cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regional Structural and Biomechanical Alterations of the Ovine Main Pulmonary Artery During Postnatal Growth

The engineering foundation for novel approaches for the repair of congenital defects that involve the main pulmonary artery (PA) must rest on an understanding of changes in the structure-function relationship that occur during postnatal maturation. In the present study, we quantified the postnatal growth patterns in structural and biomechanical behavior in the ovine PA in the juvenile and adult stages. The biaxial mechanical properties and collagen and elastin fiber architecture were studied in four regions of the PA wall, with the collagen recruitment of the medial region analyzed using a custom biaxial mechanical-multiphoton microscopy system. Circumferential residual strain was also quantified at the sinotubular junction and bifurcation locations, which delimit the PA. The PA wall demonstrated significant mechanical anisotropy, except in the posterior region where it was nearly isotropic. Overall, we observed only moderate changes in regional mechanical properties with growth. We did observe that the medial and lateral locations experience a moderate increase in anisotropy. There was an average of about 24% circumferential residual stain present at the luminal surface in the juvenile stage that decreased to 16% in the adult stage with a significant decrease at the bifurcation, implying that the PA wall remodels toward the bifurcation with growth. There were no measurable changes in collagen and elastin content of the tunica media with growth. On average, the collagen fiber recruited more rapidly with strain in the adult compared to the juvenile. Interestingly, the PA thickness remained constant with growth. When this fact is combined with the observed stable overall mechanical behavior and increase in vessel diameter with growth, a simple Laplace Law wall stress estimate suggests an increase in effective PA wall stress with postnatal maturation. This observation is contrary to the accepted theory of maintenance of homeostatic stress levels in the regulation of vascular function and suggests alternative mechanisms regulate postnatal somatic growth. Understanding the underlying mechanisms, incorporating important structural features during growth, will help to improve our understanding of congenital defects of the PA and lay the basis for functional duplication in their repair and replacement.
Evidence against sexuality in Trypanosoma gambiense

SUMMARY. Genetic cross transfer of laboratory-induced drug resistance from a tryparsamide-resistant strain to a sodium naphuride-resistant strain and vice versa has been tested in cultures of Trypanosoma gambiense. The results obtained from a variety of different concentrations of the two drugs used do not give any indication of sexuality in these flagellates.
Pediatric urinary incontinence: Classification, evaluation, and management

Objective: To review the classification, evaluation, and management of pediatric urinary incontinence. Methods: An examination of texts and peer-reviewed literature was performed to identify subject matter relevant to the stated objectives, with the experience of the senior author used in cases where the literature failed to provide guidance. Results: On the basis of our review, we identified the International Children’s Continence Society’s (ICCS) statement standardizing the terminology for lower urinary tract function in children and present a logical classification scheme for incontinence. After an epidemiology review, we discuss the appropriate evaluation of the incontinent child, of which the cornerstones are a detailed history and thorough physical exam. Finally, a concise discussion of the management of daytime incontinence, nocturnal enuresis, and neurogenic and anatomic incontinence is presented, with deference to evidence-based approaches where available. Depending on the type of incontinence, the management strategies can include behavioral, pharmacologic, and/or surgical approaches. Conclusion: Pediatric urinary incontinence is a common condition which, after appropriate evaluation, can be successfully treated. Keywords : Urinary incontinence; Diurnal enuresis; Nocturnal enuresis; Pediatrics
Results from an Empirical Study of School Principals' Decisions about Disclosure of HIV Status.

ABSTRACT Elementary school principals' decisions about disclosure of school age children's confidential medical information was empirically studied. Participants included a stratified sample of 339 elementary school principals from the seven largest school districts in Florida. Each participant received one of six vignettes describing a student with HIV, Hepatitis C, or Leukemia who was either symptomatic or asymptomatic. After reading the vignette, participants completed a 10-item Disclosure scale and a 16-itemHIV Knowledge scale. Data were analyzed using a 3 × 2 factorial MANOVA. Scores on the disclosure scale varied significantly based on diagnosis and the presence of symptomatology. Knowledge about HIV was relatively high among participants, and there were no significant correlations between level of knowledge and decisions about disclosure.
Media violence research and youth violence data: why do they conflict?

Objective: Contrary to media headlines and public perceptions, there is little evidence of a substantial link between exposure to violent interactive games and serious real-life violence or crime. Conclusion: Further research is needed on whether violent games may affect less dramatic but real concerns such as bullying, fighting, or attitudes and beliefs that support aggression, as well as how effects may vary by child characteristics and types of games. There is also a need for research on the potential benefits of violent games for some children and adults.
Highlight: BRCA1 and BRCA2 proteins in breast cancer.

Heterozygous carriers of loss-of-function germline mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast cancer susceptibility genes have a predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer. Multiple functions have been ascribed to the products of these genes, linking them to pathways that inhibit progression to neoplasia. Various investigators have assigned roles for these tumor suppressor gene products in the cell functions of genome repair, transcription, and growth control. There is emerging evidence that BRCA1 may participate in ubiquitin E3 ligase activity. BRCA1 and BRCA2 have each been implicated in chromatin remodeling dynamics via protein partnering. Ubiquitin ligase and chromatin remodeling activities need not be mutually exclusive and both may function in DNA repair, transcriptional regulation, or cell cycle control. Here we highlight certain recent findings and currently unanswered questions regarding BRCA1 and BRCA2 in breast cancer.
Dynamic sampling of laser-induced vapor plumes by mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometric techniques and instrumentation for the dynamic sampling of laser-induced vapor clouds during their submillisecond expansion periods are discussed. Illustrations are drawn primarily from the results of pulsed-laser heating of some oxides and graphites; these include comparisons of incident laser beam pulses with the resultant pulses of positive ions and selected neutral species. Observed characteristics of vapor pulses from graphite are shown to correlate with calculated surface temperature response. Dynamic velocity measurements of individual vapor species are described and, from these velocities, vaporization temperatures are derived and compared using four gas dynamic models for vapor expansion into vacuum. Additional measurements indicate that the laser beam may interact directly with the neutral vapors to produce ions.
Government Policy Responses to Financial Crises: Identifying Patterns and Policy Origins in Developing Countries

Summary This paper investigates how three major political conditions—political constraint (imposed by veto players), government partisanship, and elections—have influenced the government responses to financial crises in 98 developing countries over the period 1976–2004. We find that governments experiencing financial crises generally tightened their monetary and fiscal policies, but the extent of the tightening was considerably moderated by the presence of large political constraint (large and strong veto players), strong leftist partisan power in government, and upcoming legislative or presidential elections. We also find that fiscal policies are more considerably constrained by political conditions than monetary policies.
Antagonism of urease toxicity by chemical agents and antisera.

Summary Pretreatment of mice with antiurease or urease antisera obtained from mice, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses provided full protection against an LD 99 of crystalline jackbean urease given intraperitoneally. Sera from nonimmunized animals or sera with antiurease removed gave no protection. Antisera were not effective in mice challenged with an LD 99 of ammonium chloride given intravenously. Of several compounds tested, sodium phenobarbital and alloxan were the most effective ( P 50 of urease. Sodium pentobarbital, sodium barbiturate, sodium l -glutamate, l -arginine hydrochloride and trimethadione were less effective. Diphenylhydantoin caused virtually no increase in the LD 50 .
Towards a non-punitive school inspection regime

The current nature of the school inspection regime in England and Wales is considered, together with the reasons why it was created. Two different approaches to educational accountability are considered, the use of performance indicators and inspection. England and Wales have a system of educational accountability that employs both. It is argued that, although neither performance indicators nor inspection are, in themselves, sufficient instruments of accountability, they are complementary and could, jointly be more effective than the current dual system, given certain fundamental reforms to the inspection regime. These include, a common language of accountability, greater use of self-evaluation and a loosening of the functional distinction between inspectors and teachers.
Bilateral institutional relationships: a new mission for U.S. DoD medical capabilities in support of health diplomacy.

U.S. medical assets from all three Services are routinely applied in support of force health protection, garrison health care, and stability operations. With rare exception, those three pillars encompass the entire doctrinal application of Department of Defense (DoD) medical resources. This article recommends establishment of an additional doctrinal role for DoD assets in support of Health Diplomacy and Building Partnership Capacity initiatives. More specifically, the establishment of enduring, bilateral relationships between U.S. and host-nation medical institutions should be routinely pursued as a means to accomplish mutual security objectives.
Microsurgical enbloc resection of myxopapillary cauda equina ependymoma

Benign myxopapillary filum terminale ependymomas are often poorly encapsulated and in apposition the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). These characteristics present the potential surgical risk of CSF dissemination or injury to the delicate cauda equina nerve roots. This video details the techniques of en bloc surgical resection of a filum terminale ependymoma. Treatment strategies and techniques are illustrated to reduce the risk of CSF dissemination and cauda equina injury. The video can be found here: http://youtu.be/LK8AYg-5T7o.
Improving power and robustness for detecting genetic association with extreme‐value sampling design

Extreme-value sampling design that samples subjects with extremely large or small quantitative trait values is commonly used in genetic association studies. Samples in such designs are often treated as "cases" and "controls" and analyzed using logistic regression. Such a case-control analysis ignores the potential dose-response relationship between the quantitative trait and the underlying trait locus and thus may lead to loss of power in detecting genetic association. An alternative approach to analyzing such data is to model the dose-response relationship by a linear regression model. However, parameter estimation from this model can be biased, which may lead to inflated type I errors. We propose a robust and efficient approach that takes into consideration of both the biased sampling design and the potential dose-response relationship. Extensive simulations demonstrate that the proposed method is more powerful than the traditional logistic regression analysis and is more robust than the linear regression analysis. We applied our method to the analysis of a candidate gene association study on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) which includes study subjects with extremely high or low HDL-C levels. Using our method, we identified several SNPs showing a stronger evidence of association with HDL-C than the traditional case-control logistic regression analysis. Our results suggest that it is important to appropriately model the quantitative traits and to adjust for the biased sampling when dose-response relationship exists in extreme-value sampling designs.
Driving self-restriction and age: a study of emergency department patients

Driving self-restriction is well-documented among older drivers but might also occur among younger drivers. Little is known about the driving patterns of emergency department (ED) patients, who may be a high-risk population for motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). We sought to compare the driving patterns and MVCs of younger and older adult ED patients in order to inform development of injury prevention interventions in EDs. We surveyed English-speaking younger adult (age 25–64) and older adult (age ≥65) ED patients, excluding non-drivers and those who were cognitively-impaired or too sick to participate. We compared drivers by age group and used logistic regression with adjustment for driving frequency to examine factors associated with driving self-restriction. Of those eligible, 82% (n = 178) of younger adult and 91% (n = 134) of older adult patients participated; approximately half were women. Similar proportions of younger and older adult patients reported driving everyday/almost everyday (80%) but also self-restricting driving in inclimate weather (48%), heavy traffic (27%), in unfamiliar places (21%), when travelling with passengers (1.6%) or when alone (1.3%). Fewer younger adult than older adult patients avoided driving at night (22% versus 49%) or on highways (6.7% versus 26%). In multivariable logistic regression, factors significantly associated self-imposed driving restriction in ≥1 driving situation were female gender (Odds Ratio [OR] 2.40; 95% CI 1.42-4.05) and ever feeling “confused, nervous or uncomfortable” while driving (OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.03-3.39). There was a non-significant trend for differences in proportions between younger adult (11%) and older adult (6.8%) drivers reporting ≥1 MVC as a driver in the past 12 months. Similar proportions of younger and older adult ED patients self-restrict driving, albeit in different situations, which has implications for behavioral interventions for injury prevention and for education of patients and medical providers.
Design, development, performance, and reconditioning of Ni-Cd batteries using polypropylene separators

A performance assessment is made for the Viking Mars Lander Program's sealed, sterilizable, 8-ampere hour Ni-Cd batteries, which use a nonwoven polypropylene separator material. Attention is given to separator wettability, the optimization of electrolyte quantity, and the reduction of plate carbonate, in view of thermal considerations and other environmental design and test requirements generated by mission characteristics. Life data based on mission experience identify, in addition to performance and degradation behavior, a series of shallow discharge reconditioning cycles and an intensive program of deep discharge reconditioning.
Measured daylighting potential of a static optical louver system under real sun and sky conditions

Abstract By utilizing highly specular surfaces and engineered profile geometry, optical sunlight redirecting systems integrated into the overhead “clerestory” zone of the building facade present the potential to enlarge the daylighting zone by redirecting the luminous flux incident on the window deeper into the space than conventional shading systems. In addition, by developing system geometry to redirect daylight to specific zones within the space, optical light redirecting systems have the potential to avoid the glare conditions commonly produced by conventional facade shading systems that direct significant amounts of daylight below head height into the occupant's field of view. In this case study, side-by-side comparisons were made over solstice-to-solstice changes in sun and sky conditions between an optical louver system (OLS) and a conventional Venetian blind set at a horizontal slat angle and located inboard of a south-facing, small-area, clerestory window in a full-scale office testbed. Daylight autonomy (DA), window luminance, and ceiling luminance uniformity were used to assess performance. The performance of both systems was found to have significant seasonal variation, where performance under clear sky conditions improved as maximum solar altitude angles transitioned from solstice to equinox. Although the OLS produced fewer hours per day of DA on average than the Venetian blind, the OLS never exceeded the designated 2000 cd/m2 threshold for window glare. In contrast, the Venetian blind was found to exceed the visual discomfort threshold over a large fraction of the day during equinox conditions (from 40 to 64% of the test day between August 22 and October 12). Notably, these peak periods of visual discomfort occurred during the best periods of daylighting performance. Luminance uniformity was analyzed using calibrated high dynamic range luminance images. Under clear sky conditions, the OLS was found to increase the luminance of the ceiling as well as produce a more uniform distribution of luminance over the ceiling. Compared to conventional venetian blinds, the static optical sunlight redirecting system studied has the potential to significantly reduce the annual electrical lighting energy demand of a daylit space and improve the quality from the perspective of building occupants by consistently transmitting useful daylight while eliminating window glare.
Conditional random fields for activity recognition

Activity recognition is a key component for creating intelligent, multi-agent systems. Intrinsically, activity recognition is a temporal classification problem. In this paper, we compare two models for temporal classification: hidden Markov models (HMMs), which have long been applied to the activity recognition problem, and conditional random fields (CRFs). CRFs are discriminative models for labeling sequences. They condition on the entire observation sequence, which avoids the need for independence assumptions between observations. Conditioning on the observations vastly expands the set of features that can be incorporated into the model without violating its assumptions. Using data from a simulated robot tag domain, chosen because it is multi-agent and produces complex interactions between observations, we explore the differences in performance between the discriminatively trained CRF and the generative HMM. Additionally, we examine the effect of incorporating features which violate independence assumptions between observations; such features are typically necessary for high classification accuracy. We find that the discriminatively trained CRF performs as well as or better than an HMM even when the model features do not violate the independence assumptions of the HMM. In cases where features depend on observations from many time steps, we confirm that CRFs are robust against any degradation in performance.
Fulbright Scholars in Political Science

In 2011, the Fulbright Scholar Program celebrates its 65th anniversary as America's preeminent international educational exchange program. In recognition of its international impact, this is a timely occasion to recall the program's history and note the roles of political scientists who have taught and conducted research around the globe as Fulbright Scholars.
Intraluminal Negative Pressure Wound Therapy for Optimizing Pharyngeal Reconstruction

Importance Pharyngocutaneous fistula formation after pharyngeal reconstruction is one of the most common and challenging problems to manage. Despite many advances in management, the published success rates indicate a role for any adjuvant therapy that could potentially decrease this complication. Objective To describe the use of intraluminal negative pressure dressings (NPDs) in pharyngeal reconstruction. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective case series at a tertiary care academic hospital. Twelve laryngectomy patients underwent pharyngeal reconstruction augmented by placement of an intrapharyngeal NPD in combination with the introduction of vascularized tissue from August 2011 to May 2012. All patients had potential risk factors for compromised wound healing defined as previous radiation therapy, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, compromised nutrition, or established pharyngocutaneous fistula. Interventions An NPD was placed in an intraluminal position spanning the length of the pharyngeal defect as part of the reconstructive procedure. The negative pressure sponge was attached to a standard nasogastric tube to which negative pressure was applied. External closure of the pharynx was then achieved with regional or free tissue transfer. Main Outcomes and Measures Pharyngeal closure rates, timing until return to oral diet, identification of wound healing risk factors, and adverse events related to use of the device. Results Eleven of 12 patients (92%) achieved pharyngeal closure with reconstruction using negative pressure wound therapy. All patients had at least 1 potential risk factor for compromised wound healing, with 11 of 12 (92%) having 2 or more. Seven patients had an established pharyngocutaneous fistula, and 5 patients underwent primary reconstruction after laryngopharyngectomy. In 6 of these 7 patients undergoing fistula repair, pharyngeal closure was achieved, and they resumed an oral diet at 1 week postoperatively. The other had successful leak repair initially, but 1 week later developed a separate area of wound breakdown and a second fistula. All 5 patients in whom an intraluminal NPD was placed at the time of initial vacularized tissue reconstruction were able to resume an oral diet by 3 weeks postoperatively, with 3 of them eating by mouth at 1 week postoperatively. No serious adverse events could be attributed to the use of intraluminal NPDs. Conclusions and Relevance Intraluminal negative pressure wound therapy is feasible and safe. Future research should be conducted to determine its potential in optimizing pharyngeal reconstruction in high-risk patients.
Suicidal Behavior, Assaultiveness, and Socialization Principles

Within a populationl of fornmer ineintal patients, those who wvere suiciclal at the time of last admission to a mcental hospital w ere compared with those who were assaultive on a variety of social and personality variables. Some of the independent variables were the char-acteristics of the relatives of patients. Support was found for the hypothesis that normative orientation would differentiate suicidal and assaultive patients.
Decentralized two-hop opportunistic relaying with limited channel state information

A network consisting of n source-destination pairs and m relays with no direct link between source and destination nodes, is considered. Focusing on the large system limit (large n), the throughput scaling laws of two-hop relaying protocols are studied for Rayleigh fading channels. It is shown that, under the practical constraints of single-user encoding-decoding scheme, and partial channel state information (CSI) at the transmitters (via integer-value feedback from the receivers), the maximal throughput scales as log n even if joint scheduling among relays is allowed. Furthermore, a novel opportunistic relaying scheme with receiver CSI, partial transmitter CSI, and decentralized relay scheduling, is shown to achieve the optimal throughput scaling law of log n.
Democratic Dissent and the Trick of Rhetorical Critique

As an exercise in consubstantial rivalry (a notion adapted from Kenneth Burke), democratic dissent operates tactically to turn the tables on the powerful in a given cultural field of political tension (a perspective drawn from Michel de Certeau). Dissent rearticulates political relationships by an ongoing act of rhetorical critique inside an established framework of understanding. The dissenter is a rhetorical trickster deploying metaphor as a principal heuristic of critique. The possibility of credible dissent relies on achieving a certain productive tension between affirming and disconcerting the political order—a double gesture of nonconforming solidarity—as can be illustrated in recent documentaries of dissent such as Uncovered: The War on Iraq.
Results of Arthroscopic Repair of Type II Superior Labral Anterior Posterior Lesions in Overhead Athletes Assessment of Return to Preinjury Playing Level and Satisfaction

Background: The majority of the literature on surgical outcomes of superior labral anterior posterior (SLAP) repairs has focused on short-term follow-up of 1 to 2 years, not allowing adequate time for full rehabilitation and return to maximum level of competition for all types of athletes. Also, previous studies have concentrated on using questionnaires that primarily evaluate patients’ activities of daily living, which do not focus on sport-specific performance.Purpose: To determine the midterm results of type II SLAP repairs in overhead athletes, focusing primarily on athletic performance as well as activities of daily living.Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.Methods: A retrospective review of 30 overhead athletes, who underwent an arthroscopic superior labral repair for a symptomatic type II SLAP tear between 2002 and 2007, was performed. Our study population included 22 male and 8 female patients with a mean age at the time of surgery of 24 years. Twenty-one patients participated in base...
Positive extensions, Fejér-Riesz factorization and autoregressive filters in two variables

In this paper we treat the two-variable positive extension problem for trigonometric polynomials where the extension is required to be the reciprocal of the absolute value squared of a stable polynomial. This problem may also be interpreted as an autoregressive filter design problem for bivariate stochastic processes. We show that the existence of a solution is equivalent to solving a finite positive definite matrix completion problem where the completion is required to satisfy an additional low rank condition. As a corollary of the main result a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a spectral FejerRiesz factorization of a strictly positive two-variable trigonometric polynomial is given in terms of the Fourier coefficients of its reciprocal. Tools in the proofs include a specific two-variable Kronecker theorem based on certain elements from algebraic geometry, as well as a two-variable Christoffel-Darboux like formula. The key ingredient is a matrix valued polynomial that appears in a parametrized version of the Schur-Cohn test for stability. The results also have consequences in the theory of two-variable orthogonal polynomials where a spectral matching result is obtained, as well as in the study of inverse formulas for doubly-indexed Toeplitz matrices. Finally, numerical results are presented for both the autoregressive filter problem and the factorization problem.
Remote Access: Design and Implementation

This paper presents a research on remote access which will show how a personal cell phone and a personal computer communicate over the Internet in order to access the hard drive as well as the desktop by the phone. There is a focus on completing several tasks on the computer from the phone such as uploading and downloading files. There is a wide range of tasks that can be completed through the phone without being near a computer.
The economic impact of morbid obesity.

The percentage of Americans who are obese doubled from 15% in 1968 to 30% currently. An obesity epidemic is obvious and expected to worsen [1–5]. Lower productivity and higher health care costs resulting from obesity and its comorbidities have led to proposals for governmental intervention [6–10]. Methods for quantifying the costs of obesity costs and the benefits of treatment remain controversial [11–13]. Nonetheless, it is well established that about 10% of health care dollars are devoted to obesity treatment, which is economically justified by the increased absenteeism and decreased productivity associated with this disorder [14–19]. Bariatric surgery gives to the patient increased qualityadjusted life years [20]. A recent review of 18 trials involving 1,891 subjects concluded that surgical management of obesity yielded an average of 30 to 28 kg more weight loss than medical management after 2 years, with marked amelioration of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia [21]. Metabolic syndrome, in particular, is cured by surgery in 95.6% of cases [22]. Ultimately, surgical management yields, at 5 years, a mortality rate 42% that of medical management and an 89% reduction in the relative risk of death [23]. That bariatric surgery benefits the health of patients is unquestioned. This review, however, focuses on the benefits of this surgery with respect to the general economy as well as workers and insurers, exemplifying matters by analyzing the costs of diabetes, one of obesity’s comorbidities.
A physics simulation engine for modeling autonomous motion through reverse engineering of sodaconstructor

Simulation of physics plays an important role in many fields such as engineering, science, and education. There are many simulation tools for various types of applications, including those for physics. In this paper, we describe a physics simulation engine we developed based on the concepts and models in SodaConstructor, a construction tool kit for learning physics. The models demonstrate several physics phenomena and are explained with experiments to illustrate the functionality of the simulation engine.
Real time implementation of adaptive noise cancellation

In this paper, we discuss the real time implementation of adaptive noise cancellation based on an improved adaptive Wiener filter on Texas Instruments TMS320C6713 DSK. Its performance is compared with the Leepsilas adaptive Wiener filter. LabVIEW models are illustrated for adaptive noise cancellation using National Instruments TI DSP test integration toolkit and adaptive filters toolkit. These models are tested with noisy wavelet test data sets and speech/wave files. Furthermore, a model based design of adaptive noise cancellation based on LMS filter using Simulink is implemented on TI C6713. The profile statistics of the auto-code generated by the Real Time Workshop for the Simulink model of LMS filter is compared with the dasiaCpsila implementation of LMS filter on C6713 in terms of code length and computation time. The signal to noise ratio of the filtered signal using improved adaptive Wiener filter improves by 2.5 to 4 dB as compared to Leepsilas adaptive Wiener filter. The dasiaCpsila code implementation of LMS filter on C6713 takes computation time of 205 ms and code length space of 1024 bytes whereas auto-code generated by Simulink takes computation time of 38.95 ms and 4032 bytes for code length.
Analysis of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Viruses-infected monocytes: identification of cytopathic and non-cytopathic biotype differences

Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) infection is widespread in cattle worldwide, causing important economic losses. Pathogenesis of the disease caused by BVDV is complex, as each BVDV strain has two biotypes: non-cytopathic (ncp) and cytopathic (cp). BVDV can cause a persistent latent infection and immune suppression if animals are infected with an ncp biotype during early gestation, followed by a subsequent infection of the cp biotype. The molecular mechanisms that underscore the complex disease etiology leading to immune suppression in cattle caused by BVDV are not well understood. Using proteomics, we evaluated the effect of cp and ncp BVDV infection of bovine monocytes to determine their role in viral immune suppression and uncontrolled inflammation. Proteins were isolated by differential detergent fractionation and identified by 2D-LC ESI MS/MS. We identified 137 and 228 significantly altered bovine proteins due to ncp and cp BVDV infection, respectively. Functional analysis of these proteins using the Gene Ontology (GO) showed multiple under- and over- represented GO functions in molecular function, biological process and cellular component between the two BVDV biotypes. Analysis of the top immunological pathways affected by BVDV infection revealed that pathways representing macropinocytosis signalling, virus entry via endocytic pathway, integrin signalling and primary immunodeficiency signalling were identified only in ncp BVDV-infected monocytes. In contrast, pathways like actin cytoskeleton signalling, RhoA signalling, clathrin-mediated endocytosis signalling and interferon signalling were identified only in cp BDVD-infected cells. Of the six common pathways involved in cp and ncp BVDV infection, acute phase response signalling was the most significant for both BVDV biotypes. Although, most shared altered host proteins between both BVDV biotypes showed the same type of change, integrin alpha 2b (ITGA2B) and integrin beta 3 (ITGB3) were down- regulated by ncp BVDV and up- regulated by cp BVDV infection. This study shows that, as we expected, there are significant functional differences in the host proteins that respond to cp or ncp BVDV infection. The combined use of GO and systems biology network modelling facilitated a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions.
Thermal Conductivity of the Noble Gases and of Their Mixtures

The lecture begins with a discussion of the presently available theoretical basis for the calculation of the thermal conductivity of monatomic gases and mixtures of them containing an arbitrary number of components in arbitrary proportions. This makes full use of the Chapman-Enskog solution of the Boltzmann equation and its extension to mixtures due to Muckenfuss and Curtiss. This combined with the extended law of corresponding states due to Kestin, Ro and Wakeham provides a complete solution for low densities, except for some second-order effects in mixtures which remain to be worked out.
Electrolytes and Acid-Base Physiology

The extracellular space is composed of two compartments, blood vessels and interstitial space, which are separated merely by highly permeable capillary walls. Therefore, the chemical makeups of the fluids in these spaces are nearly identical. The major differences in components between these compartments arises from the fact that blood vessels are almost completely impermeable to proteins, especially albumin, and consequently protein concentrations in plasma are higher than those in interstitial fluid.
Ultra-thin film piezoelectric AlN cantilevers for flexible MEMS sensors

The fabrication and characterization of piezoelectric, ultra-thin (∼300 nm) aluminum nitride (AlN) cantilevers are reported. The novel flexible, ultra-thin film AlN provides excellent compatibility for flexible sensors. Tri-layer cantilevers were fabricated with the AlN layer being sandwiched between two metal electrode layers. Low deposition temperature (300 °C) was maintained to deposit the AlN by the DC reactive magnetron sputtering for superior CMOS and flexible substrate compatibility. The characterization of AlN cantilevers was performed using dynamic signal analyzer to measure the output voltage due to piezoelectricity. The output voltage for different cantilevers measured experimentally range from 3.69×10−5 V to 4.48×10−4 V and the experimental Johnson noise floor range from 7.23×10−12 V2/Hz to 6.9×10−8 V2/Hz. The corresponding power spectral densities range from 5.70×10−9 V2/Hz to 2.14×10−6 V2/Hz. The ultra-thin AlN cantilever structure forms the basis for future flexible force/pressure sensors, accelerometers, and energy harvesters.
Mechanical Properties of Oligothiophene Self Assembled Films by Atomic Force Microscopy

The oligothiophene derivative (4-(5″″-tetradecyl-[2,2′;5′,2″;5″,2″′;5″′,2″″] pentathiophen-5-yl)-butyric acid (C14-5TBA) was synthesized and the structural and mechanical properties of self-assembled monolayers on mica have been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The films were prepared by drop casting a dilute THF solution (1mM) of the oligothiphene on mica. Islands containing primarily monolayers with a very small percentage of multilayers were formed. The molecules adsorb through the carboxylic group, and expose the alkyl chain (CH2)13CH3. High resolution AFM scans reveal a well ordered structure of molecules with unit cell dimensions of 0.65 and 0.46 nm. Applying load to the tip, the molecular film was gradually compressed from an initial height of 4.1nm to a final one of 2.6 nm, corresponding to atilt of the alkyl chains. In regions covered with bilayers the molecules in the second layer were oriented opposite to those in the first layer, thus exposing the carboxylic end group to the air. These second layer was easily removed as the tip pressure increased.
Statistical properties of bootstrap estimation of phylogenetic variability from nucleotide sequences. I. Four taxa with a molecular clock.

The statistical properties of sample estimation and bootstrap estimation of phylogenetic variability from a sample of nucleotide sequences were studied by considering model trees of three taxa with an outgroup. The cases of constant and varying rates of nucleotide substitution were compared. From sequences obtained by simulation, phylogenetic trees were constructed by using the maximum parsimony (MP) and neighbor joining (NJ) methods. The effectiveness and consistency of the MP method were studied in terms of proportions of informative sites. The results of simulation showed that bootstrap estimation of the confidence level for an inferred phylogeny can be used even under unequal rates of evolution if the rate differences are not large so that the MP method is not misleading. The condition under which the MP method becomes misleading (inconsistent) is more stringent for slowly evolving sequences than for rapidly evolving ones, and it also depends on the length of the internal branch. If the rate differences are large so that the MP method becomes consistently misleading, then bootstrap estimation will reinforce an erroneous conclusion on topology. Similar conclusions apply to the NJ method with uncorrected distances. The NJ method with corrected distances performs poorly when the sequence length is short but can avoid the inconsistency problem if the sequence length is long and if the distances can be estimated accurately.
Salient Features of Rising Marketing Costs

"The first question that arises is why is it that retail prices have not declined in the same proportion as farm prices, and why is it that the spread between what the producer receives and what the consumer pays has increased so much in the past few years? Evidently the reasons are many and varied, but some of the most important are high freight rates, high wages, and rents and possibly larger profits to the distributors. One of the great problems facing this country today is how can we lower the cost of food to the consumer and increase the price received by the producer, which is now entirely too low."
Modeling and control of space structures with active materials

In our investigation, we evaluate the validity of first principle -based models for the ACTEX structure. In particular, a partial differential equation (PDE) model for the ACTEX tripod structure is derived. We incorporate actuators and sensors using physical laws for the active materials. Our model includes the passive and active contributions from the piezoceramic (PZT) actuators, and colocated and nearly colocated sensors in the internal and external bending moments. The model contains piecewise constant parameters describing density, flexural rigidity, and Kelvin-Voigt damping for the system, as well as PZT actuator and sensor constants. The results of the comparison of the ACTEX experimental data with simulation studies based upon our model are discussed.
Focused Update on Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

of the Clinical Problem It is estimated that660000patients in theUnited Stateswill have amyocardial infarction this year.1 Recent reports on thepercentage ofUSpatientswithmyocardial infarctionwhoarecategorizedashaving STEMI range from 29% to 32%.1 In the United States, approximately 120000patients undergoprimaryPCI eachyear.2Approximately50%ofpatientswithSTEMIhavemultivesseldisease.3Three PCIoptionsexist for suchpatients1: culprit artery–onlyPCI;multivessel PCI at the timeofprimaryPCI2; or culprit artery–onlyprimaryPCI followedbystagedPCIof thenonculpritarteryorarteries.3Upto92% ofpatientswithSTEMIhavethrombuspresent in theculprit coronary artery and approximately 30% of patients have a large thrombus burden.4 Intracoronary thrombus burden, particularly high thrombusburden, is an importantdeterminantofdistal embolization, noreflowphenomenon, transmuralmyocardial necrosis, stent thrombosis, and long-term adverse cardiovascular events.3,5
Antibody-antigen binding in a flowthrough microfluidic device

The advancement of micro-total analysis systems is increasing the ability to perform multiple functions in one microfluidic device. These systems have several advantages in biomedical applications, including lower equipment and personnel costs, reduced power requirements, faster separations, and smaller sample and reagent volume requirements. Because of this, there has been a growing interest in the study of particle motion in microand nanochannels. The ACBA device (see below for definition) labels, sorts, and analyzes cancer cells in an enriched blood sample. This paper focuses on the labeling step of this device and the objective is to determine the probability that an antibody will bind with an antigen on a circulating tumor cell (CTC), a process that we term labeling. A stochastic model using the Fokker-Planck equation to predict the transition probability of an antibody that is assumed to follow a stochastic trajectory is developed. The analysis is carried out for a single antibody that is imbedded in a fully developed Poiseuille flow. The transition probability is then integrated to obtain the probability density. One more integration of the probability density associated with the antibody over a region in the neighborhood of the cell surface is required to predict the probability of binding to the cell.
Abstract A21: Changes in healthcare utilization following community cancer education programs

Introduction: The Por la Vida community health advisor intervention programs target low-income and low-acculturation Latinos in a border region of the United States. These underserved individuals are less likely to have a usual source of healthcare and receive preventive services as there are numerous linguistic, cultural, and financial barriers that contribute to health disparities (Flores & Vega, 1998; Rivers & Patino, 2006). An important goal of these health education programs is to encourage the regular use of preventive and treatment-oriented health services. The current analyses examine whether there are differences in having a usual source of healthcare preand postintervention, as well as changes in the identified barriers to engaging in healthcare services. The natural differences across the Por la Vida programs provide the opportunity to examine differences in change depending on the focus of the health programs. Method: Participants include 744 adult Latina women, predominantly first generation Mexican-American (95%), who participated in a 12-session nutrition education, tobacco-free communities program, or a women and cancer program that focused on the importance of preventive screening services and a range of other lifestyle factors. Chi-squared analyses of group differences in having a usual source of care in pre-and posttest assessments (6 months postintervention) were compared across groups. For the two programs which assessed barriers to healthcare, pre-and posttest reports on the experience of nine different barriers (e.g., cost, lack of Spanish-speaking staff, lack of childcare, and losing pay from work to go to an appointment) to accessing healthcare also were compared. Results: Three of the four groups reported significant increases in having a usual source of care at post-assessment. Only the tobacco-free communities program showed no change in having a usual source of care at post-assessment. For the two programs assessed for changes in barriers, there were also reductions in the reports of barriers which prevented them from accessing care, such as cost and having to wait too long for an appointment. All nine of the identified barriers decreased from pre-to post-assessment. Discussion: While the topic-specific gains for these programs have been reported elsewhere, the current analyses indicate there were positive changes to increase regular utilization of healthcare services for the nutrition and cancer-specific programs. The tobacco-free communities program did not evidence the same changes in regular healthcare use, which is consistent with the focus and content of the program. While many of the barriers examined in this study cannot be modified through the health education program content, there were reported reductions in all nine of the barriers in preventing participants from accessing care at post-assessment. This suggests additional gains for the health education programs beyond the targeted content and intervention goals. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):A21.