cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
National Surgical Quality Improvement Program surgical risk calculator poorly predicts complications in patients undergoing radical cystectomy with urinary diversion.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the accuracy of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Programs (ACS-NSQIP) surgical risk calculator in patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) with urinary diversion. Materials and methods Preoperative characteristics of patients who underwent RC with ileal conduit or orthotropic neobladder (ONB) between 2007 and 2016 were entered into the proprietary online ACS-NSQIP calculator to generate 30-day predicted risk profiles. Predicted and observed outcomes were compared by measuring Brier score (BS) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results Of 954 patients undergoing RC, 609 (64%) received ileal conduit and 345 (36%) received ONB. The calculator underestimated most risks by 10%–81%. The BSs exceeded the acceptable threshold of 0.01 and AUC were less than 0.8 for all outcomes in the overall cohort. The mean (standard deviation) predicted vs. observed length of stay was 9 (1.5) vs. 10.6 (7.4) days (Pearson’s r = 0.09). Among patients who received ONB, adequate BS ( Conclusions The universal ACS-NSQIP calculator poorly predicts most postoperative complications among patients undergoing RC with urinary diversion. A procedure-specific risk calculator is required to better counsel patients in the preoperative setting and generate realistic quality measures.
Indications and Procedures for Surgical Therapy of GERD with Hiatal Hernia

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a common medical condition resulting from excessive exposure of the distal esophagus to gastric secretions. The most common clinical manifestations are heartburn and regurgitation, but patients can also experience extraesophageal symptoms involving the respiratory tract. pH monitoring, esophageal manometry, esophagogastroduodenoscopy and barium esophagram are the four key studies to establish a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux as well as evaluate anatomy and function. Gastroesophageal reflux disease is frequently associated with hiatal hernias due to displacement of the gastroesophageal junction and compromise of the lower esophageal sphincter. Surgical therapy should be utilized in patients with inadequate symptom and disease control despite maximal medical therapy. In this chapter, we describe the preoperative workup, surgical management, postoperative care and potential complications of patients undergoing laparoscopic antireflux surgery. With appropriate patient selection and operative experience, surgical therapy can provide an effective treatment for symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease.
High temperature dielectric polyetherimide film development

A new high temperature ultra-thin polymer film based on Polyetherimide (PEI) chemistry has been developed and electrically characterized and compared with other dielectric capacitor films. More specifically, intrinsic and extrinsic dielectric breakdown strength is compared and reported for multiple resins thus demonstrating feasibility of the new polymer film. In addition, results from a large area electrode test are presented and the importance of this test method in the development of high temperature capacitors for DC applications is discussed.
Investigation of the hydrodynamics and emission of a laser heated tamped high-Z target

We investigate the hydrodynamic expansion and x-ray emission of a laser-heated buried-layer target. This work is motivated by our interest in developing an experimental platform for probing plasma properties under relatively uniform conditions, such as ionization and equation of state. Targets consist of a few thousand angstrom-thick layer of material, embedded in a few microns of the tamper material (typically beryllium), which are irradiated on both sides by an intense few-nanosecond laser pulse. The expansion and emission of our target, composed of a homogeneous mixture of iron, vanadium, and gold, are simulated using the 2-D LASNEX code. Reasonable agreement is found with the time history of the x-ray emission traces (DANTE). Both experiments and simulations exhibit an interesting reduction in the radial size of the emission region with time, as measured using face-on imaging. This is shown to be due to the ablation of the beryllium tamper, which affects the radial confinement of the embedded target. Simulations using a larger diameter beryllium tamper are found to mitigate this effect, improving the one-dimensionality of the expansion.We investigate the hydrodynamic expansion and x-ray emission of a laser-heated buried-layer target. This work is motivated by our interest in developing an experimental platform for probing plasma properties under relatively uniform conditions, such as ionization and equation of state. Targets consist of a few thousand angstrom-thick layer of material, embedded in a few microns of the tamper material (typically beryllium), which are irradiated on both sides by an intense few-nanosecond laser pulse. The expansion and emission of our target, composed of a homogeneous mixture of iron, vanadium, and gold, are simulated using the 2-D LASNEX code. Reasonable agreement is found with the time history of the x-ray emission traces (DANTE). Both experiments and simulations exhibit an interesting reduction in the radial size of the emission region with time, as measured using face-on imaging. This is shown to be due to the ablation of the beryllium tamper, which affects the radial confinement of the embedded target. ...
Non-small cell lung carcinoma metastatic to the kidney.

Introduction Renal metastasis by non-small cell lung cancer is uncommon and usually described at autopsy. Case presentation We report the rare case of a 77-year-old man with localized non-small cell lung carcinoma who underwent extirpative surgery and 2 years later presented with gross hematuria and was noted to have a large infiltrating renal mass on computed tomography. Conclusions In patients with a prior history of resected localized non-small cell lung carcinoma, presence of a renal lesion should prompt the clinician to consider the possibility of metastasis. Further evaluation should consider this scenario.
Expert system design: minimizing information acquisition costs

Abstract Today, many organizations are investing heavily in expert systems. Unfortunately, many of these systems will fail to deliver the maximum possible value to their investors because little attention has been paid to the cost of providing these systems with the information they require to make a decision. In an expert system, the cost of providing the information that the system requires can be substantial. Minimizing information costs without affecting the decisions made by the system can reduce the cost of operating the system and thereby increase value. We develop an algorithm that determines an optimal information acquisition strategy for an existing system and show how a specific information acquisition strategy can be implemented. Because of the computational complexity of the algorithm, we also develop a simpler, heuristic solution to the problem. Our tests indicate that the heuristic performs very well. Prolog implementations for the same problem, on the other hand, perform poorly.
Soft tissue and bone infections from puncture wounds in children

We report on the prevalence of osteomyelitis, the prevalence of soft tissue infections, and the type and number of pathogens encountered in bone and soft tissue infections caused by puncture wounds in children. In addition, we seek to establish whether shoe gear plays a role in the flora in infected puncture wounds and if laboratory indices are indicative of the presence of infection. The group consisted of 44 nondiabetic children admitted to hospital for puncture wounds of the foot. Cultures were positive for osteomyelitis in 7 patients (16%), all involving the forefoot (P < .04). The most common pathogen in soft tissue infections was Staphylococcus aureus. The most common pathogen in osteomyelitis was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of osteomyelitis and soft tissue infection based on footwear. There were no cases of osteomyelitis encountered among barefoot children (P < .04). In 10 cases (83%), P aeruginosa infection (both soft tissue and bone) occurred while the patients were wearing tennis shoes (P < .04). In this study, the leukocyte count (normal in 29 patients [66%]), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (normal in 28 patients [64%]), and temperature (normal in 44 patients [95%]) did not have any predictive value in differentiating soft tissue infection from osteomyelitis in children.
Evaluations of JaguarCode: A web-based object-oriented programming environment with static and dynamic visualization

Abstract To increase program comprehension and overcome learning obstacles of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), various visualization techniques have been adopted in educational OOP environments. Some provide software development with visual notations without source code, while others support programming with visual aids. Our research supports Java programming along with UML diagrams (class, object, and sequence) and dynamic execution traces of program synchronized in a web-based programming environment - JaguarCode. It aims to help students better understand the static structure and dynamic behavior of Java programs, as well as object-oriented design concepts. This paper reports on the evaluation results of JaguarCode to investigate its effectiveness and user satisfaction through quantitative and qualitative experiments. The experimental results revealed that having both static and dynamic visualizations did positively impact the correctness of program understanding and tracing problems, while the visual representations did affect students' understanding on the program execution of the problems to higher accuracy. It was also observed that students were satisfied with the aspects of those visualizations provided in JaguarCode.
Plasma caveolin-1 to predict disease reclassification in men with early stage prostate cancer in active surveillance.

5052Background: Given the morbidities of and limited tumor tissue from prostate biopsies (BXs), circulating biomarkers distinguishing indolent from aggressive disease and predicting disease reclass...
Share All Your Stories.

There is continued interest in the educational literature in pharmacy and other health professions in defining and understanding the elements of grit and resilience in our students. Stoffel and Cain have recently written a comprehensive review on the literature in the health professions including
Optimization of Numerical Inversion in Photopolarimetric Remote Sensing

Remote sensing is one primary tool for studying the interactions of solar radiation with the atmosphere and surface and their influence on the Earth radiation balance. During the past three decades the radiation measured from satellite, aircraft and ground have been employed successfully for characterizing radiative properties of land, ocean, atmospheric gases, aerosols, clouds, etc. One of the challenges in implementing remote sensing is the development of a reliable inversion procedure required for deriving information about the atmospheric or surface component interaction with the measured radiation. The inversion is particularly crucial and demanding for interpreting high complexity measurements where many unknowns should be derived simultaneously. Therefore the deployment of remote-sensing sensors of the next generation with diverse observational capabilities inevitably would be coupled with significant investments into inverse-algorithm development. Numerous publications offer a wide diversity of inversion methodologies suggesting somewhat different inversion methods. Such uncertainty in methodological guidance leads to excessive dependence of inversion algorithms on the personalized input and preferences of the developer. This study is an attempt to outline unified principles addressing such important aspects of inversion optimization as accounting for errors in the data used, inverting multi-source data with different levels of accuracy, accounting for a priori and ancillary information, estimating retrieval errors, clarifying potential of employing different mathematical inverse operations (e.g. comparing iterative versus matrix inversion), accelerating iterative convergence, etc. The described concept uses the principles of statistical estimation and suggests a generalized multi-term least-square-type formulation that complementarily unites advantages of a variety of practical inversion approaches, such as Phillips-Tikhonov-Twomey constrained inversion, Kalman filters, Gauss-Newton and Levenberg-Marquardt iterations, etc. The proposed methodology has resulted from the multi-year efforts of developing inversion algorithms for retrieving comprehensive aerosol properties from ground-based remote sensing observations.
LARGE DEFORMATIONS IN AMORPHOUS POLYMERS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the large deformations in amorphous polymers. The most striking property of that class of linear amorphous high polymer known as elastomers or rubbers is their capacity to sustain and to recover from large deformations. In such an extension, the stress–strain relation is markedly nonlinear and classical elasticity theory, which is restricted to linear stress-strain relations and infinitesimal strains, is not applicable. In an analogous fashion, melts and concentrated solutions of linear high polymers (thermoplastics) show very marked deviations from Newtonian flow behavior and also exhibit elasticity in that they tend to continue to change their shape after the removal of the external force system causing deformation. In contrast to this, the phenomenological theory provides a general framework for the description of the elastic properties of isotropic materials in finite strains without predicting the detailed behavior of any particular class of materials. The behavior predicted by the kinetic theory must, therefore, be included in the general predictions of the phenomenological theory. The two approaches are, therefore, complementary and are usefully used together in discussing elasticity in elastomers.
Unifying Causal Models with Trek Rules.

In many scientific contexts, different investigators experiment with or observe different variables with data from a domain in which the distinct variable sets might well be related. This sort of fragmentation sometimes occurs in molecular biology, whether in studies of RNA expression or studies of protein interaction, and it is common in the social sciences. Models are built on the diverse data sets, but combining them can provide a more unified account of the causal processes in the domain. On the other hand, this problem is made challenging by the fact that a variable in one data set may influence variables in another although neither data set contains all of the variables involved. Several authors have proposed using conditional independence properties of fragmentary (marginal) data collections to form unified causal explanations when it is assumed that the data have a common causal explanation but cannot be merged to form a unified dataset. These methods typically return a large number of alternative causal models. The first part of the thesis shows that marginal datasets contain extra information that can be used to reduce the number of possible models, in some cases yielding a unique model.
Analytical Approach to Characterize Tornado-Induced Loads on Lattice Structures

AbstractThis paper presents a quasi-steady technique that combines aerodynamic force coefficients from straight-line wind tunnel tests with empirically developed tornado wind speed profiles to esti...
Disclosure, Privacy, and Stigma on Social Media: Examining Non-Disclosure of Distressing Experiences

Disclosures of distress and stigma on identified social media can be beneficial. Yet, many who may benefit from such disclosures do not engage in them. I examine factors that inform decisions to not disclose stigmatized experiences on identified social media. I conducted in-depth interviews with women in the US who used social media, had experienced pregnancy loss, and had not disclosed about their loss on identified social media. I detail six types of factors related to the self, audience, network, society, platform, and temporality that contribute to non-disclosure decisions. I show that the Disclosure Decision-Making (DDM) framework introduced in prior work explaining disclosures when they do occur, also explains non-disclosure decisions on social media. I show how DDM builds from and bridges prior privacy theories, namely, Communication Privacy Management and Contextual Integrity. I discuss design implications around removing barriers to disclosure to facilitate beneficial disclosures and reduce stigma.
Granville Stapylton: Australia Felix 1836, Second in Command to Major Mitchell: Edited by GREGORY ECCLESTON. Melbourne, Australia: Evandale Publishing, 2018. xix + 250 pp., notes, bibliography, maps, plates. $145. ISBN 978-0-6469-8365-3.

From the 1820s onward, newly-arrived Australian settlers sent out exploratory expeditions from their newly-founded towns: Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and so on. By the end of the century, this process...
Study of seismological evasion

abstract This paper discusses seismological aspects of various proposed means of obscuring or hiding the seismic signatures of explosions from a surveillance network. These so-called evasion schemes are discussed from the points of view of both the evader and the monitor. The analysis will be conducted in terms of the USSR solely because that country is so vast and the geological/geophysical complexities of the country are so great that the complete spectrum of hypothesized evasion schemes requires discussion. Part I of this paper was a general discussion of evasion schemes, placing the concepts within the reality of general factors influencing effective use of the techniques. Part II described techniques for quantitative investigation of evasion schemes when the only noise problem is normal microseismic noise, and gave analyses of several seismological networks as regards their capabilities to restrain imagined clandestine testing by the USSR under such noise conditions. This part of the paper (part III) describes techniques appropriate for use when the noise problem is interference due to codas of P and surface waves from earthquakes, and it will give analyses of capabilities of several seismological networks to restrain use of such codas for effective evasion.
Innovative Design of Complex Engineering Systems

The document contains the proceedings of the training workshop on Innovative Design of Complex Engineering Systems. The workshop was held at the Peninsula Higher Education Center, Hampton, Virginia, March 23 and 24, 2004. The workshop was jointly sponsored by Old Dominion University and NASA. Workshop attendees came from NASA, other government agencies, industry and universities. The objectives of the workshop were to a) provide broad overviews of the diverse activities related to innovative design of high-tech engineering systems; and b) identify training needs for future aerospace work force development in the design area. The format of the workshop included fifteen, half-hour overview-type presentations, a panel discussion on how to teach and train engineers in innovative design, and three exhibits by commercial vendors.
Abstract 37: Role and regulation of CYP24A1 in endometrial cancer

The cytochrome P450 enzyme, 24-hydroxylase, encoded by CYP24A1 is critical for the catabolism of 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 (calcitriol). The unbalanced high levels of CYP24A1 seem to be a determinant of calcitriol resistance in tumors. We have previously shown that progesterone enhances calcitriol antitumor activity by upregulating vitamin D receptor expression and promoting apoptosis in endometrial cancer cells. In the present study, we evaluated CYP24A1 protein expression in normal and endometrial tumor tissues, assessed the effect of progesterone and calcitriol on CYP24A1 and its spliced variant expression in endometrial cancer cell lines and correlated this with tumor cell growth. Expression of CYP24A1 was assessed in tissue microarrays by immunohistochemistry. A grade-dependent increase of CYP24A1 expression was found in endometrial carcinomas. Endometrial cancer cells expressed high levels of CYP24A1 compared to immortalized endometrial epithelial cells. Furthermore, CYP24A1 is induced in cells in response to calcitriol. Regulation of CYP24A1 by progesterone, progestin derivatives, calcitriol and their combination was examined by RT-PCR and Western blotting following 8, 24, 72 and 120 h exposure of cells to hormones. In all cancer cell lines, progesterone, medroxyprogesterone acetate and norgestrol attenuated calcitriol-induced CYP24A1, spliced variant CYP24SV transcripts and protein expression at 72 and 120 h of treatment. Furthermore, knockdown of CYP24A1 gene expression by siRNA sensitized endometrial cancer cells to the growth suppressive effect of calcitriol. The data suggest that CYP24A1 overexpression limits calcitriol anti-proliferative signaling in cancer cells, and provide evidence that progestins may be beneficial in preserving calcitriol action in endometrial cancer. Citation Format: Amber A. Bokhari, Laura R. Lee, Raboteau Dewayne, Chad A. Hamilton, George L. Maxwell, Gustavo C. Rodriguez, Viqar Syed. Role and regulation of CYP24A1 in endometrial cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 37. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-37
Issues affecting current meter design

Underwater sensors of water flow share issues addressed independently by manufacturers. Power has become the most demanding concern since availability of cheap memory has removed data storage as the limit for self-contained current meters. Neither power nor memory is a limit with cabled observatory instruments but for autonomous installations, improvement in batteries is valuable but not sufficient. Power saving is more effective for extending deployment duration than improved batteries [1]. Fouling, by marine organisms or by corrosion, limits both cabled and autonomous instruments, degrading measurements for some modalities more than others. While there are active anti-fouling systems, most protections are passive with material selection and coatings the first line of defense. Upper ocean deployments, in the photic zone, are sometimes limited in duration by fouling with macro algae. Extending such deployment duration may require a second line of defense such as active scrapers or cutters. Traditional care for shallowly deployed current sensors involves divers to scrub transducers with abrasive pads. Below the photic zone bio fouling is less aggressive. Slippery coatings are now employed in some deployments where previously toxic coatings endeavored to prevent growth of animals and plants [2]. Plastic and titanium housings have made corrosion almost a problem of the past, although there are cost and other consequences that need to be considered [3].
Thermal/structural analysis and frequency shift studies for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) drift tube linac

The drift tube linac of the Spallation Neutron Source accelerates the beam from 2.5 MeV to 20 MeV at the operating frequency of 402.5 MHz. This pulsed operating linac is about 9 meters long and consists of 84 cells with 83 permanent magnet quadrupole drift tubes. The DTL relies on the cooling system to zero out the frequency shift caused by RF heating on the cavity walls. Thermal expansion and frequency shift studies for three individual cells at a 3/spl times/10/sup 6/ V/m accelerating gradient are performed via numerical simulations to help guide the design of the cooling channels.
Pole-filtered cepstral mean subtraction

The paper introduces a new methodology to remove the residual effects of speech from the cepstral mean used for channel normalization. The approach is based on filtering the eigenmodes of speech that are more susceptible to convolutional distortions caused by transmission channels. The filtering of linear prediction (LP) poles and their corresponding eigenmodes for a speech segment are investigated when there is a channel mismatch for speaker identification systems. An algorithm based on pole-filtering has been developed to improve the commonly employed cepstral mean subtraction. Experiments are presented in speaker identification using speech in the TIMIT database and on the San Diego portion of the KING database. The new technique is shown to offer improved recognition accuracy under cross channel scenarios when compared to conventional methods.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid Degradation in Bacillus subtilis During Exposure to Actinomycin D

At high concentrations (10 μg/ml), actinomycin D inhibited deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis in Bacillus subtilis. Inhibition occurred quickly (in less than 1 min) and was complete. In strain 23 thy his, inhibition of DNA synthesis by actinomycin D was followed by partial degradation of one of the two daughter strands to acid-soluble products. Degradation began at the replication point and proceeded over a distance equal to about 12% of a chromosome in length. Actinomycin D played some essential part in degradation, since exposure of the cells to other treatments or agents which inhibit growth did not lead to the above result.
Requirement for α-Tocopherol by Channel Catfish Fed Diets Low in Polyunsaturated Triglycerides

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) were grown from 5 to 45 g average size by feeding diets containing a low level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (0.48% linolenic acid) and supplemented with 0 (basal), 25, 75, 250 or 2500 mg/kg of alpha-tocopherol or 125 mg/kg of ethoxyquin. Growth rate was improved by supplementation of the basal diet with ethoxyquin (P less than 0.05) and further improved by supplementation with alpha-tocopherol (P less than 0.05); increasing alpha-tocopherol above the lowest level did not improve growth. Fish fed the basal diet were lighter in color, visibly thinner across the back, more easily excitable and had lower hematocrits. Histological signs in the alpha-tocopherol-deficient fish included extreme atrophy and necrosis of white muscle fibers, sclerotic glomeruli in the posterior kidney and ceroid-laden macrophages in intrahepatic blood vessels. Fish fed the lowest level of alpha-tocopherol showed no gross signs of vitamin deficiency but histological examination revealed necrosis of white muscle fibers and ceroids in liver blood vessels. No pathological changes were found in fish fed higher levels of alpha-tocopherol. These results indicate that high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids are not necessary in alpha-tocopherol-deficient diets to produce myopathy in channel catfish, and that the present National Research Council requirement for this vitamin for channel catfish may be low.
Justification-based belief maintenance using neural networks

An implementation of justification-based belief maintenance using a Hopfield network has been proposed for relabeling belief graphs during belief maintenance. The paper analyzes the theoretical foundation of this work and discusses the source of representational and stability problems found in this system (called the Hopfield RMS). It extends that work by analyzing the advantages of a bidirectional associative memory and shows that the BAM is preferable to the Hopfield network for implementing justification based reason maintenance in intelligent agent belief systems.
Spectrographs in space

Two spacecraft built by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory carried a total of six spectrographs into space early in 1996; five were on the Midcourse Space Experiment and one was on the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Spacecraft (NEAR). Flight spectrographs have also been delivered for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and the Global Ultraviolet Imaging spectrograph (GUVI) is currently being built for the TIMED satellite. These eight instruments, while on four different spacecraft and working in different spectral ranges extending from 115 nm out to 2700 nm, were based on only two optical designs. The five spectrographs on the MSX used the same design and the DMSP, NEAR, and GUVI used an identical optical layout even though the wavelength range changed from the vacuum ultraviolet to the infrared. This paper reviews the performance parameters and optical designs of these instruments and shows how minor optical changes made it possible to use the identical mechanical design for a range of applications. Rather than create a unique design for each application, modification of an existing design resulted in a saving of cost, time, and testing. In spite of the plagiarized designs each instrument is fully capable of meeting all of its scientific objectives. Designs for future missions follow the same concept; a basic optical layout is prepared and is then modified to meet the field-of-view, spectral range, and capability requirements of a mission. Some proposed concepts for future spacecraft are also described.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Changes in red cell and platelet antigen strength during storage

Abstract The limited available data indicate that platelet antigens A, B, 2H, Pl al , and HLA-I show no change in reactivity during a 10-day period of storage as routine platelet concentrates. At the molecular level, the lack of change in Pl al is consistent with the minimal changes in platelet glycoprotein III during storage. The reported deterioration of GPI suggests that Pl el might be altered during storage, while the stability of GPII would suggest that Lek a (Bak a ) may show stability paralleling Pl al . Known changes in red cell antigens during routine storage include a decrease of Pl and Lewis expression, but variable results have been reported for A, B, D, E, c, K, k, Fy a , Fy b , Jk a , M, S and U. The causes for altered red cell antigen expression remain poorly understood but may involve shedding of membrane vesicles during aging. The possible roles of senescent and storage-related neoantigens remain speculative.
Phospholipid metabolism in diabetes; turnover rate of plasma phospholipids in completely depancreatized dogs.

SummaryThe rate of turnover of plasma phospholipids is not increased above normal in the diabetic state. This and other evidence reviewed here fails to support the concept that phospholipids are agents for the transport of fatty acids.
The theory of tree bole and branch form

Working from the general postulate that natural selection of plant form operates so as to maximize the survival potential of a species, this paper examines the hypothesis that the mechanical support of tree foliage must approach optimality in the use of wood, i.e., that tree stems and branches will have “optimal form” with respect to the amount of support tissue. Mathematical models of bole and branch form are presented, based on the proposition that either wind or gravity are the primary limiting factors for tree size and shape. Predictions of trunk and branch diameter as a function of tree size were tested with dimensional measurements ofPopulus tremuloides. The individual stems were selected from close-grown stands of differing ages. For small and intermediate trees, trunk diameter is such that stems have only 1.6 times as much wood as the minimum required to keep the tree from buckling under its own weight due to elastic instability. Branch diameters are shown to be close to the minimum required to maintain the spatial position of growing branches, as well as withstand wind forces. This minimal branch cost not only reduces the load which the stem must support against elastic instability, but allows the crown to flex in high winds. The flexing, in turn, reduces the drag force exerted by the wind on the trunk. Thus, the hypothesis that the observed tree form is an optimal design cannot be rejected on the basis of these results. Additional studies are planned with respect to optimal foliage distribution.
Are glucosidic antibiotics, such as neomycin, part of the Actinomycete cell wall?

IN a recent treatise on the actinomycetes Waksman1 suggests that the glucosidic antibiotics, streptothricin, streptomycin and neomycin, are constituents of the cell wall of the organisms producing them. Apart from their polysaccharide-like structure the main reason for this contention is the report of Perlman and Langlykke2,3—that streptomycin is released from the mycelium by extraction with acid, alkali and neutral salts, but not by physical disintegration. Actually these results can be explained by the union of antibiotic and nucleic acids to form insoluble but readily dissociable complexes, as I demonstrated in some unpublished work carried out several years ago.
Regular aspirin use and breast cancer risk in US Black women.

Background Epidemiologic studies have yet to provide consistent evidence to support a protective effect of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) on the incidence of breast cancer.
Feature extraction and processing of spatial frequency-domain electromagnetic induction sensor data for improved landmine discrimination

Frequency-domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors have been shown to provide target signatures which enable discrimination of landmines from harmless clutter. In particular, frequency-domain EMI sensors are well-suited for target characterization by inverting a physics-based signal model. In many model-based signal processing paradigms, the target signatures can be decomposed into a weighted sum of parameterized basis functions, where the basis functions are intrinsic to the target under consideration and the associated weights are a function of the target sensor orientation. When spatial data is available, the diversity of the measured signals may provide more information for estimating the basis function parameters. After model inversion, the basis function parameters can be used as features for classifying the target as landmine or clutter. In this work, feature extraction from spatial frequency-domain EMI sensor data is investigated. Results for data measured with a prototype frequency-domain EMI sensor at a standardized test site are presented. Preliminary results indicate that Structured relevance vector machine (sRVM) regression model inversion using spatial data provides stable, and sparse, sets of target features.
Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors

Introduction Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMT) while uncommon may arise within numerous organs. Historically, the literature regarding IMT has been confined to small one organ case series, with few reviews encompassing multiple anatomic sites, and little data regarding adjuvant treatment. Methods A review of patients with IMT treated at two large academic medical centers over a 15-year period was undertaken. Patient demographics, pathologic diagnoses, and pertinent clinical data were obtained. Results Forty-four cases of pathologically confirmed IMT were identified. Tumor locations included multiple anatomic sites. Therapies included complete resection, incomplete resection, observation, or chemotherapy, and/or radiation. Five patients underwent adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy following surgery (14%) for local aggressiveness of the tumor, invasion, positive margins, or location of tumor that was not amenable to surgical resection. A second, concomitant, histologically distinct, neoplasm was identified in five cases. Of the patients who underwent treatment three local recurrences were noted (8%) and occurred in patients with partial resection without adjuvant chemo- or radiotherapy. Conclusions Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors may be a locally aggressive and destructive neoplasm. Tumor recurrence is unusual following complete surgical resection or organ-preserving combined modality therapy. J. Surg. Oncol. 2006;94:385–391. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Patients with abnormal IgM levels: assessment, clinical interpretation, and treatment

INTRODUCTION This review of the role of IgM in cognate immunity is part of a series on ambulatory diagnoses and management of primary immune deficiency diseases edited by Chitra Dinakar, University of Missouri.1 IgM is phylogenetically the earliest antibody class identified and the first immunoglobulin isotype to appear in the circulation after exposure to a new antigen. IgM plays an important role in the ontogeny of B cells and in early cognate immune responses.2 VDJ rearrangement of the immunoglobulin heavy chain occurs at the pre– B-cell stage, when light chains are still of the surrogate type ( 5/VpreB). Further maturation leads to immature B cells, which express surface IgM and IgD and carry and light chains, creating a functional B-cell receptor that allows antigen recognition and further development into unswitched memory B cells (IgM /D , CD27 ). After interaction with the T-cell receptor of antigen-specific CD4 T cells via major histocompatibility complex II and costimulatory molecules (CD40 ligand [CD40L]/CD40, inducible costimulator [ICOS]/ICOS ligand), mature B cells undergo isotype switching, resulting in B cells expressing CD27 and IgG, IgA, or IgE. Whereas IgM is responsible for rapid and early generation of antibody, long-term humoral immunity is initiated by the production of high-affinity IgG or IgA antibody. The demonstration of IgM antibodies to a specific infectious agent can be used as an indicator of recent infection. The presence of IgM in cord blood ( 20 mg/dL) may indicate prenatal infection because IgM antibody cannot be acquired from the mother by transplacental passage. In infants, IgM serum levels increase rapidly from a mean of 11 mg/dL at term to 55 mg/dL at 1 year of age. By 2 years, IgM concentration is approximately 60% of that in adults. IgM is expressed as a monomer on the surface of naive and mature unswitched B cells, where it forms the antigen receptor complex together with the coreceptors Ig and Ig . If secreted, most IgM forms a pentameric complex, which stays mostly (70% to 80%) intravascular. Its half-life is approximately 6 days, in contrast to IgG, which has a half-life of 21 to 28 days. IgM antibodies are uniquely efficient in agglutination and are highly avid because of their multimeric nature and strong complement fixation.
Soil carbon turnover in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Abstract Terrestrial ecosystems of the Antarctic Dry Valleys are among the most inhospitable soil environments on Earth due to climate and substrate limitations over biota. These ecosystems present a challenge to understanding controls over carbon (C) cycling because likely sources of organic matter are 10 2 –10 4 yrs old and in situ soil respiration is typically less than 1.0 μmol CO 2 m −2 s −1 . In this paper we describe an analytical approach to characterize kinetic pools of labile and recalcitrant soil C, and estimate C turnover in dry valley soils based upon these descriptions. Rate parameters for C turnover were derived from laboratory incubations conducted under a range of soil moistures and temperatures. We developed a C flux and reservoir model using these rate parameters along with published estimates of internal C transformations in soil microbial ecosystems, and a previously described primary production (NPP) model for Antarctic endolithic communities. We found that decomposition in 120 d incubations was well described by double-exponential rate kinetics, and that temperature, moisture and substrate availability significantly influenced observed rates of soil respiration. Simulations of soil C cycling based upon these parameters produced initially high rates of soil respiration following inputs of external organic matter, with mean residence times for C of 10–60 yrs. Soil organic C content equilibrated at 44–140% of observed levels within 1000 yrs. Simulations of equilibrium C were sensitive to NPP, microbial efficiency ( Y ), and the distribution of C inputs into labile and passive pools, indicating that more thorough investigation of microbial influence over the C cycle in dry valley soils is necessary.
Immunophenotypic signatures of benign and dysplastic granulopoiesis by cytomic profiling.

Background: The role of flow cytometry (FCM) in diagnosing myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) remains controversial, because analysis of myeloid maturation may involve subjective interpretation of sometimes subtle patterns on multiparameter FCM. Methods: Using six-parameter marker combinations known to be useful in evaluating the myeloid compartment in MDS, we measured objective immunophenotypic differences between non-neoplastic (n = 25) and dysplastic (n = 17) granulopoiesis using a novel method, called Fisher information nonparametric embedding (FINE), that measures information distances among FCM datasets modeled as individual high-dimensional probability density functions, rather than as sets of two-dimensional histograms. Information-preserving component analysis (IPCA) was used to create information-optimized “rotated” two-dimensional histograms for visualizing myelopoietic immunophenotypes for each individual sample. Results: There was a consistent trend of segregation of higher-grade MDS (RAEB and RCMD) from benign by FINE analysis. This difference was accentuated in cases with morphologic dysgranulopoiesis and in cases with clonal cytogenetic abnormalities. However, lower grades of MDS or cases that lacked morphologic dysgranulopoiesis showed much greater overlap with non-neoplastic cases. Two cases of reactive left shift were consistently embedded within the higher-grade MDS group. IPCA yielded two-dimensional histogram projections for each individual case by relative weighting of measured cellular characteristics, optimized for preserving information distances derived through FINE. Conclusions: Objective analysis by information geometry supports the conclusions of previous studies that there are immunophenotypic differences in the maturation patterns of benign granulopoiesis and high grade MDS, but also reinforces the known pitfalls of overlap between low-grade MDS and benign granulopoiesis and overlap between reactive granulocytic left shifts and dysplastic granulopoiesis. © 2011 International Clinical Cytometry Society
Living with nanoparticles

Read some accounts of nanotechnology risks, and you might be forgiven for concluding that a single engineered nanoparticle can kill you.
Receptor-associated Mad homologues synergize as effectors of the TGF-β response

Transforming growth factor-beta TGF-beta is the prototype for a family of extracellular proteins that affect cell proliferation and tissue differentiation. TGF-beta-related factors, including BMP-2/4, Dpp and activin, act through two types of serine/threonine kinase receptors which can form a heteromeric complex. However, the mechanism of signal transduction by these receptors is largely unknown. In Drosophila, Mad is required for signalling by Dpp. We have isolated complementary DNAs for four human Mad homologues, one of which, hMAD-4, is identical to DPC-4, a candidate tumour suppressor. hMAD-3 and -4 synergized to induce strong ligand-independent TGF-beta-like responses. When truncated at their carboxy termini, hMAD-3 and -4 act as dominant-negative inhibitors of the normal TGF-beta response. The activity of hMAD-3 and -4 was regulated by the TGF-beta receptors, and hMAD-3 but not hMAD-4 was phosphorylated and associated with the ligand-bound receptor complex. These results define hMAD-3 and -4 as effectors of the TGF-beta response and demonstrate a function for DPCA-4/hMAD-4 as a tumour suppressor.
Strategies of Cardiovascular and Ventilatory Management in Preterm Infants With Prolonged Rupture of Fetal Membranes and Oligohydramnios

Strategies of Cardiovascular and Ventilatory Management in Preterm Infants With Prolonged Rupture of Fetal Membranes and Oligohydramnios
Small Town Sustainability: Economic, Social and Environmental Innovation

Paul L. Knox & Heike Mayer, Birkhauser, Basel, 2009, 192 pp., $49.95 (pbk), ISBN-10: 3764386804 Small Town Sustainability addresses an under-studied aspect of the sustainability literature, which t...
Cross‐linked SecA dimers are not functional in protein translocation

The ATPase SecA is involved in post-translational protein translocation through the SecY channel across the bacterial inner membrane. SecA is a dimer that can dissociate into monomers with translocation activity. Here, we have addressed whether dissociation of the SecA dimer is required for translocation. We show that a dimer in which the two subunits are cross-linked by disulfide bridges is inactive in protein translocation, translocation ATPase, and binding to a lipid bilayer. In contrast, upon reduction of the disulfide bridges, the resulting monomers regain these activities. These data support the notion that dissociation of SecA dimers into monomers occurs during protein translocation.
Oxytetracycline, sulfadimethoxine, and ormetoprim residues in channel catfish by HPLC

HPLC methods and modified extraction procedures were used to analyze residues of oxytetracycline (Terramycin, OTC) or sulfadimethoxine (SDM) and ormetoprim (OMP) in channel catfish fed OTC or Romet-30 under controlled conditions. Mean recovery rates in fish muscle were 92.5% for OTC over concentrations of 0.05-1.0 ppm and 86.3% for OMP and 87.9% for SDM over 0.05-5.0 ppm. SDM and OMP were rapidly depleted from large catfish (about 345g) after 5 days feeding with Romet-30 at 50-100 mg/kg body weight. By day 2 post-treatment, no residue was detected. Residues of OTC, SDM and OMP were also detected in fingerling channel catfish (about 20.3g) after 4 and 8 wk of feeding with Romet-30 or OTC at 12.5, 25, or 50 mg/kg body weight, but not after a 3-wk-withdrawal period.
Anomalously high levels of NOx in the polar upper stratosphere during April, 2004: Photochemical consistency of HALOE observations

[1] Significant perturbations to the odd nitrogen mixing ratios in the high latitude upper stratosphere are seen in the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) data during April, 2004. Sunrise observation of 99.1 ppbv of NOx (NO + NO2) at 68N represents the largest NOx measured near 2 hPa. Examination of potential vorticity maps indicates that these high NOx mixing ratios correspond to measurements made within the polar vortex. Photochemical model results show large reductions in ozone in response to the enhancements in NOx, and HALOE ozone data are in good agreement with the model results. Probable cause of these anomalous values of NOx in the upper stratosphere is the enhanced production of NO in the high latitude upper mesosphere/thermosphere regions due to the powerful solar flares and the associated energetic particle precipitation that took place during October–November, 2003, followed by downward transport in the polar winter.