cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biliary-Enteric Drainage vs Primary Liver Transplant as Initial Treatment for Children With Biliary Atresia.

Importance Some infants with biliary atresia are treated with primary liver transplant (pLT), but most are initially treated with biliary-enteric drainage (BED) with a subsequent salvage liver transplant. Given the improvements in liver transplant outcomes, it is important to determine whether BED treatment remains the optimal surgical algorithm for patients with biliary atresia. Objective To compare the survival of patients with biliary atresia initially treated with BED with patients who underwent pLT. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study used deidentified records from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development database to identify patients with biliary atresia (n = 1252) between January 1, 1990, through December 31, 2015. Patients were categorized into 1 of 2 cohorts: those who received BED treatment and those who underwent pLT. Excluded from the study were those born before January 1, 1995, and those without any documented operative intervention by age 5 years. Data analysis was performed from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures Overall survival was compared between the BED and pLT cohorts using the Kaplan-Meier method. The treatment’s association with treatment era was examined by comparing survival before 2002 and on or after January 1, 2002. Results In total, 1252 patients with biliary atresia were identified. After exclusions, 626 remained; of these patients, 351 (56.1%) were female and 275 (43.9%) were male with a median (interquartile range) age at intervention for initial BED treatment of 65 (48-81) days. Among the 626 patients studied, initial BED treatment was performed in 313 patients (50.0%), and pLT was performed in 313 patients (50.0%). Although patients who underwent pLT had a higher mortality rate within the first 3 months after the procedure, they had a reduced risk of long-term mortality compared with patients initially managed with BED treatment (hazard ratio [HR] ≥6 months after the initial procedure, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.08-0.42;P = .01). Patients requiring salvage liver transplant had a substantially higher risk of mortality than patients who received pLT (HR, 0.43; 95% CI 0.25-0.76;P = .003). Those who underwent pLT had superior survival compared with BED treatment recipients on or after 2002 (HR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.05-0.54;P Conclusions and Relevance Patients who underwent pLT experienced superior long-term survival compared with patients who underwent BED treatment. Multi-institutional trials are needed to determine which initial treatment is most advantageous to patients with biliary atresia.
Stressing out or stressing in: intracellular pathways for SAPK activation

Stress-activated MAP kinases (SAPKs) respond to a wide variety of stressors. In most cases, the pathways through which specific stress signals are transmitted to the SAPKs are not known. Our recent findings have begun to address two important and related questions. First, do various stresses activate a SAPK through common pathways initiated at the cell surface, or through alternative, intracellular inputs? Second, how does an activated SAPK mount a specific response appropriate to the particular stress experienced? Our work has uncovered the mechanisms by which two stresses, arsenite treatment and DNA damage, stimulate the yeast SAPKs Hog1 and Mpk1, respectively. We found that these stresses activate the SAPKs through intracellular inputs that modulate their basal phosphorylation, rather than by activation of the protein kinase cascades known to stimulate them. Both stresses act through targeting, in different ways, the tyrosine-specific or dual-specificity protein phosphatases that normally maintain the SAPKs in a low-activity state. Previous work has demonstrated that basal signal flux through SAPK pathways is important for the sensitivity and dynamic response to external signals. Our work reveals that basal activity of SAPKs is additionally important to allow SAPK activation by intracellular inputs that modulate that activity. Additionally, because different stressors may activate SAPKs by modulation of basal signal through inputs at distinct nodes along the canonical activation pathway, stress-specific SAPK outputs may be controlled, in part, by the specific intracellular mechanisms of their activation. Thus, understanding the intracellular pathways through which various stressors activate SAPKs is likely to provide insight into how they elicit physiologically coherent responses to the specific stress experienced.
Classroom Quality and Academic School Readiness Outcomes in Head Start: The Indirect Effect of Approaches to Learning

This study used the FACES 2009 dataset to examine the possibility of an indirect effect of classroom quality on academic school readiness through teacher-rated approaches to learning in a large nat...
Phase Dependent Mechanosensitivity in Cardiomyocytes

Cardiomyocytes are mechanosensitive. In the functioning heart, discrete sets of cardiac oscillators maintain stable relative phase dynamics and mechanical coupling between each other through the elastic tissue. A few questions that remains elusive to date are, how strong is the coupling and how tunable is their dynamics, whether this coupling is phase dependent, and if so, at what phase of cardiac dynamics is the coupling most dominant. In other words, at which phase of its dynamics a cardiac cell is most sensitive to forces and deformations induced by its neighbors. Here we address these questions by culturing rat cardiomyocytes on a stretchable substrate. We apply cyclic stretch on the substrate with a range of frequencies in the vicinity of the intrinsic beating frequency of the cell cluster. We find that the cell cluster can synchronize its dynamics with that of the substrate within 25% of its intrinsic frequency in less than a minute. However, it takes much longer time to return to its intrinsic frequency after removal of substrate stretch. With increasing substrate frequency, the cluster tends to catch up, and beats with a range of frequencies between the intrinsic and the applied with wide variation in relative phases. This allows us to measure phase dependent mechano-sensitivity of the cardiac cluster to the periodic deformation of the substrate that is critical to produce stable relative phase dynamics. We find that cardiac cells are most mechano sensitive when they are at 1/2 of their phase. This phase dependence might be mediated by the ion channels active at this phase of the dynamics. This study identifies a functional output of sub-second scale mechanotransduction with the potential to enhance or reinforce cardiac contractile dynamics.
Safety and pharmacokinetics of BXQ-350 in a phase 1a and 1b trial of solid tumors and high-grade glioma.

e13531Background: BXQ-350 is composed of the multifunctional, lysosomal-activator protein Saposin C and phosphatidylserine lipid with demonstrated antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo. In this ab...
Kent R. Kerley: Religious Faith in Correctional Contexts

As homo sociologicus, we live in an extremely interactive society which greatly relies on predictable and expectable master patterns of human behaviors. Numerous academics have explored breaches in anticipated behavioral patterns and have suggested methods of how to deal with them. A modern government aims to decrease abstruse, belligerent social disturbances mainly based on legal sanctions, primarily incarceration; however, we are without perfect solutions despite those tremendous efforts and investments. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) data show that the number of inmates in US state and federal prisons increased again in 2013 after a 3-year decline in the prison population since 2010 (Carson 2014). As Robert Martinson’s ‘‘nothing works (1974)’’ doctrine casts its dark shadow, we have experienced a breakdown of the criminal justice system in terms of incarceration and recidivism rates. To complicate matters further, recent economic downturns have fed a ‘‘more with less’’ philosophy in governments. This neo-liberal philosophy stimulated the criminal justice market, and we have seen the appearance of private prisons. The Bureau of Justice Assistance started the Justice Reinvestment Initiative in 2006 to address these budgetary concerns (Alarid and Reichel 2013). As a part of the result, most governments have introduced various intermediate sanctions to decrease incarceration rates and adopt a wide range of cost effective rehabilitation programs to decrease recidivism. Here faith-based rehabilitation programs found a niche. Kerley suggests that a faith-based program can be a cost-effective option for inmates’ rehabilitation. Having planned to pave an empirical road for a faith-based rehabilitation program in correctional facilities, Kerley collected data by
Optimizing Companion Cats: Feline Agility, Biopower, and Possibilities of Interspecies Care in Sport

The increasingly popular sport of feline agility animates human and feline bodies through the construction of rules, obstacles, technologies, and norms. Feline agility, then, involves the managemen...
Do mergers and acquisitions improve firms' financial performance? The case of the U.S. generic drug industry

This paper examines the financial performance of all mergers and acquisitions (M&A) involving publicly traded companies that occurred in the U.S. generic drug industry from 1996 to 2017. The control group was chosen using a nearest neighbor matching procedure. Our empirical strategy controls for unobservable firm‐specific fixed effects as well M&A fixed effects. Our findings suggest that profit levels do not change significantly following M&As, but total revenues decline after M&As. Firms undergoing an M&A cut operating expenses but not through reduction in labor expenses or number of employees.
Defending the Rule of Law

Martin Krygier's scholarship has inspired a broad swathe of work on the rule of law. In two recent books, I sought to understand the successes and failures of efforts to defend the rule of law in the US “war on terror.” This essay summarizes the lessons I learned.
Initial validation of the product of the signs global assessment and body surface area in atopic dermatitis.

Background Current valid instruments that measure the signs of atopic dermatitis in clinical trials may not be suitable for clinical practice because of their complexity. The product of a clinician-derived 5-point signs global assessment and body surface area (SGA × BSA) may represent a simple approach to quickly assess the severity of signs in patients with atopic dermatitis in clinical practice. Objectives Evaluate the basic measurement properties of the SGA × BSA. Methods Retrospective chart review of patients with atopic dermatitis treated in an outpatient dermatology clinic at Oregon Health & Science University from 2015 to 2018 who had a recorded BSA and SGA. Results We identified 138 patients completing 325 clinic visits. SGA × BSA demonstrated strong and statistically significant (P Limitations The patient cohort was gathered exclusively from a tertiary care clinic setting in the Pacific Northwest and lacked ethnic diversity. Conclusions The results from this study suggest that SGA × BSA is a valid and feasible instrument for atopic dermatitis signs in clinical practice.
Abstract 6630: Synergistic immuno photothermal nanotherapy (SYMPHONY) for combination cancer therapy

Checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy has been a revolutionary milestone in cancer treatment because it can counter the tumor immunosuppressive environment to improve patients9 overall survival and even result in a durable complete response. However, only a fraction of patients benefit from checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy. Improving the response rate and maximizing efficacy for immunotherapy are still unmet needs of great clinical significance. We have developed a novel combination cancer therapy referred to as Synergistic Immuno Photothermal Nanotherapy (SYMPHONY) by integrating plasmonic gold nanostars (GNS)-mediated photothermal therapy with anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy to improve the therapeutic efficacy of cancer treatment. GNS nanoparticles are superior photon-to-heat conversion transducers for photothermal therapy because they have tip-enhanced plasmonics from multiple sharp spikes and tunable plasmonic absorption in the near-infrared tissue optical window. Our in vivo experimental results with bladder cancer and brain cancer murine animal models have demonstrated that photothermal therapy with GNS in combination with anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy not only effectively ablates primary tumor with laser irradiation but also stimulates the immune response to treat distant tumors without laser irradiation. Furthermore, a rechallenge study performed three months later using cancer cells injected into long-term survivors demonstrates that SYMPHONY therapy can generate a long-term memorized immune response and prevent cancer recurrences in cured mice. The SYMPHONY combination therapy results in synergistic treatment surpassing what either single treatment can achieve, and shows the great promise for future translational medicine studies to treat aggressive metastatic cancer diseases. Citation Format: Yang Liu, Paolo Maccarini, Gregory M. Palmer, Brant A. Inman, Peter E. Fecci, Tuan Vo-Dinh. Synergistic immuno photothermal nanotherapy (SYMPHONY) for combination cancer therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6630.
Electrogenerative formation of ferric ions in a sulfur dioxide-sulfuric acid solution; Graphite catalysed sulfur dioxide oxidation

The electrogenerative oxidation of ferrous ions in 3m sulfuric acid, containing sulfur dioxide and subsequent sulfur dioxide oxidation, were studied in connection with potential regenerable sulfur dioxide remediation processes. The presence of sulfur dioxide in the feed stream did not affect cell performance. Oxidation of sulfur dioxide in the electrogenerative reactor took place when high ferrous to ferric ion conversions were obtained. Low cost graphite and iron ions served as an effective mediating system for promoting electron transfer to sulfur dioxide in strong acid solutions. In contrast, the homogenous reaction between iron(iii) and sulfur dioxide is relatively slow. In a separate batch reactor, the heterogeneous iron(iii) and sulfur dioxide reaction was found to be graphite catalysed, accounting for sulfur dioxide conversion observed in the electrogenerative reactor. Ferrous ion presence should be minimized, because it inhibits the desired catalysed reaction.
How Educational and Communications Technologies Play a Role in Arts and Humanities Teaching and Learning

In this chapter we seek to unpack the role of educational and communications technologies in the arts and humanities by answering four key questions: (1) What theoretical ideas guide the use of ECT in arts and humanities education? (2) How do we define ECT in the arts and the humanities? (3) How have ECTs been taken up in arts and humanities-based educational settings? (4) Why do ECTs matter for the arts and humanities? In answering these questions, we aim to review and synthesize relevant research on the role of ECT in arts and humanities education, provide a critical perspective on these research contributions, and discuss efforts to provide sustainable, scalable ways of taking up ECT in the context of the arts and humanities that can both lower barriers to access and reframe activitiesto take advantage of diverse repertoires of practice and rich cultural folkways in order to move more students toward positions of curricular privilege in our schools.
Intraoperative Invasive Blood Pressure Monitoring in Flap-Based Breast Reconstruction: Does It Change Outcomes?

Despite the lack of guidelines regarding the use of intra-arterial lines in postmastectomy breast reconstruction (PMBR), they continue to be used in this setting. In this study of patients undergoing PMBR, we aimed to (1) identify factors associated with intra-arterial line placement, (2) analyze the correlation between intra-arterial monitoring and noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitoring, and (3) investigate whether hemodynamic management differs significantly between patients undergoing intra-arterial blood pressure monitoring versus NIBP. Methods All patients undergoing flap-based PMBR between 2017 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were pair-matched based on flap donor site, BMI, and age to identify factors associated with intra-arterial line placement. Methods described by Bland and Altman1 were utilized to determine agreement between intra-arterial line measurements and NIBP. Results Thirty-two patients were included with 16 patients in the intra-arterial line group and 16 in the NIBP group. None of the factors studied were significantly related to the likelihood of intra-arterial line placement. Agreement analysis demonstrated that mean arterial pressures calculated from intra-arterial line readings were as much as 23 points lower or 12 points higher than those from NIBP. Bias calculations with this extent of difference suggest poor correlation between intra-arterial line readings and NIBP. There was no difference between groups in rate of administration of blood-pressure altering medications (hypertensive: n = 3, 18.8%, P = 1.000; hypotensive: n = 7, 3.8%, P = 1.000). Conclusion Our findings highlight the need for more definitive guidance regarding the use of intra-arterial monitoring in patients undergoing PMBR.
Long SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid sequences in blood monocytes collected soon after hospital admission

ABSTRACT Many viruses infect circulating mononuclear cells thereby facilitating infection of diverse organs. Blood monocytes (PBMC) are being intensively studied as immunologic and pathologic responders to the new SARS-CoV-2 virus (CoV19) but direct evidence showing CoV19 in monocytes is lacking. Circulating myeloid cells that take up residence in various organs can harbor viral genomes for many years in lymphatic tissues and brain, and act as a source for re-infection and/or post-viral organ pathology. Because nucleocapsid (NC) proteins protect the viral genome we tested PBMC from acutely ill patients for the diagnostic 72bp NC RNA plus adjacent longer (301bp) transcripts. In 2/11 patient PBMC, but no uninfected controls, long NCs were positive as early as 2-6 days after hospital admission as validated by sequencing. Pathogenic viral fragments, or the infectious virus, are probably disseminated by rare myeloid migratory cells that incorporate CoV19 by several pathways. Predictably, these cells carried CoV19 to heart and brain educing the late post-viral pathologies now evident.
Measuring the Level of Agreement between Osmometer and Calculated Plasma Osmolalities in Two Species of Chameleons, Furcifer pardalis and Chamaeleo calyptratus

Fluid therapy selection is an important consideration for managing hemodynamically unstable patients. When working with reptiles, limited information is available for species-specific osmolality. A further understanding of reptile fluid balance and plasma osmolality is needed to select the most appropriate fluid for each situation. To date, osmolality has not been reported in a chameleon. Blood was collected from the ventral tail vein of 12 veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) and 12 panther chameleons (Furcifer pardalis) to measure plasma osmolality using an osmometer and to measure sodium, potassium, glucose, and uric acid concentrations using a standard chemistry analyzer. The chemistries were used to calculate osmolality using seven different formulas. The osmometer measured osmolalities in the veiled and panther chameleons were 330.5 mOsm/kg (range: 285–346.5 mOsm/kg) and 308.0 mOsm/kg (294–358.5 mOsm/kg), respectively. Bland–Altman plots were used to assess the level of agreement between these measured osmolalities and the seven calculated osmolalities. There was poor agreement between the measured and calculated osmolalities. Multiple linear regression was used to develop a species-specific equation for calculated osmolality; this was useful for veiled chameleons (osmolality = 2.098 [Na+]), but not panther chameleons. When comparing the measured osmolalities of these chameleons to other reptiles, there were significant differences (P < 0.05) between all groups, except veiled chameleons and green iguanas (Iguana iguana). The results of this study suggest that plasma osmolality should be considered species-specific in reptiles, and that an osmometer is the preferred method for measuring osmolality in veiled and panther chameleons.
Global breast cancer incidence and mortality trends by region, age-groups, and fertility patterns.

Abstract Background Breast cancer (BC) has been increasing globally, though it is unclear whether the increases are seen across all age groups and regions and whether changes in rates can be primarily attributed to decreasing fertility rates. We investigated age-specific trends in BC incidence and mortality from 1990 to 2017, worldwide and by region, and evaluated whether incidence trends are explained by decreases in fertility. Methods We used country-level data to examine trends in BC incidence and mortality rates from 1990 to 2017 by region and age group. Linear mixed models were used to estimate age-specific rates from baseline models of year and were compared to fertility-adjusted models for incidence. Results The global BC mortality rate increased overall by 0.23% per year (95% CI=0.20, 0.25), with statistically significant increases in the under 50 and 70 and over age groups, and in 5 out of 7 regions. The global BC incidence rate increased overall by 1.44% per year (95% CI=1.42, 1.47), with statistically significant increases in all age groups, and in 6 out of 7 regions. After adjusting for fertility, the incidence annual percent change (APC) remained statistically significant (APC=0.84, 95% CI=0.81, 0.88), in all age groups, and in 6 of 7 regions. Interpretation The global increase in BC mortality is seen in most age groups and regions. The global increase in BC incidence is seen in all age groups and is highest in women under 50; increases remained in most regions even after considering declining fertility rates. Funding Breast Cancer Research Foundation and National Cancer Institute.
Emergence of Customer-Centric Branding: From Boardroom Leadership to Self-Broadcasting!

With increased global competition, it has become essential for leaders in every industry sector, from commodities to consumers packaged goods, to understand the new and emerging theory and practice of customer service for successful deployment of brands. The brand has become a strategic business concern for every senior corporate executive and board member. This research explores how a customer-centric approach makes a brand not only stronger but also on a path to profitability. This research mainly examines how successful boardroom leadership connects the customer to the brand through its motivated associates and all of its stakeholders. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how emerging self-broadcasting customers become devotees of a brand by experiencing it on a deeply emotional level over time, and cementing their loyalty to the products and services of their choice. The final sections discuss the limitations of the exploratory study by providing conclusions, and ideas for future research for branding effectiveness.
The Loss of a Service Dog Through Death or Retirement: Experiences and Impact on Partners:

This study was designed to better understand how service dog partners experience the loss of their service dog. An anonymous survey was distributed to service dog partners who had lost a dog within...
Characterization of Ethanol Production from Xylose and Xylitol by a Cell-Free Pachysolen tannophilus System

Whole cells and a cell extract of Pachysolen tannophilus converted xylose to xylitol, ethanol, and CO2. The whole-cell system converted xylitol slowly to CO2 and little ethanol was produced, whereas the cell-free system converted xylitol quantitatively to ethanol (1.64 mol of ethanol per mol of xylitol) and CO2. The supernatant solution from high-speed centrifugation (100,000 × g) of the extract converted xylose to ethanol, but did not metabolize xylitol unless a membrane fraction and oxygen were also present. Fractionation of the crude cell extract by gel filtration resulted in an inactive fraction in which ethanol production from xylitol was fully restored by the addition of NAD+ and ADP. The continued conversion of xylose to xylitol in the presence of fluorocitrate, which inhibited aconitase, demonstrated that the tricarboxylic acid cycle was not the source of the electrons for the production of xylitol from xylose. Therefore, the source of the electrons is indirectly identified as an oxidative pentose-hexose cycle.
The unfolding story of anthrax toxin translocation

The essential cellular functions of secretion and protein degradation require a molecular machine to unfold and translocate proteins either across a membrane or into a proteolytic complex. Protein translocation is also critical for microbial pathogenesis, namely bacteria can use translocase channels to deliver toxic proteins into a target cell. Anthrax toxin (Atx), a key virulence factor secreted by Bacillus anthracis, provides a robust biophysical model to characterize transmembrane protein translocation. Atx is comprised of three proteins: the translocase component, protective antigen (PA) and two enzyme components, lethal factor (LF) and oedema factor (OF). Atx forms an active holotoxin complex containing a ring-shaped PA oligomer bound to multiple copies of LF and OF. These complexes are endocytosed into mammalian host cells, where PA forms a protein-conducting translocase channel. The proton motive force unfolds and translocates LF and OF through the channel. Recent structure and function studies have shown that LF unfolds during translocation in a force-dependent manner via a series of metastable intermediates. Polypeptide-binding clamps located throughout the PA channel catalyse substrate unfolding and translocation by stabilizing unfolding intermediates through the formation of a series of interactions with various chemical groups and α-helical structure presented by the unfolding polypeptide during translocation.
Lung Cancer With Tumor Emboli

We report a case of squamous cell lung carcinoma that invaded the left atrium through the left pulmonary vein. This patient had two episodes of systemic embolism before diagnosis. The second episode was treated with embolectomy, and the pathology analysis showed squamous cell carcinoma. The tumor was surgically resected, using cardiopulmonary bypass to resect the intracardiac portion. We discuss causes of tumor emboli in lung cancer and surgical treatment.
Increased iron levels and decreased tissue integrity in hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease detected in vivo with magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Iron can catalyze damaging free radical reactions. With age, iron accumulates in brain gray matter regions and may contribute to the risk of developing age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Prior MRI studies demonstrated increased iron deposits in basal ganglia regions; however, the hippocampus (Hipp), which is heavily damaged in AD, and comparator regions that are resistant to AD damage, such as thalamus (Th), have rarely been examined. Objective: To assess iron levels and evidence of tissue damage in Hipp and Th of AD subjects and healthy controls. Methods: Thirty-one AD and sixty-eight healthy control subjects participated in this study. High- and low-field strength MRI instruments were used in combination to quantify iron content of ferritin molecules (ferritin iron) using the field dependent relaxation rate increase (FDRI) method. Decreased transverse relaxation rate (R2) was used as an index of tissue damage. Results: Compared with healthy controls, AD subjects had increased ferritin iron in Hipp (p = 0.019) but not Th (p = 0.637), and significantly decreased R2 in Hipp (p < 0.001) but not Th (p = 0.37). In the entire sample, FDRI and R2 were negatively correlated. Conclusion: The data shows that in AD, Hipp damage occurs in conjunction with ferritin iron accumulation. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate how increasing iron levels may influence the trajectory of tissue damage and cognitive and pathologic manifestations of AD.
Performance of wireless LANs based on IEEE 802.11 MAC protocols

IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol has been the standard for wireless LANs, and also adopted in many network simulation packages for wireless multihop ad hoc networks. However, it is well known that, as the traffic goes up, the performance of IEEE 802.11 MAC drops dramatically in terms of delay and throughput, especially when the station approaches its saturation state. To explore the inherent problems in this protocol, it is important to characterize the probability distribution of the packet service time at the MAC layer. In this paper, by modeling the exponential backoff process as a Markov chain, we can use the signal transfer function of the generalized state transition diagram to derive the probability distribution of the MAC layer service time. We then present the discrete probability distribution for MAC layer packet service time, which is shown to accurately match the simulation data from network simulations. Finally, based on the probability model for the MAC layer service time, we are able to analyze a few performance metrics of the wireless LAN and give better explanation to the performance degradation in delay and throughput at various traffic load.
Changes in cytoskeletal gene expression affect the composition of regenerating axonal sprouts elaborated by dorsal root ganglion neurons in vivo

The effect of a change in neurofilament (NF) and tubulin gene expression on the elongation of axonal sprouts by adult rat sensory neurons was examined. Distal sciatic nerve crush axotomy was used to initiate changes in cytoskeletal gene expression in lumbar dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. In situ hybridization of DRG neurons with 35S- labeled cDNA probes revealed a significant reduction in the level of mRNAs for the low-molecular weight-NF protein and a significant increase in the level of beta tubulin mRNAs by 2 weeks after axotomy. A novel modification of the axonal transport paradigm was used to examine the biochemical composition of the regenerating axons formed by primed and unprimed DRG neurons. Primed neurons (which had sustained a crush axotomy of the distal sciatic nerve 2 weeks earlier) and unprimed (normal) neurons were labeled by microinjection of 35S-methionine and then stimulated to regenerate axons by a crush located very close to the DRG. In this paradigm, axonal sprouts that formed after the proximal crush axotomy incorporated radiolabeled, slow axonally transported proteins as they elongated. Fluorographs of SDS-PAGE revealed that the regenerating axonal sprouts of primed DRG cells incorporated and conveyed significantly less labeled NF protein than did the regenerating axons of unprimed DRG neurons. Electron microscopy revealed that the regenerating axonal sprouts of primed DRG cells contained numerous microtubules but very few identifiable NFs compared with the regenerating sprouts of unprimed DRG neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Rates of microbenthic and meiobenthic bacterivory in a temperate muddy tidal flat community.

Rates of bacterivory in micro- and meiobenthic species were determined by an improved technique in a muddy tidal flat community in Boston Harbor, Mass. The predominant grazers of bacteria were identified, and their rates of grazing were measured in the top 1 cm of the sediment. Grazing rates were measured by a fluorescence-labeled bacteria (FLB) technique. A mixture of two Enterococcus spp. isolates and two isolates of Escherichia coli were prepared as FLB, and they were added to intact sediment cores by replacing the pore water in the upper centimeter of the core. A standard FLB procedure was modified by filtering sediment dilutions onto cellulose membrane filters and processing the filters to render them optically transparent while preserving the physical integrity of the micro- and meiobenthic organisms. Thus, it was possible, on the same microscopic field, to switch from light microscopy for identification of grazers to epifluorescence microscopy for counting FLB present in the gut contents of the same grazers. The majority of benthic organisms present in these sediments consumed FLB, but their consumption rates varied widely. Two ciliate species, a Prorodon sp. and a Chlamidodon sp., and a nematode, a Metoncholaimus sp., consumed fluorescence-labeled coliforms at the highest rates, 126 to 169 FLB per individual per h. Other ciliates and nematodes, as well as microflagellates and harpacticoid copepods, consumed fluorescence-labeled coliforms at lower rates, 1.2 to 26 FLB per individual per h. Foraminiferans and gastrotriches did not contain FLB. Some ciliate grazers discriminated between enterococci and coliforms, consuming the rod-shaped fluorescence-labeled coliforms at 74- to 155-fold-higher rates than did the coccus-shaped fluorescence-labeled enterococci. Other ciliates did not select between fluorescence-labeled enterococci and fluorescence-labeled coliforms. The high rates of bacterivory by some ciliates and nematodes indicated intensive grazing. However, at their low extant densities, the grazers consumed only a small portion of the bacterial standing stock. Major bacterial grazers, e.g., microflagellates, ciliates, and nematodes, could potentially consume, per day, only 0.2, 0.1, and 0.03%, respectively, of the bacterial standing stock (7.5 × 108 bacteria per cm3).
Retrospective cohort study comparing activated partial thromboplastin time versus anti-factor Xa activity nomograms for therapeutic unfractionated heparin monitoring in pediatrics.

Summary Background Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is widely used to treat thromboembolic disease, but monitoring in children is challenging. Both activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and anti-factor Xa activity (anti-Xa) are utilized, but a comparison of dosing nomograms has not been reported in pediatrics. Objective To compare the performance of aPTT and anti-Xa for UFH monitoring in pediatric patients. Design/methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted in patients ≤ 21 years old treated with UFH at Johns Hopkins Hospital from January 2009 to May 2011. For monitoring, an aPTT nomogram was used for the initial 15 months, and an anti-Xa nomogram was used for the subsequent 12 months. Clinical characteristics, laboratory data and outcomes were analyzed. Results Thirty-four patients were monitored with aPTT and 26 patients with anti-Xa. There was no significant difference in median time to therapeutic range (11.6 h aPTT, 95%CI = 6.0–17.0; 9.9 h anti-Xa, 95%CI = 7.3–20.7) or per cent of patients achieving therapeutic measurements at 24 (79% aPTT, 95%CI = 62–91; 73% anti-Xa, 95%CI = 52–88) and 48 h (88% aPTT, 95%CI = 73–97; 96% anti-Xa, 95%CI = 80–100). However, anti-Xa measurements were more frequently therapeutic than aPTT (74% [95%CI = 69–78] vs. 54% [95%CI = 50–59]). Variance between anti-Xa and aPTT measurements was high (R2 = 0.236). No significant difference was seen in bleeding incidence (9% aPTT, 95%CI = 2–24; 15% anti-Xa, 95%CI = 4–35). Conclusion The time to achieve therapeutic measures and bleeding outcomes were not significantly different between anti-Xa and aPTT nomograms. However, a small study size limits the power to detect clinically relevant differences. The results warrant larger prospective studies of UFH monitoring in children with thromboembolic disease.
Performance of Line Insulators Under Rime Ice

Single suspension insulator units of several types as well as multi-unit strings were studied in a large refrigerated chamber. Rime ice of various densities was deposited on these insulators. The increase of leakage currents, the reduction of flashover voltages, and the alteration of voltage distributions along insulator strings caused by the presence of the ice were measured. The effects of various protective coatings on the insulator performance were examined. The process of insulator flashover under rime ice is compared with that under the usual types of industrial and marine pollution at temperatures above freezing point.
Forging Ahead: Linking Health and Behavior to Improve Quality of Life in Older People

This chapter will focus on conceptual and methodological issues related to health promotion/disability prevention for older people. The first section will begin with a discussion of why older people, as compared to younger persons, are not traditionally seen as targets of health promotion efforts. In recent years several national working groups have been established to examine how older people's health and functioning can be improved. Their objectives and recommendations for older Americans will be reviewed. The second section will address the conceptual framework underlying health and behavior research supported by the National Institute on Aging. The movement from correlational studies to studies of basic mechanisms linking health and behaviour will be discussed, with particular attention to interactions with aging processes. Examples of health and behavior research representing these processes will be presented as well as methodological issues in the measurement of health and functional outcomes for older people. Measurement of quality of life in the cognitively impaired is seen as especially difficult. The third section will review several common themes emanating from these research studies. These include attention to a life course perspective, variability in aging processes, alternative research approaches, and intervention strategies for both initiating and maintaining recommended behavioral changes. A fourth section will review current areas of investigation at the National Institute of Aging. Successful intervention strategies in both community and institutional settings will to presented. These include: (1) a comprehensive behavioral and environmental falls prevention program which has been shown to reduce falls in the community; (2) a health education program to increase older women's use of cancer-related health practices; and (3) behavioral strategies for reducing incontinence in nursing homes. A new NIA initiative on special care units for persons with dementia will also be discussed. The fifth and final section will deal with issues involved in the translation of research into policy and practice. Approaches for increasing the relevance of research to policymakers will be discussed.
Texas instruments (India) private limited: a global informatics model

Abstract This paper presents the role of microcomputers, minicomputers, and telecommunications in the development and operation of Texas Instruments (TI) international locations. TI India is used as an example to illustrate the problems encountered, solutions used, and the overall impact that communications has on the effective use of people resources on a worldwide basis.
Ionization mechanisms related to negative Ion APPI, APCI, and DART

A recent report found that negative ion atmospheric pressure photoionization (Ni-APPI) and direct analysis in real time (Ni-DART) ionize compounds by electron capture, dissociative electron capture, proton abstraction, and anion adduction. The authors of this report suggested that the common ionization of Ni-APPI and Ni-DART demonstrated that these techniques ionize a wider array of compounds than negative ion atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (Ni-APCI). Here we show that Ni-APCI, using the atmospheric sample analysis probe (ASAP) technique, in the absence of solvent vapors, ionizes the same and similar compounds by the same reported mechanisms. These results are supported by previous publications, which show that each mechanism is active for Ni-APCI. This work demonstrates that irrespective of the initial method of ionization, at atmospheric pressure, similar ion/electron-molecule chemistries prevail.
Interpreting the 1 to 10 MEV gamma-ray background

Abstract The origin of the 1 to 10 MeV feature in unknown. Indeed, the origin of the entire X and gamma-ray backgrounds remains enigmatic. The gamma-ray background (from about 200 keV to at least 100 MeV) appears to be well matched by a power law, with one nonpower law feature: the 1 to 10 MeV feature. Here, we present and discuss a functional form which fits the 1 to 10 MeV feature exceedingly well. Theoretical interpretations of this fit are discussed.
Statistical inference of covariance change points in gaussian model

In this paper, we study the testing and estimation of multiple covariance change points for a sequence of m-dimensional (m > 1) Gaussian random vectors by using the Schwarz information criterion (SIC). The unbiased SIC is also obtained. The asymptotic null distribution of the test statistic is derived. The result is applied to a simulated bivariate normal vector sequence (m = 2), and changes are successfully detected.
Atmospheric methane sources: Alaskan tundra bogs, an alpine fen, and a subarctic boreal marsh

Methane (CH 4 ) flux measurements from Alaskan tundra bogs, an alpine fen, and a subarctic boreal marsh were obtained at field sites ranging from Prudhoe Bay on the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Alaskan Range south of Fairbanks during August 1984. In the tundra, average CH 4 emission rates varied from 4.9 mg CH 4 m -2 d -1 (moist tundra) to 119 mg CH 4 m -2 d -1 (waterlogged tundra). Fluxes averaged 40 mg CH 4 m -2 d -1 from wet tussock meadows in the Brooks Range and 289 mg CH 4 m -2 d -1 from an alpine fen in the Alaskan Range. The boreal marsh had an average CH 4 emission rate of 106 mg CH 4 m -2 d -1 . Significant emissions were detected in tundra areas where peat temperatures were as low as 4°C and permafrost was only 25 cm below the ground surface. Emission rates from the 17 sites sampled were found to be logarithmically related to water levels at the sites. Extrapolation of our data to an estimate of the total annual CH 4 emission from all arctic and boreal wetlands suggests that these ecosystems are a major source of atmospheric CH 4 and could account for up to 23% of global CH 4 emissions from wetlands. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0889.1986.tb00083.x
Two New Stilbene Dimer Glucosides from Grape (Vitis vinifera) Cell Cultures

Two new stilbene dimer glucosides, resveratrol (E)-dehydrodimer 11-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1) and resveratrol (E)-dehydrodimer 11'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), were isolated together with the known resveratrol (E)-dehydrodimer (3) and pallidol (4) from Vitis vinifera cell cultures. The structures and stereochemistry of the new compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic data analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 are dimers that belong to a new type of oligostilbene formed from a resveratrol unit and a resveratrol glucoside unit. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited nonspecific inhibitory activity against cyclooxygenase-1 and -2, with IC(50) values in the range of 5 microM, whereas compound 4 was approximately 10-fold less active.
Auditory feedback is necessary for the maintenance of stereotyped song in adult zebra finches

Although songbirds rely on auditory input for normal song development, many species eventually attain adult song patterns that are thought to be maintained without reference to auditory feedback. In such species, it is believed that a central motor program for song is established when the stereotyped adult song pattern is achieved. However, we report here that in the Australian zebra finch, stereotyped song patterns gradually change in adult males following bilateral cochlear removal. By 16 weeks after surgery, deaf birds accurately reproduced only 36% of the song syllables produced prior to surgery. Moreover, on average, the phonology of over 50% of the syllables produced by deaf birds was either only slightly similar or unlike the phonology of any syllable produced prior to surgery. In contrast, control birds accurately retained over 90% of their syllables over a comparable time period and less than 5% of their syllables was unmatched or only slightly similar in phonology to previously recorded syllables. In many of the deafened birds, changes in song patterns were not evident until 6-8 weeks after surgery. These data indicate that continued auditory input is necessary to maintain the patterns of neural organization supporting learned song in zebra finches and raise questions concerning the neural sites and cellular mechanisms that mediate this feedback control.
Integrating high-throughput and computational data elucidates bacterial networks

The flood of high-throughput biological data has led to the expectation that computational (or in silico) models can be used to direct biological discovery, enabling biologists to reconcile heterogeneous data types, find inconsistencies and systematically generate hypotheses. Such a process is fundamentally iterative, where each iteration involves making model predictions, obtaining experimental data, reconciling the predicted outcomes with experimental ones, and using discrepancies to update the in silico model. Here we have reconstructed, on the basis of information derived from literature and databases, the first integrated genome-scale computational model of a transcriptional regulatory and metabolic network. The model accounts for 1,010 genes in Escherichia coli, including 104 regulatory genes whose products together with other stimuli regulate the expression of 479 of the 906 genes in the reconstructed metabolic network. This model is able not only to predict the outcomes of high-throughput growth phenotyping and gene expression experiments, but also to indicate knowledge gaps and identify previously unknown components and interactions in the regulatory and metabolic networks. We find that a systems biology approach that combines genome-scale experimentation and computation can systematically generate hypotheses on the basis of disparate data sources.
The corporation and the community: Credibility, legitimacy, and imposed risk†

Large segments of society no longer trust firms or government in regard to pronouncements on what is safe. Because of this distrust, particularly in regard to the chemical industry, the public has questioned many firms right to operate in their community and demanded and obtained increased rights for individuals to intervene directly in decisions by firms that might affect them. Chemical firms must establish or restore their credibility and social legitimacy in order to maintain their social franchise to operate. At a minimum, this requires an understanding how the firm's stakeholders view the firm's imposition of risks on them and their families and the engagement of these stakeholders in discussions about the firm's products and operations and the risks attendant on its presence in the community. Some chemical firms have formed community advisory councils as a way of accomplishing this rapproachement. However, they have found that a community council may have its own agenda, forcing the firm to provide information and deal with issues it would have preferred to avoid.