cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
268: Fungemia in Patients with Long-Term Left Ventricular Assist Devices: A Chronic Problem, but Not the Kiss of Death

Purpose: Patients with long-term ventricular assist devices (LVAD) have a high risk of morbidity and mortality from infection. Use of broad-spectrum antibiotics may predispose to fungal infections for which treatment options may be limited. The outcomes in LVAD patients with fungemia, like other cardiac devices, is presumed to be poor – and yet, is poorly defined. We reviewed our experience and outcomes with LVAD associated fungemia. Methods and Materials: Between 01/2001 and 07/2007, 80 patients underwent planned LVAD placement. Mean age was 53 11 years. Therapy goal was bridge to transplant in 33 (41%) and destination in 47. Nine (11 %) developed fungemia. The outcomes were compared to the remaining non-fungemic LVAD group. T-testing and survival analyses were used to compare groups. Results: Candida albicans species were cultured in 4 pts with the remainder being other fungi. Time from implant to fungemia was 125 144 days (range: 6-426). But time from fungemia to death being 124 83 days. Five patients were discharged following initial diagnosis. Causes of death were sepsis (n 2), cerebral bleed (3), cardiac (1), refused treatment (1), unknown at home (1). One is still alive. Conclusions: Fungemia in LVAD patients can be chronically controlled, often as an out-patient, but tends to limit transplantability, and hence overall survival. Empiric anti-fungal treatments must cover a diverse spectrum of pathogens. Septic death is uncommon and prolonged survival post diagnosis may reflect aggressive anti-infection strategies.
Primer: measuring the effects of treatment in clinical trials.

The proper interpretation of the results of clinical trials is essential and is influenced by four key elements of the trial design: the primary endpoint, the test statistic, the target treatment effect and the study power. These four factors, and their impact on interpreting the results of clinical trials, are outlined in this article. The results of clinical trials are often used as the basis for changes in clinical practice. Proper execution and interpretation of the results of trials are, therefore, of paramount importance to the welfare of patients. The results of a clinical trial are based on four key elements: the choice of the primary study end point, the method used to compare end points between groups, the clinically meaningful difference in the primary end point selected a priori by the investigators, and the power of the study to detect as statistically significant a difference between groups that is as large as the preselected clinically meaningful difference. These key elements directly follow from the primary hypothesis tested by the trial. This article reviews the basic features of these four elements, and the influence they have on the interpretation of clinical trials.
Critical Thinking and Physical Education

(1995). Critical Thinking and Physical Education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 66, No. 6, pp. 24-30.
Made in Italy (by the Chinese): migration and the rebirth of textiles and apparel

People around the world are on the move and settling in new, unexpected places. In Prato, Italy, Chinese immigrants now run most of the city's textiles-apparel companies and even subcontract for such leading designers as Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana. Italian products once made by Italian workers are now increasingly made by the Chinese! I argue that this development resulted from dramatic macro-level policy shifts that created an opportunity for an uncanny synchronicity between the Chinese business approach and the demands of Italy's local, family-based, small-batch production environment. Despite fierce competition, outmoded policies and social friction, the Chinese have adapted to their new home and made significant contributions to an increasingly multiethnic and multicultural Italy.
Preliminary X-ray diffraction data for chicken muscle glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase

Abstract Single crystals of chicken muscle glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase have been obtained which are suitable for a high resolution structure analysis. The crystals are triclinic with smallest cell dimensions of a=58.9 A b=54.5 A c=58.5 A α =91° β =95° δ =89° but show a substantial degree of pseudo symmetry which indicates the presence of at least an approximate and possibly exact dyad axis relating the two subunits in the asymmetric unit.
Separating and Stabilizing Phosphate from High-Level Radioactive Waste: Process Development and Spectroscopic Monitoring

Removing phosphate from alkaline high-level waste sludges at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site in Washington State is necessary to increase the waste loading in the borosilicate glass waste form that will be used to immobilize the highly radioactive fraction of these wastes. We are developing a process which first leaches phosphate from the high-level waste solids with aqueous sodium hydroxide, and then isolates the phosphate by precipitation with calcium oxide. Tests with actual tank waste confirmed that this process is an effective method of phosphate removal from the sludge and offers an additional option for managing the phosphorus in the Hanford tank waste solids. The presence of vibrationally active species, such as nitrate and phosphate ions, in the tank waste processing streams makes the phosphate removal process an ideal candidate for monitoring by Raman or infrared spectroscopic means. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra were acquired for all phases during a test of the process with actual tank waste. Quantitative determination of phosphate, nitrate, and sulfate in the liquid phases was achieved by Raman spectroscopy, demonstrating the applicability of Raman spectroscopy for the monitoring of these species in the tank waste process streams.
Molecular pathophysiology of SLC4 bicarbonate transporters.

Purpose of reviewAcid–base (H+ and HCO3−) transport in the kidney is crucial for maintaining blood pH, cellular pH and excreting metabolic acid. HCO3− transport in the kidney is mediated by HCO3− transporter proteins which occur in two gene families in humans, vertebrates and invertebrates (SLC4 and
Characterization of a homogeneous paraprotein from a horse with spontaneous multiple myeloma syndrome.

Abstract A novel myeloma paraprotein has been isolated from a horse with a lymphoid tumor. The protein was a euglobulin and consequently was readily isolated from serum in pure form and high yield by simple dilution in distilled water. The purified intact protein had a molecular weight of 150,000 and was composed of heavy and light chains, both of which had blocked amino-termini and were thus not susceptible to amino-terminal sequence analysis. The amino acid compositions of these respective chains corresponded to those of comparable chains from immunoglobulins of other species. Peptide maps of paraprotein light chains prepared by high pressure liquid chromatography corresponded in part to those of normal pooled equine light chains. The identification of this paraprotein as an equine AI (aggregating immunoglobulin) protein was confirmed by serological analysis using a specific antiserum. The relationship of this particular protein to other members of the immunoglobulin family was further demonstrated by the production of an antiidiotypic antiserum individually specific for this molecule.
The relative gonadal index: an alternative index for quantification of reproductive condition.

Gonadal indices (i.e. GSI = gonadal wt/body wt X 100) commonly are used to quantify reproductive condition in fishes. These indices may be inappropriate with specimens of different sizes, however, for gonadal growth often is allometric. A new gonadal index (relative gonadal index, RGI) was developed to quantify the reproductive condition of animals independent of body size. The RGI is based on the underlying model W = alpha i X S beta i, where W is gonadal weight, S is body size (less gonadal weight if body weight is used), and alpha i and beta i are parameters to be estimated for gonadal developmental stage i. Assuming that a multiplicative lognormal error is appropriate, parameter estimates for alpha i and beta i were obtained by linear least squares regression for the log-transformed model ln(W) = beta i X ln(S) + ln(alpha i), where, in this form, beta i is the slope and ln(alpha i) is the intercept. Only if estimates of beta i do not differ significantly among ovarian developmental stages, as in our case, can a pooled estimate of beta be used to obtain the relative gonadal index, RGI = alpha i = W/S beta. Applicability of the RGI was tested using ovaries of three ecologically distinct fish species. The RGI was found to be more appropriate than the gonosomatic index for all three species.
Cores for image registration

Daniel S. Fritsch"4, Stephen M. Pizer1'2'3, Edward Chaney4, Alan Liu2, Suraj Raghavan1, Tushar Shah5'Department of Biomedical Engineering, 2Department of Computer Science, 3Department of Radiology,4Department of Radiation Oncology, 5School of MedicineThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516ABSTRACT
An Introduction to Closed/Open Neighborhood Sums: Minimax, Maximin, and Spread

For a graph G of order |V(G)| = n and a real-valued mapping $${f:V(G)\rightarrow\mathbb{R}}$$ , if $${S\subset V(G)}$$ then $${f(S)=\sum_{w\in S} f(w)}$$ is called the weight of S under f. The closed (respectively, open) neighborhood sum of f is the maximum weight of a closed (respectively, open) neighborhood under f, that is, $${NS[f]={\rm max}\{f(N[v])|v \in V(G)\}}$$ and $${NS(f)={\rm max}\{f(N(v))|v \in V(G)\}}$$ . The closed (respectively, open) lower neighborhood sum of f is the minimum weight of a closed (respectively, open) neighborhood under f, that is, $${NS^{-}[f]={\rm min}\{f(N[v])|v\in V(G)\}}$$ and $${NS^{-}(f)={\rm min}\{f(N(v))|v\in V(G)\}}$$ . For $${W\subset \mathbb{R}}$$ , the closed and open neighborhood sum parameters are $${NS_W[G]={\rm min}\{NS[f]|f:V(G)\rightarrow W}$$ is a bijection} and $${NS_W(G)={\rm min}\{NS(f)|f:V(G)\rightarrow W}$$ is a bijection}. The lower neighbor sum parameters are $${NS^{-}_W[G]={\rm max}NS^{-}[f]|f:V(G)\rightarrow W}$$ is a bijection} and $${NS^{-}_W(G)={\rm max}NS^{-}(f)|f:V(G)\rightarrow W}$$ is a bijection}. For bijections $${f:V(G)\rightarrow \{1,2,\ldots,n\}}$$ we consider the parameters NS[G], NS(G), NS −[G] and NS −(G), as well as two parameters minimizing the maximum difference in neighborhood sums.
Critical Race Theory, Democratization, and the Public Good: Deploying Postmodern Understandings of Racial Identity in the Social Justice Classroom to Contest Academic Capitalism.

This essay discusses an academic capitalist knowledge regime (i.e. the increasing engagement of public institutions of higher education in market-based ventures) and the alterations to teacher and student behavior and the learning environment that result. Social justice-oriented university courses are positioned as sites where democratization and contestation of academic capitalism can be waged. The resistance of white students to curricular issues dealing with race is identified as a factor thwarting the counter-hegemonic potential of social justice-oriented courses and critical race theory (CRT) is offered as a corrective to ease student resistance to issues of race by encouraging postmodern understandings of racial identity. Ways in which CRT opens spaces for democratization, social justice, and the contestation of the academic capitalist knowledge regime are discussed.
Transient decreases of Earth's far‐ultraviolet dayglow

Ten years ago transient decreases in Earth's far-ultraviolet dayglow were reported for global images acquired with the high-altitude, polar-orbiting spacecraft Dynamics Explorer 1. These decreases were observed primarily in the atomic oxygen emissions at 130.4 nm. The diameters of these dark spots, or “atmospheric holes”, were in the range of 50 to 100 km. Recently a sophisticated camera for imaging Earth's far-ultraviolet dayglow, with far greater spatial and temporal resolutions than its predecessor, was launched with the Polar spacecraft. The images from this spacecraft provide irrefutable evidence that these atmospheric holes are a geophysical phenomenon.
Increase in hybridization rates with oligodeoxyribonucleotides containing locked nucleic acids.

Abstract Locked nucleic acids (LNAs) incorporated into either stable single stranded oligonucleotides containing tetraloops or their complements have been found to increase second order hybridization rate constants by an order of magnitude compared to the all-DNA hybridization rate constants. Model sequences composed of 20 bases in length that can form hairpins due to a stable GAAA tetraloop were used where LNAs were substituted for the nucleotides in the loop, stem, or end regions of the strand and in the complementary strand. Substitution of the LNAs to the loop predictably raised the melting temperatures of the duplex however, the hybridization rates between the tetraloop and the complementary sequence also increased. In contrast, when LNAs were substituted in the stem, the hybridization rate decreased implying the formation of a more stable hairpin. Substitution of LNAs into the end region of the sequence had little effect on the hybridization rate constants although melting temperatures still showed ...
Backaction of a detector on the field it measures

Abstract In this work, the backaction of a detector on light reflected from a dielectric medium is theoretically studied in the far-field region by considering every order of light scattering both within the medium and between the detector and the medium. It is found that, as a result of the backaction, the light actually measured by the detector is different from that when the detector is absent, and that the strength of the backaction depends on several factors, such as the separation between the detector and the medium, the medium’s density, and the light wavelength. Also presented is a method that allows the reflected light in the absence of the detector to be derived from the reflected light measured by the detector.
Finite element superconvergence on Shishkin mesh for 2-D convection-diffusion problems

In this work, the bilinear finite element method on a Shishkin mesh for convection-diffusion problems is analyzed in the two-dimensional setting. A superconvergence rate O(N-2 ln2 N + eN-1.5lnN) in a discrete e-weighted energy norm is established under certain regularity assumptions. This convergence rate is uniformly valid with respect to the singular perturbation parameter e. Numerical tests indicate that the rate O(N-2ln2 N) is sharp for the boundary layer terms. As a by-product, an e-uniform convergence of the same order is obtained for the L2-norm. Furthermore, under the same regularity assumption, an e-uniform convergence of order N-3/2ln5/2N + eN-1ln1/2N in the L∞ norm is proved for some mesh points in the boundary layer region.
Genetic analysis of mutant clones of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii defective in potassium transport

Mutant clones of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii defective for potassium transport were isolated and characterized. Of the four genes identified, three –TRK1, TRK2 and TRK3– encode high-affinity transport functions, and one gene, HKR1, encodes a low-affinity transport function. Characterization of the potassium dependence of recombinants possessing two mutant trk alleles suggests that the protein products of TRK2 and TRK3 interact functionally, and that TRK1 may serve a regulatory function. The mutant clone defective for a low-affinity potassium transporter was isolated by mutagenizing trk2-1 cells, which lack a functional high-affinity transporter, and screening surviving cells for dependence on very high potassium concentrations. The hkr1 phenotype is expressed only in the presence of trk2-1.
A Genome-wide RNAi Screen Identifies Multiple Synthetic Lethal Interactions with the Ras Oncogene

Oncogenic mutations in the small GTPase Ras are highly prevalent in cancer, but an understanding of the vulnerabilities of these cancers is lacking. We undertook a genome-wide RNAi screen to identify synthetic lethal interactions with the KRAS oncogene. We discovered a diverse set of proteins whose depletion selectively impaired the viability of Ras mutant cells. Among these we observed a strong enrichment for genes with mitotic functions. We describe a pathway involving the mitotic kinase PLK1, the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome, and the proteasome that, when inhibited, results in prometaphase accumulation and the subsequent death of Ras mutant cells. Gene expression analysis indicates that reduced expression of genes in this pathway correlates with increased survival of patients bearing tumors with a Ras transcriptional signature. Our results suggest a previously underappreciated role for Ras in mitotic progression and demonstrate a pharmacologically tractable pathway for the potential treatment of cancers harboring Ras mutations.
Somatic gene transfer of tagged K+ channel fragments to probe trafficking and electrical function in epithelial cells and cardiac myocytes.

To evaluate the roles of the C-termini of K + channels in subcellular targeting and protein-protein interactions, we created fusion constructs of the cell-surface antigen CD8 and the C-termini of Kv4.3, Kv1.4 and KvLQT1. Using a Cre-lox recombination system, we made 3 adenoviruses containing a fusion of the N-terminal-and transmembrane segments of CD8 with the C-termini of each of the 3 K + channels. Expression in polarized Opossum Kidney (OK) epithelial cells led to localization of CD8-Kv4.3 and CD8-Kv1.4 into the apical and basolateral membranes, while CD8-KvLQT1 remained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), even when co-expressed with MinK. When expressed in rat cardiac myocytes in culture, all the 3 constructs were diffusely targeted to the surface membrane. The ER retention of CD8-KvLQT1 in OK cells but not in cardiomyocytes thus reveals functional differences in trafficking between these two cell types. To probe functional roles of C-termini, we studied K + currents in cardiac myocytes expressing CD8-Kv4.3. Patch-clamp recordings of transient outward current revealed a hyperpolarizing shift of steady-state inactivation, implying that CD8-Kv4.3 may be disrupting the interaction of Kv4.x channels with one or more as-yet-undefined regulatory subunits. Thus, expression of tagged ion-channel fragments represents a novel, generalizable approach that may help to elucidate assembly, localization and function of these important signaling proteins.
Optical Atomic Clocks Based Upon Neutral Atoms

We report on two optical clocks: one uses freely expanding calcium atoms, while the other is based on lattice-confined ytterbium. We measure a fractional instability between the clocks of 4 x 10-16@ 100 s.
Self-Heating Profile in an AlGaN/GaN Heterojunction Field-Effect Transistor Studied by Ultraviolet and Visible Micro-Raman Spectroscopy

Direct measurements of self-heating in gallium nitride (GaN) transistor using ultraviolet (UV) and visible micro-Raman spectroscopy are reported. The material stack was grown on silicon substrates and consists of an AlN nucleation, AlGaN transition, GaN buffer, and AlGaN barrier layers. Phonon shifts are used to estimate the temperature rise. UV measurements probe the current-carrying 2-D electron gas (2-DEG) in the GaN near the interface with the barrier region. Visible micro-Raman measurements provide an average temperature rise through GaN, AlN, and substrate near its interface with AlN. Together, these measurements provide a temperature depth profile. Under identical drive conditions, the increase in temperature from UV micro-Raman is approximately twice what is obtained from the visible measurements, reaching as high as 350 °C above ambient temperature at input power of 7.8 W/mm. The temperature depth profile is simulated using finite-element analysis. We find that the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of GaN is important to incorporate in these simulations due to the large temperature rise in the 2-DEG region. A thermal boundary resistance of $1 \times 10^{-8}~\text{K}\cdot \text{m}^{2}$ /W is obtained from the combined simulation and experimental results.
Redetermination of the Hyperfine Splittings of Hydrogen and Deuterium in the Ground State

The hyperfine splittings of hydrogen and deuterium in the $1^{2}S_{\frac{1}{2}}$ state have been remeasured by the atomic beam method. It is found that $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\nu}(\mathrm{H})=(1420.40573\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.00005)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{6} invsec,$ $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\nu}(\mathrm{D})=(327.384302\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.000030)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{6} invsec.$ The result for hydrogen is in agreement with a recent measurement of Wittke and Dicke. It is significant disagreement with an earlier atomic beam measurement.
High mobility, transparent, conducting Gd-doped In2O3 thin films by pulsed laser deposition

Highly transparent and conducting thin films of gadolinium doped indium oxide, which have high electron mobility, were deposited on quartz substrate to study the effect of growth temperature and oxygen pressure on their structural, optical, and electrical properties. X-ray diffraction study reveals that these films are randomly oriented on the quartz surface. The average particle size of the films grown at 600 °C was calculated to be ∼ 23 nm. The optical transparency of the films increases with an increase in the growth temperature. The film transparency is also found to increase with increased oxygen pressure during deposition. The electrical properties of these films strongly depend on both the growth temperature and the oxygen pressure. Analysis of the electrical data shows that the mobility of the films increases with increase in the growth temperature.
ANSYS and LS-DYNA used for structural analysis

This paper discusses the different features of ANSYS and LS-DYNA in solving structural analysis using finite element approach. ANSYS and LS-DYNA are two popular engineering software tools that are used for finite element analysis. The difference between ANSYS and LS-DYNA lies in different solution procedures and time integration methods they use. ANSYS is an implicit analysis program while LS-DYNA is an explicit analysis program. This paper compares the general properties of the two programs through an impact problem and explains the reason. A simple two degrees of freedom system is solved to show how the implicit and explicit methods are implemented. Conclusively, advantages and limitations of both programs are discussed as well as their applicable areas.
Isolation and characterization of a ciliary dyskinetic factor from cystic fibrosis heterozygous serum

Abstract Ciliary dyskinesis was observed on gills of the common oyster Crassostrea virginica in the presence of unfractionated cystic fibrosis heterozygous serum and in preparations obtained from the fractionation of both heterozygous and normal sera. A cationic factor responsible for the dyskinesis was fractionated by ion exchenge chromatography followed by isoelectric focusing. The purified preparation has an isoionic point of 8.5 and migrates as a single symmetrical band during acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The factor was further characterized by double immunodiffusion as an immunoglobulin.
T-S diagram for helium that extends below the lambda line

Abstract Temperature-entropy ( T-S ) phase diagrams for helium between 1 and 7 K have been generated from available numerical codes. These diagrams show isobaric and isenthalpic slope changes at the lambda (λ) point. In the He II regime, the entropy is an increasing function of pressure, which is exactly opposite to the behaviour of ordinary fluids. This effect is caused by the depression of the λ transition with applied pressure.
The psychiatric protection order for the "battered mental patient".

Psychiatric patients are routinely treated against their will. Legally enforceable psychiatric protection orders would protect patients from coercive psychiatric interventions The avowed desires of patients and doctors conflict more often in psychiatry than in any other branch of medicine. People known as “mental patients” are routinely subjected to “diagnostic” and “therapeutic” interventions against their will. Many such people see being committed (sectioned) and treated against their will as a personal violation—a “psychiatric abuse”—and want to protect themselves from future involuntary psychiatric hospitalisation and treatment. At present former psychiatric patients, even when legally competent, have no means to defend themselves from such a contingency. Mental health laws—reflecting the point of view of psychiatrists and society—protect (or are said to protect) mentally ill patients from the dangers they pose, because of their illness, to themselves and others. Many mental patients view—and have always viewed—psychiatrists as posing a danger to them. Respect for the self defined interests of such patients requires that the law protect them from further unwanted psychiatric interventions. Courts recognise the validity of “psychiatric wills” (psychiatric advance directives) only when they prospectively authorise treatment; courts do not recognise them when the “psychiatric testator” rejects psychiatric “help.”1 To remedy this defect, especially when patients are released into the community after a period of involuntary treatment for mental illness, I propose a new legal safeguard: the psychiatric protection order. Such an order, similar to the protection order used in domestic conflicts, would make it a criminal offence to impose involuntary psychiatric interventions on people protected by the order. In free societies only psychiatric patients are routinely treated against their will. (Public health laws explicitly serve the interests of the public, not the therapeutic needs of particular persons.) Competent patients with uraemia are not treated against their will and can use a …
Effects of in vivo mechanical loading on large bone defect regeneration.

Fracture healing is highly sensitive to mechanical conditions; however, the effects of mechanical loading on large bone defect regeneration have not been evaluated. In this study, we investigated the effects of functional loading on repair of critically sized segmental bone defects. About 6-mm defects were created in rat femora, and each defect received 5 µg recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2), delivered in alginate hydrogel. Limbs were stabilized by either stiff fixation plates for the duration of the study or compliant plates that allowed transfer of compressive ambulatory loads beginning at week 4. Healing was assessed by digital radiography, microcomputed tomography, mechanical testing, histology, and finite element modeling. Loading significantly increased regenerate bone volume and average polar moment of inertia. The response to loading was location-dependent with the polar moment of inertia increased at the proximal end of the defect but not the distal end. As a result, torsional stiffness was 58% higher in the compliant plate group, but failure torque was not altered. In single samples assessed for histology from each group, a qualitatively greater amount of cartilage and a lesser degree of remodeling to lamellar bone occurred in the loaded group compared to the stiff plate group. Finally, principal strain histograms, calculated by FE modeling, revealed that the compliant plate samples had adapted to more efficiently distribute loads in the defects. Together, these data demonstrate that functional transfer of axial loads alters BMP-induced large bone defect repair by increasing the amount and distribution of bone formed within the defect. © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:1067–1075, 2012
Enterra® Therapy: gastric neurostimulator for gastroparesis

Gastroparesis is a chronic disorder of gastric motility characterized by delayed gastric empting in the absence of mechanical obstruction, which can lead to symptoms of nausea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, postprandial fullness and weight loss. Although there are many etiologies, the primary causes are diabetes or are idiopathic. The mainstay of treatment is dietary and drug therapies. However, many patients will continue to suffer intractable symptoms despite these treatments. Gastric neurostimulation with the Enterra® Therapy system has been approved for use under the Humanitarian Device Exemption by the US FDA. The device produces pulses of electrical stimulation that are delivered to the stomach continuously. One randomized clinical trial and multiple nonrandomized unblinded clinical trials and case series have documented improvement of symptoms in intractable diabetic and idiopathic gastroparesis. The purpose of this article is to introduce the Enterra Therapy gastric neurostimulator. Gastropa...
Shuttle entry aerothermodynamic flight research - The Orbiter Experiments program

Results of the OEX program are summarized with emphasis on the information on entry aerothermodynamic phenomena derived from Space Shuttle operations. The discussion focuses on OEX experiment complement and operational history, freestream environment and vehicle attitude data, aerodynamic force and moment data, aerodynamic surface data, and vehicle configuration data. Attention is also given to orbiter aerodynamic performance, stability and control, high-altitude atmospheric density variability, direct simulation Monte Carlo validation, orbital drag variation, and computational fluid dynamic technique validation.
Development of Herceptin resistance in breast cancer cells.

Background Herceptin, a humanized antibody to HER-2, is now utilized in the clinic for metastatic breast cancer treatment. The response rate for HER-2+ patients is only 30% and little is known as to mechanisms of resistance. The mechanism of Herceptin action is also unknown but has been related to cell cycle inhibition. Methods The effects of Herceptin and other antibody treatments were determined by cell counting and cell cycle analysis. HER-2 and p27 expression levels were analyzed by flow cytometry and levels of activated AKT were compared by Western blot analysis. Cellular HER-2 and p27 expression was measured by immunofluorescence. Results Herceptin treatment of BT-474 cells results in inhibition of cell growth and arrest in the G1 phase. The efficacy of growth arrest was not directly correlated to the binding affinity of antibodies to Her-2. Our laboratory has developed cell lines that are resistant to Herceptin treatment. In resistant cell lines, binding of antibodies is not hindered. However, Herceptin has completely lost the ability to inhibit cell proliferation. Yet, the mouse isotype 4D5 maintains significant inhibitory activity upon Herceptin-resistant clones. Conclusions Herceptin binds effectively to Her-2 on the cell surface of Herceptin-resistant cell lines and the level of Her-2 expression on the cell surface is not downregulated. Herceptin resistance is not due to downregulation of levels of AKT protein expression, although, phosphorylation of AKT is enhanced in resistant lines and could have a role in resistance. Resistance appears to correlate with the loss of nuclear expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p27, as defined by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry studies and cdk-2 binding studies. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Electron-transfer processes in the alkylation of α,β-unsaturated sulfones by organometallic reagents

Abstract The alkyldesulfonylation of acetylenic and vinylic sulfones by organolithium and organomagnesium reagents is shown to take place via alkyl radicals arising from electron-transfer processes.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Current Approach to Symptoms, Evaluation, and Treatment

There are frequent advances in knowledge about the clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. It is important for clinicians to be aware of available therapies and the supporting evidence for those therapies to increase patient satisfaction. This is best achieved with a collaborative and long-term clinician-patient relationship and mutual commitment to modify therapy and try new modalities until the greatest relief of symptoms and improvement in health-related quality of life is achieved. This article reviews symptoms, comorbidities, gender differences, and measure of severity in irritable bowel syndrome and current and evidence-based approaches to evaluation and treatment, and the new symptom-based Rome III diagnostic criteria are reviewed and explained.
Monoclonal anti-erythrocyte auto-antibodies from unimmunized NZB mice.

ABSTRACT In order to study the heterogeneity of the anti-erythrocyte auto-antibody response in NZB mice, we have developed hybridomas producing monoclonal auto-antibodies with anti-erythrocyte activity. These monoclonals were prepared by fusion of NZB splenocytes with the P3 × 63.Ag8 myeloma and were screened for activity by indirect immunofluorescence using flow cytometry. We have produced a variety of monoclonal anti-red cell auto-antibodies that have differing antigenic reactivities and immunoglobulin isotypes. Eleven monoclonal antibodies extensively studied thus far react with intact mouse erythrocytes, whereas only two of the eleven also cross react with sheep erythrocytes and bromelain treated mouse erythrocytes. These results suggest that the fusion pattern may represent the range of anti-red cell auto-antibodies found in the intact NZB mouse, with the exception of monoclonal auto-antibodies against cryptic red cell auto-antigens, which were not demonstrated in this initial fusion study.
Forum on Gang Leader for a Day

Every once in a while an academic publishes a book that attracts a great deal of public attention and incites a virulent debate within his or her discipline. Often, such works are by historians, economists, or psychologists, and such disciplines are certainly more accustomed to the glare of the public spotlight than is sociology. So, given that it is rare for sociology to be brought to the attention of the wider public, when it does happen it is important to take stock of both the work and what it says about what we do. Sudhir Venkatesh's Gang Leader for a Day (GLD) is the third book he has published based on his fieldwork in and around the Robert Taylor Homes public housing project while he was a graduate student at the University of Chicago in the 1990s, and it is the subject of this forum. The reviews and response from the author include, but are not limited to, the presentation of narrative and disciplinary stereotypes, the ethical dimensions of fieldwork, and the presentation of sociology in everyday life. Venkatesh's two previous books, American Project and Off the Books, dealt with, respectively, the demise of the Robert Taylor Homes and the myriad forms of the underground economy there. Both books, published by Harvard Press, were conceived in the style of theoretically grounded
Induction of remission by B lymphocyte depletion in eleven patients with refractory antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis.

Objective To assess the clinical effects of rituximab therapy in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitis (AAV). Methods The study group comprised 11 patients who had active AAV despite receiving maximally tolerated doses of cyclophosphamide or had contraindications for cyclophosphamide use. All patients had ANCA reactive against proteinase 3. The patients received rituximab infusions and glucocorticoids to induce remission. Three patients also received plasma exchange. No other immunosuppressive agents were used. Glucocorticoids were tapered as soon as control of disease activity was achieved. Disease activity was monitored using the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score, modified for Wegener's granulomatosis. Results Rituximab therapy was well tolerated by all patients, and adverse events were rare. Following the rituximab infusions, circulating B lymphocytes became undetectable, and ANCA titers decreased significantly. Remission was achieved in all patients and was maintained while B lymphocytes were absent. Conclusion The ability to achieve stable remissions with rituximab in patients with AAV refractory to conventional therapy suggests that B lymphocyte depletion may be a safe, effective, mechanism-based treatment modality for treatment of patients with these conditions.
A university library laptop lending service: an analysis using two student surveys

Purpose – This paper aims to report on a study of an academic library's wireless laptop lending service. The authors believed that the unexpectedly low usage level of the Monmouth University Library's Laptop Lending Service (LLS) could best be understood by engaging the intended users of the LLS, that is, the students of Monmouth University, a small university in New Jersey. A formal, systematic survey would provide substantive data that would help the Library to evaluate this service and determine how well it meets the needs and expectations of students and answer the question, “Is it sufficient to provide wireless access?”Design/methodology/approach – The open source application PHP Surveyor was used to construct two web‐based surveys which were conducted two years apart (2005 and 2007). An invitation to participate in the survey was emailed to all registered students. Follow‐up emails attended both surveys.Findings – Among other things, it was learned that the fact that a large majority of the students...
The sum is greater than its parts: clinical evaluations and grade inflation in the surgery clerkship.

Abstract Background This study examines grading component distributions to determine whether alterations in clinical grade determination reduce skew and improve predictive capability of the clinical evaluation. Methods Rotation evaluations, examination scores, and final grades were collected for third-year medical students over a 2-year period. Conditional logistic regression and ordinary least squares regression models were run using SAS 9.3. Results Conditional logistic regression demonstrated significant association between global clinical score and final grade and between average clinical evaluation score and final grade. Inclusion of shelf score into either model demonstrated increase in overall final grade. Conclusions Regressions using global and average clinical evaluation score indicate that average score is a better fit for a norm-based grading system. Arguably, the Shelf measures clinical knowledge more objectively than clinical evaluation, but both were significant. Clinical evaluation is prone to inflation because of its subjective nature; conceivably, inflation leads to the decreased correlation with shelf score.
Sequences of oligonucleotides prepared from tobacco mosaic virus ribonucleic acid.

Abstract Sequence analyses have been performed on 11 long-chainlength oligonucleotides isolated from RNase T 1 digests of tobacco mosaic virus ribonucleic acid. The chainlengths of these oligonucleotides range from 14–72 nucleotides. The structures of six oligonucleotides have been determined, including one that corresponds to a portion of the amino acid sequence in the coat protein. Partial sequences have been established for the remaining five.
Great expectations: Constructions of the life course during adolescence.

Despite numerous demographic analyses of the sequencing of life events during the transition to adulthood (Kett, 1977; Modell et al., 1976), little is known of the psychological expectancies that adolescents bring to this and other aspects of the life course experience. This research was conducted to determine whether the futures anticipated by high school and college students correspond to the demographic trends previously observed for comparable age groups (i.e., projected vs. actual age at marriage). The findings indicate that, with increasing age, adolescents acquire a shared life course perspective that is at once richer and more differentiated than that implied by previous demographic investigations. This shared life course perspective was manifest in two ways: (1) increased agreement or concordance in the types of future events anticipated, and (2) increased variability in the ages at which future events were expected to occur. These findings underscore the need to complement demographic analyses of the life course with psychological investigations of the expectancies that adolescents bring to the adulthood transition.
Aegean Prehistory as World Archaeology: Recent Trends in the Archaeology of Bronze Age Greece

This article surveys archaeological work of the last decade on the Greek Bronze Age, part of the broader discipline known as Aegean prehistory. Naturally, the literature is vast, so I focus on a set of topics that may be of general interest to non-Aegeanists: chronology, regional studies, the emergence and organization of archaic states, ritual and religion, and archaeological science. Greek Bronze Age archaeology rarely appears in the comparative archaeological literature; accordingly, in this article I place this work in the context of world archaeology, arguing for a reconsideration of the potential of Aegean archaeology to provide enlightening comparative material.
Expression of recombinant rat ciliary neurotrophic factor in Escherichia coli and its synergy with basic fibroblast growth factor.

Abstract Rat CNTF was expressed in Escherichia coli using a T7 RNA polymerase vector system. rCNTF was obtained as an insoluble aggregate at levels approaching 70% of total E. coli protein. After extraction, renaturation, and purification by anion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration the yield of biologically active rCNTF was nearly 0.5 mg/ml of E. coli culture broth. The effects of rCNTF and bFGF on cultured chick ciliary neurons were compared. bFGF was primarily neuritogenic and did not support ciliary neuron survival beyond 2 days in culture. rCNTF induced neuritogenesis more slowly and supported ciliary neuron survival in culture for a longer period. bFGF strongly potentiated the effect of rCNTF. Without bFGF, the ED 50 for rCNTF was 102 ± 25 pg/ml. With bFGF, the potency of rCNTF increased to an ED 50 of 42 ± 6 pg/ml. Chick nodose neurons also responded to rCNTF and their response was potentiated by bFGF. Thus, bFGF modulates the response of ciliary and nodose neurons to CNTF in vitro and may have a similar effect in vivo .
Vapor pressures and gas-phase PVT data for 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane

We present new data for the vapor pressure and PVT surface of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (Refrigerant 134a) in the temperature range 40° C (313 K) to 150° C (423 K). The PVT data are for the gas phase at densities up to one-half critical. Densities of the saturated vapor are derived at five temperatures from the intersections of the experimental isochores with the vapor pressure curve. The data are represented analytically in order to demonstrate experimental precision and to facilitate calculation of thermodynamic properties.
Long-term therapy with Bendavia (MTP-131), a novel mitochondria-targeting peptide, improves left ventricular systolic function in dogs with chronic heart failure

Background: Mitochondria (MITO) of the failing heart manifest structural and functional abnormalities evidenced by hyperplasia, reduced organelle size and diminished respiration that lead to a defect in ATP synthesis. Bendavia (MTP-131), a novel, first in class, MITO-targeting peptide, improves the efficiency of mitochondria electron transfer chain and enhances ATP synthesis in multiple organs including heart, kidney and skeletal muscle. The present study examined the effects of long-term therapy with Bendavia on LV systolic function and ATP synthesis in dogs with chronic heart failure (HF) (LV ejection fraction, EF∼30%). Methods: Fourteen dogs with coronary microembolization-induced HF were randomized to 3 months therapy with subcutaneous injections of Bendavia (0.5 mg/kg once daily, n=7) or saline (Control, n=7). LV end-diastolic (EDV) and end-systolic (ESV) volumes, EF, heart rate (HR), mean aortic pressure (AP), LV end-diastolic pressure (EDP) and peak LV +dP/dt were measured before (PRE) and after 3 months of therapy (POST). Treatment effect Δ, within each group, was calculated as the difference between PRE and POST. MITO ATP synthesis and ATP/ADP ratio were measured in isolated LV cardiomyocytes obtained at the end of 3 months of therapy using the bioluminescent ApoSENSORTM ATP/ADP assay kit. Results: Bendavia had no effect on HR or mAP. Compared to Control, Bendavia decreased EDV, ESV and EDP, increased EF and peak LV +dP/dt and increased ATP synthesis and ratio of ATP/ADP (Table). View this table: Indexes of LV function and ATP Synthesis Conclusions: In HF dogs, long-term monotherapy with Bendavia improves LV systolic function without increasing HR or decreasing mAP. Bendavia increased ATP synthesis; a likely mediator of improved LV function.
Gene regulation, organization and function.

Abstract A recent meeting ★ ★The FASEB Conference on Somatic Cell Genetics was held at Saxtons River, Vermont, USA, 3–8 July 1987. on somatic cell genetics concentrated heavily upon long range gene organization, the production of long range genetic maps and the use of mutagenesis to probe gene function in development. But the meeting also heard how the application of molecular approaches to gene regulation, organization and function has encroached far into immunological territory.
Evolution of the Bolometric Temperature and Luminosity of Young Stellar Objects

We model the broadband emission from a star-disk-envelope system to obtain expressions for the bolometric temperature Tbol and luminosity Lbol as functions of time, from the youngest class 0 protostars to stars on the zero-age main sequence. The model predicts evolution, driven by infall and contraction luminosity, in terms of position on the log Tbol-log Lbol diagram, a close analog of the H-R diagram. The evolutionary tracks depend on the envelope initial conditions, the main-sequence mass of the star, and the envelope dissipation timescale. The model Lbol rises due to infall and then falls due to contraction, while Tbol increases steadily toward the main sequence due to central heating and envelope dissipation. In order to smoothly join the protostellar and pre-main-sequence phases it is necessary to model the termination of infall as gradual rather than sudden. This change reduces the peak infall luminosity for the collapse of a singular isothermal sphere by a factor 4, bringing predicted infall luminosities into better agreement with observations. For stars of main-sequence mass 0.5 M☉, the model decrease in Lbol from its peak value of ~3 L☉ at Tbol ~ 250 K (class I) to ~0.4 L☉ at Tbol ~ 3000 K (class II/III) closely matches the observed decrease in median Lbol for young stellar objects in Chamaeleon, Corona Australis, Lupus, Ophiuchus, and Taurus. The model should be useful for estimating the distributions of mass and age, and for describing the birth history, of stars younger than 1 Myr in well-studied complexes.