cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diffuse Interstitial Pulmonary Disease from the Perspective of the Clinician

Diffuse interstitial pulmonary disease encompasses a large number of diverse entities having in common the diffuse infiltration of alveolar walls by inflammatory or malignant cells, connective tissue, or fluid that impairs transfer of oxygen to blood. Pertinent clues to the diagnosis may be obtained by careful analysis of history, physical examination, chest roentgenogram, pulmonary function, and other laboratory data. This analytic process is referred to as the "algorithmic synthesis." This synthesis can guide the clinician in the selection of tissue sampling techniques most likely to confirm the diagnosis.
Influence of arginine vasotocin on the estrogen-induced surge of LH and FSH in adult ovariectomized rats

Abstract The effects of arginine vasotocin (AVT) on the estrogen-induced surge of LH and FSH were examined in ovariectomized adult rats. Two and one-half weeks after ovariectomy, animals that were treated with a single subcutaneous (s.c.) dose of 5 μg of estradiol benzoate (EB) exhibited a surge of LH and FSH at 1700 and 1900 hours, respectively, two days after the administration of the EB. AVT, antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and oxytocin (OT) were administered s.c. in 1 μg dose every 4 hours beginning at 1500 hours on day 1 after EB treatment and then every 2 hours beginning at 1200 hours on day 2 after EB treatment. AVT completely prevented the LH surge at 1700 hours but was without effect on the FSH surge at 1900 hours on the day 2 after steroid treatment. Neither ADH nor OT had any significant effect on the afternoon surge of these hormones. It is postulated that AVT may interfere with the mechanisms mediating the estrogen-induced afternoon surge of LH in ovariectomized rats.
Ion beam-induced amorphization in MgO–Al2O3–SiO2. I. Experimental and theoretical basis

Abstract Ion beam-induced, crystalline-to-amorphous transition was studied for crystalline MgO (periclase), α-Al 2 O 3 (corundum), SiO 2 (quartz), MgSiO 3 (enstatite), Al 2 SiO 5 (sillimanite, andalusite, kyanite), 3Al 2 O 3 · 2SiO 2 (mullite), Mg 3 Al 2 Si 3 O 12 (pyrope), and Mg 2 Al 4 Si 5 O 18 (cordierite). Samples were irradiated with 1.5 MeV Xe + at temperatures from 15 to 1023 K, and the dose required for amorphization was determined by in situ transmission electron microscopy. Results suggest a parallel between the susceptibility to ion beam irradiation-induced amorphization and the ease of glass formation. The critical amorphization doses of ion irradiation for the crystalline phases are related to the viscosities of melts of equivalent compositions through the activation energies of both processes. Doses required for amorphization have a negative correlation with viscosities at melting temperatures.
Application of quasi-linearization to an eigenvalue problem arising in boundary-layer theory

Abstract An eigenvalue problem arising in the treatment of laminar boundary layers nearly described by solutions of the Falkner-Skan equation is handled by application of quasilinearization. The technique would appear to be applicable to a variety of eigen-value problems arising in physics.
Effect of ESD Layout on the Assembly Yield and Reliability

The paper investigated the thin film stress effect on the wire-bond assembly yield and reliability. ESD layouts that utilize the bond pad area increase the thermo-mechanical stress of the thin-films in the pad area and affect the assembly. Experimental data on products with different metal layout designs are compared to characterize the assembly yield and reliability performance. A computer finite element mechanical stress analysis is also conducted to quantify the interaction of pad design with the assembly. Experimental data and simulation showed a good correlation between the metal layout and the assembly yield and reliability. A degradation model is proposed with the support of detail failure analysis. A robust design solution will be suggested to reduce the mechanical stress and improve the assembly yield and reliability.
A review of past agribusiness management research

This article presents a review of the agribusiness management research activities completed since World War II. The authors present their estimate of the relative emphasis of research completed in eight subcategories of agribusiness management research. Also included in this article is a review of the research activities structured into four time periods. 1945–1955, 1956–1969, 1970–1981, and 1982 to the present. The final section identifies five major types of barriers currently inhibiting agribusiness management research and presents potential ways to overcome these limiting factors.
Localization of a polyunsaturated fatty acid response region in stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene 1

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) repress stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene 1 (SCD1) expression in liver and adipose tissues. We used HepG2 cells to localize genetic regulatory elements for PUFA in the SCD1 5'-flanking region. A chimeric reporter gene construct containing the 4.3 kb SCD1 putative promoter was transiently transfected into HepG2 cells, which were then treated with various fatty acids. We observed greater than 60% repression of transcription with 18:3n - 3 and 75% repression with 20:4n - 6 and 20:5n - 3. No significant change was seen with 18:0. Using smaller SCD1 chimeric constructs, we localized the genetic regulatory region to a 237 bp sequence within the SCD1 proximal promoter. DNA mobility shift analysis with HepG2 and mouse liver nuclear extracts demonstrated specific binding of nuclear proteins to this region. Mobility shift analysis with nuclear extract from 3T3-L1 adipocytes showed a similar pattern of protein binding. Competitive DNA mobility shift analysis identified a 60 bp region containing sites that specifically bind and compete for nuclear proteins. This region conferred responsiveness to PUFA when placed in a heterologous promoter. A homologous region in the stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene 2 (SCD2) promoter also mediated PUFA-specific repression in transfection experiments. These data suggest that a common transcriptional mechanism may exist in liver and adipose tissues for inhibition of lipogenesis by PUFA.
Radiographic Location of the Lateral Intercondylar Ridge: Its Relationship to Blumensaat’s Line

BackgroundThe lateral intercondylar ridge (resident's ridge) is considered to be an important landmark during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Presently, no study exists describing the location of this vital landmark on plain radiographic images.HypothesisLateral intercondylar ridge location can be estimated on lateral plain film images.Study DesignDescriptive laboratory study.MethodsLateral radiographic images were taken of 20 distal femora with metallic markers overlying the lateral intercondylar ridge. The length of Blumensaat's line and the distance from the anterior extent of Blumensaat's line to the point where the lateral intercondylar ridge intersects Blumensaat's line were measured. The ratio of these measurements was then determined (Blumensaat's-ridge ratio). The angle of the lateral intercondylar ridge with respect to Blumensaat's line (Blumensaat's-ridge angle) was also determined.ResultsThe mean length of Blumensaat's line was 32.1 mm (95% confidence interval, 31.0–33.2 mm). The me...
AN INFINITE HIERARCHY OF EXPONENTS TO DESCRIBE GROWTH PHENOMENA

A growth model can be characterized by the set of probabilities { p i } i ∈ Γ that each site at a given time on the external perimeter Γ becomes part of the aggregate. Equations for the set of pi are given for DLA and other growth models using the electrostatic analogy of the dielectric breakdown model. A scaling approach is developed for the probability distribution and is compared with the voltage distribution in a random resistor and random superconducting network at the percolation threshold. An infinite set of exponents is necessary to fully characterize the moments of the distribution which are related to the surface structure of the aggregate.
Genetic knock out of 60 kD Ro (or SSA), a common lupus autoantigen, induces lupus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) could have the most complicated phenotype and the most diverse genetics of any genetically complex human disease. Recent research shows that genetic ablation of the gene encoding 60kD Ro, a common autoantigen for SLE patients, results in an SLE-like illness in Ro-/- mice. These data add to the expanding cooperation between mouse and human SLE genetic studies and are the first in which ablation of an autoantigen induces an autoimmune disease.
Pharmacologic therapy for coronary atherosclerosis in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Accelerated progression of coronary atherosclerosis underlies the heightened cardiovascular risk observed in diabetic patients. As the worldwide prevalence of diabetes escalates in association with the incidence of abdominal obesity, the global burden of cardiovascular disease will continue to rise. Therapeutic strategies that have had the greatest cardiovascular benefit in diabetes have focused on lowering LDL-cholesterol and blood pressure, rather than glucose-lowering specifically. More recently, arterial wall imaging has helped characterize the natural history of coronary atherosclerosis in diabetes, the impact of associated risk factors and the influence of medical therapies.
Otolith oxygen isotopes measured by high‐precision secondary ion mass spectrometry reflect life history of a yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera)

RATIONALE The oxygen isotope ratio (δ(18)O value) of aragonite fish otoliths is dependent on the temperature and the δ(18)O value of the ambient water and can thus reflect the environmental history of a fish. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) offers a spatial-resolution advantage over conventional acid-digestion techniques for stable isotope analysis of otoliths, especially given their compact nature. METHODS High-precision otolith δ(18)O analysis was conducted with an IMS-1280 ion microprobe to investigate the life history of a yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera), a Bering Sea species known to migrate ontogenetically. The otolith was cut transversely through its core and one half was roasted to eliminate organic contaminants. Values of δ(18)O were measured in 10-µm spots along three transects (two in the roasted half, one in the unroasted half) from the core toward the edge. Otolith annual growth zones were dated using the dendrochronology technique of crossdating. RESULTS Measured values of δ(18)O ranged from 29.0 to 34.1‰ (relative to Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water). Ontogenetic migration from shallow to deeper waters was reflected in generally increasing δ(18)O values from age-0 to approximately age-7 and subsequent stabilization after the expected onset of maturity at age-7. Cyclical variations of δ(18)O values within juvenile otolith growth zones, up to 3.9‰ in magnitude, were caused by a combination of seasonal changes in the temperature and the δ(18)O value of the ambient water. CONCLUSIONS The ion microprobe produced a high-precision and high-resolution record of the relative environmental conditions experienced by a yellowfin sole that was consistent with population-level studies of ontogeny. Furthermore, this study represents the first time that crossdating has been used to ensure the dating accuracy of δ(18)O measurements in otoliths.
Autonomous Intersection Management: Multi-intersection optimization

Advances in autonomous vehicles and intelligent transportation systems indicate a rapidly approaching future in which intelligent vehicles will automatically handle the process of driving. However, increasing the efficiency of today's transportation infrastructure will require intelligent traffic control mechanisms that work hand in hand with intelligent vehicles. To this end, Dresner and Stone proposed a new intersection control mechanism called Autonomous Intersection Management (AIM) and showed in simulation that by studying the problem from a multiagent perspective, intersection control can be made more efficient than existing control mechanisms such as traffic signals and stop signs. We extend their study beyond the case of an individual intersection and examine the unique implications and abilities afforded by using AIM-based agents to control a network of interconnected intersections. We examine different navigation policies by which autonomous vehicles can dynamically alter their planned paths, observe an instance of Braess' paradox, and explore the new possibility of dynamically reversing the flow of traffic along lanes in response to minute-by-minute traffic conditions. Studying this multiagent system in simulation, we quantify the substantial improvements in efficiency imparted by these agent-based traffic control methods.
Mechanical Joint Laxity Associated With Chronic Ankle Instability: A Systematic Review

Context:Lateral ankle sprains can manifest into chronic mechanical joint laxity when not treated effectively. Joint laxity is often measured through the use of manual stress tests, stress radiography, and instrumented ankle arthrometers.Purpose:To systematically review the literature to establish the influence of chronic ankle instability (CAI) on sagittal and frontal plane mechanical joint laxity.Data Sources:Articles were searched with MEDLINE (1966 to October 2008), CINAHL (1982 to October 2008), and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (to October 2008) using the key words chronic ankle instability and joint laxity, functional ankle instability and joint laxity, and lateral ankle sprains and joint laxity.Study Selection:To be included, studies had to employ a case control design; mechanical joint laxity had to be measured via a stress roentogram, an instrumented ankle arthrometer, or ankle/foot stress-testing device; anteroposterior inversion or eversion ankle-subtalar joint complex laxity had ...
Expanding the Obesity Research Paradigm to Reach African American Communities

Obesity is more prevalent among African Americans and other racial and ethnic minority populations than among whites. The behaviors that determine weight status are embedded in the core social and cultural processes and environments of day-to-day life in these populations. Therefore, identifying effective, sustainable solutions to obesity requires an ecological model that is inclusive of relevant contextual variables. Race and ethnicity are potent stratification variables in U.S. society and strongly influence life contexts, including many aspects that relate to eating and physical activity behaviors. This article describes a synthesis initiated by the African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network (AACORN) to build and broaden the obesity research paradigm. The focus is on African Americans, but the expanded paradigm has broader implications and may apply to other populations of color. The synthesis involves both community and researcher perspectives, drawing on and integrating insights from an expanded set of knowledge domains to promote a deeper understanding of relevant contexts. To augment the traditional, biomedical focus on energy balance, the expanded paradigm includes insights from family sociology, literature, philosophy, transcultural psychology, marketing, economics, and studies of the built environment. We also emphasize the need for more attention to tensions that may affect African American or other researchers who identify or are identified as members of the communities they study. This expanded paradigm, for which development is ongoing, poses new challenges for researchers who focus on obesity and obesity-related health disparities but also promises discovery of new directions that can lead to new solutions.
Swarm intelligence based optimization and control of decentralized serial sensor networks

In this paper threshold design and hierarchy management of serial sensor networks employed for distributed detection is accomplished using a hybrid of ant colony optimization and particle swarm optimization. The particle swarm optimization determines the optimal thresholds, decision rules for the sensors. The ant colony optimization algorithm determines the hierarchy of sensor decision communication, affecting the accuracy. The problem of hierarchy management is known as ldquowho reports to whom?rdquo problem in sensor networks. The new algorithm is tested on a suite of 10 heterogeneous sensors. Probabilistic measures including probability of error and Bayesian risk are adopted to evaluate the performance of the sensor network. The new sensor management methodology is compared to (a) static hierarchy network, (b) a network with the best sensor at the top of the hierarchy and (c) incrementally best hierarchy. Results show 40% performance improvements in terms of Bayesian risk value.
Program Assessment: Not in My Back Yard.

Faculty in the College of Business Administration at California State University-Stanislaus struggled to find places within the curriculum in which to embed programmatic assessment. An assessment model emerged from their discussions that meaningfully assesses the knowledge and skills of graduating seniors for programmatic improvement while providing each student with individualized feedback about their strengths and weaknesses. Students identify those areas in which they are particularly strong, which is useful information during career exploration, along with those areas in which further development would be beneficial. Resources for life-long personal and professional development are provided to participating students.
Impact of Molecular Parameters on Treatment outcomes in Large Granular Lymphocyte Leukemia (LGL)

Context: The ability of cytotoxic CD4+ T lymphocytes (CD4+ CTLs) to exert anti-tumor effects has been demonstrated in murine models of melanoma and an increase in the number of CD4+CTLs has previously been identified in the peripheral blood of patients with CLL. Objective: To further characterize these cells in patients with CLL, including their immune checkpoint receptor expression, and to identify their presence in the CLL lymph node tumor microenvironment. Design/Patients: The peripheral blood of 54 consecutive patients with CLL, who were not receiving treatment and who were attending the out-patient clinic at University College Hospital, was analyzed by flow cytometry. Ethical approval and consent had been obtained. Multi-color immunohistochemistry was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lymph node biopsies infiltrated with CLL and reactive lymph nodes. Results: CD4+ Granzyme B+ cells (CD4+CTLs) were detected in the peripheral blood of all patients with a median percentage of 8.54% (range: 0.616 e 65.1%). There was a significant increase in the percentage of CD4+GZB+ cells in those patients who were above the age of 60 years (P¼0.0455). An extended phenotype analysis of the CD4+GZB+ cells found that the transcription factors EOMES (median 78.05%, range: 51.6-95.1%) and Tbet (median: 90.5%, range: 88.3-96.1%), which have both been strongly implicated in the development of cytotoxicity in CD8+ cells, were highly expressed
Human brain specific L proline transporter: molecular cloning, functional expression, and chromosomal localization of the gene in human and mouse genomes

L-Proline fulfills several of the classic criteria used to identify amino acid neurotransmitters, including the presence of a high affinity, Na(+)- (and Cl-)-dependent synaptosomal transport process and the Ca(2+)-dependent release of exogenously loaded radiolabeled L-proline from brain slices and synaptosomes after K(+)-induced depolarization. However, studies to define the role of L-proline in discrete pathways in the mammalian brain have been precluded by the inability to block its biosynthesis or high affinity transport in nervous tissue. We report the molecular cloning, functional expression, and chromosomal localization of a human brain-specific high affinity L-proline transporter (hPROT). The pharmacological specificity, kinetic properties, and ionic requirements of hPROT clearly distinguish this carrier from the other Na(+)-dependent plasma membrane carriers that transport L-proline. Multiple tissue Northern blot analysis revealed a prominent approximately 4-kb mRNA transcript in human brain tissue, whereas no specific hybridizing species were detected in peripheral tissue. An antipeptide antiserum directed against the carboxy-terminus of the predicted hPROT protein identified a single, broad immunoreactive protein of 68 kDa on immunoblots of synaptosomal membranes from various human brain regions. In contrast, no specific labeling was detected on immunoblots of membranes from human liver, kidney, or heart. A differential distribution of hPROT mRNA and protein was observed in the human corpus striatum, consistent with the hypothesis that the hPROT protein is synthesized in neuronal cell bodies in an extrastriatal location and axonally transported to the corpus striatum. These findings warrant the consideration of a synaptic regulatory role for this transporter and its presumed natural substrate, L-proline, in the mammalian central nervous system.
Differential Effects of Chondroitin Sulfates A and B on Monocyte and B-Cell Activation: Evidence for B-Cell Activation Via a CD44-Dependent Pathway

At inflammatory sites, proteoglycans are both secreted by activated mononuclear leukocytes and released as a consequence of extracellular matrix degradation. Chondroitin 4-sulfate proteoglycans constitute the predominant ones produced by activated human monocytes/macrophages. In this study, we show that two chondroitin 4-sulfate forms, CSA and CSB, can activate distinct peripheral blood mononuclear cell types. Whereas CSA activates monocytes (to secrete monokines), CSB activates B-cells (to proliferate). In contrast, the chondroitin 6-sulfate CSC and heparin do not exert these functional effects. We further show that CD44 monoclonal antibodies block CSB-induced B-cell proliferation. These findings point to glycosaminoglycans, and specifically chondroitin 4-sulfates, as a novel class of immunological mediators at inflammatory sites. Furthermore, the data link CD44 to B-cell activation, paralleling the established roles of CD44 in T-cell and monocyte activation.
The Speech Clause and the Limits of Neutrality

The article examines the Supreme Court’s increasing reliance of the neutrality concept in First Amendment jurisprudence to the exclusion of other approaches. It then examines the problems that shift to neutrality doctrine creates. While neutrality doctrine handles some issues well, it accounts only for a narrow range of First Amendment purposes, provides relatively little protection for speech, and is based on incoherent distinctions.
In vivo and in vitro infection dynamics of honey bee viruses

The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is commonly infected by multiple viruses. We developed an experimental system for the study of such mixed viral infections in newly emerged honey bees and in the cell line AmE-711, derived from honey bee embryos. When inoculating a mixture of iflavirids [sacbrood bee virus (SBV), deformed wing virus (DWV)] and dicistrovirids [Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), black queen cell virus (BQCV)] in both live bee and cell culture assays, IAPV replicated to higher levels than other viruses despite the fact that SBV was the major component of the inoculum mixture. When a different virus mix composed mainly of the dicistrovirid Kashmir bee virus (KBV) was tested in cell culture, the outcome was a rapid increase in KBV but not IAPV. We also sequenced the complete genome of an isolate of DWV that covertly infects the AmE-711 cell line, and found that this virus does not prevent IAPV and KBV from accumulating to high levels and causing cytopathic effects. These results indicate that different mechanisms of virus-host interaction affect virus dynamics, including complex virus-virus interactions, superinfections, specific virus saturation limits in cells and virus specialization for different cell types.
Pyridine-Assisted Chlorinations and Oxidations by Palladium(IV)

The reactivity of the bis-NHC complex LPdIVCl4 (L = κ2-[R-NHCCH2NHC-R] with R = C14H29) in chlorinations and oxidations of organic substrates was considerably increased in the presence of pyridine. For alkene chlorinations, this effect was due to the in situ formation of highly reactive LPdIVCl3(py)+, which was able to transfer Cl+ to the C═C bond in a ligand-mediated process (devoid of π complexation), which did not require py dissociation. The enhanced reactivity in the presence of pyridine also extended to the oxidation of secondary and benzylic alcohols under mild conditions in a reaction where py served as a base, broadening the known scope of reactivity for PdIV complexes. LPdIVCl3(py)+ could be formed from Cl–/py exchange or from the oxidation of LPdIICl(py)+ by Cl2. Taking advantage of the enhanced reactivities that pyridine coordination imparted on both PdII and PdIV complexes allowed for the catalytic chlorination of styrene with LPdIVCl4 as a sacrificial oxidant, thereby establishing the princi...
Cholesterol content of human serum lipoproteins obtained by dextran sulfate precipitation and by preparative ultracentrifugation.

SummaryA comparison of α and β lipoprotein cholesterol levels of lipoproteins of human serum obtained by dextran sulfate precipitation compares well with analyses of lipoproteins obtained by ultracentrifugation. Comparison of dextran sulfate from 2 different sources gave identical results. The presence of oxalate may interfere with the analysis of β lipoprotein cholesterol, but this can be avoided by using analytical methods which entail digitonide precipitation.
Egg Production of Chickens Kept in Darkness

ABSTRACT ALTHOUGH darkness allegedly inhibits egg production, our previous work (Wilson and Abplanalp, 1956) showed that pullets would lay eggs with a daily ration of six minutes of light in 24 hours. Rearing pullets in darkness does not prevent them from coming into egg production according to Rider (1938). Continuous darkness actually produced maximum testicular weight in the parakeet, Melapsittacus undulatus, in the experiments of Vaugien (1953). The purpose of these tests was to determine the length of time hens would remain in production when subjected to complete darkness. EXPERIMENTAL Two tests were made in which S. C. White Leghorn laying hens in cages spent a 5-week period in complete darkness. The first test was with 60 hens kept in three separate pens of 20 hens each. From 17 to 38 weeks of age these hens had been given alternately two hours of light and two hours of darkness. They had . . .
Exceptional Steric Congestion in an in,in-Bis(hydrosilane)

The synthesis and characterization of a macrobicyclic in,in-bis(hydrosilane) is described. A combination of crystallographic and computational data indicate that the central hydrogen–hydrogen nonbonded contact distance is the shortest for any crystallographically characterized compound.
Analytic properties of two-photon scattering matrix in integrated quantum systems determined by the cluster decomposition principle.

We consider a general class of integrated quantum systems where photon-photon interaction occurs in a quantum device that is localized in space. Using techniques that are closely related to cluster decomposition principles in quantum field theory, we provide a general constraint on the analytic properties of a two-photon $S$ matrix in this class of systems. We also show that the photon-photon interaction in these systems inevitably leads to frequency mixing and entanglement and that frequencies of the single photons cannot be preserved in these systems.
Twenty years of progress in congenital diaphragmatic hernia at the University of Florida.

Over the past 20 years the clinical paradigms underlying the care of children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) have undergone profound changes. The purpose of this work is to provide an historic review of research and clinical studies related to CDH at the University of Florida (UF) and Shands Children's Hospital during the chairmanship of Edward M. Copeland, III, M.D. and to present our current clinical results. During Dr Copeland's tenure survival for newborns symptomatic with CDH treated at UF/Shands Children's Hospital has improved from less than 20 per cent to 85 per cent. Clinical observations have suggested and research studies at UF using a fetal lamb model have confirmed that fetal distress can occur late in gestation, which may predispose infants with CDH to pulmonary hypertension. However, our patient experience has confirmed that the most significant cause of mortality in human infants is not pulmonary hypertension but iatrogenic injury to their hypoplastic lungs. Strict avoidance of barotrauma in these babies has been the most important clinical advance during these two decades. Significant clinical and research problems remain including defining optimal prenatal care, management of complications during the first few weeks of life, and development of strategies to accelerate lung growth. Dramatic improvements in survival have resulted in children who manifest a number of clinical problems that were not evident when most of these patients died early in infancy. Our experience at Shand's Children's Hospital/UF indicates that feeding problems, respiratory infections, and management of subtle or overt neurologic complications may become major issues for some of these survivors and their families.
Protective Effect of Fuzheng Powder on Immunosuppressive Mice Induced by Cyclophosphamide

Objective To investigate the immunomodulatory effect of fuzheng powder on immunodepressive mice induced by cyclophosphamide.Methods The immunosuppressive murine model was induced by intraperitoneally injecting cyclophosphamide at the dose of 80 mg·kg-1,then they were treated with different doses of fuzheng powder(2.5,5.0,10.0 g·kg-1)by intragastric administration,and the mass of immune organs,carbon clearance index,serum hemolysin,the total WBC in peripheral blood and NK cell activity were measured.Results Thymus index(P0.05) was remarkably increased in the fuzheng powder at middle-and low-dose groups of immunosuppressive mice,while the spleen index(P0.01),the entire number of WBC in peripheral blood(P0.01)and NK cell activity(P0.01)in the middle-and high-dose groups,and each dose of fuzheng powder raised the levels of serum hemolysin(P0.01).In addition,Fuzheng powder at high-dose played an important role in raising the carbon clearance index K and phagocytic index α of the immunodeppressive mice(P0.05).Conclusion Fuzheng powder could enhance the nonspecific and specific immunity of immunosuppressive mice induced by cyclophosphamide and also protect immune system imbalance.
Site selective electronic Raman excitation study of the 4f → 5d transitions in trivalent cerium-activated yttria

The potential of electronic Raman excitation (ERE) spectroscopy in resolving the overlapping spectra of Ce3+ ion in the inequivalent C2, and C3 sites of Y2O3, is illustrated in this paper. The 4f→5d electric- dipole transitions of these centers give rise to the broadband overlapping spectra of Fig. 1. Since, the material is poorly fluorescing, optical excitation spectroscopy is not useful in resolving the spectra.
Modeling Users for Adaptive Information Retrieval by Capturing User Intent

In this chapter, we study and present our results on the problem of employing a cognitive user model for Information Retrieval (IR) in which a user’s intent is captured and used for improving his/her effectiveness in an information seeking task. The user intent is captured by analyzing the commonality of the retrieved relevant documents. The effectiveness of our user model is evaluated with regards to retrieval performance using an evaluation methodology which allows us to compare with the existing approaches from the information retrieval community while assessing the new features offered by our user model. We compare our approach with the Ide dec-hi approach using term frequency inverted document frequency weighting which is considered to be the best traditional approach to relevance feedback. We use CRANFIELD, CACM and MEDLINE collections which are very popular collections from the information retrieval community to evaluate relevance feedback techniques. The results show that our approach performs better in the initial runs and works competitively with Ide dec-hi in the feedback runs. Additionally, we evaluate the effects of our user modeling approach with human analysts. The results show that our approach retrieves more relevant documents to a specific analyst compared to keyword-based information retrieval application called Verity Query Language.
Clinically Approved Nanoparticle Imaging Agents

Nanoparticles are a new class of imaging agent used for both anatomic and molecular imaging. Nanoparticle-based imaging exploits the signal intensity, stability, and biodistribution behavior of submicron-diameter molecular imaging agents. This review focuses on nanoparticles used in human medical imaging, with an emphasis on radionuclide imaging and MRI. Newer nanoparticle platforms are also discussed in relation to theranostic and multimodal uses.
Equity, Safety, and Privacy in the Autonomous Vehicle Era

Big data from onboard vehicular systems can be used to help determine liability in accidents, streamline insurance pricing, motivate better driving practices, and improve safety--all with potentially minimal impact on privacy.
Character Adaptation Systems Theory: A New Big Five for Personality and Psychotherapy:

Although personality theory and psychotherapy were originally closely linked, the past several decades have witnessed surprising gaps between these domains. This article seeks to close that gap via...
A New Scheme for Scoring Phrases in Unsupervised Keyphrase Extraction

Many unsupervised methods for keyphrase extraction typically compute a score for each word in a document based on various measures such as tf-idf or the PageRank score computed from the word graph built from the text document. The final score of a candidate phrase is then calculated by summing up the scores of its constituent words. A potential problem with the sum up scoring scheme is that the length of a phrase highly impacts its score. To reduce this impact and extract keyphrases of varied lengths, we propose a new scheme for scoring phrases which calculates the final score using the average of the scores of individual words weighted by the frequency of the phrase in the document. We show experimentally that the unsupervised approaches that use this new scheme outperform their counterparts that use the sum up scheme to score phrases.
Role of the CXCL8-CXCR1/2 axis in cancer and inflammatory diseases

The chemokine receptors CXCR1/2 and their ligand CXCL8 are essential for the activation and trafficking of inflammatory mediators as well as tumor progression and metastasis. The CXCL8-CXCR1/2 signaling axis is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), asthma, cystic fibrosis and cancer. Interaction between CXCL8 secreted by select cancer cells and CXCR1/2 in the tumor microenvironment is critical for cancer progression and metastasis. The CXCL8-CXCR1/2 axis may play an important role in tumor progression and metastasis by regulating cancer stem cell (CSC) proliferation and self-renewal. During the past two decades, several small-molecule CXCR1/2 inhibitors, CXCL8 releasing inhibitors, and neutralizing antibodies against CXCL8 and CXCR1/2 have been reported. As single agents, such inhibitors are expected to be efficacious in various inflammatory diseases. Several preclinical studies suggest that combination of CXCR1/2 inhibitors along with other targeted therapies, chemotherapies, and immunotherapy may be effective in treating select cancers. Currently, several of these inhibitors are in advanced clinical trials for COPD, asthma, and metastatic breast cancer. In this review, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the role of the CXCL8-CXCR1/2 axis and select genes co-expressed in this pathway in disease progression. We also discuss the latest progress in developing small-molecule drugs targeting this pathway.
Secondary Prevention Medication Use After Myocardial Infarction in U.S. Nursing Home Residents

Background/Objectives Secondary prevention medications are recommended for older adults after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but little is known about whether nursing home (NH) residents receive these medications. The objective was to evaluate new use of secondary prevention medications after AMI in NH residents who were previously nonusers and to evaluate what factors were associated with use. Design Retrospective cohort using linked national Minimum Data Set assessments; Online Survey, Certification and Reporting records; and Medicare claims. Setting U.S. NHs. Participants National cohort of 11,192 NH residents aged 65 and older who were hospitalized for an AMI between May 2007 and March 2010, had no beta-blocker or statin use for 4 months or longer before the hospitalization, and survived 14 days or more after NH readmission. Measurements The outcome was the number of secondary prevention medications initiated within 30 days of NH readmission. Results Thirty-seven percent of residents had no secondary prevention medications initiated after AMI, 41% had 1 initiated, and 22% had 2 initiated. After covariate adjustment, fewer secondary prevention medications were used in older residents (proportional odds ratio (POR) = 0.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.40–0.57 for ≥95 vs 65–74); women (POR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.80–0.96);and those with a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order (POR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.83–0.98), functional impairment (dependent or totally dependent vs independent to limited assistance, POR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.69–0.86), and cognitive impairment (moderate to severe vs no impairment, POR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.70–0.89). Conclusion More than one-third of older NH residents in the United States do not have any secondary prevention medications initiated after AMI, with fewer medications initiated in older residents; women; and those with, DNR orders, poor physical function, and cognitive impairment. A lack of evidence about the safety and effectiveness of secondary preventions medications in the NH population and unmeasured person-centered goals of care are plausible explanations for these findings.
Empirical likelihood for the bivariate survival function under univariate censoring

Abstract The bivariate survival function plays an important role in multivariate survival analysis. Using the idea of influence functions, we develop empirical likelihood confidence intervals for the bivariate survival function in the presence of univariate censoring. It is shown that the empirical log-likelihood ratio has an asymptotic standard chi-squared distribution with one degree of freedom. A comprehensive simulation study shows that the proposed method outperforms both the traditional normal approximation method and the adjusted empirical likelihood method in most cases. The Diabetic Retinopathy Data are analyzed for illustration of the proposed procedure.
Perceptions Matter: Administrators' Vision of Instruction for Students with Severe Disabilities.

School administrators play an important role in shaping teaching and learning. However, very little is known regarding how school administrators perceive instruction for students with severe disabilities and how those perceptions shape expectations and visions for instruction. Semistructured interviews were used to interview 12 administrators responsible for evaluating teachers of students with severe disabilities across a variety of educational settings. The interviews were designed to ascertain administrators’ perceptions about teachers’ expertise and their ideal vision of instruction for students with severe disabilities. Findings highlight administrators’ varying visions of instruction, which reveal the ways these visions might influence their expectations for teachers and students. Implications for inclusion and instructional practices are discussed.
The Power of Formative Assessment

This chapter describes the concept and aim of formative assessment, how it is realized in the classroom, and how teachers and students can use it to improve instruction and build student agency. Formative assessment has great potential to raise student achievement and instill, develop, and support metacognition in students, yet educators are often uncertain about methods and means of implementation. Findings from the learning sciences reveal flaws in the instructivist approach to instruction and support the use of formative assessment in a learner-centered, constructivist environment. However, instructionism persists, driven by cultural norms and undergirded by behaviorist theories of practice. Of those who have adopted formative assessment practices, some have distorted its use to conform to their pre-existing behaviorist theories about learners and learning, resulting in conformative assessment or “criteria compliance.” Others have adopted formative assessment as a disparate set of strategies stacked on top of an already bulging curriculum—diluting or negating its effectiveness. When implemented correctly in a learner-centered, constructivist environment however, it has great potential to equip and empower students in their own learning and raise student achievement, even on high-stakes, standardized tests.
Characterization of Thermal Stability and Heat Absorption for Suppressant Agent/Combustible Dust Mixtures via Thermogravimetric Analysis/Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Combustible dusts continue to present a critical threat toward personnel and process equipment in a wide variety of bulk solids processing industries. The addition of noncombustible inert material ...
Effects of Salt and Surfactant on Interfacial Characteristics of Water/Oil Systems: Molecular Dynamic Simulations and Dissipative Particle Dynamics

Multiphase systems and their behaviors/characteristics appear to be crucial in a variety of industries such as the oil and gas sector, pharmaceutical industry, and food industry. In this paper, the mesoscale simulation method is used to predict the interfacial behaviors of the water/oil systems at different temperatures and salt concentrations in the presence of a nonionic surfactant (hexaethylene glycol monododecyl ether). Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) is employed to model the interfacial properties (e.g., interfacial density and interfacial tension) and structural properties such as the radius of gyration as a function of water/oil ratio, surfactant concentration, temperature, and salinity of oil/surfactant/water mixtures. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are carried out to estimate the Flory–Huggins chi parameter by means of temperature-dependent solubility parameter and cohesive energy calculations using Monte Carlo (MC) method, which is then utilized as an input for the DPD approach. The DPD...
Free to Play: Mobile Gaming and the Precipitous Rise of Freemium

With the abundance of games that enter the App Store marketplace, developers struggle to compete for the user’s attention and potential download. Unlike traditional console-games, mobile-based consumers tend to be more apprehensive towards purchasing an app or a game if they are unable to trial it beforehand. These factors have contributed to the freemium business model becoming the face of the mobile gaming industry.
Our Incoming Students: What Are They Like?.

How do entering students compare with their counterparts from ten, twenty, even thirty years ago? The director of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program looks at some current trends.
Pathogenicity of cultivatedDrosophila willistoni spiroplasmas

A transovarially transmitted spiroplasma, the sex ratio organism (SRO), found in the hemolymph of females of four Neotropical species ofDrosophila, acts through an unknown mechanism to eliminate males from the progenies of these females. However, because the SROs were noncultivable, proof of pathogenicity had relied on inoculations from flies. Recently, theDrosophila willistoni SRO (WSRO) was cultured, first in medium containing an insect cell line, then in the medium alone. Injections of cultivated WSROs into normalD. pseudoobscura females resulted in the elimination of males from the progenies of the injected females. In vitro cultures of SROs were re-established from hemolymph collected from females that had been injected with the triply cloned strain (DW-1). Continued passage in cell-free medium has led to a strain that, although male-lethal, is not transovarially transmitted.
Cellular Therapy with Donor Mesenchymal Stem Cells Combined with Co-Stimulation Blockade Prolongs Solid Organ Allograft Survival.

Introduction Co-stimulation blockade (CoB) has emerged as a promising immunosuppression strategy and potential alternative to calcineurin inhibitors in solid organ transplantation. Despite recent advancements, CoB based regimens are hampered by increased rates of acute cellular rejection. Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) offer a clinically relevant cellular therapy to suppress T cell alloreactivity and prolong allograft survival. Objectives Here we studied the effects of combined donor BM-MSCs and CoB on allograft survival in both murine and non-human primate (NHP) models of transplantation. Methods BM-MSCs were cultured and serially passaged in an alpha Minimum Essential Medium based media and subsequently characterized by flow cytometry. A mouse model of MHC mismatched skin transplantation (Balb/C C57BL/6) was used to assess the effect of donor splenocytes vs. BM-MSCs on allograft survival. Next, we investigated whether donor BM-MSCs could prolong renal allograft survival in a fully MHC mismatched NHP model. Mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLRs) were also performed to assess the impact of NHP BM-MSCs on T cell responses in vitro. Results Balb/C BM-MSCs administered intravenously on days 1,3, and 5 post-transplant (105 cells per infusion) significantly prolonged skin graft survival compared to identical administration of Balb/C splenocytes in the setting of CoB treatment (CTLA-4Ig + anti-CD154) (MST 40 days vs. 21 days, p = 0.04*). In NHP, BM-MSCs were characterized by expression of CD3-/CD11b-/CD16-/CD20-/CD34-/HLA-DR-/CD44+/CD73+/CD90+/CD105+. Repeated infusions of donor BM-MSCs (2 × 106 cells/kg per infusion) combined with CoB (anti-CD28 + anti-CD154) (n=4) prolonged renal allograft survival compared to CoB alone (n = 3) (MST 228.5 days vs. 41 days, p = 0.09). In vitro, NHP BM-MSCs suppressed allo-stimulated T cell proliferation and cytokine effector function in a contact independent fashion. Conclusion Donor BM-MSCs prolong allograft survival in both murine and NHP models of transplantation when combined with CoB treatment. These data suggest BM-MSCs are a promising cellular therapy to suppress co-stimulation resistant T cell alloreactivity and prevent cellular rejection in clinical solid organ transplantation.