cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three-dimensional piezoelectric fibrous scaffolds selectively promote mesenchymal stem cell differentiation

The discovery of electric fields in biological tissues has led to efforts in developing technologies utilizing electrical stimulation for therapeutic applications. Native tissues, such as cartilage and bone, exhibit piezoelectric behavior, wherein electrical activity can be generated due to mechanical deformation. Yet, the use of piezoelectric materials have largely been unexplored as a potential strategy in tissue engineering, wherein a piezoelectric biomaterial acts as a scaffold to promote cell behavior and the formation of large tissues. Here we show, for the first time, that piezoelectric materials can be fabricated into flexible, three-dimensional fibrous scaffolds and can be used to stimulate human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and corresponding extracellular matrix/tissue formation in physiological loading conditions. Piezoelectric scaffolds that exhibit low voltage output, or streaming potential, promoted chondrogenic differentiation and piezoelectric scaffolds with a high voltage output promoted osteogenic differentiation. Electromechanical stimulus promoted greater differentiation than mechanical loading alone. Results demonstrate the additive effect of electromechanical stimulus on stem cell differentiation, which is an important design consideration for tissue engineering scaffolds. Piezoelectric, smart materials are attractive as scaffolds for regenerative medicine strategies due to their inherent electrical properties without the need for external power sources for electrical stimulation.
Ray tracing using shooting-bouncing technique to model mine tunnels: Theory and verification for a PEC waveguide

We present a shooting-bouncing approach to ray-tracing as applied to signal propagation modeling in electrically large waveguides, such as underground mine tunnels at wireless communication frequencies. The method is verified for a dominant-mode rectangular metallic waveguide excited by a dipole antenna.
The Evolution of Auditory Cortex: The Core Areas

An alternative title might be “What, if Anything, is AI?” AI, of course, is primary auditory cortex, an area of cortex that likely all mammals have. Thus, this seems a naive or a puzzling question. Yet, an important issue is hidden in this question. And this type of question was formulated long ago: “What, if anything, is a rabbit?” (Wood 1957). Classification was the issue, and it concluded that rabbits had been mistakenly classified as rodents. That view has prevailed, and rabbits are now considered Lagomorphs. Some time ago, I asked “What, if anything, is S1?” (Kaas 1983). I felt that the term S1 was being used inconsistently to refer to four areas (areas 3a, 3b, 1 and 2) in human and other anthropoid primates, while only one of these areas was considered to be S1 (area 3b) in most mammals. Again, this pertains to the issue of proper identification. All mammals appear to have a region of auditory cortex, but the descriptions of how it is organized vary across species, and even between studies on the same species.
Social Ecology of Supervised Communal Facilities for Mentally Disabled Adults: II. Predictors of Affiliation.

The behavior of 304 mentally disabled adults was observed in five settings (one residence, four sheltered workshops) during periods when they were free to affiliate with peers. Regression analyses using settings, personal traits (age, sex, IQ, and diagnosis), and mediating variables (e.g., physical attractiveness, desire for affiliation, and length of institutionalization) were conducted to predict various aspects of affiliative behavior. Settings accounted for 16 to 63 percent of the predictable variation independent of personal and mediating variables. Although older and mentally ill clients affiliated less extensively, neither degree of retardation, length of previous institutionalization, use of medication, or other physical disabilities appeared to affect affiliation independent of other variables. In general, clients who were physically attractive, desired affiliation, and had intelligent peers in their programs affiliated more extensively and intensively with peers. In total, the findings indicate that the variables most predictive of affiliation in the present community settings were also the ones most amenable to personal or environmental changes.
Sintering of Porous Materials

This chapter focuses on the sintering of nanoparticle-based porous materials. First, nanoparticle-based porous materials are defined. Then, the fundamentals of sintering are briefly revisited but from a porous point of view, describing effects of parameters on porous structure and shrinkage, and the unique characteristics and challenges for the sintering of nanoparticle-based porous materials are addressed. The discussion on the sintering is divided into single composition systems and composites. For single composition systems, porous materials can be obtained by partial sintering, template-based sintering, or reaction sintering. For porous composite materials, the microstructures can be realized by direct sintering of composite systems, using nanoparticles as a second phase in the sintering of larger-sized particle matrix, or unique reaction processes. Finally, the current state of nanoparticle-based porous material sintering is summarized and future directions are analyzed.
Spontaneous rupture of the extensor pollicis longus in a break-dancer.

Dear Sir, We report an interesting case involving the spontaneous rupture of the extensor pollicis longus (EPL) tendon in a break-dancer. A 29-year-old male professional break-dancer presented to our institution with the chief complaint of right wrist pain and inability to extend his thumb. He reported insidious dorsal-sided wrist pain but had the acute onset of worsening pain and inability to extend his thumb following a performance the weekend prior. Physical examination confirmed rupture of the EPL with a positive lift-off test (Fig 1). The patient underwent surgical reconstruction of the EPL with standard transfer of the extensor indicis tendon. Intraoperative findings showed EPL tendon attenuation at the level of the radiocarpal joint, dorsal capsular hypertrophy, and a bony spur adjacent to Lister's tubercle at the base of the third dorsal compartment. At latest follow-up, the patient demonstrated a well-functioning tendon transfer with restoration of thumb retropulsion. He has returned to all previous activities, in particular break-dancing. Figure 1 Clinical photograph showing attempted thumb retropulsion; solid arrow shows normal EPL tendon and dotted arrow shows absent EPL tendon. EPL indicates extensor pollicis longus. Traumatic and atraumatic rupture of the EPL tendon are well-described phenomena. Ruptures occur as a result of mechanical or biologic stress. Common mechanisms include fractures of the distal radius, rheumatoid arthritis, local injection of steroids, and repetitive motion activities at the wrist.1-3 Break-dancing is a unique art form, which places tremendous stress on the upper extremity, and musculoskeletal injuries are well documented in this patient population.4 The wrist is particularly stressed because so many moves involve utilizing the hand-wrist unit as a peg around which the body moves or balances (Fig 2). We hypothesize that this patient's rupture was related to a repetitive hyperextension moment across the wrist leading to dorsal capsular hypertrophy and bony spur formation leading to chronic attenuation of the tendon eventually resulting in an acute rupture. The patient's clinical history in association with the intraoperative findings suggest this, and surgical pathology was consistent with chronic tendinous attenuation. Surgeons should have a high index of suspicion in a break-dancer patient with dorsal-sided wrist pain and consider early activity modification to prevent further attenuation and possible rupture. Figure 2 Patient demonstrating a common break-dancing “freeze” position, which places a tremendous amount of stress on the wrist.
Evaluation and Benefits of Head-Mounted Display Systems for HRI Research

The intent of this evaluation is to describe the unique benefits that may be provided to human robot interaction (HRI) researchers by the capabilities of commercially available binocular head-mount...
Examining Skin Color and Discrimination Among Ethnic Minority Adolescents

Discrimination based on skin color is illegal, yet preferential treatment based on skin color persists and there is less clarity on how one’s nativity and parents play a role between skin color and discrimination. This study examined the associations among skin color and subtle discrimination (i.e., microaggressions) among Latina/o (63.5%) and Asian American (36.5%) adolescents (N = 244; Mage = 17.12, SD = .73; 55% female). This study also examined whether nativity status, parent ethnic racial socialization, and parental acculturation (via parent language proficiency) moderated the association between skin color and microaggressions. Adolescents with darker skin color reported more microaggressions. In addition, the association between skin color and microaggressions was found among foreign-born adolescents, but not US-born adolescents. Neither parental acculturation or parent ethnic racial socialization moderated the association between skin color and microaggressions. These results suggest that, like race and ethnicity, skin color may be a marker for adolescents receiving subtle discrimination, particularly among foreign-born youth.
The Rhetorical Invention of Diversity: Supreme Court Opinions, Public Argument, and Affirmative Action. By M. Kelly Carr. Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 2018. 294 pages

Though decades have passed since the landmark Bakke decision that came to frame much of the discourse on affirmative action in higher education, the embers of that fire are nowhere near cool. Even ...
Loneliness as impetus, isolation as inertia: Reporting cheating peers in business school

AbstractBusiness education scholarship has explored cheating behavior as a function of demographics, culture, personality, and other factors. Expanding current knowledge on the topic, the authors p...
Open Surgical and Endovascular Revascularizations of Isolated Visceral Artery Dissections

Treatment options for IVAD are largely dependent on the clinical presentation, acute or chronic symptoms, the location and extent of the dissection, and the size of the aneurysm. For asymptomatic patients and some mildly symptomatic patients with no or small aneurysm, conservative treatment with or without anticoagulation or antiplatelet medication is recommended; however, close follow-up with imaging studies using duplex ultrasound scanning or CTA is required to detect any progression of the dissection. Open or endovascular revascularization is indicated in patients who fail to conservative therapy or in those who present acutely with organ ischemia or infarcts, arterial occlusion without collateral circulation, or rupture. Because of the less invasive nature, endovascular procedure is considered first in all patients, although open surgery is still frequently needed to attempt to save the organ or the life of the patient if catastrophic complications occur.
On the association between undocumented immigration and crime in the United States

Approximately 11 million undocumented individuals live in the United States. At the same time, there are concerns that the presence of undocumented immigrants may contribute to an increase in crime rates. In this article, I examine the institutionalization rate of undocumented immigrants and quantify the change in crime rates attributable to undocumented immigration. The analysis yields a few main results. First, despite possessing characteristics usually associated with crime, undocumented immigrants are 33% less likely to be institutionalized compared to US natives. Second, there is no evidence that undocumented immigrants who have spent more time in the USA are more likely to be institutionalized compared to those who have been in the USA for a shorter time. There is evidence, however, that arriving at a younger age is associated with higher institutionalization rate. Finally, overall property and violent crime rates across US states are not statistically significantly increased by undocumented immigration.
CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Targeted Mutagenesis in Wheat Doubled Haploids

CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing technology has the potential to revolutionize agriculture, but many plant species and/or genotypes are recalcitrant to conventional transformation methods. Additionally, the long generation time of crop plants poses a significant obstacle to effective application of gene editing technology, as it takes a long time to produce modified homozygous genotypes. The haploid single-celled microspores are an attractive target for gene editing experiments, as they enable generation of homozygous doubled haploid mutants in one generation. Here, we describe optimized methods for genome editing of haploid wheat microspores and production of doubled haploid plants by microspore culture.
The Oil Nationalization Dispute and the Coup

This chapter briefly explains what Britain did in order to maintain its oil monopoly in Iran, how the U.S. joined Britain to retain Iran under the West’s domination, how eventually that period ended with a military coup in 1953, and how the nationalization was reversed by the formation of an oil consortium under the control of the Western oil companies. Since there are some analogies between the oil dispute then and the nuclear program controversy now, a brief description of oil nationalization episode is provided in this chapter. In both disputes, the oil and the nuclear, Iran wanted to preserve its sovereign right to defend its national interests versus the great powers. On both occasions, Iran was placed under economic sanctions and received threats of military force from the West; at the same time, Iran’s case was scrutinized by international legal organizations. While the West finally accomplished its foreign policy objectives in both occasions, Iran suffered defeat.
Lesser Metatarsophalangeal Instability: Diagnosis and Conservative Management of a Common Cause of Metatarsalgia:

Context:Lesser metatarsophalangeal (MTP) instability is a common condition that can become debilitating and require surgery.Evidence Acquisition:An extensive literature review was performed through...
A new subclass of exoribonuclease resistant RNA found in multiple Flaviviridae genera

ABSTRACT Viruses have developed innovative strategies to exploit the cellular machinery and overcome the host antiviral defenses, often using specifically structured RNA elements. Examples are found in flaviviruses; during flaviviral infection, pathogenic subgenomic flaviviral RNAs (sfRNAs) accumulate in the cell. These sfRNAs are formed when a host cell 5’ to 3’ exoribonuclease degrades the viral genomic RNA but is blocked by an exoribonuclease resistant RNA structure (xrRNA) located in the viral genome’s 3’untranslated region (UTR). Although known to exist in several Flaviviridae genera the full distribution and diversity of xRNAs in this virus family was unknown. Using the recent high-resolution structure of an xrRNA from the divergent flavivirus Tamana bat virus (TABV) as a reference, we used bioinformatic searches to identify xrRNA in the Pegivirus, Pestivirus, and Hepacivirus genera. We biochemically and structurally characterized several examples, determining that they are genuine xrRNAs with a conserved fold. These new xrRNAs look superficially similar to the previously described xrRNAs but possess structural differences making them distinct from previous classes of xrRNAs. Our findings thus require adjustments of previous xrRNA classification schemes and expand on the previously known distribution of the xrRNA in Flaviviridae, indicating their widespread distribution and illustrating their importance. IMPORTANCE The Flaviviridae comprise one of the largest families of positive sense single stranded (+ssRNA) and it is divided into the Flavivirus, Pestivirus, Pegivirus, and Hepacivirus genera. The genus Flavivirus contains many medically relevant viruses such as Zika Virus, Dengue Virus, and Powassan Virus. In these, a part of the virus’s RNA twists up into a very special three-dimensional shape called an xrRNA that blocks the ability of the cell to “chew up” the viral RNA. Hence, part of the virus’ RNA remains intact, and this protected part is important for viral infection. This was known to occur in Flaviviruses but whether it existed in the other members of the family was not known. In this study, we not only identified a new subclass of xrRNA found in Flavivirus but also in the remaining three genera. The fact that this process of viral RNA maturation exists throughout the entire Flaviviridae family makes it clear that this is an important but underappreciated part of the infection strategy of these diverse human pathogens.
Air-jet spinning corn zein protein nanofibers for drug delivery: Effect of biomaterial structure and shape on release properties.

Abstract Nanofiber materials are commonly used as delivery vehicles for dermatological drugs due to their high surface-area-to-volume ratio, porosity, flexibility, and reproducibility. In this study air-jet spinning was used as a novel and economic method to fabricate corn zein nanofiber meshes with model drugs of varying solubility, molecular weight and charge. The release profiles of these drugs were compared to their release from corn zein films to elucidate the effect of geometry and structure on drug delivery kinetics. In film samples, over 50% of drug was released after only 2 h. However, fiber samples exhibited more sustained release, releasing less than 50% after one day. FTIR, SEM, and DSC were performed on nanofibers and films before and after release of the drugs. Structural analysis revealed that the incorporation of model drugs into the fibers would transform the zein proteins from a random coil network to a more alpha helical structure. Upon release, the protein fiber reverted to its original random coil network. In addition, thermal analysis indicated that fibers can protect the drug molecules in high temperature above 160 °C, while drugs within films will degrade below 130 °C. These findings can likely be attributed to the mechanical infiltration of the drug molecules into the ordered structure of the zein fibers during their solution fabrication. The slow release from fiber samples can be attributed to this biophysical interaction, illustrating that release is dictated by more than diffusion in protein-based carriers. The controlled release of a wide variety of drugs from the air-jet spun corn zein nanofiber meshes demonstrates their success as drug delivery vehicles that can potentially be incorporated into different biological materials in the future.
Waneta, a Variety with Excellent Chip Color out of Cold Storage, Long Tuber Dormancy, and Resistance to the Golden Cyst Nematode

Waneta is a white-skinned, white-fleshed potato variety notable for excellent chip color from cold storage, good yield, long tuber dormancy, and resistance to both common scab and race Ro1 of the golden cyst nematode (Globodera rostochiensis). It was selected from a cross made at Cornell University in 1998 between Marcy and NY115. The tubers are round to oblong with shallow eyes and relatively smooth skin. Chip color out of cold storage is lighter than ‘Snowden’. Marketable yield averaged 91% of Snowden across 88 trials in New York, Pennsylvania and Maine, while specific gravity averaged 0.010 less than Snowden. Waneta was released by the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in 2011.
An iterative method to quantify epidermal melanin concentration using spatial frequency domain Imaging and a layered Monte Carlo model

Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging (SFDI) is a non-invasive diffuse optical imaging technology that quantifies tissue optical properties by projecting spatially modulated light onto a region of interest. By detecting and fitting the diffuse reflectance to a light transport model, tissue absorption (μa) and scattering (μs') coefficients are calculated. However, when measuring skin, bulk μa and μs' from a homogeneous light transport model may not correspond with the actual properties of individual skin layers, especially for highly pigmented skin. To obtain physiologically accurate skin optical property values, we propose an iterative method based on a two- layered Monte Carlo model. We initially assume that μs' in darker skin is the same as that in lighter skin, and set the epidermal a as the free parameter when fitting the diffuse reflectance. To test this algorithm, we analyzed data from the forearms of 6 subjects having various levels of pigmentation, at 8 visible-to-near-infrared wavelengths. We compared the measured reflectance to both the homogeneous model and our layered model to quantify fit accuracy. At 471 nm and 526 nm for patients of Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI (relatively dark skin), the two-layered model provided a 10-20% improvement in fit to the AC reflectance as a function of spatial frequency, compared to the homogeneous model. These improved fits yielded epidermal absorption coefficients that were notably higher than the bulk μa from the homogeneous model. Fitting the extracted epidermal μa to a melanin extinction spectrum1 enabled estimation of the melanin concentration in the epidermis.
Deep learning approach to predict pain progression in knee osteoarthritis

To develop and evaluate deep learning (DL) risk assessment models for predicting pain progression in subjects with or at risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA). The incidence and progression cohorts of the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a multi-center longitudinal study involving 9348 knees in 4674 subjects with or at risk of knee OA that began in 2004 and is ongoing, were used to conduct this retrospective analysis. A subset of knees without and with pain progression (defined as a 9-point or greater increase in pain score between baseline and two or more follow-up time points over the first 48 months) was randomly stratified into training (4200 knees with a mean age of 61.0 years and 60% female) and hold-out testing (500 knees with a mean age of 60.8 years and 60% female) datasets. A DL model was developed to predict pain progression using baseline knee radiographs. An artificial neural network was used to develop a traditional risk assessment model to predict pain progression using demographic, clinical, and radiographic risk factors. A combined model was developed to combine demographic, clinical, and radiographic risk factors with DL analysis of baseline knee radiographs. Area under the curve (AUC) analysis was performed using the hold-out testing dataset to evaluate model performance. The traditional model had an AUC of 0.692 (66.9% sensitivity and 64.1% specificity). The DL model had an AUC of 0.770 (76.7% sensitivity and 70.5% specificity), which was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than the traditional model. The combined model had an AUC of 0.807 (72.3% sensitivity and 80.9% specificity), which was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the traditional and DL models. DL models using baseline knee radiographs had higher diagnostic performance for predicting pain progression than traditional models using demographic, clinical, and radiographic risk factors.
COVID-19 symptoms over time: comparing long-haulers to ME/CFS

Our objective was to determine which symptoms among long-hauler COVID-19 patients change over time, and how their symptoms compare to another chronic illness group.278 long-haulers completed two sy...
Research and application of power grid intelligent inspection management system based on physical ID

Aiming at the problems of low efficiency, poor accuracy and untimely defect detection of traditional power grid equipment inspection methods, this paper proposed a power grid intelligent inspection management system based on physical ID. And a method for identifying high-risk alarm areas and fault location of transmission channel is proposed. By using big data mining and unsupervised clustering machine learning algorithm, the problems of poor accuracy and slow calculation speed of a large number of alarm data area division are fundamentally solved, and the functions of dynamic alarm and location affected by external force destruction, foreign object intrusion and environment are realized. The results show that compared with the traditional methods, the proposed method has higher efficiency and accuracy, and lower fault trip rate.
Population Health Trends in the Delivery of High Value Care for Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a common and disabling condition that represents around 20% of the global burden of musculoskeletal disease with a lifetime risk estimated at 13-26%. The escalation in cases is associated with a rise in ageing and obese populations. OA of the knee is also now recognized as a multi-faceted problem affecting not only an individual's physical health but their psychological and social wellbeing. Thus, a condition-focused, whole person approach that encompasses a range of treatment strategies is critical to managing populations with this condition in order to achieve value – an improvement in health outcomes benefiting patients relative to cost. Comprehensive models focused on delivering high value care for knee osteoarthritis that aim to meet the preferences, values, and needs of patient populations with this condition have been developed at The Muskuloskeletal Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School, and the Joint Health Program, at Duke University Health System. Both programs strive to address the risk factors underlined in this chapter via multi-disciplinary teams and multi-modal approaches that are highly coordinated, continuous over time and between visits, and designed around the patient's needs toward a common goal of value. In this article we discuss the population level impact and health trends associated with knee osteoarthritis, alongside the design, delivery, and impact of these comprehensive models of care delivery.
Telemetric Blood Pressure Assessment in Angiotensin II-Infused ApoE-/- Mice: 28 Day Natural History and Comparison to Tail-Cuff Measurements.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a disease of the aortic wall, which can progress to catastrophic rupture. Assessment of mechanical characteristics of AAA, such as aortic distensibility, may provide important insights to help identify at-risk patients and understand disease progression. While the majority of studies on this topic have focused on retrospective patient data, recent studies have used mouse models of AAA to prospectively evaluate the evolution of aortic mechanics. Quantification of aortic distensibility requires accurate measurement of arterial blood pressure, particularly pulse pressure, which is challenging to perform accurately in murine models. We hypothesized that volume/pressure tail-cuff measurements of arterial pulse pressure in anesthetized mice would have sufficient accuracy to enable calculations of aortic distensibility with minimal error. Telemetry devices and osmotic mini-pumps filled with saline or angiotensin-II were surgically implanted in male apolipoprotein-E deficient (ApoE-/-) mice. Blood pressure in the aortic arch was measured continuously via telemetry. In addition, simultaneous blood pressure measurements with a volume/pressure tail-cuff system were performed under anesthesia at specific intervals to assess agreement between techniques. Compared to controls, mice infused with angiotensin-II had an overall statistically significant increase in systolic pressure, with no overall difference in pulse pressure; however, pulse pressure did increase significantly with time. Systolic measurements agreed well between telemetry and tail-cuff (coefficient of variation = 10%), but agreement of pulse pressure was weak (20%). In fact, group-averaged pulse pressure from telemetry was a better predictor of a subject’s pulse pressure on a given day than a simultaneous tail-cuff measurement. Furthermore, these approximations introduced acceptable errors (15.1 ± 12.8%) into the calculation of aortic distensibility. Contrary to our hypothesis, we conclude that tail-cuff measures of arterial pulse pressure have limited accuracy. Future studies of aneurysm mechanics using the ApoE-/-/angiotensin-II model would be better in assuming pulse pressure profiles consistent with our telemetry findings instead of attempting to measure pulse pressure in individual mice.
ROOSEVELT COUNTY 027: A LOW‐SHOCK UREILITE WITH INTERSTITIAL SILICATES AND HIGH NOBLE GAS CONCENTRATIONS

The RC027 lightly-shocked ureilite contains less than 1 percent of a fine-grained interstitial silicate that has an igneous texture indicating crystallization from an interstitial liquid. RC027 is also noted to exhibit the strongest olivine preferred-orientation thus far observed in a ureilite; its fabric is characteristic of fabrics formed by tabular minerals in a fluid laminar flow regime, and is unlike those formed by synectonic recrystallization and plastic flow. The elemental and isotopic compositions of noble gases in RC027 are typical of previously analyzed ureilites.
Effects of Self-monitoring on the Classroom Preparedness Skills of Kindergarten Students At-risk for Developmental Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a self-monitoring procedure on the classroom-preparedness skills of three male kindergarten students at risk for developmental disabilities in an inclusive classroom. A multiple-baseline design across participants (Alberto and Troutman, 2009) was used to evaluate the effects of the self-monitoring procedure to increase the student's compliance to classroom-preparedness behaviours. Participants were taught to self-monitor and evaluate their classroom-preparedness behaviour using a checklist with picture prompts. The data, gathered for baseline, intervention, and maintenance phases, was measured as a percentage of compliance to the targeted classroom-preparedness skills. Results indicated that the use of the self-monitoring intervention significantly increased the student's compliance with the classroom-preparedness skills for all three participants. In addition, the skills generalised across different content areas and were maintained without the use of the checklist. Limitations of the study, implications for the classroom, and future research questions are discussed.
Effects of Mutations to Streptomycin Resistance on the Rate of Translation of Mutant Genetic Information

Abstract Gartner, T. K. (University of California, Santa Barbara), and E. Orias. Effects of mutations to streptomycin resistance on the rate of translation of mutant genetic information. J. Bacteriol. 91:1021–1028. 1966.—The effects of mutations to streptomycin resistance of independent origin upon the translation of suppressible mutant information were studied in an isogenic series of strains of Escherichia coli. The group of suppressible mutants included 1 mutation in the z gene of the lac operon of E. coli (O02 allele), 12 mutations distributed among the two rII cistrons of T4, and 13 mutations distributed among at least five cistrons of phage T7. It was concluded that the mutations to streptomycin resistance cause a significant decrease in the rate of translation of the suppressible codons, and that this effect is limited to a few types of codons.
Empty Vessel (In Three Pieces)

This essay represents the work of memory. For African Americans, memory works against the cultural amnesia insisted upon by the trauma of centuries of enslavement. The effort here is to remember the dignity and the economy of a woman whose toil, like many others of her generation, wrought an enduring wisdom.
Abstract 20081: Predicting Risk of Endovascular Device Infection in Patients with Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia

Objectives: Clinicians need to identify which patients presenting with S. aureus bacteremia (SAB) have underlying cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) infection and therefore need device extraction. The goal of this study was to identify clinical predictors of CIED infection in patients presenting with SAB. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all cases of SAB in CIED recipients at Mayo Clinic from Jan 2001 to Dec 2011. CIED infection was defined using clinical, microbiologic and echocardiographic criteria. Patients who presented with clinical signs of CIED pocket infection were excluded. A multivariable model was developed to identify independent predictors of CIED infection. Model discrimination was summarized using the area under a receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC). Results: Among the 131 patients with SAB and CIED, 45 (34%) had underlying CIED infection. Permanent pacemaker (PPM) devices (OR 3.90, 95% CI 1.65-9.23, p=0.002), >1 device-related procedure (OR 3.30, 95% CI 1.23...
Retinoic acid in mucosal immune-regulation

The vitamin A metabolite, retinoic acid (RA), and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) are both abundantly produced in the gut and are known to play significant roles in a variety of developmental processes, including the differentiation of lymphocyte lineages. TGF-β mediates the direct inhibition of TH1 and TH2 cytokine polarization concomitant with the generation of regulatory T cells (Tregs), and paradoxically, along with inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, it also induces the differentiation of pro-inflammatory IL-17 producing CD4 helper T cells (TH17). RA, in contrast, is able under certain conditions to stimulate TH2 differentiation, and it is a profound inhibitor of IFN-γ synthesis. Additionally, RA has been shown to efficiently promote gut tropism. We described RA as a key modulator of TGF-β-driven immune deviation capable of suppressing TH17 differentiation while promoting Foxp3+ Treg generation. More recently, RA signaling was also shown to be essential for efficient intestinal immune responses. Here we will discuss how RA can affect mucosal immune regulation.
The Development of Social Reciprocity between a Sighted Infant and Her Blind Parents

Abstract Affective reciprocity between an infant and his caregiver is the matrix in which the infant develops physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively. The case study of a sighted infant of two blind parents highlights the complexity of the infant-adult interaction. It brings out the fact that the human infant shows great adaptability to communication in the absence of a communicative channel as important as the parents' eyes. The development of a mutually satisfying infant-parent relationship is thus not tied to a particular sensory modality in a fixed manner, but is based on the success of establishing emotional reciprocity.
Phase diagram of iron pnictides if doping acts as a source of disorder

We obtain and analyze the phase diagram of doped iron-pnictides under the assumption that doping adds non-magnetic impurities to the system but does not change the densities of carriers. We show that the phase diagram is quite similar to the one obtained under the opposite rigid band assumption. In both cases, there is a phase where extended s+- superconductivity and antiferromagnetism co-exist. We evaluate the jump of the specific heat at the superconducting transition across the phase diagram and show that the jump is non-monotonic, with the maximum at the onset of the co-existence phase. Our results are in quantitative agreement with experiments on some iron-pnictides.
Crystalline Extracellular Nuclease of Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract Three crystal forms of an extracellular nuclease of Staphylococcus aureus, strains V8 and Foggi, have been obtained. One of these forms crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P41 (or P43) with unit cell dimensions of a = b = 48.1 A, c = 63.5 A, and 4 molecules per unit cell. Work is in progress on the structure of this enzyme at 4A resolution by three-dimensional methods. Several isomorphous substitutions, e.g. with UO22+ and p-nitroiodobenzene, have been successfully carried out.
Early osteoblast responses to orthopedic implants: Synergy of surface roughness and chemistry of bioactive ceramic coating

Pro-osteogenic stimulation of bone cells by bioactive ceramic-coated orthopedic implants is influenced by both surface roughness and material chemistry; however, their concomitant impact on osteoblast behavior is not well understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of nano-scale roughness and chemistry of bioactive silica-calcium phosphate nanocomposite (SCPC50) coated Ti-6Al-4V on modulating early bone cell responses. Cell attachment was higher on SCPC50-coated substrates compared to the uncoated controls; however, cells on the uncoated substrate exhibited greater spreading and superior quality of F-actin filaments than cells on the SCPC50-coated substrates. The poor F-actin filament organization on SCPC50-coated substrates is thought to be due to the enhanced calcium uptake by the ceramic surface. Dissolution analyses showed that an increase in surface roughness was accompanied by increased calcium uptake, and increased phosphorous and silicon release, all of which appear to interfere with F-actin assembly and osteoblast morphology. Moreover, cell attachment onto the SCPC50-coated substrates correlated with the known adsorption of fibronectin, and was independent of surface roughness. High-throughput genome sequencing showed enhanced expression of extracellular matrix and cell differentiation related genes. These results demonstrate a synergistic relationship between bioactive ceramic coating roughness and material chemistry resulting in a phenotype that leads to early osteoblast differentiation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 1961–1973, 2015.
Isolation of disaturated phosphatidylcholine with osmium tetroxide

Summary A simple, rapid, inexpensive method for isolating disaturated phosphatidylcholine from adult rat lung has been devised. Total lipids are reacted with osmium tetroxide dissolved in carbon tetrachloride, and the disaturated phosphatidylcholine is isolated on a column of neutral alumina. More than 99% of the fatty acids in the phosphatidylcholine fraction are saturated and 94% of this material migrates as phosphatidylcholine on subsequent thinlayer chromatography.
Success and failure of the cellular immune response against HIV-1

The cellular immune response to HIV-1 has now been studied in extraordinary detail. A very large body of data provides the most likely reasons that the HIV-specific cellular immune response succeeds in a small number of people but fails in most. Understanding the success and failure of the HIV-specific cellular immune response has implications that extend not only to immunotherapies and vaccines for HIV-1 but also to the cellular immune response in other disease states. This Review focuses on the mechanisms that are most likely responsible for durable and potent immunologic control of HIV-1. Although we now have a detailed picture of the cellular immune responses to HIV-1, important questions remain regarding the nature of these responses and how they arise.
Analysis of Fabric Deformation in a Roll-Making Operation Part III: Effect of Viscoelasticity

The relationship between various parameters of roll making, fabric properties, and the resultant stresses developed within a fabric roll has been discussed in Parts I and II of this series. A discr...
Robust discrete controller design for an unmanned research vehicle (URV) using discrete quantitative feedback theory

The application of non-minimum phase omega '-plane discrete MIMO (multiple-input-multiple-output) quantitative feedback theory (QFT) to the design of a three-axis rate-commanded automatic flight control system for a URV is presented. The URV model used is a seven-input three-output state-space system derived from the small-angle perturbation equations of motion. The controllers and prefilters designed provide a three-axis noninteracting rate-commanded automatic flight control law implementation on the Lambda URV. Hybrid nonlinear simulations verify the successful application of discrete QFT. The yaw-rate channel meets all specifications. >
Synthesis of N-(fluoren-9-ylmethoxycarbonyl)glycopyranosylamine uronic acids

The synthesis of 10 N-(fluoren-9-ylmethoxycarbonyl)glycopyranosylamine uronic acids that are amenable to solid-phase synthesis is described. The general synthetic strategy involves initial incorporation of the protected amine, followed by selective TEMPO oxidation of C-6 hydroxyl groups to give the corresponding Fmoc-protected sugar amino acids. Amine incorporation may be accomplished from aminolysis of the free sugar or from glycosyl azide reduction. The reactions can be carried out on multigram scale, providing access to unique monomer units for future incorporation into combinatorial library syntheses.
Multi-level microfluidic channel routing with protected convex corners

This paper describes a novel design of microfluidic channel routing technology with well-protected convex corners. For a generic microfluidic channel routing, we have invented and demonstrated two innovative ideas: (1) a complete convex corner protection with which an indefinite over-etching can be performed without damaging the convex corners and (2) channel crossings of two micro-channels (carrying different liquids at different heights) that do not interfere with each other at the cross point. These micromachined 3D structures are made through photolithography on the surfaces of anisotropically etched grooves of a silicon wafer.
Cellulase production by Penicillium echinulatum on lactose

The inducer effect of lactose on cellulase activity in Penicillium echinulatum 9A02S1 was studied. Submerged cultivation was performed using different concentrations of lactose and cellulose, in which the pH, mycelial mass, soluble proteins, filter paper activity (FPA), and activity of β-glucosidases were measured. The cultures containing lactose only presented low FPAs (0.1 FPU/ml). The cultures with associated cellulose and lactose and those containing cellulose only presented similar enzymatic activities (1.5 FPU/ml), suggesting the possibility of up to 75% reduction in the cellulose concentration. In relation to the β-glucosidases, increasing the lactose/cellulose ratio results in a proportional increase of enzymatic activity. In the cultures using both inducers, there is a longer duration of the acid phase in relation to treatments using only cellulose or lactose, indicating diauxia and catabolic repression.
Implementation of medical information bus (MIB) at LDS Hospital

Medical Information Bus (MIB) is a standard designed to allow different medical instrument manufacturers to transmit data from their instruments to a host computer. The authors felt that such a system, if developed without any field experience and feedback from end users, might be impractical. Therefore, they developed and implemented an MIB system using IV pumps. The MIB standard at that time was used for the system development. After a few trials and design modifications based on the user feedback, a system was designed to collect data from IV pumps. The system includes device communication controllers as the pump-MIB interface and a master communication controller capable of communicating with up to 254 devices in one unit as the host interface. The MIB host system software on a Charles River Data Systems micromini and host system was modified to acquire data for HELP, the hospital information system. >
Regulation of cAMP by light and dopamine receptors is dysfunctional in photoreceptors of dystrophic retinal degeneration slow(rds) mice.

Abstract cAMP levels in dark and light were studied in dystrophic retinal degeneration slow(rds) mice, which carry a mutation in the rds /peripherin gene. cAMP levels were measured in vivo, in freshly isolated retinas, and in vitro in the presence of glutamate, which confines light modulation to photoreceptors. Experiments were conducted on young animals, when significant numbers of viable photoreceptor cells are present. In vivo levels of cAMP are higher in illuminated rds / rds retinas than levels measured in normal BALB/c retinas. Light-evoked down-regulation of cAMP levels was observed in vitro in normal photoreceptors. These measurements were made in the presence of the cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine; therefore, they reflect an inhibition of cAMP formation. In contrast, light had no effect on cAMP formation in photoreceptors of mutant mice, measured under identical conditions. Thus, elevated levels of cAMP in rds / rds retinas in vivo result from abnormalities in cAMP synthesis in the mutant photoreceptor cells. In addition to regulation by light, cAMP formation in photoreceptor cells is regulated by dopamine, acting through dopamine D4 receptors. A dopamine D2/D4 receptor agonist, quinpirole, reduced cAMP levels in dark-adapted normal retinas in vitro, but not in rds / rds retinas. Our data indicate that alterations in a signal transduction pathway that leads to inhibition of adenylyl cyclase might underlie the abnormalities in cAMP levels in mutantrds / rds retinas. Heterozygous rds /+ photoreceptors demonstrated a normal pattern of light-evoked and quinpirole-mediated down-regulation of cAMP. Thus, partial expression of the normal phenotype is sufficient to render normal characteristics of cAMP regulation to the photoreceptors of the heterozygous mouse. The data obtained in the present study might be relevant to the understanding of photoreceptor pathology of patients with peripherin/ rds mutations.
Agrifood Competitive Performances within Romania's Foreign Trade Pattern: Evaluation and Alerts

Abstract Research output consists in analyses of the major changes induced in the model and structure of agricultural and food trade of Romania during decisive historical stages, with emphasis on recent impacts as a member of the European Union, based on: Romania is net exporter of basic agricultural products, while importer of processed products for over two decades; main alerts concerning agrifood competitiveness are given by the dependence on imports, comparative trade disadvantages in relation to the EU, particularly concerning the quality of exports and trade policies inefficiency revealed by cheaper exports than imports, with negative impact both on Romanian consumers and producers’ incomes.
Nutritional studies of Histoplasma capsulatum.

A chemically defined medium, composed of inorganic salts, glucose, asparagine, cystine, and a vitamin supplement, has been devised for growth of the yeast phase ofHistoplasma capsulatum. Growth in this medium was abundant and compared favorably with that in media containing complex natural material. Conversion of each of the 20 strains examined was accomplished by one or more passages on agar slants of the medium and incubation of the cultures at 37° C. Yeast phase cultures on this medium have been stored for 6 months or more at approximately 4° C without conversion or loss of viability. Of the 20 strains examined for vitamin requirements of the yeast phase, all were partially deficient for thiamine; nine for inositol; five, either partially or completely deficient for niacin; and one, completely deficient for biotin. No specific amino acid was required for growth of the yeast phase, but an organic source of sulfur and one of nitrogen were essential. Cystine and cysteine were equally effective for growth of the yeast phase when supplied on an equivalent sulfur basis and very little difference in growth occurred in media which contained equal amounts of nitrogen in any one of the following compounds: asparagine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and proline, Of the 20 strains, all but one, which requires biotin, were capable of continued growth in the mycelial phase when subcultured on an agar medium containing only inorganic salts and dextrose, but growth was improved significantly by asparagine or casein hydrolysate.