cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sudden Hearing Loss Associated with Tacrolimus in a Kidney‐Pancreas Allograft Recipient

A 38-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes underwent kidney-pancreas transplantation. Her postoperative course was complicated due to recurrent acute graft rejections and pancreatitis. After initial immunosuppression with microemulsion cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone with muromonab-CD3 induction, cyclosporine was switched to tacrolimus on day 44. The initial dosage was 5 mg twice/day, but it was gradually increased to 10 mg twice/day, aiming at 15-20 ng/ml. On day 17 of tacrolimus therapy the woman developed sudden hearing loss with tinnitus. The serum tacrolimus level was 28.3 ng/ml (therapeutic range 10-20 ng/ml) on day 20 of tacrolimus therapy, and peaked at 34.9 ng/ml on day 28. Two audiograms performed on days 28 and 29 confirmed bilateral hearing loss of 80% for speech perception, characterized as mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss with speech reception threshold of 35 dB (normal < 20 dB) in both ears. The tacrolimus dosage was gradually reduced to 6 mg twice/day by day 36, with drug level 9.7 ng/ml, after which her hearing gradually recovered.
Laser Flash Photolysis Investigation of the Triplet-Triplet Annihilation of Anthracene in Supercritical Water

The effects of the supercritical water environment on the triplet−triplet annihilation of anthracene, a simple, well-characterized reaction that is known to be diffusion controlled in normal liquids, was investigated at temperatures from 375 to 450 °C and pressures from 50 to 350 bar. The reaction was found to occur just slightly above the diffusion-control limit, which was estimated from the Stokes−Einstein based Debye equation, when spin statistical factors are taken into account. This is in qualitative agreement with previous studies of diffusion-controlled reactions in lower temperature supercritical fluids (SCFs). Thus, the supercritical water environment is similar to that of lower temperature SCFs for diffusion-controlled reactions of nonpolar hydrocarbon species. There is no evidence of solvent clustering and any influence of solute/solute interactions is small. Finally, the mechanism of the reaction appears to be the same as in nonpolar liquid solvents.
Perceptions of Parents' Attitudes and Behaviors as Evidence That Children Affect Parents:

In this study 123 college students placed their parents along two continua ranging from restrictive to permissive and from warmth to hostility. For both sexes, significant correlations (.90) were f...
Stage II nonseminomatous testis cancer: the roles of primary and adjuvant chemotherapy.

Historically, a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) has been the primary treatment of stage II nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT) patients, while chemotherapy has been used in the adjuvant setting. Increasing evidence of the efficacy of chemotherapy has led to additional treatment possibilities for stage II patients. Both chemotherapy and RPLND have a role in the primary therapy of stage II NSGCT, and both modalities can be used as secondary adjunctive therapy. Management of these patients now requires a renewed emphasis on risk stratification and on the integration of patient preferences into the management algorithm.
Auroral ionization and excitation by incident energetic electrons

Abstract Ionization in the Earth's atmosphere produced by energetic primary auroral electrons in the energy range 0.4 to 300 keV is computed. Three angular distributions for the incident stream are considered: (1) a monodirectional beam, (2) a distribution varying as the cosine of the pitch angle, and (3) an isotropic distribution. The luminosity profiles for the N 2 + 1 N.G. (0,0) band are predicted for various energy distributions of auroral primaries. Power laws and exponential laws with a range of exponents are investigated: the shape of the luminosity profile is highly sensitive to the energy distribution function adopted. Profiles for a number of electron energy distributions obtained from rocket measurements through aurorae are computed showing satisfactory agreement with luminosity variations registered by the rocket borne photometers.
The role of signal transduction systems in mediating cell density dependent changes in tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression.

Cell density has been implicated in the regulation of neuronal gene phenotype. This study tested the interaction of signal transduction pathways and the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA with varying cell density. Increasing cell density in a parental, wild type PC12 cell line elevated steady state levels of TH mRNA. Three observations suggested that this induction is not related to the cyclic AMP dependent signalling pathway: (1) Forskolin stimulated the level of TH mRNA similarly at multiple densities. (2) PKA deficient mutant PC12 cell lines that have either one third (A123.7 AB11) or 3% (A126-1B2) of normal basal expression of TH mRNA still concentrations in the basal or in the receptor stimulated state. Increasing cell density did not change basal levels of inositol triphosphate (IP3) levels, which suggests that the phosphatidylinositol cascade (PI) is not responsible for density dependent changes in TH expression. Increasing confluence was highly correlated to [Ca2+]i in control (r = 0.70; P < 0.0001), A123.7 (r = 0.92; P < 0.0001), AB11 (r = 0.72; P < 0.0001) and A126 (r = 0.42; P < 0.07). Taken together, the results show that neither cyclic AMP nor the PI cascade is involved in cell density induced changes in TH mRNA and suggest that altered [Ca2+]i may have a role.
Host range of Boreioglycaspis melaleucae Moore (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), a potential biocontrol agent of Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) S.T. Blake (Myrtaceae), under quarantine

Abstract Research on the natural enemies of the Australian tree Melaleuca quinquenervia, a dominant, adventive weed of wetland habitats in south Florida, USA began in the late 1970s. Since then host-range tests have been conducted in Australia and Florida on three insect species: a weevil, a sawfly, and a psyllid. Herein we discuss the host-range studies of the psyllid, Boreioglycaspis melaleucae conducted in quarantine in Florida. Tests showed that the host range is very narrow, limited to one Melaleuca species, M. quinquenervia. One time, a few psyllids developed on a different species, Callistemon (=Melaleuca) citrinus, broad-leaf form, but repeated efforts to rear it again failed. In its Australian homeland, B. melaleucae has been collected on 5 closely related broad-leaved Melaleuca species including M. quinquenervia; it developed on 2 of 4 species tested, M. viridiflora (28%) and M. quinquenervia (37%). There was also 2% development on a 6th narrow-leaved Melaleuca species, M. nodosa. In the New World, there are no native Melaleuca species; in the United States, there is one introduced group, Callistemon (=Melaleuca), which is of commercial value and just one naturalized species, M. quinquenervia, which has no commercial value. Because of the near absence of Melaleuca species and B. melaleucae’s narrow host range and ability to severely damage or kill M. quinquenervia, we concluded that field release of B. melaleucae in south Florida would be safe. The first releases were made in February 2002.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of chromoendoscopy for colorectal cancer surveillance in patients with ulcerative colitis

Background Recent studies report that the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) among patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) may be lower than previously estimated. Although white-light endoscopy (WLE) with random biopsies is recommended for dysplasia detection in patients with UC, several studies reported increased detection of dysplasia by chromoendoscopy. Objective To analyze the cost effectiveness of chromoendoscopy relative to WLE or no endoscopy for CRC surveillance in patients with UC. Design Decision–analytic state–transition (Markov) model with Monte Carlo simulation. Setting To simulate the clinical course of chronic UC, we estimated dysplasia and CRC incidence and progression, endoscopic test characteristics, stage-specific mortality rates, and costs from published literature and Medicare reimbursement data. Patients Patients from a population-based age distribution with ulcerative colitis for ≥8 years. Intervention We compared 3 different strategies at various surveillance intervals: chromoendoscopy with targeted biopsies, WLE with random biopsies, and no surveillance. The robustness of the model was assessed by using probabilistic sensitivity analysis. One-way sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate individual variables, and 3-dimensional analysis was used to examine the effects of varying screening intervals. Main Outcome Measurements Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Results Chromoendoscopy was found to be more effective and less costly than WLE at all surveillance intervals. However, compared with no surveillance, chromoendoscopy was cost effective only at surveillance intervals of at least 7 years, with an ICER of $77,176. Chromoendoscopy was the most cost effective strategy at sensitivity levels >0.23 for dysplasia detection and cost Limitations Estimates used for the model are based on best available data in the literature. Conclusion Chromoendoscopy is both more effective and less costly than WLE and becomes cost effective relative to no surveillance when performed at intervals of ≥7 years.
Evolution of antigen-specific T cell receptors in vivo: preimmune and antigen-driven selection of preferred complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) motifs.

Antigen (Ag)-driven selection of helper T cells (Th) in normal animals has been difficult to study and remains poorly understood. Using the major histocompatibility complex class II– restricted murine response to pigeon cytochrome c (PCC), we provide evidence for both preimmune and Ag-driven selection in the evolution of Ag-specific immunity in vivo. Before antigenic challenge, most Vα11+Vβ3+ Th (70%) express a critical complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) residue (glutamic acid at TCR-α93) associated with PCC peptide contact. Over the first 5 d of the primary response, PCC-responsive Vα11+Vβ3+ Th expressing eight preferred CDR3 features are rapidly selected in vivo. Clonal dominance is further propagated through selective expansion of the PCC-specific cells with T cell receptor (TCR) of the “best fit.” Ag-driven selection is complete before significant emergence of the germinal center reaction. These data argue that thymic selection shapes TCR-α V region bias in the preimmune repertoire; however, Ag itself and the nongerminal center microenvironment drive the selective expansion of clones with preferred TCR that dominate the response to Ag in vivo.
Characterization of A 2 GHz Submicron Bipolar 60 Watt Power Transistor with Single Tone, Multi-Tone, and Cdma Signals

Linearity characterization of RF power devices usually involves a CW power sweep showing the 1 dB compression point of the device. RF power amplifier designers are requiring that devices be characterized with ?application type? signals. In this paper single tone, multi-tone and CDMA signals are used to characterize a 60 watt submicron bipolar device. Relationships between device characteristics such as 1 dB compression, intermodulation distortion, and spectrum regeneration are discussed.
Modeling Hermissenda: I. Differential contributions of IA and IC to type-B cell plasticity

We developed a multicompartmental Hodgkin-Huxley model of the Hermissenda type-B photoreceptor and used it to address the relative contributions of reductions of two K+ currents, I a and I C, to changes in cellular excitability and synaptic strength that occur in these cells after associative learning. We found that reductions of gC, the peak conductance of I C, substantially increased the firing frequency of the type-B cell during the plateau phase of a simulated light response, whereas reductions of gA had only a modest contribution to the plateau frequency. This can be understood at least in part by the contributions of these currents to the light-induced (nonspiking) generator potential, the plateau of which was enhanced by gC reductions, but not by gA reductions. In contrast, however, reductions of gA broadened the type-B cell action potential, increased Ca2+ influx, and increased the size of the postsynaptic potential produced in a type-A cell, whereas similar reductions of gC had only negligible contributions to these measures. These results suggest that reductions of I A and I C play important but different roles in type-B cell plasticity.
Discrete Newtonian gravitation and the three-body problem

Newtonian gravitation is studied from a discrete point of view, in that the dynamical equation is an energy-conserving difference equation. Application is made to planetary-type, nondegenerate three-body problems and several computer examples of perturbed orbits are given.
Oligonucleotide decoy mimicking αA-crystallin-binding protein 1 binding site on mouse Col2a1 enhancer stimulates transcription from the adjacent Col2a1 promoter in chondrogenic ATDC5 cell

A 48-bp sequence element in intron 1 of the alpha1(II) collagen gene (Col2a1) acts as an enhancer of Col2a1 transcription and contains binding sites for the transcription activator SOX9 and repressor alphaA-crystallin-binding protein 1 (CRYBP1). We hypothesized that abrogating CRYBP1 binding should increase transcription from a promoter associated with the Col2a1 enhancer. We tested this hypothesis by cotransfecting an oligonucleotide (ODN) decoy for CRYBP1 and a luciferase-based reporter vector under the transcriptional control of the Col2a1 promoter linked to the 100-bp enhancer in chondrogenic ATDC5 cells. As a control, we used decoy ODN corresponding to the SOX9 binding site. Transfection with CRYBP1 decoy increased luciferase activity by >2.5-fold in the absence or presence of insulin, whereas SOX9 decoy ODN decreased luciferase activity to about 50% under similar conditions. In addition, the repressive effect of interleukin-1 on Col2a1 transcription through decreasing SOX9 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression and increasing CRYBP1 mRNA expression, was counteracted by CRYBP1 decoy ODN. These results provide a rationale for gene therapy in degenerative joint diseases by elevating Col2a1 expression in chondrocytes through oligomimetics of repressor binding sites.
The Welfare Contract and Critical Case Management

Drawing on three years of ethnographic research on the decision making processes of welfare case managers in urban Kentucky, we focus here on a group of case managers who subvert the demands placed...
Modeling and forecasting US sex differentials in mortality

Abstract This paper examines forecasted differentials in age-sex-specific mortality in the United States, 1990–2065. A non-linear model,mx,t = exp(ax+bxkt+ex,t), is fitted for each sex age-specific US death rates, 1933–1988, using SVD to derive a single time-varying index of mortality,kt. Box-Jenkins techniques are used to estimate and forecastkt. These forecasts are used to generate age-specific mortality rates and life expectancies to 2065. Independent forecasts of male and femalee0's are 82.0 and 90.4, respectively, for 2065, a difference of 8.4 years. These forecasts are substantially higher with narrower confidence intervals than those prepared regularly by the Actuary of the Social Security Administration [ Wade (1989) ]. Thesekt, generated forecasts ofe0 appear more plausible than direct forecasts ofe0 Life expectancies derived from jointly estimated and forecastedkt are competitive with the independent sex forecasts, but have some problems. Joint forecasts ofkt are juxtaposed to co-integration speculatively as a direction for future research into linkages between male and female mortality.
Children's Comprehension of Their Mothers' Question-Directives.

Much of adult communication is carried on at the subtle level of indirect utterance meaning, where the speaker's intent is not literally expressed in his or her utterance. This work investigates the young child's ability to respond appropriately to the intended, as opposed to the literal, meaning of one class of such utterances, requests for action. The data were the responses of five children between 1; 7 and 2; 4 to the direct and indirect requests for action their mothers produced during a natural play session. All the children responded with action to requests for it regardless of how subtly the requests were expressed. The apparent ability of two-year-olds to deal with indirect speech acts is surprising in that the understanding of such utterances by adults is presumed to depend on a combination of sophisticated rule systems. Rather than grant the young child such knowledge, the alternative of an action-based response heuristic is proposed.
System analysis to estimate subsurface flow: from global level to the State of Minnesota

Stream runoff data globally and in the state of Minnesota were used to estimate subsurface water flow. This system approach is based, in principal, on unity of groundwater and surface water systems, and it is in stark contrast to the traditional deterministic approach based on modeling. In coordination with methodology of system analysis, two levels of study were used to estimate subsurface flow. First, the global stream runoff data were assessed to estimate the temporal–spatial variability of surface water runoff. Factor analysis was used to study the temporal–spatial variability of global runoff for the period from 1918 to 1967. Results of these analysis demonstrate that the variability of global runoff could be represented by seven major components (factor scores) that could be grouped into seven distinct independent grouping from the total of 18 continental slopes on the Earth. Computed variance value in this analysis is 76% and supports such analysis. The global stream runoff for this period is stationary, and is more closely connected with the stream flow of Asia to the Pacific Ocean as well as with the stream runoff of North America towards the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. The second level examines the distribution of river runoff (annual and for February) for various landscapes and the hydrogeological conditions in the State of Minnesota (218,000 km2). The annual and minimal monthly rate of stream runoff for 115 gauging stations with a period of observation of 47 years (1935–1981) were used to characterize the spatio-temporal distribution of stream runoff in Minnesota. Results of this analysis demonstrate that the annual stream runoff rate changes from 6.3, towards 3.95, and then to 2.09 l s–1 km–2 (the difference is significant based on Student's criteria). These values in Minnesota correspond to ecological provinces from a mixed forest province towards the broadleaf forest and to prairie province, respectively. The distribution of minimal monthly stream runoff rate (February runoff) is controlled by hydrogeological systems in Minnesota. The difference between the two hydrogeological regions, Precambrian crystalline basement and Paleozoic artesian basin of 0.83 and 2.09 l/s/km2, is statistically significant. Within these regions, the monthly minimal runoff (0.5 and 1.68, and 0.87 and 3.11 l s–1 km–2 for February, respectively) is also distinctly different for delineated subregions, depending on whether or not the Quaternary cover is present. The spatio-temporal structure that emerges could thus be used to generate river runoff and subsurface flow maps at any scale – from the global level to local detail. Such analysis was carried out in Minnesota with the detailed mapping of the subsurface flow for the Twin Cities Metropolitan area.
Policy Implications of Culturally Based Perceptions in College Choice

Capable students from disadvantaged backgrounds frequently fail to take advantage of the full range of viable college options available to them. Opportunity issues—for example, deficiencies in college and testing preparedness, in college counseling, in teacher expectations, and in knowledge about admissions and scholarships—comprise the frequently cited reasons. This article seeks to explore alternative explanations in the realms of social identity threat, values threat, collectivistic versus individualistic self-construal, group identity, and optimal distinctiveness. A five-part questionnaire, given to 85 seniors at a disadvantaged high school will ascertain the relevance of these self-defining factors in limiting college choices of disadvantaged students. The results possess significance for improving access to higher education for the disadvantaged.
Recombinant desmoglein 3 has the necessary epitopes to adsorb and induce blister-causing antibodies.

The development of an animal model for studying the pathogenesis of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) has been hampered by the unavailability of the purified full length autoantigen desmoglein 3 (Dsg 3). Therefore, we expressed Dsg 3 using a baculovirus expression system. The expressed protein was identified as Dsg 3 by its reactivity with a pan-cadherln anti-serum, an anti-serum to a Dsg 3 synthetic peptide, or patient serum, and by amino-terminal sequencing. Carbohydrate analysis showed that recombinant Dsg 3 was glycosylated. While a majority of the recombinant protein was cell associated, by immunoprecipitation, some Dsg 3 was demonstrated in the medium. The Dsg 3 could adsorb out blister-causing antibodies from patient sera. Rabbit anti-Dsg 3 antibodies induced by the recombinant Dsg 3 showed specific binding to intercellular spaces of monkey esophagus by indirect immunofluorescence. Moreover, these antibodies induced PV-like blisters in neonatal mice and weakly bound perilesional epidermis. Availability of large quantities of relatively pure Dsg 3 should now facilitate studies aimed at understanding Dsg 3 structure and pathogenesis of PV, with implications for developing specific immunotherapies.
Improving Ethanol Life Cycle Energy Efficiency by Direct Utilization of Wet Ethanol in HCCI Engines

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is a new engine technology with fundamental differences over conventional engines. HCCI engines are intrinsically fuel flexible and can run on low-grade fuels as long as the fuel can be heated to the point of ignition. In particular, HCCI engines can run on “wet ethanol:” ethanol-in-water mixtures with high concentration of water. Considering that much of the energy required for processing fermented ethanol is spent in distillation and dehydration, direct use of wet ethanol in HCCI engines considerably shifts the energy balance in favor of ethanol. The results of the paper show that a HCCI engine with efficient heat recovery can operate on a mixture of 35% ethanol and 65% water by volume while achieving a high brake thermal efficiency (38.7%) and very low NOx (1.6 ppm, clean enough to meet any existing or oncoming emissions standards). Direct utilization of ethanol at a 35% volume fraction reduces water separation cost to only 3% of the energy of ethanol and coproducts (versus 37% for producing pure ethanol) and improves the net energy gain from 21% to 55% of the energy of ethanol and coproducts. Wet ethanol utilization is a promising concept that merits more detailed analysis and experimental evaluation. DOI: 10.1115/1.2794768
Counselors and the noncollege‐bound student

Students in vocational curriculums, along with other noncollege-bound students, have long been the stepchildren of the American educational system. There are numerous factors that suggest why this pattern has developed and why it has generally been accepted by educators. Contemporary forces and movements, such as the career education thrust, reveal major shifts for all educational personnel in this respect. The focus of this article is on the obligations and roles of guidance personnel in this process of change. Stress is placed on four major types of changes: structural changes, preparation changes, programmatic changes, and directional changes.
Spatial Moment Analysis for Mass Balance Calculations and Tracking Movement of a Subsurface Hydrocarbon Mound

Leaking underground storage tanks are a proven source of subsurface hydrocarbon contamination. An improbable leak scenario supported by anomalous field data formed the basis of a major lawsuit filed against a tank installer. A simplified hydrocarbon mound migration model, coupled with basic mass balance calculations, showed the field data to be inconsistent with the purported leak scenario, and showed monitoring well tampering to be the source of hydrocarbon contamination. The method described is a simple yet efficient means of developing hydrocarbon mass estimates and mound migration projections. These values can also be valuable in siting injection/extraction locations and developing integrated in situ remediation technologies.
A relaxation wave solution of the FitzHugh-Nagumo equations

For the system of FitzHugh-Nagumo equations and certain values of parameters, there exists a relaxation wave solution: a moving spatially periodic structure for which one of the dependent variables has intervals of slow and fast changes within its period. An asymptotic expansion for the solution is constructed (as a power series in the small parameter e) consisting of regular terms and transition layers. Along with the asymptotic expansion, the velocity of the structure, its period, and the distance between “jumps” of one of the functions are determined.
Mindfulness Training and Teachers' Professional Development: An Emerging Area of Research and Practice

This article focuses on how mindfulness training (MT) programs for teachers, by cultivating mindfulness and its application to stress management and the social-emotional demands of teaching, represent emerging forms of teacher professional development (PD) aimed at improving teaching in public schools. MT is hypothesized to promote teachers' “habits of mind,” and thereby their occupational health, well-being, and capacities to create and sustain both supportive relationships with students and classroom climates conducive to student engagement and learning. After defining mindfulness and its potential applications in teacher education and PD, this article discusses emerging MT programs for teachers, a logic model outlining potential MT program effects in educational settings, and directions for future research.
Antifungal prophylaxis for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

TO THE EDITOR: In the article by Michallet and Ito, the authors provided an excellent comprehensive review of the literature; however, the recommendations for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation prophylaxis outlined in Table 5, “Author Recommendations for Prophylaxis,” are surprising. Three agents are recommended for primary prophylaxis during overlapping time periods. The literature shows that neither micafungin nor voriconazole yield a survival advantage over fluconazole, the standard of care. The authors recommended fluconazole for primary neutropenia through day 75 and voriconazole for neutropenia through day 100. A head-tohead to study between voriconazole and fluconazole reported a decrease in aspergillosis in the voriconazole arm; however, the rates of invasive fungal infection, fungal-free survival, and overall mortality were similar between both groups. The study drugs were administered for 100 days in both arms, which indicates that fluconazole had similar efficacy through day 100. It seems premature to recommend micafungin as primary prophylaxis for “neutropenia through engraftment,” since the standard of care and the authors themselves recommend prophylaxis for 75 to 100 days post-transplant. Although the authors mentioned the possibility of sequencing prophylaxis (micafungin followed by either fluconazole or voriconazole), there are no data to support this approach. In addition, in the trial comparing micafungin to fluconazole, there was not a survival benefit for micafungin as noted by Michallat and Ito, and the other end points were not comparable to the studies reviewed. From the evidence presented, there does not appear to be a strong rationale for the use of voriconazole or micafungin when compared with fluconazole. Furthermore, it should be noted that fluconazole is generic and costs significantly less than voriconazole or micafungin. Based on the evidence and cost considerations, fluconazole seems to be the optimal antifungal agent for prophylaxis in allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplant recipients. Our familiarity with this literature is based on our current work conducting a cost-effectiveness analysis of prophylactic antifungal therapy in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplant. We presented this work at the annual meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making, October 18-21, 2009, in Hollywood, CA.
The Dynamics of Hurricane Risk Perception: Real-Time Evidence from the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Findings are reported from two field studies that measured the evolution of coastal residents' risk perceptions and preparation plans as two hurricanes—Isaac and Sandy—were approaching the U.S. coast during the 2012 hurricane season. The data suggest that residents threatened by such storms had a poor understanding of the threat posed by the storms; they overestimated the likelihood that their homes would be subject to hurricane-force wind conditions but underestimated the potential damage that such winds could cause, and they misconstrued the greatest threat as coming from wind rather than water. These misperceptions translated into preparation actions that were not well commensurate with the nature and scale of the threat that they faced, with residents being well prepared for a modest wind event of short duration but not for a significant wind-and-water catastrophe. Possible causes of the biases and policy implications for improving hurricane warning communication are discussed.
Energy loss in pulsed coaxial plasma guns

The one-dimensional flow of a current-carry ing plasma, driven into neutral gas by its selfmagnetic field, is considered for the case where both the neutral gas and the current have arbitrary distributions in the direction of flow. The conservation laws are used to derive a simple expression for the amount of input power that goes into all forms of internal energy. It is shown that this power depends mainly on the rate at which the current sheet sweeps up neutral gas. In principle, internal energy can be converted into directed energy by expansion; however, it is argued that, in the coaxial plasma accelerators currently used in propulsion studies, most of the internal energy will be lost by excitation and subsequent radiation or ionization before expansion occurs.
Viral expression of insulin-like growth factor I E-peptides increases skeletal muscle mass but at the expense of strength

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a protein that regulates and promotes growth in skeletal muscle. The IGF-I precursor polypeptide contains a COOH-terminal extension called the E-peptide. Alternative splicing in the rodent produces two isoforms, IA and IB, where the mature IGF-I in both isoforms is identical yet the E-peptides, EA and EB, share less than 50% homology. Recent in vitro studies show that the E-peptides can enhance IGF-I signaling, leading to increased myoblast cell proliferation and migration. To determine the significance of these actions in vivo and to evaluate if they are physiologically beneficial, EA and EB were expressed in murine skeletal muscle via viral vectors. The viral constructs ensured production of E-peptides without the influence of additional IGF-I through an inactivating mutation in mature IGF-I. E-peptide expression altered ERK1/2 and Akt phosphorylation and increased satellite cell proliferation. EB expression resulted in significant muscle hypertrophy that was IGF-I receptor dependent. However, the increased mass was associated with a loss of muscle strength. EA and EB have similar effects in skeletal muscle signaling and on satellite cells, but EB is more potent at increasing muscle mass. Although sustained EB expression may drive hypertrophy, there are significant physiological consequences for muscle.
Distributed routing algorithm for loop detection and resolution

After a brief discussion of the distributed Bellman-Ford algorithm and the associated looping problems, a routing algorithm for loop detection and resolution is proposed. The proposed algorithm detects and resolves all kinds of loops within a finite time depending on the number of nodes in a loop, while requiring a small computation and memory overhead. No extra control messages are generated and communicated over the network. The proposed algorithm does not allow any serious looping effects and maintains the simplicity of the distributed Bellman-Ford algorithm. >
Microcomputer Analysis of Prefabricated Tubular Scaffolding

In the United States a number of dramatic construction failures have occurred during the past decade. These failures have drawn attention to many problems dealing with construction safety. Although the catastropic failures have garnered much attention, there are many less dramatic failures which make the construction industry second only to mining in terms of worker risk of death or serious injury. Federal agencies including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) are actively involved in research focused on improving safety during construction. One research area at NIOSH has been the application of microcomputers to construction safety problems.
Counterpoint: High-frequency ventilation is/is not the optimal physiological approach to ventilate ARDS patients

High-frequency ventilation has been around for a long time, in fact the first patent for high-frequency oscillation (HFO) was issued to Jack Emerson in 1959 ([7][1]). It is now almost 60 years since that patent was issued and still HFO has not become the accepted physiological approach for the
MIXED HYDROXYPYRIDINONATE LIGANDS AS IRON CHELATORS

New ligands based on hydroxypyridinonate (HOPO) and other bidentate ligands are explored as iron(III) sequestering agents. These are based on the N,N',N"-tris[(3-hydroxy-1-methyl- 2-oxo-1,2-didehydropyrid-4-yl)-carboxamidoethyl]amine (TREN-Me-3,2-HOPO) platform in which one Me-3,2-HOPO ligand group is substituted with either a 2-hydroxyisophthalamide (TREN-Me-3,2-HOPOIAM) or a 2,3-dihydroxyterephthalamide (TREN-Me-3,2-HOPOTAM) moiety. The ferric complexes have been prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction: Fe[TREN-Me-3,2-HOPOIAM] crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with cell parameters a = 18.1186(3) A, b = 17.5926(2) A, c = 25.0476(2) A, beta = 98.142(1) degrees, Z = 8. Fe[TREN-Me-3,2-HOPOTAM]- crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with cell parameters a = 31.7556(12) A, b = 14.0087(6) A, c = 22.1557(9) A, beta = 127.919(1) degrees, Z = 8. The aqueous coordination chemistry of these ligands with both the ferric and ferrous redox states of iron has been examined using spectroscopic and electrochemical methods, giving log formation constants of 26.89(3) (beta 110), 31.16(6) (beta 111) for the ferric TREN-Me-3,2-HOPOIAM complexes and 33.89(2) (beta 110), 38.45(2) (beta 111) for the ferric TREN-Me-3,2-HOPOTAM complexes. For the reduced (ferrous) complexes values of 10.03(9) (beta 110) and 13.7(2) (beta 110) were observed for the Fe[TREN-Me-3,2-HOPOIAM]- and Fe[TREN-Me-3,2-HOPOTAM]2- complexes, respectively. These data provide a complete description of metal-ligand speciation as a function of pH and of redox activity. The ligands described in this work are part of a new class of heteropodate ligands which exploit the various chelating properties of several binding units within a single tripodal ligand and allow for systematic variation of the properties for medical or other applications.
Supervillin Reorganizes the Actin Cytoskeleton and Increases Invadopodial Efficiency

Tumor cells use actin-rich protrusions called invadopodia to degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) and invade tissues; related structures, termed podosomes, are sites of dynamic ECM interaction. We show here that supervillin (SV), a peripheral membrane protein that binds F-actin and myosin II, reorganizes the actin cytoskeleton and potentiates invadopodial function. Overexpressed SV induces redistribution of lamellipodial cortactin and lamellipodin/RAPH1/PREL1 away from the cell periphery to internal sites and concomitantly increases the numbers of F-actin punctae. Most punctae are highly dynamic and colocalize with the podosome/invadopodial proteins, cortactin, Tks5, and cdc42. Cortactin binds SV sequences in vitro and contributes to the formation of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-SV induced punctae. SV localizes to the cores of Src-generated podosomes in COS-7 cells and with invadopodia in MDA-MB-231 cells. EGFP-SV overexpression increases average numbers of ECM holes per cell; RNA interference-mediated knockdown of SV decreases these numbers. Although SV knockdown alone has no effect, simultaneous down-regulation of SV and the closely related protein gelsolin reduces invasion through ECM. Together, our results show that SV is a component of podosomes and invadopodia and that SV plays a role in invadopodial function, perhaps as a mediator of cortactin localization, activation state, and/or dynamics of metalloproteinases at the ventral cell surface.
Campylobacter species occurrence within internal organs and tissues of commercial caged Leghorn laying hens

Campylobacter spp. are frequently present in the intestinal tract and internal tissues of broiler breeder and broiler chickens. Campylobacter spp. ecology in commercial Leghorn laying hens has not been extensively studied. The objectives of the current study were to determine 1) Campylobacter spp. presence in the reproductive tract, lymphoid organs, liver-gallbladder, and ceca of commercial Leghorn laying hens; 2) species of Campylobacter present; and 3) antimicrobial resistance pattern of Campylobacter isolates. In study 1, three flocks ranging from 94 to 105 wk of age were sampled from a commercial laying complex. In study 2, two flocks, 82 and 84 wk of age, were sampled from a separate complex. Hens were killed, defeathered, aseptically necropsied, and the spleen, liver-gallbladder, ovarian follicles, and upper (infundibulum, magnum, and isthmus) and lower (shell gland and vagina) reproductive tracts were aseptically removed before the ceca. Samples were packed on ice and transported to the laboratory for evaluation. For speciation, a standard BAX real-time PCR method was used while susceptibility testing was performed using US National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) standards and recommended quality control organisms. Isolates were examined for susceptibility using a semi-automated testing system (Sensititer) to the following 9 antimicrobials: azithromycin, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, florfenicol, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, telithromycin, and tetracycline. In study 1, the isolation rate was 13, 67, 53, 3, 13, and 57% from the ovarian follicles, lower reproductive tract, upper reproductive tract, spleen, liver-gallbladder, and ceca, respectively. In study 2, the isolation rate was 17, 43, 33, 20, 17, and 73% from the ovarian follicles, lower reproductive tract, upper reproductive tract, spleen, liver-gallbladder, and ceca, respectively. Overall, 50% of isolates were Campylobacter jejuni, 49% Campylobacter coli, and 1% Campylobacter lari. In study 1, all of the isolates were pan-susceptible. In study 2, thirty-seven percent of the isolates were resistant to tetracycline. Commercial table egg laying hens housed in colony cages on wire floors had diverse Campylobacter spp. recovered from different tissues and these isolates were not resistant to a broad range of antimicrobials.
Manipulation of enzyme properties by noncanonical amino acid incorporation

Since wild-type enzymes do not always have the properties needed for various applications, enzymes are often engineered to obtain desirable properties through protein engineering techniques. In the past decade, complementary to the widely used rational protein design and directed evolution techniques, noncanonical amino acid incorporation (NCAAI) has become a new and effective protein engineering technique. Recently, NCAAI has been used to improve intrinsic functions of proteins, such as enzymes and fluorescent proteins, beyond the capacities obtained with natural amino acids. Herein, recent progress on improving enzyme properties through NCAAI in vivo is reviewed and the challenges of current approaches and future directions are also discussed. To date, both NCAAI methods-residue- and site-specific incorporation-have been primarily used to improve the catalytic turnover number and substrate binding affinity of enzymes. Numerous strategies used to minimize structural perturbation and stability loss of a target enzyme upon NCAAI are also explored. Considering the generality of NCAAI incorporation, we expect its application could be expanded to improve other enzyme properties, such as substrate specificity and solvent resistance in the near future.
A Millimeter-Wave (23–32 GHz) Wideband BiCMOS Low-Noise Amplifier

This paper presents a 23-32 GHz wideband BiCMOS low-noise amplifier (LNA). The LNA utilizes coupled-resonators to provide a wideband load. To our knowledge, the proposed LNA achieves the widest bandwidth with minimum power consumption using 0.18 ?m BiCMOS technology in K-band. Analytical expressions for the wideband input matching, gain, noise figure and linearity are presented. The LNA is implemented using 0.18 ?m BiCMOS technology and occupies an area of 0.25 mm2 . It achieves a voltage gain of 12 dB, 3-dB bandwidth of 9 GHz, noise figure between 4.5-6.3 dB, linearity higher than -6.4 dBm with a power consumption of 13 mW from a 1.5 V supply.
Geology of the Harold D. Roberts Tunnel, Colorado: Station 468+49 to East Portal

The Harold D. Roberts Tunnel is a 23.3-mile water-diversion tunnel that extends through the western part of the Front Range between Grant and Dillon, Colorado. This report concerns the geology of the southeastern segment of the tunnel, which is partly in the Montezuma stock—a Laramide quartz monzonite pluton—but is mainly in Precambrian basement rocks. The Precambrian metamorphic rocks consist of relatively thick, complexly folded units of amphibolite, migmatite, microcline gneiss, and biotite gneiss. These rocks were invaded by plutons of Boulder Creek Granite and Silver Plume Granite, regarded as syntectonic and late tectonic, respectively, in relation to Precambrian deformation and metamorphism. Most of the basement rocks are distinctly foliated. Laramide deformation resulted in elevation of the core of the Front Range along northward-trending marginal upthrusts and in development of the Front Range mineral belt, a broad northeast-trending zone of strike-slip faults, veins, and igneous intrusions that extends diagonally across the range. The Montezuma stock was emplaced approximately at the junction of the mineral belt with the western margin of the range relatively late in the deformation. The stock is massive and shows little indication of flow fabric. Analysis of fault data obtained in the tunnel indicates two complementary sets of strike-slip faults, trending northeast and northwest, apparently related to wrench-fault movement along the mineral belt. Minor faults are randomly oriented but tend to be concentrated in north-trending dip-slip sets approximately parallel to the marginal upthrusts. The fracture pattern in the Montezuma stock conforms to the regional fault pattern. The major joint sets and fault sets are parallel to one another and probably formed concurrently. The fracture pattern in the Precambrian rocks is unlike that in the Montezuma stock. Minor faulting was controlled largely by the rock fabric. Joints bear no obvious relation to the faults or rock fabric and are believed to have formed mainly later than the faults. The anomalous rupture pattern in the foliated basement rocks is attributed to their anisotropy and to a probable transition from pseudoductile to brittle behavior as the core of the range was uplifted.
Dexrazoxane (Totect™): FDA Review and Approval for the Treatment of Accidental Extravasation Following Intravenous Anthracycline Chemotherapy

Management of anthracycline extravasation is problematic and most reports are anecdotal. On September 6, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Totect 500 mg (dexrazoxane hydrochloride for injection) for the treatment of extravasation resulting from i.v. anthracycline chemotherapy. In two studies, a total of 57 evaluable patients experienced extravasation from peripheral vein or central venous access sites with local swelling, pain, or redness. The presence of anthracycline in skin biopsy tissue was confirmed by tissue fluorescence, and treatment with a 3-day schedule of dexrazoxane began within 6 hours of the event. The primary endpoint was a reduction in the need for surgical intervention. Only one patient required surgical repair of the injury site, and late sequelae in the remainder were absent or mild. Also, the sponsor, TopoTarget A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark, performed controlled nonclinical studies in support of dexrazoxane dose and timing for the reduction of tissue injury resulting from anthracycline extravasation. For this uncommon but serious complication of anthracycline therapy, the need for surgical intervention was 1.7% with this regimen.
An approximate theory for incompressible viscous flow past two-dimensional bluff bodies in the intermediate Reynolds number regime O(1) < Re < O(102)

A new approximate theory is proposed for treating the flow past smoothly contoured two-dimensional bluff bodies in the intermediate Reynolds number range O(1) < Re < 0(102), where the displacement effect of the thick viscous layer near the surface of the body is large and a steady laminar wake is present. The theory is based on a new pressure hypothesis which enables one to take account of the displacement interaction and centrifugal effects in thick viscous layers using conventional first-order boundary-layer equations. The basic question asked is how the wall pressure gradient in ordinary boundary -layer theory must be modified if the pressure gradient along the displacement surface using the Prandtl pressure hypothesis is to be equal to the pressure gradient along this surface using a higher-order approximation to the Navier-Stokes equation in which centrifugal forces are considered. The inclusion of the normal pressure field with displacement interaction is shown to be equivalent to stretching the streamwise body co-ordinate in first-order boundary-layer theory such that the streamwise pressure gradient as a function of distance along the original and displacement body surfaces are equal.While the new theory is of a non-rigorous nature, it yields results for the location of separation and detailed surface pressure and vorticity distribution which are in remarkably good agreement with the large body of available numerical Navier-Stokes solutions. A novel feature of the new boundary-value problem is the development of a simple but accurate approximate method for determining the inviscid flow past an arbitrary two-dimensional displacement body with its wake.