cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pathogens and Cancer: Clonal Processes and Evolution

There is evidence of interrelations between the immune system and the development of cancer. The intersection between the two: cancer immune response may depend upon the interaction with pathogens. Hosts and pathogens interact so that clones may develop. Cancer and clonal development, like other biological events evolved, seem to share an affinity: cancer and clonality are considered evolutionary processes. From a phylogenetic perspective, information supports an area of affinity. A mechanism has been identified, the existence of suppression via p53, a well-known suppressor. Returning to the relation between the development of clonal responses and an inducer may depend upon the characteristics of the pathogen. Nonpathogenic antigens induce short-lived specific responses generated and mediated by clones that are specific and therefore express specific destruction. Most pathogens (viruses, fungi, bacteria) are harmful, but some do not induce infections. The living world includes a staggering array of life, and each life form may be vulnerable to attack by pathogens that cause disease and, ultimately, death.
A correlation to quantify hydrate plugging risk in oil and gas production pipelines based on hydrate transportability parameters

Abstract Solid gas hydrate particles may form in oil and gas pipelines in the presence of water at high pressures and low temperatures; typical conditions of subsea hydrocarbon pipelines used in offshore facilities. Gas hydrate particles that form within these pipelines may create blockages following a complex multi-physics phenomenon involving emulsification, hydrate formation and subsequent hydrate particle agglomeration and bedding. Here we present a conceptual model depicting different hydrate plugging risk levels associated with oil-dominated systems, developed based on observations from high-pressure flowloop experiments. Using experimental measurements from these experiments, we develop a mathematical correlation to classify and quantify hydrate plugging risk in oil and gas pipelines. The correlation is based on assessable parameters that govern hydrate transportability in pipelines, such as, liquid loading, mixture velocity, fluid properties, and hydrate amount. A parametric study is performed using the proposed hydrate plugging risk correlation showing the plugging risk increasing with decrease of liquid loading and fluid velocity. The hydrate plugging risk estimation approach using the proposed correlation is illustrated for steady-state and transient operations of a long subsea tieback facility based on numerical transient multiphase flow simulations. The hydrate plugging risk is found to evolve over time as a function of hydrate volume fraction along the pipeline length. The hydrate plugging risk quantification presented, in terms of Hydrate Risk Evaluator, in this study represents an advancement in the area of hydrate risk assessment, as it can be used to assess hydrate plugging risk and consequently operational safety of hydrocarbon transport pipelines from the flow assurance perspective.
Targeting G protein-coupled receptor signalling by blocking G proteins

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest class of drug targets, largely owing to their druggability, diversity and physiological efficacy. Many drugs selectively target specific subtypes of GPCRs, but high specificity for individual GPCRs may not be desirable in complex multifactorial disease states in which multiple receptors may be involved. One approach is to target G protein subunits rather than the GPCRs directly. This approach has the potential to achieve broad efficacy by blocking pathways shared by multiple GPCRs. Additionally, because many GPCRs couple to multiple G protein signalling pathways, blocking specific G protein subunits can 'bias' GPCR signals by inhibiting only a subset of these signals. Molecules that target G protein α or βγ-subunits have been developed and show strong efficacy in multiple preclinical disease models and biased inhibition of G protein signalling. In this Review, we discuss the development and characterization of G protein α and βγ-subunit ligands and the preclinical evidence that this exciting new approach has potential for therapeutic efficacy in a number of indications, such as pain, thrombosis, asthma and heart failure.
Security Assurance in SoC in the Presence of Untrusted Components

With the increasing design and validation complexities of an SoC coupled with reduced time-to-market constraints, designers have typically integrated pre-qualified third-party Intellectual Property (IP) cores to achieve necessary design productivity. However, many of these IP blocks are designed at different parts of the world in relatively less trustworthy ecosystem/environment. This enhances the risk of unintentional vulnerabilities, malicious modifications, and/or covert backdoors percolating in with the underlying hardware logic or associated firmware of the corresponding IP cores. These may affect the other SoC components to cause system failures at some key points of execution or leak confidential information back to potential adversaries. The usual directed/random tests aimed mainly towards functional/parametric failures and existing static IP-trust verification techniques are mostly incapable of ensuring adequate security coverage against this threat model. Run-time monitoring for potential undependable/devious behavior is necessary to ensure security of SoC operations in the presence of untrustworthy IP cores. In modern SoC design practices, system-level security policies protect the SoC assets/resources from unauthorized access. Systematic implementation of these policies typically involve smart wrappers extracting local security critical events of interest from IP blocks, together with a central control engine that communicates with the wrappers to analyze the events for policy adherence. In this paper, apart from an in-depth discussion of potential effects of untrustworthy IPs on SoC operation, we propose active, run-time SoC protection against this threat by appropriate fine-grained (in time space) security policies implemented in the abovementioned infrastructure. The policy architecture framework is accordingly enhanced with features based on monitoring IP to IP communication at interfaces, micro-architecture internal event correlation as well as multiple independent sources for security event verification, to provide support for these fine-grained policies. The design of this hardware support across different IP types is discussed in detail in the paper. Finally, using a representative SoC model, we implement these proposed security techniques in the policy architecture framework to verify their efficiency for different untrusted IP use cases. The estimated hardware support overhead is moderate for the available protection.
Exploring the Value of Service Learning Study Away to Interprofessional Education and Cultural Competence

Purpose This study investigated student learning about interprofessional practices during an international service learning experience. Method The participants were selected speech-language patholo...
Geometrical frustration and piezoelectric response in oxide ferroics

Ferroic perovskite oxides remain a major topic of interest in material science and condensed matter physics. Their versatile structure can accommodate many transition metal ions leading to a variety of useful properties, such as, among others, ferroelectricity. Several mechanisms behind the ferroelectricity of perovskites have been proposed. Using advanced x-ray scattering techniques and 3D modeling, the increased piezoelectric response of the exemplary sodium-potassium niobate ferroics is shown to arise from the presence of local ﬂuctuations in the tilt pattern of the constituent niobium-oxygen octahedra. The result implies that the search for perovskite ferroics with increased functionality need not necessarily concentrate on systems exhibiting a morphotropic boundary and/or distinct polar nanodomains. Inducing local structural disorder in a controlled manner, e.g. through measured metal ion substitution, may become worthwhile.
New-onset diabetes mellitus and risk of pancreatic cancer: A systematic review and meta analysis.

e16778Background: Several epidemiologic studies have illustrated a general association between diabetes mellitus and pancreatic cancer (PC). Very few, however, described a temporal association betw...
The Usual Suspects: Prior Criminal Record and the Probability of Arrest:

A unique dataset is analyzed to investigate the effect of a criminal suspect’s prior criminal record on the probability of arrest. Multivariate logistic regression results show that a criminal susp...
Coarse-grained modeling of nanocellulose network towards understanding the mechanical performance

Abstract Owing to the impressive mechanical properties and renewability, nanocellulose has been increasingly used for the development of lightweight materials in various applications. Here, we present a coarse-grained (CG) modeling study for investigations of mechanical performance of cellulose-based bulk material consisting of disordered cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), forming a porous network microstructure. The simulation results reveal that increasing density and cohesive interaction between CNCs leads to an increase in shear modulus and yield stress of bulk system, which strongly depends on the cohesive energy density of the system. Notably, by evaluating the local “molecular” stiffness, the bulk CNCs system tends to become more dynamically heterogeneous with increasing density and cohesive interaction, which is similar to glass-forming liquids such as polymers. Such influence on shear modulus and dynamical heterogeneity of bulk CNCs is found to be more pronounced with variation of density, which is likely due to the high rigidity of CNC and high porosity of network microstructure. Our study provides fundamental insights into the mechanical behavior of bulk nanocellulose under the influences of key microstructural and interfacial features, which is crucial to develop an extension of structure–property relationships as established for engineering materials.
Accuracy of Dual-Energy CT Virtual Unenhanced and Material-Specific Images: A Phantom Study

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine the quantification accuracy of virtual unenhanced images and establish the lower limit of iodine quantification as a function of dose. MATERIAL...
Repeatability of Radiomic Features of Brown Adipose Tissue

The aim of this study was to assess the repeatability of activated brown adipose tissue (BAT) radiomic features. To decipher radiomic features that may provide useful information on BAT, the impact of reconstruction methods and imaging modality choice was also evaluated. Methods: Twenty-seven healthy adults enrolled in this study. After a cooling procedure to activate BAT, volunteers underwent 18F-FDG imaging. Participants underwent repeat imaging using the same imaging protocols and a similar 18F-FDG dose within 14 d. Active BAT was segmented using the BARCIST 1.0 methods. Radiomic features were extracted from each region of interest on high-definition PET (HD PET), non-HD PET, and CT images. Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was used to estimate the repeatability of the extracted radiomic features. To determine whether BAT radiomic feature repeatability correlates with BAT SUVmax repeatability, participants were stratified based on the relative difference in SUVmax between sessions. Non-HD PET repeatable features were clustered together using hierarchical clustering, and the normalized dynamic range of each feature was computed to identify the most informative feature within each cluster. Results: Eighteen of the 27 volunteers had sufficient BAT activity for radiomic analysis. Sixty-six HD PET, 66 non-HD PET, and 6 CT features showed high repeatability (concordance correlation coefficient ≥ 0.80). Feature repeatability was significantly higher for PET than for CT, but there was no statistically significant difference between HD and non-HD PET in radiomic feature repeatability. The repeatability of radiomic features extracted from each modality and reconstruction method type followed the trend in SUVmax, as participants with lower relative differences in SUVmax between initial and repeated imaging sessions had higher radiomic feature repeatability. Hierarchical clustering of the high-repeatability PET features resulted in 10 highly correlated clusters (R2 ≥ 0.95). Seven features, including SUVmax, did not cluster with any other features. Conclusion: Several clusters of highly repeatable BAT radiomic features derived from 18F-FDG PET/CT appear to provide information regarding BAT activity distinct from SUVmax. These features might be explored as quantitative imaging biomarkers of BAT activity in future studies.
High Lead Bioavailability of Indoor Dust Contaminated with Paint Lead Species

House dust and soils can be major sources of lead (Pb) exposure for children. The American Healthy Homes Survey (AHHS) was developed to estimate Pb exposure from house dust and soil, in addition to other potential household contaminants and allergens. We have combined X-ray absorption spectroscopic (XAS) fingerprinting and in vivo mouse relative bioavailability (RBA) measurements for a subset of house dust and residential soils collected in the AHHS, with the primary objective of gaining a better understanding of determinants of house dust Pb bioavailability. Lead speciation was well related to variations in RBA results and revealed that highly bioavailable Pb (hydroxy)carbonate (indicative of Pb-based paint) was the major Pb species present in house dusts. Measured Pb RBA was up to 100% and is likely driven by paint Pb. To our knowledge, this is the first report of in vivo Pb RBA for U.S. house dust contaminated in situ with paint Pb and corroborates results from a previous study that demonstrated high RBA of paint Pb added to soil. We also report a relatively low RBA (23%) in a residential soil where the major Pb species was found to be plumbojarosite, consistent with a previous report that plumbojarosite lowers Pb RBA in soils.
Increasing Career Advancement Opportunities Through Sponsorship: An Identity-Based Model With Illustrative Application to Cross-Race Mentorship of African Americans:

The sponsorship function of mentoring has vast potential to increase career advancement for African American proteges in cross-race mentoring relationships but is not well understood. We conceptual...
Bibliometric Review of Medical Student Research Before Matching Integrated Vascular Surgery

Abstract Background Research output is one element of a multifactorial process that residency programs consider when evaluating applicants. However, there are minimal data assessing research productivity on admittance into research-oriented integrated vascular surgery residency (RO-IVSR) programs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of peer-reviewed research and the RO-IVSR match process. Material and methods Vascular surgery residents who matched into an RO-IVSR in 2015-2017 were divided into those matching an RO-IVSR top 10 program versus other. Total publications, first authorships, and type of research were compared between groups. Mann-Whitney U-tests were then performed between discrete levels of research productivity (0-1 versus ≥2 publications) to detect differences in ability to match a top 10 program. Results One hundred and fifty-eight residents published a total of 214 original research articles (83%), 26 case reports (10%), and 19 systematic reviews (7%). There were 66 first authorships (25%). Median total publications at RO-IVSR top 10 versus other programs were 2 versus 1 (P Conclusions There was significantly higher research productivity among medical students who matriculate to top 10 IVSR programs. Furthermore, having 2 or more publications significantly increased the likelihood of attending a top 10 program. Thus, top programs likely use an applicants’ research productivity as a distinct qualification category and a marker of future success.
Dissociated Vertical Divergence

This article deals with the complex issue of why the torsional eye movements in DVD are opposite in direction to those produced by the vestibular pathways. In my original analysis of DVD, I had previously explained this phenomenon teleologically by stating that the torsional directions between vestibular and visual pathways had to be opposite in direction to summate to zero under conditions of normal functioning. In this analysis, I demonstrate that monocular occlusion is associated with a subjective sensation of tilt, which is rapidly corrected by the DVD. The absence of any subjective tilt after a DVD torsional movement occurs suggests that these movements are corrective in nature (i.e. that DVD is indeed a righting reflex).
Understanding aging and consumer fraud victimization in the Chinese context: A two-stage conceptual approach.

The relationship between aging and consumer fraud victimization is mixed in the literature. Most studies based on survey data have found older consumers less likely to be fraud victims, while a few...
Remote Sensing of Wetland Area Loss and Gain in the Western Barataria Basin (Louisiana, U.S.A.) since Hurricane Katrina

Potter, L., 2021. Remote sensing of wetland area loss and gain in the western Barataria Basin (Louisiana, U.S.A.) since Hurricane Katrina. Journal of Coastal Research, 37(5), 953–963. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The goal of this study was to analyze the recent record of Landsat satellite imagery to better understand spatial patterns and infer processes of change in marshland vegetation cover in coastal Louisiana wetlands. The study area covered subbasins of the western Barataria Basin near the Bayou Lafourche in southeastern Louisiana. Bayou Lafourche's estuaries have seen some of the highest rates of wetland conversion to open water of any coastal zone in the United States. The Landsat Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) was used in this study to map changes in land/water fractions at a 30-m pixel resolution between October 2005 (post-Katrina) and October 2018. Validation boat surveys were conducted in July 2020 to visually verify the presence or absence of (>1 m) emergent vegetation growing on marshlands across several subbasins, with photographs collected at more than 150 target locations along the route. Based on NDWI change, a total of 42.3 km2 was estimated to fall into the category of wetland loss since 2005. The leading subbasins for these recent wetland-to-water conversions made up most of the southwestern portion of the study area just north of Port Fourchon. The consistently low distance detected between the majority of wetland loss cells and locations of historical oil and gas wells implies that effects of well drilling and extraction have had a continuing negative impact on marshland degradation in the basin. Conversely, a total of 34 km2 was estimated to fall into the category of recent wetland gain, with much of the new vegetation growth verified to have been restored within several shoreline protection and dredging projects. It was concluded that the positive contributions made by such shoreline enhancement and marshland nourishment projects in Lafourche Parish to offset wetland losses over the past 15 years should not be underestimated.
Photoelectron Sheath and Plasma Charging on the Lunar Surface: Semianalytic Solutions and Fully-Kinetic Particle-in-Cell Simulations

This article presents the derivation of semianalytic solutions to a new 1-D photoelectron sheath model near the lunar surface. The plasma species include the cold solar wind protons, drifting Maxwellian solar wind electrons, and Maxwellian photoelectrons emitted from the surface. The semianalytic model is then numerically solved to obtain profiles of quantities of interest as functions of the vertical distance from the surface. A fully-kinetic 3-D finite-difference (FD) particle-in-cell (PIC) code is then utilized to simulate the 1-D photoelectron sheath and the results agree well with the numerical solution to the semianalytic model. A $\kappa $ -distribution for solar wind electrons is also implemented to the FD-PIC code to compare with the Maxwellian distribution. Results show that photoelectron sheath may reach as high as close to 100 m above the illuminated flat lunar surface near the terminator region and up to about 50 m near the equator region. Our results show that under average solar wind condition, the photoelectron sheath profiles obtained with Maxwellian and $\kappa $ -distribution (with $\kappa = 4.5$ ) are very close for 1-D numerical results.
INDUCED SPECTRA IN PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES

Collision-induced absorption by H2 and He is the source of the dominant thermal opacity in the atmospheres of the major planets. As such, it is primarily responsible for the increase in temperature with depth in their tropospheres. In the visible and near infrared spectra of these planets, CIA in the fundamental and overtone vibrational bands of H2 probes the depth distribution of aerosol haze particles in the upper troposphere. This is important for studying tropospheric dynamics, such as condensation in a convective zone. The haze distribution also yields information on the meridional flow of the stratosphere and the precipitating byproducts of aeronomical chemistry. Rare emissions have been observed near the fundamental-band H2 quadrupole lines in spectra of Jupiter’s southern hemisphere. These may be due to the H2 dimer and might occur through the process of inverse predissociation.
Hyphal Growth and Polarity

This chapter summarizes the progress achieved toward understanding the organization of fungal hyphae and the cellular systems involved in hyphal morphogenesis. Particular attention is paid to the mechanisms that have been implicated in the regulation of polarized growth and septum formation in filamentous fungi. Finally, the intriguing question of how morphogenetic regulatory systems may have evolved in the fungal kingdom is briefly addressed. Hyphal growth encompasses several different morphogenetic processes. Foremost among these is the establishment and maintenance of a stable axis of polarized growth. As a result, cell surface expansion and cell wall deposition are confined to a discrete location that ultimately becomes the hyphal tip. Genetic analyses demonstrate that Bni1 is absolutely essential for the establishment of hyphal polarity in A. gossypii. The importance of understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying polarized hyphal growth cannot be understated. The genetic tractability of filamentous fungi such as A. nidulans and N. crassa affords a tremendous opportunity to elucidate these mechanisms and to acquire insight that might be relevant to neurological disorders and other motor diseases. The use of increasingly sophisticated microscopy techniques has revealed the subcellular organization of hyphal tip cells and, in particular, emphasized the role of the Spitzenkorper in polarized hyphal growth. Future experiments that exploit genomic and proteomic tools will undoubtedly provide new insights that test the validity of this hypothesis and reveal the key symmetry-breaking event(s) that lead to polarized hyphal growth.
Plates and Shells

The chapter outlines the foundations of the theory of plates and shells. The general approach employed in all versions of the relevant theories leads to particular cases including the classical (technical) theory of isotropic and composite plates and shells. Examples of solutions of linear bending and buckling problems are illustrated. The effect of large nonlinear deformations on the response of plates and shells is reviewed. The analysis of stiffened plates and shells is discussed, including the method modeling discrete reinforcements and the smeared stiffeners technique applicable to closely spaced identical stringers. It is shown that openings and cut-outs influence the behavior and strength of plates and shells, both locally through the stress concentration as well as globally through their effect on the stiffness. The concepts of composite and sandwich plates and shells are elucidated, providing insight on the peculiarities of mechanics of these structures. Keywords: plates; shells; strength; stress; composite structures; sandwich structures
Unsteady Flow Field Predictions for Oscillating Cascades

The unsteady flow field around an oscillating cascade of flat plates with zero stagger is investigated using a time-marching Euler code. This case has an exact solution based on linear theory and serves as a model problem to study pressure wave propagation in the numerical solution. The importance of using proper unsteady boundary conditions, grid resolution and time step size is demonstrated for a moderate reduced frequency. Results show that an approximate non-reflecting boundary condition based on linear theory does a good job of minimizing reflections from the inflow and outflow boundaries and allows the placement of the boundaries to be closer than cases using reflective boundary conditions. Stretching the boundary to dampen the unsteady waves is another way to minimize reflections. Grid clustering near the plates does a better job of capturing the unsteady flow field than cases using uniform grids as long as the CFL number is less than one for a sufficient portion of the grid. Finally, a solution based on an optimization of grid, CFL number and boundary conditions shows good agreement with linear theory.
Compartmentalization of anterogradely and retrogradely transported organelles in axons and growth cones from chick optic tectum

Previous work suggests that organelles contacting microtubules in axons are in fast transport. Here, we examine the distribution of organelles contacting microtubules in growing axons and growth cones from chick optic tectum. Five axon segments, each 10 microns long, and 4 entire growth cones were reconstructed from serial electron micrographs of quick-frozen, freeze-substituted chick optic tectum. Organelles contacting microtubules in axons are evenly distributed along all microtubules. Smaller organelles, presumably in anterograde transport, are enclosed in fascicles of microtubules, while larger organelles in retrograde transport lie outside the fascicles. In contrast, organelles contacting microtubules are prevalent only in the most proximal parts of the growth cone, before the microtubule fascicles splay out more distally. The distance between noncontacting organelles and microtubules also becomes progressively greater, reaching a maximum in the mid- and more distal region of the growth cone. Contacts with microtubules of both the smaller, presumably anterogradely transported organelles, as well as the larger, presumably retrogradely transported organelles, abruptly become less frequent in the proximal midregion of the growth cone. It is therefore of possible significance in stopping and starting microtubule-based organelle transport that microtubules change from a straight to an undulating configuration in the midregion of the growth cone. The decrease in organelle binding to microtubules at the demarcations between the straight and undulating microtubule segments may depend on proteins or other local factors as well as the splaying out of the microtubule bundles.
An inducible nuclear factor binds to a growth hormone-regulated gene.

Abstract Transcription of the serine protease inhibitor (Spi) 2.1 gene, a member of the serine protease inhibitor family, is induced by growth hormone (GH) in rat liver. To further study the mechanism involved in this process, we have isolated and characterized the Spi 2.1 gene from a rat genomic library. Examination of the 5'-flanking region of the Spi 2.1 gene from normal animals revealed the presence of a DNase I hypersensitive site within 500 base pairs of the transcriptional initiation site, which was not detectable in hypophysectomized animals. Portions of the 5'-flanking region of the Spi 2.1 gene were fused to a heterologous promoter and reporter gene and introduced into primary rat hepatocytes by lipofection. Spi 2.1 sequences from -275 to -54 gave a 2-3-fold induction of reporter gene activity in cells grown in the presence of GH, similar to the level of induction of the endogenous Spi 2.1 mRNA in isolated hepatocytes. Further definition of the essential sequences revealed that a segment from -147 to -102 could confer GH responsiveness when linked in tandem copies in front of a heterologous promoter. Using the gel shift assay, a nuclear factor(s) from normal rat liver was identified which could interact with this minimal response fragment. The importance of this activity to GH regulation was suggested by the fact that it was absent in hypophysectomized animals but reappeared by 1 h after treatment of such animals with GH. The appearance of this activity was not blocked by pretreatment of animals with an inhibitor of protein synthesis, suggesting a preexisting factor is modified by GH to yield an activity which interacts with the Spi 2.1 gene.
A research agenda for agent-based service-oriented architectures

Web services, especially as fundamental components of service-oriented architectures, are receiving a lot of attention. Their great promise, however, has not yet been realized, and a possible explantion is that significant research and engineering problems remain. We describe the problems, indicate likely directions and approaches for their solution, present an agenda for the deployment of such solutions, and explain the benefits of the resultant deployment. It is our strong expectation that Web services will eventually have an agent basis, which would be needed to address the problems.
Biochemical Fates of α Hemoglobin Bound to α Hemoglobin-stabilizing Protein AHSP

Alpha hemoglobin-stabilizing protein (AHSP) is an erythroid protein that binds free alpha hemoglobin (alphaHb) to maintain its structure and limit its pro-oxidant activity. Prior studies have defined two different alphaHb.AHSP complexes. Binding of AHSP to Fe(II) alphaHb induces an unusual configuration in which the F helix of the globin becomes disordered and the heme ring becomes solvent-exposed. Over time, this intermediate oxidizes to form a stable hemichrome in which the proximal (F8) and distal (E7) histidines are coordinated to the heme iron atom. The addition of betaHb to either Fe(II) or Fe(III) alphaHb.AHSP displaces AHSP to generate tetrameric (alpha(2)beta(2)) HbA species. The biochemical properties and in vivo significance of the two alphaHb.AHSP complexes are poorly understood. Here we show that Fe(III) alphaHb.AHSP forms from auto-oxidation of oxygenated alphaHb bound to AHSP and that this process is greatly accelerated at physiologic temperature and oxygen pressures. In contrast to free Fe(III) alphaHb hemichromes, AHSP-bound Fe(III) alphaHb does not precipitate and can be recycled into functional HbA. This requires enzymatic reduction of AHSP-bound alphaHb, either prior to or after extraction by beta subunits. In contrast, reaction of Fe(II) alphaHb-AHSP with betaHb generates functional HbA directly. Our findings support a model in which AHSP can either stabilize alphaHb transiently en route to HbA formation during normal erythropoiesis or convert excessive free alphaHb into a more chemically inert state from which recovery of alphaHb is possible by redox cycling.
EBION AT THE BARRICADES: MORAL NARRATIVE AND POST‐CHRISTIAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGY

My task in this article is to explore the question of the “place” of moral questions—questions of good and evil—in Christian faith, “faith” here being considered particularly as the content or narrative of belief. The thesis I will argue is that Christianity offers no substantial account or explanation of the origin(s) and nature of evil, that in a fundamental way Christianity is not concerned with offering such accounts, and that when the task of supplying accounts of the origin(s) and nature of evil is made central to the content or narrative of Christian faith that faith is made false: it is misunderstood.
Fast Difference Schemes for Edge Enhancing Beltrami Flow

The Beltrami flow [13,14] is one of the most effective denoising algorithms in image processing. For gray-level images, we show that the Beltrami flow equation can be arranged in a reaction-diffusion form. This reveals the edge-enhancing properties of the equation and suggests the application of additive operator split (AOS) methods [4,5] for faster convergence. As we show with numerical simulations, the AOS method results in an unconditionally stable semi-implicit linearized difference scheme in 2D and 3D. The values of the edge indicator function are used from the previous step in scale, while the pixel values of the next step are used to approximate the flow. The optimum ratio between the reaction and diffusion counterparts of the governing PDE is studied, in order to achieve a better quality of segmentation. The computational time decreases by a factor of ten, as compared to the explicit scheme. For 2D color images, the Beltrami flow equations are coupled, and do not yield readily to the AOS technique. However, in the proximity of an edge, the cross-products of color gradients nearly vanish, and the coupling becomes weak. The principal directions of the edge indicator matrix are normal and tangent to the edge. Replacing the action of the matrix on the gradient vector by an action of its eigenvalue, we reduce the color problemto the gray level case with a reasonable accuracy. The scalar edge indicator function for the color case becomes essentially the same as that for the gray level image, and the fast implicit technique is implemented.
A clinical prediction rule to identify patients at heightened risk for early demise following cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Prediction Rule to Identify Patients at High Risk for Early Demise Following CRT Background In patients with advanced heart failure, the decision of whether to pursue cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) or to proceed directly to advanced heart failure therapies can be challenging. We sought to create a prediction rule to identify patients with advanced systolic heart failure at heightened risk of rapid deterioration despite receiving CRT. Methods Clinical data were collected on consecutive patients with advanced heart failure presenting for a new CRT device at the Cleveland Clinic between February 12, 2002 and July 8, 2008. Early demise was defined as death, left ventricular assist device, or heart transplant within 6 months following CRT implant. Using a multivariate model, variables associated with early demise were identified and a prediction rule created. Results A total of 879 patients were included of whom 47 met criteria for early demise. Using forward stepwise regression followed by a bootstrapping analysis, the final model included: left ventricular end-diastolic diameter ≥6.5 cm (OR 3.23 [1.72–6.06 g], P < 0.001), the presence of a non-left bundle branch block (non-LBBB) morphology (OR 2.18 [1.18–4.04, P = 0.013]), creatinine ≥1.5 mg/dL (OR 2.98 [1.52–5.49], P < 0.001), and lack of or intolerance to β-blocker use (OR 2.80 [1.46–5.39], P = 0.002). The specificity for ≥2 and ≥3 risk factors was 72.6% and 94.6%, respectively. Conclusions Left ventricular dilatation, the presence of a non-LBBB morphology, renal dysfunction, and lack of or intolerance to β-blockers are associated with early demise following CRT. In patients with at least 3 of these factors, bypassing CRT with early adoption of advanced heart failure therapies may be considered given the high specificity for rapid decline.
Beta-blockers improve myocardial contractile dispersion in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy

1714 Objectives The Beta-Blocker Effects on Remodeling and Gene Expression (BORG) study is a longitudinal study that evaluated patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (LVEF Methods We evaluated 26 subjects at baseline and at one year to assess the effect of beta-blocker regimes on these parameters. LVEF and volumes were determined using the TRVG technique employing Corridor4DM analysis methods (INVIA, Ann Arbor, MI). Evaluation of dyssynchrony or contractility dispersion in 5 myocardial segments was expressed as the standard deviation of all segments or myocardial contractile dispersion index (MCDI). Results After 1 year, EDV and ESV decreased and LVEF increased (figure 1). The MCDI was also significantly reduced after beta-blockers therapy (p=0.0037). Conclusions Increased LVEF and reduced LV volumes were noted at 1 year in the BORG study. MCDI, as an indicator of myocardial contractile dispersion, was also significantly reduced after beta-blocker therapy. Our findings (1) demonstrate the feasibility of quantifying LV dyssynchrony by TRVG utilizing a MDCI and (2) indicate that chronic beta-blocker therapy decreases mechanical dyssynchrony over time as measured with this index. TRVG might be an ideal method to assess segmental dyssynchrony with an easily measured parameter of ventricular mechanical contractile dispersion, MDCI
Enhancing computer science courses with fuzzy set theory

Due to the success of fuzzy set theory in the design of nonlinear control systems, its introduction to undergraduate engineering students has become more and more widespread. However, in undergraduate computer science programs, the exposure to fuzzy set theory is very minimal or nonexistent. Computer science and information systems programs need to begin to address this issue since the use of fuzzy set theory is becoming increasingly important in advanced information systems. This paper presents an overview of an approach to the integration of fuzzy set theory into computer science courses centered on information or knowledge-based systems and also a non-major liberal education course.
Nonlinear Guided Wave Mixing for Localized Material State Characterization

Abstract Material state characterization methods sensitive to incipient damage provide new opportunities for managing the life cycle of structures. Finite element simulations of ultrasonic guided waves show the potential of nonlinear wave mixing to detect localized degradation invisible to both linear elastic stress-strain response and the eye. Correlation of material degradation to the generation of higher harmonics or combinational harmonics makes estimation of remaining life possible from material state data early in the service life.
Clinical Microbiology Newsletter at Age 30 — History and Evolution

Abstract In 1979, the first issue of a new newsletter for clinical microbiologists was published. The purpose of Clinical Microbiology Newsletter (CMN), a twice-a-month publication, was to provide clinical microbiology laboratorians, clinical pathologists, and infectious disease clinicians with concise mini-reviews of recent findings in the field. Editorial opinions, case reports of unusual organisms or infections, and several other features were included. The success of the Newsletter was immediate. Although the format and editorship have undergone changes, CMN is now beginning its 30th year of publication and is available online, as well as in print format. CMN continues its mission of providing readers with the most up-to-date information of value in their laboratory endeavors.
Semi-Supervised Learning

The distribution-independent model of (supervised) concept learning due to Valiant (1984) is extended to that of semi-supervised learning (ss-learning), in which a collection of disjoint concepts is to be simultaneously learned with only partial information concerning concept membership available to the learning algorithm. It is shown that many learnable concept classes are also ss-learnable. A new technique of learning, using an intermediate oracle, is introduced. Sufficient conditions for a collection of concept classes to be ss-learnable are given.
Low-Velocity, High-Mass, Wide-Area Blunt Impact on Composite Panels

Impact damage caused by ground vehicles and equipment colliding with the structural components of aircraft is a significant source of damage to commercial aircraft that may go unreported. Most common are blunt impacts from ground maintenance and service vehicles and equipment with attached elastomeric bumpers that protect the aircraft to some degree but may not leave externally visible evidence of an impact. This research examines the types of impact threats to a composite airplane fuselage, impact testing of composite specimens that simulate airplane fuselage specimens, and the visible detectability of the damage. The test program has two distinct aspects: (a) prediction through analysis and (b) small- and large-scale quasistatic indentation testing.
Abstract S3-7: Treatment with Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Creates ‘BRCAness’ and Sensitizes Human Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells to PARP Inhibitors and Cisplatin

DNA damage induces DNA damage response (DDR), which regulates cell cycle transit, DNA repair and apoptosis. During DDR, stability and activity of ATR and CHK1 is essential for the cell cycle arrest and subsequent DNA repair through homologous recombination (HR) in which BRCA1 protein is involved. We have previously reported that ATR, CHK1 and BRCA1 are hsp90 client proteins and treatment with hsp90 inhibitor sensitizes cancer cells to DNA damage. We have also previously shown that treatment with pan-HDAC inhibitors, including vorinostat (VS) and panobinostat (PS), induces hyperacetylation of hsp90, thereby inhibiting its chaperone function. In the present studies we determined that treatment with VS or PS induced hyper-acetylation and inhibition of chaperone function of nuclear hsp90, leading to proteasomal degradation and depletion of ATR, CHK1 and BRCA1. This led to inhibition of DDR and DNA repair following ionizing radiation (IR) through destabilization of ATR-CHK1 and BRCA1 proteins. Based on this, we hypothesized that treatment with VS or PS would create ‘BRCAness’ in breast cancer cells. Specific siRNA-mediated knockdown of HDAC3 but not of HDAC1 or HDAC2 also induced hyper-acetylation of the nuclear hsp90 and depletion of ATR and CHK1, indicating that among the class I HDACs, HDAC3 is the deacetylase for the nuclear hsp90. We next determined whether, by depleting DDR proteins and BRCA1 and inducing ‘BRCAness’, treatment with VS would sensitize the triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) SUM59PT, MB-231 and HCC1937 cells to the PARP inhibitor ABT888 (veliparib). Indeed, combined treatment with VS or PS with ABT888 (10 to 20 μM) for 48 hours synergistically induced apoptosis (Combination indices by isobologram analysis being Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr S3-7.
Radiology reporting in an academic children's hospital: what referring physicians think

Transcribed reports are the radiologist's most conspicuous and enduring product, yet relatively little investigation of report quality has been undertaken by radiologists. This paper reports the results of a survey of 266 referring physicians in an academic children's hospital regarding their needs and assessments of the quality of radiology reporting. The results outline the range and relative importance of report features from referring physicians' points of view, provide specific suggestions for how to improve reporting performance, and generally indicate that reporting should receive more attention in training and practice than it currently does.
Designing the perfect plant feedstock for biofuel production: Using the whole buffalo to diversify fuels and products

Petroleum-derived liquid fuels and commodities play a part in nearly every aspect of modern daily life. However, dependence on this one natural resource to maintain modern amenities has caused negative environmental and geopolitical ramifications. In an effort to replace petroleum, technologies to synthesize liquid fuels and other commodities from renewable biomass are being developed. Current technologies, however, only use a portion of plant biomass feedstocks for fuel and useful products. "Using the whole feedstock buffalo" or optimally using all portions and biochemicals present in renewable biomass will enhance the economic and environmental feasibility of biofuels and coproducts. To accomplish this optimization, greater understanding of the relationship between liquid fuel and bioproduct properties and plant chemistries is needed. Liquid fuel properties and how they relate to biochemistry and petrochemistry are discussed. Enhanced biofuel yields and high-value commodities from biomass are needed to sustainably replace petroleum-based products. Several metabolic engineering strategies are discussed. We will describe paths of possible fuel and product diversification using dedicated lignocellulosic biomass (e.g., switchgrass).
The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida: a review

Small hive beetles are now found on three continents and are likely to spread to new regions of the world by means which have yet to be identified. Since its spread from the African continent, much information has been added to our understanding of this honey bee pest in recent years. Moderately efficacious methods have been developed to control the small hive beetle in the newly introduced areas, but colony losses are expected to continue sporadically as beekeepers and scientists work to discover new control alternatives for this pest.
State-selective Charge Transfer Studies Relevant to Solar Wind-Comet Interactions

We report relative experimental and absolute theoretical n-state-selective, nondissociative, single-electron capture cross sections for a number of collision systems typical of the solar wind-comet interactions. The experimental measurements were carried out using the technique of cold-target recoil-ion momentum spectroscopy and involved the N7+ and O7+ projectile ions and, for the first time, the H2O, CO2, and CO molecular targets, as well as the He atomic target. The theoretical calculations were performed using the classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC), the Landau-Zener (LZ), and the classical over-the-barrier (COB) models. The models, with CTMC favored, agree reasonably well with the measurements and can be used in the near term to aid in the modeling of cometary X-ray and EUV emission. The pathways through which multiple-electron capture processes contribute to the cometary X-ray and EUV emission are also discussed.
Obesity as a Cause of Mechanical Entropion

Purpose Although lower eyelid entropion can result from many conditions, obesity is not a generally recognized factor. We treated a case of recurrent severe entropion that was a result of morbid obesity in a patient with de Morsier's syndrome. Method The patient underwent surgery on both lower eyelids. Results The entropion was corrected by advancing the lower eyelid retractors and debulking the subcutaneous tissue in the lower eyelids. Conclusion Mechanical entropion can occur as a rare complication of morbid obesity and may respond to surgical procedures that address its cause.
Effect of Corynebacterium parvum on bone marrow cell cultures

SummaryThe effect of C. parvum on in vitro colony-forming cell was evaluated. A single ip injection of the vaccine had no effect during the first 4 hr either on colony stimulating factor or on colony-forming cells. The enhancement of the colony-forming capacity of the bone marrow by C. parvum occurred after two injections of the vaccine within 48 hr. The stimulation of colony formation by C. parvum was time related function and occurred 5 days after the initiation of the cultures.The results of this study indicate that C. parvum appears to be a stimulant of bone marrow cells capable of proliferation and may be used as a valuable adjuvant against myelosuppressive agents.