cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heavy Drinking Is Associated with Poor Blood Pressure Control in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study

Alcohol intake has been shown to have a J-shaped association with blood pressure (BP). However, this association has not been examined in mixed race populations or in people with diabetes where tighter blood pressure control is recommended. Participants in the REGARDS study who were 45 years or older (n = 30,239) were included. Medical history (including self-reported alcohol intake) was collected by telephone while blood collection and clinical measurements were done during an in-home visit. We defined diabetes as use of medications and/or fasting glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL and hypertension as use of blood pressure lowering medications and/or BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg or BP ≥ 130/80 mmHg in people with diabetes. After adjustment for confounders, heavy drinking was associated with an increased odds of hypertension (OR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.37, 1.87). Diabetes and gender significantly modified (interaction P < 0.05 for both) the association between alcohol use and hypertension, although heavy drinking remained associated with increased odds of hypertension in sub-group analyses. We did not observe the previously described J-shaped relationship in any sub-group except white females. These data suggest heavy alcohol consumption is associated with poor BP control and that heavy drinkers may want to consider limiting alcohol intake in order to manage hypertension.
Studies of properdin system in human cancer cell cultures.

Conclusions1) Neither properdin (up to 20 U/ml) nor absence of detectable properdin (<1/2 U/ml) had any apparent influence upon growth rate or morphology of human cancer cells HEp #2 or J-111 in tissue culture, nor upon their ability to propagate on subsequent homotransplantation. 2) Neither properdin nor complement was rapidly metabolized or inactivated by these cells in tissue culture. 3) Addition of properdin to tissue culture medium (in presence or absence of cells) caused a fall in C′1 titer and accelerated the fall of C′2 and C′4.
Pnc1p supports increases in cellular NAD(H) levels in response to internal or external oxidative stress.

Following transfer from medium with fermentable glucose to medium with nonfermentable acetate as the carbon source, cellular levels of NAD(H) were found to increase ∼2-fold in a parental yeast strain. Similar transfer of a mutant strain subject to endogenous oxidative stress under these conditions produced more dramatic increases in cellular levels of NAD(H), and elevations above parental levels were shown to be due to the nicotinimidase Pnc1p. Similar transient increases in NAD(H) levels observed in the parental strain following addition of exogenous hydrogen peroxide were also attributable to Pnc1p.
REAL GAS CORRECTIONS IN SHOCK TUBE STUDIES AT HIGH PRESSURES

Reaction kinetics studies at high pressure in shock tubes can be significantly affected by the influence of real gas effects on state variables. The effect on the temperature, pressure, and density can be calculated by solving the shock wave equations using real gas equations of state (EOS). We present a method to solve the shock wave equations in a straightforward way by taking advantage of the recently-developed real gas properties package by Schmitt et al. (U. of Iowa Rep. UIME PPB 93–006, 1994). The solutions of these equations for shock waves in pure argon are presented. We find that the reflected shock temperatures and densities can be significantly different from those predicted by using an ideal gas EOS. Using the Peng-Robinson EOS, for example, the calculated real gas reflected shock temperature is less than the ideal gas temperature by 83 K per 1000 atm. An illustrative example of the effect of real gas corrections on a rate coefficient determination is also presented.
Localization studies of rare missense mutations in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) facilitate interpretation of genotype-phenotype relationships

We have been investigating the functional consequences of rare disease-associated amino acid substitutions in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Mutations of the arginine residue at codon 1070 have been associated with different disease consequences; R1070P and R1070Q with "severe" pancreatic insufficient cystic fibrosis (CF) and R1070W with "mild" pancreatic sufficient CF or congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens. Intriguingly, CFTR bearing each of these mutations is functional when expressed in nonpolarized cells. To determine whether R1070 mutations cause disease by affecting CFTR localization, we created polarized Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell lines that express either wild-type or mutant CFTR from the same genomic integration site. Confocal microscopy and biotinylation studies revealed that R1070P was not inserted into the apical membrane, R1070W was inserted at levels reduced from wild-type while R1070Q was present in the apical membrane at levels comparable to wild-type. The abnormal localization of CFTR bearing R1070P and R1070W was consistent with deleterious consequences in patients; however, the profile of CFTR R1070Q was inconsistent with a "severe" phenotype. Reanalysis of 16 patients with the R1070Q mutation revealed that 11 carried an in cis nonsense mutation, S466X. All 11 patients carrying the complex allele R1070Q-S466X had severe disease, while 4 out of 5 patients with R1070Q had "mild" disease, thereby reconciling the apparent discrepancy between the localization studies of R1070Q and the phenotype of patients bearing this mutation. Our results emphasize that localization studies in relevant model systems can greatly assist the interpretation of the disease-causing potential of rare missense mutations.
Children and Secondhand Smoke: Clear Evidence for Action

* Abbreviations: AAP — : American Academy of Pediatrics SHS — : secondhand smoke Smoking rates in the United States have dropped since the first Surgeon General's report on the health effects of smoking was published in 1964.1 Decades of declining prevalence have slowed, however, with some 19.3% of US adults still smoking,2 and 53.6% of children showing biochemical evidence of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS).3 It is well known that tobacco use leads to disease,4 and that SHS exposure is also harmful; indeed, there is no known safe level of exposure.5 According to the most recent estimates from the World Health Organization, >600 000 people worldwide die prematurely every year of exposure to SHS.6 Of these deaths attributable to SHS, 28% occur in children.6 This number excludes the millions of children worldwide who experience morbidity from SHS exposure. Although the impact of SHS exposure on the severity of pediatric lung diseases such as asthma and bronchiolitis is well known,5 we are only beginning to understand the long-term effects of SHS exposure on cardiovascular health and the pediatric antecedents of adult heart disease. Data from a study by Geerts et al7 in this issue of Pediatrics document that the harmful effects of SHS are found even earlier than expected, with in … Address correspondence to Susanne E. Tanski, MD, MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, One Medical Center Drive, Hinman Box 7925, Lebanon, NH 03756. E-mail: Susanne.E.Tanski{at}hitchcock.org
Video and optical recording

Abstract Technology has created new ways to store and distribute information. The optical disc is one of these emerging technologies. As a computer storage medium, the optical disc has greater capacity to store data than any present magnetic medium. Optical disc technology includes read-only optical videodisc for storing visual data, and read-write optical digital disc for storing digital data.
System Architecture for a Cellular Network with Cooperative Mobile Relay

This paper describes a comprehensive system architecture that enables mobile-to-mobile communications for the purpose of enhancing the capacity of the cellular network. The architecture is developed using LTE Release-10 as the baseline. The impact on the protocol stack is discussed in detail. Neighbor discovery mechanisms are described to enable users to identify potential helper mobiles to enable a cooperative mobile relay. Resource partitioning for the mobile-to-mobile link is detailed and changes to the design of the HARQ entity structure and timing are discussed.
Portable cardiopulmonary bypass: resuscitation from prolonged ice-water submersion and asystole

Abstract Accidental hypothermia associated with near-drowning and cardiac arrest has a high mortality, especially in the adult. We report the resuscitation of a 31-year-old man who suffered extended ice-water submersion, severe hypothermia (23 °C, and prolonged (≥78 minutes) cardiac asystole. A modified portable cardiopulmonary bypass system and femoral-femoral cannulation in the Emergency Department permitted the rapid institution of core rewarming, oxygenation, and controlled reperfusion, with a successful outcome. Rapid initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass outside the operating room can be an initial treatment option in this unique clinical situation.
Convergence of Quantum Electrodynamics in a Curved Deformation of Minkowski Space

Abstract We show that quantum electrodynamics (QED) becomes convergent when the conventional energy and mass operators in Minkowski space are modified by the introduction of a fundamental length R. The limiting case R → ∞ of the modified theory coincides formally with standard relativistic QED. Electrons are represented by the Dirac equation and photons by the Maxwell equations relative to a corresponding curved metric, which is conformally equivalent to the Minkowskian metric and coincident with it within terms of order R−2. The interaction takes the usual trilinear form corresponding to the Maxwell-Dirac equations. The interaction and total hamiltonians then become well-defined self-adjoint operators on the tensor product of the electron and photon quantized field Hilbert spaces. Equivalently, adaptation of QED to the Einstein Universe R1 × S3 is an entirely convergent theory and has conventional relativistic QED as its limiting form as R → ∞, where R is the radius of the space S3. The observable implications of the modified theory appear formally indistinguishable from those of conventional theory, apart from ambiguities resulting from the divergences of the latter, assuming that R is at least of the order of the cosmic distance scale as estimated from redshift observations. The theory has apparent potential for explicit computation and adaptation to other relativistic interactions.
Role of membrane traffic in the generation of epithelial cell asymmetry

Epithelial cells have an apical-basolateral axis of polarity, which is required for epithelial functions including barrier formation, vectorial ion transport and sensory perception. Here we review what is known about the sorting signals, machineries and pathways that maintain this asymmetry, and how polarity proteins interface with membrane-trafficking pathways to generate membrane domains de novo. It is becoming apparent that membrane traffic does not simply reinforce polarity, but is critical for the generation of cortical epithelial cell asymmetry.
Accomplishments of Aquarius: NASA's first global Sea Surface Salinity Mission: a review of the technical findings to date

Launched 10 June 2011, the NASA’s Aquarius instrument onboard the Argentine built and managed Satelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas (SAC-D) has been tirelessly observing the open oceans, confirming and adding new knowledge to the not so vast measured records of our Earth’s global oceans. This paper reviews the data collected over the last 3 years, it’s findings, challenges and future work that is at hand for the sleepless oceanographers, hydrologists and climate scientists. Although routine data is being collected, a snapshot is presented from almost 3-years of flawless operations showing new discoveries and possibilities of lot more in the future. Repetitive calibration and validation of measurements from Aquarius continue together with comparison of the data to the existing array of Argo temperature/salinity profiling floats, measurements from the recent Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) in-situ experiment and research, and to the data collected from the European Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. This all aids in the optimization of computer model functions to improve the basic understanding of the water cycle over the oceans and its ties to climate. The Aquarius mission operations team also has been tweaking and optimizing algorithms, reprocessing data as needed, and producing salinity movies that has never been seen before. A brief overview of the accomplishments, technical findings to date will be covered in this paper.
Carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae: molecular and genetic decoding

Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPCs) were first identified in 1996 in the USA. Since then, regional outbreaks of KPC-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) have occurred in the USA, and have spread internationally. Dissemination of blaKPC involves both horizontal transfer of blaKPC genes and plasmids, and clonal spread. Of epidemiological significance, the international spread of KPC-producing K. pneumoniae is primarily associated with a single multilocus sequence type (ST), ST258, and its related variants. However, the molecular factors contributing to the success of ST258 largely remain unclear. In this review, we discuss the recent progresses in understanding KPC-producing K. pneumoniae that are contributing to our knowledge of plasmid and genome composition and structure among the KPC epidemic clone, and we identify possible factors that influence its epidemiological success.
Pore water sampling in anoxic carbonate sediments: oxidation artefacts

ANY exposure of anoxic estuarine sediments to the atmosphere during sample handling and processing can lead to decreased values of ferrous iron1, reactive phosphate2 and reactive silicate3 in the pore waters of these sediments. Thus, the mishandling of anaerobic sediments and their pore fluids will in turn lower calculated diffusional fluxes of these compounds from the sediments into the overlying water. To date, this oxidation effect has only been documented for clastic sediments rich in iron. We present data here which indicate that a similar phenomenon occurs when anoxic iron-poor, carbonate-rich sediments are exposed to an oxidising milieu.
Cefotaxime and nafcillin-tobramycin

Excerpt To the editor: The study by Smith and associates (1) comparing cefotaxime with nafcillin and tobramycin in serious bacterial infection used only patients who would "otherwise have been trea...
NAG level differences in panic disorder and agoraphobia.

Abstract It is not clear if panic disorder (PD) and agoraphobia are variants of the same disorder or distinct diseases. A laboratory test could help resolve this issue. Research has shown that levels of the urinary lysosomal enzyme N -acetyl-β-glusosaminidase (NAG) differ between patients with various psychiatric disorders. This study examined whether NAG levels would be similar in PD and agoraphobia, suggesting the two disorders may be the same disorder, or different, suggesting they may be distinct diseases. Differences found could suggest either qualitative or quantitative distinctions between these disorders. Ninety-one agoraphobics were compared to 24 patients with panic disorder. NAG levels were significantly lower in panic patients compared to agoraphobic patients 9.7 ± 8 versus 22 ± 21; P
Adaptation Rates of E. Coli in Monovalent Salt Solutions

A complete description of bacterial populations requires a large-scale model of how populations adapt to their environment. In this study we start with a bacterial pre-culture that has been grown in LB (Lennox Formula) broth and use 500 μL aliquots of preculture to grow E. coli colonies in a shaker at 37°C and ∼300rpm. These experiments are conducted in 500 mL Erlenmeyer flasks with a working volume of 125 mL and cell density is measured by optical density at 600 nm. In concentrated monovalent salt solutions, E. coli growth rate is affected by both the positive and the negative ions. For both chloride and bromide salts, we obtain the toxicity sequence K > Na >Li. Comparing the effect of anions, we find that bromide salts are more toxic than chloride salts. For adaptation studies to environmental stress, we use either 500 mM NaCl or a temperature shift from 37 to 41.5°C. Adaptation at the population level is marked by a sudden increase in population growth. We discuss the observed timescale of the adaptation process and its functional form which are useful for constructing mathematical models for bacterial populations.
Transient electrodynamic response of thin-film superconductors to laser radiation

We examine a theory of the transient electrodynamics of thin-film superconductors irradiated by both cw- and pulsed-laser light. The theory employs the Rothwarf-Taylor rate equations in conjunction with a time-dependent version of Parker's ${T}^{\mathrm{*}}$ model of nonequilibrium superconductivity, to determine the microwave and far-infrared electrodynamics. This formulation is sufficiently general that it can also be utilized for problems in which either static or dynamic gratings are written on the superconductor by two laser beams. We apply the theory to studies of time-dependent microwave transmission through thin superconducting films and microwave propagation on superconducting waveguides. A perturbative formulation of the electrodynamics, to first order in the quasiparticle response, is also presented.
GRADIENT CLOGGING IN DEPTH FILTRATION

We investigate clogging in depth filtration, in which a dirty fluid is ``cleaned'' by the trapping of dirt particles within the pore space during flow through a porous medium. This leads to a self-generated gradient percolation process that exhibits a power-law distribution for the density of trapped particles at downstream distance $x$ from the input. To achieve a nonpathological clogging (percolation) threshold, the system length $L$ should scale no faster than a power of $\mathrm{ln}w,$ where $w$ is the system width. Nontrivial behavior for the permeability arises only in this extreme anisotropic geometry.
Cardiac arrhythmia diagnosis

Cardiac dysfunction is often manifested as arrhythmia, with disruption of the normal periodicity and regularity of electromechanical activity. Cardiac arrhythmias, or abnormalities of cardiac rhythm, are associated with a diverse group of conditions, including congenital, metabolic, structural, physiological, and immunological, and infectious abnormalities. Dysarrhythmia may also be classified as primary because of endogenous electrical abnormalities, or secondary, because of exogenous influences such as ischemia or adrenergic stimuli. Clinical arrhythmia syndromes begin with a single asymptomatic abnormal complex that is benign, progressing to grouped, sustained complexes associated with worsened symptoms and outcome. Proper diagnosis of arrhythmia reflecting symptomology and outcome is essential in acute cardiac care.
Lipid metabolism of acetate-1-14C by leukocytes from dogs fed an arteriosclerosis-inducing diet

Dogs were maintainedoon a control ration or on a semisynthetic diet, containing 5% cholesterol and 16% hydrogenated coconut oil, known to induce hyperlipemia and arteriosclerosis. Circulating leukocytes isolated from dogs fed the coconut oil containing diet were shown to incorporate 50% more radioactivity into lipids than control leukocytes when incubated with acetate-1-14C. This increase, expressed as dpm/mg of leukocyte DNA, was not specific for any particular lipid since the distribution of radioactivity between neutral lipids and phospholipids, as well as among their subfractions, was the same regardless of the diet fed. The labeling patterns observed suggest that leukocyte fatty acid synthesis from acetate occurs predominantly, and perhaps exclusively, by the chain elongation pathway.
EEG-Befunde bei epileptischen Dämmer- und Verstimmungszuständen

24 Anstaltsepileptiker wurden wahrend ihrer Dammer- und Verstimmungszustande sowie in einer psychisch unauffalligen Zeit hirnelektrisch untersucht. Bei der Auswertung der Hirnstrombilder wurde der zeitliche Abstand vom letzten epileptischen Anfall berucksichtigt.
Bacteremia in 28 Ambulatory Children: Relationship to Pneumonitis and Meningitis

Bacteremia with known pathogens was documented in 28 acutely ill, febrile outpatients during a 29-month period. All of the children were previously healthy and were initially managed as outpatients. Eight patients presented with no identifiable focus of infection. Twenty patients had either otitis media or pneumonitis. An association between otitis media and bacteremia with H. influenzae type b was noted in 5 patients. Bacterial meningitis occurred subsequently in 7 patients (25 per cent); 1 death occurred in this group. The blood culture, as an outpatient procedure, was helpful in establishing a bacterial etiology in selected chidren with either high fever (with or without otitis media), febrile seizures, or pneumonia. In addition, the positive blood culture was a vital aid in identifying the young child at risk for meningitis.
Relationships of Attitude toward Classroom Environment with Attitude toward and Achievement in Science among Tenth Grade Biology Students.

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship of classroom environment to attitudes toward science and achievement in science among tenth grade biology students. An attitude instrument was administered at three times during the school year to measure student attitudes toward science and the classroom environment. The classroom environment measures examined six areas: emotional climate of the science classroom, science curriculum, physical environment of the science classroom, science teacher, other students in the science classroom, and friends attitudes toward science. Student achievement in science was measured by teacher reported semester grades. The results of the study indicated: (1) student attitudes toward the classroom environment predicted between 56 to 61% of the variance in attitudes toward science, (2) student attitudes toward the classroom environment predicted between 5 to 14% of the variance in achievement in science, (3) student attitudes toward science and attitudes toward the classroom environment predicted between 8 and 18% of the variance in achievement in science.
Ovulatory Response to Brain Stimulation or Exogenous Luteinizing Hormone in Progesterone-Treated Rats

Injection of progesterone at certain early hours in proestrus (4-day cycles), followed at various intervals by atropine, caused release of an ovulatory quota of gonadotrophin only within a few hours immediately preceding the “critical period.” Late afternoon injection, in pentobarbital-blocked proestrous rats, failed to cause full ovulation. However, “delayed” release of gonadotrophin, normally occurring one day after pentobarbital in proestrus, was prevented by progesterone injection in pentobarbital-treated proestrous rats. “Delayed” release usually was not prevented if atropine was substituted as the blocker in proestrus. Spontaneous release of gonadotrophin was prevented by progesterone on diestrus day 2. A high dose (2 mg/100 g body wt) inhibited follicle growth and vaginal cornification. Rats so treated failed to ovulate after either “massive” bilateral preoptic brain stimulation or injection of LH in the next afternoon. After a low dose of progesterone (0.25 mg/100 g body wt), follicle growth conti...
BSIM plus: an advanced SPICE model for submicron MOS VLSI circuits

The BSIM plus MOS transistor model is developed for simulation of digital and analog VLSI circuits in advanced submicron technologies. A compact parameter set is carefully selected to accurately characterize transistors and achieve continuity of the drain current and its derivatives across the different regions of operation. Several submicron modeling techniques are described. Simulated results agree well with measured data of transistors from two industrial technologies. >
Some biological characteristics of Asian influenza isolates.

SummaryAsian strains of influenza A virus were neither more nor less toxigenic than PR8 and FM1 strains as determined by cytotoxicity, neurotoxicity and xanthine oxidase inducing activity. Asian strains did exhibit greater neuraminidase activity than PR8 and FM1. There were no differences in any of the above properties between strains from mild and fatal human infections.
Shaping Quantization Noise and Clipping Distortion in Direct-Detection Discrete Multitone

This paper introduces a method for boosting the signal-to-noise ratio at the transmitter of a discrete-multitone system through reshaping of the spectrum of quantization noise and clipping distortion. This is of particular importance for high-bandwidth transmission, such as 30 GHz, where digital-to-analog converters have a very limited resolution of only 5-8 bits. This limitation of the data converters is thus significant and reducing their noise contribution has a pronounced effect on the overall system's performance. The proposed technique resembles the quantization noise shaping of delta-sigma data converters but is a more general technique that shapes both quantization and clipping noise and it additionally does not require oversampling. The technique relies on the existence of an unused band of subcarriers, as would be the case, for example, when tone reservation is applied. The proposed system is additionally well-suited for low-power transceivers as its most computationally-expensive element is a short finite impulse response filter. In a practical setting, the noise contribution of quantization and clipping can be reduced by 6 dB.
Task compatibility of manipulator postures

In performing a manipulation task, humans tend to adopt arm postures that most effectively utilize the motion and strength capabilities of the arm. Selecting arm postures that are compatible with t...
Influence of Surface Pre-Cleaning on Electrical Properties of Rapid Thermal Oxide and Rapid Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition Oxide

Various surface pre-cleaning processes for rapid thermal in-situ polysilicon/oxide/silicon stacked gate formation have been evaluated. MOS capacitors have been fabricated to assess the effects of surface pre-cleaning on the quality of both Rapid Thermal Oxide (RTO) and Rapid Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition (RTCVD) oxide. Measurement results have shown that, 1) High temperature (≥ 900 °C) rapid thermal cleaning in Ar, H2 or high vacuum (10-8 Torr) ambients can lead to MOS gates with high leakage current if RTO is used to form the gate oxide, 2) The standard Huang clean and ultra-violet ozone (UV/O3) treatments can improve the film quality for both deposited and thermally grown oxide, and 3) Compared with RTO, the breakdown field of the RTCVD oxide is less dependent on the surface pre-cleaning treatment. These results indicate that silicon wafer surface cleaning techniques typically used for silicon epitaxial processes are not necessarily applicable to oxide film formation in RTP reactors.
Weak models for insider threat detection

This paper describes the design for a content-based approach to detecting insider misuse by an analyst producing reports in an environment supported by a document control system. The approach makes use of Hidden Markov Models to represent stages in the Evidence-Based Intelligence Analysis Process Model (EBIAPM). This approach is seen as a potential application for the Process Query System / Tracking and Fusion Engine (PQS/TRAFEN). Actions taken by the insider are viewed as processes that can be detected in PQS/TRAFEN. Text categorization of the content of analyst's queries, documents accessed, and work product are used to disambiguate multiple EBIAPM processes.
(Ba, Sr)TiO 3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition with low dielectric loss at microwave frequencies

We report a method for producing BST films with consistently high figures of merit for tunable microwave applications. (Ba1-x,Srx)TiO3 (x=0.4, target doped with 1% W) thin films have been deposited using pulsed laser deposition onto (100)MgO substrates. Films were deposited at low partial pressures of oxygen (50 mTorr) at a substrate temperature of 730 °C. An analysis of the X-ray diffraction data indicates that the film has a nearly cubic structure, with the overall lattice parameter enlarged relative to the bulk material due to the presence of oxygen vacancies. A post-deposition anneal of the film in flowing oxygen (1000 °C for 6 h) resulted in a decrease in the lattice parameter while remaining nearly cubic. An analysis of the microwave dielectric properties (1–20 GHz) showed that the annealed film exhibited about 10% tunability for an applied bias field of 67 kV/cm with a dielectric Q(1/tanδ)>600. Investigation of the films by time-resolved confocal scanning optical microscopy (CSOM) has revealed that there is an out-of-plane polarization at zero applied field (EDC=0). The results show that the paraelectric response is relatively insensitive to applied field, while the ferroelectric response is correlated with the growth of in-plane nanodomains. We find these results to be consistent with a large number of studies that show that strain-relief is of paramount importance if ferroelectric films are to be developed as microwave circuit components.
Selective Effects of Oxygen Free Radicals on Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Ventricular Muscle Implications for the Mechanism of Stunned Myocardium

Background Oxygen free radicals (OFRs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of myocardial stunning, but the precise mechanism by which OFRs foster stunning remains unclear. We investigated the pathophysiology of the contractile dysfunction that occurs after direct exposure of OFRs to cardiac muscle and compared the results with the pathophysiology of stunned myocardium. Methods and Results Trabeculae from the right ventricles of rat hearts were loaded iontophoretically with fura-2 to determine [Ca2+]i. Steady-state force-[Ca2+]i relations were obtained by rapid electrical stimulation in the presence of ryanodine. Two exogenous OFR-generating systems were used: H2O2+Fe3+-nitrilotriacetic acid (H2O2+Fe3+) to produce hydroxyl radical, and xanthine oxidase+purine (XO+P) to produce superoxide. In muscles exposed to H2O2+Fe3+ for 10 minutes, both twitch force and Ca2+ transients were decreased (eg, in 1.5 mmol/L external [Ca2+], force decreased from 41±7 to 23±4 mN/mm2, P <.05, and Ca2+ transient amplitude from 0.96±0.09 to 0.70±0.05 μmol/L, P <.05). Maximal Ca2+-activated force (Fmax) decreased slightly, from 103±5 to 80±12 mN/mm2 ( P =NS). Neither the [Ca2+]i required to achieve 50% of Fmax (Ca50) nor the Hill coefficient was changed. In muscles exposed to XO+P for 20 minutes, twitch force was reduced (in 1.5 mmol/L external [Ca2+]) from 50±9 to 39±8 mN/mm2 ( P <.05). Ca2+ transients, on the other hand, were not affected. Fmax decreased insignificantly from 100±16 to 81±14 mN/mm2. Ca50 increased from 0.71±0.06 to 1.07±0.07 μmol/L ( P <.05), with no change in the Hill coefficient. Conclusions These results indicate that exposure to the H2O2+Fe3+ free radical–generating system reduces activator Ca2+ availability, whereas XO+P decreases the Ca2+ sensitivity of the myofilaments. Exogenously generated OFRs, particularly those produced by XO+P, mimic the effects of myocardial stunning on cardiac excitation-contraction coupling.
Duality in 2-dimensional dilaton gravity

We descry and discuss a duality in 2-dimensional dilaton gravity. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A nonlinear resonant switch

A resonant switch is introduced that uses linear tank elements. Zero-current switching is obtained even through the peak transistor voltage and current stresses can approach those of an equivalent ideal pulsewidth-modulated converter. Reduced switching loss without a substantial increase in conduction loss is therefore possible. An approximate analysis is outlined, and transistor peak-voltage and current stresses are shown to be much lower than those of linear resonant switch technologies. Single-transistor implementations of the buck, boost, and buck-boost nonlinear resonant switch converters are given. Results are presented which experimentally prove the validity of the nonlinear resonant switch concept, as well as that of the approximate analysis. >
Photophysical Techniques used in Photobiology and Photomedicine

This chapter describes some of the photophysical techniques applied to the study of light-induced reaction processes in biological systems. It concerns experimental details and applications of these methods in determination of photophysical parameters such as quantum yields of formation, lifetimes, absorption coefficients and spectral properties of transient species. The aim is to provide a general understanding of the techniques rather than a rigorous description of each individual method and establish the information which can be obtained. Given the general nature of the chapter a bibliography of suggested background material is listed rather than specific references.
Procoagulant Activity In Stored Units Of Red Blood Cells

It has been observed that the procoagulant activity of stored units of red blood cells (RBC) increases over time, which is, in part, related to the expression/exposure of tissue factor (TF) on blood cells and microparticles (Keating et al, Transfusion 2011;51:1086). However, in many instances there is a discrepancy between the levels of TF measured in stored units of RBC and changes in procoagulant activity observed over the storage time. We hypothesized that, in addition to TF, an exposure of an acidic phospholipid, phosphatidylserine (PS), on blood cells (Whelihan et al , Blood 2012;120:3837), could be the cause of an elevated procoagulant activity. Four healthy donors were recruited. RBC units were prepared and stored at 4°C for 30 days. On selected days, aliquots were removed, reconstituted with autologous plasma and recalcified, and were tested in the presence of corn trypsin inhibitor in the thromboelastography assay for procoagulant activity. For all 4 donors, the clotting time decreased from ∼3000-4000 s on day 1 to ∼1000-1600 s on day 30, with the most dramatic changes occurring between days 1 and 10. Addition of an inhibitory anti-TF antibody slightly prolonged clotting times, suggesting the presence of endogenous TF in RBC units. The concentration of TF, quantitated in an activity-based assay, did not change significantly over time for 3 of 4 donors and was within the range of 40-130 fM. For the fourth donor, TF concentration reached a maximum of 310 fM on day 10 and then decreased steadily to 60 fM on day 30. In an attempt to identify other components in RBC units responsible for the procoagulant activity, the effect of lactadherin, which binds to the phosphatidylserine exposed on cell membranes, was investigated. An addition of 100 nM lactadherin substantially prolonged the clotting time of the reconstituted RBC. Thus, in days 3-5 the clotting time in the presence of lactadherin was by 2.4-3.4-fold longer than in the absence of it. With increasing age of the RBC units, the effect of lactadherin diminished and at day 30, a prolongation of the clotting time did not exceed 1.3-1.8-fold. The addition of anti-TF monoclonal antibody in the presence of lactadherin further enhanced the clotting time of the reconstituted RBC. In conclusion, our data indicate that in stored units of RBC, the procoagulant activity is dependent upon the presence of active monocyte TF and phosphatidylserine exposed on blood cells and platelets. However, the failure of lactadherin in combination with the anti-TF antibody to completely inhibit the procoagulant activity in RBC units suggests that other components of blood (most likely platelets) support this activity as well. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The Administrative Conference and Empirical Research

In this contribution to a symposium on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Administrative Conference of the United States, Professor Pierce describes the many ways in which ACUS has contributed to empiricism in administrative law scholarship. He then illustrates the value of empirical research by describing the studies that have found that notice and comment rulemaking is systemically biased in favor of regulated firms.
The Earth Is Not Round (p ¼ .00)

Continued discussion and debate regarding the appropriate use of null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) has led to greater reliance on effect size testing (EST) in published literature. This article examines the myth that uncritical replacement of NHST with EST will improve our science. The use of NHST and EST is described along with a summary of the arguments offered in support and against both. After addressing the veracity of these assertions, the article describes the concept of the translation mechanism and compares the success of NHST and EST as mechanisms. Finally, the authors suggest changes that may facilitate translation in future research.
Gossypol: Influence on Toxicity of Three Insecticides to Tobacco Budworm , ,

A significant negative correlation coefficient and linear regression (Y = 80.9−201.0X) was found between concentration of gossypol and the toxicity of methyl parathion applied topically to larvae of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), when they had been reared on diet containing 5 concentrations of gossypol. All sizes of larvae tested were affected similarly. Significant regressions were not obtained in similar tests with endrin or FMC-33297 (3-phenoxybenzyl cis - trans -(±)-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylate).
Ferroelectric Ceramics—The Sol-Gel Method Versus Conventional Processing

The sol-gel method for the preparation of ceramics and glasses has frequently been mentioned as more advantageous as compared to conventional methods. However, there are few known examples of a direct comparison for the same material. In the present work both the processing and resultant properties for ferroelectrics such as BaTiO3, KTaO3, KNbO3 and K(Ta,Nb)O3 made by both methods are directly compared. The uniformity is evaluated by high-angle x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and EDAX and the dielectric properties are compared. The advantages and disadvantages of the sol-gel method are discussed.
Intracerebroventricular administration of ß-funaltrexamine (ß-FNA) reduces μ opioid receptor binding

Effects of 24 h pretreatment with inaacerebroventricular (icv) β-FNA on brainμ opioid receptor binding in rats were examined under various conditions. [ 3 H]DAMGO binding was performed under three conditions: (i) preaeatment of membranes with GDP and Na + and binding in the presence of Mg ++ in Tris-HCl buffer containing EGTA and leupeptin for 1.5-3 h; (ii) binding in Tris-HCl buffer containing bacitracin, leupeptin, chymostatin and bestarin for 3-4 h; (iii) binding in Tris-HCl buffer containing EGTA and leupeptin for 45 min. Condition i was shown to convert opioid receptors to a high affinity state for agonists
Abstract C226: Clinical evidence of mechanism‐based activity in voreloxin‐treated AML patients

Voreloxin is a first‐in‐class anticancer quinolone derivative that intercalates DNA and poisons topoisomerase II (Stockett et al. and Hawtin et al., AACR 2008). This leads to replication‐dependent, site‐selective DNA double strand breaks (DSB) targeting G/C‐rich sequences that are characteristic sites of quinolone‐induced DNA cleavage (Noble et al, 2003, Richter et al 2007, Stockett et al, AACR 2008). A consequence of this DNA damage is G2 arrest and cell death by apoptosis. Voreloxin is under clinical investigation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and ovarian cancer. Clinical responses have been observed in these indications (Lancet et al., ASCO 2009; Maris et al., ASCO 2009; McGuire et al., SGO 2008), as well as in NSCLC and SCLC (Burris et al., ECCO 2007). The current analysis was performed in support of the ongoing phase 1b/2 study clinical study (SPO‐0012) of voreloxin in combination with cytarabine in relapsed or refractory AML. The purposes were to; (1) characterize voreloxin‐induced biomarkers of mechanism‐based pharmacodynamic (PD) activity in cell lines and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from AML patients; (2) differentiate between the cellular PD DNA damage responses to voreloxin and cytarabine; (3) profile patient PBMC before and following the combination treatment with voreloxin and cytarabine in SPO‐0012, to evaluate PD markers of cellular response; (4) investigate potential correlations between cellular PD markers of DNA damage and clinical outcome. Based on our understanding of voreloxin9s mechanism of action, pharmacodynamic (PD) markers of S phase delay, G2 arrest and DNA damage following treatment with voreloxin were profiled in cell lines and then evaluated in primary AML cells. These included markers of stalled replication forks (pRPA‐32, pCHK1) and DNA DSB (DNA‐PKcs, p53, and pCHK2). Cellular response to cytarabine was also characterized in these in vitro model systems. Cytarabine is a mainstay of treatment in AML, administered for 7 days per treatment cycle in combination with daunorubicin on days 1–3 (the “7+3” treatment schedule). Cytarabine is incorporated into DNA and causes inhibition of DNA polymerase resulting in decreased DNA synthesis and repair. DNA damage responses were observed with cytarabine, but these occurred later than with voreloxin treatment. Voreloxin induction of pDNA‐PKcs and pCHK2 were chosen for PD assessments in the ongoing phase 1b/2 study of voreloxin in combination with cytarabine in relapsed or refractory AML. PBMC were purified from blood samples collected from patients at time points pre‐ and post‐dosing. Upregulation of pDNA‐PKcs and pCHK2 was detected within 2 hours post‐dose, providing evidence of mechanism‐based PD responses to voreloxin. Inconsistent quality of PBMC preparation at individual sites precluded correlation of PD response with clinical outcome. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(12 Suppl):C226.
Human Robot Coordination: Panel Overview

In recent years, accelerating maturation of robotics technologies, such as machine perception and intelligent control technologies have led to a widening knowledge and experiential base serving as a springboard for expanded research.This maturation has led to increased engineering reliability, opening the way for more tractable human-robot research. The technology area from which a good deal of this work can draw inspiration and guidance is humans in automation (Parasuraman, Sheridan and Wickens, 2000), which lets us examine issues including air traffic controllers' multi-tracking or pilots' multi-tasking operations under conditions of time and other stressors. Among the issues the panelists will address are: How will human-robot teams dynamically reconfigure or gracefully degrade as assets are lost? How can people and robots make judgments of the robots ability to traverse or climb broken terrain? How can people manage multiple robots? How can robots and people build a shared awareness of the remote envi...
Experimental and Computational Characterization of a Heat Sink Tester

With the continuing industry trends towards smaller, faster and higher power devices, thermal management continues to be extremely important in the development of electronics. In this era of high heat fluxes, air cooling still remains the primary cooling solution in desktops mainly due to its cost. The primary goal of a good thermal design is to ensure that the chip can function at its rated frequency or speed while maintaining the junction temperature within the specified limit. The first and foremost step in measurement of thermal resistance and hence thermal characterization is accurate determination of junction temperature. Use of heat sinks as a thermal solution is well documented in the literature. Previously, the liquid cooled cold plate tester was studied using a different approach and it was concluded that the uncertainty in heat transfer coefficient was within 8% with errors in appropriate parameters, this result was supported by detailed uncertainty analysis based on Monte-Carlo simulations. However, in that study the tester was tested computationally. In this paper, testing and characterization of a heat sink tester is presented. Heat sinks were tested according to JEDEC JESD 16.1 standard for forced convection. It was observed that the error between computational and experimental values of thermal resistances was 10% for the cases considered.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Radioresistance

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) in a variety of tumor types have intrinsically greater resistance to ionizing radiation (IR) than the remaining cancer cells. Since surviving CSCs have the capacity to regenerate tumor deposits, CSC radioresistance represents an important clinical problem. Here we discuss mechanisms that CSCs employ to resist IR and therapeutic strategies that are currently being used in the clinic or are in various stages of development for overcoming these. While much ongoing work shows promise for increasing the efficacy of IR through rational targeting of CSCs, well-designed clinical trials testing such strategies will be required to bring these approaches into the clinic.
Radar odometry on fixed-wing small unmanned aircraft

This paper develops an odometry algorithm for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) based solely on radar measurements. The radar return from stationary ground-based scatterers is used to create a range-compressed image, which can be used to estimate the relative motion of the UAV. The Hough transform is used to extract scatterer features from the range-compressed image and to solve the data association problem. The estimated relative motion of the aircraft based on radar return is then fused with inertial measurement unit data in an extended Kalman filter. Radar data collected during actual flight tests are compared to truth data as estimated using a global positioning system sensor to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. Robustness properties of the algorithm are explored using simulation studies.
PERMANOVA-S: association test for microbial community composition that accommodates confounders and multiple distances

Motivation: Recent advances in sequencing technology have made it possible to obtain high-throughput data on the composition of microbial communities and to study the effects of dysbiosis on the human host. Analysis of pairwise intersample distances quantifies the association between the microbiome diversity and covariates of interest (e.g. environmental factors, clinical outcomes, treatment groups). In the design of these analyses, multiple choices for distance metrics are available. Most distance-based methods, however, use a single distance and are underpowered if the distance is poorly chosen. In addition, distance-based tests cannot flexibly handle confounding variables, which can result in excessive false-positive findings. Results: We derive presence-weighted UniFrac to complement the existing UniFrac distances for more powerful detection of the variation in species richness. We develop PERMANOVA-S, a new distance-based method that tests the association of microbiome composition with any covariates of interest. PERMANOVA-S improves the commonly-used Permutation Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) test by allowing flexible confounder adjustments and ensembling multiple distances. We conducted extensive simulation studies to evaluate the performance of different distances under various patterns of association. Our simulation studies demonstrate that the power of the test relies on how well the selected distance captures the nature of the association. The PERMANOVA-S unified test combines multiple distances and achieves good power regardless of the patterns of the underlying association. We demonstrate the usefulness of our approach by reanalyzing several real microbiome datasets. Availability and Implementation: miProfile software is freely available at https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/tang-lab/software/miProfile. Contact: ude.tlibrednav@gnat.z or ude.tlibrednav@nehc.g Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.