cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Engineering microbial biofuel tolerance and export using efflux pumps

Many compounds being considered as candidates for advanced biofuels are toxic to microorganisms. This introduces an undesirable trade-off when engineering metabolic pathways for biofuel production because the engineered microbes must balance production against survival. Cellular export systems, such as efflux pumps, provide a direct mechanism for reducing biofuel toxicity. To identify novel biofuel pumps, we used bioinformatics to generate a list of all efflux pumps from sequenced bacterial genomes and prioritized a subset of targets for cloning. The resulting library of 43 pumps was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, where we tested it against seven representative biofuels. By using a competitive growth assay, we efficiently distinguished pumps that improved survival. For two of the fuels (n-butanol and isopentanol), none of the pumps improved tolerance. For all other fuels, we identified pumps that restored growth in the presence of biofuel. We then tested a beneficial pump directly in a production strain and demonstrated that it improved biofuel yields. Our findings introduce new tools for engineering production strains and utilize the increasingly large database of sequenced genomes.
A parallel ghosting algorithm for the flexible distributed mesh database

Critical to the scalability of parallel adaptive simulations are parallel control functions including load balancing, reduced inter-process communication and optimal data decomposition. In distributed meshes, many mesh-based applications frequently access neighborhood information for computational purposes which must be transmitted efficiently to avoid parallel performance degradation when the neighbors are on different processors. This article presents a parallel algorithm of creating and deleting data copies, referred to as ghost copies, which localize neighborhood data for computation purposes while minimizing inter-process communication. The key characteristics of the algorithm are: 1 It can create ghost copies of any permissible topological order in a 1D, 2D or 3D mesh based on selected adjacencies. 2 It exploits neighborhood communication patterns during the ghost creation process thus eliminating all-to-all communication. 3 For applications that need neighbors of neighbors, the algorithm can create n number of ghost layers up to a point where the whole partitioned mesh can be ghosted. Strong and weak scaling results are presented for the IBM BG/P and Cray XE6 architectures up to a core count of 32,768 processors. The algorithm also leads to scalable results when used in a parallel super-convergent patch recovery error estimator, an application that frequently accesses neighborhood data to carry out computation.
The Mediterranean diet: science and practice.

ObjectiveTo provide an overview of research relevant to the Mediterranean diet.DesignPersonal perspectives.SettingInternational.SubjectPopulations in Europe, North America, Asia.ResultsApproximately 50 years ago, Keys and colleagues described strikingly low rates of coronary heart disease in the Mediterranean region, where fat intake was relatively high but largely from olive oil. Subsequent controlled feeding studies have shown that compared to carbohydrate, both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats reduce LDL and triglycerides and increase HDL cholesterol. Importantly, these beneficial metabolic effects are greater in the presence of underlying insulin resistance. In a detailed analysis within the Nurses' Health Study, trans fat from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (absent in traditional Mediterranean diets) was most strongly related to risk of heart disease, and both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat were inversely associated with risk. Epidemiologic evidence has also supported beneficial effects of higher intakes of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and daily consumption of moderate amounts of alcohol. Together with regular physical activity and not smoking, our analyses suggest that over 80% of coronary heart disease, 70% of stroke, and 90% of type 2 diabetes can be avoided by healthy food choices that are consistent with the traditional Mediterranean diet.ConclusionBoth epidemiologic and metabolic studies suggest that individuals can benefit greatly by adopting elements of Mediterranean diets.
The incidence of adenocarcinoma and dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus: Report on the cleveland clinic barrett's esophagus registry

The incidence of adenocarcinoma and dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus: Report on the cleveland clinic barrett's esophagus registry
Wilson's Failure: Roots of Contention about the Meaning of a Science of Politics

Woodrow Wilson sought to establish a new kind of statesmanship for the American regime and a new science of politics. He intended the latter to support the former, so that the practicing politician and the studious academic would not talk past one another. His efforts to redirect the discipline away from a natural science orthodoxy and subdisciplinary fragmentation were largely ignored during his time because he failed to resolve the core disciplinary tension between political science and political power. Efforts similar to Wilson's have resurfaced periodically as a result, generating an ongoing contentiousness about the character of the discipline. We predict that the struggle over such fundamental matters will continue unabated, for that struggle is rooted in the very object of our studies.
Reduced bleeding events with subcutaneous administration of recombinant human factor IX in immune-tolerant hemophilia B dogs

Intravenous administration of recombinant human factor IX (rhFIX) acutely corrects the coagulopathy in hemophilia B dogs. To date, 20 of 20 dogs developed inhibitory antibodies to the xenoprotein, making it impossible to determine if new human FIX products, formulations, or methods of chronic administration can reduce bleeding frequency. Our goal was to determine whether hemophilia B dogs rendered tolerant to rhFIX would have reduced bleeding episodes while on sustained prophylactic rhFIX administered subcutaneously. Reproducible methods were developed for inducing tolerance to rhFIX in this strain of hemophilia B dogs, resulting in a significant reduction in the development of inhibitors relative to historical controls (5 of 12 versus 20 or 20, P <.001). The 7 of 12 tolerized hemophilia B dogs exhibited shortened whole blood clotting times (WBCTs), sustained detectable FIX antigen, undetectable Bethesda inhibitors, transient or no detectable antihuman FIX antibody titers by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and normal clearance of infused rhFIX. Tolerized hemophilia B dogs had 69% reduction in bleeding frequency in year 1 compared with nontolerized hemophilia B dogs (P =.0007). If proven safe in human clinical trials, subcutaneous rhFIX may provide an alternate approach to prophylactic therapy in selected patients with hemophilia B.
Distribution of chlorine in terrestrial rocks

Abstract The available data on the relative abundance of chlorine in various types of terrestrial rocks is reviewed critically. The mean chlorine contents for igneous rocks are (in ppm Cl): ultramafic rocks, 100; mafic rocks, 160; intermediate rocks, 180; acidic rocks, 200; syenites, 430; and nepheline syenites, 2170. For sedimentary rocks the corresponding values are: shales and clays, 100; sandstones, 20; limestones, 130; and dolomites, 660; for metamorphic rocks, schists, 350; gneisses, 200; and amphibolites, 300. Both the paragenesis and crystal chemistry of mineral constituents affect the mode of distribution. The abundances of Cl in the earth's crust and upper mantle are also estimated to be 180 ppm Cl and 100 ppm respectively.
Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of the pregnant rat: A multiroute exposure model for trichloroethylene and its metabolite, trichloroacetic acid

A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) model was developed to describe trichloroethylene (TCE) kinetics in the pregnant rat exposed to TCE by inhalation, by bolus gavage, or by oral ingestion in drinking water. The kinetics of trichloroacetic acid (TCA), an oxidative metabolite of TCE, were described by a classical one-compartment pharmacokinetic model. Among the required model parameters for TCE, partition coefficients (PCs) and kinetic constants for oxidation were determined by vial equilibration and gas uptake methods, respectively. The fat:blood PC was 33.9; the blood:air PC was 13.2; and the fetal tissue:fetal blood PC was 0.51. TCE was readily metabolized with high substrate affinity. In naive and pregnant female rats the maximum velocities of oxidative metabolism were 10.98 +/- 0.155 and 9.18 +/- 0.078 mg/kg/hr, while the estimated Michaelis constant for the two groups of rats was very low, 0.25 mg/liter. The first-order rate constant for oral absorption of TCE from water was 5.4 +/- 0.42/hr-1 in naive rats. With TCA, the volume of distribution (0.618 liter/kg) and the plasma elimination rate constant (0.045 +/- 0.0024/hour) were estimated both from intravenous dosing studies with TCA and from an inhalation study with TCE. By comparison of the two routes of administration, the stoichiometric yield of TCA from TCE was estimated to be 0.12 in pregnant rats. To develop a data base for testing the fidelity of the PB-PK model, inhalation and bolus gavage exposures were conducted from Day 3 to Day 21 of pregnancy and a drinking water exposure from Day 3 to Day 22 of pregnancy. Inhalation exposures with TCE vapor were 4 hr/day at 618 ppm. The TCE concentration in drinking water was 350 micrograms/ml and the gavaged rats received single daily doses of 2.3 mg TCE/kg. Time varying physiological parameters for compartment volumes and blood flows during pregnancy were obtained from the published literature. Using the kinetic parameters determined by experimentation, TCE concentrations in maternal and fetal blood and TCA concentrations in maternal and fetal plasma were predicted from the PB-PK model by computer simulation and compared favorably with limited data obtained at restricted time points during pregnancy for all three routes of exposure. On the basis of the PB-PK model, fetal exposure to TCE, as area-under-the-curve, ranged from 67 to 76% of maternal exposure. For TCA the fetal exposure was 63 to 64% of the maternal exposure. The fetus is clearly at risk both to parent TCE and its TCA metabolite.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Molecular Subtyping of Mastitis-Associated Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates Shows High Levels of Diversity Within and Between Dairy Herds

Despite advances in controlling mastitis (inflammation of the mammary gland), udder infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae continue to affect dairy cattle. Mastitis caused by K. pneumoniae responds poorly to antibiotic treatment, and as a consequence, infections tend to be severe and long lasting. We sought to determine whether a nonrandom distribution of specific genotypes of K. pneumoniae was associated with mastitis from 6 dairy herds located in 4 different states. A total of 635 isolates were obtained and fingerprinted by repetitive DNA sequence PCR. Significant genetic diversity was observed in 4 of the 6 dairy herds analyzed, and a total of 49 genotypic variants were identified. Within a herd, Simpson's diversity indices were 91.0, 94.1, 91.7, 88.6, 53.3, and 64.3% for dairies A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively. The association between matrices of genetic similarity and matrices of temporal distance was negative in all the dairies analyzed. Four dairies had a high incidence of K. pneumoniae mastitis during the winter. The majority of genotypes were unique to herds of origin, and only 5 genotypes were detected in more than 2 dairies. Genotype 1 (arbitrary designation) occurred most frequently across dairies and was found in 25.2% of all mastitis cases and among 22.8% of reinfected and culled cows in dairy A. Specific genotypes also tended to be associated with a specific bedding type and dairy location. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 18% of the genetic diversity was due to variation among herds within states, and 82% of the genetic diversity was accounted for by variation of genotypes within herds. The data support the idea that mastitis is caused by a diverse group of K. pneumoniae genotypes and thus has major implications for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of udder infections in dairy cows.
Averaging model applied to the size-weight illusion

A theoretical model was given for the size-weight illusion based on a principle of information integration. Judged heaviness of lifted weights was assumed to be an average of two pieces of information, weight and size, with the latter receiving negative weighting in the model formulation. Two experiments based on a Weight by Size design gave fair support to the parallelism prediction of the integration model. The hypothesis that Ss were really judging density was shown to imply a divergence prediction, contrary to the data. The theoretical analysis was generalized to include negative, positive, and comparative illusions; these were differentiated according to whether the contextual information was integrated with negative weighting, positive weighting, or served as a yardstick of judgment.
Near real-time analytics with IBM DB2 analytics accelerator

The IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator (IDAA) implements the vision of a universal relational DBMS that processes OLTP and analytical-type queries in a single system, but on two fundamentally different query engines. Based on heuristics in DB2 for z/OS, the DB2 optimizer decides if a query should be executed by "mainline" DB2 or if it is beneficial to offload it to the attached IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator that operates on copies of the DB2 tables. In this paper, we introduce the "incremental update" functionality of IDAA that keeps these copy tables in sync by employing replication technology that monitors the DB2 transaction log and asynchronously applies the changes to IDAA. This enables near real-time analytics over online data, effectively marrying traditionally separated OLTP and data warehouse environments. With IDAA, analytic queries can access data that is constantly refreshed in contrast to traditional warehouses that are updated on a daily or even weekly basis. Without any changes to the applications and without the need to introduce cross-system ETL flows, an existing operational data store can be used for data warehousing as well. The analytic query performance provided by IDAA makes it possible to execute reports directly against the transactional schema, thus avoiding the need for costly design and maintenance of a separate reporting schema. Additionally, the Accelerator shields DB2 for z/OS as the transactional system from performance degradation caused by the analytical workload and the replication component synchronizes all data changes in near real-time. We present the architecture of the integrated replication component of IDAA and discuss design decisions that we made when combining the different technologies as well as performance characteristics of the resulting system.
Automatic Watering System for Avians Reared in Modified Isolation Cabinets

Abstract An automatic watering system was designed and constructed for modified Horsfall-Bauer isolation cabinets. This system employed a trigger type drinking cup that allowed automatic flow of water over a large pressure range. An additional feature allowed the height of the cup to be adjusted from outside of the cabinet to permit different age birds to drink. An overflow drain was also included to prevent flooding of the cabinet in the event of a malfunction.
Empirical input distributions: an alternative to standard input distributions in simulation modeling

The authors investigate the effect of input-distribution specification on the validity of output from simple queuing models. In particular, the use of various kinds of empirical distributions for approximating service-time distributions is studied. It is shown that, when the approximating distributions were compared on the basis of variance and bias in their estimates, the empirical distributions generally did as well as the best fitted standard distributions, and sometimes better. For example, when Weibull was the true distribution, the fitted Weibull and gamma were the best fitting distributions among the standard distributions, with the least bias and variance. The empirical distributions were a good match where both the criteria were concerned, and in some cases had lower variance and bias. >
The Measurement of Socio‐economic Gender Inequality Revisited

The measurement of socio-economic gender inequality has not received much attention from the development literature despite its great relevance and important policy implications. In this article we present two new indices to measure gender inequalities that overcome some of the limitations inherent in the UNDP gender-related indices and other indices presented in the literature. The proposed new indices are conducive to exploring the extent to which gender gaps favour women and/or men, and to showing the contribution of the different subcomponents to the overall levels of gender inequality. Using UNDP data, our calculations suggest that the levels of gender inequality are mostly explained by differences in the earned-income subcomponent and that the average difference between women's and men's achievement levels has been reduced by 12 per cent during the period 1995–2005.
Flagellin Suppresses the Inflammatory Response and Enhances Bacterial Clearance in a Murine Model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Keratitis

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common organism associated with bacterial keratitis, especially in extended-wear contact lens users. In the present study, we determined that pretreatment of cultured human corneal epithelial cells with flagellin isolated from the P. aeruginosa PAO1 strain attenuated cytokine production when the cells were challenged with a cytotoxic strain (ATCC 19660), suggesting a potential use of bacterial flagellin to downregulate infection-associated inflammation in vivo. Administration of flagellin via the subconjunctival and intraperitoneal routes 24 h prior to Pseudomonas inoculation significantly improved the disease outcome, preserved structural integrity and transparency, and thus maintained vision in otherwise perforated corneas of C57BL/6 (B6) mice. The flagellin pretreatment resulted in suppression of polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration at a late stage of infection but not at an early stage of infection, decreased the expression of proinflammatory cytokine genes (genes encoding interleukin-1beta [IL-1beta], macrophage inflammatory protein 2, IL-12, and gamma interferon), and greatly enhanced bacterial clearance in the corneas of B6 mice probably through induced expression of the cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide and inducible nitric oxide synthase. This is the first report that describes the protective mechanisms induced by a Toll-like receptor agonist that not only curbs the host inflammatory response but also eliminates invading bacteria in the B6 mouse cornea.
Chemical Properties of Humic and Fulvic Acid Products and Their Ores of Origin

Commercial products consisting of humic and fulvic acids are thought to boost plant growth and economic yield in cropland agriculture. The specific mechanism for their benefit is unknown, in part because little information is available on the chemical nature of these products. We examined the chemical nature of eight humic acid products, three fulvic acids and seven of their source materials, lignite and leonardite ores, and humic shales. All samples were from the United States and Canada. Analysis by 13C cross polarization/magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy found that the humic acid products and the ores were dominated by large signals at aliphatic C (ca. 30 ppm) and aromatic C (ca. 130 ppm). These products were distinguished from one another by their relative proportions of aromatics and aliphatics and relative percentages of smaller signals for carboxyl C (approximately 175 ppm) and ketones/aldehydes C (ca. 200 ppm). These samples were also extracted for their concentrations of seven carbohydrates through anion exchange chromatography and pulsed amperometric detection. All ores and humic acid products had low concentrations of carbohydrates. The ores and products made without alkali extraction had slightly greater concentrations of carbohydrates than did extracted products, suggesting that alkali extraction for production of the humic acid products discriminated against carbohydrates. Results will also be discussed for sample concentrations of amino acids, two amino sugars, and lignin-derived phenols. Although these products share the same dominant chemical traits, they cannot be considered as chemically similar until the chemical mechanism for their effect on plant growth is identified and the corresponding compound(s) or functional group(s) is/are measured in these products and ores. Until then, field efficacy established for one product cannot be transferred to other products.
Synthesis, Characterization and Evaluation of Urethane Co-Oligomers Containing Pendant Fluoroalkyl Ether Groups

Coatings with the ability to minimize adhesion of insect residue and other debris are of great interest for future aircraft. These aircraft will exhibit increased fuel efficiency by maintaining natural laminar flow over greater wing chord distances. Successful coatings will mitigate the adhesion of debris on laminar flow surfaces that could cause a premature transition to turbulent flow. The use of surface modifying agents (SMA) that thermodynamically orient towards the air side of a coating can provide specific surface chemistry that may lead to a reduction of contaminate adhesion. Aluminum surfaces coated with urethane co-oligomers containing various amounts of pendant fluoroalkyl ether groups were prepared, characterized and tested for their abhesive properties. The coated surfaces were subjected to controlled impacts with wingless fruit flies (drosophila melanogaster) using both a benchtop wind tunnel and a larger-scale wind tunnel test facility. Insect impacts were recorded and analyzed using high-speed digital photography and the remaining residues characterized using optical surface profilometry and compared to that of an aluminum control. It was determined that using fluorinated oligomers to chemically modify coating surfaces altered the adhesion properties relative to the adhesion of insect residues to the surface.
Notes on Recent Immigrants to the United States Virgin Islands

With the " discovery " of the United States Virgin Islands as a " tourist paradise/' various peoples have migrated to the islands in greater numbers than before. The increase in the percentage of nonVirgin Islanders living and working on the Islands has been particularly dramatic, especially from the 1950's onward. This migration has served not only to bring about rapid social and institutional change, but has also created conditions that were not anticipated by either the immigrant or the native Virgin Islander. It will be the purpose of this paper to delineate the various recent migrants to the Islands, and to point out some of the problems that these groups have encountered after migration. The Virgin Islands of the United States form the northwest tip of the Lesser Antilles. There are three major inhabited islands: St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. Population of the islands has been estimated at 56,500, although this figure is at best approximate because of inade? quate census data. St. Croix is estimated to have a population of 26,000; St. Thomas 29,000 and St. John 1,500.
Stroke Recurrence in Congenital Heart Disease

Researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada identified 135 patients with congenital heart disease diagnosed with arterial ischemic stroke during 1992-2008 and registered in the Canadian Pediatric Stroke Registry-Toronto site.
Alcohol withdrawal during hospitalization.

OverviewFor a chronic drinker, sudden alcohol withdrawal because of an unexpected hospitalization can lead to escalating withdrawal symptoms and even death if unrecognized and untreated. Nurses need to be aware of the prevalence of alcohol abuse in the United States and consider the possibility of u
The Understanding of Meaning and Translation Expression of English Tricky Verbs

In this paper,it is attempted to make an analysis of and introduction to the usages and translation of English tricky verbs from the perspective of different features of Chinese and English languages.Chinese emphasizes "Subjectivity",but English"Objectivity",which determines the most different features of Chinese and English languages.Plus many different habits of expressions,this all makes it so difficult for Chinese English-learners to understand and use and translate these English tricky verbs.So in order to make a full understanding of English words,the learner should not only know their superficial meanings but also their deep meanings.
Application of Shortcut Algorithm in Choice of Logistics Center

The paper analyzes the shortage of linear programming method and barycenter method in choice of logistics center, describes a new idea of shortcut algorithm in chart theory and the idea will conform to the fact and be reasonable.
Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase 1 Represses Liver X Receptor-mediated ABCA1 Expression and Cholesterol Efflux in Macrophages

Liver X receptors (LXR) are oxysterol-activated nuclear receptors that play a central role in reverse cholesterol transport through up-regulation of ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABCA1 and ABCG1) that mediate cellular cholesterol efflux. Mouse models of atherosclerosis exhibit reduced atherosclerosis and enhanced regression of established plaques upon LXR activation. However, the coregulatory factors that affect LXR-dependent gene activation in macrophages remain to be elucidated. To identify novel regulators of LXR that modulate its activity, we used affinity purification and mass spectrometry to analyze nuclear LXRα complexes and identified poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) as an LXR-associated factor. In fact, PARP-1 interacted with both LXRα and LXRβ. Both depletion of PARP-1 and inhibition of PARP-1 activity augmented LXR ligand-induced ABCA1 expression in the RAW 264.7 macrophage line and primary bone marrow-derived macrophages but did not affect LXR-dependent expression of other target genes, ABCG1 and SREBP-1c. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed PARP-1 recruitment at the LXR response element in the promoter of the ABCA1 gene. Further, we demonstrated that LXR is poly(ADP-ribosyl)ated by PARP-1, a potential mechanism by which PARP-1 influences LXR function. Importantly, the PARP inhibitor 3-aminobenzamide enhanced macrophage ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux to the lipid-poor apolipoprotein AI. These findings shed light on the important role of PARP-1 on LXR-regulated lipid homeostasis. Understanding the interplay between PARP-1 and LXR may provide insights into developing novel therapeutics for treating atherosclerosis.
Ezrin-calpain I interactions in gastric parietal cells

Gastric ezrin, a membrane-cytoskeletal linker with sequence homology to talin and erythrocyte band 4.1, has been associated with the remodeling of parietal cell apical membrane that occurs with ade...
Data services over cellular radio

The growth of cellular radio has enabled organisations to extend their everyday office based operations to the mobile environment. Inevitably, this has included data and facsimile. The problem with 'data' (excluding facsimile) is that there are too many standards to promote its widespread adoption even in the fixed networks. Although there has been some growth in electronic mail, its use is generally confined within a particular organisation. It is not surprising therefore that the use of 'data' in cellular environments is small. Other than speech, facsimile is the most commonly used method of communications worldwide. The reason for the success of facsimile is its ease of use, primarily because it is standardised as an end to end service. The cellular environment allows the use of facsimile machines at remote locations not served by telephone land lines. However, the performance of facsimile machines under certain conditions is unpredictable, both in the TACS and GSM environments, and in neither case is the attachment to a cellular telephone simple or cheap. However, the investment in facsimile is now so large that it seems unlikely that even the much needed promise of the ISDN to provide an alternative for national and international communications will make a significant penetration in the foreseeable future. Until there is an incentive to change attitudes towards data communications in the fixed network, it is unlikely that we shall see any significant growth in data communications in the cellular network. The use of data over cellular radio is likely to remain, therefore, confined to the specific needs of organisations and niche markets for a long time to come.
Beam forming network design using microstrip lens for cluster feeding

We propose a beam forming network (BFN) design that uses microwave lenses and that is suited to a multibeam reflector antenna. Its performance is assessed as a simple BFN that uses a symmetrically configured 16X16 lens. The proposed BFN is easily manufactured at low-cost by taking advantage of printed-circuit boards. Furthermore, the BFN does not require hybrids; thus, it has no complex interconnections to restrict its operating frequency range. Therefore, the BFN can offer a wide frequency band, and can be applied to large-scale circuits. The antenna radiation patterns that are calculated by applying the BFN to a parabolic antenna exhibit good performance since the proposed BFN configuration counterbalances odd-order aberrations of the microwave lenses.
Dietary exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ether 47 (BDE-47) inhibits development and alters thyroid hormone-related gene expression in the brain of Xenopus laevis tadpoles.

Abstract Few studies have investigated the thyroid-disrupting effects of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) across multiple levels of biological organization in anurans, despite their suitability for the screening of thyroid disruptors. Therefore, the present study evaluated the effects of 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) on development, thyroid histology and thyroid hormone-related gene expression in Xenopus laevis exposed to 0 (control), 50 (low), 500 (medium) or 5000 μg BDE-47/g food (high) for 21 days. Only the high dose of BDE-47 hindered growth and development; however, thyroid hormone-associated gene expression was downregulated in the brains of tadpoles regardless of dose. These results show that BDE-47 disrupts thyroid hormone signaling at the molecular and whole-organism levels and suggest that gene expression in the brain is a more sensitive endpoint than metamorphosis. Furthermore, the altered gene expression patterns among BDE-47-exposed tadpoles provide insight into the mechanisms of PBDE-induced thyroid disruption and highlight the potential for PBDEs to act as neurodevelopmental toxicants.
Impact of rituximab on outcome of autologous transplantation for mantle cell lymphoma

7555 Background: Currently, Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) is an incurable disease. Patients treated with chemotherapy alone experience only transient responses, with no long-term improvement in diseas...
Time-dependent deformation of polymer network in polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals (Conference Presentation)

Recently, we reported direct current (DC) field controllable electro-optic (EO) responses of negative dielectric anisotropy polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals (PSCLCs). A potential mechanism is: Ions in the liquid crystal mixtures are trapped in/on the polymer network during the fast photopolymerization process, and the movement of ions by the application of the DC field distorts polymer network toward the negative electrode, inducing pitch variation through the cell thickness, i.e., pitch compression on the negative electrode side and pitch expansion on positive electrode side. As the DC voltage is directly applied to a target voltage, charged polymer network is deformed and the reflection band is tuned. Interestingly, the polymer network deforms further (red shift of reflection band) with time when constantly applied DC voltage, illustrating DC field induced time dependent deformation of polymer network (creep-like behavior). This time dependent reflection band changes in PSCLCs are investigated by varying the several factors, such as type and concentration of photoinitiators, liquid crystal monomer content, and curing condition (UV intensity and curing time). In addition, simple linear viscoelastic spring-dashpot models, such as 2-parameter Kelvin and 3-parameter linear models, are used to investigate the time-dependent viscoelastic behaviors of polymer networks in PSCLC.
Continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion with cisplatin for the treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma

Purpose Peritoneal mesothelioma remains a difficult therapeutic challenge. Aggressive debulking combined with continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion (CHPP) using cisplatin (CDDP) is a novel strategy for the treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma, allowing high regional delivery of chemotherapeutics and hyperthermia while minimizing systemic toxicity. Patients and methods From June 1993 to May 1996, 10 patients with peritoneal mesothelioma (six men, four women; mean age 40 years, range 15-57) underwent tumor debulking followed by a 90-minute CHPP. CHPP parameters included mean initial CDDP of 120 micrograms/mL (range 81-166), perfusate volume 5.2 L (range 4-7), flow 1.5 L/min, intraperitoneal temperature at three locations-41.5 degrees C, 40.5 degrees C, 41.1 degrees C, and core temperature 38.4 degrees C (range 37.2 degrees C-39.5 degrees C). Nine of 10 patients had malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, eight with associated ascites, while the tenth had a symptomatic, multiply recurrent benign peritoneal mesothelioma. Nine of 10 patients were optimally debulked. Pharmacokinetics were performed on blood and perfusate samples on nine patients; CDDP levels were quantitated by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Results Total perfusate cisplatin AUC was a mean of 21-fold higher (range 2- to 116-fold) than total serum cisplatin AUC, and serum CDDP behaved similarly to systemically administered CDDP. Median follow-up after CHPP is 10 months (range 2-32), with no treatment-related mortality. In eight optimally debulked patients there is no evidence of recurrent disease clinically or by CT or MRI. Seven patients with symptomatic ascites have been completely palliated. Conclusions CHPP with CDDP is well tolerated with no significant regional toxicity. Because favorable CDDP pharmacokinetics suggest the potential for enhanced CDDP tumoricidal effect during CHPP, tumor debulking and CHPP may represent an effective strategy for the treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma.
Relocalizing Standards in English Language Arts: Consequences on Functions of Literacy

ABSTRACTThe authors examine the functions of literacy in three accountability-driven English language arts classrooms. To explore the interplay between transmission-oriented, standards-based instruction and local interpretations and uses of literacy, they employed Pennycook’s (2010) notion of relocalization. The authors examine how accountability mandates, relocalized as curricular standards, and relocalized again in textbook materials and teachers’ instructional moves, shape the functions of literacy in these classrooms, with consequences for students’ negotiation of meaning of the assigned texts. They found that language and literacy practices across ability tracks, curricular tracks, and teachers emphasized “separating” functions of literacy: separating, reducing, and narrowing (a) which texts or aspects of text counted as official or important, (b) which ways of making meaning with texts counted as legitimate, and (c) which meanings counted as legitimate interpretations. The contribution of this work ...
Ghrelin-Producing Cells in Stomachs: Implications for Weight Reduction Surgery

Ghrelin hormone is a 28-amino acid peptide hormone produced mainly in the mucosa of the stomach. It has an essential role in obesity and metabolic syndrome modifications after bariatric surgery. Changes in the neuro–hormonal axis following sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass have been extensively reported. Interestingly, the changes in ghrelin levels after bariatric surgery have varied with different authors’ reports. This may be due to the unclear relationship between the hormones, their receptors, and the central nervous system. Understanding the regulation of ghrelin, the ligand receptor binding activities, the intracellular signaling, and its biological functions could allow surgeons to improve the treatment of morbidly obese patients.
The 88-Inch Cyclotron: A one-stop facility for electronics radiation and detector testing

In outer space down to the altitudes routinely flown by larger aircrafts, radiation can pose serious issues for microelectronics circuits. The 88-Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is a sector-focused cyclotron and home of the Berkeley Accelerator Space Effects Facility, where the effects of energetic particles on sensitive microelectronics are studied with the goal of designing electronic systems for the space community. This paper describes the flexibility of the facility and its capabilities for testing the bombardment of electronics by heavy ions, light ions, and neutrons. Experimental capabilities for the generation of neutron beams from deuteron breakups and radiation testing of carbon nanotube field effect transistor will be discussed.
Stimulant drugs are associated with violent and penetrating trauma

Abstract Background Substance abuse is associated with traumatic injuries. Prior studies of drug use and injury have relied on urine drug of abuse screens, which have false positives, false negatives and inability to detect novel drugs. Our study characterizes the relationship between injury mechanism and drugs of abuse detected in serum via confirmatory testing. Methods This prospective observational study was conducted from Jan–Sept 2012 at a level 1 trauma center on trauma patients > 13 years who had blood drawn for routine tests. Demographic, injury and standard laboratory data were abstracted from patient charts. Comprehensive serum drug testing was done using liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOF/MS, LC1200-TOF/MS 6230, Agilent, Santa Clara, CA). Results Of 272 patients, 71.0% were male, 30.5% had violent injury type and 32.4% had a penetrating injury mechanism. Violent injury type and penetrating injury mechanisms were more frequent in patients who were male, younger age, Black, or Hispanic (p Conclusions Many drugs are present in trauma patients that are not routinely detected on urine drug of abuse tests. Both stimulant drugs and cigarette smoking are indicators of multidimensional hazardous behaviors, which were associated with more violent and penetrating trauma.
Amniotic fluid lecithin-sphingomyelin ratio as an assessment of fetal pulmonary maturity.

Abstract The method of Gluck and associates 1 for estimating the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio in amniotic fluid has proved to have a high degree of accuracy in predicting fetal lung maturity. One hundred and eighty-five samples of amniotic fluid from 167 patients in various weeks of gestation were assayed. A lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio of 1.5 or less indicated an immature fetal lung, and, in all spontaneously delivered infants, where the values were in this range, the infant developed the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and hyaline membrane disease. An L/S ratio of 1.51 to 1.80 suggested a transitional fetal lung in which some of the infants developed RDS, and possibly a mild hyaline membrane disease, but all recovered. If the L/S ratio was over 1.80, the lung was considered to be mature for normal function in the external evironment, and respiratory distress did not develop. The L/S ratio in amniotic fluid is a rapid, accurate method to assess fetal lung maturity and is an invaluable aid in the management of increased risk pregnancies and in cases of repeat cesarean section where the gestational age is unknown.
Radioimmunoscintigraphy: a clinical perspective

This is the second in a series of Continuing Education articles related to developing radiopharmaceuticals. After reading this article the reader should be able to: 1) discuss the clinical applications of monoclonal antibodies; 2) understand the principles of antibody technology; and 3) recognize the problems associated with this procedure. Monoclonal antibody (MoAb) technology has led to the discovery of a host of tumor-associated antigens on human tumors and to the production of a large amount of well-characterized, immune-specific antibody. The ability to have a well-defined, reproducible antibody in large amounts with little variability between lots has rekindled the interest in the radioimmunoscintigraphy (RIS) technique. The RIS technique is a new field in nuclear medicine, which for the first time provides specific diagnostic reagents which have potential for the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up on tumors.
Changes observed in prostate biopsy practices in an inner city hospital with a high risk patient population following the 2012 uspstf psa screening recommendations

ABSTRACT Introduction: We compared characteristics of patients undergoing prostate biopsy in a high-risk inner city population before and after the 2012 USPSTF recommendation against PSA based prostate cancer screening to determine its effect on prostate biopsy practices. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study including patients who received biopsies after an abnormal PSA measurement from October 2008-December 2015. Patients with previously diagnosed prostate cancer were excluded. Chi-square tests of independence, two sample t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Fisher's exact tests were performed. Results: There were 202 and 208 patients in the pre-USPSTF and post-USPSTF recommendation cohorts, respectively. The post-USPSTF cohort had higher median PSA (7.8 versus 7.1ng/mL, p=0.05), greater proportion of patients who were black (96.6% versus 90.5%, p=0.01), and greater percentage of biopsy cores positive for disease (58% versus 29.5%, p<0.001). Multivariable analysis supported that the increase in PSA was independent of the increase in the proportion of patients who were black. The proportion of patients who were classified as D’Amico intermediate and high-risk disease increased in the post-USPSTF cohort and approached statistical significance (70.1% versus 58.8%, p=0.12). Conclusions: Our study suggests that the USPSTF recommendations may have led to an increase in pre-biopsy PSA as well as greater volume of disease. Also, a greater proportion of patients were being classified with intermediate or high risk disease. While the clinical significance of these findings is unknown, what the data suggests is somewhat troubling. Future research should further examine these changes in a larger cohort as well as resultant long-term outcomes.
Solar electricity via an Air Brayton cycle with an integrated two-step thermochemical cycle for heat storage based on Fe2O3/Fe3O4 redox reactions: Thermodynamic and kinetic analyses

Abstract Solar electricity production via an Air Brayton cycle is considered with integrated thermochemical energy storage. The storage is realized via a two-step solar thermochemical cycle based on Fe2O3/Fe3O4 reduction-oxidation reactions, encompassing (1) the thermal reduction of Fe2O3 to Fe3O4 and O2 driven by concentrated solar irradiation under vacuum; and (2) the exothermic oxidation of Fe3O4 with a compressed air stream back to Fe2O3. The steps may be decoupled, resulting in a high temperature, pressurized airflow that is expanded across a turbine to produce on-demand electricity. A thermodynamic analysis of the system determined a maximum cycle efficiency of 46.0% at a solar concentration ratio of 4000 suns, an oxidation pressure of 30 bar, and an approximately 5:1 molar flow rate ratio of air to solid Fe2O3 exiting the re-oxidizer. Chemical kinetics for the thermal reduction of Fe2O3 were determined between approximately 1400 and 1700 K using non-isothermal thermogravimetry with heating rates between 10 and 20 K·s−1 and O2 partial pressures between 0 and 0.05 bar. The rate-limiting reaction mechanism was determined to be nucleation, and kinetic parameters were resolved using an Avrami-Erofe’ev nucleation model with a reaction order of 1.264 ± 0.010. The rate constant followed an Arrhenius-type temperature dependency with an apparent activation energy of 487.0 ± 3.6 kJ·mol−1 and pre-exponential factor 2.768 ± 0.783·1014 s−1. A power-law dependence on O2 partial pressure of order 8.317 ± 0.233 was determined. Non-isothermal thermogravimetry to examine the oxidation of Fe3O4 to Fe2O3 revealed multiple kinetic regimes, and isothermal thermogravimetry showed the reaction proceeded rapidly, within 20 s, at temperatures greater than 673 K. Solid characterization was carried out using scanning electron microscopy and x-ray powder diffractometry up to temperatures of 1073 K to verify initial and final sample compositions and structures.
Musical creativity and the motor system

Across the neuroscientific literature, a surprisingly consistent finding in studies of musical creativity is the involvement of motor regions. These regions—premotor cortex, the supplementary and pre-supplementary motor areas, and posterior inferior frontal gyrus—are implicated in higher-level capacities, such as motor sequencing and planning, rather than primary motor control, and are furthermore implicated in cognitive capacities not directly linked to overt motor behavior. Nevertheless, their consistent implication in studies of musical capacities—from perception and performance to composition and improvisation—prompts a reconsideration of the musical faculty as one that is not merely auditory, nor even primarily so, but rather one that is fundamentally auditory-motoric.
Mapping the Plasma Potential in a Glass Box

Modeling the dynamics of charged dust particles, confined in a glass box placed on the lower electrode of a Gaseous Electronics Conference cell, requires that the interactions between the charged dust, plasma, and boundaries need to be accounted for in a self-consistent manner. The charged lower electrode affects the plasma conditions throughout the glass box, altering the electron and ion densities and temperatures within the plasma sheath. These plasma characteristics determine the charge collected on the walls of the surrounding glass box, the electric potential within the glass box, the dust charge, and ultimately the dynamics of the dust. This paper describes the steps taken to build a simple model of the relationship between the plasma conditions and the potential within the box as well as the expected dust charge near the center of the box. The calculated potential and dust charge are used to construct acceleration maps for the dust, which are compared to experimentally measured acceleration of the dust within the box.