cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-wavelength IR interband cascade light-emitting diodes

Electroluminescence in the long-wavelength (6 - 8 micrometers ) spectrum region is observed from Sb-based type-II interband cascade quantum well structures. The device structures were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb substrates and comprises many (15 for the first sample and 12 for the second sample) repeated periods of active regions separated by digitally graded multilayer injection regions. The devices have been operated at 300 K and 77 K with an output optical power up to 700 nW. The strong blue shift of the electroluminescent peak with the applied bias due to the Stark effect has also been observed.
On the estimation of the Derivatives of a function with the derivatives of an estimate

Abstract Let θ n (x) be an estimator of a smooth function θ ( x ). It is proved that θ ( x ) can be estimated easier than its derivative θ ( s ) ( x ), providing for |θ n (s) − θ (s) | q an upper bound that depends on |θ n − θ| q . The same bound can be used as a tool to derive automatically rates of convergence when we are estimating derivatives of densities or regression functions.
Investigation of snowborne mites (Acari) and relevancy to dispersal

Abstact A total of 170 arthropods were collected from 249 kilograms of snow from 11 major snowfalls. The fauna included 88 eriophyoid mites, 75 mites in other groups, 5 scale crawlers, 1 first instar larval hymenopteran and 1 tardigrade. Several mites were alive when trapped. Miteswere also recovered from the upper layer of heavy snowfall 56 cm thick. These results indicate that many mites, especially eriophyoid mites, possess extraordinary potential for winter and long-distance aerial dispersal.
Expression of LDL receptor binding determinants in very low density lipoproteins.

We have used both proteolysis and reconstitution experiments to characterize the determinants for LDL receptor binding of HTG-VLDL. In these studies, we showed that the removal of approximately one mole of apo E per mole of HTG-VLDL (Sf 100-400) and HTG-VLDL (Sf 60-100) by thrombin-specific cleavage results in loss of receptor binding and concomitant loss of suppression of HMG-CoA reductase. This is in direct contrast to the lack of effect thrombin cleavage has on the receptor-mediated uptake of LDL, an apo B-mediated process. We were able to reconstitute receptor binding in thrombin-treated HTG-VLDL (Sf 100-400) by the specific reincorporation of one mole of apo E into the VLDL. The incorporation of one mole of apo E into normal non-suppressive VLDL (Sf 60-400) also enables this lipoprotein to bind to the receptor as effectively as LDL. Trypsin, which destroys apo E-mediated, but not apo B-mediated binding to the LDL receptor, abolishes binding of HTG-VLDL (Sf 100-400) and HTG-VLDL (Sf 60-100), but not that of HTG-VLDL (Sf 20-60), IDL, or LDL to the LDL receptor. Therefore, we conclude that apo E of the appropriate conformation is required for receptor-mediated uptake by the LDL receptor of large TG-rich lipoproteins (Sf greater than 60). This conformation of apo E is probably related to the surface on which it is found (i.e., size of the particle) and the mode of incorporation into the phospholipid surface (i.e., transferred from plasma HDL). In large TG-rich particles, it appears that the intact apo E is necessary for the proper orientation of the molecule on the surface, with the carboxy-terminal one-third needed to anchor the apoprotein to the phospholipid surface. We believe that the binding of apo E to the LDL receptor is a redundant system and is used as a backup system in abnormal pathological states such as hypertriglyceridemia, abetalipoproteinemia, and hypobetalipoproteinemia. In the case of hypertriglyceridemia, where the lipolysis mechanism is overloaded, the abnormal binding of HTG-VLDL (Sf greater than 60) provides an alternate catabolic route for their removal from plasma. In the cases of a beta- and hypobetalipoproteinemia, where the normal particles for cholesterol delivery are either absent or at low levels, apo E-containing particles can serve to deliver cholesterol to cells as has been recently observed in vitro.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Hybrid multi-contact dynamics for wedge jumping locomotion behaviors

Legged robots naturally exhibit continuous and discrete dynamics when maneuvering over level-ground and uneven terrains. In recent years, numerous studies have focused on locomotion hybrid dynamics. However, locomotion on more challenging terrains such as split wedges in Figure 1 has rarely been explored, let alone its hybrid dynamics. In this study, we specifically focus on a two-phase hybrid automaton formulation for this highly steep wedge locomotion. This automaton incorporates both multi-contact and flight single contact phase motions. To dynamically balance and jump upwards on this wedge, an aperiodic phase space planning is used for trajectory generations. Three control strategies are employed simultaneously: internal force control, linear and angular momentum control. Finally, simulation results are shown to verify our strategy's effectiveness.
In vitro and in vivo induction of apoptosis by capsaicin in pancreatic cancer cells is mediated through ROS generation and mitochondrial death pathway

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common invasive malignancies and the fourth leading cause of cancer related mortality in U.S., thus developing new strategies to control pancreatic cancer is an important mission. We investigated the mechanism of capsaicin, the major pungent ingredient of red-chili pepper, in inducing apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Treatment of AsPC-1 and BxPC-3 cells with capsaicin resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell-viability and induction of apoptosis which was associated with the generation of ROS and persistent disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential. These effects were significantly blocked when the cells were pretreated with a general antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). Exposure of AsPC-1 and BxPC-3 cells to capsaicin was also associated with increased expression of Bax, down-regulation of bcl-2, survivin and significant release of cytochrome c and AIF in the cytosol. On the contrary, above-mentioned effects were not observed in the normal acinar cells in response to capsaicin-treatment. Capsaicin-treatment resulted in the activation of JNK and JNK inhibitor SP600125 afforded protection against capsaicin-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, capsaicin when given orally markedly suppressed the growth of AsPC-1 pancreatic tumor xenografts in athymic nude mice, without side effects. Tumors from capsaicin treated mice demonstrated increased apoptosis, which was related to the activation of JNK and increased cytosolic protein expression of Bax, cytochrome c, AIF and cleaved caspase-3, as compared with controls. Taken together, these results show that capsaicin is an effective inhibitor of in vitro and in vivo growth of pancreatic cancer cells. These findings provide the rationale for further clinical investigation of capsaicin against pancreatic cancer.
Comparative study of aggregations under different dependency assumptions for assessment of undiscovered recoverable oil resources in the world

The U.S. Geological Survey assessed all significant sedimentary basins in the world for undiscovered conventionally recoverable crude-oil resources. Probabilistic methodology was applied to each basin assessment to produce estimates in the form of probability distributions. Basin probability distributions were computer aggregated to produce resource estimates for the entire world. Aggregation was approximated by a three-parameter lognormal distribution by combining the first three central moments of basin distributions. For purposes of experiment and study, world aggregation was conducted under four different sets of assumptions. The four cases are (1) dependent assessments of all basins, (2) dependent assessments within continental areas, but independent assessments among continental areas, (3) dependent assessments within countries, but independent assessments among countries, and (4) independent assessments of all basins. Mean estimate remained the same in all four cases, but the width of interval estimate formed using the 95th and 5th fractiles decreased with reduced dependency in going from first to fourth case.
Meridional transport of magnetic flux in the solar wind between 1 and 10 AU: A theoretical analysis

Observations suggesting that the mean solar wind azimuthal field strength B(theta) near the ecliptic plane falls off more rapidly with heliocentric distance than would be expected in a classic Parker expansion is reexamined from a theoretical perspective using a three-dimensional MHD nonlinear numerical model for steady, corotating flow. For realistic solar wind parameters, it is found that a purely axisymmetric expansion can produce sizable magnetic flux deficits only when there are substantial meridional gradients in mean flow conditions localized about the ecliptic plane near the sun. Calculations on three-dimensional cororating flows are presented which demonstrate that latitudinal transport of magnetic flux by stream interactions may be an important consideration in generating the deficits in mean B(theta).
Number Word Acquisition: Cardinality, Bootstrapping, and Beyond: Reply to Commentaries

It is of deep interest to both linguists and psychologists alike to account for how young children acquire an understanding of number words. In their commentaries, Barner and Butterworth both point...
The digital palmar oblique incision

Although many incisions have been described for exposure of the palmar structures of the digits, all have some disadvantages. The digital palmar oblique exposure provides a direct approach to the flexor tendons in the fingers and palm and to the digital neurovascular bundles and has been used extensively at our clinic for more than 20 years. Flap tip necrosis, central migration of the incision, scar hypertrophy, and flexion contractures have not been problems with the use of this incision.
The core structure of (a/2)〈110〉 screw dislocations in FeNiCrN austenite

Abstract The structure of the(a/2)〈110〉 screw dislocations in Fe Ni Cr N f.c.c. austenite has been analyzed using the conjugate gradient method to minimize the potential energy of the crystal and the embedded atom method to quantify interatomic interactions at 0 K. In addition, a critical resolved shear stress required for the motion of a straight(a/2)〈110〉 screw dislocation at 0 K has been determined by applying a homogeneous simple shear to the crystal containing a screw dislocation. In Fe Ni Cr austenite the(a/2)〈110〉 screw dislocation dissociates along one of the {111} planes, creating a stacking fault ribbon. The ribbon width is comparable with that predicted by continuum theory. The addition of nitrogen into Fe Ni Cr austenite causes a profound effect on the structure of the dislocation core. While the details are dependent on the relative positions of the nitrogen atom and the dislocation core, nitrogen in general causes spreading of the dislocation core on to two or more non-parallel planes. The non-planar character of the dislocation core renders the dislocation less mobile and hence a higher stress is required to cause the dislocation to move. These findings are in excellent agreement with the experimentally observed high strengthening potential of nitrogen and with the predominance of screw dislocations in the as-deformed microstructure in Fe Ni Cr N austenite.
Inclusion levels of sweet potato root meal in the diet of broilers I. Effect on performance, organ weights, and carcass quality

Abstract The amount of corn available for animal and poultry feed has been unpredictable in recent years due to the increased use of corn for ethanol production. As a consequence, there has been an increase in the price of feed, chicken, and chicken products. Researchers are exploring alternative feed sources to substitute for corn in poultry ration. This study evaluated the performance and carcass quality of broilers fed diets containing sweet potato root meal (SPRM). After a complete nutrient analysis of the SPRM, diets were formulated where 0, 10, 20, and 30% of corn was substituted with SPRM. The study utilized 360 1-d-old Cornish X Rock male broiler chickens randomly assigned to one of 4 treatments; 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% SPRM. Body weights and feed intake (FI) were monitored weekly for 7 wk. Birds were slaughtered on d 50 and FI, BW gain, ADG, ADFI, abdominal fat, dressing percentage, and organ weights measured. White (breast) and dark (leg and thigh) meat were evaluated for nutrient content (protein, moisture, fat, and ash). Results showed birds fed 20% SPRM had lower (P
How cells respond to stress

During emergencies, cells produce stress proteins that repair damage. Inquiry into how they work offers promise for coping with infection, autoimmune disease and even cancer.
Effects of polychlorinated biphenyls and environmental temperature on in vitro formation of benzo[a]pyrene metabolites by liver of trout (Salmo gairdneri).

Abstract Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) held at 7° and 16° were given Aroclor 1254 (PCB) (10mg/kg body wt) via intraperitoneal injections. The binding of [3H]benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) to deproteinized salmon sperm DNA was assayed (pmoles BaP equivalents per mg DNA per mg protein) using the post-mitochondrial supernatant (S 10) fractions from livers of fish at 24–168 hr after the PCB exposure. Liver enzymes from the untreated fish acclimated at 7° yielded an average binding value (0.37 ± 0.17) which was significantly greater (P
Recruiting Teachers for the Urban Classroom: The Teaching Scholars Initiative

This study describes a program at an urban public college that recruits non-education majors into teaching. The “Teaching Scholars Initiative” pays college students, in particular in the areas of mathematics and science, to work in high need New York City classrooms to assist teachers and their students, and gives these college students meaningful teaching experiences with the hope that they might consider teaching as a career. A number of “teaching scholars” decided to change career plans and pursue teaching, specifically in urban high need schools. Implications for teacher recruitment and retention are discussed.
Detecting outlying cells in two-way contingency table via backwards-stepping

When fitting a model to a contingency table, a significant lack of fit can sometimes be caused by a few outlier cells, with the model fitting the remaining cells well. These cells can be identified by using deleted residuals (the residual from the expected count with the cell deleted) and tested using the drop in likelihood ratio goodness-of-fit statistic (from the model with the cell included to the model with the cell deleted), with the cells being tested from least extreme to most extreme (“backwards-stepping”). This article shows that using a Bonferroni bound for the outlier test at each step results in a conservative test with good power to detect multiple outliers; backwards-stepping and the use of deleted residuals results in the limiting of both masking and swamping effects. The procedure generalizes easily to complicated probability models.
Clustering digital forensic string search output

This research comparatively evaluates four competing clustering algorithms for thematically clustering digital forensic text string search output. It does so in a more realistic context, respecting data size and heterogeneity, than has been researched in the past. In this study, we used physical-level text string search output, consisting of over two million search hits found in nearly 50,000 allocated files and unallocated blocks. Holding the data set constant, we comparatively evaluated k-Means, Kohonen SOM, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) followed by k-Means, and LDA followed by SOM. This enables true cross-algorithm evaluation, whereas past studies evaluated singular algorithms using unique, non-reproducible datasets. Our research shows an LDAź+źk-Means using a linear, centroid-based user navigation procedure produces optimal results. The winning approach increased information retrieval effectiveness, from the baseline random walk absolute precision rate of 0.04, to an average precision rate of 0.67. We also explored a variety of algorithms for user navigation of search hit results, finding that the performance of k-means clustering can be greatly improved with a non-linear, non-centroid-based cluster and document navigation procedure, which has potential implications for digital forensic tools and use thereof, particularly given the popularity and speed of k-means clustering.
Molecular Biology of the Alternative Oxidase

Possibly the most easily recognized component of mitochondrial respiration specific to plants is a second terminal oxidase that has been variously described as being responsible for "cyanide-insensitive respiration," 'cyanide-resistant respiration," or "alternative pathway respiration.' This type of respiration has been best defined in thermogenic inflorescences of the Araceae, such as Sauromatum guttatum, the "voodoo lily' (Meeuse, 1975). Alternative pathway respiration has also been identified in other types of organisms; for example, in protista such as trypanosomes, in fungi such as Neurospora crassa and Hansenula anomala, and in green algae such as Chlamydomonas (Moore and Siedow, 1991). Although some reports exist for such activity in animal tissues, they have never been reliably confirmed. What is the alternative pathway of respiration, how does it work, and, perhaps more importantly, what is its purpose? Alternative pathway respiration branches from the Cyt pathway at ubiquinone and donates electrons directly to oxygen to form water, apparently in a single four-electron step (Siedow and Moore, 1993). An important feature of this pathway is that it does not contribute to a transmembrane potential; electrons that flow down this pathway lose two of three potential coupling sites for proton transport, and thus ATP production (Fig. 1). The only confirmed function for alternative pathway respiration is to supply heat in thermogenic blooms of the Araceae, such as S. guttatum, the voodoo lily (Meeuse, 1975). In this organism heat is produced in ephemeral inflorescences during a single day of flowering to better volatilize scents to attract insect pollinators.
General Considerations in Grounding the Neutral of Power Systems

In the early days of power transmission, there was no consistent practise in respect to operating with neutral isolated or with neutral grounded. The rapid growth of transmission systems with their extensive networks soon began to show disastrous results from arcing grounds on isolated neutral systems and now most power transmissson networks have their neutrals grounded in some manner. The discussion of general considerations of neutral grounding is divided into two parts, that of overhead line systems and underground cable systems. He brings out the fact that while most overhead systems are grounded there is some difference in practise as to the extent to which they are grounded, that is as to whether they are grounded solidly or through resistance. Prevailing practise tends toward little or no resistance. Attention is called to different possible methods of grounding a system and shows by diagrams the flow of short-circuit current with the different methods. Underground cable systems are consistently operated with neutral grounded but general practise tends toward the use of resistance in neutral. General considerations as to protection from the voltage strains due to arcing grounds on cable systems are similar to overhead line systems and the author analyzes briefly the character of cable breakdowns and general effect of such breakdowns with a view to determining the importance of the extent to which a cable system should be grounded. The conclusion in regard to cable systems indicates about the same limitations as those found for overhead systems and no very good reasons are found for a distinctive difference in practise. The paper considers the use of grounding resistors of different types and gives some cast figures to show the effect of time and current in the design of metallic resistors. The general conclusion arrived at is that, on either overhead or underground transmission systems, high-voltage strains are more to be feared than high-current strains and that resistance to limit ground current, if used at all, should be of very low value.
Characterizing Composite User-Device Touchscreen Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) for Mobile Device Authentication

Mobile systems have unique authentication requirements. A composite user-device identity that is computationally difficult to decompose into its user and device contribution is better suited for mobile context authentication for services such as Google wallet. We base such a composite identity in a composition of human user biometric and device silicon biometric realized as a user-device (UD-) physical unclonable function (PUF). This UD-PUF is derived from the touch screen of a mobile device. Challenge is a shape drawn on the screen, which the human user traces. The pressure values generated in the resulting touch events reflect the device level variability of the underlying transistor array. These pressure sequences can be quantized into an appropriate response. We characterize such a composite PUF for both its variability and reproducibility. We illustrate 0 bits of error in reproducibility for the (same device, same user, same challenge) scenario with the use of an innovative statistical concentrator serving the role of ECC (error correcting codes) in traditional PUFs. For the (same device, same user, different challenge), (same device, different user, same challenge), (different device, same user, same challenge), we benefit from as large a variability in the response as possible. We show 60+ bits Hamming distance in the composite UD-PUF responses of length 128 bits when variability is expected. We also demonstrate the promise of these PUFs to serve as biometric hardware pseudorandom number generators (PRGs) by putting them through Montreal TESTU01 suite of tests. Our best PUFs pass all the tests except occasionally failing 3. This PUF was implemented on Nexus 7 devices running Android.
Radiative decays of b → s

We review briefly the current status of b → s radiative modes. Particular emphasis is on those where one can detect large effects due to electromagnetic and chromomagnetic operators, which are most affected by large mass particles.
Opto-acoustic detection of chain reactions

Abstract The opto-acoustic effect is discussed for the case where a halogen, X 2 , is periodically photodissociated in the presence of H 2 at moderately high pressures. If many cycles of the chain reactions, X + H 2 ⇌ HX + H and H + X 2 → HX + X, take place before termination through three-body recombination, the evolution of heat in the system is governed by the exothermic chain propagation reactions rather than the recombination reaction. When stationary state conditions obtain for the H concentration, the concentration of X is governed by the photodissociation rate and the three-body recombination rate. Under these conditions the opto-acoustic signal is shown to be directly proportional to the photochemical chain length. At low frequencies the fundamental frequency component of the acoustic wave decreases as the square root of the steady component of the dissociating radiation; equivalently, at a fixed modulation depth, the signal increases as the square root of the steady component of the radiation intensity. In the high frequency limit the pressure signal becomes independent of the steady component of the radiation. At low frequencies the fundamental frequency component of the signal decreases with the modulation frequency, ω, as ω −1 , whereas in the high frequency limit the signal decreases as ω −2 . The phase lag in the acoustic signal is shown to depend upon the intensity of the steady component of the radiation — a characteristic of the nonlinear response of the radical concentration to changes in light intensity. An experimental method based on these results is described for direct determination of photochemical chain lengths.
Female-male differences in massed drinking: results from a household survey.

Using data taken from a household survey of Pennsylvanians in 1976, we focus on the differences in massed drinking between men and women (N = 1, 696) who are adults and who are nonabstainers. We seek to test the extent to which role distributions vs socialization accounts for variations in the proportions of males and females who engage in such behavior.
Scaled Quantum Mechanical scale factors for vibrational calculations using alternate polarized and augmented basis sets with the B3LYP density functional calculation model

The Scaled Quantum Mechanical (SQM) method of scaling calculated force constants to predict theoretically calculated vibrational frequencies is expanded to include a broad array of polarized and augmented basis sets based on the split valence 6-31G and 6-311G basis sets with the B3LYP density functional. Pulay's original choice of a single polarized 6-31G(d) basis coupled with a B3LYP functional remains the most computationally economical choice for scaled frequency calculations. But it can be improved upon with additional polarization functions and added diffuse functions for complex molecular systems. The new scale factors for the B3LYP density functional and the 6-31G, 6-31G(d), 6-31G(d,p), 6-31G+(d,p), 6-31G++(d,p), 6-311G, 6-311G(d), 6-311G(d,p), 6-311G+(d,p), 6-311G++(d,p), 6-311G(2d,p), 6-311G++(2d,p), 6-311G++(df,p) basis sets are shown. The double d polarized models did not perform as well and the source of the decreased accuracy was investigated. An alternate system of generating internal coordinates that uses the out-of plane wagging coordinate whenever it is possible; makes vibrational assignments via potential energy distributions more meaningful. Automated software to produce SQM scaled vibrational calculations from different molecular orbital packages is presented.
Large Piezoresponse and Ferroelectric Properties of (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3–(Bi0.5K0.5)TiO3–Bi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3 Thin Films Prepared by Chemical Solution Deposition

Bulk ceramic 72.5 mol%(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3–22.5 mol%(Bi0.5K0.5)TiO3–5 mol%Bi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3 (BNT–BKT–BMgT) has previously been reported to show a large high-field piezoelectric coefficient (d33* = 570 pm/V). In this work, the same composition was synthesized in thin film embodiments on platinized silicon substrates via chemical solution deposition. Overdoping of volatile cations in the precursor solutions was necessary to achieve phase-pure perovskite. An annealing temperature of 700°C resulted in good ferroelectric properties (Pmax = 52 μC/cm2 and Pr = 12 μC/cm2). Quantitative compositional analysis of films annealed at 650°C and 700°C indicated that near ideal atomic ratios were achieved. Compositional fluctuations observed through the film thickness were in good agreement with the existence of voids formed between successive spin-cast layers, as observed with electron microscopy. Bipolar and unipolar strain measurements were performed via double laser beam interferometry and a high effective piezoelectric coefficient (d33,f) of approximately 75 pm/V was obtained.
Mathematical Analysis of Oscillatory and Non-oscillatory Recovery of Contractility after a Rested-State Contraction and Its Modification by Calcium

Recovery of contractility after a rested-state contraction in rat ventricle proceeded in two phases and is described by equations that are solutions of a nonhomogeneous second-order differential equation. The recovery can be characterized by a damping ratio defined in terms of the constants of the homogeneous portion of the differential equation. When calcium concentration was elevated, the usual smooth recovery curve underwent oscillatory variation and thus became less damped. There was a shift in phase between oscillation in recovery and in resting tension after a rested-state contraction. A control system is proposed to regulate relaxation and subsequent recovery of contractility. Possible mechanisms for an effect of calcium on such a control system are discussed.
Biodegradable long-circulating polymeric nanospheres

Injectable nanoparticulate carriers have important potential applications such as site-specific drug delivery or medical imaging. Conventional carriers, however, cannot generally be used because they are eliminated by the reticulo-endothelial system within seconds or minutes after intravenous injection. To address these limitations, monodisperse biodegradable nanospheres were developed from amphiphilic copolymers composed of two biocompatible blocks. The nanospheres exhibited dramatically increased blood circulation times and reduced liver accumulation in mice. Furthermore, they entrapped up to 45 percent by weight of the drug in the dense core in a one-step procedure and could be freeze-dried and easily redispersed without additives in aqueous solutions.
The long-term evaluation of lateral meniscus tears left in situ at the time of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Purpose: The goal of this study was to determine the long-term subjective and objective results for patients with lateral meniscus tears found at the time of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction that were left in situ or abraded and trephined but not repaired or removed. Type of Study: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data. Methods: From a database of ACL reconstruction patients, 332 patients were noted to have lateral meniscus tears that were left in situ or underwent abrasion and trephination. Exclusion criteria included lateral or medial partial meniscectomy, previous knee surgery, or greater than grade II chondromalacia in any knee compartment. The tears were classified as posterior horn tears (n = 70), stable radial flap tears (n = 50), or peripheral or posterior tears (n = 212). Patients were evaluated subjectively using a modified Noyes knee questionnaire and objectively using International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) criteria. Results: At a mean of 6.6 years (range, 2 to 16.5 years) after surgery, the mean total modified Noyes score for 239 patients was 93.8 ± 7.6 points. At a mean of 5.1 ± 3.8 years after surgery, the objective IKDC evaluation showed that 163 of 170 (96%) patients had an overall rating of normal or nearly normal. Radiographic evaluation showed that 162 patients (95%) had a normal rating, 6 patients had a nearly normal rating and 2 patients had an abnormal rating. Of 332 patients, only 8 (2.4%) required subsequent surgery for the lateral meniscus. Conclusions: Lateral meniscus tears that are posterior horn tears, stable radial flap tears, or peripheral or posterior third tears that do not extend further than 1 cm in front of the popliteus tendon can be treated successfully with abrasion and trephination or by being left in situ. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective cohort study.
Selective spot test for hydrazine

Trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid reacts with hydrazine in dilute aqueous solution to give a violet colour. This reaction is used as the basis of a sensitive spot test for hydrazine.
Observing the Atmosphere-A Challenge

Recent developments in aerospace technology make it possible to probe all regions of the atmosphere. Suitable sensors for taking observations in all regions do not yet exist. Electronics scientists and engineers are usually not familiar with these problems but they have the knowhow needed to solve them technically. Meteorological rockets, special observations from satellites and indirect probes are discussed briefly as examples. Evidently more contact between electronic and atmospheric scientists could yield a significant increase in our understanding of the atmosphere.
HYPOPITUITARISM FOLLOWING TUBERCULOUS MENINGITIS (TBM)

Endocrine disorders are uncommon complications of TBM. They usually occur late and present as sexual precocity or diabetes insipidus. This study concerns a 3 yr old boy with unsuspected anterior pituitary deficiencies 8 months after the onset of TBM. The patient had a history of normal growth and development. At 2 yrs 4 mths of age he was treated for TBM and within months hydrocephaius, visual failure and optic atrophy developed. At 2 yrs 9 mths of age exploration of the optic chlasm revealed adhesive arachnoiditis and at 3 yrs of age he developed hypoglycemia and investigations revealed the following: Height and bone age consistent with chronological age. X-ray skull normal. Prolonged fast and oral glucose tolerance test: normal blood glucose & insulin values. Tt by column & RIA subnormal (2.1 & 3.9 mcg%). T3 resin uptake subnormal (22%). Free T4 borderline subnormal (1.0mcg%). TSH normal (7.3mU/ml). Urinary 17KS & 17 KGS normal. Metyrapone test (midnight dose): no rise in 8AM serum 11-deoxycortisol. Adrenal response to ACTH stimulation normal. Insulin-induced hypoglycemia: no rise in serum cortisol or growth hormone. Posterior pituitary function intact. These data are diagnostic of TSH, ACTH & growth hormone deficiencies. Our finding of occult hypopltultarlsm 8 months after the onset of TBM emphasizes the need for careful monitoring of endocrine function early in the recovery phase of this disease.
TallyHO obese female mice experience poor reproductive outcomes and abnormal blastocyst metabolism that is reversed by metformin

Obese women experience worse reproductive outcomes than normal weight women, specifically infertility, pregnancy loss, fetal malformations and developmental delay of offspring. The aim of the present study was to use a genetic mouse model of obesity to recapitulate the human reproductive phenotype and further examine potential mechanisms and therapies. New inbred, polygenic Type 2 diabetic TallyHO mice and age-matched control C57BL/6 mice were superovulated to obtain morula or blastocyst stage embryos that were cultured in human tubal fluid (HTF) medium. Deoxyglucose uptake was determined for individual insulin-stimulated blastocysts. Apoptosis was detected by confocal microscopy using the terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end-labelling (TUNEL) assay and Topro-3 nuclear dye. Embryos were scored for TUNEL-positive as a percentage of total nuclei. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression and adiponectin expression were analysed by western immunoblot and confocal immunofluorescent microscopy. Lipid accumulation was assayed by BODIPY. Comparisons were made between TallyHO morulae cultured to blastocyst embryos in either HTF medium or HTF medium with 25 μg mL(-1) metformin. TallyHO mice developed whole body abnormal insulin tolerance, had decreased litter sizes and increased non-esterified fatty acid levels. Blastocysts from TallyHO mice exhibited increased apoptosis, decreased insulin sensitivity and decreased AMPK. A possible cause for the insulin resistance and abnormal AMPK phosphorylation was the increased TNF-α expression and lipid accumulation, as detected by BODIPY, in TallyHO blastocysts and decreased adiponectin. Culturing TallyHO morulae with the AMPK activator metformin led to a reversal of all the abnormal findings, including increased AMPK phosphorylation, improved insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and normalisation of lipid accumulation. Women with obesity and insulin resistance experience poor pregnancy outcomes. Previously we have shown in mouse models of insulin resistance that AMPK activity is decreased and that activators of AMPK reverse poor embryo outcomes. Here, we show for the first time using a genetically altered obese model, not a diet-induced model, that metformin reverses many of the adverse effects of obesity at the level of the blastocyst. Expanding on this we determine that activation of AMPK via metformin reduces lipid droplet accumulation, presumably by eliminating the inhibitory effects of TNF-α, resulting in normalisation of fatty acid oxidation and HADH2 (hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase/3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase/enoyl-CoA hydratase (trifunctional protein), alpha subunit) activity. Metformin exposure in vitro was able to partially reverse these effects, at the level of the blastocyst, and may thus be effective in preventing the adverse effects of obesity on pregnancy and reproductive outcomes.
Ovulation induction in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: an update

Infertility is frequently caused by anovulation. The affected women present with irregular menstrual cycles and the most common diagnosis is polycystic ovary syndrome. Ovulation induction is commonly used to treat these women. Clomiphene citrate (a selective estrogen receptor modulator or SERM) remains the most used medication for treating this condition. Alternatives that have been used include other SERMs such as tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors, insulin sensitizing agents, and ovarian drilling. Evidence for and against the effectiveness of these agents has fluctuated over the last decade. Controversies surrounding the use of ovulation induction such as development of functional cysts, high-order multiple births, and development of ovarian cancer have been further studied and some controversies have almost been laid to rest in the last decade.
Recovery from endurance exercise.

1) During training for and competition in endurance exercise athletes often significantly reduce both liver and muscle glycogen reserves. 2) Replenishment of muscle glycogen probably occurs preferentially over the replenishment of liver glycogen after exercise. 3) Muscle and liver glycogen can be replenished within 24 h after exercise provided adequate carbohydrate is consumed. 4) To replenish muscle glycogen within 24 h, 8-10 g carbohydrate.kg-1 body weight should be consumed. 5) To optimize muscle glycogen synthesis during the 4-6 h after exercise, carbohydrate must be consumed immediately after exercise and at frequent intervals thereafter. 6) While normal muscle and/or liver glycogen levels can be normalized 24 h after exercise, muscle function may or may not be fully recovered.
Microintegrating smooth muscle cells into a biodegradable, elastomeric fiber matrix.

Electrospinning permits fabrication of biodegradable elastomers into matrices that can resemble the scale and mechanical behavior of the native extracellular matrix. However, achieving high-cellular density and infiltration with this technique remains challenging and time consuming. We have overcome this limitation by electrospraying vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) concurrently with electrospinning a biodegradable, elastomeric poly(ester urethane)urea (PEUU). Trypan blue staining revealed no significant decrease in cell viability from the fabrication process and electrosprayed SMCs spread and proliferated similar to control unprocessed SMCs. The resulting SMC microintegrated PEUU constructs were cultured under static conditions or transmural perfusion. Higher cell numbers resulted with perfusion culture with 131% and 98% more viable cells versus static culture at days 4 and 7 (p<0.05). Fluorescent imaging and hematoxylin and eosin staining further illustrated high cell densities integrated between the elastomeric fibers after perfusion culture. SMC microintegrated PEUU was strong, flexible and anisotropic with tensile strengths ranging from 2.0 to 6.5 MPa and breaking strains from 850 to 1700% dependent on the material axis. The ability to microintegrate smooth muscle or other cell types into a biodegradable elastomer fiber matrix embodies a novel tissue engineering approach that could be applied to fabricate high cell density elastic tissue mimetics, blood vessels or other cardiovascular tissues.
Electrostatic Sprays of Food-Grade Acids and Plant Extracts are More Effective than Conventional Sprays in Decontaminating Salmonella Typhimurium on Spinach

About 40000 people fall victim to Salmonella infections every year in the United States. Recent occurrences of Salmonella contaminated spinach and its recalls have accelerated the need for efficient antimicrobials targeting these pathogens. Our study was aimed at evaluating the inhibitory properties of malic, tartaric, and lactic acids, and grape seed extract (GSE) alone and in combinations and their application methods against Salmonella Typhimurium-inoculated spinach using a response surface method. Fresh spinach leaves were washed, disinfected with sodium hypochlorite solution (0.04% v/v), rewashed with sterile deionized (DI) water, and inoculated with a 2nd-day culture of S. Typhimurium (7.0 log CFU/mL). Adhered S. Typhimurium population on day 0 were 7.5 log CFU/g. These were treated with individual and combinations of organic acids with GSE or DI water (control) adjusted to the same pH as that of the test solutions with both the modes of application and leaves were refrigerated at 4 °C. Malic acid (2%) in combination with GSE (3%) or lactic acid (3%) sprayed electrostatically showed reductions of 2.6 to 3.3 log CFU/g compared to lower log reductions (0.0 to 0.3 log CFU/g) by day 14 if sprayed conventionally. These findings indicate that malic acid in combination with GSE/lactic acid solutions applied by electrostatic spraying exhibited higher inhibition of pathogens than conventional spraying and can be used for commercial applications to enhance food safety.
Validity of three clinical performance assessments of internal medicine clerks

PURPOSE: To analyze the construct validity of three methods to assess the clinical performances of internal medicine clerks. METHOD: A multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) study was conducted at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine to determine the convergent and divergent validity of a clinical evaluation form (CEF) completed by faculty and residents, an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), and the medicine subject test of the National Board of Medical Examiners. Three traits were involved in the analysis: clinical skills, knowledge, and personal characteristics. A correlation matrix was computed for 410 third-year students who completed the clerkship between August 1988 and July 1991. RESULTS: There was a significant (p < .01) convergence of the four correlations that assessed the same traits by using different methods. However, the four convergent correlations were of moderate magnitude (ranging from .29 to .47). Divergent validity was assessed by comparing the magnitudes of the convergence correlations with the magnitudes of correlations among unrelated assessments (i.e., different traits by different methods). Seven of nine possible coefficients were smaller than the convergent coefficients, suggesting evidence of divergent validity. A significant CEF method effect was identified. CONCLUSION: There was convergent validity and some evidence of divergent validity with a significant method effect. The findings were similar for correlations corrected for attenuation. Four conclusions were reached: (1) the reliability of the OSCE must be improved, (2) the CEF ratings must be redesigned to further discriminate among the specific traits assessed, (3) additional methods to assess personal characteristics must be instituted, and (4) several assessment methods should be used to evaluate individual student performances.
Strangeness-based feature weighting and classification of gene expression profiles

Achieving high classification accuracy is a major challenge in the diagnosis of cancer types based on gene expression profiles. These profiles are notoriously noisy in that a large number of genes might be irrelevant to or weakly associated with disease phenotypes such as tumors. Assigning different weights to genes could decrease or diminish the influences of those "noisy" signals, and thereby improve classification accuracy. We propose an intuitive and simple approach to cancer classification with feature weighting. Our strangeness-based feature weighting method learns weights for different genes based on their classification performance. Those genes with large weights can be used as discriminative genes. We demonstrate that our implementation of k-NN classifier achieved high classification accuracy on two benchmark cancer data sets. In the case of relatively low accuracy, the proposed method could be used as a feature filter. With combined feature weighting and AdaBoost, we achieved a better classification accuracy (100%) than using strangeness-based k-NN alone.
Monitoring of strains in small diameter pipe

New equipment has been developed for the surface preparation and installation of strain gages to the interior walls of small-diameter pipe. This procedure can be used for many types of pipe to obtain valuable strain information not attainable by other methods. A more complete understanding of exterior and interior strain behavior can be used to answer many of the unknowns concerning plastic pipe performance and to improve the design procedures for this type of pipe.
1141355494 Cytokine, chemokines and integrin levels in the severely preterm placenta distinguish between preeclampsia and other preinatal complications

Using a multiplex protein array, we tested the hypothesis that the concentrations of inflammatory proteins within placental chorionic stroma differ by perinatal complication. The chorionic plates of 30 singleton placentas were biopsied immediately after delivery for severe preeclampsia (PE), membrane rupture (pPROM) or preterm labor (PL) between 23–28 weeks and flash frozen after the amnion was removed. After thawing and homogenization, concentrations of select proteins were measured on the MesoScale Discovery platform. Analytes were grouped by the functional categories of: inflammation (IL1β, IL6, TNFα, IL18,), chemotaxis (IL8), endothelial effectors (P- and E-selectin, VCAM1, ICAM1, ICAM3, VEGF) and inflammatory modulation (IL10, TGFβ, IL1ra, thrombomodulin). ANOVA and K-means clustering examined differences between delivery indications. K-means clustering distinguished PE placentas from the others, but did not discriminate PL from pPROM. Both PL and pPROM had distinct subsets of placentas with either increased inflammatory or increased modulatory activity. PE placentas tended to have low concentrations of one inflammation indicator (IL-18 P = 0.04), two endothelial effectors (E-selectin P = 0.02; ICAM1 P = 0.03), and one inflammation modulator (IL1ra P = 0.01). On the other hand, PE placentas also had elevated levels of 2 inflammation modulators (TGFβP = 0.04; thrombomodulin P < 0.001) and elevated levels of one endothelial effector (VEGF P < 0.001). The placental inflammatory response differs by perinatal complication. The PE response has limited inflammatory activation and elevated VEGF levels. The PL and pPROM placentas appeared similar in their distribution of subgroups with inflammatory or modulatory responses. This suggests possible common pathologic antecedents and progression.
On imposing detailed balance in complex reaction mechanisms.

The principle of microscopic reversibility implies detailed balance—the statement that, at thermodynamic equilibrium, each individual reaction is balanced. That is, at equilibrium each individual reaction occurs with equal forward and backward fluxes. A reaction system that satisfies detailed balance does not consume or dissipate free energy at thermodynamic equilibrium (1). Although reaction systems with no closed loops (or acyclic systems) always satisfy detailed balance, most complex reaction schemes involve reaction cycles, and satisfying detailed balance requires that the product of equilibrium constants around a reaction cycle equals one. Colquhoun et al. (2) recently presented methods to impose detailed balance on complex reaction mechanisms, such as ion channel kinetic schemes modeled with finite Markov chains. The methods rely on finding a fundamental cycle basis with respect to a spanning tree of a graph representing the reaction topology. In this comment, we discuss an alternative method that balances the forward and backward fluxes of each reversible reaction and does not require direct consideration of reaction cycles. The method will be discussed for single molecule dynamics and mass-action kinetics. We will also discuss techniques for identifying a minimal reaction network for imposing detailed balance.