cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surgical Infection Society Guidelines for Total Abdominal Colectomy versus Diverting Loop Ileostomy with Antegrade Intra-Colonic Lavage for the Surgical Management of Severe or Fulminant, Non-Perforated Clostridioides difficile Colitis.

Background: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) can result in life-threatening illness requiring surgery. Surgical options for managing severe or fulminant, non-perforated C. difficile colitis include total abdominal colectomy with end ileostomy or creation of a diverting loop ileostomy with antegrade vancomycin lavage. Methods: The Surgical Infection Society's Therapeutics and Guidelines Committee convened to develop guidelines for summarizing the current SIS recommendations for total abdominal colectomy versus diverting loop ileostomy with antegrade lavage for severe or fulminant, non-perforated C. difficile colitis. PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane database were searched for pertinent studies. Severe infection was defined as laboratory diagnosis of C. difficile infection with leukocytosis (white blood cell count of ≥15,000 cells/mL) or elevated creatinine (serum creatinine level >1.5 mg/dL). Fulminant infection was defined as laboratory diagnosis of C. difficile infection with hypotension or shock, ileus, or megacolon. Perforation was defined as complete disruption of the colon wall. Total abdominal colectomy was defined as resection of the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon with end ileostomy. For the purpose of the guideline, the terms subtotal colectomy, total abdominal colectomy, and rectal-sparing total colectomy were used interchangeably. Diverting loop ileostomy with antegrade enema was defined as creation of both a diverting loop ileostomy with intra-operative colonic lavage and post-operative antegrade vancomycin unless otherwise specified. Evaluation of the published evidence was performed using the Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Using a process of iterative consensus, all committee members voted to accept or reject each recommendation. Results: We recommend that total abdominal colectomy be the procedure of choice for definitive therapy of severe or fulminant, non-perforated C. difficile colitis. In select patients, colon preservation using diverting loop ileostomy with intra-colonic vancomycin may be associated with higher rates of ostomy reversal and restoration of gastrointestinal continuity but may lead to development of recurrent C. difficile colitis. Conclusions: This guideline summarizes the current Surgical Infection Society recommendations regarding use of total abdominal colectomy versus diverting loop ileostomy with antegrade lavage for adults with severe or fulminant, non-perforated C. difficile infection.
AAV1.NT-3 gene therapy in a CMT2D model: phenotypic improvements in GarsP278KY/+ mice.

Glycyl-tRNA synthetase mutations are associated to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type-2D. The GarsP278KY/+ model for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type-2D is known best for its early onset severe neuropathic phenotype with findings including reduced axon size, slow conduction velocities and abnormal neuromuscular junction. Muscle involvement remains largely unexamined. We tested the efficacy of neurotrophin 3 gene transfer therapy in two Gars mutants with severe (GarsP278KY/+ ) and milder (GarsΔETAQ/+ ) phenotypes via intramuscular injection of adeno-associated virus setoype-1, triple tandem muscle creatine kinase promoter, neurotrophin 3 (AAV1.tMCK.NT-3) at 1 × 1011 vg dose. In the GarsP278KY/+ mice, the treatment efficacy was assessed at 12 weeks post-injection using rotarod test, electrophysiology and detailed quantitative histopathological studies of the peripheral nervous system including neuromuscular junction and muscle. Neurotrophin 3 gene transfer therapy in GarsP278KY/+ mice resulted in significant functional and electrophysiological improvements, supported with increases in myelin thickness and improvements in the denervated status of neuromuscular junctions as well as increases in muscle fibre size along with attenuation of myopathic changes. Improvements in the milder phenotype GarsΔETAQ/+ was less pronounced. Furthermore, oxidative enzyme histochemistry in muscles from Gars mutants revealed alterations in the content and distribution of oxidative enzymes with increased expression levels of Pgc1a. Cox1, Cox3 and Atp5d transcripts were significantly decreased suggesting that the muscle phenotype might be related to mitochondrial dysfunction. Neurotrophin 3 gene therapy attenuated these abnormalities in the muscle. This study shows that neurotrophin 3 gene transfer therapy has disease modifying effect in a mouse model for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type-2D, leading to meaningful improvements in peripheral nerve myelination and neuromuscular junction integrity as well as in a unique myopathic process, associated with mitochondria dysfunction, all in combination contributing to functional outcome. Based on the multiple biological effects of this versatile molecule, we predict neurotrophin 3 has the potential to be beneficial in other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease subtypes.
Using biological knowledge to uncover the mystery in the search for epistasis in genome-wide association studies.

The search for the missing heritability in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has become an important focus for the human genetics community. One suspected location of these genetic effects is in gene-gene interactions, or epistasis. The computational burden of exploring gene-gene interactions in the wealth of data generated in GWAS, along with small to moderate sample sizes, have led to epistasis being an afterthought, rather than a primary focus of GWAS analyses. In this review, we discuss some potential approaches to filter a GWAS dataset to a smaller, more manageable dataset where searching for epistasis is considerably more feasible. We describe a number of alternative approaches, but primarily focus on the use of prior biological knowledge from databases in the public domain to guide the search for epistasis. The manner in which prior knowledge is incorporated into a GWA study can be many and these data can be extracted from a variety of database sources. We discuss a number of these approaches and propose that a comprehensive approach will likely be most fruitful for searching for epistasis in large-scale genomic studies of the current state-of-the-art and into the future.
University Board Composition: Causes and Consequences

This paper examines the structure of university boards of trustees and the role of trustees in university governance. The analysis focuses on how trustees are selected at private universities, the role of trustees in representing stakeholder interests, and how these choices are related to institutional mission. A unique data set on board composition in 1968 and 2005 provides the opportunity to examine the empirical relationships between university characteristics, board structure, and performance. The results suggest that larger boards are not related to poorer performance and that having more trustees selected by the alumni may lead to better performance. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
State space blind source recovery for mixtures of multiple source distributions

The paper discusses state space blind source recovery (BSR) for minimum phase and non-minimum phase mixtures of Gaussian and non-Gaussian distributions. The state space natural gradient approach results in compact iterative update laws for BSR. Two separate state space algorithms for minimum phase and non-minimum phase mixing environments are presented. The advantages and disadvantages of both algorithms in the context of multiple source distribution mixtures are examined. The presented BSR algorithms require use of nonlinearities, which depend on the distribution of the unknown sources. We propose use of an adaptive nonlinearity based on the batch kurtosis of the output. This renders the adaptive estimation of the demixing network completely blind.
Applying AutoBayes to the analysis of planetary nebulae images

We take a typical scientific data analysis task, the analysis of planetary nebulae images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, and describe how program synthesis can be used to generate the necessary analysis programs from high-level models. We describe the AUTOBAYES synthesis system, discuss its fully declarative specification language, and present the automatic program derivation starting with the scientists' original analysis [7].
Extreme geomagnetic disturbances due to shocks within CMEs

We report on features of solar wind-magnetosphere coupling elicited by shocks propagating through coronal mass ejections (CMEs) by analyzing the intense geomagnetic storm of 6 August 1998. During this event, the dynamic pressure enhancement at the shock combined with a simultaneous increase in the southward component of the magnetic field resulted in a large earthward retreat of Earth's magnetopause, which remained close to geosynchronous orbit for more than 4 h. This occurred despite the fact that both shock and CME were weak and relatively slow. Another similar example of a weak shock inside a slow CME resulting in an intense geomagnetic storm is the 30 September 2012 event, which strongly depleted the outer radiation belt. We discuss the potential of shocks inside CMEs to cause large geomagnetic effects at Earth, including magnetopause shadowing.
Deconstructing evolution education: The relationship between micro‐ and macroevolution

With applications of Tree of Life data becoming ever more prevalent in everyday contexts, tree thinking has emerged as a vital component of scientific literacy. This article reports a study testing the hypothesis that instruction in natural selection, which is the primary focus of US evolution education at the high school and introductory college levels, does little to promote tree-thinking skills and that explicit instruction in understanding evolutionary tree diagrams is required. Testing this contention required the creation of a novel tree-thinking assessment and an instructional intervention, both guided by deep knowledge of evolutionary biology and of science education research. College students (N = 124) with weaker versus stronger backgrounds in biology were randomly assigned to control versus instructional conditions and were also assessed for their knowledge of natural selection. Although knowledge of natural selection and ability to engage in tree thinking were correlated, a short instructional booklet that provided a basic introduction to evolutionary trees predicted tree-thinking success more strongly than did either knowledge of natural selection or previous college coursework in biology. Clearly, tree thinking and natural selection are dissociable constructs that must both be taught for students to grasp the full gamut of evolutionary patterns and processes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 51: 759–788, 2014
Transforming growth factor-β stimulation of lung fibroblast prostaglandin E2 production

Abstract Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF beta) stimulated the production of total protein, collagen, and fibronectin by normal human lung fibroblasts. The stimulatory response was maximal at 100 pM TGF beta and reversed toward control at higher concentrations. Inhibition of fibroblast prostaglandin (PG) synthesis enhanced TGF beta-induced stimulation of total protein, collagen, and fibronectin production and reversed the negative slope of the dose-response curve at high concentrations of TGF beta. Determination of the steady-state levels of Types I and III procollagens and fibronectin mRNAs employing specific cDNA probes demonstrated that inhibition of fibroblast PG production increased the stimulatory effect of TGF beta on the levels of these transcripts. Exogenous PGE2 abrogated the stimulatory effects of TGF beta. These findings suggest that fibroblast stimulation by TGF beta may be down-regulated by endogenous PG synthesized in response to TGF beta. This notion was supported by the demonstration that TGF beta markedly stimulated fibroblast PGE2 production. These results indicate that TGF beta-induced stimulation of fibroblast PGE2 production may be an autoregulatory control mechanism to limit the effects of TGF beta on connective tissue protein synthesis.
Role of Alloying and Microstructure on the Strength and Toughness of Experimental Rail Steels

Previous studies on eutectoid steel have demonstrated that strength and toughness are essentially independently varying parameters, with the former primarily controlled by the pearlite interlamellar spacing and the latterprimarily controlled by the prior austenite grain size. The work has now been extended to study the effect of modest compositional variations on strength and toughness of 17 experimental rail alloys. Carbon, manganese, and silicon levels were varied over ranges to yield eutectoid or hypoeutectoid microstructures. Vanadium was added to some of these compositions, primarily as a grain refiner. These steels were heat treated to produce varying austenite grain sizes and a reasonably constant, fine pearlite spacing. Instrumented impact tests on precracked Charpy bars were performed to determine both the dynamic fracture toughness (K 1 d), and the Charpy transition temperature. Tensile tests were used to monitor strength and ductility. Mechanical test data were correlated with observed microstructural variations, particularly the austenite grain size and pearlite spacing as'well as fractographic studies of the variation of fracture facet size with austenite grain size. These studies led to a general description of the fracture process in such steels.
A mutual MRAS identification scheme for position sensorless field orientation control of induction machines

A mutual model reference adaptive control system (MRACS) containing two models is proposed to implement position sensorless field orientation control (FOC) of an induction machine. For the rotor speed estimation, one model is used as a reference model and another is the adjustable model. Pure integration and stator leakage inductance are removed from the reference model, resulting in robust performance in low and high speed ranges. For the stator resistance identification, the two models switch their roles, that is, the reference model becomes the adjustable model and the adjustable model becomes the reference model. Assuming a brief stable rotor speed interval, the stator resistance can be tracked very well. To improve further the estimation accuracy of rotor speed and stator resistance, a simple online rotor time constant identification is included. This mutual MRACS scheme is a cost-effective approach for position sensorless variable speed implementation. Computer simulations and experimental results are given to show its effectiveness.
Chloroquine enhances replication of Semliki Forest virus and encephalomyocarditis virus in mice.

Abstract Chloroquine (CHL) has been suggested to play an important role in the development of Burkitt's lymphoma by enhancing Epstein-Barr virus expression. Herpes zoster virus incidence is markedly increased following malaria infection in children being treated with CHL. Recently, CHL has also been shown to dramatically increase the transactivation of Tat protein purified from human immunodeficiency virus. These previous studies indirectly suggest that CHL may be involved in the enhancement of virus replication. This study demonstrates for the first time that CHL indeed enhances Semliki Forest virus and encephalomyocarditis virus replication in mice. These results raise the possible connection between the increased spread of AIDS in endemic malaria areas and the wide use of CHL in those areas for the chemotherapy of malaria.
NATURAL SELECTION FOR WITHIN-GENERATION VARIANCE IN OFFSPRING NUMBER

In this paper it is shown that natural selection can act on the within-generation variance in offspring number. The fitness of a genotype will increase as its variance in offspring number decreases. The intensity of selection on the variance component is inversely proportional to population size, although the fixation probability of a gene which differs from its allele only in the variance in its offspring number is independent of population size. The concept of effective population size is shown to be of limited use when there is genetic variation in the variance in offspring number.
Introduction: Voting Behavior and Elections in Context

The study of voting compels scholars to unpack the context in which voters make decisions about candidates and parties. Elections take place amid economic cycles, demographic transitions, and socia...
Abstract 380: Magnetic nanoplatforms for tumor targeting, imaging and energy delivery

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL We have developed magnetic nano-liposomes (MNL), incorporating superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION), that are versatile theranostic nanoplatform for enhanced drug delivery and monitoring of cancer treatment. MNL are prepared with a formuation of DPPC:DOTAP:CHOL and DOPE-PEG5000. Incorporation of SPIONs results in MNL with mean diameter of 150-250 nm. MNL are easily taken up by B16-F10 melanoma, HUMVEC-D and breast cancer cell lines. They preferentially target the tumor vasculature as shown in a dorsal skin fold chamber using fluorescently labeled MNL. MNL display superparamagnetic response that is essential for magnetic targeting, MR contrast enhancement and magnetic heating. MNL was administrated to SCID mouse with metastatic (B16-F10) melanoma grown in the right flank. Pre-injection and post-injection MR images were used to assess response to magnetic targeting effects. Biodistribution studies were conducted by 111In labeled MNL and amount of radioactivity recovered was used to confirm the effect of targeting for intratumoral administrations. We have shown that tumor signal intensities in T2 weighted images decreased an average of 20±5% and T2* values decreased and average of 14±7ms in the absence of magnetic targeting. This compares to an average signal decrease of 57±12% and a decrease in T2* relaxation times of 27±8ms with the aid of external magnet showing up to 2-fold greater accumulation by magnetic targeting. 111In radio-labeled MNL have been shown to enable multi-modal imaging in vivo using MRI and SPeCT/CT. The images show that an MNL bolus injected intra-tumorally was retained in the tumor 24 hours after injection. Application of a magnetic field enables redistribution of the MNL in the tumor. These MNL are also responsive to ac magnetic fields applied using a Copper coil at 360 kHz and 170A driving current. Both hyperthermia (upto 45C) and thermo-ablative temperatures upto 90C were achieved in 10 – 30 minutes ex vivo in buffer. The results indicate high efficiency for magnetic heating using MNL (Specific Absorption Rate ∼ 104 W/kg) and demonstrate the capability to couple ac magnetic fields to MNL to achieve any set of temperatures needed for hyperthermia and thermal ablation. To date there are no truly theranostic platforms that have been approved for clinical use that combine targeting, thermal heating and MRI imaging capabilities. Existing FDA approved magnetic nanoparticle formulations like ferridex and ferumoxytol, are optimized for MR imaging, and have not been shown to be usable for thermal therapy.The MNL platform is a novel nanoplatform combining multi-modal imaging capabilities, with magnetic targeting and thermal therapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 380. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-380
Silicon Thin Films as Anodes for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries with Effective Stress Relaxation

There is a great deal of interest in developing next-generation lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries with higher energy capacity and longer cycle life for a diverse range of applications such as portable electronic devices, satellites, and next-generation electric vehicles. Silicon (Si) is an attractive anode material that is being closely scrutinized for use in Li-ion batteries because of its highest-known theoretical charge capacity of 4200 mAh g−1.[1] The development of Si-anode Li-ion batteries has been hindered, however, mostly because of the large volumetric changes (up to 400%) that occur upon insertion and extraction of Li ions, and in turn the large electrochemically related stress, which results in electrode pulverization, loss of electrical contact, and early capacity fading of battery cells.[2–5] Despite this challenge, the extraordinarily high energy capacity of Si in its own right has motivated researchers to develop new techniques that reduce the limitations of Si as a practical anode material. Ultrathin Si films down to 50 nm in thickness have been reported for successful antipulverization and capacity nondegradation over two thousand charge/discharge cycles on roughened current collectors.[6] This result, together with a surge of work on improving the capacity retention of Si anodes such as nanoparticles[7,8] and/or composites,[9–12] nanowires,[13–15] or nanotubes[16,17] have shown improved performances, where the nanoforms of materials can offer expansion spaces during lithium insertion/extraction (Figure 1A). However, some degree of capacity fading still exists due to the limited space for accommodating the facile strain expansion as well as decreased accessibility of the electrolyte to the solid –electrolyte interphase (SEI) between the silicon nanostructures and electrolyte. Here, we present a new strategy of stress relaxation for Si films using an elastomeric substrate that will establish an alternative route for new electrode design. In addition, the design of the anodes offers more efficient ion and electron transport than the reported work that uses nanoparticles, nanowires, or nanotubes.
FTS Measurements of the Solar Spectrum

Accurate knowledge of the solar spectrum is important for interpreting remote sensing measurements that utilize sunlight. Fourier Transform Spectrometers have played an central role in defining the high resolution structure of the solar spectrum.
Development of specifications for labelled mucleotides and related compounds, specific activity measurements dy mass spectrometry

The National Academy of Science-National Research Council Committee on Specifications and Criteria for Biochemical Compounds is considering the problems involved in preparing specifications for labelled biochemicals. The Subcommittee on Nucleotides and Related Compounds has examined methods for specific activity measurement. We find that the specific activity of 14C-labelled purines and pyrimidines can be determined accurately and precisely by mass spectrometry. Moreover, from the known fragmentation patterns and the isotopic abundance of carbon-14 in the fragments, the position of the labelled atoms can often be established and the labelling pattern in “uniformly labelled” compunds described. In two of the five compounds tested, the specific activity determined by mass spectrometry was 20% higher than the quoted value.
Counseling puerto ri cans: some cultural considerations

Puerto Ricans comprise a significant percentage of potential clients for many counselors. The migration of Puerto Ricans to the mainland over the years has created cultural differences between Puerto Ricans raised in Puerto Rico and those raised in the U.S., but both groups are at a disadvantage in the dominant American culture. Migration back to the island in recent years is creating some problems for Puerto Rico, so Puerto Ricans often find prejudice both here and there. In this article the author, who married into a Puerto Rican family, discusses some values and traits that characterize Puerto Ricans and the behaviors that emerge from these traits. He offers practical suggestions for those counselors who have Puerto Rican clients.
An inverse problem in the theory of stochastic electromagnetic beams

Abstract The cross-spectral density matrix of an electromagnetic beam has been playing increasingly important role in studies of changes of spectra, of coherence and of polarization as the beam propagates. In this paper we derive solution to an inverse problem, which makes it possible to determine the cross-spectral density matrix of the beam in the source plane z = 0 , from the knowledge of the matrix in any cross-section z = z 0 > 0 in the half-space into which the beam propagates. We apply the result to the theory of so-called Stokes beams, which were introduced not long ago.
Dirige gressus meos : The dialectic of obedience in Huon d'Auvergne

Huon d'Auvergne is an unedited text of which several manuscripts have come down to modern times. The earliest manuscript, now in Berlin, is dated by the author to 1341. That Berlin version contains many Latin quotes, primarily from the Old and New Testaments, psalms and portions of the liturgy. Particularly striking is the framing of the Latin quotes by lines from psalm 118. The choice of quotations from that psalm and their position in the text together with the plot of the poem suggest to the reader the need for appropriate obedience from rulers (lay and clerical) and their subjects.
Providing synthesized audio description for online videos

We describe an initial attempt to develop a common platform for adding an audio description (AD) to an online video so that blind and visually impaired people can enjoy such material. A speech synthesis technology allows content providers to offer the AD at minimal cost. We exploit external metadata so that the AD can be independent of the video format. The external approach also allows external supporters to add ADs to any online videos. Our technology includes an authoring tool for writing AD scripts, a Web browser add-on for synthesizing ADs synchronized with original videos, and a text-based format to exchange AD scripts.
Genetic analysis of the Mls system. Formal Mls typing of the commonly used inbred strains.

In order to elucidate the biological role of minor lymphocyte stimulating (Mls) gene products, we have been investigating the fundamental immunogenetic characteristics of the Mls system. In this report, describe the distribution of stimulatory Mls products, Mlsa and Mlsc, in a panel of laboratory inbred strains based on the response pattern of H-2-compatible naive T-cell populations as well as monospecific Mlsa- or Mlsc-reactive T-cell clones. In addition, the expression of four different T-cell receptor (Tcr) b-V segment Tcrb-V3, −V6, −V8.1, and −V9, which were recently reported to be associated with T-cell recognition of Mls gene products in these strains, was examined. The results indicate that the majority of commonly used laboratory strains including those originally typed as Mlsaare also expressing Mlsc determinants and that very few independent inbred strains are non-Mlsc. Moreover, the pattern of Tcrb-V expression in spleen as well as in thymus suggests that the association between Mls expression and clonal deletion of self Mls-reactive T cells appears to be the general rule in inbred strains. Based on these results, implications for the nondetectable Mls-like gene products in other species besides the mouse are discussed.
Artificial transmembrane channels for sodium and potassium.

Transport of alkali metals, particularly sodium and potassium, across cell membranes is an essential function performed by special proteins that enable cells to regulate inter- and extracellular io...
Methodological challenges of collecting evaluation data from traumatized clients/consumers: A comparison of three methods

This project integrates elements of responsive evaluation and participatory evaluation to compare three evaluation data collection methods for use with a hard-to-find (HTF), traumatized, vulnerable population: rape victims seeking postassault medical forensic care. The first method involves on-site, in-person data collection, immediately postservices; the second, telephone follow-up assessments, 1 week postservices; and the third, private, self-administered surveys completed immediately postservices. There are significant differences in response rates across methods: 88% in-person, 17% telephone, and 41% self-administered. Across all phases, clients gave positive feedback about the services they received and about all three methods of data collection. Follow-up analyses suggested that nonresponders did not differ with respect to client characteristics, assault characteristics, or nursing care provided. These findings suggest that evaluations with HTF service clients may need to be integrated into on-site services because other methods may not yield sufficient response rates.
Sweeping Impedance Probe new techniques for ionospheric plasma diagnostics

The impedance of a probe immersed in ionospheric plasma at radio frequencies is an important technique for determining absolute electron density. Building on 50 years of history in developing and flying RF probes for plasma diagnostics at Utah State, a new SIP (Sweeping Impedance Probe) design has been completed which will obtain qualitative improvement over previous instruments in terms of accuracy and sweep rate. The new technique is based on sequential measurements to improve the error correction, and requiring simple components by using DC as intermediate frequency. This instrument will provide a continuous measurement of the plasma impedance magnitude and phase with an expected accuracy of 1% and 1 degree respectively over the 1 to 20 MHz range.
Effect of septal lesions on response to frustrative nonreward.

Abstract Male albino rats, septal-lesioned and control, were subjected to frustrative nonreward in the Amsel double runway. Results revealed that the magnitude of the frustration effect with both running and starting speed measures was not affected by septal lesions. This finding was interpreted as supporting McCleary's inhibitory-deficit hypothesis of septal lesion effects.
Rationale for Using Social Media to Collect Patient-Reported Outcomes in Patients with Celiac Disease.

Patients with celiac disease (CD) are increasingly interconnected through social media, exchanging patient experiences and health-tracking information between individuals through various web-based platforms. Social media represents potentially unique communication interface between gastroenterologists and active social media users – especially young adults and adolescents with celiac disease-regarding adherence to the strict gluten-free diet, gastrointestinal symptoms, and meaningful discussion about disease management. Yet, various social media platforms may be underutilized for research purposes to collect patient-reported outcomes data. In this commentary, we summarize the scientific rationale and potential for future growth of social media in patient-reported outcomes research, focusing on college freshmen with celiac disease as a case study and provide overview of the methodological approach. Finally, we discuss how social media may impact patient care in the future through increasing mobile technology use.
Quantitative determination of stress-induced myocardial damage in rats

The degree of myocardial damage produced in rats by exposing them to unsignalled, irregular foot-shock stress was determined in three ways: by measuring (1) enzymes (LDH, GOT and GPT) released into the circulation, (2) the rate of release of one of these enzymes (LDH) from isolated perfused hearts into the perfusate, and (3) the cardiac uptake, in vivo, of the radioactively labeled bone-seeking agents, technetium-99m-stannous pyrophosphate or technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate. The latter two methods permitted quantitative determination of the degree of myocardial damage produced. Determination of cardiac technetium-99m uptake was found to be simple, quantitative, highly sensitive and truly indicative of cardiac damage, and therefore most suitable for studies of the effects of stress on cardiac injury.
Hydroxyl radical generation during exercise increases mitochondrial protein oxidation and levels of urinary dityrosine.

Abstract Isolated mitochondria are well-established sources of oxidants in vitro. There is little direct evidence that mitochondria promote oxidative stress in vivo, however . Model system studies demonstrate that ortho -tyrosine, meta -tyrosine, and o,o′- dityrosine increase in proteins oxidized by hydroxyl radical. To determine whether mitochondria generate oxidants in vivo, we used isotope dilution gas chromatography mass spectrometry to quantify levels of these markers in the heart muscle of control and exercised rats. Exercise led to a 50% increase in ortho -tyrosine, meta -tyrosine, and o,o′ -dityrosine in the mitochondrial proteins but not cytosolic proteins of heart muscle. This increase was transient, and levels returned to normal when exercised animals were allowed to rest. There also was a transient increase in the level of o,o′ -dityrosine in the urine of exercised rats. This relationship between mitochondrial and urine levels of o,o′ -dityrosine suggests that urine assays of this oxidized amino acid may serve as noninvasive measures of oxidative stress . These observations also provide direct evidence that heart muscle mitochondria produce an intermediate resembling the hydroxyl radical that promotes protein oxidation in vivo.
Recursive robust PCA or recursive sparse recovery in large but structured noise

We study the recursive robust principal components' analysis (PCA) problem. Here, “robust” refers to robustness to both independent and correlated sparse outliers. If the outlier is the signal-of-interest, this problem can be interpreted as one of recursively recovering a time sequence of sparse vectors, St, in the presence of large but structured noise, Lt: the noise needs to lie in a “slowly changing” low dimensional subspace. We study a novel solution called Recursive Projected CS (ReProCS). Under mild assumptions, we show that, with high probability (w.h.p.), at all times, ReProCS can exactly recover the support set of St; and the reconstruction errors of both St and Lt are upper bounded by a time-invariant and small value.
Synergistic induction of nuclear factor-κB by transforming growth factor-β and tumour necrosis factor-α is mediated by protein kinase A-dependent RelA acetylation

The TGF-β (transforming growth factor-β) pathway represents an important signalling pathway involved in regulating diverse biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation and inflammation. Despite the critical role for TGF-β in inflammatory responses, its role in regulating NF-κB (nuclear factor-κB)-dependent inflammatory responses still remains unknown. In the present study we show that TGF-β1 synergizes with proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α (tumour necrosis factor-α) to induce NF-κB activation and the resultant inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo . TGF-β1 synergistically enhances TNF-α-induced NF-κB DNA binding activity via induction of RelA acetylation. Moreover, synergistic enhancement of TNF-α-induced RelA acetylation and DNA-binding activity by TGF-β1 is mediated by PKA (protein kinase A). Thus the present study reveals a novel role for TGF-β in inflammatory responses and provides new insight into the regulation of NF-κB by TGF-β signalling.
Episodic bouts of activity accompany recovery of rhythmic output by a neuromodulator- and activity-deprived adult neural network.

The pyloric rhythm of the stomatogastric ganglion of the crab, Cancer borealis, slows or stops when descending modulatory inputs are acutely removed. However, the rhythm spontaneously resumes after...
Immunoglobulins G, A, and M determined in single cells from human tonsil.

The analysis of specific proteins in single cells is described and applied to the determination of immunoglobulins G, A, and M (γG, γA, and γM) in lymphoid cells of the human tonsil. The number of cells containing γA or γM was much less than the number of cells containing γG, but the average cell content of γA or γM was much greater than the average cell content of γG. Similarly, in one child where relatively few cells containing γG were found, the average cell content of γG in those cells was higher than that in the other children. The limit of sensitivity of the method for each of the three immunoglobulins with the antiserums used was less than 10-14 gram of the specific protein.
A comparative analysis of teachers' use of dramatic style behaviors at higher and secondary educational levels

The present investigation provides comparative data on the use of humor, self‐disclosure, and narrative by award‐winning teachers at college and secondary levels. The frequency in usage of these three dramatic style behaviors by award‐winning and non‐award winning teachers at these levels is also compared. Significant differences were found between award‐winning college and secondary level teachers in their use of humor. Award‐winning college and high school teachers did not differ significantly in their use of self‐disclosure and narrative during 50‐minutes of lecturing. However, both award‐winning college and high school teachers significantly differed from award‐winning mid‐high teachers in use of both self‐disclosure and narrative. The results also indicate that the award‐winning teachers consistently utilized humor, self‐disclosure, and narrative in order to clarify course content, and this usage was significantly higher than the non‐award winning teachers from the same educational levels.
A class of bush-based algorithms for the traffic assignment problem

This paper studies a class of bush-based algorithms (BA) for the user equilibrium (UE) traffic assignment problem, which promise to produce highly precise solutions by exploiting acyclicity of UE flows. Each of the two building blocks of BA, namely the construction of acyclic sub-networks (bush) and the solution of restricted master problems (RMP), is examined and further developed. Four Newton-type algorithms for solving RMP, which can be broadly categorized as route flow and origin flow based, are presented, of which one is newly developed in this paper. Similarities and differences between these algorithms, as well as the relevant implementation issues are discussed in great details. A comprehensive numerical study is conducted using both real and randomly generated networks, which reveals that the relative performance of the algorithms is consistent with the analysis. In particular, the results suggest that swapping flows between shortest and longest route segments consistently outperforms other RMP solution techniques.
Nutrition and Feeding in Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia after Initial Hospital Discharge: Risk Factors for Growth Failure

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To examine the relationship between growth failure in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and nutritional risk factors. Nutritional factors associated with the risk of growth failure in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) after initial hospital discharge were determined in this prospective cohort study. Forty infants, mean gestational age of 27 ± 2 weeks, were followed with 7 monthly home visits. Each month parents were asked about time spent feeding and feeding concerns. At months 2, 3, and 6, parents completed questionnaires about feeding concerns. At months 1, 4, and 6 parents completed food records. At the other visits 24 hour recalls were completed. At the last study visit 18 (45%) of the infants had growth failure (corrected weight or length
Morphological deficits of children with SLI: evaluation of number marking and agreement

Three accounts of the grammatical deficits of children with specific language impairment (SLI), that is, Missing Feature, Surface Account, and Missing Agreement, were evaluated by examining childre...
Construction engineering and project management II: impact of multitasking and merge bias on procurement of complex equipment

This paper describes how multitasking and merge bias may impact the procurement time of complex equipment, such as power distribution equipment used in capital projects. The time required to procure this type of product is often based on past experience and ad hoc assumptions, without explicit consideration for the contributing factors. Capital projects are becoming increasingly complex, requiring more experts to contribute knowledge. By relying on ‘received traditions’, procurement times are often underestimated thereby creating numerous problems for the project participants downstream in the supply chain. The presented model builds on Sigma, an event scheduling simulation engine, and uses various input scenarios to show how sensitive the procurement time is to the effects of multitasking and merge bias. Insights gained from the simulation may help practitioners to more accurately determine the time required to procure complex equipment and to locate and size time buffers in the procurement process.
Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization with local search strategy for Rule Classification

Rule discovery is an important classification method that has been attracting a significant amount of researchers in recent years. Rule discovery or rule mining uses a set of IF-THEN rules to classify a class or category. Besides the classical approaches, many rule mining approaches use biologically-inspired algorithms such as evolutionary algorithms and swarm intelligence approaches. In this paper, a Particle Swarm Optimization based discrete implementation with a local search strategy (DPSO-LS) was devised. The local search strategy helps to overcome local optima in order to improve the solution quality. Our DPSO-LS uses the Pittsburgh approach whereby a rule base is used to represent a ‘particle’. This rule base is evolved over time as to find the best possible classification model. Experimental results reveal that DPSO-LS outperforms other classification methods in most cases based on rule size, TP rates, FP rates, and precision.
Substrate curvature sensing through Myosin IIa upregulates early osteogenesis

Topographical cues mimicking the extracellular matrix (ECM) have demonstrated control over a diverse range of cellular behaviours including: initial adhesion, migration, cell growth, differentiation and death. How cells sense, and in turn translate, the topographical cues remains to be answered, but likely involves interactions through interfacial forces that influence cytoskeletal structure and integrin clustering, leading to the downstream activity of intracellular signalling cascades. Electrospun fibers have shown significant success as a biomimetic topography for bone tissue engineering applications, but mechanisms by which osteoprogenitor cells translate the fiber geometry into intracellular signalling activity is only recently being examined. We hypothesized that increased cellular differentiation observed on fibrous topography is due to acto-myosin contractility and cellular stiffness via the small GTPase RhoA. In order to evaluate this hypothesis, MC3T3-E1 osteoprogenitor cells were grown on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) fibers of 1.153 ± 0.310 μm diameter. The elastic modulus of the cell surface was measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a colloidal probe. Overall cellular stiffness was found to increase more than three-fold in osteoprogenitors adhered to a fiber, as opposed to those grown on a flat substrate. Pharmacological inhibition of RhoA signalling activity decreased cellular stiffness and cytoskeletal integrity of osteoprogenitors growing on fibrous substrates. Finally, we demonstrated not only RhoA activity through its effector Rho-associated coiled coil kinase II (ROCKII), but also Myosin IIa promotes early osteogenic differentiation, as shown by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of ROCKII on early differentiation. Our results shed light on mechanisms underlying geometry sensing by highlighting the role of Myosin IIa in addition to ROCKII and could ultimately contribute to scaffold design strategies.
Terrace-dependent nucleation of small Ag clusters on a five-fold icosahedral quasicrystal surface

Nucleation of Ag islands on the five-fold surface of icosahedral Al–Pd–Mn is influenced strongly by trap sites. Submonolayers of Ag prepared by deposition at 365 K and with a flux of 1 × 10−3 monolayers/s exhibit a variation in Ag island densities across different terraces. Comparisons with previous work and with rate equation analysis indicate that trap sites are not saturated under these experimental conditions and that the difference in island densities is not necessarily due to variation in trap densities. While it could have a number of different origins, our results point to a terrace-dependent value of the effective diffusion barrier for Ag adatoms.
Second-Order Perturbation Analysis of Low-Amplitude Traveling Waves in a Periodic Nonlinear Chain

Traveling waves in one-dimensional nonlinear periodic structures are investigated for low-amplitude oscillations using perturbation analysis. We use second-order multiple scales analysis to capture the effects of quadratic nonlinearity. Comparisons with the linear and cubical nonlinear cases are presented in the dispersion relationship, group velocity and phase velocity and their dependence on wave number and amplitude of oscillation. Quadratic nonlinearity is shown to have a significant effect on the behavior.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Maternal death relaxes developmental inhibition in nymphal aphid defenders

In certain aphids, first-instar nymphs defend their gall by attacking intruding arthropod predators. One correlate of such defensive behaviour is a lengthened duration of the first nymphal stadium during the galling phase of the life cycle. A prolonged first stadium allows a large army of first-instar defenders to accumulate, which may be advantageous for gall defence. The factors determining developmental delay have been unclear, however. Our field experiment with Pemphigus obesinymphae, a North American gall-forming aphid with defensive first-instar nymphs, tests whether first-stadium duration is influenced by the death of the colony's fundatrix (mother). We killed fundatrices in certain galls, left those in control galls alive, and counted aphids in each stadium in each gall. Galls in which fundatrices were killed contained a lower proportion of first-instar defenders and more late-instar nymphs than did galls with living fundatrices, indicating that maternal death dramatically increased developmental rate of nymphs. Possibly nymphal aphids respond adaptively to environmental cues that signal a threat to the colony's welfare. Alternatively, the fundatrix actively suppresses offspring development in order to maintain a large army of soldiers to protect her gall. The results add a new layer of complexity to our understanding of social aphid systems.
Determination of beam position and angle to minimize beam loss in the Los Alamos proton storage ring

Abstract A beam of negatively charged hydrogen ions passes through a stripper magnet to produce a neutral hydrogen beam before it is injected into the proton storage ring at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility. Inside the ring the injected beam passes through a carbon foil which strips off the remaining electrons to produce a proton beam. It is desirable to position the foil where it will minimize beam losses due to multiple Coulomb scattering in the ring. Beam loss is also decreased if the position and angle of the injected beam are chosen so that the phase ellipse of the injected beam has the best match with the phase ellipse of the ring beam. To achieve these two objectives, the position and angle of the injected beam must be determined at the foil. This is done by describing the beam path in the ring, and interpolating at the foil. A number of beam-position monitors placed at intervals around the ring provide data on the position of the beam at these points. A multiple-regression algorithm uses the data from the beam-position monitors to estimate the position and angle of the injected beam at the foil, along with correlation coefficients and confidence limits.