cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Management of BK viremia is associated with a lower risk of subsequent cytomegalovirus infection in kidney transplant recipients.

The risk of subsequent cytomegalovirus infection (CMV) in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) after diagnosis of BK polyomavirus viremia (BKV) is unclear, and current evidence is conflicting. We reviewed all KTR transplanted at our institution between 1/1/2005 and 12/31/2015. Follow-up began 3 months after transplantation to avoid confounding effects of prophylaxis. Clinically significant BKV, defined as detectable BK viremia >1000 copies/mL via molecular diagnostic testing (PCR), was treated as a time-varying exposure with 1-year follow-up. This viral load cutoff was chosen to ensure a more homogenous population that would be considered to have clinically significant BK viremia that necessitated management via immunosuppressive modification. Patients were then screened for subsequent CMV infection. 2435 RTX recipients met inclusion criteria; of these, 314 developed BKV during follow-up (BK+). Lymphocyte depletion, tacrolimus maintenance, and biopsy-proven rejection were significantly higher in the BK+ group. BK+ was associated with lower risk of subsequent CMV infection (BK+ HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.22-0.94, P = .03, relative risk reduction 55%). When adjusted for significant confounding factors, CMV incidence remained reduced in the BK+ population (HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.22-0.98, P = .04). This large series of KTR demonstrates that BKV is associated with lower risk of subsequent CMV infection.
A simplified protocol for in vitro rearing of human body lice

Human body lice (Pediculus humanus) are neglected ectoparasites and pathogen vectors. Difficulties in raising and maintaining colonies of body lice in a laboratory setting remain a barrier to fundamental studies of physiology and vector-pathogen interactions in these insects. Several in vivo and in vitro rearing systems have been previously described and used by multiple research groups. However, these methods suffer from drawbacks that still complicate the rearing of body lice relative to many other commonly studied hematophagous insects. Here, a simplified protocol for raising and maintaining body lice in vitro using the commercially available Hemotek apparatus is described. This protocol draws from published methods for rearing body lice as well as other hematophagous insect species to further reduce labor, time, costs, and regulatory requirements typically associated with keeping human body lice in the laboratory. Using this protocol, the insects consistently fed on commercially available rabbit blood with little mortality, reached adulthood at a high rate, and produced a significant number of viable eggs, resulting in a 4.8-fold increase in population over a period of 40 days. The data suggest that the process described here can propagate modest populations for ongoing laboratory experiments and is a useful alternative to existing methods. The use and further optimization of in vitro rearing systems may facilitate dynamic studies of body lice by a wider range of investigators, enabling new progress in combating lice infestations, and louse-borne infections.
S02.4 Empowerment and approaches for stigma reduction: implementation of HIV self-testing among female sex workers

HIV self-testing (HIVST) may play a role in addressing gaps in HIV testing coverage and as an entry point for HIV prevention services by empowering individuals to test themselves and reducing stigma-related barriers to HIV testing. We evaluated two health systems delivery approaches for HIVST distribution compared to referral to standard testing among female sex workers in Zambia. Trained peer educators in Kapiri, Chirundu, and Livingstone, Zambia each recruited 6 FSW participants. Peer educator-FSW groups were randomized to one of three arms: 1) delivery (direct distribution of an oral HIVST from the peer educator), 2) coupon (a coupon for collection of an oral HIVST from a health clinic/pharmacy), or 3) standard-of-care HIV testing. Participants in the two HIVST arms received two kits: one at baseline and one at three months. The primary outcome was any self-reported HIV testing in the past month at the one- and four-month visits, as HIV self-testing can replace other parts of HIV testing. Secondary endpoints included linkage to care, HIVST use in the intervention arms, adverse events, empowerment, sexual behaviors, and measures of stigma. Participants completed questionnaires at one and four months following peer educator interventions.965 participants were enrolled (delivery: N=322, coupon, N=323, standard, N=320); 20% had never tested for HIV. Overall HIV testing at one month was 94.9% in the delivery arm, 84.4% coupon, and 88.5% standard-of-care. Four month rates were 84.1% delivery, 79.8% coupon and 75.1% standard. HIV self-test use was higher in the delivery arm compared to the coupon arm (RR=1.14, 95% CI 1.05–1.23, P=0.001) at one month but there was no difference in at four months. Among participants reporting a positive HIV test at one (N=144) and four months (N=235), linkage to care was non-significantly lower in the two HIVST arms compared to the standard-of-care arms. At four months, participants reported significantly fewer clients per night in the delivery arm (mean difference -0.78 clients, 95% CI -1.28 to -0.28, P=0.002) and the coupon arm (-0.71, 95% CI -1.21 to -0.21, P=0.005) compared to standard-of-care. HIV self-testing coverage was high in all arms, suggesting that HIV self-testing is able to overcome stigma-related barriers to HIV testing in this population. Disclosure No significant relationships.
Strong, Simple Regulations Promote Financial Stability

This issue brief summarizes the debate over regulatory complexity, outlines the current proposals from the Fed and the OCC, and recommends reforms to help improve financial stability.
Self-care in Persons with Heart Failure and Diabetes Differs by Comorbidity Clusters

Background Multimorbidity adds complexity to self-care, and is escalating as the population ages. Persons with heart failure (HF) and diabetes mellitus (DM) have greater challenge with self-care activities, compounded by additional comorbidity. Understanding the influences of comorbidity typology on self-care may improve intervention approaches. Purpose To examine comorbidity clustering and characteristics in relation to self-care in persons with HF and DM. Methods Demographics, comorbidities, and clinical (NYHA class, years with HF and DM, BMI) variables, self-care behaviors (HF:SCHFI; DM: SDSCA) and DM self-efficacy (PDSMS) were obtained from HF-DM participants (n=106), 57.4 ± 11 years, 66% men, 69% Black. A TwoStep unsupervised cluster analysis was used with log-likelihood distance measure and AIC (Akaike Information Criterion) to identify potential clusters. Next, discriminant analysis with stepwise variable selection was used to evaluate variable importance and cluster separation. ANOVA and chi-square analyses were performed to compare differences on key variables between the identified clusters. Results Three distinct HF-DM clusters of comorbidity were identified by discriminant analysis with 94.3% correct cluster cross-validation rate (Fig. 1.). Variables ranked highest as predictors (p Conclusions HF patients with concomitant DM exhibited distinct variations in self-care by comorbidity clusters characterized by important variables of longer time with HF, higher comorbidity including ventricular and atrial arrhythmia, and longer time with DM. These clusters identify those at risk for low self-care for whom targeted self-care interventions could be developed and tested.
Age- and Sex-Associated Variations in the Sensitivity of Serological Tests Among Individuals Infected With SARS-CoV-2.

This cohort study examines the sensitivity of antibody tests to detect previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection by time, test, sex, and age.
Acute and delayed anterior cruciate ligament repair results in similar short to mid-term outcomes.

Abstract Background To assess whether primary repair of proximal ACL tears in the delayed setting leads to similar clinical and functional outcomes as compared to ACL repair in the acute setting. Methods All patients with proximal tears with good tissue quality treated in the acute (≤3 weeks post-injury) and delayed setting (>3 months post-injury) were retrospectively reviewed at minimum 2-year follow-up. Ipsilateral reinjury or reoperation and contralateral injury rates were recorded. Functional outcomes were evaluated using the Lysholm, modified Cincinnati, Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation, International Knee Documentation Committee subjective, Forgotten Joint Score-12, Anterior Cruciate Ligament–Return to Sport after Injury scale, and satisfaction scores. Finally, time to return to work, time to discontinue brace-usage, time to running, and time to return to sports were reviewed. Group differences were compared using chi-square tests and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results Sixty-nine patients were included, of which 34 (49%) were treated acutely and 35 (51%) in the delayed setting. Besides time from injury to surgery, patient demographics were similar between groups (all p > 0.1). There were three reinjuries (9%) in the acute group and four in the delayed (11%; p > 0.999). Reoperation, complication, and contralateral injury rates were similar between groups (all p > 0.1), while functional outcomes were also comparable (all p > 0.05). Conclusion This study found that acute and delayed primary ACL repair results in similar clinical and functional outcomes at short to mid-term follow-up. Therefore, the most important factors for repair surgery success seem to be tissue quality and tissue length, rather than acuity of the surgery. Level of evidence Level III, retrospective comparative cohort study.
Global Theory of Microtearing Modes in the Tokamak Pedestal.

The pedestal of H-mode tokamaks displays strong magnetic fluctuations correlated with the evolution of the electron temperature. The microtearing mode (MTM), a temperature-gradient-driven instability that alters magnetic topology, is compatible with these observations. Here we extend the conventional theory of the MTM to include the global variation of the temperature and density profiles. The offset between the rational surface and the location of the pressure gradient maximum ($\ensuremath{\mu}$) emerges as a crucial parameter for MTM stability. The extended theory matches observations on the Joint European Torus tokamak.
Will Americans Get Vaccinated? Predicting COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Rates Under Contingent Scenarios

Abstract Objectives Amid a pandemic, vaccines represent a promising solution for mitigating public health and economic crises, and an improved understanding of individuals’ vaccination intentions is crucial to design optimal immunization campaigns. This study predicts uptake rates for different COVID-19 vaccine specifications and identifies personal characteristics that moderate an individual’s responsiveness to vaccine attributes. Methods We developed an online survey with contingent specifications of a COVID-19 vaccine, varying in effectiveness, risks of side effects, duration of immunity, and out-of-pocket cost. Using population-averaged logit models, we estimated vaccine uptake rates that account for uncertainty, heterogeneity across respondents, and interactions between vaccine and personal characteristics. Results We obtained 3047 completed surveys. The highest uptake rate for an annual vaccine, 62%, is predicted when vaccine effectiveness is 80% to 90%, side effects are minimal, and the vaccine is provided at zero cost, with decreases seen in the uptake rate for less effective vaccines, for example, 50% for 50% to 60% effectiveness. Moreover, we found that Americans’ response to vaccine effectiveness depends on their self-reported concern, that is, concerned respondents report a higher willingness to get vaccinated. Our findings also indicate that COVID-19 vaccine uptake rates decrease with vaccine cost and that responsiveness to vaccine cost is moderated by income. Conclusions Although providing the COVID-19 vaccine at zero cost will motivate many individuals to get vaccinated, a policy focused exclusively on vaccine cost may not be enough to reach herd immunity thresholds. Although those concerned with COVID-19 will participate, further evidence is needed on how to incentivize participation among the unconcerned (43%) to prevent further pandemic spread.
The CEDA Manual and Directions

This manual includes directions for administering and scoring the Creative Engineering Design Assessment (CEDA). As previously suggested (Charyton and Merrill 2009) the CEDA is appropriate for use in high school through graduate school and could be easily used by engineering educators (Charyton et al. 2011). Further research is needed to see whether this tool is appropriate for engineers in industry. While future research will include the tool in industry, the CEDA has already been demonstrated to be related with another measure that was already normed on engineers in industry. Previous research has also shown that the CEDA is moderately related to other engineering creativity measures including the Purdue Creativity Test and the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test–Rotations. The Purdue Creativity Test was normed on professional engineers in industry with an average 12 years experience from various fields of engineering including mechanical engineering. After establishing reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity, the CEDA tool is deemed appropriate for dissemination.
Puerperal Fertility Preservation with Controlled Ovarian Stimulation and Embryo Cryopreservation for Pregnancy-Associated Breast Cancer

Abstract Background: Pregnancy-associated breast cancer is the most common one diagnosed in pregnancy. At least two-thirds of all women <40 years of age at diagnosis will present with a stage II or higher breast cancer, and almost all of these women are advised to undergo gonadotoxic chemotherapy. However, these gonadotoxic chemotherapeutic agents can markedly increase ovarian follicular loss, leading to premature menopause. This article reports a case of puerperal fertility preservation via embryo cryopreservation in a patient with pregnancy-associated breast cancer. Case: A 35-year-old woman, gravida 3, para 1, aborta 2, was diagnosed with stage II estrogen-receptor negative, progesterone-receptor negative, and human epidermal growth factor receptor–2 negative breast cancer during her 34th week of pregnancy. The patient delivered a healthy female infant at term and presented within 72 hours of delivery for fertility preservation prior to starting urgent neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Controlled ovarian stimu...
Identifying information disclosure in web applications with retroactive auditing

RAIL is a framework for building web applications that can precisely identify inappropriately disclosed data after a vulnerability is discovered. To do so, RAIL introduces retroactive disclosure auditing: re-running the application with previous inputs once the vulnerability is fixed, to determine what data should have been disclosed. A key challenge for RAIL is to reconcile state divergence between the original and replay executions, so that the differences between executions precisely correspond to inappropriately disclosed data. RAIL provides application developers with APIs to address this challenge, by identifying sensitive data, assigning semantic names to non-deterministic inputs, and tracking dependencies.Results from a prototype of RAIL built on top of the Meteor framework show that RAIL can quickly and precisely identify data disclosure from complex attacks, including programming bugs, administrative mistakes, and stolen passwords. RAIL incurs up to 22% throughput overhead and 0.5 KB storage overhead per request. Porting three existing web applications required fewer than 25 lines of code changes per application.
SU-E-T-118: Analysis of Variability and Stability Between Two Water Tank Phantoms Utilizing Water Tank Commissioning Procedures

Purpose: The commissioning criteria of water tank phantoms are essential for proper accuracy and reproducibility in a clinical setting. This study outlines the results of mechanical and dosimetric testing between PTW MP3-M water tank system and the Standard Imaging Doseview 3D water tank system. Methods: Measurements were taken of each axis of movement on the tank using 30 cm calipers at 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 200 mm for accuracy and reproducibility of tank movement. Dosimetric quantities such as percent depth dose and dose profiles were compared between tanks using a 6 MV beam from a Varian 23EX LINAC. Properties such as scanning speed effects, central axis depth dose agreement with static measurements, reproducibility of measurements, symmetry and flatness, and scan time between tanks were also investigated. Results: Results showed high geometric accuracy within 0.2 mm. Central axis PDD and in-field profiles agreed within 0.75% between the tanks. These outcomes test many possible discrepancies in dose measurements across the two tanks and form a basis for comparison on a broader range of tanks in the future. Conclusion: Both 3D water scanning phantoms possess a high degree of spatial accuracy, allowing for equivalence in measurements regardless of the phantom used. A commissioning procedure when changing water tanks or upon receipt of a new tank is nevertheless critical to ensure consistent operation before and after the arrival of new hardware.
Technology and the culture of progress in Meiji Japan

1. Introduction 2. Tradition and Modernization 3. Iron Machines and Brick Buildings: The Material Culture of Silk Reeling 4. Smelting for Civilization: Technical Choice and the Modernization of the Iron Industry 5. Bunmei Kaika to Gijutsu: Technology's Role in "Civilization and Enlightenment" 6. Conclusion: From Technological Determinism to Techno-Imperialism
Fluctuation Electron Microscopy

Fluctuation electron microscopy (FEM) is a nanodiffraction technique for measuring nanometer scale order in amorphous materials. Either dark-field transmission electron microscope imaging or coherent electron nanodiffraction in a scanning transmission electron microscope is used to measure the diffracted intensity from the sample with nanometer spatial resolution. Fluctuations in that intensity from place to place on the sample reveal the size, density, and internal atomic arrangements of nanometer-scale order. Nanometer scale order in glasses is also called medium-range order (MRO). Fluctuation microscopy is one of the few experimental techniques sensitive to this type of structure in amorphous materials. Keywords: fluctuation electron microscopy; amorphous materials; nanodiffraction; FEM simulation; medium-range order
Improving J9 virtual machine with LTTng for efficient and effective tracing

The ability to observe the internal operation of the J9 virtual machine is essential for effective performance tuning. To this end, tracing is an important method, which is the action of recording events from a running system with minimum performance overhead for online or off-line analysis. In this paper, we propose the integration of LTTng, an effective open-source tracing toolset, with J9 to improve its tracing functions. With this integration, the tracing component is not only decoupled from the virtual machine but also performed efficiently at both user and kernel levels to achieve a high-throughput result. To validate the integration and its impact performance, some empirical study results based on SpecJBB2005 and SQLBenchmark supported by instrumented MariaDB are also presented. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Renal Arterial Pressure Variability

: It is becoming generally appreciated that blood pressure (BP) fluctuations can have major pathophysiological importance in hypertensives. Nonetheless, little is known regarding the influence of short-term changes in BP on kidney function, a crucial control element for long-term BP regulation. This overview summarizes first efforts to unravel the importance of BP dynamics on renal function. It seems that the kidney is not only an important control element in the BP regulation network; the renal vascular bed may also be very susceptible to BP oscillations, which can occur, for example, from baroreflex malfunction.
Automated ontology generation using spatial reasoning

Recently there has been much interest in using ontologies to facilitate knowledge representation, integration, and reasoning. Correspondingly, the extent of the information embodied by an ontology is increasing beyond the conventional is_a and part_of relationships. To address these requirements, a vast amount of digitally available information may need to be considered when building ontologies, prompting a desire for software tools to automate at least part of the process. The main efforts in this direction have involved textual information retrieval and extraction methods. For some domains extension of the basic relationships could be enhanced further by the analysis of 2D and/or 3D images. For this type of media, image processing algorithms are more appropriate than textual analysis methods. Herein we present an algorithm that, given a collection of 3D image files, utilizes Qualitative Spatial Reasoning (QSR) to automate the creation of an ontology for the objects represented by the images, relating the objects in terms of is_a and part_of relationships and also through unambiguous Relational Connection Calculus (RCC) relations.
Abstract T P200: CD13 is an Immune Regulator in the CNS Following Ischemic Stroke

Background: Focal cerebral ischemia results in marked inflammatory response initiated by microglia and astrocyte activation, upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and disruption of the blood brain barrier leading to invasion of peripheral immune cells. CD13 (Aminopeptidase N), a 150 kD type II transmembrane metalloprotease highly expressed on myeloid cells, has recently been shown to possess several non-enzymatic functions involving the regulation of processes related to inflammation including antigen presentation and cell trafficking into sites of inflammation. We hypothesized that deletion of CD13 would alter the innate immune response after stroke leading to smaller infarcts and neuroprotection. Methods: C57BL/6 WT and CD13 KO male mice were subjected to transient focal ischemia by middle cerebral artery occlusion for 90 minutes. Motor and sensory deficits were assessed using the Benderson neurological deficit score and open field analysis. Mice were sacrificed at 48hrs and brain slices stained w...
Magnetic Field Survey of DC White Dwarfs

A survey of ~ 50 DC white dwarf stars was conducted in circular spectropolarimetry to search for magnetic fields > 30 kG. Four DC stars were discovered with magnetic fields above 30 kG: G 111–49 with Be ~ —220 MG, G 183–35 with Be = +6.8 ± 0.5 MG, G 256–7 with Be = +4.9 ± 0.5 MG, and G 234–4 with Be = +39.6 ± 11.6 kG. A new magnetic DB white dwarf was also discovered, LB 8827 with Be = 1.0 ± 0.5 MG. A total of 17% of the white dwarfs in the survey have a magnetic field > 30 kG. This value is far larger than the 2% of DA stars, but more than half of the DC stars were originally misclassified. Only 5% of the re-classified DC stars have magnetic fields above 30 kG. Three magnetic stars were re-observed to investigate the possibility of rotation. Two are definitely rotating: LHS 1734 with 16 min < P < 1 yr and G 158–45 (=LHS 1044) with a probable period P ~ 4.44 hr but a definite period P ≤ 1 d or P ~ 4 d. G 183–35 might be rotating with 50 min < P < a few yr.
The Impact of Child Health and Nutrition on Education in Developing Countries: Theory, Econometric Issues, and Recent Empirical Evidence:

Analysis of the impact of child health and nutrition on subsequent school performance is hampered by many difficulties. Research using retrospective data is complicated by the possibility that unobserved factors may determine both nutrition and education outcomes, which will generate correlation between these two outcomes that is not necessarily causal. Randomized trials offer a clearer method for identifying causal relationships, but they are relatively rare and encounter several difficulties in practice. This paper examines theory, estimation strategies, and recent empirical evidence to assess the current state of knowledge on the impact of child health and nutrition on education outcomes in developing countries.
Surgical repositioning of the premaxilla in complete bilateral cleft lip and palate.

Abstract No Abstract Available. Read at the January, 1971 meeting of the Midwestern Component of the Angle Society. This project was partly supported by P.H.S. Research Grant DE-00853, The National Institute of Dental Research.
Predictors of surgical site infection after hospital discharge in patients undergoing major vascular surgery.

Objective Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common postoperative complications after vascular reconstruction, producing significant morbidity and hospital readmission. In contrast to SSI that develops while patients are still hospitalized, little is known about the cohort of patients who develop SSI after discharge. In this study, we explore the factors that lead to postdischarge SSI, investigate the differences between risk factors for in-hospital vs postdischarge SSI, and develop a scoring system to identify patients who might benefit from postdischarge monitoring of their wounds. Methods Patients who underwent major vascular surgery from 2005 to 2012 for aneurysm and lower extremity occlusive disease were identified from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Participant Use Files. Patients were categorized as having no SSI, in-hospital SSI, or SSI after hospital discharge. Predictors of postdischarge SSI were determined by multivariable logistic regression and internally validated by bootstrap resampling. Risk scores were assigned to all significant variables in the model. Summative risk scores were collapsed into quartile-based ordinal categories and defined as low, low/moderate, moderate/high, and high risk. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine predictors of in-hospital SSI. Results Of the 49,817 patients who underwent major vascular surgery, 4449 (8.9%) were diagnosed with SSI (2.1% in-hospital SSI; 6.9% postdischarge SSI). By multivariable analysis, factors significantly associated with increased odds of postdischarge SSI include female gender, obesity, diabetes, smoking, hypertension, coronary artery disease, critical limb ischemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dyspnea, neurologic disease, prolonged operative time >4 hours, American Society of Anesthesiology class 4 or 5, lower extremity revascularization or aortoiliac procedure, and groin anastomosis. The model exhibited moderate discrimination (bias-corrected C statistic, 0.691) and excellent internal calibration. The postdischarge SSI rate was 2.1% for low-risk patients, 5.1% for low/moderate-risk patients, 7.8% for moderate/high-risk patients, and 14% for high-risk patients. In a comparative analysis, comorbidities were the primary driver of postdischarge SSI, whereas in-hospital factors (operative time, emergency case status) and complications predicted in-hospital SSI. Conclusions The majority of SSIs after major vascular surgery develop following hospital discharge. We have created a scoring system that can select a cohort of patients at high risk for SSI after discharge. These patients can be targeted for transitional care efforts focused on early detection and treatment with the goal of reducing morbidity and preventing readmission secondary to SSI.
Nucleosynthetic Signatures of Asymmetric Supernovae - Lessons from 1-dimensional Explosions

We review the evidence for asymmetries in explosions, and in particular, the nucleosynthetic signatures from these asymmetries. To guide our intuition for these yields, we have modeled a series of spherically symmetric explosions with a range of explosion energies. Here we present the results from these 1-dimensional simulations, focusing on the yields of the radioactive elements 44 Ti and 56 Ni. We find that, although the abundance yields of 44 Ti do depend sensitively on the explosion energy, the trend (whether it increases or decreases with explosion energy) depends very sensitively on the model.
Vertebrate Vision: TRP Channels in the Spotlight

The recent discovery of the critical role of TRPM1 in retinal function in vertebrates has come as a surprise and has already provided important insights into a common cause of blindness.
The effect of relaxation interventions on cortisol levels in HIV-seropositive women.

Purpose:Activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, assessed in terms of cortisol levels, may enhance the ability of HIV to infect lymphocytes and downregulate the immune system, accelerating disease progression. This study sought to determine the effects of relaxation techniques on cortisol levels in HIV-seropositive women.Methods:Women (n = 150) were randomized to a group cognitive–behavioral stress management (CBSM) condition or an individual information condition and underwent 3 types of relaxation training (progressive muscle relaxation, imagery, and autogenic training). Cortisol levels were obtained pre- and postrelaxation.Results:Guided imagery was effective in reducing cortisol in the group condition (t = 3.90, P < .001), and muscle relaxation reduced cortisol in the individual condition (t = 3.11, P = .012). Among participants in the group condition attending all sessions, the magnitude of pre- to postsession reduction became greater over time.Conclusions:Results suggest that specific ...
Abstract 2383: Translesion DNA synthesis by DNA polymerase kappa somatic variants found in prostate cancer

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies affecting men worldwide, and is the most frequent cancer among men in the USA, with an estimated 238,590 new cases and 29720 deaths in 2013 (NCI). DNA damage found in prostate cancer promotes tumor progression. Repair of DNA lesions that occur endogenously or in response to diverse genotoxic stresses is indispensable for genome integrity. DNA lesions activate checkpoint pathways that regulate specific DNA-repair mechanisms. During replication, DNA polymerases frequently encounter unrepaired DNA lesions and posses 3′→5′ exonuclease proofreading activities. Such polymerases tend to stall at sites of damage, which can lead to replication fork collapse and which, unless rescued, can eventually cause large-scale genomic rearrangements and cell death. As a preventative measure, most organisms have alternative polymerases that are capable of ‘damage tolerance’ and can synthesize past DNA lesions by a mechanism called translesion synthesis (TLS). Polymerase kappa (Polκ) a Y-family polymerase participates in the process of TLS. Current study was designed to investigate the TLS of somatic missense mutations of Polκ such as p.F155S, p.L442F, p.G154E, p.E29K, p.E449K and p.E430G found after sequence analysis of prostate tumor DNA from 30 prostate cancer patients. We studied these variants to identify the nucleotide incorporated opposite to the apurinic (AP) site template, in vitro using site-specific tetrahydrofuran (AP site analog). We report that missense somatic mutations of Polκ at p.F155S, p.L442F, p.G154E, p.E29K, p.E449K mutants significantly decreases catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/Km). The biological consequence of an unrepaired DNA lesion is determined by whether it is bypassed or not, bypassed error prone. Our results provide evidence that mutations in the polymerase kappa gene can causes interference in Translesion DNA synthesis, this interference in pol κ function may play a role in prostate tumor progression. We acknowledge to Prof. Dr. Guengerich, for providing Polκ construct. This work was supported by DOD grant PC094628, and NIH grant 8 P20 GM103518. Citation Format: Santosh Yadav, Sudurika Mukhopadhyay, Nick Makridakis. Translesion DNA synthesis by DNA polymerase kappa somatic variants found in prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2383. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2383
Staphylococcal delta-hemolysin. I. Purification and chemical properties.

1. 1. Staphylococcal δ-hemolysin, which has the capacity to hemolyze human erythrocytes, was purified by column-chromatographic technique using calcium phosphate gel and triethylaminoethyl-cellulose, and it was obtained in crystalline form. 2. 2. The sedimentation patterns showed a high degree of homogeneity of the crystalline toxin. The sedimentation constant is 6.1 S. The intrinsic viscosity is 5.5 ml/g. 3. 3. Complete amino acid analysis showed that the toxin is constituted of the following 609 amino acid residues: Asp, 74; Thr, 47; Ser, 40; Glu, 42; Pro, 3; Gly, 45; Ala, 39; Val, 31; Met, 25; iLeu, 59; Leu, 45; Try, 7; Phe, 48; Try, 10; Lys, 88; His, 2; Arg, 4; it has a molecular weight of 6S230. 4. 4. The toxin is heat labble. It can be easily digested by trypsin and loses its hemolytic activity by the digestion.
Reconstructing immunity after allogeneic transplantation.

A major goal of our research is to reduce the graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) activity of allogeneic donor T cells in bone marrow transplantation (BMT), while preserving graft-vs-tumor (GVT) effects. Using ex vivo immunosuppressive strategies and cell-separation techniques to modulate the graft prior to transplantation, we examined the roles of different donor immune cells on GVHD and GVT effects in allogeneic mouse models. Our results demonstrate that donor-memory CD4 T cells facilitate posttransplant immunological reconstitution without causing GVHD, whereas transplantation of equal numbers of donor naive CD4 T cells leads to fatal GVHD. The initial events of donor T cells interacting with antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in the transplant recipient appear to be critical to the development of GVT, GVHD, or anergy to alloantigens. In the setting of clinical BMT, increased numbers of donor type 2 dendritic cells (DCs) were associated with an increased rate of posttransplant relapse, and decreased rates of chronic GVHD. In a mouse transplant model, manipulation of the DC content of bone marrow grafts was achieved by depletion of CD11b+ cells. Mice transplanted with CD11b- depleted marrow showed enhanced posttransplant expansion of memory T cells with markedly improved GVT activity and limited GVHD compared to recipients of unmanipulated marrow. A model that differentiates GVT from GVHD based on interaction of T-cell subsets with DC subsets is proposed.
Geochemical affinities of cobalt and germanium toward metal, silicate, and sulfide phases at high temperature

Hydrothermal studies indicate that Co and Ge are strongly siderophile when metallic iron is in equilibrium with olivine at 900 C and 500 bars. If the metal is replaced by troilite (FeS), Ge is strongly lithophile whereas Co tends to concentrate in the sulfide phase. If iron meteorites were formed in a core derived from the sulfide phase, they would be depleted in Ge but retain Co.
Topology optimization of non-linear elastic structures and compliant mechanisms

Abstract A linear elastic response is assumed in most structural topology optimization problems. While this assumption is valid for a wide variety of problems, it is not valid for structures undergoing large displacements. The elastic structural analysis used here accommodates geometric and material non-linearities. The material density field is filtered to enforce a length scale on the field variation and is penalized to remove less effective intermediate densities. The filtering scheme is embedded in the structural analysis to resolve the non-existent solution to the solid-void topology problem. In this way, we know precisely what optimization problem is being solved. The structural topology optimization formulation is also used to design compliant mechanisms.
Reduction of IL-10 and Nitric Oxide Synthesis by SR31747A (Sigma Ligand) in RAW Murine Macrophages

Background: There are several subtypes of sigma receptor, one of which is found throughout the immune system. SR31747A is a unique sigma ligand that possesses potent immune modulatory properties. P...
EBP1, a Novel Host Factor Involved in Primer Binding Site-Dependent Restriction of Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus in Embryonic Cells

Mouse embryonic cells are unable to support the replication of Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV). The integrated viral DNA is transcriptionally silenced, largely due to binding of host transcriptional repressors to the primer binding site (PBS) of the provirus. We have previously shown that a PBS DNA-binding repressor complex contains ZFP809 and TRIM28. Here, we identified ErbB3-binding protein 1 (EBP1) to be a novel component of the ZFP809-TRIM28 silencing complex and show that EBP1 depletion reduces PBS-mediated retroviral silencing.
Fast Optical Transillumination Tomography with Large-Size Projection Acquisition

Techniques such as optical coherence tomography and diffuse optical tomography have been shown to effectively image highly scattering samples such as tissue. An additional modality has received much less attention: Optical transillumination (OT) tomography, a modality that promises very high acquisition speed for volumetric scans. With the motivation to image tissue-engineered blood vessels for possible biomechanical testing, we have developed a fast OT device using a collimated, noncoherent beam with a large diameter together with a large-size CMOS camera that has the ability to acquire 3D projections in a single revolution of the sample. In addition, we used accelerated iterative reconstruction techniques to improve image reconstruction speed, while at the same time obtaining better image quality than through filtered backprojection. The device was tested using ink-filled polytetrafluorethylene tubes to determine geometric reconstruction accuracy and recovery of absorbance. Even in the presence of minor refractive index mismatch, the weighted error of the measured radius was <5% in all cases, and a high linear correlation of ink absorbance determined with a photospectrometer of R 2 = 0.99 was found, although the OT device systematically underestimated absorbance. Reconstruction time was improved from several hours (standard arithmetic reconstruction) to 90 s per slice with our optimized algorithm. Composed of only a light source, two spatial filters, a sample bath, and a CMOS camera, this device was extremely simple and cost-efficient to build.
Mechanisms for trace metal enrichment at the surface microlayer in an estuarine salt marsh

Abstract The relative contributions of adsorption to particulate surfaces, complexation with surface-active organic ligands and uptake by micro-organisms were evaluated with respect to their importance in the surface microlayer enrichment (‘partitioning’) of Cd, Pb and Cu. The contributions of each process were inferred from field data in which partitioning of the dissolved and particulate forms of Cd, Pb and Cu, total and dissolved organic carbon, particles and total bacteria were observed. In the South San Francisco Bay estuary, particle enrichment appears to control trace metal partitioning. Trace metal association with the particulate phase and the levels of partitioning observed were in the order Pb > Cu > Cd and reflect the calculated equilibrium chemical speciation of these metals in computer-simulated seawater matrices.
Extraadrenal Steroid 21-Hydroxylase Activity in a Woman with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia due to Steroid 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency*

The 21-hydroxylation of plasma progesterone (P) has been demonstrated in pregnant, nonpregnant, and adrenalectomized women and in men. The fractional conversion of plasma progesterone to deoxycorticosterone (DOC), [P]P-DOCBU, among those subjects was 0.009 ± 0.001 (mean ± SEM, n = 32).The [p]P-DOCBu in a woman with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to apparent adrenal steroid 21-hydroxylase deficiency was 0.010 when she was taking cortisone acetate, and the [p]P-DOCBu determined when she was not taking cortisone acetate was 0.012. Moreover, the value computed for the fractional conversion of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone to 11-deoxycortisol in this woman (0.004) was similar tothat observed in a woman with normal adrenal function (0.005). Therefore, extraadrenal 21-hydroxylase activity in a woman with nonsalt-losing congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency was similar to that found in persons with normal adrenal function.
The consequences of family crowding: A theoretical synthesis

This article reviews the literature on crowding in non-family and family settings, identifies flaws in past research, presents a model for the study of crowding, and outlines a theory of crowding. Although the focus of this analysis is on crowding within the family, the model and theory are applicable, in principle, to any context in which too many people live in too little space.
Diabetic nephropathy: FRMD3 in diabetic nephropathy—guilt by association

Martini and colleagues recently used a novel genomics approach to assess the functional context of a noncoding variant located near to the promoter of the FRMD3 gene, which is associated with diabetic nephropathy. Their findings suggest a mechanistic link between FRMD3 and diabetic nephropathy that involves the bone morphogenetic protein signalling pathway.
Combustion characteristics of hydrogen–hydrocarbon hybrid fuels

A comparative study of the flame structure and characteristics of diffusion flames of the mixture of hydrogen–hydrocarbon (natural gas and propane) hybrid fuel in a slow co-flowing stream of air is presented. The volumetric content of natural gas and propane in the mixture was varied from 0–35%. The burner exit Reynolds number was varied from 150–3000. Measurements include flame length, radiative fraction of heat release, pollutant emission indices and in-flame profiles of composition and temperature. Results indicate: the increase of natural gas or propane in the hydrogen–hydrocarbon mixture increases the flame luminosity and flame length, increases the radiative heat loss fraction and soot concentration, decreases both NO and NOx emission indices, increases the CO emission index, and decreases the peak temperature in the near burner, mid flame and far-burner regions. The changes are quantified in the paper.
Nanoparticles as image enhancing agents for ultrasonography

Nanoparticles have drawn great attention as targeted imaging and/or therapeutic agents. The small size of the nanoparticles allows them to target cells that are beyond capillary vasculature, such as cancer cells. We investigated the effect of solid nanoparticles for enhancing ultrasonic grey scale images in tissue phantoms and mouse livers in vivo. Silica nanospheres (100 nm) were dispersed in agarose at 1-2.5% mass concentration and imaged by a high-resolution ultrasound imaging system (transducer centre frequency: 30 MHz). Polystyrene particles of different sizes (500-3000 nm) and concentrations (0.13-0.75% mass) were similarly dispersed in agarose and imaged. Mice were injected intravenously with nanoparticle suspensions in saline. B-mode images of the livers were acquired at different time points after particle injection. An automated computer program was used to quantify the grey scale changes. Ultrasonic reflections were observed from nanoparticle suspensions in agarose gels. The image brightness, i.e., mean grey scale level, increased with particle size and concentration. The mean grey scale of mouse livers also increased following particle administration. These results indicated that it is feasible to use solid nanoparticles as contrast enhancing agents for ultrasonic imaging.
End-Capped Poly(benzyl ethers): Acid and Base Stable Polymers That Depolymerize Rapidly from Head-to-Tail in Response to Specific Applied Signals

This article describes poly(benzyl ethers) that depolymerize from head-to-tail when an end-cap on the terminus of the polymer is cleaved from the polymer through a specific activity-based detection event. The polymers are prepared in high yields with short polymerization times and are accessible in lengths extending to thousands of repeating units. End-caps are introduced with a variety of functional groups, which provides access to polymers with selective response properties. The end-capped polymers are stable to acid, base, and heat, but depolymerize completely within minutes of removal of the end-cap and treatment of the un-end-capped polymer with base.
The resource allocation problem for demand forecasting and performance measurement

Abstract We consider a retailer investing in two monitoring functions for unobservable demand and salesperson’s effort. We show that improving effort monitoring is more effective. Moreover, demand monitoring may be less preferable when it becomes relatively cheaper and balancing these two may be worse when they become more complementary.
Activity of a 40 kDa RNA-binding protein correlates with MYCN and c-fos mRNA stability in human neuroblastoma

Abstract Subclones of neuroblastic (N) and substrate adherent (S) cells have been established from neuroblastoma tumours cultured in vitro which differ in growth characteristics and MYC N expression. N cells derived from the NBL-W cell line (W-N) express 5-fold higher levels of MYC N mRNA and 10-fold higher levels of MYC N protein than S cells (W-S), despite having the same MYC N copy number. In an effort to identify the molecular mechanisms responsible for the disparity in steady-state MYC N levels, the rate of MYC N mRNA degradation was measured in the two subclones. The half-life of MYC N mRNA in the W-N cells was approximately 45 min compared to approximately 6 min in the W-S cells. Similarly, the half-life of another labile mRNA, c-fos , differed in W-N and W-S cells (30 min versus 15 min, respectively). The turnover of labile mRNAs is thought to be mediated by the interactions of trans-acting factors with AU-rich elements within the 3′ untranslated region. RNA UV cross-linking assays using W-N cell lysate demonstrated abundant quantities of a protein, 40 kDa in size (p40), that bound specifically to AU-rich elements within the MYC N and c-fos 3′ untranslated region. However, p40 was barely detectable in W-S cells. Our studies suggest that p40 may play a role in determining neuroblastoma phenotype by regulating MYC N and c-fos mRNA turnover.
A Dynamic Model of an Electropneumatic Valve Actuator for Internal Combustion Engines

This paper presents a detailed model of a novel electropneumatic valve actuator for both engine intake and exhaust valves. The valve actuator’s main function is to provide variable valve timing and variable lift capabilities in an internal combustion engine. The pneumatic actuation is used to open the valve and the hydraulic latch mechanism is used to hold the valve open and to reduce valve seating velocity. This combination of pneumatic and hydraulic mechanisms allows the system to operate under low pressure with an energy saving mode. It extracts the full pneumatic energy to open the valve and use the hydraulic latch that consumes almost no energy to hold the valve open. A system dynamics analysis is provided and followed by mathematical modeling. This dynamic model is based on Newton’s law, mass conservation, and thermodynamic principles. The air compressibility and liquid compressibility in the hydraulic latch are modeled, and the discontinuous nonlinearity of the compressible flow due to choking is carefully considered. Provision is made for the nonlinear motion of the mechanical components due to the physical constraints. Validation experiments were performed on a Ford 4.6 l four-valve V8 engine head with different air supply pressures and different solenoid pulse inputs. The simulation responses agreed with the experimental results at different engine speeds and supply air pressures. DOI: 10.1115/1.4000816