cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Principles for including or excluding 'mechanisms' of death when writing cause-of-death statements.

Objective To develop principles and refined definitions designed to improve the content of cause-of-death statements regarding inclusion or exclusion of so-called mechanisms of death. Data sources Survey of readily available instruction manuals and other literature regarding mechanisms of death and instructions for death certificate completion. Data synthesis Definitions and principles contained in the information sources were reviewed, and a set of specific principles, criteria, and definitions were written. These principles are consistent with, but are more extensive and practically applicable than, those found in each of the information sources surveyed and may be used to decide which conditions to report in cause-of-death statements. Conclusions Mechanisms of death include a defined list of terminal events (such as asystole) and a larger group of nonspecific physiologic derangements (such as portal hypertension) and are differentiated by definition from nonspecific anatomic processes (such as cirrhosis). Three principles may be applied in individual cases. Principle 1 states that terminal events are not reported in cause-of-death statements. Principle 2 states that a nonspecific physiologic derangement or a nonspecific anatomic process should be reported if (1) it is a recognized, potentially fatal complication of the underlying cause of death; (2) it constitutes part of the sequence of conditions that led to the death of the patient in question; (3) it is not a symptom or sign; (4) its existence in the patient would not be apparent unless included and explicitly stated in the cause-of-death statement; (5) its inclusion does not constitute an oversimplification of the facts; and (6) an etiologically specific underlying cause of death is also reported. Principle 3 states that if the existence of the complication is obvious based on the underlying cause of death or another reported complication, it need not be reported.
Hepatoblastoma: New Insights into the Biology of Embryonal Tumors of the Liver

Malignant tumors of the liver are rare in children, with an approximate incidence of 1.8 cases per million, representing 1 % of all malignancies diagnosed during childhood. Hepatocellular neoplasms are the most common type of primary tumors of the liver in children, with hepatoblastoma (HB) being the most common during the first years of life (median age of diagnosis is 1 year), followed by hepatocellular carcinoma, usually affecting older children and adolescents (Hepatology 38:560–566, 2003; Hum Pathol 14:512–537, 1983). Several sources have reported an increase in the incidence of HB during the last two decades, both in the United States and in Japan, as well as a significantly higher rate of HB among low and very low birth weight infants. Primary liver tumors account for 6–8 % of all congenital tumors. HB has been associated with a number of constitutional genetic abnormalities, malformations, familial cancer syndromes (familial adenomatous polyposis, Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome), and metabolic disorders (Glycogen storage diseases types I and IV) (Liver Disease in Children, 2007). However, most HBs are sporadic and the etiology for these tumors is not presently known.
Molecular Docking for Drug Discovery: Machine-Learning Approaches for Native Pose Prediction of Protein-Ligand Complexes

Molecular docking is a widely-employed method in structure-based drug design. An essential component of molecular docking programs is a scoring function (SF) that can be used to identify the most stable binding pose of a ligand, when bound to a receptor protein, from among a large set of candidate poses. Despite intense efforts in developing conventional SFs, which are either force-field based, knowledge-based, or empirical, their limited docking power (or ability to successfully identify the correct pose) has been a major impediment to cost-effective drug discovery. Therefore, in this work, we explore a range of novel SFs employing different machine-learning (ML) approaches in conjunction with physicochemical and geometrical features characterizing protein-ligand complexes to predict the native or near-native pose of a ligand docked to a receptor protein’s binding site. We assess the docking accuracies of these new ML SFs as well as those of conventional SFs in the context of the 2007 PDBbind benchmark datasets on both diverse and homogeneous (protein-family-specific) test sets. We find that the best performing ML SF has a success rate of 80 % in identifying poses that are within 1 A root-mean-square deviation from the native poses of 65 different protein families. This is in comparison to a success rate of only 70 % achieved by the best conventional SF, ASP, employed in the commercial docking software GOLD. We also observed steady gains in the performance of the proposed ML SFs as the training set size was increased by considering more protein-ligand complexes and/or more computationally-generated poses for each complex.
Exploring Genetic and Nongenetic Relationships: The Induction of Micronuclei

The interphase of genetics and carcinogenesis has been a field of active investigation ever since the realization that mutagenicity, or more precisely the ability to alter DNA, could be the basis of cancer causation. Indeed, this realization, which ultimately led to the “carcinogens are mutagens” paradigm (Ames et al. 1973), also spawned the field of genetic toxicology. Of course, the “somatic mutation theory of cancer causation” as well as the “electrophilic theory of carcinogenesis” (Miller and Miller 1977) received confirmation by the recognition of the role in carcinogenesis of the activation of proto-oncogenes and the deactivation of suppressor genes by mutagenic mechanisms. Indeed, the relevance of these approaches and theories to human cancers was shown by the fact that the majority of carcinogens that cause cancer in humans are mutagenic and or genotoxic (Ennever et al. 1987; Shelby 1988; Bartsch and Malaveille 1989) and that the induction (initiation) of human tumors is accompanied by oncogene activation and/or Suppressor inactivation (Mariyama et al. 1989; Aaronson 1991; Hollstein et al. 1991; Reynolds et al. 1991; Sidransky et al. 1991; Weinberg 1991).
Hot and malignant - a case of invasive papillary carcinoma in hyperthyroid patient with hot nodules.

Introduction: Malignant thyroid nodules are clinically euthyroid and appear as cold nodules on scintigraphy. Malignancy in hyper-functioning thyroid nodule is rare. Case report: A 48-year-old male with painless swelling on the right side of his neck for the last 4 months complained of feeling hot all the time, sweating and unintentionally losing about 20 pounds. On physical examination, there was a 3-cm mobile, non-tender mass on the right supra-clavicular area biopsy of which was consistent with metastatic papillary carcinoma of thyroid. Neck imaging showed a cystic mass in the right supra-clavicular fossa region, bilateral neck adenopathy and multiple thyroid nodules. Subsequent thyroid radionuclide scans showed three hyper-functioning nodules, which were later demonstrated to be a follicular variant of papillary microcarcinoma. He was treated with total thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine thyroid ablation therapy. Conclusion: Physicians need to be aware and vigilant for the possibilities of malignancy in a hyper-functioning thyroid nodule when evaluating any thyroid nodule.
Retrosigmoid Approach for Resection of Cerebellopontine Angle Meningioma

This video depicts the case of an 81-year-old man who presented with a 3-month history of left-sided facial numbness and gait imbalance. On examination, he had gait ataxia and decreased left facial sensation in the V2 and V3 distribution. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a large homogenously enhancing lesion arising from the inferior surface of the tentorium toward the left cerebellopontine angle causing significant brainstem compression ( Fig. 1A and 1B ). The differential diagnoses for this lesion included meningioma and trigeminal nerve schwannoma. Given the patient's symptoms, the size of the lesion, and the severity of brainstem compression, surgical resection was recommended. The patient underwent a left retrosigmoid craniotomy for resection of the mass ( Fig. 2 ). The patient tolerated the procedure well with no new postoperative neurological deficit. Histopathological examination of the lesion revealed a World Health Organization (WHO) grade I meningioma. Postoperative MRI was consistent with gross total resection of the tumor ( Fig. 1C and 1D ). The patient was discharged home on postoperative day 4. At his last follow-up appointment, 1 month after surgery, the patient reported complete resolution of his imbalance and left-sided facial numbness. The patient gave consent for publication. The link to the video can be found at: https://youtu.be/xoHmhv7bme4 .
Isolated Right-Sided Varicocele: Is Further Workup Necessary?

OBJECTIVE. Unilateral left varicoceles are common and considered benign. Unilateral right varicoceles are reportedly associated with a pathologic process, namely malignancy affecting the retroperit...
Osteoclast-like cells formed in long-term human bone marrow cultures express a similar surface phenotype as authentic osteoclasts

Long-term cultures of human bone marrow form multinucleated cells (MNC) with many functional characteristics of osteoclasts including: expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, appropriate responses to osteotropic hormones, calcitonin-induced contraction and formation of resorption lacunae on calcified matrices. However, it is unclear if these cells express similar surface antigens as expressed by authentic osteoclasts, since they form on plastic surfaces in the absence of bone. Bone may be required to complete the differentiation process for osteoclasts. Therefore, we have examined the surface phenotype of MNC and compared it with that of osteoclasts freshly isolated from bone, to determine if MNC express similar surface antigens, and if MNC express antigens which identify their cellular origin. Similar to bone-derived osteoclasts, MNC formed in long-term human bone marrow culture expressed osteoclast-specific antigens (detected by monoclonal antibodies 13c2 and 23c6) and did not express Fc receptors, T cell specific antigens, most myeloid antigens or mature macrophage antigens. In contrast to authentic osteoclasts, MNC reacted with a monoclonal antibody (Mol) which identifies an antigen present on myeloblasts, monocytes, granulocytes, and null cells from human peripheral blood and bone marrow. MNC also reacted with the monoclonal antibody My11, which is present on CFU-GM, the granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cell, the probable precursor for MNC. These data demonstrate that MNC formed in long-term human marrow cultures express a similar surface phenotype to osteoclasts. This phenotype is different from that expressed by macrophage polykaryons. In addition, MNC also expressed monocyte-related antigens (My11, Mol), suggesting that are derived from or related to the monocytic lineage.
Integrating Heat Sinks into a 3D Co-Design Network Model for Quick Parametric Analysis

Co-design and co-engineering have the potential to significantly advance the state of the art of electronics packaging. A key enabling capability of co-design are design tools which allow quick parametric design across various design spaces. ARL's ParaPower tool allows quick parametric thermo-mechanical design analysis of most rectilinear designs using a 3D thermal resistor network for both steady-state and transient heat loads. This work expands the ParaPower capabilities by allowing internal boundary cavity (IBC) features into the network structure. IBCs can be placed anywhere in the 3D rectilinear geometry and include two distinct boundary parameters: (1) a surface heat transfer coefficient and (2) an ambient temperature. Adding the IBC functionality to the network model significantly increases the design flexibility by permitting internal convection paths, non-rectilinear geometries, and heat sink geometry evaluation. This paper presents the IBC equations and illustrates the parametric capability by evaluating the effects of convection coefficient and heat sink material. The ability to quickly assess the thermal and stress effects of a wide variety of power module design parameters during the initial design process - with reasonable results and without the complexity of a full FEA analysis - can significantly improve the final design.
Timing of intervention may influence outcomes in blunt injury to the carotid artery.

Abstract Objective Blunt carotid artery injury (BCI) is present in approximately 1.0% to 2.7% of all blunt trauma admissions and can result in significant morbidity and mortality. Management ranges from antithrombotic therapy alone to surgery, where potential indications include pseudoaneurysm, failed or contraindication to medical therapy, and progression of neurologic symptoms. Still, optimal management, including approach and timing, continues to be an active area for debate. The goal of this study was to assess the epidemiologic characteristics of BCI, and, after controlling for presenting features intrinsic to the data, compare outcomes based on management, operative approach, and timing of intervention. Methods A retrospective review was conducted of adult BCI patients identified within the National Trauma Data Bank from 2002 to 2016. The National Trauma Data Bank is the largest trauma database in the United States, collating data from each trauma admission for more than 900 trauma centers. Independent variables of interest included nonoperative versus operative management (OM); endovascular versus open intervention, and early (within 24 hours) versus delayed (after 24 hours) intervention. For each independent variable, groups were compared after propensity score matching to control for presenting factors and patterns of injury. Results There were 9190 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 812 of whom underwent operative intervention (open, n = 288; endovascular, n = 481, both: n = 43). During the review, there was no difference in proportion of OM over time, although there was a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of open intervention (0.48% per year; P Conclusions In this study, there was no significant trend in the overall volume of operative or nOM; however, when considering approach to OM, there was a significant decrease in open procedures. Consistent with previous literature, injury to the neck, head, and chest was significant associated with BCI. Also outcomes demonstrated an increased prevalence of stroke after operative relative to nOM. Importantly, after critically assessing the timing to intervention, results strongly suggested that, if possible, intervention should be delayed for at least 24 hours.
Kin grouping is insufficient to explain the inclusive fitness gains of conspecific brood parasitism in the common eider.

Conspecific brood parasitism allows females to exploit other females' nests and enhance their reproductive output. Here, we test a recent theoretical model of how host females gain inclusive fitness from brood parasitism. High levels of relatedness between host and parasitizer can be maintained either by: (a) kin recognizing and parasitizing each other as a form of cooperative breeding or (b) natal philopatry and nest site fidelity facilitating the formation of kin groups, thereby increasing the probability of parasitism between relatives nesting in close proximity. To address these two hypotheses we genotyped feathers and hatch membranes of common eiders (Somateria mollissima) from western Hudson Bay, Canada, using a noninvasive sampling methodology. We found that most instances of brood parasitism do result in inclusive fitness gains. Furthermore, females with failed nests moved an average of 492 m from their previous year's nest site, while successful females only moved an average of 13 m. Therefore, we observed host-parasite relatedness can occur at levels higher than would be expected by chance even in the absence of kin grouping, suggesting that closely related females nesting near one another is not essential to maintain high host-parasitizer relatedness. In addition, kin grouping is only a transient phenomenon that cannot occur every year due to the propensity for females of failed nests to nest farther away from their nest site in subsequent years than females with successful nests, which provides support for kin recognition as a more likely mechanism to maintain high host-parasitizer relatedness over time.
Calcium Ions Directly Interact with the Ebola Virus Fusion Peptide To Promote Structure–Function Changes That Enhance Infection

Ebola virus disease is a serious global health concern given its periodic occurrence, high lethality, and the lack of approved therapeutics. Certain drugs that alter intracellular calcium, particularly in endolysosomes, have been shown to inhibit Ebola virus infection; however, the underlying mechanism is unknown. Here, we provide evidence that Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) infection is promoted in the presence of calcium as a result of the direct interaction of calcium with the EBOV fusion peptide (FP). We identify the glycoprotein residues D522 and E540 in the FP as functionally critical to EBOV's interaction with calcium. We show using spectroscopic and biophysical assays that interactions of the fusion peptide with Ca2+ ions lead to lipid ordering in the host membrane during membrane fusion, and these changes are promoted at low pH and can be correlated with infectivity. We further demonstrate using circular dichroism spectroscopy that calcium interaction with the fusion peptide promotes α-helical structure of the fusion peptide, a conformational change that enhances membrane fusion, as validated using functional assays of membrane fusion. This study shows that calcium directly targets the Ebola virus fusion peptide and influences its conformation. As these residues are highly conserved across the Filoviridae, calcium's impact on fusion, and subsequently infectivity, is a key interaction that can be leveraged for developing strategies to defend against Ebola infection. This mechanistic insight provides a rationale for the use of calcium-interfering drugs already approved by the FDA as therapeutics against Ebola and enables further development of novel drugs to combat the virus.
Functional Significance of Visually Triggered Discharges in Eye Movement Related Neurons

Gaze orientation is a quick, natural, almost automatic reaction. Yet, in the couple of hundred milliseconds that separate the appearance of a photic target and the orientation of the gaze to it, the CNS has to make a number of delicate computations and decisions. The where, how, and when of the movement have to be determined. Analysis of single-unit events occurring during this period suggests that the spatial coordinates of the goal are calculated immediately upon stimulus presentation. The information predictive of the trajectory of the orienting movement to be performed appears already available in what, on the basis of fixed latency, would be considered stimulus-locked visual response. The actual launching of the saccade is a separate, subsequent decision.
Exploring the Ecological Dimensions of Displacement in Núcleo Itariru (Serra do Mar State Park): an Ethnobotanical Study of Peasant/Landscape Relations in Brazil's Atlantic Forest

As a research focused in studies of conservation-induced displacement, ethnobiology has much to contribute towards generating more holistic understandings of the impacts of protected areas upon the lives of resource-dependent peoples around the globe. This paper presents the findings of a case study undertaken in Nucleo Itariru (Southern Sao Paulo state, Brazil), a unit of Serra do Mar State Park and the site of habitation for a population of approximately 700 peasants. Beginning in 2006, with the enactment of a new conservation initiative, peasants effectively became economically displaced, restricted from access to the natural resources upon which they base their lives and livelihoods. Utilizing ethnobotanical methods, in the form of a freelisting exercise and traveling herbarium survey, the study investigated local environmental knowledge systems as a means of evaluating the human/ landscape relationship in the locale. This paper highlights the value of such an approach for assessing the social and environmental dimensions of displacement, as a supplement to participant observation and ethnographic interviews, and for informing more sustainable conservation policies.
Biomorphic Systems and Biomorphic Missions

A viewgraph presentation (with an explanation for each slide) gives an overview of biomorphic systems and missions. Biomorphic explorers are classified, and the challenge to obtain a biomorphic robot is described. Characteristics of biomorphic explorers are described, and biomorphic missions are discussed.
Cross-stream migration of non-spherical particles in a second-order fluid – theories of particle dynamics in arbitrary quadratic flows

Particle migration in viscoelastic suspensions is vital in many applications in the biomedical community and the chemical/oil industries. Previous studies have provided insight into the motion of spherical particles in simple viscoelastic flows, yet the combined effect of more complex flow profiles and particle shapes is under-explored. Here, we develop approximate analytical expressions for the polymeric force and torque on an arbitrarily shaped particle in a second-order fluid, subject to a general quadratic flow field. This model is exact for the case when the first and second normal stress coefficients satisfy . Under this assumption, we examine how particle shape alters cross-stream particle migration (i.e. lift) and particle orientation in both shear- and pressure-driven flows. In shear-driven flows, we observe that spheroidal particles adjust their orientation to align their longer axis along the vorticity direction, although significant deviations from slender-body theories occur for finite aspect ratios. In a slit-like pressure-driven flow, we identify scaling theories to quantify how the particle lift depends on shape for a wide variety of shapes. We find that prolate particles slowly transition to a log-rolling state as they approach the flow centre, with the lift initially being larger than that of an equal-volume sphere, but then becoming smaller as log-rolling emerges. The net effect is a smaller average migration speed for particles with larger aspect ratio. Lastly, we discuss future directions for experimental studies on particle dynamics as well as directions to extend the current work towards more complicated systems.
Spider-web technique: Surgical method for comminuted skull fractures

Abstract When a depressed skull fracture is comminuted with multiple fragments, especially with fracture lines in various three-dimensional planes, it can present as a surgical challenge for replacement fixation. It is often preferable when possible for a sizable bone flap to be replaced with the patient’s own bone flap rather than synthetic or titanium mesh. We describe a simple operative method termed descriptively as “spider-web” technique, which can be used to reassemble and provide fixation for comminuted skull fractures that might otherwise be challenging to replace.
The effect of patient satisfaction scores on physician job satisfaction and burnout.

Physician burnout is recognized as reversible with the potential to negatively influence quality of care and patient outcomes. The study objective was to evaluate associations between patient satis...
A detailed experimental and Monte Carlo analysis of gold nanoparticle dose enhancement using 6 MV and 18 MV external beam energies in a macroscopic scale.

Abstract Dose enhancement due to gold nanoparticles (GNPs) has been quantified experimentally and through Monte Carlo simulations for external beam radiation therapy energies of 6 and 18 MV. The highest enhancement was observed for the 18 MV beam at the highest GNP concentration tested, amounting to a DEF of 1.02. DEF is shown to increase with increasing concentration of gold and increasing energy in the megavoltage energy range. The largest difference in measured vs. simulated DEF across all data sets was 0.3%, showing good agreement.
Associations between social camouflaging and internalizing symptoms in autistic and non-autistic adolescents.

Autistic individuals experience higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities than their peers. Camouflaging, the process through which individuals hide autistic traits, can be detrimental to mental he...
Evaluation for Ventricular Assist Devices and Cardiac Transplantation

Although majority of patients with heart failure can be treated medically for years with reasonable quality of life, some progress to advanced heart failure. Patients with end stage disease have very short life expectancy and multiple limitations in daily activities which compromise their quality of life. The choice then becomes between acceptance of the limitations, support with mechanically assisted circulation, or heart transplantation. While ventricular assist devices is the most dynamic and rapidly evolving part of the field, heart transplant remains a standard method with proven record of good long-term outcomes. The shortage of donor hearts makes the process of candidate selection very challenging. It includes medical, social, financial, and ethical consideration and always requires a team approach. In this chapter, we are summarizing the key points of the evaluation process for cardiac transplantation.
Estimating the Optimal Scale of Public Investments: The Case of Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities

This paper addresses the regulatory problem of estimating the optimal scale of public capital investments, such as regional low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) disposal facilities and sports stadiums, when regulators can require information disclosures from firms. I evaluate the efficacy of the Illinois LLRW mandatory forecast disclosure rule against an estimated ARIMA model of LLRW volume disposed over the 1985–1995 period; the ARIMA model is shown to be more accurate. I conclude with an ARIMA model forecast of lifecycle volumetric capacity of a proposed LLRW disposal facility in Illinois.
Art, Anthropological Aspects of

Anthropologists assume art is a human universal, but have had to struggle with the cross-cultural identification of art, either by finding common forms and practices, e.g., painting, sculpture, and dance, or by exploring the aesthetic locus in each cultural system. All humans enjoy aesthetic appreciation, but their visual, aural, tactile, olfactory, and sensory preferences vary from place to place and over time. Anthropologists have examined the meaning of arts, in their psychological or psychoanalytic aspects and emotional power, as semiotic media of communication like language and signaling systems, or by examining their sociopolitical agency in guiding human relationships. Arts like other local practices have experienced cross-cultural exchange, colonization, and globalization. They have evolved both as symbols of specific ethnic identities, and as commercial and tourist arts. Crossing boundaries subjects arts to different audiences who make different interpretations, and meanings may be manipulated for power or commerce by mediators such as traders, anthropologists, and critics. As trade and travel erase barriers, artists of formerly separate peoples encounter metropolitan practices such as art school education, art galleries and museums, and the thriving and competitive mainstream art world. Many creatively enter that world while endeavoring to maintain ethnic distinctiveness, so that for instance, British, Inuit, Japanese, Spanish, and Maori arts are circulated and exhibited by the same or similar institutions. The contemporary world of dissolving boundaries, often called postmodernity, has allowed many practices formerly segregated as crafts, often made by women, to enter these same circuits and institutions; metropolitan artists have appropriated features of non-Western arts as their own, as non-Western artists take up metropolitan practices. There is a convergence as artists now engage in ethnographic research, and anthropologists emphasize the poetic (rather than the analytical) power of their works. Art historians emphasize the personal and contextual in art production while anthropologists extend their gaze at the metropolitan and global art world.
Renal nephrometry score is associated with urine leak after partial nephrectomy

OBJECTIVE • To determine if the RENAL nephrometry score is associated with urine leak after partial nephrectomy for tumours ≤ 7 cm. PATIENTS AND METHODS • Thirty-one patients who developed urine leak after partial nephrectomy between 1998 and 2006 were identified. Each patient was individually matched (1 : 4 by age, gender and surgery date) to 124 patients who had undergone partial nephrectomy but without urine leak. • Associations of RENAL nephrometry scores and each component of the score (Radius; Endophytic; Nearness to collecting system; and Location) with urine leak were evaluated using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS • Mean tumour size for the 31 patients who developed urine leak was 3.4 cm (median 3.5; range 1.5-5.9). Mean RENAL score was 8 (median 8; range 5-11). • Each unit increase in RENAL score was associated with a 35% increased odds of urine leak (OR 1.35; 95% CI 1.08-1.69; P= 0.009). • On multivariable analysis, tumours that were <50% exophytic (OR 16.65; 95% CI 2.75-100.71; P= 0.002), completely endophytic (OR 17.02; 95% CI 2.88-100.55; P= 0.002), or located at the renal pole (OR 4.34; 95% CI 1.30-14.53; P= 0.017) were associated with urine leak. • If the score attributed to tumour location was reversed (polar location given a higher score), each unit increase in RENAL score was associated with an 89% increased odds of urine leak (OR 1.89; 95% CI 1.40-2.55; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION • The RENAL nephrometry score is associated with risk of urine leak after partial nephrectomy. When assessing risk of urine leak, reversal of the score attributed to tumour location may improve risk prediction.
GLYCOLATE METABOLISM IN ESCHERICHIA COLI

Hansen, Robert W. (University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago) and James A. Hayashi. Glycolate metabolism in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 83:679-687. 1962.-This study of glycolate-adapted Escherichia coli indicates that the most probable route for utilization of the substrate includes glyceric acid, 3-phosphoglyceric acid, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. A glyceric acid dehydrogenase, which reduces tartronic semialdehyde to glycerate in the presence of reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide, and a kinase, which catalyzes the formation of 3-phosphoglycerate from glyceric acid and adenosine triphosphate, were shown to be present. Carbon recoveries in growing cultures and manometric data obtained with resting cells showed the complete oxidation of glycolate to carbon dioxide. Measurements of the oxidation of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates indicated that these compounds are oxidized without lag and at a rate commensurate with the rate of glycolate oxidation. Assays of the enzymes characteristic of known pathways of terminal oxidation, such as isocitratase, malate synthetase, isocitric dehydrogenase, and condensing enzyme, provided further evidence for an operating tricarboxylic acid cycle. A postulated pathway for the utilization of glycolic acid is as follows: glycolate --> glycerate --> 3-phosphoglycerate --> pyruvate --> tricarboxylic acid cycle.
Differential effects of thin and thick filament disruption on zebrafish smooth muscle regulatory proteins

Background The smooth muscle actin binding proteins Caldesmon and Tropomyosin (Tm) promote thin filament assembly by stabilizing actin polymerization, however, whether filament assembly affects either the stability or activation of these and other smooth muscle regulatory proteins is not known. Methods Measurement of smooth muscle regulatory protein levels in wild type zebrafish larvae following antisense knockdown of smooth muscle actin (Acta2) and myosin heavy chain (Myh11) proteins, and in colourless mutants that lack enteric nerves. Comparison of intestinal peristalsis in wild type and colourless larvae. Key Results Knockdown of Acta2 led to reduced levels of phospho-Caldesmon and Tm. Total Caldesmon and phospho-myosin light chain (p-Mlc) levels were unaffected. Knockdown of Myh11 had no effect on the levels of either of these proteins. Phospho-Caldesmon and p-Mlc levels were markedly reduced in colourless mutants that have intestinal motility comparable with wild type larvae. Conclusions & Inferences These in vivo findings provide new information regarding the activation and stability of smooth muscle regulatory proteins in zebrafish larvae and their role in intestinal peristalsis in this model organism.
Dietary Fiber and Personality Factors as Determinants of Stool Output

Abstract We examined effects of fiber on stool output, since this is one of the primary mediating variables for the hypothesized relationship between fiber and disease. Total neutral detergent fiber in the dietary fiber source was predictive of stool weight but not frequency. Substantial individual differences in stool output remained when dietary factors were controlled. Personality measures were used to predict stool weight and frequency independently of diet, and accounted for about as much variance in stool output as did dietary fiber. These results suggest that personality factors predispose some persons to low stool output. These individuals may benefit particularly from dietary fiber.
A New Class of Caulobacter crescentus Flagellar Genes

Eight Caulobacter crescentus flagellar genes, flmA, flmB, flmC, flmD, flmE, flmF, flmG, and flmH, have been cloned and characterized. These eight genes are clustered in pairs (flmAB, flmCD, flmEF, and flmGH) that appear to be structurally organized as operons. Homology comparisons suggest that the proteins encoded by the flm genes may be involved in posttranslational modification of flagellins or proteins that interact with flagellin monomers prior to their assembly into a flagellar filament. Expression of the flmAB, flmEF, and flmGH operons was shown to occur primarily in predivisional cells. In contrast, the flmCD operon was expressed throughout the cell cycle, with only a twofold increase in predivisional cells. The expression of the three temporally regulated operons was subject to positive regulation by the CtrA response regulator protein. Mutations in class II and III flagellar genes had no significant effect on the expression of the flm genes. Furthermore, the flm genes did not affect the expression of class II or class III flagellar genes. However, mutations in the flm genes did result in reduced synthesis of the class IV flagellin proteins. Taken together, these data indicate that the flm operons belong to a new class of flagellar genes.
Phase II randomized study of biomarker-directed treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): The BATTLE (Biomarker-Integrated Approaches of Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer Elimination) clinical trial program

8024 Background: Treatment for patients (pts) with recurrent NSCLC has limited efficacy despite the use of new targeted agents. Identifying biomarkers to predict tumor response will help personaliz...
Ideal lenses and the Scherzer theorem: A supplement

Abstract In this article, we discuss the form of an ideal magnetic field which will be free from spherical aberration. The result is that a divergent point is needed in the magnetic field distribution, so that an ideal lens in this sense cannot be achieved. However, one may be able to approach the limit in a practical design by approximating the ideal field.
Mining frequent itemsets with partial enumeration

In this paper, we present an algorithm of mining frequent itemsets using partial enumeration and the FP-growth function with reduced depth of recursion. The experimental results show that our algorithm outperforms the original FP-growth algorithm without partial enumeration for the databases with high density.
Analysis of setup uncertainties for extremity sarcoma patients using surface imaging

Abstract Purpose Proper positioning of patients with extremity sarcoma tumors can be challenging. A surface imaging technique was utilized to quantify the setup uncertainties for sarcoma patients and to assess whether surface imaging could improve the accuracy of patient positioning. Methods and materials Pretreatment and posttreatment 3-dimensional (3D) surface images were obtained for 16 patients and 236 treatments. Offline surface registration was performed to quantify interfraction and intrafraction setup errors, and the required planning target volume (PTV) margins were calculated. Setup differences were also assessed using root mean square (RMS) error analysis. Results For intrafraction variation, the mean 3D vector shift was 2.1 mm, and the systematic and random errors were 1.3 mm or less. When using a reference surface from the first fraction, the mean interfraction setup variation (3D vector shift) was 7.6 mm. Systematic and random errors were 3-4 mm in each direction. When using a computed tomographic based reference surface, the mean 3D vector shift was 9.5 mm. Systematic and random errors ranged from 3.1 to 7.9 mm. The required PTV margins were 1.0 cm, 1.2 cm, and 1.3 cm in the anterior–posterior, superior–inferior, and lateral directions, respectively. The mean (standard deviation) RMS errors for the uncorrected position were 4.7 mm (1.9 mm) and were reduced to 2.2 mm (0.8 mm) and 1.7 mm (0.8 mm), for 4 degree of freedom (DOF) and 6 DOF surface alignment, respectively. Conclusions Intrafraction motion is small. Interfraction motion can exceed typical PTV margins and daily imaging should be utilized to reduce setup variations. Surface imaging may reduce setup errors and is a feasible technique for daily image guidance.
MERALGIA PARESTHETIGA A REVIEW OF 67 PATIENTS

Medical records of 67 cases of meralgia paresthetica (MP) were reviewed to obtain demographic and clinical data pertinent to this disease. MP was found more often in men than women. There was a bimodal age distribution with peaks in the third decade as well as the fifth and sixth decades. Many clinical conditions were found associated with MP, the most important being obsesity and trauma. The etiological role of normal and pathological anatomy is discussed as well as therapeutic approaches to the disease.
Impairment of mitochondrial transcription termination by a point mutation associated with the MELAS subgroup of mitochondrial encephalomyopathies.

DEFECTS in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are associated with several different human diseases, including the mitochondrial encephalomyopathies. The mutations include deletions but also duplications and point mutations1. Individuals with MELAS (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes) carry a common A-to-G substitution in a highly conserved portion of the gene for transfer RNALeu(UUR)(refs 2, 3). Although the MELAS mutation may be comparable to the defect in the tRNALys gene associated with MERRF (refs 4, 5) (myoclonus epilepsy associated with ragged-red fibres), it is also embedded in the middle of a tridecamer sequence necessary for the formation of the 3′ ends of 16S ribosomal RNA in vitro6. We found that the MELAS mutation results in severe impairment of 16S rRNA transcription termination, which correlates with a reduced affinity of the partially purified termination protein for the MELAS template. This suggests that the molecular defect in MELAS is the inability to produce the correct type and quantity of rRNA relative to other mitochondrial gene products.
In Vitro Uptake and Subcellular Distribution of the Cardiotoxin [3H]Adriamycin in Mouse Ventricle Slices

Adriamycin (ADR) is a drug with relatively selective cardiotoxicity. The present study was designed to investigate its distribution into heart subcellular components and correlate such distribution with proposed loci of cardiotoxicity. Uptake of [ 3 H]ADR by mouse ventricular slices was linear for 30 min and plateaued thereafter. The uptake was temperature dependent, being linear from 0° to 45°C. Uptake was also linear over an ADR concentration range of 0.59-8.85 x 10 -4 M and increased with wet weight of tissue (25-110 mg). Preincubation with metabolic inhibitors (10 -4 M; iodoacetamide and 2,4-dinitrophenol) or 100% N 2 failed to affect uptake. Subcellular distribution studies demonstrated preferential localization in nuclei, mitochondria, microsome, and soluble fractions (dpm/μg protein) in diminishing order, respectively. Therefore, the uptake of ADR by mouse ventricular slices does not involve an energy-dependent transport process and its subcellular localization corresponds with proposed loci of cardiotoxicity.
Reply to ''Comment on 'Protective measurement of the wave function of a single squeezed harmonic-oscillator state' ''

The adiabatic ``protective measurement'' suggested by Aharonov, Anandan, and Vaidman [Phys. Lett. A 178, 38 (1993)] is a measurement of a discrete energy eigenstate, in which the entanglement between the measured state and the quantum probe is avoided approximately when they interact adiabatically, and the measured state is left approximately unchanged (up to a phase factor) for all measured observables. This measurement scheme, however, does not overcome the reduction of the measured state, because this state is only approximately, and not exactly, disentangled from the quantum probe. Our recent analysis of a measurement scheme of a squeezed harmonic-oscilllator state [Phys. Rev. A 53, R2911 (1996)], in which the entanglement between the measured state and the probe is avoided exactly, and the measured state is left exactly unchanged (up to a phase factor) for all measured observables, suggests that in order to measure the quantum state of a single system without changing this state, full a priori information about this state is required.
The univin gene encodes a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily with restricted expression in the sea urchin embryo.

Abstract We have identified a gene in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus that encodes a member of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) gene superfamily. We have named the gene univin, and it is the first member of this superfamily to be reported in echinoderms. The cDNA sequence predicts a 383-amino-acid residue protein with 7 cysteine residues characteristic of members of this superfamily and with a cluster of basic residues appropriately situated to signal proteolytic cleavage. Sequence comparisons place univin in the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) group of the TGF-β superfamily along with the vertebrate BMPs, decapentaplegic protein from Drosophila, and Vg-1 from Xenopus. Analyses of univin expression in early embryos by RNA blots and in situ hybridization revealed the highest levels of expression in the egg and prehatching blastula. During late cleavage stages, univin mRNA accumulation is progressively restricted to a circumequatorial band. Expression is further restricted during gastrulation when univin transcripts are detected primarily in the presumptive foregut and ciliated band. By pluteus stage, signals are detectable only in these cell types. The restricted temporal and spatial patterns of expression of univin during early blastula stages parallel those of SpAN , which encodes an astacin-like protease related to tolloid and BMP-1 (Reynolds et al., 1992). The fact that these proteases are thought to function in the proteolytic activation of TGF-β-related proteins that, respectively, regulate Drosophila embryonic dorsal-ventral patterning and vertebrate bone development suggests that SpAN and univin could also have critical roles in early developmental decisions in the sea urchin embryo.
Effect of Relative Humidity On the Young's Modulus of Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Films and Related Nonionic Polymers

We have measured the Young’s modulus and thickness of ultrathin polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM), polystyrene (PS), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films as a function of relative humidity. We demonstrate that PEMs undergo substantial swelling and plasticization in the presence of ambient water and that both the choice of polyelectrolytes and the pH of the deposition baths influence the response of a PEM film to changes in humidity. These responses were roughly linear in two of the PEM systems tested; however, a third system demonstrated evidence of antiplasticization and an abrupt swelling transition at intermediate humidity. This behavior is attributed to an internal structure rich in hydrogen-bonding sites. Overall, our results suggest that the chemical composition and molecular architecture of PEMs are responsible for differences in the environmental responsiveness of these materials. Both PS and PMMA films exhibited comparatively small but measurable swelling and plasticization in the presence o...
High-pressure 2D NOESY experiments on phospholipid vesicles

Abstract Two-dimensional NOESY spectra obtained at high pressure are reported for sonicated vesicles of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) and 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) model membrane systems. The 2D NOESY spectra were measured in the liquid-crystalline state as a function of pressure at temperatures of 28°C for POPC and 64°C for DMPC. A phenomenological discussion of the strong effect of pressure on the build-up rates of cross peaks in the two-dimensional spectra is presented.
Isolation of prostate tumor initiating cells (TICs) through their dielectrophoretic signature

In this study, the dielectrophoretic response of prostate tumor initiating cells (TICs) was investigated in a microfluidic system utilizing contactless dielectrophoresis (cDEP). The dielectrophoretic response of prostate TICs was observed to be distinctively different than that for non-TICs, enabling them to be sorted using cDEP. Culturing the sorted TICs generated spheroids, indicating that they were indeed initiating cells. This study presents the first marker-free TIC separation from non-TICs utilizing their electrical fingerprints through dielectrophoresis.
Establishing instructional resources on the Web: a joint‐university effort

Co‐ordinated by their scholarly association, textile/apparel faculty from multiple universities have succeeded in establishing a World Wide Web server dedicated to providing information from across their disciplines to enhance instruction. The process of server establishment and Web‐site creation including funding, determination of information for posting, problems encountered, and future plans are reviewed. Other faculty could use this as a guide in establishing servers and Web sites for their own disciplines.
Transient temperature rise due to ultrasound absorption at a bone/soft-tissue interface.

Thermal effects due to high ultrasound absorption in bone pose an ongoing safety issue. Of considerable concern is the heating of the soft tissue adjacent to the bone surface. Mathematical models can be useful in predicting the transient temperature near the interface during insonation. This paper develops a model that provides the temperature field in terms of simple expressions that convey the functional dependence of the material properties, and are easily incorporated into standards and ultrasound machine software, yet are able to incorporate the material properties of both bone and soft tissue. The model contains an asymptotic theory based upon a “high-attenuation” assumption: the distance diffused by heat over the time of interest is large compared to the ultrasound attenuation length. Model predictions of temperature rise and location of maximum temperature were in close agreement with finite-element calculations, using parameters appropriate for radiation-force imaging and focused-ultrasound surgery.