cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metabolomic profiles of current cigarette smokers.

Smoking-related biomarkers for lung cancer and other diseases are needed to enhance early detection strategies and to provide a science base for tobacco product regulation. An untargeted metabolomics approach by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF MS) totaling 957 assays was used in a novel experimental design where 105 current smokers smoked two cigarettes 1 h apart. Blood was collected immediately before and after each cigarette allowing for within-subject replication. Dynamic changes of the metabolomic profiles from smokers' four blood samples were observed and biomarkers affected by cigarette smoking were identified. Thirty-one metabolites were definitively shown to be affected by acute effect of cigarette smoking, uniquely including menthol-glucuronide, the reduction of glutamate, oleamide, and 13 glycerophospholipids. This first time identification of a menthol metabolite in smokers' blood serves as proof-of-principle for using metabolomics to identify new tobacco-exposure biomarkers, and also provides new opportunities in studying menthol-containing tobacco products in humans. Gender and race differences also were observed. Network analysis revealed 12 molecules involved in cancer, notably inhibition of cAMP. These novel tobacco-related biomarkers provide new insights to the effects of smoking which may be important in carcinogenesis but not previously linked with tobacco-related diseases. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Analytical Techniques used in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

Although immunoassays are most commonly used for therapeutic drug monitoring they suffer from many limitations, including interference from endogenous (high bilirubin, triglyceride, heterophilic antibody) and exogenous compounds (drug metabolite and other drugs with structural similarity with the drug being analyzed). Immunoassays are easy to operate and can be automated. However, analytical methods such as chromatography and chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) are advantageous for drug monitoring because such techniques are less often affected by issues of interference. Unfortunately, interference can occur from ion suppression and insource transformation in LC-MS based methods. These techniques are also more sophisticated, and are not generally available in smaller community hospital laboratories.
Anhydride-Additive-Free Nickel-Catalyzed Deoxygenation of Carboxylic Acids to Olefins

A nickel-catalyzed route for direct, anhydride-additive-free deoxygenation of fatty acids to the corresponding olefins has been developed. The transformation is catalyzed by simple nickel salts of the type NiX2 (X = halide, acetate, acetylacetonate), uses PPh3 as a stoichiometric reductant, and exhibits selectivity for generation of linear α-olefin products. The reaction was rendered cocatalytic in PPh3 using 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDS) as terminal reductant for the in situ reduction of OPPh3 and catalytic Cu(OTf)2.
Phenological synchronization disrupts trophic interactions between Kodiak brown bears and salmon.

Climate change is altering the seasonal timing of life cycle events in organisms across the planet, but the magnitude of change often varies among taxa [Thackeray SJ, et al. (2016) Nature 535:241–245]. This can cause the temporal relationships among species to change, altering the strength of interaction. A large body of work has explored what happens when coevolved species shift out of sync, but virtually no studies have documented the effects of climate-induced synchronization, which could remove temporal barriers between species and create novel interactions. We explored how a predator, the Kodiak brown bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi), responded to asymmetric phenological shifts between its primary trophic resources, sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa). In years with anomalously high spring air temperatures, elderberry fruited several weeks earlier and became available during the period when salmon spawned in tributary streams. Bears departed salmon spawning streams, where they typically kill 25–75% of the salmon [Quinn TP, Cunningham CJ, Wirsing AJ (2016) Oecologia 183:415–429], to forage on berries on adjacent hillsides. This prey switching behavior attenuated an iconic predator–prey interaction and likely altered the many ecological functions that result from bears foraging on salmon [Helfield JM, Naiman RJ (2006) Ecosystems 9:167–180]. We document how climate-induced shifts in resource phenology can alter food webs through a mechanism other than trophic mismatch. The current emphasis on singular consumer-resource interactions fails to capture how climate-altered phenologies reschedule resource availability and alter how energy flows through ecosystems.
Targeting Tumor Hypoxia Using Nanoparticle-engineered CXCR4-overexpressing Adipose-derived Stem Cells

Hypoxia, a hallmark of malignant tumors, often correlates with increasing tumor aggressiveness and poor treatment outcomes. Due to a lack of vasculature, effective drug delivery to hypoxic tumor regions remains challenging. Signaling through the chemokine SDF-1α and its receptor CXCR4 plays a critical role in the homing of stem cells to ischemia for potential use as drug-delivery vehicles. To harness this mechanism for targeting tumor hypoxia, we developed polymeric nanoparticle-induced CXCR4-overexpressing human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). Using glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) as a model tumor, we evaluated the ability of CXCR4-overexpressing hADSCs to target tumor hypoxia in vitro using a 2D migration assay and a 3D collagen hydrogel model. Compared to untransfected hADSCs, CXCR4-overexpressing hADSCs showed enhanced migration in response to hypoxia and penetrated the hypoxic core within tumor spheres. When injected in the contralateral brain in a mouse intracranial GBM xenograft, CXCR4-overexpressing hADSCs exhibited long-range migration toward GBM and preferentially penetrated the hypoxic tumor core. Intravenous injection also led to effective targeting of tumor hypoxia in a subcutaneous tumor model. Together, these results validate polymeric nanoparticle-induced CXCR4-overexpressing hADSCs as a potent cellular vehicle for targeting tumor hypoxia, which may be broadly useful for enhancing drug delivery to various cancer types.
Myocarditis secondary to smallpox vaccination.

The development of vaccines ushered in the most profound advancement in 20th century medicine, and have widely been regarded as the one of the most important scientific discovery in the history of mankind. However, vaccines are not without risk; reactions can range from injection site reactions to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Among the more serious vaccine-related sequela is myocarditis. Although myocarditis has been reported following many different vaccines, the smallpox vaccine has the strongest association. We report a case of a 36-year-old active duty service member presenting with progressive dyspnoea, substernal chest pain and lower extremity swelling 5 weeks after receiving the vaccinia vaccination. The aetiology of his acute decompensated heart failure was determined to be from myocarditis. Although the majority of cases of myocarditis resolve completely, some patients develop chronic heart failure and even death. Vaccine-associated myocarditis should always be on the differential for patients that exhibit cardiopulmonary symptoms after recent vaccinations.
Bioabsorbable, Drug-Eluting, Intracoronary Stents: Design and Future Applications

The era of the intracoronary stent has arrived in interventional cardiology. As described elsewhere in this volume, these devices are finding many applications. They frequently permit alternatives to emergency coronary bypass surgery by reestablishing patency of an acutely occluded coronary artery. Long term results with metallic stents are unclear, but appear promising. Stents may find use in maintaining patency and reducing restenosis. Current devices have not been used long enough to assess these issues, nor the issues of long-term side effects.
Path Integral Approach

The path integral approach for obtaining correspondence rules arose out of the work of Feynman and Kac where they showed that the Green’s function for Schrodinger’s equation can be written as the sum of a functional over all paths from one time to another. It is beyond our scope to discuss the path integrals but we give here the end result as to the viewpoint of the formulation as it applies to correspondence rules [15, 27, 54, 40, 57, 85]. There are two separate approaches, corresponding to configuration space and phase-space.
The Other Liquidation Decision

A firm's liquidation decision actually involves two decisions: the initial decision to shut down the firm and the second question of how?. In the federal bankruptcy system this second question involves a choice between chapter 11 and chapter 7. Conventional wisdom instructs that the debtor's management will always favor chapter 11 because the Bankruptcy Code mandates a trustee in every chapter 7 case, while in chapter 11 the norm is that the debtor and its management remain in possession, with the powers and obligations of a trustee. What has been little examined is how creditors fare in the choice between chapters. To further examine the second part of the liquidation decision, I present the results of a new empirical examination of 449 firms that liquidated under chapters 7 or 11. This study is unique in that it is the first multi-district study to examine business liquidation in all its forms since the enactment of the current Bankruptcy Code in 1978.
Kinetic Mixing and Portal Matter Phenomenology

Dark photons are interesting as potential mediators between the dark matter sector and the fields of the Standard Model (SM). The interaction of the dark photon, described by a broken $U(1{)}_{D}$ gauge symmetry, with the SM is usually generated at the one-loop level via kinetic mixing through the existence of portal matter, here assumed to be fermionic, which carries both a dark charge as well as a SM $U(1{)}_{Y}$ hypercharge. For theoretical consistency, as well as for many phenomenological reasons, this portal matter must be vectorlike with respect to the SM and dark gauge groups and, in particular, is shown to be allowed only to transform as vectorlike copies of the usual SM fields. The dark Higgs that is responsible for the breaking of $U(1{)}_{D}$ can then generate a mixing between the portal matter and SM fields with the same electric charge thus altering the dark photon/portal matter interactions with (at least some of) the SM fields and also providing a path for the portal matter fields to decay. In this paper we briefly explore the phenomenology of some specific simple models of this portal matter including, for the case where the portal matter is leptonic in nature, their potential impact on experiments probing low energy parity violation and the g-2 of the muon. In the case of color triplet, bottom quarklike portal matter, their direct pair and single production at the LHC is shown to be observable in final states that include missing ${E}_{T}$ and/or very highly boosted lepton jets together with pairs of $\text{high}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{p}_{T}$ $b$-jets that can be used to trigger on such events. These signatures are quite distinct from those usually employed in the search for vectorlike quarks at the LHC and, furthermore, we demonstrate that the conventional signal channels for vectorlike quarks involving the SM Higgs and gauge fields are essentially closed in the case of portal matter. Many other more complex, and more realistic, portal matter scenarios of the type discussed here are possible which can lead to wide-ranging signatures in various classes of experiments.
Lay Piety and Religious Discipline in Middle English Literature

In late-fourteenth-century England, the persistent question of how to live the best life preoccupied many pious Christians. One answer was provided by a new genre of prose guides that adapted professional religious rules and routines for lay audiences. These texts engaged with many of the same cultural questions as poets like Langland and Chaucer; however, they have not received the critical attention they deserve until now. Nicole Rice analyses how the idea of religious discipline was translated into varied literary forms in an atmosphere of religious change and controversy. By considering the themes of spiritual discipline, religious identity, and orthodoxy in Langland and Chaucer, the study also brings fresh perspectives to bear on Piers Plowman and The Canterbury Tales. This juxtaposition of spiritual guidance and poetry will form an important contribution to our understanding of both authors and of late medieval religious practice and thought.
Tropics of abjection: Figures of violence and the Afro-Caribbean semiotic

This article teases out elective affinities between Julia Kristeva’s theorization of the abject and certain (Afro-)Caribbean writers’ figurations of racialized alterity and violence in the (post)co...
NNRTI-induced HIV-1 protease-mediated cytotoxicity induces rapid death of CD4 T cells during productive infection and latency reversal

Current efforts towards HIV-1 eradication focus on the reactivation and elimination of the latent viral reservoir, so-called shock and kill therapy. However, work from several groups indicates that infected cell death following virus reactivation is not guaranteed. Thus, it is imperative to develop strategies to foster specific elimination of cells carrying integrated proviruses. It has been shown that some non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) including efavirenz can induce premature HIV-1 GagPol dimerization in productively infected cells, resulting in intracellular HIV-1 Protease (PR) activation and a reduction in HIV-1 expressing cells. Here, we document that NNRTI-induced PR activation triggers apoptotic death of productively infected resting or activated T cells in as little as 2 h via caspase-dependent and independent pathways. Rilpivirine, efavirenz and etravirine were the most potent NNRTIs, whereas nevirapine had almost no effect. NNRTI-induced cell killing was prevented by inhibitors of HIV-1 Protease (PR) activity including indinavir and nelfinavir. HIV-1 transmitter founder viruses induced cell killing similarly to lab-adapted HIV-1 except when NNRTI resistance conferring mutations were present in reverse transcriptase. Mutations in PR that confer PR inhibitor (PI) resistance restore NNRTI-induced killing in the presence of PI. Finally, we show that NNRTIs can rapidly eliminate cells in which latent viruses are stimulated to active expression. This work supports the notion that select NNRTIs might help promote the elimination of HIV-1 producing cells as an adjuvant during shock and kill therapy.
Individual liver plasmacytoid dendritic cells are capable of producing IFNα and multiple additional cytokines during chronic HCV infection

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are "natural" interferon α (IFNα)-producing cells. Despite their importance to antiviral defense, autoimmunity, and ischemic liver graft injury, because DC subsets are rare and heterogeneous, basic questions about liver pDC function and capacity to make cytokines remain unanswered. Previous investigations failed to consistently detect IFNα mRNA in HCV-infected livers, suggesting that pDCs may be incapable of producing IFNα. We used a combination of molecular, biochemical, cytometric, and high-dimensional techniques to analyze DC frequencies/functions in liver and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients, to examine correlations between DC function and gene expression of matched whole liver tissue and liver mononuclear cells (LMCs), and to determine if pDCs can produce multiple cytokines. T cells often produce multiple cytokines/chemokines but until recently technical limitations have precluded tests of polyfunctionality in individual pDCs. Mass cytometry (CyTOF) revealed that liver pDCs are the only LMC that produces detectable amounts of IFNα in response TLR-7/8 stimulation. Liver pDCs secreted large quantities of IFNα (~2 million molecules of IFNα/cell/hour) and produced more IFNα than PBMCs after stimulation, p = 0.0001. LMCs secreted >14-fold more IFNα than IFNλ in 4 hours. Liver pDC frequency positively correlated with whole liver expression of "IFNα-response" pathway (R2 = 0.58, p = 0.007) and "monocyte surface" signature (R2 = 0.54, p = 0.01). Mass cytometry revealed that IFNα-producing pDCs were highly polyfunctional; >90% also made 2-4 additional cytokines/chemokines of our test set of 10. Liver BDCA1 DCs, but not BDCA3 DCs, were similarly polyfunctional. pDCs from a healthy liver were also polyfunctional. Our data show that liver pDCs retain the ability to make abundant IFNα during chronic HCV infection and produce many other immune modulators. Polyfunctional liver pDCs are likely to be key drivers of inflammation and immune activation during chronic HCV infection.
On the Impossible: Disability Studies, Queer Theory, and the Surviving Crip

Drawing on my personal experiences with chronic pain, depression, and abuse, this essay critiques both the anti-cure strand in disability studies and the anti-relational strand in queer theory. I argue that anti-cure politics evokes a fantasy of the naturally impaired body-mind, a kind of disabled normate, which ultimately abjects those who cannot transcend their disabilities. Queer theory's willingness to embrace negativity provides a useful counter-point to this impluse, yet its turn to negativity produces its own problems, most clearly articulated in its anti-relational strand. This strand relies on psychoanalysis as a closed symbol system divorced from history, politics, and materiality and touts the self-annihilating queer as the site of revolution. Both the disabled normate and self-annihilating queer risk replicating the mind/body dualism that undergirds Western culture's View from Nowhere and liberal humanism's sovereign subjectivity. Inspired by concepts like the queer art of failure, dignity in shame, the feminist killjoy, and cruising utopia, I ultimately suggest the figure of the "surviving crip" as a generative alternative to dominant culture's super-crip, anti-cure's disabled normate, and the anti-relational, self-annihilating queer. Far from a perfect solution, the figure of the surviving crip is a starting place, a heuristic for critical-political ethics, and an invitation to other reworkings and other reckonings.
Collection records and distributional updates of six rarely collected North American large river mayfly taxa (Insecta: Ephemeroptera)

Sampling the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) main channel and secondary channels during 2014–2015 and subsequent dietary analysis of river sturgeons (Scaphirhynchus spp.) captured in the Missouri Riv...
An intestinal cell type in zebrafish is the nexus for the SARS-CoV-2 receptor and the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System that contributes to COVID-19 comorbidities

ABSTRACT People with underlying conditions, including hypertension, obesity, and diabetes, are especially susceptible to negative outcomes after infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. These COVID-19 comorbidities are exacerbated by the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS), which normally protects from rapidly dropping blood pressure or dehydration via the peptide Angiotensin II (Ang II) produced by the enzyme Ace. The Ace paralog Ace2 degrades Ang II, thus counteracting its chronic effects. Ace2 is also the SARS-CoV-2 receptor. Ace, the coronavirus, and COVID-19 comorbidities all regulate Ace2, but we don’t yet understand how. To exploit zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a disease model to understand mechanisms regulating the RAAS and its relationship to COVID-19 comorbidities, we must first identify zebrafish orthologs and co-orthologs of human RAAS genes, and second, understand where and when these genes are expressed in specific cells in zebrafish development. To achieve these goals, we conducted genomic analyses and investigated single cell transcriptomes. Results showed that most human RAAS genes have an ortholog in zebrafish and some have two or more co-orthologs. Results further identified a specific intestinal cell type in zebrafish larvae as the site of expression for key RAAS components, including Ace, Ace2, the coronavirus co-receptor Slc6a19, and the Angiotensin-related peptide cleaving enzymes Anpep and Enpep. Results also identified specific vascular cell subtypes as expressing Ang II receptors, apelin, and apelin receptor genes. These results identify specific genes and cell types to exploit zebrafish as a disease model for understanding the mechanisms leading to COVID-19 comorbidities. SUMMARY STATEMENT Genomic analyses identify zebrafish orthologs of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System that contribute to COVID-19 comorbidities and single-cell transcriptomics show that they act in a specialized intestinal cell type.
Towards Exact Quantum Loop Results in the Theory of General Relativity

We show that, by using resummation techniques based on the extension of the methods of Yennie, Frautschi and Suura to Feynman's formulation of Einstein's theory, we get calculable loop corrections that are even (superficially) free of UV divergences. The UV finiteness of the loops results from resumming large IR terms O(GN|k 2 |ln|k 2 |) n , n = 1,…, 2 | � �, where GN is Newton's constant. We illustrate our results with applications of some phenomenological interest.
Putting the brakes on autophagy: The role of heparan sulfate modified proteins in the balance of anabolic and catabolic pathways and intracellular quality control

Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process discovered as a response to nutrient deprivation. It provides the cellular and molecular machinery for catabolism of cellular constituents, generating energy and providing building blocks for continued survival. However, autophagy does much more than provide an entry into catabolic pathways, it provides a mechanism for intracellular quality control, removing damaged organelles and misfolded proteins, processes critical for cellular health. Autophagy serves as a counterpoint to cell growth and anabolic events, activated when growth is not possible or is suppressed. Hence, there is an inherent antagonism between autophagy and growth. Heparan sulfate modified proteins are important co-receptors that generally promote growth factor activity and are therefore positioned within signaling networks that inhibit, or negatively regulate autophagy levels. This review summarizes evidence that heparan sulfate modified proteins provide an evolutionarily conserved inhibitory modulation of autophagy that can have profound effects on cell physiology and organismal responses to stress.
Removal of the race coefficient and adjustment to individual BSA provide the most accurate estimation for GFR in Black adolescents

Abstract Introduction Obesity is more prevalent among minorities, increasing the risk for cardio-renal morbidity. We explored interactions between race, body mass index (BMI), and the risk of hyperfiltration associated with Obesity Related Glomerulopathy (ORG). Methods We created a cohort of women and girls ages 12-21 from the New York Metropolitan area using electronic health records. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated in three ways: I) using the standard age recommended formulae, II) eGFRr – without a race-specific coefficient, and III) Absolute eGFRr – combing removal of the race coefficient and adjusting to individual body surface area. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the relative contribution of risk factors for ORG associated hyperfiltration, defined by a threshold of ≥135ml/min/1.73m2. Bland Altman analysis and Pearson’s coefficient assessed the correlation of each formula with creatinine clearance (CrCl). Results 7315 Black and 15,102 non-Black women and girls had simultaneous evaluation of kidney function and body measures. CrCl was available in 207 non-Black and 107 Black individuals as an internal validation. Simultaneous removal of the race coefficient and adjustment to individual BSA estimated GFR most accurately compared to CrCl, across BMI groups and between races. Hyperfiltration was more frequent in obese Black compared to non-Black individuals when using standard eGFR (20% vs. 6.5% respectively) but had a lower frequency after eliminating the race-specific coefficient (4.5% vs. 6.5%). Black race was independently associated with a higher risk of hyperfiltration with standard eGFR calculations (OR=3.43, 95% CI 2.95-3.99) and with lower risk when estimated by eGFRr (OR=0.56, 95% CI 0.45-0.70). Simultaneous removal of the race coefficient from GFR calculation and adjustment to individual BSA attenuated the difference in risk between races (OR=0.8, 95% CI 0.68-0.94). The combined correction agreed well with creatinine clearance (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r=0.64, 0.52 and 0.52 for absolute eGFRr, eGFR and eGFRr respectively. Conclusions Removal of the race coefficient from GFR estimating equations obscures obesity associated hyperfiltration among Black adolescents. This correction should be accompanied by adjustment to individual BSA to improve estimation of GFR to avoid misclassification of obesity related hyperfiltration.
Hierarchical Functional Response of a Forager on a Wetland Landscape

We show that for some foragers the form that a functional response takes depends on the temporal and spatial scales considered. In representing the consumption rate of an organism, it may be necessary to use a hierarchy of functional responses. Consider, for example, the foraging of a wading bird foraging in wetland landscape characterized by a spatial distribution of potential foraging sites, such as ponds. At the smallest time scale of minutes or hours, during which a wading bird is foraging within a single site, the functional response will reflect the local density of prey, as well as features of the site that affect the feeding rate, such as water depth. At this short time scale, which is determined by the giving up time of the wading bird in a particular site, prey density may be relatively constant. The food intake from a particular pond is then the product of the time spent before giving-up time and moving to another site and the rate of prey consumption at that site. A prey-centered functional response is most appropriate for describing the prey consumption rate. We propose that over the longer time scale of a day, during which a wading bird may visit several foraging sites, the type of functional response can be considered to be patch-centered. That is, it is influenced by the spatial configuration of sites with available prey and the wading bird's strategy of choosing among different sites and decisions on how long to stay in any given sites. Over the time scale of a day prey densities may stay relatively constant, and the patch-centered functional response for a constant environment is adequate. However, on the longer time scale of a breeding season, in which changing water levels result in temporal changes in the availability of prey in sites, a third hierarchical level may be relevant. At that scale, the way in which the landscape pattern changes through time and how the wading bird responds influences the functional response. We show how this hierarchical concept applies to a colony of breeding wading birds foraging in the Everglades.
Secondary Data Sources for Public Health: A Practical Guide

1. An introduction to secondary data analysis 2. Health service utilization data 3. Health behaviors and risk factors data 4. Data on multiple health topics 5. Fertility and mortality data 6. Medicare and Medicaid data 7. Other sources of data.
Can the test for human papillomavirus DNA be used as the stand-alone, first-line screening test for cervical cancer?

Yes. The FDA has approved the test for this indication, and guideline committees are reviewing the data.
Growth factors in glioma angiogenesis: FGFs, PDGF, EGF, and TGFs.

It has become well accepted that solid tumors must create a vascular system for nutrient delivery and waste removal in order to grow appreciably. This process, angiogenesis, is critical to the progression of gliomas, with vascular changes accompanying the advancement of these tumors. The cascade of events in this process of blood vessel formation involves a complex interplay between tumor cells, endothelial cells, and their surrounding basement membranes in which enzymatic degradation of surrounding ground substance and subsequent endothelial cell migration, proliferation, and tube formation occurs. It is likely that a host of growth factors is responsible for mediating these key events. To date, a role for Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in glioma angiogenesis has been convincingly demonstrated. This review explores the contribution of other growth factors–-Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGFs), Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF), Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), and Transforming Growth Factors (TGFs)–-to glioma angiogenesis. These growth factors may influence glioma angiogenesis by directly stimulating endothelial cell proliferation, by mediating the expression of key proteases on endothelial cells necessary for angiogenesis, or by regulating the expression of VEGF and of each other.
High performance AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with a field plated gate structure

Record performance at 4 GHz has been obtained by using field plated AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. For devices on sapphire substrate, high power density (12 W/mm) as well as high efficiency (58%) have been measured. Devices on SiC substrate yielded power density up to 18.8 W/mm and efficiency up to 74% (with 6 W/mm). Excellent linearity performance was also achieved: while maintaining a carrier to third-order intermodulation ratio of 30 dBc device yielded 2.4 W/mm with 53% PAE.
A 4/sup th/-order 86dB CT /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ ADC with two amplifiers in 90nm CMOS

A fourth-order 1b CT /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ converter using a two-amplifier loop and a 267MHz sampling frequency is implemented in 90nm CMOS. A double-loop architecture couples passive poles with a reduced number of active blocks to improve area and power while achieving 86dB peak SNR over a 600kHz band.
Cephalexin and Cephaloglycin Activity In Vitro and Absorption and Urinary Excretion of Single Oral Doses in Normal Young Adults

A large number of recently isolated bacterial pathogens were tested for susceptibility to cephalexin and cephaloglycin by the replica inoculating method. Strains of group A hemolytic streptococci, viridans (alpha and gamma) streptococci, pneumococci, gonococci, meningococci, and penicillin G-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus were all moderately to highly susceptible to both of these cephalosporin analogues, nearly all of the strains being two to eight (median four) times more susceptible to cephaloglycin than to cephalexin. The penicillin G-resistant, penicillinase-producing strains of S. aureus varied in their susceptibility; many were moderately resistant to both analogues, particularly to cephalexin. Strains of enterococci, Haemophilus influenzae, and most of the common gram-negative bacilli were moderately to highly resistant. Reducing the size of the inoculum had variable effects on inhibition by these drugs, depending on the species or strain. The activity of cephalexin was very little affected by pH of the medium within the clinical range or by incubation at 37 C in broth for up to 24 hr. In contrast, cephaloglycin in broth deteriorated rapidly at 37 C, and its activity was markedly reduced in alkaline medium. Both cephalexin and cephaloglycin were rapidly absorbed and excreted into the urine after single oral doses of 500 mg. Much higher levels were achieved and sustained with the former. Absorption of both analogues was delayed when taken with food, and the levels in the serum were significantly higher and better sustained when probenecid was also given. Very high concentrations of cephalexin were excreted into the urine during the first 4 hr, and the levels were still high in the 4- to 8-hr collection. The concentrations of cephaloglycin in the urine at these times were much lower. An average of 80 to 93% of the dose of cephalexin and 25 to 30% of the cephaloglycin were accounted for as active drug in the urine collected in 8 hr. Both analogues were well tolerated.
Regulation of lymphocyte responses in vitro. V. Suppressor activity of adherent and nonadherent rat lymphoid cells.

Abstract Normal rat spleen cell synthesis of DNA in response to stimulation with PHA is inhibited at high doses of PHA (≥ 1 μliter/ml) and with cell concentrations ≥ 106/ml. Inhibition is removed when the subpopulation adherent to glass wool is removed and is not restored by reconstituting with purified splenic or peritoneal macrophages. Since the inhibitory or “suppressor” cells do not adhere to plasic and can be recovered from glass wool by simple agitation, they are considered to be weakly adherent spleen cells. Removal of suppressor cells on glass wool does not affect the time course of DNA synthesis by the remaining cells in response to PHA; the peak at 2–3 days is followed by the usual rapid fall to low levels by the fifth day. Spleen cells exert suppressor activity on lymph node cells, in mixtures stimulated with moderate doses of PHA. A new hypothesis, based on a comparison of the present results with recent findings in other laboratories, is proposed: that the regulatory unit in spleen is a suppressor T-cell-macrophage complex.
Confusion and Unpredictability in Shareholder Derivative Litigation: The Delaware Courts' Response to Recent Corporate Scandals

The Delaware courts responded to the recent wave of corporate scandals, exemplified by Enron and WorldCom, by changing their approach to shareholder derivative litigation. This Article analyzes the Delaware courts' response to these scandals and concludes that the courts have created doctrinal confusion and introduced unpredictability into derivative litigation. This Article also analyzes the future negative consequences for shareholders, corporations, directors, investors, and other litigants. Finally, this Article proposes improvements for derivative litigation that may alleviate the confusion and unpredictability created by the Delaware courts' response to the recent scandals.
Chapter ten The chemical wizardry of isoprenoid metabolism in plants

Publisher Summary This chapter provides general appreciation for some of the exciting research at several different levels in the field of terpene and isoprenoid metabolism in plants. The structural variety of terpenes is elaborated by subsequent modifications to the cyclic scaffolds or backbones by hydroxylations, methylations, demethylations, halogenations, oxidations, and possibly even glycosylations. Biologists use the tools of molecular genetics to define the contribution of isoprenoids to the ability of plants to interact with their environment. The chapter discusses that molecular biologists and geneticists are determining mechanisms regulating the expression of this biosynthetic machinery, and biochemists are elucidating structure–function relationships for key enzymes in the pathway. Bringing this array of information back together and using it for the creation of novel terpenes having unique biological roles is clearly one of the next great challenges in the field. This includes the development of designer enzymes, the coupling of enzymes in novel ways (physically and biochemically), and expressing de novo isoprenoid pathways in transgenic microbes and plants.
Neutron, Gamma Ray, and Temperature Effects on the Electrical Characteristics of Thyristors

Experimental data showing the effects of neutrons, gamma rays, and temperature on the electrical and switching characteristics of phase-control and inverter-type SCR's are presented. The special test fixture built for mounting, heating, and instrumenting the test devices is described. Four SCR's were neutron irradiated at 300 K and four at 365 K for fluences up to 3.2 x 10 exp 13 pn/sq. cm, and eight were gamma irradiated at 300 K only for gamma doses up to 5.1 Mrads. The electrical measurements were made during irradiation and the switching measurements were made only before and after irradiation. Radiation induced crystal defects, resulting primarily from fast neutrons, caused the reduction of minority carrier lifetime through the generation of R-G centers. The reduction in lifetime caused increases in the on-state voltage drop and in the reverse and forward leakage currents, and decreases in the turn-off time.
Voter response to natural disaster aid : quasi-experimental evidence from drought relief payments in Mexico

The paper estimates the effects on presidential election returns in Mexico of a government climatic contingency transfer that is allocated through rainfall-indexed insurance. The analysis uses the discontinuity in payments that slightly deviate from a pre-established threshold, based on rainfall accumulation measured at local weather stations. It turns out that voters reward the incumbent presidential party for delivering drought relief compensation. The paper finds that receiving indemnity payments leads to significantly greater average electoral support for the incumbent party of approximately 7.6 percentage points. The analysis suggests that the incumbent party is rewarded by disaster aid recipients and punished by non-recipients. The paper contributes to the literature on retrospective voting by providing evidence that voters evaluate government actions and respond to disaster spending.
Un canto en movimiento: “No nos moverán” en Estados Unidos, España y Chile en los siglos XIX y XX

This article presents the results of a study that examines the history of the song "We Shall Not Be Moved" and the singing of it in different cultural and sociopolitical contexts over the course of two centuries. The song originated in the religious practices of African slaves in the United States in the 19th century. In the 20th century it was adopted as an anthem by labor union movements and the civil rights movement in the United States. It later arrived in Spain, where it played a role in the resistance against the Franco regime before being sung in Chile to defend the socialist project of Salvador Allende. Various theoretical concepts are used in the analysis, including those of transculturation, cosmopolitanism, and transcultural capital.
Synthetic Cannabinoids and Their Effects on the Cardiovascular System.

Abstract Background In the past couple of years, there has been an outbreak of synthetic cannabinoid (SC) use in major cities in the United States. Patients can present with various symptoms affecting the central nervous and cardiovascular systems. The effects of endocannabinoid on contractility and Ca 2+ signaling have been shown through both cannabinoid receptors and a direct effect on ion channels. These effects result in abnormalities in ionotropy, chronotropy, and conduction. Case Report Here we report on two cases of SC abuse and abnormalities in the cardiovascular system. These cases raise concerns about the adverse effects of SCs and the possibility of QTc prolongation and subsequent complications when using antipsychotic medication in the presence of SC abuse. Why Should an Emergency Physician be Aware of This? Given the rise in SC use and the potential effect on the cardiovascular system, physicians need to be mindful of potential cardiac complications, such as QTc prolongation and torsade de pointe, especially when administering medications that have the potential to cause QTc prolongation.
Continuous and intermittent sibutramine were equally effective at 44 weeks for reducing weight in obese persons.

(2001) JAMA 286, 1331. Wirth A, Krause J. . Long-term weight loss with sibutramine: a randomized controlled trial. . Sep 19; . : . –9 . [OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] QUESTION: In obese people, is sibutramine effective for reducing weight? Randomised (allocation concealed*), blinded (investigators and patients),* placebo controlled trial with 44 weeks of follow up after randomisation. 108 private practices and 3 hospital outpatient departments in Germany. 1001 patients who were 18 to 65 years of age (mean age 43 y, 77% women), had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 to 40 kg/m2, and had ≥ 1 previous unsuccessful attempt at losing weight by using dietary measures. Exclusion criteria were serious cardiovascular or metabolic diseases; history of drug or alcohol abuse; need for antidepressants, β;-blockers, or any drugs influencing body weight; or inadequate contraception in women of childbearing age. 79% of patients completed the study; all patients were included in the analysis. Patients who responded (ie, weight … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJAMA%26rft.stitle%253DJAMA%26rft.issn%253D0002-9955%26rft.aulast%253DWirth%26rft.auinit1%253DA.%26rft.volume%253D286%26rft.issue%253D11%26rft.spage%253D1331%26rft.epage%253D1339%26rft.atitle%253DLong-term%2BWeight%2BLoss%2BWith%2BSibutramine%253A%2BA%2BRandomized%2BControlled%2BTrial%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1001%252Fjama.286.11.1331%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F11560538%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1001/jama.286.11.1331&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=11560538&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F7%2F2%2F46.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000171024500026&link_type=ISI
Low-temperature activation of molecular oxygen by gold clusters: a stoichiometric process correlated to electron affinity

Abstract The adsorption–desorption equilibria of di-oxygen (O2) on gold cluster anions ( Au N − , N=2–22 ) have been measured in the high-pressure limit by pulsed flow-reactor methods at ambient temperature. Only certain clusters (N=2,4,6,8,10,12,14,18,20) exhibit measurable adsorption, and for most of these the reaction can be driven to completion (>90% conversion to AuNO2−). In no case could secondary adsorption be detected, i.e. a 1:1 reaction stoichiometry is strictly obeyed. The size (N) variation in the adsorption free energies is correlated with the known electron affinities of the gold clusters. Taken with the positive electron affinity of O2, these results suggest that O2 acts as a single-electron acceptor, yielding adsorbed superoxide (O2−), while the gold cluster strives to pair electrons (or close electron shells). This species could serve as an activated form for low-temperature oxygen-atom transfer reactions catalyzed by supported gold clusters, wherein the activation of molecular oxygen is regarded as a crucial step.
Visceral Varicella in a Patient With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treated With Fludarabine: A Case Report

Introduction Opportunistic infections are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with CLL. Dermatomal reactivation of the varicella zoster virus is seen in nearly half of patients undergoing treatment with fludarabine. Visceral involvement of varicella, however, is rare and likely marks severely dysfunctional cellular immunity. Visceral varicella has been reported in patients receiving high dose chemotherapy, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab. Here we report the first case of visceral varicella in a patient with CLL during fludarabine therapy. Immunosuppression associated with malignancy and its treatment can lead to infectious complications. Prompt diagnosis in the immunosuppressed patient requires recognition that common illnesses can have uncommon presentations. Opportunistic infections are often seen in patients receiving high dose chemotherapy but are less fre-
Cinnamon polyphenols regulate S100β, sirtuins, and neuroactive proteins in rat C6 glioma cells.

Abstract Objective Increasing evidence suggests that cinnamon has many health benefits when used in herbal medicine and as a dietary ingredient. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an aqueous extract of cinnamon, high in type A polyphenols, on molecular targets in rat C6 glioma cells that underlie their protective effects. Methods C6 rat glioma cells were seeded in 35-mm culture dishes or six-well plates, then were incubated with cinnamon polyphenols at doses of 10 and 20 μg/mL for 24 h. The targeting protein expression, secretion, and phosphorylation were evaluated by immunoprecitation/immunoblotting and immunofluorescence imaging. Results Cinnamon polyphenols significantly enhanced secretion of S100β, a Ca2+-binding protein, and increased intracellular S100β expression after 24 h of incubation, in rat C6 glioma cells. Cinnamon polyphenols also enhanced protein levels of sirtuin 1, 2, and 3, deacetylases important in cell survival, and the tumor suppressor protein, p53, and inhibited the inflammatory factors, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and phospho-p65, a subunit of nuclear factor-κβ. Cinnamon polyphenols also up-regulated levels of phospho-p38, extracellular signal-regulated protein and mitogen-activated protein and kinase-activated protein kinases that may be important for prosurvival functions. Conclusion Our results indicate that the effects of cinnamon polyphenols on upregulating prosurvival proteins, activating mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways, and decreasing proinflammatory cytokines may contribute to their neuroprotective effects.
Escherichia coli ribosome unfolding in low Mg2+ solutions observed by laser Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy.

Abstract Ribosomes unfolded by the removal of Mg2+ at 25 degrees C were studied by Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Raman spectra showed a reduction in the 813 cm-1 phosphodiester signal of 30S and 50S ribosomes compared to intact ribosomes, suggesting that a fraction of the ribose moieties had shifted from the 3' endo (ordered) to the 3' exo (disordered) conformation. The maximum diameters of unfolded 30S and 50S ribosomes, judged by electron microscopy, were 1.8 and 2.5-fold greater, respectively, than those of intact ribosomes. Most unfolded 30S ribosomes had three distinct structural domains and appeared "Y-shaped"; whereas most unfolded 50S ribosomes had four distinct domains and appeared "X-shaped". When ribosomes were partially unfolded (by brief exposure to 0.04 mM Mg2+ or EDTA), several possible intermediates in the unfolding process were observed. Both the shapes of particles and their Raman spectra reached the same final state in 0.04 mM Mg2+, where more than 50% of the rRNA phosphates are discharged by Mg2+, as in 10 mM EDTA, where less than 1% are discharged.
Stimulation of Fibroblast Proliferation by Insoluble Gadolinium Salts

The purpose of this study was to assess insoluble salts containing gadolinium (Gd3+) for effects on human dermal fibroblasts. Responses to insoluble Gd3+ salts were compared to responses seen with Gd3+ solubilized with organic chelators, as in the Gd3+-based contrast agents (GBCAs) used for magnetic resonance imaging. Insoluble particles of either Gd3+ phosphate or Gd3+ carbonate rapidly attached to the fibroblast cell surface and stimulated proliferation. Growth was observed at Gd3+ concentrations between 12.5 and 125 μM, with toxicity at higher concentrations. Such a narrow window did not characterize GBCA stimulation. Proliferation induced by insoluble Gd3+ salts was inhibited in the presence of antagonists of mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling pathways (similar to chelated Gd3+) but was not blocked by an antibody to the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (different from chelated Gd3+). Finally, high concentrations of the insoluble Gd3+ salts failed to prevent fibroblast lysis under low-Ca2+ conditions, while similar concentrations of chelated Gd3+ were effective. In conclusion, while insoluble Gd3+ salts are capable of stimulating fibroblast proliferation, one should be cautious in assuming that GBCA dechelation must occur in vivo to produce the profibrotic changes seen in association with GBCA exposure in the subset of renal failure patients that develop nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.