cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Capacity of the Ovarian Cancer Tumor Microenvironment to Integrate Inflammation Signaling Conveys a Shorter Disease-free Interval.

Purpose: Ovarian cancer has one of the highest deaths to incidence ratios across all cancers. Initial chemotherapy is effective, but most patients develop chemoresistant disease. Mechanisms driving clinical chemo-response or -resistance are not well-understood. However, achieving optimal surgical cytoreduction improves survival, and cytoreduction is improved by neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). NACT offers a window to profile pre- versus post-NACT tumors, which we used to identify chemotherapy-induced changes to the tumor microenvironment. Experimental Design: We obtained matched pre- and post-NACT archival tumor tissues from patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (patient, n = 6). We measured mRNA levels of 770 genes (756 genes/14 housekeeping genes, NanoString Technologies), and performed reverse phase protein array (RPPA) on a subset of matched tumors. We examined cytokine levels in pre-NACT ascites samples (n = 39) by ELISAs. A tissue microarray with 128 annotated ovarian tumors expanded the transcriptional, RPPA, and cytokine data by multispectral IHC. Results: The most upregulated gene post-NACT was IL6 (16.79-fold). RPPA data were concordant with mRNA, consistent with elevated immune infiltration. Elevated IL6 in pre-NACT ascites specimens correlated with a shorter time to recurrence. Integrating NanoString (n = 12), RPPA (n = 4), and cytokine (n = 39) studies identified an activated inflammatory signaling network and induced IL6 and IER3 (immediate early response 3) post-NACT, associated with poor chemo-response and time to recurrence. Conclusions: Multiomics profiling of ovarian tumor samples pre- and post-NACT provides unique insight into chemo-induced changes to the tumor microenvironment. We identified a novel IL6/IER3 signaling axis that may drive chemoresistance and disease recurrence.
Autonomous underwater pumping system

Abstract We present an inexpensive autonomous underwater pumping system that is lightweight, compact, independent, and versatile, making it easy to deploy in a multitude of settings. This system can be used to pump water into discrete and flow-through sensor systems. With the exception of the custom built pressure case housing, this system can be fabricated with off-the-shelf parts, making it easier to maintain. This system uses open source Arduino software code for easier customization and operations. The electronics and battery pack used to power this system can be adapted to fit into commercially available pressure case housings.
3D Articulated Body Model Using Anthropometric Control Points and an Articulation Video.

We introduce an efficient and practical integrated system for human body model personalization with articulation. We start with a 3D personalized model of the individual in a standard pose obtained using a 3D scanner or using body model reconstruction method based on canonical images of the individual. As the person moves, the model is updated to accommodate the new articulations captured in an articulation video. The personalized model is segmented into different parts using anthropometric control points on the boundary silhouette of the frontal projection of the 3D model. The control points are endpoints of the segments in 2D, and the segments are projections of corresponding regions of independently moving parts in 3D. These joint points can either be manually selected or predicted with a pre-trained point model such as active shape model (ASM) or using convolutional neural network (CNN). The evolution of the model through the articulation process is captured in a video clip with \( N \) frames. The update consists of finding a set of 3D transformations that are applied to the 3D model on its parts so that the projections of the 3D model ‘match’ those observed in the video sequence at corresponding frames. This is done by minimizing the error between the frontal projection body region points and the target points from the image for each independent moving part. Our articulation reconstructed method leads sub-resolution recovery errors.
Transparency and Liquidity: A Controlled Experiment on Corporate Bonds

This article reports the results of an experiment designed to assess the impact of lastsale trade reporting on the liquidity of BBB corporate bonds. Overall, adding transparency has either a neutral or a positive effect on liquidity. Increased transparency is not associated with greater trading volume. Except for very large trades, spreads on newly transparent bonds decline relative to bonds that experience no transparency change. However, we find no effect on spreads for very infrequently traded bonds. The observed decrease in transaction costs is consistent with investors’ ability to negotiate better terms of trade once they have access to broader bond-pricing data. (JEL codes: G14, G18, G23, G24, G28) Although larger than the market for US Government or municipal bonds, the corporate bond market historically has been one of the least transparent securities markets in the United States, with neither pretrade nor posttrade transparency. Corporate bonds trade primarily over-the-counter, and until recently, no centralized mechanism existed to collect and disseminate posttransaction information. This structure changed on July 1, 2002, when the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) began a program of increased posttrade transparency for corporate bonds, known as the Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (TRACE) system. As part of this structural change, only a selected subset of bonds initially was subject to public dissemination of trade information. The resulting experiment enables us to observe the effects of increased posttrade transparency on market liquidity in a controlled setting.
EKO: Adaptive Sampling of Compressed Video Data.

Researchers have presented systems for efficiently analysing video data at scale using sampling algorithms. While these systems effectively leverage the temporal redundancy present in videos, they suffer from three limitations. First, they use traditional video storage formats are tailored for human consumption. Second, they load and decode the entire compressed video in memory before applying the sampling algorithm. Third, the sampling algorithms often require labeled training data obtained using a specific deep learning model. These limitations lead to lower accuracy, higher query execution time, and larger memory footprint. In this paper, we present EKO, a storage engine for efficiently managing video data. EKO relies on two optimizations. First, it uses a novel unsupervised, adaptive sampling algorithm for identifying the key frames in a given video. Second, it stores the identified key frames in a compressed representation that is optimized for machine consumption. We show that EKO improves F1-score by up to 9% compared to the next best performing state-of-the-art unsupervised, sampling algorithms by selecting more representative frames. It reduces query execution time by 3X and memory footprint by 10X in comparison to a widely-used, traditional video storage format.
Dehydration of polymer chains initiates graphene folding in water

Abstract The popularity of graphene origami - eyed for applications in electronics, energy harvesting, molecular storage and membrane development - has been on the rise for the last few years. Experimental studies have demonstrated that graphene grafted with thermo-sensitive polymers such as poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) folds into three-dimensional (3D) structures in response to change in the surrounding temperature. This process, attributed to the coil-to-globule transition of PNIPAM, is however, poorly understood, making the creation and control of these self-folded 3D structures difficult. Here, for the first time, we employ coarse-grained (CG) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to develop an accurate molecular-level mechanism for the self-folding of PNIPAM-grafted graphene in presence of an explicit solvent. Our analyses of contacts, energetics and structure of PNIPAM-solvent interface indicate that the process is actually initiated by the weakening of PNIPAM-water interactions at higher temperatures, resulting in strong hydrophobic graphene-PNIPAM interactions. By further varying system parameters like graphene width and polymer coverage, we also provide energy criteria for graphene-folding. The molecular-level insights obtained through this study can be essential for controlling and tuning the process of graphene self-folding via temperature control.
ProtoShotXAI: Using Prototypical Few-Shot Architecture for Explainable AI.

Unexplainable black-box models create scenarios where anomalies cause deleterious responses, thus creating unacceptable risks. These risks have motivated the field of eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) to improve trust by evaluating local interpretability in black-box neural networks. Unfortunately, the ground truth is unavailable for the model's decision, so evaluation is limited to qualitative assessment. Further, interpretability may lead to inaccurate conclusions about the model or a false sense of trust. We propose to improve XAI from the vantage point of the user's trust by exploring a black-box model's latent feature space. We present an approach, ProtoShotXAI, that uses a Prototypical few-shot network to explore the contrastive manifold between nonlinear features of different classes. A user explores the manifold by perturbing the input features of a query sample and recording the response for a subset of exemplars from any class. Our approach is the first locally interpretable XAI model that can be extended to, and demonstrated on, few-shot networks. We compare ProtoShotXAI to the state-of-the-art XAI approaches on MNIST, Omniglot, and ImageNet to demonstrate, both quantitatively and qualitatively, that ProtoShotXAI provides more flexibility for model exploration. Finally, ProtoShotXAI also demonstrates novel explainabilty and detectabilty on adversarial samples.
Outcomes of Definitive Radiation Therapy for Inoperable Endometrial Cancer and Dosimetric Comparison Study of HDR Brachytherapy vs. SBRT Boost.

Purpose/Objective(s) To report outcomes in patients with inoperable endometrial cancer (ECa) treated with definitive radiotherapy and perform a dosimetric comparison of organs at risk (OARs) for HDR brachytherapy (BT) vs SBRT boost in those who received combined external beam RT (EBRT)+BT treatment. Materials/Methods An institutional retrospective analysis of ECa patients treated with definitive RT from 2008-2020 was performed. EQD2 doses for target D90 and pelvic OAR D0.1 cc, D2 cc were collected. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate overall survival (OS), local, regional and distant failure rates. For patients with EBRT+BT boost, comparative SBRT boost plans were generated using CT scans and structures from a representative BT fraction and prescribed an identical dose. SBRT planning was optimized for target coverage and respect of ABS OAR constraint guidelines. Results 32 patients were included. Median age was 67 years (range: 50-90). Median follow-up time was 25.3 months (range: 1.5-113.2). Stage was 66% FIGO I, 16% FIGO II, 16% FIGO III, and 3% FIGO IV. 81% (26/32) of tumors were endometrioid adenocarcinoma, 6% carcinosarcoma, and 12% UPSC. Median EBRT dose was 45 Gy in 25 fractions. 11 patients received sequential EBRT boost to gross disease, median 13.8 Gy (range: 5.4-19.6 Gy). BT doses ranged from 22.5 Gy in 3 fractions to 30 Gy in 5 fractions, with either double or single tandem applicators. Median total EQD2 for all patients was 75.6 Gy (40-104.9 Gy). Overall, 2-year LC, LRC, and DC rates were 83.1% (95% CI 60.7-93.3%), 78.2% (95% CI 54.9-90.4%), and 77.4% (95% CI 55.8-89.4%), respectively. 2-year OS was 73.3% (95% CI 51.6-86.4%). Single modality (EBRT or BT) use and total EQD2 70 Gy (P = 0.014). 18 patients received BT boost after EBRT. Dosimetric comparison of BT and SBRT boost yielded median total EQD2 D2cc of 73.8 Gy and 76.3 Gy for bladder (P = 0.83); 57.1 Gy and 58.1 Gy for rectum (P = 0.03); 67.3 Gy and 70.8 Gy for sigmoid (P = 0.011); and 61.2 Gy and 66.8 Gy for small bowel (P = 0.003), respectively. Dosimetric comparison details are listed in Table 1. Conclusion We observed favorable control rates for inoperable ECa treated with definitive RT. Dosimetric comparison of BT vs SBRT boost in this setting showed comparable target coverage and slightly higher OAR doses with SBRT. These findings warrant caution and need for further study into dose heterogeneity, tumor control, and risk of normal tissue injury.
Triggering Reactive Gliosis In Vivo by a Forebrain Stab Injury

Following injury to the CNS, astrocytes undergo a broad range of biochemical, morphological, and molecular changes collectively referred to as reactive astrogliosis. Reactive astrocytes exert both inflammatory and protective effects that inhibit and promote, respectively, neural repair. The mechanisms underlying the diverse functional properties of reactive astrogliosis are not well understood. Achieving a greater understanding of these mechanisms is critical to developing therapeutic strategies to treat the injured CNS. Here we demonstrate a method to trigger reactive astrogliosis in the adult mouse forebrain using a forebrain stab lesion. This lesion model is simple, reliable, and requires only a stereotaxic device and a scalpel blade to produce the injury. The use of stab lesions as an injury model in the forebrain is well established and amenable to studies addressing a broad range of neuropathological outcomes, such as neuronal degeneration, neuroinflammation, and disruptions in the blood brain barrier (BBB). Thus, the forebrain stab injury model serves as a powerful tool that can be applied for a broad range of studies on the CNS response to trauma.
ANALYZING DEMAND FOR DISPOSAL AND RECYCLING SERVICES: A SYSTEMS APPROACH

Pricing municipal solid waste (MSW) services using a flat fee offers no incentive to conserve on disposal. This has prompted the use of unit pricing schemes, which should reduce disposal in accordance with demand theory and encourage alternatives such as recycling. Most studies estimate distinct demand equations for disposal and recycling, and none use a systems approach to simultaneous estimate them. To that end, this research estimates such a model, which also recognizes the endogeneity of policy variables. The results offer important policy insight and shed light on the effectiveness of unit pricing in reducing disposal and simultaneously encouraging recycling.
Comparative structural analysis of staphylococcal enterotoxins A and E.

Abstract Structural analysis of staphylococcal enterotoxins A and E, two functionally and serologically related proteins, has been carried out using circular dichroism, and tryptophan fluorescence quantum yield and quenching. Secondary structures derived from the far-UV circular dichroic spectra revealed that both enterotoxins are in predominantly beta-sheets/beta-turn structures (80-85%). Staphylococcal enterotoxin A has significantly higher alpha-helical content (10.0%) than staphylococcal enterotoxin E (6.5%). Tryptophan fluorescence spectra of both enterotoxins showed maxima at approximately 342 nm, indicating that the fluorescent tryptophan residues are in polar environments. However, the tryptophan fluorescence quantum yields indicated that tryptophan residues are approximately 41% more fluorescent in staphylococcal enterotoxin A than in staphylococcal enterotoxin E. Tryptophan fluorescence quenching by a surface quencher, I-, and a neutral quencher, acrylamide, indicated that at least 1 of the 2 tryptophan residues in both staphylococcal enterotoxins A and E is located on the outer surface of the proteins. This tryptophan residue is in significantly different environments in the two enterotoxins. Six antigenic sites are predicted from the hydrophilicity and secondary structure information; at least four sites are identical. In general, staphylococcal enterotoxins A and E have some structural similarities which are compatible with their common biological activities.
Quinolinate inhibition of gluconeogenesis is dependent on cytosolic oxalacetate concentration. An explanation for the differential inhibition of lactate and pyruvate gluconeogenesis.

In isolated rat hepatocytes, the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) inhibitor, quinolinate decreased gluconeogenesis from lactate more than from pyruvate (78 vs 44%). Quinolinate inhibition of PEPCK has been reported to be competitive with oxalacetate (OAA), and therefore higher cytosolic OAA concentrations could be expected to alleviate quinolinate inhibition of PEPCK and hence reduce its effect on gluconeogenesis. With pyruvate as a carbon source, the cytosolic concentration of OAA was higher than with lactate (40 vs 9.7 μM). The levels of OAA were manipulated metabolically by adding asparagine (which provides more cytosolic OAA through the urea cycle) or oleate (which increases malate efflux from the mitochondria). In each of the 8 conditions studied, quinolinate inhibition of gluconeogenesis was inversely related to the levels of OAA in the cytosol. Quinolinate inhibition of asparagine gluconeogenesis was not due to a non-specific effect on urea synthesis.
Enzymic synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid: XX. Electron microscopy of products primed by native templates

Native T7 DNA is seen in the electron microscope as a continuous fiber about 11 μ , long, without branches. The product of replication of T7 DNA (and also phage λ DNA) by Escherichia coli polymerase showed, in a large number of the molecules, a branched structure with as many as 12 ends. Branching appears early in the course of replication and persists in the product isolated free from template and enzyme.
Rendezvous with Saturn's rings

The science rationale and instrumentation and engineering feasibility and design of a mission to rendezvous with the rings of Saturn are studied. In situ exploration of the rings requires spacecraft systems with enormous propulsive capability. Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) can effectively provide the required total impulse. The power source must be nuclear because the solar energy reaching Saturn in only 1% of that at the Earth. An important aspect of this mission is the ability of the low thrust propulsion system to continuously boost the spacecraft above the ring plane as it spirals in toward Saturn, thus enabling scientific measurements of ring particles from only a few kilometers. The NEP system assumed for this mission employs a nuclear reactor heat source, a thermal-to-electric conversion system, and a mercury ion engine electric propulsion system.
Stochastic geometric modeling and interference analysis for massive MIMO systems

We study a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) cellular system where each base-station (BS) is equipped with a large antenna array and serves some single antenna mobile stations (MSs). With the same setup as in [1], the influence of orthogonal and non-orthogonal pilot sequences on the system performance is analytically characterized when each BS has infinitely many antennas. Using stochastic geometric modeling of the BS and MS locations, closed-form expressions are derived for the distribution of signal-to-interference-ratio (SIR) for both uplink and downlink. Moreover, they are shown to be equivalent for the orthogonal pilots case. Further, it is shown that the downlink SIR is greatly influenced by the correlations between the pilot sequences in the non-orthogonal pilots case. Finally, the mathematical tools can be used to study system performances with other general channel estimation methods and transmission-reception schemes.
Telephone management curriculum for pediatric interns: a controlled trial.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a role-play telephone management curriculum on history taking and management skills. The study was a nonrandomized controlled trial carried out in the outpatient department of a primary care pediatric residency training program. Six PL-I residents (treatment group) participated in a role play curriculum during their first month of rotation through the outpatient department; seven PL-I residents (control group) received no formal instruction in telephone management. Baseline performance was measured on entry into the study using telephone calls made by a "simulated" mother using standardized scripts. Follow-up calls were made approximately 3 months later. Transcripts of these calls were rated by examiners who were unaware of group assignment using a standardized instrument that measured three aspects of performance: general history taking, specific history taking, and general management. Results were as follows: Mean posttest scores for the combined groups were: 59.4% (general history taking), 75.9% (specific history taking), and 77.7% (general management). By analysis of covariance, treatment group residents had significantly higher posttest scores in general history taking than control group residents (67.1% v 53.6%, P = .004). This difference occurred without a significant increase in the time spent answering the call. These data indicate that a role play curriculum results in improved performance in at least one aspect of telephone management.
Hall effect of La2/3(Ca,Pb)1/3MnO3 single crystals

The Hall resistivity ρxy of a La2/3(Ca,Pb)1/3MnO3 single crystal has been measured as a function of temperature and field. The overall behavior is similar to that observed previously in thin-film samples. At 5 K, ρxy is positive and linear in field, indicating that the anomalous contribution is negligible. However, the slope is small and, if a free carrier, single band model were used, the carrier density would be 2.4 holes per unit cell, even larger than the 0.85–1.9 holes per cell that have been reported using thin-film data and far larger than the 0.33 holes per cell expected from the doping level. As the temperature is increased, a strong, negative contribution to ρxy appears, due to the anomalous contribution to the Hall effect. Making use of a detailed measurement of the magnetization M(B,T), we separate the ordinary (∝B) and anomalous (∝M) contributions. The anomalous contribution is negative and proportional to the zero-field resistivity ρxx below TC, indicating that magnetic skew scattering is th...
Frontal Plane Mechanical and Anatomic Axis Planning

Angular deformity of the femur or tibia involves angulation not only of the bone but also of its axes (► Fig.4-1). This concept is easier to understand if one starts with a straight bone and produces an angular deformity. When a bone is divided and angulated, the mechanical and anatomic axes of the bone are also divided into proximal and distal segments. The pairs of proximal and distal axis lines intersect to form an angle. The point at which the proximal and distal axis lines intersect is called the center of rotation of angulation (CORA). The axis line of the proximal bone segment is called the proximal mechanical axis (PMA) or proximal anatomic axis (PAA) line, and the axis line of the distal bone segment is called the distal mechanical axis (DMA) or distal an-atomic axis (DAA) line. The break in the axis lines can occur at any level in the bone, depending on the level at which the bone is cut to create the angulation and de-pending on the point around which the bone is angula-ted. Therefore, each segment of bone, regardless of how short, can have its own mechanical and anatomic axis lines.
Interferon γ Induces Retrograde Dendritic Retraction and Inhibits Synapse Formation

The expression of interferon gamma (IFNgamma) increases after neural injury, and it is sustained in chronic inflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis and infection with human immunodeficiency virus. To understand how exposure to this proinflammatory cytokine might affect neural function, we examined its effects on cultures of neurons derived from the central and peripheral nervous systems. IFNgamma inhibits initial dendritic outgrowth in cultures of embryonic rat sympathetic and hippocampal neurons, and this inhibitory effect on process growth is associated with a decrease in the rate of synapse formation. In addition, in older cultures of sympathetic neurons, IFNgamma also selectively induces retraction of existing dendrites, ultimately leading to an 88% decrease in the size of the arbor. Dendritic retraction induced by IFNgamma represents a specific cellular response because it occurs without affecting axonal outgrowth or cell survival, and it is not observed with tumor necrosis factor alpha or other inflammatory cytokines. IFNgamma-induced dendritic retraction is associated with the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), and expression of a dominant-negative STAT1 construct attenuates the inhibitory effect of IFNgamma. Moreover, retrograde dendritic retraction is observed when distal axons are selectively exposed to IFNgamma. These data imply that IFNgamma-mediated STAT1 activation induces both dendritic atrophy and synaptic loss and that this occurs both at the sites of IFNgamma release and at remote loci. Regressive actions of IFNgamma on dendrites may contribute to the neuropathology of inflammatory diseases.
Influence of tidal volume for stroke volume variation to predict fluid responsiveness in patients undergoing one-lung ventilation

We designed this study to determine the predictive value for fluid responsiveness of stroke volume variation (SVV) in patients undergoing one-lung ventilation (OLV), ventilated at different tidal volumes. All patients scheduled for pulmonary lobectomy were randomized into two groups according to their tidal volume [group H: tidal volume 8 ml/kg (n = 36); group L: tidal volume 6 ml/kg (n = 37)]. After starting OLV, volume loading was performed by administration of 500 ml 6% hydroxyethylated starch for 30 min. Hemodynamic variables were measured before and after volume loading using the Vigileo-FloTrac system. Patients in both groups were divided into fluid responders and non-responders, and responders were defined as those who demonstrated an increase in cardiac index ≥15% after volume expansion. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for SVV to discriminate between responders and non-responders was 0.776 in group H and 0.648 in group L. The optimal threshold value of SVV was 10.5% (sensitivity, 85.7%; specificity, 66.7%) in group H and 8% (sensitivity, 69.5%; specificity, 64.3%) in group L. We found that SVV could predict fluid responsiveness in patients undergoing OLV with acceptable levels of sensitivity and specificity only when tidal volume is at least 8 ml/kg.
Mental Stress–Induced Ischemia and All-Cause Mortality in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

To the Editor: Recently, an article in Circulation discussed the prognostic utility of mental stress–induced wall motion abnormalities.1 The conclusion reached in the article is that the association between wall motion abnormalities during mental stress and mortality is important and probably underestimated by the unadjusted risk ratio of 2.79 (1.00 to 7.85). The authors suggest that investigations should be undertaken to determine whether a cheaper version of this test could be developed for the clinical setting. Before drawing such conclusions, alternative explanations of the findings need exploration. There were 17 deaths in this study. Wall motion abnormalities during the speech test were observed among 37 patients. A total of 6 patients were observed to have wall motion abnormalities during the speech test and then die within the follow-up period. Because the results of the paper were based on so few …
Mobile extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Abstract Transport of critically ill neonates in need of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be risky. Their extreme cardiorespiratory instability may delay or even preclude convention transport to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation center. We report the use of a UH-1 helicopter specially adapted for mobile extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support to transport a critically ill neonate.
Biochemical responses of bacteria after short exposure to alkyltins.

Organotin compounds rank fourth in the industrial production of organometallics but little is known about their effect and fate in the aquatic environments (Hodge et al. 1979). In the United States alone, over two million pounds of alkyltin compounds were produced in 1976 (Laughlin and French 1980) and the trend of using organotins in the products of our daily life continues to rise, due to the increasing demand for plastics and anti-fouling paints. In general, the dialkyltin derivatives are primarily used as heat stabilizers for PVC plastics and as catalytic agents in the production of urethane foam. The trialkyl and triaryl tin derivatives are used mainly as biocides in various agricultural, paper, and paint industries (Piver 1973).
5′-Flanking Sequences in Thyroid Hormone Response Element Half-sites Determine the Requirement of Retinoid X Receptor for Receptor-mediated Gene Expression

Thyroid hormone receptors are ligand-inducible transcription factors that can potentially interact with thyroid hormone response elements as homodimers or heterodimers with the retinoid X receptor. It has generally been felt, however, that the heterodimer is responsible for induction of gene expression. We have demonstrated previously that the optimal thyroid hormone receptor binding sequence is not the consensus hexamer half-site AGGTCA but is an octamer, TAAGGTCA. Based upon these findings, we hypothesize that thyroid hormone response elements composed of optimal half-sites (TAAGGTCA) will bind thyroid hormone receptors readily and activate gene expression independently of the retinoid X receptor. In contrast, response elements composed of suboptimal half-sites (e.g. GCAGGTCA) will require the retinoid X receptor to facilitate thyroid hormone receptor-mediated gene expression. To test this hypothesis, we have reconstituted thyroid hormone receptor-mediated gene expression in yeast. Our studies confirm the hypothesis that the retinoid X receptor is required for gene expression from response elements composed of suboptimal half-sites, whereas thyroid hormone receptors are sufficient to activate gene expression maximally from response elements containing optimal half-sites. Furthermore, coexpression of steroid receptor coactivator-1 is required for ligand-dependent gene activation from single response elements. Surprisingly, however, coexpression of the retinoid X receptor decreases the steroid receptor coactivator-1-dependent thyroid hormone induction. Overall these data demonstrate that the architecture of the thyroid hormone response element dictates the nuclear receptor requirements for gene activation. The studies suggest that different coactivators may be required for gene activation depending upon the response element architecture and the nature of the bound thyroid hormone receptor complex (homo- versus heterodimer).
Reaction and desorption of HCl and HBr following collisions with supercooled sulfuric acid

Gaseous HCl and HBr react with sulfuric acid at rates that depend strongly on acid concentration over a range of acidities typical of stratospheric aerosols. We monitor the competition between immediate desorption and H→D exchange after HCl and HBr thermalize upon collision with the surface of deuterated sulfuric acid: the exchange probabilities decrease from 0.7 to 0.1 (HCl) and 0.9 to 0.2 (HBr) as the acid concentration is increased from 55 to 70 wt% D2SO4 at 213 K. These measurements imply that HCl and HBr desorb faster than they dissociate at higher acidities, impeding the formation of Cl− and Br− in more acidic aerosols. Residence time measurements of HCl molecules that do enter the acid, however, indicate that HCl is more soluble than expected at high sulfuric acid concentrations.
Differential Association between HERG and KCNE1 or KCNE2

The small proteins encoded by KCNE1 and KCNE2 have both been proposed as accessory subunits for the HERG channel. Here we report our investigation into the cell biology of the KCNE-HERG interaction. In a co-expression system, KCNE1 was more readily co-precipitated with co-expressed HERG than was KCNE2. When forward protein trafficking was prevented (either by Brefeldin A or engineering an ER-retention/retrieval signal onto KCNE cDNA) the intracellular abundance of KCNE2 and its association with HERG markedly increased relative to KCNE1. HERG co-localized more completely with KCNE1 than with KCNE2 in all the membrane-processing compartments of the cell (ER, Golgi and plasma membrane). By surface labeling and confocal immunofluorescence, KCNE2 appeared more abundant at the cell surface compared to KCNE1, which exhibited greater co-localization with the ER-marker calnexin. Examination of the extracellular culture media showed that a significant amount of KCNE2 was extracellular (both soluble and membrane-vesicle-associated). Taken together, these results suggest that during biogenesis of channels HERG is more likely to assemble with KCNE1 than KCNE2 due to distinctly different trafficking rates and retention in the cell rather than differences in relative affinity. The final channel subunit constitution, in vivo, is likely to be determined by a combination of relative cell-to-cell expression rates and differential protein processing and trafficking.
Portal infusion of tumor necrosis factor increases mortality in rats.

Abstract Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a protein found in the serum of mice presensitized with BCG following injection of endotoxin. Although TNF has been shown to cause hemorrhagic necrosis of certain tumors, the marked toxicity of recombinant human TNF has limited the clinical usefulness of this compound. This experiment was designed to determine whether hepatic metabolism would reduce the systemic toxicity of TNF delivered by the portal circulation. Twenty male Fischer rats received a continuous infusion of recombinant human TNF (100 μg/kg/day), 10 through a portal venous branch, and 10 through a branch of the inferior vena cava. Control animals received an infusion of carrier solution by the same route. After 7 days the animals were sacrificed and their organs weighed and sectioned. Mortality in the portal TNF group was 100%. The animals followed the clinical pattern seen with lethal TNF injection. Histologic sections revealed significant gastric and small intestinal mucosal injury, pulmonary edema, and acute tubular necrosis. Animals receiving TNF systemically lost more weight per day of infusion than controls, but followed a relatively benign course. Systemically infused animals had evidence of mild pulmonary edema, and a periportal mononuclear infiltrate in the liver, but no obvious renal or gastrointestinal injury. In a second experiment the effect of escalating doses of portal TNF infusion on liver enzymes was assessed. TNF was infused intraportally at 10, 50, or 100 μg/kg/day for 3 days. Control animals received a carrier solution. Mortality was dose-related with 100% mortality in animals receiving 100 μg/kg/day, and 40% mortality in the 50 μg/kg/day group. Animals receiving TNF had lower protein and albumin levels when compared to controls, but serum levels of hepatocellular enzymes were normal in all groups. We conclude that administration of TNF by the portal venous route carries significant toxicity and results in increased mortality. Portal venous infusion of TNF appears to potentiate the toxic effects of the hormone and may explain the increased mortality seen in these animals. There was no evidence for direct hepatocellular toxicity.
Formation of diffuse and fibrillar tangles in aging and early Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract The changes in tau that are associated with the early formation of tangles in aging and in preclinical and very mild Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) were studied with two antibodies against AD-specific tau: PHF-1, which recognizes a phosphorylated epitope at Ser396 through 404, and MC-1, which recognizes a folded, conformational epitope that includes amino acids at both 7 through 9 and 312 through 342. Both antibodies demonstrated cells with diffuse or granular staining (diffuse tangles) and cells with fibrillar staining (fibrillar tangles). The fibrillar tangles corresponded to classical tangles and increase exponentially with age and severity of AD. The diffuse tangles seemed to represent an earlier form of tangles; their density peaked around preclinical AD, and then decreased in more severe stages of AD. MC-1 consistently stained more diffuse tangles than PHF-1, suggesting that the conformational change in tau precedes phosphorylation at the PHF-1 epitope during paired helical filament formation.
Swiss glacier recession since the Little Ice Age: Reconciliation with climate records

Since the culmination of the Little Ice Age, Alpine glaciers have been in a state of general retreat. The present study, focusing on the Swiss Alps between 1850 and 1973, seeks to relate the concomitant rise in equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) to recorded climate shifts. The approach taken involves the development of a regression model, but differs from most other studies in that the relationship of (midlatitude) ELAs to climate is examined at a resolution such that regional values are treated as individual data-points. Although such a treatment implies loss of resolution at small scales, a coherent relationship between climate and ELA is nonetheless obtained, due in large part to the primary control exercised by temperature, as well as the relatively wide range of ELAs included in the regression dataset. The derived relationship is applied to observed Swiss climate shifts, and is found to predict a secular rise in ELA somewhat greater than that observed. It is hypothesized that the difference represents climate change that had not yet been expressed by changes in glacier morphology.
In vivo inhibition of nitric oxide synthase gene expression by curcumin, a cancer preventive natural product with anti-inflammatory properties

Curcumin is a naturally occurring, dietary polyphenolic phytochemical that is under preclinical trial evaluation for cancer preventive drug development and whose working pharmacological actions include anti-inflammation. With respect to inflammation, in vitro, it inhibits the activation of free radical-activated transcription factors, such as nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) and AP-1, and reduces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and interleukin-8. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is an inflammation-induced enzyme that catalyzes the production of nitric oxide (NO), a molecule that may lead to carcinogenesis. Here, we report that in ex vivo cultured BALB/c mouse peritoneal macrophages, 1-20 microM of curcumin reduced the production of iNOS mRNA in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, we demonstrated that, in vivo, two oral treatments of 0.5 mL of a 10-microM solution of curcumin (92 ng/g of body weight) reduced iNOS mRNA expression in the livers of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-injected mice by 50-70%. Although many hold that curcumin needs to be given at dosages that are unattainable through diet to produce an in vivo effect, we were able to obtain potency at nanomoles per gram of body weight. This efficacy is associated with two modifications in our preparation and feeding regimen: 1) an aqueous solution of curcumin was prepared by initially dissolving the compound in 0.5 N NaOH and then immediately diluting it in PBS; and 2) mice were fed curcumin at dusk after fasting. Inhibition was not observed in mice that were fed ad lib., suggesting that food intake may interfere with the absorption of curcumin.
Propagation of Waves of Acoustic Frequencies in Curved Ducts

The propagation of waves of acoustic frequencies in curved ducts is studied for the first four modes. The analysis makes use of Bessel functions to construct curves of wave number in the duct versus imposed wave number. The results apply to ducts of arbitrary width and arbitrary radii of curvature. The characteristics of motion in a bend are compared with propagation of waves in a straight duct, and important differences in the behavior of waves are noted.
Characterization and analysis of multi-hop wireless MIMO network throughput

Use of multiple antennas or MIMO has great potential for enhancing the throughput of multi-hop wireless networks via spatial reuse and/or spatial division multiplexing. In this paper, we characterize and analyze the maximum achievable throughput in multi-hop wireless MIMO networks under three MIMO protocols, spatial reuse only (SRP), spatial multiplexing only (SMP), and spatial reuse & multiplexing (SRMP), each of which enhances throughput via a different way of exploiting the MIMO's potential. We show via extensive simulation that as the number of antennas increases, the maximum achievable throughput first rises and then flattens out asymptotically under SRP, while it increases "almost" linearly under SMP or SRMP. We evaluate the effects of several network parameters on this achievable throughput. We also demonstrate how these results can be used by designers to determine the optimal parameters of multi-hop wireless MIMO networks.
A complication of injection laryngoplasty using radiesse

CASE A 50-year-old male presented to a community-based otolaryngologist with a four year history of hoarseness. Fiberoptic laryngoscopy revealed mild, bilateral atrophy of the true vocal folds with incomplete closure. The patient underwent bilateral true vocal fold injection laryngoplasty with Radiesse. He continued to have a breathy voice postoperatively. Three months after the first injection, bilateral injection laryngoplasty with Radiesse was repeated. Following this operation, the patient's voice became significantly worse. He presented to our center where videostroboscopy revealed significant loss of mucosal wave. There was evidence of calcium hydroxylapatite bilaterally within the superficial lamina propria of the true vocal folds. We cared for this patient conservatively using a combination of medical management, voice therapy and serial videostroboscopy. His voice improved and videostroboscopy confirmed partial resorption of Radiesse. The patient’s voice has returned to eighty percent of baseline. REFERENCES 1. Rosen CA, Gartner-Schmidt J, et al. Vocal fold augmentation with calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA). Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2007;136,198-204. 2. Rosen CA, Thekdi AA. Vocal fold augmentation with injectable calcium hydroxylapatite: Short-term results. J Voice 2004;18:387-391. 3. Hughes RGM, Morrison M. Vocal cord medialization by transcutaneous injection of calcium hydroxylapatite. J Voice 2004; 19:674-678. 4. Belafsky PC, Postma GN. Vocal fold augmentation with calcium hydroxylapatite. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2004;131:351-4. 5. Chheda NN, Rosen CA, et al. Revision laryngeal surgery for the suboptimal injection of calcium hydroxylapatite. Laryngoscope, 2008;118:22602263. 6. Chhetri DK, Jahn-Parwar B, et al. Injection laryngoplasty with calcium hydroxylapatite gel implant in an in vivo canine model. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2004;113:259-264. CONCLUSIONS This case illustrates that subepithelial injection of Radiesse can be treated conservatively. There is at least partial resorption of Radiesse which is documented photographically in this report. However, given the evidence in prior studies regarding calcium hydroxylapatite's long term stability, complete resorption of Radiesse would not be expected.6 BACKGROUND In the treatment of unilateral impairment of vocal fold motion and glottic insufficiency, an injectable form of calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse) has shown some promise in true vocal fold augmentation secondary to its inert properties and relative long-term stability.1-4 In preliminary case series, few complications have been reported. Subepithelial injection with poor voice outcome has been reported and managed most often with surgical excision after observation for a period of months.3,5 We present a complication of bilateral subepithelial injection with Radiesse that we managed without surgery. Photodocumentation of this case shows partial resorption of the implant and the patient’s voice improved significantly.
Restricted regular rings

A ring is called restricted regular if each of its proper homomorphic images is regular in the sense of yon Neumann. Such rings will be called r-rings. Simple examples exist that an r-ring may not be regular. The object of this article is to characterize right noetherian r-rings. It has been possible to characterize them for the class of non-prime rings. The prime case remains open. However, it can be shown that if R is a prime right noetherian r-ring then each non-trivial ideal is a unique product of maximal ideals. It is also shown that if R is a right duo r-ring then either R is regular or R has exactly one non-trivial ideal. An application to group-rings is given in the last section. Throughout J will denote the Jacobson radical of a ring, and I(J), r(J) respectively will denote the left, right annihilator of J in R. A ring R is called a right duo ring if each of its right ideals is two-sided. We begin with Theorem 1. Let R be a nonprime right noetherian ring. Then R is an r-ring if and only if
Nuclear factor kappa B mediates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in the urinary bladder.

Purpose: The proteins which constitute the final common pathway linking receptors on cell surfaces to the inflammatory cascade have recently been identified and cloned. Central to activation of this inflammatory cascade is translocation from cytosol to nucleus of the nuclear transcription factor known as nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). The purpose of this study was to determine whether NF-κB cascade plays a role in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation of the mouse urinary bladder. Materials and Methods: Bladder inflammation was induced in anesthetized mice by intravesical instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and quantified by morphometric analysis. The NK-1 receptors for substance P were quantified by flow cytometry. LPS-induced degradation of inhibitory IκB subunit was quantified by Western blotting analysis and translocation of NF-κB protein from cytosol to the nucleus was determined by confocal microscopy and Western blotting analysis. In addition, we determine the effect of lactacystin, a proteosome inhibitor, on LPS-induced IκB degradation and NF-κB translocation, NK-1 receptor fluorescence intensity, and bladder inflammation. Results: LPS instillation into the mouse bladder resulted in time dependent loss of the inhibitory IκB subunit of the NF-κB protein complex. IκB cleavage was followed by translocation of NF-κB from the cytosol to the nucleus. This was associated with increased expression of an NF-κB dependent inflammatory component, the NK-1 receptor. Pretreatment of mouse bladders with the NF-κB inhibitor, lactacystin, prevented cleavage of IκB in a dose-dependent manner. Lactacystin prevented increases in the NF-κB dependent inflammatory cascade components such as the NK-1 receptor. At the whole tissue level, the marked inflammatory infiltrate and mucosal breakdown associated with LPS administration was completely abolished by lactacystin. Conclusion: NF-κB mediates many features of urinary bladder inflammation induced by LPS. The NF-κB cascade is an important target for anti-inflammatory management of cystitis.
Comparing the Criminal History Profiles of Serial and Single-Victim Homicide Offenders

Abstract Few studies have compared single and serial homicide offenders' criminal histories. To understand more completely how these offenders differ, Multidimensional Scalogram Analysis (MSA) is used to compare single and serial homicide offenders' profiles comprised of ten prior offending variables. The profiles of offenders overall co-occurred in four thematic groupings that were differentiated by the type of violent offenses contained in that group and whether the offenses were aimed at people, property, or both. Results additionally showed that most serial offenders had criminal history profiles that were unique from one another and from single offenders. The implications for differentiating offenders are discussed.