cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Excision of Oxidatively Generated Guanine Lesions by Competing Base and Nucleotide Excision Repair Mechanisms in Human Cells.

The interchange between different repair mechanisms in human cells has long been a subject of interest. Here, we provide a direct demonstration that the oxidatively generated guanine lesions spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) and 5-guanidinohydantoin (Gh) embedded in double-stranded DNA are substrates of both base excision repair (BER) and nucleotide excision repair (NER) mechanisms in intact human cells. Site-specifically modified, 32P-internally labeled double-stranded DNA substrates were transfected into fibroblasts or HeLa cells, and the BER and/or NER mono- and dual incision products were quantitatively recovered after 2–8 h incubation periods and lysis of the cells. DNA duplexes bearing single benzo[a]pyrene-derived guanine adduct were employed as positive controls of NER. The NER activities, but not the BER activities, were abolished in XPA–/– cells, while the BER yields were strongly reduced in NEIL1–/– cells. Co-transfecting different concentrations of analogous DNA sequences bearing the BER substrates 5...
Hierarchical Bayesian Modeling for Clustering Sparse Sequences in the Context of User Profiling in Customer Loyalty Program

An algorithm is proposed in this paper to identify the latent groups among users based on similar behavior pattern and to generate group-profile for every latent group discovered. The behavior history of every user is represented by a sequence of zeros and positive numbers. Our goal is to create a hierarchical Bayesian model of the sequence data and soft-assign the sequences to a number of clusters. Profiles representative of each cluster are generated by the data model. This model is a mixture model where every user’s sequence is effectively a mixture of the distributions for each cluster. However, the novelty of this algorithm is that it is not required to assume a Gaussian mixture as is the case with EM, instead it could be any distribution that fits the data. In this paper Poisson distribution is used to model individual users sequence. The data used in this paper are real industrial data, collected from a collaborating marketing company, which promotes businesses through loyalty programs. Loyalty program helps businesses engage users by sending weekly rewards, coupons etc and the number of rewards redeemed per week for a period of two years forms the users sequence, where every entry in the sequence represents number of redemptions every week. The similarity in the real-life motivators such as schedules, locations, tastes, and expectations gives rise to similar pattern in redemption of these rewards. Based on this inherent similarity the latent groups evolve in the data.
Hollow-microsphere composite offers depth-independent superior thermal insulation for diver suits

We present an experimental proof of principle for a composite material to be used for diver suit insulation. Traditional suits are made of foamed neoprene, which shrinks with increasing pressure at depth under water, leading to a loss in thermal protection for the diver. Our experiments show that the insulance of neoprene from a top-of-the-line 8 mm suit drops by ~52% at 57 psi added pressure (equivalent to 128 FSW depth). In contrast, the insulance of our composite is higher than neoprene's at atmospheric pressure and drops by ~1% at the same 57 psi added pressure. The composite is made of 3 M K1 air-filled glass microspheres embedded in Sylgard 184 silicone. The more than twice better thermal performance of the composite compared to neoprene suggests that there will be a corresponding increase in the persistence time of divers equipped with composite suits. COMSOL theoretical calculations agree with our experimental results, while SEM images of the composite confirm that there is no significant breakage of microspheres during material fabrication. Our results show that the microsphere composite is an excellent candidate to replace bubbled neoprene in diver suits.
Splitting Group Assignments for Individual Accountability

NOTE: This teaching activity showcase is one of two during the 1:00pm-2:30pm session. AÂ It will be presented within that session from 1:50pm to 2:30pm.BRIEF SESSION DESCRIPTION:Group work is often divided into pieces, with each student doing the part with which they are most comfortable. Doing so, however, may limit the depth to which students learn new information and their willingness to take up on new challenges. To help overcome this issue, we tried splitting a traditional group activity into two parts. We describe a case, the two assignment parts, and how it impacted the course and student engagement. This approach may also be useful for hybrid or flipped courses.AÂ Participants will be able to reflect on their own assignments, particularly group ones, and look for opportunities to develop multi-part assignments to better engage students and to foster reflection or further analysis.AÂ ______________________________________________________________FULL ABSTRACT:Group work is often divided into pieces, with each student doing the portion with which they are already familiar or most comfortable. Doing so, however, may limit the depth to which students learn new information and their willingness to take on new challenges. To help overcome this issue, we tried splitting a traditional group activity into two parts. The MBA program uses cases to illustrate concepts in practice and allows students to place themselves in the role of a manager needing to make a decision. The decision often requires both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Historically, cases have been assigned as a single group assignment, with students given a set of guiding questions. We have instead split the assignment into two parts. The first part is individual and asks each student to do and turn in the quantitative analysis. We then discuss that analysis and the decision makerA¢â¬â¢s options in class. The students then do the second part in their groups. They are asked to review the quantitative analysis and discuss the decision makerA¢â¬â¢s options with their groups. Then the group writes an executive summary with their recommendation for a decision/course of action and must defend it with both quantitative and qualitative analysis. We will describe a case, the two assignment parts, and how it impacted the course and student engagement.
Correction to: Implications of Frailty for Peritransplant Outcomes in Kidney Transplant Recipient

The original version of this article did not include the authors’ National Institutes of Health grant in the Funding and Acknowledgements. The following should appear in the Funding and Conflict of Interest sections of the paper.
"Not Bread Alone": Clandestine Schooling and Resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust

In this article, Susan Kardos speaks to the importance of education by looking at the forms and purposes of clandestine schooling in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Building on archival evidence and survivor accounts, Kardos recreates the moving spirit and multiple endeavors of schooling that prevailed in the Ghetto. Despite horrific conditions and great danger, individuals and organizations within the Ghetto devoted themselves to ensuring that educational activities would continue. According to Kardos, schooling became a form of resistance against Nazi attempts to eradicate the Jews and their culture. She argues that schooling was oriented simultaneously to the past, present, and future: to the past by defying cultural and historical annihilation; to the present by providing a sense of normalcy that helped Jews survive their daily struggles in the Ghetto; and to the future by providing a sense of hope for the Ghetto inhabitants. Kardos unearths this heroic and inspiring historical episode to illu...
Is a voice-specific instrument more indicative of stroboscopy results than common clinical queries?

Objectives To determine whether the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) predicts diagnoses made via laryngoscopy/stroboscopy, as compared to common clinical inquiries about vocal characteristics. Methods We prospectively collected data from a cohort of 204 consecutive patients newly presenting for ambulatory laryngology evaluation. Each patient completed the VHI-10 and 16 concurrent mainstream queries about vocal characteristics such as weakness, breathiness, fatiguability, or inability to shout. Using the objective diagnoses made by laryngoscopy/stroboscopy as a gold standard, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity were determined. Results For unilateral vocal fold paralysis, VHI-10 scores had an AUC of 0.78 (95% CI, 0.68-0.88) and had better discrimination than 12 common clinical queries. At a threshold score of ≥11, VHI-10 sensitivity was 0.94; at a threshold of ≥31, specificity was 0.91. For laryngeal stenosis, the VHI-10 score demonstrated moderate discrimination, with an AUC of 0.79 (95% CI, 0.56-1.00) and higher discrimination than three common clinical queries. At a threshold score of ≥11, VHI-10 sensitivity was 1.00; at a threshold of ≥31, specificity was 0.89. Both VHI-10 scores and common clinical queries had low diagnostic ability for vocal fold paresis, laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), paradoxical vocal fold motion, and vocal fold scar or atrophy. Conclusions The VHI-10 score is an effective diagnostic indicator of laryngoscopy/stroboscopy findings of vocal fold paralysis and laryngeal stenosis, performing better than multiple mainstream queries about vocal characteristics. VHI-10 scores and common clinical queries are limited in their ability to indicate paresis, reflux, paradoxical motion, and vocal fold scar or atrophy. Level of evidence 2c Laryngoscope, 130:992-999, 2020.
Parents Can Experience Impairment Because of Their Children's Weight and Problematic Eating Behaviors.

Abstract Purpose Pediatric obesity and eating disorders have adverse consequences on children's health and psychosocial functioning. Parents are involved in children's daily lives and their health, but the extent to which children's eating behaviors or weight impact parents' daily functioning is unknown. Methods The present study examined parent and child impairment because of child eating problems and weight in key life domains, including work/school, social life, and family life. Participants were parents (N = 861; 35.5% fathers) who completed an online cross-sectional survey, including perceived impairment because of their child's weight and eating behaviors. Results Overall, 7.0% of parents reported clinically significant impairment because of child weight, and 6.9% reported clinically significant impairment because of child eating behaviors. Significantly more parents of children categorized as having obesity reported clinically significant parent and child impairment than other weight categories. Parents of children who regularly engaged in secretive eating reported greater child impairment than those without problematic eating. When child weight and problematic eating behaviors were analyzed jointly with parent sex, child sex, and parents' overinvestment in their child's weight, parents' overinvestment in child weight was associated significantly with parent and child impairment, and secretive eating maintained a significant association, but weight status was no longer associated significantly with impairment. Conclusions Understanding and considering individual and family impairment associated with obesity and problematic eating behaviors is critical for family-based prevention and treatment programs.
A stronger connection between the Erdős-Burgess and Davenport constants

Abstract The Erdős-Burgess constant of a semigroup S is the smallest positive integer k such that any sequence over S of length k contains a nonempty subsequence whose terms multiply to an idempotent element of S. In the case where S is the multiplicative semigroup of Z / n Z , we confirm a conjecture connecting the Erdős-Burgess constant of S and the Davenport constant of ( Z / n Z ) × for n with at most two prime factors. We also discuss the extension of our techniques to other rings.
Engineering Carboxylic Acid Reductase (CAR) through a Whole-Cell Growth-Coupled NADPH Recycling Strategy

Rapid evolution of enzyme activities is often hindered by the lack of efficient and affordable methods to identify beneficial mutants. We report the development of a new growth-coupled selection method for evolving NADPH-consuming enzymes based on the recycling of this redox cofactor. The method relies on a genetically modified Escherichia coli strain, which overaccumulates NADPH. This method was applied to the engineering of a carboxylic acid reductase (CAR) for improved catalytic activities on 2-methoxybenzoate and adipate. Mutant enzymes with up to 17-fold improvement in catalytic efficiency were identified from single-site saturated mutagenesis libraries. Obtained mutants were successfully applied to whole-cell conversions of adipate into 1,6-hexanediol, a C6 monomer commonly used in polymer industry.
Passive Intermodulation (PIM) Test and Measurement

PIM is a form of intermodulation distortion that occurs in passive components. It is an unwanted signal created by the mixing of two or more RF signals, caused by the nonlinearity of the passive components in the RF path. PIM has become a big concern in the wireless and communication industry, with the introduction of 5G standards. The most demanding requirement of the linearity of the switches in an RF system is the out-of-band blocking performance. The blocking characteristic is a measure of the receiver's ability to pick up the wanted signal in the presence of an unwanted interfering signal, without causing a degradation in the performance. The rise of unwanted signals in the receiver path increase the noise level of the receiver, thereby degrading the quality of the communication signals as well as affecting the receiver sensitivity. The paper describes the way PIM measurements are performed in our lab and highlight how Multiband PIM measurements are carried out in a very efficient way, saving the time invested in setup, calibration and measurements of data, using meticulous techniques which ultimately lead to a better result.
Aqueous Angiography in Normal Canine Eyes

Purpose To conduct aqueous angiography (AA) using a clinically applicable technique in normal dogs and to compare findings to intravenous scleral angiography (SA). Methods We examined 10 canine cadaver eyes and 12 eyes from live normal dogs. A gravity-fed trocar system delivered 2% sodium fluorescein and 0.25% indocyanine green (ICG) intracamerally (IC) in cadaver eyes. In vivo AA was subsequently performed in one eye of each of the 12 dogs via IC bolus of ICG under sedation. The same 12 dogs received SA via intravenous ICG (mean ± SD) 10.7 ± 3.3 days later. Identical scleral sectors were imaged using a Spectralis confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope. Results The gravity-fed trocar system permitted visualization of the conventional aqueous humor outflow (CAHO) pathways in cadaver eyes, but not in vivo. Fluorescence was observed superonasally in four of the 10 cadaver eyes within 24.0 ± 3.6 seconds. A single IC bolus of ICG showed CAHO pathways in vivo, demonstrating sectoral outflow patterns in the superotemporal sclera in 10 of the 12 eyes within 35.0 ± 4.3 seconds; four of the 12 eyes exhibited pulsatile aqueous movement. SA exhibited fluorescence patterns comparable to AA with weak pulsatile aqueous humor outflow. Conclusions Angiography (AA or SA) in dogs permits visualization of the CAHO pathway and its vascular components in vivo. AA may be a more useful modality to assess aqueous humor outflow. Translational relevance Intracameral AA has potential utility for evaluating CAHO in vivo in dogs, an important animal model species.
Impact of gas micro-nano-bubbles on the efficacy of commonly used antimicrobials in the food industry.

Aim To study the impact of incorporating micro-nano-bubbles (MNBs) in commonly used food antimicrobials (AMs) against Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EC) and Listeria monocytogenes (LM). Methods and results Air, carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and nitrogen (N2 ) were used to incorporate MNBs in city water. AM solution (with or without MNBs) of 9 ml was individually taken into sterile test tubes and mixed with 1 ml of inoculum grown in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth to get the net AM concentrations of 28·4 ppm peracetic acid (PAA), 200 ppm chlorine (Cl2 ), 5·4% citric acid (CA) and 4·5% lactic acid (LA). After treatment time of 1·5 and 3·0 min, 1 ml of sample was neutralized using Dey-Engley neutralizing broth and plated on BHI agar. For EC, Cl2 -CO2 solutions resulted in significantly greater log reductions (5·2 logs) compared to that of Cl2 solutions without MNBs (3·8 logs). For LM, PAA-CO2 solutions resulted in significantly greater log reductions (4·4 logs) compared to that of PAA solutions without MNBs (1·7 logs). Conclusions This study demonstrated that the efficacy of Cl2 and PAA AM solutions could be increased by incorporating CO2 -MNBs against EC and LM in microbiological growth medium. Significance and impact of the study Incorporation of CO2 -MNBs in AM solutions could increase the efficacy of AMs against pathogens on/in food matrices, which should be tested in future research.
The opioid antagonist, β-funaltrexamine, inhibits NF-κB signaling and chemokine expression in human astrocytes and in mice

Opioid-immune crosstalk occurs when opioid drugs alter the activity of the immune system. In this study, the opioid antagonist β-funaltrexamine (β-FNA) decreases the expression and release of an inflammatory chemokine, interferon-γ inducible protein-10 (CXCL10) from normal human astrocytes stimulated by interleukin 1β (IL-1β). β-FNA decreased CXCL10 by an unknown action that did not involve the mu opioid receptor (MOR). As IL-1β acts through its receptor to activate NF-κB/MAPK signaling pathways which leads to CXCL10 expression and release, key steps in the IL-1β signaling pathways were examined following β-FNA treatment. IL-1β-induced activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 MAPK) was inhibited by β-FNA as shown by decreased p38 MAPK phosphorylation in treated cells. β-FNA also decreased the levels of activated subunits of NF-κB (p50 and p65) in treated astrocytes. The impact of β-FNA was also observed in proteins that act to negatively regulate NF-κB signaling. IL-1β upregulated the expression of A20, a ubiquitin (Ub)-editing enzyme that dampens NF-κB signaling by altering ubiquination patterns on IL-1 receptor second messengers, and the increase in A20 was significantly inhibited by β-FNA treatment. Inhibition of the Ub-activating enzyme E1 by the inhibitor PYR41 also decreased CXCL10 release, like β-FNA, and concurrent treatment with both PYR41 and β-FNA inhibited CXCL10 more than did either agent alone. In mice, lipopolysaccharide-induced CXCL10 expression in the brain was inhibited by treatment with β-FNA. These findings suggest that β-FNA exerts an anti-inflammatory action in vitro and in vivo that is MOR-independent and possibly due to the alkylating ability of β-FNA.
Recognizing Emotion in the Wild using Multimodal Data

In this work, we present our approach for all four tracks of the eighth Emotion Recognition in the Wild Challenge (EmotiW 2020). The four tasks are group emotion recognition, driver gaze prediction, predicting engagement in the wild, and emotion recognition using physiological signals. We explore multiple approaches including classical machine learning tools such as random forests, state of the art deep neural networks, and multiple fusion and ensemble-based approaches. We also show that similar approaches can be used across tracks as many of the features generalize well to the different problems (e.g. facial features). We detail evaluation results that are either comparable to or outperform the baseline results for both the validation and testing for most of the tracks.
Diagnostic validity of the PC-PTSD screen in college students

The purpose of this study was to test the diagnostic validity of the Primary Care PTSD screen (PC-PTSD) in a generalizable college sample and to examine potential differences in its predictive effi...
Electrophilic Etherification of α-Heteroaryl Carbanions with Monoperoxyacetals as a Route to Ketene O,O- and N,O-Acetals.

Alkyl ketene acetals are useful reactants in a variety of synthetic processes, and yet, there are limited routes to their formation as isolable products. We now report the successful synthesis and ...
Diffractive MEMS: the polychromator and related devices

MEMS and optics are a natural match. There are several reasons: MEMS devices have dimensions and achievable actuation distances comparable to the wavelength of light; smooth surfaced dielectrics, semiconductors, and metals can be used in various combinations; and, photons don't weigh anything, so relatively feeble MEMS actuators can easily manipulate them. Moveable and tiltable mirrors and pop-up structures have held center stage in optical MEMS for several years, with uses in displays, micro-optical benches, scanners, and a variety of optical telecom switching applications. Less noticed, but perhaps equally important in the long run, is a family of diffractive MEMS structures that represent paradigm shifts in display technology, infrared spectroscopy, and optical telecom. The polychromator, uses a set of parallel mirror elements, each one of which is individually actuatable with an analog signal, achieving continuous rather than binary control of the mirror element position As a result, an aperiodic diffraction grating is realized with a fully programmable optical transfer function. When illuminated with white light, the spectral content at a fixed viewing angle can be controlled by adjustment of the various mirror element positions.
Biosynthesis of Bacterial Glycogen

site and allows modification of the allosteric activator site. Incorporation of [3H]pyridoxal-P in the presence of the allosteric effector, 1,6-hexanediol-Pz, protects against pyridoxylation of the allosteric activator site and allows modification of the ADP-glucose-protected site. The activator site CNBr [3H]pyridoxyl-P peptide was purified to homogeneity in the presence of urea by Sephadex G-50 and CM-cellulose chromatography. The peptide consists of 59 residues, with a molecular weight of 6750. The NHz-terminal of the peptide has a 16-residue sequence overlap with the previously determined NHz-terminal sequence of the native enzyme. The activator site pyridoxyl-P lysine is identified as residue 38 of the native enzyme’s NH2 terminus. The ADP-glucose-protected site CNBr [3H]pyridoxyl peptide was purified to homogeneity by Sephadex G-50 and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The peptide consists of 21 residues, with a molecular weight of 2460. The sequence of this peptide has been elucidated. ADP-glucose synthase (EC 2.7.7.27), catalyzing the reaction ATP + a-n-glucose-l-P + PP, + ADP-glucose, is the first unique reaction in the biosynthesis of glycogen in bacteria and of starch in plants and algae (l-3). The Escherichia coli B enzyme is allosterically activated by fructose-P2, pyridoxal-P, NADPH, and 1,6-hexanediol-Pz,’ and is allosterically inhibited by 5’-AMP, 5’-ADP, and Pi (4-8). A consistent pattern is observed between the source of the * This research was supported in part by United States Public Health Service Grant AI-05520 from the National Institutes of Health. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked
Publish or perish: the scientific publications of women physicians in late Imperial Russia.

Women physicians in late 19th century Russia emerge just as the Russian professions begin attempting to achieve some degree of autonomy from bureaucratic interference. Women took advantage of this discourse to portray themselves as competent professionals dedicated to bettering the lives of Russian people. Quite often these attempts to justify their work in the profession also motivated them to publish their scientific findings so ~ that they could be viewed as legitimate scholars and physicians. This article concentrates on six women physicians, Elizabeth Drentel'n, Aieksandra Ekkert, Maria Pokrovskaia, Evgeniia Serebrennikova, Anna Shabanova, and Maria Volkova who provide illustrative case studies for what many other women physicians were doing. Women physicians published on a wide variety of topics, from women's and children's health to various types of cancers and infectious diseases. A few also used their medical training to advocate for wornen's political and social rights.
The effects of a brain-based learning strategy, mind mapping, on achievement of adults in a training environment with consideration to learning styles and brain hemisphericity

This study examined the effectiveness of Mind Mapping (a diagram of the structure of ideas in an associative manner, using graphics, color and key words) as a note-taking device in a training course in a large, high-tech corporation, as compared to traditional note-taking. The population for this study consisted of personnel employed by a major high-tech firm, that had voluntarily registered for a Mind Mapping training class. The effect of Mind Mapping was measured by the pre-test and post-test of the control and experimental groups.
Assessing the Impact of Acquaintance Rape: Interviews with Women Who Are Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault While in College

Abstract This is a study consisting of in-depth interviews with 12 women who were victims/survivors of acquaintance rape while attending a university in the Northeast. The interviews focused on research questions concerning actions taken by the victim/survivor after the assault, reactions to her disclosure of the assault, and the impact of assault. It was found that a majority of the women did not seek professional services (medical, legal, counseling). All of the women had disclosed prior to participation, and had received varied reactions to disclosure, ranging from very supportive to complete disbelief. The rape had impacted all of the women quite dramatically; all cited consequential negative effects, while a few noted some positive effects as well. Implications for colleges and universities are discussed.
Integrated clinical engineering and information systems

Healthcare systems are experiencing wide-scale consolidation and absorbing smaller healthcare operations. This move is driven by the current healthcare market forces, regulation and legislation, and the desire to shape healthcare service delivery for the next century. Patients demand quality and speed of service, reimbursement agencies seek volume at reduced cost, and clinicians want to know how they can satisfy reimbursement agencies and patients. Technology and dynamic process implementation provide the opportunity for one of the multidimensional solutions necessary to satisfy patients, reimbursement agencies and clinicians. This paper discusses a method to realize this opportunity through an innovative and structured clinical engineering implementation.
Use of polyethyleneimine polymer in cell culture as attachment factor and lipofection enhancer

Several cell lines and primary cultures benefit from the use of positively charged extracellular matrix proteins or polymers that enhance their ability to attach to culture plates. Polyethyleneimine is a positively charged polymer that has gained recent attention as a transfection reagent. A less known use of this cationic polymer as an attachment factor was explored with several cell lines. Polyethyleneimine compared favorably to traditional attachment factors such as collagen and polylysine. PC-12 and HEK-293 cells plated on dishes coated with polyethyleneimine showed a homogeneous distribution of cells in the plate, demonstrating strong cell adhesion that survived washing procedures. The polymer could also be used to enhance the adherence and allow axonal outgrowth from zebrafish retinal explants. The effects of this coating agent on the transfection of loosely attaching cell lines were studied. Pre-coating with polyethyleneimine had the effect of enhancing the transfection yield in procedures using lipofection reagents. Polyethyleneimine is an effective attachment factor for weakly anchoring cell lines and primary cells. Its use in lipofection protocols makes the procedures more reliable and increases the yield of expressed products with commonly used cell lines such as PC-12 and HEK-293 cells.
Technical Note—Impact of Inventory on Quota-Bonus Contracts with Rent Sharing

We study the impact of limited inventory on optimal sales-force compensation contracts. We adopt a principal-agent framework, characterized by limited liability and rent sharing with the agent. A commonly invoked assumption in the inventory management literature is that the demand distribution satisfies the increasing failure rate (IFR) property. Under this assumption, however, past research has established that a quota-bonus contract—a widely adopted sales-force compensation contract in the practice—cannot sustain in equilibrium. We show that because of demand censoring in the presence of limited inventory (i.e., demand realizations higher than the inventory level are unobservable), a quota-bonus contract is the optimal equilibrium contract, and it exists, even for a demand distribution with the IFR property. Since most well-known distributions satisfy the IFR property, and inventory constraints are operative in many real-world situations, our results significantly extend the scope of the optimality of q...
Accuracy of the Kattan nomogram across prostate cancer risk-groups.

Study Type – Diagnostic (exploratory cohort) Level of Evidence 2b What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? The Kattan nomogram is one of the most commonly used preoperative prediction tools for estimating individualized risk of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy. However, little is known about this nomogram’s accuracy for patients at the extremes of the risk spectra, as only a small fraction of such patients comprised the cohort used in its development. We examined the accuracy of the Kattan nomogram across various risk groups, and confirmed its ability to accurately estimate risk of recurrence, even for patients with high and low-risk prostate cancer. OBJECTIVE • To investigate the predictive ability of nomograms at the extremes of preoperative clinical parameters by examining the predictive ability across all prostate cancer risk groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS • The Columbia University Urologic Oncology Database was reviewed: 3663 patients underwent radical prostatectomy from 1988 to 2008. Patients who had received neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy, or had insufficient clinical parameters for estimation of 5-year progression-free probability using the preoperative Kattan nomogram were excluded. • A total of 1877 patients were included and stratified by D’Amico risk criteria. Mean estimated nomogram progression rates were compared with actuarial Kaplan–Meier survival statistics. • A regression model to predict progression-free survival was fitted with estimated nomogram score and concordance indices were calculated for the entire model and subsequently for each risk group. RESULTS • Of 1877 patients, 857 (45.6%) were low risk, 704 (37.5%) were intermediate risk, and 316 (16.8%) were high risk by D’Amico criteria. • Mean estimated nomogram survival and actuarial Kaplan–Meier survival at 5 years were 90.5% and 92.2% (95% CI 89.2–94.3) for low-risk, 76.7% and 77.8% (73.3–81.7) for intermediate-risk, and 65.8% and 60.4% (52.0–67.7) for high-risk groups, respectively. Using nomogram score in the regression model, the c-index for the full model was 0.61. • For low-, intermediate- and high-risk patients independently the c-index was 0.60, 0.59 and 0.57, respectively. When low-, intermediate- and high-risk patients were independently removed from the model the c-index was 0.64, 0.65 and 0.55, respectively. • The c-index for the full model using the categorical nomogram risk scores was 0.67. Similar to the D’Amico model, the c-index improved to 0.69 when intermediate-risk patients were removed from the model. CONCLUSIONS • The study confirms the ability of preoperative nomograms to accurately predict actuarial survival across all risk groups. • The predictive ability of the nomogram varies by risk group, yet even at the extremes of high-risk and low-risk prostate cancer the nomogram accurately predicts outcome.
Intra-articular delivery of glucosamine for treatment of experimental osteoarthritis created by a medial meniscectomy in a rat model

Glucosamine (GlcN) is a naturally occurring amino-monosaccharide with putative chondroprotective activity. Optimum responses to GlcN are achieved at concentrations which are impractical with oral dosing. Intra-articular delivery of a bolus dose of GlcN is one way to overcome these pharmacokinetic obstacles. In this study we report the effects of exposing primary human chondrocytes to a bolus dose of GlcN. We also locally administered GlcN in the context of a meniscal transection model of rat osteoarthritis (OA). The knees of male rats were subjected to medial meniscal transection and developed arthritic changes over 4 weeks. Treatment groups were then given thrice weekly 100 μL injections of 35 μg, 350 μg, 1.8 mg, or 3.5 mg of GlcN dissolved in normal saline. Gross images, modified Mankin scores, and histomorphometric measurements were used as outcome measures. The 350 μg dosage of GlcN had the most significant positive impact on all components of the modified Mankin score. Together, these findings suggest the local delivery of high concentrations of GlcN is well tolerated and can suppress experimental OA through influences on both bone and cartilage.
Human and rat adrenal glycerol kinase: subcellular distribution and bisubstrate kinetics

The subcellular distribution of adrenal glycerol kinase in man and rat are reported and the bisubstrate kinetics of the soluble enzyme are compared in these two species. The specific activity of glycerol kinase in human whole adrenal homogenate (145 µU/mg protein) was 3 times that found in rat whole adrenal homogenate (48 µU/mg protein). In both species 8% of the total glycerol kinase activity was associated with the nuclear pellet fraction. In human, 62% of the total activity was soluble, while 24% was associated with the postnuclear particulate fraction. Rat glycerol kinase activity was also predominantly soluble: 69% of the total activity was soluble and 13% was in the postnuclear particulate fraction. The apparent Km for glycerol in soluble adrenal glycerol kinase was similar in both species, 2.8 µM in human and 3.1 µM in rat. The apparent Km for ATP in soluble human adrenal glycerol kinase was 22.0 µM. In rat the enzyme did not appear to follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics with ATP as substrate. The Vmax for the soluble enzyme was similar in both human and rat.
DNA prime/protein boost immunization against HIV clade C: Safety and immunogenicity in mice

The induction of both cellular and humoral immunity is an important goal for vaccine development against HIV. As a step towards the development of an efficacious vaccine against HIV clade C, the world's most prevalent strain, a combination DNA prime/protein boost immunization strategy was tested. A DNA expression vector was prepared encoding a codon-optimized env gene derived from a pediatric HIV clade C isolate, 1084i. Mice were immunized with HIV1084i env-encoding DNA, then boosted with homologous 1084i gp160. HIV1084i Env-specific T-cell responses were induced with DNA vaccination alone, but the strongest cellular immune responses were seen after boosting with gp160. Immunization with gp160 alone induced high-titer antibodies but required two inoculations. In contrast, high-titer antibodies were seen after a single 1084i gp160 boost in DNA-primed animals. All animals given gp160 inoculations, whether DNA primed or not, developed neutralizing antibodies reactive with HIV1084i and a macaque-passaged simian/human immunodeficiency construct, SHIV-1084ip. The results demonstrate the utility of this DNA prime/protein boost approach to generate cellular immunity, as well as neutralizing antibodies, against HIV clade C env antigens.
Circulating matrix metalloproteinase levels after ventricular septal defect repair in infants.

Background Surgery for congenital heart disease initiates a complex inflammatory response that can influence the postoperative course. However, broad integration of the cytokine and proteolytic cascades (matrix metalloproteinases: MMPs), which may contribute to postoperative outcomes, has not been performed. Methods and Results Using a low-volume (50–60 μL), high-sensitivity, multiplex approach, we serially measured a panel of cytokines (interleukins 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1β, and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor) and matrix metalloproteinases (matrix metalloproteinases 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 12, and 13) in patients (n = 9) preoperatively and after repair of ventricular septal defect. Results were correlated with outcomes such as inotropic requirement, oxygenation, and fluid balance. Serial changes in perioperative plasma levels of the cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases exhibited distinct temporal profiles. Plasma levels of interleukins 2, 8, and 10 and matrix metalloproteinase 9 peaked within 4 hours, whereas levels of matrix metalloproteinase 3 and 8 remained elevated at 24 and 48 hours after crossclamp removal. Area-under-the-curve analysis of early cytokine levels were associated with major clinical variables, including inverse correlations between early interleukin 10 levels and cumulative inotrope requirement at 48 hours ( r: −0.85; P r: −0.90; P Conclusions The unique findings of this study were that serial profiling a large array of cytokines and proteolytic enzymes after surgery for congenital heart disease can provide insight into relationships between changes in bioactive molecules to early postoperative outcomes. Specific patterns of cytokine and matrix metalloproteinase release may hold significance as biomarkers for predicting and managing the postoperative course after surgery for congenital heart disease.
Water translational motion at the bilayer interface: an NMR relaxation dispersion measurement

Nuclear magnetic relaxation rates for water protons in aqueous palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine vesicle suspensions containing different nitroxide free radical spin labels are reported as a function of magnetic field strength corresponding to proton Larmor frequencies from 10 kHz to 30 MHz. Under these conditions the water proton relaxation rate is determined by the magnetic coupling between the water protons and the paramagnetic nitroxide fixed on the phospholipid. This coupling is made time-dependent by the relative translational motion of the water proton spins past the nitroxide radical. Using theories developed by Freed and others, we interpret the NMR relaxation data in terms of localized water translational motion and find that the translational diffusion constant for water within approximately 10 A of the phospholipid surface is 6 x 10(-10) m2 s(-1) at 298 K. Similar results are obtained for three different nitroxide labels positioned at different points on the lipid. The diffusion is a thermally activated process with an activation energy only slightly higher than that for bulk water.
Simultaneous heat and mass transfer in free convection boundary layers

Expressions are derived for the heat and mass transfer coefficients for laminar free convection driven by simultaneous differences in temperature and composition for the asymptotic cases of equal Schmidt and Prandtl numbers approaching zero, equal Schmidt and Prandtl numbers approaching infinity, Schmidt number approaching infinity and Prandtl number approaching zero, and Schmidt number larger than Prandtl number and Prandtl number approaching infinity. The results are applicable for horizontal cylinders or vertical axisymmetric bodies with arbitrary body contours insofar as the approximations of boundary-layer theory are valid. The results compare favorably with existing solutions and experimental results for particular conditions.
Dermal Application of Courtship Pheromones Does Not Influence Receptivity in Female Red-Legged Salamanders (Plethodon shermani)

Abstract During courtship, adult male plethodontid salamanders transfer protein pheromones that augment female receptivity. The majority of plethodontid species apply pheromones transdermally (to the female's dorsal skin). These pheromones apparently diffuse through the skin and enter into circulation, a unique type of pheromone delivery in vertebrates. In contrast, a behavioral and physiological transition occurred in the Plethodontinae, resulting in one clade of species (Plethodon glutinosus group) that uses a different pheromone delivery mode. Males within this clade apply pheromones directly to the nares of a female, and the pheromones subsequently are detected by the vomeronasal organ. We tested whether female Red-Legged Salamanders (Plethodon shermani), despite normally detecting pheromones via the vomeronasal organ, have retained the ancestral ability to respond to pheromones delivered transdermally. We staged courtship encounters and recorded the behavior of females given either pheromones or cont...
Blood flow and O2 extraction as a function of O2 uptake in muscles composed of different fiber types.

We examined how the greater vasodilatory capacity of slow--(ST) versus fast-twitch (FT) muscles impacts the relationship between blood flow (Q ) and O2 uptake (VO2) and, consequently, the O2 extraction (a-vO2 diff.)-to-VO2 relationship. Q was measured with radiolabelled microspheres, while VO2 was calculated by the Fick principle using measurements of microvascular O2 pressure (phosphorescence quenching) at rest, low--(2.5 V) and high-intensity contractions (4.5 V) for soleus (Sol; ST, n=5), mixed-gastrocnemius (MG; FT, n=7) and white-gastrocnemius (WG; FT, n=7). The slope of the Q-to-VO2 relationship (delta Q/delta VO2] ) was not different among muscles (Sol = 5.5 +/- 0.2, MG = 6.0 +/- 0.11 and WG = 5.8 +/- 0.06; P > 0.05). In contrast, the intercept was greater (P 0.05). In addition, the a-vO2 diff.-to-VO2] relationship for Sol was shifted rightward compared to MG and WG. These data suggest that the increase in Q for a given change in VO2 is similar for slow- and fast-twitch muscles, at least for the range of metabolic rates and muscles studied herein and that a-vO2 diff. differences result from the lower resting Q in FT muscles.
Lymphatic Vessels of the Dental Pulp in Dogs

Lymphatic vessels of the pulp were traced in the teeth of dogs. At the coronal surface the lymph capillaries originated as blind beginnings in the pulp proper near the zone of Weil, whereas they are found adjacent to the odontoblastic layer on the lateral surfaces. These capillaries emptied into collecting lymph vessels that coursed apically to exit through the apical foramens to finally drain into the alveolar lymphatic vessel.
Impact of Node Negative Target Volume Delineation on Contralateral Parotid Gland Dose Sparing Using IMRT in Head and Neck Cancer

There is considerable practice variation in treatment of the node negative (N0) contralateral neck in patients with head and neck cancer. In this study, we examined the impact of N0 neck target del...
Serologic recognition of a HLA-B44(12) subgroup associated with the 44.2 specificity defined by CML.

Abstract Several investigators have reported that subdivisions of HLA-B44, which are not defined by available cytotoxic antisera, can be detected by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The present study was designed to evaluate two sera which appear to recognize a specificity on some HLA-B44 and B45 positive cells and to determine whether the specificity is correlated with one of the B44 subgroups which are defined by cell-mediated lympholysis. Serum BG1359, eluted from a placenta and serum Cutchember (a gift from Dr. Wilma Bias), were tested on a 23-member B44 positive cell panel. The panel was typed independently with CTL Q1/M3 (specificity 44.1) and CTL M3/Q1 (specificity 44.2). Cells classified as 44.2 usually typed positive with serums 1359 and Cutchember, whereas 44.1 cells usually were negative with these sera in the Amos modified cytotoxicity technique. In the 4th American workshop data, serologic reactivity correlated with B44 (r = 0.87 and 0.75) and B45 (r = 0.32 and 0.34) for serums 1359 and Cutchember, respectively. In a North Carolina population study (N = 155), specificity 1359 was detected in 37 of 53 (70%) of B44 positive individuals and in 5 of 6 B45 positive individuals. In three informative families, the 1359 private specificity segregated with B44 haplotypes. The 44.2 subgroup is in positive linkage disequilibrium with C4 and DR7 and possibly with A23, A26, and A29, whereas the 44.1 subgroup seems to be in disequilibrium with A2, Cw5, DR4, and DRw6.
Adenosine formation and myocardial energy status during graded hypoxia.

Abstract Previous studies using hypoperfusion and 2-deoxyglucose infusion have revealed a biphasic relationship between myocardial energy status and adenosine release (RADO). As energy charge ([ATP] + 1/2[ADP])/([ATP] + [ADP] + [AMP]) or phosphorylation potential ([ATP]/[ADP][Pi]) is lowered there is an initial increase in RADO, but RADO declines from peak levels during severe energy depletion. This study examined the hypothesis that the same pattern of RADO exists during graded hypoxia. Isolated guinea-pig hearts were perfused at constant flow and exposed to mild (30% O2) and severe (0% O2) hypoxia in the presence of norepinephrine (NE, 6 × 10−8 m ). Phosphorylation potential and energy charge were determined using 31P-NMR spectroscopy and adenosine release into coronary venous effluent was measured. Graded hypoxia lowered energy charge and phosphorylation potential, and raised RADO. Although severe hypoxia plus NE lowered energy charge and phosphorylation potential to levels equivalent to those associated with decreased RADO during hypoperfusion or 2-deoxyglucose treatment, RADO during severe hypoxia was greater than during mild hypoxia. HCl was infused during severe hypoxia in order to reproduce the low intracellular pH seen during hypoperfusion, but HCl increased RADO rather than decreasing it. We conclude that during hypoxia, RADO does not have a biphasic relationship to phosphorylation potential or energy charge, suggesting that the regulation of adenosine formation cannot be explained solely in terms of these variables. Furthermore, intracellular acidosis is not responsible for inhibiting RADO at low phosphorylation potential and energy charge during hypoperfusion because it has no effect on RADO during severe hypoxia.
Evaluation of the water binding properties of food hydrocolloids by physical/chemical methods and in a low fat meat emulsion

The Baumann capillary suction apparatus, the cryoscopic osmometer, and moisture sorption isotherms were used to measure the water-binding capacity (WBC) of several macromolecular food grade hydrocolloids. Although each method was able to distinguish between ingredients of different WBC's, the values obtained by the three methods were very different from each other. A significant correlation was only found between the osmometer data and the moisture sorption data at aw= 0.98, while neither method correlated with the WBC as determined by the Baumann method. The Baumann method was found to give the best prediction of a hydrocolloid's relative WBC in a low fat meat emulsion food system when compared to the typical WBC methods used for meats. Xanthan gum was found to be the best gum in retention of added water.