cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Obesity and other modifiable factors for physical inactivity measured by accelerometer in adults with knee osteoarthritis

Objective To investigate the public health impact of obesity and other modifiable risk factors related to physical inactivity in adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods The frequency of inactivity as defined by the US Department of Health and Human Services was assessed from objective accelerometer monitoring of 1,089 participants (ages 49–84 years) with radiographic knee OA during the Osteoarthritis Initiative 48-month visit (2008–2010). The relationship between modifiable factors (weight status, dietary fat, fiber, smoking, depressive symptoms, knee function, knee pain, and knee confidence) with inactivity was assessed using odds ratios (ORs) and attributable fractions (AFs), controlling for descriptive factors (age, sex, race, education, lives alone, employment, frequent knee symptoms, and comorbidity). Results Almost half (48.9%) of participants with knee OA were inactive. Being overweight (OR 1.8, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.2–2.5) or obese (OR 3.9, 95% CI 2.6–5.7), having inadequate dietary fiber intake (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–2.2), severe knee dysfunction (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3–2.8), and severe pain (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1–2.5) were significantly related to inactivity, controlling for descriptive factors. Modifiable factors with significant average AFs were being overweight or obese (AF 23.8%, 95% CI 10.5–38.6%) and inadequate dietary fiber (AF 12.1%, 95% CI 0.1–24.5%), controlling for all factors. Conclusion Being obese or overweight, the quality of the diet, severe pain, and severe dysfunction are significantly associated with physical inactivity in adults with knee OA. All components should be considered in designing physical activity interventions that target arthritis populations with low activity levels.
Detecting Marker Inconsistencies in Human Gene Mapping

When an inconsistency occurs in a pedigree, it may not be apparent which individual(s) are causing it. Here, a statistical method is described which identifies individuals most likely to have caused a
Mitochondrial Acetylome Analysis in a Mouse Model of Alcohol-Induced Liver Injury Utilizing SIRT3 Knockout Mice

Mitochondrial protein hyperacetylation is a known consequence of sustained ethanol consumption and has been proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The mechanisms underlying this altered acetylome, however, remain unknown. The mitochondrial deacetylase sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) is reported to be the major regulator of mitochondrial protein deacetylation and remains a central focus for studies on protein acetylation. To investigate the mechanisms underlying ethanol-induced mitochondrial acetylation, we employed a model for ALD in both wild-type (WT) and SIRT3 knockout (KO) mice using a proteomics and bioinformatics approach. Here, WT and SIRT3 KO groups were compared in a mouse model of chronic ethanol consumption, revealing pathways relevant to ALD, including lipid and fatty acid metabolism, antioxidant response, amino acid biosynthesis and the electron-transport chain, each displaying proteins with altered acetylation. Interestingly, protein hyperacetylation resulting from ethanol consumption and SIRT3 ablation suggests ethanol-induced hyperacetylation targets numerous biological processes within the mitochondria, the majority of which are known to be acetylated through SIRT3-dependent mechanisms. These findings reveal overall increases in 91 mitochondrial targets for protein acetylation, identifying numerous critical metabolic and antioxidant pathways associated with ALD, suggesting an important role for mitochondrial protein acetylation in the pathogenesis of ALD.
Tensile properties and fracture toughness of TiAl alloys with controlled microstructures

Abstract The objective of this study is to improve the mechanical properties by careful control of both microstructure and alloy additions in two-phase TiAl alloys based on Ti-47Al-2Cr-2Nb (at%). Hot extrusion at temperatures above Tα produces refined lamellar structures, whose microstructural features can be further controlled by subsequent heat-treatment at and above 900 °C. The mechanical properties of the alloys with lamellar structures depend on three factors: colony size, interlamellar spacing, and alloying additions. The tensile elongation at room temperature is strongly dependent on lamellar colony size, showing increasing ductility with decreased colony size. The strength at room and elevated temperatures is sensitive to interlamellar spacing, showing increasing strength with decreased colony spacing. The fracture toughness at room temperature can be substantially improved by heat-treatment at 1320 and 1350 °C. The tungsten addition at a level of 0.2% improves the tensile strength, whereas the silicon addition at a level of 0.3% reduces the castability of the TiAl alloys. The TiAl materials produced by hot extrusion are much superior to those produced by conventional thermomechanical treatments.
Muscular contraction: kinetics of crossbridge attachment studied by high-frequency stiffness measurements

Instantaneous stiffness of frog skeletal muscle, an indication of the proportion of attached crossbridges, was determined drug the tetanus rise and after a step length change imposed during the tetanus plateau. During the onset of contraction as well as after a step, the ratio of stiffness to force differed from that determined during the tetanus plateau. The data after a step are predicted by the Huxley-Simmons model of muscular contraction, but the results during the rise suggest that a long-lived state may exist between crossbridge attachment and force generation.
Expression of Wilms tumor gene (WT1) in epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract Objectives. The identification of proteins that are selectively expressed in cancer and with potential to elicit an immune response is the first step towards antigen-specific immunotherapy. The Wilms tumor gene product (WT1) is inherently immunogenic and is now thought to be oncogenic. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of WT1 in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and correlate with clinico-pathologic characteristics. Methods. WT1 expression was examined using immunohistochemistry applied on a tissue microarray of normal tissues and a panel of 100 EOC tissues. The distribution of WT1 expression and clinico-pathologic variables were analyzed. Survival probabilities were estimated by Kaplan–Meier method, and statistical significance was determined by the log-rank test. Results. WT1 expression was observed in 78/100 of specimens. The predominant expression pattern was homogenous, occurring in 66/100 (66%) of WT1-positive specimens, while 12/100 (12%) demonstrated heterogeneous staining. In normal tissues, WT1 expression was noted in kidneys, splenic capsule, Sertoli cells of the testis, and granulosa cells of the ovary. The median follow-up of the patient population was 30 months. Patients with WT1-positive tumors tended to have a higher grade ( P = 0.006) and stage ( P = 0.002) of tumor. However, there were no significant differences in the distribution of patients with WT1-positive tumors in relation to disease-free and overall survival. Conclusions. Our data demonstrate that WT1 is expressed at high frequency in patients with EOC. Since WT1 demonstrates tissue-restricted expression and is inherently immunogenic, it could represent an attractive target for antigen-specific immunotherapy in EOC.
Integration of multimodality imaging data for radiotherapy treatment planning

This paper describes computational techniques to permit the quantitative integration of magnetic resonance (MR), positron emission tomography (PET), and x-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging data sets. These methods are used to incorporate unique diagnostic information provided by PET and MR imaging into CT-based treatment planning for radiotherapy of intracranial tumors and vascular malformations. Integration of information from the different imaging modalities is treated as a two-step process. The first step is to determine the set of geometric parameters relating the coordinates of two imaging data sets. No universal method for determining these parameters is appropriate because of the diversity of contemporary imaging methods and data formats. Most situations can be handled by one of the four different techniques described. These four methods make use of specific geometric objects contained in the two data sets to determine the parameters. These objects are: (a) anatomical and/or fiducial points, (b) attached line markers, (c) anatomical surfaces, and (d) outlines of anatomical structures. The second step involves using the derived transformation to transfer outlines of treatment volumes and/or anatomical structures drawn on the images of one imaging study to the images of another study, usually the treatment planning CT. Solid modelling and image processing techniques have been adapted and developed further to accomplish this task. Clinical examples and phantom studies are presented which verify the different aspects of these techniques and demonstrate the accuracy with which they can be applied. Clinical use of these techniques for treatment planning has resulted in improvements in localization of treatment volumes and critical structures in the brain. These improvements have allowed greater sparing of normal tissues and more precise delivery of energy to the desired irradiation volume. It is believed that these improvements will have a positive impact on the outcome of radiation therapy.
Using the vulnerability information of computer systems to improve the network security

In these years, the security problem becomes more important to everyone using computers. However, vulnerabilities on computers are found so frequently that system managers can not patch up all these vulnerabilities on hosts within the network in no time. They need to perform a risk evaluation in order to determine the priority of patching-up vulnerabilities. Besides, they may not have the administrator right on all hosts in the network, but only have the right on these network devices. To keep these vulnerabilities on hosts from exploitation, system managers can set the ACL scripts on network devices. The solution improves security in the network immediately, since some threatened service ports on hosts are blocked from accessed. This paper introduces a method to improve the network security, which consists of the network management, the vulnerability scan, the risk assessment, the access control, and the incident notification. Companioned to the network topology, the risk evaluation indicates the threatened service ports that should be blocked within ACL scripts. These procedures do not cost any extra hardware equipment. With the proposed method, the network security improves almost 40% with only 8% of threatened ports being blocked in the examined Class-B network. The 40% improvement of network security is evaluated with these two indices, the summary of CVSS values and the number of vulnerabilities in the network.
Suburban Money in Central City Elections The Geographic Distribution of Campaign Contributions

When candidates run for municipal office, do they rely on campaign contributions from suburbanites? This research note explores this question by analyzing fund-raising networks in four central cities: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. The majority of campaign contributions to mayoral and city council candidates come from within their city. While the fund-raising networks of central-city candidates extend into the suburbs, they only do so partially. In particular, they only connect to a handful of wealthy suburbs that are geographically close to the central city. Regional fund-raising networks are limited, indicating that the flow of political money does not mirror the economic and policy interdependence that has been documented by new regionalists.
Singular Optimal Atmospheric Rocket Trajectories

Presently studied is the problem of the ascent and acceleration of a vehicle in atmospheric flight in which a variable-thrust arc forms a part of the optimal trajectory. A two-parameter family of singular arcs was generated for time-range-fuel problems of an ascending rocket, using the modeling of Zlatskiy and Kiforenko. The shortterm optimality of singular subarcs has been checked in terms of certain necessary conditions: the classical Clebsch condition, the Kelley condition or the Generalized Legendre-Clebsch condition, and the Goh condition. All of these are found to be satisfied computationally for all the candidates. The calculations were repeated for simplified thrust-along-the path modeling and similar results on optimality were obtained.
Stereotactic body radiation therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis: evaluation of radiological and pathological response.

Background Loco-regional therapies for cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are awaiting liver transplantation (OLT) attempt to prevent tumor progression. However, there is limited data regarding the efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) as loco-regional treatment. Methods From 2006 to 2009, 27 HCC patients (AJCC I, II) listed for OLT underwent SBRT. Thirty-nine lesions were treated and 27 assessed radiologically. Seventeen patients had OLT, liver explants were analyzed and 22 lesions underwent pathological evaluation. Results In a cumulative analysis of all imaging, 30% had complete response, 7% had partial response, 56% were stable, and 7% had progression of disease. Of the 22 pathologically evaluated lesions, 37% were responders: 14% with complete response, 23% with partial response, and 63% with no response. Side effects from SBRT were recorded in three patients, which included nausea in two and liver decompensation in one. Conclusion SBRT achieves total or partial radiological response in 37% of patients and total or partial pathological response in 37% of patients with early HCC in the setting of cirrhosis. SBRT may be a safe and effective alternative for local tumor control in patients with HCC and cirrhosis awaiting OLT. J. Surg. Oncol. 2012; 105:692–698. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Toward a Simple but Useful Equity Theory: A Comment on the Romer Article

The history of the so-called negative inputs controversy in equity theory is reviewed, and Romer's (1977) suggestions for resolving it are evaluated. Doubt is expressed regarding the validity of Romer's inference that equity theory applies only to situations in which a fixed resource is being shared by two or more individuals. Romer and the present author do appear to agree that, in order to preserve a simple and useful theory, it is necessary to assume that inputs are exclusively positive in sign. Nonetheless, it is concluded that Romer's article essentially advocates regression from, rather than progress toward, the resolution of issues currently being considered by equity theorists.
Outcomes of Schatzker II tibial plateau fracture open reduction internal fixation using structural bone allograft.

Objectives:The purpose of this study is to report the rate of anatomic reduction, articular subsidence, and clinical outcomes for Schatzker II tibial plateau fractures treated with structural bone allografts.Design:This is a retrospective case series.Setting:Academic Level I Trauma Center.Patients/P
Lanthanum inhibits surfactant secretion stimulated by lung distension in newborn rabbits.

ABSTRACT: The effect of lanthanum on lung phospholipid secretion stimulated by lung distension was examined in 29.5-d gestation newborn rabbits. Lung lavage with saline alone produced 608 ± 109 μg phospholipid/lung (mean ± SEM), whereas lavage with 10−3 M lanthanum produced only 153 ± 40 μg phospholipid/lung (p < 0.05), the difference in yield being attributed to inhibited lavage-induced secretion with lanthanum. If this interpretation is correct, then an increased residual tissue surfactant should be found in lanthanum-lavaged lungs. Postlavaged lung was separated into IA, IB, and IC fractions by homogenization and then centrifugation with 0.25 and 0.65 M sucrose. The surfactant IB fraction was 763 ± 65 μg phospholipid/g wet lung for saline-lavaged lungs, but 1002 ± 90 μg phospholipid/g wet lung for lanthanum-lavaged lungs (p < 0.002). This confirms that decreased secretion with lanthanum was associated with increased residual surfactant in postlavaged lung. It is concluded that lanthanum is a potent inhibitor of surfactant secretion stimulated by lung distension.
Protein tyrosine phosphatases in the developing nervous system

Abstract Protein tyrosine phsophatases (PTPs) constitute a diverse family of intracellular and transmembrane proteins. Expression data and recent genetic analyses indicate that many PTPs play important roles in different aspects of nervous system development. Although PTP mechanisms are still poorly understood, current data suggest considerable complexity in these signaling pathways.
Quantifying animal size effects on toxicity: a general approach

Abstract A general approach is described for quantifying size-dependent, toxicant impact. This approach is less restrictive than the commonly used approach developed by Bliss (1936), and its generality allows more effective model generation. A range of response metameters (rate of toxic action, time-to-death, In time-to-death) and covariate (body size and toxicant concentration) transformations are assessed using an aquatic species. The best model for the error term (e) can be chosen from the normal, log normal, log logistic, Weibull, and gamma distributions. Exposure survivors and assignment of times-to-death to intervals are accommodated easily with this maximum likelihood method.
Finding the “Sense of the Meeting”: Decision Making Through Silence Among Quakers

Decision making through silence may seem counterintuitive. However, many unprogrammed Quakers believe that their deliberative process of finding the “sense of the meeting” in monthly administrative meetings is based in silence. Drawing on the ethnography of communication and cultural discourse theory, this article analyzes recordings of naturally occurring interaction during Quaker meetings for business. Building on research on silence as generative, it argues that, in this context, communal silence plays an active role in decision making through a process understood to take precedence over its outcome. This article contributes to an understanding of the functions of silence in different cultural contexts. The analysis suggests that in the context of Quaker meetings for business, silences serve to prepare participants to take part in decision making and also structure the unfolding of the decision-making process, as participants wait and listen for guidance. The article also explores the situated processe...
Reaction of autoxidizing linoleate with coho salmon myosin

Reactions that contribute to denaturation, destruction and quality changes of fish muscle lipids and protein were studied. Compounds with characteristic fluorescence spectra were isolated by extraction and thin layer chromatography from an autoxidizing system consisting of sodium linoleate, Coho salmon myosin and buffer. Similar compounds were also present in extracts from freeze-dried salmon steaks and salmon kept frozen at −20 C for 1 year. TBA values and oxygen uptake of the autoxidizing system showed initial rapid increases with time followed by a significant decrease in TBA values and gradual leveling off of oxygen uptake upon prolonged oxidation. IR spectra before and after borohydride reduction and UV, visible and fluorescence spectra indicated the presence of C=N functional groups in extracts from the various samples. These compounds were not extractable from the control myosin solutions allowed to oxidize without addition of linoleate. Amino acid analyses of the myosin from the autoxidizing system, when compared with nonoxidized myosin-linoleate systems, indicated significant decreases in the amounts of histidine, lysine and methionine following oxidation. These reactions apparently contribute to the denaturation and destruction of the lipids and protein in the model system, as well as in a frozen or freeze-dried product.
Clock tree synthesis under aggressive buffer insertion

In this paper, we propose a maze-routing-based clock tree routing algorithm integrated with buffer insertion, buffer sizing and topology generation that is able to consider general buffer insertion locations in order to achieve robust slew control. Buffer insertion along routing paths had been mostly avoided previously due to the difficulty to maintain low skew under such aggressive buffer insertion. We develop accurate timing analysis engine for delay and slew estimation and a balanced routing scheme for better skew reduction during clock tree synthesis. As a result, we can perform aggressive buffer insertion with buffer sizing and maintain accurate delay information and low skew. Experiments show that our synthesis results not only honor the hard slew constraints but also maintain reasonable skew.
Applying polymer chemistry to interfaces: Layer-by-layer and spontaneous growth of covalently bound multilayers

We report on the covalent layer-by-layer growth of multilayers of diphenylmethane derivatives where interlayer bonding is through a urea moiety. We demonstrate two routes to the growth of multilayer structures. The first method uses alternating copolymerization chemistry where isocyanate-containing monomers are reacted with amine-containing monomers, leading to growth that is controlled layer-by-layer. The second route uses isocyanate-functionalized monomers and hydrolysis to achieve layer growth, leading to spontaneous polymerization and less well-controlled layer growth. Both routes produce chemically identical structures as determined by 13C NMR, FTIR, and UV−visible spectroscopies.
Diagnostic applicability of magnetic resonance imaging in assessing human cardiac allograft rejection

To assess the diagnostic applicability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diagnosis of cardiac allograft rejection, 25 patients who recently underwent cardiac transplantation were studied on a 0.15-tesla resistive system within 24 hours of endomyocardial biopsy. Ten normal volunteers and 4 patients who had recent (within 2 weeks) nontransplant cardiac surgery were also studied. In the 19 transplant patients imaged within 24 days of graft implantation, only 1 had evidence of graft rejection on biopsy. However, all nonrejecting grafts had increased T1 and T2 values, 501 +/- 22 and 61 +/- 6 ms, respectively (mean +/- standard deviation) and the only rejecting graft had values of 496 and 60 ms, respectively. In the normal volunteers mean T1 was 352 +/- 18 ms and T2 was 35 +/- 6 ms. There was no significant difference in T1 and T2 values between patients who underwent nontransplant surgery and control subjects. In patients with nonrejecting transplants who were imaged more than 25 days after surgery, the T1 and T2 values had normalized to 359 +/- 17 ms and 36 +/- 7 ms, respectively (n = 28 images in 20 patients). However, in those grafts with rejection, T1 and T2 were both elevated to 502 +/- 21 ms and 62 +/- 6 ms, respectively (n = 15 in 13 patients); wall thickness was also increased. Fourteen of 15 late rejection events (more than 25 days after surgery) were correctly identified on the basis of increases in T1 and T2 to more than 2 standard deviations above normal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A New Real-Time PCR Assay for Improved Detection of the Parasite Babesia microti

Babesiosis is an emerging zoonosis with important public health implications, as the incidence of the disease has risen dramatically over the past decade. Because the current gold standard for detection of Babesia is microscopic examination of blood smears, accurate identification requires trained personnel. Species in the genus cannot be distinguished microscopically, and Babesia can also be confused with the early trophozoite stage (ring forms) of Plasmodium parasites. To allow more accurate diagnosis in a format that is accessible to a wider variety of laboratories, we developed a real-time PCR assay targeting the 18S rRNA gene of Babesia microti, the dominant babesiosis pathogen in the United States. The real-time PCR is performed on DNA extracted from whole-blood specimens and detects Babesia microti with a limit of detection of ∼100 gene copies in 5 μl of blood. The real-time PCR assay was shown to be 100% specific when tested against a panel of 24 organisms consisting of Babesia microti, other Babesia species, Plasmodium species, tick-borne and other pathogenic bacteria, and other blood-borne parasites. The results using clinical specimens show that the assay can detect infections of lower parasitemia than can be detected by microscopic examination. This method is therefore a rapid, sensitive, and accurate method for detection of Babesia microti in patient specimens.
Preclinical studies with pyrazolopyridine non-benzodiazepine anxiolytics: ICI 190,622.

Tracazolate is a pyrazolopyridine anxiolytic that enhances the binding of [3H]-flunitrazepam ([3H]FLU) to brain tissue. The discovery that a metabolite of tracazolate, desbutyltracazolate, was a weak inhibitor of [3H]FLU binding led to the synthesis of a series of potent anxiolytics. From this series, ICI 190,622 emerged as a viable drug candidate, being a potent anxiolytic in rats and monkeys. This anxiolytic agent appears to produce only minimal sedation. Furthermore, ICI 190,622 appears less likely to potentiate the actions of ethanol than diazepam. ICI 190,622 is also a potent anticonvulsant (anti-metrazol ED50=1.1 mg/kg, PO) in rodents. Neurochemically, ICI 190,622 is similar to the benzodiazepine anxiolytics. In vitro, ICI 190,622 competitively inhibited [3H]FLU binding in cerebral cortex with an IC50 of 81 nM and was 4.3-fold more potent in the cerebellum (IC50=19 nM). This suggests a selectivity for the Type 1 benzodiazepine binding site. In contrast, diazepam showed similar affinities in both regions (cerebral cortex=7 nM and cerebellum=9 nM). Following oral administration, ICI 190,622 displaced [3H]FLU binding from cerebellar membranes more potently than diazepam (ED50=3 and 6 mg/kg, respectively, 1 hour after administration). Thus, ICI 190,622 should be an effective anxiolytic with significant advantages over benzodiazepines.
A numerical model for viscous, nondivergent, barotropic, wind-driven, ocean circulations

Abstract A modified-rigid-lid numerical ocean model consisting of a tendency equation for vorticity and a Helmholtz equation that relates vorticity to a stream-function is presented. Integration of the vorticity equation involves a fourth-order fractional-time-step method. The Hehnholtz equation is inverted by a partial Fourier transform technique. The large scales in the numerical solutions obtained from this model can be made to agree with those obtained from a free-surface model by adjusting the parameter in the Helmholtz equation. A comparison of computational speeds made between this model and a free-surface model shows the modified-rigid-lid model to be faster by a factor of five.
In vitro chondrogenesis stimulated by extracts of gall bladder epithelium.

Abstract Living adult gall bladder epithelium has previously been shown to initiate in vivo ectopic cartilage and/or bone formation. In the present study, we demonstrate that solubilized extracts of gall bladder, which have never been inductive when tested in vivo, do in fact contain a factor that stimulates chondrogenesis in stage 24 chick limb bud mesenchymal cell cultures. These 4 M guanidinium chloride soluble, cold water soluble protein fractions initiate a dose-dependent increase in the amount of cartilage formed following an 8–10 day continuous exposure as evidenced by the presence of greater numbers of chondrocytes when viewed with phase optics, more intense toluidine blue metachromatic staining in fixed plates and elevated 35 S-sulfate incorporation into the cell layer (as a maker for proteoglycan biosynthesis). The factor(s) responsible for this activity binds to DEAE anion-exchange resins, is stable to heat (100 °C for 10 min) and 2-mercaptoethanol reduction but is labile to trypsin digestion. These results emphasize the importance of in vitro test systems to identify bioactive agents which may otherwise go undetected using an in vivo implantation assay.
Pre‐necking and post‐necking relaxation and creep behavior of polycarbonate: A phenomenological study

Experiments have been performed to investigate the mechanical response of unfilled polycarbonate vis-a-vis the influence of prior deformation on stress relaxation and creep. Piecewise linear deformation histories, which involve strain-controlled tensile loading of a specimen to a maximum load and partial unloading to a target strain/stress point as prologue to a relaxation test, have been shown to qualitatively influence the recorded stress-time behavior. In particular, the stress magnitude during relaxation first increases and is then followed by a decrease. Analogously, in creep tests during unloading, the strain might decrease and then increase. Time characteristics for this U-turn in the deformation response are influenced by the placement of the test. The influence of prior specimen conditioning on this phenomenon is investigated by comparing test data from virgin samples to that of specimens having high (∼85%) inelastic strain from prior tensile elongation. Findings suggest that the observed persistence in the occurrence of this reversal effect for both types of specimens is evidence of the need to incorporate this behavior into the fold of material modeling. Additionally, this novel relaxation and creep behavior has been observed in other amorphous (poly(phenylene oxide)) and crystalline (high-density polyethylene) polymers. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:1783–1791, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.
An integrated computational model of three-dimensional vision.

Abstraet-This article presents the details of and background for a computational model of three-dimensional vision. The basic idea embodied in this model is that a veridical approximation to a three-dimensional scene can best be produced by combining several operators that act on acquired two-dimensional images to reconstruct surface shape and distance. Stereo, shape from shading (SFS), and shape from structured light (SFSL) operators are combined to produce a reconstruction that is superior to any that might be produced by one alone. The advantages and disadvantages of each independent operator and the generic difficulties faced by members of this class of operators are discussed. Collectively, this package of combined algorithms represents a functional model of human spatial vision.
Design and Preliminary Evaluation of a Novel Brace for Boutonniere Deformity

Boutonniere deformities are a common injury to the extensor mechanism of the finger. The deformity results in fixed contraction in the middle finger joint and is severely debilitating to functionality. Due to the complexity of the extensor mechanism, surgical repair is difficult, which usually requires multiple procedures, and in some cases is unsuccessful. Nonsurgical treatment of the deformity has not dramatically improved in many years and usually requires long-term use of braces and physical therapy. This work is focused on design and preliminary evaluation of an improved boutonniere brace to correct the deformity with emphasis on lower costs, integrating therapeutic techniques such as heat and motion to increase blood flow and patient comfort. A review of the current state of the art is presented along with the design approach used to develop an improved device. Experimental test results are also presented. This work demonstrates a new device and approach for treatment of boutonniere deformities that may translate to treatment of other conditions such as arthritis.
Interactions in virtual customer environments: Implications for product support and customer relationship management

Virtual customer environments (VCE), which provide services ranging from online discussion forums to virtual design toolkits, enable firms to involve their customers in innovation and value creation. Evidently, companies can benefit from operating such VCEs; however, most firms do not seem to attach sufficient importance to the nature of customers’ interactions in the VCE. In this study, we examine two critical implications of customers’ interactions in a product-support focused VCE. First, we suggest that customers’ perceptions of interaction-based benefits will shape their future participation in product support in the VCE. Second, customers’ interactions will also generate changes in their affective states , and these, in turn, influence their attitude towards the firm. Our empirical work provides broad support for the study hypotheses and implies the need for firms to carefully design and implement VCEs that facilitate positive interaction experiences for customers. Implications with respect to customer value co-creation and customer relationship management are discussed.
Global cerebral ischemia activates nuclear factor-κB prior to evidence of DNA fragmentation

Abstract The oxidative stress responsive transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) consists of a p50 (50 kDa) and p65/RelA (65 kDa) component and can be activated in vitro by TNFα, IL1β, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen radicals. All of the above factors are also known to be elevated at certain times after transient global ischemia. The present study was performed to determine if NF-κB was activated in vivo by transient global forebrain ischemia. Adult male rats were subjected to 30 min of 4-vessel occlusion (4-VO) and sacrificed at selected post-ischemic time points. Levels of NF-κB p50 and p65 subunits were determined by immunocytochemistry, Western blot and electrophoretic mobility-shift analysis. The enhancer complex was also confirmed by immuno-gel-shift analysis. Specific labeling of DNA strand breaks and DNA fragmentation was examined in situ by means of the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method. Western blot analysis of hippocampus showed induction of p50 and p65. A time course of NF-κB induction in hippocampus showed a p50-specific band at 6 h that increased in intensity over 12, 48 h and then decreased by 96 h post-ischemia. Immunocytochemistry revealed at 24 h post-ischemia that p65 and p50 immunoreactivity was present in neuronal nuclei of hippocampal CA1 neurons as well as all other hippocampal regions and several other forebrain regions which were not vulnerable to transient forebrain ischemia. At 72 h post-ischemia, nuclear NF-κB immunoreactivity had disappeared in all brain areas except in hippocampal CA1 neurons which were degenerating. No evidence for DNA fragmentation as revealed by TUNEL staining could be observed at 24 h. However, at 72 h, hippocampal CA1 neurons were heavily labeled. The results of this study demonstrate that global forebrain ischemia causes a transient activation of NF-κB in many forebrain regions. NF-κB remains persistently activated in the vulnerable hippocampal CA1 sector. Because of the persistent activation of NF-κB in these neurons, the possibility exists that NF-κB has a role in programmed cell death in hippocampal CA1 neurons.
Supernumerary limb structures after juxtaposing dorsal and ventral chick wing bud cells

Abstract The formation of duplicated wing skeletal elements and/or extra wing muscles was studied by juxtaposing normally nonadjacent embryonic chick wing bud cells. A wedge of right or left stage 21 wing bud ectoderm and mesoderm was inserted in a slit made in a host stage 20 to 22 right wing bud at the same anteroposterior position as its position of origin. The distal edge of the donor wedge and host wing bud were aligned with each other. Donor tissue was grafted into a host wing bud in one of the following four axial relationships: both the anteroposterior and dorsoventral axes corresponded with each other ( aadd ); only the anteroposterior axes were opposed ( apdd ); only the dorsoventral axes were opposed ( aadv ); both the anteroposterior and dorsoventral axes were opposed ( apdv ). Of the 63 wings resulting from the control aadd operation and the 45 wings from the apdd operation, only 12 wings had a duplicated skeletal element; of the 69 wings sectioned from these two groups of operations, only one had an extra muscle. However, of the wings resulting from the aadv and apdv operations (48 and 52 cases, respectively), 23 had a duplicated skeletal element; of the 54 wings sectioned from these operations, 43 wings had one to four extra muscles. Furthermore, when the aadv operation was performed with a wedge of donor quail wing bud ectoderm and mesoderm or mesoderm alone, supernumerary muscles formed in these chimeric wings and they were made up of donor quail and host chick cells or only donor quail cells.
An efficient high-resolution time-frequency representation

We address the problem of efficient resolution, detection and estimation of weak tones in a potentially massive amount of data. Our goal is to produce a relatively small reduced data set characterizing the signals in the environment in time and frequency. The requirements for this problem are that the process must be computationally efficient, high gain and able to resolve signals and efficiently compress the signal information into a form that may be easily displayed and further processed. We base our process on the cross spectral representation we have previously applied to other problems. In selecting this method, we have considered other representations and estimation methods such as the Wigner distribution and Welch's method. We compare our method to these methods. The spectral estimation method we propose is a variation of Welch's method and the cross-power spectral (CPS) estimator which was first applied to signal estimation and detection in the mid 1980's. The CPS algorithm and the method we present here are based on the principles first described by Kodera et al. now frequently called the reassignment principle.
Mercury Distribution in the Biota of a Great Lakes Estuary: Old Woman Creek, Ohio

A study of mercury contamination in a wetland ecosystem was undertaken to assess degree of contamination in various compartments of the food web, and determine the most important routes for mercury to enter fish species. Old Woman Creek is a freshwater estuary on the southern shore of Lake Erie and has been recognized as an important nursery area for fish. Although there is no point source of mercury to the wetland, there is evidence of biomagnification of mercury in the food web. Mercury concentrations in water were not detectable (< 20 ng/L) by methods used in this study. The sediments had a mean concentration of 0.04 /μg total Hg/g wet weight. Zooplankton, benthos, and macro-phytes had less than 0.05 μg total Hg/g wet weight, but mean concentrations in fish tissue ranged from 0.001 to 0.636 μg total Hg/g wet weight. There was a positive correlation between mercury concentration and both length and weight in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus and common carp Cyprinus carpio. In general, channel catfish accumulated higher levels of mercury than common carp, suggesting that the pelagic food web may be more efficient in delivery of mercury (to channel catfish) than the benthic pathway (to common carp). The highest value for fish occurred in a bowfin Amia calva. Tissue from one great blue heron Ardea herodias had the highest concentration at 1.62 μg total Hg/g wet weight. In this system, as in others, top predators tended to accumulate the highest mercury levels and were therefore most susceptible to mercury poisoning, even at sublethal levels.
Risk factors identified as source of new infections (area spread) with pseudorabies (Aujeszky's disease) virus in 50 swine herds in a contiguous geographical area of Ohio

A retrospective cohort study was done using 50 swine herds in western Ohio for a 15-month period from December 1991 through February 1993. The objective of the study was to determine risk factors for ‘area spread’ of newly infected herds in an area with pseudorabies virus (Aujeszky's disease) (PRV) — especially in relation to factors associated with biosecurity. Herds were operated as either farrow-to-finish, feeder-pig producer or feedlots. The study area was a high-density swine area endemic for PRV since the late 1970s. Twelve of 14 (86%) quarantined herds delivered finishing hogs to the same swine market during the study period. Herds were stratified into two groups with the division between groups at the mean number of shipments of swine delivered to markets per year (mean, 34 per year). The odds of the herds delivering swine to one specific market in the study area were 21 times higher for quarantined than for non-quarantined herds (P < 0.05), four times higher for those herds selling swine ⩾ 34 times to market per year compared with those selling swine to market once per year (P < 0.05), and 14 times higher if grower/finishers were not vaccinated in the quarantined herds compared with being non-vaccinated in the non-quarantined herds. These stepwise logistic regression results support the concept of ‘area spread’ — which is defined as the source of new PRV infections being other than animal contact. Area spread here was associated with which swine market was used and the frequency of swine delivery to markets per year.
Copy-number analysis goes more than skin deep.

Accurate measurements of genomic copy number polymorphisms are required to define their medical relevance, but obtaining such measurements for multiallelic copy number variants has been challenging. A copy-number study of psoriasis now sets some useful precedents for a maturing field.
Thyroglossal duct papillary carcinoma in a 15-year old female and review of pediatric cases of thyroglossal duct carcinoma

Thyroglossal duct carcinoma is rare, occurring in approximately 1% of thyroglossal duct cysts. Excluding this case report there have been 25 cases of adolescent thyroglossal duct carcinoma reported in the English literature thus far. Most of the pathology reported has been papillary or follicular carcinoma, leading to the question of whether or not to perform concurrent thyroidectomy. Based on our review of the pediatric cases of thyroglossal duct carcinoma we elected not to perform a concurrent thyroidectomy and recommend close follow-up to monitor for signs of future thyroid involvement.
How Does Focus on Form Affect the Revising Processes of ESL Writers?: Two Case Studies

This study considers the ongoing “grammar correction debate” in second language writing by examining how a focus on formal accuracy would affect the revising processes of ESL writers and the students’ written products. A case study approach was used to find out how two ESL students would respond in the two different rewriting situations: (a) when there is no explicit expectation for them to produce grammatically correct text, and (b) when this expectation was clearly present. The protocol analysis and interviews with the participants showed that students’ revision processes had not been affected by the kind of instruction and expectation given. In both tasks, students concentrated on building up their content, rather than attending to grammar and mechanics. The explicit instruction to work on the grammar did not result in a better written product in terms of formal accuracy, either. Based on these findings, this study claims that teaching and attending to grammar may not necessarily inhibit students from developing fluency and that ESL students do need guidance in developing skills in both rhetorical and formal aspects of English composition to be able to produce academically acceptable prose.
The effect of warnings on false memories in young and older adults.

In the present experiments , we examined adult age differences in the ability to suppress false memories, using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm (Deese, 1959; Roediger & McDermott, 1995). Participants studied lists of words (e.g.,bed, rest, awake, etc.), each related to a nonpresented critical lure word (e.g.,sleep). Typically, recognition tests reveal false alarms to critical lures at rates comparable to those for hits for studied words. In two experiments, separate groups of young and older adults were unwarned about the false memory effect, warned before studying the lists, or warned after study and before test. Lists were presented at either a slow rate (4 sec/word) or a faster rate (2 sec/word). Young adults were better able to discriminate between studied words and critical lures when warned about the DRM effect either before study or after study but before retrieval, and their performance improved with a slower presentation rate. Older adults were able to discriminate between studied words and critical lures when given warnings before study, but not when given warnings after study but before retrieval. Performance on a working memory capacity measure predicted false recognition following study and retrieval warnings. The results suggest that effective use of warnings to reduce false memories is contingent on the quality and type of encoded information, as well as on whether that information is accessed at retrieval. Furthermore, discriminating between similar sources of activation is dependent on working memory capacity, which declines with advancing age.
On collisionally enhanced laser pumping of supersonic jets of SF6

Electron-diffraction analyses of SF6 molecules in a microjet irradiated by a cw infrared laser are reported. Excitations of several photons per molecule are achieved in the collisional region extending for the order of a nozzle diameter before molecules become cold and dilute. A model accounting for results is proposed.
Fundamentals of inertial focusing in microchannels

Inertial microfluidics has been attracting considerable interest in recent years due to immensely promising applications in cell biology. Despite the intense attention, the primary focus has been on development of inertial microfluidic devices with less emphasis paid to elucidation of the inertial focusing mechanics. The incomplete understanding, and sometimes confusing experimental results that indicate a different number of focusing positions in square or rectangular microchannels under similar flow conditions, have led to poor guidelines and difficulties in design of inertial microfluidic systems. In this work, we describe and experimentally validate a two-stage model inertial focusing in microchannels. Our analysis and experimental results show that not only the well-accepted shear-induced and wall-induced lift forces act on particles within flow causing equilibration near microchannel sidewalls, but the rotation-induced lift force influences the position of these equilibria. In addition, for the first time, we experimentally measure lift coefficients, which previously could only be obtained from numerical simulations. More importantly, insights offered by our two-stage model of inertial focusing are broadly applicable to cross-sectional geometries beyond rectangular. With elucidation of the equilibration mechanism, we envision better guidelines for the inertial microfluidics community, ultimately leading to improved performance and broader acceptance of the inertial microfluidic devices in a wide range of applications, from filtration to cell separations.