cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Corticosterone in Trace and Delay Conditioned Fear-Potentiated Startle in Rats

Emotional events often lead to particularly strong memory formation. Corticosterone, the final product of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis activation, has been suggested to play a critical role in this effect. Although a great deal of work has implicated the amygdala as a necessary structure for the effects of corticosterone, other studies have suggested a critical role for the hippocampus in determining the involvement of corticosterone. The current experiments examined this question by disrupting corticosterone synthesis with administration of metyrapone (25 or 100 mg/kg) prior to training in either dorsal hippocampus-independent delay fear conditioning or dorsal hippocampus-dependent trace fear conditioning. Metyrapone administration 2 hrs prior to training significantly attenuated corticosterone secretion during training, but these effects were transient as corticosterone levels were similar to control subjects following the test session. As hypothesized, only trace fear conditioning was impaired. This suggests that only fear conditioning tasks that are dependent on the dorsal hippocampus require HPA-axis activation in order to be learned.
Future Directions: American College of Chest Physicians Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery

The recommendations put forth in these guidelines for the management and prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery are based on information available at the time of the final literature review. As a result, they will become dated as new information and results from new trials becomes available. The maintenance of clinical practice guidelines is an evolving process requiring the alteration of recommendations over time, based on new studies and new results. The current set of guidelines attempts not only to identify new therapeutic options for AF after cardiac surgery but also to develop a strategy to indicate how and when to update the guidelines themselves.
Electrically injected single-defect photonic bandgap surface-emitting laser at room temperature

An electrically injected defect-mode photonic bandgap microcavity surface-emitting laser at room temperature is demonstrated for the first time. 931 nm lasing is observed under pulsed excitation conditions, with a threshold current of 300 µA. Near- and far-field modal characteristics of the emission confirm lasing from the defect-related microcavity in the photonic bandgap crystal.
Prenatal exposure to ethanol alters the neuroimmune response to a central nervous system wound in the adult rat

Abstract We examined the long-term effects of in utero ethanol exposure on the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and ED1 in the tissue at the site of a central nervous system (CNS) wound. Adult rats obtained from dams fed control diets or an ethanol diet were fed either control diets or an ethanol diet 5 days before and after infliction of a CNS wound. In pair-fed controls, the expression of TNF-α, GFAP, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and ED1 immunoreactive proteins was increased in the tissue at the wound site when compared with that in nonlesioned tissues. In adult rats previously exposed to ethanol in utero and then fed a liquid diet before and after infliction of a CNS wound, however, expression of TNF-α, GFAP, and ICAM-1 was markedly decreased when compared with findings in pair-fed controls. In contrast, VCAM-1 levels and ED1 immunoreactive proteins were markedly increased when compared with findings for pair-fed controls. Furthermore, in adult rats exposed to ethanol in utero, re-exposure to ethanol before and after sustaining a CNS wound resulted in further decreases in TNF-α, GFAP, and ICAM-1 levels and marked increases in VCAM-1 levels and ED1 immunoreactive proteins. Results of these studies suggest to us that prenatal exposure to ethanol has a long-term immunoteratogenic effect in the CNS, resulting in altered responses of key components of the neuroimmune response, which could leave the animal immunocompromised as an adult.
Bilateral pyoderma gangrenosum of the hand: Treatment with dapsone

Abstract The first reported case of bilateral pyoderma gangrenosum of the hands is presented. One lesion was treated with wound care only, with spontaneous healing after two months. The contralateral lesion which occurred one month later was treated with wound care and oral dapsone. Healing occurred between four and six weeks after the start of dapsone. It is suggested that this acts by limiting the necrotizing process, thus allowing earlier epithelialization. Pyoderma gangrenosum is rare, and treatment is non-surgical. It is important that it is recognized to avoid extension of the necrotizing process through ill-advised surgery.
ANNIVERSARY ARTICLE: Stochastic Simulation Research in Management Science

When the simulation department ofManagement Science was created in 1978 it ushered in an era of significant methodological advances in stochastic simulation. However, the foundation for the field--not just the work that has been published inManagement Science--was provided by two papers published long before simulation had its own department in the journal. We will review the seminal papers of Conway, Johnson, and Maxwell (1959) and Conway (1963), and then trace their impact through eight award-winning papers that appeared much later inManagement Science.
Quantitative PCR for detection of the OT-1 transgene.

Background Transgenic TCR mice are often used experimentally as a source of T cells of a defined specificity. One of the most widely used transgenic TCR models is the OT-1 transgenic mouse in which the CD8+ T cells express a TCR specific for the SIINFEKL peptide of ovalbumin presented on kb. Although OT-1 CD8+ can be used in a variety of different experimental settings, we principally employ adoptive transfer and peptide-driven expansion of OT-1 cells in order to explore the distribution and fate of these antigen-specific OT-1 T cells. We set out to develop a quantitative PCR assay for OT-1 cells in order to assess the distribution of OT-1 CD8+ T cells in tissues that are either intrinsically difficult to dissociate for flow cytometric analysis or rendered incompatible with flow cytometric analysis through freezing or fixation.
Relation between presence-absence of a visible nucleoid and metabolic activity in bacterioplankton cells

We investigated the report of Zweifel and Hagstriim that only a portion of marine bacteria contain nucleoids -- the DNA-containing regions of procaryotic cells-and that such bacteria correspond to the active or viable fraction of bacterioplankton. In Oregon coastal waters, 21-64% of bacteria had visible nucleoids; numbers of nucleoid-visible (NV) bacteria were greater than numbers of metabolically active bacteria, based on cells with active electron transport systems (ETS) and intact cell membranes. During log growth of a marine isolate, proportions of NV and ETS-active cells approached 100%. In stationary growth phase, the fraction of ETS-active cells decreased rapidly, while that of NV cells remained high for 7 d. When starved cells of the isolate were resupplied with nutrient (50 mg liter-l peptone), total cell number did not increase during the initial 6 h, but the proportion of NV cells increased from 27 to lOO%, and that of ETS-active cells from 6 to 75%. In an analogous experiment with a bacterioplankton assemblage, a similar trend was observed: the number of NV cells doubled during the initial 6 h prior to an increase in total cell counts. These results show that some bacteria without visible nucleoids are capable of becoming NV cells, and thus have DNA in a nucleoid region not detectable with the method used here. Enumeration of bacterioplankton by staining with the fluorochromes acridine orange or 4’,6-diamidino-2phenylidole (DAPI) and then counting via epifluorescence microscopy is one of the most common methods used in aquatic microbiology. Zweifel and Hagstriim (1995) presented evidence that only a fraction of the cells counted with these methods appear to be living bacteria. They based this observation on the presence or absence of a nucleoid-a region packed with condensed DNA in the bacterial cell. The standard direct count method based on DAPI staining of aldehyde-preserved marine bacteria (Porter and Feig 1980) was shown to be nonspecific for DNA; a modification of the method resulted in efficient binding of DAPI to DNA and removal of most nonspecific DAPI staining of other cell components (Zweifel and Hagstrijm 1995). In seawater taken from the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, Zweifel and Hagstriim reported that from 2 to 32% of bacterioplankton appeared to contain nucleoids. They inferred from their results, which included laboratory culture experiments, that cells with nucleoids corresponded to the portion of the bacterial assemblage that is active or viable and that cells without nucleoids were “ghost” cells that did not contain DNA and were therefore incapable of growth.
Modeling in Medical Decision Making: A Bayesian Approach. Giovanni Parmigiani. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Ltd., 2002, 266 pp., $69.95, hardcover. ISBN 0-471-98608-9.

Modeling in Medical Decision Making describes how Bayesian analysis can be applied to a wide variety of problems. The book focuses on comprehensive quantitative analysis of many types of problems in medical research and decision making. In such a quantitative book, there should be balanced presentation of concepts in English and algebra, with clear explanations of the meanings of all symbols and careful consideration of all assumptions lurking behind the symbols. The medical science cited should be realistic. This book achieves this goal to a high, but not complete, degree. For example, the author’s extensive knowledge of breast cancer and screening is evident. However, the extensive metaanalysis of treatment of migraine headache clearly illustrates the mathematics, but not the substance, of the metaanalysis. The only statement about the dependent variable is “the primary sources reported effects on a variety of scales, including ordinal measures of well-being”; without attention to what the outcome is, it is difficult …
MAXIM Pathfinder x-ray interferometry mission

The MAXIM Pathfinder (MP) mission is under study as a scientific and technical stepping stone for the full MAXIM X-ray interferometry mission. While full MAXIM will resolve the event horizons of black holes with 0.1 microarcsecond imaging, MP will address scientific and technical issues as a 100 microarcsecond imager with some capabilities to resolve microarcsecond structure. We will present the primary science goals of MP. These include resolving stellar coronae, distinguishing between jets and accretion disks in AGN. This paper will also present the baseline design of MP. We will overview the challenging technical requirements and solutions for formation flying, target acquisition, and metrology.
Characteristics and Influence of Biosmoke on the Fine-Particle Ionic Composition Measured in Asian Outflow during the Transport and Chemical Evolution Over the Pacific (TRACE-P) Experiment

We investigate the sources, prevalence, and fine-particle inorganic composition of biosmoke over the western Pacific Ocean between 24 February and 10 April 2001. The analysis is based on highly time-resolved airborne measurements of gaseous and fine- particle inorganic chemical composition made during the NASA Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P) experiment. At latitudes below approximately 25 deg. N, relatively pure biomass burning plumes of enhanced fine-particle potassium, nitrate, ammonium, light-absorbing aerosols, and CO concentrations were observed in plumes that back trajectories and satellite fire map data suggest originated from biomass burning in southeast Asia. Fine-particle water-soluble potassium (K+) is confirmed to be a unique biosmoke tracer, and its prevalence throughout the experiment indicates that approximately 20% of the TRACE-P Asian outflow plumes were influenced, to some extent, by biomass or biofuel burning emissions. At latitudes above 25 deg. N, highly mixed urban/industrial and biosmoke plumes, indicated by SO(sup 2, sub 4) and K+, were observed in 5 out of 53 plumes. Most plumes were found in the Yellow Sea and generally were associated with much higher fine-particle loadings than plumes lacking a biosmoke influence. The air mass back trajectories of these mixed plumes generally pass through the latitude range of between 34 deg. and 40 deg. N on the eastern China coast, a region that includes the large urban centers of Beijing and Tianjin. A lack of biomass burning emissions based on fire maps and high correlations between K+ and pollution tracers (e.g., S(sup 2, sub 4) suggest biofuel sources. Ratios of fine-particle potassium to sulfate are used to provide an estimate of relative contributions of biosmoke emissions to the mixed Asian plumes. The ratio is highly correlated with fine-particle volume (r(sup 2) = 0.85) and predicts that for the most polluted plume encounter in TRACE-P, approximately 60% of the plume is associated with biosmoke emissions. On average, biosmoke contributes approximately 35-40% to the measured fine inorganic aerosol mass in the mixed TRACE-P plumes intercepted north of 25% latitude.
SWELLING-INDUCED INSTABILITY OF SUBSTRATE-ATTACHED HYDROGEL LINES

Micro- and nano-scale hydrogel lines can be fabricated on substrates by top-down approaches such as lithography and micro/nano-imprint. When in contact with a solvent, the hydrogel lines swell under the constraint of the substrate, often resulting in distorted shapes or instability patterns. In this paper, using a nonlinear finite element method, the effects of material and geometry on swell-induced instability of substrate-attached hydrogel lines are studied. Firstly, with a two-dimensional plane-strain model, we show that crease-like surface instability occurs in hydrogel lines with the width-to-height aspect ratio greater than a critical value. Next, for relative low aspect ratios, we show that a global buckling instability occurs. In both cases, the critical conditions depend on the material parameters that characterize the elastic stiffness of the polymer network and the chemical interaction between solvent and polymer in the hydrogel.
The Lipid Composition of Rat CNS Axolemma-enriched Fractions

: The lipid composition is reported for rat CNS axolemma-enriched membrane fractions isolated from rat CNS white matter via a purified preparation of myelinated axons. The more dense axolemma-enriched fraction is 51.5% lipid, comprised of 21.3% cholesterol, 11.3% galactolipid (cerebrosides and sulfatides in a molar ratio of 1.3:1.0), 24.2% ethanolamine glycerophospholipid (41.0% in the plasmalogen form), 27.8% choline glycerophospholipid (14.7% in the plasmalogen form), 5.3% serine glycerophospholipid, 2.8% inositol glycerophospholipid, and 2.0% sphingomyelin. The less dense axolemma-enriched fraction has a lipid composition that is intermediate between that of the more dense axolemma-enriched fraction and the concomitantly isolated myelin; this myelin has a lipid composition consistent with that previously reported for myelin isolated by an alternative procedure. A concomitantly isolated and operationally defined myelin-free axon fraction has a lipid composition distinct from that which we have previously reported for a rat CNS myelin-free axon preparation. The more dense axolemma-enriched fraction contains 11.94 μg ganglioside NeuNAc per mg dry weight in contrast to the myelin fraction, which contains 0.88 μg ganglioside NeuNAc per mg dry weight, This axolemma-enriched fraction contains all the major brain-type gangliosides, while myelin contains mostly ganglioside GMI. The lipid composition of these fractions is compared with that of other neuronal and axolemmal preparations. The origin and function of the axolemmal glycolipid are discussed.
Cuprate‐catalyzed Three‐Component Couplings of Functionalized Organozinc Reagents

Organozinc reagents FG-(CH2)nZnX containing electrophilic centers (FG) upon conversion to their corresponding zincates (FG-(CH2)nZnMe2Li) and in the presence of 5–8 mol % MeCu(CN)Li, undergo 1,4-additions to cyclic conjugated enones. The intermediate zinc enolates can be trapped with aldehydes to afford products of three-component couplings.
The vegetative vacuole proteome of Arabidopsis thaliana reveals predicted and unexpected proteins.

Vacuoles play central roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. To better understand vacuole function and biogenesis we have characterized the vegetative vacuolar proteome from Arabidopsis thaliana. Vacuoles were isolated from protoplasts derived from rosette leaf tissue. Total purified vacuolar proteins were then subjected either to multidimensional liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry or to one-dimensional SDS-PAGE coupled with nano-liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC MS/MS). To ensure maximum coverage of the proteome, a tonoplast-enriched fraction was also analyzed separately by one-dimensional SDS-PAGE followed by nano-LC MS/MS. Cumulatively, 402 proteins were identified. The sensitivity of our analyses is indicated by the high coverage of membrane proteins. Eleven of the twelve known vacuolar-ATPase subunits were identified. Here, we present evidence of four tonoplast-localized soluble N-ethylmaleimide–sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs), representing each of the four groups of SNARE proteins necessary for membrane fusion. In addition, potential cargo of the N- and C-terminal propeptide sorting pathways, association of the vacuole with the cytoskeleton, and the vacuolar localization of 89 proteins of unknown function are identified. A detailed analysis of these proteins and their roles in vacuole function and biogenesis is presented.
Vector quantization based on dynamic adjustment of Mahalanobis distance

Vector quantization (VQ) is widely used in many applications, ranging from image and speech coding to pattern recognition. The authorse propose a method for using the covariance matrix of the individual clusters as the basis for grouping. In this algorithm, the Mahalanobis distance is used as a measure of similarity in each cluster. Properties of the new clustering method are presented by examining the clustering quality for codebooks designed with the proposed method and two competing methods on a variety of data sets. The competing methods are the Linde-Buzo-Gray (LBG) algorithm and the fuzzy c-means (FCM) algorithm using Euclidean distance. The new method provides better results than the competing methods for several data sets. Thus, this method becomes another useful tool for use in codebook design.
Mystery Case: A 21-year-old man with visual loss following marijuana use

A 21-year-old man with no reported medical history presented to the emergency department complaining of bilateral blurry vision. His symptoms began abruptly 2 days prior to presentation, preceded by a thunderclap headache the week prior. Initial evaluation at an outside emergency department found a urine drug screen positive for cannabis, and his symptoms were misattributed to marijuana intoxication. The patient was a chronic, daily marijuana user. There was no family history of migraine, early-onset cerebrovascular or cardiovascular disease, or hypercoagulable state.
Learning from Terrorism Markets

On July 28, 2003, Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.) held a press conference to call attention to a DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) project that would allow investors to bet on future political events in the Middle East—including terrorist attacks—through a commodity-market style trading system. On July 29, newspapers responded by denouncing this “unbelievably stupid” and “grotesque” market. Later that day, the program was officially cancelled.The authors thank Ellie Powell and Tatyana Karaman for their excellent research assistance, and Gary Bass, Tom Romer, the editor of Perspectives on Politics, and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions.
A two-dimensional numerical simulation of a cylindrical resonant tunneling structure using a parallelized two-dimensional lattice Weyl-Wigner transport model

We have recently developed a Buot-Jensen type lattice Weyl-Wigner 2D single band transport computer code which examines two-dimensional transport through a nanoscale quantum device exhibiting circular cylindrical symmetry. By performing the simulation in two dimensions, we are including radial effects in the Wigner function transport equation (WFE) which are not present in any one-dimensional simulation. We will describe the progress and process of constructing our simulation applied to a resonant tunneling structure (RTS) which can be described as a series of cylindrical shell RTSs, each having circular summary. We compare and contrast the results to an analogous structure simulated in one-dimension. The effect of radial drift, scattering and charge distribution will de discussed.
Predictors of adherence to safe handling practices for antineoplastic drugs: A survey of hospital nurses

ABSTRACTDespite growing awareness of the hazards of exposure to antineoplastic drugs (ADs), surveys continue to find incomplete adherence to recommended safe handling guidelines. A 2011 survey of healthcare workers presents an opportunity to examine factors associated with adherence among 1094 hospital nurses who administered ADs.Data for these hypothesis-generating analyses were taken from an anonymous, web-based survey of healthcare workers. Regression modeling was used to examine associations between a number of predictors (engineering controls, work practices, nurse perceptions, and nurse and hospital characteristics) and three outcomes reported by nurses: use of personal protective equipment (PPE); activities performed with gloves previously worn to administer ADs; and spills of ADs.Adherence to safe handling guidelines was not universal, and AD spills were reported by 9.5% of nurses during the week prior to the survey. Familiarity with safe handling guidelines and training in safe handling were asso...
Compensating the Victims of Japan's 3-11 Fukushima Disaster

Japan’s March 2011 triple disaster — first a large earthquake, followed by a massive tsunami and a nuclear meltdown — caused a devastating loss of life, damaged and destroyed property, and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless, hurt, and in need. This article looks at the effort to address the financial needs of the victims of the 3/11 disaster by examining the role of public and private actors in providing compensation, describing the types of groups and individuals for whom compensation is available, and analyzing the range of institutions through which compensation has been allocated. The story is in some ways cause for optimism — billions of dollars have been spent compensating millions of individuals and businesses, in most cases through extra-judicial channels that have minimized the need for protracted, expensive litigation. But this article also reveals a compensation structure that excludes large numbers of potential claims by privileging the losses of nuclear accident victims over those of earthquake and tsunami victims; describes a system in which those potentially eligible for compensation must navigate an overly complex institutional matrix for pursuing their claims; and discusses an increasing amount of litigation by individuals and groups within and beyond Japan that has clouded the compensation landscape. In short, post-Fukushima compensation is both laudable and lamentable, relying upon arbitrary distinctions between deserving and undeserving victims and leaving many victims unpaid and discontent, but also succeeding in managing a large number of claims.
Genome-Wide Study of Response to Platinum, Taxane, and Combination Therapy in Ovarian Cancer: In vitro Phenotypes, Inherited Variation, and Disease Recurrence

Abstract: Background: The standard treatment for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients with advanced disease is carboplatin-paclitaxel combination therapy following initial debulking surgery, yet there is wide inter-patient variation in clinical response. We sought to identify pharmacogenomic markers related to carboplatin-paclitaxel therapy. Methods: The lymphoblastoid cell lines, derived from 74 invasive EOC patients seen at the Mayo Clinic, were treated with increasing concentrations of carboplatin and/or paclitaxel and assessed for in vitro drug response using MTT viability and caspase3/7 apoptosis assays. Drug response phenotypes IC50 (effective dose at which 50% of cells are viable) and EC50 (dose resulting in 50 % induction of caspase 3/7 activity) were estimated for each patient to paclitaxel and carboplatin (alone and in combination). For each of the six drug response phenotypes, a genome-wide association study was conducted. Results: Statistical analysis found paclitaxel in vitro drug response phenotypes to be moderately associated with time to EOC recurrence (p = 0.008 IC50; p = 0.058 EC50). Although no pharmacogenomic associations were significant at p <5x10-8, seven genomic loci were associated with drug response at p < 10-6, including at 4q21.21 for carboplatin, 4p16.1 and 5q23.2 for paclitaxel, and 3q24, 10q, 1q44, and 13q21 for combination therapy. Nearby genes of interest include FRAS1, MGC32805, SNCAIP, SLC9A9, TIAL1, ZNF731P, and PCDH20. Conclusions: These results suggest the existence of genetic loci associated with response to platinum-taxane therapies. Further research is needed to understand the mechanism by which these loci may impact EOC clinical response to this commonly used regimen.
Numerical Optimization Study for a Parallel Plate Impingement Heat Sink

This paper presents the numerical analysis of an impingement heat sink designed for use with a specific blower as a single unit. Shat et al. (2002) had performed a fin shape optimization study for the same heat sink and concluded that a de populated central zone, just under the center of the fan, provides a better thermal performance as compared to the heat sink geometries with fin material under the fan. The results presented in this paper are an extension to the study described in Shah et al. (2002). The effects of removal of fin material from the end fins, the total number of fins, and, the reduction in the size of the hub have been investigated. The removal of fin material from the end fins results in the better thermal and hydraulic performance. The reduction in the size of the hub causes a more uniform distribution of air inside the heat sink. The increase in the number of fins indicates a slightly better thermal performance, accompanied by a considerably increased pressure drop. Finally a new optimal heat sink design has been reported. This design is shown to perform better as compared to the original heat sink design under the actual fan operating characteristics.© 2003 ASME
Fuzzy Weight Evaluation Method Based on AHP

Analytic hierarchy process(AHP) is a assessing method which combines qualitative analysis with quantificational analysis.However,it is uncertain to deal with qualitative object quantificationally.So,in order to gain a credible conclusion,the process should be improved in appropriate theories or methods,for example,fuzzy theory.Based on AHP and computer technology,fuzzy weight evaluation method is presented.The method is simple and convenient.
Impact of nitric oxide synthase 3 on myocardial dysfunction in sepsis

Septic shock is a complex syndrome that claims over 200,000 lives per year in the United States. While majority of the late mortality of sepsis appears to be due to multi-system organ failure, early death has been attributed either to distributive shock or to a cardiogenic form of septic shock. Overproduction of nitric oxide (NO), presumably by NO synthase 2 (NOS 2), has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular dysfunction of sepsis. However, in clinical trials, NOS inhibitors that are not isoform-specific increased mortality in septic patients due to cardiac dysfunction, suggesting salutary effects of NOS 1 and/or NOS 3. Recently, we found that cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of NOS 3 prevents lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced myocardial dysfunction and mortality in mice. Myocardial mechanical efficiency was markedly impaired in wild-type and NOS 3-deficient mice but not in mice with the NOS 3 transgene after LPS challenge. Improved myocardial function by excess NO during endotoxemia was associated with decreased myocardial oxidative stress, increased myofilament sensitivity to calcium, and increased phospholamban (PLB) phosphorylation. These results suggest that increased myocardial NO levels attenuate endotoxin-induced ROS production and increase total sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ load and myofilament sensitivity to Ca2+ thereby reducing myocardial dysfunction and mortality in murine models of septic shock.
Endoscopic Treatment of Pancreatic Pseudocysts

Drained surgically or percutaneously, a subset of pancreatic pseudocysts are amenable to transmural or transpapillary endoscopic drainage. Although most series are encouraging, there does appear to be an increased complication rate with the transgastric approach as compared to the transduodenal approach. Moreover, enlarging or symptomatic pseudocysts with considerable necrotic debris are better treated radiographically or with surgical debridement and drainage.
Ganzheitliche Unternehmenskultur als Baustein des Internen Marketing — das Fallbeispiel Hewlett-Packard

Das Unternehmen Hewlett-Packard (HP) reprasentiert ein Beispiel einer Unternehmenskonzeption, die auf einer ganzheitlichen Unternehmenskultur fust. Dieses Beispiel erhebt keinen Anspruch auf Exklusivitat und Ubertragbarkeit auf andere Unternehmen.
Mechanistic Paradigm for Combination Signal Transduction Inhibitor Therapy in Zap70+ CLL Involves Bicompartmental Functions of EZH2.

We have characterized a tonically active B cell receptor signaling module of zap70+ve CLL cells that contributes to a high-risk disease phenotype associated with rapid tumor doubling time and cellular bcl-2 overexpression. In CLL cells, syk directs tyrosine phosphorylation of certain adaptors including cbl and crkL and this is also accompanied by tyrosine phosphorylation of the interdomain-B loop of zap70 to affect its own interaction with adaptors and vav1. Vav1 along with zap70 allows JNK activation and the formation of heightened c-jun/AP-1 involved in CLL cell bcl-2 transcription. However, CLL pathogenesis is equally dependent upon ezh2/PRC2-mediated 5′-methylation of CpG islands in several tumor suppressor genes such as PTPRO (a cell-intrinsic syk inhibitor) and DAPK1. In addition, ezh2 functions not only in the nucleus for gene repression, but in cytoplasm for stabilization/perpetuation of a zap70-vav1 signal complex upstream of JNK1 in lymphocytes (IH Su et al., Cell121:425, 2005). We investigated the possible participation of ezh2 in events relevant to the outcome of syk inhibition as a primary therapy for CLL. We used R406/R788, a potent, selective syk inhibitor now in clinical trial (Rigel Pharmaceuticals). We found that R406 treatment strongly inhibited CLL viable cell recovery from culture, and this was associated with inhibition of syk (PY525/catalytic domain) phosphorylation as well as loss of zap70 PY319 (interdomain) phosphorylation with an IC50 of 1 uM R406, associated with downregulation of phospho-c-jun (S73) and of bcl-2. Failure of R406 to inhibit lyn autophosphorylation suggests strongly that syk is the upstream kinase for zap70 in this regulatory pathway. A survey of ezh2 expression showed content of ezh2 correlated with p(319)-zap70 intensity in different CLL cells. R406 caused release of syk substrate cbl from the JNK1 signalosome of R406-treated cells, but ezh2 remained tightly bound to vav1-zap70-JNK1 as demonstrated by immunoprecipitation. To overcome the bi-compartmental functions of ezh2, we used HDAC inhibitor, SBHA (suberoyl hydroxamic acid); a class of compound reported to deplete ezh2 from leukemia cells (W Fiskus et al. Mol Canc. Ther.5: 3096, 2006). In 3 different experiments, SBHA alone, 1 uM, had little inhibitory activity for CLL cell viable cell recovery, however, when combined with R406 (also at 1uM) SBHA caused massive cell death (>80%) only attainable with R406 alone at 2.5X dose. Mechanistic aspects of the reversal of tumor suppressor gene repression and of inactivation of the JNK1 signalosome by SBHA are under scrutiny to fully explain its cooperativity with R406, focused especially on the duality of roles performed by ezh2, and the depletion of ezh2 affected by HDAC inhibition.
Effect of Direct Ligament Repair and Tenodesis Reconstruction on Simulated Subtalar Joint Instability

Background:Subtalar instability is associated with up to 80% of patients presenting with chronic ankle instability but is often not considered in the diagnosis or treatment. Operative procedures to repair ankle instability have shown good clinical results, but the effects of these reconstruction procedures on isolated subtalar instability are not well understood. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of the Gould modification of the Brostrom procedure and a new tenodesis reconstruction procedure on ankle and subtalar joint kinematics after simulating a subtalar injury.Methods:Kinematic data were collected on 7 cadaveric ankles during inversion through the range of ankle flexion and during internal rotation. Testing was performed on the intact foot; after sectioning the calcaneofibular ligament, cervical ligament, and interosseous talocalcaneal ligament; after the Gould modification of the Brostrom procedure was performed; and after tenodesis was performed and sutures from the Gould modifica...
Abstract 124: Luminal Flow Induces NADPH Oxidase 4 Translocation to the Nuclei of Thick Ascending Limbs

Superoxide (O2-) exerts its physiological and pathophysiological actions in part by causing changes in gene transcription. In the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle (TAL), luminal flow-induced O2- production is mediated by NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4). Recently, polymerase (DNA-directed), delta interacting protein 2 (poldip2) has been shown to increase NOX4 activity. However, it is not known whether NOX4 translocates to the nucleus when activated or whether poldip2 participates in this process. We hypothesized that luminal flow causes translocation of NOX4 to the nucleus of the TAL facilitating its interaction with poldip2 in a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent process. To test our hypothesis, we studied the subcellular localization of NOX4 and poldip2 using confocal microscopy and measured O2– production. Isolated TALs were studied in the absence and presence of luminal flow. To disrupt the cytoskeleton and inhibit PKC we used cytochalasin D (1uM) and staurosporine (10nM), respectively. Luminal flow increased the amount of NOX4 in the nucleus from 4±1 arbitrary units (AU) to 31±1 AU (p <0.0001; n=6). This redistribution was blocked by cytochalasin D (7±2, p < 0.04 vs. controls; n=6). Similarly, staurosporine decreased the intensity of NOX4 within the nuclear region of perfused TALs (3±2 AU vs controls, p < 0.01; n=5), Luminal flow increased poldip2 in the nucleus from 18±1 AU (n=3) to 29±1 AU (p<0.01; n=6). Net O2- production increased in response to luminal flow from 89±15 AU/S to 231±16 AU/S (p < 0.001; n=6). Inhibiting PKC decreased flow-induced O2– production in isolated TALs. However, disrupting the actin cytoskeleton with cytochalasin D did not block flow-induced O2– production (no flow + cytochalasin: 135± 19 vs. flow + cytochalasin: 285 ± 41 AU; p <0.04; n=7). We conclude that NOX4 translocates to the nucleus when activated by luminal flow, as does poldip2. Translocation is dependent on the actin cytoskeleton but O2– production is not. In contrast PKC mediates both processes. Translocation of NOX4 to the nucleus may facilitate changes in gene transcription caused by O2–.
Nonadherence to the medical regimen after lung transplantation: A systematic review.

This study reports on the first systematic review focused on lung transplant recipients (LTRs) and provides evidence regarding 1) prevalence of nonadherence to the post-transplant medical regimen; 2) risk factors for nonadherence; 3) impact of adherence-promoting interventions; and 4) transplant-related clinical outcomes of nonadherence in LTRs. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a literature search of 5 databases was conducted, yielding 30 relevant articles. Findings suggested that nonadherence rates varied greatly across regimen components and were not consistently associated with any single risk factor. Effect sizes in terms of correlation coefficients for adherence-promoting interventions ranged from .05 to .45. Mortality rates did not significantly differ by adherence levels. Major limitations across studies were weak methodologies for measuring nonadherence and small sample sizes. This review underscores the need for more rigorous and extensive studies of risk factors and clinical outcomes of nonadherence and for large-scaled theory-based trials to examine adherence-promoting interventions in LTRs.
Primary psychopathy and alcohol pathology in college students: The role of protective behavioral strategies.

Overview: Though not an official diagnosis, psychopathy has become an important area of research due to the litany of deleterious outcomes associated with this aspect of temperament. Psychopathy is...
Time-conditional properties of branches in coalescent gene trees

Coalescent gene trees have proven to be a powerful framework for formulating and solving problems in population genetics both in theory and practice. Using them, geneticists have been able to generate expectations for many attributes of a random sample of genotypes from a population given a model of the history of the population. This paper derives three new properties of coalescent gene trees that will help characterize the present-day impacts of historical events. Considering a single branch sampled at a given time t s in the past, it presents distributions describing 1) the length of time a branch sampled t s generations in the past had existed at the time of sampling, 2) the length of time that branch continues from time t s towards the present, and 3) the the probability that the branch is ancestral to x individuals in a modern sample.
Proposed Electronic-Geared Machine for Electric Vehicle Applications

Energy utilization and environmental protection have become the hot research topics in recent years, while as one of the most promising solutions to improve the current situations, the development of the electric vehicles (EVs) is speeding up.
Electrical Stimulation Mapping With Stereo-EEG Electrodes

The practice of stereo-EEG (SEEG) is expanding. Electrical stimulation mapping remains an important part of the surgical evaluation process in SEEG, as it is in subdural electrocorticography cases. Because the technique and electrodes used in SEEG and electrocorticography are distinct, the clinician needs to be aware of the important differences between these techniques when performing electrical stimulation mapping. In this review, the advantages, disadvantages, and potential safety concerns related to electrical stimulation mapping in SEEG are discussed. A case is presented illustrating the utility of SEEG cortical stimulation and safety concerns that need to be considered when performing these evaluations.
This Is My Becoming: Transformation, Hybridity, and the Monstrous in NBC's Hannibal

This article will interrogate the postmodern desire for a reclamation of queer monstrosity by examining Hannibal, the National Broadcasting Company's adaptation of Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lecter s...
The Use of Clomiphene Citrate

Two hundred and fifty-five women received clomiphene citrate during a 10-year period. Fifty-six were treated diagnostically and one hundred and ninty-nine therapeutically for infertility. It is concluded that clomiphene may aid in confirming the diagnosis and establishing a prognosis in patients with primary or secondary amenorrhea. The success of clomiphene therapy in patients with anovulatory infertility is related to the etiologic factor responsible for the anovulation, but results can be improved by adjustment of the therapeutic regimen used. In the present series, 48% of the patients who ovulated became pregnant, and 25.3% of the pregnancies were miscarried. Those patients who ovulated spontaneously and became pregnant after having discontinued clomiphene therapy showed only a 10% abortion rate. A review of the results indicates that both the ovulation rate and the pregnancy rate can be improved if adjustments are made in therapy to ensure normal follicular maturation and corpus luteum function.
GLISP: a high-level language for A.I. programming

GLISP is a high-level LISP-based language which is compiled into LISP using a knowledge base of object descriptions. Lisp objects and objects in A.I. representation languages arc treated uniformly; this makes program code independent of the data representation used, and permits changes of representation without changing code. GLISP's object description language provides a powerful abstract datatype facility which allows the structures and properties of objects to be described. Reference to objects is permitted in an English-like syntax, including definite reference relative to the current context of the computation. Object-centered programming is supported. When interfaced to a hierarchical representation language, GLISP can perform inheritance at compile time, resulting in substantial performance improvements. In addition, a LISP structure can be specified as the way of implementing a class of objects in the representation language, making simple objects efficient in both time and storage.
Mitigating inverse design complexity of nano-antennas using a novel dimensionality reduction approach (Conference Presentation)

We leverage a dimensionality reduction approach to develop a novel inverse design platform applicable to a wide class of optical nanoantennas. The proposed dimensionality reduction technique uses a high level of correlation (in frequency and space domains) in the propagation of electromagnetic waves to considerably reduce the dimensionality of the response space of the problem. In addition, the correlation that often exists among the effects of design parameters on the response of the structure (i.e., selecting more design parameters than needed for uniquely identifying a structure for a given input-output relation) is used to reduce the dimensionality of the design space. In addition to the considerable mitigation of computation time and complexity, the two key features of dimensionality reduction, i.e., : 1) the ability to train a NN and later use it for a large class of problems, and 2) the possibility of analytically relating the reduced design space to the original design space to obtain valuable intuitive information about the roles of each design parameter in the overall performance of the nanostructure, highlight the superiority of the proposed approach. This is in contrast to existing analysis and optimization techniques, which require an intensive repetition of the simulations for each design problem without providing an intuitive understanding of the roles of design parameters. As a proof of concept, we apply this approach to a nanoscale structural color recently emerged as a promising candidate to organic colors in the printing technology. To circumvent the high absorption loss and efficiency of plasmonic color generators, we harness the fundamental dipolar Mie resonances of an array of asymmetric titanium dioxide elliptical nanopillars. We will further experimentally demonstrate such an optimized polarization-sensitive all-dielectric significantly enhance the resolution, saturation, and hue of color palettes. Such a novel inverse design approach highlights the performance of machine learning based approaches in developing highly-efficient metastructures.
Palliative care education for oncologists: how are we doing?

With the aging U.S. population, the cancer burden is increasing exponentially (1,2). Most cancer deaths occur after a period of prolonged chronic disease accompanied by progressive symptomatic burden, and psychological and spiritual distress (3). Efforts to improve cancer care, reduce cancer-related suffering, and help patients understand their prognosis and treatment options are urgently needed and are an essential part of engaging patients in their own care (4). Palliative care (PC) is patient and family-centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering throughout the continuum of illness and involves addressing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs (5,6). PC is consistent with quality value based care recommendations (4-7). Timely PC intervention can sustain quality of life, reduced healthcare costs, and possibly lengthened overall survival (8-10). As the demand for PC services grow, leading to a shortage of specialty-trained/certified PC providers (specialty PC), other members of the interdisciplinary team will need to step-up to help manage PC needs. As such oncologists [medical oncologists (MO), radiation oncologists (RO), surgical oncologists (SO)] need to take a more active role as primary PC providers (generalist PC) to address basic PC issues and to provide better care for their patients (11-13). Therefore it is imperative that these oncology specialists are adequately trained and educated in PC principles and delivery.
Motor Control After Human SCI Through Activation of Muscle Synergies Under Spinal Cord Stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has enabled motor recovery in paraplegics with motor complete spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the physiological mechanisms underlying this recovery are unknown. This paper analyzes muscle synergies in two motor complete SCI patients under SCS during standing and compares them with muscle synergies in healthy subjects, in order to help elucidate the mechanisms that enable motor control through SCS. One challenge is that standard muscle synergy extraction algorithms, such as non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), fail when applied to SCI patients under SCS. We develop a new algorithm–rShiftNMF–to extract muscle synergies in these cases. We find muscle synergies extracted by rShiftNMF are significantly better at interpreting electromyography (EMG) activity, and resulting synergy features are more physiologically meaningful. By analyzing muscle synergies from SCI patients and healthy subjects, we find that: 1) SCI patients rely significantly on muscle synergy activation to generate motor activity; 2) interleaving SCS can selectively activate an additional muscle synergy that is critical to SCI standing; and 3) muscle synergies extracted from SCI patients under SCS differ substantially from those extracted from healthy subjects. We provide evidence that after spinal cord injury, SCS influences motor function through muscle synergy activation.