cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The feasibility of co-firing biomass for electricity in Missouri

Abstract Bioenergy is one of the most significant energy resources with potential to serve as a partial replacement for fossil. As an agricultural state, Missouri has great potential to use biomass for energy production. In 2008, Missouri adopted a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) yet about 80% of its power supply still comes from coal. This paper describes a feasibility study of co-firing biomass in existing coal-powered plants in Missouri. Specifically, this study developed a linear programming model and simulated six scenarios to assess the economic feasibility and greenhouse gas impacts of co-firing biomass in existing qualified coal power plants in Missouri. The results of this study indicate that although co-firing can reduce the emissions of GHG and environmental pollutants, it is still not an economically feasible option for power generation without additional economic or policy incentives or regulations which could take environmental costs into account. Based on these results, strategies and policies to promote the utilization of biomass and to increase its competitiveness with fossil fuels are identified and discussed.
Adaptive differentiation following experimental island colonization in Anolis lizards

If colonizing populations are displaced into an environment that is often very different from that of their source1, they are particularly likely to diverge evolutionarily, the more so because they are usually small and thus likely to change by genetic restructuring or drift2,3. Despite its fundamental importance, the consequence of colonization for traits of founding populations have primarily been surmised from static present-day distributions1,2,4,5, laboratory experiments6 and the outcomes of haphazard human introductions7–9, rather than from replicated field experiments. Here we report long-term results of just such an experimental study. Populations of the lizard Anolis sagrei, introduced onto small islands from a nearby source, differentiated from each other rapidly over a 10–14-year period. The more different the recipient island's vegetation from that of the source, the greater the magnitude of differentiation. Further, the direction of differentiation followed an expectation based on the evolutionary diversification of insular Anolis over its entire geographic range. In addition to providing a glimpse of adaptive dynamics in one of the most extensive generic radiations on earth, the results lend support to the general argument that environment determines the evolution of morphology.
Increasing Community Recycling with Persuasive Communication and Public Commitment

Persuasive communication and public commitment were used to encourage recycling in a citywide program. The persuasive communication was a combination of factors which have been found by laboratory researchers to produce attitude and/or behavior change. The public commitment manipulation involved signing a statement supportive of recycling. Households which did not recycle during a 6-week baseline period were selected for experimental study. Trained Boy Scouts made an oral informational statement and then gave each of 201 experimental households one of three treatments (a written persuasive communication, public commitment, or both). A control group of 132 homes received no treatment. Recycling was observed for 6 weeks following delivery of all treatments. Results indicated that the three treatment groups recycled significantly more than the control group but did not differ significantly from each other. Future directions for applied work in this domain are discussed.
Decreased striatal D2 dopamine receptors in obese Zucker rats: changes during aging

Abstract The specific binding of [3H]YM-09151-2 was used to investigate the possible differences in age-associated changes in striatal D2 dopamine (DA) receptor properties in genetically obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats and their lean3(Fa/?) littermates. The maximal binding sites (Bmax) of D2 DA receptors was found to decline with age in both obese and lean rats: the rate of decline in receptor Bmax was slightly higher in lean than obese rats. However. the Bmax of D2 DA receptor in 6-, 12- and 18-month-old obese rats was significantly lower compared to the age-matched lean rats. These data indicate that obesity decreases the number of striatal D2 DA receptors without affecting the rate at which receptor number decreases with age.
Age-related changes in liver drug-metabolizing enzymes

Abstract The non-induced levels of hepatic microsomal NADPH cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome P-450 undergo marked age-dependent declines in male Fischer rats, especially between maturity and senescence. Phenobarbital administration causes significant increases in these two parameters in young (1 month) and mature (16 months) animals, but not in senescent rats (27 months). Both the rates of enzyme and hemoprotein induction and the maximum-induced levels achieved after 6 days of drug treatment are significantly greater in the young and mature animals vs the senescent rats. These functional data correlate reasonably well with (1) a similar age-dependent response of microsomal protein concentration to phenobarbital administration and (2) the quantitative morphological evidence demonstrating an age-related loss in the amount of hepatic smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulum between maturity and senescence.
Upper Confidence Limits on Excess Risk for Quantitative Responses

The definition and observation of clear-cut adverse health effects for continuous (quantitative) responses, such as altered body weights or organ weights, are difficult propositions. Thus, methods of risk assessment commonly used for binary (quantal) toxic responses such as cancer are not directly applicable. In this paper, two methods for calculating upper confidence limits on excess risk for quantitative toxic effects are proposed, based on a particular definition of an adverse quantitative response. The methods are illustrated with data from a dose-response study, and their performance is evaluated with a Monte Carlo simulation study.
Infinite paths in planar graphs V, 3-indivisible graphs

We prove Nash-Williams' conjecture that every 4-connected, 3-indivisible, infinite, planar graph contains a spanning 2-way infinite path. A graph is said to be 3-indivisible if the deletion of any finite set of vertices results in at most two infinite components. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 57: 275–312, 2008
Anaerobic Production of Extracellular Polysaccharide by Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens nyx.

Anaerobic production of extracellular polysaccharide (EP) was examined, using a previously uncharacterized, obligately anaerobic rumen isolate, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens nyx, which produced an EP that was rheologically similar to xanthan gum. The main objectives were to determine the nutritional requirements and conditions which promoted EP production by strain nyx. Strain nyx was grown anaerobically in defined and semidefined media. In addition to carbohydrate and nitrogen sources, strain nyx required acetic acid, folic acid, biotin, and pyridoxamine. Strain nyx produced similar amounts of EP at 35 to 40°C. Conditions that improved growth usually improved EP production. Of the carbohydrates tested, glucose supported the fastest growth and most EP production, followed by sucrose, xylose, and lactose. Strain nyx utilized ammonium sulfate, urea, or vitamin-free casein hydrolysate as nitrogen sources for growth and EP production. At 2 and 20 g/liter, respectively, ammonium sulfate and vitamin-free casein hydrolysate supported about the same rates of growth and EP production. EP was not produced in the lag or stationary phases, and EP production was exponential during exponential cell growth. Based on the results of this work, anaerobic EP production with B. fibrisolvens nyx could reduce energy costs for industrial EP production compared with the cost of aerated systems. Finally, this work demonstrated that, under appropriate growth conditions, a gastrointestinal tract (ruminal) microorganism produced high levels of EP.
Hydrodenitrogenation property–reactivity correlation

Abstract This article is about the relationship between the properties of a refinery middle distillate feedstock and its reactivity toward hydrodenitrogenation (HDN). The HDN experiments were conducted with 12 raw middle distillates over a sulfided CoMo/Al 2 O 3 catalyst and with 13 prehydrotreated middle distillates over a sulfided NiMo/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. Of the multitude of physicochemical properties, the feed nitrogen content, which usually reflects the heaviness of the feedstock, is a rough indicator of the HDN reactivity. This suggests a self-inhibition effect whose implications are discussed.
Are hypoxic cells critical for the outcome of fractionated radiotherapy in a slow-growing mouse tumor?

Abstract Purpose : To investigate the significance of hypoxic cells, reoxygenation and repopulation for the outcome of fractionated radiotherapy of a slow-growing subline of a murine fibrosarcoma and to compare the results with those previously obtained from the original fast-growing tumor. Materials and methods : A slow-growing subline, 457-O, was obtained among the tumors that recurred after a single irradiation to the third generation isotransplants of a mouse fibrosarcoma, FSa-II. The single cell suspensions were transplanted into the mouse foot and when the tumors reached an average diameter of 4 mm, they were subjected to one to 20 equal daily γ -ray doses given in air (A) or under hypoxic conditions (H). The TCD 50 (50% tumor control radiation dose) was calculated according to the tumor control frequency within 180 days. The linear-quadratic plus time model was fitted to these data by logistic regression analysis. Results : The volume doubling time of the 457-O tumors was ~2.2 times slower than that of the original FSa-II tumors. The TCD 50 (H) single dose was 52.3 Gy and increased with an increasing number of fractions to a TCD 50 (H) (20 doses) of 90.8 Gy. This increase of 38.5 Gy was much smaller than that of 149 Gy for the original FSa-II. The TCD 50 (A) (single dose) and TCD 50 (A) (20 doses) were 41.3 and 50.6 Gy, respectively. This small difference of 9.3 Gy contrasted with a significant increase of 52.9 Gy for the FSa-II. Discussion : These results suggested no repopulation of 457-O tumor clonogens during the course of up to 20 daily doses, while the original FSa-II tumor cells repopulated substantially. Hypoxic clonogens in the slow-growing tumor reoxygenated but some fractions remained critical. Conclusion : The present data together with those obtained from the fast-growing FSa-II suggested that hypoxic clonogens were critical for the outcome of fractionated radiotherapy. Repopulation was insignificant in this slow-growing tumor during five to 20 daily doses.
The future of computer languages: implications for education

Which computer languages should we be teaching our students — and why? This paper examines the multitude of languages now available from three perspectives: classificatory, predictive, and pedagogical. It offers a “linguistic” analysis of computer languages in terms of their structure, their function, and their genealogy. Using these classifications, the paper then analyzes current and future trends for each language type. The classifications and predictions suggest a fundamental distinction between two sorts of languages: those appropriate for public computing (i.e. programming done by most professional computer scientists) and those appropriate for private computing (computing by individuals for their own purposes). The paper suggests that while would-be computer scientists need to learn public computing languages, private computing languages may be especially appropriate for non-professional computer users.
The C-terminal 70 amino acids of the adenovirus E4-ORF6/7 protein are essential and sufficient for E2F complex formation

E2F is a cellular transcription factor that binds to the adenovirus (Ad) E1A enhancer and E2aE promoter regions, to the cellular c-myc P2 and dihydrofolate reductase promoters, and to other viral and cellular regulatory regions. The binding activity of E2F to the Ad E2aE promoter is dramatically increased during an adenovirus infection (termed E2F induction). E2F induction is dependent on the expression of the 150 amino acid E4-ORF6/7 protein which forms a direct, physical complex with E2F to mediate the cooperative and stable binding of E2F to inverted sites in the E2aE promoter. Using in vitro DNA binding assays to measure the formation of the infection-specific complexes, we have defined the minimal domain of the E4-ORF6/7 protein, the C-terminal 70 amino acids, required to complex with E2F and stabilize its binding at the E2aE promoter. The ability of mutant E4-ORF6/7 proteins to form the stable E2F-E2aE promoter complex in vitro correlated well with their ability to trans-activate E2 transcription in vivo. These observations support a model in which the E4-ORF6/7 protein binds to E2F to induce the cooperative binding of two E2F molecules to the E2aE promoter thereby activating E2 transcription.
Writing and Reading Connections Between Language by Hand and Language by Eye

Four approaches to the investigation of connections between language by hand and language by eye are described and illustrated with studies from a decade-long research program. In the first approach, multigroup structural equation modeling is applied to reading and writing measures given to typically developing writers to examine unidirectional and bidirectional relationships between specific components of the reading and writing systems. In the second approach, structural equation modeling is applied to a multivariate set of language measures given to children and adults with reading and writing disabilities to examine how the same set of language processes is orchestrated differently to accomplish specific reading or writing goals, and correlations between factors are evaluated to examine the level at which the language-by-hand system and the language-by-eye system communicate most easily. In the third approach, mode of instruction and mode of response are systematically varied in evaluating effectiveness of treating reading disability with and without a writing component. In the fourth approach, functional brain imaging is used to investigate residual spelling problems in students whose problems with word decoding have been remediated. The four approaches support a model in which language by hand and language by eye are separate systems that interact in predictable ways.
Modeling of Seismic Wave Propagation at the Scale of the Earth on a Large Beowulf

We use a parallel spectral-element method to simulate the propagation of seismic waves generated by earthquakes in the entire 3-D Earth. The method is implemented using MPI on a large PC cluster (Beowulf) with 151 processors and 76 Gb of RAM. It is based upon a weak formulation of the equations of motion and combines the flexibility of a finite-element method with the accuracy of a pseudospectral method. The finite-element mesh honors all discontinuities in the Earth velocity model. To maintain a relatively constant number of grid points per seismic wavelength, the size of the elements is increased with depth in a conforming fashion, thus retaining a diagonal mass matrix. The effects of attenuation and anisotropy are incorporated. We benchmark spectral-element synthetic seismograms against a normal-mode reference solution for a spherically symmetric Earth velocity model. The two methods are in excellent agreement for all waves with periods greater than 20 seconds.
Association of Initial Hemodialysis Vascular Access with Patient-Reported Health Status and Quality of Life

Background: Although the arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the recommended form of vascular access for patients with ESRD, its impact on patient perception of health status, quality of life (QOL), or satisfaction is unknown. Design, setting, participants, and measurements: This study compared patient-reported health status and QOL scores and vascular access type among a national random sample of 1563 patients at dialysis initiation and day 60 of ESRD during 1996 to 1997. Patients were stratified into five categories: AVF at first dialysis and day 60 of ESRD, arteriovenous graft (AVG) at first dialysis and day 60, central venous catheter (CVC) at first dialysis and AVF at day 60, CVC at first dialysis and AVG at day 60, and CVC at first dialysis and day 60. Results: Ten percent (n = 154) of patients had an AVF, 21% (n = 326) had an AVG, and 69% (n = 1083) had a CVC at dialysis initiation; those who were most likely to use an AVF were white and male. After statistical adjustment, patients with persistent AVF use reported greater physical activity and energy, better emotional and social well-being, fewer symptoms, less effect of dialysis and burden of kidney disease, and better sleep compared with patients with persistent CVC use, whereas measures such as cognitive and sexual function did not differ by access type. Conclusions: Compared with persistent CVC use, early persistent AVF use is associated with the perception of improved health status and QOL among patients with ESRD. Future longitudinal studies may help to clarify further the association between QOL and vascular access.
Scientific Software as Workflows: From Discovery to Distribution

Scientific workflows-models of computation that capture the orchestration of scientific codes to conduct in silico research-are gaining recognition as an attractive alternative to script-based orchestration. Even so, researchers developing scientific workflow technologies still face fundamental challenges, including developing the underlying science of scientific workflows. You can classify scientific-workflow environments according to three major phases of in silico research: discovery, production, and distribution. On the basis of this classification, scientists can make more-informed decisions regarding the adoption of particular workflow environments.
Lösung von Sicherheitsproblemen in der Montageautomation im Spannungsfeld zwischen Anwendern und Herstellern

Das Produktspektrum der Zukunft ist gepragt durch kurzere Produktlebensdauer bei steigender Typenvielfalt. Insbesondere im Bereich der Konsumguter werden sich auf dem Markt nur diejenigen Hersteller behaupten, die schnell und ideenreich auf die sich wandelnden Bedurfnisse und Erwartungen der Verbraucher reagieren und Innovationen schnell in marktfahige Produkte umsetzen konnen.
Inverse estimation of open boundary conditions in tidal channels

This article presents a novel algorithm for the estimation of open boundary conditions in river systems where tidal forcing is present. This algorithm uses a linearisation of the model equations. With the help of a linear discretisation scheme, the article presents a quadratic programming formulation of the estimation problem in which the control variables are the coefficients of the dominant tidal modes. This method is implemented for a scenario in which only Lagrangian observations from drifters are available to measure flow quantities. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using numerical experiments and comparing estimation results with boundary conditions from a river located in the Sacramento Delta. The sensitivity of the algorithm to the number of modes estimated and its predictive capabilities are also assessed.
Non-asymptotic tests of model performance

This paper describes a non-asymptotic approach to the problem of selection bias in economic forecasting. By using non-asymptotic measure concentration results, it is possible to deal with settings in which the class of potential models is large with respect to the number of data points. The bounds on p values obtained by these methods are necessarily conservative, but they provide a useful benchmark for model selection in settings where asymptotics may not apply.
Improved full-vectorial beam propagation method with high accuracy for arbitrary optical waveguides

An improved finite-difference (FD) full-vectorial beam propagation method is introduced for arbitrary optical waveguides with a dramatic improvement in accuracy. This method is developed based on the generalized Douglas scheme and a novel FD formula for the cross-coupling terms which, expressed in explicit form, is independent of specific types of waveguides. The present method is demonstrated for a strongly guiding rib waveguide.
A context of motivation: US Navy oceanographic research and the discovery of sea-floor hydrothermal vents

In the late 1970s, scientists discovered something new under the sea: sea-floor hydrothermal vents, supporting complex biotic communities under conditions previously thought inimical to life. While the vents themselves were predicted by the theory of plate tectonics, their extent and geochemical significance, and the ecosystems associated with them, were a profound surprise. Perhaps for this reason, their discovery has been portrayed as an example of the serendipitous nature of scientific research, a triumph of curiosity-driven investigation. Yet the US scientific presence in the deep-sea environment was anything but the result of chance. In the period following World War II, the US Navy actively promoted research in the deep-sea environment in support of pro-and anti-submarine warfare. Central to this was the development of deep-sea technologies to aid underwater acoustic surveillance of Soviet submarines, and it was this technology that enabled the discovery of the sea-floor vents. The US political desi...
Histopathogenesis of porcine polioencephalomyelitis in the germ free pig.

The isolation of viral agents associated with clinical signs and lesions of polioencephalomyelitis was reported in Ohio in 196220. The cytopathic effects of the isolated viruses in primary monolayer swine kidney cell cultures were described and the disease was reproduced in germ free pigs16. Additional study17 of the six isolates established them as enteroviruses according to the criteria proposed by BETTS et al.3 and MELNICK and WALLISs1. Five of the viruses were antigenically distinct. Selected viruses were nonpathogenic for various laboratory rodents, monkeys, and embryonating hen's eggs33. In an initial infectivity study with two viral strains isolated from the brains of pigs with polioencephalomyelitis, lesions of a non-suppurative encephalomyelitis were produced in germ free and pathogen-free pigs by both intracerebral and oral inoculation24. The evaluation of viral studies in conventionally raised animals may be handicapped by intercurrent disease and by the possible modifying influences of other microorganisms. The germ free pig with its controlled environment made it possible to study the effects of a pathogenic enterovirus in the absence of other microorganisms. This investigation was initiated to broaden our understanding of the disease produced by enteroviruses in swine by defining the histopathogenesis of neural and extraneural lesions in experimentally infected germ free pigs. Oral inoculation was used to simulate the most likely natural route of exposure. Additional reports's. 21 in connection with this study will deal with virus reisolation from various organ sites during
Novel Therapies for Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Recent advances in tumor biology have made remarkable achievements in the development of therapy for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. These advances reflect a growing appreciation for the role of the tumor microenvironment in promoting prostate cancer progression. Prostate cancer is no longer viewed predominantly as a disease of abnormally proliferating epithelial cells but rather as a disease of complex interactions between prostate cancer epithelial cells (epithelial compartment) and the surrounding tissues (stromal compartment) in which they reside. For example, prostate cancers frequently metastasize to bone, an organ that contains a microenvironment rich in extracellular matrix proteins and stromal cells including hematopoietic cells, osteoblasts, osteoclasts fibroblasts, endothelial cells, adipocytes, immune cells, and mesenchymal stem cells. Multiple signaling pathways provide crosstalk between the epithelial and the stromal compartments to enhance tumor growth, including androgen receptor signaling, tyrosine kinase receptor signaling, and immune surveillance. The rationale to disrupt this "two-compartment" crosstalk has led to the development of drugs that target tumor stromal elements in addition to the cancer epithelial cell.
The effects of child care provision in Mexico

In 2007, seeking to increase female labor force participation and more generally ease burdens on working women, the Mexican government introduced one of the most ambitious child care programs in an emerging economy: Estancias Infantiles para Apoyar a Madres Trabajadoras (EI). EI covers 90% of the cost of enrolling a child under the age of four at a formal child care center. The program is intended to benet women who are looking for work, in school, or working -with the exception of those who already have access to child care because their job is covered by Mexico’s social security system (IMSS). The roll-out of EI was so aggressive that by 2010 it enrolled 340,000 participants, more than double that of the 25-year-old IMSS child care program. However, EI was also rolled-out unevenly, owing to idiosyncratic variation in how quickly local oces processed applications from child care centers. I exploit the variation in
Identification of Sampling Intervals in Sampled-Data Models of Human Operators

The synthesis of sampled-data models of human controllers has been hampered by the lack of systematic procedures for estimating the sampling frequency to be used in the model. This paper presents two methods (programmed search and gradient search) for the determination of an unknown sampling frequency in closed-loop sampled-data systems. Both methods are based on, a priori knowledge of the structure of the system to be identified and require only measurements of the continuous input and output of the system. Several theorems conceming the identification problem are presented. The application of both the gradient search and programmed search techniques is illustrated by several examples.
Intragenomic Conflict Between the Two Major Knob Repeats of Maize

Examples of meiotic drive, the non-Mendelian segregation of a specific genomic region, have been identified in several eukaryotic species. Maize contains the abnormal chromosome 10 (Ab10) drive system that transforms typically inert heterochromatic knobs into centromere-like domains (neocentromeres) that move rapidly poleward along the spindle during meiosis. Knobs can be made of two different tandem repeat sequences (TR-1 and 180-bp repeat), and both repeats have become widespread in Zea species. Here we describe detailed studies of a large knob on chromosome 10 called K10L2. We show that the knob is composed entirely of the TR-1 repeat and is linked to a strong activator of TR-1 neocentromere activity. K10L2 shows weak meiotic drive when paired with N10 but significantly reduces the meiotic drive exhibited by Ab10 (types I or II) in Ab10/K10L2 heterozygotes. These and other data confirm that (1) there are two separate and independent neocentromere activities in maize, (2) that both the TR-1 and knob 180 repeats exhibit meiotic drive (in the presence of other drive genes), and (3) that the two repeats can operate in competition with each other. Our results support the general concept that tandem repeat arrays can engage in arms-race-like struggles and proliferate as an outcome.
The tricho system: Hypertrichosis, radiation, and cancer

Five women in their 6th to 8th decades were treated for facial hypertrichosis in Erie, Pennsylvania, 30 to 40 years ago. The epilations were performed with an X-ray device called "Tricho System," which was manufactured, sold, and proclaimed safe by its physician-inventor. The beauty shop operator who administered these treatments may or may not have received "instruction" by the company in the operation of the equipment. At varying intervals, each of the 5 women developed radiodermatitis and basal cell and/or squamous cell carcinoma at the sites of epilation. All presented to the plastic surgical service at the Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania. Two underwent massive radical resective surgery, 2 required extensive excision and resurfacing, and 1 refused resective surgery although she had had a previous surgical attempt 17 years earlier. Case histories are presented in detail. This series is representative of the epidemic nature of Tricho-System-induced disease.
A Frequency Selective Surface With Miniaturized Elements

We demonstrate a new class of bandpass frequency selective surface (FSS), the building block of which, unlike the traditional FSSs, makes use of resonant dipole and slot structures that have dimensions much smaller than the operating wavelength. This design allows localization of bandpass characteristics to within a small area on the surface which in turn facilitates flexible spatial filtering for an arbitrary wave phasefront. The proposed FSS is made up of periodic array of metallic patches separated by thin air-gaps backed by a wire mesh having the same periodicity (Ltlambda). The array of metallic patches constitute a capacitive surface and the wire mesh a coupled inductive surface, which together act as a resonant structure in the path of an incident plane wave. Like traditional FSSs, the capacitive and inductive surfaces of the proposed FSS can easily be fabricated using printed circuit technology on both sides of microwave substrates. It is shown that by cascading such bandpass surfaces in a proper fashion, any arbitrary multipole filter or non-commensurate multiband response can be obtained. The frequency response of the proposed miniaturized-element frequency selective surface (MEFSS) is demonstrated for various incident angles and it is shown that one-pole designs are less sensitive than two-pole designs to the angle of incidence. Dual band designs are also possible based on two-pole designs, but are more sensitive to incident angle than single band designs because of their larger (in terms of wavelengths) spacing. Prototypes of single-pole and dual-pole MEFSSs are fabricated and tested in a waveguide environment at X-band frequencies and excellent agreements between the measured and simulated results are demonstrated
Targeted therapies in colorectal cancer: the dos, don’ts, and future directions

2013 marks 10 years from the approval of the first targeted agent, bevacizumab, in colorectal cancer. Since the FDA approval of bevacizumab (Avastin®), we have seen the sequential approval of cetuximab (Erbitux®), panitumumab (Vectibix®), ziv-aflibercept (Zaltrap®), and regorafenib (Stivarga®). The approval of these angiogenesis and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeting agents has been based on benefits in overall survival in metastatic colorectal cancer patients in the first, second, and chemotherapy-refractory settings. In this issue, we review the efficacy data behind the FDA approved targeted agents in colorectal cancer (1,2), their confirmed and suspected mechanisms of resistance (3,4), potential causes of failure in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings (5,6), special considerations in the surgical settings (7), and management of associated dermatological toxicities (8).
The First American Textbook of Surgery

The first systematic textbook of surgery written in the United States, The Elements of Surgery, was completed in 1813 by John Syng Dorsey, a University of Pennsylvania surgeon. The work thoroughly covered all major clinical areas of surgery of that time in a two-volume, 797-page text. Subsequent editions were published in 1818, 1823, and 1831. It became the standard surgical textbook in this country during that era and was the first American medical text exported abroad for use at the more established European centers of medical education. The reasons for writing the text included a desire to put into print the teachings of Philip Syng Physick (first Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dorsey's uncle), the new American nationalism, and socioeconomic pressures forced on the American publishing industry by the War of 1812 and preceding trade embargoes. In addition to extensive exposure to Physick, Dorsey was also uniquely qualified to write and illustrate this text, as he exhibited an unusually succinct style and was a remarkable medical artist. The book was the forerunner to William Gibson's The Institutes and Practice of Surgery and all American surgical textbooks to follow.
Understanding uncertainty in distributed flash flood forecasting for semiarid regions

Semiarid flash floods pose a significant danger for life and property in many dry regions around the world. One effective way to mitigate flood risk lies in implementing a real-time forecast and warning system based on a rainfall-runoff model. This study used a semiarid, physics-based, and spatially distributed watershed model driven by high-resolution radar rainfall input to evaluate such a system. The predictive utility of the model and dominant sources of uncertainty were investigated for several runoff events within the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed located in the southwestern United States. Sources of uncertainty considered were rainfall estimates, watershed model parameters, and initial soil moisture conditions. Results derived through a variance-based comprehensive global sensitivity analysis indicated that the high predictive uncertainty in the modeled response was heavily dominated by biases in the radar rainfall depth estimates. Key model parameters and initial model states were identified, and we generally found that modeled hillslope characteristics are more influential than channel characteristics in small semiarid basins. We also observed an inconsistency in the parameter sets identified as behavioral for different events, which suggests that model calibration to historical data is unlikely to consistently improve predictive performance for different events and that real-time parameter updating may be preferable.
Cardiac Graft Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and Interleukin-1 Expression Mediate Primary Isograft Failure and Induction of ICAM-1 in Organs Remote From the Site of Transplantation

Abstract —During the first few hours after heart transplantation, the occurrence of graft failure is unpredictable and devastating. An explosive cascade of inflammatory events within the reperfused graft vasculature is likely to be mediated, at least in part, by the local expression of the leukocyte adhesion receptor intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, CD54). Furthermore, although proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) are known to autoinduce their own (and ICAM-1) expression in vitro, there are no data to identify their functional in vivo cross talk in the setting of isograft transplantation. To determine the role of ICAM-1 in primary graft failure, we used an isogeneic vascularized model of heterotopic cardiac transplantation. ICAM-1 mRNA and protein increased in grafts during the early posttransplant period and were predominantly localized in the endothelium. The functional significance of this was established using donor hearts obtained from either ICAM-1–deficient (ICAM-1 −/−) or control (ICAM-1 +/+) mice. ICAM-1 +/+ grafts exhibited increased neutrophil infiltration, reduced left ventricular compliance, and poorer survival than did ICAM-1 −/− grafts. Increased ICAM-1 expression was not limited to ICAM-1 +/+ grafts but also occurred in unmanipulated recipient organs located remote from the site of surgery (but only after transplantation of ICAM-1 +/+, not ICAM-1 −/−, cardiac grafts). This expression of ICAM-1 in remote organs appeared to be triggered by IL-1α released from the graft, because (1) in situ hybridization revealed increased IL-1 mRNA within cells of the reperfused graft, including myocytes and endothelial cells; (2) ICAM-1 expression in remote organs coincided with a significant increase in serum levels of IL-1α after transplantation of ICAM-1 +/+ grafts; both remote organ ICAM-1 expression and IL-1α levels were blunted by implantation of ICAM-1 −/− grafts; and (3) remote organ ICAM-1 expression and neutrophil infiltration and IL-1 levels could be blocked by the administration of an IL-1 receptor antagonist. These data demonstrate an apparent positive-feedback loop in which local ICAM-1 and IL-1 expression leads to a mutual amplification of each other’s expression within the reperfused graft, promulgating inflammatory events that are likely to be an important cause of primary cardiac graft failure. Because IL-1 receptor blockade reduces the IL-1–mediated autoinduction of IL-1, reduces the expression of ICAM-1 in both the graft and remote organs, and improves graft survival, it may provide a new and effective strategy to prevent the occurrence of primary cardiac graft failure.
Depression and anxiety in patients with hereditary angioedema

Abstract Background Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is characterized by edematous swelling attacks of the face, extremities, abdomen, genitalia, and upper airway. The potential for laryngeal swelling makes the disease life-threatening, and the swelling elsewhere contributes to the significant burden of illness. The increased risk for mental health disorders in HAE is due to the burden of disease and possibly associated activation of the immune system. Objective To determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety in HAE patients and the most high-yield features of depression to target in a clinical encounter. Methods Depression and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the 29 items of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale along with the 14-item Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. The sample size was 26 participants with a diagnosis of type 1 or 2 HAE drawn from a cohort of 60 adult patients. In addition, a literature search was performed regarding how immune modulation affects depression and anxiety. Results A total of 39% of participants were identified as experiencing depression of mild (50%), moderate (40%), or severe (10%) levels. Fifteen percent of participants displayed prominent anxiety, half of whom had mild anxiety, 25% moderate anxiety, and 25% severe anxiety. The literature on inflammation and depression suggests a possible link between HAE and depression. Conclusion Our data and the literature support that depression and anxiety symptoms are common in patients with HAE and may be secondary to chronic disease burden, associated pathophysiologic features, or both. Treatment that addresses the psychosocial and mental health of HAE patients is critical for best practice.
Agroforestry for biomass production and carbon sequestration: an overview

Ever since the Kyoto Protocol, agroforestry has gained increased attention as a strategy to sequester carbon (C) and mitigate global climate change. Agroforestry has been recognized as having the greatest potential for C sequestration of all the land uses analyzed in the Land-Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry report of the IPCC; however, our understanding of C sequestration in specific agroforestry practices from around the world is rudimentary at best. Similarly, while agroforestry is well recognized as a land use practice capable of producing biomass for biopower and biofuels, very little information is available on this topic. This thematic issue is an attempt to bring together a collection of articles on C sequestration and biomass for energy, two topics that are inextricably interlinked and of great importance to the agroforestry community the world over. These papers not only address the aboveground C sequestration, but also the belowground C and the role of decomposition and nutrient cycling in determining the size of soil C pool using specific case studies. In addition to providing allometric methods for quantifying biomass production, the biological and economic realities of producing biomass in agroforestry practices are also discussed.
On the Same Wavelength: Predictable Language Enhances Speaker–Listener Brain-to-Brain Synchrony in Posterior Superior Temporal Gyrus

Recent research has shown that the degree to which speakers and listeners exhibit similar brain activity patterns during human linguistic interaction is correlated with communicative success. Here, we used an intersubject correlation approach in fMRI to test the hypothesis that a listener's ability to predict a speaker's utterance increases such neural coupling between speakers and listeners. Nine subjects listened to recordings of a speaker describing visual scenes that varied in the degree to which they permitted specific linguistic predictions. In line with our hypothesis, the temporal profile of listeners' brain activity was significantly more synchronous with the speaker's brain activity for highly predictive contexts in left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG), an area previously associated with predictive auditory language processing. In this region, predictability differentially affected the temporal profiles of brain responses in the speaker and listeners respectively, in turn affecting correlated activity between the two: whereas pSTG activation increased with predictability in the speaker, listeners' pSTG activity instead decreased for more predictable sentences. Listeners additionally showed stronger BOLD responses for predictive images before sentence onset, suggesting that highly predictable contexts lead comprehenders to preactivate predicted words.
Novel Strategy for Isolating Unknown Coding Sequences from Genomic DNA by Generating Genomic-cDNA Chimeras

A novel strategy for rapid identification of unknown coding sequences from large genomic regions has been developed. It is based on selective in vitro recombination of genomic DNA and cDNA followed by Polymerase Chain Reaction. The technique involves generation of cDNA primers, by restriction digestion of cDNA libraries, that hybridize to their cognate genomic DNA sequences. These hybrids are chain elongated using the free 3’ end of the cDNA fragment as a primer, then PCR amplified using primers previously attached to genomic DNA and cDNA. Unknown coding sequences are clearly discernable as genomic cDNA chimeras.
Rupture, Invasion and Inflammatory Destruction of the Intestinal Barrier by Shigella: The Yin and Yang of Innate Immunity

Shigella is a Gram-negative bacterial species of the family Enterobacteriaceae that causes bacillary dysentery in humans. This acute colitis reflects the capacity of the microorganism to disrupt, invade and cause the inflammatory destruction of the intestinal epithelium. The pathogenesis of the Shigella infection can be seen as a disruption of the homeostatic balance that protects the gut against inflammation in the presence of its commensal flora. This provides the unified view that enteroinvasive pathogens allow for the identification of key signalling molecules and pathways involved in the regulation of intestinal inflammation, and more generally, in the regulation of the innate and adaptive immune response.
Information content of MOPITT CO profile retrievals: Temporal and geographical variability

Satellite measurements of tropospheric carbon monoxide (CO) enable a wide array of applications including studies of air quality and pollution transport. The MOPITT (Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere) instrument on the Earth Observing System Terra platform has been measuring CO concentrations globally since March 2000. As indicated by the Degrees of Freedom for Signal (DFS), the standard metric for trace-gas retrieval information content, MOPITT retrieval performance varies over a wide range. We show that both instrumental and geophysical effects yield significant geographical and temporal variability in MOPITT DFS values. Instrumental radiance uncertainties, which describe random errors (or “noise”) in the calibrated radiances, vary over long time scales (e.g., months to years) and vary between the four detector elements of MOPITT's linear detector array. MOPITT retrieval performance depends on several factors including thermal contrast, fine-scale variability of surface properties, and CO loading. The relative importance of these various effects is highly variable, as demonstrated by analyses of monthly mean DFS values for the United States and the Amazon Basin. An understanding of the geographical and temporal variability of MOPITT retrieval performance is potentially valuable to data users seeking to limit the influence of the a priori through data filtering. To illustrate, it is demonstrated that calculated regional-average CO mixing ratios may be improved by excluding observations from a subset of pixels in MOPITT's linear detector array.
Improving patient safety with ultrasonography guidance during internal jugular central venous catheter placement by novice practitioners.

Introduction:This study compared ultrasonography-guided (USG) placement with anatomic placement during internal jugular (IJ) central venous catheter (CVC) insertion by novice practitioners using a simulation model.Methods:A prospective, randomized, crossover study of 28 fourth year medical students
SP0019 AGG-523: Aggrecanase-selective inhibitor for the treatment of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis affecting nearly 27 million people in the United States. OA is caused by the loss of articular cartilage due to increased production of proteolytic enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and aggrecanases. Depletion of aggrecan is one of the earliest changes observed in osteoarthritis. Aggrecan is a chondroitin sulfate and keratan sulfate-bearing proteoglycan. Two cartilage aggrecanases, Aggrecanase 1 (ADAMTS4) and Aggrecanase 2 (ADAMTS5) cleave aggrecan within the interglobular domain between residues Glu373 and Ala 374. There are no disease-modifying therapies for the treatment of OA. The current study describes the chondroprotective effect of an oral aggrecanase-selective inhibitor (AGG-523) in a rat model of osteoarthritis and demonstrates that the significant protection, and lack of phenotypic alteration, observed with gene-deleted ADAMTS-5 and ADAMTS-4/5 mice, can also be observed with the use of a selective ADAMTS-4/5 inhibitor in the rat meniscal tear model of OA. This paradigm of selective ADAMTS-4/5 inhibition avoids the side-effects observed clinically and pre-clinically with broad-spectrum MMP inhibition. Disclosure of Interest K. Georgiadis Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer
Abdominal Compartment Hypertension and Abdominal Compartment Syndrome

Abdominal hypertension and compartment syndrome are frequent events following large-volume fluid resuscitation, complex ventral herniorrhaphy, pancreatitis, and other common disorders in the ICU. Early signs and symptoms heralding IAH and ACS lack sensitivity, and a high index of suspicion is needed to diagnose these problems early. Failure to recognize ACS, in particular, is associated with increased mortality related to multisystem organ failure. Whereas abdominal decompression remains the gold standard of treatment, other nonoperative treatment options, such as paracentesis and pharmacologic paralysis, can be used in selected instances. When a decompressive laparotomy is performed, timely closure of the abdominal wall is essential to minimize risk of development of an entero-atmospheric fistula and loss of domain ventral hernia.
“Be Operational, or Disappear”: Thoughts on a Present Discontent

Considered as regimes of interpellation, history and law separately and jointly observe and insist upon realities often antagonistic to distinct realities that arise from their alternate incarnation as memory and right. Because it exists at the intersection of history and law, legal history has a responsibility to resolve, or at least reveal, these cross-purposes. This essay summarizes the development of the field of legal history and reviews the origins of its current leading sector, critical historicism. Using examples from Australian Native title jurisprudence, it argues that critical historicism cannot meet its responsibilities. The essay points elsewhere, to philosophies of history that may perform better.