cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temperature variations at diffuse and focused flow hydrothermal vent sites along the northern East Pacific Rise

In the decade following documented volcanic activity on the East Pacific Rise near 9°50′N, we monitored hydrothermal vent fluid temperature variations in conjunction with approximately yearly vent fluid sampling to better understand the processes and physical conditions that govern the evolution of seafloor hydrothermal systems. The temperature of both diffuse flow (low-temperature) and focused flow (high-temperature) vent fluids decreased significantly within several years of eruptions in 1991 and 1992. After mid-1994, focused flow vents generally exhibited periods of relatively stable, slowly varying temperatures, with occasional high- and low-temperature excursions lasting days to weeks. One such positive temperature excursion was associated with a crustal cracking event. Another with both positive and negative excursions demonstrated a subsurface connection between adjacent focused flow and diffuse flow vents. Diffuse flow vents exhibit much greater temperature variability than adjacent higher-temperature vents. On timescales of a week or less, temperatures at a given position within a diffuse flow field often varied by 5°–10°C, synchronous with near-bottom currents dominated by tidal and inertial forcing. On timescales of a week and longer, diffuse flow temperatures varied slowly and incoherently among different vent fields. At diffuse flow vent sites, the conceptual model of a thermal boundary layer immediately above the seafloor explains many of the temporal and spatial temperature variations observed within a single vent field. The thermal boundary layer is a lens of warm water injected from beneath the seafloor that is mixed and distended by lateral near-bottom currents. The volume of the boundary layer is delineated by the position of mature communities of sessile (e.g., tubeworms) and relatively slow-moving organisms (e.g., mussels). Vertical flow rates of hydrothermal fluids exiting the seafloor at diffuse vents are less than lateral flow rates of near-bottom currents (5–10 cm/s). The presence of a subsurface, shallow reservoir of warm hydrothermal fluids can explain differing temperature behaviors of adjacent diffuse flow and focused flow vents at 9°50′N. Different average temperatures and daily temperature ranges are explained by variable amounts of mixing of hydrothermal fluids with ambient seawater through subsurface conduits that have varying lateral permeability.
Seasonal variations in suspended-sediment dynamics in the tidal reach of an estuarine tributary

Abstract Quantifying sediment supply from estuarine tributaries is an important component of developing a sediment budget, and common techniques for estimating supply are based on gages located above tidal influence. However, tidal interactions near tributary mouths can affect the magnitude and direction of sediment supply to the open waters of the estuary. We investigated suspended-sediment dynamics in the tidal reach of Corte Madera Creek, an estuarine tributary of San Francisco Bay, using moored acoustic and optical instruments. Flux of both water and suspended-sediment were calculated from observed water velocity and turbidity for two periods in each of wet and dry seasons during 2010. During wet periods, net suspended-sediment flux was seaward; tidally filtered flux was dominated by the advective component. In contrast, during dry periods, net flux was landward; tidally filtered flux was dominated by the dispersive component. The mechanisms generating this landward flux varied; during summer we attributed wind–wave resuspension in the estuary and subsequent transport on flood tides, whereas during autumn we attributed increased spring tide flood velocity magnitude leading to local resuspension. A quadrant analysis similar to that employed in turbulence studies was developed to summarize flux time series by quantifying the relative importance of sediment transport events. These events are categorized by the direction of velocity (flood vs. ebb) and the magnitude of concentration relative to tidally averaged conditions (relatively turbid vs. relatively clear). During wet periods, suspended-sediment flux was greatest in magnitude during relatively turbid ebbs, whereas during dry periods it was greatest in magnitude during relatively turbid floods. A conceptual model was developed to generalize seasonal differences in suspended-sediment dynamics; model application to this study demonstrated the importance of few, relatively large events on net suspended-sediment flux. These results suggest that other estuarine tributaries may alternate seasonally as sediment sinks or sources, leading to the conclusion that calculations of estuary sediment supply from local tributaries that do not account for tidal reaches may be overestimates.
Self‐motion and the origin of differential spatial scaling along the septo‐temporal axis of the hippocampus

Spatial scaling of place specific activity in the hippocampus varies systematically from the septal pole (high resolution) to the temporal pole (low resolution). Place fields get progressively larger, and the probability of observing a field in a given environment gets progressively smaller. It was previously found that decoupling movement in space from ambulation, by having the animal actively ride on a mobile platform, results in marked enlargement of the spatial scale factor in the dorsal hippocampus and a reduction in the increase in theta rhythm power with running speed, suggesting that a self-motion signal determines the spatial scale at which the hippocampal population vector updates. These results led to the hypothesis that the gain of the self-motion signal may vary systematically along the septo-temporal axis of the hippocampus. To test this hypothesis, EEG theta rhythm and ensembles of CA1 pyramidal cells and interneurons were recorded from the extreme dorsal and middle portions of the hippocampus. Pyramidal cell population vectors representing successive locations became decorrelated over substantially shorter distances in the dorsal than in the middle hippocampus. Dorsal pyramidal cells had smaller place fields, higher mean and peak firing rates, and higher intrinsic oscillation frequencies during track running than that of middle pyramidal cells. Both dorsal pyramidal cells and interneurons had more elevated mean rates during running, compared with rest, than that of the corresponding cell classes in the middle hippocampus, and both cell classes increased their rates more as a function of speed in the dorsal hippocampus.The amplitude, but not the frequency of fissure recorded theta rhythm, increased more as a function of running speed in the dorsal than in the middle hippocampus. We conclude that variation in the neuronal response to movement speed is the likely basis for the systematic variation in spatial scaling along the septo-temporal axis of the hippocampus.
The Uptake and Metabolism of Cysteine by Giardia lamblia Trophozoites

The cysteine, cystine, methionine and sulfate uptake and cysteine metabolism of Giardia lamblia was studied. Initial experiments indicated that bathocuproine sulphonate (20 microM) added to Keister's modified TYI-S-33 medium supported the growth of G. lamblia at low L-cysteine concentration. This allowed the use of high specific activity radiolabeled L-cysteine for further studies. The analyses of L-cysteine uptake by G. lamblia indicate the presence of at least two different transport systems. The total cysteine uptake was non saturable, with a capacity of 3.7 pmoles per 10(6) cells per min per microM of cysteine, and probably represent passive diffusion. However, cysteine transport was partially inhibited by L-methionine, D-cysteine and DL-homocysteine, indicating that another system specific for SH-containing amino acids is also present. Cysteine uptake was markedly decreased in medium without serum. In contrast to cysteine, the uptake of L-methionine and sulfate were carried out by saturable systems with apparent Km of 71 and 72 microM, respectively, but the Vmax of the uptake of sulfate was six orders of magnitude lower than the Vmax of methionine uptake. Cystine was not incorporated into trophozoites. [35S]-labeled L-cysteine and L-methionine, but not [35S]sulfate, were incorporated into Giardia proteins, indicating that the parasite lacks the capacity to synthesize cysteine or methionine from sulfate. Neither cystathionine gamma lyase nor cystathionine gamma synthase activities was detected in homogenates of Giardia lamblia, suggesting that the transsulfuration pathway is not active and there is no conversion of methionine to cysteine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Turkey origin reovirus-induced immune dysfunction in specific pathogen free and commercial turkey poults.

SUMMARY. Recently, pathogenesis studies, using genetically distinct turkey-origin reoviruses (TRVs), revealed that poults infected with certain TRV isolates had moderate to severe bursal atrophy, suggesting virus-induced immune dysfunction. In order to characterize the effect of TRV infection on the turkey immune system, classical assays were undertaken to quantify the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in small Beltsville and broad-breasted white poults infected with the TRV isolate NC/SEPR44/03. A marked effect on the cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity response, and on the antibody response to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) exposure, was noted in commercial and specific pathogen free (SPF) poults inoculated with NC/SEP-R44/03 at three days of age. Moderate to severe bursal atrophy, similar to that noted previously in SPF poults, occurred in commercial poults inoculated at three days of age. This immune dysfunction and bursal atrophy was not present in commercial poults inoculated at three weeks of age.
The R oberts Court and the Limits of Antitrust

Antitrust is back in vogue at the U.S. Supreme Court. Whereas the Rehnquist Court decided few antitrust cases in its latter years (only one from 1993 to 1995, one each year from 1996 through 1999, and none from 2000 to 2003), the Roberts Court issued seven antitrust decisions in its first two years alone. Numerous commentators have characterized the Roberts Court’s antitrust decisions as radical departures that betray a pro-business, anti-consumer bias. While some of the decisions do represent significant changes from past practice (see, e.g., Leegin, which overruled the 1911 Dr. Miles rule of per se illegality for minimum resale price maintenance, and Twombly, which abrogated the infamous “no set of facts” pleading standard set forth in the 1957 Conley v. Gibson decision), the “pro-business/anti-consumer” characterization of the Roberts Court’s antitrust decisions is inaccurate. The characterization - caricature, really - fails to appreciate the fundamental limits of antitrust, a body of law that requires judges and juries to make fine distinctions between procompetitive and anticompetitive behaviors that frequently resemble each other. While false acquittals of anticompetitive conduct may harm consumers, so may false convictions of procompetitive actions. And efforts to eliminate errors in liability judgments are themselves costly. Optimal antitrust rules will therefore aim to minimize the sum of decision costs (the costs of reaching a liability decision) and expected error costs (the social losses from false convictions and false acquittals). Each of the Roberts Court’s antitrust decisions can be defended in light of this “decision-theoretic” approach, an approach calculated to maximize the effectiveness of the antitrust enterprise, to the ultimate benefit of consumers. This Article first describes the fundamental limits of antitrust and the decision-theoretic approach such limits inspire. It then analyzes the Roberts Court’s antitrust decisions, explaining how each coheres with the decision-theoretic model. Finally, it predicts how the Court will address three issues likely to come before it in the future: tying, loyalty rebates, and bundled discounts.
Forkhead box transcription factor FOXO3a regulates estrogen receptor alpha expression and is repressed by the Her-2/neu/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway.

The expression status of the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and that of the epidermal growth factor receptor Her-2/neu frequently correlate inversely in breast cancers. While ERα-dependent cancers respond to antiestrogen therapy, Her-2/neu-overexpressing cancers typically display resistance to antiestrogens and poor prognosis. In this report we have explored the mechanism linking the loss of expression of ERα in breast cancer cells with overexpression of Her-2/neu, which signals constitutively via a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt kinase pathway. We identify for the first time the Forkhead box protein FOXO3a (formerly termed FKHRL-1), which is inactivated by Akt, as a key regulator of ERα gene transcription. In breast cancer cell lines, expression of ERα was correlated with active FOXO3a levels. Ectopic FOXO3a expression induced ERα protein levels and promoter activity, while a dominant negative FOXO3a decreased ERα levels. By using transient transfection, mobility shift assays, and site-directed mutagenesis, two major functional Forkhead binding sites were identified in the human ERα promoter B. A chromatin immunoprecipitation assay confirmed FOXO3a binding at these two sites. Ectopic FOXO3a induced estrogen response element-driven reporter activity and expression of ERα target genes. The constitutively activated myristylated Akt reduced ERα expression, whereas agents that negatively affect the PI3K/Akt pathway, i.e., wortmannin, celecoxib, and the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3 gallate, induced ERα. Thus, FOXO3a represents an important intracellular mediator of ERα expression, suggesting possible therapeutic intervention strategies for Her-2/neu-overexpressing refractory breast tumors.
MHC class I modulates NMDA receptor function and AMPA receptor trafficking

Proteins of the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) are known for their role in immunity and have recently been implicated in long-term plasticity of excitatory synaptic transmission. However, the mechanisms by which MHCI influences synaptic plasticity remain unknown. Here we show that endogenous MHCI regulates synaptic responses mediated by NMDA-type glutamate receptors (NMDARs) in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). The AMPA/NMDA ratio is decreased at MHCI-deficient hippocampal synapses, reflecting an increase in NMDAR-mediated currents. This enhanced NMDAR response is not associated with changes in the levels, subunit composition, or gross subcellular distribution of NMDARs. Increased NMDAR-mediated currents in MHCI-deficient neurons are associated with characteristic changes in AMPA receptor trafficking in response to NMDAR activation. Thus, endogenous MHCI tonically inhibits NMDAR function and controls downstream NMDAR-induced AMPA receptor trafficking during the expression of plasticity.
Acute Renal Failure in Sickle-Cell Disease

Two patients with reversible acute oligoanuric renal failure in the setting of sickle-cell crisis are presented. The renal failure could not be attributed to volume depletion, urinary tract obstruction, or exogenous nephrotoxins. There were several features in each case that suggested the presence of nontraumatic rhabdomyolysis. The possible role of pigmenturia in the pathogenesis of the reversible renal failure in sickle-cell crisis is discussed.
Erasure-Burst and Error-Burst Decoding of Linear Codes

Iterative algorithms for decoding over erasure-burst channels have attracted much interest lately due to their simplicity. Although the performance of these techniques is typically good, it may not be optimal if the underlying matrix used for decoding is not properly chosen. In this paper, we construct matrices that lead to optimal performance when used with iterative decoding over erasure-burst channels. We also develop a simple decoding technique that makes use of these same matrices to decode any linear code over error-burst channels. For cyclic codes, this algorithm is optimal.
A scheduling and pipelining algorithm for hardware/software systems

Given a hardware/software partitioned specification and an allocation (number and type) of processors, we present an algorithm to (1) map each of the software behaviors (or tasks) to processors, (2) pipeline the system specification, and (3) schedule the behaviors in each pipe stage, amongst selected hardware components and processors, so as to satisfy a throughput constraint at minimal hardware cost. Thus, to achieve high performance, not only are critical tasks implemented as pipelined hardware architectures, but the system is also divided into concurrently executing stages. Furthermore, to offset the cost of this increased concurrency, non-critical sections are implemented on processors or as cheaper hardware blocks. Our experiments demonstrate the feasibility of our approach and the necessity of system pipelining in high performance design.
Effect of sequential arrangements on block copolymer properties

The solution, melt, and solid–state properties of a range of block co-polymers are considered in relation to the sequential arrangement within the macromolecule. An attempt is made to predict block copolymer properties from a knowledge of the homopolymer or sequence copolymer properties. The application properties of industrial systems are then reviewed in the light of the hypotheses.
A monolithic 1.85GHz 2-stage sige power amplifier with envelope tracking for improved linear power and efficiency

In this paper, a monolithic 2-stage differential power amplifier (PA) is designed and fabricated in the 0.35 µm IBM 5PAe SiGe BiCMOS technology where the through-wafer-vias (TWVs) are available. A cascode topology is adopted to relieve the voltage stress for the power stage transistors. All components are integrated on-chip for the PA except the input/output baluns. The envelope tracking (ET) technique is applied to this 2-stage PA to enhance the PAE and linearity for high power-to-average-ratio (PAR) Long-Term-Evolution (LTE) signals. The ET-based PA system achieves a linear output power of 20.4 dBm with a gain of 30.5 dB and an overall system PAE of 22%, using an LTE 16QAM 5 MHz signal with ∼7.5 dB PAR at 1.85 GHz. Compared to the 2-stage PA operating with fixed voltage supplies, the ET-based PA system improves the linear output power by 3.2 dB and its system PAE by over 10%.
Asymptotic theory of mixed time averages and kth-order cyclic-moment and cumulant statistics

We generalize Parzen's (1961) analysis of "asymptotically stationary" processes to mixtures of deterministic, stationary, nonstationary, and generally complex time series. Under certain mixing conditions expressed in terms of joint cumulant summability, we show that time averages of such mixtures converge in the mean-square sense to their ensemble averages. We additionally show that sample averages of arbitrary orders are jointly complex normal and provide their covariance expressions. These conclusions provide us with statistical tools that treat random and deterministic signals on a common framework and are helpful in defining generalized moments and cumulants of mixed processes. As an important consequence, we develop consistent and asymptotically normal estimators for time-varying, and cyclic-moments and cumulants of kth-order cyclostationary processes and provide computable variance expressions. Some examples are considered to illustrate the salient features of the analysis. >
Laws of Chance: Brazil's Clandestine Lottery and the Making of Urban Public Life

Amy Chazkel, Laws of Chance: Brazil's Clandestine Lottery and the Making of Urban Public Life (2011), 348 (Duke University Press, Durham, $89.95, paperback $24.95). ‘Soy de un pais vertiginoso dond...
Low‐Temperature Crack Closure in Fluoride Glass

Radial cracks generated in heavy-metal fluoride glass (HMFG) by Vickers indentation were found to decrease in length as a function of time when exposed to humid environments in the temperature range of 22° to 80°C. Inspection by optical and electron microscopy indicated that the cracks appear to be closing, leaving little or no evidence of the original crack aperture. The effect was observed to increase with time, temperature, and humidity levels for all conditions studied. Possible explanations for this behavior include viscous relaxation of glass in the region of the crack tip, or the generation and transport of a fluoride gel phase to the crack aperture.
The Prevalence and Predictors of Low-Cost Generic Program Use in the Pediatric Population.

Background Low-cost generic drug programs (LCGPs) increase the accessibility and affordability in the USA of prescription medication that can treat many common pediatric conditions. No studies have assessed the prevalence and predictors of LCGP use in the pediatric population, analyzed trends in LCGP use since their implementation, or analyzed which medications are most commonly purchased for children through LCGPs.
What Civil Remedies Do

A much-cited principle holds that civil remedies should protect or reconstruct, as nearly as possible, plaintiffs’ substantive rights. In practice, remedies often depart from this goal. This essay examines three different ways of looking at the role of civil remedies in the legal system. First, remedies may be strictly derivative of substantive rights; if so, gaps between the two reflect the institutional limitations of courts. Second, remedies may enable courts to supplement and improve upon a set of incomplete forward-looking substantive rights at the point of application to a particular case; in this case, ex post remedies are an additional aspect of rights. Third, remedies may serve purposes that are independent of the plaintiff’s substantive right -- purposes such as deterrence, mercy, channeling of resentment, or expression of social condemnation of a wrongful act or harm. I examine these possible roles of remedies through the prism of an imaginary civil action between the family of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, as well as other examples drawn from cases.
Vocal and Neural Responses to Unexpected Changes in Voice Pitch Auditory Feedback During Register Transitions.

Summary Objective/Hypothesis It is known that singers are able to control their voice to maintain a relatively constant vocal quality while transitioning between vocal registers; however, the neural mechanisms underlying this effect are not understood. It was hypothesized that greater attention to the acoustical feedback of the voice and increased control of the vocal musculature during register transitions compared with singing within a register would be represented as neurological differences in event-related potentials. Study Design/Methods Nine singers sang musical notes at the high end of the modal register (the boundary between the modal and the head/falsetto registers) and at the low end (the boundary between the modal and the fry/pulse registers). While singing, the pitch of the voice auditory feedback was unexpectedly shifted either into the adjacent register ("toward" the register boundary) or within the modal register ("away from" the boundary). Singers were instructed to maintain a constant pitch and ignore any changes to their voice feedback. Results Vocal response latencies and magnitude of the accompanying N1 and P2 event-related potentials were greatest at the lower (modal-to-fry) boundary when the pitch shift carried the subjects' voices into the fry register as opposed to remaining within the modal register. Conclusions These findings suggest that when a singer lowers the pitch of his or her voice such that it enters the fry register from the modal register, there is increased sensory-motor control of the voice, reflected as increased magnitude of the neural potentials to help minimize qualitative changes in the voice.
Neurological, Cognitive, and Psychiatric Sequelae Associated with the Surgical Management of Cardiac Disease

In dramatic contrast to some areas of the world where cardiovascular disease is nearly nonexistant, as exemplified by the Massai tribe in Kenya, the incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular disease has, until very recently, experienced a spiraling increase in populations in the Western world. In the United States, about 650,000 persons succumb to death from coronary heart disease annually, and rates of new and recurrent myocardial infarctions per year have been estimated to be approximately 1 million based on data from the National Health Survey and the Framingham Heart Study. There currently appears to be a new trend toward a decline in mortality from cardiovascular disease that has probably resulted from a combination of factors, including an increased public awareness of risk factors that have been shown to result in the development of the disease; reduction of some or as many as possible of these risk factors with accompanying modification of life-style (e.g., cessation of smoking); earlier detection and improved treatment and control of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obesity; rapid advances in pharmacology that have resulted in important new drugs that have drastically improved the efficacy and safety of medical management of coronary artery disease; rapid advancement and achievement in surgical techniques to palliatively correct the anatomical and physiological pathology; and scientific advances that have served to augment the overall success of the surgery in terms of myocardial preservation, cerebral protection, and reduction in operative mortality and postoperative morbidity. The effects on survival of recent, encouraging short-term success with a less invasive new procedure—percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty—are as yet unknown.
On the Nonlinear Dynamic Stability of Prestressable Structures

Recent multidisciplinary advances enable actively controlled bar-tendon structures. A major control related challenge is the dynamic stability of these systems. Their low internal damping may result in less stable systems than desired, requiring special attention. This paper investigates the nonlinear dynamic stability of such assemblies, focusing on the situation when linearization fails to provide an answer. Conditions for simple and asymptotic nonlinear stability of prestressable configurations of these systems are derived using Lyapunov-LaSalle theory. Examples are included to illustrate theoretical results, emphasize connections between stability, mechanisms, and natural modes, and explain why only nonlinear asymptotic stability, instead of exponential stability, is achieved even when tendons are linearly damped.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Comparison of Intravenous and Intragastric Aspirin in Production of Antral Gastric Ulcers in Cats

AbstractIn cats receiving continuous intravenous infusion of histamine dihydrochloride (160 μg kg-1 hr-1; 40 mg kg-1 of aspirin was given as a bolus injection either intravenously or intragastrically. When the animals were killed either 1 or 4 hr later, all cats in both groups had ulcers of the antral part of the stomach extending through the mucosa. The mean area occupied by the ulcers was not significantly different in the two groups. Plasma and mucosal salicylate concentrations at the end of the study were not significantly different in the two groups. We conclude that, in cats receiving an intravenous infusion of histamine, intravenous and intragastric aspirin are equally effective in producing antral gastric ulcers.
Internal Migration during Japan's Period of Rapid Economic Growth

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the spatial and temporal influences of economic level at the prefectures of origin and destination on internal migration movements by using the unconstrained gravity model (equation 3). The data used covers gross inter-prefectural migration flows during the period of rapid economic growth, 1955-72. The data of personal income per capita are used as proxies for regional economic levels.Unfortunately, statistical data for migration are affected by the size of statistical areas. Here, statistical data are standardized by equation 4. The standardized data (similar to velocity of migration), however, are not equivalent in terms of their representation because the size of origin and destination prefectures for each sample is varies. Here, the number of samples is also corrected according to the size of origin and destination prefectures by equations 6 and 7.Firstly, the entire inter-prefectural migration flows are analyzed and the conclusion made is that (1) both incomes at destinations and origins have a positive effect on migration; (2) incomes at destinations are considered to be more important factors than those at origins, but those efficiencies are proved to be in decline year by year; and (3) for incomes at origins, their absolute effects have no remarkable changes, but as the effects of incomes at destinations decline, their comparative effects increase.Next, the entire inter-prefectural migration flows are divided into: (1) two groups by income difference between destinations and origins; and (2) four groups by metropolitan and non-metropolitan types. Each group of migration is analyzed by the gravity model. Those results are shown in figures 4 and 7, which are excluded in this summary.Finally, the out-migration flows for each of the 46 prefectures are analyzed by the origin-specified model (equation 8). It is found that, in each given year, for those out-migrants from less-advanced regions, destination income elasticities are very high. As for those from middle-advanced regions, those elasticities are lower though still in the plus, while for those from advanced regions, the elasticities are very low or turn to minus. Here, the temporal changes of these elasticities for each prefecture show that the elasticities increase in those less-advanced regions located mainly in the peripheral areas of Japan, while decrease in those advanced regions located in Japan's core area. The incomes which cause the elasticities to become zero are defined as critical incomes and their changes are shown in figure 10. Similarly, in-migration flows for each of the 46 prefectures are also analyzed by the destination-specified model (equation 9).
23 RIGHT ATRIAL AND RIGHT VENTRICULAR THROMBI WITH SEPSIS AND PULMONARY EMBOLI.

A male 34-year-old hypertensive smoker with hypertension, hepatitis C, and a history of multiple drug abuse presented to the emergency department with malaise, fever, and chills for approximately 1 week. Physical examination revealed a systolic ejection murmur heard throughout the precordium. Labwork showed leukocytosis, mild normocytic anemia, and thrombocytosis. Radiography revealed mild cardiomegaly and a left pleural effusion as well as a 2 cm nodule in the right midlung and a 2 × 5 cm mass in the left lower lobe. He was admitted and started on empiric antibiotic therapy. Initial blood cultures returned Staphylococcus epidermidis and Acinetobacter baumannii. Computed tomography of the chest was performed to evaluate the pulmonary masses and showed multiple peripheral masses in both lungs; also noted was a right atrial mass. Echocardiography was performed to better characterize the atrial mass and demonstrated a mass in the right atrium measuring 2.6 × 3.9 cm as well as a mass along the posterior wall of the right ventricle measuring 1.3 × 1.4 cm with severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Echocardiography-guided biopsy of the right atrial mass was consistent with thrombus. Anticoagulation was initiated with enoxaparin and warfarin. He was discharged home after 3 weeks of antibiotic therapy on warfarin, carvedilol, lisinopril, and intravenous vancomycin and levofloxacin with plans to continue intravenous antibiotics for a total of 6 weeks. Two weeks following discharge, he was seen in follow-up and had repeat blood cultures, which were sterile. Six weeks following discharge, a repeat echocardiogram showed mild left ventricular systolic dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 45%; there was no indication of a mass or thrombus in either the right atrium or right ventricle. Intracardiac masses are uncommon, occurring in less than 0.1% of autopsies. The differential diagnosis of these masses is broad and includes myxomas, papillary fibroelastomas, lipomatous hypertrophy of the atrial septum, thrombi, and malignancies (either primary or metastatic). Although left ventricular thrombi are commonly noted, particularly with severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction and following myocardial infarction, and right atrial thrombi are often noted (particularly in the presence of pulmonary embolism), right ventricular thrombi are exceedingly rare. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of what we assume to be right ventricular thrombus in situ related to sepsis.
Separation and Mutagenesis of Alpha-amylase Producing Bacillus

Ten alpha-amylase producing Bacillus strains were isolated from soil (four strains), water (three strains) and flour (three strains) through isolation with starch plates, Gram's staining and spore staining.The ratio of hydrolysis zone diameter to colony diameter was 1.9-2.6.Liquid culture medium was used for fermentation to produce amylase.The activity of alpha-amylase was determined bycolorimetry, and it was 4.8-5.7 g/mL in fermentation broth.The original strains producing high-activity alpha-amylase was selected and mutated by UV mutagenesis.Excellent strains were obtained, and their activity of alpha-amylase was up to 9.6-13.0 g/mL under suitable conditions, which was 69.9%-129.5% higher than that before selection.
Indigenous in the city: the politics of urban Mapuche identity in Chile

ABSTRACTIn this article, I analyse how urban Mapuche indigenous organizations in Chile conduct politics, both externally in relation to the state and internally in relation to other Mapuches. I suggest that the state creates the context for their politics through enacting centuries of policies that put Mapuche identity ‘under siege’. My analysis shows that urban Mapuche organizations respond to this context in three central ways. Some organizations refuse the moniker ‘urban’ and are temporarily urban. Others embrace their urbanity and are adamantly urban. Still others try to overcome the rural-urban divide to become reconciled urban. Each of these strategies deploys ideas of authenticity in different ways, opening possibilities for different kinds of political alliances. My research argues that when the stakes are high for claiming a racial or ethnic identity, choosing which aspects of identity on which to base political demands has profound political consequences.
Medications to ease intrauterine device insertion: a systematic review.

Abstract Background Potential barriers to intrauterine device (IUD) use include provider concern about difficult insertion, particularly for nulliparous women. Objective This study aims to evaluate the evidence on the effectiveness of medications to ease IUD insertion on provider outcomes (i.e., ease of insertion, need for adjunctive insertion measures, insertion success). Search strategy We searched the PubMed database for peer-reviewed articles published in any language from database inception through February 2016. Selection criteria We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined medications to ease interval insertion of levonorgestrel-releasing IUDs and copper T IUDs. Results From 1855 articles, we identified 15 RCTs that met our inclusion criteria. Most evidence suggested that misoprostol did not improve provider ease of insertion, reduce the need for adjunctive insertion measures or improve insertion success among general samples of women seeking an IUD (evidence Level I, good to fair). However, one RCT found significantly higher insertion success among women receiving misoprostol prior to a second IUD insertion attempt after failed attempt versus placebo (evidence Level I, good). Two RCTs on 2% intracervical lidocaine as a topical gel or injection suggested no positive effect on provider ease of insertion (evidence Level I, good to poor), and one RCT on diclofenac plus 2% intracervical lidocaine as a topical gel suggested no positive effect on provider ease of insertion (evidence Level I, good). Limited evidence from two RCTs on nitric oxide donors, specifically nitroprusside or nitroglycerin gel, suggested no positive effect on provider ease of insertion or need for adjunctive insertion measures (evidence Level I, fair). Conclusions Overall, most studies found no significant differences between women receiving interventions to ease IUD insertion versus controls. Among women with a recent failed insertion who underwent a second insertion attempt, one RCT found improved insertion success among women using misoprostol versus placebo.
Multiwavelets and two-scale similarity transform

An important object in wavelet theory is the scaling function φ(t), satisfying a dilation equation φ(t)=Σ C k φ(t−k). Properties of a scaling function are closely related with the properties of the symbol or mask P(ω)=Σ C k e−iwk. The approximation order provided by φ(t) is the number of zeros of P(ω) at ω=π, or in other words the number of factors (1 + e iw ) in P(ω). In the case of multiwavelets P(ω) becomes a matrix trigonometric polynomial. The factors (1+e−iw) are replaced by a matrix factorization of P(ω), which defines the approximation order of the multiscaling function. This matrix factorization is based on the two-scale similarity transform (TST) which connects matrix polynomials P(\(\bar \omega\)) and Q(ω) by the relation Q(ω)=M(2ω)P(ω)M−1(ω). In this paper we study properties of the TST and show how it is connected with the theory of multiwavelets. This approach leads us to new results on regularity, symmetry and orthogonality of multi-scaling functions and opens an easy way to their construction.
Percutaneous Therapies for Peripheral Artery Disease.

Percutaneous therapies for peripheral artery disease continue to evolve with new techniques and devices. Although guidelines-recommended therapies have impacted cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, endovascular interventions have been shown to reduce limb pain, improve quality of life, and prolong walking distance for those with claudication and to reduce amputation rates among those with critical limb ischemia. Novel devices such as drug-eluting stents and drug-coated balloons have improved patency for moderate-length lesions, whereas others allow treatment of heavily calcified and tortuous segments. New adjunctive devices to cross lesions and reduce or modify associated plaque have also been developed, although level 1 data regarding their efficacy are sparse. There has also been a better mechanistic understanding of lower extremity endovascular treatment using tools such as intravascular ultrasound. This information has highlighted the need for better stent size selection for the femoropopliteal arterial segments and larger balloon diameters for the tibial arteries. Moreover, a wound perfusion approach with direct in-line flow, the so-called angiosome approach, and reconstruction of the pedal loop have been advocated for improved wound healing. Technical advances such as the tibiopedal access and reentry methods have allowed crossing of lesions that were considered no option for the endovascular approach in the past. Collectively, there has been increased awareness, interest, and commitment by various specialty societies and organizations to advance the treatment of peripheral artery disease and critical limb ischemia. This is also evident by the recent coalition of 7 professional societies and organizations that represented >150 000 allied health professionals and millions of patients with peripheral artery disease at the 2015 Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Analysis Committee meeting. The percutaneous therapies for peripheral artery disease continue to evolve with longer follow-up with randomized data and larger prospective registries. In the future, it is hopeful that we will treat the lower extremity arteries according to segments, taking into account plaque morphology, luminal versus subintimal crossing, location, and stenotic versus occlusive disease. Until then, we must identify the most cost-effective, efficacious, and safe treatment for each patient. The goal of this article is to aid the practicing vascular specialist consider the optimal choices for the management of patients with vascular disease.
Cardiomyocyte differentiation promotes cell survival during nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase inhibition through increased maintenance of cellular energy stores

To address concerns regarding the tumorigenic potential of undifferentiated human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) that may remain after in vitro differentiation and ultimately limit the broad use of hPSC-derivatives for therapeutics, we recently described a method to selectively eliminate tumorigenic hPSC from their progeny by inhibiting nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT). Limited exposure to NAMPT inhibitors selectively removes hPSC from hPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CM) and spares a wide range of differentiated cell types; yet, it remains unclear when and how cells acquire resistance to NAMPT inhibition during differentiation. In this study, we examined the effects of NAMPT inhibition among multiple time points of cardiomyocyte differentiation. Overall, these studies show that in vitro cardiomyogenic commitment and continued culturing provides resistance to NAMPT inhibition and cell survival is associated with the ability to maintain cellular ATP pools despite depletion of NAD levels. Unlike cells at earlier stages of differentiation, day 28 hPSC-CM can survive longer periods of NAMPT inhibition and maintain ATP generation by glycolysis and/or mitochondrial respiration. This is distinct from terminally differentiated fibroblasts, which maintain mitochondrial respiration during NAMPT inhibition. Overall, these results provide new mechanistic insight into how regulation of cellular NAD and energy pools change with hPSC-CM differentiation and further inform how NAMPT inhibition strategies could be implemented within the context of cardiomyocyte differentiation. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:1191-1201.
Fluorocarbon Polymers and Their Applications

Fluorine containing polymers have excellent characteristics such as superior heat resistance, chemical resistance, non-stick property, and various electrical properties, and they are widely used for chemical, electrical and mechanical applications.Nowadays eight kinds of fluorocarbon polymers and six kinds of fluoroelatomers are commercially available in the market.Not only are the high performance of fluorine containing polymers finding their continued applications, but also the functions of the polymers, such as the lowest refractive index or electron beam sensitiveness are attracting attention in new and unique applications. and many new fluorine containing polymers suitable for such new applications are being developed now.In this article, the characteristics and their applications are reviewed.
PDE10 inhibitors suppress lung tumor growth in mice.

e22187 Background: Phosphodiesterase 10 has been studied in the brain as a therapeutic target for psychiatric and neurological conditions, but has not been associated with tumorigenesis. Low levels of PDE10 exist in adult peripheral tissues and we found that 68% of lung tumors (n=19) displayed more than 2-fold increase compared with normal lung, and 26% showed greater than a 10-fold difference. High levels of PDE10 mRNA and protein were also found in human NSCLC cells compared with normal airway epithelium. PDE10 knockdown by siRNA suppressed lung tumor cell growth, as did PDE10 selective inhibitors, papaverine, PQ-10 and Pf-2545920. A novel PDE10 inhibitor, MCI-020 was developed from the indene scaffold of the NSAID, sulindac and was found to potently and selectively inhibit the growth of human NSCLC cells. These observations suggest that PDE10 is essential for lung tumor cell growth and represents a novel therapeutic target for lung cancer. We evaluated pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and antitumo...
[Double-balloon catheter compared to vaginal dinoprostone for cervical ripening in obese women at term].

Resume Objectif Comparer l’efficacite de la sonde a double ballonnet (DB) a 10 mg de dinoprostone intra-vaginale pour la maturation cervicale chez les patientes obeses (IMC pre-grossesse ≥ 30 kg/m2) avec un col defavorable (score de Bishop Methodes Une cohorte prospective de 46 patientes obeses avec un singleton, a terme (≥ 37 SA), en presentation cephalique, une indication medicale de declenchement artificiel du travail et un col defavorable, a beneficie d’une maturation cervicale par sonde a DB (groupe DB) de janvier 2013 a mai 2016. Durant la meme periode, 46 patientes ayant eu une maturation cervicale par dinoprostone ont ete incluses de maniere retrospective (groupe PG). Les patientes des deux groupes etaient appariees selon la parite, le score de Bishop initial et l’IMC. Le critere de jugement principal etait l’obtention d’un col favorable (score de Bishop ≥ 6) apres 24 h de maturation. Resultats Le taux de patientes presentant un col favorable etait significativement superieur dans le groupe DB apres 24 h de maturation (80,4 % vs 47,8 % ; p = 0,001). Apres ajustement, la sonde a DB etait significativement associee au succes de la maturation cervicale par rapport a la dinoprostone (aOR = 7,81 ; IC 95 % 2,58–23,60). Les taux de cesariennes etaient similaires dans les deux groupes (39,1 %), le delai maturation-accouchement voie basse (34,5 h dans le groupe DB vs 36,5 h dans le groupe PG ; p = 0,53) et les complications maternelles et neonatales etaient comparables dans les 2 groupes. Conclusion Chez les patientes obeses a terme, la maturation cervicale etait plus efficace sur le score de Bishop a 24 h a l’aide d’une sonde a DB par comparaison a la dinoprostone intra-vaginale.
Impact of the Diabetic State on Wound Healing Dynamics and Expression of Soluble Cellular Mediators

Diabetes mellitus impacts virtually every organ system of the body due to the influence that altered glucose metabolism imparts on cellular physiology and because of the effect chronic hyperglycemia can have on protein glycosylation states. As a physiological process involving multiple cell types, biomolecules, and a requirement for cell activation and activity, wound healing processes from formation of a transitional extracellular matrix after tissue destruction to altered neutrophil activation to a reduction in effective mesenchymal cell function have all been shown to be impacted by diabetes. In this chapter, we will review numerous studies that have documented changes in different components of classic dermal wound healing due to chronic hyperglycemia producing an overall diminished capacity to heal tissues and to even lead to the formation of ulcerations. Lastly, we will briefly discuss recent findings from our own studies that suggest that the diabetic state may alter the ability of fibroblasts to respond to activation stimuli with the appropriate expression of pro-inflammatory mediators. This aberrant expression could ultimately lead to an over-recruitment of neutrophils and/or monocyte/macrophages leading to a failure to heal a wound.
Resuscitation-Opening the Airway

The effectiveness of three techniques for opening an airway obstructed by the tongue was studied and compared. The research involved patients who were anesthetized for elective surgery. The first group of patients, not breathing on their own, were ventilated by mouth-to-mouth breathing. The second group was unconscious, making spontaneous respiratory effort, but had total airway obstruction produced by the tongue from relaxation of the lower jaw. The three techniques — neck lift, chin lift, and jaw thrust — were performed on all patients in both groups. The adequacy of ventilation was compared subjectively and by measuring air flow with a Wright Respirometer. Results indicate that the chin lift technique provides the most consistently adequate airway.