cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combinatorial Therapeutic Strategies for Blocking Kinase Pathways in Brain Tumors

Recent studies have demonstrated that robustness in oncogenic signaling networks is a key contributor of resistance to kinase inhibitor monotherapy in glioblastoma patients. In this chapter, we will review several examples where combinatorial kinase inhibition has been employed as a means to overcome chemoresistance in the laboratory setting. Additionally, we will summarize approaches by which systems-level phosphoproteomic platforms, in combination with computational tools, can be employed to develop better combinatorial therapeutic strategies and translate such discoveries from the bench to the bedside.
ICP After Experimental Diffuse Head Injuries

We have previously shown that ICP rises transiently, but to high values, after reversible cerebral concussion induced by sagittal plane angular acceleration in the monkey (1) and that for equally severe concussions produced by coronal plane angular acceleration, the ICP rises much less dramatically (2). We now present data on more severe diffuse injuries produced by coronal plane acceleration and on concussion produced by horizontal plane acceleration.
The Private/Plural Selves of Afro-German Women and the Search for a Public Voice:

Africanist George Shepperson (1982), considering the global dimensions suggested by the concept "African diaspora," spoke of it as being an intrinsically comparative idea which "has everything to gain by approaches through other languages" (p. 49). He goes on to insist that the fullest development of African Diaspora Studies and an understanding of its relationship to other disciplines require that Africanists look further outward by conducting research in languages other than English in order to assess more completely the impact of other cultures directly or indirectly involved with the dispersal of Africans and their descendants throughout the world. A similar idea turned inward must also be applied to German Studies, whose expansive breadth and diversity cannot be fully appreciated without study of the impact of minorities, in this case Africans and their descendants, on the language, literature, and culture. Certainly the African presence within German culture contrasts sharply with the experience of Frenchor Spanishand Portuguesespeaking countries, whose colonial ties to Africa were more firmly and widely established and lasted much longer than the ties initiated by Germany. Although Germany's colonial interests in Africa were severed by the end of World War I, the brief colonial connection, along with subsequent wartime occupation (during both World War I and World War II) and peacetime migration, brought an influx of Africans and descendants of Africans-primarily from France and
The Nevada Gaming Debt Collection Experience

In the discussion The Nevada Gaming Debt Collection Experience by Larry D. Strate, Assistant Professor, College of Business and Economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Assistant Professor Strate initially outlines the article by saying: “Even though Nevada has had over a century of legalized gaming experience, the evolution of gaming debt collection has been a recent phenomenon. The author traces that history and discusses implications of the current law.” The discussion opens with a comparison between the gaming industries of New Jersey/Atlantic City, and Las Vegas, Nevada. This contrast serves to point out the disparities in debt handling between the two. “There are major differences in the development of legalized gaming for both Nevada and Atlantic City. Nevada has had over a century of legalized gambling; Atlantic City, New Jersey, has completed a decade of its operation,” Strate informs you. “Nevada's gaming industry has been its primary economic base for many years; Atlantic City's entry into gaming served as a possible solution to a social problem. Nevada's processes of legalized gaming, credit play, and the collection of gaming debts were developed over a period of 125 years; Atlantic City's new industry began with gaming, gaming credit, and gaming debt collection simultaneously in 1976 [via the New Jersey Casino Control Act] .” The irony here is that Atlantic City, being the younger venue, had or has a better system for handling debt collection than do the historic and traditional Las Vegas properties. Many of these properties were duplicated in New Jersey, so the dichotomy existed whereby New Jersey casinos could recoup debt while their Nevada counterparts could not. “It would seem logical that a "territory" which permitted gambling in the early 1800’s would have allowed the Nevada industry to collect its debts as any other legal enterprise. But it did not,” Strate says. Of course, this situation could not be allowed to continue and Strate outlines the evolution. New Jersey tactfully benefitted from Nevada’s experience. “The fundamental change in gaming debt collection came through the legislature as the judicial decisions had declared gaming debts uncollectable by either a patron or a casino,” Strate informs you. “Nevada enacted its gaming debt collection act in 1983, six years after New Jersey,” Strate points out. One of the most noteworthy paragraphs in the entire article is this: “The fundamental change in 1983, and probably the most significant change in the history of gaming in Nevada since the enactment of the Open Gaming Law of 1931, was to allow non-restricted gaming licensees* to recover gaming debts evidenced by a credit instrument. The new law incorporated previously litigated terms with a new one, credit instrument.” The term is legally definable and gives Nevada courts an avenue of due process.
Microvascular Decompression for Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Durable, Noncompressive Technique Using Teflon Secured With Mini Clip

BACKGROUND In cases of trigeminal neuralgia, the importance of durable separation of involved vessels from the trigeminal nerve as well as avoiding ongoing or recurrent compression by implanted material has been affirmed in recent literature. OBJECTIVE To demonstrate a novel and straightforward technique for trigeminal nerve decompression using a construct of Teflon felt patty (Bard Peripheral Vascular, Tempe, Arizona) secured with an aneurysm mini clip to achieve lasting results with no residual contact between implant or vessels and the nerve. METHODS Description of our technique and accompanying surgical video. RESULTS As demonstrated in the video, this technique achieves an ideal, durable separation of the trigeminal nerve from the offending vasculature. CONCLUSION The authors present a description of a technique for decompression with the goal of leaving no contact between implanted material and the nerve. This is accomplished by securing the Teflon felt (Bard Peripheral Vascular) to the tentorium with an aneurysm clip.
Applications of Strippable Coatings for Removal of Surface Contaminants

Abstract The use of strippable coatings is a low-cost, effective method for removal of particle and film-type contaminants from the surfaces of high quality parts. The coating is applied to the surface by spraying, rolling, or brushing. The coating is allowed to cure and then removed by peeling. A wide variety of solvent- and water-based strippable coatings are available for precision cleaning of surfaces. The coating formulations are designed to entrain the contaminants by physical or chemical means. This chapter discusses recent applications of these coatings for removal of surface contaminants on a variety of surfaces. One successful application has been removal of dust and debris from precision optical surfaces, such as coated lenses and mirrors. Other applications include decontamination of surfaces by removal of hazardous and radioactive contaminants.
Physicochemical, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluation of liposomal tacrolimus (FK 506) in rats.

Purpose. Tacrolimus (FK 506) is a new potent immunosuppressant. Because of poor water solubility, the conventional intravenous dosage forms of FK 506 (C-FK 506) contain surfactants such as HCO-60 which may cause adverse effects. We sought a liposomal formulation of FK 506 (L-FK 506) containing endogenous phospholipids to target drug to the spleen, a major organ controlling the immune system.
Characterization of nuclear mitochondrial insertions in the whole genomes of primates

The transfer and integration of whole and partial mitochondrial genomes into the nuclear genomes of eukaryotes is an ongoing process that has facilitated the transfer of genes and contributed to the evolution of various cellular pathways. Many previous studies have explored the impact of these insertions, referred to as NumtS, but have focused primarily on older events that have become fixed and are therefore present in all individual genomes for a given species. We previously developed an approach to identify novel Numt polymorphisms from next generation sequence data and applied it to thousands of human genomes. Here, we extend this analysis to 79 individuals of other great ape species including chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, orang-utan and also an old world monkey, macaque. We show that recent Numt insertions are prevalent in each species though at different apparent rates, with chimpanzees exhibiting a significant increase in both polymorphic and fixed Numt sequences as compared to other great apes. We further assessed positional effects in each species in terms of evolutionary time and rate of insertion and identified putative hotspots on chromosome 5 for Numt integration, providing insight into both recent polymorphic and older fixed reference NumtS in great apes in comparison to human events.
Mutual Aid During a Pandemic: A Group Work Class Example

The pandemic of 2020 had faculty pivoting quickly from face-to-face to remote teaching. Many of us had to manage this herculean task with little know-how and within a short time-frame. Best practic...
Medications for Hypertension Change the Secretome Profile from Marrow Stromal Cells and Peripheral Blood Monocytes

Marrow stromal cells (MSCs) are in different stages of clinical trials for stroke patients. MSCs are proposed to promote recovery through the release of secretomes that modulate the function of beneficial immune cells. The majority of stroke patients have comorbidities including hypertension, for which they are prescribed antihypertensive medications that might affect the function of MSCs, when they are administered in stroke patients. Here, we studied the effects of common antihypertensive medications on the secretomes of human MSCs and their modulation of human monocytes (Mo) derived from stroke patients. MTT assay was used to assess the proliferation of MSCs after they were exposed to increased levels of antihypertensive medications. MSCs were exposed to the following medications: atenolol, captopril, and losartan. Monocytes were isolated from stroke patients with NIHSS ranging from 11 to 20 and from healthy controls. MSC-Mo cocultures were established, and a secretome profile was analyzed using the Magpix Multiplex cytokine array from Luminex technology. The linear mixed-effect model was used for statistical analysis. All analyses were performed using SAS 9.4, and p values less than 0.05 were considered significant. At clinically relevant levels, there was no change in MSC proliferation after exposure to atenolol, captopril, or losartan. Atenolol increased IL-1RA in stroke-Mo and decreased IL-8 secretion from MSCs indicating an anti-inflammatory effect of atenolol on secretomes of these cells. Captopril increased IL-8 from stroke-Mo and increased IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 secretions from MSCs. Captopril also increased IL-6 secretion from cocultures of stroke-Mo and MSCs indicating a strong proinflammatory effect on MSCs and their interaction with Mo. Atenolol increased the secretion of IL-8 and MCP-1 while captopril increased the secretion of IL-6 and MCP-1 from MSCs. Losartan decreased the release of IL-6 from MSCs. Losartan reduced MCP-1 and TNF-α from stroke-Mo and reduced IL-8 from cocultures of stroke-Mo and MSCs. Our results show that antihypertensive medications such as atenolol, captopril, and losartan, at concentrations comparable to doses prescribed for patients hospitalized for acute stroke, modulate the secretome profile of MSCs and their modulatory effects on target immune cells. Our results suggest that stroke trials involving the use of intravenous MSCs should consider the effect of these antihypertensive drugs administered to stroke patients.
A Conversation Between Joseph Osborne and Thomas Hope

![Figure][1] Joseph R. Osborne Joseph R. Osborne, MD, PhD, was interviewed by Thomas Hope, MD, an associate professor and director of molecular therapy for the Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics Clinical Section in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of
Level-wise differences in in vivo lateral bending moment are associated with microstructural alterations in bovine caudal intervertebral discs

Despite its common use as a laboratory model, little is known about the in-vivo forces and moments applied to the bovine caudal intervertebral disc. This is particularly critical, as intervertebral disc tissue is known to remodel in response to repeated loading. We hypothesized that the magnitude of loading from muscle contraction during a typical lateral bending motion varies between caudal levels and is accompanied by variations in tissue microstructure. This hypothesis was tested by estimating level-wise forces and bending moments using two independent approaches: a dynamic analytical model of the motion and analysis of muscle cross sections obtained via computed tomography. Microstructure was assessed by measuring collagen fiber crimp period in the annulus fibrosus, and composition was assessed via quantitative histology. Both the analytical model and muscle cross-sections estimated peak bending moments of over 3Nm and peak compressive force of over 125N at the c1c2 level, decreasing distally. There was a significant downward trend from proximal to distal in outer annulus fibrosus collagen crimp period only in the anterior and posterior regions, suggesting remodeling in response to the highest lateral bending moments. There were no observed trends in composition. Our results suggest that while the proximal discs in the bovine tail are subjected to forces and moments from muscle contraction which are comparable (relative to disc size) to those acting on human lumbar discs, the distal discs are not. The resulting pattern of microstructural microstructure suggests that level-wise differences should be considered when using bovine discs as a research model.
Climate change reduces frost exposure for high-value California orchard crops.

Abstract Frost exposure is a particular challenge for cultivating perennial crops, whose adaptive capacity to weather and climate impacts is limited. Irrigation is a common means of mitigating damage, but draws on limited water resources, is costly, and energy intensive. Here we examined the projected impact of climate change on the incidence of frost temperatures during the coldest winters, defined by the 98th percentile of cool season (November–April) frost hours, under both early- and mid-21st century time periods, as compared to contemporary conditions, across a range of threshold temperatures. We focused on three high-value perennial orchard crops – almonds, avocados, and oranges – to assess the effects of climate change on the incidence of temperatures below crop-specific threshold temperatures and for crop-specific critical development phases, and what these temporal changes in frost exposure may mean for the water and energy requirements for mitigating damages. Across time periods and temperature thresholds, frost exposure declines in California's agricultural regions, with an average of reduction in frost exposure of 63% by the mid-21st century. The majority of almond and orange acreage saw 50–75% reductions in frost exposure by mid-century, while avocado acreage experienced >75% fewer frost hours. This yielded attendant reductions in water use and energy costs, and growers in the highest acreage counties may save more than 50,000 acre feet of water and $4.2 million in electricity costs for water pumping per year, collectively. Although climate change is projected to increase growing season crop water demands, pest pressures, and have an overall net-negative impact on agriculture, the potential reduction in frost exposure and the accompanying water and energy costs to mitigate frost damages may allow growers to reprioritize some of their long-term decisions around farm management.
“The Child is Not Broken”: Leadership and Restorative Justice at an Urban Charter High School

Background/ContextThere has been growing attention to the disproportionate and harmful effects of school exclusion, including suspension and expulsion, on boys of color. Restorative justice may be ...
Creating Transparency and Fairness in Automated Decision Systems for Administrative Agencies

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to make decisions about human welfare. Automated decision systems (ADS) administer U.S. social benefits programs—such as unemployment and disability benefits—across local, state, and Federal governments. While ADS have the potential to enable large gains in efficiency, they also run a high risk of reinforcing the class- and race-based inequities of the status quo. Additionally, the use of these systems is not transparent, often leaving individuals with no meaningful recourse after a decision has been made. Individuals may not even know that ADS played a role in the decision-making process. The Federal Government should take immediate action to promote the transparency and accountability of automated decision systems. Agencies must build internal technical capacity as well as data cultures centered around transparency, accountability, and fairness. The White House should require that agencies using ADS undertake a notice-and-comment process to disclose information about these systems to the public. Finally, in the long-term, Congress must pass comprehensive legislation to implement a single, national standard regulating the use of ADS across sectors and use cases.
Validation of the ENDPAC model: Identifying new-onset diabetics at risk of pancreatic cancer.

Abstract Background Patients with new-onset diabetes are known to be at a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The Enriching New-Onset Diabetes for Pancreatic Cancer (ENDPAC) model was recently developed to identify new-onset diabetics with this higher risk. Further validation is needed before the ENDPAC model is implemented as part of a screening program to identify pancreatic cancer. Methods A retrospective case-control study was performed; a cohort of patients with new-onset diabetes was identified using hemoglobin A1c. Patients were scored by the ENDPAC model and then divided based on whether pancreatic cancer was diagnosed after the diagnosis of diabetes. The performance of the model was assessed globally and at different cutoffs. Results There were 6254 controls and 48 cases of pancreatic cancer. Bivariate analysis showed that patients with pancreatic cancer lost weight before diagnosis while controls gained weight (−0.93 kg/m2 vs. 0.45 kg/m2, p 1 was the optimal cutoff. At this cutoff, the sensitivity was 56%, specificity was 75%, and pancreatic cancer prevalence increased from 0.78% at baseline to 1.7%. Conclusion The ENDPAC model was validated in an independent cohort of patients with new-onset diabetes.
Chronic difficulties are associated with poorer psychosocial functioning in the first year post-diagnosis in epithelial ovarian cancer patients.

Objective Ovarian cancer is characterized by poor prognosis, high levels of distress, disturbed sleep, and compromised quality of life (QOL). Although life stressors have been shown to significantly impact physical and psychological health in cancer populations, no studies have used a high-resolution stress assessment to differentiate effects of acute versus chronic stressors among women with ovarian cancer. We addressed this issue in the present prospective longitudinal study by examining how acute and chronic stress exposure in the year pre-diagnosis relate to depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and QOL over the first year post-diagnosis in women with ovarian cancer. Methods One hundred thirty-seven women completed the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule within a month of initial treatment for suspected ovarian cancer. Depressive symptoms, sleep, and QOL were measured pre-treatment, at six months, and one-year post-diagnosis. Mixed models were used to examine associations of acute and chronic stress pre-diagnosis with (a) change in psychosocial outcomes over the first year post-diagnosis and (b) levels of psychosocial outcomes across all time points. Results Both the number and severity of chronic difficulties (but not acute life events) were related to significantly greater depression, and poorer sleep quality and QOL, across all time-points. In contrast, these stress indices were unrelated to changes in psychosocial functioning over time. Conclusions Chronic but not acute stress exposure predicted average levels of depression, sleep, and QOL in the first year post-diagnosis among women with ovarian cancer. Assessing stressors and designing interventions for reducing stress may thus be beneficial for ovarian cancer patients.
United States' Performance on Emergency Department Throughput, 2006 to 2016.

Study objective Studies of early data found that US emergency departments (EDs) were characterized by prolonged patient waiting, long visit times, frequent and prolonged boarding (ie, patients kept waiting in ED hallways or other space outside the ED on admission to the hospital), and patients leaving without receiving or completing treatment. We sought to assess recent trends in ED throughput nationally. Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2006 to 2016. We used survey-weighted generalized linear models to assess changes over time. The primary outcome variables were the number of visits, wait time to consult a physician, length of visit (time from arrival to leaving for home or hospital ward), boarding time, the proportion of patients leaving without being seen, the proportion treated within recommended waiting times, and the proportion dispositioned within 4, 6, and 8 hours. Results Between 2006 and 2016, the number of ED visits increased from 119.2 million to 145.6 million. During this period, annual median wait time decreased from 31 minutes (interquartile range 14 to 67) to 17 minutes (interquartile range 6 to 45). The proportion of patients who left without being seen declined from 2.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7% to 2.4%) to 1.1% (95% CI 0.8% to 1.4%). The proportion treated by a qualified practitioner within recommended waiting times increased from 75.5% (95% CI 72.7% to 78.3%) to 80.8% (95% CI 77.2% to 84.4%). Overall, there was no statistically significant change in median length of visit. However, over time, decreased proportions of the sickest patients were discharged within 4, 6, and 8 hours, whereas increased proportions of low-acuity patients were discharged within 4 hours. The distribution of patient boarding time remained fairly unchanged from 2009 to 2015, with a median of approximately 75 minutes. Conclusion Overall, there was improvement in ED timeliness from 2006 to 2016. However, we observed a decrease in the proportion of the sickest patients discharged within 8 hours of arrival, although this may be due to increased ancillary testing or specially consultation over time.
A Critical Appraisal of the COVID-19 TRIPS Waiver

In October 2020, India and South Africa submitted an unprecedented proposal to the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights of the World Trade Organization, calling for a temporary waiver to combat the global pandemic. This waiver aims to suspend Sections 1, 4, 5 and 7 of Part II of the TRIPS Agreement and related enforcement under Part III "in relation to prevention, containment or treatment of COVID-19." Lasting for a finite period to be determined by the General Council, the waiver would cover not only patents, but also other forms of intellectual property rights. In May 2021, the proponents, along with over 60 cosponsors, submitted a revised proposal, which set the duration to "at least 3 years" and narrowed the range of products and technologies covered. This chapter offers a critical appraisal of the COVID-19 TRIPS waiver proposal. It begins by identifying the arguments for the waiver. It then turns to arguments against the proposal, including those made by policymakers and commentators who question the waiver's effectiveness. After documenting both sides of the debate, this chapter concludes by exploring whether we should support the text-based negotiations on this instrument – and if so, whether we should also support its adoption.
Transport and Thermodynamics of Physical Systems with Fractal Geometry

An analysis of the physical properties of fractals is given. Three dimensionalities are required: d — Euclidean (embedding); đ — Hausdorff; and đ — spectral (fracton). These three are sufficient to specify the transport and thermodynamic properties of self-similar systems. Application is made to relaxation time measurements on polypeptides; thermodynamic and transport studies of glasses, polymers, and irradiated quartz; and computer simulations of percolating networks.
Some Design Problems of Large Box Girder Bridges

First, the procedures for analyzing asymmetrical transverse loads on box girders and the related problem of intermediate diaphragm trusses were analyzed. Three different methods were used to cross-check the results: one based on influence lines derived by the accurate elastic analysis of box girders and two approximate methods with simplified statistical model where box girder is transformed to an equivalent plate girder. Second, the stability problems of thin plates forming the box girder were investigated. Using buckling coefficients now available for different geometry and stress conditions of the panel under consideration, the spacing of longitudinal stiffeners was obtained graphically. Transverse stiffeners were designed in two different ways: (1) as verticals of a double Pratt truss; and (2) as intermediate stiffeners for two adjacent panels.
On Interpretation of Mind

We all come to know that what we see and hear, what we experience, and what we are told, the “given,” may or may not be the case. We are strangers to the world. Each of us was just born, if not yesterday, then just the other day. As strangers to our existence, we soon learn that thoughts we naively think often turn out to be false. We learn that people tell us lies. We learn that people may see and appreciate things which just are not so. We become self-consciously aware of ignorance in others and in ourselves. We become acquainted with things that we hold to be “so” even in defiance of what appears to us, of what is given to us. We come to understand how understanding depends on interpretation.
Galactic densities, substructure and the initial power spectrum

Abstract Although the currently favored cold dark matter plus cosmological constant model for structure formation assumes an n = 1 scale-invariant initial power spectrum, most inflation models produce at least mild deviations from n = 1. Because the lever arm from the CMB normalization to galaxy scales is long, even a small “tilt” can have important implications for galactic observations. Here we calculate the COBS-normalized power spectra for several well-motivated models of inflation and compute implications for the substructure content and central densities of galaxy halos. Using an analytic model, normalized against N-body simulations, we show that while halos in the standard (n = 1) model are overdense by a factor of ∼ 6 compared to observations, several of our example inflation+LCDM models predict halo densities well within the range of observations, which prefer models with n ∼ 0.85. We go on to use a semi-analytic model (also normalized against N-body simulations) to follow the merger histories of galaxy-sized halos and track the orbital decay, disruption, and evolution of the merging substructure. Models with n ∼ 0.85 predict a factor of ∼ 3 fewer subhalos at a fixed circular velocity than the standard n = 1 case. Although this level of reduction does not resolve the “dwarf satellite problem’, it does imply that the level of feedback required to match the observed number of dwarfs is sensitive to the initial power spectrum. Finally, the fraction of galaxy-halo mass that is bound up in substructure is consistent with limits imposed by multiply imaged quasars for all models considered: fsat > 0.01 even for an effective tilt of n ∼ 0.8. We conclude that, at their current level, lensing constraints of this kind do not provide an interesting probe of the primordial power spectrum.
Discovering a fish in a forest of trees – false positives and user expectations in visual retrieval: experiments in CBIR and the visual arts

This talk unlike many of the others you will hear today is not about the wonderful things that I am currently doing, or the amazing projects that are just around the corner. I was invited today to speak to you about a project that I began in 1996 and that continued in various forms well into 2003.
Ironic Intertexts: Echoes of René in Gide's Isabelle

sequitur dialogues develop from the "slice of life" conversations of the 19th century: see, for example, Henry James's turn-of-the-century The Awkward Age. Stein's and Barthelme's apparently random but actually carefully controlled dialogues take narrative in the direction of poetry. Though nothing "happens" during the dialogues, the compositions are not static. Recurrent lines give witness to the restless movement of memory and anticipation and create new meanings in their constantly shifting contexts.
An Algebra for Composing Ontologies

Ontologies are used as a means of expressing agreements to a vocabulary shared by a community in a coherent and consistent manner. As it happens in the Internet, ontologies are created by community members in a decentralized manner, requiring that they be merged before being used by the community. We develop an algebra to do so in the Resource Description Framework (RDF). To provide formal semantics of the proposed algebraic operators, we type a fragment of the RDF syntax.
Engineering Potential for Lunar Missions after Apollo

With results of past and present lunar exploration programs in hand, it is now possible to outline the next logical steps in the exploration and use of the Moon. This paper describes first, a set of mission objectives and engineering capabilities considered desirable and feasible for projects following soon after Apollo, and second, some objectives for the farther future.
Evaluation of the Effects of Topical Zinc Gluconate in Wound Healing

Objective To evaluate the effects of topical zinc gluconate on healing, analgesia, and bacterial growth of full-thickness rat skin wounds. Study Design Experimental study. Animals Male Wistar rats (n = 98) Methods One full-thickness round 2 cm × 2 cm surgically created wound on the dorsum of each rat received 1 of the following randomized treatments: zinc gluconate in carrier solution, carrier solution, saline (0.9% NaCl) solution, chlorhexidine, chlorhexidine + zinc gluconate, corticosteroid, and no treatment. At 4 and 21 days, biopsy samples were taken for histopathology. Bacterial cultures were performed on day 4. Subjective pain scores and weight were recorded daily. Results No significant differences were noted among the groups except the corticosteroid group, in which delayed healing was noted at 4 and 21 days. Bacterial isolates were similar and no differences in pain scores or weight gain were noted among groups. The wounds treated with corticosteroid at day 4 had decreased inflammatory cells and serocellular crust formation, and minimal neovascularization and granulation tissue formation. At day 21, that group had prolonged neutrophilic inflammatory cells, immature fibrosis, less re-epithelialization, and more prominent serocellular crust. Conclusion Wounds treated with zinc gluconate healed similarly and contained similar bacterial load as wounds with other topical treatments except for corticosteroids. No treatment demonstrated the negative effects seen with topical corticosteroid nor did any demonstrate analgesic advantage.
N‐(Benzyloxycarbonyl)‐L‐Vinylglycine Methyl Ester

N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-l-vinylglycine methyl ester intermediate: N-(Benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-methionine methyl ester (2) reactant: L-methionine methyl ester hydrochloride (117.6 g, 0.56 mol) intermediate: Methyl L-2-(benzyloxycarbonylamino)-4-(methylsulfinyl)butanoate (3) product: N-(Benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-vinylglycine methyl ester (4) Keywords: acylation; elimination, miscellaneous; oxidation, S SO; protection, nitrogen; benzyl chloroformate, cancer suspect agent; chloroform, highly toxic, cancer suspect agent
Marine Seismic Surveys With Vector Acoustic Sensors

Abstract : Vector acoustic data will allow accurate three-dimensional imaging of a complex environment while corresponding pressure hydrophone data will fail. Newly developed sensors make vector acoustic-based surveys practical. This concept is demonstrated with data from an acoustic water tank. Using a simple but novel imaging algorithm, all of the main structures in the water tank were correctly located. This imaging algorithm uses none of the existing imaging or inversion methods common in exploration seismology.
Totally inverted vibrational population of CO formed in the reaction of oxygen with acetylene

Abstract Infrared chemiluminescence from the reaction of atomic oxygen with acetylene was studied for CO laser application. A totally inverted vibrational population between ν = 5 and ν = 7 was obtained by preferentially relaxing the lower virbrational levels with added cold CO. Treanor pumping at high fuel flows was also observed.
Utility of C-arm CT in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma undergoing Transhepatic Arterial Chemoembolization

Purpose To evaluate the utility of C-arm computed tomography (CT) on treatment algorithms in patients undergoing transhepatic arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods From March 2008 to July 2008, 84 consecutive patients with HCC underwent 100 consecutive transhepatic arterial chemoembolizations with iodized oil. Unenhanced and iodinated contrast medium–enhanced C-arm CT with planar and three-dimensional imaging were performed in addition to conventional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in all patients. The effect on diagnosis and treatment was determined by testing the hypotheses that C-arm CT, in comparison to DSA, provides ( a ) improved lesion detection, ( b ) expedient identification and mapping of arterial supply to a tumor, ( c ) improved characterization of a lesion to allow confident differentiation of HCC from pseudolesions such as arterioportal shunts, and ( d ) an improved evaluation of treatment completeness. The effect of C-arm CT was analyzed on the basis of information provided with C-arm CT that was not provided or readily apparent at DSA. Results C-arm CT was technically successful in 93 of the 100 procedures (93%). C-arm CT provided information not apparent or discernible at DSA in 30 of the 84 patients (36%) and resulted in a change in diagnosis, treatment planning, or treatment delivery in 24 (28%). The additional information included, amongst others, visualization of additional or angiographically occult tumors in 13 of the 84 patients (15%) and identification of incomplete treatment in six (7.1%). Conclusions C-arm CT is a useful collaborative tool in patients undergoing transhepatic arterial chemoembolization and can affect patient care in more than one-fourth of patients.
A cross-linking study of the beef erythrocyte membrane: Extensive interaction of all the proteins of the membrane except for the glycoproteins

Abstract Treatment of beef red cell ghosts with 2% glutaraldehyde for 1 hour at 0° cross-links the bulk of the protein of the membrane. Less than 10% of the protein is soluble in SDS after this treatment and even less will penetrate 5% polyacrylamide gels. Yet the glycoprotein can be quantitatively extracted as monomers either in the SDS soluble fraction or by the chloroform, methanol, water extraction procedure. 1
Contraceptive vaginal ring effectiveness is maintained during 6 weeks of use: a prospective study of normal BMI and obese women.

Abstract Background A single study shows that contraceptive vaginal ring (CVR) use for up to 35 days in women with a normal body mass index (BMI) maintains serum hormone levels sufficient to suppress ovulation. This study is intended to confirm those results and to evaluate prolonged CVR use up to 42 days in both normal BMI and obese women. Study Design Twenty women with a normal BMI and 20 obese women enrolled in a prospective open label clinical study of ethinyl estradiol (EE) and etonogestrel (ENG) pharmacokinetics during six weeks of use of a single CVR. Participants underwent twice-weekly evaluations to determine serum hormone concentrations, ovarian follicle development, endometrial thickness and bleeding patterns. Results Thirty-seven women completed follow-up including eighteen women with a normal BMI and nineteen obese women. EE and ENG concentrations remained in therapeutic range for all women. Follicular development and endometrial proliferation were minimal. By the sixth week, 30% of participants reported spotting or bleeding. Conclusions A single CVR used for 6 weeks demonstrates therapeutic serum levels of EE and ENG among women with normal and obese BMI. Women who forget to remove the CVR at day 21 may well have continued contraceptive protection during the next 3 weeks.
Aortic Valve Disease

It is important to diagnose and treat diseases of the aortic valve. Untreated aortic valve disease can eventually result in heart failure, severe infection, and even sudden death. Some patients present with severe symptoms, whereas others have few, if any symptoms. The diagnosis may be made on a routine physical examination. Regular medical follow-up, treatment to prevent infection of the valve (infective endocarditis), and optimal timing of surgery are necessary to avoid the severe consequences of improper function of the aortic valve. Cardiac valves are structures that are designed to work like one-way doors (Figures 1 and 2⇓). They let blood flow in from one chamber or vessel to another, and then close to prevent the blood from regurgitating backward. The aortic valve consists of 3 half-moon-shaped pocket-like flaps of delicate tissue, referred to as cusps. When the aortic valve is closed, the cusps are perfectly aligned and separate the large pumping chamber of the heart (the left ventricle) from the large artery (aorta) that supplies blood to the body. During the period when the left ventricle contracts and pumps the blood (systole), the aortic valve opens widely and blood flows freely from the left ventricle to the aorta. When the left ventricle then relaxes (diastole), the aortic valve closes completely so that the blood remains in the aorta. During diastole, blood flows into the left ventricle from the lungs through the left atrium across the mitral valve, thus refilling the ventricle for the next contraction. Figure 1. Schematic drawing of the heart during contraction of the heart (systole). A, In the normal individual, the left ventricle contracts and fully opens the thin …
Ultrathin, microscale epitaxial compound semiconductor solar cells

Compound semiconductors offer significant advantages over silicon in photovoltaics due to their direct bandgaps, ability to form multijunction solar cells, as well as superior radiation hardness. However, costs for growth and integration of these materials have been prohibitively high, thereby limiting their large-scale implementation in terrestrial photovoltaics. Here we review materials growth and fabrication strategies that were recently developed to address many of these challenges by employing device-quality, multilayer epitaxial assemblies of compound semiconductors in the manner that enables sequential release of respective functional layers as well as reuse of the growth substrate. This new approach combined with techniques of micro-transfer printing provides a practical and cost-effective route to implement high quality compound semiconductors in terrestrial photovoltaics but also opens up new application possibilities and modes of use that have not been possible with conventional technologies.
Pseudo-castration effects of social isolation on extinction of a taste aversion☆☆☆

Abstract The effects of social isolation on the slow rate of extinction of a conditioned taste aversion exhibited by male rats were investigated. When the males were isolated for six weeks prior to poisoning, they showed a nontypical, rapid rate of extinction from the conditioned taste aversion. The isolation had no effect on the already rapid rate of extinction exhibited by the females. Behaviorally, the change in the rate of extinction in the male following social isolation is identical to the change in rate that occurs following castration of the male. It was therefore proposed that isolation increased the rate of extinction in the male by decreasing the availability of testosterone. This proposal was supported by the finding that socially isolated males had lower plasma testosterone levels than did non-isolated males.
Some thoughts on the integration of spatial analysis and Geographic Information Systems

It is past time for us to examine the relationship that exists between what we commonly call spatial analysis on the one hand, and geographic information systems or GIS on the other. GIS technology is widely used but seems to incorporate only a portion of the tools found in spatial analysis. Spatial analysis can be accused of overly simplistic approaches that severely limit its practical utility. This paper suggests that discarding myopic views and meeting upon a common ground of increased knowledge of modern computing concepts and techniques, including object-orientation, can prove extremely fruitful to both sides.
Effects of biofilm structure, microbial distributions and mass transport on biodegradation processes

The influence of biofilm structure on transport and transformation processes in biofilms has been investigated microscopically using microelectrodes, a micro-slicing procedure and various chemical and microbiological tests. The study demonstrates that the biofilm structure is highly stratified, characterized by an increase of biofilm density, a decrease of metabolically active biomass, and a decrease of porosity with biofilm depth. Both the effective diffusivity for dissolved oxygen and the effectiveness factor decrease with biofilm depth. Competition for substrate and space in biofilms results in this stratified structure, which is also affected by biofilm thickness. The study reveals that there are different trends for the density increase and the decreases of porosity, microbial activity and DO effective diffusivity with biofilm depth for different biofilm thicknesses. The results of this study are helpful in obtaining a clearer physical description of biofilms, and help to bridge the gap between the mathematical modelling and external-phenomenon observation of biofilm systems.
Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is a cerebrovascular disorder with a clinical picture that continues to be refined. It has presented to multiple subspecialties over the past several decades, bringing with it many questions regarding risk factors, diagnosis, and management. Answers have been forthcoming but many questions remain. RCVS presents with recurrent, secondary thunderclap headaches and predominantly affects young women. The mechanism of vasoconstriction is unclear, but there has been speculation regarding a hyperadrenergic state. Diagnosis requires physician awareness, vascular imaging, and knowledge of the differential. The hallmark of its diagnosis is reversibility. Management is empiric, usually with calcium-channel blockers, as there are no controlled treatment trials for RCVS. Randomized controlled trials are needed.
Gramicidin A backbone and side chain dynamics evaluated by molecular dynamics simulations and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments. I: molecular dynamics simulations.

Gramicidin A (gA) channels provide an ideal system to test molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of membrane proteins. The peptide backbone lines a cation-selective pore, and due to the small channel size, the average structure and extent of fluctuations of all atoms in the peptide will influence ion permeation. This raises the question of how well molecular mechanical force fields used in MD simulations and potential of mean force (PMF) calculations can predict structure and dynamics as well as ion permeation. To address this question, we undertook a comparative study of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) observables predicted by fully atomistic MD simulations on a gA dimer embedded in a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelle with measurements of the gA dimer backbone and tryptophan side chain dynamics using solution-state (15)N NMR on gA dimers in SDS micelles (Vostrikov, V. V.; Gu, H.; Ingolfsson, H. I.; Hinton, J. F.; Andersen, O. S.; Roux, B.; Koeppe, R. E., II. J. Phys. Chem. B2011, DOI 10.1021/jp200906y , accompanying article). This comparison enables us to examine the robustness of the MD simulations done using different force fields as well as their ability to predict important features of the gA channel. We find that MD is able to predict NMR observables, including the generalized order parameters (S(2)), the (15)N spin-lattice (T(1)) and spin-spin (T(2)) relaxation times, and the (1)H-(15)N nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE), with remarkable accuracy. To examine further how differences in the force fields can affect the channel conductance, we calculated the PMF for K(+) and Na(+) permeation through a gA channel in a dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayer. In this case, we find that MD is less successful in quantitatively predicting the single-channel conductance.
Certification of algorithm 386 [A1]

Subroutine GCDN, Algorithm 386 as described in [1, 2], computes the greatest common divisor, IGCD, of n integers A(1), … , A(n) by using the Euclidean algorithm to compute first gcd(A(1), A(2)), then gcd(gcd(A(1), A(2)), A(3)), etc. It also computes integer multipliers Z(1), … , Z(n) such that IGCD = ∑ni=1A(i)Z(i).
Characterization of the effect of surface roughness and texture on fluid flow—past, present, and future

Abstract Surface roughness (texture) has an effect on fluid flow in networks which has been studied for well over a century. The exact effect roughness has on fluid flow has not been completely understood, but a working estimate has been offered by a variety of authors over time. The work of Colebrook, Nikuradse, and Moody has provided practitioners with a method to include at least a first order estimate of roughness effects, but their work has been limited to relative roughness (roughness height to diameter) values of 5% or less. Modern fluidic systems at the mini- and micro-levels routinely violate the 5% relative roughness threshold due to the inability to control the roughness of surfaces to sufficient levels with respect to decreasing system scale. Current work by Kandlikar et al., has extended the traditional methods of assessing surface roughness effects up to 14% relative roughness by including the effect of constricted flow diameters (modified flow diameter based on constrictions caused by surface roughness) and modifying the Moody diagram to reflect new experimental data. The future of micro fluidics would suggest that trends for miniaturization will continue and that further understanding and experimentation will be warranted. This is especially true with regards to understanding the role of roughness on the flow in mini- and micro-channels.