cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of High-Nicotine/Tar-Yield (Full-Flavor) Cigarettes and Risk for Nicotine Dependence in Nationally Representative Samples of US Smokers

INTRODUCTION The present study examines whether use of machine-estimated high-nicotine/tar-yield (full-flavor) cigarettes predicts greater risk of nicotine dependence after controlling for the influence of potential confounding factors in US nationally representative samples. METHODS Data were obtained from multiple years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Nicotine dependence was measured by (1) the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale and (2) latency to first cigarette after waking. Associations between use of high-nicotine/tar-yield cigarettes and risk for nicotine dependence were examined using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS The odds of nicotine dependence were reliably greater among users of high- compared to lower-nicotine/tar-yield cigarettes even after adjusting for sociodemographic and other smoking characteristics (Ps < .0001). This relationship was (1) generally graded across differing nicotine/tar-yield cigarettes, (2) discernible across two definitions of nicotine dependence and multiple NSDUH survey years, and (3) observed among adult and adolescent smokers. CONCLUSION Use of high-nicotine/tar-yield cigarettes is associated with increased odds of nicotine dependence, a relationship that has important tobacco regulatory implications. Whether the widespread marketing and availability of high-nicotine/tar-yield cigarettes is increasing risk of nicotine dependence among US smokers warrants further research. IMPLICATIONS This study adds additional empirical evidence to the relation of machine measured high-yield cigarettes and likelihood of nicotine dependence, and draws some implications in regards to regulation.
CT-Guided Percutaneous Microwave Ablation of Tumors in the Hepatic Dome: Assessment of Efficacy and Safety

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the technique, efficacy, safety, and clinical outcomes of CT–guided microwave ablation of tumors in the hepatic dome. Materials and Methods Retrospective review was conducted of 46 consecutive patients (31 men and 15 women; mean age, 64 y) treated with CT-guided microwave ablation for hepatic-dome tumors between June 2011 and December 2014. Baseline demographics of sex, tumor diagnosis, tumor location, tumor size, and technical details were recorded. Technical success was evaluated. Treatment response was assessed per European Association for the Study of the Liver criteria. Overall success and overall survival were calculated, and complications were recorded. Results Forty-eight tumors were treated. Tumor locations included segments VIII (n = 32), VII (n = 10), and VIa (n = 6). Mean tumor size was 2.4 cm (range, 0.9–5.2 cm). Thirty-four tumors (70%) were treated following creation of artificial ascites with 0.9% normal saline solution (mean volume, 1,237 mL; range, 300–3,000 mL). The technical success rate was 100%, and the complete response rate was 94%. Overall survival rate was 73.9% over 24.7 months of follow-up. There were no major complications. Two patients experienced small, asymptomatic pneumothoraces that were aspirated at the time of the procedure and required no further treatment. Conclusions CT-guided microwave ablation of tumors in the hepatic dome is associated with a high technical success rate, high complete response rate, and low complication rate.
Genetics and Epigenetics of Eating Disorders

Two key features characterize a modern view of eating disorder etiology. First, almost all risk and protective factors, both genetic and environmental, are probabilistic, rather than deterministic. Second, the old debate pitting nature against nurture is overly simplistic. Nature and nurture represent opposite sides of the same etiological coin rather than opposing influences. Eating disorder psychopathology is a function of nature and nurture rather nature or nurture.1 Therefore, the foremost goal of current genetic research on eating disorders is to identify all loci and pathways that confer risk or protection. The key advantage of genetic studies is that causation can be inferred because exposure to the genetic risk factor begins at conception and before disease onset.2 The second goal is to discover the pathophysiology underlying eating disorder development. The third is to use identified loci to inform prevention and treatment approaches.
Microtia reconstruction: an update.

Reconstruction of the microtic ear remains one of the most challenging procedures encountered by the reconstructive surgeon. The use of autogenous rib cartilage continues to be the gold standard for microtia repair. Numerous refinements and modifications in the original technique described by Tanzer
In situ tunable g factor for a single electron confined inside an InAs quantum dot molecule

Tailoring the properties of single spins confined in self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) is critical to the development of new optoelectronic logic devices. However, the range of heterostructure engineering techniques that can be used to control spin properties is severely limited by the requirements of QD self-assembly. We demonstrate a new strategy for rationally engineering the spin properties of single confined electrons or holes by adjusting the composition of the barrier between a stacked pair of InAs QDs coupled by coherent tunneling to form a quantum dot molecule (QDM). We demonstrate this strategy by designing, fabricating, and characterizing a QDM in which the $g$-factor for a single confined electron can be tuned in situ by over 50$%$ with a minimal change in applied voltage.
The Interaction of Bulk Defects with Surface Reconstructions

It is demonstrated by ultra-high vacuum transmission electron microscopy that subsurface dislocations and stacking faults strongly interact with the Au (001) (5×n) surface reconstruction. This effect is found in both bulk single crystal and thin film samples.
Stimulation of renin secretion by ethacrynic acid is independent of Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl- cotransport

This study investigated the cellular mechanism of stimulation of renin secretion by the loop diuretic ethacrynic acid (EA) in rabbit renal cortical slices. The diuretic rapidly stimulated renin secretion reversibly and in a concentration-dependent manner. The stimulation was independent of the presence of Na+, Cl-, Ca2+, or other loop diuretics (furosemide and bumetanide) in the incubation media, suggesting that the stimulation in vitro was not dependent on the inhibitory effect of the diuretic on Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl-cotransport. The findings do not support the macula densa hypothesis. The stimulation by the diuretic was prevented and reversed by thiols such as cysteine and dithiothreitol, which also prevented and reversed the stimulation of renin secretion by the nondiuretic sulfhydryl reagent P-chloromercuriphenyl-sulfonate (PCMPS). These results suggest that EA stimulates renin secretion in vitro via reversible chemical reactions with specific membrane sulfhydryl groups that may have no functional role in the Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl- cotransport.
The effect of multi-sensory cues on performance and experience during walking in immersive virtual environments

To examine the effects of multi-sensory cues during non-fatiguing walking in immersive virtual environments, we selected sensory cues including movement wind, directional wind, footstep vibration, and footstep sounds, and investigated their influence and interaction with each other. We developed a virtual reality system with non-fatiguing walking interaction and low-latency, multi-sensory feedback, and used it to conduct two successive experiments measuring user experience and performance through a triangle-completion task. We noticed some positive effects due to the addition of footstep vibration on task performance, and saw significant improvement in reported user experience due to the added wind and vibration cues.
Effects of geometric factors and shear band patterns on notch sensitivity in bulk metallic glasses

Abstract Recent experiments in notched bulk metallic glasses have found reduced, or insensitive, or improved strengths, while in many of these cases the ductile strain prior to final failure is enhanced. First, although the inverse notch effect is explained by a shift from shear localization to cavitation failure, it is suggested in this work that the synergistic effect between cohesive fracture at the notched area and shear bands emanating from the notch roots may extend the parametric space for the notch insensitive behavior. Second, the dependence of shear band patterns on notch geometric factors is determined by the Rudnicki-Rice theory and the free-volume-based finite element simulations. These results suggest conditions for shear band multiplication to take place and for the shear-localization-induced failure to be delayed.
On the study of parylene-N for millimeter-wave integrated circuits

In this work Parylene-N is investigated as a passivation layer for microwave and millimeter-wave integrated circuits (MMIC). The electrical and mechanical properties of this material show great potential for various applications in integrated circuits especially at higher frequencies. For the first time, Parylene-N has been used as a passivation layer on different test structures and their performance is studied up to 40GHz. The measurement results obtained from ring resonators and Coplanar Waveguide (CPW) transmission lines before and after passivation show that a 10 μm thick Parylene-N layer increases the insertion loss by only a negligible amount (0.007dB/mm at 40GHz), while a 5 μm thick coating does not have any influence on the insertion loss, confirming that the loss tangent of this coating material is very low. Besides, in measuring the resonance frequencies of different ring resonators a frequency shift of less than 1% is observed with a 10 μm passivation at 40GHz, while the shift is less than 0.05% for a 5 μm thickness, indicating a very low dielectric constant. In this paper we also show the performance of a multi-layer structure using a Coplanar Waveguide (CPW) vertical transition with vias etched between two Parylene-N layers. The results demonstrate the ability to use this flexible material as a low loss multi-layer substrate for microwave frequency applications. Finally a humidity study is performed by employing an array of dewpoint sensors with 10 μm thick Parylene-N coating. Hence the Mean Time to Failure (MTTF) under different humidity and temperature conditions is derived. Results indicate that Parylene-N is a good candidate as an encapsulant for MMIC applications.
The Gulf/2000 Project

The computer has gone through several metamorphoses since all of us began to make room for it on our desktops more than a decade ago. First it was a nimble and versatile typewriter, then a hefty number cruncher, and now it is becoming the ultimate communications device, connected by modem and telephone lines to an amorphous global network called the Internet. I eagerly invested in one of the earliest personal computers, a quaint little machine that I now realize was the research equivalent of training wheels. I also bought a modem when such devices were little more than clumsy novelties and dutifully plugged into a telephone jack, only to discover there was nothing of any significance on the other end of the line.
Abstract CN04-02: Pancreatic cancer: Deriving a model of prevention

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. However, PDAC is only the ninth most prevalent cancer, underscoring the grim prognosis in this disease. Indeed, early diagnosis in this disease has been an abject failure, as more than 80% of all patients are diagnosed with either locally advanced or distant metastatic disease, precluding surgical resection. In this brief discussion, the problem of early diagnosis will be contextualized with attention to factors specific to the biology of PDAC that have made this particularly challenging. Finally, strategies utilizing novel bench-to-bedside approaches to identify novel biomarkers and diagnostic strategies, including the measured use of genetically engineered mouse models, will be highlighted. Citation Format: Andrew D. Rhim. Pancreatic cancer: Deriving a model of prevention. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2013 Oct 27-30; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2013;6(11 Suppl): Abstract nr CN04-02.
Abstract WP261: Sex Differences in Circulating Leukocyte Subtype and Activation Following Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose: Females exhibit a more robust immune response in many disease models, yet sex differences in the inflammatory response to ischemia remain largely unexplored. We conducted flow cytometry and RNA sequencing of blood from ischemic stroke patients, with follow-up studies in mice. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that there are sex differences in the acute immune response to ischemic stroke. Methods: Patient samples were drawn at 24 hours post-stroke for flow cytometry (n=6) and RNA sequencing Analysis (n=40). For murine studies, male and ovariectomized (OVX) female animals (n=14) were subjected to 90-minute middle cerebral artery occlusion or sham surgery and sacrificed at 24 hours. Murine blood was stained for leukocyte markers and CD62L (L-selectin). Results were analyzed by student T-test and two-way ANOVA. Results: RNA sequencing revealed that 24 hours after ischemic stroke, female patients had 79 significantly upregulated genes, compared to male patients with 6 significantly upregulated genes. Human flow cytometry revealed that male stroke patients had a significantly higher percentage of monocytes (p=.026), while females had a greater percentage of CD8+ T-cells (p=.023). Murine flow cytometry showed a post-stroke increase in peripheral myeloid cells at 24 hours in male mice only (p=.0046), whereas female mice had a higher CD8/CD4 T cell ratio (p=.0027). Neutrophils from male sham animals displayed greater L-selectin positivity, with stroke-induced shedding of L-selectin seen only in males (sex/stroke p=.0266). Male monocytes and lymphocytes also displayed higher L-selectin positivity (p=.0079, p=.0004). Conclusion: These results suggest that the immune response to ischemic stroke is different in male and female patients, a phenomenon that can be recapitulated in a mouse model of experimental stroke. Female immune cells exhibit a higher level of baseline activation (reduced L-selectin expression) and post-stroke activity, which may enable a quicker and more robust response to immune challenges. Understanding sex differences in the acute immune response is crucial to developing future immunomodulatory drugs for the safe and effective treatment of ischemic stroke in both sexes.
Cigar Use Symposium: Epidemiology, Toxicant Exposure, Health and Policy Implications.

Objective Domestic cigar use has increased over the past 2 decades perhaps partially in response to cigarette restrictions and partially because cigars are used as vehicles for the delivery of marijuana. Although there is ample epidemiologic data to verify use and use patterns, there are relatively few studies that have looked at other aspects of current cigar use, advertising, toxicant exposure, and health effects. Methods Gaps in knowledge prompted a research symposium entitled Cigar Use: Epidemiology, Toxicant Exposure, Health and Policy Implications in 2016. The symposium was hosted by Battelle Memorial Institute with support from an R03 grant from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Results Multiple research recommendations emerged from the symposium, such as improvements in cigar monitoring and assessing effects of product design on toxicant delivery that are essential to making regulatory decisions. Conclusions Now that FDA has indicated that it intends to regulate cigars, significant new research on cigar characteristics, use and marketing is needed to inform tobacco regulatory policy.
Interview with Brian Kotz: Data Science at Two-Year Colleges.

Brian Kotz is Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at Montgomery College. He is a former member of the ASA/AMATYC Joint Committee and the current chair of the AMATYC Data Science Subcommittee. T...
Routine admission to step-down unit as an alternative to intensive care unit after pediatric supraglottoplasty.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the feasibility and the outcomes for step-down (SD) unit admission as an alternative to intensive care unit (ICU) admission after supraglottoplasty in the pediatric patient. Methods A review of 98 patients who underwent supraglottoplasty from 2012 to 2017 at a tertiary referral pediatric hospital was performed. An SD unit had 1-to-3 nurse-to-patient ratio with noninvasive positive pressure ventilation capability. Data variables included demographics, comorbidities, preoperative and postoperative respiratory requirements, and length of stay. Results Routine admission to SD occurred for 85% patients while 15% patients were selectively admitted to ICU due to intubation requirement or perioperative respiratory distress. In SD, noninvasive respiratory support was required for 28 (34%) patients. Three (4%) required re-intubation and ICU transfer without delay in care. Patients at high risk for requiring respiratory support after surgery have a neurologic condition (OR 7.0, 95% 2.4–20.2, p Conclusion Patients can be managed safely in a SD unit after supraglottoplasty supporting de-escalation of care. Patients with neurologic and pulmonary comorbidities may have higher respiratory needs postoperatively. Prospective studies are warranted to further optimize resource allocation.
Electrophysiology study for risk stratification in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis and abnormal cardiac imaging.

Abstract Background Abnormalities on cardiac imaging (cardiac magnetic resonance imaging [CMR] or positron emission tomography [PET]), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and electrophysiology study (EPS) all predict ventricular arrhythmias (VA) in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). We sought to assess the utility of EPS in patients with CS and abnormal cardiac imaging, focusing on those with LVEF >35%. Methods We identified all patients treated at our institution from 2000 to 2017 who: 1.) had probable or definite CS; 2.) had either late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on CMR or abnormal 18-flourodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on PET, and 3.) had undergone EPS. The primary endpoint was VA during follow up. Results Twenty five patients were included, of whom 10 (40%) had positive EPS. During a mean follow-up of 4.8 +/− 3.4 years, 11 (44%) patients had VA. The positive predictive value (PPV) of EPS for VA was 100% and the negative predictive value (NPV) of EPS for VA was 93%. Among 12 patients with LVEF >35% and no prior VA, the PPV of EPS for VA was 100% and the NPV of EPS for VA was 90%. Conclusion EPS may help with risk stratification in patients with CS and abnormal imaging, especially those without conventional indications for ICD placement. Among patients with LVEF >35% and no history of prior VA, a negative EPS has good positive and negative predictive value for future VA events.
Excess OFF-State Current in InGaAs FinFETs: Physics of the Parasitic Bipolar Effect

InGaAs FinFETs are challenged by relatively high leakage current in the OFF state. This originates from band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) at the drain end of the channel that is amplified by a parasitic bipolar effect (PBE) as a result of its floating body. In this paper, we present a simple model of the PBE in InGaAs FinFETs, which captures the key gate length and fin width dependences. Our model accounts for surface recombination at the sidewalls of the fin as well as bulk recombination at the heavily doped source. When compared with experimental results, our model suggests that fin sidewall recombination dominates in long gate length transistors and leads to an exponential gate length dependence of the current gain on the parasitic bipolar junction transistor (BJT). The model enables the extraction of the carrier diffusion length which exhibits the predicted fin width dependence. For short gate length transistors, source recombination is shown to dominate and the parasitic bipolar gain scales with the inverse of the gate length.
Sex and pedagogy influences in learning-related reorganization of brain activity

ABSTRACT Physics is a challenging academic pursuit in which university students regularly struggle to achieve success. Female students tend to perform negatively on introductory physics conceptual assessments compared to their male peers; however, active-learning classroom curricula are known to broadly improve performance on these tests. Here, we used fMRI to delineate physics-related brain activity in 107 students and probed for changes resulting from a semester of active-learning or lecture-based physics instruction. Large-scale reorganization of brain activity accompanying learning occurred in a mixed frontoparietal and default mode network. Sex differences were observed in frontoparietal, default mode, and primary visual areas before and after instruction. Regions showing significant pedagogy, sex, and time interactions were revealed during physics retrieval, suggesting the type of class students complete may influence sex differences in how students retrieve information. These results reveal potentially elucidating sex and pedagogy differences underlying the neural mechanisms supporting physics learning.
A Phase II Study of Midostaurin and 5-Azacitidine for Untreated Elderly and Unfit Patients With FLT3 Wild-type Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

Abstract Background Midostaurin, a multikinase inhibitor, is approved for treatment of FLT3-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A phase I study established that midostaurin 75 mg orally twice daily for 14 days with standard dose azacitidine was safe and tolerable in elderly patients with AML. Herein, we report the phase II expansion cohort of previously untreated elderly or unfit patients with AML. Patients and Methods Primary objectives were to further describe the toxicity profile and determine the response rate in untreated patients with AML. Patients received midostaurin 75 mg orally twice daily on days 8 to 21 in combination with intravenous azacitidine at 75 mg/m2 on days 1 to 7. Plasma inhibitory activity assay for FLT3 was performed pretreatment and on day 8 and day 15 of each cycle. Results Twenty-six patients (median age, 74 years; range, 59-85 years) with FLT3 wild-type AML were accrued. Patients received a median of 2 cycles of therapy (range, 1-10 cycles). Seven (29%) of 24 evaluable patients achieved a clinical response (4 complete response; 1 complete response with incomplete count recovery; and 2 partial response). The median overall survival was 244 days (95% confidence interval, 203-467 days). Hematologic, infectious, and gastrointestinal toxicities were comparable to similar studies. Peripheral blood FLT3 wild-type phosphorylation declined to 8% to 55% of pretreatment by day 15 of cycle 1 (7 patients) and declined with subsequent cycles ( Conclusion Multiple cycles of azacitidine and midostaurin were not well-tolerated, but persistent inhibition of FLT3 wild-type phosphorylation suggest intermittent dosing of midostaurin should be considered in future low-intensity regimens for FLT3-mutant AML.
Frontal plane dynamics of the centre of mass during quadrupedal locomotion on a split-belt treadmill.

Our previous study of cat locomotion demonstrated that lateral displacements of the centre of mass (COM) were strikingly similar to those of human walking and resembled the behaviour of an inverted...
Co-creating a Vision and Roadmap for Circular Economy in the Food and Beverages Packaging Sector

This paper describes a collaborative process engaging key stakeholders to co-create a shared vision for 2035 and a roadmap for action to support a circular economy transition in the packaging of the food and beverages sector in Portugal. Although the need to engage stakeholders is widely acknowledged, few collaborative initiatives can be found in the literature for scoping and visioning of circular economy strategies. Three main stages are broadly proposed to conduct a participatory scoping and visioning process, including the conduction of exploratory interviews and a collaborative visioning workshop supported by desk-based research. Engaging agents from across the value chain and from critical knowledge fields allowed to create a common understanding of major challenges, opportunities, and key circular strategies to implement towards a desired vision of the future. Five main areas of action were identified: innovation and research, new business models; eco-design; marketing and communication; and regulation and incentives. This work allowed to draw useful lessons for the sector: (i) there is a great potential of circularity in the food and beverages packaging sector; (ii) the engaged stakeholders have the will to continue collaborating. Regarding the proposed process: (i) a process of this nature allows the co-creation of a shared vision and the definition of a roadmap to achieve it and (ii) engaging stakeholders from all the value chain in structured discussions and collaborative exercises may contribute to promote social learning and knowledge co-creation. Some limitations can be pointed out; an important one is the dependency on stakeholders’ engagement, which could bring additional challenges when implementing a process of this nature. Although the process can be applied in different contexts and sectors, the obtained results are specific for this sector in the Portuguese context.
Simultaneous Determination of Eprinomectin, Moxidectin, Abamectin, Doramectin, and Ivermectin in Beef Liver by LC with Fluorescence Detection

Eprinomectin, moxidectin, abamectin, doramectin, and ivermectin are drugs used to control parasitic infections in both meat-producing and nonmeat-producing animals. A number of analytical methods are available to analyze these anthelmintic drugs individually. A multiresidue screening method was developed for these drugs; however, the initial attempt to derivatize eprinomectin following the method published by Merck scientists was unsuccessful because the eprinomectin derivatization reaction was temperature- and time-dependent. The optimum time and temperature for the completion of eprinomectin derivatization were 90 min and 65 degrees C, respectively, without appreciable effect on the remaining 4 drugs. Beef liver samples were fortified with 0, 25, 50, and 100 ppb mixed standards of eprinomectin, moxidectin, abamectin, doramectin, and ivermectin. Each set of 4 levels of recoveries was repeated 10 times with all 5 compounds. The average of 10 recoveries of 5 compounds at all 4 levels of fortification was > 70%; the coefficient of variation was < 20%.
Echocardiography in congenital heart disease: Preliminary observations∗☆

Abstract The rationale of using ultrasound in the diagnosis of congenital heart lesions is discussed, and our experience with 28 patients is presented. It is suggested that the echocardiogram is a safe and reliable bedside procedure that may be a useful adjunct in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with congenital cardiac abnormalities. In the presence of intra- or extracardiac shunts, the resultant state of high flow across either the mitral or tricuspid valves is reflected by a rapid velocity of valve motion on the echocardiogram. This is demonstrated in patients with patent ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect. The velocity of mitral valve motion is also increased in patients with congenital mitral regurgitation. The identification of a congenital subaortic membranous diaphragm by using ultrasound is described. The echocardiographic criteria for making this diagnosis are listed. The importance of distinguishing this lesion from idiopathic subaortic hypertrophic stenosis is emphasized. Several interesting case reports illustrating the diagnostic value of this technic are presented. It is emphasized that these are preliminary observations. The possibilities for the future are discussed.
Cell death, tissue hypoxia and the progression of heart failure

An important feature of heart failure is the progressive deterioration of left ventricular function that occurs in the absence of clinically apparent intercurrent adverse events. The mechanism or mechanisms responsible for this hemodynamic deterioration are not known. We and others have advanced the hypothesis that this hemodynamic deterioration results from progressive intrinsic contractile dysfunction of viable cardiomyocytes and/or from ongoing loss of cardiomyocytes. This review will focus on the concept of ongoing cardiac myocyte loss as a contributing factor to the progression of left ventricular dysfunction that characterizes the heart failure state. Specifically, the discussion will center on apoptosis or "programmed cell death" as a potential mediator of cardiomyocyte loss. In recent years, several studies have shown that constituent myocytes of failed explanted human hearts and hearts of animals with experimentally induced heart failure undergo apoptosis. Studies have also shown that cardiomyocyte apoptosis occurs following acute myocardial infarction, in the hypertrophied heart as well as in the aging heart; conditions frequently associated with the development of failure. While available data support the existence of myocyte apoptosis in the failing heart, lacking are studies which address the importance of myocyte apoptosis in the progression of LV dysfunction. As part of this discussion, we will address this issue and construct a case in support of a concept that the failing myocardium is subject to regional hypoxia, an abnormality that can potentially trigger cardiomyocyte apoptosis. If loss of cardiac myocytes through apoptosis can be shown to be an important contributor to the progression of heart failure, and if exact physiologic and molecular factors that trigger apoptosis in the heart can be identified, the stage will be set for the development of novel therapeutic modalities aimed at preventing, or at the very least retarding, the process of progressive ventricular dysfunction and the ultimate transition toward end-stage, intractable heart failure.
Synthesis of carbon-14, carbon-13 and deuterium labeled forms of thioacetamide and thioacetamide S-oxide

Thioacetamide (TA) is a model hepatotoxin that undergoes metabolic activation via two successive S-oxidations. The ultimate toxic metabolite thioacetamide S,S-dioxide, or its tautomer acetimidoyl sulfinic acid CH3C(NH)SO2H, then acylates lysine side chains on cellular proteins leading to cellular dysfunction or death. To identify individual target proteins, quantitate the extent of their modification and elucidate the structural details of their modification we required both radio-labeled and stable-labeled forms of TA and its intermediate metabolite thioacetamide S-oxide (TASO). The latter is stable when purified but can be difficult to isolate. Considering currently available isotopic precursors we devised and report here methods for the synthesis and isolation of TA and TASO labeled with C-14, C-13 and/or deuterium. The methods are straightforward, utilize readily available precursors and are amenable to small scale.
The Formation and Properties of Rare-Earth and Transition Metal Hydrides

Research on metal hydrides indicates that surface chemical effects and dynamic thermal properties will play major roles in the use of these materials as hydrogen fuel storage media. Various techniques have been developed to optimize the formation of metal hydride films, and near-surface analytical techniques including ion microprobe mass analysis, Auger electron spectroscopy, and proton backscattering have been used to elucidate the surface chemistry of these materials. Thermal diffusivities have been measured for hydrides of Sc, Y, Zr, and Er.
Electrophoretic behavior of aromatic-containing organic acids and the determination of selected compounds in water and soil by capillary electrophoresis

Abstract The behavior of 56 aromatic-containing organic acids (ACOAs) was obtained under free zone electrophoresis and under micellar electrokinetic chromatography using cholic acid as the micellar agent. The compound classes encompass phenoxy acid herbicides, phenylalkanoic acids, aromatic carboxylic acids, aromatic sulfonic acids, azo and other dyes, and ACOAs containing nitrogen. Seven compounds were studied with respect to extraction and cleanup from spiked water and soil at levels of 1.0 and 0.1 μg/g and 100 and 20 μg/g, respectively. A general scheme of isolation and cleanup was developed that used extraction disks and solid-phase extraction cartridges. Average recoveries for three determinations ranged from 26.5 to 98.2% with relative standard deviations ranging from 6.7 to 55%.
Excavated surgical instruments from old Cairo, Egypt.

title RIASSUNTO /title Centinaia di piccoli strumenti chirurgici sono stati reperiti durante gli scavi operati recentemente nel quartiere di al-Fustt nel vecchio Cairo. Una loro approssimata datazione risale al periodo pre-Fatimid che inizia col 969 d.C., ma con pi probabilit essi sembrano attribuibili all'VIII e IX secolo (prima del 250 d.H.). Gli strumenti venivano costruiti in gran numero dagli artigiani copti ed erano molto simili a quelli descritti nel Compendium di Paolo Aegineta (642 d.C. circa) un medico bizantino di Alessandria il cui lavoro fu tradotto in arabo alla met del IX secolo circa. Questa significativa scoperta rivela che una chirurgia altamente sviluppata fu praticata in Egitto circa due secoli prima della pubblicazione del trattato chirurgico di Abulcasis al-Zhraw (1000 d.C. circa) nella Spagna moresca. In questo articolo l'A. fa un paragone fra gli strumenti di Fustt e i ?CTRLerr type="1" mess="Doute Cars isoles avec recollage" ?pi recenti di Paolo Aegineta e i ?CTRLerr type="1" mess="Doute Cars isoles avec recollage" ?pi tardi di al-Zhraw e li discute in relazione alla critica della storia della chirurgia.
Metal-coordinated water-soluble cavitands act as C-H oxidation catalysts.

Cavitands can be smoothly derivatized by CuAAC chemistry to incorporate ligand species at the upper rim. These species can coordinate metal species in a number of different conformations, leading to self-assembly. The metal-coordination confers water solubility on the cavitands, and the iron-bound species are capable of catalytic C–H oxidations of fluorene under mild conditions.
Meteorological phenomenon called crown flash.

Gall and Graves1 described a ground observation of a sudden brightening effect around the top of an active cumulonimbus cloud. Each brightening began concurrently with a lightning stroke in the main cloud mass and rippled upward and outward during a substantial fraction of a second.
Treatment monitoring of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer using invasive circulating tumor cells (iCTCs).

Abstract Goals Contemporary management of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) uses biomarkers to monitor response to therapy. This study evaluates the role of invasive circulating tumor cells (iCTCs) in monitoring EOC treatment in comparison with serum cancer antigen 125 (CA125). Methods Molecular and microscopic analyses were used to identify seprase and CD44 as tumor progenitor (TP) markers. The iCTC flow cytometry assay was optimized using blood donated by 64 healthy donors, 49 patients with benign abdominal diseases and 123 EOC patients. Serial changes in iCTCs and CA125 were measured in 129 blood and 169 serum samples, respectively, from 31 EOC patients to assess their concordance during therapy and their relationship with risk of progressive disease (PD). Results The assay had 97% specificity and 83% sensitivity for detecting iCTCs in blood of EOC patients. iCTCs were detected in each monitoring patient (31/31, 100%) and in 110 of the 129 blood samples (85.3%). The concordance between changes in iCTCs/CA125 levels and changes in the intervals associated with no evidence of disease (NED) were markedly stronger (specificity: CA125 93.8%; iCTCs 90.6%), whereas increases in iCTCs (79.5%) were more sensitive than increases in CA125 (67.6%) to predict PD or relapse. Among the six patients who had greater than 6 measurements, iCTCs but not CA125 antedated changes in clinical status from PD to NED during and after chemotherapy and predated relapse. Conclusion Serial measurements of iCTCs could predict therapeutic responsiveness in 31 EOC patients who underwent standard taxol/carboplatin therapy.
Blood and pustule culture in pustular psoriasis.

SUMMARY Blood and pustule cultures from patients with generalized pustular psoriasis showed no growth of bacteria or of mycoplasmas. Similar negative results were obtained from patients with pustular psoriasis confined to palms and soles. The significance of some of these results is discussed.
Right precordial and posterior chest leads do not increase detection of positive response in electrocardiogram during exercise treadmill testing.

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Stochastic imaging of soil parameters to assess variability and uncertainty of crop yield estimates

Abstract Modern site-specific agriculture uses yield estimates based on estimates of soil properties in locations other than the sampling points. Techniques are needed to assess the uncertainty of these soil property estimates. Such uncertainty assessments can be based on stochastic imaging of soil parameters: a technique that consists of generating many equiprobable maps of the parameters for the same site. The objective of this study was to use stochastic imaging of the available soil water capacity (AWC) and a soybean crop model GLYCIM to simulate variability and uncertainty in crop yield estimates as related to soil sampling density and weather patterns. First, we generated an exhaustive AWC data set on a fine grid, simulated yields at the fine grid nodes, and considered the results as the `true' yield values. Then we sampled the exhaustive data set using sparse grids, and carried out stochastic imaging of AWC using genetic algorithms. We simulated yields for each image, and calculated the errors in yield estimates as the differences between the `true' yields and yields from the images. The probability distributions of the errors were used to quantify the uncertainty. The fine grid for the exhaustive dataset was 25×25 m. The sparse grids at 50×50 m and 100×100 m corresponded to typical research and commercial soil sampling densities, respectively. The simulations were repeated for three different weather patterns. Results showed that the distributions of errors in yield estimates were affected by weather pattern, and the temporal variability in yield error estimates could not be overridden by improvements in spatial variability estimates at the sparse sampling densities that we considered. A nonlinearity in the yield response to AWC caused increases in the probabilities of obtaining very small and very large errors in yield estimates. Stochastic imaging of soil properties is a desirable step to assess the efficiency of a particular sampling density to be used repeatedly over several years.
Detection of herpesvirus cervicovaginitis by a sequential Papanicolaou--immunoperoxidase technique.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection constitutes an immediate threat to the neonate of pregnant women who deliver vaginally, and thus requires a rapid, specific means of diagnosis that is easily applicable to cervicovaginal smears. We applied the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique to variously fixed, previously stained Papanicolaou smears from 60 women with HSV and 18 negative controls using an HSV-2 antibody and either diaminobenzidine (DAB) or aminoethylcarbazol (AEC) as the chromogen and Mayer's, Gill's, or Lillie-Mayer's hematoxylin as the counterstain. With Papanicolaou stain alone, there was adequate cytologic demonstration of either single cells in aggregates (11%), syncytial giant cells (40%), or both (49%) that displayed a ground-glass appearance (68%), discrete nuclear inclusions (5%), or both (28%). With the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique, 57 of the 60 HSV specimens (95%) stained moderately or strongly positive for HSV-2, as did sections of herpetic encephalitis and esophagitis. There was no false-positive staining in any of the 18 control smears revealing koilocytosis, Chlamydia, or nonspecific vaginitis. Positivity of the immunostain was more vivid and evenly dispersed throughout the cytoplasm with AEC than with DAB, but tended to wash away with alcohol-based counterstaining. In contrast, DAB was more stable, but was positive predominantly at the cell periphery and cytoplasmic processes. Lillie-Mayer's stain provided the best counterstaining for the cytologic visualization of virocytes and accompanying inflammatory and epithelial cells, which revealed a minimal degree of atypia. The fixative used had no influence on the frequency or degree of immunopositivity of virocytes, but wet fixation with 95% alcohol or Carbowax led to less background staining than Spray-Cyte®. The technique is sensitive, specific, reproducible, more cost-effective, and less time-consuming than the alternate methods of immunofluorescence, viral culture, and electron microscopy.
Let's talk about what we're watching: Parental mediation of children's television viewing

A random telephone survey of Washington state parents of children between the ages 2 and 17 assesses patterns of interaction with children regarding television viewing. The children's gender did not affect the way parents coviewed or mediated with them about television. Parent's gender, however, did matter. In addition, it was found that the ageof children had a significant effect on how parents coviewed and mediated. A linear relationship showed that coviewing decreased as children aged. A different trend was seen regarding children's age and negative mediation.
There is Nothing Lost in Translation

The idea that there is something “lost in translation” suggests that each language, each culture, has an excess appropriate to it, an excess irreducible to meaning (which, unlike this excess, can b...
Chronic Stress, Somatic and Depressive Symptoms Following Mild to Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury

Despite advances in research on symptoms, stress, and depression after traumatic brain injury, there has been limited focus on the collective relationships between neurocognitive performance, chronic stress, and somatic and depressive symptoms. Guided by our adaptation of the allostatic load theory, we examined relationships between chronic stress, somatic and depressive symptoms, and cognitive performance using the Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing cognitive battery. Only somatic symptoms and chronic stress explained variation in depressive symptoms ( R 2 = .71, P
Cellular versus humoral immunology: a century-long dispute.

Historical insight: Immunology's founding fathers argued fiercely about whether Metchnikoff's phagocytes or Ehrlich's antibodies were the most important mediators of immunity. Antibodies won out, but even after lymphocytes re-established cellular immunology, the humoralist-cellularist divide persisted.
Correlation of age changes in monoamine oxidase activity and androgen synthesis by rat testicular minced and teased-tubular preparations in vitro.

Minced and teased-tubular preparation obtained from rat testicular tissue (Holtzman strain) from animals of various ages were incubated with either pregnenolone-7α-3H and progesterone-4-14C or 5-HT-2-14C. MAO activity (EC 1.4.3.4) was estimated by the amount of 5-HIAA-2-14C that was produced from the 5-HT-2-14C. Androgen synthesis was estimated by the amount of androstenedione and testosterone that was recovered from the incubations. MAO activity, expressed on either a per mg of tissue basis or per 100 g bw basis, was high in testicular preparations from neonatal animals, was reduced in preparations from slightly older animals, was elevated during sexual development, and decreased again with advanced age (after 365 days). Androgen synthesis on either a per animal basis or a per incubation basis was low for 30-day-old rats. It was higher for 90-day-old rats, but was diminished for 410-day-old rats. Both pregnenolone and progesterone were converted to 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione and testosteron...
Density functionals for exchange and correlation energies: Exact conditions and comparison of approximations

A set of exact conditions is compiled for the purpose of developing and testing approximations for the exchange-correlation energy as a functional of the electron density. Special emphasis is placed upon recently developed density-scaling relationships. Commonly used generalized gradient approximations are compared against several of these conditions. A direct tabular comparison of these functionals (not of calculated properties) with one another is also made. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Parsing glucose entry into the brain: novel findings obtained with enzyme-based glucose biosensors.

Extracellular levels of glucose in brain tissue reflect dynamic balance between its gradient-dependent entry from arterial blood and its use for cellular metabolism. In this work, we present several sets of previously published and unpublished data obtained by using enzyme-based glucose biosensors coupled with constant-potential high-speed amperometry in freely moving rats. First, we consider basic methodological issues related to the reliability of electrochemical measurements of extracellular glucose levels in rats under physiologically relevant conditions. Second, we present data on glucose responses induced in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) by salient environmental stimuli and discuss the relationships between local neuronal activation and rapid glucose entry into brain tissue. Third, by presenting data on changes in NAc glucose induced by intravenous and intragastric glucose delivery, we discuss other mechanisms of glucose entry into the extracellular domain following changes in glucose blood concentrat...
Novel Use of the Capio Urethral Anastomotic Suturing Device: A 50-Case Assessment

Objective: Robotic laparoscopic assisted prostatectomy (RALP) has become the predominant technique for prostatectomy despite significant expense and no robust evi