cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cellular vitamin C accumulation in the presence of copper

Under the cell-free condition, copper is known to oxidize ascorbic acid (the active form of vitamin C) and the event leads to the loss of vitamin C. However, the biological consequence of this interaction was never examined in the presence of cells. We demonstrated in intestinal epithelial cells that dehydroascorbic acid (the oxidized form of ascorbic acid), when generated from ascorbic acid in the presence of copper, can be efficiently transported into the cells and reduced back to ascorbic acid. We also observed in other types of cells the transport and intracellular reduction of dehydroascorbic acid in the presence of copper. In the presence of iron, a metal that also oxidizes ascorbic acid, we observed similar oxidation-related accumulation in intestinal cells. Other metals that do not interact with ascorbic acid had little effect on vitamin C transport. A nonmetal pro-oxidant, hydrogen peroxide, is known to oxidize ascorbic acid and we observed that the oxidation is also accompanied by an increased intracellular accumulation of vitamin C. The efficient coupling between dehydroascorbic acid transport and intracellular reduction could help to preserve the important nutrient when facing oxidative metals in the intestine.
Experimental evaluation of instantaneous phase based index for structural health monitoring

The sensitivity and consistency of a damage index based on instantaneous phase values obtained through vibration measurements of a structure is investigated experimentally. An 'empirical mode decomposition' is performed to decompose structural vibrations into a small number of 'intrinsic mode functions' following the methodology generally known as the Hilbert-Huang Transform. Instantaneous phase information is derived through the Hilbert transform of intrinsic mode functions. The damage index is based on the idea that the difference in phase functions between any two points on a structure is altered if the structure is damaged. Experimental investigations are performed on a beam structure with varying excitations (white noise signals), damage levels, and damage locations. The damage index shows generally consistent results, but its sensitivity to damages needs improvements for practical applications.
Kupfer-type immunological synapse characteristics do not predict anti-brain tumor cytolytic T-cell function in vivo.

To analyze the in vivo structure of antigen-specific immunological synapses during an effective immune response, we established brain tumors expressing the surrogate tumor antigen ovalbumin and labeled antigen-specific anti-glioma T cells using specific tetramers. Using these techniques, we determined that a significant number of antigen-specific T cells were localized to the brain tumor and surrounding brain tissue and a large percentage could be induced to express IFNγ when exposed to the specific ovalbumin-derived peptide epitope SIINFEKL. Detailed morphological analysis of T cells immunoreactive for tetramers in direct physical contact with tumor cells expressing ovalbumin indicated that the interface between T cells and target tumor cells displayed various morphologies, including Kupfer-type immunological synapses. Quantitative analysis of adjacent confocal optical sections was performed to determine if the higher frequency of antigen-specific antiglioma T cells present in animals that developed an effective antitumor immune response could be correlated with a specific immunological synaptic morphology. Detailed in vivo quantitative analysis failed to detect an increased proportion of immunological synapses displaying the characteristic Kupfer-type morphology in animals mounting a strong and effective antitumor immune response as compared with those experiencing a clinically ineffective response. We conclude that an effective cytolytic immune response is not dependent on an increased frequency of Kupfer-type immunological synapses between T cells and tumor cells.
Aortic size in acute type A dissection: implications for preventive ascending aortic replacement

Objective: Electiveascending aortic replacement is recommended to prevent acute type A aortic dissection when any segment of the proximal aorta is greater than 5.5 cm. However, little data exist that meticulously describe the size of the ascending aorta at multiple levels in patients who suffer acute type A dissections. We sought to definitively characterize the size distribution of the proximal aorta in this patient population. Methods: Preoperative transesophageal echocardiography was used to measure the diameter of the proximal aorta at the aortic annulus, in the sinussegment,at thesinotubularjunctionandinthe ascendingaortain177non-Marfanpatientswith tricuspid aorticvalveswhopresentedtoone institutionovera10-yearperiodwithanacutetypeAdissection.Predictedaorticdiametersforeachpatientbasedontheindividual’sage,gender and body size were also calculated at all four aortic positions using previously published regression equations derived from a large cohort of normal patients. Results: Sixty patients were female (33.9%; aged 67 12 years) and 117 were male (66.1%; aged 60 17 years). Sixty-two percent of all patients had maximum aortic diameters less than 5.5 cm at time of dissection and 42% of patients had maximum aortic diameters less than 5.0 cm. Over 20% of all patients had maximal aortic dimensions of less than 4.5 cm. In women,12% of the dissected aortas had a maximal dimension less than 4.0 cm. Conclusions:The majority of patients with acute type A aortic dissection present with aortic diameters <5.5 cm and thus do not fall within current guidelines for elective ascending aortic replacement. Methods other than size measurement of the ascending aorta are needed to identify patients at risk for dissection. Aggressive medical management of patients with ascending aortic diameters over 4 cm is warranted. Preventative replacement of the ascending aorta at 4.5 cm should be considered especially at high volume aortic surgery centers and patients having cardiac surgery for other indications. # 2009 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Determination of Pentachlorophenol and 1-Naphthol by Peroxyoxalate Chemiluminescence

Abstract Peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence is used for the determination of pentachlorophenol and 1-naphthol in soil. 1-Naphthol is brominated to make it amenable to the procedure. Calibration curves are linear over concentration ranges spanning four orders of magnitude and limits of detection are at the micromolar level. the processes can be carried out in the soil without prior extraction of the analytes.
Accuracy and usefulness of the HEDIS childhood immunization measures

OBJECTIVE: With the use of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) immunization recommendations as the gold standard, our objectives were to measure the accuracy (“is this child up-to-date on immunizations?”) and usefulness (“is this child due for catch-up immunizations?”) of the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) childhood immunization measures. METHODS: For children aged 24 to 35 months from the 2009 National Immunization Survey, we assessed the accuracy and usefulness of the HEDIS childhood immunization measures for 6 individual immunizations and a composite. RESULTS: A total of 12 096 children met all inclusion criteria and composed the study sample. The HEDIS measures had >90% accuracy when compared with the CDC gold standard for each of the 6 immunizations (range, 94.3%–99.7%) and the composite (93.8%). The HEDIS measure was least accurate for hepatitis B and pneumococcal conjugate immunizations. The proportion of children for which the HEDIS measure yielded a nonuseful result (ie, an incorrect answer to the question, “is this child due for catch-up immunization?”) ranged from 0.33% (varicella) to 5.96% (pneumococcal conjugate). The most important predictor of HEDIS measure accuracy and usefulness was the CDC-recommended number of immunizations due at age 2 years; children with zero or all immunizations due were the most likely to be correctly classified. CONCLUSIONS: HEDIS childhood immunization measures are, on the whole, accurate and useful. Certain immunizations (eg, hepatitis B, pneumococcal conjugate) and children (eg, those with a single overdue immunization), however, are more prone to HEDIS misclassification. * Abbreviations: ACIP — : Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices CDC — : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention DTaP — : diphtheria/tetanus/acellular pertussis EHR — : electronic health record HEDIS — : Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set HepB — : hepatitis B HIB — : Haemophilus influenzae type B IPV — : inactivated poliovirus MMR — : measles/mumps/rubella NIS — : National Immunization Survey P4P — : pay for performance PCV — : pneumococcal conjugate vaccine UTD — : up-to-date VZV — : varicella zoster virus
Efficient tumour formation by single human melanoma cells

NOD/SCID interleukin-2 receptor gamma chain null (Il2rg 2/2 ) mice, can increase the detection of tumorigenic melanoma cells by several orders of magnitude. In limiting dilution assays, approximately 25% of unselected melanoma cells from 12 different patients, including cells from primary and metastatic melanomas obtained directly from patients, formed tumours under these more permissive conditions. In single-cell transplants, an average of 27% of unselected melanoma cells from fourdifferentpatientsformedtumours.Modificationstoxenotransplantationassayscanthereforedramaticallyincreasethe detectable frequency of tumorigenic cells, demonstrating that they are common in some human cancers.
Polarization Properties of Frequency-Selective Surfaces Comprised of Spiral Resonators

Arrays of spiral resonators are used in the design of frequency-selective surfaces operating in the frequency range 2-18 GHz. The transmission spectrum of linearly polarized radiation incident on each array exhibits a multiplicity of resonance features, the number and frequency of which is a function of the design of the spiral geometry. The transmission spectra are also functions of the slant angle, the array rotation angle, and the polarization of the receiving antenna. From an analysis of the acquired data it is concluded that the spiral resonator arrays act primarily as rotators of the incident radiation and that the angle of rotation and the axial ratio is shown to be a function of the frequency of the resonance feature. These general conclusions have been confirmed by numerical simulations performed by Ansoft's finite-element software package HFSS.
High electronic specific heat of h.c.p. Fe-Ru alloys

Abstract Low temperature specific heat measurements in the range of l.4 to 4.2°K were made with the three h.c.p. alloys: Fe 28 Ru 72 , Fe 54 Ru 46 and Fe 64 Ru 36 . It is shown that the large increase of the specific heat term linear in temperature in this alloy system probably corresponds to a change in density of electronic states and it is not due to a magnetic contribution to the specific heat.
Magnesium Intake and Depression in Adults

Background: Depression is a common and often disabling disorder. Magnesium supplementation has been linked to improvement in depressive symptoms, but consensus on the relationship between magnesium and depression has not been reached. Methods: The purpose of this study was to test the existence of an association between dietary magnesium intake and depression in the adult US population. A cross-sectional, population-based data set (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) was used to explore the relationship of magnesium intake and depression in 8894 US adults (mean age, 46.1 years; 47.4% men) from 2007 to 2010. Using logistic regression to model the relationship between the presence of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire score ≥5) and low magnesium intake ( Results: After adjusting for all potential confounders, the strength of the association of very low magnesium intake with depression was statistically significant (RR = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.06–1.30). Adjusting for all other covariates, low magnesium intake was associated with depression in subjects younger than age 65 (RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.06–1.40; P = .007) but seemed to be protective in seniors (RR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.56–0.98; P = .032). Conclusions: We found a significant association between very low magnesium intake and depression, especially in younger adults. The finding of the potential protective effect of low magnesium intake in older adults is surprising and warrants further investigation.
Bioethics as Practice , by Judith Andre. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press; 2002. 253 pp. $29.95.

Readers are invited to contact Greg S. Loeben in writing at Midwestern University, Glendale Campus, Bioethics Program, 19555 N. 59th Ave., Glendale, AZ 85308 (gloebe@arizona.midwestern.edu) regarding books they would like to see reviewed or books they are interested in reviewing.
Skeletal homeostasis in tissue-engineered bone

Tissue-engineering strategies to stimulate bone regeneration may offer an alternative approach to conventional orthopaedic and maxillofacial surgical therapies. Over the last decade, significant advances have been accomplished in developing biomimetic matrices, growth factors, cell transplantation and gene delivery therapeutics to support new bone growth. However, it is not known if tissue-engineered bone recapitulates the biology of normal skeletal tissue in response to physiologic cues. Here, we report that bone formed by the differentiation of transplanted murine bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) responds to a systemically delivered calciotropic hormone. Ectopic ossicles in mice exposed to catabolic doses of parathyroid hormone (PTH) had increased numbers of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoclasts as compared to control mice. In contrast, treatment with anabolic doses of PTH promoted a marked increase in trabecular bone mass as analyzed by microcomputed tomography and histomorphometry. Our findings demonstrate that bone formed from transplanted BMSCs is responsive to normal physiologic signals, and can be augmented by the addition of a systemic anabolic agent. Because multiple and distinct ossicles can be generated in a single animal, this versatile system may be used to: (a) elucidate cellular/molecular mechanisms in bone regeneration; (b) study cell-to-cell interactions in the bone marrow microenvironment in health and disease; and (c) evaluate the efficacy of osteotropic agents that modulate bone turnover in vivo.
Effects of aragonite calcium carbonate on barrier and mechanical properties of a three-layer co-extruded blown low-density polyethylene film:

The study is aimed to find whether the location of the calcium carbonate added in a three-layer co-extruded blown film has an impact on film’s barrier and mechanical properties. Aragonite calcium c...
EAP UTILIZATION PATTERNS AND EMPLOYEE ABSENTEEISM: RESULTS OF AN EMPIRICAL, 3-YEAR LONGITUDINAL STUDY IN A NATIONAL CANADIAN RETAIL CORPORATION

Despite the increasing need for employee assistance program (EAP) providers and human resources (HR) departments to demonstrate outcomes resulting from the availability and use of EAP services, few empirical studies have examined the relationship between EAP utilization and objective organizational outcome measures. This study made use of a unique longitudinal archival data set to examine EAP utilization, the problems for which help was sought, and the relationship of EAP utilization to absenteeism over 3 consecutive years among all EAP-eligible (N 3,448) employees in all locations of a large national Canadian retail store. Patterns of usage were examined by gender and age with a clearly defined EAP utilization statistic. Most frequently, the reasons for help seeking were personal issues, marital/family problems, and (a distant third) work-related issues. Longitudinal hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to examine the differences in yearly absentee hours between EAP users versus non-EAP users. The results showed that EAP users generally had higher rates of absenteeism than nonusers during the year in which EAP was used but (with some exceptions) did not differ from the non-EAP user groups in the year(s) before and after treatment. Implications for consulting psychology are suggested.
Summary of reports received

Individuals and organizations known to be engaged in geomagnetic or geoelectric investigations were invited to submit brief summaries of the work done during 1931–32 or synopses of the problems under discussion, and to this invitation a considerable number have responded. Papers were submitted by the following organizations and are therefore not included with “Reports” or in this summary: Nebraska Wesleyan University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Tufts College, and Bureau of Standards. In general the work of all investigators has been a continuation of that reported at the twelfth annual meeting of the Union with evidence of definite progress in most cases. These brief statements are given in full in the succeeding pages but for convenience a general survey of the field covered is presented in the following summary arranged according to subject-matter.
Managing congenitally missing lateral incisors. Part I: Canine substitution.

UNLABELLED Dentists often encounter patients with missing or malformed teeth. The maxillary lateral incisor is the second most common congenitally absent tooth. There are three treatment options that exist for replacing missing lateral incisors. They include canine substitution, a tooth-supported restoration, or a single-tooth implant. Selecting the appropriate option depends on the malocclusion, specific space requirements, tooth-size relationship, and size and shape of the canine. The ideal treatment is the most conservative option that satisfies individual esthetic and functional requirements. Often the ideal option is canine substitution. Although the orthodontist positions the canine in the most esthetic and functional location, the restorative dentist often needs to place a porcelain veneer or crown to re-create normal lateral incisor shape and color. This article closely examines patient selection and illustrates the importance of interdisciplinary treatment planning to achieve optimal esthetics. It is the first in a three-part series discussing the three treatment alternatives for replacing missing lateral incisors. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Patients with congenitally missing lateral incisors often raise difficult treatment planning issues. Therefore, to produce the most predictable esthetic results, it is important to choose the treatment that will best address the initial diagnosis. This article is the first in a three-part series that describes the different treatments available for patients with congenitally missing lateral incisors. This first article focuses on canine substitution as a method of tooth replacement for these missing teeth. The general dentist will learn to evaluate specific patient selection criteria and determine whether canine substitution is an appropriate treatment alternative for replacing missing lateral incisors. The orthodontist will understand how to position the canines to satisfy functional requirements and achieve proper esthetics. Finally, the importance of interdisciplinary team treatment planning is emphasized as a requirement for achieving optimal final esthetics.
Early retinal development in the zebrafish, Danio rerio: Light and electron microscopic analyses

The morphological differentiation of the zebrafish retina was analyzed by using light (LM) and transmission electron (TEM) microscopy between the time of initial ganglion cell differentiation (approximately 32 hours postfertilization; hpf) and shortly after the point when the retina appears functional (approximately 74 hpf), i.e., when all major cell types and basic synaptic connections are in place. The results show that the inner retinal neurons, like the photoreceptor and ganglion cells, differentiate first within the ventronasal region, and differentiation subsequently spreads asymmetrically into the nasal and dorsal regions before reaching the ventrotemporal retina. In addition, we show that the attenuation of the optic stalk occurs in parallel with ganglion cell differentiation between 32 and 40 hpf. The first conventional synapses appear within the inner plexiform layer simultaneously with the first photoreceptor outer segment discs at 60 hpf; functional ribbon triads arise within photoreceptor synaptic terminals at 65 hpf; and synaptic ribbons occur within bipolar cell axon terminals at the time larvae exhibit their first visual responses (approximately 70 hpf). Although development is initially more advanced within the ventronasal region between 50 and 60 hpf, development across the retina rapidly equilibrates such that it is relatively comparable within all quadrants of the central retina by 70 hpf. An area within the temporal retina characterized by tightly packed and highly tiered cones emerges with subsequent development. Retinal differentiation in the zebrafish corresponds with that generally described in other vertebrates and can be correlated with the development of visual and electroretinographic responses in the animal.
Template registration with missing parts: Application to the segmentation of M. tuberculosis infected lungs

Many techniques have been proposed to segment organs from images, however the segmentation of diseased organs remains challenging and frequently requires lots of user interaction. The challenge consists of segmenting an organ while its appearance and its shape vary due to the presence of the disease in addition to individual variations. We propose a template registration technique that can be used to recover the complete segmentation of a diseased organ from a partial segmentation. The usual template registration method is modified in such a way that it is robust to missing parts. The proposed method is used to segment Mycobacterium tuberculosis infected lungs in CT images of experimentally infected mice. Using synthetic data, we evaluate and compare the performance of the proposed algorithm with the usual sum of squared difference cost function.
Capacities of hybrid FDMA/CDMA systems in multipath fading

A hybrid FDMA/CDMA scheme is described and analyzed. The performance of the hybrid system is then compared with that of a wideband CDMA system occupying the same total bandwidth. It is found that, while the hybrid system has properties which may be desirable in certain situations, such as the flexibility of using a non-contiguous spectrum, in a multipath fading environment a wideband CDMA system has greater capacity than the hybrid. >
Determining atom-centered monopoles from molecular electrostatic potentials. The need for high sampling density in formamide conformational analysis

An improved method for computing potential-derived charges is described which is based upon the CHELP program available from QCPE.1 This approach (CHELPG) is shown to be considerably less dependent upon molecular orientation than the original CHELP program. In the second part of this work, the CHELPG point selection algorithm was used to analyze the changes in the potential-derived charges in formamide during rotation about the CN bond. In order to achieve a level of rotational invariance less than 10% of the magnitude of the electronic effects studied, an equally-spaced array of points 0.3 A apart was required. Points found to be greater than 2.8 A from any nucleus were eliminated, along with all points contained within the defined VDW distances from each of the atoms. The results are compared to those obtained by using CHELP. Even when large numbers of points (ca. 3000) were sampled using the CHELP selection routine, the results did not indicate a satisfactory level of rotatational invariance. On the basis of these results, the original CHELP program was found to be inadequate for analyzing internal rotations.
About smoothness of solutions of the heat equations in closed, smooth space‐time domains

We consider the probabilistic solutions of the heat equation u = u + f in D, where D is a bounded domain in ℝ2 = {(x1, x2)} of class C2k. We give sufficient conditions for u to have kth-order continuous derivatives with respect to (x1, x2) in D for integers k ≥ 2. The equation is supplemented with C2k boundary data, and we assume that f ϵ C2(k−1). We also prove that our conditions are sharp by examples in the border cases. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Finite field wavelet transforms and multilevel error protection

A technique for providing unequal error protection is investigated. It relies on a transform approach to coding and makes use of the wavelet transform over finite fields. Reed-Muller codes, concatenated codes and dual codes are examined.
How High The Wall of Separation? Pfeffer on Religion and the State

Leo Pfeffer is the outstanding American student of the twin concepts in American constitutional law of the guaranty of religious freedom and the prohibition against an establishment of religion. His learned book, Church, State and Freedom, ' is the leading treatise on this wide-ranging subject. Pfeffer is professor of political science at Long Island University and, for many years, has been special counsel to the American Jewish Congress, which is deeply concerned with most church-state issues; on its behalf Pfeffer has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court as counsel in many cases. It is no exaggeration to assert that he is one of the principal architects of church-state law in our time. Generally speaking, lawyers, judges, and scholars are divided on how strictly the principles of religious freedom should be construed, since like all freedoms, religious freedom is not absolute in character, and lines must be drawn somewhere. For example, a claim to religious freedom must yield to the requirements of a child labor law,2 and the practice of polygamy is outlawed by monogamous marriage laws.3 Similarly, the establishment-ofreligion prohibition is not construed by the Supreme Court so strictly as to forbid all aids to religion, however indirect. Thus, it is permissible for a state to transport school children at public cost to nonpublic parochial schools" and also to pay for their secular textbooks.'
Central Bank Intervention and Risk Premia in Foreign Exchange Markets: Evidence of Daily E ects: Switzerland 1986 - 1995 I

Since the Plaza Meeting in September 1985, G-10 central banks have intervened in foreign exchange markets in a manner and scale unprecedented in the post Bretton Woods era. Using o cial daily data on interventions by the Swiss National Bank, this paper evaluates the e ectiveness of these interventions and examines their impact on exchange rate risk premia, as defined by deviations from interest rate parity. My results suggests that intervention (via its e ect on the risk premium) may be responsible for the frequently observed failure of foreign exchange market e ciency models and for their poor out-ofsample forecasting performance
Complex management: RNA editing in trypanosomes

Most mitochondrial mRNAs in kinetoplastids require editing, that is, the posttranscriptional insertion and deletion of uridine nucleotides that are specified by guide RNAs and catalyzed by multiprotein complexes. Recent studies have identified many of the proteins in these complexes, in addition to some of their functions and interactions. Although much remains unknown, a picture of highly organized complexes is emerging that shows that the complex that catalyzes the central steps of editing is partitioned into distinct insertion and deletion editing subcomplexes. These subcomplexes coordinate hundreds of ordered catalytic steps that function to produce a single mature mRNA. The dynamic processes, which might entail interactions among multiprotein complexes and changes in their composition and conformation, remain to be elucidated.
Molecule-Surface Interactions Stimulated by Laser Radiation

Laser photons can interact with a gas-solid system to promote heterogeneous reactions and to stimulate desorption. Two classes of photo-enhanced surface processes have been extensively investigated in our studies. The first one involves laser-induced chemical etching of solids examplified by the silicon-fluorine reaction affected by visible photons. Recent time-resolved mass spectrometric measurements have revealed interesting surface interaction characteristics quite different from steady-state reactions. The second one involves infrared laser photodesorption initiated by excitation of internal molecular vibrations. New results on ammonia photodesorbed from Cu(100) and NaC1 surfaces are presented to elucidate desorption mechanisms. Both single-photon and multi-photon excitation processes are examined and the velocity distributions of desorbed particles are analyzed. Various energy transfer and relaxation processes related to desorption are evaluated and a model for infrared photodesorption with particular emphasis on assessing the quantum and thermally-assisted effects is also discussed.
Phaseolin: its Past, Properties, Regulation and Future

A vital foundation for civilization was the invention, apparently less than 20, 000 years ago, of crop cultivation. The realization that seeds could be collected and later sown to give new food plants permitted food to be grown and gathered at a given location for several years. This led to the replacement of nomadic foraging by the establishment of settlements, and the emergence of artisans. Seed proteins played a major role in these changes since, in addition to their degradation and assimilation by the germinating seedling, they represent major food resources that can be stored and used over winter for man and for livestock.
Enhanced optical properties due to indium incorporation in zinc oxide nanowires

Indium-doped zinc oxide nanowires grown by vapor-liquid-solid technique with 1.6 at. % indium content show intense room temperature photoluminescence (PL) that is red shifted to 20 meV from band edge. We report on a combination of nanowires and nanobelts-like structures with enhanced optical properties after indium doping. The near band edge emission shift gives an estimate for the carrier density as high as 5.5 × 1019 cm−3 for doped nanowires according to Mott's critical density theory. Quenching of the visible green peak is seen for doped nanostructures indicating lesser oxygen vacancies and improved quality. PL and transmission electron microscopy measurements confirm indium doping into the ZnO lattice, whereas temperature dependent PL data give an estimation of the donor and acceptor binding energies that agrees well with indium doped nanowires. This provides a non-destructive technique to estimate doping for 1D structures as compared to the traditional FET approach. Furthermore, these indium doped na...
The development and implementation of a reverse engineering method for near net shape parts

This research presents a new method for the reverse engineering of Near Net Shape (NNS) parts that bridge the current 3D scanning and Rapid Prototyping technologies. Near Net Shape is a group of manufacturing technologies that includes forging, casting, hot isostatic pressing, and additive manufacturing. This research focuses on casting process and provides a software tool along with the new method for reverse engineering a legacy casting design to the “as was” casted state instead of the “as is” current state, and at the same time, reducing the cost and time for repairing a legacy casting part. The three main objective for this research is to 1.Create a new reverse engineering method 2.Develop a software tool that is designed for feature free model editing 3.Validate the process through metal casting. The Point Cloud Library is applied for assisting point cloud processing and feature free model editing. A series of algorithms is developed for draft adding and pattern generation for the process of casting. The Rapid Pattern Manufacturing system developed in Iowa State University, Rapid Manufacturing and Prototyping Lab is applied for pattern manufacturing. This method is validated to be correct and able to reverse engineer legacy casting parts rapidly and economically through a metal casting process. The layout of this thesis is as follows: Chapter 1: provides introduction, background, research problem statement and objective of this research. Chapter 2: a literature review for the current reverse engineering method and introduces the modules of point cloud library that are used in this research. Chapter 3: presents the overview of method and algorithms that developed for this method in detail. Chapter 4: presents the implementation of this method
Particle dispersion by nonlinearly damped random waves

We present a theoretical study of the dispersion of particles along quasi-horizontal stratification surfaces induced by small-amplitude internal gravity waves that are forced by white noise and dissipated by linear or nonlinear damping. This extends previous studies in which only linear damping was considered. The damping itself is a toy model for the nonlinear processes that would attenuate a wave mode in a broad spectrum of internal waves such as the Garrett–Munk spectrum for ocean internal waves. We compute the velocity covariance using an eigenfunction expansion of the Kolmogorov backward equation and investigate how the degree of nonlinearity affects the scaling of diffusivity with wave amplitude. We find a simple new expression for the diffusivity that is valid in both the linear and nonlinear cases, and we consider the likely quantitative importance of these process in the context of data from field experiments on small-scale ocean tracer dispersion.
Influence of Point at which Ventricle Contacts Thoracic Wall on Form of the Electrocardiogram

The recent experiments of Katz,1 Wilson,2 and of Kountz, Prinzmetal and Smith3 have indicated that the point at which the heart contacts the thoracic wall may play an important part in determining the character of the electrocardiogram. Especially the work of the latter authors has suggested that the point of the ventricle in contact with the chest wall, as well as the point on the chest wall where this contact is made, may have a profound influence on the resulting curves. It has also served to show that it is extremely difficult in the animal body to change the contact of the heart without changing its electrical axis. Since the influence of these changes has not been studied separately, the following method was devised.A dog heart-lung preparation (Starling) was set up and removed from the dog's body. The thorax of a second dog, just dispatched, was opened anteriorly and the thoracic viscera left in situ. The esophagus of the heart-lung preparation was connected to a point 4 cm. to the left of the ster...
Christian School Leaders and Spirituality: A Reaction to Banke, Maldonado, and Lacey

ABSTRACTBanke, Maldonado, and Lacey (2012) found evidence to suggest that the experiences of Christian school leaders affect their roles as spiritual leaders because learning from various prior experiences aided these leaders on how to be better spiritual leaders. Argued herein is that this conclusion “begs the question” because the conclusion that the authors attempt to prove is included in the initial premise of their argument. This approach perhaps explains why the authors purposefully nominated participants for the study and made other simplifying assumptions such as equating servant leadership to spiritual leadership, equating protestant Christians to all Christian denominations, equating Christian school leaders to spiritual leaders, and equating Christian primary and secondary school leaders to Christian college and University leaders.
From papyrus to cyber: how technology has directed law enforcement policy and practice

AbstractCyber technology, both explicitly and implicitly, impacts every facet of local, state, national and international criminal justice operations. Unfortunately, technological changes, including cyber technologies, are rarely well thought out and may have unintended negative consequences. Additionally technology, and particularly cyber technology, evolves at a much faster pace than our understanding of the ethics, laws and policies involved. Consequently, citizens, criminals and justice professionals often rely on technology without the benefit of legal protections or explicit agency policy. This paper will examine how technology, both historically (non cyber) and contemporarily (cyber), has positively and negatively affected one aspect of the Criminal Justice enterprise – law enforcement.
Stromal cell progeny of murine bone marrow fibroblast colony-forming units are clonal endothelial-like cells that express collagen IV and laminin

Studies of human and murine bone marrow explants have demonstrated the existence of stromal cell precursors that give rise to colonies of adherent cells in short-term cultures. Because previous data suggested that these colonies were composed of fibroblasts, the precursor cells were termed fibroblast colony-forming units (CFU-F). However, we have recently shown that the stromal cells which support hematopoiesis in murine long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBC) express collagen IV and laminin, markers associated with an endothelial cell lineage, but are negative for collagen I and III, markers associated with a fibroblast cell lineage. Because these conflicting results suggest major functional differences between the stromal cells observed in long-term cultures and the short-term assay, we re-examined the lineage of CFU-F-derived stromal cells. Using two-color immunofluorescence, we characterized virtually all of the cells comprising individual "CFU-F" colonies derived from mouse radiation chimeras. Identification of donor (hematopoietic) or host (stromal) origin was based on surface staining for strain-specific H-2 surface antigens, and, for endothelial or fibroblast properties, on cytoplasmic staining for laminin and collagen IV, or collagens I and III, respectively. The results demonstrate that a large proportion of the cells in CFU-F colonies are donor-derived and fail to stain with any of the antisera specific for nonhematopoietic cells. In addition, these donor-derived cells exhibit marked phagocytic capacity and stain positively with monoclonal antibodies characteristic of the monocyte-macrophage hematopoietic cell lineage (anti-T200, anti-Mac-1, F4/80). However, the remainder of the cells are host-derived cells that stain positively with antisera to collagen IV and laminin. In contrast, stains for collagen types I and III were negative under conditions that allowed for strong staining of control skin fibroblasts. In separate studies, using mixtures of two genetically distinct bone marrows, the cells expressing collagen IV were further shown to be clonal in origin within individual colonies, directly demonstrating that the CFU-F assay provides a quantitative measure of the numbers of marrow stromal cell precursors. Thus, the current studies establish a remarkable similarity between the hematopoietic microenvironment in the short-term CFU-F assay and the long-term culture system: the majority of adherent cells are hematopoietic cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage, while the remainder are stromal cells whose precise lineage remains uncertain, but whose pattern of collagen expression is more consistent with an endothelial rather than a fibroblast cell origin.
Conceptualizing and Measuring Online Behavior Through Social Media Metrics

The measurement of social media becomes crucial when businesses and organizations rely on them for word-of-mouth marketing. However, few organizations know how to quantify the impact of social media. This chapter reviews the evolution of social media and why the measurements are important. A framework based on multi-dimensional network of actors and memes provides the conceptualization of social media networks. Existing measurement frameworks based on web metrics and business objectives are different representations of this multi-dimensional network. The ultimate goal of measuring economic values needs to rely on the quantification of this network, its evolution and connection with business performance.
Targeted knockdown of polo-like kinase 1 alters metabolic regulation in melanoma.

A limited number of studies have indicated an association of the mitotic kinase polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) and cellular metabolism. Here, employing an inducible RNA interference approach in A375 melanoma cells coupled with a PCR array and multiple validation approaches, we demonstrated that PLK1 alters a number of genes associated with cellular metabolism. PLK1 knockdown resulted in a significant downregulation of IDH1, PDP2 and PCK1 and upregulation of FBP1. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) identified that 1) glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway are major canonical pathways associated with PLK1, and 2) PLK1 inhibition-modulated genes were largely associated with cellular proliferation, with FBP1 being the key modulator. Further, BI 6727-mediated inhibition of PLK1 caused a decrease in PCK1 and increase in FBP1 in A375 melanoma cell implanted xenografts in vivo. Furthermore, an inverse correlation between PLK1 and FBP1 was found in melanoma cells, with FBP1 expression significantly downregulated in a panel of melanoma cells. In addition, BI 6727 treatment resulted in an upregulation in FBP1 in A375, Hs294T and G361 melanoma cells. Overall, our study suggests that PLK1 may be an important regulator of metabolism maintenance in melanoma cells.
Reversing the anticoagulation effects of dabigatran

ABSTRACTThe standard of care for oral anticoagulation therapy has primarily been warfarin, which is limited by its indirect mechanism-of-action, variable kinetics, tolerability, and routine monitoring concerns. The direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have predictable pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and improved safety and efficacy compared to warfarin for the prevention of stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and prevention or management of venous thromboembolism.Consequential bleeding is a concern with all anticoagulants. Vitamin K is not a rapid reversal agent for warfarin; rather it facilitates synthesis of new vitamin K-dependent clotting factors, which can take longer than 24 h. Other nonspecific agents, including recombinant activated factor VII, three- and four-factor prothrombin complex concentrates (PCC), and activated PCC or Factor Eight Inhibitor Bypassing Activity (FEIBA®), are options based on clinical need.Specific agents to quickly reverse the effects of DOAC...
Rapidly Progressive and Almost Lethal Pneumonia.

We herein describe the case of a 65-year-old male patient who presented with Osler’s triad, which is the combination of endocarditis, pneumonia, and meningitis. This report is even more unusual since the pathogen isolated was the invasive and virulent strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 3. The clinical entity described is also called Austrian syndrome. Even though rare in this antibiotic era, the syndrome remains one of high morbidity and mortality. This particular case is of paramount importance for the clinician reader. First, it documents the clinical features associated with invasive pneumococcal disease and the Austrian syndrome. Second, and equally important, it highlights why following the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines saves lives. For this case, the following steps were taken: 1. As a surrogate for perfusion, early and aggressive fluid resuscitation therapy (guided by lactic acid levels) was instituted; 2. also early in the treatment , broad spectrum antibiotics were administered; 3. to guide antibiotic therapy, microbiological cultures were obtained. The patient subsequently improved and was transferred to the internal medicine ward to complete 4 weeks of antibiotic therapy.
Effect of Moderate-Intensity Exercise Training on Peak Oxygen Consumption in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance Formulating exercise recommendations for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is challenging because of concern about triggering ventricular arrhythmias and because a clinical benefit has not been previously established in this population. Objective To determine whether moderate-intensity exercise training improves exercise capacity in adults with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Design, Setting, and Participants A randomized clinical trial involving 136 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was conducted between April 2010 and October 2015 at 2 academic medical centers in the United States (University of Michigan Health System and Stanford University Medical Center). Date of last follow-up was November 2016. Interventions Participants were randomly assigned to 16 weeks of moderate-intensity exercise training (n = 67) or usual activity (n = 69). Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome measure was change in peak oxygen consumption from baseline to 16 weeks. Results Among the 136 randomized participants (mean age, 50.4 [SD, 13.3] years; 42% women), 113 (83%) completed the study. At 16 weeks, the change in mean peak oxygen consumption was +1.35 (95% CI, 0.50 to 2.21) mL/kg/min among participants in the exercise training group and +0.08 (95% CI, −0.62 to 0.79) mL/kg/min among participants in the usual-activity group (between-group difference, 1.27 [95% CI, 0.17 to 2.37]; P = .02). There were no occurrences of sustained ventricular arrhythmia, sudden cardiac arrest, appropriate defibrillator shock, or death in either group. Conclusions and Relevance In this preliminary study involving patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, moderate-intensity exercise compared with usual activity resulted in a statistically significant but small increase in exercise capacity at 16 weeks. Further research is needed to understand the clinical importance of this finding in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, as well as the long-term safety of exercise at moderate and higher levels of intensity. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT01127061
Ignition characterization of F-76 and algae-derived HRD-76 at elevated temperatures and pressures

Abstract This study investigates the impact of fuel structure and chemistry on the combustion dynamics of a high-pressure fuel spray under realistic diesel engine conditions. The focus of the research was to better understand the combustion characteristics of a bio-derived hydroreformed Navy diesel, HRD-76, which is populated with a higher percentage of paraffins and expected to exhibit more rapid ignition behavior in comparison to the conventional Navy diesel, F-76. Specific attention was paid to intermediate temperature ignition conditions, which are of particular interest due to unique ignition behavior and the potential for reducing common oxide pollutants in this region. Experiments were conducted in a constant pressure flow chamber using dry air at ambient temperatures of 800 K ≤ T ≤ 975 K, under various compressed pressures within the standard engine operating envelope (20–95 bar), and under a moderate to high fuel loading condition when compared to realistic engine applications. The ignition delays, combustion duration, and ignition dwell of the fuels at various temperatures and pressures were measured utilizing a photodiode to capture the OH* emission signature. In addition, high-speed broadband chemiluminescence imaging and intensified high-speed OH* chemiluminescence imaging were utilized to understand the fuel's ignition behavior at frame-rates of 60 kHz. The optical diagnostics employed showed that the HRD-76 has a higher propensity to ignite in comparison to F-76 under the same ambient conditions. The results were correlated with shock tube data and chemical kinetic simulations to determine the impact of the fuels’ physical delay time on the overall ignition delay. These results will supply fundamental combustion information for the use of alternative fuels in current and future engine technologies.