cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative Mechanical Activation Mapping of RV Pacing to LBBB by 2D and 3D Speckle Tracking and Association With Response to Resynchronization Therapy

Objectives The goals of this study were to compare patterns of mechanical activation in patients with chronic right ventricular (RV) pacing with those with left bundle branch block (LBBB) using 2-dimensional and novel 3-dimensional speckle tracking, and to compare ejection fraction (EF) response and long-term survival after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Background Several randomized CRT trials have excluded patients with chronic RV pacing, and current guidelines for CRT include patients with intrinsically widened QRS, typically LBBB. Methods We studied 308 patients who were referred for CRT: 227 had LBBB, 81 were RV paced. Dyssynchrony was assessed by tissue Doppler, routine pulsed Doppler, and 2-dimensional speckle-tracking radial strain. 3D strain was assessed using speckle tracking from a pyramidal dataset in a subset of 57 patients for mechanical activation mapping. Survival after CRT was compared with survival in a group of 46 patients with attempted, but failed, CRT. Results Patients with chronic RV pacing and LBBB had similar intraventricular dyssynchrony, with opposing wall delays by tissue Doppler of 82 ± 45 ms versus 87 ± 63 ms and anteroseptum-to-posterior delays by speckle tracking of 225 ± 142 ms, versus 211 ± 107 ms, respectively. RV-paced patients, however, had greater interventricular dyssynchrony: 44 ± 24 ms versus 35 ± 21 ms (p Conclusions RV-paced patients, when compared with LBBB patients, had similar dyssynchronous patterns of mechanical activation and greater interventricular dyssynchrony. Importantly, RV-paced patients had similar EF response and long-term outcome as those with LBBB, which supports their candidacy for CRT.
Dental management of patients irradiated for oral cancer

Management of patients irradiated for oral cancer should include consideration of their oral health prior to, and after, radiation therapy. Data from 130 patients, followed for a period of 1 to 10 years, are presented and evaluated. The philosophy of retention and maintenance of as many teeth as possible is supported by this data. Extraction of teeth with severe periodontal disease after irradiation also proves to be a relatively safe operation. Osteoradionecrosis tends to be limited in extent and is generally well tolerated by the patient when treated conservatively. A treatment regimen is presented that significantly reduces the morbidity from therapeutic irradiation of the jaws. A comprehensive dental evaluation and follow-up plan coupled with patient cooperation are instrumental to the success of this program.
the comic side of gender trouble and Bert Williams' signature act

Using the turn of the century blackface performer Bert Williams as a case study, this essay explores how we might think about black male performativity in the New World as a historical formation, one that extends both over the time of modernity and across the space of diaspora. I draw from contemporary theories of circum-atlantic performance and black feminist studies of the impact of slavery on black racial and gendered identities, to argue that performance affords a unique window into how blackness is constructed in a space between the black male performer and his equally racialized New World audience. The essay theorizes a notion of key black male performances as ‘signature acts’, then explores discussions of minstrelsy by other black American writers such as Ralph Ellison, Ishmael Reed, and the black British writer Caryl Phillips. Using Fanon's notions of triple-consciousness in tandem with Brechtian and Freudian theories of alienated performances and jokes, the essay concludes with a brief analysis of some of the gendered significations in lyrics from Bert Williams' first musical comedy and then also in a novel about the performer by Caryl Phillips.
Frictional step climbing analysis of tumbling locomotion

Tumbling robots provide the potential to produce increased mobility on smaller scales with respect to their size and/or complexity. In this paper we explore the frictional interactions between a tumbling robot and the terrain while climbing a single vertical step to illustrate the advantages of tumbling. We present a set of parametric configuration equations that express the relationships between the robot's configuration parameters (morphology, geometry, mass, etc.), the environmental/task parameters (step geometry, available coefficients of friction, etc.), and the performance parameters (step height). The required body coefficient of friction is examined in detail for idealized tumbling and wheel-tail robots.
Mineralization and volatile loss of nitrogen from soils treated with coal combustion byproducts

There is an increasing need to find a suitable means for disposal of coal combustion byproducts because of the increasing world-wide production of these byproducts. This need has prompted interest in the use of land disposal, but there are concerns that this use may degrade the quality of soil. To determine the influence of coal combustion byproducts on the transformation and fate of soil N and assess the potential impact of land disposal on soil quality, we studied the effects of two combustion byproducts (fly ash and bed ash) applied at rates of 22.5, 45, 90, and 180 Mg ha-1 on mineralization and volatile loss of N from soil. Studies comparing the influence of the byproducts on these processes showed that whereas fly ash had little influence on the fate of soil N, bed ash caused substantial mineralization of organic soil N and volatile loss of this N as NH3. Studies monitoring the pH of soils treated with bed ash showed that soil pH increased immediately after this treatment, with values reaching as high as 12.8. These studies indicated that such extreme alkaline conditions caused chemical degradation and volatile loss of as much as 10% of the organic N in soil, and they provide strong evidence that the improper disposal of bed ash on land can have a substantial negative impact on soil quality.
Transuranic waste remediation in Idaho: Pit 9, failed contracts, and lawsuits

The U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE) remediation responsibilities include its Idaho National Laboratory. In 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency placed the Idaho site on its National Priority List for environmental cleanup. The site's contamination legacy from operations included inactive reactors and other structures, spent nuclear fuel, high-level liquid radioactive wastes, calcined radioactive wastes, and transuranic wastes. Documents governing cleanup include a 1995 Settlement Agreement between the US DOE and the US Navy as responsible parties, and the State of Idaho. The Subsurface Disposal Area contains buried transuranic wastes, lies above the East Snake River Plain Aquifer, and could be the “site's most nettlesome cleanup issue,” according to an outside observer. This article describes the technical and legal difficulties that have been encountered in remediating this area. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On the uniqueness of surgery

Abstract Background As the divergence between medicine and surgery increases, the author traces its beginnings not to the recent past, but as far back as the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Even at that time, physicians rarely came in physical contact with the patients and made their diagnoses from looking at flasks of urine from the patients. Skilled physicians allegedly could make approximately 1000 diagnoses from examining a flask of urine. On the other hand, barber surgeons were relatively unskilled and unrewarded, at a much lower class in society, and laid hands on the patient by draining abscesses, cauterizing, dealing with bladder stones, etc. Methods Despite the Quincentenary of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh this year and the rendering of the first guild to the barber surgeons, this schism between medical and surgical pratice has remained. The author attempts to fit this schism into medicine today by addressing continuity of care and the 80-hour workweek, stating that this schism is not a new development but has existed for many years. Conclusions The proposal is made that medicine and surgery should work together as much as they can. However, if surgical patients are not well served by the lack of emphasis on continuity of care brought forth by the leadership of medicine in this country, who the author claims of intentionally distancing themselves from patient care, then surgery may need to go its own way. The patient comes first.
Reprogramming ovarian and breast cancer cells into non-cancerous cells by low-dose metformin or SN-38 through FOXO3 activation

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Because the cytotoxic effects of conventional chemotherapies often harm normal tissue cells along with cancer cells, conventional chemotherapies cause many unwanted or intolerable side effects. Thus, there is an unmet medical need to establish a paradigm of chemotherapy-induced differentiation of cancer cells with tolerable side effects. Here we show that low-dose metformin or SN-38 inhibits cell growth or survival in ovarian and breast cancer cells and suppresses their tumor growth in vivo. Low-dose metformin or SN-38 increases FOXO3 nuclear localization as well as the amount of DNA damage markers and downregulates the expression of a cancer-stemness marker CD44 and other stemness markers, including Nanog, Oct-4, and c-Myc, in these cancer cells. This treatment also inhibits spheroid body-formation in 3-dimensional culture. In contrast, silencing FOXO3 diminishes all these cellular events when ovarian/breast cancer cells are treated with the mentioned drugs. These results suggest that low-dose metformin or SN-38 may reprogram these cancer cells into non-cancerous cells in a FOXO3-dependent manner, and may allow patients to overcome these cancers with minimal side effects.
Advice for Beginning Nurse Researchers

Heideggerian hermeneutics was used to illuminate the advice of six nurse researchers who were interviewed by the authors. The advice given to us as beginning researchers included identifying a planned program of research with a topic that we "love" and conducting research that is meaningful. Additional advice included keeping an idea log, networking, mentoring, and developing collegial relationships. The words of these researchers are intended for future investigators, yet much wisdom exists for all nurses.
Extreme intralist similarity in serial learning

Two groups of 22 Ss each were presented an 8-cluster list at a 4-sec. rate for 40 trials. All clusters (4 nonsense syllables per cluster) were identical except for the position of the syllables within each cluster. For one group the ends of the list were demarcated by a long, visually distinctive ITI; for the other group the ends of the list were disguised. The results replicated previous findings that primacy effects are eliminated when the ends of a list are disguised. Recency effects were absent in both groups.
Assessment of ocean color data records from MODIS-Aqua in the western Arctic Ocean

Abstract A broad suite of bio-optical and biogeochemical observations collected during the NASA-funded ICESCAPE expeditions to the western Arctic Ocean in 2010 and 2011 was used to validate ocean color satellite data products in this region, which is undergoing fast ecological changes in the context of a changing climate. Satellite-to-in situ match-ups for the MODIS instrument onboard Aqua (MODISA) were evaluated using standard NASA empirical and semi-analytical algorithms to estimate chlorophyll-a (Ca), spectral marine inherent optical properties, and particulate organic carbon (POC). Results for the empirical algorithms were compared with those from the semi-analytical Generalized Inherent Optical Property (GIOP) algorithm. The findings presented here showed that MODISA Ca estimates were positively biased relative to in situ measurements, in agreement with previous studies that have evaluated ocean color retrievals in the Arctic Ocean. These biases were reproduced using both satellite and in situ measured remote sensing reflectances, Rrs(λ), indicating that estimation errors are derived from the application of the empirical algorithm and not by the observed radiometry. This disparity appears to be caused by contributions of high spectral absorption from chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), which is a well-documented feature of Arctic Ocean waters. The current MODISA empirical algorithm (OC3M) appears to attribute CDOM absorption in the blue region of the spectrum to phytoplankton absorption. In contrast, GIOP showed significant improvement over OC3M Ca estimates by effectively discriminating between phytoplankton and CDOM absorption. Additionally, executing GIOP with an expanded set of spectral bands derived from in situ radiometry, instead of just six MODISA bands, further improved the performance of absorption estimates. These findings reinforce previous suggestions that semi-analytical approaches will provide more reliable data records for Arctic studies than existing empirical methods. POC estimates showed no clear bias relative to in situ measurements, suggesting that the empirical algorithm better represents high latitude oceans with regards to the bio-optical signature of suspended particulate stocks.
Reduced health care costs associated with disease management for chronic heart failure: a study using three methods to examine the financial impact of a heart failure disease management program among medicare advantage enrollees.

Background: Disease management (DM) for chronic heart failure (CHF) has been examined in several randomized clinical trials. Most have shown improvements in quality and cost reductions. However, there is only limited information about the financial impact of CHF DM outside of research settings. Methods and Results: Three commonly employed observational study methods (pre-post comparison, comparison of intervention patients to a convenience cohort and comparison of intervention patients to a propensity matched cohort) were used to assess the financial impact of DM for CHF for Medicare Advantage enrollees over different 1-year periods between 2001 and 2004. DM was associated with savings ranging from $318 to $708 per patient per month. Most savings appeared to be associated with reduced expense for hospitalizations and exceeded the cost of providing DM. Conclusion: CHF DM savings repeatedly demonstrated in randomized clinical trials are achievable in commercial insurance settings and exceed the cost of the intervention. Given the widespread interest in addressing the rising cost of health care, CHF DM remains an important consideration for Medicare beneficiaries.
Complex operator synthesis

As design complexity increases, designers have tried many techniques in order to increase the productivity of their synthesis methodology. Recently, there has been a trend towards describing designs and target technology libraries at a higher level of abstraction. The hope is that by recognizing complex design expressions and by mapping to complex library cells, a synthesis tool will generate more efficient data paths. Also, since complex design expressions are usually very expensive to implement in hardware, intelligent resource allocation and sharing procedures are required. >
Raw material and the global economy: Oversights and distortions in industrial ecology

Many proponents of industrial ecology have asserted that the declining volume of raw materials used per unit of gross national product (GNP) constitutes a process of dematerialization.”; They have suggested that this process could allow continued growth in production and wealth while attenuating adverse impacts on the environment. Dematerialization, however, has been a central strategy for reducing production costs since before the beginnings of industrial capitalism. Historically it has been associated with expanded, rather than contracted, use of raw materials. Besides ignoring the historical record, proponents of dematerialization have failed to recognize that absolute volume of material consumed rather than volume relative to GNP is the significant measure in ecological terms. On a global scale, the volumes and the distances transported of major minerals have increased over the periods for which dematerialization has been claimed.
Biosynthetic Pathway for Veratryl Alcohol in the Ligninolytic Fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Veratryl alcohol (VA) is a secondary metabolite of white-rot fungi that produce the ligninolytic enzyme lignin peroxidase. VA stabilizes lignin peroxidase, promotes the ability of this enzyme to oxidize a variety of physiological substrates, and is accordingly thought to play a significant role in fungal ligninolysis. Pulse-labeling and isotope-trapping experiments have now clarified the pathway for VA biosynthesis in the white-rot basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium. The pulse-labeling data, obtained with 14C-labeled phenylalanine, cinnamic acid, benzoic acid, and benzaldehyde, showed that radiocarbon labeling followed a reproducible sequence: it peaked first in cinnamate, then in benzoate and benzaldehyde, and finally in VA. Phenylalanine, cinnamate, benzoate, and benzaldehyde were all efficient precursors of VA in vivo. The isotope-trapping experiments showed that exogenous, unlabeled benzoate and benzaldehyde were effective traps of phenylalanine-derived 14C. These results support a pathway in which VA biosynthesis proceeds as follows: phenylalanine → cinnamate → benzoate and/or benzaldehyde → VA.
The Tandem Interview: A Trial of the Two-Interviewer Team

Survey researchers have experimented with many devices for improving interviews; the study reported here involved the use of two interviewers per respondent. The authors outline some of the advantages of the tandem technique, describe some of its potential applications, and discuss problems it is likely to produce. Harry V. Kincaid is now at Stanford Research Institute as Head of Consumer and Communications Research. Margaret Bright is Research Associate at Columbia University's Bureau of Applied Social Research. 1 L HE LITERATURE on interviewing procedure in social research is generally based on the implicit assumption that the actual interview is to be conducted by one interviewer, and most attempts to improve the quality of interview data are predicated on the lone interviewer. The idea that using more than one interviewer per respondent might improve the quality of information obtained in the personal interview has for the most part been ignored; certainly it has received no systematic attention. The purpose of this paper is to report on a trial of the "tandem"2 interview technique, that is, the use of two interviewers per respondent, a procedure used with promising results in a study conducted among the business elite. Our experience with the technique suggests that the increased efficiency with which data are collected, combined with gains in validity and reliability, make it an effective means of gathering data in certain types of inquiry. The technique was used in an exploratory study concerned with the relationships between headquarters and other components (subsidiaries, divisions, plants) of large business firms, mostly manufacturing companies. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact on production should the headquarters of these companies be destroyed. This required the cooperation ' This article may be identified as Publication A-I96 of the Bureau of Applied Social Research, Columbia University. The study from which this note is drawn is part of a larger program of research concerned with some aspects of the concentration of administrative talent in urban areas carried out at the Bureau of Applied Social Research under contract with the RAND Corporation. We are indebted to Herbert Hyman and Robert Carlson for substantial contributions in preparation of the manuscript. 2 See Herbert Hyman with William J. Cobb et al., Interviewing in Social Research, Chicago:
Diagnostic and therapeutic uses of ERCP in pancreatic and biliary tract malignancies.

In the management of patients with pancreatobiliary malignancies, ERCP can provide some diagnostic and staging information. Cholangiopancreatography allows the clinician to reach a “high degree” of suspicion for malignancy but a definitive diagnosis requires biopsy or cytologic sampling demonstrating cancer. ERCP alone provides little staging information but intraductal US (IDUS) is highly accurate in staging cholangiocarcinoma. EUS with dedicated instruments has an established role in the diagnosis and staging of pancreaticobiliary malignancies but is not an ERCP technique and so will not be discussed here. In the future, cholangiopancreatoscopy may provide insights in the differentiation between benign and malignant strictures. The principle therapeutic application for ERCP is biliary stent placement to relieve obstructive jaundice. Several studies have now demonstrated improved quality of life after endoscopic stent placement. Key issues are the timing of endoscopic stent placement and comparative studies between plastic and expandable metal stents. This section will address the relevant issues regarding the application of ERCP in patients with malignant obstructive jaundice.
Empirical comparison of Dynamic Classifier Selection methods based on diversity and accuracy for building ensembles

In the context of Ensembles or Multi-Classifier Systems, the choice of the ensemble members is a very complex task, in which, in some cases, it can lead to ensembles with no performance improvement. In order to avoid this situation, there is a great deal of research to find effective classifier member selection methods. In this paper, we propose a selection criterion based on both the accuracy and diversity of the classifiers in the initial pool. Also, instead of using a static selection method, we use a Dynamic Classifier Selection (DSC) procedure. In this case, the member classifiers to form the ensemble are chosen at the test (use) phase. That is, different testing patterns can be classified by different ensemble configurations.
Garcilaso y la invención de una escritura literaria

La larga y lenta decadencia y caida del Imperio Romano casi extinguio la cultura literaria del Occidente; pero la paradojica consecuencia historica de esta "felix culpa", o afortunada caida, fue la eventual resurreccion moderna de la cultura grecoromana en su forma moderna: primero cristiana y europea; luego,por fin, mundial. Auerbach, en su anterior libro mas conocido, Mimesis , ya habia demostrado la creatividad literaria de cierta fuerza dialectica implicita en esta tradicion, fuerza derivada del contraste entre el racionalismo pagano y aristocratico,de una parte, y, de la otra, la religiosidad teocratica y vulgar, realista, de la Biblia.
Large enhancement of the transient and steady-state photoconductivity of conducting polymeric/C/sub 60/ composite films

Summary form only given. We present the transient and steady-state photoconductivity (PC) results obtained from poly[2 methoxy, 5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) and poly(octylthiophene) (P3OT), and from conducting polymer films sensitized with several concentrations of C/sub 60/. Both the magnitude and the lifetime of the transient PC increase substantially on increasing the concentration of C/sub 60/. The results imply that quantum efficiency for photogeneration of charge carriers is increased by photoinduced electron transfer and that recombination is inhibited by the spatial separation of the electron and hole on the C/sub 60/ and the conducting polymer, respectively. The greater enhancement of the transient PC in MEH-PPV (nearly two orders of magnitudes with addition of a few percent of C/sub 60/) than in P3OT (nearly one order of magnitude with addition of a comparable amount of C/sub 60/) suggests a higher probability of the early-time recombination in pristine MEH-PPV. As a result of the enhancement in the photogeneration efficiency and the carrier lifetime, the spectral response of the steady-state PC in both MEH-PPV/C/sub 60/ and P30T/C/sub 60/ films shows significantly enhanced PC throughout the entire spectral range from the near infrared to the ultraviolet.
Feasibility Study of Using Brine for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage from Fixed Sources

A laboratory-scale reactor was developed to evaluate the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from a gas into a liquid as an approach to control greenhouse gases emitted from fixed sources. CO2 at 5-50% concentrations was passed through a gas-exchange membrane and transferred into liquid media--tap water or simulated brine. When using water, capture efficiencies exceeded 50% and could be enhanced by adding base (e.g., sodium hydroxide) or the combination of base and carbonic anhydrase, a catalyst that speeds the conversion of CO2 to carbonic acid. The transferred CO2 formed ions, such as bicarbonate or carbonate, depending on the amount of base present. Adding precipitating cations, like Ca++, produced insoluble carbonate salts. Simulated brine proved nearly as efficient as water in absorbing CO2, with less than a 6% reduction in CO2 transferred. The CO2 either dissolved into the brine or formed a mixture of gas and ions. If the chemistry was favorable, carbonate precipitate spontaneously formed. Energy expenditure of pumping brine up and down from subterranean depths was modeled. We conclude that using brine in a gas-exchange membrane system for capturing CO2 from a gas stream to liquid is technically feasible and can be accomplished at a reasonable expenditure of energy.
New approaches in primary central nervous system lymphoma

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) has long been associated with an inferior prognosis compared to other aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHLs). However, during the past 10 years an accumulation of clinical experience has demonstrated that long-term progression-free survival (PFS) can be attained in a major proportion of PCNSL patients who receive dose-intensive consolidation chemotherapy and avoid whole brain radiotherapy. One recent approach that has reproducibly demonstrated efficacy for newly diagnosed PCNSL patients is an immunochemotherapy combination regimen used during induction that consists of methotrexate, temozolomide, and rituximab followed by consolidative infusional etoposide plus high-dose cytarabine (EA), administered in first complete remission (CR). Other high-dose chemotherapy-based consolidative regimens have shown efficacy as well. Our goal in this review is to update principles of diagnosis and management as well as data regarding the molecular pathogenesis of PCNSL, information that may constitute a basis for development of more effective therapies required to make additional advances in this phenotype of aggressive NHL.
Prognostic implications of tricuspid regurgitation in patients with severe aortic regurgitation: results from a cohort of 756 patients.

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is common, but neglected. We evaluated the prognostic implications of TR in a cohort of 756 patients with severe aortic regurgitation (AR). A cohort of 756 patients with AR was identified from our echocardiographic database. Chart reviews were performed. Survival as a function of TR severity was analysed. Of the 756 patients with severe AR, 264 (35%) had ≥2+ TR. Univariate correlates of TR were older age (P < 0.0001), female gender (P< 0.0001), lower left ventricular ejection fraction (P< 0.0001), atrial fibrillation (P< 0.0001), presence of a pacemaker (P < 0.0001), higher PASP (P < 0.0001), presence of 3 or 4+ mitral regurgitation (P < 0.0001) and not being on a beta-blocker (P < 0.0001) or statins (P = 0.007). After adjusting for group differences, ≥2+ TR was an independent predictor of higher mortality (RR 1.47, P= 0.005). Aortic valve replacement (AVR) was independently associated with improved survival in patients with ≥2+ TR. (RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.36–0.60, P < 0.0001). In conclusion, in severe AR patients, ≥2+ TR is independently associated with a higher mortality. The performance of AVR in these patients with ≥2+ TR is associated with a survival benefit. Development of ≥2+ TR in these patients is a marker of decompensation and should serve as an indication for AVR.
Meeting the challenge of high quality data entry: a free double-entry system

Data entry errors can be disastrous. In many industries, data entry errors are minimised by paying highly skilled data entry personnel or by using expensive optical scanning technologies. However, researchers, small businesses, and non-profit organisations cannot afford highly skilled data entry personnel or the alternative technologies, and instead rely upon minimally trained staff and volunteers for manual data entry. Obtaining accurate data entry is a challenge in these circumstances. Some supervisors do all data entry themselves because they know of no procedures for obtaining accurate data entry from assistants. Others use visual data checking or after-the-fact diagnostic procedures to try to identify unlikely values. None of these approaches are guaranteed to prevent or correct all errors. This paper describes a data entry system that is essentially free, that will take no longer to use than visual checking, and that will virtually eliminate data entry errors.
Continuous Electroencephalogram in Comatose Postcardiac Arrest Syndrome Patients Treated With Therapeutic Hypothermia Outcome Prediction Study

Purpose:Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH) is the only therapeutic intervention proven to significantly improve survival and neurologic outcome in comatose postcardiac arrest patients and is now considered standard of care. When we discuss prognostication with regard to comatose survivors postcardiac arrest, we should look for tools that are both reliable and accurate and that achieve a false-positive rate (FPR) equal to or very closely approaching zero.Methods:We retrospectively reviewed data that were prospectively collected on all cardiac arrest patients admitted to our ICU. Continuous electroencephalogram (cEEG) monitoring was performed as part of our protocol for therapeutic hypothermia in comatose postcardiac arrest patients. The primary outcome measure was the best score on hospital discharge on the 5-point Glasgow-Pittsburgh cerebral performance category (CPC) scores.Results:A total of 58 patients were included in this study. Twenty five (43%) patients had a good neurologic outcome (CPC score of 1-2). T...
Single-cell systems-level analysis of human Toll-like receptor activation defines a chemokine signature in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background Activation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) induces inflammatory responses involved in immunity to pathogens and autoimmune pathogenesis, such as in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although TLRs are differentially expressed across the immune system, a comprehensive analysis of how multiple immune cell subsets respond in a system-wide manner has not been described. Objective We sought to characterize TLR activation across multiple immune cell subsets and subjects, with the goal of establishing a reference framework against which to compare pathologic processes. Methods Peripheral whole-blood samples were stimulated with TLR ligands and analyzed by means of mass cytometry simultaneously for surface marker expression, activation states of intracellular signaling proteins, and cytokine production. We developed a novel data visualization tool to provide an integrated view of TLR signaling networks with single-cell resolution. We studied 17 healthy volunteer donors and 8 patients with newly diagnosed and untreated SLE. Results Our data revealed the diversity of TLR-induced responses within cell types, with TLR ligand specificity. Subsets of natural killer cells and T cells selectively induced nuclear factor κ light chain enhancer of activated B cells in response to TLR2 ligands. CD14 hi monocytes exhibited the most polyfunctional cytokine expression patterns, with more than 80 distinct cytokine combinations. Monocytic TLR-induced cytokine patterns were shared among a group of healthy donors, with minimal intraindividual and interindividual variability. Furthermore, autoimmune disease altered baseline cytokine production; newly diagnosed untreated SLE patients shared a distinct monocytic chemokine signature, despite clinical heterogeneity. Conclusion Mass cytometry defined a systems-level reference framework for human TLR activation, which can be applied to study perturbations in patients with inflammatory diseases, such as SLE.
Digital karyotyping technology: exploring the cancer genome.

Identifying gene-specific alterations in cancer genomes has revealed molecules that are causal effectors of carcinogenesis and specific targets for cancer molecular diagnosis and molecular-based cancer therapies. Whole-genome analyses of many cancer genomes at the resolution of single genes is thus a desirable yet incompletely realized goal that could expedite progress in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Although methods for routine whole-genome sequencing or high-resolution epigenetic measurements are currently under development, high-resolution measurements of gene copy number, or ‘gene dosage’, are now underway in several laboratories. Digital karyotyping, array comparative genomic hybridization, and single nucleotide polymorphism arrays are techniques that have the potential to detect gene amplification, homozygous deletion and loss of heterozygosity at or below the average length of single genes. Recently, digital karyotyping of a small number (<20) of colon and brain cancer genomes has revealed tumor...
Streaming technology as an enabler of top quality web-based education

Various types of recent research projects and surveys confirm a tremendous growth of streaming multimedia technology utilization worldwide due to its great potential for the top quality Web-based education (WBE) and Web-based training (WBT). Broadband Internet with 150 - 1,000 Kbps bandwidth serves as an ideal channel to deliver rich multimedia learning content using streaming technology. This paper describes the results of 5-year long design, development, and pilot utilization of the InterLabs Web-lecturing system (InterLabs). The results, outcomes and findings of this research, design and development project clearly show that streaming technology will be in great demand in Web-based education in upcoming 5 years.
Estimating Canopy Biochemistry through Imaging Spectrometry

Broad-band reflectance measurements of vegetation have been widely applied in the form of indexes based on the unique differential between chlorophyll absorption in the red wavelengths and reflectance in the near infrared region. Background and atmospheric effects also have an influence on the measured signal and are only partially removed through ratioing of wavebands. High spectral resolution data acquired by imaging spectrometers provides information on absorption feature characteristics. Spectral shape parameters such as width, depth, skewness, and symmetry are more indicative of biochemical state and canopy physiology than average reflectance measured over relatively broad spectral regions. Variations in spectrum shape in the visible region relate to chlorophyll concentration, chlorophyll degradation, and other pigment activity. Other canopy biochemical constituents, such as cellulose and lignin, influence reflectance in the shortwave infrared and can potentially be quantified using imaging spectrometry. Capability to estimate biochemical properties in terrestrial ecosystems would aid in the assessment of carbon fixation/allocation patterns, nutrient availability and soil respiration.
Prophets and Princes on Isles of Ocean: A ‘Call’ for an Old Testament Style Regime in Vita Columbae

Though Adomnan refers to Columba as saint and holy man, he seeks most earnestly to portray him as a prophet who closely follows an Old Testament pattern of prophetic initiation and behaviour. In the light of scriptural characteristics of prophecy and of the ‘called’ and ‘sent’ prophets, Vita Columbae iii 1-5 is analysed to show how each chapter is crafted to correspond to the inheritance of prophetic power that culminates in a ‘call’ to the prophet. Eleven other chapters on battles, princes, and rulers are studied to show the consistent elaboration of the prophetic pattern as applied to the islands of the Insular world. All major kingship questions in the vita are illuminated: the presence of the battle-champion motif and other matters centring on the kings, Oswald, Diarmait mac Cerbaill, Aed Slaine, and Aedan mac Gabrain. A lucid picture of Adomnan’s mode of thinking about the reformation of kingship and the relationship of political authority to God’s plan emerges.
Origin, genetic diversity, and population structure of Nectria coccinea var. faginata in North America

Genetic similarity of Nectria coccinea var. faginata (NCF) from the northeastern USA to other Nectria taxa was investigated using RFLPs of ribosom- al (r) DNA, mitochondrial (mt) DNA, and anony-
Wicking Grooves to Enhance Heat Transfer Coefficients in Spray Cooling

Fluid droplet interaction/dynamics on modified surfaces is very pertinent in understanding the heat transfer mechanism associated with evaporative cooling of such surfaces. In the present paper, wicking grooves experimentation in enhancing Heat Transfer Coefficients (HTC) in spray cooling is carried out. Cross and unidirectional grooves were studied to determine the capillary wicking phenomenon and fluid spreading on such surfaces. The Bond number was determined as the main parameter that controls the wicking phenomenon on such modified surfaces. Whereas cross grooves would have been preferred for fluid flow in both directions, the cross grooves were observed to decrease capillary wicking due to multi-directional flow. Higher fluid coverage and capillary velocity (tip velocity) have been observed for the unidirectional grooves. A lower superheat temperature difference of about 15 o C at heat flux 25 W/cm 2 differential was obtained when the grooved surface were compared to a smooth surface. Maximum heat transfer coefficient enhancement of about 8500 W/m 2 -K was obtained for the wicking surface compared to the smooth surface.
Distributed Parameter Control for an Aeroelastic Wing-Engine Model

There is a national and global need to improve aerodynamic efficiency in commercial aircraft. Reduction in the structural weight of next generation aircraft is a potential path. However, an increase in flexibility typically accompanies weight reduction and, left uncompensated for, can lead to aeroelastic instability. An extreme example of this phenomenon was demonstrated by the Helios solar aircraft which disintegrated over the pacific due to a dynamic instability and resulting structural failure. Unexpected turbulence resulted in a significant change to the wing dihedral angle resulting in pitch-mode instability and excursion from the maximum design airspeed. This event highlights the need for active suppression of high-frequency flexible modes throughout the flight envelope. However, in these systems, the dynamics can change rapidly and finite dimensional models may be inadequate. Partial differential equations are used to model highly flexible systems and there is a current need for controller design methods that guarantee stability of the closed-loop system over a range of operating points while being subject to external disturbances and unmodeled dynamics. Although progress has been made in this direction for less complex systems, control techniques that can tackle fully-coupled aeroelastic models are still their infancy. In this paper, we are interested in the control of systems governed by partial differential equations, such as the heat or beam equation, in which the state-space is characterized by an infinite dimensional metric space. A particular challenge in the control of these systems often arises due to restrictions in sensing and actuation. For example, in the control of beam it is often assumed that both actuation and sensing may only occur at the boundaries. 9 However, these practical limitations are changing. With the recent advancements in smart-structures, 12 such as piezoelectric and shape-memory-alloy materials, the ability to both sense and actuate continuously along a structure may soon be practical. In aeroelastic applications, distributed actuation along the leading and trailing edges of the wing is an active area of research 19 and may eventually enable fully distributed control of the wing shape. Distributed sensing utilizing fiber optic technology to measure wing bending and torsion is currently being pursued at NASA Dryden. This paper discusses a Lyapunov approach for an aeroelastic wing-bending and torsion model with engine attached. The model assumes the linear theory of quasi-steady aeroelasticity and structural dynamics. The remainder of this paper is as follows: In Section II, we discuss a variational approach to derive the wingengine dynamics which makes use of Hamilton’s principle of least action. In Section III, we present a Lyapunov stability analysis where it is shown how to derive feedback gains based on certain positive and
Requirements for activation of CD8+ murine T cells. I. Development of cytolytic activity.

Cytolytic effector function fails to develop if proliferation of allospecific cytolytic T lymphocyte precursors is inhibited, but the requirements for generation of cytolytic activity have not been fully defined. In contrast, the cytolytic effector function of cytolytic T lymphocyte clones does not change during the cell cycle, and the level of cytolytic activity is independent of cellular proliferation. The requirement for proliferation by primary responding populations may reflect the need for clonal expansion of a few inherently cytolytic effector cells in order to reach a threshold number which can readily be detected in conventional cytolytic assays. Alternatively, proliferation may be required for cytolytic T lymphocyte precursors to differentiate into mature, functional cytolytic cells. Using CD8+T cells which express an antigen-specific transgenic α/β T cell receptor, we have studied the requirements for acquisition of cytolytic capacity. Stimulation of the T cell receptor alone appears to be sufficient to render naive, CD8+ transgenic T cells sensitive to the growth effects of interleukin-2 (IL-2), and in some circumstances to interleukin-4 (IL-4), but not to induce either lymphokine production or cytolytic activity. Costimulatory molecules expressed by allogenic stimulating cells appear to be required for lymphokine production, and CD8+ transgenic T cells initially appear to secrete only IL-2 and interferon-γ. Stimulation of the T cell receptor of naive, CD8+ transgenic T cells appears to induce cytolytic activity only if cell proliferation occurs, either in response to IL-2 produced by the stimulated cells themselves when costimulatory molecules are present, or to IL-2 or IL-4 from exogenous sources if costimulatory molecules are absent.
Abstract 1210: Biopterin metabolism drives tumor progression

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Previous studies demonstrate that nitric oxide synthases (NOS’s) can become uncoupled during inflammatory disease states. A hallmark of this uncoupling is superoxide production from NOS in lieu of nitric oxide (NO) resulting from a reduced tetrahydrobiopterin:dihydrobiopterin ratio (BH4:BH2 ratio). As BH4 is a necessary cofactor for NO production from NOS, when this ratio is reduced, NOS becomes a peroxynitrite synthase enhancing the pro-inflammatory/pro-survival tumor environment. Our lab demonstrated that NOS is uncoupled in a variety of tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo, as well as in paired human colorectal samples due to a reduced BH4:BH2 ratio and that recoupling NOS in via exogenous BH4 both in vitro and in vivo leads to decreased tumor cell proliferation. To examine the mechanism behind the reduced BH4:BH2 ratio we used the DSS/AOM model of colitis and colon tumorigenesis. Here we demonstrate that BH4:BH2 ratio is reduced in mouse colon tumors vs mouse normal colon tissue, 1.36±0.35 vs 7.1±0.6. We determined that this reduced ratio is due at least in part to direct oxidation of BH4 to BH2, as treatment of colon cells with an NADPH Oxidase inhibitor increased the BH4:BH2 two-fold; however, this is unable to account for the degree of uncoupling associated with tumor cells. Given that inflammation appears to drive NOS uncoupling, we extracted colons from DSS/AOM treated animals and preferentially harvested colonic epithelial cells and colonic tumor cells at different stages of inflammation to assess the molecular and biochemical changes in molecules important in the regulation and production of BH4. The molecules we focused on were: GTP cyclohydrolase-1 (GCH1, rate limiting enzyme in de novo BH4 synthesis), GTP cyclohydrolase 1 feedback regulatory protein (GCHFRP, regulates GCH1 expression), quinoiddihydropteridine reductase (QDPR, necessary for salvage pathway) and sepiapterin reductase (SR, necessary for both de novo synthesis and salvage of BH4). Transcript levels of these molecules in DSS treated epithelial cells showed that GCH1 and SR were upregulated but QDPR was significantly downregulated when compared with untreated cells, potentially leading to an increase in total BH4 but once oxidized to BH2, a decrease in the salvage back to BH4. Our current research investigates the protein levels as well biochemical activity of these molecules in DSS treated epithelial cells, as well as tumor cells compared with normal cells to further understand the molecular component of the decrease in BH4:BH2 ratio in tumors. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Christopher Rabender, Asim Alam, Mike Waters, Ross Mikkelsen. Biopterin metabolism drives tumor progression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1210. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1210
Comorbidity of migraine and panic disorder

Clinical and epidemiologic evidence suggests that migraine co-occurs with psychopathology, including specific anxiety disorders. To examine this association, survey data from a population-based study of more than 10,000 respondents were used to determine if individuals with a history of panic attacks were at greater risk of having specific headaches in the week preceding an interview. Four types of headache were defined. Of these, only migraine was strongly associated with panic attacks. Given the high prevalence of both migraine and panic attacks and evidence that they often co-occur, treatment implications are discussed for this comorbidity.