cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lung IL-33 overexpression does not cause inflammation, but increases allergen sensitivity and disrupts lung morphogenesis

IL-33 is an IL-1 cytokine family member that promotes inflammatory responses via activation of many immune cell types. IL-33 is expressed in epithelial barrier tissues such as lung epithelium under both resting and inflammatory conditions. Secreted IL-33 plays an important role in type 2 innate immunity and adaptive immune responses. To characterize the roles of IL-33 in tissue and immune homeostasis in lung epithelium, we generated a novel transgenic mouse in which IL-33 was overexpressed only in lung epithelial cells driven by the tetracycline-sensitive Club cell secretory protein (CCSP) promoter. When IL-33 expression was induced in adult mice, overexpression of IL-33 protein approximately 3-fold above normal levels produced no pathological or immunological changes in the lungs. However, these animals developed significant increases in innate type 2 immune responses when exposed to natural or model allergens. When IL-33 expression was induced in pre- and post-natal mice, these mice had increased mortality, which was accompanied by lung hemorrhage and lung lobe malformation without detectable signs of inflammation and immune responses. Furthermore, IL-33 transgenic mice that survived to adulthood exhibited simplified and enlarged alveoli resembling bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Correspondingly, the epithelial cells from IL-33 transgenic mice displayed altered expression of genes involved in tissue and hematological system development. These data indicate dual effects of IL-33 overexpression depending on the developmental stage of the lungs, namely impairment of lung morphogenesis in the neonatal period and heightened sensitivity of innate type 2 immunity in adult mice.
Modeling Focused Ray Scattering by a Penetrable Dielectric Slab Over Skin Surface with a Finite Air Gap for Millimeter-Wave Person Scanning

This paper details a model for a weak dielectric object on the human body with a small gap between the dielectric and body, as detected by a CW millimeter-wave security scanning system. This model is a refinement of the Virtual Source Model, focusing on the possibility that the dielectric is not directly against the skin. Seven primary scattering phenomena are considered in this model, more than in the Virtual Source model; later phenomena have negligible amplitude. Even a small gap can cause a significant difference in the return.
A review on machine learning methods for in silico toxicity prediction

In silico toxicity prediction plays an important role in the regulatory decision making and selection of leads in drug design as in vitro/vivo methods are often limited by ethics, time, budget, and other resources. Many computational methods have been employed in predicting the toxicity profile of chemicals. This review provides a detailed end-to-end overview of the application of machine learning algorithms to Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR)-based predictive toxicology. From raw data to model validation, the importance of data quality is stressed as it greatly affects the predictive power of derived models. Commonly overlooked challenges such as data imbalance, activity cliff, model evaluation, and definition of applicability domain are highlighted, and plausible solutions for alleviating these challenges are discussed.
Economics, Positive Science and the Quest for Predictive Performance

This paper tracks the evolution of the subject area of positive economics from the contributions of John Keynes, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, and Karl Popper. Economics is said to be a “positive science” that can be used to predict the consequences of “changes in circumstances.” Like other scientists, economists need to be self-conscious about their research methodology. Keynes, Friedman and Hayek all attacked the problem of applying scientific methodology to economics from different perspectives. Although in some aspects their results were similar, some key distinctions often contrasted their teachings. This paper addresses these distinctions and concludes that a researcher’s perspective, as they develop and test economic theories, is influenced by the view of how they expect to implement the theories. An advocate for one theory, therefore, may observe the same experiment and come to completely different conclusions than an advocate of another theory observing the same experiment. When viewed as a body of a substantive hypothesis, a theory is found to have a predictive power. Only factual evidence can prove the theory right or wrong. The only relevant test of validity of a hypothesis is to compare its predictions with experience. Scientific theories must be prohibitive in that they forbid by implication particular findings. As such, a theory can be tested and falsified, but never logically verified. The distinction Popper made is it’s not appropriate to infer that a theory can be verified through testing. But rather, test results merely indicate that a theory wasn't proven wrong and, as such, should be provisionally retained as the best available theory until it is finally discredited, or is superseded by a better theory. Since economics is said to be a science that is denied dramatic and direct evidence from conclusive experiments, the fact that theories can never be verified is particularly troublesome. It makes it hard to achieve a consensus for economic theories which tend to require economic metrics collected over time to support them. This renders the weeding-out of unsuccessful hypotheses slow and difficult. While economics may be a positive science, this paper contends it has inherent barriers caused by a scientific methodology that anticipates development of hypotheses that can predict future states, and be verified by controlled observations. The economy is a complex mechanism not suited to abstracting out aspects of the problem to support a focused investigation of potential remedies.
The Value of US Urban Tree Cover for Reducing Heat-Related Health Impacts and Electricity Consumption

High air temperatures are a public health threat, causing 1300 deaths annually in the United States (US) along with heat-related morbidity and increased electricity consumption for air-conditioning (AC). Increasing tree canopy cover has been proposed as one way to reduce urban air temperatures. Here, we assemble tree cover and developed land-cover information for 97 US cities, housing 59 million people, and use regression relationships to analyze how much current urban tree cover reduces summer (JJA) air temperatures and associated heat-related mortality, morbidity, and electricity consumption. We find that 78% of urban dwellers are in neighborhoods with less than 20% tree cover. Some 15.0 million people (25% of total) experience a reduction of 0.5–1.0°C from tree cover, with another 7.9 million (13% of total) experiencing a reduction of greater than 1.0°C. Current relationships between temperature and health outcomes imply that urban tree cover helps avoid 245–346 deaths annually. Heat–mortality relationships in the 1980s, when a smaller fraction of US households had AC, imply a greater role in the past for urban tree cover in avoiding heat-related mortality. As AC availability has increased, the value of tree cover for avoiding heat-related mortality has decreased, while the value of tree cover for reducing electricity consumption likely has increased. Currently, for the 97 cities studied, the total annual economic value of avoided mortality, morbidity, and electricity consumption is an estimated $1.3–2.9 billion, or $21–49 annually per capita. Applying our results to the entire US urban population, we estimate urban tree cover annually supplies heat-reduction services worth $5.3–12.1 billion.
Without Wasting a Word: Extreme Improvements in Efficiency and Accuracy Using Computerized Adaptive Testing for Mental Health Disorders (CAT-MH)

We review recent literature on the adaptive assessment of complex mental health disorders and provide a detailed comparison of classical test theory and adaptive testing based on multidimensional item response theory. Adaptive tests for a wide variety of mental health traits (e.g., depression, anxiety, mania, substance misuse, suicidality) are now available in a cloud-based environment. These tests have been validated in a variety of settings against lengthy structured clinical interviews with excellent results and even higher reliability than fixed-length tests. Applications include screening and assessments in emergency departments, psychiatric and primary care clinics, student health clinics, perinatal medicine clinics, child welfare settings, and the judicial system. The future of mental health measurement will be based on automated screening and assessments. Adaptive tests will provide increased precision of measurement and decreased burden of measurement. Integration into the electronic health record is important and now easily accomplished.
Impact of Imperfect Spectrum Sensing on Age of Information in Energy Harvesting Cognitive Radios

The metric age of information (AoI) has recently been widely employed to quantify the freshness of the information delivered to the destination. This paper investigates long-term average AoI minimization of an energy harvesting secondary user (SU) in a cognitive radio network setting. Specifically, the paper focuses on the impact of imperfect spectrum sensing on AoI minimization in this setting. The SU makes a decision whether to sense the presence of a primary user, and if it determines the spectrum to be unoccupied, may send out a status update. Sensing and updating both cost energy and the sensing decision may be incorrect due to imperfect spectrum sensing. This setting is formulated as an infinite horizon partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) to derive the optimal policy that minimizes the long-term average AoI of the SU. The existence of the optimal stationary sensing and update policy is proved and the threshold structure of the policy is shown. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the SU's AoI performance.
Revised Method for Rapid Determination of On-Site Water-Cement Ratio Using Microwave Oven

The water–cement ratio (w/c) of delivered concrete is one of the most important parameters of the material’s quality. In this study, the AASHTO T318-15 guideline was adopted to estimate the water c...
US voluntary advanced teacher certification: towards the Dakar notion of EFA

ABSTRACTIn the year 2000, the World Education Forum developed the Dakar Framework, outlining strategies for the achievement of universal education. Among these strategies was to ‘Enhance the status...
Environmental factors influence on flowering and fruiting period of selected essential oil plants from Annonaceae

Abstract. Lestari DA, Fiqa AP. 2020. Environmental factors influence on flowering and fruiting period of selected essential oil plants from Annonaceae. Biodiversitas 21: 910-921. Many species of Annonaceae family in tropics produce fragrances, due to the active ingredients for essential oils. Since the abundant of flower and fruit production, basic knowledge of flowering and fruiting periods needs to be known. The aim of this study was to determine influence of environmental factors to selected essential oil plants flowering and fruiting period from Annonaceae family, i.e. Artabotrys suaveolens, Cananga odorata, Desmos chinensis, Dasymaschalon borneense, Fissistigma latifolium, and Xylopia malayana. Observations were made throughout the year during dry and rainy season, with each phase carried out scoring qualitatively based on its abundance in plant canopy. Data on environmental factors (temperature, humidity, and rainfall intensity) were obtained from Registration Unit, Purwodadi Botanic Garden (PBG). Data of flowering and fruiting period were analyzed descriptively using Microsoft Excel, while the influence of environmental factors to flowering and fruiting period was analyzed by Biplot with Past 3.0. statistic program. Flowering period occurred in wet months at the end of year (November-December), while fruiting period occurred in long dry month. Initiation and bloom of flowering were influenced by temperature, while fruiting period was largely influenced by humidity and rainfall intensity, except for C. odorata whose fruiting period was influenced by temperature. Key words: Annonaceae, environmental factors, essential oils, flowering, fruiting
Voltage Sensor of the Autonomous Generating Set

The paper presents a method for measuring AC voltage and a simple sensor for the control system of an autonomous generating set. The sensor speed is a half the period of the generated voltage, the output signal does not depend on the frequency and interference.
National Bridge Inventory Data-Based Stochastic Modeling for Deck Condition Rating of Prestressed Concrete Bridges

AbstractAbout 9% of bridges in the United States were classified as deficient bridges at the beginning of 2018 with about $123 billion needed for bridge rehabilitation. The bridge decks represent t...
Dot1l interacts with Zc3h10 to activate Ucp1 and other thermogenic genes

Brown adipose tissue is a metabolically beneficial organ capable of dissipating chemical energy into heat, thereby increasing energy expenditure. Here, we identify Dot1l, the only known H3K79 methyltransferase, as an interacting partner of Zc3h10 that transcriptionally activates the Ucp1 promoter and other BAT genes. Through a direct interaction, Dot1l is recruited by Zc3h10 to the promoter regions of thermogenic genes to function as a coactivator by methylating H3K79. We also show that Dot1l is induced during brown fat cell differentiation and by cold exposure and that Dot1l and its H3K79 methyltransferase activity is required for thermogenic gene program. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Dot1l ablation in mice using Ucp1-Cre prevents activation of Ucp1 and other target genes to reduce thermogenic capacity and energy expenditure, promoting adiposity. Hence, Dot1l plays a critical role in the thermogenic program and may present as a future target for obesity therapeutics.
Surgeon experience versus volume differentially affects lower extremity bypass outcomes in contemporary practice.

Abstract Background Calls for minimum case thresholds to guide surgeon credentialing paradigms are increasing in contemporary practice. To date, the volume–outcome relationship and the role of surgeon experience as a proxy for quality have remained primarily focused on nonvascular extirpative surgery and aneurysm repair. However, it is unclear whether these data can be rightly extrapolated to predict lower extremity bypass (LEB) outcomes. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine whether the annualized case volume vs surgeon experience is more consequential in predicting for successful LEB reconstruction. Methods A total of 25,852 procedures with sufficient 1-year follow-up data from the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative infrainguinal bypass registry (2003-2019) were reviewed for chronic limb threatening ischemia among patients undergoing infrageniculate reconstruction. The procedures were categorized according to surgeon years of practice experience at surgery (ie, 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, >15 years) and the number of LEB procedures performed by the surgeon during the year of surgery (volume quartiles: 1-8, 9-14, 15-21, and >21). Mixed effects logistic and Cox regression models were used to assess the effects of experience, volume, and their interaction on outcomes. Results Increasing practice experience was more significantly associated with a reduction of in-hospital complications (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96-0.99; P = .002) and the risk of major adverse limb events (odds ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92-0.97; P 15 years' experience) were significantly more likely to perform LEB for rest pain (P 15 years' experience) were significantly more likely to have a higher volume with a diminished risk for all LEB outcomes. Conclusions Surgeon experience appears to have the most important role in predicting for overall LEB performance with improved in-hospital outcomes and major adverse limb events. The more experienced surgeons performed more complex reconstructions with fewer complications. These findings have significant clinical and educational implications as our most experienced surgeons approach retirement. Mentorship strategies to facilitate ongoing technical development among less experienced surgeons are imperative to sustain optimal limb salvage outcomes and have significant ramifications regarding expectations for regulatory and credentialing paradigms.
Synaptotagmin II. A novel differentially distributed form of synaptotagmin.

Synaptotagmin is a synaptic vesicle membrane protein with properties suggestive of a role in synaptic vesicle exocytosis (Perin, M. S., Fried, V. A., Mignery, G. A., Jahn, R., and Sudhof, T. C. (1990) Nature 345, 260-263). Here, we report the structure of a novel form of synaptotagmin named synaptotagmin II that is highly homologous to the originally described synaptotagmin, now referred to as synaptotagmin I. Synaptotagmins I and II exhibit the same overall structure, containing a small intravesicular sequence that is glycosylated, a single transmembrane region, and a large carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic sequence that includes two copies of an internal repeat homologous to the regulatory region of protein kinase C. The homology between synaptotagmins I and II is not uniformly distributed across the molecule but is highest in their carboxyl-terminal regulatory repeats (88% sequence identity) and lowest in their amino-terminal intravesicular sequences (46% sequence identity). RNA blots demonstrate complementary patterns of expression for synaptotagmins I and II, with synaptotagmin I preferentially expressed in rostral, phylogenetically younger brain regions, and synaptotagmin II predominantly expressed in caudal, phylogenetically older brain regions. With this description of two forms of synaptotagmin, all major synaptic vesicle proteins implicated in membrane traffic have now been shown to be present in several isoforms with differential distributions, suggesting that this is a general organizational principle of the mammalian brain.
The Variable Nature of TT Ari in the Ultraviolet

The complete IUE database of TT Ari observations has been obtained and analyzed. These data include the period during and following our August 1991 observing campaign. Throughout this time period, the P Cygni-like C IV resonance line exhibited great variability. The variations in the equivalent width of the absorption component of the C IV line are consistent with cyclic behavior at the orbital period of the system (3.3 hr). The data do not show line variability consistent with the photometric period (3.2 hr). The X-ray observations during this time period do not show variability at either period. These data are dominated by a 15.8 keV bremsstrahlung continuum with a line at 0.92 keV (Robinson, Cordova & Ishida 1994, in preparation).
HOS-based harmonic retrieval: a deterministic formulation

Given a single record, the authors consider the problem of estimating the harmonics of a signal buried in noise. The observed data is modeled as a superposition of sinusoids plus stationary, zero-mean additive Gaussian noise of unknown covariance. Novel higher-order statistics, referred to as 'mixed' cumulants, are appropriate for certain types of mixed processes. After a consistent HOS-based linear estimate, an improved estimate is computed via mixed-cumulant matching. Issues regarding quadratic coupling are addressed. The performance of the proposed method is examined via simulations. >
The actin filament associated protein (AFAP-110) regulates migration of prostate cancer cells by regulation of TGFβ1-mediated expression of integrin receptors

1811 Prostate cancer is the most common form of malignancy in men in the United States. Mortality caused by prostate cancer is mainly due to the high incidence of metastasis, which is an invasive process involving tumor cells adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, degradation of these proteins and migration through ECM. The expression of many ECM proteins and their cell surface receptor integrins is regulated, in part, by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1). However, several types of scaffolding proteins, including actin-cross linking proteins, such as actin filament-associated protein (AFAP-110) are also critical in the regulation of cell motility and invasiveness. AFAP-110, first identified as a v-Src substrate, can also act as an adaptor protein interacting with molecules involved in TGFβ1 signaling pathway and integrin-mediated adhesion and migration, such as protein kinase C. We have demonstrated high expression of AFAP in prostate tumor cell lines. We therefore hypothesized that AFAP-110 is required in prostate cancer cell adhesion and migration. To test the hypothesis, AFAP-110 was down regulated by specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) in PC3 prostate cancer cells and biologic and biochemical changes were examined. Clones with down-regulated AFAP-110 appear round in shape in contrast to the stretched fibroblast-like morphology of the PC3 parental cells and scrambled siRNA controls under microscope. These clones also demonstrated decreased adhesion to extracellular substrates, defects in focal adhesion formation, reduced cell migration, and decreased proliferation rates. Furthermore, down-regulation of AFAP-110 decreased both the mRNA level and the protein level of ECM protein fibronectin. The protein levels of major fibronectin receptors in PC3 cells, integrin α5β1 and αvβ1 were also reduced in AFAP-110 down-regulated clones. As expression of these gene products are all mediate, in part, by TGFβ1, we determined whether AFAP-110 knock-downs were altered in global response to this factor. Whereas, TGFβ1 was able to induce fibronectin in parental cells and scrambled siRNA controls, down-regulation of AFAP-110 abolished the ability of TGFβ1 to induce its expression. These data suggest that AFAP-110 regulates critical signaling pathways governing of TGFβ1, integrin and ECM proteins in regulating prostate cancer cell adhesiveness and motility. Further understanding of the potential roles of AFAP-110 in prostate cancer adhesion and migration will contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies against cancer metastasis.
Crónica de una dolencia vindicada

L'A. analyse le texte d'un des poemes inauguraux de «Diente des Parnaso», recueil de poemes collectif de litterature populaire peruvienne d'epoque coloniale, sur le theme de la medecine. L'analyse porte sur la mise en discours de la condition humaine et sur l'organisation textuelle des tensions entre la vie et la mort sur les plans semantique, rhetorique et semiotique
Flavor instabilities in the neutrino line model

Abstract A dense neutrino medium can experience collective flavor oscillations through nonlinear neutrino–neutrino refraction. To make this multi-dimensional flavor transport problem more tractable, all existing studies have assumed certain symmetries (e.g., the spatial homogeneity and directional isotropy in the early universe) to reduce the dimensionality of the problem. In this work we show that, if both the directional and spatial symmetries are not enforced in the neutrino line model, collective oscillations can develop in the physical regimes where the symmetry-preserving oscillation modes are stable. Our results suggest that collective neutrino oscillations in real astrophysical environments (such as core-collapse supernovae and black-hole accretion discs) can be qualitatively different from the predictions based on existing models in which spatial and directional symmetries are artificially imposed.
"Tú" impersonal en el habla culta

El trabajo es un estudio panoramico del "tu" impersonal tal como aparece en un corpus de habla culta contemporanea de unas 2 100 000 palabras, en forma de muestras grabadas en Bogota, Buenos Aires, Caracas, La Habana, La Paz, Lima, Madrid, Mexico, San Juan de Puerto Ricco, Santiago de Chile y Sevilla.
AIN'T I A VICTIM? THE INTERSECTIONALITY OF RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THE COURTROOM

This Article provides a case study to illustrate the ways in which the legal system in the United States fails to address the needs of African-American women. The challenges that African-American women face are real but they arise in part because African-American women fall into the gap between feminist theory, which focuses on the experiences of white women, and race-based theory, which focuses on the perspective of African-American men. Race and feminist scholars have been inattentive to the peculiar difficulties that arise at the intersection of race, gender and economic hardship. The Article tells the story of one poor, African-American woman who could not get assistance from the court to which she petitioned for safety because the court viewed her testimony as imperceptible/invisible. By contrast, the court took notice of and engaged with her abuser. Her story illustrates the ways in which even those aspects of our legal system that are designed to protect vulnerable people can fail when those people reside at the intersection of race, gender and poverty.
Distant Listening or Playing Visualisations Pleasantly with the Eyes and Ears

From Virgil Thomson’s 1934 musical score for Gertrude Stein’s opera Four Saints in Three Acts, to readings of The Making of Americans (1925) using digital tools, artists and scholars have used musical composition and computational tools to help express something otherwise obscured in traditional readings of Stein’s texts. At first glance, it seems there is little in common between these efforts: readers argue that setting a Steinian text to music is a welcome abstraction that brings the text to new heights of expression, while computing them seems to concretise their subtleties and diminish their expressive possibilities. I argue that it is the situated hermeneutical framework in which visualisations, like musical scores, invite us to “play,” that guides our scholarly, interpretive performances with Stein’s texts. In particular, the visualisations I introduce here help us reconsider the significance of oral traditions in Stein’s self-proclaimed magnum opus, The Making of Americans. De la partition de Virgil Thomson en 1934 pour l’opera Four Saints in Three Acts de Gertrude Stein aux lectures de The Making of Americans (1925) utilisant des outils numeriques, artistes et chercheurs ont utilise la composition musicale et les outils informatiques pour contribuer a exprimer ce qui reste obscur dans les lectures traditionnelles des ecrits de Stein. De prime abord, ces deux approches semblent n’avoir que peu de choses en commun : les lecteurs rapportent que la mise en musique des textes de Stein en musique est une abstraction louable qui porte les textes vers de nouveaux sommets d’expression, alors que leur appliquer des outils informatique semble rendre plus concretes leurs subtilites et diminuer leur potentiel d’expression. Je soutiens que c’est le cadre hermeneutique situe dans lequel les visualisations comme les partitions nous invitent a « jouer », qui guide nos approches academiques et interpretatives des textes de Stein. En particulier, les visualisations que je presente ici nous aident a reconsiderer l’importance de la tradition orale dans ce qu’elle decrit comme son œuvre majeure, The Making of Americans.
Vision in the lanternfish Stenobrachius leucopsarus (Myctophidae)

The visual system of the midwater fish Stenobrachius leucopsarus (Myctophidae) has been studied by biochemical, anatomical, and electrophysiological methods. Partial bleaching analysis in the presence of hydroxylamine showed that the eye contains a single extractable photopigment, based on retinal and absorbing maximally at 492 nm. The photoreceptor population consists entirely of rods, approximately 5.0×105 rods per mm2 and 1.8×107 per retina. Visual sensitivity is enhanced by the lack of pigment granules in the pigment epithelium and the presence of a choroidal tapetum lucidum. Influenced by the high concentration of visual pigment, the spectral sensitivity has a broad plateau between 460 and 540 nm, which suggests that the eye retains high sensitivity to a diversity of bioluminescent stimuli and depth-attenuated solar light.
A quantitative method for measuring melanophore expanding activity.

ANUMBER of methods have been developed recently for the estimation of melanophore expanding activity in pituitary extracts. The majority of them are carried out in vitro utilizing isolated frog skin. There is, however, a need for a quantitative method of estimating melanophore expanding activity in vivo since there are indications that the melanophore responses in vivo are more specific for the melanophore expanding principle, and not influenced by many other substances that may be present in biological extracts (Sulman 1952a) (Schizume 1954). The available in vivo methods utilize the degree of melanin dispersion within the melanophores (melanophore index) estimated by microscopic observation as a measure of the response. It was felt that an objective measurement of the response should be used to obtain results that can be treated statistically and thus permit an evaluation of the accuracy and precision of the assay.
Auditory sensitivity of the saccule in the American toad (Bufo americanus)

Single unit recordings in the posterior nerve branchlet from the saccule have shown that, in the American toad (Bufo americanus), approximately 30% of the fibers respond to airborne sounds in a way similar to fibers from the two known auditory organs, the amphibian and basilar papillae. In response to tones, saccule fibers have best excitatory frequencies which fall into two disjoint populations: units in the low-frequency-sensitive group (below 300 Hz) show tone-on-tone suppression while those in the high-frequency-sensitive group (700–1,200 Hz) show no evidence of peripheral inhibition. Saccule units have somewhat higher thresholds than those from the other auditory organs. It is suggested that the high-frequency-sensitive fibers might be useful for discriminating mating calls in an intense chorus while the low-frequency-sensitive units likely respond to other high intensity sounds in the environment.
Treatment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Skeletally Immature Patients

The incidence of ACL tears is rising in the pediatric and adolescent populations as these individuals succumb to traumatic and nontraumatic athletic injuries. Management of this condition in the skeletally immature patient poses a challenge and is controversial. Operative reconstruction carries the concern for damage to the physis with resultant limb length inequality and angular joint deformity but provides stability to the knee and allows return of function in most patients. On the other hand, nonoperative treatment has been shown to carry an increased risk of meniscal and articular cartilage damage and is difficult from a compliance standpoint in this demographic. For the majority of skeletally immature patients, operative treatment is recommended as it has shown good clinical and functional results with minimal risk of growth disturbance. This paper aims to address the natural course of ACL injuries in the skeletally immature patient, treatment options with associated complications, and current preventative strategies.
The role of vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis

Vitamin D is essential for preventing and treating osteoporosis. Vitamin D enhances intestinal calcium absorption to help maintain blood calcium concentrations, necessary for bone mineralization and for muscle and nerve function. Vitamin D is metabolized to 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) in the liver and to the active form, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] in the kidney. Inadequate vitamin D status contributes to increased bone turnover, secondary hyperparathyroidism, bone loss, fractures, muscle weakness, osteomalacia, and rickets in children. Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin upon exposure to sunlight. It is also found naturally in some foods and is present in fortified foods, in nonprescription supplements containing other vitamins or calcium, and as pure vitamin D in prescription and nonprescription forms. The concept of vitamin D adequacy has evolved well beyond the need for vitamin D for preventing rickets. Recommendations for vitamin D intake were increased in 1997 but continue to be debated. The best measure of vitamin D status is serum 25OHD, and recent studies suggest this should be at least 32 ng/mL. Many people fall short of this. Risks for poor vitamin D status include advanced age, minimal sun exposure, mal-absorption, and darkly pigmented skin. However, recent work suggests that many otherwise healthy individuals are inadequate in vitamin D. Although best known for its role in skeletal health, other roles for vitamin D in cancer, immunologic disease, and other aspects of health are being explored. Greater understanding of its role in skeletal health and overall well-being, and better avenues for assuring vitamin D adequacy for all people, are needed.
Adsorption-state-dependent subpicosecond photoinduced desorption dynamics.

Femtosecond laser excitation has been used to initiate desorption of molecular oxygen from the (111) surface of Pd and to study the adsorption-state dependence of the substrate-adsorbate coupling. The relative populations of the two chemical states, peroxo (O22−) and superoxo (O2−), were varied by changing the total coverage. Two-pulse correlation measurements exhibit a dominant 400fs response and a slower 10ps decay that are relatively independent of the initial O2 coverage. In contrast, the photodesorption yield and the nonlinearity of the fluence dependence show a systematic coverage dependence. The coverage-independent subpicosecond response indicates that the photoinduced desorption from the two states is driven primarily by the same electron-mediated mechanism, while the coverage dependence of the yield indicates that the desorption efficiency from the superoxo state is greater than that from the peroxo state. These results are discussed in the context of the electron-phonon two-temperature model wi...
A FREQUENCY OFFSET ESTIMATION AND COMPENSATION ALGORITHM FOR K/Ka‐BAND COMMUNICATIONS

This paper presents a new open-loop technique for estimating and correcting Doppler frequency shift in K/Ka-band communication systems with special reference to the advanced communications technology satellite (ACTS) mobile terminal (AMT) modem, which utilizes square-wave pulse-shaped, binary differential phase shift-keyed (DPSK) modulation. The novelty of this estimation scheme is that it exploits the Doppler-induced phase shift over a fraction of a symbol interval to provide an estimate of the Doppler offset, without requiring symbol synchronization. Furthermore, by utilizing time-differential detection (delay-and-multiply), the proposed technique can tolerate much larger frequency offsets than existing open- or closed-loop techniques. Analytical results are provided for the variance of the above estimator and the error probability performance of the AMT is evaluated in the presence of the Doppler correction. Practical design considerations are also discussed, including a method for modifying the front end, digital bandlimiting filter in such a way that Doppler bias effects in the new estimator are eliminated. Simulation results reveal that, in general, performance improves with increasing data rates, i.e., the new frequency offset estimation/compensation algorithm induces a degradation from ideal of approximately 1 dB at a 6 dB energy per data symbol (bit) and a 2.4 kbps data rate. However, there is no appreciable degradation when the data rate is increased to 9.6 or 19.2 kbps.
Development of an Acellular Bioengineered Matrix with a Dominant Vascular Pedicle

Background This study assessed the feasibility of creating a tissue engineering platform by decellularization of fasciocutaneous tissue. Materials and Methods A fasciocutaneous flap based upon the superficial inferior epigastric artery was harvested from the abdominal wall of 8-wk-old male Sprague-Dawley rats. All cellular components were removed by sequential treatment with sodium azide, DNAse, and sodium deoxycholate. The degree of decellularization was qualitatively assessed by histology and quantitatively assessed by spectrophotometry. Persistence of relevant extracellular matrix proteins was shown following staining with orcein and hematoxylin. The duration of circuit patency was determined by continuous perfusion with a peristaltic perfusion pump. Results Gross and histologic examination demonstrated removal of cellular constituents with preservation of tissue matrix architecture, including macrochannels and microchannels. This was confirmed by the application of spectrophotometry to DNA isolates, which showed that the decellularized flap retained 4.04 ng/μL DNA, compared with the non-processed control, which retained 37.03 ng/μL DNA, and the acellular control, which was read as having 0.65 ng/μL DNA. The extracellular matrix of vessel walls was shown to remain intact. Peristaltic perfusion of the cannulated pedicle inflow channel with phosphate buffered saline at a rate of 200 μL/min confirmed circuit patency for 6 h. Conclusion Fasciocutaneous flaps harvested with an intact vascular pedicle and associated tissue vascular network can be successfully decellularized and perfused ex vivo. This methodology, which is scalable to human size tissues, provides promise as a technique for the production of customizable engineered tissues.
Tele-collaboration in Parallel Worlds

We present a new paradigm of human to human asymmetric collaboration where the participants seamlessly collaborate in parallel virtual and real worlds. Current tele-collaboration systems deal only with collaboration purely in the real or the virtual worlds. The use of a combination of virtual and real worlds allows us to leverage the advantages from both the worlds. We present a working system applied to a chess scenario that demonstrates the concept and potential of a Parallel Worlds system.
Restriction endonuclease analysis of mitochondrial DNA from virus-transformed, tumor and control cells of human, hamster and avian origin. Sequence conservation and intraspecific variation.

Abstract This study compares over 70 recognition sites for restriction endonucleases on mtDNAs from various control versus malignant cells, derived from Syrian hamster, chick embryo, viper and human cells, exhibiting a wide spectrum of cellular transformation and tumor histories. Agents for transformation in vitro and in vivo include Rous sarcoma viruses, simian virus 40, polyoma virus and adenovirus. The results show a striking intraspecific sequence homogeneity of different mtDNAs regardless of tissue origin and oncogenic history. mtDNA from human biopsy specimens of tumor versus pathologically normal areas yielded indistinguishable restriction cleavage patterns reflecting either the ‘wild-type’ form (with seven restriction endonucleases) or, in one individual, a variant pattern detected with Hpa I. The precise position of the Hpa I variant site was determined on the physical map of human mtDNA. Additional cleavage sites in the previously reported restriction map of Syrian hamster mtDNA are also presented. It is concluded that (1) mtDNA sequences in higher animal cells are highly conserved in malignant transformation; (2) no evidence for integration of viral sequences in mtDNA is apparent; (3) variant patterns in mtDNA are likely to be intraspecific polymorphisms that pre-exist neoplastic transformation. The possibility is discussed that altered regulatory interaction with the mitochondrial genome, rather than evident changes in mtDNA primary structure, determine anomalous mitochondrial functions in malignant transformation.
Word sense ambiguation: clustering related senses

This paper describes a heuristic approach to automatically identifying which senses of a machinereadable dictionary (MRD) headword are semantically related versus those which correspond to fundamentally different senses of the word. The inclusion of this information in a lexical database profoundly alters the nature of sense disambiguation: the appropriate "sense" of a polysemous word may now correspond to some set of related senses. Our technique offers benefits both for on-line semantic processing and for the challenging task of mapping word senses across multiple MRDs in creating a merged lexical database.
Education attenuates the negative impact of traumatic brain injury on cognitive status.

Abstract Objective To investigate whether the cognitive reserve hypothesis helps to explain differential cognitive impairment among survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI), whereby survivors with greater intellectual enrichment (estimated with education) are less vulnerable to cognitive impairment. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Medical rehabilitation research center. Participants Survivors of moderate or severe TBI (n=44) and healthy controls (n=36). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Intellectual enrichment was estimated with educational attainment. Group was defined as TBI or healthy control. Current cognitive status (processing speed, working memory, episodic memory) was evaluated with neuropsychological tasks. Results TBI survivors exhibited worse cognitive status than healthy persons ( P r =.54, P R 2 change=.036, P =.004), whereas higher education attenuated the negative impact of TBI on cognitive status. TBI survivors with lower education performed much worse than matched healthy persons, but this TBI-related performance discrepancy was attenuated at higher levels of education. Conclusions Higher intellectual enrichment (estimated with education) reduces the negative effect of TBI on cognitive outcomes, thereby supporting the cognitive reserve hypothesis in persons with TBI. Future work is necessary to investigate whether intellectual enrichment can build cognitive reserve as a rehabilitative intervention in survivors of TBI.
Effects of Chronic β-Receptor Stimulation on Sympathetic Nervous System Activity, Energy Expenditure, and Thyroid Hormones

The effects of hyper- and hypothyroidism on sympathetic nervous system activity and energy expenditure are well recognized. The impact of altered sympathetic nervous system activity on energy expenditure and thyroid hormone metabolism has not been well studied. We investigated the effects of orally administered terbutaline sulfate, a beta 2-receptor agonist (5 mg, three times per day for 2 weeks), on the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, energy expenditure, and thyroid hormone metabolism in six normal men, aged 21-36 yr. The cardiovascular, metabolic, and thermogenic responses to an infusion of the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol were clearly blunted after 2 weeks of treatment with terbutaline sulfate, indicating down-regulation of beta-receptors and/or development of reduced sensitivity. There were no significant changes in the cardiovascular, metabolic, or thermogenic responses to an infusion of the alpha-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine. Basal metabolic rate was significantly increased by the chronic administration of terbutaline sulfate [5.040 +/- 0.167 (+/- SE) vs. 5.421 +/- 0.234 kJ/min; P less than 0.05]. There was a highly significant change in the serum T3 to T4 ratio (19.4 +/- 1.0 vs. 24.4 +/- 1.0; P less than 0.001). This was a result of increased serum T3 concentrations (136 +/- 9 vs. 160 +/- 14 ng/dl; P less than 0.05) and decreased serum T4 concentrations (7.2 +/- 0.8 vs. 6.7 +/- 0.8 micrograms/dl; P = NS). Chronic beta-receptor stimulation with terbutaline sulfate increases the basal metabolic rate and T3 concentrations. These changes occurred despite down-regulation of beta-receptors and/or decreased sensitivity in response to chronic terbutaline administration.
Switch from conventional to distributed kinetics in the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle.

Below 195 K, the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle could not be adequately described with exponential kinetics [Dioumaev, A. K., and Lanyi, J. K. (2007) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 104, 9621−9626] but required distributed kinetics, previously found in hemoglobin and myoglobin at temperatures below the vitrification point of the surrounding solvent. The aim of this study is to determine which factors cause the switch from this low-temperature regime to the conventional kinetics observed at ambient temperature. The photocycle was monitored by time-resolved FTIR between 180 and 280 K, using the D96N mutant. Depending on the temperature, decay and temporal redistribution of two or three intermediates (L, M, and N) were observed. Above ∼245 K, an abrupt change in the kinetic behavior of the photocycle takes place. It does not affect the intermediates present but greatly accelerates their decay. Below ∼240 K, a kinetic pattern with partial decay that cannot be explained by conventional kinetics, but suggesting dis...
Cell-directed-assembly: directing the formation of nano/bio interfaces and architectures with living cells.

Abstract Background The desire to immobilize, encapsulate, or entrap viable cells for use in a variety of applications has been explored for decades. Traditionally, the approach is to immobilize cells to utilize a specific functionality of the cell in the system. Scope of review This review describes our recent discovery that living cells can organize extended nanostructures and nano-objects to create a highly biocompatible nano//bio interface [1]. Major conclusions We find that short chain phospholipids direct the formation of thin film silica mesophases during evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) [2], and that the introduction of cells alter the self-assembly pathway. Cells organize an ordered lipid-membrane that forms a coherent interface with the silica mesophase that is unique in that it withstands drying—yet it maintains accessibility to molecules introduced into the 3D silica host. Cell viability is preserved in the absence of buffer, making these constructs useful as standalone cell-based sensors. In response to hyperosmotic stress, the cells release water, creating a pH gradient which is maintained within the nanostructured host and serves to localize lipids, proteins, plasmids, lipidized nanocrystals, and other components at the cellular surface. This active organization of the bio/nano interface can be accomplished during ink-jet printing or selective wetting–processes allowing patterning of cellular arrays–and even spatially-defined genetic modification. General significance Recent advances in the understanding of nanotechnology and cell biology encourage the pursuit of more complex endeavors where the dynamic interactions of the cell and host material act symbiotically to obtain new, useful functions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Nanotechnologies - Emerging Applications in Biomedicine.
Peptide and recombinant antigens for protection against bacterial middle ear infection

Passive immunization of chinchillas with serum specific for either LB1 or for LPD-LB1 (f)2,1,3 prior to challenge with heterologous NTHI isolates (relative to diversity in region three of P5-fimbrin), significantly inhibited the signs and incidence of otitis media (P≤0.01) induced by any of the challenge isolates. The ability of these antisera to induce total eradication of NTHI from the nasopharynx was not however equivalent among challenged cohorts. The data thus suggested that while early, complete eradication of NTHI from the nasopharynx was highly protective, reduction of the bacterial load to below a critical threshold level appeared to be similarly effective. Both immunogens thus remain strong vaccine candidates.