loading but could not be resolved with available statistical power. While direct nutrient responses were found for some species-specific metrics (e.g. green macroalgal growth and biomass, tissue N%, etc.), many patterns were confounded with temperature. Temperature generally had a larger effect on response metrics than did nutrient load. Experimental macrophyte communities exhibited community shifts consistent with the predicted effects of nutrient loading at 20 °C, but there was no evidence of other eutrophication symptoms (phytoplankton blooms or hypoxia) due to the short system-residence time. The Z . marina Nutrient Pollution Index (NPI) tracked the NO 3 gradient at 10 °C, but exhibited no response at 20 °C, which may limit the utility of this metric in areas with marked thermal seasonality. Results suggest that teasing apart the influence of temperature and nutrients on the expression of eutrophication symptoms will require complex multi-stressor experiments and the use of indicators that are sensitive across a broad range of conditions.
Economic and clinical burden of viral hepatitis in California: A population-based study with longitudinal analysis

Background Economic burden of HBV and HCV infection are trending upwards. Aims Compare hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) related hospital admission rates, charges, mortality rates, causes of death in a US population-based study. Methods Retrospective cohort analysis of HBV and HCV patients from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (2006-2013) database. Results A total of 23,891 HBV and 148,229 HCV patients were identified. Across the 8-year period, the mean increase for all-cause ($1,863 vs $1,388) and liver-related hospitalization charges ($1,175 vs $675) were significantly higher for the HBV cohort compared to the HCV cohort. HBV patients had significantly higher liver-related hospital charges per person per year than HCV patients after controlling for covariates ($123,239 vs $111,837; p = 0.002). Compared to HCV patients, adjusted mortality hazard ratio was slightly lower in HBV patients (relative risk = 0.96; 95% CI 0.94-0.99). The major causes and places of death were different. The three major causes of death for HBV were: other malignant neoplasms (35%), cardiovascular disease/other circulatory disorders (17%), and liver-related disease (15%) whereas for HCV patients were: liver-related disease (22%), other malignant neoplasms (20%), and cardiovascular disease (16%). Regarding the place of death, 53% of HBV patients and 44% of HCV patients died in hospital inpatient, respectively. Conclusions HBV patients incurred higher liver-related hospital charges and higher mean increase for all-cause and liver-related hospitalization charges over the 8-year period compared to HCV patients. HBV patients had slightly lower mortality rate and their major causes and places of death were noticeably different from HCV patients.
Mast cell involvement in neurogenic inflammation

Mast cells derive from a distinct precursor in the bone marrow [1] and migrate into most tissues, where they acquire distinct characteristics in response to different micro-environmental influences, such as stem cell factor, nerve growth factor, or the cytokines, interleukin (IL)-3, -4 and -6 [2]. Mast cells are responsible for allergic reactions but mounting evidence indicates that they also participate in inflammation [3, 4] and homeostasis [5]. They are present in the meninges [6–11], especially the dura mater, which contains a large proportion of the total intracranial histamine [12]. The mast cells in the dura resemble those in connective tissue since they stain metachromatically with toluidine blue [13] and immunohistochemically for rat mast-cell protease I [14]. Connective-tissue mast cells and mucosal mast cells vary considerably in their staining characteristics as well as in their cytokine content [2, 15]. The mast cells in the rat dura mater, staining violet with toluidine blue, are often seen next to blood vessels (Fig. 1A). This close association with blood vessels can be appreciated better with electron microscopy, showing mast cells “embracing” the endothelial cells that make up the blood vessel wall (Fig. 1B).
Promise and Reality of Practiced Distributed Education (DE) Faculty Perspective

Student centered. Demonstrable outcomes. Center of gravity shifting from learned to learner. Learn by doing. Collaboration. Critical thinking. Student responsible for learning. Deeper learning. Ongoing feedback. Outcome assessment. Priority on how, not where, a student learns. Life-long learning opportunities. Global access 24/7/365. Effectiveness. Efficiency. Revolution. These are but a few of the touted promises of distributed education (DE) that are supported by new and evolving web based information technologies (IT). Education periodicals bombard their readers with heralds of the IT community’s pledge to revolutionize education out of the industrial age of Taylorized mass production of passive students and into the knowledge age of life long active learners. Notable educators predict DE will profoundly affect the traditional classroom, forcing it to follow the DE classroom in becoming more of a student centered active learning environment. (Carnevale, April, 2001; Newman & Scurry, 2001; Toward a model of distributed learning, 1999) Is there any truth to this hype?
Design and Implementation of the Digital Filter via the Signal Processor

Basic IIR and FIR digital filters design techniques are reviewed, with emphasis on various analog-to-digital conversion methods for deriving IIR filter transfer functions, as well as windowing and frequency sampling methods for FIR filters design. The computational algorithm of filtering is then realized in recursive and nonrecursive network structures for hardware implementation. The recently developed INTEL 2920 signal processor is used for demonstrating the implementation of the four basic operations of digital filtering: input/output, add/subtract, multiply and unit delay. Key features of other similar processors are also listed.
Neuroregulatory Peptides of Central Nervous System Origin: From Bench to Bedside

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on neuropeptides of central nervous system (CNS) origin, but predominantly on those that have known clinical relevance. Consequently, neuropeptides secreted by the lower or more primitive parts of the brain, in particular, the hypothalamus, are somewhat more of a focus than those elaborated by higher-level organizations, such as the cerebral cortex. In fact, not only is more known about the neuroendocrinology of the hypothalamus than of the higher centers, but the position of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain is an intrinsic source of its power to influence all brain signals that flow out into the periphery of the corpus. Thus, although evolutionarily "lower or more primitive" than cortical neurons, the hypothalamus elaborates products, such as pituitary releasing hormones, that are of exceptional importance in regulating all mass-sustained organismic functions.
It’s So “Vonderful”

A 51-year-old woman with breast cancer and a history of type 1 von Willebrand disease (VWD) is scheduled for a left total mastectomy. The patient relates a history of easy bruising, frequent nose bleeds, and menorrhagia; the patient successfully delivered a full-term baby at age 32 for which she had received prophylactic transfusions with cryoprecipitate. The patient has had no prior surgeries, but did have a wisdom tooth extraction as a teenager for which she received prophylactic desmopressin acetate (DDAVP, l-deamino-8-d-arginine vasopressin) injection and experienced only minor bleeding. A type and screen (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid [EDTA] anticoagulant) sample is submitted to the blood bank.
High prevalence of hereditary cancer syndromes and outcomes in adults with early-onset pancreatic cancer.

4129Background: Most patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are diagnosed over the age of 65. Individuals diagnosed under the age of 60 are considered to be early-onset and potential...
Decoupling the role of stress and corrosion in the intergranular cracking of noble-metal alloys.

Intergranular stress-corrosion cracking (IGSCC) is a form of environmentally induced crack propagation causing premature failure of elemental metals and alloys. It is believed to require the simultaneous presence of tensile stress and corrosion; however, the exact nature of this synergy has eluded experimental identification. For noble metal alloys such as Ag–Au, IGSCC is a consequence of dealloying corrosion, forming a nanoporous gold layer that is believed to have the ability to transmit cracks into grain boundaries in un-dealloyed parent phase via a pure mechanical process. Here using atomic-scale techniques and statistical characterizations for this alloy system, we show that the separate roles of stress and anodic dissolution can be decoupled and that the apparent synergy exists owing to rapid time-dependent morphology changes at the dealloyed layer/parent phase interface. We discuss the applicability of our findings to the IGSCC of important engineering Fe- and Ni-based alloys in critical applications. The model alloy of Au–Ag is studied to decouple the role of stress and corrosion in intergranular cracking caused by metal dissolution. Nanoporous corrosion layers can mechanically inject a crack into grain boundaries of the parent phase.
Prediction of novel high-pressure H 2 O -NaCl and carbon oxide compounds with a symmetry-driven structure search algorithm

Crystal structure prediction with theoretical methods is particularly challenging when unit cells with many atoms need to be considered. Here we employ a symmetry-driven structure search (SYDSS) method and combine it with density functional theory (DFT) to predict novel crystal structures at high pressure. We sample randomly from all 1506 Wyckoff positions of the 230 space groups to generate a set of initial structures. During the subsequent structural relaxation with DFT, existing symmetries are preserved, but the symmetries and the space group may change as atoms move to more symmetric positions. By construction, our algorithm generates symmetric structures with high probability without excluding any configurations. This improves the search efficiency, especially for large cells with 20 atoms or more. We apply our SYDSS algorithm to identify stoichiometric (${\mathrm{H}}_{2}{\mathrm{O})}_{n}$-(${\mathrm{NaCl})}_{m}$ and ${\mathrm{C}}_{n}{\mathrm{O}}_{m}$ compounds at high pressure. We predict a novel ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$-NaCl structure with Pnma symmetry to form at 3.4 Mbar, which is within the range of diamond anvil experiments. In addition, we predict a novel ${\mathrm{C}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$ structure at 19.8 Mbar and ${\mathrm{C}}_{4}\mathrm{O}$ structure at 44.0 Mbar with Pbca and C2/m symmetry, respectively.
The crab nebula and its mysteries: some facts and puzzles

We discuss and summarize five results that we and various colleagues have produced over the last few years in the study of the wonderful, yet enigmatic, Crab Nebula and its pulsar. The results, in turn, have to do with the geometry inferred from Chandra X-ray observations, the surprising results of pulse phase polarimetry at 1.4 GHz, the search for an X-ray location of the γ-ray flares for which we have Agile and Fermi to thank, and seeing if the optical and infrared inner knot might be the location of these flares.
The Ends of Your Means

This chapter lays out the first steps to bringing closure to an empirical study. Above all, this involves pursuing “coherence,” in which the study’s findings, economic theory, and vernacular knowledge about the phenomenon of interest coalesce into a logically consistent, unified whole. The pursuit of coherence is multifaceted, and extends to the larger literature to which the study belongs. These ideas inform studies of the demand for cigarettes, zero tolerance drunk driving laws, The Great Moderation, and more.
Residential development and near-roadway air pollution: Assessing risk and mitigation in San Jose, California

Abstract Air pollution from high-traffic roadways has been connected with serious health conditions and premature death. While housing is commonly built near America's busiest roadways, we know little about the application of mitigation measures that could reduce residents' exposure to transportation-related pollution. This paper assesses the high-traffic roadway proximity of new housing in San Jose (California) and mitigation measures by public and private sector actors. We studied San Jose's 39 largest residential developments approved between 2008 and 2016. We examined project approval documents; visited development sites; measured proximity using geographic information systems (GIS); assessed aerial and Google Street View imagery; and collected data on green building certifications. Many of these developments were near freeways or major highways; about 4% of new housing units were within 500 feet of a high-traffic roadway, and 45% of new units were within 1500 feet of such roads. Public and private sector actors implemented limited mitigation measures. California's state government updated its building energy code and constructed soundwalls along some freeways. Some real estate developers also included green building features that may improve indoor air quality. But, there were no local regulations specifically guiding residential development along high-traffic roadways. In general, public and private sector mitigation measures were limited and uncoordinated. This research informs policymakers' efforts to reduce transportation-related pollution exposure and improve public health.
Robot Control and Computer Languages

From the earliest stages of their development, robot manipulators have been tied to computers by robot-control languages. These special languages have endeavoured to deal with the complexities of real-time control, multiple processes, the description of robot-manipulation tasks and the integration of sensors. In every case, these languages have been able to provide only partial solutions to the general problem. We propose a new solution to the problem by integrating the robot control into an existing high-level language. The robot manipulator is integrated in such a manner that conventional programming techniques can be used to solve the special requirements of manipulator control. We use the ‘C’ language and run the manipulator under the UNIX operating system. The robot manipulator is integrated into the language in the same manner as is input/output; that is, integration into the language is handled by a small set of functions included in a library. The robot program thus becomes a conventional ‘C’ program. The implementation language of the library is also written in ‘C’ which provides a ‘user transparent’ system, allowing complete freedom in the mode of controlling the manipulator.
Echocardiographic assessment of asymptomatic US Air Force members with early HIV infection.

People living with HIV (PLHIV) are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and development of subclinical echocardiographic abnormalities. However, there is scant evidence of the echocardiographic changes that occur shortly after seroconversion. In this study we describe the echocardiographic evaluations of asymptomatic US Air Force members who were diagnosed with HIV infection and evaluated at the San Antonio Military Medical Center between September 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016. Patients (n = 50) were predominantly male (96%), mostly African American (60%), with a mean age of 28 years. At HIV diagnosis, the mean viral load was 112,585 copies/mL and CD4 count was 551 cells/μL. All were found to have normal left ventricular systolic ejection fraction (EF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) however evidence of right ventricular dilatation and left ventricular remodeling was observed in 7 (14%) and 13 (26%) patients, respectively. Subgroup analyses showed no significant differences in echocardiographic findings by HIV disease severity or CVD risk factors (p > 0.05 for all).This study suggests that untreated HIV may have a low impact on the development of echocardiographic abnormalities shortly after seroconversion. Longitudinal studies are warranted to determine the optimal CVD risk assessment strategies for PLHIV.