cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metabolic engineering of raffinose-family oligosaccharides in the phloem reveals alterations in carbon partitioning and enhances resistance to green peach aphid

Many plants employ energized loading strategies to accumulate osmotically-active solutes into the phloem of source organs to accentuate the hydrostatic pressure gradients that drive the flow of water, nutrients and signals from source to sinks. Proton-coupled symport of sugars from the apoplasm into the phloem symplasm is the best studied phloem-loading mechanism. As an alternative, numerous species use a polymer trapping mechanism to load through symplasm: sucrose enters the phloem through specialized plasmodesmata and is converted to raffinose-family oligosaccharides (RFOs) which accumulate because of their larger size. In this study, metabolic engineering was used to generate RFOs at the inception of the translocation stream of Arabidopsis thaliana, which loads from the apoplasm and transports predominantly sucrose, and the fate of the sugars throughout the plant determined. Three genes, GALACTINOL SYNTHASE, RAFFINOSE SYNTHASE and STACHYOSE SYNTHASE, were expressed from promoters specific to the companion cells of minor veins. Two transgenic lines homozygous for all three genes (GRS63 and GRS47) were selected for further analysis. Three-week-old plants of both lines had RFO levels approaching 50% of total soluble sugar. RFOs were also identified in exudates from excised leaves of transgenic plants whereas levels were negligible in exudates from wild type (WT) leaves. Differences in starch accumulation between WT and GRS63 and GRS47 lines were not observed. Similarly, there were no differences in vegetative growth between WT and engineered plants, but the latter flowered slightly earlier. Finally, since the sugar composition of the translocation stream appeared altered, we tested for an impact on green peach aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer) feeding. When given a choice between WT and transgenic plants, green peach aphids preferred settling on the WT plants. Furthermore, green peach aphid fecundity was lower on the transgenic plants compared to the WT plants.
Extremely Low Birthweight (ELBW) Infants: Follow-Up To 12.5 Years 1356

Continuing concerns have arisen regarding the quality of life for the progressively smaller and less mature survivors of neonatal intensive care, yet relatively few studies have reported outcome beyond age five. This study followed a cohort of ELBW (≤1000g) survivors from our tertiary care NICU into their intermediate school years. Of 129 ELBW admissions 1983-1985 (76% inborn), 69 (53%) survived to discharge (27%≤750g vs 70%>750g BW; p 85, without neuromotor/sensory dysfunction), 25(50%) were mildly impaired (MI) and 11 (22%) were moderately to severely impaired (MSI). The MI group included 22 with fine and/or gross motor incoordination, 11 with borderline IQ (71-85), 11 with learning problems and 4 with ADHD. Eight of the 11 MSI children (8M, 3F) had multiple disabilities including 3 with severe visual impairment, 5 with shunted hydrocephalus, 5 with CP and 9 with MR. Poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes were associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation, P-IVH, or non-Caucasian race (p<0.05). Educational status was tracked to a mean age of 12.5±1.1 yrs for 50 of the 51 children (1 MSI child lost to follow-up). Thirty-one (62%) children including the remaining 10 in the MSI group, 20 of 25 in the MI group, and 1 in the NL group were receiving special services. Fourteen children were in special self-contained class settings, and 17 were in regular classrooms with additional remedial/tutorial help and/or rehabilitation therapies. One child with learning disabilities was home schooled. While this study supports the literature showing that the majority of ELBW survivors are free of major neurodevelopmental impairments, it underscores the importance of monitoring these children well into their school years, as a large proportion have milder deficits requiring special educational assistance.
Wide-Field Steerable Adaptive Optics SLO with Dual Deformable Mirrors: Optical Design

We present the optical design of an all-reflective adaptive optics SLO which provides dual deformable mirror aberration correction and high resolution imaging steerable across a large field of view (over 30 degrees).
Interfacial instabilities driven by self-gravity: first numerical results

The evolution of the interstellar medium (ISM) is driven by a variety of phenomena, including turbulence, shearing flows, magnetic fields and the thermal properties of the gas. Among the most important forces at work is self-gravity, which ultimately drives protostellar collapse. As part of an ongoing study of instabilities in the ISM, Hunter, Whitaker & Lovelace have discovered another process driven by self-gravity: the instability of an interface of discontinuous density. Theory predicts that this self-gravity driven interfacial instability persists in the static limit and in the absence of a constant background acceleration. Disturbances to a density interface are found to grow on a time-scale of the order of the free-fall time, even when the perturbation wavelength is much less than the Jeans length. Here we present the first numerical simulations of this instability. The theoretical growth rate is confirmed and the non-linear morphology displayed. The self-gravity interfacial instability is shown to be fundamentally different from the Rayleigh–Taylor instability, although both exhibit similar morphologies under the condition of a high density contrast, such as is commonly found in the ISM. Such instabilities are a possible mechanism by which observed features, such as the pillars of gas seen near the boundaries of interstellar clouds, are formed.
Phonon dispersion in mixed crystal K0.5Rb0.5Cl

In the present paper we have calculated the phonon dispersion curves of the mixed alkali halide k0.5Rb0.5Cl in all three symmetry directions (q, 0, 0), (q, q, 0) and (q, q, q). An extended three-body force shell model has been employed in the present study to calculate the phonon frequencies in symmetry directions (q, 0, 0), (q, q, 0) and (q, q, q). A concept of three body charge transfer has been taken into account to solve the dynamic matrix of the shell model. The results of phonon dispersion curves are found to agree reasonably well with the experimental results of Beg and Kobbelt. The experimental values of phonon frequencies have also been shown for the sake of comparison.
Eigenvalues, stability, and color tests

Abstract In some cases the qualitative nature of flows in a dynamical system (signs of matrix entries) is sufficient to insure the stability of the system. Coloring graphs seems to be an essential part of efficient tests for such qualitative stability.
Accuracy of the disk method for determining antimicrobic susceptibility of common gram-negative bacilli.

A standardized disk susceptibility test was evaluated by comparing results with minimal inhibitory concentrations obtained with agar dilution methods. The agar overlay method was used to test 152 Gram-negative bacilli against eight different antimicrobial agents. One to 3% of the isolates were resistant to an antimicrobic by the MIC method, but appeared to be susceptible by the disk method. Most very major discrepancies involved disk tests withProteus sp., a microorganism notoriously difficult to test reproducibly.Serratia sp. vs. the polymyxins andKlebsiella sp. vs. nitrofurantoin accounted for most other major discrepancies. With other microorganism-drug combinations, the disk test was a reasonably accurate technique for classifying bacteria into resistant or susceptible categories. Gentamicin disk tests were unsatisfactory, but when an intermediate zone category of 13–16 mm was applied, the false susceptible test results were reduced to 2.6%. Intermediate zone sizes were obtained with 6% of the disk tests; most of those isolates were resistant or susceptible but not intermediate in susceptibility. About 11% of the strains had intermediate MICs (5–20% with different drugs), but most of those strains were fully susceptible by the disk technique. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01R4011 00007
Directional response characteristics of single neurons in the torus semicircularis of the leopard frog (Rana pipiens)

1. Responses of single neurons in the torus semicircularis of leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) to changes in the horizontal position of sound were investigated. Three auditory stimuli consisting of tone bursts at the unit's best excitatory frequency (BEF), noise bursts and simulated mating calls were used for this study. 2. With a few exceptions, all torus neurons showed strong responses to changes in the sound direction (directional responses) with one or all three different acoustic stimuli. 3. Two differerent types of directional responses were noted: Type I response was characterized by approximately equal responsiveness to sound coming from either side of the animal whereas sound from the frontal field elicited poor responses; Type II response was characterized by sigmoidal response as a function of the azimuth, i.e., pronounced response to sound derived from the contralateral field and which became weaker as the source was moved around the animal to the ipsilateral field. The majority of directionally sensitive torus neurons exhibited type II responses. 4. The neural parameter that was systematically altered with a change in the incident angle of the source was either the average firing rate (class I), or response latency (class II) of the first spike, or both (class III). 5. In three specimens, one of the eighth nerves was sectioned and directional responses of torus neurons were studied and compared to those from the intact animals. It was found that the monaural responses were similar to those responses seen in intact animals but with smaller overall change in the response with a 180 ° change in the incident angle of the source demonstrating that binaural inhibitory interaction could sharpen the receptive field of central auditory neurons. 6. The results of the present investigations provide evidence suggesting that both the directionality of the peripheral receiver and central binaural processing are involved in sound localization.
Language Model Based Arabic Word Segmentation

We approximate Arabic's rich morphology by a model that a word consists of a sequence of morphemes in the pattern prefix*-stem-suffix* (* denotes zero or more occurrences of a morpheme). Our method is seeded by a small manually segmented Arabic corpus and uses it to bootstrap an unsupervised algorithm to build the Arabic word segmenter from a large unsegmented Arabic corpus. The algorithm uses a trigram language model to determine the most probable morpheme sequence for a given input. The language model is initially estimated from a small manually segmented corpus of about 110,000 words. To improve the segmentation accuracy, we use an unsupervised algorithm for automatically acquiring new stems from a 155 million word unsegmented corpus, and re-estimate the model parameters with the expanded vocabulary and training corpus. The resulting Arabic word segmentation system achieves around 97% exact match accuracy on a test corpus containing 28,449 word tokens. We believe this is a state-of-the-art performance and the algorithm can be used for many highly inflected languages provided that one can create a small manually segmented corpus of the language of interest.
High Reynolds number and turbulence effects on turbine heat transfer

Experimental data on pressure distribution and heat transfer on a turbine airfoil were obtained over a range of Reynolds numbers from 0.75 to 7.0 x 10(exp 6) and a range of turbulence intensities from 1.8 to about 15%. The purpose of this study was to obtain fundamental heat transfer and pressure distribution data over a wide range of high Reynolds numbers and to extend the heat transfer data base to include the range or Reynolds numbers encountered in the Space Shuttle main engine turbopump turbines. The results of this study indicated that Reynolds number and turbulence intensity have a large effect on both the transition from laminar to turbulent flow and the resulting heat transfer. For a given turbulence intensity, heat transfer for all Reynolds numbers at the leading edge can generally be correlated with the Frossling number developed for lower Reynolds numbers. For a given turbulence intensity, heat transfer for the airfoil surfaces downstream of the leading edge can be approximately correlated with a dimensionless parameter. Comparisons of the experimental results were also made with a numerical solution from a two-dimensional Navier-Stokes code.
Experimental Approaches to Understanding the Relationship Between Predator Biodiversity and Biological Control

Conservation biological control (CBC) involves the manipulation of the environment to favour the natural enemies of pests. Alternative agricultural practices, such as organic farming, are more biodiversity-friendly than conventional agricultural practices and generally lead to greater predator species richness and abundance. This is desirable from a conservation perspective, but it is unclear how greater predator diversity affects biological control. Unfortunately, the predator ecology literature provides little guidance: increasing the number of predator species has been shown to enhance, diminish, and not affect prey suppression. In this chapter we explore how the experimental approach used in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) studies, which focus on the ecological consequences of species loss, may be used to study how increasing predator diversity affects biological control. The notable features of this approach are: 1) realistic levels of species richness (i.e., < 2 predator species), 2) the use of substitutive, rather than additive, experimental designs, and 3) experimentally distinguishing the effect of species richness from the effects of species abundance, composition, and identity. This experimental approach can be used to identify which components of predator biodiversity—species richness, abundance, composition, and identity—should be targeted by CBC practitioners to maximize pest suppression. Further, it can be used to assess whether predator biodiversity conservation and biological control are truly compatible goals. Ultimately, we hope that this chapter will serve to motivate future research into this important problem.
What does universal health coverage mean

Fulﬁ lment of this potential, however, requires a clear deﬁ nition of the term UHC otherwise it could suﬀ er the same fate of the refrain of Health for All, which received high-level political support but failed to produce suﬃ ciently widespread policy and budgeting changes to realise its aims. Ambiguously, UHC has been labelled universal health coverage (the term used in this Viewpoint), universal health care, universal health-care coverage, or universal coverage.
High affinity binding of estrogen receptor to recombinant plasmids containing (dA-dC)n•(dG-dT)n sequences

Estrogen receptor is a gene regulatory protein that is present in a subset of breast tumors and in normal sex accessory tissues of vertebrates. The receptor protein forms a high affinity complex with estradiol and mediates its action. The mechanism of action of estrogen receptor (ER) involves its binding to specific DNA sequences in the genome and the stimulation of the expression of estrogen-responsive genes. In order to understand the molecular characteristics of ER-DNA interactions, we studied the relative binding affinity of rabbit uterine ER to recombinant plasmids: pDHf2 with 23-base pair (dA-dC)n.(dG-dT)n insert; pDHf14 with 60-base pair (dA-dC)n.(dG-dT)n insert; pDHg16 with 23-base pair (dG-dC)n.(dG-dC)n insert; and the parental plasmid pDPL6 without any insert. We conducted this study by using a DNA-cellulose elution assay in which the receptor was bound to DNA-cellulose and then eluted with different concentrations of plasmid DNAs in 10 mM Tris.HCl and 1 mM dithiothreitol, pH 7.4. The efficacy of a plasmid to bind to ER was determined from the concentration of the plasmid DNA required to elute 50% of the receptor from DNA-cellulose. The 50% elution concentrations were as follows: pDHf2, 3.2 micrograms/ml; pDHf14, 0.85 micrograms/ml; pDHg16, 200 micrograms/ml; and pDPL6, 340 micrograms/ml. Linearization of pDHf14 with HindIII reduced its binding efficacy only slightly, with a 50% elution concentration of the linear plasmid at 3.2 micrograms/ml. In contrast, the linear polynucleotide, poly(deoxyadenylate-deoxycytidylate).poly(deoxyguanylate-deoxythymidylat e [poly(dA-dC).poly(dG-dT)] and calf thymus DNA were 1650 and 880-fold less efficient, respectively, than pDHf14 in eluting ER from DNA-cellulose. These results show that the presence of short stretches of (dA-dC)n.(dG-dT)n sequences has a dramatic effect in increasing the binding affinity of ER to DNA. Since these sequences are reported to be conformationally ultrapolymorphic, a possible explanation for this increased binding might be the assumption of a conformational state of the inserted sequence to a form that has high affinity for ER.
Piezoelectric Surgery - A Novel Technique for Laminectomy

Objective: Piezoelectric surgery is a novel technology that allows for the osteotomy of mineralized tissue with less risk of damaging underlying soft tissue structures. This selective cutting increases the safety of osteotomies performed in close vicinity to delicate structures such as dura mater, blood vessels, and neural tissue. This study aimed to develop and describe the technique of piezoelectric surgery for dorsal laminectomy and to assess its clinical safety in normal sheep. Methods: A piezoelectric, dorsal laminectomy technique was developed using ovine cadavers. Following technique development, six live sheep underwent a piezoelectric (n = 6) two-level dorsal laminectomy at L2-L3 and L4-L5 (PiezoL2-3,4-5), and another 30 live sheep underwent a three-level laminectomy at L1 ,L 3 ,a nd L 5 (PiezoL1,3,5) for a total of 102 laminectomy sites. Surgery time and postoperative complications were recorded. Results: Dorsal laminectomy was safely and accurately performed in 35/36 study sheep using a Piezoelectric surgical instrument. No dural tears were noted in any animal. Non-ambulatory paraparesis in one study sheep (PiezoL1,3,5) led to euthanasia at 48 hr and only mild epidural hematoma was noted on necropsy. No other major postoperative complications were observed in any of the animals. Subjectively, PiezoL was easy to perform and with a rapid learning curve. Mean surgery time was 105 min (range: 75–165 min; median: 97.5) for PiezoL2-3,4-5 and 93 minutes (range 55–100 min; median: 67.5) for PiezoL1,3,5. Conclusions: Based on our study, PiezoL is considered a safe and viable technique for performing ovine dorsal laminectomy in the preclinical research setting.
Artistic composition for image creation

Altering the viewing parameters of a 3D object results in computer graphics images of varying quality. One aspect of image quality is the composition of the image. While the esthetic properties of an image are subjective, some heuristics used by artists to create images can be approximated quantitatively. We present an algorithm based on heuristic compositional rules for finding the format, viewpoint, and layout for an image of a 3D object. Our system computes viewing parameters automatically or allows a user to explicitly manipulate them.
Female parity, male aggression, and the Challenge Hypothesis in wild chimpanzees

The Challenge Hypothesis proposes that testosterone mediates aggression during periods of heightened conflict between males, especially episodes that have important fitness consequences. Considerable evidence from seasonally breeding species provides support for this hypothesis, but few data exist in animals that mate year-round. We tested predictions generated by the Challenge Hypothesis in chimpanzees, a non-seasonally breeding primate, through a study of individuals living in an exceptionally large community at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Results indicated that dominance rank had no influence on testosterone levels. Instead of rank influencing testosterone production, additional analyses revealed an important role for reproductive competition. Male chimpanzees displayed more aggression when they were in the same party as parous estrous females than when reproductively active females were unavailable. Male chimpanzees competed more intensely for mating opportunities with parous females than with nulliparas, and as a consequence, males displayed more aggression around the former than the latter. When males accompanied parous estrous females, their urinary testosterone concentrations were significantly higher than baseline concentrations. In contrast, urinary testosterone concentrations did not exceed baseline when males associated with nulliparous estrous females. These differences in testosterone levels could not be attributed to mating per se because males copulated equally often with parous and nulliparous females. Furthermore, variation in testosterone concentrations were not due to males gathering together in large parties, as their levels in these situations did not exceed baseline. Taken together, these findings, derived from a relatively large sample of males and estrous females, replicate those from a prior study and furnish additional support for the Challenge Hypothesis. Our results suggest that the Challenge Hypothesis is likely to be broadly applicable to chimpanzees and increase our understanding of the physiological costs to males who compete for estrous females.
Atlantic Arctic cyclones and the mild Siberian winters of the 1980s

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Novel Rod Domain Duplication in Dystrophin Resulting in X-Linked Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Abstract Background X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy is a rare, cardio-specific form of dystrophinopathy allelic to Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy that results in heart failure without skeletal muscle weakness. Patient Description We describe a previously healthy 16-year-old boy who presented with palpitations progressing to heart failure who was ultimately found to have a novel duplication of exons 13-16 in the dystrophin gene resulting in diagnosis of X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy. Results The patient was diagnosed with X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy through clinical diagnosis and genetic testing. Conclusion X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy shares genotypic overlap with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy, with its distinctive feature being a lack of progressive muscular weakness.
Polymerization using palladium (II) salts II: Polymerization of 2‐ethynyl‐5‐bromothiophene

The title monomer was polymerized using a bis(triphenyl phosphine) palladium (II) chloride, cuprous iodide, triphenyl phosphine catalyst system. The products are low-molecular-weight materials with thermal stabilities somewhat inferior to corresponding phenylacetylene-based polymers.
Fluid overload at initiation of renal replacement therapy is associated with lack of renal recovery in patients with acute kidney injury

Background. Patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) have poor short- and long-term outcomes, including the development of dialysis dependence. Currently, little is known about what factors may predict renal recovery in this population. Methods. We conducted a single-center, retrospective analysis of 170 hospitalized adult patients with AKI attributed to acute tubular necrosis who required inpatient initiation of RRT. Data collection included patient characteristics, laboratory data, details of hospital course and degree of fluid overload at RRT initiation. The primary outcome was recovery of renal function to dialysis independence. Results. Within 1 year of RRT initiation, 35.9% (61/170) of patients reached the primary end point of renal recovery. The median (interquartile range) duration of RRT was 11 (3–33) days and 83.6% (51/61) recovered prior to hospital discharge. Recovering patients had significantly less fluid overload at the time of RRT initiation compared to non-recovering patients (3.5 versus 9.3%, P ¼ 0.004). In multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, a rise in percent fluid overload at dialysis initiation remained a significant negative predictor of renal recovery (hazard ratio 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.95–1.00, P ¼ 0.024). Conclusions. In patients with AKI, a higher degree of fluid overload at RRT initiation predicts worse renal recovery at 1 year. Clinical trials are needed to determine whether interventions targeting fluid overload may improve patient and renal outcomes.
Long-term maintenance of Tetrahymena spp.

SYNOPSIS. Simple media for Tetrahymena, using rat gut or soybean as the nutrient source are described. Cultures can be maintained in these media up to one year at room temperature.
Flow reversal promotes intimal thickening in vein grafts

Objective After vascular interventions, unidentified mechanisms disrupt the homeostasis of a focal narrowing to initiate an intimal thickening response. We hypothesize that perturbations in the hemodynamic microenvironment are the initiating event for this disruption of homeostasis and intimal thickening in vein bypass grafts. The objective of this study was to investigate the relation between local flow perturbations and its influence on the vein graft architecture. Methods An external ligature was used to create an 80% focal midgraft stenosis in bilateral rabbit carotid vein grafts. A unilateral distal ligation created a ninefold difference in flow rate between high-flow and low-flow grafts. Ten vein grafts were harvested at 28 days and serially sectioned for morphologic evaluation and vein graft reconstruction. Computational fluid dynamics analyses were performed to examine the hemodynamic environment within these complex flow regions. Results The largest intimal thickening occurred exclusively within the region immediately distal to the maximum stenosis in high-flow grafts, which was characterized by persistent flow separation and reversal for the entire cardiac cycle. In regions of low to moderate shear stress ( Conclusions Regions of vein bypass grafts exposed to persistent flow reversal are most at risk for intimal thickening and loss of lumen.
Abstract 3093: AR responsive miR-148a targets p27 and regulates the cell cycle in LNCaP cells.

Prostate cancer is a commonly diagnosed malignancy and represents the second leading cause of cancer-related death in US men. Prostate cancer is initially dependent on androgens for survival and androgen signaling is mediated by the androgen receptor (AR). Due to the androgen dependency of prostate cancer, castration-therapy is a common course of action to combat the progression of this disease. However, almost inevitably, androgen independent prostate cancer later arises for which few strongly effective treatment options exist. In many of these cases, despite the androgen refractive nature of the disease, AR signaling is still necessary for the survival of the cancer but the downstream mechanisms that allow the AR to influence cellular proliferation remain to be fully understood. Further research elucidating these pathways is needed to discover novel therapeutic options for this disease. It has been shown that the AR represses the function of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p27 but the way in which this happens is not completely known and seems to be multi-pronged. Research from Murata et al. (2010) demonstrated that miR-148a is an androgen responsive microRNA. Furthermore, it was shown by Guo et al. (2011) that miR-148a targets p27 in gastric cancer. Here we attempt to link these lines of research and uncover a novel pathway in which the relationship between the AR and p27 is mediated by miR-148a. We validated previous results showing that inhibition of AR signaling leads to an increase in p27 expression at both the protein and mRNA levels in the androgen responsive prostate cancer cell line LNCaP. It was shown that AR inhibition leads to an ∼2 fold decrease in miR-148a expression. Using a microRNA mimic, we demonstrated the ability of miR-148a to target p27 expression at both the protein and mRNA levels. We next showed that the miR-148a mimic can rescue the attenuated androgen signaling phenotype by reducing p27 levels and further demonstrate that this treatment leads to positive regulation of the cell cycle. Interestingly, inhibition of function using an antagomir against miR-148a leads to attenuated growth in LNCaPs suggesting a putative therapeutic angle by targeting this pathway. These results demonstrate a novel pathway mediated by the AR in which a miRNA is expressed which potentiates the cell cycle by targeting p27. Citation Format: Alan Lombard, Steve Libertini, Maria Mudryj. AR responsive miR-148a targets p27 and regulates the cell cycle in LNCaP cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3093. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3093 Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 because the presenter was unable to attend.
Effects of histamine and acetylcholine on equine digital lymph flow and composition.

SummaryWe measured the flow rate and protein concentration of lymph collected from a digital lymphatic in eight anesthetized ponies. Additionally, we recorded systemic arterial pressure (Part), and small vein pressure (Psv). Control lymph flow averaged 0.068 ml/min, and contained 3.11 g/100 ml of protein with albumin/globulin ratio of 0.75. Twenty-minute local intra-arterial infusion of acetylcholine (10 μg/min.) elevated Psv but did not increase lymph flow rate or protein concentration. A 60-min local intra-arterial infusion of histamine (10 μg/min) produced a marked sustained increase in Psv and both lymph flow and protein concentration. Edema developed in the digit receiving histamine. These data support the conclusion that in the horse, as in other species, histamine edema is due primarily to a decreased transcapillary colloid osmotic pressure gradient rather than an increased trans-capillary hydrostatic pressure gradient.
Von Aubel's Quadrilateral Theorem

(1966). Von Aubel's Quadrilateral Theorem. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 35-37.
Effect of dicumarol on concentration of the labile factor.

ConclusionsThe labile factor of the prothrombin complex is relatively constant in normal rabbit and dog blood. It is not reduced by dicumarol even after the prothrombin activity falls to a very low level.
How I treat erythrasma.

Erythrasma is a benign dermatosis of the body folds that is common in adults but occurs in all age groups. The disease is characterized by dry superficial scaling and is more prevalent in warm, humid climates. Widespread involvement calls for systemic treatment with antibiotics.
Absorptive viscoelastic coatings for full field vibration coverage measurement in vibrothermography

Abstract Vibrothermography is a rapidly emerging nondestructive evaluation technique for detecting fatigue cracks in aircraft components. Externally applied mechanical vibrations in a specimen generate crack heating between vibrating crack faces due to friction or other irreversible phenomena. Crack heating in vibrothermography depends on the vibrational stresses, and therefore the amount of vibration generated in the specimen. A method to measure the vibration distribution from the hysteretic heating of viscoelastic polymer adhesive applied to a specimen surface is described. The heat generated by the adhesive coating maps directly to the vibrational strain distribution in the substrate. This is a fast method of vibration coverage measurement for vibrothermographic testing.
Design of data acquisition system based on FPGA

With the rapid development of information technology,a variety of data acquisition and processing in the modern industrial control and scientific research have become an indispensable part.The data acquisition system is a bridge between the computer smart instruments and the outside physical world,it is also an important way to get information.The FPGA chip XC3S400 of Xilinx company is as the core,which belongs to Spartan-3 family,and the ADC TLC0820 of TI company is as the analog to digital converter to design a data acquisition system based on FPGA.Using Verilog HDL language as description language implements sampling control of TLC0820 and data processing control of FPGA.By design input,analysis and synthesis,simulation and validation process simulate this system,which based on the Xilinx ISE 9.1i software.
Medicolegal aspects of occupational skin diseases.

Skin diseases, including chemical burns, are the most frequently reported of all occupational illnesses. More than 90 per cent of work- related dermatologic problems are contact dermatitis, and there is rarely anything about the location and appearance of these lesions to differentiate clearly from a dermatitis of nonoccupational origin. A complete and time-consuming history must therefore be taken, including documentation of nonwork activities.
Pre-Existing Diabetes in Early Stage Breast Cancer Patients is Associated with Lack of Improvement in Quality of Life 2 Years After Diagnosis.

Type 2 diabetes is a common comorbidity among breast cancer survivors. Our aim was to assess the association between diabetes and quality of life (QOL) in newly diagnosed early stage (0-IIA) breast cancer patients over a 2-year follow-up. We used data from a longitudinal study of 549 breast cancer patients, aged ≥40 years. During four telephone interviews administered 4–6 weeks and 6, 12, and 24 months after definitive surgical treatment, we measured QOL using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) scale; higher scores indicate better QOL. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to test the change over time in total FACT-B and each of the five subscales (physical, social, emotional and functional well-being, and breast cancer concerns), comparing patients with and without diabetes at baseline. After adjusting for covariates (age, race, body mass index, education, marital status, cancer staging, and surgical side effects), patients with (vs. without) diabetes reported lower QOL over time on the total FACT-B (least-squares mean [standard error] 106.2 [2.1] vs. 112.0 [1.1]; p = 0.0038) and on physical, social, emotional, and functional well-being subscales (each p < 0.05). Over the 2-year follow-up, QOL improved significantly for the emotional well-being (p < 0.0001) and breast cancer concern subscales (p = 0.0282) among patients without diabetes, but not among patients with diabetes. Early stage breast cancer patients with diabetes may need additional care considerations to improve QOL.
Probabilistic Shear Capacity Models for Concrete Members with Internal Composite Reinforcement

AbstractThis paper presents probabilistic models for estimating shear capacity of concrete members reinforced internally with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP). The application of FRP in concrete structures has steadily gained popularity since the late 1980s; however, the wide range of mechanical properties and various manufacturing processes have made it challenging to unify the design formulation for engineers and code developers. Consequently, the conservative approach has been used to predict structural performance, particularly shear capacity, which has limited its application and resulted in excessive use of materials. In this paper, a robust prediction model is proposed to capture the variety of characteristics of FRPs based on an available database. The database includes various FRPs used as flexural reinforcement for beam members. The model was formulated using the Bayesian parameter estimation method, which takes into account the uncertainties of the parameters that are considered the potential pre...
Can We Go Beyond Care Process Measures to a New Child Health Policy

* Abbreviation: ACA — : Affordable Care Act Critics of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) predicted dire consequences: massive job loss, large decreases in employer-sponsored insurance, and huge increases in health care costs. In fact, none of these predictions has come true, as job growth has increased with unemployment falling,1 employer-sponsored insurance has been stable,2 and the rate of increasing health care costs has moderated.3 Overall, the uninsured rate has declined from 16% in 2010 to 9.1% in 2015,4 and there is evidence that quality of care is improving.5 How have children fared with the implementation of the ACA and what needs to be done in the future with respect to child health policy? The article entitled “Trends in Access to Health Care Services for US Children, 2004–2014” by Larson et al6 in this issue of Pediatrics addresses both of these questions. Analyzing data from the National Health Interview Survey, the authors documented a steep decline in the percentage of children aged <18 years without insurance, as well as an associated improvement in 5 health care access measures: no well-child care in the past year, no physician office visits, no dental visits, no usual source of care, and having unmet … Address correspondence to Stephen Berman, MD, FAAP, 13199 E Montview Blvd, Suite 310, A090, Aurora, CO 80045. E-mail: stephen.berman{at}childrenscolorado.org
Mitochondrial efficiency and exercise economy following heat stress: a potential role of uncoupling protein 3.

Heat stress has been reported to reduce uncoupling proteins (UCP) expression, which in turn should improve mitochondrial efficiency. Such an improvement in efficiency may translate to the systemic level as greater exercise economy. However, neither the heat-induced improvement in mitochondrial efficiency (due to decrease in UCP), nor its potential to improve economy has been studied. Determine: (i) if heat stress in vitro lowers UCP3 thereby improving mitochondrial efficiency in C2C12 myocytes; (ii) whether heat acclimation (HA) in vivo improves exercise economy in trained individuals; and (iii) the potential improved economy during exercise at altitude. In vitro, myocytes were heat stressed for 24 h (40°C), followed by measurements of UCP3, mitochondrial uncoupling, and efficiency. In vivo, eight trained males completed: (i) pre-HA testing; (ii) 10 days of HA (40°C, 20% RH); and (iii) post-HA testing. Pre- and posttesting consisted of maximal exercise test and submaximal exercise at two intensities to assess exercise economy at 1600 m (Albuquerque, NM) and 4350 m. Heat-stressed myocytes displayed significantly reduced UCP3 mRNA expression and, mitochondrial uncoupling (77.1 ± 1.2%, P < 0.0001) and improved mitochondrial efficiency (62.9 ± 4.1%, P < 0.0001) compared to control. In humans, at both 1600 m and 4350 m, following HA, submaximal exercise economy did not change at low and moderate exercise intensities. Our findings indicate that while heat-induced reduction in UCP3 improves mitochondrial efficiency in vitro, this is not translated to in vivo improvement of exercise economy at 1600 m or 4350 m.
Natural History of Established and De Novo Inflammatory Bowel Disease After Liver Transplantation for Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

Background The course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) after liver transplantation (LT) for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is poorly understood. We describe the natural history of established IBD after LT (including risk of disease progression, colectomy, and neoplasia) and de novo IBD. Methods In a retrospective cohort, we identified all patients with PSC who underwent LT for advanced PSC at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Risk factors were identified using multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis. Results Three hundred seventy-three patients were identified (mean age, 47.5 ± 11.7 years; 64.9% male). Over a median (range) of 10 (5.5-17.1) years, 151 patients with PSC-IBD with an intact colon at the time of LT were studied. Post-LT, despite transplant-related immunosuppression, 56/151 (37.1%) required escalation of therapy, whereas 87 had a stable course (57.6%) and 8 patients (5.3%) improved. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year risks of progression of IBD were 4.0%, 18.5%, and 25.5%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, tacrolimus-based immunosuppression post-LT were associated with unfavorable course, and azathioprine use after LT was associated with improved course post-LT. Of 84 patients with no evidence of IBD at the time of LT, 22 (26.2%) developed de novo IBD post-LT. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year cumulative incidences of de novo IBD were 5.5%, 20.0%, and 25.4%, respectively. On univariate analysis, mycophenolate mofetil use after LT was associated with increased risk of de novo IBD, but azathioprine use after LT seemed to be protective. Conclusions The 10-year cumulative probability of IBD flare requiring escalation of therapy after LT for PSC was 25.5%, despite immunosuppression for LT. The 10-year cumulative risk of de novo IBD after LT for PSC was 25.4%. Transplant-related immunosuppression may modify the risk of de novo IBD, with an increased risk with mycophenolate and a decreased risk with azathioprine. 10.1093/ibd/izx096_video1izx096.video15746673864001.
Diet Soda and Sugar-Sweetened Soda Consumption in Relation to Incident Diabetes in the Northern Manhattan Study.

Background Artificially (diet) and sugar-sweetened (regular) soda consumption have been associated with an increased risk of diabetes, but the literature on diet soda is inconsistent and the mechanisms unclear. Objective We examined the relation between diet soda and regular soda consumption with the risk of incident diabetes in a longitudinal multiethnic population-based cohort. Methods The study population included 2019 participants (mean ± SD age: 69 ± 10 y; 64% women; 23% white, 22% black, 53% Hispanic) in the Northern Manhattan Study who were free of diabetes and stroke at baseline. Soda consumption was assessed by a food-frequency questionnaire at baseline and examined continuously and categorically (<1/mo: sugar-sweetened = 908, diet = 1615; 1/mo-6/wk: sugar-sweetened = 830, diet = 298; daily: sugar-sweetened = 281, diet = 106). Weibull regression models were used to estimate the associations between soda consumption and incident diabetes, adjusting for demographics and vascular risk factors including body mass index (BMI) and calorie consumption. Results During a mean ± SD follow-up of 11 ± 5 y, 368 participants developed diabetes. Sugar-sweetened soda was positively associated with incident diabetes (per soda per day HR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.31). The observed association between diet soda and elevated risk of diabetes was largely explained by BMI at the time of diet assessment, though the association remained strong and independent of BMI among those who were overweight or obese (daily compared to <1/mo: HR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.55). Conclusions This study supports the importance of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in the diabetes epidemic. However, the results support previous studies suggesting that switching to artificially sweetened diet beverages may not lower the risk of diabetes, as diet soda consumption cannot be ruled out as an independent diabetes risk factor.
Empirical evidence regarding electricity consumption and urban economic growth

Links between electricity consumption and economic growth are fairly well documented for national economies, but less so for urban economies. The analysis of such relationships at the sub-national ...
HYGIENIC ASPECTS OF MILK AND PAYMENT FOR QUALITY1

Each of the characteristics that denotes quality in milk may be influenced by the hygienic or sanitary practices used in the production, processing and distribution of milk. Furthermore, each bears a relationship to either the presence or growth of microorganisms in milk. Maintenance of the consumer's high regard for milk is essential. High standards of cleanliness within the industry will minimize the hazard of disease transmission through milk and will enhance its esthetic attractiveness. Milk of high sanitary quality and of unimpaired nutritive value will tend to encourage consumption and thereby be to the best interest of the consumer and to the dairy industry as well. The availability of high quality milk supplies will depend largely upon the operation of effective sanitary control programs. Essential elements of such programs are (a) standards or requirements which must be satisfied, (b) enforcement, (c) education, and (d) compulsory pasteurization. Likewise, proper knowledge of the sources of micro...
Perineuronal Nets, Inhibitory Interneurons, and Anxiety-Related Ventral Hippocampal Neuronal Oscillations Are Altered by Early Life Adversity.

Abstract Background In humans, accumulated adverse experiences during childhood increase the risk of anxiety disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In rodents, the ventral hippocampus (vHIP) is associated with anxiety regulation, and lesions in this region alter both anxiety-like behavior and activity levels. Neuronal oscillations in the vHIP of the theta frequency range (4–12 Hz) have been implicated in anxious states and derive in part from the activity of inhibitory interneurons in the hippocampus, some of which are enwrapped with perineuronal nets (PNNs), extracellular matrix structures known to regulate plasticity. We sought to investigate the associations among early life stress–induced anxiety and hyperactivity with vHIP neuronal oscillations, inhibitory interneurons, and PNNs in mice. Methods We used repeated maternal separation with early weaning (MSEW) to model accumulated early life adversity in mouse offspring and studied the underlying cellular and electrophysiological changes in the vHIP that are associated with excessive anxiety and hyperactivity. Results We found increased anxiety-like behavior and activity levels in MSEW adult males, along with increased theta power and enhanced theta–gamma coupling in the vHIP. MSEW mice showed reduced intensity of parvalbumin as well as increased PNN intensity around parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the vHIP. We further observed that MSEW increased orthodenticle homeobox protein 2, a transcription factor promoting PNN development, in the choroid plexus, where it is produced, as well as in parvalbumin-positive interneurons, where it is sequestered. Conclusions These findings raise the possibility of causal links among parvalbumin-positive interneurons, PNNs, orthodenticle homeobox protein 2, and MSEW-induced anxiety and hyperactivity.
Development of a small unmanned aerial system-mounted texel camera

There is currently a growing need for scientifically accurate terrain maps of the earth. One way to develop terrain maps includes the use of LIDAR sensing and digital imagery. By fusing these sets of data, a textured digital elevation map (TDEM) can be created. The high cost of equipment and full-scale aircraft operation can be mitigated by creating a sensor package that includes both LIDAR and digital imaging that can be mounted on a low-cost, small, unmanned aerial system (sUAS). This sensor package is called a texel camera (TC) and is composed of commercial off the shelf sensors: LIDAR, digital camera, inertial navigation system, and computer processing unit. The TC is calibrated so that each data sample contains a LIDAR scan, registered digital image, aircraft attitude, position data, and timestamp. As the TC acquires data, a point cloud is created that describes the surface of the object. Each LIDAR measurement in a scan corresponds with a known pixel in the digital image. Fusing this data allows the formation of scientifically accurate TDEMs. The TC is a more cost-effective terrain mapping solution than current mobile and manual data collection methods. It is designed to fit in rotorcraft and fixedwing sUAS. Other advantages to the TC include adaptability with existing sUAS and the ability to map views from different perspectives.