cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quality of life in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: Assessment of long-term survivors

Background An emerging literature describes the potential for long-term survival with targeted agents, but the health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients who receive chronic therapy with these agents is poorly defined.
Does buckling instability of the pseudopodium limit how well an amoeba can climb

The maximum force that a crawling cell can exert on a substrate is a quantity of interest in cell biomechanics. One way of quantifying this force is to allow the cell to crawl against a measurable and adjustable restraining force until the cell is no longer able to move in a direction opposite to the applied force. Fukui et al. (2000) reported on an experiment where amoeboid cells were imaged while they crawled against an artificial gravity field created by a centrifuge. An unexpected observation was that the net applied force on the amoeba did not seem to be the primary factor that limited its ability to climb. Instead, it appeared that the amoeba stalled when it was no longer able to support a pseudopodium against the applied gravity field. The high g-load bend the pseudopodium thereby preventing its attachment to the target point directly ahead of the cell. In this paper we further refine this idea by identifying the bending of the pseudopodium with the onset of elastic instability of a beam under its own weight. It is shown that the principal features of the experiment may be understood through this model and an estimate for the limiting g-load in reasonable accord with the experimental measurements is recovered.
Tillage and land use effects on soil microporosity in Ohio, USA and Kolombangara, Solomon Islands

Micropores are important to soil moisture retention and plant growth. Microporosity and pore size distribution were evaluated using mercury intrusion porosimetery on aggregates from 35-year-old experiments started in 1962 at Wooster (40.5 °N, 82 °W) and South Charleston (39.8 °N, 84 °W) in Ohio, USA and from three land use practices on Kolombangara (8 °S, 157 °E) in Solomon Islands. Tillage treatments in Ohio included: moldboard plowing (MP), chisel plowing (CP), and no-till (NT) with continuous corn. The land use treatments in Kolombangara included: natural forest (NF), traditional farming (TF) and topsoil removal (TR). Pore size measured in aggregates ranged from 0.2 to 100 μm in diameter. Median pore radius was significantly (P < 0.05) larger for NT than for MP and CP treatments at Wooster, but not at South Charleston. Tillage treatments had significant effect on the volume of both storage and residual pores for both sites in Ohio. Volume of storage and residual pores were higher for Wooster than South Charleston soil. At Kolombangara, the NF treatment had significantly larger median and peak pore radii, and microporosity than TF and TR treatments. There was, however, no significant difference among treatments in the volume of pore size distribution. These data support a recommendation for adoption of no-till or conservation tillage in soils of the temperate region, and of minimal disturbance and effective erosion control in soils of the tropics.
STUDIES ON THE SYNTHESIS OF PROPYL 4-O-β-D-GALACTOPYRANOSYL-α-D-GALACTOPYRANOSIDE

Abstract 2-O-Benzoyl-3,6-di-O-benzyl-4-O-(chloroacetyl)-, 4-O-acetyl-2-O-benzoyl-3,6-di-O-benzyl-, and 2-O-benzoyl-3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-α- d -galactopyranosyl chloride were converted into the corresponding 2,2,2-trifluoroethanesulfonates, and these were treated with allyl 2-O-benzoyl-3,6-di-O-benzyl-α- d -galactopyranoside, to give allyl 2-O-benzoyl-4-O-[2-O-benzoyl-3,6-di-O-benzyl-4-O-(chloroacetyl)-β- d -galactopyranosyl]-3,6-di-O-benzyl- α- d -galactopyranoside (26; 41% yield), allyl 4-O-(4-O-acetyl-2-O-benzoyl-3,6-di-O-benzyl-β- d -galactopyranosyl)-2-O-benzoyl-3,6-di-O-benzyl- α- d -galactopyranoside (27; 62% yield), and allyl 2-O-benzoyl-4-O-(2-O-benzoyl-3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-β- d -galactopyranosyl)-3,6-di-O-benzyl-α- d -galactopyranoside (28; 65% yield). All disaccharides were free from their α anomers. Disaccharides 26 and 27 were found to be base-sensitive, and were de-esterified by KCN in aqueous ethanol, and debenzylated with H2-Pd. Attempts to produce (1→4)-β- d -galactopyranosides from the coupling of a number of fully esterified d -galactopyranosyl sulfonates to allyl 2,3,6-tri-O-benzoyl-α- d -galactopyranoside were unsuccessful.
Factors Which Affect Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction of Teachers

Present thought and action relating to satisfaction and motivation of teachers appear to he based on the assumption that job factors which satisfy teachers and job factors which dissatisfy teachers are arranged on a conceptual continuum. This paper tests an alternate assumption which was proposed by Frederick Herzbcrg and his associates. Herzberg suggests that job factors which satisfy workers and job factors which dissatisfy workers are not arranged on a conceptual continuum but are mutually exclusive. The findings of the study reported here revealed that some factors, reported by teachers as contributing to their job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction, were polar in a positive direction and other factors were polar in a negative direction. Achievement, recognition and responsibility were factors which contributed predominantly to teacher job satisfaction. Interpersonal relations (students), interpersonal relations (peers), “supervision technical”, school policy and administration, unfairness, status and personal life were factors which contributed predominantly to teacher dissatisfaction. Further, the satisfaction factors identified for teachers tend to focus on the work itself and the dissatisfaction factors tend to focus on the conditions of work. The results of this study tend to support the universality of Herzberg's findings.
Gallbladder wall thickening: An in vitro sonographic study with histologic correlation

Rationale and Objectives. We compared histologic sections with in vitros sonographic images for 40 resected gallbladder specimens to correlate the histopathologic processes with the sonographic appearance of the gallbladder wall. Methods. In vitro sonographic images and histologic specimens were obtained by use of a specimen container with a micropositioner. An 8.5-MHz transducer and a scalpel were attached to the micropositioner to obtain the sonographic image and the histologic section. The sonographic images were analyzed for wall thickness and the number and echo texture of the visualized layers and then were correlated with the histologic sections. Each histologic specimen was interpreted as being normal or showing mild, chronic, acute, or gangrenous cholecystitis. Results. One to four sonographic layers were observed in the gallbladder wall specimens. The number of wall layers was fairly evenly distributed among the different types of gallbladder wall inflammation. One to three sonographic layers were observed for most of the different types. In nearly all instances, the findings were attributable to either similar pathologic processes in two or more histologic layers or different pathologic processes in a single histologic layer. The gallbladder wall measured less than or equal to 3 mm in 89% of gallbladders with normal or mild inflammation, greater than 3–6 mm in 71% of cases of chronic cholecystitis, greater than 3 mm in 83% of cases of acute cholecystitis, and greater than 6 mm in 50% of cases of gangrenous cholecystitis. Conclusions. The sonographic layers in the inflamed gallbladder wall are determined by the pathologic changes present rather than by the normal histologic boundaries. However, because of the overlap of pathologic changes, we cannot predict the type of gallbladder wall pathology on the basis of the sonographic appearance. We found a trend toward gallbladder wall thickening for severely inflamed gallbladder walls.
Purification of the Vertebrate Nuclear Pore Complex by Biochemical Criteria

The nuclear pore is a large and complex biological machine, mediating all signal-directed transport between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The vertebrate pore has a mass of approximately 120 million daltons or 30 times the size of a ribosome. The large size of the pore, coupled to its tight integration in the nuclear lamina, has hampered the isolation of pore complexes from vertebrate sources. We have now developed a strategy for the purification of nuclear pores from in vitro assembled annulate lamellae (AL), a cytoplasmic mimic of the nuclear envelope that lacks a lamina, nuclear matrix, and chromatin-associated proteins. We find that purified pore complexes from annulate lamellae contain every nuclear pore protein tested. In addition, immunoblotting reveals the presence of soluble transport receptors and factors known to play important roles in the transport of macromolecules through the pore. While transport factors such as Ran and NTF2 show only transient interaction with the pores, a number of soluble transport receptors, including importin beta, show a tight association with the purified pores. In summary, we report that we have purified the vertebrate pore by biochemical criteria; silver staining reveals approximately 40-50 distinct protein bands.
Effects of community composition and growth rate on aquifer biofilm bacteria and their susceptibility to betadine disinfection

Summary Biofilm formation and function was studied in mixed culture using 20 bacterial strains isolated from a karst aquifer. When co-cultured in a glucose-limited chemostat, Vogesella indigofera and Pseudomonas putida were the dominant planktonic and biofilm organisms respectively. Biofilm formation and resistance to the iodine disinfectant betadine were then studied with monoculture and binary cultures of V. indigofera and P. putida and a 20-strain community. Biofilm population size [measured as colony-forming units (CFU) cm 22 ] increased with increasing species diversity. Significantly larger populations formed at dilution rates (DRs) of 0.0083 h 21 than at 0.033 h 21 . P. putida populations were higher and V. indigofera lower in binary than in monoculture biofilms, suggesting that P. putida outcompeted V. indigofera. In binary biofilms, V. indigofera, a betadine-resistant organism, enhanced the survival of P. putida, a betadinesusceptible organism. In the 20-strain biofilms, this protective effect was not observed because of low concentrations of V. indigofera (, 1% of the total population), suggesting that resistant organisms contribute to overall biofilm disinfectant resistance. Growth at 0.033 h 21 enhanced survival of V. indigofera biofilms against betadine. Although DR did influence survival of the other communities, its effects were neither consistent nor significant. All told, biofilm formation and betadine resistance are complex phenomena, influenced by community composition, growth rate and betadine concentration.
Localization of an anatomic substrate for the anticonvulsant activity induced by D-cycloserine

Summary: D-Cycloserine is a partial agonist of the strychnine-insensitive glycine site that inhibits the tonic hindlimb extension (THE) component of maximal electroshock seizures (MES). This study determined the effect of focal D-clycoserine microinfusion into nucleus re-ticularis pontis oralis (RPO) on the THE component of MES in rats. Bilateral microinfusion of D-cycloserine (50 nmol per side) into the RPO region 5.4 and 5.6 mm posterior to bregma inhibited THE in 80% of rats tested. Unilateral D-cycloserine (50 nmol) RPO microinfusions were ineffective. Likewise, RPO microinfusion of vehicle, L-cycloserine (50 nmol per side), or the strychnine-insensitive glycine site antagonist 7-chlorokynurenic acid (10 and 50 nmol per side) did not alter THE incidence. However, coinfusion of 7-chlorokynurenic acid (50 nmol per side) with D-cycloserine (50 nmol per side) completely antagonized the anticonvulsant activity induced by D-CYcloserine (8 of 8 rats with THE). These data indicate that the anticonvulsant activity of D-cycloserine is mediated by RPO. Because the anticonvulsant effect is stereospecific and is reversible by 7-chlorokynurenic acid, these results also indicate that D-cycloserine acts through the strychnine-insensitive glycine site to inhibit THE. RESUMEN La D-cicloserina es un agonista parcial del sitio de la glicina, que es insensible a la estricnina, que inhibe el componente de la extension tonica de la extremidad posterior (ETEP) que occurre durante convulsiones maximas por electrochoque (CME). Este estudio determino el efecto de una infusion local de D-cicloserina en el nucleo reticularis pontis oralis (NRPO) sobre el componente ETEP de un CME en ratas. La microinfusion bilateral de D-cicloserina (50 nmol/lado) en la region del NRPO que se encuentra 5.4 y 5.6 mm por detras del bregma inhibio los ETEP en 80% de las ratas estudiadas. Las microinfusiones unilaterales de D-cicloserina (50 nmol) no feuron efectivas. De la misma manera, la infusion a1 NRPO del vehiculo L-cicloserina (50 nmol/lado) o del antagonista del sitio de la glicina que es insensible a la estricnina, acido 7-cloroquinurenico (50 nmol/lado) no altero la incidencia de los ETEP. Sin embargo, la coinfusion de acido 7-cloroquinurhico (50 nmol/lado) con D-cicloserina (50 nmol/lado) antagonizo por completo la actividad anticonvulsivante inducida por la D-cicloserina (8 ratas de 8 con ETEP). Estos datos indican que la actividad anticonvulsivante de D-cicloserina es mediada por el NRPO. Debido a que la efecto anticonvulsivante es estereospecifico y reversible con acido 7-cloroquinurenico, estos resultados tambien indican que la D-cicloserina actua a traves del sitio de la glicina, que es insensible a la estricnina, para inhibir el ETEP.
Homotopy-Based Semi-Supervised Hidden Markov Tree for Texture Analysis

A semi-supervised hidden Markov tree (HMT) model is developed for texture analysis, incorporating both labeled and unlabeled data for training; the optimal balance between labeled and unlabeled data is estimated via the homotopy method. In traditional EM-based semi-supervised modeling, this balance is dictated by the relative size of labeled and unlabeled data, often leading to poor performance. Semi-supervised modeling may be viewed as a source allocation problem between labeled and unlabeled data, controlled by a parameter lambda isin [0,1], where lambda = 0 and 1 correspond to the purely supervised HMT model and purely unsupervised HMT-based clustering, respectively. We consider the homotopy method to track a path of fixed points starting from lambda = 0, with the optimal source allocation identified as a critical transition point where the solution is unsupported by the initial labeled data. Experimental results on real textures demonstrate the superiority of this method compared to the EM-based semi-supervised HMT training
Changes in lipid metabolism during retinoid administration

Administration of oral vitamin A and the synthetic retinoids to humans and experimental animals has been accompanied by changes in lipid metabolism. These changes include alterations in serum, liver, and skin surface lipids. While the immediate cause(s) of the serum and liver changes remain(s) obscure, the skin surface lipid alterations appear to be secondary to changes in sebum production. The most marked effect of retinoid feeding seen in clinical or animal studies is that of hypertriglyceridemia. The increased serum triglycerides are found primarily in the very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) fraction of the blood and occur during both the fasted and fed state. In rats, oral all- trans -retinoic acid, 13- cis -retinoic acid, and natural vitamin A have resulted in hypertriglyceridemia, while in man, 13- cis -retinoic acid, etretinate, and natural vitamin A have been reported to elicit this response. Current studies using the rat indicate that elevated serum triglycerides may be secondary to both increased liver secretion and decreased extrahepatic breakdown. Ongoing work from our laboratory and the possible primary causes of the systemic lipid changes are discussed.
Value of Community Pharmacists' Interventions to Correct Prescribing Errors:

OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this analysis was to estimate the economic value created by community pharmacists who routinely screen for and correct prescribing-related problems during the course of their dispensing activities.DESIGN:Three expert judges evaluated the documented interventions of community pharmacists practicing in five states.RESULTS:The judges agreed that 28.3 percent of the identified problems could have resulted in patient harm had the pharmacist not intervened to correct the problem. The direct cost of medical care that was avoided as a result of pharmacists' intervention activities was estimated to be $122.98 per problematic prescription, or $2.32 per each new prescription order that was screened during the study.CONCLUSIONS:Clinical pharmacy services can and do create significant value by enhancing the achievement of positive patient outcomes and by avoiding negative outcomes. Research to develop reliable methods for measuring and monitoring the value of clinical pharmacy services must co...
Discussion of "The Role of Employment Subcenters in Residential Location Decisions"

􏰀e paper by Eun Joo Cho, Daniel A. Rodriguez, and Yan Song in the Fall 2008 issue of the Journal of Transport and Land Use (􏰅e role of employment subcenters in residential location decisions, JTLU vol. 1 no. 2) was of great interest to me both because of its intrinsic subject matter and because I spent four years working in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County on a vari- ety of projects, starting with the 1998 integrated transit/land use plan that preceded the bond referendum. I was moved to respond to the paper from the perspective of someone familiar with the place and its peculiar and unique evolution which, I believe, needs to be factored into any eval- uation of its job accessibility/housing relationships.
Risk Perception for Developing Diabetes Among Pharmacists

BackgroundEmerging evidence implies that differences in risk perception between healthcare professionals and the lay public exist.ObjectiveTo compare the actual risk status versus the personal risk perceptions for developing diabetes among pharmacists.MethodsPerceived risk was measured in this cross-sectional study with the validated Risk Perception Survey for Developing Diabetes (RPS-DD). The RPS-DD has 4 main subscales aimed at capturing multiple dimensions of perceived risk and is scored on the following scale: 1 (almost no risk), 2 (slight risk), 3 (moderate risk), and 4 (high risk). Actual risk was assigned according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Diabetes Risk Test. Differences between higher and lower ADA risk participants were analyzed. Regression analyses were conducted to examine risk factors associated with pharmacists' self-reported perception for developing diabetes.ResultsPharmacists (N = 218, 46.2 ± 12.2 years [mean ± SD], 47.7% male, 85.9% white) completed the survey. The Compa...
Validity of reported Medicare Part D enrollment in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

The authors validate reported Part D coverage in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and assess the impact of misreporting on descriptive and behavioral analyses. MEPS participants with Med...
The spectrum of human herpesvirus 6 infection : From Roseola infantum to adult disease

Human herpesvirus 6 is the causative agent of roseola infantum, a generally benign rash illness of infants. Most persons acquire HHV-6 infection by age 2 years, and HHV-6 infection is a common cause of fever and febrile seizures in infants. In adults, primary infection with HHV-6 can produce a mononucleosis-like illness and, more rarely, severe disease, including encephalitis. In addition to primary infections, HHV-6 can cause clinical illness during reactivation, particularly in immunocompromised persons.
Invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast with clear cell and pseudo-lactating changes

Invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast with clear cell changes is a very rare pathological entity. There are <150 cases of this breast cancer subtype reported in the literature. Clear cell carcinoma could be easily missed or under-diagnosed in a breast core biopsy specimen due to the fact that this subtype tends to show a papillary pattern with clear cell and pseudo-lactating changes, especially in young female patients. Normal breast tissue may possess clear cells as a consequence of the physiological changes of pregnancy, the clearing of the cytoplasm within myoepithelial cells, or the clearing of the cytoplasm in apocrine metaplasia. Owing to its aggressive clinical course, clear cell carcinoma must be differentiated from other subtypes of breast carcinoma. Special attention given to this rare subtype by pathologists and clinicians could avoid misdiagnosis and delay of treatment.
A discrete maximum principle for collocation methods

Abstract A discrete maximum principle for collocation approximations is formulated. For the cases of piecewise cubic and piecewise quartic C 1 approximations, suffiecient conditions for the placement of the collocation points are derived which ensure that the resulting collocation approximations satisfy the discrete maximum principle.
NATO's Post-Cold War Metamorphosis: From Sixteen to Twenty-Six and Counting

The collapse of the Soviet Union effectively cancelled the raison d'etre of the Atlantic Alliance. After all, in 1949 NATO was founded for the specific purpose of countering the military threat that the Soviet Union posed to western Europe and North America. Organizations, particularly large and complex organizations, are resistant to change, however. They are especially reluctant to go out of existence. Not surprisingly, packing up and going away was not an option to be happily contemplated for the thousands of people, many of them highly paid and well connected, who worked for NATO. Yet, continuing to function while downplaying the epochal changes was also not a viable option. Clearly, the Alliance had to recast itself; it had to come up with new ideas, new projects, new roles that would prolong its existence and, preferably, ensure its persisting relevance in international politics. Many (for example, Mearsheimer 1990; Waltz 1993) predicted NATO's imminent demise in concert with realist theory, which foresees the swift dissolution of alliances once threats to them disappear. And, yet, 15 years after the end of the Cold War, NATO is not only very much alive, it has managed to adapt itself to a radically different world. In other words, NATO has done what it needed to stay in existence and remain relevant. With the accomplishment of its original core mission, NATO, as it was often said at the time, had to “go out of area or go out of business.” As US Senator Richard Lugar famously noted in 1993, “the common denominator of all the new security problems in Europe is that they all lie beyond NATO's current borders.” When the security environment changed in the 1990s, the members of the Alliance turned to NATO to address new security problems because it had an effective politico-military …
Statistical model for locating fragile points on nucleic-ACID molecules

Breakage is an important behavioral characteristic of nucleic-acid molecules. This paper concerns the problem of estimating the location of fragile (F) points on biological macromolecules such as DNA or RNA. We assume that the original length of the macromolecules is a random variable, breakage occurs more likely at some points of the macromolecules than others, and the number of breakages, except for those occurring at such points, is according to a Poisson process. Under these assumptions, the density function of the length of a randomly chosen segment has been derived. The Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) is suggested for estimating the parameters. The model is applied to the data available on RNA of Avian Myeloblostosis Virus (AMV), and three possible F-points have been located. The robustness of the model is discussed.
Identification and biochemical significance of substituted furans in human urine.

The normal urinary chromatographic pattern on the high-resolution UV-Analyzer exhibits approximately 20 major peaks and more than 100 minor peaks. Three of the major chromatographic peaks, observed in most urinary samples from both normal and pathologic subjects, have recently been identified as 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furoic acid, 2-furoylglycine, and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid. A related compound, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furoylglycine, was also identified in the urine of a leukemic patient who was excreting an abnormal amount of the free acid. The compound 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furoic acid and its glycine conjugate have not, to our knowledge, been previously reported in human urine, and the excretion of 2-furoylglycine and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid by all humans is not generally recognized. The four identified compounds seem to be biochemically interrelated, and a mechanism for their formation from uronic acids is postulated. Analytical techniques and results utilized in the identification of these compounds are discussed. High-resolution (m/Δm ≈ 20,000) mass spectrometric data obtained from three independent laboratories are presented for 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furoic acid, illustrating the accuracy and precision that can be expected for a random sample submitted to a well-equipped facility.
Why a clean politician supports dirty politics: A game-theoretical explanation for the persistence of political corruption

Abstract Using a theoretical model of repeated political competition among two career politicians, I study the incentives of both the corrupt and clean politicians not to adopt a fully effective reform targeting political corruption. In the setup I study, each politician can credibly adopt the reform as part of his policy platform in the elections. Yet, when the level of political corruption is high, neither politician does so in a Nash Equilibrium. Intuitively, political corruption changes the zero-sum nature of political competition: the reform eliminates the illegal rents of the corrupt candidate and the competitive advantage of the clean candidate.
A mathematical model for outgrowth and spatial patterning of the vertebrate limb bud.

A new model for limb development which incorporates both outgrowth due to cell growth and division, and interactions between morphogens produced in the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA) and the apical epidermal ridge (AER) is developed and analysed. The numerically-computed spatio-temporal distributions of these morphogens demonstrate the importance of interaction between the organizing regions in establishing the morphogenetic terrain on which cells reside, and because growth is explicitly incorporated, it is found that the history of a cell's exposure to the morphogens depends heavily on where the cell originates in the early limb bud. Because the biochemical steps between morphogen(s) and gene activation have not been elucidated, there is no biologically-based mechanism for translating the spatio-temporal distributions of morphogens into patterns of gene expression, but several theoretically plausible functions that bridge the gap are suggested. For example it is shown that interpretation functions based on the history of a cell's exposure to the morphogens can qualitatively account for observed patterns of gene expression. The mathematical model and the associated computational algorithms are sufficiently flexible that other schemes for the interactions between morphogens, and their effect on the spatio-temporal pattern of growth and gene expression, can easily be tested. Thus an additional result of this work is a computational tool that can be used to explore the effects of various mutations and experimental interventions on the growth of the limb and the pattern of gene expression. In future work we will extend the model to a three-dimensional representation of the limb and will incorporate a more realistic description of the rheological properties of the tissue mass, which here is treated as a Newtonian fluid.
Update on montelukast and its role in the treatment of asthma, allergic rhinitis and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction

Montelukast sodium (Singulair, Merck and Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, NJ) is a selective and orally-active leukotriene receptor antagonist with demonstrated effectiveness for treating allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis in adults and children as young as 12 months of age for allergic asthma and 6 months of age for allergic rhinitis. It was recently approved in the US for prevention of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in patients who are > or = 15 years of age. This paper updates a prior review of the data on the clinical efficacy of montelukast published in this journal.
An emittance algorithm for a high-intensity low-emittance beam

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) linac together with a photocathode RF gun is the source for a self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) free-electron laser (FEL). For optimal performance the APS SASE FEL requires a low-emittance high-intensity electron beam. A three-screen measurement section, located upstream of the Low-Energy Undulator Test Line, where the SASE FEL is located, allows monitoring of the beam emittance. Control and reduction of the emittance growth is achieved experimentally by various methods such as steering or adjusting the RF phases of one or more klystrons along the linac. In particular, emittance growth caused by transverse wakefields can be reduced by strategically placing local trajectory distortions. The factors and methods affecting the beam projection at each of the three screens are systematically investigated using simulations. The results will be used to create an algorithm that allows an effective and systematic means to reduce beam distortions at the end of the linac. Initial experimental results are presented.
Computed Modal Field Distributions for Isolated Dielectric Resonators

Electric- and magnetic-field patterns for five of the lowest resonant modes in cylindrical dielectic resonators are displayed in various planes of intersection. The computational procedure is based on a method moments solution of the surface integral equation for bodies of revolution. Improvement of the numerical stability through the normalization of the matrix is discussed, and an algorithm for the evaluation of the modal field components is described.
Human drug transporters and taxane resistance

A189 Treatment with the taxanes (Paclitaxel or Docetaxel) is often the therapy of choice for women with breast cancer. In most cases, taxanes arrest cell proliferation at the G2/M phase and cause cell death. However, some tumors develop resistance during the course of treatment, which is a major concern for both patients and physicians. Several mechanisms of resistance have been proposed to explain how resistance to the taxanes occurs, but this phenomenon remains incompletely understood. Our preliminary gene expression microarray and western blot data in taxane sensitive and resistant MDA-MB-231 cells suggest that the expression of human drug transporter genes are significantly altered in our model of acquired resistance, despite the selection occurring in the presence of verapamil, a known P-glycoprotein inhibitor. Our gene expression data show significant differential upregulation of ABCB1 (43.2 fold; p=0.00003) in Docetaxel resistant cells and in Paclitaxel resistant cells (2.8 fold; p=0.002) each selected in the presence of 1 µM verapamil. In addition, 10 other members of the ABC transporter family in Paclitaxel resistant cells and 62 SLC family members were significantly differentially expressed. In our Docetaxel resistant cells, 8 ABC family members and 58 SLC transporters were differentially expressed. Only 5 ABC family transporters and 19 SLC family transporter expression are commonly overexpressed between our two resistant phenotypes. Neither of our resistant phenotypes express BCRP. Despite its overexpression, data from studies using siRNA directed at silencing P-glycoprotein suggest that P-glycoprotein does not significantly affect the resistant phenotype. These data suggests that indeed several and not just one transmembrane multidrug resistant transporter may be used to support each of the resistance phenotypes. We have also found that cross resistance occurs for Docetaxel resistant cells (these cells are also resistant to Paclitaxel) but full cross resistance does not occur for Paclitaxel resistant cells (retain sensitivity to Docetaxel drug). This suggests that the resistance pathways used by each drug may not be redundant. Given our preliminary data, we propose to further investigate the role of transmembrane transporters in conferring resistance to the taxanes in both MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 breast cancer cells and compare them to levels seen in clinical samples of human breast cancer tissue from responsive and non-responsive patients. Our studies will assist in our understanding of how different classes of transporters contribute to the resistance phenotype. Ultimately our studies aim not only to improve our understanding of taxane resistance on the bench but may also provide the framework for formulation of novel therapies that may improve the success of taxane therapy in women with breast cancer in the clinic.
Hepcidin Levels in Patients with Lung Cancer

Background: Hepcidin is a 25 amino acid peptide produced by the liver and plays a key role in iron homeostasis. It regulates the serum iron concentration by binding and inhibiting ferroportin, a transmembrane protein causing iron efflux. Anemia is a common complication in patients with cancer and is caused by the interaction of the tumor cells and the immune system resulting in the expression of various inflammatory cytokines which cause changes in iron metabolism resulting in anemia. Elevated levels of hepcidin have been noted in patients with various cancers. A better understanding of anemia in cancer patients may lead to a more effective and safe treatment of cancer induced anemia, possibly by targeting hepcidin. Methods: Blood samples of patients with lung cancer before treatment, with any histology or stage were obtained from the Brown Cancer Center’s Clinical Data and Specimen Repository. Ferritin and hemoglobin level were performed on each sample at the University of Louisville laboratory. The deidentified samples of plasma were then tested by a chemiluminescence kit for determination of the hepcidin level. Results: Plasma of 30 patients with lung cancer was available for testing. There was no correlation seen between the hepcidin level and age, race, sex, lung cancer histology and stage. Hepcidin has a Pearson correlation of 0.66 with ferritin levels. The range of ferritin was 8.7 to 765 ng/ml and hepcidin 349 to 411321 pg/ml. Conclusions: Hepcidin correlates with ferritin in lung cancer patients. Targeting hepcidin in lung cancer patients may be a treatment option for cancer induced anemia. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Airborne Nanoparticle Release Associated with the Compounding of Nanocomposites Using Nanoalumina as Fillers

Twin screw extrusion is the preferred process to commercially produce nanocomposites by compounding the nanoparticles and polymer melts. Polymer nanocomposites, which contain nanoparticles dispersed in a polymer matrix, provide improved properties at low filler loadings. Nanoalumina particles recently have been used as fillers to polymer matrix that contributed enhanced physical properties of nanocomposites. Recently, concerns had been expressed that airborne nanoparticles particularly of nanoalumina released during compounding might present serious contamination of the air in the workplace. Researchers with experience in environmental health and polymer manufacturing monitored the compounding process for a model nanoalumina-containing nanocomposite using a TSI Fast Mobility Particle Spectrometer (FMPS). FMPS measurements were taken at background locations, source locations, and operators' breathing zones; in parallel to the FMPS real time measurement, airborne nanoparticles were collected using polycarbonate filters fitted with filmed grids driven by a personal air sampling pump. Filter samples were analyzed for particle morphology and elemental composition. It was found that the nanoparticle number concentration was elevated during processing. The released nanoparticles are a complex mixture of the individual nanoalumina particles, agglomerates of those particles, polymer fume particles, and perhaps others.
A systematic review of reporting in randomized controlled trials in Dermatologic Surgery: Jadad scores, power analysis, and sample size determination.

BACKGROUNDDermatologic surgery is a fruitful research area that has spawned numerous randomized control trials (RCTs).OBJECTIVETo assess the quality of reporting of randomization, blinding, sample size, and power analysis in RCTs published in the journal Dermatologic Surgery.MATERIALS AND METHODSRan
Smoking initiation after marriage and parenting among Black and White women.

Objectives To examine the hypothesis that Black-White differences in smoking initiation after transitions into marriage and/or parenting is associated with racial disparities in quitting. Methods Cox models were used on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Young Women, a cohort of women surveyed from 1968-2003. Results Black women (58%) were more likely than white women (40%) to initiate after marriage and/or parenting. Adjustment for these differences did not reduce disparities in quitting (HR 0.53, CI 0.30-0.95). Only after adjustment for sociodemographics were disparities reduced (HR 0.67, HR 0.36-1.22). Conclusions Other factors associated with smoking initiation among young adult black women (ie, limited economic opportunities, racial discrimination) should be examined for their influence on quitting.
Predicting the Probability of Occurrence of Heavy Metals in Ground Water Using Ordinal Logistic Regression

Ground water is an important natural resource that provides drinking water to more than half the population in the United States. Unfortunately, this important natural resource is vulnerable to variety of contaminants. Some of these contaminants are nitrates, pesticides and heavy metals. Heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium and chromium contaminate ground water from natural and anthropogenic sources. Few studies have been done to characterize heavy metal contaminat ion on a regional scale. A new ordinal logistic regression (LR) model was used to predict the probability of heavy metal contamination with respect to two thresholds - natural background concentration and maximum contaminant level (MCL). Sumas-Blaine Aquifer, located in Washington State, was used as the study area for the model. The model considered variables representing soil, land uses, permeability, depth, clay content and surface elevation. Ordinal LR model was applied to relate the probability of contamination by individual heavy metals to the independent variables. The model showed a good fit. The model results are in agreement with observed data. Spatial analysis was performed using GIS technology to better understand the spatial distribution of probabilities of heavy metal contamination with re spect to thresholds. Ordinal LR model was applied to predict the probability of heavy metal contamination, in general. The model results are close to the observed probabilities (r 2 =0.90). Estimating the probabilities of occurrence of concentration with r espect to background concentration and MCL for heavy metals individually and in general, help in managerial decisions as well as understanding the geochemistry of heavy metals.
Effect of reactive oxygen species on K+ contractures in the rat diaphragm

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are postulated to alter low-frequency contractility of the unfatigued and fatigued diaphragm. It has been proposed that ROS affect contractility through changes in mem...
The role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in modulating seasonal changes in immunity

Seasonal changes in environmental conditions are accompanied by significant adjustment of multiple biological processes. In temperate regions, the day fraction, or photoperiod, is a robust environmental cue that synchronizes seasonal variations in neuroendocrine and metabolic function. In this work, we propose a semimechanistic mathematical model that considers the influence of seasonal photoperiod changes as well as cellular and molecular adaptations to investigate the seasonality of immune function. Our model predicts that the circadian rhythms of cortisol, our proinflammatory mediator, and its receptor exhibit seasonal differences in amplitude and phase, oscillating at higher amplitudes in the winter season with peak times occurring later in the day. Furthermore, the reduced photoperiod of winter coupled with seasonal alterations in physiological activity induces a more exacerbated immune response to acute stress, simulated in our studies as the administration of an acute dose of endotoxin. Our findings are therefore in accordance with experimental data that reflect the predominance of a proinflammatory state during the winter months. These changes in circadian rhythm dynamics may play a significant role in the seasonality of disease incidence and regulate the diurnal and seasonal variation of disease symptom severity.
The Public Manager 2.0 : Preparing the Social Media Generation for a Networked Workplace

This article provides the design of a new student-centered information management course to teach the effective use of social media technologies in the public sector as part of public affairs progr...
E/E’ < 15 PERFORMS POORLY IN PATIENTS WITH ELEVATED LEFT FILLING PRESSURES AND ATRIAL FIBRILLATION/FLUTTER: A SIMULTANEOUS DOPPLER-CATHETERIZATION STUDY

Background: As reinforced by the 2016 American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) diastology guidelines, early mitral inflow velocity (E) to medial mitral early diastolic tissue Doppler velocity (e') ratio is a key component in the noninvasive assessment of left-sided filling pressures. However, the
Activin and Bmp4 Signaling Converge on Wnt Activation during Odontogenesis

Previous studies show that both activin and Bmp4 act as crucial mesenchymal odontogenic signals during early tooth development. Remarkably, mice lacking activin-βA ( Inhba-/-) and mice with neural crest-specific inactivation of Bmp4 ( Bmp4ncko/ncko) both exhibit bud-stage developmental arrest of the mandibular molar tooth germs while their maxillary molar tooth germs completed morphogenesis. In this study, we found that, whereas expression of Inhba and Bmp4 in the developing tooth mesenchyme is independent of each other, Bmp4ncko/nckoInhba-/- compound mutant mice exhibit early developmental arrest of all tooth germs. Moreover, genetic inactivation of Osr2, a negative regulator of the odontogenic function of the Bmp4-Msx1 signaling pathway, rescues mandibular molar morphogenesis in Inhba-/- embryos. We recently reported that Osr2 and the Bmp4-Msx1 pathway control the bud-to-cap transition of tooth morphogenesis through antagonistic regulation of expression of secreted Wnt antagonists, including Dkk2 and Sfrp2, in the developing tooth mesenchyme. We show here that expression of Dkk2 messenger RNAs was significantly upregulated and expanded into the tooth bud mesenchyme in Inhba-/- embryos in comparison with wild-type littermates. Furthermore, in utero treatment with either lithium chloride, an agonist of canonical Wnt signaling, or the DKK inhibitor IIIC3a rescued mandibular molar tooth morphogenesis in Inhba-/- embryos. Together with our finding that the developing mandibular molar tooth bud mesenchyme expresses significantly higher levels of Dkk2 than the developing maxillary molar tooth mesenchyme, these data indicate that Bmp4 and activin signaling pathways converge on activation of the Wnt signaling pathway to promote tooth morphogenesis through the bud-to-cap transition and that the differential effects of loss of activin or Bmp4 signaling on maxillary and mandibular molar tooth morphogenesis are mainly due to the differential expression of Wnt antagonists, particularly Dkk2, in the maxillary and mandibular tooth mesenchyme.
A SEMIOLOGIA E A EDUCAÇÃO FÍSICA: UM DIÁLOGO COM BETTI E PARLEBAS

Este texto e resultado de meu estagio em Praxiologia Motriz orientado pelo Professor Pierre Parlebas, em seu laboratorio LEMTAS (Laboratorie d'Etude des Methodes et des Technologies de I'Analise Sociologique) na ?Universidade Rene Descartes, Paris V. Sorbonne. Trato de questoes sobre as teorias linguisticas aplicadas ai ensino da Educacao Fisica e a sua repercussao na esfera das praticas corporais e motrizes. Ao me movimentar na trama das redes linguisticas e semiologicas procuro dialogar com Betti (1994) e Parlebas (1977 e 1999). Analisando as obras desses dois autores, busco sistematizar minha leitura e produzir um texto novo a partir dos quais estes ja construiram em pesquisas e ciencias.
A TIME-DEPENDENT ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL FLUX DISTRIBUTIONS

A technique is exhibited which permits an investigation of the changes in flux shape which occur when reactivity is inserted locally in an inhomogeneous reactor system and the power level rises. Thus, transient flux shapes at any time may be found as well as the asymptotic flux shape which is eventually attained. The reactor kinetics study in this article is motivated by a method of harmonics which does not employ the conventional assumption of separability of the flux into a product of a function of position alone and a function of time alone. From the point of view of practical applications the method is restricted to systems of rather simple geometry in which the slowing down is everywhere uniform and in which there are no nonlinear feedback effects. (auth)
Black, White, and Gray: Macrophages in Skin Repair and Disease.

Macrophages alter their responses during the temporal stages of wound healing. During the inflammatory phase, they perform phagocytosis. During neovascularization, they fuse sprouting endothelial cells. In the proliferation phase, they deposit extracellular matrix, and during wound resolution, macrophages phagocytize excessive cellular components. This review addresses how changing macrophage phenotypes affects skin repair and disease. Macrophages can determine the outcome of repair and can shift the normal wound healing response into fibrosis or chronic wounds. Emerging single-cell technologies for the first time provide us with tools to uncover macrophage origin, heterogeneity, and function. Macrophages may exist as one population where all cells alter their phenotype in response to signals from the microenvironment. Alternatively, macrophages may exist as distinct subsets that can control wound outcomes. A clarified understanding will strengthen our knowledge of skin biology and aid in the development of wound healing therapies.