cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF FREE FATTY ACIDS ON SWEET, SALTY, SOUR AND UMAMI TASTES

We measured the effects of linoleic and oleic fatty acids on the intensity of sweet, sour, umami and salty tastes. Fatty acids were dissolved in 99.9% ethanol. The dissolved fatty acids were placed in distilled water containing one of four tastants (sucrose, citric acid, monosodium glutamate, sodium chloride) producing a 0.01% fatty acid solution. Using a directional paired comparison test, 30 panelists from the University of Minnesota chose the more intense solution between the fatty acid/tastant solution and a control solution containing only water, tastant and ethanol. Oxidation of the solutions was measured immediately following each sensory test using the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances procedure. Spectrophotometric data demonstrated that no oxidation was found in the fatty acid solutions during the study. Neither linoleic nor oleic fatty acids increased or decreased the intensity of any of the four tastants.
Electromigration in Flip Chip Solder Joints

Electromigration in flip chip solder joints has become a reliability issue in packaging technology because it can occur with a low current density, as low as 1×103 A/cm2. The cathode and anode interfaces of a solder joint are the places of vacancy flux divergence and the sites of failure due to void formation. Current crowding occurs at the cathode interface where electrons flow into the solder bump, and it induces a unique failure mode of pancake‐type void growth across the contact interface. The use of thick Cu UBM has removed the issue of current crowding, but the joint has only a very thin layer of solder which can be converted completely into intermetallic compound. In a very thin solder joint, the effect of electromigration induced back stress is overwhelmed by the chemical reaction at the interfaces.
Emerging device applications for two-dimensional nanomaterial heterostructures

Two-dimensional materials have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic applications [1]. As is common for new materials, much of the early work has focused on measuring and optimizing intrinsic properties on small samples (e.g., micromechanically exfoliated flakes) under idealized conditions (e.g., vacuum and/or cryogenic temperature environments). However, real-world devices and systems inevitably require large-area samples that are integrated with dielectrics, contacts, and other semiconductors at standard temperature and pressure conditions. These requirements are particularly challenging to realize for two-dimensional materials since their properties are highly sensitive to surface chemistry, defects, and the surrounding environment. This talk will thus explore methods for improving the uniformity of solution-processed two-dimensional materials with an eye toward realizing scalable processing of large-area thin-films. For example, density gradient ultracentrifugation allows the solution-based isolation of transition metal dichalcogenides (e.g., MoS 2 , WS 2 , MoSe 2 , and WSe 2 ) and boron nitride with homogeneous thickness down to the single-layer level [2]. Similarly, two-dimensional black phosphorus is isolated in solution with the resulting flakes showing field-effect transistor mobilities and on/off ratios that are comparable to micromechanically exfoliated flakes [3]. In addition to solution processing, this talk will also report on the integration of two-dimensional materials with dielectrics and other semiconductors. In particular, atomic layer deposition of dielectrics on two-dimensional black phosphorus suppresses ambient degradation, thereby preserving electronic properties in field-effect transistors at atmospheric pressure conditions [4]. Finally, p-type semiconducting carbon nanotube thin films are combined with n-type single-layer MoS 2 to form p-n heterojunction diodes [5]. The atomically thin nature of single-layer MoS 2 implies that an applied gate bias can electrostatically modulate the doping on both sides of the p-n heterojunction concurrently, thereby providing five orders of magnitude gate-tunability over the diode rectification ratio in addition to unprecedented anti-ambipolar behavior when operated as a three-terminal device. This anti-ambipolar behavior can be generalized to other solution-processed p-n heterojunctions including p-type semiconducting carbon nanotubes and n-type indium gallium zinc oxide [6].
Norms and Politics of Equity-Minded Change: Researching the “Zone of Mediation”

This chapter applies literature on the politics of education to data from a recent study of ten racially mixed secondary schools that were attempting to alter their grouping practices to illuminate how macro social, political and economic forces shaped the struggles these schools faced. The study found that unless reforms seek to achieve parity in opportunity and achievement across diverse groups of students, reformers face enormous challenges.
Cross Sections for the Reactions Ti 48 ( d , 2 n ) V 48 ; Cr 52 ( d , 2 n ) Mn 52 ; and Fe 56 ( d , 2 n ) Co 56

Measurements have been made of the ($d, 2n$) cross sections of the nuclear species ${\mathrm{Ti}}^{48}$, ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{52}$, and ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{56}$. Results are given for incident deuterons in the energy region 1-20 Mev.
Applications of the Ito Formula

A process \( M = \{M_{t},t\epsilon\ {I\!\!R}+\} \) is a Brownian motion in \( {I\!\!R} \) if and only ifthere is a standard filtration \( {\mathcal{F}_{t}} \) such that \( \{M_{t},\mathcal{F}_{t},t \in {I\!\!R}_+\} \) is a continuous local martingale with quadratic variation \( [M] \) satisfying
The Influence of Compensatory Strategies on Ethical Decision Making

Ethical decision making is of concern to researchers across all fields. However, researchers typically focus on the biases that may act to undermine ethical decision making. Taking a new approach, this study focused on identifying the most common compensatory strategies that counteract those biases. These strategies were identified using a series of interviews with university researchers in a variety of areas, including biological, physical, social, and health as well as scholarship and the performing arts. Interview transcripts were assessed with two scoring procedures, an expert rating system and computer-assisted qualitative analysis. Although the expert rating system identified Understanding Guidelines, Recognition of Insufficient Information, and Recognizing Boundaries as the most frequently used compensatory strategies across fields, other strategies, Striving for Transparency, Value/Norm Assessment, and Following Appropriate Role Models, were identified as most common by the computer-assisted qualitative analyses. Potential reasons for these findings and implications for training and practice are identified and discussed.
Distributed Matrix Scaling and Application to Average Consensus in Directed Graphs

We propose a class of distributed iterative algorithms that enable the asymptotic scaling of a primitive column stochastic matrix, with a given sparsity structure, to a doubly stochastic form. We also demonstrate the application of these algorithms to the average consensus problem in networked multi-component systems. More specifically, we consider a setting where each node is in charge of assigning weights on its outgoing edges based on the weights on its incoming edges. We establish that, as long as the (generally directed) graph that describes the communication links between components is strongly connected, each of the proposed matrix scaling algorithms allows the system components to asymptotically assign, in a distributed fashion, weights that comprise a primitive doubly stochastic matrix. We also show that the nodes can asymptotically reach average consensus by executing a linear iteration that uses the time-varying weights (as they result at the end of each iteration of the chosen matrix scaling algorithm).
Estimation of pollen viability in grain sorghum.

Male fertility of crop plants is a function of pollen production and viability. Differences in pollen production can be evaluated by simple observation, but pollen viability is more difficult to quantify. The objective of this study was to develop an in vitro pollen germination assay for sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. In experiments evaluating common germination media substrates, large differences in germination were observed in response to changing concentrations of sucrose, boric acid, and calcium nitrate in agar-based media. In vitro germination was maximized following incubation on agar supplemented with 0.9 M sucrose, 2.43 mM boric add, and 2.12 mM calcium nitrate. The effect of incubation temperature was also significant. Pollen germination was not affected by changes in temperature between 20 and 40°C, but germination was significantly reduced at 10°C.
A perspective on simulation models as decision aids

Abstract Simulation models have come to represent the epitome of analytic input to the rational decision maker. Simulation has become a highly sophisticated tool available within an information system which supports decision making in an organization, public or private. The classic use of simulation is to study complex systems whose behavior and features are representable by straightforward analytic relationships. A simple question arises: What is the performance of simulation models as decision aids? This paper contends that a simulation model qua model is less of an aid to decision making than is the process of implementing the model. This thesis is based on (1) the literature where it is not organized and stated explicitly as such. and (2) an 18 month study of the utilization of three computer simulation models in the Philadelphia Emergency Medical Services System. Based on our study, a user-responsive information system to support decision making would provide information in a staged manner according to the level of sophistication needed. The level of sophistication is determined by a complex mosaic of problem area, decision-maker information utilization characteristics, decision-making situation, and decision-making process. This suggests programmatic approaches to information system design which yield effective, efficient aids to decision making.
Perfectly American: Constructing the Refugee Experience

Over the last 60 years, the United States has accepted some two million refugees for resettlement. Standard opinion polls suggest that the American response to these refugees has been mixed. Yet, despite much ambivalence about particular refugees and where they may belong in the grid of American social and cultural categories, the notion of refuge and the imperative toward support and welcome to refugees endure. As an extended example, this paper considers press treatment of refugees in Richmond, Virginia during the last quarter of the twentieth century—before security concerns and surging numbers of illegal immigrants irrevocably changed the nature of American immigration. Unlike the ambivalent response that emerges in national opinion polls and some other venues, in this case the construction of refugees is neither negative nor ambivalent, but is instead solidly positive. This positive construction extends across a broad range of racial and national-origin groups and is conditioned by a peculiarly Ameri...
Participation in Transition: Mobilizing Ugandans in Constitution Making

Can participatory programs in transitioning countries increase the involvement of citizens beyond the level expected from individual-level characteristics, such as demographic traits, socioeconomic resources, and civic orientations? To answer this question, I examine the causes of participation in the Ugandan constitution-making process. Statistical analysis of a random sample survey of 820 citizens demonstrates that although individual-level factors play a role, many Ugandans participated because mobilizing agents pulled them into the process. I argue that programs to encourage active and equal participation will be most successful if they supplement weak indigenous institutions of mobilization and help all types of citizens to participate early on in the transition to democracy.
Performance of the G0 superconducting magnet system

At the heart of the G0 Spectrometer is the toroidal superconducting magnet system (SMS). The SMS has been in use at Jefferson Lab since the fall of 2002. Experience with the operation and reliability of the magnet over that period is reported. Some measured performance parameters are compared with the magnet specification.
Density functionals without meshes and grids

Abstract We suggest an approach to density functional calculations based entirely on matrix representations of operators known from conventional electronic structure methods. In the basis set limit our results are identical to those obtained with a grid-based quadrature, but the noise arising from the numerical procedure is completely avoided.
QCD expectations for high-energy hadronic collisions

It is argued that perturbative QCD effects could be important in low-momentum transfer hadronic collisions at very high energies and should then give rise to several distinctive phenomena.
Exonic polymorphisms in the protein C gene: interethnic comparison between Caucasians and Asians

Plasma protein C deficiency is associated with inherited thrombotic disease. Allelic frequencies of five previously reported DNA polymorphisms and a new polymorhic site (C8480T) were calculated in Asian and American Caucasian individuals by direct genomic sequencing and compared to previous reports.
Adsorption of O 2, SO 2, and SO 3, on Nickel Oxide Mechanism for Sulfate Formation

Calculations based on the atom superposition and electron delocalization molecular orbital technique suggest that O2 will adsorb preferentially end-on at an angle 45 deg from normal on a nickel cation site on the (100) surface of NiO. SO2 adsorption is also stronger on the nickel site; SO2 bonds through the sulfur atom in a plane perpendicular to the surface. Adsorption energies for SO3 on the nickel and oxygen sites are comparable in the preferred orientation in which the SO3 plane is parallel to the surface. The calculations suggest that the strength of adsorption varies as O2 greater than SO2 greater than SO3. On activation, SO3 adsorbed to an O(2-) site forms a trigonal pyramidal SO4 species which yields, with a low barrier, a tetrahedral sulfate anion. Subsequently the anion reorients on the surface. Alternative mechanisms which require the formation of Ni(3+) or O(-) are discussed. NiSO4 thus formed may play a passivating role for the corrosion of Ni at low temperatures in the SO2 + O2 + SO3 atmospheres and an active role at high temperatures, as discussed in the experimental literature.
Radiofrequency ablation for hemobilia secondary to hepatocellular carcinoma

Hemobilia is a rare manifestation of hepatic malignancies. The current treatment of choice for hemobilia is transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization. However, there have been only two published reports that describe the use of hepatic arterial embolization for hemobilia caused by hepatic neoplasms. In addition, this procedure is occasionally unsuccessful in the treatment of hemobilia. A case in which hemobilia caused by hepatocellular carcinoma was successfully treated with percutaneous radiofrequency tumor ablation after several failed hepatic arterial embolizations is described in this report.
Use and implication of the DICOM standard in dentistry

DICOM is an international imaging standard that was developed for medicine and has been extended to support dentistry among other professions. This standard can provide the basis of interoperability for digital system outputs, providing image portability and reducing the danger of obsolescence rendering valuable diagnostic information impossible to display. This paper presents a brief overview of the origins and components of the DICOM standard and reports an ongoing initiative to promote interoperability within the DICOM as the industry standard for digital imaging in dentistry.
Calibrating color vision.

Why do some colors look special? Color vision is our ability to distinguish the spectral characteristics of light. Wavelength varies continuously, yet we perceive spectra in terms of a small number of dimensions anchored by salient landmarks. These dimensions define a color space, within which colors appear to vary in hue (direction) or saturation (distance) relative to a neutral gray (Figure 1). Coding relative to a norm may reflect a general strategy in perception. For example, individual faces may be judged by how they differ from a neutral or average face.
Carcinoma of the lung in progressive systemic sclerosis: A tabular review of the literature and a detailed report of the roentgenographic changes in two cases

The association of various pathologic changes in the lung, especially interstitial fibrosis, in progressive systemic sclerosis is a recognized occurrence. Usually it is not the site of development of a malignancy. As a corollary the literature contains a number of examples of carcinoma developing in the lung in patients with idiopathic basilar fibrosis unrelated to PSS. Currently, we have reviewed the available literature and found a satisfactory description of 44 cases of carcinoma of the lung in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis. Also, there are brief descriptions of 10 cases of pulmonary carcinoma and PSS. The development of a malignancy superimposed upon the chronic changes in the lung, associated with the systemic sclerosing process may be related pathogenically to an altered immunologic response.
The Trafficking in Persons Report: a game of risk

The State Department ranks countries on adherence to minimum standards set forth by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act 2000. The Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) is updated annually and fail...
Bank Holding Company Risk from 1976–1989 with a Two-Factor Model

This paper employs a two-factor model of security returns to investigate the intertemporal risk of bank holding company stock returns over the 1976–1989 period. Uniquely, the two-factor model is estimated in separate regressions for each of the fourteen years between 1976 and 1989, thus exposing intertemporal changes in the model coefficients. The results show that bank holding companies have increased in risk over the sample period and also reveal that much of the controversy over the two-index model stems from the transitory nature of the interest rate coefficient through time, making long time series groupings of data misspecified. The above holds for both short-term and long-term interest rates. Interest rates have little impact on bank returns.
Evolutionary System Topology Identification and its Application in Product Reuse

A recently developed technique of identifying system topology using tests and system simulation for reliability applications has remanufacturing implications. Two issues affect successful remanufacturing of products; first, lack of knowledge about what constitutes failure of a product in the user’s mind, and second, inability to determine if system failure has occurred based on failure of some components even if all failure modes are known. Remanufacturing must account for soft failures, failures that do not affect the functionality of a product but the overall appeal to the customer. In this paper, we propose defining multiple perception-based product attributes and treating them as fictitious components of a reliability block diagram. Using a recently developed method, we then infer the system topology in a reliability engineering context in terms of success or failure of these components. This allows us to identify the actual or impending failure of the product which can be critical in determining whether the product should be recovered or sold to another customer with different requirements. We demonstrate our proposed method on a cell phone reuse problem.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
The inking behavior of Aplysia dactylomela (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia): Evidence for distastefulness

1) Ink from the sea hare Aplysia dactylomela was examined to determine its possible role as a defensive mechanism by being distasteful to potential predators. 2) Feeding experiments were set up to determine the acceptance or rejection of various sections of Aplysia dactylomela and pieces of local baitfish (Mugil curema) containing Aplysia ink, to a population of laughing gulls (Larus atricilla). 3) Feeding experiments showed that Aplysia dactylomela ink was distasteful to laughing gulls. The gulls would reject pieces of baitfish which had been thoroughly coated with ink. The rejection rates by the gulls for baitfish injected with the ink was higher than the rejection rates towards certain parts of Aplysia, including those known to contain toxic material.
Suzanne Oboler, Ethnic Labels, Latino Lives: Identity and the Politics of (Re)Presentation in the United States. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1995. 226 Pages

(1996). Suzanne Oboler, Ethnic Labels, Latino Lives: Identity and the Politics of (Re)Presentation in the United States. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1995. 226 Pages. Sociological Focus: Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 285-287.
Slow coordination reactions in seawater

Abstract The rates of reaction of transition metals with free or protonated ligands are intrinsically fast. Yet the observed rate of formation of metal complexes with strong ligands in seawater containing a mixture of ligands is remarkably slow. When Cu(II) is added to mixtures of natural and synthetic ligands, the equilibrium distribution of metal species may be established only after hours, days, or even months. Initial reaction of the stronger ligand with the added metal is retarded in the presence of seawater concentrations of Ca. Thus Cu complexes are initially formed with the weaker ligands. Final equilibrium metal speciation is attained slowly through a series of ligand- and metal-exchange reactions. Observations of slow kinetics of coordination reactions in model systems demonstrate that re-equilibration of a natural system undergoing perturbations of metal or ligand concentrations, under natural or analytical conditions, cannot be assumed to be rapid. This study also suggests that the concentration of strong complexing agents in seawater may be underestimated in measurements of metal complexation that involve metal additions.
Teaching Intel to love the television

Over the last decade, as Intel Corporation has successively sought to expand its business into consumer electronics adjacencies, it envisioned a spectrum of screens in homes that could serve as interchangeable front-ends to a relatively standard computational back-end. From this perspective, televisions, set top boxes, and other CE devices are fraternal twins to Intel's traditional competency, silicon solutions for the PC. In this video, the authors discuss how Intel's User Experience Group has steered the company to accept the television for what it truly is, a fundamentally different device, experience, and ecosystem than the PC. Drawing on ethnographic research data from 21 countries, collected over three years, they detail how teaching Intel to love the television has meant driving consumer-centric perspectives of the role, place, and meaning of television in global homes into Intel's Digital Home Group's strategy and platform roadmaps. This has meant abandoning the idea that “a screen is just a screen,” and that interactive, connected, and smart televisions will be PCs disguised to blend with living room aesthetics.
Factors associated with heavy smoking among men and women: The physician-delivered smoking intervention project

As part of a randomized trial that compared the effects of three physician-delivered smoking interventions on patients' long-term cessation rates, we examined factors associated with the extent of baseline cigarette smoking separately in 546 men and 715 women who were enrolled in this trial. Several baseline characteristics were significantly related to heavier (≥25 cigarettes per day) smoking after controlling for a variety of factors in multivariate analyses, which were performed separately for men and women. Among both men and women, extent of addictiveness to smoking and number of cigarettes smoked during periods of heaviest smoking were significantly related to extent of current cigarette smoking (p < 0.001). In addition, among men shortness of breath, lack of previous attempts to quit and lack of confidence in their ability to stop smoking were significantly related to current heavy cigarette smoking (p < 0.05). The results of this study in ambulatory outpatients suggest a profile of heavy cigarette smokers that may be used for the more effective delivery of targeted smoking intervention efforts.
Bubbles in complex microgeometries at large capillary numbers

Multiphase flows in confined geometries exhibit a variety of intriguing morphologies. At the small scale, the unique balance of forces produces flow patterns that are typically governed by viscous and capillary effects. While surface tension tends to minimize liquid-gas interfacial areas with bubbles having spherical shape, viscous creeping flows can also strongly deform bubbles in velocity fields set with the channel geometry. Here, the deformation of capillary surfaces is accentuated with the use of a highly viscous carrier fluid (silicone oil having a viscosity ν = 103 or 104 cS) and the presence of circular cavities along a square microchannel (h = 250 μm) for smoothly modulating flow velocity. Although the size and concentration of air bubbles are usually determined through pressure and microfluidic flow rates of injection, the use of carbon dioxide bubbles allows us to manipulate mass transfer processes1–3 (i.e., dissolution and stripping mechanisms) and generate a variety of multiphase flow patterns (Figs. 1 and 2). For instance, as CO2 bubbles considerably shrink before reaching the field of view, dense arrangements of small bubbles can be produced. In the viscous-dominated regime with a capillary number Ca ∼ O(1), gas bubbles adopt a range of shapes depending on their size and packing. In particular, when passing through a series of extensions and
The Enrichment of Egg‐type RNA in Cleavage Stage Embryos of the Sand Dollar Dendraster excentricus

RNA populations synthesized during the first four cleavages of the sand dollar Dendraster excentricus were almost entirely egg-type as determined by RNA-DNA hybridization under conditions which measure repetitive DNA sequences. The relative concentrations of these egg-type RNA populations increased progressively up to the late blastula stage, then decreased, beginning at mesenchyme blastula, to a low level at the early prism stage. The egg-type RNA populations were transcripts of nuclear DNA, were heterogeneous in size and were species specific. RNA-DNA duplexes containing this RNA were heterogeneous with respect to thermal stability.
"You're out of your mind!": Humor as a face-saving strategy during neuropsychological examinations.

This article presents a sociolinguistic analysis of humor as a face-saving device in a memory clinic. Data for this article were transcripts of audiotaped clinical examinations between 4 clinicians and 17 patients, conducted at the Memory and Alzheimer's Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco. The study focused on the functions of humor and the complexity involved in examining those functions. Four aspects of humor were examined: (a) who initiates humor, (b) what topics the humor is based on, (c) what the function of the humor is, and (d) who the focus of the humor is. Results indicated that dementia patients initiated a greater number of humor exchanges than did clinicians or third-party observers. In particular, patients initiated a greater number of a specific kind, called dominant humor, with which the initiator controls the interaction. In spite of the power differential between patients and clinicians, dementia patients asserted some dominance over a face-threatening situation. These ...
Intestine-specific Mttp deletion decreases mortality and prevents sepsis-induced intestinal injury in a murine model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia.

Background The small intestine plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of sepsis and has been referred to as the “motor” of the systemic inflammatory response. One proposed mechanism is that toxic gut-derived lipid factors, transported in mesenteric lymph, induce systemic injury and distant organ failure. However, the pathways involved are yet to be defined and the role of intestinal chylomicron assembly and secretion in transporting these lipid factors is unknown. Here we studied the outcome of sepsis in mice with conditional, intestine-specific deletion of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (Mttp-IKO), which exhibit a block in chylomicron assembly together with lipid malabsorption.
Ion pairing in fast-exchange host-guest systems: concentration dependence of apparent association constants for complexes of neutral hosts and divalent guest salts with monovalent counterions.

An equilibrium treatment of complexation of neutral hosts with dicationic guests having univalent counterions includes two possible modes: (1) dissociation of the ion pair prior to interaction of the free dication with the host to produce a complex that is not ion paired and (2) direct complexation of the ion pair to produce an ion paired complex. This treatment is easily modified for complexation of neutral guests by dianionic hosts, or divalent hosts by neutral guests. The treatment was tested by a study of fast-exchange host−guest systems based on paraquats or viologens (G2+2X-) and crown ethers (H). The bis(hexafluorophosphate) salts of viologens are predominantly ion paired in acetone; the value of the dissociation constant of paraquat bis(hexafluorophosphate) was determined to be 4.64 (± 1.86) × 10-4 M2. The complex based on dibenzo-24-crown-8 and paraquat bis(hexafluorophosphate) is not ion paired in solution, resulting in concentration dependence of the apparent association constant Ka,exp, (= [c...
CROSS‐CULTURAL STUDIES IN PSYCHOLOGY

Abstract Les etudes inter-culturelles en Psychologie. L'A. evoque les problemes conceptuels et methodologiques que pose la psychologie interculturelle; il presente ensuite, a titre d'exemple, une etude genetique sur des enfants mexicains et americains. Les facteurs culturels constituent plusieurs classes dont les trois principales sont: - les differences entre nations; - les differences entre langues; - les differences subculturelles. La complexite des comportements est une autre dimension d'importance pour la conceptualisation en matiere de recherche psychologique interculturelle: on peut distinguer six niveaux de complexite. Apparier une combinaison particuliere de facteurs culturels et les niveaux de complexite comportementale que l'on vise, souleve une serie de questions methodologiques, les plus frequentes etant relatives a la confusion entre variables culturelles et au manque d'equivalence des techniques utilisees. L'A. discute egalement des aspects politiques, economiques et strategiques de telles ...
An adult-fetal skin interface heals without scar formation in sheep

Background Fetal skin heals by regeneration rather than by adult-type scarring. Prior studies indicate that scarless healing is an intrinsic property of fetal tissue. Methods To answer the question of whether fetal tissue could influence the healing of adjacent adult tissue, adult sheepskin was transplanted on the backs of 60-days' gestation fetal lambs (term, 145 days). At time points 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42, 56, and 63 days after transplantation, the grafts were harvested and the interfaces between adult and fetal skin were analyzed. Results The adult-fetal interface healed without scar formation. Control fetal sheep autograft (fetal-fetal) interfaces healed without scar, and adult sheep autograft (adult-adult) interfaces healed with scar. Conclusions These results suggest that the juxtaposed fetal tissue prevented scar formation at the adult-fetal interface. We hypothesize that fetal cellular and matrix factors permit adjacent wounded adult tissue to heal without scar. These factors, once characterized, might be used clinically to induce scarless healing in children and adults.
Simultaneous Treatment With BDNF and CNTF After Peripheral Nerve Transection and Repair Enhances Rate of Functional Recovery Compared With BDNF Treatment Alone

The objective was to investigate the effects of brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and ciliary neurotropic factor (CNTF) on peripheral nerve regeneration. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats underwent left sciatic nerve transection and repair according to three experimental groups: epineurial coaptation (EC), EC with BDNF delivered by an osmotic pump (EC-BDNF), and EC with BDNF and CNTF delivered similarly (EC-BDNF/CNTF). Nerve regeneration was assessed using sciatic functional indices, quantitative histomorphology, and molecular analysis for proteins associated with nerve regeneration. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) comparing all groups at each time point demonstrated significant differences between groups on days 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 80. A paired, two-tailed Student's t-test with the Bon-ferroni correction for multiple comparisons demonstrated that at 40 days postoperatively, animals in the EC-BDNF/CNTF group (n = 7) manifested superior functional recovery compared with those in the EC group (n = 9) and those in the EC-BDNF group (n = 9) (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). At 80 days, the animals in both the EC-BDNF (P < 0.01) and EC-BDNF/CNTF (P < 0.05) groups demonstrated greater functional recovery compared with those in the EC group, with no significant difference between the two factor groups at the endpoint. Morphometric analysis demonstrated that nerves from animals in the EC-BDNF/CNTF group had the largest mean axon diameters as compared with those from the EC (proximal: P < 0.001, distal: P < 0.05) and EC-BDNF (proximal: P < 0.01) groups. No significant differences were seen in nerve cross-sectional area. In distal nerve segments, Western blot analysis revealed that expression of myelin-associated glycoprotein was higher than control for the EC group and lower than control for both the EC-BDNF and EC-BDNF/CNTF groups. We conclude that BDNF/ CNTF combined treatment increases the early rate of functional sciatic nerve regeneration over treatment with BDNF alone, although the degree of maximal recovery was similar at the conclusion of the experiment.
COST AND BENEFITS OF PROPHYLAXIS OF VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT (VLBW) INFANTS WITH RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV) IMMUNE GLOBULIN |[dagger]| 1229

Multicenter trials have shown that monthly infusions of 750 mg/kg of RSV intravenous immune globulin (RSV-IVIG) decreases the risk of hospitalization due to lower respiratory tract infection (LRI) in preterm infants and infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). We estimated the cost of prophylaxis with RSV-IVIG, as well as the cost of hospitalizations prevented. Based on charges at our medical center for 5 dosages of RSV-IVIG (750 mg/kg), plus the cost of a nurse to administer the drug, prophylaxis was estimated to cost between $3860, for an infant weighing 1 kg at the initial infusion, to $8205, for an infant weighing 6 kg. To estimate the risk of LRI hospitalization among infants not given prophylaxis, we used data on 341 consecutive VLBW infants, born 1992-95, who were followed through one year of life at our medical center. 71 LRI hospitalizations occurred in this group. For the 45 hospitalizations that occurred at our medical center, the mean per diem charge, including physician fees, was $1474, and the mean length of stay was 6.4 days. Rates of LRI hospitalization for VLBW infants with no, mild, and moderate to severe BPD, were, respectively, 12%, 17%, and 28%. The reduction in risk of LRI hospitalization provided by RSV-IVIG was estimated using data from a multicenter trial (the PREVENT trial), in which the risk of LRI hospitalization was reduced among RSV-IVIG recipients by 49% and 20%, respectively, in preterm infants with and without BPD. Based on our estimates of the risk of LRI hospitalization, and the reduction in risk afforded by RSV-IVIG, we estimated that for each infant treated, the cost of hospitalizations prevented is $226, $786, and $1294, for infants with no, mild, and moderate to severe BPD, respectively. Thus for VLBW infants the cost of RSV-IVIG ($3860 to $8205) exceeds the cost of hospitalizations prevented, and prophylaxis cannot be justified solely on an economic basis. However, the net cost of prophylaxis is lowest for infants with moderate to severe BPD, and prophylaxis of this group might be justified because of their susceptibility to severe RSV.Drs. O'Shea and Givner have received research support as investigators in clinical trials and honoraria from MedImmune, Inc. Dr. Givner also has received consulting fees from MedImmune, Inc.
Start your career early with a summer internship [Student's Corner]

Have you decided what to do for the summer? Taking summer courses, traveling, or probably an internship? You might have noticed that from the beginning of the spring semester, there are many career fairs being held around campus. Companies are not only looking for those students who need a full-time position but also those who need a short-term work experience.
Different regulation of mid-size neurofilament and N-myc mRNA expression during neuroblastoma cell differentiation induced by retinoic acid

1. Neuroblastoma (NB) is an unusual neuroectodermal tumor showing a high degree of spontaneous regression. NB cells can be induced to differentiatein vitro by various agents. Cell differentiation results in morphological changes characteristic of the mature neuronal phenotype, including outgrowth of neuritelike structures with several interconnections. 2. Recent experiments indicate that morphological differentiation of NB cells is associated with changes in expression of N-myc, c-myc, and c-myb oncogenes and synthesis of neurofilament proteins. However, little is known about the transcription of neurofilament genes during differentiation. 3. We have analyzed the expression of both the N-myc oncogene and mid-size neurofilament (NF) genes in the LAN-1 human NB cell line, cultured in the presence of retinoic acid (RA). Continuous treatment with RA induced morphological differentiation within 5–6 days. The transcription of N-myc was down-modulated within 24 hr of the initial exposure to RA. The mid-size NF mRNA was increased at this time. The expression of N-myc was not modified in serum-deprived LAN-1 cells, indicating that N-myc transcription is unaffected by the arrest of the cells in the G1 phase. 4. We conclude that new synthesis of mid-size NF mRNA and a decrease in N-myc transcription precedede novo formation of neurite-like processes and morphological cell differentiation of neuroblastoma cells.
Exploring stages of pharmacist–physician collaboration using the model of collaborative working relationship

Abstract Objective To compare factors affecting pharmacist–physician collaboration across three groups of study participants with increasing collaboration using the model of collaborative working relationship (CWR). Methods A random sample of 750 Iowa pharmacists were surveyed. The measures for CWR constructs used 5- and 7-point scales. Descriptive statistics of exchange characteristics such as relationship initiation, trustworthiness, and role specification were calculated for each tertile group. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc ANOVAs were used to compare exchange characteristics across groups. In addition, for each tertile group, a linear regression was conducted in which collaborative care was regressed over relationship initiation, trustworthiness, role specification, professional interaction, practice setting, and physician specialty. Results The usable survey response rate was 33% (n = 239). Exchange characteristics increased from the first tertile group to the third tertile group. The regression model of CWR explained variation in collaborative care for each tertile group (range 23–76%). Trustworthiness and role specification were key factors affecting collaborative care. Role specification had a strong effect on collaborative care for the first tertile group. Internal medicine as a physician specialty was a significant predictor for collaborative care for the third tertile group. Conclusion The impact of predictors on collaborative care differed across three groups according to the tertiles of collaborative care. These findings support a multistage model of CWR. In addition, future studies of CWR can add other predictors for collaborative care.
An interaction between S•tag and S•protein derived from human ribonuclease 1 allows site-specific conjugation of an enzyme to an antibody for targeted drug delivery

We have previously demonstrated that an antibody-avidin fusion protein could be used to deliver biotinylated enzymes to tumor cells for antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy. However, the presence of the chicken protein avidin suggests that immunogenicity may be a problem. To address this concern, we developed a new delivery system consisting of human proteins. The amino-terminal 15-amino-acid peptide derived from human ribonuclease 1 (human S*tag) can bind with high affinity to human S*protein (residues 21-124 of the same ribonuclease). We constructed an antibody-S*protein fusion protein in which S*protein was genetically linked to an anti-rat transferrin receptor IgG3 at the carboxyl terminus of the heavy chain. We also constructed an enzyme-S*tag fusion protein in which S*tag was genetically linked to the carboxyl terminus of Escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP). When these two fusion proteins were mixed, S*tag and S*protein interacted specifically and produced homogeneous antibody/PNP complexes that retained the ability to bind antigen. Furthermore, in the presence of the prodrug 2-fluoro-2'-deoxyadenosine in vitro, the complex efficiently killed rat myeloma cells overexpressing the transferrin receptor. These results suggest that human ribonuclease-based site-specific conjugation can be used in vivo for targeted chemotherapy of cancer.
Linear operators preserving the decomposable numerical radius

The characterization of all linear operators on matrices which preserve the decomposable numerical radius is obtained. This result refines those of Tam. Marcus and Filippenko on the topic. The proof of the main theorem depends on a characterization of scalar multiples of unitary matrices in terms of decomposable numerical radius that is of independent interest.
Modeling the risks and benefits of depression treatment for children and young adults.

Objectives: To quantify the trade-offs of alternative strategies in treating pediatric major depressive disorder with respect to the clinical benefit and risk of fatal and nonfatal suicidal behavior over a 5-year time horizon. Methods: We developed a disease simulation model integrating epidemiological and clinical data from the literature to simulate the effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and a combination of both on a US pediatric population with major depressive disorder. Results: In a cohort of 1,000,000 simulated individuals (ages 10‐24 years), the use of SSRIs was associated with the highest number of suicide-related events, while CBT was associated with the lowest number. Over a 5-year period, the strategy with the highest number of symptom-free weeks depended on assumptions made regarding treatment efficacy beyond the available clinical data. Conclusions: Considering the risk-benefit profile over a 5-year period, CBT offers a safer profile than combination treatment or SSRIs alone with respect to suicide deaths and attempts. Any additional benefits of SSRIs, either alone or in combination with CBT, must be weighed against the expected increase in suicides.
Communications for Integrated Modular Avionics

The aerospace industry has been adopting avionics architectures to take advantage of advances in computer engineering. Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA), as described in ARINC 653, distributes functional modules into a robust configuration interconnected with a "virtual backplane" data communications network. Each avionics module's function is defined in software compliant with the APEX Application Program Interface. The Avionics Full-Duplex Ethernet (AFDX) network replaces the point-to-point connections used in previous distributed systems with "virtual links". This network creates a command and data path between avionics modules with the software and network defining the active virtual links over an integrated physical network. In the event of failures, the software and network can perform complex reconfigurations very quickly, resulting in a very robust system. In this paper, suitable architectures, standards and conceptual designs for IMA computational modules and the virtual backplane are defined and analyzed for applicability to spacecraft. The AFDX network standard is examined in detail and compared with IEEE 802.3 Ethernet. A reference design for the "Ancillary Sensor Network" (ASN) is outlined based on the IEEE 1451 "Standard for a Smart Transducer Interface for Sensors and Actuators" using realtime operating systems, time deterministic AFDX and wireless LAN technology. Strategies for flight test and operational data collection related to Systems Health Management are developed, facilitating vehicle ground processing. Finally, a laboratory evaluation defines performance metrics and test protocols and summarizes the results of AFDX network tests, allowing identification of design issues and determination of ASN subsystem scalability, from a few to potentially thousands of smart and legacy sensors.
Effects of reference electrode location on monopolar-derived multifocal electroretinograms in cynomolgus monkeys.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of reference electrode location on the multifocal electroretinographic waveform. Multifocal electroretinograms (mfERGs) were recorded from 20 ocularly normal cynomolgus monkeys. The corneal electrode was an ERG-jetTM referenced to an ipsilaterally (outer canthus) situated subdermal needle electrode and to the contralateral corneal electrode. Testing was monocular and recordings from both montages were obtained simultaneously. The stimulus array consisted of 103 equal-sized hexagonal elements, which subtended ±44° about the central visual axis. Mean luminance of the display was 100 cd/m2. First-order (K1) and second-order (first slice) kernels (K2.1) of the mfERG were grouped in (a) 4 rings, representing the central 56° of visual field and (b) in 15-element quadrants. The mfERG waveform measures included amplitude, implicit time, and root mean square (RMS) of the oscillatory potentials (OP) and response waveform. K1 and K2.1 ring and quadrant amplitudes were larger with the contralateral than with the ipsilateral reference, but more notably signal-to-noise ratios (S:N) of the response waveform were always larger with the ipsilateral reference. Implicit times were longer for the contralateral than ipsilateral reference montage. K1 and K2.1 implicit times in males were longer than in females. Quadrant groupings revealed generally larger K1 and K2.1 amplitudes in nasal than in temporal retina.
Geometric Modeling of Highways Using Global Positioning System Data and B-Spline Approximation

The proliferation and increased precision of global positioning system (GPS) devices enable the technology to be used in new and innovative applications. In the past few years, the Kansas Department of Transportation collected spatial data on a highway system using annual GPS surveys. This research deals with the problem of handling very large amounts of geographical data (latitude, longitude, elevation, and additional attributes) that are not entirely consistent. This paper describes the methodology for cleaning up this large amount of data, condensing it, and generating a B-spline approximation of the highway. This data mining effort results in two separate two-dimensional models of the highway, represented as B-spline curves. The highway approximation methodology is validated using a comparison between the B-spline approximation and the actual design data for the highway.