cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Central nervous system lymphoproliferative disorder in pediatric kidney transplant recipients

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a complication of transplantation resulting from impaired immune surveillance because of pharmacologic immunosuppression. We present two cases of central nervous system (CNS) PTLD in children on calcineurin-inhibitor free immunosuppression with dramatically different presentations and outcomes. One patient had brain and spinal cord lymphoma with a rapid and fatal course. The other patient had brain and ocular PTLD that responded to multimodal therapy with reduction of immunosuppression, high-dose steroids, and rituximab given in a dose-escalation protocol. This protocol may have enhanced the penetration of rituximab into the CNS. We review the literature on CNS and ocular PTLD and elaborate on the treatments available for both diseases.
Characterization of serotonin-toxicity syndrome (toxidrome) elicited by 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan in clorgyline-pretreated rats.

Abstract Patients are at high risk of developing serotonin-toxicity syndrome (toxidrome) when they take multiple serotonergic drugs, particularly co-administered with monoamine oxidase inhibitors or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) reuptake blockers. The toxidrome can vary from mild to severe. The primary goal of the present study was to understand the relationship between behavioral signs and degrees of toxidrome induced by 5-hydroxy- l -tryptophan (5-HTP) in clorgylinized rats. The severity was obtained by scoring behavioral signs including head shakes, penile erection, forepaw treading, hind limb abduction, Straub tail and tremor. It was found that 5-HTP produced a dose-dependent increase in degrees of the toxidrome. Furthermore, correlation between the toxidrome and changes in body-core temperature (ΔTcor) was determined. There was hypothermia in the mild toxidrome (ΔTcor + 2 °C) and a small change in Tcor in the moderate toxidrome (−1 °C
Dark-repair of ultraviolet-induced pyrimidine dimers in the DNA of wild carrot protoplasts.

GREEN plants receive greater exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation and their germ cells (pollen) have a significantly greater potential for acquiring ultraviolet-induced genetic damage than do those of most animals1. Even though cells of the higher plants can photoreactivate ultraviolet damage (refs 2–5, and my unpublished data), the absence of dark-repair capability could be a significant disadvantage since some types of excisable ultraviolet-induced DNA damage are not photo-reactivable6. The capability for dark repair would become even more important if there were an increase in the fluence of solar ultraviolet reaching the Earth's surface7. Attempts to demonstrate excision of pyrimidine dimers in cells of Nicotiana, Haplopappus4, Ginkgo5 and Chlamydomonas8 have all given negative results. These data, taken with other assays for excision repair activity (unscheduled DNA synthesis9; repair replication10–12) have been interpreted as indicating a general absence of such capability in plants12. I have now found, however, that in cultured wild carrot cells, pyrimidine dimers can be excised in the dark and that the extent of dimer excision depends on the initial number of dimers induced by the ultraviolet dose. After ultraviolet fluences of about 10 J m−2, most of the dimers are excised within 24 h; but at fluences up to 30 J m−2, about 25 % remain unexcised in DNA. At fluences above 100 J m−2, dimer excision is almost completely eliminated, perhaps due to secondary effects of these very high ultraviolet doses.
Monoclonal antibodies against two separate alloantigenic sites of HLA-B40.

Two monoclonal antibodies (MB40.2 and MB40.3) which are highly specific for HLA-B40 and HLA-B7 were made. They appear to be directed against two separate alloantigenic sites of these HLA molecules. Semiquantitative analysis of the kinetics of antibody binding show that MB40.2 recognizes a site which shows a degree of cross-reactivity with B7 and is specific to some B40 molecules. This antibody also distinguishes between different molecules typed as B40. In contrast, MB40.3 recognizes an antigenic determinant which is less variable between B7 and B40 and more closely approximates a public antigen or common antigenic site. This study suggests that the introduction of monoclonal antibodies into MHC serology not only permits but demands a quantitative analysis of these complex systems of homologous but highly polymorphic molecules.
Kinetics of the reaction of atomic fluorine with phosphorous trifluoride: ESR determination

Abstract The reaction rate constant of the addition of atomic fluorine to excess PF 3 was determined by fast flow ESR measurements to be (8.6 ± 0.6) × 10 12 cm 3 mole −1 s −1 at 300 K. The stoichiometry of the overall reaction of F with PF 3 was 2:1. Finite difference calculations simulating several reaction mechanisms suggest that the reaction occurs in two consecutive addition steps, F + PF 3 = PF 4 and F + PF 4 = PF 5 . Assuming this mechanism is correct, the rate constant for the second reaction would be approximately (1.2 ± 0.2) × 10 13 cm 3 mole −1 s −1 .
FIESTAS Y LA ECONOMÍA POLÍTICA WARI EN MOQUEGUA, PERÚ

Resumen es: Las fiestas se han considerado componentes importantes en las actividades politicas de los Estados arcaicos. En los sitios Wari de Cerro Baul y Cerro Mej...
Value-driven attentional priority is context specific.

Attention is automatically drawn to stimulus features previously associated with reward, a phenomenon referred to as value-driven attentional capture. To date, value-driven attentional capture has been studied exclusively by manipulating stimulus–reward contingencies in an experimental setting. Although practical and intuitively appealing, this approach poses theoretical challenges to understanding the broader impact of reward on attention in everyday life. These challenges arise from the fact that associative learning between a given visual feature and reward is not limited to the context of an experiment, yet such extra-experimental learning is completely ignored in studies of value-driven attention. How is it, then, that experimentally established reward associations even influence attention, seemingly overshadowing any prior learning about particular features and rewards? And how do the effects of this experimental learning persist over long periods of time, in spite of all the intervening experiences outside of the lab that might interfere with the learning? One potential answer to these questions is that value-driven attention is context specific, such that different contexts evoke different value priors that the attention system uses to assign priority. In the present study, I directly tested this hypothesis. The results show that the same stimulus feature either does or does not capture attention, depending on whether it has been rewarded specifically in the context within which it appears. The findings provide insight into how multiple reward structures can efficiently guide attention with minimal interference.
Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem Scleral Lens Therapy for Patients With Ocular Symptoms of Chronic Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

Purpose To evaluate the results of Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem (PROSE) scleral lens treatment on visual acuity and function in patients with ocular symptoms of chronic Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS). Design Retrospective interventional case series. Methods setting: Single multi-specialty institutional practice. study population: A chart review from July 2009 to July 2013 identified 19 patients with ocular symptoms from chronic SJS who were referred for PROSE fitting evaluation. Three patients deemed appropriate candidates were excluded because they were lost to follow-up during the fitting process. Only 1 eye was fitted in 4 patients because anatomic changes prohibited PROSE fitting in the fellow eye. Another patient chose to have PROSE fitting only in 1 eye. A total of 27 eyes of 16 patients who completed PROSE fitting were included in this study. intervention: PROSE scleral lens fitting. outcome measures: Visual acuity and visual function were assessed before and after PROSE fitting using Snellen acuity and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) survey. The OSDI survey is a validated questionnaire that assesses ocular surface disease in the context of vision-related function, ocular symptoms, and environmental triggers. Results Visual acuity improved from 0.43 ± 0.35 logMAR pre-PROSE to 0.14 ± 0.22 logMAR post-PROSE ( P = .0007) in SJS patients. OSDI scores improved from 70.4 ± 19.0 pre-PROSE to 37.4 ± 23.2 post-PROSE ( P = .0002) in the same cohort. Conclusion The results of this study show that PROSE treatment is a viable option for improving visual acuity and function in SJS patients who failed conventional treatment.
An empirical investigation of the differences in goods and services as perceived by organizational buyers

Abstract This research contributes an organizational buyer's viewpoint to the study of differences in marketing goods and services. Most services marketing research focuses on consumer markets. Few studies have examined services marketing in the case of industrial services. Fewer still have examined industrial services marketing from the perspective of the organizational buyer. A survey of organizational buyers from a variety of industries indicates buyers perceive significant differences in the task of buying industrial services. These differences are described in terms of six latent dimensions.
Effect of the inhalation of zinc and dietary zinc on paraquat toxicity in the rat

Abstract A possible pharmacological effect of zinc against the pulmonary toxicant paraquat has been studied. Rats were treated with zinc either by inhalation of zinc oxide fume aerosol or consumption of zinc supplemented food. The animals were then injected with paraquat ip (30 mg/kg) and lethality monitored for 7 days. Neither zinc inhalation nor dietary zinc protected the animals against paraquat-induced lethality. In fact, exposure of rats to zinc oxide fume aerosol potentiated the lethal effects of paraquat. The mechanism of paraquat-induced lung toxicity at the cellular level does not appear to directly involve a zinc-dependent step. This distinguishes paraquat from other injurious agents which have been reported to respond to zinc.
The School-to-Prison Pipeline: A Critical Review of the Punitive Paradigm Shift

This paper reviews evidence of the school-to-prison pipeline, a confluence of two child- and adolescent-caring systems—schools and juvenile courts—that simultaneously shifted over the past generation from rehabilitative to punitive paradigms. While there was crossover impact between these systems, the movements were both independent and inter-dependent. In the school systems, and particularly those that are overburdened and underfinanced, many students have been increasingly suspended and expelled due to criminalizing both typical adolescent developmental behaviors as well as low-level type misdemeanors: acting out in class, truancy, fighting, and other similar offenses. The increased use of zero tolerance policies and police (safety resource officers) in the schools has exponentially increased arrests and referrals to the juvenile courts. While impacting many, unfortunately, these changes disproportionately affect vulnerable children, adolescents, and their families. Thus, millions of young people have become encapsulated in harmful punitive systems. Very few of these young people are actually appropriately involved, in that they do not pose safety risks to their schools or communities. Thus, the school-to-prison pipeline does not improve school or community safety.
Pressure broadening and line coupling in bending bands of CO2

The pressure broadening and line coupling cross sections in the Fano-Ben Reuven theory of line shapes are calculated for bending bands of CO2 in a bath of He atoms. Molecular collision dynamics are simplified by invoking the infinite order sudden (IOS) approximation for molecular rotational and vibrational angular momentum in a manner similar to but not identical with the method developed by Clary and shown to be accurate for CO2-He. Numerical values are obtained using a pairwise additive interaction potential developed by Clary. Predictions are in good accord with data for various infrared bands and pure rotational Raman spectra. It is found that all pressure broadening and state-to-state cross sections depend on only a few dynamical factors (generalized IOS cross sections) and are therefore closely interrelated. Results are used to assess models developed previously to analyze line shapes in this and similar systems.
Kinetics of azide binding to normal and mutant ferrihemoglobins as evidence for subunit interaction.

Abstract The reaction of azide ion with ferrihemoglobin is 30-fold slower than with ferrimyoglobin. The binding of azide ion to two mutant human ferrihemoglobins was investigated to determine whether the lower reaction rate of Hb A is due to subunit interactions. The abnormal hemoglobins studied were Hb MI, in which the proximal heme-linked histidine residue of each α-chain is replaced by tyrosine, and Hb MHP, in which the same change occurs in the β-chains. In these mutant hemoglobins, only the two normal subunits bind azide ion. Hb MI, like myoglobin, reacts rapidly with azide ion, while Hb MHP reacts at the slower rate characteristic of Hb A. In contrast, the four proteins have similar binding affinities for azide ion. The large difference in reaction rate between Hb MI and Hb A shows that the binding kinetics of the β-chain depend on whether the adjacent subunit is normal or mutant. Differences in absorption spectra in the Soret region of the azide derivatives of Hb MI and Hb MHP, as well as differences in their rates of reaction with azide ion, indicate that closely related structural changes in the α and β chains can have dissimilar effects.
Activation of the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway and protein O-GlcNAcylation modulate hypertrophic and cell signaling pathways in cardiomyocytes from diabetic mice

Patients with diabetes have a much greater risk of developing heart failure than non-diabetic patients, particularly in response to an additional hemodynamic stress such as hypertension or infarction. Previous studies have shown that increased glucose metabolism via the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) and associated increase in O-linked-β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) levels on proteins contributed to the adverse effects of diabetes on the heart. Therefore, in this study we tested the hypothesis that diabetes leads to impaired cardiomyocyte hypertrophic and cell signaling pathways due to increased HBP flux and O-GlcNAc modification on proteins. Cardiomyocytes isolated from type 2 diabetic db/db mice and non-diabetic controls were treated with 1 μM ANG angiotensin II (ANG) and 10 μM phenylephrine (PE) for 24 h. Activation of hypertrophic and cell signaling pathways was determined by assessing protein expression levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), α-sarcomeric actin, p53, Bax and Bcl-2 and phosphorylation of p38, ERK and Akt. ANG II and PE significantly increased levels of ANP and α-actin and phosphorylation of p38 and ERK in the non-diabetic but not in the diabetic group; phosphorylation of Akt was unchanged irrespective of group or treatment. Constitutive Bcl-2 levels were lower in diabetic hearts, while there was no difference in p53 and Bax. Activation of the HBP and increased protein O-GlcNAcylation in non-diabetic cardiomyocytes exhibited a significantly decreased hypertrophic signaling response to ANG or PE compared to control cells. Inhibition of the HBP partially restored the hypertrophic signaling response of diabetic cardiomyocytes. These results suggest that activation of the HBP and protein O-GlcNAcylation modulates hypertrophic and cell signaling pathways in type 2 diabetes.
Decomposing Hedge Fund Returns: What Hedge Funds Got Right for the Past 20 Years

This article identifies three drivers of hedge funds’ strong risk-adjusted returns over the past 20 year. First, hedge funds had a number of factor exposures which generated positive returns but did not increase overall portfolio risk, due to how these factors correlated with other exposures. Second, hedge funds timed several of their risk exposures very sensibly. Third, hedge funds used their superior funding ability to exploit opportunities that offered positive expected returns but below that of the risk-free rate. Most investors ignore these opportunities due to the high opportunity cost, but hedge fund managers, who have superior ability to fund cheaply (e.g., Fung and Hsieh [2011]), do not.
"GridWorld" makes for a great world

The Advanced Placement Computer Science curriculum has used case studies since 1995. For the 2008 examination, the APCS curriculum introduced the GridWorld Case Study. Students who have grown up in a world of computers want to be able to do something more exciting than compute the average of a list of numbers or the price of an order in their initial programming class. GridWorld allows students to manipulate animated graphical objects before they even know how to write a line of Java code. It provides an early introduction to methods with and without parameters. Students can easily see the inheritance chain and start extending classes in a natural way almost as soon as they start programming.The first portion of this workshop will introduce the participants to the GridWorld environment allowing them to explore GridWorld through a series of guided activities which demonstrate inheritance and class interaction. Participants will then be shown examples of how GridWorld has been used in a typical CS-1 course including class examples and actual lab assignments. While the first objects in the case study are bugs, it is easy to use GridWorld with almost any domain. We will provide examples of racers and a population with a simple infection in the workshop material.Finally this workshop will demonstrate its suitability to motivate early involvement of young people to conduct research through simulation and modeling.
Intracellular pathogens: A virus joins the movement

Vaccinia virus has recently been shown to induce inside its host cells the formation of actin tails very similar to those which facilitate the cell-to-cell spread of several pathogenic bacteria.
A new isolate of Lagos bat virus from the Republic of South Africa.

Abstract In 1980, a virus isolated from a bat in Natal, Republic of South Africa, was initially identified in the fluorescent antibody test as rabies virus. We have now shown this isolate to be Lagos bat virus. The possible epizootiological significance of this finding is discussed.
Observations of the Horizontal Interactions between the Internal Wave Field and the Mesoscale Flow

Abstract Momentum and energy transfers from the mesoscale horizontal velocity shear to the internal wave field have been deduced from an analysis of a closely spaced, 25 km, moored current-meter array. The correlation between the low-frequency horizontal shear and internal-wave-field continuum effective stress implies a significant horizontal eddy viscosity of O (106 cm2 s−1), somewhat larger than predicted by Muller (1976). A simple steady-state energy balance for the internal wave field using the observed correlation between the internal wave kinetic energy and the square of the low-frequency shear implies a 10-day relaxation time for the internal-wave Acid and a combined vertical viscosity and horizontal diffusivity not significantly different from zero. These estimates are within the experimental uncertainty of previous observational analyses.
All-order summation and two-loop results for the Drell-Yan cross section

Abstract We compare the hard part of the Drell-Yan cross section calculated at two loops by Matsuura, van der Marck and van Neerven with the predictions obtained by using resummation techniques. We observe that the convergence of the resummed expression is very good for leading and next-to-leading logarithms, and we suggest that there is room for improvement in the understanding of the remaining singular terms. Nonetheless, we find that the resummed expression predicts the two-loop K -factor with impressive accuracy.
Mechanism of anti-glioma activity and in vivo efficacy of the cannabinoid ligand KM-233

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and devastating form of primary central nervous system malignancy. The prognosis for patients diagnosed with GBM is poor, having a median survival rate of 12–15 months. Despite modern advances in the development of antineoplastic agents, the efficacy of newer anti-cancer agents in the treatment of GBM is yet to be determined. Thus, there remains a significant unmet need for new therapeutic strategies against GBM. A promising chemotherapeutic intervention has emerged from studies of cannabinoid receptor agonists wherein tetrahydrocannabinol has been the most extensively studied. The novel cannabinoid ligand KM-233 was developed as a lead platform for future optimization of biopharmaceutical properties of classical based cannabinoid ligands. Treatment of U87MG human GBM cells with KM-233 caused a time dependent change in the phosphorylation profiles of MEK, ERK1/2, Akt, BAD, STAT3, and p70S6K. Almost complete mitochondrial depolarization was observed 6 h post-treatment followed by a rapid increase in cleaved caspase 3 and significant cytoskeletal contractions. Treatment with KM-233 also resulted in a redistribution of the Golgi-endoplasmic reticulum structures. Dose escalation studies in the orthotopic model using U87MG cells revealed an 80 % reduction in tumor size after 12 mg/kg daily dosing for 20 days. The evaluation of KM-233 against primary tumor tissue in the side flank model revealed a significant decrease in the rate of tumor growth. These findings indicate that structural refinement of KM-233 to improve its biopharmaceutical properties may lead to a novel and efficacious treatment for GBM.
A compact inductively coupled connector for mobile devices

A nested inductive connector, consisting of a single power channel and one or more data channels, is proposed as replacement for legacy conductive connectors in mobile devices. Advantages include minimized space in the mobile device, waterproofing, orientation independence, and resistance to stress through a breakaway mechanism. A simulation and analysis of relevant parameters, such as the transfer coefficients for both the power and data channels as well as crosstalk, of the connector design for a simple 2-layer PCB is presented. As an example, the proposed connector is utilized as a replacement for a standard TRS headphone jack found on many mobile devices. The connect or features an AC to DC rectifier, data transmitting circuits, as well as a Class-D power amplifier to drive a pair of headphones.
Prostaglandins and serotonin: Nonpeptide diarrheogenic hormones

Prostaglandins and serotonin are vasoactive compounds with profound effects on the gastrointestinal tract. Both cause inhibition of gastric acid secretion (although serotonin stimulates gastric pepsin secretion), stimulation of intestinal motility, and conversion of small intestinal mucosa from absorption to secretion of water and electrolytes. Their effects on pancreatic and biliary function are still not clear. Although prostaglandins appear to elicit their effects primarily by a paracrine mode of action, and serotonin is primarily a neurotransmitter (neurocrine), it is clear that even under normal conditions both can function as humoral agents. For example, we have shown that serotonin plays a physiologic role as a humoral inhibitor of gastric acid secretion. However, the effects of these agents become more pronounced in patients with humorally mediated diarrheogenic syndromes. Serotonin (and related indoles, particularly 5-hydroxytryptophan) has been firmly implicated as a cause of diarrhea in patients with carcinoid syndrome; our recent studies suggest that the diagnosis can be more effectively made by measuring circulating immunoreactive serotonin concentrations than urinary excretion of 5-HIAA; that some circulating serotonin escapes hepatic inactivation and, thus, large intestinal tumors can cause carcinoid syndrome in the absence of hepatic metastases; and that large amounts of serotonin are produced by some noncarcinoid diarrheogenic tumors, including medullary carcinomas of the thyroid and tumors associated with the WDHA syndrome. A large number of tumors of probable neural crest origin, including medullary thyroid carcinoma, carcinoids, and tumors associated with the WDHA syndrome, secrete large amounts of prostaglandins, particularly PGE2. The clinical response of at least some of the patients harboring these tumors to inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis (particularly indomethacin) suggests that prostaglandins play a role in the etiology of these diarrheogenic syndromes.
An options-based approach to coordinating distributed decision systems

Abstract Engineering and operations management decisions have become increasingly complex as a result of recent advances in information technology. The increased ability to access and communicate information has resulted in expanded system domains consisting of multiple agents, each exhibiting autonomous decision-making capabilities, with potentially complex logistics. Challenges regarding the management of these systems include heterogenous utility drivers and risk preferences among the agents, and various sources of system uncertainty. This paper presents a distributed options-based model that manages the impact of multiple forms of uncertainty from a multi-agent perspective, while adapting as both the stream of information and the capabilities of the agents are better known. Because the actions of decision makers may have an impact on the evolution of underlying sources of uncertainty, this endogenous relationship is modeled and a solution approach developed that converges to an equilibrium system state and improves the performance of agents and the system. The final result is a distributed options-based decision-making policy that both responds to and controls the evolution of uncertainty in large-scale engineering and operations management domains.
Survival of six species of African ticks in relation to saturation deficits

The survival of unfed males and females of six species of African ticks was monitored at five different saturation deficits at constant temperature (25°C). The survivorship curves for each species comprised a pre-mortality period, prior to when ticks started to die and a mortality period corresponding to a rapid increase in the mortality rate. Longevity was defined as pre-mortality plus mortality. A negative correlation between the longevity of the ticks and the saturation deficits was found with ticks surviving longer at lower deficits. The survival of males and females was similar. At low saturation deficits (2–4 mmHg) Amblyomma hebraeum survived the longest periods (74 weeks). Some correlation was found between the tick survival under dehydrating conditions and habitat associations. Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and Haemaphysalis leachii, the most mesic in distribution, had the shortest longevity (21 and 13 weeks, respectively) at high saturation deficits (7–21 mmHg). Hyalomma marginatum rufipes, the most xerophilic in distribution, had the longest survival (39.3±10.5 weeks) at high saturation deficits. Other factors apart from the adult survival should be taken into account when accounting for the tick distribution, in particular the tolerance of earlier developmental stages to desiccation.
Influence of Signal Variables on Evoked Response to Sound

Auditory evoked potentials were studied in 13 normal hearing adults. All signals, regardless of rise time, were equally effective in evoking detectable responses. Latency increased with rise time i...
HealthMAP™: A Model-based Framework for On-line Prognostics and Health Management (PHM)

General Atomics is developing a generic model -based framework based on a PHM design methodology, the basic steps of which are summarized as follows: assessing the results from design analysis; defining the system and its components (assets); performing a functional analysis and associated FMEA; determining the consequences of failure; identifying the associated event propagation and requirements for event detection; considering requirements for usage monitoring; gathering of conditional probability distributions and statistical likelihoods of failure; and specifying all appropriate corrective actions. HealthMAP™ (Health Management, Assessment, and Prognostics) is a software platform being developed by General Atomics to provide a set of tools for rapid development and deployment of model-based applications that deliver the requirements of a PHM application. As described in this paper, HealthMAP™ includes the capabilities for defining generic classes of system components, instantiating them graphically, and establishing relationships between components to model system structure (e.g., containment, connections, ports, etc.), functional constraints (e.g., abstract relations such as supplying -power-to, supplying-flow-to, etc.). Such models can be used to generate expected system behavior, which when compared to observed sensor values, allows the application to detect anomalous events while taking into account the system state and operating context. HealthMAP™ also graphically captures generic formulations of FMEA that can be used to perform real -time root cause analysis and impact prediction in response to detected anomalies. This paper describes how the underlying HealthMAP™ software platform can lower the cost, reduce the time to deliver, and increase the quality of next generation PHM systems.
Anatomic PCL Reconstruction: The Double Bundle Inlay Technique

This paper describes an anatomic method of reconstructing the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) that combines the inlay and double bundle techniques using an Achilles tendon allograft. This technique is based on the rapidly improving understanding of the complex anatomy of the PCL. Current controversies are also discussed. Forty-nine knee dislocation patients with 50 anatomic PCL reconstructions have been followed with extensive outcome data. Mean length of follow-up is 56 months, with a minimum follow-up of 20 months. There were 4 failures (7%) out of 54 primary or revision PCL reconstructions. Patients achieved an average of a 122° arc of motion with excellent posterior stability, based on both physical examination and KT-2000 ligament arthrometer examinations. Good to excellent outcomes were achieved by most patients when evaluated using the Lysholm knee score and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score. Most patients were able to return to full-time work but only half were able to resume their prior level of recreation activities. The anatomic PCL reconstruction functions well in the medium to long-term follow-up. We recommend allograft reconstruction that uses an Achilles tendon allograft as a good strategy to treat knee dislocation patients who have sustained a PCL tear.
Extracellular glutathione peroxidase is secreted basolaterally by human renal proximal tubule cells

Extracellular glutathione peroxidase (eGPx) is a secreted selenoenzyme with GPx activity. eGPx protein and activity are found in blood plasma and other extracellular fluids. eGPx in plasma is predo...
Effect of dietary phosphorus concentration on estrous behavior of lactating dairy cows.

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the effect of dietary phosphorus (P) concentrations of 0.38 (adequate) or 0.48% (excess) of the total mixed ration (TMR) (dry matter basis) on estrous behavior of lactating cows as measured by a radiotelemetric system (HeatWatch; De Forest, WI, USA). At calving, 42 Holstein cows (n=21 per treatment) were randomly assigned to one of two dietary P treatments. Cows were milked twice daily and milk weights were recorded. Cows were housed in a free-stall barn and were fitted with a radiotelemetric transmitter 40 days postpartum to record estrous mounting activity. The total number of estruses recorded for the 42 cows were 72 (37 and 35 for cows in the adequate and excess P groups, respectively). The mean duration of estrous cycles was 22±0.6 days and 21±0.4 days for cows fed the adequate and excess P diets, respectively (P=0.14). The mean duration of estrus was 8.9±1.1 h and 8.6±1.2 h (P=0.86), the average number of mounts during estrus was 7.0±1.2 and 8.2±1.7 (P=0.57), and the total mounting time was 27.1±4.3 s and 30.8±6.5 s (P=0.64) for cows fed the adequate and excess P diets, respectively. Phosphorus treatment had no significant effect on intensity or duration of estrus.
A dielectric study of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate)-poly(vinyl chloride) blends. III. Direct current conductivity and electrode polarization

The large direct current (d.c.) conductance observed at low frequencies and high temperatures in conjunction with a simple electrical circuit model was used to calculate specific conductivities in PVC and mixtures of PVC with a poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) copolymer. Activation energies for d.c. conduction and dipole relaxation in PVC and the blends were found to be in reasonable correspondence. The effects of different electrode materials on the d.c. conductance as well as on electrode polarization are discussed.
Concurrent design and analysis of the Navigator wearable computer system: the thermal perspective

This paper describes the concurrent design of a wearable computer, called the Navigator, developed and built at Carnegie Mellon University in a multidesigner, multidomain environment. The design effort for the Navigator involved nineteen designers, representing the disciplines of electrical engineering, industrial design, mechanical engineering, software engineering, and human-computer interaction. The concurrent design framework developed by the Navigator design team is outlined and the parallel activities within each design phase are described, including the synchronization and interactions among all design disciplines at the phase boundaries. The evolution of the interdisciplinary design of the Navigator wearable computer is presented, with particular emphasis placed upon the role of the thermal design group in the overall design process. Furthermore, the particular challenges associated with the concurrent thermal management of wearable computer systems are outlined. >
Direct Quantification of Left Ventricular Motion and Thickening Changes Using Rest–Stress Myocardial Perfusion SPECT

Changes in myocardial wall motion and thickening during myocardial perfusion SPECT are typically assessed separately from gated studies for the presence of stress-induced functional abnormalities. We sought to develop and validate a novel approach for automatic quantification of rest–stress myocardial motion and thickening changes (MTCs). Methods: Endocardial surfaces at the end-diastolic and end-systolic frames for rest– stress studies were registered automatically to each other by matching ventricular surfaces. Myocardial MTCs were computed, and normal limits of change were determined as the mean and SD for each polar sample. Normal limits were used to quantify the MTCs for each map, and the accumulated sample values were used for abnormality assessments in segmental regions. A hybrid method was devised by combining the total perfusion deficit (TPD) and MTC for each vessel territory. Normal limits were obtained from 100 subjects with low likelihood of coronary artery disease. For validation, 623 subjects with correlating invasive angiography were studied. All subjects underwent a rest–stress 99m Tc-sestamibi exercise or adenosine test and coronary angiography within 3 months of myocardial perfusion SPECT. All MTC and TPD measurements were derived automatically. The diagnostic accuracy for detection of coronary artery disease for MTC plus TPD was compared with TPD alone. Results: Segmental normal values were between 21.3 and 24.1 mm for motion change and between 230.1% and 29.8% for thickening change. MTC combined with TPD achieved 61% sensitivity for 3-vessel-disease (3VD), 63% for 2-vessel-disease (2VD), and 90% for 1-vessel-disease (1VD) detection, compared with 32% for 3VD (P , 0.0001), 53% for 2VD (P , 0.001), and 90% for 1VD (P 5 1.0) detection using the TPD-alone method. The specificity for the combined method was 71% for 3VD, 72% for 2VD, and 47% for 1VD detection versus 90% for 3VD (P , 0.0001), 80% for 2VD (P , 0.001), and 50% for 1VD detection (P 5 0.0625) for the TPD-alone method. The accuracy of 3VD detection by MTC plus TPD was higher (69%) than the accuracy of TPD plus change in ejection fraction (63%) (P , 0.004). Conclusion: We established normal limits and a novel method for computation of regional functional changes between the rest and poststress studies. Compared with TPD alone, the combination of TPD with MTC improved the sensitivity for the detection of 3VD and 2VD.
New and Revised Overconstrained Mechanisms

In this paper we use a new general method which allows us to verify all known overconstrained mechanism classes, and to correct errors in several previously published overconstraint conditions. Also, we present a general classification of overconstrained mechanisms, and use our methodology to discover new overconstrained mechanisms. Examples of the input-output curves for the new mechanisms are presented.
Automated construction of JavaScript benchmarks

JavaScript is a highly dynamic language for web-based applications. Innovative implementation techniques for improving its speed and responsiveness have been developed in recent years. Industry benchmarks such as WebKit SunSpider are often cited as a measure of the efficacy of these techniques. However, recent studies have shown that these benchmarks fail to accurately represent the dynamic nature of modern JavaScript applications, and so may be poor predictors of real-world performance. Worse, they may guide the development of optimizations which are unhelpful for real applications. Our goal is to develop a tool and techniques to automate the creation of realistic and representative benchmarks from existing web applications. We propose a record-and-replay approach to capture JavaScript sessions which has sufficient fidelity to accurately recreate key characteristics of the original application, and at the same time is sufficiently flexible that a recording produced on one platform can be replayed on a different one. We describe JSBench, a flexible tool for workload capture and benchmark generation, and demonstrate its use in creating eight benchmarks based on popular sites. Using a variety of runtime metrics collected with instrumented versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari, we show that workloads created by JSBench match the behavior of the original web applications.
Does the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Grant Too Many Bad Patents?: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment

Many believe the root cause of the patent system’s dysfunction is that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO or Agency) is issuing too many invalid patents that unnecessarily drain consumer welfare. Concerns regarding the Agency’s over-granting tendencies have recently spurred the Supreme Court to take a renewed interest in substantive patent law and have driven Congress to enact the first major patent reform act in over sixty years. Policymakers, however, have been modifying the system in an effort to increase patent quality in the dark. As there exists little to no compelling empirical evidence the PTO is actually over-granting patents, lawmakers are left trying to fix the patent system without even understanding the root causes of the system’s shortcomings. This Article begins to rectify this deficiency, advancing the conversation along two dimensions. First, it provides a novel theoretical source for a granting bias on the part of the Agency, positing that the inability of the PTO to finally reject a patent application may create an incentive for a resource-constrained Agency to allow additional patents. Second, this Article attempts to explore, through a sophisticated natural-experiment framework, whether the Agency is in fact acting on this incentive and over-granting patents. Our findings suggest that the PTO is biased towards allowing patents. Moreover, our results suggest the PTO is targeting its over-granting tendencies towards those patents from which it stands to benefit the most through allowing. Our findings not only provide policymakers with much needed evidence that the PTO is indeed granting too many invalid patents but also provide policymakers with the first empirical evidence that the Agency’s workload woes are biasing the PTO towards allowing patents. Our results also suggest that the literature has overlooked a substantial source of Agency bias and hence recent fixes to improve patent quality will not achieve their desired outcome of extinguishing the PTO’s over-granting proclivities.
Use of Infliximab in Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND:The concentration of tumor necrosis factor, a proinflammatory cytokine, is increased in the gastrointestinal mucosa of patients with active Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Neutralization of tumor necrosis factor decreases the mucosal inflammatory response of adults with CD. Little information is available on the use of monoclonal antibody to tumor necrosis factor (infliximab) in children and adolescents with CD or UC.OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the clinical response and side effects of patients to infliximab.METHODS:A retrospective review of data regarding 18 pediatric and adolescent patients with active CD (n = 15) and UC (n = 3) poorly controlled with conventional therapy. All patients received one to six intravenous infusions of infliximab 5 mg/kg, while receiving their usual medications.RESULTS:All patients experienced clinical improvement, including decrease in the frequency of stooling and resolution of extraintestinal symptoms such as arthropathy, malaise, and skin manifestat...
Phenotypic profiling of ABC transporter coding genes in Myxococcus xanthus.

Information about a gene sometimes can be deduced by examining the impact of its mutation on phenotype. However, the genome-scale utility of the method is limited because, for nearly all model organisms, the majority of mutations result in little or no observable phenotypic impact. The cause of this is often attributed to robustness or redundancy within the genome, but that is only one plausible hypothesis. We examined a standard set of phenotypic traits, and applied statistical methods commonly used in the study of natural variants to an engineered mutant strain collection representing disruptions in 180 of the 192 ABC transporters within the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus. These strains display continuous variation in their phenotypic distributions, with a small number of “outlier” strains at both phenotypic extremes, and the majority within a confidence interval about the mean that always includes wild type. Correlation analysis reveals substantial pleiotropy, indicating that the traits do not represent independent variables. The traits measured in this study co-cluster with expression profiles, thereby demonstrating that these changes in phenotype correspond to changes at the molecular level, and therefore can be indirectly connected to changes in the genome. However, the continuous distributions, the pleiotropy, and the placement of wild type always within the confidence interval all indicate that this standard set of M. xanthus phenotypic assays is measuring a narrow range of partially overlapping traits that do not directly reflect fitness. This is likely a significant cause of the observed small phenotypic impact from mutation, and is unrelated to robustness and redundancy.
Resistance to Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Preterm Delivery Mediated by Regulatory T Cell Function in Mice

Intrauterine or intraperitoneal administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into normal mice at midgestation induces preterm delivery (PTD) within 24 h through a mechanism dependent on Toll-like receptor signaling and expression of inflammatory cytokines. The exact participants in the cellular network involved in PTD are not known. Although the activities of innate immune cells are thought to be important, the extent to which this process depends on T and B cells has yet to be examined. Mice deficient in T and B cells due to genetic deficiency in the recombination activating gene 1 (Rag1(-/-)) were given LPS intraperitoneally on Day 15 of gestation and found to be susceptible to LPS-induced PTD. This was found to involve many of the inflammatory mediators reported as important in normal mice. Moreover, at a low dose (3 microg), pregnant Rag1(-/-) mice were found to be more susceptible to PTD than a cohort of normal mice on the same genetic background. This increased susceptibility was partially reversed by transfer, on Day 10 of gestation, of whole lymphocytes or purified CD4(+) T cells. Transfer of purified CD4(+) T cells to Rag1(-/-) mice resulted in a uterine draining node population of FOXP3(+) cells, suggesting that these cells may contribute to resistance to LPS-induced PTD. Overall, the data suggest that, although T and B lymphocytes are not critical positive regulators of LPS-induced PTD, CD4(+) T cells play a protective and regulatory role, and thus could be a target for preventive or therapeutic manipulation.
Subtypes of Preterm Birth and the Risk of Postneonatal Death

Objective To examine the differences in postneonatal death risk among 3 clinical subtypes of preterm birth: preterm premature rupture of membranes (PROM), indicated preterm birth, and spontaneous preterm labor. Study design We analyzed the 2001-2005 US linked birth/infant death (birth cohort) datasets. The preterm birth subtypes were classified using information on the birth certificate: reported PROM, induction of labor, cesarean section, and complications of pregnancy and labor. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate covariate-adjusted hazard ratios and 95% CIs for postneonatal death (from days 28 to 365). Estimation was given for preterm birth subtypes in a week-by-week analysis. Causes of death were analyzed by preterm birth subtype and then separately at 24-27, 28-31, and 32-36 weeks of gestation. Results For the total of 1 895 350 singleton preterm births who survived the neonatal period, the postneonatal mortality rate was 1.11% for preterm PROM, 0.78% for indicated preterm birth, and 0.53% for spontaneous preterm labor. Preterm PROM was associated with significantly higher risk of postneonatal death compared with spontaneous preterm labor in infants born at 27 weeks gestation or later. Similarly, indicated preterm birth was associated with a significantly higher risk of postneonatal death than spontaneous preterm labor in infants born at 25 weeks gestation or later. Preterm PROM and indicated preterm birth were associated with greater risk of death in the postneonatal period compared with spontaneous preterm labor, irrespective of the cause of death. Conclusion Subtypes of preterm birth carry different risks of postneonatal mortality. Prevention of preterm-related postneonatal death may require more research into the root causes of preterm birth subtypes.