cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulation of gene expression by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in bone cells: exploiting new approaches and defining new mechanisms

The biological actions of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) serve both to orchestrate calcium and phosphorus homeostasis in higher vertebrates and to regulate a diverse set of cellular functions unrelated to control of mineral metabolism. With regard to bone, mesenchymal lineage cells, including both early and late osteoblasts as well as osteocytes represent classic targets of the vitamin D hormone. Accordingly, much of the early information regarding our current understanding of the mechanism of action of 1,25(OH)2D3, of which gene regulation is central, derives from a broad array of studies in these cell types. Indeed, a gene that provided both the earliest and perhaps the most extensive information regarding this and additional mechanisms was that of osteoblast-specific osteocalcin. Subsequent work has provided much additional detail as to how 1,25(OH)2D3, through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), mediates the modulation of many bone cell genes. In recent years, however, a series of technical advances involving the coupling of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) to unbiased methodologies that involve next-generation DNA sequencing techniques (ChIP-seq) have opened new avenues in the study of gene regulation. In this review, we summarize early work and then focus on more recent studies that have used ChIP-seq analysis and other approaches to provide insight into not only the regulation of specific genes such as the VDR, TNFSF11 (RANKL), LRP5, CBS and CYP24a1, but overarching genome-wide principles of gene regulation as well. The results of these studies highlight the value of these new approaches and the increased insight that can be gained.
Distributed cognition in the heart room: how situation awareness arises from coordinated communications during cardiac surgery.

Abstract To help ensure successful outcomes of open-heart surgery, surgeon and perfusionist must coordinate their activities during management of cardioplegia. This research aims to understand the basis for this coordination. We employed the framework of distributed cognition and the methodology of cognitive ethnography to describe how cognitive resources are configured and utilized to accomplish successful cardioplegia management. Analysis identified six types of surgeon–perfusionist verbal exchange which collectively enable robust system performance through (a) making the current situation clear and mutually understood; (b) making goals and envisioned future situations clear and thereby anticipated; and (c) expanding upon the activity system’s knowledge base through discovery and sharing of experience. We argue for the “activity system” as the appropriate unit of analysis, and distributed cognition as a powerful theoretical framework for studying the socio-technical work of health care.
Effect of thyroidectomy and thyroxine on 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced immunotoxicity.

Abstract Radiothyroidectomy protected against 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD_-induced immunotoxicity in rats as assessed by the spleen anti-SRBC plaque-forming cell assay. Thyroxine (T 4 ) replacement therapy partially reversed the effects of thyroidectomy on T 4 and triiodothyronine (T 3 ) serum levels, body weight and immune function as well as restored TCDD-induced immunotoxicity. Thus, hypothyroidism induced by TCDD exposure can be viewed as a protective response of the organism to reduce the insult caused by TCDD.
Novel Circuit for a Stable Variable Frequency Oscillator

In the past, quartz crystals have been used extensively to control single frequencies. This paper describes a circuit where a quartz crystal exercises considerable control over a continuously variable frequency spectrum. The circuit is characterized by multiloop feedback, which enables oscillation to be maintained at three frequencies, with the corresponding voltages confined to certain branches of the circuit and coupled to each other through three mixers. The frequencies of oscillation, to be called f1, f2, and f3, are determined by zero phase shift conditions in the feedback loops and by one frequency condition, f1+f2 = f3. The frequency f3 is restricted by a quartz crystal resonator, whereas the frequencies f1 and f2 are tunable in such a manner, that as f1increases, f2 decreases and vice versa. The LC resonators which control f1 and f2 drift in the same direction when the ambient conditions change. Such a drift cannot influence f1 and f2, since the latter can change only when the LC resonators shift in the opposite direction. The presence of a quartz crystal in the feedback loop also improves the phase stability of the circuit. An experimental model has been tested, and shows a thirty to hundredfold reduction of the frequency drift with temperature, excellent short and long term stability and a remarkably small initial frequency drift with switching on.
Transport equations in heavily doped silicon, and the current gain of a bipolar transistor

Abstract The Fermi level and effective density of states are calculated for heavily doped silicon, using methods similar to those of Kleppinger and Lindholm and Van Overstraeten et al. For the case in which Boltzmann statistics can be applied to both types of carriers, modified transport equations are obtained in terms of two “heavy doping parameters,” which measure the magnitude and skewness of the effective forbidden band. These results are applied to the calculation of the d.c. current gain of a diffused bipolar transistor. We obtain reasonable current gain values without employing short carrier lifetimes, and our numerically calculated dependence of the current gain on injection level is reasonable. However, the quantitative accuracy of our calculations is limited by several factors.
Application of thermospray liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry to the simultaneous quantification of tracer concentrations of isotopically labelled carbamazepine epoxide and steady-state levels of carbamazepine and carbamazepine epoxide

Abstract A thermospray high-performance liquid chromatography—mass spectrometry method for the separation and quantification of tracer concentrations of isotopically labelled carbamazepine epoxide ([15N, 13C]CBZE) in the presence of steady-state levels of the anticonvulsant carbamazepine (CBZ) and its epoxide metabolite (CBZE) has been developed. The technique does not require derivatization, demonstrates little or no thermal degradation of the analytes, provides increased specificity not available from conventional high-performance liquid chromatography, and has a detection limit of 500 pg for CBZE on-column. The methosd, incorporating d4-CBZ and d4-CBZE as internal standards, allows precise and accurate determination of the analytes with good reproductivity and stability.
Customer relationship management for facility managers

Customer relationship management (CRM) means developing a comprehensive picture of customer needs, expectations and behaviours and managing those factors to affect business performance. In the facilities management (FM) world, CRM means looking at the FM function as a customer‐intensive business function instead of merely a facilities services cost centre. And the management part implies an active rather than passive role by the FM in influencing the customer's perception of service success. Finding and closing gaps between customer expectations and service delivery realities becomes the basis for CRM in the FM world. These gaps typically occur in the area of the ‘3 Rs’ — resources, response and respect. Key areas of knowledge and skills covered in this paper include: defining CRM and distinguishing it from customer service; understanding the true measure of service success; uncovering the main impediment to service success and the main source of customer dissatisfaction; discovering and defining resource, response and respect gaps between customer expectations and service delivery realities; revealing unsatisfactory results of gaps; pinpointing strategies to close resource, response and respect gaps between customer expectations and service delivery realities; reliably saying ‘yes’ to every single constructive customer request – never say ‘no’ again.
An Optical Fiber ${\rm H}_{2}{\rm O}_{2}$ -Sensing Probe Using a Titanium(IV) Oxyacetylacetonate Immobilized Nafion Coating on an Bent Optical Fiber Probe

An optical fiber sensor technique has been developed for monitoring trace H2O2 in aqueous solutions. A titanium(IV) oxyacetylacetonate doped Nafion coating on the surface of a bent optical fiber probe was used as a transducer. Trace H2O2 in an aqueous solution diffused into the polymer coating reacts with the sensing agent. The resulted product absorbs light with peak absorption wavelength at 360 nm, which is detected by using optical fiber evanescent wave absorption spectrometry. This sensor reversibly responses to trace H2O2 in water, and has a detection limit (3σ) of 7.4*10-8 mole H2O2/L. This fiber-optic sensor is immune of interferences from electromagnetic field which makes it useful in proton exchange membrane fuel cell researches.
Hepatic gene therapy: adenovirus enhancement of receptor-mediated gene delivery and expression in primary hepatocytes.

Abstract We have combined a receptor-mediated DNA delivery system with the endosomal lysis ability of adenovirus and shown that DNA can be delivered into primary hepatocytes, resulting in a high level of gene expression. When asialoorosomucoid conjugated with poly(L-lysine) was used to deliver the Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase gene into primary hepatocytes through binding with the hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor, only a low level of beta-galactosidase was detectable, with less than 0.1% of the hepatocytes being transfected. This level of activity can be greatly enhanced by the cointernalization of the DNA.protein complex with a replication-defective adenovirus, resulting in 100% of the hepatocytes staining blue with 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl beta-D-galactoside. Quantitative analysis of beta-galactosidase expression also showed a 1000-fold enhancement of activity. To test the applicability of this DNA delivery system for the correction of phenylketonuria, a metabolic disorder that causes severe mental retardation in children, we have delivered the human phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene to hepatocytes derived from a PAH-deficient mouse strain and demonstrated complete reconstitution of enzymatic activity. This method shows great promise for efficient gene delivery to the liver for correction of hepatic disorders.
The effect of weathering on bird bone survivorship in modern and fossil saline-alkaline lake environments

A modern Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) assemblage was collected along the shoreline of Lake Emakat, a saline-alkaline lake in northern Tanzania. Taphonomic analysis found the assemblage to be heavily weathered. This is likely due to the bone's heightened exposure to solar radiation and corrosive soil and water chemistries, as is expected to occur in such depositional environments.Analysis found that deep, wide, longitudinal cracks penetrate the medullar cavities of both weathered and unweathered long bones. The cause and taphonomic consequence of these cracks are addressed here, using data from Lake Emakat and from controlled studies. Results support repeated (episodic) submersion, followed by drying, as the causal mechanism behind these wet-dry cracks. Mineral salt uptake by bone may explain the early appearance and prevalence of these cracks in saline-alkaline lake settings, as compared to other depositional settings.The rate of weathering and incidence of wet-dry cracking varies significantly across limb elements. This difference correlates to element specific resistance properties to external loading forces. Heavy weathering weakens the structural integrity of bone and can accelerate its fragmentation. This can lead to bird bone loss in nearshore and ephemeral wetland settings, which may then affect resulting skeletal part, diversity, and richness profiles. Heavy weathering can therefore obscure important taphonomic and paleoecological information.The weathering data collected here are then applied to a fossil bird assemblage from the FLK Complex, (late Pliocene), Olduvai Gorge, in Tanzania. Results provide evidence for the effect of weathering on paleoecological and behavioral interpretations. Weathering should be considered when analyzing fossil bird assemblages.
Push-Pull Optical Pumping of Pure Superposition States

A new optical pumping method, "push-pull pumping," can produce very nearly pure, coherent superposition states between the initial and the final sublevels of the important field-independent 0-0 clock resonance of alkali-metal atoms. The key requirement for push-pull pumping is the use of D1 resonant light which alternates between left and right circular polarization at the Bohr frequency of the state. The new pumping method works for a wide range of conditions, including atomic beams with almost no collisions, and atoms in buffer gases with pressures of many atmospheres.
Black Vine Weevil Larval Damage to Concord Grape Roots at Different Population Densities

Adults and eggs of Brachyrhinus sulcatus (F.) were introduced into screened cages containing Concord grape plants. Eleven adults per cage produced complete defoliation and nearly complete fruit loss in the first season. The threshold of economic loss was 1–3 adults per plant per season. An index was developed for estimating root injury caused by larval feeding. Larvae fed first on phloem tissue producing girdled roots. The xylem was intact except in cases of severe injury. Vigor and fruitfulness over a 3-year period were not significantly affected by root injury.
Parental Views of and Experience with Michigan's Graduated Licensing Program

In 1997, Michigan became the first jurisdiction to enact a Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program that required certification by a responsible adult that a young driver had received extended (at least 50 hours) supervised practice. A minimum of 10 hours of practice had to be at night. Such extended supervised practice is a critical component of an effective GDL program, but the requirement also posed a major barrier to enactment of the authorizing legislation. Policy makers were reluctant to place such requirements on parents. This report describes results from a survey of parents of young drivers who had completed the supervised driving requirement. On the whole, parents were extremely positive about the new program, reporting an average of 75 hours of supervised driving. Based on these findings, it does not appear that the imposition of a requirement for extended supervised practice should discourage legislators from including it in graduated licensing programs.
Comparison of Images of the Marmousi model for ray‐tracing based Kirchhoff migration using single‐ and multiple‐valued travel‐times, amplitudes, and KMAH phases

This paper is the continuation of our investigation of ray-based Kirchhoff migration. Previously, we have introduce a geometrical approach for calculating ray amplitudes during wavefront construction ray tracing. We have demonstrated (Fehler et al., 2002; Alde et al., 2002) the reliability of this method to calculate wavefronts, amplitudes, and phases using comparisions with full wavefield finite-difference calculations. In this paper we qualitatively investigate the dependence of the image quality as a function of the number and type of arrivals used in the image and the inclusion of amplitudes and phases in the image.
The making of a prosthodontist: advanced prosthodontic education at the University of Southern California.

F or a system of education to be successful, it must be appropriate to the needs of that civilization. A superb example is the era from 1860 to 1917 which has been termed the “creative” period in higher education-a period in which great progress was made because the development of new patterns and processes in education proceeded at the same pace as the civilization and was appropriate to the new social order. We, as educators, must be cognizant of today’s realities and tomorrow’s needs so that we may provide an enlightened and progressive environment for learning. If we become stagnant and teach the concept of “what was good enough for our fathers, is good enough for us,” we are holding back the clock. Prepaid health insurance programs are here, group practice is on the rise, the use of expanded-duties auxiliaries seems certain, and peer review and quality control committees are already functioning in some states. l Some educators believe that as a result of these changes, the dentist who engages in general practice will assume more of the responsibility that previously has been delegated to the specialist and, in the future, the number of dental specialists will decrease.2 We are all aware of the hazards of overspecialization. One needs only to be reminded of the overspecialized group of engineers who were involved in our space program in the 1960’s. Some of these people are today pumping gasoline or driving taxicabs. Still others are sitting unproductively on their front porches remembering “the good old days.” For prosthodontics to survive as a specialty, I believe that it should not be fragmented into areas such as fixed prosthodontics or removable prosthodontics. In 1969, the Federation of Prosthodontic Organizations3 published its “Guidelines for Advanced Prosthodontic Education.” It was stated that a program should include instruction in all branches of prosthodontics-complete and removable partial denture prosthodontics, fixed prosthodontics, and maxillofacial prosthodontics. The
Medium Evaluation and Plastic Composite Support Ingredient Selection for Biofilm Formation and Succinic Acid Production by Actinobacillus succinogenes

Succinic acid production medium for Actinobacillus succinogenes was simplified. Vitamins and fatty acids were removed from the medium and industrial quality yeast extract was substituted to yield revised succinic acid medium. Customized plastic composite support (PCS) blends were screened for biofilm and succinic acid production. Twenty different PCS blends with and without mineral salt additions were evaluated in twenty simulated repeated-batch fermentations using MgCO3 for pH control and CO2 supply. Succinic acid concentrations, percentage yield succinic acid, and biofilm formation for each PCS blend were determined. No correlation was observed for biofilm formation and succinic acid production. The selected customized PCS blend for A. succinogenes succinic acid production consisted of 50% (wt/wt) polypropylene, 35% (wt/wt) dried ground soybean hulls, 5% (wt/wt) dried bovine albumin, 2.5% (wt/wt) soybean flour, 2.5% (wt/wt) yeast extract, 2.5% (wt/wt) dried red blood cells, and 2.5% (wt/wt) peptone, whi...
Assessment of the effects of space debris and meteoroids environment on the space station solar array assembly

The methodology used to assess the probability of no impact of space debris and meteoroids on a spacecraft structure is applied to the space station solar cell array assembly. Starting with space debris and meteoroid flux models, the: (i) projected surface area of the solar cell string circuit of the solar array panel and the mast longeron; (ii) the design lifetime; and (iii) the probability of no impact on the solar mast and solar cell string circuits are determined as a function of particle size. The probability of no impact on the cell string circuits is used to derive the probability of no open-circuit panel. The probability of meeting a certain power requirement at the end of the design lifetime is then calculated as a function of impacting particle size. Coupled with a penetration and damage model correlation that relates the particle size to penetration depth and damage, the results of this analysis can be used to determine the probability of meeting the power requirements, given a degree of redundancy. >
COADMINISTERED PENTOBARBITAL ANESTHESIA POSTPONES BUT DOES NOT BLOCK THE MOTOR AND SLEEP EEG RESPONSES TO MK-801

In previous studies with Sprague-Dawley rats, we demonstrated that NMDA channel blockade during waking massively stimulates the delta (1-4 Hz) EEG of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. However, non-competitive channel blockers also produce neurotoxicity that is manifested by posterior cingulate vacuolization and heat shock protein production. These neurotoxic effects can be blocked by coadministering gabaergic drugs, including barbiturates and benzodiazepines, with the MK-801. To determine whether delta stimulation by MK-801 would be similarly blocked, we administered an anesthetic dose (40 mg/kg) of pentobarbital followed immediately by 0.3 mg/kg of MK-801. Neither the MK-801 motor syndrome nor the NREM delta stimulation was blocked. When the rats recovered from nearly two hours of barbiturate anesthesia, they behaved as though they had just received the MK-801 injection, exhibiting the typical motor syndrome, spikes in the waking EEG and strong stimulation of NREM delta EEG. These findings support our previous evidence that NREM delta stimulation by NMDA channel blockade does not depend on toxic brain changes. They also raise interesting questions regarding the fate of MK-801 during pentobarbital anesthesia. We propose that the drug is not metabolized during the period of anesthesia because it is sequestered within the NMDA cation channel. However, neurons do not respond to the channel block because they have been rendered inert by the anesthesia. When the neurons emerge from anesthesia, the cascade of MK-801 events unfolds. This and other possible explanations can be tested experimentally. Establishing the fate of MK-801 during barbiturate anesthesia could shed new light on the cellular processing of non-competitive NMDA channel blockers.
Flavor and oxidative stability of continuously hydrogenated soybean oils

Soybean oil was partially hydrogenated in a continuous system with copper and nickel catalysts. The hydrogenated products were evaluated for flavor and oxidative stability. Processing conditions were varied to produce oils of linolenate contents between 0.4 and 2.7%, as follows: oil flow, 0.6–2.2 liters/hr; reaction temperature, 180–220 C; hydrogen pressure, 100–525 psig, and catalyst concentration, 0.5–1% copper catalyst or 0.1% nickel catalyst.Trans unsaturation varied from 8 to 20% with copper catalyst and from 15.0 to 27% with nickel catalyst. Linolenate selectivity was 9 with copper catalyst and 2 with nickel catalyst. Flavor evaluation of finished oils containing 0.01% citric acid (CA), appraised initially and after accelerated storage at 60 C, showed no significant difference between hydrogenated oils and nonhydrogenated oil. However, peroxide values and oxidative stability showed that hydrogenated oils were more stable than the unhydrogenated oil. CA+TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone) significantly improved the oxidative stability of test oils over oils with CA only, but flavor scores showed no improvement. Dimethylpolysiloxane (MS) had no effect on either flavor or oxidative stability of the oils.
Engulfment of Apoptotic Cells by Macrophages: A Role of MicroRNA-21 in the Resolution of Wound Inflammation

At an injury site, efficient clearance of apoptotic cells by wound macrophages or efferocytosis is a prerequisite for the timely resolution of inflammation. Emerging evidence indicates that microRNA-21 (miR-21) may regulate the inflammatory response. In this work, we sought to elucidate the significance of miR-21 in the regulation of efferocytosis-mediated suppression of innate immune response, a key process implicated in resolving inflammation following injury. An increased expression of inducible miR-21 was noted in postefferocytotic peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages. Such induction of miR-21 was associated with silencing of its target genes PTEN and PDCD4. Successful efferocytosis of apoptotic cells by monocyte-derived macrophages resulted in the suppression of LPS-induced NF-κB activation and TNF-α expression. Interestingly, bolstering of miR-21 levels alone, using miR mimic, resulted in significant suppression of LPS-induced TNF-α expression and NF-κB activation. We report that efferocytosis-induced miR-21, by silencing PTEN and GSK3β, tempers the LPS-induced inflammatory response. Macrophage efferocytosis is known to trigger the release of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. This study demonstrates that following successful efferocytosis, miR-21 induction in macrophages silences PDCD4, favoring c-Jun-AP-1 activity, which in turn results in elevated production of anti-inflammatory IL-10. In summary, this work provides direct evidence implicating miRNA in the process of turning on an anti-inflammatory phenotype in the postefferocytotic macrophage. Elevated macrophage miR-21 promotes efferocytosis and silences target genes PTEN and PDCD4, which in turn accounts for a net anti-inflammatory phenotype. Findings of this study highlight the significance of miRs in the resolution of wound inflammation.
Commentary on an article by Ruth K. Wilson, MD, et al.: “Male and Non-English-Speaking Patients with Fracture Have Poorer Knowledge of Osteoporosis”

The presence of a prior fracture is the strongest risk factor for additional fractures, which emphasizes the need for intervention after the index fracture. Intervention includes not only recognition and treatment of bone-health issues by clinicians but also awareness of the risk factors that can be modified. Enhanced knowledge encourages patients to seek out additional information and has been shown to lead to lifestyle changes. Prior studies have demonstrated limited knowledge of osteoporosis risk factors among the general public as well as among those who have already sustained a fracture. The authors of this article sought to determine which demographic and social factors impact the levels of osteoporosis knowledge among patients who were forty years of age or older and who had sustained a fracture. Although this population was somewhat younger than the fracture population typically included in this type of study, this younger age range includes those with potentially decades of risk for …
Introducing a GSS-based negotiation approach at TACOM

The Next Generation Software Engineering Technology Area (NextGen), part of the USA Army Tank-Automotive Armaments Command (TACOM), is an emerging key player in software development. Constant growth and improvement is essential to increase NextGen's involvement in the field. One of the tools used by NextGen to aid with growth and improvement is the yearly TownHall meeting. The TownHall is an exhaustive, multi-day meeting with intensive negotiations concerning current customers, desired budgets, schedules, resources, and associate competencies. To help facilitate these negotiations, NextGen chose to test Group Support System (GSS), a negotiations software system. While the goal was for NextGen to ultimately benefit from the implementation of the software, the research and testing conducted provided valuable feedback for the Group Support System software. The paper illustrates the steps involved in effectively incorporating the new negotiation process into NextGen.
Evolution of complex autonomous robot behaviors using competitive fitness

Evolutionary robotics (ER) employs population-based artificial evolution to develop behavioral robotics controllers. We focus on the formulation and application of a fitness selection function for ER that makes use of intra-population competitive selection. In the case of behavioral tasks, such as game playing, intra-population competition can lead to the evolution of complex behaviors. In order for this competition to be realized, the fitness of competing controllers must be based mainly on the aggregate success or failure to complete an overall task. However, because initial controller populations are often subminimally competent, and individuals are unable to complete the overall competitive task at all, no selective pressure can be generated at the onset of evolution (the bootstrap problem). In order to accommodate these conflicting elements in selection, we formulate a bimodal fitness selection function. This function accommodates subminimally competent initial populations in early evolution, but allows for binary success/failure competitive selection of controllers that have evolved to perform at a basic level. Large arbitrarily connected neural network-based robot controllers were evolved to play the competitive team game Capture the Flag. Results show that neural controllers evolved under a variety of conditions were competitive with a hand-coded knowledge-based controller and could win a modest majority of games in a large tournament.
Relationship between ultrasound imaging of the Lisfranc ligament length and clinical biomechanical measurement changes with load

Preface: The use of ultrasound is a viable modality for medical imaging of ligamentous tissue. In a previous study we showed that the dorsal Lisfranc Ligament (dLL) can be reliably visualized with ultrasound and that we can potentially discern load-varying ligament deformationwith the images obtained. The studywas limited with respect to the artificial loads used to apply stress on the foot using a calf raise machine. Purpose:The goal of thepresent studywas to load the foot using physiologically relevant stresses in a clinical setting and assess the dLL deformation from the acquired ultrasound images. We expect that these results will contribute towards the development of a protocol for Lisfranc ligament injuries diagnosis. Methods: Bilateral dLL measurements were taken from fifty healthy volunteers (25 males and 25 females), for a total of one hundred asymptomatic feet, using sonographic imaging technology under three different stress conditions (low, medium and high load). Stress load was applied using the individuals’ body weight (low load – seated position; medium load – equal weight bearing standing position; and high load – single leg standing). Two floor imbedded force plates were used to measure the exact physiological load. Digital images of the dLL obtained using a 10.0MHz linear array ultrasound transducer were analyzed to determine ligament parameters using software written in MATLAB. Results: One-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed a statistically significant increase in the dLL length with load. The average dLL elongation, as percent change, was 7.43±0.98% (pooled bilaterally) between seated and single leg standing positions. Most of the dLL length change (6.02±1.05%) occurred between seated and bilateral standing positions. Conclusion:Ultrasound imaging canbeused tovisualize thedLL and can detect ligament elongation that reflects increase in physiological load, making ligament imaging clinically practical. These clinically practical findings may prove useful in protocol development that uses ultrasound as a clinical imaging technique to diagnose Lisfranc ligament injuries.
Measles surveillance in Taiwan, 2012–2014: Changing epidemiology, immune response, and circulating genotypes

In Taiwan, although the coverage rate of two doses of measles-containing vaccine has been maintained at over 95% since 2001, measles outbreaks occurred in 2002, 2009, and 2011. The present study reports that 43 cases were confirmed by laboratory testing in Taiwan in 2012-2014 and that adults have emerged as one of groups susceptible to measles virus (MV) infection, who may have discrepant humoral immune reactions--indicated by the level of IgM and IgG antibodies compared to a naive, susceptible measles case. Thirty-seven of 43 cases confirmed by RT-PCR were further characterized by genotyping. In Taiwan, genotype H1 was the major strain in circulation prior to 2010, while D9 was the most frequently detected MV genotype between 2010 and 2011. The genotyping data collected between 2012 and 2014 revealed that H1 rebounded in 2012 after an absence in 2011 and was imported from China and Vietnam. In 2014, genotype B3 first appeared in Taiwan following import from the Philippines and became the most frequently detected strain. Genotype D8, linked to importation from various countries, including India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, showed sequence divergence. D9 was imported from Malaysia in 2014. The MV genotypes detected in Taiwan reflected the genotypes of circulating endemic measles strains in neighboring countries. A significant rise in the number of measles cases and in measles with genotypes imported from surrounding countries indicated that measles resurged in Asia in 2014.
Low allozyme heterozygosity in North Pacific and Bering Sea populations of red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus): adaptive specialization, population bottleneck, or metapopulation structure?

Grant, W. S., Merkouris, S. E., Kruse, G. H., and Seeb, L. W. 2011. Low allozyme heterozygosity in North Pacific and Bering Sea populations of red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus): adaptive specialization, population bottleneck, or metapopulation structure? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: .Populations of red king crab in the North Pacific and Bering Sea have declined in response to ocean-climate shifts and to harvesting. An understanding of how populations are geographically structured is important to the management of these depressed resources. Here, the Mendelian variability at 38 enzyme-encoding loci was surveyed in 27 samples (n = 2427) from 18 general locations. Sample heterozygosities were low, averaging H E = 0.015 among samples. Weak genetic structure was detected among three groups of populations, the Bering Sea, central Gulf of Alaska, and Southeast Alaska, but without significant isolation by distance among populations. A sample from Adak Island in the western Aleutians was genetically different from the remaining samples. The lack of differentiation among populations within regions may, in part, be due to post-glacial expansions and a lack of migration-drift equilibrium and to limited statistical power imposed by low levels of polymorphism. Departures from neutrality may reflect the effects of both selective and historical factors. The low allozyme diversity in red king crab may, in part, be attributable to adaptive specialization, background selection, ice-age population bottlenecks, or metapopulation dynamics in a climatically unstable North Pacific.
On test generation for path delay faults in ASICs

Discusses automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) for path delay faults in application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). An ATPG that uses a modified FAN algorithm to generate tests for critical paths derived using static timing analysis is described. The test generation procedure is optimised through the use of path constrainment and the concept of mandatory assignments. >
EXCIPLEX STUDIES-IV. RADIATIVE AND NON-RADIATIVE RELAXATION OF THE FLUORESCENT STATE OF INDOLE†

— Rate constants for both radiative and non-radiative relaxation of the fluorescent state of indole and several methyl-indoles in solution have been calculated from fluorescence lifetime and quantum yield values. Radiative relaxation for indoles is solvent dependent while non-radiative relaxation is attributed to at least two processes, one of which is both solvent and temperature dependent. The latter process measured in aqueous solvents manifests a pattern of compensation of activation enthalpy by activation entropy with an isokinetic temperature for indole of 283°K. A quantitatively consistent description of the excited-state behavior of 1-Me-indole in both free and exciplex state is provided. Small deviations in fluorescence parameters for indole suggest a more complicated set of events.
Pathway analysis of coronary atherosclerosis

Large-scale gene expression studies provide significant insight into genes differentially regulated in disease processes such as cancer. However, these investigations offer limited understanding of multisystem, multicellular diseases such as atherosclerosis. A systems biology approach that accounts for gene interactions, incorporates nontranscriptionally regulated genes, and integrates prior knowledge offers many advantages. We performed a comprehensive gene level assessment of coronary atherosclerosis using 51 coronary artery segments isolated from the explanted hearts of 22 cardiac transplant patients. After histological grading of vascular segments according to American Heart Association guidelines, isolated RNA was hybridized onto a customized 22-K oligonucleotide microarray, and significance analysis of microarrays and gene ontology analyses were performed to identify significant gene expression profiles. Our studies revealed that loss of differentiated smooth muscle cell gene expression is the primary expression signature of disease progression in atherosclerosis. Furthermore, we provide insight into the severe form of coronary artery disease associated with diabetes, reporting an overabundance of immune and inflammatory signals in diabetics. We present a novel approach to pathway development based on connectivity, determined by language parsing of the published literature, and ranking, determined by the significance of differentially regulated genes in the network. In doing this, we identify highly connected "nexus" genes that are attractive candidates for therapeutic targeting and followup studies. Our use of pathway techniques to study atherosclerosis as an integrated network of gene interactions expands on traditional microarray analysis methods and emphasizes the significant advantages of a systems-based approach to analyzing complex disease.
Organotypic (raft) culture of biopsy-derived upper respiratory epithelium.

Objective: The objective of this study was to derive a reliable technique for culturing biopsy-derived upper respiratory epithelium in a system that supports epithelial differentiation and simulates the normal epithelial life cycle. Study Design: The authors conducted a prospective study of modification and development of an in vitro tissue culture method. Methods: Thirty biopsy specimens from 16 individuals with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis and chronic tonsillitis, pretreated to prevent bacterial and fungal overgrowth, were digested with trypsin to create a supernatant of individual cells. The cells were plated and incubated. At 14 to 16 days, the resulting colonies were placed on a wire cloth raft and fed through diffusion from the underlying culture medium in an air-liquid interface. Results: Eight specimens were successfully cultured for an average of over 32 days. The longest duration of sustained growth was 60 days. Low-risk human papillomavirus specimen-based cultures reproduced infection in cultured squamous epithelium with corresponding histopathologic features indicating a high level of stratification and differentiation. Conclusions: Unlike commercially available cell lines, biopsy-derived material is predisposed to contamination, and successful in vitro culture and experimentation creates many unique challenges. An organotypic culture system, capable of reproducing the differentiation-dependent replication cycle of human papillomavirus, may be used for culturing biopsy-derived specimens for a variety of studies.
A mixed methods descriptive investigation of readiness to change in rural hospitals participating in a tele-critical care intervention

Telemedicine technology can improve care to patients in rural and medically underserved communities yet adoption has been slow. The objective of this study was to study organizational readiness to participate in an academic-community hospital partnership including clinician education and telemedicine outreach focused on sepsis and trauma care in underserved, rural hospitals.
Multilingual Education Policy and Practice: Ten Certainties (Grounded in Indigenous Experience)

Although multilingualism and multilingual education have existed for centuries, our 21st-century entrance into the new millennium has brought renewed interest and contestation around this educational alternative. Ethnolinguistic diversity and inequality, intercultural communication and contact, and global political and economic interdependence are more than ever acknowledged realities of today's world, and all of them put pressures on our educational systems. Now, as throughout history, multilingual education offers the best possibilities for preparing coming generations to participate in constructing more just and democratic societies in our globalized and intercultural world; however, it is not unproblematically achieved. There are many unanswered questions and doubts as to policy and implementation, program and curricular design, classroom instruction practices, pedagogy, and teacher professional development, but there is also much that we understand and know very well, based on empirical research in many corners of the world. Here I highlight Bolivian and other Indigenous educational experiences with which I am most familiar, and which capture certainties that hold beyond the particular instances I describe. My emphasis is on what we know and are sure of, and my goal is to convey my deep conviction that multilingual education constitutes a wide and welcoming educational doorway toward peaceful coexistence of peoples and especially restoration and empowerment of those who have been historically oppressed.
A comparison of GC-FID and PTR-MS toluene measurements in ambient air under conditions of enhanced monoterpene loading

Abstract. Toluene was measured using both a gas chromatographic system (GC), with a flame ionization detector (FID), and a proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) at the AIRMAP atmospheric monitoring station Thompson Farm (THF) in rural Durham, NH during the summer of 2004. Simultaneous measurements of monoterpenes, including α- and β-pinene, camphene, Δ 3-carene, and d-limonene, by GC-FID demonstrated large enhancements in monoterpene mixing ratios relative to toluene, with median and maximum enhancement ratios of ~2 and ~30, respectively. A detailed comparison between the GC-FID and PTR-MS toluene measurements was conducted to test the specificity of PTR-MS for atmospheric toluene measurements under conditions often dominated by biogenic emissions. We derived quantitative estimates of potential interferences in the PTR-MS toluene measurements related to sampling and analysis of monoterpenes, including fragmentation of the monoterpenes and some of their primary carbonyl oxidation products via reactions with H3O+, O2+ and NO+ in the PTR-MS drift tube. The PTR-MS and GC-FID toluene measurements were in good quantitative agreement and the two systems tracked one another well from the instrumental limits of detection to maximum mixing ratios of ~0.5 ppbv. A correlation plot of the PTR-MS versus GC-FID toluene measurements was described by the least squares regression equation y=(1.13± 0.02)x−(0.008±0.003) ppbv, suggesting a small ~13% positive bias in the PTR-MS measurements. The bias corresponded with a ~0.055 ppbv difference at the highest measured toluene level. The two systems agreed quantitatively within the combined 1σ measurement precisions for 60% of the measurements. Discrepancies in the measured mixing ratios were not well correlated with enhancements in the monoterpenes. Better quantitative agreement between the two systems was obtained by correcting the PTR-MS measurements for contributions from monoterpene fragmentation in the PTR-MS drift tube; however, the improvement was minor (
Second-harmonic generation and cascaded second-order processes in a counterpropagating quasi-phase-matched device.

Numerical solutions to the nonlinear coupled-wave equations of a counterpropagating quasi-phase-matched device are analyzed by numerical methods for both second-harmonic generation and cascaded processes. Normalized derivations for second-harmonic generation efficiency are also presented. The nonlinear phase shifts acquired in this device by cascaded second-order processes are promising in all-optical-switching applications. Specifically, a π/2 phase shift is shown to be achievable with 42 times less input intensity than the standard Type I configuration and 100% throughput. The effects of metallic mirrors are also presented. Careful use of the phase mismatch is shown to compensate for nonideal mirrors. Finally, conservation of power in this configuration is briefly investigated.
Neutron Scattering Study of Vibrational Modes in Glassy Gel-xSnxSe2

The neutron vibrational density of states has been determined from neutron time-of-flight scattering in g-Ge 1-x Sn x Se 2 with x = 0, 0.3, 0.35, and 0.5 to search for "floppy" modes. Previously Raman and Mossbauer studies 1 have been interpreted on the basis that the addition of Sn to the GeSe 2 network reduces the average number of mechanical constraints per atom allowing one to tune through the rigidity percolation threshold near x = 0.35. A comparison of the VDOS measured in this work below 10 meV for all samples shows that they are nearly identical indicating no evidence of the existence of floppy modes in these samples. Ab initio molecular dynamics 2 calculations of the VDOS show good agreement with the measured results for g-GeSe 2 .
Biological Prototypes, Design and Environments

As late as the ’teens of the present century, the professional renown of architects and designers was often judged by the size of their library. For it was by going to their bookshelves and copying the appropriate styles, designs, and periods that the configuration of a house, a church, or a public palace evolved.
Elevated Expression of Heat Shock Factor (HSF) 2A Stimulates HSF1-induced Transcription during Stress

Heat shock factor 2 (HSF2) belongs to a family of structurally related transcription factors, which share the property of binding to heat shock elements in the promoters of hsp molecular chaperone genes. However, unlike HSF1, which is essential for hsp gene transcription, the cellular functions of HSF2 are not well known. Here we show that human HSF2, although an ineffective activator of the hsp70 promoter in vitro and in vivo in the absence of stress, participates in the activation of the hsp70 promoter by heat shock. HSF2 was not, however, activated by heat shock in cells deficient in functional HSF1, suggesting a requirement for HSF1 in HSF2-mediated transcriptional enhancement. In addition, HSF2 regulation involves differential activity of two isoforms, HSF2A and HSF2B, which arise from alternative splicing of a common hsf2 gene. Under basal conditions, both HSF2 isoforms are ineffective in activating the hsp70 transcription. However, heat shock differentially activates HSF2A in vivo. This phenomenon appears to be physiologically significant, as human myeloprogenitor cells differentiating along the erythroid lineage express HSF2A de novo and undergo a large increase in capacity to activate the hsp70 promoter. Our experiments further show that HSF1 is physically associated with HSF2 in the cell and that such binding is enhanced by heat shock. Our data suggest a mechanism involving the formation of heterocomplexes between HSF1 and HSF2 with enhanced activity to activate the hsp70 promoter when compared with HSF1 or HSF2 homotrimers.