cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Yeast cell assay with a surface plasma resonance sensor at multiple penetration depths

Abstract We demonstrated a novel yeast cell assay using a multiple depth surface plasmon resonance platform, which has three detection depths. In the study we first identified the minimal and maximum number of cells required for detection and then used the platform to conduct a drug potency study. The study showed that the rank order of potency for 3 drugs could be clearly determined and was the same regardless of the penetration depth used for the measurement. The rank order made sense based on their respective mechanism of action. However the data quality of the inhibition curve was best when measured at the 1500 nm depth. The dose dependent response was noticeable even after only 15 min treatment, which is much earlier than those from traditional methods. By comparing the response units obtained at 3 different penetration depths in various yeast cell assays, we have confirmed that simultaneously monitoring from multiple penetration depths likely offers advantages to better detect robust signals from yeast cells, which proves difficult with other optical sensors with a short penetration depth of
Testicular "tumor" of the adrenogenital syndrome: a case report of an unusual association with myelolipoma and seminoma in cryptorchidism.

BACKGROUND Males with congenital adrenal hyperplasia may develop bilateral testicular masses in early adult life. These are not malignant and generally regress with corticosteroid therapy. The authors report a case occurring in a 44-year-old man with associated seminoma and myelolipoma in an undescended testis. METHODS The testicular tumors were analyzed by histologic, flow cytometric, and ultrastructural techniques. RESULTS The tumors in both testes were comprised of polygonal cells with abundant granular eosinophilic cytoplasm, occasionally with brown (lipochrome) pigment and round nuclei of various sizes with prominent nucleoli. These cells were grouped into nodules by dense and sometimes thick fibrous trabeculae in the right testis. The areas corresponding to the fibrous trabeculae in the left (intraabdominal) testis were replaced by mixture of hematopoietic (myeloid) and fatty tissue in various proportions characteristic of myelolipoma. The left testis also had a well demarcated tumor that was diagnostic of seminoma. Electron microscopy demonstrated abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum, a moderate number of mitochondria with tubulovesicular cristae, lipid droplets, and lipofuscin granules in the polygonal cells. No Reinke's crystals were observed. The patient received corticosteroids for his adrenocorticoid deficiency and also underwent external beam irradiation to the retroperitoneum for seminoma. CONCLUSIONS This case illustrates an unusual presentation of a testicular tumor in a patient with the adrenogenital syndrome as well as with myelolipoma and seminoma in a cryptorchid testis. The possibility of an associated neoplasm that could be potentially fatal should be considered whenever a testicular tumor of the adrenogenital syndrome continues to grow despite adequate hormonal treatment. Cancer 1997; 80:2120-7. © 1997 American Cancer Society.
Coming of age in the dark sector: how dark matter haloes grow their gravitational potential wells

We present a detailed study of how dark matter haloes assemble their mass and grow their (central) potential well. We characterize these via their mass accretion histories (MAHs) and potential well growth histories (PWGHs), which we extract from the Bolshoi simulation and from semi-analytical merger trees supplemented with a method to compute the maximum circular velocity, Vmax, of progenitor haloes. The results of both methods are in excellent agreement, both in terms of the average and the scatter. We show that the MAH and PWGH are tightly correlated, and that growth of the central potential precedes the assembly of mass; the maximum circular velocity is already half the present day value by the time the halo has accreted only 2 percent of its final mass. Finally, we demonstrate that MAHs have a universal form, which we use to develop a new and improved universal model that can be used to compute the
Elastic-plastic analysis of indentation damage: cyclic loading of copper

This is the second in a two-paper series examining the elastic-plastic deformation of a metallic target material under repeated impact. This paper examines the effect of statically cyclic loading on copper and numerical calculations have been performed up to ten cycles. The extent of the loading phase in each cycle is specified by a constant external work done by the indenter. The deformed configuration of the target material, the locus of material flow, and elastic-plastic boundaries due to cyclic loading are presented. There is a saturation of the stress field near the bottom of the indented crater after the first few cycles of loading. A residual tensile stress field in the direction normal to the target surface exists underneath the indenter in every cycle, which is responsible for the formation of subsurface layer cracks. Results of the coefficient of restitution obtained from the analysis and experiments are also presented.
A comparative immunocytochemical study on the subcellular distributions of 44 kDa bone phosphoprotein and bone γ-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)-containing protein in osteoblasts

Bone gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)-containing protein (BGP or osteocalcin) and 44 kDa bone phosphoprotein (44K BPP, also called Sialoprotein I or osteopontin) have been localized at the ultrastructural level in osteoblasts from woven bones of newborn rats. Frozen, undecalcified sections of periodate-lysine-paraformaldehyde fixed specimens were incubated with affinity purified, monospecific antibodies against BGP or 44K BPP. The sites of the antigen-antibody reaction were demonstrated by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method using the Hanker-Yates reagent as a peroxidase substrate. In some cases immunostaining could only be achieved after detergent treatment. The immunostained sections were then flat-embedded in Epon 812 and processed for electron microscopy. Strong specific intracellular labeling was obtained with both antibodies, but the patterns of staining differed significantly: BGP antigenicity was mainly located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas 44K BPP behaved as a Golgi-specific antigen. In both cases, however, we found no evidence for immunostained secretory vesicles. There was no correlation between the expression of BGP by osteoblasts and the morphological aspect of these cells, their apparent degree of polarization with respect to the bone matrix, or their relation with the mineralized phase.
Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Screening in United States Emergency Departments

Abstract Background Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) are the most commonly reported notifiable diseases in the United States, with annual reported cases exceeding 1.2 million and estimated costs exceeding $1.2 billion. Reported Emergency Department (ED) prevalence rates for CT and GC for adolescents and young adults range from 0.9% to 8.1%. Objective Our aim was to evaluate the burden of CT/GC infection in ED patients, assess the extent of associated under- and overtreatment, and investigate mechanisms whereby ED screening can be feasible. Methods We performed a systematic review of the time period from 1995 to 2010. Discussion Positivity rates for ED patients are comparable with other high-risk populations, and sufficient for selected screening to be cost-effective. Unfortunately, ED patient follow-up is notoriously difficult, and clinicians frequently must choose to either delay treatment until laboratory confirmation or presumptively treat based on presenting symptoms and clinical diagnosis. This results in high rates of both undertreatment (i.e., not treating those infected) and overtreatment (i.e., treating those who are infection-free). Incorrect on-the-spot treatment decisions can result in potentially infected future partners and lack of follow-up treatment, or unnecessary treatment and personal stress associated with improper diagnosis. Conclusions ED clinician activities are frequently symptom-driven, and screening nonsymptomatic patients presents a major barrier. Educating ED clinicians on the topics of CT/GC epidemiology, sample collection, and analysis will enable them to address the risks in their presenting populations. Collaboration with health department partners for sample analysis, cost-sharing, and patient follow-up can make routine screening feasible and enable EDs to become more important partners in intervention programs.
Three-dimensional photonic crystals by large-area membrane stacking

We designed and analyzed a “mesh-stack” three-dimensional photonic crystal of a 12.4% bandgap with a dielectric constant ratio of 12∶1. The mesh-stack consists of four offset identical square-lattice air-hole patterned membranes in each vertical period that is equal to the in-plane period of the square lattice. This design is fully compatible with the membrane-stacking fabrication method, which is based on alignment and stacking of large-area single-crystal membranes containing engineered defects. A bandgap greater than 10% is preserved as long as the membranes are subjected to in-plane misalignment less than 3% of the square period. By introducing a linear defect with a nonsymmorphic symmetry into the mesh-stack, we achieved a single-mode waveguide over a wide bandwidth.
One-dimensional electron transport in Cu-tetracyanoquinodimethane organic nanowires

The temperature and bias voltage dependent electrical transport properties of in situ fabricated Cu-tetracyanoquinodimethane organic nanowire devices are investigated. The low bias conductance and current exhibit a power-law dependence on temperature and bias voltage, respectively. The overall behavior of these nanowires can be well described by a theoretical model of nearly independent parallel chains of quantum dots created by randomly distributed defects.
Analytical Methods for Assessment of Land-Use Change Effects on Stream Runoff

AbstractEffects of groundwater use and land-cover change on stream runoff are major concerns of integrated water-resource management in agriculture-dominated watersheds. Stream depletion-rate analyses commonly utilize various analytical approaches, but little progress was made in analytical evaluation of land-use change effects on stream runoff. The purpose of this note is to revise and generalize analytical solutions for stream-aquifer exchange rates and volumes that account for different geometries of the land uses and aquifers. This approach utilizes integration of point-source solutions. Results are illustrated by sensitivity analyses using parameters that are typical of many watersheds. New solutions incorporate and extend previously known results and are sufficient to cover the entire range of practical applications.
When Promises Fail: A Theory of Temporal Fluctuations in Suicide

Numerous studies have reported that suicide rates tend to be affected by temporal variables (month day of the week day of the month holidays). Few authors have provided convincing explanations of these relations and no one except Durkheim has suspected that they display similarities which indicate that they might have some causal origins in common. This article attempts to look at several temporal correlations as examples of the same underlying dynamics and to offer a theory which helps to organize a traditionally enigmatic body of research. (EXCERPT)
Impact of older age and nursing home residence on clinical outcomes of US emergency department visits for severe sepsis

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to compare the impact of older age and nursing home residence on the incidence and morbidity of severe sepsis. Materials and Methods This was a retrospective analysis of 19 460 emergency department visits from the 2005 to 2009 National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys with diagnosis of infection with or without severe sepsis (acute organ dysfunction). Clinical outcomes included intensive care unit (ICU) admission, hospital length of stay (LOS), and in-hospital mortality. Results Older adults (age ≥ 65 years) were 5-fold more likely to have infections classified as severe sepsis than younger adults (6.5% vs 1.3%), and nursing home residents were 7-fold more likely to have a severe sepsis diagnosis compared with nonnursing home residents (14% vs 1.9%). Among visits for severe sepsis, older adults, compared with younger adults, had modestly higher rates of ICU admission (27% vs 21%), hospital LOS (median, 6 vs 5 days), and in-hospital mortality (24% vs 16%). Nursing home residents with severe sepsis, compared with nonnursing home residents, had significantly higher rates of ICU admission (40% vs 21%), hospital LOS (median, 7 vs 5 days), and in-hospital mortality (37% vs 15%). Conclusions Older adults and particularly nursing home residents have a disproportionately high incidence of and morbidity from severe sepsis.
Reparations and Racial Inequality

A recent development in philosophical scholarship on reparations for black chattel slavery and Jim Crow segregation is reliance upon social science in normative arguments for reparations. Although there are certainly positive things to be said in favor of an empirically informed normative argument for black reparations, given the depth of empirical disagreement about the causes of persistent racial inequalities, and the ethos of ‘post-racial’ America, the strongest normative argument for reparations may be one that goes through irrespective of how we ultimately explain the causes of racial inequalities. By illuminating the interplay between normative political philosophy and social scientific explanations of racial inequality in the prevailing corrective justice argument for black reparations, I shall explain why an alternative normative argument, which is not tethered to a particular empirical explanation of racial inequality, may be more appealing.
Comparison of the 595 nm long-pulse (1.5 msec) and ultralong-pulse (4 msec) lasers in the treatment of leg veins.

Background. Although several lasers and light sources are now available for vascular lesions, treatment of leg veins has not been very satisfactory. Lengthening the pulse width should theoretically result in improved response rates. Objective. This study compared the efficacy and safety of 595 nm pulsed lasers at 1.5 msec and 4 msec in treating leg veins. Methods. For group A, 27 healthy adult volunteers with leg veins measuring less than 1 mm in diameter were treated with a 2 mm × 7 mm elliptical handpiece. Each patient had three areas treated. The first two areas were treated with the 4 msec pulsed dye laser with fluences of 16 and 20 J/cm2, while the last area was treated with a 1.5 msec pulsed dye laser at fluences ranging from 14 to 16 J/cm2. For group B, 13 subjects were treated. Areas 1 and 2 were treated with the 4 msec pulsed dye laser using a 3 mm × 5 mm and 5 mm handpiece, respectively, while the third site was treated with a 1.5 msec laser using a 3 mm × 5 mm handpiece. Fluences ranging from 14 to 16 J/cm2 were used. Clinical evaluations were performed and photographs taken at 4–8 week intervals. Results. Neither laser regularly induced satisfactory diminution or disappearance of these vessels after one treatment. In group A, more than 50% of patients had little to no improvement, while in group B little to no improvement was observed in 33% of patients following a single treatment. Although there was no significant difference in outcomes between the test sites, the 4 msec PDL with a 3 mm × 5 mm spot size appeared to be most effective. Transient hyperpigmentation was common following either treatment, while hypopigmentation was seen in group B subjects. No scarring was noted. Conclusion. Both the 4 and 1.5 msec flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye lasers were ineffective in treating leg telangiectasia following a single treatment.
Coherent optical measurement of the modulation dynamics of injection-locked VCSELs

We independently measure the optical phase and amplitude modulation characteristics of an injection-locked VCSEL for the first time at GHz rates, using a coherent optical demodulation scheme, giving us insight into two different phase modulation regimes.
Weight Dissatisfaction Affects Quality of Life in College Women But Not Men

the sales of 2010 and 2011 and correlation analysis to explore relationships between EBT and total credit/debit sales. Results: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) redemptions increased significantly in Illinois farmers’ markets using EBT (t1⁄42.80; p1⁄4 0.017). The use of incentives, receipts/direct swipes, and volunteers handling EBT transactions had significant positive effects on EBT sales (adjusted R21⁄40.866). Total credit/debit sales and the number of EBT transactions were positively correlated (r1⁄40.755; p1⁄40.050). Conclusions and Implications: Having EBT service increases SNAP redemption at farmers’ markets. Obtaining funds for incentive programs, using ‘receipts’ method, and having dedicated volunteers in processing EBT transactions should be areas to prioritize in adopting EBT technology at farmers’ markets. Funding: None.
A continuous available (CA) server for medical imaging applications.

Abstract Rationale and objectives The trend of medical imaging research and application is toward large database management and manipulation, which requires a robust image server to receive image data from sources and to deliver them to users reliably and in a timely fashion. This article describes the design, implementation, and clinical applications of a continuous available (CA) image server for these purposes. Materials and methods The design of the CA image server is based on the concept of a triple modular redundancy server with three redundant server modules. Coupled with a majority voting mechanism in the three modules and failover software, the triple modular redundancy server takes care of all single points of failure hardware components in the CA image server automatically to achieve fault tolerance. Methods and procedures of evaluating the fault tolerance system reliability caused by network connectivity, motherboard, and disk storage failures are described. Results Thorough experimental results in laboratory and clinical environments verify that the image server achieves 99.999% hardware up time (or 5 minutes/year down time), satisfying the industrial terminology of hardware continuous availability. Performance of failover of the CA image server is automatically tabulated during these procedures. Conclusion Applications of CA image server are extensive. Two examples are given including Picture Archiving and Communication System, and off-site back-up archive using the Application Service Provider model. As designed, the CA image server is portable, scalable, affordable, easy to install, and requires no human intervention during failover and system recovery.
The effect of sucrose and other carbohydrates on human alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme activity

Abstract The modification of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity by ten carbohydrates ( d -isomers) was studied. These included three disaccharides : sucrose, lactose and maltose; four hexoses: glucose, galactose, mannose and fructose; and three pentoses: arabinose, ribose and xylose. In all cases the inhibition of placental isoenzyme activity was in proportion to the concentration of carbohydrate. Intestinal and hepatic ALP was activated at low carbohydrate concentrations and inhibited at high concentration. The exception was maltose which inhibited hepatic alkaline phosphatase markedly at all concentrations. Lineweaver-Burk plots generated by kinetic studies at pH 9.8, 10.15, 10.5 and 10.7 showed a mixed-type inhibition. With the use of sucrose in the assay medium it was possible to distinguish two types of term placental-like ALP isoenzymes of tumor origin, which differ in their sensitivity to inhibition by l -leucine. The Nagao type ( d -leucine sensitive) was inhibited more by sucrose than was the non- d -leucine sensitive isoenzyme. The inhibitory effect of carbohydrates on placental ALP activity was independent of pH and substrate concentration, unlike the modifying effect on the activity of intestinal and hepatic enzyme by the carbohydrates studied. It is suggested that carbohydrate-rich media may accentuate conformational differences of the various isoenzymes with consequent effects on the availability of the active sites to the substrate.
Biomarkers to Discern Transplantation Tolerance after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Although it is commonly accepted that allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients develop transplantation tolerance and can quickly discontinue all immunosuppressive drugs, existing data does not support this concept. Most patients will require a prolonged duration of immunosuppression, lasting commonly several years. This has even greater importance, as the majority of transplants are now performed utilizing peripheral blood mobilized stem cells, which are associated with an increased risk of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) and prolonged duration of immunosuppression. Despite these challenges, the approach to liberation from immunosuppression after HCT is empiric, and biomarkers of operational tolerance after HCT are lacking. Conversely, investigators in solid organ allografting have begun to examine tolerance associated gene expression in renal and hepatic allograft recipients. Significant challenges in the design and interpretation of these studies potentially limit comparisons. However, a relatively unified model is beginning to emerge, which largely recapitulates previously established mechanisms of immune tolerance. This evidence supports a state of immune quiescence with reduced expression of costimulation and immune response genes, and upregulation of cell cycle control genes. Data indirectly supports the importance of tumor growth factor (TGF)-β, supports the role of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells, and offers new insights into the role of natural killer (NK) cells. Distinct in hepatic allograft tolerance, emerging evidence highlights the importance of γδT cells, and selection of the Vγδ1+ subtype among the γδT cell population. The deficiencies in the current understanding of transplantation tolerance after HCT, as well as the inadequacies evident in the current empiric approach to immunosuppressive medication (IS) management after HCT make clear the rationale for investigation aimed at elucidating tolerance associated biomarkers after HCT.
Secure Collaboration in Engineering Systems Design

The goal in this paper is to enable collaboration in the co-design of engineering artifacts when participants are reluctant to share their design-related confidential and proprietary information with other co-designers, even though such information is needed to analyze and validate the overall design. We demonstrate the practicality of co-design by multiple entities who view the parameters of their contributions to the joint design to be confidential. In addition to satisfying this confidentiality requirement, an online co-design process must result in a design that is of the same quality as if full sharing of information had taken place between the co-designers. We present online co-design protocols that satisfy both requirements, and demonstrate their practicality using a simple example of co-design of an automotive suspension system and the tires. Our protocols do not use any cryptographic primitives — they only use the kinds of mathematical operations that are currently used in single-designer situations. The participants in the online design protocols include the co-designers, and a cloud server that facilitates the process while learning nothing about the participants’ confidential information or about the characteristics of the co-designed system. The only assumption made about this cloud server is that it does not collude with some participants against other participants. We do not assume that the server does not, on its own, attempt to compute as much information as it can about the confidential inputs and outputs of the co-design process: It can make a transcript of the protocol and later attempt to infer all possible information from it, so it is a feature of our protocols the cloud server can infer nothing from such a transcript.© 2014 ASME
The effect of exchange trading of gold options on the volatility of the underlying asset

Abstract On April 2, 1981 the European Options Exchange introduced options on gold. Data for the period immediately before and after is consistent with the effect being to reduce the daily price volatility of the underlying asset.
The Economic Value of Dairy Herd improvement Information in a Sample of Midwestern Dairy Farms

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the implicit economic value of DHI information in a sample of dairy farms differing in production management. Although DHI information may contribute to differences in input productivity across farms, the extent of its contribution is influenced by the existing management strategy on the farm. To test the hypothesis, a Cobb-Douglas production function with variable returns to scale was used. Data on management practices, obtained from a survey, were merged with production records from 1985 for 2370 herds on DHI testing. The marginal value productivity per year of DHI per cow was calculated for different management strategies in the sample at a price of $.31/kg of milk. The marginal value productivities were evaluated at the average herd size, average years on DHI, and average milk production for each management strategy. The highest marginal value product of DHI information was associated with a management strategy consisting of feeding buffer, using conventional silo for storage of silage, feeding alfalfa hay, milking in a stanchion barn, having health maintenance program, and using AI. The lowest marginal value product was associated with a management strategy consisting of the same variables but no buffer was fed.
Curvature based cooperative exploration of three dimensional scalar fields

We develop strategies for controlled motion and filtering performed by a mobile sensor network to cooperatively explore an unknown 3D scalar field. In order to estimate the principal directions and principal curvatures of a desired level surface of the field which are used as feedback by the motion control law, we apply a non-analytic curvature estimation algorithm and prove the sufficient and necessary conditions under which this algorithm can provide reliable estimates. A differential geometric approach is followed in developing provably convergent steering control laws to control the center of the sensor platform formation to track one of the lines of curvature on a detected level surface of the scalar field.
Spiritual Work, Memory Work: Revival and Recollection at Salem Camp Meeting

Abstract For over 175 years, Salem Campground, in north–central Georgia, has been the site of one of the oldest camp meetings in the United States. Camp meetings were originated by Methodist circuit riders on the Kentucky and Tennessee frontier at the end of the 18th century as religious revival meetings. Today, camp meeting remains one of the oldest distinctly American religious traditions. Camp meetings have become a mix of spiritual revival and family reunion, partly in response to the frequent dislocation of middle-class families. In the 19th century, much of this mobility was because of the settlement of the western states. Today, it is because of job-related relocations. In this article I look at camp meeting as a theater of family memory, and examine how social memory and identity updating for campers is enabled by the way camp meeting organizes time and space making possible a constant flow of family narrative. This ethnographically rich approach to camp meting offers a general framework for exploring conjunctures of individual and collective memory processes in other settings. [family, memory, religion, identity, revivalism]
Hepatocellular carcinoma and other malignancies in autoimmune hepatitis

Hepatocellular carcinoma and extrahepatic malignancies can complicate the course of autoimmune hepatitis, and these occurrences may increase in frequency as the survival of patients with cirrhosis is extended and the prospect of new nonstandard immune-modifying intervention is realized. The frequency of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with autoimmune hepatitis and cirrhosis is 1-9 %, and annual occurrence in patients with cirrhosis is 1.1-1.9 %. The standardized incidence ratio for hepatocellular carcinoma in autoimmune hepatitis is 23.3 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 7.5-54.3) in Sweden, and the standardized mortality ratio for hepatobiliary cancer is 42.3 (95 % CI 20.3-77.9) in New Zealand. The principal risk factor is long-standing cirrhosis, and patients at risk are characterized mainly by cirrhosis for ≥ 10 years, manifestations of portal hypertension, persistent liver inflammation, and immunosuppressive therapy for ≥ 3 years. Multiple molecular disturbances, including the accumulation of senescent hepatocytes because of telomere shortening, step-wise accumulation of chromosomal injuries, and aberrations in transcription factors and genes, may contribute to the risk. Extraheptic malignancies of diverse cell types occur in 5 % in an unpredictable fashion. The standardized incidence ratio is 2.7 (95 % CI 1.8-3.9) in New Zealand, and non-melanoma skin cancers are most common. Outcomes are related to the nature and stage of the tumor at diagnosis. Surveillance recommendations have not been promulgated, but hepatic ultrasonography every six months in patients with cirrhosis is a consideration. Routine health screening measures for other malignancies should be applied diligently.
Fortuitous Consequence: The Domestic Politics of the 1991 Canada‐United States Agreement on Air Quality

Following more than a decade of negotiations, the Canada-United States Agreement on Air Quality entered into force on March 13, 1991, with the signatures of then-Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and US President George Bush. Why was it so difficult for Canadian and US negotiators to reach agreement? The author argues that Canadian and US domestic politics were the primary impediments to resolving the US-Canada acid rain dispute. This article thus casts the dispute in terms of a pair of domestic environmental policy problems, whose timely and complementary solution, furthermore, required executive initiative as the handmaiden of ecological crisis. Heightened public concern about the threat of acidic air pollution in Canada prompted Mulroney's efforts to reduce acid rain. In the US, a likewise critical change in the public's perception of air quality as a national emergency created the mass support necessary for Bush's federal acid rain control initiative.
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid in Ammonium Hydroxide for Reducing Decalcification Time

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution is used to decalcify bone specimens for histological examination. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) has been used to dissolve EDTA and to bring EDTA solutions to neutral pH. This solution, however, requires several weeks to decalcify bone specimens. We investigated a new decalcification fluid using concentrated ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) to dissolve EDTA and to adjust the pH to neutral. Decalcification was performed using a magnetic stirrer with and without vacuum, or with a sonic cleaner. Decalcification end point was confirmed using both the weight loss and X-ray methods. After decalcification, specimens were processed through paraffin and sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Decalcification employing NH4OH required an average of six days. Light microscopy indicated good retention of cellular detail.
Increased Bone Adiposity and Peroxisomal Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ2 Expression in Type I Diabetic Mice

Decreased bone mass, osteoporosis, and increased fracture rates are common skeletal complications in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM; type I diabetes). IDDM develops from little or no insulin production and is marked by elevated blood glucose levels and weight loss. In this study we use a streptozotocin-induced diabetic mouse model to examine the effect of type I diabetes on bone. Histology and microcomputed tomography demonstrate that adult diabetic mice, exhibiting increased plasma glucose and osmolality, have decreased trabecular bone mineral content compared with controls. Bone resorption could not completely account for this effect, because resorption markers (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b, urinary deoxypyridinoline excretion, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5 mRNA) are unchanged or reduced at 2 and/or 4 wk after diabetes induction. However, osteocalcin mRNA (a marker of late-stage osteoblast differentiation) and dynamic parameters of bone formation were decreased in diabetic tibias, whereas osteoblast number and runx2 and alkaline phosphatase mRNA levels did not differ. These findings suggest that the final stages of osteoblast maturation and function are suppressed. We also propose a second mechanism contributing to diabetic bone loss: increased marrow adiposity. This is supported by increased expression of adipocyte markers [peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma2, resistin, and adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (alphaP2)] and the appearance of lipid-dense adipocytes in diabetic tibias. In contrast to bone marrow, adipose stores at other sites are depleted in diabetic mice, as indicated by decreased body, liver, and peripheral adipose tissue weights. These findings suggest that IDDM contributes to bone loss through changes in marrow composition resulting in decreased mature osteoblasts and increased adipose accumulation.
An overview of current and future therapeutic strategies for the treatment of primary sclerosing cholangitis

Introduction: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PCS) is a cholestatic liver disease characterized by chronic destruction and stricturing of the biliary tree, leading to fibrosis and liver cirrhosis. The underlying mechanisms of the disease are poorly understood. Areas covered: Multiple agents with various pharmacological activities have been examined in PSC patients with disappointing results. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is by far the most extensively studied agent in PSC. Large prospective trials have failed to demonstrate a positive long-term effect of UDCA in patients with PSC. Antimicrobials have been examined in PSC patients but long-term outcome data are lacking. Immunosuppressive agents were tested in patients with PSC but the majority of these agents were associated with adverse side effects. Nor-UDCA is a newly emerging C23 homolog of UDCA that has shown promising results in experimental studies. The farnesoid X receptor agonists are an attractive class of drugs and are currently being studied in p...
Transient Three-Dimensional Analysis of Nozzle Side Load in Regeneratively Cooled Engines

Three-dimensional numerical investigations on the start-up side load physics for a regeneratively cooled, high-aspect-ratio nozzle were performed. The objectives of this study are to identify the three-dimensional side load physics and to compute the associated aerodynamic side load using an anchored computational methodology. The computational methodology is based on an unstructured-grid, pressure-based computational fluid dynamics formulation, and a transient inlet condition based on an engine system simulation. Computations were performed for both the adiabatic and cooled walls in order to understand the effect of boundary conditions. Finite-rate chemistry was used throughout the study so that combustion effect is always included. The results show that three types of shock evolution are responsible for side loads: generation of combustion wave; transitions among free-shock separation, restricted-shock separation, and simultaneous free-shock and restricted shock separations; along with oscillation of shocks across the lip. Wall boundary conditions drastically affect the computed side load physics: the adiabatic nozzle prefers free-shock separation while the cooled nozzle favors restricted-shock separation, resulting in higher peak side load for the cooled nozzle than that of the adiabatic nozzle. By comparing the computed physics with those of test observations, it is concluded that cooled wall is a more realistic boundary condition, and the oscillation of the restricted-shock separation flow pattern across the lip along with its associated tangential shock motion are the dominant side load physics for a regeneratively cooled, high aspect-ratio rocket engine.
Combining insulin-like growth factor derivatives plus caffeinol produces robust neuroprotection after stroke in rats.

Background and Purpose— Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and caffeinol are both neuroprotective and probably have different mechanisms of action; therefore, they may be more effective in combination. Methods— We tested the N-terminal tripeptide of IGF-1, Gly-Pro-Glu (GPE), and its analogue, G2MePE, alone and with caffeinol in a rat middle cerebral artery (MCA) suture occlusion model. We randomly assigned rats to 6 groups of 8 to 12 animals: (1) control; (2) GPE, 3 mg/kg per hour; (3) G2MePE, 0.3 mg/kg per hour; (4) caffeinol, a mixture of caffeine (10 mg/kg) with ethanol (0.32 g/kg); (5) GPE with caffeinol (combination of group 2 with 4); and (6) G2MePE with caffeinol (combination of group 3 with 4). Drugs were started 75 minutes after suture occlusion, at the start of reperfusion. Three days after MCA occlusion, neurological deficit (Neurological Deficit Score [NDS]) and lesion volume were measured. Results— GPE and caffeinol improved NDS by 34% and 36%, respectively (P<0.01), and also decreased cort...
Graph distances in the streaming model: the value of space

We investigate the importance of space when solving problems based on graph distance in the streaming model. In this model, the input graph is presented as a stream of edges in an arbitrary order. The main computational restriction of the model is that we have limited space and therefore cannot store all the streamed data; we are forced to make space-efficient summaries of the data as we go along. For a graph of n vertices and m edges, we show that testing many graph properties, including connectivity (ergo any reasonable decision problem about distances) and bipartiteness, requires Ω(n) bits of space. Given this, we then investigate how the power of the model increases as we relax our space restriction. Our main result is an efficient randomized algorithm that constructs a (2t + 1)-spanner in one pass. With high probability, it uses O(t .n1+1/t log2n) bits of space and processes each edge in the stream in O(t2·n1/t log n) time. We find approximations to diameter and girth via the constructed spanner. For t = Ω(log n/log log n), the space requirement of the algorithm is O(n .polylog n), and the per-edge processing time is O(polylog n). We also show a corresponding lower bound of t for the approximation ratio achievable when the space restriction is O(t.n1+1/t log2n).We then consider the scenario in which we are allowed multiple passes over the input stream. Here, we investigate whether allowing these extra passes will compensate for a given space restriction. We show that finding vertices at distance d from a particular vertex will always take d passes, for all d ∈ {1,...,t/2}, when the space restriction is o(n1+1/t). For girth, we show the existence of a direct trade-off between space and passes in the form of a lower bound on the product of the space requirement and number of passes. Finally, we conclude with two general techniques for speeding up the per-edge computation time of streaming algorithms while increasing the space by at most a log factor.
Special Education Preservice Teachers' Appropriation of Pedagogical Tools for Teaching Reading

This study examined various influences on special education preservice teachers' appropriation of pedagogical tools for teaching reading to students with high-incidence disabilities using an activity theory framework. Interview, observation, and artifact data were collected on 6 preservice teachers, their reading methods course instructors, field supervisors, and practicum cooperating teachers. Using grounded theory methods, 4 concepts emerged as chief influences on participants' appropriation of conceptual and practical reading tools: (a) opportunities to appropriate knowledge in practice, (b) personal qualities, (c) motivation for knowledge assimilation, and (d) access to knowledge. Specific information related to these 4 concepts and their relationships are reported with implications for future research and practice in special education teacher education.
Effects of delays on 6-year-old children's self-generation and retention of knowledge through integration.

Abstract The current research was an investigation of the effect of delay on self-generation and retention of knowledge derived through integration by 6-year-old children. Children were presented with novel facts from passages read aloud to them (i.e., “stem” facts) and tested for self-generation of new knowledge through integration of the facts. In Experiment 1, children integrated the stem facts at Session 1 and retained the self-generated memory traces over 1 week. In Experiment 2, 1-week delays were imposed either between the to-be-integrated facts (between-stem delay) or after the stem facts but before the test (before-test delay). Integration performance was diminished in both conditions. Moreover, memory for individual stem facts was lower in Experiment 2 than in Experiment 1, suggesting that self-generation through integration promoted memory for explicitly taught information. The results indicate the importance of tests for promoting self-generation through integration as well as for retaining newly self-generated and explicitly taught information.
LAMINAR FLOW HEAT TRANSFER FROM AN ARGON PLASMA IN A CIRCULAR TUBE.

Abstract The laminar flow of a plasma in the entrance region of a circular tube has been analyzed using an implicit finite-difference scheme. The solution is based upon the boundary-layer equations with the plasma radiation term retained in the energy equation, and the transverse convection term retained in both the momentum and energy equations. Numerical results have been obtained for an argon plasma having a linear enthalpy and cubic velocity profile at the tube entrance. At the low temperature limit of the analysis, the friction factor is in agreement with previously published results; and in all but a very small region near the tube entrance the local Nusselt number agrees with the Nusselt number for constant property, fully-developed flow to within approximately 17 per cent.
Analysis of Insertion Device Magnet Measurements for the Advanced Light Source

The Advanced Light Source (ALS), which is currently being commissioned at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, is a third generation light source designed to produce XUV radiation of unprecedented brightness. To meet the high brightness goal the storage ring has been designed for very small electron beam emittance and the undulators installed in the ALS are built to a high degree of precision. The allowable magnetic field errors are driven by electron beam and radiation requirements. Detailed magnetic measurements and adjustments are performed on each undulator to qualify it for installation in the ALS. The first two ALS undulators, IDA and IDB, have been installed. This paper describes the program of measurements, data analysis, and adjustments carried out for these two devices. Calculations of the radiation spectrum, based upon magnetic measurements, are included. Final field integral distributions are also shown. Good field integral uniformity has been achieved using a novel correction scheme, which is also described.
Sol-gel fabrication of samarium and manganese modified lead titanate thin films and ceramics

Abstract Samarium and manganese modified lead titanate thin films were deposited on Pt coated Si (100) substrates by spin coating using a precursor solution prepared from Pb, Sm and Mn acetates and Ti-isopropoxide with acetic acid and n -propanol as solvents. The gel powder on heat treatment showed (101) as the highest intensity peak while the thin films deposited on Pt coated silicon substrates showed a preferential orientation of (100). These films after being annealed at 900 °C for 1 h showed good remanent polarization and coercive fields.
Clinical trials using ascorbic acid aerosol to aid smoking cessation

Sensory aspects of cigarette smoke are important for providing smoking satisfaction. In previous studies, we have found that substitution of the sensory cues of smoking with a citric acid aerosol significantly reduces craving for cigarettes and enhances smoking reduction and cessation with people trying to quit smoking cigarettes. In the current study, we conducted two clinical smoking cessation trials using an ascorbic acid aerosol as a sensory substitute. The cigarette substitute consisted of a cigarette-sized tube which delivered a fine aerosol of ascorbic acid (approx. 1 mg/puff, up to a maximum of 300 mg/day). Study 1 examined the overall effectiveness of the ascorbic acid smoking substitute device. One group of subjects which used the device and received clinical counseling was compared with another group which received only clinical counseling. The group using the device showed significantly greater abstinence rates at 3 weeks post-cessation. After the subjects stopped using the device, no difference in abstinence was detected. Study 2 was conducted to focus specifically on the role of tracheobronchial sensations in relieving craving for cigarettes. Two closely matched ascorbic acid delivery systems were compared. One device delivered fine particles of ascorbic acid that were targeted to reach the trachea, while the other delivered coarser particles of ascorbic acid that were not expected to reach the trachea or lower airways. An initial enhancement in smoking reduction was found for subjects using the fine particle device relative to those using the coarse particle device. However, by the end of treatment (5 weeks) both groups showed similar degrees of smoking reduction. For those who were abstinent from smoking at the end of treatment, craving for cigarettes and negative mood were both significantly lower for those using the fine particle device. Also, hunger for food was significantly lower in the fine particle device group. These results suggest that ascorbic acid delivered from a cigarette substitute may be effective in reducing smoking and promoting smoking abstinence.
Aromatization in the central nervous system of rabbits: effects of castration and hormone treatment.

In vitro incubation of tissue homogenates from the hypothalamus and limbic system of adult male and female rabbits with A4 androstene- 3-17-dione-7-3H resulted in the formation of tritium-labeled estrone. There was no measurable conversion by the pituitary gland, olfactory lobes and cerebral cortex. Activity was primarily localized in the anterior hypothalamus. While in female rabbits the amount of limbic activity was equal to that in the hypothalamus, in males the hypothalamus was more active than the limbic system. Addition of large amounts of nonradioactive estrone to the incubation had no dramatic or consistent effect on aromatization. There was a significant sex difference in hypothalamic activity; the male being three times as active as the female (p > 0.02). The aromatizing activity in male limbic system was consistently higher than in the female. The sex difference in the hypothalamus was diminished by chronic castration as a result of a markedly increased activity in both sexes. The limbic system...