cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gatifloxacin-induced hyperglycemia: a case report and summary of the current literature.

Abstract Background: Gatifloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that has been associated with severe hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic events. Objective: The purpose of this report was to describe a new case of gatifloxacin-associated hyperglycemia in an elderly patient and to provide a summary of case reports. Case summary: A male patient, aged 86 years, was hospitalized with small bowel obstruction due to adhesions from a previous appendectomy. At the time of admission, the patient weighed 78.5 kg (ideal body weight, 73 kg), had a body mass index of 24.8 kg/m2, and had a calculated creatinine clearance of 45.6 mL/min. The patient's hospital medications were metoprolol, diltiazem, subcutaneous heparin, ranitidine, vancomycin, piperacillin/tazobactam, and aspirin. He also was treated with gatifloxacin 400 mg QD for suspected pneumonia during the hospital stay. After 4 days of the gatifloxacin regimen, the patient's mean blood glucose concentration increased from 133 mg/dL at the time of admission to 537 mg/dL. Although the patient exhibited signs of glycosuria (ie, urine glucose concentration >1000 mg/dL), he did not complain of symptoms of hyperglycemia, such as polyuria, polyphagia, or polydipsia. The hyperglycemia resolved after administration of gatifloxacin was discontinued and the patient had received regular insulin 15 U SC over 5 hours. Discussion: The exact mechanism by which gatifloxacin induces hyperglycemia is unknown, but it may be related to vacuolation of pancreatic β-cells, leading to a decrease in insulin secretion. This case, along with the 15 other summarized cases, adds to the evidence for an association between gatifloxacin and hyperglycemia. These patients had other risk factors that may have contributed to the development of hyperglycemia, including age >65 years and renal impairment. Conclusion: An elderly patient with no history of diabetes developed severe hyperglycemia after receiving doses of gatifloxacin 400 mg that had not been adjusted for age-related renal impairment. The hyperglycemia resolved after discontinuation of gatifloxacin.
Gill Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter abundance and location in Atlantic salmon: effects of seawater and smolting.

Na+-K+-2Cl−cotransporter abundance and location was examined in the gills of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) during seawater acclimation and smolting. Western blots revealed three bands centered at 2...
On direct passive microwave remote sensing of sea spray aerosol production

Abstract. This study addresses and attempts to mitigate persistent uncertainty and scatter among existing approaches for determining the rate of sea spray aerosol production by breaking waves in the open ocean. The new approach proposed here utilizes passive microwave emissions from the ocean surface, which are known to be sensitive to surface roughness and foam. Direct, simultaneous, and collocated measurements of the aerosol production and microwave emissions were collected aboard the FLoating Instrument Platform (FLIP) in deep water ~ 150 km off the coast of California over a period of ~ 4 days. Vertical profiles of coarse-mode aerosol (0.25–23.5 μm) concentrations were measured with a forward-scattering spectrometer and converted to surface flux using dry deposition and vertical gradient methods. Back-trajectory analysis of eastern North Pacific meteorology verified the clean marine origin of the sampled air mass over at least 5 days prior to measurements. Vertical and horizontal polarization surface brightness temperature were measured with a microwave radiometer at 10.7 GHz frequency. Data analysis revealed a strong sensitivity of the brightness temperature polarization difference to the rate of aerosol production. An existing model of microwave emission from the ocean surface was used to determine the empirical relationship and to attribute its underlying physical basis to microwave emissions from surface roughness and foam within active and passive phases of breaking waves. A possibility of and initial steps towards satellite retrievals of the sea spray aerosol production are briefly discussed in concluding remarks.
Neonatal Informatics—Dream of a Paperless NICU: Part Three: Complex Crashes

Tracking changes over time is key for clinical decision-making in intensive care units (ICUs). Critical caregivers need fast data from the laboratory and monitoring and treatment machines as well as time-stamped drug and fluids information. Workflow interactions with temporal urgencies complicated by multiple handovers and delays in return of laboratory results and delivery of care products are common in all ICUs. Temporally and physiologically integrating critical clinical information, spotting deteriorating trends, and conveying the information asynchronously to the health-care team in ICUs historically was accomplished by redundant, overlapping human workflow systems. Current computerized information systems for “charting” and “ordering” have fragmented capabilities for recording and managing date/time elements, falling far behind fast-moving events because they require time-consuming typed data entry. These facts contribute to slow recognition of subtly deteriorating patient conditions. Root cause analysis of problem situations often leads to discovery of the reason(s) for a poor outcome. Problem situations develop progressively from delays in generating and moving information. There is no predictable lull in the action in most critical care units; perinatal emergencies cannot wait for computers. Human workarounds continue to support ongoing clinical processes, including family visits, despite the information flow chaos that emerges when emergencies occur at change of shift. Expert neonatal clinicians cope by using teamwork-based, multilayered methods. Existing clinical computer systems rarely are capable of supporting multitasking clinicians effectively. Decision support could assist caregivers in critical care situations with a computer system that “watches” for expected laboratory results via an institutional protocol that differs by care unit, then notifies the correct covering person when the time limit is exceeded. Adequate critical care decision support requires highly robust HISs; fail-over servers; fault-tolerant software architecture designs; and modular, maintainable, standards-based, integrated utility systems (eg, laboratory, pharmacy, radiology, blood bank) that communicate time-stamped information in real-time using “standardized” health-care messaging. An engineering solution is needed, with attention to human factors engineering. The United States health-care computerization effort needs a parallel project to define and develop political and business management systems solutions to ascertain adequate funding for developing, disseminating, implementing, and maintaining airplane quality, real-time hospital information management systems for neonates and other critical patients.
Elevation of Troponin I in Athletes: A Case Report in a Marathon Runner

The case of a 24-year-old athlete who presented with a syncopal episode after having run 25 miles in a marathon is reported. The patient was subsequently found to have significant elevations of troponin I, which remained detectable for 3 days. The patient remained asymptomatic during his 8-day hospitalization without other evidence of cardiac ischemia: studies included echocardiography and multiple gated acquisition (MUGA) scan. The current knowledge about elevation of troponin I unrelated to cardiac injury in endurance athletes is discussed.
A Comprehensive Light-Source Description for Computer Graphics

For realistic simulation it is necessary to thoroughly define and describe light-source characteristics?especially the light-source geometry and the luminous intensity distribution.
System theory modeling and performance analysis of a distributed load balancing algorithm

Useful connections between distributed load balancing and classical linear system theory are established. It is observed that important aspects of the behavior and performance of two versions of a novel load-balancing algorithm using graph coloring can be modeled and studied using linear system theory tools. It is shown that the load-balancing algorithm, after running for a log L steps, results in each processor having a load deviating by at most b log L from the average load. Here L is the sum of all loads and a and b depend only on the graph used to model the interconnection network of the system. It is also shown that the n-cube, with 2/sup n/ nodes, within n steps each processor has a load at most n/2 away from the average. More generally, the work opens up the possibility of applying system theory ideas to significant problems in distributed systems. >
Transdermal Lidocaine Iontophoresis in Isolated Perfused Porcine Skin

AbstractThe isolated perfused porcine skin flap (IPPSF) is an alternative animal model for quantitatively assessing percutaneous drug absorption. The ability to place drugs or chemicals on the surface of viable skin with a functional microcirculation maintained in a controlled ambient environment, coupled with the measurement of arterial and venous drug concentrations, makes this model well suited for modeling percutaneous drug flux after transder-mal delivery. Lidocaine hydrochloride was used as the model drug to investigate the dynamics of transdermal delivery using iontophoresis. Total lidocaine flux (bioavailability) was a function of lidocaine concentration, current density, and duration of application. Rate of transdermal flux was a function of concentration, current density, and the presence or absence of coadministered epinephrine (reduced) or tolazoline (increased). The presence of vasodilators significantly affected the magnitude of peak venous
Predictive Ability of Audit Qualifications for Loss Contingencies

. Adequate disclosure of risks and uncertainties is an issue of interest to the accounting profession and regulators both in Canada and in the United States. Previously, auditors were required to modify their audit reports in the presence of material uncertainties. However, following suggestions that such disclosure is redundant and not useful, the CICA removed this requirement in 1980. Auditors in the United States are still required to disclose material uncertainties in the audit report. The criterion of predictive ability is used in this research to evaluate the potential usefulness of this report modification requirement. Specifically, the study examines the ability of report modifications to predict the materially adverse resolutions of pending litigation. The subsequent resolution patterns for a sample of litigation loss contingencies (with an audit report modification) and a control sample of litigation loss contingencies (without an audit report modification) were compared. The results indicate that a larger proportion of contingencies with an audit report modification were resolved materially against the client. Also noteworthy, audit report modifications had incremental predictive ability over other types of disclosures such as footnotes to the financial statements and prior media disclosure of the contingency. Resume. La presentation adequate des risques et des incertitudes est une question d'interet pour la profession comptable et les responsables de la reglementation, tant au Canada qu'aux Etats-Unis. Les verificateurs etaient auparavant tenus de modifier leur rapport en cas d'incertitudes importantes. Toutefois, a la suite de suggestions selon lesquelles cette information etait redondante et sans veritable utilite, l'I.C.C.A. a supprime cette exigence en 1980. Aux Etats-Unis, les verificateurs sont encore tenus de prverificateurssenter les incertitudes importantes dans leurs rapports. L'auteur utilise le critere de la capacite de prediction pour evaluer l'utilite potentielle de cette demande de modification du rapport des verificateurs. Il examine plus precisement dans quelle mesure les modifications apportees au rapport permettent de pedire si les litiges en instance auront un denouement defavorable dont les consequences seront importantes. Les modeles de denouement ulterieur d'un echantillon de pertes eentuelles attribuantes a des litiges, avec modification du rapport des verificateurs, et d'un echantillon de controle de pertes eventuelles attribuables a des litiges, sans modification du rapport des verificateurs, ont ete compares. Les resultats de cette comparaison indiquent qu'une plus grande proportion de pertes eventuelles attribuables a des litiges avec modification du rapport des verificateurs se sont soldees par un resultat defavorable important pour le client. Autre fait digne de mention: les modifications apportees au rapport des verificateurs presentaient une capacite de prediction marginale par rapport aux autres types d'information tels que les notes afferentes aux etats financiers et la diffusion prealable par les medias des pertes eventuelles.
TELLab: An Experiential Learning Tool for Psychology

In this paper, we discuss current practices and challenges of teaching psychology experiments. We review experiential learning and analogical learning pedagogies, which have informed the design of TELLab, an online platform for supporting effective experiential learning of psychology concepts.
Topic set size redux

The cost as well as the power and reliability of a retrieval test collection are all proportional to the number of topics included in it. Test collections created through community evaluations such as TREC generally use 50 topics. Prior work estimated the reliability of 50-topic sets by extrapolating confidence levels from those of smaller sets, and concluded that 50 topics are sufficient to have high confidence in a comparison, especially when the comparison is statistically significant. Using topic sets that actually contain 50 topics, this paper shows that statistically significant differences can be wrong, even when statistical significance is accompanied by moderately large (>10%) relative differences in scores. Further, using standardized evaluation scores rather than raw evaluation scores does not increase the reliability of these paired comparisons. Researchers should continue to be skeptical of conclusions demonstrated on only a single test collection.
Effects of changes in the composition of the serosal solution on the electrical properties of the toad urinary bladder epithelium.

By the use of microelectrode techniques, the potential profile and the electrical resistances of the cellular and shunt pathways across the toad urinary bladder epithelium were measured under control conditions and after exposing the mucosal side to solutions of low and high NaCl concentrations and osmolatities. The resistance of the shunt pathway increases at low NaCl concentration (even if the osmolality is kept constant), and decreases at high NaCl concentration (by a nonspecific osmotic mechanism). The inverse relationship between mucosal NaCl concentration and shunt resistance suggests a regulatory mechanism of net sodium transport by reduction of the passive blood-to-urine sodium flux at low urinary sodium concentrations. In addition, the transepithelial potential and the potentials at both cell borders fall in both low and high mucosal NaCl, and the magnitude of these changes is such that they cannot be explained by changes in the shunt pathway alone.
An efficient method for in vitro regeneration of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.)

Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) is a perennial, invasive weed used as a model to study invasive plant behavior, because molecular tools (such as a deep expressed sequence tag database and deoxyribonucleic acid microarrays) have been developed for this species. However, the lack of effective in vitro regeneration and genetic transformation systems has hampered molecular approaches to study leafy spurge. In this study, we describe an efficient in vitro regeneration system. Three highly regenerative lines were selected by screening the in vitro regeneration capabilities of stem explants of 162 seedlings. The effects of various culture conditions on in vitro regeneration were then evaluated based on explant competence to form calluses and shoots. High rates of shoot regeneration can be obtained using a growth medium containing 1× woody plant basal medium and 1× Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal salts, 1× MS vitamins, 1.11 μM 6-benzylaminopurine, 1.97 μM indole-3-butyric acid, and 3% sucrose, pH 5.6–5.8. After 30 d culture, multiple shoots formed either directly from the stem or indirectly from the callus. This method is a requisite for the development of genetic transformation systems for leafy spurge and may be used to develop in vitro regeneration techniques for other species in the Euphorbiaceae.
Multiple Scattering Theory of Waves in Stationary and Moving Scatterers and Its Relationship with Transport Theory

This chapter contains sections titled: Multiple Scattering Process Contained in Twersky's Theory Statistical Averages for Discrete Scatterers Foldy-Twersky's Integral Equation for the Coherent Field Twersky's Integral Equation for the Correlation Function Coherent Field Plane Wave Incidence on a Slab of Scatterers??-?? ?>Total Intensity ?> Relationship between Multiple Scattering Theory and Transport Theory Approximate Integral and Differential Equations for the Correlation Function Fundamental Equations for Moving Particles Fluctuations due to the Size Distribution This chapter contains sections titled: Appendix 14A Example of Twersky's Scattering Process When N = 3 Appendix 148 Stationary Phase Evaluation of a Multiple Integral I Appendix 14C Forward Scattering Theorem
Homo- and heteroleptic group 4 2-(diphenylphosphino)pyrrolide complexes: Synthesis, coordination chemistry and solution state dynamics

Abstract The synthesis and solid state structures of homo- and heteroleptic Zr and Ti complexes of 2-(diphenylphosphino)pyrrolide (NP) are reported. The homoleptic Zr(NP)4 (1) and Ti(NP)4 (2) are 8-coordinate in the solid state, and both show extremely long M–P bonds of approximately 2.9 A. In solution, the phosphine ligands in all complexes are labile: in the titanium complexes phosphine dissociation is rapid at room temperature and equilibrates all phosphines into a single 31P resonance, whereas in the Zr complex 1 dissociation is slower and full equilibration does not occur until 90 °C. The potential to utilize these novel complexes as metalloligands toward other transition metals is discussed.
Free Surface Flow in Homogeneous Porous Medium

Damping of unsteady flow through dam or levee with horizontal underdrain, when head behind it is raised considerably, is treated analytically and tested in Hele-Shaw model; slow and rapid rises from low level to final full level are considered; numerical examples; analytical and experimental results compare well.
Mathematische Beziehungen zwischen der thermischen und der kalorischen Zustandsgleichung eines idealen Dampfes

Aus der Definitionsbedingung (∂z/∂p)s=0 fur die Anderung des Realgasfaktors z mit dem Druck p bei konstanter spezifischer Entropie s last sich eine mathematische Kopplung zwischen der thermischen und der kalorischen Zustandsgleichung herleiten, die es ermoglicht, die kalorische Gleichung von der thermischen herzuleiten. Beim polytropen Dampf (einem Spezialfall des idealen Dampfes) sind alle Polytropenkoeffizienten Funktionen der Entropie allein. Es ist moglich, ein thermodynamisch konsistentes System von Zustandsgleichungen aufzustellen, bei dem (∂h/∂T)s=f(T, p) den reellen Werten entspricht und (∂z/∂p)s=0 gilt (mit h als der spezifischen Enthalpie und T als der absoluten Temperatur). Diese Eigenschaft (∂z/∂p)s=0, die beim trockenen Wasserdampf als gute Annaherung gilt, bietet wesentliche mathematische Vorteile bei gasdynamischen Rechnungen.
The Toll of Technology on Job Commitment and an Implementation Process to Prevent It

An investigation of technological change revealed decreases in job commitment among employees. Decrements in commitment were found to be directly associated with several aspects of the job change and employee attitudes. The implications of these findings for organizations and individuals involved in technological change are discussed, and a model for implementing technological change is introduced.
Demonstration of efficient on-chip photon transfer in self-assembled optoplasmonic networks.

Plasmonic nanoantennas facilitate the manipulation of light fields on deeply sub-diffraction-limited length scales, but high dissipative losses in metals make new approaches for an efficient energy transfer in extended on-chip integrated plasmonic circuits mandatory. We demonstrate in this article efficient photon transfer in discrete optoplasmonic molecules comprising gold nanoparticle (NP) dimer antennas located in the evanescent field of a 2 μm diameter polystyrene bead, which served as an optical microcavity (OM). The optoplasmonic molecules were generated through a guided self-assembly strategy in which the OMs were immobilized in binding sites generated by quartz (SiO2) or silicon posts that contained plasmonic nanoantennas on their tips. Control of the post height facilitated an accurate positioning of the plasmonic antennas into the evanescent field of the whispering gallery modes located in the equatorial plane of the OM. Cy3 and Cy5.5 dyes were tethered to the plasmonic antennas through oligonuc...
Localization of the iron transport glycoprotein, uteroferrin, in the porcine endometrium and placenta by using immunocolloidal gold.

Uteroferrin, a glycoprotein implicated in transplacental iron transport in the pig, has been localized within the porcine uterus during mid pregnancy by using immunocolloidal gold labeling of sectioned material. In the endometrium where uteroferrin is synthesized, it was located exclusively in the non-ciliated cells of the glandular epithelium where it appeared to follow a common route of secretory glycoprotein from the cell (i.e., rough endoplasmic reticulum Uteroferrin was present in the lumen of the glands and overlying placental areolae and in the large absorptive chorionic epithelial cells of the areolae. The latter cells contained numerous small vesicles and tubules as well as large endocytotic vacuoles. All these structures contained uteroferrin and are probably involved in translocating the glycoprotein in intact form from the uterine lumen to the blood capillaries draining the placenta.
Filtering and restoring principle based two-dimensional barcode projection algorithm

To promote the research and application of PDF417,a two-dimensional bar code with high efficiency and low cost,an algorithm was presented that is designed based on PDF417 two dimensional bar codes' structure.Firstly a filter was proposed to eliminate noise,and then vertical scratches and those points that did not comply with the bar codes' boundary characteristics were dealt with by a point-search strategy.Then,during the process of restoring the bar coded pictures,the contaminations were not restored due to the fact that their seeds for restoration had been cleaned beforehand.This algorithm features a reliable picture restoration that is free from the negative consequences imposed on the effective bar code edges by filtering.The restored pictures can be decoded by the improved edge-detecting projection method.Experiments prove that this algorithm improves efficiency and accuracy of the decoding process while demanding a lower error correcting level.
Influence of the globus pallidus on arm movements in monkeys. III. Timing of movement-related information

Monkeys were trained to make a visually triggered arm-reaching movement to a lighted button in a simple reaction-time paradigm, during which the reaction time (RT) and movement time (MT) were measured. Stimulus trains of varying duration were applied at various times before and during the movement at locations in the globus pallidus where application of long stimulus trains caused increased MTs. A critical stimulus period was identified during which stimulus application effectively prolonged MTs. The activity of pallidal neurons was examined during performance of the same behavioral task. More than 60% of the neurons examined showed task-related changes in activity that began before or during the reaching movement. For 45% of these cells, the initial change in firing occurred during the critical stimulus period, 50-150 ms before mechanically detected movement. Comparison of the critical stimulus period, the time of task-related changes in the discharge of pallidal neurons, and the time of EMG activity in muscles acting at the back, shoulder, elbow, and wrist revealed that both the critical stimulus period and changes in neuronal discharge occurred at or after initial muscle activation and during the buildup of EMG activity. These data are consistent with a model in which the globus pallidus plays a role in scaling the magnitude of muscle activity that determines movement velocity without affecting the initiation or sequential organization of the programmed motor output.
Relation between silver and residual carbon content in the processing of Tl0.5Pb0.5Sr2CaCu2O7-δ

Tl-1212 was synthesized from various starting materials with differing amounts of silver and carbon (mostly as carbonates). The relation between the effect of Ag and that of residual carbon (or adsorbed carbon-containing species) on the surface of the particles was studied by XRD and.IR spectroscopy with a DRIFT cell. Appreciable amounts of carbonate remained in the precursor powders after calcination when carbonate precursors were used as starting materials. When no carbonate precursor was used, the presence of carbonates which originated from carbon dioxide adsorption could also be detected with the DRIFT technique. The presence of Ag seems to hinder the carbonate forming process on the surface of the oxide particles and lessen the degradation of the superconducting properties. How Ag affects carbonate formation and the degradation process is not clear at the present’time, but this is clearly important in the application of Tl-compound superconductors.
On-demand laser power allocation for on-chip optical interconnects

We propose an on-chip interconnect architecture that pools laser power among network links, effectively sharing link bandwidth between all nodes in the network. The proposed method reduces required laser power costs and also wasted energy to idle optical links.
Determinants of acceptance of routine voluntary human immunodeficiency virus testing in an inner-city prenatal population

Routine voluntary prenatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and testing offer the opportunity to encourage reduction of high-risk behaviors among uninfected women and to identify those women with asymptomatic HIV infection. To characterize the determinants of acceptance of routinely offered and encouraged HIV testing in inner-city parturients in Atlanta, we identified two groups of women, one that declined HIV testing and another that accepted testing. Each group was asked to complete a questionnaire designed to assess the effectiveness of pre-test counseling. During the 7-month study period, 4731 women registered for prenatal care and 4574 (97%) consented to HIV testing. Nearly all women stated that they were not pressured into having HIV testing performed. Women who accepted HIV testing were more likely to be young, black, and single (P less than .001) and less likely to have received education beyond high school (P less than .05). More accepters than decliners thought the HIV counseling session was valuable (97 versus 91%; P = .04); 55% of accepters agreed to antibody testing because of concern about the risk of transmitting HIV infection to their fetus or infant. More accepters than decliners indicated a willingness to have HIV testing in a future pregnancy (74 versus 33%; P less than .001). These data suggest that most inner-city parturients in our institution view routine voluntary HIV counseling as a valuable component of their prenatal care.
Observation and interpretation of high-order harmonics in numerical strong-field light-scattering experiments

We have carried out a wide range of numerical experiments on atomic light scattering in very strong optical fields. We will present the results of selected experiments and will discuss briefly issues such as evidence for the breakdown of conventional susceptibility theory, the relation of high-order harmonics (n > 15) in photon spectra to many discrete peaks in above-threshold photoelectron spectra, and the role of the dipole correlation function in spectra of line radiation and harmonics.
110-P: CHIMERISM KINETIC STUDIES OF BMCD3+ BY REAL TIME PCR (QPCR) MAY PREDICT THE OUTCOME OF HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION

Aim This retrospective study investigates the kinetics of bone marrow CD3+ (BM) chimerism evaluation by real time PCR (qPCR), in relationship with graft versus host disease (GVHD), relapse and mortality, post hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Chimerism studies were done at one or two consecutive time points. Methods A quantitative real time PCR (qPCR, Celera)) method (0.1-0.05% sensitivity) was used to assess chimerism in 60 AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) patients who received myeloablative regimen prior to HSCT. BM CD3+ cell subsets were separated by autoMACS method (Miltenyi) and used for chimerism studies at 2 consecutive time points: median day 34 (27-47) and 103 (55-200). Results One time point study showed no differences in occurrence of aGVHD (acute) or relapse in 2 groups of patients with increasing percentage of recipient BMCD3+ (0-1% versus 1.01-10%). However, a previous one time point donor chimerism study had confirmed that patients with mixed donor chimerism were 47% less likely to develop aGVHD compared to patients with full donor chimerism (p = 0.06). The second time point study showed that the recipient BMCD3+ % increased in 22 patients (37%) versus a decrease in 38 (63%). In recipients with increasing patient BMCD3+, the incidence of cGVHD (chronic) was 36%; Relapse and mortality were 32% and 18%, respectively. When recipient BMCD3+ decreased, the incidence of cGVHD increased to 45%, relapse and mortality decreased to 5% and 13%. GVHD and relapse were not detected in the 9% of the first and 27% of the 2nd cohort. Conclusions Serial monitoring of HSCT chimerism by real time PCR may prove to be a useful adjunct to post-transplant management. Larger study groups are required to demonstrate the significance of post-transplant monitoring by qPCR.
Cancer Gene Pathways

The previous chapters have described what cancer genes are and how they are acquired. But what do cancer genes do? How does the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes and activation of proto-oncogenes cause proliferating cells to evolve into cancers? The answer to this question has been revealed by the functional analysis of the proteins encoded by cancer genes and their wild type counterparts.
Electrochemical Oxidation of Polyalcohols in Alkaline Media on Palladium Catalysts Promoted by the Addition of Copper

Abstract Pd-Cu catalysts (Pd 63 Cu 37 /C, Pd 46 Cu 54 /C, Pd 28 Cu 72 /C, Pd 11 Cu 89 /C) and Pd/C were synthesized, characterized, and used to electrochemically oxidize ethylene glycol (EG), propylene glycol (PG), and glycerol (G). The oxidation rate at −0.4 V vs SCE after 3 hours on each PdCu/C catalyst was compared Pd/C. The oxidation rate for every polyalcohol on every PdCu/C catalyst was at least 3 times greater than on the Pd/C catalyst. The greatest promotion for the oxidation of EG was observed on Pd 28 Cu 72 /C (7 times faster), for PG was on Pd 11 Cu 89 /C (12 times), and for G was on Pd 63 Cu 37 /C (14 times). We observe a decrease in density of states near the Fermi level with increasing amount of Cu and a shift of the d-band center away from the Fermi energy. This surface electronic perturbation could be one of the factors affecting the oxidation of the polyalcohols. A second factor could be the bi-functional effect as we also observe an increase in hydroxyl adsorption at lower potentials on all PdCu/C compared to Pd/C. Therefore, we suggest that the combination of both of these effects, electronic and bifunctional, contributes to the promotion of the oxidation of these polyalcohols. Furthermore, the ratio of Cu to Pd appears to play an important role in the oxidation rate.
OKT3 prevents xenogeneic GVHD and allows reliable xenograft initiation from unfractionated human hematopoietic tissues.

Immunodeficient mice are now readily engrafted with human hematopoietic cells. However, these mice are susceptible to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) induced by the engraftment and rapid expansion of coinjected human T cells. Therefore, highly purified sample populations must be used, adding significant time, expense, and effort. Here, we have explored in vivo and in vitro methods utilizing anti-T–cell antibodies to circumvent this problem. Intraperitoneal injection of the antibody within 48 hours prevented GVHD. Alternatively, short-term in vitro incubation of cells with antibody immediately before transplant was equally effective. Although in vitro antithymocyte globulin treatment resulted in a dramatic loss of SCID-repopulating cells (SRCs), treatment with OKT3 or UCHT1 abrogated GVHD risk and preserved engraftment potential. Leukemia samples that presented with substantial human T-cell contamination were effectively rescued from GVHD. In addition, OKT3 treatment of unfractionated cord blood resulted in robust engraftment of primary and secondary mice that was indistinguishable from grafts obtained using purified CD34+ cells. Limiting dilution analysis of unfractionated blood demonstrated a SRC frequency of 1 in 300 to 500 CD34+ cells, similar to that of purified hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. This protocol streamlines xenograft studies while significantly reducing the cost and time of the procedure.
Mixed Methods Analysis of Sex Differences in Life Stressors of Middle-Aged Suicides.

Introduction Between 1999 and 2013, rates of suicide in mid-life increased more than 30%. The purpose of this study is to examine life stressors impacting middle-aged suicide, to determine whether these stressors vary by sex, and to explore their co-occurrence. Methods A random sample of 315 men and 315 women aged 35–64 years was selected from 17 states implementing the National Violent Death Reporting System from its inception in 2003 to 2011. Data collection took place between 2003 and 2011 and analysis occurred in 2015. Analysis included coding circumstances of death noted in the law enforcement and coroner/medical examiner reports using an investigator-designed coding instrument. Using the most commonly cited life stressors as a basis, thematic analyses were conducted for cases. Quantitative comparisons of the most common circumstances by sex were calculated via multivariable logistic regression. Results The five most common life stressors of suicide included intimate partner, job/financial, health, family, and criminal/legal problems. In adjusted analyses, job/financial problems and criminal/legal problems were more common among men, whereas health and family problems were more common among women. Men and women had similar rates of intimate partner problems. Life stressors also co-occurred, as found per qualitative and quantitative analyses. Conclusions Men and women in mid-life have both common and unique circumstances preceding suicide. Prevention strategies that consider these circumstances and co-occurring circumstances are warranted.
Polymeric motors, transformers and solenoids: the current state of the art

The majority of weight in a motor is concentrated in two major areas: the magnetic core and the copper windings. All of the other components of the motor can and have been made of plastics (e.g. bearings, armature, and housing). Previously, due to the electrical and magnetic properties required for the windings and the magnetic core, these were constrained to high density metals, mostly copper and steel. However since the early 1970s much progress has been made in the synthesis of polymers that display desirable electrical and magnetic properties. In this paper we discuss research into the possibility of constructing an all polymeric motor
TWEAK activation of the non-canonical NF-κB signaling pathway differentially regulates melanoma and prostate cancer cell invasion

// Cheryl L. Armstrong 1, 2, 3 , Rebeca Galisteo 1, 2, 3 , Sharron A.N. Brown 1, 2, 3 , Jeffrey A. Winkles 1, 2, 3 1 Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 2 Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 3 Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA Correspondence to: Jeffrey A. Winkles, email: jwinkles@som.umaryland.edu Keywords: TWEAK, Fn14, invasion, NF-κB, melanoma Received: July 28, 2016 Accepted: October 14, 2016 Published: November 03, 2016 ABSTRACT Tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) is a multifunctional cytokine that binds with high affinity to a plasma membrane-anchored receptor named Fn14. Both TWEAK and Fn14 expression has been detected in human cancer tissue, and studies have shown that TWEAK/Fn14 signaling can promote either “pro-cancer” or “anti-cancer” cellular effects in vitro , depending on the cancer cell line under investigation. In this study, we engineered murine B16 melanoma cells to secrete high levels of soluble TWEAK and examined their properties. TWEAK production by B16 cells preferentially activated the non-canonical NF-κB signaling pathway and increased the expression of several previously described TWEAK-inducible genes, including Fn14. TWEAK overexpression in B16 cells inhibited both cell growth and invasion in vitro. The TWEAK-mediated reduction in B16 cell invasive capacity was dependent on activation of the non-canonical NF-κB signaling pathway. Finally, we found that this same signaling pathway was also important for TWEAK-stimulated human DU145 prostate cancer cell invasion. Therefore, even though TWEAK:Fn14 binding activates non-canonical NF-κB signaling in both melanoma and prostate cancer cells, this shared cellular response can trigger a very different downstream outcome (inhibition or stimulation of cell invasiveness, respectively).
Partial Protection by Dietary Antioxidants Against Ethanol‐Induced Osteopenia and Changes in Bone Morphology in Female Mice

BACKGROUND Chronic alcohol consumption leads to increased fracture risk and an elevated risk of osteoporosis by decreasing bone accrual through increasing osteoclast activity and decreasing osteoblast activity. We have shown that this mechanism involves the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by NADPH oxidases. It was hypothesized that different dietary antioxidants, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC; 1.2 mg/kg/d), and α-tocopherol (Vit.E; 60 mg/kg/d) would be able to attenuate the NADPH oxidase-mediated ROS effects on bone due to chronic alcohol intake. METHODS To study the effects of these antioxidants, female mice received a Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet containing ethanol (EtOH) with or without additional antioxidant for 8 weeks. RESULTS Tibias displayed decreased cortical bone mineral density in both the EtOH and EtOH + antioxidant groups compared to pair-fed (PF) and PF + antioxidant groups (p < 0.05). However, there was significant protection from trabecular bone loss in mice fed either antioxidant (p < 0.05). Microcomputed tomography analysis demonstrated a significant decrease in bone volume (bone volume/tissue volume) and trabecular number (p < 0.05), along with a significant increase in trabecular separation in the EtOH compared to PF (p < 0.05). In contrast, the EtOH + NAC and EtOH + Vit.E did not statistically differ from their respective PF controls. Ex vivo histologic sections of tibias were stained for nitrotyrosine, an indicator of intracellular damage by ROS, and tibias from mice fed EtOH exhibited significantly more staining than PF controls. EtOH treatment significantly increased the number of marrow adipocytes per mm as well as mRNA expression of aP2, an adipocyte marker in bone. Only NAC was able to reduce the number of marrow adipocytes to PF levels. EtOH-fed mice exhibited reduced bone length (p < 0.05) and had a reduced number of proliferating chondrocytes within the growth plate. NAC and Vit.E prevented this (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These data show that alcohol's pathological effects on bone extend beyond decreasing bone mass and suggest a partial protective effect of the dietary antioxidants NAC and Vit.E at these doses with regard to alcohol effects on bone turnover and bone morphology.
In Vivo Imaging of Budding Yeast Meiosis

Tracking biological events in living cells provides kinetic information about biological processes that can be missed in more traditional methods using fixed samples at designated time intervals. Here we describe a methodology for in vivo fluorescence microscopy of yeast cells undergoing meiosis. This method allows tracking of individual cells over extended periods of time through every stage of the meiotic transformation while minimizing phototoxicity and sustaining conditions that support meiotic growth.
Information Deficits and Community Disaster Resilience

AbstractInformation infrastructures facilitate communication between community stakeholders through a combination of organizational, technological, and human systems and processes. These systems an...
CO2 capture in lignin-derived and nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbons

Abstract Nitrogen-doped and hierarchical porous carbons were synthesized from lignin precursor by KOH and NH 3 activation with BET surface area of 1631–2922 m 2 /g. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed 5.6–7.1 at.% nitrogen with predominantly pyridinic, amino and pyrrolic/pyridonic type of functionality. Maximum CO 2 adsorption capacity at 298 K and 273 K and pressure upto 760 torr (1 bar) was found to be 5.48 and 8.6 mmol/g respectively, which is higher than that of majority of nitrogen-doped carbons, reported in literature. Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory (IAST)-based selectivity for CO 2 /N 2 revealed that selectivity increases with the increase in nitrogen content. IAST calculations were also employed to calculate the binary adsorption isotherms to simulate mixed gas adsorption for CO 2 and N 2 as a function of total pressure and mole fraction of CO 2 in the gas mixture. Continuous CO 2 adsorption-desorption studies for 10 cycles revealed that all the nitrogen-doped carbons retained its working capacity at the end of the cycles. Finally, a breakthrough study for (10/90) CO 2 /N 2 mixture in a dynamic column experiment confirmed a physical separation of the two components. The overall results suggest that nitrogen-doped carbons from lignin can be used as potential adsorbents for CO 2 capture purposes.
The role of urinary cytology when diagnostic workup is suspicious for upper tract urothelial carcinoma but tumour biopsy is nonconfirmatory.

Introduction: We sought to determine the value of obtaining preoperative urinary cytology when diagnostic workup of an upper tract mass is suspicious for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), but biopsy fails to confirm the diagnosis. Methods: Using billing code data, 239 patients were identified as having undergone radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) by 16 urologists from September 29, 1998 to July 31, 2015. Of this group, 19 adult patients had a presumed preoperative diagnosis of UTUC in a native kidney, at least three months of followup, no history of concurrent radical cystectomy with RNU, and negative/non-diagnostic tissue biopsy. These patients were divided into three groups: Group A had no urinary cytology taken (n=6); Group B had upper and/or lower tract cytology performed with neither positive nor atypical (n=7); Group C had upper and/or lower tract cytology performed with at least one positive or atypical (n=6). Results: Demographic information and diagnostic workup was similar between the groups, although Group A had more patients with a history of prior radical cystectomy for bladder cancer (p=0.02). One patient in Group B had benign tissue on final pathology. All patients in Groups A and C had malignancy on final pathology and overall, the three groups had similar rates of malignancy. Conclusions: When a composite of clinical findings suggest UTUC, performing urinary cytology may not be necessary. A negative result in this setting should not be used to rule out UTUC, as this is often discordant with final pathology. A positive cytology result may help solidify the diagnosis when other findings are less clear.
Immunohistochemistry reveals an increased proportion of MYC-positive cells in subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma compared with lupus panniculitis.

Background Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL) is a malignant primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that shares significant clinical, histopathologic and immunophenotypic overlap with lupus erythematosus panniculitis (LEP). Methods We performed immunohistochemistry for the MYC oncoprotein on 23 cases of SPTCL (1 CD8 negative) and 12 cases of LEP to evaluate if there are quantitative or qualitative differences in protein expression of this marker in these entities. Results In SPTCL cases, the percentage of all cells that were c-Myc positive ranged from 0.8% to 16%, with a mean of 5.0% and a median of 4.4%. In contrast, in the LEP cases, the percentage of c-Myc-positive cells in the cases ranged from 0.34% to 3.7%, averaged 1.4% and the median was 0.8%. The difference between the means of these 2 diagnostic categories was statistically significant. Fluorescence in situ hybridization performed on 4 cases of SPTCL with a relatively high level of MYC immunohistochemical staining, however, failed to demonstrate evidence of MYC rearrangement or amplification. Conclusions Our work demonstrates that MYC expression levels differ between these 2 histologic mimics and suggests that this important oncoprotein may play a role in the pathogenesis of SPTCL.
Wall Heat Transfer Coefficient for Condensation and Boiling in Forced Convection of Sodium

The wall heat transfer coefficient for sodium boiling and condensation in forced convective flow is theoretically derived by using the momentum-heat transfer analogy and the logarithmic law for velocity distribution in the liquid film. Only one constant in the logarithmic form is empirically determined. The results are insensitive to some of the approximations used, namely in the evaluation of E and of /tau/ /SUB i/ //tau/ /SUB w/. The results from the suggested correlation are in good agreement with the Zeigarnick and Litvinov data over the range of parameters that were specified in their experiments, while the Chen and NATOF correlations predict lower heat transfer coefficients. The suggested correlation predicts well the data in the high-heat transfer coefficient region. It can be argued that the data in the low heat transfer coefficient region are affected by unstable flow conditions and the uncertainties in the saturation-temperature measurements.