cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical implications of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Klebsiella species and Escherichia coli on cefepime effectiveness

Abstract Objective To determine the affect of ESBL production among Klebsiella species and Escherichia coli on cefepime effectiveness. Methods This was a retrospective, case–controlled study comparing the clinical and microbiologic responses of patients receiving cefepime for ESBL producing Klebsiella species or E. coli from a non-urine source with matched controls receiving cefepime for non-ESBL strains. Cases with ESBLs were included if they received monotherapy and were clinically evaluable. Non-ESBL controls were matched in a 2:1 ratio based on age, infection site, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, pathogen species and date of hospitalization. Results Ten patients receiving cefepime for ESBLs were matched to 20 controls. Most patients received cefepime 1g q12h. Patients receiving cefepime for an ESBL infection were 9.7 (95% CI: 1.4–68.8) and 28.5 (95% CI: 2.6–306.6) times as likely to have an unsuccessful clinical and microbiological response compared with those with a non-ESBL infection. The presence of an ESBL did not have a statistically significant effect on all cause or infection-related mortality. Conclusion These data indicate that ESBL production among non-urinary Klebsiella species and E. coli negatively affected cefepime effectiveness. Further studies are required to evaluate if higher doses of cefepime may improve responses in ESBLs that are initially susceptible.
Early Repolarization on Scalar Electrocardiogram

ABSTRACT Sixty thousand electrocardiograms were analyzed for 5 years. Six hundred (1%) revealed early repolarization (ER). Features of ER were compared with race-, age-, and sex-matched controls (93.5% were Caucasians, 77% were males, 78.3% were younger than 50 years, and only 3.5% were older than 70). Those with ER had elevated, concave, ST segments in all electrocardiograms (1—5 mv), which were located most commonly in precordial leads (73%), with reciprocal ST depression (50%) in aVR, and notch and slur on R wave (56%). Other results included sinus bradycardia in 22%, shorter and depressed PR interval in 38%, slightly asymmetrical T waves in 96.7%, and U waves in 50%. Sixty patients exercised normalized ST segment and shortened QT interval (83%). In another 60 patients, serial studies for 10 years showed disappearance of ER in 18%, and was seen intermittently in the rest of the patients. The authors conclude that in these patients with ER: 1) male preponderance was found; 2) incidence in Caucasians was as common as in blacks; 3) patients often were younger than 50 years; 4) sinus bradycardia was the most common arrhythmia; 5) the PR interval was short and depressed; 6) the T wave was slightly asymmetrical; 7) exercise normalized ST segment; 8) incidence and degree of ST elevation reduced as age advanced; 9) possible mechanisms of ER are vagotonia, sympathetic stimulation, early repolarization of sub-epicardium, and difference in monophasic action potential observed on the endocardium and epicardium.
The Affordable Care Act: triumphs and tribulations

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the obstacles faced by the federal government in achieving its goal. The ACA is designed to provide most Americans with an access to affordable health care. Design/methodology/approach – Using data obtained from government sources, case law and current literature, the paper first discusses the history and background of the ACA. It evaluates the law’s current status, the benefits it achieved and the legal, economic, political and social challenges that lie ahead. Findings – Although the Supreme Court upheld most of the ACA’s provisions, opponents at the federal and state level are still attempting to overturn or undercut it. The ACA itself is so complicated that it has generated confusion among employers, consumers and even those who are charged with enforcing it. The extent to which the ACA can be successfully implemented is unclear, and adjustments must be made as the federal government struggles to implement key com...
Time-Frequency HOP Signals Part I: Coding Based upon the Theory of Linear Congruences

Time-frequency hop codes are developed based upon the theory of linear congruences. These codes can be used for multiuser radar and asynchronous spread spectrum communications systems. A uniform upper bound is placed on the cross-correlation function between any two elements of the code set. The upper bound is minimized by choice of time-bandwidth product and is shown to diminish as 2/N, where N is the number of elements in the code set. The size and position of spurious peaks in the autocorrelation functions are discussed. The results are extended to narrowband ambiguity functions.
Quiet Monte Carlo radiation transport

Abstract We model radiation transport by advancing computational photons through phase space with solutions to a set of stochastic differential equations of motion. Random numbers that appear in the equations of motion are sampled with deterministically chosen Gaussian quadrature weights and abscissas. In this way, the advantages of particle Monte Carlo are realized without generating statistical noise. We demonstrate this technique by performing one- and two-dimensional test problems in which gray radiation is energetically coupled to stationary material. Scattering is accomplished with a Fokker–Planck scattering operator. Free streaming, diffusion and Marshak waves are recovered in appropriate limits.
THERAPEUTIC ENDOSCOPY FOR NONVARICEAL GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING

During the past 20 years, endoscopy has developed as the modality of choice for determining diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy for severe gastrointestinal bleeding. When endoscopy was first introduced to evaluate gastrointestinal bleeding in the late 1970s, early diagnostic endoscopy did not affect patient outcome. 46 Subsequently, improvements in endoscopes and endoscopic accessories allowed development of therapeutic techniques. Experienced endoscopists now can diagnose a source of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in greater than 90% of cases, which facilitates simultaneous treatment via endoscopy. 14 There are now standardized techniques for endoscopy, consensus for high-risk stigmata of hemorrhage, and effective endoscopic hemostasis treatments. This article reviews the indications, technique, and efficacy of therapeutic endoscopy.
Age Diminishes Performance on an Antisaccade Eye Movement Task

Abstract The antisaccade eye movement task, which has been linked to frontal lobe function, presents a target in one visual field and asks subjects to move their eyes to the same location in the opposite field. The task requires inhibition of the reflexive prosaccade to the cue, initiation of the antisaccade to the opposite field, and visuo-spatial memory of the cue location. Forty-two subjects from 19–79 years of age performed this task and a control task, visually guided saccades to the cue itself, to determine which functions are affected by aging. The time to initiate antisaccades increased linearly with age at a rate greater than the time to initiate visually guided saccades. This difference suggests that the processing time to inhibit the incorrect movement to the cue is selectively increased with age. Older subjects also made more incorrect prosaccadic movements to the cue, a finding consistent with the loss of inhibitory processing capacity. The accuracy of movements did not change, which suggests that visuo-spatial memory is unaffected by aging.
The interpretation of X-ray shadowgraphs

Abstract Berry and Gibbs showed that the density of a three-dimensional object can be inferred from the set of all its X-ray shadowgraphs. A much easier argument is given here for two-dimensional objects, from which the result for three-dimensional objects is an obvious corollary.
Variation—selection in the innovation of the retractable airplane landing gear: the Northrop ‘anomaly’

Abstract In the early 1930s, when the retractable landing gear was appearing in airplane design (in retrospect, seemingly inevitably), a series of trim, high-performance craft from the innovative designer John Northrop continued to exhibit a carefully streamlined fixed undercarriage. This, at first sight anomalous, episode, viewed in the context of its time, proves in fact typical of the variation-selection learning process normal in engineering. The results are relevant to evolutionary theories of techno-economic change, with particular regard to how new technologies arise and replace (or do not replace) old technologies.
Beta cell protection to alloxan necrosis by anomers of D-glucose.

Various concentrations of either the α or β anomers of D- glucose were injected into fasted rats prior to a diabetogenic dose of alloxan. Plasma concentrations of glucose were measured 24 hours later. There was a significantly greater protection of the pancreatic beta cells by the α anomer of D- glucose as compared to the β anomer, which was evidenced by concentrations of glucose in the plasma, and morphology of beta cells.
Irritation, sensitization, photoirritation and photosensitization assays with a glyphosate herbicide

Glyphosate it widely utilized herbicide, was evaluated for acute irritation, cumulative irritation, photoirritation and allergic and photoallergic contact potential in 346 volunteers. The herbicide was less irritant than a standard liquid dishwashing detergent and a general all purpose cleaner. There was no evidence for the induction of photoirritation, allergic or photoirritation contact dermatitis. 10% glyphosate in water is proposed as a diagnostic path test concentration.
Laser Thermal Induced Crystallization for 20 nm Device Structures

The melt kinetics of shallow junction formation by laser thermal processes has been studied using transient conductance measurements. The melt and solidification dynamics of 20 nm amorphous layers were measured and shown to follow behaviors predicated by deeper melts, including explosive crystallization and interface bounce back. The effects of surface barrier oxides and metal absorber layers, required for CMOS process integration, were examined and shown to be nearly negligible. Quantitative evaluation of a device process window by these measurements was in good agreement with sheet resistance results. Finally, the effect of the buried oxide in SOI structures was investigated. Solidification velocities in such structures were reduced by a factor of three as compared with bulk silicon.
Oscillator strength sums S (−3) to S (2) and C6 for the atoms He to Kr

The oscillator strength sums S (2), S (1), and S (−1) calculated using analytical Hartree–Fock wavefunctions and the sums S (−2) and S (−3) from an approximate uncoupled Hartree–Fock calculation are given for the atoms He to Kr. Trends are discussed as well as the accuracy of the Hartree–Fock calculations. An extensive compilation of accurate sums is used to assess the relative usefulness and accuracy of recently proposed bounds and approximations to the spherically averaged dispersion coefficient C6. Values of C6 for the first three rows are presented.
Molecular Mechanism of Base Excision Repair of Uracil-containing DNA in Yeast Cell-free Extracts

Base excision repair (BER) constitutes a ubiquitous excision repair mechanism, which is responsible for the removal of multiple types of damaged and inappropriate bases in DNA. We have employed a yeast cell-free system to examine the biochemical mechanism of the BER pathway in lower eukaryotes. Using uracil-containing DNA as a model substrate, we demonstrate that yeast BER requires Apn1 protein, an Escherichia coli endonuclease IV homolog. In extracts of an apn1 deletion mutant, the 5′-incision at AP (apurinic/apyrimidinic) sites is not detectable, supporting the notion that yeast contains only one major 5′-AP endonuclease. The processing of the 5′-deoxyribose phosphate moieties was found to be a rate-limiting step. During BER of uracil-containing DNA, repair patch sizes of 1–5 nucleotides were detected, with single nucleotide repair patches predominant.
Paradoxic cerebral embolism after cemented knee arthroplasty: a report of 2 cases and prophylactic option for subsequent arthroplasty.

Major orthopaedic procedures that involve instrumentation of the medullary canal are well known to produce showers of embolic debris including fat, bone fragments, marrow constituents, and cement. A growing literature has identified paradoxic cerebral embolism as a rare but serious consequence of the passage of these emboli through an intracardiac right-to-left shunt to the cerebral arterial circulation. We report 2 cases of paradoxic cerebral embolism after cemented total knee arthroplasty and propose a novel treatment plan to prevent recurrent stroke during subsequent surgery.
Electrical conductivity of thin polymer films

Abstract Thin dielectric films produced by electron bombardment of epichlorohydrin vapor were investigated with regard to their electrical characteristics and the effects of various parameters involved in their formation. The films showed non-ohmic conduction upon application of large electric fields. The nature of this conduction is considered and it is concluded that tunneling and electron emission are both involved, with the latter predominating at room temperature.
Phage immobilized magnetoelastic sensor for the detection of Salmonella typhimurium

In this article, a phage-based magnetoelastic sensor for the detection of Salmonella typhimurium is reported. Filamentous bacteriophage specific to S. typhimurium was used as a biorecognition element in order to ensure specific and selective binding of bacteria onto the sensor surface. Phage was immobilized onto the surface of the sensors by physical adsorption. The phage immobilized magnetoelastic sensors were exposed to S. typhimurium cultures with different concentrations ranging from 5x10(1) to 5x10(8) cfu/ml, and the corresponding changes in resonance frequency response of the sensor were studied. It was experimentally established that the sensitivity of the magnetoelastic sensors was higher for sensors with smaller physical dimensions. An increase in sensitivity from 159 Hz/decade for a 2 mm sensor to 770 Hz/decade for a 1 mm sensor was observed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of previously assayed biosensors provided visual verification of frequency changes that were caused by S. typhimurium binding to phage immobilized on the sensor surface. The detection limit on the order of 10(3) cfu/ml was obtained for a sensor with dimensions 1x0.2x0.015 mm.
Abstract P4-01-04: The Impact of the Retinoblastoma Tumor Suppressor Pathway in Her2 Positive Breast Cancer Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Response

Extensive studies have shown that breast cancer is associated with molecular aberrations that underlie the distinct subtypes of disease that exhibit differential prognosis and susceptibility to targeted therapeutic. A critical oncogenic event used to classify breast cancers is the amplification or overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2). Tumors harboring Her2 overexpression present aggressive characteristics related to metastatic spread and poor overall disease outcome. However, such tumors are also susceptible to targeted therapeutic agents which effectively impinge on this oncogene. Strikingly, those events that cooperate with Her2 and modulate susceptibility to targeted therapeutics remain poorly understood. Here the significance of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (RB) pathway in the context of Her2 positive breast cancer pathogenesis and therapeutic response was evaluated. In silico and histological analyses suggested that a subset of Her2 positive tumors exhibit compromised RB function. To model interactions between Her2 and the RB-pathway genetic deletion and knockdown strategies were employed in the context of Her2 driven tumors. These studies revealed that RB loss accelerated disease progression of such models and further enhanced the aggressive tumor phenotype. To delineate the functionality of the RB-pathway downstream from therapeutic interventions targeting Her2, two complimentary approaches were used. First, the ability to effectively intercede in Her2-positive tumors using drugs that specifically activate the RB-pathway was interrogated. The data revealed that specific CDK4/6 targeted therapies were highly effective at limiting the growth of Her2-positive tumor cells. Second, the impact of RB status on the response the Her2/EGFR antagonist lapatinib was evaluated. These studies demonstrated that loss of RB compromises the effectiveness of lapatinib in the treatment of Her2 positive breast cancer cell lines. Ongoing studies are evaluating the spontaneous mechanisms of resistance to Her2 targeted therapeutics and the significance of reestablishing RB function as a therapeutic alternative in such cancers. Together, these studies underscore the importance of the interplay between Her2 signaling and cell cycle control in breast cancer, and how this crosstalk influences the response to targeted therapeutics in the treatment of breast cancer. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-01-04.
Ecologism, environmental protection, and liberal–democratic decision–making

This article examines the relationship between political liberalism and environmental philosophy. The goal of the study is to determine the extent to which the concerns of environmental philosophers - especially the views associated with "deep ecology" or "ecologism" - may be addressed within a liberal–democratic framework of political justification. Is it permissible for a citizen to exercise political power over other citizens on the basis of a comprehensive view of the world (e.g., ecologism) that those other citizens might reasonably reject? I argue that, in a number of ways, political liberalism can indeed accommodate citizens who wish to bring their environmentalist commitments, including politically radical commitments, into the public political forum. But there is a limit to this accommodation. In cases of disagreement over fundamental, constitutional questions about how to organize human society, political liberalism requires citizens to restrain their appeal to the truth claims of ecologism and related worldviews.
Behavioral and neurochemical responses to cocaine in periadolescent and adult rats.

Although recreational drug use by human adolescents is a well-known and long-standing problem, relatively little is known regarding differences in behavioral and physiological responses to abused substances in adolescent vs adult animals. The present study compared effects of the psychomotor stimulant, cocaine, in periadolescent (postnatal days 37–52) and adult (postnatal days 75–90) male Wistar rats. Locomotion and motor stereotypy were recorded after acute and repeated cocaine injections (0, 10, or 20 mg/kg cocaine, intraperitoneal (i.p.), four injections spaced 5 days apart). Spontaneous acquisition of intravenous (i.v.) cocaine self-administration was investigated in two dose groups (B0.37 or 0.74 mg/kg/infusion) over 14 days. Dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens were recorded under basal conditions (no net flux method) and after cocaine administration (B0.37, 0.74, and 2.92 mg/kg/i.v. infusion or 20 mg/kg i.p.) using in vivo microdialysis. The locomotor data are in partial agreement with previous reports of hyposensitivity to acute cocaine in periadolescent vs adult rats; periadolescents were less active overall than adults. Moreover, adult rats exhibited significant locomotor sensitization after repeated injection of 10 mg/kg cocaine, whereas periadolescents required the high dose of 20 mg/kg cocaine to demonstrate sensitization. Neither age group showed sensitization of motor stereotypies. No age-related difference was observed in acquisition of cocaine self-administration, or in basal or cocaine-stimulated nucleus accumbens dopamine. These experiments imply a developmental dissociation between the motor activating and reinforcing effects of cocaine. Similarities in dopamine levels across age groups suggest that age-specific motor responses to cocaine are not mediated by dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. Neuropsychopharmacology (2007) 32, 625–637. doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1301130; published online 21 June 2006
Lymphatic malformation: predictive factors for recurrence.

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE: Although lymphatic malformations are often found to be well circumscribed when surgery is undertaken in early childhood, complete surgical excision can be difficult when the lesion is infiltrative. This study retrospectively evaluates these patients in an attempt to identify prognostic factors that may predict recurrence.STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective chart review was conducted covering the years 1991 to 1998. Seventeen patients were identified having undergone 32 surgical resections of tumors described as lymphatic malformations. Data abstracted from the charts included the site of the lesion, surgical and histologic assessment of encapsulation, and status at follow-up examination.RESULTS: Six of 17 patients developed a recurrence after surgery. Correlation between recurrence and histologic or operative impressions of encapsulation was significant by χ2 analysis (P < 0.01).CONCLUSION: On the basis of the findings of this case series, lymphatic malformations that are found to...
Nation versus class in Ukraine

This article evaluates the long-standing but rarely-tested proposition that nationalism and nationhood mask the extent of class divisions in a society. Specifically, it examines three possible routes by which state-nationhood might subjectively mitigate the importance of class. Nationhood may shape people's perception of the magnitude of economic inequalities, their perception of the magnitude of class conflict or their assessment of their own class position. An analysis of a mass public opinion survey from Ukraine in 2011 demonstrates that contrary to theoretical arguments advanced by a wide variety of scholars, national identity and national sentiments have very little or no impact on the perceived salience of class divisions in Ukraine. Contradictory forces within the national idea itself are identified to explain this outcome.
Compact All Pass Transmission Filter using Photonic Crystal Slabs

We show that both the coupled photonic crystal slab and the single photonic crystal slab structure can function as an optical all-pass transmission filter for normally incident light. The filter function is synthesized by designing the spectral properties of guided resonance in the slab. We expect this compact device to be useful for optical communication systems.
Structural Impact of Three Parkinsonism-Associated Missense Mutations on Human DJ-1

A number of missense mutations in the oxidative stress response protein DJ-1 are implicated in rare forms of familial Parkinsonism. The best-characterized Parkinsonian DJ-1 missense mutation, L166P, disrupts homodimerization and results in a poorly folded protein. The molecular basis by which the other Parkinsonism-associated mutations disrupt the function of DJ-1, however, is incompletely understood. In this study we show that three different Parkinsonism-associated DJ-1 missense mutations (A104T, E163K, and M26I) reduce the thermal stability of DJ-1 in solution by subtly perturbing the structure of DJ-1 without causing major folding defects or loss of dimerization. Atomic resolution X-ray crystallography shows that the A104T substitution introduces water and a discretely disordered residue into the core of the protein, E163K disrupts a key salt bridge with R145, and M26I causes packing defects in the core of the dimer. The deleterious effect of each Parkinsonism-associated mutation on DJ-1 is dissected by analysis of engineered substitutions (M26L, A104V, and E163K/R145E) that partially alleviate each of the defects introduced by the A104T, E163K and M26I mutations. In total, our results suggest that the protective function of DJ-1 can be compromised by diverse perturbations in its structural integrity, particularly near the junctions of secondary structural elements.
Reproductive value in a complex life cycle: heat tolerance of the pitcher‐plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii

Because mortality accumulates with age, Fisher proposed that the strength of selection acting on survival should increase from birth up to the age of first reproduction. Hamilton later theorized that the strength of selection acting on survival should not change from birth to age at first reproduction. As organisms in nature do not live in uniform environments but, rather, experience periodic stress, we hypothesized that resistance to environmental stress should increase (Fisher) or remain constant (Hamilton) from birth to age at first reproduction. Using the pitcher-plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii ,w e imposed heat stress by simulating the passage of a warm-weather front at different preadult and adult stages. Contrary to either Fisher or Hamilton, stress tolerance declined from embryos to larvae to pupae to adults. Consequently, reproductive value appears to have been of little consequence in the evolution of stage-specific tolerance of heat stress in W. smithii.
A unified model of illusory and occluded contour interpolation

Models of contour interpolation have been proposed for illusory contour interpolation but seldom for interpolation of occluded contours. The identity hypothesis (Kellman & Loukides, 1987; Kellman & Shipley, 1991) posits that an early interpolation mechanism is shared by interpolated contours that are ultimately perceived as either illusory or occluded. Here we propose a model of such a unified interpolation mechanism for illusory and occluded contours, building on the framework established in Heitger, von der Heydt, Peterhans, Rosenthaler, and Kubler (1998). We show that a single, neurally plausible mechanism that is consistent with the identity hypothesis also generates contour interpolations in agreement with perception for cases of transparency, self-splitting objects, interpolation with mixed boundary assignment, and "quasimodal" interpolations. Limiting cases for this local, feed-forward approach are presented, demonstrating that both early, local interpolation mechanisms and non-local scene constraints are necessary for describing the perception of interpolated contours.
Diagnosing and exploiting cancer's addiction to blocks in apoptosis

Cancer cells survive despite violating rules of normal cellular behaviour that ordinarily provoke apoptosis. The blocks in apoptosis that keep cancer cells alive are therefore attractive candidates for targeted therapies. Recent studies have significantly increased our understanding of how interactions among proteins in the BCL2 family determine cell survival or death. It is now possible to systematically determine how individual cancers escape apoptosis. Such a determination can help predict not only whether cells are likely to be killed by antagonism of BCL2, but also whether they are likely to be sensitive to chemotherapy that kills by the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.
Group-effort Applied Research: Expanding Opportunities for Undergraduate Research through Original, Class-Based Research Projects.

Undergraduate research clearly enriches the educational development of participating students, but these experiences are limited by the inherent inefficiency of the standard one student-one mentor model for undergraduate research. Group-effort applied research (GEAR) was developed as a strategy to provide substantial numbers of undergraduates with meaningful research experiences. The GEAR curriculum delivers concept-driven lecture material and provides hands-on training in the context of an active research project from the instructor's laboratory. Because GEAR is structured as a class, participating students benefit from intensive, supervised research training that involves a built-in network of peer support and abundant contact with faculty mentors. The class format also ensures a relatively standardized and consistent research experience. Furthermore, meaningful progress toward a research objective can be achieved more readily with GEAR than with the traditional one student-one mentor model of undergraduate research because sporadic mistakes by individuals in the class are overshadowed by the successes of the group as a whole. Three separate GEAR classes involving three distinct research projects have been offered to date. In this article, we provide an overview of the GEAR format and review some of the recurring themes for GEAR instruction. We propose GEAR can serve as a template to expand student opportunities for life science research without sacrificing the quality of the mentored research experience.
Physical optics inverse diffraction

A general method for solving the inverse diffraction problem is presented. It is based on an identity of Bojarski which states that \gamma(x) and \Gamma(p) are a Fourier transform pair. Here \gamma(x) is the characteristic function of the target ( \gamma=1 inside the target, \gamma = 0 outside), p = (2\omega/c)J,\omega is the frequency, J is a unit vector specifying the aspect, and \Gamma(P) can be obtained by measurement of the backscattered electromagnetic far field at frequency \omega = (c/2)|P| and aspect J=|p|^{-1}p . If data is obtained in any subset D of p space, the method yields partial or complete information about the target geometry. It is used to rederive earlier results very simply and to obtain a significant new solution, in which the target geometry is completely determined using frequencies only in a practical frequency band and aspects in a narrow cone.
Simulation of morphological instabilities during diamond chemical vapor deposition

Abstract The diamond chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process has been investigated theoretically and the morphological instabilities associated with the growth of diamond films have been examined with a model based on the continuum species conservation equation coupled to surface reaction kinetics. A linear stability analysis and numerical calculations have been carried out to determine critical parameters affecting the diamond deposition layer morphology. A two-dimensional model describes the evolution of the gas-solid interface. The dynamic behavior of the interface depends on the reactants' diffusivity and surface kinetics. These factors depend upon the reactant material properties and film growth conditions such as the reactor temperature and pressure. From the analyses, it has been found that the ratio ( D /k) of gas phase diffusivity ( D ) to the surface reaction rate constant (k) plays the critical role in promoting diamond morphological instabilities because the film morphology stabilizing processes of surface diffusion and re-evaporation are absent or negligible during diamond CVD. It is found that the film nonuniformity increases as the ratio ( D /k) decreases. Increasing growth rates also result in increasing morphological instability, leading to rough surfaces. It is shown that increasing reactor pressure and decreasing gas-phase temperature and/or substrate temperature promote deposition layer nonuniformity. An approach to avoiding these instabilities is proposed.
Harmonic close-to-convex mappings.

Sufficient coefficient conditions for complex functions to be close-to-convex harmonic or convex harmonic are given. Construction of close-to-convex harmonic functions is also studied by looking at transforms of convex analytic functions. Finally, a convolution property for harmonic functions is discussed.
Abstract 928: Deletion of mammary epithelial mPGES1 suppresses tumor development in mice: a possible effect of substrate re-diversion

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase (mPGES1) is the terminal enzyme in cyclooxygenase (COX)-2-mediated prostaglandin (PG) E2 biosynthesis. The pro-tumor contributions of COX-2 and PGE2 are established as is the clinical efficacy of pharmacological COX-2 inhibition. However, in addition to the desired suppression of tumor PGE2, collateral loss of vascular endothelial COX-2-derived PGI2, an endogenous anti-platelet mediator, imposes a cardiovascular hazard that limits clinical use of COX-2 inhibitors. mPGES1 is a promising alternative target to interrupt COX-2-driven events in tumors without elevating cardiovascular risk. We engineered mice transgenic for an activated HER2/neu oncogene to lack mPGES1 in mammary epithelial cells (MEC; mPGES1 KOMEC ). mPGES1 KOMEC mice and their wild type (WT) littermates were sacrificed at 22 weeks and mammary glands harvested. Glands were sectioned, every 10th slide was HE p=0.002). In addition, in a second cohort of mice followed until tumors were palpable, mPGES1 KOMEC mice trended toward a longer tumor free period. Concordant with these observations, shRNA knock down (KD) of mPGES1 in mammary tumor cells dramatically suppressed their growth as orthotopic tumors in syngeneic immune competent WT hosts - 5 out of 6 non-target shRNA control tumors grew successfully while, in all cases, mPGES1 KD cells failed to grow. By immunohistochemistry, no difference was observed in proliferation or apoptosis between WT and mPGES1 KOMEC spontaneous tumors. Interestingly, and in contrast to our previous study of neu-driven mammary tumors in mice lacking MEC COX-2 (COX-2 KOMEC), vascularization was not different between mPEGS-1 KOMEC and WT spontaneous tumors suggesting divergence in the anti-tumorigenic mechanisms in mPEGS-1 KOMEC and COX-2 KOMEC tumors. Multiple studies of mPGES-1 deletion report re-diversion of COX-2-derived substrate to other prostanoid synthetic pathways, in particular PGD2. By Q-PCR, other than reduced mPGES1 mRNA, terminal prostanoid enzymes were not altered in mPGES1 KOMEC tumors. Interestingly, while the expression of PGE2 receptors EP2 and EP4 trended downwards in mPGES1 KOMEC tumors, the DP2 receptor for PGD2 was significantly increased. Taken together, these data establish mPGES1 as a promising therapeutic target in breast cancer. Further, we propose that, in addition to loss of PGE2, re-diversion of COX-2-derived substrate to the PGD2-DP2 pathway may be involved in delayed tumorigenesis. Citation Format: Nune Markosyan, Emer M. Smyth. Deletion of mammary epithelial mPGES1 suppresses tumor development in mice: a possible effect of substrate re-diversion. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 928. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-928
The Effects of Gain Sharing on the Basic Wage: The Case of IMPROSHARE

Although gain-sharing plans are typically promoted to workers as a way of increasing total compensation, workers are often concerned that gain-sharing bonuses may become substitutes for future wage increases that would have occurred in the absence of the plan. I examine the theoretical and empirical interaction among wages, bonuses, effort, and productivity in firms that implemented IMPROSHARE, a well-known gain-sharing plan. Using longitudinal data obtained from a detailed survey questionnaire, I find that one can usually reject both the perfectly competitive model in which effort is held constant (in which case bonuses are a perfect substitute for wages) and the “pure gravy” model (in which bonuses completely complement the wage rate). There is no evidence that higher bonuses lead to higher relative wages. The results, however, are not very robust. Although the net effect of the bonuses on the wage rate is usually negative, it is not always statistically significant.
Tuning Templated Microgel Catalysts for Selective Glycoside Hydrolysis

Microgel catalysts with immobilized binuclear copper(II) complexes were prepared and explored for their ability to hydrolyze the glycosidic bond in model substrates. The reaction is up to 660,000-fold accelerated over the uncatalyzed background reaction in aqueous alkaline solution. A modest selectivity of the catalyst was also observed.
Introduction: strengthening the delivery of new vaccines for adolescents.

Before 2005, vaccination of adolescents typically focused on catching up with vaccines that they had not received by school age, most commonly, the second dose of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, the complete hepatitis B vaccine series, and a dose of varicella vaccine if needed. With the exception of the booster dose of tetanus and diphtheria toxoids (Td), recommended for administration at a health care visit at ages 11 to 12, adolescence was not considered a primary opportunity to deliver routinely recommended vaccines. The recommendation to administer Td at ages 11 to 12 was a prominent component of the 1996 joint recommendations for adolescent immunization by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Medical Association.1 The 1996 recommendations were intended, in part, to provide a rationale for a health care visit at ages 11 to 12, and this idea has evolved into the “adolescent vaccination platform,” in which, similar to the childhood platform, immunizations draw parents and their children to routine preventive care visits at which other preventive care services can be delivered. Nevertheless, although results vary, surveys of adolescents have found that many report not making a preventive health care visit in the last year.2 Moreover, according to a national survey of vaccination records in the home in 1997–2003, coverage with Td at ages 11 to 12 did not exceed 16% for any birth cohort studied. Coverage by ages 13 to 15 ranged from 29% to 35% over the study years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unpublished data, 2005). Beginning in 2005, 3 new vaccines that were licensed and recommended for adolescents renewed attention to the benefits of and barriers to an adolescent vaccination platform. In May 2005, recommendations … Address correspondence to Mary M. McCauley, MTSC, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE Mail Stop E-05, Atlanta, GA 30333. E-mail: mmccauley{at}cdc.gov
Early and late menarche are associated with oligomenorrhea and predict metabolic syndrome 26 years later

Abstract Objective We determined whether simple, clinical information on late and early menarche could help identify adult women with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and oligomenorrhea. Materials/Methods We carried out a 26-year prospective follow-up of 272 suburban schoolgirls from ages 5–22 to 30–46. Results Early menarche (≤10years, 5.2% of girls) and late menarche (≥16years, 6.7% of girls) were both associated with oligomenorrhea (≥42days) in adulthood, 29% and 11%, vs. 5% for normal menarche (11–15years), p=.004. Early menarche was characterized by high childhood BMI (LS mean±SE: 21.2 ±1.0kg/m 2 ) and by high childhood and adult MetS (15%, 36%). Girls with late menarche had the lowest childhood BMI (18.1±1.0), no childhood MetS, and the highest adult MetS (47%). Increasing age at menarche was associated with uniformly decreasing childhood BMI and MetS, but with a U-shaped pattern of BMI (p = .05), MetS (p=.008), and oligomenorrhea (p=.02) in adulthood. Change to MetS from median ages 13 to 38 was associated with early–late menarche (OR=3.11, 95% CI 1.37–7.07, p=.007). MetS in adulthood was associated with childhood MetS (OR=8.03, 95% CI 2.57–25.08, p=.0003) and with early–late menarche (OR =3.43, 95% CI 1.44–8.15, p=.005). Conclusions Menarche age had a curvilinear (‘U' shaped) relationship with MetS and oligomenorrhea in adulthood. Late menarche and early menarche are risk factors for adult oligomenorrhea, MetS, and cardiometabolic abnormalities. Girls with early (≤ age 10) and with late menarche (≥ 16) represent a group at high risk for adult cardiometabolic abnormalities and oligomenorrhea that is easily identifiable by physicians.
Defensive inking in Aplysia spp: multiple episodes of ink secretion and the adaptive use of a limited chemical resource.

The seahare Aplysia spp. extracts many of its defensive chemicals from its red seaweed diet, including its purple ink, which is an effective deterrent against predators such as anemones and crabs. It is believed that the inking behavior is a high-threshold, all-or-none fixed act that nearly completely depletes the seahare of its ink supply. If a seahare depletes its gland of ink, it must seek out a source of red seaweed and then feed for at least 2 days to replenish its ink supply. This suggests that the animal would not be able to deploy ink more than once in rapid succession in response to successive attacks from one or more predators. However, we found that Aplysia spp. can secrete ink in response to three or more successive stimulations with (i) anemone tentacles, (ii) a mechanical stimulus, consisting of grabbing and lifting the animal from the substratum, or (iii) a noxious electric shock. A spectro-photometric measure of ink secretion showed that only approximately 48 % of the gland9s releasable ink reserves are deployed initially. Thus, deployment of this defensive chemical is not strictly all-or-nothing, although the trigger mechanism is. Moreover, the animal tends to secrete a relatively fixed proportion (30–50 %) of its available ink reserves even after its gland has been depleted to approximately half its initial content. Since an animal need only use a proportion of its ink reserves to deter an attacker effectively, the inking behavior is adaptive in its economical use of a limited resource.
Estimating divergence functionals and the likelihood ratio by penalized convex risk minimization

We develop and analyze an algorithm for nonparametric estimation of divergence functionals and the density ratio of two probability distributions. Our method is based on a variational characterization of f-divergences, which turns the estimation into a penalized convex risk minimization problem. We present a derivation of our kernel-based estimation algorithm and an analysis of convergence rates for the estimator. Our simulation results demonstrate the convergence behavior of the method, which compares favorably with existing methods in the literature.
Algae Associated with Myxomycetes and Leafy Liverworts on Decaying Spruce Logs

ABSTRACT Algae associated with leafy liverworts growing on decorticated red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) logs were investigated at study sites in the mountains of West Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Twelve taxa (nine cyanobacteria, two green algae and one diatom) were identified, but the microhabitat represented by the samples we examined was dominated by just three taxa, two cyanobacteria (Chroococcus tenax and Aphanothece saxicola) along with the green alga Chlorococcum humicola. The relative abundance and consistent presence of these organisms in this microhabitat suggest that they could represent a possible food source for certain species of myxomycetes with which they co-occur.
Probabilistic variational bounds for graphical models

Variational algorithms such as tree-reweighted belief propagation can provide deterministic bounds on the partition function, but are often loose and difficult to use in an "any-time" fashion, expending more computation for tighter bounds. On the other hand, Monte Carlo estimators such as importance sampling have excellent any-time behavior, but depend critically on the proposal distribution. We propose a simple Monte Carlo based inference method that augments convex variational bounds by adding importance sampling (IS). We argue that convex variational methods naturally provide good IS proposals that "cover" the target probability, and reinterpret the variational optimization as designing a proposal to minimize an upper bound on the variance of our IS estimator. This both provides an accurate estimator and enables construction of any-time probabilistic bounds that improve quickly and directly on state-of-the-art variational bounds, and provide certificates of accuracy given enough samples relative to the error in the initial bound.
Metabolism and choleretic activity of homochenodeoxycholic acid in the hamster.

The hepatic metabolism and the choleretic effect of homochenodeoxycholic acid, the CzI homologue of chenodeoxy- cholic acid, were investigated in the hamster. After intravenous administration of SH-labeled homochenodeoxycholic acid into biliary fistula hamsters, more than 80% of the radioactivity was recovered in bile in 4 h. A relatively small proportion of homo- chenodeoxycholic acid was present in bile as the taurine (22%) or glycine (4%) conjugate. However, more than 70% of the ad- ministered compound was biotransformed into Czs bile acids. The major CZ3 metabolites in bile were norchenodeoxycholic acid (17%), tauronorchenodeoxycholic acid (33%), and a tri- hydroxy norbile acid (identified as 3a ,5@,7a-trihydroxy-24-nor- 5/3-cholan-23-oic acid, 19%). Small amounts (<5%) of sul- fate(s) and glucuronide(s) were also detected. Homochenode- oxycholic acid, when infused intravenously into the hamster, produced a striking choleresis. The increase in bile flow after in- fusion of this compound was 6- to 7-times that induced by chenodeoxycholic acid. The apparent choleretic activity of homochenodeoxycholic acid, 181 pl/pmol, was much greater than that of chenodeoxycholic acid, 11 pllpmol. In conclu- sion, homochenodeoxycholic acid induced a hypercholeresis of the same order of magnitude as norchenodeoxycholic acid, pre- sumably because considerable proportions of this compound were degraded to the hypercholeretic norchenodeoxycholic acid via &oxidation in the liver. - Miki, S., B. I. Cohen, T. Mikami, and E. H. Mosbach. Metabolism and choleretic activity of homochenodeoxycholic acid in the hamster. J. Lipid Rcs. 1993. 34: 915-921.
Limitation of reperfusion injury by a monoclonal antibody to C5a during myocardial infarction in pigs

The complement system has been implicated in reperfusion injury during acute myocardial infarction. We therefore attempted to reduce reperfusion injury with a monoclonal antibody (MAb) to the compl...
Hemoglobin-induced neuronal degeneration in the hippocampus after neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage.

Neuronal degeneration following neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is incompletely understood. Understanding the mechanisms of degeneration and cell loss may point toward specific treatments to limit injury. We evaluated the role of hemoglobin (Hb) in cell death after intraventricular injection in neonatal rats. Hb was injected into the right lateral ventricle of post-natal day 7 rats. Rats exposed to anesthesia were used for controls. The CA-1 region of the hippocampus was analyzed via immunohistochemistry, hematoxylin and eosin (HE p<0.05), induced neuronal loss (31% loss; p<0.01), and increased neuronal degeneration (2.7 fold increase; p<0.01), which were all significantly reduced with the iron chelator, deferoxamine. Hb upregulated p-JNK (1.8 fold increase; p<0.05) and increased expression of the Hb/haptoglobin endocytotic receptor CD163 in neurons in vivo and in vitro (cultured cortical neurons). Hb induced expression of the CD163 receptor, which co-localized with p-JNK in hippocampal neurons, suggesting a potential pathway by which Hb enters the neuron to result in cell death. There were no differences in neuronal loss or degenerating neurons in Hb-injected animals that developed hydrocephalus versus those that did not. Intraventricular injection of Hb causes hippocampal neuronal degeneration and cell loss and increases brain p-JNK levels. p-JNK co-localized with the Hb/haptoglobin receptor CD163, suggesting a novel pathway by which Hb enters the neuron after IVH to result in cell death.
Working group report: user and task modeling

Ten workshop attendees participated in a working group discussion of user and task modeling. An overarching theme to the discussion concerned the problem of the impact of formal modeling on software development in practice, and what might be done to facilitate that transfer. The discussion resulted in the identification of potential research questions and some specific challenges for formal modeling proponents.