cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Degenerative Changes in the Temporomandibular Joint of the Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) and Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)

The articulation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is composed of the temporal bone dorsally, the mandibular condyle ventrally and a fibrous articular disc. The TMJ disc plays an essential role in distributing load between the two articular surfaces. Degeneration of the disc in the presence of joint pathology has been shown in man; however, TMJ pathology has not been documented previously in tigers (Panthera tigris). The mandibular condyle and TMJ disc of a Bengal tiger (P. tigris tigris) and a Siberian tiger (P. tigris altaica) were evaluated grossly and the TMJ disc was characterized biochemically and mechanically. Characterization of the TMJ disc verified region- and direction-dependent biochemical and mechanical properties, reflective of the functional demands on the joint. Degenerative joint disease was observed in both cases and this was more severe in the Siberian tiger. Simultaneous evaluation of joint pathology, biochemical composition and mechanical properties of the TMJ disc revealed a loss in functional properties (tensile anisotropy) of the disc as joint pathology advanced from moderate to severe. TMJ degeneration may compromise the ability of the animal to eat and thrive and may be a factor contributing to the endangered status of these species.
Simultaneously sensing multiple gases using a single length of hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber with sub-minute response times

A sensing configuration based on commercially available hollow-core photonic bandgap (PBG) fiber for the simultaneous optical detection of multiple gas samples is presented. Spectroscopic sensors based on microstructured fiber technology have been of recent interest. However, most designs have limited sensor response times due to long gas diffusion filling times for fiber lengths >1 m. Sensor response times that are shorter in duration unlike diffusion-limited filling times are reported. A length of PBG fiber with a 12.5 micron core diameter, an optical spectrum analyzer and a broadband light source were employed to operate in the transmission region where the absorption lines for sample gases, including acetylene and carbon dioxide, correspond to the near-IR region. A gas-filling time of 1 minute 30 seconds for acetylene to completely fill a ~2 meter length of PBG fiber at a pressure < 15 Psi was demonstrated. Reduced filling times that approach the sub-minute regime are possible, leading to shorter sensor response times. The sensitivity of the proposed system is also reported. Using the techniques presented, the detection of concentrations < 100 ppm for acetylene gas at pressures < 15 Psi is possible. The relatively low-loss PBG guidance mechanism (< 0.1 dB/m) confines light to the gas-filled region promoting long optical-field-interaction lengths (> 1 m) with small sample volumes (~μL) resulting in a compact, bend-insensitive rugged device with gas detecting sensitivities that have the potential to be higher than capillary based detectors.
Real-Time, Single-Particle Volatility, Size, and Chemical Composition Measurements of Aged Urban Aerosols

Aerosol particles undergo significant amounts of atmospheric processing within the Los Angeles basin. To assess the major sources and degree of aging, ambient particle volatility, size, and chemical composition were measured concurrently in real-time during the Study of Organic Aerosols conducted in Riverside, CA in November 2005. A thermodenuder (TD) was coupled to an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) to characterize the chemistry of the individual submicrometer particles remaining after heating. Aged organic carbon (OC) particles contained >50% by volume secondary species, primarily ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, and amines. At 230 °C, the chemistry of the 100−150 nm residues were elemental carbon (29% by number), OC (27%), and biomass burning (15%). Sea salt (47%) and dust (15%) were the major contributors at the larger sizes (750−800 nm). Many particles at 230 °C possessed signatures similar to those of fresh vehicle emissions, biomass burning, sea salt, and dust particles, showin...
In vitro measurement and characterization of current density profiles produced by nonrecessed, simple recessed, and radially varying recessed stimulating electrodes

Potential fields induced by nonrecessed, simple recessed and radially varying recessed electrode designs were measured in vitro. Comparison of experimental results with theoretical analyses substantiated the experimental measurement technique and emphasized the importance of considering both nonuniform charge injection and surface electrochemistry when designing implantable stimulating electrodes. Radially varying recesses produced uniform charge injection at the electrode surface and at the aperture-tissue interface. In general, the radially varying recessed electrodes provided a combination of uniform charge injection and flexibility in design and fabrication that warrants their incorporation into all appropriate planar stimulating electrode designs. >
Nosocomial infections within the first month of solid organ transplantation.

Infections remain a common complication of solid organ transplantation. Early postoperative infections remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Although significant effort has been made to understand the epidemiology and risk factors for early nosocomial infections in other surgical populations, data in SOT recipients are limited. A literature review was performed to summarize the current understanding of pneumonia, urinary tract infection, surgical-site infection, bloodstream infection, and Clostridium difficult colitis, occurring within the first 30 days after transplantation.
Motion perception at equiluminance and the consequences for computational vision systems

When the image of a moving object is equal in luminance with the background, we observe a startling change in both its apparent motion and its three-dimensional position in space. If we use biological vision as a guide for the construction of machine vision systems, this perceptual phenomenon has profound implications. Motion information can be used in a variety of visual tasks such as detection, calibration, guided movement, navigation, and recognition. Human performance at equiluminance suggests that navigation uses motion information heavily and that for recognition, motion plays only a role such as separating figure from ground or grossly defining surface in space. Equiluminant motion perception cannot tell us much about detection, calibration, or guided movement tasks. We demonstrate an adaptive model of motion perception which presents similar equiluminant responses.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
ADAR1 is essential for intestinal homeostasis and stem cell maintenance

Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1) is a double-stranded RNA-editing enzyme that converts adenosine (A) to inosine (I), and essential for normal development. In this study, we reported an essential role of ADAR1 in the survival and maintenance of intestinal stem cells and intestinal homoeostasis by suppressing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and interferon (IFN) signaling. ADAR1 was highly expressed in the Lgr5+ cells, and its deletion in adult mice led to a rapid apoptosis and loss of these actively cycling stem cells in the small intestine and colon. ADAR1 deletion resulted in a drastic expansion of progenitors and Paneth cells but a reduction of three other major epithelial lineages. Moreover, loss of ADAR1 induced ER stress and activation of IFN signaling, and altered expression in WNT targets, followed by intestinal inflammation. An ER stress inhibitor partially suppressed crypt apoptosis. Finally, data from cultured intestinal crypts demonstrated that loss of ADAR1 in the epithelial cells is the primary cause of these effects. These results support an essential role of ADAR1 and RNA editing in tissue homeostasis and stem cells.
Standard model explanation of a CDF dijet excess in Wjj

We demonstrate the recent observation of a peak in the dijet invariant mass of the $Wjj$ signal observed by the CDF Collaboration can be explained as the same upward fluctuation observed by CDF in single-top-quark production. In general, both $t$-channel and $s$-channel single-top-quark production produce kinematically induced peaks in the dijet spectrum. Since CDF used a Monte Carlo simulation to subtract the single-top backgrounds instead of data, a peak in the dijet spectrum is expected. The D0 Collaboration has a small upward fluctuation in their published $t$-channel data; and hence we predict they would see at most a small peak in the dijet invariant-mass spectrum of $Wjj$ if they follow the same procedure as CDF.
Ultraviolet flash photolysis of gramicidin-doped lipid bilayers

We have examined the rate of gramicidin channel conductance inactivation by ultraviolet photolysis using 0.1 millisecond light flashes. The lower limit on the channel photolysis reaction rate has been reduced by four orders of magnitude over previous observations. Monoolein/hexadecane bilayers formed in 1.0 M KCl were doped with (1-3) x 10(6) gramicidin A' channels and exposed to a broad-spectrum light flash. The flash reduced membrane conductance abruptly by approx. 16%. Following the flash, a further slow reduction of approx. 3% was observed followed by a slow recovery of approx. 4%. The post-flash decay and recovery may be due to slow chemical reactions, conformational relaxations, or changes in the equilibrium between aqueous, lipid-bound, and channel-forming dimerized gramicidin. Under our experimental conditions, gramicidin M was insensitive to light flashes compared to gramicidin A', demonstrating that for gramicidin A' the photolysis mechanism depends specifically on the tryptophan side-chain. Flash photolysis of a membrane containing a small population of channels (approx. 30) indicated that the decay is due to the sudden inactivation of several channels. The recovery appears to result from insertion of normal channels into the membrane. Flash photolysis of single-channel membranes showed that the flash causes abrupt, complete channel inactivation.
Long-Term Malignancy Risk on Enteric Bladder Augmentations: Role of Microsatellite Cytogenetic Analysis

Purpose Patients who have undergone intestinal augmentation cystoplasty could be at risk for developing latent bladder malignancy, as urothelian neoplasm and adenocarcinoma. No consensus exists on the follow-up for these patients. Our endpoint was to define the long-term follow-up and testing the sensibility and specify of a new non-invasive genetic method based on microsatellite analysis. Material and Methods Consecutive non-selected patients who underwent augmentation cystoplasty from 1998 to 2005 were enrolled. Renal/bladder ultrasound, urine cystology, cystoscopy and multiple bladder biopsies with microsatellite analysis for loss of heterozygosity in urine, blood and tissue samples were performed. Biopsies were taken form the native bladder, augmented segment and anastomotic line. Results On a total of 103 patients, 96 were enrolled and 20 completed the study (till now): 8 ileo-cystoplasty, 5 sigmoido-cystoplasty, 4 uretero-cystoplasty and 3 gastrocystoplasty. No bladder malignancy was found. Abnormal histology was present in 16 patients (80%): 14 chronic inflammation (7 ileo-cystoplasty, 4 sigmoido-cystoplasty, 3 gastrocystoplasty), 1 nephrogenic adenoma (ileo-cystoplasty), 1 dysplasic (sigmoido-cystoplasty). No pathological changes were observed in the ureterocystoplastics. No loss of heterozigosity was found in urine, blood and tissue samples at microsatellite analysis. Conclusions Malignancy prevalence has been estimated up to 2% after 10 or more years form enterocystoplasty. No malignancy changes but 16 (80%) carcinogenic lesions have been found in our initial series We advocate a policy of annual (biannual if dysplastic lesions) bladder biopsies as part of long-term screening. Cytogenetic microsatellite analysis showed no loss of heterozygosity in our 20 cases, but further studies will hopefully define the benefits and role of cancer surveillance by non-invasive techiniques.
Vanishing of the cosmological constant in the green-schwarz superstring theory

Starting from the assumption that the free covariant gauge-fixed action for the Green-Schwarz superstring exist, we prove that the cosmological constant (vacuum-to-vacuum amplitude) vanishes to all loops in perturbation theory.
The context of observed violence: Inhibition of aggression through displays of unsuccessful retaliation

Forty male Ss who had previously been angered by a confederate (C) and 40 who had not were shown a boxing movie. The film was described to one-quarter of all Ss as professional aggression, to one-quarter as an unsuccessful attempt at vengeance, and to one-half as a successful attempt at vengeance. Subsequent attacks against C tended to be most intense in angry Ss who had regarded the movie as revenge and among nonangry Ss who interpreted it as professional violence. The results are attributed to lowering of inhibitions against aggression by the film.
Blood lactate concentration after exposure to conducted energy weapons (including TASER® devices): is it clinically relevant?

In previous studies, blood lactate concentration (BLac) consistently increased in anesthetized animals and in human subjects after exposures to TASER® conducted energy weapons (CEWs). Some have suggested the increased BLac would have detrimental consequences. In the current review, the following are evaluated: (a) the nature of muscle contractions due to CEWs, (b) general aspects of increased BLac, (c) previous studies of conventional neuromuscular electrical stimulation and CEW exposures, and (d) BLac in disease states. On the basis of these analyses, one can conclude that BLac, per se (independent of acidemia), would not be clinically relevant immediately after short-duration CEW applications, due to the short time course of any increase.
Fermi-Level Effect on Group III Atom Interdiffusion in III-V Compounds: Bandgap Heterogeneity and Low Silicon-Doping

Heavy n-doping enhanced disordering of GaAs based III-V semiconductor superlattice or quantum well layers, as well as the diffusion of Si in GaAs have been previously explained by the Fermi-level effect model with the triply-negatively-charged group III lattice vacancies identified to be the responsible point defect species. These vacancies have a thermal equilibrium concentration proportional to the cubic power of the electron concentration n, leading to the same dependence of the layer disordering rate. In this paper, in addition, we take into account also the electric field effect produced by the material bandgap heterogeneity and/or hetero-junctions. In heavily n-doped or long time annealing cases, this effect is negligible. At low n-doping levels and for short annealing times, the layer disordering rate can be enhanced or reduced by this effect. Available experimental results of low Si-doped and very short-time annealed samples have been satisfactorily fitted using the Fermi-level effect model.
Monoclonal Antibodies against Human Dendritic Cell-like Peripheral Blood Monocytes Activated by Granulocyte/Macrophage- Colony-Stimulating Factor plus Interleukin 4☆

Human peripheral blood monocytes activated by GM-CSF plus IL-4 have recently been found to exhibit characteristics of putative dendritic cells (DC). These cytokine-activated monocytes (CAM) may express novel activation Ag that contribute significantly to their antigen presentation potency. To examine that possibility, mAb specific for CAM were derived. Seven mAb that stained CAM but not unactivated monocytes and other peripheral blood mononuclear cell types were identified. Further screening with a panel of cell lines identified two CAM-specific mAb. The first mAb, 2.1D10, was found to be mannose-receptor specific. A second mAb, 6.3B7, immunoprecipitated a 190-kDa Ag. It stained neither activated B cells nor the putative peripheral blood precursor DC population. Furthermore, 6.3B7 did not recognize determinants in asparagine-linked carbohydrate chains or in sialic acid-containing structures. These mAb against CAM membrane proteins may provide new insights into the requirements for optimal antigen presentation by macrophages and other APC types.
An adaptive arc furnace model

This paper presents an adaptive arc furnace model. The integrated model is divided into three parts, the supply system model, the nonlinear load model and the controller model. First, the supply system is represented by a set of linear differential equations. Simulation is achieved by a numerical method and the measurements are taken as the control input. Secondly, based on the arc melting process and typical arc furnace V-I characteristic, the arc furnace load is described as a current-controlled nonlinear resistance. The pattern of nonlinear resistance is controlled by the average arc length, which reflects the arc furnace operating condition. Finally, the rectangular approximation of arc voltage is adopted by the controller to generate the arc power-arc length and the arc current-arc length curves. This information combined with the arc furnace operation and measurement information is used for the control scheme to determine the arc length and arc furnace transformer tap. Thus, the proposed adaptive arc furnace model is suitable for different operating conditions. This model is also compared prith the existing arc furnace models, which provides its validity. The effect of arc furnace load on the power system is also studied through the proposed model.
Pair hidden Markov models

We describe pair hidden Markov models, with an emphasis on their relationship to evolutionary models and hidden Markov models. We then explain the statistical interpretation of alignment with pair hidden Markov models, and highlight connections to the Needleman–Wunsch algorithm and other dynamic programming–based alignment algorithms.
Embodying Tahrir: bodies and geopolitics in the 2011 Egyptian uprising

The 2011 Egyptian uprising, which brought an end to Hosni Mubarak's 30-year presidency, focused attention around the world on Cairo's Tahrir (‘Liberation’) Square. This became a focal point both for demonstrators and the Mubarak regime (not to mention media and commentators worldwide), and the ‘vital signs’ of both the uprising and the regime were frequently read through the events taking place in Tahrir at any given moment. Three years later, any ‘revolution’ remains far from complete, but I suggest that the occupation of Tahrir during 18 days of January and February 2011 can teach us a great deal about the revolutionary potential of the body and the importance of public space in producing new social and political structures through embodied practices. Feminist geographers have illustrated how geopolitical conflicts at the national and international levels create crises for bodies on the ground, and in the context of the Egyptian Uprising, anti-regime protestors indeed faced manifestations of the same violence on which the regime long rested its security, embodied by security forces and their instruments of inflicting harm and limiting mobility. At the same time, however, we can see in Tahrir the body's potential for creating crises for the state. In this article, I examine the ways in which the body, and groups of bodies, resisted the Mubarak regime and produced Tahrir as a revolutionary space, relying on media accounts, including media live-blogs that incorporated protestors' reports from the square, and a ‘how-to-revolt’ guide circulated by activists.
Do Equity Markets Favor Credit Markets News Over Options Market News

Credit default swap and equity options markets often experience abnormal swings prior to the announcement of negative credit news. Option prices reveal information about such forthcoming adverse events at least as early as credit spreads, except for negative earnings announcements. Prior to negative credit news being announced, the equity market does not respond to abnormal movements in option prices unless that information has also manifested itself in credit spreads, perhaps because options are perceived as more likely to trade on unsubstantiated rumors than default swaps.
Simulating an Elastic Ring with Bend and Twist by an Adaptive Generalized Immersed Boundary Method

Many problems involving the interaction of an elastic structure and a vis- cous fluid can be solved by the immersed boundary (IB) method. In the IB approach to such problems, the elastic forces generated by the immersed structure are applied to the surrounding fluid, and the motion of the immersed structure is determined by the local motion of the fluid. Recently, the IB method has been extended to treat more gen- eral elasticity models that include both positional and rotational degrees of freedom. For such models, force and torque must both be applied to the fluid. The positional degrees of freedom of the immersed structure move according to the local linear veloc- ity of the fluid, whereas the rotational degrees of freedom move according to the local angular velocity. This paper introduces a spatially adaptive, formally second-order ac- curate version of this generalized immersed boundary method. We use this adaptive scheme to simulate the dynamics of an elastic ring immersed in fluid. To describe the elasticity of the ring, we use an unconstrained version of Kirchhoff rod theory. We demonstrate empirically that our numerical scheme yields essentially second-order convergence rates when applied to such problems. We also study dynamical instabil- ities of such fluid-structure systems, and we compare numerical results produced by our method to classical analytic results from elastic rod theory.
Influence of Variable Quantities of Methionine on Nitrogen Retention of Adult Human Subjects

T HAT the apparent requirement for a particular amino acid may be altered by the quantities of other essential amino acids present in the diet of human subjects has been demonstrated in a seriesof investigations related to lysine, isoleucine and ry’ The sulfur-containing amino acids also deserve consideration because they are present in relatively low concentration in certain legumes and nuts and are less abundant in milk and meat than in egg proteins.2 Methionine may be the limiting amino acid of greatest importance in economically developing countries.3 On the other hand, excess methionine is deleterious, at least in growing animals.4 The earlier series of experiments has now been extended to study the influence of different quantities of methionine on nitrogen retention of young men.
Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for Planners: What Tools Are Useful?:

Health impact assessments (HIAs) provide an attractive approach for those interested in injecting health issues into planning processes. While HIAs have been mainly employed outside the United States and led by professionals from the public health field, they hold promise for addressing the important dimension of human health in planning. This article describes the history of HIAs and their relationship to other analogous tools, reviews current theory and practice of HIAs, and discusses the role of HIAs in current planning initiatives. The authors suggest it is important to modify existing HIA tools so that they are perceived by planners as a useful supplement to current planning processes rather than a burdensome additional requirement. The authors close by discussing how HIAs present distinct advantages, providing a more specific focus on the important topic of human health and a further opportunity to more closely partner with potential allies from public health and related fields.
Effect of Uncertainty in Failure Rates on Memory System Reliability

This paper investigates the effect of uncertainty in chip failure rates on memory system reliability. It is shown, using real data on memory failures, that the dispersion in failure rates can be as large as 80%. An important consequence is to increase the unreliability of a memory system by up to 65%. Two simple models are proposed to evaluate the variability in memory reliability. The first is a worst case estimate and the second is a probabilistic model which needs only the mean and the standard deviation of the chip failure rate. With high failure rates, the maximum uncertainty in reliability occurs in the early system lifetime; with low failure rates, this effect is reversed.
Flexible electrode arrays for neurodynamic studies

A novel platinum electrode array with 100times100 micrometer2 contact area on 3 mm long, 5 micrometer thin, flexible silicon cantilever beams that are mechanically and electrically impedance matched with lipid membranes was designed and fabricated using a bulk micromachining technique. Coatings with carbon nanotubes, carbon black, and silver epoxy reduced the electrode-saline solution resistance considerably. Coating with silver epoxy reduced the series electrode-saline resistance to around 5 kOmega at 10-100 mV and increased the electrodepsilas parallel capacitance by more than two orders of magnitude. Coatings with carbon black and carbon nanotube resulted in slightly higher reduction in electrode resistance and produces very stable electrodes over 6 months compared to the bare Pt and silver epoxy coatings. The array has been validated by wired, in vitro recordings from neurons, but is compatible with an existing wireless system that can send stimulation instructions and receive recording data.
A genome scan for loci affecting pork quality in a Duroc–Landrace F2 population

Summary A genome scan was conducted on 370 F2 Duroc–Landrace pigs. Microsatellite markers (n = 182) were genotyped across the entire F2 population, all F1 parents and the paternal grandparents. Breed of origin of all chromosomal segments inherited in F2 progeny were predicted using GenoProb, where genotypic data, genetic maps and extended pedigrees were used as inputs. Statistical tests for quantitative trait loci (QTL) associations were conducted on 41 phenotypes with SAS using output from GenoProb for genotypic data. Fixed effects included sex and age at slaughter. For certain analyses carcass weight, RYR1 genotype and/or PRKAG3 genotype were also included as covariates. Subjective and objective measures of pork colour, marbling and tenderness were recorded, as well as measures of carcass fatness and muscularity. Test results were adjusted to a genome-wide level of significance. Five genomic regions presented significant evidence for QTL at chromosome 1 positions 6 cM (intramuscular fat) and 67 cM (Hunter L*), chromosome 2 position 62 cM (taste panel tenderness), chromosome 17 position 50 (loineye area and image analysis estimated loineye area) and X position 87 cM (carcass weight). Sixty-six suggestive associations were detected. Fourteen of these associations were within the regions with significant QTL on chromosomes 2, 17 and X, and the remaining 52 associations resided in 29 other regions on 13 different chromosomes of the porcine genome. The chromosome 2 region of 60–66 cM was associated with all measures of pork tenderness and the region on chromosome 17 (32–39 cM) was associated with both measures of intramuscular fat and loineye area. After verification, the QTL for marbling and tenderness should be useful in commercial production to improve pork quality as the population was developed from two of the three most utilized breeds of swine in the USA.
Certainty-equivalence output-feedback design with circle-criterion observers

We study how the class of observers introduced in a previous paper, here referred to as circle-criterion observers, can be incorporated in output-feedback control. Due to the absence of a controller-observer separation property for nonlinear systems, the certainty-equivalence implementation of a state-feedback design may lead to severe forms of instability. We show, on the contrary, that the state-dependent convergence properties of circle-criterion observers can prevent such instabilities. Exploiting these convergence properties we develop a modified circle-criterion observer design that guarantees global asymptotic stability for certainty-equivalence controllers.
Response to Letters by Whiteley et al and Goldstein et al

Response: My prior article on Medicolegal Issues Relating to Thrombolysis (tPA) in Stroke1 has generated many useful and provocative comments. Currently, there is a major disconnect between advocates who believe the American Heart Association (AHA) position has sufficient data to justify Class I position contrasted by critics who do not believe tPA should represent the standard of care in acute ischemic stroke. Industry participation was acknowledged in the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) study, yet the AHA never acknowledged any conflict of interest of its panelists and continues to hold financial “disclosures” secret. Thus, panelists “disclose” to the AHA but the AHA does not disclose to the public. The implication of financial taint as well as refusal to release the NINDS raw data under the Freedom of Information Act to the British Medical Journal has only fueled this controversy. The results of the 1995 NINDS study2 demonstrated a 30% improvement in morbidity and disability scores only at 3-month level in 624 patients with significantly increased incidence of fatal intracerebral hemorrhage and overall symptomatic hemorrhage. Other thrombolytic studies did not confirm benefit yet confirmed an …
New species of the South American loxandrine genus Metoncidus Bates (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Two species are added to the previously monotypic genus Metoncidus Bates, 1871 (Carabidae, Loxandrini): M. epiphytus sp. nov. (type locality Peru: Loreto, Cocha Shinguito) and M. gracilus sp. nov. (type locality Peru: Tambopata, Madre de Dios). Information allowing identification of the genus from among other South American carabid genera and a key to adult individuals of Metoncidus species are provided.
Comparison of ML8-X10 (a prototype oil-in-water micro-emulsion based on a novel free fatty acid), taurolidine/citrate/heparin and vancomycin/heparin antimicrobial lock solutions in the eradication of biofilm-producing staphylococci from central venous catheters

OBJECTIVES Antimicrobial lock solutions are used for prevention and management of catheter-related bloodstream infections. ML8-X10 (a prototype oil-in-water micro-emulsion based on a novel free fatty acid), vancomycin/heparin and taurolidine/citrate/heparin (Taurolock™-Hep500) lock solutions were tested against biofilm-forming Staphylococcus epidermidis and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus. METHODS MICs were tested in neutral broth (pH ~7) and acidified broth (pH 5). In an established in vitro central venous catheter (CVC) lock model, solutions were introduced after 24 h of bacterial growth in a CVC incubated at 37°C. After an additional 8, 24 or 72 h of incubation, saline flush and cut catheter segments were processed for bacterial quantification. The cfu/mL at 0 h was subtracted from cfu/mL at the different timepoints. RESULTS The activities of ML8-X10 and taurolidine solutions were enhanced at lower pH (P < 0.05). Against S. epidermidis, ML8-X10 solution demonstrated less activity than taurolidine at 8 h (P < 0.001), but was not significantly different from vancomycin. At 24 h, ML8-X10 solution demonstrated significantly less activity than taurolidine (P < 0.001), but was significantly more active than vancomycin (P < 0.001). Against S. aureus, ML8-X10 solution was less active than taurolidine at 8 and 24 h (P < 0.001 for both), but was similar to vancomycin. At 72 h, all lock solutions reduced colony counts to levels that approached or reached the limit of detection against both strains. CONCLUSIONS In our in vitro catheter lock model, the novel free fatty acid emulsion demonstrated activity against biofilm-forming staphylococci similar to or greater than that of vancomycin lock solution. Taurolidine was the most active lock solution at 8 and 24 h, with all lock solutions tested demonstrating high activity at 72 h.
Role of tryptophan-14 in the interaction of dynorphin A(1-17) with micelles

Fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to examine the interaction between the opioid peptide dynorphin A(1-17) (dynorphin) and dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) micelles. Fluorescence emission spectra as a function of added lipid indicate insertion of the Trp14 side chain into the hydrophobic portion of the micelle, supporting NMR results from this laboratory. A model of interaction with micelles consistent with the fluorescence results and earlier NMR results is proposed. The critical micelle concentration in the presence of peptide was also determined, and is discussed in the context of relevance to both NMR spectroscopy and peptide-lipid interactions. © Munksgaard 1997.
Profile: The KEMRI/CDC Health and Demographic Surveillance System—Western Kenya

The KEMRI/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) is located in Rarieda, Siaya and Gem Districts (Siaya County), lying northeast of Lake Victoria in Nyanza Province, western Kenya. The KEMRI/CDC HDSS, with approximately 220 000 inhabitants, has been the foundation for a variety of studies, including evaluations of insecticide-treated bed nets, burden of diarrhoeal disease and tuberculosis, malaria parasitaemia and anaemia, treatment strategies and immunological correlates of malaria infection, and numerous HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and diarrhoeal disease treatment and vaccine efficacy and effectiveness trials for more than a decade. Current studies include operations research to measure the uptake and effectiveness of the programmatic implementation of integrated malaria control strategies, HIV services, newly introduced vaccines and clinical trials. The HDSS provides general demographic and health information (such as population age structure and density, fertility rates, birth and death rates, in- and out-migrations, patterns of health care access and utilization and the local economics of health care) as well as disease- or intervention-specific information. The HDSS also collects verbal autopsy information on all deaths. Studies take advantage of the sampling frame inherent in the HDSS, whether at individual, household/compound or neighbourhood level.
The Effect of Ambiguous Data on Phylogenetic Estimates Obtained by Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference

Although an increasing number of phylogenetic data sets are incomplete, the effect of ambiguous data on phy- logenetic accuracy is not well understood. We use 4-taxon simulations to study the effects of ambiguous data (i.e., missing characters or gaps) in maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian frameworks. By introducing ambiguous data in a way that removes confounding factors, we provide the first clear understanding of 1 mechanism by which ambiguous data can mislead phylogenetic analyses. We find that in both ML and Bayesian frameworks, among-site rate variation can interact with ambiguous data to produce misleading estimates of topology and branch lengths. Furthermore, within a Bayesian framework, priors on branch lengths and rate heterogeneity parameters can exacerbate the effects of ambiguous data, re- sulting in strongly misleading bipartition posterior probabilities. The magnitude and direction of the ambiguous data bias are a function of the number and taxonomic distribution of ambiguous characters, the strength of topological support, and whether or not the model is correctly specified. The results of this study have major implications for all analyses that rely on accurate estimates of topology or branch lengths, including divergence time estimation, ancestral state reconstruc- tion, tree-dependent comparative methods, rate variation analysis, phylogenetic hypothesis testing, and phylogeographic analysis. (Ambiguous characters; ambiguous data; Bayesian; bias; maximum likelihood; missing data; model misspecifica- tion; phylogenetics; posterior probabilities; prior.)
Peer Evaluation in the Political Science Classroom

When student presentations are offered in the classroom, instructors are most likely to be concerned about the extent to which students pay attention and learn from the experience of not only giving a presentation, but about what students learn as an audience. After devising a peer-evaluation instrument for students to evaluate their classmates' presentations, over the course of two years and 10 courses, we surveyed students to determine the effectiveness and usefulness of peer evaluations. We found that students are more likely to pay attention, gain a different perspective on the presentation experience, and be more engaged in the presentation when they evaluate one another.
Intermittent Bolus Feeding Has a Greater Stimulatory Effect on Protein Synthesis in Skeletal Muscle Than Continuous Feeding in Neonatal Pigs

Orogastric tube feeding, using either continuous or intermittent bolus delivery, is common in infants for whom normal feeding is contraindicated. To compare the impact of different feeding strategies on muscle protein synthesis, after withholding food overnight, neonatal pigs received a complete formula orally as a bolus feed every 4 h or were continuously fed. Protein synthesis rate and translational mechanisms in skeletal muscle were examined after 0, 24, and 25.5 h. Plasma amino acid and insulin concentrations increased minimally and remained constant in continuously fed compared to feed-deprived pigs; however, the pulsatile meal feeding pattern was mimicked in bolus-fed pigs. Muscle protein synthesis was stimulated by feeding and the greatest response occurred after a bolus meal. Bolus but not continuous feeds increased polysome aggregation, the phosphorylation of protein kinase B, tuberous sclerosis complex 2, proline-rich Akt substrate of 40 kDa, eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4E binding protein (4EBP1), and rp S6 kinase and enhanced dissociation of the 4EBP1 ·eIF4E complex and formation of the eIF4E ·eIF4G complex compared to feed deprivation (P < 0.05). Activation of insulin receptor substrate-1, regulatory associated protein of mammalian target of rapamycin, AMP-activated protein kinase, eukaryotic elongation factor 2, and eIF2α phosphorylation were unaffected by either feeding modality. These results suggest that in neonates, intermittent bolus feeding enhances muscle protein synthesis to a greater extent than continuous feeding by eliciting a pulsatile pattern of amino acid- and insulin-induced translation initiation.
F. A. Hayek: The Liberal as Communitarian*

At the heart of Friedrich A. Hayek's social philosophy is a regard for the socially-constituted nature of man: the individual is not taken to be asocial or pre-social, but rather it is recognized that society defines the individual. The neglect of this aspect of Hayek's work by both liberal and communitarian, as well as libertarian, writers within political philosophy has led to his position being misrepresented, for Hayek's brand of liberalism is more akin to one variant of modern communitarianism than it is to the libertarian strain of liberal thought.
Solving bigger problems-by decreasing the operation count and increasing the computation bandwidth

The purpose is to illustrate the computational complexity of modeling large (in wavelengths) electromagnetic problems and to suggest some ways by which the computational requirements can be reduced. The author indicates that, despite the dramatic increase of 106 in throughput that has occurred between the UNIVAC-1 and the current CRAY-2, the impact on the ability to handle computations at ten times the original (temporal) frequency has shown only marginal improvements. This is because the required floating-point operation (FLOP) count for integral-equation (IE) and differential-equation (DE) models grows with frequency. f, as f/sup x/, where 3 >
How the U.S. Supreme Court Thwarts Congressional Progress Towards Equality

The U.S. Supreme Court has made several mistakes in its equality jurisprudence, mistakes which withdraw from Congress the constitutional power to enact legislation which might advance equality. These mistakes include allowing legislation to redress only wrongs which could be redressed through litigation, failing to distinguish between constitutional limitations on states and on the federal government, denying any difference between inclusive and exclusive legislative classifications, and insisting that congressional authority under §5 of the Fourteenth Amendment is remedial and not substantive.
Short-Sighted Managers and Learnable Sunspot Equilibria

This paper assumes that firm managers make choices over a finite horizon while households plan over an infinite horizon. Following Shea (2013), I assume that labor exhibits firm-specific learning by doing so that newly employed labor is less productive than experienced labor. In the model, optimization requires that firm managers make conjectures about how their choices affect the labor demand choices of their successors. The model yields two steady states; one where the firm manager behaves as if she cares only about the present period and another where she is forward looking. The former (myopic) steady state usually exhibits higher output than the non myopic steady state. The non-myopic steady state also exhibits two regions of indeterminacy where extraneous, self-fulfilling expectational errors add volatility. One of these regions of indeterminacy is usually stable under adaptive learning while the other never is stable under learning.
Quantum computing

Computer science will be radically transformed if ongoing efforts to build large-scale quantum computers eventually succeed and if the properties of these computers meet optimistic expectations. Nevertheless, computer scientists still lack a thorough understanding of the power of quantum computing, and it is not always clear how best to utilize the power that is understood. This dilemma exists because quantum algorithms are difficult to grasp and even more difficult to write. Despite large-scale international efforts, only a few important quantum algorithms are documented, leaving many essential questions about the potential of quantum algorithms unanswered.These unsolved problems are ideal challenges for the application of automatic programming technologies. Genetic programming techniques, in particular, have already produced several new quantum algorithms and it is reasonable to expect further discoveries in the future. These methods will help researchers to discover how additional practical problems can be solved using quantum computers, and they will also help to guide theoretical work on both the power and limits of quantum computing.This tutorial will provide an introduction to quantum computing and an introduction to the use of evolutionary computation for automatic quantum computer programming. No background in physics or in evolutionary computation will be assumed. While the primary focus of the tutorial will be on general concepts, specific results will also be presented, including human-competitive results produced by genetic programming. Follow-up material is available from the presenter's book, Automatic Quantum Computer Programming: A Genetic Programming Approach, published by Springer and Kluwer Academic Publishers.
VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY AND NON-LIPID SERUM MARKERS OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK: THE VERY LARGE DATABASE OF LIPIDS STUDY

Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The mechanism of this observation is unknown but may be explained by other non-lipid markers of cardiovascular risk. We studied 3,161 adults included in the Very Large Database of Lipids, a clinical
Response to ‘Multiorgan involvement of vasculitis: Henoch-Schönlein purpura or polyangiitis overlap syndrome’

We thank the authors Dr Jae Shin and Jae Seung Lee1 for their thoughtful comments. They raise the possibility that the 17-year-old boy with multiple organ involvement and IgA deposition on kidney biopsy could have polyangiitis overlap syndrome (POS). They refer to the report of such a case by Watanabe et al.2 POS is a term proposed for cases associated with overlapping features of several forms of vasculitis, including Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP), Wegener's granulomatosus, Churg–Strauss syndrome, microscopic polyangitis (MPA), and polyarteritis nodosa (PN).2, 3 We agree with the authors that the clinical symptoms in our patient are not very specific to HSP. POS however, is unlikely for the following reasons. (1) The renal and skin biopsy findings: Kidney involvement in PN is characterized by inflammation and fibrinoid necrosis of renal arteries with sparing of glomeruli. Therefore, the presence of glomerulonephritis and the absence of necrotizing arteritis or renal infarction in our patient argue against PN. (2) In contrast, MPA and HSP are small vessel vasculitides commonly associated with glomerulonephritis. Pauci-immune necrotizing and crescentic glomerulonephritis, characterized by glomerular necrosis without endocapillary hypercellularity on light microscopy along with the absence or paucity of immune deposits on immunofluorescence and electron microscopy, is the typical form of glomerulonephritis in patients with MPA. In our patient, the presence of endocapillary hypercellularity on light microscopy, strong IgA deposition in glomeruli and dermal vessels on immunofluorescence, and abundant electron-dense mesangial deposits ultrastructurally are consistent with HSP and not MPA. The anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibodies seronegativity is an additional factor against MPA. (3) MPA and PN are aggressive conditions that without treatment are associated with high mortality and morbidity rates. Our patient was treated with steroids (pulse methylprednisolone for 3 days followed by oral prednisone) and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor. He showed a significant decrease in proteinuria and maintained normal renal function on follow-up at 2 months, which would be unexpected if he had MPA or PN. Thus, based on the clinical and pathologic findings, we believe that the patient has HSP with multi-organ involvement and not POS.
Content Analysis of the Videos Featuring Prescription Drug Advertisements in Social Media: YouTube

The purpose of this study was to evaluate from a consumer’s perspective the content of digital video advertisements posted on the website https://doi.org/YouTube.com . Advertisements for the top-selling 25 prescription drugs were identified during a 1-month time period (September 2009) and were categorized as either regulated or unregulated by the FDA. Unregulated advertisements were further classified as educational (by health care professionals), commercial (to sell drugs or for lawsuit claims), or miscellaneous. Drug name, advertisement type, number of views, and rating by viewers were collected. The current sample consists of 11.4% FDA-regulated and 88.6% FDA-unregulated (15.4% educational, 5.8% commercial, and 88.8% miscellaneous) advertisements. FDA-unregulated advertisement videos had a higher number of average views (6318 ± 10,325) compared with FDA-regulated videos (6044 ± 10,991). As consumers are exposed to a large number of FDA-unregulated advertisements for prescription drugs on YouTube, education is needed to enable consumers to distinguish between FDA-regulated and FDA-unregulated videos.