cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adipose Tissue Dysfunction Occurs Independently of Obesity in Adipocyte-Specific Oncostatin Receptor Knockout Mice.

Objective This study examined the phenotypic effects of adipocyte-specific oncostatin M receptor (OSMR) loss in chow-fed mice. Methods Chow-fed adipocyte-specific OSMR knockout (FKO) mice and littermate OSMRfl/fl controls were studied. Tissue weights, insulin sensitivity, adipokine production, and stromal cell immunophenotypes were assessed in epididymal fat (eWAT); serum adipokine production was also assessed. In vitro, adipocytes were treated with oncostatin M, and adipokine gene expression was assessed. Results Body weights, fasting blood glucose levels, and eWAT weights did not differ between genotypes. However, the eWAT of OSMRFKO mice was modestly less responsive to insulin stimulation than that of OSMRfl/fl mice. Notably, significant increases in adipokines, including C-reactive protein, lipocalin 2, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and insulinlike growth factor binding protein 6, were observed in the eWAT of OSMRFKO mice. In addition, significant increases in fetuin A and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 were detected in OSMRFKO serum. Flow cytometry revealed a significant increase in leukocyte number and modest, but not statistically significant, increases in B cells and T cells in the eWAT of OSMRFKO mice. Conclusions The chow-fed OSMRFKO mice exhibited adipose tissue dysfunction and increased proinflammatory adipokine production. These results suggest that intact adipocyte oncostatin M-OSMR signaling is necessary for adipose tissue immune cell homeostasis.
Deep Backgrounds: Landscapes of Labor in All the President’s Men

Although commonly understood as journalistic thriller tied to the historical realities of the Watergate investigation, Alan J. Pakula’s All the President’s Men is deeply imbricated in contemporaneous ideas about office design and white collar labor. Drawing on the film’s production history, as well as discourses around knowledge work, office furnishings, and the changing role of paper in office work, this essay places All the President’s Men along a different historical trajectory, one in which Hollywood cinema elaborates, expressively re-stages, and fantasizes the white-collar workspace.
Platelets attach to lung type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) expressing P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 and influence ILC2 function.

Electron microscopy demonstrates that mouse lung ILC2 expressing PSGL-1 have platelets attached to their surface and that platelet depletion reduces lung ILC2 proliferation and Th2 cytokines suggesting ILC2 function is influenced by attachment to platelets.
Rhodamine B Adsorptive Removal and Photocatalytic Degradation on MIL-53-Fe MOF/Magnetic Magnetite/Biochar Composites

MIL-53-Fe metal–organic framework (MOF) was grown using the terephthalic acid linker and FeCl3 into an already prepared, high surface area, magnetic, Douglas fir biochar/Fe3O4 (MBC) adsorbent hybrid. This resulting triphase hybrid, multifunctional, magnetically recoverable, sorptive, photocatalytic and degradative, adsorbent (MOF–MBC) was used both to remove and catalyze the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (Rh B) with or without Cr6+ present. Rh B is a widely used colorant in textile, printing and tanning industries that is also associated with deleterious health effects. Batch aqueous sorption studies were performed at various pHs, Rh B concentrations and temperatures in-order to determine the optimum adsorption pH, kinetics, thermodynamics and sorption capacity. This adsorption followed pseudo-2nd-order kinetics and exhibited a Rh B Langmuir adsorption capacity of ~ 55 mg/g at pH 6, 200 rpm agitation and 25 °C. This MOF–MBC hybrid was characterized by SEM, TEM, EDS, XRD, FT-IR, TGA, BET, Elemental Analysis and XPS. Deethylated and carboxylic compounds were identified as photodegradation intermediates. Electrostatic and π–π stacking interactions are thought to play a significant role in Rh B sorption. Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) and Rh B often co-exist in tannery and printing waste water. Cr6+ can trigger the photo-degradation of Rh B into CO2 and H2O in the presence of both MIL-53-Fe MOF and MOF–MBC. Hence, adsorbent stripping regeneration can be minimized in real world applications. The biochar phase, aids to disperse the MOF, to minimize particle aggregation, to provide extra stability to the MOF, and serves as secondary adsorption site for heavy metal, oxy anion and organic contaminants. Large biochar particles allow reasonable flow through column beds while supporting other nanophases, which would cause large pressure drops when used alone.
Multiligament Knee Injuries: The Knee Bone Is Connected to … Almost Nothing

Knee dislocations, or multiligament knee injuries, are a very rare injury encountered by emergency medicine providers, but one the provider should be intimately familiar with because of the need for rapid intervention to prevent the high rate of morbidity associated with this injury. Here we review the keys to identification of the injury, the evaluation of concerning knee injuries, the immediate steps to correction, and a suggested approach to disposition.
An analysis of the Rüschendorf transform - with a view towards Sklar’s Theorem

We revisit Sklar’s Theorem and give another proof, primarily based on the use of right quantile functions. To this end we slightly generalise the distributional transform approach of Ruschendorf and facilitate some new results including a rigorous characterisation of an almost surely existing “left-invertibility” of distribution functions.
Inflation Convergence over Time: Sector-Level Evidence within Europe

This paper investigates inflation convergence among European countries by using sector-level data for the period between 1997:M1 and 2019:M12. Panel unit root tests at the country-sector level are conducted by using moving windows, which is useful to analyze changes in inflation convergence and the corresponding speed of convergence over time. The results suggest evidence for inflation convergence for the majority of sectors within Europe, although disruptions have been experienced by certain countries, especially during the 2008 financial crisis. Regarding the speed of inflation convergence, the average half-life across European countries has decreased from about 15 months to about 8 months during the sample period. Important sector-level implications follow for European Union (EU) candidate countries and non-euro EU member countries regarding the Maastricht Treaty.
Extent of gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma

Abstract Gastric adenocarcinoma is one of the most common and lethal cancers worldwide and is associated with a high frequency of nodal metastasis. The value of multimodality therapy is well-established, but gastric resection and locoregional lymph node dissection are important mainstays in potentially curative therapy. However, there has been considerable regional variation in surgical approach and debate regarding the ideal extent of gastric resection, gastric reconstruction, and extent of lymphadenectomy. This chapter outlines the current evidence in the surgical management of gastric adenocarcinoma. The advent of minimally invasive approaches to gastric operations is also discussed.
Rescripting Shakespeare: Rescripting Shakespeare's contemporaries

“Comparisons are odorous” Dogberry, 3.5.16 Given the lip service (Macbeth terms it “mouth honor”) paid to Shakespeare's artistry, some theatrical professionals are hesitant about rescripting, at least in its most visible forms. Such restraints can disappear, however, when the script in question is linked to Kyd, Marlowe, Jonson, Dekker, Marston, Webster, Middleton, Ford, or Beaumont and Fletcher. When confronting such less prestigious playwrights, directors can more readily imagine themselves as an Elia Kazan reshaping and giving fuller meaning to raw material provided by a Tennessee Williams. To investigate the rescripting process in this group of plays (labeled “primitive” by one director I talked with) is then to see the same kinds of omissions and alterations found in productions of Shakespeare but on less contested ground. To deal with such material is to run various risks. First, readers in tune with the major plays of Shakespeare are less likely to be familiar with Every Man In His Humour, The Fawn, The Maid's Tragedy , or The Broken Heart so may find some of the accounts that follow mystifying. Moreover, the rationale behind the adjustments to these non-Shakespeare plays is often comparable to that outlined in chapters 1 and 3, so that there is a danger of redundancy. Nonetheless, to focus on the rescripting of such plays is to see with added clarity issues and problems basic to this study, a consummation devoutly to be wished.
Compact Ignition Tokamak, vacuum vessel, design and development

The Compact Ignition Tokamak (CIT) is an experimental device that is expected to reach ignition. The CIT vacuum vessel is being designed for a base pressure of no greater than 10/sup -7/ torr and a temperature of 350 degrees C. It must be capable of withstanding plasma disruptions and mechanical loads imposed by other components. The design status and salient features of the vacuum vessel and near-term plans for testing and prototype development, are described. >
Overcompressive shock waves

Overcompressive shock waves for nonstrictly hyperbolic conservation laws are stable in a sense different from that of the corresponding viscous traveling waves. We describe the difference and the reason for it.
Synthesis and Sintering Studies of Nanocrystalline Hydroxyapatite Powders Doped with Magnesium and Zinc

In this research, we have synthesized nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (Ca 1 0 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 , HAp) powders doped with magnesium and zinc using the water-based sol-gel technique and characterized them. Calcium nitrate and triethyl phosphite were used as starting materials. These chemicals were dissolved in distilled water, separately, under vigorous stirring. As-prepared calcium nitrate sol was added drop wise into the hydrolyzed phosphite sol and then aged and dried. Dried gel was then crushed into fine white powders with the help of mortar and pestle and a measured amount of magnesium oxide and zinc oxide powders were added to the crushed amorphous powders, separately. Calcination was carried out at 250-500°C. Morphology of the powders was determined using transmission electron microscopy. TEM results revealed that the particle size diameter of powders were in the range of 5-10 nm. Phase analyses were carried out using powder X-ray diffraction technique. As-synthesized powders were also pressed uniaxially in a steel mold to prepare dense ceramic structures. These green structures were sintered at 1300°C for 6 h in a muffle furnace for densification. Highest sintered density of 3.29 g/cc was measured for magnesium-doped powder.
Activation of Clostridium botulinum Type B Toxin by an Endogenous Enzyme

It was previously postulated, based on indirect evidence, that Clostridium botulinum type B produces neurotoxin which is initially of low toxicity but which then becomes activated to highly toxic form by the action of an endogenous enzyme(s). The first direct in vitro experimental evidence in support of this hypothesis is presented here. The mildly active toxin (progenitor toxin) produced by C. botulinum type B (Lamanna) was isolated from the filtrate of a 24-hr culture and partially purified chromatographically. An enzyme that activates the progenitor toxin was also isolated from the filtrate of a 96-hr culture and purified 200-fold. The enzyme hydrolyzes synthetic substrates of trypsin but not of chymotrypsin.
Biosynthesis of the aglycones of plant thioglucosides—I

Abstract Excised leaves from rutabaga plants have been demonstrated to synthesize the thioglucoside progoitrin. Labeled precursor studies have revealed that the most effective precursors of the progoitrin aglycone are methionine and acetate. Carbon label from 2-14C-methionine and 2-14C-acetate is incorporated into the aglycone structure whereas 14C-label from methyl-labeled methionine and carboxyl-labeled methionine or acetate is not. Partial degradation studies with progoitrin have shown that approximately 38 per cent of the incorporated acetate label is present in the oxime carbon of the aglycone. No activity is found in this position, however, when 2-14C-methionine is utilized as a precursor. These data are consistent with a biogenetic scheme for progoitrin involving extension of the methionine chain through successive additions of a chain-building unit derived from acetate.
Assessment of Undergraduate-Driven Acquisitions at a Small College Library Shows Both Costs and Benefits

A Review of: Waller, J. H. (2013). Undergrads as selectors: Assessing patron-driven acquisition at a liberal arts college. Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery & Electronic Reserve, 23(3), 127-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1072303X.2013.851052 Abstract Objective – To examine the viability of an undergraduate-focused, patron-driven acquisitions strategy in a small college library and to evaluate the titles acquired through this program for collection appropriateness, patron satisfaction, and cost effectiveness. Design – Case study. Setting – A small, Catholic college in the Eastern United States with 1,850 undergraduate students. Subjects – Acquisitions of 432 print monographs selected by students and 18,624 print monographs selected by librarians and faculty members. Methods – The author compared purchases selected from a pool of undergraduate interlibrary loan requests acquired from 2004 to 2013 to purchases acquired during the same time period through traditional means, including collection development work by librarians and selections by academic departments. The author evaluated titles for use based on circulation figures, for suitability using overlap analysis with the collections of four peer libraries, for patron satisfaction based on turnaround time, and for cost compared to items obtained through interlibrary loan. Main Results – Student selection had some advantages, including moderately increased circulation. Traditionally acquired titles were less likely to circulate initially and only 20.46% of these titles circulated two or more times compared to 24.77% of student-selected titles. Student selections were less likely to be acquired by peer libraries, and 63.66% of student-selected titles were unique, though they had a similar subject distribution to traditionally acquired titles. Compared to interlibrary loan, student-selected purchases had similar turnaround times and in the most recent three-year period had an average turnaround time that was one day faster than interlibrary loan. However, student acquisitions were far costlier than interlibrary loan. Items acquired through this program cost the library $39.70 on average while borrowing cost $6.18 on average. Conclusion – The student selection process was found to be moderately successful, and the library will continue the program. Based on the analysis of peer library holdings, the author suggests more librarian intervention in the selection process. Instead of purchasing any requests that meet the criteria for student selection, the author recommends an intermediary selection step of evaluation by librarians. Student selection did not show the dramatic advantages represented in studies conducted in larger academic libraries, and this disparity could potentially be due to a difference in selection quality between the undergraduate students at this college and the graduate and research populations of larger institutions.
Asset and liability management: a stochastic model for portfolio selection

The funds management problem involves the allocation of monies to a portfolio that provides cash flows sufficient to meet future liabilities. Such a portfolio should be structured to minimize the cost of funding cash outflow requirements such as claims by insurance policy holders, or benefits owed pension plan beneficiaries. In a world of simple fixed-income securities and stable interest rates the problem is straight forward and can be solved using any number of tools. However, recent growth in the number and types of securities with interest rate sensitive cash flows necessitates the use of decision tools that incorporate uncertainty and an appropriate measure of portfolio risk. The stochastic portfolio selection model proposed in the paper provides such a tool for asset allocation. The proposed model reverses the ordering of the simulation scenario analysis and optimization from most stochastic portfolio selection models currently being utilized for funds management and employs an iterative technique to derive a cost effective portfolio plan.
Risk Factors for Overweight/Obesity in Preschool Children: An Ecological Approach

Abstract Background: Identification of risk factors is critical to preventing the childhood obesity epidemic. Risk factors that contribute to obesity are multifactorial. However, limited research has focused on identifying obesity risk factors using an ecological approach. Methods: Baseline self-report survey data from the STRONG Kids program were used. The sample consisted of 329 parent-child dyads recruited from childcare programs in east-central Illinois. Child height and weight were measured and converted to age- and sex-specific z-scores using standard growth charts. An ecological model provided the theoretical framework for the selection of 22 previously reported childhood obesity risk factors. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors. Results: Of 22 potential risk factors, three were found to be significantly associated with child overweight/obesity. These included child nighttime sleep duration (χ2=8.56; p=0.003), parent BMI (χ2=5.62; p=0.01), and parental restricti...
USE OF THYMINELESS DEATH TO ENRICH FOR DOUBLY AUXOTROPHIC MUTANTS OF BACILLUS MEGATERIUM

Wachsman, J. T. (University of Illinois, Urbana), and L. Hogg. Use of thymineless death to enrich for doubly auxotrophic mutants of Bacillus megaterium . J. Bacteriol. 87: 1118–1122. 1964.—When strain KM:T − , a thymine auxotroph of Bacillus megaterium strain KM, is allowed to undergo thymineless death on a minimal medium, the survivors are greatly enriched in polyauxotrophic mutants. Cells were irradiated with ultraviolet light, grown in the presence of thymidine and a complete amino acid mixture, and then starved for thymidine in the absence of amino acids. Doubly auxotrophic mutants (thymine − amino acid − ) may account for more than 90% of the survivors. The most reproducible results were obtained when sucrose (0.4 m) was added to both growth and starvation media. Although the percentage of mutants among the survivors increases with the time of thymine starvation, the absolute number of double auxotrophs per milliliter decreases. It is probable that the extent of cross-feeding determines both the mutant yield and the mutants types. Substrains of KM:T − having additional requirements for each of the following amino acids have been isolated: histidine, threonine, tyrosine, tryptophan, arginine, isoleucine, methionine, serine, and cysteine.
High Disease Activity May Not Be Sufficient to Escalate Care

Objective Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment regimens are not adjusted in response to active disease as frequently as indicated. The objective of this study was to examine how disease activity and patients' illness beliefs combine to predict future treatment changes in patients who are currently under the care of a rheumatologist. Methods We interviewed RA patients at baseline and at 2, 4, and 6 months. We examined the association of disease activity (Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 4) and 5 specific illness beliefs (consequences, treatment control, symptom burden, concern, and emotional impact) with future escalation of treatment using logistic regression. Analyses were adjusted for age, current biologic agent use, and disease duration. Disease activity and illness beliefs were dichotomized at the median to create 4 dummy variables (e.g., low disease activity + high illness belief) in order to examine the combined impact of disease activity and illness beliefs on escalation. Results Twenty-nine percent of the participants (n = 41 of 142) had an escalation of treatment during the followup period. When examined separately, disease activity and 4 of the illness beliefs (consequences, symptom burden, concern, and emotional impact) were associated with future escalation. High disease activity was predictive of future escalation only when combined with high levels of consequences, concern, and emotional impact. The combinations of high disease activity and high consequences, concern, and emotional impact were much stronger predictors of future escalation than either factor in isolation. Conclusion The findings suggest that patients' illness beliefs are an important determinant of treatment decisions, which are not fully captured by disease activity measures alone.
Adaptive filtering for bandlimited noise using an error backpropagation neural network

Standard noise filtering schemes are often inadequate for eliminating noise energy without seriously distorting the desired signal. As an extension of previous work (see IEEE Trans. Instr. and Meas., vol.40, pp.820-825, 1991) the authors demonstrate the use of a feedforward backpropagation error correction neural network for the filtering of absorption spectra exhibiting the effects of bandlimited Gaussian noise. The noise is bandlimited to the same spectral region as the information bearing signal. The neural network is trained by using synthesized data sets as in the earlier work. The additive noise is generated by sampling a Gaussian distribution of random numbers such that the synthesized noise sequence added to the synthetic spectrum has a variance of 1. The noise sequence of Gaussian random deviates is further bandlimited to the Nyquist frequency dictated by the implied sampling rate. >
Alginate type and RGD density control myoblast phenotype.

Alginates are being increasingly used for cell encapsulation and tissue engineering applications; however, these materials cannot specifically interact with mammalian cells. We have covalently modified alginates of varying monomeric ratio with RGD-containing cell adhesion ligands using carbodiimide chemistry to initiate cell adhesion to these polymers. We hypothesized that we could control the function of cells adherent to RGD-modified alginate hydrogels by varying alginate polymer type and cell adhesion ligand density, and we have addressed this possibility by studying the proliferation and differentiation of C2C12 skeletal myoblasts adherent to these materials. RGD density on alginates of varying monomeric ratio could be controlled over several orders of magnitude, creating a range of surface densities from 1–100 fmol/cm2. Myoblast adhesion to these materials was specific to the RGD ligand, because adhesion could be competed away with soluble RGD in a dose-dependent manner. Myoblast proliferation and differentiation could be regulated by varying the alginate monomeric ratio and the density of RGD ligands at the substrate surface, and specific combinations of alginate type and RGD density were required to obtain efficient myoblast differentiation on these materials. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 60: 217–223, 2002; DOI 10.1002/jbm.1287
ATP causes a structural change in retinal rod outer segments: disc swelling is not involved.

Mg2+-ATP was found to produce a 15 to 30% drop in the turbidity of suspensions of broken retinal rod outer segments from the toadBufo marinus, prepared by washing or flotation in sucrose. Thisin vitro process has a half-time of about two minutes and appears to be irreversible. It is not affected by the bleaching of rhodopsin. Direct measurements show that the drop in turbidity is not due to swelling of the disc internal space measured in outer segments recovered by centrifugation. Instead, the total packed volume of the outer segments increases following incubation in Mg2+-ATP. Under the specific conditions of these experiments, the total pellet volume increase was 26±22% (13 experiments) when corrected for the percent of rhodopsin recovered in the centrifugal pellet. The magnitude of the ATP effect on turbidity suggests that the majority of the discs are involved in some kind of structural change. Vanadium in the +5 oxidation state (vanadate) is an inhibitor of the Mg2+-ATP effect on turbidity at a half-maximal concentration of 0.2 to 0.4 μm, and inhibition is rapidly reversed by norepinephrine, which complexes vanadate. A Mg2+-ATPase activity in extensively washed outer segment membranes, previously shown to be activated as much as twofold following light exposure of the membranes, is not sensitive to vanadate at the concentrations which block the ATP-dependent change of turbidity.
An investigation of impingement erosion using single particles

Abstract The impingement erosion process is studied by investigating the effect of impact of relatively large single particles on an aluminum surface. The material removal action is shown to have the same physical characteristics as multiple impingement erosion of solid surfaces. Based on observations of the crater formed by these single particles, on both annealed and previously work-hardened surfaces, it is proposed that material is removed by a displacing action that results in fracture of removed material at sufficient strain. This process is comparable to some single point cutting experiments. In considering a mathematical model of this process, a particle penetration equation based on indentation hardness theory is used. It is shown that this model, which does not consider strain hardening or inertia of the impacted surface, is valid for the relatively low impact velocities considered here. The principal result of this analysis is that a velocity exponent of 3 is predicted for both the particle velocity and diameter exponents. This result matches more closely with experimental evidence than previous theories.
Stress-whitening occurs in demineralized bone

Abstract Introduction The incidence of age-related bone fracture is increasing with average population age. Bone scatters more light (stress-whitens) during loading, immediately prior to failure, in a manner visually similar to polymer crazing. We wish to understand the stress-whitening process because of its possible effect on bone toughness. The goals of this investigation were a) to establish that stress-whitening is a property of the demineralized organic matrix of bone rather than only a property of mineralized tissue and that stress whitening within the demineralized bone is dependent upon both b) hydrogen bonding and, c) the orientation of loading. Methods Demineralized cortical bone specimens were loaded in tension to failure (0.08 strain/s). The effect of hydrogen bonding on mechanical properties and the stress-whitening process was probed by altering the Hansen's hydrogen bonding parameter (δh) of the immersing solution. Results Stress-whitening occurred in the demineralized bone. Stress-whitening was negatively correlated with δh (R2 = 0.81, p Conclusion The stress-whitening observed was consistent with increased Mie scattering. We suggest that the change in Mie scattering was due to collagen fibril dehydration driven by the externally applied stress. The presence of stress-whitening in demineralized bone suggests that this process may be a property of the collagenous matrix and hence may be present in other collagenous tissues rather than an emergent property of the bone composite.
Large Scale Production of Vesicles by Hollow Fiber Extrusion: A Novel Method for Generating Polymersome Encapsulated Hemoglobin Dispersions

Vesicles, which include both liposomes and polymersomes (polymer vesicles), are being developed as therapeutic drug carriers. In this study, we present a fully scalable low pressure extrusion methodology for preparing vesicles. Vesicles were generated by continuous extrusion through a 200 nm pore diameter hollow fiber (HF) membrane. The first half of this study describes a method for generating empty polymersomes composed of different molecular weight amphiphilic poly(butadiene-b-ethylene oxide) (PBD-b-PEO) diblock copolymers on a large scale (50 -100 ml) using a HF membrane. Monodisperse empty polymersomes were formed with particle diameters slightly less than 200 nm, which were close to the rated 200 nm pore size of the HF membrane. The second half of this study describes the successful encapsulation of hemoglobin (Hb) inside the aqueous core of polymersomes using the HF extrusion methodology. We demonstrate that polymersome encapsulated hemoglobin (PEH) particles formed by this technique had similar oxygen affinity, cooperativity coefficient, and methemoglobin (metHb) level compared to PEHs formed by the 1 ml volume small-scale manual extrusion method. Most notably, Hb encapsulation inside the polymer vesicles formed by the HF extrusion method increased two-fold compared to the manual extrusion method. This work is important, since it will enable facile scale-up of homogeneous vesicle dispersions that are typically required for preclinical and clinical studies as well as industrial use.
Tracing the potential of lung progenitors.

Transplanted lung progenitor cells give rise to specialized epithelial cells, raising new possibilities for treating lung disease.
A Case-Control Study to Compare the Likelihood of Detecting Liver Disorders Using Coincident Measures of Doppler-Derived Portal Vein Pressure Gradients, Hepatic Venous Waveforms, and the Echogenicity of Liver Parenchyma

A case-control study based on the records of 465 adult patients receiving abdominal sonograms predicted the likelihood of liver damage, as detected by serum biomarkers, biopsy, and/or endoscopy, to...
Holography: Scan-free three-dimensional imaging

A holographic microscope that can capture fluorescent images of three-dimensional specimens without the need for axial scanning looks set to bring benefits to biomedical imaging.
Conservative Treatment for Neck Pain: Medications, Physical Therapy, and Exercise

This article offers conservative treatment strategies for patients suffering from musculoskeletal causes of neck pain. Basic pharmacology is reviewed, including that of opioids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, adjuvants, and topical analgesics. Moreover, indications for therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, and modalities are reviewed, along with any supporting literature. Treatment considerations with each category of medication and physical therapy are discussed. This article is meant to serve as a resource for physicians to tailor conservative treatment options to their individual patients.
Biochemical Evidence That the Phosphorylated Tyrosines, Serines, and Threonines on the Aggregated High Affinity Receptor for IgE Are in the Immunoreceptor Tyrosine-based Activation Motifs

Activation of cells mediated by the high affinity receptor for IgE leads to rapid phosphorylation of tyrosines (and later other residues) on the receptor's β and γ subunits, and there is circumstantial evidence that the tyrosines modified are in the so-called immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAMs). We identified and quantitated the residues phosphorylated on the subunits of the native receptor by comparing the properties of peptides derived from the receptors radiolabeled in vivo or in vitro with those of synthetic peptides. Our results with receptors labeled in vivo confirm that only the tyrosines in the ITAMs of β and γ became phosphorylated, and preferentially, those in the canonical YXX(L/I) sequences. The extent of phosphorylation of the canonical tyrosines was of the same order of magnitude, but the amino-terminal canonical tyrosine in the ITAM of the β subunit was consistently phosphorylated to a lesser degree. The non-canonical ITAM tyrosine in the β subunit was considerably less phosphorylated. Phosphorylation of serine (on β) and threonine (on γ) also occurred mainly in the ITAMs, but selectively at some positions whose characteristics seem to be conserved among other receptors containing ITAMs. The studies with receptor complexes isolated and radiolabeled in vitro gave similar results for phosphorylation of tyrosines, suggesting that the latter, much simpler system is a useful model for more detailed studies.
High-power hydrogen arcjet performance

A hydrogen arcjet was operated at power levels ranging from 5 to 30 kW with three different nozzle geometries. Test results using all three nozzle geometries are reported and include variations of specific impulse with flow rate, and thrust with power. Geometric variables investigated included constrictor diameter, length, and diverging exit angle. The nozzle with a constrictor diameter of 1.78 mm and divergence angle of 20 deg was found to give the highest performance. A specific impulse of 1460 s was attained with this nozzle at a thrust efficiency of 29.8 percent. The best efficiency measured was 34.4 percent at a specific impulse of 1045 s. Post test examination of the cathode showed erosion after 28 hours of operation to be small, and limited to the conical tip where steady state arc attachment occurred. Each nozzle was tested to destruction.
Equiaxed zinc oxide nanoparticle synthesis

Abstract ZnO is widely used in many important areas, such as solar cells, piezoelectric transducers, light emitting diodes, gas sensors, and catalysts. This study is focused on equiaxed ZnO nanoparticle synthesis from aqueous solutions. The shape, size, and phase of the synthesized ZnO particles are investigated by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. A synthesis mechanism is proposed. ZnO particle size effect on light absorption is evaluated by UV–vis spectrophotometry. The study offers a simple, better-defined, and more versatile approach for synthesis of equiaxed ZnO nanoparticles.
Analysis of the role of intraprotein electron transfer in photoreactivation by DNA photolyase in vivo.

Escherichia coli DNA photolyase contains FADH- as the catalytic cofactor. The cofactor becomes oxidized to the FADH• blue neutral radical during purification. The E−FADH• form of the enzyme is catalytically inert but can be converted to the active E−FADH- form by a photoreduction reaction that involves intraprotein electron transfer from Trp306. It is thought that the E−FADH• form is also transiently generated during pyrimidine dimer repair by photoinduced electron transfer, and it has been suggested that the FADH• that is generated after each round of catalysis must be photoreduced before the enzyme can engage in subsequent rounds of repair. In this study, we introduced the Trp306Phe mutation into the chromosomal gene and tested the non-photoreducible W306F mutant for photorepair in vivo. We find that both wild-type and W306F mutant photolyases carry out at least 25 rounds of photorepair at the same rate. We conclude that photoreduction by intraprotein electron transfer is not part of the photolyase phot...
Primate physiologic data acquisition and analysis for space shuttle

More powerful and more flexible data acquisition, storage, and analysis systems are needed to gain a better understanding of animal (and thus human) physiology in the microgravity environment of space. In view of this, a physiologic acquisition and telemetry system (PATS), a multichannel data acquisition, telemetry, storage, and analysis system, is being developed. PATS is scheduled for use in the Rhesus Research Facility, a joint US/French experiment to be flown aboard Spacelab. PATS is designed to acquire data from units implanted in the abdominal cavities of rhesus monkeys carried in cages on board Spacelab. An implanted DATS (data acquisition and telemetry subsystem) unit permits physiologic parameters to be measured on the test animal with minimum physical restraints and eliminates the need for percutaneous leads that are often the source of infection and discomfort. To obtain feedback from the scientists using the flight version of PATS, a PATS simulator system (PATS-S), separate and distinct from the breadboard system, has been designed and fabricated. >
Weld Repair of Steam Turbine Casings and Piping—An Industry Survey

As the U.S. fleet of fossil power plants age, utilities are forced to perform more and more repairs on such components as turbine casings, main and reheat piping, headers, and other components that have experienced high-temperature degradation. This paper presents information from two surveys on the weld repair technologies currently used by utilities and repair organizations to extend the life of high-temperature, high-pressure components. The initial survey included responses from 28 EPRI member utilities on various repair issues ranging from condition assessment to preheat/postweld heat treat to filler metals employed. The second survey was forwarded to repair vendors and OEMs to gain their perspective on utility industry repairs.
Optimal search strategies for Wienér processes

Abstract Let n independent Wiener processes be given. We assume that the following information is known about these processes; one process has drift μt , the remaining n - 1 processes have drift zero, all n processes have common variance σ 2 t , and we assume that a prior probability distribution over the n processes is given to identify the process with drift μt . A searcher is permitted to observe the increments of one process at a time with the object of identifying (with probability 1 - λ of correct selection) the process with drift μt . The authors define a natural class of search strategies and show that the strategy within this class which minimizes the total search time is the strategy which, whenever possible, searches the process which currently has the largest posterior probability of being the one with drift μt .
‘How Do You Pay Your Rent?’ Social Policies And The President’s Mental Health Commission

Mental health policy involves broad social policies related to housing, education, work disability and rehabilitation, welfare, and criminal justice. The modern era of community care has moved pati...
An Open Source Software Evaluation Model

The allure of free, industrial-strength software has many enterprises rethinking their open source strategies. However, selecting an appropriate open source software for a given problem or set of requirements is very challenging. The challenges include a lack of generally accepted evaluation criteria and a multitude of eligible open source software projects. The contribution of this work is a set of criteria and a methodology for assessing candidate open source software for fitness of purpose. To test this evaluation model, several important open source projects were examined. The results of this model were compared against the published results of an evaluation performed by the Defense Research and Development Canada agency. The proposed evaluation model relies on publicly accessible data, is easy to perform, and can be incorporated into any open source strategy.
Star-shaped solids: Objects with a negative dimension

A square sheet of aluminum foil is considered 2-dimensional because its mass is proportional to its diameter to the power of 2. A solid aluminum sphere is considered 3-dimensional because its mass is proportional to its diameter to the power of 3. An aluminum wire is considered 1dimensional because its mass is proportional to its length. The mass is proportional to length to the power of 1. From these three examples we conclude that the relation Mass ~ Diameter Dimension
An update on facial transplantation cases performed between 2005 and 2010.

BACKGROUND Since 2005, 13 facial allotransplantation cases have been performed worldwide. The major indications for these facial allotransplantations were neurofibromatosis and trauma injuries, including animal bites, burns, falls, and shotgun blasts. METHODS An analysis of 13 facial transplantation cases was performed by reviewing the anatomical details, microsurgical techniques, and functional outcomes according to the follow-up information based on the literature, meeting presentations, and media reports. RESULTS The male-to-female ratio was 11:2. Two male patients died at 2 months and 2 years, respectively, after transplantation because of transplant- and infection-related problems. Eleven face transplant recipients are alive. The composite tissue allotransplants included cutaneous, myocutaneous, and osteomyocutaneous components. Most of these facial allotransplants were partial, one was nearly total, and two were announced as total face transplantations. CONCLUSIONS This report provides a useful overview of the technical aspects of face transplantation; however, the reports on long-term functional and aesthetic outcomes will help to define the future of face transplantation.
“Exact” solution of the Anderson model for dilute alloys

Abstract A theory for the magnetic to non-magnetic transition for impurities in metals is presented, based on the Anderson model in which Coulomb correlation effects are taken into account self-consistently.
Effects of uncompensated relative time companding on a broad-band cross correlator

Cross correlating two received waveforms is an accepted method of estimating the differential time delay (DTD) of a common signal in two waveforms, as well as detecting the signal. Rarely is the DTD actually constant over the correlation integration time, although this assumption can be made if the variation is small enough compared to the integration time and the signal bandwidth. This paper considers the effects of processing the data while assuming constant DTD, when the DTD usually has a slow linear time variation [i.e., the signal exhibits linear relative time companding (RTC)], for the case of low-pass broad-band signal and noise. The effects are quantified in terms of two performance measures: output signal-noise ratio (SNR), and accuracy of DTD estimation. Previous results on output SNR are briefly reviewed and extended, and the effect of uncompensated RTC on DTD estimation accuracy is derived and confirmed with computer simulation results. The two effects are compared numerically for the special case of low-pass white signal and noise, and it is shown that, for this case, DTD estimation accuracy degrades more rapidly than does output SNR as the amount of uncompensated RTC increases. The results presented are also applicable to the effects of residual RTC mismatch when an RTC-compensating correlator is used, but imperfect compensation is achieved.
On the brink of the philosophical ether

W e would like to thank the four commentators for their in-depth analysis of the issues raised in the Focus article and for stretching the discussion beyond the boundaries of scientific dogma into the realm of scientific philosophy. In their Commentary,Apkarian and Bruggemann agree with the Focus article that there are a myriad of differences between somatic and visceral pain and that for the most part we remain ignorant about the functional specialization of the various pathways involved in the processing of the painful experience. On the other hand, they raise the issue of pain as a necessity for the survival of the individual. We do not disagree that the availability of pain sensation is a necessary component of survival, but the Focus article does not call for the abolition of pain sensation. However, when pain ceases to be a signal of danger and becomes pathology, having the sensation becomes absurd, a burden on life, even a threat to it. This is best illustrated in the Commentary by Berkley, in one of the most dramatic descriptions of a suffering patient. In addition, the Focus article does not invite scientists to succumb to utilitarianism; on the contrary, it encourages "an accurate insight into an ever-changing dynamic nervous system using a step-by-step approach to study isolated events." The question of pain treatment involves real people, suffering beyond the limits of today's scientific capabilities. They hunger for relief! Should we refer them to Dr. Kevorkian? The global body surveyor is not here yet. Every step forward in our scientific journey is one step in building the surveyor. The scientist is the essential catalyst for this endeavor, but it would be too pretentious for one to claim that he is the surveyor.
Algorithms and architecture for airborne minefield detection

The current minefield detection approach is based on a sequential processing employing mine detection followed by minefield detection. In case of patterned minefield, minefield detection algorithms seek to exploit the minefield pattern (such as linearity) while in case of scattered minefield they utilize the spatial distribution of the mine targets. However, significant challenges remain in adequate modeling and detection of the minefield process especially in the presence of false alarms due to cultured as well as natural clutter. A short review of the literature on spatial point processes is included especially for the case of scattered minefields. It is further noted that, minefields are characterized by as a pattern (or spatial distribution) of similar looking mine-like objects. The sequential mine-detection followed by mine-field detection paradigm fails to exploit this critical aspect of similarity of targets for minefield detection. In this paper we propose a minefield detection scheme that incorporates similarity based clustering of targets in order to improve the performance of minefield detection. This approach can be interpreted as statistics of a marked point process. Some preliminary comparative ROC curves are evaluated for simulated minefield data in order to show the effectiveness of the minefield detection based on the marked point process. An autonomous self-organizing scheme for on-line clustering of mine-targets is also presented.
An Ultrasonic Phased Array Evaluation of Intergranular Stress Corrosion Crack (IGSCC) Detection in Austenitic Stainless Steel Piping Welds

Research is being conducted for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to assess the effectiveness and reliability of advanced nondestructive examination (NDE) methods for the inspection of light water reactor (LWR) components and challenging material/component configurations. This study assessed the effectiveness of far-side inspections on wrought stainless steel piping with austenitic welds, as found in thin-walled, boiling water reactor (BWR) component configurations, for the detection and characterization of intergranular stress corrosion cracks (IGSCC).
The Effects of Handedness and Reachability on Perceived Distance.

Previous research has suggested that perceived distances are scaled by the action capabilities of the body. The present studies showed that when "reachability" is constrained due to a difficult grasp required to pick up an object, perceived distance to the object increases. Participants estimated the distances to tools with handle orientations that made them either easy or difficult to grasp with their dominant and nondominant hands. Right-handed participants perceived tools that were more difficult to grasp to be farther away than tools that were easier to grasp. However, perceived distance did not differ in left-handed participants. These studies suggest that, when reaching toward a target, the distance to that target is scaled in terms of how far one can effectively reach, given the type of reaching posture that is executed. Furthermore, this effect is modulated by handedness.
FAMILY CONTEXT AS A MODERATOR OF HOME-VISITATION EFFECTS. • 602

Objective: To examine the role of family context as a moderator of the influence of nurse home visitation on the quality of parents' child rearing environments.
Modelling and Control of PKM in an Integrated Environment

This paper introduces an integrated validation system that consists of the following modular components: kinematic/dynamic analysis module, kinetostatic model, CAD module, FEM module, CAM module, optimization module and visual environment for remote control. In this paper, authors focus mainly on the modules of kinetostatic modeling, dynamic modeling, PKM design optimization, and remote control realization. The prototype of a 3-dof PKM developed at NRC-IMTI is used as an example throughout this paper.Copyright © 2003 by ASME