cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wide-QRS tachycardia immediately after aortic valve replacement.

A 49-year-old man with morbid obesity (6′5″, 360 lbs), diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and a history of systemic arterial hypertension had an aortic valve replacement for severe stenosis (aortic valve area, 0.9 cm2) with exertional dyspnea and left ventricular hypertrophy on echocardiogram. Immediately after operation an electrocardiogram was recorded (Figure ​(Figure11). The electrocardiogram shows a regular tachycardia at a rate of 110 beats/min with a wide QRS (0.17 s duration) and a left-bundle-branch-block configuration: broad and notched or slurred R waves are present in leads aVL, V5, V6 without Q waves in these leads, and the peak of the R wave in lead V6 is prolonged to 0.07 s (1). In addition, wide QS waves in leads V1, V2 have a time from the onset of the QS to the nadir of 0.06 s and no notch on the downslope of the QS (2). No definite P waves are visible. Figure 1 Electrocardiogram recorded immediately after aortic valve replacement. See text for explication. Is this ventricular tachycardia or a supraventricular tachycardia with left bundle branch block? If the latter, what kind of supraventricular tachycardia is it? A preoperative electrocardiogram did not show left bundle branch block but did show a long P-R interval and left ventricular hypertrophy (Figure ​(Figure22) (3). Figure 2 The last preoperative electrocardiogram before aortic valve replacement was recorded 3 weeks before operation. It showed sinus rhythm at a rate of 99 beats/min, a long P-R interval (0.23 s), a QRS duration at the upper limit of normal (0.11 s), and QRS ... Although ventricular tachycardias often have QRSs resembling left bundle branch block, the morphology rarely is typical (2). Thus, the perfect left bundle branch block in this patient suggests a supraventricular tachycardia with the new onset of left bundle branch block, which could be rate related and/or due to temporary or permanent damage to the left bundle branch during removal of the patient's heavily calcified bicuspid aortic valve and its replacement with a 29-mm St. Jude mechanical prosthesis. The most common regular supraventricular tachycardia, especially at a rate of 110 beats/min, is sinus tachycardia, and because of a long P-R interval, the sinus P waves are buried in the preceding T waves. This suspicion is confirmed by daily electrocardiograms that show progressive separation of the sinus P waves from the preceding T waves (Figure ​(Figure33). Thus, in this and other patients, sinus tachycardia with new or old bundle branch block is the cause of a regular wide-QRS tachycardia that may masquerade as ventricular tachycardia. Figure 3 An electrocardiogram on the third postoperative day clearly shows sinus P waves as negative deflections at the end of the preceding T waves in lead V1 and as notches on the downslopes of the preceding T waves in lead II. The P-R interval remains long ...
High performance BiCMOS analog circuit techniques

Basic building blocks for analog BiCMOS circuit design are presented. It is shown that, by combining the nearly infinite input impedance and zero offset switch characteristics of MOS devices with the high transconductance and high current drive capability of bipolar devices, high-performance analog BiCMOS circuits can be designed. >
New strategies to manage complicated pleural effusions.

Rahman NM, Maskell NA, West A, Teoh R, Arnold A, Mackinlay C, Peckham D, Davies CW, Ali N, Kinnear W, Bentley A, Kahan BC, Wrightson JM, Davies HE, Hooper CE, Lee YC, Hedley EL, Crosthwaite N, Choo L, Helm EJ, Gleeson FV, Nunn AJ, Davies RJ: N Engl J Me d 2011, 365: 518-26. PMID: 21830966, available on www.pubmed. gov More than 30% of patients with pleural infection either die or require surgery. Drainage of infected fluid is the key to successful treatment, but intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy did not improve outcomes in an earlier, large, randomized trial therapy (Multicenter Intrapleural Sepsis Trial [MIST1]). Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intrapleural DNase alone, alteplase alone, or the combination of both, to improve pleural drainage. Design: Multicenter, double-blind, double-dummy, 2 × 2 factorial randomized trial. Setting: Eleven centers in the United Kingdom (UK). Subjects: Adult patients (mean age 59 years, 72% men), who had clinical evidence of infection, and pleural fluid that had macroscopic purulence, a positive culture or Gram stain for bacteria, or a pH < 7.2. Intervention: Patients were assigned to 1 of the 4 study interventions for 3 days: double placebo, intrapleural tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and DNase, t-PA and placebo, or DNase and placebo. Outcomes: The primary outcome was the change in pleural opacity, measured as the percentage of the hemithorax occupied by effusion, on chest radiography on day 7 as compared with day 1. Secondary outcomes included referral for surgery, duration of hospital stay, and adverse events. The mean (± SD) change in pleural opacity was greater in the t-PA-DNase group than in the placebo group (-29.5 ± 23.3% vs. -17.2 ± 19.6%; difference, -7.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -13.4 to -2.4; P = 0.005). The change observed with t-PA alone and with DNase alone (-17.2 ± 24.3 and -14.7 ± 16.4%, respectively) was not significantly different from that observed with placebo. The frequency of surgical referral at 3 months was lower in the t-PA-DNase group than in the placebo group (2 of 48 patients [4%] vs. 8 of 51 patients [16%]; odds ratio for surgical referral, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.87; P = 0.03) but was greater in the DNase group (18 of 46 patients [39%]) than in the placebo group (odds ratio, 3.56; 95% CI, 1.30 to 9.75; P = 0.01). Combined t-PA-DNase therapy was associated with a reduction in the hospital stay, as compared with placebo (difference, -6.7 days; 95% CI, -12.0 to -1.9; P = 0.006). Hospital stay with either agent alone was not significantly different from that with placebo. The frequency of adverse events did not differ significantly among the groups. Intrapleural t-PA-DNase therapy improved fluid drainage in patients with pleural infection and reduced the frequency of surgical referral and the duration of hospital stay. Treatment with DNase alone or t-PA alone was ineffective.
Proposed Revision to the Existing Specialty and Specialist Certification Framework for Pharmacy Practitioners

Consistent with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy's vision that future clinical pharmacy practitioners who provide direct patient care should be board-certified specialists, a new framework for pharmacist specialty board certification is proposed. This White Paper describes the current and projected needs of the pharmacy profession regarding board certification, provides a rationale for the new framework, and discusses the potential ramifications of changes in the current board-certification process.
Pilot performance with predictive system status information

Research has shown a strong pilot preference for predictive information of aircraft system status in the flight deck. However, the benefits of predictive information have not been quantitatively demonstrated. The study described here attempted to identify and quantify these benefits if they existed. In this simulator experiment, three types of predictive information (none, whether a parameter was changing abnormally, and the time for a parameter to reach an alert range) and four initial times to an alert (1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, and ETA+45 minutes) were found to affect when subjects accomplished certain actions, such as accessing pertinent checklists, declaring emergencies, diverting, and calling the flight attendant and dispatch.
Open woodland and savanna decline in a mixed-disturbance landscape (1938 to 1998) in the Northwest Wisconsin (USA) Sand Plain

Our research illustrates how a landscape mosaic changes in association with a mixed natural-anthropogenic disturbance history. Our study area is the Northwest Wisconsin (USA) Sand Plain (NWSP), a region with a rich disturbance history including fire, insects and clearcut forestry. We integrated historic airphotos from 1938, 1960, 1980 and 1998 within a GIS to describe change among four landcover classes describing a canopy-closure gradient: closed forests, woodlands, savannas and “open barrens”. Our work addresses two literature needs: empirical studies of mixed-disturbance landscapes, and nonforest habitats within a forest matrix. Our analysis shows that: the area of open barrens fluctuated, woodlands and savannas declined severely and closed forests increased through time. Falling median patch sizes and other landscape metrics suggest that the woodlands are becoming more fragmented. The landcover transitions driving this change vary according to time and place. The dominant transitions are toward closed forests from all classes, and transitions toward open barrens are also consistently important. The woodlands, savannas and open barrens habitats are mostly comprised of transient patches, persisting for less than 20 years. This contrasts with closed forests that often persist for 40 plus years. These changes are consistent with the disturbance regime that is shifting from fire- to forestry-dominance. Our results show a trend towards landscape simplification, manifest as losses of intermediate-density habitats (woodland and savanna) and shrinking patch sizes. The transient nature of the nonforest habitats shows that disturbance resulting in total or partial canopy removal will be vital for their conservation at a landscape scale.
High Temperature Oxide for NVM Interpoly Dielectric Applications

High quality interpoly dielectrics are required for non-volatile memories (NVM) in order to achieve long term data retention and endurance over many program/erase cycles. LPCVD high temperature oxide (HTO) deposited at 800°C-900°C is investigated for use in oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) interpoly dielectric stacks. HTO allows for reduced thermal budgets, improved conformal coverage at edge features and more flexibility in scaling the ONO stack compared to thermal oxide layers. SIMS and atomic force microscopy results indicate that smooth, high quality films are deposited with a rms roughness of 0.12nm. Etch rates of as-deposited films are lowered 35% following several densification anneals. Field strengths (at 1μA) of 7-8MV/cm and leakage currents in the pA range are measured. Centroid measurements on sressed oxides show traps to be located at the HTO/polysilicon interfaces. Finally, double poly flash memory cells fabricated with ONO stacks containing HTO top oxide show improved field strength and data retention.
Lung Cancer Stigma, Anxiety, Depression, and Quality of Life

This study investigated lung cancer stigma, anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QOL) and validated variable similarities between ever and never smokers. Patients took online self-report surveys. Variable contributions to QOL were investigated using hierarchical multiple regression. Patients were primarily White females with smoking experience. Strong negative relationships emerged between QOL and anxiety, depression and lung cancer stigma. Lung cancer stigma provided significant explanation of the variance in QOL beyond covariates. No difference emerged between smoker groups for study variables. Stigma may play a role in predicting QOL. Interventions promoting social and psychological QOL may enhance stigma resistance skills.
Distributed finite element structural analysis using the client–server model

The paper presents a distributed computing approach for concurrent finite element analysis of truss structures. The client-server model of distributed computation is applied to the plane frame finite element algorithm and implemented on SUN workstations. The remote procedure call combined with the ability to create threads of computation allows one to efficiently implement distributed and concurrent programs. The present approach is demonstrated through a typical truss structure to illustrate the details of the implementation. This approach can be used for very large finite element systems.
Gauge condition and the equal time axial and vector current commutator

Abstract The equal time commutator between the axial and the vector current is related to the longitudinal component of the off mass shell meson production amplitude by a conserved vector field, and an elementary interpretation is given for this result.
IC diagnosis: industry issues

A new failure analysis paradigm is necessary-a shift from hardware-based techniques to software-based methods. The transition is a daunting task because of its complexity. As with other successful practices in microelectronics, including design and testing, it is expected that a suite of software applications will be necessary to thoroughly diagnose complex ICs. These tools should be able to run concurrent with or independent of production testing. When running concurrent with testing, they should be able to provide at least a pareto distribution of the dominant failure modes and mechanisms. Approaches include electrical behavior description using defect classes and high level heuristics compatible with VHDL design tools. It is critical that those working in IC design and test understand the rapidly increasing need for software diagnosis tools and support their development for the semiconductor industry.
Listening to Smoking Researchers: Negative Affect and Drug Abuse Treatment

The work of Baker and his colleagues indicates that a broadened view of withdrawal that recognizes its probable affective bases will suggest new treatment strategies for the treatment of smoking and, by extension, drug dependence This commentary briefly reviews the current status of treating drug dependence by addressing negative affect and emphasizes that clinical research which allows for building more complex models of individual change over time holds promise for clearer understanding of the role of negative affect among drug abusers and thus more effective treatments Although clinical treatments for drug dependence have long recognized the significance of negative affect we are far from a thorough understanding of the role of negative affect in withdrawal, craving, and relapse to drug use
Hats Off to the Tricorn Protease

Cells regulate the destruction of proteins, just as they carefully regulate protein synthesis. Much of the proteolysis of cellular proteins occurs within a cylindrical organelle, the proteasome. Now Tamura et al . (p. 1385 of this issue) report the existence of a second new proteolytic organelle, the tricorn protease, in the bacteria Thermoplasma acidophilum . In their Perspective, Schneider and Hartl compare the structure and function of the proteasome and the tricorn protease.
Performance analysis of message delay limited synchronous communication and queueing systems

Analysis and performance comparisons are presented for synchronous discrete-time queuing systems operating under a message waiting-time or delay-time constraint. Four different system admission and preemption policies are investigated. Under either a wait-time constraint or a delay-time limit, either newly arriving messages are always admitted (and then properly dismissed if their required residence limits are not met) or a determination is made upon arrival on whether the new message can be served to completion within its required time limit, and only then is this message admitted. The delay-throughput performance of these admission and service-preemption policies is investigated and compared for synchronous discrete-time communications and processing systems modeled as a single-server Geom/G/1 discrete-time queuing system. Such models are used to describe various multiplexing and demand-assigned (reservation-based) multiple-access communication network systems operating under message delay limits. >
Early experience with tigecycline for ventilator-associated pneumonia and bacteremia caused by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

Study Objective. To evaluate early experience with tigecycline alone or in combination with other antimicrobials for treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and/or bacteremia caused by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Design. Retrospective case series. Setting. University-affiliated medical center. Patients. Twenty-five patients with multidrug-resistant A. baumannii who received tigecycline for VAP (19 patients), bacteremia (3), or VAP plus bacteremia (3) between September 1, 2005, and May 31, 2006. Five patients were treated with tigecycline alone. Measurements and Main Results. Primary outcomes were resolution of clinical signs and symptoms of the infection and documented microbial eradication of A. baumannii with tigecycline. Overall, 21 (84%) of the 25 patients had clinical resolution. Four had clinical failure: three with VAP and one with VAP plus bacteremia that developed resistance to tigecycline during therapy. Microbial eradication was demonstrated in 12 (80%) of 15 patients in whom repeat cultures were obtained. Three patients with VAP had a recurrence of infection: one patient had two recurrences, and two patients had one recurrence each. All four recurrent episodes led to clinical resolution and microbial eradication. No patients discontinued tigecycline because of adverse events. Conclusion. Tigecycline was effective in most of these 25 patients when used alone or in combination with other antimicrobials for VAP and/or bacteremia caused by multidrug-resistant A. baumannii. The emergence of a resistant strain while one patient was receiving therapy, however, is concerning.
New methods in time-resolved Laue pump–probe crystallography at synchrotron sources

Newly developed methods for time-resolved studies using the polychromatic and in particular the pink-Laue technique, suitable for medium and small-size unit cells typical in chemical crystallography, are reviewed. The order of the sections follows that of a typical study, starting with a description of the pink-Laue technique, followed by the strategy of data collection for analysis with the RATIO method. Novel procedures are described for spot integration, orientation matrix determination for relatively sparse diffraction patterns, scaling of multi-crystal data sets, use of Fourier maps for initial assessment and analysis of results, and least-squares refinement of photo-induced structural and thermal changes. In the calculation of Fourier maps a ground-state structure model, typically based on monochromatic results, is employed as reference, and the laser-ON structure factors for the Fourier summations are obtained by multiplying the reference ground-state structure factors by the square root of the experimental ON/OFF ratios. A schematic of the procedure followed is included in the conclusion section.
Towards privacy-preserving integration of distributed heterogeneous data

More and more applications rely heavily on large amounts of data in the distributed storages collected over time or produced by large scale scientific experiments or simulations. An important fact is that many organizations collect, store, and use various types of information about individuals. In consequence, such data sharing is subject to constraints imposed by privacy of individuals or data subjects as well as data confidentiality of institutions or data providers. Given a query spanning multiple databases, it should be executed transparently and efficiently. And most importantly, the results should not contain individually identifiable information and institutions should not reveal their databases to each other apart from the query results. In this paper, we propose a distributed anonymization protocol that allows independent data providers to build a virtual anonymized database from horizontally partitioned databases, and a secure query protocol that allows clients to query those virtual databases. We also propose a distributed data sharing and integration architecture for querying these distributed heterogeneous and possibly private databases. Our system provides efficient and scalable privacy-preserving query execution interface that integrates data seamlessly and transparently.
Nitric oxide-p38 MAPK signaling stabilizes mRNA through AU-rich element-dependent and -independent mechanisms

Regulation of mRNA stability by p38 MAPK has been linked to adenosine-uridine-rich elements (AURE) within the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of mRNA. Using microarrays, we previously found that AURE-containing mRNA is over-represented among transcripts up-regulated by NO(*), an activator of p38 MAPK. Here, we investigated NO(*)-induced mRNA stabilization of specific AURE-containing genes to determine the sequence specificity and protein-binding interactions associated with this effect. IL-8, TNF-alpha, and p21/Waf1 3'UTRs were inserted into a luciferase (LUC) reporter gene system and found to decrease LUC activity and mRNA half-life in transfected THP-1 cells. The inhibitory effect of these 3'UTRs on LUC expression inversely correlated with the number of AUUUA motifs. Sequence truncation of the IL-8 3'UTR revealed that two segments, one with AURE sites and another without, contributed to mRNA destabilization. NO(*) activation of p38 MAPK increased LUC activity and mRNA half-life for reporter constructs that contained either of these IL-8 3'UTR segments. AURE-dependent and -independent NO(*) effects were blocked by p38 MAPK inhibition, and AURE-dependent effects were also blocked by site-directed mutagenesis of AUUUA sites. Two proteins, HuR and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A0, were identified, which bound to the AURE-containing region of exogenous and endogenous IL-8 mRNA in a NO(*)-p38 MAPK-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that NO(*)-p38 MAPK signaling can stabilize mRNA via AURE-dependent and -independent mechanisms.
High-performance low-complexity image compression

Optimal performance in a data compression scheme is very hard to obtain without inordinate computational complexity. However, there are possibilities of obtaining high performance with low complexity by proper exploitation of the characteristics of the data. Here, we shall concentrate on two recent low complexity algorithms for image compression which exploit data characteristics very efficiently. We shall try to discover principals for realizing high performance with low complexity and explain how these recent algorithms utilize these principles We shall also present image compression result with actual codecs which realize the promise of high compression with low complexity.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Portfolio Choices of Young and Old Active Mutual Fund Managers

We examine the optimal portfolio choices of young and old fund managers in a calibrated dynamic life-cyle model of the active manager’s investment problem. The optimal policies of any manager depend on age, the wealth to labor income ratio, the value of the manager’s private information, and recent past performance relative to the benchmark. While age differences alone (with or without learning) do not generate significant differences in the optimal choices of young and old managers, both age combined with wealth and the introduction of learning have an economically significant effect on optimal managed portfolio choices. Simulations of the optimal managed portfolio returns produces measurable differences in the portfolio returns of young versus old managers when we also condition on either wealth or prior performance.
Disorders of Sphingolipid Metabolism

The last 10 years have witnessed dramatic and accelerating progress in investigations of the group of genetic disorders commonly categorized as lipid storage diseases. Except for a few diseases, including Refsum’s disease and Wolman’s disease, most of the lipid storage diseases involve inborn errors of metabolism of a particular type of complex lipids that are characterized by acylsphingosine as the common building block, hence the name sphingolipidoses. Clinical delineation of individual sphingolipidoses dates back to 1881, when Warren Tay, a British ophthalmologist, first described the characteristic retinal finding of what was to become known later as Tay-Sachs disease.
Would you Want your Daughter to Marry a Marketing Man

The author of this article is not angry. But he is deadly serious in questioning the significance of much of modern marketing.He believes that many aspects of the field of marketing are both irrele...
Tolerance to fluphenazine and supersensitivity to apomorphine in central dopaminergic systems after chronic fluphenazine decanoate treatment

Fluphenazine decanoate was administered chronically to rats on a schedule for which marked tolerance developed to acute fluphenazine effects on several parameters of dopaminergic neuronal function. DOPAC and HVA levels, indicators of dopaminergic activity, were quantitated in terminal areas of the mesocortical, mesolimbic and nigrostriatal systems. With this fluphenazine regimen tolerance developed not only in the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic but also in the mesocortical dopamine system to the elevation of metabolite levels induced by acute fluphenazine administration. Evidence was obtained that tolerance was functional rather than metabolic and was characterized by a large reduction in the accumulation of metabolites which normally follows a challenge dose of fluphenazine. Other experiments suggested that the results were not due to the effects of chronic fluophenazine on the noradrenergic innervation of the cortex and were not explained by altered catabolism or clearance of the dopamine metabolites. During withdrawal from chronic fluphenazine decanoate treatment supersensitivity to apomorphine developed in the striatum. The time courses of the disappearance of apomorphine supersensitivity and of the reversal of tolerance to a fluphenazine challenge were different.
Aluminum content and exposure assessment evaluation in flour food of Shijiazhuang city in 2012

Objective To understand the situation of aluminum pollution in food market in Shijiazhuang city,provide health guidance to Shijiazhuang residents ' healthy diet. Methods To conduct sampling detection for steamed buns,bread,noodles,cake,and baked rolls in supermarkets,farmers market,and roadside booths Detection methods of aluminum elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry,evaluation was conducted according to GB 2762-2005 of aluminum in flour food limited indexes. Results Among 182 food samples,the aluminum content of instant noodles,biscuits,noodles( supermarket) are in line with national health standard; the aluminum content exceed the standard rate is 100% of fried bread stick,the aluminum content exceed the standard rate of 55% of steamed buns,the aluminum content exceed the standard rate of 61. 9% of baked rolls,the aluminum content exceed the standard rate is 17. 6% of cake,the aluminum content exceed the standard rate of 19% of bread. The amount of aluminum intake from the flour food daily:steamed buns of 26. 1 mg,fried bread stick of 227. 4mg,bread of 11. 0mg,baked rolls of 30. 5mg,cake of 27. 6mg,meat balls of 44. 1mg,cookies of 1. 2mg,instant noodles of 1. 0mg,noodles of 1. 8mg. Conclusions The phenomenon of aluminum content exceed the standard has been very common of resident daily consumed flour food in Shijiazhuang city,should pay high attention to the related departments. Suggest using no aluminum compound with raising agent during the process for food processing enterprises,to guarantee people's health.
The proteome of mouse vestibular hair bundles over development

Development of the vertebrate hair bundle is a precisely orchestrated event that culminates in production of a tightly ordered arrangement of actin-rich stereocilia and a single axonemal kinocilium. To understand how the protein composition of the bundle changes during development, we isolated bundles from young (postnatal days P4-P6) and mature (P21-P25) mouse utricles using the twist-off method, then characterized their constituent proteins using liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry with data-dependent acquisition. Using MaxQuant and label-free quantitation, we measured relative abundances of proteins in both bundles and in the whole utricle; comparison of protein abundance between the two fractions allows calculation of enrichment in bundles. These data, which are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002167, will be useful for examining the proteins present in mammalian vestibular bundles and how their concentrations change over development.
Global Interactions in the Early Modern Age, 1400–1800

Introduction: the global integration of space 1. European states and overseas empires 2. Asian states and territorial empires 3. International markets and global exchange networks 4. The movement of peoples and diffusion of cultures 5. The formation of new demographic and ecological structures 6. The transmission of religion and culture Conclusion: the landscapes of an altered world.
Lipid profile in alcohol dependence.

Fifty three patients oj alcohol dependence were studied for lipid profile at Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, A.1.1. M.S. Statistically significant differences were observed on most of lipid profile indicators when compared to control group. Ratio of Apo A-I & Apo B appeared to be better indicator than Apo A1 or Apo B. The findings of the study are discussed in context of other studies from India and other countries.
Chimpanzee energetics, ecology, and evolution

Chimpanzees have the largest relative brain size, greatest reproductive output, and longest lifespan of any non-human ape; they also have the highest level of physical activity in the wild, as measured by daily walking and climbing distances. In this study, we examined variation in total energy expenditure (TEE, kcal/day), body composition, oxidative stress, and physical activity to test whether chimpanzees have evolved metabolic strategies to fuel these evolved changes in ecology, encephalization, and life history. We used the doubly labeled water method to measure TEE and body fat percentage in adult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes, n=27), bonobos (Pan paniscus, n=8), Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla, n=10), and orangutans (Pongo spp., n=11) housed in zoos and sanctuaries. Walking and climbing activity was recorded via direct observation. Oxidative stress was assayed via urinary 8-hydroxy-2' -deoxyguanosine (8OHdG). Chimpanzee metabolic and activity measures were similar to bonobos’ (p>0.05 all comparisons). In comparisons among genera, TEE in Pan was greater than that of Pongo (p<0.01) and trended higher than that of Gorilla (p=0.22) in multiple regression controlling for body size and activity. By contrast, urinary 8-OHdG and percent body fat were lower in Pan than in Gorilla or Pongo (p<0.05) in analyses controlling for age. These results indicate that chimpanzees have evolved an accelerated metabolism while simultaneously decreasing the safety margin against food shortage that body fat provides. We discuss this metabolic acceleration, which appears to predate the chimpanzee-bonobo divergence, and its importance for reconstructing the ecological pressures shaping chimpanzee life history, anatomy, and ranging.
The immunotherapy era of myeloma: monoclonal antibodies, vaccines and adoptive T cell therapies

The treatment of multiple myeloma has evolved significantly over the last decades from primarily alkylator-based chemotherapeutic agents with minimal efficacy to the introduction of more effective agents including immune modulators and proteasome inhibitors, which have changed the landscape of therapy for this disease. We are now entering a new era that will increasingly integrate immunotherapy into standard treatment. This review discusses the current immune-based strategies currently approved, as well as various immune approaches being actively investigated including monoclonal antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, vaccines, and adoptive T-cell therapies.
SciData: a data model and ontology for semantic representation of scientific data

With the move toward global, Internet enabled science there is an inherent need to capture, store, aggregate and search scientific data across a large corpus of heterogeneous data silos. As a result, standards development is needed to create an infrastructure capable of representing the diverse nature of scientific data. This paper describes a fundamental data model for scientific data that can be applied to data currently stored in any format, and an associated ontology that affords semantic representation of the structure of scientific data (and its metadata), upon which discipline specific semantics can be applied. Application of this data model to experimental and computational chemistry data are presented, implemented using JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data. Full examples are available at the project website (Chalk in SciData: a scientific data model. http://stuchalk.github.io/scidata/ , 2016).
Influences of Uncertainties and Traffic Scenario Difficulties in a Human-in-the-Loop Simulation

This paper presents a study of how factors such as wind prediction errors and metering delays can influence controller performance and workload in human-in-the-loop simulations. Retired air traffic controllers worked two arrival sectors adjacent to the Atlanta terminal area. The main tasks were to provide safe air traffic operations and deliver the aircraft to the metering fix within ±25 seconds of the scheduled arrival time with the help of provided decision support tools. Analyses explore the potential impact of metering delays and system uncertainties on controller workload and performance. The results suggest that trajectory prediction uncertainties impact safety performance, while metering fix accuracy and workload appear subject to the scenario difficulty.
Grief is the Price We Pay for Love: Mourning, Loss, and Political Action

From the No Papers No Fear Freedom Rides to Ethnic Studies Now! to #sayhername to Black Lives Matter to the battles against the Keystone Pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline the Black Radical Tradition is being invigorated with the proliferation of hyper-local campaigns with a potent national reach. For the past three summers, national organizing conferences dealing with policing, police brutality, mass incarceration, "policing the crisis" and the incredible violence of environmental destruction have brought the conversation of structural violence against black and brown and Native bodies to light again and again. But those of us who have worked with Cedric Robinson are carrying on these fights while also mourning the loss of our beloved teacher and friend. What are the lessons about organizing in the midst of tragedy, loss, and deadly conditions that to be found in the archive of Cedric Robinson's body of work?
Science after school: way cool! A course-based approach to teaching science outreach.

outreach efforts directed toward improving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) literacy are vitally important to ensure that all of our citizens are prepared to fully participate in an increasingly complex and technology-driven world. Attempts to maximize the effectiveness of
Inhibition of human endogenous retrovirus-K by antiretroviral drugs

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are genomic sequences of retroviral origin which were believed to be integrated into germline chromosomes millions of years ago and account for nearly 8% of the human genome. Although mostly defective and inactive, some of the HERVs may be activated under certain physiological and pathological conditions. While no drugs are designed specifically targeting HERVs, there are a panel of antiretroviral drugs designed against the human immunodeficiency virus and approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). We determined if these antiretroviral drugs may also be effective in inhibiting HERVs. We constructed a plasmid with consensus HERV-K sequence for testing the effect of antiretroviral drugs on HERV-K. We first determined the effects of nucleoside and non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors on HERV-K by product enhanced reverse transcription assay. We found that all RT inhibitors could significantly inhibit HERV-K RT activity. To determine the effects of antiretroviral drugs on HERV-K infection and viral production, we pseudotyped HERV-K with VSV-G and used the pseudotyped HERV-K virus to infect HeLa cells. HERV-K production was measured by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. We found that RT inhibitors Abacavir and Zidovudine, and integrase inhibitor Raltegravir could effectively block HERV-K infection and production. However, protease inhibitors were not as effective as RT and integrase inhibitors. In summary, we identified several FDA approved antiretroviral drugs that can effectively inhibit HERV-K. These antiretrovirals may open new prospects for studying HERV-K pathophysiology and potentially for exploring treatment of diseases in which HERV-K has been implicated.
H2S-induced S-sulfhydration of lactate dehydrogenase a (LDHA) stimulates cellular bioenergetics in HCT116 colon cancer cells

Cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) is upregulated and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production is increased in colon cancer cells. The functional consequence of this response is stimulation of cellular bioenergetics and tumor growth and proliferation. Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) is also upregulated in various colon cancer cells and has been previously implicated in tumor cell bioenergetics and proliferation. In the present study, we sought to determine the potential interaction between the H2S pathway and LDH activity in the control of bioenergetics and proliferation of colon cancer, using the colon cancer line HCT116. Low concentrations of GYY4137 (a slow-releasing H2S donor) enhanced mitochondrial function (oxygen consumption, ATP production, and spare respiratory capacity) and glycolysis in HCT116 cells. SiRNA-mediated transient silencing of LDHA attenuated the GYY4137-induced stimulation of mitochondrial respiration, but not of glycolysis. H2S induced the S-sulfhydration of Cys163 in recombinant LDHA, and stimulated LDHA activity. The H2S-induced stimulation of LDHA activity was absent in C163A LDHA. As shown in HCT116 cell whole extracts, in addition to LDHA activation, GYY4137 also stimulated LDHB activity, although to a smaller extent. Total cellular lactate and pyruvate measurements showed that in HCT116 cells LDHA catalyzes the conversion of pyruvate to lactate. Total cellular lactate levels were increased by GYY4137 in wild-type cells (but not in cells with LDHA silencing). LDHA silencing sensitized HCT116 cells to glucose oxidase (GOx)-induced oxidative stress; this was further exacerbated with GYY4137 treatment. Treatment with low concentrations of GYY4137 (0.3mM) or GOx (0.01U/ml) significantly increased the proliferation rate of HCT116 cells; the effect of GOx, but not the effect of GYY4137 was attenuated by LDHA silencing. The current report points to the involvement of LDHA in the stimulatory effect of H2S on mitochondrial respiration in colon cancer cells and characterizes some of the functional interactions between LDHA and H2S-stimulated bioenergetics under resting conditions, as well as during oxidative stress.
Urology Residents' Experience and Attitude Toward Surgical Simulation: Presenting our 4-Year Experience With a Multi-institutional, Multi-modality Simulation Model

Objective To evaluate the Urological resident's attitude and experience with surgical simulation in residency education using a multi-institutional, multi-modality model. Materials and Methods Residents from 6 area urology training programs rotated through simulation stations in 4 consecutive sessions from 2014 to 2017. Workshops included GreenLight photovaporization of the prostate, ureteroscopic stone extraction, laparoscopic peg transfer, 3-dimensional laparoscopy rope pass, transobturator sling placement, intravesical injection, high definition video system trainer, vasectomy, and Urolift. Faculty members provided teaching assistance, objective scoring, and verbal feedback. Participants completed a nonvalidated questionnaire evaluating utility of the workshop and soliciting suggestions for improvement. Results Sixty-three of 75 participants (84%) (postgraduate years 1-6) completed the exit questionnaire. Median rating of exercise usefulness on a scale of 1-10 ranged from 7.5 to 9. On a scale of 0-10, cumulative median scores of the course remained high over 4 years: time limit per station (9; interquartile range [IQR] 2), faculty instruction (9, IQR 2), ease of use (9, IQR 2), face validity (8, IQR 3), and overall course (9, IQR 2). On multivariate analysis, there was no difference in rating of domains between postgraduate years. Sixty-seven percent (42/63) believe that simulation training should be a requirement of Urology residency. Ninety-seven percent (63/65) viewed the laboratory as beneficial to their education. Conclusion This workshop model is a valuable training experience for residents. Most participants believe that surgical simulation is beneficial and should be a requirement for Urology residency. High ratings of usefulness for each exercise demonstrated excellent face validity provided by the course.
Physiological, molecular and ultrastructural analyses during ripening and over-ripening of banana (Musa spp., AAA group, Cavendish sub-group) fruit suggest characteristics of programmed cell death.

BACKGROUND Programmed cell death (PCD) is a part of plant development that has been studied for petal senescence and vegetative tissue but has not been thoroughly investigated for fleshy fruits. The purpose of this research was to examine ripening and over-ripening in banana fruit to determine if there were processes in common to previously described PCD. RESULTS Loss of cellular integrity (over 40 %) and development of senescence related dark spot (SRDS) occurred after day 8 in banana peel. Nuclease and protease activity in the peel increased during ripening starting from day 2, and decreased during over-ripening. The highest activity was for proteases and nucleases with apparent molecular weights of 86 kDa and 27 kDa, respectively. Images of SRDS showed shrinkage of the upper layers of cells, visually suggesting cell death. Decrease of electron dense areas was evident in TEM micrographs of nuclei. CONCLUSION This study shows for the first time that ripening and over-ripening of banana peel share physiological and molecular processes previously described in plant PCD. SRDS could represent a morphotype of PCD that characterizes a structural and biochemical failure in the upper layers of the peel, thereafter spreading to lower and adjacent layers of cells.
Voluntary binge-like ethanol consumption site-specifically increases c-Fos immunoexpression in male C57BL6/J mice

Abstract The assessment of binge ethanol-induced neuronal activation, using c-Fos immunoreactivity (IR) as a marker of neuronal activity, is typically accomplished via forced ethanol exposure, such as intraperitoneal injection or gavage. Neuronal activity using a voluntary binge-like drinking model, such as “drinking-in-the-dark” (DID), has not been thoroughly explored. Additionally, studies assessing ethanol-elicited neuronal activation may or may not involve stereotaxic surgery, which could impact c-Fos IR. The experiments detailed herein aimed to assess the effects of voluntary binge-like ethanol consumption on c-Fos IR in brain regions implicated in ethanol intake in animals with and without surgery experience. Age-matched male C57BL/6J mice underwent either stereotaxic surgery (Study 1) or no surgery (Study 2). Then, mice experienced one 4-day DID cycle, tail blood samples were collected immediately after test conclusion on day 4, and mice were subsequently sacrificed. In each study, mice that drink ethanol were sorted into those that achieved binge-equivalent blood ethanol concentrations (BECs ≥ 80 mg/dl) versus those that did not. Relative to water-consuming controls, mice with BECs ≥ 80 mg/dl showed significantly elevated c-Fos IR in several brain regions implicated in neurobiological responses to ethanol. In general, the brain regions exhibiting binge-induced c-Fos IR were the same between studies, though differences were noted, highlighting the need for caution when interpreting ethanol-induced c-Fos IR when subjects have a prior history of surgery. Altogether, these results provide insight into the brain regions that modulate binge-like ethanol intake stemming from DID procedures among animals with and without surgery experience.
Psychometric evaluation of the Clinical Stress Questionnaire (CSQ).

The purpose of the Clinical Stress Questionnaire (CSQ) was to assess the appraisal of stress in the clinical experience of nursing students as threatening or challenging. The CSQ consists of a 20-item Likert scale and some open-ended questions. The instrument was administered to 246 female nursing students from 7 different colleges and universities in Pennsylvania after their first day of their medical-surgical clinical experience. Alpha coefficients of .85 and .84 were obtained for the challenge and threat scales, respectively. Factor analysis supported construct validity. A paired T-test indicated that the students were significantly more challenged than threatened. However, the students' comments focused more on the negative aspects of stress and threat.
‘Entry’ of Enveloped Viruses into Liposomes

‘Enveloped’ viruses, e. g., paramyxoviruses, myxoviruses, herpesviruses and human immunodeficiency virus, are viruses which have a membrane surrounding their nucleoprotein. The main function of the membrane of enveloped viruses is to provide a mechanism for entry and exit of the virion (the virus particle). Viral entry into cells comprises viral attachment to receptors, envelopment of the virus by the host, and fusion of viral and host membranes followed by viral disassembly (uncoating), activation of viral enzymes and messenger RNA synthesis. Membrane fusion is part of a continuum of membrane-related steps involved in viral entry and is probably only fully understood in the context of all the steps in viral entry.
Wave Analysis for the Acoustic Microscope

The acoustic microscope, which utilizes focused ultrasound at hundreds of megahertz or even a few gigahertz, can have comparable wavelength and therefore resolution with the optical microscope since the velocity of ultrasound is five orders lower than that of light in fluid media [1, 2]. Since the appearance of the first acoustic microscope [3], extensive research has been devoted to its applications in the nondestructive testing of materials. With this instrument high contrast micrographs can be obtained which contain unique information not available in other imaging tools and the elastic properties of optically opaque materials can be determined. It is particularly suitable for detecting surface and subsurface defects in metal and ceramic materials and for examining integrated circuits and biological cells.
Symmetry, Separation of Variables, and Special Functions

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on symmetry, separation of variables, and special functions. Group theory is a powerful tool that permits derivation of new results and rational classification of old results for functions of hypergeometric type and for all functions obtained through separation of variables. The most important equations of mathematical physics, that is, the wave, Laplace, heat, and free-particle Schrodinger equations, are of class I. Many class II equations arise from class I equations by partial separation of variables. The most important class II equation that does not arise directly from class I is the Schrodinger equation for the two-body Kepler problem. The chapter presents a method that involves the use of the Fourier transform to introduce a Hubert space structure on the solution space of the Helmholtz equation.