cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advancements in anti-inflammatory therapy for dry eye syndrome.

Abstract Purpose The goal of this literature review is to discuss recent discoveries in the pathophysiology of dry eye and the subsequent evolution of diagnostic and management techniques. The mechanisms of various anti-inflammatory treatments are reviewed, and the efficacy of common pharmacologic agents is assessed. Anti-inflammatory therapy is evaluated in terms of its primary indications, target population, and utility within a clinical setting. Methods The Medline PubMed database and the World Wide Web were searched for current information regarding dry eye prevalence, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. After an analysis of the literature, major concepts were integrated to generate an updated portrayal of the status of dry eye syndrome. Results Inflammation appears to play a key role in perpetuating and sustaining dry eye. Discoveries of inflammatory markers found within the corneal and conjunctival epithelium of dry eye patients have triggered recent advancements in therapy. Pharmacologic anti-inflammatory therapy for dry eye includes 2 major categories: corticosteroids and immunomodulatory agents. Fatty acid and androgen supplementation and oral antibiotics have also shown promise in dry eye therapy because of their anti-inflammatory effects. Conclusions Anti-inflammatory pharmacologic agents have shown great success in patients with moderate to severe dry eye when compared with alternative treatment modalities. A deeper understanding of the link between inflammation and dry eye validates the utilization of anti-inflammatory therapy in everyday optometric practice.
Phospholipase C-γ is a substrate for the PDGF and EGF receptor protein-tyrosine kinases in vivo and in vitro

Phospholipase C-gamma (PLC-gamma) was rapidly phosphorylated on tyrosines and serines following PDGF and EGF treatment of quiescent 3T3 mouse fibroblasts and A431 human epidermoid cells, respectively, PDGF treatment increased PLC-gamma phosphorylation within 30 sec. This lasted for up to 1 hr, and occurred at high stoichiometry. Continuous receptor occupancy was required to maintain this phosphorylation. Three major sites of tyrosine phosphorylation were detected in PLC-gamma, two of which were phosphorylated in EGF-treated A431 cells. Under certain conditions PDGF receptor coimmunoprecipitated with PLC-gamma, suggesting that PDGF receptor can phosphorylate PLC-gamma directly. Indeed, purified PDGF or EGF receptor phosphorylated purified PLC-gamma on tyrosines identical to those phosphorylated in vivo. Tyrosine phosphorylation of PLC-gamma was not induced by bombesin, TPA, or insulin. Stimulation of PLC-gamma tyrosine phosphorylation and the reported ability of PDGF and EGF to induce phosphatidylinositol turnover in different cells were strongly correlated. We propose that tyrosine phosphorylation of PLC-gamma by PDGF and EGF receptors leads to its activation, and a consequent increase in phosphatidylinositol turnover.
A model of coupling among applied, soil, and plant nutrients for a vegetable crop

A simple mathematical model is needed to describe response of vegetable crops to applied nutrients. This article presents such a model which has been successfully applied to forage crops. Field data from the literature for potato (Solanum tuberosum) are used to describe the detailed procedures of model analysis. For this case quantitative linkage is shown between applied and soil nutrients as well as between crop and soil nutrients for applied phosphorus (P). Hyperbolic and logistic mathematical functions are used for this purpose. Once the model is calibrated, estimates can be made with a pocket calculator. * Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. R-07387.
Natural Convection of a Liquid Metal in Vertical Circular Cylinders Heated Locally From the Side

An experimental study is made of natural convection in gallium melts enclosed by vertical circular cylinders with localized circumferential heating. Heating is done in an axial band at the mid-height, and both ends of the cylinder are cooled. In the present study, the cylinder aspect (Ar = height/diameter ) ratio ranges from 2 to 10, and the Rayleigh number (Ra) ranges from 9.0 x 10 4 to 3.0 X 10 7 . The Prandtl number is 0.021. Temperature measurements are made at six axial levels around the circumference of the cylinder to study thermal convection in the melt. A numerical analysis is also conducted to supplement the experimental information. When Ra is small, the melt is in steady toroidal motion. Above a certain Ra, the flow becomes nonaxisymmetric as a result of a thermal instability, in the case of Ar larger than 3. With increasing Ra, the motion becomes oscillatory, mainly in the upper half. When Ar is smaller than 3, the toroidal flow becomes nonaxisymmetric and oscillatory at the same time beyond a certain Ra. The conditions for the appearance of oscillations and the oscillation frequencies are investigated in detail
Glucocorticoid and polyamine involvement in zinc uptake by COMMA-1D mammary epithelial cells

The objective was to determine if a mammary cell line shows glucocorticoid stimulation of Zn uptake, and to determine whether polyamines mediate this stimulation.65Zn uptake by COMMA-1D mouse mammary epithelial cells over a 24-h period increased significantly in cells administered 10−7 or 10−6 M hydrocortisone. Incorporation of65Zn over a 1-h period was not hydrocortisone-responsive, suggesting that these incubation times represent uptake into different pools. The rate of entry into the cells over a 15-min period was significantly increased by supplementing cells with hydrocortisone with or without prolactin. Initially, cells grown in lactogenic hormone-supplemented media (10−6 M hydrocortisone+5μg/mL ovine prolactin) had up to 65% greater65Zn uptake over 24 h than cells in nonsupplemented growth media.65Zn uptake from hormone media with the spermidine synthesis inhibitor methylglyoxal-bis-(guanylhydrazone) (MGBC, 10−5 M) added was less than from growth media. Exogenous spermidine (10−6-10−3 M) added to the MGBG+hormone media increased65Zn uptake. Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an inhibitor of spermidine synthesis that blocks ornithine decarboxylase, caused a slight dose-dependent decrease in65Zn uptake over the range 10−6-5×10−3 M(p<0.002) and tended to decrease65Zn-uptake in lactogenic hormone-stimulated cells with 8 h of incubation, but not at other times. These data show that Zn uptake in mammary epithelial cells can be hormonally mediated by glucocorticoids and suggest that polyamines may be intracellular mediators of this effect.
Lipschitz stability of a non-standard problem for the non-stationary transport equation via a Carleman estimate

The Lipschitz stability estimate for the non-stationary single-speed transport equation with lateral boundary data is obtained. The method of Carleman estimates is used. The uniqueness of the solution follows.
Automatic Boosters on Distribution Circuits

Development of automatic voltage regulating equipment for installation on 4 kv distribution circuits at points remote from the substation has made possible a reduction in the cost of distribution by loading circuits to their economic carrying capacities unhampered by the limitation of voltage regulation. Investigation indicates 2 rules governing the application of booster regulators, and comparisons on the basis of cost per unit of voltage improvement shows which of the several devices available should be selected to secure the lowest cost. Tests have demonstrated the practicability of this form of regulation, and its field of application is indicated by economic comparisons with other methods of maintaining voltage within the required limits.
A method for true endothelial cell (Tencell) transplantation using a custom-made cannula for the treatment of endothelial cell failure

To describe a novel technique, true endothelial cell (Tencell) transplant, for the transfer of donor endothelial cells with only a Descemet's carrier in patients with endothelial cell failure. Three patients treated for endothelial cell failure underwent Tencell transplantation. Two were performed to alleviate pain from bullous keratopathy, and one was performed to improve vision. Preoperative pain, vision, and corneal thickness were recorded and compared to the same parameters postoperatively. At 3 months postoperatively, all patients were pain free. The visual acuity had improved in all cases, and all three cases demonstrated a reduction of central corneal thickness. In two cases it was possible to perform an endothelial cell count. This is the first description of Tencell transplantation in living subjects.
Early maternal exposure to children's oral health may be correlated with lower early childhood caries prevalence in their children.

Article Title and Bibliographic Information Reassessment at 6-7 years of age of a randomized controlled trial initiated before birth to prevent early childhood caries. Plutzer K, Spencer AJ, Keirse M. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2011 Oct 24. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0528.2011.00643.x . [Epub ahead of print] Reviewer Francisco Ramos-Gomez, DDS, MS, MPH Purpose/Question Will providing mothers with guidance during pregnancy drastically reduce the prevalence of early childhood caries at 20 months of age and be sustained at 6 to 7 years of age? Source of Funding Supported with government funding from the NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence, Adelaide, South Australia. Type of Study/Design Randomized controlled trial Level of Evidence Level 2: Limited-quality, patient-oriented evidence Strength of Recommendation Grade Not applicable
Effect of potassium depletion on renin release

Effect of potassium depletion on renin release. To study the mechanism of hyperreninemia that is induced by potassium depletion (KD), we examined renin responses to baroreceptor and macula densa stimuli in control and potassium-depleted rats. Potassium depletion was induced by dietary potassium deprivation and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) administration and was confirmed by depletion of muscle potassium. Plasma renin activity (PRA) and renal renin content (RRC) were elevated in unanesthetized potassium-depleted rats as compared to controls (PRA 7.5 ± 1.7 vs. 3.6 ± 0.6 ng/ml/hr, P Effet de la depletion en potassium sur la liberation de renine. Afin d'etudier le mecanisme de l'hyper-reninemie induite par la depletion en potassium (KD), nous examinâmes la reponse de la renine a la stimulation des baro-recepteurs et de la macula densa chez des rats controles et depletes en potassium. La depletion en potassium a ete induite par la privation de potassium alimentaire et l'administration de deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA), et a ete confirmee par la diminution du potassium musculaire. L'activite renine plasmatique (PRA) et le contenu renal de renine (RRC) sont augmentes chez les rats depletes en potassium, non anesthesies, par comparaison aux controles (PRA 7,5 ± 1,7 vs. 3,6 ±0,6 ng/ml/h, P
A History of the Extraterrestrial Life Debate

From antiquity to the present, humans have debated whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. This presentation will survey this debate, examining the roles played in it by science, religion, philosophy, and other areas of human learning. One thesis that will be developed is that whether or not extraterrestrials exist, ideas about them have strongly influenced Western thought.
GILS, Government Information Locator Service: Blending Old and New to Access U.S. Governmental Information

Summary U.S. government information resources, because of their vast quantity and lack of organization, and because of redundancies among agencies, have never been simple to locate. A budding electronic system, the Government Information Locator Service (GILS), is beginning to put structure into government information as well as to provide online pointers to government resources. This workshop explained the legislation behind the making of GILS, described its mission, and demonstrated actual searches for government information using the locator service.
Social exclusion and stereotyping: Why and when exclusion fosters individuation of others.

Exclusion triggers a desire to re-capture connections with others. To facilitate this goal, excluded individuals typically process social information especially carefully. One implication of this is that exclusion may foster judgments of others that are reliant on a careful consideration of their idiosyncratic behaviors rather than on more superficial features. We predicted, therefore, that excluded individuals should individuate more and stereotype less than non-excluded individuals and that such effects should be in service of identifying appropriate re-affiliation candidates. In 3 replications of Experiment 1, excluded (compared to non-excluded) individuals rendered less stereotypic judgments of occupational and racial group members described with mildly or ambiguously counter-stereotypic information. Confirming such processes aid with re-affiliation, Experiments 2 and 3 showed that these effects occurred for social targets that represented reasonable sources of re-affiliation, but not for offensive social targets (i.e., Skinheads) or non-social agents. Experiment 4 underscored that excluded participants process presented social information more carefully (individuate), showing greater differentiation in judgments of highly stereotype-consistent and stereotype-inconsistent targets. Implications for the social exclusion literature are discussed.
A continuum analysis of a system of many ‘real’ chains confined between a pair of ‘sticky’ surfaces, with application to the ‘sandwich’ model of bulk polymers

An analysis is made of a system of many interacting chains confined between a pair of surfaces which exert a short range attraction on the chains. The free energy of the system is determined from the partition functions of the confined chains which are, in turn, determined by solutions to the self consistent field form of the diffusion equation with mixed boundary conditions. The incorporation of the analysis into the ‘sandwich’ model of bulk polymers is discussed.
Inter-processor communications software for a hierarchical system of intelligent laboratory instrumentation

Abstract A communications protocol has been developed whereby microprocessor-controlled laboratory instruments may freely communicate with a central minicompute
Antipodal forms of β-lactams via stereospecific reactions

Abstract 3,4-Disubstituted-1-aryl-2-azetidinones of interest for rearrangement to various natural products were prepared by enantiospecific synthesis and their functional groups and absolute configuration were manipulated by stereospecific reactions to produce antipodes.
Injection of mesenchymal stromal cells into a mechanically stimulated in vitro model of cardiac fibrosis has paracrine effects on resident fibroblasts

Abstract Background aims Myocardial infarction results in the formation of scar tissue populated by myofibroblasts, a phenotype characterized by increased contractility and matrix deposition. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) delivered to the myocardium can attenuate scar growth and restore cardiac function, though the mechanism is unclear. Methods This study describes a simple yet robust three-dimensional (3D) in vitro co-culture model to examine the paracrine effects of implanted MSC on resident myofibroblasts in a controlled biochemical and mechanical environment. The fibrosis model consisted of fibroblasts embedded in a 3D collagen gel cultured under defined oxygen tensions and exposed to either cyclic strain or interstitial fluid flow. MSC were injected into this model, and the effect on fibroblast phenotype was evaluated 48 h after cell injection. Results Analysis of gene and protein expression of the fibroblasts indicated that injection of MSC attenuated the myofibroblast transition in response to reduced oxygen and mechanical stress. Assessment of vascular endothelial growth factor and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels demonstrated that their release by fibroblasts was markedly upregulated in hypoxic conditions but attenuated by strain or fluid flow. In fibroblast-MSC co-cultures, vascular endothelial growth factor levels were increased by hypoxia but not affected by mechanical stimuli, whereas insulin-like growth factor-1 levels were generally low and not affected by experimental conditions. Conclusions This study demonstrates how a 3D in vitro model of the cardiac scar can be used to examine paracrine effects of MSC on the phenotype of resident fibroblasts and therefore illuminates the role of injected progenitor cells on the progression of cardiac fibrosis.
Co-registration of in vivo human MRI brain images to postmortem histological microscopic images

Certain features such as small vascular lesions seen in human MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) are detected reliably only in postmortem histological samples by microscopic imaging. Co-registration of these microscopically detected features to their corresponding locations in the in vivo images would be of great benefit to understanding the MRI signatures of specific diseases. Using nonlinear Polynomial transformation, we report a method to co-register in vivo MRIs to microscopic images of histological samples drawn off the postmortem brain. The approach utilizes digital photographs of postmortem slices as an intermediate reference to co-register the MRIs to microscopy. The overall procedure is challenging due to gross structural deformations in the postmortem brain during extraction and subsequent distortions in the histological preparations. Hemispheres of the brain were co-registered separately to mitigate these effects. Approaches relying on matching single-slices, multiple-slices and entire volumes in conjunction with different similarity measures suggested that using four slices at a time in combination with two sequential measures, Pearson correlation coefficient followed by mutual information, produced the best MRI-postmortem co-registration according to a voxel mismatch count. The accuracy of the overall registration was evaluated by measuring the 3D Euclidean distance between the locations of microscopically identified lesions on postmortem slices and their MRI-postmortem co-registered locations. The results show a mean 3D displacement of 5.1 ± 2.0 mm between the in vivo MRI and microscopically determined locations for 21 vascular lesions in 11 subjects. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 18, 325–335, 2008
Voluntary feed intake, growth characteristics and serum concentrations of thyroid hormones in male and female axis fawns (Axis axis)

Abstract A study was conducted to characterize the voluntary feed intake and growth patterns of male and female axis fawns ( Axis axis ) relative to environmental influences and thyroid hormone concentrations. Axis fawns ( n =4 male and 5 female) were removed from their dams after birth and reared artificially. Fawns were weighed at birth and at 4 months of age (weaning). At weaning, fawns were fed ad-libitum a complete deer feed and maintained on the ration for 280 days. Body weights and blood samples were taken weekly; and feed and water intakes, photoperiod and ambient temperature recorded daily. Serum concentrations of T 3 and T 4 were determined by RIA. Fawn birth weight, 120-day pre-weaning ADG and weaning weight did not differ ( P >0.10) between male and female fawns. Post-weaning, fawns increased ( P P P P >0.10) for male and female fawns. Male fawns had a greater ( P 3 and T 4 were positively correlated ( P P 3 and T 4 . Fawn feed intake was positively correlated ( P 3 and T 4 , while feed intake was negatively correlated ( P
Determining deadlock exposure for a class of store and forward communication networks

Given a network design, is the network exposed to deadlock for message buffers? This problem is addressed for a class of networks called "routed networks." A routed network is a store and forward communication network in which all transmissions follow predefined routes through the network. It is shown that a routed network is exposed to deadlock if and only if there exists a complete weighted matching of an appropriately defined bipartite graph for some subgraph of the network graph. An approach for determining whether a deadlock can occur is presented.
Dissolution and Reconstitution of Self: Implications for Anthropological Epistemology

"mother" and "sister" were at the doctor's, so I was busy helping the grandfather tend his young granddaughter. He quickly tired of his duties, leaving me to entertain her and to see that she not toddle too far afield. Promptly at 4 PM, the hour when most Japanese housewives shop for the evening meal, I lifted the baby into her stroller and pushed her along ahead of me as I inspected the fish, selected the freshest looking vegetables, and mentally planned the meal for the evening. As I glanced up into the shiny metal surface of the butcher's display case, I noticed someone who looked terribly familiar: a typical young housewife, in slip-on sandals and the kind of cotton shift the Japanese label "home wear," a woman walking with a characteristically Japanese bend in the knees and sliding of the feet. Suddenly I clutched the handle of the stroller to steady myself as a wave of dizziness washed over me-for I realized I had caught a glimpse of nothing less than my own reflection. Fear that perhaps I would never emerge from this world into which I was immersed, inserted itself into my mind and stubbornly refused to leave, until I resolved to move into a new apartment, to distance myself from my Japanese home and my Japanese existence. That an anthropologist's experience in the field is conditioned by his/her culturally and biographically mediated way of seeing-one's distance from one's informants and the inevitable prejudices forming one's baggage of cultural assumptions-is by now an idea of no particular novelty in anthropological circles. Recent experiments in ethnography and anthropological epistemology sensitively examine these issues, based around an awareness of the position of the ethnographer vis-a-vis his/her informants and how this might affect the fieldwork experience and its representation in the ethnographic text (cf. Crapanzano 1977; Rosaldo 1984). Yet most ethnographies, even of the reflexive kind, are products of contexts in which the observer/ethnographer is a visible outsider. Perhaps as a consequence (and perhaps as a gender difference; see Kirschner 1983), these ethnographies depict the Other as ineffably alien, as separate, distinct beings. The best we can
Photometry: New Techniques, an Introduction

In most fields of observational astronomy, the new techniques we have now and are developing offer great potentials for more and better data, and thus to increased understanding of the universe about us. Photometry, as perhaps the most fundamental of all the observational tools, is no exception. The next years will be most exciting, but we must always be aware of the potential pitfalls involved with new technology. In fact, the new technologies must be handled with great care in order to insure that our data is really first class. New generation small telescopes can be a great asset, offering great complementarity to the new large telescopes and to space astronomy.
Decomposition mechanisms of tertiarybutylarsine

Abstract As a new source compound to replace AsH 3 for organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE) of III/V semiconductors, tertiarybutylarsine (TBAs) has the advantages of low decomposition temperatures, lower safety hazards, and low carbon contamination in OMVPE grown GaAs layers. The vapor pressure of TBAs was measured, and is given by log 10 P ( Torr ) = 7.500 − 1562.3/ T ( K ). The decomposition mechanisms of TBAs were studied in a D 2 ambient using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer to analyze the gaseous products. Although a free radical mechanisms would seem the most likely, it is not the dominant route for decomposition. Instead, unimolecular processes are the preferred pathway. Two such reactions are proposed. The major step is intramolecular coupling yielding AsH and isobutane. At higher temperatures β-elimination becomes important, producing AsH 3 and isobutene. The reactions are catalyzed by GaAs surfaces, but not by silica. The temperature dependence of the reaction rates was studied, and Arrhenius parameters for the rate constants are given.
Proficiency Despite Diglossia: A New Approach for Arabic

world is strongly characterized by diglossia.1 The literary language, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) contrasts with the (non-written) vernacular geographic variants known collectively as colloquial Arabic. The implications of diglossia for language learning have severely affected the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language, since instead of one language variant, students have to learn at least two if they wish both to be literate and to be able to converse about everyday topics. This problem, compounded by the inherent difficulties of a non-Indoeuropean language with a nonroman script, has discouraged and frustrated generations of students and potential students, who start out enthusiastically, but after one or two years of study often give up, finding that despite great effort, they are still extraordinarily limited in terms of communicative competence. Attempts to deal with the diglossia problem, such as the decision at the Middlebury Summer Arabic School to use MSA for all speaking and listening purposes as well as for reading and writing, have resulted in improved levels of proficiency, but in a variety of language which is not a form of spontaneous speech in the everyday world of Arabic speakers.2 A new form of widely intelligible spoken Arabic seems to be emerging in the Arab world, however, used for inter-dialectal conversation by educated native speakers, for semiformal discussions, and on other social occasions when the colloquial is deemed too informal, and the literary, too stilted. Sociolinguistic research has begun to investigate and define the characteristics of this language variant, and for a number of reasons it has become the language of choice for most spoken Arabic training at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the US State Department. According to FSI's experience and increasing scholarly documentation, this new Arabic may now represent a viable option for spoken proficiency development in Arabic academic programs as well. At FSI, it is normally taught concurrently with MSA, so that students develop their ability to converse along with their ability to read.3
Survival in human colorectal cancer correlates with expression of the T-cell costimulatory molecule OX-40 (CD134)

Abstract Background: The T-cell costimulatory molecule OX-40 (CD134) is expressed on activated CD4 + (“helper”) T cells. Such cells have been detected in human cancers, and engagement of OX-40 improves colon cancer immunity in an animal model. Methods: Sections of primary colon cancers, normal margins, mesenteric lymph nodes, and metastases were stained for OX-40 by immunohistochemistry. Cancer registry data were reviewed. Results: High levels of OX-40 positive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes were found in 15 of 72 primary tumors. Thirty-one cases had prominent lymphocytic infiltrates expressing OX-40 at the invasive margin of the tumor. Overall, 50% of primary tumors showed high expression of OX-40. Nearly all mesenteric lymph nodes expressed OX-40, whether tumor was present or not. Normal margins of colon did not show high levels of OX-40. High OX-40 expression in the primary tumor correlated with better survival (mean survival high OX-40, 47 months, low OX-40, 35 months, P Conclusions: High levels of OX-40 positive lymphocytes are present in half of primary colon cancers, and this expression in primary tumors significantly correlates with better survival. This correlation with survival and our previous preclinical research suggest a basis for an OX-40 immunotherapy trial.
The influence of gravity on the unstable elbow.

Background Safely permitting early range of motion after a destabilizing injury to the elbow is believed to optimize return of function. However, the range-of-motion exercises must be balanced against the risk of re-dislocation or subluxation. The goal of this study was to describe the position of the upper limb that permitted the greatest motion while minimizing the risk of re-dislocation or subluxation. Methods Seven cadaveric elbows were affixed with a 3-dimensional motion capture system. Ulnohumeral distraction was recorded at flexion angles from 10° to 90° for intact, approach only (sham procedure), and LCL-sectioned. Ulnohumeral separation was recorded in 3 distinct positions of the upper limb that are frequently used in a clinical setting: 1) trunk seated upright with arm at the side; 2) trunk seated upright with elbow in hinged-brace; and 3) trunk supine with shoulder flexed and internally rotated – “gravity-assisted overhead motion” protocol. Results A significant ulnohumeral distraction difference was found between the supine and the upright protocols. Upon direct comparison, 104% more displacement occurred across the ulnohumeral joint in the upright LCL-sectioned condition compared to the supine LCL-sectioned condition ( P = .001). The greatest ulnohumeral distraction occurred in the seated upright range of motion with a hinged elbow brace (range, 2.5-5.6 mm). Conclusion The overhead motion protocol is a safe protocol for unstable elbows. The supine position results in the least amount of ulnohumeral distraction across flexion angles from 10° to 90°. The upright protocols, especially with the hinged elbow brace, exhibited ulnohumeral distraction that may result in dislocation.
Hackerspaces and engineering education

During the past two years, we investigated the Louisville, Kentucky hackerspace as a venue for hosting undergraduate engineering student projects. The projects took place at LVL1.org, a collaborative workshop in downtown Louisville. There are such "makerspaces" or "hackerspaces" in most medium to large-sized US and European cities. Our nine participants developed a strong sense of project ownership during their semester, learned skills from hackerspace members, and were interviewed about the effect of the experience on their attitudes toward engineering. Most reported increased confidence in their problem-solving and project-planning abilities. Project-based learning is an important element in an engineer's education, because it gives opportunities for students to encounter the unexpected and exercise their creativity. The students were able to spend one semester working on their projects full time through the University of Louisville's cooperative education (Co-op) program. Co-ops proposed their own projects, and came from five different engineering departments: electrical, civil, industrial, mechanical, and bioengineering. We describe common themes found among our participants, including the "start-over" pattern and the pattern of activities when students encountered a new technical problem. We discuss how these experiences equipped the students with new skills and attitudes for tackling ill-structured problems.
Carbohydrate nanotechnology: hierarchical assembly using nature's other information carrying biopolymers.

Despite their central role in directing some of the most complex biological processes, carbohydrates — nature's other information carrying biopolymer — have been largely ignored as building blocks for synthetic hierarchical assemblies. The non-stoichiometric binding and astronomical diversity characteristic of carbohydrates could lead to tantalizingly complex assembly algorithms, but these attributes simultaneously increase the difficulty of preparing carbohydrate assemblies and anticipating their behavior. Convergences in biotechnology, nanotechnology, polymer chemistry, surface science, and supramolecular chemistry have led to many recent important breakthroughs in glycan microarrays and synthetic carbohydrate receptors, where the idiosyncrasies of carbohydrate structure and binding are increasingly considered. We hope to inspire more researchers to consider carbohydrate structure, diversity, and binding as attractive tools for constructing synthetic hierarchical assemblies.
Impact of dialect use on a basic component of learning to read

Can some black-white differences in reading achievement be traced to differences in language background? Many African American children speak a dialect that differs from the mainstream dialect emphasized in school. We examined how use of alternative dialects affects decoding, an important component of early reading and marker of reading development. Behavioral data show that use of the alternative pronunciations of words in different dialects affects reading aloud in developing readers, with larger effects for children who use more African American English. Mechanisms underlying this effect were explored with a computational model, investigating factors affecting reading acquisition. The results indicate that the achievement gap may be due in part to differences in task complexity: children whose home and school dialects differ are at greater risk for reading difficulties because tasks such as learning to decode are more complex for them.
Rodent models for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) reflect the spectrum of neural impairments seen during chronic viral infection. Current research efforts focus on improving antiretroviral and adjunctive therapies, defining disease onset and progression, facilitating drug delivery, and halting neurodegeneration and viral resistance. Because HIV is species-specific, generating disease in small-animal models has proved challenging. After two decades of research, rodent HAND models now include those containing a human immune system. Antiviral responses, neuroinflammation and immunocyte blood–brain barrier (BBB) trafficking follow HIV infection in these rodent models. We review these and other rodent models of HAND and discuss their unmet potential in reflecting human pathobiology and in facilitating disease monitoring and therapeutic discoveries.
Aberrant epigenetic silencing is triggered by a transient reduction in gene expression.

Background Aberrant epigenetic silencing plays a major role in cancer formation by inactivating tumor suppressor genes. While the endpoints of aberrant silencing are known, i.e., promoter region DNA methylation and altered histone modifications, the triggers of silencing are not known. We used the tet-off system to test the hypothesis that a transient reduction in gene expression will sensitize a promoter to undergo epigenetic silencing. Methodology/principal findings The tet responsive promoter (P(TRE)) was used to drive expression of the selectable human HPRT cDNA in independent transfectants of an Hprt deficient mouse cell line. In this system, high basal HPRT expression is greatly reduced when doxycycline (Dox) is added to the culture medium. Exposure of the P(TRE)-HPRT transfectants to Dox induced HPRT deficient clones in a time dependent manner. A molecular analysis demonstrated promoter region DNA methylation, loss of histone modifications associated with expression (i.e., H3 lysine 9 and 14 acetylation and lysine 4 methylation), and acquisition of the repressive histone modification H3 lysine 9 methylation. These changes, which are consistent with aberrant epigenetic silencing, were not present in the Dox-treated cultures, with the exception of reduced H3 lysine 14 acetylation. Silenced alleles readily reactivated spontaneously or after treatment of cells with inhibitors of histone deacetylation and/or DNA methylation, but re-silencing of reactivated alleles did not require a new round of Dox exposure. Inhibition of histone deacetylation inhibited both the induction of silencing and re-silencing, whereas inhibition of DNA methylation had no such effect. Conclusions/significance This study demonstrates that a transient reduction in gene expression triggers a pathway for aberrant silencing in mammalian cells and identifies histone deacetylation as a critical early step in this process. DNA methylation, in contrast, is a secondary step in the silencing pathway under study. A model to explain these observations is offered.
Permeation of several gases through elastomers, with emphasis on the deuterium/hydrogen pair

The diffusion and permeation coefficients for He, H[sub 2], D[sub 2], O[sub 2], and N[sub 2] in a variety of elastomers were measured by simple manometric methods. The elastomers studied were butyl rubber; Hypalon[reg sign] 40 and 45; Viton[reg sign] E60 and GF; Hydrin[reg sign] 100 and filled Hydrin[reg sign] 100; Kraton[reg sign] G, FG, and KG VTEOS; EPDM; epoxidized natural rubber; and neoprene. Consistent with earlier studies, elastomers with higher glass transition temperatures exhibited lower diffusion coefficients. The ratio of diffusion coefficients of the hydrogen isotope pair differed from the purely molecular-weight-based prediction. Deuterium's slightly smaller size relative to hydrogen is consistent with observed deviations from the molecular-weight-based diffusion coefficient ratio.
Transmission-line matrix method for solving the multidimensional continuity equation

We have extended the one-dimensional transmission-line modelling (TLM) of diffusion, drift and recombination of charge carriers in semiconductors to multiple dimensions. Detailed TLM formulation of the continuity transport equation in a more general form is presented.
RELATION OF NAME FREQUENCY TO THE PERCEPTION OF SOCIAL CLASS IN GIVEN NAMES

In a study of the relationship between name frequency and perceived social class, 116 college students rated the perceived social class of a list of either 60 male names or 60 female names. Each li...
The biogeography and population genetics of neotropical vector species

Phylogenetic and population genetic data support the Pliocene or Pleistocene divergences of the co-distributed hematophagous insect vectors, the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis s.l., the mosquitoes Anopheles darlingi and A. albitarsis s.l., and the triatomines Rhodnius prolixus and R. robustus. We examined patterns of divergence and distribution in relation to three hypotheses of neotropical diversification: Miocene/Pliocene marine incursion, Pliocene/Pleistocene riverine barriers and Pleistocene refugia. Only R. prolixus has a pattern concordant with the refugia hypothesis, and R. robustus conforms to the marine incursion predictions. A. darlingi partially fits the refugia hypothesis. For L. longipalpis s.l. and A. albitarsis s.l., elements of both incursion and refugia hypotheses seem to fit, suggesting perhaps an interaction of factors determining their distribution patterns.
Consequences From the Redistribution of Urban Poverty During the 1990s: A Cautionary Tale

Conventional wisdom notwithstanding, the recent spatial redistribution of the urban poor does not necessarily bode well for the future. During the 1990s, the share of met- ropolitan population living in census tracts with high percentages (more than 40%) of poverty indeed fell significantly, but the shares with 10% to 20% and 20% to 40% pov- erty rates each rose 1 percentage point. These latter shifts are worrisome because many neighborhoods may have been pushed over their thresholds where poverty con- centrations start to create significant external effects for neighbors. Two recent reports (Jargowsky, 2003; Kingsley & Pettit, 2003) have deservedly received a great deal of publicity for documenting the dramatic shifts in the spatial concentration of poor house- holds in American metropolitan areas during the 1990s. The central theme of these reports: The number and population of metropolitan census tracts with more than 40% of their residents living in poverty fell significantly from 1990 to 2000. As is conventional among scholars, policy makers, and the public alike, the authors have inter- preted this finding in unabashedly favorable terms. Unfortunately, an assessment of additional information indicates that such a rosy interpretation may be premature or at least partial. I argue in this commentary that, conventional wisdom notwithstanding, the recent spatial redis- tribution of the urban poor does not necessarily bode well for the future. True, the share of metro- politan populations living in neighborhoods with high percentages of poor residents fell signifi- cantly during the 1990s, but the share of metropolitan populations living in moderate-poverty neighborhoods has risen. This redistribution may portend an intensification of several social prob- lems because more neighborhoods during the 1990s have been pushed over the thresholds where concentrated poverty starts to generate negative external effects for the neighborhood. Implica- tions for the economic development prospects of our metropolitan areas may not be as encouraging as once imagined. The commentary is organized as follows. I first review briefly the specialized econometric liter- ature about the nonlinear effects of neighborhood poverty rates on the probability that adults and youths in the area will commit crimes, work for lower wages, and experience poverty for a longer duration. This empirical literature suggests that a threshold relationship exists between the proba- bility of such individual outcomes and the percentage of poor in the census tract. That is, an increasing number of poor neighbors apparently has indecipherable effects on the individual until they exceed roughly 5% to 20% of the census tract population (depending on the indicator), whereupon the marginal effect rises dramatically.
Interactions among chronic cold, corticosterone and puberty on energy intake and deposition.

We have shown that chronic cold stress strongly interacts with corticosterone (B) to determine subsequent regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses to novel stress. These studies, using the same 2 sets of rats, show that chronic cold also interacts with B and testosterone on signals of energy balance. The two groups of rats differed in weight by 20% and in age by 2 weeks (44–59 days of age). Adrenalectomized rats, replaced with varying doses of B, were exposed to cold or served as controls. Food intake and body weight during the experiments and hormones, metabolites and fat depots were measured on day 5. B, but not cold, affected food intake in the younger rats; by contrast, cold, but not B, affected food intake in the older rats. Testosterone was higher in older control rats and was markedly depressed by cold; younger rats had lower testosterone that was minimally affected by cold. Weight gain decreased in all rats at room temperature with increasing B, whereas they all lost we...
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: Clinical, Laboratory, and Epidemiological Features of 262 Cases

Most previous reports of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) have included cases either not laboratory confirmed or confirmed by relatively weak diagnostic criteria. In the present study detailed epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory features of 262 confirmed or highly probable cases of RMSF reported from six states from 1977 to 1980 were analyzed. This analysis revealed that early clinical diagnosis of RMSF is difficult because the illness may have a gradual or an abrupt onset, the symptoms and signs may be unusual in timing or frequency, and the clinical appearance may vary depending on such factors as age and location of residence. RMSF was diagnosed later in those who died than in survivors, primarily because of atypical initial symptoms and the late onset of rash. RMSF should be considered in any individual who, during the spring and summer, has been in RMSF-endemic areas and develops a fever, regardless of the absence of rash or history of tick exposure.
Capital adjustment costs and firm risk aversion

Abstract We show that the equilibrium of a standard real business cycle model with capital adjustment costs can be supported as an equilibrium with a risk averse firm and no adjustment costs. Our result sheds light on the implications of a utility maximizing (UM) firm, which is one of the approaches proposed in the literature to get around the firm objective problem when markets are incomplete.
Effect of Milk-Clotting Enzymes on Cheese Yield

Abstract Stirred curd cheese was manufactured to determine the effects of six milk-clotting enzymes on yield. Concentrations of calf rennet, recombinant chymosin, 50:50 blend of calf rennet and bovine pepsin, and proteases from Mucor miehei, Mucor pusillus var. Lindt, and Endothia parasitica were adjusted to give equal clot times. Forty-eight vats of cheese were manufactured with eight replications of each treatment in a randomized block design. Milk was analyzed for fat, total solids, total N, and noncasein N. Cheese was analyzed for fat, total solids, and total N. Whey was analyzed for fat and total N. Dry matter cheese yield adjusted for milk lot changes of milk fat and casein was lower for cheese made with Endothia parasitica protease than for calf rennet. Cheese made with recombinant chymosin or a 50:50 blend of calf rennet and bovine pepsin resulted in yields that were not significantly different from those of calf rennet Cheeses manufactured with protease from Mucor miehei had slightly lower yields than did rennets containing chymosin.
Application of constraint-based heuristics in collaborative design

Significant acceleration of today's complex collaborative design processes can be achieved if team members are able to apply search heuristics that consider the simultaneous effect of all design constraints. We present the Active approach to Design Process Management (ADPM), whereby designers receive constraint-based feedback that enables them to apply these search heuristics effectively. To evaluate ADPM, we developed a design process evaluation environment called TeamSim. Evaluation results suggest that ADPM can reduce costly design iterations at the expense of extra, less costly, verification tool executions.