cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microwave radiation's influence on sorption and competitive sorption in zeolites

The influence of microwave radiation on adsorption selectivity was studied using the adsorption and desorption of cyclohexane and methanol on high-silica zeolites. The amount of microwave energy absorbed depends on the specific system of adsorbent and adsorbate. The adsorbent, a high-silica zeolite, is effectively transparent to microwave radiation, while the two adsorbates reflect high (methanol) and low (cyclohexane) absorption of microwave energy. The measured system temperatures required for desorption by microwave energy were lower than those required for conventional heating. Further, microwave radiation can change the sorption selectivity; the adsorbate with the greater microwave absorptivity is desorbed selectively. It is concluded that the surface and adsorbed species can be heated selectively since the rate of microwave energy absorption can be greater than the rate of heat transfer from the surface.
TAXATION AND THE CONSUMPTION THEORY OF LAND RENT

Assume an ideal two-sector city composed of households and a local government. Following an increase in property, sales, or income taxes, the magnitude and direction of the change in welfare, total population and density, rent, and urban radius depend upon the type of tax levied and the ability of households to migrate out of the city. The graphical consumption theory of land rent is used as the medium to explain the change in the geography of the city following an increase in taxation within open and closed settings.
Renin-angiotensin system dysregulation in fetuses with hydronephrosis

Objectives: To evaluate if fetal hydronephrosis is associated with dysregulation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), and if it could represent an early predictor of future renal damage or arterial hypertension. Study design: The study consisted of 26 pregnant women and their fetuses. Ultrasound scans were performed to evaluate the renal pelvis in fetuses. Four fetuses with hydronephrosis were included in the study, while the rest were found to have normal renal pelvis. Active and inactive renin was calculated by IRMA method in fetal and maternal blood, during the second trimester of pregnancy. Results: A comparison of plasma active and inactive renin levels was made between pregnant women and their fetuses, as well as between fetuses with and without hydronephrosis. Active and inactive renin levels obtained from fetuses with hydronephrosis were significantly higher compared to those obtained from fetuses with normal kidneys. Conclusions: Dilatation of renal pelvis in the second trimester of pregnancy seems to up-regulate the renin and prorenin system in fetal blood. Both factors are indicative of possible future renal pathology.
OLFACTORY RESPONSES OF HYLASTES NIGRINUS (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE) TO VARIOUS HOST MATERIALS

Hylastes nigrinus (Mann.) is attracted to, and breeds in, the roots of both cut and beetle-killed Douglas-fir trees; the latter are preferred. The beetles reach the roots by digging through the soil. Bark samples taken from trees of various physiological condition and placed in field olfactometers showed that the beetle prefers the bark of insect-killed trees, although bark taken from healthy Douglas-firs became attractive after some time. Among the various terpenes tested, α-pinene and β-pinene were most attractive, in addition to Douglas-fir resin itself.
PS1-51: Testing a Clinical Decision Support Process to Lower Cardiovascular Risk of Patients

Background/Aims More than 30% of adults in the U.S. have a 10% risk or greater of having a heart attack in the next 10 years. The proportion of adults with moderate and high cardiovascular risk (CVR) accounts for nearly half of the first major cardiovascular (CV) events in the United States. Shared decision support tools may reduce CVR by facilitating and prioritizing provider-patient communication about CV risk.
Child Welfare Workers and Michigan's Family Court Legislation: The Relationship Between Policy and Practice

Michigan created a family court in 1998, combining in a single court jurisdiction over most family law cases. This study examines the child welfare workers' role in creating the family court, the family court's impact on child welfare workers' practice, and child welfare workers' efforts to educate other professionals on the potential benefits of the family court system. This study found that child welfare workers were not actively involved in the creation of the family court and have not aggressively sought to educate other professionals regarding the family court's potential. Further, though child welfare workers' reception of the family court has largely been positive (or at least neutral), child welfare workers must take greater advantage of the family court system to improve the effectiveness of their practice.
Predicción de malignidad en neoplasias endocrinas del páncreas

El caso corresponde a un paciente masculino de 57 anos de edad, casado, musico profesional, sin antecedentes familiares relevantes y con historia personal de tuberculosis pulmonar tratada hace mas de 10 anos. No tiene antecedente tabaquico o de alcoholismo. Nego tomar medicamentos y describio alergia a la aspirina manifestada por edema palpebral. El padecimiento actual lo inicio cuatro semanas antes de su ingreso cuando presento dolor epigastrico intermitente y de tipo ardoroso que no respondio inicialmente a antiacidos ni a omeprazol. Al persistir con el dolor se le practico un ultrasonido del abdomen, el cual mostro higado y vesicula normales, y una masa hipoecoica en el cuerpo del pancreas. El dolor desaparecio a los pocos dias, y se practico una tomografia axial computarizada, la cual confirmo la presencia de una tumoracion en la union del cuerpo y cola del pancreas. La lesion media 1.3 cm y era de aspecto quistico con paredes hipervasculares. El resto de las estructuras y organos intraabdominales era de aspecto normal. Posteriormente, el paciente se sometio a un ultrasonido endoscopico mediante el cual se realizo biopsia por aguja fina. El resultado de la biopsia se informo como compatible con tumor neuroendocrino, con algunas celulas atipicas. El paciente nego sintomas de disfuncion hormonal, al igual que perdida de peso o sintomas gastrointestinales fuera del dolor epigastrico que presento inicialmente y el cual no recurrio. Los examenes de laboratorio, incluyendo niveles de insulina, glucagon, polipeptido pancreatico y el marcador tumoral CA 19-9 se encontraron en limites normales.
Protein engineering and properties of human metalloproteinase and thrombospondin 1.

Abstract This work generated many truncated proteins and Glu385 to Ala (E385/A) mutants of the human metalloproteinase and thrombospondin 1 (METH-1 or ADAMTS1) and specific antibodies. METH-1 was an active endopeptidase and both the metalloproteinase and the disintegrin/cysteine-rich domains were required for the proteinase activity. A point mutation at the zinc-binding site (E385/A) abolished the catalytic activity. METH-1 protein function may be modulated through proteolytic cleavage at multiple sites. One 135 kDa species had an NH2-terminal sequence of L33GRPSEEDEE. A species at 115 kDa and some other protein bands began with F236VSSHRYV243, indicating that METH-1 proenzyme might be activated by a proprotein convertase such as furin by cleaving the R235–F236 peptide bond. This cleavage was not an autocatalytic process since the E385/A mutants were also processed. Furthermore, a 52 kDa band with an NH2-terminal sequence of L800KEPLTIQV resulted from the digestion between the first and the second thrombospondin 1-like motifs in the spacer region of the extracellular matrix-binding domains.
Career persistence in baccalaureate-prepared acute care nurses.

Purpose: To explain how baccalaureate-prepared acute care nurses understand, adapt to, and negotiate challenge and change in acute care settings in the context of social and structural features and consequently develop career persistence there. Design: Grounded theory method based on the research of Strauss and Corbin. Methods: A research team conducted open-ended interviews with a theoretic sample of 19 new and experienced baccalaureate-prepared (BSN) nurses in the southeast United States during 2007 and 2008 until saturation was achieved. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Constant comparative method was used to analyze data to three increasingly abstract levels culminating in theory emergence. A diagram was developed to better understand relationships and processes. Findings: A central category, building professional resilience, emerged as the central social process with three core processes of verifying fit, stage setting, and optimizing the environment contributing to career persistence in acute care. Core processes include skills and practices nurses have learned to negotiate changing acute care environments while sustaining patient advocacy. Definitions, properties, and dimensions of each were established. Conclusions: The study offers a systematic framework for understanding and promoting career persistence for acute care nurses. Findings broaden theories of resilience to the unique settings of acute care nursing and further extend theoretical understanding of the nursing shortage and market issues of supply and demand. Clinical Relevance: A middle range theory of professional resilience and career persistence makes visible skills and practices acute-care nurses use to weather continuous change and challenge in health care. Teachable practices can be integrated into nursing education and staff development to improve professional career longevity of experienced nurses at the bedside.
Imaging performance of the liquid-crystal-adaptive lens with conductive ladder meshing

The liquid-crystal-adaptive lens (LCAL) is an electro-optical device that utilizes a graded index of refraction to bring light to focus. A set of electrodes controls the index variation in a liquid-crystal thin film. One can vary the focal length of the LCAL by changing the voltages applied to the device. The discrete nature of the electrodes causes phase aberrations. We introduce a novel electrode architecture, called conductive ladder meshing (CLM), that we developed to greatly reduce the static phase aberration (caused by the electrode structure). To reduce the dynamic phase aberration (associated with inaccurate voltages), we used a simulated-annealing voltage-dithering technique. The coherent transfer function of the LCAL was derived so that the performance of the CLM LCAL could be predicted theoretically. Theoretical analysis indicates that the CLM LCAL scatters less than 30% of incident light compared with scattering of 65% in the previous version. The focal-spot performance of the spherical LCAL was measured under coherent illumination for plane-wave illumination. Because of the improved quality of the spherical LCAL, true imaging experiments are demonstrated for a single incoming polarization under white-light illumination. Images formed by the spherical LCAL are comparable with those formed by a fixed lens in terms of resolution, although the contrast is worse.
Public Mechanisms to Support Compliance to an Environmental Norm

Abstract Two regimes to support compliance to an environmental norm are compared. Under the first, compliance to the rule is mandatory and is supported by a fine on noncompliance. Under the second, compliance is voluntary and is supported by the government efforts to reduce the cost of compliance. Satisfaction of the necessary and sufficient condition under which a voluntary compliance regime dominates an alternative mandatory compliance regime depends on whether or not public effort is rival, the degree of excludability of public effort, and the relative prices of private and public effort.
A contract-theoretic model of conservation agreements

We model conservation agreements using contractual equilibrium, a concept introduced by Miller and Watson (2010) to model dynamic relationships with renegotiation. The setting takes the form of a repeated principal-agent problem, where the principal must pay to observe a noisy signal of the agent’s effort. Lacking a strong external enforcement system, the parties rely on self-enforcement for their relational contract. We characterize equilibrium play (including how punishments and rewards are structured) and we show how the parties’ relative bargaining powers affect their ability to sustain cooperation over time. We argue that the model captures important features of real conservation agreements and reveals the ingredients required for successful agreements.
Prolegomenon to Scientific Visualizations

Visualizations are central to many tasks, including instruction, comprehension, and discovery in science. They serve to externalise thought, facilitating memory, information processing, collaboration and other human activities. They use external elements and spatial relations to convey spatial and metaphorically spatial elements and relations. The design of effective visualizations can be improved by insuring that the content and structure of the visualization corresponds to the content and structure of the desired mental representation (Principle of Congruity) and the content and structure of the visualization are readily and correctly perceived and understood (Principle of Apprehension). Visualizations easily convey structure; conveying process or function is more difficult. For conveying process, visualizations are enriched with diagrammatic elements such as lines, bars, and arrows, whose mathematical or abstract properties suggests meanings that are often understood in context. Although animated graphics are widely used to convey process, they are rarely if ever superior to informationally equivalent static graphics. Although animations use change in time to convey change in time, they frequently are too complex to be apprehended. Moreover, because people think of events over time as sequences of discrete steps, animations are not congruent with mental representations. Visualizations, animated or still, should explain, not merely show. Effective visualizations schematize scientific concepts to fit human perception and cognition.
Pure Ionic Liquid Systems

In this chapter macroscopically thick IL films were investigated with regards to their bulk electronic structure and their surface composition. The (AR) XP spectra of ten [C8C1Im]+-based ILs were analysed while the anion was systematically varied. In Sect. 3.1 the bulk electronic structure and ion–ion interactions are examined, whereas Sect. 3.2 deals with the surface structure of these systems.
The Effects of Annual Inflation Targets on the Conduct of Monetary Policy During the Disinflation Process in Mexico

We study the effects of the inflation targets established for December of each year on the conduct of monetary policy. The hypothesis tested postulates that the annual inflation targets could have produced some seasonality in the operation of the overnight interbank funds market in which the government funding rate is determined. To test this hypothesis a series of Taylor rules are estimated using linear and nonlinear methods. The results show that the inflation targets established for the end of year have special importance in the determination of the interest rate during the middle months of each year, and in the last quarter the focus of attention shifts to the target corresponding to December of the next year. Also, the results suggest that during the disinflation period, the short term interest rate has shown less inertia and more intense reactions to inflationary pressures during the central months of each year.
Severnsia strombeulima n. gen. & sp. from Hawaii (Mollusca, Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Eulimidae).

The malacofauna of Hawaii is rather well-known, owing to Kay (1979) and Severns (2011). Both works stand out because they include a large number of the generally under-represented micromollusks (<5 mm). Here a striking new genus and species of a microsnail is reported from that region.
A Review of "Challenging Situations When Administering Palliative Chemotherapy--A Nursing Perspective".

The December 2014 issue of the European Journal of Oncology Nursing published an article by Nappa, Rasmussen, Axelsson, and Lindqvist that reported on a qualitative study of the challenges experienced by Swedish nurses when administering palliative cancer treatment at the end of life. The study identified the various clinical scenarios that create dilemmas among nurses. The authors described why chemotherapy at the end of life has become so prevalent and offered strategies to minimize or prevent the moral distress that can occur. Research from the United States identified similar trends in end-of-life treatment and supportive recommendations for multidisciplinary palliative care team collaboration as a solution.
Multivariate Condition Assessment of Watersheds with Linked Micromaps

A challenge for statewide stream monitoring is visualizing the spatial and statistical characteristics of such data to compare the biotic condition of watersheds and relate that condition to watershed-level estimates of instream variables. We used linked micromaps on stream survey data of 25 subbasins (766-5,982 km2) for biotic condition, nine water quality, and two habitat variables. Subbasin biotic condition was negatively correlated with conductivity, magnesium and sulfate concentrations, and weakly positively correlated with habitat scores of sedimentation and embeddedness, with higher scores indicating better habitat. Positive spatial autocorrelation was detected among the subbasins in both habitat variables, iron concentration, pH, and exceedances of fecal coliform criteria as shown in linked micromaps. A spatial principal components analysis reduced the 11 environmental variables to two principal axes. The first axis synthesized a gradient of water quality and habitat scores among the subbasins. Subbasin biotic condition regressed on first axis subbasin scores had a significant, negative slope and accounted for 55% of the variation. Subbasins in degraded biotic condition had elevated conductivities and ion concentrations in northern and southern subbasins, and low habitat scores in western subbasins. Through linked micromaps, we compared the biotic condition among subbasins and identified stressors prevalent among subbasins that affected biotic condition.
2-Cyano-1-methyl-pyridinium nitrate.

In the title compound, C7H7N2+·NO3−, all atoms except the methyl H atoms lie on a crystallographic mirror plane. The inter­layer distance, including that between aligned N atoms from alternating cations and anions in adjacent layers, is exceptionally short at 3.055 (1) A. Two-dimensional C—H⋯O hydrogen-bonded networks link cations to anions, while C—H⋯N inter­actions link cations within each layer. Anion–π inter­actions with the cations assist in binding the layers together.
SPERM PRODUCTION AND STERILITY IN HYBRIDS BETWEEN TWO SUBSPECIES OF DROSOPHILA PSEUDOOBSCURA

Subspecies of Drosophila pseudoobscura, one occurring in the United States and the other in Bogota, Columbia, exhibit Haldane's Rule in one direction of the cross. Additionally, D. pseudoobscura produces two sperm types: short, sterile sperm and long, fertile, sperm. Here I examine the relationship between the production of short and long sperm and hybrid sterility. Fertile and sterile hybrid males produce a greater proportion of short sperm compared to parental males with sterile hybrids producing mainly short, immotile sperm. Sperm transfer and storage patterns were similar between fertile hybrid and parental strains; and unexpectedly, short, immotile sperm from sterile hybrids were stored. These findings raise the question of whether different genetic mechanisms disrupt both sperm heteromorphic production and sperm motility and whether this indicates that females exert some control over sperm storage.
A Statistical Analysis of Clinical Drug Consultation

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the demands of medical staff for relevant medication knowledge in order to provide more targeted pharmaceutical service.METHODS:The consultation records in 2006 were collected and reviewed for an analysis in respect of classification of drugs and contents of consultation.RESULTS:Antimicrobials were most frequently consulted(27.87%).The chief contents in the drug consultation included common name and price of drugs,therapeutic regimen,dosage and administration,adverse reactions etc.CONCLUSION:Retrospective analysis of drug consultation revealed that medical staff should have the knowledge about therapeutic regimen and individuation treatment.Clinical pharmacists are expected to improve their rational drug use level by carrying out the corresponding work.
Data for the masses

Database practitioners, programmers, and researchers have long dealt with issues arising from the complexity of an environment in which shared and persistent data is required. Many hard lessons have been learned and approaches developed. The new computing world order has many of the same issues and elements. However, there does not seem to be much transfer of knowledge from database theory and experience to these new systems and environments. Here we discuss the database practices that might be applicable to modern web-based and networked systems and how this information might be transferred to the general computing environment.
RENORMALIZATION GROUP METHODS

The method of the renormalization group was originally introduced by Gell-Mann and Low as a means of dealing with the failure of perturbation theory at very high energies in quantum electrodynamics. An n -loop contribution to an amplitude involving momenta of order q , such as the vacuum polarization Π μν ( q ), is found to contain up to n factors of In() as well as a factor α n , so perturbation theory will break down when is large, even though the fine structure constant a is small. Even in a massless theory like a non-Abelian gauge theory we must introduce some scale μ to specify a renormalization point at which the renormalized coupling constants are to be defined, and in this case we encounter logarithms In( E /μ), so that perturbation theory may break down if E ≫ μ or E ≪ μ, even if the coupling constant is small. Fortunately, there is a modified version of perturbation theory that can often be used in such cases. The key idea of this approach consists in the introduction of coupling constants g μ defined at a sliding renormalization scale μ — that is, a scale that is not related to particle masses in any fixed way. By then choosing μ to be of the same order of magnitude as the energy E that is typical of the process in question, the factors In( E /μ) are rendered harmless. We can then do perturbation theory as long as g μ remains small.
Measuring Ca2+-Dependent Modulation of Voltage-Gated Ca2+ Channels in HEK-293T Cells

Abstract Voltage-gated Ca(2+) (Cav) channels regulate a variety of biological processes, such as muscle contraction, gene expression, and neurotransmitter release. Cav channels are subject to diverse forms of regulation, including those involving the Ca(2+) ions that permeate the pore. High voltage-activated Cav channels undergo Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation (CDI) and facilitation (CDF), which can regulate processes such as cardiac rhythm and synaptic plasticity. CDI and CDF differ slightly between Cav1 (L-type) and Cav2 (P/Q-, N-, and R-type) channels. Human embryonic kidney cells transformed with SV40 large T-antigen (HEK-293T) are advantageous for studying CDI and CDF of a particular type of Cav channel. HEK-293T cells do not express endogenous Cav channels, but Cav channels can be expressed exogenously at high levels in these cells by transient transfection. This protocol describes how to characterize and analyze Ca(2+)-dependent modulation of recombinant Cav channels in HEK-293T cells.
Patent Tigers: The New Geography of Global Innovation

It is widely argued that international extension of the patent system hinders innovation and growth in developing countries by restricting access to technological inputs. I re-examine the connection between patents, innovation and development by assessing the extent to which the U.S. patent regime supports R&D investment by firms in certain emerging market countries. Based on USPTO data covering all utility patents issued to U.S. and foreign inventors (a total of 6,122,217 patents issued to inventors resident in 188 countries and territories) during 1965-2015, and supplemented by additional data sources, I argue that the U.S. patent system has supported innovation in a cluster of foreign countries that have developed rapidly and dramatically since the 1980s. The increase in the proportion of foreign (and especially, East Asian) innovators in the USPTO patentee population is so large that it accounts for much of the significant increase in USPTO patent issuance that has commonly been attributed to policy changes by U.S. courts and the USPTO. Within this expanded foreign patentee population, three smaller and late-developing countries are now (together with Japan) the most intensive foreign users of the U.S. patent system on a per-capita and per-GDP basis: Israel, South Korea and Taiwan. Based on entity type, industry type and other salient characteristics of the leading “first-named” assignees of USPTO patents in Israel and Taiwan during 2000-2015, and supplemented by other evidence relating to these countries’ innovation capacities and performance, I argue that these countries rely on USPTO patents to extract value from their R&D investments by supplying product or process inputs to the global value chains that connect innovation sources with commercialization sources on the pathway to target consumption markets. While prior work has presented evidence that patents sometimes promote entry into technology markets by upstream R&D firms that lack downstream production and distribution capacities, this paper extends that rationale and presents evidence that patents can promote entry into technology markets by economies that are rich in intellectual and human capital but have small domestic markets in which to extract returns on that capital. For those countries, the patent system (or at least the U.S. patent system) is an aid, not a hindrance, to development.
Blockade of the AP-1 transcription factor prevents wnt1-induced, but not c-myc-induced mammary tumors in mice

A145 Multiple oncogenes such as erbB2, wnt-1, and c-myc are overexpressed or mutated in human breast cancers. Transgenic mice expressing these oncogenes develop tumors in the mammary glands, mimicking human breast carcinogenesis. We have attempted to block mammary tumorigenesis in these mice by targeting the AP-1 transcription factor. Previously we have demonstrated that the AP-1 transcription factor regulates proliferation of both estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and ER-negative breast cancer cells. We also demonstrated that in vivo inducible expression of Tam67, a cJun dominant negative mutant, suppresses mammary gland development. We further demonstrated that AP-1 blockade by Tam67 delayed and partially prevented erbB2-induced mouse mammary tumor formation. For this study, we hypothesized that blockade of AP-1 in mouse mammary epithelial cells will suppresse tumor development induced by two other oncogenes Wnt1 and cMyc. To address this hypothesis, we generated trigenic Wnt1 and cMyc mice by crossing a bigenic pUHD-Tam67/MMTV-rtTA mouse to MMTV-wnt1 or MMTV-c-myc mouse. The resulting trigenic mice develop tumors and express inducible Tam67 in the mammary glands. AP-1 blockade was induced at 3 month of age when mammary glands were fully developed. At the time point (28 weeks) when 100% of the control wnt1 mice (10/10) had developed mammary tumors, only 1/12 (8%) of the Dox-treated mice developed tumor. AP-1 blockade in the mammary gland significantly prevented wnt1-induce mammary tumor formation as shown by Kaplan-Meier curves and assessed by the Generalized Wilcoxon test (p
Boc3Arg-Linked Ligands Induce Degradation by Localizing Target Proteins to the 20S Proteasome.

Targeted protein degradation is a promising strategy for drug design and functional assessment. Several small molecule approaches have been developed that localize target proteins to ubiquitin ligases, inducing ubiquitination and subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome. We discovered that the degradation of a target protein can also be induced by a recognition ligand linked to tert-butyl carbamate (Boc3)-protected arginine (B3A). Here, we show that this process requires the proteasome but does not involve ubiquitination of the target protein. B3A does not perturb the structure of the target protein; instead, a B3A-ligand stabilizes its target protein. B3A ligands stimulate activity of purified 20S proteasome, demonstrating that the tag binds directly to the 20S proteasome. Moreover, purified 20S proteasome is sufficient to degrade target proteins in the presence of their respective B3A-linked recognition ligands. These observations suggest a simple model for B3A-mediated degradation wherein the B3A t...
Deletion of Pleiotrophin (PTN), a Vascular Niche Paracrine Factor, Abrogates Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Pathogenesis In Vivo

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy revolutionized the treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), but TKI therapy alone is not curative. Leukemic stem cells (LSCs) are considered to be resistant to TKI therapy in CML, although the mechanisms which confer LSC resistance to TKI-mediated eradication remain poorly understood. Our laboratory has previously described the role of PTN, a paracrine factor which is secreted by bone marrow endothelial cells (BM ECs) and is necessary for the self-renewal and regeneration of normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vivo. We hypothesized that PTN signaling in the BM vascular niche might also be important in CML pathogenesis and perpetuation of LSCs. In order to test our hypothesis, we crossed SCL-tTA/BCR-ABL mice, which develop CML over time under the control of doxycycline-treatment, with either PTN-/- or PTN+/+ mice, and compared CML pathogenesis in vivo. SCLtTA/BCR-ABL;PTN+/+ mice displayed evolution of chronic phase CML (splenomegaly, increased WBCs, left-shifted myelopoiesis, decreased survival) within 90-120 days. In contrast, SCLtTA/BCR-ABL;PTN-/- mice displayed normal range WBCs, decreased splenomegaly and significantly increased survival over the same time period. At 300 days post-induction of BCR-ABL, 33% percent of SCLtTA/BCR-ABL;PTN-/- mice remain alive compared to only 7% of SCLtTA/BCR-ABL;PTN+/+ mice (p<0.0001). Importantly, treatment of human CML cells with a specific anti-PTN antibody (BD Biosciences) significantly decreased CML colony formation in methylcellulose (P=0.02), whereas normal human CD34+ cells were unaffected. This result suggested the novel possibility that human CML cells may produce PTN in an autocrine manner as a means to propagate disease. These studies suggest that genetic or pharmacologic antagonism of PTN signaling is a potent strategy to inhibit CML pathogenesis. Ongoing studies will determine if PTN-targeted therapy, with or without TKIs, can mediate the eradication of LSCs which are responsible for perpetuation of this disease. Disclosures Himburg: Duke University: Patents & Royalties: Patent Application for use of Pleiotrophin as a hematopoietic stem cell growth factor. Chute: C2 Regenerate: Equity Ownership; Duke University: Patents & Royalties: Application to use PTN as growth factor as hematopoietic stem cell growth factor.
Analysis of irradiance models for bifacial PV modules

We describe and compare two methods for modeling irradiance on the back surface of rack-mounted bifacial PV modules: view factor models and ray-tracing simulations. For each method we formulate one or more models and compare each model with irradiance measurements and short circuit current for a bifacial module mounted a fixed tilt rack with three other similarly sized modules. Our analysis illustrates the computational requirements of the different methods and provides insight into their practical applications. We find a level of consistency among the models which indicates that consistent models may be obtained by parameter calibrations.
Where Are We Now? A Clinicians' Guide to the Use of Follow-On Insulin for Patients with Diabetes

Insulin has been used as a standard treatment for patients with diabetes for almost 100 years. Over time, advances in insulin development have improved its pharmacologic properties. (Online access: http://courses.elseviercme.com/t2dm/666). Most recently, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a novel, follow-on basal insulin agent, with more expected to be commercially available in the near future. With the imminent availability of follow-on basal insulin agents, clinicians need to be aware of the potential benefits and concerns in order to facilitate informed decision making and to provide the best possible advice and guidance to their patients with diabetes. This program will review how follow-on insulin products are developed, manufactured, and receive regulatory approval; evaluate clinical trial data for new and emerging follow-on basal insulin agents; and provide practical information and guidance on how they may be incorporated into clinical practice. While it is unknown how follow-on basal insulins will affect patient outcomes, they have the potential to increase access to treatment among patients with diabetes and reduce healthcare costs.
The Development of a Sheathless Interface for Capillary Electrophoresis Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Using a Cellulose Acetate Cast Capillary

The fabrication of a novel sheathless interface for capillary electrophoresis–electrospray–mass spectrometry (CE–ESI–MS) is described. A programmable CO2 laser was used to ablate small channels in the walls of a polyimide capillary near the terminus. Subsequent exposure of the channel region to a cellulose acetate solution followed by drying resulted in the formation of an electrically conductive semi-permeable membrane. Application of an appropriate voltage to the reservoir resulted in the simultaneous establishment of an electrical connection for CE and ESI. Interface viability was demonstrated by conducting a CE separation of a peptide mixture, with detection accomplished via positive ion mode ESI–MS. For the peptide Val-Tyr-Val, a limit of detection of 0.1 femtomole (S/N 3) was achieved using single reaction monitoring. Attributes of the interface include structural robustness, ease of fabrication, minimal interface dead volume, and the ability to alter post-separation analyte ionization status by use of appropriate buffers in the interface reservoir.
Foods are differentially associated with subjective effect report questions of abuse liability.

Objectives The current study investigates which foods may be most implicated in addictive-like eating by examining how nutritionally diverse foods relate to loss of control consumption and various subjective effect reports. Subjective effect reports assess the abuse liabilities of substances and may similarly provide insight into which foods may be reinforcing in a manner that triggers an addictive-like response for some individuals. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Online community. Participants 507 participants (n = 501 used in analyses) recruited through Amazon MTurk. Measurements Participants (n = 501) self-reported how likely they were to experience a loss of control over their consumption of 30 nutritionally diverse foods and rated each food on five subjective effect report questions that assess the abuse liability of substances (liking, pleasure, craving, averseness, intensity). Hierarchical cluster analytic techniques were used to examine how foods grouped together based on each question. Results Highly processed foods, with added fats and/or refined carbohydrates, clustered together and were associated with greater loss of control, liking, pleasure, and craving. The clusters yielded from the subjective effect reports assessing liking, pleasure, and craving were most similar to clusters formed based on loss of control over consumption, whereas the clusters yielded from averseness and intensity did not meaningfully differentiate food items. Conclusion The present work applies methodology used to assess the abuse liability of substances to understand whether foods may vary in their potential to be associated with addictive-like consumption. Highly processed foods (e.g., pizza, chocolate) appear to be most related to an indicator of addictive-like eating (loss of control) and several subjective effect reports (liking, pleasure, craving). Thus, these foods may be particularly reinforcing and capable of triggering an addictive-like response in some individuals. Future research is warranted to understand whether highly processed foods are related to these indicators of abuse liability at a similar magnitude as addictive substances.
A core program of gene expression characterizes cancer metastases.

// Franz Hartung 1 , Yunguan Wang 2 , Bruce Aronow 2 and Georg F. Weber 1 1 University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA 2 Computational Medicine Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA Correspondence to: Georg F. Weber, email: georg.weber@uc.edu Keywords: metastasis; metabolism; vascularization; extracellular matrix; ion homeostasis Received: July 28, 2017 Accepted: August 31, 2017 Published: November 02, 2017 ABSTRACT While aberrant expression or splicing of metastasis genes conveys to cancers the ability to break through tissue barriers and disseminate, the genetic basis for organ preference in metastasis formation has remained incompletely understood. Utilizing the gene expression profiles from 653 GEO datasets, we investigate whether the signatures by diverse cancers in various metastatic sites display common features. We corroborate the meta-analysis in a murine model. Metastases are generally characterized by a core program of gene expression that induces the oxidative metabolism, activates vascularization/tissue remodeling, silences extracellular matrix interactions, and alters ion homeostasis. This program distinguishes metastases from their originating primary tumors as well as from their target host tissues. Site-selectivity is accomplished through specific components that adjust to the target micro-environment. The same functional groups of gene expression programs are activated in the metastases of B16-F10 cells to various target organs. It remains to be investigated whether these genetic signatures precede implantation and thus determine organ preference or are shaped by the target site and are thus a consequence of implantation. Conceivably, chemotherapy of disseminated cancer might be more efficacious if selected to match the genetic makeup of the metastases rather than the organ of origin by the primary tumor.
Photochemical acetochlor degradation induced by hydroxyl radical in Fe-amended wetland waters: Impact of pH and dissolved organic matter.

Abstract Iron (Fe) plays a critical role in the formation of hydroxyl radical ( OH) which may participate in the indirect photodegradation of aquatic contaminants. While Fe photochemistry has been extensively studied, the efficacy of iron amendments for contaminant attenuation in sunlit natural waters has not been well researched. We studied the efficacy of this approach by monitoring OH induced acetochlor (AC) degradation and determining OH production rates with terephthalate (TPA) as a probe. Surface wetland waters as well as model fulvic acid (FA) solutions were amended with Fe(III) salt at different concentrations at pH values of 2.7, 5, and 7.6. We observed no significant enhancement in the AC degradation rate at circumneutral pH. At pH 5, AC degradation increased by more than 50% with an Fe addition up to an [Fe]T ≈ 6 μM and plateaued at high [Fe]T. At the highly acidic pH of acid mine drainage (AMD) waters, AC degradation was enhanced by two-orders-of magnitude with increasing [Fe]T and no plateau was observed under the conditions tested ([Fe]T ≤ 500 μM). While the Fe induced relative difference in OH production rates determined using TPA was useful in elucidating the reaction mechanism for different dissolved organic matter types at different pH values, the absolute value of OH production rates over-predicted the transformation of AC suggesting the existence of unknown side reactions and/or alternative reactive intermediates.
Trends in cardiovascular risk factor and disease prevalence in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery.

Objectives Cardiovascular risk factors are prevalent in the population undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Changes in perioperative cardiovascular risk factor profiles over time are unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate national trends in cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) among patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Methods Adults aged ≥45 years old who underwent non-cardiac surgery were identified using the US National Inpatient Sample from 2004 to 2013. The prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity and chronic kidney disease) and ASCVD (coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease and prior stroke] were evaluated over time. Results A total of 10 581 621 hospitalisations for major non-cardiac surgery were identified. Between 2008 and 2013, ≥2 cardiovascular risk factors and ASCVD were present in 44.5% and 24.3% of cases, respectively. Over time, the prevalence of multiple (≥2) cardiovascular risk factors increased from 40.5% in 2008–2009 to 48.2% in 2012–2013, P Conclusions Among patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery, the burden of cardiovascular risk factors and the prevalence of ASCVD increased over time. Adverse trends in risk profiles require continued attention to improve perioperative cardiovascular outcomes.
Missing the Mark: PRDM9-Dependent Methylation Is Required for Meiotic DSB Targeting

PRDM9 determines the localization of meiotic recombination hotspots, which are associated with histone H3 methylation. It is not known whether PRDM9's methyltransferase activity is required or how some PRDM9 alleles can dominate the distribution of hotspots over other alleles. Diagouraga, Clement, and colleagues (2018) show that methyltransferase activity is required for hotspot localization and that this activity is additive in combination, suggesting that the dominance of particular alleles is simply proportional to the frequency of targeted sites.
Boundary Conditions for Fluid Mechanics

With this chapter, we complete the formulation of fluid mechanical model systems by considering the requisite boundary conditions for the governing partial differential equations developed in the last one. The no-penetration and no-slip fluid mechanical boundary conditions at rigid surfaces are catalogued for various configurations and the kinematic boundary condition at material surfaces is deduced from the relative normal speed of such a moving interface. The concept of a surface of discontinuity is introduced and careful application of the balance laws to that surface is shown to yield jump-type boundary conditions satisfied by the dependent variables across them. Then these are applied to the two-dimensional propagation of a shock front through an inviscid fluid to deduce the Rankine Hugoniot jump conditions for that situation. The problems deal with those specific jump-type conditions to be imposed for a variety of other continuum processes containing such surfaces when modeled in this manner, which involves its curvature and surface tension.
Monoclonal Antibodies Against Estrogen Receptor: Specificity, Sensitivity and Potential Applications

A study of immunohistochemical localization of estrogen receptor in one hundred and thirty-four human breast cancers and twenty-three metastatic lesions shows sensitivities and specificities of 91% as compared to biochemical analyses. A close correlation between the categorization of tumors by both methods is demonstrated. The immunohistochemical assay is shown to be sensitive and specific at threshold values of receptor. A comparison to clinical response for an initial cohort of twenty-three patients shows excellent predictive value for the immunohistochemical method.
Radioprotection in Rat Spinal Cord with WR2721, WR77913 and WR3689 Following Cerebral Lateral Ventricular or Intracisternal Administration

The doses of radiotherapy that normal central nervous system (CNS) parenchyma and stroma can tolerate without injury are too low to provide cure for malignant astrocytic gliomas. One potential solution to this problem is to develop compounds that protect the normal CNS tissues more effectively than tumor cells against irradiation. The phosphorothioate radioprotectors such as WR2721, WR77913 and WR3689 are highly water-soluble and do not readily cross the blood-brain barrier. Injection of these drugs via routes that bypass the blood-brain barrier has allowed us to assess radioprotection in the rat cervical spinal cord.
Breach and Restoration of B-cell Tolerance in Human Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

A central pathogenic participation of B cells in SLE has been demonstrated by numerous animal and human studies and is illustrated by the abundance of disease associated-autoantibodies. It is quite apparent, however, that B cells also contribute to autoimmune diseases through diverse antibody-independent functions in addition to more conventional antibody-mediated mechanisms (1 , 2) . The latter type includes the ability of antiRNP antibodies to form immune complexes that induce interferon (IFN)-α production from dendritic cells (3) . The former type includes antigen-presentation, T-cell activation and polarization, and dendritic cell modulation (2 , 4 – 22) . Several of these functions are mediated by the ability of B cells to produce immunoregulatory cytokines, chemokines and lymphangiogenic growth factors and by their critical contribution to lymphoid tissue development and organization, including the development of ectopic tertiary lymphoid tissue that is likely to play a major pathogenic role in multiple autoimmune diseases in addition to SLE, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Sjogren’s syndrome ( Table 43.1 ; refs. (23 – 30) . Of note, B cells profoundly influence T-cell activation and infiltration of target organs in SLE and RA (kidneys and synovium, respectively; refs. (4 , 31 – 33) . However, the actual mechanism whereby B cells induce or mediate disease is likely to be different in different conditions and remains to be fully elucidated. More recently, the pathogenic potential of B cells has been further demonstrated by the effectiveness of B-cell depletion in the treatment in SLE as well as in other multiple autoimmune diseases, some of which had not been considered as B cell-mediated (2 , 34) . Of great interest, our own SLE studies with Rituximab have confirmed the observation in animal models that the absence of B cells in human SLE has significant therapeutic benefit irrespective of autoantibody levels (35) .