cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blind signature and ring signature schemes: Rehabilitation and attack

Blind signature and ring signature are two signature schemes with privacy concern. Zhang [Jianhong Zhang, Linkability analysis of some blind signature schemes, In International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Security 2006, IEEE, vol. 2, 2006, pp. 1367-1370, (Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ICCIAS.2006.295283.)] analyzed the unlinkability of Zhang and Kim [Fangguo Zhang, Kwangjo Kim, ID-based blind signature and ring signature from pairings, in: Yuliang Zheng (Ed.), Advances in Cryptology - ASIACRYPT 2002, 8th International Conference on the Theory and Application of Cryptology and Information Security, Queenstown, New Zealand, December 1-5, 2002, Proceedings, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 2501, Springer, 2002, pp. 533-547], Huang et al. [Zhenjie Huang, Kefei Chen, Yumin Wang, Efficient identity-based signatures and blind signatures, in: Yvo Desmedt, Huaxiong Wang, Yi Mu, Yongqing Li (Eds.), Cryptology and Network Security, 4th International Conference, CANS 2005, Xiamen, China, December 14-16, 2005, Proceedings, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 3810, Springer, 2005, pp. 120-133] and Wu et al. [Qianhong Wu, Willy Susilo, Yi Mu, Fangguo Zhang, Efficient partially blind signatures with provable security, in: Osvaldo Gervasi, Marina L. Gavrilova, (Eds.), Computational Science and Its Applications - ICCSA 2007, International Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, August 26-29, 2007. Proceedings. Part III, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 4707, Springer, 2007, pp. 1096-1105] and claimed that they are indeed linkable. On the other hand, Gamage et al. [Chandana Gamage, Ben Gras, Bruno Crispo, Andrew S. Tanenbaum, An identity-based ring signature scheme with enhanced privacy, Securecomm and Workshops 2006, IEEE, 2006, pp. 1-5, (Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/SECCOMW.2006.359554)] claimed that the scheme of Chow et al. [Sherman S.M. Chow, Siu-Ming Yiu, Lucas Chi Kwong Hui, Efficient identity based ring signature, in: John Ioannidis, Angelos D. Keromytis, Moti Yung (Eds.), Applied Cryptography and Network Security, Third International Conference, ACNS 2005, New York, NY, USA, June 7-10, 2005, Proceedings, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 3531, 2005, pp. 499-512] is vulnerable to key exposure attack. This paper shows that all these claims are incorrect. Furthermore, we show that the scheme proposed by Gamage et al. [Chandana Gamage, Ben Gras, Bruno Crispo, Andrew S. Tanenbaum, An identity-based ring signature scheme with enhanced privacy, Securecomm and Workshops 2006, IEEE, 2006, pp. 1-5, (Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/SECCOMW.2006.359554)] which aimed to provide enhanced privacy actually has privacy level reduced. We hope this work can pinpoint the standard one should use when analyzing the unlinkability of blind signatures and the anonymity of ring signatures.
Caenorhabditis elegans UNC-103 ERG-Like Potassium Channel Regulates Contractile Behaviors of Sex Muscles in Males before and during Mating

During mating behavior the Caenorhabditis elegans male must regulate periodic and prolonged protractor muscle contractions to insert his copulatory spicules into his mate. The protractors undergo periodic contractions to allow the spicules to reattempt insertion if a previous thrust failed to breach the vulva. When the spicule tips penetrate the vulva, the protractors undergo prolonged contraction to keep the spicules inside the hermaphrodite until sperm transfer is complete. To understand how these contractions are regulated, we isolated EMS-induced mutations that cause males to execute prolonged contraction inappropriately. Loss-of-function mutations in the unc-103 ERG-like K(+) channel gene cause the protractor muscles to contract in the absence of mating stimulation. unc-103-induced spicule protraction can be suppressed by killing the SPC motor neurons and the anal depressor muscle: cells that directly contact the protractors. Also, reduction in acetylcholine suppresses unc-103-induced protraction, suggesting that UNC-103 keeps cholinergic neurons from stimulating the protractors before mating behavior. UNC-103 also regulates the timing of spicule protraction during mating behavior. unc-103 males that do not display mating-independent spicule protraction show abnormal spicule insertion behavior during sex. In contrast to wild-type males, unc-103 mutants execute prolonged contractions spontaneously within sequences of periodic protractor contractions. The premature prolonged contractions cause the spicules to extend from the male tail before the spicule tips penetrate the vulva. These observations demonstrate that unc-103 controls various aspects of spicule function.
Development of an experimental method for long-term electrocardiographic recordings in a heart failure rabbit model

A method has been developed where the electrocardiogram (ECG) is monitored continuously using implantable monitors in a doxorubicin rabbit model of heart failure. The primary goal is to devise strategies to detect and analyze changes in the ECG as the disease develops. Doxorubicin was injected weekly in four rabbits at two different doses, 2 mg/kg and 4 mg/kg per week. Two control rabbits received saline injections. The ECG was continuously tracked and recorded (1000 samples per sec) for three control and up to ten treatment weeks. Data was produced 180 MB per ECG channel per day per rabbit, totaling around 200 GB for the study. Eleven classic heart rate variability (HRV) parameters were derived for every usable 5-minute segment for the entire period of the recordings. A new visualization technique was designed The results graphically show changes in the circadian rhythm in treatment group with a general loss in circadian rhythm and decrease in HRV.
A Mesoeconomic Approach to Socioeconomics

Economics has developed extensive modeling of household, firm, and aggregated economy-wide behavior utilizing rational actors. It has not developed social behavior analysis in as great of depth. The model presented here presents justification of the adoption of social norms by the individual as a method of examining the breakdown of social order by self-identified subgroups and society in general.
Crystal structure of Bacillus anthracis virulence regulator AtxA and effects of phosphorylated histidines on multimerization and activity.

The Bacillus anthracis virulence regulator AtxA controls transcription of the anthrax toxin genes and capsule biosynthesis operon. AtxA activity is elevated during growth in media containing glucose and CO2/bicarbonate, and there is a positive correlation between the CO2/bicarbonate signal, AtxA activity, and homomultimerization. AtxA activity is also affected by phosphorylation at specific histidines. We show that AtxA crystallizes as a dimer. Distinct folds associated with predicted DNA-binding domains (HTH1 and HTH2) and phosphoenolpyruvate: carbohydrate phosphotransferase system-regulated domains (PRD1 and PRD2) are apparent. We tested AtxA variants containing single and double phosphomimetic (His → Asp) and phosphoablative (His → Ala) amino acid changes for activity in B. anthracis cultures and for protein-protein interactions in cell lysates. Reduced activity of AtxA H199A, lack of multimerization and activity of AtxAH379D variants, and predicted structural changes associated with phosphorylation support a model for control of AtxA function. We propose that (1) in the AtxA dimer, phosphorylation of H199 in PRD1 affects HTH2 positioning, influencing DNA-binding; and (2) phosphorylation of H379 in PRD2 disrupts dimer formation. In conclusion, the AtxA structure is the first reported high-resolution full-length structure of a PRD-containing regulator and can serve as a model for proteins of this family, especially thosemore » that link virulence to bacterial metabolism.« less
Impact of an abbreviated cardiac enzyme protocol to aid rapid discharge of patients with cocaine-associated chest pain in the clinical decision unit

Introduction: In 2007 there were 64,000 visits to the emergency department (ED) for possible myocardial infarction (MI) related to cocaine use. Prior studies have demonstrated that low- to intermediate-risk patients with cocaine-associated chest pain can be safely discharged after 9-12 hours of observation. The goal of this study was to determine the safety of an 8-hour protocol for ruling out MI in patients who presented with cocaine-associated chest pain. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients treated with an 8-hour cocaine chest pain protocol between May 1, 2011 and November 30, 2012 who were sent to the clinical decision unit (CDU) for observation. The protocol included serial cardiac biomarker testing with Troponin-T, CK-MB (including delta CK-MB), and total CK at 0, 2, 4, and 8 hours after presentation with cardiac monitoring for the observation period. Patients were followed up for adverse cardiac events or death within 30 days of discharge. Results: There were 111 admissions to the CDU for cocaine chest pain during the study period. One patient had a delta CK-MB of 1.6 ng/ml, but had negative Troponin-T at all time points. No patient had a positive Troponin-T or CK-MB at 0, 2, 4 or 8 hours, and there were no MIs or deaths within 30 days of discharge. Most patients were discharged home (103) and there were 8 inpatient admissions from the CDU. Of the admitted patients, 2 had additional stress tests that were negative, 1 had additional cardiac biomarkers that were negative, and all 8 patients were discharged home. The estimated risk of missing MI using our protocol is, with 99% confidence, less than 5.1% and with 95% confidence, less than 3.6% (99% CI, 0-5.1%; 95% CI, 0-3.6%). Conclusion: Application of an abbreviated cardiac enzyme protocol resulted in the safe and rapid discharge of patients presenting to the ED with cocaine-associated chest pain. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(2):180–183.]
Transcriptional Regulation of Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 Expression in Human Astrocytes: Implications for Cell Plasticity

Induction of the fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) gene and the consequent accumulation of FGF-2 in the nucleus are operative events in mitotic activation and hypertrophy of human astrocytes. In the brain, these events are associated with cellular degeneration and may reflect release of the FGF-2 gene from cell contact inhibition. We used cultures of human astrocytes to examine whether expression of FGF-2 is also controlled by soluble growth factors. Treatment of subconfluent astrocytes with interleukin-1β, epidermal or platelet-derived growth factors, 18-kDa FGF-2, or serum or direct stimulation of protein kinase C (PKC) with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or adenylate cyclase with forskolin increased the levels of 18-, 22-, and 24-kDa FGF-2 isoforms and FGF-2 mRNA. Transfection of FGF-2 promoter–luciferase constructs identified a unique −555/−513 bp growth factor-responsive element (GFRE) that confers high basal promoter activity and activation by growth factors to a downstream promoter region. It also identified a separate region (−624/−556 bp) essential for PKC and cAMP stimulation. DNA–protein binding assays indicated that novel cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors mediate activation of the FGF-2 gene. Southwestern analysis identified 40-, 50-, 60-, and 100-kDa GFRE-binding proteins and 165-, 112-, and 90-kDa proteins that interacted with the PKC/cAMP-responsive region. The GFRE and the element essential for PKC and cAMP stimulation overlap with the region that mediates cell contact inhibition of the FGF-2 promoter. The results show a two-stage regulation of the FGF-2 gene: 1) an initial induction by reduced cell contact, and 2) further activation by growth factors or the PKC-signaling pathway. The hierarchic regulation of the FGF-2 gene promoter by cell density and growth factors or PKC reflects a two-stage activation of protein binding to the GFRE and to the PKC/cAMP-responsive region, respectively.
On-demand droplet loading for automated organic chemistry on digital microfluidics

Organic chemistry applications on digital microfluidic devices often involve reagents that are volatile or sensitive and must be introduced to the chip immediately before use. We present a new technique for automated, on-demand loading of ∼1 μL droplets from large (∼1 mL), sealed, off-chip reservoirs to a digital microfluidic chip in order to address this challenge. Unlike aqueous liquids which generally are non-wetting to the hydrophobic surface and must be actively drawn into the electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) chip by electrode activation, organic liquids tend to be wetting and can spontaneously flood the chip, and hence require a retracting force for controlled liquid delivery. Using a combination of compressed inert gas and gravity to exert driving and retracting forces on the liquid, the simple loading technique enables precise loading of droplets of both wetting and non-wetting liquids in a reliable manner. A key feature from a practical point of view is that all of the wetted parts are inexpensive and potentially disposable, thus avoiding cross-contamination in chemical and biochemical applications. We provide a theoretical treatment of the underlying physics, discuss the effect of geometry and liquid properties on its performance, and show repeatable reagent loading using the technique. Its versatility is demonstrated with the loading of several aqueous and non-aqueous liquids on an EWOD digital microfluidic device.
An approach to modeling Web service QoS and provision price

As the exceptional potential of Web services for unleashing the full power of Web-accessible service content and application-to-application integration in business-critical contexts is becoming increasingly evident, management information is mainly modelled in high-level specifications on top of the basic protocol stack. After reviewing relevant work, we present a simple approach to model certain Web service management attributes such as QoS and provision price, and discuss how this information can be accommodated within basic specification standards such as WSDL and exploited within the Web service deployment and application life-cycle.
Toxicity of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP): Teratogenic, subchronic, and two-year inhalation studies

Pregnant rats were exposed to N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) at atmospheric concentrations of 0.1 and 0.36 mg/liter for 6 hr/day on Days 6 through 15 of gestation. Except for sporadic lethargy and irregular respiration in several rats the first 3 days of exposure, there were neither abnormal clinical signs nor pathological lesions in the maternal rats. Exposure did not affect either the outcome of pregnancy or embryonal growth rate. No abnormal development was detected in the vital organs and skeletons of the fetuses. Rats were exposed to an aerosol-vapor mixture of NMP at concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/liter for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks. At 0.1 and 0.5 mg/liter exposure levels, rats did not show any significant clinical signs or pathological lesions. However, lethargy, respiratory difficulty, and excessive mortality were found in rats exposed to 1.0 mg/liter. These rats had focal pneumonia, bone marrow hypoplasia, and atrophy of lymphoid tissue in the spleen and thymus. These lesions were reversible in surviving rats following 2 weeks of recovery. Increases in the relative and absolute numbers of neutrophils were observed during exposure at 1.0 mg/liter, but returned to normal limits after 2 weeks of recovery. Rats were exposed to vapor of NMP at concentrations of 0, 0.04, or 0.4 mg/liter for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 2 years. Male rats at 0.4 mg/liter showed slightly reduced mean body weight. No life-shortening toxic or carcinogenic effects were observed in rats exposed for 2 years to 0.04 or 0.4 mg/liter of NMP.
The Placebo Effect in Alternative Medicine: Can the Performance of a Healing Ritual Have Clinical Significance?

In alternative medicine, the main question regarding placebo has been whether a given therapy has more than a placebo effect. Just as mainstream medicine ignores the clinical significance of its own placebo effect, the placebo effect of unconventional medicine is disregarded except for polemics. This essay looks at the placebo effect of alternative medicine as a distinct entity. This is done by reviewing current knowledge about the placebo effect and how it may pertain to alternative medicine. The term placebo effect is taken to mean not only the narrow effect of a dummy intervention but also the broad array of nonspecific effects in the patient-physician relationship, including attention; compassionate care; and the modulation of expectations, anxiety, and self-awareness. Five components of the placebo effect--patient, practitioner, patient-practitioner interaction, nature of the illness, and treatment and setting--are examined. Therapeutic patterns that heighten placebo effects are especially prominent in unconventional healing, and it seems possible that the unique drama of this realm may have "enhanced" placebo effects in particular conditions. Ultimately, only prospective trials directly comparing the placebo effects of unconventional and mainstream medicine can provide reliable evidence to support such claims. Nonetheless, the possibility of enhanced placebo effects raises complex conundrums. Can an alternative ritual with only nonspecific psychosocial effects have more positive health outcomes than a proven, specific conventional treatment? What makes therapy legitimate, positive clinical outcomes or culturally acceptable methods of attainment? Who decides?
Agent-based control for networked traffic management systems

Agent or multiagent systems have evolved and diversified rapidly since their inception around the mid 1980s as the key concept and method in distributed artificial intelligence. They have become an established, promising research and application field drawing on and bringing together results and concepts from many disciplines, including AI, computer science, sociology, economics, organization and management science, and philosophy. However, multiagent systems have yet to achieve widespread use for controlling traffic management systems. Most research focuses on developing hierarchical structures, analytical modeling, and optimized algorithms that are effective for real-time traffic applications, as you can see from well-known traffic control systems such as CRONOS, OPAC, SCOOT, SCAT, PRODYN, and RHODES. Although those functional-decomposition-based systems are useful and successful for many traffic management problems, costs and difficulties associated with their development, operation, maintenance, expansion, and upgrading are often prohibitive and sometimes unnecessary, especially in the rapidly arriving age of connectivity. We need to rethink control systems and reinvestigate the use of simple task-oriented agents for traffic control and management of transportation systems.
Learning Objectives and Content of Science Curricula for Undergraduate Management Education.

Business is progressively integrating technologies and R&D with corporate and business strategy. This trend is creating increasing demand for executives and managers who have sufficient technology-...
Natural history of portal hypertension.

A rise in pressure in the portal vein or its tributaries is termed portal hypertension . A portal-hepatic vein gradient (PHVG) of more than 5 mmHg is abnormal, and a patient with this increased value is believed to have portal hypertension 38 ; however, the presence of an increase in pressure in the portal vein is not always associated with the complications of portal hypertension (e.g., the development of varices), ascites, or hepatic encephalopathy. Therefore, the natural history of portal hypertension is better referred to as the natural history of one of its complications. This article reviews the natural history of gastroesophageal varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy, and the risk factors associated with bleeding. Recently it has become more important to understand the natural history of gastroesophageal varices, as many believe patients with varices that are at highest risk for bleeding should be treated prophylactically. 4 Before proceeding with a discussion of the natural history of gastroesophageal varices, a few comments on how portal hypertension progresses are required. Portal hypertension develops in patients with cirrhosis because of increased resistance to the passage of blood through the liver and because of an increase in splanchnic blood flow secondary to vasodilatation within the splanchnic vascular bed (see articles by Groszmann and Rockey). Many assume that the rise in portal venous pressure is progressive and does not wax and wane. This belief is incorrect, and portal venous pressure may vary with daily activities; rise and fall with changes in blood volume; or, in some patients, fall as the liver disease improves (e.g., exercise may be associated with an acute rise in portal pressure). 12 Also, changes in blood volume may raise or lower portal pressure. 28,22 In patients with cirrhosis, the increase in pressure, although largely due to fibrosis and compression of the liver microvasculature by the regenerative nodules, may also be due to swelling of hepatocytes and active changes in vascular resistance secondary to the myofibroblasts present in the cirrhotic liver (see article by Rockey). Therefore, as the liver disease improves, so may the portal hypertension, as has been observed in patients with alcoholic liver disease who have stopped drinking. 3 The fall in pressure may be associated with disappearance of the varices. 6
Reforming the Regulation of the Market for Home Loans

This article explores the content and institutional context for recently revised regulation of the markets for residential mortgages. It proposes a market-sensitive reading of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and suggests that the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection created under the Act should be understood to balance consumer protection with concerns for the liquidity and safety and soundness of the financial markets. In particular, it argues that the Act has the potential to create a regulatory architecture that protects both consumers and the capital markets by distinguishing between financial products that can safely be financed through the capital markets and those that pose greater risks, and should, by design, be more illiquid. This coordinated architecture can be implemented, we believe, by the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection through its related powers to prohibit unfair lending practices, promulgate safe harbor notices and implement certain minimum mortgage origination standards. However, the devil will be in the details - both substantive and institutional - and, in our view the new Bureau will have to flex its rulemaking muscle a bit to fully implement that vision.
Recent Developments in the Synthesis of Cyclic Guanidine Alkaloids

Abstract The cyclic guanidine motif, present in complex alkaloids, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and organocatalysts, is discussed beginning with amine guanidinylation and proceeding through numerous cyclization methods. The application of such methods is reviewed in the context of complex alkaloid synthesis.
Advances in Distance-Based Hole Cuts on Overset Grids

An automatic and efficient method to determine appropriate hole cuts based on distances to the wall and donor stencil maps for overset grids is presented. A new robust procedure is developed to create a closed surface triangulation representation of each geometric component for accurate determination of the minimum hole. Hole boundaries are then displaced away from the tight grid-spacing regions near solid walls to allow grid overlap to occur away from the walls where cell sizes from neighboring grids are more comparable. The placement of hole boundaries is efficiently determined using a mid-distance rule and Cartesian maps of potential valid donor stencils with minimal user input. Application of this procedure typically results in a spatially-variable offset of the hole boundaries from the minimum hole with only a small number of orphan points remaining. Test cases on complex configurations are presented to demonstrate the new scheme.
Efficacy of ex vivo purging for autologous bone marrow transplantation in the treatment of acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia.

We used an in vitro measure of drug activity to predict the efficacy of ex vivo purging of leukemic cells from autologous bone marrow grafts. We previously found that the myeloid progenitor cell (CFU-GM) content of the marrow grafts after ex vivo purging with 4- hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC) correlates with time to hematologic recovery after autologous bone marrow transplantation in patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia. We observed that variable red blood cell concentration of the bone marrow incubation mixture results in differential cytotoxic activity of 4-HC. The CFU-GM content of the graft after the ex vivo treatment is a measure of this 4-HC activity. We analyzed the disease-free survival of 45 patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation with 4-HC purged grafts. Patients who relapsed after transplantation had 4.2 +/- 1.1% of graft CFU-GM surviving the ex vivo purge, compared with 1.1 +/- 0.4% for patients who achieved a sustained remission (P = .06). Twenty-three patients with a CFU-GM content after 4-HC purging of greater than 1% of the pretreatment value had an actuarial disease-free survival of 12%, compared to 36% for 22 patients with a less than or equal to 1% CFU-GM content after purging (P = .006). Therefore, percent CFU-GM survival as a measure of 4-HC cytotoxicity identified a group of patients with insufficient purging. Although no randomized clinical trials have documented the need for ex vivo purging, our results suggest that effective bone marrow purging is important for the optimal application of autologous transplantation in the treatment of acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia.
Open versus Endovascular Treatment of Visceral Artery Aneurysms and Pseudoaneurysms

Background Visceral artery aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms (VAAP) represent a rare and potential life-threatening disease with a documented incidence of 0.1–2.0%. Treatment options for VAAP vary from open approach with aneurysm excision, exclusion and revascularization to endovascular techniques. Aneurysm anatomy and pathogenesis dictate treatment choice. The purpose of this study was to compare the perioperative, short- and mid-term outcomes of open and endovascular approaches. Methods Between January 2007 to April 2015, patients with VAAP who underwent surgical treatment, either by endovascular technique (endovascular surgery [EV] group) or by open surgery (OS group), were selected for analysis. Aneurysm's anatomy and pathogenesis dictated treatment choice. Demographic variables, surgical data, and postoperative follow-up were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative computed tomography scans were evaluated for aneurysm characteristics. Results A total of 296 consecutive patients were identified with VAAP. Surveillance without intervention occurred in 183 patients, and 113 underwent surgical treatment: 57 by EV technique and 56 by OS. The VAAP sites were: splenic (50.9/5.4%), renal (7.0/50%), superior mesenteric (7.0/7.1%), celiac (12.3/17.9%), hepatic (14.0/5.4%), gastroduodenal (7.0/7.1%), and pancreaticoduodenal (1.8/7.1%). Eight urgent surgeries occurred in EV and 5 in OS group (P = 0.39). Operative time and estimated blood loss were 122 ± 54 vs. 312 ± 157 min (P < 0.001) and 5 (interquartile range [IR], 0–50) vs. 550 (IR, 200–980) mL (P < 0.001) in groups EV and OS, respectively. The intraoperative and postoperative major complications, including end-organ infarction, and reinterventions were comparable between the groups. Transfusion of blood products was necessary in 12.3% (EV) and 42.9% (OS; P < 0.001). Median hospital length of stay was 1 (IR, 1–3) and 6 (IR, 4–9) days in groups EV and OS, respectively (P < 0.001). Short-term technical success was achieved in 98.2% (EV) and 96.4% (OS). During the median follow-up period of 16 (IR, 7.1–43.9) months, the clinical success was 91.2% and 92.9% (P = 0.74), and the overall survival was 94.7% and 96.4% (P = 1.0) in groups EV and OS, respectively. Conclusions Open and endovascular approaches have similar rates of technical and clinical success, as well as mortality during follow-up. However, periprocedural morbidity was significantly higher in cases treated by OS. Although longer-term follow-up is needed to access the durability of the endovascular treatment, initial successful outcomes and low reintervention rates make it a safe and feasible approach.
The Role of Late Complement Components and the Alternate Complement Pathway in Experimental Cryptococcosis

SummaryDuration of survival was comparable in normal and C4D guinea pigs infected iv with cryptococci. Survival was shortened in animals depleted of late complement components by treatment with CVF. Some animals received a single treatment with CVF to allow recovery of complement components after challenge with cryptococci. This resulted in lower counts of fungi in peripheral blood, lung, and liver, but no improvement in levels of fungi in brain, or in survival when compared with animals continuously depleted of C3–9. Late complement components were therefore important in clearance of cryptococci from extraneural sites. However, once infection was established in brain, complement levels in the central nervous system may have been too low to aid in destruction or organisms.The authors wish to thank Miss Margret Huber for expert technical assistance and Dr. David Alling for help with statistical evaluation.
Book-Review: Aesthetic Surgery After Massive Weight Loss

J. Peter Rubin Alan Matarasso. Aesthetic Surgery After Massive Weight Loss. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier/Saunders, 2007 ISBN: 978-1-416-02952-6 Aesthetic Surgery After Massive Weight Loss is a timely textbook comprised of 12 chapters reviewing common aesthetic surgical procedures following massive weight loss. The editors, Drs. Peter Rubin and Alan Matarasso, assembled a distinguished contributor list that includes many well-known plastic surgeons who are specifically experienced in treating patients who have undergone significant weight reduction. Dr. Ivo Pitanguy, a Brazilian plastic surgeon familiar to many of us, commented that the majority of postbariatric patients describe an unacceptable worsening of their body image following massive weight loss, which leads many of them to seek out aesthetic surgery. The editors cite this as the major inspiration for the textbook. The opening chapter, “Weight Loss Surgery: State of the Art,” is a review of the various bariatric surgical techniques historically and currently employed worldwide to treat massively overweight patients. The comorbidities associated with morbid obesity are listed, along with illustrated technical descriptions for treating this condition and the complications associated with each operation. The expected weight loss and outcome of …
Freedom of Religion or Freedom from Religion in Organizations:Dialogue for Voicing Values

Organizations in the United States struggle with religious expressions in the workplace. Though the US Constitution provides citizens with freedom of religion, in many institutions this right has b...
Abstract 587: B-Raf status predicts response to pharmacological activation of p53 in melanoma

The formulation of highly-potent and specific inhibitors of the MAPK pathway has yielded several promising candidates and these are currently under advanced clinical development; however, early data suggests that inhibition of the MAPK pathway will not be sufficient to elicit sustained tumor regression in malignant melanoma. Thus, other pathways likely need to be therapeutically exploited to achieve sustained responses in melanoma patients. Because the tumor suppressor protein p53 is functional, yet inactive, in nearly 100% of melanomas, we sought to identify novel pharmacological activators of p53 in melanoma. To accomplish this goal, we employed a high-throughput screening strategy that identified hycanthone, a compound previously characterized for anti-schistosomal activity, as a specific activator of p53 function. In vitro characterization of hycanthone demonstrated that it activates the p53-transcriptional response leading to cell cycle arrest and subsequent apoptosis in a panel of melanoma cell lines harboring wild-type p53; these effects are largely absent in isogenic cells expressing p53 shRNA or alternative lines expressing mutant p53. Screening of a substantial panel of cell lines revealed that activation of p53 initiated anti-melanoma effects exclusively in cells that expressed mutant Braf, indicating that activated MAPK signaling may serve as a correlate to predict response to pharmacological activators of p53 in melanoma. However, additional experimentation has demonstrated that, instead, it is the presence of mutations in Braf, rather than the resultant MAPK activity, that predicts response to p53 activation. Studies investigating the mechanistic details governing this biological phenomenon are ongoing. Collectively, our data indicate that reactivation of p53 in melanoma, like multiple other tumors, can elicit an anti-tumor phenotype; however, this response is negatively modulated by the expression of mutant Braf, which would suggest that patients should be prospectively genotyped to identify potential responders to p53 reactivators. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 587. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-587
Freight Rates: Selected Aspects of Uniform and Nodal Regions

N a commercial economy having specialized transportation, the movement of goods is influenced by several forces, one of which is the freight rate structure. The spatial differences in transport charges is not only a geographic factor influencing the circulation of goods but also a geographic element in terms of which the character of a region may be expressed. "Mankind is not spread evenly over the face of the earth but tends to cluster in certain areas, which vary from each other. . . . Within such areas relationships arise. . .. It is through the means of transportation and communication that these interrelationships are set up and maintained. . .. But the cost of its use is often as great an element in the importance of a transportation line as its actual presence. Hence freight rates are of greatest value in outlining regions and in affecting their
The Power of Legislative Leaders

Foundational theories of the legislature disagree about why, or even whether, legislative leaders are powerful, but issues of measurement and causal inference have prevented empirical work from addressing these debates effectively. To make progress, we offer a new dataset on the identities of legislative leaders in all U.S. state legislatures over the past 20 years. Using a difference-in-differences design, we show that, on average, becoming a majority-party leader causes a large increase in contributions from strategic interest groups — an indication that leaders are indeed powerful. Contrary to major theoretical predictions, however, we show that leaders are no more powerful, and possibly less powerful, when legislative polarization increases. Moreover, neither the size of the majority party nor the professionalization of the legislature are associated with how powerful majority-party leaders are. In contrast, we find that majority- party leaders are more powerful in bigger legislatures, which we argue suggests that a key role for leaders is solving issues of complexity and coordination. The paper thus offers new data and evidence that revises and improves our understanding of legislative politics both in the U.S. and in democratic settings more generally.
A Standardized Tool for Measuring Military Friendliness of Colleges and Universities

A thorough review of the literature was conducted to identify the practices experts, members of the military, educational institutions, and advocacy groups believe military-friendly institutions of...
Design of Railway Administration Locomotive Operation Sub-system

The locomotive operation system, a sub system of operation and control MIS for railway Administration, is designed to ensure transportation safety, to improve efficiency for locomotive utilization and to ease the labor intensity of controllers. It has the functions of loading, examining and approving locomotive turn round chart, statistics and analysis of relevant locomotive tables as well as the output of these tables. This system is widely accepted by the controllers on site thanks to its characters of good reliability, universality, easy to adopt and to expand, practicability and easy to operate, etc.
Consumer-Grade Global Positioning System (GPS) Accuracy and Reliability

Our primary study objective was to test the accuracy and reliability of consumer-grade GPS receivers in a variety of landscape settings. We established three measurement testing courses in open sky, young forest, and closed canopy settings within a conifer-dominated forest in western Oregon and rigorously tested the positional accuracy of six different GPS. All units were produced by established GPS manufacturers. We found that performance varied, in some cases considerably, among units and appeared to be influenced by canopy cover and satellite availability. Among the top GPS performers, we determined that users could expect positional accuracies within approximately 5 m of true position in open sky settings, 7 m in young forest conditions, and 10 m under closed canopies.
Electrochemical Transformation of Trace Organic Contaminants in Latrine Wastewater

Solar-powered electrochemical systems have shown promise for onsite wastewater treatment in regions where basic infrastructure for conventional wastewater treatment is not available. To assess the applicability of these systems for trace organic contaminant treatment, test compound electrolysis rate constants were measured in authentic latrine wastewater using mixed-metal oxide anodes coupled with stainless steel cathodes. Complete removal of ranitidine and cimetidine was achieved within 30 min of electrolysis at an applied potential of 3.5 V (0.7 A L–1). Removal of acetaminophen, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, propranolol, and carbamazepine (>80%) was achieved within 3 h of electrolysis. Oxidation of ranitidine, cimetidine, and ciprofloxacin was primarily attributed to reaction with NH2Cl. Transformation of trimethoprim, propranolol, and carbamazepine was attributed to direct electron transfer and to reactions with surface-bound reactive chlorine species. Relative contributions of aqueous phase ·OH, ·Cl, ·...
Same-Day Computed Tomographic Chest Imaging for Pulmonary Nodule Targeting with Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy May Decrease Unnecessary Procedures.

Rationale: Bronchoscopy is commonly used for the diagnosis of suspicious pulmonary nodules discovered on computed tomographic (CT) imaging of the chest. Procedural CT imaging for bronchoscopy planning is often completed weeks to months before the date of a scheduled bronchoscopy, which may not allow discovery of a decrease in nodule size or resolution before the bronchoscopic procedure.Objectives: To determine whether same-day CT imaging of the chest discovers partial or total resolution of some lung nodules and thereby reduces unnecessary bronchoscopic procedures.Methods: We performed a prospective case series study of patients undergoing navigational bronchoscopy using a new technology requiring same-day preprocedural CT imaging at one university teaching hospital. Patients scheduled to undergo bronchoscopy who were found to have partial or complete resolution of their lesion on the same-day CT exam leading to the cancellation of their procedure were identified and further characterized.Measurements and...
Iterative Radix-8 Multiplier Structure Based on a Novel Real-time CSD Recoding

Real-time implementation of many digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms and multimedia applications is performance limited by the available speed, energy efficiency, and area requirement of multiplication. This is exacerbated in handheld multimedia devices due to the small size and limited battery lifetimes. In our previous work, we introduce a novel canonical signed digit (CSD) iterative multiplier structure in which the conversion from 2's complement to CSD representation is implicitly implemented in real-time. In this work, we further improve the iterative multiplier performance by introducing explicit radix-8 hardware support in which the multiplier is shifted by one octal digit in each iteration as opposed to only one or two bits. Thus, this new structure further reduces the power consumption while simultaneously increasing the computational bandwidth significantly with only a small sacrifice in area consumption. This new design also uses a bypass technique to further reduce the need for devices such as carry save adder (CSA) arrays and adder trees for partial product reduction operations. Therefore, the new structure introduced here greatly improves the multiplier throughput and energy efficiency. Moreover, the number of iterations required to complete a fixed length multiply is data dependent as a result of a novel variable shifting technique; hence there is no energy and time overhead expended for unnecessary iterations as observed in multipliers where the number of iterations is fixed. Our results show that this new iterative structure delivers significant performance improvements with respect to speed, area, and power consumption relative to previous iterative multiplier designs.
The Ego—Body Subject and the Stream of Experience in Husserl

In Husserl’s phenomenology, it is important that a conscious experience is not a discrete, self-contained event, but occurs in an ongoing stream of experience. Thus a central purpose of Husserl’s phenomenology is to describe “conscious experiences in the concrete fullness and entirety with which they figure in their concrete context — the stream of experience and to which they are closely attached through their own proper essence.”1 In the main part of this paper I argue that Husserl’s characterization of the stream of experience in Ideas and Phenomenology of Internal Time-Consciousness is defective insofar as it applies to the stream of experience of the pure ego — a stream which is a philosophical construction, abstraction or fiction — rather than to the stream of experience of the real ego-body subject, a real existent. This defect is significant philosophically, for the stream of experience represents the temporalization of the ego-body subject as it realizes itself in thought, feeling, and action. In the stream the various experiences of the ego are not merely unified in a serial progression; they are also centralized into an ego pole, as Husserl realized in his later Universal Teleology, which I shall discuss at the end of the paper.
Characterization of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Pseudotypes Bearing Essential Entry Glycoproteins gB, gD, gH, and gL of Herpes Simplex Virus 1.

Herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) are unusual in that unlike most enveloped viruses, they require at least four entry glycoproteins, gB, gD, gH, and gL, for entry into target cells in addition to a cellular receptor for gD. The dissection of the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) entry mechanism is complicated by the presence of more than a dozen proteins on the viral envelope. To investigate HSV-1 entry requirements in a simplified system, we generated vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) virions pseudotyped with HSV-1 essential entry glycoproteins gB, gD, gH, and gL but lacking the native VSV fusogen G. These virions, referred to here as VSVΔG-BHLD virions, infected a cell line expressing a gD receptor, demonstrating for the first time that the four essential entry glycoproteins of HSV-1 are not only required but also sufficient for cell entry. To our knowledge, this is the first time the VSV pseudotyping system has been successfully extended beyond two proteins. Entry of pseudotyped virions required a gD receptor and was inhibited by HSV-1 specific anti-gB or anti-gH/gL neutralizing antibodies, which suggests that membrane fusion during the entry of the pseudotyped virions shares common requirements with the membrane fusion involved in HSV-1 entry and HSV-1-mediated syncytium formation. The HSV pseudotyping system established in this study presents a novel tool for systematic exploration of the HSV entry and membrane fusion mechanisms. Importance Herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) are human pathogens that can cause cold sores, genital herpes, and blindness. No vaccines or preventatives are available. HSV entry into cells-a prerequisite for a successful infection-is a complex process that involves multiple viral and host proteins and occurs by different routes. Detailed mechanistic knowledge of the HSV entry is important for understanding its pathogenesis and would benefit antiviral and vaccine development, yet the presence of more than a dozen proteins on the viral envelope complicates the dissection of the HSV entry mechanisms. In this study, we generated heterologous virions displaying the four essential entry proteins of HSV-1 and showed that they are capable of cell entry and, like HSV-1, require all four entry glycoproteins along with a gD receptor. This HSV pseudotyping system pioneered in this work opens doors for future systematic exploration of the herpesvirus entry mechanisms.
Effect of underlying immune compromise on the manifestations and outcomes of group A streptococcal bacteremia

Summary Background Group A streptococcal bloodstream infection is the most common presentation of invasive group A streptococcal disease. We sought to determine the impact of immunosuppression on severity of disease and clinical outcomes. Methods This retrospective review of 148 patients with at least one positive blood culture for Streptococcus pyogenes from 1/2003 to 3/2013 compared immunocompromised patients with those with no immunocompromise in regards to development of severe complications and mortality. Results Twenty-five patients (17%) were immunocompromised; 123 were not. Skin and soft tissue infection occurred in 60% of immunocompromised vs. 38% of non-immunocompromised patients, p = .04. Necrotizing fasciitis and septic shock were significantly more common in immunocompromised patients, p Conclusion Patients who are immunocompromised are more likely to develop necrotizing fasciitis and septic shock as complications of group A streptococcal bacteremia and have a higher mortality rate than patients who are not immunocompromised.
Sustainable barrier materials based on polysaccharide polyelectrolyte complexes

There is a need for sustainable, ecologically compatible barrier materials as a replacement for petroleum derived compounds for packaging and other applications that generate significant land and ocean pollution. Polysaccharides are natural biologically produced or derived polymers manufactured in large quantities for many industries including food and papermaking. Polysaccharide based films and coatings, however, do not exhibit adequate barrier performance especially in aqueous systems due to their inherent solubility in polar media. This work demonstrates a coating based on polysaccharide polyelectrolyte complexes (PPC) that exhibit barrier performance. Specifically, paperboard coated with a PPC material comprised of nanostructured fibrous particles of carboxymethyl cellulose and chitosan exhibits oil and water barrier properties at room temperature and 80 °C. The coating also resists toluene, n-heptane, salt solutions and exhibits improved wet and dry mechanical and water vapor barrier properties. These results show that PPC based materials may be competitive barrier alternatives to synthetic polymers for many volume commercial applications. In addition, this work demonstrates that new unexpected properties emerge from multi-polysaccharide systems engaged in electrostatic complexation, enabling new high performance applications.