cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 214: Androgen resistance in prostate cancer is associated with an enrichment of stem-like cells

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Cancer Stem cells (CSCs) or tumor initiating cells (TICs) have recently been identified in solid tumors; however, the role of CSCs/TICs in metastasis remains poorly understood. In this study, we developed a pre-clinical model to study stem-like cells in prostate cancer metastasis. CS-5 and CS-10 cells were derived by growing parental LNCaP cells in androgen-depleted media for five and ten generations. The growth rate of CS-10 cells was similar to parenteral LNCaP cells while CS-5 cell growth was diminished. Interestingly, CS10 cells were the sole cells observed with CD44 expression, which also had the highest α2β1 expression. In addition, none of the cell lines expressed CD133. In contrast to parenteral LNCaP cells, CD44+ CS-10 cells displayed an increase in 5 min collagen-I attachment, cell migration, invasion, colony formation and sphere formation in an anchorage-independent environment, all attributes of TICs. Additional evidence for “stemness” was that CS-10 cells were capable of self-renewal in the secondary and tertiary spheroid assays. CS-10 cells expressed neuroendocrine and EMT markers and demonstrated resistance to anti-androgen drugs and most chemotherapeutic drugs compared to parenteral LNCaP cells. In summary, the novel findings presented here provide evidence that castrate resistance may result in selection of CD44+/ α2β1+/CD24low/CD133 cells, which possesses stem cell properties. This cell line may serve as a model for evaluation of new targeted treatments in prostate CSCs. Citation Format: Lisa Y. Wu, Nitu Bansal, Tiancheng Liu, Clifford E. Berkman, Joseph R. Bertino. Androgen resistance in prostate cancer is associated with an enrichment of stem-like cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 214. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-214
Fixed bed porous glass sphere (porosphere) bioreactors for animal cells.

Process intensity of fixed bed glass sphere culture systems is increased considerably by replacing solid glass spheres with open pore glass spheres. This technique demonstrates the possibility of having a system capable of both volumetric and cell density scale up and being suitable for substrate attached and suspension cells. The yields achieved for a number of attached cell lines (approximately 107/ml) demonstrate an increase approaching one order of magnitude over solid glass spheres (approximately 106/ml). Also suspension cells were successfully entrapped in the open pore structure with similar yields.
Phylogenetic Identification of Symbiotic Dinoflagellates via Length Heteroplasmy in Domain V of Chloroplast Large Subunit (cp23S)—Ribosomal DNA Sequences

A protocol that takes advantage of length heteroplasmy in domain V of chloroplast large subunit (cp23S)–ribosomal DNA to identify members of the symbiotic dinoflagellate genus Symbiodinium is presented. This protocol is highly specific for Symbiodinium, can provide intercladal and intracladal identification of a particular Symbiodinium isolate, and can detect multiple Symbiodinium chloroplast genotypes simultaneously in the same isolate, making his technique attractive for a variety of research questions. We used this technique to characterize variation among Symbiodinium populations associated with a range of phylogenetically diverse and geographically discrete hosts. We also examined symbiont variation within a single host, the Caribbean gorgonian Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae, from 9 sites in the Bahamas, and we report a previously undocumented level of symbiont specificity for particular members of Symbiodinium clade B in this gorgonian.
Isolated clubfoot diagnosed prenatally: is karyotyping indicated?

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the appropriateness of fetal karyotyping after prenatal sonographic diagnosis of isolated unilateral or bilateral clubfoot. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a database of fetal abnormalities diagnosed by ultrasound at a single tertiary referral center from July 1994 to March 1999 for cases of unilateral or bilateral clubfoot. Fetuses who had additional anomalies diagnosed prenatally, after targeted sonographic fetal anatomy surveys, were excluded. Outcome results included fetal karyotype diagnosed by amniocentesis, or newborn physical examination by a pediatrician. Results: During the 5-year period, 5731 fetal abnormalities were diagnosed from more than 27,000 targeted prenatal ultrasound examinations. There were 51 cases of isolated clubfoot. The mean maternal age at diagnosis was 30.5 years. The mean gestational age at diagnosis was 21.6 weeks. Twenty-three of the women (45%) were at increased risk of fetal aneuploidy, on the basis of advanced maternal age or abnormal maternal serum screening. Six women (12%) had positive family histories of clubfoot; however, no cases of aneuploidy were found by fetal karyotype evaluation or newborn physical examination. All cases of clubfoot diagnosed prenatally were confirmed at newborn physical examination, and no additional malformations were detected. Conclusion: After prenatal diagnosis of isolated unilateral or bilateral clubfoot, there appeared to be no indication to offer karyotyping, provided that a detailed sonographic fetal anatomy survey was normal and there were no additional indications for invasive prenatal diagnoses.
Selective inhibition of jasmonic acid accumulation by a small α, β-unsaturated carbonyl and phenidone reveals different modes of octadecanoid signalling activation in response to insect elicitors and green leaf volatiles in Zea mays.

Background: Plants often release a complex blend of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in response to insect herbivore damage. Among those blends of VOC green leaf volatiles (GLV) have been demonstrated to function as defence signals between plants, thereby providing protection against impending herbivory. A problem in understanding the mode of action of these 6-carbon aldehydes, alcohols, and esters is caused by their structural diversity. Besides different degrees of oxidation, E-2- as well as Z-3-configured isomers are often released. This study was therefore initiated to determine the structural requirement necessary to exhibit biological activity measured as jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation in Zea mays seedlings. Findings: The structure/function analysis of green leaf volatiles and related compounds revealed that an olefinic bond in position 2 or 3 and a size of 6-8 carbons is required for biological activity in maize. Also, it was found that the presence of an a, b-unsaturated carbonyl is not a prerequisite for activity. However, by treating plants first with volatile acrolein it was discovered that this smallest a, b-unsaturated carbonyl inhibits JA accumulation in response to insect elicitor treatment, but not after GLV exposure. This selective inhibitory effect was also found for phenidone, an inhibitor of lipoxygenases. These findings led to the discovery of a pool of protein-associated 12oxo-phytodienoic acid, a biosynthetic precursor of JA, which appeared to be rapidly converted into JA upon exposure to GLV. Conclusions: The structure/function analysis of GLV demonstrates a high degree of correlation between the compounds released by wounded plants in nature and their biological activity. The selective inhibitory effects of acrolein and phenidone on insect elicitor- and GLV-induced JA accumulation in maize led to the discovery of a pool of protein-associated precursor, which is rapidly activated and transformed to JA after exposure to GLV. This novel mechanism for JA accumulation sheds new light on the biosynthetic variability of the octadecanoid signalling pathway and explains the observed differences in the response of maize seedling to inhibitors of JA accumulation.
Event-Related Brain Potentials Reflect Semantic Priming in an Object Decision Task

Abstract Subjects made speeded object decisions about target line drawings which were preceded by semantically related or unrelated prime line drawings. One hundred of the targets depicted real objects and 50 others were unrecognizable non-objects. Similar to a recent picture-matching study, the ERPs from this study generated a larger negativity for unrelated than for related target pictures, between 325 and 550 msec (). Although these differences had a similar time course to those seen for the N400 component in semantic priming lexical decision tasks, they were more frontally distributed and were larger over the left rather than the right hemisphere. Non-objects, which were the picture equivalent of pseudowords, produced an even larger negativity with a somewhat different distribution. The results are discussed with regards to recent claims about amodal conceptual memory processes.
A two-residue architecture for multistage ADCs

An architecture for multistage ADCs (analog-to-digital converters) that uses two residue signals to reduce amplifier requirements is described. The residue at any stage in a multistage ADC is the difference between the analog signal and the closest quantization level. A second residue is defined here as the difference between the analog signal and the second closest quantization level. The job of the subsequent stages is to decide where the analog signal lies between these two quantization levels. By passing both residues to subsequent stages, information is propagated about the exact size of the quantization step, because the sum of the two residues is equal to the difference between the two quantization levels (or an LSB of the quantizer). Conceptually, the two residues carry their own reference. The complete 10-b, three-stage pipeline ADC is shown. >
Bankruptcy Prediction of Small Firms in an Individual Industry with the Help of Mixed Industry Models

Abstract This paper examines whether generic bankruptcy prediction models can maintain their validity when applied to firms from an individual industry. The literature on the subject suggests that the classification accuracy of models based on a mixed industry sample is considerably diminished when they are applied to samples drawn from a single industry. This investigation re-estimates bankruptcy prediction models by Ohlson (1980) and Shumway (2001) with a mixed industry sample of over-the-counter (OTC) traded small firms during the 1990s. Both models are validated with an ex ante prediction test for a holdout sample from the equipment & machinery manufacturing (EMM) industry as well as the mixed industries. Our empirical results show that the generic models by Ohlson (1980) and Shumway (2001) are robust in classifying and predicting bankruptcy incidence of the EMM firms. However, the finding of the prediction accuracy for the holdout sample from the EMM industry being higher than that for the holdout sa...
The isolation and identification of a novel intermediate in ubiquinone-6 biosynthesis by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Summary The mutant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae E3-24 is unable to synthesize ubiquinone-6. When this mutant is grown in the presence of p-hydroxybenzoate-U- 14 C or p-hydroxybenzoate-7- 14 C, radioactive 3,4-dihydroxy-hexaprenylbenzoate accumulates. This new metabolite has been isolated and found to have the same R f as a synthetic homologue on thin layer chromatography with 4 solvent systems. Further, it shows an identical fragmentation pattern in the mass spectrometer. Its presence in S. cerevisiae establishes an alternate pathway for ubiquinone biosynthesis in eukaryotic organisms.
Mixed-model multiple-hypothesis tracking of targets in clutter

Tracking targets in clutter, with the inherent data association problem, naturally leads to a Gaussian mixture representation of the probability density function (pdf) of the target state vector, conditioned on the measurements observed. Online trackers require reduction of the number of components in the mixture on each processing cycle, and the integral square error (ISE) based mixture reduction algorithm (MRA) significantly outperforms known alternative algorithms. Moreover, to handle target maneuver onset and changing trajectory characteristics, one can use multiple model adaptive estimation in the form of either multiple model adaptive estimation (MMAE) or interacting multiple model (IMM) algorithms. For maneuvering targets in clutter, one can replace each Kalman filter within a conventional MMAE or IMM with an ISE-based MRA, or better yet, replace each Kalman filter within an ISE-based algorithm with an MMAE or IMM, to yield superior tracking of aggressive maneuvers in deep clutter. Such an ISE-based algorithm of MMAEs is seen to have performance attributes significantly superior to that of a current state-of-the-art tracker.
More surprises from Kinetoplastida

Protozoan parasites of the order Kinetoplastida include various species of the genera Leishmania and Trypanosoma that are responsible for substantial human morbidity and mortality in the tropics. Pathogenic Leishmania species cause a diverse group of diseases, collectively called leishmaniasis, that range in severity from spontaneously healing skin ulcers to fatal visceral disease. African and American trypanosomes cause fatal sleeping sickness and debilitating Chagas disease, respectively. More than a billion people live in areas inhabited by the insects that transmit these parasites, and millions of people are newly infected each year.
Expression of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene by the murine Cypla-2 (cytochrome P3450) promoter in hepatoma cell cultures

Abstract In C57BL 6 mouse liver, both murine Cyp1a-1 (cytochrome P1450) and Cyp1a-2 (P3450) genes are inducible by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD; dioxin), and Cyp1a-2 is constitutively expressed at high levels. Although the Cyp1a-1 gene is constitutively expressed and TCDD-inducible in mouse hepatoma Hepa-1 cell cultures, Cyp1a-2 gene expression is absent in these cultures. We show here that the 5′ flanking region of Cyp1a-2 from −1843 to +52 (base pairs relative to the transcription initiation site) linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase ( CAT ) reporter gene in stable Hepa-1 transformants produces no basal or TCDD-or cycloheximide-inducible CAT activity. On the other hand, the Cyp1a-2 promoter from −63 to +52 driving the CAT gene is inducible by cycloheximide. A chimeric plasmid containing the Cyp1a-1 TCDD-responsive enhancer (−1646 to −245) ligated to a Cyp1a-2 promoter region (−129 to +52) supports TCDD-inducible CAT expression in Hepa-1 cells and in rat 7777 cells. These data suggest that, although sequences between −1843 and +52 are not sufficient for Cyp1a-2 gene expression, the murine Cyp1a-2 promoter is functional in cell cultures.
Stepwise fluorination - a useful approach for the isotopic analysis of hydrous minerals

Abstract Analytical uncertainties in oxygen isotopic studies of hydrous silica have been investigated using a partial fluorination procedure in which fractional oxygen yields are achieved by reducing the amount of fluorine. Stepwise reaction of opaline silica results in a set of sequential oxygen fractions which show a wide range of δ18O values due to variable amounts of water, organic matter, and other impurities, δ-values for successive fractions in non-biogenic opal systematically increase as water is reacted away and then remain constant to within ±0.2%. as the remaining silica reacts, δ-values in biogenic silica increase similarly but then decrease when low 18O oxide(?) impurities begin to react. The troublesome water component in opal is readily removed by Stepwise fluorination. This technique allows more precise oxygen isotope analysis of non-biogenic opal-A, and may improve the analytical precision for biogenic silica and any silicate mineral containing a significant water component.
Optically-induced Anderson delocalization transition in disordered systems

Abstract The behavior of electronic states in disordered systems subject to a strong nonresonant optical field is investigated theoretically. It is shown that when the optical intensity reaches a critical value which depends on the site-to-site coupling and the standard deviation of the random energy in the disordered system, a sharp transition from localized to extended electronic states takes place.
Simultaneous engagement of thrombin and FcγRIIA receptors results in platelets expressing high levels of procoagulant proteins

Abstract Collagen and thrombin-activated (COAT) platelets represent a unique subset of activated platelets that exhibit high levels of several adhesive and procoagulant α-granule proteins on their surface. In this report we demonstrate that a similar subpopulation of platelets can also be generated by the combined stimulation of FcγRIIA and thrombin receptors. Platelets activated in this manner are referred to as Fc receptor and thrombin-activated (FcRT) platelets, and they share many of the characteristics of the formerly observed COAT platelets, including aminophospholipid exposure, adhesive and procoagulant protein enrichment, increased frequency among young platelets, and sensitivity to transglutaminase inhibitors. Although FcγRIIA receptor activation can be achieved either with anti-CD9 monoclonal antibodies (ALB-6 and ML-13) or with direct Fc receptor cross-linking, FcRT platelet generation occurs only with concurrent or slightly delayed thrombin stimulation. In fact, when thrombin was the second agonist, time delays of up to 120 seconds after FcγRIIA receptor stimulation had little effect on the generation of FcRT platelets; however, a similar delay for convulxin plus thrombin activation results in a 90% diminution in COAT platelet production. FcRT platelet formation in platelet-poor plasma and whole blood was also investigated, and results were similar to those observed with gel-filtered platelets. Previous experiments with COAT platelet formation used physiologic agonists (collagen and thrombin) that might be encountered under either physiologic or pathologic conditions; however, the current experiments with Fc receptor stimulation offer the first example in which these highly prohemostatic platelets are likely to be strictly pathogenic. (J Lab Clin Med 2001;138:393-402)
Transient electric birefringence of two small DNA restriction fragments of the same molecular weight

The transient electric birefringence of two small DNA restriction fragments of the same molecular weight, one of which migrates anomalously slowly on polyacrylamide gels, has been investigated. Both fragments exhibit negative birefringence. The decay of the birefringence of the anomalously slowly migrating fragment is 8-9% faster than that of the normally migrating fragment. The faster birefringence decay of the anomalous fragment 12A persists under a variety of buffer conditions, suggesting that it is due primarily to static bending and/or curvature of fragment 12A. In reversing electric fields the absolute amplitude of the birefringence of fragments 12A and 12B decreased about 26% before returning to the steady state value. The minimum in the birefringence occurred faster than expected from the birefringence decay times and decreased with increasing electric field strength, suggesting that the minimum is due to a slow polarization of the ion atmosphere. For both fragments, the rise of the birefringence in the Kerr region is about 10% slower than the field-free decay. The buildup of the negative birefringence is preceded either by an interval when no birefringence is observed or by a small positively birefringent transient, suggesting that a small transverse ionic polarizability is also present. Both DNA fragments exhibit Kerr law behavior over most of the range of electric field strengths investigated. Analysis of the shapes of the saturation curves suggests that differences may exist in the polarization mechanisms of the two fragments.
THE CHANGING NATURE OF RURAL AMERICA1

Rural regions are changing, both in terms of economic dispersal and population patterns. Rural growth is attributed to technological innovation, improving capacity to deal with impending problems as well as improving quality of life, and intercommunity linkage. For some communities, this means the prospects of indigenous economic development.
Metabolite profiles of human immunodeficiency virus infected CD4+ T cells and macrophages using LC-MS/MS analysis.

Abstract Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infects both activated CD4+ T cells and macrophages. We tested if liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) technology can monitor metabolic alterations induced by HIV-1 in the infected cells. Here we monitored glucose uptake and conducted LC–MS/MS-based metabolomic analysis in HIV-1 infected primary human CD4+ T cells and a macrophage model system: differentiated U1 (HIV-1 producing) and differentiated U937 (control) cells. HIV-1 infected CD4+ T cells have higher glucose uptake and increases in several metabolite pool sizes, whereas HIV-1 producing macrophages had substantial reductions in glucose uptake and steady state glycolytic intermediates. This data suggests that the two HIV-1 target cell types exhibit very different metabolic outcomes during viral production. This study also validates the LC–MS/MS technology as an effective metabolomic approach to monitor various metabolic alterations made by HIV-1 infection.
Linfoma pulmonar primario de células T. Presentación de un caso y revisión de la bibliografía

Los linfomas no hodgkinianos raramente afectan al parenquima pulmonar. La mayor parte de los casos descritos hasta ahora son de celulas B. Presentamos el primer caso en la bibliografia hispana de linfoma pulmonar de celulas T con una evolucion agresiva y mala respuesta al tratamiento. Casos como este demuestran el valor de la biopsia a cielo abierto y los marcadores celulares como elementos diagnosticos fundamentales. Los linfomas de celulas T deberian ser incluidos en el diagnostico diferencial de los pacientes febriles con nodulos pulmonares
Order-Disorder Transitions in Gadolinium Zirconate: A Potential Electrolyte Material in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Rare-earth, yttrium, and calcium doped zirconates are the materials of choice for electrolytes in solid oxide fuel cells. The dopant in these materials serves not only to stabilized the cubic phase of zirconia, but also to introduce anion defects that presumably increase the ionic conductivity. In order to understand the relationships between anion defect distribution, thermal history and ionic conductivity, the structural properties of gadolinium zirconate, Gd2Zr207, have been examined via high-temperature x-ray powder diffraction. Gadolinium zirconate is an ideal material for such a structure-property-processing study: it shows ordering of defects at low temperatures, taking on a pyrochlore structure, and disordering at elevated temperature, taking on a defect fluorite structure. Diffraction experiments, performed as functions of time and temperature, confirmed the transition temperature to lie between 1500 and 1550 °C. They also revealed that the transformation takes place most rapidly just below the transition temperature, indicating that the ordering process is kinetically constrained at low temperatures. Moreover, x-ray data collected at room temperature from quenched samples were found to be as useful, if not more so, than those collected in situ at high temperature. The latter are affected by thermal scattering, severely compromising data quality.
Assessment of energy demand response options in smart grid utilizing the stochastic programming approach

The smart grid enables two-way energy demand response capability through which utility service providers can offer customers special call options for energy load curtailment. If a utility customer has a capability to perform a rapid cost and benefit analysis of the offer in an optimal manner and accept the offer, the customer can earn both an option premium to participate, and a strike price for load curtailments when asked. However, today most industrial customers still lack the ability to perform such an optimal and rapid cost and benefit analysis. This paper proposes a stochastic-programming enabled decision process to be used to evaluate the impact of load curtailments within a required short response time. This approach can build agility into utility customers' energy decisions, thereby helping exploit the energy demand response capability and achieve strategic advantage over competitors. An illustrative example of the proposed decision process under a call-option based energy demand response scenario is presented.
Computerized adaptive testing of psychological factors: relation to upper-extremity disability

Background: Psychological factors are important mediators of the differences between impairment and disability. The most commonly used measures of disability and psychological factors are lengthy and are usually administered as paper questionnaires. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between perceived disability and psychological factors with use of the user-friendly, web-based Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System initiative, and to compare its correlation with a frequently used, paper-based, pain self-efficacy questionnaire. Methods: A cohort of 213 patients completed a web-based version of the abbreviated version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH), the pain self-efficacy questionnaire, the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-based computerized adaptive testing Pain Interference questionnaire, and the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-based computerized adaptive testing Depression questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariable analyses measured the correlation of these psychological measures with QuickDASH. Results: There was large correlation between QuickDASH and the Pain Interference computerized adaptive testing (r = 0.74; p < 0.001), between the Pain Interference computerized adaptive testing and the pain self-efficacy questionnaire (r = −0.72; p < 0.001), and between QuickDASH and the pain self-efficacy questionnaire (r = −0.76; p < 0.001). The Depression computerized adaptive testing showed a medium correlation both with QuickDASH (r = 0.37; p < 0.001) and with the Pain Interference computerized adaptive testing (r = 0.40; p < 0.001). The best multivariable model for QuickDASH included the Pain Interference computerized adaptive testing, prior treatment received, and smoking, and accounted for 57% of the variability. Fifty-one percent of the variability in the QuickDASH was explained by pain interference alone. Conclusions: Maladaptive responses to upper-extremity pain are accurately measured by the relatively user-friendly Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-based computerized adaptive testing questionnaire. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Vacuum expectation value of the stress tensor in an arbitrary curved background: The covariant point-separation method

A method known as covariant geodesic point separation is developed to calculate the vacuum expectation value of the stress tensor for a massive scalar field in an arbitrary gravitational field. The vacuum expectation value will diverge because the stress-tensor operator is constructed from products of field operators evaluated at the same space-time point. To remedy this problem, one of the field operators is taken to a nearby point. The resultant vacuum expectation value is finite and may be expressed in terms of the Hadamard elementary function. This function is calculated using a curved-space generalization of Schwinger's proper-time method for calculating the Feynman Green's function. The expression for the Hadamard function is written in terms of the biscalar of geodetic interval which gives a measure of the square of the geodesic distance between the separated points. Next, using a covariant expansion in terms of the tangent to the geodesic, the stress tensor may be expanded in powers of the length of the geodesic. Covariant expressions for each divergent term and for certain terms in the finite portion of the vacuum expectation value of the stress tensor are found. The properties, uses, and limitations of the results are discussed.
The Elastic Properties of the Caulobacter crescentus Adhesive Holdfast Are Dependent on Oligomers of N-Acetylglucosamine

The aquatic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus attaches to solid surfaces through an adhesive holdfast located at the tip of its polar stalk, a thin cylindrical extension of the cell membrane. In this paper, the elastic properties of the C. crescentus stalk and holdfast assembly were studied by using video light microscopy. In particular, the contribution of oligomers of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) to the elasticity of holdfast was examined by lysozyme digestion. C. crescentus cells attached to a surface undergo Brownian motion while confined effectively in a harmonic potential. Mathematical analysis of such motion enabled us to determine the force constant of the stalk-holdfast assembly, which quantifies its elastic properties. The measured force constant exhibits no dependence on stalk length, consistent with the theoretical estimate showing that the stalk can be treated as a rigid rod with respect to fluctuations of the attached cells. Therefore, the force constant of the stalk-holdfast assembly can be attributed to the elasticity of the holdfast. Motions of cells in a rosette were found to be correlated, consistent with the elastic characteristics of the holdfast. Atomic force microscopy analysis indicates that the height of a dried (in air) holdfast is approximately one-third of that of a wet (in water) holdfast, consistent with the gel-like nature of the holdfast. Lysozyme, which cleaves oligomers of GlcNAc, reduced the force constant to less than 10% of its original value, consistent with the polysaccharide gel-like nature of the holdfast. These results also indicate that GlcNAc polymers play an important role in the strength of the holdfast.
Movement trajectories in laparoscopic tools

In this study, a system was developed to assess quality of movement, as applied to laparoscopic instruments. An instrument is fitted with a variable inductor as part of a Colpitts oscillator. Output frequency is demodulated, sampled, and processed using LabView. In initial studies, this system is used to evaluate velocity and positioning accuracy during insertion and retraction tasks. Data show no significant difference between dominant and non-dominant hands, but velocity for extraction was higher than that of insertion, and marked improvement was seen over a three-day period.
A 5‐year prospective randomized clinical trial on the influence of splinted and unsplinted oral implants retaining a mandibular overdenture: prosthetic aspects and patient satisfaction

Prosthetic outcome and patient satisfaction were evaluated in order to investigate whether there is a need or advantage to splint two implants in the mandible retaining a hinging overdenture. This study included 36 fully edentulous patients randomly divided into three groups according to the attachment system they received: magnets, ball attachments or straight bars (reference group). None of the implants failed during the whole observation period in any of the groups. After 5 years of observation, the Bar group presented the highest retention capacity and the least prosthetic complications but revealed more mucositis and gingival hyperplasia. Patient satisfaction rated similar for all groups although the Magnet group showed lower retention forces. All patients would repeat the same treatment even though the majority of the Magnet group would prefer a more retentive solution because of limited denture stability.
A Biologically Inspired Computational Study of Flow Past Tandem Flapping Foils

using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The simulations have been carried out using a Cartesian grid method that allows us to simulate flows with complex moving boundaries on stationary Cartesian grids. The simulations indicate that vortex shedding from the upstream dorsal fin is indeed capable of increasing the thrust of the tail fin significantly. However, this thrust augmentation is found to be quite sensitive to the phase relationship between the two flapping fins. The numerical simulations allows us to examine the underlying physical mechanism for this thrust augmentation. I. Introduction
Measuring Circulating Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein to Evaluate Coronary Risk

The hypothesis that oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) is necessary, if not obligatory, in the development of atherosclerotic lesions was formulated >20 years ago with the seminal observation that uptake of native LDL by macrophages did not result in foam cell formation. In contrast, uptake of ox-LDL via scavenger receptors resulted in the unregulated accumulation of lipid.1 Since then, multiple studies in experimental animal models have provided firm evidence of an important role of ox-LDL in atherogenesis. However, the role of ox-LDL in the clinical arena has not yet been established. The report in this issue of Circulation by Ehara et al,2 as well as several other studies, lends support to the idea that the oxidation of LDL is also relevant in humans and continues to move ox-LDL research from the bench to the bedside.3 There is substantial evidence that ox-LDL is present in vivo within atherosclerotic but not normal blood vessels. LDL that is extracted from human and animal atherosclerotic lesions has all of the physical, chemical, immunological, and biological properties of ox-LDL. Monoclonal antibodies to epitopes of ox-LDL immunostain animal and human atherosclerotic lesions. Products of lipid peroxidation, such as oxidized cholesterol, fatty acids, phospholipids, and isoprostanes, are found in atherosclerotic lesions and plasma. Autoantibodies to epitopes of ox-LDL, reflecting the fact that ox-LDL is very immunogenic, are found in lesions and plasma of animals and patients with various manifestations of atherosclerosis. In addition, radiolabeled oxidation-specific antibodies image ox-LDL in the artery of live animals, and plasma autoantibody titers of ox-LDL correlate with both the accumulation and depletion of arterial ox-LDL.4 5 Finally, a large number of animal studies have shown that antioxidants reduce the progression of atherosclerosis in animal models.3 When it is present in vivo, ox-LDL has a wide range of atherogenic properties, …
Fluorescence Spectral Imaging as a Tool for Locating Uranium Deposited on Surfaces

In the environment, metallic uranium readily oxidizes to form uranium compounds that contain the uranyl (UO2+2) moiety. For more than a hundred and fifty years, it has been known that when illuminated with ultraviolet (UV) light, uranyl compounds exhibit characteristic fluorescence in the visible region (450–650 nm). We report our efforts to develop a transportable, quantitative Fluorescence Spectral Imaging (FSI) system as a tool for locating and quantifying uranyl compounds dispersed in soils and on other surfaces. A project is underway to develop a set of sensors to locate expended depleted uranium (DU) rounds and to process soil and debris to recover the material from domestic firing ranges. The FSI system can also be utilized to monitor excavation of DU munitions and separation of uranyl compounds from soils. FSI images are acquired by illuminating a surface with a UV light and using a narrow bandpass filter on a camera, recording an image of the resulting fluorescence. The FSI image provides both spatial and spectral information. The FSI system is described and its performance characterized using field samples.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The Deepglider: A Full Ocean Depth Glider for Oceanographic Research

Similar in size (62 kg, 1.8 m long) and shape to the Seaglider [1], the Deepglider is an instrument platform designed to glide to depths of 6000 meters. To achieve these depths, a composite pressure hull of thermoset resin and carbon fiber was developed in a two phase design and test approach. To take advantage of the substantial engineering effort put into the Seaglider, the Deepglider was designed to use many of the same components and technologies. A Deepglider was deployed in November 2006 off the Washington state coast. It remained at sea for 39 days, diving to a maximum water depth of 2713 meters, and transiting to its target 220 km offshore, before returning and being recovered near shore. The Deepglider, while not yet achieving its design goal of 6000 meters, demonstrated that composites can provide a strength-to-weight ratio exceeding that of metals and can be optimized for hydrodynamic body shapes. This paper describes the Deepglider development and the issues of compressibility for a profiling glider.
Marketing Engineering at BBDO

In preparing for the 1997 quadrennial defense review, US Navy leaders asked us if we could quantify the economic benefits of forward-engaged naval forces and communicate them to policy makers. Until this point, the only evidence of such benefits was anecdotal. Forward-engaged naval forces are US-based ships deployed to such areas as the Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf, or the western Pacific Ocean. Forward engagement affords the opportunity to work with regional states in shaping the international security environment and also enables rapid response to unexpected crises. Using a methodology based on oil-futures prices, we estimated the economic benefits of crisis response by forward-engaged naval forces for the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. We showed that the economic benefits to the United States and its trading partners are conservatively in the tens of billions of dollars.
Addressing the Genetics of Human Mental Health Disorders in Model Organisms

Mental health disorders are notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat for a variety of reasons, including genetic heterogeneity, comorbidities, and qualitative diagnostic criteria. Discovery of the molecular pathology underlying these disorders is crucial to the development of quantitative biomarkers and novel therapeutics. In this review, we discuss contributions to the mental health field of different cellular and whole-animal approaches in characterizing psychiatric genetics and molecular pathology. These approaches include mammalian cell and neuronal culture, cerebral organoids, induced pluripotent stem cells, and the whole-animal models of nematodes, flies, mollusks, frogs, mice, and zebrafish, on the last of which we place extra emphasis. Integrative use of these cellular and animal systems in a complementary and informative fashion maximizes the potential contributions to the mental health field as a whole.
Pediatric eye injury-related hospitalizations in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: An estimated 2.4 million eye injuries occur in the United States each year, with nearly 35% of injuries among persons aged 17 years or less. Although previous research has identified some of the characteristics of pediatric eye injuries, many studies focused only on a specific patient population or type of eye injury or relied on self-reported data. In addition, little information has been reported on the total charges associated with treating pediatric eye injuries. Using a large national database, our aim was to examine hospitalizations for the treatment of pediatric eye injuries in the United States, including the demographic, medical care, and financial characteristics associated with major categories of eye injury. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were derived from the 2000 Kids' Inpatient Database of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Eye injury-related hospitalizations were identified by using International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Discharges were selected if the eye injury was the principal or secondary diagnosis. Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used to group external-cause-of-injury codes into broader categories to allow meaningful comparison with previous studies. The reported charges for the treatment of eye injuries and the expected primary payer were determined. Cases were statistically weighted to produce national estimates of hospitalizations for pediatric eye injuries and to determine the characteristics of these injuries. RESULTS: Data were collected by the Kids' Inpatient Database for 3834 actual eye injury-related hospitalizations. These records represent an estimated 7527 eye injury-related hospitalizations among children aged 20 years or less in the United States during 2000. Inpatient charges for the treatment of these injuries were more than $88 million. The rate of hospitalization for pediatric eye injuries in the United States in 2000 was 8.9 per 100,000 persons aged 20 years or less. Young adults aged 18 to 20 years accounted for the highest percentage of hospitalizations (23.7%). Males accounted for 69.7% of hospitalizations. A majority of hospitalizations were for open wounds of the ocular adnexa. Motor vehicle crash was the most common cause of injury, followed by being struck by or against an object and being cut or pierced. CONCLUSIONS: These findings illustrate the considerable morbidity, financial burden, and proximal causes for pediatric eye injury-related hospitalizations. Our data support the need for eye injury prevention efforts that consider the age, gender, and developmental stage of children. Educating parents and children about the potential for eye injuries at home and during hazardous activities is an important public health goal. In addition, promoting the use of appropriate protective eyewear by children during activities with a high risk of ocular trauma will help prevent future eye injuries. Language: en
A Flexible Advance Reservation Model for Multi-Domain WDM Optical Networks

Advance reservation is a mechanism to guarantee the availability of resources when they are needed. In the context of LambdaGrid, this mechanism is used to provide data-intensive applications with the needed deterministic network quality of service to transport data between grid instruments, high-performance storage systems, compute clusters and visualization systems. Flexible scheduling affords users greater convenience while also improving resource utilization and acceptance rate. In this paper we propose a flexible advance reservation model (FARM) and describe how to implement this model in the meta-scheduling problem. Then we extend this methodology to the cross-domain lightpath reservation problem by incorporating routing and wavelength assignment algorithms. Next, we present the architecture, implementation and APIs of a coordinated interdomain and intradomain optical control plane called AR-PIN/PDC, which is capable of flexible advance reservations. Our simulation results show that by relaxing the reservation time constraint, the acceptance rate and resource utilization can be improved dramatically. Through simulations, we also analyze the impact of advance reservations on immediate reservations and conclude that both AR and IR requests need admission control algorithms in order to let both types of reservations coexist and use resource properly.
The response of two half spaces to point dislocations at the material interface

SUMMARY exact solution to the problem of a general point dislocation situated at an interface between two half spaces of different elastic moduli is derived using a vector function expansion and the Cagnlardde Hoop technique. For source functions that are nonsingular in either time or space the solution is given in terms of finite range integrals suitable for numerical integration. The integration ranges can be divided into two intervals: the fmt corresponds to a time-space response carried by head wave disturbances, the second to a time-space response carried by direct geometrical waves. Additional interface waves (Stoneley waves, leaky modes) enter the solution when the integration contours pass near their corresponding poles in the complex ray parameter domain. The head waves and other interface waves strongly distort the near field waveforms from corresponding waveforms in a homogeneous full space. It is shown that the distribution of travel times, amplitudes and motion polarities due to slip between two dissimilar media is different from what is predicted for slip in a homogeneous full space. It is therefore suggested that the interpretation of observed seismic data, especially those recorded in the near field of faults, be undertaken with consideration given to effects arising from material heterogeneity in the source region. The solution presented in this paper may be used as an integration kernel to give the response of two dissimilar half spaces to a finite propagating rupture at the material interface. Using the early parts of borehole seismograms to avoid fke surface phases, such a response may be utilized to obtain source and fault parameters.
Electron-transfer polymers. XXIX. Copolymerizability of vinylhydroquinone derivatives

Ten vinylhydroquinone and one vinyl resorcinol derivatives are compared, particularly with respect to NMR spectra and copolymerizability with styrene. They are vinylhydroquinone dimethyl ether (I), vinyl-O,O′-bis(1-ethoxyethyl)hydroquinone (II), vinylhydroquinone di(2-pentyl)ether (III), 4-vinyl resorcinol bismethoxymethyl ether (IV), 2-vinyl-5-methylhydroquinone dimethyl ether (V), 2-vinyl-5-methyl-O,O′-bis(1-ethoxyethyl)hydroquinone (VI), 2-vinyl-6-methylhydroquinone dimethyl ether (VII), 2-vinyl-5-tert-butylhydroquinone dimethyl ether (VIII), 2-vinyl-5-chlorohydroquinone dimethyl ether (IX), 2-vinyl-3,6-dimethylhydroquinone dimethyl ether (X), and 2-vinyl-3,5,6-trimethylhydroquinone dimethyl ether (XI). All the vinyl protons have almost the same coupling constants. Though subtle distinctions are found among all the spectra, they can in general be put into two groups on the basis of the chemical shifts. Let the hydrogen on carbon-1 of the vinyl group be A, the hydrogen cis to A be B the hydrogen trans to A be C, then in the first group, (I) through (IX), the chemical shifts (τ) are (A) 3.02 ± 0.08, (C) 4.41 ± 0.05, and (B) 4.87 ± 0.07, and in the second group, (X) and (XI), they are (A) 3.30 ± 0.03, (C) 4.49 ± 0.01, and (B) 4.59 ± 0.03. It is supposed that in (X) and (XI) the vinyl group is out of the plane of the ring, because of the two ortho substituents, and this conformation is reflected in the NMR data. Ultraviolet spectra are consonant with this interpretation, since the λmax of (X) and (XI) correspond closely with those of nonvinyl reference compounds, while those of (II), (V), and (VIII) are shifted to longer wavelengths. When these compounds are copolymerized separately with styrene, the behaviors are classifiable into the following three groups, where r1 and r2 are monomer reactivity ratios with styrene as the first monomer: (i) r1 1 for compounds (I), (V), (VII), (VIII), (IX), and (iii) r1 > 1 and r2 = 0 for compounds (X) and (XI). These behaviors are correlated with the effect of electronegativity of groups on the stability of the radical at the growing end of the chain and with the simultaneous effects of steric hindrance.
Structural hierarchies, theta rhythm, hippocampal function

The connection between different structures being at different hierarchical level of the cortico-hippocampal formation and their functional role is discussed. At least three different functions, code generation, mood regulation and navigation is being integrated into a coherent conceptual framework.