cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Procalcitonin Perplexity - Prolonged Idiopathic Elevation in Pleomorphic Sarcoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Historically, elevations in procalcitonin (PCT) have been implicated in medullary thyroid cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. More recently, the trending of PCT has been suggested as a monitor of infection to assess the presence, clearance and eradication of infection, especially in cancer patients. Its increase serves as a marker of bacterial infections. During homeostasis it is produced by most tissues in the body at an extremely low level (<.01 ng/mL) and is often induced by bacterial endotoxins. In cancer patients additional factors influence these levels. Metastasis in particular is linked with relatively higher PCT levels. We present a case of an afebrile patient with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma who underwent 25 cycles of radiation therapy and presented one month later with elevated procalcitonin, lactic acid, and leukocytosis. All infectious work up was negative. Findings were incidental after a hospital visit for dehydration. Leukocytosis and lactic acidosis resolved after four days into the hospitalization. Procalcitonin, however, remained elevated over four months in the range of 2-5 ng/mL. The patient has no findings of metastatic disease. To our knowledge, there has never been a report in the literature describing a prolonged elevation of procalcitonin in a patient with a non-metastatic sarcoma without any signs of infection or any other underlying cause. The elevation of PCT has been noted in patients who suffered burns, trauma, minor and major surgery, and cardiogenic shock in addition to infection. Increases have served as signs of worsening patient outcomes and elevated rate of complications. Trending PCT can help in appropriated antibiotic use as it has been shown to decrease antibiotic use by 2.4 days. PCT trends have been increasing in value making idiopathic elevations found in combination undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma an important addition to the literature.
The cultural consensus of sustainability‐driven innovation: Strategies for success

Although sustainability may have previously appeared to business leaders primarily as an additional cost, today there are many signs of a change where sustainability appears to business leaders as a source or driver of value instead. Prior research shows that solving sustainability challenges should lead to innovations, yet we do not see widespread changes across companies. One reason may be that sustainability professionals do not share the same knowledge about the drivers and benefits of innovations that emerge when people solve sustainability challenges. To study this, we ran a cultural consensus analysis with sustainability professionals to test whether those with more sustainability expertise—that is, those with longer work experience in sustainability or to those that worked in companies where sustainability was embedded into core business operations—had different perspectives than those with less expertise. We found an overwhelming agreement among professionals regardless of expertise. We then followed up and conducted interviews with expert sustainability professionals to understand more about the business practices that drive sustainability‐driven innovation in their organizations.
Spilt Milk: COVID-19 and the Dangers of Dairy Industry Consolidation

Consolidation came later in the dairy industry than in other agricultural sectors. A long history of dairy farmer cooperatives owned by their farmer members and vertically integrated to produce and distribute fluid milk and cheese products staved off industrialized farming and horizontal consolidation. But by 1990, advances in technology and a change in antitrust regulation enabled investor-owned firms like Borden Dairy and Dean Food as well as large farmer cooperatives like DFA, Prairie Farm and Land O’Lakes to dominate the industry. Consolidation and the pursuit of economies of scale led to two inflexible and separate supply chains in dairy – one serving retail markets for consumers, the other serving commercial markets for institutional customers. The COVID-19 pandemic and economic lockdown revealed the lack of resilience and risks in a system dominated by a few large actors. Viable reforms in the dairy industry that limit the domination by powerful actors can achieve resilience and improve the ability of the dairy industry to respond to disruptions.
Effects of administration of ascorbic acid and low-dose hydrocortisone after infusion of sublethal doses of lipopolysaccharide to horses.

BACKGROUND Sepsis is associated with ascorbic acid (AA) depletion and critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI) in humans. HYPOTHESES Intravenous infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) would (a) decrease endogneous AA concentrations, (b) induce CIRCI and (c) administration of a combination of AA and hydrocortisone (HC) would have decreased indices of inflammation compared to either drug alone. ANIMALS Thirty-two healthy horses. METHODS Randomized placebo-controlled experimental trial. Horses were assigned to 1 of 4 groups (saline, AA and HC, AA only, or HC only). Treatments were administered 1 hour after completion of LPS infusion. Clinical signs, clinicopathological variables, pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression and production, and plasma AA concentrations were assessed at various time points. Serum cortisol concentrations and ACTH stimulation tests were used to detect CIRCI. RESULTS There was no effect of drug on clinical signs or pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression or production compared to controls at any time point. Administration of AA was associated with higher blood neutrophil counts 6 hours after LPS infusion (11.01 ± 1.02 K/μl) compared to other groups (8.99 ± 0.94 K/μL; P < .009). Adminstration of HC was associated with higher blood neutrophil counts 12 hours after LPS infusion (10.40 ± 0.75 K/μl) compared to other groups (6.88 ± 0.68 K/μl; P < .001). Serum cortisol increased from 5.11 ± 1.48 μg/dL before LPS administration to 9.59 ± 1.83 μg/dL 1 h after completion of LPS infusion (T1) without an effect of treatment (P = 0.59). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Ascorbic acid and HC appeared to protect against LPS-induced neutrophil depletion and could be considered as adjunctive therapy in horses with endotoxemia.
Optical Variability of the T Tauri Star HH 30 IRS

We report results of VRI photometric monitoring of the T Tauri star plus disk system HH 30 IRS. We find that HH 30 IRS is highly variable over timescales of a few days with ΔV ~ 1.5 mag, ΔI ~ 1.1 mag. Furthermore, we find hints of periodicity with periodograms indicating possible periods of 11.6 and 19.8 days. The VRI photometry is available through the ANONYMOUS FTP service. We model the variability with Monte Carlo radiation transfer simulations for a spotted star plus disk system and find that the large variability is best reproduced with a single hot spot and circumstellar grains that are larger than typical interstellar grains. The apparent existence of a single hot spot and the need for larger, more forward-throwing grains is consistent with previous modeling of Hubble Space Telescope imagery.
Applications of Archival Sources and Historical Methodologies in Interdisciplinary Coastal and Marine Research

Drawing on disciplinary approaches from environmental history and coastal landscape studies, this chapter outlines the approach taken to a study that employed archival research, key informant interviews and multiple historical case studies. This combination of methods was used to analyse the driving factors of environmental management as it relates to climate change adaptation in three U.S. coastal public park spaces. The chapter reflects on productive archival research strategies, key challenges in considering archival documentation alongside key informant interviews and the research outcomes of comparative historical case studies.
Reproductive health at conflict borders: a cross-sectional survey of human rights violations and perinatal outcomes at the Thai-Myanmar border

Human rights violations (HRVs) are common in conflict and displacement contexts. Women are especially vulnerable to HRVs in these contexts, and perinatal health is acutely sensitive to related stressors and health care barriers. However, how HRVs affect immediate and long-term perinatal health in chronic displacement settings has not been closely investigated. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether and how HRVs in these contexts are tied directly to displacement circumstances or other marginalizing factors affecting local migrant and minority populations generally. We investigated these questions using novel survey data from 577 women at the northern Thai-Myanmar border, where thousands of people have fled conflict in Shan State, Myanmar, for refuge in a range of precarious settings in Thailand, including unofficial refugee camps, villages, and worksites. We compared HRV exposures by ethnicity, country of birth, legal documentation, and residential setting. We then analyzed perinatal outcomes associated with HRV frequency, timing, and type. Birth in Myanmar, and ethnic minority and precarious legal status more broadly, predicted higher HRV prevalence. HRV frequency significantly predicted unmet antenatal care and lower birth weight, along with HRVs related to labor exploitation and violence or conflict. HRVs timed closer to pregnancies were more adversely associated with perinatal outcomes. Resource/property deprivation was the strongest predictor of pregnancy complications. Human rights must be urgently attended to, through expanded HRV screenings and responsive care, and policy changes to further protect migrant workers, displaced persons, and others in precarious legal status situations.
A poroelasticity model for interstitial fluid flow and matrix deformation in a non-homogeneous solid tumor:

This paper describes a small-strain poroelasticity model to examine the interstitial fluid pressure and matrix deformation in a non-homogeneous solid tumor consisting of an inner core with a reduce...
Categorizing Uses of Communications Metadata: Systematizing Knowledge and Presenting a Path for Privacy

Communications metadata can be used to determine a communication’s device, identify the user of the device, and profile the user’s personality and behavior. The current state of affairs is that the increase of attacks against user privacy based on using communications metadata vastly outpaces the ability of users to protect themselves. With few exceptions, protections are point solutions against a specific attack. In the current situation, the user loses. This paper is an initial step in a multi-step research effort to reset that balance. The main contribution of this paper is a categorization of the uses of communications metadata based on their privacy impact. Because of the technical complexity of the problem, including the wide variety of electronic communications, technology can only go so far in providing solutions to the privacy problems created by the use of communications metadata. Legal and policy intervention will also be needed. This categorization is intended to provide a start in developing legal and policy privacy protections for communications metadata. Along the way, I also provide an explanation for how it is that communications metadata has become so valuable, sometimes surpassing the value of content. This work provides both an intellectual framework for thinking about the privacy implications of the use of communications metadata and a roadmap, with first steps taken, for providing privacy protections for users of electronic communications.
Securing Networked Microgrids with DNP3 Protocol

The paper presents the microgrid and its networked components within a local area to securely satisfy the supply-demand requirements at the point of common coupling (PCC). A complete mathematical model of the control is presented for an inverter-based microgrid, and a 20-bus example microgrid was tested. The distributed energy resources (DER) are connected through a voltage source inverter to the network. The model is operated under different conditions, with the steady-state behavior was analyzed. The model was simulated under different operating scenarios. The microgrid operation was performed in an autonomous mode under various load disturbances. Finally, implementing a DNP3 as a middleware communication protocol between 2 DER’s was detailed and performed experimentally. The test system utilizes an embedded computer as the distributed control layer for the grid, and a Python-based dynamical model was developed to emulate the actual power system dynamics.
History of the Mating Types in Ustilago maydis

This chapter presents some general features of Ustilago maydis and a synopsis of its life cycle. The life cycle of U. maydis is characterized by three cell types: a cigar-shaped haploid, unicellular form that divides by budding and is nonpathogenic; a dikaryotic, filamentous form that grows at the tip cell and is pathogenic; and a diploid spore, the teliospore, formed within the tumors induced by the fungus, that is not capable of vegetative growth but germinates and undergoes meiosis to produce the haploid yeast-like form. Heterothallism and Sex Factors Stakman and Christensen demonstrated for the first time that U. maydis is heterothallic. Six mutants designated bmut (three bGmut, two bDmut, and one bImut) were obtained, all of which induced tumors and produced teliospores when inoculated with their progenitors, with themselves and with each other, and thus behave as “universal” alleles. The b locus of U. maydis was the first multiallelic mating-type locus cloned and understood at the molecular level and provided a framework in which to understand the more complex A multiallelic mating-type locus of other basidiomycetes. Strains with an inactive gene for the pheromone precursor can respond to the pheromone produced by cells of opposite mating type but they cannot induce a response in cells of opposite mating type, and strains with an inactive receptor gene can induce a response in cells of opposite mating type but cannot respond to cells of opposite mating type.
Algorithm development, simulation analysis and parametric studies for data allocation in distributed database systems

In a distributed database system, an increase in workload typically necessitates the installation of additional database servers followed by the implementation of expensive data reorganization strategies. We present the Partial REALLOCATE and Full REALLOCATE heuristics for efficient data reallocation. Complexity is controlled and cost minimized by allowing only incremental introduction of servers into the distributed database system. Using first simple examples and then, a simulator, our framework for incremental growth and data reallocation in distributed database systems is shown to produce near optimal solutions when compared with exhaustive methods.
Output Tracking of Piecewise Polynomial Trajectories

This paper gives a signal synthesis approach to the problem of output tracking for dynamical systems. The focus is on an algorithm for generating feed forward control signals. The algorithm does not have difficulty with RHP zeros.
Combining answer set programming and prolog: the ASP-PROLOG system

This paper presents a framework for combining Answer Set Programming and Prolog, as developed in the ASP-PROLOGsystem. The paper focuses on the development of a model-theoretical account for ASP-PROLOG. It also illustrates the use of ASP-PROLOG in several practical applications in knowledge representation and reasoning, common-sense reasoning, and planning.
Structure-function relationships at the active site of nuclease-T'.

Abstract Solid phase peptide synthesis has been used to study structural requirements at the active site of staphylococcal nuclease-T', the noncovalent complex of the polypeptides nuclease-T-(6-48) and nuclease-T-(49-149) (residues 6 through 48 and 49 through 149 of native nuclease, respectively). In light of the importance of glutamic acid 43 in nuclease-T' catalysis (Chaiken, I. M., and Sanchez, G. R. (1972) J. Biol. Chem. 247, 6743–747), analogues of nuclease-T-(6-48) with progressively longer deletions at the COOH terminus have been synthesized, and their binding to native nuclease-T-(49-149) to produce an active complex has been investigated. The results indicate that residues glutamic acid 43, threonine 44, lysine 45, histidine 46, proline 47, and lysine 48 are not necessary for formation of a nuclease-T'-like complex. On the other hand, threonine 44 is critical for normal enzymic activity. The effect of threonine 44 appears to be due to its contribution to the peptide bond with glutamic acid 43 and not to its specific side chain moiety. The synthesis of an analogue of nuclease-T-(6-48) with alanine at position 19 in place of aspartic acid was also undertaken. No enzymic activity is generated by this peptide in the presence of nuclease-T-(49-149), although complex formation appears to occur. This finding is consistent with the view, based on the crystal structure of the nuclease-Ca++-deoxythymidine 3',5'-diphosphate complex (Cotton, F. A., Bier, C. J., Day, V. W., Hazen, E. E., Jr., and Larsen, S. (1972) Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 36, 243–249), that the side chain carboxyl group of aspartic acid 19, along with those of aspartic acid residues 21 and 40 and glutamic acid 43, participates in the binding of the essential calcium ion.
Nuclear Receptors, Chemistry of

Nuclear hormone receptors are integral players in endocrine networks that lie at the interface between biology and chemistry. Unlike most other classes of transcription factors, these proteins are designed uniquely to bind small molecules and, thus, affect gene expression in response to the cellular and organismal chemical environment. After several decades of research, it is now appreciated that nuclear receptors bind very diverse lipophilic small molecules with a wide range of specificity and affinities. Recent nuclear receptor structures coupled with large-scale screening efforts challenge the dogma that all nuclear receptors, especially the large subset of constitutively active receptors, will have ligands and will represent tractable drug targets. As such, the “pharmacologic future” for such orphan nuclear receptors may reside outside of the ligand-binding pocket.
Abstract 15768: Mitochondria-Targeted DNA Repair Glycosylase Ogg1 Suppresses Early Stage of Atherogenesis in Ogg1 Deficient Mice

Introduction: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a key role in the development of atherosclerosis. Mitochondria are a main source of endogenous ROS in the cell. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is sensitive to oxidation and our previous results from cultured cell and intact animal models suggest that increasing mtDNA repair prevents both oxidative mtDNA damage and associated cytotoxicity and cellular dysfunction. Involvement of oxidative mtDNA damage in disorders characterized by chronic oxidative stress has been less thoroughly studied. Hypothesis: In the present study we tested the hypothesis that transgenic modulation of Ogg1, a DNA glycosylase mediating the first step in the base excision repair of oxidative mtDNA damage, coordinately regulates atherogenesis in mice fed a high fat diet. Methods: Wild type (WT) mice, Ogg1 knock-out (KO) mice and KO mice transgenically overexpressing mitochondria-targeted Ogg1 (KO-Tg) were fed pro-atherogenic Western type diet for 14 weeks and analyzed for mtDNA damage and signs of atherogenesis. Results: KO mice fed a high fat diet had increased oxidative mtDNA damage in cardiac tissue, whereas KO-Tg animals did not differ from WT mice (WT: 0.18 ± 0.04; KO: 0.35 ± 0.04; KO-Tg: 0.15 ± 0.01 lesions per 104 bp; n=3, P<0.05; quantitative Southern blot analysis). We did not observe significant atherosclerotic plaque formation in the aortic valve of animals from any group; however appearance of fatty streaks, indicative of early plaque development, was more evident in KO mice (WT: 179 ± 20; KO: 384 ± 59 pixels, n=4, P<0.05; immunohistochemistry for Fc receptor - general marker of inflammatory cells). This effect was completely blocked in KO-Tg mice. We found increased number of apoptotic cells in the aortic valve of KO, but not KO-Tg mice (WT: 2.00 ± 0.50; KO: 4.25 ± 0.48; KO-Tg: 2.14 ± 0.85 apoptotic cells, n=4, P<0.05; TUNEL assay). Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that Ogg1 deficiency in mice fed a high fat diet leads to increased oxidative mtDNA damage, appearance of fatty streaks and cell apoptosis. In contrast, enhancement of mtDNA repair with mitochondria-targeted Ogg1 reduces fatty streaks formation and apoptosis induced by a high fat diet. These results suggest mtDNA damage and repair could be important targets for atheroprotection.
Emerging Therapeutic Approaches for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus and Macrovascular Complications

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) affects an estimated 25.8 million people in the United States and is the 7th leading cause of death. While effective therapy can prevent or delay the complications that are associated with diabetes, according to the Center for Disease Control, 35% of Americans with DM are undiagnosed, and another 79 million Americans have blood glucose levels that greatly increase their risk of developing DM in the next several years. One of the Healthy People 2020 goals is to reduce the disease and economic burden of DM and improve the quality of life for all persons who have, or are at risk for, DM. Achieving this goal requires a concentrated focus on improving the management of diabetes and in targeting prevention of macrovascular complications. This article reviews established and emerging therapeutic approaches for managing DM and prevention of macrovascular complications.
Gay and Lesbian Families: What We Know and Where to Go From Here:

The author reviewed the research on gay and lesbian parents and their children. The current body of research has been clear and consistent in establishing that children of gay and lesbian parents are as psychologically healthy as their peers from heterosexual homes. However, this comparison approach to research design appears to have limited the scope of research on gay and lesbian families, leaving much of the experience of these families yet to be investigated.
An instructional program to facilitate teaching joint/soft-tissue injection and aspiration.

OBJECTIVE: We developed an instructional program to teach aspiration and injection techniques of the knee and shoulder to medical students and residents. METHODS: Residents and fourth-year medical students participating in a rheumatology elective were assigned by deterministic allocation into 3 groups: the Traditional group received no specific instruction in arthrocentesis but simply rotated through rheumatology, learning injection techniques only if they saw patients who required them; the Lecture-only group received only the didactic lecture and did not have the opportunity to practice on the models; the Program group participated in the newly developed program of instruction that combined a didactic lecture and a hands-on workshop using the anatomic models to practice arthrocentesis techniques. RESULTS: The scores on the written examination for those in the Program group (mean score 37.46 out of 40 possible) and the Lecture-only group (mean 37.75) were significantly higher than those of the Traditional group (mean 33.15) (P<.05). The scores on the practical examination for those in the Program group (mean score 24.08 out of 26 possible) were significantly higher than those of the Lecture-only (mean 20.50) and Traditional (mean 17.33) (P<.05) CONCLUSION: The addition of this type of instruction to supplement a traditional internal medicine rotation can enhance a learner’s ability to perform joint/soft-tissue injection and aspiration.
Temperature Distribution in Lunar Rilles

Lunar rilles temperature distribution analysis, examining contour shape, aspect ratio and solar elevation angles effects
Contextual Socioeconomic Status and Mental Health Counseling Use Among US Adolescents with Depression

Most adolescents with depressive disorders do not receive any mental health services, even though effective treatments exist. Although research has examined numerous individual-level factors associated with mental health service use among depressed adolescents, less is known about the role of contextual factors. This study examines the relationship between contextual-level socioeconomic status (SES) and clinic-based mental health counseling use among US adolescents with high depressive symptoms in urban and suburban areas. Data from the first two waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 1,133; 59 % female) were analyzed using multilevel logistic models in which adolescents were nested within counties. After controlling for individual-level predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics, as well as county racial/ethnic composition, county SES was positively associated with clinic-based counseling use among depressed youth. A one standard deviation increase in the county affluence index was associated with 43 % greater odds of receiving any clinical counseling services. Furthermore, the positive relationship between county affluence and clinical counseling use was no longer significant after controlling for the county supply of mental health specialist physicians. The results indicate that county residential context is a key correlate of mental health service use among depressed adolescents, such that those who live in lower SES counties with fewer mental health specialists are less likely to receive treatment.
X-RAY CRYSTAL SPECTROSCOPY OF A THETA-PINCH PLASMA IN THE REGION 15-25A

A new synthetic crystal, potassium acid phthalate (KAP), has a spacing between crystal planes, $2d=26.6$ \AA{}. The use of this crystal in a Bragg crystal spectrometer has permitted measurement of the Scylla I x-ray spectrum from 15 to 25 \AA{}, a region inaccessible with the beryl crystal previously used. The principal features of the observed spectrum in this region are the lines of O vii and O viii arising from oxygen contamination of the discharge by material from the ceramic discharge tube. Six lines of the resonance series of O vii are observed, including both $1{s}^{2}^{1}S_{0}\ensuremath{-}1s2p^{1}P_{1}$ and $1{s}^{2}^{1}S_{0}\ensuremath{-}1s2p^{3}P_{1}$. The first members of the Lyman series of O viii are also observed. Measurements of Doppler widths of the lines of O vii and O viii yield an oxygen-ion Doppler temperature of 9.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2.8 keV. These measurements, when combined with those previously made on other ion species, show that the ions of the plasma are not in collisional equilibrium.
Creative Cognition, Conceptual Combination, and the Creative Writing of Stephen R. Donaldson.

This article explores the reported use of conceptual combination in Stephen R. Donaldson's development of the idea for his award-winning fantasy series. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. Donaldson's (1991) own account is used to illustrate the general principles of a creative cognition approach to understanding creativity as well as the more specific role of the basic process of conceptual combination. The links between Donaldson's and others' anecdotal accounts of creativity and laboratory investigations are assessed. The article concludes with an argument for a "convergence" approach in which information from anecdotal accounts and laboratory studies is combined to provide a more complete picture of creative functioning than either approach alone can offer.
A New Method for Studying the Atom: Optical spectra for multiply ionized atoms are produced by means of nuclear-physics techniques

The new spectroscopy is in its infancy, and many fascinating aspects are yet to be studied. The properties of thin films may be studied by means of the excitation they induce in a given kind of beam. The production of ions with but a single electron offers a means of carefully mapping the nuclear charge distribution without the complications introduced by the normal complement of electrons. The study of high-purity, multiply ionized particles should make for better temperature determinations in hot plasmas. Possibly the data on lifetimes and modes of decay of excited energy levels may assist in the quantitative assignment of element abundances in the stars. One can even attempt to use the glowing beams as sources for absorption spectroscopy. The method seems to permit study of every stage of excitation for every stage of ionization for every element in the periodic table. Practical problems may interfere with so complete a study, but a major extension of our knowledge of atomic structure seems to be at hand.
Discourse production deficits following traumatic brain injury: A critical review of the recent literature

Abstract This review analyses several recent studies of discourse deficits subsequent to traumatic brain injury. The review describes methodological problems related to incomplete subject descriptions, use of different discourse elicitation tasks and analyses, and examines the findings from each study by level of analysis. The limitations of these findings are discussed and general conclusions regarding discourse abilities following traumatic brain injury are offered. Implications for future research are also presented.
Can color transcend culture

The taboo approach toward color emphasizes its negative implications within highly contextualized cultural events. Depending on the situation, yellow may be a sign of mourning, red a sign of communism, and white a sign of death. While the taboo approach to color is an important part of human-computer interaction, its full impact is questionable in relation to a small set of universal color prototypes. This paper presents data illustrating and explaining color prototypes and then suggests possibilities for their application in computing systems.
Addition of anticancer agents enhances freezing-induced prostate cancer cell death: implications of mitochondrial involvement.

Abstract Recent evidence suggests that the successful treatment of prostate cancer may require adjuvant therapies. Accordingly, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in current treatments may lead to enhanced efficacy by providing a basis for adjuvant therapies. In this study, we demonstrate that the combination of sub-lethal concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents prior to freezing (−15 °C) in a prostate cancer cell (PC-3) model results in enhanced efficacy over either treatment alone. Morphological analysis revealed that necrosis appeared to be the prevalent mode of cell death following adjuvant (in vitro) modeling, yet molecular analysis indicated that freezing and chemotherapy differentially activated apoptotic cascades through modulating opposing members of the Bcl-2 protein family. Freezing results in a time-dependent increase of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein, while chemotherapy results in an increase of the pro-apoptotic Bax protein. Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein levels increase over 3-fold following exposure to freezing. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) causes pro-apoptotic Bax levels to increase 2-fold during the drug exposure. The increase in Bax was also apparent following the combination of 5-FU/freezing, while Bcl-2 levels were maintained at or below control levels. This led to a shift in the Bcl-2 to Bax ratio to a pro-death tendency. Other effective cryo/chemo combinations were also found to provide similar effects. The combination of cisplatin/freezing resulted in a 4-fold increase in the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 when compared to controls, which represented a 2-fold increase over the 5-FU/freezing-combination model. This increase may contribute to the continued reduction in cell number observed during the 13-day recovery period. Additionally, the addition of an apoptotic caspase inhibitor was not able to protect cultures from cell death following combination treatment. In conclusion, the data suggest that both Bcl-2 and Bax may, not only, play an important role in the efficacy of the cryo/chemo combination, but also the balance between the two may determine the role and extent of system destruction.
An asymptotically distribution freetest for assessing the separationbetween two distributions

We present a class of asymptotically distribution free tests for the equality of selected quantiles of two continuous distributions F and G based on independent random samples summarized by their empirical distribution functions, denoted [Fcirc] and Ĝ. Our test statistics are based on [Fcirc] evaluated at a quantile of the distribution function H defined as the weighted average Ĥ = b[Fcirc] + (l - b)Ĝ, 0≤b<1. The choice b = 0 yields the control quantile test studied by Chakraborti [4] and others. Inversion of the test statistic defined by b = 0.5 leads to a measure of the separation between F and G. We investigate and compare the performance of some of these tests and a normal theory test proposed by Perng et al. [12] via simulation.
Correlation of size and photoluminescence for Ge nanocrystals in SiO2 matrices

Abstract Synthesis and size-dependent photoluminescence has been performed for Ge nanocrystals in SiO2 matrices with average diameters between 2 and 9 nm, formed by room-temperature ion implantation into SiO2 followed by precipitation during vacuum thermal anneals. Nanocrystal size distributions obtained from electron microscopy data were used in conjunction with a quantum-confined exciton recombination model [T. Takagahara and K. Takeda, Phys. Rev. B 46 (1992) 15578] to generate calculated photoluminescence spectra, which were compared with experimental spectra. Qualitative agreement between calculated and observed spectra could be obtained when: (i) the non-radiative and radiative carrier recombination rates were approximately equal for nanocrystal sizes corresponding to visible emission, (ii) the spatial extent of the nanocrystal confinement potential is assumed to be slightly smaller than the measured size of the nanocrystal, and (iii) coalescence of individual nanocrystals produces electronic states corresponding to single nanocrystals with larger volume.
Enhanced contact of cosolvent and DNAPL in porous media by concurrent injection of cosolvent and air.

Dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) contamination is a major environmental problem. Cosolvent flooding is proposed as a remedial alternative to water flooding. The efficacy of cosolvent flooding is a function of the degree of contact between the injected remedial fluid and the resident DNAPL Poor contact may result from remedial fluids traveling in preferential flow paths which bypass trapped DNAPL Thus, the motivation for this study was to use the preferential flow of air in porous media to enhance contact between the injected cosolvent and resident DNAPL The study evaluated concurrent injection of cosolvent and air to improve the spatial extent of DNAPL removal in porous media. A 70% ethanol/30% water (v/v) cosolvent was injected simultaneously with air into a micromodel containing residual tetrachloroethylene (PCE). Double drainage displacement was observed as a dominant DNAPL removal mechanism in the initial period of the cosolvent-air flooding (i.e., gas displaced PCE that displaced water). The residual PCE residing in the preferential paths traversed by air was readily displaced. In addition to this initial PCE mobilization, air flowing through the preferential flow paths displaced cosolvent from these paths into other flow paths and facilitated dissolution of PCE.
Advances in chemical sensing for occluded environments

High concentrations of H+ and other chemical species can enhance the growth rate of sub-critical cracks in metals subjected to corrosive environments. High concentrations of H+ are thought to be the result of both metallic dissolution and bulk transport. The rate of mass transport of chemical constituents into the crack tip is proposed to be largely a function of the surface geometry of the crack. For this study, a fiber optic chemical sensor (FOCS) is developed to investigate the influence of crack size and crack surface roughness on the transport rate of hydrogen in an occluded environment. The FOCS combines pH sensitive fluoresceinamine attached by photopolymerization to the distal tip of a single optical fiber to non-invasively monitor pH in the occluded cell. This sensor geometry provides the benefit of real-time pH measurement at specific points in the crack tip environment. Chemically inert crack specimens have been used in order to investigate crack surface geometry affects without the added complexities of metallic dissolution. Varying crack sizes and roughnesses are considered and preliminary results for model geometries are presented.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Principles of use of antibacterial agents

Proper selection of an antibacterial agent is based on a number of factors, including the identity of the pathogen, the site of infection, the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of the agent, potential toxicity to the patient, possible drug interactions, cost, and convenience of administration. The initial choice of an antimicrobial agent may be modified during the course of treatment as the patient’s clinical status evolves (eg, response to therapy, function of major organ systems, and so forth) and as more information about the nature of the infection comes to light. For example, when a patient presents severely ill, with signs and symptoms suggesting overwhelming bacterial infection, one must choose antimicrobial agents empirically. In such emergent circumstances, an initial regimen is selected based on the best information about the nature of the infection that can be gleaned from the available history, physical examination, and preliminary laboratory studies. Possible pathogens are identified based on these findings, and drugs are targeted against the likely culprits, based on known patterns of antimicrobial activity. Estimates of antimicrobial susceptibility of likely pathogens must take into account various factors that might predict resistance, such as the setting in which the infection was acquired (community, hospital, or nursing home); the previous use of antibiotics in the patient; and the potential of likely pathogens to produce extended-spectrum b-lactamases in the presence of b-lactam antibiotics. Principles of PK and PD must also be considered in designing empiric regimens and in modifying those regimens in accordance with changes in the clinical condition of the patient. Patients who are severely ill almost always are treated with intravenous agents to bypass potentially slow and erratic oral absorption so that therapeutic levels are reached as soon as possible. Loading doses often are given under these circumstances to achieve a steady state more rapidly.
Enumeration of Soybean-Associated Rhizobia with Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

The symbiotic relationship between soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and rhizobial bacteria such as Bradyrhizobium japonicum allows biological nitrogen fi xation (BNF), which, along with residual soil N, can meet the seasonal needs of a soybean crop. The widespread use of rhizobia inoculants to encourage BNF is not strongly supported by previous research. A high throughput, effi cient method for quantifying rhizobia would be a valuable tool for assessing the need of inoculation on a case by case basis. Such a method is also needed for large-scale research on rhizobia populations in various environments and cropping systems. The objective of this study was to create a new method for quantifying soybean-specifi c rhizobia in the soil using quantitative (real-time) polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Soil from 12 plots with presumably different rhizobia populations was collected from a long-term corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean rotation study near Arlington, WI, and the most probable number (MPN) of rhizobia in the soil was determined. DNA from the soil was analyzed with qPCR using primers targeting the nodZ specifi city gene for nodulation. The qPCR quantifi cation was correlated to the MPN with a simple regression model. The relationship between MPN and qPCR was described by the equation threshold coeffi cient (C T ) = 33.43 – 0.85[ln(MPN)], with an adjusted R 2 of 0.88. These data allow for the prediction of soybean-associated rhizobia populations in the soil based on the qPCR analysis of extracted DNA.
Collaborative localization with heterogeneous inter-robot measurements by Riemannian optimization

We propose a distributed algorithm for collaborative localization of multiple autonomous robots that fuses inter-robot relative measurements with odometry measurements to improve upon dead reckoning estimates. It is an extension of our previous work [6], in which a method for fusing inter-robot pose measurements was presented. In this paper we extend the method to fuse any type of inter-robot measurements (distance, bearing, relative position, relative orientation, and any combination thereof), thus increasing the applicability of the method. The proposed method is posed as an optimization problem in a product Riemannian manifold; and is solved by gradient descent without performing a parameterization of the orientations. The proposed distributed algorithm allows each robot to compute its own pose estimate based on local measurements and communication with its neighbors. Simulations show that the proposed distributed algorithm significantly improves localization accuracy over the case of no-collaboration. Simulations show that, in some situations, the proposed distributed algorithm outperforms two competing methods - an Extended Kalman Filter-based algorithm as well as a distributed pose graph optimization method that relies on an Euclidean parameterization of orientations.
The Dignity of Research1

with dignity, especially if such programs are backed by potential job loss rather than greater meaning. This suggests that claims of inevitable increases in worker participation and bilateral power are contradictory in this age of Social Darwinism and finance conceptions of corporate control. Hodson includes a bit on the relationship of profit, management power, and control of work, but he then calls for an end to management abuse and the spread of workplace norms like job security, ending capricious layoffs, expansion of union style grievance procedures, ongoing training, and provision of adequate tools and technology. iction in work today is betw en arbitrary anagement power and the in v tability of ture increase in worke pa ticipation. sults are mixed about the ability of team ilding and other forms of participation to Can managers and workers become shared partners in power? Can management abuse be replaced with mutual respect and trust when layoffs remain necessary and job security is absent? I am not so sure. Let me close with the argument that lack of a relational conception of dignity and domination makes this an overly optimistic argument. Maybe there is no inherent dignity at work. Maybe the balance of resistance and citizenship does not naturally tilt toward good citizenship. Maybe more than cultural change is required to equate work with dignity. I hope this pessimism is misplaced and I am glad Randy Hodson wrote a book that so clearly articulates alternative possibilities.
Assays Based on Differential Adsorption of Single-stranded and Double-stranded DNA on Unfunctionalized Gold Nanoparticles in a Colloidal Suspension

Under certain conditions, single-stranded DNA adsorbs to negatively charged gold nanoparticles in a colloid whereas double-stranded DNA does not. We present evidence that this phenomenon can be explained by the difference in their electrostatic properties that in turn reflects conformational differences. The ability to discriminate the hybridization state of DNA on the basis of adsorption behavior can be utilized to design simple colorimetric and fluorimetric assays that take advantage of plasmon resonance in the gold nanoparticles. We present examples where we detect specific target sequences in oligonucleotides and in genomic DNA. Because conformational changes in special DNA sequences can also be induced by analytes such as potassium, we report a potassium ion detection scheme based on the same principle.
Preparation and colorimetric analysis of l-Canavanine

Abstract Procedures for the preparation and colorimetric assay of l -canavanine, a structural analog of l -arginine, are presented.
Bacillus macerans cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase transglycosylation reactions with different molar ratios of D-glucose and cyclomaltohexaose

It was found that Bacillus macerans cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) reacts with cyclomaltohexaose (alpha-cyclodextrin, alpha-CD) to give a series of cyclomaltooligosaccharides (cyclomaltodextrins, CDs), having seven to more than 20 D-glucose residues and maltooligosaccharides (maltodextrins, MDs) from G5 to G12+. When D-glucose (Glc) was added to the alpha-CD at very low molar ratios (1:100) of Glc to alpha-CD, the predominant products (95%) were CDs, some of which were macrocyclic MDs with 20-60 D-glucose residues, along with MDs that also had high molecular weights, containing 10-75 D-glucose residues and gave a blue iodine-iodide color. As the molar ratio of Glc to alpha-CD was increased, the amount of CDs progressively decreased and MDs proportionately increased in the range of G2-G12. At 25 mM alpha-CD and Glc to alpha-CD molar ratio of 1:1, a 75% yield of MDs, G1-G12, each in approximately equal amounts, was obtained; and at 20 mM and a 5:1 ratio, a 97% yield of MDs, G2-G9, was obtained but in unequal amounts. At higher ratios (10:1), the CDs completely disappeared, and at very high ratios (50:1 to 100:1) only low-molecular-weight MDs, G2-G4, were formed.
Scheduling Short-Run Changes in Production to Minimize Long-Run Expected Costs

This paper investigates the problem of scheduling production from one period to the next to minimize long-run expected costs where the only relevant considerations are the expense of revising production and the charges related to inventory. We first consider the case of constant sales known over time in order to compare exact and approximate solutions. The approach to these solutions is based on minimizing the costs of deviating from long-run equilibrium values of production and inventory. The same approach is then used to handle the more realistic possibility of uncertain future demands. Solutions are obtained for both linear and quadratic inventory and production cost functions. Because future demand is assumed to be specified by some probability distribution, inventory costs must be approximated in order to obtain a closed-form solution; however, the result should differ insignificantly from an exact optimal solution.
Microstructural Optimization of Alloys Using a Genetic Algorithm

Abstract A methodology is presented to tailor the microstructure of alloys for developing “materials by design.” Theoretical and phenomenological models are used to correlate the microstructure to macroscopic properties, and a genetic algorithm (GA) is used to synthesize the optimal microstructure for satisfying user-defined design requirements. Simulated results are presented for an Al–Mg–Sc–Zr alloy considering low temperature strength, ductility, and high temperature strength as the macroscopic properties of interest. The efficacy of the optimization scheme is also evaluated by comparing the GA results with the global optimal values obtained by searching the entire solution space. The results presented show that the methodology lends itself well to realize the concept of “materials by design.”
Remounting multiple casting prior to final cementation

Abstract A technique has been presented for mounting and refining multiple restorations (castings) to a high degree of accuracy. This technique offers a solution to many problems encountered when making final occlusal adjustments in the mouth. The exact technical adjustment procedure to be followed after remounting will be described in a following article.