cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CYSTECTOMY FOR BLADDER CANCER: A CONTEMPORARY SERIES

Purpose: To validate the current TNM staging system, we analyzed our contemporary experience with 300 cystectomies.Materials and Methods: The pathological material and medical records of 300 patients treated with cystectomy were reviewed, and the new TNM classification was adopted.Results: The median followup of patients with no evidence of disease was 65 months, and overall survival rate was 45% with a median survival of 50 months. In a Cox regression analysis only patient age, pT stage and neoadjuvant chemotherapy were significant factors for survival. The disease specific survival was 67% with a median survival of 94 months. In a multiple proportional hazards analysis only pT stage and previous chemotherapy were significant factors of disease specific survival. A significant difference was seen in the overall and disease specific survival between patients with organ confined and nonorgan confined tumors. We did not observe a difference in the survival rate among patients with pT4a to pT3 tumors. Signif...
Retrograde Ureteral and Renal Access in Patients With Urinary Diversion

Objectives To present our experience with retrograde ureteral and/or renal access in patients with urinary diversion. Retrograde ureteral access may be indicated for treatment of malignancy, ureteroenteric anastomotic stricture disease, or nephrolithiasis, and, in patients with previous urinary diversion surgery, can be technically challenging. Methods We retrospectively identified patients undergoing attempted retrograde ureteral access after urinary diversion surgery. The demographic information, diversion type, indication for retrograde access, success or failure of access, and intra- and postoperative complications were recorded. Results From 2003 to 2008, 21 renal units (15 patients) with previous urinary diversion surgery underwent attempted retrograde ureteral access. The indications for retrograde access included treatment of nephrolithiasis in 5, ureteroenteric anastomotic stricture in 9, upper tract filling defects in 3, positive cytology findings in 1, and known upper tract malignancy in 3. We made 28 retrograde access attempts. Of these, 21 (75%) were successful. The success rate for each type of urinary diversion was 90% (9/10) for orthotopic neobladders, 73% (11/15) for ileal conduits, and 33% (1/3) for Indiana pouches. All 6 attempts to access the renal units for ureteroscopic management of suspected upper tract malignancy were successful. The access attempts were less successful in 5 of 10 patients (50%) with anastomotic stricture disease. No complications were reported. Conclusions Retrograde access in patients with urinary diversion is feasible and safe. The risk of failed access is increased in patients with ureteral anastomotic stricture. The diagnosis and/or treatment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma and stone disease can be readily performed with retrograde ureteroscopic techniques.
Giant mitochondria induced in rat pancreatic exocrine cells by ethanol and iron.

Background Mitochondria are sensitive indicators of cellular pathology. Under certain circumstances, these organelles respond to cellular insult by a marked increase in size, resulting in the formation of giant mitochondria (megamitochondria). Ethanol has been implicated in the induction of giant mitochondria in rat hepatocytes. Since ethanol is reported to affect pancreatic mitochondria, we examined this organ for evidence of mitochondrial giantism in rats administered ethanol and a relatively small amount of supplementary iron. Methods Diets were administered via a chronically implanted gastrostomy catheter. Rats were segregated in four groups: 1) basic high-fat diet, 2) ethanol and a high fat diet, 3) carbonyl iron and a high-fat diet, and 4) ethanol and carbonyl iron combined with a high-fat diet. After the animals were on their respective diets for 16 weeks, specimens of pancreas were extirpated and processed for and examined by transmission electron microscopy. Results Mitochondria in rats on the basic high fat diet resemble those in untreated controls. With ethanol and a high-fat diet, some mitochondria in virtually every exocrine cell are profoundly altered. Such organelles, which are of normal size, have undergone rearrangement of their internal membranes, with three or four parallel cristae residing at one or both poles of spherical to ovate mitochondria. In rats receiving both ethanol and carbonyl iron, giant mitochondria are present in pancreatic exocrine cells. Except for their size, these megamitochondria in many cases are virtual likenesses of the altered mitochondria in the alcohol-high-fat rats, having several stacked cristae at either pole and an enhanced matrix compartment. Many of the giant mitochondria have at least one expanded crista, which contains packets of helically coiled filaments. When control rats are fed carbonyl iron without ethanol, the pancreatic mitochondria display a marked propensity for forming clusters of tightly interlocked organelles, formations that may be a prelude to mitochondrial fusion. Conclusions It appears that iron supplementation sets the stage for organelle fusion, hence enlargement, with the ethanol providing the stimulus for fusion to actually take place, and controlling the final morphology of the resultant megamitochondria. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effects of an antiprogesterone agent, RU-486, on the menstrual cycle of the rhesus monkey.

RU-486 (RU), a synthetic steroid with antiprogesterone receptor activity, was used to study the role of progesterone in the normal menstrual cycle of rhesus monkeys. The drug, at dosages of 2, 4, or 12 mg/kg, was administered as a single im injection during the luteal phase (days 5–8) in 16 experiments in 8 monkeys. RU had acute effects on the endometrium, as it induced menstruation within 3 days in spite of persistant progesterone elevations, thereby shortening the cycle length by about 5 days. Long term effects on menstrual cyclicity were also found with the higher RU doses. The intermenstrual interval after RU treatment increased from 31.8 ± 2.4 (±SE) days after a 2 mg/kg dose of RU to 82.4 ± 6.8 days after a 12 mg/kg dose of RU, with a control cycle length of 29.4 ± 0.7 days. This prolonged interval was related to a delay in the completion of the follicular maturation process and, therefore, a delay in ovulation, as judged by estrogen and progesterone concentrations. Subsequent menstrual cycles were r...
Optimal Chemotherapy for Leukemia: A Model-Based Strategy for Individualized Treatment

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, commonly known as ALL, is a predominant form of cancer during childhood. With the advent of modern healthcare support, the 5-year survival rate has been impressive in the recent past. However, long-term ALL survivors embattle several treatment-related medical and socio-economic complications due to excessive and inordinate chemotherapy doses received during treatment. In this work, we present a model-based approach to personalize 6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) treatment for childhood ALL with a provision for incorporating the pharmacogenomic variations among patients. Semi-mechanistic mathematical models were developed and validated for i) 6-MP metabolism, ii) red blood cell mean corpuscular volume (MCV) dynamics, a surrogate marker for treatment efficacy, and iii) leukopenia, a major side-effect. With the constraint of getting limited data from clinics, a global sensitivity analysis based model reduction technique was employed to reduce the parameter space arising from semi-mechanistic models. The reduced, sensitive parameters were used to individualize the average patient model to a specific patient so as to minimize the model uncertainty. Models fit the data well and mimic diverse behavior observed among patients with minimum parameters. The model was validated with real patient data obtained from literature and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Patient models were used to optimize the dose for an individual patient through nonlinear model predictive control. The implementation of our approach in clinical practice is realizable with routinely measured complete blood counts (CBC) and a few additional metabolite measurements. The proposed approach promises to achieve model-based individualized treatment to a specific patient, as opposed to a standard-dose-for-all, and to prescribe an optimal dose for a desired outcome with minimum side-effects.
A note on the complexity of algebraic differentiation

It is a well-known empirical result that differentiation, especially higher order differentiation, of simple expressions can lead to long and complex expressions. In this paper we give some theoretical results that help to explain this phenomenon. In particular we show that in certain representations there exist expressions whose representations require σ(n) space but whose (k+1)-th order derivatives require σ(n(n+k-1/k)) space and hence require at least σ(n(n+k-1/k)) time to compute.
Carbon dioxide-in-water foams stabilized with nanoparticles and surfactant acting in synergy

Synergistic interactions at the interface of nanoparticles (bare colloidal silica) and surfactant (caprylamidopropyl betaine) led to the generation of viscous and stable CO2-in-water (C/W) foams with fine texture at 19.4 MPa and 50°C. Interestingly, neither species generated C/W foams alone. The surfactant became cationic in the presence of CO2 and adsorbed on the hydrophilic silica nanoparticle surfaces resulting in an increase in the carbon dioxide/water/nanoparticle contact angle. The surfactant also adsorbed at the CO2–water interface, reducing interfacial tension to allow formation of finer bubbles. The foams were generated in a beadpack and characterized by apparent viscosity measurements both in the beadpack and in a capillary tube viscometer. In addition, the macroscopic foam stability was observed visually. The foam texture and viscosity were tunable by controlling the aqueous phase composition. Foam stability is discussed in terms of lamella drainage, disjoining pressure, interfacial viscosity, and hole formation. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 3490–3501, 2013
Dynamic stability and learning processes in 2 × 2 coordination games

Abstract Learning processes with bounded recall and fictitious play are studied in 2 × 2 coordination games. It is shown that such learning processes never converge to a risk-dominated equilibrium, and fictitious play always converges to the risk-dominant equilibrium. Memory could be a source of risk-aversion, and certain asymmetry of bounded rationality across players could be a source of stability.
Ingenuous interpretation of elevated blood levels of macromolecular markers of myocardial injury: a recipe for confusion

Several assumptions about elevations of macromolecular markers of myocardial injury in blood require critical consideration. The dichotomy of modest, persistent elevations of troponins I and T as prognostic factors in patients with unstable angina and absent elevations of isoenzymes of creatine kinase is presently unexplained. Factors influencing the appearance of macromolecular markers of myocardial injury in blood are considered, including the need to estimate baseline values, to consider elevations as deviations from baseline rather than simply points within a distribution of baseline values in normal subjects, to recognize operative biochemical and physiologic determinants of marker release from injured myocytes and washout and to take into account the influence of apoptosis. Elucidation and consideration of mechanisms underlying the appearance of specific macromolecular markers in blood appear likely to improve diagnosis and explain the prognostic power of the troponins in patients with unstable angina. Detection of proteolytic breakdown products of troponins in blood is likely to explain the modest, persistent elevations seen in some patients with unstable angina and their prognostic implications.
The influence of mode, sub‐mode, and speaker predilection on style

With four basic assumptions about the nature of style as orientation, this study focuses on six subjects across two general modes and six sub‐modes of discourse. After discussing “style markers” such as sentence length, word length, TTR, cloze scores, ratios related to extent of qualification, AVQ, PTQ, and psychogrammatical features across modes and sub‐modes, the study sketches a “stylistic profile” of the subjects including not only these style markers but editing behaviors as well. Although subjects appear to have been influenced by modal and sub‐modal dimensions of style, individual predilections appear also to have been heavily influenced by factors relating to “epistemic stance.”
An Investigation of PWB Layout by Genetic Algorithms to Maximize Fatigue Life

Thermal considerations in Printed Wiring Board (PWB) assemblies are becoming increasingly important as packaging constraints shrink and power use escalates. In this paper, we provide a study on the potential for a Genetic Algorithm-driven PWB layout design tool to improve the thermal performance of such assemblies. As a case study, the thermo-mechanical fatigue of surface mounted leadless chip carriers on an FR4 epoxy board is used. We have found that by utilizing appropriate formulabased engineering approximations, the efficiency of Genetic Algorithms in finding near-optimal and optimal results makes this approach effective as an explorative 'scouting' approach to identify promising board configurations for more computationally expensive evaluations such as finite element method.
The primary structure of rat ribosomal protein L26

The amino acid sequence of rat ribosomal protein L26 was deduced from the sequence of nucleotides in a recombinant cDNA and confirmed from the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of the protein. Rat L26 contains 145 amino acids and has a molecular mass of 17,266 Da. Hybridization of the cDNA to digests of nuclear DNA suggests that there are 8-16 copies of the L26 gene. The mRNA for the protein is about 650 nucleotides in length. Protein L26 has a sequence of 9 residues that may be repeated in three places.
Pulsed neutron research at Argonne National Laboratory

Abstract In this article we briefly review the developments that have led to the building and successful operation of the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) at Argonne National Laboratory. IPNS is the first pulsed spallation neutron source with sufficient intensity (peak flux ∼ 3 × 1014 n⧸cm2⧸s) to be useful for a wide variety of applications in condensed matter research, and thus is both producing new results and serving as a development center for new ideas in pulsed neutron technology. Future prospects with new, more intense spallation sources are discussed.
APPLICATION OF RANDOM MATRIX THEORY TO STUDY CROSS-CORRELATIONS OF STOCK PRICES

We address the question of how to precisely identify correlated behavior between different firms in the economy by applying methods of random matrix theory (RMT). Specifically, we use methods of random matrix theory to analyze the cross-correlation matrix of price changes of the largest 1000 US stocks for the 2-year period 1994–1995. We find that the statistics of most of the eigenvalues in the spectrum of agree with the predictions of random matrix theory, but there are deviations for a few of the largest eigenvalues. To prove that the rest of the eigenvalues are genuinely random, we test for universal properties such as eigenvalue spacings and eigenvalue correlations. We demonstrate that shares universal properties with the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble of random matrices. In addition, we quantify the number of significant participants, that is companies, of the eigenvectors using the inverse participation ratio, and find eigenvectors with large inverse participation ratios at both edges of the eigenvalue spectrum — a situation reminiscent of results in localization theory.
True and effective polarizability tensors for asymmetric-top molecules: The rotational Raman spectra of H2S and D2S

Abstract Higher order contributions to the rotational matrix elements of the equilibrium polarizability tensor are here derived from the components of the effective polarizability, obtained by contact transformation of the true polarizability tensor. These are used to simulate the rotational Raman spectrum of H 2 S. The J -dependent intensity contribution from the (first-order) centrifugal distortion term is needed to give a good comparison with the observed spectrum. The best calculated spectrum is that having an integrated intensity which is consistent with the polarizability anisotropy obtained from the earlier depolarization ratio measurement. The calculation serves to determine the relative signs of both the equilibrium polarizability components and the derivatives with respect to normal coordinates—only one sign combination yields a calculated spectrum which agrees with the observed one. The cubic anharmonicity term also makes a significant isotopedependent contribution to the J -independent terms. These values were then used to derive the effective polarizability components for D 2 S from the true ones, and they give a calculated spectrum and integrated intensity which agree well with observed results.
Securing the Web

For the past year (1996-7), the browser war between Netscape and Microsoft has made Internet news headlines, with each company offering new and better features. But the competition for "more features" leaves an important area of network software behind: security. In fact, packing software with features is the best way to complicate its security. And even if software companies made securing their Web products their highest priority, human related errors would still remain. Securing the Web starts with Web users understanding security. The article goes on to discuss server-side security, cryptography and client-side security.
Comparison of three estrus detection systems during summer in a large commercial dairy herd.

The objective of the study was to compare three systems for estrus detection and combinations of these systems on a large commercial dairy (1075 lactating cows) during stress of summer heat. At 37-45 days in milk (DIM), 255 cows were fitted with a HeatWatch device (HW; DDx Inc., Denver, CO), an activity sensor ALPRO (ALPRO; DeLaval Inc., Kansas City, MO), and visually observed (VO) three times daily. Pregnancy status was determined by uterine palpation per rectum 35-49 days following artificial insemination (AI). Effects of DIM, parity, standing events, inseminator, and interval between onset of estrus and AI on conception rates were determined using logistic regression. Efficiencies for detection of estrus, determined by comparing detected periods of estrus with a theoretical total of 570 periods, were 49.3% (VO), 37.2% (ALPRO), 48.0% (HW), and 80.2% for all three systems simultaneously. Conception rates (LSM+/-S.E.) for cows detected by one or more of the three systems were 6.2+/-3.9 for VO, 19.8+/-5.6 for ALPRO, 17.3+/-5.0 for HW, 22.8+/-7.0 for VO+ALPRO, 26.9+/-4.6 for VO+HW, 23.2+/-5.2 for ALPRO+HW, and 18.4+/-4.7 for VO+ALPRO+HW. Inseminations performed during no and mild heat stress (temperature-humidity index; THI 76; 17.6%). Number of mounts were higher for primiparous versus multiparous cows (P<0.05). Cows over 80 DIM during estrus exhibited fewer (P<0.05) standing events. The highest conception rate occurred with the combination of VO+HW, which confirms the premise that combination of multiple systems enhances both the efficiency and accuracy of estrus detection.
High temperature, high resolution line position measurements of 12C16O2 in the 580 to 940 cm-1 region

Abstract More than 6500 P, Q and R branch spectral lines in the region 580–940 cm-1 have been identified and assigned to 43 vibration-rotation bands of the principal isotope of carbon dioxide, 12C16O2. The position of each line was measured and an uncertainty in the position of each line was estimated. The interferometric data used in this study were obtained from naturally occurring samples of carbon dioxide heated to 800 K, to yield data on high quantum-number rotational, vibrational and vibrational angular momentum states. Measurements were made for three different sample pressures: 5, 15 and 40 torr. Measurements at 15 and 40 torr permitted the observation of weak, high quantum-number vibrational transitions normally not observed at room temperature and high-quantum-number rotational transitions within the vibrational transitions. A maximum unapodized instrumental resolution of 0.0044 cm-1 was used. A weighted linear least-squares procedure was applied to the spectral lines of each vibrational transition to estimate rotational-vibrational molecular constants Gv, Bv, Dv and Hv which are reported here.
Allelopathic effects of phenolic acids detected in buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides) clippings on growth of annual bluegrass (Poa annua) and buffalograss seedlings

Abstract Fourteen different phenolic acids were detected in water extracts of buffalograss clippings. Six of the 14 phenolic acids, including p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, gentisic acid, homoveratric acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and vanillic acid, were examined for water and base extractable tissue concentration, and their effects on growth of seedlings of annual bluegrass (Poa annua) and buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides). The tissue phenolic acid concentrations were found to be significantly different among the three buffalograss varieties examined. The variety `Prairie' had a higher total tissue phenolic acid concentration than the concentrations detected in the varieties `UCHL-1' and `NE609'. Seed germination was not affected by the six phenolic acids, but root growth of seedlings was severely inhibited. Seedling establishment was tested in buffalograss turf plots. No annual bluegrass became established in the buffalograss turf, and only 1% of buffalograss seedlings became established. The allelopathic effects of the phenolic acids may be, at least partly, responsible for prevention of establishment of new plants in the sward. The allelopathic effects of these phenolic acids seem not to be species specific, but they act like a broad-spectrum preemergence herbicide that affects seedling establishment while not affecting established turfgrass. This character may exist in other turfgrass species, and it is a potentially useful trait for turfgrass breeding.
On a collection of chalcids (Hymenoptera) from India

Abstract This paper deals with a small collection of Chalcid parasites. received by the School of Entomology for identification, from the Director, Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta and from the Entomologist, Biological Control Scheme, Himachal Pradesh University, Simla. Three new species are described and two known species are recorded here. The types of the new species are being deposited in the Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. We thank Prof. M.S. Mani for placing this interesting material at our disposal and for valuable advice. The work was done under the PL 480 Project (2) A7-ENT-94 (FO-IN- 450) under Prof. Mani.
Gender Disparities in the Mental Health of Urban Survivors of Trauma

Women who experience traumatic events are at higher risk for mental health problems compared to men; however, gaps remain in our understanding of this disparity. A sample of 170 urban adults completed self-report measures. Women were significantly more likely to experience sexual assault and domestic violence compared to men, and they were significantly less likely to experience a robbery or mugging, being threatened with a weapon, or witnessing a death or assault compared to men. Also, women were more likely than men to meet criteria for probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression after controlling for covariates and trauma level. Our findings suggest a possible differential vulnerability to the development of PTSD and depressive symptoms in women.
Auditing the quality of care in emergency departments

A methodology for evaluating the quality of emergency department care in the form of a retrospective process audit for emergent and urgent cases was developed and tested in the Philadelphia General Hospital Emergency Department. A physician panel developed criteria against which the management of six "chief complaints," as indicated on the medical record, was measured. Then nonphysician auditors examined records retrospectively for a three-week period, covering every day and shift for a total sample of 389 cases. The physician panel made an implicit review of those records that varied from the criteria. The results of the review in four diagnostic areas showed that for chest pain 51% (36) did not meet the provisional standards; for abdominal pain 35% (35) did not; for wounds 51% (51) did not, and for sore throats 43% (22) did not. These results were presented to the ED staff and charts were re-audited after one month. The results of this second audit are being tabulated though preliminary findings indicate an improvement in the percentage of cases meeting the criteria.
What, where, and when: keyword search with spatio-temporal ranges

With the adoption of timestamps and geotags on Web data, search engines are increasingly being asked questions of "where" and "when" in addition to the classic "what." In the case of Twitter, many tweets are tagged with location information as well as timestamps, creating a demand for query processors that can search both of these dimensions along with text. We propose 3W, a search framework for geo-temporal stamped documents. It exploits the structure of time-stamped data to dramatically shrink the temporal search space and uses a shallow tree based on the spatial distribution of tweets to allow speedy search over the spatial and text dimensions. Our evaluation on 30 million tweets shows that the prototype system outperforms the baseline approach that uses a monolithic index.
GOVERNMENT AS AN INSTITUTION FOR HUMAN FULFILLMENT

In the contemporary US economy, to maintain the government can somehow be related to human fulfillment seems to be odd. This is especially the case during the Reagan administration when the government was seen to be inherently evil. The catchword was “To Get the Big Government Off Our Back”, because the government seems to always stand in the people's way, to interfere with their freedom, and to tax them unjustly. Government, therefore, is detrimental to human fulfillment. This anti‐government attitude is quite understandable. In the tradition of classical liberalism, human fulfillment is considered primarily an individual matter and predicated upon individual freedom. As the role of government increases, individual freedom is assumed to be decreased. There is a competitive or substitutive relationship between the government and the individual.
Anaesthetic management of the child with co-existing pulmonary disease

Summary Children with co-existing pulmonary disease have a wide range of clinical manifestations with significant implications for anaesthetists. Although there are a number of pulmonary diseases in children, this review focuses on two of the most common pulmonary disorders, asthma and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). These diseases share the physiology of bronchoconstriction and variably decreased flow in the airways, but also have unique physiological consequences. The anaesthetist can make a difference in outcomes with proper preoperative evaluation and appropriate preparation for surgery in the context of a team approach to perioperative care with implementation of a stepwise approach to disease management. An understanding of the importance of minimizing the risk for bronchoconstriction and having the tools at hand to treat it when necessary is paramount in the care of these patients. Unique challenges exist in the management of pulmonary hypertension in BPD patients. This review covers medical treatment, intraoperative management, and postoperative care for both patient populations.
A multistrategy learning approach to domain modeling and knowledge acquisition

This paper presents an approach to domain modeling and knowledge acquisition that consists of a gradual and goal-driven improvement of an incomplete domain model provided by a human expert. Our approach is based on a multistrategy learning method that allows a system with incomplete knowledge to learn general inference or problem solving rules from specific facts or problem solving episodes received from the human expert. The system will learn the general knowledge pieces by considering all their possible instances in the current domain model, trying to learn complete and consistent descriptions. Because of the incompleteness of the domain model the learned rules will have exceptions that are eliminated by refining the definitions of the existing concepts or by defining new concepts.
Behavioral Correlates in the Happy Puppet Syndrome: a Characteristic Profile?

Nine children with the "happy puppet" syndrome are presented here and 19 previously reported cases are reviewed. A characteristic psychological profile is suggested by the children's "unfocused" activities and inconsistent responsiveness to their surroundings. Behavioral characteristics are atypical for mental age and do not appear to represent unusual seizure equivalents. Recognition of such non-adaptive behavior may be of importance in selecting specific treatment and management techniques to modify the characteristics of this syndrome at an early age.
Contraction of fibrillar type I collagen by endothelial cells: a study in vitro.

The formation of microvascular sprouts during angiogenesis requires that endothelial cells move through an extracellular matrix. Endothelial cells that migrate in vitro generate forces of traction that compress (i.e., contract) and reorganize vicinial extracellular matrix, a process that might be important for angiogenic invasion and morphogenesis in vivo. To study potential relationships between traction and angiogenesis, we have measured the contraction of fibrillar type I collagen gels by endothelial cells in vitro. We found that the capacity of bovine aortic endothelial (BAE) cells to remodel type I collagen was similar to that of human dermal fibroblasts—a cell type that generates high levels of traction. Contraction of collagen by BAE cells was stimulated by fetal bovine serum, human plasma-derived serum, bovine serum albumin, and the angiogenic factors phorbol myristate acetate and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). In contrast, fibronectin and immunoglobulin from bovine serum, several nonserum proteins, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (a nonproteinaceous substitute for albumin in artificial plasma) were not stimulatory. Contraction of collagen by BAE cells was diminished by an inhibitor of metalloproteinases (1, 10-phenanthroline) at concentrations that were not obviously cytotoxic. Zymography of proteins secreted by BAE cells that had contracted collagen gels revealed matrix metalloproteinase 2. Subconfluent BAE cells that were migratory and proliferating were more effective contractors of collagen than were quiescent, confluent cells of the same strain. Moreover, bovine capillary endothelial cells contracted collagen gels to a greater degree than was seen with BAE cells. Collectively, our observations indicate that traction-driven reorganization of fibrillar type I collagen by endothelial cells is sensitive to different mediators, some of which, e.g., bFGF, are known regulators of angiogenesis in vivo. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Microvena atrial septal defect occlusion device--update 2000.

This article (1) summarizes the Duke University results with the Das-Angel Wings atrial septal defect occlusion device, (2) outlines the rationale for design changes in the device, and (3) describes the new Microvena atrial septal defect occlusion device characteristics, and plans for the future. At Duke University, investigators using the first-generation device attempted closures in 3.5 patients with atrial level communications. Ages ranged from 5 to 83 years with a median of 28 years, and weights ranged from 16 to 100 kg. Thirty-two of the 3.5 defects had successful device placement. On follow-up, the defects of 27 of 32 patients with an implanted device were completely closed, and 5 patients had < 2-mm residual leaks. Three patients had malposition of the device, two of whom were treated surgically and one of whom was treated with percutaneous device retrieval. Complications included one small mitral valve perforation with no clinical sequelae. There have been no strokes, delayed enibolizations, nor procedure or device related deaths. There have been no new or late problems in the cohort in a follow-up extending to 63 months. Opportunities for improvement of the device were noted during the clinical study. The manufacturer, Microvena Corporation, voluntarily withdrew the occluder for a redesign initiative. The objectives of redesign were ready deployment, reduction of device manipulation, rounding of the device, and retrievability. The Guardian Angel device has been the product of the redesign effort. It is a percutaneously inserted atrial septal defect occlusion device that uses the same materials as the initial device, but which has advantages of retrievability, repositionability, and no need for device manipulation. Initial studies have been performed in experimental animals, and clinical trials are planned for the near future. (J Interven Cardiol 2001;14:77–80)
Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial

Background: Numerous observational studies have found supplemental calcium and vitamin D to be associated with reduced risk of common cancers. However, interventional studies to test this effect are lacking. Objective: The purpose of this analysis was to determine the efficacy of calcium alone and calcium plus vitamin D in reducing incident cancer risk of all types. Design: This was a 4-y, population-based, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial. The primary outcome was fracture incidence, and the principal secondary outcome was cancer incidence. The subjects were 1179 community-dwelling women randomly selected from the population of healthy postmenopausal women aged 55 y in a 9-county rural area of Nebraska centered at latitude 41.4°N. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive 1400– 1500 mg supplemental calcium/d alone (Ca-only), supplemental calcium plus 1100 IU vitamin D3/d (Ca D), or placebo. Results: When analyzed by intention to treat, cancer incidence was lowerintheCaDwomenthanintheplacebocontrolsubjects(P 0.03). With the use of logistic regression, the unadjusted relative risks(RR)ofincidentcancerintheCaDandCa-onlygroupswere 0.402(P0.01)and0.532(P0.06),respectively.Whenanalysis was confined to cancers diagnosed after the first 12 mo, RR for the Ca D group fell to 0.232 (CI: 0.09, 0.60; P 0.005) but did not change significantly for the Ca-only group. In multiple logistic regression models, both treatment and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were significant, independent predictors of cancer risk. Conclusions:ImprovingcalciumandvitaminDnutritionalstatussubstantially reduces all-cancer risk in postmenopausal women. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00352170. Am J Clin Nutr 2007;85:1586–91.
Assessment of gene copy number in the homosporous ferns Ceratopteris thalictroides and C. richardii (Parkeriaceae) by restriction fragment length polymorphisms.

Homosporous ferns are generally considered polyploid due to high chromosome numbers, but genetically diploid since the expression of isozymes is generally controlled by a single locus. Gene silencing over evolutionary time is one means by which this apparent contradiction can be explained. A prediction of this hypothesis is that silenced gene se- quences still reside in the genomes of homosporous ferns. We examined the genomes of Ceratopteris richardii and C. thalictroides for sequences which are similar to expressed gene sequences. Genomic DNA blots hybridized with C. richardii cDNA clones showed that the majority of these clones detected multiple fragments, suggesting that most gene-like se- quences are duplicated in Ceratopteris. Hybridization signal intensity often varied between fragments of the same size between accessions, sometimes dramatically, which indicates that not all sequences are equivalent, and may represent the products of silenced genes. Observed reciprocal differences in intensity could be due to reciprocally silenced genes. In addition, an unusual segregation pattern for one locus followed by one probe may indicate homeologous chromosome pairing and segregation. Since diploid homosporous ferns have high chromosome numbers, they are gen- erally thought to be anciently polyploid. However, the expression of a large number of isozymes are each controlled by a single locus, thus there is no evidence for extensive gene duplication (HAUFLER & SOLTIS 1986 and references therein). To reconcile these contradictory observations, it has been hypothesized that genome- wide silencing of duplicate genes has occurred over evolutionary time (HAUFLER 1987). If gene silencing were an important feature of homosporous fern evolution, relic DNA sequences with similarity to expressed genes may be expected to still reside in their genomes. Evidence in favor of this hypothesis has been obtained by PICHERSK¥ & al. (1990) who showed that the majority of sequences similar to chlorophyll a/b-binding (CAB) protein genes isolated from Polystichurn rnunitum (n = 41) were interrupted by deletions and premature stop codons. In contrast, many CAB genes have been characterized in numerous angiosperm species, but
Uptake of dissolved organics by marine bacteria as a function of fluid motion

A mass transfer analysis predicts that fluid motion can increase the assimilation of dissolved organics by attached compared to free-living microorganisms under certain conditions. To test this we examined the effect of advective flow and fluid shear on the uptake of model compounds (leucine and glucose) by natural assemblages of heterotrophic bacteria, collected from Roosevelt Inlet, Delaware Bay (USA), in 1989. We found that [3H]leucine uptake by cells held in fluid moving at 20 to 70 m d−1 was eight times larger than uptake by cells at a velocity of 3 m d−1. This effect was only observed at low leucine concentrations (ca. 1 nM), when uptake was likely not saturated. When we added leucine at concentrations expected to saturate leucine uptake (ca. 11 nM), fluid motion past cells did not affect uptake. Fluid flow past bacteria did not increase [3H]glucose uptake, and laminar shear rates of 0.5 to 2.1 s−1 did not increase either glucose or leucine uptake by suspended bacteria. These results indicate that fluid motion increases bacterial uptake of certain lowmolecular-weight dissolved organics only when the microorganism exists in an advective flow field. As predicted from a mass transfer model, fluid shear rates in natural systems are too low to affect bacterial uptake of such compounds.
JS-K, a glutathione/glutathione S-transferase-activated nitric oxide donor of the diazeniumdiolate class with potent antineoplastic activity.

We have previously shown that nitric oxide (NO) inhibits growth and induces differentiation and apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia cells, with the HL-60 human myeloid leukemia line being particularly sensitive to NO-mediated cytolysis. With the goal of identifying a prodrug that can target NO to the leukemia cells without inducing NO-mediated systemic hypotension, we have screened a series of O(2)-aryl diazeniumdiolates designed to be stable at physiological pH but to release NO upon reaction with glutathione. O(2)-(2,4-Dinitrophenyl) 1-[(4-ethoxycarbonyl)piperazin-1-yl]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (JS-K) proved to be the most active antiproliferative agent among those tested in HL-60 cells, with an IC(50) of 0.2-0.5 microM. After 5 days of exposure to 0.5 micro M JS-K, HL-60 cells had differentiated and acquired some of the phenotypic features of normal monocytes. One- to 2-day treatment with JS-K at concentrations of 0.5-1 microM resulted in apoptosis induction in a concentration- and caspase-dependent manner. JS-K also inhibited the growth of solid tumor cell lines but to a lesser extent than HL-60 cells. JS-K was administered i.v. to nonobese diabetic-severe combined immune deficient mice at doses of up to 4 micromol/kg without inducing significant hypotension. The growth of s.c. implanted HL-60 cells was reduced by approximately 50% when the mice received i.v. injections three times/week with 4 micromol/kg boluses of JS-K. Histological examination of tumor explants from JS-K-treated animals revealed extensive necrosis. Similar results were seen with s.c. human prostate cancer (PPC-1) xenografts. Our data indicate that JS-K is a promising lead compound for the possible development of a novel class of antineoplastic agents.
The Innate Immune Factor Apolipoprotein L1 Restricts HIV-1 Infection

Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) is a major component of the human innate immune response against African trypanosomes. Although the mechanism of the trypanolytic activity of circulating APOL1 has been recently clarified, the intracellular function(s) of APOL1 in human cells remains poorly defined. Like that of many genes linked to host immunity, APOL1 expression is induced by proinflammatory cytokines gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Additionally, IFN-γ-polarized macrophages that potently restrict HIV-1 replication express APOL1, which suggests that APOL1 may contribute to HIV-1 suppression. Here, we report that APOL1 inhibits HIV-1 replication by multiple mechanisms. We found that APOL1 protein targeted HIV-1 Gag for degradation by the endolysosomal pathway. Interestingly, we found that APOL1 stimulated both endocytosis and lysosomal biogenesis by promoting nuclear localization of transcription factor EB (TFEB) and expression of TFEB target genes. Moreover, we demonstrated that APOL1 depletes cellular viral accessory protein Vif, which counteracts the host restriction factor APOBEC3G, via a pathway involving degradation of Vif in lysosomes and by secretion of Vif in microvesicles. As a result of Vif depletion by APOL1, APOBEC3G was not degraded and reduced infectivity of progeny virions. In support of this model, we also showed that endogenous expression of APOL1 in differentiated U937 monocytic cells stimulated with IFN-γ resulted in a reduced production of virus particles. This finding supports the hypothesis that induction of APOL1 contributes to HIV-1 suppression in differentiated monocytes. Deciphering the precise mechanism of APOL1-mediated HIV-1 restriction may facilitate the design of unique therapeutics to target HIV-1 replication.
Applications of GA-based optimization of neural network connection topology

A genetic algorithm (GA) is used to explore the connection space of an artificial neural network (ANN) with the objective of finding a sparsely connected network that yields the same accuracy as a fully connected network. Such sparsity is desired as it improves the generalization capabilities of the mapping. The ANN with the GA-chosen set of connections is then trained using a supervised mode of learning known as backpropagation error. Using this technique, three different applications are analyzed.
Scattering and radiation properties of varactor-tuned microstrip antennas

Experimental and theoretical results are reported for a circular microstrip patch antenna whose scattering and radiation responses are tuned by controlling the bias voltage across a varactor diode that is mounted between the conducting patch and the ground plane. This tunable microstrip patch antenna enjoys a substantially wider impedance bandwidth than the same microstrip antenna without the varactor. In addition, the scattering response of the antenna can be tuned to minimize the return at threat frequencies. By varying the diode bias from 0 to 20 V, it was possible to tune the resonant frequency of the antenna over a 50% bandwidth. >
Application of SVD networks to multi-object motion-shape analysis

Singular value decomposition (SVD) is a technique for signal/image processing. Tomasi and Kanade (1992) proposed an SVD approach to the structure-from-motion problem. For the single object case, they devised a sequential algorithm so that it would be able to recover the scene in real time as the video images are taken. This is called a motion-shape estimation (MSE) problem. This paper evolves the single object MSE to multi-object MSE problem. Given a sequence of 2D video images of multiple moving objects, the problem is to track the 3D motion ofthe objects and reconstruct their 3D shapes. After selection of initial feature points (FPs), the SVD may be applied to a measurement matrix formed by the FPs sequentially tracked by a video system. The distribution of singular values would first reveal the information about the number of objects. Then, using an algebraic-based subspace clustering method, the FPs may be mapped onto their corresponding objects. Thereafter, the motion and shape may be estimated from a matrix factorization. Our method hinges upon the numerical effectiveness and stability of the SVD factorization. >
Multimegawatt Nuclear Reactor Design for Plasma Propulsion Systems

Material and design innovations are introduced to reduce the mass and volume of an established safe gas-cooled cermet reactor design so that it can be deployed as a multimegawatt electric power source for plasma thrusters including the laser accelerated plasma propulsion system. The design improvements include the deployement of alternate fissile ceramics of uranium, plutonium, or americium and changes in reflectors and vessel specification, without introducing adverse effects on already achieved safety features during launch and operations. The design effort yields several candidates with degrees of mass and volume minimizations reaching 75% compared to the base design. I. Introduction I NTEREST in space exploration has accelerated in recent years and brought with it extensive research actcivity in the area of space propulsion that goes beyond present-day chemical systems. Among those are concepts that rely on the ejection of energetic plasma to produce thrust. Invariably, those systems require multimegawatts of electric power to drive them, and only nuclear systems can provide such power levels and performance. In this paper, we focus on one such system, which utilizes ultrafast lasers to accelerate plasmas to relativistic energies, and address its multimegawatt power requirement. We find that gas-cooled cermet reactors meet the demand, and we provide several designs that appear desireable from the standpoint of size, mass, and safety. A. Laser Accelerated Plasma Propulsion System One of the most promising propulsion systems that could lead to the exploration of the solar system and beyond is the laser accelerated plasma propulsion system (LAPPS). 1 This system makes use of ultrafast lasers, characterized by femtoseconds pulse length, to accelerate charged particles to relativistic speeds. Experiments at the University of Michigan and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, among others deploying ultrafast lasers, have produced proton beams containing more than 10E+12 particles with mean energies of tens of megaelectron volts. In fact, progress is being made so rapidly in laser technology that peak powers will soon be reached that can accelerate protons to their rest mass energies, or to 0.866 the speed of light. The resulting Isp can be well over 10E+ 6s .This has truly stagering implications for propulsion applications, when coupled with the fact that repetition rates of kilohertz have also been achieved for high-intensity lasers. The LAPPS concept is based on recent experimental data 2 in which a kilojoule laser was focused on a tiny spot in a gold foil leading to the ejection of a proton beam with 5.3-MeV mean energy. It was observed that half of the laser energy was carried by the ejected particles. At a repetition rate of 1 kHz, this system is capable of producing 500 kW of jet power. 3 Energy balance reveals