cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detecting murine Inflammatory Bowel Disease using Optical Coherence Elastography

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes regions of ulceration within the interior of the colon. UC is estimated to afflict hundreds of thousands of people in the United States alone. Ultrasonic techniques can detect colitis, but have limited spatial resolution, which frequently results in underdiagnoses. Nevertheless, clinical diagnosis of colitis is still generally performed via colonoscopy. Optical techniques such as confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) have been proposed as higher resolution alternative imaging modalities to detect colitis. Additionally, IBD can potentially alter tissue biomechanical properties, which cannot be quantified from structural imaging alone. Elastography is a potential method to assess colon biomechanical properties to provide additional contrast for distinguishing healthy and diseased colon tissue. In this work, we induced elastic waves in ex vivo mouse colon tissue using a focused air-pulse. The elastic waves were detected using a phase-stabilized swept source optical coherence elastography system, and the wave velocity was translated into stiffness. Measurements were taken at six random positions for each sample in order to assess regional sample elasticity. The results show distinct differences ($p \lt 0.05$) in the stiffness between healthy and IBD-diseased samples, with a Young’s Modulus of $10.2 \pm 3.7$ kPa and $4.9 \pm 0.3$ kPa, respectively. Dispersion analysis presents another parameter to distinguish tissue health. The high frequency components of the phase velocity dispersion curve indicate a variation between healthy and IBD colonic tissue. Our results show that OCE may be useful for detecting IBD noninvasively.
USA: ICCVAM and NICEATM

Abstract The Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) and the National Toxicology Program's Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) are the primary organisations within the US government responsible for coordinating interagency evaluation of new approach methodologies for toxicological testing. From 1997 to 2013, ICCVAM established guidance on the validation of alternative methods, evaluated alternative methods for regulatory use, and made formal recommendations to federal agencies on a number of test methods. A new direction for the committee was set in 2013, emphasising the importance of federal agency engagement over the entire validation process. The reinvention of ICCVAM culminated with the 2018 publication of A Strategic Roadmap for Establishing New Approaches to Evaluate the Safety of Chemicals and Medical Products in the United States, which provides a conceptual framework that promotes a focus on human health, understanding end-user needs and transparent implementation plans.
Behavioural and Neural Responses to Facial Disfigurement.

Faces are among the most salient and relevant visual and social stimuli that humans encounter. Attractive faces are associated with positive character traits and social skills and automatically evoke larger neural responses than faces of average attractiveness in ventral occipito-temporal cortical areas. Little is known about the behavioral and neural responses to disfigured faces. In two experiments, we tested the hypotheses that people harbor a disfigured is bad bias and that ventral visual neural responses, known to be amplified to attractive faces, represent an attentional effect to facial salience rather than to their rewarding properties. In our behavioral study (N = 79), we confirmed the existence of an implicit ‘disfigured is bad’ bias. In our functional MRI experiment (N = 31), neural responses to photographs of disfigured faces before treatment evoked greater neural responses within ventral occipito-temporal cortex and diminished responses within anterior cingulate cortex. The occipito-temporal activity supports the hypothesis that these areas are sensitive to attentional, rather than reward properties of faces. The relative deactivation in anterior cingulate cortex, informed by our behavioral study, may reflect suppressed empathy and social cognition and indicate evidence of a possible neural mechanism underlying dehumanization.
DNA methylation and behavioral changes induced by neonatal spinal transection

Although the importance of epigenetic mechanisms in behavioral development has been gaining attention in recent years, research has largely focused on the brain. To our knowledge, no studies to date have investigated epigenetic changes in the developing spinal cord to determine the dynamic manner in which the spinal epigenome may respond to environmental input during behavioral development. Animal studies demonstrate that spinal cord plasticity is heightened during early development, is somewhat preserved following neonatal transection, and that spinal injured animals are responsive to sensory feedback. Because epigenetic alterations have been implicated in brain plasticity and are highly responsive to experience, these alterations are promising candidates for molecular substrates of spinal plasticity as well. Thus, the current study investigated behavioral changes in the development of weight-bearing locomotion and epigenetic modifications in the spinal cord of infant rats following a neonatal low-thoracic spinal transection or sham surgery on postnatal day (P)1. Specifically, global levels of methylation and methylation status of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) gene, a neurotrophin heavily involved in both CNS and behavioral plasticity, particularly in development, were examined in lumbar tissue harvested on P10 from sham and spinal-transected subjects. Behavioral results demonstrate that compared to shams, spinal-transected subjects exhibit significantly reduced partial-weight bearing hindlimb activity. Molecular data demonstrate group differences in global lumbar methylation levels as well as exon-specific group differences in Bdnf methylation. This study represents an initial step toward understanding the relationship between epigenetic mechanisms and plasticity associated with spinal cord and locomotor development.
Industrially scalable complex coacervation process to microencapsulate food ingredients

Abstract Microencapsulation by conventional complex coacervation, though highly effective and achievable at the bench-scale, is challenging to scale-up because of the complexity of the process. A novel, industrially-scalable microencapsulation process by in situ complex coacervation during spray drying (the ‘CoCo process’) is introduced, where the multiple steps are collapsed into one, to form dry complex coacervated (CoCo) microcapsules by spray drying. The CoCo process was used to encapsulate d -limonene in CoCo microcapsules using alginate and gelatin as wall materials. Insoluble CoCo particles were produced without chemical cross-linking, with extents of complex coacervation of 75 ± 6% and 64 ± 6% for CoCo particles with and without d -limonene, respectively. Up to 82.7% of d -limonene was retained during spray drying; moreover, the CoCo matrix exhibited excellent barrier properties, retaining up to 80.0% of total d -limonene over 72-day storage in sealed vials at room temperature. Industrial relevance Commercialization of microencapsulation of bioactives by complex coacervation in agricultural and food applications is hindered by the high-cost and time-intensive multistep process consisting of emulsification, coacervation, shell hardening and drying. In this work, we overcome these limitations by developing an industrially scalable in situ complex coacervation process during spray drying (‘CoCo process’). One-step complex coacervation during spray-drying opens the door to cost-effective, high-throughput, high-volume production of bioactive-containing microcapsules. The protective matrix microcapsules formed by this novel process stabilize and protect the bioactive, while allowing controlled release of the cargo for various applications in the food and many other industries.
The influence of a single species on the space use of mixed-species flocks in Amazonian Peru

The drivers of space use patterns of multi-species groups have been poorly studied, although mixed-species avian flocks are common throughout the world. In a mixed-species flock, multiple species move together and maintain proximity. The different species may or may not have conflicting preferences of space use. We hypothesized that the space use patterns of the flock are driven by a single species. We investigated the behavioral drivers of space use patterns of mixed-species flocks in Amazonian Peru by mapping 95% fixed-kernel home ranges of three flocks, which then we divided into high-use (inner 55% kernel utilization distribution) and low-use areas (lying outside the high-use area). We quantified the foraging and anti-predator behavior of individual birds in the flocks. We tested whether foraging and anti-predator behavior of different species were different in high use and low use areas of the flock. We collected 455 spatial points and 329 foraging and anti-predator behavior observations on three flocks. The single best model for explaining the space use patterns of the flocks contained only vegetation density that surrounded Dusky-throated Antshrikes. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that a single species in mixed-species flocks has a disproportionately large influence on space use patterns. The surrounding vegetation density of the Dusky-throated Antshrike was the only driver of space use patterns of flocks supported by our data. The results may apply to flocks pantropically, many of which are led by species that behave similarly to the Dusky-throated Antshrike, e.g. Asian flocks led by drongos (Dicrurus spp.).
Comprehensive and Adaptive Synchrophasor Estimator and Hardware-in-Loop Test

On account of the fact that conventional synchrophasor estimators are difficult to meet the requirements of accuracy and rapidity at the same time, a comprehensive and adaptive estimator is proposed in this paper to meet the requirements on rapidity, accuracy, reliability and expansibility. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed estimator, The comprehensive simulation test and analysis with the estimator are carried out on the MATLAB/Simulink simulation platform. Moreover, the RT-LAB simulation platform for wide area measurement and control of distribution network is built for hardware-in-loop tests. A typical test case based on the actual distribution network is established. Comparative test results show that the PMU developed on the basis of the proposed estimator outperforms a mainstream commercial PMU. Finally, the actual fault waveform of the demonstration project is tested. The test results show that the proposed algorithm can accurately identify the transient process, and the dynamic response performance is better than the traditional algorithm, which can meet the practical application requirements.
Efficacy of Rituximab and Plasma Exchange in Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis with Severe Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND Treatment of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and severe renal involvement is not established. We describe outcomes in response to rituximab (RTX) versus cyclophosphamide (CYC) and plasma exchange (PLEX). METHODS A retrospective cohort study of MPO- or PR3-ANCA-positive patients with AAV (MPA and GPA) and severe kidney disease (eGFR <30 ml/min per 1.73 m2). Remission, relapse, ESKD and death after remission-induction with CYC or RTX, with or without the use of PLEX, were compared. RESULTS Of 467 patients with active renal involvement, 251 had severe kidney disease. Patients received CYC (n=161) or RTX (n=64) for remission-induction, and 51 were also treated with PLEX. Predictors for ESKD and/or death at 18 months were eGFR <15 ml/min per 1.73 m2 at diagnosis (IRR 3.09 [95% CI 1.49 to 6.40], P=0.002), renal recovery (IRR 0.27 [95% CI 0.12 to 0.64], P=0.003) and renal remission at 6 months (IRR 0.40 [95% CI 0.18 to 0.90], P=0.027). RTX was comparable to CYC in remission-induction (BVAS/WG=0) at 6 months (IRR 1.37 [95% CI 0.91 to 2.08], P=0.132). Addition of PLEX showed no benefit on remission-induction at 6 months (IRR 0.73 [95% CI 0.44 to 1.22], P=0.230), the rate of ESKD and/or death at 18 months (IRR 1.05 [95% CI 0.51 to 2.18], P=0.891), progression to ESKD (IRR 1.06 [95% CI 0.50 to 2.25], P=0.887), and survival at 24 months (IRR 0.54 [95% CI 0.16 to 1.85], P=0.330). CONCLUSIONS The apparent benefits and risks of using CYC or RTX for the treatment of patients with AAV and severe kidney disease are balanced. The addition of PLEX to standard remission-induction therapy showed no benefit in our cohort. A randomized controlled trial is the only satisfactory means to evaluate efficacy of remission-induction treatments in AAV with severe renal involvement.
Combining Nonprofit Service and Advocacy: Organizational Structures and Hybridity:

Facilitating political engagement is a vital function of the nonprofit sector. While some public charities engage in political activities like policy advocacy, many focus exclusively on their core ...
Improved Battery State Estimation Under Parameter Uncertainty Caused by Aging Using Expansion Measurements.

Accurate tracking of the internal electrochemical states of lithium-ion battery during cycling enables advanced battery management systems to operate the battery safely and maintain high performance while minimizing battery degradation. To this end, techniques based on voltage measurement have shown promise for estimating the lithium surface concentration of active material particles, which is an important state for avoiding aging mechanisms such as lithium plating. However, methods relying on voltage often lead to large estimation errors when the model parameters change during aging. In this paper, we utilize the in-situ measurement of the battery expansion to augment the voltage and develop an observer to estimate the lithium surface concentration distribution in each electrode particle. We demonstrate that the addition of the expansion signal enables us to correct the negative electrode concentration states in addition to the positive electrode. As a result, compared to a voltage only observer, the proposed observer can successfully recover the surface concentration when the electrodes' stoichiometric window changes, which is a common occurrence under aging by loss of lithium inventory. With a 5% shift in the electrodes' stoichiometric window, the results indicate a reduction in state estimation error for the negative electrode surface concentration. Under this simulated aged condition, the voltage based observer had 9.3% error as compared to the proposed voltage and expansion observer which had 0.1% error in negative electrode surface concentration.
High Harmonic Generation from Thin Film LiNbO3

We study high harmonics generation from LiNbO3 films driven by femtosecond mid-infrared laser pulses. By applying an electric field, we examine changes in ferroelectric crystal symmetry influencing harmonics spectra.
A new reference model-based fixed-structure controller for industrial applications

This paper introduces a new approach to design a fixed-structure controller for those industrial applications, where mathematical model of the plant is not known. The design methodology is composed of two steps. First, black-box system identification is used to obtain a mathematical model of plant and second, a fixed-structure controller is designed based on reference model defined by closed-loop performance. For controller identification, prediction error method (PEM) is considered, which uses the off-line generated input-output inherently noise free data using the reference model. Due to fixed design structure, the controller is independent of plant's order. The proposed approach is tested on a lab-based real-time magnetic levitation system (MLS). The results show effectiveness of the proposed approach with good reference tracking and robustness properties. The proposed approach emerged a lower order controller which is computationally efficient and easy to implement. Compare to other data-driven techniques, inverse mapping of the reference model is not required and the performance versus design/tuning time comparison with conventional proportional integral derivative (PID) controller is also improved.
Genomic medicine for cancer prognosis

There is a heavy research emphasis on prognostic and predictive approaches based on genomic data, which has in turn challenged standard paradigms for the management of patients with malignant disease. This review will highlight the recent advances made in genomic medicine, specifically with regard to prognosis associated with thyroid cancer, cutaneous melanoma, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Although none of the markers reviewed have been incorporated into routine clinical practice, this review covers the most promising ones. J. Surg. Oncol. 2015 111:31–37. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Sustainable intensification of water guzzling crops: Identifying suitable cropping districts of India

With food sufficiency being achieved, emphasis of policy makers is now on to sustainable intensification in line with the objectives of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Widening discrepancy between the water-resource supply and demand necessitates relook into the cropping pattern of the country. Based on district-level secondary data of area, productivity and level of groundwater extraction, this study aims to identify critical and potential area for cultivation of three major water-intensive crops, i.e. rice, wheat and sugarcane. Study found that 1.93 million ha of area under rice, mainly in north-western and western India, need a gradual shift. Nearly 43% of the rice cultivated area in eastern and north-eastern states of West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Assam has potential for further intensification of rice cultivation. In case of wheat, around 0.65 million ha of area, mostly in Rajasthan, is critical in terms of sustainability. Livestock is an integral part of agriculture in this region and hence diversification of wheat would require mixed strategy of shifting to alternative dual-purpose crops and wheat cultivation with water conservation technologies. Study further found that around 13543 ha of sugarcane in mainly in western Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is deterring the groundwater resources. Recommendations emanating from the study include differentiates agricultural price policy, payment for ecosystem services and greater focus on productivity enhancement in eastern India.
15 Membrane translocation by bacterial AB toxins

Publisher Summary This chapter presents some of the basic experimental assays that have been developed or used in laboratories for the study of cholera and related E. coli heat labile enterotoxins, diphtheria toxin, and anthrax toxins. The chapter emphasizes on the importance of experimental systems that provide a high degree of temporal resolution when measuring toxin function. Microscopic techniques for non-polarized cells and monolayers grown on glass or plastic are described. For studies of protein binding, sorting, or intracellular trafficking in polarized epithelial cells, morphological examination of polarized monolayers grown on permeable supports is essential. The chapter briefly discusses the principles of microscopy on polarized monolayers for study of toxin binding or internalization. Bacterial AB toxins are designed to translocate a functional enzyme into the cytosol. Thus, the functional signal induced by membrane translocation of the enzymatic toxin-subunit is magnified tremendously over the signal that can be obtained by direct measurement of the mass of translocated protein. This is one of the key advantages in using bacterial toxins to study membrane translocation and vesicular transport in intact cells. The technologies described in this chapter have been used to identify the mechanisms of internalization and intracellular compartments from which AB-toxins gain entry to the cytosol.
Systems of Linear Equations

We have already seen many linear equations in our study of linear functions, and on a number of occasions we had to find their solution sets. In this chapter we will develop systematic methods for doing so. Throughout this chapter we will consider systems of linear equations where the number of equations and the number of variables will not necessarily be the same. This means that they may not have a single solution, as is often the case when this subject is discussed in high school texts.
Llindar de dolor i diferències individuals en rates

Garcia (1974) say that open-field ambulation could be an analogous of Eysenck extraversion-introversion factor. The similarity of the relation between open-field ambulation with pain tolerance in rats and extroversion with pain tolerance in humans was studied to examine this hypothesis. The observed findings agreed with the Garcia hypothesis.
War and Wall Street: the impact of military conflict on investor attitudes

Price/earnings ratios (1950-85) for major defence contractors, and a comparable sample of "commercial" firms are utilized as a measure of investor response to the Korean and Vietnam wars. The results are consistent with previous studies. These studies, which are reviewed in the paper, suggest that war, or the threat of war tends to have an immediate and depressing effect on stocks prices. The analysis in this paper shows a continuation of this negative reaction for both defence and commercial firms during the Korean conflict. The reverse occurred during Vietnam, suggestive of earlier views where war in a "distant land," without the direct threat of hostilities at home, was seen as a boon to financial markets. Copyright 1990 by Oxford University Press.
Timing of molecular events following elicitor treatment of plant cells

Extracellular products with elicitor activity from the bean pathogen Colletotrichum lindemuthianum induced a multiplicity of changes in bean suspension cells. An immediate increase in luminol-mediated chemiluminescence which peaked within 30 min indicated production of activated oxygen species. Shut down of synthesis of discrete proteins and enhanced synthesis of other proteins was apparent by 3 h. These differences in protein profiles between elicitor-treated and control cells were more pronounced by 6 h. Other changes at 4–6 h involved perturbations in membrane functions including lipid peroxidation, altered proton efflux and uptake of a vital stain, fluorescein diacetate as well as reduced activity of the extracellular enzymes peroxidase and β glucosidase. These changes coincide with an increase in electron paramagnetic resonance signal consistent with free radical accumulation. The accumulation of phytoalexins at 6–8 h after treatment suggests that phytoalexins do not account for either free radicals detected earlier by the electron paramagnetic resonance signals or altered plant membrane function. Our data suggest that altered protein expression may be triggered by free radicals connected to activated oxygen metabolism.
Synaptic Regulation of Action Potential Timing in Neostriatal Cholinergic Interneurons

Action potentials in neostriatal cholinergic interneurons recorded in vivo are triggered by summation of two or three discrete synaptic depolarizations ([Wilson et al., 1990][1]). The ability and precision with which EPSPs and IPSPs regulate action potential timing was therefore investigated in vitro . Cholinergic interneurons were identified on the basis of morphological and electrophysiological characteristics in neostriatal slices taken from 2- to 3-week-old postnatal rats recorded at 24–26°C. During periods of induced regular firing, intrastriatal stimuli were used to evoke pharmacologically isolated monosynaptic AMPA receptor-mediated EPSPs or GABAA receptor-mediated IPSPs. EPSPs evoked during the interspike interval (ISI) produced a phase-dependent decrease in the ISI, whereas IPSPs produced a phase-independent prolongation of the ISI. Injection of brief depolarizing currents mimicked the action of EPSPs and revealed an alteration in the input resistance during the ISI. In contrast to IPSPs, the ability of brief hyperpolarizing current injections to delay spike generation was phase-dependent. After blockade of GABAergic and glutamatergic synaptic transmission, stimuli failed to produce a detectable conductance change but could still prolong the subsequent ISI primarily through a D1 dopamine receptor-mediated enhancement of the afterhyperpolarization (AHP). Hence, EPSPs are ideally suited to provide a precise regulation of spike timing in cholinergic cells, whereas IPSPs are more likely to influence the overall level of excitability. The D1-mediated modulation of the AHP may contribute to the prolonged ISI seen in tonically active neurons in vivo in monkeys trained to respond to a sensory cue. [1]: #ref-46
Large orbits in actions of nilpotent groups

If a nontrivial nilpotent group N acts faithfully and coprimely on a group H, it is shown that some element of H has a small centralizer in N and hence lies in a large orbit. Specifically, there exists x G H such that ICN(X)I < (INI/p)l/P, where p is the smallest prime divisor of INi.
In Vivo Mobilization and Functional Characterization of Nonhuman Primate Monocytic Myeloid‐Derived Suppressor Cells

Increasing evidence from small animal models shows that myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) can play a crucial role in inhibiting allograft rejection and promoting transplant tolerance. We identified CD3(-)CD20(-)HLA-DR(-)CD14(+)CD33(+)CD11b(+) cells in peripheral blood of healthy rhesus macaques. These putative monocytic MDSCs constituted 2.1% ± 1.7% of lin(-)HLA-DR(-) peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Administration of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (CSF) and granulocyte CSF increased their incidence to 5.3% ± 3.4%. The total number of MDSCs that could be flow sorted from a single whole rhesus leukapheresis product was 38 ± 13 × 10(6) (n = 10 monkeys). Freshly isolated or cryopreserved MDSCs from mobilized monkeys incorporated in cultures of anti-CD3- and anti-CD28-stimulated autologous T cells markedly suppressed CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell proliferation and cytokine secretion (interferon γ, IL-17A). Moreover, these MDSCs enhanced CD4(+)CD25(hi)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cell (Treg) expansion while inhibiting proliferation of activated memory T cells and increasing Treg relative to effector and terminally differentiated memory T cells. Inhibition of arginase-1, but not inducible nitric oxide synthase activity, partially reversed the inhibitory effect of the MDSCs on CD8(+) T cell proliferation. Consequently, functional MDSCs can be isolated from nonhuman primates for prospective use as therapeutic cellular vaccines in transplantation.
L-lactate transport in Ehrlich ascites-tumour cells.

Ehrlich ascites-tumour cells were investigated with regard to their stability to transport L-lactate by measuring either the distribution of [ 14 C]lactate or concomitant H + ion movements. The movement of lactate was dependent on the pH difference across the cell membrane and was electroneutral, as evidenced by an observed 1:1 antiport for OH - ions or 1:1 symport with H + ions. 2. Kinetic experiments showed that lactate transport was saturable, with an apparent Km of approx. 4.68 mM and a V max. as high as 680 nmol/min per mg of protein at pH 6.2 and 37°C. 3. Lactate transport exhibited a high temperature dependence (activation energy = 139 kJ/mol). 4. Lactate transport was inhibited competitively by (a) a variety of other substituted monocarboxylic acids (e.g. pyruvate, K i = 6.3 mM), which were themselves transported, (b) the non-transportable analogues α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (K i = 0.5 mM), α-cyano-3-hydroxycinnamate (K i = 2mM) and DL-p-hydroxyphenyl-lactate (K i = 3.6 mM) and (c) the thiol-group reagent mersalyl (K i = 125 muM). 5. Transport of simple monocarboxylic acids, including acetate and propionate, was insensitive to these inhibitors; they presumably cross the membrane by means of a different mechanism. 6. Experiments using saturating amounts of mersalyl as an “inhibitor stop” allowed measurements of the initial rates of net influx and of net efflux of [ 14 C]lactate. Influx and efflux of lactate were judged to be symmetrical reactions in that they exhibited similar concentration dependence. 7. It is concluded that lactate transport in Ehrlich ascites-tumour cells is mediated by a carrier capable of transporting a number of other substituted monocarboxylic acids, but not unsubstituted short-chain aliphatic acids.
The three mile island unit 2 decontamination and recovery collection

Abstract The decade-long cleanup project at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 nuclear reactor was well documented by technical reports, videotapes, photographs, and slides. The Penn State University Libraries have acquired a large number of these materials from GPU Nuclear Corporation and have created a publicly accessible collection. The TMI Unit 2 Decontamination and Recovery collection consists of 3,400 videotapes, 6,000 photos and slides, and several hundred technical reports. The development of the collection and access to these materials are described in this paper.
Vitamin D and calcium metabolism in adolescents

Abstract. The interrelationships of vitamin D status and calcium intake on calcium metabolism are less well known in children than adults. From cross sectional data, it appears that calcium absorption is not increased by increasing vitamin D status as in adults, but intervention studies are needed to test this hypothesis. Increasing vitamin D status suppresses PTH as in adults, but the relationship may be affected by race.
A comparison of recruitment methods for an osteoarthritis exercise study

Objective. Patient recruitment often involves a great deal of effort and cost. We sought to determine successful recruitment methods for an osteoarthritis (OA) exercise study, and to subsequently focus on using those approaches. Methods. Eleven methods were developed to recruit subjects for this large research project. Financial constraints ensured that we focused on low-cost measures. Over a 20-month period, the numbers of both total respondents and eventual participants were recorded. Results. Responses were recorded for 263 individuals, and 108 subjects entered the study. The most successful recruitment method was via physician referrals from affiliated clinics. In general, methods that were free of direct cost seemed no less successful than those requiring expenditures. Conclusion. Successful subject recruitment, even for a large study, may not require costly advertising. Direct contact and frequent reminders rendered to our own clinics proved most effective, but other free and low-cost approaches were also of benefit.
The relative priority of prekallikrein and factors XI/XIa assembly on cultured endothelial cells.

Abstract Investigations determined the relative preference of prekallikrein (PK) or factor XI/XIa (FXI/FXIa) binding to endothelial cells (HUVECs). In microtiter plates, biotinylated high molecular weight kininogen (biotin-HK) or biotin-FXI binding to HUVEC monolayers or their matrix proteins, but not fibronectin-coated plastic microtiter plate wells, was specifically blocked by antibodies to each of the receptors of HK, uPAR, gC1qR, or cytokeratin 1. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-PK specifically bound to HUVEC suspensions without added Zn2+, whereas FITC-FXI or -FXIa binding to HUVEC suspensions required 10 μm added Zn2+ to support specific binding. Plasma concentrations of FXI did not block FITC-PK binding to HUVECs in the absence or presence of 10 μm Zn2+. In the absence of HK, the level of FITC-FXI or -FXIa binding was half that seen in its presence. At physiologic concentrations, PK (450 nm) abolished FITC-FXI or -FXIa binding to HUVEC suspensions in the absence or presence of HK in the presence of 10 μm Zn2+. Released Zn2+ from 2–8 × 108 collagen-activated platelets/ml supported biotin-FXI binding to HUVEC monolayers, but platelet activation was not necessary to support biotin-PK binding to HUVECs. At physiologic concentrations, PK also abolished FXI binding to HUVECs in the presence of activated platelets, but FXI did not influence PK binding. PK in the presence or absence of HK preferentially bound to HUVECs over FXI or FXIa. Elevated Zn2+ concentrations are required for FXI but not PK binding, but the presence of physiologic concentrations of PK and HK also prevented FXI binding. PK preferential binding to endothelial cells contributes to their anticoagulant nature.
Comparison of the physical and genetic maps of pseudorabies virus shows that the genetic map is circular.

Abstract Temperature-sensitive mutants of pseudorabies (Pr) virus belonging to 19 different complementation groups were physically mapped by marker rescue. While many of the mutations appear to be clustered, mutations in various regions of the long unique sequence and one mutation in the inverted repeats were identified. Mutants located in different parts of the genome were crossed with one another and genetic linkage maps were constructed. Internally consistent results were obtained when relatively closely linked markers were crossed and the mutant could be arranged in a linear order. When markers on either the left or the right side of the genome were crossed with markers located in the center of the genome, similar linear arrays could be constructed. However, piecing together overlapping segments of the partial linkage maps revealed that the same markers reappear on both sides of the genetic map. Furthermore, mutants which map toward the two opposite ends of the physical map of the genome behave as if they were closely linked when crossed directly with one another, indicating that the genetic map of Pr virus is circular. Pr virus has unique ends and therefore should not exhibit circular linkage between the various markers. We postulate therefore that the genetic map has circular characteristics because molecules that have undergone an even number of recombinational events have a selective advantage in replication.
Particle number emission factors for an urban highway tunnel.

Abstract Exposure to traffic-related air pollution has been linked to increased risks of cardiopulmonary disease, asthma, and reduced lung function. Ultrafine particles (UFP; aerodynamic diameter
Point transform theory of liquid helium

Abstract The method of point transformations is used to obtain a microscopically based theory of the excitations of a system of interacting bosons. The theory is governed by a transformed Hamiltonian whose ground state is a noninteracting state and which is quadratic in the new momenta. The form of Hamiltonian is compatible with translational, rotational, and Galilean invariance. If the assumption is made that two-body interactions between the dressed particles predominate, two well-behaved functions remain undetermined. In the absence of a microscopic calculation these functions may be fitted using experimental data for liquid helium. The thermal properties of the system can be calculated as with the less rigorously based Landau-Khalatnikov Hamiltonian. The present theory retains the possibility of describing the Bose-Einstein condensation and quantized circulation.
Impact Analysis of Plates Using Quasi-Static Approach

Impact analyses suffer from several practical limitations which limit their application to predict the approximate magnitude of the various phenomena involved. The transient force deformation response of a body subjected to impact can be explained accurately using the stress wave propagation theory. As this approach is complicated, a simpler approach utilizing a quasi-static equilibrium condition can be employed. Nonlinear force-deformation Hertzian relations can be used for the impact analysis. These relations though can not explain the energy dissipation and permanent deformations encountered during the impact. This necessitates independent nonlinear force deformation relations for compression and restitution phases of impact. In this paper, modeling of contact forces during impact on stiff systems (systems which do not undergo gross deformation but experience only local deformation) has been presented. Experiments were conducted on stiff systems to verify the methodology. A plate which is fixed on a rigid base and clamped completely represents a stiff system. Hence experiments were conducted on Aluminum and Steel plates to simulate impact on stiff systems for the verification of the proposed models. The theoretical results matched well with the experimental results. A nonlinear force deformation model with independent relations for compression and restitution phases was found to be a suitable approach to analyze impact problems.
Late Paleozoic extension in the Great Basin, western United States

Geologic mapping in the Toiyabe Range in central Nevada has revealed the existence of normal faults of probable mid-Mississippian to Early Permian age that strike roughly east-west and dip northward. Additional evidence of uplift and erosion followed by mafic volcanism and subsidence suggests that much of the central and southern Toiyabe Range was affected by late Paleozoic extension. Similar patterns of late Paleozoic uplift and subsidence, together with local basaltic volcanism, are widespread in the western United States, suggesting that the continental margin was dominated by extension or transtension in Mississippian to Permian time. This extension was coeval with convergence between North America and South America across the Ouachita and Marathon belts, and the dynamic interaction of these two margins may, by analogy with the Cenozoic tectonics of Asia, have given rise to complex late Paleozoic deformation in the Ancestral Rocky Mountains and adjacent areas of the interior western United States.
Factors associated with hearing loss in a normal-hearing guinea pig model of Hybrid cochlear implants.

Abstract The Hybrid cochlear implant (CI), also known as Electro-Acoustic Stimulation (EAS), is a new type of CI that preserves residual acoustic hearing and enables combined cochlear implant and hearing aid use in the same ear. However, 30–55% of patients experience acoustic hearing loss within days to months after activation, suggesting that both surgical trauma and electrical stimulation may cause hearing loss. The goals of this study were to: 1) determine the contributions of both implantation surgery and EAS to hearing loss in a normal-hearing guinea pig model; 2) determine which cochlear structural changes are associated with hearing loss after surgery and EAS. Two groups of animals were implanted (n = 6 per group), with one group receiving chronic acoustic and electric stimulation for 10 weeks, and the other group receiving no direct acoustic or electric stimulation during this time frame. A third group (n = 6) was not implanted, but received chronic acoustic stimulation. Auditory brainstem response thresholds were followed over time at 1, 2, 6, and 16 kHz. At the end of the study, the following cochlear measures were quantified: hair cells, spiral ganglion neuron density, fibrous tissue density, and stria vascularis blood vessel density; the presence or absence of ossification around the electrode entry was also noted. After surgery, implanted animals experienced a range of 0–55 dB of threshold shifts in the vicinity of the electrode at 6 and 16 kHz. The degree of hearing loss was significantly correlated with reduced stria vascularis vessel density and with the presence of ossification, but not with hair cell counts, spiral ganglion neuron density, or fibrosis area. After 10 weeks of stimulation, 67% of implanted, stimulated animals had more than 10 dB of additional threshold shift at 1 kHz, compared to 17% of implanted, non-stimulated animals and 0% of non-implanted animals. This 1-kHz hearing loss was not associated with changes in any of the cochlear measures quantified in this study. The variation in hearing loss after surgery and electrical stimulation in this animal model is consistent with the variation in human patients. Further, these findings illustrate an advantage of a normal-hearing animal model for quantification of hearing loss and damage to cochlear structures without the confounding effects of chemical- or noise-induced hearing loss. Finally, this study is the first to suggest a role of the stria vascularis and damage to the lateral wall in implantation-induced hearing loss. Further work is needed to determine the mechanisms of implantation- and electrical-stimulation-induced hearing loss.
The pro‐osteogenic action of β‐catenin requires interaction with BMP signaling, but not Tcf/Lef transcriptional activity

The role of beta-catenin in skeletal development and osteogenic cell differentiation is well established, but the molecular mechanisms attending these effects remain largely unknown. We conducted a structure/function analysis of beta-catenin to gain further insights on these mechanisms. Retroviral transduction of a full-length, constitutively active beta-catenin mutant inhibited adipogenesis and stimulated osteoblast differentiation from multipotent embryonic fibroblasts (C3H10T1/2). However, N-terminal truncated beta-catenin mutants with weak Tcf/Lef activity retained their pro-osteogenic action, as did a constitutively stabilized mutant lacking the C-terminal Tcf/Lef transactivation domain. Importantly, this Tcf/Lef-defective beta-catenin did not suppress adipogenesis, and even elicited spontaneous adipogenesis when expressed in cells cultured in osteogenic conditions. Thus, Tcf/Lef transcriptional activity of beta-catenin is critical for inhibition of adipogenesis, while it is dispensable for its pro-osteogenic effect. BMP-2 greatly enhanced both osteogenesis and adipogenesis in the presence of the C-terminally truncated mutant, though it selectively enhanced only osteoblast differentiation in cells transduced with the full-length, Tcf/Lef active beta-catenin mutant. C3H10T1/2 cells produce BMP-4, and inhibition of endogenous BMP signaling by Noggin curtailed osteogenic differentiation by constitutively active beta-catenin. Therefore, BMP signaling must be active for full induction by beta-catenin of osteogenic differentiation from multipotent precursors. These data suggest that cooperative interactions between beta-catenin and BMP signaling systems drive osteoblast cell fate specification and differentiation.
Constraint preserving and lossless database transformations

Abstract The dependency preserving and lossless join properties for relational database decomposition are generalized to the constraint preserving and lossless properties for mappings between database systems. The constraint preserving and lossless properties are investigated both for relational database normalization by decomposition and for relational database distribution by selection. The constraint preserving and lossless properties are also discussed for mappings between heterogeneous databases.
Experimental studies of soot particle thermophoresis in nonisothermal combustion gases using thermocouple response techniques

Using transient size and temperature measurements obtained on a small thermocouple (TC) bead suddenly immersed in the soot-laden combustion products downstream of a water-cooled premixed flat-flame burner, we demonstrate that soot deposition rates are dominated by particle thermophoresis, i.e., soot particle drift down the temperature gradient prevailing in the gas thermal boundary layer (BL) surrounding the TC target. Observed soot deposition mass fluxes are estimated to be up to three orders of magnitude greater than those that would be expected on the basis of only Brownian (concentration) diffusion at the prevailing Reynolds numbers. It is shown that, for thermophoretically dominated soot particle transport, a suitable plot constructed from the transient TC-bead output should yield a straight line whose slope is proportional to the local soot volume fraction in the combustion gases. The latter dependence has been tested at several flame stoichiometries and heights above the burner surface, using the independent experimental technique of line-of-sight laser light (0.63 μm) extinction. Our results suggest that under these conditions small thermocouples can be used not only to estimate local gas temperatures, but also local soot volume fractions, without requiring restrictive assumptions about the prevailing particle size distribution, particle optical properties, or flame gas uniformity/symmetry. We conclude that (a) the dependence of the soot deposition rate on temperature “contrast” is in excellent accord with recently proposed thermophoretic BL-theories, and (b) the behavior of submicron soot particles in nonisothermal combustion products is strongly influenced by thermophoresis, with important implications for understanding rates of soot nucleation, growth, coagulation, burnout, and deposition.
Severe pediatric influenza in California, 2003-2005: implications for immunization recommendations.

OBJECTIVE. The 2003–2004 influenza season was marked by both the emergence of a new drift “Fujian” strain of influenza A virus and prominent reports of increased influenza-related deaths in children in the absence of baseline data for comparison. In December 2003, the California Department of Health Services initiated surveillance of children who were hospitalized in California with severe influenza in an attempt to measure its impact and to identify additional preventive measures. METHODS. From December 2003 to May 2005, surveillance of children who were hospitalized in PICUs or dying in the hospital with laboratory evidence of influenza was performed by hospital infection control practitioners and local public health departments using a standardized case definition and reporting form. RESULTS. In the 2003–2004 and 2004–2005 influenza seasons, 125 and 35 cases, respectively, of severe influenza in children were identified in California. The mean and median age of cases were 3.1 years and 1.5 years, with breakdown as follows: CONCLUSIONS. More than 3 times as many children were reported to be hospitalized in intensive care with influenza in California during the 2003–2004 season compared with the 2004–2005 season. Because children who are younger than 6 months remain at highest risk for severe influenza yet cannot currently be immunized, development and validation of preventive measures for them (eg, maternal immunization, breastfeeding, immunization of young infants and their close contacts) are urgently needed. ACIP9s recent recommendation for influenza vaccination of children with conditions that can compromise respiratory function (eg, cognitive dysfunction, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, other neuromuscular disorders) is further supported by the frequency of underlying neurologic disease in these cases of severe influenza. A significant proportion of children with severe influenza in California, including children who are aged 2 to 4 years or have underlying genetic syndromes or prematurity, would not have been routinely recommended for influenza vaccination in 2005–2006 ACIP and AAP recommendations, calling into question whether such guidelines should be expanded. Continued surveillance for severe influenza-related morbidity and mortality is important to measure the impact of influenza on children.