cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intravitreal clearance of moxifloxacin.

Results: The concentration of intravitreal moxifloxacin showed an exponential decay with a half-life of 1.72 hours. The mean vitreous concentration was 120.49 ± 49.23 µg/mL 1 hour after injection, which declined to 20.23 ± 5.85 µg/mL at 6 hours and 1.06 ± 0.81 µg/mL at 12 hours. The aqueous levels of moxifloxacin showed an exponential decay from 10 µg/mL at 1 hour after intravitreal injection to undetectable levels by 12 hours after injection. Conclusions: Moxifloxacin clearance from the vitreous is rapid and consistent with previous clearance studies of ciprofloxacin. Given that the injected dose corresponds to several times the minimum inhibitory concentration at which 90% of isolates are inhibited (MIC90) of organisms commonly involved in endophthalmitis, and that therapeutic levels are present up to 12 hours after injection, intravitreal moxifloxacin may have a role in the treatment of endophthalmitis. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 2005;103:76-83
Predicting Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say) Density and Potato Yield Loss

Third order exponential models are fit to 7 sets of Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) larval incidence data. A. predictor algorithm is developed to mimic density-related amplitude and shape changes in incidence curves. Potato Yield is related to area under the predictor curves by a linear equation. Use of the predictor to project the entire incidence curve based on a few early counts is limited by precision of the count data. This can be enhanced by using coefficent of variation and sample mean to determine proper sample size. Limitations of adult manipulation techniques for establishing larval density gradients are also discussed.
αLe phénomèna bureaucratique et le Canada français: une réponse au professeur Bakvis

. In the spring of 1978 Canadian Public Administration published an article entitled “French Canada and the ‘bureaucratic phenomenon’”. The author, Herman Bakvis, suggested that Michel Crozier's model of bureaucratic behaviour be used to study the bureaucratic behaviour of French Canadians, since the French and French Canadians appear to share important cultural traits. In his analysis of the federal public service, Bakvis overestimates the influence Prime Minister Trudeau had on the operations of the federal bureaucracy. “French Canada and the ‘Bureaucratic Phenomenon’” is historically wrong when it suggests that a link exists between France, French Canada, feudalism and the bureaucratic behaviour described by Crozier. The reverse is true: observations by de Tocqueville indicate that French centralization and feudalism are historically opposing forces.
Design of a piezoelectric-based structural health monitoring system for damage detection in composite materials

Cost-effective and reliable damage detection is critical for the utilization of composite materials. This paper presents the conclusions of an experimental and analytical survey of candidate methods for in-situ damage detection in composite structures. Experimental results are presented for the application of modal analysis and Lamb wave techniques to quasi-isotropic graphite/epoxy test specimens containing representative damage. Piezoelectric patches were used as actuators and sensors for both sets of experiments. Modal analysis methods were reliable for detecting small amounts of global damage in a simple composite structure. By comparison, Lamb wave methods were sensitive to all types of local damage present between the sensor and actuator, provided useful information about damage presence and severity, and present the possibility of estimating damage type and location. Analogous experiments were also performed for more complex built-up structures. These techniques are suitable for structural health monitoring applications since they can be applied with low power conformable sensors and can provide useful information about the state of a structure during operation. Piezoelectric patches could also be used as multipurpose sensors to detect damage by a variety of methods such as modal analysis, Lamb wave, acoustic emission and strain based methods simultaneously, by altering driving frequencies and sampling rates. This paper present guidelines and recommendations drawn from this research to assist in the design of a structural health monitoring system for a vehicle. These systems will be an important component in future designs of air and spacecraft to increase the feasibility of their missions.
Optimal multi-domain clock skew scheduling

Clock skew scheduling is an effective technique to improve the performance of sequential circuits. However, with process variations, it becomes more difficult to implement a large number of clock delays in a precise manner. Multi-domain clock skew scheduling is one way to overcome this limitation. In this paper, we prove the NP-completeness of multi-domain clock scheduling problem, and design a practical optimal algorithm to solve it. Given the domain number, we bound the number of all possible skew assignments and develop an optimal algorithm with efficient pruning techniques. Experiment results on ISCAS89 sequential benchmarks show the optimality and efficiency of our method compared with existing approaches.
Model for Origin and Distribution of Low-Temperature Geothermal Resources in Rio Grande Rift, Southern Rocky Mountain Complex: ABSTRACT

Compilations of geologic and geophysical data from the Rio Grande rift indicate numerous geothermal anomalies, a few of which have been confirmed by subsurface temperature measurements. With the exception of anomalies associated with the Jemez Mountains, and possibly those near Socorro, there is no strong evidence to indicate that the anomalies are magmatic in origin. However, there is a strong correlation between the locations where the ground water discharges from one basin to the next, and the confirmed geothermal anomalies. A ground-water flow model, based on slow flow through the deeper basin horizons, explains the magnitude and distribution of the confirmed anomalies. Ground-water flow in the model is driven by the hydraulic gradients in the basins with no closed th rmal convection cells. Regionally high heat flow heats the ground water but the anomalies are located where the hot water rises naturally at the constrictions at the southern ends of the basins. The model indicates that intermediate to low temperature geothermal fluids may be encountered by deep (3 km) drilling in the basins, although low permeabilities at these depths may restrict production of fluids. It is more economically attractive to tap the flow systems where the hot water rises naturally at the basin constrictions. Data from two 300-m wells in the Las Alturas geothermal anomaly in south-central New Mexico are consistent with the ground-water flow model and indicate that near maximum temperatures may be reached at relatively shallow depths and deeper drilling may not encounter si nificantly higher temperatures. End_of_Article - Last_Page 565------------
Contextual search and name disambiguation in email using graphs

Similarity measures for text have historically been an important tool for solving information retrieval problems. In many interesting settings, however, documents are often closely connected to other documents, as well as other non-textual objects: for instance, email messages are connected to other messages via header information. In this paper we consider extended similarity metrics for documents and other objects embedded in graphs, facilitated via a lazy graph walk. We provide a detailed instantiation of this framework for email data, where content, social networks and a timeline are integrated in a structural graph. The suggested framework is evaluated for two email-related problems: disambiguating names in email documents, and threading. We show that reranking schemes based on the graph-walk similarity measures often outperform baseline methods, and that further improvements can be obtained by use of appropriate learning methods.
Optimization of gate-to-drain separation in submicron gate-length modulation doped FET's for maximum power gain performance

This paper analyzes the effects of the separation between the gate and the drain electrodes on the high-frequency performance limitations of heterostructure MODFET's. Based on the effective gate-length and carrier velocity saturation concepts first the key small-signal equivalent network model parameters of the MODFET are calculated. The concept of open-circuit voltage gain, defined as the transconductance to output conductance ratio (g/sub m//g/sub o/), has been exploited to determine the output conductance with a knowledge of the static electric field and potential at the edge of the gate on the drain side. By treating the c/sub o//spl mu//sub n/ product as a function of the gate voltage, the drain current-voltage and transconductance characteristics have been effectively modeled for practical devices. By combining the effects of the intrinsic and parasitic equivalent network parameters this paper has determined the dependence of the g/sub m//g/sub o/ ratio, the gate capacitance to the feedback capacitance ratio, the unity current gain frequency (f/sub r/) and the maximum frequency of oscillations (f/sub max/) on the gate-to-drain separation (L/sub gd/). MODFET's based on InAlAs/InGaAs heterostructures lattice-matched to InP substrate with gate-length values of 0.25 /spl mu/m, 0.15 /spl mu/m and 0.1 /spl mu/m are considered for analyses. The optimum values of L/sub gd/ calculated are 600 /spl Aring/, 420 /spl Aring/, and 340 /spl Aring/ for the corresponding maximum f/sub max/-values of 250, 370, and 480 GHz, respectively. >
Limonoids and their anti-proliferative and anti-aromatase properties in human breast cancer cells

Lemons are a widely used citrus crop and have shown several potential health benefits. In the present study, the mechanism and effectiveness of the anti-cancer and anti-aromatase properties of limonoids were investigated for the first time. Defatted lemon (Citrus lemon L. Burm) seed powder was extracted with ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and methanol (MeOH) for 16 h each, successively. These extracts were fractionated using 1D (silica) and 2D (ion exchange and SP-70 columns) column chromatography to obtain nine limonoids. The compounds were identified by TLC, HPLC, and LC-MS techniques. A panel of 9 purified limonoids, including limonin, nomilin, obacunone, limonexic acid (LNA), isolimonexic acid (ILNA), nomilinic acid glucoside (NAG), deacetyl nomilinic acid glucoside (DNAG), limonin glucoside (LG) and obacunone glucoside (OG) as well as 4 modified compounds such as limonin methoxime (LM), limonin oxime (LO), defuran limonin (DL), and defuran nomilin (DN), were screened for their cytotoxicity on estrogen receptor (ER)-positive (MCF-7) or ER-negative (MDA-MB-231) human breast cancer cells. We further tested the mechanism of the anti-proliferative activity of limonoids using an in vitro aromatase enzyme assay and western blot with anti-caspase-7. Among the tested limonoids, 11 limonoids exhibited cytotoxicity on MCF-7 whereas 8 limonoids showed cytotoxicity against the MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Although most of the limonoids showed anti-aromatase activity, the inhibition of proliferation was not related to the anti-aromatase activity. On the other hand, the anti-proliferative activity was significantly correlated with caspase-7 activation by limonoids. Our findings indicated that the citrus limonoids may have potential for the prevention of estrogen-responsive breast cancer (MCF-7) via caspase-7 dependent pathways.
Short-term effects of fire and competition on growth and plasticity of the yellow pitcher plant, Sarracenia alata (Sarraceniaceae).

Although recurrent fires are widely assumed to reduce competitive interference of plants of pine savannas, rarely has this assumption been tested explicitly. This 2-yr study reports on the interactive effects of fire and neighbors on short-term growth responses and plasticity in allocation patterns of a carnivorous plant, the yellow pitcher plant, Sarracenia alata. This species relies upon pitfall traps (pitchers) to attract and capture insects to obtain nutrients. Neighbors reduced the growth rate of individual ramet transplants (phytometers) in one but not both years of the study. The effect of neighbors on total (i.e., both above- and belowground) productivity of phytometers was not reduced by a winter fire. Neighbors had a greater effect on large plants than on small plants. Although fire did not affect the growth rate of phytometers in the short term, allocation patterns were greatly altered by both neighbors and fire. Allocation to pitchers increased at the expense of belowground organs following fire and in the absence of neighbors at the unburned site. Results of the current study suggest that adult pitcher plants may tolerate competition from neighboring vegetation by reducing allocation to costly pitchers during years without fire.
Comparative effects of single- and linear triple-site rapid bipolar pacing on atrial activation in canine models

Nonuniform conduction may cause block and/or delay, thereby providing a substrate for the onset and maintenance of reentrant atrial arrhythmias. We tested the hypothesis that linear triple-site, bi...
Kaposi varicelliform eruption in patients with autoimmune bullous dermatoses

Background Viral superinfection of skin affected by preceding dermatosis has been studied extensively in eczema and reported anecdotally in pemphigus. Little is known about its involvement and complications in patients with other immunobullous diseases. Methods To investigate clinical features and complications of viral superinfection in patients with immunobullous diseases, we performed a retrospective chart review. Results We identified 12 patients with immunobullous diseases (linear immunoglobulin A bullous dermatosis, n = 2; pemphigoid, n = 3; pemphigus, n = 7) and superinfection by herpes simplex virus 1 (n = 9) or 2 (n = 3). Complications included inpatient hospitalization for intensive management of skin lesions during viral flare (n = 6), herpes keratitis (n = 1), and death due to sepsis (n = 1). Five patients previously had a skin swab negative for herpes simplex virus polymerase chain reaction before a positive test. Nine patients were taking systemic corticosteroids or corticosteroid-sparing agents at herpetic infection; two with linear immunoglobulin A bullous dermatosis and one with a new diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris had not. Conclusions Viral superinfection is a potentially serious complication in patients with immunobullous diseases. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for this phenomenon, even when patients are not otherwise immunosuppressed or when previous viral skin assays have been negative.
Multiconfiguration multihop protocols (MMPs): a new class of protocols for packet-switched WDM optical networks

Wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) local-area networks based on the optical passive-star coupler have traditionally been classified as being either single-hop or multihop. A single-hop network provides a direct connection between the source and the destination of a packet during the packet transfer duration, but may require some amount of coordination between the nodes which may involve tuning of the transmitters or receivers at each node. Since the time required to tune a tunable optical transmitter or receiver may be high, a single-hop network may incur significant overhead. On the other hand, a typical multihop network requires little or no tuning, but a packet may traverse a number of intermediate nodes between the source and destination nodes. Each hop incurs additional queuing delays at each node and also increases the overall load on each link and on the network. We propose a new class of multiconfiguration multihop protocols (MMPs) which use tunable transmitters and receivers to cycle through a number of configurations which together make up. A multihop logical topology. This class of protocols offers a trade-off between the tuning required in a single-hop network and the number of hops required in a multihop network. We present a generalized framework for comparing the proposed protocols with existing single-hop and multihop protocols, and we show that these protocols may offer significant performance gains for systems with high tuning delays and a limited number of transmitters and receivers at each node.
Progress in the management of metastatic bladder cancer.

Background: Inadequate survival results from single agents in the management of advanced bladder cancer have prompted several trials involving multidrug combinations to increase response rates and survival. Methods: Since the development of the MVAC regimen (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin) and the CMV regimen (cisplatin, methotrexate, and vinblastine), other regimens have been tested. We evaluate results from regimens that include cisplatin combined with gemcitabine, paclitaxel, or docetaxel, and paclitaxel combined with gemcitabine or carboplatin. Results: Objective results observed with various new combinations are promising. Objective response (OR) rates of 41%, 59%, and 71% are reported with a regimen of gemcitabine plus cisplatin. Paclitaxel plus cisplatin produced OR rates of 65% and 72%. Conclusions: The use of combination cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens in treating patients with metastatic bladder cancer has nearly doubled median survival to 12 months, with a 3-year survival of approximately 20% to 25%. Caution must be exercised in using some of the newer regimens as survival may be inferior compared with the MVAC regimen.
From Sacrament to Contract: The Legal Transformations of the Western Family

The Western Church has, from its apostolic beginnings, offered four perspectives on marriage and the family. An ecclesiastical perspective regards the family as a religious or sacramental association, subject to the creed, code, cult, and canon law of the church community. A social perspective treats the family as a social estate, subject to the expectations and exactions of the local community and to special state laws of contract, property, and inheritance. A contractual perspective describes the family as a voluntary association, subject to the wills and preferences of the couple, their children, and their household. Hovering in the background is a naturalist perspective that treats the family as a created or natural institution, subject to the divine and natural laws of reason, conscience, and the Bible. In Voltaire's cynical phrase: "Among Christians, the family is either a little church, a little state, or a little club" blessed by God and nature. Among many Christian writers, these four perspectives are seen as complementary, for they each emphasize one aspect of marriage and the family – its religious sanction, social legitimation, voluntary formation, and natural origin, respectively. These four perspectives, however, have also come to stand in considerable tension, for they are linked to competing claims of ultimate authority over the form and function of the family – claims by the church, by the state, by family members, and by God and nature. Some of the deepest fault lines in the historical formation and the current transformations of the Western family ultimately break out from this central tension of perspective. Which perspective of the family dominates a culture, or at least prevails in an instance of dispute – the ecclesiastical, the social, the contractual, or the natural? Which authority wields preeminent, or at least peremptory, power over marriage and family questions – the church, the state, family members themselves, or God operating through one of these parties? Catholics, Protestants, and Enlightenment philosophers alike have constructed elaborate models to address these cardinal questions. Each group recognizes all four perspectives but emphasizes one of them. Catholics emphasize the religious (or sacramental) perspective of the family. Protestants emphasize the social (or covenantal) perspective. Enlightenment exponents emphasize the contractual (or privatist) perspective. In broad outline, the Catholic model dominated Western family law till the sixteenth century. From the mid-sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century, Catholic and Protestant models, in distinct and hybrid forms, dominated Western family law. In the past century, the Enlightenment model has emerged, often eclipsing Catholic and Protestant traditions of marriage and the family. The following sections take up these theological transformations of Western family law – from sacrament to social estate to contract.
Discovering Identity in Civil Procedure

This essay explores the story of Floride Norelus, an undocumented Haitian immigrant, her civil rights lawyers, and the judges who didn’t believe them. The backdrop for Norelus’s story comes out of Ariela J. Gross’s new book What Blood Won’t Tell: A History of Race on Trial in America. In What Blood Won’t Tell, Gross, an elegant historian and eloquent storyteller, enlarges an already distinguished body of work on slavery, race, and antebellum trials to investigate the changing meaning of identity in law and litigation. Bridging the study of law and culture, she constructs or rather reconstructs identity - both race and gender - from the artifacts of local knowledge expressed in social performance and scientific expertise. Gross points to two “key moments” in the twentieth century American history of racial and gender identity occurring initially when “racial identity trials shifted from more routine adjudications of ancestry to intense contests about science and performance,” and subsequently when jingoist and nativist movements ignited “efforts to define the boundaries of citizenship racially.” During these moments, she notes, the forum for the “determination” of racial identity moved to the local courthouse, “a key arena through-out the nineteenth century for struggles over identity.” At local courthouses, Gross explains, trials of racial and gender identity “reverberated through American culture.” Indeed, for Gross and others, the “cultural arena” of a courthouse and the “legal case” at stake “could fix the identity of an individual or an entire national group with a conclusiveness that was hard to overturn.” Because of its cultural import, Gross argues, “law has been a crucial institution in the process of creating racial meaning at every level.” Both trials and trial transcripts, she observes, disclose “glimpses of ordinary people’s, as well as lower-level legal actors’ understandings of legal and racial categories and of their own places in the racial hierarchy.” Race trials, Gross emphasizes, “brought to the surface conflicting understandings of identity latent in culture, and brought into confrontation everyday ways of understanding race with definitions that fit into the official, well-articulated racial ideology that supported the maintenance of slavery and post war racial hierarchy.” Witnesses, lawyers, and litigants entangled in this cultural conflict “learned to tell stories that resonated with juries” and judges; in doing so, they actively participated in “the day-to-day creation of race.” This Essay extends Gross’s historical scrutiny of identity trials to contemporary civil rights debates over the construction of race in law and litigation. The Essay is divided into three parts. Part II maps Gross’s analysis of racial identity trials, explicating her notions of racialized common sense and performance. Part III examines the trial and appellate litigation in Floride Norelus’s civil rights case. Part IV considers alternative approaches to civil rights litigation embodied in identity performance and empowerment strategies.
One-Step Simple Preparation of Catalytic Initiators for Catalyst-Transfer Kumada Polymerization: Synthesis of Defect-Free Polythiophenes

Externally initiated living catalyst-transfer polymerization based on Ni(II)-catalyzed Kumada coupling of aromatic halogen-substituted Grignard monomers is an established and highly efficient method for the controlled preparation of conjugated polymers such as polythiophenes and poly(p-phenylenes). In this contribution, we report a simple preparation of external catalytic initiators for such a polymerization based on oxidative addition between a readily available Ni(0) complex Ni(dppp)2 (where dppp is 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) and various aryl halides. As a direct challenge to previous reports and established opinion that such a reaction would be impossible, this clean and efficient oxidative addition enables simple preparation of highly reactive catalytic initiators for the catalyst-transfer polymerization. In particular, we demonstrated that polymerization of 5-halo-2-thienylmagnesium monomers initiated by these catalysts produced highly regioregular, defect-free polythiophenes and block copoly...
Application of VI Design in Urban Brand Image Construction

It overviewed the connotation and function of urban VI design,analyzed the present situation of the urban brand image development,discussed some common problems in city brand image,so as to illustrate the importance of VI design in city brand image construction.Combined with the characteristics of city,it analyzed the application of city brand image construction in the VI design by examples.On this basis,it put forward the practical significance of VI system in the construction of urban brand images.
Comparisons of Two Therapies on Retreated Smear Positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Objective To compare the efficacy of two therapies on retreated smear positive tuberculosis(TB) patients and to explore current treatment protocol.Methods A total number of 188 retreated smear positive TB cases were divided into standard and non-standard group,standard group treated with medicine of isoniazid,rifampicin,ethambutol,pyrazinamide and streptomycin while nonstandard group with isoniazid aminosalicylate,rifapentine,ethambutol,pyrazinamide and streptomycin;sputum negative conversion rate,side effects and treatment efficacy were compared with case-control-study method.Results By the end of February,May and August,the sputum negative conversion rates of non-standard group were 87.6%,88.7% and 92.8%,compared with standard group of 70.3%,76.9% and 78.0% respectively;the gastrointestinal reaction and hepatic impairment rates of non-standard group were 42.3% and 7.2% compared with standard group of 67.0% and 17.6% respectively;the excellent and total effective rates of non-standard group were 85.6% and 91.2%,compared with standard group of 68.1% and 79.1% respectively.Conclusion Method with isoniazid aminosalicylate and rifapentine for treating retreated smear positive tuberculosis is more preferable than current standard treatment protocol.
The application and effect of bibliotherapy in the perioperative health education for children patients

Objective To explore the means of health education suitable for the cognitive level of children and improve the effectiveness of health education for children patients.Methods One hundred and twenty hospitalized chidren were divided into control group and experimental group.The children in the control group received oral and written health education with handbook,while the children in the experimental group received health education by the means of billiotherapy.According to the children's age,a story book was designed and different reading means were selected,such as parent-based reading,interactive reading and self-based reading.A self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate the children and parents' attitude to the bibiltherapy.Moreover,the children and parents' mastery of knowledge related to perioperative nursing was compared between the two groups.Results 91.67% of the children liked the contents and forms of bibiotherapy,95.00% of them understood the experience of hospitalization through bibiotherapy and 93.33% of them would like to recommend the storybook to friends.The mastery of knowledge related to perioperative nursing in the experimental group was better than that of the control group.Conclusion The bibiotherapy can be a complementary means of health education for hospitalized children.It is suitable for the cognitive evel and developmental needs of children,can embody the family-centered idea of humanity nursing,and thereby to achieve the objectives of health education effectively.
The Structure of Asynchronous Parallel Algorithm for the Class of Elliptic Equations with Boundary Value Condition

On the basic of asynchronous paraller numerical solution for the MIMD computer,study how to making asynchronous paraller algorithm for the second order partial differential equations of elliptic type with boundary value condition.Making a format on difference,with special processing method to classfy that unregular boundary point,thereby achieve an award on estimation about difference equation,and all processor accomplish each sub task under autonomous operation,show a format about asynchronous paraller algorithm,and show an enough condition for the algorithm convergence finally.
Personal Computer und Industrie Computer — Einsatz und Integration im Rahmen der Produktionsautomatisierung

First a short introduction into CIM’s (Computer Integrated Manufacturing) relation to the shop floor. This includes the communication needs between the CIM components, PPS — CAD, PPS — CAM and CAD — CAM as well as those within the area of CAM. From that, specific product requirements are developed and an appropriate set of products and features to cover these requirements are presented. Based on typical application scenarios of a manufacturing shop floor an architectural solution will be established. The functions of such a system configuration and its flow of information are explained. Aspects of user benefits will close the presentation.
The utility of the MELD score in predicting mortality following liver resection for metastasis.

Abstract Background The MELD score has been demonstrated to be predictive of hepatectomy outcomes in mixed patient samples of primary and secondary liver cancers. Because MELD is a measure of hepatic dysfunction, prior conclusions may rely on the high prevalence of cirrhosis observed with primary lesions. This study aims to evaluate MELD score as a predictor of mortality and develop a risk prediction model for patients specifically undergoing hepatic metastasectomy. Methods ACS-NSQIP 2005–2013 was analyzed to select patients who had undergone liver resections for metastases. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis determined the MELD score most associated with 30-day mortality. A literature review identified variables that impact hepatectomy outcomes. Significant factors were included in a multivariable analysis (MVA). A risk calculator was derived from the final multivariable model. Results Among the 14,919 patients assessed, the mortality rate was 2.7%, and the median MELD was 7.3 (range = 34.4). A MELD of 7.24 was identified by ROC (sensitivity = 81%, specificity = 51%, c-statistic = 0.71). Of all patients above this threshold, 4.4% died at 30 days vs. 1.1% in the group ≤7.24. This faction represented 50.1% of the population but accounted for 80.3% of all deaths (p Conclusions MELD > 7.24 is an important predictor of death following hepatectomy for metastasis and may prompt a detailed assessment with the provided risk calculator. Attention to MELD in the preoperative setting will improve treatment planning and patient education prior to oncologic liver resection.
Prolactin increases mRNA encoding Na(+)-TC cotransport polypeptide and hepatic Na(+)-TC cotransport

We have shown that prolactin (Prl) increases the transhepatic transport of taurocholate (TC) in postpartum rats and following treatment of ovariectomized (Ovx) rats with ovine Prl (oPrl). The prese...
Mechanism-Based Inhibition of CYP3A4 by Podophyllotoxin: Aging of an Intermediate Is Important for in Vitro/in Vivo Correlations.

An in vitro observation of time-dependent inhibition (TDI) of metabolic enzymes often results in removing a potential drug from the drug pipeline. However, the accepted method for predicting TDIs of the important drug metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes often overestimates the drug interaction potential. Better models that take into account the complexities of the cytochrome P450 enzyme system will lead to better predictions. Herein we report the use of our previously described models for complex kinetics of podophyllotoxin. Spectral characterization of the kinetics indicates that an intermediate MI complex is formed, which slowly progresses to an essentially irreversible MI complex. The intermediate MI complex can release free enzyme during the time course of a typical 30 min TDI experiment. This slow rate of MI complex conversion results in an overprediction of the kinact value if this process is not included in the analysis of the activity versus time profile. In vitro kinetic experiments in rat liver...
Worry about recurrence in a multi-ethnic population of breast cancer survivors and their partners.

The objectives of this study are to describe racial/ethnic differences and clinical/treatment correlates of worry about recurrence and examine modifiable factors in the health care experience to reduce worry among breast cancer survivors, partners, and pairs. Women with non-metastatic breast cancer identified by the Detroit and Los Angeles SEER registries between 6/05 and 2/07 were surveyed at 9 months and 4 years. Latina and Black women were oversampled. Partners were surveyed at time 2. Worry about recurrence was regressed on sociodemographics, clinical/treatment, and modifiable factors (e.g., emotional support received by providers) among survivors, partners, and pairs. The final sample included 510 pairs. Partners reported more worry about recurrence than survivors. Compared to Whites, Latinas(os) were more likely to report worry and Blacks were less likely to report worry (all p < 0.05). Partners of survivors who received chemotherapy reported more worry (OR = 2.47 [1.45, 4.22]). Among modifiable factors, survivors and pairs who received more emotional support from providers were less likely to report worry than those survivors and pairs who did not receive such support (OR = 0.56 [0.32, 0.97]) and (OR = 0.45 [0.23,0.85]), respectively. Early identification of survivors and partners who are reporting considerable worry about recurrence can lead to targeted culturally sensitive interventions to avoid poorer outcomes. Interventions focused on health care providers offering information on risk and emotional support to survivors and partners is warranted.
A More Perfect Human: The Promise and the Peril of Modern Science

As nearly everyone appreciates, we live near the beginning of the golden age of biomedical science and technology. For the most part, we should be mightily glad that we do. We and our friends and loved ones are many times over the beneficiaries of its cures for diseases, prolongation of life, and amelioration of suffering, psychic and somatic. Since the latter third of the last century, most human beings living in technologically advanced countries have been living healthier and longer lives than even the most fortunate individuals in prior human history. Diphtheria, typhoid, and tuberculosis threaten us no longer; despite the lack of a definitive cure, half the people who are today treated for deadly cancers survive more than five years. The average Americans life expectancy at birth has increased from 47 in 1900 to 78 in 2000, and millions are now living healthily into their eighties and nineties. Thanks to basic research in neuroscience and new psychotropic drugs, the scourge of major depression and other devastating mental illnesses are finally under effective attack. We have every reason to look forward eagerly to new discoveries and new medical blessings. Every one of us should be deeply grateful for the gifts of human ingenuity and for the devoted efforts of scientists, physicians, and entrepreneurs who have used these gifts to make those benefits possible.
Exaptation of pelmatozoan oral surfaces: constructional pathways in tegmen evolution

The adoral surface of a crinoid theca has traditionally been called the tegmen, despite a wide range of morphologies; and, unfortunately, this has obscured the potential to recognize homologies between blastozoans and crinoids. With present recognition of these homologies, the constructional morphology of crinoid oral regions is explored, herein. Two major types of oral regions exist among crinoids: (1) an oral surface with the mouth exposed; and (2) a tegmen, in a restricted definition, with the mouth covered beneath solid plating. A tegmen is constructed by exaptation of oral surface plating and, commonly, other thecal plating. A pseudo-tegmen is an exaptation of aboral cup plates (i.e., radial plates). Tegmens or pseudo-tegmens evolved in all major crinoid clades at least once as an exaptation of oral surface plating. Tegmens evolved iteratively both between and within clades. In some cases, tegmen plates can be homologized with oral surface plates, but in other cases this is not apparent. Examples of tegmens that evolved many times include tegmens with an appearance of oral surface plates cemented in place; tegmens with fixed ambulacral cover plates and primary peristomial cover plates disproportionately enlarged; tegmens composed exclusively, or nearly so, of greatly enlarged primary peristomial cover plates; tegmens with tessellate plating but presumably with some flexibility; and tegmens constructed of innumerable undifferentiated plates. Most tegmens have all ambulacral cover plates fixed; but in some instances, the abaxial ambulacral cover plates remain moveable. Additionally, some lineages that possessed a tegmen evolved an oral surface secondarily, likely as an atavism. Based on this restricted definition of a tegmen, the hemicosmitid blastozoan Caryocrinites also evolved a tegmen. As known, tegmens dominated among camerate crinoids; and oral surfaces were more common among cladids, hybocrinids, disparids, flexibles, and articulates. However, oral surfaces evolved in some camerate lineages; tegmens evolved in some cladid, disparid, and articulate lineages; and pseudo-tegmens evolved in some flexible and articulate lineages.The iterative evolution of tegmens in crinoids and blastozoans is thought to be an adaptive response to cover the mouth and proximal ambulacra to protect this portion of the digestive tract from predation, scavenging, parasites, and disease causing agents.
Monitoring-as-a-service in the cloud

State monitoring is a fundamental building block for Cloud services. The demand for providing state monitoring as services (MaaS) continues to grow and is evidenced by CloudWatch from Amazon EC2, which allows cloud consumers to pay for monitoring a selection of performance metrics with coarse-grained periodical sampling of runtime states. One of the key challenges for wide deployment of MaaS is to provide better balance among a set of critical quality and performance parameters, such as accuracy, cost, scalability and customizability. This dissertation research is dedicated to innovative research and development of an elastic framework for providing state monitoring as a service (MaaS). We analyze limitations of existing techniques, systematically identify the need and the challenges at different layers of a Cloud monitoring service platform, and develop a suite of distributed monitoring techniques to support for flexible monitoring infrastructure, cost-effective state monitoring and monitoring-enhanced Cloud management. At the monitoring infrastructure layer, we develop techniques to support multi-tenancy of monitoring services by exploring cost sharing between monitoring tasks and safeguarding monitoring resource usage. To provide elasticity in monitoring, we propose techniques to allow the monitoring infrastructure to self-scale with monitoring demand. At the cost-effective state monitoring layer, we devise several new state monitoring functionalities to meet unique functional requirements in Cloud monitoring. Violation likelihood state monitoring explores the benefits of consolidating monitoring workloads by allowing utility-driven monitoring intensity tuning on individual monitoring tasks and identifying correlations between monitoring tasks. Window based state monitoring leverages distributed windows for the best monitoring accuracy and communication efficiency. Reliable state monitoring is robust to both transient and long-lasting communication issues caused by component failures or cross-VM performance interferences. At the monitoring-enhanced Cloud management layer, we devise a novel technique to learn about the performance characteristics of both Cloud infrastructure and Cloud applications from cumulative performance monitoring data to increase the cloud deployment efficiency.
Mycophenolate Mofetil Is a Suitable Substitute for Methotrexate for Graft Versus Host Disease Prevention in Myeloablative Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation with Sibling Donors

Abstract 1952 Graft versus host disease (GVHD) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) despite current prophylaxis strategies. Methotrexate (MTX) in combination with a calcineurin inhibitor is the current standard, however can lead to significant toxicity. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is successfully combined with a calcineurin inhibitor in reduced intensity HCT, but data on its use in myeloablative transplants is limited. In 2004 we reported a prospective study evaluating the use of cyclosporine (CSA) and MMF versus CSA and short course MTX following myeloablative transplantation from matched sibling donors. We found that patients in the MMF group had less mucositis and faster hematopoietic recovery, however were not able to detect significant differences in relapse or survival. These observations prompted us to look at our larger experience with MMF based regimens in myeloablative HCT. From May 2003 until April 2011, we retrospectively identified 223 adult patients who underwent myeloablative allogeneic HCT from an 8/8 HLA matched unrelated (MUD) or sibling donor (MSD). One hundred fourteen patients received a MMF-based GVHD regimen for HCT from a MSD and 109 patients received MTX-based prevention for transplantation from a MUD. The two groups were similar in patient characteristics such as age, gender, disease, disease status, and CMV status but differed in time to transplant and preparative regimen primarily due to the differences of donor type between the two groups. In regards to preparative regimen, 94 (82.5%) patients in the MMF group received cyclosphosphamide in combination with busulfan (BuCy) compared with 73 (67.0%) patients in the MTX group, (p Results from this retrospective analysis demonstrates that the use of MMF in myeloablative sibling donor transplantation results in similar outcomes with significantly less toxicity compared to MTX in unrelated donor transplantation and supports the use of MMF as a less toxic substitute for MTX in GVHD prevention for myeloablative sibling donor transplants. Given the obvious differences between sibling and unrelated donor transplants, further prospective study evaluating and comparing the use of MMF with MTX in myeloablative unrelated donor transplants are warranted. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Physiognomy: Training’s Woeful Countenance

Light heavyweight boxing champion Louis “Battling Siki” Fall from Senegal, Africa, was once one of the four or five most recognizable black men in the world. Therefore, it was not surprising when Battling Siki’s likeness was used in Gordon J. A. Hargrave’s popular 1920s sales training manual, Secrets of Selling. However, Hargrave used Louis Fall’s picture not to lionize the boxing legend but rather to train would-be salesmen on the differences between the emotional and the logical buyer. In this essay, the folk science of physiognomy—the notion that a person’s outer appearance, especially the face, could provide insight into his or her true character or personality—is explored and discussed in the context of how it shaped the training given to salesmen in the early twentieth century.
Scenarios reveal pathways to sustain future ecosystem services in an agricultural landscape

Sustaining food production, water quality, soil retention, flood, and climate regulation in agricultural landscapes is a pressing global challenge given accelerating environmental changes. Scenarios are stories about plausible futures, and scenarios can be integrated with biophysical simulation models to explore quantitatively how the future might unfold. However, few studies have incorporated a wide range of drivers (e.g., climate, land-use, management, population, human diet) in spatially explicit, process-based models to investigate spatial-temporal dynamics and relationships of a portfolio of ecosystem services. Here, we simulated nine ecosystem services (three provisioning and six regulating services) at 220 × 220 m from 2010 to 2070 under four contrasting scenarios in the 1,345-km2 Yahara Watershed (Wisconsin, USA) using Agro-IBIS, a dynamic model of terrestrial ecosystem processes, biogeochemistry, water, and energy balance. We asked (1) How does ecosystem service supply vary among alternative future scenarios? (2) Where on the landscape is the provision of ecosystem services most susceptible to future social-ecological changes? (3) Among alternative future scenarios, are relationships (i.e., trade-offs, synergies) among food production, water, and biogeochemical services consistent over time? Our results showed that food production varied substantially with future land-use choices and management, and its trade-offs with water quality and soil retention persisted under most scenarios. However, pathways to mitigate or even reverse such trade-offs through technological advances and sustainable agricultural practices were apparent. Consistent relationships among regulating services were identified across scenarios (e.g., trade-offs of freshwater supply vs. flood and climate regulation, and synergies among water quality, soil retention, and climate regulation), suggesting opportunities and challenges to sustaining these services. In particular, proactive land-use changes and management may buffer water quality against undesirable future climate changes, but changing climate may overwhelm management efforts to sustain freshwater supply and flood regulation. Spatially, changes in ecosystem services were heterogeneous across the landscape, underscoring the power of local actions and fine-scale management. Our research highlights the value of embracing spatial and temporal perspectives in managing ecosystem services and their complex interactions, and provides a system-level understanding for achieving sustainability of the food-water-climate nexus in agricultural landscapes.
Evidence-Based Treatment with Older Adults: Theory, Practice and Research.

I slipped the 275 pp. paperback into my purse and headed for the Java House to skim it and begin jotting notes for this review. Next thing I know, they are turning out the lights! I had been sittin...
Advances in mass spectrometry imaging coupled to ion mobility spectrometry for enhanced imaging of biological tissues

Tissues present complex biochemical and morphological composition associated with their various cell types and physiological functions. Mass spectrometry (MS) imaging technologies are powerful tools to investigate the molecular information from biological tissue samples and visualize their complex spatial distributions. Coupling of gas-phase ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) technologies to MS imaging has been increasingly explored to improve performance for biological tissue imaging. This approach allows improved detection of low abundance ions and separation of isobaric molecular species, thus resulting in more accurate determination of the spatial distribution of molecular ions. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the field focusing on promising applications of these technologies for metabolite, lipid and protein tissue imaging.