cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antigen-Specific Tolerogenic and Immunomodulatory Strategies for the Treatment of Autoimmune Arthritis

Objectives To review various antigen-specific tolerogenic and immunomodulatory approaches for arthritis in animal models and patients in regard to their efficacy, mechanisms of action, and limitations. Methods We reviewed the published literature in Medline (PubMed) on the induction of antigen-specific tolerance and its effect on autoimmune arthritis, as well as the recent work on B-cell-mediated tolerance from our laboratory. The prominent key words used in different combinations included arthritis, autoimmunity, immunotherapy, innate immunity, tolerance, treatment, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although this search spanned the years 1975 to 2007, the majority of the short-listed articles belonged to the period 1990 to 2007. The relevant primary as well as cross-referenced articles were then collected from links within PubMed and reviewed. Results Antigen-specific tolerance has been successful in the prevention and/or treatment of arthritis in animal models. The administration of soluble native antigen or an altered peptide ligand intravenously, orally, or nasally, and the delivery of the DNA encoding a particular antigen by gene therapy have been the mainstay of immunomodulation. Recently, the methods for in vitro expansion of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T-cells have been optimized. Furthermore, interleukin-17 has emerged as a promising new therapeutic target in arthritis. However, in RA patients, non-antigen-specific therapeutic approaches have been much more successful than antigen-specific tolerogenic regimens. Conclusion An antigen-specific treatment against autoimmune arthritis is still elusive. However, insights into newly emerging mechanisms of disease pathogenesis provide hope for the development of effective and safe immunotherapeutic strategies in the near future.
Dietary Salt Intake Exaggerates Sympathetic Reflexes and Increases Blood Pressure Variability in Normotensive Rats

Previous studies have reported that chronic increases in dietary salt intake enhance sympathetic nerve activity and arterial blood pressure (ABP) responses evoked from brain stem nuclei of normoten...
Neither Global Nor Standard: Corporate Strategies in the New Era of Labor Standards

Two multinational retail firms, IKEA and Wal-Mart, illuminate the implications of a new era of labor standards—focused on the transnational firm. Global labor standards are increasingly enforced through transnational corporation (TNC) adherence to voluntary codes rather than through national labor regulation. Nonetheless, privatized labor-standards regimes within TNCs continue to be influenced by the national market governance framework in the TNC country of origin. Although, in principle, labor standards are arrived at through global political processes, in practice they are applied in conjunction with TNC production and marketing strategies. The way in which corporate objectives intersect with labor practices is different from one TNC to another, depending in large part on political and regulatory influences in the country of origin of a particular TNC.
Malignant or benign leukocytosis

Leukocytosis, or elevated WBC count, is a commonly encountered laboratory finding. Distinguishing malignant from benign leukocytosis is a critical step in the care of a patient, which initiates a vastly different decision tree. Confirmation of the complete blood cell count and the WBC differential is the first step. Examination of the PB smear is essential to confirming the automated blood cell differential or affirming the manual differential performed on the PB smear. Next is separation of the leukocytosis into a myeloid versus a lymphoid process. Distinguishing a reactive lymphoid proliferation from a lymphoproliferative disorder requires examination of lymphocyte morphology for pleomorphic lymphocytes versus a monomorphic population, with the latter favoring a lymphoproliferative neoplasm. Samples suspicious for lymphoproliferative disorders can be confirmed and characterized by flow cytometry, with molecular studies initiated in select cases; precursor lymphoid neoplasms (lymphoblasts) should trigger a BM examination. Myeloid leukocytosis triggers a differential diagnosis of myeloid leukemoid reactions versus myeloid malignancies. The manual differential is key, along with correct enumeration of blasts and blast equivalents, immature granulocytes, basophils, and eosinophils and identifying dysplasia to identify myeloid malignancies. Confirmation and characterization of myeloid malignancies should be performed with a BM examination and the appropriate ancillary studies. Myeloid leukemoid reactions commonly result from infections and show activated neutrophil changes on morphology; these should prompt evaluation for infection. Other causes of reactive myeloid leukocytoses are also discussed herein.
Children's Sleep and Cognitive Functioning: Race and Socioeconomic Status as Moderators of Effects.

Race and socioeconomic status (SES) moderated the link between children's sleep and cognitive functioning. One hundred and sixty-six 8- to 9-year-old African and European American children varying in SES participated. Sleep measures were actigraphy, sleep diaries, and self-report; cognitive measures were from the Woodcock-Johnson III and reaction time tasks. Children had similar performance when sleep was more optimal, but after controlling for SES, African American children had lower performance with sleep disruptions. Children from lower and higher SES had similar performance with better sleep quality and less variability in sleep schedules, but when sleep was more disrupted, higher SES children had better performance. Examination of environmental variables associated with race and SES that may underlie these effects may lead to directions for interventions to improve cognitive performance.
Apparent turnover of subcellular phospholipids in the liver of control and vitamin A-deficient rats.

The half-lives of phospholipids derived from microsomes, mito chondria and soluble fractions of livers from control and vitamin A-deficient rats after the administration of 14C-labeledcholine, ethanolamine, glycerol, and pal mitic acid have been determined. The half-lives of subcellular phospholipids from control animals labeled with either choline, glycerol or palmitic acid were statis tically similar (22 to 36 hours), whereas those phospholipids labeled with etha nolamine had significantly shorter half-lives (14 to 16 hours). No significant differences were noted between the half-lives of phospholipids from control and deficient subcellular fractions. J. Nutr. 102: 1465-1470, 1972.
Marine-derived 14C calibration and activity record for the past 50,000 years updated from the Cariaco Basin

Abstract An expanded Cariaco Basin 14C chronology is tied to 230Th-dated Hulu Cave speleothem records in order to provide detailed marine-based 14C calibration for the past 50,000 years. The revised, high-resolution Cariaco 14C calibration record agrees well with data from 230Th-dated fossil corals back to 33 ka, with continued agreement despite increased scatter back to 50 ka, suggesting that the record provides accurate calibration back to the limits of radiocarbon dating. The calibration data document highly elevated Δ14C during the Glacial period. Carbon cycle box model simulations show that the majority of observed Δ14C change can be explained by increased 14C production. However, from 45 to 15 ka, Δ14C remains anomalously high, indicating that the distribution of radiocarbon between surface and deep ocean reservoirs was different than it is today. Additional observations of the magnitude, spatial extent and timing of deep ocean Δ14C shifts are critical for a complete understanding of observed Glacial Δ14C variability.
The influence of just-world beliefs on driving anger and aggressive driving intentions

Decades of research demonstrate that the extent to which one believes the world is just can have important interpersonal consequences. Unfortunately, most of the commonly studied consequences are negative in nature. Guided by previous research demonstrating the buffering effect of just-world beliefs and anger, the present research explores how belief in a just world (BJW) may mitigate anger in the domain of driving anger and examines the limiting conditions of this effect. Study 1 demonstrated the expected negative relation between common measures of BJW and anger expression in a driving context. Study 2 found that the buffering effects of just-world beliefs and driver aggression were greater when BJW was violated (vs. not). Study 3 replicated the effects on aggression and anger and established a mediational role of anger on the buffering effects of just-world beliefs on thoughts and driver aggression. Aggr. Behav. 00:1-14, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en
Composition of Rabbit Semen and the Origin of Several Constituents

Semen was collected twice a day every other day (2X/48 h) for 36 days from 12 Dutch-belted rabbits. Sex drive, ejaculate volume, microscopic appearance of the semen and sperm counts were recorded. Seminal plasma was analyzed for itcontent of fructose, citric acid, glycerylphos- phorylcholine (GPC) and the minerals Na, K, P, Mg, Ca and Zn. Six males were exsanguinated 24 h after the last semen collection and 6 were exsanguinated 5 weeks later. The organs of the reproductive tract were weighed and analyzed for their contents of spermatozoa, fructose, citric acid and GPC. Rabbits differed in libido and several characteristics of semen. Second ejaculates had lower concentrations of fructose, citric acid, K and Zn than did the first ejaculates. Fructose was found chiefly in the different portions of the prostate gland and major concentrations of citric acid were found in the ampulla of the ductus deferens and in the vesicular gland. GPC concentrations were highest in the caput and cauda epididymides. Correlations among different constituents were calculated and their significance is discussed.
Reach for the Stars: A Strategic Bidding Game

We examine two–sided competition in a duopoly market for differentiated products. Downstream, the two firms compete in prices. Upstream, they compete in bidding to hire talent input and there is one unique superstar. The outcome depends on the downstream effect of only one firm employing the superstar. When this intensifies downstream competition, both firms are worse off than they would be if no superstar talent were available. When the hiring of the superstar softens downstream competition, both firms benefit, but a ‘winner’s curse’ emerges in which the firm winning the superstar talent earns less profit than its rival.
DC small signal symbolic analysis of large analog integrated circuits

This paper presents a new methodology and its implementation (AnalogSifter) for DC small signal fully symbolic analysis of large analog integrated circuits. Our new sifting approach consists of six algorithms designed to relax the circuit size limitation of previously known methods. We show fully symbolic analysis results for much larger circuits than have ever been reported. Very compact symbolic expressions for the DC small signal voltage gains of the 741 and 725 operational amplifiers were obtained in less than 40 CPU seconds on a SUN SPARCstation 2, and the simplified results were numerically within 12% of the exact values. The output is expressed in terms of products of sums which can give the user insight into the behavior of the circuit. The overall time complexity is superquadratic with respect to the number of nodes. The implementation can output simplified symbolic expressions for any desired DC small signal transfer function, including input resistances, output resistances, as well as current and voltage gains. It also provides simplified symbolic expressions for noise analysis, sensitivity analysis, and power supply rejection ratio. >
Reconsidering bracket erasure

Whether there are limits on the amount of morphological information that the grammar can access has been the topic of much debate. In early cyclic approaches to phonology (Chomsky, Halle & Lukoff 1956, Chomsky & Halle 1968), the erasure of morphological boundaries at the end of cycles (Bracket Erasure) was simply a mechanism that drove the cyclic derivation. In The Sound Pattern of English (SPE), for example, Chomsky & Halle (1968) derived cyclic phonology in the following way
Speech adjustments to aging during a referential communication task

This study used a referential communication task to investigate the effectiveness of elderspeak, a speech register targeted at older listeners. The tasks required the listener to reproduce a route ...
Reversibility by timolol of optic nerve disc cupping and pallor in ocular hypertensives (summary)

study that focused on the effect of timolol on the optic disc in patients with ocular hypertension (OHT). Our investigation was concerned with the effect of timolol on optic disc cupping, as determined by photogrammetry, and pallor, evaluated by computerized image analysis.6s Cupping is a three-dimensional depression of the surface of the optic disc .4 Pallor is an important monitoring factor because of its relationship to visual field 10~s.~ Pallor also provides some indication of blood flow to the optic disc. Patients with OHT entered into this study had to have had ocular pressures ~21 mm Hg on two or more occasions without evidence of glaucomatous visual field loss. The timolol and placebo groups were matched for sex, race, iris color, intraocular pressure (IOP), blood pressure, and pulse rate. Forty-one patients meeting the criteria were randomly assigned to receive either timololO.5% or placebo drops in both eyes twice a day for 18 months. After a baseline examination, patients were observed at three-month intervals and photographs obtained for the measurement of cupping by photogrammetry11-18 and the measurement of optic disc pallor by computerized image with multiple plan points.‘” Visual fields were evaluated every six months with the Goldmann perimeter. There were progressive dropouts of individuals throughout the trial. Lack of compliance was the most frequent reason for discontinuance, although bradycardia occurred in some timolol-treated subjects. Patients with a pulse rate 160/min were dropped as a precaution. Our preliminary analysis using linear regression analysislO of all measurements of disc cupping as a function of time, irrespective of follow-up time, showed significant decreases in cup volume, with the timolol-treated eyes having a greater decrease than the placebo-treated eyes. When these data were expressed on a per-year basis, there was about a 15% net decrease in initial cup volume with timolol therapy* Similar analysis of the data obtained for disc pallor provided different results. Net average pallor decreased with timolol therapy about 8% for the right eye and 0.5% for the left eye. These changes were small, but only just statistically significant for the right eye. These results have to be confirmed by further analyses and studies, but it appears on preliminary analysis that timolol had a continuous effect on reversal of optic disc cupping for both eyes and pallor for the right eye.9 These changes are of interest, because in treating patients with OHT we were, in effect, probably intervening early in the disease and obtaining some reversal of disc parameters.
Enabling Runtime Adaptation ofWorkflows to External Events in Enterprise Environments

This paper presents the design and implementation of Heterogeneous Event Management Middleware (HEMM) that integrates events across multiple siloed workflow management systems (WFMS) in enterprises. Specifically, we address the issue where a high-level change (e.g. change in business policy or rolling out of a new service) necessitates external events (generated from other enterprise system) to be handled by running workflow (WF) instances in the WFMS. Current solutions either require a change in the workflow process definition or change in the workflow engine - both being cost intensive solutions from an enterprise 's point of view since they compromise on enterprise backend downtime. HEMM circumvents this by introducing an overlay on top of existing WFMS and abstracting out unforeseen event handling from workflows. At the same time, it employs event transformation to map events to appropriate event handlers of running workflow instances, enabling them to adapt to new events that their process definitions do not handle. We demonstrate our prototype implementation with the example of rolling out a bundled service that is prevalent in telecom industry.
Evaluating the Senior Companion Program: a mixed-method approach.

Abstract This article reports on a mixed-method assessment of the Senior Companion Program (SCP), a federal program which provides volunteer opportunities with small stipends to low-income older adults, 60 years of age and older, who provide companionship and offer assistance to frail community elders. Through four standardized scales and open-ended questions regarding the impact of the SCP in their lives, 34 Senior Companion volunteers and 32 of their clients were interviewed. Informants reported relatively large social networks and low levels of depression and loneliness. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed the benefits of the program for both volunteers and their clients. Themes emerging from the rich narratives included: companionship, independence, reduced anxiety, giving, and rewards. The article concludes with a suggested brief evaluation instrument that directors of SCP programs, and other similar programs, can use to collect data on the impact of their programsomething that is requ...
Lattice theory of alkali halide solid solutions-II. Entropy of mixing and solid solubility☆

Abstract Solid solubility curves are calculated for six alkali halide systems from theoretical heat of formatation data. Fair to good agreement with experimental data is found for the two systems for which these are available. The vibrational contribution to the entropy of mixing is found to be important and can be adequately calculated from the Debye approximation. The composition dependence of the elastic constants required for the calculation of the Debye temperature of the solid solution can be successfully determined from a simple interpolation formula based on Vegard's law for the volume under pressure.
hilA is a novel ompR/toxR family member that activates the expression of Salmonella typhimurium invasion genes

During infection of its hosts, Salmonella enters intestinal epithelial cells. Many Salmonella typhimurium genes required for bacterial entry into host cells are encoded on a 40 kb ‘pathogenicity island’, We report here the identification of hilA, a gene within the ‘island’ that appears to encode an activator of invasion gene expression. By using a set of lacZY transcriptional fusions to S. typhimurium invasion genes, we found that hilA activates the expression of invasion genes located on the ‘pathogenicity island’. hilA is required for efficient entry into HEp-2 cells in vitro. The predicted amino acid sequence of hilA shares significant homology with the DNA-binding domains of the OmpR-ToxR family of transcriptional activators. However, unlike OmpR and ToxR, HilA contains neither a phosphoryl acceptor nor a membrane-spanning domain, and, therefore, its activity may be modulated by a novel mechanism. Many environmental conditions modulate the ability of Salmonella to enter non-phagocytic mammalian cells. It has been proposed that induction of Salmonella invasion proteins in response to a combination of environmental cues ensures that bacterial entry is limited to specific sites and times during infection. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that hilA plays a key role in the regulation of Salmonella invasion during infection.
Preclinical to clinical translation of CNS transporter occupancy of TD-9855, a novel norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor

Background Monoamine reuptake inhibitors exhibit unique clinical profiles that reflect distinct engagement of the central nervous system (CNS) transporters. Methods We used a translational strategy, including rodent pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in humans, to establish the transporter profile of TD-9855, a novel norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Results TD-9855 was a potent inhibitor of norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin 5-HT uptake in vitro with an inhibitory selectivity of 4- to 10-fold for NE at human and rat transporters. TD-9855 engaged norepinephrine transporters (NET) and serotonin transporters (SERT) in rat spinal cord, with a plasma EC50 of 11.7 ng/mL and 50.8 ng/mL, respectively, consistent with modest selectivity for NET in vivo. Accounting for species differences in protein binding, the projected human NET and SERT plasma EC50 values were 5.5 ng/mL and 23.9 ng/mL, respectively. A single-dose, open-label PET study (4-20mg TD-9855, oral) was conducted in eight healthy males using the radiotracers [(11)C]-3-amino-4- [2-[(di(methyl)amino)methyl]phenyl]sulfanylbenzonitrile for SERT and [(11)C]-(S,S)-methylreboxetine for NET. The long pharmacokinetic half-life (30-40 h) of TD-9855 allowed for sequential assessment of SERT and NET occupancy in the same subject. The plasma EC50 for NET was estimated to be 1.21 ng/mL, and at doses of greater than 4 mg the projected steady-state NET occupancy is high (>75%). After a single oral dose of 20mg, SERT occupancy was 25 (±8)% at a plasma level of 6.35 ng/mL. Conclusions These data establish the CNS penetration and transporter profile of TD-9855 and inform the selection of potential doses for future clinical evaluation.
Colored ultra-thin hybrid photovoltaics with high quantum efficiency for decorative PV applications (Presentation Recording)

This talk will describe an approach to create architecturally compatible and decorative thin-film-based hybrid photovoltaics [1]. Most current solar panels are fabricated via complex processes using expensive semiconductor materials, and they are rigid and heavy with a dull, black appearance. As a result of their non-aesthetic appearance and weight, they are primarily installed on rooftops to minimize their negative impact on building appearance. Recently we introduced dual-function solar cells based on ultra-thin dopant-free amorphous silicon embedded in an optical cavity that not only efficiently extract the photogenerated carriers but also display distinctive colors with the desired angle-insensitive appearances [1,2]. The angle-insensitive behavior is the result of an interesting phase cancellation effect in the optical cavity with respect to angle of light propagation [3]. In order to produce the desired optical effect, the semiconductor layer should be ultra-thin and the traditional doped layers need to be eliminated. We adopted the approach of employing charge transport/blocking layers used in organic solar cells to meet this demand. We showed that the ultra-thin (6 to 31 nm) undoped amorphous silicon/organic hybrid solar cell can transmit desired wavelength of light and that most of the absorbed photons in the undoped a-Si layer contributed to the extracted electric charges. This is because the a-Si layer thickness is smaller than the charge diffusion length, therefore the electron-hole recombination is strongly suppressed in such ultra-thin layer. Reflective colored PVs can be made in a similar fashion. Light-energy-harvesting colored signage was demonstrated. Furthermore, a cascaded photovoltaics scheme based on tunable spectrum splitting can be employed to increase power efficiency by absorbing a broader band of light energy. Our work provides a guideline for optimizing a photoactive layer thickness in high efficiency hybrid PV design, which can be adopted by other material systems as well. Based on these understandings, we have also developed colored perovskite PV by integrating an optical cavity with the perovskite semiconductors [4]. The principle and experimental results will be presented. 1. J. Y. Lee, K. T. Lee, S.Y. Seo, L. J. Guo, “Decorative power generating panels creating angle insensitive transmissive colors,” Sci. Rep. 4, 4192, 2014. 2. K. T. Lee, J.Y. Lee, S.-Y. Seo, and L. J. Guo, “Colored ultra-thin hybrid photovoltaics with high quantum efficiency,” Light: Science and Applications, 3, e215, 2014. 3. K. T. Lee, S.-Y. Seo, J.Y. Lee, and L. J. Guo, “Ultrathin metal-semiconductor-metal resonator for angle invariant visible band transmission filters,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 104, 231112, (2014); and “Strong resonance effect in a lossy medium-based optical cavity for angle robust spectrum filters,” Adv. Mater, 26, 6324–6328, 2014. 4. K. T. Lee, M. Fukuda, L. J. Guo, “Colored, see-through perovskite solar cells employing an optical cavity,” Submitted, 2015
Do First Impressions Matter? Predicting Early Career Teacher Effectiveness:

As educational policy makers seek strategies to improve the teacher workforce, the early career period represents a unique opportunity to identify struggling teachers, examine the likelihood of future improvement, and make strategic pretenure investments in development or dismissals. It is also a useful time to identify particularly promising teachers for development and focus on high-needs areas. This article asks how much teachers vary in performance improvement during their first 5 years of teaching and to what extent initial job performance predicts later performance. We find that, on average, initial performance is quite predictive of future performance, far more so than typically measured teacher characteristics. This is particularly the case in math, while predictions about future English language arts (ELA) performance based on initial ELA value added are less precise. Predictions are most powerful at the extremes. We use these predictions to explore the likelihood that personnel actions based on ...
Harvesting and Transporting

Regardless of the culture system that is used, channel catfish must be captured and transported several times before they are slaughtered for processing. Commonly, fish are moved (as eggs) from brood ponds to the hatchery, again as fry from the hatchery to a nursery facility, as fingerlings to a growout facility after a period of growth in the nursery facility, and then finally to the processing plant after growout to foodfish size. In some production schemes, fish may be handled even more often before final harvest. Also, some fish are “live-hauled” to special markets such as restaurants, fee-fishing lakes, or sport-fishing ponds.
Scale effects in food environment research: Implications from assessing socioeconomic dimensions of supermarket accessibility in an eight-county region of South Carolina

Choice of neighborhood scale affects associations between environmental attributes and health-related outcomes. This phenomenon, a part of the modifiable areal unit problem, has been described fully in geography but not as it relates to food environment research. Using two administrative-based geographic boundaries (census tracts and block groups), supermarket geographic measures (density, cumulative opportunity and distance to nearest) were created to examine differences by scale and associations between three common U.S. Census-based socioeconomic status (SES) characteristics (median household income, percentage of population living below poverty and percentage of population with at least a high school education) and a summary neighborhood SES z-score in an eight-county region of South Carolina. General linear mixed-models were used. Overall, both supermarket density and cumulative opportunity were higher when using census tract boundaries compared to block groups. In analytic models, higher median household income was significantly associated with lower neighborhood supermarket density and lower cumulative opportunity using either the census tract or block group boundaries, and neighborhood poverty was positively associated with supermarket density and cumulative opportunity. Both median household income and percent high school education were positively associated with distance to nearest supermarket using either boundary definition, whereas neighborhood poverty had an inverse association. Findings from this study support the premise that supermarket measures can differ by choice of geographic scale and can influence associations between measures. Researchers should consider the most appropriate geographic scale carefully when conducting food environment studies.
Fasting Ketosis in the Pregnant Rat as Influenced by Adrenalectomy

Summary and ConclusionsFasting pregnant rats develop a ketosis of large magnitude when compared with non-pregnant controls. Removal of the adrenal glands abolishes this fasting ketosis in pregnant animals.
SUPPRESSION OF THE PRIMARY IMMUNE RESPONSE INDUCED BY D-L PENICILLAMINE.

SummaryRabbits treated with D-L peni-cillamine beginning one day prior to intravenous injection of I131 labeled human serum albumin showed suppression of the immune response. Two-thirds of the animals completely failed to undergo immune elimination of the antigen and to form circulating antibody. The remaining ⅓ of the animals in which immunity did occur exhibited retardation of the onset of antibody synthesis. This observation contrasts with an earlier study in which the drug, if administered for 28 days before sensitization, resulted in accelerated onset of immune responsiveness.
Inhibition of bacterial (Escherichia coli) modification of erythrocytes.

Summary1. The modification of red blood cells by boiled suspensions of E. coli sero-groups 026, 055 and 0111 is inhibited by human and animal sera as well as by egg yolk and various fractions of rat liver. Certain human plasma fractions in concentration of 0.1% (particularly fractions IV-1, IV-7 and albumin) are likewise effective, whereas others are not. 2. This inhibition is due largely to the action of the inhibitor on the bacterial antigen rather than on the red blood cell. 3. The significance of the results is discussed.
Marketing Education in the Third World: Problems and Challenges

Despite the differences in the environment of the countries of the Third World and those of the industrialized countries, academic programs in marketing (i.e., curricula, course contents, texts, and cases) in the Third World are modeled after those of the industrialized countries. The paper discusses the pedagogical problems that this creates for marketing education in the Third World and the actions that the profession need to undertake to resolve these problems.
Simultaneous determination of eight artificial sweeteners in flavorings by HPLC-MS/MS

Objective To establish a HPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of eight artificial sweeteners in flavorings.Methods The artificial sweeteners,including acesulfame-K,cyclamate,saccharin,aspartame,alitame,neotame,sucralose and neohesperidine dihydrochalcone were extracted with water and the water-soluble macromolecular compounds in flavorings were precipitated with methanol.The supernatant was cleaned-up using aluminum-N cartridges and separated on a C18 column using 10 mmol/L ammonium formic acid/acetonitrile as mobile phase and then detected by HPLC-MS/MS using multiple reaction monitoring(MRM) in negative ionization mode.Results The calibration curves showed a good linearity with correlation coefficients0.990.The linear range for saccharin was 0.05-5 μg/ml,0.1-10 μg/ml for sucralose,and the other sweeteners was 0.01-1 μg/ml.The average recoveries were from 82.7% to 117.9%,and the relative standard deviations(RSD) were from 0.6% to 10.6%.The detection limits for liquid and semi-solid sweeteners were from 0.01 to 0.1 mg/kg and 0.1 to 1 mg/kg for solid sweeteners.Conclusion The method was specific,sensitive,easy,fast and suitable for the confirmation and quantification of 8 artificial sweeteners in flavorings.
Study on Isolation,Identification & Antibiotics Sensitivity Test of the Pathogenic Bacteria of Cow Endometritis

In this experiment,50 samples from 50 cows which were adopted to determine for troubling endometritis in Huhehot area,and 65 samples from the environment in the dairy farm were collected to isolate and identify pathogenic bacterias from the samples.Totally 76 strains of 7 species pathogenic bacterias from the cow samples and 42 strains of 7 species from the environment were isolated respectively.Then 27 kinds of antibiotics sensitive test of the main pathogenic bacterias was conducted,results showed that bacillus both from the cow samples and the environment were extremely sensitive to Gentamicin,Ofloxacin,Ciprofloxacin and Levofloxacin,while resistant to Benzylpenicillin,Novobiocin and Aztreonam.Compared the cow pathogenic bacterias with the environmet bacterias,there were relevances between them.
Transformer Oil-Paper Insulation Ageing Condition Assessment Using Return Voltage Measurements

Aging of oil-paper insulation materials leads to an substantial increase of the water content in the solid insulation and changes of the dielectric response characteristics.If return voltage measurement(RVM) is performed on the ageing insula-tion system,some qualitative features i.e.,higher peak value,greater initial slope and longer peak time can be found.On the basis of the introduction of the basic theory of dielectric resp-onse,some oil-paper samples are measured by RVM under different ageing and moisture states to identify the relationship between the oil-paper insulation ageing condition and RVM.The results show that the dominant time constant decreases significantly when oil-paper insulation gets aged or moistened,and there is a quantitative relationship between the moisture in the solid insulation and the dominant time constant,and the aging condition of the oil-paper insulation can be effectively diagnosed by making use of the dominant time constant.
Analysis on results of pre-service occupational health examination in an automobile factory of Xinjiang

[Objective]To perform the pre-service occupational health examination among workers according to the Administrative policy for occupational health surveillance and management,detect the occupational contraindication as early as possible,and provides the basis for enterprise to carry out the scientific and reasonable employment arrangements.[Methods]694 candidates in an automobile factory of Xinjiang in three years were collected by the cluster sampling method,and they received the medical routine test,pulmonary function test,electrocardiogram,pure tone audiometry,and high kv X-ray chest radiograph. [Results] The detection rates of abnormal results were listed from high to low as follows:electrocardiogram(38.47%),blood pressure(15.27%,which the hypertension and hypopiesis was 12.39% and 2.88% respectively),hearing(which were mainly high frequency hearing loss). The detection rate of occupational contraindications was 6.63%,the workers should not be engaged in noise-exposed operation accounted for 6.20%,and there were 3 people should not be engaged in dust-exposed operation.[Conclusion]The preservice occupational health examination is helpful to avoid unnecessary damage caused by the long-term exposure to occupational hazard factors. The prevention work has great significance to protect the physical and mental health of new employees.
Distribution Network Fault Self-healing Algorithm Based on Improved PSO

Firstly, according to the main function of distribution network self-healing system and requirements of distribution network supply, the paper expounds the distribution network self-healing control system performance evaluation. Based on this evaluation, the paper builds distribution network self-healing objective function and its constraints related parameters which calculate the maximum fitness value for the calculation of the target. Then it introduces working principle of particle swarm optimization(PSO). And details implementation steps of improved particle swarm optimization algorithm. Finally, combines distribution network self-healing objective function and improved particle swarm algorithm, put forwards control method of distribution network self-healing which based on PSO, and introduces its working principle and realization flow chart. The simulation results show that method of distribution network self-healing control in this paper has better convergence.
Consecative 3 Years Investigation on Hearing Loss Among Workers in Noise Exposure Workshop of An Electrolytic Aluminum Enterprise

Objective To understand hearing loss characteristics of workers working in the noise environ ment at an electrolytic aluminum enterprise's comprehensive workshop for controlling and eliminating occupational hearing damage.Methods Fifty six noise sites in the workshop were inspected and LAeg,8h was calculated according to the noise intensity,properties and workers exposare time.Combined with the results of 103 workers occupational health examination in consecutive 3 years,the characteristics of noise and hearing loss were analysed.Results One hundred and three workers were divided into 9 production posts.The high-frequency hearing damage was higher than speech-frequency hearing damage.Besides,hearing damage degree in working post with higher noise exposure was higher than that in working post with low noise exposure showing that there was dose-effect relationship between noise exposure level and hearing damage(r=0.994,P0.05).Hearing damage rate of workers working in the unsteady noise environment(85.71%)was higher than that of workers working in the relatively steady noise environment(24.72%).Conclusion Hearing loss caused by unsteady noise,high-frequency noise was more serious than that caused by steady-state and low-frequency noise.
Synthesis and biological activities of fluorinated plant growth regulators, 4,4,4-trifluoro-3-(3-indolyl)butyric acids and 4,4,4-trifluoro-3-(2-indolyl)butyric acid bearing a methyl group on the indole nucleus

Four methyl-substituted 4,4,4-trifluoro-3-(3-indolyl)butyric acids (Me-TFIBAS, 1a, 1c, 1e, 1f) and 4,4,4-trifluoro-3-(3-methyl-2-indolyl)butyric acid (3-Me-TFIBA-2, 1g) were synthesized as fluorinated plant growth regulators respectively from methyl-substituted indoles and trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal via methyl-substituted 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(3-indolyl)ethanols and 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(-3-methyl-2-indolyl)ethanol. Their biological activities were compared with those of TFIBA (1), 2-Me-TFIBA (1b) and 5-Me-TFIBA (1d). The 4-Me-, 6-Me-TFIBAs and 3-Me-TFIBA-2 had marked root growth-promoting activity for Chinese cabbage and lettuce, and their activities were close to those of the 5-Me-TFIBA. The 4-Me- and 6-Me-TFIBAs had promoting activity for rice plants equivalent to that of 5-Me-TFIBA. 3-Me-TFIBA-2 had the strongest root growth-promoting activity (about 4.3-fold the control value). For all three plants, however, the root growth-promoting activity of 1-Me-TFIBA (1a), was lower than that of TFIBA, the original non-substituted compound.
Flame ignition in the counterflow configuration: Reassessing the experimental assumptions

Abstract The counterflow configuration is widely used to study experimentally premixed and non-premixed flame ignition, with the advantage being that the data can be modeled using quasi one-dimensional codes. In this study, experiments and direct numerical simulations were carried out in order to assess the validity of the assumptions of the one-dimensional formulation. Experimentally, particle image velocimetry, shadowgraph, and a high-speed camera were employed to characterize the flow field before ignition, and to capture the ignition position and further evolution of the flame. The modeling involved axisymmetric numerical simulations using detailed molecular transport and chemical kinetic models. Both experiments and simulations revealed that if solid surfaces are present in the vicinity of the jets exit, the flow separates generating recirculation zones that are unstable and result in the bifurcation of the flow field. As a result, for a given set of boundary conditions at the burners’ exits, there exists two possible stable states of the flow field which have different velocity and scalars distribution, and the fuel concentration at which ignition occurs was determined to differ for these two states. A novel approach is proposed to correct for the unavoidable radial non-uniformity of the temperature profile at the exit of the heated jet and the conditions that do not result in bifurcation are outlined, so that the results from one-dimensional codes can be compared to the data with confidence.
Intrusion detection in aerial imagery for protecting pipeline infrastructure

We present an automated mechanism that can detect and issue warnings of machinery threat such as the presence of construction vehicles on pipeline right-of-way. The proposed scheme models the human visual perception concepts to extract fine details of objects by utilizing the corners and gradient histogram information in pyramid levels. Two real-world aerial image datasets are used for testing and evaluation.
VSL#3 Probiotic Stimulates T-cell Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase-mediated Recovery of IFN-γ-induced Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Defects.

Background VSL#3 is a probiotic compound that has been used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP) is the protein product of the inflammatory bowel disease candidate gene, PTPN2, and we have previously shown that it protects epithelial barrier function. The aim of this study was to investigate whether VSL#3 improves intestinal epithelial barrier function against the effects of the inflammatory bowel disease-associated proinflammatory cytokine, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) through activation of TCPTP. Methods Polarized monolayers of T84 intestinal epithelial cells were treated with increasing concentrations of VSL#3 to determine effects on TCPTP expression and enzymatic activity. Therapeutic effects of VSL#3 against barrier disruption by IFN-γ were measured by transepithelial electrical resistance and fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran permeability. A novel TCPTP-deficient HT-29 intestinal epithelial cell line was generated to study the role of TCPTP in mediating the effects of VSL#3. Tight junction protein distribution was assessed with confocal microscopy. Results VSL#3 increased TCPTP protein levels and enzymatic activity, correlating with a VSL#3-induced decrease in IFN-γ signaling. VSL#3 corrected the decrease in transepithelial electrical resistance and the increase in epithelial permeability induced by IFN-γ. Moreover, the restorative effect of VSL#3 against IFN-γ signaling, epithelial permeability defects, altered expression and localization of the tight junction proteins claudin-2, occludin, and zonula occludens-1, were not realized in stable TCPTP/(PTPN2)-deficient HT-29 intestinal epithelial cells. Conclusions VSL#3 reduces IFN-γ signaling and IFN-γ-induced epithelial barrier defects in a TCPTP-dependent manner. These data point to a key role for TCPTP as a therapeutic target for restoration of barrier function using probiotics.
Non-Naturalist Moral Realism, Autonomy and Entanglement

It was something of a dogma for much of the twentieth century that one cannot validly derive an ought from an is. More generally, it was held that non-normative propositions do not entail normative propositions. Call this thesis about the relation between the natural and the normative Natural-Normative Autonomy (or Autonomy for short). The denial of Autonomy involves the entanglement of the natural with the normative. Naturalism entails entanglement—in fact it entails the most extreme form of entanglement—but entanglement does not entail naturalism. In a ground-breaking paper “The autonomy of ethics” Arthur Prior constructed some intriguing counterexamples to Autonomy. While his counterexamples have convinced few, there is little agreement on what is wrong with them. I present a new analysis of Autonomy, one which is grounded in a general and independently plausible account of subject matters. While Prior’s arguments do establish shallow natural-normative entanglement, this is a consequence of simple logical relationships that hold between just about any two subject matters. It has nothing special to do with the logical structure of normativity or its relation to the natural. Prior’s arguments (along with several others) leave the fundamental idea behind natural-normative Autonomy intact. I offer a new argument for deep entanglement. I show that in any framework adequate for dealing with the natural and the normative spheres, a purely natural proposition entails a purely normative proposition, and vice-versa. But this is no threat to non-naturalist moral realism. In fact it helps ameliorate the excesses of an extreme non-naturalism, delivering a more palatable and plausible position.
Navigating the academic borderlands as multiracial and trans* faculty members

Postsecondary institutions remain bastions of oppression, threat and harm for faculty who hold minoritized identities. While some scholars have explored the ways in which monoracial faculty of colo...
Chaperone substrate provides missing link for cancer drug discovery

Both Hsp70 and Hsp90 chaperones are overexpressed in cancer, making them relevant targets for the development of cancer chemotherapeutics, but a lack of biomolecular readouts for Hsp70 inhibition has limited the pursuit of specific inhibitors for this enzyme. A new study from Cesa et al. identifies two inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) as specific client substrates of Hsp70. These results establish biomarkers that can be utilized to monitor Hsp70 inhibition and provide a framework for future efforts to deconvolute chaperone networks.
The impact of discharge inversion effect on learning SRAM power-up statistics

The authentication and verification of devices require lightweight and cost-effective solutions such as the use of fingerprints of the components contained in the device. The power-up state of Static Random Access Memory (SRAMs) has a significant effect on some security and authentication applications, such as SRAM Physical Unclonable Function (PUFs) and Random Number Generation (RNG). In this paper, a detailed data collection scheme and corresponding statistical and physical analysis are presented. The results of tests on different models of SRAM chips show that the power-up state of SRAM need to be carefully collected in order to avoid increasing the volume of enrollment data. Otherwise, the probability of failure to verify will increase. Furthermore, this method provides a stable and reliable power-up state of SRAM chips and can be used as a guidance for data acquisition and analysis of similar applications. We illustrate the Discharge Inversion Effect (DIE) for SRAM chips from different manufacturers, and demonstrate how it may impact SRAM power-up applications unless our guidelines for proper data collection and use are followed.
14 – Teaching Inverse Problems in Undergraduate Level Mathematics, Modelling and Applied Mathematics Courses

The study of inverse ill-posed problems has been a very important factor in the development of applied mathematics, geophysics, technology, medicine and other sciences. However, people need to realize the importance of teaching inverse problems in undergraduate level mathematics, modelling and applied mathematics courses. If students treat all problems as direct problems, they cannot fully understand the problems and therefore cannot solve the problems completely. Using several models from different levels of undergraduate mathematics courses, we demonstrate that the concept of inverse problems could be introduced in mathematics, modelling and applied mathematics courses.