cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A microfluidic platform for generating large-scale nearly identical human microphysiological vascularized tissue arrays

This paper reports a polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic model system that can develop an array of nearly identical human microtissues with interconnected vascular networks. The microfluidic system design is based on an analogy with an electric circuit, applying resistive circuit concepts to design pressure dividers in serially-connected microtissue chambers. A long microchannel (550, 620 and 775 mm) creates a resistive circuit with a large hydraulic resistance. Two media reservoirs with a large cross-sectional area and of different heights are connected to the entrance and exit of the long microchannel to serve as a pressure source, and create a near constant pressure drop along the long microchannel. Microtissue chambers (0.12 μl) serve as a two-terminal resistive component with an input impedance >50-fold larger than the long microchannel. Connecting each microtissue chamber to two different positions along the long microchannel creates a series of pressure dividers. Each microtissue chamber enables a controlled pressure drop of a segment of the microchannel without altering the hydrodynamic behaviour of the microchannel. The result is a controlled and predictable microphysiological environment within the microchamber. Interstitial flow, a mechanical cue for stimulating vasculogenesis, was verified by finite element simulation and experiments. The simplicity of this design enabled the development of multiple microtissue arrays (5, 12, and 30 microtissues) by co-culturing endothelial cells, stromal cells, and fibrin within the microchambers over two and three week periods. This methodology enables the culturing of a large array of microtissues with interconnected vascular networks for biological studies and applications such as drug development.
Commentary on "making evidence-based decisions about child language intervention in schools" by Gillam and Gillam.

Purpose This paper is a personal reaction to Gillam and Gillam’s treatise on evidence-based decision making in schools. This evaluation focuses principally on the costs and benefits of clinicians' search for external evidence, potential problems associated with efforts to grade that evidence, and the integration of this evidence with “internal” evidence related to specific children and their families, clinician preferences and experience, and the school setting. Method Descriptive methods (that are not evidence-based) are used to evaluate critically Gillam and Gillam’s proposals on the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) in schools. Conclusion Early efforts to implement the plan for EBP illustrated by Gillam and Gillam are likely to be difficult, forcing clinicians to be flexible and patient. Nevertheless, if the plan is followed, it will result ultimately in improved speech-language pathology services in the schools and improved clinical research to support those services.
Effects of the ectoparasite Boonea (= Odostomia) impressa (Say) (Gastropoda:Pyramidellidae) on the growth rate, filtration rate, and valve movements of the host Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin)

Abstract Boonea (= Odostomia ) impressa (Say) is an ectoparasitic gastropod commonly found on the American oyster Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin). Field and laboratory studies were conducted to quantify effects of the ectoparasite on the physiology of oysters. After 2 wk of parasitism, three and six Boonea impressa per oyster significantly reduced both organic and inorganic growth and survival of juvenile Crassostrea virginica under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, six Boonea impressa per oyster affected feeding behavior of Crassostrea virginica by significantly reducing filtration rates of juvenile oysters, and significantly increasing the number of valve adductions of adult oysters. Filtration rates returned to normal within 2 h after Boonea impressa were removed. Previous workers have considered adverse effects of parasitism by B. impressa only in terms of removal of nutrients from the host oyster. In this study reduction in growth of parasitized oysters could not be wholly explained by the metabolic energy requirements of the ectoparasites; we suggest that interference with the feeding behavior of oysters has a significant effect on growth and survival.
Fiscal Deficits, Monetary Reform, and Inflation Stabilization in Romania

Unsustainable fiscal deficits were the chief reason for the inflation that has persisted in Eastern Europe since 1989. Deficits need to be cut back, but by how much for a given inflation target? The authors develop a simple framework for debt, the deficit, and inflation to study the interactions between fiscal and monetary policy in Romania's economy. This framework can be used to 1) determine the financeable deficit and the required deficit reduction for a given rate of output growth, inflation rate, and target for debt-output ratios, and 2) find the rate, and target for which no fiscal adjustment is needed. They use this framework to assess consistency between inflation, monetary reform, and fiscal policy in Romania. Many of the issues in Romania are similar to those in other countries. But Romania is an interesting case because of its history of unsuccessful stabilization attempts. The authors' results suggest that fiscal problems during 1992-94 were masked by shifting government expenses to the books of the National Bank of Romania so that the government deficit did not fully reflect public spending. In addition, the effects of delayed fiscal adjustment were mitigated by exchange rate overvaluation and favorable debt dynamics. In the late 1990s, however, debt dynamics worsened and the economy experienced significant real depreciation. That exacerbated the fiscal problems and increased the fiscal adjustment needed to restore consistency.
Can experience-based household food security scales help improve food security governance?

Abstract Experience-based food security scales (EBFSSs) have been shown to be valid across world regions. EBFSSs are increasingly been included in national food and nutrition assessments and food hardship items have been added to regional and global public opinion polls. EBFSSs meet the SMART criteria for identifying useful indicators. And have the potential to help improve accountability, transparency, intersectoral coordination and a more effective and equitable distribution of resources. EBFSSs have increased awareness about food and nutrition insecurity in the court of public opinion. Thus, it’s important to understand the potential that EBFSSs have for improving food and nutrition security governance within and across countries. The case of Brazil illustrates the strong likelihood that EBFSSs do have a strong potential to influence food and governance from the national to the municipal level. A recent Gallup World Poll data analysis on the influence of the “2008 food crisis” on food hardship illustrates how even a single item from EBFSSs can help examine if food security governance in different world regions modifies the impact of crises on household food insecurity. Systematic research that bridges across economics, political science, ethics, public health and program evaluation is needed to better understand if and how measurement in general and EBFSSs in particular affect food security governance.
An automated content-based segmentation framework: Application to MR images of knee for osteoarthritis research

To effectively diagnose and monitor the treatment of diseases such as osteoarthritis, the segmentation, processing and analysis of mass volumes of medical images is gaining high importance. In this paper, a new fully automated content-based segmentation framework is proposed. The framework is designed to be compatible with a wide variety of segmentation techniques. To this end, a novel content-based two-pass block discovery mechanism is proposed to provide full automation for image segmentation. The proposed framework uses both training and local image data and disjoint block-wise image scanning to achieve ROI and background block discovery. The detected object and background blocks are then used to initialize and support the segmentation process. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated by performing automatic segmentation of the femur and tibia bones in knee osteoarthritis MR images with 96% accuracy. Experimental results are provided which show the effectiveness of the proposed framework.
Revision after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction by restoration of the posterolateral bundle

Recurrent instability after primary single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is predominantly caused by technical errors. Delayed biological incorporation and traumatic reinjury represent other factors of ACL graft failure. However, there are patients with an intact single-bundle ACL graft complaining of recurrent instability where imaging studies lack inappropriate positioning of the tunnels and other technical errors. This recurrent instability may be caused by an incomplete restoration of the native ACL because biomechanical studies have shown only partial restoration of normal kinematics in single-bundle ACL reconstruction. We present 2 cases of recurrent instability after primary single-bundle ACL reconstruction that demonstrated an intact ACL graft. We performed an augmentation of the intact ACL graft representing the anteromedial bundle by reconstruction of the posterolateral bundle. This novel technique may address a (partially) recurrent instability after primary ACL reconstruction.
Signal processing for infrared scanning arrays and imagers

The Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. has been conducting extensive research in the area of infrared tracking systems. Automatic detection of sea surface targets has been experimentally investigated by using a programmable passive infrared seeker system. The Victor seeker system uses two independent programmable infrared tracking systems which are mounted on naval P-3 aircraft and flown at sea surface targets. This system contains an infrared scanning detector array assembly, an infrared camera imaging system and a VME multicomputer control/image processor. The seeker system permits varying key parameters in software and evaluating the performance in real world target scenarios.
Ecological pragmatics: Values, dialogical arrays, complexity, and caring

This paper explores the hypothesis that first-order linguistic activities are better understood in terms of ecological, values-realizing dynamics rather than in terms of rule-governed processes. Conversing, like other perception-action skills (e.g., driving) is constrained by multiple values, heterarchically organized. This hypothesis is explored in terms of three broad approaches that contrast with models of language which view it as a cognitive system: (1) conversing as a perceptual system for exploring dialogical arrays (Hodges 2007a); (2) conversing as an action system for integrating diverse space-time scales (Van Orden 2007); and (3) conversing as a caring system for embodying the context-sensitivity and interdependency necessary to realize values (Hodges 2007b). Approaching language as a caring action-perception system leads to a reconsideration of cognitive dimensions of linguistic activities, including consciousness, pragmatics, suffering, and hope.
Grooves on small saturnian satellites and other objects: Characteristics and significance

High-resolution images from the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) show parallel sets of grooves on Epimetheus and Pandora. Grooves have previously been observed on other satellites and asteroids, including Phobos, Gaspra, Ida, Eros, and minor occurrences on Phoebe. Sets of parallel grooves are so far observed only on satellites known or likely to be subject to significant tidal stresses, such as forced librations. Grooves on asteroids and on satellites not subject to significant forced librations occur in more globally disorganized patterns that may reflect impacts, varying internal structures, or even thermal stresses. The patterns and individual morphologies of grooves on the tidally-affected satellites suggest fracturing in weak materials due to tidal stresses and forced librations.
Biphasic production of antisperm autoantibodies follow vasectomy of the Lewis rat

Abstract Temporal changes in the specificity of post-vasectomy autoantibodies to SDS-PAGE separated sperm antigens were investigated in Lewis rats. Sera were obtained from nine vasectomized animals prior to vasectomy, every two weeks for 14 weeks, and less frequently thereafter, up to 41 weeks. Changes in antisperm autoantibodies over time were assessed by ELISA and western blot assay and compared to antisperm isoantiserum and normal Lewis rat serum. A “biphasic” pattern of autoantibody production over time was observed in a majority of individuals. This pattern was characterized by early phase autoantibodies, produced between 0 and 6 weeks after vasectomy, which bound antigens at the stacking, separating and ionic fronts and by late phase autoantibodies, produced after 4 weeks following vasectomy which bound antigens at 86, 63, 52, 43, 31 and 26 kDa. Previous work suggested that some high molecular weight autoantigens were disulfide-bonded polymers of the polypeptides at 86, 63, and 43 kba (Handley, et al., 1988). Indirect immunofluorescence with monospecific isoantisera to the 86 kDa autoantigen suggested that its corresponding high molecular weight polymer was located in the tail of cauda epididymal spermatozoa. This polymer possessed several characteristics of T cell independent autoantigens. These data show a change in the specificity of autoantibodies produced over time after vasectomy which may reflect a shift from T cell independent to T cell dependent autoantibody production by the Lewis rat.
An assessment of the role of communication apprehension in communicating with the terminally ill

Students who reported being high or low communication apprehensives in interpersonal encounters were asked to read a letter from a terminally or not terminally ill patient and write a letter in reply. These students also completed a variety of self‐report measures. In essence, high CAs were found to be less willing to communicate, less willing to volunteer, less willing to work with terminal patients, and felt less confident about their communication than low CAs. High CAs also disclosed less to terminal patients than did people in any other circumstance. Further, terminal patients who were depicted as quiet received less self‐disclosure and less communication that was sensitive to their perspective than did those in any other circumstance.
Spectroscopic analysis of polymers of benzylpenicillin and ampicillin.

Abstract The polymers of benzylpenicillin (penicillin G) and α-aminobenzylpenicillin (ampicillin) formed in aqueous solution were isolated by column chromatography and ultrafiltration. Infrared, uv, and nmr techniques were used to help elucidate the structures of these polymers. Penicilloic acid, penicillenic acid, and penamaldie acid residues were shown to be involved in the heterogenous materials, which were from 1000 to over 5000 in molecular weight. Ampicillin was shown to polymerize more readily because of the presence of the active benzylamine group.
Long-term Outcome and Risk of Heart Block After Surgical Treatment of Subaortic Stenosis

Although mortality following repair of subaortic obstruction is low, aggressive resection may increase morbidity. We sought to evaluate outcomes and risk of atrioventricular heart block (AVB) after subaortic resection in the current era. Simple obstruction was defined as a discrete subaortic membrane and complex as multilevel or diffuse narrowing. Limited resection included membranectomy and limited myomectomy. Aggressive resection included Konno, modified Konno, and Ross. Specified variables were obtained from a chart review. The 185 consecutive patients (1991-2008) ranged in age from 1 day to 21.8 years (5.1 ± 5.1 years) with 2 early and 4 late deaths. Actuarial survival was 97%, 95%, and 95% at 1, 5, and 10 years, respectively. Reoperations were required in 29 of 185 patients (15.7%); 2 required a third operation (1%). Freedom from reoperation in all patients was 97%, 83%, and 73% at 1, 5, and 10 years, respectively. Accessory mitral valve tissue (P < .001) and age <3 months (P = .004) predicted the need for reoperation. Transient or permanent high-degree AVB was documented in 33 of 185 patients (17.8%). Complex anatomy (P = .01) and aggressive resection (P < .001) increased the risk of acquiring AVB. The AVB was permanent in 21 of 185 (11.4%) patients, and pacemaker implantation was undertaken in 20 of 185 (10.8%) patients. Complex anatomy (P = .04) and modified Konno procedure (P = .03) increased the risk of acquiring a pacemaker. Aggressive resection lowered the frequency of recurrence but increased the risk of AVB. When aggressive resection is considered for long-term relief of subaortic obstruction, the risk of reobstruction must be balanced with the risk of AVB and the need for pacemaker implantation.
Stability Analysis of Tachocline Latitudinal Differential Rotation and Coexisting Toroidal Band Using a Shallow-Water Model

Recently global, quasi-two-dimensional instabilities of tachocline latitudinal differential rotation have been studied using a so-called shallow-water model. While purely hydrodynamic shallow-water type disturbances were found to destabilize only the overshoot tachocline, the MHD analysis showed that in the presence of a broad toroidal field, both the radiative and overshoot parts of the tachocline can be unstable. We explore here instability in the shallow-water solar tachocline with concentrated toroidal bands placed at a wide range of latitudes, emulating different phases of the solar cycle. In equilibrium, the poleward magnetic curvature stress of the band is balanced either by an equatorward hydrostatic pressure gradient or by the Coriolis force from a prograde jet inside the band. We find that toroidal bands placed almost at all latitudes make the system unstable to shallow-water disturbances. For bands without prograde jets, the instability persists well above 100 kG peak field, while a jet stabilizes the band at a field of ~40 kG. The jet imparts gyroscopic inertia to the toroidal band inhibiting it from unstably "tipping" its axis away from rotation axis. Like previously studied HD and MHD shallow-water instabilities in the tachocline, unstable shallow-water modes found here produce kinetic helicity and hence a tachocline α-effect; these narrow kinetic helicity profiles should generate narrowly confined poloidal fields, which will help formation of the narrow toroidal field. Toroidal bands poleward of 15° latitude suppress midlatitude hydrodynamic α-effects. However, even strong toroidal bands equatorward of 15° allow this hydrodynamic α-effect. Such bands should occur during the late declining phase of a solar cycle and, thus, could help the onset of a new cycle by switching on the mid latitude α-effect.
Robust Stabilization of Discrete Linear Time Varying Internal Model Based System

This paper focuses on a low order robust stabilizer design for linear time varying (LTV) internal model based system in the discrete time domain. While adopting the output feedback gain injection based stabilization structure for continuous LTV systems, the discrete stabilization synthesis has its unique challenges, and the approach formulated in the continuous domain cannot be directly applied. Therefore, in this paper, the stabilization for LTV internal model based control in the discrete setting is formulated. Its challenges are revealed and methods to convert it into a convex optimization based synthesis are proposed. The approach is then validated through simulation analysis and experimental investigations.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Thermomechanical instability analysis of inhomogeneous deformation in amorphous alloys

Recent experiments have shown that inhomogeneous deformation in amorphous alloys critically depends on the environmental temperature and the applied strain rate, and that the temperature field inside the shear-band can rise up to the glass transition temperature. A free-volume-based, thermo-viscoplastic constitutive law is developed in which the thermal transport equation includes contributions from the heating from plastic work and the heat conduction. For homogeneous deformation, the instantaneous temperature rise during the strain softening stage can lead to thermal softening and promote the initiation of shear bands. A linear stability analysis is carried out to examine the conditions for the unstable growth of temperature fluctuations. It is found out that the short-wavelength fluctuations, the amplitudes of which would decay at low strain rate and moderately high environmental temperature (but still much lower than the glass transition temperature), become unstable at high strain rate and low temperature, so that the resulting shear-band spacing will be shorter. A deformation mechanism map is constructed to delineate this transition of inhomogeneous deformation from coarse to fine shear-band arrangements. The theoretical results agree well with a nanoindentation experiment where there is varying applied strain rate and environmental temperature and with a microindentation experiment in which the evolution of the effective strain rate during loading influences the spatial distribution of the shear-band spacing observed using the bonded interface technique.
Propagation of the Single-Scattering Distribution in Multiple Scattering: Muon Scattering in Iron

The moments of the projected angular distribution of the single- scattering process are shown to be derivable from the emergent angular distribution of a beam that has traversed a thick absorber. Since very small deflections do not contribute to the observed moments, ambiguity is avoided by adopting a formulation of the electronic screening that leads to a definite total scattering cross section. The theory is applied to an experiment in which 2-Bev muons are incident to an iron scatterer 18 in. thick. The observed angular distribution is analyzed. It is shown that the nuclear electromagnetic form factor derived from the muon data is consistent with that found from electron scattering, and is completely incompatible with a point-nucleus model. (auth)
Nature of hydrogen bonding in coal-derived asphaltenes

Abstract Near-infrared (n.i.r.) and proton magnetic resonance (p.m.r.) studies are reported of hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl group of o -phenylphenol (OPP) and two coal-derived asphaltenes, and their acid and base components. The asphaltenes were isolated from two centrifuged liquid product (CLP) samples prepared from West Virginia, Ireland Mine bituminous coal under the same reaction conditions, except that CLP FB44–56 was prepared with the reactor charged with a CoMo catalyst, while CLP FB50-17 was prepared with glass pellets in place of the catalyst. The base asphaltene components from both FB44–56 and FB50-17 cause a decrease in the OPPOH absorbance at 1.44 μm in CS 2 and a downfield shift of the OPPOH p.m.r. resonance in CS 2 , while these changes are not observed for the original asphaltenes or their acid components. Furthermore, the base asphaltene component from CLP 44–56 is more effective in decreasing the OPPOH absorbance when compared with the base asphaltene component from CLP FB50-17. Also, the absorbance of a pentane-soluble fraction of the acid asphaltene component at 1.42 μm in CS 2 from CLP FB50-17 is decreased upon addition of the corresponding base asphaltene component. Our results lead to the conclusion that the use of a CoMo catalyst leads to a base asphaltene component of lower molecular weight and higher hydrogen-bond acceptor strength.
Acetone as biomarker for ketosis buildup capability - a study in healthy individuals under combined high fat and starvation diets

Ketogenic diets are high fat and low carbohydrate or very low carbohydrate diets, which render high production of ketones upon consumption known as nutritional ketosis (NK). Ketosis is also produced during fasting periods, which is known as fasting ketosis (FK). Recently, the combinations of NK and FK, as well as NK alone, have been used as resources for weight loss management and treatment of epilepsy. A crossover study design was applied to 11 healthy individuals, who maintained moderately sedentary lifestyle, and consumed three types of diet randomly assigned over a three-week period. All participants completed the diets in a randomized and counterbalanced fashion. Each weekly diet protocol included three phases: Phase 1 - A mixed diet with ratio of fat: (carbohydrate + protein) by mass of 0.18 or the equivalence of 29% energy from fat from Day 1 to Day 5. Phase 2- A mixed or a high-fat diet with ratio of fat: (carbohydrate + protein) by mass of approximately 0.18, 1.63, or 3.80 on Day 6 or the equivalence of 29%, 79%, or 90% energy from fat, respectively. Phase 3 - A fasting diet with no calorie intake on Day 7. Caloric intake from diets on Day 1 to Day 6 was equal to each individual’s energy expenditure. On Day 7, ketone buildup from FK was measured. A statistically significant effect of Phase 2 (Day 6) diet was found on FK of Day 7, as indicated by repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA), F(2,20) = 6.73, p < 0.0058. Using a Fisher LDS pair-wise comparison, higher significant levels of acetone buildup were found for diets with 79% fat content and 90% fat content vs. 29% fat content (with p = 0.00159**, and 0.04435**, respectively), with no significant difference between diets with 79% fat content and 90% fat content. In addition, independent of the diet, a significantly higher ketone buildup capability of subjects with higher resting energy expenditure (R2 = 0.92), and lower body mass index (R2 = 0.71) was observed during FK.
Adjunctive behavior in the Mongolian gerbil

Abstract In Experiment 1, only one of five food-deprived gerbils displayed schedule-induced polydipsia when 45 mg food pellets were delivered according to a fixed-time 60-sec food schedule. However, in Experiment 2, three of four gerbils developed schedule-induced wheel running on the fixed-time 60-sec food schedule. These data extend the generality of adjunctive behaviors to another species, but also indicate that there are species differences in how readily some types of adjunctive behaviors are displayed.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage as a presentation of basilar artery dissection.

Introduction Subarachnoid hemorrhages caused by intracranial dissections are rare. The management of dissections in these cases not clear.
Investigation of the Energy Budget in an Internal Reforming Tubular Type Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Through Numerical Computation

Based on a numerical computation simultaneously solving the fields of flow, heat and mass transfer, the energy budget in a tubular type solid oxide fuel cell is delineated for better understanding of the energy conversion performance and the heat transfer characteristics. It is found that the Joule heating due to ion and electron conduction in cell components is at the same level as that of the thermal energy released from the electrochemical reaction. The energy budget varies significantly with the operating current density of the fuel cell because the Joule heating and thermal energy increase in different manner with the operating current density.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Measuring copepod naupliar abundance in a subtropical bay using quantitative PCR

Copepod nauplii are important in plankton food web dynamics, but limited information is available about their ecology due to methodological challenges. Reported here is a new molecular method that was developed, optimized, and tested in laboratory and field samples that uses quantitative PCR (qPCR) to identify and estimate the abundance of nauplii of the planktonic copepod, Parvocalanus crassirostris. The overall approach included collection of bulk zooplankton samples in the field, size fractionation to create artificial cohorts of relatively few developmental stages, obtaining DNA copy number for each size fraction by qPCR amplification of a target gene region, and estimation of the number of animals in each fraction through application of known DNA copy number across developmental stage. Method validation studies found that our qPCR-based approach has comparable accuracy to microscope-based counts of early developmental stages. Naupliar abundance estimates obtained using the two methods on cultured populations were similar; the regression of qPCR estimates on microscope-based counts resulted in a nearly 1:1 ratio (slope = 1.09). The qPCR-based method is superior to traditional identification and quantification methods for nauplii due to its higher taxonomic resolution, sensitive detection over a range of DNA quantities, and relatively high throughput sample processing.
Curcumin Inhibits The Formation Of Fibrils From Islet Amyloid Polypeptide

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) forms assemblies that are toxic to the insulin-producing beta cells found in the pancreas. Inhibiting the formation of the toxic assemblies is therefore an attractive strategy for the development of anti-diabetes drugs. We are studying curcumin, a small molecule that is a component of curry spice, as a potential inhibitor of IAPP aggregation. Our preliminary results obtained by circular dichroism and electron microscopy show that curcumin works best if it is present at an inhibitor: IAPP ratio of 1:1. This suggests that the inhibition occurs at an early stage of the aggregation process. To elucidate the mechanism of inhibition, we are using limited proteolysis monitored by mass spectrometry and two-dimensional 1H NMR spectroscopy. The results of our studies will be presented and discussed.
Changing epidemiology of Clostridium difficile-associated disease during stem cell transplantation.

Abstract The incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile–associated disease (CDAD) within the general population has risen dramatically over the past decade, yet little data are available from hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) centers. In the present study, we performed a chart review of 822 consecutive autologous and allogeneic HCST recipients treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital between 2004 and 2008 to determine the incidence of CDAD at our institution. Variables including age, sex, diagnosis, chemotherapy regimen, transplantation type, microbial colonization, coinfections, diet, antibiotic use, neutropenic fever, comorbid conditions, time to engraftment, growth factor administration, and occurrence of graft-versus-host disease were assessed as potential risk factors for the development of CDAD. Eighty-five CDAD cases (10.3%) were identified. Bivariate analysis revealed a significant association between CDAD and neutropenic fever, administration of a neutropenic diet, ciprofloxacin and aztreonam use and duration of therapy, vancomycin and aztreonam use and duration of therapy, receipt of an allogeneic transplantation, bacterial coinfection, and vancomycin-resistant Entereococcus faecium (VRE) colonization. Cox regression analysis identified the following as factors associated with the development of CDAD: age >60 years, allogeneic transplantation, and prior VRE colonization. Allogeneic recipients with CDAD experienced increased higher rates of grades II to IV gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease and nonrelapse mortality. A risk stratification model was developed to identify HSCT recipients at different levels of risk. With an incidence >10%, CDAD is a significant infectious complication of stem cell transplantation.
Insights into the role of fibroblasts in human autoimmune diseases

Traditional wisdom has considered fibroblasts as contributing to the structural integrity of tissues rather than playing a dynamic role in physiological or pathological processes. It is only recently that they have been recognized as comprising diverse populations of cells exhibiting complex patterns of biosynthetic activity. They represent determinants that react to stimuli and help define tissue remodelling through the expression of molecules imposing constraints on their cellular neighbourhood. Moreover, fibroblasts can initiate the earliest molecular events leading to inflammatory responses. Thus they must now be viewed as active participants in tissue reactivity. In this short review, I will provide an overview of contemporary thought about the contribution of fibroblasts to the pathogenesis of autoimmune processes through their expression of, and responses to, mediators of inflammation and tissue remodelling.
Focused specificity of intestinal TH17 cells towards commensal bacterial antigens

T-helper-17 (TH17) cells have critical roles in mucosal defence and in autoimmune disease pathogenesis. They are most abundant in the small intestine lamina propria, where their presence requires colonization of mice with microbiota. Segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) are sufficient to induce TH17 cells and to promote TH17-dependent autoimmune disease in animal models. However, the specificity of TH17 cells, the mechanism of their induction by distinct bacteria, and the means by which they foster tissue-specific inflammation remain unknown. Here we show that the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) repertoire of intestinal TH17 cells in SFB-colonized mice has minimal overlap with that of other intestinal CD4(+) T cells and that most TH17 cells, but not other T cells, recognize antigens encoded by SFB. T cells with antigen receptors specific for SFB-encoded peptides differentiated into RORγt-expressing TH17 cells, even if SFB-colonized mice also harboured a strong TH1 cell inducer, Listeria monocytogenes, in their intestine. The match of T-cell effector function with antigen specificity is thus determined by the type of bacteria that produce the antigen. These findings have significant implications for understanding how commensal microbiota contribute to organ-specific autoimmunity and for developing novel mucosal vaccines.
Fluorescamine derivatives of histidine, histamine and certain related imidazoles: Unique fluorescence after heating in acid

Abstract After heating in acid, the fluorescamine derivatives of histidine, histamine, and histidyl peptides are intensely fluorescent, while the fluorescence of other fluorescamine-labeled compounds disappears. As little as 0.1 nmol of reative imidazole can be determined in the presence of other amines. The usefulness of this unique reaction is demonstrated by the assay of histidine in deproteinized (ethanol) urine.
Production and fuel properties of pine chip bio-oil/biodiesel blends

The use of pyrolysis-derived bio-oil as a diesel-fuel extender or substitute has long been a goal of the bio-oil research community. In this paper, a simple system to accomplish that goal is described. The production of pine-chip-derived bio-oils, the preparation, and fuel properties of bio-oil/biodiesel blends are presented. Pyrolysis-condensed liquids were obtained from the pyrolysis of pine chips and pine pellets in batch and auger slow-pyrolysis reactors. These liquids were composed of two phases: an oily bottom phase and an aqueous phase. The removal of most of the water present in the aqueous phase results in the formation of a second oily phase called, in this paper, polar oil. The oily bottom phases were more soluble in biodiesel than the polar oils. Monolignols, furans, sugars, extractive-derived compounds, and a relatively small fraction of oligomers were the main bio-oil compounds soluble in biodiesel. Water and low-molecular-weight compounds responsible for many of the undesirable fuel proper...
TSL: task sequencing language

TSL is a language for specifying sequences of tasking events in Ada1 programs. TSL specifications are submitted with an Ada program and are monitored at runtime for consistency with the actual tasking events as they occur. This paper presents a preliminary design for TSL, an informal overview of its capabilities, and an operational semantics.
Noncovalent protein tetramers and pentamers with "n" charges yield monomers with n/4 and n/5 charges.

In recent years mass spectrometry based techniques have emerged as structural biology tools for the characterization of macromolecular, noncovalent assemblies. Many of these efforts involve preservation of intact protein complexes within the mass spectrometer, providing molecular weight measurements that allow the determination of subunit stoichiometry and real-time monitoring of protein interactions. Attempts have been made to further elucidate subunit architecture through the dissociation of subunits from the intact complex by colliding it into inert gas atoms such as argon or xenon. Unfortunately, the amount of structural information that can be derived from such strategies is limited by the nearly ubiquitous ejection of a single, unfolded subunit. Here, we present results from the gas-phase dissociation of protein−protein complexes upon collision into a surface. Dissociation of a series of tetrameric and pentameric proteins demonstrate that alternative subunit fragments, not observed through multiple ...
Immunomodulatory effects of morphine withdrawal in the rat are time dependent and reversible by clonidine.

Rationale: It is well established that opioids can modulate the immune status following both acute and chronic administration and that tolerance develops to some of these immunomodulatory effects. Few studies, however, have investigated opioid withdrawal-induced immunomodulation and the mechanism by which that process may be mediated. Objectives: The present study examines the immunomodulatory properties of morphine withdrawal alone and in the presence of the α2-adrenergic agonist, clonidine. Methods: Rats drank a morphine solution for 20 days; withdrawal was induced on day 21 by replacing the morphine solution with plain tap water. Measurements of withdrawal-induced weight change and immunomodulation were obtained at several time points after withdrawal induction. Immune status was assessed by determining concanavalin A (Con-A), toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST-1), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated splenocyte proliferation, splenic ConA-stimulated interferon (IFN)-γ production, and splenic natural-killer (NK) cell activity. In a separate series of experiments, systemic injections of clonidine (0.001–0.01 mg/kg) were administered during a 12-h withdrawal episode and all measures of immune status were reassessed. Results: Weight change was time dependent, with peak decreases in weight occurring 24 h following withdrawal induction. Rats also exhibited a time-dependent suppression of immune status in all assays except LPS-stimulated proliferation; immunomodulation was most evident 12 h following withdrawal induction. Clonidine dose dependently prevented withdrawal-induced suppression of Con-A and TSST-1-stimulated splenocyte proliferation, Con-A-stimulated splenocyte IFN-γ production, and splenic NK cell activity. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that opioid withdrawal significantly suppresses a subset of immune parameters and that these effects can be prevented by clonidine.
Ecosystem carbon storage does not vary with mean annual temperature in Hawaiian tropical montane wet forests.

Theory and experiment agree that climate warming will increase carbon fluxes between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. The effect of this increased exchange on terrestrial carbon storage is less predictable, with important implications for potential feedbacks to the climate system. We quantified how increased mean annual temperature (MAT) affects ecosystem carbon storage in above- and belowground live biomass and detritus across a well-constrained 5.2 degree C MAT gradient in tropical montane wet forests on the Island of Hawaii. This gradient does not systematically vary in biotic or abiotic factors other than MAT, including dominant vegetation, substrate type and age, soil water balance, and disturbance history, allowing us to isolate the impact of MAT on ecosystem carbon storage. Live biomass carbon did not vary predictably as a function of MAT, while detrital carbon declined by 14 Mg of carbon per ha for each 1 degree C rise in temperature - a trend driven entirely by coarse woody debris and litter. The largest detrital pool, soil organic carbon, was the most stable with MAT and averaged 48% of total ecosystem carbon across the MAT gradient. Total ecosystem carbon did not vary significantly with MAT, and the distribution of ecosystem carbon between live biomass and detritus remained relatively constant across the MAT gradient at 44% and 56%, respectively. These findings suggest that in the absence of alterations to precipitation or disturbance regimes, the size and distribution of carbon pools in tropical montane wet forests will be less sensitive to rising MAT than predicted by ecosystem models. This article also provides needed detail on how individual carbon pools and ecosystem-level carbon storage will respond to future warming.
Photoionization of Individual CdSe/CdS Core/Shell Nanocrystals on Silicon with 2-nm Oxide Depends on Surface Band Bending

CdSe/CdS nanocrystals are studied by electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) on n- and p-type silicon with 2-nm surface oxide and graphite for comparison. In the absence of above-band-gap excitation, the nanocrystals are not in electrical equilibrium with the substrates. Upon continuous photoexcitation, the particles behave differently on each substrate. On n-type silicon, the particles exhibit predominantly positive charge. However, on p-type silicon, fewer charged particles overall are seen, blinking is more common, and the ratio of negative to positive particles is higher. The low ionization yield on p-Si is apparently due to the fast return of photoexcited electrons that are confined near the silicon/oxide interface by band bending. Nanocrystal photoionization dynamics are sensitive to the state of the silicon across the 2-nm oxide. On graphite, the particles show a greater propensity to oscillate between positive, negative, and neutral states than on the other substrates.
Drop size distributions and coalescence frequencies of liquid-liquid dispersions in flow vessels

A flash photomicrographic method and modified dye-light transmittance technique are employed to measure size distributions and mixing frequencies in a turbulently agitated flow vessel. This liquid-liquid dispersion is nearly spatially homogenous. Mixing frequencies are strongly dependent on impeller speed and moderately dependent on holdup fraction.
Future population exposure to US heat extremes

US population exposure to extreme heat is set to increase four- to sixfold from the late twentieth century. Changes in population are as important as changes in climate in driving this outcome.
Transformation of story to practice: an innovative approach to long-term care.

The negative effects of institutionalization in a long-term care facility include depersonalization, decreased self-concept and self-esteem, and decreased psychological well being. To modify these effects, an innovative narrative approach to long-term care in the format of story telling and listening is proposed. Narrative practice, in the format of story telling and listening, leads to an ethics-based care that prioritizes the resident's personal meanings, values staff-patient relationships, and permits the resident to define quality care. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the functions of storytelling can be applied in the long-term care setting using the themes that emerge in the life story of a particular resident. These themes, findings of a phenomenological study, were incorporated into the resident's care plan by staff and, consequently, quality of care improved. Recognizing the value of story and incorporating the themes that emerge into a personalized care plan transforms nursing ...
INFLATION, SECURITY VALUES, AND RISK PREMIA

The impact of stochastic inflation on the cross-sectional structure of nominal securities yields is examined. The analysis indicates that equilibrium required returns on debt and equity securities are affected differently by inflation and that the “Fisher Effect” is more likely to hold for equity returns than for debt yields. Implications for empirical investigations of portfolio performance and the real interest rate are explored.
Garnet-biotite geothermometry revised; new Margules parameters and a natural specimen data set from Maine

The garnet-biotite geothermometer has been recalibrated using recently obtained Margules parameters for iron-magnesium-calcium garnet, Mn interactions in garnet, and Al interactions in biotite, as well as the Fe oxidation state of both minerals. Fe-Mg and DWAl Margules parameters for biotite have been retrieved by combining experimental results on [6] Al-free and [6] Al-bearing biotite using statistical methods. Margules parameters, per mole of biotite are Bt W 5 40 719 2 30T J/mole, MgFe
Implementation of RAID

RAID is a robust and adaptable distributed system for transaction processing. It is a message-passing system, with server processes on each site. A high-level, layered communications package provides a clean, location independent interface between servers. RAID processes concurrent updates and retrievals on multiple sites. The servers manage concurrent processing, consistent replicated copies during site failures or network partitionings, and atomic distributed commitment. The latest version of the communications package is able to deliver messages in a high-performance configuration in which several servers are linked into a single process. RAID provides the infrastructure to investigate experimentally various methods for supporting reliable distributed-transaction processing. Experiments on handling site failure with partial replication, checkpointing, and alternative communications methods have been performed. Measurements on various aspects of RAID transaction processing performance are presented. >
Minimizing Additive Distortion in Steganography Using Syndrome-Trellis Codes

This paper proposes a complete practical methodology for minimizing additive distortion in steganography with general (nonbinary) embedding operation. Let every possible value of every stego element be assigned a scalar expressing the distortion of an embedding change done by replacing the cover element by this value. The total distortion is assumed to be a sum of per-element distortions. Both the payload-limited sender (minimizing the total distortion while embedding a fixed payload) and the distortion-limited sender (maximizing the payload while introducing a fixed total distortion) are considered. Without any loss of performance, the nonbinary case is decomposed into several binary cases by replacing individual bits in cover elements. The binary case is approached using a novel syndrome-coding scheme based on dual convolutional codes equipped with the Viterbi algorithm. This fast and very versatile solution achieves state-of-the-art results in steganographic applications while having linear time and space complexity w.r.t. the number of cover elements. We report extensive experimental results for a large set of relative payloads and for different distortion profiles, including the wet paper channel. Practical merit of this approach is validated by constructing and testing adaptive embedding schemes for digital images in raster and transform domains. Most current coding schemes used in steganography (matrix embedding, wet paper codes, etc.) and many new ones can be implemented using this framework.