cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Angled Guidewire Delivery of Aortic Endovascular Prostheses for Angulated Landing Zones

We present a case of a 90-year-old male with suprarenal, infrarenal, and bilateral iliac aneurysms with significant interval enlargement treated with an endovascular graft. Due to severe infrarenal neck angulation, a type 1a endoleak was encountered, which was successfully treated with an aortic cuff. A novel technique of cuff deployment over an angled guidewire to accommodate the aortic angulation was used. This represents the first report in the literature of using this technique to deal with difficult, angulated landing zones.
Efficient homologous recombination-mediated genome engineering in zebrafish using TALE nucleases

Custom-designed nucleases afford a powerful reverse genetic tool for direct gene disruption and genome modification in vivo. Among various applications of the nucleases, homologous recombination (HR)-mediated genome editing is particularly useful for inserting heterologous DNA fragments, such as GFP, into a specific genomic locus in a sequence-specific fashion. However, precise HR-mediated genome editing is still technically challenging in zebrafish. Here, we establish a GFP reporter system for measuring the frequency of HR events in live zebrafish embryos. By co-injecting a TALE nuclease and GFP reporter targeting constructs with homology arms of different size, we defined the length of homology arms that increases the recombination efficiency. In addition, we found that the configuration of the targeting construct can be a crucial parameter in determining the efficiency of HR-mediated genome engineering. Implementing these modifications improved the efficiency of zebrafish knock-in generation, with over 10% of the injected F0 animals transmitting gene-targeting events through their germline. We generated two HR-mediated insertion alleles of sox2 and gfap loci that express either superfolder GFP (sfGFP) or tandem dimeric Tomato (tdTomato) in a spatiotemporal pattern that mirrors the endogenous loci. This efficient strategy provides new opportunities not only to monitor expression of endogenous genes and proteins and follow specific cell types in vivo, but it also paves the way for other sophisticated genetic manipulations of the zebrafish genome.
Conjuring clean energy: exposing green assumptions in media and academia

Purpose – This research presents uncomfortable questions about the viability of alternative energy technologies, which arise during economic contraction and degrowth but are scarcely addressed within media and academia. Design/methodology/approach – The author identifies and graphically illustrates differences between media expectations for renewable energy production versus energy reduction strategies. The author contrasts green energy expectations with material factors to develop unasked questions about potential: urban myths (e.g. solar cells are made from sand), assumptions (e.g. alternative energy is of comparable quality to fossil fuel energy and can offset its use), strategic ignorance (e.g. solar cost drops reflect Moore’s law), and trained incapacity (e.g. solar and wind energy is low- or zero-carbon). Findings – Compared to energy reduction coverage, journalists cover energy production using 1) more character-driven storytelling, 2) about twice the promising language, and 3) far more references ...
The Unfolded Protein Response in Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Mutant superoxide dismutase type 1 (MTSOD1) is thought to cause ∼20% of cases of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) because it misfolds and aggregates. Previous studies have shown that MTSOD1 accumulates inside the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and activates the unfolded protein response (UPR), suggesting that ER stress is involved in the pathogenesis of FALS. We used a genetic approach to investigate the role of the UPR in FALS. We crossed G85RSOD1 transgenic mice with pancreatic ER kinase haploinsufficient (PERK(+/-)) mice to obtain G85R/PERK(+/-) mice. PERK(+/-) mice carry a loss of function mutation of PERK, which is the most rapidly activated UPR pathway, but have no abnormal phenotype. Compared with G85R transgenic mice, G85R/PERK(+/-) mice had a dramatically accelerated disease onset as well as shortened disease duration and lifespan. There was also acceleration of the pathology and earlier MTSOD1 aggregation. A diminished PERK response accelerated disease and pathology in G85R transgenic mice presumably because the mice had a reduced capacity to turn down synthesis of misfolded SOD1, leading to an early overloading of the UPR. The results indicate that the UPR has a significant influence on FALS, and suggest that enhancing the UPR may be effective in treating ALS.
Polyketones and polysulfones for conservation in the ethylene polymer market

Abstract A series of ethylene-carbon monoxide copolymers have been prepared by chemical catalysis and Co-60 gamma radiation induction, ranging in carbon monoxide content from 41 to 49%. A correlation has been established between the method of preparation, the carbon monoxide content of the copolymers and the mechanical properties of the resulting products. Present evaluations indicate that copolymers containing ≈ 50% carbon monoxide prepared by CO-60 gamma induction have significantly improved mechanical properties over copolymers prepared by conventional chemical free-radical catalysis. Based on these results, it is suggested that further experimentation be conducted in radiation-induced copolymerization especially with the use of electron beam machines presently available to industry.
“She’s Not a Low-Class Dirty Girl!”: Sex Work in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam:

Turning to Vietnam’s contemporary sex industry, this article complicates existing frameworks of global sex work by analyzing a sex industry in a developing economy where not all women are poor or exploited and where white men do not always command the highest paying sector of sex work. Drawing on seven months of field research between 2006 and 2007, I provide a systematic classed analysis of both sides of client—worker relationships in three racially and economically diverse sectors of Ho Chi Minh City’s (HCMC’s) global sex industry: a low-end sector that caters to poor local Vietnamese men, a mid-tier sector that caters to white backpackers, and a high-end sector that caters to overseas Vietnamese (Viet Kieu) men. I illustrate how sex workers and clients draw on different economic, cultural, and bodily resources to enter into different sectors of HCMC’s stratified sex industry. Moreover, I argue that sex work is an intimate relationship best illustrated by the complex intermingling of money and intimacy....
Authoritarian Institutions and the Survival of Autocrats

Why do some autocrats survive for decades, and others fall soon after taking power? The authors argue that when authoritarian rulers need to solicit the cooperation of outsiders or deter the threat...
Instability and change detection in exponential families and generalized linear models, with a study of Atlantic tropical storms

Abstract. Exponential family statistical distributions, including the well-known normal, binomial, Poisson, and exponential distributions, are overwhelmingly used in data analysis. In the presence of covariates, an exponential family distributional assumption for the response random variables results in a generalized linear model. However, it is rarely ensured that the parameters of the assumed distributions are stable through the entire duration of the data collection process. A failure of stability leads to nonsmoothness and nonlinearity in the physical processes that result in the data. In this paper, we propose testing for stability of parameters of exponential family distributions and generalized linear models. A rejection of the hypothesis of stable parameters leads to change detection. We derive the related likelihood ratio test statistic. We compare the performance of this test statistic to the popular normal distributional assumption dependent cumulative sum (Gaussian CUSUM) statistic in change detection problems. We study Atlantic tropical storms using the techniques developed here, so to understand whether the nature of these tropical storms has remained stable over the last few decades.
Digital video libraries and the Internet

Digital video libraries are positioned to be a major driving application for the Next Generation Internet Initiative. Likewise, the advancements in the communications infrastructure will be of great benefit to digital video libraries. This report investigates some of the recent technologies for handling video in digital video libraries and reviews the NGII's planned advancements in network communications technologies in order to examine their impact on deploying digital video libraries on the Internet.
Integrating complex genomic datasets and tumour cell sensitivity profiles to address a 'simple' question: which patients should get this drug?

It is becoming increasingly apparent that cancer drug therapies can only reach their full potential through appropriate patient selection. Matching drugs and cancer patients has proven to be a complex challenge, due in large part to the substantial molecular heterogeneity inherent to human cancers. This is not only a major hurdle to the improvement of the use of current treatments but also for the development of novel therapies and the ability to steer them to the relevant clinical indications. In this commentary we discuss recent studies from Kuo et al., published this month in BMC Medicine, in which they used a panel of cancer cell lines as a model for capturing patient heterogeneity at the genomic and proteomic level in order to identify potential biomarkers for predicting the clinical activity of a novel candidate chemotherapeutic across a patient population. The findings highlight the ability of a 'systems approach' to develop a better understanding of the properties of novel candidate therapeutics and to guide clinical testing and application.
Hormonal Regulation of Protein Metabolism in Relation to Nutrition and Disease

This paper examines the role of hormones in the normal responses of muscle protein synthesis to nutrient intake and the use of hormones to improve the effects of nutritional therapies in patients with protein-wasting conditions. In growing rats, the increase in muscle protein synthesis after feeding seems to be mediated by the rise in plasma insulin and also by an enhanced sensitivity of the muscle to insulin brought about by the amino acid leucine. In adult rats, however, the responsiveness of muscle to both feeding and insulin is much reduced, suggesting that changes in protein degradation play an important role in the response to feeding. Similarly, in adult humans, muscle protein synthesis is not affected by insulin, but is stimulated by insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and growth hormone (GH). The effect of GH treatment has been studied in a number of different groups of patients suffering from protein wasting, and improvements in nitrogen balance and lean body mass have been reported. In a study of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), however, GH treatment for 2 wk caused a fall in muscle protein synthesis in the patients with wasting, despite an increase in healthy controls, suggesting that the responsiveness of muscle to the hormone may be altered by the stage of the disease.
Criteria for project assignments in multiple-project environments

Project assignment, assigning a project to a project manager, is one of the organization's most strategically important decisions since it is a determinant of the project performance and the organizational performance. Despite its importance, project assignment is not well studied in the literature and it is performed intuitively in practice. By using concepts of case study research, this paper explores project assignment processes in their real-life contexts. Then, the project assignment criteria obtained from the case studies are validated by a panel of experts, following the concepts of the Delphi method. In this paper, some of the research results are presented. In particular, we propose an integrated set of project assignment criteria, including some already proposed in the literature, and others that are new. As part of the criteria, we place a special emphasis on an integrated set of project managers' competencies that is applicable to the current multiple-project environments. In future research, we will use the criteria to build a model for project assignments. The conceptual outline of the model is presented.
Do story agents use rocking chairs? The theory and implementation of one model for computational narrative

Narrative structure models are useful tools for understanding how and why narratives of any medium affect an audience’s level of participation in their role of story reconstruction and understanding. [14] With the advent of the computer comes the potential to negotiate through many such models and variables within models as a means of generating multiple narratives quickly and semi-autonomously. The computational narrative model presented in this paper offers one approach to narrative generation, that of splitting the task into three functional areas: 1) defining an abstract narrative structure; 2) defining a collection and organization of story pieces with some representation of their meaning; and 3) a navigational strategy or reasoning through that collection of story pieces. Agent Stories is a story design and presentation environment for non-linear, multiple-point-ofview cinematic stories. It is designed to be placed in the hands of the non-linear story writer to use as a tool to promote structuring and re-writing of non-linear narratives before and as they are realized in audio and video.
Modulation of the stretch reflex during volitional sinusoidal tracking in Parkinson's disease.

Sinusoidal visually-guided wrist traking, in normal and parkinsonian subjects, was perturbed by torque transients every 90° throughout the movement. Long-latency stretch reflex and volitional EMG amplitude modulations were assessed as functions of the tracking phase. Reflex Modulation during tracking, both in wrist flexor and extensor muscles, was found to differ significantly between parkinsonian and normal subjects. In the Parkinsonian group, the abnormality consisted of an increased reflex activity during tracking phases in which the muscle was lengthening. At these Phases the reflex generated torque is opposite in direction to the volitionally generated torque and the tracking movement. No differences in the unperturbed volitional EMG modulation were observed between groups for this error constrained tracking paradigm. Significant correlations were found between ratings of bradykinesia and the amount of abnormal reflex modulation in the wrist flexor. These data suggest that a component of bradykinesia results from a defective coordination of supraspinal reflex and volitional control systems.
Acquisition of Marksmanship and Gun Handling Skills through Basic Law Enforcement Training in an American Police Department

In order to evaluate the marksmanship skills and gun handling skills that could be learned through the basic law enforcement firearms course, the skills of 216 inexperienced shooters (185 men and 3...
Remote Measurements of Actinide Species in Aqueous Solutions Using an Optical Fiber Photoacoustic Spectrometer

A photoacoustic spectrometer, equipped with an 85 meter optical fiber, was used to perform absorption measurements of lanthanide and actinide samples, located in a glovebox. The spectrometer was tested using aqueous solutions of praseodymium and americium ions; the sensitivity for remote measurements was found to be similar to that achieved in the laboratory without the fiber. 14 refs., 3 figs.
Selective radiation-induced generation of 2-deoxyribonolactone lesions in DNA mediated by aromatic iodonium derivatives.

Abstract Roginskaya, M. and Razskazovskiy, Y. Selective Radiation-Induced Generation of 2-Deoxyribonolactone Lesions in DNA Mediated by Aromatic Iodonium Derivatives. Radiat. Res. 171, 342–348 (2009). 2-Deoxyribonolactone lesions were identified as major products of radiation damage to DNA mediated by o,o′-diphenyleneiodonium cations in a hydroxyl radical-scavenging environment. The highest selectivity toward deoxyribonolactone formation (up to 86% of all sugar-phosphate damages) and the overall reaction efficiency (up to 40% of all radiation-generated intermediates converted into products) was displayed by derivatives with positively charged (2-aminoethylthio)acetylamino and (2-aminoethylamino)acetylamino side chains. The reaction can be useful for random single-step incorporation of deoxyribonolactone lesions into single- and double-stranded oligonucleotides and highly polymerized DNA directly in commonly used buffers (PBS, phosphate, Tris-HCl, etc.) at room temperature. In combination with HPLC separat...
Resistance to the Ug99 Race Group of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici in Wheat-Intra/intergeneric Hybrid Derivatives.

New races of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, the causal agent of stem rust, threaten global wheat production. In particular, races belonging to the Ug99 race group significantly contribute to yield loss in several African nations. Genetic resistance remains the most effective means of controlling this disease. A collection of 546 wheat–intra- and intergeneric hybrids developed by W. J. Sando (United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD) was screened with eight races of P. graminis f. sp. tritici, including races TTKSK, TTKST, TTTSK, TRTTF, TTTTF, TPMKC, RKQQC, and QTHJC. There were 152 accessions resistant to one or more races and 29 accessions resistant to TTKSK, TTKST, and TTTSK. Of these 29 accessions, 9 were resistant to all races, 14 had infection type patterns that were indistinguishable from cultivars possessing Sr9h and Sr42, 2 were indistinguishable from accessions with SrTmp, and 4 did not display resistant patterns of accessions with any known Sr gene. Three accessions (604981, 60...
My Best Informant's Dress: The Erotic Equation in Fieldwork

"Aren't there any anthropologist jokes?" asked a doctor friend of my mother's, who had just entertained a table of lunch buddies at their retirement community with a series of doctor gags. To my mother's disappointment, I couldn't think of even one. I do have a poor memory for jokes, but a quick survey of my peers revealed that we are not given to either wit or thigh-slapping when it comes to the practice of our trade. The only anthropologist to deliver was my friend and former mentor David Schneider, who came up with this one: "A postmodern anthropologist and his informant' are talking; finally the informant says, 'Okay, enough about you, now let's talk about me.' "2 Retelling this joke I realized one reason it struck me as funny was its similarity to a recent television ad. A young man and woman, postmodern looking in their tight black clothes and spiked hair, are chatting at a party, and she says to him, "Okay, now let's talk about you; what do you think of my dress?" Not only did Schneider's joke suggest a certain absurdity in the so-called reflexivity discourse, but its kinship with the suggestive commercial inspired me to wonder why the postmodern scrutiny of the relation between informant, researcher, and text is limited to who is talking or even what is said. What else is going on between fieldworker and informant? Is "the romance of anthropology" only a manner of speaking? In their germinal article contrasting postmodernism and feminism in anthropology, Frances E. Mascia-Lees et al. "see a romantic yearning to know the 'other' " behind the reflexive "turn" (1989:25-26). But, rather than leading on to the obvious erotic possibilities, they circle back within the metaphor:
Dietary protein and the control of fatty acid synthesis in rat adipose tissue

Fatty acid synthesis in adipose tissue normally proceeds at a high rate when fasted animals are refed a diet containing carbohydrate, protein, and low levels of fat. This study investigated the effect of omitting protein from the refeeding diet. Rats were fasted for 48 hr and refed either a protein-free diet or a balanced diet, and the rate of fatty acid synthesis from glucose, pyruvate, lactate, and aspartate was measured. Refeeding the animals a diet devoid of protein resulted in a low rate of fatty acid synthesis from each of these substrates as well as a reduction in carbon flow over the citrate cleavage pathway. The activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, NADP-malate dehydrogenase, and ATP-citrate lyase were also reduced in epididymal fat pads from these rats. On the other hand, adipose tissue phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity was five times as great as that in tissue from animals refed a balanced diet. This difference could be eliminated if actinomycin D was injected coincident with refeeding. Refeeding rats diets high in carbohydrate is not, therefore, capable of inducing high rates of fatty acid synthesis in adipose tissue in the absence of dietary proteins. Thus, liver and adipose tissue respond differently to dietary protein.
Comprehensive evaluation of thyrotropinomas: single-center 20-year experience.

To present a single-center 20-year experience with operated thyrotropinomas, including prevalence, clinical, biochemical and histological characteristics, and postoperative outcomes. Retrospective series of histopathologically-proven thyrotropinomas (1993–2013), divided in two groups: A (active, central hyperthyroidism) and B (silent, no hyperthyroidism). Of 1628 operated pituitary adenomas, 20 were β-TSH-positive (1.2 %). In increments of 5 years, proportion of thyrotropinomas was 1, 1, 0.04 and 1.77 % respectively. Median follow-up was 10.4 months (1.2–150). Group A: 6 patients (5 men), age 41 ± 12 years presented with hyperthyroidism (3), pituitary incidentaloma (2) and acromegaly (1). Tumor diameter was 2.1 ± 1.2 cm, FT4 2.68 ± 2.73 ng/dL; TSH 6.50 ± 3.68 µIU/mL. Glycoprotein alpha subunit (GSU) was uniformly elevated. Two patients had biochemical evidence of acromegaly. Tumors were plurihormonal (5 GH-positive); none atypical. Postoperative euthyroidism was achieved in 4 of 6 patients (66 %). Group B: 14 patients (7 men), age 47 ± 14 years presented with acromegaly (6), mass effect (4), incidentaloma (3) and galactorrhea (1). Tumor diameter was 2.0 ± 1.0 cm. Free T4 (1.00 ± 0.24 ng/dL) and TSH (2.02 ± 1.65 mIU/L) were lower than in group A (p < 0.01). GSU was elevated in all tested cases. Nine patients had biochemical evidence of acromegaly. Tumors were plurihormonal (12 GH-positive); none atypical. Gross total resection was achieved in 12 of 14 (86 %), and 1 (7 %) recurred. In our series, more thyrotropinomas were operated in recent years. These tumors were often plurihormonal with heterogenous clinical presentation and frequent GH co-secretion. Surgical outcomes were good but long-term follow up is necessary.
A New Cladonia from California

Abstract Cladonia lacryma sp. nov., a previously overlooked species from north coastal California and adjacent Oregon, is characterized by the teardrop-like shape of its podetium. The unusual shape develops when the indistinct, immature cup is deformed by the vertical growth of a single proliferation along its margin. Cladonia lacryma is similar to other species in section Cladonia, which are characterized by closed cups and the presence of fumarprotocetraric acid. The pattern of growth dynamics of C. lacryma suggests its affinity with C. prolifica, which grows on similar soil types in California.
beta-deuterium kinetic isotope effects in the purine nucleoside phosphorylase reaction

1. [2'-2H]Inosine was made from inosine by tetraisopropyldisiloxanyl protection of the 3'- and 5'-positions, oxidation with dimethyl sulphoxide and acetic anhydride, immediate NaB2H4 reduction of the oxo sugar product and inversion at C-2' of the resultant protected [2'-2H]arabino-inosine by trifluoromethanesulphonylation and reaction with caesium propionate, followed by deprotection. 2. The equilibrium-perturbation technique was used to measure beta 2H(V/K) for phosphorolysis of this compound by the purine nucleoside phosphorylase of Escherichia coli as a function of pH. 3. The pH variation indicates an intrinsic effect of 1.068 masked by isotopically silent steps near the pH optimum. 4. The similar pH variation of these beta-deuterium effects and the alpha-deuterium effects measured previously [Stein & Cordes (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 767-772; Lehikoinen, Sinnott & Krenitsky (1989) Biochem. J. 257, 355-359] for this reaction provides the first experimental reassurance for the common assumption that pH changes merely mask and unmask the chemical steps in an enzyme-catalysed reaction, and do not detectably alter transition-state structure. 5. The dihedral angle between the C-H-2' bond and the electron-deficient p-orbital at the transition state is in the range 32-48 degrees, in accord with an essentially planar furanose ring.
Long-Chain Polysulfide Retention at the Cathode of Li–S Batteries

Lithium–sulfur batteries present a complex interconnected chemistry where the three components—anode, electrolyte, and cathode—strongly interact with each other. One of the main issues associated with these interactions is the dissolution in the electrolyte solution of part of the sulfur reduction products (mainly long-chain polysulfides) during the discharge reactions at the cathode. These dissolved species can migrate and react at the anode surface producing undesired insulating films. A potential solution to mitigate this problem is to resort to additional materials which can act as anchors of the soluble species thus avoiding their migration. Density functional theory and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations are employed to investigate the ability of certain substrates to retain long-chain polysulfides (Li2S6 and Li2S8) at their surfaces in the presence of a pure solvent or a lithiated solution. Nanopores of graphene are first tested because the cathode is usually a mix of sulfur and carbon. Then,...
Differentiation between Vitamin B4 Deficiency and “Encephalomalacia”in Growing Chicks:

We1 described a deficiency disease in growing White Leghorn chicks which was corrected by concentrates of Reader's vitamin B4. The main symptoms described were lack of growth and incoordination which resulted in extreme difficulty in locomotion. Accompanying the lack of coordination of the muscles and disturbed gait was a tendency of the bird to fall upon its side with the legs in tension and pulled against the abdomen. Examination of the brains of a number of the deficient birds revealed gross lesions in the cerebrum and degeneration which could be observed histologically in both the cerebrum and cerebellum. At that time we stated that the condition encountered was probably the same as that observed in chicks by Pappenheimer and Goettsch2 and designated by them as an “encephalomalacia”. This conclusion was based largely on the histological preparations of the tissues from our animals with the comparison of the histological preparations of the tissues from our animals with the histological results of Papp...
Helium ion beam lithography (HIBL) using HafSOx as the resist

Helium ion beam lithography (HIBL) is a novel alternative lithographic technique with the capacity of fabricating highresolution and high-density features. Only limited research has been performed exploring HIBL to date. HafSOx (Hf(OH)4–2x−2y(O2)x(SO4)y·qH2O) is a negative-tone inorganic resist that is one of several candidate resist materials for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) and e-beam lithography (EBL), and has been demonstrated to show high resolution, moderate sensitivity and low line-edge roughness (LER) in both EUVL and EBL. To date, no ion beam lithography work on HafSOx has been reported. In this study, we tested HafSOx as an HIBL resist and achieved a high sensitivity compared with EBL with a turn-on dose D100 ~ 2-4 μC/cm2. We obtained sub-10 nm line widths with low LER. A simple Monte Carlo simulation suggests that ionizing excitation accounts for most of the incident He ions’ energy loss.
Flowfield Analysis in T-Junction Microchannel With Bubble Formations

Rapid fluid mixing phenomenon in microchannels offers significant advantages in lab-on-chip testing, drug preparations, micro-assay, and micro-combustor applications. Development of new materials for microchannels and advances in micro fabrication techniques continue to aid fluid mixing research that is vital to microfludic applications. Due to the need for low cost and biocompatibility, polymers began to play important role in design of micromixers. Recently, a number of methods and devices are designed to enhance mixing at the microscale [1–3]. A novel idea of introducing bubbles into two mixing streams with three mixing chambers downstream is tested by means of experiments [3]. The interaction among the bubbles in the mixing chamber results in the stretching and folding of the laminar flow interface leading to a rapid chaotic mixing in short period of time. However, the physics of recirculation zones, bubble formation, and bubble fragmentation must be fully understood in order to design efficient micromixers using this technique. The objective of the present work is to numerically study the formation of recirculation zones, bubble formation, and bubble break-up in microchannels. Numerical calculations were performed with finite volume CFD code ANSYS Fluent. Results obtained with structured grids with about 47,000 grid points. Different gas velocities, liquids velocities and inlet angles were used to investigate the flowfield. Results show that the liquid velocity has a major effect on the circulations inside the channel which impact the formation of the gas bubble. Also, at low liquid velocities, the length of the gas slug is affected by the gas velocity.© 2010 ASME
Biogeography of great basin mammals: Paradigm lost?

Biogeographic relationships of mammals occurring on mountaintops of the Great Basin of western North America are re-examined on the basis of newly acquired information. Contrary to previous indications, a relatively weak pattern is revealed between species richness and island size. The range of species numbers per mountain range varies only by a factor of two, with most islands having between 9 and 13 species, so that a species found on any one island is likely to be found on many, if not all, others. Analyses of species occurrences (nestedness, presence-absence patterns) also do not reveal strong effects of area. Consistent with prior studies, there is no discernible effect of isolation of mountaintops from one another or from putative mainlands; this is explicable from the disproportionate number of mobile woodland species and few sedentary subalpine forms among montane faunas. Although species and populations have disappeared from mountaintops since the late Pleistocene, they involve mostly cold-adapted subalpine species. Biogeographic processes shaping characteristics of modern mountaintop faunas in the Great Basin evidently involve a dynamic interplay between extensive intermountain dispersal and extinction resistance of remaining species. Brown's (1971, 1978) hypothesis, which posits that montane mammals in the Great Basin comprise remnant faunas formed exclusively by extinctions and no colonizations, is not supported.
Abstract A46: Exposure of quercetin, kaempferol and exogenous glutathione on the expression levels of phospho- and total-Akt in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes

Obesity has been reported to be a risk factor for several types of cancer. The Akt pathway or PI3K-Akt pathway is a signal transduction pathway that promotes survival and growth in response to extracellular signals. Key proteins involved are phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt, or Protein Kinase B. Activated Akt mediates downstream responses, including cell survival, growth, proliferation, cell migration and angiogenesis, by phosphorylating a range of intracellular proteins. The effects of the exposure of several doses each of the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol and that of exogenous glutathione (GSH) (at 0, 5 10, 15, 20 and 25 μM doses) for 24 hr on the expression levels of phospho- and total-Akt levels in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were investigated. Phospho-, total-Akt and the expression levels of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, which was used as an internal standard) were assayed by the MILLIPLEX® MAP mates protocol, based on the Luminex® xMAP® technology (Millipore Corp. St. Charles, MI). There were no significant differences in the expression levels of GAPDH for the tested compounds and at the different concentrations. Significant (p Citation Format: William Y. Boadi. Exposure of quercetin, kaempferol and exogenous glutathione on the expression levels of phospho- and total-Akt in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2015 Nov 5-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(12 Suppl 2):Abstract nr A46.
Colorectal cancer screening in an academic center compared to the national average.

AIM: To investigate if the increased emphases on training and education on current colorectal cancer (CRC) screening guidelines has resulted in improved national CRC screening rates in an internal medicine training program, and to determine if the doctor’s post graduate year (PGY) level of training affected CRC screening rates. METHODS: We conducted a cross sectional study of every patient who presented to the outpatient clinic of New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, over the span of six continuous weeks in 2011. A questionnaire was integrated into every patient’s medical interview that helped determine that patient’s current CRC screening status, screening mammography status if applicable, Papanicolaou smear status if applicable, and current pneumococcal vaccination status. At the same time, patient demographics were also obtained. All of the questionnaire data was collected at the end of each medical visit and was compiled by a designated researcher. After all the data points were collected, it was ensured that the patient has been seen by his or her continuity care resident at least twice in the past. Data was then compiled into a secure, encrypted database to then be analyzed by our statistician. RESULTS: Data from 547 consecutive clinic visits were obtained. Of these, we reviewed 483 charts that met all of the inclusion criteria and did not meet the exclusion criteria. The data was then analyzed for differences between PGY levels, patient’s sex, race, and educational level. The study population consisted of 138 men and 345 women. 35 patients were white (7.40%), 174 were black (39.79%) and 264 were Hispanic (55.81%). Our CRC screening rates were: 66% for PGY-1’s, 72% for PGY-2’s and 77% for PGY-3’s. There was no statistical difference noted between the three groups (P ≤ 0.05) or was there any difference sex, insurance status or educational level. Overall CRC screening rate was 72% which was not different from the New York State average (P < 0.05). There was a statistically significant higher rate of CRC screening amongst Hispanics 76% (P = 0.034) and in people within the ages of 70-79, 82% (P = 0.015). CONCLUSION: Patients that are followed by internal medicine residents at our urban outpatient teaching clinic did not receive higher rates of CRC screening nor did rates of screening vary with their PGY level.
Streamlining the triage system for acute myocardial infarction.

The full benefits of thrombolytic therapy can be realized if and only if treatment is delivered as quickly as possible. Streamlining the triage system for acute myocardial infarction not only will increase the numbers of patients treated with thrombolytic therapy, it ultimately will reduce mortality and morbidity from acute myocardial infarction by limiting loss of heart muscle. Reducing the time to treatment, however, is a daunting task, given that both patient and hospital delays contribute to the underutiliza-tion or inefficient use of thrombolytic therapy. In particular, patient delays can be difficult to attenuate, given that human behavior is complex and that designing interventions to change behavior is not only challenging but also expensive. The emergency medical system is the linchpin of an efficient triage system in that it is associated with reduced patient delays as well as reduced treatment delays. In addition, decisions to implement acquisition of electrocardiograms or deliver thrombolytic treatment in the field will be faced by administrators and policy makers in the years to come. Finally, without adequate community support to maintain and improve the triage system, the full benefits of thrombolytic therapy cannot be realized.
Residual Events during Use of CPAP: Prevalence, Predictors, and Detection Accuracy.

Study Objectives:To assess the frequency, severity, and determinants of residual respiratory events during continuous positive airway therapy (CPAP) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as determined ...
Appointing team leads for student software development projects

Team-based software development projects can be an important component of an undergraduate computer science experience. Student teams sometimes fail, however, due to inadequate initiative, communication, and organization. Students used to individual work often do not recognize the extent of the coordination required to get their team operating in tandem, and in many cases may be reluctant to initiate such coordination for fear of appearing "bossy" to their teammates. We attempted to solve some of these problems by appointing a "team lead" to each project team in a pair of junior-level design courses. The role of the team lead was described as an organizer, initiator, meeting planner, and central point of communication with the instructor. The idea was that explicitly designating one group member to monitor project management tasks would improve communication and awareness within the team, while relieving team members of the awkwardness of volunteering themselves. We found that there were a variety of ways that teams interpreted and applied this role, but that on the whole it did in fact result in high-performing teams. Students themselves (in anonymous surveys) reported that their level of communication and awareness of project status was high throughout the semester, and believed that the concept was helpful to their team's performance.
Abstract 4193: Reporter systems to measure dynamics and specificity of targeted cancer therapy

The Precision Medicine Initiative has driven the need for targeted therapy development to increase cancer patient survival. Due to this initiative, developing enhanced methods for measuring the accuracy and specificity of lead compound delivery is critical for moving these compounds through preclinical studies at a more efficient rate. The Experimental and Preclinical Imaging Core at the University of Kansas (epicore.ku.edu) is developing reporter constructs to assist in validating lead compound inhibition of oncogenic targets. Our lentiviral reporter constructs are used to establish stable cell lines that can be used either in vitro or in vivo to ensure optimal target inhibition. Our constructs include promoter reporters as well as 3’ untranslated-region (UTR) reporters to measure either changes in mRNA stabilization or translation by RNA-binding proteins or microRNA target validation. Our goal is to provide reporter constructs that will enable industry and academic institutions to ensure optimal inhibition of signaling pathways targeted by their lead compounds or microRNA-based therapies. Currently, we are constructing stable cancer cell lines that express near-infrared proteins, such as iRFP670, for measuring primary tumor and metastatic growth in vivo. In comparison to luciferase-expressing cell lines, we have found that cells expressing iRFP670 provided a more robust signal and were easier to image without the need for injecting a substrate. New promoter and 3’UTR reporters are being developed using iRFP670 and will be tested in vivo. Citation Format: Rebecca T. Marquez, Liang Xu, Experimental and Preclinical Imaging Core. Reporter systems to measure dynamics and specificity of targeted cancer therapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4193.
Summary of Performance Theory

Performance theory is a part of music theory in its larger understanding. It is not classical music theory, which unfortunately and implicitly focuses on harmony, a miniature part of theoretical topics in music (comprising theory of motives, of rhythms, of tunings, of physical modeling of sound, orchestration, composition, algorithmic composition, representation, etc.).
Abstract 5439: Development of a robust reporter-based T-cell activation assay for bispecific therapeutic antibodies in immunotherapy

Bispecific T-cell Engager (BiTE), which simultaneously targets CD3 on T cells and tumor-associated antigens to recruit cytotoxic T cells to cancer cells, has emerged as a promising immunotherapy approach to treat cancer. Current methods for bispecific antibody potency determination measure T-cell proliferation or cytokine release using primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells. They can be complex and highly variable. Here we report the development of a reporter-based T cell activation assay using two Jurkat cell lines stably expressing luciferase reporter driven by IL-2 promoter or NFAT-response element. Both Jurkat reporter cell lines showed robust reporter signal upon stimulation of crossed-linked CD3 antibody. These cell lines were developed in Thaw-and-Use format and showed similar assay performance as that from the cells fresh-from-culture. When tested with bispecific therapeutic antibody catumaxomab, we showed specific reporter response by co-culturing Jurkat reporter cells with cancer target cells endogenously expressing EpCAM, such as MDB-MA-231 and SK-BR-3 cells. No signal was observed without target cells or with EpCAM negative Raji cells. The assay can measure the relative potency for catumaxomab with good precision. It also can detect changes in biological activity for catumaxomab in stressed stability study, and therefore has appropriate stability-indicating property. In summary, the reporter-based T cell activation assay provides a simple and robust approach to quantitatively measure antibody potency for bispecific antibody. It can potentially serve as a potency bioassay for bispecific therapeutic antibodies during drug development and manufacture. Citation Format: Pete Stecha, Jamison Grailer, Zhi-jie Jey Cheng, Jim Hartnett, Frank Fan, Mei Cong. Development of a robust reporter-based T-cell activation assay for bispecific therapeutic antibodies in immunotherapy. [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 5439. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5439
Direct imaging of small scatterers using reduced time dependent data

We introduce qualitative methods for locating small objects using time dependent acoustic near field waves. These methods have reduced data collection requirements compared to typical qualitative imaging techniques. In particular, we only collect scattered field data in a small region surrounding the location from which an incident field was transmitted. The new methods are partially theoretically justified and numerical simulations demonstrate their efficacy. We show that these reduced data techniques give comparable results to methods which require full multistatic data and that these time dependent methods require less scattered field data than their time harmonic analogs.
Decoding ice sheet behavior using englacial layer slopes

The complex flow fields of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets deform layers deposited as snow at the ice-sheet surface, leaving a record of the regional flow history and/or local transitions in basal boundary conditions within the geometry of ice-sheet layers. Ice-penetrating radar reveals these layers, but interpretations are limited by the challenges of quantitatively and reproducibly comparing observations with model output. We present a conceptual framework that relates along-track reflector slope to gradients in the steady-state velocity field of ice sheets. This method makes effective use of englacial reflectors in regions where it is challenging to image continuous layers, and avoids the error propagation inherent to tracer-transport methods, developing the potential for formal radar data assimilation in future modeling studies. We apply our method to radar data collected at the grounding line of Whillans Ice Stream, where enhanced bed-friction produces characteristic reflector slopes reproducible using a higher-order ice flow model.
Quantitative contrast-enhanced CT attenuation evaluation of osseous metastases following chemotherapy

Purpose Osseous metastases often undergo an osteoblastic healing response following chemotherapy. The purpose of our study was to demonstrate the quantitative CT changes in attenuation of osseous metastases before and after chemotherapy. Materials and methods Our study was IRB approved and HIPAA compliant. Our cohort consisted of 86 consecutive cancer patients with contrast-enhanced CTs before and 14 ± 2 (12-25) months after initiation of chemotherapy (60 ± 11 years, 36 males, 50 females). The average and maximum metastasis attenuations were measured in Hounsfield units (HU) by two readers. Treatment effects were assessed using paired t-tests and Fisher exact tests. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated. Patient records were reviewed to determine the patient's clinical status (worse, unchanged, or improved) at the time of follow-up CT. Results The distribution of lesion types was as follows: lytic (30/86, 35%), blastic (43/86, 50%), and mixed lytic-blastic (13/86, 15%). There was a significant increase in average and maximum CT attenuation of metastases following chemotherapy for all patients, which remained statistically significant when stratified by lesion type, clinical status (worsening or improving/stable), cancer type (breast, lung), and radiation therapy (P Conclusion Quantitative assessment of osseous metastatic disease using CT attenuation measurements demonstrated a statistically significant increase in attenuation more than 12 months after initiation of chemotherapy.
Sport parent sideline behavior: An ecological model

Youth sport has the potential to provide numerous psychological, physical, and social benefits, however with high dropout rates (participation decreases by about 20% between 10-15 years old according to Active Healthy Kids Canada, 2014) not all children have the opportunity to receive these benefits. The overall climate of youth sport can contribute to dropout (Hedstrom & Gould, 2004) and adult involvement in youth sport is part of shaping that climate. One adult group that influences children's sport experience and the overall climate of youth sport is parents, who provide various types of support but can also negatively influence the climate through their behavior on the sidelines. Using Bronfrenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (1977), the purpose of this poster is to outline what is known about sport parent sideline behavior and build a model that identifies gaps in current research and frames future studies about sport parent sideline behavior. A database search yielded 21 studies that were used to build the model. From this model, it is clear that the perspective of the parent is not often considered and therefore future research about parental preferences for sideline behavior, including whether these preferences are influenced by personal or situational factors, is proposed. Specifically, gender and previous sport experience are personal factors that need to be examined and the situational factors of type of sport, the stakes, and type of occurrence on the playing field are factors that need to be considered simultaneously in a large scale study.