cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A step toward understanding the mechanism of action of audit and feedback: a qualitative study of implementation strategies.

Audit and feedback (A&F) is a widely used implementation strategy. Understanding mechanisms of action of A&F increases the likelihood that the strategy will lead to implementation of an evidence-based practice. We therefore sought to understand one hospital’s experience selecting and implementing an A&F intervention, to determine the implementation strategies that were used by staff and to specify the mechanism of action of those implementation strategies using causal pathway models, with the ultimate goal of improving acute stroke treatment practices. We selected an A&F strategy in a hospital, initially based on implementation determinants and staff consideration of their performance on acute stroke treatment measures. After 7 months of A&F, we conducted semi-structured interviews of hospital providers and administrative staff to understand how it contributed to implementing guideline-concordant acute stroke treatment (medication named tissue plasminogen activator). We coded the interviews to identify the implementation strategies that staff used following A&F and to assess their mechanisms of action. We identified five implementation strategies that staff used following the feedback intervention. These included (1) creating folders containing the acute stroke treatment protocol for the emergency department, (2) educating providers about the protocol for acute stroke, (3) obtaining computed tomography imaging of stroke patients immediately upon emergency department arrival, (4) increasing access to acute stroke medical treatment in the emergency department, and (5) providing additional staff support for implementation of the protocol in the emergency department. We identified enablement, training, and environmental restructuring as mechanisms of action through which the implementation strategies acted to improve guideline-concordant and timely acute stroke treatment. A&F of a hospital’s acute stroke treatment practices generated additional implementation strategies that acted through various mechanisms of action. Future studies should focus on how initial implementation strategies can be amplified through internal mechanisms.
Effects of Airbnb Hosts’ Quality and Quantity Attributes on Reservation Performance: The Case of Hong Kong

This study examined the effects of hosts’ quality attributes on the reservation performance of their listings. It also determined whether the number of listings a host manages impacts the quality of the experience, which in turn affects reservations. We used the InsideAirbnb database to collect publicly available information about hosts and listings on Airbnb.com in Hong Kong in 2018. Our sample included 2,284 hosts in Hong Kong. We used a regression model to examine the effects of quality and quantity attributes on the reservation performance of these Airbnb listings. We found that the hosts’ quality attributes, excluding the membership and local host attributes, positively influenced the number of reservations a host received. The results have implications for business development on sharing economy platforms and for hosts who wish to improve their trade.
Abstract 1978: ING4 deficiency results in recurrent crosstalk between Cxcl10/Cxcr3 and Egfr in breast cancer cells

Cxcl10 is a chemokine that attracts immune cells by binding to the Cxcr3 receptor during a normal immune response. Cxcl10 or Cxcr3 expression has been correlated with aggressive breast cancer. Inhibitor of Growth 4 (ING4) has previously shown to repress CXCL10 expression in breast cancer cells. We investigated the effects of Cxcl10/Cxcr3 in ING4-deficient breast cancer. First, we correlated expression levels of ING4, CXCL10, and CXCR3 with patient survival outcomes using the GDS806 data set. To determine the biological effects Cxcl10/Cxcr3 signaling in ING4-deficient cells, we established ING4 knockout cell lines using CRISPR/Cas9 system in MDAmb231 and MDAmb468 breast cancer cells. We compared proliferation and migration of ING4 wild-type vs. ING4-deleted cells with or without exogenous Cxcl10 using SRB growth assays and Boyden chamber transwell assays, respectively. We used a Cxcr3 inhibitor, AMG-487, or an Egfr inhibitor, erlotinib, to determine a signaling requirement(s) for Cxcl10-induced effects. Immunofluorescence (IF) confocal microscopy was used to evaluate Cxcr3/Egfr interactions. Analysis of the GDS806 gene expression data set showed that patients with tumors containing CXCL10-high/ING4-low had significantly reduced disease-free survival, compared to low CXCL10-low/ING4-high tumors (H.R.= 5.20, 95% CI 2.06-13.09, p = 0.003), suggesting that Cxcl10 may contributed to aggressive progression of ING4 deficient tumors. ING4 deletion with or without Cxcl10 did not affect cell growth. Cxcl10 induced migration of ING4-deleted cells, but not of ING4 wild type cells, suggesting that Cxcl10-induced migration may be responsible for aggressive behavior of ING4-deficient tumors. AMG-487 or erlotinib inhibited Cxcl10 induced cell migration of ING4-deleted cells, indicating that both Cxcr3 and Egfr were required for Cxcl10-induced cell migration. IF results showed that Cxcr3 and Egfr were co-localized in the presence of Cxcl10 at the 10-minute time point in both ING4-wild type and ING4-deleted cells, whereas Cxcr3/Egfr colocalization was present at the 24-hour time point only in ING4-deleted cells. These results demonstrated that Cxcl10-mediated Cxcr3/Egfr co-localization recurred only in the absence of ING4. Cxcr3/Egfr colocalization was inhibited by AMG-487, but not by erlotinib. Taken together, these results indicated that Cxcl10 binding to Cxcr3 induced recurrent colocalization of Egfr only in ING4-deleted cells, which in turn signals downstream components to facilitate cell migration. These results further suggest Cxcl10/Cxcr3/Egfr axis as a novel therapeutic target for ING4-deficient aggressive breast cancer. Citation Format: Emily Tsutsumi, Jeremiah Stricklin, Emily Arnold, Suwon Kim. ING4 deficiency results in recurrent crosstalk between Cxcl10/Cxcr3 and Egfr in breast cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1978.
Abstract 1753: Deregulation and therapeutic potential of targeting IRAK3 as chronic inflammation suppressor in prostate cancer

Chronic inflammation is emerging as a targetable driver of tumorigenesis. During chronic inflammation, several inflammatory molecules are either activated or suppressed for a prolonged time. The oncogenic role of many of these inflammatory genes in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unexplored despite the increasing association of chronic inflammation with PCa initiation, progression, and therapy resistance in the scientific literature. The overarching goal of this study was to identify deregulated inflammatory suppressor genes, including interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinases 3 (IRAK3) as biomarkers for inflammation-driven PCa aggressiveness or progression. To achieve this, we utilize cutting-edge integrative (epi)genomic and transcriptomic techniques to investigate the role of IRAK3 in PCa progression, as well as the therapeutic potential of targeting IRAK3 in PCa. An array of computational tools was deployed to analyze Illumina HumanMethylation450K and whole exome RNAseq clinical datasets acquired from TCGA and cBioportal databases to identify differentially methylated and altered or expressed inflammatory suppressor genes in PCa patients/samples. We identified six inflammatory suppressor genes (IRAK3, TOLLIP, SOCS1, RNF216, IL1RL1, and TNFAIP3) to be significantly deregulated in indolent (n=493), metastatic (n=212), and lethal (n=50) PCa patients/samples. The expression patterns of these genes were correlated with clinical traits, such as age, progression-free status, overall survival status, biochemical recurrence, pathology as well as metastatic status using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, which identified IRAK3 as one of the top genes to explore. MutSigCV and GISTIC tools were used to identify somatic mutations and copy-number alterations. IRAK3 was found to be downregulated in most indolent, metastatic and lethal PCa samples. Its low expression correlated significantly with the progression, metastatic and recurrence statuses of the PCa. The genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of the 16 CpG probes identified in IRAK3 reveals hypermethylation (b-value or m-value Citation Format: Saheed Oluwasina Oseni, Corey Naar, Magdalah Philemy, Genesis Acosta Laguer, Faika Ambrin, Sharlanda Metayer, Ariana Perez, Javoncia Betty, Preethika Praveen, James Hartmann, Mirjana Pavlovic, James Kumi-Diaka. Deregulation and therapeutic potential of targeting IRAK3 as chronic inflammation suppressor in prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1753.
WDR36-Associated Neurodegeneration: A Case Report Highlights Possible Mechanisms of Normal Tension Glaucoma

WDR36 is one of a number of genes implicated in the pathogenesis of adult-onset primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Here we describe in detail the phenotype of a patient with pathogenic variation in WDR36 who presented with a protracted history of central vision loss. On exam visual acuities were at 20/100 level, had a tritan color defect and showed central arcuate visual field defects on visual field testing. Enlarged cup-to-disk ratios with normal intraocular pressures were associated with severe thinning of the ganglion cell layer (GCL) and retinal nerve fiber layer consistent with a clinical diagnosis of normal tension glaucoma. Full-field electroretinograms revealed a severe inner retinal dysfunction with reduced amplitudes and remarkably delayed timings of the b-wave, but preserved photoreceptor (a-wave) function. The pattern described herein recapitulates some of the findings of an animal model of WDR36-associated POAG and suggests a mechanism of disease that involves a retina-wide inner retinal dysfunction and neurodegeneration beyond the GCL. Further detailed structural and functional characterizations of patients with a pathogenic variant in the WDR36 gene are required to confirm these findings.
Challenging conclusions about predictive bias against Hispanic test takers in personnel selection.

Berry et al. (2020) noted that predictive bias is a function of three factors: subgroup mean difference on the predictor (dx), subgroup mean difference on the criterion (dy), and test validity (rxy). They used meta-analytic estimates of each of these three to examine predictive bias against Hispanic test takers when cognitive tests are used in personnel selection. They found that tests underpredict Hispanic job performance by an average of .21 SDs, which would call into question the fairness of cognitive test use in personnel selection. We located 119 studies in which all three parameters-dy, dx, and rxy-could be obtained, thus holding sample, setting, and operationalization constant in estimating the three parameters within each study. This produced a substantially different conclusion: We find that tests overpredict Hispanic performance by .04-.20 SDs, depending on assumptions made about artifact corrections. Factors contributing to differences between the two studies include differences in range restriction corrections, sample incomparability, and Berry et al.'s use of rxy estimated from the total sample rather than within the majority subgroup. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Double Standards in Medical Research in Developing Countries: Striving for a single standard

Discussing international ethical guidelines for biomedical research, a bioethicist from Africa wrote: [W]e need, in particular, as far as biomedical research goes, to make appropriate distinctions between the ethics of developed world research in the developing world, collaborative or cooperative research between the developed and developing worlds, developed world research in the developed world and developing world research in the developing world. What is to be gained by making all these distinctions? One possibility is that making such distinctions would yield different ethical obligations, different rules, or different standards in these various contexts. However, the African bioethicist insisted that “the general moral principles that should guide correct moral action would be the same” at these different levels, and further: “while the use of double standards can never be morally justified, different standards are not only permissible but also inevitable.” The challenge, then, is to specify the criteria for distinguishing standards that are merely “different,” and therefore allowable, from those that are “double,” and hence unacceptable. A bioethicist from the United States offered an analysis intended to show the possibility of accepting universal ethical standards for research while permitting differences in what is provided to research subjects in developed and developing countries. The key to this analysis lies in distinguishing the ethical principles that apply to particular research endeavors from other aspects, such as the research design. The relevant ethical principles embody the well-known and widely accepted requirements of informed consent, reasonable risks in light of potential benefits, and minimization of risk. As long as those universal ethical principles are fulfilled, according to this account, the research can be judged ethically acceptable.
A Combinatorial Approach to the Analysis of Differential Gene Expression Data

Combinatorial methods are studied in an effort to gauge their potential utility in the analysis of differential gene expression data. Patient and gene relationships are modeled using edge-weighted graphs. Two algorithms with different, but complementary approaches are devised and implemented. One is based on finding optimal cliques within general graphs, the other on isolating near-optimal dominating sets within bipartite graphs. A main goal is to develop methodologies for training algorithms on patient populations with known disease profiles, so that they can be employed to classify and predict the likelihood of disease in patient populations whose profiles are not known. These novel strategies are in marked contrast with Bayesian and other wellknown techniques. Encouraging results are reported.
The Anatomy of Day Traders

This paper examines the complete trading records of all day traders in Finland. A typical day trader is a male in his late 30s, who lives in the metropolitan area and trades in larger quantities than an investor in a size-matched control group even after ignoring day trades. These traders day-trade stocks that grab their attention, that they own, or that they have day-traded before. They pay close attention to the state of the limit order book, are very active near the end of the trading session, and are strongly deterred by losses. Day traders do not earn better returns than investors in the control group. Their realized returns from day trades are high, but these returns are not representative of overall performance because of their strong reluctance to realize losses.
The Israeli-Palestinian Negotiating Partners: 2010 Strategic Re-assessment

A network of influential Israelis and Palestinians, jointly trained in negotiation at Harvard since 2002, faces organizational, strategic, and funding challenges in 2010. Unlike "people to people" or "Track II" initiatives, the Israeli-Palestinian Negotiating Partners (IPNP) consists of relatively senior people on both sides of the conflict who have undergone advanced negotiation training together and now constitute a unique network in the region. IPNP's academic sponsor, the Harvard Negotiation Project, is helping to assess this unique negotiation initiative and assisting the organization in its efforts to conduct a basic reassessment in the face of changes in regional politics, the conflict, and the funding environment.Learning Objective:To analyze the impact and potential of a unique negotiation initiative and to think through the most constructive responses to changes in the conflict, the organization, and the funding environment.
Mexico: Crisis and Competitiveness (TN)

In 2010, the bicentennial anniversary of Mexico's revolution against Spain, President Felipe Calderon hoped he could orchestrate several crucial reforms that Mexico needed. Mexico had not grown much over the course of the last decade, losing competitiveness to China and other Asian countries. Several of its institutions, including labor, education, healthcare, energy and antitrust seemed uncompetitive. But with a weaker peso and greater governmental attention to infrastructure, Calderon hoped that Mexico's higher-tech exports could recapture US market share and make headway in Europe and Latin America.
1H NMR study of the dynamics of the pH modulation of axial coordination in Aplysia limacina (Val(E7)) and sperm whale double mutant His(E7)-->Val,Thr(E10)-->Arg metmyoglobin.

Abstract The molecular and electronic structure, thermodynamics, dynamics, and mechanism of interconversion of the pH-modulated reversible equilibria of Aplysia limacina metmyoglobin, (metMb), have been investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The four identified species which interconvert slowly on the NMR time scale (lifetime > 1 ms) are metMbOH (B) at alkaline pH, five coordinate metMb (N) at acidic to neutral pH, an acidic form, A, near pH approximately 4 and an extremely low pH form, D, attributed to an equilibrium unfolded species. The presence of strong distal hydrogen bonding by Arg (E10) to bound hydroxide is detected via a significant solvent isotope effect on the metMbOH (B) hyperfine shifts. Integration of the peak intensities yields pK values of 7.7 and approximately 4 for the B N and N A equilibria, respectively. Saturation transfer via chemical exchange is observed for B N and N A, where the rates for forming metMbOH (B) and the acidic form A from N are base- and acid-catalyzed, respectively, while the reverse rates are first-order. The much slower interconversion rate for N B in A. limacina metMb than His(E7) containing mammalian metMb is attributed to the fact that a ligand bond is broken rather than just proton transferred and that the equilibrium involves a major rearrangement of the orientation of Arg(E10). This conclusion is supported by 1H NMR data for the sperm whale double mutant His(E7)-->Val/Thr(E10)-->Arg metMb, which exhibits a pK approximately 8.7 for the equilibrium between five-coordinate metMb (N) and metMbOH (B) with an even slower interconversion rate than in A. limacina metMb. This double mutant metMbOH (B) exhibits hydrogen bonding by Arg (E10) with coordinated hydroxide similar to that in A. limacina metMbOH. The slow but acid-catalyzed rates of conversion of A. limacina metMb (N) to the acid species A with significantly weakened bonding of the heme iron to the axial His(F8) residue is consistent with protonation of an inaccessible residue and/or a structural change accompanying the protonation equilibrium. It is concluded that metMb will coordinate water strongly only when there is a distal hydrogen bond acceptor residue, while the hydroxide ion is coordinated strongly only if there is a distal hydrogen bond donor residue.
You've Got IMs! How People Manage Concurrent Instant Messages

Instant Messaging (IM) clients allow users to conduct multiple simultaneous conversations, which we term "concurrent IMs." In this study we investigate how adults manage concurrent IMs both in the workplace and within the context of a goal-directed, time-bounded recreational task. We discuss differences in behavior between engaging in a single IM conversation and engaging in concurrent IMs. We document the errors that arise as a consequence of concurrent IMs and identify four main strategies users employ to manage them: controlling the pace of conversations, limiting the number of simultaneous conversations, window management, and using tabbed IM windows. Finally, we explore the pros and cons of these strategies and examine design tradeoffs to enable effective space and attention management while minimizing disruption to the user.
A Slide Rule for Time Conversion for Bromsulphalein (BSP) Retention Studies

In blood plasma, the concentration of injected Bromsulphalein is indicated by x at any time, t. The two quantities are related by the first-order equation In x = kt (k is aconstant). A specialized log-log slide rule has been developed to permit the rapid direct calculation of x at some value of t, when the value of x at some other time is known.
Small-signal equivalent circuit model of series resonant converter

A simple third-order equivalent circuit model of series resonant converter (SRC) is proposed in this paper. Up to now, the most successful equivalent circuit model of SRC is based on extended describing function concept, which is proposed by Dr. E. Yang [30]. However, the equivalent circuit is a complicated fifth-order circuit with the cross-coupling effect and no analytical solution is provided for transfer functions. This paper proposes a methodology to simplify the fifth-order equivalent circuit to a third-order equivalent circuit. The equivalent circuit model can predict the dynamic behavior very well when switching frequency is below, close to or above resonant frequency. Furthermore, for the first time, analytical expressions of transfer functions are provided to serve as a useful tool for feedback design. The equivalent circuit model is verified by Simplis simulation and experimental results.
Directional sensitivity of, and neck afferent input to, cervical and lumbar interneurons modulated by neck rotation.

Abstract In response to neck rotation of decerebrate, acutely labyrinthectomized cats, interneurons in C4 respond far more frequently to nose-up than to nose down pitch, whereas the reverse is true for interneurons in L3–L4. These directional sensitivities resemble the pattern of extensor excitation in the tonic neck reflex. C4 neurons receiving short latency excitation from the C2 dorsal root ganglion due to intraspinal pathways have a distribution of directional sensitivities to pitch stimuli that is similar to that of the whole population. The directional sensitivities of C4 neurons with late excitation, which may be due to supraspinal loops, are more broadly distributed.
Canadian Stem Cell Scientists Take the Prize

This year, the recipients of the Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research are Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till. The landmark studies of McCulloch and Till in the 1960s defined the hallmark properties of stem cells: the ability to self-renew and differentiate.
Dynamics of soluble gas exchange in the airways: II. Effects of breathing conditions.

Abstract A mathematical model of the airways is developed which focuses on the dynamic exchange characteristics of heat, water and soluble gas. A typical airway segment is divided radially into three regions: the airway lumen, a thin mucous layer of variable thickness coating the airway wall, and an underlying nonperfused tissue layer. A bronchial circulation capillary bed lies beyond the nonperfused tissue layer. The simultaneous exchange of water, heat and soluble gas is dealt with using the model of Tsu et al . ( Ann. Biomed. Eng. 16: 547–571, 1988). In the case of excretion of ingested ethyl alcohol from the bronchial and pulmonary circulations, the model predicts that during inspiration, because of the alcohol flux from the airway mucosa, a concentration of alcohol in equilibrium with mucus is achieved in the inspired air before the respiratory bronchioles are reached. During exhalation, much of this alcohol redeposits on the airway surface. The net flux of alcohol from the airway surface exceeds the flux of alcohol from the mouth in the exhaled gas indicating that the exhaled alcohol comes from the airways and bronchial circulation rather than from the alveoli and the pulmonary circulation. Alcohol flux moves farther into the airways with oral breathing compared to nasal breathing. Increased ventilation shifts the alcohol flux more alveolarward. Changes in inspired air temperature and humidity have almost no effect on the distribution of alcohol flux in the airways.
Crossroads: Women Priests in the Roman Catholic Church

Since 2002 Catholic women have been ordained and are ministering to communities through the organization Roman Catholic womenpriests (RCWP). In this article, Victoria Rue, PhD, ordained a womanprie...
Applications of optimally local interpolation to interpolatory approximants and compactly supported wavelets

The objective of this paper is to introduce a general scheme for the construction of interpolatory approximation formulas and compactly supported wavelets by using spline functions with arbitrary (nonuniform) knots. Both construction procedures are based on certain optimally local interpolatory fundamental spline functions which are not required to possess any approximation property.
Anthracnose Resistance in Sorghum Germplasm from the Segou Region of Mali

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) germplasm from Mali is an important source of anthracnose resistance, and 59 accessions from the Segou region were inoculated with Colletotrichum sublineolum and evaluated for anthracnose resistance to determine the prevalence of resistant accessions from this region. Disease evaluations were conducted at the Tropical Agriculture Research Station in Isabela, Puerto Rico, during the 2005 and 2009 growing seasons. Twenty-one accessions were rated as resistant across replications and growing seasons and showed reddening of inoculated leaves without acervuli development. These accessions represent new sources of anthracnose resistance for sorghum improvement. Fewer accessions were rated as resistant from the drier, northern Niono district as compared to the San and Segou districts that receive greater annual rainfall, suggesting an ecogeographic association. Additionally, susceptible accessions from the Niono district frequently showed higher mean disease severities than ...
Real time ultrasonic monitoring of hepatic cryosurgery

Cryosurgery has a number of advantages that make it particularly appealing in the treatment of liver cancer. However, a major problem in the clinical application of hepatic cryosurgery is the lack of a precise means of monitoring the freezing process in situ. Preliminary investigations on simulated tissue have shown that standard ultrasonography is capable of accurately determining the amount of frozen material during a cryosurgical procedure. To extend these results to living tissue, cryosurgery was performed, in vivo, on the livers of four mongrel dogs. An ultrasound imaging device using a new intraoperative ultrasound transducer monitored the entire process in real time. The results indicate that the entire freezing and thawing cycle can be monitored easily using real time ultrasound. During freezing, the solidification interface can be seen to move through the tissue allowing clear imaging of the cryolesion. After complete thawing, the cryolesion became less echogenic than before freezing and was therefore distinguishable under ultrasound. Postsurgical pathologic examination showed excellent correlation between the lesion size and its ultrasonic image.
Grain‐size trends, basin subsidence and sediment supply in the Campanian Castlegate Sandstone and equivalent conglomerates of central Utah

Reconstructions of grain‐size trends in alluvial deposits can be used to understand the dominant controls on stratal architecture in a foreland basin. Different initial values of sediment supply, tectonic subsidence and base‐level rise are investigated to constrain their influence on stratal geometry using the observed grain‐size trends as a proxy of the goodness of fit of the numerical results to the observed data. Detailed measurements of grain‐size trends, palaeocurrent indicators, facies and thickness trends, channel geometries and palynological analyses were compiled for the middle Campanian Castlegate Sandstone of the Book Cliffs and its conglomerate units in the Gunnison and Wasatch plateaus of central Utah. They define the initial conditions for a numerical study of the interactions between large‐scale foreland basin and small‐scale sediment transport processes. From previous studies, the proximal foreland deposits are interpreted as recording a middle Campanian thrusting event along the Sevier orogenic belt, while the stratal architecture in the Book Cliffs region is interpreted to be controlled by eustatic fluctuation with local tectonic influence. Model results of stratal geometry, using a subsidence curve with a maximum rate of ≈45 m Myr−1 for the northern Wasatch Plateau region predict the observed grain‐size trends through the northern Book Cliffs. A subsidence curve with a maximum rate of ≈30 m Myr−1 in the Gunnison–Wasatch Plateaus best reproduces the observed grain‐size trends in the southern transect through the southern Wasatch Plateau. Eustasy is commonly cited as controlling Castlegate deposition east of the Book Cliffs region. A eustatic rise of 45 m Myr−1 produces grain‐size patterns that are similar to the observed, but a rate of eustatic rise based on Haq et al. (1988) will not produce the observed stratal architecture or grain‐size trends. Tectonic subsidence alone, or a combined rate of tectonic subsidence and a Haq et al. (1988) eustatic rise, can explain the stratal and grain‐size variations in the proximal and downstream regions.
Grating enhanced quantum well detector

An infrared detector based on the excitation of carriers out of a modulation‐doped quantum well is theoretically investigated. The efficiency of the detector is increased by using a grating to enhance the fields in the well. Scattering effects are taken into account by designing the quantum well so that upon excitation carriers will escape in a short time compared to the time it takes to scatter back into the well. Despite this constraint, a quantum efficiency of 90% is shown to be possible for a GaAs‐AlGaAs quantum well with a carrier density of 1012 cm−2.
A gap junctionally transmitted epithelial cell signal regulates endocytic yolk uptake in Oncopeltus fasciatus.

For endocytic uptake of vitellogenins, developing oocytes of Oncopeltus require a soluble, diffusible molecular signal from their surrounding epithelial cells, and this signal must be transmitted through open gap junctions. Hormonal stimulation triggering synthesis and processing of vitellogenins into mature insect yolk spheres has been intensely studied, and follicle epithelial cells are known in several insects to contribute to the blood products which are endocytosed along with vitellogenins synthesized in the fat bodies. However, there has been little evidence that direct gap junctional communication is a requirement for endocytic activity by oocytes. In untreated control follicles, both electrical and dye coupling occur, and follicles incubated in vitro in physiological salt solution containing small amounts of blood and fluorescent dye produce fluorescently labeled nascent yolk spheres. Labeled yolk spheres were visible in both sectioned material, and, with (Laser) Confocal Scanning, in living material. Dye coupling was abolished by treatment with either 1 mM octanol, 0.5 mM ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), or cytoplasmic acidification, with coupling coefficients also being affected as each of these gap junction antagonists down-regulated the connexons. With each of these treatments, after gap junctions were down-regulated, receptor-mediated endocytic uptake of blood-born vitellogenins came to a halt. Furthermore, Oncopeltus follicles with endocytic activity blocked in this manner could be rescued by microinjection of the soluble fraction of lysed epithelial cell cytoplasm, confirming that the process depended upon a molecular signal from the epithelial cells.
A Mouse Model of Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

A mouse model of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) was generated by the introduction of an Arg 403 → Gln mutation into the α cardiac myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene. Homozygous αMHC 403/403 mice died 7 days after birth, and sedentary heterozygous αMHC 403/+ mice survived for 1 year. Cardiac histopathology and dysfunction in the αMHC 403/+ mice resembled human FHC. Cardiac dysfunction preceded histopathologic changes, and myocyte disarray, hypertrophy, and fibrosis increased with age. Young male αMHC 403/+ mice showed more evidence of disease than did their female counterparts. Preliminary results suggested that exercise capacity may have been compromised in the αMHC 403/+ mice. This mouse model may help to define the natural history of FHC.
Intragastric Intubation of Alcohol During Postnatal Development of Rats Results in Selective Cell Loss in the Cerebellum

Postnatal alcohol exposure produces reductions in the number of Purkinje cells in the rat cerebellum. The goal of this study was to determine if the method of postnatal alcohol exposure would influence the degree of vulnerability of the Purkinje cells. Previously reported studies from other laboratories have demonstrated cerebellar Purkinje cell count reductions following postnatal alcohol exposure via artificial rearing and vapor inhalation techniques. This study used gastric intubation to administer alcohol (3.6 g ethanol/kg body weight, bid) to male rat pups from postnatal days 4-10. Peak blood alcohol levels were 203 +/- 12.7 mg/dl on postnatal day 6. On postnatal day 10, the animals were perfused, and brain weights were obtained. Body weight was not significantly altered by the postnatal alcohol exposure, yet the wet weights of the cerebral cortex and whole brain were significantly reduced. Although the cerebellar weight was not significantly reduced, the overall number of Purkinje cells measured in the cerebellar vermis was significantly reduced by 24% compared with the isocaloric and normal control groups. The pattern of vulnerability for the individual cerebellar lobules was similar to the previously reported studies, indicating that alcohol's teratogenicity transcends experimental paradigm and is remarkably consistent, when relatively similar blood alcohol profiles are established.
Protoplast fusion for production of tetraploids and triploids: applications for scion and rootstock breeding in citrus

Protoplast fusion technology has been utilized in many crops to generate allotetraploid somatic hybrids, and sometimes autotetraploids as a byproduct of the process. A brief history of this technology development is provided, along with a simple protocol developed for citrus, which can be easily adapted to other plants. Protoplast fusion has become a significant tool in ploidy manipulation that can be applied in various cultivar improvement schemes. In rare cases, a new somatic hybrid may have direct utility as an improved cultivar; however, the most important application of somatic hybridization is the building of novel germplasm as a source of elite breeding parents for various types of conventional crosses for both scion and rootstock improvement. Somatic hybridization is generating superior allotetraploid breeding parents for use in interploid crosses to generate seedless triploids. Seedlessness is a primary breeding objective for new fresh fruit citrus varieties, and several thousand triploid hybrids have been produced using somatic hybrids as the tetraploid parent. Protoplast fusion is also being utilized to produce somatic hybrids that combine complementary diploid rootstocks, which have shown good potential for tree size control. Tree size control has gained importance as a means of reducing harvesting costs, maximizing the efficiency of modern cold protection methodology, and facilitating the adaptation of new fruit production systems. Successful somatic hybridization in citrus rootstock improvement has enabled rootstock breeding at the tetraploid level via sexual hybridization, which can yield maximum genetic diversity in zygotic progeny upon which to impose selection for the many traits required in improved rootstock cultivars, including disease and insect resistance, broad adaptation, tree size control, and the ability to consistently produce high yields of quality fruit. Recent progress and successful examples of these applications are discussed. Finally, a discussion of the genetic potential of somatic hybrids as breeding parents, including meiotic behavior and inheritance is provided.
Carrier Transport and Improved Collection in Thin-Barrier InGaAs/GaAsP Strained Quantum Well Solar Cells

Multiple quantum wells (MQW) lattice matched to GaAs consisting of In0.14Ga0.76As wells balanced with GaAs0.24P0.76 barriers have been used to extend the absorption of GaAs subcells to longer wavelengths for use in an InGaP/GaAs/Ge triple-junction photovoltaic cell. Thin barriers with high-phosphorus composition are capable of balancing the strain from the InGaAs wells; thus, creating conditions to allow for thicker wells and for carrier tunneling to dominate transport across the structure. As a result, a larger percentage of the depletion region is occupied by InGaAs quantum wells that absorb wavelengths beyond 875 nm and the indium composition is not limited by thermionic emission requirements. Measurements at elevated temperatures and reverse bias suggest that a thermally assisted tunneling mechanism is responsible for transport through the barriers.
Feasibility of interstellar travel: A review

Abstract Interstellar travel is difficult, but it is not impossible. This review paper discusses the relative feasibility of a number of different technologies that will allow travel to the stars. It gives examples of one-way and rendezvous unmanned interstellar probe vehicles that can return data on the number and nature of the planets around the target system within less than 50 years after launch. These initial exploration probe missions will be followed by manned or robotic exploration and colonization missions. These can range from relatively feasible long slow missions using “worldships” propelled by existing nuclear pulse or nuclear electric technologies and carrying self-reproducing human crews, to high risk, high speed missions using beamed power, antimatter, or interstellar ramjet technology. For the nearer stellar systems, speeds of 0.1 to 0.3 the speed of light will suffice to explore the 17 nearest stellar systems with 25 visible stars and hundreds of planets in trip times comparable to a human lifetime. Some emergent high energy density technologies that are under development for other purposes, such as laser and electron beam imploded fusion and solar powered lasers and masers, show promise of providing us with propulsion technologies that will make rapid interstellar travel feasible within the foreseeable future.
Farnesyl protein transferase inhibitors as targeted therapies for hematologic malignancies

Abstract Farnesyl protein transferase inhibitors (FTIs) represent a new class of anticancer agents specifically targeting aberrant biologic processes involved with cellular transformation and malignancy. Originally developed to inhibit tumors by preventing activation of oncogenic ras genes via suppression of their posttranslational farnesylation, their anticancer activity appears to stem from their ability to inhibit farnesylation of various proteins that mediate signal transduction, growth, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. The safety, biologic activity, clinical response, and pharmacokinetics of R115777, a potent, orally active FTI, were recently investigated in a phase I dose-ranging study in patients with acute leukemias. Patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), or chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in blast crisis received R115777 100 mg, 300 mg, 600 mg, 900 mg, or 1,200 mg twice daily for 21 days. Cycles were repeated every 28 to 31 days for up to four cycles. An overall response rate of 29% ( 10 34 evaluable patients) was observed across all R115777 doses. R115777 was well tolerated; common adverse events included fatigue, increased creatinine, nausea, and neutropenia. Dose-limiting toxicity occurred at 1,200 mg twice daily. Farnesylation of lamin A and HDJ-2, examined as biologic end points, was inhibited by R115777 doses ≥ 600 mg twice daily. Pharmacokinetic evaluation suggests that R115777 is concentrated in bone marrow at steady state. The biologic and antitumor activity and favorable tolerability of R115777 support further clinical evaluation alone and in combination therapy in hematologic malignancies.
NonEDTA extractable Scandium in roots of three sorghum cultivars

Abstract Scandium (Sc3+) is a rare earth whose uptake and physiological function mimics Al3+. In sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.] root tips (1 cm), nonextractable (water and EDTA (15 mM)] Sc3+ (1 mM) increased as the pH of the growing medium decreased (pH 6.0 . pH 4.0) in Funk G522DR (an add soil stress sensitive cultivar). Nonextractable Sc3+ did not increase in root tips of the two acid soil stress tolerant cultivars SC574 and SC283. Water extractable Sc3+ varied by genotype and was SC 283 ≥ SC574 > Funk G522DR. These short term (10 min) sorption studies show a major pH influence on Sc3+ content of Funk G522DR, but not in SC283 and SC574 that cannot be due to mucigel contents.
Pathologic characteristics of hysterectomy specimens in women undergoing hysterectomy after global endometrial ablation.

Abstract Study Objective To describe uterine pathologic features in women who underwent hysterectomy because of failed global endometrial ablation (GEA). Design Retrospective cohort study from 1998 through 2005 (Canadian Task Force classification III). Setting Tertiary referral center. Patients Sixty-nine women who underwent hysterectomy because of GEA failure. Interventions Pathology reports were available for 67 patients. Descriptions of hysterectomy specimens after GEA were reviewed. Measurements and Main Results Rates of pathologic findings in hysterectomy specimens after failed GEA were determined. Reasons for hysterectomy in the 67 patients with available pathology reports were bleeding in 34 (51%), pain in 19 (28%), and bleeding and pain in 14 (21%). The pathology reports of these specimens showed leiomyomas in 33 specimens (49%); intramural myomas were present in 15 women (44%) who underwent hysterectomy because of bleeding and 8 women (42%) who underwent hysterectomy because of pain. Hematometra was identified in 7 pathologic specimens (10%). Specifically, hematometra was identified in specimens from 5 of 19 women who underwent hysterectomy because of pain (26%). Conclusion Hematometra was a significant finding in women who underwent hysterectomy because of persistent pain after GEA. A possible pathologic predictor of GEA failure may be intramural leiomyomas.
Relaxometry, magnetometry, and EPR evidence for three magnetic phases in the MR contrast agent MION-46L

Magnetization curves, EPR spectra, and T1 and T2 nuclear magnetic relaxation times versus Larmor frequency have been measured for the MRI contrast agent MION-46L. The resulting data can be successfully explained by adding paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic terms to the known superparamagnetic component.
BASIS: A behavioral approach to the specification of information systems

Abstract This paper is an overview of BASIS (Behavioral Approach to the Specification of Information Systems), a multi-step formal method used for information systems design and development. The steps include information analysis, semantic specification, verification of the specification, concrete implementation, and verification of the implementation. In this way, BASIS can be used to provide a formal basis for information systems development. We provide an example showing how BASIS can be used in conjunction with implementation in the programming language PLAIN.
Embedded networked sensing systems: motivations and challenges

The emerging Embedded Internet will transform the way in which we understand and manage our physical world. Embedded Networked Sensing Systems combine the wireless technologies that have revolutionized communications with sensor technologies that have revolutionized medical and industrial technology. Like the Internet, these large-scale, distributed, systems, composed of smart sensors embedded in the physical world, will eventually infuse the planet, monitoring and collecting information on such diverse subjects as endangered species, soil & air contaminants, medical patients, and buildings, bridges and other man-made structures.This talk will describe several motivating science applications and outline the technical challenges posed by these long-lived, autonomous, massively distributed and physically coupled systems. I will describe several initial building block mechanisms that we and others in the community have implemented (such as time and location synchronization, data-centric routing, and in-network storage and processing), as well as experimental deployments currently underway at the Center for Embedded Networked Sensing ().
The efficacy of factor VIIa in emergency department patients with warfarin use and traumatic intracranial hemorrhage

Objectives: The objective was to compare outcomes in emergency department (ED) patients with preinjury warfarin use and traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (tICH) who did and did not receive recombinant activated factor VIIa (rFVIIa) for international normalized ratio (INR) reversal. Methods: This was a retrospective before-and-after study conducted at a Level 1 trauma center, with data from 1999 to 2009. Eligible patients had preinjury warfarin use and tICH on cranial computed tomography (CT) scan. Patients before (standard cohort) and after (rFVIIa cohort) implementation of a protocol for administering 1.2 mg of rFVIIa in the ED were reviewed. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, Revised Trauma Score (RTS), Injury Severity Score (ISS), INR, and Marshall score were collected. Outcome measures included mortality, thromboembolic complications, and INR normalization. Results: Forty patients (median age = 80.5 years, interquartile range [IQR] = 63.5–85) were included (20 in each cohort). Age, GCS score, ISS, RTS, initial INR, and Marshall score were similar (p > 0.05) between the two cohorts. Survival was identical between cohorts (13 of 20, or 65.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 40.8% to 84.6%). There were no differences in rate of thromboembolic complications in the standard cohort (1 of 20, 5.0%, 95% CI = 0.1% to 24.9%) than the rFVIIa cohort (4 of 20, 20.0%, 95% CI = 5.7% to 43.7%; p = 0.34). Time to normal INR was earlier in the rFVIIa cohort (mean = 4.8 hours, 95% CI = 3.0 to 6.7 hours) than in the standard cohort (mean = 17.5 hours, 95% CI = 12.5 to 22.6; p < 0.001). Conclusions: In patients with preinjury warfarin and tICH, use of rFVIIa was associated with a decreased time to normal INR. However, no difference in mortality was identified. Use of rFVIIa in patients on warfarin and tICH requires further study to demonstrate important patient-oriented outcomes. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:244–251 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine