cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feasibility study and first results of a real time imaging dosimeter for external beam radiation therapy

The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of building an in vivo dosimeter prototype to perform real time dosimetry to detect treatment errors in intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The dosimeter will enhance patient safety through real time verification of treatment dose when real time beam measurements are compared against treatment plan pre-computed doses. The high speed dosimeter is based on scintillating fiber arrays embedded in a water equivalent plastic support. The fibers are aligned to match each multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf pair and placed in the accessory tray of the LINAC. Each fiber is coupled to a pair of silicon photomultiplier and high speed front end amplifiers to read the scintillator output. The dosimeter response was tested with a broad selection of clinical beam energies, dose rates, and MLC positions and the scintillating fiber sensor output correlated linearly with these parameters. The front end electronics have a response time of 0.2 µsec, thus every beam radiation pulse can be recorded to verify the beam fluence with high precision. The plastic support and fibers provide a beam attenuation of 2.65%, minimal enough to utilize this technology as an in vivo transmission detector at the head of the LINAC. The linear response of output versus MLC beamlet opening provides a measurement of each leaf position with a precision of 1.5 mm. The designed real time imaging dosimeter will use five of these scintillating fiber arrays to reconstruct delivered beam fluences in vivo and compare them in real time against the treatment plan. Should an error occur, the software will notify the therapist or halt the treatment. The reported work shows a proof and initial results of the feasibility of constructing a scintillating fiber array for in vivo real time dosimetry to enhance patient safety and treatment verification accuracy in external beam radiotherapy.
Political Markets and Penumbral Regions of Rent-Seeking Activities

Let us examine the relational structures of the social collective decision-choice activities and political markets. This will be followed up with rent-seeking activities as part of the incentive structure of rent-seekers travelling along the penumbral regions of decision-choice actions and choice of strategy for institutional transformations.
The Impact of a Sexual and Reproductive Health Intervention for American Indian Adolescents on Predictors of Condom Use Intention

Purpose American Indian (AI) adolescents experience inequalities in sexual health, in particular, early sexual initiation. Condom use intention is an established predictor of condom use and is an important construct for evaluating interventions among adolescents who are not yet sexually active. This analysis evaluated the impact of Respecting the Circle of Life (RCL), a sexual and reproductive health intervention for AI adolescents, on predictors of condom use intention.
Recent Developments in Spin Label EPR Methodology for Biomembrane Studies

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the basic considerations appropriate to the experimental use of spin-label electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and discusses several applications in membrane systems. It describes some new developments in spin-label EPR techniques. Moreover, it focuses primarily on saturation transfer EPR studies and on protein systems in membranes. The types of measurements are explained that is done using only conventional EPR techniques. For nonmembrane systems, vanadyl ions, which are oxidized by mitochondria and purified cytochrome c oxidase, have also been used as EPR probes. The chapter also discusses that in addition to studying spin-labeled molecules in solution or in powder form, single-crystal measurements provide information on unpaired spin density, ligand-binding stereochemistry, and molecular dynamics. Spin-labeled molecules are also used for fluorescence quenching to provide information on membrane structure
Wireless Implantable Sensor For Non-Invasive, Longitudinal Quantification Of Axial Strain Across Rodent Long Bone Defects

Bone development, maintenance, and regeneration are remarkably sensitive to mechanical cues. Consequently, mechanical stimulation has long been sought as a putative target to promote endogenous healing after fracture. Given the transient nature of bone repair, tissue-level mechanical cues evolve rapidly over time after injury and are challenging to measure non-invasively. The objective of this work was to develop and characterize an implantable strain sensor for non-invasive monitoring of axial strain across a rodent femoral defect during functional activity. Herein, we present the design, characterization, and in vivo demonstration of the device capabilities for quantitatively interrogating physiological dynamic strains during bone regeneration. Ex vivo experimental characterization of the device showed that it exceeded the technical requirements for sensitivity, signal resolution, and electromechanical stability. The digital telemetry minimized power consumption, enabling long-term intermittent data collection. Devices were implanted in a rat 6 mm femoral segmental defect model and after three days, data were acquired wirelessly during ambulation and synchronized to corresponding radiographic videos, validating the ability of the sensor to non-invasively measure strain in real-time. Lastly, in vivo strain measurements were utilized in a finite element model to estimate the strain distribution within the defect region. Together, these data indicate the sensor is a promising technology to quantify local tissue mechanics in a specimen specific manner, facilitating more detailed investigations into the role of the mechanical environment in dynamic skeletal healing and remodeling.
Intersubjectivity in Thesis Advising

ABSTRACTThis reflection paper discusses intersubjectivity as the pedagogical framework the author used to engage across difference with socioculturally diverse student advisees with a range of learning styles and subjective approaches to conceptualizing and writing a thesis. The intersubjective relational approach to advising involved engaging in dialogic conversations and creating a “third space” that honored our subjective, sociocultural, and academic styles, resulting in a powerful intersubjective thesis advising and learning experience.
Tensile Deformation of Molybdenum as a function of Temperature and Strain Rate

True stress-true strain data are given for nominally pure molybdenum (99.95 pet) over the temperature range −196° to 1540°C (0.027 to 0.63 T/TJ. Strain rate sensitivity was determined by rate change tests and stress relaxation tests. Inhomogeneous yielding and strain aging effects were observed. The yield stress and tensile strength depend markedly on temperature below 400°C and are insensitive to temperature in the range 400° to 800°C. The ductile to brittle transition range is +25° to −25°C. Strain rate sensitivity and stress relaxation effects are very large near room temperature.
What Do We Have When We Have a Narrative

This review introduces our special issue, which presents a variety of papers with explicit assumptions of how narrative methods are used in cognitive and personality psychology studies of autobiogr...
United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast: A Revisit:

This is a reevaluation of registered nurse (RN) supply and demand from 2016 to 2030 using a previously published work forecast model and grading methodology with more recent workforce data. There will be a shortage of 154 018 RNs by 2020 and 510 394 RNs by 2030; the South and West regions will have higher shortage ratios than Northeast and Midwest regions. This reflects a nearly 50% overall improvement when compared with the authors' prior study, and the low-performing states have improved from 18 "D" and 12 "F" grades as published earlier to 13 "D" and 1 "F" in this study. Although progress has been made, efforts to foster the pipelines for improving the nursing workforce need to be continued.
A comparison of high-level full-system power models

Dynamic power management in enterprise environments requires an understanding of the relationship between resource utilization and system-level power consumption. Power models based on resource utilization have been proposed in the context of enabling specific energy-efficiency optimizations on specific machines, but the accuracy and portability of different approaches to modeling have not been systematically compared. In this work, we use a common infrastructure to fit a family of high-level full-system power models, and we compare these models over a wide variation of workloads and machines, from a laptop to a server. This analysis shows that a model based on OS utilization metrics and CPU performance counters is generally most accurate across the machines and workloads tested. It is particularly useful for machines whose dynamic power consumption is not dominated by the CPU, as well as machines with aggressively power-managed CPUs, two classes of systems that are increasingly prevalent.
Population pharmacokinetics and exposure–response modeling and simulation for evolocumab in healthy volunteers and patients with hypercholesterolemia

Evolocumab, a novel human monoclonal antibody, inhibits proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, a protein that targets low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) receptors for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. The primary objective of this analysis was to characterize the population pharmacokinetics (popPK) and exposure–response relationship of evolocumab to assess if dose adjustment is needed across differing patient populations. Data were pooled for 5474 patients in 11 clinical studies who received evolocumab doses of 7–420 mg at various frequencies, either intravenously or subcutaneously. Evolocumab area under concentration–time curve from 8 to 12 weeks (AUCwk8–12) was simulated for individuals using the popPK model and was used to predict the LDL-C response in relation to AUCwk8–12. Evolocumab was eliminated through nonspecific (linear) and target-mediated (nonlinear) clearance. PopPK parameters and associated variabilities of evolocumab were similar to those of other monoclonal antibodies. The exposure–response model predicted a maximal 66% reduction in LDL-C from baseline to the mean of weeks 10 and 12 for doses of evolocumab 140 mg subcutaneously every 2 weeks or 420 mg subcutaneously once monthly. After inclusion of statistically significant covariates in an uncertainty-based simulation, LDL-C reduction from baseline at the mean of weeks 10 and 12 was predicted to be within 74% to 126% of the reference patient for all simulated patient groups. Evolocumab had nonlinear pharmacokinetics. The range of responses based on intrinsic and extrinsic factors was not predicted to be sufficiently different from the reference patient to warrant evolocumab dose adjustment.
Compass: An Assessment Tool for Improving Project Team Communications

Research from the Construction Industry Institute (CII) confirms the importance of effective communications to project success. As part of its research into the potential for enhanced project succe...
Clinical experience with sex chromosome aneuploidies detected by noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT): Accuracy and patient decision-making.

Objective The objectives of the study are to assess the accuracy of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) and to investigate patient decision-making in clinical practice. Study design This is a retrospective cohort study review of positive NIPT results for SCAs from January 2013 to September 2017. Results Of the 136 positive NIPT results for SCAs, 73 (53.7%) were positive for 45,X, 62 (45.6%) were a sex chromosome trisomy, and 1 was a sex chromosome tetrasomy. Of the 134 viable pregnancies, 46 (34.3%) elected to pursue prenatal diagnosis. Fewer women underwent invasive prenatal testing when counseled regarding a positive NIPT for monosomy X in the presence of suggestive ultrasound findings (4/23; 17.4%) compared with those who had a positive NIPT result without ultrasound findings (24/46, 52.2%). Abnormal karyotypes consistent with the NIPT result were confirmed in 30/64 (46.9%). Even in the context of ultrasound abnormalities, there was not 100% concordance. Conclusions The majority (88/134; 65.7%) of patients in our cohort declined prenatal diagnosis even in the presence of associated ultrasound findings. Comprehensive pretest and posttest counseling is recommended and should address the importance of confirmatory testing and benefits of early diagnosis. Practice guidelines are needed to address provider responsibilities about postnatal testing.
Unprophetic Tocqueville: How Democracy in America Got the Modern World Wrong

Alexis De Tocqueville incorporated into his definition of modern democracy the concrete social and economic features of early-nineteenth-century democratic societies, including the rudimentary degree of education, the unsophisticated technology, and the lack of extensive occupational specialization. His idea of democracy was premised on a permanent forestalling of modern industrialization and its social consequences. From this premise, he deduced practically all of the book’s major predictions, warnings, and prescriptions for modern democratic societies. In the end, the interesting question is not how Tocqueville could have been so prescient about the shape of modern society - he was not - but how the near-sighted predictions he set forth in Democracy in America came to be construed by modern scholars as vindicated prophecies.
Digital Humanities as Anamorphosis

This article theorizes the digital humanities (DH) as a speculative art via a media history of anamorphosis. Anamorphosis, an art technique that warps linear perspective, captures the work of DH be...
Telemedicine and IT: Use of Digital Technology on Inpatient Units

Contemporary healthcare is patient-centered with respect to quality care, access, and affordable options. Telepsychiatry (TP) is as effective as in-person care and is used across many service settings. The chapter outlines concepts, data, and findings related to three themes: (1) how TP is used to provide psychiatric care across age, population, and medical and mental health settings; (2) findings and models of inpatient TP to date, along with applications from delivery to other service settings; and (3) the application of information technology, e-health, and e-behavioral health innovations to inpatient care and outpatient follow-up.
Identity and treatment adherence in predominantly ethnic minority teens and young adults with type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND The demands of diabetes care can place substantial burden on youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D), who must manage their treatment in conjunction with the developmentally typical tasks of adolescence. How diabetes affects the normative task of identity development deserves further exploration. METHODS A sample of 83 participants (ages 13-21) completed a qualitative interview about life with diabetes and a battery of validated psychosocial measures. Individual interviews were analyzed using content analysis to create criteria for whether a teen had incorporated their T1D in relation to their identity. Convergent validity was assessed by comparing identity groups on various validated measures of psychosocial characteristics and health-related outcomes. Analysis of covariances (ANCOVAs) were used to determine whether identity status had a significant relationship to health outcomes. RESULTS Results indicated that youth who were categorized as incorporating their T1D into their identities demonstrated significantly greater perceived social competency (P = .014), greater diabetes-specific self-esteem (P < .001), better self-care (P = .002), and more life satisfaction (P = .001) than those who had not incorporated T1D. Incorporation was also associated with better glycemic control (P = .003). Identity remained significantly associated with the above psychosocial and health-related outcomes even when controlling for covariates of gender and method of insulin delivery (Ps < .01). CONCLUSIONS Successful incorporation of diabetes is associated with better biomedical and psychosocial outcomes in teens with T1D. Further research is warranted to assess influences on identity as well as how to encourage and support incorporation in this at-risk population.
Eosinophilic Fasciitis Following Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy: Four Cases and a Review of Literature

Background Checkpoint inhibitor therapy is widely known to cause a number of immune-related adverse events. One rare adverse effect that is emerging is eosinophilic fasciitis, a fibrosing disorder causing inflammatory infiltration of subcutaneous fascia. It is characterized clinically by edema and subsequent induration and tightening of the skin and subcutaneous tissues. The condition is rare, yet at our institutions we have seen four cases in the past 3 years. We describe our 4 cases and review 11 other cases reported in the literature. Case presentation We present four cases of eosinophilic fasciitis following treatment with programmed cell death protein 1 or programmed cell death-ligand 1 blockade. All patients had extremity involvement with characteristic skin changes ranging from peripheral edema to induration, tightening, and joint limitation. The patients had varying degrees of peripheral eosinophilia. In two of our patients, the diagnosis was made by full-thickness skin biopsy showing lymphocytic infiltration of the subcutaneous fascia, with CD4+ T cells predominating in one case and CD8+ T cells in the other. In the other two cases, the diagnosis was made on the basis of characteristic imaging findings in the context of clinical features consistent with the diagnosis. All four patients were treated with glucocorticoids with varying degrees of success; immunotherapy had to be discontinued in all four. Patients with advanced melanoma who experienced this adverse effect had either a partial response or a complete response to therapy. Conclusion Eosinophilic fasciitis can occur as a result of checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Although a tissue diagnosis is the gold standard, imaging studies may facilitate the diagnosis in the presence of consistent clinical features, but a degree of suspicion is key to recognizing the condition early. Therapy requires a collaborative approach by oncology, rheumatology, and dermatology; physical therapy is an important adjunct in treatment. For advanced melanoma, it may be a good prognostic indicator. Implications for practice It is important for clinicians to recognize that eosinophilic fasciitis is a potential immune-related adverse event (irAE) as a consequence of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. The presentation is quite stereotypical; the diagnosis can be made by imaging in the absence of a full-thickness skin biopsy. Early intervention is important to limit morbidity. This irAE may be a good prognostic sign among patients with melanoma.
Affective determinants of physical activity in cancer survivors.

Objective: Research with non-cancer survivor populations finds affective variables to be important determinants of physical activity. This study assessed the ability of explicit and implicit affect...
Learning Gains and Attitudes of Students Performing Chemistry Experiments in an Immersive Virtual World.

Virtual worlds are increasingly popular in educational settings. In order to further usefulness in providing a laboratory education, almost 300 students participated in a study to determine the rel...
Copper selenide as multifunctional non-enzymatic glucose and dopamine sensor

Cu2Se, synthesized through one-pot hydrothermal synthesis, was identified as highly efficient bifunctional sensor for co-detection of glucose and dopamine with high selectivity. As-synthesized copper selenide could electro-oxidize glucose and dopamine at different applied potentials. Glucose oxidation was observed at 0.35 V while dopamine oxidized at 0.2 V. This copper selenide-based non-enzymatic sensor showed high sensitivity for both glucose (15.341 mA mM−1 cm−2) and dopamine (12.43 μA μM−1 cm−2) with low limit of detection (0.26 μM and 84 nM). Such high sensitivity and low LOD makes this sensor attractive for possible detection of glucose/dopamine in physiological body fluids which have low concentration of these biomolecules. Extremely low applied potential for detection also makes it ideal for integrating into wearable continuous monitoring devices with low operational power requirement. This sensor showed high reproducibility, reusability and long-term operational stability along with high degree of selectivity for dopamine and glucose sensing in presence of other interferents.
8×25 Gb/s DWDM Transmitter Demonstration on a Heterogeneous Silicon Photonic Platform

A DWDM transmitter with aggregated bandwidth of 200 Gb/s is demonstrated using a comb laser and microring modulator fabricated on the same heterogeneous silicon platform, paving the way for a fully integrated transceiver.
Red Scaly Papules

The differential diagnosis of a scaly popular eruption includes guttate psoriasis, pityriasis rosea (PR), pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLC), and secondary syphilis.
A Murine Model for Human Cord Blood Transplantation: Near-Term Fetal and Neonatal Peripheral Blood Cells Can Achieve Long-Term Bone Marrow Engraftment in Sublethally Irradiated Adult Recipients

The purposes of the research reported here were first to explore a murine model for human placental and umbilical cord blood transplantation and second to evaluate the engraftment ability of ex vivo cultured hematopoietic cells. Murine near-term fetal and neonatal peripheral blood (FNPB) cells, genetically marked with the human multiple drug resistance transgene (MDR1) were used for syngeneic transplants into sublethally irradiated adult mice. Donor cells were transplanted either fresh and untreated, or after ex vivo culture in the presence of the hematopoietic growth factors recombinant murine stem cell factor, recombinant human interleukin-3 (rHu IL-3), and rHu IL-6, in a liquid culture system. To evaluate, count, and characterize FNPB progenitor cell-derived colonies, neonatal mouse mononuclear cells were cultured directly in methylcellulose with growth factors. To assess their ex vivo expansion ability, FNPB mononuclear cells were first cultured in liquid medium for 3 to 8 days and then transferred to semisolid assay plates. Evaluation of the cell counts after liquid culture showed a 1.4- to 11.6-fold increase, and the numbers of colonies observed in methylcellulose were similar to those produced by fresh FNPB cells. Donor-type engraftment was demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the human MDR1 transgene in the peripheral blood of all surviving animals (5 of 7 recipients of the fresh, and 3 of 8 recipients of the ex vivo-cultured cells) 2 to 4 months after transplantation. The proportion of donor leukocytes in the peripheral blood of the recipients (chimerism) was evaluated using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis 4 to 6 months after transplantation and ranged from 2% to 26%. In addition, bone marrow cultures were obtained from two recipient animals: one had received fresh-untreated cells and was evaluated 8 months after transplant, the other had received ex vivo cultured cells and was tested 14 months after grafting. The derived hematopoietic colonies were tested by PCR and the transgene was detected, conclusively proving long-term engraftment of donor cells. These results indicate that FNPB transplants can be successfully performed in sublethally irradiated mice with and without ex vivo culture. Long-term donor-type engraftment with sustained chimerism has been demonstrated. Thus, murine neonatal blood grafts can be used as an animal model for cord blood transplantation for gene therapy studies where complete myeloablation is not desirable and partial replacement of defective marrow may be sufficient. Furthermore, the possibility of numerically expanding hematopoietic progenitor cells contained in neonatal blood without affecting their engraftment ability could facilitate use of cord blood grafts in adult recipients.
Contributions of the pre-Bötzinger complex and the Kölliker-fuse nuclei to respiratory rhythm and pattern generation in awake and sleeping goats.

We investigated in three groups of awake and sleeping goats whether there are differences in ventilatory responses after injections of Ibotenic acid (IA, glutamate receptor agonist and neurotoxin) into the pre-Botzinger complex (preBotC), lateral parabrachial (LPBN), medial (MPBN) parabrachial, or Kolliker-Fuse nuclei (KFN). In one group, within minutes after bilateral injection of 10μl IA (50mM) into the preBotC, there was a 10-fold increase in breathing frequency, but 1.5h later, the goats succumbed to terminal apnea. These data are consistent with findings in reduced preparations that the preBotC is critical to sustaining normal breathing. In a second group, increasing volumes (0.5-10μl) of IA injected at weekly intervals into the preBotC elicited a near-dose-dependent tachypnea and irregular breathing that lasted at least 5h. There were apneas restricted to wakefulness, but none were terminal. Postmortem histology revealed that the preBotC was 90% destroyed, but there was a 25-40% above normal number of neurons in the presumed parafacial respiratory group that may have contributed to maintenance of arterial blood gas homeostasis. In a third group, bilateral injections (1 and 10μl) of IA into the LPBN, MPBN, or KFN did not significantly increase breathing in any group, and there were no terminal apneas. However, 3-5h after the injections into the KFN, breathing frequency was decreased and the three-phase eupneic breathing pattern was eliminated. Between 10 and 15h after the injections, the eupneic breathing pattern was not consistently restored to normal, breathing frequency remained attenuated, and there were apneas during wakefulness. Our findings during wakefulness and NREM sleep warrant concluding that (a) the preBotC is a primary site of respiratory rhythm generation; (b) the preBotC and the KFN are determinants of respiratory pattern generation; (c) after IA-induced lesions, there is time-dependent plasticity within the respiratory control network; and (d) ventilatory control mechanisms are state dependent.
Chapter 23 Applications of mesoporous molecular sieves in catalysis and separations

This chapter discusses the mesoporous molecular sieves in terms of their unique attributes as either catalysts or catalyst components or as adsorbents or materials otherwise used for separation. It attempts to identify the specific structure that has been used. The review of catalytic applications focuses on the recent studies, and the extensive patent literature that usually is not referenced, but provides a wealth of examples, observations, and historical background. The subject area of applications of structured mesoporous molecular sieves has expanded considerably with many interesting and exciting developments from the standpoint of fundamental science and potential uses. The synthesis has progressed in many directions affording many novel materials, methods for a large-scale manufacture, and new applications. For many new materials, traversing the path from discovery to commercial application can take as long as a decade.
Using Cultural Algorithms with Evolutionary Computing to Extract Site Location Decisions from Spatio-Temporal Databases

In this paper Cultural Algorithms are used to generate networks of sites within a historical database of sites for the Valley of Oaxaca. These networks are described in terms of multiple criteria spanning trees computed by Cultural Algorithms with an evolutionary programming shell. The results are used to explain changes in site location decision-making over time in the valley.
Determinants of polyreactivity in a large panel of recombinant human antibodies from HIV-1 infection

A considerable part of the Ab repertoire is given over to polyreactive Abs capable of interacting with multiple antigenic species. Neither the function of these Abs nor the molecular basis for their activity is known. To address the latter problem, we have compared the amino acid sequences of a large panel (n = 70) of polyreactive human monoclonal Fab fragments and conducted a series of engineering experiments on a prototype polyreactive Fab. The Fab fragments were retrieved from combinatorial IgG libraries prepared from the bone marrow of long term asymptomatic HIV-1 seropositive donors. The general features displayed by the panel of IgG polyreactive Abs include 1) skewed VH family usage with a predominance of VH1 and VH4 clones and a paucity of the normally prevalent VH3 family; 2) use of a variety of different VH germ-line genes within the context of the family usage and no restriction in D or JH gene usage; 3) skewed VL gene usage: 75% of Fabs used one of two germ lines; and 4) extensive somatic modification of both heavy and light chains. The importance of the heavy chain, in particular the heavy chain CDR3 (HCDR3), in dictating the polyreactive phenotype was demonstrated for the prototype Fab by chain shuffling and CDR transplantation experiments. in addition, and most strikingly, a constrained peptide based on the HCDR3 sequence was shown to be polyreactive and to inhibit binding of the parent Ab to a panel of Ags. A role for conformational flexibility in polyreactivity was suggested by a marked temperature dependence of Ab recognition of Ag. One Ab was shown to be polyreactive at 37 degrees C, but was apparently monoreactive at 4 degrees C. We hypothesize that Ab polyreactivity is associated with conformationally flexible HCDR3 regions in the context of certain favorable framework configurations.
Chronic sustained inflammation links to left ventricular hypertrophy and aortic valve sclerosis: a new link between S100/RAGE and FGF23.

Background: Cardiovascular disease including left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction and ectopic valvular calcification are common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Both S100A12 and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) have been identified as biomarkers of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with CKD. We tested the hypothesis that human S100/calgranulin would accelerate cardiovascular disease in mice subjected to CKD. Methods: This review paper focuses on S100 proteins and their receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and summarizes recent findings obtained in novel developed transgenic hBAC-S100 mice that express S100A12 and S100A8/9 proteins. A bacterial artificial chromosome of the human S100/calgranulin gene cluster containing the genes and regulatory elements for S100A8, S100A9 and S100A12 was expressed in C57BL/6J mice (hBAC-S100). CKD was induced by ureteral ligation, and hBAC-S100 mice and WT mice were studied after 10 weeks of chronic uremia. Results: hBAC-S100 mice with CKD showed increased FGF23 in the heart, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), diastolic dysfunction, focal cartilaginous metaplasia and calcification of the mitral and aortic valve annulus together with aortic valve sclerosis. This phenotype was not observed in WT mice with CKD or in hBAC-S100 mice lacking RAGE with CKD, suggesting that the inflammatory milieu mediated by S100/RAGE promotes pathological cardiac hypertrophy in CKD. In vitro, inflammatory stimuli including IL-6, TNF, LPS, or serum from hBAC-S100 mice up regulated FGF23 mRNA and protein in primary murine neonatal and adult cardiac fibroblasts. Conclusions: Taken together, our study shows that myeloid-derived human S100/calgranulin is associated with the development of cardiac hypertrophy and ectopic cardiac calcification in a RAGE dependent manner in a mouse model of CKD. We speculate that FGF23 produced by cardiac fibroblasts in response to cytokines may act in a paracrine manner to accelerate LVH and diastolic dysfunction in hBAC-S100 mice with CKD. We suggest that S100/RAGE-mediated chronic sustained systemic inflammation is linked to pathological cardiac remodeling via direct up regulation of FGF23 in cardiac fibroblasts, thereby providing a new mechanistic understanding for the common association between CKD, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy with diastolic dysfunction.
A rigorous analysis of Linsker's Hebbian learning network

We propose a novel approach for a rigorous analysis of the nonlinear asymmetric dynamics of Linsker's (1986) unsupervised Hebbian learning network. The results provide for the first time comprehensive explanations of the origin of the various structured connection patterns and of the roles of the different system parameters of the model. Our theoretical predictions are corroborated by numerical simulations. >
The developmental ecology of mycorrhizal associations in mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum, Berberidaceae

Associations between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are widespread and well-studied. Yet little is known about the pattern of association between clonal plants and AM fungi. Here we report on the pattern of mycorrhizal association within the rhizome systems of mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum. Mayapple is a long-lived understory clonal herb that is classified as obligately mycorrhizal. We found that while all mayapple rhizome systems maintained mycorrhizal associations, the percent colonization of roots by AM fungi differed among ramets of different age. The highest concentrations of AM fungi were in the roots of intermediate-aged ramets, while roots beneath the youngest ramet were not colonized. This pattern of ramet age or position-dependent colonization was observed in two separate studies; each conducted in a different year and at a different site. The pattern of AM fungal colonization of mayapple rhizome systems suggests that the mycorrhizal relationship is facultative at the ramet level. This conclusion is reinforced by our observation that augmentation of soil phosphate lowers root colonization by AM fungi. We also found that soil phosphate concentrations were depleted by ca. 1% under the same ramet positions where roots bore the highest AM fungal loads. Three non-exclusive hypotheses are proposed regarding the mechanisms that might cause this developmentally dependent pattern of mycorrhizal association.
The new information technology ‐ international diffusion and its impact on employment and skills: A review of the literature

The technological revolution is creating new goods and services and altering how and where they are produced. One of the principal issues for all countries is how these new technologies will affect employment and the composition of skills demand. Surveys the literature to attempt to answer three main questions: to what degree are the new technologies becoming diffused around the world? How much do they reduce, or increase employment? And do they reduce, or increase, the skills required in the labour force? Touches briefly on implications for educational policy. The survey suggests that because of new technologies, new organizations of production, changing employment conditions and the development of new sectors of production, the complementarity of general, formal schooling, in‐plant training and learning‐by‐doing to capital investment are increasing over time and that general schooling plus on‐the‐job training is more complementary to new technologies than is vocational schooling. The former combination is more likely to give workers the flexibility they need in such changing conditions.
Flash-the memory technology of the future that's here today

The traditional method of designing memory systems was to use DRAM and SRAM for volatile storage and either EPROM or first generation FLASH for non-volatile storage. Today's embedded avionics and military designers can take advantage of the new generation of Flash memories. Flash memory has come of age very quickly. Flash memory chips are available in special environment temperature ranges in speeds as fast as 85 ns and as dense as 8 Mbits. We expect to see special environment parts that have 161Mbits and 75 ns access time in the near future. These fast access times along with very high densities, make Flash a great fit into applications that used to use several ROM, EEPROMs or DRAMs. To help show that Flash is a natural fit into designs that up until now have been using ROM, EEPROM and DRAM, a detailed analysis of Flash technology and how it compares to other memory is provided.
Isotopically-depleted late Pleistocene groundwater in Columbia River Basalt aquifers: Evidence for recharge of glacial Lake Missoula floodwaters?

[1] Late Pleistocene outburst flooding of ice-dammed glacial Lake Missoula, and possible discharge from the Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS), catastrophically altered the northwestern United States landscape, yet little is known about potential infiltration of flood waters into the subsurface. This study provides compelling evidence for the presence of late Pleistocene CIS-related recharge waters in the Columbia River Basalt Aquifers (CRBAs) in central Washington. CRBA groundwaters with corrected 14C ages from 15.7 and 33.3 k yrs BP (during periods of flood events) have anomalously low δ18O values (−18.9 to −17.6‰), compared to late Pleistocene soil waters (−16.1 to −13.4‰) and modern precipitation in the region (average −15.9‰), consistent with CIS-related meltwater recharge. These results have implications for our understanding of megaflood phenomena on earth and Mars.
The nature of Cux in cytochrome c oxidase

We report here extensive and accurate analyses of the copper, iron, zinc, and magnesium contents in bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase by direct current plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The precision of an individual measurement is within +/- 5%. The analyses confirm a stoichiometry of 5Cu/4Fe/2Zn/2Mg per dimer. Seven enzyme preparations treated by various methods are also analyzed to investigate the nature of Cux. It is shown that Cux is removable by either monomerization of the enzyme or subunit III depletion. This result suggests that Cux is associated with subunit III and that it plays a structural role in enzyme dimerization. EPR measurements indicate that Cux is heterogeneous and mostly reduced. In addition, we find Cux has no effect on the spectroscopic properties and electron transfer activity of the enzyme.
Diffusion properties of inkjet printed ionic self-assembling polyelectrolyte hydrogels

In the present work, Crank's model was used to characterize solute transport in inkjet printed polyelectrolyte gels. The diffusion of a small charged molecule (fluorescein), various size linear uncharged molecules (dextrans), and a globular protein (albumin) in printed PSS-PDDA with near stoichiometric composition happened respectively at about 10-8, 10-9, and 10-10 cm2/sec. Polyelectrolyte complexes printed with non-stoichiometric ratios were found to be non-equilibrium structures consisting of three populations of polymer chains: fully complexed chains, chains in partial electrostatic interaction with the complex, and chains in excess having minimal interaction with the complex. This structure may be multiple phases. The applicability of hydrodynamic and free volume models to describe transport in printed polyelectrolyte gels was discussed.
Convergence testing in term-level bounded model checking

We consider the problem of bounded model checking of systems expressed in a decidable fragment of first-order logic. While model checking is not guaranteed to terminate for an arbitrary system, it converges for many practical examples, including pipelined processors. We give a new formal definition of convergence that generalizes previously stated criteria. We also give a sound semi-decision procedure to check this criterion based on a translation to quantified separation logic. Preliminary results on simple pipeline processor models are presented.
Field emission displays

After briefly describing basic display structure, operation, and challenges, this talk will explore how well actual display cathode performance is predicted by traditional Fowler-Nordheim theory.
Intra-medullary abscess of the spinal cord at the high cervical level

Summary Intramedullary spinal cord abscess (ISCA) is a rare entity in the central nervous system, especially in patients without meningitis. It is often difficult to promptly establish the diagnosis. In this report, we describe the case of a woman 52 years of age who presented with progressive neck pain that was followed by rapidly worsening quadriparesis. The cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging revealed an ovoid lesion at the level of C2-C4 with a gadolinium contrast ring enhancement. Because ISCA was suspected, we performed surgery to decompress the cervical spinal cord. The bacterial culture of the cystic content revealed the growth of two bacteria, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Peptoniphilus asaccharolyticus, which have rarely been observed. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful and her outcome was excellent on discharge. Antibiotics were prescribed for 6 weeks. We further report the result of a literature review on the management of ISCA. The surgical indications for ISCA are controversial, but early surgery to decompress the spinal cord and confirm bacterial growth is recommended in rapidly worsening cases.
193 nm photodissociation of larger multiply-charged biomolecules

Abstract In contrast to most ion dissociation methods, 193 nm ultraviolet photodissociation of electrosprayed melittin (2.8 kDa) and ubiquitin (8.6 kDa) molecular ions yields new c and z ions (backbone amine bond dissociation) that provide additional sequence information. Dissociation by collisions or infrared photons produce b and y ions; for cleavages between the same amino acids the c ion represents the addition of NH 2 to the b ion, and z the loss of NH 2 from the y ion, so that these ions can be differentiated by this ± 16.02 Da difference. However, 193 nm photodissociation of 12–29 kDa ions as yet does not give collectable product ions, and that of the very stable y 18 2+ ion from ubiquitin only effects a side chain loss. 193 nm irradiation of negative ions of all-T 30-mer DNA appears to eject electrons; apparently this is the first observation of electron photodetachment from multiply-charged negative ions.
Liquid/liquid extraction using 96-well plate format in conjunction with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of fluconazole in human plasma

A bioanalytical method using automated sample transferring, automated liquid/liquid extraction (LLE) and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of fluconazole in human plasma. Samples of 0.05 ml were transferred into 96-well plate using automatic liquid handler (Multiprobe II). Automated LLE was carried out on a 96-channel programmable liquid handling workstation (Quadra 96) using methyl-tetra butyl ether as the extraction solvent. The extract was evaporated to dryness, reconstituted, and injected onto a silica column using an aqueous-organic mobile phase. The chromatographic run time was 2.0 min per injection, with retention times of 1.47 and 1.44 min for fluconazole and internal standard (IS) ritonavir, respectively. The detection was by monitoring fluconazole at m/z 307-->238 and IS at m/z 721-->296, respectively. The standard curve range was 0.5-100 ng ml(-1). The inter-day precision and accuracy of the quality control samples were <7.1% relative standard deviation and <2.2% relative error.
Systematic comparison of data-processing options for kinetic-based, single-component determinations of noncatalysts: Effects of random noise

Abstract This paper describes effects of random noise on results obtained by applying a variety of kinetic-based data-processing options to simulated first-order data for a variety of noise amplitudes, starting points, data ranges and number of data points. The first part of the study focuses on a curve-fitting predictive option and subsequent parts focus on comparisons among several data-processing options. Whenever possible, empirical equations are used to quantify effects of the several variables. For several multipoint options, it was found that a single equation can be used to describe combined effects of noise amplitude, number of data points and fitting range on the imprecision of computed signal change. An analogous equation can be used to describe the effect of the starting point of the curve-fitting process on the imprecision of signal changes computed with the predictive option. No such equation was found for combined effects of these parameters on the inaccuracy of computed signal changes. The final phase of the study focused on effects of signal noise on simulated calibration results for a variety of data-processing options. For most situations studied, it is found that the imprecision and inaccuracy of results are virtually independent of signal amplitude but increase linearly with the noise amplitude. Sensitivities of the imprecision and scatter of points on calibration plots to noise amplitude were lowest for a two-point/fixed-time option; slightly larger (~2-fold) for one-rate, partial-sums, successive-integration and predictive options; and much larger (≥ 10-fold) for three- and four-point/fixed-time and two-rate options. Noise sensitivities of the Kezdy-Swinbourne and Guggenheim options are similar to the one-rate, partial-sums, successive-integration and predictive options for small noise and large signal amplitudes but are similar to the three- and four-point fixed-time and two-rate options for larger noise and smaller signal amplitudes.
The energy calibration of tandem accelerators

Abstract The beam energy homogeneity, stability and reproducibility of a model MP tandem Van de Graaff accelerator has been investigated. The 90° analyzing magnet system was calibrated using a number of (p,n) thresholds whose proton energies are known absolutely in the range from 4 to 10 MeV. The linearity of the beam momentum analysis system was then checked for higher magnetic rigidities by observing the 2 H( 16 O, n) 17 F neutron threshold for several different 16 O ionic charge states. The magnet calibration constant, obtained from a least-squares different reactions, was reapplied to the data to obtain a new set of self-consistent energies for the calibration reactions themselves. This procedure, which relies on the assumption that the data are all measures of the same calibration constant, results in smaller statistical errors for the calibration energies than those previously cited. Measurements were then extended using the linearity of the analysis system as established by the 2 H( 16 O,n) 17 F measurements to include the 12 C(p,n) 12 N, 24 Mg(p,n) 24 Al, 28 Si(p,n) 28 P, 32 S(p,n) 32 Cl and 40 Ca(p,n) 40 Sc neutron thresholds at energies of 19.658 ± 0.005 MeV, 15.286 ± 0.003 MeV, 15.669 ± 0.004 MeV, 13.899 ± 0.014 MeV, and 15.491 ± 0.003 MeV, respectively. With the exception of the 32 S(p,n) 32 Cl reaction, for which there are target difficulties, these thresholds provide the first series of calibration points in the energy range from 10 to 20 MeV.