cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Agreement between prostate cancer patients and their clinicians about utilities and attribute importance.

Purpose To examine the agreement between prostate cancer patients’ utilities for selected health states and their rankings of the importance of six attributes of the health states and the clinicians’ judgements of what would be in the patients’ best interests. Method Patients with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer individually completed a time trade-off utility assessment shortly after being diagnosed. The health states evaluated were constructed from a multi-attribute utility model that incorporated six aspects of living with the disease and outcomes of treatment. Each patient assessed his current health state and three hypothetical states that might occur in the future, and provided rankings of the importance of the six attributes. The clinicians caring for each patient independently provided their views of what utilities and importance rankings would be in the patient's best interest. Results The across-participant correlations between patients’ and clinicians’ utilities were very low and not statistically significant. Across-participant correlations between patient and clinician importance rankings for the six attributes were also low. Across-health state and across-attribute correlations between utilities or importance rankings were highly variable across patient–clinician pairs. Conclusion In the clinical settings studied, there is not a strong relationship between valuations of current and possible future health states by patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer and their clinicians. Implications of these results for substituted judgement, when clinicians advise their patients or recommend a treatment strategy, are discussed.
Specimen and automated test method development for investigation of fatigue crack initiation

Abstract An economical and effective test specimen has been developed for use in fatigue crack initiation studies. A dynamic materials-testing system was similarly developed for this purpose, consisting of a servohydraulic dynamic testing unit, high-resolution photomacrographic equipment, and computer control systems. The specimen and system permit fully-automated fatigue crack initiation testing, and crack lengths of approximately 0.001 inches have been detected with the peak load amplitude applied to the specimen. This paper presents the development of the specimen, the design constraints imposed by the system and the required test results, and the prototype test program and subsequent specimen modifications. Final specimen dimensions, the correlation between notch root stress and applied load, and recommendations for specimen use are also provided.
Functional impairment and hospital readmission in Medicare seniors.

Importance Medicare currently penalizes hospitals for high readmission rates for seniors but does not account for common age-related syndromes, such as functional impairment. Objective To assess the effects of functional impairment on Medicare hospital readmissions given the high prevalence of functional impairments in community-dwelling seniors. Design, Setting, and Participants We created a nationally representative cohort of 7854 community-dwelling seniors in the Health and Retirement Study, with 22 289 Medicare hospitalizations from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2010. Main Outcomes and Measures Outcome was 30-day readmission assessed by Medicare claims. The main predictor was functional impairment determined from the Health and Retirement Study interview preceding hospitalization, stratified into the following 5 levels: no functional impairments, difficulty with 1 or more instrumental activities of daily living, difficulty with 1 or more activities of daily living (ADL), dependency (need for help) in 1 to 2 ADLs, and dependency in 3 or more ADLs. Adjustment variables included age, race/ethnicity, sex, annual income, net worth, comorbid conditions (Elixhauser score from Medicare claims), and prior admission. We performed multivariable logistic regression to adjust for clustering at the patient level to characterize the association of functional impairments and readmission. Results Patients had a mean (SD) age of 78.5 (7.7) years (range, 65-105 years); 58.4% were female, 84.9% were white, 89.6% reported 3 or more comorbidities, and 86.0% had 1 or more hospitalizations in the previous year. Overall, 48.3% had some level of functional impairment before admission, and 15.5% of hospitalizations were followed by readmission within 30 days. We found a progressive increase in the adjusted risk of readmission as the degree of functional impairment increased: 13.5% with no functional impairment, 14.3% with difficulty with 1 or more instrumental activities of daily living (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% CI, 0.94-1.20), 14.4% with difficulty with 1 or more ADL (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.96-1.21), 16.5% with dependency in 1 to 2 ADLs (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.11-1.44), and 18.2% with dependency in 3 or more ADLs (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.20-1.69). Subanalysis restricted to patients admitted with conditions targeted by Medicare (ie, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and pneumonia) revealed a parallel trend with larger effects for the most impaired (16.9% readmission rate for no impairment vs 25.7% for dependency in 3 or more ADLs [OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.04-2.78]). Conclusions and Relevance Functional impairment is associated with increased risk of 30-day all-cause hospital readmission in Medicare seniors, especially those admitted for heart failure, myocardial infarction, or pneumonia. Functional impairment may be an important but underaddressed factor in preventing readmissions for Medicare seniors.
Glutamate infused posttraining into the hippocampus or caudate-putamen differentially strengthens place and response learning.

A cross-maze task that can be acquired through either place or response learning was used to examine the hypothesis that posttraining neurochemical manipulation of the hippocampus or caudate-putamen can bias an animal toward the use of a specific memory system. Male Long-Evans rats received four trials per day for 7 days, a probe trial on day 8, further training on days 9–15, and an additional probe trial on day 16. Training occurred in a cross-maze task in which rats started from a consistent start-box (south), and obtained food from a consistent goal-arm (west). On days 4–6 of training, rats received posttraining intrahippocampal (1 μg/0.5 μl) or intracaudate (2 μg/0.5 μl) injections of either glutamate or saline (0.5 μl). On days 8 and 16, a probe trial was given in which rats were placed in a novel start-box (north). Rats selecting the west goal-arm were designated “place” learners, and those selecting the east goal-arm were designated “response” learners. Saline-treated rats predominantly displayed place learning on day 8 and response learning on day 16, indicating a shift in control of learned behavior with extended training. Rats receiving intrahippocampal injections of glutamate predominantly displayed place learning on days 8 and 16, indicating that manipulation of the hippocampus produced a blockade of the shift to response learning. Rats receiving intracaudate injections of glutamate displayed response learning on days 8 and 16, indicating an accelerated shift to response learning. The findings suggest that posttraining intracerebral glutamate infusions can (i) modulate the distinct memory processes mediated by the hippocampus and caudate-putamen and (ii) bias the brain toward the use of a specific memory system to control learned behavior and thereby influence the timing of the switch from the use of cognitive memory to habit learning to guide behavior.
The SAR1 gene of Arabidopsis acts downstream of the AXR1 gene in auxin response

A screen for suppressors of the auxin resistant mutant axr1 in Arabidopsis thaliana has identified at least three second site suppressor loci called Suppressor of Auxin Resistance (SAR). In this study we focus on the SAR1 gene. Previous studies have documented the effects of the axr1 mutations on auxin-inhibition of root growth, auxin-induced gene expression, seedling morphology and aerial morphology. In this study, we show that the axr1 mutations also affect root hair development and epidermal cell length. The sar1-1 mutation suppresses at least partially, every aspect of the axr1 phenotype. Genetic experiments indicate that this suppression is gene specific. When crossed with the auxin-resistant mutant aux1-7, the suppressor has little affect on auxin response. However, the morphology of sar1-1 aux1-7 inflorescences is different from either of the single mutants indicating that both genes play a role in auxin mediated development of the inflorescence. The sar1-1 mutation also affects morphology in an AXR1 background. sar1-1 plants are shorter than wild-type, have altered leaf morphology, flower earlier than wild-type plants and appear to have reduced cell division in the primary root. In most respects sar1-1 axr1 and sar1 AXR1 plants are indistinguishable, indicating that sar1 both suppresses and is epistatic to axr1. Based on these results, we propose that SAR1 acts after AXR1 and that a major function of AXR1 is to relieve SAR1 mediated repression of auxin response.
Implicit group membership detection in online text: analysis and applications

Our thesis is that members of the same group have shared tendencies and nuances in communication style and substance, particularly online. In this paper, we dicuss some potential applications of accuarate authorship affiliation technology. We also discuss related work in similar author identification efforts and the research issues that currently exist when trying to perform automated authorship affiliation. We provide quantitative results from our recent Machine Learning experimenation using Support Vector Machines as some initial validation of our theory. In this paper, we applied our work towards the task of classifying website forum posts by the affiliation of their author. We discuss in detail the stylometric features we used to perform the automated classification and split the original features into individual groups to isolate their respective contributions and/or discriminating capability. Our results show promise towards automating group representation, an important first step in studying group formation.
Thrombosed Chamber of Cor‐Triatriatum Mimicking Left Atrial Tumor (Case Report)

Cor-triatriatum is an uncommon congenital cardiac anomaly. In this case report, transesophageal echocardiographic and operative findings in a 57-year-old female with cor-triatriatum are presented.
Infusion pressure and pain during microneedle injection into skin of human subjects

Infusion into skin using hollow microneedles offers an attractive alternative to hypodermic needle injections. However, the fluid mechanics and pain associated with injection into skin using a microneedle have not been studied in detail before. Here, we report on the effect of microneedle insertion depth into skin, partial needle retraction, fluid infusion flow rate and the co-administration of hyaluronidase on infusion pressure during microneedle-based saline infusion, as well as on associated pain in human subjects. Infusion of up to a few hundred microliters of fluid required pressures of a few hundred mmHg, caused little to no pain, and showed weak dependence on infusion parameters. Infusion of larger volumes up to 1 mL required pressures up to a few thousand mmHg, but still usually caused little pain. In general, injection of larger volumes of fluid required larger pressures and application of larger pressures caused more pain, although other experimental parameters also played a significant role. Among the intradermal microneedle groups, microneedle length had little effect; microneedle retraction lowered infusion pressure but increased pain; lower flow rate reduced infusion pressure and kept pain low; and use of hyaluronidase also lowered infusion pressure and kept pain low. We conclude that microneedles offer a simple method to infuse fluid into the skin that can be carried out with little to no pain.
Surfactant in Airway Disease

β 2 -adrenergic agonists cause a release of pulmonary surfactant into lung airways. The surfactant phospholipids maintain the patency of the conducting airways, but this function is inhibited by plasma proteins entering an inflamed airway. The physical behavior of the surfactant can be studied with a pulsating bubble surfactometer and a capillary surfactometer. Calf lung surfactant extract was found to be inhibited by plasma proteins and by a lowering of temperature. Severe breathing difficulties and malfunctioning surfactant developed in BALB/c mice inhaling ozone or infected with respiratory syncytial virus, mainly as a result of proteins invading the airways. Patients with asthma were challenged with allergens in an area of one lung. BAL fluid (BALF) from such an area contained a surfactant that functioned poorly ( ie , an inability to maintain airway openness) compared with BALF from the other lung or from the lungs of healthy volunteers. When proteins in the BALF were removed, surfactant performance clearly improved. Eosinophils, so prominent in asthmatic patients, synthesize the enzyme lysophospholipase, which, together with the enzyme phospholipase A 2 , catalyzes the hydrolysis of the main component of the surfactant, phosphatidylcholine. Such hydrolysis incapacitates the ability of the surfactant to maintain airway patency. The treatment of asthma with β 2 -adrenergic agonists and steroids will have a valuable effect on the surfactant system. It will cause a release of fresh surfactant into terminal airways. Surfactant can also be nebulized and inhaled, which has been shown to be an effective treatment.
Reaching Men at Highest Risk for Undetected Prostate Cancer

Annual screening for prostate cancer, although controversial, should be offered to men over age 45. Community-based prostate cancer education and screening offer a way to reach those at highest risk for undetected prostate cancer, African- American men and men without healthcare providers. This study used logistic regression to predict attendance at community-based education and screening events. Being white, not having a healthcare provider, desire for information, and knowledge of prostate cancer status all independently predicted attendance. While these community education and screening events attracted men without healthcare providers, they were not as effective in attracting African-American men. Findings have implications for planning community education and screening programs that target high risk men.
New Nonpolarizing Resonant Beam Splitters

We present wideband nonpolarizing beam splitters (NPBSs) for the telecommunication C-band. We show that silicon-on-insulator subwavelength periodic elements operating near leaky-mode resonance provide useful spectral expressions enabling effective beam division. Particle swarm optimization is the design method of choice. Periodic single-layer and multilevel NPBSs are provided exhibiting ~50/50 beam ratio under oblique and normal incidence. We compare the spectral performance of the beam splitters with that of their thin-film effective-medium counterparts, thereby verifying the resonance-mediated origin of the spectra sought. The beam splitters are found to be reasonably tolerant to deviations in angle of incidence and structural parameters.
Human Cytomegalovirus-Regulated Paxillin in Monocytes Links Cellular Pathogenic Motility to the Process of Viral Entry

We have established that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection modulates the biology of target primary peripheral blood monocytes, allowing HCMV to use monocytes as “vehicles” for its systemic spread. HCMV infection of monocytes results in rapid induction of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase [PI(3)K] and NF-κB activities. Integrins, which are upstream of the PI(3)K and NF-κB pathways, were shown to be involved in HCMV binding to and entry into fibroblasts, suggesting that receptor ligand-mediated signaling following viral binding to integrins on monocytes could trigger the functional changes seen in infected monocytes. We now show that integrin engagement and the activation of the integrin/Src signaling pathway are essential for the induction of HCMV-infected monocyte motility. To investigate how integrin engagement by HCMV triggers monocyte motility, we examined the infected-monocyte transcriptome and found that the integrin/Src signaling pathway regulates the expression of paxillin, which is an important signal transducer in the regulation of actin rearrangement during cell adhesion and movement. Functionally, we observed that paxillin is activated via the integrin/Src signaling pathway and is required for monocyte motility. Because motility is intimately connected to cellular cytoskeletal organization, a process that is also important in viral entry, we investigated the role paxillin regulation plays in the process of viral entry into monocytes. New results confirmed that HCMV entry into target monocytes was significantly reduced in cells deficient in paxillin expression or the integrin/Src/paxillin signaling pathway. From our data, HCMV-cell interactions emerge as an essential trigger for the cellular changes that allow for HCMV entry and hematogenous dissemination.
Magnetic Core Logic in a High-Speed Card-to-Tape Converter

This report describes a static magnetic shift circuit and the logical connectives derived from it. The prime advantages of magnetic circuits are their low cost, high reliability, and ease of maintenance. The application of these circuits to the design of a card-to-tape converter is discussed.
Biogenic 2‐methyl‐3‐buten‐2‐ol increases regional ozone and HOx sources

[1] We present the first regional-scale chemistry simulation investigating the effects of biogenic 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO) emissions on air quality. In a central California model domain, MBO emissions have a distinctly different regional pattern than isoprene but have similar daily maxima of about 5 mg m−2 hr−1. MBO oxidation causes an increase in ozone, formaldehyde, acetone and consequently hydrogen radical production (PHOx). The addition of MBO increases the daily maximum ozone as much as 3 ppb near source regions (2–5% in rural areas) and as much as 1 ppb in the Central Valley. Formaldehyde concentrations increase by as much as 1 ppb (40%) over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, increasing the production of HOx by 10–20% and accelerating local chemistry. This indicates that inclusion of MBO and other biogenic oxygenated emissions in regional simulations in the western and southeastern United States is essential for accurate representation of ozone and HOx.
E-reference: incorporating electronic publications into reference

The traditional work of reference librarians has been greatly impacted by access to electronic publications on the World Wide Web. Reference librarians are also using the Web to create electronic publications for in‐library users and Web surfers. By creating HTML documents that provide access to Web and other electronic resources, reference service is extended beyond the physical library and designated reference desk hours, opening the building for 24‐hour access.
Lossless compression of video sequences

We investigate lossless compression schemes for video sequences. A simple adaptive prediction scheme is presented that exploits temporal correlations or spectral correlations in addition to spatial correlations. It is seen that even with motion compensation, schemes that utilize only temporal correlations do not perform significantly better than schemes that utilize only spectral correlations. Hence, we look at hybrid schemes that make use of both spectral and temporal correlations. The hybrid schemes give significant improvement in performance over other techniques. Besides prediction schemes, we also look at some simple error modeling techniques that take into account prediction errors made in spectrally and/or temporally adjacent pixels in order to efficiently encode the prediction residual. Implementation results on standard test sequences indicate that significant improvements can be obtained by the proposed techniques.
Aromatic polyhydrazides: A new class of highly bonded, stiff polymers

High-molecular weight aromatic polyhydrazides have been prepared by using isophthalic, terephthalic, isocinchomeronic, dipicolinic, 5-chloroisophthalic, 2,5-dichloroterephthalic, 5-tert-butylisophthalic, phenyl ether-4,4′-dicarboxylic, pyrazine-2,5-dicarboxylic, and thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylic acid as polymer intermediates. The polyhydrazides were prepared from equimolar amounts of diacid chloride and dihydrazide (or hydrazine) in hexamethylphosphoramide at room temperature. By contrast to aliphatic polyhydrazides, aromatic polyhydrazides were soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide and with few exceptions had polymer melt temperatures in the range of 350–400°C. Inherent viscosities ranged from 0.30 to 1.00 (in dimethyl sulfoxide). Tough films and strong fibers of these polymers could be fabricated.
Decrease in Gastric Permeability to Sucrose Following Cure of Helicobacter pylori Infection

BACKGROUND Gastric sucrose permeability is a noninvasive marker that reliably increases in association with gastrointestinal injury due to use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Despite the effect of Helicobacter pylori infection on the gastric mucosa, in a previous study we were unable to demonstrate that H. pylori infection was associated with abnormal gastric sucrose permeability. Our goal in this study was to explore further whether H. pylori infection changed gastric permeability; therefore, we evaluated the effect of treatment of H. pylori infection on gastric permeability to sucrose and the relation of sucrose permeability to density of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS Five hundred milliliters of a solution containing 100 gm of sucrose was ingested by the subject at bedtime. Overnight urine was collected and assayed for sucrose by high-performance liquid chromatography. Sucrose permeability was assessed both before and approximately 4 weeks after anti-H. pylori therapy. RESULTS Seventeen asymptomatic H. pylori-infected volunteers participated; 8 were cured. Sucrose permeability was in the range commonly found in normal controls both before and after anti-H. pylori therapy (mean excretion, 76.3 mg; range, 13-171 mg). Gastric sucrose permeability correlated with the density of polymorphonulcear cell infiltration of the mucosa. Cure of the H. pylori infection was associated with a small but significant decrease in sucrose permeability (98.8 +/- 18 mg to 51.7 +/- 9.8 mg (p = .01). Sucrose permeability was greater in those with a high density of mucosal polymorphonuclear cells compared to those with lower scores (119.5 +/- 4 vs 71.4 +/- 13 for those with scores > or = 5 compared to scores < or = 4; p = .023). Failed therapy resulted in an increase in the mucosal density of polymorphonuclear infiltration and sucrose permeability (56.4 +/- 13 mg-99.7 +/- 19 mg pretreatment vs posttreatment, respectively; p = .031). CONCLUSION H. pylori gastritis causes a small but measurable increase in gastric permeability to sucrose that may reflect epithelial transmigration of neutrophils.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet Research Surveys: Evidence from the Literature:

E-mail and World Wide Web surveys have been the subject of much hyperbole about their capabilities as well as some criticism of their limitations. In this report, the authors examine what is known ...
Observation of Damage Process in a Particulate Composite Material by Real-Time Radiographic Techniques

Abstract The damage initiation and evolution processes in pre-cracked sheet specimens subjected to different loading conditions, constant strain rate and constant strain, were investigated using real-time X-ray techniques. The specimens were made of a particulate composite material containing hard particles embedded in a rubber matrix. The X-ray data were analyzed and the results are discussed.
Guaranteed delivery flooding protocols for mobile ad hoc networks

Flooding is an important tool in the routing operations of wireless ad hoc networks with applications to both topology/route discovery and data packet forwarding. We present two "guaranteed delivery" flooding protocols. The protocols "guarantee" successful delivery of packets from a source router to any nonfaulty router in a network that is connected by at least one nonfaulty path to the source router, even if the behavior of faulty routers and links is arbitrary and malicious. The first protocol is based on digital signatures. It improves earlier work by preventing the adversary from overwhelming a victim router with spurious digital signatures. The second protocol is based on the TESLA broadcast authentication protocol.
Pediatric Abdominal Pain: Use of Imaging in the Emergency Department in the United States from 1999 to 2007

The main findings of this study are that the rate of CT use in the evaluation of abdominal pain in children increased every year between 1999 and 2007 and that the use of CT was greater in adult-focused emergency departments than in pediatric-focused facilities.
Enabling chance interaction through instant messaging

Free and easy to install, instant messaging is a great vessel for chance interaction. Isaacs et al (2002) of AT&T discussed the concept of enabling chance interaction through mobile instant messaging. Although their research involved heavy use of prototypes that are not yet widely available, it can help us realize ways of enabling chance interaction today. This article provides a theoretical understanding of the benefits of chance interaction, followed by a description of the Hubbub instant messaging system, custom built to enable such interactions.
Simultaneous measurements of NO, OH, and the major species in turbulent flames

We present a method for obtaining time-resolved point measurements of the pollutant nitric oxide (NO), hydroxyl (OH), the temperature, and the major species—using a combination of laser-induced fluorescence and Rayleigh/Raman scattering—in turbulent flames. Using single-shot measurements of temperature and the major species concentrations, we calculate the mixture fraction, which characterizes the state of mixing in the gas, and the corrections for the NO and OH fluorescence. For NO the time-resolved detection limit is ∼ 10 parts in 106. We demonstrate this facility with measurements of NO versus the mixture fraction in a turbulent nonpremixed H2 jet flame.
How difficult is it to search for the Higgs boson systematically

To search for the Higgs boson systematically, the process e+e−→μ+μ− + anything, in which the Higgs boson may appear as a spike in the missing-mass plot, isin principle a good candidate. Unfortunately, at a center-of-mass energy of 30 GeV, the design luminosity of PEP and PETRA is far below the level necessary for it to become useful. However, the situation is expected to improve as the total beam energy approaches the Z-boson mass.
Interpretations of the Taiping Tien-kuo by Noncommunist Chinese Writers

Various interpretations have been offered to explain the nature of Taiping society. The earliest ones were given by those who witnessed the progress of the movement and who either took part in suppressing and ultimately destroying it or suffered as victims of its wanton destruction. The attitude of this group is exemplified by Tseng Kuo-fan's “Proclamation, ” Chang Te-chien's Tse-ch'ing hui-tsuan (Prepared by order of Tseng) a , Ku Shen's Hu-hsueh shenghuan chi (Narrow escape from the tiger's den), b Ming Hsin Tao Jen's Fa-i ch'uchi (The first account of the hair rebels), Ch'en Hsi-ch'i's Yueh-i hsien-ning shih-mo chi (A complete account of the occupation of Hai-ning by the Yueh rebels), c and a host of others. These accounts, as Teng Chih-ch'eng remarked in his “Preface to Wang Shih-to's I-ping jih-chi (Wang's diary), because of the fact that the authors were the actual victims, “only give tragic scences of burning and massacre and condemn the unorthodox and vulgar nature of the institutions and writings [of the rebels].
Real Time Method

The chapter gives a brief description of the Real-Time Time Dependent Density Functional Method. It introduces necessary terminology and outlines the essential computational steps. It concludes with description of the real-space implementation of the method.
Effect of CO on Ru Nucleation and Ultra-Smooth Thin Film Growth by Chemical Vapor Deposition at Low Temperature

Ruthenium was deposited on SiO2/Si(001) substrates at 473 K by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using triruthenium dodecacarbonyl with and without an overpressure of CO. Carbon monoxide was employed to inhibit the growth of previously nucleated islands to allow the formation of additional nuclei. Carbon monoxide also competed with the precursor for free hydroxyl sites on SiO2 sites where precursor adsorption and decomposition is favored. Total pressure was maintained at 84 mTorr, and CO was introduced at partial pressures of 2.5 and 8.4 mTorr at various intervals during 15 min growth runs. The nucleation density decreases with increasing CO overpressure when CO and precursor are injected simultaneously from the beginning; in this case, CO blocks the free hydroxyls where the Ru precursor dissociates. When 8.4 mTorr CO is introduced for 5 min to the CVD chamber after a 10 min period of deposition without CO, the maximum nucleation density was achieved (16.4 × 1011/cm2), which is twice as much as the Ru parti...
Limitations to the Bandgap-Selective Photoelectrochemical Etching of GaAs/AlxGa1−x as Heterostructures

We have used the wet photoelectrochemical (PEC) etch process to demonstrate the selective removal of low aluminum (Al) mole-fraction Al x Ga 1−x As layers from those with higher Al mole-fraction. High etch selectivity was found for δ x as low as 0.05, but was found to decrease as the incident photon energy approached the energy bandgap of the desired stop-layer. The ultimate selectivity of one layer from an underlying layer was affected not only by differences in material composition, but also by the sequencing of the layers within the structure.
Analysis of the Absorption and Emission Spectra of U3+ in CsCdBr3 Single Crystal

Laser selective excitation and emission spectra as well as σ- and π-polarized absorption spectra have been recorded for U 3 + ions diluted in a CsCdBr 3 host crystal. Three distinct U 3 + sites were observed. For the principal site, which was attributed to a symmetric dimer center, 45 crystal-field energy levels in the 0-13250 cm - 1 energy range were assigned. These experimentally determined levels were fitted to thirteen parameters of a semiempirical Hamiltonian representing the combined atomic, one-electron crystal field as well as two-particle correlation crystal-field (CCF) operators, with an rms deviation of 41 cm - 1 . Above 14000 cm - 1 strong electric-dipole allowed 5f 3 -5f 2 6d 1 transitions were observed. The lifetime of the 4 G 7 / 2 fluorescing level has been measured for each of the three U 3 + sites at liquid-helium temperatures and are 2.5, 4.3, and 7.6 μs. The emission is strongly influenced by temperature due to strong phonon coupling of the 5f 3 states with the nearby 5f 2 6d 1 states. Visible upconversion fluorescence observed when pumping the 4 I 9 / 2 - ( 4 F 7 / 2 + 4 I 1 5 / 2 ) absorption transitions of the principal site A is attributed to excited-state absorption (ESA).
Temperature dependence of spin-selective charge transfer pathways in donor-bridge-acceptor molecules with oligomeric fluorenone and p-phenylethynylene bridges.

The temperature dependence of spin-selective intramolecular charge recombination (CR) in a series of 2,7-fluorenone (FN1−2) and p-phenylethynylene (PE1−2P) linked donor−bridge−acceptor molecules with a 3,5-dimethyl-4-(9-anthracenyl) julolidine (DMJ−An) electron donor and a naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) acceptor was studied using nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in the presence of a static magnetic field. Photoexcitation of DMJ−An into its charge transfer band and subsequent electron transfer to NI results in a nearly quantitative yield of 1(DMJ+•−An−FNn−NI−•) and 1(DMJ+•−An−PEnP−NI−•), which undergo rapid radical pair intersystem crossing (RP-ISC) to produce the triplet RPs, 3(DMJ+•−An−FNn−NI−•) and 3(DMJ+•−An−PEnP−NI−•), respectively. The CR rate constants, kCR, in toluene were measured over a temperature range from 270 to 350 K, and a kinetic analysis of kCR in the presence of an applied static magnetic field was used to extract the singlet and triplet charge recombination rate...
Mucoviscidosis; its clinical aspects and treatment.

An increasing incidence, or at least more frequent recognition of mucoviscidosis requires that the physician watch for evidence of the disease. Early recognition of the condition is imperative if proper management of the patient is to follow. Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment are discussed and illustrative cases are presented.
Effect of feed-gas humidity on nitrogen atmospheric-pressure plasma jet for biological applications.

OBJECTIVE We investigate the effect of feed-gas humidity on the oxidative properties of an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet using nitrogen gas. BACKGROUND Plasma jets operating at atmospheric pressure are finding uses in medical and biological settings for sterilization and other applications involving oxidative stress applied to organisms. Most jets use noble gases, but some researchers use less expensive nitrogen gas. The feed-gas water content (humidity) has been found to influence the performance of noble-gas plasma jets, but has not yet been systematically investigated for jets using nitrogen gas. METHOD Low-humidity and high-humidity feed gases were used in a nitrogen plasma jet, and the oxidation effect of the jet was measured quantitatively using a chemical dosimeter known as FBX (ferrous sulfate-benzoic acid-xylenol orange). RESULTS The plasma jet using high humidity was found to have about ten times the oxidation effect of the low-humidity jet, as measured by comparison with the addition of measured amounts of hydrogen peroxide to the FBX dosimeter. CONCLUSIONS Atmospheric-pressure plasma jets using nitrogen as a feed gas have a greater oxidizing effect with a high level of humidity added to the feed gas.
Abstract 2404: Dysregulation of lung developmental pathways associated with LKB1 loss in lung cancer

Proceedings: AACR 107th Annual Meeting 2016; April 16-20, 2016; New Orleans, LA Loss of the LKB1 tumor suppressor influences differentiation phenotypes in mouse models of lung adenocarcinoma and in human tumors. We utilize molecular data from resected human lung adenocarcinomas characterized by the TCGA to demonstrate that LKB1 deficient tumors exhibit a higher prevalence of neuroendocrine and gut-like differentiation markers than do LKB1 wild-type tumors (41% vs 9%, odds ratio = 7.3, P = 5.9E-19 for neuroendocrine differentiation; 36% vs 12%, odds ratio = 4.3, P = 2.5E-11 for gut-like differentiation. Fisher's exact test). Using copy number analysis and transcription factor enrichment analysis, we link these phenotypes to activation of particular transcription factors, namely FOXA2, HNF1A, ASCL1, and TTF1. We observe similar associations among non-small cell lung cancer cell lines, which may represent appropriate ideal models for further experimentation. Furthermore, we examine these differentiation phenotypes using immunohistochemical analysis of a tissue microarray (TMA), combined with RNAseq expression analysis, and MS/MS proteomic characterization of the same cohort of 36 tumors. Our molecular characterization confirms the neuroendocrine and gut-like differentiation phenotypes observed in the TCGA dataset and their association with LKB1-loss. Moreover, our immunohistochemical analysis demonstrates that these distinct differentiation subtypes are heterogeneously expressed within single tumors. Co-expression of neuroendocrine, gut-like, and respiratory differentiation is significantly more likely to occur within LKB1 deficient tumors, and is also associated with increased expression of a c-Kit positive sub-population that appears to lack expression of more differentiated markers. Among the TCGA tumors, this tri-lineage expression pattern is seen in 12.5% of LKB1-deficient tumors, compared to 1% of LKB1-wild-type tumors (Odds ratio 11.5, P = 3.2E-8. Fisher's exact test). These findings give further support to the role of LKB1 in regulating differentiation phenotypes in lung cancer, and may suggest a hierarchy of progenitor cells and lineage-specific subpopulations within these tumors. Citation Format: Jacob M. Kaufman, Cindy Lowe, Bradford Harris, Kelli Boyd, Joseph Amann, Rosana Eisenberg, David Carbone, Pierre Massion. Dysregulation of lung developmental pathways associated with LKB1 loss in lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2404.
A Glutaredoxin·BolA Complex Serves as an Iron-Sulfur Cluster Chaperone for the Cytosolic Cluster Assembly Machinery

Abstract Cells contain hundreds of proteins that require iron cofactors for activity. Iron cofactors are synthesized in the cell, but the pathways involved in distributing heme, iron-sulfur clusters, and ferrous/ferric ions to apoproteins remain incompletely defined. In particular, cytosolic monothiol glutaredoxins and BolA-like proteins have been identified as [2Fe-2S]-coordinating complexes in vitro and iron-regulatory proteins in fungi, but it is not clear how these proteins function in mammalian systems or how this complex might affect Fe-S proteins or the cytosolic Fe-S assembly machinery. To explore these questions, we use quantitative immunoprecipitation and live cell proximity-dependent biotinylation to monitor interactions between Glrx3, BolA2, and components of the cytosolic iron-sulfur cluster assembly system. We characterize cytosolic Glrx3·BolA2 as a [2Fe-2S] chaperone complex in human cells. Unlike complexes formed by fungal orthologs, human Glrx3-BolA2 interaction required the coordination of Fe-S clusters, whereas Glrx3 homodimer formation did not. Cellular Glrx3·BolA2 complexes increased 6–8-fold in response to increasing iron, forming a rapidly expandable pool of Fe-S clusters. Fe-S coordination by Glrx3·BolA2 did not depend on Ciapin1 or Ciao1, proteins that bind Glrx3 and are involved in cytosolic Fe-S cluster assembly and distribution. Instead, Glrx3 and BolA2 bound and facilitated Fe-S incorporation into Ciapin1, a [2Fe-2S] protein functioning early in the cytosolic Fe-S assembly pathway. Thus, Glrx3·BolA is a [2Fe-2S] chaperone complex capable of transferring [2Fe-2S] clusters to apoproteins in human cells.
Bacillus anthracis: Agent of Bioterror and Disease

Anthrax is an ancient disease described over three thousand years ago by many cultures, including the Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and Hindus. More recently, in the nineteenth century, anthrax played a central role in the development of the germ theory of disease. In addition, the disease was integral to the development of Koch’s postulates(1) as well as the pioneering vaccine work of Greenfield,(2) and Pasteur.(3) Anthraxwas also thefirst disease forwhichdifferent clinicalmanifestations were ascribed to infection with a single agent. Those diseases, which include cutaneous anthrax, gastrointestinal anthrax, and inhalational anthrax, all result from infection with the Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis (Fig. 1).B. anthracis infections beginwith germinationof environmentally resistant spores within host tissues to produce vegetative, aerobic bacilli that replicate to high numbers and eventually kill the host.
Mechanical Characterization of MEMS

Characterization of microelectromechanical systems, MEMS structures is important for their reliability, specifically for life-sustaining applications. Due to size effect, testing must be done at microscale under the same conditions the components are utilized. Microtesting systems have been developed and used for metallic and nonmetallic MEMS components. Other methods including on-the-chip characterization have been developed and utilized. Details of development or utilization of various micro-characterization techniques are presented in this chapter. There are many issues related to mechanical properties, some of which are briefly described here. Modeling MEMS both computationally and mathematically are depicted along with examples. At the end, future trends in MEMS are discussed.
A review on laser and light-based therapies for alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is a form of non-scarring alopecia that results from a hyperactive immune response of T cells against hair follicles. Many patients with visible hair loss experience psychological and emotional distress, as a result of their cosmetic disfigurement, and frequently seek treatment. However, existing treatment methods, such as corticosteroids, topical irritants, sensitizing agents, immunosuppressants, and psoralen plus ultraviolet light A, may result in various adverse effects and often lack efficacy. Laser and light treatments offer a safe and effective alternative. This review aims to provide clinicians with a comprehensive summary of laser and light-based modalities used for the treatment of alopecia areata. Currently, the excimer laser is the most widely studied device and has shown positive results thus far. However, the development of future randomized controlled clinical trials will help determine the appropriate treatment protocols necessary, in order to achieve superior clinical outcomes.
Diabetes does not worsen outcomes following infrageniculate bypass or endovascular intervention for patients with critical limb ischemia

Abstract Objective Both open surgery and endovascular peripheral interventions have been shown to effectively improve outcomes in patients with peripheral arterial disease, but minimal data exist comparing outcomes performed at and below the knee among patients with diabetes (DM) specifically. The purpose of this study is to compare outcomes following open bypass (lower extremity bypass [LEB]) and peripheral vascular intervention (PVI) at and below the knee in patients with DM vs patients without DM (non-DM) with critical limb ischemia. Methods Data from the 2008-2014 Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) were analyzed. All patients undergoing LEB or PVI at or below the knee for rest pain or tissue loss were included. One-year primary patency, major amputation, and mortality were compared for patients with DM vs patients without DM stratified by treatment approach. Results Overall, 2566 patients were included, including 500 patients (19%) undergoing LEB (DM = 355 vs non-DM = 145) and 2066 patients (81%) undergoing PVI (DM = 1463 vs non-DM = 603). Patients with DM were more frequently black (18% vs 14%), had more comorbidities, and more frequently underwent revascularization for tissue loss (85% vs 58%) compared with patients without DM (all, P P =.52), major amputation (16% vs 12%; P = .39), or mortality (10% vs 6%; P =.16) between DM vs non-DM patients. There were also no significant differences in 1-year primary patency (81% vs 79%; P = .36), major amputation (14% vs 11%; P =.09) or mortality (6% vs 7%; P =.30) among patients with DM vs patients without DM undergoing PVI. Multivariable analysis adjusting for baseline differences between groups demonstrated a nonsignificant trend toward better primary patency in the DM group following both LEB (hazard ratio, 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-2.42; P = .05) and PVI (hazard ratio, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.97-1.56; P = .09). There were no significant differences in 1-year major amputation or mortality comparing patients with DM vs patients without DM for either LEB or PVI after risk adjustment (all, P ≥ .16). Conclusions Critical limb ischemia resulting from arterial occlusive disease at or below the knee can be treated successfully with either open surgical bypass or endovascular interventions in both DM and non-DM patients. Aggressive attempts at limb salvage among patients with critical limb ischemia should be pursued regardless of DM status.
Attenuation of Surface CXCR4 Down-Regulation in Human Cord Blood HSC during Ex Vivo Expansion Using the HUBEC Co-Culture System.

Abstract Down-modulation of surface CXCR4, a G-protein-coupled receptor, in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) undergoing ex vivo expansion culturing is considered to be one of the major causes of marrow reconstitution failure, possibly due to an HSC homing defect. Recently, it has been reported that severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)-repopulating cells (SRC) were expanded from the CD34-enriched human adult bone marrow (ABM) or cord blood (CB) hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) using a human brain endothelial cell (HUBEC) co-culture system. We found that primitive cord blood cells expressing surface CXCR4 (82+5%) lost this capability significantly during 7 days of ex vivo expansion in the HUBEC co-culture containing the cytokines stem cell factor (SCF), flt-3, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-3, and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Expression levels of other surface proteins relevant to HSC homing, such as CD49d, CD95, CD26, or CD11a, were not down-modulated. We hypothesized that CXCR4 down-regulation was caused by a receptor internalization and tested several methods to reverse CXCR4 internalization back to the surface, such as elimination of GM-CSF in the culture media, performing a non-contact culture using the transwell, or adding either 0.3Mor 0.4M sucrose, or 25μg/ml chlorpromazine (CPZ), 24 hours prior to the analysis. CPZ and sucrose are known inhibitors of the cytokine-induced endocytosis of CXCR4 in neutrophils (Bruhl H. et al. Eur J Immunol 2003). Interestingly, 0.4M sucrose showed approximately a 2-fold increase of surface CXCR4 expression on CB CD34+ cells by flow cytometry analysis. CPZ and 0.3M sucrose showed a moderate increase expression of CXCR4. Using a transwell HUBEC co-culture system, CXCR4 surface expression on CD34+ cells was down-regulated during the ex vivo culture. In vitro HSC migration test showed 3.1-fold increase in migration compared to the control after incubation of HSC with 0.1M sucrose for 16 hours prior to the in vitro migration study. Eliminating GM-CSF from the cytokine cocktail or adding MG132 increased migration 1.36- and 1.2-fold compared to the control. We are currently performing an in vivo homing assay using nonobese diabetic (NOD)-SCID mice. In conclusion, the HUBEC ex vivo culture system down-regulates surface CXCR4 in human cord blood HSC. The mechanism of CXCR4 surface down regulation may be receptor internalization by cytokines. Sucrose may be useful in attenuation of CXCR4 surface expression in CD34+ HSC by inhibition of receptor internalization via clathrin-coated pits.
Updated analysis of CALGB/ECOG/BMT CTN 100104: Lenalidomide (Len) vs. placebo (PBO) maintenance therapy after single autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) for multiple myeloma (MM).

8523 Background: CALGB 100104 studied Len vs. PBO maintenance following ASCT for newly diagnosed MM patients (pts), demonstrating improved time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS) and increase in second primary malignancies (SPM) for Len at 34 months (mos) median follow-up. This is an updated intent-to-treat analysis of TTP, OS, and SPM at 65 mos median follow-up for OS. Methods: 460 pts age < 70 years with stable disease or better 100 days post ASCT were randomly assigned to Len (n = 231) vs. PBO (n = 229). Starting dose was 10 mg daily and was escalated to 15 mg daily after 3 mos. Primary endpoint was TTP (time of progressive disease (PD) or death from any cause). After several interim analyses, the study was unblinded at 18 mos median follow-up and 86/128 PBO pts without PD chose to cross over to Len. Results: SPMs diagnosed after randomization but before PD included 14 hematologic and 11 solid tumor SPMs in the Len arm vs. 3 hematologic and 7 solid tumor SPMs in the PBO arm (Table 1). Estimate...