cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative Effect of Heme Analogues on Hematopoiesis in Lymphoproliferative Disorders

Anemia is a common characteristic of lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) and the impairment of blood formation in these disorders is not fully understood. Heme synthesis and the heme degradative enzyme heme oxygenase are critical to hematopoietic differentiation and disturbances may contribute to anemic states. Tin protoporphyrin (SnPP) is a potent inhibitor of heme oxygenase, and has proven to be a useful clinical agent. Bone marrow cells from seven patients with LPD were studied for their in vitro hemopoietic response to growth factors and SnPP. Heme oxygenase mRNA levels were determined by Northern blot analysis of bone marrow samples. Quantitation of hematopoiesis in cultures with erythropoietin or GM-CSF revealed adequate CFU-E, BFU-E and CFU-GM growth by LPD bone marrow. Inclusion of 10 μM SnPP in cultures was found to significantly enhance CFU-E/BFU-E growth by LPD marrows, whereas Zinc protoporphyrin had a marked inhibitory effect. Little or no effect by SnPP was seen on CFU-GM. In contrast, norma...
Testosterone Diminishes the Proarrhythmic Effects of Dofetilide in Normal Female Rabbits

Background— Recent clinical and experimental data suggest that testosterone may protect males against the deleterious effects of repolarization-prolonging drugs. This study tests the hypothesis that 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) protects normal females against drug-induced excessive prolongation of repolarization. Methods and Results— We used microelectrode techniques to study isolated preparations of rabbit ventricular endocardium from age-matched normal control female rabbits and female rabbits treated with DHT for 4 weeks. Serum 17β-estradiol levels were identical in the control and DHT-treated animals, whereas DHT levels were high (equaling those in normal males) only in the DHT-treated animals. Basal action potential duration to 90% repolarization (APD90) was significantly shorter in DHT-treated (155±7.4 ms, n=32) than control females (178±6.7 ms, n=29; P<0.05) at cycle length=1000 ms. The increase in APD90 induced by 10−8 mol/L dofetilide at cycle length=1000 ms was significantly less in DHT-treated ...
Assays for endogenous and exogenous lymphoid leukosis viruses and chick helper factor with RSV(--) cell lines.

Japanese quail cells transformed by the envelope-defective Bryan high-titer strain of Rous sarcoma virus [R(−)Q] were used as a source of the Rous sarcoma virus genome in three kinds of assays. (i) The simplest and most sensitive assay for infectious, endogenous viruses of the chicken belonging to subgroup E involved infection of a mixture of R(−)Q cells and turkey cells with the sample and assay of supernatants of these cells for focus formation on subgroup E susceptible cells. (ii) Inactivated Sendai virus-induced fusion of R(−)Q cells with live test cells was found to be a specific method for detection of chick helper factor. Focus formation by supernatant of the fused cells on subgroup E susceptible cells was correlated with the presence of subgroup E envelope glycoprotein on the plasma membranes of test cells. Whole blood cells as well as fibroblasts could be used in this assay. (iii) A method of assay for exogenous lymphoid leukosis viruses in which mixed cultures of R(−)Q cells and C/E cells and assay of supernatants for focus formation on C/E cells was as sensitive as assays presently used for exogenous lymphoid leukosis virus. Because no infectious Rous sarcoma virus was used as part of the procedure, the assays for infectious virus described here yielded pure pseudotypes of the input virus, an advantage for determining purity and subgroup of the input virus.
The Other Merton Thesis

Written as one book, Science, Technology and Society in Seventeenth-Century England has become two. One book, treating Puritanism and science, has since become “The Merton Thesis.” The other, treating shifts of interest among the sciences and problem choice within the sciences, has been less consequential. This paper proposes that neglect of one part of the monograph has skewed readers' understanding of the whole. Society and culture contributed to institutionalization of science and the directions it took, neither one exclusively. Four aspects of the neglected chapters are examined: (1) their theoretical underpinnings, the conceptions providing foundations for this part specifically and for the monograph as a whole; (2) their comparative neglect, attributed partly to the absence of a cognitive constituency for their claims; (3) the problem of problem choice in science in Merton's work; and (4) the Merton monograph and later social constructionism:their differences and affinities.
Japan’s Lay Judge System A Summary of Its Development, Evaluation, and Current Status

In 1999, major changes to Japan’s criminal justice system were proposed, and over the next 10 years, many were implemented. One of the changes created the lay judge system (saiban-in seido), wherei...
Effect of emulsifiers and fortification methods on light stability of vitamin A in milk.

Abstract Lowfat milk is commercially fortified during processing by adding small quantities of oil containing an emulsifier and vitamin A. Added vitamin A is degraded more rapidly than indigenous vitamin A when milk is exposed to light. The objective of this research was to determine if added vitamin A could be made as stable to light as naturally occurring vitamin A by placing it in the more dilute milk fat environment with naturally occurring emulsifiers. Using HPLC to quantify retinyl palmitate, the effect of emulsifiers indigenous to milk versus a commercial emulsifier was first investigated. Butter serum, rich in fat globule membrane material, was compared with Durfax 80 in a 1% recombined milk system. No difference was found in vitamin A stability to light due to emulsifier type. A second experiment on 1% milk compared light stability of vitamin A added in concentrated milk fat emulsion, vitamin A added to all the milk fat, and indigenous vitamin A. Indigenous vitamin A and vitamin A added to all the fat were equally stable and more stable than vitamin A added in a concentrated milk fat emulsion.
Target Choice and Orientation Preference of the Insertion Sequence IS903

We have examined the targeting preference of the bacterial insertion element IS903 by determining the sites of insertion of a large number of transposition events into the 55-kb conjugative plasmid pOX38. Despite the large target size, all the insertions were clustered in four small distinct regions associated with conjugal DNA transfer. Within these regions, many different sites were used for insertion; however, there were a few sites that IS903 inserted into more than once. Alignment of the insertion sites showed that there was no consensus sequence within the 9-bp target duplication but that there were preferred sequences located symmetrically on either side of the target. This is consistent with target recognition by a dimer or multimer of transposase, with either sequence-specific or structure-specific interactions on both sides of the target. We show further that when one of these preferred regions was cloned into a second conjugative plasmid, pUB307, it was still a preferred target, implying that all the sequences necessary for target selection are contained within this DNA segment. Also, we observed a very strong preference for insertion in a single orientation in pUB307. We examined the possibility that either DNA replication from the origin of vegetative replication, oriV, or the origin of transfer, oriT, might determine this orientation effect. We find that reversing the direction of vegetative replication had no effect on the orientation of transposon insertions; however, reversing the direction of DNA transfer abolished the orientation effect. This supports the idea that conjugal DNA transfer imparts a polarity on the target that is sensed by the transposon.
A new volume integral formulation for fullwave extraction of 3-D circuits in inhomogeneous dielectrics exposed to external fields

A new first-principles based volume integral equation (VIE) formulation is developed for the broadband fullwave extraction of 3-D circuits, containing arbitrarily shaped lossy conductors with inhomogeneous dielectrics. It accentuates all the advantages of the VIE formulation traditionally developed for solving wave-related problems, while facilitating circuit parameter extraction such as impedance (Z)- and Scattering (S)-parameter extraction at ports located anywhere in the physical structure of a circuit. Its conformance to the wave-based VIE can also be utilized to analyze the performance of circuits exposed to external fields. An excellent agreement of numerical results with reference data validates the proposed formulation.
Compatibility of some fluorosubstituted styrene polymers and copolymers in blends with poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) and with polystyrene

Blends of poly(p-fluorostyrene) (PpFS), poly(o-fluorostyrene) (PoFS), poly(styrene-co-p-fluorostyrene) (SP46), poly(styrene-co-o-fluorostyrene) (SO49), with poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) and with polystyrene (PS), have been prepared by compression molding of coprecipitated polymers. Compatibility of these systems has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry. Detection of one or two glass transition regions was used to classify the blends as compatible or incompatible. Homopolymers of pFS and oFS were found to be incompatible with PPO and PS. The SP46 copolymer and SO49 copolymer were compatible with PPO in all proportions.
Controlling the Plasma Potential Distribution in Segmented-Electrode Hall Thruster

Segmented electrodes and ceramic spacers (CSs) placed along the Hall thruster channel are shown to produce strong modifications of axial and radial plasma potential distributions as compared to conventional non segmented thruster. These modifications are associated with differences in secondary-electron-emission properties of materials used for electrodes and CSs and correlate with plasma-plume divergence.
Continuous mission-oriented assessment (CMA) of assurance

This paper reports ongoing work on a novel mission-oriented information assurance (IA) assessment approach that contrasts runtime measurements and observations against user-specified requirements.
Genetic dissection of a major anthocyanin QTL contributing to pollinator-mediated reproductive isolation between sister species of Mimulus.

Prezygotic barriers play a major role in the evolution of reproductive isolation, which is a prerequisite for speciation. However, despite considerable progress in identifying genes and mutations responsible for postzygotic isolation, little is known about the genetic and molecular basis underlying prezygotic barriers. The bumblebee-pollinated Mimulus lewisii and the hummingbird-pollinated M. cardinalis represent a classic example of pollinator-mediated prezygotic isolation between two sister species in sympatry. Flower color differences resulting from both carotenoid and anthocyanin pigments contribute to pollinator discrimination between the two species in nature. Through fine-scale genetic mapping, site-directed mutagenesis, and transgenic experiments, we demonstrate that a single-repeat R3 MYB repressor, ROSE INTENSITY1 (ROI1), is the causal gene underlying a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) with the largest effect on anthocyanin concentration and that cis-regulatory change rather than coding DNA mutations cause the allelic difference between M. lewisii and M. cardinalis. Together with the genomic resources and stable transgenic tools developed here, these results suggest that Mimulus is an excellent platform for studying the genetics of pollinator-mediated reproductive isolation and the molecular basis of morphological evolution at the most fundamental level—gene by gene, mutation by mutation.
Comparison of preoperative carprofen and postoperative butorphanol as postsurgical analgesics in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.

Abstract Objective To compare carprofen to butorphanol, with regard to postsurgical analgesic effects, duration of analgesia, and adverse side effects. Study design Blinded, randomized clinical study. Animals Seventy‐one cats, 0.5–5 years of age, weighing 3.24 ± 0.61 kg, undergoing ovariohysterectomy (OHE). Methods Cats were premedicated with subcutaneous atropine (0.04 mg kg−1), acepromazine (0.02 mg kg−1), and ketamine (5 mg kg−1). Anesthesia was induced with ketamine (5 mg kg−1) and diazepam (0.25 mg kg−1) given intravenously, and maintained with isoflurane. There were three treatment groups: group C (4 mg kg−1 carprofen SC at induction), group B (0.4 mg kg−1 butorphanol SC at end of surgery), and group S (0.08 mL kg−1 of sterile saline SC at induction and end of surgery). Behavioral data were collected using a composite pain scale (CPS), prior to surgery (baseline) and 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 hours post‐surgery. Interaction scores were analyzed separately. Cats with CPS scores >12 received rescue analgesia (meperidine, 4 mg kg−1, intramuscular). Results Sixty cats completed the study. The CPS scores did not differ significantly between groups C and B at any time period. CPS scores for groups B and C were significantly increased for 12 hours post‐surgery, and in group S for 20 hours. Both group C and B CPS scores were significantly lower than group S in this 20‐hour postoperative period, except at 4 hours (B and C) and at 3 and 8 hours (B alone). Interaction scores for group C returned to preoperative baseline 4 hours after surgery, while both groups B and S remained increased for at least 24 hours post‐surgery. Nine cats required meperidine. Conclusion In this study, carprofen provided better postsurgical analgesia than butorphanol. Clinical relevance Neither drug completely abolished pain, however preoperative carprofen provided better pain control compared with postoperative butorphanol in the 24‐hour period following OHE surgery in cats.
Nonlinear Contact Geometry Effects on Wheelset Dynamics

The nonlinear dynamic behavior of a simply restrained railway vehicle wheelset on tangent track is investigated. Nonlinearities due to the kinematics of wheel/rail contact (excluding flange contact) and creep force variation with creepage are considered for mildly noncircular wheel and rail profiles. The general equations of lateral and yawing motion of the wheelset are derived. These are then simplified by considering both normalized amplitude of the motion and angle of wheel/rail contact in the undisturbed position.
p38 Map Kinase Mediates Bax Translocation in Nitric Oxide–Induced Apoptosis in Neurons

Nitric oxide is a chemical messenger implicated in neuronal damage associated with ischemia, neurodegenerative disease, and excitotoxicity. Excitotoxic injury leads to increased NO formation, as well as stimulation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in neurons. In the present study, we determined if NO-induced cell death in neurons was dependent on p38 MAP kinase activity. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, elevated caspase activity and induced death in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and primary cultures of cortical neurons. Concomitant treatment with SB203580, a p38 MAP kinase inhibitor, diminished caspase induction and protected SH-SY5Y cells and primary cultures of cortical neurons from NO-induced cell death, whereas the caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk did not provide significant protection. A role for p38 MAP kinase was further substantiated by the observation that SB203580 blocked translocation of the cell death activator, Bax, from the cytosol to the mitochondria after treatment with SNP. Moreover, expressing a constitutively active form of MKK3, a direct activator of p38 MAP kinase promoted Bax translocation and cell death in the absence of SNP. Bax-deficient cortical neurons were resistant to SNP, further demonstrating the necessity of Bax in this mode of cell death. These results demonstrate that p38 MAP kinase activity plays a critical role in NO-mediated cell death in neurons by stimulating Bax translocation to the mitochondria, thereby activating the cell death pathway.
E4BP4 facilitates glucocorticoid-evoked apoptosis of human leukemic CEM cells via upregulation of Bim

Synthetic GCs serve as therapeutic agents for some lymphoid leukemias because of their ability to induce transcriptional changes via the GC receptor (GR) and trigger apoptosis. Upregulation of the BH3-only member of Bcl-2 family proteins, Bim, has been shown to be essential for GC-evoked apoptosis of leukemic lymphoblasts. Using human T cell leukemic sister clones CEM-C7-14 and CEM-C1-15, we have previously shown that the bZIP transcriptional repressor, E4BP4, is preferentially upregulated by GCs in CEM-C7-14 cells that are susceptible to GC-evoked apoptosis, but not in refractory CEM-C1-15 cells. E4BP4 is an evolutionarily conserved member of the PAR family of bZIP transcription factors related to the C. elegans death specification gene ces2. Mouse E4BP4 was ectopically expressed in CEM-C1-15 cells, resulting in sensitization to GC-evoked apoptosis in correlation with restoration of E4BP4 and Bim upregulation. shRNA mediated modest knockdown of E4BP4 in CEM-C7-14 cells resulted in concomitant reduction in Bim expression, although GC-evoked fold-induction and sensitivity to apoptosis was similar to parental cells. Data presented here suggest that GC-mediated upregulation of E4BP4 facilitates Bim upregulation and apoptosis of CEM cells. Since the Bim promoter does not contain any consensus GRE or EBPRE sequences, induction of Bim may be a secondary response.
Endothelin-1 stimulates contraction of rat glomerular mesangial cells and potentiates beta-adrenergic-mediated cyclic adenosine monophosphate accumulation.

Abstract The newly isolated peptide, endothelin-1 (ET-1), is a potent pressor agent that reduces GFR and the glomerular ultrafiltration coefficient. Recent evidence demonstrates that ET-1 mobilizes intracellular Ca2+ [( Ca2+]i) in glomerular mesangial cells by activating the phosphoinositide cascade. The present experiments were designed to examine whether ET-1 stimulates mesangial cell contraction and regulates the synthesis of PGE2 and cAMP, which dampen vasoconstrictor-induced mesangial contraction. ET-1 (greater than or equal to 1 nM) reduced the cross-sectional area of rat mesangial cells cultured on three-dimensional gels of collagen type I. ET-1 also caused complex rearrangements of F-actin microfilaments consistent with a motile response. Contraction in response to ET-1 occurred only at concentrations that activate phospholipase C, and contraction was unaffected by blockade of dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels. Elevation of [Ca2+]i with ionomycin, to equivalent concentrations of [Ca2+]i achieved with ET-1, also reduced mesangial cell cross-sectional area. ET-1 (0.1 microM) also evoked [3H]arachidonate release and a fivefold increase in PGE2 synthesis as well as increased synthesis of PGF2 alpha and small changes of TXB2. ET-1 caused a minor increase in intracellular cAMP accumulation only in the presence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. ET-1 also amplified cAMP production in response to isoproterenol. TPA and ionomycin, alone and in combination, failed to mimic the potentiating effect of ET-1; however, indomethacin blocked ET-1-induced potentiation of isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP, which was restored by addition of exogenous 10 nM PGE2. Thus the present data demonstrate that ET-1 stimulates mesangial cell contraction via pharmacomechanical coupling and activates phospholipase A2 to produce PGE2, PGF2 alpha, and TXB2. ET-1 also amplified beta adrenergic-stimulated cAMP accumulation by a PGE2-dependent mechanism.
Reduction of exterior differential systems with infinite dimensional symmetry groups

A symmetry-based method for constructing solutions to systems of differential equations founded on the reduction of exterior differential systems invariant under the action of an infinite dimensional pseudogroup is proposed. One can associate to any system of differential equations Δ=0 with a symmetry group \(\mathcal{G}\) an exterior differential system \(\mathcal{I}\) invariant under \(\mathcal{G}\) so that solutions of Δ=0 correspond to integral manifolds \(\mathcal{I}\). The \(\mathcal{G}\)-invariant exterior differential system gives rise to a reduced system \(\overline{\mathcal{I}}\) specified on a cross section to the pseudogroup orbits, and it is shown that solutions to Δ=0 can be reconstructed from integral manifolds \(\overline{\mathcal{I}}\) by solving an equation of generalized Lie type for the jets of pseudogroup transformations. In particular, as opposed to the classical method of symmetry reduction, every solution to the system of differential equations can, under some mild regularity assumptions, be constructed by the present algorithm.
AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on sapphire

This paper presents the recent progress in the development of fabrication processes and device performance of recessed as well as non recessed AlGaN/GaN HEMTs at the University of Illinois. Maximum drain current density as high as 1.31 A/mm, record high extrinsic transconductance of 402 mS/mm, unity gain cut-off frequency (f/sub T/) of 107 GHz, and maximum frequency of oscillation (f/sub max/) of 148 GHz were demonstrated for recessed AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with a gate length of 0.15 /spl mu/m grown by MOCVD. Results for MBE-grown devices are also presented.
Economics and Energy of Ethanol Production from Alfalfa, Corn, and Switchgrass in the Upper Midwest, USA

In the USA, biomass crop systems will be needed to meet future ethanol production goals. We estimated production costs, profits, and energy budgets for three potential crop systems for the Upper Midwest: continuous corn with stover harvest, an alfalfa–corn rotation with stover harvest, and switchgrass. Production costs, profits, and on-farm energy use were greatest for continuous corn, less for alfalfa–corn, and least for switchgrass. Energy to transport crops was similar for all crop systems. Both energy used to produce ethanol and energy output in ethanol was greatest for continuous corn, less for alfalfa–corn, and least for switchgrass. Co-product energy output was 32% greater for alfalfa–corn than continuous corn and 42% greater than switchgrass. Net energy produced (outputs–inputs) was greatest for switchgrass, followed by continuous corn, and then alfalfa–corn. Efficiency of energy production (outputs/inputs) was greatest for switchgrass, followed by alfalfa–corn, and then continuous corn. Our analysis emphasizes tradeoffs among crop systems. Corn may produce high rates of ethanol and net energy, but will do so least efficiently and with the greatest erosion and N leaching. Corn may have the greatest production costs, but return the greatest profit. Comparatively, alfalfa–corn will produce less ethanol and net energy, but will do so more efficiently, and with less erosion and little N leaching. Production costs, but also profits, may be less for alfalfa–corn than continuous corn. Switchgrass may produce the most net energy and will do so most efficiently and with the least erosion, but will also yield the least ethanol. Nitrogen leaching will be less for switchgrass than corn, but greater than alfalfa–corn. Switchgrass may be the least expensive to produce, but may return a profit only if selling prices or yields are high.
Positron emission tomography: physical models and reconstruction issues

Positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging modality that forms images of the concentration of an injected radio-pharmaceutical. These images can be combined with appropriate physiological models and ancillary measurements to yield images of physiological parameters such as perfusion, metabolic rates, receptor characteristics etc. Although images are usually reconstructed with the convolution-backprojection algorithm used in X-ray CT, there are several important differences in the data. Effects such as attenuation, Compton scatter, accidental coincidences, and detector efficiency must be accounted for. These effects are described and the key problems encountered in image reconstruction are discussed in this paper. >
Management of Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension

The burden of orthostatic hypotension (OH) on public health is a universally recognized enigmatic clinical condition that is associated with significant increases on morbidity and mortality rates, and can take a major toll on one's quality of life. Orthostatic hypotension is predictive of vascular deaths from acute myocardial infarction, strokes in the middle aged population, and increases mortality rates when associated with diabetes, hypertension, Parkinson's disease, and patients receiving renal dialysis. The consensus definition for OH is a fall in systolic blood pressure of at least 20 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure of at least 10 mm Hg within 3 minutes of quiet standing. Because neurogenic OH is often accompanied by supine hypertension, the treatment program should aim toward minimizing OH and the potential fall injuries related to cerebral hypoperfusion without exacerbating nocturnal hypertension that may lead to excessive cardiovascular complications.
Transdiagnostic treatments for children and adolescents

The publication of the revised DSM and concurrent specification of NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) have fueled an ongoing debate regarding the relative merits of dimensional and categorical ap...
An Organ's Metamorphosis: Thomas Dallam's Sonic Transformations in the Ottoman Empire

“An Organ’s Metamorphosis: Thomas Dallam’s Sonic Transformations in the Ottoman Empire” explores the significance of English sound in Istanbul through Thomas Dallam’s manuscript account of his unusual journey to deliver the gift of an extravagant, automated, self-playing musical organ to Mehmed III. Before its remarkable debut in Topkapi Palace, however, the organ suffered damage during its sea voyage; Dallam records that its pipes are “brused and broken” and the glue sealing the instrument has become “decayed.” Dallam repairs the organ, and the changes his organ undergoes echo the way that Dallam’s own body has metamorphosed through travel. Furthermore, all bodies and matter present for the organ’s concert in the seraglio are calibrated by the organ’s sound, and are transformed in the process of sounding otherness.
Children, Parents, and Asylum

The sad spectacle of the Elian Gonzalez case submerged a significant legal issue: under what circumstances should American law recognize a claim for asylum asserted by a young child against the wishes of a parent. This Article is an attempt to distill values from asylum and family law that will enhance both the substance and process of future decisions. In synthesizing family and refugee law, this Article develops a conception of protective asylum. Protective asylum emerges from the interplay of two values that also drive child protective proceedings in family law: connection and projection. Connection refers to the ties between children and parents that family and constitutional law seek to preserve and promote. Projection refers to society's interest in preserving a child's options for the future. Taking its cue from cases in which parents have refused medical care for their children, the concept of protective asylum would vindicate both connective and projective values. Protective asylum would allow the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to appoint a guardian to pursue a child's asylum claim when acceding to the parent's wishes creates a clear and convincing risk of severe and irreversible harm to the child. As in the medical care cases, the harm to be prevented would typically be physical in nature. By requiring a prima facie showing of such harm prior to appointment of a guardian, protective asylum doctrine would also preserve familial connections and promote expeditious asylum adjudication. To aid in factfinding regarding the necessity for appointing a guardian, immigration officials must interview the child. If the child receives a grant of asylum, state courts should have jurisdiction to consider a modification or transfer of custody, treating the asylum determination as presumptive evidence of the need to take such action. A parent could regain custody upon a showing that custody would be consistent with the grant of protective asylum, or upon a showing of changed conditions. Protective asylum's standard of clear and convincing evidence of persecution recognizes that a parent, consistent with settled principles of American law, should have the right to raise her child to conform to a particular set of values, even if those values conflict with widely shared convictions about human rights. The Atrue believer parent, such as Juan Miguel Gonzalez, the father of Elian, should receive deference in children's asylum cases, just as she receives deference under American constitutional law. The touchstone, here as in the medical care cases, should be not the propriety of the parents' beliefs, but the possibility of severe and irreversible harm to the child. Protective asylum, if conceptualized and implemented in this modest way, can be a bridge between family and asylum law. The wrenching images of the Gonzalez case inspire the hope that few future cases will trigger consideration of such a remedy. However, a responsible legal system should have a procedure in place to cope with such challenges. Protective asylum is one resource for meeting that challenge.
Surfactant-induced ordering and wetting transitions of droplets of thermotropic liquid crystals "caged" inside partially filled polymeric capsules.

We report a study of the wetting and ordering of thermotropic liquid crystal (LC) droplets that are trapped (or “caged”) within micrometer-sized cationic polymeric microcapsules dispersed in aqueous solutions of surfactants. When they were initially dispersed in water, we observed caged, nearly spherical droplets of E7, a nematic LC mixture, to occupy ∼40% of the interior volume of the polymeric capsules [diameter of 6.7 ± 0.3 μm, formed via covalent layer-by-layer assembly of branched polyethylenimine and poly(2-vinyl-4,4-dimethylazlactone)] and to contact the interior surface of the capsule wall at an angle of ∼157 ± 11°. The internal ordering of LC within the droplets corresponded to the so-called bipolar configuration (distorted by contact with the capsule walls). While the effects of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the internal ordering of “free” LC droplets are similar, we observed the two surfactants to trigger strikingly different wetting and configurati...
IMCT-07THERAPEUTIC OUTCOMES OF INTRATHECAL INTERLEUKIN-2 IN METASTATIC MELANOMA PATIENTS WITH LEPTOMENINGEAL DISEASE (LMD).

BACKGROUND: Melanoma patients with LMD have a median survival of 1.8 months; there is significant medical need for innovative therapeutic strategies. METHODS: Stage IV melanoma patients were diagnosed with LMD by positive CSF cytology and/or leptomeningeal enhancement on post-contrast MRI. Patients received treatment with 1-5 doses/week of intrathecal IL-2 (IT IL2) for 4 weeks, followed by weekly injections for 4 weeks, then every other week depending on tolerance and response. The patients were ultimately given maintenance dosing of a single injection every 1-3 months under FDA approved compassionate-use investigational new drug application. Log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to assess statistical significance. RESULTS: The median age among 42 pts (32 male, 10 female) was 46.7 years (range 18.8-71.0). Symptoms due to increased intracranial pressure developed initially in all pts, and were controlled with supportive medications and/or CSF removal. The median overall survival (OS) was 9.1 months (range 0.7 - 86.2); 16% of pts had OS > 24 mos. Pts with LMD only without extracranial disease (ECD) (n = 4) had a median OS of 38.4 months. Pts with LMD with controlled ECD (n = 19, median OS 11.0 months) survived longer than pts with progressive ECD (n = 11, 6.5 mos; p = 0.30). Previous or concurrent brain metastases had no impact on OS. Shorter OS was associated with the presence of neurological symptoms at baseline (HR 2.1, p = 0.03). OS was not significantly associated with age, gender, LDH, or BRAF mutation status. CONCLUSIONS: The results support that IT IL2 can potentially improve the OS in a subset of pts, particularly those with no or controlled ECD, negative cytology, and no neurological symptoms. Furthermore, these results provide a strong rationale to evaluate IT immunotherapy in prospective clinical trials.
Hlgh-power-density pulsed operation of a distributed-feedbaclc vertical-cavity syrface-emitting laser with resonant-periodic-gain active region

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor lasers (VCSELs) are attractive for use in optical computing, image processing, free-space communications, and high-power 2-D arrays.
Properties of C 16 (6.11 MeV) and its mirror in Ne 16

From previous data for the reaction $^{14}\mathrm{C}(t,p)^{16}\mathrm{C}$, I have extracted a width of 32.6(5) keV for the strong state at ${E}_{x}=6.11\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{MeV}$. Here, I examine its likely ${J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}$ and configuration. The predicted width of its mirror in $^{16}\mathrm{Ne}$ is estimated to be about 260 keV.
The impact of ultrashort decoherence time on quantum coherence in hybrid quantum dotmetallic nanoparticle systems

T possibility of maintaining of quantum coherence of semiconductor quantum dots is one of the most important desires in quantum optics, quantum devices, and particularly quantum computers. The existing attempts include using very low temperatures to suppress the large polarization dephasing rates of the quantum dots and/or using ultrashort optical pulses. In this contribution, we discuss the prospect of generation and preservation of quantum coherence effects in hybrid quantum dotmetallic nanoparticle systems at elevated temperatures. It will be shown, via theoretical means, that even when the decoherence times of the quantum dots are of the order of several hundreds of femtoseconds, as observed at room temperature, the molecular resonances of such hybrid systems formed via coherent exciton-plasmon coupling can remain quite distinct and observable. The quantum optical properties of the quantum dots in such hybrid systems, including the possibility of generation of ultra-narrow gain features, will be discussed.
Autonomous Training Assistant: A System and Framework for Guided At-Home Motor Learning

We present a novel framework and system for at-home rehabilitative exercise in the absence of a physical therapist. The framework includes metrics for assessing motor performance on a wide variety of exercises. We present our system, the Autonomous Training Assistant, which utilizes this framework and a low-cost accessible exercise device called the Intelligent Stick to deliver feedback as a user trains at home. We evaluated the system's multimodal feedback mechanism in a case study whose results indicate that individual preference may have a significant effect on modality assignment for optimal learning. We conclude with ideas for future work.
You remain present

Interestingly, today (March 19, 2016), Richard, as I readied to write this letter to you, and as is usually the case, I hit an unknown button on my laptop by accident and found myself in a long-for...
Short circuit current changes in electron irradiated GaAlAs/GaAs solar cells

Heteroface p-GaAlAs/p-GaAs/n-GaAs solar cells with junction depths of 0.8, 1.5, and 4 microns were irradiated with 1 MeV electrons. The short-circuit current for the 4 micron junction depth cells is significantly reduced by the electron irradiation. Reduction of the junction depth to 1.5 microns improves the electron radiation resistance of the cells while further reduction of the junction depth to 0.8 microns improves the stability of the cells even more. Primary degradation is in the blue region of the spectrum. Considerable recovery of lost response is obtained by annealing the cells at 200 C. Computer modeling shows that the degradation is caused primarily by a reduction in the minority carrier diffusion length in the p-GaAs.
Evidence of bacterial biofilms in a rabbit model of sinusitis.

BACKGROUND Bacterial biofilms have been documented on middle ear mucosa, tonsils, and cholesteatoma. In addition, we have described previously bacterial biofilms on frontal recess stents placed during surgery for chronic sinusitis. We hypothesize that bacterial biofilms are present on the mucosa of animals with sinuses experimentally infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. METHODS We instilled Pseudomonas aeruginosa at log phase growth into the right maxillary sinus in 22 New Zealand white rabbits and harvested specimens 1-20 days later. We then examined the tissues with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy. Mucosa from the middle turbinate on the contralateral side was used as a control. RESULTS We identified evidence of bacterial biofilms on the mucosa of all 22 animals under SEM. Twenty-one of 22 animals had sinus cultures positive for Pseudomonas. Bacterial biofilms were identified by evidence of glycocalyx, water channels, and three-dimensional structure. These images were similar to other images of known biofilms. CONCLUSION This is evidence of the presence of bacterial biofilms in an animal model of sinusitis. This model may serve as a means to study the efficacy and safety of pharmacologic and surgical treatments on the disruption and elimination of bacterial biofilms. Additional study into the role of bacterial biofilms in perpetuating chronic sinusitis is warranted.
Anthropometric Shape Analysis Strategy for Design of Personalwear

The diversity of morphologies may be a source of annoyance to the designer of personal equipment. For those involved in design problems, the user population seems to have considerable variability i...
Intramuscular vaccination of guinea pigs with the live-attenuated human herpes simplex vaccine VC2 stimulates a transcriptional profile of vaginal Th17 and regulatory Tr1 responses

Abstract Herpes simplex virus is a common causative agent of oral and genital diseases. Novel vaccines and therapeutics are needed to combat herpes infections especially after the failure of subunit vaccines in human clinical trials. We have shown that the live-attenuated HSV-1 VC2 vaccine strain is unable to establish latency in vaccinated animals and produces a robust immune response capable of completely protecting mice against lethal vaginal HSV-1 or HSV-2 infections. The guinea pig represents the best small animal model of genital HSV-2 disease. Reported here, twenty-one female Hartley guinea pigs received intramuscular injection with either the VC2 vaccine, or equal volume of conditioned tissue culture media. Animals received 2 booster vaccinations at 21 day intervals following the initial vaccination. After vaccination, animals were challenged with the highly virulent HSV-2 (G) strain. Histologically, VC2 vaccinated animals had little to no apparent inflammation/disease following challenge. Unvaccinated animals developed moderate to severe erosive and ulcerative vaginitis. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR analysis in VC2 vaccinated and challenged animals identified transcriptional signatures of Th17 and regulatory Tr1 cells associated with the inflammatory response primed by VC2 vaccination. Treatment of cultured human vaginal epithelial cells (VK2 cells) with a combination of IL-17A and IL-22 resulted in the significant induction of beta-defensin 3 expression. Further, treatment of VK2 cells with IL-17A, IL-22, IL-36 or beta-defensin 3 resulted in diminished HSV-2 replication. Overall, these results suggest that intramuscular vaccination with the live-attenuated vaccine VC2 primes a mucosal immune response predisposing the adaptive expression of transcripts associated with a Th17 response to challenge and these responses contribute to antiviral immunity.
Confirming the Factor Structure of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Adult, Nonclinical Samples

Three separate models have been proposed to describe the factor structure of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the past 20 years. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III (DSM-III, 1980) proposed 3 separate factors of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The DSM-III-R (1987) proposed a single factor. The DSM-IV (1994) described the disorder as having 2 factors: hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention. The following 2 studies employed confirmatory factor analysis to compare each of these models and 3 alternative models. University students completed questionnaires that assessed each of the 18 symptoms listed in the DSM-IV for ADHD. The 3-factor model fit the data significantly better than each of the other models in both studies. These findings suggest that a 3-factor model of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity describes adult ADHD symptoms better than current alternatives.
Development of an operational productivity tool within a cancer treatment center pharmacy.

Purpose The development and implementation of an operational productivity tool in an academic cancer treatment center are described. Summary Based on the increasing complexity of care delivery within the oncology setting, solutions were explored within Cleveland Clinic pharmacy’s productivity model. Data were electronically captured based on orders processed through the outpatient oncology setting, including hazardous and nonhazardous medications. Based on current workflow, inpatient and outpatient orders were reviewed in productivity metrics. The metric defining the variability of the workload itself was weighted dispense type as it was the best representation of a mixed-skill workflow. After conducting workflow process mapping, discrete measurable steps were assessed and evaluated daily. Operational components of interest included pharmacist verification activities and technician compounding activities. Historical production data were sampled for assigning relative value units (RVUs) respective to time to normalize workload into a common unit (i.e., 1 hour) and to relate work demand in a highly variable setting. RVUs were assigned and delineated by cognitive and distributive activities for pharmacists and technicians, respectively. The Cleveland Clinic department of pharmacy developed a productivity tool to retrospectively measure workload involving time to review, verify, reconstitute, admix, and deliver chemotherapeutic agents. The weighting of each medication allowed for precise and meaningful evaluation of productivity. With RVUs assigned to 2 years of operational metrics, there now exists an opportunity to monitor performance trends within the cancer treatment center pharmacy. The data are readily retrievable within the electronic health record. Conclusion The productivity data provided precise information to assess trends in operations within the pharmacy of an outpatient cancer treatment center.
Toward a well-being Europe

The European Union (EU) has two very good reasons to embrace the well-being and sustainability transition: historically, it has built itself as a normative and post-materialistic power; in the current geopolitical context, it must take its “fate into its own hands” and depart from the US where the obsession of growth, profit, and finance is harming the well-being of citizens (a destruction tangible with the alarming degradation of inequality, health, trust in democracy, and environmental quality). Yet, there is a real European paradox regarding well-being indicators since the great recession: on the one hand, the EU has tried to capitalize on the discontent with standard economics and to embrace the “beyond GDP” agenda. On the other, it has become even more rigid in applying its ill-advised targets. This chapter hence advocates a two-step approach to reenchant the European project and move toward a “well-being Europe”: first, put well-being and sustainability (not public finance discipline, growth, or finance) at the center of European policy; second, build a social-ecological state calibrated for the early twenty-first century where the inequality and ecological crises feed one another.
CVD Growth of Monolayer MoS2 on Sapphire Substrates by using MoO3 Thin Films as a Precursor for Co-Evaporation

Scalable synthesis of two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is of considerable interests for many applications in electronics and optoelectronics. Here, we investigate the CVD growth of MoS2 single crystals on sapphire substrates by using thermally evaporated molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) thin films as molybdenum (Mo) source instead of conventionally used MoO3 powder for co-evaporation synthesis. The MoO3 thin film source provides uniform Mo vapor pressure in the growth chamber resulting in clean and reproducible MoS2 triangles without any oxide or oxysulfide species. Scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy characterization were performed to characterize the growth results. Very high photoluminescence (PL) response was observed at 1.85 eV which is a good implication of high optical quality of these crystals directly grown on sapphire substrate.
Raising Students’ Awareness of Social Justice through Civic Literacy

This research study measured the impact of Project Citizen on Moroccan students’ civic literacy. Project Citizen (PC) is a community problem-solving curriculum which has been implemented in more than 80 countries worldwide. Using mixed methodology, the authors examined the extent to which students’ participation in PC had an impact on developing their civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions, and whether it fostered a commitment to social justice in them. Results indicated that participation in PC increased perceptions of efficacy regarding students’ impact on policy as well as their ability to think critically about important local issues. Students also reported a heightened sense of responsibility to address societal problems as well as a need to respect divergent opinions. In regards to issues of social justice, participants indicated that participation increased their commitment to addressing issues of injustice as well as contributing to positive societal change
Considerations for the Next Clinical Trial Evaluating the Role of Cytoreductive Nephrectomy for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Trials SWOG 8949 and EORTC 30947 had the same eligibility criteria and established the role of cytoreductive nephrectomy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The more recently published CARMENA trial calls into question the need for cytoreductive nephrectomy. A systematic comparison of CARMENA and SWOG 8949 suggests that cytoreductive nephrectomy may be beneficial for patients receiving immunotherapy but not targeted therapy. The approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors for previously untreated metastatic renal cell carcinoma underlines the need for another randomized phase 3 trial of cytoreductive nephrectomy for patients receiving powerful modern immunotherapies.
On Penetrance and Branching Factor for Search Trees

Bounds are obtained for the effective branching factor of a search tree, explicitly in terms of a modified penetrance. These bounds are explicit functions of the path length d and the total nodes t generated, and thus can be conveniently monitored as the search progresses, in order to provide information as to the efficiency of the search. Also are developed certain b-sequences for measuring performance of a search, upon assuming that the branching factor a priori lies within appropriate range. An asymptotic analysis of a branching factor Rα-β for the α-β pruning algorithm is shown to lead to a function that provides a better fit for Rα-β than what is currently in the literature.