cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor-γ Agonist, Troglitazone, Facilitates Caspase-8 and -9 Activities by Increasing the Enzymatic Activity of Protein-tyrosine Phosphatase-1B on Human Glioma Cells

Despite dramatic advances in adjuvant therapies, patients with malignant glioma face a bleak prognosis. Because many adjuvant therapies seek to induce glioma apoptosis, strategies that lower thresholds for the induction of apoptosis may improve patient outcomes. Therefore, elucidation of the biological mechanisms that underlie resistance to current therapies is needed to develop new therapeutic strategies. Here we proposed a novel mechanism of proapoptotic effect induced by a pharmacological peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) agonist, troglitazone, that facilitates caspase signaling in human glioma cells. Troglitazone activates protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP)-1B, which subsequently reduces phosphotyrosine 705 STAT3 (pY705-STAT3) via a PPARγ-independent pathway. Reduction of pY705-STAT3 in glioma cells caused down-regulation of FLIP (FADD-like IL-1β-converting enzyme-inhibitory protein) and Bcl-2. Furthermore, troglitazone induced Ser-392 phosphorylation of p53 via a PPARγ-dependent pathway and up-regulation of Bax in a p53 wild-type glioma. When given with tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand or caspase-dependent chemotherapeutic agents, such as etoposide and paclitaxel, troglitazone exhibited a synergistic effect by facilitating caspase-8/9 activities. A PPARγ antagonist, GW9662, did not block this effect, although a PTP inhibitor abrogated it. Knockdown of STAT3 by STAT3-small interfering RNA negated the inhibitory effect of PTP inhibitor on troglitazone, indicating that troglitazone uses a STAT3 inactivation mechanism that makes caspase-8/9 activities susceptible to cytotoxic agents in glioma cells and that PTP1B plays a critical role in the down-regulation of activated STAT3, as well as FLIP and Bcl-2. When taken with caspase-dependent anti-neoplastic agents, troglitazone may be a promising drug for use against malignant gliomas because it facilitates the caspase cascade, thereby lowering thresholds for the apoptosis induction of glioma cells.
Parallel group detection for synchronous CDMA communication over frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channels

A group detector jointly detects a group of users, and a parallel group detection scheme is a bank of J independently operating group detectors, one for each group of a J group partition of the K transmitting users of a code-division multiple-access (CDMA) channel. In this paper, two group detectors are introduced for the frequency-selective Rayleigh fading (FSRF) CDMA channel. While the optimum multiuser detector has a time complexity per symbol (TCS) of O(M/sup K//K) for M-ary signaling, each of the two group detectors has a TCS of O(M(|G|)/|G|) where |G| is the group size. Hence, there are parallel group detection schemes, based on each of the two group detectors, that satisfy a wide range of complexity constraints that result from the choice of partition. Each of the two group detectors is minimax optimal in the corresponding conditional group near-far resistance measure. Furthermore, a succinct indicator of the average BER over high SNR regions is defined via the asymptotic efficiency. A lower bound and an exact formula for the asymptotic efficiency are derived for the first and second group detectors, respectively. The group detection approach for the FSRF-CDMA channel generalizes previous approaches to the complexity-performance tradeoff problem. It yields the optimum detector when the group size is K. When the group size is equal to one, the first group detector results in a new optimum linear detector and the second reduces to a recently proposed suboptimum linear detector. All other nontrivial partitions yield new multiuser detectors whose performances are commensurate with their complexities.
Chemical Mechanism and Efficiency of the Sulfur Chemiluminescence Detector

The sulfur chemiluminescence detector (SCD) is a sensitive, highly selective sulfur detection system based on reaction in hydrogen/air combustion followed by extraction and low-pressure chemiluminescence. This report documents investigations into the fundamental chemical processes occurring in the SCD. The conclusion from this work is that ozone reacts with sulfur monoxide (SO) to form electronically excited SO2. A gas-phase titration of the SO formed indicates that approximately four of every 1000 sulfur-containing molecules entering the flame arrive at the reaction cell as SO. This new understanding of the SCD will allow future studies to concentrate on optimization of instrumental performance based on the appropriate chemical mechanism.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress–Induced Apoptosis Is Partly Mediated by Reduced Insulin Signaling Through Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt and Increased Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β in Mouse Insulinoma Cells

An imbalance between the rate of protein synthesis and folding capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) results in stress that has been increasingly implicated in pancreatic islet beta-cell apoptosis and diabetes. Because insulin/IGF/Akt signaling has been implicated in beta-cell survival, we sought to determine whether this pathway is involved in ER stress-induced apoptosis. Mouse insulinoma cells treated with pharmacological agents commonly used to induce ER stress exhibited apoptosis within 48 h. ER stress-induced apoptosis was inhibited by cotreatment of the cells with IGF-1. Stable cell lines were created by small-interfering RNA (siRNA) with graded reduction of insulin receptor expression, and these cells had enhanced susceptibility to ER stress-induced apoptosis and reduced levels of phospho-glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta). In control cells, ER stress-induced apoptosis was associated with a reduction in phospho-Akt and phospho-GSK3beta. To further assess the role of GSK3beta in ER stress-induced apoptosis, stable cell lines were created by siRNA with up to 80% reduction in GSK3beta expression. These cells were found to resist ER stress-induced apoptosis. These results illustrate that ER stress-induced apoptosis is mediated at least in part by signaling through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/GSK3beta pathway and that GSK3beta represents a novel target for agents to promote beta-cell survival.
Geometric Modeling and Calibration of Planar Multi-Projector Displays Using Rational Bezier Patches

In order to achieve seamless imagery in a planar multi-projector display, geometric distortions and misalignment of images within and across projectors have to be removed. Camera-based calibration methods are popular for achieving this in an automated fashion. Previous methods for geometric calibration fall into two categories: (a) methods that model the geometric function relating the projectors to cameras using simple linear models, like homography, to calibrate the display. These models assume perfect linear devices and cannot address projector nonlinearities, like lens distortions, which are common in most commodity projectors, (b) methods that use piecewise linear approximations to model the relationship between projectors and cameras. These require a dense sampling of the function space to achieve good calibration. In this paper, we present a new closed-form model that relates projectors to cameras in planar multi-projector displays, using rational Bezier patches. This model overcomes the shortcomings of the previous methods by allowing for projectors with significant lens distortion. It can be further used to develop an efficient and accurate geometric calibration method with a sparse sampling of the function.
Leaky-mode coupled vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers fabricated using a dielectric distributed Bragg reflector

We demonstrate leaky-mode coupled vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) fabricated using a deposited dielectric distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) rather than epitaxial regrowth. The emission spectra below and above threshold are compared to a model in order to determine the effective index step.
Transformational Decision Making: A Corporate Success Story In Purchasing

The purpose of this case study is to provide a pedagogical teaching tool for undergraduate business students to fully comprehend the importance of the business management functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling businesses. This case is inspired by events in the history of Rockwell International Corporation. As a major conglomerate struggles to transform itself over a period of eight decades, Rockwell provided a challenging problem for students to solve.
Three new neotropical species of Elaphoglossum (Elaphoglossaceae) with subulate scales

Three new neotropical species of subulate-scaledElaphoglossum are described and illustrated:E. minutissimum, E. rosettum, E. semisubulatum. The first occurs in Costa Rica, the second and third in Bolivia.
Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Photoreceptor Differentiation

The investigation of genetic programs and microenvironmental signals that regulate retinal cell differentiation in vertebrates is a very active field that has attracted the attention of many investigators. A comprehensive review of the relevant literature is beyond the scope of this presentation, the goal of which is to summarize studies from this laboratory focusing on cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating the differentiation of chick retinal cells in general, and photoreceptor cells in particular; the reader is referred to recent reviews of the field (e.g., Adler, 1993; Hausman, 1993; Layer and Willbold, 1993; Reichenbach, 1993; Lillien, 1994; Cepko, 1996; Goldowitz et al., 1996; Hicks, 1996; Rapaport, 1996; Szel et al., 1996).
Abstract 15452: Regulation of Kv11.1 C-terminal Isoform Expression by Branch Point of Intron 9

The KCNH2 gene encodes the Kv11.1 potassium channel that conducts the rapidly activating delayed rectifier current in the heart and mutations in KCNH2 cause long QT syndrome type 2 (LQT2). Two Kv11.1 C-terminal isoforms are expressed in the heart. Splicing of KCNH2 intron 9 generates the full-length, functional Kv11.1a isoform, while activation of an alternative polyadenylation site within intron 9 leads to the expression of the non-functional, C-terminally truncated Kv11.1a-USO isoform. Only one-third of KCNH2 pre-mRNA is processed to Kv11.1a in the heart due to inefficient intron 9 splicing. The mechanisms that regulate the alternative processing of KCNH2 intron 9 are not fully understood. In this study, we investigate the role of the branch point at the 3’-splice site of intron 9 in the regulation of Kv11.1 isoform expression. Compared to the consensus sequence, the branch point of KCNH2 intron 9 has one mismatch. To test whether the non-consensus branch point sequence contributes to the inefficient splicing of intron 9, we changed the branch point from CTGAG to the consensus sequence CTGAC in an intron-containing full-length KCNH2 gene construct. RNase protection assay, immunoblot and patch clamp analyses showed that the change to consensus sequence in intron 9 branch point increased the expression of the functional Kv11.1a isoform and concomitantly decreased the expression of the non-functional Kv11.1a-USO isoform, resulting in a significant increase in the Kv11.1 channel current. We also studied the LQT2 branch point mutation IVS9-28A>G. We found that the IVS9-28A>G mutation disrupted normal splicing and resulted in exclusive polyadenylation of intron 9, leading to a complete switch from the functional Kv11.1a isoform to the non-functional Kv11.1a-USO isoform. Our results demonstrate isoform switch as a pathogenic mechanism for the IVS9-28A>G mutation and support the conclusion that the KCNH2 intron 9 branch point plays an important role in regulation of the Kv11.1 C-terminal isoform expression and Kv11.1 channel function.
Strengthening Africa's innovative and technological capabilities : policy as the missing link : research note / commentary

While East Asian countries have successfully used knowledge and innovation to transform their economies and alleviate poverty, African countries have been unsuccessful in accomplishing the same feat. The past three decades have witnessed debates about the causes of Africa's weak innovative and technological capabilities. A major perspective has been the notion that external constraints, such as the exercise of market power by multinational corporations, are largely to blame for Africa's technological dilemmas. This paper departs from externalist perspectives by considering the role of ineffective macroeconomic, trade, and technology policies of African countries. After identifying the major determinants of innovation and technology, the paper considers how various policies implemented by African countries since independence have circumscribed the capacities of these countries to strengthen their technological capabilities. Drawing from the experiences of India and South Korea, the paper proposes policy measures that should be undertaken in order to promote technological development, spur growth, and alleviate poverty in Africa.
An Inexpensive Tissue for Biological Testing

For some time we have been interested in reactions of the iris to various reagents and have observed that a strip of sphincter pupillae of the steer iris affords an excellent preparation for studying the effects of many drugs on unstriated muscle and its innervation. We suggest the adoption of this tissue for pharmacological studies because of its inexpensiveness, certainty and sensitivity of response, availability at any abattoir and its viability even after 3 to 7 hours post mortem. Precautions regarding preparation of iris strips are given elsewhere.1, 2Besides demonstrating the antagonistic relaxing action of various concentrations of atropine against sphincter contraction by physos-tigmine one is able to produce opposite effects with histamine and adrenalin. To date we have been able to demonstrate sphincter relaxation with so small a dose as 1-400,000,000 and a sphincter contracture with the minute dose of 1-1,000,000,000 of histamine. We suggest the study of the iris sphincter strip as a probable t...
Salmonella Types in Silver Foxes

Extensive work on fox paratyphoid in Europe began about 1930. The work of Cernaianu,3 Jacobi,4 Neumi5ller,5 Meyn,6 RiedmUiller and Saxer,7 Schoop,8 and Verge' has been well reviewed by DeBlieck and Jansen."o It was shown by these investigations that paratyphoid in silver foxes can be brought about by Salmonella typhi-murium; Salmonella cholerae-suis var. kunzendorf; Salmonella enteritidis var. danysz and Salmonella enteritidis var. dublin. However, in all cases occurring in Holland, DeBlieck and Jansen"5 reported S. enteritidis var. dublin. Tesdal" studied
A Perspective on Medical Technology Curricula: Results of a Three-State Survey

Medical laboratory employers in three states were surveyed in 1985 to determine their attitude toward essential courses in a medical technology curriculum and employable traits of a medical technologist. Employers were also asked to project future demands in their facility for medical laboratory technicians (MLTs), medical technologists (MTs), and medical technologists with specialty certification or advanced degrees. The majority of respondents rated quality control, quality assurance, instrumentation, and skills in technique high while rating skills in other allied health disciplines, such as x-ray, low. The majority of respondents rated employable traits such as interpersonal relationship skills and involvement in continuing education high. The majority of respondents did not plan on replacing MTs with MLTs as a cost-saving mechanism. They also did not see an increased demand for MTs with advanced degrees or specialist certificates except in the area of business administration, management, and computer usage. The results of the study provided an interesting perspective on medical technology curriculum planning and strategy for the future.
On the symmetry and degeneracy of H3(

The fundamental molecular ion H3(+) has impacted astronomy, chemistry, and physics, particularly since the discovery of its rovibrational spectrum. Consisting of three identical fermions, its properties are profoundly influenced by the requirements of exchange symmetry, most notably the nonexistence of its ground rotational state. Spectroscopy of H3(+) is often used to infer the relative abundances of its two nuclear spin modifications, ortho- and para-H3(+), which are important in areas as diverse as electron dissociative recombination and deuterium fractionation in cold interstellar clouds. In this paper, we explore in detail the impact of exchange symmetry on the states of H3(+), with a particular focus on the state degeneracies necessary for converting spectral transition intensities to relative abundances. We address points of confusion in the literature surrounding these issues and discuss the implications for proton-transfer reactions of H3(+) at low temperatures.
Outliers and Missing Data

Almost every experimenter has come across values in a data set that appears to be “out of place” compared to the other values. Depending on the researcher these outlier values are considered as “misleading,” “bad,” or “erroneous” data points. But are they truly deviates and not true representatives of the population from which the sample was drawn. This chapter reviews some of the more common techniques that have been used to determine if a data point should possibly be removed. There are also data sets where certain values are missing for a variety of reasons. Because many statistical techniques work best if the designs are balanced, is there a way to “replace” these missing values. Several of the current techniques for substituting values are reviewed.
The Fan-Browder theorem

Remarks The theorems of this chapter can be viewed as generalizations of fixed point theorems. Theorem 17.1 is due to Fan [1969] and is based on a theorem of Browder [1967]. It gives conditions on correspondences μ γ : K → R m which guarantee the existence of an x ∈ K satisfying μ( x ) ∩ γ( x ) ≠ o. Browder proves the theorem for the special case in which μ is a singleton-valued correspondence and γ is the identity correspondence. In this case μ( x ) ∩ γ( x ) ≠ o if and only if x is a fixed point of μ. The correspondences are not required to map K into itself; instead, a rather peculiar looking condition is used. In the case studied by Browder, this condition says that μ is either an inward or an outward map. Such conditions were studied by Halpern [1968] and Halpern and Bergman [1968]. Another feature of these theorems, also due more or less to Browder, is the combination of a separating hyperplane argument with a maximization argument. The maximization argument is based on 7.2; which is equivalent to a fixed point argument. Such a form of argument is also used in 18.18 below and is implicit in 21.6 and 21.7. Fan-Browder Theorem (Fan [1969, Theorem 6]) Let K ⊂ R m be compact and convex, and let γ,μ : K →→ R m be upper hemi-continuous with nonempty closed convex values.
Positive Allosteric Modulation of SK Channels by Riluzole

Small conductance Ca2+-activated potassium (SK) channels play a key role in the regulation of neuronal excitability. Positive modulation of potassium ion channels has been suggested as a potential therapeutic strategy to normalize the excitability of neurons, in movement disorders such as ataxia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Riluzole is the only FDA approved drug for ALS, although its therapeutic effects are only modest. Riluzole positively modulates SK channels, which contributes to its neuroprotective effects. With crystallography, we discovered the binding pocket of riluzole in SK2 channels. This binding pocket was further validated through combined techniques including site directed mutagenesis and electrophysiological recordings. These data suggest that the binding pocket identified by crystallography is indeed the functional binding pocket through which riluzole exerts the positive modulation of channel activity.
Controls on deep critical zone architecture: a historical review and four testable hypotheses

The base of Earth's critical zone (CZ) is commonly shielded from study by many meters of overlying rock and regolith. Though deep CZ processes may seem far removed from the surface, they are vital in shaping it, preparing rock for infusion into the biosphere and breaking Earth materials down for transport across landscapes. This special issue highlights outstanding challenges and recent advances of deep CZ research in a series of articles that we introduce here in the context of relevant literature dating back to the 1500s. Building on several contributions to the special issue, we highlight four exciting new hypotheses about factors that drive deep CZ weathering and thus influence the evolution of life-sustaining CZ architecture. These hypotheses have emerged from recently developed process-based models of subsurface phenomena including: fracturing related to subsurface stress fields; weathering related to drainage of bedrock under hydraulic head gradients; rock damage from frost cracking due to subsurface temperature gradients; and mineral reactions with reactive fluids in subsurface chemical potential gradients. The models predict distinct patterns of subsurface weathering and CZ thickness that can be compared with observations from drilling, sampling and geophysical imaging. We synthesize the four hypotheses into an overarching conceptual model of fracturing and weathering that occurs as Earth materials are exhumed to the surface across subsurface gradients in stress, hydraulic head, temperature, and chemical potential. We conclude with a call for a coordinated measurement campaign designed to comprehensively test the four hypotheses across a range of climatic, tectonic and geologic conditions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Low threshold voltage quarter micron MOSFETs for low power applications

Low threshold voltage, high performance, quarter micron N/P MOSFETs for 1 V applications were fabricated. A 4.5/spl times/ reduction in switching power with the same switching speed was achieved, when compared with standard Vt devices operated at a higher supply voltage. The feasibility of lowering standby power using substrate bias was shown. The challenges of scaling low Vt devices down to shorter channel lengths and possible scaling approaches are discussed.
Cranial vault thickness in non-human primates: Allometric and geometric analyses of the vault and its component layers.

Abstract Extremely thick cranial vaults have been noted as a diagnostic characteristic of Homo erectus since the first fossil of the species was identified, but relatively little work has been done on elucidating its variation within extant non-human primates. Cranial vault thickness (CVT) is not a monolithic trait, and the relationship of its layers to other morphological variables is unknown. Total CVT and the thickness of the cortical and diploe layers individually, as well as the ratio between diploe and total thickness, were calculated from 258 female individuals from 47 species of non-human primate. Measures of CVT were then regressed onto measures of body, brain, vault, facial, and mandibular size as well as vault shape. Total frontal and parietal CVT scales with positive allometry or isometry with measures of size across a combined non-human primate sample, although some variation exists within each infraorder and when diploe thickness alone is compared to measures of size. CVT in this sample correlates weakly with cranial vault shape, but the relationship described here contradicts an earlier hypothesis that long, low vaults should be thicker than higher, globular vaults. This study provides new data on the variation of vault morphology among extant primates that may be used to inform future hypotheses for the cranial vault hypertrophy of H. erectus .
Histologic variation in high grade oral epithelial dysplasia when associated with high-risk human papillomavirus.

Objectives Reported cytologic alterations associated with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) in oral epithelial dysplasia (HPV-OED) need further characterization. Study Design Archival cases of high-grade oral epithelial dysplasia (hgOED) (N = 38) were assigned a cytologic score (CS) based on the average number of mitotic, karyorrhectic, and apoptotic cells per high-power field. Three groups were then generated on the basis of increasing CS: Focal (group 1, N = 14), Intermediate (group 2, N = 12), and Diffuse (group 3, N = 12). Polymerase chain reaction–based HPV genotyping and p16 immunohistochemistry were performed. Results HR-HPV was found significantly more in group 3 (83.3%) compared with groups 1 and 2 (group 1&2; 42.9% and 41.7%, respectively; P = .047). HPV16 predominated in HR-HPV-positive cases (90.5%). By location, the tongue or the floor of mouth was associated with all groups (P = .04). Increasing CS was associated with a slightly younger age (P = .04) and increased expression of p16 (P = .005). CS and p16 expression were not sensitive but were highly specific predictors for HR-HPV presence. Based on limited follow-up information, HPV-OED does not differ in clinical aggressiveness compared with conventional OED. Conclusions Increased CS in hgOED is strongly associated with HR-HPV (mostly HPV16) and p16 expression. CS and p16 expression are specific predictors of HR-HPV presence. Further molecular study and long-term follow-up of HPV-OED are needed.
"Alien" Health Care.

The article discusses U.S. government policies regarding access to health care for migrants (illegal immigrants) as of 2017, and it provides a response to the article "Effect of U.S. Health Policies on Health Care Access for Marshallese Migrants" by P.A. McElfish, E. Hallgren, and S. Yamada which appears in a 2015 issue of the journal. Deportation risk, fear, and stress are examined, along with the moral aspects of medical care in the U.S.
Dual Anticoagulation in Recurrent Thromboembolic Events with Failure of Monotherapy: A Novel Approach.

In the last few decades many new anticoagulants (i.e direct thrombin and factor ten inhibitors) have been introduced with efficacy that rivals older drugs in the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, for all their success, management of patients with recurrent thromboembolic events is still a challenging clinical scenario and not well addressed in the literature. We report the case of a young female with recurrent thromboembolisms in spite of using both newer agents and more conventional therapies. Ultimately, she is started on dual anticoagulation with warfarin and rivaroxaban without recurrence. This case report demonstrates that dual anticoagulants can be utilized in patients with recurrent VTE who fail single agent therapy. It also underscores the need for studies further elaborating on the utility of dual anticoagulants as a treatment modality for patients failing monotherapy.
Supersymmetric self-dual Yang–Mills theories from local nilpotent fermionic symmetry

Abstract We present a system of a self-dual vector-spinor and a self-dual Yang–Mills (YM) field with local nilpotent fermionic symmetry (but not supersymmetry) in D = 2 + 2 dimensions that embeds self-dual supersymmetric YM theory as a special set of exact solutions. Our system has local nilpotent fermionic symmetry generator N α I satisfying the algebra { N α I , N β J } = 0 with the adjoint index I of an arbitrary gauge group. Our original field content in D = 2 + 2 is ( A μ I , ψ μ I , χ I ) , where A μ I is the usual YM gauge field, ψ μ I is a Majorana–Weyl vector-spinor gauging N α I , while χ I is a Majorana–Weyl spinor compensator field needed for consistency. This system embeds self-dual supersymmetric YM system with the field content ( A μ I , λ − I ) in D = 2 + 2 . As other examples, we consider similar systems in D = 7 + 0 and D = 8 + 0 embedding respectively N = 1 / 8 + 7 / 8 and N = ( 1 / 8 , 1 ) supersymmetric YM theories with generalized self-dualities, such as F μ ν I = ( 1 / 2 ) f μ ν ρ σ F ρ σ I with a generalized octonionic structure constant f μ ν ρ σ . This result strongly suggests that our local nilpotent fermionic symmetry is more fundamental than the supersymmetric self-dual Yang–Mills systems that are supposed to generate all supersymmetric integrable models in D 4 .
An ultra-high bandwidth sub-ranging ADC with programmable dynamic range in 32nm CMOS SOI

A 7GS/s 6b sub-ranging ADC is implemented in 32nm CMOS SOI with reconfigurable comparators, and adjustable input differential pairs are exploited to change converter characteristics for hardware-based cybersecurity. To achieve low-power consumption at high-speed operation with small-size transistors, an on-chip calibration to reduce process mismatches is utilized in the design. The presented ADC achieves an SNDR of 33.06 dB at Nyquist frequency and consumes only 15mW with a figure-of-merit of 58.3 fJ/conv-step.
Fast and rigorous method for solving low-frequency breakdown in full-wave finite-element-based solution of general lossy problems

A rigorous and fast method is developed to overcome the low-frequency breakdown in the finite-element-based analysis of general lossy problems, where both dielectrics and conductors can be lossy and arbitrarily inhomogeneous. The method is equally valid at high frequencies without any need for changing the formulation. In this method, a full-wave finite-element solution is first decomposed into two components: nullspace component and its complementary one. Each component is then found without breakdown from high down to any low frequency. Both nullspace and its complementary space are analytically generated in this work for an arbitrary mesh, thus incurring no computational cost. From the proposed method, the frequency dependence of a full-wave finite-element solution at low frequencies is also explicitly revealed for general inhomogeneous lossy problems. Numerical results have validated the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.
Two cases of sarcoidosis presenting as longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis

Neurosarcoidosis is uncommon with an incidence of approximately 5 to 15%. Central nervous system involvement can be divided into brain and spinal cord neurosarcoidosis. Spinal cord sarcoidosis is extremely rare, occurring in less than 1% of all sarcoidosis cases. Its manifestations may include cauda equina syndrome, radiculopathy, syringomyelia, cord atrophy, arachnoiditis, and myelopathy or transverse myelitis. We highlight two cases of spinal cord sarcoidosis, each presenting with longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis, that demonstrate the dilemmas that physicians face with regard to diagnosis and treatment. Given its rarity and the diversity of possible manifestations, establishing the diagnosis of spinal cord sarcoidosis is often very difficult. Extensive evaluation must be conducted to rule out primary neurologic, primary rheumatologic, infectious, and neoplastic diseases. MRI often demonstrates hyperintensity on T2-weighted images and enhancement following gadolinium administration. CSF analysis most consistently shows a lymphocytic pleocytosis and elevated proteins. While these less invasive investigations may be helpful, the gold standard for diagnosis is biopsy of neurologic or non-neurologic tissue confirming the presence of non-caseating granulomas. Evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of transverse myelitis secondary to sarcoidosis are lacking due to its rarity; therefore, therapy is based on expert and anecdotal experience and usually consists of high doses of steroids in combination with various immunosuppressive agents. The use of infliximab in particular appears promising, but there is a need for further investigation into the ideal treatment regimen.
Ticket Price Behavior and Attendance Demand in Chinese Professional Soccer

There exists diverse research examining the attendance at professional sporting events from a North American and European perspective (Watanabe, Int J Sport Finance 7:309–323, 2012). However, there are a limited number of studies that have considered attendance for sporting leagues and events in Asia, with most of these studies focused on the Nippon Professional Baseball League (Leeds and Sakata, J Sports Econ 13:34–52, 2012; Yamamura and Shin, J Socio-Econ 37:1412–1426, 2008; Appl Econ 41:3257–3265, 2009). This research examines attendance for professional soccer in the Chinese Super League (CSL) over an entire season. Analysis of this league is of great interest because of the unique pricing structures employed by various franchises that belong to the CSL. Specifically, several CSL franchises employ only a single price point for a ticket to their match, while major professional sport leagues in North America and Europe offer multiple prices at which to enter matches. The practice of price dispersion, the selling of tickets to a single event at different price levels, in the CSL provides researchers with the chance to examine how teams employing different pricing practices in a league may affect attendance. Price dispersion theory indicates that the use of multiple prices for a product should allow a firm to capture more consumer surplus, and previous empirical examinations have found evidence of increased demand or revenues for organizations using price dispersion (Humphreys and Soebbing, Econ Lett 114:304–307, 2012; Huntington, J Cult Econ 17:71–87, 1993). This chapter will thus test whether price dispersion has a positive relationship with attendance in the CSL.
Dynamic DVFS Scheduling

As discussed in the previous chapter, offline analysis can be used to generate a schedule of DVFS state changes to minimize energy consumption, while ensuring sufficient processing cycles are available for all tasks to meet their deadlines, even under worst-case computation requirements. However, invocations of real-time tasks typically use less than their specified worst-case computation requirements, presenting an opportunity for further energy conservation. This chapter outlines three online, dynamic techniques to more aggressively scale back processing frequency and voltage to conserve energy when task computation cycles vary, yet continue to provide timeliness guarantees for worst-case execution time scenarios.
What to Do When Cochlear Implant Users Plateau in Performance: a Pilot Study of Clinician-guided Aural Rehabilitation.

Hypothesis For experienced adult cochlear implant (CI) users who have reached a plateau in performance, a clinician-guided aural rehabilitation (CGAR) approach can improve speech recognition and hearing-related quality of life (QOL). Background A substantial number of CI users do not reach optimal performance in terms of speech recognition ability and/or personal communication goals. Although self-guided computerized auditory training programs have grown in popularity, compliance and efficacy for these programs are poor. We propose that CGAR can improve speech recognition and hearing-related QOL in experienced CI users. Methods Twelve adult CI users were enrolled in an 8-week CGAR program guided by a speech-language pathologist and audiologist. Nine patients completed the program along with pre-AR and immediate post-AR testing of speech recognition (AzBio sentences in quiet and in multitalker babble, Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant words in quiet), QOL (Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire, Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults/Elderly, and Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale), and neurocognitive functioning (working memory capacity, information-processing speed, inhibitory control, speed of lexical/phonological access, and nonverbal reasoning). Pilot data for these nine patients are presented. Results From pre-CGAR to post-CGAR, group mean improvements in word recognition were found. Improvements were also demonstrated on some composite and subscale measures of QOL. Patients who demonstrated improvements in word recognition were those who performed most poorly at baseline. Conclusions CGAR represents a potentially efficacious approach to improving speech recognition and QOL for experienced CI users. Limitations and considerations in implementing and studying aural rehabilitation approaches are discussed.
Dynamic Compressor Optimization in Natural Gas Pipeline Systems

The growing dependence of electric power systems on gas-fired generators to balance fluctuating and intermittent production by renewable energy sources has increased the variation and volume of flo...
Aluminum inhibits neurofilament assembly, cytoskeletal incorporation, and axonal transport. Dynamic nature of aluminum-induced perikaryal neurofilament accumulations as revealed by subunit turnover.

The mechanism by which aluminum induces formation of perikaryal neurofilament (NF) inclusions remains unclear. Aluminum treatment inhibits: 1. The incorporation of newly synthesized NF subunits into Trition-insoluble cytoskeleton of axonal neurites; 2. Their degradation and dephosphorylation; 3. Their translocation into axonal neurites.
Blocking All Paths to an Iranian Bomb: How the West Can Avoid a Nuclear Maginot Line

French Minister of War Andre Maginot became famous among military strategists for his fixation on a single route of attack that led to fatal neglect of alternatives. Seeking to defeat a German invasion along the primary East-West axis, Maginot constructed an impregnable line of fortifications in the 1930s that succeeded in preventing the attack he most feared. But when German panzers outflanked that line and rolled through Belgium in 1940, their attack from the rear led to France’s surrender in just six weeks. In concentrating so much of their mindshare on imposing constraints on Iran’s known nuclear facilities at Natanz, Fordow, and Arak, are the US and its five negotiating partners at risk of creating a nuclear Maginot line?
A Systemic Conceptualization of Intimate Partner Violence: Attachment and Differentiation:

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a national public health concern that is often conceptualized individually. This article provides a systemic understanding of IPV through the separate and combine...
Effectiveness of Crowd-Sourcing On-Demand Assistance from Teachers in Online Learning Platforms

It has been shown in multiple studies that expert-created on-demand assistance, such as hint messages, improves student learning in online learning environments. However, there are also evident that certain types of assistance may be detrimental to student learning. In addition, creating and maintaining on-demand assistance are hard and time-consuming. In 2017-2018 academic year, 132,738 distinct problems were assigned inside ASSISTments, but only 38,194 of those problems had on-demand assistance. In order to take on-demand assistance to scale, we needed a system that is able to gather new on-demand assistance and allows us to test and measure its effectiveness. Thus, we designed and deployed TeacherASSIST inside ASSISTments. TeacherASSIST allowed teachers to create on-demand assistance for any problems as they assigned those problems to their students. TeacherASSIST then redistributed on-demand assistance by one teacher to students outside of their classrooms. We found that teachers inside ASSISTments had created 40,292 new instances of assistance for 25,957 different problems in three years. There were 14 teachers who created more than 1,000 instances of on-demand assistance. We also conducted two large-scale randomized controlled experiments to investigate how on-demand assistance created by one teacher affected students outside of their classes. Students who received on-demand assistance for one problem resulted in significant statistical improvement on the next problem performance. The students' improvement in this experiment confirmed our hypothesis that crowd-sourced on-demand assistance was sufficient in quality to improve student learning, allowing us to take on-demand assistance to scale.
Role of CA 125, CA19-9 and CEA in predicting outcome following neoadjuvant chemotherapy in muscle invasive bladder cancer

Introduction We have previously shown the prognostic value of three tumor markers (TMs) including Carbohydrate Antigen 125 (CA-125), Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) and Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) in muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Current report presents an update on TM levels before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and their association with oncological outcomes. Methods Serum levels of three TMs were prospectively measured in patients with MIBC who underwent NAC between 2011 and 2019. Rate of pathological upstaging (Path-U) and recurrence-free (RFS) was compared between patients with: (1) Elevated versus normal pre-NAC TM (2) Elevated versus normal post-NAC TM, and (3) Elevated pre-NAC TMs with normalized post-NAC TMs (TM responders) versus persistently elevated post-NAC TMs (TM non responders). Results Of a total of 199 patients, 63 patients had both pre- and post-NAC TMs. 33/63 (52%) patients had elevated pre-NAC TM of whom, 15/33 (45%) were TM responders. Patients with elevated pre-NAC TM had significantly higher rate of Path-U compared to those with normal pre-NAC TM (62% vs. 22.5%, respectively; P Conclusions Elevated TM prior to NAC is associated with pathologic upstaging. TM elevation pre- or post-NAC predicts a worse outcome. Post-cystectomy TM might play a role in earlier detection of recurrence.
Maternal Parenting and Toddler Temperament: Predictors of Early School Age Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder-Related Behaviors

Detection of early risk for developing childhood attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) symptoms, inattention and hyperactivity, may be critical for prevention and early intervention. Temperament and parenting are two promising areas of risk, representing potential targets for preventive intervention; however, studies have rarely tested these factors longitudinally using multiple methods and reporters. In a longitudinal sample of 312 low-income boys, this study tested the hypothesis that negative emotionality (NE) and effortful control (EC) in toddlerhood (1.5–3.5 years old) would predict mother- and teacher-reported ADHD-related behaviors at school age (5–7 years old). Direct effects of observed warm, supportive and harsh maternal parenting were tested in relation to ADHD-related behaviors and as moderators of associations between NE and EC and ADHD-related behaviors. Several predictions were supported: 1) Greater maternal-reported toddler NE positively predicted mother-reported ADHD behaviors; 2) Greater observed EC was associated with fewer mother- and teacher-reported ADHD-related behaviors; 3) Warm, supportive parenting predicted fewer teacher-reported ADHD-related behaviors, and harsh parenting predicted more ADHD-related behaviors as reported by parents and teachers; 4) Harsh parenting moderated the association between observed EC and mother-reported ADHD-related behaviors. Together, the findings suggest that lower child EC, lower warm/supportive parenting, and greater harsh parenting in toddlerhood independently signal increased risk for later ADHD-related behaviors; further, the association between low EC and ADHD-related behaviors was amplified in the context of high levels of harsh parenting.
Vascular surgery-related violations of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.

Abstract Objective The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) is a federal law established in 1986 to ensure that patients who present to an emergency department receive medical care regardless of means. Violations are reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and can result in significant financial penalties. Our objective was to assess all available EMTALA violations for vascular-related issues. Methods EMTALA violations in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services publicly available hospital violations database from 2011 to 2018 were evaluated for vascular-related issues. Details recorded were case type, hospital type, hospital region, reasons for violation, disposition, and mortality. Results There were 7001 patients identified with any EMTALA violation and 98 (1.4%) were deemed vascular related. The majority (82.7%) of EMTALA violations occurred at urban/suburban hospitals. Based on the Association of American Medical Colleges United States region, vascular-related EMTALA violations occurred in the Northeast (7.1%), Southern (56.1%), Central (18.4%), and Western (18.4%) United States. Case types included cerebrovascular (28.6%), aortic related (22.4%; which consisted of ruptured aortic aneurysms [8.2%], aortic dissection [11.2%], and other aortic [3.1%]), vascular trauma (15.3%), venous-thromboembolic (15.3%), peripheral arterial disease (9.2%), dialysis access (5.1%), bowel ischemia (3.1%), and other (1%) cases. Patients were transferred to another facility in 41.8% of cases. The most common reasons for violation were specialty refusal or unavailability (30.6%), inappropriate documentation (29.6%), misdiagnosis (18.4%), poor communication (17.3%), inappropriate triage (13.3%), failure to obtain diagnostic laboratory tests or imaging (12.2%), and ancillary or nursing staff issues (7.1%). The overall mortality was 19.4% and 31.6% died during the index emergency department visit. Vascular conditions associated with death were venous thromboembolism (31.6%), ruptured aortic aneurysm (21.1%), aortic dissection (21.1%), other aortic causes (10.5%), vascular trauma (10.5%), and bowel ischemia (5.3%). Conclusions Although the frequency of vascular-related EMTALA violations was low, improvements in communication, awareness of vascular disease among staff, specialty staffing, and the development of referral networks and processes are needed to ensure that patients receive adequate care and that institutions are not placed at undue risk.
Characterization of two enzymes from Psychrobacter cryohalolentis that are required for the biosynthesis of an unusual diacetamido-d-sugar.

Psychrobacter cryohalolentis strain K5T is a Gram-negative organism first isolated in 2006. It has a complex O-antigen that contains, in addition to l-rhamnose and d-galactose, two diacetamido- and a triacetamido-sugar. The biochemical pathways for the production of these unusual sugars are presently unknown. Utilizing the published genome sequence of the organism, we hypothesized that the genes 0612, 0638, and 0637 encode for a 4,6-dehydratase, an aminotransferase, and an N-acetyltransferase, respectively, which would be required for the biosynthesis of one of the diacetamido-sugars, 2,4-diacetamido-2,4,6-trideoxy-d-glucose, starting from UDP-N-acetylglucosamine. Here we present functional and structural data on the proteins encoded by the 0638 and 0637 genes. The kinetic properties of these enzymes were investigated by a discontinuous HPLC assay. An X-ray crystallographic structure of 0638, determined in its external aldimine form to 1.3 A resolution, demonstrated the manner in which the UDP ligand is positioned into the active site. It is strikingly different from that previously observed for PglE from Campylobacter jejuni, which functions on the same substrate. Four X-ray crystallographic structures were also determined for 0637 in various complexed states at resolutions between 1.3 and 1.55 A. Remarkably, a tetrahedral intermediate mimicking the presumed transition state was trapped in one of the complexes. The data presented herein confirm the hypothesized functions of these enzymes and provide new insight into an unusual sugar biosynthetic pathway in Gram-negative bacteria. We also describe an efficient method for acetyl-CoA synthesis that allowed us to overcome its prohibitive cost for this analysis.