cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategies for in vitro engineering of the translation machinery

Engineering the process of molecular translation, or protein biosynthesis, has emerged as a major opportunity in synthetic and chemical biology to generate novel biological insights and enable new applications (e.g. designer protein therapeutics). Here, we review methods for engineering the process of translation in vitro. We discuss the advantages and drawbacks of the two major strategies-purified and extract-based systems-and how they may be used to manipulate and study translation. Techniques to engineer each component of the translation machinery are covered in turn, including transfer RNAs, translation factors, and the ribosome. Finally, future directions and enabling technological advances for the field are discussed.
Ferreting Out Influenza Virus Pathogenicity and Transmissibility: Past and Future Risk Assessments in the Ferret Model

As influenza A viruses continue to jump species barriers, data generated in the ferret model to assess influenza virus pathogenicity, transmissibility, and tropism of these novel strains continues to inform an increasing scope of public health-based applications. This review presents the suitability of ferrets as a small mammalian model for influenza viruses and describes the breadth of pathogenicity and transmissibility profiles possible in this species following inoculation with a diverse range of viruses. Adaptation of aerobiology-based techniques and analyses have furthered our understanding of data obtained from this model and provide insight into the capacity of novel and emerging influenza viruses to cause human infection and disease.
Rotation-induced evolution of far-field emission patterns of deformed microdisk cavities

A critical issue that hinders the development of chip-scale optical gyroscopes is the size dependence of the Sagnac effect, which manifests as a rotation-induced phase shift or frequency splitting between two counterpropagating waves or resonances, and is proportional to the size of the optical system. We show numerically and theoretically that the far-field emission patterns (FFPs) of optical microdisk cavities depend strongly on rotation and can therefore provide an alternative approach. At low rotation speed where resonant frequencies barely shift with rotation (i.e., a negligible Sagnac effect), the FFPs already exhibit a significant rotation-induced asymmetry, which increases linearly with the rotation speed. We further identify the basic requirements to maximize this effect, including distinct output directions for the clockwise and counterclockwise waves in a cavity mode, as well as a vanishing frequency splitting between one such mode and its symmetry related partner mode. Based on these requirements, we propose several microcavity shapes that display orders of magnitude enhancement of the emission sensitivity to rotation and could stimulate a new generation of optical gyroscopes with small footprints and on-chip integrability.
ERK3 is transcriptionally upregulated by ∆Np63α and mediates the role of ∆Np63α in suppressing cell migration in non-melanoma skin cancers.

p63, a member of the p53 gene family, is an important regulator for epithelial tissue growth and development. ∆Np63α is the main isoform of p63 and highly expressed in Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 3 (ERK3) is an atypical mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) whose biochemical features and cellular regulation are distinct from those of conventional MAPKs such as ERK1/2. While ERK3 has been shown to be upregulated in lung cancers and head and neck cancers, in which it promotes cancer cell migration and invasion, little is known about the implication of ERK3 in NMSCs. Fluorescent immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate the expression levels of ΔNp63α and ERK3 in normal and NMSC specimens. Dunnett’s test was performed to compare mean fluorescence intensity (MFI, indicator of expression levels) of p63 or ERK3 between normal cutaneous samples and NMSC samples. A mixed effects (ANOVA) test was used to determine the correlation between ΔNp63α and ERK3 expression levels (MFI). The regulation of ERK3 by ΔNp63α was studied by qRT-PCR, Western blot and luciferase assay. The effect of ERK3 regulation by ΔNp63α on cell migration was measured by performing trans-well migration assay. The expression level of ∆Np63α is upregulated in NMSCs compared to normal tissue. ERK3 level is significantly upregulated in AK and SCC in comparison to normal tissue and there is a strong positive correlation between ∆Np63α and ERK3 expression in normal skin and skin specimens of patients with AK, SCC or BCC. Further, we found that ∆Np63α positively regulates ERK3 transcript and protein levels in A431 and HaCaT skin cells, underlying the upregulation of ERK3 expression and its positive correlation with ∆Np63α in NMSCs. Moreover, similar to the effect of ∆Np63α depletion, silencing ERK3 greatly enhanced A431 cell migration. Restoration of ERK3 expression under the condition of silencing ∆Np63α counteracted the increase in cell migration induced by the depletion of ∆Np63α. Mechanistically, ERK3 inhibits the phosphorylation of Rac1 G-protein and the formation of filopodia of A431 skin SCC cells. ERK3 is positively regulated by ∆Np63α and mediates the role of ∆Np63α in suppressing cell migration in NMSC.
Risk factors and clinical outcomes associated with blood culture contamination.

OBJECTIVE To determine patient-specific risk factors and clinical outcomes associated with contaminated blood cultures. DESIGN A single-center, retrospective case-control risk factor and clinical outcome analysis performed on inpatients with blood cultures collected in the emergency department, 2014-2018. Patients with contaminated blood cultures (cases) were compared to patients with negative blood cultures (controls). SETTING A 509-bed tertiary-care university hospital. METHODS Risk factors independently associated with blood-culture contamination were determined using multivariable logistic regression. The impacts of contamination on clinical outcomes were assessed using linear regression, logistic regression, and generalized linear model with γ log link. RESULTS Of 13,782 blood cultures, 1,504 (10.9%) true positives were excluded, leaving 1,012 (7.3%) cases and 11,266 (81.7%) controls. The following factors were independently associated with blood-culture contamination: increasing age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.01), black race (aOR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.15-1.51), increased body mass index (BMI; aOR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.02), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aOR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.02-1.33), paralysis (aOR 1.64; 95% CI, 1.26-2.14) and sepsis plus shock (aOR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.07-1.49). After controlling for age, race, BMI, and sepsis, blood-culture contamination increased length of stay (LOS; β = 1.24 ± 0.24; P < .0001), length of antibiotic treatment (LOT; β = 1.01 ± 0.20; P < .001), hospital charges (β = 0.22 ± 0.03; P < .0001), acute kidney injury (AKI; aOR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.40-1.83), echocardiogram orders (aOR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.30-1.75) and in-hospital mortality (aOR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.31-2.16). CONCLUSIONS These unique risk factors identify high-risk individuals for blood-culture contamination. After controlling for confounders, contamination significantly increased LOS, LOT, hospital charges, AKI, echocardiograms, and in-hospital mortality.
Robust Character Labeling in Movie Videos: Data Resources and Self-supervised Feature Adaptation

Robust face clustering is a vital step in enabling a computational understanding of visual character portrayal in media. Face clustering for long-form content such as movies is challenging because of variations in appearance and lack of large-scale labeled data resources. Our work focuses on two key aspects of this problem: the lack of domain-specific training or benchmark datasets and adapting face embeddings learned on web images to the domain of movie videos. First, we curated over 169,000 face tracks from 240 Hollywood movies with weak labels on whether a pair of face tracks belong to the same or different characters. We proposed an offline nearest-neighbor search in the embedding space to mine hard-examples from these tracks. We then explored triplet-loss and multiview correlation-based methods for adapting face image embeddings to hard-examples from movie videos. We also developed SAIL-Movie Character Benchmark corpus to augment existing benchmarks with more racially diverse characters and provided face-quality labels for subsequent error analysis. Our experimental results highlight the use of weakly labeled data for domain-specific feature adaptation. Overall, we found that multiview correlation-based adaptation yielded robust and more discriminative face embeddings. Its performance on downstream face verification and clustering tasks was comparable to that of the state-of-the-art results in this domain. We hope that the large-scale datasets developed in this work can further advance automatic character labeling in videos. All resources are available at https://sail.usc.edu/~ccmi/multiface.
Laser-engraved graphene for flexible and wearable electronics

Laser-engraved graphene (LEG) has been applied increasingly in flexible electronics over the past decade owing to its unique physical and chemical properties, and has shown great promise in energy controls, chemical and physical sensing, and telemedicine. In situ laser engraving has empowered graphene with additional versatilities such as miniaturized patterning, tunable composition, controllable morphology, and environmental friendliness. In this review, the technological advances of LEG from synthesis to applications in flexible and wearable electronic devices are summarized. Specifically, the use of LEG in designing next-generation nanogenerators, batteries, supercapacitors, physical sensors, gas sensors, biosensors, and wearable/telemedicine systems is discussed. An outlook related to LEG-based flexible electronics and key technological bottlenecks is identified.
The Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of 13C-Methyl Isocyanide as an NMR Probe of Heme Protein Active Sites

The cytochromes P450 (CYPs) play a central role in a variety of important biological oxidations, such as steroid synthesis and the metabolism of xenobiotic compounds, including most drugs. Because CYPs are frequently assayed as drug targets or as anti-targets, tools that provide confirmation of active-site binding and information on binding orientation would be of great utility. Of greatest value are assays that are reasonably high throughput. Other heme proteins, too-such as the nitric oxide synthases (NOSs), with their importance in signaling, regulation of blood pressure, and involvement in the immune response-often display critical roles in the complex functions of many higher organisms, and also require improved assay methods. To this end, we have developed an analog of cyanide, with a (13)CH3-reporter group attached to make methyl isocyanide. We describe the synthesis and use of (13)C-methyl isocyanide as a probe of both bacterial (P450cam) and membrane-bound mammalian (CYP2B4) CYPs. The (13)C-methyl isocyanide probe can be used in a relatively high-throughput 1-D experiment to identify binders, but it can also be used to detect structural changes in the active site based on chemical shift changes, and potentially nuclear Overhauser effects between probe and inhibitor.
Evolutionary Perspectives of Personality

Evolutionary psychology is an important meta-theoretical paradigm for understanding universal and sex-differentiated adaptations. Despite this, it remains somewhat ignored within the mainstream study of individual differences. We outline some of the evolutionary approaches that lend to a fuller understanding of individual differences related to personality psychology. This chapter is presented in four main sections: (1) a brief summary of trait-based approaches that have been used to understand human personality, (2) an introduction to some of the evolutionary principles important to understanding behavior, (3) an explication of the function of individual differences within populations and the evolutionary mechanisms that produce such variation, and (4) a review of contemporary evolutionary models of individual differences with particular focus on personality traits.
TH-AB-204-08: Phase Retrieval in Grating-Based X-Ray Differential Phase Contrast CT with Twin-Peaks in Phase-Stepping Curves

Purpose: As a promising new technique with high potential for translation into clinical applications, x-ray differential phase contrast (DPC) CT implemented with Talbot interferometry has drawn increasing interest. Usually, the x-ray DPC-CT employs a phase-stepping procedure to extract the phase signal. Since the fabrication processes may cause defects in analyzer grating G₂, the actual period of G₂ may double the nominal period of G₂, and twin peaks with remarkably different heights can be within a period of the experimental determined phase-stepping curve (PSC). For such a DPC-CT system with twin-peak PSCs, we develop an approach to retrieve the phase contrast for imaging. Methods: Based on the paraxial Fresnel-Kirchhoff theory, an analytical formula is derived to characterize the PSCs of an x-ray Talbot interferometry with flawed analyzer grating. In addition, an experimental investigation into the phase retrieval in x-ray DPC-CT with twin-peak PSCs is conducted by utilizing an x-ray Talbot interferometry with detector cell dimension and nominal period of G₂ being 96×96 micron2 and 4.6 micron, respectively. Results: Theoretical analysis demonstrates that the twin-peak feature of PSCs depends on not only the flaw in G₂, but also the mismatch between the phase grating and the spectrum of x-ray source. For a DPC-CT system with twin-peak PSCs (Figure 1), experimental results show that in comparison with scanning G₂ over its nominal period g₂ , stepping the analyzer grating over its actual period 2g₂ can provide data to enable a significantly improved reconstruction of the phase-contrast CT images (Figures 2(b) and 2(d)). Conclusion: Our theoretical analysis and experimental investigation show that for an x-ray DPC-CT imaging system with twin-peak PSCs, the PSCs should be determined by scanning G₂ over the double of its nominal period g₂; and then the PSCs can be utilized to retrieve the phase signal for x-ray phase contrast imaging. Research Grant: W81XWH-12-1-0138 (DoD).
Hormonal Regulation of Growth and Metabolic Effects of Growth Hormone

The sections in this article are: 1 Effects of Growth Hormone on Body Metabolism 1.1 Protein Metabolism 1.2 Fat Metabolism 1.3 Carbohydrate Metabolism 1.4 Bone Metabolism 1.5 Electrolyte and Fluid Metabolism 1.6 Cardiovascular Disease 2 Linear Growth in Growth Hormone-Deficient Children 3 Effects of Other Hormones on Growth and Growth Hormone Function 3.1 Thyroid Hormones and Growth 3.2 Glucocorticoids and Growth 3.3 Sex Steroids and Growth 3.4 Insulin and Growth 4 Use of Growth Hormone as an Anabolic Agent 5 Summary
Incorporating Service Learners in Community-Engaged Research: Experiential Application of Social Science Perspectives and Research Methods

Community engaged scholarship and service learning pedagogy are increasing trends in higher education (Reardon, 1998; Fitzgerald et al., 2012; Campus Compact, 2013a; Fuller, 2013) and yield synergistic value to the three-pronged mission of higher education of teaching, service and research (Boyer, 1990; Furco, 2010; Stanton, 2012; Fitzgerald et al., 2012; CCEC, 2013). Engaged social science faculty offer meaningful contributions to the community and their work serves to enhance university-community partnerships (Stanton, 2007; Furco, 2010; Klein et al., 2012). Students participating in service learning in these fields can “acquire first-hand knowledge” as well as develop social science skills and perspectives through structured interaction with the community (NCSS, 2007, p. 1). While ample literature presents student outcomes in service learning, few studies specifically address student outcomes related to participation in community engaged research (Reardon, 1994; Schaffer and Peterson, 1998). This paper presents student outcomes and perceptions from a service learning project across two social science courses where undergraduate students participated in community engaged research. Our findings reveal that students across both courses effectively applied course themes to the service learning research project. The experience is of high value to students in both courses, the community, and faculty. Evidence presented here of students’ transformative experiences in service learning can inform future efforts in higher education to bridge faculty research with innovative pedagogy and meaningful community collaboration.
Information quality control for network centric ship maintenance

This research formulates and prototypes an intelligent multi-user mechanism, called an Information Broker, for context dependent time critical manipulation of dispersed and transient maintenance data embedded in autonomous systems where semantic heterogeneity is the norm. This paper presents the fundamentals of a relational calculus which models a prespecified set of relations across the electronic data sources as a distributed search tree of meta-data terms. The semantic distance between meta-data terms is quantified to represent semantic precision. The incoming health monitoring and operational data are classified into observable or predictable maintenance event sets. When a maintenance event is identified the Information Broker is called upon to support unstructured information queries to find related diagnostic tools, built-in-tests, procedures, policy and planing information with specified precision. An Information Broker has been prototyped as part of a real-time maintenance decision support tool, deployable on-board the USS Yorktown for online condition assessment, interactive fault isolation and maintenance decision support for power plants and electric motors.
High Temperature Corrosion Behavior of Oxidation Resistant Alloys Under SOFC Interconnect Dual Exposures

The steady reduction in SOFC operating temperatures has led to increased interest in using metals and alloys to construct the stack interconnects that are exposed simultaneously to a fuel at the anode-side and air at the cathode-side during SOFC operation. Previous work has found that the high temperature oxidation and corrosion behavior of alloys under the dual exposure conditions can be significantly different from that in a single atmosphere exposure. To fully understand the anomalous oxidation and corrosion behavior under the interconnect dual exposure conditions, a number of metals and alloys were investigated under a variety of conditions, including both hydrogen and hydrocarbon fuels. This paper will present details of this work and discuss our current understanding on the anomalous oxidation behavior of metals and alloys observed under the interconnect dual exposure conditions.
Micromachined thermosyphon for on-chip cooling of high-power InP HBT circuits

We present the development of a new on-chip heat transmission device called the "microthermosyphon". The microthermosyphon consists of a conical enclosure containing an electrically inert coolant fluid and is integrated on the surface of an InP HBT using 3D polymer micromachining. The microthermosyphon maintains the transistor temperature at the coolant boiling temperature (<100/spl deg/C). The large surface-to-volume ratio of the working fluid at the micro-scale is expected to drive its internal coolant circulation without any external power supply and to achieve an efficient heat transmission from the transistor surface to a heat sink.
Magnetospheric (90 – 4000 km) field aligned electron and ion (H+, He+, O+) densities as a function of geomagnetic storm activity

Field aligned electron (Ne) and ion densities and their variations as a function of geomagnetic storm activity are important parameters in the physics of the thermosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere. Whistler mode (WM) radio sounding [Sonwalkar et al., JGR, 2011] from the IMAGE satellite during 24 Aug – 18 Sep 2005, covering 3 major, 3 moderate, and one minor storm, has permitted measurements of electron and ion densities (90–4000 km) as a function of geomagnetic storm activity. During this period, WM echoes were observed on dayside (MLT∼14, 1.7<L<3.5) and nightside (MLT∼3, 1.8<L<4.5). Here we present results from the analysis of WM echoes observed on dayside between 1.8<L<2.2. The analysis of echoes at other L-shell and nighttime is ongoing. From the analysis of WM echoes observed during quiet times nominal density models were built for Ne and relative ion concentrations (αH+, αHe+, αO+).
Growth and Development of Toxoplasma Gondii in Human Neurons and Astrocytes

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is one of the most common opportunistic infections affecting the central nervous system (CNS) in AIDS patients. Disease results from a reactivation of a latent infection in the brain resulting in a severe and necrotizing encephalitis. In this study we infected a primary culture from human fetal brain with T. gondii and studied the behavior of both the active and latent stages in this culture system. We found that the active (tachyzoite) stage of T. gondii can infect both astrocytes and neurons. However, a higher percentage of astrocytes were infected than neurons. Additionally, astrocytes were found to support more replication of T. gondii than did neurons. Both astrocytes and neurons also supported the cyst stage, found in the latent infections. These data indicate that astrocytes are the host cells supporting most of the replication of T. gondii in the brain in reactivated infections, but both host cell types may be able to support the cyst stage in latent infections. However, evidence indicates that cysts formed in astrocytes may be distinct from neuronal cysts. These findings may have relevance to reactivation of latent T. gondii infections in AIDS patients.
Increased levels of polyadenylated histone H2B mRNA accumulate during Entamoeba invadens cyst formation

We have isolated cDNA clones of a member of the histone H2B protein family by differential screening of an Entamoeba invadens cDNA library with cDNA probes from vegetatively growing or encysting parasites. The cDNA clones reveal two polyadenylation sites, 26 nucleotides and 31 nucleotides downstream from the stop codon. RNA species recognized by E. invadens histone H2B clones are found at increased levels during cyst formation. Histone H2B RNA could be detected in both the poly(A)+ and poly(A)- RNA fractions, with stage-specific differences in the steady state levels of the two RNAs: trophozoites contain predominantly the poly(A)- RNA, while encysting parasites express predominantly the poly(A)+ RNA. Southern blot analysis suggests that both forms are transcribed from a single copy gene.
Seizures triggered by July 4th fireworks in an 8-year-old girl with perinatal stroke.

Warnings regarding fireworks displays as a possible seizure-producing stimulus have been around for several years, but there is a lack of well-documented cases. This case describes photic- and/or pattern-induced seizures that appeared to be triggered by July 4 fireworks. This 8-year-old girl with hemiplegic cerebral palsy and known seizure disorder because of perinatal right middle cerebral artery stroke had a cluster of seizures within minutes of the onset of a professional fireworks display. The seizures stopped when the child’s eyes were covered and she was taken away from the scene. The importance of photic- and pattern-induced seizures in children is discussed.
Effects of chronic in utero hypoxemia on rat neonatal pulmonary arterial structure

Idiopathic persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn infant (PPHN) is characterized by intrauterine structural remodeling of the pulmonary arterial bed, consisting of precocious development of muscle in intraacinar arteries, proliferation of adventitial connective tissue, and sometimes medial hypertrophy of preacinar arteries. To evaluate whether gestational hypoxemia causes these changes, we studied pulmonary arterial structure in two groups of newborn rats: one control, the other exposed to hypoxemia produced by maternal hypoxia during the second half of gestation. Morphometric analysis of the pulmonary arterial bed was performed after barium injection into the pulmonary arteries and formol saline expansion of the air spaces. Birth weight was similar in each group. Hematocrit was elevated in the hypoxemia group (51%±1.0% vs 46%±0.8%, P
Simultaneous uncertainty quantification of fracture mechanics based life prediction model parameters

A Bayesian technique is developed for simultaneous estimation of the equivalent initial flaw size (EIFS) and crack growth rate distributions in fracture mechanics based life prediction models from inspection data. The inference method separately quantifies the different sources of variability to obtain a data set independent EIFS distribution without the requirement for prior knowledge of the uncertainties in other parameters. The ability to simultaneously and accurately predict the EIFS distribution and crack growth rate noise from a small, highly-scattered data set is demonstrated in a numerical example.
A technique to depress desflurane vapor pressure.

Abstract Objective To determine whether the vapor pressure of desflurane could be decreased by using a solvent to reduce the anesthetic molar fraction in a solution (Raoult's Law). We hypothesized that such an anesthetic mixture could produce anesthesia using a nonprecision vaporizer instead of an agent-specific, electronically controlled, temperature and pressure compensated vaporizer currently required for desflurane administration. Animal One healthy adult female dog. Procedure and results Propylene glycol was used as a solvent for desflurane, and the physical characteristics of this mixture were evaluated at various molar concentrations and temperatures. Using a circle system with a breathing bag attached at the patient end and a mechanical ventilator to simulate respiration, an in-circuit, nonprecision vaporizer containing 40% desflurane and 60% propylene glycol achieved an 11.5% ± 1.0% circuit desflurane concentration with a 5.2 ± 0.4 (0 = off, 10 = maximum) vaporizer setting. This experiment was repeated with a dog attached to the breathing circuit under spontaneous ventilation with a fresh gas flow of 0.5 L minute−1. Anesthesia was maintained for over 2 hours at a mean vaporizer setting of 6.2 ± 0.4, yielding mean inspired and end-tidal desflurane concentrations of 8.7% ± 0.5% and 7.9% ± 0.7%, respectively. Conclusions and clinical relevance Rather than alter physical properties of vaporizers to suit a particular anesthetic agent, this study demonstrates that it is also possible to alter physical properties of anesthetic agents to suit a particular vaporizer. However, propylene glycol may not prove an ideal solvent for desflurane because of its instability in solution and substantial-positive deviation from Raoult's Law.
Sonic boom reflection factors for flight near the threshold Mach number

Incident sonic boom shock wave reflection factors off smooth surface, discussing pressure rise and flight near threshold Mach number
Assessment of Parental Disclosure of a 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome Diagnosis and Implications for Clinicians

Most children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) have an IQ in the range that may allow them to be capable of understanding a genetic diagnosis despite mild intellectual disabilities. However, there are no publications that relate to the disclosure of a 22q11DS diagnosis to the affected child, or the factors that influence parents’ disclosure to the child. A pilot study was conducted including eight semi-structured interviews with caregivers of children with 22q11DS, 10 to 17 years of age, to investigate the factors that influence how parents inform their children of the diagnosis. Six of eight participants had disclosed the diagnosis to the child, and most of these parents felt they could have benefited from additional advice from professionals to increase their confidence and success, as well as the child’s comprehension of the information. Those who had not informed the child were uncertain about the words to use, how to initiate the conversation, or were concerned about the child’s level of understanding. Our results demonstrate that genetics professionals should help prepare caregivers for conversations with their children about the diagnosis of 22q11DS, monitor the understanding of the diagnosis over time, and provide ongoing support.
The Asymptotic Approach to Traffic Dynamics

The asymptotic model of traffic dynamics presented is simple to employ and yields solutions that can be interpreted in terms of a continuous flow process. Although the asymptotic model is an approximation and has not been fully developed, the results that are now available are of such significance that one must question the feasibility of the determination of parameters for the various models by data collected on the open road. All linear models, regardless of complexity, will yield solutions that approach this asymptotic representation, and this model has only two constants. Whatever the ultimate significance of this asymptotic model, the simplicity of its use as a tool in the study of traffic dynamics justifies the further development of this approach.
Management Development Programmes for the Asia Pacific Region Maritime Industry: The Singapore Port Institute

The Singapore Port Institute (SPI), the training and development arm of the Port of Singapore Authority, offers management development programmes tailored to needs of regional maritime‐industry entities, public and private. This article describes the genesis of the Institute and the development of one such programme, indicative of the management development niche which the SPI seeks to fill.
Paradoxical Upregulation of Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 in Serum-Stimulated Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells A Novel Negative-Feedback Regulatory Mechanism

Background— The proliferative response of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to various growth stimuli is critical for atherosclerosis and postangioplasty restenosis. Although tumor suppressor protein p53 plays a critical role in the elimination of cancerous cells, recent genetic studies have indicated that it also protects against atherosclerosis and restenosis. Methods and Results— We examined the levels of p53 protein in normal VSMCs before and after serum stimulation. The p53 protein levels increased robustly on stimulation. Upregulated p53 protein was capable of binding to the p53 consensus sequence, as shown by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. In addition, p53 upregulation was associated with increases in the transcript and protein levels of p21WAF1/CIP1 and Bax, as shown by real-time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis, respectively. Furthermore, the upregulation of p21WAF1/CIP1 and Bax was followed by cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis induction, as shown ...
The extraction of mercury(II), silver(I), cobalt(II) and cadmium(II) by dioctylarsinic acid in chloroform

Abstract Dioctylarsinic acid (HDOAA) in chloroform solution has been investigated as a reagent for the extraction of Hg(II), Ag(I), Co(II), and Cd(II). Silver, cobalt and cadmium are not extracted below pH 7. An extraction coefficient of 1.1, constant over the pH range 1–6.5, was observed for Hg(II). With HCl concentrations of 1–8 M the extractability of mercury decreased slowly, reaching Ea0 = 0.05 at 8 M HCl. Silver formed a silver dioctylarsinate precipitate which collected at the interface. The extraction coefficients for Hg(II), Co(II) and Cd(II) increased above pH 7 to values of 20 (pH 9.1), 30 (pH 8.0), and 23 (pH 10), respectively. Reagent- and pH-dependence studies indicated that Co(II) and Cd(II) are extracted as M(DOAA)2 or M(DOAA)Cl through interaction of HDOAA with M(OH)2 or M(OH)+. Mercury was extracted from solutions of pH 1–6.5 as HgCl2 (HDOAA)2.5.
Effects of ketoconazole on methylprednisolone pharmacokinetics and cortisol secretion

The disposition of methylprednisolone was examined in six normal subjects after the injection of 20 mg iv methylprednisolone sodium succinate. Disposition studies were performed both without and with ketoconazole, 200 mg/day, for 6 days. Ketoconazole increased the methylprednisolone AUC and mean residence time (by 135% and 66%, respectively) and decreased clearance (60%), the terminal phase slope, and the volume of distribution. These findings are typical of macrolide antibiotic alteration of methylprednisolone disposition and consistent with reports of inhibition of drug metabolism by ketoconazole. Methylprednisolone reduced the 24-hour cortisol AUC by 44%, but morning cortisol concentrations returned to normal. Ketoconazole with methylprednisolone further reduced the 24-hour cortisol AUC and suppressed morning cortisol concentrations. Thus ketoconazole inhibits methylprednisolone disposition and extends the adrenal suppression effects of this corticosteroid.
The cloning and characterization of a second brain enzyme with NAAG peptidase activity.

The peptide neurotransmitter N-acetylaspartylglutamate is inactivated by extracellular peptidase activity following synaptic release. It is speculated that the enzyme, glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII, EC 3.14.17.21), participates in this inactivation. However, CGCPII knockout mice appear normal in standard neurological tests. We report here the cloning and characterization of a mouse enzyme (tentatively identified as glutamate carboxypeptidase III or GCPIII) that is homologous to an enzyme identified in a human lung carcinoma. The mouse peptidase was cloned from two non-overlapping EST clones and mouse brain cDNA using PCR. The sequence (GenBank, AY243507) is 85% identical to the human carcinoma enzyme and 70% homologous to mouse GCPII. GCPIII sequence analysis suggests that it too is a zinc metallopeptidase. Northern blots revealed message in mouse ovary, testes and lung, but not brain. Mouse cortical and cerebellar neurons in culture expressed GCPIII message in contrast to the glial specific expression of GCPII. Message levels of GCPIII were similar in brains obtained from wild-type mice and mice that are null mutants for GCPII. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with rat GCPII or mouse GCPIII expressed membrane bound peptidase activity with similar Vmax and Km values (1.4 µm and 54 pmol/min/mg; 3.5 µm and 71 pmol/min/mg, respectively). Both enzymes are activated by a similar profile of metal ions and their activities are blocked by EDTA. GCPIII message was detected in brain and spinal cord by RT-PCR with highest levels in the cerebellum and hippocampus. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that nervous system cells express at least two differentially distributed homologous enzymes with similar pharmacological properties and affinity for NAAG.
Non-germ cell tumors of testis

Testicular tumors of non-germ cell origin represent from 5 percent to 10 percent of all testicular neoplasms. Included in this group are sex cord/gonadal stromal tumors, most originating from Leydig or Sertoli cells, mixed tumors, and tumors of mesenchymal or hematopoietic origin. In addition, various miscellaneous lesions, tumor-like conditions, and secondary testicular tumors may be classified as non-germ cell tumors. This review covers the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of these rare lesions.
Volunteer bias in medical education research: an empirical study of over three decades of longitudinal data.

CONTEXT The issue of whether medical education research outcomes can be biased by students' refusal to allow their data to be used in outcomes research should be empirically addressed to assure the validity of research findings. Given that institutions are expected to document the outcomes of their educational programmes, evaluations of clinical performance subsequent to medical school are crucial, but are often incomplete when graduates decline to permit data collection. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to examine the demographic and performance differences between research volunteers and others. METHODS A total of 7415 doctors graduated from Jefferson Medical College between 1970 and 2004; 75% (n = 5575) agreed to participate in medical education research by granting written permission for the collection of data from their postgraduate training directors on their behalf (research volunteers); 20% (n = 1489) refused to grant such permission (non-volunteers), and 5% (n = 351) did not return the permission form (non-respondents). This prospective longitudinal study compared research volunteers, non-volunteers and non-respondents on gender, ethnicity, performance measures prior to, during and after medical school, scores on medical licensing examinations, and board certification status. RESULTS Doctors who granted permission (volunteers) generally performed better during and after medical school. In addition, they scored higher on medical licensing examinations and had a higher certification rate. Women and members of ethnic minority groups were less likely to grant permission. CONCLUSIONS The study raises questions about the validity of research findings as a result of volunteerism in medical education research. The implications for guidelines regarding the protection of human subjects in medical education research, and for educational outcomes, are discussed.
The excitation of HF by two polarized lasers and the effect of laser power

Abstract A model calculation shows that a larger fraction of an ensemble of hydrogen fluoride molecules absorb energy from two infrared lasers when the lasers are linearly parallel polarized than when they are perpendicular. The ratio of the fractions of absorbing molecules for the parallel configuration to that of the perpendicular configuration is found to be larger at lower laser powers.
Investor-Owned Psychiatric Hospitals and Universities: Can Their Marriage Succeed?

Economic and competitive pressures have spurred a growing number of affiliations between university medical centers and for-profit health care corporations. University facilities can benefit from such partnerships through strengthened financial support, increased marketing and administrative expertise, and economies of scale. The university connection gives the investor-owned hospital enhanced status, sends a message of clinical excellence, and involves the hospital in educational and research programs that aid in physician recruitment and further enhance its reputation. However, the university's goals of education, research, and public service are not always compatible with the investor-owned hospital's goal of maximizing profits. The authors review the benefits and problems that result from affiliations between university medical centers and investorowned corporations and discuss principles to be considered in structuring such partnerships.
Human rights, or citizenship?

by Paulina Tambakaki, Abingdon, UK, Birkbeck Law Press, 2010, 160 pp., £75.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-415-48163-2 In her ambitious book, Human Rights, or Citizenship? Paulina Tambakaki asks readers ...
Ratio of angiopoietin-2 to angiopoietin-1 as a predictor of mortality in acute lung injury patients.

Objective To test the hypothesis that the concentration of angiopoietin-2 relative to angiopoietin-1 (Ang-2/Ang-1) may be a useful biologic marker of mortality in acute lung injury (ALI) patients. We also tested the association of Ang-2/Ang-1 with physiologic and biologic markers of activated endothelium.
Post-flight reflectance of COSTAR and WF/PC 2 pickoff mirrors upon their return from space

This paper summarizes a comparison of pre- and post-flight optical performance on optical components (mostly mirrors) from the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) instrument and the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WF/PC 2) pickoff mirror. These measurements were carried out after both the COSTAR and WF/PC 2 were retrieved from the Hubble Space Telescope in May of 2009 and returned to GSFC in July of 2009. Both of these instruments had a highly UV-reflecting coating of Al with a MgF2 layer on top for protection on their reflecting optics. We studied these in order to document the aging process on these coatings while in space for more than 15.5 years. When compared to data before flight and witness coupons kept on the ground, we find a severely degraded UV performance for the coatings that flew in space, particularly at the Lyman-α wavelength. Based on similar observations seen earlier on the WF/PC1 POM, the current degradation, of the latest optical components removed from HST, are a result of outgassing of substances such as hydrocarbons and silicone from nearby hardware on the spacecraft and UV light that photo-polymerize those materials on the mirror surfaces.
Classical conditioning of the rabbit eyelid response with mossy fiber stimulation as the conditioned stimulus

The nictitating membrane responses of 12 rabbits were classically conditioned using mossy fiber stimulation as a conditioned stimulus (CS) and airpuff as an unconditioned stimulus. The dorsolateral pontine nucleus and the lateral reticular nucleus were effective stimulation-CS sites for learning. Robust conditioned responses were obtained with relatively few paired trials and extinguished with subsequent CS-alone presentations. In addition, explicitly unpaired presentations of stimulation and airpuff failed to produce response increments. These results support previous theories of cerebellar function that have proposed that mossy fibers supply “learning” input to the cerebellum for motor learning.
Fast Left Prefrontal rTMS Reduces Post-Gastric Bypass Surgery Pain: Findings From a Large-Scale, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract Background A single session of left prefrontal rTMS has been shown to have analgesic effects, and to reduce post-operative morphine use. We sought to test these findings in a larger sample, and try and see if multiple sessions had additive analgesic benefit. Methods 108 patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery received two sessions of 10 Hz rTMS (110% of motor threshold) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (one immediately following surgery and one 4 h later). Participants were randomly assigned to receive 2 sessions of real rTMS, 2 sessions of sham, 1 real then 1 sham, or 1 sham then 1 real rTMS treatments. Patients and study staff were blind to rTMS conditions. Results Unlike previous rTMS trials for post-operative pain, no differences emerged between groups with respect to total patient-controlled analgesia usage (IV hydromorphone). However, despite no difference in IV analgesic usage, subjects that received 2 real rTMS sessions rated both the affective and sensory dimensions of their pain significantly lower than those in the sham–sham group at several time points during the post-surgical/post-rTMS period. Conclusions This study suggests that left prefrontal rTMS may produce significant analgesic effects in the perioperative setting. However, further work is needed to understand this effect and attempt to make it clinically useful in light of the lack of effect on PCA hydromorphone use.
The maternal mortality myth in the context of legalized abortion

It was quoted recently in the literature that “The risk of death associated with childbirth is approximately 14 times higher than with abortion.” This statement is unsupported by the literature and there is no credible scientific basis to support it. A reasonable woman would find any discussion about the risk of dying from a procedure as material, i.e., important and significant. In order for the physician–patient informed consent dialogue to address this critical issue, the physician must rely upon objective and accurate information concerning abortion. There are numerous and complicated methodological factors that make a valid scientific assessment of abortion mortality extremely difficult. Among the many factors responsible are incomplete reporting, definitional incompatibilities, voluntary data collection, research bias, reliance upon estimations, political correctness, inaccurate and/or incomplete death certificate completion, incomparability with maternal mortality statistics, and failing to include...
A radiometric method for optimizing CPV performance for site-specific irradiance conditions

This work outlines a design process to optimize concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) system performance based on the average irradiance characteristics of the installation site. As the geometric concentration of an optical element increases, its acceptance angle generally decreases. In locations with significant diffuse irradiance, the optical efficiency of the installed CPV system will be reduced. The exact relationship between irradiance conditions, acceptance angle, and optical efficiency is quantified with a radiometric model for two- and three-dimensional concentrating systems. Expected power output of the installation is calculated using on-site optical efficiency and global irradiance. The price of a CPV system is explored by using acceptance angle and geometric concentration to find a ratio between PV and concentrator material usage. With system cost and power output quantified, overall performance of CPV systems is discovered and compared, allowing one to choose the most effective design. The entire methodology is explored using an example that highlights the impact of site irradiance on the final design decision.
PREDICTORS AND PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF ACUTE KIDNEY DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS

Renal dysfunction occurs in 1/3 of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) and is associated with increased mortality. Underlying sepsis and exposure to nephrotoxic agents may be contributory. We sought to identify independent predictors of acute kidney dysfunction (AKD) in this population. We
Relaxing the detectability condition for the algebraic Riccati equation

For a linear system, the detectability condition can be weakened to the Hamiltonian matrix composed of (A, B, Q, R) having eigenvalues with nonzero real parts, for the existence of the unique positive semidefinite stabilising solution of the algebraic Riccati equation. This condition yields the optimal feedback gain and can always be easily obtained by a given iterative technique.
Rapid thrombectomy for treatment of macroembolization during percutaneous coronary intervention in the setting of acute myocardial infarction

We report the use of the Export catheter as an urgent modality to aspirate thrombus that embolized down the left anterior descending artery during acute myocardial infarction.
Dorsal differentiation of neural plate cells induced by BMP-mediated signals from epidermal ectoderm

The cellular interactions that control the differentiation of dorsal cell types from neural progenitors have been examined in neural plate explants. Certain genes that are expressed in the dorsal neural tube are initially expressed uniformly within the neural plate and appear to achieve their dorsal restriction through a Sonic hedgehog (SHH)-mediated repressive signal from the notochord. The acquisition of definitive dorsal cell fates, however, requires a contact-dependent signal from the epidermal ectoderm. BMP4 and BMP7 are expressed in the epidermal ectoderm, and both proteins mimic its inductive activity. BMP4 and a related gene, DSL1, are subsequently expressed by cells in the dorsal neural tube. The differentiation of dorsal cell types, therefore, appears to be initiated at the neural plate stage and to involve the opponent activities of a BMP-mediated dorsalizing signal from the epidermal ectoderm and a SHH-mediated ventralizing signal from the notochord.