cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A tubeless anaesthetic technique for paediatric laryngeal laser surgery.

Summary Laser surgery on the paediatric larynx requires cooperation between the surgeon and anaesthetist to carry out the procedure in the safest manner possible. Over a period of 3 years, 45 laser procedures have been undertaken on the upper airway of 14 patients at our institution. All procedures were performed with volatile gas anaesthesia supplied via a nasopharyngeal tube in a spontaneously ventilating patient, thus allowing the surgeon an unobstructed view of the larynx. In only one case, was a problem experienced with the technique, that of laryngospasm. The technique provides an unrivalled view of the larynx whilst allowing safe anaesthesia.
Cold acclimation and resistance to ethanol-induced hypothermia.

Abstract The fall in core temperature induced by a fixed dose of ethanol (1 g · kg −1 i.p.) was an exponential function of the ambient temperature over the range 0–18°C. In rats acclimated to 4°C for 7 days the dose response curve relating the fall in body temperature to ethanol was markedly attenuated. The hypothermic effect of ethanol declined exponentially over 20 days of exposure to 4°C and by the 20th day the fall was no greater than in saline injected controls. Blood ethanol concentrations were similar in acclimated and non-acclimated rats indicating that pharmacokinetic factors do not account for the altered responses. Although the time course of the development of resistance to the hypothermic effect of ethanol parallels that of cold acclimation to 4°C, and the development of non-shivering thermogenesis, the attenuated drug effect does not appear to be due to the altered metabolic activity of brown adipose tissue. It is suggested that the modulation of the effect of ethanol in lowering the thermoregulatory set point results from central nervous system adaptation to the environmental thermal stress.
Atmospheric halocarbons, hydrocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride: global distributions, sources, and sinks.

The global distribution of fluorocarbon-12 and fluorocarbon-11 is used to establish a relatively fast interhemispheric exchange rate of 1 to 1.2 years. Atmospheric residence times of 65 to 70 years for fluorocarbon-12 and 40 to 45 years for fluorocarbon-l1 best fit the observational data. These residence times rule out the possibility of any significant missing sinks that may prevent these fluorocarbons from entering the stratosphere. Atmospheric measurements of methyl chloroform support an 8-to 10-year residence time and suggest global average hydroxyl radical (HO) concentrations of 3 x 10 5 to 4 x 10 5 molecules per cubic centimeter. These are a factor of 5 lower than predicted by models. Additionally, methyl chloroform global distribution supports Southern Hemispheric HO levels that are a factor of 1.5 or more larger than the Northern Hemispheric values. The long residence time and the rapid growth of methyl chloroform cause it to be a potentially significant depleter of stratospheric ozone. The oceanic sink for atmospheric carbon tetrachloride is about half as important as the stratospheric sink. A major source of methyl chloride (3 x 10 12 grams per year), sufficient to account for nearly all the atmospheric methyl chloride, has been identified in the ocean.
Regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by posttranslational modifications

The canonical Wnt signaling pathway (or Wnt/β-catenin pathway) plays a pivotal role in embryonic development and adult homeostasis; deregulation of the Wnt pathway contributes to the initiation and progression of human diseases including cancer. Despite its importance in human biology and disease, how regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is achieved remains largely undefined. Increasing evidence suggests that post-translational modifications (PTMs) of Wnt pathway components are essential for the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. PTMs create a highly dynamic relay system that responds to Wnt stimulation without requiring de novo protein synthesis and offer a platform for non-Wnt pathway components to be involved in the regulation of Wnt signaling, hence providing alternative opportunities for targeting the Wnt pathway. This review highlights the current status of PTM-mediated regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway with a focus on factors involved in Wnt-mediated stabilization of β-catenin.
Use of amphotericin B with azole antifungal drugs: what are we doing?

Since the 1950s, the standard agent prescribed for systemic antifungal therapy has been amphotericin B (36). Its broad spectrumofactivitymakesitanattractiveagentfortheempiric treatment of patients who may be infected with yeasts or molds.Itstrackrecordastheprimarytherapyformostinvasive mycosesiswellestablished,anditisstillwidelyregardedasthe agent of choice for the treatment of many patients with invasive mycoses. However, the toxicity of amphotericin B is well appreciatedandisoftenresponsibleforlimitingtheamountof drugthatcanbeadministered.Giventheimportanceofserious mycoses in clinical medicine and the need for alternative therapies for use in patients with fungal infections, research designed to identify new antifungal drugs has accelerated. The azole antifungal drugs are one example of the fruits of these efforts. Ketoconazole, fluconazole, and itraconazole have extended the ability to treat a variety of fungal infections with oral regimens (9, 11), without the toxicity of amphotericin B. One of the questions that has arisen following increasing experience with the azoles is whether they can be combined with amphotericin B to achieve synergy, to broaden their combined spectrum of activity, or to lower the dose of amphotericin B. Certainly, the availability of different antifungal drugs makes the administration of combinations of drugs not only possible but even desirable. Thus, combinations of amphotericin B with flucytosine have been suggested to be as effective andlesstoxicthanamphotericinBusedalone,especiallyinthe treatment of cryptococcal meningitis (6). Because ketoconazolecouldonlybegivenorallyanditsspectrumofactivitywas rather narrow, the use of combinations of amphotericin B with ketoconazolewerenotcommonlyencounteredinclinicalmedicine. Furthermore, studies by Schaffner and Frick (29) suggested that this combination might be antagonistic when used to treat aspergillosis. This observation supported the theoretical concerns that combinations of polyene antifungal drugs, which bind to ergosterol in the fungal cell membrane, and azoles, which inhibit the synthesis of ergosterol, would be antagonistic, irrespective of the fungal infection. Thus, with the
Stable methods for an inverse problem in acoustic scattering by an obstacle and an inhomogeneous medium

We consider (in two-dimensional Euclidean space) the scattering of a plane, time-harmonic acoustic wave by an inhomogeneous medium Ω with compact support and a bounded obstacle D lying completely outside of the inhomogeneous medium. We show that one may determine the shape of D and the local speed of sound in Ω from a knowledge of the asymptotic behavior of the scattered wave (i.e. the far field). This is done by considering a constrained optimization problem and employing integral equation and conformal mapping techniques. By assuming a priori that the functions which determine the shape of D and the local speed of sound in Ω lie in given compact sets, we show that the problem is stable, in the sense that the solution of the inverse scattering problem depends continuously on the far field data.
Career patterns: more grist for women's liberation

■ Family commitments (role conflict). ■ Stereotypes about job requirements (some tasks, such as administrative ones, are perceived to be performed more effectively by men). ■ Rate of turnover or opportunities for job mobility. ■ Aspiration for high-level positions. ■ Career tenure (more women than men may be out of circulation for periods of their professional lives and would, there fore, have less time to advance or would have unequal job experience). ■ Educational differences (for example, proportionally more men than women seek doctoral degrees). In summary, Scotch states: Sex differences in career achievement do
On the consistency of data with bargaining theories

We develop observable restrictions of well known theories of bargaining over money. We suppose that we observe a finite data set of bargaining outcomes, including data on allocations and disagreement points, but no information on utility functions. We ask when a given theory could generate the data. We show that if the disagreement point is fixed and symmetric, the Nash, utilitarian, and egalitarian max-min bargaining solutions are all observationally equivalent. Data compatible with these theories are, in turn, characterized by the property of comonotonicity of bargaining outcomes. We establish different tests for each of the theories under consideration in the case in which the disagreement point can be variable. Our results are readily applicable, outside of the bargaining framework, to testing the tax code for compliance with the principle of equal loss.
Using control genes to correct for unwanted variation in microarray data

SUMMARY Microarray expression studies suffer from the problem of batch effects and other unwanted variation. Many methods have been proposed to adjust microarray data to mitigate the problems of unwanted variation. Several of these methods rely on factor analysis to infer the unwanted variation from the data. A central problem with this approach is the difficulty in discerning the unwanted variation from the biological variation that is of interest to the researcher. We present a new method, intended for use in differential expression studies, that attempts to overcome this problem by restricting the factor analysis to negative control genes. Negative control genes are genes known a priori not to be differentially expressed with respect to the biological factor of interest. Variation in the expression levels of these genes can therefore be assumed to be unwanted variation. We name this method “Remove Unwanted Variation, 2-step” (RUV2). We discuss various techniques for assessing the performance of an adjustment method and compare the performance of RUV-2 with that of other commonly used adjustment methods such as Combat and Surrogate Variable Analysis (SVA). We present several example studies, each concerning genes differentially expressed with respect to gender in the brain and find that RUV-2 performs as well or better than other methods. Finally, we discuss the possibility of adapting RUV-2 for use in studies not concerned with differential expression and conclude that there may be promise but substantial challenges remain.
Radiographic assessment of asymmetry of the mandible.

PURPOSE To assess the relationship between mandibular asymmetry and disorders of the temporomandibular joint. METHODS We used advanced imaging of the temporomandibular joint to distinguish different causes of mandibular asymmetry. MR imaging and arthrography were applied to the temporomandibular joints of 11 patients presenting with mandibular asymmetry. RESULTS Condyle hyperplasia was identified as the cause of the asymmetry in 5 patients. In the other 6 patients the mandibular condyle was normal on the long side, but the short side of the face demonstrated a small condyle head, short condyle neck associated with disk displacement, internal derangement, and degenerative joint disease of the temporomandibular joint. CONCLUSIONS These observations suggest that both condyle hyperplasia on the long side of the mandible and disk displacement and degenerative joint disease of the temporomandibular joint on the short side can cause mandibular asymmetry. It was concluded that MR imaging or arthrography can be valuable for understanding the cause of mandibular asymmetry and be effective in treatment planning.
Compendium of Cardiac Channel Mutations in 541 Consecutive Unrelated Patients Referred for Long QT Syndrome Genetic Testing

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the spectrum and prevalence of cardiac channel mutations among a large cohort of consecutive, unrelated patients referred for long QT syndrome (LQTS) genetic testing. Background Congenital LQTS is a primary cardiac channelopathy. More than 300 mutations have been identified in five genes encoding key ion channel subunits. Until the recent release of the commercial clinical genetic test, LQTS genetic testing had been performed in research laboratories during the past decade. Methods A cardiac channel gene screen for LQTS-causing mutations in KCNQ1 (LQT1), KCNH2 (LQT2), SCN5A (LQT3), KCNE1 (LQT5), and KCNE2 (LQT6) was performed for 541 consecutive, unrelated patients (358 females, average age at diagnosis 24 ± 16 years, average QTc 482 ± 57 ms) referred to Mayo Clinic's Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory for LQTS genetic testing between August 1997 and July 2004. A comprehensive open reading frame and splice site analysis of the 60 protein-encoding exons was conducted using polymerase chain reaction, denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography, and DNA sequencing. Results Overall, 211 putative pathogenic mutations in KCNQ1 (88), KCNH2 (89), SCN5A (32), KCNE1 (1), and KCNE2 (1) were found in 272 unrelated patients (50%). Among the genotype positive patients (N = 272), 243 had single pathogenic mutations (LQT1: n=120 patients; LQT2: n=93; LQT3: n=26; LQT5: n=3; LQT6: n=1), and 29 patients (10% of genotype-positive patients and 5% overall) had two LQTS-causing mutations. The majority of mutations were missense mutations (154/210 [73%]), singletons (identified in only a single unrelated patient: 165/210 [79%]), and novel (125/211 [59%]). None of the mutations identified were seen in more than 1,500 reference alleles. Those patients harboring multiple mutations were younger at diagnosis (15 ± 11 years vs 24 ± 16 years, P =.003). Conclusions In this comprehensive cardiac channel gene screen of the largest cohort of consecutive, unrelated patients referred for LQTS genetic testing, half of the patients had an identifiable mutation. The majority of mutations continue to represent novel singletons that expand the published compendium of LQTS-causing mutations by 35%. These observations should facilitate diagnostic interpretation of the clinical genetic test for LQTS.
Coupling of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Fusion to Virion Maturation: a Novel Role of the gp41 Cytoplasmic Tail

Retrovirus particles are not infectious until they undergo proteolytic maturation to form a functional core. Here we report a link between human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) core maturation and the ability of the virus to fuse with target cells. Using a recently developed reporter assay of HIV-1 virus-cell fusion, we show that immature HIV-1 particles are 5- to 10-fold less active for fusion with target cells than are mature virions. The fusion of mature and immature virions was rendered equivalent by truncating the gp41 cytoplasmic domain or by pseudotyping viruses with the glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus. An analysis of a panel of mutants containing mutated cleavage sites indicated that HIV-1 fusion competence is activated by the cleavage of Gag at any site between the MA and NC segments and not as an indirect consequence of an altered core structure. These results suggest a mechanism by which binding of the gp41 cytoplasmic tail to Gag within immature HIV-1 particles inhibits Env conformational changes on the surface of the virion that are required for membrane fusion. This “inside-out” regulation of HIV-1 fusion could play an important role in the virus life cycle by preventing the entry of immature, noninfectious particles.
Systems-level modeling of cellular glycosylation reaction networks

Motivation: The emerging field of Glycomics requires the development of systems-based modeling strategies to relate glycosyltransferase gene expression and enzyme activity with carbohydrate structure and function. Results: We describe the application of object oriented programming concepts to define glycans, enzymes, reactions, pathways and compartments for modeling cellular glycosylation reaction networks. These class definitions are combined with current biochemical knowledge to define potential reaction networks that participate in the formation of the sialyl Lewis-X (sLeX) epitope on O-glycans linked to a leukocyte cell-surface glycoprotein, P-selectin Glycoprotein Ligand-1 (PSGL-1). Subset modeling, hierarchical clustering, principal component analysis and adjoint sensitivity analysis are applied to refine the reaction network and to quantify individual glycosyltransferase rate constants. Wet-lab experiments validate estimates from computer modeling. Such analysis predicts that sLeX expression varies directly with sialyltransferase α2,3ST3Gal-IV expression and inversely with α2,3ST3Gal-I/II. Availability: SBML files for all converged models are available at http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/~neel/bio_reaction_network.html Contact: neel@eng.buffalo.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Bronchoalveolar Lavage and Transbronchial Biopsy in Children Following Heart-Lung and Lung Transplantation*

Between July 1985 and March 1992, 20 children received either heart-lung (11), double lung (8), or single lung (1) transplants at our center. Since 1988, flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial biopsy have been carried out to monitor for rejection or infection in these patients. As of March 31, 1992, we have performed a total of 112 transbronchial biopsies in our patients, who ranged from 6.8 to 18 years of age and 19.3 to 67.3 kg in weight. All but two of these procedures were carried out using conscious sedation and a transnasal approach. Four to seven biopsy samples were obtained at each procedure. One patient had hemorrhage ( 2 , and 89.5 percent of the biopsy samples were deemed adequate for pathologic interpretation. We believe that for the majority of pediatric lung or heart-lung recipients, flexible bronchoscopy and transbronchial biopsy using conscious sedation and a transnasal approach is safe and permits the recovery of adequate tissue for pathologic evaluation. The avoidance of general anesthesia, endotracheal intubation, and mechanical ventilation at the time of bronchoscopy and transbronchial biopsy probably decreases the likelihood of pneumothorax as a complication of the procedure.
EfficientL 1 regularized logistic regression

L1 regularized logistic regression is now a workhorse of machine learning: it is widely used for many classification problems, particularly ones with many features. L1 regularized logistic regression requires solving a convex optimization problem. However, standard algorithms for solving convex optimization problems do not scale well enough to handle the large datasets encountered in many practical settings. In this paper, we propose an efficient algorithm for L1 regularized logistic regression. Our algorithm iteratively approximates the objective function by a quadratic approximation at the current point, while maintaining the L1 constraint. In each iteration, it uses the efficient LARS (Least Angle Regression) algorithm to solve the resulting L1 constrained quadratic optimization problem. Our theoretical results show that our algorithm is guaranteed to converge to the global optimum. Our experiments show that our algorithm significantly outperforms standard algorithms for solving convex optimization problems. Moreover, our algorithm outperforms four previously published algorithms that were specifically designed to solve the L1 regularized logistic regression problem.
Gut-derived norepinephrine plays a critical role in producing hepatocellular dysfunction during early sepsis.

Although plasma norepinephrine (NE) increases and hepatocellular function is depressed during early sepsis, it is unknown whether gut is a significant source of NE and, if so, whether gut-derived N...
STD Clinic Patients’ Awareness of Non-AIDS Complications of HIV Infection

Participants were recruited from a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic in Florida and were assessed regarding the knowledge and awareness of non-AIDS conditions associated with HIV infection....
A pragmatic analysis of spontaneous imitations

Children's imitations were analysed as a function of parental speech acts for six children in early Stage I of language acquisition. The relative frequency with which children imitated mothers reflected the relative frequency with which mothers imitated children (Spearman rank correlation = 0·77). Although parents' imitative expansions could all be categorized as having primary speech act functions (e.g. request for information) from the parents' point of view, expansions constituted a separate class of speech events in terms of children's responses. The children imitated imitations far more frequently than non-imitative speech acts in the same category. These findings suggest that individual differences in children's propensity to imitate may arise from the degree to which parents provide a model of imitation as a speech act.
Experimental gingivitis in the monkey. Relationship of leukocyte counts in junctional epithelium, sulcus depth, and connective tissue inflammation scores.

Rhesus monkeys receiving an oral hygiene program which included brushing, interdental cleansing and topical applications of chlorhexidine gluconate demonstrated a clinically normal gingiva for periods of up to 3 months. Wide fluctuations within individual dental units were noted with respect to histological sulcus depth, degree of connective tissue infiltration with lymphocytes and plasma cells, and total leukocyte or polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) counts in the Junctional epithelium, even when the plaque and gingivitis index scores were 0. Of 18 clinically normal dental units sampled, only 6 appeared free of connective tissue inflammation. However, more than half of the tissue blocks obtained from dental units with a gingivitis and plaque index of 0 also showed scores of 0 with respect to the connective tissue inflammation (CTI) score and the number of PMNs in the Junctional epithelium. Within three days following discontinuation of oral hygiene procedures, rhesus monkeys developed a clinically noticeable gingivitis which began in the interdental papillae. Increases in CTI scores and number of leukocytes in the Junctional epithelium were evident after 2 days without oral hygiene. These values tended to increase further during the experimental period. A slight, but significant increase in sulcus depth was also noted during this time period. Regardless of the clinical state of the gingiva, a positive correlation was established between CTI scores and the number of PMNs and leukocytes in the Junctional epithelium. In early gingivitis, the plasma cells did not appear to outnumber lymphocytes, as has been reported for chronic gingivitis of longer duration.
Absent Causality and Shocking Connections: The Question of Revolutionary Reading in Louis Althusser and E.L. Doctorow’s The Book of Daniel

"I will argue in this essay that the methodology of reading that would enable [Doctorow's protagonist] Daniel to locate his own subjective necessity is precisely the methodology of reading that Althusser fails to explicitly articulate in his own autobiography. This methodology, which I will refer to as an immanentist method for reading absent causes, is the same one Althusser developed with Etienne Balibar in ..Reading ‘Capital.’"
Accurate assessment and prediction of noise in clinical CT images

Purpose: The objectives of this study were (a) to devise a technique for measuringquantum noise in clinical body computed tomography(CT)images and (b) to develop a model for predicting that noise with high accuracy. Methods: The study included 83 clinical image sets at two dose levels (clinical and 50% reduced dose levels). The quantum noise in clinical images was measured by subtracting sequential slices and filtering out edges. Noise was then measured in the resultant uniform area. The noisemeasurement technique was validated using 17 clinical image cases and a turkey phantom. With a validated method to measurenoise in clinical images, this noise was predicted by establishing the correlation between water-equivalent diameter (Dw) and noise in a variable-sized phantom and ascribing a noise level to the patient based on Dw estimated from CTimage. The accuracy of this prediction model was validated using 66 clinical image sets. Results: The error in noisemeasurement was within 1.5 HU across two reconstruction algorithms. In terms of noise prediction, across the 83 clinical image sets, the average discrepancies between predicted and measurednoise were 6.9% and 6.6% for adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction and filtered back projection reconstruction, respectively. Conclusions: This study proposed a practically applicable method to assess quantum noise in clinical images. The image-basedmeasurement technique enables automatic quality control monitoring of imagenoise in clinical practice. Further, a phantom-based model can accurately predict quantum noise level in patient images. The prediction model can be used to quantitatively optimize individual protocol to achieve targeted noise level in clinical images.
Settling Accounts: Retribution, Emotion and Memory during the Fall of Mussolini

AbstractThe fall of Mussolini on 25 July 1943, and the concomitant collapse of the Fascist regime, have long been recognized as a pivotal moment in the Second World War and, indeed, contemporary Italian history. To date, however, these events have been viewed almost exclusively ‘from above’, in terms of elite politics, international diplomacy, and military strategy. Drawing on the analytical frameworks of Alltagsgeschichte (‘everyday history’), the present contribution examines the experiences, reactions and behaviors of ordinary Italians during the fall of Fascism. In particular, it explores incidents of retributive and symbolic violence, political denunciation, and popular demonstration, in order to understand how individuals and communities expressed emotions and memories, negotiated relationships, and sought to redress grievances and antipathies developed over more than twenty years of ‘totalitarian’ dictatorship.
Flavonols drive plant microevolution

The idea that pollinators are in large part responsible for the diversity of flowering plants dates back more than 150 years to Darwin's work, but even modern scientists have struggled to identify specific 'speciation genes' and determine how they influenced flower-pollinator interactions. A new study proposes that a series of mutations in a single gene controlling floral chemicals influenced pollinator preferences, likely resulting in speciation, bringing us closer to finding a speciation gene.
Hochschild cohomology of poset algebras and Steenrod operations

Abstract We show that the isomorphism from the Hochschild cohomology of a poset algebra A to the simplicial cohomology of the classifying space of the category associated with A maps Gerstenhaber's pre-Lie product to Steenrod's cup-one product. On cochains, this map becomes an isomorphism of differential graded homotopy commutative algebras.
Luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone, and testosterone responses to consecutive injections of D leucine 6 LH releasing hormone ethylamide in normal men

Luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone (T) responses to three consecutive intravenous injections of D-Leu-6-LH-releasing hormone ethylamide (D-Leu-6-LH-RH-EA) at 3-hour intervals were studied in six healthy, fertile, male volunteers 34.2 ± 1.6 years of age. Each man received three injections of 20 μg of D-Leu-6-LH-RH-EA at 6:00 A.M., 9:00 A.M., and 12:00 noon, respectively. Blood samples were obtained before the first injection and at 1, 2, 3 (before the second injection), 4, 5, 6 (before the third injection), 7, 8, and 9 hours after the beginning of the test. Serum levels of LH, FSH, and T were determined by radioimmunoassay with the double-antibody technique. The response to the first injection of D-Leu-6-LH-RH-EA confirmed the longer duration of the stimulation of LH and FSH release caused by this compound as compared with that caused by LH-RH. SErum T levels rose significantly, almost paralleling the variations experienced with gonadotropins. The second injection caused a slight increase in LH and T responses in relation to the first injection. Two and three hours after administration, the third stimulus resulted in hormone levels lower than those obtained with the first two injections. Possible explanations for this finding might be a reduction of pituitary responsiveness as a result of multiple stimulation with D-Leu-6-LH-RH-EA, or spontaneous circadian variation of the pituitary response, or a combination of factors.
Lighting up tumors with receptor-specific optical molecular probes.

Accurate and rapid detection of tumors is of great importance for interrogating the molecular basis of cancer pathogenesis, preventing the onset of complications, and implementing a tailored therapeutic regimen. In this era of molecular medicine, molecular probes that respond to, or target molecular processes are indispensable. Although numerous imaging modalities have been developed for visualizing pathologic conditions, the high sensitivity and relatively innocuous low energy radiation of optical imaging method makes it attractive for molecular imaging. While many human diseases have been studied successfully by using intrinsic optical properties of normal and pathologic tissues, molecular imaging of the expression of aberrant genes, proteins, and other pathophysiologic processes would be enhanced by the use of highly specific exogenous molecular beacons. This review focuses on the development of receptor-specific molecular probes for optical imaging of tumors. Particularly, bioconjugates of probes that...
The Use of Shape Memory Polymers for Microassembly by Transfer Printing

The advantages of utilizing the polymeric shape memory effect for deterministic assembly of microscale objects are explored in this letter. The assembly is performed by transfer printing, which involves a polymeric stamp with reversible adhesion as a manipulator. The dynamic rigidity control afforded by heating or cooling a shape memory polymer (SMP) stamp across its glass transition temperature allows for a dramatic increase in adhesion during pick-up. Furthermore, the shape-fixing and recovery property of the SMP material enables substantial freedom in stamp design, such as more complex surface patterning and heterogeneous surface features to further reduce adhesion during release not otherwise available.
Nucleation of Conformational Polymorphs: A Computational Study of Tolfenamic Acid by Explicit Solvation

The nucleation mechanism of polymorph formation remains poorly understood. For conformational polymorphism, the nature and strength of molecular interactions influence the conformation of a molecul...
Layouts for ocean wave energy farms: Models, properties, and optimization

Abstract Renewable energy, such as wave energy, plays a significant role in sustainable energy development. Wave energy represents a large untapped source of energy worldwide and potentially offers a vast source of sustainable energy. We present models and a heuristic algorithm for choosing optimal locations of wave energy conversion (WEC) devices within an array, or wave farm. The location problem can have a significant impact on the total power of the farm due to the interactions among the incident ocean waves and the scattered and radiated waves produced by the WECs. Depending on the nature of the interference (constructive or destructive) among these waves, the wave energy entering multiple devices, and thus the power output of the farm, may be significantly larger or smaller than the energy that would be seen if the devices were operating in isolation. Our algorithm chooses WEC locations to maximize the performance of a wave farm as measured by a well known performance measure called the q-factor, which is the ratio of the power from an array of N WECs to the power from N WECs operating independently, under the point absorber approximation. We prove an analytical optimal solution for the 2-WEC problem and, based on the properties of the 2-WEC solution, we propose an iterative heuristic optimization algorithm for the general problem.
Developing an undergraduate laboratory in atmospheric physics

Meteorological measurements and instrumentation must be part of the undergraduate education of the next generation of atmospheric scientists. These future meteorologists will be using observations from an increasingly sophisticated array of instruments and they must understand what the numbers mean. The Department of Meteorology at The Pennsylvania State University has recognized this need and has developed a required two-semester undergraduate physical meteorology sequence that couples measurements, instruments, and laboratory experiments to lecture courses in atmospheric physics. These courses help students apply concepts learned in quantitative analysis, statistics, and calculus to laboratory experiments and atmospheric observations. They also demonstrate the basic operation of several common meteorological instruments and under which conditions these measurements have meaning
Paracrine Control of 3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase, 17,20-Lyase and Aromatase Enzyme Systems in Porcine Thecal Cells

Thecal cells are important intraovarian sources of androgens, providing substrate necessary for the synthesis of estradiol by granulosa cells (Armstrong and Dorrington, 1977), However, in addition to androgens, progesterone and estradiol are secreted by thecal cells of sows (Stoklosowa et al., 1982), cows (McNatty et al., 1984), monkeys (Vernon et al., 1983) and humans (McNatty et al., 1979). Although thecal steroidogenesis is regulated partly by circulating levels of luteinizing hormone (Baird and McNeilly, 1981; Merz et al., 1981; Carlson et al., 1984), the intrafollicular control of thecal steroidogenesis is unclear. As local steroidal and nonsteroidal factors can modify granulosa cell steroidogenesis in vitro (Hsueh et al., 1984; Tonetta and diZerega, 1986), the effects of physiological concentrations of steroids and gonadotropin on cultured porcine thecal cells were determined.
Benefits and Burdens: The Supreme Court's Decision in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt (2016)

In 2013, Texas passed House Bill 2 (H.B.2), an abortion regulation with two key components: (1) requiring doctors who performed abortions to have obtained admitting privileges from a local hospital...
Photochemical Stereocontrol Using Tandem Photoredox–Chiral Lewis Acid Catalysis

ConspectusThe physical, biological, and materials properties of organic compounds are determined by their three-dimensional molecular shape. The development of methods to dictate the stereochemistry of organic reactions has consequently emerged as one of the central themes of contemporary synthetic chemistry. Over the past several decades, chiral catalysts have been developed to control the enantioselectivity of almost every class of synthetically useful transformation. Photochemical reactions, however, are a conspicuous exception. Relatively few examples of highly enantioselective catalytic photoreactions have been reported to date, despite almost a century of research in this field. The development of robust strategies for photochemical enantiocontrol has thus proven to be a long-standing and surprisingly difficult challenge.For the past decade, our laboratory has been studying the application of transition metal photocatalysts to a variety of problems in synthetic organic chemistry. These efforts have ...
Abstract P52: Absence of Dysphagia is a Stronger Predictor of Favorable Discharge Disposition than Stroke Severity: Insights from the UTHSC Houston Stroke Registry

Introduction: Dysphagia is one of the most common post-stroke complications. The use of feeding tubes to provide nutrition requires increased acuity of care for management, which affects costs. This care is provided at all levels, including Inpatient Rehabilitation (IR), Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) or Sub-acute (Sub). There are limited studies of the role of dysphagia as a predictor of post-stroke disposition. Hypothesis: Low NIHSS is a predictor of higher function. We assessed the hypothesis that the absence of tube feeds as an indicator of dysphagia is a predictor of post-stroke disposition to a similar functional level. Methods: All patients admitted to the UT Stroke Service between January 2004 and October 2009 were included. Stratification occurred for age >65, NIHSS and stroke risk factors. Using multivariate logistic regression, the data was analyzed to determine if differences in post-stroke disposition were present among patients not receiving tube feeds as an indicator of dysphagia. Results: Home vs. Other Level of Care Of 3389 patients, 1668 were discharged home, 1721 to another level of care. Patients without tube feeds are 14.6 times more likely to be discharged home (P = IR vs. SNF Of 1546 patients, 983 were discharged to acute IR, 563 to SNF. Patients without tube feeds are 6.1 times more likely to be discharged to IR (P = SNF vs. Sub Of 738 patients, 563 were discharged to SNF, 175 to Sub. Patients without tube feeds are 3 times more likely to be discharged to SNF (P = Conclusions: The absence of tube feeds as an indicator of dysphagia is a predictor of improved post-stroke disposition, with a correlation stronger than NIHSS. This study is limited by its retrospective nature and unmeasured psychosocial factors related to discharge. Prospective studies should focus on early diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and caregiver involvement in dysphagia education to improve outcomes and decrease the cost of post-stroke care.
Ethnic Groups Differ in How Poor Self-Rated Mental Health Reflects Psychiatric Disorders

This study aimed to explore cross-ethnic variation in the pattern of the associations between psychiatric disorders and self-rated mental health (SRMH) in the USA. This cross-sectional study used data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), 2001–2003, a national household probability sample. The study enrolled 18,237 individuals who were either Non-Hispanic White (n = 7587), African American (n = 4746), Mexican (n = 1442), Cuban (n = 577), Puerto Rican (n = 495), Other Hispanic (n = 1106), Vietnamese (n = 520), Filipino (n = 508), Chinese (n = 600) or Other Asian (n = 656). SRMH was the outcome. Independent variables were psychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder [MDD], general anxiety disorder [GAD], social phobia, alcohol abuse, binge eating disorders, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], measured by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Demographic (age and gender) and socioeconomic (education and income) factors were covariates. The only psychiatric disorder which was universally associated with SRMH across all ethnic groups was MDD. More psychiatric disorders were associated with poor SRMH in Non-Hispanic Whites than any other ethnic groups. Among African Americans, demographic and socioeconomic factors could fully explain the associations between psychiatric disorders and SRMH. Among Mexican and Other Hispanics, demographic and socioeconomic factors could only explain the association between some but not all psychiatric disorders and SRMH. In all other ethnic groups, demographic and socioeconomic factors did not explain the link between psychiatric disorders and SRMH. Although SRMH is a useful tool for estimation of mental health needs of populations, poor SRMH may not have universal meanings across ethnically diverse populations. Ethnic groups differ in how their poor SRMH reflects psychiatric conditions and the role of demographic and socioeconomic factors in explaining such links. These ethnic differences may be a source of measurement bias in cross-ethnic health comparisons.
Bayesian model averaging for estimating the spatial temperature distribution in a steam methane reforming furnace

Abstract In this work, we introduce a statistical-based model identification scheme that generates a high-fidelity model for the outer reforming tube wall temperature (OTWT) distribution as a function of the furnace-side feed (FSF) distribution, total FSF flow rate and interactions among neighboring reforming tubes from reformer data. The proposed scheme is structured to have two major components, namely, a prediction step and a correction step, which are designed to be parallelized so that the prediction and correction models of all reforming tubes are derived simultaneously from the reformer data and independently from one another. Initially, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of an industrial-scale reformer created in our previous work is utilized to facilitate the generation of the training and testing data. Then, we propose the development of an algorithm for the prediction step based on Bayesian variable selection, Bayesian model averaging, sparse nonlinear regression, reformer geometry and theories of thermal radiation so that for each reforming tube, the prediction step can systematically identify predictors for the OTWT and simultaneously create a corresponding library of sub-prediction models. A collection of prediction models for all reforming tubes is defined as a prediction model for the OTWT distribution, which is expected to capture the dependence of the OTWT distribution on the FSF distribution and total FSF flow rate. Next, we propose an algorithm for the correction step designed based on ordinary Kriging so that for each reforming tube, the correction step creates a spatial model allowing the OTWT to be estimated from the predicted OTWT of the neighboring reforming tubes. A collection of correction models for all reforming tubes is defined as a correction model for the OTWT distribution, which is expected to adjust the predicted OTWT distribution to account for interactions among neighboring reforming tubes. Subsequently, the combined data-driven model for the OTWT distribution is created using the prediction and correction models for the OTWT distribution, which allows the combined model to account for the effect of interactions among neighboring reforming tubes while estimating the OTWT distribution based on the FSF distribution and total FSF flow rate. The proposed integrated model identification scheme is executed on the Hoffman2 cluster at UCLA to construct the data-driven model for the OTWT distribution from the training data, and the results from the goodness-of-fit and out-of-sample prediction tests of the data-driven model are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the scheme proposed in this work.
Tensor Analysis on Multi-aspect Streams

Data stream values are often associated with multiple aspects. For example, each value from environmental sensors may have an associated type (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.) as well as location. Aside from time stamp, type and location are the two additional aspects. How to model such streams? How to simultaneously find patterns within and across the multiple aspects? How to do it incrementally in a streaming fashion? In this paper, all these problems are addressed through a general data model, tensor streams, and an effective algorithmic framework, window-based tensor analysis (WTA). Two variations of WTA, independent-window tensor analysis (IW) and moving-window tensor analysis (MW), are presented and evaluated extensively on real data sets. Finally, we illustrate one important application, Multi-Aspect Correlation Analysis (MACA), which uses WTA and we demonstrate its effectiveness on an environmental monitoring application.
Isolation and culture of bovine pancreatic duct epithelial cells

We describe a method to isolate and culture epithelial cells from the main duct of the bovine pancreas. In primary cultures, secretin caused a dose-dependent increase in intracellular adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) and stimulated electrogenic transepithelial ion transport. Elevation of intracellular cAMP increased the rate coefficient for 36Cl- efflux from 0.14 +/- 0.03 to 0.47 +/- 0.12 min-1, and plasma membrane conductance, measured by the whole cell patchclamp technique, was increased from 0.7 +/- 0.1 to 6.9 +/- 0.8 nS. The cAMP-activated anion currents had properties similar to those mediated by the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. Cells grown on permeable supports formed confluent monolayers with high transepithelial electrical resistance (1.004 +/- 96 omega. cm2) and generated a lumen negative transepithelial voltage difference (-2.5 +/- 0.6 mV). The short-circuit current (Isc) was increased by forskolin or secretin and was inhibited 87 +/- 4% by addition of ouabain (100 microM) to the basolateral bathing solution. Replacement of bathing solution Cl- by cyclamate reduced the forskolin-induced steady-state increase in Isc from 5.3 +/- 0.5 to 0.2 +/- 0.2 microA/cm2, suggesting that the stimulated current is due to anion secretion. The results of these studies demonstrate that large numbers of pancreatic ductal cells can be isolated and grown in primary cell culture. The monolayers express differentiated functions and will be useful for studies of acute and chronic regulation of ion transport in pancreatic duct epithelial cells.
Protein Kinase B (c-Akt), Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase, and STAT5 Are Activated by Erythropoietin (EPO) in HCD57 Erythroid Cells But Are Constitutively Active in an EPO-Independent, Apoptosis-Resistant Subclone (HCD57-SREI Cells)

We found that erythropoietin (EPO) and stem cell factor (SCF) activated protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) in EPO-dependent HCD57 erythroid cells. To better understand signals controlling proliferation and viability, erythroid cells that resist apoptosis in the absence of EPO were subcloned and characterized (HCD57-SREI cells). Constitutive activations of PKB/Akt, STAT5a, and STAT5b were noted in these EPO-independent cells. PI3-kinase activity was an upstream activator of PKB/Akt because the PI3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 blocked both constitutive PKB/Akt and factor-dependent PKB/Akt activity. The LY294002 study showed that proliferation and viability of both HCD57-SREI and HCD57 cells correlated with the activity of PKB/Akt; however, PKB/Akt activity alone did not protect these cells from apoptosis. Treatment of HCD57 cells with SCF also activated PKB/Akt, but did not protect from apoptosis. This result suggested that PKB/PI3-kinase activity is necessary but not sufficient to promote viability and/or proliferation. Constitutive STAT5 activity, activated through an unknown pathway not including JAK2 or EPOR, may act in concert with the constitutive PI3-kinase/PKB/Akt pathway to protect the EPO-independent HCD57-SREI cells from apoptosis and promote limited proliferation.
Gestational Trophoblastic Disease: New Approaches to Diagnosis

New approaches to evaluation and diagnosis of gestational trophoblastic tumors, including hydatiform moles and other trophoblastic tumors, are presented. These include DNA flow cytometry, evaluation of DNA microsatellites and polymorphisms using polymerase chain reaction, and in situ hybridization studies.