cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of pregnancy or renal dysfunction on differences in plasma protein binding of phenytoin in peripheral blood and blood exiting the liver of rats

The in vivo activity of hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme systems is reflected by the hepatic intrinsic metabolic clearance of drugs. The intrinsic hepatic clearance is determined on the basis of a drug’s total hepatic clearance as represented by the concentration changes (referable to the liver) of free plus protein-bound drug in blood, the fraction of that concentration which is not bound to proteins, and the hepatic blood perfusion rate (Wilkinson and Shand, 1975). If a substantial portion of drug in the blood is contained in or on the erythrocytes, the rate of release of drag from erythrocytes to plasma relative to the residence time of the blood in the liver may also have to be taken into consideration. It is customary, particularly in the case of relatively slowly cleared drugs, to determine the plasma or serum (rather than whole blood) clearance of a drug, either following administration of a bolus dose or at steady-state during constant rate infusion, by obtaining blood samples from a peripheral vein for measurement of drug concentrations and free fraction (protein binding) in plasma or serum. However, the plasma protein binding of drugs is often affected by the presence of endogenous binding inhibitors in the plasma, for example during pregnancy (Stock et al., 1980) and renal dysfunction (Craig et al., 1976; Sjiiholm et al., 1976), and it is possible that the concentration of these inhibitors, and therefore the protein binding of a drug, may be different in peripheral and hepatic blood. This can be so because the liver may extract some endogenous binding displacers from the circulation, an example being the substantial hepatic extraction of endogenous non-esterified fatty acids (Chou et al., 1983), and/or because the liver may form elidogenous displacers
Some observations of particulate nitrate concentrations in coal-fired power plant plumes

Abstract Particulate nitrate concentrations measured in the plumes from three coal-fired electric power plants were similar to the concentrations that have been measured in urban air. Nitrate production in the plumes was generally quite small, but one flight yielded an NOx-to-NO−3 conversion rate of ~0.2% h−1 and suggested the rate increased with distance from the plant.
Comparison of second-messenger responses to muscarinic receptor stimulation in M1-transfected A9 L cells

Abstract A9 L cells stable transfected with m1 muscarinic receptors were stimulated with the full agonist carbachol and with the partial agonist pilocarpine. The ec 50 values and maximal activation from PI hydrolysis, calcium mobilization, membrane hyperpolarization, cell proliferation and arachidonic acid release were compared. Pilocarpine was approximately half as effective in eliciting PI hydrolysis, calcium mobilization and arachidonic acid release, but was almost as effective as carbachol in the other assays. These findings suggest that the intracellular signals leading to receptor-mediated cell proliferation and to membrane hyperpolarization are amplified, and that therefore these assays are not suitable for determining whether a compound is a partial agonist.
Voltage-dependent potassium currents during fast spikes of rat cerebellar Purkinje neurons: inhibition by BDS-I toxin.

We characterized the kinetics and pharmacological properties of voltage-activated potassium currents in rat cerebellar Purkinje neurons using recordings from nucleated patches, which allowed high r...
Analyzing circuit vulnerability to hardware Trojan insertion at the behavioral level

Considerable attention has been paid to hardware Trojan detection and prevention. However, there is no existing systematic approach to investigate circuit vulnerability to hardware Trojan insertion during development. We present such an approach to investigate circuit vulnerability to Trojan insertion at the behavioral level. This novel vulnerability analysis determines a circuit's susceptibility to Trojan insertion based on statement hardness analysis as well as observability of circuit signals. Further, the Trojan detectability metric is introduced to quantitatively compare the detectability of behavioral Trojans inserted into different circuits. This creates a fair comparison for analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of Trojan detection techniques as well as helping verify trustworthiness of a third party Intellectual Property (IP).
Volatilization of trichothecene mycotoxins for analysis

Abstract T-2 toxin and diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), two trichothecene mycotoxins containing one hydroxy group, have been volatilized by induction heating, revolatilized, and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and/or GC mass spectroscopy. Seventy to eighty percent of DAS was recovered by this system; 60–70% T-2 toxin was recovered. When the hydroxy group is derivatized by acetate, 90–100% recovery is obtained. Other trichothecenes of the macrocyclic ester type (e.g., Roridan A) were also tried. Ten to twenty percent of the macrocyclic ester was obtained without derivatization.
Anabolic and Antiresorptive Therapy for Osteoporosis: Combination and Sequential Approaches

In the recent Bone Key Reports review, it was noted that combinations of anabolic and antiresorptive agents have potential to improve bone density and bone strength more than either agent as monotherapy. Small clinical trials have been performed evaluating combinations of PTH1-34 (TPTD) or PTH1-84 (PTH) with a variety of antiresorptives including hormone/estrogen therapy, raloxifene, alendronate, risedronate, ibandronate, zoledronic acid, and denosumab. Most of the studies evaluate dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry outcomes, and a few trials report volumetric mineral density (BMD) by quantitative computed tomography, followed by finite element modeling to calculate bone strength. None of the studies has been powered to assess differences in fracture incidence between combination therapy and monotherapy. BMD outcomes vary based on the timing of introduction of the anabolic agent (before, during, or after antiresorptive treatment), as well as the specific anabolic and antiresorptive used. Furthermore, effects of combination therapies are site-dependent. The most consistent effect of combining antiresorptive agents with PTH or TPTD is a superior hip BMD outcome compared with TPTD/PTH alone. This is most evident when TPTD/PTH is combined with a bisphosphonate or denosumab. In contrast to findings in the hip, in the majority of studies, there is no benefit to spine BMD with combination therapy vs monotherapy. The 2 exceptions to this are when TPTD is combined with denosumab and when TPTD is given as monotherapy first for 9 months, followed by the addition of alendronate (with continuation administration of TPTD). Based on what we now know, in patients previously treated with bisphosphonates who suffer hip fractures or who have very low or declining hip BMD, strong consideration should be given to starting TPTD and continuing a potent antiresorptive agent (possibly switching to zoledronic acid or denosumab) to improve hip BMD and strength quickly. Furthermore, in treatment naive individuals with very severe osteoporosis, such as those with spine and hip fractures, combination therapy with TPTD and denosumab or TPTD followed by combination treatment with a potent bisphosphonate or denosumab should be considered to maximize early increases in BMD throughout the skeleton (Cosman BoneKEy Rep 3, 2014)[1].
Ontology-Driven Semantic Matches between Database Schemas

Schema matching has been historically difficult to automate. Most previous studies have tried to find matches by exploiting information on schema and data instances. However, schema and data instances cannot fully capture the semantic information of the databases. Therefore, some attributes can be matched to improper attributes. To address this problem, we propose a schema matching framework that supports identification of the correct matches by extracting the semantics from ontologies. In ontologies, two concepts share similar semantics in their common parent. In addition, the parent can be further used to quantify a similarity between them. By combining this idea with effective contemporary mapping algorithms, we perform an ontology-driven semantic matching in multiple data sources. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method successfully identifies higher accurate matches than those of previous works.
New connections in the prokaryotic toxin-antitoxin network: relationship with the eukaryotic nonsense-mediated RNA decay system.

Background Several prokaryotic plasmids maintain themselves in their hosts by means of diverse post-segregational cell killing systems. Recent findings suggest that chromosomally encoded copies of toxins and antitoxins of post-segregational cell killing systems - such as the RelE system - might function as regulatory switches under stress conditions. The RelE toxin cleaves ribosome-associated transcripts, whereas another post-segregational cell killing toxin, ParE, functions as a gyrase inhibitor.
Group Formation and Precedent

This chapter combines historical evidence and social-psychology insights to contend that “coherent” Supreme Courts—those with five or more Justices who agree on crucial issues—are far more likely to overrule precedents, and to aggressively attempt to create broad precedents, than are “incoherent” Courts. The author explains the social-psychology dynamics that contribute to the formation (or absence) of coherent Court majorities. He then surveys three historical periods to illustrate the divergent behavior of coherent versus incoherent Courts: the post-1936 New Deal Court, which was highly coherent on most issues and thus ambitious in both overturning and establishing precedent; the Warren Court, which was incoherent and cautious before 1962 but became coherent and aggressive thereafter; and the Rehnquist Court, which was incoherent on most issues (dominated by two centrist swing Justices) and thus adopted a minimalist approach toward precedent. The author concludes with a preliminary analysis of the Roberts Court, suggesting that it is generally incoherent and therefore reluctant to formally overrule precedent in most areas.
Peripheral vision benefits spatial learning by guiding eye movements

The loss of peripheral vision impairs spatial learning and navigation. However, the mechanisms underlying these impairments remain poorly understood. One advantage of having peripheral vision is that objects in an environment are easily detected and readily foveated via eye movements. The present study examined this potential benefit of peripheral vision by investigating whether competent performance in spatial learning requires effective eye movements. In Experiment 1, participants learned room-sized spatial layouts with or without restriction on direct eye movements to objects. Eye movements were restricted by having participants view the objects through small apertures in front of their eyes. Results showed that impeding effective eye movements made subsequent retrieval of spatial memory slower and less accurate. The small apertures also occluded much of the environmental surroundings, but the importance of this kind of occlusion was ruled out in Experiment 2 by showing that participants exhibited intact learning of the same spatial layouts when luminescent objects were viewed in an otherwise dark room. Together, these findings suggest that one of the roles of peripheral vision in spatial learning is to guide eye movements, highlighting the importance of spatial information derived from eye movements for learning environmental layouts.
Key innovations, convergence, and success: macroevolutionary lessons from plant phylogeny

Improvements in our understanding of green plant phylogeny are casting new light on the connection between character evolution and diversification. The repeated discovery of paraphyly has helped disentangle what once appeared to be phylogenetically coincident character changes, but this has also highlighted the existence of sequences of character change, no one element of which can cleanly be identified as the “key innovation” responsible for shifting diversification rate. In effect, the cause becomes distributed across a nested series of nodes in the tree. Many of the most conspicuous plant “innovations” (such as macrophyllous leaves) are underlain by earlier, more subtle shifts in development (such as overtopping growth), which appear to have enabled the exploration of a greater range of morphological designs. Often it appears that these underlying changes have been brought about at the level of cell interactions within meristems, highlighting the need for developmental models and experiments focused at this level. The standard practice of attempting to identify correlations between recurrent character change (such as the tree growth habit) and clade diversity is complicated by the observation that the “same” trait may be constructed quite differently in different lineages (e.g., different forms of cambial activity), with some solutions imposing more architectural limitations than others. These thoughts highlight the need for a more nuanced view, which has implications for comparative methods. They also bear on issues central to Stephen Jay Gould's vision of macroevolution, including exaptation and evolutionary recurrence in relation to constraint and the repeatability of evolution.
Regionalism, Globalization, and Economic Development of the World *

This study evaluates the effects of regionalism on economic development in the world basing on the panel data of 217 countries. In general, regionalism pur- sued by countries via their respective regional organizations was found to have no significant independent effect on the economic development. Regardless of regionalism, the international economic variables such as globalization and terms of trade, as well as domestic variables such as population growth, urbani- zation and ethnic composition were found to have significant impact on eco- nomic development. In affecting economic development, the individual sovereign member states of regional organizations are independent of the collective institu- tional design of the regional organization they are affiliated with. The purpose of the present article is to analyze the effectiveness of regionalism by regional organizations in the world in affecting economic development. Not only regional intergov- ernmental organizations (RIGOs) like the European Union (EU), African Union (AU) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but also the regional free trade agree- ments (RFTAs) like North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are the driving forces of regionalism. The task of empirically assessing the effects of regionalism on eco- nomic development has been a critical challenge not only in developing but also in devel- oped countries. There are many other international as well as domestic variables that could also affect economic development. The effect study of regionalism should also cover 'all' regions in the world and this study is based on major regionalisms, aiming at covering all regions/subregions in the world: Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Pacific Rim, Central Asia, North and South America, and Middle East. Different Views on Regionalism Regionalism is based on the following three ingredients: identifiable geographical region, geographical proximity and an organization with a common sense of identity and purpose (economic, political, security/military, etc.) among the member states. There are many views of the whys and wherefores of the joining the regional organizations. One of them is the effi- ciency of collective activities (Abbott and Snidal 1998; Karns and Mingst 2010: 6). The eco- nomic integration via regional organizations generates economies of scale. The regional- ism by RIGOs is also viewed from the perspectives of global and/or regional governance
Influence of the liquid environment on the products formed from the laser ablation of tin

Tin targets immersed in ethanol and distilled water were ablated using a UV pulsed laser. The ablated products were investigated with transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. For ablation in both liquids, the size distribution of the produced particles was bimodal, with particles having diameters of ∼10 nm and ∼1 μm. Formation mechanisms that caused the bimodal distribution are suggested. Ablation in ethanol resulted in nanoparticles that were found to be single crystals of tin coated with tin hydroxide (Sn(OH)2) while ablation in water yielded nanoparticles that were polycrystalline tin dioxide (SnO2) throughout.
Literature and medicine: origins and destinies

Literature and medicine is a flourishing subdiscipline of literary studies that examines the many relations between literary acts and texts and medical acts and texts. The author examines the historical connections between these two fields and suggests that the growth and decline in medicine's attentiveness to the power of words can be used as a marker for medicine's degree of attentiveness to the individual patient's predicament. The recent explosive growth in medicine's interest in literature and narrative is taken as evidence that medicine's swing toward the reductionist and away from the narrative has ended. Patients and doctors have reason to await the return swing of the pendulum-if not the turn of the spiral-toward a medicine that is both technologically and narratively competent.
A scalable distributed information management system

We present a Scalable Distributed Information Management System (SDIMS) that aggregates information about large-scale networked systems and that can serve as a basic building block for a broad range of large-scale distributed applications by providing detailed views of nearby information and summary views of global information. To serve as a basic building block, a SDIMS should have four properties: scalability to many nodes and attributes, flexibility to accommodate a broad range of applications, administrative isolation for security and availability, and robustness to node and network failures. We design, implement and evaluate a SDIMS that (1) leverages Distributed Hash Tables (DHT) to create scalable aggregation trees, (2) provides flexibility through a simple API that lets applications control propagation of reads and writes, (3) provides administrative isolation through simple extensions to current DHT algorithms, and (4) achieves robustness to node and network reconfigurations through lazy reaggregation, on-demand reaggregation, and tunable spatial replication. Through extensive simulations and micro-benchmark experiments, we observe that our system is an order of magnitude more scalable than existing approaches, achieves isolation properties at the cost of modestly increased read latency in comparison to flat DHTs, and gracefully handles failures.
Twenty-four-hour rhythmicity in carbonic anhydrase activities of choroid plexuses and pineal gland.

Carbonic anhydrase (CA, carbonate hydro-lyase, EC 4.2.1.1) activity of choroid plexuses (ventricles I + II and IV) and pineal glands of adult male rats was determined by microtitration. Autopsies at precise times in relation to a daily photoperiod 14 hours long allowed in replicate series evaluation of 24-hour rhythmicity. A slightly lower choroid CA activity during the light phase was variable and marginal in significance. A highly significant and reproducible daily fall in pineal CA activity near the onset of light was paralleled by, and probably originated from, a fall in pineal content of erythrocytes. Low pineal CA activity is consistent with its endocrine nature. Its morning changes in hemodynamics are likely to be due to local changes in content and release of norepinephrine and other vasoactive agents.
Adaptive body bias for reducing impacts of die-to-die and within-die parameter variations on microprocessor frequency and leakage

Bidirectional adaptive body bias (ABB) is used to compensate for die-to-die parameter variations by applying an optimum pMOS and nMOS body bias voltage to each die which maximizes the die frequency subject to a power constraint. Measurements on a 150 nm CMOS test chip which incorporates on-chip ABB, show that ABB reduces variation in die frequency by a factor of seven, while improving the die acceptance rate. An enhancement of this technique, that compensates for within-die parameter variations as well, increases the number of dies accepted in the highest frequency bin. ABB is therefore shown to provide bin split improvement in the presence of increasing process parameter variations.
Diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease: Potential role of molecular biometrics.

Accurate diagnosis of predominantly colonic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is not possible in 30% of patients. For decades, scientists have worked to find a solution to improve diagnostic accuracy for IBD, encompassing Crohn’s colitis and ulcerative colitis. Evaluating protein patterns in surgical pathology colectomy specimens of colonic mucosal and submucosal compartments, individually, has potential for diagnostic medicine by identifying integrally independent, phenotype-specific cellular and molecular characteristics. Mass spectrometry (MS) and imaging (I) MS are analytical technologies that directly measure molecular species in clinical specimens, contributing to the in-depth understanding of biological molecules. The biometric-system complexity and functional diversity is well suited to proteomic and diagnostic studies. The direct analysis of cells and tissues by Matrix-Assisted-Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI) MS/IMS has relevant medical diagnostic potential. MALDI-MS/IMS detection generates molecular signatures obtained from specific cell types within tissue sections. Herein discussed is a perspective on the use of MALDI-MS/IMS and bioinformatics technologies for detection of molecular-biometric patterns and identification of differentiating proteins. I also discuss a perspective on the global challenge of transferring technologies to clinical laboratories dealing with IBD issues. The significance of serologic-immunometric advances is also discussed.
Properties of Modulation-Doped HgCdTe Superlattices

Photoassisted molecular beam epitaxy has been employed to successfully prepare p-type and n-type modulation-doped HgCdTe superlattices. The samples were grown at 170°C. In this paper, we report details of the MBE growth experiments and describe the optical and electrical properties that these new multilayered quantum well structures of HgCdTe possess.
Resonant optical ultrasound transducer (ROUT) arrays for high resolution photoacoustic imaging

Multi-dimensional, high frequency ultrasound arrays are extremely difficult to fabricate from conventional piezoelectrics. For over a decade, our lab has explored optical detection as an alternate technology for high frequency applications. We have developed several different types of acoustically coupled optical resonators to provide the sensitivity and bandwidth required for biomedical imaging. Waveguide and fiber lasers, thin Fabry-Perot etalons constructed from polymers, and thin microring resonators imprinted into polymers have all been used as ultrasound transducer arrays. Their performance rivals the theoretical conversion efficiency of piezoelectric devices but with bandwidths approaching 100 MHz, array element dimensions approaching 10 um, and no electrical interconnects. In this paper we present results on several resonant optical ultrasound transducer (ROUT) arrays, emphasizing their potential use in photoacoustic imaging. These results strongly suggest that a high resolution photoacoustic microscope can be constructed using a ROUT in a footprint appropriate for endoscopic and minimally invasive applications.
Rat study leaves unanswered questions about using rhBMP-2 for spinal cord injury in humans: commentary on an article by Anton E. Dmitriev, PhD, et al.: "Alterations in recovery from spinal cord injury in rats treated with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 for posterolateral arthrodesis".

This paper investigated the effect of rhBMP-2 use for spinal fusion in a rat model of spinal cord injury. The authors selected the worst-case scenario, in which the dura is lacerated irreparably and a hemisection injury of the spinal cord is performed. A posterolateral fusion was then performed with 43 μg of rhBMP-2 impregnated within an absorbable collagen sponge, and the rats were analyzed for improvement in neurological function. The authors found that the mean BBB score (Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scoring system, a neurological outcome measure) was initially worse for the rhBMP-2 group than for the control animals but became similar at later time points. However, there was increased histological evidence …
Ablative Resurfacing: Laser, Chemical Peels,and Dermabrasion

Improving the appearance of facial rhytides and scars can be addressed by ablative resurfacing techniques. The goal of these methods is to eliminate the epidermis and at least a portion of the underlying dermis in a controlled fashion to allow for ­healing to a more cosmetically acceptable endpoint. Ablative resurfacing techniques include mecha­nical disruption, chemical disruption, or photo­thermolysis, achieved by dermabrasion, chemical peels, and laser-based modalities, respectively.
Yield Models for Defect-Tolerant VLSI Circuits: A Review

The statistical models for estimating and predicting the manufacturing yields of VLSI circuits are reviewed. It is shown how defect clustering is taken into account, and how yield formulae for defect and fault tolerant VLSI circuits are developed. Different types of formulae for the yield of defect tolerant VLSI circuits have appeared in the literature. It is proven here for the first time that most of these approaches are equivalent.
Application of counterimmunoelectrophoresis in rapid detection of cytomegalovirus antibodies.

Niebojewski, Ruth A., Aguilar-Torres, Francisco G., and Rytel, Michael VV.: Application of counterimmunoelectrophoresis in rapid detection of cytomegalovirus antibodies. Determination of cytomegalovirus antibodies by counterimmuno-electrophoresis correlated well with results of complement-fixation antibody studies. The sensitivity and specificity of the counterimmunoelectrophoresis method ( vs . complement fixation) was 88.9%. Fourfold antibody increases detected by complement fixation were also detected by counterimmunoelectrophoresis. In addition, no cross-reaction was observed in the counterimmunoelectrophoresis assay between other DNA viral antisera and cytomegalovirus antigen (Ad-169).
Microstructure and local mechanical property evolution during high strain-rate deformation of tantalum

Shear localization is often a failure mechanism in materials subjected to high strain rate deformation. It is generally accepted that the microstructure evolution during deformation and the resulting heterogeneities strongly influence the development of these shear bands. Information regarding the development of local mechanical heterogeneities during deformation is difficult to characterize and as such, constitute is a critical missing piece in current crystal plasticity models. With the recent advances in spherical nanoindentation data analysis, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to obtain insights into the change in local mechanical properties during deformation in materials at sub-micron length scales. In this work, we quantify the evolution of microstructure and local mechanical properties in tantalum under dynamic loading conditions (split Hopkinson pressure bar), to capture the structure- property correlations at the sub-micron length scale. Relevant information is obtained by combining local mechanical property information captured using spherical nanoindentation with complimentary structure information at the indentation site measured using EBSD. The aim is to gain insight into the role of these microstructural features during macroscopic deformation, particularly their influence on the development of mechanical heterogeneities that lead to failure.
Syntactic Empty Categories in Nigerian English newspaper headlines

Several studies have worked on Nigerian newspaper headlines mostly from stylistic and discourse perspectives but none of these studies have examined the issue of empty categories in the headlines. This study, therefore, examines empty categories in Nigerian newspaper headlines.
Comparative Benefits and Harms of Antidepressant, Psychological, Complementary, and Exercise Treatments for Major Depression: An Evidence Report for a Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians.

This meta-analysis of 45 randomized trials addresses the comparative benefits and harms of the following interventions for major depression: second-generation antidepressants, cognitive behavioral ...
Neuropathological Basis of Age-Associated Brain Atrophy (P05.053)

Objective: To examine the association between brain volume trajectories measured during life and postmortem neuropathology in the oldest old. Background Better understanding of the neuropathological basis of age-related brain atrophy is needed to optimize use of brain volume as a biomarker in Alzheimer disease studies. Design/Methods: Seventy-one participants of a longitudinal aging study were followed until death. All volunteers had ≥ 2 MRI scans, with the last scan within 36 months of death, and cognitive evaluations within 24 months of death. Mixed effects models, which allow random intercept and age slope, with each brain volume (ventricular, total brain and hippocampal) as the outcome were run with the following dependent variables: Braak stage (3 categories), senile plaque burden (2 categories), age at each MRI assessment, presence of gross infarcts, APOE genotype (coded as the presence of one or more e4 versus none), cognitive status at the last evaluation before death (cognitively impaired versus not cognitively impaired), presence of Lewy Bodies and terms for the interactions of these variables with time (age at each MRI assessment). Age at death and duration of follow-up were also controlled for as potential confounders. Results: The mean age at death was 94.72 (±5.46) years old. Of the 71 subjects 44 developed cognitive impairment before death. In the mixed-effects models presence of infarcts, having a high Braak or senile plaque score, and the e4 allele were all significantly associated with greater ventricular enlargement over time independent of cognitive status. Presence of infarcts was also significantly associated with greater total brain atrophy. None of the pathological measures was significantly associated with hippocampal atrophy. Conclusions: Ventricular enlargement over time, is a good marker of accruing age-associated neuropathology independent of the presence of cognitive impairment. Presence of high burdens of both neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques correlate with ventricular enlargement over time. Supported by: Funding from the Research & Development Office of the Department of Veterans Affairs (Career Development Award and Merit Review Grant) and the National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Health, AG08017. Disclosure: Dr. Erten-Lyons has nothing to disclose. Dr. Woltjer has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dodge has nothing to disclose. Dr. Silbert has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kramer has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kaye has received personal compensation for activities with Eli Lilly & Company as a participant on a data safety and monitoring board. Dr. Kaye has received research support from Elan Corporation, Danone Medical, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Satoris, and Intel.
Theoretical Study on X−H, −O, −OH, −NO, −ONO, and −NO2 (X = CH3, t-C4H9, C13H21)

Theoretical studies are reported for conformational energies and bond energies of compounds X−H, X−O, X−OH, X−NO, X−NO2 X−ONO, XO−NO, and XN(O)−O with X = CH3, tert-butyl, and C13H21, which are tem...
Hoping, praying, gathering data: Studying healing when loved ones are ill

On a Saturday morning mid-way through my dissertation fieldwork, I was sitting in a synagogue in Tucson, participating/observing in the Shabbat morning service as part of my research on Jewish prayers for healing. When the time came for the congregation to sing the Mi Sheberach, the Jewish prayer for healing, the rabbi asked anyone who had someone in their life in need of healing to stand up and share the name. I stood up and said my mother’s Hebrew name, as is the custom at this more traditional synagogue. My mother had been diagnosed a few weeks earlier with a recurrence of cancer and was about to begin treatment. As I sat back down, the congregation began to sing the familiar melody and my voice caught in my throat. In my head, I heard a snippet from an interview I had done a few months earlier. The man had told me, “When I stand up and say a name out loud during the service, it’s a public acknowledgement that someone I love is really sick. It makes it real.” In that moment, I realized he was right. It definitely felt more real now. A few weeks later, I was at a different synagogue where they do a modern version of this prayer. This time, when the rabbi asked for names, I stood and said “My mother, Phyllis”. I was aware that this felt different. Using my mother’s Hebrew name [Falia, daughter of Reizel] also reminds me of my grandmother Rose. It reminds me of our immigrant family story; I only ever hear these two Yiddish names in this ritualized context. I was also aware that people paid more attention when I noted the relationship; friends came over after the service finished to ask me what was going on and how my
Clinical Observation of Hemodiafi Ltration on Uremic Refractory Hypertension

Objective To investigate the treatment of refractory hypertension in uremia effective way.Methods 120 patients with refractory hypertension in patients with CRF were divided into 2 groups.A Group standards applied 3 times per week hemodialysis treatment;B group 1 week,conventional standard hemodialysis treatment and 2 times a week hemodiafiltration treatment.Patients were compared before and 8 weeks after treatment,parathyroid hormone,plasma renin,angiotensin Ⅱ,mean arterial blood pressure changes.Results B The mean arterial blood pressure is more significant than the A group,compared with the A group there was significant difference(P0.01).B After treatment,plasma Renin,angiotensin Ⅱ and parathyroid hormone decreased significantly,compared with before treatment there was significant difference(P0.05).Conclusion Hemodialysis can effectively remove the plasma RA,AngⅡ,parathyroid hormone and other middle molecular toxins,better than the treatment of refractory hypertension in hemodialysis and is worthy of promotion.
The Application of UG NX tool Check-Mate in Automobile Product Design

This paper introduce the importance of CHECK-MATE tools from UG NX,and the checking content,key process,results,recover and attribute mapping of Teamcenter Engineering and NX check-mate
10: CHOLESTEROL FLUX PATHWAY ABNORMALITIES INDUCED BY PLASMA FROM PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE

Purpose of Study Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Patients with CKD have a high prevalence of atherosclerosis. However, CVD risk associated with CKD is not entirely explained by standard lipid profile or liver handling of cholesterol, as evidenced by the resistance to statin benefits seen in later stages of CKD. This study aims to detect changes in expression of cholesterol transport proteins in the setting of CKD and to determine if such changes adversely affect lipid handling by macrophages leading to cholesterol overload and atheromatous foam cell formation. Methods Used THP-1 human macrophages (10 6 /ml) were incubated for 18 h–24 h with plasma obtained from 10 CKD patients (7 male, 3 female) or 10 healthy control subjects (4 male, 6 female). CKD patients were not on dialysis and had not received renal transplant. Following incubation, mRNA was isolated and reverse transcribed. The resulting cDNA was subjected to quantitative real-time PCR using specific primers for ATP binding cassette transporter (ABC)A1 (cholesterol efflux protein) and CD36, (a scavenger receptor with the capacity to endocytose oxidized LDL). Summary of Results PCR analysis showed that ABCA1 mRNA was reduced by 23±5% (p Conclusions These findings suggest a different mechanism of lipid dysregulation associated with CKD that may explain the pathogenesis of elevated CVD risk in CKD and lack of response to statins. This mechanism, through pro-atherogenic suppression of ABCA1, differs from our finding in autoimmune rheumatic diseases where, in addition to lowering of ABCA1, augmentation of CD36 was also observed. In CKD, a paradoxical decrease in CD36 could compromise macrophage clearance of lipids, increasing vulnerability to lipoprotein thrombi in kidney. Further lowering of monocyte CD36 with statins would be of little benefit if CD36 is already low in CKD. Defining changes in lipid handling in CKD could lead to novel, targeted CVD treatment approaches in the CKD population.
The spectrum of renal cystic diseases.

Clinical presentation, site of the lesions, etiology and pathogenesis, and prognosis are all highly variable across the broad spectrum of renal cystic diseases. Perhaps the most significant addition to our recent knowledge is recognition of the genetic nature of many of these entities. This appreciation makes genetic counseling one of the most important aspects of clinical management.
Tranexamic Acid for Recurring Subdural Hematomas Following Surgical Evacuation: A Clinical Case Series.

Background Chronic subdural hematomas (SDHs) are commonly encountered in neurosurgery. Optimal management of SDHs remains a significant challenge. Current treatment options generally include supportive care or surgical intervention. A significant proportion of patients have surgery; however, the reoperation rate is considered high. There are also cases in which additional surgical procedures would carry significant morbidity, and as a result, there is a need for nonsurgical medical therapies. We describe the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) as a nonsurgical option for the treatment of recurrent SDHs following surgery. Methods Patients were identified as candidates for potential TXA therapy and followed prospectively. The decision to administer TXA was made on the basis of history, presentation, and prognosis after further surgical intervention. Data collected included patient imaging, treatment administered, and both radiologic and clinical outcomes. Results Three patients underwent surgical evacuation of a chronic SDH (two via burr hole washout and one via craniotomy). All patients had recurrence identified on subsequent imaging. Two patients had poorer predicted outcomes if additional surgical intervention was necessary, and one refused additional surgical intervention. TXA was administered, in the same dosing and scheduled course, to all patients. Complete resolution was observed on imaging, and in the case of the patient who was symptomatic, clinical improvement was also noted. Conclusion TXA may be considered for the treatment of recurrent SDHs following surgical evacuation in patients for whom additional surgery would add significant morbidity.
Upstream Movements of Atlantic Salmon in the Lower Penobscot River, Maine Following Two Dam Removals and Fish Passage Modifications

AbstractThe Penobscot River Restoration Project (PRRP), to be completed in 2016, involved an extensive plan of dam removal, increases in hydroelectric capacity, and fish passage modifications to increase habitat access for diadromous species. As part of the PRRP, Great Works and Veazie dams were removed, making Milford Dam the first impediment to federally endangered Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar. Upstream habitat access for Atlantic Salmon is dependent upon successful and timely passage at Milford Dam because nearly all suitable spawning habitat is located upstream. In 2014 and 2015, a total of 73 adult salmon were radio-tagged to track their upstream movements through the Penobscot River to assess potential delays at (1) the dam remnants, (2) the confluence of the Stillwater Branch and the main stem of the Penobscot River below the impassable Orono Dam, and (3) the Milford Dam fish lift (installed in 2014). Movement rates through the dam remnants and the Stillwater confluence were comparable to open river...
A PHM Approach to Additive Manufacturing Equipment Health Monitoring, Fault Diagnosis, and Quality Control

Fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) objects through direct deposition of functional materials using 3D printing equipment is called additive manufacturing (AM). Benefits of AM include producing goods quickly and on-demand, with greater customization and complexity and less material waste. While the use of AM has been growing, a number of challenges continue to impede its more widespread adoption, particularly in the areas of non-destructive evaluation/non- destructive testing (NDE/NDT) techniques for AM equipment health monitoring and measurement. In this paper, a prognostics and health management (PHM) approach to AM equipment health monitoring, fault diagnosis and quality control is presented and illustrated with a case study. The presented PHM approach is developed using two types of NDE/NDT sensors: acoustic emission (AE) sensor and piezoelectric strain sensor. A seeded driving belt fault on a fused filament fabrication desktop 3D printer is used to validate the feasibility of the PHM approach in the case study. The case study results have shown the effectiveness of the presented method for AM equipment fault diagnosis and quality control.
Succinamide derivatives of melampomagnolide B and their anti-cancer activities

A series of succinamide derivatives of melampomagnolide B have been synthesized by coupling MMB monosuccinate (2) with various heterocyclic amines to afford compounds 3a-3l. MMB monosuccinate was also reacted with terminal diaminoalkanes to afford dimeric succinamido analogs of MMB (4a-4h). These succinamide analogs of MMB were evaluated for their anti-cancer activity against a panel of sixty human cancer cell lines. Analogs 3d-3i and dimers 4f-4g exhibited promising anti-cancer activity with GI50 values ranging from 0.28 to 33.5µM against most of the cell lines in the panel. The dimeric analogs 4f and 4g were identified as lead compounds with GI50 values in the nanomolar range (GI50=280-980nM) against several cell lines in the panel; i.e. leukemia cell lines CCRF-CEM, HL-60(TB), K-562, MOLT-4, RPMI-8226 and SR; and solid tumor cell lines NCI-H522 (non-small cell lung cancer), SW-620 and HCT-116 (colon cancer), LOX IMVI (melanoma), RXF 393 (renal cancer), and MCF7, BT-549 and MDA-MB-468 (breast cancer). Succinamide analogs 3a, 3c-3l and 4b-4h were also evaluated for their apoptotic activity against M9-ENL1 acute myelogenous leukemia cells; compounds 3h-3j and 4g were equipotent with parthenolide, exhibiting LC50 values in the range 4.1-8.1μM. Molecular docking studies indicate that these molecules interact covalently with the highly conserved Cys-46 residue of the N-terminal lobe (1-109) of human IKKβ to inhibit the NFκB transcription factor complex, resulting in down-regulation of anti-apoptotic genes under NFκB control.
Abstract P318: Vasoprotective Effects of an Apo A-I Mimetic Peptide

Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is associated with several pathologic states and contributes to the development of systemic vascular complications. High density lipoprotein (HDL) and apol...
Facile and Scalable Synthesis of Copolymer-Sulfur Composites as Cathodes for High Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

To promote the energy density of lithium-ion battery, the sulfur-based cathode has attracted extensive attention because of its high specific capacity of 1672 mAh g-1 and its high abundance. However, the sulfur shuttling effects and the loss of active material during lithiation hinder its commercial application. To tackle these issues, we synthesized a stable copolymer-sulfur composite by chemically binding sulfur. The composite with 86% sulfur content was prepared using 1,3-diethynylbenzen and sulfur particles via scalable invers vulcanization. The sulfur content in copolymer sulfur was achieved as high as 86%. Our copolymer-sulfur composite cathode showed excellent cycling performance with a specific capacity of 454 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C after 300 cycles. We demonstrate that the organosulfur-DEB units in the copolymer-sulfur composite serve as the ‘plasticizer’ to effectively prevent the polysulfide shuttling.
Simulation Optimization Under Input Model Uncertainty

Stochastic simulation is driven by the input model, which is a collection of distributions that model the randomness in the system. Since the input model is often estimated from data of past observations, simulation is subject to the so-called input model uncertainty due to the finiteness of the data. As a result, optimizing the corresponding simulation model may lead to solutions that perform poorly under the true model. In the past, simulation optimization has been mostly studied under the assumption that the input model is accurate, thus only accounting for stochastic uncertainty in the system but ignoring input model uncertainty. In this chapter, we aim to answer two questions: (1) how to quantify the impact of input model uncertainty on the simulation optimization problem; (2) how to “optimize” a simulation model when taking into account input model uncertainty. To address the first question, we provide asymptotic results and confidence intervals on the optimality gap and performance of solutions. For the second question, we review a recently proposed framework of Bayesian risk optimization that captures trade-off between the expected performance and the variability of the actual performance. Many research questions still remain for simulation optimization under input model uncertainty, and will be discussed briefly at the end of this chapter.
Malignant insulinoma chemotherapy resistant, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor of uncertain prognosis

Abstract Within the neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas, insulinomas are tumors of generally benign behavior and cause of endogenous hyperinsulinism. We present the case of an adult patient with prolonged hypoglycemia secondary to malignant insulinoma with regional dissemination and poor cellular differentiation, besides a review of the diagnostic and therapeutic approach of this type of tumors.
Neuroinflammatory priming to stress is differentially regulated in male and female rats.

Abstract Exposure to stressors can enhance neuroinflammatory responses, and both stress and neuroinflammation are predisposing factors in the development of psychiatric disorders. Females suffer disproportionately more from several psychiatric disorders, yet stress-induced changes in neuroinflammation have primarily been studied in males. Here we tested whether exposure to inescapable tail shock sensitizes or ‘primes’ neuroinflammatory responses in male and female rats. At 24 h post-stress, male and female rats exposed to a peripheral immune challenge enhanced neuroinflammatory responses and exacerbated anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors. These changes are likely glucocorticoid dependent, as administering exogenous CORT, caused a similar primed inflammatory response in the hippocampus of male and female rats. Further, stress disinhibited anti-inflammatory signaling mechanisms (such as CD200R) in the hippocampus of male and female rats. In males, microglia are considered the likely cellular source mediating neuroinflammatory priming; stress increased cytokine expression in ex vivo male microglia. Conversely, microglia isolated from stressed or CORT treated females did not exhibit elevated cytokine responses. Microglia isolated from both stressed male and female rats reduced phagocytic activity; however, suggesting that microglia from both sexes experience stress-induced functional impairments. Finally, an immune challenge following either stress or CORT in females, but not males, increased peripheral inflammation (serum IL-1β). These novel data suggest that although males and females both enhance stress-induced neuroinflammatory and behavioral responses to an immune challenge, this priming may occur through distinct, sex-specific mechanisms.