cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
"No-Touch" Enhancement Significantly Reduces the Risk of Infection-Related Failure in Immediate Breast Reconstruction.

PURPOSE Infection rates in prosthetic breast reconstruction after mastectomy vary widely, ranging from 1% to 35%, with meta-analyses reporting average infection rates of greater than 5%. This infection rate of greater than 5% is unfortunate for one of today's most commonly performed plastic surgical procedures. In an attempt to reduce infectious events, the author developed a "no-touch" protocol for performing breast reconstruction with tissue expanders and acellular dermis (ADM). This approach utilizes a transparent barrier drape and self-retaining retractor system patterned after similar orthopedic and urologic techniques that have proven to significantly reduce infection of implanted prostheses. Our preliminary results published in 2015 showed a significant improvement in infection rates. With this study, we assess the impact of the no-touch technique on a much larger number of patients. METHODS Institutional review board approval was granted for a retrospective study of patients who underwent immediate breast reconstruction with tissue expanders and ADM from 2010 to 2017 by the author. Reconstructions prior to the institution of a no-touch protocol in 2014 were compared with those after the enhancement was instituted. A minimum of 60 days' follow-up was used to assess surgical complications. Demographic and outcome data were analyzed. RESULTS Immediate breast reconstruction with tissue expanders and ADM was performed on 133 patients (217 breasts) from 2010 to 2017. Sixty-nine patients (113 breasts) underwent reconstruction from 2010 to 2014 utilizing the traditional technique, and 64 patients (104 breasts) underwent reconstruction from 2014 to 2017 using the new no-touch enhancement applied by the author. Patients in both groups had similar demographics and comorbidity profiles. The only other technique variable besides the addition of no-touch was the trend toward the use of larger sizes of ADM in the later group (164 vs 108 cm). The rate of infection-related reconstructive failure dropped from 11.5% (13/113) to 1.9% (2/104) (P = 0.0054) after institution of the no-touch protocol. CONCLUSIONS Institution of a specific no-touch protocol to immediate breast reconstruction with tissue expanders and ADM lowered the risk of reconstructive failure due to infection 6-fold-11.5% to 1.9%. Comparative studies from other surgeons are encouraged.
The effect of age on foal monocyte-derived dendritic cell (MoDC) maturation and function after exposure to killed bacteria

Neonatal foals are uniquely susceptible to certain infections early in life. Dendritic cells (DC) are vital in the transition between the innate and adaptive immune response to infection, but DC biology in foals is not fully characterized. Monocyte-derived DC represent a suitable in vitro model similar to DC that differentiate from monocytes recruited from circulation. We hypothesized that foal monocyte-derived DC (MoDC) would exhibit age-dependent phenotypic and functional differences compared to adult horse MoDC. MoDC generated from 9 horses (collected once) and from 8 foals (collected at 1, 7, and 30 days-of-age) were exposed to killed whole cell Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. MoDC expression of MHC class II (MHC class-II), CD86, and CD14 were measured by flow cytometry, and supernatant cytokine concentrations of IL-4, IL-17, IFN-γ, and IL-10 were quantified with a validated immunoassay. The percentage of MoDC expressing MHC class-II and CD86 was lower and CD14 was higher for cells generated from 1-day-old foals compared to cells generated from adult horses (P < 0.0001). Bacterial exposure increased the percentage of cells expressing CD86 at all ages (P < 0.0001). Bacteria-exposed MoDC from 1-day-old foals produced significantly less IL-4, IL-17, and IFN-γ than adult MoDC produced in response to bacterial exposure (P ≤ 0.04). Following bacterial exposure, foal MoDC phenotype and cytokine secretion were different than those of mature horses. These differences could reduce the ability of foals to generate a protective immune response against bacterial infection.
Complete and Unified Group Laws are not Enough for Elliptic Curve Cryptography.

We analyze four recently proposed normal forms for elliptic curves. Though these forms are mathematically appealing and exhibit some cryptographically desirable properties, they nonetheless fall short of cryptographic viability, especially when compared to various types of Edwards Curves. In this paper, we present these forms and demonstrate why they fail to measure up to the standards set by Edwards Curves.
A Differentiate Analysis for Credit Card Fraud Detection

With the swift progress of internet and electronic commerce, online money transaction has increased over time. People mostly eager to use online money transference and because of the internet is now available almost everywhere. Therefore, any attackers could be plan attacks from anywhere to forage any victim. There was various way from the previous attacks that victims became hunts by duplicate copy of the website, cards, ID numbers, rearranging provisional codes, fake documentations or signatures and so on. The genuine transaction and fraudulent transactions are almost similar, that's why it's very hard to figure out a real or fake transaction. One way could be effective if we know the behavioral pattern of card's owner. In this manner, we have introduced a Fraud Detection Engine (FDE) along with a Feature Selection Tool (FST). After gets a transaction request, FDE engine have searched for any sorts of intruder based on its key selective features. FST is one of those feature, which have used to match the cluster patterns with the requester behavioral pattern. Cluster pattern are cardholder's behavioral patterns which have trained by using of feedforward neural network. Therefore, examine all of the key features with vector analytical method or simply vector method. Proposed technique has applied from collected and previously driven on many studies datasets.
An MMT Free Lunch Mirage Can Lead to Perverse Outcomes: Fight Your Friends, Spare Your Enemies

Prominent Modern Money Theory (MMT) policy advocates often imply that progressive politicians do not need to discuss how to “pay for” important policy initiatives because sovereign money governments have no budget constraints. Some have even argued that discussing “paying for projects” is politically divisive. I argue the opposite. Implementing large programs like the Green New Deal (GND) would move the economy beyond full employment, requiring tax increases or spending cuts. Members of the progressive coalition supporting the policies would have to fight over who’s policies get implemented. This chapter explores the implications of this political struggle and political problems such as these with MMT’s approach. Some MMTers have only recently acknowledged that taxes or spending cuts would be needed to implement a GND.
Oncometabolite modification of Keap1 links GSTZ1 deficiency with cancer

Metabolic abnormalities are emerging as an active driver to the development, progression and metastasis of various tumors. In the recent issue of the EMBO Journal, Yang and colleagues identified that succinylacetone (SA) could act as an oncometabolite and that accumulation of SA activates the NRF2/IGF1R axis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. These discoveries not only yield great insights in the understanding of tumor biology, but also hold significant clinical ramifications, as these findings may pave a new way for the early diagnosis and treatment of HCC.
Short Communication: Determining the average attitude of a rigid body

Three-dimensional angular kinematics exist on the surface of a unit hypersphere, therefore the average attitude cannot always be accurately computed by averaging Cardan angles. This study derives and evaluates a method for determining average body attitude, by exploiting the singular value decomposition of the average of a set of attitude matrices. To test the method 1000 criterion attitudes were determined, and for each attitude 10 noisy attitude matrices generated. The new method and the averaging of Cardan angles extracted from the 10 noisy attitude matrices were evaluated for their ability to estimate the criterion attitude. At low attitude variance the two approaches provided equivalent results, but with increasing attitude variance levels the new procedure was superior. The method provides superior estimates of average attitude compared with averaging Cardan angles, by accounting for the geometric distribution of rigid body attitudes on the surface of a unit hypersphere.
Nutrition in the Second Half of Life

Abstract Maintaining a healthy nutritional status in older adults may be challenging. Assuring an adequate intake of both macro- and micronutrients (including fluid) may become complex when the impact of normal aging, chronic conditions, changing socioeconomic conditions, use of multiple medications and over-the-counter drugs, and functional status changes. Not all micronutrients are affected by aging, although chronic disease may be a factor in the adequacy of intake, digestion, absorption, or metabolism of various vitamins and minerals. Consideration of barriers to adequate consumption of a nutritious diet, including, but not limited to, cognitive status, oral health, deficits in sensory perception and functional status, socioeconomic factors, swallowing disorders, polypharmacy, and other changes that occur with age must all be assessed. Screening older adults for potential risks for nutrition problems is a highly recommended, cost-effective, and preventive strategy to assure that nutrition in the second half of life may contribute to successful aging.
Factors affecting 48-hour methotrexate levels following high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) in lymphoma.

e20033Background: HDMTX is an important component of lymphoma therapy due to its central nervous system penetration. Although HDMTX can be safely administered to most patients, it can cause signifi...
Effect of magnetic field and chemical potential on the RKKY interaction in the α − T 3 lattice

The interaction energy of the indirect-exchange or Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction between magnetic spins localized on lattice sites of the $\ensuremath{\alpha}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathcal{T}}_{3}$ model is calculated using linear response theory. In this model, the AB-honeycomb lattice structure is supplemented with C atoms at the centers of the hexagonal lattice. This introduces a parameter $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ for the ratio of the hopping integral from hub to rim and that around the rim of the hexagonal lattice. A valley and $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-dependent retarded Green's function matrix is used to form the susceptibility. Analytic and numerical results are obtained for undoped $\ensuremath{\alpha}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathcal{T}}_{3}$ when the chemical potential is finite and also in the presence of an applied magnetic field. We demonstrate the anisotropy of these results when the magnetic impurities are placed on the A, B, and C sublattice sites. Additionally, a comparison of the behavior of the susceptibility of $\ensuremath{\alpha}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathcal{T}}_{3}$ with graphene shows that there is a phase transition at $\ensuremath{\alpha}=0$.
Evaluation of cowpea for drought tolerance at seedling stage

Cowpea is a health-promoting diploid legume species [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp., 2n = 2x = 22]. The annual cowpea production is 5.4 million tons of dry seed globally. Despite the fact that cowpea is one of the most drought-tolerant crops, some genotypes with excellent agronomic traits such as high yield under sufficient water supplies have been reported to be highly drought-susceptible, thus still requiring the need for breeding drought-tolerant cowpea genotypes. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate drought tolerance in cowpea at seedling stage and to identify drought-tolerant cowpea genotypes. In this study, a total of 331 cowpea genotypes were evaluated for drought tolerance at seedling stage. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse and repeated 3 times. Drought tolerance phenotyping was conducted using a previously described methodology and a total of 11 traits were analyzed. The experiment was validated by the use of drought-tolerant and susceptible controls. Results showed that: (1) a large variation in the evaluated traits for drought tolerance was identified among the 331 cowpea genotypes, (2) a high correlation was found for traits such as plant greenness score and tolerance to trifoliate leaf chlorosis under drought stress (r = 0.8), whereas no linear correlation was found for traits such as tolerance to trifoliate leaf chlorosis and unifoliate leaf SPAD chlorophyll under non-drought stress (r = 0.0), (3) a total of 21 genotypes were found to be drought-tolerant across different traits, and (4) country of origins could impact drought tolerance in cowpea. The top performing genotypes were repeated using an independent experiment to further validate the data. The results from this study would be of interest in breeding programs aiming at improving drought tolerance in cowpea.
Assessment of a Novel Lens Surface Treatment for Scleral Lens Wearers With Dry Eye.

Objectives To compare lens comfort and dry eye (DE) symptoms of DE scleral lens (SL) wearers fit with polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based surface-treated and untreated SLs. Dry eye signs, comfortable SL wearing time (WT), vision quality, and lens-related ocular surface changes were also assessed. Methods Twenty-one SL wearers with DE and SL discomfort were enrolled in a double-masked crossover study. Participants were randomized to wear their untreated or PEG (Tangible Hydra-PEG, Tangible Science; Redwood, CA) surface-treated SL of the same parameters first for 30 days. Lens comfort, DE symptoms, and ocular surface assessments were measured at baseline, after the first test period, and after the crossover. Comfortable lens WT and frequency of foggy vision were recorded. Comparisons were assessed using paired t tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results Polyethylene glycol-treated SL wear resulted in significantly improved: lens comfort (P=0.003), DE symptoms (P=0.004), corneal sodium fluorescein staining (P=0.01), temporal conjunctival lissamine green staining (P=0.01), lid wiper epitheliopathy (P=0.002), conjunctival papillae (P=0.003), frequency of foggy vision (P=0.002), tear break-up time (TBUT) (P=0.01), and comfortable lens WT (P=0.002) compared with untreated wear. There were no significant changes between treated and untreated lens wear for TBUT over the SL (P=0.14) and nasal conjunctival lissamine green staining (P=0.06). Conclusions Polyethylene glycol surface-treated SLs provided improved comfort, reduced DE symptoms, and reduced ocular surface compromise compared with untreated SLs for participants with DE.
Is preprint the future of science? A thirty year journey of online preprint services.

Preprint is a version of a scientific paper that is publicly distributed preceding formal peer review. Since the launch of arXiv in 1991, preprints have been increasingly distributed over the Internet as opposed to paper copies. It allows open online access to disseminate the original research within a few days, often at a very low operating cost. This work overviews how preprint has been evolving and impacting the research community over the past thirty years alongside the growth of the Web. In this work, we first report that the number of preprints has exponentially increased 63 times in 30 years, although it only accounts for 4% of research articles. Second, we quantify the benefits that preprints bring to authors: preprints reach an audience 14 months earlier on average and associate with five times more citations compared with a non-preprint counterpart. Last, to address the quality concern of preprints, we discover that 41% of preprints are ultimately published at a peer-reviewed destination, and the published venues are as influential as papers without a preprint version. Additionally, we discuss the unprecedented role of preprints in communicating the latest research data during recent public health emergencies. In conclusion, we provide quantitative evidence to unveil the positive impact of preprints on individual researchers and the community. Preprints make scholarly communication more efficient by disseminating scientific discoveries more rapidly and widely with the aid of Web technologies. The measurements we present in this study can help researchers and policymakers make informed decisions about how to effectively use and responsibly embrace a preprint culture.
Explicit Instruction in Mathematics: Considerations for Virtual Learning:

A large number of students with and without disabilities—including students at-risk—are currently learning online through synchronous and/or asynchronous instruction. As such, it is important for e...
Evaluation of safety of switching between oral P2Y12 inhibitors: a descriptive study.

Purpose: Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor is recommended for patients with acute coronary syndrome and after percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting in stable coronary artery disease to help prevent further thromboembolic events. However, there is limited guidance on appropriate strategies for switching between oral P2Y12 inhibitors. The aim of this study was to evaluate safety of switching modalities at our institution and compare them to the recently published expert consensus recommendations. Methods: This was a retrospective, descriptive analysis of patients admitted to Brigham and Women’s Hospital from January 2015 to December 2018. Patients were included if they were at least 18 years of age and had documented administrations of two or more oral P2Y12 inhibitors during the same admission. The major safety endpoint was incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and non-coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)-related bleeding) at seven days or until hospital discharge. Minor endpoints included the incidence of in-stent thrombosis, number of patients who received appropriate loading doses (LD) before and after the recently published recommendations, and documented reason for switching between agents. Results: There were 253 patients included in the final analysis. Of these, 83 patients were on clopidogrel as the first agent prior to switching, 9 patients were on prasugrel, and 161 were on ticagrelor. There was no incidence of the primary safety endpoint observed in any group. However, the number of patients who received a LD when switching between oral P2Y12 inhibitors increased from 80.0% to 87.0% after publication of the expert consensus paper. The most common reasons for switching from one agent to another were cost/insurance coverage (19.0%), need for triple therapy (16.0%), and bleeding risk (11.0%). Conclusion: Different switching modalities were not associated with an increase in MACE at our institution; however, larger randomized controlled trials are warranted.
Homoplasmy of the m. 8993 T>G variant in a patient without MRI findings of Leigh syndrome, ataxia or retinal abnormalities

Abstract Leigh syndrome is a progressive neurodegenerative syndrome caused by multiple mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA pathological variants. Patients with Leigh syndrome consistently have distinct brain lesions found on MRI scanning involving abnormal signal in the basal ganglia, brainstem and/or cerebellum. Other clinical findings vary depending on the genetic etiology and epigenetic factors. Mitochondrial DNA-derived Leigh syndrome phenotype is thought to be modulated by heteroplasmy level. The classic example is the clinical expression of the pathological variant, m. 8993 T>G. At heteroplasmy levels above 90%, the resulting phenotype is Leigh syndrome, but at levels 70–90% patients present with a syndrome of neuropathy, ataxia and retinitis pigmentosa. We describe a 15-year old girl with homoplasmic variant in m.8993 T>G and clinical and biochemical findings consistent with Leigh syndrome but with normal brain MRI findings and without retinal abnormalities or ataxia.
Team Size and Performance: A Meta-Analytic Investigation

Scholars agree team size is a critical component of team effectiveness, but the nature of the relationship between team size and important indicators of effectiveness is unclear due to contradictor...
FcγRIIB Regulates Autoreactive Primary Antibody-Forming Cell, but Not Germinal Center B Cell, Activity

The low-affinity FcR for IgG FcgammaRIIB suppresses the development of IgG autoantibodies and autoimmune disease in normal individuals, but how this effect is mediated is incompletely understood. To investigate this issue, we created FcgammaRIIB-deficient versions of two previously described targeted BCR-transgenic lines of mice that contain follicular B cells with specificity for the hapten arsonate, but with different levels of antinuclear autoantigen reactivity. The primary development and tolerance of both types of B cells were unaltered by the absence of FcgammaRIIB. Moreover, the reduced p-azophenylarsonate-driven germinal center and memory responses characteristic of the highly autoreactive clonotype were not reversed by an intrinsic FcgammaRIIB deficiency. In contrast, the p-azophenylarsonate-driven primary Ab-forming cell responses of both clonotypes were equivalently increased by such a deficiency. In total, our data do not support the idea that FcgammaRIIB directly participates in the action of primary or germinal center tolerance checkpoints. In contrast, this receptor apparently contributes to the prevention of autoimmunity by suppressing the production of autoreactive IgGs from B cells that have breached tolerance checkpoints and entered the Ab-forming cell pathway due to spontaneous, or cross-reactive, Ag-mediated activation.
Henry George and Henry M. Hyndman, I:

Abstract. Henry George, an individualistic American reformer and economist, and Henry M. Hyndman, an English democratic Marxist, formed a tenuous alliance in 1882. It was based on their mutual advocacy of land nationalization and Irish land tenure reform. During the next few years, the tensions derived from differing weltanschauungen and from differing programmatic directions gradually weakened their mutual bond, despite a continual, but grudging, mutual personal regard.
The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain, by Gene D. Cohen

Gene Cohen, psychiatrist and gerontologist, was the founder of the National Institute on Aging and founder and director of the Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at George Washington University...
Self-interest and the Concept of Self-Sacrifice

Owing to a genral dissatisfaction with hedonistic theories of value, a number of recent discussions have sought to identify an agent's selfinterest, individual utility, or personal welfare with what the agent most wants to do, all things considered. Two features of these accounts merit special attention for the argument in this paper. First, on such accounts any desire or aversion which persists in the face of complete information is logically relevant to the determination of an agent's self interest. This includes apparently altruistic desires like a desire for another's happiness as well as more narrow and self-regarding desires like a desire to eat a good meal. Second, when the agent finds himself in a situation where he must choose between incompatible desires, his informed preference determines the act which is most in his self-interest.
Reconfigurable patch antenna on a tunable EBG substrate

In this paper, a novel microstrip patch antenna structure with frequency reconfigurability is proposed. By tuning the characteristics of the EBG substrate instead of the antenna, the resonant frequency of the patch antenna can be switched or dynamically controlled. This EBG-patch antenna structure is analyzed through 3D full-wave simulations and synthesized by a full cross-section eigenmode (FCS-EM) analysis. Full-wave EM simulation and the experimental measurement results will be discussed.
Regional Scale Transport of Fine Aerosol Constituents from Urban Air Pollution in Eastern North America

Elemental constituents, including sulfur, lead, zinc, and potassium, are often found in urban and nearby nonurban air at concentrations much greater than in the natural atmosphere and predominantly in fine particle size fractions,<2 μm aerodynamic diameter. Inasmuch as the human respiratory tract is vulnerable to damage by inhaling fine particulate matter, high concentrations of air pollutants in submicrometer aerosols are of public health concern. Measurements by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis of cascade impactor and time sequence streaker filter samples in eastern North America and over the western North Atlantic Ocean indicate regional aerosol sulfur levels often 100 times greater than the remote Southern Hemisphere average of 50-100 ng S/m3 measured using the same techniques. Patterns of concentration variation with time frequently show 10-fold fluctuations over a few hours, apparently the result of variations in chemical gas-to-particle conversion rates as well as in physical transport pathways. Air masses containing pollution sulfur, derived from fossil fuel combustion, also contain fine particle lead, zinc, potassium and other elements derived from fuel and industrial sources, and acidic or oxidative constituents which can react vigorously with the marine aerosol to volatilize chloride. The regional scale urban plume in eastern North America can be traced over more than 1000 km distance as a chemically reactive medium heavily loaded with fine aerosol pollutants.
MO-AB-207-00: ACR Update in MR, CT, Nuclear Medicine, and Mammography

A goal of an imaging accreditation program is to ensure adequate image quality, verify appropriate staff qualifications, and to assure patient and personnel safety. Currently, more than 35,000 facilities in 10 modalities have been accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR), making the ACR program one of the most prolific accreditation options in the U.S. In addition, ACR is one of the accepted accreditations required by some state laws, CMS/MIPPA insurance and others. Familiarity with the ACR accreditation process is therefore essential to clinical diagnostic medical physicists. Maintaining sufficient knowledge of the ACR program must include keeping up-to-date as the various modality requirements are refined to better serve the goals of the program and to accommodate newer technologies and practices. This session consists of presentations from authorities in four ACR accreditation modality programs, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, nuclear medicine, and mammography. Each speaker will discuss the general components of the modality program and address any recent changes to the requirements. Learning Objectives: 1. To understand the requirements of the ACR MR Accreditation program. The discussion will include accreditation of whole-body general purpose magnets, dedicated extremity systems well as breast MRI accreditation. Anticipated updates to the ACR MRI Quality Control Manual will also be reviewed. 2. To understand the requirements of the ACR CT accreditation program, including updates to the QC manual as well as updates through the FAQ process. 3. To understand the requirements of the ACR nuclear medicine accreditation program, and the role of the physicist in annual equipment surveys and the set up and supervision of the routine QC program. 4. To understand the current ACR MAP Accreditation requirement and present the concepts and structure of the forthcoming ACR Digital Mammography QC Manual and Program.
Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication in infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Abstract Background/Purpose Patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) experience a higher risk for complications from gastroesophageal reflux, prompting frequent need for fundoplication. Patients between stage I and II palliation ("interstage") are at particularly high operative risk because of the parallel nature of their pulmonary and systemic blood flow. Laparoscopic approach for fundoplication is common for pediatric patients. However, its safety in interstage HLHS is relatively unknown. We examined the perioperative physiologic burden of a laparoscopic fundoplication in HLHS patients. Methods All patients who underwent open or laparoscopic fundoplication during the interstage period at our institution since 2006 were reviewed. Perioperative physiologic data, echocardiographic findings, survival, and complications were collected from the anesthetic record and patient chart. Results Nineteen patients with HLHS had laparoscopic fundoplication, 13 (68%) during the interstage period, compared to 64 performed by the open approach. Ten (77%) of 13 interstage patients had perioperative hemodynamic instability. Incidence of instability between open and laparoscopic groups was not different. One laparoscopic patient required ECMO support for shunt thrombosis. Conclusions Despite a high incidence of hemodynamic instability, overall outcomes are consistent with those reported in the literature for this high-risk patient population. Laparoscopic approach for fundoplication during the interstage period appears to be a relatively safe option for these patients.
Detection with embedded known symbols: optimal symbol placement and equalization

The detection of a data sequence with embedded known symbols is considered. For a class of symbol-by-symbol decision feedback receivers, known symbol distributions optimal with respect to the criterion of average mean square error (A-MSE) are presented. Optimal design of the decision feedback receiver is also obtained. Simulation results show that, compared to the performance with conventional symbol placement strategy, considerable gain can be obtained by the joint optimization of symbol placement and equalizer.
Matrix Metalloproteinase Matrilysin Is Constitutively Expressed in Adult Human Exocrine Epithelium

The proteolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinases is involved in normal and disease-related remodeling processes. One member of this family, matrilysin, can degrade a wide spectrum of connective tissue proteins, suggesting that this enzyme is involved in numerous and averse biologic processes. In fact, recent studies have shown that matrilysin is expressed in developing hair follicles and glands. Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we examined the sites of matrilysin expression in normal and diseased adult skin. In normal mature skin, matrilysin mRNA and protein was strongly and consistently expressed in ductal cells and in some secretory cells of all eccrine and apocrine glands and was not found in any other cell type. A similar tissue distribution was also found in numerous benign inflammatory skin lesions, and prominent expression of matrilysin mRNA and protein was also found in glandular disorders such as axillary hidradenitis and sweat gland tumors. These findings indicate that matrilysin is a constitutive product of the epithelium of dermal glands and that its expression may not be related to a disease-specific or remodeling process. Because of its extensive expression in dermal glands, we assessed whether matrilysin might be produced by all exocrine glands. Indeed, we detected matrilysin mRNA and immunoreactive protein in the ductal and glandular epithelium of mammary and parotid glands, pancreas, liver, prostate, and the serous acini of peribronchial glands of the lung. Thus, our findings indicate that matrilysin is constitutively produced by exocrine epithelial cells throughout the body. Because of its broad catalytic activity, we speculate matrilysin may participate in the normal function of exocrine glands by preventing glandular obstruction.
Regulation of p53 Translation and Induction after DNA Damage by Ribosomal Protein L26 and Nucleolin

Increases in p53 protein levels after DNA damage have largely been attributed to an increase in the half-life of p53 protein. Here we demonstrate that increased translation of p53 mRNA is also a critical step in the induction of p53 protein in irradiated cells. Ribosomal protein L26 (RPL26) and nucleolin were found to bind to the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of p53 mRNA and to control p53 translation and induction after DNA damage. RPL26 preferentially binds to the 5'UTR after DNA damage, and its overexpression enhances association of p53 mRNA with heavier polysomes, increases the rate of p53 translation, induces G1 cell-cycle arrest, and augments irradiation-induced apoptosis. Opposite effects were seen when RPL26 expression was inhibited. In contrast, nucleolin overexpression suppresses p53 translation and induction after DNA damage, whereas nucleolin downregulation promotes p53 expression. These findings demonstrate the importance of increased translation of p53 in DNA-damage responses and suggest critical roles for RPL26 and nucleolin in affecting p53 induction.
Segmentation, surface extraction, and thickness computation of articular cartilage

Accurate computation of the thickness of articular cartilage in 3D is crucial in diagnosis of joint diseases. The purpose of this research project is to develop an unsupervised method to produce three-dimensional (3D) thickness map of articular cartilage with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The method consists of two main parts, cartilage extraction and thickness map computation. The initial segmentation for cartilage extraction is achieved using a recently proposed algorithm which depends on region-growing. The regions produced during this process are labeled as cartilage or non-cartilage using a voting procedure which essentially depends on local 2-class clustering and makes use of prior knowledge about cartilage regions. Following cartilage extraction, femoral and tibial cartilages are separated by detecting the interface between them using a deformable model. After the separation, the cartilage surfaces are reconstructed as a triangular mesh and divided into two plates according to the relation between surface normal at each vertex and principal axes of the structure. For surface reconstruction, we propose an algorithm which incorporates a simple MR imaging model which allows surface representations with sub-voxel accuracy. Our thickness computation algorithm treats each plate separately as a deformable model while considering the other plate as the target surface towards which it is deformed. At the end of deformation, the thickness values at each vertex is defined as the distance between the locations at pre and post-deformation instances. The performance of the cartilage segmentation is compared to manual tracing. Also, the performance evaluation of the thickness computation algorithm on phantoms resulted in RMS errors on the order of 1%.
INHIBITION OF THE BIOCHEMICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL MATURATION OF ADRENERGIC NEURONS BY NICOTINIC RECEPTOR BLOCKADE

— The developmental increases of tyrosine hydroxylase, dopa decarboxylase and doparnine-β-hydroxylase activities in neonatal mouse superior cervical ganglion were prevented by administration of the ganglionic blocking agent chlorisondamine. In addition, ganglionic blockade prevented the normal post-natal increase in ganglion volume and neuron numbers. Inhibition of development followed nicotinic-receptor blockade, but not muscarinic blockade with atropine.
Expression patterns of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) comprise a family of structurally similar proteins, five of which are widely studied in the context of cancer: IAP-1/MIHC/cIAP2, IAP-2/MIHB/cIAP1, livin/ML-IAP/KIAP, survivin, and XIAP/MIHA/hILP. IAPs are overexpressed by most neoplasms, promote tumour cell survival after a wide variety of apoptotic stimuli, and frequently have gene and/or protein expression patterns associated with a relatively poor prognosis. However, many IAPs are also expressed by normal tissues, can facilitate apoptotic cell death, and have expression patterns associated with a relatively favourable prognosis in some cases. The result is that the precise role(s) of IAPs in human tumours is not exactly known. It has been previously reported that IAP-1 is overexpressed in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and is responsible for a large degree of the resistance of cultured MPM cells to cisplatin. Given the high homology of IAP family members, it is likely that other IAPs will be important in MPM. In the present study, the gene and protein expression patterns of IAP-1, IAP-2, survivin, livin, and XIAP have been determined in MPM cell lines (n = 9) and a large number of MPM tumours using high-density oligonucleotide microarrays (n = 40) and an MPM tissue array (n = 66). Human tumours were linked to clinical data and it was found that IAP-1 and survivin mRNA expression patterns were associated with a relatively shorter patient survival, while those of XIAP and livin were associated with a relatively longer patient survival. Abundant protein for all IAPs was also detected in MPM tumours, where they were expressed primarily in the cytoplasm. Only IAP-1 and livin protein was expressed in the nucleus of MPM tumours. These results provide the rationale for additional study of this gene family in MPM and cancer in general. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Definitions of terms for practical superconductors. 2. Critical parameters

Abstract The definitions of terms used in describing the phenomenology and measurement practices of practical superconductive materials are proposed. The definitions cover the subject categories of: 1. Fundamental states and flux phenomena, 2. critical parameters, 3. Fabrication, stabilization, and transient losses, and 4. Josephson phenomena. It is intended that these terms will become the basis for the development of standard measurement practices and responses are invited.
Risk prediction for perioperative mortality of endovascular vs open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms using the Medicare population.

Objectives The impact of risk factors upon perioperative mortality might differ for patients undergoing open vs endovascular repair (EVAR) of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). In order to investigate this, we developed a differential predictive model of perioperative mortality after AAA repair. Methods A total of 45,660 propensity score matched Medicare beneficiaries undergoing elective open or endovascular AAA repair from 2001 to 2004 were studied. Using half the dataset we developed a multiple logistic regression model for a matched cohort of open and EVAR patients and used this to derive an easily evaluable risk prediction score. The remainder of the dataset formed a validation cohort used to confirm results. Results The derivation cohort included 11,415 open and 11,415 endovascular repairs. Perioperative mortality was 5.3% and 1.8%, respectively. Independent predictors of mortality (relative risk [RR], 95% confidence interval [CI]) were open repair (3.2, 2.7-3.8); age (71-75 years 1.2, 0.9-1.6; 76-80 years 1.9, 1.4-2.5; >80 years 3.1, 2.4-4.2); female gender (1.5, 1.3-1.8); dialysis (2.6, 1.5-4.6); chronic renal insufficiency (2.0, 1.6-2.6); congestive heart failure (1.7, 1.5-2.1); and vascular disease (1.3, 1.2-1.6). There were no differential predictors of mortality across the two procedures. A simple scoring system was developed from a logistic regression model fit to both endovascular and open patients (area under the receiver operator curve [ROC] curve of 72.6) from which low, medium, and high risk groups were developed. The absolute predicted mortality ranged from 0.7% for an EVAR patient 80 with all the comorbidities considered. Although relative risk was similar among age groups, the absolute difference was greater for older patients (with higher baseline risk). Conclusion Mortality after AAA repair is predicted by comorbidities, gender, and age, and these predictors have similar effects for both methods of AAA repair. This simple scoring system can predict repair mortality for both treatment options and thus may help guide clinical decisions.
Influence of Clods on the Hydraulic Conductivity of Compacted Clay

This investigation of the influence of clod on the hydraulic conductivity of compacted clay showed that clod size during soil processing and compaction significantly influenced the compaction curve and the hydraulic conductivity of a highly plastic, compacted clay soil. The compaction curves for soils with initially large and small clods compacted with standard Proctor effort were significantly different. For smaller clods, the compaction curve was much flatter, suggesting less sensitivity to molding water content.
Public Health Guidance Values for Chemical Mixtures: Current Practice and Future Directions

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) utilizes chemical-specific minimal risk levels (MRLs) to assist in evaluating public health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances. The MRLs are derived based on the data compiled from current worldwide literature searches and presented in ATSDR's toxicological profiles. These documents profile not only individual chemicals, but also groups of chemically related compounds and chemical mixtures. ATSDR took several approaches when developing MRLs for chemical mixtures. In some instances, toxicity equivalency factors were used to estimate the toxicity of the whole mixture; in other instances, the most toxic chemical was assumed to drive the health assessment for the whole mixture. Another approach was to treat the mixture as one entity and develop a health guidance value for the whole mixture. In yet another approach, each chemical of the mixture was evaluated separately and several health guidance values were developed. In the future, ATSDR will evaluate priority chemical mixtures found at hazardous waste sites. A weight-of-evidence approach, physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling and bench-mark dose modeling, and quantitative structure-activity relationships will have an impact on the development of MRLs and the assessment of chemical mixtures.
Weak-coupling analysis of the neutron-scattering spectral weight.

A random-phase approximation for \ensuremath{\chi}(q,\ensuremath{\omega}) with a BCS irreducible susceptibility, provides a simple framework for examining the interplay of antiferromagnetic and superconducting correlations. Here we study the neutron-scattering spectral weight in the normal and superconducting states for both an s and a ${\mathit{d}}_{\mathit{x}}^{2}$-${\mathit{y}}^{2}$ gap.
Insulin therapy normalizes GLUT1 glucose transporter mRNA but not immunoreactive transporter protein in streptozocin-diabetic rats

Previous studies have shown that the principal glucose transporter isoform within the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is GLUT1, and that GLUT1 mRNA is upregulated and immunoreactive GLUT1 protein is downregulated in rats with streptozocin (STZ)-induced experimental diabetes. The present studies investigate effects of insulin therapy on both GLUT1 mRNA and immunoreactive GLUT1 protein in brain capillaries isolated from control (CO), diabetic (DM), and insulin-treated diabetic (IRx) rats. The following variables were measured: serum glucose levels, rat brain capillary immunoreactive GLUT1 level by quantitative Western blotting, and rat brain capillary GLUT1 and actin mRNA levels by quantitative Northern blotting. Serum glucose levels were 6.4 +/- 1.2, 30.3 +/- 3.2, and 3.7 +/- 1.7 mmol/L in CO, DM, and IRx rats, respectively. Brain capillary immunoreactive GLUT1 transporter protein level was 53% +/- 13% of CO values in DM rats, and this value was unchanged with insulin treatment. GLUT1 mRNA level in rat brain was increased to 131% +/- 8% of CO values in DM rats and was 80% +/- 5% of CO values in IRx rats. In conclusion, short-term insulin therapy in rats with STZ-induced diabetes normalizes BBB GLUT1 mRNA level, but does not normalize depressed immunoreactive GLUT1 protein level.
Influence of the pH of water on its electron-accepticity and donicity

ABSTRACT By means of contact angle measurements on dry layers of electrostatically neutral dextran with pure water (pH 6.1), water acidified with HCl (to pH 1.94) and water made alkaline with NaOH (to pH 12.8), it could be shown that there was essentially no change as a function of pH in the ratio of γ+/γ− of water as compared with the aqueous acid and alkaline solutions. (Here γ+ is the Lewis acid parameter of the polar surface tension component of water and γ− is its Lewis base parameter). In contrast, with contact angles measured with the same liquids on negatively charged clean glass, a significant decrease in contact angle was observed with water at pH 12.8, which was caused by the fact that at this alkaline pH an increase in surface hydrophilicity took place. This is because surfaces that have a given surface electrical potential at neutral pH generally acquire an even higher surface potential under more alkaline conditions which, concomitantly, also gives rise to an increase in surface hydrophilici...
The normative turn in public choice

I would like to talk today about a direction for public choice that is, for the most part, ignored in the scholarly literature on public choice. It is the use of public choice theory to propose and to try to implement reforms that we deem desirable. I use the phrase “normative turn” in two senses. First, “turn” implies a change in direction. Second, as in “my turn,” it also implies that it is time to make this change. I believe it is high time not only to propose but also to advocate and campaign for institutional reforms that we think will benefit society. Throughout the ages, of course, there have been advocates of reform in many different policy areas. At the level of principle, Aristotle proclaimed proportionality a fundamental attribute of a just society, Jeremy Bentham argued for the greatest good for the greatest number, and John Rawls saw justice in raising the standards of the most disadvantaged. The principles they exhorted us to follow, however, do not carry us very far when it comes to deciding how many cabinet ministries a political party is entitled to, based on its seat share in parliament; how we make interpersonal comparisons of utility in trying to determine the greatest good; or how we measure disadvantage in trying to help out the worst off. Jumping from high-minded principles to practical solutions, we should not be too ready to offer quick fixes, especially when there is a paucity of theory to trace out the likely consequences of these fixes. When, for example, should a country choose war over peace? While a strong response to Hitler’s aggression proved necessary in the end, it is far from clear that the assertive foreign policy that the United States pursued in Vietnam in the 1960s, and in Iraq since 2003, were or are justified. Other responses we have had to problems, such as urban renewal to wipe out urban blight – which often destroyed viable neighborhoods – or massive tax reductions to revive an economy – which sometimes created huge national debt – have proved no more helpful.