cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emerging and reemerging diseases in the environment of the Free Trade Agreement

A talk presented at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and of Animal Science (today "Faculty of Agrarian Sciences") of the Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia 11 July, 2012.
Lifetime maternal experiences of abuse and risk of pre-natal depression in two demographically distinct populations in Boston

Results Project ACCESS participants were twice as likely as Project Viva participants to report symptoms consistent with pre-natal depression: 22% of Project ACCESS participants had EPDS scores 513, compared with 11% of Project Viva participants. Fifty-seven percent of women in ACCESS and 46% in Viva reported lifetime physical and/or sexual abuse. In merged analysis, women reporting lifetime physical or sexual abuse had an OR for mid-pregnancy depression of 1.63 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.29–2.07], adjusted for age and race/ethnicity. Lifetime histories of physical abuse [OR 1.48 (95% CI 1.15–1.90)] and sexual abuse [OR 1.68 (95% CI 1.24–2.28)] were independently associated with pre-natal depression. When child/teen, pre-pregnancy adult and pregnancy life periods were considered simultaneously, abuse in childhood was independently associated with an OR of 1.23 (95% CI 1.00–1.59), pre-pregnancy adult abuse with an OR of 1.70 (95% CI 1.31–2.21) and abuse during pregnancy with an OR of 1.77 (95% CI 1.14–2.74). Further
On the inevitable intertwining of specification and implementation

Contrary to recent claims that specification should be completed before implementation begins, this paper presents two arguments that the two processes must be intertwined. First, limitations of available implementation technology may force a specification change. For example, deciding to implement a stack as an array (rather than as a linked list) may impose a fixed limit on the depth of the stack. Second, implementation choices may suggest augmentations to the original specification. For example, deciding to use an existing pattern-match routine to implement the search command in an editor may lead to incorporating some of the routine's features into the specification, such as the ability to include wild cards in the search key. This paper elaborates these points and illustrates how they arise in the specification of a controller for a package router.
Electroluminescent Diode Degradation Models

The general characteristics of gradual degradation of III-V compound electroluminescent diodes are reviewed. Seven possible degradation models are considered: high local temperatures, electric-field drift in the junction, electric-field drift in the bulk, optical flux effects, current drag, the extended-Longini mechanism, and the Gold-Weisberg mechanism. Only the last two mechanisms are found to be consistent with the data. At low current densities, the extended-Longini mechanism appears more reasonable, while at higher current densities the phonon-kick mechanism might be dominant. To further clarify the degradation characteristics, additional data is required at low temperatures and also at higher current densities.
ECT in the elderly.

Depression is a common clinical problem in the elderly. Risk factors in this population include genetic vulnerability, psychosocial losses, medical comorbidity, cerebrovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disorders. Depression in the elderly may have severe consequences, including high rates of suicide, malnutrition or dehydration, high utilization of medical services, impaired recovery from medical illnesses, and inappropriate placement in residential care facilities. A significant number of older depressed patients may not respond to anti-depressant medications, suffer intolerable medication side effects, or have illnesses with symptoms or consequences so severe that it is not feasible to wait the time required for one or more antidepressant trials to work. For many of these patients ECT can be a dramatically effective treatment. With appropriate evaluation and monitoring, ECT can be performed with relative safety even for patients with serious concurrent medical illnesses. Serious adverse effects are rare, and cognitive consequences of ECT are generally circumscribed and of limited duration; there is no evidence of "brain damage" or permanent change in cognitive ability from ECT. After a recovery period memory function is often better than it was during the episode of depression. For patients who have been refractory to or intolerant of medication, maintenance ECT can be an effective strategy for preventing early relapse. Further research is needed, however, to clarify the optimum use of MECT schedules and pharmacotherapy combinations to most effectively and safely prevent relapse of depression in different elderly populations and to help predict who will best respond to which treatment modalities.
Microarray-based detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium transposon mutants that cannot survive in macrophages and mice

DNA microarrays provide an opportunity to combine the principles of signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) with microarray technology to identify potentially important bacterial virulence genes. The scope of DNA microarrays allows for less laborious screening on a much larger scale than possible by STM alone. We have adapted a microarray-based transposon tracking strategy for use with a Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium cDNA microarray in order to identify genes important for survival and replication in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage-like cells or in the spleens of BALB/cJ mice. A 50,000-CFU transposon library of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium strain SL1344 was serially passaged in cultured macrophages or intraperitoneally inoculated into BALB/cJ mice. The bacterial genomic DNA was isolated and processed for analysis on the microarray. The novel application of this approach to identify mutants unable to survive in cultured cells resulted in the identification of components of Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI2), which is known to be critical for intracellular survival and replication. In addition, array results indicated that a number of SPI1-associated genes, currently not associated with intracellular survival, are negatively selected. However, of the SPI1-associated mutants individually tested for intracellular survival, only a sirA mutant exhibited reduced numbers relative to those of wild-type bacteria. Of the mutants unable to survive in mice, significant proportions are either components of the SPI2 pathogenicity island or involved in lipopolysaccharide synthesis. This observation is in agreement with results obtained in the original S. enterica serovar Typhimurium STM screen, illustrating the utility of this approach for the high-throughput identification of virulence factors important for survival in the host.
School Reentry for the Child with Chronic Illness

Chronic illness affects up to 20% of children in the school-age population, 10% of whom are severely compromised. Reintegrating these children is a growing problem for schools, children and their families, and health care professionals, as it has become apparent that school adjustment is highly significant in the children's overall adjustment. This article focuses on the issues of reintegrating the chronically ill child into the school setting, the types of school problems encountered, the process of school reentry, with illustrative case material, and the implications for the school and family of returning the chronically ill child to school.
Impact of analytical variability on clinical interpretation of multiplex pneumococcal serology assays.

The response to pneumococcal vaccination can be used to assess a patient's humoral immune response to polysaccharide antigens. Multiplex assays measuring serotype-specific levels of pneumococcal antibodies are often used for this purpose, and clinical algorithms have been published to assist in the definition of an adequate immune response. We evaluated whether interlaboratory variability in multiplex pneumococcal serology assays would affect the clinical classification of the immune response. Specimens from 57 patients were analyzed at three reference laboratories with different multiplex assays to measure pneumococcal serology. Analytical correlation and clinical agreement in the classification of a patient's vaccination status by the three methods were compared. Although substantial variation in the quantitative antibody levels measured by different laboratories was seen, the qualitative classification of individual serologic results showed a high degree of agreement between labs and the ultimate classification of a patient as “protected” or “nonprotected” was the same for most patients. The majority of discordant classifications were driven by a systematic bias in results from one of the assays rather than by random error. These data suggest that the use of integrated assessments based on multiple serotypes can compensate for much of the analytical variability seen between laboratories. Knowledge of the analytical performance characteristics of a particular assay is most important when evaluating patients with results near clinical cut points.
Plasma chamber testing of APSA coupons for the SAMPIE flight experiment

Among the solar cell technologies to be tested in space as part of the Solar Array Module Plasma Interactions Experiment (SAMPIE) will be the Advanced Photovoltaic Solar Array (APSA). Several prototype twelve cell coupons were built for NASA using different blanket materials and mounting techniques. The first conforms to the baseline design for APSA which calls for the cells to be mounted on a carbon loaded Kapton blanket to control charging in GEO. When deployed, this design has a flexible blanket supported around the edges. A second coupon was built with the cells mounted on Kapton-H, which was in turn cemented to a solid aluminum substrate. A final coupon was identical to the latter but used germanium coated Kapton to control atomic oxygen attack in LEO. Ground testing of these coupons in a plasma chamber showed considerable differences in plasma current collection. The Kapton-H coupon demonstrated current collection consistent with exposed interconnects and some degree of cell snapover. The other two coupons experienced anomalously large collection currents. This behavior is believed to a consequence of enhanced plasma sheaths supported by the weakly conducting carbon and germanium used in these coupons. The results reported here are the first experimental evidence that the use of such materials can result in power losses to high voltage space power systems.
Reduced tissue factor pathway inhibitor-1 after pharmacological thrombolysis: an epiphenomenon or potential culprit in rethrombosis?

Thrombosis following plaque rupture is the proximate trigger for abrupt coronary artery occlusion and acute coronary syndromes.1,2⇓ Coronary thrombolysis was reintroduced in the early eighties as a means of recanalizing acutely occluded coronary arteries in evolving myocardial infarction, limiting myocardial damage, preserving ventricular function, and improving clinical outcomes.3–5⇓⇓ However, it was soon recognized that in addition to the risk of bleeding, thrombolysis failed to achieve robust reperfusion in 25% to 40% of patients, and reocclusion rates of 5% to 15% tended to attenuate the benefits of initial recanalization.4,6⇓ Several studies demonstrated that pharmacological thrombolysis using plasminogen activators such as streptokinase and tissue type plasminogen activator was followed by a prothrombotic state attributed variously to plasmin-induced platelet activation, exposure of clot-bound thrombin, and the prothrombotic effects of products of plasmin action.6 Thus, rethrombosis following thrombolysis was thought to contribute to both resistance to effective thrombolysis and reocclusion following initial recanalization.6 These observations provided the rationale for the concurrent use of antiplatelet (aspirin) and antithrombin (heparin) agents with thrombolytic therapy; however, despite their use, thrombolysis failure and rethrombosis/reocclusion rates remained substantial. Failure of aspirin to abolish rethrombosis has been attributed to multiple redundant non-aspirin responsive pathways for platelet activation, and failure of heparin has been attributed to resistance of matrix and clot-bound thrombin exposed after thrombolysis to inhibition by indirect thrombin inhibitors. Thus, other approaches to improving thrombolytic efficacy have included new thrombolytic agents, non-aspirin antiplatelet drugs, and …
High performance linear equation solver using NVIDIA GPUs

The solution of a linear system of equations constitutes an important part in the field of linear algebra that is widely used in industries like aerospace, aeronautics, solid mechanics, fluid dynamics, oil research and numerous others. A direct method for solving these equations is Gaussian Elimination, which consists of forward elimination and back substitution. We have tailored this method to take advantage of the massive parallelism offered by NVIDIA GPU architectures. Thorough evaluations have been performed for variants of our implementation that exploit different memory features on an NVIDIA Tesla C1060 GPU. Compared to a serial implementation on an Intel Core I7, the execution time for forward elimination on the GPU is reduced by a factor of 183X when using both global and shared memory systems, and by a factor of 185X when using only global memory.
Measuring the ultrafast dynamics of Coulomb correlation effects: Dephasing in nonequilibrium Fermi seas

We measure the dynamics of the quantum phase coherence of the wave function describing interacting electrons and holes optically excited into the continuum of a GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well. We achieve this by spectrally resolving both the transient four-wave mixing signal and the differential transmission signal arising from such interacting carriers. We observe a dynamical blue shift of the coherent four-wave mixing emission spectrum with respect to the excitation laser pulse and interpret this as a direct manifestation of the dynamic Coulomb correlation effects in this many-body system.
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy with laser irradiation resonant with vibrational transitions

An investigation of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) of polymers, both in bulk form and spin coated on Si wafers, with laser irradiation in the mid-infrared spectral region is presented. Of particular interest is whether the LIBS signals are enhanced when the laser wavelength is resonant with a fundamental vibrational transition of the polymer. Significant increases in the LIBS signals were observed for irradiation on hydride stretch fundamental transitions, and the magnitude of the enhancement showed a strong dependence on the mode excited. The role of the substrate was investigated by comparison of results for bulk and spin-coated samples. The polymers investigated were Nylon 12 and poly(vinyl alcohol-co-ethylene).
Pelagic Fishes of the Genus Eustomias, Subgenus Dinematochirus (Stomiidae), in the Indo-Pacific with the Description of Twelve New Species

Abstract Twelve new species of Eustomias (Dinematochirus) are described from the Indo-Pacific, and new specimens of Eustomias similis, a species previously known from only the holotype, are reported. All have two pectoral fin rays and relatively short barbels with pigmented stems; all but one have a branch or branches off the barbel stem. In addition, several Indo-Pacific specimens with two pectoral fin rays and very rudimentary branches off the barbel stem are informally described as forms of uncertain status. One of the new species occurs throughout the Indo-Pacific and in the southeastern Atlantic. Three others occur in both the north and south Pacific and another in equatorial waters of the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. The remainder appear to have relatively restricted ranges in the Pacific. With these new species, the genus Eustomias now includes 113 species, and the subgenus Dinematochirus 40 species plus several forms of uncertain status. Within Dinematochirus, 14 species are known only from ...
Editorial Commentary: We Are Seeing More Sepsis …. But Are We Seeing the Whole Picture?

over a similar period of time. This has been thought to be, in part, an effect of such campaigns. More work is needed to clearly define trends in sepsis incidence and outcomes to evaluate the effectiveness of such interventions. In this light, the work by Gohil and colleagues in this issue ofClinical Infectious Diseases represents an important advance in the field [6]. The authors sought to assess the potential impact of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance regarding International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9 )c oding and Medical Severity Diagnosis Related Group (MSDRG) systems on trends in sepsis. The authors included all adult patients hospitalized in the state of California over a period of 10 years. This comprehensive cohort captured the entire at-risk population, allowing for comprehensive determination of incidence and outcomes. Segmented regression analyses of timeseries data were employed to examine the temporal changes in sepsis incidence and mortality. The authors further strengthened their findings by using logistic regression analysisto identify factors independently associated with the diagnosis of sepsis as well as with mortality. Gohil and colleagues found that the incidence of sepsis increased at a rate higher than would have been predicted by baseline trends and that these increases were temporally associated with both the introduction of CMS sepsis coding guidance and the MS-DRG reimbursement change. Sepsis-related mortality, meanwhile, decreased in a similar fashion. Policy changes were independently associated with both the increase in incidence of sepsis and the decrease in mortality from sepsis. The increase in sepsis incidence was primarily driven by increases in diagnosis of severe sepsis. Additionally, the mean comorbidity score increased over time. Given the high attributable mortality associated with severe sepsis (20%–50%) [7], one would expect mortality rates to increase
ATPS-15CANNABIDIOL REDUCES GLIOMA CELLS PROLIFERATION AND VIABILITY

Phytocannabinoids exert antineoplastic activities in several types of cancers, including gliomas. However, psychotropic effects, such as dizziness and physical dependence produced by the major active ingredient of cannabis Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, limit their clinical application. Emerging evidence suggests that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component of plant cannabis, also reduces tumor growth in several glioma models; however, the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which CBD produces antitumor activities are yet to be further explored. To better understand how CBD produces antitumor actions, we studied its effects on the viability and proliferation of human GBM cell line T98G cells using cell proliferation reagents WST-1 and [3H]-thymidine incorporation assay, respectively. Multiple doses and time points were used to assess the dose response and time course of the antitumor actions produced by CBD and the DNA alkylating agent carmustine (BCNU) as comparator. Both CBD and BCNU produced a dose-dependent suppression on the viability of T98G cells. Specifically, the half maximal inhibitory concentration of CBD (IC50 = 1.55 µM) is approximately 30 times lower than BCNU (IC50 = 47.17 µM) at 72hr time point, indicating that CBD is more potent than BCNU in reducing cell viability. Both CBD and BCNU at their maximal effective dose suppressed proliferation of T98G cells in a time-dependent manner. Specifically, the inhibitory effects of CBD (1 µM) on cell viability and proliferation started at 24hr, whereas the inhibitory effects of BCNU (1mM) on cell viability and proliferation started at 4hr. The differences between the two compounds on viability and proliferation are consistent with the notion that they act through distinct mechanism of action. The strong sensitivity of T98G cells to both CBD and BCNU suggest that it is a suitable model system for the study of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of action and potential interaction of these compounds. Supported by {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"DA026430","term_id":"78765130","term_text":"DA026430"}}DA026430 (NS).
Preventing Bedbug Infestation

Bedbugs are increasingly encountered in hotels, motels, office buildings, movie theaters, and modes of transport--anywhere the turnover of occupants is constant.
SPECIATION IN HIGHER FUNGI IN RELATION TO MODERN GENERIC CONCEPTS

Since the question of narrow as contrasted to broad species concepts and narrow versus broad generic concepts is important to present day attempts to classify Hymenomycetes into a natural system, t...
Philosophy and Mathematics

In his orientation towards mathematics and in his conception of the role mathematics has to play in philosophical investigations Maimon follows in the great tradition of the seventeenth century represented by Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz, a line of thought of which Kant constitutes the last link. We have seen that Maimon reinterpreted various of Leibniz’ doctrines to suit them more to his critical bent by transforming metaphysical ideas conceived by Leibniz as transcendent entities into critical ideas, that is, as methodical principles. But in his attitude towards the place of mathematics and the role it has to play in metaphysical speculations and in epistemological investigations Maimon remained a true follower of Leibniz.
Clinical performance of CAD-CAM-fabricated complete dentures: A cross-sectional study.

Abstract Statement of problem Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacture (CAD-CAM)-fabricated complete dentures (CD) seek to address the disadvantages associated with conventional CD fabrication. However, few if any randomized clinical trials, cross-sectional, and/or retrospective analyses are available for the clinical performance of CAD-CAM-fabricated CDs. Purpose The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate clinician experience with digital CD fabrication attempted in a 2-visit protocol. The actual number of appointments required for insertion and the number of postinsertion adjustment visits, and whether the incidence of treatment complications was related to operator experience were recorded and evaluated. Material and methods Patients who had received CAD-CAM-fabricated CDs were identified from a retrospective chart review. The number of appointments needed to insert digital CDs in attempting the 2-visit fabrication protocol marketed by the company, the number of postinsertion adjustments, and the reported complications were counted. There was no control group for comparative purposes used in this study. Whether the experience level of the operator influenced the frequency of a complication, the number of appointments needed to insert the definitive prostheses, and the number of postinsertion visits was determined by using an analysis of variance assessed at the 95% confidence level (α=.05). The frequency of a complication at each of the levels of operator experience was analyzed using the Exact Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test. Results Of the 48 rehabilitated participants, 24 participants were treated at the predoctoral level and 24 were treated at the graduate prosthodontics resident level. A total of 31 participants satisfied the true 2-visit fabrication protocol, and the remaining 17 participants required additional clinical visits because of complications on the day of insertion. The CD prostheses of 5 participants from the sample population required remaking using the conventional method. The mean number of postinsertion adjustment visits was 2.08. Of the 90 arches completed, 22 prostheses could not be inserted at the second appointment. Conclusions The mean number of appointments needed to insert the prostheses in both groups was 2.39 visits--not 2 as claimed by the company. The most common types of complications observed were lack of denture retention, inaccurate occlusal vertical dimension, and incorrect centric relation.
Surveillance for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and evaluation of immunization effect in Gao 'an,Jiangxi,2005-2012

Objective To understand the incidence trend and epidemiological characteristics of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome( HFRS) in Gao'an county,Jiangxi province,from 2005 to 2012 and provide evidence for the development of HFRS prevention and control strategies. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the incidence data of HFRS during this period,which were collected from national disease reporting information system,and the host surveillance data. Rats were captured by using traps. The Hantaan virus carriage in rats was detected by using immunofluorescent assay and the serum Hantaan virus antibodies in rats were detected by using ELISA. Results From 2005 to 2012,a total of 584 HFRS cases were reported including 30 deaths. The average annual incidence rate was 8. 65 / lakh,the mortality was 0. 44 / lakh and the case fatality rate was 5. 14%. The annual incidence was relatively stable with two peaks during a year. Most cases were adults,and the majority of them were farmers. The incidence rate in males was higher than that in females( χ2= 67. 42, P = 0. 00). The antibody positive rate in healthy population was 29. 26% after supplementary HFRS immunization( 2009-2012),which was significantly higher than that before HFRS immunization( 2005-2008). The average density of rat was 2. 54%,but it increased significantly in 2012. The major indoor host was Rattus norvegicus,while the major outdoor host was Rattus losea. The average index of rat with virus was 0. 0198 and increased significantly during 2011-2012. Conclusion The risk of HFRS in Gao 'an increased significantly from 2011 to 2012. It is suggested to conduct supplement HFRS immunization and evaluate the effect of HFRS immunization.
Soft-switching converters

Switch-mode power converters are used in a wide variety of applications. In most applications, it is desirable to design high-frequency switching power converters to increase their power density. However, the switching losses are increased by increasing the frequency. Moreover, large dv/dt and di/dt produce electromagnetic interference. To minimize the problems associated with the high-switching frequencies of power converters, several soft-switching techniques have been developed. In this chapter, these techniques will be reviewed.
Material transmission loss modeling for indoor propagation modeling

Effective frequency spectrum utilization techniques are required to cope with wireless broadband traffic growth. We are studying a method to minimize mutual radio wave interference by coordinating wireless home network access points (APs). For controlling the radio wave reaching range to reduce interference to neighboring terminals or APs, precisely estimation techniques of range is important. A commonly used method to estimate radio wave reaching ranges is site surveys where the user or operator measures propagation characteristics. However, the problem of this method is that a large burden is placed on the user because it is necessary to densely collect the radio data over the entire area to precisely estimate radio wave reaching ranges, especially in complicated indoor radio propagation environments where there is considerable propagation variability. In addition, it is difficult to collect all the radio data in the users' area with the private wireless systems whose APs are freely put by users such as wireless LANs (WLANs), so it is necessary to estimate the users' indoor propagation environment by using radio data from users' daily lives through the network. We therefore propose a method that uses sparse data to estimate material parameters for precisely modeling indoor radio propagation. Experimental evaluations demonstrated it decreased the number of data items needing to be collected.
Big Data for condition evaluation of constructed bridges

Abstract This paper presents Big Data analytics on the condition evaluation of highway bridges in the United States. A large dataset comprising 1,002,172 bridge decks and superstructures is constructed, based on the National Bridge Inventory (NBI), and categorized into four service zones as specified in the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Bridge Design Specifications. The condition rating of the bridge members is examined statistically and probabilistically, in conjunction with the effect of traffic and environment (i.e., temperature and precipitation). The statistical characterization of the members indicates that concrete-based superstructures are predominant in Zones 1, 2, and 3 (79%, 72%, 85%, respectively), whereas steel- and timber-based superstructures account for 51% and 21% in Zone 4, respectively. The bridges in Zones 1 and 3 are subjected to significantly high traffic-induced loading relative to those in Zones 2 and 4. Thermal loading is noticeable in Zones 1 and 4. The deterioration of bridge decks rapidly develops at the bridges’ early service life, and stabilizes with time owing to maintenance and repair efforts. According to a two-factor analysis of variance, adequate selection of structural types dependent upon service environments enhances the performance and longevity of constructed bridges. The likelihood of deterioration of bridges constructed in Zones 1 and 3 is higher than that of the bridges in Zones 2 and 4.
Neuropsychological Perspectives on Insanity

A prevailing current, with most unsettling consequences for insanity and the Law, emanates today from neuropsychological laboratories. Today’s current updates the nineteenth-century alienists’ claims that responsibility would give way to disease, that conventional morality would be superseded by natural law, and that Law itself would be replaced by Medicine. A century ago, the best legal minds gave the alienists’ claims careful consideration. When Henry Maudsley wrote, J. F. Stephen read. And Maudsley (1876) wrote that it is certain, however, that lunatics and criminals are as much manufactured articles as are steam-engines and calico-printing machines … They are neither accidents nor anomalies in the universe, but come by law and testify to causality.… (p. 28)
Survival of an Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans quorum sensing luxS mutant in the mouths of Rhesus monkeys: Insights into Ecological Adaptation.

Experiments were designed to explore a prominent autoinducer-2 (AI-2) producing gene (luxS) related to colonization and survival of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, a low abundance member of the indigenous flora, that forms a key component of the dysbiotic flora in localized aggressive periodontitis. The luxS gene was disrupted in a primate strain of A. actinomycetemcomitans before implantation into the oral cavity of Rhesus monkeys (Rh). The colonization efficiency of the luxS mutant (RhAa-VS4) was compared with the parental wild-type strain (RhAa3) (positive control) and a ltxA mutant (RhAa-VS2) (negative control). The in vivo results showed that the luxS mutation had minimal impact on A. actinomycetemcomitans colonization compared with the wild-type RhAa3 strain. In vitro studies revealed that there was a significant upregulation of attachment-related genes aae, apiA, and flp in the RhAa-VS4 strain compared with RhAa3. Biofilm forming ability was also significantly increased in the RhAa-VS4 strain compared with RhAa3, whereas the AI-2 signal was ablated. The exogenous addition of the AI-2 precursor dihydroxy pentanedione allowed the RhAa-VS4 strain to achieve RhAa3 biofilm levels. This is the first primate study to test the relevance of LuxS in vivo. In vitro assessment suggests that in vivo survival of the RhAa-VS4 strain was due to the production of signaling AI-2 molecules derived from other members of the flora as well as the upregulation of genes related to attachment and biofilm formation.
Role of estrogen receptor signaling in skeletal response to leptin in female ob/ob mice.

Leptin, critical in regulation of energy metabolism, is also important for normal bone growth, maturation and turnover. Compared to wild type (WT) mice, bone mass is lower in leptin-deficient ob/ob mice. Osteopenia in growing ob/ob mice is due to decreased bone accrual, and is associated with reduced longitudinal bone growth, impaired cancellous bone maturation and increased marrow adipose tissue (MAT). However, leptin deficiency also results in gonadal dysfunction, disrupting production of gonadal hormones which regulate bone growth and turnover. The present study evaluated the role of increased estrogen in mediating the effects of leptin on bone in ob/ob mice. Three-month-old female ob/ob mice were randomized into one of the 3 groups: (1) ob/ob + vehicle (veh), (2) ob/ob + leptin (leptin) or (3) ob/ob + leptin and the potent estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780 (leptin + ICI). Age-matched WT mice received vehicle. Leptin (40 µg/mouse, daily) and ICI (10 µg/mouse, 2×/week) were administered by subcutaneous injection for 1 month and bone analyzed by X-ray absorptiometry, microcomputed tomography and static and dynamic histomorphometry. Uterine weight did not differ between ob/ob mice and ob/ob mice receiving leptin + ICI, indicating that ICI successfully blocked the uterine response to leptin-induced increases in estrogen levels. Compared to leptin-treated ob/ob mice, ob/ob mice receiving leptin + ICI had lower uterine weight; did not differ in weight loss, MAT or bone formation rate; and had higher longitudinal bone growth rate and cancellous bone volume fraction. We conclude that increased estrogen signaling following leptin treatment is dispensable for the positive actions of leptin on bone and may attenuate leptin-induced bone growth.
Hot corrosion behavior of ZrB2-HfB2 solid solutions in KCl and K2SO4 at 1500 °C

Abstract Novel electrode coating materials are needed for coal-fired magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) direct-current extraction power plants. Addition of potassium salt to increase the conductivity of coal plasma combined with high temperature render the service conditions extremely arduous. Therefore, the electrode coating materials must possess certain properties including high-temperature corrosion resistance, high-temperature oxidation resistance, and adequate electrical conductivity. In this work, those very properties of three different compositions of transition metal diboride solid solutions of HfB2-ZrB2 are studied. Two main approaches of oxidation mitigation methods were employed: adding chemical dopants, such as Hf and La, and performing pre-anodization on the samples to create a protective oxide coating. Thermogravimetric experiments were run at different partial pressures of oxygen to determine the high-temperature oxidation resistance of these boride ceramics. In addition, two different salt coatings (KCl and K2SO4) were applied to the surface of the samples to test their hot corrosion resistance. High-temperature polarization resistance tests were also conducted to measure the electrical resistivity. The addition of lanthanum aided in long term oxidation and corrosion protection, with a parabolic rate constant, Kp = 1.33 × 10−5 kg2/m4 s, a 40% improvement over the sample without the addition of lanthanum under the same conditions. Anodization, however, proved disadvantageous when combined with either lanthanum or a corrosive environment.
Small scale volume formulation based on coupled thermo-mechanical gradient enhanced plasticity theory

Abstract A coupled thermo-mechanical gradient enhanced continuum plasticity theory is developed within the thermodynamically consistent framework in this work and the corresponding two-dimensional finite element implementation is carried out to examine the micro-mechanical and thermal characteristics of small-scale metallic volumes. The proposed model is conceptually based on the dislocations interaction mechanisms and thermal activation energy. The thermodynamic conjugate microstresses are decomposed into dissipative and energetic components, correspondingly, the dissipative and energetic length scales are incorporated in the proposed model and an additional length scale related to the geometrically necessary dislocations-induced strengthening is also included. Not only the partial heat dissipation caused by the fast transient time, but also the distribution of temperature caused by the transition from the plastic work to the heat, are included into the coupled thermo-mechanical model by deriving a generalized heat equation. The derived constitutive framework and two-dimensional finite element model are validated through the comparison with the experimental observations conducted on micro-scale thin films. The proposed enhanced model is examined by solving the simple shear problem and the square plate problem respectively to explore the thermo-mechanical characteristics of small-scale metallic materials. Finally, some significant conclusions are presented.
Internet-Based Digital Simulation for Cleft Surgery Education: A 5-Year Assessment of Demographics, Usage, and Global Effect

Background In October 2012, a freely available, internet-based cleft simulator was created in partnership between academic, nonprofit, and industry sectors. The purpose of this educational resource was to address global disparities in cleft surgery education. This report assesses demographics, usage, and global effect of our simulator, in its fifth year since inception. Objective Evaluate the global effect, usage, and demographics of an internet-based educational digital simulation cleft surgery software. Setting and Participants Simulator modules, available in five languages demonstrate surgical anatomy, markings, detailed procedures, and intraoperative footage to supplement digital animation. Available data regarding number of users, sessions, countries reached, and content access were recorded. Surveys evaluating the demographic characteristics of registered users and simulator use were collected by direct e-mail. Results The total number of simulator new and active users reached 2865 and 4086 in June 2017, respectively. By June 2017, users from 136 countries had accessed the simulator. From 2015 to 2017, the number of sessions was 11,176 with a monthly average of 399.0 ± 190.0. Developing countries accounted for 35% of sessions and the average session duration was 9.0 ± 7.3 minutes. This yields a total simulator screen time of 100,584 minutes (1676 hours). Most survey respondents were surgeons or trainees (87%) specializing in plastic, maxillofacial, or general surgery (89%). Most users found the simulator to be useful (88%), at least equivalent or more useful than other resources (83%), and used it for teaching (58%). Conclusions Our internet-based interactive cleft surgery platform reaches its intended target audience, is not restricted by socioeconomic barriers to access, and is judged to be useful by surgeons. More than 4000 active users have been reached since inception. The total screen time over approximately 2 years exceeded 1600 hours. This suggests that future surgical simulators of this kind may be sustainable by stakeholders interested in reaching this target audience.
Keyless Authentication and Authenticated Capacity

We consider the problem of keyless message authentication over noisy channels in the presence of an active adversary. Different from the existing models, in our model, the legitimate users do not have any pre-shared key for authentication. Instead, we use the noisy channel connecting the legitimate users for authentication. The main idea is to utilize the noisy channel connecting the legitimate users to distinguish a legitimate message from a fake message, by generating an output at the receiver that is difficult for the adversary to replicate through its noisy channel. By interpreting the message authentication as a hypothesis testing problem, we investigate the authentication exponent and the authenticated channel capacity of the noisy channel. In the authentication exponent problem, for a given message rate, we investigate the speed at which the optimal successful attack probability can be driven to zero. We fully characterize the authentication exponent for the zero-rate message case and provide both an upper bound and a lower bound on the exponent for the non-zero message rate case. In the authenticated capacity problem, we study the largest data transmission rate under which the attacker’s optimal successful attack probability can still be made arbitrarily small. We establish an all or nothing result. In particular, we show that the authenticated channel capacity is the same as the classic channel capacity if a simulatability condition is not satisfied, while the authenticated capacity will be zero if this condition is satisfied. We also provide efficient algorithms to check this condition. We further show that our results are robust to modeling uncertainties about the eavesdropper’s channels.
Pilot- plant study for the photocatalytic/electrochemical degradation of Rhodamine B

Abstract The combined photocatalytic/electrochemical breakdown performance of Rhodamine B dye in DI water and Na-based electrolytes was investigated in a 10 L semi-pilot flow reactor fitted with a Pd-doped TiO2/Ti anode and a photocatalytic TiO2 ceramized fabric sleeve. The combined photocatalytic/electrochemical degradation performance was evaluated in Na2CO3, (Na2CO3 + NaCl), NaHCO3, and Na2SO4 supporting electrolytes, and compared with that obtained by the electrochemical and photocatalytic processes alone. It was found that electrolytes containing CO32− and HCO3− ions impair the photocatalytic performance of the TiO2 ceramized fabric, whereas the Na2SO4 supporting electrolyte does not, thus allowing a synergetic action of the electrochemical and photocatalytic Rhodamine B degradation processes. Over three hours, 80% degradation efficiency was obtained in a NaHCO3 supporting electrolyte, while nearly 100% degradation efficiency was obtained in a Na2SO4 supporting electrolyte. Under the electrochemical regime of this work (5 VDC cell potential and 3.2 A cell current), Rhodamine B degradation was exceedingly fast (∼100% in 1 h) in NaCl-containing electrolyte owing to electrochemical chlorination of the solution. Kinetics and process-related costs are also briefly discussed.
Isolated Tearing and Avulsion of the Distal Biceps Femoris Tendon During Sporting Activities: A Systematic Review:

Background:Isolated tearing and avulsions of the distal biceps femoris sustained during sporting activities are uncommon.Purpose:To systematically review the literature to identify distal biceps fe...
Optimizing collective communication on multicores

As the gap in performance between the processors and the memory systems continue to grow, the communication component of an application will dictate the overall application performance and scalability. Therefore it is useful to abstract common communication operations across cores as collective communication operations and tune them through a runtime library that can employ sophisticated automatic tuning techniques. Our focus of this paper is on collective communication in Partitioned Global Address Space languages which are a natural extension of the shared memory hardware of modern multicore systems. In particular we highlight how automatic tuning can lead to significant performance improvements and show how loosening the synchronization semantics of a collective can lead to a more efficient use of the memory system. We demonstrate that loosely synchronized collectives can realize consistent 3× speedups over their strictly synchronized counterparts on the highly threaded Sun Niagara2 for message sizes ranging from 8 bytes to 64kB. We thus argue that the synchronization requirements for a collective must be exposed in the interface so the collective and the synchronization can be optimized together.
Improving web accessibility for older adults based on error detection strategies

This research examines error detection strategies as a method for ensuring effective World Wide Web accessibility for older adults. It evaluates the underpinnings of web accessibility and their relevance to error detection strategies for the support of older adults. The research provides a contextual definition of computer systems and an account of how error detection relates to accessibility. The Error Detection System strategies focused on developing profiles of the participants. The profiles (self-assessment, testing, observation, and error detection) were used to modify webpages that the participant accessed. This research compares the performance of each profile, using a task list and error collection from the Error Detection System. Different error detection strategies that may be employed are presented, as well as their potential in the development of error detection strategies.
Molecular properties of insulin/IGF-1 hybrid receptors. 4th International Symposium on Insulin, IGFs and their Receptors.

Insulin and IGF-1 are two highly related growth factors which mediate pleiotropic cellular responses1–3. These hormones regulate their specific actions via binding to specific high affinity receptors on the plasma membrane of target cells. Similar to these growth factors, the receptors for insulin and IGF-1 share a high degree of structural and functional properties4–7. Both these receptors are classified as Type I receptors being composed of two a subunits and two β subunits which are disulfide-linked into an α2β2 heterotetrameric complex (Figure 1). The receptor subunits are initially synthesized as αβ polypeptide fusion precursor proteins which undergoes extensive co-and post-translational modifications8–12. The receptor Mr 155,000 αβ precursors undergoe co-translational acylation and Asn-linked glycosylation. As the precursor is processed from the endoplasmic reticulum through the trans-Golgi network, intramolecular disulfide bonds are formed linking the a subunit to the β subunit. During this time frame, two αβ fusion precursors non-covalently dimerize followed by proteolytic cleavage at a furin-like tetrabasic sequence which separates the a subunit from the β subunit. Finally, the dimerized αβ half-receptors become disulfide-linked through the a subunits coincident with the addition of terminal sialic acid residues and exposure of the native α2β2 heterotetrameric receptor on the cell surface membrane.
Selected Contrast Studies: Portal Venography and Cerebral Angiography

Portography is the most commonly used technique for demonstrating portal venous anatomy and abnormal communications between the portal and systemic venous systems. This article reviews normal anatomy, anomalies, and radiology of the portal venous system. Also included is a discussion of cerebral angiography, which is mainly used in the diagnosis of space-occupying lesions of the brain.
From Jussieu to Candolle

Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu was born in Lyon in 1748. At the age of sixteen, he was summoned to Paris by his uncle, Bernard de Jussieu, and given careful medical and botanical training. In 1770, at twenty-two, he embarked upon a professorship of botany at the Jardin du roi that he would hold until 1826. Nepotism, certainly, but no one has ever suggested that he had been ill-prepared for the post, and his subsequent achievements were virtually beyond praise.