cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surgery for cholangiocarcinoma: the role of liver transplantation

Liver transplantation alone for unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is fraught with frequent recurrence and poor long-term survival. The Mayo Clinic developed a novel therapeutic protocol combining neoadjuvant chemoradiation and orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in 1993 to treat patients with unresectable hilar CCA or CCA arising in the setting of PSC. Aim. We recently reviewed our experience over the past 14 years with the specific aim to evaluate the long-term outcomes of CCA patients treated according to our study protocol. Methods. We analyzed data from all patients enrolled in the Mayo Clinic liver transplant protocol since 1993. Statistical data analysis of recurrence and survival rates was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results. 148 patients were enrolled in the protocol. Of 90 patients who completed neoadjuvant therapy and subsequent OLT, 71 are alive and 19 have died – only 8 due to recurrent CCA. Nineteen patients are awaiting OLT and 39 were removed from the protocol owing to disease progression or death. Overall, 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival was 82%, 63%, and 55%, respectively; 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival after OLT was 90%, 80%, and 71%. Conclusions. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation and OLT achieves significantly lower recurrence and higher long-term survival rates than resection, OLT alone, or medical treatment in hilar CCA. Additional experience at independent transplant centers is necessary to confirm these encouraging results, address the role of neoadjuvant therapy and liver transplantation versus conventional resection, determine appropriate inclusion/exclusion criteria, and define the risk of disease progression while awaiting transplantation.
Nuclear Data Sheets for A = 152

Abstract Detailed level schemes, decay schemes, and the experimental data on which they are based are presented for all nuclei with mass number A=152. The experimental data are evaluated; inconsistencies and discrepancies are noted; and adopted values for level and γ–ray energies, γ intensities, as well as for other nuclear properties are given. This evaluation replaces the A=152 evaluation published by Agda Artna–Cohen in Nuclear Data Sheets 79, 1 (1996) and the evaluation for 152Dy prepared by Balraj Singh and published in Nuclear Data Sheets 95, 995 (2002).
Radium isotopes, alkaline earth diagenesis, and age determination of travertine from Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, U.S.A.

Abstract Travertine from active springs, former vents, and drill core from Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, was analyzed for Ra isotopes ( 226 Ra, 228 Ra), other alkaline earth elements (Mg, Sr, Ba), and mineralogical composition. Thermal water also was analyzed. Travertine, presently being deposited, contains 3.0–15.3 pCi/g 226 Ra, and has a 228 Ra/ 226 Ra ratio identical to that in thermal water. Travertine precipitates mostly as aragonite and experiences a complete diagenetic transformation to calcite within 9 a (estimated from 228 Ra/ 226 Ra value of youngest completely calcite travertine). Systematic compositional changes associated with this diagenetic transformation are enrichment of Mg and depletion of Sr, Ba and Ra. Apparent mineral-water distribution coefficients for Mg, Sr and Ba in aragonite and calcite are within the range of those determined experimentally, implying near-equilibrium conditions and high water-rock ratios during travertine diagenesis. Impure travertine from near the base of the travertine section in the U.S. Geological Survey Y-10 drill hole (at 72.9 m depth) has a 230 Th/ 234 U isochron age of 7700± 440a. The content of 226 Ra in normal, subhorizontally layered, porous travertine decreases with depth in Y-10. The observed 226 Ra vs depth relation is consistent with continuous deposition of travertine at the Y-10 site from 7700 a BP to near present at a mean rate of ∼1.0 cm/a, and indicates minimal exchange of Ra between travertine and pore water after the early diagenetic transformation of aragonite to calcite. These data imply that, under favorable conditions, 226 Ra measurements may be useful in determining ages and deposition rates for other travertines.
Lipoplasty of the face and neck

Purpose of review Facial aesthetic surgery has gained wider acceptance and demand for it is increasing. Patients seeking a more youthful facial look often request lipoplasty. This article reviews the recent advances in lipoplasty and related fat contouring for the face and neck. Recent findings Lipoplasty of the face and neck continues to be popular. There have been improvements in instrumentation, with laser and powered lipoplasty improving the efficiency of fat removal. Lipoplasty indications for neck lipodystrophy have been extended to patients previously only offered neck lifting. Additionally, limited procedures for patients with isolated anterior neck deformities, including direct lipectomy and skin excision, are gaining in popularity. Considerable attention in the lay and professional literature has been paid to mesotherapy for dissolving unwanted fat. Evidence supporting its efficacy is elusive. Finally, there remains enthusiasm for injection fat transfer for facial volume restoration as a component of rejuvenation. Summary The treatment of lipodystrophy of the face and neck involves the removal of undesirable fat and the transfer of fat to other areas to produce improved aesthetic results. With the current emphasis on restoring volume, lipoplasty and fat transfer will continue to be important in facial plastic surgery.
Evaluation of the IrisPlex DNA-based eye color prediction assay in a United States population

DNA phenotyping is a rapidly developing area of research in forensic biology. Externally visible characteristics (EVCs) can be determined based on genotype data, specifically based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These SNPs are chosen based on their association with genes related to the phenotypic expression of interest, with known examples in eye, hair, and skin color traits. DNA phenotyping has forensic importance when unknown biological samples at a crime scene do not result in a criminal database hit; a phenotypic profile of the sample can therefore be used to develop investigational leads. IrisPlex, an eye color prediction assay, has previously shown high prediction rates for blue and brown eye color in a Dutch European population. The objective of this work was to evaluate its utility in a North American population. We evaluated six SNPs included in the IrisPlex assay in population sample collected from a USA college campus. We used a quantitative method of eye color classification based on (RGB) color components of digital photographs of the eye taken from each study volunteer so that each eye was placed in one of three eye color categories: brown, intermediate, or blue. Objective color classification was shown to correlate with basic human visual determination making it a feasible option for use in future prediction assay development. Using these samples and various models, the maximum prediction accuracies of the IrisPlex system after allele frequency adjustment was 58% and 95% brown and blue eye color predictions, respectively, and 11% for intermediate eye colors. Future developments should include incorporation of additional informative SNPs, specifically related to the intermediate eye color, and we recommend the use of a Bayesian approach as a prediction model as likelihood ratios can be determined for reporting purposes.
Rare-Earth Magnetic Isolation and Superconductivity of the Chevrel-Phase Compounds

Results of ab initio self-consistent linear muffin-tin orbital energy-band studies for Eu${\mathrm{Mo}}_{6}$${\mathrm{S}}_{8}$, Gd${\mathrm{Mo}}_{6}$${\mathrm{S}}_{8}$, Sn${\mathrm{Mo}}_{6}$${\mathrm{S}}_{8}$, and Sn${\mathrm{Mo}}_{6}$${\mathrm{Se}}_{8}$ including all electrons in all 15 atoms/unit cell are reported. The large charge transfer from both the Eu, Gd, and Sn sites and from the Mo sites to the chalcogens is shown to be the driving mechanism with which to explain their unusual magnetic and superconducting properties.
Abstraction and Specificity in Preschoolers' Representations of Novel Spoken Words

Abstract Four experiments explored long-term auditory priming for novel words (nonwords) in preschoolers. In Experiment 1, 2.5-year-olds more accurately identified novel words that had been presented just twice in an initial study phase than nonwords that had not been presented, showing auditory priming for nonwords. Experiments 2, 3, and 4 revealed that the sound representations underlying auditory priming in young children, as in adults, include both abstract and token-specific information about the sounds of new words. In Experiment 2, 3-year-olds showed priming for studied nonsense syllables that changed both token and recorded context from study to test, compared to entirely new test syllables. In Experiment 3, 3-year-olds more accurately identified nonsense syllables that were the same tokens in the same context at study and test than syllables that changed token and context from study to test. In Experiment 4, 3-year-olds more accurately identified the same-token syllables from Experiment 3, even when those syllables were presented in isolation, spliced out of their original contexts. Thus children's rapidly formed representations of new spoken words include both components abstract enough to identify the same sound sequence across changes in word token and changes in phonetic context and components specific to the originally presented token. We argue that the powerful perceptual learning mechanism underlying auditory word priming has the right properties to play a central role in the development of the auditory lexicon.
SIRT1 Regulation—It Ain't All NAD

SIRT1 is a phylogenetically conserved energy sensor. The molecular mechanisms that regulate its catalytic activity, however, are incompletely understood. Gerhart-Hines et al. (2011) have identified β-adrenergic/cAMP signaling as a regulatory input that rapidly controls SIRT1 activity and fatty acid oxidation.
Enhanced axonal transport of glycosaminoglycans in regenerating goldfish optic nerve

Abstract Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) derived from axonally transported proteoglycans were evaluated in regenerating goldfish optic tracts. Fish were administered unilateral optic nerve crushes and stored for 21 days at 21°C. Retinas were labeled by bilateral injection of 35 SO 4 and sulfated macromolecules axonally transported to the optic tracts were analyzed 8 h postinjection. Results show regenerating tracts contain 6.7-fold more transported 35 SO 4 in GAGs than their contralateral intact counterparts. Further analysis revealed that regenerating tract GAGs were comprised of 60% chondroitin (4 or 6) sulfate (CS) and 40% heparan sulfate (HS), while unoperated tract GAGs contained 26% CS and 74% HS. These results indicate that there is a large regeneration related increase in the axonal transport of proteoglycans and particular enrichment of transported molecules containing CS chains. The findings can be viewed in the context of recent implication of axonal proteoglycans in processesf fiber outgrowth, adhesion and induction of glial mitosis.
Thin-Film Electrode Fabrication Techniques

After a long developmental effort, we can now fabricate, using thin-film techniques, both rigid modiolar multielectrodes and flexible scala tympani multielectrodes which we believe appropriate for long-term implantation in human subjects. In vitro and in vivo life tests are in progress to confirm this expectation.
Flat quasiparticle dispersion in the 2D t-J model.

A model of weakly interacting hole quasiparticles is proposed to describe the normal state of the high temperature superconductors. The effect of strong correlations is contained in the dispersion relation of the holes, which is obtained accurately using a numerical technique and the t-J model on 8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}8, 12\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}12, and 16\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}16 clusters. Many-body effects induce anomalous quasiparticle flat bands similar to those observed in recent angle-resolved photoemission experiments. We also found that the Hall coefficient is in excellent quantitative agreement with experimental results for ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$. Several other ``anomalous'' features of the cuprates can be explained with this model.
Seers of God: Puritan Providentialism in the Restoration and Early Enlightenment

Early-17th-century Puritans believed that divine Providence revealed itself through wonders. Storms and earthquakes might be messages from God. The fainting of a member of the House of Commons could represent an omen. Depressed people might puzzle whether their states of mind were due to God, magic, or simple melancholy. This fascination with the wonders and communications of God, some of them quite dark, accompanied the Puritans to Massachusetts. Observing that intellectual changes within late-17th-century Massachusetts Puritan culture closely paralleled changes within Puritan culture in England, this book re-examines one of the more problematic issues in the intellectual history of early New England. How did the logic of Puritanism square itself with the increasingly hostile assumptions of the early Enlightenment? And, faced with a new intellectual world whose parameters were formed to a large extent in opposition to Puritanism, how did Puritans try to maintain credibility? This analysis of topics ranging from theology to witchcraft places the problem of intellectual change fully in a transatlantic context.
Locust invasions and climatic factors from the Middle Ages to 1800

Locust migrations are strictly connected with climatic factors and a historical reconstruction of their invasions in Europe may be useful in dealing with this plague. From records of medieval chroniclers and more recent sources till 1800, some 100 detailed descriptions of locust invasions have been collected and analyzed. Some of them include the meteorological conditions which were associated with the arrival of the swarm of locusts, their path and the presumed country of origin, as well as the local effects such as famine and epidemics, these latter being mostly due to the putrification of the dead locusts.
The Use of the Toothbrush in the Treatment of Periodontitis

1. T o cause tissues supporting the teeth to return to a state of health. After suc­ cessful treatment the gingival tissues should be a pale coral pink with a firm, well-stippled “ orange peel” surface and should be resistant and insensitive to trauma. The teeth should be firmly held in position and there should be no sup­ puration. To accomplish this objective, all forms of local irritants must be re­ moved or corrected. 2. T o perform all. dental operations which will help maintain supporting tis­ sues in a healthy condition. T o accom­ plish this, the treatment should include occlusal equilibration, correction of im­ proper contact areas, contouring of poor dental restorations, and perhaps a gingivectomy to reduce pockets that are so deep that the patient cannot maintain oral health. 3. When necessary, to correct the diet and all systemic conditions which tend to interfere with the health of the oral tis­ sue. 4. T o teach patients the importance of and the technics for maintaining the supporting tissues of the teeth in a healthy condition by adequate home care. 5. To convince patients of the impor­ tance of regular and frequent follow-up examinations. Any treatment for periodontitis cannot be considered successful if, after a few weeks, the gingival tissue returns to an inflammatory condition with the support­ ing tissues tender and hyperemic and the teeth bathed in suppuration. Adequate treatment must include procedures which will maintain health for months and, with periodic help from a dentist, for years. Maintenance of health depends al­ most entirely upon removal or correction of the causes of disease. If supragingival calculus is not completely removed, if food impaction continues, if diet is in­ adequate, or if any local or systemic factor which lowers the resistance of the periodontium remains uncorrected, healthy oral structures cannot be main­ tained. Even if all known etiologic factors are removed but oral care is then neg­ lected by the patient, in a few months the oral condition will be unsatisfactory. Most periodontists agree that proper toothbrush technic is an effective, simple and inexpensive aid in maintaining the oral cleanliness so essential to oral health. This paper is limited to a discussion of the use of a toothbrush in periodontitis, which is an important part of the fourth principle mentioned above.
Influence of NleH effector expression, host genetics, and inflammation on Citrobacter rodentium colonization of mice

The Escherichia coli NleH1 and NleH2 virulence proteins differentially regulate host transcription of innate immunity genes. The mouse pathogen Citrobacter rodentium encodes one NleH protein, which functions equivalently to E. coli NleH1. We examined the impact of host genetics and intestinal inflammation on the contribution of NleH to C. rodentium colonization of mice differing in LPS responsiveness. NleH expression was detrimental to C. rodentium in C57BL/10ScNJ mice, which do not mount LPS-induced inflammatory responses. This phenotype was reversed if inflammation was induced by chemical means. C. rodentium that expressed both E. coli NleH1 and NleH2 was hypervirulent in C3H/HeJ mice.
The chemistry of formamide acetals

Abstract The formamide acetals enter into two main categories of reactions, namely alkylation and formylation. As alkylating agents, they have been used in the synthesis of esters from acids, ethers and thioethers from phenols and aromatic and heterocyclic thiols, and the alkylation of active methines. As formylating agents, formamide acetals are useful in the synthesis of enamines from active methylenes and amidines from amines and amides. Also formamide acetals are efficient reagents for the conversion of α-hydroxycarboxylic acids to alkenes while trans-vic-diols yield epoxides. The above conversions as well as othere listed in the review proceed in almost all cases under mild conditions in high yields making these reagents valuable synthetic tools.
Alteration of alveolar macrophage chemotaxis, cell adhesion, and cell adhesion molecules following ozone exposure of rats.

Ozone (O3) exposure of humans and animals induces an inflammatory response in the lung, which is associated with macrophage stimulation, release of chemotactic agents, and recruitment of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). This study was designed to investigate the functional aspects of the macrophages that impact inflammatory processes in the lung. Macrophages recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from rats exposed to purified air or 0.8 ppm O3 were studied for their chemotactic activity, adhesive interactions with alveolar epithelial cells in culture, surface morphology, and surface expression of cell adhesion molecules. The macrophages isolated from O3-exposed rats exhibited a greater motility in response to a chemotactic stimulus than the macrophages isolated from rats exposed to purified air. The macrophages from O3-exposed animals also displayed greater adhesion when placed in culture with epithelial cells isolated from adult rat lung (ARL-14) than the macrophages from control rats. Both chemotactic motility and cell adhesion stimulated by O3 exposure were attenuated when the macrophages were incubated in the presence of monoclonal antibodies to leukocyte adhesion molecules, CD11b, or epithelial cell adhesion molecules, ICAM-1. Flow cytometry revealed a modest increase in the surface expression of CD11b but no change in ICAM-1 expression in macrophages from O3-exposed rats when compared to those from the air-exposed controls. The results demonstrate an alteration of macrophage functions following O3 exposure and suggest the dependence of these functions on the biologic characteristics, rather than the absolute expression, of the cell adhesion molecules. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Finite element modeling of frequency-dependent and temperature-dependent dynamic behavior of viscoelastic materials in simple shear

Abstract Material dynamic mechanical behavior can depend strongly on frequency and temperature This dependence is especially significant for elastomers and polymers, such as those used in bearings and damping treatments. Previous research has yielded a time-domain model of linear viscoelastic material and structural behavior that captures characteristic frequency-dependent behavior; continuing research has addressed the accommodation of temperature dependence as well. The resulting approach is based on the notion of time-temperature superposition for thermorheologically-simple materials. In such materials, temperature effects are experienced primarily through a temperature-dependent factor multiplying the time scale. The phenomenon of “thermal runaway”, observed in some tests of helicopter elastomeric dampers, motivates a numerical example of forced vibration of a 40 x 16 x 5 mm elastomeric test specimen in simple shear. For forcing at 1500 N and 4 Hz, and the temperature on one face held constant, the temperature at the thermally free face increases by about 3 K. For forcing at 3000 N, the temperature rapidly increases more than 35 K, and displacement amplitudes increase by more than a factor of 4. The coupled-field finite element simulation evidently captures the key features of observed material response, including a rapidly increasing rate of temperature change and an accompanying stiffness reduction.
Jain and Judaeo-Christian Respect for Life

A comparison of Jain with biblical ethics suggests that the latter subordinates the sanctity of life to the sovereignty of God. But if God may ethically destroy innocent human life, the ethical question in the Judaeo-Christian tradition can only be, Who speaks for God? American democracy's latter-day, secular version of that question is answered: the majority. But now, in the abortion controversy, a large minority rejects a significant majority decision; and as a result, faith in the moral reliability of majority rule itself is weakened. That faith may be rebuilt but perhaps not without some recognition that the moral issue to be resolved is less what than it is who. W E are full of the Divinity, Jovis omnia plena," Pierre Proudhon complained in 1846. A socialist and self-styled "humanitarian aetheist," Proudhon continued: "Our monuments, our traditions, our laws, our ideas, our languages, and our sciences all are infected with this indelible superstition, outside of which we are not able either to speak or act, and without which we simply do not think." As the abortion controversy smolders on, settling elections and unsettling (or so it would seem) domestic tranquillity in the White House, it becomes increasingly difficult, even for the most determined, to wish the controversy away as an exclusively Catholic action against the expressed will of the majority. The majority is divided against itself. There are, to begin with, many Catholics who favor liberalized abortion laws, and there are notable non-Catholics who oppose such laws or voice misgivings. More than a year ago, in the New England Journal of Medicine, Bernard H. Nathanson, organizer of the National Association for Repeal of Abortion Laws, later known as the National Abortion Rights Action League, and founder of the Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health, one of the largest abortion clinics in the Western world, announced his resignation as director of the Center, saying that he was "deeply troubled by my own increasing certainty that I had in fact presided over 60,000 deaths." One may be fairly certain that Catholic theology had little or nothing to do with Nathanson's resignation. Why then? What makes the issue linger? My premise is that Nathanson and all other parties to the current controversy Protestant, Catholic, Jew, Humanist, Atheist, and Agnostic participate in the Judaeo-Christian tradition as, after Proudhon, that without which they simply do not think. My thesis is that the manner in which JOHN A. MILES, JR. is managing editor of the BIBLICAL A RCHEOLOGISTand editor in the Religion Publishing Group at Doubleday and Company, Inc., New York.
Hydrodynamic Force and Heat/Mass Transfer From Particles, Bubbles, and Drops—The Freeman Scholar Lecture

Recent advances on the analytical form of the hydrodynamic force and heat/mass transfer from a particle, bubble or drop are examined critically. Also some of the recent computational studies, which help strengthen or clarify our knowledge of the complex velocity and temperature fields associated with the momentum and heat/mass transfer processes are also mentioned in a succinct way. Whenever possible, the processes of energy mass exchange and of momentum exchange from spheres and spheroids are examined simultaneously and any common results and possible analogies between these processes are pointed out. This approach results in a better comprehension of the transport processes, which are very similar in nature, as well as in the better understanding of the theoretical expressions that are currently used to model these processes. Of the various terms that appear in the transient equations, emphasis is given to the history terms, which are lesser known and more difficult to calculate. The origin, form, and method of computation of the history terms are pointed out as well as the effects of various parameters on them
Towards the design and fabrication of graphene based flexible GHz radio receiver systems

We present the design and fabrication of high speed flexible graphene field effect transistors (GFETs) with high electron mobilities (~8000cm 2 /V.s), hole mobilities (~ 6600cm 2 /V.s) and record intrinsic transit frequency-f T of ~32GHz. We also present the design and fabrication of the first flexible graphene based amplitude modulated (AM) radio receiver operating at 2.4GHz. This radio includes a GFET based demodulator and flexible graphite microstrip patch antenna resonating at 2.4GHz.
Spacing streamwise vortices on concave walls

Etude experimentale des differentes conditions affectant la selection d'une longueur d'onde transversale preferentielle dans l'etablissement de tourbillons par instabilite de Gortler sur une paroi concave
Confidence bands for measured economically optimal nitrogen rates

While numerous researchers have computed economically optimal nitrogen rate (EONR) values from measured yield–N rate data, nearly all have neglected to compute or estimate the statistical reliability of these EONR values. In this study, a simple method for computing EONR and its confidence bands is described and demonstrated. The method is illustrated for seven yield response functions, namely, the linear plateau, quadratic, quadratic plateau, square root quadratic, spherical plateau, and exponential and exponential plateau. Only the quadratic and square root quadratic functions are linear in their parameters, with least squares regression yielding parameters that are normally distributed. The other five functions are non-linear and give parameter estimates that are non-normal and biased in their distribution when fit by least squares. Prior to computing EONR distributions, the non-linear functions were reparameterized to give fitted parameters that were nearly unbiased and normally distributed. EONR distributions were computed using a Monte Carlo method to generate 1,000 realizations of EONR based on the fitted response function parameters. From the 1,000 realizations, the expectation, confidence bands, and cumulative probability distributions for EONR were easily computed. Applying the approach to six yield data sets from the literature illustrated that the 68% confidence bands for computed EONR can span several tens of kilograms per hectare and are typically skewed about the expectation. There were considerable differences among the distributions of EONR computed from the seven functions, with the cumulative probability distributions sometimes not overlapping. Given the limited statistical reliability possible for EONR, it is essential that confidence bands always be reported when EONR values are computed from yield data.
The cost of trauma center readiness

Abstract Background Trauma centers and the services they provide are a unique and necessary component of our health system. By design trauma centers treat all injured patients regardless of their clinical or economic needs. The purpose of this study was to quantify the costs associated with the preparation of the capacity to provide trauma care at trauma centers within the State of Florida. Methods Utilizing a survey tool and multiple retreats, we assessed the capability of 20 verified trauma centers throughout the State of Florida. The survey focused on general attributes of each hospital, the costs associated with physician on call coverage, costs associated with verification, and lastly the costs associated with administration, outreach, and prevention. Results Data were acquired from 10 trauma centers. Ninety percent of the respondents pay on-call coverage. The median annual physician compensation for on-call coverage was approximately $2.1 million. The total medial cost of readiness for each trauma center approximated $2.7 million annually. Conclusions Trauma centers like fire departments and police services are required to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This level of commitment by trauma centers and the reciprocal expectation from the community force trauma centers to make considerable investments in readiness. This cost of readiness is expended regardless of the patient volume or insurance status. Thus trauma centers have a large component of costs that are not captured by the traditional billing and cost accounting mechanisms within health systems and this fixed expense is extraordinarily difficult to recover given the current reimbursement environment.
Inhibition of ultraviolet C irradiation-induced AP-1 activity by aspirin is through inhibition of JNKs but not Erks or P38 MAP kinase

The exposure of mammalian cells to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation leads to the activation of transcription factors, such as AP-1 and NFkB. We demonstrate that aspirin, a promising cancer chemopreventative agent, inhibited UVC-induced AP-1 activity in JB6 cells. In JB6 cells, UVC stimulated Erks, JNKs and P38 kinase activities; aspirin only inhibited activation of JNKs, but not the other MAP kinases. Since the transcription factor AP-1 is important for the process of tumor promotion, the inhibitory effect of aspirin on AP-1 activation suggests that it can be used as a chemopreventative agent against skin cancer.
Single-shot femtosecond/picosecond-range autocorrelator using tilted pulse front

We demonstrate a novel single shot autocorrelation technique for characterization of ultrashort pulses. Unlike existing single shot autocorrelation techniques, our new technique is capable of characterizing optical pulses over a femtosecond to picosecond pulse-width range. Our technique uses a grating at the entrance of the system, introducing a Transverse-Time- Delay (TTD) into the reference pulse. The pulse front in the resulting field is decoupled from the wave front. The signal pulse to be characterized and the TTD reference pulse are mixed in a nonlinear optical crystal, producing a second harmonic field whose transverse spatial extent is proportional to the signal pulse width. Since our technique allows for decoupling of the time delay from the propagation direction (unlike the commercial single shot autocorrelators), we can select the angle between the intersecting pulses to satisfy the phase matching conditions, achieving best efficiency while setting the resolution independently in the orthogonal direction. In addition, by controlling the slope of the TTD, the system can adapt to a wide range of input pulse widths. In this paper we will present the basic principles as well as experimental results for this new autocorrelation technique.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Role of zinc in metabolism.

ZINC is known to be a component of carbonic anhydrase1 and is thought to be part of uricase2. It also is a non-specific divalent activator of several other enzymes. The striking effect of zinc deficiency on organic acid formation by fungi (‘zinc shunt’) has recently been reviewed3. Some older evidence in the literature and a generalized interpretation given for the zinc effect made it possible to predict4 that similar effects would be obtained with deficiencies of other nutrient elements. This has been confirmed5.
Coronary CT Angiographic Measures of Adverse Atherosclerotic Plaque Features

The incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) is extremely high and increasing, and is one of serious health issues in the word. Since acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the main causes of cardiac death, the modalities to forestall AMI should be required. Less than 50% of subjects presenting with AMI, however, do not have premonitory symptoms, and many lesions that lead AMI are not significant severity stenosis. In this regard, the gold standard methods to assess CAD, such as invasive coronary disease or conventional stress testing, may not be able to detect these high-risk plaque features, the so-called adverse plaque. Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) is an emerging modality to detect the presence, extent, and severity of CAD as well as plaque characteristics. Several recent studies investigated the utility of CCTA for adverse plaque. The current review summarizes the detection, assessment, and risk stratification of adverse plaque by CCTA.
Rejoinders to comments on “Perspectives on the theory and practice of belief functions”

Abstract This article responds to the discussion, in this issue, of the articles by Judea Pearl and myself in the 1990 special issue on belief functions. It also addresses Pearl's article directly. The interpretation of beliefs function is controversial because the interpretation of probability is controversial. Here I summarize the case for may own constructive interpretation of probability, probability bounds, and beliefs functions and explain how this constructive interpretation bears on many of the issues raised by the discussants.
Synoptic Composites of the Extratropical Transition Life Cycle of North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones: Factors Determining Posttransition Evolution

Abstract A 34-member ensemble-mean trajectory through the cyclone phase space (CPS) is calculated using Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) analyses for North Atlantic tropical cyclones (TCs) undergoing extratropical transition (ET). Synoptic composites at four ET milestones are examined: 24 h prior to the beginning of ET (TB − 24), the beginning of ET (TB), the end of ET (TE), and 24 h after the end of ET (TE + 24). While the extratropically transitioning TC structure is tightly constrained in its tropical phase, it has a variety of evolutions after TE. Partitioning the ensemble based upon post-ET intensity change or structure discriminates among statistically significant ET precursor conditions. Compositing the various post-ET intensity regimes provides insight into the important environmental factors governing post-ET development. A TC that intensifies (weakens) after TE begins transition (t = TB) with a negatively (positively) tilted trough 1000 km (1500 km) upstream. The ne...
Pavlovian contingencies and anticipatory contrast

Pigeons were trained on a four-component multiple schedule in which two target components with identical reinforcement schedules were followed by other components with either higher or lower reinforcement rates. The Pavlovian signal properties of the target-component stimuli were varied by changes in their duration relative to the following components, and by whether the two following components were cued by the same or different stimuli, When different stimuli occurred in the following components, response rates were higher in the target component preceding the following component with the lower reinforcement rate, and these contrast effects were larger with shorter relative durations. But with nondifferential stimuli in the following components, contrast consistently occurred only with the longer durations of the target components. Moreover, several subjects with the shorter duration target stimuli had higher response rates in the target followed by the richer schedule—that is, Pavlovian conditioning occurred to the target stimuli. This interaction suggests that the processes underlying anticipatory contrast and Pavlovian conditioning are in opposition, and that the Pavlovian effect can dominate ifthe signaling properties of the target components are sufficiently enhanced.
Common-plane Spectrum-splitting Concentrating Photovoltaic Module Design and Development

A novel tiled micro-optical CPV concept is described. Within each unit cell, spectrally selective elements are laterally displaced on a common plane to enhance conversion efficiency and reduce packaging costs in high-performance PV modules.
Insect cell hosts for baculovirus expression vectors contain endogenous exoglycosidase activity.

Four different insect cell lines that can be used as hosts for baculovirus infection were assayed for the presence of endogenous exoglycosidases. All four cell lines, derived from Spodoptera frugiperda, Trichoplusia ni, Bombyx mori, or Malacosoma disstria, contained N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, N-acetyl-β-galactosaminidase, β-galactosidase, and sialidase activities. Exoglycosidase activities were found in cell lysates as well as cell-free supernatants from uninfected and wild-type baculovirus infected cells. Oligosaccharide analysis of cellular glycoproteins using lectins recognizing Galβ1, 3GalNAc, Galβl, 4GlcNAc, and NeuAcα2,6Gal demonstrated that only Galβl, 3GalNAc was present. The demonstration that these cells contain exoglycosidases raises the possibility that the oligosaccharides of baculovirus-expressed glycoproteins are subject to enzymatic degradation.
Maize embryogeny: a promising experimental system

Abstract Maize embryos are an excellent experimental system for examining the role of genes in embryogeny. The study of mutants that are defective in embryo and endosperm development has revealed several loci that control different developmental processes essential for normal morphogenesis of the embryo and several other loci essential for germination. Techniques are now available for the detailed genetic and molecular analysis of these developmentally significant mutants.
Experimental study on mechanical, thermomechanical, and optomechanical behaviors of holographic materials

This paper discusses material behaviors of holographic materials in terms of mechanical, thermomechanical properties and their effects on optical efficiency. Experiments were carried out to characterize coefficient of thermal expansion, stress strain curves, and dynamic mechanical behaviors of photopolymers. It has been found that in-plane deformation of photopolymer has a minimum effect on the diffraction efficiency while out-of-plane deformation can significantly contribute to the diffraction efficiency of holographic optical elements.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A trust-based framework for data forwarding in opportunistic networks

In general, the encounter probability is leveraged to evaluate whether a node is a qualified next-hop forwarder in Opportunistic Networks (OppNets); however, it does not truly present the node's competency of delivering data in a hostile wireless environment, because a malicious node can arbitrarily bloat that probability to intercept data from others. In this paper, we design a trust-based framework to more accurately evaluate an encounter's delivery competency, which can be flexibly integrated with a large family of existing data forwarding protocols designed for OppNets. As a case study, we integrate our proposed framework with PROPHET, and demonstrate its effectiveness against ''black hole'' attacks through experimental study.
Solution to torsion relations in finsler-spacetime tangent bundle

In the Finsler-spacetime tangent bundle, a simple solution is determined to the torsion relations that were obtained previously to maintain (1) compatibility with Cartan's theory of Finsler space, (2) the almost complex structure, and (3) the vanishing of the covariant derivative of the almost complex structure.
Leveraging off Advances in Internet Technology to Bring Data to the Expert User On-Shore

Information technology and drilling practices have converged so that it is already possible for office-based experts to monitor and evaluate rig-site activity and make critical operational decisions. Soon, better communications, visualization tools, data standards and rig-site automation will enable centrally-based engineers to manage operations on many drilling rigs located thousands of miles apart.
Italy Revisited: The Encyclopedia

The proliferation of encyclopedias and dictionaries in every field raises questions concerning the scholarly purpose and economics of these enterprises: Who stands to benefit from them most, and who can afford them? A new encyclopedia of medieval Italy distills for the current moment the latest canonical judgment of editors and authors about which subjects merit scrutiny and how much weight they should receive in a reference work intended to be consulted rather than read from cover to cover. The process of interdisciplinary collaboration results in a collective portrait of medieval Italy containing some surprises, only a few of which are pleasant.
Phytohemagglutinin Committed Lymphocytes: the Mitotic Activity of the Phytohemagglutinin Stimulated Lymphocytes

SummaryThe purpose of these experiments was to find out why there was a decrease in the mitotic activity in the pror longed PHA stimulated lymphocyte cultures. The present observations suggested that the decrease in the mitotic rate in the prolonged PHA-stimulated lymphocytes was not due to a deficiency in the essential material in the culture medium to sustain a maximum mitotic response, nor was it due to an accumulation of the metabolites that might inhibit the lymphocytes to undergo further division. However, the results obtained suggest that there may be a limitation in the number of generation cycles in which the T lymphocytes can be stimulated with the PHA. They also suggest that a second dose of PHA may stimulate some of the original noncommitted lymphocytes to undergo mitosis thus attempting to maintain the in vitro lymphocyte population.
Biliary lipid excretion in patients with pigment gallstones. A comparison with cholesterol gallstone patients.

Pigment gallstone patients are believed to have normal biliary lipid excretion. In order to measure this and to better understand cholesterol gallstone formation, the kinetics of biliary lipid excretion were studied in three patients who had been cholecystectomized for pigment gallstones and the results compared to those previously obtained in patients cholecystectomized for cholesterol gallstones. Pigment-stone patients had hyperbolic relationships between cholesterol and phospholipid outputs and bile salt output which were similar to those seen in cholesterol-stone patients. However, pigment-stone patients excreted more cholesterol and phospholipid at high bile salt output but approached those levels more gradually than cholesterol-stone patients. As a result, pigment-stone patients produced bile undersaturated with cholesterol at a lower bile salt output than cholesterolstone patients, and thus they would be less likely to produce supersaturated bile during low bile salt output such as that occurring during an overnight fast. The data suggest that cholesterol-stone patients, in addition to excreting more cholesterol and less bile salts than normals, have a defect in the rate of lipid output in response to decreasing bile salt output.
Light-driven hydrogen production from Photosystem I-catalyst hybrids

Solar energy conversion of water into environmentally clean fuels, such as hydrogen, offers one of the best long-term solutions for meeting future global energy needs. In photosynthesis, high quantum yield charge separation is achieved by a series of rapid, photoinitiated electron transfer steps that take place in proteins called reaction centers (RCs). Of current interest are new strategies that couple RC photochemistry to the direct synthesis of energy-rich molecules, offering opportunities to more directly tune the products of photosynthesis and potentially to increase solar energy conversion capacity. Innovative designs link RC photochemistry with synthetic molecular catalysts to create earth abundant biohybrid complexes that use light to rapidly produce hydrogen from water.
Antibody Molecules, Genetic Engineering of

Antibodies have long been appreciated for their exquisite specificity. With the development of the hybridoma technology, it was possible to produce rodent (mouse or rat) monoclonal antibodies that are the product of a single clone of antibody-producing cells and have only one antigen-binding specificity. Advances in genetic engineering and expression systems have been applied to overcome problems of immunogenicity of rodent-produced antibodies and to improve their ability to trigger human immune effector mechanisms. The production of chimeric, humanized, and totally human antibodies as well as antibodies with novel structures and functional properties has resulted in improved monoclonal antibodies. As a consequence, recombinant antibody-based therapies are now used to treat a variety of diverse conditions that include infectious diseases, inflammatory disorders, and cancer. This article summarizes and compares different strategies for developing recombinant antibodies and their derivatives. Keywords: Antibody/Antigen; Antibody-dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity (ADCC); Bacteriophage; Complement; Constant Region; Fab; Fc; Fv/scFv; Hybridoma; Variable Region
Evidence Based Psychotherapies for Late Life Depression

Evidence Based Psychotherapies for Late Life Depression Late life depression is a term used to describe depression occurring in people older than 65 years of age who have not had a previous history of mood disorder. Late life occurs in approximately 1% to 2% of all community-dwelling elders. In acute care hospitals its prevalence rises to approximately 10% to 12%. Among all nursing home residents, 12% to 14% meet the criteria for a major depressive episode (MDD). Depressive symptoms are much more prevalent in late life with prevalence rates between 30% and 45%.
Primary Renal Angiosarcoma with Extensive Necrosis: A Difficult Diagnosis

Angiosarcoma of the kidney is an exceedingly rare and aggressive neoplasm. Very few cases have been reported in the English literature to date. We report a case of primary renal angiosarcoma with extensive necrosis and discuss its diagnostic difficulties. An 86-year-old male presented with a 12 cm necrotic renal mass and multiple pulmonary and hepatic nodules. A CT guided renal biopsy revealed extensive necrosis and few vascular channels lined by malignant endothelial cells. Diagnosis was given on a morphologic base and proven by an immunohistochemical study. Primary renal angiosarcoma should be included among the differential diagnosis of necrotic renal lesions.