cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estrogen Promotes Sympathetic Nerve Regeneration in Rat Proximal Urethra

OBJECTIVES To assess whether sympathetic reinnervation of the rat proximal urethra is affected by differences in estrogen levels. Sympathetic innervation mediates tonic contraction of proximal urethral smooth muscle, thus contributing to urinary continence. Urethral innervation is particularly susceptible to damage during vaginal delivery, a time characterized by decreasing estrogen levels. METHODS Adult female rats were ovariectomized and implanted with pellets containing vehicle or estrogen to achieve serum levels similar to rodent pregnancy. The rats were injected intravenously with vehicle or the selective sympathetic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine, which produces uniform and complete destruction of terminal sympathetic axons. At 1, 4, 12, and 25 days, tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive sympathetic innervation of the proximal urethral smooth muscle was assessed quantitatively. RESULTS In rats with intact innervation, the proximal urethra is densely innervated, and nerve density is comparable, irrespective of estrogen status. 6-Hydroxydopamine induced marked sympathetic axon disruption by day 1 and complete denervation by 4 days after injection in the ovariectomized rats receiving vehicle or estrogen. In the vehicle-treated rats, few nerves were present at 12 days after sympathectomy, and innervation remained substantially less than normal levels at 25 days. In estrogen-treated rats, sympathetic reinnervation was twofold greater at 12 days and by 25 days was comparable to that of the controls. CONCLUSIONS Estrogen improves sympathetic reinnervation of the proximal urethra. Estrogen titers in individuals with urethral sympathetic nerve damage might, therefore, influence the rate and extent of urethral smooth muscle reinnervation.
Abstract 1009: Regression of rectal polyps in familial adenomatous polyposis patients by freeze-dried black raspberries is associated with the demethylation and reactivation of tumor suppressor genes

We previously reported in a Phase I clinical trial that black raspberry (BRB) powder is well tolerated by humans when administered in a slurry of water at 45g/day for 7 days. We then undertook a study to determine if BRB might regress rectal polyps in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients. Fourteen FAP patients who had undergone a colectomy were treated with BRB daily for a period of nine months. Seven patients received BRB powder (20g/3x/day) orally in water plus two suppositories (each composed of 700 mg BRB) that patients inserted into the rectum one hour before bedtime. The other seven patients were randomized to receive an oral placebo plus the two rectal suppositories. Rectal polyp counts were taken at time zero and after nine months of BRB treatment. The number of rectal polyps was reduced by a median of 43% at nine months overall including a median reduction of 59% in patients treated by both routes and 36% in patients treated with the suppositories only. Polyps and aberrant crypt foci, both were histopathologically identified as tubular adenomas, and adjacent normal tissues were collected both before and after berry treatment. Promoter methylation of CDKN2A, also known as p16, in collected specimens was measured using MassARRAY. Global methylation LINE-1 was determined by Pyrosequencing. MBDCap-seq genome-wide methylation analysis was used to discover other genes demethylated by berries. Further, the specimens were evaluated for p16, Ki-67, TUNEL, DNMT1 and DNMT3B expression by semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry. Our results showed that treatment with BRB powder, both orally and in the form of a BRB suppository, significantly reduced cell proliferation in the tubular adenomas. The suppository alone was sufficient to decrease promoter methylation of p16 leading to an increase in p16 protein expression in adjacent normal rectum and in tubular adenomas. This was associated with decreased protein expression of DNMT1 and DNMT3B. Based on MBDCap-seq data, BRBs significantly demethylated promoter CpGs of 44 genes in tubular adenomas. These genes are involved in the regulation of important cellular functions; e.g., cell proliferation, Wnt signaling and Notch pathway, etc. Lastly, berry treatment did not induce changes in global methylation LINE-1. In conclusion, our data provide evidence that one of the mechanisms for BRB-induced rectal polyp regression in FAP patients is through the demethylation and reactivation of tumor suppressor genes.(Supported by NCI grants CA148818 and CA103180, and USDA grant 38903-03560). Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1009. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1009
ME-15INTERACTION BETWEEN CANCER STEM CELLS AND MYELOID DERIVED SUPPRESSOR CELLS DRIVES IMMUNOSUPPRESSION AND GLIOBLASTOMA GROWTH.

Cellular and molecular regulation of the immune system is exquisitely controlled in the brain and disrupted in neoplasia. Glioblastoma (GBM) has an immunosuppressive phenotype, and despite the accumulation of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, tumor growth persists. Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a class of immature immune cells that mitigate cytotoxic T cell responses and promote immunosuppression in a variety of cancers. MDSCs are increased in the peripheral blood of GBM patients, but their role in the GBM microenvironment is undefined. We observed co-localization between arginase (Arg1) producing immunosuppressive MDSCs and cancer stem cells (CSCs) in GBM patient specimens and xenografts, leading to the hypothesis that CSCs stimulate MDSCs to promote immunosuppression. Intracranial injections of CSCs into mice led to GBM formation, expansion of the Arg1-producing MDSCs within the marrow of GBM-bearing mice, and increased levels of MDSCs within the GBM microenvironment. CSC conditioned media increased Arg1 production of murine marrow MDSCs which were then able to modulate cytotoxic T cell responses in co-culture models. Screening of conditioned media revealed cytokines secreted selectively by CSCs that activated MDSCs suppression. Removal of CSC-secreted factors decreased MDSCs in the GBM microenvironment, increased cytotoxic T cell infiltration, and had a pronounced survival benefit. Peripheral targeting of MDSCs through a sub-therapeutic dose of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in an immunocompetent syngeneic mouse model led to a similar phenotype to CSC-secreted factor removal in the GBM microenvironment, and an even greater survival benefit. Taken together, our results suggest a critical role of MDSC-mediated immunosuppression in GBM, a novel paradigm of immunomodulation by CSCs, and demonstrate that peripheral removal of MDSCs leads to increased T cell infiltration into GBM, and consequently suggest a novel chemotherapeutic strategy that is not generally toxic to bone marrow and that is not dependent on agents crossing the blood brain barrier.
Dose-Response of Five Bile Acids on Serum and Liver Bile Acid Concentrations and Hepatotoxicty in Mice

Feeding bile acids (BAs) to rodents has been used to study BA signaling and toxicity in vivo. However, little is known about the effect of feeding BAs on the concentrations of BAs in serum and liver as well as the dose of the fed BAs that causes liver toxicity. The present study was designed to investigate the relative hepatotoxicity of individual BAs by feeding mice cholic acid (CA), chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), deoxycholic acid (DCA), lithocholic acid (LCA), or ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) at concentrations of 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, or 3% in their diet for 7 days. The data demonstrate that (1) the ability of the fed BAs to produce hepatotoxicity is UDCA<CA<CDCA<DCA<LCA; (2) the lowest concentration of each BA in the feed that causes hepatotoxicity in mice is CA and CDCA at 0.3%, DCA at 0.1%, and LCA at 0.03%; (3) BA feeding results in a dose-dependent increase in the total serum BA concentrations but had little effect on liver total BA concentrations; (4) hepatotoxicity of the fed BAs does not simply depend on the concentration or hydrophobicity of total BAs in the liver; and (5) liver BA-conjugation enzymes are saturated by feeding UDCA at concentrations higher than 0.3%. In conclusion, the findings of the present study provide guidance for choosing the feeding concentrations of BAs in mice and will aid in interpreting BA hepatotoxicity as well as BA-mediated gene regulation.
Development of an ecologically valid approach to assess moderate physical activity using accelerometry in community dwelling women of color: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Women of color report the lowest levels of physical activity and highest rates of overweight and obesity in the US. The purpose of this study was to develop an individualized, ecologically valid, field based method to assess physical activity over seven days for community dwelling women of color using accelerometers. Methods: Accelerometer-measured physical activity, Borg perceived exertion, demographics, blood pressure, heart rate, and anthropometric measures were collected from African American and Hispanic or Latina women (N = 209). A threshold for increased physical activity was determined for each participant by calculating the average count per minute (plus one standard deviation) for each participant collected during a self-selected pace that corresponded to a ‘recreational’ walk about their neighborhood. The threshold was then used to calculate the amount of time spent doing increased intensity physical activity during a typical week. Results: Women were middle-aged and obese (M BMI = 34.3 ± 9.3). The average individual activity counts per day ranged from 482-1368 in African American women and 470-1302 in Hispanic or Latina women. On average, African American women spent significantly more time doing what was labeled ‘increased’ physical activity than Hispanic and Latino women. However neither group approached recommended physical activity levels, as African American women, averaged 1.73% and Hispanic and Latino women averaged 0.83% of their day engaged in increased physical activity (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study presents a simple field-based method for developing accelerometer thresholds that identify personalized thresholds of moderate intensity physical activity that can be used by in community-based settings. Findings highlight a need for physical activity programs whose starting points are based upon the individual’s typical baseline physical activity level, which is likely to be well below the minimum recommended published guidelines.
Does Repressive Coping Promote Resilience? Affective-Autonomic Response Discrepancy during Bereavement

Traditional theories of coping emphasize the value of attending to and expressing negative emotion while recovering from traumatic life events. However, recent evidence suggests that the tendency to direct attention away from negative affective experience (i.e., repressive coping) may promote resilience following extremely aversive events (e.g., the death of a spouse). The current study extends this line of investigation by showing that both bereaved and nonbereaved individuals who exhibited repressive coping behavior--as measured by the discrepancy between affective experience and sympathetic nervous system response--had fewer symptoms of psychopathology, experienced fewer health problems and somatic complaints, and were rated as better adjusted by close friends than those who did not exhibit repressive coping. Results are discussed in terms of recent developments in cognitive and neuroimaging research suggesting that repressive coping may serve a protective function.
Paying Attention to Accessibility When Designing Online Courses in Technical and Professional Communication

Roughly 1 out of 10 students in our classrooms has some form of disability, and now that a growing number of technical and professional communication (TPC) courses and programs are offered online, ...
Hair of the Dog: Obtaining Samples From Coyotes and Wolves Noninvasively

Canids can be difficult to detect and their populations difficult to monitor. We tested whether hair samples could be collected from coyotes (Canis latrans) in Texas, USA and gray wolves (C. lupus )i n Montana, USA using lure to elicit rubbing behavior at both man-made and natural collection devices. We used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA to determine whether collected hair samples were from coyote,wolf, or nontargetspecies.Bothcoyotesandwolves rubbedonman-madebarbedsurfacesbutcoyotesinTexas seldom rubbed on hanging barbed surfaces. Wolves in Montana showed a tendency to rub at stations where natural- material collection devices (sticks and debris) were present. Time to detection was relatively short (5 nights and 4 nights for coyotes and wolves, respectively) with nontarget and unknown species comprising approximately 26% of the detections in both locations. Eliciting rubbing behavior from coyotes and wolves using lures has advantages over opportunistic genetic sampling methods (e.g., scat transects) because it elicits a behavior that deposits a hair sample at a fixed sampling location, thereby increasing the efficiency of sampling for these canids. Hair samples from rub stations could be used to provide estimates of abundance, measures ofgeneticdiversity andhealth,anddetection-nondetectiondatausefulforcost-effective population monitoring. 2011 The Wildlife Society.
Rapid changes in extracellular glutamate induced by natural arousing stimuli and intravenous cocaine in the nucleus accumbens shell and core

Glutamate (Glu) is a major excitatory neurotransmitter, playing a crucial role in the functioning of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a critical area implicated in somatosensory integration and regulat...
Endothelial cell scaffolds generated by 3D direct writing of biodegradable polymer microfibers.

The engineering of large (thickness > 100 mm) tissues requires a microvascular network to supply nutrients and remove waste. To produce microvasculature in vitro, a scaffold is required to mechanically support and stimulate endothelial cell (EC) adhesion and growth. Scaffolds for ECs are currently produced by patterning polymers or other biomaterials into configurations which often possess isotropic morphologies such as porous films and fibrous mats. We propose a new “direct-write” process for fabricating scaffolds composed of suspended polymer microfibers that are precisely oriented in 3D, providing directional architecture for selectively guiding cell growth along a desired pathway. The diameters of the fibers produced with this process were predictably and repeatably controlled through modulation of the system parameters, enabling production of fibers with microvascular-scale diameters (5e20 mm) from a variety of biodegradable polymers. These scaffolds were successfully seeded with ECs, which conformed to the geometry of the fibers and proliferated over the course of one week.
Balancing the benchmark opportunities

It is noted that benchmarking activities can be focused on two areas, internal and external benchmarks. Depending on the focus, different objectives are achieved. Based on an enterprise's reproducible development and delivery process, internal benchmarks are used to drive continuous improvements for quality and productivity as well as predictions of outcomes. Based on industry models or practices, external benchmarks identify competitive standing and improvement opportunities. As complementary activities, the external benchmark is used to identify new process requirements and the internal benchmark is used to focus the improvement efforts. Using benchmarks in the proper context allows an enterprise to make effective decisions on their software development and delivery processes. >
The roles of Ca and Mg in starfish oocyte maturation induced by 1-methyladenine

The ovarian hormone 1-methyladenine (1-MA) stimulates fully grown starfish oocytes to undergo germinal vesicle breakdown (GVB). Patiria miniata oocytes treated with 10−6 M 1-MA underwent GVB by 45 minutes of treatment. However, in the absence of extracellular Ca++ GVB was delayed, with maximum GVB occuring at 180 minutes of treatment. Both the rate and amount of3 H-1-MA bound were depressed in the absence of extracellular Ca++ Reflecting this decrease in hormone binding, the minimum time oocytes in CaFSW needed to be exposed to the hormone was increased from 12 to 35 minutes. Direct measurement of total cellular Ca concentrations during 1-MA-induced maturation revealed an increase in Ca levels by 30 minutes posttreatment, followed by a decrease to initial level by 60 minutes. In the absence of extracellular Mg++, oocytes treated with 1-MA did not undergo GVB. However, binding of the hormone was not dependent on extracellular Mg++. Total cellular Mg concentrations were found to increase to maximum levels by 10 minutes of hormone treatment, and to decrease to basal levels after 30 minutes. Our data suggest that free-diffusable Mg++ was necessary for hormone action during the critical hormone-dependent period, while extracellular Ca++ was important for hormone binding. Furthermore, we interpret our data to indicate that 1-MA regulates oocyte permeability to Ca and Mg during oocyte maturation.
Bringing people together-an infrastructure for shared virtual worlds on the Internet

VRML (the Virtual Reality Modeling Language) has brought 3D objects and virtual worlds to a large number of Internet users. While it provides a suitable basis for the platform independent description of virtual worlds, an appropriate network architecture required to realize shared virtual worlds on the Internet is still an open issue. In this paper we will review some basic network architectures for networked VR and introduce DWTP (the Distributed Worlds Transfer and communication Protocol). DWTP is an application layer protocol for shared virtual environments on the Internet. It provides a scalable network architecture for large-scale distributed virtual worlds. We will show how it is used within our current prototype to realize a distributed multi-user virtual environment.
Biointeraction Analysis of Immobilized Antibodies and Related Agents by High-Performance Immunoaffinity Chromatography

Summary A method is described based on high-performance immunoaffinity chromatography for examining the interactions of immobilized antibodies or related binding agents with their targets. It is shown how this method can be used to obtain information on the binding, elution and regeneration kinetics of immobilized binding agents, such as those used with immunoaffinity supports. The theory behind this approach is briefly described and it is demonstrated how both the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of a biointeraction can be determined experimentally through this method. Several applications are used to illustrate this technique, including antibody-antigen interactions and the binding of aptamers with their targets in the presence of silica-based supports. The same approach can be adapted for use with other types of targets, binding agents and support materials.
Affecting residents' literature reading attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge through a journal club intervention.

Objective:To investigate whether a limited teaching intervention, based on principles of adult education, could change residents’ literature reading attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge.
A review of the literature of selective catalytic reduction catalysts integrated into diesel particulate filters

Combining the functions of selective catalytic reduction with the diesel particulate filter provides the opportunity in light- to heavy-duty applications for design and packaging flexibility, impro...
Self-Reported Spatial Hearing and Blindness

Considerable research indicates that spatial hearing in people who are blind is similar to or better than that of people who are sighted. Of particular relevance to everyday function is an individual's self-assessment of sound localization skills. In the present study, questionnaire responses by people with self-reported blindness and normal hearing indicated high self-ratings of spatial hearing skills among those who responded to the survey. Ratings for several spatial hearing situations were compared with ratings obtained from a different study of sighted individuals.
The TREAT study - trial or tribulation?

At the first Park City conference in 1976 there were 66 pediatric rheumatologists. “State of the art”1 was simply a series of reports of the clinical experience of each center. There were no randomized or multicenter collaborative trials. The “control group” was each center’s past experience at a time when the control of childhood arthritis was elusive, and myochrysine and acetylsalicylic acid were the mainstays of therapy for arthritis, with corticosteroids as an undesirable, but sometimes necessary, fallback. Now there are both many more medications to choose from and over 300 American Board of Pediatrics-certified pediatric rheumatologists, with many more practicing in other countries. The Internet has made possible rapid interaction and collaborative studies involving … Address correspondence to Dr. Lehman, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 E. 70th St., New York, New York 10021, USA. E-mail: goldscout{at}aol.com
Efficient use of early obstetric sonography in the emergency department setting

OBJECTIVES Transvaginal sonography is frequently used in the emergency department (ED) to triage pregnancies of unknown location. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of sonography in clinically stable patients with β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) values below the discriminatory zone. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 408 consecutive ED patients who presented with pregnancies of unknown location and serum β-hCG levels between 5 and 2500 mIU/mL and underwent transvaginal sonography. Women were classified as receiving immediate treatment or expectant management. Predictors associated with immediate treatment were assessed by bivariate analyses and logistic regression. RESULTS Of the cohort, 361 women (88.5%) received expectant management, and 6.9%, 3.1%, and 0% of patients with pregnancies of unknown location and β-hCG levels below 1000, 200, and 75 mIU/mL, respectively, received immediate treatment. Compared to the expectant management group, women receiving immediate treatment (n=47) were further from the last menstrual period (7.86 versus 6.10 weeks; P <.01), were more likely to report pain (59.6% versus 40.2% P = .01), had higher β-hCG levels(1183 versus 608 mIU/mL; P <.01), and had lower hematocrit levels (35.7% versus 37.0%; P < .01), with pain the most predictive factor for immediate treatment (odds ratio,5.97; 95% confidence interval, 2.45-14.53). A model combining symptoms, β-hCG, hematocrit, and weeks since the last menstrual period predicted the likelihood of sonography changing management from expectant management to immediate treatment with specificity of 98%. CONCLUSIONS The diagnostic utility of sonography in clinically stable patients presenting to the ED in very early pregnancy is limited. A model using symptoms, β-hCG, hematocrit, and the last menstrual period may aid clinicians to triage those who would benefit from immediate sonography.
The quality of service satisfiability thesis: resource and performance prediction for multi-processor systems and random schedules

A quality of service satisfiability thesis is established which provides a very general condition for determining the number of processors needed by a system in order to satisfy the quality of service required by a multi-task random schedule which is presented to the system for servicing. Since "processors" and "schedules" are abstract representations of general servicing "resources" and uncertain task "environments", the thesis has utility for studying and predicting resource requirements and associated performances in a variety of application domains. Uniformly distributed random schedules are used to illustrate the significance of the thesis.
In vitro evaluation of cefepime and other broad-spectrum β-lactams against bacteria from Indonesian medical centers

Abstract The in vitro activity of cefepime and six other broad-spectrum β-lactams (cefpirome, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, imipenem, piperacillin/tazobactam (4 μg/mL fixed concentration), and oxacillin was evaluated against 191 isolates of clinical bacteria from Indonesia. Susceptibility testing was performed using Etest (AB BIODISK, Solna, Sweden) methodology. Isolates from 10 species groups were selected for analysis: Escherichia coli , Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., indole-positive Proteae , Serratia spp., Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and oxacillin-susceptible staphylococci. The overall rank order of spectrum of activity was (% resistant): imipenem (2.2%) > cefepime (7.3%) > piperacillin/tazobactam > cefpirome > ceftazidime > ceftriaxone (16.2%). The "fourth-generation" cephalosporins, cefepime and cefpirome, displayed greater activity compared with the "third-generation" cephalosporins, ceftazidime, and ceftriaxone, against the 60 E. coli and Klebsiella spp. (30 each) isolates. Phenotypic extended spectrum β-lactamase occurrence rates among the E. coli and Klebsiella spp. were 23.3 and 33.3%, respectively. Imipenem, cefepime, and cefpirome inhibited 95.7% of the 46 isolates of inducible Amp C cephalosporinase producing Enterobacteriaceae. The majority of the resistance observed to imipenem and cefepime among tested Indoneisian strains was attributable to the nonfermentative Gram-negative bacilli, P. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp. These results indicate the presence of β-lactam resistance in Indonesia and the need for continued antimicrobial surveillance in this nation and region of the world, preferably using accurate quantitative methods.
Complications of arterial closure devices

Abstract As of July 2000, there were 4 closure devices with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The devices are successfully deployed in 89% to 98% of cases, and the complication rates are comparable to those seen with manual compression. Minor access site complications are defined as bleeding not requiring transfusion or surgical repair, hematoma ( 5 cm), bleeding at the site requiring transfusion, pseudoaneurysm, arteriovenous fistula, retroperitoneal hemorrhage, plug embolization, groin infection, and death. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Twilight for the Strict Construction of Waivers of Federal Sovereign Immunity

The Government of the United States has long benefited from two canons of statutory construction that tip the scales of justice heavily in its direction in civil litigation by those seeking redress of harm by that government: First, the federal government’s consent to suit must be expressed through unequivocal statutory text. Second, even when a statute explicitly waives federal sovereign immunity for a subject matter, the traditional rule has been that the terms of that statute “must be construed strictly in favor of the sovereign.” The restrictive effect of these rules has made a distinct difference in cases that truly matter to the lives and well-being of ordinary people. Since the dawn of the new century, however, the Supreme Court’s increasingly common encounters with waivers of federal sovereign immunity are also becoming more conventional in interpretive attitude. During the first eleven years of the twenty-first century, the Court turned a deaf ear to the government’s plea for special solicitude in the substantial majority of instances and frequently declared that the canon of strict construction was unhelpful or ill-suited. In four sovereign immunity cases decided in the 2012 Term, the Court continued to evidence a commitment to text, context, and legislative history, unblemished by any presumption of narrow construction. Notably during oral arguments in this most recent term, multiple members of the Court openly challenged the government’s reach for broader immunity. In these recent decisions, the Court increasingly accepts a dichotomy between the threshold question of whether sovereign immunity has been waived (requiring a “clear statement” by Congress) and the inquiry into how the statutory waiver should be interpreted in application (with the canon of strict construction fading away as a viable tool for statutory interpretation).
Ignition Delay Time − an Important Fuel Property

The methods and equipment for determining the ignition delay time are described. The results of comparative tests of ignition delay time for petroleum and synthetic hydrocarbon fuels are reported. The role of this parameter in operating process regulation in various engines is shown.
Experimental flow characterization of sand particles for pneumatic transport in horizontal circular pipes

Abstract This work presents an experimental study carried out to simulate characteristics of turbulent air-sand particles flow through transparent horizontal pipes with various flow conditions. Experimental analysis focuses on the determination of critical pickup velocity of the solid particles from the horizontal sand layers. Mainly the effects of layer height and pipe diameter on the pickup velocity are investigated. Critical pickup velocity is determined by extrapolating the weight loss curves plotted as a function of corrected velocity above the sand layer. Experimental results show significant effects of layer height and pipe diameter on the pickup velocity. Saltation velocity and dune formation mechanisms are also discussed. Critical pick up velocity of solid particles is found to increase with increasing blockage ratio and pipe diameter. Inclination angle for larger sand bed heights caused leading edge effect on air flow entering the reduced cross sectional area above the layer. Sand particles pickup rate is found to decrease with time as a consequence of decreasing layer height. Experimental results have been correlated and compared with previous studies.
Ultra-Large-Volume Paracentesis:

Total paracentesis with albumin replacement has become the mainstay of treatment for refractory ascites in patients with decompensated hepatic cirrhosis. The authors report one of the largest volume single-tap paracenteses in the literature (38.8 L), discuss issues surrounding the safety of this procedure, and review the challenges inherent to managing these complex patients.
Temporal and Spatial Demographic Patterns in Dipodomys stephensi from Riverside County, California

Monthly livetrapping was employed to monitor the demography of the endangered Stephens' kangaroo rat ( Dipodomys stephensi ) at three sites in Riverside Co., California, over a period of 16–19 months. Temporal changes in numbers, reproduction, survival, and recruitment generally were similar and synchronous at the three study sites. Peaks in abundance were observed in the late spring-early summer and were preceded by periods of intense reproductive activity and high recruitment. Males in reproductive condition were found in all months of the study, whereas reproduction in females was more temporally restricted. Within adult and subadult age classes, males and females had similar survival rates, but adults displayed higher survival than subadults. Demographic processes in these species were closely correlated with seasonal patterns of precipitation.
Thermodynamic profiles at the solvated inorganic-organic interface: the case of gold-thiolate monolayers.

The thermodynamic adsorption profile at a solvated organic–inorganic interface is probed by following the binding and organization of carboxylic acid-terminated alkanethiols of varying chain lengths (C2, C3, and C6) to the surface of gold nanoparticles (NPs) (5.4 ± 0.7, 9.5 ± 0.6, and 19.4 ± 1.1 nm diameter) using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). We discuss the effect of alkyl chain length, temperature, and Au NP size on the energetics at an organic–inorganic interface. ITC allows for the quantification of the adsorption constant, enthalpy of adsorption, entropy of adsorption, and the binding stoichiometry in a single experiment. The thermodynamic parameters support a mechanism of stepwise adsorption of thiols to the surface of Au NPs and secondary ordering of the thiols at the organic–inorganic interface. The adsorption enthalpies are chain-length dependent; enthalpy becomes more exothermic as longer chains are confined, compensating for greater decreases in entropy with increasing chain length. W...
An Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Thickness Effect on Cross-Ply GLARE 5 FML Plates Subjected to Ballistic Impact

GLARE 5 fiber-metal laminated (FML) plates of dimensions: 152.4 mm × 101.6 mm with various thicknesses, ranging from 1.12 mm up to 4.37 mm, were impacted by a 0.22 caliber bullet-shaped projectile using a high-speed gas gun. A high-speed camera was used to measure the projectile velocity along its ballistic trajectory. The post-impact damage characteristics were evaluated using both nondestructive ultrasonic and destructive mechanical sectioning techniques. Only the contour of the entire damage area could be obtained using ultrasonic C-scan; whereas more details of the damage were provided through the mechanical cross-sectioning technique. As expected, thicker GLARE 5 offered higher impact resistance. It was found that by increasing the specimen thickness, the damage contour increased. In addition, the results showed that for a given specimen thickness, the damage contour was maximized near its ballistic limit velocity. The 3D dynamic nonlinear finite element (FE) software, LS-DYNA, was used to validate the experimental results. Good agreement between experimental and FE results was obtained.© 2012 ASME
Research on Boiler Feedforward in Coordinated Control of Thermal Power Units Based on Energy Analysis

The formation and development of boiler feedforward become the key point and difficulty in the coordinated control commissioning.This paper studies the formation requirements by energy balance method and carries out the quantitative analysis of boiler feedforward.In view of the analysis results and the comparison of various typical boiler feedforward,it presents the simple computational methods and considerations.
Variation in light transmission properties of amber oral syringes

Four brands of amber oral syringes were tested for compliance with compendial standards for light-resistant packaging. United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) specifications state that light-resistant packaging must not transmit more than 10% of incident light with wavelengths of 290-450 nm. The amount of light transmitted by samples of the barrels of 200 amber plastic oral syringes from each of four manufacturers was determined by spectrophotometry. Samples of both the printed and unprinted sides of the barrel were tested (after removal of all ink). The thickness of each syringe-barrel sample was measured, and the apparent density was determined. All of the Becton-Dickinson syringes tested met the USP standard for light transmittance, and none of the syringes from Baxa or Solopak met the compendial standards. Of the Burron syringes tested, 70 syringes met the standard, 83 did not meet the standard, and 47 could not be classified. The samples of the printed side of the syringe barrel had light transmission properties similar to those of the unprinted side with the exception of the syringes from Baxa, which had substantially higher apparent densities at all wavelengths for the printed side. Only one manufacturer's oral syringes consistently met the USP standard for light-resistant packaging. Further testing is needed to determine the clinical importance of these findings.
Perceptions of females in undergraduate computer science/technology programs toward the field of computer science: is online the answer?

This mixed-methods study was based on 35 online surveys and 11 follow-up telephone interviews of undergraduate female students enrolled in online or traditional face-to-face computer science/technology programs. The purpose of this study was to determine if differences exist in perceptions and attitudes toward the field of computer science/technology between these two groups. Three accredited not-for-profit Midwestern universities offering either online or traditional face-to-face programs in computer science/technology participated in this study.
Shirking and Sharking: An Economic and Legal Theory of the Firm

This article reexamines economic theories of the firm from a legal perspective. Focusing on the importance of legal agency authority, it recommends a revision in economic theories of the firm which emphasize agency and transactions costs, contracts, property rights and employment. A theory of the firm is advanced which combines both legal and economic principles. This theory is comprehensive enough to accommodate the fundamental insights of competing economic theories. From a legal perspective, it suggests a solution to a problem that economic theories have in defining the boundaries of firms. Business enterprise is described as involving both consumer markets for goods and services and organizational metamarkets of firms. The costs of agents and principals, among other important factors, determine which firms survive over time. Firms are described in terms of control, ownership, and employment on a spectrum ranging from pure sole proprietorships to corporate groups. The article also recommends that a theory of the firm should include the costs of opportunism or sharking by principals or quasi-principals through the misuse of power and authority within firms, as well as the more commonly recognized agency costs of shirking. It concludes with the implications of this analysis of the firm for the regulation of opportunism in the law of enterprise organization. In particular, the costs of sharking support judicial review of fiduciary duties in four different areas: oppression of minority shareholders, executive compensation, noncontractual harm to creditors, and financial reengineering of capital structure.
The master systems

In this chapter we want to study those integrable Hamiltonian systems from Chapter III which have the additional property of being a.c.i. (the proof that they are a.c.i. will be given in Paragraph 4). They are contained in what we called the hyperelliptic case, with a very special choice of Poisson structure (namely the easiest one, which corresponds φ = 1) and the underlying space C2d should have a dimension which is twice the genus of the hyperelliptic curve. In [Van2] we called these systems the even and the odd master systems; the odd master was introduced by Mumford in [Mum4] while the even master system was introduced in [Van2] by a modification of Mumford’s construction.
Modal identification of a centrifuge soil model using subspace state space method

Abstract In this paper, modal parameters of a layered soil system comprising of a soft clay layer overlying a dense sand layer are identified from accelerometer recordings in a centrifuge test. For the first time, the subspace state space system identification (4SID) method was employed to identify the natural frequencies, damping ratios, and complex valued mode shapes while considering the non-proportional damping in a soil system. A brief review of system identification concepts needed for application of the 4SID techniques to structural modal identification is provided in the paper. The identified natural frequencies were validated against those estimated by transfer function spectra. The computed normal mode shapes were compared with closed-form solutions obtained from the one-dimensional shear wave propagation equation. The identified modal parameters were then employed to synthesize state space prediction models which were subsequently used to simulate the soil response to three successive base motions. The identified models captured acceleration time-histories and corresponding Fourier spectra reasonably well in the small and moderate shaking events. In the stronger third shaking event, the model performed well at greater soil depths, but was less accurate near the surface where nonlinearities dominated.
Molecular Mechanisms of Heart Valve Development and Disease

The mature heart valves consist of stratified extracellular matrix (ECM) layers, and heart valve disease is characterized by ECM dysregulation and mineralization. There is increasing evidence that regulatory pathways that control heart valve development also are active in disease. In human diseased valves and mouse models, the expression of valve progenitor markers, including Twist1, Msx1/2 and Snail1/2, is induced. Additional markers of osteogenesis, including Runx2, osteocalcin and bone sialoprotein, also are expressed in calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) in humans and mice. New mouse models have been developed for studies of valve disease mechanisms. Klotho-null mice are a model for premature aging and exhibit calcified nodules in aortic valves with osteogenic gene induction. Osteogenesis Imperfecta mice, bearing a collagen1a2 mutation, develop features of myxomatous valve disease, including thickening, increased proteoglycan deposition and chondrogenic gene induction. Together, these findings demonstrate specific molecular indicators of valve disease progression, including the identification of early disease markers, which represent potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
Carbohydrate Metabolism Alters the Heat Acclimation Responses in Sedentary Individuals

It is well established that heat acclimation improves cardiovascular and thermal strain, which subsequently improves heat tolerance. However, these adaptations are often observed under a fixed exte...
A Dynamic Model for the Next Generation of Research on Teacher Education for Inclusion

In this chapter we consider the importance of, and ways to conceptualize, a more robust agenda for the next generation of research on teacher education for inclusion. Research on teacher education for inclusion, while increasingly available in the literature, is fragmented – primarily because models have yet to be developed to account for how research on both the structures and the content of teacher education for inclusion contribute to fully understanding how best to prepare teachers to serve all students well. Developing such a model needs to take into account the complexity and context in which teacher education for inclusion is practiced within and across nations so that new questions emerge to broaden and deepen inquiry.
Steady-state analysis of the inductor current behavior and requirements for the control of a single-inductor multiple-input single-output DC-DC power converter

This paper develops a steady-state analysis for the inductor current behavior and requirements in a single-inductor multiple-input single-output power converter (SI-MISO) topology with time-multiplexing control scheme. The SI-MISO can potentially reduce the number and size of components which is of benefit in many applications. However, it is important to appropriately select and control (1) the ratio between the output switches frequency and input switches frequency and (2) the needed reset time of the inductor current before the end of an input switch turn ON interval. This paper devises the formulas for the peak and valley values of the inductor current, the per cycle average values of the inductor current based on a first order response approximation, the time needed for the inductor current to reach a constant value each time an input switch is turned on, and the needed reset time of the inductor current. Experimental prototype results are obtained in order to validate the analysis.
The Pro-reparative Engine: Stem Cells Aid Healing by Dampening Inflammation

Stem cells have been proposed as sources for tissue replacement when healing does not occur. These cells could contribute directly to skin structures via differentiation, or via producing trophic factors that would ‘educate’ the microenvironment to encourage tissue repair. Studies in animals have supported both mechanisms, but translation to humans has been challenged by poor cell survival after transplantation. However, the improvement noted with even transient existence suggests another new possibility, that of suppressing the inflammatory response that limits regenerative healing. Herein, we will propose that this immunomodulatory aspect holds promise for promoting skin healing. We have found that stem cell transplantation into wounds can dampen both acute and chronic inflammation, leading to more regenerative-like healing and diminished scarring. Wound healing could be improved by dampening inflammation both initially to allow for tissue replacement to proceed and late to reduce scarring.
Serum lactate predicts resource utilization, but not surgical need, in the emergency department.

Abstract Background Serum lactate is frequently tested in the emergency department (ED) setting to diagnose visceral ischemia and as a marker of end-organ perfusion. It is highly nonspecific, and levels can be affected by both kidney and liver function. In this retrospective chart review, we aim to demonstrate that serum lactate is overused in the ED setting and predicts resource utilization but not the need for surgical intervention. Methods ED records with a chief complaint of “abdominal pain” were queried for the preceding 12 mo. We excluded pregnant patients, patients aged less than 18 years, and patients for whom a blood count and chemistry were not obtained. Vital signs, laboratory values, resource utilization, and outcome of the visit were obtained. Logistic regression models were developed to correct for confounding associations. Results A total of 1003 records were obtained initially with 753 patients (75%) included in the study. Serum lactate was drawn in 118 patients (15%) and was elevated in 19 patients (16% of those drawn). Utilization of computed tomography imaging was associated with lactate utilization (P Conclusions The use of serum lactate in the workup of patients with abdominal pain should be targeted at patients who have signs of sepsis and based on the index of suspicion for specific disease processes such as mesenteric ischemia.
Optimization of Solar Energy Harvesting: An Empirical Approach

Renewable energy is the path for a sustainable future. The development in this field is progressing rapidly and solar energy is at the heart of this development. The performance and efficiency limitations are the main obstacles preventing solar energy from fulfilling its potential. This research intends to improve the performance of solar panels by identifying and optimizing the affecting factors. For this purpose, a mechanical system was developed to hold and control the tilt and orientation of the photovoltaic panel. A data acquisition system and electrical system were built to measure and store performance data of the photovoltaic panels. A design of experiments and Response Surface Methodology were used to investigate the impact of these factors on the yield response as well as the output optimization. The findings of the experiment showed an optimum result with a tilt of 60° from the horizon, an azimuth angel of 45° from the south, and a clean panel condition. The wind factor showed insignificant impact within the specified range.