cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Re-repair of the mitral valve as a primary strategy for early and late failures of mitral valve repair

OBJECTIVES: With the expanding uptake of mitral valve repair as the primary therapy for mitral valve regurgitation, an increasing cohort of patients are presenting with failures following valve repair. These patients have traditionally been treated by mitral valve replacement. We have adopted an aggressive strategy of valve re-repair for failures of mitral valve repair and present our mid-term results. METHODS: Fifty-three consecutive adults underwent reoperation by a single surgical team for failed non-rheumatic mitral valve repair. Primary valve repair had been done for degenerative (n = 38), congenital (n = 6), infective (n =3), functional (n = 1) or unknown (n =5) mitral disease. The reoperative mitral procedure occurred at a median interval of 3 (interquartile range 0.9–6.5) years from the primary mitral valve repair. Valve re-repair was attempted if the anterior leaflet was sufficiently pliable, and lesions causing recurrence were identifiable and deemed treatable. Standard repair techniques were employed in re-repair procedures. RESULTS: Valve analysis showed that the mode of failure was progression of original disease in 19 (36%), technical failure in 20 (38%) and new disease in 14 (26%) patients. Valve re-repair was successfully accomplished in 45 (85%) patients. Re-repair was most frequent when the prior aetiology was degenerative (34 of 38, 90%) as opposed to non-degenerative (11 of 15, 73%). There were no hospital deaths. Four-year patient survival was 97%. Freedoms from moderate mitral regurgitation were 100, 95, 88 and 80% at discharge and at 1, 3, and 4 years, respectively. There were no reoperations in the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Re-repair of the mitral valve is feasible in most of the cases of failed mitral valve repair of non-rheumatic aetiology and has acceptable mid-term outcomes. The relatively high prevalence of technical failures as the mechanism of failure of the primary mitral valve repair suggests the need for ongoing surgical education and continuing development and refinement of repair techniques.
Calculation of temperatures in microwave-heated two-dimensional ceramic bodies

Temperatures are calculated in a ceramic material exposed to microwaves. The method entails calculation of electromagnetic fields by integral formulation and subsequent solution of the heat conduction equation for temperatures in a ceramic piece. The solution of the equations is numerical and the parameters used are estimates for properties of SiC. The results include a case where the complex dielectric constant is varied with temperature. The computed results demonstrate that SiC can be heated to high temperatures (1,000-1,500 K) and that both the temperature and the temperature gradient can be controlled by varying the power density of the microwaves and the external cooling. The results also exhibit high sensitivity of temperatures to the dimensions of the material and the orientation in which microwaves impinge on the ceramic body.
Assessing the Impact of SiC MOSFETs on Converter Interfaces for Distributed Energy Resources

Distributed energy resources (DER) will become in the near future an integral component of an electric power distribution system. In most cases, an isolated dc-dc converter is required to connect the DER output to the distribution system. Operation of the converter at high switching frequencies brings size reduction of passive components at the expense of increased switching losses. On the loss issue, silicon carbide (SiC) power devices have a very promising future because of their lower switching losses and ability to work at high temperatures. SiC diodes have displayed the ability to offer more ideal diode behavior than silicon diodes. SiC MOSFETs also have lower switching losses and conduction losses over Si MOSFETs. This display has made SiC devices attractive for dc-dc converters used to connect DER to the distribution system. In particular, this paper deals with the design of a 300 W 100 kHz dc-dc full bridge converter using zero-voltage zero-current switching (ZVZCS) for comparison of SiC MOSFETs and diodes against Si MOSFETs and diodes.
Whence Cometh the Law? Dog Saliva in Kelantan, 1937

Considerable interest is again being expressed, in the public domain as well as in the academy, in the processes of change-ideational and pragmaticwhich seem to characterize Islamic societies; societies, that is to say, of those who regard themselves as muslim, acceptors of the revealed law or "way" (sharla) of God. This interest is not new, but it seems to present itself anew in each generation, partly perhaps because it is something that has concerned Muslims themselves for most of the fourteen centuries that have elapsed since the religion of islam was proclaimed afresh and finally, by the Prophet Muhammad, in 622. Muslims are of course not alone in being required to see life as ideally governed by an unchanging set of rules which must be understood and conformed to, for this much is true of many other systems of belief which rest upon transcendent authority. It is sometimes held, however, that of all such believers in transcendence, that is, in a transcendent moral law, Muslims have an especially hard time in bringing life as (and where, and under what other cultural constraints) it is led into conjunction with the enjoined ideal. This is principally (it may be and is often said) because the definitive law-the sharla was revealed once and for all in what became an especially restrictive way: in a particular time and place (seventh-century Arabia), expressed in the prophetic revelation (in the Arabic of the day) of God's injunctions to humankind (embodied rather later in the text of the Qur'an), and as made manifest in the life (the practices and sayings) of His prophet, recorded at the time or reliably recollected thereafter. Established procedures for elucidating the meaning of the Qur'anic utterance and of the traditions about Muhammad, where they were not plain, and of applying them to situations and questions not (apparently) foreseen-by the use of analogy (qiyds), for example, or by arrival at consensus (ijmd') among
Polyamic alkyl esters: versatile polyimide precursors for improved dielectric coatings

Several approaches leading to high-solids-content polyimide precursor formulations and polyimides with multiphase morphologies have been successfully explored. These approaches were made possible by utilizing poly(amic alkyl esters), which are soluble polyimide precursors devoid of hydrolytic instability and which can be designed to imidize at significantly higher temperatures than their poly(amic acid) counterparts. The hydrolytic stability of these derivatives provides great synthetic flexibility due to solubility considerations, polymer work-up procedures, and polymer modification schemes. The synthetic flexibility is complemented by higher imidization temperatures, which provide the necessary processing window to permit the use of a condensation-chemistry-based, linear chain-extension scheme. In addition, higher imidization temperatures may further advantageously influence the development of well-defined microphase-separated morphologies in the case of block copolymers and polyimide blends. >
Scanning electron microscopy of operatively excised severely regurgitant floppy mitral valves

Although the prevalence of billowing mitral leaflets and mitral valve prolapse ranges from 6 to 18% of the population1 and histologic studies have been reported on resected valves,2−5 we are aware of only 1 study on the microstructure of such valves.6 We have not found any studies of the surface microarchitecture of floppy mitral valves shown by scanning electron microscopy. Therefore, we undertook an evaluation of the surface microarchitecture by scanning electron microscopy in the hope of providing additional insight into the nature of the floppy mitral valve syndrome.
Impaired Angiogenesis in Aging Is Associated with Alterations in Vessel Density, Matrix Composition, Inflammatory Response, and Growth Factor Expression

It is generally accepted that angiogenesis is delayed in aging. To define the effects of age on the neovascular response, polyvinyl alcohol sponges were implanted SC in young (6-8 months old, n=11) and aged (23-25 months old, n=13) mice and sampled at 14 and 19 days. Angiogenic invasion was significantly delayed in aged mice at 14d relative to young at 14d (% area of invasion 9.0 +/- 3.7 vs 19.0 +/- 5.6; p=0.02). Although microvessel morphology and basement membrane composition were similar between the age groups, a significant decrease in capillary density was noted in aged tissues at 14d (7.5 +/- 4.1) and 19d (12.1 +/- 2.8) relative to young at 14d (18.7 +/- 2.3) (p<0.01 A14d vs Y14d). In comparison to young at 14d, the inflammatory response was decreased by 43 +/- 2.9% and 36 +/- 7.8% in aged mice at 14d and 19d, respectively. Tissues of aged mice showed less newly deposited collagen. There was a lack of expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in aged mice at 14d (0.63 +/- 0.3) and 19d (1.14 +/- 0.5) vs young at 14d (1.92 +/- 0.5) (p< or =0.01 A14d vs Y14d for VEGF). However, similar production of VEGF receptor2 was observed. In contrast to young mice, there was significantly increased expression of thrombospondin-2 (TSP-2) in aged mice from 14d (14.6 x 10(3) +/- 7.3 x 10(3)) to 19d (34.9 x 10(3) +/- 17 x 10(3)). We conclude that angiogenesis in aging is not merely delayed, but is altered due to multiple impairments.
Incremental Validity of the Subscales of the Emotional Regulation Related to Testing Scale for Predicting Test Anxiety

The Emotional Regulation Related to Testing Scale (ERT Scale) assesses strategies students use to regulate emotion related to academic testing. It has four dimensions: Cognitive Appraising Processe...
Conformational changes and development of proteinase K resistance in surface-immobilized PrP

The prion protein, and an increasing number of other cellular proteins, can undergo conformational transitions leading to soluble oligomers and insoluble aggregates. We have previously shown that the transition of the prion protein from its native form to its infectious (PrPSc) conformation can be monitored with epitope specific antibodies while the protein is immobilized on the surface of a Biacore surface plasmon resonance sensor chip. (Leclerc et al EMBO J 20:1547–1554 2001). The folding pathways leading to insoluble aggregates (amyloids) and soluble oligomers are believed to be distinct. We report here the use of epitope-specific antibody Fab fragments and surface plasmon resonance measurements on immobilized PrP to investigate the conditions leading to either folding pathway. We found that full-length SHaPrP(29-231) and truncated SHaPrP(90-231) prion protein can be induced to undergo the transition to proteinase K-resistant PrPSc aggregates on a sensor chip. This transition is temperature and buffer dependent and can be blocked by the presence of antibody Fab fragments binding to epitopes important for the conformational change. We demonstrate that the use of monoclonal antibodies combined with surface plasmon resonance technology is suitable to monitor the environmental conditions leading to conformational changes in the prion protein. The methodology is applicable to other amyloid- and oligomer-forming proteins and should be useful for the evaluation of antibodies or small molecules preventing protein misfolding.
Insights into base selectivity from the 1.8 Å resolution structure of an RB69 DNA polymerase ternary complex.

Bacteriophage RB69 DNA polymerase (RB69 pol) has served as a model for investigating how B family polymerases achieve a high level of fidelity during DNA replication. We report here the structure of an RB69 pol ternary complex at 1.8 A resolution, extending the resolution from our previously reported structure at 2.6 A [Franklin, M. C., et al. (2001) Cell 105, 657-667]. In the structure presented here, a network of five highly ordered, buried water molecules can be seen to interact with the N3 and O2 atoms in the minor groove of the DNA duplex. This structure reveals how the formation of the closed ternary complex eliminates two ordered water molecules, which are responsible for a kink in helix P in the apo structure. In addition, three pairs of polar-nonpolar interactions have been observed between (i) the Cα hydrogen of G568 and the N3 atom of the dG templating base, (ii) the O5' and C5 atoms of the incoming dCTP, and (iii) the OH group of S565 and the aromatic face of the dG templating base. These interactions are optimized in the dehydrated environment that envelops Watson-Crick nascent base pairs and serve to enhance base selectivity in wild-type RB69 pol.
Surgeon dependent variation in adenotonsillectomy costs in children.

ObjectivesTo (1) identify the major expenses for same-day adenotonsillectomy (T&A) and the costs for postoperative complication encounters in a children’s hospital and (2) compare differences for variations in costs by surgeon.Study DesignObservational cohort study.SettingTertiary children’s hospital.Subjects and MethodsA standardized activity-based hospital accounting system was used to determine total hospital costs per encounter (not including professional fees for surgeons or anesthetists) for T&A cases at a tertiary children’s hospital from 2007 to 2012. Hospital costs were subdivided into categories, including operating room (OR), OR supplies, postanesthesia care unit (PACU), same-day services (SDS), anesthesia, pharmacy, and other. Costs for postoperative complication encounters were included to identify a mean total cost per case per surgeon.ResultsThe study cohort included 4824 T&As performed by 14 different surgeons. The mean cost per T&A was $1506 (95% confidence interval, $1492-$1519, with a r...
Effect of loading rates on polymer micropillar based force transducers

Polymeric sensor arrays have been extensively used to measure cellular forces and offer new insight into the study of cellular mechanics. Previous studies have been focused on using transducers in static domain and assumed elastic beam theory as a force conversion model. Neglecting the inherent viscoelastic behavior of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and low aspect ratios of micropillars compromised the accuracy of these devices. In this work, a more in-depth viscoelastic Timoshenko beam model was introduced. We studied chemical stimulated contractions of cardiac myocytes and found that the loading rate has a considerable influence on the sensitivity of the sensor arrays.
An AIDS Hotline: Analysis of Callers, Presenting Problems, and Social Factors1

This research is an analysis of all calls received by an AIDS hotline over an 8-month period. Caller demographics and types of presenting problems of callers are reported. Overall, callers were most concerned about how the virus was transmitted and requested information about HIV testing for themselves, a partner, a friend, or a relative. Despite the fact that adolescents are at high risk for contracting HIV, few adolescents called the hotline, but those who did were more likely to request safer sex information than HIV testing information. In contrast, all other age groups requested HIV testing more than safer sex information, often by a 2:1 or 3:1 margin. Men called most frequently because of concerns about self, whereas women called most frequently with concerns about others. These results are discussed in the context of the AIDS epidemic and in terms of social factors.
Serum testosterone levels after external beam radiation for clinically localized prostate cancer

Abstract Purpose: To determine whether serum total testosterone levels change after external beam radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: Eighty-five men with clinically localized prostate cancer (T1–T3, N0/NX, M0) who underwent external beam radiation therapy without androgen ablation had pretreatment and 3-month posttreatment total serum testosterone levels determined by radioimmunoassay. Scattered doses to the testicles were measured with thermoluminescent dosimetry in 10 men. Results: Pretreatment serum testosterone levels ranged from 185 to 783 ng/dl, with a mean of 400 ng/dl and a median of 390 ng/dl. THe coefficient of variation was 30%. Postradiation 3-month testosterone levels ranged from 163 ng/dl to 796 ng/dl, with mean and median values of 356 ng/dl and 327 ng/ml, respectively. The coefficient of variatioin was 34%. The 3-month value was significantly lower than the pretreatment value (Wilcoxon paired p = 0.0001). The mean absolute fall was 94 ng/dl and the mean percentage fall was 9%. Although the fall in testosterone level was statistically significant, the difference was very small quantitatively. In contrast, serum prostate-specific antigen levels fell dramatically by 3 months after radiation. Testicular scattered does ranged from 1.84 to 2.42 Gy, with a mean of 2.07 Gy for a prostatic tumor dose of 68 Gy. Conclusions: Although significant, the fall in serum testosterone level after radiation for localized prostate cancer was small and likely of no pathophysiologic consequence. It is unlikely that scattered testicular radiation plays any significant role in the genesis of this change in testosterone level, which most likely occurs as a nonspecific stress response.
Revision: is visual perception a requisite for visual imagery?

Vision is the most highly developed sense in man and represents the doorway through which most of our knowledge of the external world arises. Visual imagery can be defined as the representation of perceptual information in the absence of visual input. Visual imagery has been shown to complement vision in this acquisition of knowledge—it is used in memory retrieval, problem solving, and the recognition of properties of objects. The processes underlying visual imagery have been assimilated to those of the visual system and are believed to share a neural substrate. However, results from studies in congenitally and cortically blind subjects have opposed this hypothesis. Here I review the currently available evidence.
The effect of time‐on‐task on student grades and grade expectations

The effects of students’ attitudes on time devoted to a course (i.e. time‐on‐task), and the subsequent effects of this time‐on‐task on their performance in the course and their overall grade point average (GPA) were studied. Over a three‐year period, engineering students (N = 231) were surveyed in weeks one, three, seven (after midterms) and 10 (before finals) of a 10‐week quarter in six sophomore and junior engineering classes (eight different sections). Results of this study show that most students are optimistic about their future performance in a new course, regardless of their previous overall GPA. All students appear to devote a relatively high and equal amount of time‐on‐task during the first week of the term. The students who earned grades between ‘B+’ and ‘A’ appear to optimise this time by the third week. Students who earned a final grade of ‘B’ study similar to ‘A’ students before midterms but significantly increase their efforts after midterms while the ‘C’ students decrease their time devoted...
Does Delaware Entrench Management

Critics have charged that state competition in corporate law, which Delaware clearly dominates, leads to a “race to the bottom” promoting management entrenchment at shareholders’ expense. We present evidence here inconsistent with this hypothesis. Measures of director quality and governance mechanisms are higher in Delaware. Delaware’s directors hire higher quality CEOs and they are more likely to terminate CEOs. Tenures of Delaware directors and CEOs are both lower than their counterparts in other states. In addition, contrary to claims that anti-takeover laws promote management entrenchment, we find that states that provide the greatest anti-takeover protection – Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Maryland – do not have significantly different turnover rates from California, the state that arguably offers the least anti-takeover protection.
Finding orthogonal vectors in discrete structures

Hopcroft's problem in d dimensions asks: given n points and n hyperplanes in Rd, does any point lie on any hyperplane? Equivalently, if we are given two sets of n vectors each in Rd+1, is there a pair of vectors (one from each set) that are orthogonal? This problem has a long history and a multitude of applications. It is widely believed that for large d, the problem is subject to the curse of dimensionality: all known algorithms need at least f(d) · n2-1/O(d) time for fast-growing functions f, and at the present time there is little hope that a n2-e · poly(d) time algorithm will be found.We consider Hopcroft's problem over finite fields and integers modulo composites, leading to both surprising algorithms and hardness reductions. The algorithms arise from studying the communication problem of determining whether two lists of vectors (one list held by Alice, one by Bob) contain an orthogonal pair of vectors over a discrete structure (one from each list). We show the randomized communication complexity of the problem is closely related to the sizes of matching vector families, which have been studied in the design of locally decodable codes. Letting HOPCROFTR denote Hopcroft's problem over a ring R, we give randomized algorithms and almost matching lower bounds (modulo a breakthrough in SAT algorithms) for HOPCROFTR, when R is the ring of integers modulo m or a finite field.Building on the ideas developed here, we give a very simple and efficient output-sensitive algorithm for matrix multiplication that works over any field.
Constitutions in Authoritarian Regimes: The Political Economy of Autocratic Constitutions

Why do autocrats adopt constitutions? Constitutions can help dictators consolidate power, increase investment, and boost economic development — all while generating a steady flow of rents for themselves and their cronies without empowering challengers so as to undermine their authority. Autocratic constitutions play a crucial role in consolidating the inner ranks of the autocratic regime by fostering loyalty and trust between the dictator and his launching organization (LO) early in the regime, when uncertainty about the dictator’s intentions is considerable and the LO’s de facto power is at its height. One key function of autocratic constitutions is to consolidate a new distribution of power. To accomplish this, autocratic constitutions may outline limits on executive authority, codify individual rights and political obligations and, given the right conditions, impose constraints on executive authority. We test this theoretical framework on a panel dataset of Latin American dictators between 1950 and 2002. We find that the creation of a constitution under dictatorship can enable an autocratic coalition to co-opt threats to their rule and last longer in office, a finding that holds even after controlling for country fixed effects, other possible indirect institutional pathways and after instrumenting autocratic constitutions with constituent assembly elections held prior to constitutional promulgation. Employing the same robustness checks, we also find that autocratic constitutions are associated with stronger property rights protection, higher rates of private investment, and economic growth.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Men’s Violence Against Women

While sharing some characteristics with Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity also has theological convictions and a cultural history that differ from Christian traditions in the West. This chapter introduces mental health professionals and clergy to the structure and beliefs of this religious tradition. In addition, the author discusses a sampling of theological and cultural factors that contribute to men’s violence against women, and movements and ideas within the faith system that can be used to educate Eastern Christian communities about abuse, assist survivors in healing from violence, and help perpetrators to develop healthier relationship skills.
The Detroit Mexican Immigrant and Naturalization

T HE possession of an Indian appearance significantly affects Mexican adjustment in the United States.' "Race prejudice," as it strikes the Mexican, according to Manuel Gamio, is in some ways comparable to that accorded the Negro,2 for neither the immigrant, the naturalized Mexican, nor a native-born American of Mexican extraction, can rise from his low social stratum.3 Gamio, without so naming it, is describing a caste situation in the process of development.4 Mexicans in Texas5 and other parts of the Southwest have come in varying degrees to be defined by the dominant white caste as an exogamous group, in which the limitation to any individual's status is determined by the fact of birth. Mr. Garcia, sometime secretary of a Mexican Society, Obreros Unidos, contrasted Detroit with Texas in this regard:
Effects of Three Systems of Laboratory Collection on the Vigor of Adult Codling Moths

Males of Laspeyresia pomonella (L.), collected by several methods from a laboratory colony, had a partial loss in vigor as judged by their response to attractants. Attractiveness of females, collected by the same methods, was not significantly affected. The reduced response of the males may result from the effects of ultraviolet light and/or low temperature on the sensory receptors of the teneral male.
Laboratory Results From an On-Orbit Absolute Radiance Standard (OARS)

An on-orbit absolute radiance standard (OARS) traceable to SI standards on-orbit has been developed to provide end-to-end calibration verification of high accuracy IR spectral radiance measurements, to better than 0.1K brightness temperature error.
Existence of positive solutions for a class of indefinite elliptic problems in \({\mathbb R}^N\)

We consider the question of existence of positive solutions for a class of elliptic problems in all of \({mathbb R}^N\) having a noncoercive linear part \(- \Delta u - \lambda h(x) u\) and a sign-changing nonlinearity of the form \(a(x) g(u)\).
A Page of Logic is Worth a Volume of History: The Treatment of Retained Interests Under the Federal Estate and Gift Tax Statutes

When Congress unified the federal estate and gift taxes in 1976, it only did part of the job. Congressional efforts focused almost exclusively on the exemption amounts and the rate structure. Congress shirked the more difficult task of examining and coordinating the substantive rules governing gifts and their completion with the rules governing transfers with retained rights and powers. This article analyzes the historical origins and theoretical underpinnings of the retained interest sections, sections 2036, 2037, and 2038. These rules are responsible for much needless complexity in the federal transfer tax system. This article suggests revisions that will not only simplify the retained interest rules but also provide consistency with the gift tax provisions and greater overall coherence to the transfer tax system. This article responds in part to the ABA Task Force on Transfer Tax Restructuring, 1988 Report on Transfer Tax Restructuring. The issues have not been resolved even twenty years later.
Effects of Slow Release Nitrogen Fertilizer on Growth and Physiological Functions in the Late Stage of Super Hybrid Rice

Using Liangyou 0293, a super hybrid rice combination, as the material, the treatments of applying normal amount of slow release nitrogen fertilizer (SCU2, with 180 kg/hm2 of pure nitrogen), applying 25% lessened amount of slow release nitrogen fertilizer (SCU1, with 135 kg/hm2 of pure nitrogen) and common urea (U, with 180 kg/hm2 of pure nitrogen, as the check) were used to study the effects of slow release fertilizers on the growth and physiological functions in the late stages of super hybrid rice during 2007 and 2008. The results showed that the treatments SCU1 and SCU2 had an increase in grain yield to a varied extent from different years compared with the check U, SCU2 had a similar total dry matter accumulation to U, but that of SCU1 was a little lower. The treatment SCU1 was superior in dry matter accumulation and transportation in the late stages but inferior in dry matter accumulation in the early stages. Compared with U, SCU1 and SCU2 had fewer productive panicles but more spikelets per panicle and a higher seed setting percentage in the year of unusual temperature conditions, higher chlorophyll contents in flag leaf in heading and grain filling stages and were superior in photosynthetic characteristics, and this superiority was more remarkable under the conditions of high light intensity. However, SCU2 had longer and broader leaves on canopy than SCU1 and U, which may result in a poor canopy structure in the late stages. Therefore, applying the slow release nitrogen fertilizer with a 25% lessened rate one time for the whole growth period has both nitrogen-saving and yield-increasing effects on super hybrid rice, but applying methods need further optimizing.
Conditional Sampling of Dissipation in Large-Scale Rotational Regions of Grid Turbulence

Multi-point hot-wire measurements in grid turbulence were used to conditionally average the dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy over inertial-scale features of a turbulent velocity field. Velocities were measured at 5 separate spatial points arranged in the cross-configuration shown in Figure 1. The probes were all located in a cross-stream plane. There are 4 single hot-wires at the edges, with an x-wire at the center. Six separate velocity components were thus measured simultaneously. The widest spacing between any two probes (=2L in Fig. 1) spans 0.65 of the integral length scale A. The flow features used in the conditioning described below are thereby inside the inertial range and much larger than the the worms observed at the relatively small scales (see e.g. Jimenez et al., 1993). The wind-tunnel turbulence was generated with a grid of a very large mesh-size (M =19 cm), producing turbulent Reynolds number Reλ of about 200, while retaining good transverse homogeneity of the turbulence. The dissipation was approximated with the socalled pseudo- or surrogate dissipation e r ’ based on one or two velocity gradients, to avoid the kinematic constraints previously described by Thoroddsen (1995).
Partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition in keloid scars: regulation of keloid keratinocyte gene expression by transforming growth factor-β1

Keloids are an extreme form of abnormal scarring that result from a pathological fibroproliferative wound healing process. The molecular mechanisms driving keloid pathology remain incompletely understood, hindering development of targeted, effective therapies. Recent studies in our laboratory demonstrated that keloid keratinocytes exhibit adhesion abnormalities and display a transcriptional signature reminiscent of cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), suggesting a role for EMT in keloid pathology. In the current study, we further define the EMT-like phenotype of keloid scars and investigate regulation of EMT-related genes in keloid. Primary keratinocytes from keloid scar and normal skin were cultured in the presence or absence of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) +/− inhibitors of TGF-β1 and downstream signaling pathways. Gene expression was measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Migration was analyzed using an in vitro wound healing assay. Proteins in keloid scar and normal skin sections were localized by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analyses utilized SigmaPlot (SyStat Software, San Jose, CA) or SAS® (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). In keloid and normal keratinocytes, TGF-β1 regulated expression of EMT-related genes, including hyaluronan synthase 2, vimentin, cadherin-11, wingless-type MMTV integration site family, member 5A, frizzled 7, ADAM metallopeptidase domain 19, and interleukin-6. Inhibition of canonical TGF-β1 signaling in keloid keratinocytes significantly inhibited expression of these genes, and TGF-β1 stimulation of normal keratinocytes increased their expression. The inhibition of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signaling pathway or the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway attenuated TGF-β1-induced expression of subsets of these genes. Migration of keloid keratinocytes, previously shown to be increased compared with normal keratinocytes, was significantly reduced by inhibition of TGF-β1 or ERK1/2 signaling. Biomarkers of EMT, including reduced E-cadherin and increased active β-catenin, were observed in keloid epidermis in vivo. However, evidence of basement membrane breakdown in keloid scar was not observed. The results suggest that keloid keratinocytes exist in an EMT-like metastable state, similar to activated keratinocytes in healing wounds. The EMT-like gene expression pattern of keloid keratinocytes is regulated by canonical and non-canonical TGF-β1 signaling pathways. Therefore, interventions targeting TGF-β1-regulated EMT-like gene expression in keloid keratinocytes may serve to suppress keloid scarring.
Abstract 2191: Imaging the kinetics of targeted nanoparticles to pancreatic cancer

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to image the kinetics of targeted lipid nanoparticles to an SCL transporter of pancreatic cancer using a near infrared (NIR) fluorescent dye DyLight® 747 and a mouse orthotopic model of fluorescent pancreatic cancer. Methods: Initially and before the in vivo experiments, the uptake of nanoparticles by human pancreatic cancer cells was evaluated in vitro using fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry. A quantity of 1.5 x10 5 PANC-1, MIA PaCa, or BxPC-3 cells/ml was placed in each well of a six-well plate and incubated for 5 hours with different formulations of fluorescent lipid targeted and non-targeted nanoparticles encapsulation daunorubicin which has natural fluorescence. After incubation, the growth media were removed and the cells were washed with PBS. The uptake of the fluorescent lipid nanoparticles by the cancer cells was evaluated an EVOS® microscope. All the in vitro experiments were done in triplicate. For the in vivo targeting studies, nude mice (Balb/c Ola Hsd-Fox1 nu) were implanted orthotopically (in the tail of the pancreas) with 3 x10 6 PANC-1 cells expressing GFP. The injection volume for the implantation was 50 microliters and contained 3 x10 6 PANC-1-GFP cells mixed with serum free media and HC Matrigel (1:1). One month after the orthotopic implantation, the implanted pancreatic tumor was visualized in live, anesthetized animals using UVP Scientia (UVP, Upland, CA). The animals were separated into three groups (three animals in each group) and injected via the tail vein as follows: Group A, was injected with only the fluorescent dye, Dylight 747; group B was injected with fluorescent non-targeted nanoparticles; and group C was injected with fluorescent targeted nanoparticles. Results: Both the flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy data show a significantly higher uptake of the targeted lipid nanoparticles compared to the non-targeted ones. The imaging of the fluorescent lipid nanoparticles in live mice shows that both targeted and nontargeted nanoparticles reach the pancreatic tumor. The nontargeted nanoparticles reside less than 48 hours on the tumor, whereas the targeted nanoparticles can reside for 96 hours on the tumor. The non-encapsulated fluorescent dye did not reach the tumor and was excreted in the urine. Conclusion: The results show that Dylight® 747 can be used to image the kinetics of a drug delivery system in a live animal. Furthermore while both lipid nanoparticles reach the tumor, the targeted lipid nanoparticles reside significantly longer on the tumor and this may translate to a better therapeutic outcome. Citation Format: Jonathan Moreno, Qin qin Fei, Maria P. Lambros. Imaging the kinetics of targeted nanoparticles to pancreatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2191.
Farm and Trade Policies of the Industrial Countries

It is neither possible nor necessary to give a detailed review of the farm and trade policies of each of the major industrial countries. Excellent summaries, with major emphasis upon farm policies, already exist and the most complete one is almost twice as long as this book.1 While there are differences in detail, a fairly limited number of patterns can be delineated. In any case, the detailed features of the farm policies are not of primary interest to us; our concern is with the effects of the farm policies upon prices, production and trade.
The ataxia telangiectasia mutated kinase coordinates Vk-to-Jk recombination between alleles to enforce Igk allelic exclusion

A receptor allelic exclusion is achieved through incompletely defined mechanisms that promote asynchronous initiation and subsequent feedback inhibition of V-to-(D)J recombination between antigen receptor loci on homologous chromosomes. The original feedback inhibition model speculated that Igk recombination events on one allele might activate signals that transiently suppress additional rearrangements on the other allele. DNA cleavage activates the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) near DNA breaks and the Ataxia Telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase throughout the nucleus. ATM phosphorylation of histone H2AX along broken DNA strands creates high-density binding sites for MDC1, which functions with H2AX to amplify some ATM signals by retaining ATM kinases in chromatin at DSBs. We have found in primary mouse pre-B cells that inactivation of ATM, but not DNA-PK, H2AX, or MDC1, leads to increased cleavage of Igk alleles and 3’Jk segments independent of defects in coding join formation. This inhibition of Igk recombination correlates with ATM-dependent repression of Rag1 mRNA levels. We have shown that inactivation of ATM, but neither H2AX nor MDC1, causes a higher frequency of B cells exhibiting Igk allelic inclusion. Collectively, our findings suggest that the soluble pool of ATM kinases activated by Igk cleavage transduces signals that suppress the initiation of additional Vk-to-Jk recombination events, and thereby helps enforce Igk allelic exclusion.
Immunohistochemistry Improves the Detection of Adenovirus in Gastrointestinal Biopsy Specimens From Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients

Objectives: Gastrointestinal infections by cytomegalovirus (CMV) and adenovirus may complicate hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Although CMV and adenovirus produce recognizable cytopathic changes, these changes may be subtle or focal. The value of viral immunohistochemistry in detecting infection in HSCT recipients when cytopathic changes are not identified has not been demonstrated. Methods: H&E-stained sections from gastrointestinal biopsy specimens were reviewed by three pathologists. Cases were classified as negative, suspicious, or positive for CMV and/or adenovirus infection based on the presence or absence of viral inclusions. Viral immunohistochemistry was performed, and the results were compared with the interpretations of H&E-stained sections. Results: Four of 104 cases contained viral inclusions confirmed by immunohistochemistry: two were infected with CMV, and two were positive for adenovirus. All three reviewers correctly classified both immunopositive CMV cases on H&E evaluation. However, all reviewers missed the diagnosis of adenovirus on H&E assessment in one case. Conclusions: In HSCT recipients, cytopathic changes of adenovirus may be easily missed in H&E-stained sections of gastrointestinal biopsy specimens. Thus, the routine use of adenovirus immunohistochemistry in all cases is recommended. Both cases of CMV infection were apparent on H&E evaluation, so the judicious use of immunohistochemical stains for CMV in selected cases may be considered.
Tachykinin Receptor Agents

Abstract The tachykinin receptor agents are ligands for a class of G-protein-coupled receptors referred to as tachykinin or neurokinin receptors. Prototypic agonists include the peptide neurotransmitters substance P, neurokinin A and neurokinin B; the prototypic antagonist for the NK-1 receptor is aprepitant. These agents target one or more of the NK-1, NK-2, and NK-3 tachykinin receptors. Numerous synthetic tachykinin analog peptides have been designed and studied in a search for selective high affinity agents that are resistant to hydrolysis. Aprepitant is used in combination with other agents to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Tachykinin receptor antagonists also have potential utility in pain and inflammation, gastrointestinal disturbances, asthma, major depressive disorders, and schizophrenia. Many of the neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists inhibit CYP3A4, potentially modifying the metabolism and elimination of many drugs. NK-3 receptor antagonists as therapeutic candidates for the treatment of addiction.
A new method for cardiac computed tomography regional function assessment: stretch quantifier for endocardial engraved zones (SQUEEZ).

Background—Quantitative assessment of regional myocardial function has important diagnostic implications in cardiac disease. Recent advances in CT imaging technology have allowed fine anatomic structures, such as endocardial trabeculae, to be resolved and potentially used as fiducial markers for tracking local wall deformations. We developed a method to detect and track such features on the endocardium to extract a metric that reflects local myocardial contraction. Methods and Results—First-pass CT images and contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance images were acquired in 8 infarcted and 3 healthy pigs. We tracked the left ventricle wall motion by segmenting the blood from myocardium and calculating trajectories of the endocardial features seen on the blood cast. The relative motions of these surface features were used to represent the local contraction of the endocardial surface with a metric we call Stretch Quantifier of Endocardial Engraved Zones (SQUEEZ). The average SQUEEZ value and the r...
Archimedes: Rechnung mit dem Unendlichen (−212)

Das Werk von Archimedes bildet einen Hohepunkt der antiken Mathematik. Das unerwunschte Unendliche, das seit der Entdeckung der Irrationalitat in die Mathematik eingedrungen ist, wird bei ihm in eine Methode eingebaut, Flacheninhalte und Volumina von krumm berandeten Bereichen (Kreis, Kugel, Parabel, Spirale) exakt zu berechnen. So verdanken wir ihm die Erkenntnis, dass die Kugelflache genau viermal so gros ist wie die Kreisflache von gleichem Radius, und dass die Archimedische Spirale ein Drittel des Flacheninhalts ihres Umkreises umschliest, und er berechnet gute untere und obere Schranken der Kreiszahl π. Moglich werden diese Erkenntnisse, weil er physikalisch verstanden hat, dass Grose und Form bei Flacheninhalten und Volumina getrennt sind; das gleiche Volumen kann viele unterschiedliche Formen annehmen. Man kann es in viele Teile zerlegen, am Ende sogar in unendlich viele, und diese Zerlegung fur seine Berechnung nutzbar machen. Damit ist Archimedes ein Pionier der Infinitesimalrechnung, die erst viele Jahrhunderte spater voll entwickelt wurde.
Ventricular Fibrillation and Myocardial Depression Following Pulmonary Valve Replacement in Tetralogy of Fallot With an Intramural Coronary Artery and Coronary Artery Compression by Chest Tube

We describe the case of a 10-year-old male with a history of repaired Tetralogy of Fallot and known intramural right coronary artery (RCA) who presented for bioprosthetic pulmonary valve replacement. The operation was complicated by postoperative ventricular fibrillation arrest. Selective coronary angiography revealed external compression of the mid-RCA by a mediastinal chest tube that improved immediately upon removal of the tube. Ultimately, the patient required additional unroofing of the intramural coronary for full recovery. This case highlights the need to thoroughly investigate malignant ventricular dysrhythmias following pediatric cardiac surgery and to rule out coronary insufficiency, which may be due to both extrinsic and/or intrinsic lesions.
Back to the Future in Cardiogenic Shock — Initial PCI of the Culprit Lesion Only

Approximately 5 to 10% of cases of acute myocardial infarction are complicated by cardiogenic shock, which is associated with early mortality of 40 to 50%.1 Nearly two decades ago, the SHOCK (Should We Emergently Revascularize Occluded Coronaries for Cardiogenic Shock) trial established that mortality was lower with emergency revascularization than with initial medical stabilization and selective delayed revascularization in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).2,3 In the SHOCK trial, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the culprit lesion only was the most common therapy for initial revascularization. Although more complete revascularization might have been expected to have an increased benefit, . . .
Success Rates Depend on the Appropriateness of the Outcome Measures

This "Cheap Lessons" article emphasizes the importance of selecting an appropriate outcome. A brief example from the sports medicine literature relating to baseball pitching performance and the “Tommy John surgery” (TJS) is discussed. The example illustrates how an inappropriate outcome measure often utilized in studies involving the TJS has resulted in deceptive, overestimates of the surgery’s success rate. The unintended consequence of this methodological miscalculation is that numerous athletes have elected to pursue this unnecessary medical procedure and put both their health and sporting careers at risk.
Eulerian-Lagrangian method for simulation of cloud cavitation.

We present a coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian method to simulate cloud cavitation in a compressible liquid. The method is designed to capture the strong, volumetric oscillations of each bubble and the bubble-scattered acoustics. The dynamics of the bubbly mixture is formulated using volume-averaged equations of motion. The continuous phase is discretized on an Eulerian grid and integrated using a high-order, finite-volume weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme, while the gas phase is modeled as spherical, Lagrangian point-bubbles at the sub-grid scale, each of whose radial evolution is tracked by solving the Keller–Miksis equation. The volume of bubbles is mapped onto the Eulerian grid as the void fraction by using a regularization (smearing) kernel. In the most general case, where the bubble distribution is arbitrary, three-dimensional Cartesian grids are used for spatial discretization. In order to reduce the computational cost for problems possessing translational or rotational homogeneities, we spatially average the governing equations along the direction of symmetry and discretize the continuous phase on two-dimensional or axi-symmetric grids, respectively. We specify a regularization kernel that maps the three-dimensional distribution of bubbles onto the field of an averaged two-dimensional or axi-symmetric void fraction. A closure is developed to model the pressure fluctuations at the sub-grid scale as synthetic noise. For the examples considered here, modeling the sub-grid pressure fluctuations as white noise agrees a priori with computed distributions from three-dimensional simulations, and suffices, a posteriori, to accurately reproduce the statistics of the bubble dynamics. The numerical method and its verification are described by considering test cases of the dynamics of a single bubble and cloud cavitation induced by ultrasound fields.
How Franklin (May Have) Made His Squares

Benjamin Franklin is well-known as a patriot, statesman, diplomat, writer, and scientist. In addition, he had a keen interest in numbers as described in great detail by Pasles [13–15]. In particula...