cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analgesia, Sedation, and Neuromuscular Blockade in Infants with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe the use, duration, and intercenter variation of analgesia and sedation in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). STUDY DESIGN This is a retrospective analysis of analgesia, sedation, and neuromuscular blockade use in neonates with CDH. Patient data from 2010 to 2016 were abstracted from the Children's Hospitals Neonatal Database and linked to the Pediatric Health Information System. Patients were excluded if they also had non-CDH conditions likely to affect the use of the study medications. RESULTS A total of 1,063 patients were identified, 81% survived, and 30% were treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Opioid (99.8%), sedative (93.4%), and neuromuscular blockade (87.9%) use was common. Frequency of use was higher and duration was longer among CDH patients treated with ECMO. Unadjusted duration of use varied 5.6-fold for benzodiazepines (median: 14 days) and 7.4-fold for opioids (median: 16 days). Risk-adjusted duration of use varied among centers, and prolonged use of both opioids and benzodiazepines ≥5 days was associated with increased mortality (p < 0.001) and longer length of stay (p < 0.001). Use of sedation or neuromuscular blockade prior to or after surgery was each associated with increased mortality (p ≤ 0.01). CONCLUSION Opioids, sedatives, and neuromuscular blockade were used commonly in infants with CDH with variable duration across centers. Prolonged combined use ≥5 days is associated with mortality. KEY POINTS · Use of analgesia and sedation varies across children's hospital NICUs.. · Prolonged opioid and benzodiazepine use is associated with increased mortality.. · Postsurgery sedation and neuromuscular blockade are associated with mortality..
Characterization of a temperature-sensitive mutation in the hormone binding domain of the human estrogen receptor. Studies in cell extracts and intact cells and their implications for hormone-dependent transcriptional activation

A previous report from this laboratory (Reese, J.C., and Katzenellenbogen, B. S. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 10880-10887) identified an estrogen receptor (ER) mutant which had a similar binding affinity for estradiol as wild-type ER but displayed a dose-response shift for estradiol in transactivation studies. In this study, we have utilized hormone binding, DNA binding, and gene transfer experiments to further characterize this mutant, which contains an alanine substitution for a cysteine at amino acid 447 in the hormone binding domain of the receptor. Hormone binding studies indicate that the C447A receptor is a temperature-sensitive mutant, whose instability is only apparent at elevated temperatures, and that ligand can stabilize the mutant receptor. Western blot analysis reveals that the temperature-sensitive loss of hormone binding is not attributable to a degradation of receptor protein, but rather is an inactivation of the receptor's hormone binding ability. In addition to the loss in the hormone binding capacity of the C447A mutant, this mutant shows a temperature-sensitive loss in the DNA binding ability of the receptor. Transactivation profiles of the mutant and wild-type receptors demonstrate that incubation of transfected cells with increasing concentrations of estradiol at more ambient temperatures shifts the mutant receptor's dose-response curves to the left, converging on the wild-type curve. Hence, these transactivation studies reveal that the dose-response shift observed for this mutant in cells reflects the measured instability of the hormone binding and DNA interaction of the C447A mutant that can be demonstrated in vitro. In addition, this temperature-sensitive ER mutant is of interest in that its DNA binding is now ligand-dependent with the result that transcriptional activation now parallels receptor occupancy by ligand, which is similar to other steroid hormone receptors.
The Dynamics of Vagueness

L'idee que l'utilisation d'un predicat imprecis, c'est-a-dire d'un predicat dont le sens est incomplet, change selon le contexte est generalement admise. L'A. se propose ici d'analyser le mecanisme par lequel s'opere ce changement en montrant comment le contexte change l'utilisation de l'expression imprecise. Il applique alors une approche dynamique au phenomene de l'imprecision et illustre avec l'exemple des adjectifs gradues que le fait de connaitre l'usage d'une expression affecte la connaissance partagee dans le discours et apporte un eclairage sur le sens de l'expression et la nature de l'imprecision.
Regulation and tissue-specific expression of human cytomegalovirus.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) establishes a lifelong latent state after primary infection, as do the other members of the human herpesvirus family. The site of latency and the molecular mechanisms involved in the establishment and maintenance of latent virus in the cell are unknown for HCMV. In this chapter, we will discuss experimental approaches to identifying cell types naturally infected in the human host by HCMV. We will examine cell culture systems and transcription factor interactions in vitro which may identify HCMV-host cell interactions that regulate expression of the virus.
Form in Elizabeth Madox Roberts's HE SENT FORTH A RAVEN: A Burkian Perspective

Kentucky author Elizabeth Madox Roberts has received a resurgence of attention in recent years including a society, a conference, a previously unpublished manuscript, and several publications conce...
Perlecan is essential for cartilage and cephalic development

Perlecan, a large, multi-domain, heparan sulfate proteoglycan originally identified in basement membrane, interacts with extracellular matrix proteins, growth factors and receptors, and influences cellular signalling. Perlecan is present in a variety of basement membranes and in other extracellular matrix structures. We have disrupted the gene encoding perlecan (Hspg2) in mice. Approximately 40% of Hspg2-/- mice died at embryonic day (E) 10.5 with defective cephalic development. The remaining Hspg2-/- mice died just after birth with skeletal dysplasia characterized by micromelia with broad and bowed long bones, narrow thorax and craniofacial abnormalities. Only 6% of Hspg2-/- mice developed both exencephaly and chondrodysplasia. Hspg2-/- cartilage showed severe disorganization of the columnar structures of chondrocytes and defective endochondral ossification. Hspg2-/- cartilage matrix contained reduced and disorganized collagen fibrils and glycosaminoglycans, suggesting that perlecan has an important role in matrix structure. In Hspg2-/- cartilage, proliferation of chondrocytes was reduced and the prehypertrophic zone was diminished. The abnormal phenotypes of the Hspg2-/- skeleton are similar to those of thanatophoric dysplasia (TD) type I, which is caused by activating mutations in FGFR3 (refs 7, 8, 9), and to those of Fgfr3 gain-of-function mice. Our findings suggest that these molecules affect similar signalling pathways.
Mechanism for the destruction of H 3 + ions by electron impact

The rate at which the simplest triatomic ion (H3+) dissociates following recombination with a low-energy electron has been measured in numerous experiments1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. This process is particularly important for understanding observations of H3+ in diffuse interstellar clouds11,12,13. But, despite extensive efforts14,15, no theoretical treatment has yet proved capable of predicting the measured dissociative recombination rates at low energy, even to within an order of magnitude. Here we show that the Jahn–Teller symmetry-distortion effect16,17,18,19—almost universally neglected in the theoretical description of electron–molecule collisions—generates recombination at a much faster rate than any other known mechanism. Our estimated rate constant overlaps the range of values spanned by experiments. We treat the low-energy collision process as a curve-crossing problem, which was previously thought inapplicable20 to low-energy recombination in H3+. Our calculation reproduces the measured propensity for three-body versus two-body breakup of the neutral fragments3, as well as the vibrational distribution4 of the H2 product molecules.
A Multinuclei NMR Study of Dilute Lamellar Liquid Crystals

Many surfactants form lyotropic liquid crystals that can be macroscopically oriented in a magnetic field. Several lamellar systems containing low concentrations (<0.09 m) of an n-hexadecylpyridiniu...
America's fertile frontier: how America surpassed Britain in the development and growth of plastic surgery during the interwar years of 1920-1940.

Most historians agree that modem plastic surgery was born out of the efforts of reconstructive surgeons in World War I (WW I). In a single British hospital, over 8000 wounded soldiers were treated for disfiguring facial wounds. These gruesome injuries provided surgeons with enough cases to make unprecedented advances in tissue reconstruction. After the war, however, surgeons returned to civilian society where they found relatively few cases to support their new niche. In England, plastic surgery failed to establish itself while, in the United States, plastic surgeons had much greater success in founding their new specialty. Emphasizing this trend is the staggering statistic that, at the outbreak of World War II (WW II), the US boasted 60 trained plastic surgeons compared with only 4 in Britain. This article analyzes a variety of primary sources (speeches, journal articles, letters, and live interviews) obtained from several libraries and special collections to argue that the relative success of US plastic surgery in the interwar period (1920-1940) can be attributed to (1) the efforts of pioneering American plastic surgeons (Varaztad Kazanjian, Vilray Blair, and John Davis), (2) the post-Flexner report restructuring of US medical training, and (3) a much warmer reception both by the US public and general surgical community to plastic surgery.
Aminoborane Polymers as Precursors of C-N-B Ceramic Materials

Aminoborane polymers were prepared via condensation reactions between polyfunctional amines and either triethylborane or tris(dimenthylamino) borane. The products were characterized by chemical and spectroscopic analyses. The thermal degradation of these materials was studied to establish pyrolytic pathways and to evaluate their potential as precursors to C-N-B ceramic materials. The borane condensation products with 4,4'-methylenedipyrazole, o-phenylenediamine, and 3,3'-diaminobenzidine produced relatively high ceramic yields at 800/sup 0/C, whereas that with diethylenetriamine decomposed into partially volatile oligomers.
A preliminary analysis of the perceived risks of misusing multiple substances, trait anxiety, and approval motivation

Abstract In a sample of college undergraduates, perceptions of the risks associated with the misuse of substances such as alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana were evaluated, and the correlations of risk ratings with trait anxiety and approval motivation were examined. The results indicated (a) a temporally stable, hierarchical ordering of risk means that ranged from illicit to licit substance pairs; (b) a strong negative correlation between perceived risk means and corresponding standard deviations, suggesting that greater variability was associated with lower perceived risk; (c) small to small/moderate correlations between risk ratings and trait anxiety; and (d) small to small/moderate correlations between risk ratings and approval motivation. These findings provide a first approximation of young adults' perceptions of the possible risks involved in the misuse of multiple substances and suggest that such perceptions are not confounded by dispositional anxiety or by social desirability response bias. The r...
In Light of the Limitations of Data-Driven Decision Making

Students’ experiences and the opportunities they have to learn rest on the quality of education decisions made in each classroom, in each school, in each district, and in each state, federal legislature, and department of education. Who can run schools? Who can teach? What content is covered? How is it taught? Which students are in each class? When is recess? How much money is spent, on what and on whom? These are just some of the decisions that must be made and whose answers affect students. The role of research and scholarship more broadly in education finance and policy is to inform these decisions for the benefit of students. In practice, however, the influence of research is often opaque. The lack of transparency comes not only from poor decision making but also from good decision makers weighing incomplete information about the likely effects of their options with a logic about how the world works. Useful education research builds these logics and provides information about the effects of specific choices. It also identifies individuals with the greatest potential to make good decisions given this incomplete information and the need to use judgment in decision making. Data-driven decision making is the mantra of many recent education reform discussions. The Web site of the Institute of Education Sciences (n.d.), the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, states, “By identifying what works, what doesn’t, and why, we aim to improve educational outcomes for all students, particularly
Surgical treatment of the cancer patient: Preoperative assessment and perioperative medical management

Cancer patients undergoing surgery often present with unusual and challenging problems. Their age and the fact that they are often chronically ill place them at increased surgical risk. In many instances the need for surgical intervention is crucial to the extent that risk-assessment becomes an academic issue, especially for those patients whose only reasonable chance for either cure or palliation of unbearable disease is surgery. However, the internist's role in these situations often has preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative ramifications. Preoperatively, the internist assesses operative risk and intervenes, when possible, to reduce the likelihood of surgical complications. Patients who clearly cannot survive surgery may be identified and channeled to other treatment modalities. Intraoperatively, the internist may be called upon to help with the management of acute organ failure, cardiac arrest, or vascular collapse. Following surgery, the internist may help by managing cardiopulmonary problems and treating infectious complications. The critical care internist is therefore an important member of the perioperative team and often provides valuable expertise, which can help to identify and treat problems expediently.
Linguistic Simplification of SL Reading Material: Effective Instructional Practice?

Linguistic simplification of authentic texts is a common practice in second language (SL) reading material but research results on whether it actually increases comprehension are inconsistent. This study examined the types of simplifications made to 4 authentic texts and investigated whether there were differences in recall scores based on whether students read simplified or authentic versions. Four different recall scoring methods were used to assess reading comprehension. Findings indicated that a high percentage of the modifications made were lexical in nature and that recall scores for the simplified texts were not superior to the authentic ones. Moreover, 1 scoring method in particular, scoring based on the number and weight of misunderstandings, led to significant insights into the relationship between text processing and reading comprehension.
Atrioventricular valve anular diameter: Two-dimensional echocardiographic-autopsy correlation☆

To study the accuracy of 2-dimensional echocardiography (2-D echo) in estimating mitral and tricuspid anular diameter, 2-D echo estimates were compared with autopsy measurements of anular diameter in 21 children studied by echo within 30 days of death. The mitral anulus was measured from the left parasternal long axis view and the apical or subcostal 4-chamber image and the tricuspid anulus from the 4-chamber view. Comparable measurements were made from the autopsy specimen with calipers. The correlation coefficient for echocardiographic vs autopsy measurements was 0.79 (standard error of the estimate 2.8 mm) (mitral long axis r = 0.76, mitral 4-chamber r = 0.85, tricuspid 4-chamber r = 0.76). Echo measurements exceeded the corresponding autopsy measurements by an average of 17%; this was at least partially attributed to shrinkage of the specimen during fixation. Thus, 2-D echo may be used to provide a reasonable estimate of mitral and tricuspid anular diameter.
Regression testing of GPU/MIC systems for HPCC

Multicore GPU, Intel MIC, and FPGA supplemental parallel processors have become widely implemented in High Performance Computing Clusters (HPCCs). In HPCCs, Computing nodes are assembled with these supplemental processors for specific research applications, images are applied to do the research. Since HPCC computing nodes require completely different design configuration from one day to the next, System Administrators are being challenged to verify that each of these computing images work correctly, in all needed applications. Due to the large cost in man-hours that are expended with manual testing of each computing node and the entire HPCC system for defects, there is a need for automated regression testing on parallel, distributed, and heterogeneous computing nodes. Existing approaches at automated regression testing deals only with simple homogeneous HPCC topologies. What is needed is a regression testing technique to include heterogeneous HPCC topologies that deal with computing nodes containing supplemental GPUs, Intel MIC cards, FPGAs, etc. This paper presents a case-study to perform regression testing using Equivalence Class Partitioning (ECP) and Boundary Value testing techniques. The method has been employed to test HPCCs configured of heterogeneous computing nodes. More specifically, the computing nodes configured for this experiment include NVidia GPU and Intel MIC Xeon Phi cards deployed in HPCC clusters.
Multiple pathways from the superior colliculus to the extrageniculate visual thalamus of the cat.

The projections from the cat's superior colliculus to the extrageniculate visual thalamus were examined by the anterograde and retrograde transport of WGA-HRP. An acetylthiocholinesterase (ATChE) stain was employed to facilitate the differentiation of regions within the posterior thalamus. On the basis of the distribution of terminal label as well as the laminar origin of projection neurons, four pathways were delineated. Cells in the stratum griseum superficiale (primarily sublaminae II and III) innervate two regions within the nucleus lateralis posterior (LP): the medial zone, which stains darkly for ATChE, and a restricted portion of the lateral zone, adjacent to the pulvinar. Both of these pathways were found to be topographically organized. By using the fluorescent retrograde tracers, fast blue and rhodamine labeled microspheres, it was determined that the inputs to the medial and lateral zones of LP originate primarily from separate cell populations since very few neurons were found to be double-labeled. A third pathway originates principally from cells in the stratum opticum and terminates in an area just below the cholinesterase-rich region of the LP, designated as the ventral division of the LP. The fourth projection is primarily from the stratum griseum intermedium to the suprageniculate complex. Each of these four pathways arises from a population of neurons with heterogeneous morphological characteristics, and for the most part, each pathway comprises morphologically similar cells. These results suggest that visual information from the superior colliculus is conveyed to the extrageniculate thalamus via multiple pathways that may subserve diverse functions.
A characterization of important algorithms for quantum-dot cellular automata

Abstract Feature sizes in chip manufacturing are becoming so small that quantum mechanical behavior will soon have a deleterious effect on the function of devices. Quantum-dot cellular automata (QDCA) have been proposed as computing devices which are helped, rather than hindered, by the quantum behavior of electrons. QDCA compute by relaxing to a configuration of minimal energy. Previously, it has been shown that a quantum-dot device may not compute properly if all of its relaxed configurations are not equal in energy level. Such an automation is termed unbalanced . A necessary condition for an automaton to be balanced is that the number of distinguished configurations with minimum energy should equal the number of input combinations the automaton handles. Does an efficient algorithm for determining the number of distinguished ground states exist? If so, it will be difficult to find, as such an algorithm is shown to be NP-hard. Furthermore, the related problem of determining the minimum energy level of arbitrary automata is also shown to be NP-hard. These results have important implications for simulating and analyzing QDCA on conventional computers.
Parallel Manipulation Using Evanescent Optical Landscapes

Optical trapping is a flexible and noninvasive technique that allows for the manipulation of single dielectric particles. Conventional single and multiple beam laser traps however, are limited by the amount of trapping sites that can be embedded in their wave field with a sufficiently high intensity gradient. We make use the interference of multiple beams and total internal reflection to couple an extended evanescent optical field to a large number of particles in a 2-D periodical landscape. The particles are confined and manipulated by modifying the spatial parameters of the landscape. We ultimately intend to use this technique for the parallel fusion of multiple pairs of microscopic droplets to investigate the dynamics of micro-reactions.
Biological consequences of overexpressing or eliminating N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-TIII in the mouse.

Abstract N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III (GlcNAc-TIII), a product of the human MGAT3 gene, was discovered as a glycosyltransferase activity in hen oviduct. GlcNAc-TIII transfers GlcNAc in β4-linkage to the core Man of complex or hybrid N-glycans, and thereby alters not only the composition, but also the conformation of the N-glycan. The dramatic consequences of the addition of this bisecting GlcNAc residue are reflected in the altered binding of lectins that recognize Gal residues on N-glycans. Changes in GlcNAc-TIII expression correlate with hepatoma and leukemia in rodents and humans, and the bisecting GlcNAc on Asn 297 of human IgG antibodies enhances their effector functions. Overexpression of a cDNA encoding GlcNAc-TIII alters growth control and cell–cell interactions in cultured cells, and in transgenic mice. While mice lacking GlcNAc-TIII are viable and fertile, they exhibit retarded progression of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver tumors. Further biological functions of GlcNAc-TIII are expected to be uncovered as mice with a null mutation in the Mgat3 gene are challenged.
Effects of Relationship Motivation, Partner Familiarity, and Alcohol on Women's Risky Sexual Decision Making

This experiment examined the effects of women's relationship motivation, partner familiarity, and alcohol consumption on sexual decision making. Women completed an individual difference measure of relationship motivation, then were randomly assigned to partner familiarity condition (low, high), and to alcohol consumption condition (high dose, low dose, no alcohol, placebo). Then women read and projected themselves into a scenario of a sexual encounter. Relationship motivation and partner familiarity interacted with intoxication to influence primary appraisals of relationship potential. Participants’ primary and secondary relationship appraisals mediated the effects of women's relationship motivation, partner familiarity, and intoxication on condom negotiation, sexual decision abdication, and unprotected sex intentions. These findings support a cognitive mediation model of women's sexual decision making, and identify how individual and situational factors interact to shape alcohol's influences on cognitive appraisals that lead to risky sexual decisions. This knowledge can inform empirically-based risky sex interventions.
Denileukin diftitox: a concise clinical review.

Denileukin diftitox (DAB389IL-2; Ontak®) is a novel recombinant fusion protein approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of relapsed or refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. It consists of fragments of diphtheria toxin linked to human interleukin-2 and works by targeting the high-affinity interleukin-2 receptor expressed on malignant cells. This article will review the clinical trials leading to the approval of denileukin diftitox for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and discuss the potential future role of this novel drug in patients with both malignant and nonmalignant diseases, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, solid tumors, psoriasis and graft-versus-host disease.
Testing the LMA solution with solar neutrinos independently of solar models

Abstract We perform a comparative study of two methods of determining the survival probabilities of low, intermediate, and high energy solar neutrinos that emphasizes the general agreement between the large mixing angle (LMA) solution and extant solar neutrino data. The first analysis is oscillation parameter-independent and the second analysis involves an approximate calculation of the survival probabilities in the three energy ranges that depends only on oscillation parameters. We show that future experiments like BOREXino, CLEAN, HERON, LENS and MOON, that measure pp and 7Be neutrinos, will facilitate a stringent test of the LMA solution independently of the standard solar model (SSM), without recourse to earth-matter effects. Throughout, we describe the role of SSM assumptions on our results. If the LMA solution passes the test without needing to be modified, it may be possible to establish that θ x is non-zero at more than 2σ assuming the SSM prediction for the pp flux is correct.
Tracing the flow of carbon dioxide and water vapor between the biosphere and atmosphere A review of optical isotope techniques and their application

Abstract Development of optical isotope techniques over the last several years has provided scientists a set of tools for tracing the transport and cycling of CO2 and water vapor between the biosphere and atmosphere. Here, I take a micrometeorological perspective and review these technological advances, assess key instrument performance characteristics, examine how these techniques have been used in the field to improve our understanding of the processes governing the exchange of CO2 and water vapor, and discuss future research directions. Review of the recent literature indicates that: (1) optical techniques have been used to quantify the isotope composition of biosphere–atmosphere exchange using the traditional Keeling mixing line, flux–gradient, eddy covariance, and chamber approaches under a variety of field conditions with near-continuous data records now extending to more than 5-years; (2) high frequency and near continuous isotope measurements at the canopy scale have demonstrated important new insights regarding the behaviour of kinetic fractionation at the leaf versus canopy scales and the controls on ecosystem respiration that could not have been observed previously using traditional methods; (3) based on the assessment of instrument performance, carbon isotope disequilibrium (the difference between the isotope composition of photosynthesis and respiration), carbon turnover rates, and measurement uncertainties, 13C-CO2 investigations are best suited for examining the contributions and changes to ecosystem respiration with a need for more innovative 13C-isotope labeling experiments and compound specific isotope analyses under field conditions; (4) significant progress has been made in measuring the oxygen isotope composition of water vapor fluxes and canopy leaf water enrichment. These new data have provided an opportunity to evaluate models of leaf water enrichment and their application to the canopy scale; and (5) the use of 18O-H2O and 18O-CO2 as tracers of the coupled carbon–water cycle has matured significantly in recent years. Evidence from a range of ecosystems indicates that 18O-CO2 disequilibrium (ranging from 0 to 17‰) is much larger than for 13C-CO2 (typical less than 3‰ in natural C3 ecosystems) making it a useful tracer of coupled carbon and water cycle processes. However, a better understanding of the role of carbonic anhydrase in photosynthetic and respiratory processes under field conditions is now needed in order to make further progress. Finally, the increasing use and development of isotope-enabled land surface schemes along with the acquisition of high temporal resolution isotope data is providing a new opportunity to constrain the carbon and water cycle processes represented in these models.
Abstract 4919: Visible/NIR-activatable prodrug strategy for treating local tumors by the combination of photodynamic therapy and local chemotherapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy have been used for treating localized tumors. However, each has its shortcomings such as limited efficacy to larger tumors and systemic side effects. We proposed a novel prodrug strategy by combining PDT and localized chemotherapy, which overcomes the problems of PDT and chemotherapy. A prodrug is composed of a photosensitizer and an anticancer drug connected via singlet oxygen (SO)-cleavable linker. Thus, SO generated by the illumination (690 nm) of the prodrug will not only directly damage tumors but also release active drug to kill surviving cancer cells. In our recent paper, we demonstrated the concept of our visible/NIR-activatable prodrug expressing the combination effect of PDT and local chemotherapy. We prepared CMP-L-CA4 where CMP = core-modified porphyrin (photosensitizer), CA4 = combretastatin A-4 (anticancer drug), and L = aminoacrylate linker (SO-cleavable linker) and its pseudo-prodrug (CMP-NCL-CA4: NCL = non-cleavable linker). CMP-L-CA4 showed desirable characteristics such as > 80% drug release in test tubes in 10 min, 6 times reduction in IC50 by illumination, and bystander effect. On the other hand, CMP-NCL-CA4 showed smaller increase in IC50 by illumination and did not show the bystander effect. Consistent with the in vitro results, CMP-L-CA4 showed significantly better antitumor effect than CMP-NCL-CA4. Recently, we developed improved prodrugs using phthalocyanine (Pc) as a photosensitizer. In our presentation, we will show our newer biological data with the prodrugs supporting our novel prodrug strategy. Citation Format: Pallavi Rajaputra, Moses Bio, Gregory Nkepang, Youngjae You. Visible/NIR-activatable prodrug strategy for treating local tumors by the combination of photodynamic therapy and local chemotherapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4919. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4919
Admission heart rate and in-hospital outcomes in patients hospitalized for heart failure in sinus rhythm and in atrial fibrillation.

Background Prior studies have suggested an association between higher heart rate and higher mortality, particularly in chronic heart failure (HF). Whether this relationship holds true in patients hospitalized with HF and differs between patients in sinus rhythm (SR) and atrial fibrillation (AF) has not been well studied. Methods We examined 145,221 admissions for HF from 295 hospitals enrolled in Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure from January 2005 through September 2011. The associations of admission heart rate with in-hospital outcomes were evaluated overall and by heart rhythm. Results Patients presenting at higher heart rate tended to be younger and have less comorbidities. In-hospital mortality had a J-shaped relationship with heart rate, with the lowest mortality rate associated with heart rates between 70 and 75. However, the relationship differed between patients presenting in SR and AF: at heart rates above 100, the mortality curve for AF plateaued, whereas that for SR continued to rise. Higher heart rate was independently associated with higher mortality (SR adjusted OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.15-1.28 per 10 beat per minute increase in heart rate between 70-105; AF adjusted OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.14-1.27). Findings were similar when stratifying patients by ischemic etiology, diabetes, ejection fraction, blood pressure, and β-blocker use. Conclusions Higher admission heart rate is independently associated with worse outcomes in patients admitted for HF, including those in SR and AF. Whether early heart rate reduction improves outcomes in patients hospitalized with HF is worthy of investigation.
Upwind Finite Difference Traveltime For Anisotropic Media

Summary We present a second order upwind nite dierence scheme for the computation of rst-arrival traveltime on regular grid for inhomogeneous anisotropic media. We write the eikonal equation for the qP wave in evolution form which provides us with a nonlinear rst order partial dierential equation and thus is solved numerically by using the Godunov-ENO (Essentially NonOscillatory) scheme. Numerical experiments for three dimensional transversely isotropic models and tests on the isotropic and an anisotropic Marmousi model demonstrate that this scheme is second order accurate with flop counts linear in the number of grid points.
Finding of the Same Antigens in the Polychaete, Pseudopotamilla occelata, as Those in the Vanadium-Rich Ascidian, Ascidia sydneiensis samea

Abstract The polychaete Pseudopotamilla occelata is the first animal revealed to contain high levels of vanadium besides ascidians. The present experiment disclosed that P. occelata has the same antigens with those in the ascidian Ascidia sydneiensis samea, which were recognized by two types of antibodies, a polyclonal antibody against vanadium-associated proteins extracted from blood cells and a monoclonal antibody against vanadocytes in the vanadium-rich ascidian A. sydneiensis samea. There is, therefore, a possibility that similar mechanism works on the accumulation of vanadium between the Polychaeta and the Ascidiidae.
Divergent validity of contingent valuation responses in a wildlife-related application.

Assessments of the construct validity of contingent valuation (CV) rarely explore divergent validity. The unique structure of the Colorado elk and deer hunting seasons allowed the authors to assess divergent validity aspects of CV. A CV survey was designed that asked willingness to purchase an elk license only, a deer license only, both an elk and deer license, or neither at randomly assigned fee increases. Economic theory suggests when both fees are low, respondents would purchase both licenses; as one fee increases in relation to the other, respondents would be more likely to purchase the lower priced license only; when both fees are high, respondents would be more likely to purchase neither. Results for both residents and nonresidents support the hypothesized purchase patterns, suggesting respondents were considering the bid amount in relation to their value of the hunt, the price of substitute species hunts, and seriously considering the CV question.
Examining the validity of the Arizona English Language Learners Assessment cut scores

The Arizona English Language Learners Assessment (AZELLA) is used by the Arizona Department of Education to determine which children should receive English support services. AZELLA results are used to determine if children are either proficient in English or have English language skills in one of four non-proficient categories (pre-emergent, emergent, basic, intermediate). Children who test at or above the proficient cut score in English are placed in mainstream classes without English language support. Children who obtain scores below the proficient cut scores receive English language support services in state-mandated Structured English Immersion classes. Whenever tests are used to make high-stakes decisions, especially about vulnerable populations (e.g., children), it is the test developers’ responsibility to ensure the instrument yields fair and valid results. When cut scores are used as the primary interpretation of the test they are key to establishing the test’s validity. This validation study found that cut scores for the AZELLA are of questionable validity. The procedure used to set the cut scores is criticized by national measurement experts as ineffective and obsolete. Further, the test developers do not adequately establish the expertise of the judges used to set the cut scores. Evidence from the cut-score-setting process indicates judges did not come to consensus at the kindergarten level. Analysis of empirical evidence suggests cut scores over-identify kindergarten children and under-identify older children. Finally, the test developers rejected 85% of the cut scores recommended by the standard-setting judges, setting cut scores higher than recommended for kindergarten and lower than recommended for older children, without describing their process or rationale.
Perceptual integrality of major chord components

In the present study, an accuracy, rather than a reaction time, version of the Garner paradigm was used to evaluate the integrality or separability of major chord components. Tuned (prototype, or P) and mistuned (nonprototype, or NP) sets of root position C-major triads were constructed by holding the C constant in all stimuli and varying the E and G frequencies in 2- and 4-Hz steps. The P stimuli represent small systematic mistunings in the E and G notes relative to an equal-tempered C-major chord. The NP stimuli represent an equivalent range of frequency variation, but relative to a significantly out-of-tune C-major triad. In different experimental sessions, asame-different (AX) task was used to separately evaluate discrimination performance for the E and G frequencies as a function of whether the nontarget frequency (G or E) was fixed or varied in either a correlated or an orthogonal fashion (with the C frequency always held constant). Compared with a fixed baseline condition where only the target frequency changed, both chord components exhibited a significant redundancy gain in the correlated conditions and, to varying degrees, significant interference effects in the orthogonal condition, indicating that the chord components function largely in an integral fashion. Relative to the discrimination of G, discrimination of the E frequency was less influenced by variation in the nontarget (G) frequency, showing that attention, to some degree, could be selectively allocated to the E chord component. In addition, the results were consistent with previous findings that the functional prototype for the major chord category seems to act as a perceptual anchor, rather than as a magnet, and appears to be located in the physiologically defined area of just temperament, as opposed to the more experientially defined area ofequal temperament.
Crystal growth from liquid columns

Abstract The microgravity environment within the Space Station Mir, within the Spacelab, and within the forthcoming Space Station Freedom offers the possibility of growing large crystals from liquid zones with free fluid surfaces, which are supported by surface tension only. The idea is to reduce convection in the fluid phase and, at the same time, to exclude heterogeneous nucleation at the container wall. On the other hand, the free fluid surface poses several problems. There are stability criteria for liquid columns which depend on height and volume, Bond number, frequency of rotation, etc. There exist resonance frequencies, which have to be avoided, and there is Marangoni convection caused by the fact that the temperature assumes a maximum between the melting front and the solidafication front. Respective stability diagrams are presented; the resonance frequencies and their impact on the tolerable residual vibrations are discussed. Problems of Marangoni convection are addressed. It may aid material transport, if it stays laminar, but may become fatal if it becomes oscillatory or even turbulent. Results of relevant microgravity experiments are presented.
Sound stress activation of tryptophan hydroxylase blocked by hypophysectomy and intracranial RU 38486

Abstract The rapidly reversible increase in cortical or midbrain tryptophan hydroxylase activity observed ex vivo after exposure of rats to 1-h sound stress was blocked by hypophysectomy, but not sham hypophysectomy, and restored by dexamethasone administration to the hypophysectomized animals (500 μg/day i.p. for 3 days). The response to sound stress was also lost with deafferentation of the hypothalamus. These results indicate that hypothalamic control of adrenal glucocorticoid is required for the serotoenergic response to sound stress. The glucocorticoid antagonist, RU 38486, given intracerebroventricularly (200 μg/day for 4–5 days) or bilaterally, into the region of the central nucleus of the amygdala (100 μg 15 min before stress), blocked the sound stress-induced increase in tryptophan hydroxylase activity. In contrast, the antimineralocorticoid, RU 26752, was without effect. The block obtained with RU 38486 suggests that glucocorticoid is required by the neurons that relay the effects of sound stress to the rostrally projecting serotonergic neurons.
Derivative activation chromatography

Abstract Although most biologically important compounds do not contain atoms which produce a useful radionuclide by thermal neutron capture, activation analysis has been extended to these cases by the use of easily formed derivatives which do contain activatable atoms, such as bromine. Sensitive qualitative and quantitative analyses for mixtures of many compounds were obtained by paper chromatography of such derivatives, followed by neutron activation of the chromatograms in a nuclear reactor. p -Bromophenacyl esters of carboxylic acids, p -bromophenylsulfonamides of amino acids, p -bromophenylhydrazones of keto acids and sugars, and mercuriated fatty acids were separated and activated. Induced activities were located by radioautography and measured by appropriate detectors. Comparisons of radioactivities in separated compounds with those in suitable standards allowed quantitative estimations. The method is generally more sensitive than conventional chemical spray methods, and quantification is less troublesome.
Capnography accurately detects apnea during monitored anesthesia care

Apnea and airway obstruction are common during monitored anesthesia care (MAC). Because their early detection is essential, we sought to measure the efficacy of capnography as an indicator of apnea during MAC at a variety of oxygen flow rates compared with thoracic impedance. Anesthesia care providers using standard American Society of Anesthesiologists monitors were blinded to capnography and thoracic impedance monitoring. Ten (26%) of the 39 patients studied developed 20 s of apnea; none was detected by the anesthesia provider, but all were detected by capnography and impedance monitoring. There was no difference in detection rates between the two methods. Higher oxygen flow rates decreased the amplitude of the capnograph but did not interfere with apnea detection. This pilot study revealed that apnea of at least 20 s in duration may occur in every fourth patient undergoing MAC. Although these episodes were undetected by the anesthesia provider, they were reliably detected by both capnography and respiratory plethysmography. Monitoring of nasal end-tidal CO(2) is an important way to improve safety in patients undergoing MAC.
Immunochemical comparisons of various gelatins and their derivatives.

Abstract It has been demonstrated that there is little immunochemical difference among the various gelatins derived from mammals and fish. In contrast, isinglass and sponge “gelatin” did not behave as gelatin. Results of the immunochemical behavior of the various gelatin derivatives would seem to indicate that neither the amino nor carboxyl groups of the gelatin molecule are responsible for the serological specificity of the molecule.
Asymmetrical Fc Engineering Greatly Enhances Antibody-dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity (ADCC) Effector Function and Stability of the Modified Antibodies

Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) is mediated through the engagement of the Fc segment of antibodies with Fcγ receptors (FcγRs) on immune cells upon binding of tumor or viral antigen. The co-crystal structure of FcγRIII in complex with Fc revealed that Fc binds to FcγRIII asymmetrically with two Fc chains contacting separate regions of the FcγRIII by utilizing different residues. To fully explore this asymmetrical nature of the Fc-FcγR interaction, we screened more than 9,000 individual clones in Fc heterodimer format in which different mutations were introduced at the same position of two Fc chains using a high throughput competition AlphaLISA® assay. To this end, we have identified a panel of novel Fc variants with significant binding improvement to FcγRIIIA (both Phe-158 and Val-158 allotypes), increased ADCC activity in vitro, and strong tumor growth inhibition in mice xenograft human tumor models. Compared with previously identified Fc variants in conventional IgG format, Fc heterodimers with asymmetrical mutations can achieve similar or superior potency in ADCC-mediated tumor cell killing and demonstrate improved stability in the CH2 domain. Fc heterodimers also allow more selectivity toward activating FcγRIIA than inhibitory FcγRIIB. Afucosylation of Fc variants further increases the affinity of Fc to FcγRIIIA, leading to much higher ADCC activity. The discovery of these Fc variants will potentially open up new opportunities of building the next generation of therapeutic antibodies with enhanced ADCC effector function for the treatment of cancers and infectious diseases.
Continuous precipitation polymerization of vinylidene fluoride in supercritical carbon dioxide: molecular weight distribution

The surfactant-free precipitation polymerization of vinylidene fluoride (VF2) in supercritical carbon dioxide was studied in a continuous stirred autoclave. The polymerization temperature ranged from 65 to 85°C, the average residence time in the reactor varied from 10 to 50 min., and the pressure was between 210 and 305 bar. Diethyl peroxydicarbonate was used as the initiator. The fractional conversion of monomer varied from 7 to 26%, the number-average molecular weight of the polymer was between about 14,000 and 79,000, and the weight-average molecular weight was between about 21,000 and 700,000. In many cases, the polymer exhibited a bimodal molecular-weight distribution, especially at high monomer concentrations.
Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Technique For Modeling Of The Environment In The Vicinity Of The Space Shuttle Orbiter

A program for analyzing the flowfield parameters in the neighborhood of the Space Shuttle Orbiter has been developed. The program uses the direct simulation Monte Carlo method, which is a completely probabilistic Monte Carlo technique capable of analyzing 3-dimensional steady or unsteady flow with prescribed internal and external boundary conditions. The freestream flux densities incident on the external flowfield boundaries are calculated from the drifting Maxwellian gas properties of the freestream. The flux entering the flowfield from the internal boundary is calculated from the outgassing flux density distribution over the Shuttle external surface and the prescribed discrete source fluxes. This technique produces a numerical flowfield solution which is the probabilistic equivalent of a complete solution of the time-dependent, 3-dimensional Boltzmann equation. Flowfield results are presented for the following configurations: (1) Shuttle angles of attack of 0 and 90 deg, (2) freestream density 10 to the 9th - 10 to the 11th per cu cm, (3) Shuttle outgassing flux density, and (4) operation of the aft downfiring vernier Reaction Control System (RCS) engine. Results are presented for column density distribution of outgassed and engine species and for the flux density of outgassed and engine species incident on the Shuttle bay and the windshield.