cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CSF-1 regulation of the wandering macrophage: complexity in action

Most tissue macrophages and osteoclasts are regulated by colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1, also known as macrophage CSF). The effects of CSF-1 are mediated by the CSF-1 receptor tyrosine kinase (CSF-1R), through autophosphorylation of CSF-1R and the subsequent phosphorylation of downstream molecules. Triggering this phosphorylation cascade increases gene transcription and protein translation, and induces cytoskeletal remodeling by several signaling pathways, leading to the survival, proliferation and differentiation of target cells. CSF-1-regulated tissue macrophages are important for innate immunity and for tissue development and function. Because CSF-1 regulates the survival, proliferation and chemotaxis of macrophages and supports their activation, this factor is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases.
Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication as a Biological “Rosetta Stone” in Understanding, in a Systems Biological Manner, Stem Cell Behavior, Mechanisms of Epigenetic Toxicology, Chemoprevention and Chemotherapy

In spite of the early speculation by Loewenstein that one of the critical distinguishing phenotypes of cancers from normal cells was the dysfunction of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC), this hypothesis has not captured the attention of most birth defects and cancer researchers. Moreover, even with later demonstrations that factors that influence normal development and carcinogenesis by modulating GJIC, such as chemical teratogens and tumor-promoting chemicals, inflammatory factors, hormones and growth factors, antisense connexin genes, knockout mouse models, human inherited mutated connexin genes, si-connexin RNA, chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic chemicals, it is rare that one sees any reference to these studies by the mainstream investigators in these fields. Based on the assumption that the evolutionarily conserved connexin genes found in metazoans are needed for normal development and the maintenance of health and T. Dobzhansky’s statement “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution,” a short review of the roles of endogenous and exogenous modulators of GJIC will be made in the context of the multistage, multimechanism process of carcinogenesis, the stem cell theory of carcinogenesis, the discovery and characterization of normal adult stem “cancer stem” cells and the observation that two distinct classes of GJIC-deficient cancer cells are known. The implications of these observations to a “systems biological” view of the role of gap junctions and the nutritional prevention and treatment of several chronic diseases and cancer will be discussed.
Boundary layer on the wall of a curved converging channel.

Finally, we should mention a problem that can arise with the heat-flux probe when determining Qconvective by means of Eq. (2). It is difficult to know whether Qcooiant actually remains constant, or whether during a test the coolant absorbs heat before it reaches the platinum-film sensor. This is minimized by keeping the exposed glass tube as short as possible on the inlet side and by carefully designing the supporting tube bundles. However, operating experience indicates that Qcooiant does vary and that this probably contributes to the errors noted in Fig. 4.
Urinary creatinine and survival in CKD.

Low muscle mass is associated with risk of CKD progression, cardiovascular disease events, and mortality in a variety of settings ([1][1]). It is widely hypothesized that these associations may be confounded by conditions associated with low muscle mass, including frailty, poor physical fitness,
WHY SOCIAL WORK NEEDS MAPPING

Relative to other fields, social work has been slow to adopt geographic information systems (GIS) as a tool for research and practice. This paper argues that GIS can benefit social work by: (1) continuing and strengthening the social survey tradition; (2) providing a framework for understanding human behavior; (3) identifying community needs and assets; (4) improving the delivery of social services; and (5) empowering communities and traditionally disenfranchised groups. Examples from a social work course on GIS and published social work research help illustrate these points. The paper concludes by considering the ways that social work can contribute to the development of GIS.
Interpreting enterprise, state, and society: A critical review of the literature in modern Chinese business history, 1978–2008

This article offers a critical review of literature in the area of modern Chinese business history from 1978 to 2008. It focuses on four interconnected topics: (1) the evolution of industrial capitalism, (2) the adoption of corporate hierarchies and/or social networks, (3) the change of financial institutions and monetary system, and (4) the development of state-owned industries and the formation of the (central) state enterprise system. The review reveals not only significant growth of the field of modern Chinese business history over the last three decades but also the existence of major gaps. The article concludes by considering the implications of its findings for understanding the political economy of business enterprises and enterprise systems in different national and historical contexts.
Failure recovery for structured P2P networks: protocol design and performance evaluation

Measurement studies indicate a high rate of node dynamics in p2p systems. In this paper, we address the question of how high a rate of node dynamics can be supported by structured p2p networks. We confine our study to the hypercube routing scheme used by several structured p2p systems. To improve system robustness and facilitate failure recovery, we introduce the property of K-consistency, K ≥ 1, which generalizes consistency defined previously. (Consistency guarantees connectivity from any node to any other node.) We design and evaluate a failure recovery protocol based upon local information for K-consistent networks. The failure recovery protocol is then integrated with a join protocol that has been proved to construct K-consistent neighbor tables for concurrent joins. The integrated protocols were evaluated by a set of simulation experiments in which nodes joined a 2000-node network and nodes (both old and new) were randomly selected to fail concurrently over 10,000 seconds of simulated time. In each such "churn" experiment, we took a "snapshot" of neighbor tables in the network once every 50 seconds and evaluated connectivity and consistency measures over time as a function of the churn rate, timeout value in failure recovery, and K. Storage and communication overheads were also evaluated. We found our protocols to be effective, efficient, and stable for an average node lifetime as low as 8.3 minutes (the median lifetime measured for Napster and Gnutella was 60 minutes [10]).
Neuropsychological Functioning in Children with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with deficits in the areas of verbal memory and learning, executive functioning, working memory, and attention in adults. Findings have been less consistent in the few studies examining neuropsychological functioning in childhood PTSD, which are often limited by comparing children with PTSD to children without trauma histories, making it unclear whether observed neuropsychological deficits are related to trauma exposure or to PTSD symptomatology. In an ethnically diverse sample of 62 children who witnessed intimate partner violence (n = 27 PTSD+ and 35 PTSD−), children with PTSD exhibited slower and less effective learning, heightened sensitivity to interference, and impaired effect of rehearsal on memory acquisition on the California Verbal Learning Test – Children's Version, a word list learning task. Both groups performed in the below average range on measures of executive functioning, attention, and intellectual ability.
Towards a transformational approach to program verification

Although most typically used in other contexts, program transformations can simplify program verification by transforming a program containing complex language features into a semantically equivalent program containing only simpler language features. The proof of the transformed program can then be performed using a set of proof rules for only the simpler features. There are tradeoffs between the transformational approach and the standard approach to program verification with regard to proof understandability and compactness of programs and assertions, establishing soundness of the program verification method, and providing mechanized support for the method. The transformational approach has clear advantages in some of these aspects. This paper illustrates this transformational approach by considering proof rules for escape statements in iterative constructs, and discusses the tradeoffs with respect to its use. It also suggests how the approach can be applied to other language constructs, including some involving concurrency, and to solving some problems connected with the development of Hoare axiomatizations. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Persisting changes in sensory and motor activity of a muscle following its reflex activation.

A study was made to see if contractions induced by reflex action were followed by an elevation in muscle afferent activity comparable to the postcontraction sensory discharge (PCSD) that occurs after stimulation of the ventral roots. In lightly anesthetized cats, extension reflexes of the triceps surae muscle in the otherwise denervated leg were induced by contralateral stimulation of the popliteal nerve or footpad. The reflex response was followed by an elevated afferent discharge, which disappeared after a brief stretch, as is characteristic also of the PCSD. Crossed-extension responses in fusimotor activity unaccompanied by contraction of the gross muscle were also succeeded by an elevation in sensory discharge and an increased sensitivity to a vibratory stimulus applied to the tendon. Pinna reflexes had a similar effect. In the presence of the elevated discharge, α-motoneurons demonstrated increased sensitivity to vibration stimuli. It is suggested that the increase in spindle sensitivity may help stabilize the muscle against minor perturbations in length, at least when background fusimotor activity is relatively quiet.
A technique for continuously monitoring the interocclusal distance

T h e determination of the occlusal vertical dimension is a procedure crucial to the success of all types of prosthodontic treatment, but most clinical methods for finding it are of questionable reliability. Methods which have been used to measure the vertical dimension may be classified as: (1) measurements made on the face between a point on a maxilla and a point on the mandible; (2) visual observation of the interocclusal distance during speech; and (3) the use of cephalometric roentgenograms to record the vertical relationship of the maxillae to the mandible. Of these, only the cephalometric roentgenogram is precise enough for use as a research method. All have the disadvantage of being limited to static measurements, being incapable of continuously monitoring the vertical dimension. A system for continuously measuring the occlusal vertical dimension based on the principle of the "Hall Effect" was devised by the authors. HalP, 2 observed that a voltage appeared across the width of a copper strip when it was in proximity to a magnet. Recently it was discovered that the "Hall Effect" can be increased more than 100,000 times by substituting a thin wafer of semiconducting material, such as an allowance of indium and arsenic. The output voltage generated by the semiconductor is highest when the direction of the magnetic field is perpendicular to the plane of the semiconducting material. The Hall device generates a continuous output that varies in inverse proportion to the magnetic field strength, as long as current is maintained through the sensing element. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the Hall Effect Generator and the Recording System. The unit will amplify either direct or alternating current. I t includes a potentiometer for adjusting the meter to zero in the absence of a magnetic field. A strip chart recorder is connected across the output of the amplifier. Additional centering and amplification are provided here prior to making a pen recording. Be-
Computed tomographic diagnosis of calcified inferior vena cava thrombus in a child with Wilms' tumor

A calcified thrombus in the inferior vena cava of infants and children may be imaged by computed tomography. The precise location of the calcification within the inferior vena cava may be confirmed by computed tomographic scanning during injection of intravenous contrast material.
Effect of Stress Triaxiality on the Flow and Fracture of Mg Alloy AZ31

The microscopic damage mechanisms operating in a hot-rolled magnesium alloy AZ31B are investigated under both uniaxial and controlled triaxial loadings. Their connection to macroscopic fracture strains and fracture mode (normal vs shear) is elucidated using postmortem fractography, interrupted tests, and microscopic analysis. The fracture locus (strain-to-failure vs stress triaxiality) exhibits a maximum at moderate triaxiality, and the strain-to-failure is found to be greater in notched specimens than in initially smooth ones. A transition from twinning-induced fracture under uniaxial loading to microvoid coalescence fracture under triaxial loading is evidenced. It is argued that this transition accounts in part for the observed greater ductility in notched bars. The evolution of plastic anisotropy with stress triaxiality is also investigated. It is inferred that anisotropic plasticity at a macroscopic scale suffices to account for the observed transition in the fracture mode from flat (triaxial loading) to shear-like (uniaxial loading). Damage is found to initiate at second-phase particles and deformation twins. Fracture surfaces of broken specimens exhibit granular morphology, coarse splits, twin-sized crack traces, as well as shallow and deep dimples, in proportions that depend on the overall stress triaxiality and fracture mode. An important finding is that AZ31B has a greater tolerance to ductile damage accumulation than has been believed thus far, based on the fracture behavior in uniaxial specimens. Another finding, common to both tension and compression, is the increase in volumetric strain, the microscopic origins of which remain to be elucidated.
Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Inhibitor–Associated Stomatitis in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Patients Receiving Sirolimus Prophylaxis for Graft-versus-Host Disease

Abstract The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor sirolimus is effective in reducing incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Agents that inhibit the mTOR pathway are known to be associated with significant and potentially dose-limiting toxicities, including stomatitis. The objective of this study was to report the clinical features and management outcomes of sirolimus-associated oral ulcers in the context of post-HSCT prophylaxis of GVHD. Seventeen patients, from a study cohort of 967, who were treated with sirolimus as prophylaxis for GVHD after allogeneic HSCT at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center developed oral ulcers and were referred to the oral medicine clinic for evaluation and treatment over a period of 6 years. Clinical characteristics (appearance, anatomic site, size) and therapeutic outcomes (time to complete resolution) were documented. Median time to onset of oral ulceration was 55 days after allogeneic HSCT (range, 6 to 387 days); 92.9% of ulcers were located on nonkeratinized mucosa, with the ventrolateral tongue the most common site of involvement. Thirteen patients were treated with topical corticosteroid therapy; 12 of these patients also required intralesional corticosteroid injections. Clinical improvement (resolution of the lesions and improvement of symptoms) was noted in all cases, with no reported adverse events. Median time to complete resolution after onset of therapy was 14 days (range, 2 to 70 days). Patients receiving sirolimus for GVHD prophylaxis may develop painful oral ulcerations, which can be effectively managed with topical steroid treatment. Further prospective studies are needed to better elucidate the incidence of this complication, identify risk factors, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
Passive mechanical properties of uterine muscle (myometrium) tested in vitro

Abstract The mechanical properties of human myometrium in vitro were determined in the passive state at strain rates of approx. 0.5 min. Both tension and compression data are presented as curves of true stress vs true strain. The test results represent a range of uterine conditions, from nulliparous to multiparous, in various stages of the menstrual cycle, and include one pregnant uterus. For stresses above 1 psi, either tension or compression data can be represented approximately by an equation of the form e = C ln σ + B. Elastic moduli, measured at an applied stress of 10 psi, were within the range 70–200 psi, and tensile strengths were in the range 80–300 psi.
The order dimension of relatively free lattices

If V is a nontrivial lattice variety and λ is an infinite cardinal, then the order dimension of FV(λ) is the smallest cardinal κ such that λ≤2κ.
Synthesis and Tribological Behavior of Silicon Oxycarbonitride Thin Films Derived from Poly(Urea)Methyl Vinyl Silazane

A process for deposition of silicon oxycarbonitride films from poly(urea)methyl vinyl silazane (PUMVS) by spin coating precursor solutions onto a substrate, followed by polymerization, cross-linking and pyrolysis has been developed. The cross-linked polymer films (350 nm thick), deposited on variety substrates (e.g., silicon, sapphire, zirconia), were pyrolyzed in nitrogen or ammonia environments either in a hot isostatic press or in a tube furnace. Their microstructure was characterized using infrared and Raman spectroscopy. The tribological (friction and wear) behavior was evaluated in dry nitrogen and air with 50% relative humidity using a unidirectional linear wear tester in a ball-on-disk configuration. Wear surfaces, transfer films and wear debris were analyzed by scanning electron micrograph (SEM)/energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).
Effect of swimming exercise and ethanol on rat liver P450-dependent monooxygenases.

The interactive effects of 6 wk of repeated swimming exercise and chronic ethanol consumption (36% of total calories) on the hepatic cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase system were studied utilizing four groups of male rats in a 2 x 2 factorial design. The sedentary-control (S/C), sedentary-ethanol (S/E), and swim-control (SW/C) groups received the same amount of food that the swim-ethanol (SW/E) group consumed. The swimming groups were trained to swim for 2 h.d-1, 5 d.wk-1. Significant main effects due to ethanol (P < 0.002) and exercise (P < 0.02) were observed for the enhanced cytochrome P450 content and cytochrome P450 reductase activity, respectively. In addition, significant main effects for ethanol (P < 0.001), exercise (P < 0.0001), and significant interaction effects (P < 0.005) on aniline p-hydroxylase activity and significant main effects for ethanol (P < 0.01), exercise (P < 0.01), and interaction effects (P < 0.04) on 7-ethoxycoumarin o-deethylase activity were observed. Because the SW/C treatment had no effect on any of the measured cytochrome P450 activities and the SW/E treatment enhanced P450 activities much more than the S/E treatment, the main effects observed for exercise are accounted for by the alterations produced by combining swimming with the ethanol treatment. Based on these results, repeated exercise combined with ethanol consumption produces a synergistic increase in ethanol-inducible cytochrome P450-dependent activities.
A Generation at War: The Civil War Era in a Northern Community. By Nicole Etcheson. (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2011. Pp. 371. $39.95.)

Many students of colonial America and the American South have followed the lead of William Faulkner, who discovered and related much about a large world by looking closely at a very small place. Th...
An undergraduate course on software bug detection tools and techniques

The importance of software bug detection tools is high with the constant threat of malicious activity. Companies are increasingly relying on software bug detection tools to catch exploitable bugs before the program is released. This paper describes a course on software bug detection techniques that is aimed at undergraduates. Courses in software verification are often taught at the graduate level and too theoretical and research oriented for undergraduates. A key component of the course is the programming assignments where students gain practical experience in creating their own software bug detection tools using a source to source converter for a subset of C++.
Screening and prognosis in sex therapy: To treat or not to treat

Success in sex therapy may be obtained with individuals typically considered poor prognostic risks. The following case study reports successful outcome with a middle-aged couple displaying an unstable and unsatisfying marital relationship, a chronic sexual dysfunction (primary orgasmic dysfunction and premature ejaculation), and a rigid religious belief system. The use of several innovative treatment interventions is noted, particularly the assistance of a Roman Catholic priest. The article concludes with a plea for open-mindedness when screening potential clients considering the present state of knowledge and empirical research in sexual counselling.
Help that Disables: The Paradox of Conventional Goodness

When helping others is an expression of conventional goodness, it stifles women's cognitive and emotional development and disables those they are trying to help. Drawing on Gilligan's theory of moral development, the author analyzes the dysfunctional aspects of helping and the paradox of conventional goodness. She argues that women persist in this behavior because they have developed a conceptual schema that habitually guides them in resolving moral dilemmas. Practitioners and educators need to explore these issues further, since the majority of social workers are women and hence have been socialized to equate "helping" with being "good."
Molecular imaging of cardiovascular disease with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography

Techniques for noninvasive imaging of specific disease-related molecular changes are being developed to enhance diagnosis and therapeutic decision making in the clinical setting, and to facilitate research efforts. Molecular imaging with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography relies on the detection of the acoustic signal produced by microbubble or nanoparticle agents that are targeted to sites of disease. This Review describes the basis for ultrasound molecular imaging, the unique features of contrast agent behavior or detector performance in relation to clinical or research needs, and the progress that has been made to date in imaging key events in cardiovascular medicine, such as atherosclerosis, postischemic inflammation, angiogenesis, transplant rejection and thrombus formation.
Listeners' perceptions of nonspeech characteristics of normal and dysarthric children

The purpose of this investigation was to compare listeners' evaluations of nonspeech characteristics of dysarthric and normal speakers. A total of 16 speakers, eight cerebral-palsied and eight normal children ranging in age from 6 to 11 years, recorded six three-word phrases. The cerebral-palsied speakers were judged to have disorders in at least two of the three areas of articulation, phonation, and resonance, and all were judged to have an articulation disorder as one of the two disordered areas. All normal speakers were found to have normal speech characteristics. A master tape containing the 16 speakers' recordings was presented to 25 listeners, who were asked to rate each of the speakers on a 24-item semantic differential scale that contained polarized adjective pairs concerned with personality and physical-appearance traits. Results of their ratings indicated that for all but two of the 24 adjective pairs, the normal speakers were judged more favorably than the dysarthric speakers, and for all but one of the 24 adjective pairs there were significant differences in judges' ratings between the normal and dysarthric speakers. It appears, therefore, that dysarthric speech adversely affected listeners' perceptions of the dysarthric speakers' personality and physical-appearance characteristics.
Compression of SAR and ultrasound imagery using texture models

Summary form only given. This paper addresses an approach for handling SAR and US images with different statistical properties. The approach is based on a image-structure/speckle-texture decomposition. The image model in this case views an image X(i,j) as the combination of two components: an image structure S(i,j) and a speckle texture T(i,j). An octave-band subband decomposition is performed on the data and the structure is separated from the speckle by applying soft-thresholding to the high frequency subband coefficients. The coefficients remaining after the operation are used to synthesize S(i,j) while the complement set of coefficients is a representation of T(i,j). Once the two components are obtained, they are coded separately. S(i,j) has a low frequency characteristic similar to natural images and is suitable for conventional compression techniques. In the proposed algorithm we use a quadtree coder for S(i,j). The speckle component is parametrized using a texture model. Two texture models have been tested: a 2D-AR model and the pyramid-based algorithm proposed by Heeger and Bergen. For the latter, a compact parametrization of the texture is achieved by modeling the histograms of T(i,j) and its pyramid subbands as generalized Gaussians. The synthesized speckle is visually similar to the original for both models. The image is reconstructed by adding together the decoded structure and the synthesized speckle. The subjective quality gains obtained from the proposed approach are evident. We performed a subjective test, which followed the CCIR recommendation 500-4 for image quality assessment. Several codecs were included in the tests.
The application of gallium arsenide integrated circuit technology to the design and fabrication of future generation digital signal processors: promises and problems

The development of gallium arsenide digital integrated circuit technology has progressed rapidly during the past decade. It is argued that in order to derive the maximum benefit from this technology as it is inserted into next-generation signal and data processors, all aspects of the design, assembly, testing, and maintenance of the systems will have to be considered synergistically. Salient issues which must be considered in the implementation of these advanced digital processors are reviewed, including the effects of system, logic board, chip layout, and packing constraints on memory layout, logic design, and arithmetic implementation. >
Metabolic fate of bioxone in cotton

Abstract The metabolic fate of the 14 C-labeled herbicide, 2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazolidine-3,5-dione (bioxone), in cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L. “Acala 4-42-77”) was studied using thin-layer chromatography, autoradiography, and counting. Bioxone- 14 C was readily metabolized by cotton tissue to 1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-3-methylurea (DCPMU) and 1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)urea (DCPU). Leaf discs metabolized bioxone- 14 C rapidly; 12 hr posttreatment, 65% of the 14 C in methanol extracts was in forms other than intact herbicide. Excised leaves treated through the petiole with either heterocyclic ring-labeled or phenyl ring-labeled herbicide contained little bioxone- 14 C after 1 day; DCPMU was formed early then decreased with time. DCPU accounted for 55–70% of the 14 C in excised leaves 3 days posttreatment. In intact plants treated via the roots, the herbicide was rapidly metabolized in the roots to DCPMU and DCPU; little or no intact herbicide was translocated to the leaves. Little radioactivity accumulated in the roots with time; the radioactivity in the leaves accounted for 80–90% of the methanol-soluble 14 C 47 days posttreatment. Most of the 14 C in the leaves was recovered as DCPU (50–60%) and unidentified polar metabolite(s) which remained at the origin of the thin-layer plates (30–40%). The percentage of radioactivity which remained in cotton residue after methanol extraction increased with time. Digestion of the plant residues with the proteolytic enzyme pronase indicated that some of the nonextractable 14 C may be DCPMU and DCPU complexed with proteins. Similar metabolic patterns were noted after treatment with either heterocyclic ring-labeled or phenyl ring-labeled bioxone- 14 C. Generally, bioxone was metabolized to DCPMU which in turn was demethylated to DCPU. The herbicide and DCPMU were 20 times as toxic as DCPU to oat ( Avena sativa L.), a susceptible species.
The Measurement of Everyday Cognition (ECog): Scale Development and Psychometric Properties

This article describes the development and validation of an instrument to assess cognitively mediated functional abilities in older adults, Everyday Cognition (ECog). The ECog is an informant-rated questionnaire comprised of multiple subscales. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine its factor structure. Convergent validity was evaluated by comparing it to established measures of everyday function. External validity was evaluated by comparing ECog results across different clinical groups [cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia]. CFA supported a seven-factor model including one global factor and six domain-specific factors (Everyday Memory, Language, Visuospatial Abilities, Planning, Organization, and Divided attention). The ECog correlated with established measures of functional status and global cognition, but only weakly with age and education. The clinical groups performed differently in each domain. In addition to the global factor, the Everyday Memory factor independently differentiated MCI from Normal, while the Everyday Language domain differentiated Dementia from MCI. Different subtypes of MCI also showed different patterns. Results suggest the ECog shows promise as a useful tool for the measurement of general and domain-specific everyday functions in the elderly.
Detection of intracellular bacterial communities in human urinary tract infection.

Background Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections and are predominantly caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). While UTIs are typically considered extracellular infections, it has been recently demonstrated that UPEC bind to, invade, and replicate within the murine bladder urothelium to form intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs). These IBCs dissociate and bacteria flux out of bladder facet cells, some with filamentous morphology, and ultimately establish quiescent intracellular reservoirs that can seed recurrent infection. This IBC pathogenic cycle has not yet been investigated in humans. In this study we sought to determine whether evidence of an IBC pathway could be found in urine specimens from women with acute UTI. Methods and Findings We collected midstream, clean-catch urine specimens from 80 young healthy women with acute uncomplicated cystitis and 20 asymptomatic women with a history of UTI. Investigators were blinded to culture results and clinical history. Samples were analyzed by light microscopy, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy for evidence of exfoliated IBCs and filamentous bacteria. Evidence of IBCs was found in 14 of 80 (18%) urines from women with UTI. Filamentous bacteria were found in 33 of 80 (41%) urines from women with UTI. None of the 20 urines from the asymptomatic comparative group showed evidence of IBCs or filaments. Filamentous bacteria were present in all 14 of the urines with IBCs compared to 19 (29%) of 66 samples with no evidence of IBCs (p < 0.001). Of 65 urines from patients with E. coli infections, 14 (22%) had evidence of IBCs and 29 (45%) had filamentous bacteria, while none of the gram-positive infections had IBCs or filamentous bacteria. Conclusions The presence of exfoliated IBCs and filamentous bacteria in the urines of women with acute cystitis suggests that the IBC pathogenic pathway characterized in the murine model may occur in humans. The findings support the occurrence of an intracellular bacterial niche in some women with cystitis that may have important implications for UTI recurrence and treatment.
Lower A1c among adolescents with lower perceived A1c goal: a cross-sectional survey

Background: The International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) have established a hemoglobin A1c (A1c) target of less than 7.5% for adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, many adolescents are unaware of their A1c target, and little data exist on how knowledge of this A1c target affects the actual A1c they achieve. We sought to evaluate the relationship between awareness of the A1c target and the actual A1c achieved in adolescents with T1D. Methods: In a cohort of 240 adolescents with T1D age 13–19 years, we measured A1c and administered a questionnaire to assess their knowledge of the ISPAD guideline for A1c target. Results: Of the total cohort, 42 subjects (18%) had an A1c below target and 198 subjects (82%) had an A1c above target. Almost all subjects (98%) reported that they were told their A1c target by a healthcare provider, and most of those (88%) claimed to know their A1c target, but few (8%) were correct. More subjects with actual A1c below 7.5% thought their A1c goal was lower than the ISPAD target, compared to subjects with A1c above target (75% vs. 59%, p = 0.07), although this did not achieve statistical significance. Conclusion: In this cohort of adolescents with T1D, there was a trend toward a lower achieved A1c in those with a lower perceived A1c goal. Further studies should focus on identification of factors influencing an adolescent’s ability to achieve a lower A1c.
Efficient identifications of structural similarities for graphs

Measuring and detecting graph similarities is an important topic with numerous applications. Early algorithms often incur quadratic time or higher, making them unsuitable for graphs of very large scales. Motivated by the cooling process of an object in a thermodynamic system, we devise a new method for measuring graph similarities that can be carried out in linear time. Our algorithm, called Random Walker Termination (RWT), employs a large number of random walkers to capture the structure of a given graph using termination rates in a time sequence. To verify the effectiveness of the RWT algorithm, we use three major graph models, namely, the Erd?s-Renyi random graphs, the Watts-Strogatz small-world graphs, and the Barabasi-Albert preferential-attachment graphs, to generate graphs of different sizes. We show that the RWT algorithm performs well for graphs generated by these models. Our experiment results agree with the actual similarities of generated graphs. Using self-similarity tests, we show that RWT is sufficiently stable to generate consistent results. We use the graph edge rerouting test and the cross model test to demonstrate that RWT can effectively identify structural similarities between graphs.
Evaluating structural summaries as access methods for XML

Structural summaries are data structures that preserve all structural features of XML documents in a compact form. We investigate the applicability of the most popular summaries as textitaccess methods within XML query processing. In this context, issues like space and false positives introduced by the summaries need to be examined. Our evaluation reveals that the additional space required by the more precise structures is usually small and justified by the considerable performance gains that they achieve.
Group velocity study in hot 87Rb vapour with buffer gas

We study the behaviour of the group velocity of light under conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a Doppler broadened medium. Specifically, we show how the group delay (or group velocity) of probe and generated Stokes fields depends on the one-photon detuning of drive and probe fields. We find that for atoms in a buffer gas the group velocity decreases with positive one-photon detuning of the drive fields, and increases when the fields are red detuned. This dependence is counterintuitive to what would be expected if the one-photon detuning resulted in an interaction of the light with the resonant velocity subgroup.
Space weathering of small Koronis family asteroids in the SDSS Moving Object Catalog

Abstract Following the work of Rivkin et al. (Rivkin, A.S., Thomas, C.A., Trilling, D.E., Enga, M., Grier, J.A. [2011]. Icarus 211, 1294–1297) and Thomas et al. (Thomas, C.A., Rivkin, A.S, Trilling, D.E., Enga, M., Grier, J.A. [2011a]. Icarus 212, 158–166), we investigate space weathering trends in the Koronis family using the larger sample size of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Moving Object Catalog. We confirm the trend in spectral slope seen in our earlier work and extend our results by investigating the trend in band depth (i − z color index) to show that Koronis family asteroids smaller than 4 km show the transition from fresh Q-type to weathered S-type surfaces.
State-based adjoint model reduction for large scale control problems

Design of robust control systems requires efficient ways to compute variations of responses of interest with respect to a wide range of variations for a large number of initial conditions. This is necessary in order to perform engineering oriented applications such as design optimization, inverse studies, and sensitivity analysis. A reduced order model based on an adjoint approach that takes advantage of the contraction in the state rather than the response phase space is developed to calculate the variations in responses of interest with respect to input parameters. The approach is designed to combat the explosion in the state phase space often limiting the design of reduced order models. We show that the developed adjoint approach is independent of the given response, and is only dependent on the constraint equations relating initial conditions to the state variables. The mathematical framework hybridizes sampling techniques with adjoint methods to find the reduced order model. Its construction permits a general applicability to linear and nonlinear dynamical systems with general initial conditions variations. A proof of principle linear problem is demonstrated in this summary. The details of its general applicability to nonlinear models are left to a full journal article.
Overexpression of mutant amyloid-β protein precursor and presenilin 1 modulates enteric nervous system

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder histologically characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) protein accumulation and activation of associated microglia. Although these features are well described in the central nervous system, the process and consequences of Aβ accumulation in the enteric nervous system have not been extensively studied. We hypothesized that Aβ also may accumulate in the enteric nervous system and lead to immune cell activation and neuronal dysfunction in the digestive tract not unlike that observed in diseased brain. To test this hypothesis, ileums of the small intestine of thirteen month old AβPP/PS1 and C57BL/6 (wild type) mice were collected and analyzed using immunohistochemistry, western blot analysis, cytokine arrays, and ELISA. AβPP/PS1 mice demonstrated no differences in intestinal motility or water absorption but elevated luminal IgA levels compared to wild type mice. They also had increased protein levels of AβPP and the proteolytic enzyme, BACE, corresponding to an increase in Aβ1-40 in the intestinal lysate as well as an increase in both Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 in the stool. This correlated with increased protein markers of proinflammatory and immune cell activation. Histologic analysis localized AβPP within enteric neurons but also intestinal epithelial cells with elevated Aβ immunoreactivity in the AβPP/PS1 mice. The presence of AβPP, Aβ, and CD68 immunoreactivity in the intestines of some patients with neuropathologically-confirmed AD are consistent with the findings in this mouse model. These data support the hypothesis that in AD the intestine, much like the brain, may develop proinflammatory and immune changes related to AβPP and Aβ.
Faster than Fourier: ultra-efficient time-to-frequency-domain conversions for FDTD simulations

This tutorial compares several methods of converting from the time to the frequency domain for FDTD simulations. Applications include calculations of field or power distributions, antenna impedance, and radiation patterns. The traditional Fourier-transform methods are compared to two methods based on the solution of linear equations. This tutorial describes how to program and use these techniques, and evaluates their effectiveness for several applications, including analysis of a millimeter-resolution human model underneath a 60-Hz power line, antenna-radiation pattern and impedance calculations, the calculation of the coupling of a cellular telephone to the human head, and geophysical-prospecting simulations.
Neue und wirksamere Methoden der dermatologischen Therapie

Wenn unser Fach weiter gedeihen und bluhen soll, was es sicher auch tun wird, dann mussen wir uns hauptsachlich zwei Aufgaben vor Augen halten. Die erste ist, das man die wissenschaftlichen Fortschritte, die fundamentalen neuen Erkenntnisse, die man hinsichtlich der menschlichen Haut und aus dem Studium der menschlichen Haut erzielen kann, immer weiter ausbauen mus, wie wir es auch in der Vergangenheit getan haben. Hierfur sind die Dermatologen wirklich pradisponiert. Die zweite Aufgabe ist, das wir das klinische Konnen und Wissen und die klinische Kunst beibehalten und weiter vertiefen mussen, so das wir die kranken Menschen heilen und ihnen helfen konnen.
Genome Plasticity of Papillomaviruses

The human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) genome is typical for the vast majority of all papillomaviruses. In contrast to RNA viruses, papillomaviruses replicate based on the same mechanisms and enzymes that support replication of the chromosomes of the host cell. Humans are presently known to carry at least 125 different human papillomavirus types, i.e., virus genomes differing by more than 10% from one another. In phylogenetic trees, these 125 human papillomaviruses form minor and major clusters that, under present taxonomic rules, are identified as species and genera. On the higher taxonomic level of the genus, the human papillomaviruses belong to five remotely related genera: Alphapapillomavirus, Betapapillomavirus, Gammapapillomavirus, Mupapillomavirus, and Nupapillomavirus. The most extreme examples of papillomavirus-host linkage are the three and two papillomaviruses which have so far been identified in birds and reptiles, respectively, and which form phylogenetic out-groups to all mammalian papillomaviruses and to one another. The molecular strategies encoded in the replication initiator E1, the transcription/replication regulator E2, the major capsid protein L1, and the minor capsid protein L2, with its important role in the infection process, are apparently very successful and indispensable to the papillomavirus life cycle. The majority of papillomaviruses have these genes, but one or two of the genes are lacking in many animals and even three human papillomavirus types. The stability of the HPV-16 and HPV-18 genomes makes it unlikely that new viral variants will emerge in response to vaccination.
Public Education of Psychology: An Interview with Philip G. Zimbardo, Ph.D.

By disseminating findings from psychological research and promoting psychological services to the public, the media serves an important function benefiting the public and our field. Psychologists early in their career can serve an important role as consultants to trade media, community media outlets, or even national/international media conglomerates. We asked Dr. Phil Zimbardo to discuss his vision for the role of the media in psychology, his advice for psychologists who are contacted by the media, and also to discuss his own groundbreaking experiences with the media on behalf of psychology over the years.
P2-03-06: Endothelin-1/Endothelin A Receptor Signalling in Breast Cancer.

Background: Endothelin-1 (ET-1) and endothelin A receptor (ETAR) are implicated in breast cancer growth and progression. ET-1 is secreted by both tumor cells and stroma (macrophages, endothelial cells). The purpose of this study is to evaluate ET-1/ETAR role on cell proliferation and its effects on EGFR signaling pathway. Materials and Methods: Two breast cancer cell lines: MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 were stimulated with ET-1. Proliferation of breast cancer cells was analyzed using MTT assay. Protein expression (EGFR, pEGFR, AKT, pAKT, ERK, pERK) was evaluated by Western blot. siRNA knockdown of endothelin A receptor (ETAR) was performed in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Results: ET-1 stimulated proliferation in both cell lines. Interestingly, at higher ET-1 concentrations cell proliferation was more pronounced in MCF-7 when compared with MDA-MB-231. Stimulation with ET-1 activated EGFR and downstream signaling proteins (pAKT and pERK) in both cell lines. Incubation of breast cancer cells with ET-1 for 48 hours had different effect on total EGFR level: 3 fold increase of total EGFR was seen in MCF-7, while no change was detected in MDA-MB-231. siRNA against ETAR decreased ET-1 induced cell proliferation and reduced total EGFR level in MCF-7. Conclusions: These observations suggest that ET-1/ETAR plays an important role in survival and proliferation of breast cancer cells. However, those effects are diverse in different subtypes of breast cancer. Our results may represent an improved selective targeted treatment strategy, especially for estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-03-06.
The Relative Influences of Fruit Clones when Present as Rootstock or as Scion

SummaryThe paper presents the data for final tree sizes derived from five years’ studies covering the post-establishment growth of all combinations, as rootstocks and as scions, of three rootstock ...
Correlations between Beck Depression Scores and Physical Complaints

The relationship between physical complaint and depression is explored for 29 male and 27 female students, normal subjects, from a middle to upper-middle socioeconomic class. Results bear out the c...
Does Public Election Funding Create More Extreme Legislators? Evidence from Arizona and Maine:

We investigate whether Maine and Arizona’s Clean Elections laws, which provide public funding for state legislative candidates, are responsible for producing a new cadre of legislators who are unusually ideologically extreme. We find that there is essentially no important difference in the legislative voting behavior of “clean” funded legislators and traditionally funded ones in either Arizona or Maine: those who are financed by private donors are no more or less ideologically extreme than those who are supported by the state. This finding calls into question some concerns about the effects on polarization of money generally and public funding in particular.