cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Membrane-deforming Proteins Play Distinct Roles in Actin Pedestal Biogenesis by Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli

Many bacterial pathogens reorganize the host actin cytoskeleton during the course of infection, including enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), which utilizes the effector protein EspFU to assemble actin filaments within plasma membrane protrusions called pedestals. EspFU activates N-WASP, a host actin nucleation-promoting factor that is normally auto-inhibited and found in a complex with the actin-binding protein WIP. Under native conditions, this N-WASP/WIP complex is activated by the small GTPase Cdc42 in concert with several different SH3 (Src-homology-3) domain-containing proteins. In the current study, we tested whether SH3 domains from the F-BAR (FCH-Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs) subfamily of membrane-deforming proteins are involved in actin pedestal formation. We found that three F-BAR proteins: CIP4, FBP17, and TOCA1 (transducer of Cdc42-dependent actin assembly), play different roles during actin pedestal biogenesis. Whereas CIP4 and FBP17 inhibited actin pedestal assembly, TOCA1 stimulated this process. TOCA1 was recruited to pedestals by its SH3 domain, which bound directly to proline-rich sequences within EspFU. Moreover, EspFU and TOCA1 activated the N-WASP/WIP complex in an additive fashion in vitro, suggesting that TOCA1 can augment actin assembly within pedestals. These results reveal that EspFU acts as a scaffold to recruit multiple actin assembly factors whose functions are normally regulated by Cdc42.
Parallel computing methods for analyzing gene expression relationships

ABSTRACT This paper presents a parallel program for assessing the codetermination of gene transcriptional states from large-scalesimultaneous gene expression measurements with cDNA microarrays. The parallel program is based on a nonlinear statisticalframework recently proposed for the analysis of gene interaction via multivariate expression arrays. Parallel computing is keyin the application of the statistical framework to a large set of genes because a prohibitive amount of computer time isrequired on a classical single-CPU machine. Our parallel program, named the Parallel Analysis of Gene Expression (PAGE)program, exploits inherent parallelism exhibited in the proposed codetermination prediction models. By running PAGE on 64processors in Beowulf , a clustered parallel system, an analysis of melanoma cDNA microarray expression data has beencompleted within 12 days of computer time, an analysis that would have required about one and half years on a single-CPUcomputing system. A data visualization program, named the Visualization of Gene Expression (VOGE) program, has beendeveloped to help interpret the massive amount of quantitative information produced by PAGE. VOGE provides graphicaldata visualization and analysis tools with filters, histograms, and accesses to other genetic databanks for further analyses ofthe quantitative information.Keywords: Parallel Computing, Data Visualization, Coefficient of Determination, Gene Expression, cDNA Microarray
Hyaluronan in Tissue Injury and Repair

A hallmark of tissue injury and repair is the turnover of extracellular matrix components. This review focuses on the role of the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan in tissue injury and repair. Both the synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix are critical contributors to tissue repair and remodeling. Fragmented hyaluronan accumulates during tissue injury and functions in ways distinct from the native polymer. There is accumulating evidence that hyaluronan degradation products can stimulate the expression of inflammatory genes by a variety of immune cells at the injury site. CD44 is the major cell-surface hyaluronan receptor and is required to clear hyaluronan degradation products produced during lung injury; impaired clearance of hyaluronan results in persistent inflammation. However, hyaluronan fragment stimulation of inflammatory gene expression is not dependent on CD44 in inflammatory macrophages. Instead, hyaluronan fragments utilize both Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and TLR2 to stimulate inflammatory genes in macrophages. Hyaluronan also is present on the cell surface of lung alveolar epithelial cells and provides protection against tissue damage by interacting with TLR2 and TLR4 on these parenchymal cells. The simple repeating structure of hyaluronan appears to be involved in a number of important aspects of noninfectious tissue injury and repair that are dependent on the size and location of the polymer as well as the interacting cells. Thus, the interactions between the endogenous matrix component hyaluronan and its signaling receptors initiate inflammatory responses, maintain structural cell integrity, and promote recovery from tissue injury.
In-plane thermal conductance measurement of one-dimensional nanostructures

We present a new analytical model for thermal conductivity measurement of one-dimensional nanostructures on substrates. The model expands the capability of the conventional 3ω technique, to make it versatile with both in and out of plane thermal conductivity measurement on specimens either freestanding or attached to substrates. We demonstrate the model on both conducting (aluminum) and semi-conducting (focused ion beam deposited platinum) specimens. The agreement with the established values in the literature suggests the superiority of this technique in terms of convenience and robustness of measurement.
Repeated heroin in rats produces locomotor sensitization and enhances appetitive Pavlovian and instrumental learning involving food reward

We tested the hypothesis that sensitization to heroin enhances appetitive motivational processes involving food reward. In Experiment 1, sixteen rats were exposed to positive pairings of a light stimulus and food for 4 consecutive daily sessions. Then, the rats received either saline or heroin (2 mg/kg) injections before placement in activity monitors for 9 consecutive daily sessions. Rats were then tested in operant conditioning chambers where one lever produced the light stimulus previously paired with food and another lever produced a tone stimulus not paired with anything. Heroin produced both significant progressive increases in locomotor activity (sensitization) and significantly enhanced conditioned reinforcement of instrumental lever pressing by the food-associated stimulus. In Experiment 2, thirty-two rats were given Pavlovian discrimination training in a conditioned magazine approach task where one stimulus was associated with food and a second unpaired with food. Rats then received repeated saline or heroin injections as in Experiment 1, before being tested under extinction conditions with the two stimuli without the drug. Chronic heroin had no effect on performance in this test, but it facilitated learning of the reversed discrimination in a subsequent phase. These data suggest that sensitization to heroin enhances appetitive motivational processes involving food reward.
Dual-Mode Flowfield In Scramjet Combustor

A numerical study of a dual-mode combustor has been conducted to investigate the effect of the flow Mach number on both mixing and combustion processes using unstructured grids. A wall-mounted parallel injector ramp has been selected as the fuel injector. Results are obtained with swept and unswept raised ramps. Numerical results are presented for non reacting flows as well as for reacting flows. A constant area duct (isolator) of 30 H in length is placed before the swept ramp in the non reacting flows case. In the reacting flows case, a short isolator of 10 H in length has been placed before the unswept ramp. A three-dimensional model for the combustor configuration has been used. Numerical results are obtained using an existing finite volume CFD code with unstructured grids with size of about 400,000 cells. Results for both non reacting and reacting flows show that increasing the flow Mach number decreases the mixing rate. Also, significant decrease in total pressure is observed as a result of increasing the flow Mach number.
Presence of a specific antiestrogen binding site on human follicular thyroid carcinoma cell line (UCLA RO 82 W-1) : inhibition by an endogenous ligand present in human serum

A receptor for antiestrogens, distinct from the estrogen receptor, has been identified in several tissues including the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Estrogen receptors have also been found in normal and pathological thyroid tissue homogenates. We demonstrate the presence of an antiestrogen binding site (AEBS) on a pure human follicular thyroid carcinoma cell line (UCLA RO 82 W-1) using a 3H-tamoxifen (3H-TAM) binding assay. The binding of 3H-TAM to the AEBS was determined after preincubation (30 min) of the cells with excess 17 beta-estradiol (2 mumol/L). Specific and saturable binding of 3H-TAM to the cells was observed. Displacement of the tracer from its binding site was dose dependent. Scatchard analysis revealed a dissociation constant (Kd) of 73 nmol/L, indicating a binding site with moderate affinity and capacity (72 pmol/10(6) cells). Using this assay we were also able to demonstrate the presence of an endogenous ligand for the AEBS in ethanol extracts of human serum. Cell growth and 3H-thymidin...
Risk Analysis Modeling of Production Costs and Occupational Health Exposure of Single‐Wall Carbon Nanotube Manufacturing

Summary Considerable uncertainty exists about occupational risks, future environmental health and safety (EHS) standards, and associated production and compliance costs for single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) manufacturing processes. We propose and illustrate the use of risk analysis Monte Carlo (MC) models to assess cost and exposure trade-offs of the highpressure carbon monoxide (HiPco) SWNT manufacturing process given these uncertainties. Assumptions regarding the timing, frequency, magnitude, and expense of EHS standards are modeled as stochastic events and examined for their impact on the expected values, variances, and probability distributions of total production costs and occupational exposure. With a better understanding of associated risks, these models can help policy makers and manufacturers explore potential EHS benefits, consequences, and trade-offs. For example, results suggest that voluntary implementation of a low level of protection (rather than none at all) can lead to reduced cost and exposure uncertainty with insignificant increases in production costs, as well as lowering total manufacturing and liability costs, depending on the assumptions made. Conversely, slower implementation rates of higher standards produce greater uncertainty in long-term costs and exposure. More generally, the results of this study underscore three important observations: (1) Expected costs alone are insufficient for informed decision making; (2) the best level of standards, overall cost, and optimal voluntary standards are highly dependent on uncertain health effects; and (3) the resultant amount of uncertainty in total costs and exposure can be extreme.
Smart PSK provisioning: a key-management and authentication scheme for wireless LANs

The majority of the authentication methods used in modern wireless local area networks (WLANs) are inherited from protocols designed for wired networks. They provide a good level of security, but they do not support mobility well and they are not computationally efficient. More efficient and mobility-friendly mechanisms, based on pre-shared keys (PSK), are beginning to appear, but they present significant issues with the provisioning and management of the credentials they need. In this paper we introduce smart PSK provisioning (SPP), a combination of two classes of authentication methods. By taking advantage of the combined features of TLS-based and PSK-based authentication mechanisms, SPP provides security, network and computational efficiency, manageability of credentials and modularity. Qualitative and quantitative analysis show how SPP satisfies all these requirements, and how its performance compares very favorably with that of TLS-based authentication mechanisms.
Stathmin Regulates Microtubule Dynamics and Microtubule Organizing Center Polarization in Activated T Cells

Polarization of T cells involves reorientation of the microtubule organizing center (MTOC). Because activated ERK is localized at the immunological synapse, we investigated its role by showing that ERK activation is important for MTOC polarization. Suspecting that ERK phosphorylates a regulator of microtubules, we next focused on stathmin, a known ERK substrate. Our work indicates that during T cell activation, ERK is recruited to the synapse, allowing it to phosphorylate stathmin molecules near the immunological synapse. Supporting an important role of stathmin phosphorylation in T cell activation, we showed that T cell activation results in increased microtubule growth rate dependent on the presence of stathmin. The significance of this finding was demonstrated by results showing that CTLs from stathmin −/− mice displayed defective MTOC polarization and defective target cell cytolysis. These data implicate stathmin as a regulator of the microtubule network during T cell activation.
Glucose Control Lowers the Risk of Wound Infection in Diabetics After Open Heart Operations

Abstract Background . Elevated blood glucose levels in the postoperative period are associated with an increased risk of deep wound infection in diabetic individuals undergoing open heart operations at Providence St. Vincent Hospital. Methods . Of 8,910 patients who underwent cardiac operations between 1987 and 1993, 1,585 (18%) were diabetic. The rate of deep sternal wound infections in diabetic patients was 1.7%, versus 0.4% for nondiabetics. Nine hundred ninety patients had their operation before implementation of the protocol and 595 after implementation. Charts of all diabetic patients were reviewed. Mean blood glucose levels were calculated from documented results of finger-stick glucometer testing. Results . Thirty-three diabetic patients suffered 35 deep wound infections: 27 sternal (1.7%) and eight at the donor site (0.5%). Infected diabetic patients had a higher mean blood glucose level through the first 2 postoperative days than noninfected patients (208 ± 7.1 versus 190 ± 0.8 mg/dL; p 2 ; p p = 0.002), obesity ( p p p Conclusions . The incidence of deep wound infection in diabetic patients was reduced after implementation of a protocol to maintain mean blood glucose level less than 200 mg/dL in the immediate postoperative period. (Ann Thorac Surg 1997;63:356–61)
A Discourse Analysis of Nursing Diagnosis

The author presents a discourse analysis in three sections: a genealogy, a structural discourse analysis, and a power analytic. She concludes that the discourse of nursing diagnosis sustains conditions of social domination, limits autonomy and responsibility, and oppresses individuals and groups. The discourse of nursing diagnosis restricts what counts as evidence and limits acceptable input of voices, thus excluding, for example, the voices of the patient and his or her family. The discourse of nursing diagnosis appeals to the dominance of empirical analytic science and equates this dominance with professional social status. The author discusses potential discourses of resistance that provide speaking positions from which to articulate specific practices that resist oppressive effects of nursing diagnosis.
Predicting takeover targets: A methodological and empirical analysis

Abstract Several published studies claim that acquisition targets can be accurately predicted by models using public data. This paper points out a number of methodological flaws which bias the results of these studies. A fresh empirical study is carried out after correcting these methodological flaws. The results show that it is difficult to predict targets, indicating that the prediction accuracies reported by the earlier studies are overstated. The methodological issues addressed in this paper are also relevant to other research settings that involve binary state prediction models with skewed distribution of the two states of interest.
Salinity's influence on boron toxicity in broccoli: II. Impacts on boron uptake, uptake mechanisms and tissue ion relations

Limited research has been conducted on the interactive effects of salinity and boron stresses on plants despite their common occurrence in natural systems. The purpose of this research was to determine and quantify the interactive effects of salinity, salt composition and boron on broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) performance, particularly, element accumulation, ion interactions and boron uptake processes. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using a sand tank system where salinity-B treatment solutions were supplemented with a complete nutrient solution. Chloride-dominated salinity and salinity characteristic of California’s San Joaquin valley (SJV), or sulfate-dominated, were tested at ECw (electrical conductivity of the irrigation water) levels of 2, 12 and 19 dS m � 1 . Each salinity treatment consisted of boron treatments of 0.5, 12 and 24 mg L � 1 . Salinity, regardless of salt composition, reduced shoot boron concentration at very high boron concentration (24 mg L � 1 ). However, increased salinity increased shoot boron concentration when external boron concentration was low (0.5 mg L � 1 ). Tissue Ca, Mg, Na, K, S and Cl concentrations were also affected by salinity level, chloride or sulfate salinity composition, and in some cases by substrate boron concentration. Calcium concentrations in shoots were greater for chloride-treated salinity as compared to SJV salinity-treated plants; magnesium concentrations trended opposite and were greater in those treated with SJV salinity. Chloride and sodium shoot concentrations both increased with salinity. Shoot chloride was greater with chloride substrate salinity and shoot sodium was greater with SJV substrate salinity. Using stable isotope analysis of solutions to separate transpiration from evapotranspiration (ET), we found that boron uptake and accumulation in the shoot
A longitudinal study of cognitive functioning in patients with classical galactosaemia, including a cohort treated with oral uridine

Existing longitudinal data on patients with classical galactosaemia suggests that neurocognitive functioning is impaired and, in isolated case reports, may show a decline in performance over time. The present study explored whether there are long-term changes in cognitive abilities in patients with galactosaemia and whether oral uridine can improve neurocognitive performance. Thirty-five patients (18 males, 17 females), 29 of whom received oral uridine powder at 150 mg/kg per day (divided dose, three times daily), were evaluated over a 2-5-year period with the Woodcock-Johnson Revised Cognitive Abilities Test, three academic achievement tests, and the Beery Test of Visual Motor Integration. Results showed that the uridine cohort and a comparison group that received only dietary restriction made small gains in cognitive performance over the treatment period and the size of the gains did not differ significantly. Seven subjects who started uridine prior to the age of 14 months did not differ significantly in their cognitive test scores at an average age of 3.5 years from a group of older children who had begun treatment at 4.5 years of age. These results provide no support for any developmental or uridine-treatment-related change in cognitive functioning for this sample of galactosaemic subjects.
Serum response factor regulates expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog through a microRNA network in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Objective— Serum response factor (SRF) is a critical transcription factor in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) controlling differentiation and proliferation. Our previous work demonstrated that depleting SRF in cultured SMCs decreased expression of SMC markers but increased proliferation and inflammatory mediators. A similar phenotype has been observed in SMCs silenced for phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), suggesting that SRF and PTEN may lie on a common pathway. Our goal was to determine the effect of SRF depletion on PTEN levels and define mechanisms mediating this effect. Methods and Results— In SRF-silenced SMCs, PTEN protein levels but not mRNA levels were decreased, suggesting posttranscriptional regulation. Reintroduction of PTEN into SRF-depleted SMCs reversed increases in proliferation and cytokine/chemokine production but had no effect on SMC marker expression. SRF-depleted cells showed decreased levels of microRNA (miR)-143 and increased miR-21, which was sufficient to suppress PTEN. Increased miR-21 expression was dependent on induction of Fos related antigen (FRA)-1, which is a direct target of miR-143. Introducing miR-143 into SRF-depleted SMCs reduced FRA-1 expression and miR-21 levels and restored PTEN expression. Conclusion— SRF regulates PTEN expression in SMCs through a miR network involving miR-143, targeting FRA-1, which regulates miR-21. Cross-talk between SRF and PTEN likely represents a critical axis in phenotypic remodeling of SMCs.
Performance Requirements for Ionospheric Correction of Low-Frequency SAR Data

In recent years, significant progress has been made in developing theory and methods for modeling, detecting, and correcting ionospheric effects in low-frequency synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. While a large number of correction methods have been developed that differ in sensitivity, data needs, and spatiotemporal accuracy, a lack of performance requirements for ionospheric correction has prevented an evaluation of their suitability for operational implementation. Hence, this paper focuses on the development of performance requirements for the correction of ionospheric effects in low-frequency SAR data. The requirements are derived considering the data quality needs of a set of SAR applications and will ensure the SAR data after ionospheric correction to meet calibration specifications and maintain full performance during all ionospheric conditions. The proposed requirements can serve as a benchmark for a performance assessment of ionospheric correction methods and will help define their suitability for operational implementation. Requirements are determined for SAR polarimetry, SAR imaging, SAR interferometry, and ionospheric research.
VHDL: a powerful digital design and simulation tool

There have been several digital systems simulation software and hardware definition language (HDL) packages in use. However, most of them do not follow set standards and some of them are incremental. There has been growing interest in the VHDL (very high speed integrated circuit HDL) design platform with capabilities to design and simulate the sub-modules, then integrate them and study the response of the system as a whole. In addition VHDL has been following the standards set by the IEEE and leading industries. At Florida International University, the authors have found extensive use of the VHDL in the instructional and research disciplines in designing, simulating, and studying the responses for improved design of very complex digital systems. The authors have devised a methodology to make the VHDL, a real design and guiding tool for almost any type of digital system. They describe the educational and industrial use of VHDL specific case studies. A sequential approach to solving the design problems is presented.
Evidence of off-target effects associated with long dsRNAs in Drosophila melanogaster cell-based assays

To evaluate the specificity of long dsRNAs used in high-throughput RNA interference (RNAi) screens performed at the Drosophila RNAi Screening Center (DRSC), we performed a global analysis of their activity in 30 genome-wide screens completed at our facility. Notably, our analysis predicts that dsRNAs containing > or = 19-nucleotide perfect matches identified in silico to unintended targets may contribute to a significant false positive error rate arising from off-target effects. We confirmed experimentally that such sequences in dsRNAs lead to false positives and to efficient knockdown of a cross-hybridizing transcript, raising a cautionary note about interpreting results based on the use of a single dsRNA per gene. Although a full appreciation of all causes of false positive errors remains to be determined, we suggest simple guidelines to help ensure high-quality information from RNAi high-throughput screens.
Following heterogeneous nucleation of CO2 on H2O ice nanoparticles with microsecond resolution

Heterogeneous nucleation of CO2 onto H2O ice particles may play an important role in proposed innovative CO2 capture technologies, as well as in the formation of Martian clouds. In this work we follow the nucleation/condensation of CO2/H2O gas mixtures with microsecond resolution in supersonic Laval nozzles using pressure trace measurement (PTM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The latent heat release detected by the PTM reveals that the first phase transition in the expanding CO2/H2O mixture is the formation of H2O ice particles by the homogeneous nucleation/condensation and freezing of H2O. This is followed by the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of CO2 on the H2O ice particles. The onset conditions for heterogeneous nucleation, i.e. the partial pressure of CO2 and temperature from PTM and the radius of gyration of the H2O ice particles from SAXS, were determined in the temperature range 124 to 146 K and for particles with radii of gyration in the range of 2.1 to 4.3 nm. The onset conditions suggest that the heterogeneous nucleation of CO2 may start from the supercooled liquid phase under our conditions. Downstream of the onset point, the partial pressure of CO2 and temperature rapidly approach the vapor–solid equilibrium line of CO2, demonstrating that even if CO2 condensation is initiated by heterogeneous nucleation of the liquid phase, it proceeds via growth of the solid.
Stormy Clouds - security in distributed cloud systems

As massively distributed storage becomes the norm in cloud networks, they contend with new vulnerabilities imputed by the presence of data in different, possibly untrusted nodes. In this talk, we consider two such types of vulnerabilities. The first one is the risk posed to data stored at nodes that are untrusted. We show that coding alone can be substituted to encryption, with coded portions of data in trusted nodes acting as keys for coded data in untrusted ones. In general, we may interpret keys as representing the size of the list over which an adversary would need to generate guesses in order to recover the plaintext, leading to a natural connection between list decoding and secrecy. Under such a model, we show that algebraic block maximum distance separable (MDS) codes can be constructed so that lists satisfy certain secrecy criteria, which we define to generalize common perfect secrecy and weak secrecy notions. The second type of vulnerability concerns the risk of passwords' being guessed over some nodes storing data, as illustrated by recent cloud attacks. In this domain, the use of guesswork as a metric shows that the dominant effect on vulnerability is not necessarily from a single node, but that it varies in time according to the number of guesses issued. We also introduce the notion of inscrutability, as the growth rate of the average number of probes that an attacker has to make, one at a time, using his best strategy, until he can correctly guess one or more secret strings from multiple randomly chosen strings. Joint work with Ahmad Beirami, Joao Barros, Robert Calderbank, Mark Christiansen, Ken Duffy, Flavio du Pin Calmon, Luisa Lima, Paulo Oliveira, Stefano Tessaro, Mayank Varia, Tiago Vinhoza, Linda Zeger.
Uncovering the Terahertz Spectrum of Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate

Terahertz vibrational spectroscopy has evolved into a powerful tool for the detection and characterization of transition metal sulfate compounds, specifically for its ability to differentiate between various hydrated forms with high specificity. Copper(II) sulfate is one such system where multiple crystalline hydrates have had their terahertz spectra fully assigned, and the unique spectral fingerprints of the forms allows for characterization of multicomponent systems with relative ease. Yet the most commonly occurring form, copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO4·5H2O), has proven elusive due to the presence of a broad absorption across much of the terahertz region, making the unambiguous identification of its spectral signature difficult. Here, it is shown that the sub-100 cm(-1) spectrum of CuSO4·5H2O is obscured by absorption from adsorbed water and that controlled drying reveals sharp underlying features. The crystalline composition of the samples was monitored in parallel by X-ray diffraction as a function of drying time, supporting the spectroscopic results. Finally, the terahertz spectrum of CuSO4·5H2O was fully assigned using solid-state density functional theory simulations, helping attribute the additional absorptions that appear after excessive drying to formation of CuSO4·3H2O.
Sodium deficiency and latent learning

Rats were trained to press a lever to obtain a 0.33-M saline solution while thirsty. Later, under extinction conditions, those rats that had been injected with either formalin or aldosterone pressed a significantly higher percentage of their former rates than did their respective controls. Formalin has been shown to make rats hyponatremic in this situation, while aldosterone makes them slightly hypernatremic. Yet both drugs elicit sodium appetite. Therefore, sodium appetite, rather than hyponatremia, is postulated to be the condition necessary to demonstrate this enhanced barpressing, a form of latent learning.
Laser-beam shaping and imaging using adaptive quasi–phase-conjugation

A diffraction-resistant beam-shaping system is proposed, where a single phase device is centered between the input and output planes. Different beam shapes are experimentally demonstrated using an adaptive phase-retrieval-based algorithm.
Disambiguation of Metal and Brønsted Acid Catalyzed Pathways for Hydroarylation with Platinum(II) Catalysts

The hydroarylation of unactivated olefins effected by Pt(II) precatalysts was found to proceed through the in situ production of protic acid followed by a Friedel−Crafts mechanism. The reaction was...
Numbers of Scolytus multistriatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) Caught on Multilure-Baited Sticky Traps Increase with Methoxychlor

Multilure-baited sticky traps were attached to various methoxychlor-sprayed and unsprayed trap sites to determine the effect of the insecticide treatments on catches of the smaller European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus (Marsham). Significantly more bark beetles were captured by baited sticky traps attached to the boles of sprayed healthy American elms, Ulmus americana L., and also by traps attached to the boles of sprayed elms infected with the Dutch elm disease fungus, than were captured by traps on comparable unsprayed elms. Bark beetle catches on traps attached to sprayed and unsprayed utility poles and tree trap sites other than elms were not significantly different. These tests suggest that other beetle attractants associated with healthy and diseased elms and the presence of methoxychlor on the trap sites significantly affected trap catches.
Sphingomyelin metabolites inhibit sphingomyelin synthase and CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase.

Tissue injury in inflammation involves the release of several cytokines that activate sphingomyelinases and generate ceramide. In the lung, the impaired metabolism of surfactant phosphatidylcholine...
Optimal Dynamic Pricing with Demand Model Uncertainty: A Squared-Coefficient-of-Variation Rule for Learning and Earning

We consider a price-setting firm that sells a product over a continuous time horizon. The firm is uncertain about the sensitivity of demand to price adjustments, and continuously updates its prior belief on an unobservable sensitivity parameter by observing the demand responses to prices. The firm’s objective is to minimize the infinite-horizon discounted loss, relative to a clairvoyant that knows the unobservable sensitivity parameter. Using partial differential equations theory, we characterize the optimal pricing policy, and then derive a formula for the optimal learning premium that projects the value of learning onto prices. We compare and contrast the optimal pricing policy with the myopic pricing policy, and quantify the cost of myopically neglecting to charge a learning premium in prices. We show that the optimal learning premium for a firm that looks far into the future is the squared coefficient of variation (SCV) in the firm’s posterior belief. Based on this principle, we design a simple variant of the myopic policy, namely the SCV rule, and prove that this policy is long-run average optimal.
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Diabetes among Patients with Hypertensive in Henan

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of diabetes among patients with hypertensive in Henan.METHODS A total of 18 772 residents representative subjects aged from 15 to 74 were selected with a multi-stage sampling technique,by checking blood pressure and oral glucose tolerance test if the subsets had no hypertension and to carry out a questionnaire.RESULTS The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes were 24.9%and 9.2%,respectively.The diabetes prevalence among hypertensive was 20.9%,which was significant compared to those with normal blood pressure.The incidence of diabetes among hypertensive was 13.0%,which was higher than those with normal blood pressure.Sex,educational levels,occupational status,income,body mass index,central obesity,smoking,drinking,physical activity and family history were important risk factors of diabetes,while high educational level and moderate and severe physical activity were protective factors.CONCLUSION Hypertension and diabetes were lifestyle-related diseases,which had almost the same risk factors,and different risk factors had cluster phenomenon,so it needed to take comprehensive lifestyle intervention.
Nanosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery: Endothelial cell study

Purpose To evaluate corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) and morphology after cataract surgery using coaxial ultrasound (US) phacoemulsification or a recently introduced coaxial nanosecond laser technique. Setting Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria. Design Prospective cohort study. Methods Coaxial US phacoemulsification was performed in 1 eye (US group) and coaxial nanosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery in the contralateral eye (laser group) of the same patient. Nuclear sclerosis was graded from nuclear opalescence (NO) 3, nuclear color (NC) 3 to NO4, NC4 using the Lens Opacities Classification System III. The central ECD, coefficient of variation (CoV) in cell size (objective measure of polymegethism), and percentage of hexagonal cells (an index of pleomorphism) were evaluated. Results Eighty-two eyes (41 patients) had uneventful surgery. The mean ECD was 2517 cells/mm 2 ± 137 (SD) preoperatively and 2287 ± 155 cells/mm 2 at 2 years in the US group and 2521 ± 233 cells/mm 2 and 2420 ± 292 cells/mm 2 , respectively, in the laser group (both P P P Conclusion Nanosecond laser phacoemulsification had advantages over US phacoemulsification in terms of endothelial cell structure preservation. Financial Disclosures Dr. Kanellopoulos is consultant to Alcon Surgical, Inc., Allergan, Inc., Avedro, Inc., Keramed, Inc., Optovue, Inc., i-Optics Corp., and Carl Zeiss Meditec AG. Neither of the other authors has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
‘My Heart, My Fellow Traveller’: Fantasy, Futurity and the Itineraries of Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Building on recent analyses of futurity, I argue that the Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz's communist affiliation created new routes of movement, new threats of confinement, and at different moments...
Proton‐Coupled Reduction of an Iron Cyanide Complex to Methane and Ammonia

Nitrogenase enzymes mediate the six-electron reductive cleavage of cyanide to CH_4 and NH_3. Herein we demonstrate for the first time the liberation of CH_4 and NH_3 from a well-defined iron cyanide coordination complex, [SiP^(iPr)_3]Fe(CN) (where [SiP^(iPr)_3] represents a tris(phosphine)silyl ligand), on exposure to proton and electron equivalents. [SiP^(iPr)_3]Fe(CN) additionally serves as a useful entry point to rare examples of terminally-bound Fe(CNH) and Fe(CNH_2) species that, in accord with preliminary mechanistic studies, are plausible intermediates of the cyanide reductive protonation to generate CH_4 and NH_3. Comparative studies with a related [SiP^(iPr)_3]Fe(CNMe_2) complex suggests the possibility of multiple, competing mechanisms for cyanide activation and reduction.
A hierarchical decision model (HDM) for exploring the adoption of electronic health records

Information systems have been making a noticeable entrance in the healthcare, although their adoption has been slow. This paper examines the factors influencing the electronic healthcare records (EHR) adoption by modeling behavioral intention of physicians towards EHR adoption. Three main criteria: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and external factors along with the subcriteria, are studied by the authors. Analytical hierarchical process (AHP) model is tested through the expert judgment quantification of physicians in Portland metro area. The results showed high importance of the Perceived Ease of Use criteria on the behavioral intensions of physicians towards EHR adoption. Search ability and user interface - subcriteria of Perceived Ease of Use had some of the highest values. Another important subcriterion in the analysis under External Factors Criteria was Cost. None of the criteria evaluated could be considered unimportant, i.e. having really low values after the analysis. The results indicate that EHR should be mandatory in terms of reducing of time spent and errors, improving the outcomes and productivity and in terms of optimum patient treatment.
Suppression of developmental retinal cell death but not of photoreceptor degeneration in bax-deficient mice

PURPOSE. Bax, a member of the Bcl2 family of cell death regulators, induces cell death by promoting the induction of apoptosis. /tax-deficient mice were examined in this study to determine whether Bax is required for cell death in the developing retina and for pathologic apoptotic photoreceptor degeneration resulting from the rd mutation. METHODS. Retinas from /tax-deficient mice and their wild-type siblings were harvested at postnatal day (P) 7 and processed for TdT-dUTP terminal nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining, and the number of nuclei containing fragmented DNA were counted. Adult retinas and optic nerves were processed for plastic-embedded 1-JLUII sections, and the cross-sectional area was determined. The mutant Bax allele was outbred onto the C3H mouse strain, which carries the rd allele. Retinas from these animals were examined histologically at P21 after most of the photoreceptor cell death had occurred. RESULTS. At P7, around the time of peak cell death in the inner nuclear layer (INL), significantly fewer neurons in INL and ganglion cell layer (GCL) were TUNEL positive in /tax-deficient mice than in their wild-type siblings. In adult /tax-deficient mice, the cross-sectional area of the optic nerve was approximately 50% larger than in wild-type siblings, and the total number of retinal ganglion cell axons was increased to 226%. The INL of /tax-deficient mice was thicker than normal. The Bax genotype did not affect the thickness or histologic appearance of the outer nuclear layer in retinas of mice with wild-type or mutant rd alleles. CONCLUSIONS. In the absence of the expression of the Bax gene, there is a profound increase in the survival of retinal ganglion cells that lasts into adulthood. Similarly, death of INL cells is diminished but not completely abolished. The absence of Bax does not, however, protect photoreceptors from naturally occurring cell death or degeneration induced by the rd mutation. This shows that Bax is involved to a variable degree in the control of developmental cell death in the retina and that not all apoptotic retinal cell deaths are controlled by Bax. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1998;39: 1713-1720)
An improved toolpath generation algorithm for fused filament fabrication

Widely-used methods for toolpath planning in fused filament fabrication slice the input 3D model into 2D layers and construct a toolpath. In prior work (ICRA 2016) we gave a simple greedy algorithm that changed this paradigm and constructed the toolpath in 3D by printing local features in their entirety. This algorithm significantly improved upon layer-based methods, achieving a 34% mean reduction of wasted motion. In this paper we give a new algorithm that is more robust and achieves significantly better performance than the greedy approach. Our algorithm utilizes local search and nearly doubles our prior improvement, achieving a mean/median reduction of 62% over layer-based methods on the same benchmark of over 400 models. We also study toolpath optimality using a novel integer linear programming formulation. This formulation allows us to solve a linear programming relaxation that, while computationally intensive, can give us a lower bound on the optimal solution quality, giving us the ability to rigorously characterize solution quality for a given input model.
A study of the high field conductance of some uranyl ion solutions

Measurements of the pH, low and high field conductances have been made for solutions of uranyl nitrate, perchlorate, sulfate and fluoride over a temperature range from 5 to 65°. It was found that solutions of uranyl nitrate and perchlorate exhibit a decrease of conductance with increasing field, or a ‘negative’ Wien effect, a phenomenon not heretofore observed. All these solutions behave as a system of hydrolytic products involved in a complex competitive assemblage of equilibria, in agreement with other experimental work. Theoretical calculations have been performed with which to compare the experimental results. The following three figures depict the experimental results on the nitrate and perchlorate and a comparison with the behavior of the two other uranyl compounds at 25°. It is suggested that a possible explanation of the decrease in conductance with increase in field may be found in the reversal by the field of the equilibrium.
Mitigating On-Path Adversaries in Content-Centric Networks

Content-Centric Networking (CCN) is a recently proposed Internet paradigm that focuses on scalable, secure and efficient content distribution. The main abstraction is named and addressable content. A consumer requests desired named content by generating a so-called interest, which is then routed by the network towards an in-network cached copy, or the authoritative producer, of that content. Since all CCN content must be signed by its producer, consumers and routers can cryptographically verify its correctness, authenticity, and integrity. Thus, in principle, attacks that introduce fake (poisoned) content can be detected. However, verifying content signatures is optional for CCN routers, detection of fake content only implies presence of a malicious upstream entity. A major outstanding problem in CCN is how to react to such attacks, determine their source(s), and re-route interests accordingly.,,,,In this work, we construct a technique based on efficient per-hop packet integrity checks. Routers share secrets with neighboring routers and use them to verify and generate efficient per-hop packet authenticators. An on-path attacker that tampers with content in transit is quickly detected by downstream routers. Moreover, an on-path attacker that hijacks a namespace is discoverable. Our experimental assessment indicates that the proposed technique incurs very low per-packet overhead. Furthermore, since our approach is not CCN-specific, it can be applied to IP-based networks as well.
Next-generation NASA Earth-orbiting relay satellites: Fusing optical and microwave communications

NASA is currently considering architectures and concepts for the generation of relay satellites that will replace the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) constellation, which has been flying since 1983. TDRS-M, the last of the second TDRS generation, launched in August 2017, extending the life of the TDRS constellation beyond 2030. However, opportunities exist to re-engineer the concepts of geosynchronous Earth relay satellites. The needs of the relay satellite customers have changed dramatically over the last 34 years since the first TDRS launch. There is a demand for greater bandwidth as the availability of the traditional RF spectrum for space communications diminishes and the demand for ground station access grows. The next generation of NASA relay satellites will provide for operations that have factored in these new constraints. In this paper, we describe a heterogeneous constellation of geosynchronous relay satellites employing optical and RF communications. The new constellation will enable new optical communications services formed by user-to-space relay, space relay-to-space relay and space relay-to-ground links. It will build upon the experience from the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration from 2013 and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration to be launched in 2019. Simultaneous to establishment of the optical communications space segment, spacecraft in the TDRS constellation will be replaced with RF relay satellites with targeted subsets of the TDRS capabilities. This disaggregation of the TDRS service model will allow for flexibility in replenishing the needs of legacy users as well as adding new capabilities for future users. It will also permit the U.S. government access to launch capabilities such as rideshare and to hosted payloads that were not previously available. This paper also explores how the next generation of Earth relay satellites provides a significant boost in the opportunities for commercial providers to the communications space segment. For optical communications, the backbone of this effort is the adoption of commercial technologies from the terrestrial high-bandwidth telecommunications industry into optical payloads. For RF communications, the explosion of software-defined radio, high-speed digital signal processing technologies and networking from areas such as 5G multicarrier will be important. Future commercial providers will not be limited to a small set of large aerospace companies. Ultimately, entirely government-owned and -operated satellite communications will phase out to make way for commercial business models that satisfy NASA's satellite communications requirements. The competition provided by new entrants in the space communications industry may result in a future in which all NASA communications needs can be satisfied commercially.