cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Addressing Bias in Responder Analysis of Patient-Reported Outcomes

Quantitative patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures ideally are analyzed on their original scales and responder analyses are used to aid the interpretation of those primary analyses. As stated in the FDA PRO Guidance for Medical Product Development (2009), one way to lend meaning and interpretation to such a PRO measure is to dichotomize between values where within-patient changes are considered clinically important and those that are not. But even a PRO scale with a cutoff score that discriminates well between responder and non-responders is fraught with some misclassification. Using estimates of sensitivity and specificity on classification of responder status from a PRO instrument, formulas are provided to correct for such responder misclassification under the assumption of no treatment misclassification. Two case studies from sexual medicine illustrate the methodology. Adjustment formulas on cell counts for responder misclassification are a direct extension of correction formulas for misclassification on disease from a two-way cross-classification table of disease (yes, no) and exposure (yes, no). Unadjusted and adjusted estimates of treatment effect are compared in terms of odds ratio, response ratio, and response difference. In the two case studies, there was considerable underestimation of treatment effect. The methodology can be applied to different therapeutic areas. Limitations of the methodology, such as when adjusted cell estimates become negative, are highlighted. The role of anchor-based methodology is discussed for obtaining estimates of sensitivity and specificity on responder classification. Correction for treatment effect bias from misclassification of responder status on PRO measures can lead to more trustworthy interpretation and effective decision-making. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00343200
Airport Choice in Low Demand Region

Air traveling by residents of the core area of St. Lawrence County, New York is characterized by long ground access distance and is subjected to influences by airports across the border in Canada. To provide a means for evaluating potential impacts of new or improved regional airports which are to serve the area, a study is conducted to model the choice of competing airports by the air passengers. The study is based on data collected from a telephone survey of 16.6% of the households. A binary choice model is found to be able to explain the choice behaviors adequately. The model does not have to rely on large data base. It is theoretically sound and easy to apply.
Mexican American Studies: The Historical Legitimacy of an Educational Program

The purpose of this article is to increase understanding of the factors that most significantly influenced the decision made by the Tucson Unified School District to implement the Mexican American Studies program in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. This article outlines the process that led to the adoption of the program. The article further delineates the political and social circumstances that made the process smooth, transparent, and effective. To accomplish this goal, the article draws from historical accounts, legal documents, personal renditions, and research publications that were used to arrive at an educational program that was long due to the Mexican American young people of Tucson.
Tensor-Fields Visualization Using a Fabric-like Texture Applied to Arbitrary Two-dimensional Surfaces

We present a visualization method for the exploration of three-dimensional tensor fields. The representation of the tensor field on a one-parameter family of two-dimensional surfaces as stretched, compressed and bent piece of fabric reflects the physical properties of stress and strain tensor fields. The texture parameters as the fiber density and fiber direction are controlled by tensor field. The surface family is defined as a set of isosurfaces extracted from an additional scalar field. This field can be a “connected” scalar field, for example, pressure or a scalar field representing some symmetry or inherent structure of the dataset. The texture generation consists basically of three steps. The first is the transformation of the tensor field into a positive definite metric. In the second step, we generate a spot noise texture as input for the final fabric generation. Shape and density of the spots are controlled by the eigenvalues of the tensor field. This spot image incorporates the entire information defined by the three eigenvalue fields. In the third step we use line integral convolution (LIC) to provide a contin- uous representation that enhances the visibility of the eigendirections. This method supports an intuitive distinction between positive and negative eigenvalues and supports the additional visualization of a connected scalar field.
High-speed optoelectronic packaging

The demand for greater bandwidth has stimulated the increased integration of optical and electrical devices in optoelectronic modules. In many cases the new components require high-speed electrical interconnect and effective thermal management solutions. Assembly automation is seen as a requirement to achieve cost-effective solutions. All of this leads to the need for new optoelectronic packaging technologies. At high signal rates all electrical transitions must be treated as active parts of the electrical circuit - the package can no longer be designed in isolation. This presentation describes various aspects of optoelectronic packaging and shows the potential solutions developed by package suppliers.
Beyond lowest-warping cost action selection in trajectory transfer

We consider the problem of learning from demonstrations to manipulate deformable objects. Recent work [1], [2], [3] has shown promising results that enable robotic manipulation of deformable objects through learning from demonstrations. Their approach is able to generalize from a single demonstration to new test situations, and suggests a nearest neighbor approach to select a demonstration to adapt to a given test situation. Such a nearest neighbor approach, however, ignores important aspects of the problem: brittleness (versus robustness) of demonstrations when generalized through this process, and the extent to which a demonstration makes progress towards a goal. In this paper, we frame the problem of selecting which demonstration to transfer as an options Markov decision process (MDP). We present max-margin Q-function estimation: an approach to learn a Q-function from expert demonstrations. Our learned policies account for variability in robustness of demonstrations and the sequential nature of our tasks. We developed two knot-tying benchmarks to experimentally validate the effectiveness of our proposed approach. The selection strategy described in [2] achieves success rates of 70% and 54%, respectively. Our approach performs significantly better, with success rates of 88% and 76%, respectively.
The Stability of Messenger Ribonucleic Acid during Sporulation in Bacillus subtilis

The stability of postlogarithmic mRNA has been assessed in Bacillus subtilis during sporulation time periods. The appearance of refractile bodies, alkaline phosphatase synthesis, and total protein synthesis is controlled by mRNA which has an estimated half-life of less than 10 min. Inhibition of RNA synthesis at various times by rifampin addition or temperature shift with a temperature-sensitive RNA polymerase mutant demonstrates that postlogarithmic mRNA is unstable and that continuous RNA synthesis is necessary for expression of the developmental sequence. The addition of chloramphenicol also inhibits the appearance of refractile bodies and alkaline phosphatase synthesis, suggesting that these processes require de novo protein synthesis.
Synthesis of 13C1‐pinonaldehyde

13C1-pinonaldehyde is prepared in seven steps from cis-pinonic acid. In the key sequence, the introduction of labeled carbon is accomplished by Lieben degradation of a methyl ketone followed by treatment of the resultant carboxylic acid with 13C-methyl lithium. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Apoptosis in development

Essential to the construction, maintenance and repair of tissues is the ability to induce suicide of supernumerary, misplaced or damaged cells with high specificity and efficiency. Study of three principal organisms--the nematode, fruitfly and mouse--indicate that cell suicide is implemented through the activation of an evolutionarily conserved molecular programme intrinsic to all metazoan cells. Dysfunctions in the regulation or execution of cell suicide are implicated in a wide range of developmental abnormalities and diseases.
1,1,1,3‐Tetramethoxypropane

[77197-59-2] C7H16O4 (MW 164.23) InChI = 1S/C7H16O4/c1-8-6-5-7(9-2,10-3)11-4/h5-6H2,1-4H3 InChIKey = OSFYRJIHPBMDPW-UHFFFAOYSA-N (furnishes methyl α-substituted acrylates from allylic alcohols via Claisen orthoester rearrangement and β-elimination1-5) Physical Data: bp 89–90 °C/20 mmHg.1 Solubility: CCl4, organic solvents. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: keep away from moisture; use in a fume hood.
Distention of the small intestine, satiety, and the control of food intake

The studies reported here investigated the role that filling of the small intestine plays in the control of ingestion. Adding mannitol, a nonabsorbable carbohydrate, to a palatable solution reduced meal size in rats in proportion to its concentration. Intake is suppressed for the duration of time that the small intestine remains full. If dietary fiber, which sequesters water and swells, fills the small intestine sufficiently, it may act to suppress meal size and prolong the length of intermeal intervals.
Effect of TGF-β on FoxO activity in airway smooth muscle cells

Background :TGF-β is a mediator of abnormal airway smooth muscle (ASM) function in asthma and COPD. TGF-β triggers ASM cell (ASMC) hyperplasia and increases intracellular oxidants whilst reducing antioxidant enzyme expression. The O subfamily of forkhead box transcription factors (FoxO1, -3 and -4) activate antioxidant enzyme, cell cycle inhibitor and pro-apoptotic genes. Aims & Objectives :Determine whether TGF-β reduces FoxO activity in ASMCs leading to attenuated antioxidant enzyme expression and resistance to apoptosis. Methods: mRNA and protein expression were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. FoxO transcriptional activity was determined by a luciferase reporter assay. Smad activity was inhibited by infection with adenoviral vectors expressing dominant-negative Smad3 (DN-Smad3) and Smad7 genes, and histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity by treatment with trichostatin A (TSA). Results: TGF-β (1 ng/ml) reduced the mRNA levels of the FoxO target genes BimEL (∼75%; p Conclusion: TGF-β decreases FoxO activity in ASMCs possibly by reducing FoxO nuclear expression.
Bacterial activity in the warmer, sulphate-bearing, Archaean oceans

In recent marine sediments, bacterial reduction of seawater sulphate is responsible for the formation of diagenetic sulphides, which are typically strongly depleted in 34S relative to source sulphate, and highly variable in their δ 34S values. In contrast, the δ 34S values of Archaean sedimentary sulphides are generally found to be less variable and nearly identical to those of sulphates in the same sedimentary units. This finding has led previous investigators1–4 to suggest that either sulphate-reducing bacteria had yet to develop in Archaean time, (especially before ∼2.75 billion years ago), and/or Archaean oceans contained much less sulphate ( 1 mM) of sulphate, with δ 34S values of +3%
Evolution of the Primate Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit II Gene

We examined the nucleotide and amino acid sequence variation of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (COII) gene from 25 primates (4 hominoids, 8 Old World monkeys, 2 New World monkeys, 2 tarsiers, 7 lemuriforms, 2 lorisiforms). Marginal support was found for three phylogenetic conclusions: (1) sister-group relationship between tarsiers and a monkey/ape clade, (2) placement of the aye-aye (Daubentonia) sister to all other strepsirhine primates, and (3) rejection of a sister-group relationship of dwarf lemurs (i.e., Cheirogaleus) with lorisiform primates. Stronger support was found for a sister-group relationship between the ring-tail lemur (Lemur catta) and the gentle lemurs (Hapalemur). In congruence with previous studies on COII, we found that the monkeys and apes have undergone a nearly two-fold increase in the rate of amino acid replacement relative to other primates. Although functionally important amino acids are generally conserved among all primates, the acceleration in amino acid replacements in higher primates is associated with increased variation in the amino terminal end of the protein. Additionally, the replacement of two carboxyl-bearing residues (glutamate and aspartate) at positions 114 and 115 may provide a partial explanation for the poor enzyme kinetics in cross-reactions between the cytochromes c and cytochrome c oxidases of higher primates and other mammals.
Multidisciplinary pediatric pathology rotations in a residency training program.

The pediatric pathology residency rotations described herein represent an innovative multidisciplinary approach to residency education that combines concepts from anatomic pathology and laboratory ...
Team B intelligence coups

The 2003 Iraq prewar intelligence failure was not simply a case of the U.S. intelligence community providing flawed data to policy-makers. It also involved subversion of the competitive intelligence analysis process, where unofficial intelligence boutiques “stovepiped” misleading intelligence assessments directly to policy-makers and undercut intelligence community input that ran counter to the White House's preconceived preventive war of choice against Iraq. This essay locates historical precursors to such “Team B intelligence coups” in the original 1976 Team B exercise and the 1998 Rumsfeld Commission report on ballistic missile threats. Since competitive intelligence analysis exercises are designed to improve decision-making by institutionalizing the learning function of debate, their dynamics stand to be elucidated through critique informed by argumentation theory. Such inquiry has salience in the current political milieu, where intelligence reform efforts and the investigations that drive them tend t...
Th1 cells that adoptively transfer experimental hypersensitivity pneumonitis are activated memory cells.

Cultured murine CD4+ T cell lines from Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula–sensitized donors with cytokine secretion characteristics of Th1 cells can adoptively transfer murine experimental hypersensitivity pneumonitis (EHP), whereas Th2 CD4+ cell lines cannot (Cell Immunol 177:169–175, 1997). To assess the differences between these cell lines that may be related to the ability to transfer EHP, we determined cell surface markers that distinguish naive from activated/memory cells that indicate activation and that mediate endothelial adhesion. Both Th1 and Th2 T cell lines are CD4+, CD11a+, ICAM-1+, and L-selectin negative. Th1 cells are CD49d (α4) and LPAM (α4β7) positive, with 32% and 42% of the apparent membrane site density quantitated as the mean molecules of equivalent soluble fluorochromes (MESF) values of unstimulated spleen cells, respectively. Th2 cells are weakly α4 and α4β7 positive, with 15% and 11% of the MESF of unstimulated spleen cells. Th1 cell lines are CD45Rb negative and CD44+, whereas Th2 cell lines are CD45Rb intermediate and CD44−/low. Th1 cells are CD25 (IL-2 receptor) low and Th2 cells CD25 high. We conclude that Th1 cells capable of transfer are activated/memory T cells, and Th2 cells incapable of transfer lack some characteristics of memory/activated T cells (i.e., increase of CD44 and decrease of CD45Rb). Both Th1 and Th2 cell lines express α4β7 and α4 (Th1 > Th2), suggesting that α4 integrin may be important in conferring ability to cells to adoptively transfer EHP.
Monitoring of intergranular stress corrosion cracks in pipes with weld overlays

Abstract The Multipulse-Observation Sizing Technique (MOST), developed especially for use with the multibeam SLIC-40 transducer module, is described in relation to intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) in boiling water reactor piping systems. This technique and transducer combination was developed to enable a regulatory agency or utility to make proper acceptance or rejection decisions regarding cracked reactor pipes with or without weld overlays. The SLIC-40 system makes simultaneous use of S hear and L ongitudinal waves to I nspect materials for C racks. The principles of the MOST and SLIC-40 combination are presented along with through-wall dimension (depth) estimates obtained for cracks in pipes removed from the Nine Mile Point and Hatch 2 plants. Crack depth estimates were confirmed by sectioning the pipe specimens at locations near the places of ultrasonic measurements.
GABA and the regulation of serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity in amphibian retina—II. The role of dopamine

Retinal melatonin biosynthesis is regulated in part by the activity of serotonin N-acetyltransferase (NAT), which increases in dark-adapted, but not light-exposed, retinas at night. Using an in vitro eye cup preparation from the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis), we have obtained evidence indicating that dopamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) interact in the regulation of the nocturnal rise in NAT activity. Increases of NAT activity induced by the GABA agonist muscimol were suppressed by dopamine. Spiperone, a D2 dopamine receptor antagonist, and muscimol separately increased NAT activity, but were not additive in their effects. Inhibition of NAT activity by the GABA antagonist picrotoxin was blocked by spiperone. Additionally, muscimol decreased concentrations of dopamine and its principle metabolite, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), in light exposed retinas, while picrotoxin increased retinal DOPAC levels in darkness. These data suggest that in darkness, activation of GABA receptors inhibits dopamine secretion, consequently releasing NAT-synthesizing cells from a tonic inhibitory influence.
The use of aerial color infrared photography in mapping the vegetation of a freshwater Marsh

Spring and fall vegetation maps were prepared from a freshwater marsh on the Patuxent River, Marlyland. Low altitude, color infrared (IR) aerial photos were correlated with data obtained from field surveys. The vegetation units mapped refer to areas of homogeneous color on the photos. These areas of homogeneous color represent species associations or monospecific stands which produce a distinctive tonal signature. Color fluctuations within an area having a distinctive tonal signature are primarily caused by a quantitative variation of plant species but are also related to the growth habit, vigor of the plant species, and environmental conditions which affect the vegetation and in turn the color of the recorded image. Changes in the color over the growing season reflect plant succession, and vegetative decline. Tonal signatures of several plant association were due to their unique colors, saturations, and textures, Comparison of photographs made in nearby marshes demonstrated that three of the twelve spring and five of the fourteen fall vegetation units that were mapped can be reliably identified.
Cardiac aging and rejuvenation--a sense of humors?

A protein belonging to the TGF-β family can reverse age-related cardiac hypertrophy — a finding with implications for the experimental treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (diastolic heart failure).
Remarks on stochastic non-linear birth and death models

Abstract The first part of this paper is an attempt to formulate and motivate additional work on the important problem of obtaining global bounds applicable to the controlled truncation of the paper relates specifically to the linear birth, quadratic death model. Asymptotic results are given for the first finite difference ΔTm where Tm is the exactly known mean time to extinction starting from state m (m= 0,1,…). These results are in terms of the environmental carrying capacity n∗ taken to be large. For m near zero ΔTm∼en∗/(n∗)2; whereas, for m near n∗ΔTm ≈ (π/2)1/2/(n∗)3/2. This indicates the vastly different time scales in those two regions of state space - with considerably slower action near extinction than near n∗.
Eyes wide open: a critical review of sphere-formation as an assay for stem cells.

Sphere-forming assays have been widely used to retrospectively identify stem cells based on their reported capacity to evaluate self-renewal and differentiation at the single-cell level in vitro. The discovery of markers that allow the prospective isolation of stem cells and their progeny from their in vivo niche allows the functional properties of purified populations to be defined. We provide a historical perspective of the evolution of the neurosphere assay and highlight limitations in the use of sphere-forming assays in the context of neurospheres. We discuss theoretical and technical considerations of experimental design and interpretation that surround the use of this assay with any tissue.
Tillage of Cover Crops Affects Soil Water, Nitrogen, and Wheat Yield Components

Annual legume green manure (LGM) cover crops may have potential in dryland wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production areas where rotation with whole-year summer fallow is practiced. No-till cropland management enhances soil water conservation, possibly enabling cover cropping, but tillage may be necessary to stimulate mineralization of LGM N in time to affect crop yield. A 2-yr LGM-wheat crop sequence study was repeated three times in Montana, with mean annual precipitation of 356 mm. Spring-planted pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) The LGM were terminated at first bloom with tillage or herbicide. Post-termination weed control also was accomplished with either tillage or herbicide in a factorial combination with the termination treatments, resulting in four management regimes. Fallow and non-N-fixing cover crop controls were included and subjected to the same management regimes. Spring wheat was grown the following year in subplots with four levels of N fertilizer. Wheat tiller density increased only when LGM was tilled at least once. Tillage also resulted in reduced soil water storage and wheat kernel weight in 1 yr. Effects on grain yield were usually neutral or positive, with pea more frequently having a positive effect than lentil, and interactions with tillage varying each year. Wheat grain protein was increased by pea LGM regardless of tillage, even when LGM did not affect wheat yield, indicating that LGM N supply is accelerated by tillage. Managing LGM in dryland environments involves a tradeoff of soil water for N supply, and tillage affects this balance.
A phenomenological description of the rate of the aluminum/oxygen reaction in the reaction-bonding of alumina

The isothermal reaction kinetics of aluminum oxidation in loose Al/Al2O3 powder was studied in the temperature range 455–555 ◦ C using thermogravimetry. The powder compositions ranged from 30 to 65 vol.% aluminium, with average Al particle sizes in the range 1.4–2.7m The oxygen mole fraction was varied between 20 and 100%. It was found that only 70–80% of the aluminum can be oxidized below the melting point of 660 ◦ C. The weight gain curves were well fitted by assuming that the rate of oxidation was first order with respect to the amount of aluminum, which can be oxidized below 660 ◦ C, left in the sample. The reaction rate was observed to be independent of both the partial pressure of oxygen and the aluminum particle size. It was shown that the same kinetics relationship could also be applied to a broad range of experimental oxidation data in the literature, yielding a common value of the Arrhenius constant and activation energy. The kinetic model was successfully applied to the controlled processing of RBAO powder compacts for constant temperature hold and constant reaction rate cases. © 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The separated flow of an inviscid fluid around a moving flat plate

In this study we consider the separated flow of an inviscid fluid around a moving flat plate. The motion of the plate, which is initially started from rest, is prescribed and unconstrained and we set ourselves the task of fully characterizing the resulting motion in the surrounding fluid. To do this we use a boundary integral representation for the complex-conjugate velocity field $\Phi(z,t)$ and require that the force and torque on the plate be determined as part of the solution. The flow solution is assumed to consist of a bound vortex sheet coincident with the plate and two free vortex sheets that emanate from each of the plate's two sharp edges. The time evolution of these vortex sheets is then considered in general. For physical reasons, the flow solution is required to satisfy the unsteady Kutta condition, which states that $\Phi(z,t)$ must be bounded everywhere, and the rigorous imposition of this condition then yields two types of additional constraint. The first governs the rate at which circulation is shed from the plate's edges and the second ensures that the free vortex sheets are shed tangentially. In fact, all the familiar flow characteristics associated with the imposition of the steady Kutta condition are rigorously shown to have exact parallels in the unsteady case. In addition, explicit expressions for the normal force and torque on the plate are derived. An asymptotic solution to the full system of evolution equations is developed for small times $t > 0$ and a simplified version of this solution is used as an initial condition for a desingularized numerical treatment of the full problem. A fast numerical algorithm is proposed and implemented and the results of several example calculations are presented. The featured examples are limited to high effective angles of attack due to the occurrence of a specific type of event that prevents further time-integration of the evolution equations using the current numerical method. The event corresponds physically to a situation in which a Lagrangian point placed at one of the plate's edges moves onto instead of away from the edge.
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, cysteine proteinases: cloning, characterisation and expression of cathepsin H and L

The antigen recognition by the host immune system is a complex biochemical process that requires a battery of enzymes. Cathepsins are one of the enzyme superfamilies involved in antigen degradation. We observed the up-regulation of catfish cathepsin H and L transcripts during the early stage of Edwardsiella ictaluri infection in preliminary studies, and speculated that cathepsin H and L may play roles in infection. We identified, sequenced and characterized the complete channel catfish cathepsin H and L cDNAs, which comprised 1415 and 1639 nucleotides, respectively. The open reading frames of cathepsin H appeared to encode a protein of 326-amino acid residues, which that of cathepsin L encoded a protein of 336 amino acids. The degree of conservation of the channel catfish cathepsin H and L amino acid sequences in comparison to other species ranged from 61% to 77%, and 67% to 85%, respectively. The catalytic triad and substrate binding sites are conserved in cathepsin H and L amino acid sequences. The cathepsin L transcript was expressed in all tissues examined, while the cathepsin H was expressed in restricted tissues. These results provide important information for further exploring the roles of channel catfish cathepsins in antigen processing.
Glassing Characteristics of Low‐Alloy Steels

Thermal-expansion, stress-temperature, and thermal-shock tests were conducted on glassed low-alloy and plain-carbon steels. The addition of alloying elements increases the hardenability and strength of the steels but lowers the austenite-to-ferrite transformation temperature, thus decreasing the residual compressive stress in the glass coating and therefore its resistance to thermal shock. It is shown that D1, the calculated hardenability index, may be correlated with certain physical properties of the glass-steel composites.
Analysis of hydrocarbon dendrimers by laser desorption time-of-flight and fourier transform mass spectrometry.

The first mass spectrometric analysis of a new class of hydrocarbon dendrimers that result from a convergent synthetic approach is reported. Molecular weights of a series of phenylacetylene dendrimers (715 to 14776 u MW) are characterized by ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption (MALDltime-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry, direct and silver chemical ionization infrared laser desorption Fourier transform mass spectrometry @I’MSl, and ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption silver chemical ionization Fourier transform mass spectromeby. New matrices and techniques were developed to facilitate analysis of the dendrimers. Mass measurement accuracies between 10 and 25 ppm are obtained for molecular ion species of the five dendrimers analyzed. Laser desorption time-of-flight and FI’MS techniques are shown to be complementary, with FTMS providing high mass resolution (27,000–67,000 resolving power) and accuracy for lower mass dendrimers (10–14 ppm) and MALD TOF yielding the highest resolution (1100 resolving power) and accuracy (25 ppm) for the largest dendrimer. These results are consistent with proposed empirical formulas.
Linearly chirped nanosecond stretched pulses from an extreme chirped pulse semiconductor mode-locked oscillator

An eXtreme Chirped Pulse Oscillator (XCPO) implemented with a Theta cavity and based on a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is presented for generating 10ns frequency-swept pulses and 3.6ps compressed pulses directly from the oscillator. In this experiment, we show the two distinct characteristics of the XCPO which are the scalability of the output energy and the mode-locked spectrum. The laser cavity design allows for low repetition rate operation <100MHz, as well. The cavity, significantly, reduces nonlinear carrier dynamics, integrated self phase modulation (SPM), and fast gain recovery in an SOA. Due to the laser's ability to generate directly frequency-swept pulses from the oscillator, this oscillator can be used for high speed frequency-swept optical coherence tomography (OCT) and time-stretched photonic analog to digital converters (P-ADC).
Abstract 3253: Id4 and FKBP52 interaction regulates androgen receptor activity in normal prostate and prostate cancer

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA The androgen receptor (AR) is a ligand activated transcription factor and important member of the steroid hormone nuclear receptors. Androgen signaling through AR plays a critical role in prostate tumorigenesis. AR transcriptional enhancement normally requires FKBP52 mediated peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) activity as well as HSP90-binding ability. FK506 binding protein 4 (FKBP52) is an AR folding factor that has critically important physiological roles in male reproductive tissues. Despite several experimental evidences, the molecular mechanism by which FKBP52 promotes AR signaling in prostate cancer still remains to be investigated. Our previous lab studies have demonstrated that Id4 is regulated by androgens in normal prostate epithelial and LNCaP cells. However, the interaction of Id4 and with the androgen receptor pathway in regulating the development and function of the normal prostate still remains elusive. Here we demonstrate that Id4 (inhibitor of differentiation-4) a dominant negative regulator of bHLH transcription factors can physically interact with AR, FKBP52 and HSP90 in early stage prostate cancer LNCaP cells and thereby selectively regulating AR transcriptional activity. Id4 is highly expressed in the normal prostate and decreased in prostate cancer due to promoter hypermethylation. Loss of Id4 in LNCaP cells resulted in ligand independent AR activation characterized by increased AR nuclear translocation and expression of PSA, FKBP51, FKBP52 and ARD1, the transcriptional targets of AR. Differential protein expression between LNCaP and LNCaP-Id4 demonstrated that loss of Id4 cells significantly elevated the levels of FBKP52 and Hsp27, the two known transcriptional regulators and nuclear transporters of AR. More importantly, LNCaP-Id4 cells were able to synthesize significantly higher levels of testosterone as compared to the androgen-dependent LNCaP cells. In conclusion, we demonstrate that loss of Id4 in LNCaP cells elevates FKBP52 levels, transcriptionally potentiates AR activity which in turn then leads to progression of androgen-independent prostate cancer. NIH grant #R01CA128914 Citation Format: Jugal B. Joshi. Id4 and FKBP52 interaction regulates androgen receptor activity in normal prostate and prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3253. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3253
Introduction to Three Diagnoses of God

This brief article introduces the three articles diagnosing God by Helsel, Capps, and Carlin as examples of a skeptical strain that has been present throughout Judeo–Christian history, suggesting that psychology as an “interrogative” mode is a necessary counterpoint to theology’s dogmatic mode. The three articles are recommended on the basis of their heuristic value for instruction about mental illness, their playfulness and humor, and their potential for reshaping traditional images of God that have been harmful.
Amphetamine and the Four-Minute Mile

In June 1957 an American public health physician told his audience at a medical conference in New York that a stimulant drug such as amphetamine (‘Benzedrine’) might have enabled athletes to run the mile in less than four minutes, a feat first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister, who stated in 1957 that he had never heard of the use of stimulants by runners. The initial wave of denials and protests by athletes and sports officials was followed by a series of revelations about the use of such ‘pep pills’ by some elite athletes of this era. This short-lived controversy serves as an introduction to how the concept of doping developed during the 1950s. Ambivalence about the propriety of athletic doping at this time was exemplified by the provocative statements of the British sports physician Adolphe Abrahams, who combined concern about the medical effects of doping drugs with an open mind towards their use for the purpose of breaking records.
Standard Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy vs. "uncut" Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy: a matched cohort study.

Abstract Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy is a common method of reconstruction after subtotal gastrectomy. Maintaining myoneural continuity has been proposed to decrease the incidence of Roux stasis syndrome, with an “uncut” Roux-en-Y reconstruction. The aim of our study was to compare the clinical results in patients who have undergone uncut Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy with those in patients who have undergone a standard Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy. Eleven patients underwent gastrectomy and uncut Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy and were compared with a cohort of 14 patients who underwent gastrectomy and standard Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy. Patients were contacted and charts were reviewed for Visick grade, early and late morbidity and mortality, and incidence of staple line dehiscence. Early postoperative morbidity was 18% in patients undergoing uncut Roux gastrojejunostomy and 28% in patients undergoing standard Roux reconstruction. There were no early postoperative deaths in either group. In the patients undergoing the uncut Roux procedure, no cases of staple line dehiscence were detected clinically (mean follow-up 9 months, range 1 to 48 months). Visick grade improved following the uncut Roux procedure, but changed little after standard Roux reconstruction. Uncut Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy can be performed safely with improvement in symptoms. The uncut Roux procedure may provide an alternative for reconstructive gastric surgery.
Optical monitoring of singlet oxygen generation during photodynamic treatment of tumors

The author reports optical detection of singlet oxygen production accompanying continuous-wave (CW) laser irradiation of subcutaneous murine tumors at 630 nm following prior intraperitoneal injection of a Photofrin II sensitizer. The detection method is optical, remote, and, thus, noninvasive. Chopping of the incident laser beam was required in order to separate the spectrally discrete, time-delayed, singlet oxygen emission from the dominant, spectrally diffuse, coherent background provided by the combination of sensitizer infrared fluorescence and tissue-related autofluorescence. Using the infrared fluorescence to provide a reference, the singlet oxygen emission is shown to be given directly by the frequency-dependent quadrature component of the detector output. Maximum detector quadrature output for the in vivo case was obtained for a chopping frequency between 10 and 20 kHz. The spectral variation of the emission from the tumor was obtained and identified as that characteristic of singlet oxygen.
Optimization of Design and Fabrication Processes for Realization of a PDMS-SOG-Silicon DNA Amplification Chip

A novel on-chip inexpensive platform to perform DNA amplification has been fabricated by optimizing the design and microfabrication processes using polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) and silicon. The silicon base contains a set of microfabricated platinum heater structures on the bottom with a 140-nm-thick spin-on-glass (SOG) layer on the top and a 3 mul replica molded PDMS chamber with feed channels and inlet-outlet ports bonded to this film. The plasma exposed SOG surface is found to undergo recovery of hydrophobicity with time as indicated by an increase in advancing contact angle and bonds very well to another plasma exposed PDMS piece. The bonding protocol developed can be used for a diverse range of substrates, which may form a basis for integration of fluidic assays with microelectronics. The hydrophobic recovery of the microchamber and channels also eliminate the need for various surface passivation techniques for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) chips. A thermal cycler with flexible PCR cycle control is designed and implemented by using a sensing thermocouple. The amplification has been tested using picogram-level template DNA concentration. We have further been able to show negligible nonspecific binding of the template DNA to the hydrophobic interiors of our device by fluorescence measurements and have been able to successfully demonstrate the possibility of multiple usage of this chip without cross-contamination from the previous run
An attempt to identify frequency of use of technical skills and procedures by the primary care physician.

Some technical skills required and learned during residency training are not often used in primary care. Pediatricians who practice primary care in rural settings (or smaller communities) tend to perform a greater variety of procedures than those who practice in urban settings. Family practitioners report that they perform more of these procedures than either rural or urban practicing pediatricians. Training programs should define the skills and procedures which residents must learn to perform and should differentiate between those needed during the training period and those which will be used in primary care practice.
Taurine Replacement Prevents Apoptosis In Experimental Diabetic Neuropathy

The pathophysiology of diabetic neuropathy (DN) is complex involving both metabolic and vascular deficits. Recent data have implicated a potential role for programmed cell death (PCD) in the development of experimental DN (EDN). Oxidative stress has emerged as a leading candidate in the development of nerve blood flow (NBF) and nerve conduction deficits. We have previously shown that replacement of the endogenous antioxidant taurine in the nerve of streptozotocin-diabetic (STZ-D) rats corrects neuro-vascular dysfunction, prevents deficits in Na,K-ATPase activity and attenuates motor and sensory NCV slowing. The aims of this study were to examine the hypothesis that oxidative stress-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction may promote the activation of PCD pathways in STZ-D rats and to determine whether these effects could be attenuated by taurine. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were extracted from perfused control (C), STZ-D and STZ-D rats given a 1% taurine supplemented diet for 6 weeks. STZ-D induced a significant decrease in sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) and NBF vs controls and these deficits were corrected by taurine. Lumbar and sacral DRG were sectioned at 10 mm intervals and slides were prepared from two different sampling sites. Apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining. 150 or more DRG nuclei were counted per animal. In STZ-D rats 21.3 ± 4.9% of DRG nuclei were found to be TUNEL positive as compared with 2.9 ± 2.1% in controls (p < 0.05). Taurine replacement markedly attenuated apoptosis since only 6.5 ± 2.9% neurons were TUNEL positive. In summary, 6 weeks of STZ-D increased apoptosis in DRG neurons of STZ-D rats. This increase in apoptosis could be prevented by replacement of the endogenous antioxidant taurine, implicating a role of taurine depletion in the development of sensory neuron degeneration.
Corn Morphology, Mass, and Grain Yield as Affected by Early-Season Red: Far-Red Light Environments

The spatial arrangement among plants affects both vegetative and reproductive meristem development. More axillary meristems develop at lower plant densities, which are associated with relatively high red:far-red light ratios (R:FRs; 645:735 nm). However, little is known about the effect of R:FR on corn (Zea mays L.) productivity. We conducted field research to determine the effect of early-season (VE-V7 corn) R:FR environments on corn morphology and productivity. Low, control, and high R:FR treatments were established by varying corn plant density (107,600, 53,800, and 3000 plants ha -1 , respectively). At canopy closure (V7 corn), R:FR in the low, control, and high R:FR treatments was 0.23, 0.49, and 0.99, respectively. Each treatment was subsequently thinned to 3000 plants ha -1 to avoid confounding effects of R:FR treatments and shading among plants. Grain yield per plant in the high R:FR treatment was 1.5 and 2.0 times greater than in control and low R:FR treatments, respectively, across years. Greater yield in the high R:FR treatment was attributed to greater tiller grain yield. Soil moisture and nutrient availability were similar among R:FR treatments. These results indicate that early-season R:FR was an important factor affecting corn productivity. Greater understanding of the R:FR-dependent pathway that controls axillary meristem development may provide direction for increasing productivity of elite nonprolific corn genotypes.
Compound I of heme oxygenase cannot hydroxylate its heme meso-carbon.

Heme oxygenase (HO) catalyzes heme catabolism through three successive oxygenation steps where the substrate heme itself activates O2. It has been thought that the reactive species responsible for the first heme oxygenation, meso-hydroxylation, is the hydroperoxy-ferric heme intermediate (Fe−OOH) rather than an oxo ferryl porphyrin cation radical, so-called compound I. A recent theoretical study (Kamachi, T.; Yoshizawa, K. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 10686), however, proposed that compound I can oxidize its meso-carbon atom with the assistance of a bridging water molecule. In this communication, we report the first direct observation of compound I of a heme-HO-1 complex, generated by reaction of ferric-HO-1 with m-chloroperbenzoic acid. HO compound I slowly decays to compound II without producing any meso-hydroxylated products. It does react with guaiacol and thioanisole, however. Our findings unambiguously rule out involvement of compound I in the HO catalysis.
From tire testing to holometry and beyond

Many technical advances have been made since the invention of holography in 1947, lasers circa 1960 and holographic interferometry in 1965, which have led to widespread use of holographic interferometry in the fields of nondestructive testing and structural development. This paper reviews some of these developments from the early days when the holographic tire tester was born to the current times of computer aided holometry. This is both a historic as well as a technical overview as seen from the authors' perspective and involvement since circa 1966. References are provided for the key technical publications, but only a small selection of the slide material is included in this paper.
Solubility measurement of methyl anthranilate in supercritical carbon dioxide using dynamic and static equilibrium systems

The solubility of methyl anthranilate in supercritical carbon dioxide was determined using dynamic and static equilibrium systems. Three temperatures (40, 60 and 80 °C) and a pressure range between 160 and 340 atm were applied for the dynamic solubility measurements. The flow rate was maintained at 0.5 mL min−1 in the dynamic solubility measurements, where the solute solubility was claimed to be independent of the flow-rate factor. Two temperatures (40 and 60 °C) and the pressure range between 100 and 265 atm were used in the static equilibrium system. The crossover pressure region was observed between 220 and 240 atm in the static system, but was not seen in the dynamic system. The solubility of methyl anthranilate determined by the static system was consistently higher than the dynamic solubility measurement, indicating that the static technique provided more reliable solubility data for methyl anthranilate than the dynamic technique. The solubility data obtained with the static system were in good agreement with the predictive models based on the Chrastil equation and the Peng–Robinson equation of state with the Panagiotopoulos and Reid mixing rule. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Phase transitions in anisotropically confined ionic crystals.

Crystalline, confined ionic systems exhibit well defined phase transitions as a function of the anisotropy of the confining potential. The transitions from one to two dimensions, from two to three, and back from three to two have been investigated as a function of this anisotropy with molecular dynamics simulations. The anisotropy at which such transitions occur seems to be proportional to a power of the number of confined ions.
Renal histology and clinical course of systemic lupus erythematosus. A prospective study.

Thirty women with systemic lupus erythematosus were categorized into groups with and without significant renal involvement on the basis of renal biopsy and subsequently followed for an average of 9.4 years. At this time 53% of the patients with renal disease and 70% of the “nonrenal” patients had died. While 80% of the deaths in the “renal” group were due to renal disease, none of the nonrenal patients died of this complication. Major central nervous system involvement was eventually noted in 100% of the nonrenal group. After 8.3 years, mortality in the nonrenal patients exceeded that in the renal group, mainly because of the emergence of central nervous system disease.
Exact results for deterministic cellular automata with additive rules

Deterministic cellular automata (CA) with additive rules are studied by exploiting the properties of circulant matrices on finite fields. Complete state transition diagrams for higher-order and multidimensional CA on finite lattices are analyzed. Conditions on the rules which make them reversible are obtained. It is shown that all state transition diagrams of the CA have identical trees rooted on cycles. General formulae for cycle lengths and multiplicities are given.
Pharmacy leadership structure in a multicampus health system.

Q: Our pharmacy team is large and diversified, both in location and specialization. While a large professional team has many advantages, it also poses leadership challenges related to departmental cohesiveness, team unification, and goal achievement. How have other large pharmacy departments