cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prevention of major amputations in nonischemic lower limb lesions.

Background Major lower limb amputations continue to be performed at an increasing rate, the major cause being the rising prevalence of adult onset diabetes. It can be demonstrated that a reduction in amputation rate can be achieved at institutes with a higher level of academic and specialty interest, by avoiding errors of management and by newer technical innovations in wound closure. Study design A simpler method of wound closure that is easily taught and learned and is readily available to the medical community and the patient population can play a substantial role in reducing the number of amputations. Satisfactory closure of open lesions by full-thickness skin and subcutaneous tissue carries with it a lower incidence of recurrence, reduces costs by avoiding or reducing length of hospitalization, and minimizes use of general anesthesia, a serious matter in immunocompromised older patients. Avoiding errors of technique will additionally reduce amputation rate. Results In the last 10 years, 125 patients, mostly diabetic and elderly, with major and recurrent lesions of the lower extremities, have been treated by closure of the debrided wound with a combination of external tissue expansion and wound toilette. Major lower limb amputations have been avoided. Conclusions Experience confirms that the relationship between high hospital volume, specialty interest, higher level of academic care; avoiding technical errors; and simplifying the methodology, lead to a reduction in need for major amputations. A lower mortality in the patient population at risk is achieved and a reduction in costs, which have risen beyond the $132 billion level, can be expected.
Mural thrombi in the heart

Abstract Of 771 consecutive, adult, autopsied patients who died of heart disease, 265, or 34.4 per cent, had one or more mural thrombi. Coronary artery disease, with myocardial infarction, was the type of heart disease most often associated with mural thrombi; in two-thirds of these cases this complication was present. Mural thrombi were associated with coronary artery disease without myocardial infarction, hypertensive heart disease, and rheumatic heart disease, in one-third of the cases; they were present in one-fifth of the cases of syphilitic heart disease, but were uncommonly found in cases of cor pulmonale and bacterial endocarditis. Most of the mural thrombi in cases of coronary artery disease with myocardial infarction were caused by the infarction itself and were located in the left ventricle. In hypertensive heart disease, about 60 per cent of the patients below 40 years of age had mural thrombi, whereas only 20 per cent of those who were 60 years of age or older had this complication. This significant difference is unexplained. In rheumatic heart disease, mural thrombi occurred two and a half times as often in patients with auricular fibrillation as in those with normal mechanism; this is highly significant. The thrombi were present in the right atrium and/or the left atrium in 86.5 per cent of the cases, and this is probably another indication of the importance of auricular fibrillation. There was a highly significant preponderance of mural thrombi in older patients, presumably because of the greater frequency of auricular fibrillation in this group.
Determination of the polarization resistance from impedance measurements

Four different methods for determining the polarization resistance R from impedance data are discussed. These methods are suitable for online corrosion monitoring. Their use is illustrated for iron in tapwater and in neutral, aerated Na2SO4 containing various inhibitors. R-values obtained with the CIRFIT-method are compared with R which is obtained from a linear sweep through Ecorr. The integration method has the advantage of computation speed.
Do topical NSAIDs work

Strong evidence supports the efficacy of oral NSAIDs in osteoarthritis treatment, but the benefit of long-term topical NSAIDs for chronic use, although available in some countries, is less clear. The approval by the FDA of diclofenac gel for the treatment of osteoarthritis knee pain has resurrected the clinical debate regarding which patients will benefit the most from each approach. Determining the comparative benefits of topical and oral NSAIDs in specific patients will aid clinical decision making; the extent of pain relief might be one measure of benefit, but others, such as patient preference, might also be useful. Underwood et al. have reported an interesting approach to measuring the utility of these two therapeutic strategies. This commentary critically reviews this approach in the context of similar investigations.
An alternate mechanism for the astringent sensation of acids

Abstract Tannic acid was added to saliva, the pH was adjusted to 12 different levels in the range 2.5–7.2 and light scattering was observed. The maximum light scattering occurred at pH 4.4, with considerably less scattering at both higher and lower pH. Saliva without added tannic acid had a light scattering maximum at the same pH. The total polyphenol (Folin–Ciocalteu) content of saliva was determined with results between 53 and 93 mg/l. It is proposed that at least part of the mechanism for the astringent sensation of acids in water is caused by an intensification of the interaction between salivary protein and salivary polyphenol. When acid is not present the interaction is less intense and the perception is weak or non-existent. The increased precipitation of salivary protein when acid is added to polyphenol also accounts for the observed increase in astringency.
Concentration-Dependent Carbon Diffusivity in Austenite

The diffusion coefficient of carbon in austenite depends on the local carbon concentration. This concentration dependence is particularly noticeable during low-temperature “paraequilibrium” carburization. A critical review of the extensive literature on this topic reveals that an early paper by Asimow provides an excellent description of this substantial concentration dependence. The present analysis suggests that the marked concentration dependence of carbon diffusivity is most likely due to interstitial carbon decreasing the activation energy for carbon jumps from one interstitial site to its neighbor.
Crack identification based on thin-film full-bridge strain sensors

A sensing sheet based on large-area electronics consists of a dense array of discrete short-gauge sensor units, integrated circuits for collecting, analyzing and communicating data, and a flexible photovoltaic system that serves as both a power harvester and a protective layer. We investigated the sensitivity of thin-film full-bridge strain sensors to cracks, and the effect of crack position with respect to the sensor. In general, the results of this research show that full-bridge strain sensors can successfully detect and characterize cracks in structural materials and are therefore good candidates to utilize in a sensing sheet.
Histological features of osteofibrous hemangioma of the maxillofacial and skull base regions

Objectives The histological spectrum of hemangiomas of the skull base and maxillofacial skeleton was evaluated to help explain the variability of the clinical and radiological presentation of this tumor. Design Retrospective case series. Participants Patients with surgically treated hemangiomas of the ear, sinuses, skull base, and maxillofacial bones. Method Light microscopic appearance of surgical specimens. Results Review of specimens from 23 tumors revealed two distinct histological patterns: 1) typical histology consisting of vascular spaces lined by endothelium and a thin layer of smooth muscle, and 2) osteofibrous histology that consisted of prominent fibrous tissue between vascular spaces associated occasionally with neo-osseogenesis. The osteofibrous histology was more prevalent in the sinonasal and anterior skull base regions compared to the internal auditory canal. Conclusions Connective tissue and bony proliferation within hemangiomas vary according to tumor location and may have implications for the radiological appearance, ease of surgical resection, and associated morbidity.
Particle dynamics in quasi-isochronous storage rings.

The synchrotron equation of motion in quasi-isochronous ~QI! storage rings is transformed to a universal Weierstrass equation, where the solution is given by Jacobian elliptic functions. Scaling properties of the QI Hamiltonian are derived. The effects of phase space damping and the sensitivity of particle motion to external harmonic modulation are studied. We find that the rf phase modulation is particularly enhanced in QI storage rings. Exact formula and sum rules for resonance strength coefficients are derived. When the QI dynamical system is subject to harmonic modulation, it exhibits a sequence of period-2 bifurcations leading to global chaos in a region of modulation tune. This means that the operators of QI storage rings should pay special attention to rf phase noise. @S1063-651X~96!06707-4#
Pathways of ascending evoked spinal cord potentials of dogs

Abstract Pathways of the ascending evoked potentials (AEPs) of the spinal cord of the dog were investigated by stimulating rear leg nerves and recording at thoracic levels before and after making selective partial or complete transections of topographic regions of the spinal cord in the L-1 segment: hemisection; ventral quadrant (VQ); dorsal quadrant (DQ); dorsolateral fasciculus (DLF); dorsal columns (DCs). The AEPs were found to be propagated in all topographic areas of the spinal cord. The contribution by the DQ ipsilateral to the stimulated nerve appeared to be the largest. Within the DQ, both the DLF and the DC participated in the AEP but the DLF contribution tended to predominate in the earliest parts while the DC contribution tended to lag somewhat behind that of DLF. The predominance of DLF activity in early phases of the AEP probably reflected the influence of high conduction velocities in muscle afferents and in postsynaptic DLF axons having connections with muscle afferents or with cutaneous afferents. The VQ contribution to the AEP appeared to arise from both crossed and uncrossed pathways but was not otherwise defined. Based on the results and on data in the literature important considerations in interpretation of AEPs are: the relative numbers of muscle or cutaneous afferent fibers in the stimulated nerves; temporal dispersion of action potentials associated with differences in conduction velocities; conduction distances in the stimulated primary afferent axons and in postsynaptic spinal cord axons.
Mitochondria and cancer

Contrary to conventional wisdom, functional mitochondria are essential for the cancer cell. Although mutations in mitochondrial genes are common in cancer cells, they do not inactivate mitochondrial energy metabolism but rather alter the mitochondrial bioenergetic and biosynthetic state. These states communicate with the nucleus through mitochondrial 'retrograde signalling' to modulate signal transduction pathways, transcriptional circuits and chromatin structure to meet the perceived mitochondrial and nuclear requirements of the cancer cell. Cancer cells then reprogramme adjacent stromal cells to optimize the cancer cell environment. These alterations activate out-of-context programmes that are important in development, stress response, wound healing and nutritional status.
Physicochemical characterization of generation 5 polyamidoamine dendrimers.

The dispersity, size, and self-interaction of generation 5 polyamidoamine dendrimeric polymers with different terminal groups (surfaces) were characterized using several physicochemical techniques. Amino-surface dendrimers form oligomeric aggregates in aqueous solution, even in the presence of high salt concentrations (0.6M sodium phosphate). In contrast, the hydroxyl-surface polymer G5-OH behaves as a single homogeneous (or paucidisperse) species at low concentration. Measurements of density increment and the sedimentation and diffusion coefficients of G5-OH suggest a more swollen, porous structure than a globular protein of comparable mass. Measurements of the concentration dependence of sedimentation equilibrium of G5-OH in pH 7.2 phosphate buffer indicate the presence of significant electrostatic repulsion overlaid on weakly attractive interactions, leading to the formation of nonspecific aggregates at sufficiently high dendrimer concentration.
Asymmetric C–H insertion of Rh(II) stabilized carbenoids into acetals: A C–H activation protocol as a Claisen condensation equivalent

Abstract The dirhodium tetraprolinate, Rh 2 ( S -DOSP) 4 is an efficient catalyst in an enantioselective C–H activation protocol. Rh 2 ( S -DOSP) 4 catalyzed decomposition of aryldiazoacetates or vinyldiazoacetates results in the formation of transient rhodium carbenoid intermediates. These intermediates are capable of selectively inserting into the C–H bond of acetals. The resulting products are protected β-keto esters, and so the C–H activation protocol can be considered as strategically equivalent to the Claisen condensation.
Electric Enhancement of Bone Healing

A human congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia, unresponsive to conventional treatment, was stimulated to healing by direct electric current. The method was modeled after prior experimental work in vivo in rabbits. X-ray photographs, histological techniques, and electron microscopy confirmed the presence of newly formed bone in the defect region.
Plasma MHPG in Rapid Cyclers and Healthy Twins

• We measured plasma 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) in 13 pairs of healthy drug-free monozygotic twins. High concordance for both free and conjugated MHPG suggests that plasma levels of the metabolite may reflect a heritable biological trait. In two drug-free rapidly cycling patients studied longitudinally, plasma MHPG levels reflected alterations in psychiatric state; they were significantly higher during mania than during depression. Although largely reflecting peripheral sources, plasma MHPG level as a global index of noradrenergic function may complement urinary MHPG excretion as a probe for diagnostic subgroups or pharmacologic responsiveness in psychiatric research.
Deposition of Brownian particles in porous media: Modified boundary conditions for the sphere-in-cell model

Abstract Modified boundary conditions for solving the convective diffusion equation for Brownian particles as applied in the Happel sphere-in-cell porous medium model are presented. With the modified boundary conditions, the convective diffusion equation correctly predicts the deposition rates of Brownian particles at low Peclet numbers. At moderate and large Peclet numbers, colloid deposition rates are similar to those calculated with existing models.
Effect of one or more footshocks on spleen and blood lymphocyte proliferation in rats

The effect of 1 (1.6 mA, 5 s), 3, 8, or 16 inescapable footshocks on the response of spleen and peripheral blood lymphocytes to nonspecific mitogenic stimulation and plasma corticosterone levels was studied in adult Lewis male rats. One footshock suppressed mitogenic activity in the spleen and this effect was comparable to 3, 8, and 16 footshocks. The maximum suppression to nonspecific mitogenic stimulation in the spleen was observed at 1 and 10 min after exposure to a single footshock and suppression of the mitogenic responses in the spleen persisted for at least 60 min. In contrast, immediately after a single footshock peripheral blood lymphocyte mitogenic function was not suppressed but instead was significantly enhanced. A significant suppression of mitogenic responsiveness of blood lymphocytes occurred 30 min after exposure to a single footshock and at 60 min the blood mitogenic activity did not differ from the home cage controls. Eight footshocks produced a significant suppression of mitogenic responses in the blood and 16 footshocks produced the greatest suppression of blood mitogenic function. These data suggest that 1 brief footshock caused activation of the HPA axis and sympathetic nervous system and resulted in significant alteration of the immune system. We suggest that noncomplex models of short-term stress may provide for a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of stress reactions in the CNS and the periphery.
The effect of cortical undercutting and long-term electrical stimulation on synaptic acetylcholinesterase.

Abstract (1) A centrifugal fractionation technique was used to study the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in a number of subcellular membrane fractions of cat cerebral cortex. In two groups of animals a marginal gyrus of each cat was undercut for a long-term preparation (chronic). Cats in one of the groups received daily electrical stimulation over the period when supersensitivity would be developing in the other group. (2) The chronic, partial neuronal isolation of the cerebral cortex by undercutting and without long-term electrical stimulation led to a decrease of both the total AChE activity and the total protein in the subcellular fraction1.0 M, the fraction rich in ‘cholinergic’ synaptic membranes. The specific activity of AChE was decreased in fractions1.0 Mand1.2 M. (3) In parallel studies long-term electrical stimulation of the undercut cortex prevented the decreases in AChE activity and in the protein of the membrane fraction1.0 M and in specific AChE of fractions1.0 Mand1.2 M. (4) Supersensitivity and loss of AChE activity were related when the most supersensitive and the least supersensitive undercut cortices were compared. (5) The decrease in the activity of AChE and the supersensitivity in undercut cortex are likely the consequences of the loss of cholinergic innervation and of synaptic disuse following denervation.
The United States Veterans Administration health care system as a model of regionalization.

The regionalization of health services is fundamentally based on a system of allocation of resources. The VA appears to have adopted the philosophies of regionalization by forming a network of 28 medical care districts that share the system budgeting responsibility. This approach tends to ignore population aspects, specifically: the needs of the veterans, the interplay of medical school affiliation, the internal effects of incentives for high inpatient censuses, the effect of district leadership. A fourfold research plan is suggested, including an intense investigation of (1) the veteran population, (2) the decision-making process in resource allocation, (3) the relationship of the VA to its environment, especially the health care structure of the communities where facilities operate, and (4) the problems associated with health delivery planning and resource allocation in general.
Reversible oxidation of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase thiols in human lung carcinoma cells by hydrogen peroxide

Human lung carcinoma cells (A549) were oxidatively stressed with mildly-toxic or non-toxic amounts of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 0.1 mM to 120 mM) for 5 min. Hydrogen peroxide exposure resulted in a dose dependent inhibition of binding (pH 7) of the thiol reagent iodoacetic acid (IAA) to a 38 kDa cell protein. Incubation of cells in saline for 60 min following H2O2 removal restored the ability of IAA to bind to the protein. Treatment with 20 mM dithiothreitol or 2 M urea also restored IAA binding, but 10% Triton X102 or 1 mM Brij 58 had no effect. Increasing to pH 11 during the IAA binding also increased thiol availability. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.12) has been identified as the protein undergoing thiol/disulfide redox status and enzymic activity changes.
The receptor PD-1 controls follicular regulatory T cells in the lymph nodes and blood

CD4(+)CXCR5(+)Foxp3(+) follicular regulatory T cells (T(FR) cells) inhibit humoral immunity mediated by CD4(+)CXCR5(+)Foxp3(-) follicular helper T cells (T(FH) cells). Although the inhibitory receptor PD-1 is expressed by both cell types, its role in the differentiation of T(FR) cells is unknown. Here we found that mice deficient in PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1 had a greater abundance of T(FR) cells in the lymph nodes and that those T(FR) cells had enhanced suppressive ability. We also found substantial populations of T(FR) cells in mouse blood and demonstrated that T(FR) cells in the blood homed to lymph nodes and potently inhibited T(FH) cells in vivo. T(FR) cells in the blood required signaling via the costimulatory receptors CD28 and ICOS but were inhibited by PD-1 and PD-L1. Our findings demonstrate mechanisms by which the PD-1 pathway regulates antibody production and help reconcile inconsistencies surrounding the role of this pathway in humoral immunity.
A radioautographic study of collagen synthesis by earthworm epidermis.

Abstract Secretion by the epidermis of two oligochaetes ( Eisenia and Enchytraeus ) was investigated radioautographically following administration of 3 H-proline, 3 H-tryptophan or Na 2 35 SO 4 . Regionally epidermal columnar cells of Enchytraeus synthesize the overlying, probably collagenous, cuticle. Eisenia epidermis does not recordably synthesize the cuticle until after wounding (first eight segments removed). By two days postoperative the epidermal columnar cells of Eisenia synthesize the collagenous cuticle and, later in regeneration, the epidermis may simultaneously synthesize the different collagen of the underlying basement lamella. The epidermis of Enchytraeus . but not of Eisenia , synthesizes some sulfated material associated with the cuticle surface.
Radiative decay time of a nongray medium with arbitrary configurations

Abstract Based on the principle of conservation of energy, a simple analytical expression is presented for the radiative decay time of a nongray medium with arbitrary configurations. It is expressed explicity in terms of the mean beam length and the total band absorptance. In the high-pressure limit, where the decay time based on the harmonic thermal perturbation is available for two configurations, comparison is made with the present decay time. Good agreement is found.
An overview of chromatin modifications.

The last 15 years have witnessed tremendous progress in elucidating the roles of chromatin modifications in transcription regulation, DNA repair, replication, recombination, and other genomic processes. In this issue of Biopolymers, a series of reviews will summarize recent advances in our understanding of chromatin modifying enzymes and explore unresolved questions with respect to their regulation and functions in gene expression and other nuclear processes. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 99: 95–97, 2013.
Do antidepressants cause suicidality in children? A Bayesian meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: To quantify the risk of suicidal behavior/ideation (suicidality) for children who use antidepressants, the FDA collected randomized placebo-controlled trials of antidepressant efficacy in children. Although none of the 4487 children completed suicide, 1.7% exhibited suicidality. The FDA meta-analyzed these studies and found sufficient evidence of an increased risk to require a black-box warning on antidepressants for children. PURPOSE: The FDA considered different drug formulations and psychiatric diagnoses to be equivalent in their effect on suicidality. If this assumption does not hold, the FDA analysis may have underestimated the variance of the risk estimate. We investigate the consequences of relaxing these assumptions. METHODS: We extend the FDA analysis using a Bayesian hierarchical model that allows for a study-level component of variability and facilitates extensive sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: We found an association between antidepressant use and an increased risk of suicidality in studies where the diagnosis was major depressive disorder (odds ratio 2.3 [1.3, 3.8]), and where the antidepressant was an SSRI (odds ratio 2.2 [1.3, 3.6]). We did not find evidence for such an association in the complement sets of trials. Although the results based on the hierarchical model are insensitive to model perturbations, the robustness of the FDA's meta-analysis to model assumptions is less clear. These data have limited generalizability due to exclusion of patients with baseline risk of suicide and the use of relatively short duration trials. CONCLUSIONS: Because of model specification and interpretation issues raised in this paper, we conclude that the evidence supporting a causal link between antidepressant use and suicidality in children is weak. The use of Bayesian hierarchical models for meta-analysis has facilitated the incorporation of potentially important sources of variability and the use of sensitivity analysis to assess the consequences of model specifications and their impact on important regulatory decisions. Language: en
E-Card: Jetzt rollt der Online-Test an

Bei der Neuauflage der Tests der E-Card sollen die Fehler der ersten Testphase vor funf Jahren vermieden werden. Klare Zielvorgaben, eine enge Einbindung der Arzte und eine unabhangige Evaluation konnten den Erfolg bringen. Ein Selbstlaufer wird die Sache trotzdem nicht.
Polymorphisms of the DNMT3B gene and risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a case-control study.

Abstract DNA-methyltransferase-3B (DNMT3B) may play an oncogenic role during tumorigenesis, and its genetic variants have been reportedly to be associated with risk of several cancers, but few studies have investigated their roles in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck cancer (SCCHN). Here we report a hospital-based case–control study with 832 SCCHN patients and 843 cancer-free controls of non-Hispanic whites that evaluated the association between two DNMT3B single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) DNMT3B −149C>T (rs2424913) and DNMT3B −579G>T (rs2424909) in the promoter region and risk of SCCHN. We found that compared with C-allele carriers, the DNMT3B −149 TT genotype was statistically significantly associated with increased risk of SCCHN (adjusted OR, 1.35, 95% CI, 1.01–1.80, P = 0.043), whereas the DNMT3B −579 TT genotype showed only a non-statistically significant risk compared with G-allele carriers. Further analysis of the effects of combined genotypes suggested that subjects with either DNMT3B −149 TT or DNMT3B −579 TT homozygous genotypes had statistically significantly increased risk of SCCHN (adjusted OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.07–1.73, P = 0.013). Stratification analysis showed a more profound risk in the subgroups of the young (⩽57 years, the median age of the controls), males, current smokers, current drinkers, and patients with primary tumor sites of pharynx and larynx. This large study provides reliable risk estimates for associations between DNMT3B variants and SCCHN risk in non-Hispanic whites, and our findings are consistent with that of previously reported cancer case–control studies of other cancers. Further mechanistic studies are needed to unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms.
Spin trapping of nitric oxide by aci anions of nitroalkanes

In alkaline solutions, nitroalkanes (RCH2NO2) undergo deprotonation and rearrange to an aci anion (RHC=NO2-), which may function as a spin trap. Using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, we have investigated suitability of aci anions of a series of nitroalkanes (CH3NO2, CH3CH2NO2, CH3(CH2)2NO2, and CH3(CH2)3NO2) to spin trap nitric oxide (*NO). Based on the observed EPR spectra, the general structure of the adducts, formed by addition of *NO to RHC=NO2-, was identified as nitronitroso dianion radicals of general formula [RC(NO)NO2]*2- in strong base (0.5 M NaOH), and as a mono-anion radical [RCH(NO)NO2]*- in alkaline buffers, pH 10-13. The hyperfine splitting on 14N in the -NO2 moiety (11.2-12.48 G) is distinctly different from the splitting on 14N in the -NO moiety of the adducts (5.23-6.5 G). The structure of the adducts was verified using 15N-labeled *NO, which produced radicals, in which triplet due to splitting on 14N (I = 1) in 14NO/aci nitro adducts was replaced by a doublet due to 15N (I = 1/2) in 15NO/aci nitro adducts. EPR spectra of aci nitromethane/NO adduct recorded in NaOH and NaOD (0.5 M) showed that the hydrogen at alpha-carbon can be exchanged for deuterium, consistent with structures of the adducts being [CH(NO)NO2]*2- and [CD(NO)NO2]*2-, respectively. These results indicate that nitroalkanes could potentially be used as prototypes for development of *NO-specific spin traps suitable for EPR analysis.
Streptococcus gordonii glucosyltransferase promotes biofilm interactions with Candida albicans.

Background : Candida albicans co-aggregates with Streptococcus gordonii to form biofilms and their interactions in mucosal biofilms may lead to pathogenic synergy. Although the functions of glucosyltransferases (Gtf) of Mutans streptococci have been well characterized, the biological roles of these enzymes in commensal oral streptococci, such as S. gordonii, in oral biofilm communities are less clear. Objective : The objective of this work was to explore the role of GtfG, the single Gtf enzyme of S. gordonii, in biofilm interactions with C. albicans . Design : Biofilms were grown under salivary flow in flow cells in vitro, or under static conditions in 96 well plates. A panel of isogenic S. gordonii CH1 gtfG mutants and complemented strains were co-inoculated with C. albicans strain SC5314 to form mixed biofilms. Biofilm accretion and binding interactions between the two organisms were tested. Biofilms were quantified using confocal microscopy or the crystal violet assay. Results : The presence of GtfG enhanced dual biofilm accretion, and sucrose supplementation further augmented dual biofilm formation, pointing to a role of newly synthesized glucans. GtfG also promoted binding to C. albicans preformed biofilms. Soluble a-1,6-glucans played a role in these interactions since: 1) a strain producing only soluble glucans (CH107) formed robust dual biofilms under conditions of salivary flow; and 2) the dual biofilm was susceptible to enzymatic breakdown by dextranase which specifically degrades soluble a-1,6-glucans. Conclusion : Our work identified a novel molecular mechanism for C. albicans and S. gordonii biofilm interactions, mediated by GtfG. This protein promotes early biofilm binding of S. gordonii to C. albicans which leads to increased accretion of streptococcal cells in mixed biofilms. We also showed that soluble glucans, with a-1,6-linkages, promoted inter-generic adhesive interactions. Keywords : a -glucans; C. albicans; S. gordonii; biofilms; glucosyltransferases (Published: 29 January 2014) Citation: Journal of Oral Microbiology 2014, 6 : 23419 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/jom.v6.23419
Anonymously sharing Flickr pictures with facebook friends

Many Internet users today use an electronic social network service (SNS) to share data with their friends. Most SNSs let users restrict access to their shared data, e.g., to particular groups of friends, or to users satisfying other criteria based on their attributes or relationships. Usually, however, such access control restrictions can only be applied to resources hosted on the SNS itself. In this paper, we present protocols to enable SNS users to protect access to resources that are hosted on external service providers (SPs). Our mechanisms preserve the users' privacy in the sense that (1) the SP does not learn the SNS-identities of users that share or access the resource, nor does it learn anything about the access policy that protects it, (2) the SNS does not obtain any information about the resource, and in particular, does not obtain a link to it, and (3) the SP cannot change the policy set by the owner of the resource, or test the policy on users who never requested access to the resource. We give formal definitions of these security requirements and present a cryptographic protocol based on group signatures that provably fulfills them. We also discuss to what extent our requirements can be fulfilled using the standard OAuth authorization protocol while making only minor changes to the SNS infrastructure.
Investigating the Impact of Selection Bias in Dose-Response Analyses of Preventive Interventions

This paper focuses on the impact of selection bias in the context of extended, community-based prevention trials that attempt to “unpack” intervention effects and analyze mechanisms of change. Relying on dose-response analyses as the most general form of such efforts, this study provides two examples of how selection bias can affect the estimation of treatment effects. In Example 1, we describe an actual intervention in which selection bias was believed to influence the dose-response relation of an adaptive component in a preventive intervention for young children with severe behavior problems. In Example 2, we conduct a series of Monte Carlo simulations to illustrate just how severely selection bias can affect estimates in a dose-response analysis when the factors that affect dose are not recorded. We also assess the extent to which selection bias is ameliorated by the use of pretreatment covariates. We examine the implications of these examples and review trial design, data collection, and data analysis factors that can reduce selection bias in efforts to understand how preventive interventions have the effects they do.
Awareness, loss aversion, and post-decision wagering.

In their recent opinion article, Clifford et al.[1] present an insightful critique of post-decision wagering (Persaud et al.[2]) as a means of objectively measuring awareness. As Clifford et al. point out, under the pay-off matrix of Persaud et al., always betting high, independent of awareness, is indeed an optimal strategy. There remains, however, the important question of why subjects wager suboptimally in the presence of uncertainty in the first place. One likely reason (also independent of awareness) is loss aversion.
Nucleotide sequences from a rabbit alpha globin gene inserted in a chimeric plasmid

Rabbit alpha globin gene copies have been made, using reverse transcriptase and DNA polymerase I, and cloned in bacterial plasmids. Plasmid pHb72 has been shown to contain the alpha gene sequence by restriction enzyme analysis and nucleotide sequencing studies, and therefore has been approved for propagation under P2 plus EK1 conditions by the National REcombinant DNA Committee.
The Meaning to Research and Extension

THE state agricultural experiment stations and the state agricultural extension services historically have been characterized by three interesting and significant patterns of behavior. 1. A number of soul searching and horizon broadening evaluations, with resultant shifts in emphasis, have been made. To my knowledge, no institutions or agencies have subjected themselves to more frequent, regular, and intensive evaluations of their programs. The Mount Weather Agreement of the 1930's; the Scope Report, made public in 1958; and in late 1968, A People and a Spirit, are a few examples. These reports have centered mainly upon extension. In research, the series of joint task force reports being undertaken by the USDA and the state experiment stations are the latest studies. One of the recent releases in the series was "A National Program of Research for Foreign Agricultural Trade and Economic Development." Thirty-two task forces are at work on these reports. 2. There have been almost continuous warnings of approaching doom for research and extension from many prophets, originating from sources both endogenous and exogenous to the land-grant universities. A few choice morsels follow. Shortly after the passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914, establishing the extension service, one of the deans of agriculture warned beautifully but ill-advisedly, "The agricultural oceans will be strewn with the wrecks of county agents." Around 1960, the Hardin County Times in Iowa Falls, Iowa, editorialized, "They're [the farmers] no longer satisfied with having their adult education program [referring to extension] built around the latest bulletin on blight, Bang's disease, or how to cobble a dressing table out of a peach crate." In 1965, Bonnen envisioned a tombstone with an inscription befitting the environment, "The Agricultural Establishment of the United States: It's Promise Exceeded Its Performance, and Falling Into Social Irrelevance It Took Its Own Useless Life" [1, p. 1129]. Before the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant
Comparison of Georgia Department of Transportation Design Procedure with Mechanistic―Empirical Pavement Design

This research had several objectives: measure the dynamic modulus of commonly used hot-mix asphalt mix types, two aggregate base courses, and two soils that represent high and low values; compare the results of using measured moduli with Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) Level 3 default moduli for the subgrade and aggregate base material; and compare design results using the AASHTO 1972 Interim Guide for Pavement Design currently being used by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) with the MEPDG results. The research showed that the MEPDG Level 3 default values for resilient modulus of both soil and aggregate materials are significantly higher than the actual values determined from laboratory test results. Use of actual material properties and load spectra resulted in significantly greater structures being recommended than when Level 3 default values were used for the MEPDG design program. On the basis of these results, GDOT is cautioned against using the default values built i...
Lack of effect in desensitization with intravenous immunoglobulin and rituximab in highly sensitized patients.

Background We conducted a prospective cohort study in highly sensitized kidney transplant candidates with a calculated panel reactive antibody (cPRA) greater than 50% and on the deceased-donor waiting list for more than 5 years to investigate the effects of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and rituximab treatment. Methods Desensitization protocol included two doses of IVIG (2 g/kg, max 120 g each dose) and a single dose of rituximab (375 mg/m(2)). Patients were followed up monthly by Luminex single antigen beads. Whole blood gene expression profiles were studied by Affymetrix Human 1.0 ST GeneChips before and after treatment. Results Forty patients were eligible for desensitization treatment. Thirteen of these patients agreed to participate, and 11 completed the treatment. After a mean follow-up of 334 ± 82 days, two desensitized patients (18%) received a kidney transplant compared with 14 patients (52%) in the nondesensitized group. Comparing with 14 patients who received transplants without any desensitization treatment, desensitized patients showed higher class I (99% vs. 80%) and class II (98% vs. 69%) cPRA levels and more unacceptable antigens (32 vs. 8). Desensitization treatment did not lead to any significant reduction in patients' class I and II cPRA levels and any change in the mean number of unacceptable antigens or their mean fluorescence intensity values. Whole blood gene expression analysis by microarrays demonstrated down-regulation of immunoglobulin and B-cell-associated transcripts after treatment. Conclusion These results suggested that pretransplant desensitization with IVIG and rituximab was not successful in highly sensitized kidney transplant candidates with cPRA levels higher than 90%.
Serial blood-gas tensions and acid-base balance during the first hour of life in human infants.

Summary 1. Serial determinations of oxygen and carbon dioxide tension, pH, CO2, content, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, total protein and hematocrit beginning within 5 minutes of birth and continuing through the first hour have been performed in newborn infants. 2. The data support the concept that the delivery process is invariably as-phyxiating whether delivery is vaginal or by cesarian section. Furthermore, the major recovery occurs within 10 minutes of delivery in healthy infants. 3. Arterial oxygen tension was reduced throughout the entire period. Even though the mean arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation was within normal limits at one hour of age the mean oxygen tension remained low. The interpretation of these findings is discussed. 4. The administration of high oxygen concentration to the mothers for periods up to 30 minutes failed to effect the infants' PaO2. 5. Evidence is presented for a right to left shunt through the ductus arteriosus when the newborn is quiet as well as crying. 6. Serum potassium concentration was found to be considerably elevated in all infants. The mechanisms for this are discussed. 7. Differences in acid-base balance, serum protein concentration and packed cell volume between infants delivered vaginally and by cesarian section were noted. The explanation of these differences is not known.
Channel Estimation Algorithms for Broadband MIMO-OFDM Systems

This paper makes a research on training sequence-based MIMO-OFDM channel estimation. In order to improve the performance of wireless MIMO-OFDM systems, a novel training sequence which is called combining cyclic comb type training symbol sequence is proposed. In this algorithm, we use the combining weighted averaging method and transmit all the training symbols cyclically at each antenna. Through simulations, it is shown that the proposed combining cyclic comb type training symbol sequence can obtain less MSE and BER, and gives higher SNR gain. So it can enhance the channel estimation performance.
Reliability Measures for Qualitative Data: Theory and Implications:

Data based on qualitative judgments are prevalent in both academic research in marketing and applied marketing research. Reliability measurement of qualitative data is important to determine the st...
Interaction between activated chemokine receptor 1 and FcεRI at membrane rafts promotes communication and F-actin-rich cytoneme extensions between mast cells

Chemokines play important regulatory roles in immunity, but their contributions to mast cell function remain poorly understood. We examined the effects of FceRI–chemokine receptor (CCR) 1 co-stimulation on receptor localization and cellular morphology of bone marrow-derived mast cells. Whereas FceRI and CCR1 co-localized at the plasma membrane in unsensitized cells, sensitization with IgE promoted internalization of CCR1 molecules. Co-stimulation of FceRI and CCR1 with antigen and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α was more effective than FceRI stimulation alone in causing leading edge formation, flattened morphology, membrane ruffles and ganglioside (GM1+) lipid mediator release. Co-stimulation resulted in phalloidin-positive cytoneme-like cellular extensions, also known as tunneling nanotubes, which originated at points of calcium accumulation. This is the first report of cytoneme formation by mast cells. To determine the importance of lipid rafts for mast cell function, the cells were cholesterol depleted. Cholesterol depletion enhanced degranulation in resting, sensitized and co-stimulated cells, but not in FceRI-cross-linked cells, and inhibited formation of filamentous actin+ cytonemes but not GM1+ cytonemes. Treatment with latrunculin A to sequester globular-actin abolished cytoneme formation. The cytonemes may participate in intercellular communication during allergic and inflammatory responses, and their presence in the co-stimulated mast cells suggests new roles for CCRs in immunopathology.
Essential role of Ca2+-binding protein 4, a Cav1.4 channel regulator, in photoreceptor synaptic function.

Essential role of Ca 2+ -binding protein 4, a Ca v 1.4 channel regulator, in photoreceptor synaptic function
Reminiscence theories and postrest decrements

Inhibition and consolidation theories of psychomotor reminiscence were compared in terms of their forecasts of decremental trends in performance following variable amounts of rest. In accord with inhibition theory, but not with consolidation theory, the rest-group linear trends converged as a function of postrest practice. Although support for inhibition theory appeared somewhat weakened by the absence of significant quadratic trends, this absence can be accounted for by individual variation in the length of the warm-up phase of postrest practice. Finally, measures of temporary work decrement dissipated across rest (Ammons’s Dwt, 1947a) behaved much like conventional reminiscence measures as a function of sex and amount of rest.
The effect of contact angle hysteresis on droplet coalescence and mixing

In this work, droplet coalescence and the subsequent mixing in superhydrophobic surfaces is studied over a range of impact velocities and impact angles. Sanded Teflon surfaces are used as a novel two-dimensional microfluidics platform. These superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit a constant advancing contact angle of θ(A)=150° over a broad range of contact angle hysteresis. As a result, the effect of contact angle hysteresis on droplet coalescence and mixing can be studied. Based on the observed characteristics of coalescence, three different regimes of coalescence are identified as a function of both Weber number and impact angle. These regimes include oscillation dominated, rotation dominated, and mixed dynamics. It is shown that within Weber number ranges achievable in this experiment, hysteresis greatly reduces the deformation of the droplet coalescence process and the subsequent mixing. In head-on collisions, higher hysteresis is found to decrease the frequency at which the resulting dr oscillates. In the case of glancing collisions, where the resulting droplet is found to rotate, higher hysteresis increases the rate of rotation although the overall angular momentum is found to be independent of contact angle hysteresis.
Inhibitory Action of Cytokine Preservatives on Chemiluminescence Assays

Commercial tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) reportedly stimulates hydrogen peroxide-mediated chemiluminescence in macrophages. However, two commercially available forms of TNFα, a sodium azide-containing recombinant human TNFα and an azide-free murine TNFα, had opposite effects on a cell-free hydrogen peroxide chemiluminescence assay. Azide-free murine TNFα stimulated peroxide-associated chemiluminescence, while the azide-containing human TNFα strongly inhibited chemiluminescence. The inhibition of hydrogen peroxide chemiluminescence by the azide-containing TNFα was attributable to small quantities of sodium azide and bovine serum albumin used as preservatives and carriers, respectively.
Antigen-Specific CD8+ T Cells Protect against Lethal Toxoplasmosis in Mice Infected with Neospora caninum

Neospora caninum is a coccidial protozoan parasite that appears morphologically indistinguishable from Toxoplasma gondii and that infects a large range of mammals. Both inbred and outbred strains of mice exhibit a high degree of resistance to infection with N. caninum. Three inbred strains of mice (A/J, BALB/c, and C57BL/6) that were infected intraperitoneally with N. caninum were protected against a lethal challenge from T. gondii. Vaccine-induced protection was Neospora dose dependent. A rise in the CD8 1 T-cell population in mice that had been vaccinated with N. caninum and challenged with T. gondii was observed. Adoptive transfer of CD8 1 T-cell splenocytes from N. caninum-infected mice was protective against challenge with Toxoplasma. The CD8 1 T cells from Neospora-infected mice proliferate to both Neospora and Toxoplasma antigens in vitro and secrete substantial quantities of gamma interferon when pulsed with the parasite antigen. These observations demonstrate that N. caninum protects against lethal T. gondii infection by the induction of CD8 1 T cells