cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optogenetic Control of Molecular Motors and Organelle Distributions in Cells

Organelle transport and distribution plays important roles in various cellular activities, including intracellular signaling, cell polarization, cell survival and apoptosis. However, establishing a direct link between organelle distribution and cellular functions is hindered by the lack of means to manipulate molecular motors in the complex intracellular environment. Here, we provide an optogenetic method to control the transport and distribution of organelles by light. This is achieved by optically recruiting molecular motors onto organelles through the heterodimerization of Arabidopsis thaliana cryptochrome 2 (CRY2) with its interacting partner CIB1. Upon exposure to blue light, CRY2 and CIB1 dimerize within subseconds, which requires no exogenous ligands and low intensity of light. We demonstrate that organelles, including mitochondria, peroxisomes, and lysosomes, can be driven toward the cell periphery or the cell nucleus upon recruitment of specific molecular motors. Light-induced motor recruitment and organelle movements are repeatable, reversible, and can be achieved at subcellular regions. This optogenetic strategy provides a valuable tool to unveil the roles of distributions of various organelles in cellular functions in living cells.
Misusing church brands: problems with the ownership and management of denominational brand imagery in the United Methodist Church

Trademarked images frequently play an important role in helping contemporary religious institutions establish and maintain a visual identity for their brands. But, these images and the subsequent d...
Motion – Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication Is More Cost-Effective than Oral PPI Administration: Arguments against the Motion

Discussion of the cost effectiveness of medical and surgical treatments of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is plagued by a number of logical fallacies. Several of these defects in reasoning are reviewed. For example, it is inappropriate to compare the costs of therapies unless they are equally effective. The relative cost effectiveness of various treatment options is difficult to determine because monetary expenditures and gains in health status cannot easily be measured in commensurate units. Not everything can be translated into incremental cost effectiveness ratios. Two decision analyses from European investigators seemed to show that Nissen fundoplication was more cost effective than long term acid-suppression therapy, but they failed to consider the costs of surgical complications and failures. The most comprehensive decision analysis, employing a Markov chain model, found that the two treatment options were roughly equivalent, at least during the first seven years of follow-up. Decision analyses often do not reflect actual practice patterns and cannot provide solutions to problems that cannot be solved by appropriate medical reasoning. Moreover, results that are reported by specialized surgical centres probably cannot be duplicated by less experienced surgeons. The increasing incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has been erroneously attributed to the use of potent acid-suppressant medications, but the actual cause has been shown to be the decreased prevalence of Helicobacter pylori. There are no significant differences in the incidence of this tumour after medical or surgical therapy of GERD. It is unlikely, however, that arguments will convince proponents of one treatment or another to change their opinions.
Decoherence in crystal lattice quantum computation

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quantum computation in a crystal lattice holds more promise for scalability than its solution NMR counterpart, but dephasing is a severe concern. Pulse sequence refocusing can help bring the qubit dephasing time closer to the limit of the intrinsic decoherence time, but the intrinsic transverse relaxation time (T2) and the longitudinal relaxation time (T1) of the crystal must be sufficiently long for a successful implementation. We discuss these time scales and their relation to parameters relevant to quantum computation for several crystal types, discussing in detail the examples of CaF2, MnF2, and CeP. Included in the calculation of coherence times for CeP is the development of spin-wave spectra in a type-1 antiferromagnetic FCC lattice.
The AuSn phase diagram

Abstract The gold-rich side of the AuSn system has been examined using differential thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and electron probe microanalysis. The presence of three intermetallic phases, β, ζ and ζ ′ , between gold and AuSn has been verified, although the composition ranges reported here are significantly different from those of previous studies. The resulting proposed AuSn phase diagram contains six intermetallic compounds and seven invariant reactions. Within the gold-rich region of the diagram there are four invariant reactions that occur: peritectics at 532 and 521 °C, a eutectic at 280 °C and a peritectoid at 190 °C, below which ζ ′ is stable. The solubility range of tin in the ζ phase at 280 °C is 9.5–17.6 at. % Sn and in the β phase is 8.25–9.11 at.% Sn at the same temperature.
THE SENSE OF TASTE AND BEHAVIOR

ABSTRACT This paper describes how the sense of taste controls appetitive and instrumental behavior but also that behavioral methods can reveal how animals perceive taste stimuli. Such methods permit direct comparison of animal psychophysics with sensory electrophysiology in the same organism. The behavioral classification of qualities according to the basic taste stimuli corresponds very well with that derived from the electrophysiological best-stimulus fiber designation in rats and hamsters. Taste stimuli not only elicit preference and aversion behaviors; with appropriate training schedules they can reinforce learning of a variety of instrumental responses. Neurological experiments are described showing that the oro-mimetic components of the sweet preference are organized in the ponto-bulbar lower brainstem and are present in chronic decerebrate mammals. These response patterns, normally present at birth, can be modified in normals by learning but not in chronic decerebrates. The sense of taste is uniquely suited for analyzing the role of sensory stimuli in motivation and learning, in sensory affect and hedonic processes, as well as its sensory physiology.
Draft Genome Sequence of Enterobacter sp. Strain OLF, a Colonizer of Olive Flies.

ABSTRACT Enterobacter sp. strain OLF colonizes laboratory-reared and wild individuals of the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae. The 5.07-kbp genome sequence of Enterobacter sp. strain OLF encodes metabolic pathways that allow the bacterium to partially supplement the diet of the olive fly when its dominant endosymbiont, Erwinia dacicola, is absent.
Prehospital sepsis alert notification decreases time to initiation of CMS sepsis core measures

Abstract Objective To determine if prehospital identification of sepsis will affect time to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) sepsis core measures and improve clinical outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study among septic patients who were identified as “sepsis alerts” in the emergency department (ED). Metrics including time from ED registration to fluid resuscitation, blood cultures, serum lactate draws, and antibiotics administration were compared between those who had pre-arrival notification by EMS versus those that did not. Additionally, outcomes such as mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were recorded. Results Of the 272 total patients, 162 had pre-arrival notification (prehospital sepsis alerts) and 110 did not. The prehospital sepsis alert group had significantly lower times to intravenous fluid administration (6 min 95%CI 4–9 min vs 41 min 95%CI 24–58 min, p Conclusions Prehospital sepsis alert notification may decrease time to specific metrics shown to improve outcomes in sepsis.
Optimal promising zone designs.

Clinical trials with adaptive sample size reassessment based on an unblinded analysis of interim results are perhaps the most popular class of adaptive designs (see Elsaser et al., 2007). Such trials are typically designed by prespecifying a zone for the interim test statistic, termed the promising zone, along with a decision rule for increasing the sample size within that zone. Mehta and Pocock (2011) provided some examples of promising zone designs and discussed several procedures for controlling their type-1 error. They did not, however, address how to choose the promising zone or the corresponding sample size reassessment rule, and proposed instead that the operating characteristics of alternative promising zone designs could be compared by simulation. Jennison and Turnbull (2015) developed an approach based on maximizing expected utility whereby one could evaluate alternative promising zone designs relative to a gold-standard optimal design. In this paper, we show how, by eliciting a few preferences from the trial sponsor, one can construct promising zone designs that are both intuitive and achieve the Jennison and Turnbull (2015) gold-standard for optimality.
Placental Development with Expected Normal Gross and Microscopic Findings

This chapter provides a brief overview to the development, normal gross and microscopic appearance of the placenta. Placental development is presented in terms of the changing microanatomy to better understand the organisation of the mature tissues. The placenta is a complex organ with divergent normal histology over time in one individual and between individuals at similar gestational age. Separating the whole into anatomic compartments facilitates placental examination. These compartments may genetically identify with the fetus or the mother. The anatomic compartments addressed in the gross and microscopic examination include the umbilical cord (fetus), the extraplacental membranes (fetus and mother), the chorionic plate and chorionic plate vasculature (fetus), the stem villi (fetus), the distal villi (fetus), the intervillous space (predominantly maternal with some fetal elements) and the basal plate with basal decidua (predominantly maternal with some fetal elements).
Critical Analysis of Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Web Sites in the United States.

PURPOSE:Prospective hematology-oncology fellowship applicants use program Web sites as a critical source of information. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current content and comprehens...
Quantitative Mutagenesis in Soybean Suspension Culture

Soybean suspension cultures were grown in side-arm flasks and shaken on a rotary shaker at 28°C. Growth rate was conveniently measured with a Klett Summerson photometer by determining the turbidity through the side-arm. Within a given range, the turbidity of the cell suspension was directly proportional to the culture density determined by direct cell counting.
Evolution in technique of robotic intracorporeal continent catheterizable pouch after cystectomy.

Introduction and Objective Robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) with intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) has become an increasingly utilized approach to treating various bladder pathologies requiring extirpation. As surgeons have become more experienced with ICUD, especially with lesser-used diversions such as continent cutaneous reservoirs, the technique has evolved. Methods We describe our technique and recent advances in the practical creation of robotic ICUD with a continent catheterizable pouch (CCP) built upon the open principles of the previously described “Indiana Pouch,” which uses the distal ileum and right colon. Modifications in anatomic mobilization and exposure, bowel segmentation using novel robotic bowel staplers, catheterizable channel creation, and addition of ileal chimney for uretero-enteric anastomoses are highlighted. The addition of the ileal chimney allows for ease of reconstruction in a fashion familiar to surgeons accustomed to performing intracorporeal ileal conduit and, therefore, may result in lower ureteroenteric stricture rates. Table 1 demonstrates the supplies used intraoperatively. Use of indocyanine green to assess vascularity in bowel and ureter intraoperatively is demonstrated. The port configurations are demonstrated using the DaVinci ® Xi platform. Also described are short-term outcomes of our initial experience. Results Eleven consecutive patients (5 female) who have undergone ICUD with CCP were included. Of the eleven, seven had malignant indications (bladder or urethral cancer) while 4 were for benign causes (2 radiation cystitis, 2 interstitial cystitis). Mean blood loss was 235cc (range 100–500cc) and mean operative time was 8.5 h (range 7–13). There were no conversions to an open procedure and no patient required a blood transfusion. Hospital stay was 7.2 days on average (range 4–18) with no 30-day post-discharge readmissions. One patient had a Clavien grade 3 or greater complication at 30 days (Table 2). No urine leaks or bowel leaks were observed and no patient experienced stomal stenosis or uretero-enteric stenosis. At three months follow up, all patients were continent and satisfied with their diversion. Conclusions RARC with CCP ICUD is a safe and effective approach to bladder removal and reconstruction. As more surgeons utilize RARC, growing attention to techniques of intracorporeal reconstruction will allow further implementation of this technique to cystectomy patients. Patients with adequate renal function (glomerular filtration rate of 40 mL/min or greater) and hepatic function, who understand the requirement for regular clean-intermittent-catheterization and who possess mental acuity and manual dexterity to empty their pouch 4–6 times daily should be offered CCP ICUD as a reconstructive option following RARC.
Assessing Student Competencies in Antibiotic Stewardship and Patient Counseling.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Antibiotic misuse contributes to antibiotic resistance and is a growing public health threat in the United States and globally. Professional medical societies promote antibiotic stewardship education for medical students, ideally before inappropriate practice habits form. To our knowledge, no tools exist to assess medical student competency in antibiotic stewardship and the communication skills necessary to engage patients in this endeavor. The aim of this study was to develop a novel instrument to measure medical students' communication skills and competency in antibiotic stewardship and patient counseling. METHODS We created and pilot tested a novel instrument to assess student competencies in contextual knowledge and communication skills about antibiotic stewardship with standardized patients (SP). Students from two institutions (N=178; Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University) participated in an observed, structured clinical encounter during which SPs trained in the use of the instrument assessed student performance using the novel instrument. RESULTS In ranking examinee instrument scores, Cronbach α was 0.64 (95% CI: 0.53 to 0.74) at Einstein and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.60 to 0.79) at Brown, both within a commonly accepted range for estimating reliability. Global ratings and instrument scores were positively correlated (r=0.52, F [3, 174]=30.71, P<.001), providing evidence of concurrent validity. CONCLUSIONS Similar results at both schools supported external validity. The instrument performed reliably at both institutions under different examination conditions, providing evidence for the validity and utility of this instrument in assessing medical students' skills related to antibiotic stewardship.
Potassium Fertilizer Recommendations for Sugarcane on Florida Organic Soils

Potassium is a primary plant nutrient that is required in large amounts by sugarcane. About 74% of the 400,000 acres of Florida sugarcane is grown on organic soils in the Everglades Agricultural Area. Potassium is not a component of organic matter and virgin Histosols contain very low concentrations of K, so release of K through mineralization of organic matter in these soils is not an adequate K source for plant growth. This 7-page document presents revised potassium fertilizer recommendations for sugarcane grown on Florida organic soils along with supporting information. Written by J. Mabry McCray, and published by the UF/IFAS Agronomy Department, February 2019. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag428
Noninvasive Assessment of Cardiac Output: Accuracy and Precision of the Closed-Circuit Acetylene Rebreathing Technique for Cardiac Output Measurement

Background Accurate assessment of cardiac output is critical to the diagnosis and management of various cardiac disease states; however, clinical standards of direct Fick and thermodilution are inv...
Kohn-Sham Equations as Regularizer: Building Prior Knowledge into Machine-Learned Physics.

Including prior knowledge is important for effective machine learning models in physics and is usually achieved by explicitly adding loss terms or constraints on model architectures. Prior knowledge embedded in the physics computation itself rarely draws attention. We show that solving the Kohn-Sham equations when training neural networks for the exchange-correlation functional provides an implicit regularization that greatly improves generalization. Two separations suffice for learning the entire one-dimensional ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ dissociation curve within chemical accuracy, including the strongly correlated region. Our models also generalize to unseen types of molecules and overcome self-interaction error.
Secondary attack rates of COVID-19 in diverse contact settings, a meta-analysis.

Introduction The secondary attack rate (SAR) measures the transmissibility of an infectious agent. The reported SAR of COVID-19 varied in a broad range, and between different contact settings. Methodology We conducted a meta-analysis on the SAR of COVID-19 with adherence to the PRISMA guideline. We searched published literatures and preprints in international databases of PubMed and medRxiv, and in five major Chinese databases as of 20 April 2020, using the following search terms: ("COVID-19" and "secondary attack rate") or ("COVID-19" and "close contact"). The random effect model was chosen for pooled analyses, using R (version 3.6.3). Results A total of 1,136 references were retrieved and 18 of them remained after screening. The pooled SAR of COVID-19 was 0.07 (95%: 0.03-0.12) in general. It differed significantly between contact settings, peaking in households (0.20, 95%: 0.15-0.28), followed by in social gatherings (0.06, 95%: 0.03-0.10). The point estimates of the pooled SARs in health facilities, transports, and work/study settings were all as low as 0.01. Among all the secondary cases, the proportion of asymptomatic infections was estimated to be 0.17 (95% CI: 0.09 - 0.34). The proportion was higher in households (0.26, 95% CI: 0.12-0.56), than in other contact settings. Conclusions The transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 is much higher in households than in other scenarios. Identification of asymptomatic secondary infections should be enhanced in households.
Measuring modal delays of few-mode fibers using frequency-domain method

Abstract A simple and robust frequency-domain method for measuring modal delays of few-mode fibers is presented. The method utilizes the inverse Fourier transform of a measured complex transfer function to determine modal delays between different modes. Through proper treatments of the data, we can de-alias the signal and obtain the accurate values of the time of flights and the modal delays in the right time sequence. The method has been validated through comparing with direct time-domain measurements. A few-mode fiber supporting four modes has been studied in detail with wavelength-resolved time of flights and modal delays obtained. We also illustrate how the new measurement method can provide a way to measure the crosstalk for mode division multiplexing system. The method can be readily used for FMF measurements without obvious limitation on the number of modes involved or measurement wavelength.
HIV detection from human serum with paper-based isotachophoretic RNA extraction and reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification

The number of people living with HIV continues to increase with the current total near 38 million, of which about 26 million are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). These treatment regimens are highly effective when properly managed, requiring routine viral load monitoring to assess successful viral suppression. Efforts to expand access by decentralizing HIV nucleic acid testing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been hampered by the cost and complexity of current tests. Sample preparation of blood samples has traditionally relied on cumbersome RNA extraction methods, and it continues to be a key bottleneck for developing low-cost POC nucleic acid tests. We present a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) for extracting RNA and detecting HIV in serum, leveraging low-cost materials, simple buffers, and an electric field. We detect HIV virions and MS2 bacteriophage internal control in human serum using a novel lysis and RNase inactivation method, paper-based isotachophoresis (ITP) for RNA extraction, and duplexed reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) for nucleic acid amplification. We design a specialized ITP system to extract and concentrate RNA, while excluding harsh reagents used for lysis and RNase inactivation. We found the ITP μPAD can extract and purify 5000 HIV RNA copies per mL of serum. We then demonstrate detection of HIV virions and MS2 bacteriophage in human serum within 45-minutes.
Sex-Based Differences in COVID-19 Outcomes.

Background: Smaller studies suggest lower morbidity and mortality associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in women. Our aim is to assess the impact of female sex on outcomes in a large cohort of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective observational cohort study of 10,630 adult patients hospitalized with a confirmed COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction between March 1, 2020 and April 27, 2020, with follow-up conducted through June 4, 2020. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between sex and the primary outcomes, including length of stay, admission to intensive care unit (ICU), need for mechanical ventilation, pressor requirement, and all-cause mortality as well as major adverse events and in-hospital COVID-19 treatments. Results: In the multivariable analysis, women had 27% lower odds of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] = 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66-0.81; p < 0.001), 24% lower odds of ICU admission (OR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.69-0.84; p < 0.001), 26% lower odds of mechanical ventilation (OR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.66-0.82; p < 0.001), and 25% lower odds of vasopressor requirement (OR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.67-0.84; p < 0.001). Women had 34% less odds of having acute cardiac injury (OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.59-0.74; p < 0.001; n = 7,289), 16% less odds of acute kidney injury (OR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.76-0.92; p < 0.001; n = 9,840), and 27% less odds of venous thromboembolism (OR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.56-0.96; p < 0.02; c-statistic 0.85, n = 9,407). Conclusions: Female sex is associated with lower odds of in-hospital outcomes, major adverse events, and all-cause mortality. There may be protective mechanisms inherent to female sex, which explain differences in COVID-19 outcomes.
Milk and marketing of dairy productions in Samangan province: A case study in districts of Khuram-Sarbagh, Feroz-Nakhchir, and center of Samangan (Aybak), Afghanistan

In this study the status of milk and dairy production marketing in Samangan province is explained. Locking of ranchers accessing to a respondent dairy production market is the main problem focused herein. In Afghanistan illiteracy, traditional customs dominance and low economy level are the major gaps somewhat nationally remained unresolved among most of ranchers. The main objective of this study is assessing the dairy productions market situation to empower the economy level of farmers. A complex method was applied in this study including observation, interview, and questionnaire. Totally 117 questionnaires were handled. Results of analyzed collected data clarify that 90% of ranchers were illiterate, dairy cattle keeping is more than other milky animals because of its lower needs to silage and land. It has been concluded that farmers of Samangan province have adequate experience of keeping and nourishing the domestic animals in order to get a noticeable income. For getting the highest income and having modernized dairy production activities, from the viewpoint of authors, gradually researches accommodating are recommended and this research findings and conclusions will contribute better designing of the future research.
Broadcast Predator Vocalizations Reduce Predation by Raccoons (Procyon lotor) on Artificial Nests of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin)

Procyon lotor (Raccoon) are a dominant predator on eggs of Malaclemys terrapin (Diamondback Terrapin), an estuarine specialist turtle endemic to saltmarshes of the eastern and gulf coasts of the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine if broadcast predator vocalizations could potentially deter Raccoons from foraging on Diamondback Terrapin eggs. We used artificial nests arrays to test 2 hypotheses: (1) predator vocalization playbacks (barking Canis lupus familiaris [Domestic Dog]) reduce number of artificial nests depredated by Raccoons compared to non-predator vocalization playbacks (Urocyon cinereoargenteus [Gray Fox]) or control treatments (no playbacks), and (2) predator vocalization playbacks reduce frequency of visits by Raccoons and overall foraging time compared to non-predator playbacks and control treatments. We randomly assigned sound treatments to each night of a 3-day trial, with 3 trials conducted at 4 experimental sites. We counted the number of depredated artificial nests and used trail cameras to document number of Raccoon visits and Raccoon foraging time following each sound treatment. On average, 51% of artificial nests were depredated in the predator vocalization treatments, 66% in the non-predator–vocalization treatments, and 81% of nests in the control treatments. Average number of Raccoon visits was about 3 times higher in the control treatment compared to the predator treatment but auditory treatment did not affect time spent foraging. Response to predator vocalization was attenuated by repeated exposure to recorded predator playbacks. Variation in type of predator vocalization, length, and frequency of playbacks may increase effectiveness of auditory deterrents on predators of Diamondback Terrapin nests.
Changing titles, changing duties : Restructuring the role of the serials librarian for an electronic future

An anticipated change in the proportion of print and electronic serial titles held at the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, coinciding with a vacancy in the Serials Librarian position, prompted Himmelfarb staff to re-examine the position's responsibilities and duties. In an effort to relieve the burden of managing an exploding number of electronic resources on the existing Electronic Resources and Instructional Librarian, electronic serials management was redistributed to the Serials Librarian. This paper discusses the environment leading to the change, the process of restructuring the position description, and the outcomes after the hire of a Print and Electronic Serials Librarian.
Association for Psychological Science (APS)

The Association of Psychological Science (APS), formerly called the American Psychological Society, was founded in 1988 by a group of scientifically oriented psychologists who had increasingly felt that their professional needs remained largely unmet by psychology's umbrella organization, the American Psychological Association (APA). From its inception, the APS has advocated for scientific psychology, including aspects directly related to clinical psychology, including training and accreditation. This entry reviews briefly the history of the organization and then highlights the association's alliance with some of the various efforts within the field to strengthen the scientific underpinnings of clinical psychology. Keywords: training; abnormal; acculturation; scientific psychology; PCSAS; ACPS; accreditation; clinical science
Disuse atrophy of skeletal muscle. A morphometric study using image analysis.

Abstract A morphometric study of disuse atrophy was done on the rat anterior tibialis muscle over a 13-day period after immobilization of the hind leg by pinning the knee and ankle joints. Cross-sectional areas of individual muscle fibers were measured using image analysis, a new and precise technique. Three types of muscle fibers, light, medium and dark, were defined using a modified myosin-ATPase reaction on cryostat-cut sections. Each of the 3 fiber types was found to show a degree and time course of atrophy unique to itself. At the 0.01 confidence level, the dark fibers (with strongest ATPase reaction) did not shrink significantly. Both the light (ATPase negative) and medium fibers did show significant atrophy at that level; the light shrinking more than the medium. Simple visualization of the light microscopic images was often found to be misleading. Thus, the need was documented for a precise technique for analysis of fiber size distribution.
The Fractional Wave Packet Transform

We introduce the concept of the Fractional Wave Packet Transform(FRWPT), based on the idea of the Fractional Fourier Transform(FRFT) and Wave Packet Transform(WPT). We show a version of the resolution of the identity and some properties of FRWPT connected with those of FRFT and WPT.
Automated, spatio-temporally controlled cell microprinting with polymeric aqueous biphasic system.

Cell printing is a promising approach to create organized constructs for tissue engineering applications. We present an automated cell printing microtechnology based on the use of an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) interfaced with a three-axis motorized system. Cells suspended in the denser aqueous dextran (DEX) phase are loaded into printing tips, which are placed onto the cartridge of the motorized system. Using a computer interface, tips are lowered in the vicinity of a biological surface maintained in the immersion, aqueous polyethylene glycol (PEG) phase to perform a horizontal motion, autonomously dispense their contents onto the surface, and retracted out of the PEG phase. The motorized ATPS technology allows precise spatial and temporal control of the printing process and supports printing fully viable cells. We conduct a systematic study and show that the resolution of ATPS-mediated cellular patterns depends on several factors including the dimensions of the printing tips, lateral speed of tips during horizontal motion, and the loaded volume of the DEX phase in the tips. The finest resolution is ∼300 µm obtained with a tip diameter of 200 µm at a printing tip speed of 16.5 mm/s. Higher speeds result in unstable DEX patterns that break into drops due to capillary instability, and thus are avoided. We also test a number of printing substrates and find that in addition to a cell monolayer, decellularized matrices can serve as a substrate for cell printing with ATPS. Using the principles from the characterization studies, we create duplex prints of cells to demonstrate the potential of this approach for spatio-temporally controlled cell placement. The ATPS printing microtechnology will be a step forward toward developing well-organized, three-dimensional tissue constructs. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 404–412. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cost-effectiveness of sofosbuvir-based treatments for chronic hepatitis C in the US

The standard care of treatment of interferon plus ribavirin (plus protease inhibitor for genotype 1) are effective in 50 % to 70 % of patients with CHC. Several new treatments including Harvoni, Olysio + Sovaldi, Viekira Pak, Sofosbuvir-based regimens characterized with potent inhibitors have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) providing more options for CHC patients. Trials have shown that the new treatments increased the rate to 80 % to 95 %, though with a substantial increase in cost. In particular, current market pricing of a 12-week course of sofosbuvir is approximately US$84,000. We determine the cost-effectiveness of new treatments in comparison with the standard care of treatments. A Markov simulation model of CHC disease progression is used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different treatment strategies based on genotype. The model calculates the expected lifetime medical costs and quality adjusted life years (QALYs) of hypothetical cohorts of identical patients receiving certain treatments. For genotype 1, we compare: (1) peginterferon + ribavirin + telaprevir for 12 weeks, followed by 12 or 24 weeks treatment of peginterferon + ribavirin dependent on HCV RNA level at week 12; (2) Harvoni treatment, 12 weeks; (3) Olysio + Sovaldi, 12 weeks for patients without cirrhosis, 24 weeks for patients with cirrhosis; (4) Viekira Pak + ribavirin, 12 weeks for patients without cirrhosis, 24 weeks for patients with cirrhosis; (5) sofosbuvir + peginterferon + ribavirin, 12 weeks for patients with or without cirrhosis. For genotypes 2 and 3, treatment strategies include: (1) peginterferon + ribavirin, 24 weeks for treatment-naive patients; (2) sofosbuvir + ribavirin, 12 weeks for patients with genotype 2, 24 weeks for genotype 3; (3) peginterferon + ribavirin as initial treatment, 24 weeks for patients with genotype 2/3, follow-up treatment with sofosbuvir + ribavirin for 12/16 weeks are performed on non-responders and relapsers. Viekira Pak is cost-effective for genotype 1 patients without cirrhosis, whereas Harvoni is cost-effective for genotype 1 patients with cirrhosis. Sofosbuvir-based treatments for genotype 1 in general are not cost-effective due to its substantial high costs. Two-phase treatments with 12-week and 16-week follow-ups are cost-effective for genotype 3 patients and for genotype 2 patients with cirrhosis. The results were shown to be robust over a broad range of parameter values through sensitivity analysis. For genotype 1, sofosbuvir-based treatments are not cost-effective compared to Viekira Pak and Harvoni, although a 30 % reduction in sofosbuvir price would change this result. Sofosbuvir + ribavirin are cost-effective as second-phase treatments following peginterferon + ribavirin initial treatment for genotypes 2 and 3. However, there is limited data on sofosbuvir-involved treatment, and the results obtained in this study must be interpreted within the model assumptions.
A new assay for fatty acid desaturation.

Abstract The enzymic formation of unsaturated fatty acids from their saturated homologs is ordinarily assayed by gas-liquid chromatography or by chromatography of the complexes formed between the olefinic acids and mercuric acetate or silver nitrate. In the present paper a rapid, sensitive assay is described. It is based on the release of tritium as tritiated water from a substrate specifically labeled at the positions to be desaturated. The method circumvents the time consuming operations (saponification, extraction, esterification, and chromatography) of the older procedures. A similar principle has been utilized for assaying aromatic hydroxylation (1). Both CoA and acyl carrier protein (ACP) fatty acid thioesters are precipitable by acid and can be collected on a Millipore filter which is conveniently attached to a syringe. The tritiated water filtrate is collected and an aliquot counted. The sensitivity of the method extends to the picomole range and is limited only by the specific activity of the substrate.
Responsible prescribing of opioids for the management of chronic pain.

The management of patients with chronic pain is a common clinical challenge. Indeed, chronic pain is often inadequately controlled in patients with cancer and in those with non-cancer chronic pain. Because of the complex nature of chronic pain, successful long-term treatment is more difficult than for acute pain. Most often acute pain is nociceptive, whereas chronic pain can be nociceptive (i.e., in response to noxious stimuli), neuropathic (i.e., initiated by a primary lesion or dysfunction in the nervous system) or mixed in origin. Opioids are the current standard of care for the treatment of moderate or severe nociceptive pain. Opioids mediate their actions by binding and activating receptors both in the peripheral nervous system and those that are found in inhibitory pain circuits that descend from the midbrain to the spinal cord dorsal horn. Opioid agonists exert a number of physiological responses including analgesia, which increases with increasing doses. The use of opioids to manage pain in patients with cancer is well accepted. The WHO step-wise algorithm for analgesic therapy based on pain severity reserves the use of opioid therapy for moderate and severe pain. The WHO algorithm has proven to be highly effective for the management of cancer pain. However, the use of opioids to treat patients with chronic non-cancer pain is controversial because of concerns about efficacy and safety, and the possibility of addiction or abuse. The results of clinical surveys and retrospective case series involving patients with non-cancer chronic pain have been inconsistent in regard to resolving these controversial issues. The oral route of drug administration is most appropriate for patients receiving opioids; although rectal, transdermal and parenteral routes of administration are used in specific situations. For continuous chronic pain, opioids should be administered around-the-clock and several long-acting formulations are available that require administration only once or twice daily. Opioid doses should be titrated according to agent-specific schedules to maximise pain relief and maintain tolerability. Adverse effects include constipation, nausea and vomiting, sedation, cognitive impairment and respiratory depression. Tolerance to the analgesic and adverse effects as well as physical dependence, which causes withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuance, may occur with opioid use. Estimates of addiction rates among patients with chronic non-cancer pain range from 3.2 to 18.9%. Successful pain treatment and symptom management is an attainable goal for the majority of patients with chronic pain. Further controlled clinical trials are needed to define the role of opioid therapy in chronic non-cancer pain, and to establish criteria for patient selection and specific treatment algorithms.
A Unified Theory of the Nonlinear Oscillations of a Cold Plasma

ABS>Nonlinear oscillations of a cold plasma are formulated in terms of systems of first-order partial differential equations having equal principal parts. The treatment is carried out for cases in which the magnetic field is zero or a constant, and in which there is only one independent spatial variable. Traveling-wave solutions are discussed. Generalized orthogonal coordinate systems are used. An approach to the case of three independent spatial variables is suggested. It is assumed that only single streaming occurs, so that all quantities are single-valued functions of Lagrangian coordinates. (T.F.H.)
USC: description of the SNAP system used for MUC-5

The SNAP information extraction system has been developed as a part of a three-year SNAP project sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The main goal of the SNAP project is to build a massively parallel computer capable of fast and accurate natural language processing [5]. Throughout the project, a parallel computer was built in the Parallel Knowledge Processing Laboratory at USC, and various software was developed to operate the machine [3]. The approach in designing SNAP was to find a knowledge representation and a reasoning paradigm useful for natural language processing which exhibits massive parallelism. We have selected marker-passing on semantic networks as a way to represent and process linguistic knowledge.
Tapped out: do people with aphasia have rhythm processing deficits?

Purpose In this study, the authors tested whether people with aphasia (PWAs) show an impaired ability to process rhythm, both in terms of perception and production. Method Two experiments were cond...
Identification of respiratory complexes I and III as mitochondrial sites of damage following exposure to ionizing radiation and nitric oxide.

In 32D cl 3 hematopoietic progenitor cells, the overexpression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD, SOD2), the enzyme normally found in mitochondria, protects against the damaging effects of ionizing radiation. In the presence of a nitric oxide donor, which exacerbates the damage, inhibition of mitochondrial function can be demonstrated to be associated with respiratory complexes I (NADH dehydrogenase) and III (cytochrome c reductase), but not II (succinate dehydrogenase), IV (cytochrome c oxidase), or V (ATP synthase). The same pattern of inhibition is observed in the case of isolated bovine heart mitochondria exposed to ionizing radiation and the nitric oxide donor. The addition of authentic peroxynitrite (ONO2(-)) to isolated mitochondria also results in damage to complexes I and III (but not II, IV, and V), as shown by assays of electron-transfer activities and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic measurements, suggesting ONO2(-) to be responsible for most of the observed radiation damage in both the cultured cell lines and isolated mitochondria. It is argued that, in general, production of ONO2(-) is an important contributor to radiation damage in biological systems and the implications of these findings in relation to possible mechanisms of oxidant-linked apoptosis are briefly considered.
Abrupt discontinuation of cycled parenteral nutrition is safe.

PURPOSE: Abrupt discontinuation of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) has been recommended but is not widely practiced because of fear of hypoglycemia. METHODS: To determine whether hormonal counterregulatory mechanisms prevent hypoglycemia, we studied 12 patients (10 with inflammatory bowel disease, of which 6 received dexamethasone) after both abrupt and tapered discontinuation of 3∶1 TPN solution in a clinical research facility. Venous blood was drawn before reduction of TPN rate in the tapered group or 15 minutes before and at abrupt discontinuation in the abrupt group and every 15 minutes for 1.5 hours. RESULTS: Glucose decreased from 152±56 (baseline) to 100±22 mg/dl 90 minutes after gradual discontinuation of TPN, compared with 135±45 to 96±15 mg/dl at 90 minutes after abrupt discontinuation, with no significant differences in mean glucose values. Mean epinephrine, norepinephrine, insulin, glucagon, growth hormone, cortisol, symptom score, and vital signs were not statistically different between the two groups. DISCUSSION: Hypoglycemia does not occur after abrupt discontinuation of TPN. The same changes in counterregulatory hormones were seen whether discontinuation was tapered or abrupt. In stable patients, TPN solutions can be abruptly discontinued.
Total synthesis of atorvastatin via a late-stage, regioselective 1,3-dipolar münchnone cycloaddition

Abstract Atorvastatin was prepared in seven steps from commercially available 4-fluorophenylacetic acid. The key 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition was conducted regioselectively using a complex munchnone which was prepared in five steps on decagram scale.
Cytokine production by human soft tissue sarcomas: implications for immunosuppression within the tumour bed

The local immune response to the presence of tumour is affected by the pattern of cytokine production within the tumour bed. The purpose of this study was to define the pattern of cytokine production in human soft tissue sarcomas, attempting to identify potential immune suppression. Total RNA was extracted from six human soft tissue sarcomas from which cDNA was generated. PCR was carried out in the presence of primer pairs for G3PDH, TGF-β1, TGF-β2, TIMF-α, INF-γ, IL-2 and IL-10. TGF-β1 and IL-10 mRIMA was detected in all tumours, however, mRNA for IL-2 and INF-γ was detected in only two out of six sarcomas. Paraffin sections were incubated with α-hu-TGF-/β1 or α-hu-IL-10 antibodies to localize protein production. TGF-β1 and IL-10 protein expression was only associated with the tumour cells. These findings suggest potential local immune suppression within the tumour bed.
Evanescent microwave probes on high-resistivity silicon and its application in characterization of semiconductors

In this article we report the design, fabrication, and characterization of very high quality factor 10 GHz microstrip resonators on high-resistivity (high-ρ) silicon substrates. Our experiments show that an external quality factor of over 13 000 can be achieved on microstripline resonators on high-ρ silicon substrates. Such a high Q factor enables integration of arrays of previously reported evanescent microwave probe (EMP) on silicon cantilever beams. We also demonstrate that electron–hole pair recombination and generation lifetimes of silicon can be conveniently measured by illuminating the resonator using a pulsed light. Alternatively, the EMP was also used to nondestructively monitor excess carrier generation and recombination process in a semiconductor placed near the two-dimensional resonator.
Implementing the boundary contour system on a multi vector processor iPSC/2 HyperCube

The boundary contour system (BCS), a massively parallel neural network model designed to perform early vision tasks, is discussed. Its tasks include boundary detection and segmentation. An arrangement of short-range competition and long-range cooperation among orientation-sensitive cells ensures a rapid, active sharpening of boundaries, including emergent boundaries (boundaries between regions which do not differ in global statistics of luminance distributions or have luminance patterns that are discontinuous or fuzzy). Patterns of activity in the BCS restrict the diffusion of activity in a complementary system called the feature contour system, which fills in features that are delineated by the BCS. The BCS is a dynamical system, not an algorithm. It is defined by an architecture of neurons and a set of differential equations that govern the neurons. Its implementation on an Intel iPSC/2 Hypercube with 16 vector processor nodes is discussed, as are the hardware used, integration techniques, data structures, memory management techniques, synchronization schemes, and other implementation issues. >
Sauerstoff‐Verzehrkathoden für die Chloralkali‐Elektrolyse

Oxygen-consuming cathodes for alkali chloride electrolysis. Considerable energy saving can be accomplished in alkali chloride electrolysis if an oxygen-consuming cathode is used in place of one liberating hydrogen. An overall cell potential saving of ca. 1 V is possible. In particular, diaphragm cells are suitable for air cathodes owing to the high purity of the catholyte. A possible altenative to the use of an in-situ air cathode is the use of hydrogen/air fuel cells, such as the phosphoric acid system of United Technologies, for electrochemical utilization of the hydrogen. The operating temperature is then 200 °C at most. The waste heat can be utilized for evaporation of, e.g., diaphragm cell caustic soda; this acid system also requires no prior air purification. However, the gain in energy is only two thirds of that accomplished with an in-situ cathode. At present, great effort is being invested in the development of favourably-priced air cathodes with long lifetimes in concentrated caustic soda; apart from platinum, numerous transition metal complexes are being tested for this purpose.
A review of electromagnetic compatibility/interference measurement methodologies

This paper presents a review summary of radiated emission and susceptibility measurement methodologies currently used for assessing the electromagnetic compatibility/interference (EMC/EMI) characteristics of electronic devices and systems. In particular, measurement methods using open sites, transverse electromagnetic (TEM) cells, reverberating chambers, and anechoic chambers are discussed, in light of their technical justifications and bases, their strengths and limitations, and interpretation of the measured results.