cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reliability analysis using Monte Carlo simulation and response surface methods

An accurate and efficient Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method is developed in this paper for limit state-based reliability analysis, especially at system levels, by using a response surface approximation of the failure indicator function. The Moving Least Squares (MLS) method is used to construct the response surface of the indicator function, along with an Optimum Symmetric Latin Hypercube (OSLH) as the sampling technique. Similar to MCS, the proposed method can easily handle implicit, highly nonlinear limit-state functions, with variables of any statistical distributions and correlations. However, the efficiency of MCS can be greatly improved. The method appears to be particularly efficient for multiple limit state and multiple design point problem. A mathematical example and a practical example are used to highlight the superior accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method over traditional reliability methods.
Regulation of cytotoxic lymphocyte precursors: II. The effect of interleukin-2 and interferon-γ on the apparent specificity of effector cells

Abstract The influence of lymphokines on the frequency and specificity of antigen-induced cytolytic T cells was investigated. Removal of an acid-labile factor(s) from supernatants produced by concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated rat splenocytes was shown to increase the specificity of cytolytic T-cell clones as determined by their ability to distinguish between antigen modified and unmodified target cells. The overall frequency of cytolytic T cell precursors (antigen specific as well as non-specific) was reduced in the presence of acid-pretreated rat Con A supernatant as compared to untreated rat Con A supernatant. Neither the addition of interleukin 2 nor interferon-γ could substitute for this acid-labile factor. These data indicate that an additional lymphokine(s) contributes to the in vitro activation of nonspecific killer cells.
The Dance of Politics: Gender, Performance, and Democratization in Malawi

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Lisa Gilman Year: 2009 Pages: 268 Publisher: Temple University Press ISBN: 1-59213-985-X (hard cover). Prices: $64.50 USD(hard cover).
Two bits are enough

We design a congestion control protocol that uses the existing IP ECN bits to achieve efficient and fair bandwidth allocations on high Bandwidth-Delay Product (BDP) paths while maintaining low persistent queue length and negligible packet loss rate. Our protocol uses load factor as a signal of congestion and makes use of a packet marking scheme to obtain high resolution congestion estimates. Our scheme reduces the Average Flow Completion Time (AFCT) by up to 70% when compared with VCP and by up to 45% when compared with TCP SACK+RED/ECN.
Neotropical Montane Oak Forests: Overview and Outlook

The preceding chapters of this book discuss scientific research results on natural and managed oak forests growing in the highlands of the American Tropics. Chapter authors highlight evolutionary, ecological and socioeconomic aspects of specific oak forests and identify existing gaps in our understanding. Their work and studies published elsewhere forms the basis for this chapter’s overview of the current state of knowledge on ecological patterns and processes which determine the structure and functioning of these magnificent forests. The increasingly important human use and much needed conservation of these biodiverse and threatened habitats are dealt with as well. Cross-cutting trends and issues are discussed and conclusions drawn. Neotropical montane oak forests are a special type of tropical montane forests (Kappelle 2004), in which tall oak trees (Quercus) dominate a 30to 60-m-high forest canopy, often in pure stands or mixed with pines (Pinus) or other predominant trees. Though Neotropical oak forest history, structure, species diversity, species interactions, ecosystem functioning, post-disturbance recovery, and human use may vary considerably over short geographical ranges, regional trends are now becoming evident. Research presented in this book clearly illustrates these large-scale trends. The following sections in this chapter synthesize our knowledge for each of these trends and themes.
Characterization of LiNbO3 thin films grown on Al2O3 by RF sputtering

Abstract We describe our work on LiNbO3 thin films grown on Al2O3-c by rf sputtering. X-ray diffraction shows that we grow single phase, epitaxial films in which the lithium content can be varied. Optical measurements and surface morphology characterization show that the optical loss increases with the surface roughness and that the presence of large crystalline outgrowths is a limiting factor for low loss waveguides.
Chapter 3 Roles of Cell Lineage in the Developing Mammalian Brain

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the roles that cell lineage plays in the development of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). The discussion focuses on mammals, which means, of necessity, a focus on the mouse as the experimental animal and on genetic mosaics as the analytical tool. The chapter discusses the concepts and definitions of cell lineage and provides an overview of what has been gleaned thus far from the combination of concepts and methodology. It is axiomatic that cell lineage relationships exist during the development of any multicellular organism. All creatures are essentially a single clone of cells by virtue of the fact that all of the cells of an organism are descended from a single founder cell: the fertilized egg. In the mammal, this can be extended since all cells in the adult are (poly) clonal descendants of the few cells that form the inner cell mass of the preimplantation embryo and, later, from the cells of the embryonic ectoderm of the early postimplantation embryo. The chapter describes how to study cell lineage and mentions cell markers and strategies for their use.
Exact analytical equations for predicting nonlinear phase errors and jitter in ring oscillators

In this paper, we present a simple analytical equation for capturing phase errors in 3-stage ring oscillators. The model, based on a simple but useful idealization of the ring oscillator, is provably exact for small noise perturbations. Despite its simplicity and purely analytical form, our model correctly captures the time-dependent sensitivity of oscillator phase to external perturbations. It is thus well suited for estimating both qualitative and quantitative features of ring oscillator phase response to internal noises, as well as to power, ground and substrate interference. The nonlinear nature of the model makes it suitable for predicting injection locking as well. Comparisons of the new model with existing phase models are provided, and its application for correct prediction of supply-noise induced jitter in PLLs, as well as for capturing injection locking, demonstrated. Requiring knowledge only of the amplitude and frequency of the oscillator, the model is ideally suited for early design exploration at the system and circuit levels. An interesting feature of the analytical equation is its strong connection with the number 1.618034 (the Golden Mean), celebrated since ancient times for its significance in a variety of mathematical, aesthetic and scientific disciplines.
Reference Architecture for Multi-Layer Software Defined Optical Data Center Networks

As cloud computing data centers grow larger and networking devices proliferate; many complex issues arise in the network management architecture. We propose a framework for multi-layer; multi-vendor optical network management using open standards-based software defined networking (SDN). Experimental results are demonstrated in a test bed consisting of three data centers interconnected by a 125 km metropolitan area network; running OpenStack with KVM and VMW are components. Use cases include inter-data center connectivity via a packet-optical metropolitan area network; intra-data center connectivity using an optical mesh network; and SDN coordination of networking equipment within and between multiple data centers. We create and demonstrate original software to implement virtual network slicing and affinity policy-as-a-service offerings. Enhancements to synchronous storage backup; cloud exchanges; and Fibre Channel over Ethernet topologies are also discussed.
Resummed Photon Spectrum in Radiative ϒ Decays

We present a theoretical prediction for the photon spectrum in radiative $\ensuremath{\Upsilon}$ decay including the effects of resumming the end point region, ${E}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{M}_{\ensuremath{\Upsilon}}/2$. Our approach is based on nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) and the soft-collinear effective theory. We find that our results give much better agreement with data than the leading order NRQCD prediction.
Hubble space telescope observations of young star clusters in NGC-4038/4039, 'the antennae' galaxies

New, high-resolution images of the disks of NGC 4038/4039 obtained with the Wide Field Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) are presented. NGC 4038/4039, nicknamed The Antennae, is a prototypical example of a pair of colliding galaxies believed to be at an early stage of a merger. Down to the limiting magnitude of V approximately 23 mag, the HST images reveal a population of over 700 blue pointlike objects within the disks. The mean absolute magnitude of these objects is M(sub V) = -11 mag, with the brightest objects reaching M(sub V) approximately -15. Their mean apparent color indices ar U - V = -0.7 mag and V - 1 = 0.8 mag on the Johnson UVI passband system, while their mean indices corrected for internal reddening are (u - v)(sub 0) = -1.0 mag and (V - I(sub 0) = 0.5. Their mean effective radius, determined from slightly resolved images, is 18 pc (for H(sub 0) = 50 km/s /Mpc). Based on their luminosities and resolution, most of these objects cannot be individual stars, but are likely young compact star clusters. The brighter ones are similar to the objects found in NGC 1275 and NGC 7252, which appear to be young globular clusters formed during recent galazy mergers. Based on their U - V and V - I colors, the brightest, bluest clusters of NGC 4038/4039 appear to be less than 10 Myr old. Most of these bright clusters are relatively tightly clustered themselves, with typically a dozen individual clusters belonging to a complex identified as a giant H II region from ground-based observations. The cluster luminosity function (LF) is approximately a power law, phi(L)dL proportional to L(exp -1.78+/-0.05)dL, with no hint of a turnover at fainter magnitudes. This power-law shape agrees with the LF of Magellanic Cloud clusters and Galactic open clusters, but differs from the LF of old globular cluster systems that is typically Gaussian with a Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) of approximately 3 mag. Besides the blue clusters, we also find about a dozen extremely red objects with V - I greater than 3.0. The highest number density of these red objects is found in the SE quadrant, where star formation appears to be most recent. We propose that these objects may be very young star clusters still embedded in their placental dust cocoons.
Extinction in a field of bullets: a search for causes in the decline of the world's freshwater fishes

Abstract Because human actions alter the physical nature of aquatic ecosystems similarly worldwide, the extinction risk among many freshwater fishes that share particular life-history traits may also be similar. Determining whether taxonomic selectivity, the preferential loss (or persistence) of certain species groups, exists among the world's freshwater fish families is then a key step in predicting future species declines and triaging future conservation efforts. We use binomial statistics to look for taxonomic patterns among the world's freshwater fish families currently at risk of extinction. Families are identified as being at risk of extinction if at least one species within a given family is classified as either extinct or at risk of extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Redlist of Threatened Animals [Groombridge, B., Baillie, J., 1997. 1996 IUCN Red list of Threatened Animals. IUCN Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK]. Eighteen freshwater families have more threatened species than expected if extinction risk was evenly distributed across all families. Next, we use a series of chi-squared analyses to determine if various family-level characteristics (e.g. geographic distribution, body length, habitat preference, etc.) produce this taxonomic pattern. We find that families that inhabit well-studied regions of the world contain more threatened species. However, we find no indication of a unifying set of extinction-promoting biological or ecological traits that contribute to extinction risk among freshwater families. A possible explanation for this discrepancy is that aquatic alterations worldwide are so severe that extinction is being driven by extrinsic rather than intrinsic factors.
Teaching composition quality at scale: human judgment in the age of autograders

We describe an effort to improve the composition quality of student programs: the property that a program can be understood effectively by another person. As a semester-long component of UC Berkeley's first course for majors, CS 61A, we gave students composition guidelines, scores, and qualitative feedback-all generated manually by a course staff of 10 graders for over 700 students. To facilitate this effort, we created a new online tool that allows instructors to provide feedback efficiently at scale. Our system differs from recently developed alternatives in that it is a branch of an industrial tool originally developed for internal code reviews at Google and used extensively by the open-source community. We found that many of the features designed for industrial applications are well-suited for instructional use as well. We extended the system with permissions controls and comment memories tailored for giving educational feedback. Using this tool improved the consistency of the feedback we gave to students, the efficiency of generating that feedback, and our ability to communicate that feedback to students. Emphasizing composition throughout the course improved the composition of our students' code. The quality of student programs improved by a statistically significant margin (p
Presence of immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing hormone in human endometrium.

Immunoreactive CRH (IrCRH) is produced locally in experimentally induced and spontaneous inflammation. Where it exerts autocrine or paracrine proinflammatory effects. In addition, CRH is secreted by the human placenta, rat Leydig cells, and rat and human ovaries, where it may participate in the inflammatory processes of ovulation and luteolysis, and/or the regulation of steroidogenesis. Finally, CRH is secreted in vitro by cultured human epithelial and decidualized stromal endometrial cells. To investigate the presence of CRH in human endometrium in vivo, we examined this tissue immunohistochemically and by extraction/RIA using a polyclonal, highly specific antirat/human CRH antibody. Endometrial biopsies from 33 women, aged 23-43 yr (median age, 33.5 yr), were performed by linear endometrial curettage for diagnostic purposes at different stages of the cycle. Intense IrCRH staining was localized in the cytoplasm of cells of the endometrial glands in all samples examined. IrCRH was also found in endometria...
Influence of maturation on activity-stress related pathology in the rat colon

In the rat, activity-stress (A-S) treatment was related to varying degrees of inflammation, goblet depletion, and erosion of the mucosal wall. Young (aged twenty-eight days), and mature (aged seventy days), rats did not differ significantly in terms of overall thinning of the colon wall, however the incidence of hematuria, hemorrhage at fecal bolus sites, mucosal hyperemia and interstitial compression of the mucosal wall was greater for younger animals. These findings suggest that A-S produces both more severe and more acute colonic pathology in young animals. The use of the A-S paradigm as an appropriate route for inducing psychological stress is discussed in terms of its capacity to evoke a somatic stress response as indicated by stereotypical alterations of structure and function of the gastrointestinal and thymicolymphatic system.
Continuous versus pulsed tones in audiometry.

The purpose of this study was to compare auditory thresholds obtained for continuous and pulsed tones in listeners with normal hearing. Auditory thresholds, test—retest reliability, falsepositive r...
Effect of Gas Diffusion on Creep Behavior of Polycarbonate

Biaxial tension-tension creep experiments were performed to study the effect of gas diffusion on creep behavior of polycarbonate. Experiments were conducted on a thin-walled tubular specimen by applying both gas pressure and axial tension at room temperature, and measuring axial strain and gas absorption. Experiments were performed with helium, nitrogen, air, carbon dioxide and Freon-221 . It was found that the creep deformation was highly affected by the solubility controlled gases, carbon dioxide and Freon. The absorption measurements showed that the gas absorption behavior was clearly affected by the creep deformation of the material. Also an anomalous diffusion-type behavior appeared even in permanent gas-polymer systems under creep conditions. The modified superposition principle satisfactorily predicted the recovery following creep. The axial creep for the biaxial tension-tension experiments was also computed from data previously reported for creep under combined tension and torsion of a different sample of polycarbonate.
Cystic Medial Necrosis of the Ascending Aorta in Relation to Age and Hypertension

The presence of cystic medial necrosis in the human ascending thoracic aorta was determined by histologic examination in a series of 250 necropsies. Cases of Marfan's syndrome, idiopathic dilatation of the aorta and dissecting aneurysm were not included. The severity of lesions of cystic medial necrosis were graded on the basis of 1 to 4 according to the amount of basophilic ground substance and fragmentation of elastic tissue. In most positive cases the lesion was of minimal (grade 1 or 2) severity. The incidence of cystic medial necrosis increased progressively from 10 percent in the first two decades of age to 60 and 64 percent in the seventh and eighth decades, respectively. Using the Fisher probability test, this difference is highly significant (P < 0.01). Among hypertensive subjects, the incidence of cystic medial necrosis was consistently higher than in normotensive subjects of comparable ages. Using the chi square test by decades and “all together”, this difference could easily be due to chance alone (P = 0.36 → 0.94).
Induction of systemic immunologic hyporesponsiveness to ovalbumin in neonatal rats by the enteric administration of peptic fragments of ovalbumin.

The orogastric administration of protein antigens can induce specific systemic immunologic hyporesponsiveness to the antigens. Some evidence has suggested that fragmentation of the antigens by proteolytic enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract is a necessary step in this phenomenon. We administered either ovalbumin (OVA) or fragments of OVA, produced by digestion with pepsin, into the stomach or jejunum of suckling rats and measured the serum IgG antibody response to a subsequent intraperitoneal challenge with OVA. Whereas OVA administered by gastric gavage caused virtually a complete unresponsiveness to the OVA challenge, administration into the jejunum had no significant effect. Administration of peptic fragments of OVA (about 8000 Da) into either the jejunum or stomach caused systemic unresponsiveness in 62% and 67% of animals, respectively (p <.05 vs buffer-fed controls). Smaller fragments of OVA (< 2000 Da) given into the stomach or jejunum had no effect on systemic IgG responses, nor did administrati...
Higher Education Classroom Fail to Meet Needs of Faculty and Students

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were (1) to determine differences between faculty and student opinions about university classrooms when the User's Environmental Interaction Framework (UEIF) model's quadrants were considered together, (2) to determine the positive, negative, and different effects between these populations within each UEIF quadrant, and (3) to determine faculty and student use. RESEARCH DESIGN: The User's Environmental Framework (UEIF) guided the research at a large university. This framework has four quadrants: environmental/value dimensions, and behavioral/internal responses, prox-emics concepts, and interactional influences. The study had two parts: (1) a 48-question questionnaire, and (2) behavioral observations surveying both faculty and students (120 subjects) who used 15 general purpose classrooms. ANALYSIS: Stepwise Discriminant Analysis determined which subset of questions best separates student from faculty responses. Canonical Discriminant Analysis further explained relationships. KEY FINDINGS: Return rate was 67% and four observations of each classroom were conducted. Faculty and students agreed on the majority of the items. Subjects felt lighting, air quality, maintenance, equipment, and general comfort were adequate. There was a lack of commitment to the classrooms and subjects had little desire to stay in these rooms. Faculty and students disagreed on 10 questions. Faculty felt the classrooms did not convey a positive experience relating to noise control, seating flexibility, and lacked provision for social interaction. Students found signage inadequate and felt classrooms were uninspiring, nonanticipatory, and lacking symbolic meaning. Behavioral observations supported these concerns. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that general purpose classrooms on this campus do not meet all needs of faculty or students. Problem areas can be addressed through thoughtful knowledge-based interior design solutions. “I have to use a lecture format because I can't change the seating around to include group discussion.” “I have to send students out into the hallway if I want to utilize a team approach in my teaching, because the seating is fixed.” “I have to move the furniture at the front of the room out of my way as it looks like a used furniture store.” “Technology is not integrated, nor easily accessible. It is provided ad hoc, and looks it.”
Reporting of Linkage Results

This work was supported in part by grants from the U.S. Public Health Service: research grant GM-28356, from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; research grant DK-57292, from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; and resource grant RR-03655, from the National Center for Research Resources.
Is the Drip-and-Ship Approach to Delivering Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke Safe?

Abstract Background: The drip-and-ship method of treating stroke patients may increase the use of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) in community hospitals. Objective: The safety and early outcomes of patients treated with t-PA for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) by the drip-and-ship method were compared to patients directly treated at a stroke center. Methods: The charts of all patients who were treated with intravenous (i.v.) t-PA at outside hospitals under the remote guidance of our stroke team and were then transferred to our facility were reviewed. Baseline NIHSS (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale) scores, onset-to-treatment (OTT), and arrival-to-treatment (ATT) times were abstracted. The rates of in-hospital mortality, symptomatic hemorrhage (sICH), early excellent outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] ≤ 1), and early good outcome (discharge home or to inpatient rehabilitation) were determined. Results: One hundred sixteen patients met inclusion criteria. Eighty-four (72.4%) were treated within 3 h of symptom onset. The median estimated NIHSS score was 9.5 (range 3–27). The median OTT time was 150 min, and the median ATT was 85 min. These patients had an in-hospital mortality rate of 10.7% and sICH rate of 6%. Thirty percent of patients had an early excellent outcome and 75% were discharged to home or inpatient rehabilitation. When these outcome rates were compared with those observed in patients treated directly at our stroke center, there were no statistical differences. Conclusions: In this small retrospective study, drip-and-ship management of delivering i.v. t-PA for AIS patients did not seem to compromise safety. However, a large prospective study comparing drip-and-ship management to routine care is needed to validate the safety of this approach to treatment.
BU, melphalan and thiotepa as a preparative regimen for auto-transplantation in Hodgkin’s disease

BU, melphalan and thiotepa as a preparative regimen for auto-transplantation in Hodgkin’s disease
Budesonide versus prednisolone for the treatment of active Crohn's disease in children: a randomized, double-blind, controlled, multicentre trial

ObjectivesBudesonide is a corticosteroid with low systemic bioavailability because of its high first-pass metabolism in the liver. In this paediatric, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, controlled, multicentre trial, the safety and efficacy of budesonide versus prednisolone were evaluated in ch
Particle cloud concentration profiles for a turbulent flat plate boundary layer

Abstract A model is presented that predicts spatial concentration of particles in a turbulent flat plate boundary layer. Them model solves the two-dimensional particle diffusion equation which describes the movement of aerosol without the influence of filed forces within a zero pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer under the assumtion of a constant average particle diffusivity through the layer. By using a value of D p = 10 −3 cm 2 /sec, the numerical integration yields a wall value for the dimensionless cloud concentration of 1.7 × 10 −2 versus 1.5 × 10 −2 for the value calculated from experimentally determined deposition results. This value of D p is also substantiated heuristically and by comparison with values predicted by other models. The overall result is a universal cloud concentration profile for particles in a zero pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer allowing one to predict deposition from the cloud concentration existing at the surface.
Performance Metrics for Structural Composite Capacitiors

In previous efforts, structural composite capacitors were developed using off-the-shelf starting materials and conventional composites processing techniques [1]. Assuming a stiffness-driven design we showed that while these devices may not perform individual structural or energy storage functions as well as their conventional monofunctional counterparts, on a system level they perform these functions efficiently enough to save mass. In this work we examine the efficacy of these structural capacitors in saving mass for a strength-based design. We also consider the multifunctional performance assuming a stiffness-driven design in which the goal is to save overall system volume. Experiments and analysis show that the best-performing structural capacitors simultaneously reduce overall system mass and volume.
Modified k-ϵ model for two-phase turbulent jets

Abstract A modified k - ϵ model is proposed for two-phase turbulent jets which takes into account the additional dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy by the dispersed phase. Within the context of the two-phase averaged equation for the turbulent kinetic energy of the continuous phase, a constitutive relation is proposed for the additional dissipation of turbulence. The additional dissipation effect was modeled using a transfer function, which relates the fluctuations of the dispersed phase with the fluctuations of the continuous phase, integrating over the turbulence energy spectrum. A further improvement to the theory considers that dissipation only occurs when the eddies are bigger than the particles. Therefore a cutoff frequency is proposed and for big particles or bubbles dissipation may become negligible. The model is inserted in an Eulerian computational fluid dynamics code. The results are compared with data available in the literature for an air-particle jet. The results agree with the data within the range of experimental error. Comparisons were also made without including dissipation effects and it was concluded that the dissipation due to eddy-particle interactions is significant and should be included in a general two-phase k - ϵ model.
Hypothermia decreases excitatory neurotransmitter release in bacterial meningitis in rabbits

The excitatory neurotransmitters glutamate (GLU) and aspartate (ASP) are involved in the pathogenesis of neuronal injury in meningitis. Based on past findings that the induction of moderate hypothermia (32-34 degrees C) attenuates the release of GLU in ischemic brain injury, this study was designed to detect if the application of moderate hypothermia decreases the release of excitatory amino acids (EAA) from brain tissue of animals with bacterial meningitis. Also examined was whether meningitis induces the expression of 72-kDa heat shock protein (HSP 70) in the cerebellum and how hypothermia affects it, for induction of HSP 70 has been used as a sensitive marker of neuronal stress in other forms of brain injury. Meningitis was induced by injecting Group B Streptococcus (GBS) into the cisterna magnae of rabbits. Antibiotic treatment began 16 h later. At this time the animals were anesthetized, instrumented, and randomized to normothermic (Nor) or hypothermic (Hy) conditions. Temperatures were strictly regimented for the following 10 h while maintaining stable cardiorespiratory parameters. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were then withdrawn to measure concentrations of bacteria, protein, and amino acids. Meningitis causes CSF contents of GLU and ASP to increase significantly. Hypothermia treated animals demonstrated a 40-50% reduction in CSF GLU and ASP. Meningitis induced the expression of HSP 70 in the cerebellum while hypothermic animals experienced a significant decrease HSP 70 induction. These data demonstrate that hypothermia produces an attenuation of the release of excitatory neurotransmitters in meningitis and suggest that this treatment may attenuate neuronal stress.
Stem cell aging and cancer.

Stem cells are capable of self-renewal, differentiation into various lineages, and proliferation; thus, they play critical roles in the functioning and maintenance of many biological systems. Howev...
Portal venous gas emboli after accidental ingestion of concentrated hydrogen peroxide.

Abstract Background Hydrogen peroxide is a common household product. It is clear and odorless making it easy to confuse with water, especially when improperly stored. Concentrated formulations are also available for consumer purchase. Objective We report a case of hydrogen peroxide ingestion in a child and discuss the potential consequences and treatment of such an exposure. Case Report A 12-year-old boy accidentally ingested a sip of concentrated hydrogen peroxide. He rapidly developed hematemesis and presented to the Emergency Department. His initial work-up was unremarkable, and his symptoms resolved quickly. However, diffuse gas emboli were found within the portal system on abdominal computed tomography. The child was treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and later found to have gastric irritation as well as an ulcer on endoscopy. He recovered fully from the incident. Conclusions We present this case to increase awareness of the dangers of hydrogen peroxide ingestion in children. Fortunately, the child in this case recovered fully, but emergency physicians should be aware of the potential consequences and therapeutic options.
Managing Nonfinancial Conflict of Interest: How the “New McCarthyism” Could Work

Howard Brody (2011) effectively skewers “pharmapologist” objections to his favored account of conflicts of interest with regard to the American Academy of Family Physicians’ relationship with The C...
Opposite Effects of Low and High Doses of Aβ42 on Electrical Network and Neuronal Excitability in the Rat Prefrontal Cortex

Changes in neuronal synchronization have been found in patients and animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Synchronized behaviors within neuronal networks are important to such complex cognitive processes as working memory. The mechanisms behind these changes are not understood but may involve the action of soluble β-amyloid (Aβ) on electrical networks. In order to determine if Aβ can induce changes in neuronal synchronization, the activities of pyramidal neurons were recorded in rat prefrontal cortical (PFC) slices under calcium-free conditions using multi-neuron patch clamp technique. Electrical network activities and synchronization among neurons were significantly inhibited by low dose Aβ42 (1 nM) and initially by high dose Aβ42 (500 nM). However, prolonged application of high dose Aβ42 resulted in network activation and tonic firing. Underlying these observations, we discovered that prolonged application of low and high doses of Aβ42 induced opposite changes in action potential (AP)-threshold and after-hyperpolarization (AHP) of neurons. Accordingly, low dose Aβ42 significantly increased the AP-threshold and deepened the AHP, making neurons less excitable. In contrast, high dose Aβ42 significantly reduced the AP-threshold and shallowed the AHP, making neurons more excitable. These results support a model that low dose Aβ42 released into the interstitium has a physiologic feedback role to dampen electrical network activity by reducing neuronal excitability. Higher concentrations of Aβ42 over time promote supra-synchronization between individual neurons by increasing their excitability. The latter may disrupt frontal-based cognitive processing and in some cases lead to epileptiform discharges.
Imaging of chronic pancreatitis

This article reviews the recognized findings of chronic pancreatitis on CT and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. It also discusses more recently developed techniques including gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging, MR cholangiopancreatography, and endoscopic ultrasound. Variants of chronic pancreatitis and difficulties in differentiating pancreatic neoplasms from inflammatory pancreatic masses are also discussed.
Guiding the Nonmagnetic Particles by Magnetic Nanoparticles in a Microfluidic Device Using External Magnetic Fields

A microfluidic device was fabricated via UV lithography technique to separate nonmagnetic fluoresbrite carboxy microspheres (∼4.5 μm) from the ferrofluids made of magnetic nanoparticles (∼10 nm). A mixture of microspheres and ferrofluid was injected to lithographically developed Y shape micro channels, and then by applying the external magnet field, the fluoresbrite carboxy microspheres and ferrofluids were clearly separated into different channels because of the magnetic force acting on those nonmagnetic particles. During the fabrication, a number of different parameters, such as UV exposure times, UV power level and photoresist thickness were tested to optimize for our needs. In addition, in the magnetic field testing, different pumping speeds, and particle concentrations associated with the various distances between the magnet and the microfluidic system were studied for an efficient separation.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Purple spots and chickenpox.

QUESTION: The mother of a 9-year-old girl calls the nurse to ask if she should bring her daughter to the clinic because her daughter now has purple spots on her body after a chickenpox infection. The mother noted the onset of the purple spots the day before and denies any history of trauma. The chickenpox had begun 10 days ago and was mostly healing. She was told to bring in the patient immediately for evaluation. The young girl appeared fatigued. She was holding a wad of tissues in her mouth to stop the bleeding from a baby tooth that had fallen out 2 days ago. Most of the purple spots were seen on the legs (figure). Blood pressure, pulse, and temperature were normal. The examination showed no other bleeding sites than the tooth socket, which was oozing slowly. The old varicella lesions were in various stages of reepithelialization. What are the purple spots, and what is the pathogenesis? How would you diagnose this condition, and what is the appropriate treatment? ANSWER: The purple spots are purpura and petechiae. The most likely cause is a low platelet count in the condition of varicella-associated thrombocytopenia. The continued bleeding from the tooth socket supports the hypothesis of a bleeding disorder. A platelet count with a complete blood count, prothrombin time, and partial thromboplastin time were obtained immediately. The platelet count was 12×109/L (12,000/μL). This severe thrombocytopenia explains the purpura, petechiae, and oral bleeding. The presumptive diagnosis was virus-associated idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or, more specifically, a varicella-associated thrombocytopenia. Although this is a rare condition, it has been reported numerous times in the world's medical literature.
Isolation of a Gene Product Expressed by a Subpopulation of Human Lung Fibroblasts by Differential Display

Fibroblasts are the major cell type responsible for synthesizing matrix constituents in lung and other connective tissues. Evidence indicates that fibroblasts are heterogeneous, and that subpopulations with some distinct properties are clonally selected and expanded in fibrotic diseases. However, few distinct markers capable of demonstrating the presence of fibroblast subpopulations in tissues have been isolated so far. With the objective of identifying proteins that could detect fibroblast subpopulations, we compared the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of two cultured human lung fibroblast subpopulations by differential display. Total RNA was obtained, complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesized, and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products obtained with several primer pairs were compared. One 724-bp product, which was strongly expressed by one human lung fibroblast subpopulation, was identified and cloned. This product was poorly expressed by the other lung fibroblast subpopulation. The mRNA for the gene encoding this product was not detectable in human smooth-muscle cells, endothelial cells, or epithelial cells, although it was present in dermal fibroblasts. The mRNA was detected in normal and fibrotic human lungs. Search of the National Center for Biotechnology (NCBI) GenBank DNA database with the sequence obtained from this clone revealed no significant matches. However, a search of the NCBI database of expressed sequence tags (dBEST) revealed five different human expressed sequence tag (EST) clones corresponding to the LR8 cDNA sequence. Six additional mouse and one pig EST clones were identified that showed significant similarity to the human fibroblast cDNA. Composites of the entire coding sequences for the human fibroblast gene product and the mouse homologue were assembled from the respective overlapping EST sequences. The open reading frame identified for each composite sequence predicted protein products of 270 and 263 amino acids for the human and mouse sequences, respectively, which were 52% identical, with three gaps. At the amino acid level, no significant sequence similarity was detected with any other sequences in exhaustive searches of the NCBI DNA and protein databases or the Blocks databases. A PCR product with predicted length and sequence was obtained by using a sense primer upstream to LR8 and an antisense primer within LR8. Our results indicate that this differentially displayed product represents a previously undescribed protein that could be useful for distinguishing fibroblasts, and possibly fibroblast subpopulations, from other cell types in lungs and other tissues.
Implementing a Vertically Integrated BIM Curriculum in an Undergraduate Construction Management Program

The popularity of Building Information Modeling (BIM) as an integral concept in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries has motivated its necessary inclusion in Construction Management (CM) education. Implementing BIM as a mainstream, elective or integrated subject within an established undergraduate curriculum is challenging due to limitations such as available teaching time, knowledge retention in students and the flexibility of the curriculum to adapt with a fast developing technology. Pedagogy must combine fundamental learning of theory, practical experience and the use of technology in a collaborative environment to effectively implement BIM. Vertical integration is one such method that was implemented and evaluated to promote BIM education in the undergraduate Construction Management program at Arizona State University. This article discusses the evolution of the BIM curriculum and focuses on the vertical integration of upper-division and lower-division students for a Site L...
Cytokines regulate cysteine cathepsins during TLR responses

TLR activation is an important component of innate immunity but also contributes to the severity of inflammatory diseases. Cysteine cathepsins (Cat) B, L and S, which are endosomal and lysosomal proteases, participate in numerous physiological systems and are upregulated during various inflammatory disorders and cancers. Macrophages have the highest cathepsin expression and are major contributors to inflammation and tissue damage during chronic inflammatory diseases. We investigated the impact of TLR activation on macrophage Cat B, L and S activities using live-cell enzymatic assays. TLR2, TLR3 and TLR4 ligands increased intracellular activities of these cathepsins in a differential manner. TLR4-induced cytokines increased proteolytic activities without changing mRNA expression of cathepsins or their endogenous inhibitors. Neutralizing antibodies recognizing TNF-α, IL-1β and IFN-β differentially eliminated cathepsin upregulation. These findings indicate cytokines induced by MyD88-dependent and -independent signaling cascades regulate cathepsin activities during macrophage responses to TLR stimulation.
Effects of Vortices on Sound Propagation

Our simulations indicate that the presence of a vortex in or near acoustic propagation paths can have profound effects on the distributions of sound energy and cause sound waves to originate from virtual source positions. For example, recent studies have shown that infrasonic energy arrives from the regions of hurricanes. The azimuths measured for a limited number of cases published to date do not seem to originate from the vortex cores; but rather from the periphery of the system. This raises the questions: Is the sound being affected by strong wind and temperature gradients with the measured azimuths indicating virtual source positions? -or- Is the sound generation mechanism located outside of the vortex core?Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Finding effective search strategies for the TwoBik puzzle

In a "TwoBik Puzzle," a player must move rows and columns which wrap around a torus to reach a specified sequence of tiles. This type of puzzle has attributes that resemble a combination of the N-Puzzle and the Rubik's Cube, however little research has been published directly related to the TwoBik Puzzle and how to effectively solve it using heuristic search strategies. Instances of the TwoBik puzzle up to a 3x3 board size are mostly trivial to solve using informed and even uninformed search strategies, but larger boards are substantially more difficult. Even a modest 4x4 board is nearly impossible to solve without a proper heuristic, and can be difficult for the average human player. In order to find the most efficient method of solving a toroidal puzzle of this type, we employ a number of search algorithms and heuristics and record our findings.
Identifying deformed pseudotachylyte and its influence on the strength and evolution of a crustal shear zone at the base of the seismogenic zone

Abstract On a strand of the Norumbega fault system, a Paleozoic, subvertical, seismogenic fault system in northeastern New England, USA, we document changes associated with the formation and deformation of pseudotachylyte to form ultramylonite/phyllonite layers. We consider how those textural and mineralogical changes affected the rheology of the layer and how significant volumes of pseudotachylyte over time may have weakened the shear zone. The Norumbega fault system is characterized by a number of mylonitic shear zones exhumed from depths of ~ 10–15 km, some of which preserve evidence for mutually-overprinting pseudotachylyte and mylonite. Along one of these, the Sandhill Corner shear zone, all stages of the pseudotachylyte to ultramylonite/phyllonite transformation are preserved, from (1) primary pseudotachylyte structures to (2) initial mineral crystallization, (3) grain coarsening and reactions, and (4) viscous deformation. Our observations show that ultramylonite layers exhibit identifying features that when present together are distinctive of a pseudotachylyte origin. Using these features, we estimate that ~ 5–50% of the rock volume in the Sandhill Corner shear zone (mean ~ 30%, locally > 50%) is deformed pseudotachylyte, suggesting that deformed pseudotachylyte may be more prevalent than previously thought in faults exhumed from the base of the seismogenic zone. The Sandhill Corner shear zone localized along the contact between two rheologically-contrasting units. Mylonite fabric intensity and the occurrence of fresh and deformed pseudotachylyte increase with proximity to the contact and shear zone core, indicating that seismic rupture also localized there. A decrease in grain size promoting grain-size-sensitive creep and a progressively interconnected mica network associated with local basal slip within the deformed pseudotachylyte both worked to decrease the strength of those layers. The formation of multiple generations of weak, deformed pseudotachylyte layers at or near the lithologic contact may have played an important role in the spatiotemporal persistence of the shear zone core.
Concentration of glycerol in aqueous microdroplets by selective removal of water.

Among the challenges associated with vitrification of cells, a major roadblock is the requirement of high concentrations of cryoprotectant (CPA) chemicals and the damages caused by prolonged exposure of cells to these high concentrations above the glass transition temperature. These effects are minimized with controlled CPA loading. Certain organic oils, such as soybean oil, are made of triacylglycerols and are capable of dissolving small amounts of water, a property which enhances significantly with temperature. This phenomenon was exploited here to accomplish temperature controlled concentration of glycerol in single water droplets dispersed in the organic phase. Emulsions of aqueous solutions of glycerol in soybean oil were made and subjected to temperature increase of 10 °C from room temperature. Upon increasing temperature, water dissolved into the oil rendering the 15–20 micron droplets concentrated an average of 3.6 times and 2.6 times for 1M and 2M starting concentrations respectively with the oil-insoluble glycerol in 90 – 110 seconds. This phenomenon could be used to dynamically concentrate CPAs within cell-containing droplets which may then be vitrified before being exposed to high temperatures for fatally long times.