cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract C24: Identification and characterization of serum biomarkers associated with metastatic progression of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer among women in the United States. Treatment is greatly complicated by metastasis of cells from the primary tumor site, which increases mortality; about 40 percent of breast cancer patients will relapse and develop metastatic disease. Eighty percent of breast cancer patients are treated with adjuvant chemotherapy to decrease their risk of getting metastasis, while as indicated previously only 40% of them will eventually relapse and develop metastatic disease. Despite this precautionary measure, adjuvant chemotherapy is shown to increase 15-years survival of such patients by only 3-10%. Further, about 40,000 women die of breast cancer every year due to undetected early metastasis. Clearly detection of metastatic disease has major clinical implications. Identifying specific blood serum biomarkers that accurately and reproducibly indicate the presence of metastatic disease could greatly improve treatment, as they could substitute for more invasive procedures that are in current use and be used to monitor remission at higher resolution. Analysis of protein content in serum has been widely used as a method for biomarker identification, but detection, identification, and analysis of short peptide biomarkers faces technical challenges that have prevented widespread application of this approach. We report here results from a proteomics study aimed at identifying and characterizing short peptide biomarkers in serum samples taken from patients with stage I and stage III breast cancer. Serum samples contain over 2500 distinct peaks representing distinct peptides. A preliminary analysis reveals that the abundance of 92 peptides are significantly reduced in samples from patients with stage III disease, while the abundance of 64 peptides show significant increase in stage III sera. A large number of additional peptides show smaller changes in abundance in sera from the two patient groups. Our future work will be to characterize the identity of the serum biomarkers identified and validate their appearance or disappearance in a large cohort of patients. Citation Format: Adhari Abdullah Al Za'abi, Steven Graves, Marc Hansen. Identification and characterization of serum biomarkers associated with metastatic progression of breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Invasion and Metastasis; Jan 20-23, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(3 Suppl):Abstract nr C24.
Ethynyl-terminated polysulfones: Synthesis and characterization

Hydroxy-terminated polysulfones (PSs) of number-average molecular weights from 3000 to 26,000 g/mol were converted to the corresponding 4-ethynylbenzoate–terminated PS through a three-step synthesis. The initial step involved the reaction of the hydroxy precursor with 4-bromobenzoyl chloride followed by displacement of the bromo group with trimethylsilylacetylene using a palladium catalyst. The trimethylsilyl group was subsequently cleaved with a weak base to afford the ethynylbenzoate-terminated PS. A more direct route to the ethynylbenzoate-terminated PS involved the reaction of the hydroxy-terminated PS with 4-ethynylbenzoyl chloride. The trimethylsilylethynyl and ethynyl groups undergo a thermally induced reaction to provide modified PS with better solvent resistance and higher apparent glass transition temperatures than an unmodified linear PS. The physical properties of the modified PS are compared with those of a linear PS.
Field trials of fungicides to control red core of strawberries

SUMMARY In field trials in Kent soil drenches of captafol, drazoxolon, etridiazol and prothiocarb were applied to strawberries planted in red-core-infested soil. A single post-planting drench of captafol (0–20%) and prothiocarb (0–28%) controlled red core and captafol also reduced non-specific root rotting. Etridiazol (0–20%) was phytotoxic and caused severe root rotting. The addition of lime increasing the soil to pH 7-5 had no effect on the incidence of red core infection or non-specific root rotting.
Significance of serum copper levels in adult patients with Hodgkin's disease

A study of 896 serum copper levels (SCL) in 191 adult patients with Hodgkin's disease has demonstrated a clinically useful relationship between SCL and the disease activity. Elevated SCL in the active disease decreases as disease activity is reduced in response to therapy, with normal SCL during remission and elevated SCL in relapse; the latter often precedes clinical signs. These relations of SCL do not seem to be present in the limited number of lymphocytic predominance cases observed. A relation between SCL and extent of disease is shown by marked elevation in SCL in generalized in contrast to localized disease and is more pronounced in patients with systemic symptoms. A control group of 33 patients with prostatic carcinoma treated with radiotherapy showed no relationship of SCL to disease or therapy. The findings in this study of serum copper confirm its clinical significance in the evaluation of Hodgkin's disease activity.
Technology: Using It as a Means to Creatively Connect With Adolescents

This column is designed to underscore relationally-based creative interventions used by counselors and psychotherapists in their practices. Our intention is to provide examples of novel, innovative ways of working with clients in their efforts to deepen self-awareness and their connections with others. Although the interventions within this column will be presented in a linear “how to” manner, an essentional premise of this column is that interventions submitted for publication have a contextual and relational basis. Basic to this column is the therapeutic focus of working through latent hurts and impediments to our clients’ health and happiness. Client goals generally involve creating the requisite emotional space needed for genuine relational choice for connection to manifest. If you have created a useful therapy tool, or if you have adapted an existing creative tool that you would like to share with readers, please follow submission guidelines in the author information packet available at http://www.cr...
A Simple FASTBUS to Ethernet Interface

Until comparatively recently the effort and the expense of interfacing to Ethernet has been considerable, both in terms of design time and the number of integrated circuits required. However, the appearance of VLSI chip sets from several manufacturers, which perform large parts of the lower level network protocols, has done much to ease this problem. One of the first chip sets available was that manufactured by the SEEQ company of San Jose, California. We have successfully constructed and operated controller boards for the IBM PC using these chips. We report here on an extension of this work to construct a simple interface between FASTBUS and Ethernet. The motivation for the work is twofold; first to make available Ethernet products and services from a FASTBUS environment, secondly to investigate the interconnection of FASTBUS segments over longer distances than is possible using the present cable segment and segment interconnects. The emphasis of this paper is on how the interface appears to a FASTBUS user.
Modeling functionally graded materials containing multiple heterogeneities

The effective material properties of functionally graded materials are predicted using a modified Mori–Tanaka and a self-consistent method. The proposed micromechanics model accounts for both multi-phase heterogeneity and a number of layers. The influence of geometries and distinct elastic material properties of each constituent and voids on the effective elastic properties of FGM is investigated. Numerical examples of different functionally graded materials are presented. The predicted elastic properties obtained from the current model agree well with experimental results from the literature.
T-cell adoptive immunotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Substantial progress has been made in the treatment of precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), but recurrent disease remains a leading cause of death in children due to cancer and outcomes for adults with B-ALL remain poor. Recently, complete clinical responses have been observed in small numbers of patients with B-ALL treated with adoptive immunotherapy using T cells genetically engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) targeting CD19, a cell surface molecule present in essentially all cases of B-ALL. Preclinical data suggest that CARs targeting CD22, another antigen present in the majority of B-ALL cases, are similarly potent. Several clinical studies already under way will soon more clearly define the rate of response to this novel therapy in B-ALL. Further work is needed to identify optimal platforms for CAR-based adoptive immunotherapy for leukemia, to establish guidelines for managing toxicity, and to determine whether the remissions induced by this approach can be rendered durable.
A method for precision patterning of silicone elastomer and its applications

This paper presents a general microfabrication method for precision patterning of thin-film poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The method enables PDMS microstructures with controlled lateral dimensions and thickness on a silicon or glass substrate. Two applications based on this new method are discussed. First, a scanning probe microscopy (SPM) probe with PDMS tip is developed and used for scanning probe contact printing (SPCP). Second, this paper demonstrates surface micromachined membranes with integrated silicone gaskets.
Enhancer of Rudimentary Homolog affects the replication stress response through regulation of RNA processing

Accurate replication of DNA is imperative for the maintenance of genomic integrity. We identified Enhancer of Rudimentary Homolog (ERH) using a whole-genome RNA interference (RNAi) screen to discover novel proteins that function in the replication stress response. Here we report that ERH is important for DNA replication and recovery from replication stress. ATR pathway activity is diminished in ERH-deficient cells. The reduction in ATR signaling corresponds to a decrease in the expression of multiple ATR pathway genes, including ATR itself. ERH interacts with multiple RNA processing complexes, including splicing regulators. Furthermore, splicing of ATR transcripts is deficient in ERH-depleted cells. Transcriptome-wide analysis indicates that ERH depletion affects the levels of ∼1,500 transcripts, with DNA replication and repair genes being highly enriched among those with reduced expression. Splicing defects were evident in ∼750 protein-coding genes, which again were enriched for DNA metabolism genes. Thus, ERH regulation of RNA processing is needed to ensure faithful DNA replication and repair.
Population Stability of the Northern Desert Nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea deserticola) during the Pleistocene

Abstract Phylogeographic studies that seek to understand how a species responded to past climate change are largely lacking for the Great Basin of North America. Here we investigate the response of the Northern Desert Nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea deserticola) to the recession of the Cordilleran glacier at the end of the Pleistocene. Using mtDNA markers, we inferred the lineage age and historical demography of this widespread desert taxon. We find that H. c. deserticola maintained a stable population size throughout the late Pleistocene despite ice-sheet advance and retreat. These conclusions agree with other phylogeographic studies that show stable or growing population sizes throughout the Pleistocene as well as fossil evidence that sheds light on the historical distributions of snakes, suggesting that snakes have been adaptable to historical climatic fluctuations.
Deletion of the Marek’s disease virus UL41 gene (vhs) has no measurable effect on latency or pathogenesis

Marek's disease is an economically important disease of poultry and is caused by an alphaherpesvirus, Marek's disease virus (MDV). The predicted protein product of the MDV UL41 open reading frame has significant protein sequence identity with the virion host shutoff (vhs) protein gene in other alphaherpesviruses. To determine whether the MDV UL41 gene functions as a vhs protein, we utilized a transient co-transfection assay and demonstrated that the MDV UL41 protein was as active in degrading RNA as the vhs protein of herpes simplex virus type 1. To evaluate whether the MDV UL41 gene was involved in pathogenesis, we deleted the MDV UL41 gene. The UL41 deletion mutant replicated in cell culture as well as the parental MDV. The deletion mutant was inoculated into susceptible day-old chicks. The pattern and degree of tumor lesions and neurovirulence produced by the deletion mutant was same as the pattern of lesions induced by the parental virus. The only observable difference between the inoculation of MDV and the MDV deletion mutant was that the early in vivo cytolytic infection with the deletion mutant was of a longer duration than in the non-mutant MDV.
Wideband, oversampled I/Q modulation architecture of the JHU/APL Frontier Software Defined Radio

The modulation architecture in the Frontier Software Defined Radio platform supports a wide variety of modulation formats with a single low-power hardware/firmware circuit: PSK, QAM, subcarrier BPSK and ranging. The wideband hardware supports downlink data rates from 1 sps to 150 Msps, yet the firmware circuitry can generate tightly controlled narrow-band modulation. This flexibility is achieved with oversampled waveform generation, including sine-wave subcarriers and interpolated turnaround ranging. For phase modulation, a composite modulation signal is converted to parallel I/Q signals that modulate the RF carrier. Due to imperfections in the analog I/Q modulator, harmonic upcon-verter and DACs, calibration of the digital phase-to-I/Q conversion is necessary to accurately generate the desired RF signal. The calibration procedure optimizes a discrete PSK constellation, and then interpolates the constellation for applications that require continuous phase modulation, such as sine-wave subcarrier or turnaround ranging. For S-band and Ka-band exciters, the modulation is applied at the RF frequency, and the I/Q conversion subtends 360°. In contrast, for X-band exciters, the modulation is applied at 1/4th the RF frequency, and the I/Q conversion subtends only 90°. In summary, this architecture can generate wide-band high-rate downlink when sufficient link margin and bandwidth are available, and can also generate tightly controlled narrow-band signals when only low-rate links are available or limited bandwidth can be allocated.
CHARACTERIZATION OF PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS FOR THERMOACOUSTIC POWER TRANSDUCTION

In this work an experimental study of the performance of piezoelectric transducers for power production from a small-scale thermoacoustic engine is presented. Four piezoelectric samples are identified and characterized. These samples are tested on a variable acoustic driver and electrical power produced is measured. Finally, the samples are tested on four experimental thermoacoustic engines to verify the results from the acoustic setup. The maximum power produced is 177 μW from a closed thermoacoustic engine coupled to a 15mm PZT disk.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Comparison of the Liquid‐Nitrogen Strength and the High‐Stressing‐Rate Strength of Soda‐Lime Glass

Indentation strength testing is used to compare two methods of avoiding slow crack growth: a high-stressing-rate test under ambient conditions vs testing under liquid nitrogen. The liquid-nitrogen strength of soda-lime glass is found to be 9% greater than the high-stressing-rate strength. This is consistent with previous measurements of an increase in Kc of 9.3% at liquid-nitrogen temperature. The implication of this finding regarding time-to-failure calculations is discussed.
Supercritical Fluid Extraction-Oxidation Technology to Remediate PCB-contaminated Soils/Sediments: An Economic Analysis

The remediation of PCB polluted soils/sediments, left to classical technologies such as incineration and bioremediation, is an overwhelming problem, given that vast amounts of spilled PCBs still exist in the environment after nearly three decades of PCB production ban. Other innovative, alternative cleanup technologies demonstrated that a better solution might exist. A two-step remediation process proposed for real-world PCB-contaminated soils/sediments, based on supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE) and supercritical water oxidation (SCWO), is economically analyzed in this paper. The base case of the process consists of three 2.5-m 3 extractors operated in a 30-min cycle and a 29-m-long SCWO tubular reactor (0.385 m i.d..), which can treat yearly 36,000 m 3 of contaminated materials. To assess the commercial potential and the economic feasibility of the proposed process, capital and operational costs are analyzed and the results show total costs of the process in the range of $142-174/m 3 sediment. Comparison with other alternative technologies suggests that the SCFE/SCWO process is economically feasible and attractive for the remediation of real-world PCB highly contaminated soils/sediments.
Invective and Discernment in Martin Luther, D. Erasmus, and Thomas More

The scathing insults that fill texts by sixteenth-century Christian reformers can shock even a jaded modern reader. In the prefatory letter to the Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520), for example, Martin Luther begins by wishing for “grace and peace in Christ” before launching his attack on the “brainless and illiterate beast in papist form” and its “whole filthy pack of … asses,” and concludes by exhorting his reader to rise up against the Catholic hierarchy: “Continue courageously, noble sir; in this way the disgrace of the Bohemian name will be abolished, and the sludge of the harlot's lies and whoring shall again be taken up in her breast.” Or consider the nasty invectives by the English Lord Chancellor and future Catholic martyr, Thomas More, against not only Luther but also Matthew Tyndale, who translated the Bible into English. More calls these men the “devil's disciples”: Luther “a pimp, an apostate, a rustic, and a friar”; and Tyndale “a babbler, and a devil's ape.” Even Desiderius Erasmus, the erudite Catholic humanist, filled his writings with insults both satirical and blunt and proclaimed that theologians “are more stupid than any pig” (sue stupidiores). Fierce words commonly appear in the midst of religious controversies, and one may choose to skim past this hyperbolic outrage in search of the real message. Insulting rhetoric, however, does provide a sensitive barometer of religious concerns in the sixteenth century and yields unexpectedly complex answers to a simple question. What does negative speech accomplish?
Immunohistochemical diagnosis of canine oral amelanotic melanocytic neoplasms

Definitive diagnosis of canine oral melanocytic neoplasms is often difficult because of variability in pigmentation and cellular pleomorphism. These neoplasms can resemble carcinomas, sarcomas, and round cell neoplasms, which differ in prognosis and treatment. A variety of immunohistochemical antibodies have been used for diagnosis of melanocytic neoplasms in humans and dogs; however, sensitivity and specificity of many markers have not been determined in amelanotic melanocytic neoplasms in dogs. The authors investigated a comprehensive panel of immunohistochemical markers in 49 canine oral amelanotic melanocytic neoplasms--namely, Melan-A, PNL2, HMB-45, microphthalmia transcription factor (MiTF), S-100, tyrosine hydroxylase, tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related proteins 1 and 2 (TRP-1 and TRP-2), and CD34. Ten well-differentiated cutaneous soft tissue spindle cell sarcomas were negative controls. Melan-A, PNL2, TRP-1, and TRP-2 were highly sensitive and 100% specific for the diagnosis of canine oral amelanotic melanocytic neoplasms. S-100 and MiTF showed high sensitivity but were less specific; that is, they also labeled a proportion of the soft tissue spindle cell sarcomas. HMB-45, tyrosinase, and tyrosine hydroxylase were 100% specific but had low sensitivities. CD34 did not label any of the melanocytic neoplasms but did label 80% of the soft tissue spindle cell sarcomas. A cost-effective and efficient immunodiagnostic cocktail containing antibodies against PNL2, Melan-A, TRP-1, and TRP-2 was created that had 100% specificity and 93.9% sensitivity in identifying canine oral amelanotic melanocytic neoplasms. The spindloid variant was the variant with the lowest sensitivity to the cocktail. The likelihood of correctly diagnosing canine oral amelanotic melanocytic neoplasms was dramatically higher when biopsy samples contained ample overlying and adjacent epithelium.
Relating communication training to workplace requirements: the perspective of new engineers

Extended interviews with recent engineering hires by a major electronics manufacturing firm reveal substantial differences in communication training among engineering programs. Despite differences in educational background and current position, however, these engineers identify the same set of key communication skills that they believe should be developed in undergraduate electrical engineering programs. These skills, which relate to the ability to communicate well in face-to-face and small group settings, to use electronic mail effectively, and to identify audiences and address them appropriately, can be taught without adding courses to the engineering curriculum, provided course content and evaluation of student work emphasize the importance of these skills. >
A thermal-bubble-actuated micronozzle-diffuser pump

A thermal-bubble-actuated micropump by the principles of liquid/vapor phase transition and nozzle-diffuser flow regulation is successfully demonstrated. The micropump consists of a resistive heater, a pair of nozzle-diffuser flow controller and a 1 mm in diameter, 50 /spl mu/m in depth pumping chamber. The actuation mechanism comes from periodically nucleating and collapsing thermal bubbles. A net flow is generated from the nozzle to the diffuser by the nozzle-diffuser flow controller. Two heater designs, single-bubble and dual-bubble actuation mode, have been investigated. In the single-bubble pumping mode, a maximum flow rate of 5 /spl mu/l/min is measured when the driving pulse is 250 Hz at 10% duty cycle under an average power consumption of 1 W. A similar flow rate of 4.5 /spl mu/l/min is achieved in the dual-bubble pumping mode, at the driving pulse of 5% duty cycle at 400 Hz with lower average power consumption, 0.5 W. The static pumping pressure is measured at a maximum value of 377 Pascal when the net volume flow rate is zero. As an application example in a microfluidic device, this valve-less micropump is used in a microfluidic system to enhance the fluid mixing by agitating the flows.
Robot manipulator control using adaptive computed torque technique

An adaptive computed torque technique is proposed for the control of robotic manipulators. The technique treats the unmodeled dynamics and parameter model variations not taken into account in the control torque computation as a disturbance modeled by an mth-degree polynomial in time. Applying this adaptive computed torque controller using disturbance accommodation control techniques has been shown to be effective in controlling a two-link manipulator despite the incorrect knowledge of the mass value. >
Ordered Micro-Particle Structures in a Liquid Crystal: Formation and Physical Properties

Ordered colloids are of great scientific and practical interests. Liquid crystals offer enhanced ways of producing and stabilizing these complex structures. We therefore studied the rheological and electro-rheological properties of the structured colloids as a means of probing this stabilization. We found that the mechanical properties of the colloids and stability of their 3D structures can be controlled by the particles size and distribution. In addition, when an electric field is applied, we observed an increase in the apparent viscosity with saturation at high electric fields. This effect depends on the shear rate and temperature. The results are also compared with the published data for the viscosity measurements of pure liquid crystals and isotropic colloids. While we are only beginning to understand the details of these complex colloids we expect they will find a wide variety of applications.
Comparisons of single-species, microcosm and field responses to a complex effluent

Short-term, single-species toxicity tests are used to identify, regulate and monitor the discharge of problem effluents into receiving ecosystems. The ability of single-species tests to protect entire ecosystems has been questioned, and microcosm tests have been proposed as additional tools for reducing uncertainty in environmental risk assessment. We compared responses to a complex effluent in microcosms of indigenous macroinvertebrates and protozoans with responses observed in acute tests with Daphnia magna, Ceriodaphnia dubia and Pimephales promelas and in chronic survival and reproductive tests with C. dubia. The predictive utility of these various tests was then evaluated in relation to observed effects in the receiving stream. The acute LC50s (percent effluent) from the acute tests were 63.1 for P. promelas, 18.8 to 31.3 for D. magna and 54.7 for C. dubia. Results from 7-d chronic tests indicated that C. dubia survival was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) affected at 30% effluent and that reproduction was affected at concentrations ≥3% effluent. In the protozoan microcosms, community composition was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) changed at 1.0%, while protozoan species richness was significantly reduced at 3.0% effluent. In the macroinvertebrate microcosms, mayflies were the only macroinvertebrates adversely affected by the effluent. Four mayfly taxa showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) reductions in density in the 1.0% treatment and four others were significantly reduced at 10.0%; however, some chironomids had significant increases in density at 0.1% and above. Microcosm responses corresponded well with observed effects in the field. The microcosms correctly predicted which indigenous organisms would be lost and which would be stimulated at various ambient concentrations of the effluent.
Streptococcus pneumoniae antibody titres in patients with primary antibody deficiency receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) compared to subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG)

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG) are effective in the treatment of patients with primary antibody deficiency disorders (PAD). The purpose of this study was to evaluate Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) antibody titres to 14 serotypes in patients receiving IVIG compared to SCIG and to correlate Spn antibody levels to clinical outcome. The doses of immunoglobulin (Ig)G/kg/month were similar in both IVIG and SCIG groups. In 11 patients treated with IVIG, Spn antibody titres were ≥ 1·3 μg/ml to 99·4 ± 2·1% of the 14 serotypes at peak IVIG but decreased to 66·9 ± 19·8% at trough IVIG. Loss of Spn titres ≥ 1·3 μg/ml was most frequent for Spn serotypes 1, 4, 9V and 23. This correlated with lower Spn antibody titres to these serotypes at peak IVIG compared to the other serotypes. In 13 patients treated with SCIG, Spn antibody titres were protective to 58·2 ± 23·3% of the serotypes 3-5 days after infusion, similar to trough IVIG. Similarly, the Spn serotypes with the least protective percentages were the same as the ones observed in trough IVIG. There were no annualized serious bacterial infections (aSBI) in either group. However, there were significantly decreased annualized other infections (aOI) in the SCIG group compared to the IVIG-treated group, 0·8 ± 0·7 versus 2·2 ± 1·2 infections/patient/year (P = 0·004). Breakthrough aOI did not correlate with protective or higher serum Spn antibody titres.
Multicenter evaluation of subcutaneous augmentation material implants

ObjectiveTo evaluate the performance of subcutaneous augmentation material preformed shapes for facial implantation. DesignOne-year prospective multicenter evaluation of implant performance. Settin...
Biochemical and Morphological Alterations of Baboon Hepatic Mitochondria After Chronic Ethanol Consumption

Baboons fed ethanol (50% of total calories) chronically develop ultrastructural alterations of hepatic mitochondria. To determine whether mitochondrial functions are also altered, mitochondria were isolated from nine baboons fed ethanol chronically and their pair-fed controls. At the fatty liver stage, ADP-stimulated respiration was depressed in ethanol-fed baboons by 59.4% with glutamate, 43.2% with acetaldehyde, 45.1% with succinate and 51.1% with ascorbate as substrates. A similar decrease was noted in the ADP/O ratio (14 to 28%) and respiratory control ratio (20 to 44%) with all substrates. Similar alterations of mitochondrial functions were observed in baboons with more advanced stages of liver disease, namely fibrosis. These changes after ethanol treatment were associated with decreases in the enzyme activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain: glutamate, NADH and succinate dehydrogenase (42, 24 and 28%, respectively), glutamate-, NADH- or succinate-cytochrome c reductase (42, 27 and 32%, respectively) and cytochrome oxidase (59.6%). The content of all cytochromes was also decreased in ethanol-fed baboons, especially aa3 (57%). Moreover, [14C]leucine incorporation into mitochondrial membranes was depressed by 21% after ethanol treatment. On the other hand, glutamate dehydrogenase activities of serum and cytosol in ethanol-fed baboons were significantly higher than those in pair-fed controls. Morphologically, mitochondria of ethanol-fed baboons were larger than those of pair-fed controls. However, the mitochondrial protein content per mitochondrial DNA was unchanged. From these results, we conclude that, morphologically and functionally, hepatic mitochondria in baboons are altered by chronic ethanol consumption; it is noteworthy that these changes are fully developed already at the fatty liver stage, and that morphological alteration appears to reflect the damage of mitochondrial membranes rather than an adaptive hypertrophy.
Preparation of silicon-carbide-coated activated carbon using a high-temperature fluidized bed reactor

Chemically andthermally stable high surface area catalyst supports are neededto facilitate a vast array of chemical reactions. One approach is to augment an otherwise vulnerable high surface area material such as activatedcarbon with a robust surface coating. Here a high-temperature #uidized bed reactor-based method for the production of silicon-carbide-(SiC) coated activated carbon is described. At 13503C, gaseous silicon monoxide reacts at the carbon surface to form -SiC andcarbon monoxid e. The resulting carbide coating confers improved resistance to thermal and chemical degradation while maintaining signi"cantly high surface areas. The resulting composite materials are characterizedby scanning electron microscopy, X-ray di !raction, X-ray #uorescence, electron microprobe, BET surface area, andthermogravimetric analysis. 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Myasthenia gravis Lambert‐Eaton overlap syndrome

Introduction: To assess whether a myasthenia gravis (MG) Lambert-Eaton overlap syndrome (MLOS) exists. Methods: Case reports that met the universally accepted diagnostic criteria for MG and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) were sought through a PubMed search. Fifty-five possible cases of MLOS were identified. Results: Thirty-nine cases met the diagnostic criteria for MG and LEMS. Analysis of clinical features showed that these patients have common MG and LEMS symptoms: oculo-bulbar paresis and good response to anti-cholinesterase for MG and limb weakness and decreased or absent reflexes for LEMS. All had the classical LEMS pattern in the repetitive nerve stimulation test: low compound muscle action potential amplitude and incremental response > 60% with brief exercise or at high rate of stimulation. Eight patients had combined positive acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR-ab) or muscle-specific kinase-ab and voltage-gated calcium channel- ab tests. Conclusions: A myasthenia gravis Lambert-Eaton overlap syndrome (MLOS) does exist.
Periodic-shRNA molecules are capable of gene silencing, cytotoxicity and innate immune activation in cancer cells

Large dsRNA molecules can cause potent cytotoxic and immunostimulatory effects through the activation of pattern recognition receptors; however, synthetic versions of these molecules are mostly limited to simple sequences like poly-I:C and poly-A:U. Here we show that large RNA molecules generated by rolling circle transcription fold into periodic-shRNA (p-shRNA) structures and cause potent cytotoxicity and gene silencing when delivered to cancer cells. We determined structural requirements for the dumbbell templates used to synthesize p-shRNA, and showed that these molecules likely adopt a co-transcriptionally folded structure. The cytotoxicity of p-shRNA was robustly observed across four different cancer cell lines using two different delivery systems. Despite having a considerably different folded structure than conventional dsRNA, the cytotoxicity of p-shRNA was either equal to or substantially greater than that of poly-I:C depending on the delivery vehicle. Furthermore, p-shRNA caused greater NF-κB activation in SKOV3 cells compared to poly-I:C, indicating that it is a powerful activator of innate immunity. The tuneable sequence and combined gene silencing, immunostimulatory and cytotoxic capacity of p-shRNA make it an attractive platform for cancer immunotherapy.
Long-term treatment with intravenous bisphosphonates in metastatic breast cancer (MBC)

1035 Background: Intravenous bisphosphonates (IV BPs) are safe and effective in reducing skeletal related events in MBC. The effects of IV BPs after 24 months of therapy are unknown. The incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and renal insufficiency (RI) among women with MBC receiving >= 24 months of IV BPs is also poorly defined. We studied the long term effect of IV BPs in a cohort of women with MBC. Methods: We maintain an ongoing prospective database of >600 women with MBC diagnosed and treated at our institution from January 1999. A long-term cohort (LTC) of 159 women with metastatic breast cancer to bone treated for >= 24 months with pamidronate (n = 9), zoledronic acid (n = 110), or both (n = 40) was identified. A control cohort (CC) of 62 women with MBC to bone treated with IV BPs for 12–23 months was also identified. RI was defined as an increase in serum creatinine (scr) of > 0.5 mg/dl or an absolute level of scr >1.5mg/dl; ONJ was diagnosed by dental consultation. Results: Median follow-up...
The functional significance of the last 5 residues of the C-terminus of cardiac troponin I.

Abstract The C-terminal region of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is known to be important in cardiac function, as removal of the last 17 C-terminal residues of human cTnI has been associated with myocardial stunning. To investigate the C-terminal region of cTnI, three C-terminal deletion mutations in human cTnI were generated: Δ1 (deletion of residue 210), Δ3 (deletion of residues 208–210), and Δ5 (deletion of residues 206–210). Mammalian two-hybrid studies showed that the interactions between cTnI mutants and cardiac troponin C (cTnC) or cardiac troponin T (cTnT) were impaired in Δ3 and Δ5 mutants when compared to wild-type cTnI. Troponin complexes containing 2-[4′-(iodoacetamido) anilino] naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid (IAANS) labeled cTnC showed that the troponin complex containing cTnI Δ5 had a small increase in Ca 2+ affinity (P 2+ affinity when compared to wild-type troponin. In vitro motility assays showed that all truncation mutants had increased Ca 2+ dependent motility relative to wild-type cTnI. These results suggest that the last 5 C-terminal residues of cTnI influence the binding of cTnI with cTnC and cTnT and affect the Ca 2+ dependence of filament sliding, and demonstrate the importance of this region of cTnI.
Solar Sail Technology for Nanosatellites

Solar sailing is an attractive means of spacecraft propulsion because it extracts momentum from electromagnetic radiation supplied by the Sun. This allows a solar sail spacecraft to accomplish new classes of missions that would otherwise require a prohibitive amount of propellant. Unfortunately, solar radiation pressure is meager, requiring a large area-tomass ratio to produce significant accelerations. A solar sailing nanosatellite achieves this with a dramatically reduced mass allowing a smaller sail to generate significant accelerations. This sacrifice of slightly less capability for an immense gain in reduced cost and complexity is the motivation behind Stanfords solar sailing nanosatellite project, SailSat.
On the ‘arcane modern science of Kremlinology’ or the case of the vanishing birthdays

AbstractThis article focuses on Stalin’s 70th birthday celebration, 22 December 1949, in order to examine what Americans knew of the Soviet Union, how they knew it and what sense they made. I explore the plight of the American correspondent in late-Stalinist Moscow, the limits to Americans’ knowledge of the Soviet Union and the origins of Kremlinological practices. In the last five years of Josef Stalin’s reign, amid the last flurry of his palace purges, from 1948 until the Generalissimo’s death on 5 March 1953, the Soviet Union all-but closed to western observation. It was a factor vital to the erection of the Iron Curtain and beginning of the Cold War that has yet to become central to its scholarship
Exploration on the Development of Preventive Medicine Special Institution Libraries

The paper introduces the characteristics,objectives of preventive medicine special institution libraries.Existing problems and implementation steps for better development are proposed including optimizing and reorganizing current resources,adapting digitalization construction,constructing comprehensive evaluation system,providing characteristic services and creating both vertical and horizontal integrated resources utilization and development mode.
Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Therapy for Superficial Bladder Cancer: Effect of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Viability on Treatment Results

AbstractWe treated 40 patients with superficial bladder cancer via intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin for 1) prophylaxis against tumor recurrence, 2) residual carcinoma or 3) flat carcinoma in situ. A single course of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy was successful in 6 of 11 patients (55 per cent) treated for residual carcinoma and 6 of 12 (50 per cent) treated for carcinoma in situ. Of 17 patients receiving a single course of bacillus Calmette-Guerin for prophylaxis 11 remained free of tumor during short-term followup. A second course of therapy was administered to failures in each treatment category, which resulted in favorable responses in 5 of 6 patients treated for prophylaxis, 2 of 5 treated for residual tumor and 3 of 6 treated for carcinoma in situ. Over-all complete responses were achieved in 16 of 17 patients (94 per cent) treated for prophylaxis, 8 of 11 (73 per cent) for residual carcinoma and 8 of 12 (66 per cent) for carcinoma in situ, with a mean followup from the final tre...
Increased Duration of Operating Time for Carotid Endarterectomy Is Associated with Increased Mortality.

Background Carotid endarterectomy is the gold standard operation to prevent stroke in patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis and asymptomatic high-grade carotid artery stenosis. Longer operative times for different operations have been shown to affect the outcomes adversely. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of postoperative complications after carotid endarterectomy, and their relation to the operative times. Methods The American College of Surgeons database was queried for all patients who underwent carotid endarterectomies from 2005 to 2007. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the operative time ( 140 min). The incidence of preoperative morbidities and postoperative complications was then compared among these groups. Results A total of 10,423 patients underwent carotid endarterectomies during this time period. Longer operative time (>140 min) is associated with higher incidence of 30-day mortality (1.3% vs. 0.7%, P = 0.013), length of stay ≥7 days (12.7% vs. 8.1%, P < 0.001), postoperative pneumonias (1.6% vs. 0.9%, P = 0.001), failure to wean from ventilator for more than 48 hr (1.8% vs. 0.6%, P < 0.001), and return to the operating room (6.5% vs. 5.2%, P = 0.010). Factors associated with longer operative times were the following: age <65 years (odds ratio [OR] 1.3, confidence interval [CI] 1.1–1.6), male gender (OR 1.6, CI 1.4–1.7), black race (OR 1.5, CI 1.2–1.8), history of myocardial infarction (OR 1.7, CI 1.2–2.4), higher American Society of Anesthesiologist score (OR 1.3, CI 1.1–1.6), presence of surgical trainees (OR 3.6, CI 1.7–7.4), and presence of surgical fellows (OR 1.7, CI 1.4–2.2). Conclusions Longer operative times for carotid endarterectomy are associated with increased risk of postoperative complications. Factors associated with longer operative times for carotid endarterectomy can be identified preoperatively.
Guessing objects in context

Large scale object classification has seen commendable progress owing, in large part, to recent advances in deep learning. However, generating annotated training datasets is still a significant challenge, especially when training classifiers for large number of object categories. In these situations, generating training datasets is expensive coupled with the fact that training data may not be available for all categories and situations. Such situations are generally resolved using zero-shot learning. However, training zero-shot classifiers entails serious programming effort and is not scalable to very large number of object categories. We propose a novel simple framework that can guess objects in an image. The proposed framework has the advantages of scalability and ease of use with minimal loss in accuracy. The proposed framework answers the following question: How does one guess objects in an image from very few object detections?
Creative Qualities of Mourning: Artists Responding to Loss Today

In response to the many conflicts around the globe, some visual artists have dealt with loss in ways that suggest new ways of mourning. In western societies we have unlearned mourning as a consequence of having banned death and dying as much as possible. I will look at works of artists such as Lida Abdul, Emily Jacir, Marina Abramovic, Emily Prince, Juan Manuel Echavarria and Dinh Q. Le who engage in practices of mourning that draw on different cultural traditions. While their practices are rooted in personal affectedness by war and loss, they perform mourning in place of us all and we all can universally relate to their practices. I propose that these new practices of mourning aim beyond the traditional Freudian concept of resolving and overcoming grief; instead, they exemplify new ways of mourning based on a re-evaluation of Freud's melancholia. Eng and Kazanjian have characterized it such: "Mourning in the 21st century presents a creative instead of negative quality in dealing with loss, active rather than reactive, prescient rather than nostalgic, abundant rather than lacking, social rather than solipsistic, militant rather than reactionary".
Membrane Fouling, Modelling and Recent Developments for Mitigation

Flux decline caused by accumulation of retained species occurs in all membrane processes and must be well managed to assure that the process performs efficiently and cost-effectively over its design life. Fouling, which can be a significant cause of flux decline, occurs when components of the feed stream interact physically or chemically with the membrane or components of the membrane module such as feed spacers. Such fouling can reduce membrane separation performance, increase process operating costs and shorten membrane life. In this chapter, we review the major causes of fouling in desalination and potable water applications, with an emphasis on fouling by organic matter, colloids and biofouling in pressure driven, polymeric membrane processes. We consider organic matter including humic substances and polysaccharides such as transparent exopolymer particles, which bridge dissolved and colloidal organic matter, and may play a significant role in biofouling. Managing biofouling represents a significant challenge in nearly all membrane systems; here we discuss mechanisms, diagnosis and visualisation. Approaches to mitigate fouling are discussed, with an emphasis on novel membrane materials, including surface chemistries and nanoparticle composite approaches.
Metformin treatment decreases mTOR mRNA level in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells

Besides the involvement of mTOR activity in several cancer conditions, evidence shows that also increased total mTOR protein level might be linked to some cancer conditions such as colorectal carcinoma. The increase in total mTOR protein level in colon cancer was found to be associated with enhanced tumor progression and poor prognosis. We and others found that total mTOR protein level is elevated in breast cancer cells compared to their nonmalignant counterparts. High mTOR protein level in breast cancer cells could be attributed to decreased mTOR protein degradation, increased mTOR protein expression, or both. Increased protein expression may involve an increase in the gene expression. Here, we investigated the possibility of increased MTOR gene expression as a potential underlying cause of the elevated total mTOR protein in breast cancer cells. Our results suggest that transcription of MTOR gene is increased in the estrogen receptor positive (ER+) MCF-7 breast cancer cells compared to other breast cell lines. DNA sequencing of the MTOR promoter identified sequence variations in MCF-7 cells, which could be potentially involved in upregulation of mTOR expression. Among these variations is a truncation of guanine thymine dinucleotide (GT) n repeat region in MCF-7 cells, which might be possibly implicated in the elevated transcription of MTOR gene in these cells. Moreover, our results revealed that metformin treatment, profoundly decreased mTOR mRNA levels in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Implications: Unraveling the potential mechanisms involved in the regulation of mTOR expression in breast cancer cells could provide an avenue for optimizing the efficacy of breast cancer treatment regimens. Key words: Breast cancer, metformin, MTOR gene expression .
Academic health sciences libraries: An underutilized resource for patients and consumers

Academic health sciences libraries affiliated with U.S. medical schools offer a wide range of resources and services to the general public. Most offer access to their collections and to some or all of the computers in the library to search for medical/health information on the Web. Trained library staff will generally assist public patrons with searching library databases to find information to answer complex questions. The National Library of Medicine and the Medical Library Association direct public consumers to reliable Web sites and also to local and regional academic health sciences libraries where they might receive assistance and/or instruction in searching the Web more efficiently and effectively.