cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prophylaxis for Aspergillosis

Prophylaxis of aspergillosis involves manipulation of the environment to create minimal exposure to both airborne and food-borne spores, as well as pharmacologic prophylaxis during periods of greatest risk. Prophylaxis against Aspergillus infections is important for several patient cohorts, primarily hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients and burn victims, and to a lesser extent leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy, lung transplant recipients, and liver transplant recipients. For burn victims, prevention of wound colonization is the key to prophylaxis for infection. Environmental surveys of airborne contamination related to construction are helpful in facilitating prevention of nosocomial aspergillosis outbreaks. In 2 years prior to institution of prophylaxis, 11% of historical controls developed invasive aspergillosis, but these patients were in rooms without high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration. One study reported no cases of invasive aspergillosis among 92 HSCT recipients who received voriconazole prophylaxis. There was a 10% rate of infection among 223 HSCT recipients who received other systemic antifungal agents for prophylaxis. As management of cases of invasive aspergillosis has improved, an increasing number of patients are recovering from the infection and can subsequently require additional chemotherapy or undergo HSCT. These patients are at high risk for infection relapse unless secondary prophylaxis is used. Lung and liver transplant recipients, as well as burn victims, are the other patient groups that will require invasive aspergillosis prophylaxis at select times. Prophylaxis against these infections requires minimization of exposure to airborne and food-borne spores as well as pharmacologic agents.
Model Reduction for DAEs with an Application to Flow Control

Direct numerical simulation of dynamical systems is of fundamental importance in studying a wide range of complex physical phenomena. However, the ever-increasing need for accuracy leads to extremely large-scale dynamical systems whose simulations impose huge computational demands. Model reduction offers one remedy to this problem by producing simpler reduced models that are both easier to analyze and faster to simulate while accurately replicating the original behavior. Interpolatory model reduction methods have emerged as effective candidates for very large-scale problems due to their ability to produce high-fidelity (optimal in some cases) reduced models for linear and bilinear dynamical systems with modest computational cost. In this paper, we will briefly review the interpolation framework for model reduction and describe a well studied flow control problem that requires model reduction of a large scale system of differential algebraic equations. We show that interpolatory model reduction produces a feedback control strategy that matches the structure of much more expensive control design methodologies.
Fluorescence lifetime distributions: distinguishing between models and exponential series method in frequency domain

The distinguishability between models in the recovery of fluorescence lifetime distributions is determined by the distance between the estimation spaces spanned by the models in the 2N dimensional sample space, where N is the number of frequencies used in the phase-modulation fluorescence lifetime measurements. The distinguishability regions between the model of two discrete components and the Gaussian distribution model are described in this paper as an example. The use of a priori distribution functions such as Gaussian, Lorentzian, and uniform distributions without a physical basis poses a serious problem in the physical interpretation of the recovered parameters. This work introduces the application of the exponential series method (ESM) for recovering lifetime distributions in the frequency domain and distinguishing between models without using any a priori models.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Vitamin C supplementation lowers serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides: a meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials

Objective Vitamin C has been shown to be an effective therapeutic for reducing total serum cholesterol, but epidemiologic studies have determined that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are actually better predictive measures of coronary heart disease risk. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to investigate the effect of vitamin C supplementation on LDL and HDL cholesterol as well as triglycerides in patients with hypercholesterolemia.
Flowrate Formulation of Deviation Function Based Gerotor Pumps

This paper derives formulas for evaluating the flowrate of gerotor pumps. The flowrate formulas are based on a deviation function, and the pitch and generating curves can be circular or noncircular. Two dimensionless parameters, the lobe noncircularity and the pitch noncircularity, are introduced so that gerotor performance can be analyzed systematically.
Modeling metabolic reductive dechlorination in dense non-aqueous phase liquid source-zones

Recent laboratory experimental evidence has suggested that bioremediation may be an attractive management strategy for dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source-zones. In particular, metabolic reductive dechlorination has been shown to reduce aqueous phase chlorinated ethene contaminant concentrations and enhance DNAPL dissolution, reducing source longevity. Transitioning this technology from the laboratory to the field will be facilitated by tools capable of simulating bioenhanced dissolution. This work presents a mathematical model for metabolic reductive dechlorination in a macroscale two-phase (aqueous-organic) environment. The model is implemented through adaptation of an existing multi-phase compositional simulator, which has been modified to incorporate eight chemical components and four microbial populations: a fermentative population, two dechlorinating populations, and a competitor population (e.g., methanogens). Monod kinetics, modified to incorporate electron donor thresholds, electron acceptor competition, and competitor inhibition, are used to simulate microbial growth and component degradation. The developed model is numerically verified and demonstrated through comparisons with published column-scale dechlorination data. Dechlorination kinetics, electron donor concentrations, and DNAPL saturation and distribution are all found to affect the extent of dissolution enhancement, with enhancements ranging from 1.0 to ∼1.9. Comparison of simulation results with those from a simplified analytic modeling approach suggest that the analytical model may tend to over-predict dissolution enhancement and fail to account for the transient nature of dissolution enhancement, leading to significant (70%) under-prediction of source longevity.
Single hepatic venous injection of liver-specific naked plasmid vector expressing human UGT1A1 leads to long-term correction of hyperbilirubinemia and prevention of chronic bilirubin toxicity in Gunn rats.

Previously, we have demonstrated that hepatic venous injection of pcDNA3hUGT1A1 expressing human bilirubin glucuronosyl transferase 1A1 (hUGT1A1) under the control of the cytomegalovirus promoter r...
Overexpression of the protein kinase Pak1 suppresses yeast DNA polymerase mutations.

This article presents the identification and characterization of the PAK1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the biochemical characterization of the protein kinase activity that it encodes. Overexpression of the PAK1 gene product suppresses temperature-sensitive mutations of the pol1 (cdc17) gene, which encodes DNA polymerase α. Overexpression and suppression can be achieved either by expressing PAK1 from a high-copy-number plasmid, or by GAL1-induced transcription of PAK1. Gene disruption of PAK1 indicates that it is not an essential gene. The PAK1 gene encodes a protein with a kinase consensus domain. By deletion analysis and site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrate that the complete and active kinase consensus domain is required for suppression. A glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-Pak1 fusion protein, overproduced in bacteria, can be purified in an active form with glutathione affinity beads or by immunoprecipitation. Thus, other protein subunits of Pak1 are not required for its activity. In vitro protein kinase assays show that GST-Pak1 can autophosphorylate, and can phosphorylate casein as an exogenous substrate. The phenotype of the suppressed cdc17-1 cells indicates that Pak1 suppression is inefficient and does not restore the wild-type phenotype. Pak1 suppression requires Rad9 function, but Pak1 does not affect Rad9 function. Overexpression of PAK1 does not enhance the expression of the POL1 gene. Pak1 may function by modifying and partially stabilizing thermolabile DNA polymerases, perhaps during DNA repair, because pak1 mutant cells are caffeine sensitive.
TNF α‐induced ras activation due to ethanol promotes hepatocyte proliferation independently of liver injury in the mouse

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) has been shown to be both proapoptotic and mitogenic for hepatocytes and necessary for alcohol-induced liver injury. Ras, a known proto-oncogene, is very important in the regulation of cellular responses to TNFalpha. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of Ras in alcohol-induced pathogenesis. Male C57Bl/6 mice were fed ethanol or high-fat control diet via intragastric cannulation for 4 weeks. Ras activity was increased significantly after 4 weeks of ethanol and correlated with an increase in pathologic features. However, in mice deficient in the receptor-type 1 for TNFalpha (TNFR1(-/-)), ethanol-induced liver injury and the increase in Ras activity were significantly blunted compared with wild-type mice. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that H-, K-, and R-Ras isoforms were increased after ethanol exposure in wild-type mice. In TNFR1(-/-) mice, R-Ras activity remained elevated by ethanol, whereas H-Ras and K-Ras activity was blunted significantly under these conditions. Interestingly, hepatocellular proliferation, which was elevated approximately fivefold after 4 weeks of chronic ethanol in wild-type mice, was also blunted in TNFR1(-/-) mice given ethanol. Inhibition of Ras with adenovirus containing a dominant-negative Ras had no effect on ethanol-induced liver injury, but significantly blunted ethanol-induced hepatocyte proliferation by more than 50%. Overexpression of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase using recombinant adenovirus blunted lipid peroxidation and attenuated hepatic injury resulting from ethanol, but had no effect on Ras activation and hepatocyte proliferation caused by ethanol. In conclusion, these data support the hypotheses that hepatocellular oxidative stress leads to cell death and that TNFalpha-induced Ras activation is important in hepatic proliferation in response to ethanol-induced liver injury.
On the Energy and Entropy of Einstein's Closed Universe.

Introduction. - In a preceding article,(1) two principles have been proposed, expressed in a form valid for all sets of coordinates which seem suitable to serve as the analogues in general relativity for the first and second laws of thermodynamics. It is the purpose of the present article to apply these principles to the Einstein closed universe, regarded as fled with a perfect fluid, so as to obtain expressions which may be taken as representing the energy and entropy of this universe.
Fluoro-ketones. II Reactions of fluorocarbon grignards and copper compounds with perfluoroalkylacid fluorides

Abstract The reactions between C6F5MgBr (I), p-BrC6F4MgBr (X), C6F5Cu (XXI), p-HC6F4Cu (XXII) and p-BrC6F4Cu (XV) with primary and secondary perfluoroalkylether acid fluorides were studied. The Grignard compounds react very slowly with the secondary acid halides (RfCF(CF3C(O)F) whereby competing reactions cause undesirable by-products and reduction of ketone yields. Primary acid halides (RfCF2C(O)F) react much faster with C6F5MgBr to give the ketone in improved yields. The organocopper compound react with either primary or secondary acid halides to give the ketone in excellent yields with no by-product formation from competing secondary reactions. Solvent, type of organometallic reagent and primary versus secondary acid fluoride are variables that influence product yield and product distribution.
Does local anesthetic stereoselectivity or structure predict myocardial depression in anesthetized canines

Background and Objectives It is unclear whether the susceptibility to myocardial depression from an accidental intravascular local anesthetic (LA) administration is associated with LA stereoselectivity or structure. By using direct left ventricular pressure monitoring and echocardiographic indices of contractile function in anesthetized, ventilated dogs, we compared the cardiac depressant effects of bupivacaine, ropivacaine, levobupivacaine, and lidocaine. Methods Open-chest dogs were randomized to receive escalating incremental infusions of the 4 local anesthetics until cardiovascular collapse. We assumed a concentration relationship for potency of 4:1 for lidocaine/bupivacaine, ropivacaine, and levobupivacaine. Results All LAs produced concentration-dependent increases in left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and decreases in dP/dtmax, ejection fraction % (EF), fractional shortening (%) (FS), and cardiac output (CO). When comparing the long-acting agents, the effect was least for ropivacaine. The effective concentration estimates for ropivacaine that produced 35% reductions in dP/dtmax and FS were 4.0 μg/mL (95% confidence intervals [CI95]: 3.1 to 5.2 μg/mL) and 3.0 μg/mL (CI95: 2.1 to 4.2 μg/mL), respectively. The concentrations of levobupivacaine that produced these same end points of contractile dysfunction were significantly less: 2.4 μg/mL (CI95: 1.9 to 3.1 μg/mL) and 1.3 μg/mL (CI95: 0.9 to 1.8 μg/mL), respectively, and these were not different from bupivacaine. As expected, the concentrations of lidocaine that produced 35% reductions in dP/dtmax and FS were significantly greater than the longer acting agents; 8.0 μg/mL (CI95: 5.7 to 11.0 μg/mL) and 5.5 μg/mL (CI95: 3.5 to 8.7 μg/mL), respectively. Conclusions This study suggests that smaller molecular size and possibly a piperidine-free structure as opposed to stereoselectivity may be the more important factor in reducing the risk of LA-induced myocardial depression.
Method for analysis of TAG formed by reaction of fish oil with hydrogenated soybean oil

An HPLC method was developed for analysis of the TAG formed during interesterification of a fish oil rich in DHA residues and of a fully hydrogenated soybean oil. TAG species were separated using a three-phase (acetone/acetonitrile/chloroform) solvent system. Peak identities were assigned on the basis of a multiple linear regression analysis by using factors such as carbon number, number of double bonds, and number of PUFA in the molecule as predictors for TAG retention time. Good agreement between experimental and predicted retention times was observed when the effect of the PUFA was separated in the regression model from that of the monounsaturated FA. In addition, the new method permits one to determine tristearin at concentrations up to 3 mg/mL without encountering the problem of partial retention of this TAG in the column that was observed when chloroform is not incorporated in the mobile phase.
Assessment of health-related quality of life after corneal transplantation.

Purpose To determine the extent to which commonly used clinical measures of corneal transplantation outcome are related to aspects of visual function and health-related quality of life. Methods In a cross-sectional validation study, ophthalmic examination information was collected by chart review of, and health-related quality of life information was collected by telephone contact with, patients (n = 77) undergoing routine follow-up examinations at least 1 year after corneal transplantation. A questionnaire that included the VF-14 and SF-36 instruments was completed for each participant. Associations between clinical and questionnaire outcomes were evaluated using analysis of variance and regression analyses. Results When the best-corrected visual acuity of both eyes was evaluated, there was a positive association ( P P = .04), emotional well-being ( P = .08), and social functioning ( P = .02). Those with a high degree of keratometric astigmatism showed an impact on social functioning ( P = .005). Upon regression analysis, the single most important factor associated with the patients' reported visual function was their visual acuity in the better eye, followed by the extent of keratometric astigmatism. Conclusions These findings demonstrate a high degree of criterion validity in using the VF-14 instrument to assess the outcome of corneal transplantation. Application of the more generic SF-36 measure shows effects of visual disability on other aspects of corneal transplant patients' health status, including their emotional and social functioning.
Immunologic profiles of effector cells and peripheral blood stem cells mobilized with different hematopoietic growth factors.

Background. Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) have become the preferred source of stem cells for autologous transplantation because of the technical advantage and the shorter time to engraftment. Mobilization of CD34+ cells into the peripheral blood can be achieved by the administration of G-CSF or GM-CSF, or both, alone or in combination with chemotherapy. G-CSF and GM-CSF differ somewhat in the number and composition of CD34+ cells and effector cells mobilized to the peripheral blood. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the release and engraftment of CD34+ cells is poorly understood. Purpose. The purpose of this review is to give a recent update on the type and immunological properties of effector cells and CD34+ cells mobilized by the different growth factors with emphasis on A) mobilization of T cells, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells; B) coexpression of adhesion molecules such as VLA-4 and L-selectin in mobilized PBSC collection, and C) coexpression of CXCR4—the receptor for the stromal-derived differentiation factor 1—with latest information shedding light on the molecular mechanism underlying the release and subsequent engraftment of CD34+ cells. Conclusions. A) The reported suppression of T cell and NK cell functions in PBSC apheresis collections in patients primed with G-CSF or GM-CSF is controversial and may merely reflect low effector cell activity before mobilization. B) A decrease in the expression of adhesion molecules such as VLA-4 and L-selectin is a necessary requirement for the release of CD34+ cells to the peripheral blood. C) A decrease in the expression of CXCR4 is a necessary requirement for the release of CD34+ cells to the peripheral blood and correlates with mobilization success.
PET in pediatric diseases.

PET is emerging as an important diagnostic tool in the imaging evaluation of pediatric disorders. The recent advent of the dual-modality PET/CT imaging systems has provided unprecedented additional diagnostic capability by providing precise anatomic localization of metabolic information. The use of CT transmission scanning for attenuation correction has shortened the total acquisition time, a desirable attribute in pediatric imaging. Moreover, expansion of the regional distribution of the most common PET radiotracer, fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose ([ 18 F]FDG), and the introduction of mobile PET units have greatly enhanced the access to this powerful diagnostic imaging technology. This article reviews the clinical applications of PET and PET/CT in pediatrics with an emphasis on the more common applications in epilepsy and oncology. General considerations in patient preparation and radiation dosimetry are discussed.
Simultaneous Effect of Doppler and Foreign Gas Broadening on Spectral Lines

By using the classical Fourier integral theory, an expression is given for the shape of a spectral line, broadened by phase changes due to collisions and by the actual changes in velocity of the emitting particles resulting from collisions. The result is not a simple Voigt-type folding of an exponential into a dispersion distribution; it exhibits the contraction noted by Dicke and leads to the usual formulas when the time interval between path-deflecting or phase-disturbing collisions becomes very great.
From precious to polluting: tracing the history of camphor in hinduism

ABSTRACTRecently some Hindu temples stopped using camphor lamps because of the soot and pollution they produce. In this article I explore this contemporary problem, tracing how a network of plants, geography, physico-chemical qualities, traders, perfumers, celluloid factories, and ancient scriptures came together to construct camphor, first as a precious perfume, and later as a polluting chemical. In the medieval period, rare camphor was imported from Southeast Asia and camphor lamps would have been extremely luxurious. In religious texts that discuss lamp fuels we see the prestige of exotic, costly camphor as a material associated with the wealthy and powerful. At this time camphor was only available to the cosmopolitan elite, including gods in temples, for whom it was a necessary, luxurious adornment. As a result of the early plastics industry, in the twentieth-century camphor was synthesized and became far cheaper. What was once an exotic luxury is now a cheap commodity, yet camphor remains pungent wit...
Operating a telescope larger than the Earth: How the VSOP space VLBI mission is scheduled

Abstract The Japanese VLBI space observatory programme (VSOP) mission is one of the most complex scientific endeavors ever attempted. It involves coordinating a spacecraft with detailed pointing constraints that vary on time scales ranging from years to hours, tracking stations in four different countries, ground radio telescopes in nearly 20 different countries with different capabilities at the VSOP observing frequencies, and correlation and tape copying facilities with four different recording formats. Scientific constraints on the quality of (u,v)-coverage obtainable force the scheduling to be done far in advance of the observation — over about 1.5 years time — so that the sources are observed when the orbital orientation is most favorable. In order that all these facilities work as a single astronomical instrument, the constraints on them also must be taken into account in the scheduling to the satisfaction of all parties involved, including the principal investigators as well as mission and observatory personnel. In this paper we outline the entire VSOP mission scheduling process. Special emphasis is placed on software required to decide when to observe the proposed sources and how to ensure the highest quality science while preserving the health of the spacecraft. We also discuss application of the process to the future space VLBI missions VSOP2, RadioAstron, and ARISE.
Diastereoselective synthesis of the C(17)-C(28) fragment (the C-D spiroketal unit) of spongistatin 1 (altohyrtin A) via a kinetically controlled iodo-spiroketalization reaction.

A convergent and stereocontrolled synthesis of spiroketal 15 corresponding to the C−D fragment of spongistatin 1 has been accomplished by a sequence utilizing a kinetically controlled intramolecular iodo-spiroketalization of glycal 2, which in turn was synthesized via a ring-closing metathesis reaction.
Radiation From Rectangular Waveguide-Fed Fractal Apertures

We investigate the properties of fractal apertures fed by a rectangular waveguide. The self-similarity and space-filling properties of fractals have been exploited to achieve multi-band radiation. Some self-affine fractal geometries, suitable for waveguide-fed apertures, have been proposed and investigated. It is shown that the scale factor of the fractal geometry can be used as a design parameter for controlling the resonant frequencies. The problem has been solved using method of moments (MoM) and the numerical results are verified through simulation on HFSS and experimental measurements.
The Effect of Type of Nesting Material on Cleanliness of Eggs

Abstract IT HAS been long recognized that the ideal egg is a nest-clean egg. Dirties can be cleaned by washing or dry-cleaning, but these methods of cleaning do not improve the quality, and may lower it. Unfortunately, on many poultry farms most of the eggs are dirty when gathered during the winter months. One of the most time-consuming jobs on the poultry farm is the cleaning of eggs. Therefore, preventing dirty eggs is of the utmost importance. Little can be found in the literature on the effect of nesting materials on the cleanliness of eggs. Hansen et al. (1948) used such nesting litters as straw, excelsior, wood fiber, wood shaving, rice hulls, almond shells, and diatomaceous silica. They found that straw, excelsior, and wood fiber were preferred by the birds to other materials. Their observations on the effect of nesting materials on egg soilage did not yield conclusive results. They concluded …
Reassignment of stereochemistry of the 3‐ethoxy‐2‐methyl‐2‐vinylcyclobutanones

The syn and anti stereoisomers of 3-ethoxy-2-methyl-2-vinylcyclobutanone were prepared. Reinterpretation of the literature 13C spectra led to an inversion of the original structure assignments. Confirmation of relative stereochemistry was provided by NOE difference experiments. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Polymerization of styrene with ethyl linoleate

The emulsion polymerization at 40°C. of mixtures of oxidized ethyl linoleate and styrene with potassium persulfate as catalyst yielded copolymers containing a maximum of one mole of ester per thirteen moles of styrene. A product of similar composition was obtained by bulk polymerization at 80°C.
Insulin Resistance Predicts Medial Temporal Hypermetabolism in Mild Cognitive Impairment Conversion to Alzheimer Disease

Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterized by progressive hypometabolism on [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scans. Peripheral insulin resistance (IR) increases AD risk. No studies have examined associations between FDG metabolism and IR in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD, as well as MCI conversion to AD. We studied 26 cognitively normal (CN), 194 MCI (39 MCI-progressors, 148 MCI-stable, 2 years after baseline), and 60 AD subjects with baseline FDG-PET from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Mean FDG metabolism was derived for AD-vulnerable regions of interest (ROIs), including lateral parietal and posteromedial cortices, medial temporal lobe (MTL), hippocampus, and ventral prefrontal cortices (vPFC), as well as postcentral gyrus and global cerebrum control regions. The homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) was used to measure IR. For AD, higher HOMA-IR predicted lower FDG in all ROIs. For MCI-progressors, higher HOMA-IR predicted higher FDG in the MTL and hippocampus. Control regions showed no associations. Higher HOMA-IR predicted hypermetabolism in MCI-progressors and hypometabolism in AD in medial temporal regions. Future longitudinal studies should examine the pathophysiologic significance of the shift from MTL hyper- to hypometabolism associated with IR.
Investigation of helmet-mounted display configuration influences on target acquisition

A helmet-mounted display (HMD) with a partial binocular overlap field-of-view (FOV) is slated for use with the Army's new RAH-66 Comanche helicopter in order to increase the available size of the FOV. The current investigation examined how FOV configurations affect visual performance in a target acquisition task under demanding viewing conditions. Performance was measured by response time and error rate in the full overlap FOV, the convergent partial overlap FOV, and the divergent partial overlap FOV. Fifteen aviators were required to visually scan for and identify the position of a visually degraded random target from a three by three array of similar distractors in a randomly cluttered FOV as quickly as possible while minimizing errors. The results found a tradeoff in enlarging the FOV by the partial overlap method. Performance was best in the full overlap FOV, where response times were fastest, and worst in the divergent partial overlap FOV, where response times were slowest. The performance decrements for partial overlap were confirmed by the accuracy data, where the partial overlap configurations with the slower response times also had a higher number of misses and a lower percentage of first scores (no-miss target acquisitions). These three performance decrements are most pronounced for lateral targets in the monocular regions of the partial overlap FOVs.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Measurement of second-order coherence in a light beam using a microscope and a grating

The measurement of the complex cross-spectral density function of a light beam is discussed using a new type of shearing interferometer. This interferometer is composed principally of only an imaging lens system such as a microscope and an ordinary transparent diffraction grating replica. This interferometer is self-aligning, inexpensive, and able to introduce precise wavefront shears of the order of a few light wavelengths. A theoretical analysis of the instrument is developed giving expressions for calculating the magnitude and phase of the cross-spectral density function using observable properties of the interference pattern formed by the instrument. A simple experiment is described which demonstrates the operation of the instrument.
Epithelial–mesenchymal transition induces similar metabolic alterations in two independent breast cancer cell lines

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induces invasive properties in epithelial tumors and promotes metastasis. Although EMT-mediated cellular and molecular changes are well understood, very little is known about EMT-induced metabolic changes. HER2-positive BT-474 breast cancer cells were induced to undergo a stable EMT using mammosphere culture, as previously described by us for the ERα-positive MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Two epithelial breast cancer cell lines (BT-474 and MCF-7) were compared to their respective EMT-derived mesenchymal progeny (BT-474(EMT) and MCF-7(EMT)) for changes in metabolic pathways including glycolysis, glycogen metabolism, anabolic pathways and gluconeogenesis. Both EMT-derived cells displayed enhanced aerobic glycolysis along with the overexpression of specific glucose transporters, lactate dehydrogenase isoforms, monocarboxylate transporters and glycogen phosphorylase isoform. In contrast, both EMT-derived cells suppressed the expression of crucial enzymes in anabolic pathways and gluconeogenesis. STAT3, a transcription factor involved in tumor initiation and progression, plays a role in the EMT-related changes in the expression of specific enzymes and transporters. This study provides a broad overview of similar metabolic changes induced by EMT in two independent breast cancer cell lines. These metabolic changes may provide novel therapeutic targets for metastatic breast cancer.
Episodic ice-free arctic ocean in pliocene and pleistocene time: calcareous nannofossil evidence.

Today9s ice cover (2 to 4 meters thick) over the Arctic Ocean provides a shadow that prevents coccolithophorids (photosynthetic, planktonic algae) from living there. Sparse, low-diversity, but indigenous coccolith assemblages in late Pliocene to mid-Pleistocene (but not Holocene) sediments imply deep penetrating warm currents or an ice-free Arctic Ocean, or both, as those layers were being deposited.
The effects of long term administration of psychotropic drugs on human sleep. II. The effects of reserpine.

Reserpine 0.50 mg/day was administered over a period of four weeks to a group of normal young males. Laboratory sleep, home sleep, and mood were studied throughout the period of administration and for a month afterwards. Results were compared to identically administered long-term placebo. Total sleep was slightly increased at first; D-time and the number of D-periods were clearly increased by reserpine. These effects were prominent from day three, through the second week. D-latency and length of the sleep-dream cycle was decreased. Subjective aspects of sleep were not greatly changed. Mood scales indicated an increase in “fatigue” and a decrease in “vigor” during reserpine administration.
Streamlining image quality assurance with the technique logger in the example case of radiograph scratch artifacts.

a m “ o o t t m p d DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM With continuously increasing focus on quality in health care, devising mechanisms to monitor, enforce, and improve quality standards is paramount. Facilitating real-time communication and documentation of technical issues requires innovative solutions, often best produced using informatics tools. Working under onerous productivity expectations, radiologists must have an efficient means to relay technical issues to staff members, in a way that can be tracked and audited. As such, recurrent problems can be readily identified and more expeditiously addressed. As an example, at a facility within our hospital system, we were experiencing a high rate of linear scratchlike artifacts across our radiographs, initially of uncertain origin (Fig. 1). The artifact was clearly not related to dirt or another contaminant and followed no overtly discernible pattern. Although not all radiographs were affected, the artifact appeared multiple times per day, often enough to frustrate interpreting radiologists—subjectively, as frequently as 1 in 4 or 5 x-rays.
Big data analytics as a service: Exploring reuse opportunities

Summary form only given. As data scientists, we live in interesting times. Data has been the No. 1 fast growing phenomenon on the Internet for the last decade. Big data analytics have the potential to reveal deep insights hidden by big data that exceeds the processing capacity of existing systems, such as peer influence among customers, revealed by analyzing shoppers' transactions, social and geographical data. In the past 40 years, data was primarily used to record and report business activities and scientific events, and in the next 40 years data will be used also to derive new insights, to influence business decisions and to accelerate scientific discovery. The key challenge is to provide the right platforms and tools to make reasoning of big data easy and simple. In this keynote talk, I will explore reuse opportunities and challenges from multiple dimensions towards delivering big data analytics as a service. I will illustrate by example the importance and challenges of utilizing programmable algorithm abstractions for many seemingly domain-dependent data analytics tasks. Another reuse opportunity is to exploit unconventional data structures and big data processing constructs to simplify and speed up the big data processing.
Plasma cell granulomas of the lung.

Plasma cell granuloma of the lung, a designation that we consider preferable to “inflammatory pseudotumor,” represents localized proliferations predominantly of mature plasma cells, with Russell bodies, reticuloendothelial cells, and intermediate forms, supported by a stroma of granulation tissue. Other cellular elements, including lymphocytes and large mononuclear cells, may coexist with the plasma cells. The latter may have a large content of cytoplasmic fat, hence the term “xanthoma” or “fibroxanthoma” applied by some. The stroma may contain interlacing or whorled masses of fibroblasts, and may be focally ossified or calcified. It is often hyalinized with an appearance similar to that of paramyloid. These lesions are usually asymptomatic, and are most commonly detected in routine chest films as circumscribed “coin” lesions, or large masses. They may be static or increase slowly in size. In a minority, they are sessile or polypoid intrabronchial masses. More than two thirds of the patients are less than 30 years of age; indeed plasma cell granulomas are prominent among the large solitary intrapulmonary lesions in children. Bacterial cultures and skin tests for mycobacteria and fungi have been negative. The prognosis is good even after lobectomy, and probably even after segmental resection. Plasma cell granulomas have structural features and a natural history quite distinct from those of sclerosing hemangioma and myeloma.
A LEED study of Ge(111); a high-temperature incommensurate structure

Abstract We present a detailed LEED study of the Ge(111) surface. The low-temperature structure is c(2×8). This structure undergoes a first order transition to an incommensurate reconstruction at 300°C. The diffraction from the high-temperature phase is consistent with either of two simple models. One is a 2 × 1 reconstruction modulated by antiphase walls which are oriented primarily perpendicular to the undoubled direction of the 2 × 1 unit mesh. The second is a 2 × 2 reconstruction modulated by a honeycomb arrangement of intersecting antiphase walls produced by shearing the 2 × 2 mesh by one primitive translation vector. Fluctuations in the I(2 × 2) structure preserve the total wall length and number of wall intersections; the free energy of this structure should be dominated by the entropy. The wall separation and correlation lengths for the high-temperature phase decrease continuously with increasing temperature above the transition.
The rate of water penetration in experimentally deformed quartzite: implications for hydrolytic weakening

Abstract In order to determine the rate at which water penetrates the grains of a quartzite we performed several types of experiments, including water-added deformation and hydrostatic experiments on vacuum-dried samples, and hydrostatic annealing experiments on previously deformed quartzites. Samples of Heavitree quartzite with an average grain size of 200 μm and intragranular water concentration of 1750±420 H/10 6 Si (as measured by FTIR) were vacuum-dried at 800°C, ∼6 Pa for 12 h. After vacuum-drying the grains showed thermal cracks with an average spacing of 50 μm and an intragranular water concentration of 240±60 H/10 6 Si. One constraint on the rate of water penetration into quartz was obtained by deforming vacuum-dried samples with 0.3 wt% (∼20,000 H/10 6 Si) water added at 800°C, 1500 MPa and a strain rate of 10 −6 /s, conditions at which as-is quartzite undergoes climb-accommodated dislocation creep. The time between reaching experimental conditions and yielding of the sample was between 2 and 9 h. The samples had yield stresses of 100–250 MPa, values well below the yield stress of 1500 MPa for a vacuum-dried sample. Deformation of the grains was homogeneous on both optical and TEM scales, indicating that the grains had fully equilibrated with the water-related defect that is responsible for water weakening. FTIR measurements are consistent with this interpretation; one of the deformed samples has an intragranular water concentration of 820±160 H/10 6 Si, and vacuum-dried samples hydrostatically annealed for 3 or 10 h at the same conditions as the deformed samples have an average intragranular water concentration of 730±180 H/10 6 Si. To obtain a second constraint on the rate of water penetration, hydrothermal annealing experiments were performed on portions of a sample of Heavitree quartzite which were previously deformed without water added at 700°C, 1200 MPa and 10 −5 /s and have a high (∼10 16 /m 2 ) and homogeneous dislocation density. Two samples were annealed at 700°C, 1500 MPa for 24 h: one with 0.2 wt% water and one with no water added. The grains in the water-added sample have a rim approximately 15 μm wide with dislocation recovery microstructures, indicating equilibration with the water-related defect; the sample with no water added has a homogeneous dislocation density throughout the grains which is similar to that of the original deformed sample. The 15-μm-wide recovered rim suggests a penetration rate approximately an order of magnitude faster than the rate of oxygen diffusion under hydrothermal conditions. The observed rate of penetration of the water-related species is consistent with theoretical considerations and calculations which predict a diffusion rate for H 2 O that is an order of magnitude faster than the rate of hydrothermal oxygen diffusion. We infer from our experiments that the rate of water penetration into quartz is consistent with diffusion of H 2 O.
SAFETY‐RELATED DEFECTS IN MOTOR VEHICLES AND THE EVALUATION OF SELF‐REGULATION*

Tobin reviews the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) self-regulating program including recall of vehicles, the ever-changing definition of defects, frequency of defect reports, and the notification of vehicle owners. He concludes that self-regulation–while minimizing government's cost and involvement in the private sector–has serious defects of its own. It gives manufacturers too much latitude in determining the existence of a defect and makes government overly dependent on the manufacturers for information. Under self-regulation the definition of what constitutes a defect changes from year-to-year; and under it manufacturer's recalcitrance in acknowledging a defect has kept the NHTSA from ordering recalls.
Evolution and Catholicism: A Few Modest Proposals

During 2006, two events, one involving mainly Protestants and the other Catholics, triggered widespread debate on evolution and Christianity. The Dover, Pennsylvania case focused on whether intelligent design (ID) should be taught alongside evolution in public high school science classes; a New York Times Op-Ed by Cardinal Schonborn of Austria argued that Catholics should reject neo-Darwinianism. Once again, these debates raise the important issue of the relationship of science and religion, and more specifically, science and Catholicism, and call for further reflection on how Catholic theology should conceive of its role in an age still dominated by science.
Comparison of 8-quinolinol-bonded polymer supports for the preconcentration of trace metals from sea water

Abstract 8-Quinolinol, immobilized on cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone, a macroreticular styrene—divinylbenzene (XE-305) or methylated polystyrene (Merrifield resin) substrates, was used for the preconcentration of ions of Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, and Cr from sea water prior to their measurement by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Optimal results were obtained when the XE-305 substrate was used. Except for chromium, recoveries of the above elements from sea water with this material averaged 100% (range 88–109%) with absolute blanks ranging between 0.1 ng (Cd) and 7 ng (Zn). Performance is demonstrated by quantitation of metal ions in open ocean water.
Ergonomic problems associated with laparoscopic surgery.

Background: The Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Task Force on Ergonomics conducted a subjective and objective assessment of ergonomic problems associated with laparoscopic instrument use. The goal was to assess the prevalence, causes, and consequences of operational difficulties associated with the use of laparoscopic instruments. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed asking respondents to rate the frequency with which they experienced pain, stiffness, or numbness in several body areas after laparoscopic operations. An ergonomics station was assembled to quantify forearm and thumb muscle workload. Processed electromyogram (EMG) signals were acquired from 27 volunteer surgeon subjects while they completed simulated surgical tasks using a hemostat and an Ethicon® laparoscopic grasper, with the aid of an endoscopic trainer and video monitoring system. Results: Of 149 surgeons responding to the questionnaire, 8% to 12% reported frequent pain in the neck and upper extremities associated with laparoscopic surgery. The ergonomics station demonstrated that the peak and total muscle effort of forearm and thumb muscles were significantly greater (p < 0.01) when the grasping task was performed using the laparoscopic instrument rather than the hemostat. Conclusion: These findings indicate that laparoscopic surgical technique is more taxing on the surgeon.
The Impact of Population Heterogeneity and Income Inequality on Homicide Rates: A Cross-National Assessment

The current research produces regression models with sample sizes from 127 to 131 by initially employing a data set of 170 nations. The current study finds that ethnic heterogeneity and linguistic heterogeneity lead to higher homicide rates. However, religious heterogeneity has no impact on homicide rates. The present article also tests an interaction effect between population heterogeneity and income inequality. Unlike J. R. Blau and Blau (1982) and Avision and Loring (1986) proposition, the interaction term is not related to national homicide rates. The current study also discusses the theoretical implications of those findings.
Effects of Surgery and Chemotherapy on Metastatic Progression of Prostate Cancer: Evidence from the Natural History of the Disease Reconstructed through Mathematical Modeling

This article brings mathematical modeling to bear on the reconstruction of the natural history of prostate cancer and assessment of the effects of treatment on metastatic progression. We present a comprehensive, entirely mechanistic mathematical model of cancer progression accounting for primary tumor latency, shedding of metastases, their dormancy and growth at secondary sites. Parameters of the model were estimated from the following data collected from 12 prostate cancer patients: (1) age and volume of the primary tumor at presentation; and (2) volumes of detectable bone metastases surveyed at a later time. This allowed us to estimate, for each patient, the age at cancer onset and inception of the first metastasis, the expected metastasis latency time and the rates of growth of the primary tumor and metastases before and after the start of treatment. We found that for all patients: (1) inception of the first metastasis occurred when the primary tumor was undetectable; (2) inception of all or most of the surveyed metastases occurred before the start of treatment; (3) the rate of metastasis shedding is essentially constant in time regardless of the size of the primary tumor and so it is only marginally affected by treatment; and most importantly, (4) surgery, chemotherapy and possibly radiation bring about a dramatic increase (by dozens or hundred times for most patients) in the average rate of growth of metastases. Our analysis supports the notion of metastasis dormancy and the existence of prostate cancer stem cells. The model is applicable to all metastatic solid cancers, and our conclusions agree well with the results of a similar analysis based on a simpler model applied to a case of metastatic breast cancer.
Cutting Edge: Itk Is Not Essential for CD28 Signaling in Naive T Cells

Itk, a member of the Tec family of tyrosine kinases, is critical for TCR signaling, leading to the activation of phospholipase Cγ1. Early biochemical studies performed in tumor cell lines also implicated Itk in CD28 signaling. These data were complemented by functional studies on primary Itk −/− T cells that suggested a negative role for Itk in CD28 signaling. In this report, we describe a thorough analysis of CD28-mediated responses in T cells lacking Itk. Using purified naive CD4 + T cells from Itk −/− mice, we examine a range of responses dependent on CD28 costimulation. We also analyze Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3β phosphorylation in response to stimulation of CD28 alone. Overall, these experiments demonstrate that CD28 signaling, as well as CD28-mediated costimulation of TCR signaling, function efficiently in the absence of Itk. These findings indicate that Itk is not essential for CD28 signaling in primary naive CD4 + T cells.