cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emergency valve‐in‐valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement in a patient with degenerated bioprosthetic aortic stenosis and cardiogenic shock on veno‐arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

The use of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as an acute treatment in severe decompensated bioprosthetic aortic valve disease is not well documented. We describe herein a unique case in which valve-in-valve (ViV) TAVR was successfully used as both an emergency salvage therapy and a bridge to definitive fourth reoperative aortic valve replacement (AVR) in a young patient with cardiogenic shock secondary to bioprosthetic aortic valve stenosis who was dependent on veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Large-scale Collaborative Ranking in Near-Linear Time

In this paper, we consider the Collaborative Ranking (CR) problem for recommendation systems. Given a set of pairwise preferences between items for each user, collaborative ranking can be used to rank un-rated items for each user, and this ranking can be naturally used for recommendation. It is observed that collaborative ranking algorithms usually achieve better performance since they directly minimize the ranking loss; however, they are rarely used in practice due to the poor scalability. All the existing CR algorithms have time complexity at least O(|Ω|r) per iteration, where r is the target rank and |Ω| is number of pairs which grows quadratically with number of ratings per user. For example, the Netflix data contains totally 20 billion rating pairs, and at this scale all the current algorithms have to work with significant subsampling, resulting in poor prediction on testing data. In this paper, we propose a new collaborative ranking algorithm called Primal-CR that reduces the time complexity to O(|Ω|+d1 |d2 r), where d1 is number of users and |d2 is the averaged number of items rated by a user. Note that d1 |d2 is strictly smaller and often much smaller than |Ω|. Furthermore, by exploiting the fact that most data is in the form of numerical ratings instead of pairwise comparisons, we propose Primal-CR++ with O(d1|d2 (r+ log |d2)) time complexity. Both algorithms have better theoretical time complexity than existing approaches and also outperform existing approaches in terms of NDCG and pairwise error on real data sets. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first collaborative ranking algorithm capable of working on the full Netflix dataset using all the 20 billion rating pairs, and this leads to a model with much better recommendation compared with previous models trained on subsamples. Finally, compared with classical matrix factorization algorithm which also requires O(d1d2r) time, our algorithm has almost the same efficiency while making much better recommendations since we consider the ranking loss.
Interactive query languages for intelligence tasks

Counterterrorism and intelligence tasks rely on the efficient collection, analysis and dissemination of information. While information systems play a key role in such tasks, databases are ill-suited to support certain needs of the intelligence analyst, who many times needs to browse and explore the data in an interactive fashion. Since query languages are geared towards one-query-at-a-time exchanges, it is difficult to establish dialogs with a database. In this paper, we describe the initial phase of a project that focuses on designing and building a system to support interactive exchanges of information with a database, including the ability to refer to old results for new questions, and to play what-if scenarios. We describe our motivation, our formalization of the concept of dialog, and our initial design of the system. Further development is outlined.
Visual Multiple Target Tracking From a Descending Aerial Platform

A real-time visual multiple target tracker is demonstrated onboard a descending multirotor. Measurements of moving ground targets are generated using the Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi (KLT) tracking method. Homography-based image registration is used to align the measurements into the same coordinate frame, allowing for the detection of independently moving objects. The recently developed Recursive-RANSAC algorithm uses the visual measurements to estimate targets in clutter. Altitude-dependent tuning increases track continuity and coverage during the descent of the vehicle. The algorithm requires no operator interaction and increases the situation awareness of the unmanned aerial system. Real-time tracking efficiency is analyzed on GPUs and CPUs. Tracking results are presented and discussed using the MOTA and MOTP metrics.
Social Media Usage and Incarcerated Women: A Pilot Study:

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore social media usage among incarcerated women in a modified therapeutic community. An author-developed social media questionnaire was administered to 89...
Socioeconomically sustainable rural microgrid engineering design

More than 80% of the 1.2 billion individuals without electricity live in rural regions of developing countries. For many of these communities, electricity access through the traditional paradigm of power infrastructure growth, increasing generation capacity of centralized grids and installing capital intensive transmission lines, substations, and distribution lines, will be financially infeasible. Instead decentralized, stand-alone microgrids provide a financially feasible option for providing electricity access. The fundamental challenge of rural electrification is how to deliver modern electricity to low income communities in a financially viable way. This paper explores some of the distinctive socio-economic design challenges of microgrid design in a rural electrification context and highlights the importance of more complex financial models for economic viability than levelized cost of electricity. A case study is presented of a model village with a population of 450 households. Business and technical frameworks are presented and discussed for the model village based on a hybrid DC microgrid with both a biomass gasifier and solar panels. The microgrid is optimally sized through minimizing the amount each household must pay per month for electricity to provide basic lighting and cell-phone charging. The results of the case study provide evidence that mini-utility startups require more sophisticated economic modeling in technical design than net present cost and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) to achieve long-term sustainability due to the constraints created by minimal income of end-users.
Final Exam Weighting as Part of Course Design.

The weighting of a final exam or a final assignment is an essential part of course design that is rarely discussed in pedagogical literature. Depending on the weighting, a final exam or assignment may provide unequal benefits to students depending on their prior performance in the class. Consequently, uncritical grade weighting can discount student learning, by ensuring that improved mastery of material at the semester’s end is not reflected in the course grade. Problems related to several common final exam weights are explored, as are potential solutions to unequal student outcomes made possible by uncritical grade weighting. Ultimately, this essay argues that choosing a weight for a final exam or a final assignment determines what types of student success ought to be possible in the class; therefore, instructors should assign exam weights intentionally, being fully aware of the potential benefits and problems of the weights that they choose.
Incremental to radical ideas: paradigm-relatedness metrics for investigating ideation creativity and diversity

Creativity and diversity are key components of success in idea generation, but each includes many dimensions. Paradigm-relatedness is an indicator of the style of creativity and diversity that has ...
Chemical, biological, and trace gas detection and measurement with a newly developed integrating Cavity Enhanced Raman (iCERS) technique

Raman spectroscopy is routinely used in the laboratory for detection, chemical identification, and quantitative measurements of complex molecular compounds. One key advantage of the method is that a single laser wavelength can be used to identify and measure several different molecular compounds simultaneously. While Raman spectroscopy is a powerful technique, it is a very inefficient process where only one in 1011 scattered photons contain the desired vibrational information. Several techniques have been developed to enhance Raman scattering, which are typically applied to liquids and solids such as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy. For gas phase measurements, photonic crystals, cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy and functional waveguides have been developed to provide Raman enhancement. However, Raman spectroscopy has seen limited use in commercial and military applications due to instrument complexity, sample preparation, acquisition time, and spatially localized point measurements. A recently developed technique to enhance spontaneous Raman scattering utilizing a highly reflective integrating cavity is presented. Elastically scattered light circulates within the cavity volume continuously interacting with the sample, whether a bulk sample or gas, resulting in significant Raman enhancement. In addition, the Raman scattered light is collected from all directions before being coupled out of the cavity. Enhancements of 107 have been realized with the use of inexpensive low power diode lasers and a modest CCD based spectrometer. Application of the iCERS technique operating near 400 nm providing near real-time detection and measurement of trace gases, chemicals, and biological compounds is discussed.
Alterations in Atypical Protein Kinase C Activation in Insulin Resistance Syndromes

The metabolic syndrome with associated obesity is not only a frequent precursor for type 2 diabetes mellitus, but, in its own right, contributes importantly to the development of cardiovascular disease. Hyperlipidemic and hypertensive components of the metabolic syndrome are particularly important pathogenetic factors for development of cardiovascular disease; so is the presence of inflammatory factors in vessel walls. In type 2 diabetes, these problems are compounded by the development of hyperglycemia, another cardiovascular risk factor.
Synthesis of Single-Crystalline La1-xBaxMnO3 Nanocubes with Adjustable Doping Levels

We report a hydrothermal synthesis of single-crystalline nanocubes composed of lanthanum barium manganite (La1-xBaxMnO3) with three different doping levels (x = 0.3, 0.5, and 0.6). The synthesis yields clearly faceted nanocubes with a pseudo-cubic perovskite structure. Typical nanocubes have sizes ranging between 50 and 100 nm irrespective of doping level. Magnetic measurements performed on nanocube ensembles show that the magnetic properties depend on the doping level. The ability to synthesize nanoscale manganites of a desired doping level should enable detailed investigations of the size-dependent evolution of magnetism, colossal magnetoresistance, and nanoscale phase separation.
Executive Debt-Like Compensation

While executive compensation in the United States is believed to consist primarily of cash- and equity-based components, a nascent literature argues that compensation accrued by executives under pension and other deferred compensation (DC) plans has debt-like payoffs, and could function as “inside debt”. Inside debt holdings are predicted to counteract the risk-taking incentives created by inside equity holdings, and align top managers closer to outside debtholders vis-a-vis equityholders. Recent empirical studies suggest that pension and DC plan balances serve the role of inside debt to some extent, and are effective at mitigating equityholder-debtholder conflicts in leveraged firms. These findings not only change our understanding of the composition of top executive compensation, but also have implications for the recent debate on reforming executive compensation to mitigate excessive risk-taking by top executives.
Transport Time and Care Processes for Patients Transferred With ST-Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction: The Reperfusion in Acute Myocardial Infarction in Carolina Emergency Rooms Experience

Background—For patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction transferred for primary percutaneous coronary intervention, guidelines have called for device activation within 90 minutes of initial presentation. Fewer than 20% of transferred patients are treated in such a timely fashion. We examine the association between transfer drive times and door-to-device (D2D) times in a network of North Carolina hospitals. We compare the feasibility of timely percutaneous coronary intervention using ground versus air transfer. Methods and Results—We perform a retrospective analysis of the relationship between transfer drive times and D2D times in a 119-hospital ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction statewide network. Between July 2008 and December 2009, 1537 ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction patients underwent interhospital transfer for reperfusion via primary percutaneous coronary intervention. For ground transfers, median D2D time was 93 minutes for drive times ≤30 minutes, 117 minutes for ...
Glacial history reflected by geochemically constrained stratigraphic sections in the Chaudière River drainage basin of the Canadian Appalachians

The Chaudiere River region in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Canada is approximately 700 km north of the southernmost Pleistocene glacial deposits in New York and New Jersey. Detailed compositional analyses of glacial and non-glacial sediments from stratigraphic exposures and more than 40 boreholes drilled to bedrock provide a compositionally constrained record of glacial events, which include deposits of one Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 and two post-MIS 5 glaciations. The glacial and associated proglacial deposits rest on compositionally distinctive, preglacial saprolite that is preserved in deeper valleys. These observations constrain interpretations of the glacial/Pleistocene history of the eastern United States and Canada. The fact that there is no unequivocal evidence of pre-MIS 6 till in the Chaudiere River region, while there are well-documented pre-MIS 6 glacial deposits south of there and in the American Midwest, also has major climatic implications. The Laurentide Ice Sheet and its ancestors must have been more robust in the west in the early Pleistocene and in the east most recently.
Burn-induced reductions in mitochondrial abundance and efficiency are more pronounced with small volumes of colloids in swine

Severe burn injury results in systemic disruption of metabolic regulations and impaired cardiac function. Restoration of hemodynamic homeostasis utilizing intravenous (IV) fluids is critical for ac...
Recurrent activity-induced headache associated with posttraumatic dural adhesion of the middle meningeal artery: A case report:

BackgroundThe middle meningeal artery is surrounded by a plexus of afferent fibers shown to be involved in the progression of some forms of headache, especially migraine. Posttraumatic headache dis...
News across the great wall: Asian news organisations’ web strategies for the China market

Asians comprise more than half of the world’s online population, and China has long surpassed the U.S. as the biggest Internet market in the world. Through a series of in-depth interviews with seni...
Completion Proctectomy and Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis, Diverting Loop Ileostomy

This chapter describes the surgical procedure for completion proctectomy, ileal pouch-anal anastomosis, diverting loop ileostomy as performed by the following approaches: open and laparoscopic. The text includes an introduction that outlines the indications, risks, alternatives, essential steps, needed equipment, and variations in technique. This is followed by a template operative dictation, which provides the reader with an operative report, such as is found in a patient chart or electronic medical record. A description is provided of the following critical concepts for this procedure: exposure, pelvic dissection, J-pouch creation, anastomosis, and formation of a diverting loop ileostomy.
Improving Inferior Vena Cava Filter Retrieval and Success Rates Using an Office Endovascular Center.

Background The Food and Drug Administration recommends that retrievable inferior vena cava filters (IVCFs) be removed 29–54 days postinsertion. Nationally, the retrieval rate is around 23–25%. The objectives of this study are to assess the effect of a plan for IVCF retrieval and access to an office endovascular center (OEC) on filter removal rates and to assess the safety of the procedure in an OEC. Methods In this institutional review board–exempt retrospective study, the medical records of all patients who had an IVCF placed or removed in the hospital and OEC setting by one group of vascular surgeons between January 2011 and February 2017 were analyzed. Informed consent was not required for this retrospective chart review. The following data were abstracted: filter model, procedure site, retrieval plan, number of removal attempts, complications attributed to removal, success of removal, and the duration that the filter was in place. Anticoagulation was not discontinued before filter retrieval. Filters were removed under local anesthesia with or without mild conscious sedation. Results IVCF removal was attempted in all eligible patients, 120 of 191 with IVCFs, whereas 71 patients were lost to follow-up (46), died (19), or the indication changed (6). Of the patients who had filters placed in the hospital (n = 161), 62% were removed (n = 101), of which 86% had a removal attempt in the OEC, whereas 14% had the filter removed in the hospital. Sixty-three percent of patients who had filters placed in the OEC (n = 30) had the filter removed in the OEC (n = 19). All patients with a newly placed filter were given an office appointment with a vascular surgeon for evaluation and removal planning. Of patients who had their filter removed at the OEC, all were removed via the jugular approach, resulting in 103 of 106 (97%) successful removals in the OEC. Visipaque (GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL) contrast was used during filter removal. Intravascular ultrasound was not used because the study predates the insurance coverage of this technology in the office laboratory. There was no mortality related to filter removal. In addition, there were no bleeding complications, despite patients remaining on anticoagulant therapy during the removal. In 4% of patients, the filter was removed in less than 3 weeks, 30% of patients between 3 and 6 weeks, 26% of patients between 6 weeks and 3 months, and 40% of patients after 3 months. Conclusions Having access to both an OEC and a documented retrieval plan increases the frequency of IVCF removal in a community compared with national rates. Retrievable filters can be safely removed in an OEC with extremely high success and safety. Anticoagulation therapy can be continued during retrieval attempt without increased risk of bleeding.
Microbiome Differences Between Human Head and Body Lice Ecotypes Revealed by 16S RRNA Gene Amplicon Sequencing

Human head lice and body lice (Pediculus humanus) are neglected ectoparasites. Head lice continue to be prevalent in children worldwide, and insecticide resistance in these insects has complicated their treatment. Meanwhile, body lice, which are most common in the developing world, are resurging among marginalized populations in developed nations. Today, the microbiome is being increasingly recognized as a key mediator of insect physiology. However, the microbial communities that inhabit human lice have remained unknown beyond only a few species of bacteria. Knowledge of the microbiomes of head and body lice could improve our understanding of the observed physiological differences between the 2 ecotypes and potentially inform the development of novel interventions against lice infestations and louse-borne infectious diseases. Toward these goals, here we performed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize the microbiomes of both head and body lice and identify patterns of interest among these communities. Our data reveal that head and body lice harbor limited but distinct communities of bacteria that include known intracellular endosymbionts ("Candidatus Riesia pediculicola"), extracellular bacteria that may be horizontally acquired from the host environment, and a number of taxa of known or potential public health significance. Notably, in body lice, the relative abundance of vertically transmitted endosymbionts is lower than in head lice, which is a significant driver of greater alpha diversity. Further, several differentially abundant non-endosymbiont taxa and differences in beta diversity were observed between head lice and body lice. These findings support the hypothesis that microbiome differences could contribute to the divergence between human louse ecotypes and underscore the need for future studies to better comprehend the acquisition and physiological roles of human lice microbiomes.
Using transit advertising to improve public engagement with social issues

Out-of-home advertising has the potential to facilitate informal consumer learning about important societal issues. To test this idea, the authors developed an in-market, 14-month transit advertisi...
Effect of surface ligands on gold nanocatalysts for CO2 reduction

Nanoparticle catalysts display optimal mass activity due to their high surface to volume ratio and tunable size and structure. However, control of nanoparticle size requires the presence of surface ligands, which significantly influence catalytic performance. In this work, we investigate the effect of dodecanethiol on the activity, selectivity, and stability of Au nanoparticles for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO2R). Results show that dodecanethiol on Au nanoparticles significantly enhances selectivity and stability with minimal loss in activity by acting as a CO2-permeable membrane, which blocks the deposition of metal ions that are otherwise responsible for rapid deactivation. Although dodecanethiol occupies 90% or more of the electrochemical active surface area, it has a negligible effect on the partial current density to CO, indicating that it specifically does not block the active sites responsible for CO2R. Further, by preventing trace ion deposition, dodecanethiol stabilizes CO production on Au nanoparticles under conditions where CO2R selectivity on polycrystalline Au rapidly decays to zero. Comparison with other surface ligands and nanoparticles shows that this effect is specific to both the chemical identity and the surface structure of the dodecanethiol monolayer. To demonstrate the potential of this catalyst, CO2R was performed in electrolyte prepared from ambient river water, and dodecanethiol-capped Au nanoparticles produce more than 100 times higher CO yield compared to clean polycrystalline Au at identical potential and similar current.
Performance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Real-Time RT-PCR Tests on Oral Rinses and Saliva Samples.

Access to rapid and accurate detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA is essential for controlling the current global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019. In this study, the use of oral rinses (ORs) and posterior oropharyngeal saliva as an alternative to swab collection methods from symptomatic and asymptomatic health care workers for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR was evaluated. For saliva samples, the overall agreement with oropharyngeal swabs was 93% (Ƙ = 0.84), with a sensitivity of 96.7% (95% CI, 83.3%–99.8%). The agreement between saliva and nasopharyngeal swabs was 97.7% (Ƙ = 0.93), with a sensitivity of 94.1% (95% CI, 73.0%–99.7%). ORs were compared with nasopharyngeal swabs only, with an overall agreement of 85.7% (Ƙ = 0.65), and a sensitivity of 63% (95% CI, 46.6%–77.8%). The agreement between a laboratory-developed test based on the CDC RT-PCR and two commercial assays, the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 and the Cobas SARS-CoV-2, was also evaluated. The overall agreement was >90%. Finally, SARS-CoV-2 RNA in saliva samples was shown to be stable, with no changes in viral loads over 24 hours at both room temperature and 4°C. Although the dilution of SARS-CoV-2 in ORs precluded its acceptability as a sample type, posterior oropharyngeal saliva was an acceptable alternative sample type for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection.
One more step to fast and efficient short-wavelength infrared photodetection

Ligand exchanges play a crucial role in development of high-quality colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solids for fast and sensitive short-wavelength infrared photodetection. Sargent et al. report a two-step ligand exchange route to tailor efficient passivation, remove unwanted organics, and enhance charge transport, leading to a CQD photodetector with an EQE > 80% at 1550 nm, a measured detectivity of 8 × 1011 Jones, and a 10-ns response time.
One-Dimensional Theory

In dimension 1, the most complete regularity theory of hydrodynamic alignment models is available. In this chapter we discuss some of its highlights. The underlying theme will be to relate regularity and flocking behavior of the system to a new conserved quantity which is available in dimension 1 and for a few other exceptional multi-dimensional solutions. We highlight its analytical and physical roles in the alignment dynamics.
Patient and Observer Graded Rhinoplasty Scar Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Fast Absorbing Versus Permanent Columellar Suture Closure.

Background: When performing an open rhinoplasty, surgeons commonly use nonabsorbable skin sutures to close the columellar incision. These are believed to minimize scarring. However, removal can be ...
Design of a Multi-Tone Wireless Power Transmitter Using Second Harmonic Extraction of a Voltage-Controlled Oscillator

This paper presents a two tone wireless power transmitter. The transmitter consist of a harmonic tuned oscillator along with a diplexer tuned at f 0 and 2f 0 . The oscillator synthesizes a high power RF signal composed of its fundamental frequency and the second harmonic. The trade-offs and design procedure for extracting the second harmonic are analyzed. Simulation results show that the developed oscillator achieves a maximum total efficiency of 75%, while generating a 4.0 W and a 0.45 W RF signal at 2.4 GHz and 4.8 GHz, respectively. The oscillator achieves a -128 dBc/Hz phase noise at offset frequency of 100 kHz and a corresponding figure of merit (FoM) of 182 dBc/Hz.
Interprofessional Disaster Simulation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Adapting to Fully Online Learning.

This paper describes the rapid conversion of a face-to-face interprofessional (IP) disaster simulation to an online format in response to COVID-19 campus closures. The online disaster simulation utilized internet-based tools allowing real-time collaboration between IP students. Team exercises involved disaster triage, disease outbreak investigation, and disaster response. Surveys measuring self-assessment of various IP skills and simulation learning outcomes (SLOs) were compared with responses from previous face-to-face simulations. Results indicated mean scores for IP skills were higher for online students when compared with in-person simulations, and all SLOs were met. The online disaster simulation provided an effective, innovative IP educational opportunity.
Chapter 11 – Simulation Education

The greatest advantage of simulation training is that it closely approximates actual clinical work, but in a controlled setting with minimal potential for harm. This type of training can use programmed mannequins or actors (professional or not) serving as “standardized patients” (SPs) to help teach and evaluate trainees’ clinical examination skills. Faculty and students can review the videos of simulated training sessions to ensure technical aspects of these behaviors are performed correctly, such as placing one’s hands or equipment (e.g., stethoscope) appropriately. Videos also reveal key verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication quality, such as interruption patterns and body language. Video technology transforms even the subtlest elements of therapeutic encounters into observable, behavioral data. Clinically relevant interpersonal competencies, therefore, can be assessed objectively. And for trainees, video review is an unparalleled learning tool. Given simulation’s precise fit with clinical psychologists’ training, better integration of psychology and medicine can uniquely sensitize learners and cultivate their self-awareness and insight, in a manner that no other modality can.
A context centric model for building a knowledge advantage machine based on personal ontology patterns

Throughout the industrial era societal advancement could be attributed in large part to introduction a plethora of electromechanical machines all of which exploited a key concept known as Mechanical Advantage. In the post-industrial era exploitation of knowledge is emerging as the key enabler for societal advancement. With the advent of the Internet and the Web, while there is no dearth of knowledge, what is lacking is an efficient and practical mechanism for organizing knowledge and presenting it in a comprehensible form appropriate for every context. This is the fundamental problem addressed by my dissertation. We begin by proposing a novel architecture for creating a Knowledge Advantage Machine (KaM), one which enables a knowledge worker to bring to bear a larger amount of knowledge to solve a problem in a shorter time. This is analogous to an electromechanical machine that enables an industrial worker to bring to bear a large amount of power to perform a task thus improving worker productivity. This work is based on the premise that while a universal KaM is beyond the realm of possibility, a KaM specific to a particular type of knowledge worker is realizable because of the limited scope of his/her personal ontology used to organize all relevant knowledge objects. The proposed architecture is based on a “society of intelligent agents" which collaboratively discover, markup, and organize relevant knowledge objects into a semantic knowledge network on a continuing basis. This in-turn is exploited by another agent known as the Context Agent which determines the current context of the knowledge worker and makes available in a suitable form the relevant portion of the semantic network. In this dissertation we demonstrate the viability and extensibility of this architecture by building a prototype KaM for one type of knowledge worker such as a professor.
Tc-99m-labeled activatable porphyrin-lipid nanoparticle

165 Objectives To develop Tc-99m-labeled PLN with drug encapsulated formulation without a significant impact on the liposome size and drug encapsulation stability. Activatable porphyrin-lipid nanoparticle (PLN) was developed for use as multimodal photonic contrast agents. Radiolableing of drug encapsulated PLN can provide quantitative information on this PLN for diagnosing and treating disease. Stable Tc-99m labeling of PLN will be more beneficial because Tc-99m (half life, 6hr) is inexpensive and widely available. Methods 50mM calcein encapsulated PLN was prepared by probe sonication. The PLN was eluted through a size-exclusion gel chromatography column (sepharose CL 4B) to remove free calcein. The size of PLN was about 150nm, as determined by dynamic light scattering. The PLN (0.4 ml in 0.9% NaCl) was reacted with Tc-99m (1 mCi 99mTcO4-/0.08ml 0.9%NaCl) using SnCl2 (0.02 ml of 2.0 mM) dissolved in 1mM HCl as a reducing agent for 10 min at 22o C. The Tc-99m-labeled PLN was assessed to evaluate its radiolabeling efficiency and stability with ITLC (acetone and 1.5% saline solvent), and low pressure liquid chromatography (LPLC). Results The labeling reaction using SnCl2 dissolved in HCl was successful with a >92% labeling efficiency. The LPLC profile showed that the liposomal peak of PLN detected by a UV/VIS detector at 485 nm (calcein excitation wavelength) and 680 nm (porphysome excitation wavelength), and by a fluorescent detector at Ex 420/Em 680 nm overlapped with the radioactivity peak of Tc-99m-labeled-PLN. The Tc-99m labeling procedure did not change the size of PLN. The calcein release experiment indicated that the encapsulated calcein remained inert inside the porphyrin-lipid nanoparticle. Conclusions The labeling method using SnCl2 in HCl successfully produced Tc-99m-labeled PLN. The radiolabeling of calcein encapsulated PLN with Tc-99m did not change its calcein encapsulation properties.
Reverse convection potential saturation during northward IMF

[1] We report the results of an investigation of the reverse convection potentials in the day side high latitude ionosphere during periods of steady northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). While it has been shown that the polar cap potential in the ionosphere exhibits non-linear saturation behavior when the IMF becomes increasingly southward, it has yet to be shown whether the high latitude reverse convection cells in response to increasingly northward IMF exhibit similar behavior. We use solar wind data from the ACE satellite from 1998 to 2005 to search for events in the solar wind when the IMF is northward and the interplanetary electric field is stable for more than 40 minutes. We then use bin-averaged SuperDARN convection data and apply a spherical harmonic fit to calculate the average potential pattern for each northward IMF bin. Results show that the reverse convection cells do, in fact, exhibit non-linear saturation behavior. The saturation potential is approximately 20 kV and is achieved when the electric coupling function reaches between 18 and 30 kV/RE.
Chapter 18 Committees of decision trees

Abstract Many intelligent systems are designed to sift through a mass of evidence and arrive at a decision. Certain pieces of evidence may be given more weight than others, and this may affect the final decision significantly. When more than one intelligent agent is available to make a decision, we can form a committee of experts. By combining the different opinions of these experts, the committee approach can sometimes outperform any individual expert. In this paper, we show how to exploit randomized learning algorithms in order to develop committees of experts. By using the majority vote of these experts to make decisions, we are able to improve the performance of the original learning algorithm. More precisely, we have developed a randomized decision tree induction algorithm, which generates different decision trees every time it is run. Each tree represents a different expert decision-maker. We combine these trees using a majority voting scheme in order to overcome small errors that appear in individual trees. We have tested our idea with several real data sets, and found that accuracy consistently improved when compared to the decision made by a single expert. We have developed some analytical results that explain why this effect occurs. Our experiments also show that the majority voting technique outperforms at least some alternative strategies for exploiting randomization.
Phosphodiesterase inhibition increases PGC-1α in muscle cells (1102.32)

Muscle wasting associated with chronic diseases, such as type I diabetes (DM), can be countered by restoring the reduced expression of the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α. Previous reports indicate that PGC-1α transcription can be regulated by CREB in a process that requires nuclear localization of CRTC (CREB-regulated transcription coactivator). We recently found that CRTC protein is reduced in skeletal muscle of diabetic rats whereas CREB is highly phosphorylated (i.e., activated). Nuclear translocation of CTRC is promoted by dephosphorylation via calcineurin (CnA) whereas nuclear export occurs by phosphorylation via the salt-inducible kinases (SIK). Inhibition of phosphodiesterases (PDE), which raise cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels, results in increased PGC-1α mRNA expression. cAMP also inhibits SIK suggesting this pathway may contribute to CRTC localization and thus PGC-1α activity. Our experiments tested the hypothesis that inhibition of PDE increases the amount of nuclear CRTC and PGC-1α transcription. ...
Clinically Significant Macular Edema in Type I Diabetes: Incidence and Risk Factors

Purpose: To examine incidence of and risk factors for clinically significant macular edema in persons with type I diabetes. Methods: A group of 189 persons with type I diabetes, recruited from a summer camp for children with diabetes and from practices of local physicians, were participants in a longitudinal study with annual follow-up visits which included physical and ophthalmologic examinations and color stereo fundus photographs of each eye, centered on the disc and macula. Subjects were free of proliferative retinopathy at study baseline. Ages ranged from 3 to 40 years, duration of diabetes ranged from 0 to 12 years, mean glycosylated hemoglobin (Hgb A1 c) was 12.2% (range, 6.4%–21.5%), and average follow-up was 6.1 years. Presence of clinically significant macular edema was defined as in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study. Results: In a total of 41 persons (62 eyes), clinically significant macular edema developed during study follow-up. Cumulative risk of clinically significant macular edema was 0 until 7 years' duration of diabetes. The cumulative risk of clinically significant macular edema increased linearly for each year of duration between 10 and 20 years, with an average annual increase of approximately 6.7%. Significant risk factors for clinically significant macular edema were older age at diagnosis, male sex, and higher Hgb A1 c level. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, proteinuria, body mass index, race, initial presence of retinopathy, and use of anti hypertensives did not significantly affect the risk of clinically significant macular edema. Conclusion: Older age at diagnosis of diabetes, male sex, and higher Hgb A1 c levels (poorer control of blood glycemic levels) significantly increase the risk of clinically significant macular edema in persons with type I diabetes. These data extend the evidence implicating worse glycemic control as a cause of clinically significant macular edema, even within a population with relatively loose control.
eBay Partner Network (A)

Supplement the (A) case. eBay considers adjustments to the structure and rules of its affiliate marketing program, eBay Partner Network (ePN). In particular, eBay reevaluates affiliate compensation structure, the role of bonuses for especially productive affiliates, and the overall rationale for outsourcing online marketing efforts to independent affiliates. The case presents the history and development of ePN, ePN's importance to eBay, and the mechanics of online afiliate marketing.
Mutations within the 5' nontranslated RNA of cell culture-adapted hepatitis A virus which enhance cap-independent translation in cultured African green monkey kidney cells.

Mutations in the 5* nontranslated RNA (5*NTR) of an attenuated, cell culture-adapted hepatitis A virus (HAV), HM175/P16, enhance growth in cultured African green monkey kidney (BS-C-1) cells but not in fetal rhesus monkey kidney (FRhK-4) cells (S. P. Day, P. Murphy, E. A. Brown, and S. M. Lemon, J. Virol. 66: 6533‐6540, 1992). To determine whether these mutations enhance cap-independent translation directed by the HAV internal ribosomal entry site (IRES), we compared the translational activities of the 5*NTRs of wild-type and HM175/P16 viruses in two stably transformed cell lines (BT7-H and FRhK-T7) which constitutively express cytoplasmic bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase and which are derived from BS-C-1 and FRhK-4 cells, respectively. Translational activity was assessed by monitoring expression of a reporter protein, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), following transfection with plasmid DNAs containing bicistronic T7 transcriptional units of the form luciferase-5*NTR-CAT. In both cell types, transcripts containing the 5*NTR of HM175/P16 expressed CAT at levels that were 50- to 100-fold lower than transcripts containing the IRES elements of Sabin type 1 poliovirus or encephalomyocarditis virus, confirming the low activity of the HAV IRES. However, in BT7-H cells, transcripts containing the 5*NTR of HM175/P16 expressed CAT with four- to fivefoldgreaterefficiencythantranscriptscontainingthe5*NTRofwild-typevirus.Thistranslationalenhancement was due to additive effects of a UU deletion at nucleotides 203 and 204 and a U-to-G substitution at nucleotide 687 of HM175/P16. These mutations did not enhance translation in FRhK-T7 or Huh-T7 cells (a T7 polymerase-expressing cell line derived from human hepatoblastoma cells) or in vitro in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. These results demonstrate that mutations in the 5*NTR of a cell culture-adapted HAV enhance viral replication by facilitating cap-independent translation in a cell-type-specific fashion and support the concept that picornaviral host range is determined in part by differences in cellular translation initiation factors.
Cutter for Membrane Filters Used in Sterility Testing

An improved cutter is described for cutting membrane filters in half during the performance of sterility tests on drugs.
Contribution in Antitrust: Some Policy Considerations

Until the recent decision of the Eighth Circuit in Professional Beauty Supply, Inc. v. National Beauty, Inc., the few courts that had considered the issue had uniformly decided that there was no contribution among antitrust defendants. That is no longer the law in the Eighth Circuit and the issue of contribution is one that is receiving active consideration by antitrust courts. The rule against contribution in antitrust cases was heavily influenced by the common law rule against contribution as it arose in tort cases. In tort, and in other contexts, the common law prohibition against contribution has been relaxed or replaced. This article analyzes the policy considerations that should affect the development of contribution rules in the antitrust context. This article discusses considerations of fairness; the effect of contribution on deterrence; and the effect of contribution on judicial administration, specifically, the effect on settlements, the complexity of litigation, and the plaintiff’s control of the lawsuit. Analysis of all of the relevant policy considerations suggest that a rule that bars contribution in all antitrust cases is erroneous. This article also discusses remaining issues that must be resolved if contribution is permitted in antitrust cases.
Lipid bilayers: membrane-protein electrostatic interactions

Abstract In the past year, several studies have characterized the energetics of peptide binding to charged membranes. The results of this and other work suggest a role for electrostatics in fundamental processes, such as the folding of membrane proteins. An electrostatic mechanism has also been shown to be responsible for lipid asymmetry in a biological membrane system.
RNA is all you need.

Crystallographic, biochemical and computational studies of the hairpin ribozyme define its structure and reveal likely components of an enzyme active site that is comprised entirely of ribonucleotides.
Conformational analysis of a set of peptides corresponding to the entire primary sequence of the N-terminal domain of the ribosomal protein L9: evidence for stable native-like secondary structure in the unfolded state.

There is considerable interest in the structure of the denatured state and in the role local interactions play in protein stability and protein folding. Studies of peptide fragments provide one method to assess local conformational preferences which may be present in the denatured state under native-like conditions. A set of peptides corresponding to the individual elements of secondary structure derived from the N-terminal domain of the ribosomal protein L9 have been synthesized. This small 56 residue protein adopts a mixed alpha-beta topology and has been shown to fold rapidly in an apparent two-state fashion. The conformational preferences of each peptide have been analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Peptides corresponding to each of the three beta-stands and to the first alpha-helix are unstructured as judged by CD and NMR. In contrast, a peptide corresponding to the C-terminal helix is remarkably structured. This 17 residue peptide is 53 % helical at pH 5.4, 4 degrees C. Two-dimensional NMR studies demonstrate that the helical structure is distributed approximately uniformly throughout the peptide, although there is some evidence for fraying at the C terminus. Detailed analysis of the NMR spectra indicate that the helix is stabilized, in part, by a native N-capping interaction involving Thr40. A mutant peptide which lacks Thr40 is only 32 % helical. pH and ionic strength-dependent studies suggested that charge charge interactions make only a modest net contribution to the stability of the peptide. The protein contains a trans proline peptide bond located at the first position of the C-terminal helix. NMR analysis of the helical peptide and of a smaller peptide containing the proline residue indicates that only a small amount of cis proline isomer (8 %) is likely to be populated in the unfolded state.
Prolonged desensitization of the human endothelin A receptor in Xenopus oocytes : comparative studies with the human neurokinin a receptor

Human endothelin (ET) A receptor (hETAR) is a G-protein-mediated receptor that binds ET1 with high affinity and ET2 and ET3 with lower affinities. ET1 is the most potent endogenous vasoconstrictor known at this time. When expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, hETAR is rapidly desensitized after stimulation with ET1. This desensitization lasts 90-110 min. Human neurokinin A (hNKAR) and human serotonin type 2 receptors were also expressed in the Xenopus system for comparison to hETAR. hNKAR desensitizes for 25-35 min, while the serotonin receptor does not appear to desensitize. To examine the role of the cytoplasmic tail of hETAR in desensitization, deletion mutations were constructed which remove 11, 36, and 51 amino acids from the cytoplasmic tail. The mutations removing 11 and 36 residues were functional, but the mutation removing 51 amino acids was not functional. The two functional mutations have a resensitization time similar to that of hETAR. In summary, the prolonged desensitization time of hETAR is unique for G-protein-mediated receptors and may attenuate the adverse physiological effects of the endothelin family. In addition, the cytoplasmic tail of hETAR does not appear to play a role in desensitization or resensitization of this receptor.
Gravitational, plasma, and black-hole lenses for interstellar communications

A star is a compound lens for electromagnetic waves. It has both a forward line focus due to gravitation and a forward conical focal surface due to surrounding plasma. The combination of the gravitational and plasma effects can produce a forward point focus of extreme magnification. A Schwarzschild black hole has an infinity of forward and backward foci, where there are two types of forward line foci and one kind of backward conical foci. Other advanced civilizations, if they exist, are assumed to be near stars. Thus, every society has at hand a potentially powerful lens to use as transmitting and receiving antennas for interstellar radio communications. Very advanced civilizations may be able to use black holes for this purpose. There could exist an essentially private but vast network of such links that could well escape detection by SETI. Its possible characteristics and a proposed search protocol are described. An important first step would involve a spacecraft mission to very deep space, on the order of 1000 astronomical units or six light days from the sun.
The "Invisible Hand" of Floral Chemistry

Volatile compounds help flowering plants balance attracting pollinators and maximizing overall reproductive success.