cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and Differential Diagnosis of Food Allergy

Food allergies vary in allergen type, severity, and underlying etiology, making diagnosis challenging. Cross-reactivity between allergens, the presence of multiple food allergies, and food intolerances that often mimic food allergy add additional complexity to the diagnosis. Food intolerances include enzyme and metabolic deficiencies, functional defects, pharmacologic effects, psychosomatic effects, sensitivity to food additives, or reactions to naturally occurring chemicals or toxins in foods. Correct identification of food allergy and causative allergen(s) is important in order to prevent unnecessary dietary restrictions or future allergic reactions. There is currently no single universal method that adequately meets the safety, sensitivity, and specificity required to diagnose a food allergy. The diagnosis of food allergy is primarily based on a combination of clinical history, presence of IgE antibodies, elimination diets, and food challenges. The presence of IgE can be determined by skin prick tests or serum tests, both of which have high sensitivities but low specificities and are associated with a high number of false positives. Currently, the double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge still remains the gold standard for diagnosing an IgE-mediated food allergy, but is resource consuming and carries with it the risk of severe reaction during the challenge.
Bead parameterization of desktop and room-scale material extrusion additive manufacturing: How print speed and thermal properties affect heat transfer

Abstract Material extrusion (MatEx) additive manufacturing ranges in size from the desktop scale fused filament fabrication (FFF) to the room scale big area additive manufacturing (BAAM). The principles of how FFF and BAAM operate are similar – polymer feedstocks are heated until molten and then extruded to form three-dimensional parts through layer-by-layer additive manufacturing. However, the scales of FFF and BAAM differ substantially, which leads to critical differences in thermal behavior for these thermally-driven processes. This study compares heat transfer in FFF and BAAM using finite element thermal modeling. Parameterization is performed across material properties, layer number, and print speed at the desktop and room scale for MatEx. BAAM stays hotter than FFF for a longer period of time, which facilitates interlayer diffusion and weld formation, but can also lead to slumping or sagging. Changes in thermal diffusivity affect FFF more than BAAM, with FFF exhibiting a local maximum in weld time at the thermal diffusivity of ABS. In all cases, weld time is longer than relaxation time, indicating that polymer reorientation and interdiffusion is possible. For BAAM, the temperature and thermal history of the center of an extruded bead differs greatly from the surface of the bead, which has important implications for process monitoring, property prediction, and part performance.
What would people think? Perceived social norms, willingness to serve as a surrogate, and end-of-life treatment decisions.

Background Population aging has increased the prevalence of surrogate decision making in healthcare settings. However, little is known about factors contributing to the decision to become a surrogate and the surrogate medical decision-making process in general. We investigated how intrapersonal and social-contextual factors predicted two components of the surrogate decision-making process: individuals’ willingness to serve as a surrogate and their tendency to select various end-of-life treatments, including mechanical ventilation and palliative care options. Method An online sample (N = 172) of adults made hypothetical surrogate decisions about end-of-life treatments on behalf of an imagined person of their choice, such as a parent or spouse. Using self-report measures, we investigated key correlates of willingness to serve as surrogate (e.g., decision-making confidence, willingness to collaborate with healthcare providers) and choice of end-of-life treatments. Results Viewing service as a surrogate as a more typical practice in healthcare was associated with greater willingness to serve. Greater decision-making confidence, greater willingness to collaborate with patients’ physicians, and viewing intensive, life-sustaining end-of-life treatments (e.g., mechanical ventilation) as more widely accepted were associated with choosing more intensive end-of-life treatments. Significance of results The current study's consideration of both intrapersonal and social-contextual factors advances knowledge of two key aspects of surrogate decision making — the initial decision to serve as surrogate, and the surrogate's selection of various end-of-life treatment interventions. Providers can use information about the role of these factors to engage with surrogates in a manner that better facilitates their decision making. For instance, providers can be sensitive to potential cultural differences in surrogate decision-making tendencies or employing decision aids that bolster surrogates’ confidence in their decisions.
Librarians collaborating to teach evidence-based practice: exploring partnerships with professional organizations

Objective: The study sought to determine if librarians are collaborating with nurses and professional nursing organizations to teach evidence-based practice (EBP) continuing education courses, workshop, classes, or other training activities. Methods: A 15-question survey was sent to 1,845 members of the Medical Library Association through email. Results: The survey was completed by 201 consenting respondents. Some respondents (37) reported having experience teaching continuing education in collaboration with professional health care organizations and 8 respondents, more specifically, reported having experience teaching EBP continuing education courses, workshops, classes, or other training activities in collaboration with professional nursing organizations. Conclusions: The survey results suggest that librarians do not have a systematic approach as a community of practitioners to seek out collaboration opportunities with professional nursing organizations to teach EBP continuing education courses, workshops, classes, or other training activities.
Normal Saline: Not So Normal at All in the Bleeding Patient

This chapter aims to provide updated methods of fluid resuscitation practices for the bleeding trauma patient while providing the historical context of the prior recommended use of administering normal saline.
Diagnosing multiple disturbances to irrigation systems in Nepal

Abstract Farmer-managed irrigation systems (FMIS) are community managed and operated irrigation systems. They have successfully governed the use of water resources for irrigation in several parts of the world. In the past, agriculture was the primary means of livelihood for over 90% of Nepal’s population, which generated a strong need for collective action to ensure stable water supplies. Today, migration, urbanization, and opening up of new markets have moved the population’s focus away from farming to nonfarm activities, resulting in a decline of collective action in the FMIS. Based on the data collected through field observations, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions from 15 FMIS representing 3 ecological regions of Nepal, this article identifies emerging disturbances to irrigation systems and discusses how they differ by geographical regions. Using the socioecological system framework, this article further assesses robustness of Nepal’s FMIS. The article reveals uncertainty in water supply due to variable and changing climate, degradation of collective action due to the erosion of social capital, and scarcity of on-farm labor as major disturbances. Addressing these disturbances will foster resiliency of the FMIS.
Viscoplasticity based on overstress applied to creep-fatigue interaction

ASSTRACT: The uniaxial version of the viscoplasticity theory based on overstress is applied to the deformation behavior of Type 304 stainless steel at 650°C. The effects of strain rate, waveform, and position of hold-timeare computed for a cyclic steady-state as well as the ratchetting behavior under zero-to-tension load control. The computations of deformation behavior are used in correlating and predicting the low-cycle fatigue life at 593°C using the strainrange partitioning method as well as an incremental damage accumulation law developed previously. The results of the computations exhibit the appropriate trends, but can show deviations from actual life exceeding a factor of two. Considering all the uncertainties, the results are deemed acceptable and promising. The incremental damage accumulation law permits application to arbitrary stress or strain histories. The effect of position of hold-time on the hysteresis loop is computed and shown to exhibit the appropriate trend.
Carbon dioxide fixation by isolated chloroplasts of Euglena gracilis. I. Isolation of functionally intact chloroplasts and their characterization.

Abstract A method was developed for isolating functionally intact chloroplasts from heterotrophically grown Euglena. These isolated chloroplasts are capable of fixing CO2 at rates up to 30 μmoles/mg chlorophyll/hr, which is one-half the rate of the whole cells. In contrast to chloroplasts isolated from spinach, Euglena chloroplasts are strongly inhibited by the presence of sucrose or by isolation at low pH. ATP is not able to reverse the inhibition of CO2 fixation by uncouplers of photophosphorylation, indicating that the chloroplast envelope is not permeable to ATP. Pyrophosphate stimulates CO2 fixation only in the absence of inorganic phosphate. The presence of inorganic phosphate causes a lag period before maximum rates of CO2 fixation are achieved, and this lag is diminished by the addition of 3-phosphoglycerate and ribose-5-phosphate. Pyocyanin inhibits CO2 fixation, and the addition of ribose-5-phosphate fails to reverse this inhibition.
A framework for analyzing confocal images of transversal tubules in cardiomyocytes

We introduce a framework to characterize and visualize the transverse tubular system of cardiac myocytes imaged with confocal microscopy. We imaged rabbit ventricular cells and cell segments with fluorescein linked to dextran. The image datasets were deconvolved with the Richardson-Lucy algorithm using the point spread function extracted from images of fluorescent beads. The transverse tubular system (t-system) was segmented with the methods of digital image processing. We reconstructed single transverse tubules and quantitatively described these in terms of length, cross-sectional area, ellipticity and orientation. These results should yield geometric markers for studies of protein distribution and provide insights into the function of the t-system.
Improved parametrization for sensitivity and round-off noise minimization

In this paper, a new operator (d) which combines the two commonly used operators, the shift (q) and delta (/spl delta/) operators, is proposed. The numerical characteristics of the realization using the d-operator are analyzed. It is shown that for any given constraint on state space realization dynamic range, the optimized d-realization has lower sensitivity than that of the optimized q and /spl delta/-realizations. It is also shown that a sub-optimal d-realization can always be found to guarantee a round-off noise gain upper bound lower than that of the optimized /spl delta/-realization and the minimized round-off noise gain of the q-realization.
Developmental constraints on the evolution of wing‐body allometry in Manduca sexta

SUMMARY Artificial selection on body size in Manduca sexta produced genetic strains with large and small body sizes. The wing-body allometries of these strains differed significantly from the wild type. Selection on small body size led to a change in the scaling of wing and body size without changing the allometry: the wings were smaller relative to the body, but to the same degree at all body sizes. Selection for large body size led to a change in allometry with a decrease in the allometric coefficient, wing size becoming progressively smaller relative to body as body size increased. When larvae were deprived of food so as to produce adults of a range of small body sizes, all strains retained the same allometric coefficient but showed an increase in the scaling factor. Thus individuals starved as larvae had a smaller adult body size but had proportionally larger wings than fed individuals. We analyzed the developmental processes that could give rise to this pattern of allometries. Differences in the relative growth of body and wing disks can account for the differences in the allometric coefficients among the three body size strains. The change in wing-body allometry at large body sizes was primarily due to an insufficient time period for growth. The available time period for growth of the wing imaginal disks poses a significant constraint on the proportional growth of wings, and thus on the evolution of large body size.
Pediatricians’ Role and Practices Regarding Provision of Guidance about Sexual Risk Reduction to Parents

A randomly selected nationally representative sample of 508 practicing pediatricians was surveyed in order to identify factors associated with physician delivery of primary prevention to parents about sexual risk reduction (SRR). A full 86% (n = 435) reported that provision of SRR guidance is equally or more important than other guidance provided to parents. Among the 435, only 121 (28%) provided SRR guidance to >75% of parents of their adolescent patients. Multivariate analyses revealed barriers of: lack of training, lack of request from parents, and awkwardness. To promote parent–child communication, physicians suggested high-quality brochures for parents (84%); a list of resources (74%); and tools to facilitate parent–child discussions (63%). Pediatricians and parents are important components of sexual risk prevention efforts for adolescents. Editors’ Strategic Implications: The findings related to the perceived importance—but infrequent delivery—of SRR communication between pediatricians and parents of adolescents have implications for training and information dissemination in pediatric practices, as well as other health and reproductive health settings.
USERNET: A supercomputer network architecture

Abstract Network access to supercomputers is the only viable approach to support the widespread sharing of such resources by geographically scattered research communities. This article presents an approach for the provision of nationwide access to supercomputers in the USA.
Commentary on Klar.

THE recent article by [Klar (2003)][1] purporting to link hair whorl to handedness in humans is an interesting example of the use of association to attempt to prove causality, that is, to prove that human handedness is wholly hereditary. We call attention to some problems with Klar's analysis.
Sodium arsenite delays the differentiation of C2C12 mouse myoblast cells and alters methylation patterns on the transcription factor myogenin

Epidemiological studies have correlated arsenic exposure with cancer, skin diseases, and adverse developmental outcomes such as spontaneous abortions, neonatal mortality, low birth weight, and delays in the use of musculature. The current study used C2C12 mouse myoblast cells to examine whether low concentrations of arsenic could alter their differentiation into myotubes, indicating that arsenic can act as a developmental toxicant. Myoblast cells were exposed to 20 nM sodium arsenite, allowed to differentiate into myotubes, and expression of the muscle-specific transcription factor myogenin, along with the expression of tropomyosin, suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (Socs3), prostaglandin I2 synthesis (Ptgis), and myocyte enhancer 2 (Mef2), was investigated using QPCR and immunofluorescence. Exposing C2C12 cells to 20 nM sodium arsenite delayed the differentiation process, as evidenced by a significant reduction in the number of multinucleated myotubes, a decrease in myogenin mRNA expression, and a decrease in the total number of nuclei expressing myogenin protein. The expression of mRNA involved in myotube formation, such as Ptgis and Mef2 mRNA, was also significantly reduced by 1.6-fold and 4-fold during differentiation. This was confirmed by immunofluorescence for Mef2, which showed a 2.6-fold reduction in nuclear translocation. Changes in methylation patterns in the promoter region of myogenin (-473 to +90) were examined by methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite genomic sequencing. Hypermethylated CpGs were found at -236 and -126 bp, whereas hypomethylated CpGs were found at -207 bp in arsenic-exposed cells. This study indicates that 20 nM sodium arsenite can alter myoblast differentiation by reducing the expression of the transcription factors myogenin and Mef2c, which is likely due to changes in promoter methylation patterns. The delay in muscle differentiation may lead to developmental abnormalities.
Fetoscopic laser ablation of placental vessels in severe previable twin-twin transfusion syndrome

Abstract OBJECTIVE: We undertook a pilot study to determine the feasibility and efficacy of fetoscopic laser occlusion of chorioangiopagous vessels in severe previable twin-twin transfusion syndrome. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 35 patients were referred to the investigators with ultrasonographic findings consistent with twin-twin transfusion syndrome, posterior placental implantation, gestational age RESULTS: Of the original 35 patients, 5 were eliminated preoperatively and 4 intraoperatively for various factors. The 26 treated patients had a mean gestational age of 20.8 weeks (range 18 to 24) and a mean fundal height of 36.1 cm (range 29 to 44). One patient has surviving triplets, 8 have surviving twins, 9 have a single survivor (2 neonatal and 7 fetal deaths occurred in this group), and 8 have no survivors (all had pregnancy loss within 3 weeks of treatment). The cases with survivors were delivered for obstetric indications at a mean of 32.2 weeks (range 26 to 37), having gained a mean of 11.7 weeks (range 6 to 17) in utero. Fifty-three percent (2853) of the fetuses survived with 96% (2728) developing normally at a mean age of 35.8 months (range 1 to 68). Thirty-three of 35 placentas were monochorionic with chorioangiopagous vessels on gross and microscopic evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Fetoscopic laser occlusion of chorioangiopagous vessels is technically feasible and improves the course and outcome of severe twin-twin transfusion syndrome in previable fetuses.
Hemoglobin synthesis in murine virus‐induced leukemic cells in vitro. III. Effects of 5‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine, dimethylformamide and dimethylsulfoxide

Erythroid differentiation of Friend leukemia cells is enhanced when the cells are grown for four days in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). Dimethylformamide (DMF) has a similar though less marked effect. 5-Bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BUdR) (10−5M) inhibits both DMF- and DMSO-stimulated differentiation. For maximum inhibition, BUdR must be present during the first two days of growth, during which time DNA synthesis is maximal. The addition of BUdR after the third day has no effect. Since BUdR is incorporated into DNA and thymidine prevents BUdR inhibition of DMSO-stimulated differentiation, it is likely that BUdR acts by virtue of its incorporation into DNA. Although BUdR alone had little effect upon cell multiplication, in combination with DMSO, cell growth was inhibited up to 40%. Since the BUdR-inhibition of the DMSO effect was approximately 70%, it is unlikely that its effect on differentiation is due to selective killing of those cells which are stimulated to differentiate.
An experimentally determined carbon : volume ratio for marine “oligotrichous” ciliates from estuarine and coastal waters

The biomass of marine “oligotri chous” ciliates has often been estimated by measuring the cell volume of preserved samples and converting to units of carbon based on theoretical carbon: volume (C: vol) ratios of 0.07–0.11 pg µm−3. Using laboratory cultures of several strains of Laboea strobila, Strombidium spp., and Strobilidium spiralis, we experimentally derived a C: vol conversion factor of 0.19 pg µm−3 for cells preserved with 2% vol : vol Lugol’s iodine. Cell volume estimates of Lugol’s-preserved cells averaged 76% of cell volume estimates of Formalin-preserved cells. Hence a C : vol ratio of 0.14 pg µm−3 applies to Formalin-preserved cells. Our study indicates that the biomass of oligotrichous ciliates in marine systems has been significantly underestimated by the use of inappropriate C: vol ratios.
Malignant lymphoma (so-called reticulum cell sarcoma) of bone.

The probability of 5-year survival for 98 patients with “primary” skeletal lymphoma was 44%. For 81 additional patients with a similar skeletal lesion producing their initial clinical problem but found to have multifocal disease, the probability of 5-year survival was 23%. Skeletal roentgenologic survey, sternal marrow aspiration, and probably lymphangiography should be employed in assessing such patients. Pulmonary involvement was extremely unusual. Radiation is the treatment of choice. Surgical ablation may be necessary for persistent or recurrent disease. Chemotherapy may be of value for patients with disseminated involvement.
Source identification for fine aerosols in Mammoth Cave National Park

Abstract In this study, positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to the chemical composition data of the ambient PM 2.5 collected at the Mammoth Cave National Park, an IMPROVE site in Kentucky. Eight individual carbon fractions, four organic carbons (OCs), pyrolyzed organic carbon (OP) and three elemental carbons (ECs), were provided to the analysis. Nine sources including the well-distinguished gasoline emission and diesel emission were identified. Also, the back trajectories indicated the crustal factor in this study were likely caused by Saharan dust storms in the summer. The apportionment of nine sources was: gasoline emission (6.7%), diesel emission (3.1%), summer secondary sulfate (49.0%), winter secondary sulfate (0.6%), OP-rich secondary sulfate (16.2%), secondary nitrate (2.8%), Intercontinental dust plus soil (4.9%), wood smoke (13.6%), and aged sea salt (3.2%). The results of this study will help regularize the pollution control strategies in rural areas of Kentucky and upper mid-western US while demonstrating the feasibility of applying carbon fractions to the source apportionment of rural upper-Midwestern areas.
Development of an Interactive Web-Based Support System for Gear Design

The Internet and World Wide Web (WWW) are now evolving as an important communication technology and a major information resource provider for industry. This paper discusses the development and implementation of a knowledge-based gear design and manufacturing system over the Internet to create new integrated design and manufacturing environments. By providing access to an interactive web-based support system, any designer with a WWW browser becomes a potential user of this on-line design system. Once connected, the designer follows the system instructions and submits the necessary input data on the appropriate web pages. The server receives a request from a client and invokes a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) program that processes the information provided through the user Interface. The CGI parses the data and has the ability to remotely run the knowledge-based gear design system that integrates knowledge about all aspects of gear design and manufacturing and provides powerful reasoning and decision-making capabilities for reducing the time between gear tooth creation, detailed design and manufacturing process specification via the Internet. When the execution is completed, full specifications definition, geometry, kinematic-loads and stresses are determined through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) within ANSYS, VRML models of the gear pair and gearbox assembly including gears, shafts, bearings and housing are exported according to the designer requests and sent back to designer on the web browser. To accomplish this, a combination of HTML, JavaScript, VRML, CGI Script and C++ is used. Finally, an example on spur gear design utilizing a parallel gearbox design model configuration is discussed.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
A comparative study of the concrement vacuole of certain endocommensal ciliates—a so-called mechanoreceptor

The concrement vacuole is a distinguishing cytoplasmic characteristic of ciliates of the families Buetschliidae and Paraisotrichidae. The vacuoles of the various species have some structural features in common; however, the distinctive morphologic qualities possessed by them permits their classification into two types: CV-1 (Buetschliidae) and CV-II (Paraisotrichidae). Two of the common features are: (a) oval concretions which give a positive reaction for calcium when subjected to the Alizarin red S test and which, in thin sections, display a laminated pattern, and (b) ciliary rootlets. The basic unit of each rootlet appears tubular and measures about 220–240 A in diameter. These rootlets are derived from the kinetosomes of a group of presumably specialized cilia and together define a part (Paraisotrichidae) or all (Buetschliidae) of the vacuole's boundary. Speculation is offered concerning possible modes by which the concrement vacuole could function as a statoreceptor. The kinetosomes which constitute the somatic infraciliature are attached to a subtending fibrous band whose constituent filaments are 60–70 A in diameter. This fibrous band, in addition to dividing the cytoplasm of both families into ectoplasm and endoplasm, partially encircles the CV-II type concrement vacuole. The cytopharyngeal armature is also composed of ciliary rootlets whose individual units are 220–240 A in diameter. Together these units form a hexagonal pattern. There is no anatomical association between the components of the cytopharyngeal armature and the vacuole. The cytoplasm of organisms from both families contains gastrioles, a contractile vacuole, a large complement of rough variety of endoplasmic reticulum, and a host of vesicles and agranular cisternae. The plasma membrane is endowed with a fuzzy coat; it is particularly prominent on organisms of the family Buetschliidae. This coat is PAS-positive, a reaction which is not abolished by prior treatment with α -amylase.
Developmental patterns of copper and zinc concentrations in mouse liver and brain: evidence that the gene crinkled (cr) is associated with an abnormality in copper metabolism.

An abnormality in copper metabolism during both the prenatal and postnatal (preweaning) periods was found to be associated with the autosomal recessive gene ”crinkled“ (cr) in mice. Liver copper concentration was significantly lower in crinkled mice (cr/cr) than in littermate controls (+/?) from 18 days of gestation to 20 days after birth. Crinkled mice older than 20 days of age had liver copper concentrations similar to those of littermate controls. Liver zinc and brain copper and zinc were similar in crinkled and noncrinkled mice at all times tested. In both crinkled and noncrinkled mice, brain copper concentration increased during the suckling period, and liver copper concentration decreased.
Technique for Producing Capillaries with Reproducible Orifice Diameters for Uniform Droplet Generation

A procedure is described for fabricating capillary orifice tips useful for the generation of uniform droplets. These generator tips operate at relatively low applied pressure, are relatively resistant to clogging, and incorporate orifice diameters reproducible to 1%. The method involves implanting a fused-silica capillary within a glass sleeve. When heated, the glass and fused silica wet to form a tight seal with no cracking caused by differences in thermal expansion. This technique permits the routine production of capillary tips with fixed orifice and outer diameters.
Characterizing Steric Limitations of the Heme Pocket in the Gas-Binding Tt H-Nox Protein using Site-Specific Incorporation of Unnatural Amino Acids

Heme Nitric Oxide and/or Oxygen (H-NOX) binding proteins are bacterial O2 and/or NO gas-sensing proteins involved in signaling a variety of functions to the cell. Much work has been done to characterize the heme-binding pocket in Thermoanaerobacter tencongensis H-NOX (Tt H-NOX) using site-directed mutagenesis with the 20 naturally occurring amino acids. We aim to further characterize the heme-binding pocket of Tt H-NOX by incorporating unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into the H-NOX scaffold, shedding light on both ligand discrimination and the tuning of ligand affinity. Currently, we are working to understand the steric limitations in this pocket by incorporating halogenated phenylalanine residues and characterizing the spectroscopic, gas-binding, and structural properties of these proteins.
Role of auditory attention in the real‐time processing of simple grammar by children with specific language impairment: a preliminary investigation

Background: This study investigates the effects of two dimensions of attentional functioning, sustained focus of attention and resource capacity/allocation, on the real‐time processing of simple sentences by children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children matched for age.Methods & Procedures: Thirty‐six school‐age children with SLI and 36 age‐matched TD peers completed an auditory continuous performance task (ACPT) as a measure of sustained attention, a concurrent verbal processing‐storage task as a measure of resource capacity/allocation, and a word‐recognition reaction time (RT) task (index of sentence processing). Correlation and regression analyses were run to determine the association between the two measures of attention and word recognition RT.Outcomes & Results: Children with SLI were outperformed by the TD children on each of the tasks. For each group, scores on both the ACPT and concurrent processing‐storage tasks significantly correlated with word recogni...
Theory and history in marketing

This article presents a theoretical foundation for marketing based on the ideas of the Austrian school of economists. After a discussion of the methodological foundations of Austrian economics, which reject the statistical and experimental methods of the physical sciences as the means to verify theory in the social sciences, the article presents the Austrians' principle of methodological individualism, which provides the basis for a theory of entrepreneurship and marketing.
Genomic investigations into acute inflammatory lung injury

Acute lung injury (ALI) and its more severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome, are complex illnesses involving the interplay of both environmental (such as mechanical ventilation) and genetic factors. To understand better the underlying mechanisms of pathogenesis associated with ALI, we recently identified several candidate genes by global expression profiling in preclinical models of ALI and relevant single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We summarize here several strategies successfully used to identify novel ALI candidate genes and detail the validation of variants in these genes as contributing factors to ALI pathobiology, conclusions based on functional analyses, and specific genetic association studies conducted in ALI cohorts. Continued insights into ALI pathogenesis and identification of genetic variants, which confer ALI risk and severity, promise to reveal novel molecular therapeutic targets that can be translated into personalized treatments to reduce the very high, unacceptable mortality of this disorder.
Recombination induces tandem repeats of integrated viral sequences in polyoma-transformed cells

Abstract Transformed Fischer rat cells derived from coinfections with wild-type polyoma virus and transformation-deficient hr-t deletion mutants were studied. The structure of the integrated viral DNA was determined by Southern blot analysis of high-molecular-weight DNA. In several cases the two parental genomes were found cointegrated in a head-totail manner at a single site in the host DNA. The results indicate that parental viral genomes recombine in Fischer rat cells in the process of transformation, and that the commonly observed tandem integration of viral genomes in polyoma-transformed cells must be due, in part, to recombination events.
Did the Buddha Speak Pāli? An Investigation of The Buddha-Vacana and Origins of Pāli

Traditionally South and Southeast Buddhism, which we now call Theravada Buddhism, claims that the language of the Buddha is "Pali" and hence the language of their sacred texts (Tipitaka=three canons). In this essay, I investigate the notion of the Pali language by reconstructing existing Pali literatures and contemporary works on Pali studies. Among other issues, this investigation explores the following issues: the language (vacana) of the Buddha, the multilingualism and geopolitics, the home of Pali, and the origination of Pali. Key words: Buddhism; Pali language; Pali literatures DOI: 10.3329/dujl.v2i4.6899 Dhaka University Journal of Linguistics Vol.2(4) August 2009 pp.43-57
Pressor response elicited by nose-up vestibular stimulation in cats

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether selective activation of vestibular receptors produces changes in blood pressure. Blood pressure was recorded during trapezoidal head rotations in cats with extensive denervations to eliminate nonlabyrinthine inputs that could be produced by the movements. Large (50°) nose-up trapezoidal head tilts produced an increase in blood pressure of approximately 18 mmHg; ear-down tilt produced little change in blood pressure. The changes in blood pressure began approximately 1.4 s after the plateau of the stimulus. The responses to nose-up tilt were abolished following intracranial transections of the WIIIth cranial nerves. These data suggest that vestibular inputs elicited by nose-up movements of the head act to rapidly increase blood pressure. This mechanism may contribute to counteracting the orthostatic hypotension induced by nose-up body rotation in quadrupeds.
The synthesis and chromatographic behavior of D‐mannitol‐1‐14C‐1‐PO4, D‐mannitol‐1‐32PO4 and 32PPA

In the course of an investigation dealing with the utilization of D-mannitol and inorganic phosphate by Absidia glauca it was found necessary to confirm the existence and establish the identity of the 1-Phosphate ester of this polyol. This paper describes the synthesis of radioactive mannitol-1-phosphate labeled with carbon-14 and phosphorus-32 by a modification of the procedure of Seegmiller and Horecker (1951) for the synthesis of glucose-6-phosphate. In addition we document the paper and gel chromatographic behavior on Sephadex G-15 of the products and 32PPA prepared by the method of Bell (1948) for the synthesis of polyphosphoric acid.
Purification and characterization of the acetate forming enzyme, acetyl‐CoA synthetase (ADP‐forming) from the amitochondriate protist, Giardia lamblia

Giardia lamblia, an amitochondriate eukaryote, contains acetyl-CoA synthetase (ADP-forming), an enzyme known only from one other eukaryote (Entamoeba histolytica) and a few anaerobic prokaryotes. The enzyme has been purified about 350-fold. The activity in the direction of acetate formation was dependent on ADP and inorganic phosphate. The reverse reaction could not be detected. Succinyl-CoA, propionyl-CoA and dADP were utilized with lower efficiency. The enzyme did not utilize AMP plus PPi thus differs from the broadly distributed acetyl-CoA synthetase (AMP-forming). The enzyme is responsible for acetate production accompanied by ATP generation, thus plays an important role in G. lamblia metabolism.
Self-deployment of sensors for maximized coverage in underwater acoustic sensor networks

While self-deployment/reconfiguration of terrestrial wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has been studied extensively, such self-organization has just started to receive attention for underwater acoustic sensor networks (UWSNs). Particularly, self-deployment of sensor nodes in UWSNs is challenging due to certain characteristics of UWSNs such as three dimensional (3-D) environment, restrictions on node movement and longer delays in communication. Given these characteristics, self-deployment of sensor nodes should not only ensure the necessary coverage but also guarantee the connectivity for data transmission as in the case of terrestrial WSNs. In this paper, we propose a distributed node deployment scheme which can increase the initial network coverage in an iterative basis. Assuming that the nodes are initially deployed at the bottom of the water and can only move in vertical direction in 3-D space, the idea is to relocate the nodes at different depths based on a local agreement in order to reduce the sensing overlaps among the neighboring nodes. The nodes continue to adjust their depths until there is no room for improving their coverage. We tune the parameters of the algorithm to also provide connectivity of the network with a surface station. We compared the coverage and connectivity performance of this distributed scheme with distributed/semi-distributed baseline schemes and centralized schemes which can provide optimal coverage/connectivity. We also provide several observations regarding the coverage/connectivity performance and message/travel/time complexity of the proposed approach.
Evaluation of Natto Soybean for Agronomic and Seed Quality Traits

Natto is a traditional Japanese soyfood, but little information is available on how agronomic and seed physical quality traits affect natto quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate agronomic and seed physical quality traits of natto varieties of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], including genotype and environmental effects, as well the heritability and correlations among those traits. During two years, 15 natto genotypes were grown, with three replications, in three Arkansas locations (Keiser, Rohwer, and Stuttgart) and were analyzed for agronomic and seed physical quality traits. Genotype affected all of the traits except for yield. Superior natto varieties (ARK1, ARK2, and ARK3) matured later and produced smaller and softer seeds than the other natto varieties. All of the traits had high heritability (>0.60). Varieties with larger seeds had significantly higher yield than varieties with smaller seeds. Because small-seeded varieties with quality attributes are desirable for natto production, ...
Increasing attacker workload with virtual machines

Much of the traffic in modern computer networks is conducted between clients and servers, rather than client-to-client. As a result, servers represent a high-value target for collection and analysis of network traffic. The observe, orient, decide, and act (OODA) loop for network attack involves surveillance, to determine if a vulnerability is present, selection of an appropriate exploit, use of the exploit to gain access, and persistence for a time sufficient enough to carry out some effect. The time spent in surveillance and persistence may range from seconds to months depending upon the intent of the attack. This paper describes a novel hypervisor technology that increases attacker workload by denying the ability to carry out surveillance. It also denies persistence, even if the attack is successful and never detected.
Effects of Roughness on Turbulent Flow in Microchannels and Minichannels

The effect of roughness ranging from smooth to 24% relative roughness on laminar flow has been examined in previous works by the authors. It was shown that using a constricted parameter, eFP, the laminar results were predicted well in the roughened channels ([1],[2],[3]). For the turbulent regime, Kandlikar et al. [1] proposed a modified Moody diagram by using the same set of constricted parameters, and using the modification of the Colebrook equation. A new roughness parameter e FP was shown to accurately portray the roughness effects encountered in laminar flow. In addition, a thorough look at defining surface roughness was given in Young et al. [4]. In this paper, the experimental study has been extended to cover the effects of different roughness features on pressure drop in turbulent flow and to verify the validity of the new parameter set in representing the resulting roughness effects. The range of relative roughness covered is from smooth to 10.38% relative roughness, with Reynolds numbers up to 15,000. It was found that using the same constricted parameters some unique characteristics were noted for turbulent flow over sawtooth roughness elements. NOMENCLATURE a Channel base m b Chanel height m bcf Constricted channel height m
Spatial Aspects of Retail Market Structure: BLS and ERS Food Prices Revisited

This paper draws on the spatial model in (Claycombe and Mahan, 1993) and the BLS data developed in (Lamm, 1981) to test for the significance of spatial and concentration variables as determinants of retail prices. Results strongly suggest that structure in narrow retail markets affects price. Different results are found using the ERS data in (Kaufman and Handy, 1989), further fueling controversy there.
Women's Compilations of Recitations, Dialogues, and Tableaux: Building Feminist Rhetorics for the Twentieth Century

As America entered the twentieth century, a number of women contributed to the popular elocution movement through their publication of compilations of recitation, dialogues, tableaux, and other elocutionary genres. An examination of woman-authored elocutionary compilations reveals a nascent feminism: Through their selection of pieces that examine women's changing roles and celebrate women's accomplishments—both within and beyond the domestic sphere—women compilers encouraged novice women speakers to rethink their gendered societal roles.
Race, inequality and transformation building on the work of Eleanor Leacock

Speech given at the presentation of the Eleanor Leacock Award to Stephen Gregory at the 13th International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, July 30, 1993.
Consequences of misfit and threading dislocations on PV device design

Abstract The relative weights of surface recombination, misfit dislocation density and threading dislocation density in the performance of a photovoltaic device are ascertained in the generation-recombination operating limit of a planar HgCdTe double layer heterostructure. In this limit, surface recombination is found to be much less important than the dislocations, while the balance between misfit and threading dislocations is determined by the relative size of the average misfit segment length and the device lateral dimension.
Importance of refractory pain and hypertension in acute type B aortic dissection: insights from the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (IRAD).

Background—In patients with acute type B aortic dissection, presence of recurrent or refractory pain and/or refractory hypertension on medical therapy is sometimes used as an indication for invasive treatment. The International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (IRAD) was used to investigate the impact of refractory pain and/or refractory hypertension on the outcomes of acute type B aortic dissection. Methods and Results—Three hundred sixty-five patients affected by uncomplicated acute type B aortic dissection, enrolled in IRAD from 1996 to 2004, were categorized according to risk profile into 2 groups. Patients with recurrent and/or refractory pain or refractory hypertension (group I; n=69) and patients without clinical complications at presentation (group II; n=296) were compared. “High-risk” patients with classic complications were excluded from this analysis. The overall in-hospital mortality was 6.5% and was increased in group I compared with group II (17.4% versus 4.0%; P=0.0003). The in-hospital ...
Effect of Live-Load Deflections on Steel Bridge Performance

This paper presents an evaluation of the influence of AASHTO live-load deflection criteria on the performance of steel I-girder bridges. Background information is provided regarding previous research studies focused at understanding the role and suitability of live-load deflection limits on steel bridge design. Further, the results of an extensive survey of state transportation departments regarding the use of these limitations is provided. The results of a computer analysis package developed to evaluate the variability of these survey results are also presented. Last, a series of analyses of existing steel bridges conducted to examine the effects of the live-load deflection limits on typical and damaged bridges to determine the role that these limits play in overall superstructure performance is provided.
The NASA Center for Climate Simulation Data Management System

The NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) plays a lead role in meeting the computational and data management requirements of climate modeling and data assimilation. Scientific data services are becoming an important part of the NCCS mission. The NCCS Data Management System (DMS) is a key element of NCCS's technological response to this expanding role. In DMS, we are using the Integrated Rule-Oriented Data System (iRODS) to combine disparate data collections into a federated platform upon which various data services can be implemented. Work to date has demonstrated the effectiveness of iRODS in managing a large-scale collection of observational data, managing model output data in a cloud computing context, and managing NCCS-hosted data products that are published through community-defined services such as the Earth System Grid (ESG). Plans call for staged operational adoption of iRODS in the NCCS.
GASTRO‐OESOPHAGEAL REFLUX AND RESPIRATORY DISEASE: THE PLACE OF THE SURGEON*

The association between gastro-oesophageal reflux (GER) and respiratory disease is well studied and established. A causal relationship, except in the case of clear cut aspiration, continues to elude proof but is supported by an increasing body of clinical experience. Barium oesophagram is the logical first test to demonstrate reflux, to rule out distal obstruction, and to provide good imaging of the oesophagus. Extended (24 h) oesophageal pH monitoring has proven to be the most reliable test in our hands for the identification of abnormal reflux. The false negative rate with this test was 12%, and false positives were seen only 6% of the time. Radionuclide scintigraphy offers the theoretical possibility for absolute correlation between reflux and aspiration, but in practice the results have been disappointing. Where other treatment measures have failed and where objective tests and clinical evidence point to the probability that respiratory disease is reflux-induced, anti reflux surgery is justified and most often strikingly successful. A Nissen fundoplication with a loose wrap and a short cuff is still the standard treatment for antireflux surgery. Long term follow-up suggests the benefits of antireflux surgery outweigh the occasional complications and side effects where operation is performed to control otherwise intractable reflux-associated symptoms.