cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of short-term early gestational exposure to endophyte-infected tall fescue diets on plasma 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid and fetal development in mares

Consumption of wild-type (toxic) endophyte-infected tall fescue (E+) by horses during late gestation is known to adversely affect pregnancy outcome; however, little is known of the potential disruptive consequences of E+ consumption by mares during the critical phases of placentation and fetal development in early pregnancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the detrimental effects of feeding E+ to mares during early gestation. Mares (n = 12) paired by stage of gestation (d 65 to 100) were assigned to diets (six per diet) consisting of endophyte-free (E-) or E+ tall fescue seed (50% E- or E+ tall fescue seed, 45% sweet feed, and 10% molasses fed at 1.0% of BW/d). Mares also had ad libitum access to E+ or E- annual ryegrass hay, and were fed diets for 10 d. Following removal from the tall fescue diet on d 11, mares were placed on common bermudagrass pasture and monitored until d 21. Morning and evening rectal temperatures were recorded and daily blood samples were collected for progesterone and prolactin (PRL) analyses, whereas samples for 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid (a catecholamine metabolite) analysis were collected on alternate days. For clinical chemistry analysis, blood samples were collected on d 0, 5, 10 and 21. Daily urine samples were collected for ergot alkaloid analysis, and ultrasonography was performed for presence of echogenic material in fetal fluids. Rectal temperatures (E+ 37.76+/-0.03; E- 37.84+/-0.03 degrees C) and serum PRL concentrations (E+ 14.06< or =0.76; E- 12.11+/-0.76 ng/mL) did not differ (P = 0.96) between treatments. Measuring the change in basal serum concentration from d 0 over time, progesterone concentrations did not differ (-0.64 +/-1.49 and -0.55+/-1.47 ng/mL for E+ and E- mares, respectively). There was no negative pregnancy outcome, and ultrasonography indicated no increase in echogenic material in fetal fluids. Plasma 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid concentrations decreased (P < 0.05) in E+ compared with E- mares (2.1+/-0.14 and 4.4+/0.43 ng/mL, respectively). Urinary ergot alkaloid concentration was greater (P < 0.01) in mares consuming E+ compared with E- (532.12+/- 52.51 and 13.36+/-2.67 ng/mg of creatinine, respectively). Although no fetal loss was observed during the current study, elevated concentrations of urinary ergot alkaloid were consistent with depressed endogenous catecholamine activity, suggestive of an endocrine disruptive effect of hypothalamic origin.
Determination of 22 preservatives in cosmetics by ultra performance liquid chromatography

Objective:A method of the simultaneous analysis of 22 preservatives(5-chloro-2-methylisothiazol-3(2H)-one,Bronopol,2-methylisothiazol-3(2H)-one,Benzyl alcohol,Phenoxyethanol,Benzoic acid,methylparaben,Phenoxyisopropanol,2,6-Dichlorobenzyl alcohol,ethylparaben,methyl benzoate,isopropylparaben,propylparaben,3-Iodo-2-propynylbutylcarbamate,4-Chloro-3,5-xylenol,isobutylparaben,butylparaben,isopentylparaben,propyl benzoate,phenyl benzoate,2-Benzyl-4-chlorophenol,butyl benzoate) in cosmetics was developed with an ultra performance liquid chromatography with PDA detector.Methods:Chromatographic column used was Acquity UPLC BEH C18(2.1 mm×50 mm,1.7 μm) and mobile phase was acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid aqueous solution.After methanol extraction,a gradient elution program was utilized for the separated and detected by UPLC-PDA.The qualification analysis was done by using retention time and spectrum,and quantification was based on detecting wavelength 260 nm.Results:The limits of qualification were less than 30μg/g,respectively,but Bronopol and 3-Iodo-2-propynylbutylcarbamate were 52 μg/g.The correlation coefficient of linear calibration curve was over 0.9997 within the preservatives linear concentration range.At low and high spiked level,the average recoveries for preservatives were 89.0%~108.3%,and 91.6%~100.9%.Relative standard deviations were less than 5%.Conclution:The method is simple and fast and has a good separate effect.So it can meet the need for determination of 22 preservatives in cosmetic.
Duodenal Switch: A New Form of Pancreaticobiliary Diversio

Pancreaticobiliary diversion can be used in the treatment of severe primary duodenogastric reflux. The Roux-en-Y procedure often leaves patients with serious side effects due to the vagotomy and antrectomy that are required with this form of pancreaticobiliary diversion. The duodenal switch procedure leaves a small portion of suprapapillary duodenum in continuity with the stomach and obviates the need for vagotomy or antrectomy. Laboratory and clinical testing of the duodenal switch procedure has shown it to be a safe, nonulcerogenic, and effective treatment for duodenogastric reflux.
An Analysis of Response by Buyers to a Proposed Information System for Contact between Buyers and Sellers of Timber

This paper reports results from a study of contactual structures in timber markets of the Coastal Plan of North Carolina. The study generated information buyers consider essential to contact sellers and indicates industrial timber buyers’ response to proposed changes in contactual structures.
Kant, Schiller and Fichte

The search for the Logos, defined as the right or ultimate relationship of universal and particular, was a major pursuit of Romanticism. If entities or ideas similarly described denote similar objects, then the Logos may well be seen as belonging to the company of words like imagination, irony, poetry, incarnation, Aufhebung, concrete universal. The Logos, like those terms, refers to the reconciliation of opposites, of such polarities as finite-infinite, body-soul, mind-nature, passive-active, empiricism-rationalism, thing-word, particular-universal, image-idea, matter-form.
Comparison of Two Surface Contamination Sampling Techniques Conducted for the Characterization of Two Pajarito Site Manhattan Project National Historic Park Properties

This report presents results for a capstone project. It discusses the problem of waste contamination in natural areas and other findings.
Leukocytosis due to markedly elevated granulocyte-colony stimulating factor levels in a patient with endometrial cancer: Case report and literature review

•Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF) secretion by gynecologic tumors is rare.•Elevations in serum GCSF can be seen in the absence of tumor GSCF secretion.•Extreme leukocytosis is associated with autocrine tumor growth and poor prognosis.
The influence of CdSe and ZnSe nanoparticles on the optical properties of Sm 3+ ions in lead borate glasses

The effect of glass composition and the presence of CdSe/ZnSe nanoparticles (NPs) on the optical absorption and fluorescence of Sm-doped lead borate glasses are studied. Three sets of glass samples xPbO:(99.5-x) B2O3:0.5Sm2O3, x = 29.5–69.5 mol%, xPbO:(96.5-x) B2O3:0.5Sm2O3: 3CdSe/ZnSe, x = 36.5, and 56.5 mol% are prepared. NPs are grown by annealing these glasses just below the glass transition temperature. Average size of both types of NPs increases with annealing time; however, CdSe NPs grew to a larger size range (2 to 20 nm) compared to ZnSe NPs (1 to 16 nm). We analyzed the hypersensitive transition, intensity parameters, radiative transition probability, stimulated emission cross section (σp), and the area ratio of the electric dipole/magnetic dipole transitions of Sm3+. The intensity parameters show a minimum at 11 h annealing for 36.5 mol% and a maximum for the same annealing duration in 56.5 mol% PbO containing CdSe NPs. The σp for 56.5 mol% of PbO with CdSe NPs is found to be a maximum when the average NP size is around 14 nm. ZnSe NPs containing glasses also show significant changes in σp when the average particle size is ~16 nm, for 36.5 mol% PbO. Our results suggest that the optical properties of Sm3+ in lead borate glasses are sensitive to its electronic environment which can be modified by varying the base glass composition and/or incorporating large NPs of CdSe/ZnSe. The large σp values that we observe for some of the glass compositions make them attractive materials for photonic devices and photovoltaic applications.
The Trickle Down of Wave Modulations from Swell to Gravity Capillary Waves

Modulation of the wavenumber and amplitude of swell by mesoscale current and bathymetry features leads in turn to patchiness of the short gravity capillary wave field due to the modulated swell. A selective review of these processes and their implication to air sea interaction and remote sensing is presented.
Using net present value as a decision-making tool.

Abstract Decision-making is rarely an easy process, especially when large dollar amounts and extended time frames are involved. One of the most difficult tasks in decision making is finding a common point of reference for different alternatives. Lease versus buy decisions compound the possibilities faced by program managers. One way of placing multiple alternatives into a common frame of reference is to use a decision-making tool called net present value (NPV).
A Nonredundant Role for the TRPM6 Channel in Neural Tube Closure.

In humans, germline mutations in Trpm6 cause autosomal dominant hypomagnesemia with secondary hypocalcemia disorder. Loss of Trpm6 in mice also perturbs cellular magnesium homeostasis but additionally results in early embryonic lethality and neural tube closure defects. To define the mechanisms by which TRPM6 influences neural tube closure, we functionally characterized the role of TRPM6 during early embryogenesis in Xenopus laevis. The expression of Xenopus TRPM6 (XTRPM6) is elevated at the onset of gastrulation and is concentrated in the lateral mesoderm and ectoderm at the neurula stage. Loss of XTRPM6 produced gastrulation and neural tube closure defects. Unlike XTRPM6′s close homologue XTRPM7, whose loss interferes with mediolateral intercalation, depletion of XTRPM6 but not XTRPM7 disrupted radial intercalation cell movements. A zinc-influx assay demonstrated that TRPM6 has the potential to constitute functional channels in the absence of TRPM7. The results of our study indicate that XTRPM6 regulates radial intercalation with little or no contribution from XTRPM7 in the region lateral to the neural plate, whereas XTRPM7 is mainly involved in regulating mediolateral intercalation in the medial region of the neural plate. We conclude that both TRPM6 and TRPM7 channels function cooperatively but have distinct and essential roles during neural tube closure.
La libertad de expresión en el mercado de las ideas

The article presents a historical and critical reflection of the theoretical and cultural premises of the key principle of liberalism, freedom of expression, its developments and the current challenges that challenge it. From the exposition of the three main elements (a belief in the sacredness of the vocation of the press and of communication in general as a vehicle for public enlightenment, a stoic and humanist vision of the human mind and the duties of the citizen, and a philosophy of history according to which the error will eventually lead to truth and evil will produce good), the author exposes the problems he considers decisive in the near future: forgetting classical antiquity and the elegant notion of the citizen-soldier (linked to the decadence of the culture of the printing press); loss of confidence in moral progress; the globalization; the transformation of media infrastructure and communication; the resurgence of religion.
Seizures After Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Impact on Mortality and Morbidity.

Objective Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is one of the most frequent causes of epilepsy in the United States. However, reported risk factors for seizure after are inconsistent, and their impact on inpatient morbidity and mortality is unclear. We aimed to study the incidence, risk factors, and impact of seizures after ICH in a nationwide patient sample. Methods We queried the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for patients admitted to the hospital with a primary diagnosis of ICH between the years 1999 and 2011. Patients were subsequently dichotomized into groups of those with a diagnosis consistent with seizure and those without. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess risk factors for seizure in this patient sample, and the association between seizures and mortality and morbidity. Logistic regression was then used for trend analysis of incidence of seizure diagnoses over time. Results We identified 220,075 patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of ICH. Of these, 11.87% had a diagnosis consistent with seizure. Factors associated with increased risk of seizure after ICH included higher categorical van Walraven score, encephalopathy, alcohol abuse, solid tumor, and prior stroke. Seizure was independently associated with decreased odds of morbidity (odds ratio [OR], 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.86–0.92) and mortality (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.72–0.77) in multivariate models controlling for existing comorbidities. Conclusions Seizures after were associated with decreased mortality and morbidity despite attempts to correct for existing comorbidities. Continuous monitoring of these patients for seizures may not be necessary in all circumstances, despite their frequency.
Headache in patients with isolated cortical vein thrombosis: report of 9 cases and review of the literature. (P3.112)

Objective: NA Background: Isolated cortical vein thrombosis (ICVT) is a rare type of cerebral venous infarction, and its diagnosis is often delayed. Headaches have been the most commonly reported symptom of ICVT. We aimed to delineate the clinical profile and headache characteristics of patients with ICVT. Design/Methods: We presented 9 patients with ICVT and systemically reviewed the published cases. Patients with and without headache were compared to investigate the headache characteristics and clinical profiles associated with ICVT. Results: In this report, a total of 86 ICVT cases were included, and 54 (62.8%) of them reported headaches. Compared with ICVT patients without headache, the patients experiencing headache were younger (37.4±14.4 versus 46.5±19.4 years; P=0.039) and were less likely to have seizure (48.1% versus 83.9%; P=0.001). In the analysis regarding risk factors, dural puncture (33.3% versus 6.9%, P=0.001), epidural blood patch (14.8% versus 0%, P=0.025) and pregnancy or puerperium (100% versus 0%, P=0.012) were more common among patients with headache than among those without headache. The headaches were primarily acute or sudden onset (78.6%), severe in intensity (88.0%) and ran a monophasic course (87.0%). Conclusions: Headache is a common presentation of ICVT. The delineation of headache characteristics and associated clinical parameters may help in the early recognition of ICVT. Disclosure: Dr. Cheng has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lai has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kuo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lee has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lai has nothing to disclose.
Appearance Constrained Semi-Automatic Segmentation from DCE-MRI is Reproducible and Feasible for Breast Cancer Radiomics: A Feasibility Study

We present a segmentation approach that combines GrowCut (GC) with cancer-specific multi-parametric Gaussian Mixture Model (GCGMM) to produce accurate and reproducible segmentations. We evaluated GCGMM using a retrospectively collected 75 invasive ductal carcinoma with ERPR+ HER2− (n = 15), triple negative (TN) (n = 9), and ER-HER2+ (n = 57) cancers with variable presentation (mass and non-mass enhancement) and background parenchymal enhancement (mild and marked). Expert delineated manual contours were used to assess the segmentation performance using Dice coefficient (DSC), mean surface distance (mSD), Hausdorff distance, and volume ratio (VR). GCGMM segmentations were significantly more accurate than GrowCut (GC) and fuzzy c-means clustering (FCM). GCGMM’s segmentations and the texture features computed from those segmentations were the most reproducible compared with manual delineations and other analyzed segmentation methods. Finally, random forest (RF) classifier trained with leave-one-out cross-validation using features extracted from GCGMM segmentation resulted in the best accuracy for ER-HER2+ vs. ERPR+/TN (GCGMM 0.95, expert 0.95, GC 0.90, FCM 0.92) and for ERPR + HER2− vs. TN (GCGMM 0.92, expert 0.91, GC 0.77, FCM 0.83).
A live vaccine to Staphylococcus aureus infection.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. S. aureus is a significant cause of bloodstream, skin and soft tissue infections ...
Glutamate receptors and their role in acute and inflammatory pain

Data from both animals and humans indicate that peripheral glutamate receptors are involved in nociceptive transmission in the normal and inflamed state. Studies in animal models indicate that peripheral glutamate receptors may provide novel targets for treatment of inflammatory pain. The variety of peripheral iGlu and mGlu receptors provides many targets for drug development. Manipulating the peripheral glutamatergic system could lead to advances in treating maladaptive pain while avoiding CNS side effects.
The reliability and internal consistency of an Internet-capable computer program for measuring utilities.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and internal consistency of measurements of utilities performed with a computer program (iMPACT2) designed for Internet surveys and Internet patient decision-support systems. Methods: We implemented the Internet Multimedia Preference Assessor Construction Tool, version 2 (iMPACT2) program using the combination of a web server, HTML files, and a web-accessible database. The program randomized subjects, screened their responses for missing data and failures of internal consistency, assisted patients with resolving certain inconsistencies, and, upon a subject's completion of the protocol, provided a report of results to the research assistant administering the program. To validate the iMPACT2 program, we recruited 60 healthy community volunteers and elicited preferences in a research-lab setting using a visual analog scale (VAS) and the standard gamble (SG) for subject's current health and three hypothetical states. For purposes of comparison, we also administered a Short Form-12 (SF-12) health-assessment questionnaire. Subjects used the computer software on two occasions separated by 2–4 weeks of time. Results: Visual analog scale and standard gamble ratings for subjects' current health were reliable (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.82 and 0.84 (two outliers excluded − 0.60 without exclusions), respectively) were comparable with the reliability of the Physical and Mental Component scales of the SF-12 (ICCs of 0.84 and 0.75, respectively). Subjects could easily discriminate between hypothetical states (D scores 0.74 for SG and 0.90 for VAS), and 94% had a completely internally consistent ordering of preference ratings for states. Conclusions: iMPACT2 produces measurements of standard gamble utilities that are reliable and have a high degree of internal consistency. Procedures for assessment of utilities developed for desktop computer programs can be translated to software designed for the Internet, facilitating the use of utilities and endpoints in clinical trials and development of web-based decision-support applications for patients. However, further testing, including direct comparisons with traditional interviewer administered utility elicitation protocols, is needed.
Determining Underlying Factors that Influence Online Social Network Usage Among Public Sector Employees in the UAE

Recently, there has been a rising concern over technology dependency, especially with the revolution of online social networking, which becomes the biggest phenomenon. It harnesses a web application to build social relations with other people who share similar personal or career interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections. There is a lot of research, which have been done in the field of Online Social Network Usage, but studies indicate the lack of research has been conducted for determining underlying factors that influence online social network usage among public sector employees in the UAE. This study employs structural equation modeling via AMOS to analyze 401 valid questionnaires for the assessment of the proposed model that is based on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology to identify the factors that affect the use of online social networks (OSN). The current research focused in one of Abu Dhabi’s public organizations, the Tourism Development and Investment Company. The main independent constructs in the model are related to performance, effort, social influence, and facilitating conditions about the use of OSN. The dependent constructs cover actual utilization of OSN. This paper describes the relations among the various constructs. Our work improved our insights on the online social networking model. Results indicated all four independent variables significantly predicted the actual usage of OSN with various percentages. The proposed model explained 50% of the variance in actual usage.
Advancements in co-simulation techniques in combined transmission and distribution systems analysis

Common practice in transmission and distribution (T&D) systems analysis has been to treat them independently by decoupling those at the point of common coupling (PCC). With the large amount of distributed energy resources (DER) being added in distribution networks, the interactions between T&D systems at PCC produce unacceptable errors. This study discusses an alternate approach for the combined T&D systems analysis using co-simulation technique. The proposed framework couples the analysis of the two systems by iteratively exchanging the power flow variables at the PCC. The approach is implemented for an IEEE 9-bus transmission test system coupled with the IEEE 13-bus distribution test system and the analysis is validated against an equivalent stand-alone combined T&D system model.
Capillary Condensation of Single- and Multicomponent Fluids in Nanopores

The phase behavior of fluids in nanopores deviates significantly from that in bulk space. However, the effect of pore confinement on the capillary condensation in nanopores has not been fully under...
Case 4: Chronic and Progressive Muscle Weakness in a 9-year-old Girl

1. Aaron Powell, MD* 2. Pamela Wilson, MD* 3. Tamara Powell, PhD* 1. *Department of Rehabilitation, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO A 9-year-old previously healthy girl presents to the clinic with complaints of progressive weakness during the past 2 years. She recently quit her swim and dance teams because her weakness is so severe that she cannot keep up with her peers. She noticed more difficulty with tasks such as opening jars and exhibited decreased endurance for all physical activity. Other notable symptoms include difficulty initiating and sustaining sleep, as well as weight loss despite increasing calorie consumption. She denies diplopia, muscle twitching or cramping, numbness or tingling in her limbs, bowel or bladder changes, or difficulties with swallowing. She does not have a family history of neuromuscular disease. Vital signs reveal slight tachycardia. Examination reveals a thin young girl in no apparent distress. She has no obvious facial or shoulder girdle muscle wasting. Strength is diffusely 4/5 throughout her upper and lower limbs. Coordination and motor planning tasks are within normal limits. A Gowers sign is negative. Her gait is essentially normal, with a small increase in foot slap during initial contact after prolonged walking. Evaluation includes …
Are all student evaluation scores created equally? Identifying factors that hospitality administrators should consider when assessing student feedback.

Abstract: Hospitality program administrators must evaluate faculty on their perceived level of that faculty's teaching effectiveness. Interpreting student evaluation ratings is the most frequently used method of assessing faculty performance. This study examines factors that potentially should be taken into consideration while assessing student evaluation scores. Evaluation scores (n = 4893) were analyzed for one academic year. The findings show a relationship between class size, grade distribution, and teaching experience with student ratings of faculty. The results also discovered that student ratings were significantly higher for courses that required a laboratory component and near significantly higher for elective vs. required courses.
Chapter 179 – Nest Building

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the nest, nesting behavior, and function of nest in insects. A nest may be defined as any modification of the environment by adult insects that provide shelter for the rearing of their offspring. In most nest-building insects, the nests are simple excavations or small constructions that provide temporary protection for eggs or larvae, with or without the adult parent(s) in attendance to provide continuing parental care. In the numerous lineages of nest-building insects, an increase in parental care has generally been accompanied by the evolution of more elaborate nesting behavior. The trend has climaxed numerous times in the eusocial insects such as termites, ants, wasps, and bees, whose nests may be very large and architecturally complex and may house the colony for many years under homeostatically controlled physical conditions. The information required to construct the nest ultimately resides in the genome of individuals, not as a blueprint of the finished nest, but as a set of one or more kinds of construction acts combined with a set of decision rules. Additionally, nest is the information center of the colony. It is here that information is communicated about resource supply and demand and about the status of the queen. The nest itself is involved in the distribution of information about colony membership.
Curved creases redistribute global bending stiffness in corrugations: theory and experimentation

Corrugations offer a convenient way to make thin, lightweight sheets into stiff structures. However, traditional, v-shaped corrugations made from straight creases result in highly anisotropic stiffness which leads to undesirable flexibility in some directions of loading. In this paper, we explore the bending stiffness of curved-crease corrugations with a planar midsurface—developable corrugations made by folding thin sheets about curves and without linerboard covers on the top or bottom. The curved-crease corrugations break symmetry in the pattern and can redistribute stiffness to resist bending deformations in multiple directions. To study these systems, we formulate a framework for predicting the bending stiffness of any planar-midsurface corrugation from its multiple geometric features at different scales. We use the framework to create two predictive methods that provide valuable insight into the global stiffness of corrugations without a detailed analysis. Results from these methods match well with experimental, three-point bending tests of five corrugation geometries made from polyester film. We found that corrugations with elliptical or parabolic curved-creases that intersect with one edge of the pattern are best at redistributing stiffness in multiple directions. While a straight-crease pattern has a stiffness of about 4 N/mm in one direction and about 0 N/mm in the other, a parabolic crease pattern has a stiffness of about 2.5 N/mm in both directions. These curved-crease corrugations can enable the self-assembly and fabrication of practical, stiff structures from simple, developable sheets.
Adjoint Representations and the Derivative of exp

In this chapter, in preparation for defining the Lie bracket on the Lie algebra of a Lie group, we introduce the adjoint representations of the group \(\mathbf {GL}(n, {\mathbb {R}})\) and of the Lie algebra \({\mathfrak {gl}}(n, {\mathbb {R}})\). The map \(\mathrm {Ad}\colon \mathbf {GL}(n, {\mathbb {R}})\rightarrow \mathbf {GL}({\mathfrak {gl}}(n, {\mathbb {R}}))\) is defined such that AdA is the derivative of the conjugation map \(\mathbf {Ad}_A{\colon } \mathbf {GL}(n, {\mathbb {R}})\rightarrow \mathbf {GL}(n, {\mathbb {R}})\) at the identity. The map ad is the derivative of Ad at the identity, and it turns out that adA(B) = [A, B], the Lie bracket of A and B, and in this case, [A, B] = AB − BA. We also find a formula for the derivative of the matrix exponential exp. This formula has an interesting application to the problem of finding a natural sets of real matrices over which the exponential is injective, which is used in numerical linear algebra.
Interaction of Adipocyte Metabolic and Immune Functions Through TBK1.

Adipocytes and adipose tissue play critical roles in the regulation of metabolic homeostasis. In obesity and obesity-associated metabolic diseases, immune cells infiltrate into adipose tissues. Interaction between adipocytes and immune cells re-shapes both metabolic and immune properties of adipose tissue and dramatically changes metabolic set points. Both the expression and activity of the non-canonical IKK family member TBK1 are induced in adipose tissues during diet-induced obesity. TBK1 plays important roles in the regulation of both metabolism and inflammation in adipose tissue and thus affects glucose and energy metabolism. Here we review the regulation and functions of TBK1 and the molecular mechanisms by which TBK1 regulates both metabolism and inflammation in adipose tissue. Finally, we discuss the potential of a TBK1/IKKe inhibitor as a new therapy for metabolic diseases.
Reducing the Need for HLA-Matched Platelet Transfusion.

Reducing the Need for HLA-Matched Platelet Transfusion Some patients with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes with thrombocytopenia may become resistant to random donor transfusions of plat...
Overallocation of Carbon Data in the Evaluation of Carbon Footprint

This paper points to several carbon footprint data distortions that over allocate carbon footprint to individual companies and to several carbon data intricacies that lead to improved data integrity. Data distortion due to having the same company listed in multiple geographical jurisdictions or through different share classes overstates Emissions Scope 1 by 4.6%, Emissions Scope 2 by 5.5%, Emissions Scope 3 by 10.6%, and Reserves by 6.0%. Data distortion due to index construction by having different market capitalization in representative indices over allocates Emissions Scope 1 by 33.9%, Emissions Scope 2 by 27.6%, Emissions Scope 3 by 21.3%, and Reserves by 57.2%. A significant amount of carbon data is not actual but estimated by third party providers through proprietary techniques. The estimated data for Scope 1 Emissions is 46.4% of the companies in the index. In addition, carbon data is stale, resulting in 94.5% of data to be two years or older. Usage of carbon data in a present format may incorrectly remove some companies from portfolios (negative screen, complete removal) or incorrectly reduce some companies’ weight in a portfolio (partial screen, fractional removal).
RNA sequencing indicates age-dependent shifts in the cardiac fibroblast transcriptome between fetal, neonatal, and adult developmental ages

Cardiac fibroblasts are responsible for extracellular matrix turnover and repair in the cardiac environment and serve to help facilitate immune responses. However, it is well established that they ...
Performance Potential of High Gear Ratio Coaxial Magnetic Gears

It has been traditionally thought that a coaxial magnetic gear (MG) can only have a high volumetric torque density at a low gear ratio. This paper points out that by using the right sized radius and utilizing judicious radial parameter sweep analysis a high torque density can be created that also operates with a high gear ratio. An example design is presented that has a 33:1 gear ratio and a 3-D finite element analysis calculated torque density in excess of 300 Nm/L. The paper also provides a direct torque density comparison of the Halbach rotor MG relative to the surface mounted permanent magnet MG.
The Effect of Nrf2 Pathway Activation on Human Pancreatic Islet Cells

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic islets are known to contain low level of antioxidants that renders them vulnerable to oxidative stress. Nrf2 is the master regulator of numerous genes, encoding antioxidant, detoxifying, and cytoprotective molecules. Activation of Nrf2 pathway induces up-regulation of numerous genes encoding antioxidant and phase II detoxifying enzymes and related proteins. However, little is known regarding the role of this pathway in human islet cells. The aim was to investigate the effect of Nrf2 activator (dh404, CDDO-9,11-dihydro-trifluoroethyl amide) on human islet cells. METHODS: Human islets were obtained from cadaveric donors. After dh404 treatment, Nrf2 translocation, mRNA expression, and protein abundance of its key target gene products were examined. The proportion of dh404-treated or non-treated viable islet beta cells was analyzed using flowcytemetry. The cytoprotective effects against oxidative stress and production of inflammatory mediators, and in vivo islet function after transplantation were determined. RESULTS: Nrf2 nuclear translocation was confirmed by con-focal microscope within 2 hours after treatment, which was associated with a dose-dependent increase in mRNA expression of anti-oxidants, including NQO1, HO-1, and GCLC. Enhanced HO-1 expression in dh404 treated islets was confirmed by Western Blot assay. Islet function after transplantation (2000 IEQ/mouse) to diabetic nude mice was not affected with or without dh404 treatment. After induction of oxidative stress with hydrogen peroxide (200 μM) the proportion of dh404-treated viable islet cells was significantly higher in the dh404-treated than untreated islets (74% vs.57%; P<0.05). Dh404 significantly decreased production of cytokines/chemokines including IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ and MCP-1. CONCLUSION: Treatment of human pancreatic islets with the potent synthetic Nrf2 activator, dh404, significantly increased expression of the key anti-oxidants enzymes, decreased inflammatory mediators in islets and conferred protection against oxidative stress in beta cells.
Cost of Social and Environmental Regulations in Construction

The results of a survey designed to determine the percentage of construction costs spent for social and environmental controls are presented. Questionnaires were sent to all contractors appearing on “The ENR 400” Contractors Compilation in addition to all 476 organizations listed in “The OCA Directory.” The data indicate that 10.7% of the overall yearly construction cost of “The ENR 400” contractors is allocated for social and environmental controls. The corresponding figure for “The OCA Directory” contractors is 11.9%.
Organizing and Writing a Rough Draft

This chapter focuses on the preparation of a rough draft that can be done before actually organizing and writing a paper, or putting together a speech or a poster. The first efforts should be to think about the audience, the subject, and the purpose. Words on paper have a similar symbolic influence on thinking, learning, and knowing. The physical words keep ideas in perspective, and contribute to logical, orderly arrangements of thoughts. However, some people avoid this learning device because they find that moving thought to paper is difficult. Some find the writing itself relatively easy but getting started difficult. Once the thoughts have been corralled, with or without prewriting exercises, and the organization of the text is considered, a rough draft of a short paper or a section of a longer work is ready to be worked on. The chapter offers guidelines and checklists to organize and write a rough draft. Determination of the questions that the audience might ask, and how they direct the approach is suggested along with arranging ideas in an orderly sequence.
Interdependence of System Control and Component Sizing for a Hydrogen-fueled Hybrid Vehicle

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) researchers have embarked on an ambitious program to quantitatively demonstrate the potential of hydrogen as a fuel for internal combustion engines (ICEs) in hybrid-electric vehicle applications. In this initiative, ANL researchers need to investigate different hybrid configurations, different levels of hybridization, and different control strategies to evaluate their impacts on the potential of hydrogen ICEs in a hybrid system. Because of limitations in the choice of motor and battery hardware, a common practice is to fix the size of the battery and motor, depending on the hybrid configuration (starter/alternator, mild hybrid, or full hybrid) and to tune the system control for the above-available electrical power/ energy. ANL has developed a unique, flexible, Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) platform for advanced powertrain technology evaluation: The Mobile Advanced Technology Testbed (MATT). MATT has the flexibility to easily test advanced components in various hybrid configurations. In addition, MATT has the capability of emulating any size of motor and battery. Therefore, the powertrain under test can be evaluated with different levels of hybridization. The versatile control system software developed by ANL provides rapid evaluation of control options associated with each hybrid configuration and each level of hybridization. The powertrain currently under investigation at ANL consists of a supercharged hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine and a dual clutch transmission. The engine and transmission are not emulated and are therefore fixed in terms of sizing. Since the motor and the battery are emulated, MATT makes it possible to resize the battery and the motor for every change in control strategy, thus enabling an iterative loop between control strategy and component sizing. This iterative sizing process would then result in components optimized for a control strategy. The ultimate aim of this iterative process is to identify the optimal control strategy and component sizing for a particular specifications set (performance and fuel economy). As a first step, this interdependent sizing process was studied in simulation only by using ANL-developed PSAT (Power-train System Analysis Toolkit) [1], and the results are presented in this paper. The next stage is to validate the simulation results with the test data collected on MATT for different levels of hybridization and different control strategies.
Enhancement of type B and A photoreceptor inhibitory synaptic connections in conditioned Hermissenda

Intrinsic changes have been identified in isolated and intact type A and type B photoreceptors following classical conditioning of the nudibranch mollusk Hermissenda. Aspects of various intrinsic, nonsynaptic modifications are expressed by alterations in the excitability of identified photoreceptors in response to the conditioned stimulus. In addition to changes in cellular excitability, changes in synaptic strength between identified neurons have been proposed as a possible mechanism of associative learning in several invertebrate preparations. Here we report that classical conditioning produces differential effects upon the strength of inhibitory monosynaptic connections between identified pairs of type B and type A photoreceptors. The amplitude of IPSPs elicited by an action potential in the medial type B photoreceptor and recorded from medical type A photoreceptors was significantly enhanced in conditioned animals as compared to pseudorandom controls. In contrast, the amplitude of IPSPs elicited by an action potential in the lateral type B photoreceptor and recorded from lateral type A photoreceptors did not show significant synaptic enhancement following conditioning. These results provide additional evidence for differential effects of conditioning upon cellular modifications in identified type A and type B photoreceptors, and further indicate that multiple sites of cellular plasticity exist in the visual system of conditioned Hermissenda.
Functional nonequivalence of structurally homologous domains of neurokinin-1 and neurokinin-2 type tachykinin receptors

The neurokinin-1 (NK-1) and neurokinin-2 (NK-2) receptors are both members of the tachykinin receptor family. Although both receptors bind peptide ligands synthesized from common precursors and activate inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate and cAMP responses, differences between these receptors have been observed in the extent and kinetics of agonist-induced responses. Here, to test if structurally homologous domains of the NK-1 and NK-2 receptors are functionally distinct, stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines expressing receptors that had either their putative third cytoplasmic loop (C3) or carboxyl tail (CT) domains replaced with the equivalent domain of the other receptor were compared with stably transfected CHO cell lines expressing wild-type receptors. Radioligand binding demonstrated that each of these chimeric receptors had agonist binding affinities indistinguishable from wild-type receptors. However, not all chimeric receptors were equivalent in their ability to stimulate inositol phospholipid turnover and cAMP production. The data suggest that the NK-1 C3 and the NK-2 CT domains play important roles in G-protein activation that cannot be replaced by the analogous domain of the other receptor. The characterization of CHO cell lines expressing truncated forms of both receptors supported the hypothesis that the CT domain of the NK-2, but not the NK-1, receptor plays a critical role in G-protein activation. The data suggest a potential mechanism for the differences observed in response characteristics in tissues expressing NK-1 and NK-2 receptors and demonstrate that the mechanisms whereby highly homologous receptors activate G-proteins can be different.
Visualization of C. elegans transgenic arrays by GFP

Targeting the green fluorescent protein (GFP) via the E. coli lac repressor (LacI) to a specific DNA sequence, the lac operator (lacO), allows visualization of chromosomes in yeast and mammalian cells. In principle this method of visualization could be used for genetic mosaic analysis, which requires cell-autonomous markers that can be scored easily and at single cell resolution. The C. elegans lin-3 gene encodes an epidermal growth factor family (EGF) growth factor. lin-3 is expressed in the gonadal anchor cell and acts through LET-23 (transmembrane protein tyrosine kinase and ortholog of EGF receptor) to signal the vulval precursor cells to generate vulval tissue. lin-3 is expressed in the vulval cells later, and recent evidence raises the possibility that lin-3 acts in the vulval cells as a relay signal during vulval induction. It is thus of interest to test the site of action of lin-3 by mosaic analysis. We visualized transgenes in living C. elegans by targeting the green fluorescent protein (GFP) via the E. coli lac repressor (LacI) to a specific 256 sequence repeat of the lac operator (lacO) incorporated into transgenes. We engineered animals to express a nuclear-localized GFP-LacI fusion protein. C. elegans cells having a lacO transgene result in nuclear-localized bright spots (i.e., GFP-LacI bound to lacO). Cells with diffuse nuclear fluorescence correspond to unbound nuclear localized GFP-LacI. We detected chromosomes in living animals by chromosomally integrating the array of the lacO repeat sequence and visualizing the integrated transgene with GFP-LacI. This detection system can be applied to determine polyploidy as well as investigating chromosome segregation. To assess the GFP-LacI•lacO system as a marker for mosaic analysis, we conducted genetic mosaic analysis of the epidermal growth factor lin-3, expressed in the anchor cell. We establish that lin-3 acts in the anchor cell to induce vulva development, demonstrating this method's utility in detecting the presence of a transgene. The GFP-LacI•lacO transgene detection system works in C. elegans for visualization of chromosomes and extrachromosomal transgenes. It can be used as a marker for genetic mosaic analysis. The lacO repeat sequence as an extrachromosomal array becomes a valuable technique allowing rapid, accurate determination of spontaneous loss of the array, thereby allowing high-resolution mosaic analysis. The lin-3 gene is required in the anchor cell to induce the epidermal vulval precursors cells to undergo vulval development.
Pulled Up Short: Challenges for Education

I looked at my Daniel when he was four years old, and I said to myself, How will I teach this mind what it is to have a soul? How will I teach this mind to understand pain? How will I teach it to want to take on another person’s suffering? That pain should be a focus for education is not a new idea. Maxine Greene writes: “Children and young persons inhabit a world of fearful moral uncertainty, a world in which it appears that almost nothing can be done to reduce suffering, contain massacres, and protect human rights.” Educators therefore must teach individuals “to strain toward conceptions of a better order of things...what ought to be.” Realizing Greene’s vision, teachers can provide students opportunities to develop the skills, judgments, and dispositions necessary to alleviate suffering caused by social, political, and economic injustice. On this view, pain is a legitimate educational concern because it represents the kind of experience individuals can and should learn to prevent and overcome.
Supersymmetric twin Higgs mechanism

We present a supersymmetric realization of the twin Higgs mechanism, which cancels off all contributions to the Higgs mass generated above a scale f. Radiative corrections induced by the top-quark sector lead to a breaking of the twin sector electroweak symmetry at a scale f{approx}TeV. In our sector, below the scale f, these radiative corrections from the top quark are present but greatly weakened, naturally allowing a Z boson mass an order of magnitude below f, even with a top squark mass of order 1 TeV and a messenger scale near the Planck mass. A sufficient quartic interaction for our Higgs boson arises from the usual gauge contribution together with a radiative contribution from a heavy top squark. The mechanism requires the presence of an SU(2)-adjoint superfield, and can be simply unified. Naturalness in these theories is usually associated with light winos and sleptons, and is largely independent of the scale of the colored particles. The assumption of unification naturally predicts the existence of many exotic fields. The theory often has particles which may be stable on collider time scales, including an additional color octet superfield. In the limit that m{sub SUSY}>>f, the mechanism yields a UV completion of themore » nonsupersymmetric twin Higgs, with the notable improvement of a tree-level quartic for the standard model Higgs. In this framework, a successful UV completion requires the existence of new charged fields well below the scale f.« less
The relation of flux transfer events to magnetic reconnection

Preliminary results of a search for heat-transfer signatures in electron data on 31 flux-transfer events (FTEs) are reported. Strong acceleration or deceleration, large parallel pressure anisotropies, and temperatures and densities between those of the magnetosphere and the magnetosheath are commonly observed within the surface of the flux-transfer interval defined by the heat-flow peaks, with some evidence of field-aligned ionospheric electrons. A theoretical model is developed to explain some of the observations and illustrated with diagrams. Dynamical tests on a large well-resolved FTE show that the data are consistent with a one-sided passage of the probe into and out of a rotational shear layer.