cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of steroidal implantation and ractopamine-HCl on nitrogen retention, blood metabolites and skeletal muscle gene expression in Holstein steers

Six Holstein steers (231 +/- 17 kg) housed in metabolism crates were used in a randomized complete block design with three blocks of two steers based on previous serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I concentrations. One of the two steers in each block was implanted with 120 mg trenbolone acetate and 24 mg oestradiol-17beta on day 0. None of the steers was fed ractopamine-HCl in the initial 28 days, and then all steers were fed 200 mg of ractopamine-HCl per steer daily from day 28 until the end of the trial. Steers were fed a corn-based diet (62% rolled corn, 20% expeller soya bean meal and 15% alfalfa hay) twice daily with an average dry matter intake of 4.8 kg/day. Blood and M. longissimus biopsy samples were collected prior to implantation and on days 14, 28, 42 and 56. There was an implant x ractopamine interaction for retained nitrogen (p < 0.05); ractopamine feeding led to only small improvements in nitrogen retention for implanted steers (45.9 g/day vs. 44.5 g/day), whereas ractopamine led to larger increases in nitrogen retention for non-implanted steers (39.0 g/day vs. 30.4 g/day). Implantation increased (p < 0.05) and ractopamine tended to decrease (p = 0.06) serum IGF-I concentrations. Implantation tended to increase (p = 0.16) and ractopamine decreased (p < 0.05) mRNA expression of IGF-I in the M. longissimus. Ractopamine decreased mRNA expression of beta(1)- and beta(2)-receptors in M. longissimus (p </= 0.02). The steroidal implant and the feeding of ractopamine both increased nitrogen retention in steers, but the combination did not yield an additive response. The two growth promotants had opposite effects on serum concentrations of IGF-I and mRNA expression of IGF-I in M. longissimus.
Issues in Caregivers' Stress and Providers' Support

This study examined whether support from care recipients' primary care providers affects the stress and health of caregivers. This two-year longitudinal study addressed changes in caregivers' mental and physical health, both self-assessed and evaluated by professional nurse practitioners in physical examinations, and the effects of provider support on caregivers' health. Randomly selected participants from three previous studies plus a group of volunteer Alzheimer's caregivers constituted the sample. Of 254 eligible individuals, 150 agreed to participate, but by time 2, care recipient deaths and other reasons had reduced the number of caregivers to 99. Participants showed significant increases in stress and service use but declines in all areas of health and in provider support. Provider support did not materially affect caregivers' health but had an indirect effect on caregivers' self-assessed health through rewards. Despite the need for bolstering caregivers' health, perceived support from care recipien...
Vocal circuitry in Xenopus laevis: Telencephalon to laryngeal motor neurons

Sexually differentiated calling patterns of Xenopus laevis are conveyed to the vocal organ by a dedicated neuromuscular system. Here, we define afferents to vocal motor neurons and determine whether the connectivity of the vocal pathway is sexually differentiated. The use of fluorescent dextran amines and the isolated brain preparation readily permitted identification of anterograde and retrograde connectivity patterns. The whole-mount preparation allowed us to observe projections in their entirety, including cells of origin of a projection (for retrograde projections), terminal fields (for anterograde connections), and fiber tracts. Major findings are the confirmation of a robust and reciprocal connection between cranial nucleus (n.) IX-X and the pretrigeminal nucleus of the dorsal tegmental area of the medulla (DTAM) as well as between DTAM and the ventral striatum (VS). Newly revealed is the extensive connectivity between the rostral subdivision of the dorsal nucleus raphe (rRpd) and candidate vocal nuclei. In contrast to previous results using peroxidase, we did not observe dramatic sex differences in connectivity, although some connections were less robust in female than in male brains. Some retrograde connections previously observed (e.g., anterior preoptic area to DTAM) were not confirmed. Plausible hypotheses are that a set of rhombencephalic neurons located in DTAM, the inferior reticular formation and n.IX-X are responsible for generating patterned vocal activity, that activity is modulated by neurons in rRpd, and that activity in VS (particularly that evoked by conspecific calls), together with effects of steroid hormones at many sites in the vocal circuit, contribute to the initiation of calling. J. Comp. Neurol. 464: 115‐130, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Indexing terms: nucleus ambiguus; frog; song; raphe; parabrachial nucleus
Krylov Subspace Spectral Methods for the Time-Dependent Schrodinger Equation with Non-Smooth Potentials

This paper presents modifications of Krylov Subspace Spectral (KSS) Methods, which build on the work of Gene Golub and others pertaining to moments and Gaussian quadrature to produce high-order accurate approximate solutions to the time-dependent Schrodinger equation in the case where either the potential energy or the initial data is not a smooth function. These modifications consist of using various symmetric perturbations to compute off-diagonal elements of functions of matrices. It is demonstrated through analytical and numerical results that KSS methods, with these modifications, achieve the same high-order accuracy and possess the same stability properties as they do when applied to parabolic problems, even though the solutions to the Schrodinger equation do not possess the same smoothness.
High-affinity vanadate transport system in the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413.

High-affinity vanadate transport systems have not heretofore been identified in any organism. Anabaena variabilis, which can fix nitrogen by using an alternative V-dependent nitrogenase, transported vanadate well. The concentration of vanadate giving half-maximum V-nitrogenase activity when added to V-starved cells was about 3 × 10−9 M. The genes for an ABC-type vanadate transport system, vupABC, were found in A. variabilis about 5 kb from the major cluster of genes encoding the V-nitrogenase, and like those genes, the vupABC genes were repressed by molybdate; however, unlike the V-nitrogenase genes the vanadate transport genes were expressed in vegetative cells. A vupB mutant failed to grow by using V-nitrogenase unless high levels of vanadate were provided, suggesting that there was also a low-affinity vanadate transport system that functioned in the vupB mutant. The vupABC genes belong to a family of putative metal transport genes that include only one other characterized transport system, the tungstate transport genes of Eubacterium acidaminophilum. Similar genes are not present in the complete genomes of other bacterial strains that have a V-nitrogenase, including Azotobacter vinelandii, Rhodopseudomonas palustris, and Methanosarcina barkeri.
Synthesis of Au(Core)/Ag(Shell) Nanoparticles and their Conversion to AuAg Alloy Nanoparticles

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) are of great interest due to their special optical, [ 1–3 ] electronic, [ 4–8 ] and catalytic [ 9,10 ] properties. [ 11 ] Among metal NPs, Au NPs have been investigated most extensively because of their facile preparation, resistance to oxidation, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band that can absorb and scatter visible light. [ 3 ] Core/ shell and alloy bimetallic NPs are especially interesting because they provide opportunities to tune the NPs’ optical and catalytic properties [ 12–15 ] and are potentially useful as taggants for security applications. [ 2 ] The AuAg system is of particular interest because the SPR band is tunable between ∼ 520 nm for Au [ 11 ] and ∼ 410 nm for Ag. [ 16 ] Several syntheses for AuAg alloy, [ 15 , 17–37 ] Au(core)/Ag(shell), [ 22 , 25 , 31 , 33 , 35–45 ] and Ag(core)/Au(shell) NPs [ 28 , 31 , 33–35 , 42 , 46–48 ] have already been reported. Here, we report a facile, stoichiometrically controlled synthesis of Au(core)/Ag(shell) and AuAg alloy NPs through digestive ripening, [ 49–51 ] which is a potentially general method for synthesizing alloy NPs. [ 37 , 52,53 ] Au(core)/Ag(shell) NPs were synthesized and annealed to form AuAg alloy NPs, followed by elemental analysis and structural and optical characterization. Methods utilizing Au rather than Ag NPs as the seed particles are advantageous: obtaining monodisperse Ag NPs is signifi cantly more challenging [ 16 ] because it is harder to control the nucleation of Ag NPs and to avoid oxidation. Huang and co-workers recently demonstrated the conversion of Au(core)/Ag(shell) to AuAg alloy NPs as a part of a larger study showing the generality of digestive ripening for synthesizing alloy NPs, but very limited data without quantitative elemental analysis or optical characterization of the AuAg alloy NPs was provided. [ 37 ] In this study, we compare a twostep synthesis of Au(core)/Ag(shell) NPs and their conversion to AuAg alloy NPs through annealing with a one-step, direct conversion of Au NPs to AuAg alloy NPs. The products of
An electromagnetic inverse problem in determination of certain 2D source distributions

A method for determination of source distributions of planar structures is described. The inverse problem is formulated as an identification problem. The method consists of measurements of weak electromagnetic signals in the source region and inverse processing of the acquired data in order to retrieve information about spatial distributions. The source region Green's function is used in order to develop the inverse problem equations. Integrals are solved for the voltage of the sensing antenna in terms of unknown parameters of the source distribution. A numerical inverse problem equation is obtained through transformation of an analytical solution in terms of unknown parameters into a matrix equation. This transformation leads to a positive definite matrix of the system of simultaneous equations. An application of the inverse problem to the quality testing of multilayer printed circuit boards is included. >
Fatty Acid Profiles of Commercially Available Finfish Fillets in the United States

Fillets of 76 finfish species (293 composites of three fish) were obtained from commercial seafood vendors in six regions of the United States (i.e., Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, New England, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest). Full fatty acid profiles were determined for each species and are presented here. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been associated with many health benefits. Thus, fillets of each species were compared for total EPA plus DHA content, which ranged from 17 mg/100 g (pangasius/swai) to 2430 mg/100 g (Chilean sea bass). Of the top ten most popularly consumed seafoods in the US, finfish, including salmon species (717-1533 mg/100 g), Alaskan pollock (236 mg/100 g), tilapia (76 mg/100 g), channel catfish (44 mg/100 g), Atlantic cod (253 mg/100 g), and pangasius/swai (17 mg/100 g), exhibited a wide concentration range of EPA plus DHA. Large variances were found within many of the farmed species analyzed, which likely stems from dietary differences in the farm-fed diet. The results of this study provide current information on a broad range of species and will help nutritionists and the public make informed decisions regarding seafood consumption.
Growth of Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana)

Many land managers are interested in maintaining or restoring plant communities that contain Oregon white oak (OWO, Quercus garryana), yet there is relatively little information available about the species' growth rates and survival to guide management decisions. We used two studies to characterize growth (over multi-year periods and within individual years) and to evaluate the main factors that affect growth and survival. The objective of the first study was to revise the OWO components of the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS), a widely-used growth model. We first compiled a large database on growth and survival to develop equations to revise FVS. Diameter growth and survival over multi-year periods were strongly affected by stand density, the competitive position of the tree, tree size, and site productivity. The height growth potential of OWO was predicted from site productivity, stand density and tree size. In the second study, intra-annual patterns of OWO growth were evaluated by precisely measuring stem diameters with band dendrometers. OWO experienced two periods of stem expansion, with the first period likely representing growth (the production of new wood and bark) and the second representing stem rehydration in the fall and winter. As in the first study, growth was strongly affected by the level of competition around each tree. Our results show the sensitivity of Oregon white oak to competition and highlight the need to restore low stand densities in many cases to improve growth and the likelihood of survival.
The Pathology of Cardiovascular Interventions and Devices for Coronary Artery Disease, Vascular Disease, Heart Failure, and Arrhythmias

Abstract The last several decades have seen a virtual explosion in the armamentarium of surgical and interventional procedures and their associated medical devices for the management of cardiovascular disease. The development and widespread use of prosthetic heart valves was an early major development in the field. Percutaneous coronary interventions are now widely performed in patients with coronary artery disease and have reduced the frequency of coronary artery bypass grafting. Aortic and peripheral vascular diseases were first treated with open surgical repairs and more recently with endovascular procedures. Mechanical circulatory support maintained with various devices has become a mainstay of the management of advanced heart failure. Devices and procedures for the control of arrhythmias are also of major importance. This chapter will discuss the characteristics of the various interventions and devices as well as pathological considerations related to their use.
Polymorphism and DFT calculations of 1,4-bis(triisopropylsilyl)buta-1,3-diyne

Abstract Two polymorph forms of 1,4-bis(triisopropylsilyl)buta-1,3-diyne were investigated by X-ray analysis. The polymorph grown from acetone solution crystallized in the monoclinic crystal system with one molecule in a general position of the asymmetric unit. A second polymorph grown from acetonitrile and ethanol solutions crystallized in the triclinic crystal system with a molecule located on an inversion center. The two polymorphs have slightly different molecular geometries and crystal packing motifs. The conformations found in these polymorphs were investigated and compared with five other rotamers as possible candidates for conformational polymorphs using DFT calculations.
Optimizing video presentations for deaf and hard of hearing participants in mainstream classrooms.

Deaf and hard of hearing students do not have equal access to lecture information in higher education classrooms, even with visual translation accommodations such as sign language interpreters or captioners. As a result, their learning and retention rates lag behind in comparison with their hearing peers. Research shows deaf students lose substantial lecture information due to two main factors largely unaddressed by the accommodations: cognitive limits on handling simultaneous visual translation of audio and other visual information sources, and classroom layouts that have widely dispersed information sources, viewing distances, and angles. This dissertation explores a consumer device-driven approach that is centered on multiple view perspectives (MVP). MVP improves visual access and inclusion of deaf students receiving accommodations in classrooms not designed for full visual accessibility. Approaches to enable deaf students are investigated to obtain better views of the classroom information sources, and to manage these multiple views. The first approach investigated development of a personal and flexible technology platform that uses personal mobile devices to enable deaf students to use it in a wide variety of classroom settings and layouts. Next, the scalability of multiple video streams is investigated for heterogeneous bandwidth devices in a BitTorrent simulator adapted for video streaming. Student preferences in prioritizing and consolidating widely dispersed and simultaneous multiple classroom information sources on their personal devices are investigated. Finally, consumption saving approaches in battery and processor limited personal devices are explored to more efficiently record, compress, and stream classroom video perspectives. Collectively, these investigations show that personal mobile devices can be used to improve visual accessibility and enhance classroom learning for deaf students. Unlike most classroom accessible technologies, MVP is designed to be portable, student-centered and be either used independently from the institutional network or in concert with it.
Laparoscopic appendectomy is safer than open appendectomy in an elderly population.

Background and Objectives: This study describes perioperative patient safety outcomes comparing laparoscopic appendectomy with open appendectomy in the elderly population (defined as age 65 years) during the diffusion of laparoscopic appendectomy into widespread clinical practice. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of patients undergoing open or laparoscopic appendectomy in the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a 20% sample of inpatient discharges from 1056 hospitals, from 1998 to 2009, and used weighted sampling to estimate national trends. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to examine the association of laparoscopy with perioperative outcomes. Results: Patients who met the inclusion criteria totaled 257 484. Of these, 87 209 (34%) underwent laparoscopic appendectomy. These patients were younger (P .001); had lower Charlson comorbidity scores (P .001); were more likely to be white (P .001), to be privately insured (P .005), and to undergo surgery in urban hospitals (P .001); and were less likely to have appendiceal rupture (P .001). Laparoscopic appendectomy was associated with a decreased length of stay (4.44 days vs 7.86 days, P .001), fewer total patient safety indicator events (1.8% vs 3.5%, P .001), and a decreased mortality rate (0.9% vs 2.8%, P .001). On multivariate analyses, we observed a 32% (odds ratio, 0.68) decreased probability of patient safety events occurring in laparoscopic appendectomy cases versus open appendectomy cases as measured by patient safety indicators. Conclusion: The data suggest that laparoscopic appendectomy is associated with improved clinical outcomes in the elderly and that diffusion of laparoscopic appendectomy is not associated with adverse patient safety events in this population.
A New Species of Arachniotus

The genus Arachniotus was created by Schroter in 1893 for the reception of A. candidus (Eidam) Schrot. (1, 2a, 3), and A. aureus (Eidam) Schrot. (2a, 3), previously referred to the genus Gymnoascus. In these species the ascospores are hyaline, yellowish, or red; the f ruit-body globose or sub-globose, and the peridium composed of loosely interwoven hyphae of more or less uniform size and without any special appendages. On these characteristics the new genus, Arachniotus, was based. The first species, considered the type, was found growing on well-rotted manure in Germany, and in 1901 on an old nest of wild bees, and on dung of the common Roe at Kew, England (1) ; the fruit-bodies .5-2 mm. in diameter, hyaline; asci ovate; ascospores 3-3.5^, hyaline and smooth. The second species was found on decaying vegetables, on wet paper, and on bread in Silesia; the fruit-bodies globose, 1.5-1 mm. in diameter, yellow, hyphae somewhat spiral; asci 8-spored; ascospores 3.5-4/*, yellowish, and minutely spiny. Later A. ruber (Van Teigh.) Schrot. (2b, 4) was transferred to this genus. It is a coprophilous form reported from France, Ger? many, and Britain in Europe and from the Gold Coast in Africa. The distinguishing character of this species is the color of the fruit-body which is pale-yellow at first, but soon turning orange,
Diel variability in the elemental composition of the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus

Journal of Plankton Research plankt.oxfordjournals.org J. Plankton Res. (2016) 38(4): 1052–1061. First published online January 18, 2016 doi:10.1093/plankt/fbv120 Contribution to the Themed Section: Scaling from individual p lankton to marine ecosystems Diel variability in the elemental composition of the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus JOHANN S. LOPEZ 1 , NATHAN S. GARCIA 1 *, DAVID TALMY 2 AND ADAM C. MARTINY 1,3 DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE , UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA , IRVINE , CA , USA , DEPARTMENT OF EARTH , ATMOSPHERE AND PLANETARY SCIENCES , MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY , CAMBRIDGE , MA , USA AND DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY , UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA , IRVINE , CA , USA * CORRESPONDING AUTHOR : n8garcia@gmail.com Received August 26, 2015; accepted December 10, 2015 Corresponding editor: Pia Moisander The ratio of elements such as carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) in phytoplankton is known to vary substantially within single isolates and across environmental gradients. In addition, C:N:P is known to vary throughout the day due to diel patterns in nutrient acquisition and storage. It has been hypothesized that small phytoplankton such as marine cyanobacteria have relatively invariable elemental ratios during a 24 h period, whereas larger phytoplankton have a greater capacity to store elements and thus a wider diel range of C:N:P. To test this hypothesis, we examined diel vari- ability in cellular C:N:P, using a chemostat culturing system, for one of the most abundant marine cyanobacteria, Synechococcus (WH8102) during two 24 h periods. The cellular C quota nearly doubled during the 14 h light period and was subsequently reduced during the dark period. The cellular N quota also varied considerably, whereas the P quota remained relatively stable. These daily changes in elemental quotas led to highly variable C:N cell and C:P cell . Furthermore, the magnitude of variability in cellular elemental stoichiometry of Synechococcus was positively related to the growth rate. We constructed a model to test the extent to which variation in C:N cell and C:P cell is related to reserve carbon accumulation and depletion over each light –dark cycle. Results imply that, in addition to growth-related respiratory losses, Synechococcus also purges excess C during the dark period in order to maintain a nutritive balance within cells. Our data suggest that diel variation in C:N cell and C:P cell of Synechococcus is of the same order of magnitude as stoichiometric variation within plankton communities between major ocean environments. KEYWORDS: cyanobacteria; Synechococcus; stoichiometry; diel; Redﬁeld; phytoplankton available online at www.plankt.oxfordjournals.org # The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
Diabetic retinopathy. Control of systemic factors preserves vision.

PREVIEWDiabetic retinopathy, a retinal microangiopathy, is the leading cause of blindness for persons aged 20 to 65 years in the United States. Routine screening and early treatment are cost-effective and have been shown to help preserve sight. Primary care physicians play a key role in treatment of systemic factors that lead to poor outcomes and referral to an ophthalmologist or a retinal specialist for screening and local treatment. This article, the first of two on retinal vascular disease, provides a review of nonproliferative and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The second article, which will appear in an upcoming issue of POSTGRADUATE MEDICINE, discusses retinal vascular disease in hypertension.
Most 30-day Readmissions After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Are Not Due to Surgical Site-Related Issues: An Analysis of 17,088 Patients.

Study design A retrospective study of patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in the prospective National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Objective To determine the most common reasons for readmission within 30 days after elective ACDF. Summary of background data ACDF is a commonly performed surgery that is safe and effective for treating a variety of cervical spine pathologies. With new quality-based reimbursements tied to readmissions within 30 days of discharge, better understanding of the causes of readmissions is, however, needed. Methods Patients undergoing ACDF in the NSQIP database from 2012 to 2014 were reviewed. The overall rate of readmission and documented reasons for readmission were collected. Multivariate regression was then used to determine risk factors for readmissions. Results A total of 17,088 patients undergoing elective ACDF were identified. There were 545 (3.2%) readmissions within 30 postoperative days. Of the readmitted patients, 293 (53.8%) were readmitted for nonsurgical site-related reasons, with neuropsychiatric (n = 44), cardiovascular (n = 39), and pneumonia (n = 37) being the most common reasons. A total of 184 patients (33.8%) were readmitted for surgical site-related reasons, with surgical site infection (n = 42), hemorrhage/hematoma (n = 42), and dysphagia (n = 32) being the most common reasons. A total of 84 patients (15.6%) had undocumented reasons for readmission. In multivariate analysis, only older age and higher American Society of Anesthesiologists class were independently associated with readmissions. Conclusion Most readmissions after ACDF were due to nonsurgical site-related reasons, suggesting the importance of careful patient selection, aggressive preoperative medical optimization, and adequate postoperative management. Level of evidence 3.
136: Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 induction and function in NK cells during murine cytomegalovirus infection

Cytokines induced upon viral infection promote NK cell functions, including their capacity to kill infected cells and produce IFN-gamma, for defense. A subset of these signal through the signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs). There are a total of seven STAT molecules and although cytokines have preferred STAT pathways, they can conditionally activate alternative STATs. Focusing on STAT1 and STAT4, previous work in this laboratory has demonstrated that STAT levels are differentially regulated in particular cell types, and that cytokine activation of specific STAT pathways is influenced by the concentrations available to shape functional outcomes. The current studies were initiated to extend characterization to STAT3 access and function in mouse NK cells. Basally, NK cells showed a unique STAT3 activation profile with strong stimulation of phosphorylation by IL-10, weaker responses to IFN-alpha and IL-12, and no detectable response to IFN-gamma or IL-6. Ex vivo stimulation of NK cells from murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV)-infected mice with IFN-alpha and IL-12 showed that IL-12 had surprisingly enhanced access to STAT3 by day 1.5 of infection. Induction of increased STAT3 protein levels, depending on type 1 IFN but not IL-12 responsiveness, accompanied the elevated STAT3 activation and was required for the enhanced IL-12 stimulation. NK cells are unique in their high basal expression of STAT4, and IL-12 activation of STAT3 was elevated in NK cells isolated from either uninfected or MCMV-infected STAT4-deficient mice. Taken together, the results extend the observations that basal and induced concentrations of particular STATs shape cytokine pathways to STAT3 stimulation. Ongoing studies are further characterizing the molecular pathways regulating STAT3 expression and function. Overall, the work is advancing understanding of the flexibility for accessing particular STATs to shape cytokine effects during ongoing immune responses to infection. (Supported by the National Institutes of Health, USA.)
A Panel of Artificial Antigen-Presenting Cells (AAPC) Expressing Prevalent HLA Alleles Permits Generation of Cytotoxic T Cells Specific for Both Subdominant and Dominant Viral Epitopes for Adoptive Therapy.

Adoptive transfer of antigen specific T cells can be effective in treating viral infections complicating allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. However, in practice, generation of T cells is often limited by insufficient supply of autologous antigen presenting cells; therapeutic activity in HLA disparate patients may also be impaired if the immuno- dominant T cells generated are restricted by HLA alleles not shared by the host. AAPCs have theoretical advantages for T cell therapies in terms of sustained supply and capacity to selectively stimulate T cells restricted by HLA alleles shared by donor and host. However, to date, only AAPC systems expressing HLA A*0201 have been characterized. Accordingly, we established a panel of AAPC consisting of NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells, each transduced to express β2- microglobulin and a prevalent HLA class-I allele, specifically HLA A*0201, A*0301, A*2402, B*0702, B*0801 or C*0401, as well as the human co-stimulatory molecules B7.1, LFA-3 and ICAM-1. Novel promotor sequences were introduced to secure stable high expression of the allele on the AAPCs. Sensitization of T cells from seropositive donors with AAPCs expressing each of these alleles (4-8 donors/allele), either loaded with overlapping 15-mer peptides spanning the CMVpp65 sequence or transduced to express the CMV pp65 protein, resulted in 12-35 fold expansions of CD8 + T cells exhibiting CMV pp65 epitope-specific, HLA restricted activity, as quantitated by peptide -HLA tetramer binding, epitope specific production of interferon gamma, and cytotoxic activity against peptide loaded or CMV infected targets. Although both peptide pool loaded and transduced AAPCs induce CMV pp65 epitope specific T cells, yields were higher when transduced AAPCs were employed. In studies of T-cells from 5 donors when sensitized with either peptide pool loaded autologous dendritic cells (DC) or HLA sharing AAPCs, sensitization with DC selectively induced T-cells specific for 1-2 immunodominant CMV pp65 epitopes. In contrast, while sensitization with a panel of peptide loaded or transduced AAPCs expressing shared HLA alleles elicited responses to the same dominant epitopes, we could also regularly generate comparable cytotoxic T cell responses to subdominant epitopes which were either not produced or only present at low frequencies in T cells sensitized with autologous DC. Thus, this panel of AAPCs stably expressing a series of HLA alleles which, in aggregate, are detected in 70% of the patients referred for HSCT, can be employed for rapid generation of CMV-pp65 specific T cells of desired HLA restriction for adoptive therapy.
Thrombin Generation During Abdominal Surgical Procedures: Effect of Prophylactic Anticoagulation Therapy

Abstract Abstract 3183 Background: One of the most serious complications of cosmetic surgery is a thromboembolic event (TE). Although the incidence of TE in most cosmetic procedures is Methods: Twenty-one consecutive patients from two surgeons were enrolled prospectively to assess thrombin generation at three time points: baseline/pre-operative, intra-operative after rectus plication or hernia repair, and 24 hours post-operative. Patients' intra-operative and post-operative values were normalized to their baseline value. All patients wore pneumatic compression devices for mechanical prophylaxis against TE. Nine patients received no chemoprophylaxis and 12 patients received pre-operative and post-operative chemoprophylaxis with unfractionated heparin or dalteparin according to surgeon preference based on the patient's risk profile. Results: Nine patients with a median age of 43 (range: 24–64) and BMI of 24.9 (range: 21.1–31.4) underwent abdominoplasty without TE chemoprophylaxis. Twenty percent had massive weight loss. Seventy-seven percent had liposuction and 67 percent had simultaneous procedures (liposuction as well as hernia repair or some other surgical intervention). The average operative time was 3.7 hours. In this group, the total thrombin generation increased by a mean (SD) of 997 (+/− 835) nM intra-operatively and 1404 (+/− 914) nM post-operatively. Twelve patients with a median age of 43 (range: 28–60) and BMI of 29.2 (range: 22.2–39.9) underwent panniculectomy or abdominoplasty with TE chemoprophylaxis. Eighty percent of these patients had massive weight loss. Fifty percent of patients had liposuction and 75 percent had simultaneous procedures. The average operative time was 5 hours. In this group receiving chemoprophylaxis, the total thrombin generation increased by a mean (SD) of 75 (+/− 781) nM intra-operatively and 186 (+/− 510) nM post-operatively. A t test was used to compare these two arms and the increase in thrombin generation was significantly less in patients receiving chemoprophylaxis compared to those who received no prophylaxis (intra-op: p Conclusion: Thrombin generation increases in patients undergoing abdominal contouring procedures. The magnitude of change may be decreased by giving peri-operative chemoprophylaxis. Further studies are warranted to determine the clinical relationship between thrombin generation, chemoprophylaxis and risk of thromboembolism and bleeding. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Acting on an impulse (or two): Advantages of high-frequency tetanic onset in skeletal muscle

Fast-twitch skeletal muscles are specialized for in vivo motor functions that require high power (mastication and load lifting), high speed (eyelid blink), or a combination of the two (withdrawal reflexes and escape responses). Those functions that rely on high power often involve tetanic
Juniperus virginiana as an Alternative to Pine Bark in Nursery Production

Pine bark has been the standard container nursery substrate for nearly forty years. However, due to the decline in the timber industry and fluctuations in fuel prices, alternative substrates and amendments are being sought by growers and researchers. This study evaluated locally grown eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) as a potential alternative to pine bark in nursery production of 10 ornamental species. For seven of the species evaluated, growth indices for plants in 100% cedar were similar to those in 100% pine bark. ‘August Beauty’ gardenia grown in up to 80% cedar was comparable to plants grown in pine bark. Species that have lower pH requirements did not perform as well in substrates amended with high cedar percentages. ‘Premier’ blueberry did not grow well in cedar above 20%. Root growth for seven of the species in cedar was similar to or greater than those grown in 100% pine bark. ‘Formosa’ azalea and ‘Burgundy’ loropetalum showed slight variations in root growth above 10% cedar. These da...
Optimizing GME by Measuring Its Outcomes

Assessment of the impact of individual residency graduates, the performance of graduate medical education programs, and the collective contribution of our GME “system” would help inform policy decisions and facilitate efforts to cultivate evidence-based GME.
The Lean Product Development Guidebook: Everything Your Design Team Needs to Improve Efficiency and Slash Time-to-Market

(2007). The Lean Product Development Guidebook: Everything Your Design Team Needs to Improve Efficiency and Slash Time-to-Market. Quality Management Journal: Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 41-42.
Confronting Borders in the Arctic

In this thematic issue, six papers and three short commentaries investigate the evolving nature of borders in the Arctic in an era of climate change and globalization. Together, they illustrate how...
Joining AMISOM: why six African states contributed troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia

Deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia in March 2007, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) became the Union’s longest running, largest, most costly, and most deadly operation. Yet, of the 54 AU me...
Evaluation of Motor Vehicle and Other Combustion Emissions Using Short-Term Genetic Bioassays

Short-term genetic bioassays have been useful in evaluating unregulated organic combustion emissions from motor vehicles. Identification of mutagens and carcinogens in complex exhaust emissions has been greatly facilitated by the use of bioassay-directed chemical fractionation and characterization methods. It has also been possible to evaluate the effect of fuels, engine types, and control technologies on the rates of mutagenic emissions from motor vehicles. Greater differences in the rate of mutagenic emissions have been observed between different engines (e.g., diesel vs. gasoline) and control technologies (e.g., with and without catalyst) than between different fuels. A comparative evaluation of various combustion sources indicates that motor-vehicle emissions make a major contribution to the mutagenicity observed in ambient air.
Flexible Galerkin finite element methods

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a new class of flexible Galerkin methods that allow for nonuniform continuity levels across element boundaries. The flexible Galerkin (FG) finite element method for solving partial differential equations is a hybrid of the standard continuous Galerkin (CG) method and the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method. A major overhead associated with DG methods comes from the large number of degrees of freedom because entities on inter-element boundaries are not shared. To obtain an efficient hp adaptive flexible Galerkin method, the representation is hierarchical with elements having pointers to their bounding edges which, in turn, have pointers to their bounding vertices.
Perioperative hypothermia during colectomy: when do patients get cold?

Hypothermia has been associated with an increase in the rate of infectious complications following colectomy. We hypothesized that a substantial fraction of temperature loss in patients undergoing elective colectomy occurs prior to operation. Temperature data were collected from 105 consecutive patients undergoing elective colectomy at a single institution. The study population consisted of 105 patients; 67(64%) male, median age 59 years (range 17–95 years), median body mass index 27 kg/m2 (range 15–48 kg/m2). Median preoperative temperature was 36.7 °C (range 35.2–39.2 °C), dropping to 35.7 °C (range 34.0–37.3 °C) immediately following intubation and then rising to 36.2 °C (range 34.0–38.0 °C) prior to leaving the operating room. The median first postoperative temperature was 36.3 °C (range 34.4–37.7 °C). Temperatures were significantly different from one another (p < 0.05, ANOVA), except for the last operative and first postoperative temperature. A first postoperative temperature of ≥ 36.0 °C (meeting Surgical Care Improvement criteria Inf-10) was achieved in 78 (74%) of patients. A preoperative temperature of ≥ 36.5 °C was associated with a first postoperative temperature of ≥ 36.0 °C, but operative approach (laparoscopic versus open) was not. Most temperature loss occurs prior to operation in patients undergoing colectomy. Patients are rewarmed during the operative procedure. The time period prior to operation should be the focus of efforts designed to ensure normothermia.
Role of genetic heart disease in sentinel sudden cardiac arrest survivors across the age spectrum.

Abstract Background Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) may be the sentinel expression of a sudden cardiac death-predisposing genetic heart disease (GHD). Although shown to underlie many unexplained SCAs in the young, the contribution of GHDs to sentinel SCA has never been quantified across the age spectrum. Thus, we sought to determine the contribution of GHDs in single-center referral cohort of non-ischemic SCA survivors. Methods and results Retrospective analysis of 3037 patients was used to identify all individuals who experienced a sentinel event of SCA. Following exclusion of patients with ischemic or complex congenital heart disease, cases were classified by clinical diagnoses. Overall, 180 (5.9%) referral patients experienced a sentinel SCA (average age at SCA 28 ± 15 years, 99 females). An etiology was identified in 113/180 patients (62.8%) including channelopathies in 26.7%, arrhythmogenic bileaflet mitral valve prolapse in 10.6%, cardiomyopathies in 9.4%, other etiologies in 6.7%, acquired long QT syndrome in 6.7%, and multiple disorders in 2.8%. The remaining 67/180 (37.2%) cases were classified as idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF). Interestingly, the contribution of GHDs declined precipitously after the first decade of life [90.0% (age 0–9; n = 20), 58.7% (age 10–19; n = 46), 28.1% (age 20–29; n = 32), 23.8% (age 30–39; n = 42), 16.7% (age 40–49; n = 24), and 12.5% (age 50+; n = 16)]. Conclusions Within a referral population enriched for GHDs, the ability of a comprehensive cardiac evaluation, including genetic testing, to elucidate a root cause in non-ischemic SCA survivors declined with age. Although rare, GHDs can underlie SCA into adulthood and merit consideration across the age spectrum.
The Place of the EEG Technologist in the General Structure of Allied Health Professions

(1972). The Place of the EEG Technologist in the General Structure of Allied Health Professions. American Journal of EEG Technology: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 85-89.
Inelastic analysis of seismic loading of precast concrete cladding using commercially available software

Two nonlinear pushover analyses and three displacement-controlled time history analyses of two precast concrete panel assemblies were completed. The analytical software used was SAP2000 (version 15.0.0). The precast concrete panel modeled was a three-dimensional single panel connected to a one-story, one-bay, concrete-reinforced structural frame with four flexing rods and two bearing connections. The results showed that static analysis is suitable to predict only dynamic analysis with a long input period of vibrations (low acceleration vibrations). As the period of input vibration neared the fundamental period of vibration of the precast concrete panel, the maximum value of forces developed in connections increased. The amplification ratio for both models decreased as the period of the input vibrations varied from 100 to 0.32 s, and the amount of time that each flexing rod experienced a local maximum of force changed for the periods of input vibrations of 100, 1, and 0.32 s.
Scientific Responsibility and Misconduct

This article first examines the normative structure of science and its implications for the responsibilities of scientists. It then discusses the breakdown of these norms in terms of scientific misconduct, noting important historical cases, comparing various definitions of misconduct, and discussing explanations for misconduct. The article next considers several responses to misconduct and persistent and emerging questions. The concluding section broaches some wider connotations of scientific responsibility by considering the principle that scientists should bear some responsibility for the consequences of their research and for engaging public policies and debates pertaining to science.
Antimicrobial peptides: an essential component of the skin defensive barrier

The skin is positioned at the interface between an organism’s internal milieu and an external environment characterized by constant assault with potential microbial pathogens. While the skin was formerly considered an inactive physical protective barrier that participates in host immune defense merely by blocking entry of microbial pathogens, it is now apparent that a major role of the skin is to defend the body by rapidly mounting an innate immune response to injury and microbial insult. In the skin, both resident and infiltrating cells synthesize and secrete small peptides that demonstrate broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, and enveloped viruses. Antimicrobial peptides also act as multifunctional immune effectors by stimulating cytokine and chemokine production, angiogenesis, and wound healing. Cathelicidins and defensins comprise two major families of skin-derived antimicrobial peptides, although numerous others have been described. Many such immune defense molecules are currently being developed therapeutically in an attempt to combat growing bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics.
Trainee Responses to Hurricane Harvey: Correlating Volunteerism With Burnout

Background: Natural disasters take a heavy toll not only on their victims, but also on physicians who suffer vicarious trauma and burnout. New trainees in Houston, from entering PGY1 residents to entering fellows, underwent even more upheaval and stress during Hurricane Harvey. Many responded to calls for volunteer help. Objective: To investigate the impact of Hurricane Harvey on new trainees at our institution, and correlate volunteerism with measures of burnout and resilience. Methodology: Thirty three new trainees out of 90 (43% of population) from all specialties in our institution voluntarily responded to an online survey on the impact of Hurricane Harvey on their lives, whether or not they volunteered and in what form, and answered questions drawing from the abbreviated Maslach burnout survey and Resiliency Quiz. Statistical analyses were conducted using GraphPad Prism and Excel data analysis. Results: The top areas impacted were emotional health (32%), eating habits (29%), family (25%) and finances (25%). The main voluntary activities were covering for colleagues who could not make it to hospital (50%), donating money and supplies (36%), and cleaning and rebuilding (36%). Volunteering was associated with feelings of appreciation (76%), happiness (62%), thankfulness (57%), purposefulness (43%) and pride (33%). Fewer volunteers scored lowly in personal achievement as compared to non-volunteers (10 vs. 38%, p = 0.05). Significance: Hurricane Harvey affected health, finances and family of new trainees, more than half of whom volunteered to help. Volunteers had a greater sense of personal achievement as compared to non-volunteers. This may be due to having more volunteers among less burnt-out trainees or because volunteering reduced burnout and stress responses/trauma. These results suggest that volunteer opportunities should be made available in programs targeting resident burnout.
Chinese Powers: A Critical Appreciation of Dingxin Zhao’s The Confucian-Legalist State

AbstractDingxin Zhao’s The Confucian-Legalist State offers an elegant and clear overview of Chinese social development over more than two thousand years, identifying the ways in which the Chinese p...