cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MHC Class II and T Cell Receptor Signals Are Dispensable for IL-2-Induced Regulatory T Cell Proliferation In Vivo

Abstract 2181 Regulatory T cells (Tregs) protect the host from autoimmunity and inappropriate immune activation. Thus, to ensure immune tolerance in the steady state, an adequate number of peripheral Tregs must be constantly maintained. Prior work has suggested that major histocompatibility class II (MHC II) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) are both necessary to maintain peripheral Treg homeostasis and proliferation in vivo . However, we have recently reported that Treg proliferation may not strictly depend on MHC II, as the provision of IL-2 was sufficient to drive proliferation of Tregs in an MHC II-independent manner in vitro , as long as the Tregs interacted with dendritic cells (DC)s. Here, extending our previous in vitro observations, we tested the dependence of Treg proliferation on IL-2, DCs, and TCR signaling in vivo . Proliferation of adoptively transferred Tregs was detected in wildtype (WT) mice. This proliferation was markedly enhanced when the mice were injected with IL-2 immune complexes (IC)s but not when the IL-2 IC-injected mice lacked DCs, suggesting that IL-2-induced Treg proliferation was dependent on DCs in vivo . As previously reported, adoptively transferred Tregs did not proliferate in MHC II-deficient hosts. However, the injection of IL-2 ICs into these mice induced Treg proliferation comparable to those transferred into IL-2 IC-injected WT mice, suggesting that IL-2 signaling by Tregs obviated the need of MHC II for their proliferation. Furthermore, while the ablation of TCR signaling by conditional deletion of the adaptor protein SH2 domain-containing leukocyte phosphoprotein of 76 kDa (SLP-76) rendered Tregs unable to proliferate by themselves, IL-2 IC treatment partially rescued this deficiency. We next examined the signaling pathways involved in Treg proliferation downstream of the IL-2 receptor. Despite the importance of the Stat5 pathway in IL-2 receptor signaling during Treg development in the thymus, activation of Stat5b alone was insufficient to rescue proliferation of SLP-76-deficient Tregs, indicating that alternative pathways must also be activated for Treg proliferation. Additional studies investigating the role of other signaling molecules downstream of the IL-2 receptor are currently underway. In summary, we have demonstrated for the first time that Tregs do not require TCR signaling through interaction with MHC II for their proliferation in vivo . We propose that this MHC II-independent mode of Treg proliferation allows Tregs with multiple antigen specificities to proliferate, which ensures that a diverse TCR repertoire is continuously maintained in the Treg pool. Furthermore, we believe that exploitation of these pathways may be therapeutically beneficial in autoimmunity and in transplantation. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Capitalism: The Reemergence of a Historical Concept: Kocka, Jürgen, and Marcel van der Linden, eds. London: Bloomsbury 281 pp., $114.00 ISBN 978-1-4742-7104-2 Publication Date: August 2016

Capitalism is simultaneously concrete and abstract, a system that affects all aspects of daily life and yet a concept so challenging to comprehend that many citizens leave it to experts. At a time ...
Data-driven cost estimation for additive manufacturing in cybermanufacturing

Abstract Cybermanufacturing is a new paradigm that both manufacturing software and hardware tools are seamlessly integrated by enabling information infrastructure and are accessed as services in cyberspace. This paradigm encourages tool sharing and reuse thus can reduce cost and time in product realization. In this research, a new cost estimation framework is developed based on big data analytics tools so that the manufacturing cost associated with a new job can be estimated based on the similar ones in the past. Manufacturers can use this cost analytics service in their job bidding process, which is currently ad hoc and subjective in industry practice. The new framework is implemented and demonstrated for additive manufacturing, where the similarities of 3D geometry of parts and printing processes are established by identifying relevant features. Machine learning algorithms for dynamic clustering, LASSO and elastic net regressions are applied to feature vectors to predict the cost based on historical data.
Male Sex Roles in the Future: Will “Prince Charming” Survive?

A decade ago many people felt that “Prince Charming” would be unable to survive the onslaught of several simultaneous social movements. The Women’s Movement, the (male-led) Black Power movement, the men’s movement, the Gay Movement, the youth movement, the sexual revolution, and numerous other “little acts of rebellion” all combined seemed on the verge of dismantling Prince Charming’s masculinist castle in the early 1970s. Even “Prince Charming” himself was threatened with destruction during this period. However, as we look around today, there is substantial evidence that Prince Charming’s castle remains intact; and Prince Charming, though battered, survives in the 1980s.
Leading creative research and development efforts: A literature review and proposed framework for the engineering domain:

We commonly assume that leadership is not critical to the success of creative efforts. Prior research, however, indicates that effective leadership is, in fact, critical to the success of research ...
Propagation of North Atlantic Deep Water Anomalies

AbstractWe present a simplified theory using reduced-gravity equations for North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) and its variation driven by high-latitude deep-water formation. The theory approximates l...
Biodegradable polymer film as a source for formation of human fetal retinal pigment epithelium spheroids.

PURPOSE. To evaluate the attachment of human fetal retinal pigment epithelial (HFRPE) cells to a biodegradable polymer film with subsequent formation of spheroids in vitro. METHODS. Ten biodegradable polymer films with different compositions were examined for their physical properties and ease of manipulation under a dissecting microscope. The film with the most suitable handling characteristics was chosen, and a purely isolated sheet of HFRPE cells was attached to it. The purity of the cells was assessed by their pigmentation and expression of cytokeratin. Proliferation was assessed by incorporation of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU). Cellular structure was analyzed under light and electron microscopes, and the functional capability of the cells was evaluated by rod outer segment (ROS) phagocytosis. RESULTS. The polymer film with composition 50:50 poly (DL-lactide) (PLA)/poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) with an inherent viscosity of 1.03 dl/g was found to be the most suitable for handling under the microscope. Sheets of HFRPE cells attached to the polymer films within 48 hours and began to form spheroids. All the isolated cells were pigmented and expressed cytokeratin. They possessed a cuboidal morphology, numerous apical microvilli, and no sign of dedifferentiation. HFRPE cells produced extracellular matrix (collagen filaments) on their basal side, filling the cavities of the polymer film. The cells subsequently proliferated, incorporated BrdU, migrated onto the culture plate to form monolayers, and phagocytized ROS. CONCLUSIONS. Biodegradable polymer films can be used as a scaffold for the adhesion of the HFRPE sheet and formation of spheroids. Spheroids represent a source of high density and well-differentiated HFRPE cells that are easy to transfer. Furthermore, the structure of the membrane makes it suitable for additional applications.
Design of Compact and Enhanced Heat Exchangers for Liquid-Vapor Phase-Change Applications

Very high heat transfer coefficients can be obtained with boiling and condensation in compact and enhanced heat exchangers. Starting with the two-phase flow behavior in compact and enhanced surfaces, a state-of-the-art review is made of and correlations are presented for flow boiling and condensation in compact and enhanced channel geometries. This includes offset strip fin and perforated fin plate-fin geometries, cross-ribbed channel geometries, tubes with ribbed or grooved walls, and tubes with twisted-tape inserts. Next, design correlations are presented for predicting two-phase pressure loss in these surfaces. Finally, a methodology for the design of evaporators and condensers is presented briefly that includes the fin efficiency evaluation.
Direct detection of sub-GeV dark matter using a superfluid He 4 target

Author(s): Hertel, SA; Biekert, A; Lin, J; Velan, V; McKinsey, DN | Abstract: A promising technology concept for sub-GeV dark matter detection is described, in which low-temperature microcalorimeters serve as the sensors and superfluid He4 serves as the target material. We name this concept "HeRALD," helium roton apparatus for light dark matter. A superfluid helium target has several advantageous properties, including a light nuclear mass for better kinematic matching with light dark matter particles, copious production of scintillation light, extreme intrinsic radiopurity, high impedance to external vibration noise, and a unique "quantum evaporation" signal channel enabling the detection of phononlike modes via liberation of He4 atoms into a vacuum. In this concept, both scintillation photons and triplet excimers are detected using calorimeters, including calorimeters immersed in the superfluid. Kinetic excitations of the superfluid medium (rotons and phonons) are detected using quantum evaporation and subsequent atomic adsorption onto a calorimeter suspended in vacuum above the target helium. The energy of adsorption amplifies the phonon/roton signal before calorimetric sensing, producing a gain mechanism that can reduce the technology's recoil energy threshold below the calorimeter energy threshold. We describe signal production and signal sensing probabilities, and estimate the resulting electron recoil discrimination. We simulate radioactive backgrounds from gamma rays and construct an overall background spectrum expectation also including neutrons and solar neutrinos. Finally, we calculate projected sensitivities to dark matter-nucleon elastic scattering, demonstrating that even very small (sub-kg) target masses can probe wide regions of as-yet untested dark matter parameter space.
Los rectores y el Consejo Interuniversitario Nacional en el período 1990-1999: el tiempo de la heteronomía concertada

Based on the critical analysis of diverse documentary sources, particularly executive decisions and proceedings, this article analyzes the performance of the National Inter-university Council (CIN for its Spanish acronym) in the period 1990-1999. It examines the role of the rectors in the Protocol of the University Concertation; the Commission of Concertation of the State Universities with the National Executive Power; the agreement with the Bureau of University Policies in relation with the Higher Education Law and the involvement of the CIN in the implementation of the main governmental programs of the period. It addresses this process as a form of "concerted heteronomy", in the sense that, on the one hand, intense and asymmetric government policies were promoted from the outside of the university field, but, at the same time, the central core of these policies were discussed and negotiated with the Rectors nucleated in the CIN, these agents intervening actively in the implementation of said policies.
Characterizing Spatial Variations of Urban Growth Patterns in Beijing, China through Spatial Analysis and Geovisualization

Abstract. As the capital city and one of the largest cities of China, Beijing has experienced rapid urban growth in the past several decades. Despite the numerous research efforts of monitoring the spatiotemporal urban growth patterns in Beijing, there is a lack of consensus and comparable results for theory development or decision-making. This paper presents a systematic approach of characterizing urban growth patterns in Beijing through spatial analysis and geovisualization. Specifically, we focus on characterizing the different dimensions of urban growth across scales, including density, continuity, direction, and centrality (Galster et al. 2001). We first derive general land cover information in Beijing from satellite imagery for the years of 1998, 2008, and 2018. The urban extent of Beijing is extracted for each year to be used for further analysis. We then characterize the urban growth patterns through various geovisualization and spatial analysis techniques at both the metropolitan level and the local/cell level (Table 1). At the metropolitan level, we present the general trends of urban growth patterns in Beijing through landscape pattern metrics and spatial statistics. In addition, we compare the measurements of density, continuity and direction across the four functional zones in Beijing, i.e., urban core, extensive urban, new urban, and ecological conservation zone. The result reveals the regional variations and the underlying processes of urban growth in the Beijing metropolitan area. At the local level, we measure the spatial variations of urban growth patterns using a GIS-based moving windows analysis. As the moving window passes over the landscape, each calculated metrics is returned to the focal cell. This creates a surface representation of the selected metrics, which enables the creation of a contour map. The distribution of the contours delineates the spatial variations of urban growth at a finer scale. The developed approach can be applied to urban studies of other geographic areas, which will eventually lead to a comparative study of urban development.
Human rights and the city: Including marginalized communities in urban development and smart cities

The idea that the city belongs to all individuals inhabiting the urban space is grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the New Urban Agenda, and it is referred to as “right to th...
Prediction of lithium treatment response in bipolar depression using 5-HTT and 5-HT1A PET

Lithium, one of the few effective treatments for bipolar depression (BPD), has been hypothesized to work by enhancing serotonergic transmission. Despite preclinical evidence, it is unknown whether lithium acts via the serotonergic system. Here we examined the potential of serotonin transporter (5-HTT) or serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT1A) pre-treatment binding to predict lithium treatment response and remission. We hypothesized that lower pre-treatment 5-HTT and higher pre-treatment 5-HT1A binding would predict better clinical response. Additional analyses investigated group differences between BPD and healthy controls and the relationship between change in binding pre- to post-treatment and clinical response. Twenty-seven medication-free patients with BPD currently in a depressive episode received positron emission tomography (PET) scans using 5-HTT tracer [11C]DASB, a subset also received a PET scan using 5-HT1A tracer [11C]-CUMI-101 before and after 8 weeks of lithium monotherapy. Metabolite-corrected arterial input functions were used to estimate binding potential, proportional to receptor availability. Fourteen patients with BPD with both [11C]DASB and [11C]-CUMI-101 pre-treatment scans and 8 weeks of post-treatment clinical scores were included in the prediction analysis examining the potential of either pre-treatment 5-HTT or 5-HT1A or the combination of both to predict post-treatment clinical scores. We found lower pre-treatment 5-HTT binding (p = 0.003) and lower 5-HT1A binding (p = 0.035) were both significantly associated with improved clinical response. Pre-treatment 5-HTT predicted remission with 71% accuracy (77% specificity, 60% sensitivity), while 5-HT1A binding was able to predict remission with 85% accuracy (87% sensitivity, 80% specificity). The combined prediction analysis using both 5-HTT and 5-HT1A was able to predict remission with 84.6% accuracy (87.5% specificity, 60% sensitivity). Additional analyses BPD and controls pre- or post-treatment, and the change in binding were not significant and unrelated to treatment response (p > 0.05). Our findings suggest that while lithium may not act directly via 5-HTT or 5-HT1A to ameliorate depressive symptoms, pre-treatment binding may be a potential biomarker for successful treatment of BPD with lithium. PET and MRI Brain Imaging of Bipolar Disorder Identifier: NCT01880957; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01880957
Quantile-dependent expressivity of postprandial lipemia.

Purpose “Quantile-dependent expressivity” describes an effect of the genotype that depends upon the level of the phenotype (e.g., whether a subject’s triglycerides are high or low relative to its population distribution). Prior analyses suggest that the effect of a genetic risk score (GRS) on fasting plasma triglyceride levels increases with the percentile of the triglyceride distribution. Postprandial lipemia is well suited for testing quantile-dependent expressivity because it exposes each individual’s genotype to substantial increases in their plasma triglyceride concentrations. Ninety-seven published papers were identified that plotted mean triglyceride response vs. time and genotype, which were converted into quantitative data. Separately, for each published graph, standard least-squares regression analysis was used to compare the genotype differences at time t (dependent variable) to average triglyceride concentrations at time t (independent variable) to assess whether the genetic effect size increased in association with higher triglyceride concentrations and whether the phenomenon could explain purported genetic interactions with sex, diet, disease, BMI, and drugs. Results Consistent with the phenomenon, genetic effect sizes increased (P≤0.05) with increasing triglyceride concentrations for polymorphisms associated with ABCA1, ANGPTL4, APOA1, APOA2, APOA4, APOA5, APOB, APOC3, APOE, CETP, FABP2, FATP6, GALNT2, GCKR, HL, IL1b, LEPR, LOX-1, LPL, MC4R, MTTP, NPY, SORT1, SULF2, TNFA, TCF7L2, and TM6SF2. The effect size for these polymorphisms showed a progressively increasing dose-response, with intermediate effect sizes at intermediate triglyceride concentrations. Quantile-dependent expressivity provided an alternative interpretation to their interactions with sex, drugs, disease, diet, and age, which have been traditionally ascribed to gene-environment interactions and genetic predictors of drug efficacy (i.e., personalized medicine). Conclusion Quantile-dependent expressivity applies to the majority of genetic variants affecting postprandial triglycerides, which may arise because the impaired functionalities of these variants increase at higher triglyceride concentrations. Purported gene-drug interactions may be the manifestations of quantile-dependent expressivity, rather than genetic predictors of drug efficacy.
Is urine microscopy a useful early biomarker for cardiac surgeryrelated AKI

A microscopia de urina com exame do sedimento urinario centrifugado e um teste diagnostico inestimavel para pacientes com suspeita de doenca renal,. E logico que a lesao de varios segmentos do nefron possa ser detectada no exame do sedimento urinario de celulas e cilindros, indicativo do local da lesao. Juntamente com a avaliacao clinica, testes sericos direcionados e imagens dos rins, a microscopia de sedimento urinario permite ao clinico construir um diagnostico diferencial racional da doenca renal subjacente. E particularmente [...]
The Value of Information and Flexibility with Temporal Commitments

Problem definition: We study the combined value of partial demand visibility and flexible capacity, two hedging mechanisms against demand uncertainty, when signing capacity contracts with temporal commitment. Academic/Practical Relevance: With new technological innovations, short commitment contracts are found in dynamic environments like distribution, processing and manufacturing; a trend likely to grow in the future. In contrast to classic procurement, where commitments are long, short commitments lead to new dynamics in which demand visibility allows companies to use flexible resources more efficiently by adapting to demand observations. Methodology: We incorporate flexible capacity and demand visibility simultaneously using a multi-period newsvendor network model with two nodes that are supplied using dedicated and flexible capacity contracts with temporal commitment. Results: The optimal commitment to capacity contracts adapts within bounds to the observed demand at each node. The ability to adapt to visible demand becomes more valuable when flexible capacity contracts are available. This allows us to show that demand visibility and flexible capacity can act as complements. Managerial Implications: In contrast to conventional wisdom, when contracts have short commitment, companies can enhance the value of demand visibility if flexible capacity is also available as an option.
Dual targeting of GSK3B and HDACs reduces tumor growth and improves survival in an ovarian cancer mouse model.

Abstract Objective To investigate the anti-tumor effect of a newly-developed dual inhibitor (APCS-540) of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3B) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) in ovarian cancer cells. Methods The effects of APCS-540 on cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion and cancer stemness were investigated in vitro in human (KURAMOCHI, OVCA420, OVSAHO) and mouse (BR-Luc, ID8, MOSE-HRas-Myc) ovarian cancer cells. Cisplatin-sensitive (A2780) and cisplatin-resistant (A2780cis) cell lines were used to evaluate APCS-540's effect on chemoresistance. The immunocompetent syngeneic mouse model BR-Luc was used to test the effect of APCS-540 on ovarian cancer progression and survival. Results APCS-540 showed significant anti-tumor effects in vitro in both human and mouse ovarian cancer cells. Importantly, APCS-540 demonstrated marked cytotoxicity against cisplatin-resistant cancer cells and reversed cisplatin-resistance when used in combination with platinum. APCS-540 significantly decreased cancer cell invasion. A significant 66% increase in survival was observed in mice treated with APCS-540 compared to control mice. Conclusion Dual inhibition of GSK3B and HDACs via APCS-540 showed potent anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that APCS-540 may provide a novel treatment option for ovarian cancer, including the platinum-resistant disease.
Big Data Driven Secure IoT Analytics with Trusted Execution Environments

The growing adoption of IoT devices in our daily life engendered a need for secure systems to safely store or analyze sensitive data, as well as a decentralized data processing system to handle vast amount of streaming data. The cloud services used to store data and process sensitive data are often come out to be vulnerable to outside threats. Moreover, to analyze enormous streaming data swiftly, they are in need of a fast and efficient system. In this paper we propose a framework to maintain confidentiality and integrity of IoT data, which is of paramount importance, and manage large-scale data anaytics. We design the framework to preserve data privacy utilizing Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) such as Intel SGX, and end-to-end data encryption mechanism. In addition, we utilize Apache Spark for fast real-time streaming data processing from many IoT devices. We evaluate the framework by performing simple decision making in the SGX securely that involves multiple IoT devices, and a real-time anomaly detection in the streaming data from IoT devices using Spark.
Lightning Current Monitoring System for Recording Multiple Lightning Strikes

Multiple lightning strikes can destroy electricity equipment,and their measurement helps to understand lightning and develop lightning protection.We propose a live recording system that is capable to record current waveforms of continuous lightning strikes for five and more times.The waveforms can be continuously recorded by sampling the return stroke current in high speed but sampling the current between two return strikes in low speed,meanwhile,in the process of multiple lightning strikes,the time of return stroke current is short,but time of the intermediate current between two return stroke currents is long.The system adopts programmable logic device(PLD)to turn on monitoring devices.With its maximum propagation delay time of 3.5ns,the PLD needs only 0.5 μs to start sampling,which reduces the loss of lightning information,meanwhile,it can sample a lightning current waveform up to 756ms each time.The monitoring system is verified in laboratory,and is also used on transmission lines and other places that are frequently stricken by lightning.We also present a practical current waveform of lightning,which is recorded in Shenzhen,China on Aug.20th,2010.
Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction in Neutropenic Patients.

The aim of our study was to determine whether patients with neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≤1,500 cells/µL) had higher rates of surgical site infection after elective abdominal wall r...
“I’m Doing Everything Right All Over Again”: How Women Manage Exiting Street Prostitution Over Time

Exiting the criminalized sale of sex, which we refer to as prostitution, is a complex, recursive process which has been rarely studied longitudinally. Using typical case sampling, we selected two respondents from a two-year ethnographic study of a court-affiliated diversion program in Philadelphia who participated in a total of eight interviews. Saldana’s (2009) seldom-used longitudinal coding method was applied to conduct a fine-grained analysis of participants’ perceptions of exiting prostitution over time, focusing on participants’ motivations and actions. Respondents managed expectations of others and themselves and their sense of self-worth within a context of changing relationships, structural opportunities, accomplishments and setbacks. Viewed in a longitudinal context, the same relationships and structural hurdles often had a different impact on women’s motivation to exit at different time points. We argue that a longitudinal perspective of the exiting process is critical to avoid erroneous binary classifications of women as either exiters or non-exiters from prostitution, as the exiting process is more complex than what cross-sectional studies have previously revealed. Findings have implications for researchers of prostitution and programs for women exiting prostitution that should structure supports and (dis)incentives in a nonjudgmental fashion in line with this nuanced understanding of exiting over time. This is particularly important in criminal justice settings, where punitive responses have serious short- and long-term consequences.
Sugar Economics: A Visual Economy of the Plantation Landscape in Colonial Dominica

This essay is an examination of the processes through which plantation landscapes, bodies, and visual representations of them circulated and interacted in the sugar economy of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in the Caribbean island of Dominica. We refer to this process as a visual economy. As an instrument of empire, the visual economy distorted and legitimated the violence of the slave system upon which its rule was founded. By analyzing one plantation settlement known as Sugarloaf plantation, we examine both the mechanism through which it functioned and the local material realities made to be invisible by the visual economy. To accomplish the first, we juxtapose the landscape of Sugarloaf plantation with painted depictions of similar landscapes in Dominica and the Caribbean. The comparison suggests that Sugarloaf was a direct product of the visual economy and European aesthetics. In the second part, we examine the flip side of this visual economy to understand the material realities of enslaved laborers within it. Despite the participation of enslaved laborers in local markets elsewhere on the island, the scant and homogenous material assemblage recovered from the domestic area of the enslaved population at Sugarloaf attests to rigid social boundaries for the enslaved laborers living on this plantation. By refocusing archaeologically on the human scale of broader structural changes we can recognize local variability of experience and see beyond the narrative of imperial rhetoric.
Cholecystokinin and Control of Food Intake

Two mechanisms have been suggested for the inhibitory effect of cholecystokinin on food intake: a central action of brain cholecystokinin on the brain feeding system, and a peripheral, presumably hormonal, action of gut cholecystokinin mediated by abdominal vagal afferent nerves. Existing evidence suggests that 1) endogenous cholecystokinin contributes to the production of satiety, 2) this satiety effect is primarily mediated by the type A receptor subtype, which is predominantly located in the periphery, but also found in discrete regions of the central nervous system, 3) postprandial increases in circulating cholecystokinin are neither sufficient nor necessary for normal satiety to occur, and 4) activation of abdominal vagal afferent neurons is not the only means by which endogenous cholecystokinin produces satiety. It remains to be determined whether endogenous cholecystokinin acts centrally and (or) peripherally by endocrine, paracrine, or neurocrine mechanisms to produce satiety. Peripheral actions of cholecystokinin that may contribute directly or indirectly to the production of satiety include inhibition of gastric emptying, activation of visceral sensory nerves, stimulation of the exocrine pancreas and gallbladder to facilitate digestion and absorption of ingested nutrients, and stimulation of insulin secretion.
Ketorolac treatment of pseudophakic cystoid macular edema identified more than 24 months after cataract extraction.

Abstract Objective To evaluate whether ketorolac ophthalmic drops prescribed four times a day can be associated with improved visual acuity and prompt resolution of edema for patients with pseudophakic cystoid macular edema identified more than 24 months after cataract surgery. Design Prospective, nonrandomized, comparative (subject self-controlled) trial. Participants The records of nine patients who had pseudophakic cystoid macular edema more than 24 months after cataract surgery at the time treatment commenced were identified at the Wilmer Retinal Vascular Center from September 1, 1996, through March 1, 1997. Main outcome measures Best-corrected visual acuities measured on a retroilluminated Bailey-Lovie chart approximately every 3 months, contact lens biomicroscopy, and fluorescein angiography following ketorolac. Intervention Commercially available ketorolac ophthalmic drops 0.5% were prescribed for the affected eye four times a day for at least 3 months and continued until edema resolved. Results Ten eyes of nine patients were identified more than 24 months after cataract extraction (median, 59 months). Seven eyes (70%) improved (mean, +3.2 lines; range, +1 to +13 lines), including six by 2 or more lines 3 months after treatment initiation. Two eyes (20%) were unchanged, and one eye (10%) was 1 line worse. All seven eyes that improved 1 line or more had some or complete angiographic resolution of fluorescein dye leakage. In these seven eyes, ketorolac was discontinued when dye leakage completely resolved or failed to continue to improve on periodic 3-month follow-up examinations. In all seven eyes, recurrence of edema was noted within 3 months after ketorolac was stopped. Conclusions Chronic pseudophakic cystoid macular edema identified more than 24 months after cataract surgery can improve with topical ketorolac but probably requires persistent use.
The Capitulare de Villis, the Brevium exempla, and the Carolingian court at Aachen

For all the scholarship done on the Capitulare de villis and the Brevium exempla, much about them remains unclear, and no new interpretations have been offered in the last few decades. This article reads the documents without some of the assumptions prevalent in previous scholarly interpretations, and alongside both the written and material record, especially the archaeological evidence from Charlemagne's properties at Aachen and throughout his realm. It argues that the Capitulare de villis and the Brevium exempla were most likely issued shortly after 794, as a result of the logistical issues introduced when Charlemagne's court became resident at Aachen.
Testing requirements for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)

This presentation addresses some of these challenges and outlines potential approaches to overcoming them. Examples of the many energy domains encountered in MEMS devices will be provided and potential strategies for evaluating MEMS device performance in these domains will be discussed. Particular attention will be paid to the challenges of measuring performance of these devices in an extensively integrated MEMS device. High-volume fabrication of MEMS devices based on lithographic methods leads to large data sets and generally predictable, but extensive, variations in fabricated tolerances. Potential methods of addressing these challenges will be described and compared with similar approaches used in integrated circuit testing. The small size of MEMS devices also poses challenges for tests that are influenced by material parameters that are not well understood at the micron scale. Interfaces and surfaces that are a relatively unimportant at the scale of macro-devices can dominate performance of MEMS devices. In addition, critical material variations (crystalline structure, strength, etc.) that can be integrated over large volumes in macro-applications must be treated exactly for many MEMS devices. The influence of these challenges on testing of MEMS devices will be discussed and approaches to address these challenges are described.
Withholding a reward-driven action: Studies of the rise and fall of motor activation and the effect of cognitive depletion

Controlling an inappropriate response tendency in the face of a reward-predicting stimulus likely depends on the strength of the reward-driven activation, the strength of a putative top-down control process, and their relative timing. We developed a rewarded go/no-go paradigm to investigate such dynamics. Participants made rapid responses on go trials to high versus low reward-predicting stimuli and sometimes had to withhold responding on no-go trials in the face of the same stimuli. Behaviorally, for high versus low reward stimuli, responses were faster on go trials, and there were more errors of commission on no-go trials. We used single-pulse TMS to map out the corticospinal excitability dynamics, especially on no-go trials where control is needed. For successful no-go trials, there was an early rise in motor activation that was then sharply reduced beneath baseline. This activation-reduction pattern was more pronounced for high-versus low-reward trials and in individuals with greater motivational drive for reward. A follow-on experiment showed that, when participants were fatigued by an effortful task, they made more errors on no-go trials for high versus low reward stimuli. Together, these studies show that, when a response is inappropriate, reward-predicting stimuli induce early motor activation, followed by a top-down effortful control process which we interpret as response suppression that depends on the strength of the preceding activation. Our findings provide novel information about the activation-suppression dynamics during control over reward-driven actions, and they illustrate how fatigue or depletion leads to control failures in the face of reward.
Fabrication and characterization of an inorganic gold and silica nanoparticle mediated drug delivery system for nitric oxide

Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in inhibiting the development of hepatic fibrosis and its ensuing complication of portal hypertension by inhibiting human hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation. Here we have developed a gold nanoparticle and silica nanoparticle mediated drug delivery system containing NO donors, which could be used for potential therapeutic application in chronic liver disease. The gold nanoconjugates were characterized using several physico-chemical techniques such as UV-visible spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Silica nanoconjugates were synthesized and characterized as reported previously. NO released from gold and silica nanoconjugates was quantified under physiological conditions (pH = 7.4 at 37 degrees C) for a substantial period of time. HSC proliferation and the vascular tube formation ability, manifestations of their activation, were significantly attenuated by the NO released from these nanoconjugates. This study indicates that gold and silica nanoparticle mediated drug delivery systems for introducing NO could be used as a strategy for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis or chronic liver diseases, by limiting HSC activation.
Technology management and control over resources: An application of strategic contingencies theory

Abstract Technological infrastructure requires significant resources. This paper discusses a particular domain ofthat infrastructure, Information Systems (IS) departments, and investigates their coordination and control in large organizations. Despite evidence showing that information systems departments lack intraorganizational power, IS managers often assume responsibility for managing end-user computing (EUC) in organizations. This study relies on two versions of the strategic contingencies theory of intraorganizational power to determine how IS acquires power over user microcomputer resource acquisition decisions. The results suggest ways that IS can gain power over user-controlled information technologies and offer insight into coordinating and supporting any technological infrastructure.
Compassion fatigue and secondary traumatization: provider self care on intensive care units for children.

Abstract Introduction Unexpressed grief in health care providers who care for chronically ill children may lead to the development of some symptoms of compassion fatigue. The purpose of this study was to describe the scope of compassion fatigue in health care providers working on critical care units with children. A secondary aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of providing educational seminars on compassion fatigue to health care providers working on critical care units with children. Method In this quantitative study, 185 providers employed within a Children’s Hospital attended an educational seminar and voluntarily completed the questionnaires before and after the seminar. A modified version of the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, Index of Clinical Stress, and a compassion fatigue measure developed by the researchers were used in this study. Results The researchers found that this educational seminar was successful in raising awareness on compassion fatigue and reducing clinical stress. In addition, the results suggested that providers who experienced higher levels of personal stressors also experienced higher levels of clinical stress and compassion fatigue. Discussion Providers working on the intensive care units for children needed to be aware of compassion fatigue symptoms and techniques to manage or minimize their symptoms. Taking care of the providers on a personal and professional level had a significant impact on the amount of stress and compassion fatigue exhibited by health care professionals.
New CEOs and Corporate Strategic Refocusing: How Experience as Heir Apparent Influences the Use of Power

This paper integrates corporate governance research on the consequences of executive power and the upper echelons literature on top managers' cognitive orientation to develop a framework in which t...
Growth hormone secretion timing in depression: clinical outcome comparisons.

Growth hormone (GH) secretion in the 100 minutes preceding sleep onset (preSO), as well as in the first half of the night (1st HN), was examined for a group of 13 healthy women and 43 women with recurrent depression who participated in a 3-year maintenance therapy study. GH studies were obtained at several points during treatment and every 3 months during maintenance, during which patients were randomly assigned to active drug or drug-free maintenance treatment cells for 3 years, or until recurrence of depression. Depressed patients were divided into subgroups according to their maintenance treatment assignment (active drug or drug free) and treatment outcome (completing in remission or having a recurrence). Imipramine caused an increase in the GH ratio in all subgroups. Protocol completers had a significantly larger Imipramine-induced increase in the GH ratio than did recurrers. The difference in timing of GH secretion relative to sleep onset was found to correlate with treatment outcome and was independent of medication status during maintenance.
Conductive, Physiologically Responsive Hydrogels

Coupling molecular sensing with electrical conductivity may provide an important and valuable resource in assessing disease pathology. Here, we introduce pH-responsive hydrogels with homogeneously synthesized gold (Au) nanoparticles that reversibly alter conductivity through pH-induced volumetric swelling. These intelligent hybrid materials respond to physiological pH shifts (pH 7.4 to 5.5) that can (1) alter the conductivity of the gel or (2) create conductive conduits via micropatterned arrays.
On the distribution of the maximum eigenvalue of graphs

Abstract Given a graph G, let λ (G) denote the largest eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix of G. We prove that for any λ ⩾ 2+ 5 ( = 2.058+) there exists a sequence of graphs G1,G2,… such that limk→∞λ(Gk) = λ, thus answering a question posed by Hoffman.
Varicella-zoster virus infection facilitates VZV glycoprotein E trafficking to the membrane surface of melanoma cells.

Varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E (gE) is the most abundant VZV glycoprotein on the surface of virus-infected cells. VZV gE has targeting sequences for the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and is transported from the ER to the TGN in infected and gE-transfected cells. In this study, VZV gE expressing melanoma cell lines were generated. gE is expressed under the control of the reverse Tet repressor (Tet-On). gE induced by Tet-On is retained at the ER as well as in the cis Golgi by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. To test whether other viral protein(s) may facilitate gE trafficking and surface localization, MSPgE-vOka virus that contains MSPgE in place of wt gE was made. MAb 3B3 anti-gE does not bind to MSPgE. This MAb was used to track the localization of gE in Met-gE cells post MSPgE-vOka infection. gE became detectable mostly at the TGN and on the cell surface after viral infection. These data indicate that viral proteins facilitate the trafficking and cell surface expression of gE.
A continuous striatal infusion of 6-hydroxydopamine produces a terminal axotomy and delayed behavioral effects

Rat models of Parkinson's disease typically employ a rapid nigral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) to produce a near-complete loss of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons, and thus, model end stage disease. The present report describes the use of a continuous, low dose infusion of 6-OHDA into the striatum which produces a terminal axotomy of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons and protracted behavioral response. A solution of 6-OHDA in 0.4% ascorbate, delivered at 37 degrees C from osmotic minipumps, was stable for 8 days as determined by its retained toxicity to a dopaminergic neuroblastoma cell line. The continuous infusion of 0.2 mu g 6-OHDA per h did not affect the striatal uptake of [3H]%GABA, [3H]choline, or [3H]glutamate but reduced [3H]dopamine uptake by 55% within 1.5 days after the start of the infusion. The striatal infusion of 6-OHDA produced a dose-dependent reduction of striatal dopamine and DOPAC levels but did not alter HVA, 5-HT, or 5-HIAA. An increase in amphetamine-induced ipsiversive rotations occurred within 1.5 days after the acute striatal injection of 20 mu g or 30 mu g of 6-OHDA but required 4 days to develop with the continuous 6-OHDA infusion. The topography of the lesion mapped by [3H]mazindol binding showed that, beginning by 1.5 days, a diffuse depletion of terminals encompassed much of the striatum in the 30 mu g acute injection group, whereas in the continuously infused rats, the lesion was apparent only by 4 days and was restricted to a smaller and more completely lesioned area. Unlike acutely lesioned animals, continuously infused rats revealed no obvious loss of dopamine neurons in the pars compacta by 5 weeks after 6-OHDA. The continuous striatal infusion of 6-OHDA can produce a topographically limited terminal axotomy of dopamine neurons and a protracted behavioral impairment.
Learning by doing: the freshman-year curriculum and library instruction

Abstract The approach to freshman-level library research instruction described here was first conceived in 1994 and implemented in January of 1997. We have used this approach every year since then, making minor adjustments in response to student and faculty feedback from year to year. In this article, we will address the planning/negotiation process that made our project possible and the nuts and bolts of the project itself. We will conclude with some recommendations for those who may want to implement a similar project in their own institution. We hope that library administrators will be interested in the process that was used at Maryville College to secure a permanent place for research instruction in the freshman-year curriculum. Those responsible for implementing the program should find our detailed description of the project useful.
Quantum-chromodynamic approach for the large-transverse-momentum production of particles and jets

It is shown that if, in a calculation of high-transverse-momentum (p⊥) meson production in hadron-hadron collisions, one includes not only the scale-breaking effects that might be expected from asymptotically free theories but also the effects due to the transverse momentum of quarks in hadrons and further adds contributions from quark-gluon and gluon-gluon scattering to those of quark-quark scattering then the results are not inconsistent with the data. The approach yields the correct magnitude and an apparent approximate 1/p⊥8 behavior in accord with single-particle data for the energy range currently observed. Two-particle correlations are examined. Because of scale-breaking effects and the presence of gluons, the theory does not have the problem of predicting too many away-side hadrons at large p⊥ as did an earlier quark-quark scattering "black-box" approach. We conclude that the quantum-chromodynamics approach is in reasonable accord with the data although theoretical uncertainties (especially at low p⊥) make incontrovertible conclusions impossible at present. Crucial tests of the theory require higher p⊥ than are now available; estimates for this region are made.