cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using decellularized grafted leaves as tissue engineering scaffolds for mammalian cells

Inadequate availability of organs and tissues for transplantation is a major problem. While offering an alternative, development of engineered tissue constructs containing a functional vascular network that allows delivery of nutrients and especially O2 remains a challenge. Using native vasculature, especially microvasculature, of a tissue or an organ offers potential to overcome this shortcoming. Decellularized animal organs retain the extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold and native vascular networks but are challenging to source. A low cost, more readily available, and consistent source of tissues and organs is required. We investigated a plant scaffold model that would mimic input (arterial)-output (venous) flow by grafting two Aptenia cordifolia leaves together with opposite facing petioles. The abaxial epidermis of the top leaf and the adaxial epidermis of the bottom leaf were removed; wounds were soaked for 20 s in 0.1-mg L−1 naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 1-mg L−1 benzylaminopurine (BAP) before horizontally appressing the wounded side of each leaf together. Leaves were decellularized 2 to 4 wk after grafting, lyophilized, and stored at room temperature. Prior to use, grafts were sterilized by ethylene oxide and rehydrated. Structural connections between the leaves were visualized histologically in thin sections using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and toluidine blue stains. Ponceau Red dye and red blood cells were perfused into the grafted leaves through one petiole of one leaf after decellularization to observe flow from input petiole into the first and then the second of the grafted leaves prior to exiting via the output petiole. Grafts were recellularized with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) expressing human breast cancer line MDA-MB231 and cell attachment and morphology observed 7 d post cell seeding. Results suggest that these grafted leaves provided an input-output cell-compatible vascularized scaffold as a possible bioscaffold for engineering tissues for transplantation.
551. Convalescent plasma early in disease course improves survival in COVID-19

Background: Convalescent plasma (CP) has been described as a potential therapy for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Given paucity of data, we sought to describe characteristics of CP recipients in survivors and non-survivors Methods: We conducted retrospective review of electronic medical records which included any patient with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test who received CP at an 890-bed quaternary care hospital in Southeast Michigan between March-May 2020 Data collected included: demographics, co-morbidities, mSOFA score on admission, laboratory values, and treatment Outcomes assessed included inflammatory markers and clinical status based on an 8-point ordinal scalea These values were recorded on admission, the date of CP (day 1), day 3, 7, and day 30 post-CP Patient outcomes were stratified by ordinal scale score and compared using Mann-Whitney U tests to examine differences in clinical characteristics: scale of 1-4 (“meaningful survivor”), 5-7 (“survivor”), and 8 (“non-survivor”) Results: Results of our study are summarized in Table 1 and 2 Non-survivors were older than survivors (62 vs 71 years;p=0 026) There was no statistically significant difference between patient gender, race, number of days from positive PCR test to CP, treatments, and co-morbidities There was a trend toward higher mSOFA score on admission in non-survivors (p=0 056) A lower ordinal scale score on the date of receiving CP was significantly associated with meaningful survivorship (6 vs 7, p=0 005) Conclusion: Patients who have a lower ordinal scale score on the date of CP administration are most likely to have meaningful survivorship at day 30 Future studies should evaluate optimal timing and outcomes for CP therapy in COVID-19 (Figure Presented)
The Gibbs Phase Rule for Chemically-Reacting Systems and Sample Problem

In this lecture, we will solve Sample Problem 35.1, an illuminating problem that deals with the partial decomposition of calcium carbonate solid into calcium oxide solid and carbon dioxide gas in a closed chemical reactor. We are asked to calculate the equilibrium pressure, the extent of reaction, and the equilibrium mole numbers of the three species present in the reactor. For this purpose, we will follow the chemical reaction equilibria approach, including formulating the Gibbs Phase Rule for chemically reacting systems.
Extended-short-wavelength infrared AlInAsSb and InPAsSb detectors on InAs

We have fabricated and characterized AlInAsSb- and InPAsSb-absorber nBn infrared detectors with 200 K cutoff wavelengths from 2.55 to 3.25 μm. Minority-carrier lifetimes determined by microwave reflectance measurements were 0.2-1.0 μs in doped n-type absorber materials. Devices having 4 μm thick absorbers exhibited sharp cutoff at wavelengths of 2.9 μm or longer and softer cutoff at shorter wavelengths. Top-illuminated devices with n+ InAs window/contact layers had external quantum efficiencies of 40-50% without anti-reflection coating at 50 mV reverse bias and wavelengths slightly shorter than cutoff. Despite the shallow-etch mesa nBn design, perimeter currents contributed significantly to the 200 K dark current. Dark currents for InPAsSb devices were lower than AlInAsSb devices with similar cutoff wavelengths. For unoptimized InPAsSb devices with 2.55 μm cutoff, 200 K areal and perimeter dark current densities at -0.2 V bias in devices of various sizes were approximately 1x10-7 A/cm2 and 1.4x10-8 A/cm, respectively.
Hardware/Software Security Patches for the Internet of Things

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT), there are billions of interacting devices and applications. With so many devices and applications, one of the most critical challenges is how to provide security. Traditional software-based defenses will not be enough to protect the security of IoT because of the attack surfaces derived from the physical environment. For example, an attacker can physically re-point a surveillance camera, can move a smart device to another location, can send a sound signal to influence an accelerometer, can cause wireless jamming, etc. We propose to create "smart buttons," and collections of them called "smart blankets" as hardware/software (HW/SW) security patches rather than software-only patches. These fixes operate similarly to software patches, but because of the hardware added, these new patches can better support against physical world attacks. While this paper primarily presents a vision for HW/SW patches, solutions are implemented and shown for two classes of attacks involving cameras and robots. Open questions are also discussed.
The C. elegans interactome project

The long-term goal of the research described in this chapter is to understand how macromolecular networks control animal development and how changes in such networks can lead to human diseases. Recently released protein–protein interaction or “interactome” maps for multicellular organisms have helped us to start imagining how complex cellular networks are organized. Keywords: ORFeome; C. elegans; functional genomics; systems biology; yeast two-hybrid; networks; interactome maps; phenome; transcriptome; protein–protein interaction; integration
Desempenho de cultivares de soja, em duas epocas de semeadura, no sul do estado do Tocantins

Com o intuito de avaliar o desempenho de cultivares de soja em duas epocas de semeadura, foram conduzidos 04 ensaios em Alvorada - TO, sendo 02 no ano agricola de 2003/04 e 02 no ano agricola de 2004/05. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos ao acaso com 20 tratamentos e quatro repeticoes, dispostos em esquema fatorial 10x2, constituido por dez cultivares de soja (BRS Tracaja, BRS Sambaiba, DM Nobre, MGBR Garantia, M-SOY 108, M-SOY 8866, M-SOY 8870, M-SOY 9001, M-SOY 9350 e 98C81), semeadas em duas epocas (08/11 e 07/12). Foram avaliadas as caracteristicas: numero de dias para o florescimento; numero de dias para a maturacao; altura das plantas e producao de graos, nas duas epocas de semeadura. As epocas de plantio nao resultaram em grandes variacoes entre as cultivares avaliadas, nas caracteristicas numero de dias para o florescimento e numero de dias para a maturacao. Maiores produtividades de graos ocorreram no plantio realizado em novembro, em relacao ao plantio de dezembro, nos dois anos agricolas.
Why Regime Switching Creates the Illusion of Long Memory

When applied to time series processes containing occasional level shifts, the log-periodogram (GPH) estimator often finds long memory. For a stationary markov switching process, which does not contain long memory, I show that the GPH estimator is substantially biased and I derive an asymptotic approximation to this bias. The asymptotic bias lies on the (0,1) interval with the exact value depending on the ratio of the expected number of breaks to a user-defined bandwidth parameter. I also examine the bias in the GPH estimator when applied to a nonstationary hidden markov breaks process and the stochastic permanent breaks process.
Pediatric Colorectal Disorders

Hirschsprung’s disease (congenital megacolon) is an anomaly characterized by functional partial colonic obstruction due to the absence of ganglion cells. It occurs in approximately 1 in 5,000 births. Boys are more frequently affected than girls and it is more common in caucasians.1 The functional disturbances in this condition are attributed to the absence of ganglion cells from the Auerbach’s myenteric plexus (located between the circular and longitudinal layers of smooth muscle of the intestine), the Henle’s plexus (located in the submucosa), and the Meissner’s plexus (in the superficial submucosa). The absence of these cells most probably produces uncoordinated contractions of the affected colon, which translates into a lack of relaxation of the colon that result in partial colonic obstruction.
Genome engineering with Cre-loxP

Twenty years ago, Gu et al. ([1][1]) published the first paper using the Cre- lox P system to study the immune response, entitled “Independent control of immunoglobulin switch recombination at individual switch regions evidenced through Cre- lox P-mediated gene targeting.” That experimental
AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN THE NEONATE. VIII. CARDIO-PULMONARY OBSERVATIONS.

Forty-two babies under 5 days of age were observed for prolonged periods in a laboratory with instruments which markedly facilitate detection of cardiac rate and respiratory changes. Many newborn infants often manifest remarkable cardiac slowing associated with such diverse activities as hiccups, yawning, and defecation. The nasogastric intubation of premature infants has, at times, been followed by abrupt bradycardia. Sinus arrhythmia is a frequent occurrence. These seemingly diverse observations have implications for developmental physiology and may be relevant to some pathologic conditions unique to this period of life.
Objective reality and the physical world: relation as key to understanding semiosis

Understanding relation in the reality of its suprasubjective character independently of awareness is the conditio sine qua non for achieving an understanding of semiosis. The present article takes us from Augustine’s original fourth-century proposal of signum as a general notion transcending the boundaries of nature and culture, through the thirteenth-century realization in Roger Bacon’s generation that concepts (both perceptual and intellectual) are signs formally, to John Poinsot’s demonstration of the irreducibly triadic character of sign relations. The suprasubjective relational essence of sign as based on the singularity of relation as being indifferent to realization in awareness is precisely what explains how one and the same sign-relation can pass from awareness-independent to awareness-dependent being, and conversely, due solely to the circumstances of its terminus. This understanding of semiosis is opposed to the Ockhamist denial of relation taken up by the mainstream moderns, as also to the mis...
Evidence for Multiple Molecular Forms of Yeast β-Glucosidase in a Hybrid Yeast

Abstract A mixture of β-glucosidases from Saccharomyces fragilis (Y-18) and S. dobzhanskii (Y-19) eluted from diethylaminoethyl cellulose in two peaks, whereas the enzyme from a hybrid, S. fragilis × S. dobzhanskii (Y-42), eluted in a single broad peak. The highest Y-42 activity fractions eluted at a sodium chloride molarity which was intermediate to the molarities at which most of the Y-18 and Y-19 activity was eluted. In cellulose polyacetate strips, Y-42 enzyme migrated as a diffuse band which spanned the distances migrated by the enzymes from the parent yeast strains. Antisera against either Y-18 or Y-19 enzyme precipitated 80 to 90% of Y-42 enzyme activity. When Y-42 enzyme was dissociated by heat or urea and reacted with parental antiserum, a concomitant increase in the opposite parental activity was demonstrable in both precipitation and complement-fixation (CF) tests. Urea-dissociated β-glucosidases were resolvable by sucrose-gradient centrifugation into multiple bands displaying specific CF activity. When the enzymes were exposed to 4 m urea for 12 min, particles of approximately 110,000 molecular weight were obtained. By extending the exposure time to 40 min, and incorporating 0.5 m urea in the gradients, smaller particles were detected with molecular weights ranging from 18,000 to 23,000. Attempts to regenerate enzyme activity after dissociation with urea were only moderately successful. Results suggested that a slightly acidic environment favored reassociation, as did the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol. Residual urea also seemed important. It is proposed that the structural genes for both Y-18 and Y-19 enzyme are present in Y-42 cells with either independent or closely interacting regulatory mechanisms. Since synthesis of the two parental-type polypeptides may be unequal, the availability of enzyme subunits for subsequent polymerization in the cell cytoplasm might be equalized at the polysome level. Random association of subunits would produce a binomial distribution of true hybrid enzyme molecules.
Focused Ion Beam Induced Deposition

Ion induced deposition is a novel method of thin film growth in which a local gas ambient is created near an ion bombarded surface. The ion bombardment causes the gas molecules to break up and some of the gas constituents to deposit on the surface. If a focused ion beam is used, then this becomes a technique for maskless, resistless, patterned deposition. Depositions of films from gases of Al(CH3)3, WF6 and Ta(OC2H5)2 have been reported. The films for the most part have contained high (approaching 50%) concentrations of impurities such as O or C, presumably due to the lack of ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Gold deposition has been observed from dimethyl gold hexa fluoroacetylacetonate (C7 H7F6 O2 Au), with both focused ion beams and broad beams. In many cases, the gold films are much purer (less than 5% C or O) and have exhibited resistivities from 20 to 1000µΩcm (Bulk gold resistivity is 2.5µΩcm.) Deposition yields (atoms deposited per incident ion) of 4 to 100 have been observed. But the higher yields correlate with higher resistivity and higher impurity content. Preliminary transmission electron microscope examination shows the gold films to start out as unconnected islands of 40 to 60nm dimensions. The mechanisms for the deposition is at present not well understood. Some hypotheses will be discussed. Ion-induced deposition appears to be a promising technique for in-situ deposition of metals or insulators with submicrometer resolution.
The evolution of a private-label brand strategy at J.C. Penney, 1902–33

This article focuses on the historical evolution of private-label brands (PLBs) in the USA. The article focuses on the historical forces extant in nineteenth-century America and, in particular, on the unfolding of a brand strategy at a single company, J.C. Penney, over a period of three decades. Analysis focuses on the evolving use of private labels at J.C. Penney between the company's founding in 1902 and its formalization of a distinct pricing policy for PLBs in 1933. During that period, Penney was one of only three national department store chains in the USA. Although not the originator of PLBs, Penney was an early adopter. Analysis of corporate archives finds evidence that Penney did not treat store brands and PLBs as interchangeable. The conflation of store brands with PLBs has been the commonly accepted paradigm for studying both retailer strategies and consumer attitudes and behaviors toward all private labels. The article suggests the utility of a new framework: subdividing PLBs into store brands ...
Liver transplantation is associated with increased met-enkephalin levels in the pig

Background: It has been reported that less postoperative morphine is required following liver transplantation than is required following open cholecystectomy. This may be attributable to endogenous factors rather than to altered morphine pharmacokinetics. We measured the plasma concentrations of two endogenous neuropeptides associated with pain modulation, substance P (SP) and met-enkephalin (ME), in pigs undergoing liver transplantation and in control pigs undergoing laparotomy. Methods: With the approval of the institutional Animal Care Committee, pigs were anesthetized with ketamine (30 mg/kg, IM), atropine (0.05 mg/kg, IM) and acetylpromazine (0.1 mg/kg, IM). Anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane in oxygen. Pigs in the transplantation group (n=10) underwent liver transplantation and control pigs (n=10) underwent laparotomy. Blood samples for SP and ME measurement were collected pre-incision (Pre-In), pre-emergence (Pre-Em) from anesthesia, 6–12 hours, 18 hours, and 24 hours after surgery. SP and ME levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. Results are expressed as mean±SEM (in pg/ml of plasma for both peptides) and were compared by the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was inferred if P<0.05. Results: Plasma ME levels were significantly increased in the transplanted pigs at Pre-Em, 6–12 hours and 18 hours after surgery. No statistically significant difference was observed for plasma SP level between the control and transplant pigs. Conclusions: Liver transplantation in the pig model is associated with increased concentrations of endogenous ME (but not SP) in plasma for at least 18 hours after surgery as compared to animals undergoing laparotomy.
Fresh at Twenty: The Oral History of Mint Records

Fresh at Twenty: The Oral History of Mint Records Kaitlin Fontana Toronto, Canada: ECW Press, 2011 ISBN: 9781770410046 (PB)
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF IMMIGRATION AND SUICIDE

Summary.-Past research on the relationship between immigration and suicide has focused on a few case studies of the bivariate relationship in nations marked by considerable forced immigration. The present study expands the sample to 34 nations characterized by voluntary immigration. Using the techniques of multiple regression analysis, it confirms the immigration-suicide linkage. A positive connection between immigration and suicide has been suggested by a review of the relevant literature (Lester, 1972). Stressful factors associated with immigration such as a change in culture and the breaking of bonds to family and friends have been used to explain this relationship. However, of the three nations studied, two (Hong Kong and Israel) had immigrant populations which were largely composed of political refugees, forced to break their bonds to their native lands. The impact of voluntary immigration on suicide needs to be assessed. The immigration-suicide relationship may be altered for voluntary immigrants for whom the benefits of migration, such as employment opportunities, may offset the costs. The purpose of the present investigation was to reassess the immigrationsuicide relationship using a sample of 34 nations marked by much voluntary immigration. The data on suicide refer to the rate of suicide in 1970 and are from the United Nations ( 1973). To test for possible spuriousness in the immigration-suicide relationship, the study draws two control variables from two major theories of suicide. The first is the proportion of females in the labor force, a key indicator of the perspective of status integration (Gibbs & Martin, 1964). These data are from Russett, et al. ( 1964, pp. 32-33). The second is the proportion of a nation's population over 65 yr. of age, an index of the perspective of age integration which emphasizes factors such as retirement in explaining suicide. These data are from the World Bank (1977, pp. 510-513). Finally, the measure of immigration is the number of long-term immigrants in 1969 divided by the nation's 1970 population. These data are taken from the United Nations ( 1971, Table 25). A multiple regression analysis indicates that even after controls are introduced for the other independent variables, the greater the rate of irnrnigrarion the greater the suicide rate (t = 1.91, ,B = ,250, p < .05). However, the
Monte Carlo study of the fcc Blume-Capel model

We have used a Monte Carlo method to study the face-centered-cubic (fcc) Blume-Capel model: $\mathcal{H}=\ensuremath{-}J\ensuremath{\Sigma}{(\mathrm{ij})}^{}{S}_{\mathrm{iz}}{S}_{\mathrm{jz}}+\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\Sigma}{i}^{}{S}_{\mathrm{iz}}^{2}+H\ensuremath{\Sigma}{i}^{}{S}_{\mathrm{iz}}$, where $S=1$ and the sum ($\mathrm{ij}$) is over the $q=12$ nearest neighbors. We have traced out the $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{-}T$ phase boundary and have found a tricritical point at $\frac{k{T}_{t}}{\mathrm{qJ}}=0.256\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.004$. The tricritical behavior is consistent with the classical behavior of the Riedel-Wegner Gaussian fixed point. We have also traced out the tricritical "wings" in $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{-}T\ensuremath{-}H$ space and have found their critical behavior to be consistent with three-dimensional Ising exponents.
Cell biology of IL-7, a key lymphotrophin

IL-7 is essential for the development and survival of T lymphocytes. This review is primarily from the perspective of the cell biology of the responding T cell. Beginning with IL-7 receptor structure and regulation, the major signaling pathways appear to be via PI3K and Stat5, although the requirement for either has yet to be verified by published knockout experiments. The proliferation pathway induced by IL-7 differs from conventional growth factors and is primarily through posttranslational regulation of p27, a Cdk inhibitor, and Cdc25a, a Cdk-activating phosphatase. The survival function of IL-7 is largely through maintaining a favorable balance of bcl-2 family members including Bcl-2 itself and Mcl-1 on the positive side, and Bax, Bad and Bim on the negative side. There are also some remarkable metabolic effects of IL-7 withdrawal. Studies of IL-7 receptor signaling have yet to turn up unique pathways, despite the unique requirement for IL-7 in T cell biology. There remain significant questions regarding IL-7 production and the major producing cells have yet to be fully characterized.
Supported coronary angioplasty and standby supported coronary angioplasty for high-risk coronary artery disease

Abstract Despite advances in technology and experience, there continues to be an appreciable acute closure rate 1–3 associated with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Hemodynamic compromise may also occur when a wire or balloon is advanced across or inflated in a strategically located vessel. Therefore, in high-risk patients, techniques are necessary to enable support of the coronary or systemic circulation, or both, should hemodynamic collapse occur. Prophylactic coronary support strategies have included coronary sinus retroperfusion 4 and regional coronary perfusion of blood 5,6 or oxygenated fluorocarbons. 7 The intraaortic balloon pump 8 and percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass 9,10 have been advocated to support the systemic circulation during high-risk interventional procedures or crises during more routine invasive procedures. The purpose of this report was to relate our experience using supported coronary angioplasty (PTCA with percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass) and to compare it to a similar group of patients undergoing PTCA when the cardiopulmonary bypass system was not inserted but used as standby. This comparison will serve to (1) describe morbidity of these procedures, (2) define indications for percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass use during PTCA, and (3) demonstrate the safety of expectant percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass use.
Molecular dynamics studies of ion distributions for DNA duplexes and DNA clusters: salt effects and connection to DNA melting.

We present extensive molecular dynamics simulations of the ion distributions for DNA duplexes and DNA clusters using the Amber force field with implicit water. The distribution of ions and the electrostatic energy of ions around an isolated DNA duplex and clusters of DNA duplexes in different salt (NaCl) concentrations over the range 0.2−1.0 mol/L are determined on the basis of the simulation results. Using the electrostatic energy profile, we determine a local net charge fraction φ, which is found to increase with increasing of salt concentration. For DNA clusters containing two DNA duplexes (DNA pair) or four DNA duplexes, φ increases as the distance between the duplexes decreases. Combining this result with experimental results for the dependence of the DNA melting temperature on bulk salt concentration, we conclude that for a pair of DNA duplexes the melting temperature increases by 5−10 K for interaxis separations of 25−40 A. For a cluster of four DNA duplexes, an even larger melting temperature incr...
“When Kindred Souls Unite”: The Literary Friendship of Mary Steele and Mary Scott, 1766–1793

In the West Country of England between 1720 and 1840 a remarkable circle of nonconformist (primarily Baptist) women writers, largely unknown today, emerged in the vicinity of Salisbury and eventual...
Role of spleen-derived monocytes/macrophages in acute ischemic brain injury

Monocytes/macrophages (MMs), mononuclear phagocytes, have been implicated in stroke-induced inflammation and injury. However, the presence of pro-inflammatory Ly-6Chigh and antiinflammatory Ly-6Clow monocyte subsets raises uncertainty regarding their role in stroke pathologic assessment. With recent identification of the spleen as an immediate reservoir of MMs, this current study addresses whether the spleen-derived MMs are required for stroke pathologic assessment. We observed that the spleen was contracted in poststroke animals and the contraction was accompanied by decreased number of Ly-6Chigh and Ly-6Clow subsets in the spleen. The deployment of these subsets from the spleen temporally coincided with respective increases in the ischemic brain. Compared to mice with the spleen, mice receiving a splenectomy just before the stroke displayed less accumulation of Ly-6Chigh and Ly-6Clow MMs in the brain. Despite the reduced accumulation of both subsets, infarct size and swelling were not reduced in the asplenic mice. The dissociative findings of infarct size and extent of MM infiltration in the postischemic brain indicate minimal involvement of spleen-derived total MMs in acute infarct development. Selective Ly-6Chigh or Ly-6Clow MM targeting is suggested to address the contribution of the individual subset to acute stroke pathologic assessment.
ON THE UNCONDITIONAL ALMOST-EVERYWHERE CONVERGENCE OF GENERAL ORTHOGONAL SERIES

The Orlicz and Tandori theorems on the unconditional almost-everywhere convergence, with respect to Lebesgue measure, of real orthogonal series defined on the interval (0; 1) are extended to general complex orthogonal series defined on a space with arbitrary measure.
Stark broadening in high angular momentum states of atomic oxygen: application to transitions between 5.5 and 8.0 μm

Abstract Stark line broadening calculations have been made for the transitions in the 5–8 μm region of the infrared spectrum of atomic oxygen and comparison made to experimental observations. An electron number density N e ≈ 3 × 10 14 cm −3 , and electron temperature T e ≈ 10000 K, and an electronic temperature T el ≈ 10000 K have been inferred for a pulsed, laser produced recombining oxygen plasma at 150 Torr total oxygen pressure and observed 10 ps after the 10–20 ns laser pulse.
Was the Death of Clinical Romanticism by Murder, Suicide, or Natural Causes? The Standardization View

Psychotherapy guidelines, which include manuals and protocols, are proliferating rapidly and are threatening to obliterate that part of therapy that is humanistic. Unfortunately, both those advocating the standardization of treatment and those lamenting the decline in psychology of clinical romanticism take the position that these are mutually exclusive and inherently antagonistic views. To the contrary, these are complementary, and both are needed in psychotherapy. The difficulty lies in when one or the other is the most appropriate intervention. Clinical romanticism needs to stop complaining and, instead, define its rightful place in the healthcare arena. This includes such mundane issues as justification for inclusion in third party (insurance) reimbursement.
Review of ONTARGET: treating patients at high risk for vascular events with telmisartan, ramipril, or both. Commentary.

Practice PearlONTARGET established that an ARB, telmisartan, was equally effective as an ACE inhibitor, ramipril, for reducing cardiovascular events in a broad range of high-risk patients.
Phase Behavior of Ternary Polymer Blends

The effect of varying interaction parameters on the phase diagrams of ternary polymer blends was explored by simulating spinodals through use of the Flory-Huggins lattice theory. Results indicate that miscibility is favored for the case of ternary mixtures of marginally miscible or marginally immiscible pairs where all pair interactions are nearly athermal. Miscibility is restricted for asymmetric ternary blends when one of the polymer pairs is either strongly miscible or strongly immiscible. For symmetric blends of partially immiscible pairs, both two-phase and three-phase miscibility gaps are predicted.
A Nonlinear System for Harvesting Energy From Sustained Low-Level Vibration

We address the conversion of mechanical energy from low-level ambient vibration into usable electrical energy. Development of this self-renewing energy source is vital to portable electronics and wireless sensors, especially since battery development has reached a plateau over the past decade. The passive nature of the proposed energy harvesting system provides for this self-renewing energy source. Conventional vibration energy harvesting systems are often based on linear elements, requiring specific tuning to achieve resonance and, thus, acceptable performance. This tuning is based on the predominant frequency of the ambient vibration. Linear energy harvesting systems are less desirable because ambient environmental conditions such as frequency content change with time, decreasing the performance of the system. This project focuses on the unique properties of a class of strongly nonlinear vibrating systems to effectively harvest energy under several excitation conditions. These excitations include low-level vibration from a wide range of environmental conditions including frequency content and low-level successive impulses at various frequencies. The later excitation condition is examined in this work. Numerical simulations of the proposed model, an essentially nonlinear oscillator with purely cubic stiffness attached to a larger grounded linear oscillator, have shown capture into sustained dynamic instability from successive low-level impulsive excitations. This sustained dynamic instability results in high energy harvesting efficiency. The electromechanical coupling is realized by a piezoelectric element in the mechanical system with voltage dissipated across a resistive load in the electrical system. This study focuses on characterizing the response of the system to varying parameters, such as fundamental period of the linear oscillator, impact frequency, and impact magnitude. An optimal fundamental period and impact frequency for dynamic instability are examined in this work. Analysis of the frequency-energy relation reveals the presence of sustained dynamic instability when the system operates under these specific parameters, leading to an optimized system for experimental validification.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Waltzing in the Dark: African American Vaudeville and Race Politics in the Swing Era

Acknowledgements Foreword PART I The Race Trope in Swing Era Performance From Marjorie to Margot 'You Didn't Go Downtown-Everything Was Uptown': Harlem, U.S.A. Who's Got His Own: Black Creativity as Commodity PART II Color and Caste in Black and White: Performing at Home and Abroad PART III Coda to a Dream Deferred Legacy: All That Jazz Chronology: Margot Webb's Professional Career Notes References Index
Improving statistical machine translation in the medical domain using the unified medical language system

Texts from the medical domain are an important task for natural language processing. This paper investigates the usefulness of a large medical database (the Unified Medical Language System) for the translation of dialogues between doctors and patients using a statistical machine translation system. We are able to show that the extraction of a large dictionary and the usage of semantic type information to generalize the training data significantly improves the translation performance.
Constraint violation in concurrent range space methods for transient dynamic analysis

Abstract Despite the fact that many authors have dismissed redundant coordinate formulations as being of order N 3 , and hence less attractive than recursive formulations, this paper presents recent research that demonstrates that a class of redundant, nonrecursive multibody formulations consistently achieve order N computational cost for systems of rigid and/or flexible bodies. This formulation is based upon the rapidly convergent preconditioned range space formulation for nonlinear multibody dynamics. The method can be traced to its foundation in equality constrained quadratic optimization and incorporates some aspects of subdomain decomposition techniques used in variational boundary value problems. Until recently, however, this approach had not been investigated in the context of multibody simulation, and presents theoretical questions unique to nonlinear dynamics. Nonrecursive methods have additional advantages with respect to recursive order N methods: (1) the formalisms retain the highly desirable order N computational cost; (2) the techniques are amenable to concurrent simulation strategies; (3) the approaches do not depend upon system topology to induce concurrency; (4) the methods can be derived to balance the computational load automatically on concurrent multiprocessors. However, the preconditioned range space formulation can suffer from degradation in accuracy due to constraint violation drift. This effect becomes even more pronounced when one induces concurrency via domain decomposition. A central theme of this paper is the derivation and development of concurrent constraint stabilization methods that retain the order N computational cost of the underlying preconditioned range space formulation. It is demonstrated that variants of the penalty and augmented Lagrangian methods for nonlinear multibody dynamics are well suited for concurrent constraint stabilization. Moreover, this paper presents new theoretical results regarding the rate of convergence of order N constraint stabilization schemes associated with the newly introduced class of methods.
Transcatheter embolization for the treatment of misperfusion after hepatic artery chemoinfusion pump implantation.

Background: The use of surgically implanted chemoinfusion pumps for the treatment of hepatic metastases from colorectal carcinoma can be complicated by intra- or extrahepatic misperfusion. This may result in suboptimal tumor exposure to the chemotherapeutic agent and injury to other gastrointestinal organs. Misperfusion can be managed by selective arterial transcatheter embolization.
Linear Multistep Methods for Volterra Integro-Differential Equations

The Dahlquist stability analysis for ordinary differential equations is extended to the case of Volterra integro-differential equations. Thus the standard multistep methods can be generalized to furnish algorithms for solving integro-differential equations. Special starting procedures are discussed, and some numerical examples are presented.
Failure Investigation of a Furnace Tube Support

A furnace tube support failed after 6 months service at 850 °C. The support was an HK alloy, a member of the heat-resistant cast alloy family (H-Series) steels. The H-series steels are widely used in the petrochemical industry for components requiring enhanced high-temperature properties. Microstructural changes occurring at high temperature clearly affect the mechanical properties. The property degradation in HK-40 steel furnace tube support subjected to high temperature was caused by the formation of sigma phase. The investigation included metallurgical analysis, materials characterization, and mechanical analysis.
A difference in the pattern of repair in a large genomic region in UV-irradiated normal human and Cockayne syndrome cells

Abstract Xeroderma pigmentosum group C cells repair DNA damaged by ultraviolet radiation in an unusual pattern throughout the genome. They remove cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers only from the DNA of transcriptionally active chromatin regions and only from the strand that contains the transcribed strand. The repair proceeds in a manner that creates damage-free islands which are in some cases much larger than the active gene associated with them. For example, the small transcriptionally active β-actin gene (3.5 kb) is repaired as part of a 50 kb single-stranded region. The repair responsible for creating these islands requires active transcription, suggesting that the two activities are coupled. A preferential repair pathway in normal human cells promotes repair of actively transcribed DNA strands and is coupled to transcription. It is not known if similar large islands, referred to as repair domains, are preferentially created as a result of the coupling. Data are presented showing that in normal cells, preferential repair in the β-actin region is associated with the creation of a large, completely repaired region in the partially repaired genome. Repair at other genomic locations which contain inactive genes (insulin, 754) does not create similar large regions as quickly. In contrast, repair in Cockayne syndrome cells, which are defective in the preferential repair pathway but not in genome-overall repair, proceeds in the β-actin region by a mechanism which does not create preferentially a large repaired region. Thus a correlation between the activity required to preferentially repair active genes and that required to create repaired domains is detected. We propose an involvement of the transcription–repair coupling factor in a coordinated repair pathway for removing DNA damage from entire transcription units.
Preoperative chemotherapy for lung cancer does not increase surgical morbidity.

Abstract Background . Preoperative chemotherapy (C+S) for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has increased in an attempt to improve survival. Patients receiving C+S potentially may have an increase in postoperative morbidity and mortality compared with surgery alone (S). We reviewed our experience with C+S and S in a tertiary referral center. Methods . Three hundred eighty consecutive patients underwent lobectomy or greater resection for NSCLC between August 1, 1996, and April 30, 1999: 335 patients (259 S; 76 C+S) were analyzed; 45 additional patients were excluded for prior NSCLC, other chemotherapy for other malignancy, or radiation. We compared morbidity and mortality overall, and by subset analysis (clinical stage, pathological stage, procedure, and by protocol use) for both C+S and S patients. Results . Demographics, comorbidities, and spirometry were similar. We noted no significant difference in overall or subset mortality or morbidity including pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, reintubation, tracheostomy, wound complications, or length of hospitalization. Conclusions . C+S did not significantly affect morbidity or mortality overall, based on clinical stage, postoperative stage, or extent of resection. The potential for enhanced survival in resectable NSCLC justifies continued study of C+S.
The extent and multicentricity of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia in clinically localized prostatic adenocarcinoma

Abstract High-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) is considered the most likely precursor of invasive prostatic adenocarcinoma, and is characterized by cellular proliferations within preexisting ducts and glands with cytological changes mimicking cancer. The extent and multicentricity of this clinically important histopathologic lesion have not been fully defined. We sought to determine whether the extent and zonal distribution of PIN are related to prostate cancer. A total of 195 whole-mounted radical prostatectomy specimens were evaluated. All patients had clinically localized cancer, and none had received preoperative therapy. The zonal location and multicentricity of PIN were recorded, and the volume of PIN was measured using a grid-counting method according to pattern (tufting, micropapillary, cribriform, and flat) and spatial proximity to cancer (less than or equal to 2 mm from cancer, and greater than 2 mm from cancer). The results were correlated with patient age, prostate volume, cancer volume, pathological stage, and Gleason grade. High-grade PIN was identified in 86% of cases, usually with multiple architectural patterns of PIN in each positive case: tufting (97% of cases), micropapillary (66% of cases), cribriform (19% of cases), and flat (21% of cases). The mean volume of PIN was 1.32 cm 3 (standard error [se], 0.10; range, 0 to 8.12 cm 3 ), and was greater for PIN within 2 mm of cancer (mean, 1.0 cm 3 ) than for PIN more than 2 mm from cancer (mean, 0.3 cm 3 ). PIN was usually multicentric (64.5% of cases) and located in the nontransition zone (63%) or all zones (36%) of the prostate. There was a positive correlation of total volume of PIN and volume of cancer, but this correlation was significant only for PIN within 2 mm of cancer. The volume of PIN was positively correlated with age, pathological stage, and Gleason score; most of these positive correlations were caused by PIN within 2 mm of cancer rather than that greater than 2 mm from cancer. Our results indicate that the extent and zonal distribution of high-grade PIN and carcinoma are strongly associated, and that PIN is frequently multicentric. This supports the hypothesis that PIN is a premalignant lesion.
Cytologic findings and protein expression profiles associated with ductal carcinoma of the breast in ductal lavage specimens using surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND Early detection of breast carcinoma enhances the chances for patient survival. The authors' work focused on an innovative technique that couples breast ductal lavage (DL) with surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) to yield a highly sensitive and specific method of breast carcinoma detection. METHODS The study group included 16 women who had unilateral, biopsy-proven breast carcinoma. Studying paired DL specimens from each woman (the breast with and the breast without carcinoma), a cytologic investigation was performed on the cells present in the DL samples, and the protein content of the DL fluid was analyzed with the SELDI-TOF MS technique using the strong anionic exchange chip surface. RESULTS Only 5 of 16 DL specimens (31%) from breasts with biopsy-proven carcinoma contained malignant cells, whereas the remaining samples contained only histiocytes and clusters of benign ductal epithelium. In contrast, 12 of 16 DL specimens (75%) from breasts that contained carcinoma had a different protein peak pattern compared with the paired DL specimen from the same patient's contralateral, uninvolved breast. This finding was independent of the presence of neoplastic cells in the lavage fluid. In addition, specific protein peaks, which may represent potential biomarkers, were identified in the DL fluids from breasts with carcinoma. Some of these peaks were conserved between different patients. CONCLUSIONS The combination of breast DL with SELDI-TOF MS offers a unique and powerful technique for the detection and monitoring of breast carcinoma. This method has the potential to enhance the diagnostic utility of conventional DL cytology. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Glutamate Dehydrogenase Specific Activity and Cephalosporin C Synthesis in the M8650 Series of Cephalosporium acremonium Mutants

Abstract Conditions for the accurate measure of glutamic dehydrogenase (GDH) from Cephalosporium acremonium were determined. Km values for α-ketoglutarate and ammonium ion were 7 and 15 mM, respectively. The half-saturation for reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate was 5 μM. Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide did not serve as a cofactor for the enzyme. The specific activity of GDH was measured in six mutants of C. acremonium which varied in their ability to synthesize cephalosporin C. The mutants represented two separately derived lines, A and B. The four mutants in line B were characterized by a derepression of the GDH upon entry into stationary phase. The two mutants in line A were characterized by repressed levels of GDH during the same period. Both lines exhibited high GDH activity early in their fermentations, but activity decreased during the period of active cell growth. Cytochrome c concentrations followed the same pattern as total soluble intracellular protein. Line A mutants were low in cephalosporin C productivity and line B encompassed low, intermediate, and high productivity mutants. The relative frequency of yield improvements in line A and B indicate that the altered regulation pattern for GDH in line B may have removed a nitrogen limitation for cephalosporin C synthesis.
Sharpless Surgery: A Prospective Study of the Feasibility of Performing Operations using Non-sharp Techniques in an Urban, University-based Surgical Practice

Context Percutaneous injuries occur frequently during surgical procedures and represent a significant occupational hazard to operating room personnel.
Appraisal of an Empirical Model for Simulation of Retention from Structure in Temperature-Programmed Gas Chromatography

The solvation parameter model and response surface methodology are evaluated for the prediction of retention in temperature-programmed gas chromatography. A large and varied group of compounds were separated at a constant flow rate on three columns of different selectivity (DB-1701, DB-210 and EC-Wax) with initial temperature in the range 60–120 °C and program rates of 1–15 °C min−1. The solvation parameter model provides an acceptable fit to the experimental retention factors independent of column identity, initial temperature and program rate. The system coefficients of the solvation parameter model are shown to fit a second order program rate model of the form system coefficient = ao + a1X + a2X2 where X is the program rate (°C min−1) and ao, a1 and a2 are fitting coefficients with no physical significance. Response surface methodology was used to derive empirical models to predict system coefficients with program rate and initial temperature as variables. These models explain the experimental data quite well but are local models that depend on the average properties of the solutes used for their derivation. Since they dependent on solute identity, these models are unsuitable for the general prediction of retention from structure, but may prove useful for estimating retention associated with variation in experimental variables for a defined group of compounds.