cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improved nuclear localization of DNA-binding polyamides

Regulation of endogenous genes by DNA-binding polyamides requires effective nuclear localization. Previous work employing confocal microscopy to study uptake of fluorophore-labeled polyamides has demonstrated the difficulty of predicting a priori the nuclear uptake of a given polyamide. The data suggest that dye identity influences uptake sufficiently such that a dye-conjugate cannot be used as a proxy for unlabeled analogs. Polyamides capable of nuclear localization unaided by fluorescent dyes are desirable due to size and other limitations of fluorophores. Recently, a polyamide-fluorescein conjugate targeted to the hypoxia response element (HRE) was found to inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in cultured HeLa cells. The current study uses inhibition of VEGF expression as a biological read-out for effective nuclear localization of HRE-targeted polyamides. We synthesized a focused library of non-fluorescent, HRE-targeted polyamides in which the C-terminus ‘tail’ has been systematically varied. Members of this library bind the HRE with affinities comparable or superior to that of the fluorescein-labeled analog. Although most library members demonstrate modest or no biological activity, two non-fluorescent polyamides are reported with activity rivaling that of the previously reported fluorescein-labeled polyamide. We also show evidence that promoter occupancy by HIF-1, the transcription factor that binds the HRE, is inhibited by HRE-targeted polyamides.
Trends in surgical management of urachal anomalies

Abstract Purpose We have noted an increasing frequency of diagnosed urachal anomalies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate this increase, as well as the outcomes of management at our institution over 10 years. Methods A retrospective analysis of urachal anomalies at our institution was performed. Inclusion criteria were Anomalies of Urachus (ICD 753.7) or Urinary Anomaly NOS (ICD 753.9) between January 2000 and December 2010. Exclusion criteria were having an asymptomatic urachal remnant incidentally excised. Results Eighty-five patients (49 male, 36 female) presented between 0 and 17 years of age (mean 1.5 years). Diagnoses increased from 0 in 2000 to 21 in 2010. Zero was surgically managed in 2000 while 21 were managed in 2010 (p = 0.0145). Fifteen patients (17.6%) were observed with 13 (13/15, or 15.3%) resolving without complication while 2 were operated on. Average time to resolution (clinical or radiologic) was 4.9 months (Range: 0.4–12.6). A total of seventy-two patients (84.7%) underwent excision. Thirty-nine (54%) surgical cases were outpatient while 33 (46%) were admitted. Thirteen (18%) had post-operative complications. Ten (77%) of the complications were wound infections. Patients under 6 months of age accounted for 60% (6 of 10) of all wound infections and 52% (17 of 33) of hospitalizations. Conclusions Our experience and review of the literature suggest a high complication rate with surgical management in young patients, mostly from infections and support non-operative management of all non-infected urachal remnants in children.
Hierarchical Modular Optimization of Convolutional Networks Achieves Representations Similar to Macaque IT and Human Ventral Stream

Humans recognize visually-presented objects rapidly and accurately. To understand this ability, we seek to construct models of the ventral stream, the series of cortical areas thought to subserve object recognition. One tool to assess the quality of a model of the ventral stream is the Representational Dissimilarity Matrix (RDM), which uses a set of visual stimuli and measures the distances produced in either the brain (i.e. fMRI voxel responses, neural firing rates) or in models (features). Previous work has shown that all known models of the ventral stream fail to capture the RDM pattern observed in either IT cortex, the highest ventral area, or in the human ventral stream. In this work, we construct models of the ventral stream using a novel optimization procedure for category-level object recognition problems, and produce RDMs resembling both macaque IT and human ventral stream. The model, while novel in the optimization procedure, further develops a long-standing functional hypothesis that the ventral visual stream is a hierarchically arranged series of processing stages optimized for visual object recognition.
Preliminary efficacy of a computer-delivered HIV prevention intervention for African American teenage females.

This study translated SiHLE (Sisters Informing, Healing, Living, and Empowering), a 12-hour Centers for Disease Control and Prevention evidencebased group-level intervention for African American females 14-18 years of age, into a 2-hour computer-delivered individual-level intervention. A randomized controlled trial (n = 178) was conducted to examine the efficacy of the new Multimedia SiHLE intervention. Average condom-protected sex acts (proportion of vaginal sex acts with condoms, last 90 days) for sexually active participants receiving Multimedia SiHLE rose from M = 51% at baseline to M = 71% at 3-month follow-up (t = 2.06, p = .05); no statistically significant difference was found in the control group. Non-sexually active intervention group participants reported a significant increase in condom self-efficacy (t = 2.36, p = .02); no statistically significant difference was found in the control group. The study provides preliminary support for the efficacy of a computer-delivered adaptation of a proven HIV prevention program for African American teenage women. This is consistent with meta-analyses that have shown that computer-delivered interventions, which can often be disseminated at lower per-capita cost than human-delivered interventions, can influence HIV risk behaviors in positive fashion. African American women have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic. Over half (56%) of women living with HIV/AIDS in the United States are African American, and in 2006 the rate of new HIV infection for Black women was nearly 15 times as high as that of white women and nearly 4 times that of Hispanic/Latina women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011b). Currently, HIV disease is the fourth-leading cause of death
Time lower bound for manufacturing aggregate scheduling problems

Time lower bound for aggregate tasks scheduling problems is discussed. Aggregate precedence tasks are first preassigned to be processed by the machines. The machines can execute the only aggregate tasks preassigned to them. Job-shop or flow-shop scheduling problems are special simple examples of scheduling problems. Time lower bounds are proposed to estimate the minimum finishing time of an optimal aggregate schedule. Based on the earliest and latest load density functions of tasks preassigned to machines, the proposed methods investigate the delay caused by tasks clustered effect and chain effect. Several algorithms are proposed to obtain the correct time lower bound. An application of the proposed time lower bounds to aggregate scheduling a flexible manufacturing system consisting of machining and assembly machines is discussed. The effectiveness of the proposed time lower bound can be seen from several examples. >
Regional anesthesia in the anticoagulated patient: Yes or no

PINAL HEMATOMA is a rare and potentially catastrophic complication of spinal or epidural anesthesia. The actual incidence of neurologic dysfunction resulting from hemorrhagic complications associated with central neural blockade is unknown; however, the incidence cited in the literature is estimated to be less than 1 in 150,000 epidural and less than 1 in 220,000 spinal anesthetic cases. 1 Hemorrhage into the spinal canal most commonly occurs in the epidural space because of the prominent epidural venous plexus. Although hemorrhagic complications can occur after virtually all regional anesthetic techniques, bleeding into the 'spinal canal is perhaps the most serious hemorrhagic complication associated with regional anesthesia because the spinal canal is a concealed and-nonexpandable space. Spinal cord compression from spinal hematoma may result in nenrologic ischemia and paraplegia. Spinal hematoma may occur due to vascular trauma from needle or catheter placement into the subarachnoid or epidural space (Fig 1). However, it also may occur in association with neoplastic disease or pre-existing vascular abnormalities. Of special interest to the anesthesiologist are those spinal hematomas that have occurred spontaneously with or without the presence of antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy. Over 100 spontaneous epidural hematomas have been reported, 25% of which are associated with anticoagulation therapy. 2 In a review of the reports appearing in the literature between 1906 and 1994, Vandermeulen et al 3 discussed 61 cases of spinal hematoma associated with epidural or spinal anesthesia. In 42 of the 61 (68%) patients, the spinal hematomas associated with central neural blockade occurred in patients with evidence of hemostatic abnormality. Twenty-five of the patients had received intravenous or subcutaneous heparin; as they were undergoing a vascular surgical procedure, an additional five patients were presumably administered heparin. In addition, 12 patients had evidence of coagulopathy or thrombocytopenia or were treated with antiplatelet medications (aspirin, indomethacin, ticlopidine), oral anticoagulants (phenprocoumone), thrombolytics (urokinase), or dextran 70 immediately before or after the spinal or epidural anesthetic. Needle and catheter placement was reported to be difficult in 15 (25%) or bloody in 15 (25%) patients. Thus, in 53 of the 61 (87%) cases, either a clotting abnormality or needle placement difficulty was present. To reduce the risk of spinal hematoma associated with central neural blockade, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms of blood coagulation, the pharmacologic properties of the anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications, and the clinical studies involving patients undergoing central neural blockade while receiving these medications. While this discussion will deal mainly with continuous techniques of major conduction blocks and anticoagulants, the same principles apply to all regional anesthetic techniques.
Overexpression of the Nucleoporin CAN/NUP214 Induces Growth Arrest, Nucleocytoplasmic Transport Defects, and Apoptosis

The human CAN gene was first identified as a target of t(6;9)(p23;q34), associated with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome, which results in the expression of a DEK-CAN fusion gene. CAN, also called NUP214, is a nuclear pore complex (NPC) protein that contains multiple FG-peptide sequence motifs. It interacts at the NPC with at least two other proteins, the nucleoporin NUP88 and hCRM1 (exportin 1), which was recently shown to function as a nuclear export receptor. Depletion of CAN in knockout mouse embryonic cells results in cell cycle arrest in G2, followed by inhibition of nuclear protein import and a block of mRNA export. We overexpressed CAN and DEK-CAN in U937 myeloid precursor cells. DEK-CAN expression did not interfere with terminal myeloid differentiation of U937 cells, whereas CAN-overexpressing cells arrested in G0, accumulated mRNA in their nuclei, and died in an apoptotic manner. Interestingly, we found that hCRM1 and import factor p97/importin beta colocalized with the ectopically expressed CAN protein, resulting in depletion of both factors from the NPC. Overexpression of the C-terminal FG-repeat region of CAN, which contains the binding site for hCRM1, caused sequestering of hCRM1 in the nucleoplasm and was sufficient to inhibit cell growth and to induce apoptosis. These results confirm that CAN plays a crucial role in nucleocytoplasmic transport and imply an essential role for hCRM1 in cell growth and survival.
The Peabody Museum, Frederic W. Putnam, and the Rise of U.S. Anthropology, 1866‐1903

This article explores the intersection of the career of Frederic Ward Putnam with the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard to the history of U.S. archaeology between his appointment as professor in 1866 and his death in 1915. Putnam was also active in institutional developments at Chicago, Berkeley, and New York. [Keywords: Frederic Ward Putnam, U.S. archaeology, Peabody Museum]
Methodology for predicting C4 non-wets during the chip attach process

Balancing the level of substrate warp at reflow with other sources contributing to C4 non-wets is an important problem. To address this, a methodology to predict the probability of non-wets during the chip attach process of an organic package has been developed. A technique for quantifying the convex or concave warp of a substrate in the form of a Shape Inversion (SI) plot is introduced. Geometrical factors that influence non-wets such as C4 height, the pad's relative location, collapsed solder height etc. are described and their individual contributions to the non-wet conditions are computed. Combining these contributions onto the SI plot allows for a graphical representation of the non-wet probability. The technique is applied to a product substrate and the results compared with the actual yield observed during chip assembly.
Adaptive transmission with channel state uncertainty

Based on the concept of information outage, a general framework for optimizing adaptive transmission design with channel state uncertainty is formulated for slow fading channels.
A joint test for progression and survival with interval‐censored data from a cancer clinical trial

Clinical trials often assess efficacy by comparing treatments on the basis of two or more event-time outcomes. In the case of cancer clinical trials, progression-free survival (PFS), which is the minimum of the time from randomization to progression or to death, summarizes the comparison of treatments on the hazards for disease progression and mortality. However, the analysis of PFS does not utilize all the information we have on patients in the trial. First, if both progression and death times are recorded, then information on death time is ignored in the PFS analysis. Second, disease progression is monitored at regular clinic visits, and progression time is recorded as the first visit at which evidence of progression is detected. However, many patients miss or have irregular visits (resulting in interval-censored data) and sometimes die of the cancer before progression was recorded. In this case, the previous progression-free time could provide additional information on the treatment efficacy. The aim of this paper is to propose a method for comparing treatments that could more fully utilize the data on progression and death. We develop a test for treatment effect based on of the joint distribution of progression and survival. The issue of interval censoring is handled using the very simple and intuitive approach of the Conditional Expected Score Test (CEST). We focus on the application of these methods in cancer research.
A one-dimensional demonstration of the finite difference time domain technique using a personal computer

The finite-difference time-domain technique for solving Maxwell's equation is considered. Referring to K.S. Yee's paper (1966), it is quite straightforward to reduce the finite-difference equations presented there to a one-dimensional geometry. This reduction still allows full control of the constitutive parameters at each cell, so that the result is the capability to analyze propagation through a planar stratified medium for normal incidence. Since the problem space is limited to one dimension, problem geometries involving, for example, reflection and transmission for a stratified slab several wavelengths thick may be computed with a simple Fortran program using a PC/AT or compatible computer with a coprocessor chip in just a few seconds. The one-dimensional formulation does allow specification of permittivity, permeability, and conductivity independently for each layer (cell), so the PC computations can be used to illustrate propagation through and reflection from lossy media. Furthermore, the constitutive parameters can be changed gradually to model the effects of tapering. >
Integrating mass storage and file systems

The authors describe current and anticipated work at the Center for Information Technology Integration at the University of Michigan in developing and integrating mass storage with distributed file systems, specifically with the Andrew File System (AFS). They present a specific approach to integrating AFS with mass storage: they consider the mass store itself to be the file system, not a bag on the side of a disk-based file system. Instead of developing a back-end server to manage the movement of data files between traditional disk-based storage systems (used, in the present case, by AFS) and magnetic-tape or optical-based mass storage systems (of which AFS has little or no knowledge), the authors envision the mass store as a first-class data repository. A traditional disk-based file system serves as a very large cache of the mass store system. On top of that is another, large, high-speed memory cache. All storage other than the mass store is used exclusively for caching. In this approach, cache management policies are of fundamental importance. >
Optical stochastic cooling for RHIC

We propose the use of an optical parametric amplifier (OPA), with a � 12-mm on wavelength for optical stochastic cooling (Phys. Rev. Lett. 71 (1993) 4146; Phys. Rev. E 50 (1994) 3087) of gold ions in the relativistic heavy ion collider. The use of infrared wavelengths in comparison with the visible ensures a higher efficiency interaction of heavy ions withlight in the kicker undulator. The transition to longer wavelength also relaxes the requirements for stability of the path length during ion-beam transport between pickup and kicker. r 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V. Optical stochastic cooling (OSC) results from the particle interaction in the kicker with its own amplified spontaneous radiation from the pickup. The path of the particles between the pickup and kicker (bypass) can be designed such that each particle will receive a correction kick toward equilibrium (cooling) from its own amplified radiation. The interaction of the same particle with amplified radiation from other particles result in heating. The balance between cooling and heating define optimal power of amplifier necessary to achieve the bandwidth limited cooling rate. In all OSC applications proposed so far to cool heavy particles, including gold ions in the relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC), the optimal power appears to be several orders of magnitude larger than that realized with modern optical amplifiers. In this case of limited power the cooling rate is defined by available power of the amplifier. The damping time is expressed as the number of passes through the cooling system, for the case with longitudinal and transverse cooling rates are equal, and the amplifier and kicker have equal bandwidth, which can be estimated from the following equation: n � 2
Assessing the Impact of Horizontal Error Correlations in Background Fields on Soil Moisture Estimation

Abstract The importance of horizontal error correlations in background (i.e., model forecast) fields for large-scale soil moisture estimation is assessed by comparing the performance of one- and three-dimensional ensemble Kalman filters (EnKF) in a twin experiment. Over a domain centered on the U. S. Great Plains, gauge-based precipitation data is used to force the “true” model solution, and reanalysis data for the prior (or background) fields. The difference between the two precipitation datasets is thought to be representative of errors that might be encountered in a global land assimilation system. To ensure realistic conditions the synthetic observations of surface soil moisture match the spatiotemporal pattern and expected errors of retrievals from the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) on the Nimbus-7 satellite. After filter calibration, average actual estimation errors in the (volumetric) root zone moisture content are 0.015 m3 m−3 for the 3D-EnKF, 0.019 m3 m−3 for the 1D-EnKF, and 0...
Curriculum driven classroom design

Classrooms and learning environments are almost as diverse as the curriculum that is taught in them. However, one thing that almost all classrooms have in common is that they are designed before the curriculum is developed. This leads to the design of common, generalized learning environments. These generalizations can lead to inconveniences in the classrooms, which cause deficiencies in learning. This problem is particularly true in engineering, where curriculum can be lecture based, design based, or project based. The goal with this project is to design a classroom and lab to fit the needs of specific undergraduate engineering curriculum. Allowing the classroom design to be driven by the curriculum that will eventually be taught there will result in a more efficient and effective learning environment. Current freshman engineering students in the existing labs were surveyed, and next year's freshman engineering students in the new lab will be surveyed to collect data about their experiences in the current learning environment. When the classroom construction is complete, a comparative analysis of the classroom dynamics both of the old and new classrooms will take place in order to determine the success of the work.
Issue Definitions and Information Processing

Policy scholars have noted the importance of how issues are defined and understood by policy actors and the public. In particular, issue definitions can play a role in agenda setting and in ultimate policy choices. In this paper, I propose a model of issue definitions that is comprised of the relevant dimensions of the issue and the evaluation, or sentiment towards, those dimensions. Using the issue of spent nuclear fuel management, I empirically estimate the model using two types of automated text analysis; topic models and sentiment analysis. Topic models take words as observed data and estimate a fixed number of latent topics based on the co-occurrence of words. Sentiment analysis takes prespecified dictionaries of positive and negative words and compares the dictionaries to the words used in the text to be analyzed. Combining these approaches allows for the estimation of the issue definition model. The results show that issue definitions vary across time and across policy actors. The implications of the findings and the need for future research are also discussed.
Classification and Low Back Pain: A Review of the Literature and Critical Analysis of Selected Systems

Classification systems for patients with low back pain have become more abundant in the literature since the mid-1980s. Some classification systems are designed to determine the most appropriate treatment, some are designed to aid in prognosis, and others are designed to identify pathology. Still other classification systems categorize patients into homogeneous groups based on selected variables. The purpose of this review is to describe and critically evaluate low back pain classification systems. Several classification systems were summarized and examined. Four classification systems that were judged to be the most commonly cited and most relevant to physical therapists were critiqued using a more thorough systematic approach. The analysis suggests that future research should address the usefulness of existing classification systems as well as the development of new classification systems designed using commonly accepted measurement principles.
Preoperative Assessment of Geriatric Patients

Geriatric patients are over-represented in hospitalizations, surgeries, and perioperative complications. Special consideration is required for this patient group in the perioperative period because of the prevalence of comorbid diseases, functional impairments, and other deficits. A comprehensive preoperative evaluation strategy is recommended to identify and address these issues. Systematic, multidomain assessments should be performed and paired with risk reduction efforts. A shared understanding of patient function and long-term health goals is also important for providing patient-centered care of the geriatric surgical patient.
Science, Secularism, and Chance in Penelope Fitzgerald's The Gate of Angels

Set in 1912, Penelope Fitzgerald's The Gate of Angels (1990) registers cultural trends marking the early twentieth century as it engages and transforms its Victorian heritage. It does so particularly regarding two phenomena: the impact of science, centred on the shift from classical to modern physics, and the growth of secularism. By evoking a world of unexpectedness and chance, as suggested by the early stages of atomic theory and quantum mechanics, it holds open a gate for admission of the potentially extraordinary—in particular, a human capacity for self-transcendence and for mutual caring that both science and religion can be judged by their ability to promote or retard.
Combination of Eribulin and Aurora A inhibitor MLN8237 prevents metastatic colonization and induces cytotoxic autophagy in breast cancer

Recent findings suggest that the inhibition of Aurora A (AURKA) kinase may offer a novel treatment strategy against metastatic cancers. In the current study, we determined the effects of AURKA inhibition by the small molecule inhibitor MLN8237 both as a monotherapy and in combination with the microtubule-targeting drug eribulin on different stages of metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and defined the potential mechanism of its action. MLN8237 as a single agent and in combination with eribulin affected multiple steps in the metastatic process, including migration, attachment, and proliferation in distant organs, resulting in suppression of metastatic colonization and recurrence of cancer. Eribulin application induces accumulation of active AURKA in TNBC cells, providing foundation for the combination therapy. Mechanistically, AURKA inhibition induces cytotoxic autophagy via activation of the LC3B/p62 axis and inhibition of pAKT, leading to eradication of metastases, but has no effect on growth of mammary tumor. Combination of MLN8237 with eribulin leads to a synergistic increase in apoptosis in mammary tumors, as well as cytotoxic autophagy in metastases. These preclinical data provide a new understanding of the mechanisms by which MLN8237 mediates its antimetastatic effects and advocates for its combination with eribulin in future clinical trials for metastatic breast cancer and early-stage solid tumors. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(8); 1809-22. ©2016 AACR.
Review: proton-pump inhibitors alleviate symptoms of functional (nonulcer) dyspepsia but may not be better than H2-antagonists.

Source Citation Shiau JY, Shukla VK, Dube C. The efficacy of proton pump inhibitors in adults with functional dyspepsia. Technology Report No. 22. Ottawa: Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Te...
Endemic Viruses of Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri spp.)

Nonhuman primates are the experimental animals of choice for the study of many human diseases. As such, it is important to understand that endemic viruses of primates can potentially affect the design, methods, and results of biomedical studies designed to model human disease. Here we review the viruses known to be endemic in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri spp.). The pathogenic potential of these viruses in squirrel monkeys that undergo experimental manipulation remains largely unexplored but may have implications regarding the use of squirrel monkeys in biomedical research.
Imaging the inner ear in fossil mammals: High-resolution CT scanning and 3-D virtual reconstructions

The bony labyrinth of mammals, a delicate and complex cavity within the petrosal, houses the organs of hearing and equilibrium of the inner ear. Because this region is typically lodged deep within the skull, there have been few morphological studies of the bony labyrinth in fossils-where it frequently is completely enveloped by surrounding bone and sediment matrix. The recent development of high-resolution X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) scanning provides a powerful new tool for investigating such tiny, often inaccessible structures. Here we introduce a protocol for producing three-dimensional (3-D) virtual visualizations of the bony labyrinth from high-resolution CT images. As a case study, we scanned the skull of a basal platyrrhine primate, Chilecebus carrascoensis, using the high-resolution CT facility at Pennsylvania State University, reconstructing the endocast of the bony labyrinth from the resulting data. Segmenting the original CT images is a vital step in producing accurate 3-D virtual reconstructions. We failed in efforts to isolate the bony labyrinth endocast through automated means, owing to the similar densities of the matrix filling the sinuses and spongy bone cavities of the specimen, and the bony labyrinth itself. Differing density contrasts across the fossil/matrix interface and overlapping grayscales of the fossil and matrix, required Half Maximum Height thresholds to be measured dynamically. Multiple thresholds are advantageous for processing the CT data of fossils that are inherently heterogeneous in material properties and densities. The iterative interaction between an operator and a computer offers the only means presently available for reliably discriminating the endocast of the bony labyrinth from the remainder of the specimen.
The Calculus of Variations

This chapter discusses the calculus of variations. The calculus of variations deals with a certain class of maximum–minimum problems, which have in common that each of them is associated with a particular sort of integral expression. The chapter presents the generalization of the finite-dimensional methods to treat some of the standard problems of the calculus of variations. Some typical calculus of variations problems lead to a consideration of function spaces. The chapter discusses the concepts of linearity, continuity, and differentiability for mappings from one normed vector space to another. The inverse of a one-to-one continuous linear mapping of one normed vector space onto another need not be continuous. The partial differentials of a differentiable mapping are defined on the product of two normed vector spaces E and F. The finite-dimensional implicit mapping theorem follows from the finite-dimensional inverse mapping theorem.
Cheyne-Stokes respiration: poor prognostic sign in a patient with heart failure.

Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) have high incidence of sleep-disordered breathing. Two distinct types are known: obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR).1 Effective heart failure treatment improves CSR but not OSA, indicating that the development of CSR is secondary to heart failure. CSR is characterised by recurrent episodes of central apnoea/hypopnoea interposed with periods of hyperpnoea with waning and waxing pattern of tidal volume. A 5-month-old girl who presented with acute onset of …
Chapter 23 - Rehabilitation Robotics

This chapter focuses on rehabilitation robotics which can be used to augment the clinician's toolbox in order to deliver meaningful restorative therapy for an aging population, as well as on advances in orthotics to augment an individual's functional abilities beyond neurorestoration potential. The interest in rehabilitation robotics and orthotics is increasing steadily with marked growth in the last 10 years. This growth is understandable in view of the increased demand for caregivers and rehabilitation services escalating apace with the graying of the population. We provide an overview on improving function in people with a weak limb due to a neurological disorder who cannot properly control it to interact with the environment (orthotics); we then focus on tools to assist the clinician in promoting rehabilitation of an individual so that s/he can interact with the environment unassisted (rehabilitation robotics). We present a few clinical results occurring immediately poststroke as well as during the chronic phase that demonstrate superior gains for the upper extremity when employing rehabilitation robotics instead of usual care. These include the landmark VA-ROBOTICS multisite, randomized clinical study which demonstrates clinical gains for chronic stroke that go beyond usual care at no additional cost.
Using Grain Size Analysis as the Basis for a Research Project in an Undergraduate Sedimentology Course

Multi-week, research style projects within the context of a one-semester undergraduate course provide scope to explore topics in depth and build student skills. I developed a research-style project for an undergraduate sedimentology course using grain size analysis of sediments that combines developing field and laboratory skills, improving writing ability, exploring statistical techniques and encouraging critical thinking. The project asks students to consider the hypothesis that the grain size distribution of sediment samples can be successfully used as fingerprints to identify sediment transport processes and depositional environments. To do this groups of students work together collecting sediment from beach environments, analyzing the grain size distribution of these samples and use statistical analyses such as histograms and log-probability graphs to help interpret their data. The use of log-probability graphs, which are a somewhat controversial technique in sediment grain size analysis, is chosen to introduce students to contentious issues in scientific research and to encourage critical thinking. Success of the project is dependent on providing students with sufficient time and feedback and to re-write reports, analyze data and contribute to classroom presentations and discussions. Development of such projects requires thoughtful selection of a topic that will meet desired pedagogical objectives and careful structure so that time is managed effectively.
A Multidisciplinary Protocol-Driven Approach to Improve Extubation Times After Cardiac Surgery.

Background Prolonged intubation after cardiac surgery is associated with significant morbidity. A fast-track extubation protocol primarily driven by bedside providers was instituted for all postoperative cardiac surgery patients to facilitate safe and expeditious extubation. Methods A retrospective review of 1,581 cardiac surgery patients over an 8-year period was performed. Before 2011, nonprotocolized standard perioperative management was utilized (n = 807). From 2011 onward, a fast-track extubation (FTE) protocol directed by bedside providers was instituted (n = 774). Postoperatively, patients were placed on pressure-regulated volume control and titrated down to minimal support to maintain peripheral capillary oxygen saturation greater than 94%. For patients deemed ready for weaning (no evidence of hypoxia, hemodynamic instability, and so forth), a 30-minute continuous positive airway pressure trial was performed. Patients meeting all neurologic, respiratory, and cardiovascular criteria were extubated. The impact of the FTE algorithm on timely extubation, clinical outcomes, and safety was assessed. Results Baseline preoperative and intraoperative characteristics were similar between pre-FTE and FTE groups. Before instituting the FTE protocol, the rate of early extubation (less than 6 hours) was 43.7%, and increased to 64.1% during the FTE era ( p 0.001). Median time to extubation was also found to be significantly decreased: 295 minutes (interquartile range: 288) versus 385 minutes (interquartile range: 362, p = 0.041). There was no statistically significant difference in reintubation rates or 30-day mortality. Conclusions The institution of a bedside provider-directed FTE pathway reduced overall intubation times and increased the rate of early extubation, without an increase in reintubation or mortality. This program-wide multidisciplinary approach appears to promote safe and expeditious extubation of cardiac surgery patients.
Immune parameters in different age classes of captive male Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri).

Abstract The immune system is important for host defense against antigens, but little is known about Steller's eider (Polysticta stelleri) immunology. This study compared hematological parameters, serum protein levels, lymphocyte proliferation, heat shock protein levels and oxidative damage in four different age classes of captive male Steller's eiders. The hatch year cohort had significantly higher total white blood cell and lymphocyte counts. The second year cohort had significantly higher albumin, alpha globulins and lymphocyte proliferation, and significantly lower beta globulin levels. The 9 year old males had a significantly higher IgY:IgY(ΔFc) ratio. The oldest eiders in the study, 14 + year old males, had significantly higher serum IgY, pre-albumin and glutathione reductase activity, and the lowest lymphocyte proliferation. This study provided a baseline of immune parameters in captive male Steller's eiders, and the results suggested the parameters were influenced by age-related changes.
Advances in Homogeneous Catalysis for Low Temperature Methanol Reforming in the Context of the Methanol Economy

The “Methanol Economy” is a concept that was championed by the late professor and Nobel laureate George A. Olah. Methanol can act not only as a convenient fuel and energy carrier but also as a raw material for numerous chemicals and products. While methanol is still predominantly produced from fossil fuels, it can be made from any carbon source including biomass and CO2. The capture and recycling of CO2 to methanol offers a pathway to a sustainable carbon neutral cycle that would be an anthropogenic equivalent to nature’s own carbon cycle. The required energy would come from renewable as well as nuclear sources (fission and hopefully fusion in the future). While methanol can be used directly as a fuel for example in internal combustion engines, stoves, turbines as well as direct methanol fuel cells, it can also act as a convenient hydrogen carrier. Hydrogen is the preferred fuel for fuel cells. Storing hydrogen in the form of methanol avoids the cumbersome, expensive and potentially dangerous storage of hydrogen at very high pressures or under cryogenic conditions. When needed, the hydrogen can be easily liberated by methanol reforming with water. Until now, most reforming reactions were based on heterogeneous catalysts operating at relatively high temperatures and pressures. However, in order to lower the reaction temperature and improve its selectivity, homogeneous catalysts for methanol reforming have over the past few years gained much interest. Early results are promising with TON already in excess of 300,000. In this review, the homogeneous catalysts studied and reported so far will be presented and discussed. The possibility to improve the activity of these catalysts for methanol reforming by in depth mechanistic studies and rational design of the catalyst on the molecular level is particularly intriguing.
A prospective evaluation of universal tumor testing strategies for Lynch syndrome in endometrial cancer.

5512 Background: Screening for Lynch Syndrome (LS) in endometrial cancer (EC) has traditionally been based on early age at diagnosis and family history. Universal tumor testing has been proposed gi...
Incidence and risk factors of wound complications in long segment instrumented thoracolumbar spinal fusions: a retrospective study

Background: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. Our objective was to determine the incidence and assess the risk factors associated with surgical site wound complications in long segment (7+ vertebrae) instrumented thoracolumbar fusions. Surgical site complications lead to patient morbidity, increased financial burden, and further medical intervention. Risk factors for wound complications in spinal surgery include patient factors such as obesity and diabetes, and surgical factors such as operative time and procedure type. Fusion with instrumentation is one of the strongest associated risk factors in the literature. Methods: A comprehensive search of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) from 2005 to 2014 was performed, selecting cases based on Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. Cases were then stratified based on the presence of one of the following wound complications: superficial surgical site infection, deep surgical site infection, organ space infection, and wound dehiscence. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed to determine risk factors. Results: A total of 2,548 cases were identified, and the most common diagnoses were scoliosis (29%), spondylosis (17%) and spinal stenosis (14%). Overall, 4.24% of cases had at least one wound complication. Identified risk factors include obesity, preoperative transfusion, preoperative wound infection, and operative time. Associated outcomes include stroke with neurological deficit, perioperative transfusion, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), sepsis, septic shock, readmission, reoperation, and longer length of hospital stay. Many of these variables are independently associated with a wound complication. Conclusions: Our analysis of the NSQIP demonstrated risk factors and complications associated with wound infections in the setting of long segment fusions (7+ levels). These findings may aid surgeons in determining a patient’s risk of developing a wound complication, with the goal of lessening the associated morbidity and economic burden.
Fabrication of Multiple Microscale Features on Polymer Surfaces for Applications in Tissue Engineering

One major difficulty in the creation of tissue-engineered constructs is the formation of a reproducible scaffold with a well-defined micro-architecture. In order to induce in vivo like cell geometry, complex patterns may be required. Such surfaces have been created by a combination of microfabrication and photolithography steps. These structures have been designed to be biologically, mechanically, and optically compatible with the study of cellular systems. Microtextured surfaces present new opportunities to engineer structures for more physiologically relevant biological studies. In addition, a temporary scaffold, allowing for cell in-growth, can be created by applying well-controlled microtopography to biodegradable polymers. Microfabrication techniques can be used to create complex patterns on the micron scale providing both scaffolding of tissue-engineered constructs as well as textured substrates for use in studies of biological phenomena such as cell-cell communication or cell-substrate interaction.
Pragmatism and Private Law

It is not difficult to come up with a rough definition of private law. Private law defines the rights and duties of individuals and private entities as they relate to one another. Yet, whereas scholars in commonwealth jurisdictions generally are comfortable invoking this category, U.S. legal academics are not. The idea that “all law is public law” is no less taken for granted than the idea that “we are all realists now.” This essay, written as the Introduction to a 2012 Harvard Law Review symposium, traces academic skepticism about private law to the dominance in the Twentieth Century of a particular species of pragmatism, which it labels “brass tacks pragmatism.” The essay then identifies an alternative but equally pragmatic approach to law — “inclusive pragmatism” — that permits less skeptical approaches. Finally, it outlines the elements of an emerging body of private law scholarship that is new precisely in its rejection of skepticism.
Fluid and Electrolyte Balance in Endurance Horses

In horses, fluid losses of 10L to 15L per hour can occur during endurance exercise under hot environmental conditions. The horse's sweat is hypertonic with respect to plasma, and large amounts of sodium, chloride and potassium are lost during prolonged exercise. Horses that reach exhaustive syndrome often show pronounced increases in plasma protein concentration. This could be an indication of failure of the compensatory fluid shift from the intracellular compartment caused by severe dehydration. Thorough physical examination by the ride veterinarian allows early recognition of dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
Tumor Promotion and the Arachidonate Cascade

Experimental chemical carcinogenesis studies in animals, particularly the multistage model in mouse skin (1-3) are valuable in identifying those biological events or agents that play either an essential or modulatory role in the development of tumors. The promotion stage is most often accomplished by using 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), although a variety of agents have been identified as skin-tumor promoters (3,4). Among the many morphological and biochemical responses of the skin to promoters, the induction of inflammation followed by increased epidermal cell proliferation (hyperplasia) are events common to all promoters and appear to be required events (5).
CYCLIC NUCLEOTIDE-INDEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASES FROM RABBIT RETICULOCYTES AND PHOSPHORYLATION OF TRANSLATIONAL COMPONENTS

Five different cyclic nucleotide-independent protein kinases have been isolated from rabbit reticulocytes. The enzymes are distinct from the type I and type II cAMP-dependent protein kinases and the free catalytic subunit of these enzymes. Three of the cyclic nucleotide-independent protein kinases, casein kinase I, casein kinase II and the hemin controlled repressor, have been obtained in highly purified form. The physical and chemical properties of these enzymes have been studied and the possible modes of regulation examined. In addition, two protease-activated kinases have also been observed in reticulocytes. These five cyclic nucleotide-independent protein kinases have different substrate specificities with respect to histone and casein. All of the protein kinases, cyclic nucleotide-independent and cAMP-dependent, differentially phosphorylate components of the protein synthesizing system including 40S ribosomal subunits and initiation factors 2, 3, 4B and 5. Each of the protein kinases phosphorylates two or more of these components and the initiation factors and ribosomal subunits are in turn modified by at least two different protein kinases. The result is a multiply phosphorylated system. Alterations in the phosphorylation state of these components can be observed under conditions which activate or inhibit specific protein kinase activities.