cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anatomical localization of commensal bacteria in immune cell homeostasis and disease

Summary The mammalian gastrointestinal (GI) tract is colonized by trillions of beneficial commensal bacteria that are essential for promoting normal intestinal physiology. While the majority of commensal bacteria are found in the intestinal lumen, many species have also adapted to colonize different anatomical locations in the intestine, including the surface of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and the interior of gut-associated lymphoid tissues. These distinct tissue localization patterns permit unique interactions with the mammalian immune system and collectively influence intestinal immune cell homeostasis. Conversely, dysregulated localization of commensal bacteria can lead to inappropriate activation of the immune system and is associated with numerous chronic infectious, inflammatory, and metabolic diseases. Therefore, regulatory mechanisms that control proper anatomical containment of commensal bacteria are essential to maintain tissue homeostasis and limit pathology. In this review, we propose that commensal bacteria associated with the mammalian GI tract can be anatomically defined as (i) luminal, (ii) epithelial-associated, or (iii) lymphoid tissue-resident, and we discuss the role and regulation of these microbial populations in health and disease.
A modular approach to create a neurovascular unit-on-a-chip

In this work, we describe the fabrication and working of a modular microsystem that recapitulates the functions of the "Neurovascular Unit". The microdevice comprised a vertical stack of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) neural parenchymal chamber separated by a vascular channel via a microporous polycarbonate (PC) membrane. The neural chamber housed a mixture of neurons (~4%), astrocytes (~95%), and microglia (~1%). The vascular channel was lined with a layer of rat brain microvascular endothelial cell line (RBE4). Cellular components in the neural chamber and vascular channel showed viability (>90%). The neural cells fired inhibitory as well as excitatory potentials following 10 days of culture. The endothelial cells showed diluted-acetylated low density lipoprotein (dil-a-LDL) uptake, expressed von Willebrand factor (vWF) and zonula occludens (ZO-1) tight junctions, and showed decreased Alexafluor™-conjugated dextran leakage across their barriers significantly compared with controls (p < 0.05). When the vascular layer was stimulated with TNF-α for 6 h, about 75% of resident microglia and astrocytes on the neural side were activated significantly (p < 0.05 compared to controls) recapitulating tissue-mimetic responses resembling neuroinflammation. The impact of this microsystem lies in the fact that this biomimetic neurovascular platform might not only be harnessed for obtaining mechanistic insights for neurodegenerative disorders, but could also serve as a potential screening tool for central nervous system (CNS) therapeutics in toxicology and neuroinfectious diseases.
Reconstructing the correlates of war dataset on material capabilities of states, 1816–1985

Given the central role of the concept of material capabilities in international politics models, and the ambiguity of the notion, it is essential that we define and measure it in operational terms. Such efforts have a long history and, given the multiplicity of interpretations as well as the difficulty of validation, we can expect alternative indicators to be put forth with some regularity well into the future. Herein, some of the assumptions, procedures, and implications of the Correlates of War project effort. First, we treat “power” as the generic concept, defined as the capacity of a state (or other actor) both to exercise influence and to resist influence attempts. That capacity is a function of, inter alia, geography, political organization and legitimacy, definition of “interests,” elite competence, and, of course, material capabilities. We see the last of these as falling along three dimensions: demographic, industrial, and military. The paper spells out the measurement problems, theoretic premise...
Reduction of Observation Spillover in Vibration Suppression Using a Sliding Mode Observer

The objective of this study is to demonstrate that sliding mode observers can eliminate observation spillover in the vibration control of flexible structures. It is common to build a state feedback controller and a state estimator based on the mathematical model of the system with a finite number of vibration modes, but this may cause control and observation spillover due to the residual (uncontrolled) modes. This paper deals with the elimination of observation spillover using a sliding mode observer. The performance of a sliding mode observer is compared with that of a conventional Kalman filter to demonstrate robustness and disturbance decoupling characteristics. Simulation and experimental results using the sliding mode observer are presented for active vibration control of a cantilever beam.
The effect of ACTH1–24 on locomotion, exploration, rearing, and grooming

Rats were tested in a large, open field with 16 small holes in the floor. Locomotion, exploration, rearing, and grooming were measured during each 10-min testing session. When tested after injection of intraventricular saline, locomotion, exploration, and rearing were the most frequently observed behaviors. Grooming occurred only infrequently. When tested after intraventricular injection of ACTH1–24, locomotion, exploration, and rearing were greatly reduced, while grooming was markedly increased. These results indicate that the induction of excessive grooming by ACTH1–24 is not restricted to the small testing chambers usually used in such experiments and that the effect of the ACTH fragment is specific to grooming. Its effect is not an enhancement of the most prominent response being made in a particular situation.
Rethinking Practices and Structures

Social theory remains puzzled by the relation between practices and structures, or the link between ‘micro’ and ‘macro’. Grand theorists including Giddens and Bourdieu have gained distinction for t...
A swollen finger and abdominal pain.

A 52-year-old Mexican-American male presented in February, 2000, with a 3-month history of progressive, painful swelling of his right ring finger after crushing it with a car jack. He denied other symptoms except for occasional lower abdominal pain and minimal weight loss over the past year. He did not smoke. His father had died of pancreatic cancer, but he had no other relevant family history. Physical examination showed a warm, ecchymotic, exquisitely tender distal fourth phalanx. Finger radiographs showed a lytic lesion suggestive of osteomyelitis and the patient was treated empirically with oral antibiotics. Blood tests showed iron-deficiency anaemia and an outpatient colonoscopy was ordered. However, 3 weeks later, a follow-up radiograph showed progressive destruction of the distal phalanx and increased soft tissue swelling (figure). The distal interphalangeal articular surface was intact. We incised and drained his finger. On exploring the wound, we found pinkish pulp and purulent material involving the entire distal phalanx but sparing the distal interphalangeal joint and the middle phalanx. We amputated the tip through the distal interphalangeal joint. Pathologic examination of the surgical specimen showed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Culture of the specimen was negative except for minimal growth of common skin flora. Subsequent colonoscopy showed a sigmoid mass later proven to be invasive adenocarcinoma, with lung and liver metastases. Further treatment included proximal amputation of the involved finger, chemotherapy, and palliative radiotherapy for progressive bony metastatic disease. The patient died in January, 2001.
Macromolecular versus small-molecule therapeutics : drug discovery, development and clinical considerations

Recent advances in biomedical science in general, and molecular biology in particular, have provided a greater understanding of pathogenesis at the molecular and (sub)cellular level. In turn, this has stimulated the development of macromolecular, mechanism-based therapeutic agents, ranging from recombinant proteins, to oligonucleotides, to genes/gene fragments. The factors essential for the successful development of this new class of therapeutic agents are not necessarily the same as those for the development of conventional small organic molecules. This review mentions several issues relating to the development of macromolecular drugs, and emphasizes the key issue of drug transport and delivery.
The effects of history on the shell preference of the hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus (Say)

Abstract Two aspects of the effects of history on the preference of a hermit crab for a snail shell were investigated using male Pagurus longicarpus (Say): (1) does a shell's history influence a hermit crab's preference for that shell, and (2) does a hermit crab's shell utilization history influence its future shell preference? First, tests of the same Pagurus longicarpus individuals were done in Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say) shells of two treatments (beach-collected and freshly killed). These tests indicated that shell history is of little consequence to shell preference in this hermit crab species. Secondly Pagurus longicarpus individuals were entrained to shells of particular snail species by enforced utilization. Preference tests with these individuals yielded results similar to those from non-entrained crabs, indicating that, in this hermit crab species, shell preference is not affected by shell use and is an endogenous characteristic.
Reduced sedimentation equilibrium time by two‐step initial loading

Computer simulation shows that the time required to attain near sedimentation equilbrium is dramatically reduced by a two-step initial loading in which a macromolecular solution at low or zero concentration is layered above one at a higher concentration. To achieve the minimum time requires a good estimate of the molecular weight, but at least a 50% reduction in time can be achieved if the molecular weight of the macromolecule is known only within a factor of 2. Numerical solutions to the differential equation of the ultracentrifuge are calculated using the finite element method. An efficient Gaussian elimination algorithm can be used to minimize calculation time and computer storage requirements.
Stability of voting games

This paper generalizes the result of Le Breton and Salles (1990) about stable set (far-sighted core of order 1) for voting games to far-sighted core of arbitrary order. Let m be the number of alternatives, n be the number of voters and G(n,k) be a proper symmetric simple game in which the size of a winning coalition is greater or equal to k. It is shown that the far-sighted core of order d for G(n,k) is nonempty for all preference profiles and for all n and k with ⌈n/(n−k)⌊=v1 iff m≤(d+1)(v−1).
Electric drive vehicle to grid synergies with large scale wind resources

Vehicle to grid (V2G) provides an opportunity for the electric vehicles (EVs) to feed back their power to the electric grid as they are connected to the grid and not in use. However, during the charging period of these vehicles, the power is drawn from the electric grid to charge the battery. This paper examines the V2G capability of the EV fleet for its potential for synergies between the storage of the fleet and the intermittent nature of wind resources. Towards this end, a distribution feeder is considered with the wind power as its primary resource. Assuming an EV with V2G for each residence, different scenarios are studied to evaluate the capability of the EV fleet as the wind electric storage. An energy management method based on an evolutionary optimization approach is proposed to minimize the cost of the conventional generation required to supplement the wind power while maximizing the utilization of wind generation. Smart grid technologies such as real-time communication, smart metering and home area networks (HANs) are proposed to enhance the V2G capability for coordinated charging and discharging of the EV fleet in a distribution feeder. Flexibility of the system is assessed for the studied scenarios and the most appropriate solution is determined based on simulation results.
A STABLE THIAZOL-2-YLIDENE AND ITS DIMER

The synthesis, characterization and X-ray crystallographic structure determination are described for a stable thiazol-2-ylidene 2. This thiazol-2-ylidene is the first example of a stable, crystalline carbene in which the singlet carbene center bears a sulfur substituent. The carbene 2 is the closest stable analog of the important thiamin (vitamin B1) carbene. Although the thiazol-2-ylidene 2 is sufficiently stable to isolate at room temperature in the absence of moisture and oxygen, it will dimerize to form a normal carbene–carbene dimer {2}2. With the isolation and structure determination of both 2 and {22}, this system is the first in which a stable carbene and its corresponding dimer have been isolated and characterized. Additionally reported is the “reduced” 2H-thiazoline 2 · H2 in which the former carbene center in 2 has been reduced to a methylene (CH2) group. Thiazol-2-ylidenes with smaller groups on nitrogen (e.g. mesityl or methyl) are too unstable to allow easy isolation. The dimer from 3,4,5-trimethylthiazol-2-ylidene possesses a very unusual geometry in which one of the former carbene centers is planar while the second is pyramidal.
Aphytis riyadhi n. sp. [Hym.: Aphelinidae], a parasite ofAonidiella spp. [Hom.: Diaspididae]

A new species ofAphytis reared fromAonidiella orientalis collected from citrus in Saudi Arabia is described and compared morphologically with four other closely relatedAphytis species.
El concepto de crédito en el derecho chileno

El trabajo se propone indagar sobre el concepto de “credito”, bajo una acepcion distinta a la que se desprende del articulo 578 CC., como sinonimo de “derecho personal”. Se parte de la nocion de “operacion de credito”, que, no bien limitada al dinero en la Ley N°18.010, admite ser extendida a la dacion en propiedad de toda clase de cosas que con posterioridad deben ser restituidas por quien las recibe y no confundirla con la fi gura del mutuo. Se examinan algunos casos tipicos de acreditaciones como el pago de lo no debido, los negocios irregulares como el deposito de esa clase, las que los romanos denominaban dare ob rem , la donacion por causa de muerte y la dacion de arras.
A regenerative magnetic refrigerator operating between liquid helium and liquid hydrogen reservoirs

A regenerative refrigerator with a GGG (Gd/sub 3/Ga/sub 5/O/sub 12/) salt core built and tested in the Cryogenics Engineering Laboratory at MIT is discussed. The core remains stationary as supercritical helium is forced through it via the action of a displacer system. At the same time, the magnetic field is varied by an AC superconducting magnet. Preliminary data obtained from this system suggested the need for modification of (1) the helium flow system, (2) the reservoir temperature control system, (3) the cycle control system, and (4) the instrumentation. A heat exchanger has been constructed which enables the heat of rejection to be deposited in a liquid-hydrogen bath. The refrigeration load is provided by an electric heater. Real-time feedback is used to synchronize the helium flow with the magnetic-field variation. The modifications are described and various schemes for producing the required helium flow without the use of moving mechanical parts are noted. >
Chemoselective reduction of aldehydes with tetra--butylammonium triacetoxyborohydride

Abstract Aldehydes, but not ketones, are smoothly reduced to alcohols by tetra- n -butylammonium triacetoxyborohydride in refluxing benzene.
Dependability of Brazelton neonatal behavioral assessment cluster scales

Abstract The capacity of measures of neonatal behavior to differentiate individual neonates reliably across raters and dependably across the first days of life is a prerequisite to any attempt at predicting individual behavior, particularly developmental dysfunction. In a methodological program addressing this issue in the context of Generalizability Theory, we examined the variability of observed cluster scores using the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS). The clusters were: Orientation, Autonomic Regulation, Motor Performance. Range of State, Regulation of State, and Reflex Performance. With two different repeat-measure designs and three samples, we estimated: the variance component due to true individual differences; variance components attributable to facets of observation—examiner, rater, occasion; and variance components attributable to their interactions. Results indicated that, for most dimensions of newborn behavior, there is a great deal of unpredictable variability from occasion to occasion within each individual and not much developmental change in performance over the first days of life. Also, while there are, in general, no systematic examiner or rater biases, except for the aversive reflex maneuvers, a relatively large amount of variance is attributable to specific judgments by a particular rater of a particular baby on a specific occasion. These results should be viewed in the context of relatively small true differences between individual neonates: that is, for the samples studied at least, only a small portion of the scale is used. Unless results are based on more than one examination, conclusions about differences among individuals on the NBAS should be taken with caution, as they are mitigated by a sizeable error of measurement.
The impending death of over‐the‐air television

Examines policy implications of over‐the‐air’s impending demise to cable and direct broadcast satellites in the USA. Looks at policy questions and the different types of broadcasters. In conclusion, says that TV has been going through a gradual but fundamental change, but stresses that on the other hand, radio is a wonderful means to reach many people simultaneously, although TV has only a visual modality, whereas radio is best for people on the move.
Restoration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-induced 5-HT depletion by the administration of l-5-hydroxytryptophan

Abstract Background 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) causes persistent decreases in brain 5-HT content and 5-HT transporter (SERT) binding, with no detectable changes in SERT protein. Such data suggest that MDMA impairs 5-HT transmission but leaves 5-HT nerve terminals intact. To further test this hypothesis, we carried out two types of experiments in rats exposed to high-dose MDMA. First, we examined the effects of MDMA on SERT binding and function using different in vitro assay conditions. Next, we treated rats with the 5-HT precursor, l -5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), in an attempt to restore MDMA-induced depletions of 5-HT. Methods Rats received three i.p. injections of saline or MDMA (7.5 mg/kg), one injection every 2 h. Rats in one group were decapitated, and brain tissue was assayed for SERT binding and [ 3 H]5-HT uptake under conditions of normal (100 or 126 mM) and low (20 mM) NaCl concentration. Rats from another group received saline or 5-hydroxytryptophan/benserazide (5-HTP-B), each drug at 50 mg/kg i.p., and were killed 2 h later. Results MDMA reduced SERT binding to 10% of control when assayed in 100 mM NaCl, but this reduction was only 55% of control in 20 mM NaCl. MDMA decreased immunoreactive 5-HT in caudate and hippocampus to about 35% of control. Administration of 5-HTP-B to MDMA-pretreated rats significantly increased the 5-HT signal toward normal levels in caudate (85% of control) and hippocampus (66% of control). Conclusion 1) Following high-dose MDMA treatment sufficient to reduce SERT binding by 90%, a significant number of functionally intact 5-HT nerve terminals survive. 2) The degree of MDMA-induced decreases in SERT binding depends on the in vitro assay conditions. 3) 5-HTP-B restores brain 5-HT depleted by MDMA, suggesting that this approach might be clinically useful in abstinent MDMA users.
Optimal control problems for distributed parameter systems in Banach spaces

We consider the infinite-dimensional nonlinear programming problem of minimizing a real-valued functionf0(u) defined in a metric spaceV subject to the constraintf(u) e Y, wheref(u) is defined inV and takes values in a Banach spaceE and Y is a subset ofE. We derive and use a theorem of Kuhn-Tucker type to obtain Pontryagin's maximum principle for certain semilinear parabolic distributed parameter systems. The results apply to systems described by nonlinear heat equations and reaction-diffusion equations inL1 andL∞ spaces.
Iterative convolution backprojection algorithms for image reconstruction from limited data

Image-reconstruction algorithms implemented on existing computerized tomography (CT) scanners require the collection of line integrals that are evenly spaced over 360 deg. In many practical situations, some of the line integrals are inaccurately measured or are not measured at all. In these limited-data situations, conventional algorithms produce images with severe streak artifacts. Recently, several other image-reconstruction algorithms were suggested, each tailored to a specific type of limited-data problem. These algorithms make minimal use of a priori knowledge about the image; only one has been demonstrated with real x-ray data. We present a new operator framework that treats all types of limited-data image-reconstruction problems in a unified way. From this framework we derive iterative convolution backprojection algorithms that make no restrictions on the location of missing line integrals. All available a priori information is incorporated by constraint operators. The algorithm has been implemented on a commercial CT scanner. We present examples of images reconstructed from real x-ray data in two limited-data situations and demonstrate the use of additional a priori information to reduce streak artifacts further.
Toxicity of chlorpyrifos, endrin, or fenvalerate to fathead minnows following episodic or continuous exposure

Abstract Fathead minnow larvae ( Pimephales promelas ) were exposed to three individual pesticides during brief or continuous exposure in 96-hr and 28- to 30-day toxicity tests. Continuous exposure 96-hr LC 50 values for chlorpyrifos, endrin, and fenvalerate were 122.2, 0.7, and 0.85 μg/liter, respectively. Continuous exposure chronic effect concentrations were chlorpyrifos, 2.1 μg/liter (increased deformities); endrin, 0.38 μg/liter (reduction in growth); and fenvalerate, 0.36 μg/liter (reduction in survival and growth). Brief exposure chronic test results indicated that fathead minnow exposure to chlorpyrifos for as few as 5 hr at a concentration similar to a continuous exposure 96-hr LC 50 value resulted in increased deformities and a reduction in growth, whereas a 48-hr exposure at a concentration similar to a continuous exposure 96-hr LC 50 value was required to cause a reduction in growth for endrin and a reduction in survival and growth for fenvalerate. It is suggested that although constant exposure laboratory tests are essential for hazard assessment, the relationships of exposure duration and toxicant intensity to ecotoxic effects are necessary for reliable risk assessments and implementation of water quality standards.
Dissociation of hunger and self-stimulation by trigeminal deafferentation in the rat.

Abstract Section of trigeminal orosensory or oromotor nerves reduces food intake and disrupts performance of a food-reinforced lever pressing response but increases the rate of an identical lever pressing response reinforced by electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus. Our findings suggest that trigeminal orosensation plays a critical role in the neural control of hunger in the rat. These results also fail to support a response-oriented theory of intracranial self-stimulation where the latter is thought to involve selective facilitation of sensorimotor circuits underlying species-typical consummatory behavior.
An Interview with Ben Brown, Co-founder of So New Media and Publisher of Words! Words! Words!

With this installment of “They Might Be Giants,” Michael Brown talks with Ben Brown (no relation) about publishing books (ten so far!) and magazines (issue 3 of Words! Words! Words! is about to be released), while at the same time working nine-to-five at a really boring tech job. It's a do-it-yourselfer's dream come true. Serials Review 2002; 28:344–348.
Fabrication of superior oxynitride ultrathin MOS gate dielectrics for ULSI technology by reactive rapid thermal processing

In this paper, superior ultrathin oxynitride gate dielectrics have been fabricated using reactive rapid thermal processing, and their chemical, structural, and electrical properties have been studied and characterized. The techniques which are employed for oxynitride gate dielectrics formation include (i) in-situ multiple RTP of both thermal oxides and low-pressure chemical-vapor-deposited oxides in reactive gas ambient, and (ii) a novel in-situ multi-step deposition/growth rapid thermal processing chemical vapor deposition for oxide/nitride/oxide (ONO) stacked layer formation.
Space vector modulated hybrid indirect multilevel matrix converter

A novel hybrid indirect multi level matrix converter has been proposed in this paper. In comparison to the conventional matrix converter the proposed converter makes available the input phase voltages and half phase voltages in addition to the line voltages at the converter output. This increased level comes at the cost of additional bi-directional switches and clamp capacitor. Indirect space vector modulation scheme, for synthesizing the required input current and the output voltage while balancing the input and clamp capacitor voltage, is presented. This converter offers reduced THD and lowered switching stress compared to conventional matrix converter. The effectiveness of the proposed converter has been verified by means of simulation.
Synthesis of dual-microring-resonator cross-connect filters

A new type of resonant, waveguided, 2×2 cross-connect optical filter is proposed and synthesized using a microwave filter analog. The optical passbands of the device are determined using 2D scattering matrix theory and the desired response is generated via a synthesis for a combined singly and doubly terminated circuit. This synthesis realizes the microring coupling coefficients necessary for maximally flat infrared spectral response. Closed-form analytical solutions are presented. Devices containing two, four, and six microrings were investigated.
A physical model of the effect of a shallow weak layer on strong ground motion for strike-slip ruptures

We report results of foam-rubber modeling of the effect of a shallow weak layer on ground motion from strike-slip ruptures. Computer modeling of strong ground motion from strike-slip earthquakes has involved somewhat arbitrary assumptions about the nature of slip along the shallow part of the fault (e.g., fixing the slip to be zero along the upper 2 kilometers of the fault plane) in order to match certain strong motion accelerograms. Most modeling studies of earthquake strong ground motion have used what is termed kinematic dislocation modeling. In kinematic modeling the time function for slip on the fault is prescribed, and the response of the layered medium is calculated. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the model and the prescribed slip are physically reasonable unless the true nature of the medium and its motions are known ahead of time. There is good reason to believe that in many cases faults are weak along the upper few kilometers of the fault zone and may not be able to maintain high levels of shear strain required for high dynamic energy release during earthquakes. Physical models of faulting, as distinct from numerical or mathematical models, are guaranteed to obey static and dynamic mechanical laws. Foam-rubber modeling studies have been reported in a number of publications. The object of this paper is to present results of physical modeling using a shallow weak layer, in order to verify the physical basis for assuming a long rise time and a reduced high frequency pulse for the slip on the shallow part of faults. It appears a 2-kilometer deep, weak zone along strike-slip faults could indeed reduce the high frequency energy radiated from shallow slip, and that this effect can best be represented by superimposing a small amplitude, short rise-time pulse at the onset of a much longer rise-time slip. A weak zone was modeled by inserting weak plastic layers of a few inches in thickness into the foam rubber model. For the 15 cm weak zone the average pulse is reduced by a factor of 0.46. The factor for the 20 cm case reduction is 0.11. For the 30 cm case it is 0.045. From these results we can see that, the thicker the weak layer, the more difficult it is for a short rise-time acceleration pulse to push its way through the weak layer to the surface. This is thus an approximate justification for reducing the high frequency radiation from shallower parts of strike-slip faults if it is known that the shallow part of the fault is weak or has not stored up shear stress.
Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Regulates MUC-2 Expression Through Its Effect on Goblet Cell Differentiation

Background & Aims: We recently demonstrated that epithelial-derived matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 9 up-regulated during inflammatory bowel disease is a critical mediator of tissue damage during colitis. MMP-9 null mice (MMP-9−/−) develop dramatically reduced inflammatory response to luminally administered colitic agents in the face of intact systemic immune response and inflammatory cell recruitment, suggesting protected epithelial barrier in these mice. In this study, we sought to address the role and mechanism by which MMP-9 influences barrier protective function. Methods: Wild-type and MMP-9−/− mice were used for in vivo studies, and the goblet cell line HT29-cl.16E and the enterocyte cell line Caco2-BBE were used for in vitro studies. Results: Compared with wild-type mice, MMP-9−/− mice had an increased number of goblet cells and MUC-2 expression. In addition, KLF-4 and Elf-3, transcription factors involved in terminal differentiation of goblet cells were up-regulated, whereas notch intracellular domain (NICD; activated Notch-1) was down-regulated in MMP-9−/− mice. These findings suggest altered epithelial cell differentiation in MMP-9−/− mice. Temporal expression of MMP-9 inversely correlated with MUC-2 expression during maturation of goblet cells. MMP-9 over expression inhibited goblet cell differentiation in vitro. Conversely, MMP-9 gene silencing in Caco2-BBE cells resulted in a change in their phenotype toward goblet cells. Finally, MMP-9 over expression or silencing in goblet cells increased or decreased Salmonella typhimurium adherence, respectively. Conclusions: MMP-9 regulates goblet cell differentiation in colon. The effect of MMP-9 on goblet cells could contribute to alteration in mucosal defense leading to inflammation. Together, our data uncover a novel function of MMP-9 in intestinal epithelial cells.
Abstract 819: Targeted sequencing to detect somatic mutations, translocations and copy-number variation in human tumors simultaneously.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC The ability to harness the power of next generation sequencing for characterizing the cancer genome would be extremely valuable to the cancer research community and ultimately improve diagnosis and individualized therapy. We present a targeted approach using massively parallel sequencing to simultaneously detect mutations, translocations and copy-number variations in archived clinical tumor specimen. Targeted sequencing was achieved by designing RNA baits to capture the exons of 504 genes with relevance to cancer. The bait set was augmented with specific intronic sequences to detect translocations often involved in cancer. The overall performance of the hybrid capture was improved by optimizing the tiling strategy of the baits. These improvements significantly shifted fragments with low or no-coverage closer to the overall mean, resulting in a more uniform coverage distribution. To validate the targeted gene panel we sequenced tumor samples harboring mutations, translocations and copy-number alterations that were previously identified by clinically approved assays. All the known alterations were confirmed with additional potentially actionable mutations. The ultimate goal of the targeted panel is to screen cancer patients quickly and economically allowing simultaneous detection of all common genomic alterations in the cancer genome. Citation Format: Paul Van Hummelen, Matthew Ducar, Robert T. Jones, Alina Raza, Ashwini Sunkavalli, Megan Hanna, Adri Mills, Ravali Adusumilli, Prateek Kumar, Laura Schubert, Marc Breneiser, Anna C. Cooley, Elizabeth Garcia, Lynette M. Scholl, Neal I. Lindeman, Nikhil Wagle, Levi Garraway, Kristian Cibulskis, Scott L. Carter, Michael Lawrence, Gad Getz, Matthew L. Meyerson, William C. Hahn, Laura E. MacConaill. Targeted sequencing to detect somatic mutations, translocations and copy-number variation in human tumors simultaneously. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 819. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-819
Image contour extraction with analog MOS circuit techniques

Simple analog MOS circuits provide real-time contour extraction for video signals from CCD images. Variation in ambient lighting and complexity can be accommodated using novel MOS analog counters. Applications include industrial controls and prosthetics. The possibility of automatic picture focusing is demonstrated with the contour extraction technique developed in this project.
Transition curves in a parametrically excited pendulum with a force of elliptic type

This article investigates the equilibria and stability of a pendulum when the support has a prescribed motion defined by an elliptic function. Stability charts are generated in the parameter plane for different values of the elliptic function modulus. Numerical integration and Floquet theory are used to generate stability charts that are later obtained through harmonic balance analysis. It is shown that the size and location of the instability tongues is directly linked to the elliptic function modulus. Comparisons are also made between the stability charts of Mathieu’s equation and those of the pendulum when the prescribed motion is defined by an elliptic function.
Mathematical Models of Road Travel Distances

Some management science models require estimates of distances between points in a road network based on the point coordinates. This paper evaluates the accuracy of a range of reasonable forms for distance estimating functions using samples of urban and rural road distances. The intent is to derive better distance estimating functions for analyzing systems with distance related performance measures. Contrary to a standard assumption, the rectangular distance function is inferior to the simple Euclidean metric in the urban samples. More general functions provide still greater improvement over the rectangular metric. Statistical significance accompanies these conclusions. One of the more general functions appears particularly suited to rural distances.
DNA Barcoding Will Often Fail to Discover New Animal Species over Broad Parameter Space

With increasing force, genetic divergence of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is being argued as the primary tool for discovery of animal species. Two thresholds of single-gene divergence have been proposed: reciprocal monophyly, and 10 times greater genetic divergence between than within species (the "10x rule"). To explore quantitatively the utility of each approach, we couple neutral coalescent theory and the classical Bateson-Dobzhansky-Muller (BDM) model of speciation. The joint stochastic dynamics of these two processes demonstrate that both thresholds fail to "discover" many reproductively isolated lineages under a single incompatibility BDM model, especially when BDM loci have been subject to divergent selection. Only when populations have been isolated for > 4 million generations did these thresholds achieve error rates of < 10% under our model that incorporates variable population sizes. The high error rate evident in simulations is corroborated with six empirical data sets. These properties suggest that single-gene, high-throughput approaches to discovering new animal species will bias large-scale biodiversity surveys, particularly toward missing reproductively isolated lineages that have emerged by divergent selection or other mechanisms that accelerate reproductive isolation. Because single-gene thresholds for species discovery can result in substantial error at recent divergence times, they will misrepresent the correspondence between recently isolated populations and reproductively isolated lineages (= species).
Electric Power Generation Onboard Hypersonic Aircraft

Growing aircraft electric power requirements for directed energy weapons pose special problems in the high speed regime. Hypersonic airbreathing aircraft have no rotating machinery for use in extracting shaft power for electrical generating purposes. Some attention has been paid to MHD power generation for hypersonic engine applications. Another approach is to use the heat source available in the combustor to power a Rankine cycle using the onboard liquid fuel as the working fluid. A dedicated turbine can be used to extract power from the fluid to drive a generator. Here we examine the feasibility of employing such a system for a hydrocarbon-fueled engine. At higher speeds where gaseous hydrogen fuel is required a Brayton cycle is suggested to serve the same purpose. Preliminary results reported here shows that substantial shaft power generation (1MW) with reasonable size components and operating conditions is feasible.
Superhydrophobic Friction Reduction Microtextured Surfaces

Superhydrophobic surfaces are surfaces with fluid contact angles larger than 150o. Superhydrophobicity can be achieved by chemically modifying the surface or introducing texturing which increases the real or effective area of the surface. In this work we focus on the latter approach. If the texturing leads to a Cassie nonwetting state, the surface can also exhibit drag reduction characteristics. Thus, for the same energy input drag reducing surfaces lead to higher flow velocities or, conversely, in order to achieve the same flow rates and velocities, drag reducing surfaces require less energy input. In order to optimize the surface topography of the superhydrophobic surface, a stratified two-phase model of flow between flat plates was developed to simulate the friction reduction characteristics of the surface as a function of varying ‘fluid to gas’ ratios. The Stokes flow equation was used to derive velocity profiles with appropriate slip/no-slip conditions within the flow. Non-dimensional formulations were used to optimize the liquid flow rate as a function of the gas layer thickness. Based on these formulations, a pressure drop reduction of 72% is achieved when the air layer height to the total channel height is 7%. The results of the theoretical model were also compared against experimental measurements of microfluidic channels with different substrate surface topographies. Two different types of silicon substrates were used: one with flat plane topography and one with a micropillar array. The substrates were irreversibly bonded to PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane; Dow Corning) microfluidic channel replicas and were silanized to further enhance hydrophobicity. Flow was induced using a constant pressure source and the flow rate was measured using a high-precision scale. As expected, the experimental results deviated somewhat from the expected theoretical model due to the presence of the micropillar obstruction in the air layer. It was also observed that there was a certain ‘pillar-tochannel height’ ratio that minimized the pressure drop for a given flow rate.
Interaction of a compressional impulse with a slot normal to the surface of an elastic half space

Summary. An improved finite difference scheme is applied to simulate wave propagation in the vicinity of a slot normal to the surface of an elastic half space. It provides visualization of the scattered wave pattern at a sequence of time steps, and also the components of displacement as functions of time at a series of observation points. After being hit by a normally incident plane P pulse, the slot oscillates with two main cycles and two shear-compressional pairs of diffracted waves, and also Rayleigh pulses, are scattered from it. The resulting wavefronts are parallel to the vertical surfaces of the slot and curve in semicircular arcs around the bottom of the slot. Experimental tests of the theory were performed, using 0.5-6 MHz ultrasonic pulses on duralumin cylinders with surface-breaking slots ranging from 0.5-2 mm in width and from 2-6 mm in depth. The numerical results were confirmed by these experiments.
Resolving and Generating Definite Anaphora by Modeling Hypernymy using Unlabeled Corpora

We demonstrate an original and successful approach for both resolving and generating definite anaphora. We propose and evaluate unsupervised models for extracting hypernym relations by mining cooccurrence data of definite NPs and potential antecedents in an unlabeled corpus. The algorithm outperforms a standard WordNet-based approach to resolving and generating definite anaphora. It also substantially outperforms recent related work using pattern-based extraction of such hypernym relations for coreference resolution.
Regulation of gingival fibroblast interleukin-6 secretion by cyclosporine A.

Background: Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a widely used immunosuppressant, with clinical applications ranging from organ transplants to chronic inflammatory diseases. One of the side effects associated with CsA treatment is the development of gingival overgrowth. Exuberant growth of connective tissue within the periodontium can result from hyperactivity of resident fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are capable of secreting interleukin-6 (IL-6), which has been shown to enhance proliferation as well as collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis by these cells. We tested the hypothesis that one of the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying CsA-induced fibrosis is an enhanced IL-6 secretion by gingival fibroblasts (GF) in response to this drug. Methods: The ability of CsA to upregulate GF IL-6 secretion alone or in combination with bacterial challenge or other inflammatory cytokines was tested in an in vitro system. Fibroblast cultures were established from systemically healthy gingival tissue donors and were challenged with CsA ...
A model for describing current-voltage characteristics of SrTiO/sub 3/ capacitors under low electric fields

It is now widely accepted that the well-fabricated SrTiO/sub 3/ (STO) thin-film capacitors with high-work-function metallic electrodes show excellent low leakage characteristics. However, the magnitude of the leakage current in the low electric fields shows strong dependences on the measurement conditions, namely the values of voltage-step /spl Delta/V and delay-time t/sub d/ in the conventional staircase current-voltage ramps. This anomalous effect is attributed to the dielectric relaxation phenomena of the STO capacitor structures. In this paper, we propose a model which describes the relationship between such measurement conditions and observed current-voltage characteristics. The absorption current due to the dielectric relaxation of the Debye-type relaxation species can be formulated as I(V=jx/spl Delta/V)=/spl Delta/V/sup m//spl Sigma//sub i=1//sup n//spl Sigma//sub j=1/(C/sub i///spl tau//sub i/)exp(-jxt/sub d///spl tau//sub i/), where C/sub i/ and /spl tau//sub i/ respectively denote the capacitance and the relaxation time constant of the i-th relaxation species. The unknown parameters in the equation, C/sub i/ and /spl tau//sub i/, can be determined by applying a multiple nonlinear least squares method to the current-time measurements. The model was applied to characterize the sputter-deposited STO capacitors which exhibited apparent leakage currents of less than 10 nA/cm/sup 2/ for the electric field strengths of less than 1 MV/cm. We observed three kinds of relaxation species for such capacitors. The current-voltage curves calculated based on these relaxation species fit very well with the measured values obtained under the various measurement conditions.
SWATShare - A web platform for collaborative research and education through online sharing, simulation and visualization of SWAT models

Hydrologic models for a particular watershed or a region are created for addressing a specific research or management problem, and most of the models do not get reused after the project is completed. Similarly, multiple models may exist for a particular geographic location from different researchers or organizations. To avoid the duplication of efforts, and enable model reuse and enhancement through collaborative efforts, a prototype cyberinfrastructure, called SWATShare, is developed for sharing, execution and visualization of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The objective of this paper is to present the software architecture, functional capabilities and implementation of SWATShare as a collaborative environment for hydrology research and education using the models published and shared in the system. Besides the capability of publishing, sharing, discovery and downloading of SWAT models, some of the functions in SWATShare such as model calibration are supported by providing access to high performance computing resources including the XSEDE and cloud. Additionally, SWATShare can create dynamic spatial and temporal plots of model outputs at different scales. SWATShare can also be used as an educational tool within a classroom setting for comparing the hydrologic processes under different geographic and climatic settings. The utility of SWATShare for collaborative research and education is demonstrated by using three case studies. Even though this paper focuses on the SWAT model, the system's architecture can be replicated for other models as well. A cyberinfrastructure is developed for sharing and publication of hydrologic models.SWATShare is a platform for collaborative research and education using SWAT model.SWATShare can be used for online SWAT simulation, calibration and visualization.SWATShare uses publicly available distributed computing resources.
Generalizing Amdahl's Law for Power and Energy

Extending Amdahl's law to identify optimal power-performance configurations requires considering the interactive effects of power, performance, and parallel overhead.
Development of shear bands for a model of a thixotropic yield stress fluid

Abstract The PEC (partially extending strand convection) model of Larson is able to describe thixotropic yield stress behavior in the limit where the relaxation time is large relative to the retardation time. In this paper, we discuss the development of shear bands in a Poiseuille flow which is started up from rest with an imposed pressure gradient. We analyze the asymptotic limit of large relaxation time; the small parameter ϵ measures the ratio of retardation time to relaxation time. We determine the position and width of shear bands as a function of time. We identify an initial phase of “fast yielding” during which the width of the transition between high and low shear rate regions behaves like t − 3 . This continues until t (measured on the scale of the retardation time) is on the order of ϵ − 1 / 3 . Then there is a phase of “delayed yielding” during which the width of the transition is of order ϵ. Eventually, the width sharpens as 1/(ϵ 2 t 3 ). We also show how these results are modified by introducing Korteweg stresses which prevent the transition from becoming infinitely sharp and also change the location where the transition takes place. This paper is dedicated to Roger Tanner on the occasion of his eighty-second birthday.
Resonance in a Quantum Chain

A resonance of a magnetic impurity with a quantum spin-chain is studied. A Fresnel diffraction pattern is found.