A Non-Collinear Mixing Technique to Measure the Acoustic Nonlinearity Parameter of Adhesive Bond from Only One Side of the Sample

The acoustic nonlinearity parameter (ANLP) of a material is often positively correlated with the damage in the material. Therefore, the ability to nondestructively measure the ANLP may enable the nondestructive characterization of the material’s remaining strength. In this work, we developed a non-collinear mixing technique to measure the ANLP of adhesive bonds. One of the most significant features of the new method is that it requires only one-side access to the adhesive bond being measured, which significantly increases it utility in field measurements. Specifically, the test sample considered in this study consists of two aluminum plates adhesively joined together through a commercial adhesive tape. The non-collinear wave mixing technique consists of generating a longitudinal wave and a shear wave by piezoelectric transmitters attached to the same surface of the sample under test. These waves are introduced into the sample in such an angle that they will mix at the adhesive bond region. Mixing of these two waves generates a shear wave that propagates back towards the surface where the two waves were generated. This mixing wave is then recorded by a shear wave receiver placed on the same surface where the longitudinal and shear wave transmitters are located. It was shown that amplitude of this mixing wave is proportional to the ANLP of the adhesive bond. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the newly developed technique, a freshly made adhesive sample was first measured using the non-collinear mixing technique to obtain the ANLP of the adhesive bond. This sample is then placed inside a thermal chamber for aging to change its ANLP. The sample was taken out the thermal chamber periodically to measure its ANLP. The measured results clearly show that the ANLP varies with aging time. Initially, the ANLP decreases with aging time, possibly due to further curing. Afterward, the ANLP begins to increase with aging time, likely due to aging induced damage in the polymer adhesive. To verify that the signals received from the shear wave receiver are indeed the mixing wave, the finite element method was used to simulate the wave motion in the test sample. The simulation results clearly show that the signals recorded by the shear wave receiver are indeed the desired mixing wave, whose amplitude is proportional to the ANLP of the adhesive bond

Nutritional Biomarkers, Gene-Diet Interaction, and Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes

10.1155/2016/8610501Journal of Diabetes Research2016861050

The ethical implications of HCI’s turn to the cultural

We explore the ethical implications of HCI’s turn to the ‘cultural’. This is motivated by an awareness of how cultural applications, in our case interactive performances, raise ethical issues that may challenge established research ethics processes. We review research ethics, HCI’s engagement with ethics and the ethics of theatrical performance. Following an approach grounded in Responsible Research Innovation, we present the findings from a workshop in which artists, curators, commissioners, and researchers explored ethical challenges revealed by four case studies. We identify six ethical challenges for HCI’s engagement with cultural applications: transgression, boundaries, consent, withdrawal, data, and integrity. We discuss two broader implications of these: managing tensions between multiple overlapping ethical frames; and the importance of managing ethical challenges during and after an experience as well as beforehand. Finally, we discuss how our findings extend previous discussions of Value Sensitive Design in HCI

Genome-wide association studies suggest sex-specific loci associated with abdominal and visceral fat

Background: To identify loci associated with abdominal fat and replicate prior findings, we performed genome-wide association (GWA) studies of abdominal fat traits: subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT); visceral adipose tissue (VAT); total adipose tissue (TAT) and visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio (VSR). Subjects and Methods: Sex-combined and sex-stratified analyses were performed on each trait with (TRAIT–BMI) or without (TRAIT) adjustment for body mass index (BMI), and cohort-specific results were combined via a fixed effects meta-analysis. A total of 2513 subjects of European descent were available for the discovery phase. For replication, 2171 European Americans and 772 African Americans were available. Results: A total of 52 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) encompassing 7 loci showed suggestive evidence of association (P\u3c1.0 × 10−6) with abdominal fat in the sex-combined analyses. The strongest evidence was found on chromosome 7p14.3 between a SNP near BBS9 gene and VAT (rs12374818; P=1.10 × 10−7), an association that was replicated (P=0.02). For the BMI-adjusted trait, the strongest evidence of association was found between a SNP near CYCSP30 and VAT–BMI (rs10506943; P=2.42 × 10−7). Our sex-specific analyses identified one genome-wide significant (P\u3c5.0 × 10−8) locus for SAT in women with 11 SNPs encompassing the MLLT10, DNAJC1 and EBLN1 genes on chromosome 10p12.31 (P=3.97 × 10–8 to 1.13 × 10−8). The THNSL2 gene previously associated with VAT in women was also replicated (P=0.006). The six gene/loci showing the strongest evidence of association with VAT or VAT-BMI were interrogated for their functional links with obesity and inflammation using the Biograph knowledge-mining software. Genes showing the closest functional links with obesity and inflammation were ADCY8 and KCNK9, respectively. Conclusions: Our results provide evidence for new loci influencing abdominal visceral (BBS9, ADCY8, KCNK9) and subcutaneous (MLLT10/DNAJC1/EBLN1) fat, and confirmed a locus (THNSL2) previously reported to be associated with abdominal fat in women

Detection of Bartonella henselae DNA by Polymerase Chain Reaction in a Patient with Cat Scratch Disease : A Case Report

We report a case of cat scratch disease caused by Bartonella henselae in Korea. A 25-yr-old woman developed left cervical lymphadenopathy with history of contact with a dog. The cervical lymphadenopathy persisted for 1 month and resolved gradually and spontaneously. Serologic test was not done during the acute stage of the disease. Immunofluorescent antibody test performed during the convalescent stage was positive for B. henselae. To confirm B. henselae infection, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis using aspirates of cervical lymph node was performed and the presence of B. henselae DNA was demonstrated. This is the first reported case of cat scratch disease in Korea confirmed by PCR for B. henselae DNA

Aortic Stenosis: Evaluation with Multidetector CT Angiography and MR Imaging

Aortic valvular stenosis (AS) is the most common valve disease which results in the need for a valve replacement. Although a Doppler echocardiography is the current reference imaging method, the multidetector computerized tomograpghy (MDCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have recently emerged as a promising method for noninvasive valve imaging. In this study, we briefly describe the usefulness and comparative merits of the MDCT and MRI for the evaluation of AS in terms of valvular morphology (as the causes of AS), quantification of aortic valve area, pressure gradient of flow (for assessment severity of AS), and the evaluation of the ascending aorta and cardiac function (as the secondary effects of AS). The familiarity with the MDCT and MRI features of AS is considered to be helpful for the accurate diagnosis and proper management of patients with a poor acoustic window

B Cells Regulate Neutrophilia during Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and BCG Vaccination by Modulating the Interleukin-17 Response

We have previously demonstrated that B cells can shape the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, including the level of neutrophil infiltration and granulomatous inflammation at the site of infection. The present study examined the mechanisms by which B cells regulate the host neutrophilic response upon exposure to mycobacteria and how neutrophilia may influence vaccine efficacy. To address these questions, a murine aerosol infection tuberculosis (TB) model and an intradermal (ID) ear BCG immunization mouse model, involving both the μMT strain and B cell-depleted C57BL/6 mice, were used. IL (interleukin)-17 neutralization and neutrophil depletion experiments using these systems provide evidence that B cells can regulate neutrophilia by modulating the IL-17 response during M. tuberculosis infection and BCG immunization. Exuberant neutrophilia at the site of immunization in B cell-deficient mice adversely affects dendritic cell (DC) migration to the draining lymph nodes and attenuates the development of the vaccine-induced Th1 response. The results suggest that B cells are required for the development of optimal protective anti-TB immunity upon BCG vaccination by regulating the IL-17/neutrophilic response. Administration of sera derived from M. tuberculosis-infected C57BL/6 wild-type mice reverses the lung neutrophilia phenotype in tuberculous μMT mice. Together, these observations provide insight into the mechanisms by which B cells and humoral immunity modulate vaccine-induced Th1 response and regulate neutrophila during M. tuberculosis infection and BCG immunization. © 2013 Kozakiewicz et al

Doubleâ blind, randomized phase 3 trial of lowâ dose 13â cis retinoic acid in the prevention of second primaries in head and neck cancer: Longâ term followâ up of a trial of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Groupâ ACRIN Cancer Research Group (C0590)

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139904/1/cncr30920.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139904/2/cncr30920_am.pd