cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of endothelial cell adhesion molecules in the development of atherosclerosis.

Abstract The vascular endothelium serves as a dynamic interface between circulating blood elements and the interstitial tissues. As such, it communicates to cells within the vessel wall as well as to the surrounding tissue, sensing its environment and responding accordingly. The vasculature must maintain a delicate balance when initiating a functional response by producing both proinflammatory and antiinflammatory mediators, vasoconstrictors and vasodilators, growth stimulators and inhibitors, and prothrombogenic and antithrombogenic factors. Any response to injurious agents could lead to pathology. Confounding this complex interplay is the fact that the very response to injury that may have developed to undo the damage may itself be even more deleterious. One response to injury by the endothelium is the new or increased expression of surface receptors for immune elements. In atherosclerosis, the adhesion of monocytes (and T cells) to the endothelium is a key event triggered by some form of insult. Subsequent events include monocytic infiltration of the vessel wall, alterations in lipid metabolism, and the activation of these cells into foam cells. The presence of large numbers of foam cells in the intima may produce a high concentration of cytokines and growth factors within a localized area, extracellular matrix perturbations, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and ultimately platelet aggregation at the site of stenosis. Endothelial cells themselves will not only elaborate factors after the initial injury to the vessel wall but also in response to the factors produced by foam cells within the plaque. These endothelial cell factors include MCP-1, a chemoattractant for monocytes (179,180), IL-1 (63,64), IL-6 (interleukin-6) (65–67), IL-8 (interleukin 8) (181), and PDGF, a potent smooth muscle mitogen (4,72) (Fig. 3). Endothelial cells will propagate an inflammatory response long after the initial insult to the arterial vessel. A chronic cycle of endothelial cell activation and leukocyte infiltration is constitutively activated. Thus, all of the cellular elements of the vessel wall, as well as the atherosclerotic plaque itself, elaborate cytokines and growth factors that amplify and propagate the pathological process.
Changes in apomorphine pharmacodynamics following repeated treatment in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats

Rats with 6-OHDA lesions were repeatedly treated with apomorphine and dose-response relationships compared before and after treatment to better understand the pharmacological mechanisms which result in sensitization. A progressive increase in the magnitude and duration of rotational behavior was observed following repeated treatment and was associated with a nonparallel (upward) shift in apomorphine dose-response curves. These changes are inconsistent with simple shifts in drug potency, and instead are more consistent with changes in the ability of apomorphine to stimulate postsynaptic, striatal efferent pathways which result from repeated drug administration.
Three-dimensional physically based multiparameter radar simulation

A 3D multiparameter radar simulation procedure for rainfall studies is described. The procedure begins with the simulated 3D fields based on the 1986 COHMEX experiment and a mesoscale meteorological model of convective storm. Given the 3D rainfall fields, the sampling volume integration process involved in radar measurements is simulated to give radar observables, namely, reflectivity, differential reflectivity and differential phase shift. Numerous effects are accounted for including: antenna beam pattern, horizontal and vertical gradients, atmospheric and rain attenuation. As a final step, the radar observables are corrupted with a random measurement error to account for the radar hardware system noise and other sources of uncertainty. The simulated radar observables are qualitatively assessed. The simulator is a useful tool for engineers and hydrometeorologists who are interested in examining radar measurement errors and their effect on other variables of interest.
Effect of porcine somatotropin on the response of growing pigs to acute challenges of glucose, insulin and epinephrine and during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp

Response of tissues to homeostatic signals may play a role in the mediation of nutrient partitioning effects of somatotropin. To investigate this, the effects of exogenous porcine somatotropin (pST) on the metabolic responses to a series of intravenous challenges with dextrose, insulin and epinephrine were examined in twelve crossbred barrows (65 kg). In addition, the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp technique was used to further explore effects of pST on insulin resistance in eight of these animals. Pigs received daily sc injections of either pituitary-derived pST (120 micrograms/kg bw) or an equivalent volume of excipient for 28 d. Treatment with pST resulted in a chronic elevation of plasma glucose, insulin and non-esterified fatty acid concentrations and lowered glucagon concentrations. Acute iv challenges of dextrose (100 mg/kg bw), insulin (1.0 micrograms/kg bw), and epinephrine (2.2 micrograms/kg bw) were administered on days 21, 22, and 23 of the treatment period, respectively. Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps were carried out on day 28. Effects of pST were most dramatic for responses associated with insulin. In pST-treated pigs, insulin response to dextrose infusion was enhanced, while glucose response to insulin was attenuated and glucose clearance rate was reduced. During the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, dextrose infusion rate required to maintain euglycemia during physiologic elevations of insulin was reduced in pST-treated pigs to 28% of control. In pST-treated pigs, glucose response to epinephrine challenge was halved, while insulin response was increased three-fold. Therefore, one mechanism by which pST shifts the nutrient partition is by altering metabolic responses to homeostatic signals. In growing pigs, this is especially evident for glucose response to insulin.
An isoparametric spectral element method for solution of the Navier-Stokes equations in complex geometry

High-order (p-type) finite element methods combine the geometric flexibility of standard low-order finite element (or finite volume) techniques with the rapid convergence properties of spectral methods. Various p-type schemes have been proposed for elliptic problems. However, an application of p-type methods to more complex equations, in particular the passive scalar or Navier-Stokes equations, is complicated by the nature of the equations and by efficiency considerations as regards the solution procedure. Patera (1984) has proposed a p-type method for the Navier-Stokes equations, taking into account the arising additional complications. The present study is concerned with an isoparametric spectral element discretization for the solution of flow problems in fully general, curvy geometries. Attention is given to the isoparametric formulation for elliptic equations and a time-splitting scheme for the Navier-Stokes equations.
Ab initio calculations on NO2 and NO 2 − : Optimization of diffuse Gaussian exponents

Ab initio calculations of NO2 and NO 2 − , using a Dunning [4s3p] basis augmented by 1 component diffuses andp functions were carried out. The SCF energies of NO2 and NO2/− (ground states) as a function of O s , O p , N s , and N p diffuse function exponents are given and discussed. The curves show some unexpected features which make the optimization of the diffuse function exponents problematic.
Constructing a Community-Level Amenity Index

The study of amenity-driven regional change has proliferated in recent years, especially in the American West. While methods of quantifying amenity levels have progressed, they usually rely on traditional and inflexible methods of creating indices. This research note describes a method of manual indexing that allows a flexible and replicable way of assessing amenity levels for various geographic scales and research contexts. We apply this method to nine amenity-based communities in Colorado and direct researchers to resources for exploring alterations for other applications. Results show that the method permits ranking and grouping communities according to relative amenity levels.
A Repeated Significance Test for Distributions with Heavy Tails

ABSTRACT Repeated significance tests are frequently used in areas of science and technology in which the data is accumulated sequentially over time. In this article we develop a repeated significance test for independent and identically distributed observations from a continuous symmetric distribution with heavy tails, infinite variance, and possibly no mean. This repeated significance test is nonparametric in nature, as it is applicable to a class of distributions with a specified tail behavior. We present an algorithm for selecting the continuation region associated with the repeated significance test that achieves specified significance level and power at a given alternative. Moreover, we derive approximations for the power function and expected sample size. Numerical results are presented to evaluate the performance of these approximations.
Library support of bibliographic management tools: a review

Purpose – This study aims to review the current level of service and support provided for the bibliographic management applications, EndNote and RefWorks providing research libraries with a baseline for benchmarking their support of these tools.Design/methodology/approach – The 111 web sites of the Association for Research Libraries (ARL) academic libraries were systematically reviewed in 2009 for any information provided on the support for bibliographic management applications. This information was recorded and examined by type of library, US publicly supported college or university, US private college or university, or Canadian college or university.Findings – The majority of ARL libraries provide support for one or more of these applications with the largest percentage, 42 percent, providing support for both applications. The US privately supported colleges and universities were more likely to have licensed an application and to provide support for both applications. A large percentage of libraries pro...
Stability of the developing laminar flow in a parallel-plate channel

Hydrodynamic stability of developing laminar flow in entrance region of parallel plate channel investigated using small disturbances theory
Embodying Sociological Mindfulness: Learning about Social Inequality through the Body.

THIS PAPER REPORTS on a teaching and learning technique that uses the power of everyday body language and proxemics to illustrate forms of social inequality. More significantly, the active learning exercises assist students to feel the fact that the making and maintaining of power relations is an intimate and visceral matter. In keeping with classroom approaches that attempt to bring sociology to life in unconventional ways (Bailey 1993; Mayer 1986; Schmid 1993) and to acknowledge an increasingly diverse student population (Hartung 1991), the exercises provide opportunities for students to actively engage their bodies in the subject matter of sociology. A number of approaches have been developed to facilitate the teaching of social inequality (for a summary see Davis 1992). Simulation games and role-play exercises create firsthand experiences of inequality to illustrate the structural barriers that maintain social stratification (Bell and Bradburn 1996; Brezina 1996). These approaches
The effect of 3D building reconstruction errors on propagation prediction using geospatial data in cyberspace

When the 3D building structures visualized in Google Earth are reconstructed using photogrametric method introduced in [4], errors or inaccuracies will occur to the building vertices and the building heights. In this paper the statistics of these errors are discussed and the effect of these errors on the propagation prediction results is examined in detail. It is found that our reconstruction method introduces distance errors to the building vertices and height errors to the building heights. These errors are less than 0.5 meters in 95% of the cases. The vertex error will cause an average mean error of −0.2 dB and an average standard deviation of 5.1 dB to the predicted path gains compared to the reference case. And the height error, in the cases investigated in this paper, is very small and can be ignored. These results match the observations in the literature for different propagation environments [8,9]. The 3D reconstruction method introduced in [4] is then shown to be of satisfactory accuracy in terms of propagation prediction.
Backwaters and rapids on the amyloid river

The advent of amyloid imaging 1 has ushered in a new era for the field of Alzheimer disease (AD), opening the door for approaching previously unapproachable questions. No longer are researchers restricted to postmortem measurement of the neuropathologic hallmark of AD—amyloid plaques. Now, researchers are able to detect the presence and burden of amyloid in the living brain and examine how amyloid burden changes over time.
Where Do We Go from Here? Strategic Answers for University-Based Family Business Programs

This article argues that family business centers need to align themselves with their universities' missions through strategic planning. It further argues that in most cases this means building the program on an academic base of either teaching or research. Part of establishing that base includes analyzing the balance among teaching, research, and service (i.e., using the “Holistic Model”). Without this approach, the risk of failure greatly increases. The experience discussed throughout this article is that of a small, private, liberal arts university that, using the approach recommended, built its center on the foundation of teaching. Many of these issues warrant further research.
Intersterility, morphology and taxonomy of Ceratocystis fimbriata on sweet potato, cacao and sycamore.

Ceratocystis fimbriata is a large, diverse complex of species that cause wilt-type diseases of many economically important plants. Previous studies have shown that isolates in three monophyletic line- ages within the Latin American clade of C. fimbriata are host-specialized to cacao (Theobroma cacao), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and sycamore (Platanus spp.), respectively. We paired testers of opposite mat- ing type from isolates of these lineages to find inter- sterility groups. Two intersterility groups correspond- ed to the sweet potato and sycamore lineages, re- spectively. The cacao lineage contained two inter- sterility groups, corresponding to two genetic sublineages centered in western Ecuador and Brazil/ Costa Rica/Colombia. Six isolates from cacao that were not members of the cacao lineage and were not pathogenic to cacao in an earlier study also were in- tersterile with members of the two cacao intersterility groups. Some pairings between testers from different lineages or sublineages yielded perithecia from which a few abnormal progeny could be recovered, typical of interspecific hybrids. These progeny showed ab- normal segregation of the MAT-2 gene and mycelial morphology, showing that they were indeed the re- sult of crosses. Isolates of the sweet potato, cacao, and sycamore lineages were indistinguishable morpholog- ically except for the presence or absence of a doli- form (barrel-shaped) conidial state and minor differ- ences in size of perithecial bases and necks and as- cospores. C. fimbriata originally was described from sweet potato. We describe the cacao pathogen as a new species, Ceratocystis cacaofunesta and we raise the sycamore pathogen from a form to species Ceratocys- tis platani.
Piezo-electric sensors as electronic/electrical devices

This tutorial will cover devices based on piezoelectric crystals and used for physical and chemical sensor applications. Various acoustic wave devices used as temperature, mass, pressure, torque, acceleration sensors, for material characterization, and as chemical agents detectors will be presented and described. The course will focus on two types of piezoelectric sensors that have reached some level of maturity - available as commercial products or under development. They are the thickness shear mode (TSM) resonators and surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices (both Rayleigh SAW and shear horizontal-SAW). Chemically sensitive and selective absorptive coatings used for chemical sensors will also be described. Sensor device principles and modeling including second order effects, design parameters, operating characteristics, and key sensing parameters will be covered. Various measurement schemes used with the piezoelectric sensors will be described.
Expert witness credibility as a function of eye contact behavior and gender

The effect of eye contact on credibility was examined via a 3 (low, medium, high eye contact) × 2 (male, female) between-groups design with 232 undergraduate participants. A trial transcript excerpt about a defendant's recidivism likelihood was utilized as the experts' script. A main effect was found: Experts with high eye contact had higher credibility ratings than in the medium and low conditions. Although a confound precluded comparisons between the genders, results indicated that males with high eye contact were more credible than males with medium or low eye contact. The female experts' credibility was not significantly different regardless of eye contact. Eye contact may be especially important for males: Male experts should maintain eye contact for maximum credibility.
Arthroscopic reduction versus fluoroscopic reduction in the management of intra-articular distal radius fractures.

Abstract Purpose Although arthroscopy offers an unparalleled view of intra-articular pathology, its use in the treatment of intra-articular distal radius fractures remains controversial. This study was designed to compare functional and radiologic outcomes of arthroscopically assisted (AA) versus fluoroscopically assisted (FA) reduction and external fixation of distal radius fractures. Type of study Retrospective, case-matched comparison of 2 different procedures. Methods Between January 1995 and December 1999, 15 patients with comminuted intra-articular distal radius fractures underwent AA external fixation and percutaneous pinning. Fifteen patients underwent external fixation and FA reduction and pinning. Patients in both groups were matched for fracture pattern and age. Results Follow-up evaluation consisted of an evaluation of grip strength and range of motion as well as radiographic evaluation of palmar tilt, radial shortening, stepoff, and degenerative changes. Health-related quality of life outcomes were assessed using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire. Patients who underwent AA surgery had significantly improved supination compared with those who underwent FA surgery (88° v 73°; P = .02). AA reduction also resulted in improved wrist extension (mean, 77° v 69°; P = .01) and wrist flexion (mean, 78° v 59°; P = .02). Radial shortening, Knirk and Jupiter congruity grades, and DASH scores were similar for both groups. Conclusions AA reduction and fixation of intra-articular distal radius fractures permits a more thorough inspection of the ulnar-sided components of the injury. At follow-up evaluation, patients who underwent AA procedures had a greater degree of supination, flexion, and extension than patients undergoing FA surgery. Level of evidence Level II prospective cohort study.
Query-Driven Visualization of Time-Varying Adaptive Mesh Refinement Data

The visualization and analysis of AMR-based simulations is integral to the process of obtaining new insight in scientific research. We present a new method for performing query-driven visualization and analysis on AMR data, with specific emphasis on time-varying AMR data. Our work introduces a new method that directly addresses the dynamic spatial and temporal properties of AMR grids that challenge many existing visualization techniques. Further, we present the first implementation of query-driven visualization on the GPU that uses a GPU-based indexing structure to both answer queries and efficiently utilize GPU memory. We apply our method to two different science domains to demonstrate its broad applicability.
Modulation of human corticomotor excitability by somatosensory input

In humans, somatosensory stimulation results in increased corticomotoneuronal excitability to the stimulated body parts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms. We recorded motor evoked potentials (MEPs) to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) from abductor pollicis brevis (APB), first dorsal interosseous (FDI), and abductor digiti minimi (ADM) muscles. MEP amplitudes, recruitment curves (RC), intracortical inhibition (ICI), intracortical facilitation (ICF), resting (rMT) and active motor thresholds (aMT) were recorded before and after a 2-h period of ulnar nerve electrical stimulation at the wrist. Somatosensory input was monitored by recording somatosensory evoked potentials. To differentiate excitability changes at cortical vs. subcortical sites, we recorded supramaximal peripheral M-responses and MEPs to brainstem electrical stimulation (BES). In order to investigate the involvement of GABAergic mechanisms, we studied the influence of lorazepam (LZ) (a GABAA receptor agonist) relative to that of dextromethorphan (DM) (an NMDA receptor antagonist) and placebo in a double-blind design. We found that somatosensory stimulation increased MEP amplitudes to TMS only in the ADM, confirming a previous report. This effect was blocked by LZ but not by either DM or placebo and lasted between 8 and 20 min in the absence of (i) changes in MEPs elicited by BES, (ii) amplitudes of early somatosensory-evoked potentials or (iii) M-responses. We conclude that somatosensory stimulation elicited a focal increase in corticomotoneuronal excitability that outlasts the stimulation period and probably occurs at cortical sites. The antagonistic effect of LZ supports the hypothesis of GABAergic involvement as an operating mechanism.
ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complexes.

The importance of histones and chromatin structure in the regulation of eukaryotic gene transcription has become much more widely accepted over the past few years. It has been clear for a decade that histones contribute to the regulation of transcription both in vitro and in vivo (reviewed in references 14, 34, 50, 64, and 120). More recent studies have led to the striking observation that several protein complexes involved in transcription regulation can function, at least in part, by modifying histones or altering chromatin structure (for recent reviews, see references 3, 44, 49, 51, 52, 87, 100, and 119). While it is clear that many of these protein complexes have functions in addition to chromatin modification, they illustrate the importance of chromatin structure as a part of transcription regulation mechanisms. The most widely characterized chromatin-modifying complexes studied to date can be classified into two major groups, based on their modes of action, as follows: (i) ATP-dependent complexes, which use the energy of ATP hydrolysis to locally disrupt or alter the association of histones with DNA, and (ii) histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) complexes, which regulate the transcriptional activity of genes by determining the level of acetylation of the amino-terminal domains of nucleosomal histones associated with them. This review will focus primarily on the ATP-dependent remodeling complexes. For recent reviews of HAT and HDAC complexes, see references 5, 20, 31, and 55. Here we provide an organized listing of the ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complexes described to date and illustrate the relationships between their subunits. We also review the data available with regard to their mechanisms of action and promoter targeting as well as regulation of their activity. Finally, we examine the relationship between these complexes and the HAT complexes.
Characterization of rco-1 of Neurospora crassa, a pleiotropic gene affecting growth and development that encodes a homolog of Tup1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa undergoes a well-defined developmental program, conidiation, that culminates in the production of numerous asexual spores, conidia. Several cloned genes, including con-10, are expressed during conidiation but not during mycelial growth. Using a previously described selection strategy, we isolated mutants that express con-10 during mycelial growth. Selection was based on expression of an integrated DNA fragment containing the con-10 promoter-regulatory region followed by the initial segment of the con-10 open reading frame fused in frame with the bacterial hygromycin B phosphotransferase structural gene (con10'-'hph). Resistance to hygromycin results from mutational alterations that allow mycelial expression of the con-10'-'hph gene fusion. A set of drug-resistant mutants were isolated; several of these had abnormal conidiation phenotypes and were trans-acting, i.e., they allowed mycelial expression of the endogenous con-10 gene. Four of these had alterations at a single locus, designated rco-1 (regulation of conidiation). Strains with the rco-1 mutant alleles were aconidial, female sterile, had reduced growth rates, and formed hyphae that coiled in a counterclockwise direction, opposite that of the wild type. The four rco-1 mutants had distinct conidiation morphologies, suggesting that conidiation was blocked at different stages. Wild-type rco-1 was cloned by a novel procedure employing heterokaryon-assisted transformation and ligation-mediated PCR. The predicted RCO1 polypeptide is a homolog of Tup1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a multidomain protein that mediates transcriptional repression of genes concerned with a variety of processes. Like tup1 mutants, null mutants of rco-1 are viable and pleiotropic. A promoter element was identified that could be responsible for RCO1-mediated vegetative repression of con-10 and other conidiation genes.
Discrete Element Method Simulations of the Critical State of a Granular Material

The critical state of a granular material was investigated by performing cubical triaxial simulations using the discrete element method. These samples, assemblages of ellipsoids of two kinds, were prepared either by settling the randomly generated particles under gravity or by compressing these particles without gravity. Gravity was set to zero and the samples were further consolidated isotropically. Then, numerical drained tests were carried out until the critical state was reached. Macroscopic and microscopic data in the critical state were examined. The result shows a unique critical state line in the void ratio-mean stress space regardless of the initial conditions. The obliquity (ratio of major and minor principal stresses) as a function of strain is very similar for these samples at different confining pressures. The most interesting result is the linear critical state line in the void ratio-mean stress space. Three microscopic parameters including particle orientation, branch vector, and contact no...
Cultural Context: Explaining the Productivity of Capitalism

SUMMARY Does capitalism perform better when embedded in certain cultures? Given the wide range of economic outcomes, we address potential causes for the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of institutional constraints. This paper argues that culture matters for the success of capitalist institutions, specifically economic freedom. We claim that different cultures may raise or lower the productivity of economic institutions by either constraining or supporting these rules. We analyze this relationship empirically by examining how the interaction between economic freedom and culture affects economic growth. Our results suggest that culture does, indeed, enhance the effectiveness of capitalism and its subsequent impact on growth.
Sub-100 nm Triangular Nanopores Fabricated with the Reactive Ion Etching Variant of Nanosphere Lithography and Angle-Resolved Nanosphere Lithography

Nanosphere lithography (NSL) is combined with reactive ion etching (RIE) to fabricate ordered arrays of in-plane, triangular cross-section nanopores. Nanopores with in-plane widths ranging from 44 to 404 nm and depths ranging from 25 to 250 nm are demonstrated. The combination of angle-resolved nanosphere lithography (AR NSL) and RIE yields an additional three-fold reduction in nanopore size.
Early probable Alzheimer's Disease and Awareness Context Theory

The purpose of this research was to explore the explanatory value of Awareness Context Theory for social interactional issues in early probable Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Glaser and Strauss's Awareness Context Theory [Glaser and Strauss (1965) Awareness of Dying, Aldine, New York] served as the framework for the analysis of interview data from 14 early probable AD clients and 14 family caregivers, a written autobiographical account, a fictionalized account, observations of a family caregiver focus group, and excerpts that focused on early AD from field notes recorded during two years of participant observation at a specialized AD daycare center and a family caregiver support group. Initial open-ended study questions focused on the experience of early AD from the diverse perspectives represented in the data. After preliminary analysis of data suggesting emergent fit with Awareness Context Theory, questions were refocused to address awareness contexts. Data were coded and analyzed for fit with the theory. Awareness Context Theory provided a useful heuristic for thinking about the nuances and complexities of social interaction in early AD. Attention to awareness contexts should enable health care providers to suggest interventions to improve caregiver-client interactions.
Impact behaviour and damage tolerance of woven carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites

Abstract Instrumented drop weight impact and compression after impact test methods were used to assess the impact performance and damage tolerance of film-stacked, woven carbon fibre-reinforced PEEK and woven carbon fibre-reinforced PPS composite systems. The tests were performed at three energy levels with a constant velocity, and at three velocity levels with a constant energy. Extreme energy levels were also determined. While the effect of the impact velocity was found to be insignificant within the range of the velocities used, the impact energy significantly affected the impact performance of the panels. Carbon fibre PPS panels evinced a high resistance to perforation byway of extensive delamination. On the other hand, carbon fibre PEEK panels showed an ability to confine the damage zone and hence, to markedly increase the damage tolerance of the panels. A set of material selection criteria for impact applications, based on the results of this study, has been proposed.
Randomized controlled trials in therapeutic apheresis

The literature on the use of therapeutic apheresis is often criticized for the preponderance of low to very low quality evidence. Shehata et al. examined the apheresis literature published between 1976 and 1999 and found a lack of randomized controlled trials with those identified demonstrating significant limitations. To determine if this has improved, MEDLINE was searched for randomized controlled therapeutic apheresis trials. In addition, the Clinicaltrials.gov database was also searched for actively recruiting randomized controlled therapeutic apheresis trials. The results revealed that the total and average number of publications per year examining therapeutic apheresis has increased substantially in the period 2000–2012 compared to 1976–1999. This was associated with a small increase in the average number of randomized controlled trials reported each year, but these trials represented a smaller percentage of the therapeutic apheresis literature published compared to the 1976–1999 time range. The reported trials continued to have very small numbers of enrolled patients raising questions about their ability to determine whether apheresis represents an effective therapy. Finally, according to the Clinicaltrials.gov database, a small number of randomized controlled trials of therapeutic apheresis are enrolling patients. Despite an increasing emphasis on evidence-based medicine and the need for quality randomized controlled clinical trials, there is still a lack of such trials when it comes to therapeutic apheresis. There continues to be a need for more and better designed randomized trials in therapeutic apheresis. J. Clin. Apheresis 28:48–55, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Examining Potential Boundary Bias Effects in Kernel Smoothing on Equating: An Introduction for the Adaptive and Epanechnikov Kernels.

Test equating is a method of making the test scores from different test forms of the same assessment comparable. In the equating process, an important step involves continuizing the discrete score ...
Survival in high-risk eyes of epithelium-deprived orthotopic corneal allografts reconstituted in vitro with syngeneic epithelium.

Purpose In low-risk eyes of mice, most of the composite corneal grafts composed of syngeneic epithelium layered on allogeneic stroma and endothelium are accepted indefinitely. The study was undertaken to determine the fate of similar composite corneal grafts placed in high-risk mouse eyes. Methods Epithelium-deprived allogeneic corneas (C57BL/6) were reconstituted in vitro with BALB/c epithelium, and then transplanted orthotopically into high-risk eyes of BALB/c mice. Graft survival was assessed clinically and evaluated histologically. Acquisition of donor-specific delayed hypersensitivity (DH) was also assessed in recipient mice. Recipients bearing healthy composite grafts were immunized subcutaneously with injected C57BL/6 spleen cells at 2 or 8 weeks after grafting, after which the fate of the grafts was evaluated. Results Virtually all epithelium-deprived corneal allografts reconstituted in vitro with normal BALB/c corneal epithelium survived indefinitely when placed in high-risk eyes of BALB/c mice. Recipients of these composite grafts failed to acquire donor-specific DH when tested at both 2 and 8 weeks after grafting. Moreover, these recipients did not acquire the capacity to actively suppress donor-specific DH. Within 1 to 3 weeks of sensitization of recipient mice with spleen cells of donor origin, healthy composite grafts in residence for 2 or 8 weeks were rejected. Conclusions Replacement of donor epithelium with syngeneic epithelium protects orthotopic allogeneic corneal grafts (stroma plus endothelium) placed in high-risk eyes from sensitizing their recipients and from immune-mediated rejection. Recipients of composite corneal grafts containing syngeneic epithelial layers act as though they are immunologically ignorant of the graft's presence.
Moderators of Negative Peer Influence on Early Adolescent Externalizing Behaviors Individual Behavior, Parenting, and School Connectedness

This study examined the extent to which antisocial behavior, parenting, and school connectedness moderated the association between peer deviancy in preadolescence and externalizing problems in earl...
Evidence for competing effects of body mass, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and androgens on leptin levels among lean, overweight, and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome ☆

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the relationships between leptin, body composition, insulin resistance, androgens, and reproductive indices among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Design: Matched case-control study. Setting: Academic reproductive endocrine practice; school of public health. Patient(s): Forty-six Caucasian women with PCOS and 46 population-based controls matched by age and body mass index (BMI). Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Leptin, insulin, androgenic hormones, body composition parameters; reproductive parameters. Result(s): Overall, leptin levels among women with PCOS did not differ significantly from those of control women (20.4 ± 14.9 vs. 21.9 ± 14.3 ng/mL). However, within the lowest BMI tertile, women with PCOS had significantly lower leptin levels (9.6 vs. 18.3 ng/mL), comparable insulin, and higher testosterone concentrations than controls of similar body mass. Within the overweight and obese subgroups, both insulin and testosterone levels were increased among women with PCOS; leptin levels, although higher among obese cases, were not statistically different than those in controls. Conclusion(s): Below a certain BMI, hyperandrogenic women with PCOS have lower leptin levels than controls. Conversely, overweight and obese PCOS subjects appear to produce insufficient leptin for a given fat mass, relative to the degree of hyperinsulinemia, potentially because of the competing effects of adipocyte insulin resistance and androgens on leptin.
``Seeing'' Objects in Spatial Datasets

Regularities exist in datasets describing spatially distributed physical phenomena. Human experts often understand and verbalize the regularities as abstract spatial objects evolving coherently and interacting with each other in the domain space. We describe a novel computational approach for identifying and extracting these abstract spatial objects through the construction of a hierarchy of spatial relations. We demonstrate the approach with an application to finding troughs in weather data sets.
Design and Use of a Cyclic Tensile Abrader for Filaments and Yarns-A Study of Polyester Monofilament Wear

An apparatus has been developed that imposes an adjustable constant axial tensile load on filaments, yarns, or fabric strips during cyclic rubbing over pins in various configurations and under controlled temperatures and specific chemical environments. The action is intended to simulate the combinations of tensile, bending, and abrasive stresses experienced by fibrous materials during processing and end use. The number of cycles to rupture (or specimen lifetime) is automatically recorded, and there is provision for monitoring the elongation of the specimen under stress.The use of the cyclic tensile abrader is demonstrated by means of a study of the influence of tensile loading, temperature, and rubbing configuration on the wear of a polyester monofilament sample in air. The reproducibility of both lifetimes and elongations is good, and the results are in accord with expectations for the behavior of this material under the stresses and conditions imposed. It appears that the basic design of the cyclic tens...
Connexin Controls Cell-Cycle Exit and Cell Differentiation by Directly Promoting Cytosolic Localization and Degradation of E3 Ligase Skp2

Connexins and connexin channels play important roles in cell growth/differentiation and tumorigenesis. Here, we identified a relationship between a connexin molecule and a critical cell-cycle regulator. Our data show that connexin (Cx) 50 regulated lens cell-cycle progression and differentiation by modulating expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27/p57 and E3 ubiquitin ligase Skp2. Cx50 directly interacted with and retained Skp2 in the cytosol by masking the nuclear targeting domain of Skp2, and this effect was supported by an increased nuclear localization of Skp2, disruption of Skp2 interaction with importin-7, and decreased levels of p27/p57 in mouse lenses lacking Cx50. As a result, Cx50 increased auto-ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of Skp2. A mutation (V362E) on the C terminus of Cx50 disrupted the interaction between Cx50 and Skp2 and completely abolished such effects. Therefore, this study identifies a role for connexins in regulating cell-cycle modulators and, consequently, cell growth and differentiation.
Content Integration across Multiple Documents Reduces Memory for Sources.

The current experiments systematically examined semantic content integration as a mechanism for explaining source inattention and forgetting when reading-to-remember multiple texts. For all 3 experiments, degree of semantic overlap was manipulated amongst messages provided by various information sources. In Experiment 1, readers’ source recognition was significantly poorer when the sources presented semantically-congruent compared to semantically-distinct messages. Experiment 2 replicated the findings, despite half of the participants receiving a pre-reading warning. Experiment 3 extended the examination to include longer argument-based texts; readers additionally wrote a comprehensive essay on the topic. The results indicated longer reading times and better recall memory for the claims and evidence statements from semantically-congruent compared to semantically-distinct texts, while still reproducing the poorer source recognition effects of Experiments 1 and 2. We discuss implications for contemporary accounts of multiple text comprehension as well as directions for future research.
Common features of the excitation and propagation of strong ground motion for North American earthquakes

The central matter of this investigation is the commonly held belief that eastern North America (ENA) earthquakes are felt to much greater distances, at all levels of intensity, than their western U.S. (WUS) counterparts of the same source strength. By comparing the areas enclosed by Modified Mercalli intensities I to III (felt), IV, V, VI, and VII for ENA and WUS earthquakes at the same source strength, we find that this proposition is mostly false at damaging levels of ground motion (intensities VI to VII and greater). For M ≲ 7, neither should such differences exist, if strong ground motion is confined to R ≲ 150 km and arrives principally as body waves and if ENA and WUS earthquakes share the same average stress drop. In fact, observable differences in the areas enclosed by intensity VI ( A VI) for ENA and WUS earthquakes at the same M point to slight but significant differences in stress drop, the ENA earthquakes having stress drops a factor of about 2 higher. Only for the largest earthquakes, M ≧ 7 ½ as the 1811 to 1812 New Madrid and 1886 Charleston earthquakes seem to be, can strong ground motion propagate to much greater distances as low-loss, higher-mode surface waves in ENA relative to WUS. The strong dependence of high-frequency strong ground motion on stress drop and its weak dependence on M admit the possibility that the 1811 to 1812 events and the 1886 Charleston earthquakes are no larger than M = 6 ½ to 7, provided that their stress drops are higher than average by a factor of 2 or so.
Designing Hierarchically Nanostructured Conductive Polymer Gels for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion

Nanostructured conductive polymers have been widely researched for various applications such as energy storage and conversion, chemical/biological sensors, and biomedical devices. Recently, novel synthetic methods which adopt doping molecules as cross-linker have been developed to prepare conductive polymer gels (CPGs) with cross-linked network and 3D hierarchically porous nanostructures. The CPGs, as well as their derived carbon frameworks, exhibit high electrical conductivity, large surface area, structural tunability, and hierarchical porosity for rapid mass/charge transport, which contribute to their high performance when applied for energy storage and conversion devices. This Perspective highlights the key features of CPGs and their derived carbon frameworks, discusses their possibilities in terms of rational synthesis and energy-related applications, and proposes future directions for their technological development.
The Cost of Collaboration: Predictors of Hours Spent in Collateral Contacts

Collateral contacts, while at the heart of wraparound care, are time consuming and often nonreimbursable. This column presents data from a study of 1,639 child patients. It examined whether the amount of time that clinicians spent in collateral activities could be predicted by demographic variables, child diagnosis, parental psychopathology or family history of mental disorders, or staff variables. For every 60 minutes of direct patient contact, approximately 20 minutes of collateral activities were performed by the clinician. The best predictors of spending time in collateral activities were having parents who were not married, a mother with depression or anxiety, a child patient with a history of substance misuse or abuse, and a child patient with a history of maltreatment. (Psychiatric Services 61:440–442, 2010)
Mass Transfer Phenomena in Electroporation

Electroporation is a biophysical phenomenon in which cell membrane permeability is increased through externally applied pulsed electric fields. This membrane permeability increase is used for many applications in biotechnology, medicine and the food industry. Understanding the transport phenomena through the cell membrane during electroporation is critical for the successful implementation of the electroporation. This chapter focuses primarily on mathematical models of mass transfer related to cell electroporation. The goal of the chapter is also to provide the reader with an introduction to electroporation-mediated mass transport to cells and tissues, and to facilitate a fundamental understanding of the models.
Les questions en suspens dans le domaine de la promotion des ventes

La promotion des ventes est un sujet encore relativement nouveau dans la litterature et de nombreuses questions sont encore non resolues. Cet article fait la liste de 15 questions importantes sur cinq themes fondamentaux de la promotion des ventes avec l'intention d'identifier celles qui ne sont pas bien traitees sur la base de la litterature actuelle, et qui, pourtant, sont de premiere importance tant pour les praticiens que pour les chercheurs. Des hypotheses specifiques de recherche a tester sont aussi proposees. Meme si, en aucune maniere, les points evoques sur le plan general ou specifique, ne constituent une liste exhaustive, ils mettent en valeur les directions les plus importantes pour la recherche actuelle et future.
Evaluation on the cleaning effect of central air conditioning ventilation systems in public places in Zhongshan City from 2011-2013

[Objective]To evaluate the cleaning effect of central air conditioning ventilation systems in public places in Zhongshan city. [Methods]The sanitary conditions of central air conditioning ventilation systems before and after cleaning in 57 pubilc places in Zhongshan from January 2011 to August 2013 were detected. The indexes including air supply system,air duct system and cooling system were analyzed.[Results]Compared with before cleaning,the qualified rate of PM10,total bacterial count and total number of fungi in supply-air outlet,surface dust,total bacterial count and total number of fungi inside the duct,and legionella pneumophila in cooling and condensate water after cleaning raised from 46. 81%,73. 19%,52. 64%,68. 68%,76. 87%,68. 68%,40. 51% to 100%,92. 5%,89. 96%,100%,100%,98. 5% and 91. 11%,respectively( P 0. 05). The detection indexes of air supply system and air duct system after cleaning were significantly lower than that before cleaning( P 0. 05). [Conclusion]The cleaning effect of central air conditioning ventilation systems in public places is significant. We should clean and disinfect them regularly to reduce the sanitary safety risk of central air conditioning.