cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A quantitative sensing system based on a 3D-printed ion-selective electrode for rapid and sensitive detection of bacteria in biological fluid

Abstract Bacterial infections, such as urinary tract infections, are crucial health problems. Here, we report a new potentiometric sensor to detect bacteria sensitively, accurately, and quickly. First, a customizable, 3D printed Ag+ selective electrode was fabricated as the probe. Our 3D printed electrode showed sensitive, linear, and selective responses to Ag+. Compared to commercial Ag+ selective electrodes, ours required less sample volume, shorter responding time, and lower costs. Next, a novel potentiometer was developed with Arduino to couple the electrode for data transducing and transferring, which was programmed to transfer results to cell phones wirelessly. Moreover, a filter was designed to quickly remove interfering species in a biofluid sample (e.g., Cl−). By detecting the lost Ag+ taken by bacteria, the bacterial number could be elucidated. With this sensor system, bacteria numbers could be detected as low as 80 CFU/mL (LOD) within 15 min, which is sufficient for many diagnoses (e.g., urinary tract infection >1000 CFU/mL). An amplification method was presented for single-digit bacteria detection. Overall, we are presenting a bacteria detector with three innovative components: the electrode (signal transduction and detection), the potentiometer (transducer and data processing), and the 3D printed filter (sample preparation), which showed robust and improved (than previously reported ones) analytical merits. The low-cost and customizable (the electrode and the open-source coding) nature enhances the transnationality of the system, especially in underdeveloped areas.
6 Understanding Visual and Verbal Messages

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the problem of poor comprehension of the information presented in a movie or on television. The chapter also explores whether information can be equally well presented via a movie or television and via a text, or whether the filmic or text medium is more efficient for certain kinds of information transmission. Movie refers to both movies and television and to any dual media presentation consisting of visual, usually moving, images or pictures, together with auditory, and sometimes printed language. The four models for processing and storing dual media input include (1) Model A, which has a single processing unit and a single storage, (2) Model B, which has a single processing unit and dual code storage, (3) Model C, which has two processing units and a single storage, and (4) Model D, which has two processing units and dual code storage. The input consists of two types of material—namely, auditory or verbal (A) and visual or pictorial (V). The processors recognize and encode the material. Encoding refers to knitting together of the raw material into concepts with links. The processors thus spin out a cohesive conceptual base and send it to storage.
Clinical benefits of systemic chemotherapy for patients with metastatic pheochromocytomas or sympathetic extra-adrenal paragangliomas: Insights from the largest single-institutional experience

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical benefits of systemic chemotherapy for patients with metastatic pheochromocytomas or sympathetic paragangliomas by assessing reductions in tumor size and blood pressure and improvements in overall survival (OS). METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with metastatic pheochromocytomas-sympathetic paragangliomas who had received chemotherapy at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. RESULTS: Clinical benefit and OS were assessed. Of 54 patients who received chemotherapy, 52 patients were evaluable for response. Seventeen patients (33%) experienced a response, which was defined as decreased or normalized blood pressure/decreased number and dosage of antihypertensive medications and/or reduced tumor size after the first chemotherapy regimen. The median OS was 6.4 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2-16.4 years) for responders and 3.7 years (95% CI, 3.0-7.5 years) for nonresponders. Among the patients who had synchronous metastatic disease, a positive response at 1 year after the start of chemotherapy was associated with a trend toward longer OS (log-rank test; P = .095). In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, the effect of response to chemotherapy on OS was significant (hazard ratio, 0.22; 95% CI, interval: 0.05-1.0; P = .05). All responders had received dacarbazine and cyclophosphamide. Vincristine was included for 14 responders, and doxorubicin was included for 12 responders. The clinical factors that predicted response to chemotherapy could not be identified. CONCLUSIONS: The current results indicted that chemotherapy may decrease tumor size and facilitate blood pressure control in approximately 33% of patients with metastatic pheochromocytoma-sympathetic paraganglioma. These patients exhibited longer survival. Cancer 2011. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Marginalia to a Theorem of Jacopini

In 1975, G. Jacopini proved the existence of an easy term, i.e., a term which can be consistently (with beta conversion) identified with any other term. In 1980, A. Visser generalized Jacopini's result to R.E. theories; namely, easy terms for consistent (with beta conversion) R.E. theories exist. Of course, no such generalization for non-R.E. theories exists. For example, it is easy to see that there is no easy term for Barendregt's theory H. In this note we shall generalize Jacopini's result to non-R.E. theories as follows. Say that an equation M=N is easy if for any consistent (with beta conversion) extension T we have that T∪{M=N} is consistent. We shall prove that easy equations exist.
Admissible Third Party Litigation Funding Contracts as a Way to Constrain the Exploitation of Plaintiffs

Third party litigation funders provide non-recourse loans to plaintiffs who repay these loans if and only if they prevail. This means that the interest rates funders charge reflect the funder’s information about the strength of the plaintiff’s case. We analyze a signaling model in which the plaintiff can introduce its funding contract as evidence. If the funder’s information or evaluation is informative, then funder’s have an incentive to signal that the plaintiff has a strong case to increase their chance of recovery. We show that there exists a separating equilibrium in which the funder’s information is fully-revealed. Furthermore, under some conditions, the need to signal forces the funder to charge plaintiffs a lower interest rate and increases the probability of efficient loans taking place.
Different roles of individual N-linked oligosaccharide chains in folding, assembly, and transport of the simian virus 5 hemagglutinin-neuraminidase.

Abstract The role of N-linked glycosylation in protein maturation and transport has been studied by using the simian virus 5 hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein, a model class II integral membrane glycoprotein. The sites of N-linked glycosylation on HN were identified by eliminating each of the potential sites for N-linked glycosylation by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis on a cDNA clone. Expression of the mutant HN proteins in eucaryotic cells indicated that four sites are used in the HN glycoprotein for the addition of N-linked oligosaccharide chains. These functional glycosylation sites were systematically eliminated in various combinations from HN to form a panel of mutants in which the roles of individual carbohydrate chains and groups of carbohydrate chains could be analyzed. Alterations in the normal glycosylation pattern resulted in the impairment of HN protein folding and assembly which, in turn, affected the intracellular transport of HN. The severity of the consequences on HN maturation depended on both the number of deleted carbohydrate sites and their position in the HN molecule. Analysis of the reactivity pattern of HN conformation-specific monoclonal antibodies with the mutant HN proteins indicated that one specific carbohydrate chain plays a major role in promoting the correct folding of HN. Another carbohydrate chain, which is not essential for the initial folding of HN was found to play a role in preventing the aggregation of HN oligomers. The HN molecules which were misfolded, owing to their altered glycosylation pattern, were retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. Double-label immunofluorescence experiments indicate that misfolded HN and folded HN are segregated in the same cell. Misfolded HN forms disulfide-linked aggregates and is stably associated with the resident endoplasmic reticulum protein, GRP78-BiP, whereas wild-type HN forms a specific and transient complex with GRP78-BiP during its folding process.
Test for Alcoholic Cirrhosis by Conversion of [14C] or [13C]Galactose to Expired CO2

After ingestion of galactose (10 g per m 2 ) labeled with 14 C or 13 C, breath was collected from subjects at intervals for 4 hr followed by measurement of 14 CO 2 by liquid scintillation counting or of 13 CO 2 by mass spectrometry. Nine subjects without liver disease and 21 "cirrhotic" patients were tested with 14 C; 8 control subjects and 4 patients with diagnosis of cirrhosis were tested with 13 C. The mean rates of expiration of labeled CO 2 by the patients with "cirrhosis" were one-third to one-half of mean normal rates during the first 90 min. The time of peak concentration of tracer CO 2 for cirrhotic patients (150 to 184 min) was later than for normal subjects (90 to 120 min). There was distinctly greater separation between control and liver disease groups by test of 14 CO 2 radioactivity at 1 hr than by serum alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, and transaminase, but only slightly better separation than by serum albumin concentration (which was highly correlated with 14 CO 2 output). The [ 14 C]galactose test is simpler than the standard intravenous galactose tolerance test, and, like the latter, appears superior to some other tests for recognition of cirrhosis. The use of 13 C provides an example of a new direction for clinical application of this stable, nonradioactive nuclide.
Physical Heterogeneity Among Bacillus subtilis Deoxyribonucleic Acid Molecules Carrying Particular Genetic Markers

Abstract In a Bacillus subtilis deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) preparation, extracted and purified by the Marmur procedure, the DNA molecules carrying a particular marker are heterogeneous with respect to molecular weight, buoyant density, and thermal stability. This finding constitutes evidence against unique points of breakage during DNA isolation. The variation in buoyant density suggests a local compositional heterogeneity in the chromosomal region of certain markers. The variation in molecular weight provides an explanation for the results of certain transformation experiments that are otherwise poorly understood. An example of such a result is the observation that acridine orange increases the efficiency of differential thermal inactivation of markers. An explanation of this phenomenon is suggested by the demonstration that acridine orange can decrease the natural intramarker heterogeneity in melting behavior.
Procedures for measuring cytochrome P-450-dependent hydroxylation activity in reproductive tissues

Cytochrome P-450 is present in the endoplasmic reticulum at varying concentrations in almost all tissues. However, the existence and role of cytochrome P-450 in normal and neoplastic reproductive tissues has not been clearly demonstrated. Our interest lies in the possibility that variations in cytochrome P-450 levels may influence the responsiveness of breast and endometrial carcinomas to endocrine therapy. This may be of particular importance with agents such as tamoxifen where hydroxylation reactions are known to alter therapeutic activities. Therefore, a simple, sensitive spectrophotometric assay for determining levels of cytochrome P-450-dependent cyclohexane hydroxylase activity in breast and uterine microsomes has been developed. Cyclohexane was chosen as a substrate because of the relatively high levels of cyclohexane hydroxylase activity in tumor microsomes and because cyclohexane serves as a substrate for several forms of cytochrome P-450. In order to confirm the results of the spectrophotometric assay, a direct method utilizing isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been developed for detecting low levels of the hydroxylated product, cyclohexanol. By employing a stable isotopically labeled analog of cyclohexanol (cyclohexanol-d12), good agreement was demonstrated between the simple, indirect method (measuring NADPH oxidation at 340 nm) and the more complex, direct method (measuring cyclohexanol formation) utilizing GC/MS. The agreement of results obtained using these two techniques indicates that they are equally valid measures of NADPH-dependent cyclohexane hydroxylase activity. The use of the spectrophotometric method is proposed for rapid, multiple assays such as in the clinical setting, reserving GC/MS analysis for use as a research tool.
cDNA cloning of a human mRNA preferentially expressed in hematopoietic cells and with homology to a GDP-dissociation inhibitor for the rho GTP-binding proteins.

Abstract We have identified the mRNA for a human gene, denoted D4, which is expressed at very high levels in hematopoietic cell lines and in normal cells of lymphoid and myeloid origin. The 1.5-kb transcript is absent or detectable only at low levels in nonhematopoietic tissues. D4 encodes a 201-amino acid protein with homology to rhoGDI, an inhibitor of GDP dissociation for the ras-homologous protein rho. D4 might function also as a regulator of guanine nucleotide exchange for small GTP-binding proteins. A homologous transcript of similar size is also preferentially expressed in murine hematopoietic tissues. When totipotent murine embryonic stem cells develop in vitro into hematopoietic cells, the gene is activated with the onset of hematopoiesis. When hematopoietic cell lines are induced to differentiate, the expression of D4 is modulated. Thus, D4 appears to be a developmentally regulated gene. Its preferential expression in hematopoietic cells indicates that D4 likely plays some significant role in the growth and differentiation processes of hematopoietic cells. This significance is underscored by increasing evidence for the involvement of regulators of G proteins in clinical diseases.
Editor's Choice: A Community College Leadership Academy: Developing Leaders for Massachusetts

Planned retirements and demographic trends suggest a crisis for community college leadership in the near future. This article describes a recently initiated program to develop current and future leaders in Massachusetts through a year-long Community College Leadership Academy. The article describes the model for the Academy, including the purposes, structures, Fellows, curriculum, expectations, and evaluation, and the article presents the lessons learned during the first year.
Predictors of 30 day hospital readmission in patients with type 2 diabetes: a retrospective, case–control, database study

AbstractObjective:To assess factors predictive of all-cause, 30 day hospital readmission among patients with type 2 diabetes in the United States.Methods:A retrospective, case–control study using deidentified Humedica electronic health record data was conducted to identify patients ≥18 years old with ≥6 months of data prior to index hospitalization (pre-period) and ≥30 days of data after discharge (post-period). Combined methods of bootstrap resampling and stepwise logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with readmission.Results:Among 52,070 patients with type 2 diabetes and an initial hospitalization for any reason, 5201 (10.0%) patients were readmitted within 30 days and 46,869 (90.0%) patients showed no evidence of readmission. Diabetic treatment escalation; race; type 2 diabetes diagnosis prior to the index stay; pre-period heart failure; and number of pre-period, inpatient healthcare visits were among the strongest predictors of 30 day readmission. From a receiver-operating chara...
Nutrition and acne

There are significant data supporting the role of diet in acne. Our Western diet includes many dairy sources containing hormones.. The natural function of milk being to stimulate growth, it contains anabolic steroids as well as true growth hormones and other growth factors. The presence of 5α-pregnanedione, 5α-androstanedione, and other precursors of 5α-dihydrotestosterone add to the potency of milk as a stimulant of acne. In addition, foods with significant sugar content and other carbohydrates yielding high glycemic loads affect serum insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels, both of which promote increased production of available androgens and the subsequent development of acne.
Schematic surface reconstruction

This paper introduces a schematic representation for architectural scenes together with robust algorithms for reconstruction from sparse 3D point cloud data. The schematic models architecture as a network of transport curves, approximating a floorplan, with associated profile curves, together comprising an interconnected set of swept surfaces. The representation is extremely concise, composed of a handful of planar curves, and easily interpretable by humans. The approach also provides a principled mechanism for interpolating a dense surface, and enables filling in holes in the data, by means of a pipeline that employs a global optimization over all parameters. By incorporating a displacement map on top of the schematic surface, it is possible to recover fine details. Experiments show the ability to reconstruct extremely clean and simple models from sparse structure-from-motion point clouds of complex architectural scenes.
OCCURRENCE AND IMPLICATIONS OF DOUBLE BROODING IN A SOUTHERN POPULATION OF TREE SWALLOWS

Abstract Double brooding is the initiation of a second clutch of eggs after successfully raising young from the first clutch. Migratory birds that nest in temperate North America are often single-brooded, but there is widespread intra- and interspecific variation. Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), which are becoming a model species in biology, are typically classified as a single-brooded species. We documented 18 cases of double brooding in a population of Tree Swallows recently established in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. Double brooding may be underreported in this species or may be increasing as a result of climate change or range expansion. If double brooding is as common elsewhere as it was in our study population, it could significantly alter estimates of seasonal or lifetime reproductive success in this widely studied bird.
Training students to decode verbal and nonverbal cues: Effects on confidence and performance.

A study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using previous research findings as a means of teaching students how to interpret verbal and nonverbal behaviors. Students were pretested and then randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: no training, receiving an informational lecture about verbal and nonverbal cues, or receiving practice in identifying relevant cues in videotaped interactions. Results indicated that only the group that received practice significantly improved its ability to correctly interpret verbal and nonverbal behavior. Information alone produced no improvement in performance, but it significantly increased subjects' confidence in the accuracy of their performance
ESTIMATING STRUCK AND LOSS RATES FOR HARP SEALS (PAGOPHILUS GROENLANDICUS) IN THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC

One of the major sources of unreported mortality during the commercial harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) hunt in the Northwest Atlantic is the number of animals that are killed but not recovered or reported, commonly referred to as struck and lost. With the significant expansion of the hunt in Canada and in Greenland during the mid-1990s, there is a concern that the number of seals lost may have reached a level that is not sustainable relative to current harvest levels. To address this problem a study examining struck and loss rates was initiated in 1998 and 1999. Loss rates for young seals taken on the ice varied from 0% to 1.9% and from 0% to 10.0% when taken in the water. Seals greater than one year of age had loss rates of 0%-4.9% when taken on the ice and 13.8%-50.0% when taken in the water. These estimates are lower than those recently reported for Northwest Atlantic harp seals.
The effect of associative connections on the recognition of flashed words

Summary The effect of associative bonds on the recognition of flashed words was the concern of this series of experiments. The S s were given one word to fixate and a second word was flashed in the same place at increasing durations. In some cases the flashed word was associated with the fixated word (the strength of the association was varied in two experiments), in others it was not. The results proved conclusively that association does facilitate the recognition of the flashed word. In every case the recognition time of associated test words was significantly less than that of nonassociated test words. The results are attributed to a general associative set which activates a large number of associates, enabling the S to guess the flashed word with only a partial perception. If the pair is non-associated, the flashed word is not among those activated, so recognition is not aided but hindered.
Upper cretaceous planktic foraminiferal biozonation for the austra realm

Abstract A new planktic foraminiferal zonal scheme is presented for subdivision of Upper Cretaceous pelagic carbonate sequences in the circum-Antarctic region. Definition of the zones and subzones is based study of foraminifera from 13 deep-sea sections that were poleward of 50°S paleolatitude and within the Austral Biogeographic Realm during Late Cretaceous time. The proposed biostratigraphic scheme includes seven Upper Cretaceous zones, with an average stratigraphic resolution of 4.4 m.y., and six subzones, which are all within the Maastrichtian Stage, with an average stratigraphic resolution of 1.4 m.y. The considerably higher resolution in the Maastrichtian Stage is a result of good foraminiferal preservation, availability of high quality magnetostratigraphic sections, and complete composite stratigraphic recovery in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean sectors of the Antarctic Ocean. Diminished resolution in the pre-Maastrichtian sediments of southern high latitude sections results from: (1) incomplete recovery of the middle Campanian, lower Santonian and most of the Cenomanian-lower Coniacian intervals, (2) presence of local and regional hiatuses, (3) paleobathymetric shallowing with increasing age at some sites, resulting in impoverished older planktic assemblages, and (4) poorer preservation with increasing burial depth. Cross-latitude correlation of the Campanian and older austral sequences may be improved with future drilling by recovery of sections that span existing stratigraphic gaps. Correlation of high latitude bioevents with chemostratigraphic events and their intercalibration with the magnetostratigraphy and the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale are needed for better chronostratigraphic resolution in existing high latitude sequences.
Morphologic and Demographic Predictors of Third Molar Agenesis A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

We aimed to consolidate all available data on worldwide third molar agenesis frequencies, with a particular emphasis on exploring the factors leading authors to find contradictory results for the demographic and morphologic predictors of this anomaly. A total of 12,376 studies were originally identified, then narrowed down to 1,312 for title/abstract screening. On the basis of our inclusion and exclusion criteria, we selected 92 studies, containing 100 effect sizes and 63,314 subjects, for systematic review and metaregression. The worldwide rate of agenesis was found to be 22.63% (95% confidence interval = 20.64% to 24.76%), although the estimates ranged from 5.32% to 56.0%. Our subgroup analyses revealed that women are 14% more likely than men to have agenesis of ≥1 third molars and that maxillary agenesis was 36% more likely than mandibular agenesis in both sexes. Furthermore, we found that having agenesis of 1 or 2 molars was most common, while agenesis of 3 or 4 molars was least common. Finally, we found large differences among agenesis frequency depending on geographic region. This information is expected to be of use not only to clinicians and patients but also to policy makers, given the implications for third molar extraction protocols.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome: review and lessons of the 2003 outbreak

1 of 7 On 11 February 2003, the Chinese Ministry of Health notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of an outbreak of atypical pneumonia that likely emerged in Guandong Province, China, in November 2002.1 During late February to early March 2003, clusters of atypical pneumonia were recognized in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Canada, and Singapore.2–6 Epidemiological investigations revealed that the index patients for each of these clusters had stayed on the ninth floor of a hotel in Hong Kong on 21–22 February (Figure 1). Further investigation indicated that the likely source of the outbreak was a physician from Guandong Province (Case A) who stayed on the same hotel floor on 21 February. This physician had cared for patients affected by the respiratory disease outbreak and he had been symptomatic with a febrile, respiratory illness since 15 February. This dramatic chain of transmission brought to the world’s attention this new respiratory disease, called severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and clearly illustrated the potential for SARS to spread extensively from a single infected person and to rapidly disseminate globally through air travel. The WHO issued an historic global alert7 and, together with its international partners, initiated a rapid and intense response to this global public health emergency. The response led within 2 weeks to the identification of the aetiological agent, SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV),8–11 and to a series of decisive and effective containment efforts that interrupted the last chain of human transmission in less than 4 months.12 In this article, we review what has been learned about the aetiological agent and its pathogenesis and pathology, clinical manifestations, epidemiology, and diagnosis plus strategies for control of SARS.
Relation between Eurasian Snow Cover, Snow Depth, and the Indian Summer Monsoon: An Observational Study

Abstract Satellite-derived snow cover data for 22 yr and snow depth data for 9 yr over Eurasia have been analyzed to reexamine the possible relation of snow with the Indian summer monsoon. In contrast to the previous studies that use snow cover averaged over all of Eurasia as a single number, the frequency of occurrence of snow at each grid point over Eurasia is correlated with the Indian summer monsoon rainfall. Thus specific geographical regions over Eurasia that are responsible for the well-known inverse relationship between Eurasian snow cover and Indian monsoon rainfall are delineated. It is found, somewhat surprisingly, that western Eurasia is the only geographical region for which a significant inverse correlation exists between winter snow cover and subsequent summer monsoon rainfall. However, composites for high and low snow cover over Eurasia show spatially homogeneous large-scale patterns of snow cover and surface temperature anomalies. Winters of high and low snow cover for Eurasia are found t...
Application Of Moire Measuring Methods To Auto Safety Studies

This paper presents a method of full-field displacement measurement which is very advantageous in auto-safety studies. A linear ruling of parallel lines is projected on the object with an ordinary projector. A view camera completes the apparatus and is used to image the object in its local focal plane. If the object is of arbitrary shape, the image of the ruling becomes "warped" when the camera axis is offset from the projector axis. This "warped" ruling contains information about the object contour which can easily be extracted. Superposition of a linear ruling with the warped ruling yields absolute contour information directly. Superposition of two warped rulings yield contour difference information. The latter process may be conventionally used for studies of deformations due to impact. Examples dealing with knee impact upon instrument panels will be shown. The sensitivity of the method may be varied over a wide range and the need for extreme degrees of vibration isolation is eliminated.© (1973) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
From Windscreen to Widescreen: Screening Technologies and Mobile Communication

This article suggests that studies of mobile media need to be more attentive to the history of screening technologies. The development of screening technologies is examined by identifying six characteristics—storage and access, interactivity, mobility, control, informationalization, and convergence/translation—through the context of automobility. A brief history of the informationalization of driving, mobile entertainment in the car, and networked automobiles is used to exemplify how screening technologies work. The article concludes by arguing that the development of screening technologies is central to understanding the processes through which conduct is increasingly organized, monitored, and governed. Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of The Communication Review for the following free supplemental resources: Historic illustrations of how media were made mobile.
Cup to disc ratio by optical coherence tomography is abnormal in multiple sclerosis.

Abstract Objective To identify and characterize cup to disc ratio (CDR) and related optic nerve head abnormalities in multiple sclerosis (MS) using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Background While CDR is routinely assessed by ophthalmologists in the evaluation of glaucoma, CDR and related optic nerve head metrics remain largely unexplored in MS. Design/methods Cirrus-HD (high density) OCT was used to evaluate average CDR, vertical CDR, optic disc area, optic cup volume, and neuro-retinal rim area in 105 MS patients and 88 age-matched healthy individuals. High-contrast (100%) visual acuity, 2.5% low-contrast letter acuity and 1.25% low-contrast letter acuity were assessed in 77 MS patients. Two-sample t-tests were used in the analysis of OCT-derived optic nerve head measures between healthy controls and MS patients. Multivariate regression (accounting for age and gender) was used to assess relationships between optic nerve head measures and visual function. Results Average CDR (p = 0.007) and vertical CDR (p = 0.005) were greater in MS patients compared to healthy controls, while neuro-retinal rim area was decreased in MS patients (p = 0.001). CDR increased with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning (r = −0.29, p = 0.001). 2.5% low-contrast (p = 0.005) and 1.25% low-contrast letter acuity (p = 0.03) were lower in MS patients with higher vertical CDR. Conclusions/relevance CDR (as determined by spectral domain OCT) is abnormal in MS and correlates with visual function. OCT-derived CDR and related optic nerve head metrics may represent an objective measure by which to monitor disease progression, and potentially neuroprotection, in therapeutic MS trials.
Two-round coamplification at lower denaturation temperature-PCR (COLD-PCR)-based sanger sequencing identifies a novel spectrum of low-level mutations in lung adenocarcinoma.

Reliable identification of cancer-related mutations in TP53 is often problematic as these mutations can be randomly distributed throughout numerous codons and their relative abundance in clinical samples can fall below the sensitivity limits of conventional sequencing. To ensure the highest sensitivity in mutation detection, we adapted the recently described COLD-PCR method to employ two consecutive rounds of COLD-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Using this highly sensitive approach we screened 48 non-microdissected lung-adenocarcinoma samples for TP53 mutations. Twenty-four missense/frameshift TP53 mutations throughout exons 5–8 were identified in 23 of 48 (48%) lung-adenocarcinoma samples examined, including 8 low-level mutations at an abundance of ~1–17%, most of which would have been missed using conventional methodologies. The identified alterations include two rare lung-adenocarcinoma mutations, one of which is a ‘disruptive’ mutation currently undocumented in the lung cancer mutation-databases. A sample harboring a low-level mutation (~2% abundance) concurrently with a clonal mutation (80%-abundance) revealed intra-tumoral TP53 mutation heterogeneity. The ability to identify and sequence low-level mutations in the absence of elaborate micro-dissection, via COLD-PCR-based Sanger-sequencing, provides a platform for accurate mutation profiling in clinical specimens and the use of TP53 as a prognostic/predictive biomarker, evaluation of cancer risk, recurrence, and further understanding of cancer biology.
Predictive factors associated with long-term survival in patients with neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas.

Background Neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas are rare tumors. We identified predictive factors that are associated with long-term survival (≥5 years).
The social life of books in the humane library

The development of public libraries may have inadvertently brought the age of marginalia to a close but now that digital copies no longer require us to refrain from writing in a shared text, it is possible to create sociable books, texts that sustain communities of readers. How might people respond to opportunities to share their readings through marginalia and how might the process of reading for pleasure be altered by situating it in a more social space? The current study examining sociable reading among a small group of middle-school girls demonstrates the potential of reading sociably and affirms the value of developing digital library books to support social exchanges among readers.
Thin-Layer Chromatographic Stability Assay for C14-Labeled Steroid in a Cream

The acetonide of 6 α -fluoro-16 α -hydroxyhydrocortisone, prepared from C 14 -labeled acetone, was formulated as a cream. Initial assays were made by a conventional tetrazolium method and also by a thin-layer chromatographic separation and subsequent scintillation measurement of the C 14 -labeled steroid. The cream samples were aged under accelerated conditions, and subsequent assays by the two methods were compared to the initial results. Small assay interferences caused by the aging of the formulation were demonstrated on the tetrazolium method. The techniques used illustrated advantages of the thin-layer chromatographic scintillation method for the early evaluation of a proposed stability method for a cream formulation.
Disentangling the Effects of Perceived Deception and Anticipated Harm on Consumer Responses to Deceptive Advertising

Previous behavioral research on advertising deception has focused on the extent to which consumers would be misled by claims and implications of advertisements. The present research examines the effect of an important, but largely neglected, dimension: the severity of anticipated harm as a result of being deceived. Two experiments disentangle the effect of anticipated harm on consumer brand attitudes and purchase intentions from that of perceived deception. Interestingly, greater harmfulness increases diagnosticity of perceived deception, which partially accounts for consumers’ negative reactions to deceptive advertising. Theoretical, methodological, and ethical implications are discussed.
Effect of B-Cell Depletion on Coreceptor Switching in R5 Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection of Rhesus Macaques

We recently described a coreceptor switch in rapid progressor (RP) R5 simian-human immunodeficiency virus SF162P3N (SHIVSF162P3N)-infected rhesus macaques that had high virus replication and undetectable or weak and transient antiviral antibody response (S. H. Ho et al., J. Virol. 81:8621-8633, 2007; S. H. Ho, N. Trunova, A. Gettie, J. Blanchard, and C. Cheng-Mayer, J. Virol. 82:5653-5656, 2008; and W. Ren et al., J. Virol. 84:340-351, 2010). The lack of antibody selective pressure, together with the observation that the emerging X4 variants were neutralization sensitive, suggested that the absence or weakening of the virus-specific humoral immune response could be an environmental factor fostering coreceptor switching in vivo. To test this possibility, we treated four macaques with 50 mg/kg of body weight of the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab every 2 to 3 weeks starting from the week prior to intravenous infection with SHIVSF162P3N for a total of six infusions. Rituximab treatment successfully depleted peripheral and lymphoid CD20+ cells for up to 25 weeks according to flow cytometry and immunohistochemical staining, with partial to full recovery in two of the four treated monkeys thereafter. Three of the four treated macaques failed to mount a detectable anti-SHIV antibody response, while the response was delayed in the remaining animal. The three seronegative macaques progressed to disease, but in none of them could the presence of X4 variants be demonstrated by V3 sequence and tropism analyses. Furthermore, viruses did not evolve early in these diseased macaques to be more soluble CD4 sensitive. These results demonstrate that the absence or diminution of humoral immune responses by itself is insufficient to drive the R5-to-X4 switch and the neutralization susceptibility of the evolving viruses.
Vaccines and therapeutic agents for tularemia

Tularemia is not particularly prevalent in North America under normal circumstances; however, recent concerns about bioterrorism have brought Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, into the limelight. Although certain antibiotics can successfully treat tularemia, therapy must begin shortly after exposure to ensure a positive outcome. The only vaccine developed to date is a live attenuated strain of F. tularensis subspecies holarctica. Unfortunately, it has been plagued by regulatory issues. In the past few years, considerable research effort and funding have been committed for developing an effective treatment or vaccine for tularemia and, as a result, a small number of patents have been published that describe the development of potential therapeutics and new live attenuated or subunit vaccines against tularemia.
Multiple autoimmune antibody limbic encephalitis: a case in a pregnant woman

Autoimmune limbic encephalitis is most commonly associated with antibodies against the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), among other neuronal cell surface receptors. Here, a case of a pregnant female with limbic encephalitis in the presence of multiple additional autoimmune antibodies is described. The patient was a 36-year-old female who presented with 4 days of confusion, hallucinations, hypersexuality, disinhibition, and pressured speech. The patient's work-up detected the presence of anti-NMDAR antibodies, anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies, and a yet uncharacterized neuronal autoantibody. The patient was also found to be pregnant. No evidence of ovarian or other pelvic malignancy was discovered. Symptomatic control was achieved with plasma exchange.
Financing high speed rail in the United States and France: The evolution of public-private partnerships

Using cross-national comparative analysis, this paper discusses the reasons why France has succeeded in partially privatizing its most recently constructed high speed line, while the U.S. has not reached this stage. The authors argue that France, with an interventionist government, diverged from the U.S. during the Great Depression by nationalizing its private railways and regulating competition with highway-based transport, thereby establishing favorable conditions for the future development of high speed trains. The U.S., because of its strong free market orientation, delayed nationalization until 1971, by which time passenger railways were severely weakened, so the U.S. lagged far behind France. After accruing a large public debt on its high speed rail program in the 1980s and 1990s, the French government recently took steps to privatize construction and operations on its Tours–Bordeaux line. Similarly, in the U.S., the State of California is trying to attract private participation on its planned high speed line between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Based on French high speed rail history, this paper argues that, to succeed, California must commit both a high level of public borrowing as well as public guarantees on private borrowing. Public credit is the sine qua non of financing high speed trains.
A low-cost three-dimensional sample collection array to evaluate and monitor constructed wetlands

Abstract Artificially constructed wetlands are gaining acceptance as a low-cost treatment alternative to remove a number of undesirable constituents from water. Wetlands can be used to physically remove compounds such as suspended solids through sedimentation. Dissolved nutrients, biochemical oxygen demand, heavy metals, and potentially harmful anthropogenic compounds can all be removed in constructed wetlands through geochemical and biological processes. Sample collection to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and to monitor the status of wetlands is usually only conducted at the inlet and outlet of the wetland due to cost constraints. To better understand the internal hydrology and biogeochemical processes operating within the wetland more intensive sampling is needed that does not interfere with the hydraulics of the system. A new relatively low-cost sample collection design has been developed using mostly off-the-shelf parts that allows for permanent, internal, three-dimensional sample collection in wetlands. The design has been used to construct a permanent three-dimensional array of 60-sample locations that can be sampled simultaneously throughout a 1.2 ha constructed wetland for less than US$ 5000. The sampling array was used in a tracer study and showed spatial and temporal differences in tracer concentration within the wetland. Concentration differences were seen and measured in all three dimensions. The basic features of the system are described and an example how to construct an array that can suit any wetland design is given.
Optimizing the lyophilization cycle and the consequences of collapse on the pharmaceutical acceptability of Erwinia L-asparaginase

The antileukemia enzyme, Erwinia L-asparaginase, occurs as a tetramer which can be dissociated by the stresses of lyophilization into four subunits (subunit Mr 34 000 Da). Dissociation can be reduced by adding protectants to the formulation to stabilize the biopolymer, while the product should dry to form a pharmaceutically elegant, shelf-stable cake which is readily soluble. Using analytical ultracentrifugation, HPLC, and circular dichroism we have related structural dissociation of the enzyme during lyophilization to biological activity. Additives such as mannitol prevent ablation loss of vial contents and dry to form cosmetically elegant cakes but provide little biological protection, since during freezing they crystallize and are removed from the preparation. Excipients persisting throughout the cycle in the amorphous state provide improved biological protection, although high molecular weight compounds such as Dextran (Mr 70 000 Da) are most effective only during product freezing or storage. Low molecular weight sugars are protective throughout the cycle although formulations containing monosaccharides often exhibit low collapse temperatures (Tc) measured using a freeze-drying microscope or glass transition temperatures (Tg′) measured by thermal analysis, but these formulations distort as drying progresses to form a collapsed, cosmetically unacceptable cake, with reduced activity, poor stability, a high moisture content, and reduced solubility. Collapse can be avoided by formulating with disaccharides, which display higher Tc temperatures than monosaccharides, or drying below Tc. Dried samples which persist in the amorphous state can also collapse when stored above their solid-state collapse temperatures when they decay at a faster rate than predicted by Arrhenius kinetics. The solid-state collapse temperature can be significantly decreased by the diffusion of moisture from the stopper into the dry product resulting in an increase in sample water content. Lyophilization cycle times can be reduced by analyzing collapse characteristics so that the relationship between product temperature and chamber pressure can be controlled so that drying rates can be optimized while ensuring that the product does not melt or collapse during sublimation.
Effect of channel-contraction works upon regimen of movable bed-streams

When water flows in an open channel having an erosible bed a condition of equilibrium is approached in which the water ceases to cause further erosion of its bed, although sedimentary material is continuously transported by the stream. Various control-measures required to improve the conditions of a river-system for use in navigation, irrigation, and power-development set up a new regimen or condition of equilibrium of the system. Thus, for example, channel-contraction works (structures used for narrowing the river so as to obtain a greater navigable depth) set up new flow characteristics causing changes in the erosive force of the stream and therefore changes in the slope of the channel. Likewise in irrigation-systems, if the various branch-channels are not properly designed with reference to slope, relation of breadth to depth, and water-discharge, serious difficulties will arise in consequence of silting and erosion, because the net of irrigation-canals seeks a condition of equilibrium defined solely by natural laws. Any attempt to prevent such a change to take place will ordinarily prove fruitless and extremely expensive because of the magnitude and persistence of the forces and energy involved.
On the approximation of invariant measures

Given a discrete dynamical system defined by the map τ:X →X, the density of the absolutely continuous (a.c.) invariant measure (if it exists) is the fixed point of the Frobenius-Perron operator defined on L1(X). Ulam proposed a numerical method for approximating such densities based on the computation of a fixed point of a matrix approximation of the operator. T. Y. Li proved the convergence of the scheme for expanding maps of the interval. G. Keller and M. Blank extended this result to piecewise expanding maps of the cube in ℝn. We show convergence of a variation of Ulam's scheme for maps of the cube for which the Frobenius-Perron operator is quasicompact. We also give sufficient conditions onτ for the existence of a unique fixed point of the matrix approximation, and if the fixed point of the operator is a function of bounded variation, we estimate the convergence rate.
Substance Use Disorders and Cluster B Personality Disorders: Physiological, Cognitive, and Environmental Correlates in a College Sample

Substance use disorders (SUDs) and Cluster B personality disorders (PDs) are both marked by impulsivity and poor behavioral control and may result in part from shared neurobiological or executive c...