cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of beta-blocker use at the time of hematopoietic cell transplantation on the development of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Abstract Sympathetic nervous system activation plays a role in the development of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The primary objective was to compare the cause-specific hazard of grade II-IV and III-IV acute GVHD (aGVHD) and chronic GVHD (cGVHD) in the context of s-blocker use and type (selective vs. non-selective). Secondary objectives included overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival (RFS), and cumulative incidence of relapse, non-relapse mortality (NRM), and grade II-IV and III-IV aGVHD and cGVHD. The current study included 151 patients ages 18 and older diagnosed with hematological malignancies who underwent reduced intensity conditioning allogeneic HCT from HLA matched related or unrelated donors between January 2014 and 2017. 31 patients were on a s-blocker of which 71% were on a selective s-blocker. The incidence of aGVHD was not different among groups. Results show a non-significant trend in the association between s-blocker use and reduction in the risk of developing cGVHD (cause-specific hazard ratio 0.49, p = 0.060), with no negative impact on survival or relapse. The current data are supportive of a potential s-adrenergic influence on the pathogenesis of GVHD, consistent with the inflammatory etiology of GVHD and the anti-inflammatory effects of s-adrenergic antagonists.
Carinal Resection for Non Small Cell Lung Cancer

Modern surgical and anesthetic technique permits the resection of non-small cell lung cancers involving the tracheal carina. Retrospective reviews suggest a surgical mortality below 10 % and 5-year survival approaching 40 % in selected patients. Despite the use of induction therapy, fewer than 15 % of patients with mediastinal lymph node metastases survive 5 years and patients not responsive to induction should not be considered for surgery. The most serious complications are anastomotic dehiscence and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which may be minimized with careful patient selection, surgical technique and airway management intra- and post-operatively.
Scalability in coordinated transaction management

Transaction processing systems are commonly employed in a wide range of applications, such as travel booking, financial trading, and online games. Typically, these applications are used by thousands of users simultaneously, and many a times, users attempt to coordinate on data values. In this dissertation, we argue that the current support for coordination in such systems is ad-hoc and not scalable. We propose simple, efficient, and scalable abstractions for coordination in transaction processing systems. This dissertation comprises of three papers—Scalability in Virtual Environments, Declarative Data-driven Coordination, and Entangled Transactions. In each of these papers, we look at scalability of coordinated transaction management from a unique perspective that can remarkably alter the manner in which coordination is perceived by both the users and developers of the aforementioned applications. In the first paper, we address scalability in virtual environments. Virtual environments are software systems in which users interact with each other in real-time within some shared environment. Current virtual environments, however, are unable to support a large number active users. The scalability problems arise in part because of the need to maintain consistency between all the players. In this paper, we propose a protocol that actively replicates actions, and show that replicating actions, as opposed to techniques that replicate data, allows for highly scalable virtual environments. We also propose an optimization of the AB-protocol that guarantees minimal execution at client machines. In the second paper, we explore declarative data-driven coordination. We propose Entangled Queries, a novel abstraction for coordination in databases. Entangled Queries provides the user with a simple but powerful declarative method to coordinate with other users. In addition to introducing Entangled Queries, we propose an efficiently enforceable syntactic safety condition that we argue is at the sweet spot of expressiveness and application requirements. In the last paper of this dissertation, we introduce entangled transactions. Entangled Transactions are units of work performed within a database management system against a database. Although such transactions look similar to classical transactions, they do not run in isolation and communicate with each other via entangled queries. In this paper, we look at an abstract model for Entangled Transactions and investigate interesting system issues that arise in their implementation.
Application of Radiation Techniques to the Study of Organic Radicals

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the application of radiation techniques to study organic radicals. The primary radiation chemical processes are better understood in aqueous solutions than in any other system and they can be better controlled and utilized. The chapter deals with the reactions of organic compounds with transients from water, their rate constants and mechanisms, and their utilization for the production of organic radicals. The properties or organic radicals, their absorption spectra, their dissociation constants and various protonation processes, any structural rearrangements they undergo, and their reactivity towards each other and towards organic compounds are discussed. Several new developments in the analytical procedures, both in the determination of final products and in the direct observation of transient species are discussed. The primary effect of radiation on aqueous solution is the decomposition of the water, followed by reactions of the transients from water with the solutes present. Direct effect of radiation on the solute is practically negligible up to concentrations of about 1 M.
Hourly variation in onset of labor and rupture of membranes.

Abstract The frequency distribution curves for spontaneous onset of labor and spontaneous rupture of the membranes before labor reveal a definite diurnal rhythmicity during each 24 hour period. Patients most often commence labor and rupture the membranes preceding labor during the hours of rest and sleep.
Overexpression of Ha-ras Selectively in Adipose Tissue of Transgenic Mice EVIDENCE FOR ENHANCED SENSITIVITY TO INSULIN

To determine the role of Ras-dependent signaling pathways in adipocyte function, we created transgenic mice that overexpress Ha-ras in adipocytes using the aP2 fatty acid-binding protein promoter/enhancer ligated to the human genomic ras sequence. ras mRNA was increased 8-17-fold and Ras protein 4-5-fold in white and brown fat, with no overexpression in other tissues. The subcellular distribution of overexpressed Ras paralleled that of endogenous Ras. [U-14C]Glucose uptake into isolated adipocytes was increased approximately 2-fold in the absence of insulin, and the ED50 for insulin was reduced 70%, with minimal effect on maximally stimulated glucose transport. Expression of Glut4 protein was unaltered in transgenic adipocytes, but photoaffinity labeling of transporters in intact cells with [3H]2-N-[4-(1-azi-Z,Z,Z-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl]-1,3-bis-(D-mann os-4- yloxy)-2-propylamine revealed 1.7-2.6-fold more cell-surface Glut 4 in the absence of insulin and at half-maximal insulin concentration (0.3 nM) compared with nontransgenic adipocytes. With maximal insulin concentration (80 nM), cell-surface Glut4 in nontransgenic and transgenic adipocytes was similar. Glut1 expression and basal cell-surface Glut1 were increased 2-2.9-fold in adipocytes of transgenic mice. However, Glut1 was much less abundant than Glut4, making its contribution to transport negligible. These in vitro changes were accompanied by in vivo alterations including increased glucose tolerance, decreased plasma insulin levels, and decreased adipose mass. We conclude that ras overexpression in adipocytes leads to a partial translocation of Glut4 in the absence of insulin and enhanced Glut4 translocation at physiological insulin concentration, but no effect with maximally stimulating insulin concentrations.
ATPG-based preimage computation: efficient search space pruning with ZBDD

Computing image/preimage is a fundamental step in formal verification of hardware systems. Conventional OBDD-based methods for formal verification suffer from spatial explosion, since OBDDs can grow exponentially in large designs. On the other hand, SAT/ATPG based methods are less demanding on memory. But the run-time can be huge for these methods, since they must explore an exponential search space. In order to reduce this temporal explosion of SAT/ATPG based methods, efficient learning techniques are needed. In this paper, we present a new ZBDD based method to compactly store and efficiently search previously explored search-states for 'ATPG-based preimage computation'. We learn front these search-states and avoid searching their subsets or supersets. Both,solution and conflict subspaces are pruned based on simple set operations using ZBDDs. We integrate our techniques into an ATPG engine and demonstrate their efficiency on ISCAS '89 benchmark circuits. Experimental results show that significant search-space pruning for preimage computation is achieved, compared to previous methods.
The Stages of Legal Reasoning: Formalism, Analogy, and Realism

Legal reasoning embodies both logic and moral reasoning. As such, legal reasoning exhibits the same stage structure that has been observed by psychologists in the development of cognitive and moral reasoning. This structure becomes evident when changes in society, including changes that result from scientific progress, give rise to novel legal problems. When faced with new fact situations the reasoning of the courts frequently follows a typical sequence. First, courts attempt to formalistically apply existing rules of law according to their terms to new facts. If the courts are unable to define the terms of existing rules so that they apply to the new case, then the courts draw analogies between the new situations and familiar ones, applying existing rules by analogy. If these analogies break down, courts fashion new rules by means of a realistic balancing of policies and interests. The progression from formalism to realism reflects the process of assimilation and accommodation described by James Mark Baldwin, the cognitive change from concrete operations to formal operations described by Jean Piaget, and the change from conventional to postconventional moral thought described by Laurence Kohlberg. Reasoning by analogy may be either formalist or realist. Courts may draw analogies by noting the factual similarities between previous cases and new cases, and if these formalist analogies are deemed sufficient then the rule of the previous case will be applied to the case at hand. If the formalist analogy is deemed insufficient, the courts may proceed to identify the values that are served and the interests that are protected by existing rules of law in considering whether those interests and values will be similarly promoted by applying the existing rule to the case at bar. If the realist analogy is also insufficient to persuasively justify a result, the courts may then proceed to the third stage of legal reasoning, and may develop new rules of law by directly balancing the underlying values and interests that were identified through the use of realist analogies. In this way reasoning by analogy serves as a bridge between formalism and realism. Furthermore, as rules evolve into standards, and as standards evolve into rules, a critical stage in the process is judicial experience applying the law. For standards to become rules, the courts must draw formalist analogies between cases interpreting the standards, and for rules to become standards, the courts must draw realist analogies among the cases interpreting the rules. This pattern in the evolution of rules and standards supports the concept that formalism, analogy, and realism are the stages of legal reasoning, and that analogy serves as the bridge between formalism and realism.
A Comparison of Co-located and Traditional Outpatient Consultation for the Treatment of ADHD in Two Urban Medical Homes : Costs and Outcomes (P7.330)

OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes and costs of two models of specialty care delivery in children with ADHD in medically underserved areas. BACKGROUND: Previous reports compared co-located and traditional child neurology consultation in two medical homes in community health centers in Boston. These studies demonstrated that for metrics of kept appointments, time to appointment, and overall cost, a co-located model was substantially superior to a traditional referral model for all child neurology consults. Subsequent work showed that for costs and outcomes for patients with chronic headache, a co-located model substantially contained costs while improving outcome. This study examines co-located and traditional referral models for the care of children with ADHD. DESIGN/METHODS: Children diagnosed with ADHD were referred for either co-located or traditional outpatient consultation for pharmacological treatment of ADHD. Outcomes measured included: compliance with prescribed regimen, efficacy of treatment as measured by Vanderbilt questionnaires from home and school, parent satisfaction with treatment regimen, and cost of treatment as measured by charges. RESULTS: In all domains, co-located care was superior to traditional consultation. Higher compliance with prescribed regimen was noted (95% co-located v. 67% traditional). Treatment was rated as more effective (87% of co-located experiencing clinically significant improvement in Teacher Vanderbilt v. 60% for traditional; 90% of co-located showing significant clinical improvement on Parent Vanderbilt v. 50% for traditional). Parent satisfaction was higher (95% co-located sample said results were very good or excellent; 63% of traditional sample felt results were very good to excellent). Costs were substantially lower as reflected by charges ($ USD 750 per annum for visits in co-located v. $USD 1675 per annum for traditional). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that in medically-undeserved populations, pharmacological management of ADHD in a co-located consultation model was superior to a traditional model, for both outcome and cost. Study Supported by: Disclosure: Dr. Urion has nothing to disclose.
Preliminary evidence that Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin is present in a 160,000-Mr complex in mammalian membranes.

Abstract Clostridium perfringens type A 125I-enterotoxin (125I-CPE) was bound to rabbit intestinal brush border membranes (BBMs) or Vero cells and then solubilized with 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethyl-ammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS). Solubilized radioactivity was analyzed by gel filtration chromatography on a Sepharose 4B column or by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) without sample boiling and autoradiography. Specifically bound 125I-CPE extracted from either BBMs or Vero cells was primarily associated with a complex of approximately 160,000 Mr. The CPE complex was partially purified by gel filtration or SDS-PAGE without sample boiling. SDS-PAGE analysis with sample boiling of the partially purified 125I-CPE complex from Vero cells or BBMs suggested that CPE complex contains both a 50,000-Mr protein and a 70,000-Mr protein in approximately equimolar amounts. This result is supported by affinity chromatography with CPE immobilized on Sepharose 4B, which showed the specific interaction of similar size proteins with CPE. The simplest explanation for these results is that CPE (Mr 35,000) interacts with 50,000-Mr and 70,000-Mr eucaryotic proteins to form a membrane-dependent complex of approximately 160,000 Mr. These results suggest that the receptor or target site(s) or both for CPE are similar in both BBMs and Vero cells. The significance of these findings in terms of CPE binding, insertion, and biologic action is discussed.
Global health diplomacy: a 'Deus ex Machina' for international development and relations: Comment on "A Ghost in the Machine? Politics in Global Health Policy".

Brugha and Bruen (2014) raise a number of compelling issues related to the interaction between politics and policy in the global health context. The first question that their views invite is whether this is, at heart, best characterized as a benign or malign influence. Many commentators have suggested that this overlap should be discouraged (see, for example, Marseille et al 2002; Thomas & Weber 2004; Fidler 2011), while others advocate a decrease in 'stove-piped' or 'siloed' approaches to government, politics, and academia (Lee et al 2010; Feldbaum 2011). To use a parallel example, the world of sport has indirectly contributed a number of notable political advances, not least the end of apartheid in South Africa as a partial result of the ban imposed on their international teams (Nixon 2002). In spite of this, organizations such as FIFA refuse to be drawn into sanctioning international football teams on non-sporting grounds (Sobolev & Gazeta 2014). The future scope and role of global health will, inevitably, face corresponding challenges.
Design of armor for protection against blast and impact

Abstract The features of blast and impact that can damage a delicate target supported by a structure include both the peak pressure and the impulse delivered to the structure. This study examines how layers of elastic and visco-elastic materials may be assembled to mitigate these features. The impedance mismatch between two elastic layers is known to reduce the pressure, but dissipation is required to mitigate the transmitted impulse in light-weight armor. A novel design concept called impact or blast tuning is introduced in which a multi-layered armor is used to tune the stress waves resulting from an impact or blast to specific frequencies that match the damping frequencies of visco-elastic layers. The material and geometrical parameters controlling the viscous dissipation of the energy within the armor are identified for a simplified one-dimensional system, to provide insight into how the optimal design of multi-use armor might be based on this concept.
Making problem diagnosis work for large-scale, production storage systems

Intrepid has a very-large, production GPFS storage system consisting of 128 file servers, 32 storage controllers, 1152 disk arrays, and 11,520 total disks. In such a large system, performance problems are both inevitable and difficult to troubleshoot. We present our experiences, of taking an automated problem diagnosis approach from proof-of-concept on a 12-server test-bench parallel-file-system cluster, and making it work on Intrepid's storage system. We also present a 15-month case study, of problems observed from the analysis of 624GB of Intrepid's instrumentation data, in which we diagnose a variety of performance-related storage-system problems, in a matter of hours, as compared to the days or longer with manual approaches.
Improving the ionospheric specification in the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model

The Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model (GITM) is a relatively new model that describes the new-Earth space environment in a different way than many of the other existing coupled models. First, it uses an altitude grid that stretches from 100 km to 500–800 km depending on F10.7, with roughly 1/3 scale-height resolution. Second, it solves the more-complete momentum equation in the vertical direction of the thermosphere, allowing non-hydrostatic solutions to form. Third, the code is parallel in such a way that the number of grid cells in the latitude and longitude direction can be specified at run-time, so that the resolution is highly adjustable. The ionosphere within GITM is treated in spherical coordinates, so is limited in altitude. Recently, the ionosphere has been modified in three ways: (1) the ion and electron temperatures have been improved; (2) a nightside EUV flux was implemented in the code; and (3) the Eddy diffusion has been modified to allow a more realistic electron density.
Ground state depletion microscopy for imaging interactions between gold nanowires and fluorophore-labeled ligands.

Ground state depletion with individual molecule return (GSDIM) is used to interrogate the location of individual fluorescence bursts from fluorophore-labelled DNA molecules on gold nanowire surfaces. Carboxytetramethyl rhodamine (TAMRA)-labelled double-stranded DNA molecules were bound to the surface of gold nanowires via gold–thiol linkages. Individual fluorescence bursts were spatially localized using point spread function fitting and used to reconstruct the image of the underlying nanowire. While the reconstructed images reproduce the size and shape of the nanowire structures, plasmonic coupling between the nanowire and fluorophore is observed, indicating that the location of the observed fluorescence may not precisely correlate with the location of the emitting fluorophore. Thus, plasmonic coupling is an important factor when using super-resolution imaging techniques to study plasmonic nanostructures.
Retrieving the Balanced Winds on the Globe as a Generalized Inverse Problem

A generalized inverse technique is applied to retrieve two types of balanced winds that characterize the large-scale dynamics of the atmosphere: rotational winds based upon the linear balance equation, and divergent winds based upon the vorticity budget equation. Both balance equations are singular at or near the equator. The balance equations are transformed in spherical harmonic function space to an under-determined system, for which the scale-weighed least-squares solution consists of a sum of principal and singular components. The principal components represent the response to the source function for the regular eigenmodes, while the singular components are determined by the projection of an independent measurement on the singular eigenmodes. The method was tested with the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data in which a quasi-balance condition exists. A realistic balanced wind field is retrievable when the singular components are computed based upon the reanalyzed wind data.
Effects of cytotoxic monoclonal antibody specific for T200 glycoprotein on functional lymphoid cell populations

Abstract A monoclonal antibody against T200 glycoprotein is selectively cytotoxic for thymocytes and mature thymus-dependent (T) lymphocytes. All T-cell functions assayed, cell-mediated cytotoxicity, helper cell activity, and proliferation in response to T-cell mitogens or allogeneic cells were abolished by prior treatment of spleen cells with anti-T200 antibodies and complement. In contrast, thymus-independent (B) cell responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and other B-cell mitogens were unaffected. Although treatment of spleen cells with anti-T200 antibodies and complement markedly reduced their capacity to mount an in vitro antibody response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC), responsiveness could be restored by the addition of SRBC-primed T-helper cells. Treatment of bone marrow cells with anti-T200 antibodies and complement did not eliminate either in vivo colony-forming units-spleen (CFU-S) or prothymocytes. It is concluded that T lymphocytes become sensitive to complement-mediated lysis by anti-T200 antibodies as a consequence of cell-surface modifications occurring shortly before or just after their entry into the thymus. In contrast to Thy-1 antigen, the selective killing by antibody against T200 glycoprotein cannot be readily accounted for by quantitative differences in the expression of T200 glycoprotein on the cell surface. Fluorescence-activated cell analysis showed that T200 glycoprotein was expressed in similar amount on the majority of all thymocytes, spleen, and bone marrow cells.
Determination of In Vivo Dynamic Human Ankle Stiffness Under External Foot Rotation

Ankle sprains account for 10–15% of all sports injuries [1]. Understanding the conditions that contribute to sports-related ankle sprains can provide useful information to footwear designers to help prevent such injuries. Attempts have been made to create surrogate ankles that mimic ankle properties in order to simulate injury scenarios. In this laboratory, using data from cadaver experiments, Villwock et al. developed such an ankle to assess injury risk due to shoe-surface interface [2]. While this model provides data on shoe-surface interactions, it only takes into account ankle stiffness in rotation. Consequently, the model can only recreate internal-external rotation, not eversion-inversion or plantarflexion-dorsiflexion responses of the human ankle.© 2012 ASME
Kineto-dynamic Performance Analysis of Vehicle with an Asymmetric Suspension Damper using a Roll-Plane Model

This paper presents the study of influences of damper asymmetry together with the suspension kinematics and tyre lateral compliance on the vehicle performance considering a roll-plane model. A 4-DOF, roll-plane model of the road vehicle employing a double wishbone suspension comprising a strut with linear spring and asymmetric damper is formulated for the analyses. The sprung-mass vertical acceleration, chassis roll angle, dynamic tyre forces and the tyres camber angle variation responses of the model with asymmetric dampers are compared with those of the model with an equivalent linear damper under bump and pothole inputs, and rounded-step lateral excitations. The results suggested that the responses are complex functions of damper asymmetry ratio, defined as the ratio of damping coefficient in rebound to that in compression, vehicle forward speed and type of input. The study further suggests that a very low compression mode damping is undesirable from both ride and handling dynamic perspectives.
Cooverexpression of chaperones for enhanced secretion of a single-chain antibody fragment in Pichia pastoris.

In Pichia pastoris, secretion of the A33 single-chain antibody fragment (A33scFv) was shown to reach levels of approximately 4 g l−1 in fermentor cultures. In this study, we investigated whether manipulating chaperone and foldase levels in P. pastoris could further increase secretion of A33scFv. Cells were engineered to cooverexpress immunoglobulin binding protein (BiP) and/or protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) with A33scFv during growth in methanol as the sole carbon and energy source. Cooverexpression of BiP resulted in increased secretion levels of A33scFv by approximately threefold. In contrast, cooverexpression of PDI had no apparent effect on secretion of A33scFv. In cells cooverexpressing BiP and PDI, A33scFv secretion did not increase and protein levels remained the same as the control strain. We believe that secretion of A33scFv is increased by cooverexpression of BiP as a result of an increase in folding capacity inside the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In addition, lack of increased single-chain secretion when PDI is coexpressed was unexpected due to the presence of disulfide bonds in A33scFv. We also show that during PDI cooverexpression with the single-chain there is a sixfold increase in BiP levels, indicating that the former is possibly inducing an unfolded protein response due to excess chaperone and recombinant protein in the ER.
BACTERIOLOGY OF THE BLOOD AND JOINTS IN RHEUMATIC FEVER

1. During the Spring of 1928, 29 patients with acute rheumatic fever were subjected to blood cultures, of whom 9, or 31 per cent, yielded a streptococcus. During the Spring of 1929, 31 patients with acute rheumatic fever were studied by blood cultures, of whom 26, or 83.9 per cent, yielded a streptococcus. The higher percentage of positive cultures in the 1929 series appears to have been due to improved cultural methods. 2. Of the 35 strains of streptococci recovered from blood cultures, 33 have been classified as alpha streptococci (Str. viridans); one as a beta streptococcus (Str. hemolyticus); and one a gamma streptococcus (Str. anhemolyticus). Some of the viridans strains produced very little green on blood media. 3. Agglutination and absorption tests indicate that the strains of streptococcus viridans recovered from the blood of patients with rheumatic fever show a tendency to fall into specific biological groups. 4. In 7 patients with rheumatic fever who were subjected to cultures from affected joints, 5, or 71.4 per cent, yielded a streptococcus viridans. In 3 patients in whom green streptococci were recovered from both the blood and joint, agglutination and absorption tests proved the identity of the strains isolated from the two sources. 5. These findings corroborate those of previous investigators and make it difficult to escape the conclusion that rheumatic fever is a streptococcal infection usually of the alpha or viridans type. 6. The pathogenesis of rheumatic fever in respect to the joint lesions appears to be analogous to that of infectious arthritis and gonococcal arthritis. Bacterial allergy probably influences the clinical picture in all three conditions, but in each instance the joint manifestations are primarily dependent upon localization of bacteria in the joint, with subsequent infection.
Interventional catheterization management of perioperative peripheral pulmonary stenosis: balloon angioplasty or endovascular stenting.

There is limited reported experience of catheterization therapy for peripheral pulmonary stenosis (PPS) at a surgical site in the early postoperative period. We reviewed the clinical course of patients undergoing interventional catheterization for PPS at a surgical site 50% increase in predilation diameter. From 1984 to 2000, 17 patients had 19 proximal pulmonary arteries dilated 1 to 46 (median 8) days postoperatively. Median age and weight were 3.1 year and 12.7 kg. Three arteries were initially occluded. Seventeen arteries had initial BD with postintervention imaging available in 15; 8 arteries had SD. The arterial diameter increased from 3.9 ± 2.6 to 5.5 ± 2.8 mm (P < 0.001). Nine of these arteries had stents placed with diameter increasing to 8.7 ± 3.7 mm (P < 0.001 compared with post-BD diameter). Stents increased the diameter in all arteries and made four of four failed BD successful. In the two most recent procedures, stents were placed without prior BD with diameter increasing from 1.3 to 9 mm and 8.2 to 14 mm. A stent was placed in 1 of 7 arteries prior to 1993 and in 10 of 12 arteries thereafter (P < 0.004). Three patients prior to 1995 had catheterization-related deaths secondary to vessel rupture after BD. BD produces SD in approximately one-half of the procedures but is associated with mortality. Stent placement increases vessel diameter substantially more than BD alone. Stents reduce the acute complication rate and avoid early reoperation in this patient group. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2002;56:272–277. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Comparative metaproteomics reveals ocean-scale shifts in microbial nutrient utilization and energy transduction

Bacteria and Archaea play critical roles in marine energy fluxes and nutrient cycles by incorporating and redistributing dissolved organic matter and inorganic nutrients in the oceans. How these microorganisms do this work at the level of the expressed protein is known only from a few studies of targeted lineages. We used comparative membrane metaproteomics to identify functional responses of communities to different nutrient concentrations on an oceanic scale. Comparative analyses of microbial membrane fractions revealed shifts in nutrient utilization and energy transduction along an environmental gradient in South Atlantic surface waters, from a low-nutrient gyre to a highly productive coastal upwelling region. The dominant membrane proteins identified (19%) were TonB-dependent transporters (TBDTs), which are known to utilize a proton motive force to transport nutrients across the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. The ocean-wide importance of TonB-dependent nutrient acquisition in marine bacteria was unsuspected. Diverse light-harvesting rhodopsins were detected in membrane proteomes from every sample. Proteomic evidence of both TBDTs and rhodopsins in the same lineages suggest that phototrophic bacterioplankton have the potential to use energy from light to fuel transport activities. We also identified viral proteins in every sample and archaeal ammonia monooxygenase proteins in the upwelling region, suggesting that Archaea are important nitrifiers in nutrient-rich surface waters.
9-cis-Retinoic acid promotes cell adhesion through integrin dependent and independent mechanisms across immune lineages

Retinoids are essential in the proper establishment and maintenance of immunity. Although retinoids are implicated in immune related processes, their role in immune cell adhesion has not been well established. In this study, the effect of 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA) on human hematopoietic cell adhesion was investigated. 9-cis-RA treatment specifically induced cell adhesion of the human immune cell lines HuT-78, NB4, RPMI 8866 and U937. Due to the prominent role of integrin receptors in mediating immune cell adhesion, we sought to evaluate if cell adhesion was integrin-dependent. By employing a variety of integrin antagonist including function-blocking antibodies and EDTA, we establish that 9-cis-RA prompts immune cell adhesion through established integrin receptors in addition to a novel integrin-independent process. The novel integrin-independent adhesion required the presence of retinoid and was attenuated by treatment with synthetic corticosteroids. Finally, we demonstrate that 9-cis-RA treatment of primary murine B-cells induces ex vivo adhesion that persists in the absence of integrin function. Our study is the first to demonstrate that 9-cis-RA influences immune cell adhesion through at least two functionally distinct mechanisms.
Heat-induced susceptibility to tobacco mosaic virus and thermal injury in bean.

Abstract The effect of physiologically supraoptimal temperatures (40–55°C) on bean leaves relative to infection with tobacco mosaic virus (Yarwood, 1956) was investigated. The periods of preinoculation heating in water to obtain maximum numbers of lesions were determined for various degrees of temperature between 40° and 55° C. These heat dosages not only result in a greater number, but also in a larger size and in an earlier appearance, of lesions. These heat dosages do not affect respiration nor produce a long-lasting visible effect upon cytoplasm, but they do affect starch formation by chloroplasts. If the heat treatment is prolonged beyond the appropriate duration, there is complete cessation of photosynthesis; and, after more extensive heating, permanent thermal injury to the cytoplasm results. Data for all four effects (increase in lesion number, increase in starch formation, permanent thermal injury of plastids, and permanent thermal injury of cytoplasm) may be interpreted in terms of the Arrhenius equation to give an activation energy of about 90,000 calories ( Q 10 = 50). The magnitude of this activation energy is of the same order as that for the denaturation of protein; all four phenomena presumably are the results of thermal injury.
Comparative effects of insulin and insulin-like growth factors on DNA synthesis and differentiation of porcine granulosa cells

Abstract The effects of insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and II) were compared with those of insulin in porcine granulosa cells in vitro with regard to stimulation of thymidine incorporation, facilitation of FSH-induced progesterone secretion, and displacement of [125I] IGF-I from specific receptors. In all three assays, the order of potency was IGF-I > IGF-II > insulin. However, the difference in potency was marginally significant in the mitogenic assay. These data are consistent with the presence of specific IGF-I receptors on these cells and involvement of these binding sites in regulation of granulosa cell replication and differentiation.
Non-Q wave myocardial infarction: Recent changes in occurrence and prognosis—a community-wide perspective

A community-wide study of patients hospitalized with validated acute myocardial infarction (MI) in all 16 hospitals in the Worcester metropolitan area, during the calendar years 1975, 1978, and 1981, is examining time trends in the incidence rates, in-hospital case fatality rates, and long-term survival rates of 2451 patients hospitalized with acute MI further classified into those with Q wave and those with non-Q wave MI. The age-adjusted hospital attack rates (per 100,000) of initial events of Q wave MI increased from 153 in 1975 to 197 in 1981 (p less than 0.05), while the attack rates of non-Q wave MI increased from 46 in 1975 to 89 in 1981 (p less than 0.001). Patients with non-Q wave MI were at significantly decreased risk of dying during hospitalization (12.0%) as compared to those with Q wave MI (25.2%), overall as well as for each of the three time periods studied (p less than 0.05). For patients discharged alive from the hospital, however, there were no significant differences in long-term survival rates according to MI type over an 8-year follow-up period. These results, obtained from a community-wide sample of patients with validated acute MI, indicate a significant change in the occurrence rates and/or recognition of non-Q wave MI, a significantly lower in-hospital case fatality rate for patients with non-Q wave MI, and comparable long-term prognosis for patients with Q wave and non-Q wave acute MI.
Efficient Algorithms for the Inverse Spanning-Tree Problem

The inverse spanning-tree problem is to modify edge weights in a graph so that a given treeT is a minimum spanning tree. The objective is to minimize the cost of the deviation. The cost of deviation is typically a convex function. We propose algorithms here that are faster than all known algorithms for the problem. Our algorithm's run time for any convex inverse spanning-tree problem isO( nm log 2n) for a graph onn nodes andm edges plus the time required to find the minima of then convex deviation functions. This not only improves on the complexity of previously known algorithms for the general problem, but also for algorithms devised for special cases. For the case when the objective is weighted absolute deviation, Sokkalingam et al. (1999) devised an algorithm with run timeO( n2m log( nC)) forC the maximum edge weight. For the sum of absolute deviations our algorithm runs in timeO( n2 logn), matching the run time of a recent (Ahuja and Orlin 2000) improvement for this case. A new algorithm for bipartite matching in path graphs is reported here with complexity ofO( n1.5 logn). This leads to a second algorithm for the sum of absolute deviations running inO( n1.5 logn logC) steps.
The effect of couple-stresses on the corner singularity due to an asymmetric shear loading

Abstract The plane-strain problem of an orthogonal elastic wedge, one face of which is subjected to arbitrary shearing tractions in the absence of other loads, is treated both within classical elastostatics and within a linear theory of elastic behavior that takes into account the influence of couple-stresses. If the loading fails to vanish at the apex, the conventional theory gives rise to corner singularities in the stress and rotation field, which stem from the incompatibility of the assumed boundary conditions with the symmetry of the stress tensor. These singularities are determined in closed elementary form and are found to agree with earlier results due to E. Reissner for the case of a uniform shear loading. It is shown next that the foregoing singularities disappear according to the couplestress theory, in which the stress tensor is no longer required to be symmetric.
Metolachlor fate and mobility in a tidal wetland soil

A study was conducted to determine the fate of the herbicide metolachlor in a tidal wetland soil located along the James River in Virginia, USA. Soil adsorption/desorption and mineralization characteristics and mobility of metolachlor were determined on the Levy tidal wetland soil. The metolachlor Kd value was 65.8 L kg−1 and Koc value was 810 L kg−1 C−1, which are much greater than would be found on typical agricultural soils. After four 24-h desorption periods, the total amount of metolachlor that desorbed ranged from 16 to 22% of the amount initially adsorbed. Metolachlor mineralization was about 0.46% of the amount applied after 84 days, which indicates that it does not mineralize very readily in the Levy soil. The amount of metolachlor that leached from the soil columns averaged 1.64% of the amount applied after 84 days, showing a low degree of mobility. These results suggest that the Levy tidal wetland soil can function as an effective filter of metolachlor and other similar herbicides that enter via agricultural runoff, protecting surface and ground waters.
Transseptal catheterization of the left heart: Observations in 56 patients

Abstract Transseptal cardiac catheterization has been performed in 56 patients. In each instance, satisfactory pressure tracings were recorded from the left atrium. The left ventricle was entered in 71 per cent of those cases in which entrance was attempted, and satisfactory data were recorded by means of a polyethylene filament catheter inserted through the transseptal needle. The advantages of this procedure as a means of obtaining left heart data have been discussed.
Soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products and risk of liver cancer.

Binding of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) to their receptor (RAGE) increases oxidative stress and inflammation and may be involved in liver injury and subsequent carcinogenesis. Soluble RAGE (sRAGE) may neutralize the effects mediated by the AGE/RAGE complex. Epidemiologic studies examining sRAGE or AGEs in association with liver cancer are lacking. We examined the associations between prediagnostic serum concentrations of sRAGE or Nϵ-(carboxymethyl)-lysine (CML)-AGE and hepatocellular carcinoma in a case-cohort study within a cohort of 29,133 Finnish male smokers who completed questionnaires and provided a fasting blood sample between 1985 and 1988. During follow-up beginning 5 years after enrollment through April 2006, 145 liver cancers occurred. Serum concentrations of sRAGE, CML-AGE, glucose, and insulin were measured in case subjects and 485 randomly sampled cohort participants. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) were available in most cases and in a subset of the study population. Weighted Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) adjusted for age, years of smoking, and body mass index. sRAGE and CML-AGE concentrations were inversely associated with liver cancer. Further adjustment for glucose and insulin or exclusion of case subjects with chronic HBV or HCV did not change the associations. Conclusion: Our results support the hypothesis that sRAGE is inversely associated with liver cancer. The findings need confirmation, particularly in populations that include women and nonsmokers. (HEPATOLOGY 2013 )
Fertility of yearling beef bulls during mating.

Crossbred (Bos taurus) yearling beef bulls were assessed for breeding soundness and physical traits prior to multi-sire natural mating at pasture. Bulls (n = 60) were assigned to six groups of nine or 10 bulls and two bull-groups were rotated on 14-day intervals during a 63-day mating season in each breeding herd (n = 3) of 191–196 cows. The remaining bulls (n = 14) were maintained under similar environmental conditions without mating exposure. Bulls were observed during mating and assessed for breeding soundness and changes following mating. Bulls used for breeding (UFB) lost 77 kg of body weight and declined from body condition scores of 6 to 4.5, whereas bulls not used for breeding (NUB) maintained body condition scores of 6 and gained 27 kg. The UFB bulls incurred a 75% total injury rate with 63% incidence of lameness and 12% incidence of reproductive injuries, resulting in a 22% attrition rate. Only 45% were physically sound at the end of mating. Scrotal circumference declined in UFB bulls (4.58%) and increased in NUB bulls (2.49%). From the 98% BSE-satisfactory rate (UFB) prior to breeding, only 61% were BSE-satisfactory post-breeding. The NUB bulls declined from 57 to 36% satisfactory. The BSE classification was influenced by significant increases in abnormal spermatozoa (primary and secondary), which was significantly associated with injuries incurred during mating. Group and breed differences in injury rates and BSE-status following mating were evident. Environmental conditions and mating activity influenced bull seminal quality and physical condition. Pregnancy rates in all three breeding herds (91–96%) were similar, with
Dissipation of claudication pain after walking: implications for endurance training.

Although onset and maximal claudication pain are attained sooner as exercise intensity is increased, it is unclear whether dissipation of pain during recovery is altered. Thus, this study examined whether walking at gradually higher intensity would prolong the time needed for claudication pain to dissipate during recovery. Thirty patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) who were limited by claudication pain performed repeated progressive treadmill tests to assess walking capacity. Thereafter, each patient performed five treadmill tests at grades relative to their walking capacity (i.e., -4%, -2%, 0%, +2%, and +4% of the final grade attained with the progressive protocol). As expected, a curvilinear decrease in time to onset of claudication pain (191.1, 172.8, 132.8, 113.5, and 112.0 s; P < 0.05) and time to maximal claudication pain (394.2, 358.3, 260.5, 218.1, and 200.3 s; P < 0.05) were obtained with progressively higher grades. However, time needed for claudication pain to dissipate during supine recovery remained unchanged with increased walking intensity (358.5, 339.3, 359.9, 398.2, and 390.5 s; P = NS). In conclusion, when PAD patients walk to maximal claudication pain, dissipation of pain during recovery is similar whether the preceding exercise is performed at relatively low or high intensities.
An Investigation of the Processes by Which Product Design and Brand Strength Interact to Determine Initial Affect and Quality Judgments

Prior research on product design has focused predominantly on the importance of product aesthetics in generating favorable consumer response. Interestingly, little attention has been given to the importance of aesthetics relative to product function (a fundamental component of product design) or to brand strength–two factors that are also considered to have a significant influence on consumers’ product evaluations and on product success. This study investigates how product design (conceptualized as product aesthetics and function) interacts with brand strength to influence consumers’ product liking and quality evaluations. Results suggest that design and brand strength differentially impact liking and quality judgments. In addition, judgments of liking and quality are found to be different in the way they are formed. Specifically, product liking appears to be readily formed through a process that integrates design information only; brand strength exhibits no significant influence. Quality judgments appear to take longer to process, and involve the integration of design and brand information.
The Effects of TV Action and Violence on Children's Social Behavior

Abstract The independent contributions of action and violence in television programs to children's attention and social behavior were investigated in 66 preschool boys and girls. Same-sex pairs of these children were assigned to one of four television conditions: (a) High action-high violence, (b) High action-low violence, (c) Low action-low violence, or (d) No TV. Action was defined as rapid movement by characters and objects; violence was physical aggression by characters. Visual attention was greater in high action than in low action programs; there were no differences in attention as a function of violence when action was controlled. Children were observed in free play sessions before and after viewing. Those who saw Low action-low violence TV or who saw No TV increased in imaginative, fantasy play; those who saw High action-high violence decreased in imaginative play; the High action-low violence group fell in between. There was some tendency for aggressive behavior to follow the opposite pattern—hig...