cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Management of a liver transplant in a patient with asymptomatic superior vena cava obstruction

SUPERIOR VENA CAVA (SVC) syndrome comprises the clinical manifestations that result from obstruction of blood flow through the SVC to the right atrium, leading to a severe reduction in venous return from the head, neck, and upper extremities. Patients can present with facial, neck, and upper extremity swelling. Other symptoms include dyspnea, cough, hoarseness, and glossal and laryngeal edema. This syndrome can occur via intraluminal obstruction (eg, thrombus , stenosis, or foreign body)1-3 or external compression (eg, tumor).4,5 Intraluminal obstruction from thrombus is a recognized complication of indwelling catheters and pacing electrodes1-3 and can be associated with carcinoma of the lung and lymphoma.5 SVC obstruction is not always associated with SVC syndrome.6,7 The syndrome may occur when the ability of the collateral vessels to compensate for SVC obstruction is exceeded.7,8 Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is associated with the potential for massive blood loss, necessitating rapid infusion of large quantities of blood products. This possibility justifies the use of invasive hemodynamic monitoring and large-bore venous access. OLT can require the interruption of blood flow from the lower part of the body because of cross-clamping of the inferior vena cava (IVC). Some patients may not tolerate the hemodynamic consequences of decreased venous return and cardiac output that can occur when the IVC is crossclamped.9,10 The introduction of venovenous bypass during OLT can dramatically diminish the hemodynamic instability associated with IVC cross-clamping.9,10 This bypass is accomplished by shunting blood normally returning to the right atrium via the IVC to veins draining into the SVC (ie, the axillary or jugular veins). Another method of avoiding the hemodynamic consequences of decreased venous return is by piggybacking the donor liver. This method involves recipient vena cava preservation by partially cross-clamping the IVC and anastomosis of the donor hepatic veins to the recipient IVC.11-14 Additionally, venovenous bypass is usually avoided because most of the flow through the IVC is maintained. This type of surgical approach can be difficult, however, and occasionally warrants venovenous bypass (ie, clamping of the portal vein leads to severe venous engorgement or bleeding or both, necessitating decompression of the portal system). The potential clinical consequences of cross-clamping the IVC and rapid infusion of blood products in the presence of SVC obstruction can be devastating if not recognized and acted on appropriately before OLT. SVC obstruction should be considered when multiple attempts to obtain central venous access are unsuccessful. An acceptable method to confirm the diagnosis in the operating room should be available. A case is presented of a liver transplant recipient who was diagnosed with asymptomatic SVC obstruction after the induction of general anesthesia. Potential options in the intraoperative management of these patients are discussed.
Megabraula, a new genus for two new species of Braulidae (Diptera), and a discussion of braulid evolution

. Megabraula gen.n. is erected for two new species, M.antecessor and M.onerosa, both found coinhabiting nests of Apis laboriosa in Nepal. Because of their many modifications, the features that distinguish Braula, the other genus in the family, and Braulidae in general are revised. Braulid biology is reviewed, particularly the adaptations involved with the origin of and progressive specialization to commensalism with honey bees.
Experimental dental calculus formation in intraperitoneal dialysis bags.

Abstract Dialysis bags containing pure strains of oral bacteria and teeth, or containing teeth only, were implanted into the peritoneal cavities of rats for as long as 17 months. Within several months grossly detectable hard deposits were found to be adherent to both enamel and cemental surfaces of all of the teeth implanted with bacteria. No gross deposits were found on teeth implanted without organisms.
A Low-Noise Low Input Impedance Amplifier for Magnetic Measurements of Nerve Action Currents

We have developed a low-noise solid-state current-to-voltage amplifier to measure the magnetic fields produced by nerve action currents. The amplifier senses the EMF induced in a toroidal, ferrite-core pickup coil surrounding the nerve by the circumferential magnetic field associated with the axial nerve action currents which propagate past the toroid. In order to obtain low input voltage noise, the input stage of the amplifier consists of 20 preamplifiers in parallel, each containing a discrete bipolar transistor pair. The complete amplifier has an input impedance of 1.33 ?and a minimum noise figure of 15 dB at 100 Hz for a source resistance of 50 ?. The amplifier has sufficient sensitivity to detect the magnetic field of the action potential propagating along a single giant axon.
Oxycodone combined with opioid receptor antagonists: efficacy and safety

Introduction: A mu receptor antagonist combined with oxycodone (OXY) may improve pain control, reduce physical tolerance and withdrawal, minimizing opioid-related bowel dysfunction and act as an abuse deterrent. Areas covered: The authors cover the use of OXY plus ultra-low-dose naltrexone for analgesia and the use of sustained-release OXY plus sustained-release naloxone to reduce the opioid bowel syndrome. The authors briefly describe the use of sustained-release OXY and naltrexone pellets as a drug abuse deterrent formulation. Combinations of ultra-low-dose naltrexone plus OXY have been in separate trials involved in patients with chronic pain from osteoarthritis and idiopathic low back pain. High attrition and marginal differences between ultra-low-dose naltrexone plus OXY and OXY led to discontinuation of development. Prolonged-release (PR) naloxone combined with PR OXY demonstrates a consistent reduction in opioid-related bowel dysfunction in multiple randomized controlled trials. However, gastrointe...
Kinetic Characterization of Nonmuscle Myosin IIB at the Single Molecule Level

Nonmuscle myosin IIB (NMIIB) is a cytoplasmic myosin, which plays an important role in cell motility by maintaining cortical tension. It forms bipolar thick filaments with ∼14 myosin molecule dimers on each side of the bare zone. Our previous studies showed that the NMIIB is a moderately high duty ratio (∼20–25%) motor. The ADP release step (∼0.35 s−1) of NMIIB is only ∼3 times faster than the rate-limiting phosphate release (0.13 ± 0.01 s−1). The aim of this study was to relate the known in vitro kinetic parameters to the results of single molecule experiments and to compare the kinetic and mechanical properties of single- and double-headed myosin fragments and nonmuscle IIB thick filaments. Examination of the kinetics of NMIIB interaction with actin at the single molecule level was accomplished using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) with fluorescence imaging with 1-nm accuracy (FIONA) and dual-beam optical trapping. At a physiological ATP concentration (1 mm), the rate of detachment of the single-headed and double-headed molecules was similar (∼0.4 s−1). Using optical tweezers we found that the power stroke sizes of single- and double-headed heavy meromyosin (HMM) were each ∼6 nm. No signs of processive stepping at the single molecule level were observed in the case of NMIIB-HMM in optical tweezers or TIRF/in vitro motility experiments. In contrast, robust motility of individual fluorescently labeled thick filaments of full-length NMIIB was observed on actin filaments. Our results are in good agreement with the previous steady-state and transient kinetic studies and show that the individual nonprocessive nonmuscle myosin IIB molecules form a highly processive unit when polymerized into filaments.
Health Games: A Key Component for the Evolution of Wellness Programs

Healthcare cost growth has been a major concern for both governments and employers. Considerable efforts have been made to "bend the trend" or find ways to control costs. At the highest levels, this has been the move from indemnity care models to managed care and then to consumer-directed health models using Healthcare Reimbursement Accounts and Healthcare Spending Accounts in plan designs. Accompanying this move in plan design has been an effort to get the consumer/patient/employee more engaged and responsible for his or her health expenditures, health decision-making, and activities. Consumers have gone through the phases of health being doctor-centric (indemnity care model), to health plan-centric (managed care models), to consumer-centric (consumer-directed health models). There is currently a need to incorporate wellness into the equation. Simply put, wellness is intended to keep people out of the health system by reducing the risk factors that would put them into the system in the first place. This includes things like smoking cessation, exercise, weight management, nutrition, and other factors over which individuals have a significant level of control over, as well as condition management such as medication adherence, and condition monitoring (such as glucose monitoring for diabetics). Wellness will become increasingly more common for major buyers, initially large self-funded employers and then health plans that will offer it as a part of their overall Plan Design and Administration services. Wellness initiatives will also be offered by Federal and State governments and will include programs for the elderly and at-risk populations as well as for the general population. The measure of success of wellness programs to actually "bend the trend" will be engagement. How large a piece of the population can be captured and retained will be the critical metric for success…and metrics require real data and will be used by the entire healthcare value-chain to measure efficacy and efficiency of "wellness spending."
The influence of saccade length on the saccadic suppression of displacement detection.

The decrease in sensitivity to spatial displacement which accompanies a voluntary horizontal saccadic eye movement was measured as a function of the length of the saccade. Threshold for detecting the displacement increased linearly from about 0.3° to 1.2° as saccade length increased from 4° to 12°. The variability (standard deviation) of the discrimination increased linearly with saccade length as well, and hence also linearly with the displacement threshold. These results, along with our previous finding that the increase is not a consequence of the saccadically generated spatiotemporal smearing of the retinal image (Li & Matin, 1990), support the proposal that displacement detection is based on a constant internal signal/noise ratio whose denominator is a measure of the variability of the extraretinal signal regarding eye position, and that the reduction in sensitivity is a result of a transient increase of this variability in the temporal neighborhood of a saccade.
Target accessibility dictates the potency of human RISC

In this report, we examined the effect of increased target site access on activated human RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC*) catalysis. Kinetic studies revealed that siRNA-programmed RISC* cleaved target RNA with higher efficiencies when target site access was increased. These results provide evidence that target site access is linked to RISC* catalysis.
A continuous-flow enzyme detector for liquid chromatography.

Abstract A detection system has been developed for the selective and sensitive detection of enzymes eluting from a liquid chromatographic column. This system monitors a reaction that the enzyme catalyzes and provides a chemical amplification ranging from 10 4 to 10 5 . The detection system consists of a reagent or substrate pump, a post- column reactor packed with non-porous spherical glass beads, and a photometric detector. A linear and selective response to a series of enzymes of clinical importance is demonstrated.
Describing oral language opportunities and environments in head start and other preschool classrooms

Abstract This article describes the nature of children's oral language experiences in Head Start and in other preschools serving low-income children, and relates those experiences to broader features of the classrooms' programs. The data are drawn from multiple sources, including general demographic information, teacher interviews, and audiotapes of teachers' and children's spontaneous interaction that occurred throughout one morning in 61 individual classrooms. Drawing on a sociocognitive model of literacy development, we hypothesize that particular classroom circumstances (e.g. smallgroup size), pedagogical orientations (e.g. desire to foster early literacy development), and activity settings (e.g. small-group activities) will maximally facilitate the types of talk known to be predictive of later language and literacy development (e.g. pretending, cognitively challenging interactions). As hypothesized, correlational analyses revealed relationships between classroom circumstances and interactions, between pedagogical orientations and interactions, and between activity settings and interactions; the more educated teachers, the teachers whose pedagogical orientations strongly supported literacy or social development, and the teachers who reported spending more time in small group activities engaged in more cognitively challenging conversations with children. Implications of these findings are discussed and related to both practice and policy.
CORRELATION BETWEEN ELECTRONIC STRUCTURES OF METAL-INTERCALATED SINGLE WALL CARBON NANOTUBES WITH THEIR FIELD EMISSION PROPERTIES

The effects of various metal intercalations (Li, Na and Be) on the electronic structures and the field emission properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) were investigated using the periodic plane-wave DFT method. We found that intercalations of metal tend to shift the conductive characteristics of the SWNT from those of a semiconductor to those of a quasi-metallic conductor. The Fermi levels for all metal-intercalated in SWNT are moved toward the conduction band, induced by the charge transfer from the metal to the SWNT. Intercalations of Li and Na atoms increase the field emission current, whereas Be intercalation does not affect the field emission current due to the absence of high density of states around the Fermi level. The correlation between the electronic structures for the metal-intercalated nanowires with field emission properties is further discussed in light of the above results.
Inorganic photochemical protein scissors: photocleavage of lysozyme by Co(III) complexes.

Photocleavage of chicken hen egg lysozyme by three Co(III)ammine complexes, hexamminecobalt(III) chloride ([Co(NH3)6]+3), pentamminechloro cobalt(III)chloride ([Co(NH3)5Cl]+2), and tetramminecarbonato cobalt(III) nitrate ([Co(NH3)4CO3]+), is reported here. Photocleavage resulted in two fragments of molecular masses of ∼10.5 kDa and ∼3.5 kDa which add-up to that of the parent molar mass. Detailed studies on the influence of irradiation time, excitation wavelength, the type of ligand coordinated to Co(III), concentration of the metal complex, the addition of competing metal ions, and quenchers on the protein photocleavage are reported. The Co(III) complexes also photocleaved apotransferrin, bovine serum albumin, and yeast enolase. Near-equimolar concentrations of Ni(II), Co(II) or Gd(III) inhibited the photocleavage, and therefore, binding of Co(III) metal complexes to Ni(II)/Co(II)/Gd(III) binding sites on lysozyme is necessary for the observed photocleavage. Since these ions are known to bind to Asp52 on lysozyme, we suspect that the above Co(III) complexes bind at this site, and initiate the protein cleavage. The Co(III) complexes have appropriate photochemical reactivities to cleave the peptide backbone, and they may be useful in the design of novel photochemical approaches to cleave the protein backbone.
Universalist and Differentialist Approaches to Instruction for High-School-Age Immigrants: Tensions in Practice and Policy

Drawing on data from a 3-year qualitative study on the transition of immigrant youth, we seek to understand the connections among district programming and policy, teacher perspectives, and the ways in which students experience initial schooling. Specifically, this article examines the following research questions: How does district leadership define the challenge and opportunities of working with older immigrant students? In the face of this definition, what approaches and perspectives to instruction are taken by teachers at the Northwest Newcomer Center? To answer these questions, we juxtapose the ideas and beliefs of various personnel in the district regarding the best way to educate recent immigrants. To sharpen our analytic lens, we utilize the concepts of universalism and differentiation (Reeves, 2004) as a tool to explore the perspectives that teachers and leaders took in educating immigrant students and the impact that this had on practice.
Vortex drag in the quantum Hall effect

A new model of momentum and electric field transfer between two adjacent 2D electron systems in the quantum Hall effect is proposed. The drag effect is due to momentum transfer from the vortex system of one layer to the vortex system of another layer. The remarkable result of this approach is a periodic change of sign of the dragged electric field as a function of the difference between the layer filling factors.
Early developmental exposure to methylphenidate reduces cocaine-induced potentiation of brain stimulation reward in rats

Background Methylphenidate (MPH) is prescribed for the treatment of attention and hyperactivity disorders. We showed previously that early developmental exposure to MPH in rats causes behavioral alterations during adulthood, including reduced cocaine reward in place conditioning studies. Here we examined if early MPH exposure alters the ability of cocaine to potentiate the rewarding effects of electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) using intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). Methods Rats received MPH or saline during pre-adolescence (P20–35) and were implanted with MFB stimulating electrodes at adulthood (P60). Rats then were tested with cocaine in the ICSS paradigm. Results Cocaine dose-dependently decreased ICSS thresholds in all rats, but the threshold-lowering effects of cocaine were smaller in rats exposed to MPH during pre-adolescence. There were no differences between groups in sensitivity to the rewarding effects of MFB stimulation itself. Conclusions Early developmental exposure to MPH reduces the reward-related effects of cocaine in the ICSS paradigm. These results are consistent with previous studies in which early exposure to MPH reduced the ability of cocaine to establish conditioned place preferences, as well as the rewarding effects of sucrose and sexual behavior. Reduced sensitivity to these various types of reward may reflect general dysfunctions of brain reward systems.
Subsurface sources of methyl mercury to Lake Superior from a wetland-forested watershed.

Abstract Identification of sites of methyl mercury (MeHg) production is critical to predicting long-term fate of bioaccumulative Hg in the aquatic environment. During baseflow, when groundwater sources dominate, we observed consistently elevated levels of MeHg (0.1–0.4 ng L − 1 ) at the mouth and in several tributaries to the Tahquamenon River in the Lake Superior watershed. MeHg concentrations in groundwater observation wells exceeded 0.6 ng L − 1 in a coniferous catchment with highly conductive sandy surficial deposits. Furthermore, we identified MeHg concentrations as high as 12 ng L − 1 in the hyporheic zone of East Creek, a tributary to the Tahquamenon. This study confirms the importance of groundwater as a source of MeHg in watersheds of the Great Lakes. Indirect groundwater discharge represents a major component of flow in rivers of the basin, further emphasizing the need to better understand subsurface MeHg production and transport processes when modeling watershed responses and biogeochemical fate of Hg in the Great Lakes.
A Review of: “Fawaz A. Gerges. The Far Enemy: Why Jihad Went Global.”

The 1990s witnessed a dramatic rise in religious conflicts. Religion served as both a justification for violence and an imperative that drove local conflicts in Egypt, Algeria, Bosnia, Kashmir, and...
Poly(vinyl chloride)–poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers: Synthesis and characterization

Poly(vinyl chloride)-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers have been synthesized in solution and emulsion. The polymers were made by first synthesizing macroazonitriles through the reaction of 4,4′-azobis-4-cyanovleryl chloride with hydroxy-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) of varying molecular weights. These macroazonitriles had molecular weights in the range of 3000–88,000 and degrees of polymerization from 5 to 24. Thermal decomposition of the azolinkages in the presence of vinyl chloride monomer yielded block copolymers containing form 2 to 20 wt % poly(ethylene oxide). The structures of the block copolymers were characterized by spectrometric, elemental and molecular weight analyses. The possibility of some graft polymerization occurring via free-radical extraction of a methylene hydrogen from the poly(ethylene oxide) was considered. Polymerization of vinyl chloride with an azonitrile initiator in the presence of a poly(ethylene oxide) yielded predominately homopolymer with some grafted poly(vinyl chloride).
Greensites and brownsites: Implications for CO2 sequestration characterization, risk assessment, and monitoring

a b s t r a c t Proposed CO2 sequestration storage sites will require different approaches in characterization, risk assessment, and monitoring, given prior site history and land use. Those sites lacking previous subsurface development are defined as greensites, whereas sites where the subsurface is developed, particularly for hydrocarbon production, are defined as brownsites. Greensite CO2 injection is specifically for storage of CO2. Most CO2 enhanced oil recovery operations using incidental storage would be characterized as a brownsite. Application of monitoring approaches developed for greensites is inadequate when applied to brownsites because intrinsically different uncertainties may lead to investment in ineffective monitoring. Subsurface data are sparse at greensites. Characterization and monitoring must ensure that the subsurface can accept and retain CO2 in large volumes and that the confining system will isolate CO2 from the atmosphere over extended time frames. Brownsites will have extensive data on capacity, injectivity, and fluid retention from past operations. However, brownsite confining-system integrity may be compromised by the nature of past development. Greensite pore fluids are typically unperturbed and relatively stable, providing a simpler environment for characterization and monitoring. Brownsite reservoir fluids, however, may have been modified by resource recovery. Geologic processes commonly have introduced trace hydrocarbons into the shallow subsurface. At the surface, brownsite legacy infrastructure and contamination must be evaluated so that preinjection transients do not mimic or mask leakage signals. To be effective, policies and regulations need to recognize inherent differences between greensites and brownsites during CO2 storage project
Artifact-resistant, power-efficient design of finger-ring plethysmographic sensors. I. Design and analysis

A miniaturized, telemetric, photoplethysmograph sensor for long-term, continuous monitoring is presented in this paper. The sensor, called a "ring sensor", is attached to a finger base for monitoring beat-to-beat pulsation, and the data is sent to a host computer via a RF transmitter. Two major design issues are addressed: one is to minimize motion artifact and the other is to minimize the consumption of battery power. An efficient double ring design is developed to lower the influence of external force, acceleration, and ambient light, and to hold the sensor gently and securely on the skin, so that the circulation at the finger may not be obstructed. In this paper, the basic concept of mechanical and electrical design is provided. Total power consumption is analyzed in relation to characteristics of individual components, sampling rate, and CPU clock speed. Optimal operating conditions are obtained for minimizing the power budget.
An efficient high-resolution 11-bit noise-shaping multipath gated ring oscillator TDC

An 11-bit, 50-Msps time-to-digital converter (TDC) using a multipath gated ring oscillator (GRO) with 6 ps of delay per stage achieves low power (2.2 to 21 mW) and small area of 160times260 mum in 0.13 mum CMOS. The structure also achieves first order noise shaping of the GRO quantization and mismatch noise; the resulting TDC error integrates to <100 fs (rms) in a 1 MHz bandwidth to achieve dynamic range of over 90 dB with no calibration required.
MAYA HETERARCHY AS INFERRED FROM CLASSIC-PERIOD PLAZA PLANS

Recognition of architectural patterning among groups of structures at lowland Maya sites dating from the Classic period provides insights into the ways that residences and ritual complexes were organized. Each structured group arrangement, or Plaza Plan (PP), reveals an architectural grammar that provides the database enabling us to predict urban as well as rural settlement patterns. Wide variations in sizes among examples of residential PPs suggests that heterarchy was an important aspect of Classic Maya society. Examination of PP2 at Tikal indicates that a heterarchic pattern of organization existed. Heterarchy may relate to the fragility of the structure of lowland Maya kingship, and this may explain the gradual demise of states during the Terminal Classic and Postclassic periods and their replacement by re-emergent Maya chiefdoms.
Strong chromatic index of subset graphs

The strong chromatic index of a graph G, denoted sq(G), is the minimum number of parts needed to partition the edges of G into induced matchings. For 0 5 k 5 1 5 m, the subset graph S,(k, 1) is a bipartite graph whose vertices are the k- and 1-subsets of an m element ground set where two vertices are adjacent if and only if one subset is contained in the other. We show that sq(Sm(k, 1)) = (&) and that this number satisfies the strong chromatic index conjecture by Brualdi and Quinn for bipartite graphs. Further, we demonstrate that the conjecture is also valid for a more general family of bipartite graphs. @ 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Differential effects of REM and non-REM awakenings on the spiral aftereffect

Fourteen Ss were awakened 2 min after the beginning of a REM period and 5 min after the end of a REM period, and were tested on a spiral aftereffect. The duration of a spiral aftereffect was found to be longer for the tests made following REM periods than for the tests made following non-REM periods. The results were interpreted to indicate penetration of a cortical arousal during the REM period into wakefulness. The “carry-over” effect from the sleep stages into the waking state lends support to the theory that the REM state may be superimposed as an ultradian cycle on the 24 h.
Fundamental limits on detection in low SNR under noise uncertainty

In this paper we consider the problem of detecting whether a frequency band is being used by a known primary user. We derive fundamental bounds on detection performance in low SNR in the presence of noise uncertainty - the noise is assumed to be white, but we know its distribution only to within a particular set. For clarity of analysis, we focus on primary transmissions that are BPSK-modulated random data without any pilot tones or training sequences. The results should all generalize to more general primary transmissions as long as no deterministic component is present. Specifically, we show that for every 'moment detector' there exists an SNR below which detection becomes impossible in the presence of noise uncertainty. In the neighborhood of that SNR wall, we show how the sample complexity of detection approaches infinity. We also show that if our radio has a finite dynamic range (upper and lower limits to the voltages we can quantize), then at low enough SNR, any detector can be rendered useless even under moderate noise uncertainty.
Adoptive transfer of bryostatin 1-activated T cells provides long-term protection from tumour metastases

Treatment of human cancer with tumour-specific T lymphocytes is limited by the frequent unavailability of autologous tumour to stimulate T-cell growth and by the toxicity associated with high-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) treatment. In the present study we demonstrate that Bryostatin 1 (B) plus ionomycin (I) can substitute for tumour antigen and activate tumour-bearing hosts' T-cells which provide long-term protection against tumour challenge after adoptive transfer. Lymphocytes obtained from the popliteal lymph nodes (DLN) draining an MCA-105 footpad sarcoma were stimulated with B/I, and then cultured for 7 days with 20 U ml-1 IL-2. This in vitro stimulation protocol consistently expanded cell numbers greater than 20-fold during 7 days. Mice given B/I-stimulated draining lymph node (DLN) cells were protected from specific i.v. tumour challenge for at least 15 weeks after adoptive transfer, even in the absence of IL-2 treatment. Tumour immunity conferred by B/I-activated DLN cells was systemic and independent of host T-cells. However, resistance to tumour challenge was lost when either CD4+ or CD8+ T-cells were depleted in vivo. These studies indicate that DLN cells activated with bryostatin 1 and ionomycin persist long-term in vivo as functional memory cells after adoptive transfer.
Substrate Competition Studies Using Whole-Cell Accumulation Assays with the Major Tripartite Multidrug Efflux Pumps of Escherichia coli

AcrAB-TolC is the major, constitutively expressed tripartite multidrug efflux system in Escherichia coli that recognizes various structurally unrelated molecules, including many antibiotics, dyes, and steroids. The AcrB inner membrane pump portion of the efflux system has been shown in recent structural studies to bind substrates at multiple sites, suggesting that particular substrate "sets" may compete for efflux by interfering with a certain binding site(s). However, our data indicate that the general structural class does not appear to dictate a particular substrate binding site that can be competitively inhibited in whole cells. In our study, substrate competition failed to increase cell-associated levels of steroids or dyes to levels characteristic of AcrB- or AcrB/EmrAB-deficient genomic mutants or achieved with the pump inhibitor carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone. In addition, this general observation was sustained even with (i) a cocktail containing seven-pump substrates supplied slightly below their respective wild-type MIC levels, (ii) competing drug substrates of the same structural class (steroids or macrolides), and (iii) hyper-MIC levels of the exogenously supplied agents. Thus, this pump system (and possibly EmrAB-TolC) may have an extraordinary capacity to simultaneously handle multiple-drug substrates that is not necessarily reflected in MIC analyses. In addition, our study has extended the range of substrates recognized by the AcrAB- and EmrAB-TolC systems.
CD40-CD40 Ligand Costimulation Is Not Required for Initiation and Maintenance of a Th1-Type Response to Leishmania major Infection

Although previous studies demonstrated a requirement for CD40-CD40 ligand (CD40L) interaction in the development of resistance to Leishmania infection, we recently showed that mice lacking the gene for CD40L (CD40L−/− mice) can control Leishmania major infection when they are infected with reduced numbers of parasites. In this study, we examine the cytokine pattern in healing versus nonhealing CD40L−/− mice and investigated whether CD40 activation is required for resistance to reinfection. We observed that CD4+ cells in healed CD40L−/− mice produce high levels of gamma interferon compared to cells from nonhealing, high-dose-inoculated mice. In addition, we observed a higher frequency of interleukin-12 (IL-12)- producing cells and a reduced number of IL-4-producing cells in mice infected with reduced numbers of parasites. Importantly, we found that healed CD40L−/− mice are highly resistant to reinfection with a large parasite inoculum. In addition, by comparing the cytokine patterns at an early and late stage of infection in nonhealing CD40L−/− mice, we demonstrated that nonhealing CD40L−/− mice produce a weak Th1-type response during the early stage of infection, but this response wanes as a Th2-type response emerges during late stages of infection. Anti-IL-4 antibody treatment, starting either at the beginning of infection or at week 4 postinfection enabled CD40L−/− mice to control a high-dose infection. Together, these results show that CD40-CD40L interaction, although important for IL-12 production in high-dose infections, is not required for either the development or maintenance of resistance in mice infected with reduced numbers of parasites.
Subarray Design Diagnostics for the Suppression of Undesirable Grating Lobes

This paper investigates various subarray pattern distortions that can cause the appearance of grating lobes with the aim to provide an insightful and valuable first-order diagnostic tool for antenna array designers. In typical subarray configurations, the emergence of undesirable grating lobes is a possibility due to distortions in the subarray array factor which can be caused by feeding errors, mutual coupling between elements and/or feed lines, or other discrepancies. This paper will focus on systematic errors that can arise in subarray designs that feature common element excitation schemes. Distortions will be categorized by amplitude and phase errors separately, demonstrating their distinct manifestations in each excitation scheme. Recognition of these manifestations can lead to better subarray designs and save significant time in the development of large array antennas. The concepts introduced here will be supported by analytical array factor calculations for 1 × N linear subarrays, full-wave simulations of a 1 × 4 subarray and 1 × 16 array, and representative measurements of two 1 × 16 arrays at Ku-band.
Long-range order for spin pairing in valence bond theory

It is pointed out that on certain extended lattices conventional valence bond wavefunctions exhibit novel types of long-range order (LRO). For the linear chain lattice the LRO might be associated with bond alternation and spin-Peierls transitions. For the graphite lattice the LRO is somewhat more complicated and the physical manifestations are more speculative.
A heuristic algorithm for mapping communicating tasks on heterogeneous resources

A heuristic algorithm that maps data processing tasks onto heterogeneous resources (i.e. processors and links of various capacities) is presented. The algorithm tries to achieve a good throughput of the whole data processing pipeline, taking both parallelism (load balance) and communication volume (locality) into account. It performs well both under computationally intensive and communication-intensive conditions. When all tasks/processors are of the same size and communication is negligible, it quickly distributes the computation load over the processors and finds the optimal mapping. As communication becomes significant and reveals a bottleneck, it trades parallelism for reduction of communication traffic. Experimental results using a topology generator that models the Internet show that it performs significantly better than communication-ignorant schedulers.
Prediction of Mammalian MicroRNA Targets

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can play important gene regulatory roles in nematodes, insects, and plants by basepairing to mRNAs to specify posttranscriptional repression of these messages. However, the mRNAs regulated by vertebrate miRNAs are all unknown. Here we predict more than 400 regulatory target genes for the conserved vertebrate miRNAs by identifying mRNAs with conserved pairing to the 5' region of the miRNA and evaluating the number and quality of these complementary sites. Rigorous tests using shuffled miRNA controls supported a majority of these predictions, with the fraction of false positives estimated at 31% for targets identified in human, mouse, and rat and 22% for targets identified in pufferfish as well as mammals. Eleven predicted targets (out of 15 tested) were supported experimentally using a HeLa cell reporter system. The predicted regulatory targets of mammalian miRNAs were enriched for genes involved in transcriptional regulation but also encompassed an unexpectedly broad range of other functions.
Logic and memory with nanocell circuits

Molecular electronics is an emerging field that seeks to build faster, cheaper, denser computers from nanoscale devices. The nanocell is a molecular electronics design wherein a random, self-assembled array of molecules and metallic nanoparticles is addressed by a relatively small number of input/output pins. The challenge then is to program the nanocell post-fabrication. We have previously demonstrated the ability to program individual simulated nanocells as logic gates. In this paper, we further explore the problem of programming nanocells and consider connecting nanocells into circuits using bistable latches at the interconnects. These latches are critical because they permit signal restoration. Simulated nanocell circuits for logic and memory are presented here.
Antimalarial Action of Artesunate Involves DNA Damage Mediated by Reactive Oxygen Species

Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is the recommended first-line treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria. It has been suggested that the cytotoxic effect of artemisinin is mediated by free radicals followed by the alkylation of P. falciparum proteins. The endoperoxide bridge, the active moiety of artemisinin derivatives, is cleaved in the presence of ferrous iron, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other free radicals. However, the emergence of resistance to artemisinin in P. falciparum underscores the need for new insights into the molecular mechanisms of antimalarial activity of artemisinin. Here we show that artesunate (ART) induces DNA double-strand breaks in P. falciparum in a physiologically relevant dose- and time-dependent manner. DNA damage induced by ART was accompanied by an increase in the intracellular ROS level in the parasites. Mannitol, a ROS scavenger, reversed the cytotoxic effect of ART and reduced DNA damage, and modulation of glutathione (GSH) levels was found to impact ROS and DNA damage induced by ART. Accumulation of ROS, increased DNA damage, and the resulting antiparasite effect suggest a causal relationship between ROS, DNA damage, and parasite death. Finally, we also show that ART-induced ROS production involves a potential role for NADPH oxidase, an enzyme involved in the production of superoxide anions. Our results with P. falciparum provide novel insights into previously unknown molecular mechanisms underlying the antimalarial activity of artemisinin derivatives and may help in the design of next-generation antimalarial drugs against the most virulent Plasmodium species.
The Role of Early HIV Status Disclosure in Retention in HIV Care

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether nondisclosure or selective disclosure of HIV status to others is associated with retention in HIV care. This retrospective analysis evaluated the relationship of self-reported disclosure of HIV status as an indicator for poor retention in care (a gap in care >180 days) during the 12 months following initial entry into HIV care. Nondisclosure (disclosure to no one) and selective disclosure were compared to broad disclosure (referent). Univariate and multivariable (MV) logistic regression models were fit, including factors known to be associated with disclosure and retention in care. From 2007 to 2013, 508 HIV-infected patients presented to initiate care, of whom 63% were black, 54% had a CD4 + T lymphocyte count <350, and 82% were men (60% of whom were men who have sex with other men). Of these, 65 (13%) reported nondisclosure, 258 (49%) reported selective disclosure, and 185 (38%) reported broad disclosure. In MV analyses, nondisclosure was associated with poor retention in care (AOR 2.2; 95% CI 1.2, 4.2). Evaluating disclosure patterns among patients establishing HIV care may help predict and prevent inconsistent care. Further work is needed to understand the relationship between disclosure and retention in care in order to guide future interventions to improve HIV-outcomes.
Thinking Critically About Business Ethics

In this study, we teach students and business professionals to apply a formal process of critical thinking to the issues of business ethics. Every new scandal generates a renewed interest in busin-ess ethics, leading the news media and the public to lament the current state of affairs, sometimes asking why colleges and schools of business don’t do a better job of teaching ethics. Many suggest that business owners and managers do not act as ethically as in the past. Some say that they can-not act ethically. The critical thinking skills and examples included in this study can serve to help students of business and professionals in business as they approach difficult ethical decisions.
Phase II study of gefitinib in patients with metastatic/recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the skin

5531 Background: Interrupting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway has shown promise in a variety of cancers. Skin squamous cell cancer (SCC) has been increasing in inciden...
Biochemical Outcomes in Patients with Gleason Score 9 or 10 Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate from a Single Institution

containing demographic, treatment, and followup data, including AUA (American Urological Association) score of urinary function, has been maintained. For this report the database was searched for patients who had a minimum of two followup AUA scores in addition to a pretreatment AUA score (3 minimum). In order to eliminate any time bias based on the earlier nature of the I cohort, only AUA scores obtained within 36 months from implant date were considered. Delta-AUAwas defined as the followup AUA score minus the baseline AUA score. The largest deltaAUAwas considered the ‘‘peak AUA score’’ and was used to compare the severity of post-implant urinary dysfunction in patients undergoing implantation with either I or Cs-131. A total of 726 followup AUA scores were obtained for 212 patients. Furthermore, time course for resolution of urinary side effects was evaluated. Only one AUA score per patient per interval was considered, with only the earliest AUA score considered when a patient had more than one score in an interval. A total of 659 AUA scores were used to construct Figure 1. Results: Mean number of followup AUA scores, mean followup AUA score per patient and mean followup interval did not achieve statistical significance. Figure 1 depicts the median AUA score per time interval obtained from the I cohort (72 patients) and Cs-131 cohort (140 patients). All AUA profiles peaked and returned toward baseline over time following implant (Figure 1). While the mean peak delta-AUA score was slightly higher for patients treated with Cs-131, the comparison to those treated with I was not statistically significant (p50.2). The mean time of the peak delta-AUA score occurred 2.6 months earlier in the Cs131 treated cohort (p50.037).
Spatial Audio Displays for Speech Communications: A Comparison of Free Field and Virtual Acoustic Environments:

The ability of listeners to detect, identify, and monitor multiple simultaneous speech signals was measured in free field and virtual acoustic environments. Factorial combinations of four variables, including audio condition, spatial condition, the number of speech signals, and the sex of the talker were employed using a within-subjects design. Participants were required to detect the presentation of a critical speech signal among a background of non-signal speech events. Results indicated that spatial separation increased the percentage of correctly identified critical speech signals as the number of competing messages increased. These outcomes are discussed in the context of designing binaural speech displays to enhance speech communication in aviation environments.
Smoking to Regulate Negative Affect: Disentangling the Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress and Emotional Disorder Symptoms, Nicotine Dependence, and Cessation-Related Problems

Introduction Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with various aspects of cigarette smoking, including higher levels of nicotine dependence and cessation difficulties. Affect-regulatory smoking motives are thought to, in part, underlie the association between emotional disorders such as PTSD and smoking maintenance, although few studies have empirically tested this possibility. Methods Data were analyzed from 135 treatment-seeking smokers who were directly exposed to the World Trade Center disaster on September 11, 2001. We modeled the direct effect of 9/11 PTSD symptom severity on nicotine dependence, perceived barriers to smoking cessation, and severity of problematic symptoms experienced during prior cessation attempts. We also examined the indirect effect of PTSD on these outcomes via negative affect reduction smoking motives. Parallel models were constructed for additional emotional disorder symptoms, including panic and depressive symptoms. Results PTSD symptom severity was associated with nicotine dependence and perceived barriers to cessation, but not problems during prior quit attempts indirectly via negative affect reduction smoking motives. Panic and depressive symptoms both had significant indirect effects, via negative affect reduction smoking motives, on all three criterion variables. Conclusions Affect-regulatory smoking motives appear to underlie associations between the symptoms of emotional disorders such as PTSD, panic, and depression in terms of smoking dependence and certain cessation-related criterion variables. Implications Overall, this investigation suggests negative affect reduction smoking motives help to explain the relationship of PTSD, depression, and panic symptoms to nicotine dependence, severity of problems experienced during prior quit attempts and perceived barriers to cessation. These results highlight the importance of assessing motivations for smoking in the context of cessation treatment, especially among those with emotional disorder symptoms. Future interventions might seek to utilize motivational interviewing and cognitive restructuring techniques to address coping-oriented motives for smoking, in addition to skills for managing negative affect, as a means of improving quit outcomes.
Co-optimizing the value of storage in energy and regulation service markets

We develop a methodology for maximizing the present value of an independently operated electric energy storage (EES) unit co-optimized to perform both energy arbitrage (EA) and regulation service (RS). While our methodology applies to all types of EES, it is particularly suitable for EES units with a finite cycle life and a high power-to-capacity ratio (e.g., grid-scale batteries). We first state the constraints of the EES that limit its ability to simultaneously provide both EA and RS and formulate a deterministic linear program to find the perfect price foresight value (PPFV) of co-optimized storage. Next, we develop the receding horizon with multi-stage forecasting (RHMF) controller, which is able to efficiently co-optimize storage across EA and RS in an online real world setting with price uncertainty. We apply this controller to two battery technologies using market data from the independent service operator of New England (ISONE). We find that RHMF significantly outperforms several simpler feasible benchmark controllers and comes close to the PPFV upper bound. We also find that co-optimizing these technologies across both EA and RS provides increased profits relative to pursuing these strategies independently. The case study demonstrates the utility of our method in understanding how storage technology parameters impact financial returns.