cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacological and immunohistochemical characterization of calmodulin-stimulated (Ca2++Mg2+)-ATPase in cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells

Abstract —Plasma membrane (Ca2++Mg2+)-ATPase and Ca2+ transport activities, best characterized in human erythrocytes, are stimulated by calmodulin and thought to play a crucial role in the termination of cellular Ca2+ signaling in all cells. In plasma membranes isolated from cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells, the (Ca2++Mg2+)-ATPase was not readily measured. This is in part because of an overabundance of nonspecific Ca2+- and/or Mg2+-activated ecto–5′-nucleotide phosphohydrolases. Moreover, addition of exogenous calmodulin (10−9 to 10−6 mol/L) produced no measurable stimulation of ATPase activities, suggesting a permanently activated state or, alternatively, a complete lack thereof. To establish and verify the presence of a calmodulin-regulated (Ca2++Mg2+)-ATPase activity in these endothelial cells, immunohistochemical localization using a monoclonal mouse anti–(Ca2++Mg2+)-ATPase antibody (clone 5F10) was applied to intact pig aorta endothelium, cultured endothelial monolayers, and isolated endothelial plasma membrane fractions. This approach clearly demonstrated Ca2+ pump immunoreactivity in each of these preparations. To confirm functional calmodulin stimulation of the (Ca2++Mg2+)-ATPase, 10−5 mol/L calmidazolium ([R24571][1]) was added to the isolated plasma membrane preparation, which lowered the (Ca2++Mg2+)-ATPase activity from 143.0 to 78.15 nmol Pi/mg protein · min–1. This calmidazolium-reduced activity could then be stimulated 113.1±0.8% in a concentration-dependent manner by the addition of exogenous calmodulin (10−7 to 2×10−6 mol/L) with an EC50 of 3.45±0.04×10−7 mol/L (n=4). This represents a competitive lowering of the apparent calmodulin affinity by ≈100 compared with other unopposed calmodulin-stimulated processes. Together, these findings support evidence for the presence of a calmodulin-stimulated plasma membrane (Ca2++Mg2+)-ATPase activity in cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells. [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=GEN&access_num=R24571&atom=%2Fcircresaha%2F86%2F2%2F191.atom
Enantioselective synthesis of the C18-C25 segment of lasonolide A by an oxonia-cope prins cascade.

A 2-oxonia-Cope Prins cascade was developed that led to a facile and stereoselective synthesis of the C18−C25 segment of lasonolide A. The strategy nicely handles the introduction of the quaternary center in the tetrahydropyran ring, and all of the stereogenic centers in the product arise from a single stereocenter introduced in a catalytic enantioselective reaction.
Taking the Pulse of Health Information Seeking

When planning the purchase, management, delivery, and evaluation of electronic resources in a health sciences setting, it is useful to consider the broader landscape of how users seek and understand health information. To that end, the author examined reports that provide useful insights related to information-seeking behavior and health literacy. This column summarizes salient points of some Pew Research Center and Institute of Medicine publications and makes suggestions for incorporating some of these ideas into academic health center and hospital library operations and outreach efforts.
Lipase-catalyzed synthesis of terpene esters by transesterification in n-hexane

Short chain fatty acid esters of geraniol and citronellol were synthesized by lipase-catalyzed transesterification with yields as high as 98% molar conversion. Triacylglycerols were the best substrates and immobilized Candida antarctica lipase, SP435 gave the highest overall yields. The lipases tested successfully accommodated novel acyl donors such as isopropenyl acetate and glycidyl butyrate.
Minimally invasive surgery for renal cell carcinoma.

The oncologic principles of the surgical management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have remained essentially the same since first proposed by Robson in 1963. RCC remains a chemo- and radiation-resistant tumor; hence, surgical treatment is still the mainstay of curative therapy. Extirpative management of RCC via open radical nephrectomy (and later open partial nephrectomy) has been the standard of care for decades. With the advent of laparoscopic surgery and its intense application in urology in the early 1990s, a paradigm shift to minimally invasive renal surgery was initiated and has spurred an array of technologies, methods and procedures. Guidelines on the proper selection of patients and treatment modalities have been developed and established, allowing patients to benefit from better oncologic efficacy and reduced morbidity, and requiring urologic surgeons to master minimally invasive procedures alongside the techniques of open surgery. This review focuses on the minimally invasive management of RCC, ...
A new synthesis of pyridones and unsaturated lactams

The condensation of diethyl glutaconate (I) with imines leads to unsaturated ester lactams which, in some cases, can be isomerized to pyridones. Thus I with N-benzylidenemethylamine yields ester lactam (IV) and I with benzalaniline yields IVa. Saponification of IV and IVa produces the isomerize pyridone carboxylic acids VI and VIa respectively which can be decarboxlated to pyridones (IX and IXa). The sequence involving saponification of IV followed by Fischer esterification gives the pyridone VIII, isomeric with IV. Alternatively, the ester lactam (IV) can be converted to the corresponding thiolactam (V) with P2S5, or to the pyridone (XII) via bromination followed by treatment with ethanolic KOH. Both IV and IVa can be reduced catalytically to the piperidones X and Xa. Condensation of I with diphenylketimine gives the ester lactam (XIV) which does not isomerize under saponifying conditions, but leads to the acid (XV) and benzophenone.
The use of carbon and sulfur isotopes as correlation parameters for the source identification of beach tar in the southern California borderland

Abstract Carbon and sulfur isotope ratios and total sulfur content are used to correlate beach tars depositing near Los Angeles with their probable sources. Analysis is confined strictly to the asphaltene fraction of petroleum owing to the insensitivity of this fraction to weathering processes. The δ 13 C, δ 34 S and % S of the asphaltene fraction of natural offshore seep oils range from −22.51 to −23.20%., +7.75 to + 15.01%. and 4.45 to 8.27%, respectively. Values for local offshore production wells overlapped those for the natural seepage, ranging from −22.10 to −22.85%., −2.96 to 13.90%., and 0.81 to 8.00%. Analytical values for these parameters show that tanker crudes imported into the area are not similar to the California oils. Analysis of the same parameters in beach tars collected during 1976–1977 indicates a close match with the potential source oils, thus it is concluded that these parameters are useful for identifying petroleum sources, even after 2–4 weeks of weathering. Results indicate that 55% of the tars in Santa Monica Bay are derived from natural oil seepage 150km to the northwest at Coal Oil Point, 26% are derived from natural oil seepage in Santa Monica Bay, and 19% are derived from unknown sources. Models of tar transport are inferred which are consistent with the seasonal deposition pattern. Tar from Coal Oil Point natural oil seeps is transported southward in the southern California gyre during the spring, summer and fall seasons, but probably undergoes northward transport during the winter season due to the surfacing of the Davidson Current. Tar from the Santa Monica Bay natural oil seeps moves onshore, but deposition rate seems to depend on seepage flow rate.
Isovaleric acidemia: identification of isovalerate, isovalerylglycine, and 3-hydroxyisovalerate in urine of a patient previously reported as having butyric and hexanoic acidemia.

Urine from one of the original patients with butyric and hexanoic aidemia was examined for the possible excrection of glycine conjugates of butyryl-CoA and hexanoyl-CoA. Thin-layer chromatography of acylglycines revealed a distinct spot with an Rf values imilar to that of isovalerylglycine. Gas liquid chromatography of a distillate of urine showed a peak with the same retention time as the isovaleric acid and a second peak with a retention time longer than that of hexanoic acid. Furthermore, gas liquid chromatography of the trimethylsilyl derivative of an extract of urine showed peaks of isovalerylglycine and β-hydroxyisovaleric acid. The structure of these compounds was established by mass spectrometry. These findings indicate that the case reported actually had isovaleric acidemia.
Tetraethyl lead dose response curve for mortality in laboratory rats.

On a donne a 96 rats mâles albinos six doses differentes de plomb tetra-ethyle par intubation intragastrique. Une courbe dose-reaction a ete etablie a partir des resultats obtenus et les calculs ont donne une valeur LD50 de 12,3 mg/kg (11,50 a 13,15). Cette valeur differe de celle qui a ete obtenue precedemment. On croit que cette difference resulte du fait qu'un nombre plus grand d'echantillons a ete utilise dans cette serie d'observations.
Efficacy of a school-based childhood obesity intervention program in a rural southern community: TEAM Mississippi Project

A healthy lifestyle school-based obesity intervention was evaluated in a rural southern community where the rate of obesity ranks as the highest. School-age children (N = 450) ranging from 6 to 10 years of age (Mage = 8.34) participated in monthly physical activity and nutritional events during a 9-month academic year. The children's nutritional knowledge, number of different physical activities, fitness level, dietary habits, waist circumference, BMI percentile, and percentage body fat were measured pre- and postintervention. Changes on these measures were compared to students in a school employing the school system's standard health curriculum. Regression analyses with residualized change scores revealed that the intervention school showed statistically significant improvement in percentage body fat, physical activity, performance on fitness tests, and dietary habits compared to the control school. There was no evidence of differences in outcomes based on gender or ethnicity/race. With rates of obesity and overweight reaching 50% in southern rural communities, intervening early in development may offer the best outcome because of the difficulties with changing lifestyle behaviors later in adulthood. A population-based approach is recommended over a targeted approach to cultivate a culture of healthy lifestyle behaviors when children are developing their health-care habits. Evidence suggests that both boys and girls, and African-American and white children can benefit equally from such interventions.
The electroencephalogram of elderly subjects revisited

The EEGs of 98 elderly volunteers were compared with those of 84 patients with a recent cerebral infarction who had achieved a stable clinical course. All subjects were uniformly evaluated according to a special protocol. The elderly volunteers were accepted for the study if they had no history, signs or symptoms of central nervous system disease. The EEGs were found to be significantly different between the two groups of subjects in several aspects. These included not only possible abnormalities, focal or diffuse, but also some normal features, such as alpha frequency and responses to photic stimulation and to hyperventilation. Groups of these differentiating features were analyzed. Using the single variable of ER (evoked response), discrimination of 80% was achieved. The variables that distinguish the volunteers from the patients may be used in the future to determine whether they are helpful in differentiating normals from patients with conditions other than stroke.
Selectors: Actors with Multiple Guarded Mailboxes

The actor programming model is based on asynchronous message passing and offers a promising approach for developing reliable concurrent systems. However, lack of guarantees to control the order in which messages are processed next by an actor makes implementing synchronization and coordination patterns difficult. In this work, we address this issue by introducing our extension to the actor model called selectors. Selectors have multiple mailboxes and each mailbox is guarded i.e. it can be enabled or disabled to affect the order in which messages are processed. The view of having guarded mailboxes is inspired by condition variables where a thread checks whether a condition is true before continuing its execution.Selectors allow us to simplify writing of synchronization and coordination patterns using actors such as a) synchronous request-reply, b) join patterns in streaming applications, c) supporting priorities in message processing, d) variants of reader-writer concurrency, and e) producer-consumer with bounded buffer. We present solutions to each of these patterns using selectors. Selectors can also be implemented efficiently -- we evaluate the performance of our library implementation of selectors on benchmarks that exhibit such patterns and we compare our implementation against actor-based solutions using Scala, Akka, Jetlang, Scalaz, Functional-Java and Habanero actor libraries. Our experimental results for the benchmarks show that using selector-based solutions simplify programmability and deliver significant performance improvements compared to other actor-based solutions.
Nonlinear adaptive robust control of hydraulic actuators regulated by proportional directional control valves with deadband and nonlinear flow gains

This paper studies the motion control of single-rod hydraulic actuators regulated by proportional directional control (PDC) valves with deadband and nonlinear flow gains. The boom motion control of a hydraulic robot arm driven by a single-rod hydraulic actuator is used as a case study. The experimental system dynamics are highly nonlinear. In addition, the system has large extent of modeling uncertainties such as the variation of payload and friction forces. Furthermore, the PDC valve used to regulate the control flow rate to the hydraulic actuator has a large extent of deadband and a very nonlinear flow gain coefficient right out of the deadband region. These issues make the precision control of such a system difficult. To deal with these issues, the paper presents a discontinuous projection based adaptive robust controller. Direct inverse is used to compensate for the effect of the valve deadband, and certain straight-line approximations are used to model the nonlinear flow gain coefficient of the valve. The approximation error of the nonlinear flow mapping is deal with via certain robust feedback. Theoretically, the proposed adaptive robust control (ARC) guarantees a prescribed output tracking transient performance and final tracking accuracy while achieving asymptotic output tracking in the presence of parametric uncertainties. Comparative experimental results are presented to illustrate the proposed control algorithm and the practical difficulties in controlling such a complex nonlinear dynamic system.
Socioeconomic and clinical factors influence the interval between positive prostate biopsy and radical prostatectomy.

Objective To examine socioeconomic and clinical factors that may predict a longer interval between prostate biopsy and radical prostatectomy (RP). Methods The Columbia University Urologic Oncology Database was queried for patients who underwent RP from 1990-2010. Time to surgery (TTS) was defined as the period between the most recent positive prostate biopsy and date of surgery. Clinical factors examined included: age, D'Amico risk group, year of surgery, body mass index, and comorbidities. Socioeconomic factors included race/ethnicity, relationship status, income, and distance to treatment center. The relationship between clinical/socioeconomic factors and TTS was evaluated using univariate and multivariate regression models. Results Two-thousand five-hundred seventy-three patients were included in the analysis. Median TTS was 48 days (IQR 35-70, range 43-1103), and 71% of patients underwent RP within 60 days after the most recent positive biopsy. On multivariate analysis, living further from the medical center was associated with shorter TTS ( P = .01), whereas more recent year of surgery ( P = .01), comorbid cardiovascular disease ( P = .007), African-American ( P = .005) or Hispanic race ( P = .005), divorced relationship status ( P = .01), and lower income ( P = .003) were all associated with longer TTS. Conclusion Patients often experience widely variable intervals between the diagnosis and treatment of localized prostate cancer. Longer intervals before surgery may point to disparities in access to prostate cancer care, and not increased decision-making time by the patient.
The human cerebral cortex on MRI: value of the coronal plane.

The evaluation of different cortical areas of the cerebral cortex has been analyzed using MRI of 50 normal subjects without any neurological symptoms. This analysis has been made with different spin echo and gradient echo in T1 or T2 in three different planes: horizontal, sagittal and coronal. The most accurate plane to define important cortical areas such as Broca area, Wernicke area, temporal cortex at the level of the superior temporal sulcus, angular gyrus, supra marginal gyrus, hippocampal and parahippocampal cortices as well as that of the parieto or temporo –occipital areas is the coronal plane. Evidently it must be correlated with the other orthogonal planes. To be compared with the main Atlas of Neuroanatomy these sections must be perpendicular or parallel to the plane passing through the anterior and posterior commissures. MRI of patients with neurological disorders must have, as a routine, a series of MR sections performed in the coronal plane, as well as in horizontal and sagittal ones. The coronal plane is certainly the most precise to evaluate these areas involved in language, memory, visuo spatial or behavioral functions. It must be always compared with the rest of the neuroradiological examination and correlated with the clinical neurological signs.
Existence of a local smooth solution in probability to the stochastic Euler equations in R3

Abstract We establish the existence of a local smooth solution of the stochastic Euler equations in R 3 . Probabilistic estimate of the random time interval for the existence of a local solution is expressed in terms of expected values of the initial data and the random noise. There are numerous works on the stochastic Euler equations in a two-dimensional domain. Even for the deterministic Euler equations in a three-dimensional domain, the only results are concerned with the local existence of smooth solutions. Our goal is to extend such local existence result to the stochastic equations.
Calcium and sodium channels in spontaneously contracting vascular muscle cells

Electrophysiological recordings of inward currents from whole cells showed that vascular muscle cells have one type of sodium channel and two types of calcium channels. One of the calcium channels, the transient calcium channel, was activated by small depolarizations but then rapidly inactivated. It was equally permeable to calcium and barium and was blocked by cadmium, but not by tetrodotoxin. The other type, the sustained calcium channel, was activated by larger depolarizations, but inactivated very little; it was more permeable to barium than calcium. The sustained calcium channel was more sensitive to block by cadmium than the transient channel, but also was not blocked by tetrodotoxin. The sodium channel inactivated 15 times more rapidly than the transient calcium channel and at more negative voltages. This sodium channel, which is unusual because it is only blocked by a very high (60 microM) tetrodotoxin concentration but not by cadmium, is the first to be characterized in vascular muscle, and together with the two calcium channels, provides a basis for different patterns of excitation in vascular muscles.
Individualidad existencial democrática: Una conversación con George Kateb

La entrevista se realizo en el Departamento de Ciencia Politica de la Universidad de Princeton, en dos sesiones consecutivas de dos horas cada una, el 14 y 15 de enero de 2013. Realizaron la entrevista dos profesores de la Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile: Tomas Chuaqui Henderson, profesor asociado de ciencia politica, quien tuvo al profesor Kateb como tutor de tesis doctoral en Princeton; y Diego Rossello, profesor asistente de ciencia politica que obtuvo su doctorado en la Northwestern University. La transcripcion de la entrevista ha sido editada para lograr una lectura mas clara y fluida
Genetic abnormalities in Duchenne and Becker dystrophies Clinical correlations

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) are two allelic forms of an X-linked muscle disorder exhibiting phenotypic heterogeneity. We studied 49 individuals clinically diagnosed as having classic DMD, female DMD, mild DMD "outliers," and BMD. The patients' DNA was analyzed and alterations detected were correlated with particular phenotypes. We found that 14 of 32 classic DMD patients have an internal deletion in the same, relatively small, region of the gene; therefore this region may undergo deletions at a higher rate than the remainder of the gene. We could detect no alterations in the DNA in the remaining 18 patients. Selected patients from both groups failed to show muscle dystrophin. Seven of 11 patients with a mild DMD or BMD phenotype showed deletions at the 5' end of the gene. The other 4 patients failed to show deletions. Three of the patients with both a mild phenotype and a deletion at the 5' end had normal or low amounts of a dystrophin of smaller molecular weight. Patients with classic DMD who had a detectable deletion had a milder clinical course than those without. Contrary to a previous report, no patient in the population of clinically precisely defined DMD boys showed a deletion at the 5' end; thus, the outlier and BMD patients may be genetically different from boys with classic DMD. This correlation may be of diagnostic and prognostic significance.
Three-dimensional adaptive meshing by subdivision and edge-collapse in finite-deformation dynamic-plasticity problems with application to adiabatic shear banding

This paper is concerned with the development of a general framework for adaptive mesh refinement and coarsening in three-dimensional finite-deformation dynamic-plasticity problems. Mesh adaption is driven by a posteriori global error bounds derived on the basis of a variational formulation of the incremental problem. The particular mesh-refinement strategy adopted is based on Rivara's longest-edge propagation path (LEPP) bisection algorithm. Our strategy for mesh coarsening, or unrefinement, is based on the elimination of elements by edge-collapse. The convergence characteristics of the method in the presence of strong elastic singularities are tested numerically. An application to the three-dimensional simulation of adiabatic shear bands in dynamically loaded tantalum is also presented which demonstrates the robustness and versatility of the method. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.
HADRON SPECTROSCOPY WITH CLEO DATA

The CLEO collaboration will explore the charm sector starting 2003. It is foreseen to collect on the order of 6 million pairs, 300000 pair at threshold and one billion J/ψ decays. High precision charm data will enable us to validate upcoming lattice QCD calculations that are expected to produce 1-3% errors for some non-perturbative QCD quantities. Virtually background free, they will provide interesting decay mechanisms to explore light meson spectroscopy. The radiative J/ψ decays will be the first high statistics data set well suited for meson spectroscopy between 1600 and 3000 MeV. Together with the already existing data from the ϒ resonances, data sets for a large number of decay mechanisms will be available, which, combined, can be used to extract the nature of many resonances.
The role of ATP in swelling-stimulated K-Cl cotransport in human red cell ghosts : phosphorylation-dephosphorylation events are not in the signal transduction pathway

Volume-sensitive K-Cl cotransport occurs in red blood cells of many species. In intact cells, activation of K-Cl cotransport by swelling requires dephosphorylation of some cell protein, but maximal activity requires the presence of intracellular ATP. We have examined the relation between K-Cl cotransport activity and ATP in ghosts prepared from human red blood cells. K-Cl cotransport activity in swollen ghosts increased by ATP, and the increase requires Mg so that it almost certainly results from the phosphorylation of some membrane component. However, even in ATP-free ghosts residual volume-sensitive K-Cl cotransport can be demonstrated. This residual cotransport in ATP-free ghosts is greater in the presence of vanadate, a tyrosyl phosphatase inhibitor, and in ghosts that contain ATP cotransport is reduced by genistein, a tyrosyl kinase inhibitor. Okadaic acid, an inhibitor of serine and threonine phosphatases, inhibits K-Cl cotransport in ghosts as it does in intact cells. Experiments in which ghosts were preexposed to okadaic acid showed that the protein dephosphorylation that permits K-Cl cotransport can proceed to completion before the ghosts are swollen and K transport measured and therefore dephosphorylation is not a response to ghost swelling. In experiments with ATP-free ghosts we found that phosphorylation is not necessary to increase the cotransport rate when shrunken ghosts are swollen, nor is rephosphorylation necessary to decrease the cotransport rate when swollen ghosts are shrunken. Cotransport is greater in swollen than in shrunken ghosts even when the swollen and shrunken ghosts have the same concentration of cytoplasmic solutes. We conclude that, although phosphorylation and dephosphorylation modify the activity of the cotransporter in swollen and in shrunken ghosts, neither of these processes nor any other known messenger is involved in signal transduction between the cell volume sensor and the cotransporter as originally proposed by Jennings and Al-Rohil (Jennings, M. L., and N. Al-Rohil. 1990. Journal of General Physiology. 95: 1021-1040).
Efficient traceback of DoS attacks using small worlds in MANET

The mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is an increasingly promising area of research with many practical applications. However, MANET is vulnerable to a number of attacks, including denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, due to its autonomous nature. DoS attacker traceback is a challenging issue in MANET, since each node works as an autonomous terminal, acting as both host and router. Node mobility in MANET makes the problem even worse, since it is hard to trace back an attacker when it is moving around, frequently changing network topology. We propose to use an efficient, on-the-fly search technique to trace back DoS attackers. Our scheme is based on the small world concept and effectively extends Contacts for MANET (Helmy, A., et al., ACM Baltzer MONET Journal, 2004), utilizing location information. In addition, to deal with address spoofing problems in DoS attacks, we use traffic patterns matching (TPM) (Mansfield, G. et al., Computer Networks, vol.34, p.650-70, 2000) and propose to use traffic volume matching (TVM) as matching-in-depth to identify an attacker. We also propose in-network processing and directional expanded ring search to reduce communication overhead in attacker traceback. We show that our scheme successfully traces back an attacker using both TPM and TVM. Also, our scheme incurs very low communication overhead.
Is type 2 diabetes mellitus a vascular condition

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common complication of type 2 diabetes. However, CVD risk factors are elevated long before the development of diabetes,1 and the development of CVD can also precede the clinical diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.2 The close relationship between diabetes and CVD has led to the “common-soil” hypothesis,3 postulating that type 2 diabetes and CVD share common genetic and environmental antecedents, ie, “they spring from a common soil.” The hypothesis implies that atherosclerosis might not be simply a consequence of diabetes but that diabetes and CVD are a single entity sharing an underlying pathophysiology. See page 1845 Multiple lines of evidence support the common-soil hypothesis. In epidemiologic studies, the same set of diet and lifestyle factors (a diet higher in glycemic load and trans fat and lower in fiber and polyunsaturated fat, smoking, overweight and obesity, lack of regular exercise, and abstinence from alcohol) explains more than 80% of cases of coronary heart disease4 and 90% of cases of type 2 diabetes.5 Low birth weight, a marker of intrauterine nutritional deficiency, has been associated with increased risk of both diabetes and CVD in later life.6 In addition, pharmacological and lifestyle strategies to prevent type 2 diabetes have resulted in significant reductions in the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance,7 although it remains to be …
Deformation in the peach bottom syncline

Re suits of a detailed study of the deformation in the Peach Bottom syncline are presented. Field observations of flow cleavage, fracture cleavage, lineations, and joints are discussed. Lineations parallel fold axes and mostly plunge northeast, with some plunging southeast and a few southwest at a moderate to steep angle.
Comparison of multiexcitation fluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy for the diagnosis of breast cancer (March 2003)

Nonmalignant (n = 36) and malignant (n = 20) tissue samples were obtained from breast cancer and breast reduction surgeries. These tissues were characterized using multiple excitation wavelength fluorescence spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in the ultraviolet-visible wavelength range, immediately after excision. Spectra were then analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) as a data reduction technique. PCA was performed on each fluorescence spectrum, as well as on the diffuse reflectance spectrum individually, to establish a set of principal components for each spectrum. A Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to determine which principal components show statistically significant differences between malignant and nonmalignant tissues. Finally, a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm was utilized to classify the samples based on the diagnostically useful principal components. Cross-validation of this nonparametric algorithm was carried out to determine its classification accuracy in an unbiased manner. Multiexcitation fluorescence spectroscopy was successful in discriminating malignant and nonmalignant tissues, with a sensitivity and specificity of 70% and 92%, respectively. The sensitivity (30%) and specificity (78%) of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy alone was significantly lower. Combining fluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectra did not improve the classification accuracy of an algorithm based on fluorescence spectra alone. The fluorescence excitation-emission wavelengths identified as being diagnostic from the PCA-SVM algorithm suggest that the important fluorophores for breast cancer diagnosis are most likely tryptophan, NAD(P)H and flavoproteins.
Ang II enhances tubular cell Ets-1 expression and associated down stream signaling is mediated through AT1 receptors

Angiotensin II (Ang II) has been reported to play an important role in both the development and progression of renal injury. Many of the downstream effects of Ang II are mediated through the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). In the present study, we evaluated the effect of Ang II on the activation of Ets-1 (a transcription factor) in tubular cells. In addition, we studied the expression of pro-inflammatory molecules transcribed by Ets-1 in response to Ang II. Mice receiving Ang II infusion showed enhanced renal cortical mRNA expression of Ets-1. Immunolabeling studies localized the expression of Ets-1 in distal tubular cells of mice receiving Ang II. However, this effect of Ang II was mitigated by telmisartan, an AT1-receptor blocker. Mice receiving Ang II infusion also showed increased tubular cell expression of macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and p21 when compared with control mice; nevertheless, this effect of Ang II was attenuated by telm...
A method for large, low-contrast acoustic inverse scattering with Born iterations

It is well known in the breast ultrasound inverse scattering problem that the speed of sound contrast is only +/− 6% of the background. However, at ultrasonic wavelengths, the image domain is roughly 200λ min cubed. Standard forward solvers such as the finite-difference time-domain method or the method of moments in conjunction with full linear systems to retrieve the objects through various gradient-based iterative techniques are too expensive to be practical. Here we use the Neumann series solution as the forward solver and a multi-objective covariance-based cost function to estimate objects with contrasts in the range of +/− 20% for both density and compressibility. Born iterations are used to update the solution successively. The largest imaging domain tested was 14λ min in 2D. Each of these components is well suited to test larger, low-contrast objects.
HIV infection and the gut: scarred for life?

Over the past decade, the gut-associated lymphocytes have been shown to play a critical role in the early pathogenesis of HIV infection. Because of constant exposure to foreign antigens, the gut contains an abundance of activated effector memory CD4+ T cells that express CCR5 and are highly susceptible to HIV infection [1]. Primary HIV infections and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infections lead to rapid and profound depletion of these cells [2-4], which is more pronounced than the depletion in peripheral blood or other lymphoid tissue and persists throughout the course of untreated infection. The administration of antiretroviral therapy during chronic infection is highly effective in increasing the number of CD4+ T cells and decreasing the proportion of activated T cells in peripheral blood. However, significant delay in CD4+ T cell restoration maybe seen in the gut, particularly in the lamina propria [5] . Despite the slow or incomplete resolution of the profound abnormalities seen in the gut mucosa of HIV-infected patients, a clear connection to clinical outcome in
Genetic evaluation procedures at sperm banks in the United States

Objective To assess how genetic evaluations of sperm donor applicants are performed in the United States. Design A questionnaire was designed to assess: 1) the professionals involved in the family history evaluation and genetic screening; 2) the genetic testing, counseling, and informed consent processes; and 3) how the results of genetic evaluations and new risk information is communicated to donors. Setting Semen donor facilities. Participant(s) Representatives of semen donor facilities. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Descriptive data. Result(s) Thirteen responses were received. All of the facilities assessed donors' family histories; eight of the facilities (62%) routinely informed donors about the results of these evaluations. At the majority of facilities (10/13), informed consent for genetic testing is obtained as part of the overall contract to be a sperm donor. Genetic counselors are employed full-time at two facilities and part-time at five others. Conclusion(s) There is variability in the education and informed consent processes for semen donor applicants, including variable communication about the limitations of genetic tests and the potential implications for the donors' own children. Further research into the best practices for education and consent for sperm donor applicants may be beneficial to ensure the well-being of the donors and their future offspring.
Integrating Algebraic Functions of Views with Indexing and Learning for 3D Object Recognition

This paper focuses on the problem of 3D object recognition from different viewing angles and positions. In particular, we propose a new approach that integrates Algebraic Functions of Views (AFoVs) with indexing and learning. During training, we consider groups of point features and we represent a sparse number of views that they can produce in a k-d tree. Moreover, we learn the manifold formed by a dense number of views using mixture models and Expectation-Maximization (EM). Learning takes place in a "universal", lower-dimensional, space computed through Random Projection (RP). The images that a group of model points can produce are computed off-line using AFoVs by combining a small number of reference views that contain the group. Rigidity constraints are imposed during this step to remove unrealistic views. During recognition, groups of point features are extracted from the scene and used to retrieve from the k-d tree the most feasible model groups that might have produced them. To reduce the number of hypotheses for verification, we rank them by computing the probability that the hypothesized model group is present in the scene. Only hypotheses ranked high enough are considered for further verification. The proposed method has been evaluated using both artifical and real data, illustrating good performance.
The effects of mannitol on cerebral edema after large hemispheric cerebral infarct.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a single large dose of mannitol on midline tissue shifts after a large cerebral infarction. Background: Theoretically, mannitol use in the largest cerebral infarctions may preferentially shrink noninfarcted cerebral tissue, thereby aggravating midline tissue shifts and worsening neurologic status. To test this theory, we studied patients with hemispheric infarctions using continuous and sequential MRI during administration of a single dose of mannitol. Methods: Patients with neurologic deterioration from complete middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarctions and CT evidence of at least 3 mm of midline shift were studied using T1-weighted three-dimensional multiplanar rapid acquisition gradient echo image data sets acquired at 5- to 10-minute intervals before, during, and after a 1.5 gm/kg bolus infusion of mannitol. Horizontal and vertical displacements were calculated by previously described methods. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and MCA Stroke Scale (MCASS) were measured before and after mannitol administration. Mean changes in tissue shifts were compared using repeated measures analysis of variance. Clinical variables were compared using paired t -tests. Results: Seven patients were enrolled. The final average change in midline shift compared with the initial displacement was 0.0 ± 1 mm for horizontal (F = 0.06, p = 0.99) and 0.25 ± 1.3 mm for vertical displacement (F = 0.06, p = 0.99). Whereas average scores for the group did not change, MCASS improved in two, GCS improved in three, and pupillary light reactivity returned in two patients. No patient worsened. Conclusions: Acute mannitol used in patients with cerebral edema after a large hemispheric infarction does not alter midline tissue shifts or worsen neurologic status.
Lesion Detection Using Morphological Watershed Segmentation and Modelbased Inverse Filtering

In this paper, we present a method that detects lesions in two-dimensional (2D) cross-sectional brain images. Use of the morphological watershed segmentation technique localizes shape variation in the gray level distribution of brain images and, in turn, identifies the regions with abnormal shape and/or texture structure. The detected brain areas are then subjected to a model-based inverse filtering to determine their physiological characteristics whether they are lesions or other types of anomalies. The proposed algorithm was tested on different images of "The Whole Brain Atlas" database [13]. The experimental results have produced 90% classification accuracy in processing 10 arbitrary images, representing different kinds of brain lesion.
Epidural steroid injection in the management of chronic pain in pediatric patients

Back pain is one of the most disabling conditions affecting people of all ages, including children and adolescents. School absenteeism—parallel to missed work days in adults—increased health care utilization, sleep problems, eating problems, and restriction in hobbies are some of the issues these patients face. For many, the inability to identify the source of pain—as is the case in more than 50% of cases—can be frustrating. It is important to emphasize that a history of back pain in childhood/adolescence represents increased risk of low back pain and potential disability in adulthood. Teaching healthy lifestyle habits is crucial for functional rehabilitations of these patients. Focusing on the “physical” aspect of the pain has led to treatment failures and increased frustration, for both patients and physicians. In our institution, a multidisciplinary approach has been used successfully in the care of these psychosocially complex patients. Only a minority of patients are candidates for interventional pain procedures. Lumbar epidural steroid injection (ESI), followed by facet joint injection, is the most frequent intervention we use in patients with discogenic pain associated with radiculopathy.
Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (pull method) and Jejunal Extension Tube Placement

Background: Enteral feeding should be considered for patients with an intact and functional gastrointestinal tract. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement is indicated in patients requiring medium to long term enteral feeding (430 days) and with impaired swallowing. Patients and methods: In this video manuscript, we demonstrate the complete PEG procedure (pull method) in a 65 year old patient and placement of PEG jejunal extension tube in another patient who needed post-pyloric enteral feeding. Conclusions: PEG-pull method is the most widely used PEG technique. Appropriate patient selection, timing of the procedure, informed consent, antibiotic prophylaxis, adequate endoscopic air insuffl ation during PEG site selection, and optimal PEG site localization are the keys in this procedure.
Surveying Freedom: Folk Intuitions about free will and moral responsibility

Philosophers working in the nascent field of ‘experimental philosophy’ have begun using methods borrowed from psychology to collect data about folk intuitions concerning debates ranging from action theory to ethics to epistemology. In this paper we present the results of our attempts to apply this approach to the free will debate, in which philosophers on opposing sides claim that their view best accounts for and accords with folk intuitions. After discussing the motivation for such research, we describe our methodology of surveying people’s prephilosophical judgments about the freedom and responsibility of agents in deterministic scenarios. In two studies, we found that a majority of participants judged that such agents act of their own free will and are morally responsible for their actions. We then discuss the philosophical implications of our results as well as various difficulties inherent in such research.
Response to thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) in normal man.

Synthetic thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) was administered intravenously to normal human subjects to define the normal range of serum thyrotropin (TSH) response to TRH and some of the variables that affect this response. The maximum increase in serum TSH (maximum ΔTSH) following TRH was employed as the index of response. These were the results: 1) The maximum ΔTSH increased linearly when the TRH dose was increased from 6.25 to 400 μg. Since 800 μg produced no greater response than 400 μg, 400 μg is recommended as the standard test dose for evaluating TSH secretion. 2) Consistency of TSH response was evaluated by administration of the same dose (400 μg) of TRH to each of five subjects on four different occasions. The coefficients of variation of the maximum ΔTSH's in each subject ranged from 11–22% in four subjects and was 40% in the fifth. 3) TSH responsiveness to TRH was not significantly affected by sex. maximum ΔTSH in 20–39 year-old females was 16.8 ± 1.6 μU/ml (mean ± sem), and that in height- an...
Primary Elections and Partisan Polarization in the U.S. Congress

Many observers and scholars argue that primary elections contribute to ideological polarization in U.S. politics. We test this claim using congressional elections and roll call voting behavior. Many of our findings are null. We find little evidence that the introduction of primary elections, the level of primary election turnout, or the threat of primary competition are associated with partisan polarization in congressional roll call voting. We also find little evidence that extreme roll call voting records are positively associated with primary election outcomes. A positive finding is that general election competition exerts pressure toward convergence as extreme roll call voting is negatively correlated with general election outcomes.
Predictors of duloxetine versus other treatments among veterans with diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain: a retrospective study.

Objective: This study used medical and pharmacy records from the Veterans Affairs (VA) health system to explore the predictors of duloxetine versus other treatments for patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP). Methods: The electronic medical and pharmacy records from January 2004 to December 2008 were requested from the Veterans Integrated Service Network 16 data warehouse. All select patients received either duloxetine or other treatments [tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), venlafaxine, gabapentin, and pregabalin] over the study period, with the first dispense date of the index agent as the index date. All patients must have 1+ prior DPNP diagnosis (ICD-9-CM: 250.6x or 357.2), but no diagnoses of prior depression (ICD-9-CM: 296.2, 296.3, 300.4, 309.1, or 311.0), fibromyalgia (ICD-9-CM: 729.1), or neuralgia (ICD-9-CM: 729.2). Logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of receiving duloxetine versus other treatments, controlling for demographics, comorbidities, prior pain level, prior use of other medications, and opioid use. Results: The analytical sample included 2,694 patients (duloxetine cohort, n = 216; other-treatment cohort, n = 2,478). Prior uses of gabapentin (odds ratio [OR] = 13.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.70–19.24), TCAs (OR = 5.40, 95% CI: 3.73–7.82), or venlafaxine (OR = 3.67, 95% CI: 1.67–8.06) were strong predictors of duloxetine. Other comorbidities associated with duloxetine were anxiety (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.40–3.08), cerebrovascular disease (OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.01–2.07), and substance abuse (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.10–4.03). Prior opioid users were 1.47 (95% CI: 1.02–2.12) times as likely to receive duloxetine as those without prior opioid use. Patients with self-reported severe pain were 1.66 (95% CI: 1.11–2.50) times as likely to receive duloxetine as those with no pain reported. Conclusion: DPNP patients in the VA healthcare system with prior other treatment use, select comorbid conditions, prior substance abuse, prior opioid use, and higher pain level were more likely to receive duloxetine.
Communication analysis of parallel 3D FFT for flat cartesian meshes on large Blue Gene systems

Parallel 3D FFT is a commonly used numerical method inscientific computing. P3DFFT is a recently proposed implementationof parallel 3D FFT that is designed to allow scalability to massivelylarge systems such as Blue Gene. While there has been recent workthat demonstrates such scalability on regular cartesian meshes (equallength in each dimension), its performance and scalability for flat cartesianmeshes (much smaller length in one dimension) is still a concern. Inthis paper, we perform studies on a 16-rack (16384-node) Blue Gene/Lsystem that demonstrates that a combination of the network topologyand the communication pattern of P3DFFT can result in early networksaturation and consequently performance loss. We also show that remappingprocesses on nodes and rotating the mesh by taking the communicationproperties of P3DFFT into consideration, can help alleviate thisproblem and improve performance by up to 48% in some special cases.